I can't believe it has been over a year since I lasted updated this blog. A lot has happened in the past year and I won't lie, it hasn't been the greatest. 2016 was pretty terrible for me. I lost my rat, my cat, my income, my 2+ year relationship, and my happiness when I slowly fell into depression.
But don't worry everyone, I am doing so much better now. 2017 has been depression free and even though I still don't have an income I do have an end in sight for completing my Master's degree and finally getting out into the workforce. I also have a cute guy that managed to unexpectedly squeeze his way into my life who makes me laugh more than I thought possible.
See look I'm still alive and doing makeup!
I thought perhaps it would be fun to do an update on my life post starting from when I left you all. Which I am so sorry about by the way....Since I am now in a much better place I hope to update once a week if I can. I am still extremely busy finishing up my research and writing my thesis, but doing this blog always made me so happy and when I left I had a few messages asking if I'd ever be back...so I can't let those few people down! Here I am!
April 2016- Celebrating my friends birthday!
May 2016- Seeing Disturbed with my mom!
June 2016- Brewed my very first batch of mead!
July 2016-Went to the Adventure Aquarium!
August 2016-Went to the Ren Faire dressed as a sassy pirate!
September 2016-I became an aunt!!!
October 2016-I decorated my apartment and watched horror movies all month...
November 2016-My depression ended with my relationship and my life finally started to turn around for the better <3
December 2016-Had a lovely Christmas with my family and my puppers
January 2017-I started experimenting with watercolors
February 2017-I went to Katsucon! (this will definitely get its own future post)
March 2017-My brother's german shepherds had puppies!!!
April 2017-I went northeast for the first time ever and spent a lovely weekend in Vermont with this cutie!
And now we are back to the present. I hope you enjoyed my year in review and I really hope this marks the end of my hiatus and the beginning of more makeup reviews!!!
I do own some decent black lipsticks but nothing that I would feel 100% comfortable wearing for an extended period of time. Therefore I figured Weirdo would be a good investment for me. I don't wear black often, but when I do it is a color that I definitely want to last for as long as possible. Black can get EVERYWHERE....on your teeth, on your chin (darn you sandwiches!), and on your boyfriend.
What makes this black even better is that it's matte! Yay! I was in a bit of a rush to take this picture so it is not quite at its full matte potential in the swatch or close up lip picture.
As far as application, I feel this lipstick could be better. The doe foot applicator is much more difficult to use than Kat Von D's. I have a hard time getting a smooth sharp line, which is very important for a lipstick as dark as this. It definitely takes me a while to apply this lipstick as I have to be very careful and take time to correct the mistakes I will inevitably make. It also gets all over my teeth, but a simple clean off will fix that. After the lipstick dries though, you are set! It is transfer proof and smudge proof! It does take a few minutes to dry, but once you get over the hassle of applying and drying it really stays put!
Do I think this lipstick is worth $18? Yes, I think the staying power makes it worth that, especially since there aren't too many awesome matte blacks out there. It is a little cheaper than Kat Von D's brand which makes sense to me as I do feel the application is a lot more difficult. Overall I love this lipstick and even though I won't wear it super often, I can feel secure whenever I do.
The website says it can also be used as a liquid liner so I will definitely have to try that out as well!
After owning and loving the red liquid lipstick Outlaw by Kat Von D I knew I needed another one of these. Before I even get to the color can I just say that her packaging is so perfect, its probably one of my favorites. I love the floral design on the cap and the tube, its so elegant and beautiful, and really makes the lipstick all that more special.
As for the lipstick itself, I unfortunately have to say that it is not as good as the Outlaw red shade I have. The one rivals Russian Red for its ability to just not budge no matter what. However, Ayesha has trouble lasting through a meal. Don't get me wrong it is a gorgeous color and worth every penny I believe but it just cannot survive the eating test. The outer lipstick stays perfectly but it suffers from heavy fading in the middle. If you are going out for a meal, definitely bring it for reapplication. Otherwise, if you are just sipping beverages or eating a light snack, you shouldn't have to worry!
Oh my goodness I feel like I haven't done a face of the day post in FOREVER. I get up do my makeup quick and then usually have to go do other things so I never seem to have the time to do a fun makeup look and take pictures of it. I made it a point to do this week because this started as a makeup blog and I feel like all my latest posts have been....well not about makeup. Hopefully that will change soon.
