Finals Day One: Be a Bombshell Lip Crayon in Hot Damn

So because this is finals week I've decided to wear a red lipstick every day of finals to help improve my confidence and overall fierceness.  

So...on the first day of finals my grad school gave to me, one fourth exam and a red lipstick in Hot Damn.

It works...kinda.

Since my fourth physiology exam was early this morning I went with a really easy and colorfully subtle smokey eye with my red lip.  I put a light layer of Urban from the Electric palette all over my lid and crease.  Then I dabbed Haywire by NYX on my lid.  On my lower lashline I smudged out Fringe from the electric palette and then lined my upper lashline with Stila's smudge stick liner in Triggerfish.  

As for my lips I first applied lip balm upon waking up because while the staying power and pigmentation of this lipstick is awesome, its also quite drying. Before leaving to take my final I applied Hot Damn by Be a Bombshell cosmetics. Its a orangey red shade that contrasts beautifully with blue clothing.  One layer is all you need and the crayon type  applicator makes this a breeze to put on. I really wish Ipsy would send another round of these lip crayons out, I love the color and pigmentation. 

Now back to studying!

Ipsy Glam Bag November 2014 Review

I hope everyone has a nice Thanksgiving, whether you're spending it with your family or working to make that sweet holiday pay. :)

So anyway I have to say, this is probably my least favorite bag in quite a while.  Mini rant time.  I sometimes wonder if the review actually does anything.  I keep saying I hate browns, bronzes, highlighters, and bronzers, but yet they still come and I just keep hating them. Sigh. Don't get me wrong, I love Ipsy but it's definitely a bummer opening a bag and receiving a 5th brown eye shadow that will never get used.

Anyway onto the review!

This month's theme is Girl Meets Glitter, which is definitely an adorable theme, however I sort of thought this would have been more fitting for December when houses are lit up with lights and tinsel decorates the trees. Regardless, the bag is super cute and will make a perfect bag for a Christmas gift!

1. Be a Bombshell Cosmetics Eye Base in Submissive

"This eye base is a highly pigmented, long-lasting product that can be used as a single cream color or used as an eye base to build color. "

2/5

The only reason this is getting a two is because the bronzy color is actually kind of nice when paired with olive...otherwise I dislike everything about this.....The staying power is pretty weak, it was creasing and fading after only an hour or two and I even wore it over eye shadow primer. It's definitely worthless as an eye shadow base which is kind of a shame considering that's its purpose.  I am pretty sad considering I usually like Be a Bombshell products...

Here it is on my eye lid.  I have to admit I don't hate the color. The bronze isn't too overpowering and it adds a nice subtle pretty shine to my lid. However, it made my crease shadow harder to blend.  When and if I use this again I will only be putting it on my eyelid to avoid it ruining everything. Please excuse the random dot, I had trouble with the liquid liner...as you'll soon learn.

Where to buy: Beabombshellcosmetics.com

Price: $14

2. Elizabeth Mott You're so FINE Eyeliner

"It’s not just any liquid eyeliner. With you’re so FINE’s micro-tipped brush, you can control your strokes to create dramatic, and sharp cat eyes! This brush is so control friendly that creating precise, symmetrical lines is ridiculously easy, so it’s perfect for first time liquid eyeliner users too."

2/5

I LOVE liquid liner.  I use it every single day.  Even thought I prefer marker style pens I still use some of the lid and brush kind.  However this stuff would just cooperate.  The brush isn't very thin so its hard to get a small line and a sharp point, the sparkles barely show up on the eye, its goes on streaky, it takes forever to dry, and gets all over my crease.  It gets a 2 because I can still use this as a travel emergency liner.

As you can see my wing is crappy compared to what I'm usually able to achieve with my Jesse's Girl liner, which is less than half the price.  I also had to put it on super thick because I could not get a thin line to save my soul.  If you look super closely you should also be able to see the weird streakiness.  It's not as noticeable from far away but when I was applying it, it drove me crazy!

Where to buy: Elizabthmott.com

Price: $18

3. J-Cat Beauty Wonder Lip Paint in Red Potion

"For invincible color and impeccable wear, the Wonder Lip Paint serves justice! With the twofold blend of endurance and delivery of intense pigmentation, this will become your heroine of lip colors. Paint your lips to perfection for your day and nighttime adventures! "

5/5

On to something good! Hands down this was my favorite product this month.  I'm obsessed and I will be buying more of these! Pigmentation, staying power, non drying...it has everything, including an affordable price.

Since these are obviously made to be drugstore versions of OCC's Lip Tar, I thought I'd do a quick tube comparison.  As you can see the packaging is almost identical except J Cat 's is a bit longer while OCC is fatter and shorter. Both contain 10ml of product.

