Renaissance Faire Fairy/Elf Costume

So my boyfriend and I have been planning a Renaissance Faire trip since early August but it just did not happen until October.  We were supposed to go two weeks ago but we got rained out, forcing us to reschedule and go towards the end of October.  The theme for the weekend that we went was a spooky Halloween theme so a lot of people were there in all kinds of costumes, not just time period relevant costumes.  Which meant I fit in a lot better than I would have going any other weekend.

I was orginally going to go as a fairy but since it became much too cold for my original costume my wings no longer worked out and I had to wear a lot of layers to prevent myself from freezing to death. Therefore I've been referring to my costume as an elf instead of a fairy because of the lack of wings....

So here is a close up of the makeup I did for my costume.   I wore false lashes for the first time in over a year so it was pretty interesting trying to remember how to use them. I unfortunately bought these a long time ago and do not remember the brand name, but I really wish I did as they are so pretty with a mix of black and purple lashes.  \

On my lid is Colourpop in Liberty, which I then gently covered with Shiro Cosmetic's Maiden Queen to create a beautiful shimmery metallic teal. Next I lightly applied a matte black NYX eyeshadow from a palette I have to my crease. Under my eye I smudged boxom's VIP under my eyes to bring in some purple to match my dress.  Next I took my trusy Jesse's Girl liquid liner and drew a thin wing and also added a swirly under eye accent and dots on my brow bone. I finished up my eys with a line of glitter from a retired Urban Decay heavy metal glitter liner.

On my lips is MAC Rebel, one of my favorite lipsticks. I put this on before the faire and it was still there after eating dinner!

My ear cuffs and high elf ears are from Aradani Costumes. I added the leaf charm myself and I painted the ears with my foundation and makeup.  However because our faire trip was delayed two weeks I think my foundation turned more orange the longer it sat on the ears, resulting in them not matching as well.  My necklace is from an Etsy shop called Pegasus22.

Here is a full body shot of my costume taken right before we left.  Excuse the messy background as we were running about an hour late and were throwing everything everywhere trying to get ready quickly.  My dress is the same dress I wore to my high school prom, so I was glad to get at least one more use out of it. I originally wasn't planning on wearing the sweater, leggings, or boots, and was instead going to wear just the dress with wings tucked in the back and sandles adorned with fake flowers. My costume couldn't be exactly as I envisioned it but I still had a ton of fun and got tons of compliments on my ears and dress.

I was originally supposed to go with my boyfriend, his brother and his brother's girlfriend but they had to cancel last minute because of illness so my boyfriend and I went just the two of us.  It was his first time ever at the Ren Faire and I hope that I was able to show him a good time.  There is so much to see, so many shops to visit, and so many shows to watch that it was impossible to be everywhere.  Therefore we are definitely looking forward to going again next year! :)

Surprise!  One of my very best friends was also at the Faire!  Here we are hugging it out in front of the human chess board after the show.  I'm sure you can see just how bundled up she is....yeah this was later in the day and the temperature was dropping quickly.  You can't tell from the photo but I was perpetually shivering after about 4pm.

Even though it was cold, the people we were supposed to go with canceled, and my costume wasn't as I imagined I still had a really great day enjoying the faire with my boyfriend.  Next year we plan to go when its a bit warmer.

Rediscovered Love: MAC Violetta

I bought Violetta at least 2 years ago and it was seriously my most worn lipstick for a long time but with all the new purples that have come out lately it got pushed to the back burner for quite some time.  Well I woke up one day, had my clothes picked out, then sad down to do my makeup.  I did my eyes in all matte with my Blackbird Cosmetics shadows and just got this sudden desire to pair it with Violetta.  Oh my am I so glad I did!  I was really digging my overall aesthetic that day.  Violetta just went amazingly well with the matte eye, purple jewelry, and black top.

The best thing about Violetta is that its a very wearable purple.  It is definitely more pinkish purple than true purple and the slight shimmer just really makes it stand out when paired with a dark outfit.  I always feel confident when I have this lipstick on and I really need to pull it out more this Fall.

As you can see it looks much more purple in the tube than it does on the lips.  It is a beautiful pinkish purple with blue shimmer and I would recommend it to anyone and everyone.

