'Ip, 'Ip, 'Ooray!: December Ipsy Unbagging

Surprise!!! My ipsy bag came in before the end of the month!! Heck, it made it even before the middle! This month was a little hit or miss, but all in all, I can't complain (too much). Let's dig in, shall we?

For those of you just joining us, ipsy (and yes, it's all lower-case) is a monthly subscription sample service. It's ten bucks a month, and you'll receive a makeup bag filled with four or five (or sometimes six, it seems) deluxe- to full-sized items with a central theme. This month, there were five products, and the theme was "Celebration!"

Two products tied for favorite this month, and both were from beloved brands that have previously appeared in bags. The first was the Be a...Bombshell (the elipses are theirs) One-Stick in Girl Crush. Now, for some reason, the white balance on my camera decided that everything should be yellow. Yay. This is actually a pretty, cool, baby pink, shot through with lots of gold shimmer, and can be used on eyes, cheeks, and lips. Considering I'm day-glo white, it's a little too pale and frosty for my lips. It does, however, look gorgeous on the cheeks. It's creamy, pigmented, and blends beautifully. I used it as a base for a pink blush, and it worked wonderfully. My only gripe would be all of the gold glitter that it left behind, but I own NARS Super Orgasm. That sucker's a glitterbomb. I'm not allowed to complain about glitter on cheeks anymore.  

The other stand-out product was a NYX round lipstick in Iced Honey. Again, it's not anywhere near as dark and warm as it appears here. This is a frosty, neutral rose. Definitely a "my lips but better" kind of color. When I paired it with the One-Stick, my skin got all glowy and ethereal and pretty and stuff. It's not super long-wearing, but you can re-apply without a mirror, so that cuts down on maintenance problems. I haven't found it drying, and there's no noticeable taste or scent.

These swatches are a little more true to color. The top is NYX Iced Honey, and the bottom is Be a...Bombshell in Girl Crush.

Next, we have a POP Beauty eyeshadow trio in Smokin' Hot. The colors are pretty, and they swatched well enough. Unfortunately, I already have all of these colors in other palettes, and really don't use them all the much. As I've mentioned, I'm practically transluscent, and this color combo washes me out even more. This will probably end up going to my Mom or a friend.

Here's the trio swatched. They're not powdery, have decent pigmentation, and look like they'd be nice together...just on someone else.

Okay. I don't want to go hatin' on false eyelashes, because I don't want to be a hypocrite. Between theatre, theatre, and, well, theatre, I have worn more than my fair share of spider-legs in my day. If I needed to look like a doll (and I normally did), then out came the lashes. Were I in a stage production right now, I'd probably need a pair, and these are certainly dramatic enough. But...I'm not, and I don't. Even if I wanted lashes for a party, these are entirely too long and fake looking. They are perfect for stage, though, so I'll just put them up until I need them. I don't know what non-theatre people are going to do with them...

This next product--Nicka K nail polish in Classic Taupe--can best be discussed through a conversation between myself and Thomas.

Me: This is pretty. It looks kind of like my China Glaze Foie Gras. I love the bottle.

Me: (a few minutes later, while painting my nails) Ew. This sucks. I keep messing it up. It's just really thick. I'm just going to take this off and start over.

Me: (later, still painting nails) Well, that went poorly. It's just SO thick...and kind of stringy...

Thomas: Ew. That's gross.

Me: I know. I'm just...I'm gonna try this again.

Me: (later, still painting...) Yeah, this just sucks. I'm gonna call it and put on a top coat. This looks terrible.

Thomas: (looking at nails) It looks like it melted.

Me: You know what?

Thomas: It sucks?

Me: Exactly.

The picture below is after three tries and a top coat. It's terrible. The polish is thick, stringy, and glue-like in consistency. The color is a dead ringer for China Glaze Foie Gras, by the way. They're identical, as far as my eyes can see, so just get that one, if you can. On the plus side, it's already chipping, so I can take it off tonight (I put it on last night).

And now...the bag! I actually really like this month's bag. It's a definite step up in quality from last month, and looks like something I would actually carry as a clutch. The bag is a black faux patent leather with quilting detail and a red lining. I think it looks edgy and sophisticated. Thomas thinks it looks like the Governor's eye patch from The Walking Dead. To each their own.



Well, that's this month's ipsy bag. Two definite hits, a really nice product that's just not for me, a really nice set of theatrical lashes to put up, a definite miss, and a bag that can also double as an eye patch, in case Michonne shows up with her katana. I can't wait for January!

Frugal Friday: My Favorite New(-ish) E.L.F. Blush/Bronzer Duos



Left to Right: Turks & Caicos, Cream #24601...I mean, #83606. Oops.



