Monthly Archives: May 2015

Kristin’s Ipsy Glam Bag – May 2015

Posted on by
Reply

I’ve been doing the Ipsy Glam Bag thing for a long time now and I’m really pleased. I’m sort of a creature of habit sometimes and since I’m often on a tight budget I don’t step too far outside of what I know I already like. But I really feel like I’ve always gotten my money’s worth out of every one of these bad boys and the stuff just keeps getting better! (You want in on this? Right this way!)

This month’s is just great, but of course I’d say that about something that contains sunscreen (I hoard travel sized sunscreens for Burning Man), purple lip gloss and black eyeliner.

1. Urban Decay travel size 24/7 lip liner in “Ozone”, a clear pencil. I’ve never heard of clear lip liner before! I consider myself somewhat of a lipliner novice, to be honest, unlike Rachel who has more lipliners than I have colored pencils – and I’m a graphic designer! Anywho, I was reading up about this when I saw it was going to be in the bag this month and it seems really neat and definitely my speed – put it on and forget it and it makes your lipstick stay where it’s supposed to. Let’s hope that’s the case!

This came bundled with two of their little blister-pack samples of Revolution Lipgloss in Failbait (lololololol) and Bittersweet, rose and intense purple shades respectively. Looking forward to trying these on!

2. BelláPierre gel eyeliner in Ebony. Yeah, I basically just busted it out immediately and started writing my name and drawing stuff all over my hand. Color goes on great, no drag, and it took some SERIOUS makeup remover to get it off. Totally ready to give this a shot. And it’s full sized!


3. Pixi Beauty Bronzer in “Summertime” – I admit it, this pale porcelain goth girl is a bronzer newbie. I literally have no idea what to do with bronzer! I’m going to give this a shot, though, it actually looks like it might be a good color for me if I can get it to go on without looking like I rolled around in the dirt.

4. Bare Republic Natural Mineral Sunscreen SPF30 facial sunscreen. Not much to add here except that this got stuffed greedily into my Burning Man box as soon as it came out of the bag. I love sunscreen samples, Ipsy, keep sending them. Not having to carry around a full size sunscreen when the extent of my clothing is cut off cargo shorts and a bikini top is ace.


5. Nuxe Paris rêve de miel cleansing gel. Rachel tells me this stuff is luxe as fuck and I’m going to believe her because the whole thing is written in French. 😜 I love to travel so little bitty travel sized cleansers are always appreciated.

🌟🌟🌟

So yeah, basically? This month’s haul was awesome! I’m a little meh on the bronzer but I’m not going to write it off until I try it.

Rachel’s Ipsy Glam Bag – May 2015

Posted on by
Reply

Well, I keep thinking my Ipsy Glam Bags can’t get any better, until they do.  This time, I will absolutely use everything except the mattifying lotion and that’s only because I have the world’s most sensitive skin and this product is full of plant extracts and things that would make my face freak out.  Everything else is awesome!  Check out what I got!

5-12-2015 037

Ipsy is a makeup and beauty subscription service.  Every month, Ipsy sends a cute makeup bag full of 4-5 products, at least one of which is always full sized.  Well, this month it appears 2 of my products are full sized, the eyeliner and brush!  This month, I got:

1.  Urban Decay travel sized Ozone (clear) 24/7 Lip Pencil.  This can also be used as a lip primer!  I’m super excited to try this, as I have never used a clear lip liner before and I have never used anything except balms as a primer.  I know, bad makeup maven.  This is great timing, because UD just came out with a jumbo sized Ozone pencil for those of you who love Ozone as a primer for filling in the entire lip.  Great time to try!  On the card with the UD pencil is 2 samples of the new Urban Decay Revolution High-Color Lipgloss in Failbait (LOL) and Bittersweet (you guys, I am lusting after that matching blush so hard right now).  I can usually get several uses out of these gloss samples.

2.  Luxie 205 Tapered Blending Brush – Well, how awesome is this!  I need brushes all the time.  I don’t wash mine often enough and I use saturated colors, so I go through my brush stash fast.  Yay!  I have seen Luxie reviewed on YouTube and most seem to like them.

