Roundup and Giveaway Winner: August Series Challenge

Greetings from the Dark Side!

I want to thank Claw's Up! and Beauty Scribbles for participating in the August Series Challenge~ And a HUGE thank you to all of you who have left lovely comments on my weekly looks ^_^ I really, really appreciate all your kinds words as well as your constructive criticism. I love doing these looks to improve my own skills while having tons of fun geeking out!

I will now show you a roundup for the looks of the August Series Challenge, and I will add links to all the posts~ Enjoy!

The Legend of Zelda Series: Phantom Ganon (Wind Waker)

Greetings from the Dark Side!

This week's Zelda inspired look is based off Phantom Ganon from Wind Waker.

I love how Phantom Ganon looks here! It is super simple, yet very cool! I was inspired by the simplicity and fierceness of the black and bright blue together. I wanted to create something a little extreme, almost gothic-like. I wanted to feel evil, powerful, and totally badass! I know this will not be everyone's cup of tea, but I hope you like this super non-wearable look either ways! ;)

Dupe Alert: Revlon Photoready 'Muse' Palette (Evening Opulence Collection)

Greetings from the Dark Side!

I mentioned in THIS tutorial that when I saw the new Revlon Evening Opulence collection, I immediately recongnized the colors from the Photoready eyeshadow palette in 'Muse'. It is identical to the YSL Ombres 5 Lumieres palette #11 Midnight Garden from the the Fall 2011 collection. I wanted to see if this Revlon palette was a close dupe to the YSL one, so I swatched the colors side by side to compare the two!

Tutorial: Evening Opulence (Ft. Revlon)

Well hello lovely readers! ♥

So today I was strolling down the cosmetic aisle at Target, definitely not looking to buy any makeup *ahem*, and I saw the display for the new Revlon collection called Evening Opulence. I was disappointed that the display did not include any of the new lip butter shades, but I did pick up two items (I actually already owned a product that is part of this collection as well). I was surprised to see that the eyeshadow palette in this collection called 'Muse' is a dupe for the YSL 'Midnight Garden' palette (I will post a comparison post) so I bought it to see how close the two were. I also purchased the nail polish in the shade 'Rich' that looks very similar to the Revlon color 'Carbonite' which is a dupe for Chanel's 'Graphite' nail polish. If you want to see those two products in action, then keep reading!

For a pictorial, keep reading~

Tutorial: Mercenary Smokey Eye

 Hello beautiful readers!

Today I have a smokey eye tutorial to share with you all, but before that I wanted to let you all know a few things:

1. Firstly, ignore my skin in my pictures. I am shedding like a snake right now! I had a facial last week, and so my skin started to peel slightly from the treatment I had done. It is peeling in a good way, mind you, but it can look pretty gross!

2. Secondly, you might see that I have two different versions of this look. It is actually the exact same look, except that one is more intense than the other. The pictorial I have is for the more wearable look, but you can intensify the colors to get the more dramatic smokey eye. 

3. Lastly, you can also see that in the second full-face shot, I have a scar on my eye. This, and the fact that I named this look "Mercenary Smokey Eye", is due to the fact that I was testing the makeup I will be wearing with my Mercenary Katarina cosplay. I will be doing the intense smokey eye for that costume. So that's that!

Keep reading for a full pictorial!

Reminder: August Series Challenge Week 3

Hello:)

Just a quick reminder: today is the start of Week 3 of the August Series Challenge! For any of you who want to participate in this week, keep in mind that your look must be entered by the end of Saturday, August 31. You can email me pictures or the URL of the site where you posted your look to my email yamireviews@gmail.com. You can also send me a link or pictures through Twitter (@darthnancy) or on Facebook (The Dark Side of Beauty). 

For the August challenge post go HERE. And for extra information check out THIS page. 

 

 

 

Week 3 is the last week for this month and the inspiration is Phantom Ganon. If you want to be entered in the August Series Challenge giveaway, you must participate at least in one week during the month~

 

 

Review: Kat Von D Lock-It Foundation

Hello everyone! As a beauty blogger, I am constantly looking for new foundations to try. I personally suffer from acne, acne scarring, an oily T-zone, and dry cheeks so it is hard for me to find a foundation that will cover my problem areas, control the oily areas of my face, and be moisturizing enough to help with my dry areas. In my search I came upon the Kat Von D Lock-It Foundation. I heard so many good things about it so I decided to give it a try. I have owned this for about 7-8 months now and I finally want to review it!

