Jeffree Star Velour Liquid Lipstick Weirdo

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!

Where to buy: http://shop.jeffreestarcosmetics.com/

price: $18

Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in Ayesha

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!

Where to buy: Sephora

Price: $20

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.

Colourpop Cosmetics Ultra Matte Lipstick in Tulle, Trap, Koala, and Mars

I was super excited for these Ultra matte lipsticks as soon as I heard about them for the first time.  I LOVE matte lipsticks, especially in a liquid formula, plus they are only $6! You really can't go wrong.  The only thing that could make something like that more perfect was if they were super opaque and lasted for hours.......oh wait! ;P

This formula is the bomb.  The lipsticks go on opaque and completely even for the lighter colors.  There is a bit of uneven color for the darker ones but another coat would fix that right up! Its honestly not even that noticeable in person so I don't bother with a second coat. These stay put on my lips for hours.  The only time they start to die is when I eat something greasy, but even then they hold up really well! I had the Pizza Hut lunch buffet and Mars was faded in the middle of my lips but from a distance, you could barely even tell I just devoured way too much greasy pizza goodness. Also they are transfer proof! I can kiss my boyfriend on the cheek as much as I want to and he won't get covered in lipstick! For $6 these are 110% worth every penny.  My only complaint would be the dryness, I may have trouble pulling these off in winter.

Tulle is a gorgeous deep brownish red.  It is absolutely gorgeous and will be amazing for fall. I could see this pairing with almost any of my fall outfits and I'm sure in a few months it will be an every day lipstick for me.

Trap is a very interesting slightly purple nude.  In yellow light it looks brown but in natural light the purple comes out a lot more.  I really adore it as a nude and can see wearing this with a dark smokey eye often.

Koala is a light pinkish purple.  This is honestly one of my least favorites because based on swatches I though it was be a bit more purple on me and less pink.  I think it makes my skin tone look a bit weird so I'm not sure where and when I'm going to be able to wear this. I don't mind how it looks in the pictures I took however so maybe I'm being too negative about it and it actually looks just fine, haha!

Mars.  An absolutely stunning deep pinkish red. I am in love with this shade and it is probably my favorite.  I wasn't even going to get it initially and just threw it in my cart last minute. I love this shade because it is bold and in your face but also goes with a lot of outfits.  I've worn this with all black, light green, purple....just....it somehow looks awesome no matter what I'm wearing.  I'm in love.

Overall I would recommend these, they have a great formula and the quality is fantastic for the price! <3

Where to buy: colourpop.com

Price: $6

Black and White Nail Art Featuring Jamberry's Smitten

So a few days ago my mom hosted an online Jamberry party and the hostess sent out free samples to anyone who asked.  Smitten was the sample I received so I used it to create this black and white mixed mani! I ended up buying four wraps during the online party so prepare for me to be reviewing and posting those! I'm all about this new nail wrap trend. 

The sample of Smitten I got was actually the smallest size meant for the pinky but because I have very thin nails I was able to wear it on my pointer finger.  Luckily the jams are easy to cut so its no problem trimming them down a bit to get the perfect fit on my nail. For this look I first painted all my nails with Flormar's matte nail enamel in M02 Satin Black which I picked up in Turkey.  Obviously I put top coat over it so the matte effect is lost but its my only black nail polish at the moment....I then stuck on my nail wrap.  Application went much better this time since I used the baggie method and an eraser to help apply pressure.  Finally I took my white nail art pen from Sephora's nail kit and drew on the designs.  

I'm all about this manicure and I would definitely do this again.  I can see myself using Jamberry as accents and doing my own nail art to create a mixed mani fairly often.

NYX Slim Lip Pencil in Blackberry

I know...so many NYX posts lately...They're my favorite drugstore brand so I won't apologize!

I was intrigued by NYX Cosmetic's affordable mostly matte black lip liner pencil as I've never seen this color being sold at an affordable price. 

The main reason I picked this up was to use under my NYX Wicked Lippie in Cold Hearted. I really didn't want to spend a ton of money on a lip liner meant for one specific lipstick so Blackberry is prefect!

I won't lie, this looks a bit weird when worn alone. Then again it is a lip liner so its not meant to perform amazing by itself.  Also I know I look very strange in matte black lipstick.  I definitely need the shimmer provided by Cold Hearted in order to pull it off.

I really have no complaints regarding this lip liner.  It goes on easily and mostly opaque, it helps my wicked lippie last longer, and its a great price!

If you are looking for a black lip liner I would definitely consider Blackberry!

Where to buy: nyxcosmetics.com, ULTA

Price: $3.50

Matte Black Nail with White Dot Design

I received a Sephora nail art kit for Christmas and have been trying to experiment with all the different tools. Today I decided to use the white polish that comes with a pen fixture, perfect for drawing or dotting!

To get this look I applied Zoya's Noot (I use this so much I might actually run out!) and then put a matte top coat over it.  I use Sally Hansen's Big Matte top coat. I then took the little Sephora dotting pen and dotted away! It was so easy and the result is so cute! I love the minimalism. 