Here it is on my lips.  I love love love love when Ipsy puts fun lip colors in the bags, it's why I keep my subscription and why I canceled with Birchbox.  These offer everything Lip Tars do except for a quarter of the price.  They last hours and through meals, they fade evenly, they go on easily with a lip brush (which was not included), and they offer great pigmentation with only a small drop of product.  I am just absolutely enamored with this product. <3

Where to buy: jcatbeauty.com

Price: $5

4. Marc Anthony Oil of Morocco Argan Oil Hairspray

"Get extra volume, shine and hold with this dual purpose hairspray; nourishing and styling in one! This argan oil, keratin and grape seed oil infused hairspray gives you strong and flexible hold plus deep nourishment, strengthening and conditioning as you style. 

"

5/5

I literally have no complaints with this product.  The packaging is bright and attractive, it smells amazing, for me it reminds me of pineapples...however I have read that some people hate the scent so my love is not universal apparently,  it has great hold, and an aerosol dispenser.  Basically its everything I look for in a hairspray. <3

I will definitely be buying a full size of this when my current spray runs out.

Where to buy: Ulta, Walgreens, marcanthony.com

Price: $9 ($3)

5. Temptu S/B Highlighter in Pink Pearl

"A cult favorite of makeup artists around the globe, TEMPTU S/B Highlighter is the perfect product that goes on sheer for an overall illuminating and contouring effect. Light-reflecting and transfer resistant, S/B Highlighter glides on effortlessly for a brilliant complexion boost that contours to highlight your best features."

1/5

This gets a one because there is not a single thing I liked about this....first of all I do not use any highlighters that aren't  matte white eye shadows.  I hate my skin being shimmery or sparkly or anything, it makes me look sweaty and I feel disgusting, I've told Ipsy this via reviews time and time again.

The product actually looks kinda neat on the skin, its a pink pearly substance.  however it is very runny and annoying to work with.

You can see my disdain for this product reflected in my face.....it turned my skin red as soon as I started applying it, I also had a difficult time blending it into my foundation because of how wet and liquidy it is....I just can't. I have no idea what to do with this.

Where to buy: Temptu.com

Price: $27.50 for 1 oz ($2.75)

I only really liked two out of the five items this month which is way lower than usual, however those two items I liked I absolutely loved, so I guess there's that! They were also the two cheapest, which shows that price does not always equal quality.

This bag came out to about $43 which is the usual.

Click here if you'd like to start your Ipsy adventure for only $10 a month!

Ipsy September Glam Bag 2014

I know...I know, it isn't September anymore...but unfortunately I didn't get my bag until this past weekend.  Anyway this month and from now on may be a little deceiving.  Both my mom and I subscribe to Ipsy so we may be trading some of our items in order to get the things we each like the most. For this month's bag I will be reviewing two items that I did not originally receive, just as a little heads up.  I don't want anyone getting all panicked because I got a lip gloss and a lipstick. :P

Here is the bag in all its glory.  I LOVE this bag design.  The color, the studs, yes! Actually my original bag had a broken zipper but luckily my friend gave me hers, because I definitely plan on using this in public!

1. Crown Brush Infinity Shadow/Crease Duet Brush

"This dual-ended brush offers the best of both worlds. The shadow brush is perfect for applying eye shadow or contouring the eye, while the crease brush is designed to be used dry for defining the eye, or wet for precision concealing."

I wasn't too excited to get an eye shadow brush since I already own 10 from various palettes and other Ipsy bags.  However one end of this brush I believe I will be using quite often so this product wasn't a total dud. It gets a 4/5 for quality and 1/2 usefulness.

4/5

Here it is, one side is a base shadow brush and the other a crease brush.

For the life of me I could not get the tiny little brush to work in my crease, it was just so small, difficult, and awkward to use.  Also the shadow brush was a bit bigger than I'm used to so I didn't feel comfortable using that end either.

However it redeemed itself in the crease brushes ability to be used as a really nice precision blender.  Yay! 

Where to buy: crownbrush.us
Price: $6.99

2. Hikari Lipstick in Cabernet

" Amp up the color with Hikari’s richly colored lip stick. The high pigmented formula glides on smoothly with a matte finish. Layer this formula to build color for a perfectly enchanted pout."

I was so excited to get this because lately the lip products I've been receiving have been booooooring.  Well this one is definitely not boring! In addition to loving the color I also love the formula,  it is a bit drying but it stays on for quite some time which for me is of the utmost importance.