Updated Review: MAC Eyeshadows

Greetings from the Dark Side!

Now that my eyeshadow collection has grown so much, I wanted to go back a bit and do an updated review on my MAC eyeshadows. I did a review about two years ago (which you can see HERE and HERE), but since then I have had a chance to try out so many other brands. First, let's take a look at my current MAC collection.

                                                                              Collection                                                                   

Permanent Eyeshadow Collection

You can see swatches of the neutral eyeshadows HERE and swatches of the colorful eyeshadows HERE.

The Legend of Zelda Series: Green Chuchu

Greetings from the Dark Side!

Ahh the Chuchu are one of the most annoying monsters from the Zelda games, IMO! They are not very strong, but they attack you and shock you randomly. But there is something quite cute about them. Maybe it's because they are super colorful or because they are smiling...I don't know. But I wanted to create something bright and crazy. The Chuchu that stands out to me is the green one, so that is the one I decided to use for my inspiration.

FOTD: Super Chica (Ft. NYC)

Hello dark siders!

For today's makeup I used the limited edition NYC palette in 'Super Chica' and the limited edition lipstick in 'Villainous Red'. I love the name of this palette! It makes me want to speak in Spanish  (I do speak Spanish fluently but I suck at writing it xP). This is quite a bold look  since both the eyes and the lips have bold colors. Because of that, I didn't use any blush. I hope you like this look ^_^

Life Update + Upcoming Posts

Hello!~ ^_^

I'm feeling a bit chatty today so I thought I would make a post about what's being going on in my life and what you should expect to see here on this blog in the upcoming weeks. 

My life.

These past weeks my life has become very hectic. I am working, going to school, blogging, making cosplay costumes, going to concerts, playing video games, watching anime, reading manga, and trying to spend time with the people I love. I'm not complaining, just want to show you that unfortunately The Dark Side of Beauty is not the only thing that requires my attention. I'm particularly swamped at the moment because recently there was a change in the program coordinator where I work and there has been so many changes. It is really hard to change your routine once you have become accustomed to it! It's stressful because there is an anime convention coming up in about a week and I have yet to finish my Mercenary Katarina costume! It gets more crazy when you have two dogs that always want to play xD
I am also getting my second tattoo on September 11! I am getting the White Tree of Gondor and the One Ring inscription on my left shoulder. I am really excited!

My skin.

I've talked a lot about the fact that I have very troublesome skin. My skin has improved a lot in the past two years, but I still have annoying breakouts here and there. Last week I decided that I really needed to do something extra to help out my skin. This resulted in me making an appointment to get my very first facial at a local spa! I went today and had the most amazing experience ever! My skin feels so much better already. I have been converted! Yes, facials can be quite expensive. But I think I would rather stop buying makeup and invest that money on my skin. And it's not only beneficial for the skin, but also for your state of mind. I have been really stressed out these past weeks and going to get a facial was so relaxing~ In fact, when I returned home, I fell asleep for 3 hours! And if you knew me, you would know that I never take naps during the day so it was quite amazing!

My plans for The Dark Side of Beauty.

Lately, I have not been hauling tons of makeup like I did in the past. Because of this, I am trying really hard to catch up on reviews and makeup looks. My goal is to first review and use products that are limited edition and/or that I purchased recently. After that, I would love to "shop my stash" and use products that I have been neglecting. To be more specific, I want to use ALL of my indie eyeshadows and create eye looks with them so that you can all see how these products look like on. Maybe re-swatching some of my older eyeshadows as well because some of my older swatch photos suck terribly :P

I also want to revisit my "Return of the Look" series since I haven't done one of those posts in a while. I am thinking of recreating the four House looks for Harry Potter since Hogwarts' new term begins September 1st (which is coming up!).

Of course, I will be continuing doing makeup looks inspired by geeky stuff. I am going to be doing the Series Challenge, but I would love if more people participated! Themes that I will be doing in the upcoming months include Sailor Moon, League of Legends, The Elder Scrolls, Disney, Final Fantasy, The Witcher, and more!

And don't forget about giveaways! Every month, I will have a giveaway as part of the Series Challenge (but you do have to participate in the challenge to be a part of the giveaway). But I will also have other giveaways as well. I have TONS of giveaways planned ^_~ Some of the stuff that I have to giveaway include the Sephora Disney Ariel and Jasmine mirrors, Sugarpill loose pigment, NYC Halloween LE palettes, more Wet n Wild LE palettes, and just so much more stuff~! Look forward to it!