I can't believe those weird bulgy dot things on my nails! Even when I examine my nails close up I can barely make out the raised bumps....my camera plus the lighting must have seriously brought them out. So sorry for their unsightliness.  My nails look flawless in real life I promsie! Haha.

Blackbird Cosmetics Haul

I had heard nothing but wonderful things about indie makeup brand Blackbird cosmetic's matte eyeshadow formula.  They recently started a new website blackbirdcosmetics.com and in celebration gave out a 30% off code.  I jumped at the opportunity and made my first purchase!

I bought a full size of their green Magic Trick Super Powder and matte eyeshadow in Vintage.  I also bought a sample of their matte eyeshadows in Imogen and Gravity.  Lucid and Dim Tradition were free!

I'll start my review with the green face powder.  I had bought NYX cosmetic's green concealer which is great for acne spots but when I tr to rub it on my face it gets in my pores and looks weird.  This powder is designed to be used all over the face under foundation or alone.  I was nervous to get a full size but the reviews I read were positive so I went for it!

And I'm so glad I did! I love it! I dusted it over half my face with a kabuki brush and instantly noticed my skin looked smoother and a bit less red.  You can build up the powder on areas that need extra coverage and it reduces the red even more.  I'm pretty sure I could wear this alone because I could not see any noticeable green, just reduced redness. So far I'm loving this!

It was kinda hard to get a good picture of this stuff in action.  The place I could see the most noticeable difference was on my nose.  The top image is my bare skin with moisturizer and primer.  The bottom is with the addition of the green powder.  Less red and more even skin tone! I'm so excited to use this every day! I put on my liquid foundation and usually I finish with a powder foundation but I had so little red showing through I didn't even feel that I needed to.

Next up are the eyeshadows!  I needed to have vintage as it looked like a super beautiful matte purple.  I also picked Imogen and Gravity because they also looked to have purple in them and I love cool toned mattes. I put a strip of eye primer down the middle so you can see the difference between the shadows over bare skin and primer.

I swear these are the most butter smooth easily blendable mattes I have ever used in my life.  Usually putting a matte shadow in my crease results in patchy blotchyness.  Nope. These are amazing and perfect. I'm so glad I finally understand what the hype is about.

This was a freebie.  I don't really have a use for a matte white as I already have two but oh well.  It is actually pretty light and barely shows up on my skin.  Maybe I'm too pale? I kind of like it as an under my eyebrow highlight as it isn't too obvious.

Imogen looked to be a nice matte pink, which it is.  On my eyes it looks much lighter than when  heavily swatched on my wrist. If I place another order I think I will be getting a full size of this. Its simple, cute, and pretty.

I got a sample of Gravity as it looked to be a taupy purple.  However once its on my skin it is mostly just taupe and loses the purple.  I was a bit bummed until I decided to try it as a contour.  Wouldn't you know it works pretty well with my skin tone.  I may experiment more with this and if I like it enough I might get a full size to use as a contour because it is so hard to find good colors for cool toned pale skin.

I bought Vintage in the full size and I have no regrets! It is a very beautiful deep matte purple.  It is half way between natural and vibrant.  I feel it could easily go both ways depending on what its paired with.  I love this color and can't wait to use it in more eye looks.

Finally, Lucid is a matte black and was another freebie.  Once again I already have two matte blacks so I didn't have a need for this. I may keep it at my parents house so I have an emergency matte black if I need to do my makeup back home.

And here is a quick look I threw together using all my eyeshadows!

On my lid is Imogen, in my crease is Gravity, under my eye and as a crease definer is Vintage, the liner is Gravity, and I used Dim Tradition as a highlight. Gravity is also being used under my cheekbone as a contour. 

I'm loving these shadows and I can't wait to use them some more!

I think next time I'm getting a sample of Ruca, that deep red looks gorgeous.

Where to buy: blackbirdcosmetics.com

Price:

Magic Trick Super Powder: $12

Matte Eyeshadows:  $6.50

NYX Cosmetics Matte Lipstick in Tea Rose

So I've been eyeing this lipstick for a while.  And by a while I mean like at least a year.  I'm not sure why I never picked it up...I guess NYX just kept releasing so many unique and crazy colors that I spent my money on them instead.  Well not this time!!

I picked this up during a BOGO 50% off sale along with the Crystal Pewter liner.

This is my first time trying a lipstick from their matte line and I am seriously impressed.  I love it!  It glides on pigmented, matte, and does not seem drying.  The longevity is very nice as well, much better than the wicked lippies.  I am so excited to add this to my collection and I will be wearing it for my super important graduate school interview this weekend. I think it is a great my lip but better shade and is perfect for any professional setting.

Where to buy: Nyxcosmetics.com, Ulta, drugstores

Price: $6

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__)~

NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream Swatches in Zurich, Antwerp, San Paulo, and Prague

I'm going to start by saying I FREAKING LOVE NYX SOFT MATTE LIP CREAMS. So anyway I've owned Antwerp and San Paulo for quite some time and recently picked up Zurich and Prague while NYX was 40% off at Ulta.  