For my eyes I used all Blackbird shadows with Figment on my lid, Gravity in my crease, Smudge as definition, and Vintage under my eye.  

Also if you can see my earrings I made them by wire wrapping the pearls that came in the Fall Fortune Cookie Soap Box.  They were just too cute to throw away so I decided to turn them into something useful!

tldr; GET MAC VIOLETTA. SERIOUSLY.

Jamberry Celeb Status over MAC Bad Fairy

I'm sorry I haven't updated in a while and unfortunately it will probably be a few days until I update again.  I have a huge comprehensive exam in a few days and I've been spending the week leading up to it studying non stop and not leaving my apartment.  So therefore...no makeup.  I did do my nails last night though during my study break so I thought I should at least share that with you guys until this exam is behind me!

This week I used my Jamberry wrap in Celeb Status.  This is a clear wrap with three different patterns (hearts, stars, and chevron stripes) meaning you can either put it over another Jamberry wrap or stick it over your favorite nail polish. I opted for the second and put it over MACs Bad Fairy polish. I do wish I had chosen a different color. I think this wrap would have popped more with a lighter shade of polish. Anyway I had a bit of trouble with this run mostly because I have no air conditioning and its been in the 80s so my apartment is hot. Like really hot.  I was doing my nails and I think because they never really got a chance to cool down and because I was rushing they didn't turn out as nicely as usual.  Also the heat caused my nail polish to not quite dry even after waiting for what seemed like forever so whenever I made a wrap mistake when I pulled up on it to fix it some polish sometimes came off with it, leading to even more mistakes......

Moral of the story, don't apply Jamberrys in a hot apartment.

I really need an air conditioner....

Beside that these are super cute and I think next time I'll put them over a light lavender or even a white to really make the patterns pop!

BONUS! I also Jammed out my toes.  this picture was taken after already wearing them for two weeks and they are still going strong.  Jamberry pedicures will more than likely last me a month or two which is pretty awesome.  On my big toe is a Zoya polish in dark green with the clear wrap called Whisper on top.  On my toes is the junior wrap called Frosted.

Want some Jams?

White Accent Liner FOTD

I had extra time so I decided to do something interesting with my makeup today! I wanted to put my new NYX white liquid liner to better use to I did a look based around using it as an accent. I think it turned out awesome!

To do this look I started by taking my BH Cosmetics Galaxy Chic Palette and applying Prometheus all over my lid.  I then took my new NYX Prismatic Shadow in Punk Heart and put it in my crease.  I then used Urban Decay's Blackout to darken my crease and smudge under my eyes.  Next I used my Jesse's Girl liquid liner to do a double wing and then carefully took my white liquid liner and placed it in between the wings and also under my inner corner.  I finished by heavily contouring with my MAC blush in Crazed Imagination and my NYX Lipstick in Aphrodite.

Also I freshly dyed my bangs purple and they look so awesome in the sun <3

You can also see my contour a bit better here.  I love the interesting way the plum toned blush goes with my skin to create a natural but yet slightly unnatural contour.

Finals Day Two: MAC Russian Red

What is finals week without my favorite red lipstick ever? Even more stressful, that's what.

So...on the second day of finals my grad school gave to me a full day of proctoring with a lipstick in Russian Red.

Yep I get to spend 6 hours today standing, walking, and staring at students to discourage them from cheating.  I decided to go with a fierce red lip and winged liner for extra intimidation. After my six hours are done, its back to studying!

So I was originally going to go with just a regular winged liner but I was listening to Kamelot on shuffle while doing my makeup and it inspired me to do something a little more intense.  How can you listen to Karma without wanting to make your eye liner a bit more dramatic? I know I can't.

So anyway, for my eyes I put Strange from Naked 3 all over my lid and brow bone,  I then very lightly dabbed Skinny Dip by NYX on my lid.  As you can see its not really noticeable, I just wanted some sort of change between my lid and brow. I then took my trusty Jesse's Girl liquid liner and drew in my wings.  I'm a little interested to see how well the bottom wing holds up after a few hours.