So I was wearing a teal tanktop with a purple sweater and felt like doing a nice colorful eye look to match. I started out with some NYX Milk on my lid to help bring out the Comet eyeshadow from BH Cosmetic's Galaxy Chic palette. Next I took Urban from Urban Decay's Electric palette and blended it into my crease and very lightly under my eye. I deepened my outer corner with Urban Decay's Blackout and also smudged it on my lower lashline. I then took my Jesse's Girl liquid liner and draw a regular wing, then went back in a drew another really thin one right under that, blending it in with the Blackout applied earlier. To emphasize the space between the wings and my inner corner I dabbed on some NYX shadow in Whipped Cream. On my lips is my favorite nude ever, NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Zurich.
Here is an angled shot just so you can better see all my accessories. When I match, I MATCH.
I already own a few other shades of J Cat's lip paint so when I got a discount from their online store through Ipsy I decided to place another order for 3 more!
These lip paints are a long lasting and affordable lip tar dupe. They are obviously not near as high quality as OCC's lip tars but are a good alternative if you don't have the money for the high end version.
I decided on Spoke Fancy, Talking Flowers, and Splashed.
Spoke Fancy is an absolutely gorgeous deep almost metallic berry. This shade goes on like a dream. After blotting it is even and provides a pigmented opaque color. It also lasts all day for me with only minor fading in the center if I eat a particularly greasy meal. I reach for this shade the most out of these three.
Splashed is a mid toned blue that I picked up mostly for mixing purposes. When added to pinks and reds it helps give them a more purple hue. Unfortunately this lip paint really doesn't work on its own. Unlike the others I own it fades quickly and easily. I'm not sure what makes this formula so different but it only looks like the above picture for about an hour regardless of eating or drinking.
The finaly shade I bought is Talking Flowers. This is a pinkish purple that looks really great with dark clothing and eye makeup. It adds a gorgeous pop of color that is wearable yet still unique. It also lasts all day except for fading in the middle after some meals.
As a side note these lip paints NEED to be blotted after applying as they tend to go on way to thick, at least for me.
I am still a fan of J Cat's lip paints, even if they aren't as long lasting as lip tars. They are so so so affordable and last pretty long for the price, especially compared to drugstore brand lipsticks at similar prices.
If you want to try out a liquid lipstick for the first time to see if its for you or if you really want a color mixing purposes but can't see spending a fortune on an odd color like yellow or blue, then I would definitely recommend giving these a try!
Today I will be reviewing a subscription box much different than any I have reviewed before. Introducing....Black Box Subscriptions! This is a gothic themed box that is shipped once a month for $20, or $40 for the deluxe coffin shaped box. I'm poor so I am receiving the standard. This subscription service is owned by Vixx Secundus who not only owns and operates this service but is also in a band called Axis! I first found out about this subscription service from randomly browsing Youtube unboxing videos. I watched a few and instantly fell in love and subscribed the very next day. The current months box ships out late in the month usually between the 20th and the 30th so you generally only get it during the month after being billed. I think this is a bit strange but as long as I get a box every time I pay $20, I can't really complain!
According to the website this is what every standard box contains
Black Nail Polish
1 piece of makeup
1-2 accessories
2 pieces of jewelry
Goodies-pencils, stickers, candy
Mystery gift
And here is my box! As you can see you get a wide variety of goodies including jewelry, makeup, candy (which I accidentally ate before taking these pictures), bath and body products, and random goodies. The variety this box offered is a major reason as to why I subscribed. I'm kind of tired of getting only makeup so I think this box is a great way for me to get more than makeup in style that I love! Before receiving your box Vixx will send you a survey that you fill out explaining what you like so she can make the box match your personal tastes a much as possible. As a result these boxes are often vastly different for every person, which was another selling point for me.
Let's take a closer look at what I received!!
Wet n Wild Nail Polish in Black Creme
A black nail polish is included in every single box as a kind of staple. I was happy to get this as my only other black nail polish is pretty crappy. I know Wet n Wild is just a drug store brand but in my experience they have some amazing products despite the low price tag. However because I use Jamberry more than nail polish now I can see these accumulating very quickly.