I apologize for the weirdness of the swatches in this picture....uploading them to blogger seemed to up the contrast or something, they do not look like this in Photoshop....Anyway, why do I love NYX matte lip creams? Well its because they're matte first of all and I love me some matte! Also I feel like they last a decent time for their price.  I usually get 6 hours of wear if I do not eat or drink much and 4 hours if I do.

Before we begin I wanted to show off my super amazing Carl Sagan tank top <3

First up is Zurich! I've been wearing this one to work fairly frequently since I bought it.  It is a very nice natural pinky nude that is thankfully flattering on me!

Next is Antwerp.  This is a light corally pink.  I tend to wear this when I wear dark blue because it just looks awesome.  Otherwise I tend to have a hard time pulling this color off.

San Paulo is a lip color I reach for a lot.  Its a deep reddish pink that goes with almost anything.  A super easy bold lip for any occasion!

Prague is a deep fuchsia and I have been wearing this every chance I get since picking it up. Its such a beautiful color and I think it works very well with my cool skin tone.

Which is your favorite matte lip cream?

Where to buy: Target, Ulta, Drugstores, nyxcosmetics.com

Price: $6

<3__)~

Sally Hansen Big Matte Top Coat

After buying some Flormar matte nail polishes in Istanbul I knew I needed one of these matte top coats I've been hearing about. My friend said she had heard great things about Sally Hansen's so I picked it up at Target! 

Overall...I LOVE IT.  I think my nails are going to be matte for quite some time....

Sorry for the blurriness and unclean nails, but the focus here is the finish :P

I have on Zoya's Noot tipped with OPI's Respect the World.

I thought this was a cool way to show both hands at once. Left is with the matte top coat and right is just the nail polish.

Definitely worth the price!!

Where to buy: Target, Ulta, sallyhansen.com

Price: $5.99

<3__)~

NYX Eye Crayon in Milk + Dark Winter Lipsticks = SPRING!

So how on Earth did I not know about this sorcery sooner!?! I found out from NYX's facebook page that Milk can be used as a base on the lips so of course learning that its lip safe I instantly used it to make my lipsticks lighter! All I did was put NYX Milk evenly all over my lips, then applied whatever color I desired over top and it lightened it significantly.  Here I will show you what Milk looks like mixed with my two Revlon Matte Balm Stains!

I tried it out with Shameless and Sultry, two darker colors that I was very sad to have to retire once spring and summer finally arrive. Well I no longer have to worry about that! :D

The original color is on the left with the color plus NYX Milk being on the right.

And here I am wearing Shameless plus Milk.  It makes such a beautiful lavender color.

And here is Sultry.  With Milk it transforms into a nice my lip but better shade.

Overall, I am ecstatic that I discovered I could do this and I can't wait to see what other dark shades I can make more springy!

P.S. I graduate college today holy crap.

<3__)~

Revlon Matte Balm Stains in Shameless and Sultry

My boyfriend surprised me with these for Valentine's Day! We are long distance so I didn't actually get my present until April but I don't care because I was so happy! He got me Shameless because I talked forever about how much I wanted it.  He got me Sultry as well because he likes a more natural look and picked it out himself.

I know I haven't done swatches of them yet but I have a few of the normal balm stains and absolutely love them.  The matte formula is great, and the wear time seems to be good too.  Its not as long as the original stains but I got quite a few hours out of Sultry.  

So here I am being Sultry. This color is actually a lot darker than I was expecting.  I'm not actually sure how much I'll be able to wear it during the summer.  Regardless, it is very pretty and despite it being a more brownish pink I think it suits me quite well.

And Shameless! Only bad thing about getting this so late is that its not winter anymore and this is such a dark purple.  Of course I'm still going to wear it but I feel like I won't get tons of use out of it until it starts getting cold again.  Anyway the up close pic looks pretty patchy  but from farther away its not noticeable.  Even in my makeup mirror it didn't look that patchy. Anyway, super pretty dark purple I love it.

And here is us the day I received my gift, I'm wearing Sultry :)

Where to buy: Ulta, Department Store, or Drugstore

Price: $6.50-$9.00

<3__)~

Reverse Eyeliner

This is a look I tried after watching a MAC makeup artist do a reverse eyeliner on Karen from Makeup and Beauty Blog. Check out her blog post here! It was a lot of fun but I'm not sure I'd do it again.  I feel that the super sparkly eye liner makes my already not so huge eyes look ever smaller.  A few of my guy friends also made fun of it today, but I won't get into that because this blog is about happy things.

Because of my eye shape when they are open all you can see is the intense eye liner and none of the pretty matte cranberry. :(

On my lips I am wearing Mary Kay Icy Peach with Mary Kay lip gloss in Pink Luster over top.

On my eyes I have NYX matte eye shadow in Skinny Dip on the lid and NYX matte eye shadow in Haywire in my crease.  The eye liner is Bare Minerals Round the Clock eyeliner in 5am.  Its a pretty silvery gold but its so hard to put it on without getting it all over your eyelashes...as you can see.  Maybe I'll try applying it with a brush next time. Mascara is Mary Kay Ultimate Mascara.

Hope you liked my attempt at reverse eyeliner, now you go give it a try!