As for that Russian Red...gah I love it so much.  It has insane pigmentation, its beautifully matte, and it doesn't budge no matter what.  Perfect for a full day of work without any time for breaks or touch ups.  Buy this lipstick. You won't regret it.

MAC Rocky Horror 3D Black Glitter and Its Various Uses

Because the MAC Rocky Horror 3D Black glitter was so insanely pretty I had to snag it!  However I didn't really think about the fact that I have never used loose glitter before. Luckily my mom had a lash glue she wasn't a fan of so I've been using that to apply it, but I've since ordered Urban Decay's Bondage which works much better. Anyway, I've been experimenting with some different things and wanted to share my crazy antics! These techniques can easily be used with any loose glitter out there, doesn't have to be this one. Enjoy!

Here is the glitter in all its awesomeness...so pretty.  It has black, silver, green, red, blue....you name it, it will shine that color depending on how the light hits it.  I love it!

First up is simply using it as an eyeliner!

If you do this BE VERY CAREFUL. You do not want glitter in your eye it will suck very badly.  Just please be careful when using glitter around your eye....

This glitter can really glam up an eye look in an instant. So fun! However I think it prefer it under my eye rather than above. To do this I put glitter adhesive on my winged liner and patted the glitter over top with a small brush.

I find it much safer to use the glitter as an eye liner under the eye to minimize the chances of a spec damaging the cornea.

Next I'm going to use it as an eyeshadow enhancer.

I picked up Urban Decay's Bondage in order to use this glitter more effectively and discovered that it also works fairly well to create an all over sparkly eye shadow effect. I'm sorry I didn't do any close ups for this but up close it just looks...strange.  From a normal distance covering your eye lid in this glitter creates a super enchanting look.  However getting up as close as my camera does it looks very strange. 

To do this I lightly coated my entire eyelid with Bondage using the brush in the lid.  I was able to put it right on top of the eyeshadow I was already wearing and it didn't mess it up at all. Next I took a eye shadow brush and lightly dipped it in the glitter then carefully patted it onto my eyelid.  It suck really well and didn't budge until I took it off with makeup remover!

This glitter can seriously glam up an eye look in an instant. So fun!

Moving away from the eyes, next up is glitter lips!

A little less practical...but super fun nonetheless. Just be careful not to eat too much of it.  I did not put a lip gloss on top but if I ever wore it out I probably would in order to keep the glitter from going in my mouth or on my chin.

Mmm look at those sparkles.  To do this I put the 3D Black over NYX's Simply Vamp Lipstick in Temptress. To apply I simply patted the glitter onto my lips with my finger. This may be more practical if you use less glitter with some lip gloss.

And finally the last use I have for my glitter is as a nail polish.

This is super easy to do and the results are amazing.  I love my nails right now. To keep with the theme I put the Rocky Horror glitter on top of my Rocky Horror nail polish in Bad Fairy. 

To do this simply mix the glitter and a top coat or clear nail polish on a piece of plastic, then paint away!  I would recomend doing this with a cheap clear polish as you tend to have to use a lot, it also wastes some glitter, but there is so much of it in that jar I'm not really worried.

I hope you now have some fun new techniques to try with your loose glitter.  Have fun and don't get it in your eye!

MAC Rocky Horror Nail Polish in Bad Fairy

This is the second nail polish from the limited edition MAC Rocky Horror collection, Bad Fairy. I. Love. This. Color.  I never want to take it off its so gorgeous.  Depending on the angle it can look pink, red, or orange and it's just so insanely beautiful. Of course this is the one not in the permanent line. :(

Look at that duo color deliciousness.  This goes on a lot better than Formidable, building up to full opacity in only two coats.  So far it also seems to last longer.  I will definitely be using this a lot as its dark enough to wear in fall but also light enough for spring and summer wear. The versatility and uniqueness is just awesome.  

As if it wasn't already awesome enough I think it looks absolutely amazing when paired with purple, my favorite color..  That color combo...so lovely...

I want this color as a lipstick and eye shadow please...

If I don't stop now I'm going to gush about this polish forever.