3.  Briogeo Reparative Leave-In Conditioning Spray – 1 oz.  This is a good sized sample!  I got a conditioning mask from them before in another Ipsy bag that was so good, I swapped on Facebook for a second one.  I hope I love this, because I just re-upped my color on my super long hair and it seems thirsty!

4.  BellaPiere Cosmetics Gel Eyeliner in Ebony – Full size!  From the box:  “Bellapierre creamy, preservative-free eyeliner pencil has been formulated with pure 100% minerals, natural waxes, and anti-oxidants.”  We’ll have to see about this…I like preservatives, guys.  I have had all natural products grow mold and stuff…preservatives are actually your friend (don’t get me started, LOL).  If I love this, I will have to try to use it up fast.  We will have to see if it holds up to my Urban Decay and Sephora waterproof pencils.  It looks very nice.

5.  Amie Naturally Kind Morning Dew Matte-Finish Moisturizer – This is the one product going in my swap box.  It’s not them; it’s me.  I have sensitive skin and this is loaded with plant extracts that would irritate the bejesus out of it.  Also, I have combination skin with dry cheeks, so if I used this, I could probably only use it on my forehead and nose.  LOL.  My skin is a jerk.  I’ll tell you all about it some time.  🙂

Now for the extra fun part!  I got…dun dun dun…FREEBIES!  That’s right, when you review things, or share things on social media, or people sign up for Ipsy with your link, you get points.  When you get enough points, you can redeem them for free stuff.  How awesome is that?  Well, this time around, they had some false eyelashes by Lash Attitude for only 100 points each!  I got one of each pair in “Shimmy” and “Can-Can.”  Fun names!  Makes me think of burlesque and showgirls or something.  Can’t wait to try these!  Kristin says she has trouble with lashes, so since I learned how to do them with ease when I worked at MAC (because they made us, hahahahaha), I am considering making a tutorial.  What do you think?

So, here’s the bag I got.  Ipsy did 3 versions.  I like this one, but all my products are important!

5-12-2015 038

Want your own Ipsy Glam Bag delivered to your door every month for just $10.00 USD?  You can use My Link and I’ll get points to redeem on cool stuff and you will get 5 items to try every month in your very own glam bag — AND when you review things and refer friends, you’ll earn points too.  It’s so much fun!  Kristin and I have been members for a long time and we love comparing what we get, sending each other what we don’t use, et cetera.  Yay!!  I love Ipsy, it’s like a mini holiday gift in my mailbox every single month!

Can I Get a Menu?

Posted on by
Reply

  

This is what I’ve been doing for hours. I can’t stand non-intuitive navigation, so I’ve been fiddling with these menus. Obviously we do not yet have posts on all these subjects and sub-categories but building this framework before we do will save me a lot of “go back and categorize” work later. Looking pretty good! 👍

Simple Cleansing Micellar Water – Review 

Posted on by
Reply

First of all I’ve gotta come clean with you. (See what I did there?) I suck at using makeup remover. No, not because it’s hard. Because it’s easier to just wash my face. And then because like 50% of my makeup is black eyeliner, I get it all over my face, towel, and hands. It’s not pretty. It looks like I got in a fight with a squid and got the ink.


The last thing I heard it say was “I’ll cut you”

So a while back, Rachel (who takes way better care of her skin than I do) picked up some of this stuff called Micellar Water and I was intrigued. Couldn’t find it anywhere. Hadn’t ever heard of it.

The Internet seems to be telling me it’s been a thing for longer than I thought, though, so maybe I didn’t notice because I was busy doing hand to hand combat with squids every night.


Can we all just agree to not talk about my hands? What a mess.

Anyhow, I came across it in an unlikely place: my grocery. Apparently they carry a lot of Simple’s line. Who knew! And since today I was inspired to wear a full face of makeup to work, it felt like a decent time to give it a try.