5/5

It is an absolutely gorgeous and very flattering dark pink.  This color is so fun and it works really well with my skin tone.  I will definitely be getting a lot of use out of this.

Where to buy: hikaricosmetics.com
Price: $13

3.  Be A Bombshell Smooth Criminal Powder

"This lightweight, ultra-fine, silky formula softens the appearance of imperfections, fine lines, and pores while leaving you with a beautiful glow. This finishing powder can be worn alone or to set your foundation. The translucent formula works for all skin tones. It is made from 100% silica and leaves your skin with a matte finish without drying it out."

I did not previous own a finishing powder so I was super bummed when my mom got this and I did not.  However since my mom owns a few products like this already I traded her the Pacifica brown eyeliner that I got and would never use for this awesome powder!

5/5

I actually don't own a super fluffy brush with which to apply this so I've been using my blush brush.  I will have to pick up an inexpensive one next time I'm out.

Unfortunately on camera I feel the full effects of this powder were lost.  I personally thought it made me face look brighter and photograph better in natural light.  However something that is definitely noticeable from this picture is the lack of shine! On the left I definitely have some shininess on my cheek...ew...and on the right, with the powder, ITS GONE. <3

Where to buy: beabombshellcosmetics.com
Price: $12

4. CAILYN Art Touch Tinted Lip Gloss in Basic Instinct

"CAILYN Art Touch Tinted Lip Gloss delivers the stunning color impact of a lip stain and high shine of a lip gloss. This silky smooth gloss glides on your lips like butter, leaving you with a lacquer like finish."

This is another one that got traded between my mom and I.  I originally received the Briogeo hair mask, but since my mom despises lip glosses she asked to trade.  I happily obliged since I love lip anything and already have two hair masks.  The color isn't really for me but the formula is pretty ok.  The pigmentation especially is pretty impressive for a lip gloss. It loses two points for non impressive color and a formula with a bit to be desired.

3/5

It's a pretty nice nude, but it isn't really a perfect match for my skin tone. It's too peachy and not pink enough for me.  Anyway as far as pigmentation this gloss rocks. As you can see from the hand swatch which was done with one swipe.  However, after wearing this for a few hours it starts to settle into the lines in your lips and looks a bit weird.  So either make sure to reapply or only wear if you'll be out for an hour or two. For its price I would expect better.

Where to buy: Cailyncosmetics.com

Price: $19

5. LeeAnni Eco 3-in-1 Revolution Light

" LIGHTER version of 3 in 1 Revolution. Great for normal to oily skin and during warmer weather. Toner, Serum, and Moisturizer in One. This Revolutionary Lotion will save you time during busy morning rush and moisturize your face all day long! Help tighten skin, reduce breakouts, relieve dark circles under eyes, moisturize, fight aging, treat sun damages, and calm irritated skin."

I'm pretty blah about this just like I am with any skin care product.  It's nice but it isn't amazing. One plus is that I do not currently use a toner so perhaps I'll substitute this every now and then to get some toner benefits. Loses two points because it's for oily skin and mine is super dry and it has no spf.

3/5

This has no smell as far as I can tell (however I do currently have a stuffy nose) which is a plus.  I'd rather no smell at all than an obnoxious one. It is a white most viscous formula that goes on the skin quite nicely.  I used it once and didn't break out so I will be sure to use it more in the future.

Where to buy: leeanni.com

Price: $17.48 ($4.37)

Alright! Awesome! Without trading I might have been pretty bummed about this bag, but thanks to my mommy I am so happy.  Because of trading this number isn't normal for an Ipsy bag but all together these items were worth about $55. 

Want to sign up to Ipsy? Click here! :D

My Pitifully Tiny Blush Collection

Blush...something that until a year a go I had never gotten anywhere near my face.  The reason I started wearing makeup is because I inherited some of my mom's rosacea and my face is naturally very red.  I go a day without foundation and I get asked if I'm sick because my nose is red or if I've been crying because my cheeks are red.  Its awesome. No. No it isn't.  So as you can imagine putting more red on my face after working so hard to cover it all up seemed like insanity to me.  Well, after becoming a Mary Kay consultant I got a bunch of free makeup for buying inventory and all that and one of the products I got was a blush.  Well lo and behold it was so subtle and peachy and fresh that I actually like the way it looked on my face.  I still do not wear blush very often but I am trying really hard to remember to try and work it into my makeup routine.  I hope you enjoy the swatches from my minuscule blush collection.

This blush is the one mentioned above, the very first blush that I felt didn't make me cool like a clown.  It is very soft and sheer.  It has a shimmer to it when swatched but it isn't very noticeable on the cheeks. I would definitely wear this year round.