MAC Rocky Horror Crazed Imagination Blush

Today I'm going to talk about the limited edition Rocky Horror MAC blush Crazed Imagination.  I do not wear blush very often however when I read the description for this blush I absolutely had to try it out.  As Temptalia stated its "A muted plum with a hint of pink pearl."

Well it looks absolutely gorgeous in the pan.  It's such a beautiful pinky plum shade however I was a little sad to find it does not look quite that way on the face. Swatched on my hand and on my cheeks it takes on a much more brownish color.  Because of its lack of purple I may actually use this as a contour as with a little bit of playing around it seems to be cool toned enough to be used as such which is still pretty exciting considering I have a really hard time finding bronzers that don't look weird and muddy on me.

Where to buy: Maccosmetics.com (Sold out)

Price: $24

MAC Rocky Horror Nail Polish in Formidable

So I was lucky enough to get my hands on MAC's Rocky Horror Limited Edition items for my mom and I.  For myself I picked up the blush and the black glitter.  My mom got the Riff Raff palette and both nail polishes. Today I want to share with you the nail polish in Formidable. Excuse the mess I painted these in a hurry.

This color is a duo toned nail polish, shifting between dark purple and a tealish green.  It is very interesting and unique however I feel that sometimes as the purple and green collide it can appear a bit too brown for my taste.  I am so excited to try out the other nailpolish next weekend when I go home.  As for the formula this was my first time trying a MAC nail polish and honestly I'm not all that impressed.  It took 3 coats to build this color to full opacity.  With OPI and Zoya, my two go to nail polish brands I only need one or two. Overall its a pretty nice color but I'm not sure I would ever personally pay this much for a nail polish. This color is part of their perminent collection.

Where to buy: MAC, Nordstrom, Macy's

Price: $12

MAC Matchmaster Foundation SPF 15 in 1.0 Review

So I started using liquid foundation in addition to my usual powder about a year and a half ago.  I started with Revlon Whipped foundation in Ivory 1 and while I definitely love it I really wanted to try a high end foundation once I finished it!  I decided on choosing a MAC foundation as I love their lipsticks.  I went in to the MAC store and got matched by a very nice lady.  I think she did a great job....I was pretty nervous after some horror stories I've read on r/makeupaddiction.  In store she threw a thick layer of powder on over top making me look horrid, but I bought the foundation anyway because I was able to get a good look at my face before she suffocated me in powder.

Overall, I really like how this foundation melts into my skin and matches perfectly.  

When I walked into the store I asked for a pale as possible medium coverage liquid foundation with SPF and a matte finish.  I got my wish with the MAC Matchmaster Foundation in 1.0

Its the lightest shade available in this line and it has a little twist closure that keeps it from pumping down while in a makeup bag, which is nice.

So here is me with no makeup on in all my red faced glory!

I usually squirt some foundation onto my finger and then dot it onto my face before rubbing it in evenly with my fingers

As long as I'm keeping up with my skincare routine it blends just find with my fingers but even so I usually go over my face with a stippling brush just to make sure everything is nice and blendy.

And here we go! I usually only do one small layer.  It is buildable but I follow liquid with a sweep of powder so I tend now to use too much liquid. I tried to do a close up shot so you could see that it doesn't even look like there is foundation on my face! It melts right in and feels like I'm wearing nothing. If I have any pimples and am too lazy to grab my concealer I just dab a bit of extra foundation on the spot and blend with my finger as I did with that nasty thing by my lip.

Here is a side by side before and after.  I love this foundation and unless I like the little sample of the lightest shade of Kat Von D's foundation better I could definitely see myself getting this again.

Where to buy: maccosmetics.com or a MAC store

Price: $35

<3__)~

Philadelphia Film Festival Look

My step uncle did graphic work on a Holocaust documentary that was shown today at the Philadelphia Independent Film Festival.  It was very somber, intense, and well executed. For this event I wanted to do a classy look that would go well with my white flowered dress.

I chose a classic wing and for flair added some Urban Decay Heavy Metal Liner and MAC Violetta. On my lid is Urban Decay's Sin, in my crease is NYX matte eye shadow in Haywire, and for a highlight I used Strange from Naked 3.