I am curious, how have you all being doing? Anybody starting school already?

Also, if there any any posts you would like to see, please let me know ^_^

Mercenary Katarina (LoL) Cosplay Part 3: Arm Bracers

Greetings from the Dark Side!

Part 1: Introduction

Part 2: Breastplate

Katarina Smokey Eye

Sorry for the long wait on the work-in -rogress for my cosplay costume! I've been so busy so I haven't really had too much time to work on my cosplay, and even less to post about it. The third step I took in making my cosplay was creating the arm bracers. I honestly had to idea what to do when I started. I am pretty happy with how they came out though. However, I should have really thought about how I was going to secure them onto my arm before hand >_<" I still have not figured that part out yet! But let's a look at the process that I took to make these!

Keep reading for more~

NYC Super Hero Chic Collection - Individual Eye Palettes (Limited Edition)

Greetings dark siders!

If you saw my post about the NYC Super Hero Chic nail polishes, then you would know that I found this Limited Edition NYC collection at Rite Aid. The most exciting thing about this collection are the LE palettes, especially #003, the 'Super Chica' palette. I swatched these for you who are curious about these. At Rite Aid, they cost me $2.99 each. That's a really great deal for 4 eyeshadows, a primer, and an illuminator! So keep reading for swatches of each of the palettes~

FOTD: Still Not Ginger! (Ft. Victorian Disco Cosmetics)

Greetings from the Dark Side~

I just love the parts in Doctor Who when the Doctor is reincarnated and he gets angry because he still isn't ginger! I think it is hilarious! So I thought it was really awesome that Victorian Disco Cosmetics made a orange color named 'Still Not Ginger'! It makes me laugh every time I read the label on the eyeshadow xD I used that eyeshadow today to create a simple Autumn-y look. I don't really like the lipstick I choose for this though :/ I don't particularly like the mix of colors I have going on. And my eyebrows look odd, I think I need to fill them in with a blue eyeshadow or something...But whatever, too late to change it now!

Reminder: August Series Challenge Week 2

Hi lovelies!

Just a quick reminder: today is the start of Week 2 of the August Series Challenge! For any of you who want to participate in this week, keep in mind that your look must be entered by the end of Saturday, August 24. You can email me pictures or the url of the site where you posted your look to my email yamireviews@gmail.com. You can also send me a link or pictures through Twitter (@darthnancy) or on Facebook (The Dark Side of Beauty). 

For the August challenge post go HERE. And for extra information check out THIS page.

This week's look is inspired by the Chuchus, gelatinous monsters that vary in color and are easy to beat. I like that they are very colorful so just have fun using the bright colors! You can base the look on just one of the chuchus, or on all of them.

NYC Super Hero Chic Collection - Nail Polishes

Hey guys! Guess what? It's that time of the year again: the time that we start to see Fall and Halloween collections~ I was very excited to finally see the NYC Halloween collection; I've been stalking my Rite Aid ;P.  I bought the collection from last year, and I knew I wanted to check out this year's as well. I purchased all four of the nail polishes in this collection, however I can't find one of them (the glitter called 'Angel'). I took a photo of the bottle, but when I was going to swatch it, I could not find it D:< I have no idea where it went! But for now, you can see swatches of the other three polishes~ 

Keep reading to see swatches!

FOTD: Spacey Wacey (Ft. Victorian Disco Cosmetics)

Greetings from the Dark Side!

Guys, I love Doctor Who! So it was super exciting that Victorian Disco Cosmetics released a Doctor Who collection :) Here the look I wore today using some of the eyeshadows from that collection~ Also, I am loving blue and orange right now! Particularly now that my hair is blue. What do you guys think of the orange and blue combo? Too much?

The Legend of Zelda Series: Princess Zelda (Wind Waker)

Greetings from the Dark Side!

This next The Legend of Zelda inspired look is Princess Zelda from Wind Waker. Wind Waker has more animated, cartoonish graphics so Zelda looks much more colorful in this game than in most of the other games. I personally love Wind Waker. Sure, it's no Ocarina of Time, but it was a phenomenal game! My inspiration was the two tones of pinks in her dress, the cornflower blue in her dress,  the pastel blue on her eye lids, her blonde hair, and her gold accessories and gold triforce.

Keep reading for a full pictorial!

Review: Victorian Disco Cosmetics Interwebz Collection

Greetings from the Dark Side!!