A little while back, ELF had a sale on their Studio line, and I took the opportunity to try out a couple of products that I'd been eyeing since they came out a few months ago. For some reason, a buck-fifty each was perfectly reasonable, but three whole dollars (Seriously? Three whole dollars?) was absolutely ree-darn-diculous.

In any case, I picked up the Studio Contouring Blush & Bronzing Powder in Turks & Caicos, and the Studio Contouring Blush & Bronzing Cream in...um...Item #83606. That's all I got, folks.

Holy Guacamole, Batman! These suckers are fantastic! Talk about pigmentation! Just look below:



Left to Right: Turks & Caicos Blush, Bronzer, #8675309...sorry, #83606 Blush, Bronzer. One swipe each. Crikey!

 But I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's start with the packaging. Each duo comes housed in a smooth, black, hard plastic compact, with the ELF logo and product name printed on the lid in white. Inside, you'll find the product, itself, along with a large, fully-functional mirror--not one of those cheapo, fun-house-looking pieces of garbage. All in all, the packaging reminds me (a lot) of NARS, except that the NARS has more heft to it, and the outside is rubberized.

Okay, now for the products. The cream blush is a warm, rosy peach, and the bronzer is a golden medium brown. Neither has any shimmer or sheen, but by nature of the cream, they do impart a nice glow. As we've seen, they're HIGHLY pigmented, so only the teeny-tiniest amount is needed. By that, I mean, don't use your fingers! Obviously, you can, if you want. I won't stand there behind you screaming, or anything like that. That would be creepy, and a little bit illegal, most likely. Grab a stipple brush and barely tap it onto the product. You can always add more, but taking it away's a pain. It's not impossible (said the girl who went to town with concealer and powder after tapping her brush too hard this morning), but it's better to avoid having to.

The shades, themselves, are lovely. The blush is pretty much universal, as far as working with different skintones; the bronzer, less so. This would work on light to medium skintones, but no darker. I also would not recommend this as a contour shade, since it is so warm. It borders on orange-y, and that's just not a good look for a contour. It is wonderful, however, for warming up the skin. Once you've tapped your stipple brush onto (not into, onto) the bronzer, apply the product to the areas of your face where sunlight would naturally hit--just as you would a powder bronzer. The end effect is very natural and sunkissed.

Now, I purchased Turks & Caicos because I'd heard from several places that the blush side was actually more of a highlight shade, and I thought that a travel-friendly highlight/bronzer combo would be awesome to have for out-of-town trips. Apparently, I had gone temporarily insane, and totally forgot that I'm so white, I'm day-glo. My skin lights up on the dark rides at Disney. The only highlighters I can wear are either white, gold, or translucent shimmer. Almost nothing that could be classified as a blush is going to work as a highlighter on me. But I digress...

Anyhoo, the blush is gorgeous, even if it isn't a viable highlighter for me, personally. The shade is a very tawney...I hate to call it pink, because it's just barely pink, but it's not really brown, either. This is a hard shade to describe, but applied lightly, it gives just enough color to wake up the skin, but not enough to compete with, say, a bold lip or a smokey eye. Unfortunately, it's not a universal color, in the slightest. If you're often confused for Casper the Friendly Ghost, then this is gorgeous, and I highly recommend rushing out to pick one up. Medium skintones and up might consider using it as a highlighter, but, sadly, I'd just say skip it.

The bronzer is scary. It looks brown; like chocolate brownie brown. However, if you use a super fluffy brush and an extremely light hand, you can use this as a bronzer (not a contour. Neither of these bronzers are contour shades. I don't know what ELF was thinking calling them "contouring".) even if you're lily-white. This shade could probably work on medium skin, as well, but again, if you're darker, you might want to pass on this. There are tiny flecks of gold shimmer in both the blush and bronzer, but they don't transfer to the skin in an obvious way. You end up with a little glow. Again, the end result is very natural and just downright pretty. I probably don't need to say it, but I will, anyway: these puppies are crazy pigmented! If you use a heavy hand, you're going to look like you've been playing in the dirt. Go easy, and add more as you need to.

The staying power for both duos is top-notch. I've been using them both for a couple of weeks, pretty much exclusively, and haven't had to touch-up at all. I repeat: at all. ELF, as a brand, may be hit or miss, but these are a homerun.