Obviously the first thing I did was paint my nails with it. Then I stupidly realized I hadn't put my rats away so I had to do that with semi wet nails, so that's why they seem a bit scratched up. Oops!
Where to buy: drugstores, Amazon, Walmart
Price: $1
Color Mates Lipstick in Black Orchid with Clear Lip Liner
I also received a lipstick and lipliner combo in a really pretty deep red shade. I have never heard of Color Mates before but judging by the packaging quality and overall feel of the lipstick this is more than likely a drugstore brand. Even if it is cheap I can't deny getting a lip liner and lipstick in one go is a pretty awesome deal! Additionally I didn't sign up for this subscription box for the makeup, as I already have a ton, I signed up for the accessories, so getting cheap makeup products doesn't bother me if the rest of the value is going towards the other items.
As you can see it really is a lovely deep red. This is a very nice color for fall and I'll definitely be wearing it. As far as the wear goes, it is very creamy and seems as though it would be moisturizing however from my experience the creamier the lipstick the lower the wear time. I haven't had a chance to wear this out yet but hopefully it performs well.
Where to buy: Amazon, Dollartree
Price: $1
Gold Moon Hair Accessory
I received one accessory this month and it was a gold moon hair clip. This thing is seriously so freaking adorable but unfortunately I'm not sure if I'll be keeping it. First of all its gold and I really don't like gold jewelry in any form because it clashes with my skin tone. Also the clip is just a metal snap in kind of thing which means it slides right out of my short hair.
Here it is in my hair but I definitely will not be able to wear it as such. I'm either thinking of turning it into a necklace and giving it as a gift to someone who can wear gold jewelry or trying to find a way to fasten it to my bookbag because I do think it would look really nice contrasting with my dark purple bag.
However I decide to use it I'm glad I got this because it will either become a decoration or a Christmas gift!
Where to buy: Aliexpress.com
Price: $1
Bronze Cameo Black Velvet Choker
My first piece of jewelry is this elegant black velvet choker featuring a bronze framed cameo. I asked for a black velvet choker in my survey but once again this is unfortunately not silver. however I feel like I could pull this off a bit better than the bright gold hair clip as it is an antiqued bronze kind of metal and is a bit more muted.
Here is a close up of the cameo. The design and detail is so spot on and I love literally everything about it except the bronze.
Here it is on. Maybe its because I'm not used to chokers but I was unable to get this clipped tight enough on my first try. Maybe with some practice I'll get better. I can't wait to wear this out!
Where to buy: Aliexpress.com
Price: $2.50
Silver Moon Necklace
My second piece of jewelry is this amazingly perfect silver rhinestone moon necklace. This is without a doubt my favorite thing from the box this month. It is dainty and cute and sparkly...and just everything I love. I put on my survey that I love anything to do with nature, especially the moon so she definitely fulfilled my moon request! It is a bummer I can't wear the hair clip because these two pieces would work really well together.
Here is the necklace on. I will probably have to adjust the length as it is a bit too long for me. I tend to prefer my necklaces to sit just below my collar bone as I made it do here. I honestly don't mind having to make small alterations to jewelry as I already do it to most of the things I buy. I'm fairly picky about length and clasps so I can't expect everything to be perfectly tailored for me.
Where to buy: Aliexpress.com
Price: $1.50
Orange Halloween Fortune Cookie
Oops....so I accidentally devoured the fortune cookie before taking pictures for this review. If you want to see it, it is in the unboxing video I'll post below. I love fortune cookies so for me this was a really awesome treat! Pictured here is the fortune that was inside!
Where to buy: ?
Price: I'd guess about $1
Random Halloween Goodies
The random goodies I received included 4 Halloween stickers, a cute ghosty notepad, and a spooky skull pencil. I will probably be giving the notepad and stickers to my boyfriends sister as a Halloween present but the pencil is definitely mine. I love pencils.
Where to buy: ?
Price: Maybe $1.50 for all three?
Rose and Lavender Bath Salt
My mystery item this month is a bath salt! This item was actually made by Vixx herself. I had to ask on Facebook to actually obtain this information however, I definitely wish she had a little sticker or card with some info so I could have known without asking what this was. Anyway I asked on Facebook about this item and her reply was as follows: "They are Rose & Lavender scented bath salts made with Epsom and Sea Salts with rose petals."