I have some swatches of the VDC Interwebz collection :D I have used all the eyeshadows in FOTDs but I thought it would be helpful to see side by side swatches of all the colors. You can probably tell by the names of the colors, but these are named after internet memes xD They are really fun names!

                                                               Swatches and Eye Looks                                                          

http://www.darksideofbeauty.com/2013/07/fotd-bro-do-you-even-lift.html

http://www.darksideofbeauty.com/2013/08/fotd-derpette-ft-victorian-disco.html

Affordable Back-To-School Makeup (Ft. Wet n Wild)

Greetings from the Dark Side!

For any of you who are going back to school, here is a simple and affordable look. I know that when I was in high school, I didn't have much money for makeup so I opted for very inexpensive products. I am also not a morning person, so if I have to go to school early I will do the simplest makeup that won't take too long to put on!! 

                                                                      Products Used                                                                    

-Wet n Wild Take On the Day Primer

-Wet n Wild Ultimate Brow Kit

-Wet n Wild MegaShimmer Shimmer Dust 'White Lotus'

-Wet n Wild MegaPlump Mascara

-Wet n Wild MegaLiner Liquid Eyeliner 'Black'

-Hard Candy CC Cream 

-Wet n Wild Perfect Pout Lip Gloss   'Hot, Hot, Haute'

This is a really simple look. I used my brow powder on my eyelid as a contour shade. Then I used the MegaShimmer on my lid for a wash of color and fun addition of sparkle~! I finished the look off with liquid liner and mascara. The MegaLiner is awesome! It is really dark and it will not budge all day. It is perfect for a long school day. On my lips I added a light wash of color with the Wet n Wild lip gloss. On my face I used the Hard Candy CC Cream. This is both inexpensive and great for a natural look.

*Some products shown were sent to me for free.

FOTD: Derpette (Ft. Victorian Disco Cosmetics)

Greetings from the Dark Side!!

In today's look I am using two eyeshadows from the Victorian Disco Cosmetics Interwebs collection. Also, I dyed my hair blue! Well, kind of. My hair looks stupid in the photos though because my hair was still wet. Anyways, hope you like the look~

     

Review: Wet n Wild Ultimate Brow Kit

Greetings from the Dark Side!

Not long ago, I showed a brow gel by Per-Fekt and I told you guys that I was looking for a cheaper alternative for it. I was conflicted because I really liked the brow gel but it is a really pricey product. Then I tried out this Wet n Wild brow kit. As you know, I love Wet n Wild products because they are inexpensive high quality products. I was excited to try this out so if you want to see my thoughts on this, keep reading :)

Rescue Beauty Lounge 'Fashion Police'

Greetings from the Dark Side!

Here is another beauty from the Rescue Beauty Lounge Blogger 2.0 collection. This is 'Fashion Police', named after the blog (if you haven't checked out Fashion Police you should!).

Fashion Police is a black base with insane amounts of multi-colored glitter. Holy crap, the glitter is amazing! I have never seen such a glittery black before. This definitely knocks all other glitter blacks out of the water! The formula is not amazing though. It is a little bit thick. Two coats was the best because it covered the nail completely while avoiding adding too many coats.Overall I think it is worth struggling with the formula because the glitter is amazing. The nail polish seriously looks like a starry night sky!

Review: TATCHA Dewy Skin Mist

Greetings from the Dark Side!

Today I have a ridiculously overdue skin care review. I received this TATCHA product months ago, but I am barely about to finish it. I wanted to wait until I was almost done with this product to review it so I was absolutely sure about my thoughts on it. So if you are interested in a review, keep on reading ^_^

FOTD: Riri Woo

Hello everyone~ I hope you are all having an awesome weekend!

A lot of you wanted to see how MAC 'Riri Woo' lipstick and the Sculpting powder in 'Sculpt' looked on, so I made a makeup look with both. This is definitely a full-face of makeup, ut I really love how this red lip color looks with a slightly smokey eye. I will have an review for this lipstick soon (with some comparison swatches as well ^_~)

Also, BB creams might not be the best for wearing out a night. It has a lot of SPF and it makes my face look quite paler in photos D:<

By the way, the flower I have in my hair is a slightly wilted black dahlia~ Dahlias are my favorite flowers!

Mercenary Katarina (LoL) Cosplay Part 2: Breastplate Armor

Greetings from the Dark Side!