Where to buy: Mary Kay Independent Beauty Consultant

 (Knee@Marykay.com)

Price: $12

This is definitely my all time favorite blush.  It is just so freaking pretty.  While Mary Kay recommends it for darker skin tones I think when applied lightly can look amazing on light skin too. Its a pretty raspberry pink color and I often use it as an eye shadow as well.  Perhaps I should try it on my lips someday!

Where to buy: Mary Kay Independent Beauty Consultant

 (Knee@Marykay.com)

Price: $12

This blush I got in an Ipsy bag and I am definitely a fan.  It has a nice matte finish and I can see myself wearing this a lot as the temperature continues to rise.  I don't think I would wear this in winter.

Where to buy: Citycolorbeauty.com

Price: $2.99

I also received this blush in an Ipsy bag.  It is an all in one stick so it can also be used as a lipstick or eye shadow.  I havn't tried it as an eye shadow but it is horrid as a lipstick, at least with my complexion.  Otherwise, it is an okay blush.   You can't tell from the pictures but it is super sparkly and I'm not sure how I feel about that. It is really easy to apply and would be a nice soft versatile pink if not for the sparkle.

Where to buy: Beabombshellcosmetics.com

Price: $16

Holy crap I had no idea this was a $16 product. I like the City Color blush a lot more and its only $3....

This blush was given to me by my mother.  She said the color didn't work for her so she told me to try it out.  At first glance I thought I'd hate it.  It looks brownish orangeish in the pan and even when swatched.  However when it is actually on it looks much more pink and actually makes a really nice natural looking blush.  It blends easily and you need only a bit of product to get a nice natural look. Also my skin looks freaking airbrushed in this picture.  What did I even do o.0

Where to buy: Lorac, Beauty.com

Price: $20

And last but certainly not least the super popular Nars Orgasm.  My mom gave this to me as well because it was too sparkly for her.  I'm pretty sure this was one of my first ever blushes.  Its nice but like my mom said pretty darn sparkly.  After using City Color's matte blush I'm having trouble wearing these sparkly things on my face. Oh well, the color is pretty so I'll keep using it.

Where to buy: Sephora, Nordstrom

Price: $30

I hope you enjoyed my super small blush collection! I don't see myself ever buying blush in the future but if I ever get some from a beauty box or my makeup obsessed mother I'll be sure to swatch them for you!

<3__)~

My Average Makeup Morning

WARNING! This post is huge! I decided to document and share my normal every day makeup routine! Enjoy!

Before we even start here is a before and after for initial comparison.  I was wearing a purple and pink themed outfit so I decided to make my eye shadow match.

Here is my no makeup face right after skincare! I kinda wish I would have done my hair before doing this instead of after.

First I apply Skin 79 BB Cream in VIP Gold all over my face.  I use this in place of a primer. It evens out my skin a bit and provides me with extra sunscreen because you can never get enough sunscreen. I buy mine on ebay for about $14.

Then I follow up with Revlon's Whipped Foundation in Ivory.  I apply it with Real Techniques Stippling Brush which I just learned how to properly use...I had no idea you were supposed to pat instead of swirl....

Then I threw on some UD Primer Potion and for this look I followed up with Urban Decay's eye shadow in Woodstock.  I applied this with Real Techniques eye shadow brush.

Then in my crease I applied Mary Kay's Mineral eye shadow in Sweet Plum.  I used Real Techniques crease brush. I apologize for my chipped nail polish.

I finished up my shadow using Shiro Cosmetic's Not Very Effective on the outer corner and lower lash line.  I pressed the loose shadow myself which is why its in a pan. I applied it using a Stila eye shadow brush.

Let's ignore the fact that I look drunk in this picture and focus on the Mary Kay eye shadow in White Lily that I used as a subtle matte highlight.  I apply my highlights with my finger, I'm not sure why.  Probably because I'm too lazy to dirty another brush.

Then I did a thin line of Ulta Gel Liner in Smoke using Real Technique's small liner brush.

After eye shadow I always finish with a powder foundation.  I used Mary Kay's Mineral Foundation in Ivory 1 and applied it with their powder foundation brush. I also applied Mary Kay's Lip Primer during this step which is why my lips suddenly became eerily white.

Then I slapped on some Mary Kay Ultimate Mascara.

Next I applied Revlon's Balm Stain in Honey.  I use this a lot because its basically my only nude lipstick. 

And as part of my wear more blush initiative I used Be a Bombshell's all purpose blush stick thing in Girl Crush.

And we are done, yay!

Hooray for my stupid winky face!

I hope you enjoyed my first ever get ready with me picture progression!