Here is a shot of my dress.  This was my first time wearing it and I love it so much!

Sorry its blurry but here is my friend and I at the festival waiting for the movie to start!  She is rocking NYX Macaron in Pistachio!

Check out the Holocaust documentary here!

<3__)~

I'll Be Back Soon!

Sorry for the lack of updates but my phone camera is so horrible. I decided that I would rather wait until I can submit high quality content rather than posting things that I can't be proud of.  I do have a little update for you though! Turkey has been so much fun but I am definitely ready to head home, see my friends, and start a summer job. I want to share some of my makeup looks that I have been posting to my Instagram since being here.

Look I did for an Arch Enemy concert.  I used Jilted from the Electric Palette and NYX gel liner to get this look.  On my lips is Revlon matte stain in Sultry.

Here I am wearing my new European lipstick. Its a light purple by Flormar.  I will have a more indepth swatch and review of this when I get home.

My very first manicure!! I chose OPI's Do You Lilac It? I plan on buying this color as soon as I can, I love it!

Here I wore MAC Russian Red with my Colorsmash hair chalk in Rags to Riches. I would love to get it permanently died like this....

Here i am wearing a NYX Macaron Lippie in Violet.

This is an Electric Palette look using Fringe, Thrash, and Urban.  Definitely a fan.

And this is me today! I used Shiro Cosmetics in Mother of Dragons and Not Very Effective on my eyes and then used NYX gel liner to make a double wing! This was my first time trying a double wing and I love how it looks!  I'm also wearing that Flormar light purple lipstick which happens to match my OPI nail polish.

I hope you enjoyed!

<3__)~

MAC Lipstick Collection

Today I'm going to share my MAC Lipstick Collection, yay! I have seven in total.  I am pretty sure I have more full sized MAC lipsticks than I have from any other brand.  I'm pretty sure Revlon's Balm Stains come in at a close second.  I'll have to do those soon too! Anyway back on track I hope you enjoy the swatches and reviews of my MAC lipsticks while I do everything but look at the camera.

Here they are, so pretty! I put the names on the image for your convenience :)\

Vivacious.  I received this one as a gift from a friend who bought it and hated it because of the sparkle.  This lipstick is no joke. Sparkle. Everywhere. I haven't actually worn it out in public but maybe once the temperature rises I'll find the motivation to wear this glitter bomb of a lipstick. Taking it off is the worst because the lipstick comes off but the glitter remains.

Up the Amp.  My very first MAC lipstick and definitely one of my favorites.  The formula is super creamy and that color so nice for spring!

Violetta.  My absolute favorite.  I bought this because I couldn't have Heroine and ended up loving it sooo much.  The formula is creamy but it stays.  The color...I can't even describe it...so purpley and shiny and shimmery and perfect.

Heroine.  This is the lipstick that began my purple lip addiction.  Back when it was unavailable I bought purple after purple trying to find a dupe.  I bought it the day it became permanent.  Unfortunately it isn't all that I had hoped. The color is nice and the matteness is nice...but the staying power and application just isn't great.  Its hard to get even and then once I wear it for an hour or two it starts to turn hot pink around the edges of my lips.

Goes and Goes.  I picked this up last year for $13 at a makeup outlet store.  I believe it was already discontinued by the time I found it.  I was super excited to buy it but as far as wearing it...I just don't very often.  I can't get it to stay on my upper lip.  I don't know why it just won't adhere and once it starts to fade I look dead.

Russian Red.  My favorite red ever.  I have others but I just don't wear them because this one is perfect.  Its matte and stays on through EVERYTHING.  I wear it to dinner or out dancing and it looks perfect at the end of the night.  So much love....until I have to take it off.  It just doesn't budge, haha!

Rebel.  Probably tied with Violetta for the most worn.  When I'm not sure what to wear I just find myself reaching for this color.  Its a dark raspberry and seems to go with a lot of my outfits. It doesn't last as long as Russian Red but its also less drying. 

Where to buy: MAC or Nordstrom

Price $15 ($18 for Pro Longwear)

What's your favorite MAC lipstick? I'm thinking about picking up a MLBB shade, any suggestions?

<3__)~