Pros
Cream: gorgeous blush, gorgeous bronzer, highly pigmented, beautiful packaging, fantastic price, natural finish blush, natural finish bronzer, universal blush, glow without glitter
Powder: gorgeous blush, workable bronzer, highly pigmented, beautiful packaging, fantastic price, natural finish blush, natural finish bronzer, slight shimmer without glitter

Cons
Cream: bronzer not universal
Powder: blush not universal, bronzer not universal

Final Verdict: Cream--9 out of 10, Powder--7.5 out of 10. I'd say that these were amazing for three bucks, but they'd still be amazing for a lot more than that.

February Favorites!

IT LIVES!!!! IT LIVES!!!!!!!

Believe it or not, guys, I'm still not 100%. I'm not quite zombified anymore, but I'm still kind of "meh", so I apologize again for the lack of posting. However, I'm up to typing today (saints be praised!), so here we go with the February Favorites!!

In keeping with the I-feel-drugged-and-horrible-so-why-bother-with-anything theme, I've been going around with just enough makeup to keep from scaring small children. The thing is, I'm honestly loving this more natural look, and am thinking of keeping it for Spring and Summer. It's too hot for a full face of makeup around here, anyway, and the humidity just melts it off. I'm also finding that I look younger and more glowy with the lighter, fresher looks. Considering I've been sick since, oh, Thanksgiving, I'm taking this as a trade-off. So, without further ado...

Eyes
Maybelline Color Tattoo Metal in Barely Branded
I'm crazy pale (MAC NW15--yes, it really goes that low), so this is basically skin-tone on me. It adds a light shimmer to my lids, and also makes a beautiful inner corner highlight. I do recommend using this over a primer, as it tends to crease.

Urban Decay Glinda Palette in South
This, again, adds a beautiful shimmer to the lids, but in a much deeper color than the Color Tattoo. This is a gorgeous taupe shade, with oodles of silver microglitter. There is some fallout, but the wow factor this gives as an all-over lid color is worth the hassle. I like to use it on the lid only, then fill in the area from crease to brow with Foxy or W.O.S. from Naked Basics.

Lips
Burts Bees Replenishing Lip Balm with Pomegranate Oil
For those days when all you need is a little moisture. I used a really drying lipstick one day, and paid for it the next. One day of giving my lips a break and only using this fixed me right up. I just keep one in my purse at all times now.

Victoria's Secret Beauty Rush Lip Gloss in Strawberry Fizz
I love this gloss. It's just a darn fine tube of lip gloss. The color is barely there, but the shimmer is out of this world. On top of that, the gloss isn't sticky, but feels like butter on your lips. It's fairly long-wearing, and smells like candy. Actually, according to Thomas, it smells exactly like Dennis the Menace cereal from when he was a kid. I didn't know that existed, so I can't vouch, but he's pretty set on that opinion. So, there you go. In case you were wondering, VS Strawberry Fizz smells like Dennis the Menace cereal. *cue "The More You Know" rainbow and music*

Face
Josie Maran Argan Oil Color Stick in Love
I've raved about this enough. It blends beautifully, feels amazing, and is DEAD-ON the same shade as my skin's natural flush. It also travels easily and doesn't require a brush. There just aren't enough good things I can say about this.

Benefit Watt's Up
Yet another product I just can't shut up about. The color is a stunning light champagne, so it's not too pink and not too white. There's shimmer, but it's not glitter. It's such a fine shimmer that it's really more of a glimmer, and leaves the most natural looking glow on the skin. Again, it travels like a dream, and no brush is required. Stunning!

Hair
Got 2B Smooth Operator Hairspray with Cashmere
I used to use this daily, and then I moved and it was packed up and forgotten about. I recently rediscovered this product, and am hooked again. The hold is soft and touchable, but it does hold. It also smells heavenly. One of my little voice students even commented on how pretty I smelled. The scent's not overpowering, though, so you don't have to worry about knocking people over as you walk by. The spray is also anti-humidity, which is a necessity down here in the Ninth Cir--um...Deep South.

Nails
Zoya Wednesday
This came in the first Glossybox I received, and I've been in love with it ever since. It's the perfect beachy color--seagreen with a tinge of blue, and a little bit dirty. Love, love, love, love, love!

LA Colors Cocktail
I picked this up on a whim at the Dollar Store. I thought it looked similar to O.P.I.'s Teenage Dream. It's close--nowhere near as opaque, and the pink base is lighter, but for a buck, I'm not complaining. I used it over Zoya Wednesday, and received more compliments on the combination than I think I've ever gotten on a polish! They look like they were made to go together.

Zoya Wednesday with LA Colors Cocktail Overlay

That's it for favorites! Have a great day, and I'll see you soon!

Frugal Friday: Have You Seen Me?



