Sunday, August 31, 2014

Autographed Makeup by One Direction Giveaway

Ello mate! Oh how I wish I could travel to England, the scenery, the shopping, the boybands!!!! Speaking of a certain incredibly talented, incredibly famous boy band. The One Direction makeup collection by Markins International was recently released at Macy's on August 11th and (here's the best part) you could win an autographed collection!!

Markins was founded in 1984, and ever since they have been known for creating affordable, high-quality cosmetics. They practice cruelty-free testing and have won many awards for product safety. Markins also owns Wet'nWild, Physicians Formula, The Color Institute and many others.

Their latest project is an entire makeup collection inspired by the chart-topping band One Direction. The collection is limited edition, available at Macy's, Stage Stores, Beauty Brands, Lord&Taylor, and Dillards (US locations). There are three different sets each named after one of their world-famous albums ("Up All Night", "Take Me Home", and "Midnight Memories") The makeup comes in a collector's tin and they have pictures of different looks you can recreate. Each tin includes, a lipgloss that glows under black UV light, creme lipstick, 5-color eyeshadow palette, chubby eye or body pencil, black mascara, nail polish, and stencils.



Picture from Markins International Website

Giveaway Details!!!!!

To enter: Follow the link https://promosimple.com/ps/5645 you must enter an email address, like the Facebook page, and post a tweet to twitter. You may also earn extra entries by pinning on pinterest, referring friends, and liking the twitter page. The contest is for the US and Canada only.
Good Luck!!!!

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Tuesday, August 19, 2014

Sparkly Eye Makeup Tutorial

As I was "diligently" cleaning my room earlier I stumbled upon a few makeup items I have never tried. Of course a normal person would just set them aside to test later, but I must drop everything and create a whole new look using them, then write a detailed blog about it and all this while rocking out to The Wanted. Bottom line... room is still a mess, but I have a new post so yay!

First I used the City Color, Mousse Eyeshadow in White Gold all over the lid, from upper lash line to brow bone. This eyeshadow is crazy pigmented so you only need a small amount and make sure to blend it out.




Next I used the NYX Studio Liquid Liner in Extreme Plum Purple to line the upper lash line. I drew a fairly think line, but DID NOT wing it out. I wanted the liner to be visible against the bright shadow, but not take all the focus away from it.



Then I used the Wet'nWild Coloricon Eyeliner in Purple to line the lower lash line. It's a couple shades lighter than the top liner, to create a more fun upbeat look instead of a harsh dark liner. I drew this line fairly thick as well, as it is lighter and needs a few coats to make an impact. I also drew it out just a little on the ends to give it some shape.



Finally I coated my top and bottom lashes (generously) with the Urban Decay Perversion mascara.



Taa-daa! The completed look!! Perfect for a girl's night out, lunch at a trendy cafe, or an afternoon of NOT cleaning your room.




Monday, August 18, 2014

Urban Decay Perversion vs. Benefit They're Real!

The battle of the mascaras! Whether you're a makeup newbie or a licensed professional, you know that mascara is the key aspect to any great look. With so many different options and companies constantly coming out with something newer and better its easy to get confused. Recently the two makeup powerhouses of the industry (Urban Decay and Benefit) have come out with mascaras promising to be "Bigger Blacker Badder" or "Lengthen, Curl, Volumize, Lift, and Separate!" And thanks to ipsy and birchbox I had the privilege of trying both without having to hunt them down in stores.

Urban Decay Preversion


I'm already a huge fan of Urban Decay and swear by their Supercurl Curling mascara. So I was eagerly anticipating this product. I have to admit I had pretty high expectations for this mascara. With so much promotion it had to be good. Perversion totally met and exceeded my expectations. This mascara is awesome! The brush is full and the bristles are very flexible. It hugs and evenly coats every lash. The formula is great, it applies very well and stays put all day. My only tiny precaution is that you have to take your time applying this mascara, if you rush it will clump.



Benefit They're Real


This was the first Benefit product I've tried. For me Benefit has a vintage conservative feel to their company and while I'm sure they have great quality products that's not really my style. Anyway, I thought this mascara seemed interesting. I almost buy it every time I'm in Sephora but always end up getting distracted (usually by something sparkly or purple) before I can throw in it my basket. It literally made my day when I opened my August birchbox and saw it. This is a good mascara.....good. I honestly didn't see anything spectacular about it. The formula's pretty good, the staying power is probably the best thing about this product. The brush however is the worst. The bristles are hard and don't give at all. Also the end has these bristles pointing every which way. They make it almost impossible to start at the root without poking your eye (which is quite painful as it is, add those bristle things it's even worse) I think this would be a great product if the brush was more flexible and had a normal rounded tip.


Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Urban Decay Smoky Eye Tutorial

Who doesn't love a smoky eye? It's the perfect look for a party, concert, or even a fancy dinner. Finding the right products to use is half the struggle. After experimenting with different shadows, I realized Urban Decay was the best because
A) They have a great selection of greys and black
B) Their shadows blend very well
C) Have crazy amazing pigmentation
D) Last all night (especially with their famous primer potion) 


I honestly didn't notice all the products I used were Urban Decay until I started writing this blog, but it's my favorite brand so I wasn't surprised.

The first step is to prime your eyelids to prevent creasing and help your makeup stay in place. Squeeze a very small amount of Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion onto your hand and gently blend onto lids.


Next use the Polyester Bride Shadow as a highlight on the browbone just under the eyebrow.


Then use Strip in the inner corner, slightly blending onto lid. So just add a little more than you normally would for an inner corner highlight and blend it out to the inner lid.


After that use Gunmetal on the entire lid except where Strip is already applied. The middle and outer lid.


Finally Oil Slick is for the crease. Take a big fluffy brush and sweep it across the middle to outer crease. Concentrate the color towards the outer corner to make eyes look bigger.


Lastly finish the look with a generous amount of Urban Decay Supercurling Mascara on the bottom and top lashes.


Congrats!! You have successfully completed a smoky eye!! Now go out and rock your killer new look!!



*Where to find Shadows*

Polyester Bride 
Single Shadow
Ammo Palette
Ulta Limited Edition Urban Decay Book of Shadows Volume 4

Strip
Single Shadow
Ulta Limited Edition Urban Decay Book of Shadows Volume 4

Gunmetal
Single Shadow
Naked 1
The Feminine Palette
Ulta Limited Edition Urban Decay Book of Shadows Volume 4 (also in the original release)

Oil Slick
Single Shadow
Ammo Palette


Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Pittsburgh Haul

Last weekend I traveled to Pittsburgh PA to visit family.....but of course I had to find some time to sneak away and do a little shopping. Our hotel was five minutes from the Monroeville Mall and I couldn't resist. They have the biggest Ulta store I've ever seen! It was HUGE!! I was there for over an hour and I didn't even make it to the hair section.


I only got a couple things, because we had to go to dinner but I was so excited because I finally found the NYX butter gloss in Sugar Cookie. I have been looking for that for weeks! I couldn't find it at target, cvs, or my local ulta, but finally in Pennsylvania I managed to find it.


My Ulta Haul:

NYX Butter Gloss in Sugar Cookie
Softlips Cube in Fresh Mint
Softlips Lip Protectant in Vanilla
Softlips Intense Moisture in Berry Mint
Covergirl Glosstinis in Purple Freeze and Violet Flicker
Sally Hansen Lustre Shine in Scarab

The next day I had a little free time, so I headed back to the mall and thought I'd check out Macy's. After having no luck in the purses, I moved on to shoes and found two adorable pairs of boots. And they were on clearance so they were only $15 each!


Madden Girl "Gossip" Black Booties


Rampage "Beruca" Taupe Booties 

I had a fun relaxing trip, I can't wait to go back!

Friday, August 1, 2014

Review on Laqa & Co. Lip Lube in Menatour

My fellow purple lovers gather round for this magenta-hued little wonder, the Laqa & Co. Lip Lube in Mentour.


I received this product as a sample in my June birchbox. The full-size product is slightly larger but honestly I like the sample better, its a great size for your purse or makeup bag. When I first opened my birchbox I was immediately drawn to this product by its crazy-bright purple metallic packaging. Much like the outside the product itself is also very eye-catching. This is an interesting product, because its like a hybrid between a lipstick and a lip crayon. It's texture and long-lasting ability lean towards lipstick, but the moisturizing aspect is more similar to a crayon. Whatever you want to call it, this is a great product! It feels great on your lips, it's not dry or sticky. Also this product has great staying-power. I wore it to an all-day music festival and it stayed on through drinking, eating, and dancing for hours.