Part 1: Introduction

Part 3: Arm Bracers

Katarina Smokey Eye

The first part I began to make for my Mercenary Katarina costume is her breastplate. I should begin by saying that I've never seen anyone actually make an armor piece for this costume. All the cosplays I've seen use a black corset or something made out of fabric. I'm pretty sure it is a breastplate though! But whatever, I decided it is indeed a breastplate xD 

Keep reading for more~

Mercenary Katarina (LoL) Cosplay Part 1: Introduction

Greetings from the Dark Side!

Did you guys know that I love cosplaying? I have only cosplayed once (as Hinata from Naruto) but I've never created my own costume. I have always admired cosplayers who could make amazing costumes by hand, but I have been too intimidated to try it for myself. But after wanting to cosplay for so long, I finally decided that I was going to make my own costume!

I wanted to start with something fairly easy just to introduce myself to the art of cosplaying, so I choose one of my favorite characters from League of Legends, Katarina. However, I find that the original Katarina skin is too overdone, so instead I decided to go for the Mercenary Katarina skin. It looks similar, but it is less commonly done. This is one of the official artworks for the character:

However, an image like this does not provide too many details. I am going to base a lot of my props on this artwork, but I need more angles of her outfit. That is why I also used other images, fan work, as well as other cosplay costumes to get a better idea of her outfit. If you want to start your own costume, always look at various photos before starting. You might miss something and have to start all over again. 

Here are the steps I have taken to start off my project:

1. After looking at pictures, break down the costume into different parts:

-Hair

-Weapons (main two blades, side sword, two blades on her back, and various small knives)

-Breastplate
-Pauldron

-Green jacket

-Dark green pants

-Two hip betls

-Two chest belts

-Two thigh belts 

-Arm bracers

-Gloves

-Leg Bracers

-Black boots

-Jacket and belt accesories

-Makeup and Body Tattoo

Making a list is really helpful to do this because you can check things off your list and know what materials you need to buy for each part.

2. Buying materials! This is the fun part, well sort of. I advice you to try to thrift things. I went to various thrift stores are found pants and a jacket that are perfect for this cosplay (I will show them in separate posts). I bought all my belts at Walmart and Target. I already own some black boots and some black gloves (yay for less spending)! I bought my wig, the side sword, and the small knives at a costume store called Evangeline's in Sacramento, California. Because I am in a rush to get this costume done (I want to wear this at a local Anime convention in a few weeks!) I'm actually having the two main blades commissioned for me. I tried to make them myself, but I go to school and work so I have really little time to get them done. Instead I will work on the rest of the costume. Maybe I will finish them and use them my two extra swords on the back. For the breastplate and the arm/leg bracers I ordered Worbla. Worbla is a thermoplastic material and it is awesome!! I also bought some other materials like paint, tape, craft foam,and velcro from Michaels. If you already have a lot of craft materials, then you won't have spend too much money.

3. Get started! This is where the real fun begins! Start on your pieces, I already have a few pieces started and I will make a separate posts for my work in progress! So stick around if you want to see my progress~ 

Part 2: Breastplate

Part 3: Arm Bracers

Katarina Smokey Eye

Have you ever cosplayed or created your own costume? And just because I'm curious, does anyone here play League of Legends? I don't anymore, but I still love the characters and the lore!

August Series Challenge: Legend of Zelda Wind Waker

Greetings from the Dark Side!

For an introduction of this Series Challenge, go HERE. Otherwise, welcome to the first month of my challenge series!

This month's theme will be: The Legend of Zelda, Wind Waker. For weekly dates and inspiration pictures, keep reading!

*Every person can do one look per week based on that week's inspiration. Example, you can turn in a Princess Zelda inspired look anytime from 8/12-8/17.

*Share your weekly look  by the end of each week on my Facebook Page, my Twitter, and/or by email (yamireviews@gmail.com). You can do eye makeup, full-face makeup, or nails!

                                                                 Inspiration Pictures                                                                

Week 1: Princess Zelda (Tetra)

Week 2: Chuchus (you can focus on  one or all of them)

Week 3: Phantom Ganon

                                                                   Contest Giveaway Prize                                                       

At the end of the month, one of you who has participated in the challenge will have a chance to win this: Wet n Wild Spring Forward Palettes~ I might have a vote or decided myself who the winner is.

*Share your looks  by the end of each week on my Facebook Page, my Twitter, and/or by email (yamireviews@gmail.com). You can do eye makeup, full-face makeup, or nails!

I can't wait to see who participates! I am really looking forward to it ♥