Photo Credit: Sephora



Recently, I rediscovered Make Up For Ever's HD Microfinish Blush. I received a deluxe sample size some time back, and absolutely hated it. Loathed it. Despised it. Tossed it into the deepest, darkest recesses of my makeup case, never to lay eyes on it again...until about a month ago.

Holy moley, what was I thinking?!



I absolutely adore this stuff now. The color I have is #6, Quickie, and it's a beautiful, warm, salmon pink that looks completely natural on my cheeks. I'm totally in love, but there's a problem: the full-size is $26, and I will run out of this at some point.



Photo Credit: E.L.F.



Coincidentally, at the same time I fell for the MUFE, bargain-favorite E.L.F. came out with its own version of the HD cream blush. So, my question to you is: anybody tried this, yet? It's only $3, but I've only been able to find it online. I don't need to place an order with them right now, and it seems silly to pay twice as much in shipping than for the one item I want. If you have tried this, please let me know in the comments. Maybe I can do a comparison on the two one day, if I can get my hands on a bottle.

While I Was Out...a Hautelook Mini Haul!

Stupid smartphone!!! I had a mini-Hautelook haul come in yesterday, and I immediately grabbed my phone and snapped shots of the unopened packaging, then each item unopened, opened, and swatched.

Then my phone ate them. AAAAAARGH!!!!!!!

Seriously, there must have been ten pictures, and they're all gone. I'm going to try to recreate what I can, but I've already thrown out the packaging and used the products, so they're not all pristine. I'm sorry, guys.

Anyhoo, before I go any further, here's a quick...

While I Was Out!

For starters, I gave a recital of classical and musical theatre vocal pieces on Friday. Instead of blogging, I took the day off to finish last minute errands and rest my voice. I also had my hair and makeup done by the amazing Jessica Price. She also created the gorgeous pearl and crystal headpiece I wore that night. We had a wonderful turnout, and I think everyone enjoyed themselves. Hopefully, I'll have some audio files up soon.

I also saw The Avengers this weekend, and while I won't post spoilers, I will say that I highly recommend dropping whatever you're doing and running like mad to get to the next showing. It's smart, funny, and incredibly action-packed. I already loved Mark Ruffalo, but now I have a huge celebrity crush on him.

And speaking of awesome movies and audio files, the official soundtrack to The Night Shift is now available to own on CD! You can find it on Amazon, and I'll get a permanent link to it on the sidebar...well, eventually. You know me...

And now...on the to Hautelook mini-haul! (Good Lord, these pictures are nowhere near as good as the ones I took yesterday. Please forgive me...)

Anyhoo, I got in on the Vincent Longo sale that was held about a month, or so, ago. I can't remember the prices, but they were dirt cheap--otherwise, this broke girl wouldn't have bought anything. I picked up the Diamante Quad in Roja and the Hydro Stick in Rosewood Dawn.

The packaging is really luxe, and just screams "high end". I'm not thrilled with the closure on the quad, though. It's only magnetic, and could open very easily if tossed in a purse or bag.



Inside the quad are pink pearl, copper, cool bronze, and rose baked shadows. The hydro stick is a peachy cream blush, similar to NARS Orgasm (sorry, Mom) Multiple, but peachier and without the shimmer.

My first impression of the quad is...meh. It's okay, but if I'd paid anywhere near the retail price for it, I'd be really upset. Dry, the shadows barely show up. Wet, they make a huge mess and aren't true to color. That goregeous pink--the reason I bought the set!--shows up almost white. As soon as I tried to add the copper and bronze to the crease and outer v, it ran, and I ended up with nothing even resembling pink. Now, this was my first time using it, so I might be able to work with it a bit and figure out how to make it do what I want. I just really hate having to "make things work". I'd rather they just work to start with. The sparkle is really pretty, though, it blends (a little too) well, and I haven't had any creasing, yet. So, there's that.

Alrighty, I tried to take a picture of just my cheek with the hydro stick applied, but that turned out about as well as you'd think. The best I could do was snap a pick in my car before I left for work. I do like the hydro stick. A lot. It gives a very subtle glow that looks like a natural flush. The cream texture is perfect for this time of year, too. I'm not the best in the world at applying cream blush, but this one seems to be easier to work with than most, probably due to its light shade. All in all, not a bad haul. 

I won't bore you with all the details of what I'm wearing here, since it's just basic "I threw this on" makeup. The highlights, though, are the Diamante Quad on the eyes, Hydro Stick on the cheeks, and this where-have-you-been-all-my-life Tarte Lipsurgence Natural Lip Tint in Enchanted. I can't stop wearing it!

Question: Trying out Victoria's Secret Beauty Rush mascara on my lashes. What do you think? I have my own opinions, but I'd like to hear yours. Leave them in the comments below, please.