Awesome! I happen to love the rose and lavender combo so I can't wait to use these next time I take a relaxing bath! :)
Where to buy: ?
Price: $2-3 perhaps?
While I was a bit bummed by the bronze and gold pieces I really liked everything else that I received, especially the silver moon necklace. By doing some quick Google searching it seems she gets a lot of her inventory from Aliexpress. I personally don't have a problem with this as I have made purchases from Wish.com, a similar kind of store. Also all my jewelry items feel sturdy and of high quality, so even if the price is low as long as the items seem like they will last I am happy. Because I always do a box total tally with all my subscription boxes, this one comes out to an estimated $10-13 not including the cost to ship the items or the final box. Generally the value of each individual item totals up to more than thesubscription box price, but the more mainstream boxes are getting the items at a very cheap price, while I doubt Vixx, running the small business that she is, has that same luxury. I really don't mind paying a little more for these items as they are being hand selected for me, and the element of surprise is also really fun.
Therefore I will probably keep subscribing to this box for a few more months to see what else I may receive.
I wish that there was a way to change my survey because I definitely want to emphasize that I do not want any gold jewelry at all. Also I wish it came with a card like most subscription boxes that described each item that was being received, especially for the handmade items. Then I wouldn't have to guess whether this is bath powder or some other product, and if I love it I'd know where to get more.
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!
When I placed my Colourpop order for the 4 Ultra Matte lipsticks I wanted I needed to put a few more things in my cart to get free shipping so of course I had to give their eye shadows a try! I heard some good things about their Super Shock shadows and while I like my lips matte I tend to prefer my eyes to obnoxiously sparkle. Oh boy do these deliver.
I decided to get Liberty, a very metallic silver and I <3 This, a shimmery taupe.
Yes I <3 This does have the same name as the pink lipstick I swatched a while back. It confused me too at first when I was looking up swatches. These swatches are with two coats over no primer.
Liberty is basically tin man silver. It is intense, its shimmery, and its oh so metallic. I love it. It really makes my eyes pop and while it is an intense true silver, I don't think it is all that crazy looking with a bit of a dark matte shadow blended into the crease. It provides a very wearable pop of metal! The formula itself is like butter. You apply these using the finger so all it takes is to lightly swipe your finger in the shadow and then dab it on the lid.
I didn't do my whole lid with I <3 This because this is the way I see myself wearing it most often, at the inner corner blended into another sparkly pop of color. It is much more neutral and less intense and metallic than Liberty, but that also makes it an amazing every day shadow. I was hoping it would be a bit more on the grey side, instead I think it is much golder than I was thinking. I still think it looks great on me though so I will definitely be getting use out of it!
Overall these shadows are great and I will definitely be buying more if I ever make another Colourpop order!
Sephora was giving out these mini Urban Decay lip glosses in Bittersweet when you entered a specific coupon code upon checkout. I absolutely loved NYX's intense butter glosses so I had to try out Urban Decay's new competitive release! The tube itself is very nice looking for a sample size. It is just as decorated as the full sized tubes. There also seems to be a decent amount of product inside so I would assume this will last me quite some time.
I had talked a bit about Urban Decay's new glosses in my last Ipsy glam bag post so I'll just do a quick run through. They apply easily and pigmented. They last for a long time as far as glosses go (3-4 hours for me) and keep my lips moisturized. the only downside...if you do not like sticky glosses you will not like these. This color in particular is hard ot get even, I didn't have that problem with the lighter Failbait but I have to use a decent amount of this to build up to a solid more opaque color. Overall I like these glosses but I probably would not buy any more as they are not offering any truly unique colors.
Because I also own NYX's purple gloss, Berry Strudel, I decided to swatch them side to side for you to see. I had thought Bittersweet was purple but after putting it next to Berry Strudel which is a very true purple it looks way more plummy in comparison. NYX's gloss is much more opaque after only one application and is also much much more affordable. The only categories UD really wins in with this gloss is the longevity and packaging. With NYX's really great intense butter glosses out there I see no need to spend 3 times as much on UD's version. Unfortunately the formula is not good enough to justify the price when compared with NYX, even if the packaging is really pretty.