As the brand name suggests, it’s pretty easy to use. I saturated a cotton ball, and valiantly hoped it would take off all my makeup in one go. Lol no. Okay, so it’s not a miracle, but…

Wow, okay, that’s gross. I told you at least 50% of my makeup is black eyeliner. It took it right off though! No problems at all. It felt nice too, cooling.  I feel like one of those might actually have a legitimately identifiable impression of my eye or something. Anyway, three cotton balls later everything was clean!

The third cotton pad wasn’t in that picture because my cat ran off with it, BTW.

End result:

Totally works. Under six bucks at the grocery store. I’m sold. And yes, I re-did my eyebrows after I washed my face. If I need to leave my house or someone comes to the door, that’s the least I can do as a public service. 😉

Maybelline Fit Me Matte + Poreless – Translucent Pressed Powder Review 

Posted on by
Reply

Are you known as a PPP over on Makeupalley?  Don’t hang on Makeupalley and wonder what the heck I’m talking about?  Over on that awesome old school site about everything beauty, “PPP” is code speak for “pale porcelain princess.”  Well, I ain’t no princess, but I am pale and porcelain and finding a blotting powder at the drug store is usually nigh on impossible.  I usually use MAC Blot Powder in Light, but it’s very drying and so expensive.  I feel like if I drop and break that sucker, I’ve lost a major investment.  Nobody should feel that way about a product meant to throw in your bag to take on the go for touch ups!  Imagine my glee when I saw a blotting powder THIS LIGHT in the drug store:


Yes, I did take that sticker off!  Once I did, the packaging looked quite classy!


This is the Translucent 100 color.  There is a Porcelain shade, but it looks quite a bit darker and way more pink.  If you’re a very fair shade, go for translucent!  Now, a warning:  Many tanned and darker skinned folks have said the translucent shade is not for everyone.  I’m going to have to agree, because this powder actually has buildable coverage, so it is not completely invisible on the skin.  Get the shade that looks closest to your skin tone!

Hey, look!  Unlike some companies these days, Maybelline did not cheap out on a mirror and sponge!  Totally practical for taking with you.  THANK YOU, MAYBELLINE.  Considering this product is about $6.00, I’m sold.


Here’s what Maybelline has to say about the product:

“Tone + texture-fitting powder for the ultimate natural fit.

Mattifies and matches natural tone for a poreless-looking finish
For Normal to Oily Skin

Why You’ll Love It

Fit Me!® Matte + Poreless Powder from Maybelline New York goes beyond skin tone matching to fit the unique texture issues of normal to oily skin for the ultimate natural skin fit.

Fit Me Matte + Poreless Face Powder provides long-lasting, mattifying, shine control and up to 12HR wear for a natural, poreless-looking finish.

Buildable coverage. Does not clog pores. Oil-free.

For Best Results

With the provided applicator, blot the powder onto areas of face with excess oil. Apply to your forehead, nose, cheeks, and chin and blend all over using gentle downward strokes. Build for fuller coverage.”

Here it is on me over my Rimmel Stay Matte foundation.  I’d been wearing it 8 hours and was very shiny through the T-zone by then.  I love that the finish is not flat.  It’s rather lovely!

  

Please pardon the shoddy blush!  This is what happens when you are testing multiple colors for science!

Stick a Fork in Me

Posted on by
Reply

  

Your favorite ABH Official Developer and Graphic Design Bitch is signing off for the night with first mate Fëanor for wine and a nap (read: sleep, before Day Job). It’s been real, Internet. I forgot how crazy launching a website can be, even on a small scale. 
Done! ❤️ Good night, Internets!

✨💫🍷

ABH Headquarters — West

Posted on by
Reply

This is me in my natural habitat. I’ll get to it in a second.

I do most of the graphic and web tinkering and “branding” (shudder) for ABH. I’m a former/semi-retired web and graphic designer; I focused mostly on designing with typography and photographs (see our header as an example) than original artwork, and more on layout and UX design than on back end code.

Basically, almost all of the actual blogging I do? I do it on my phone. Because it’s the future, and anybody who thinks that’s less pro than on my laptop or my desktop is welcome to chat with me about why that’s no longer true — the advent of mobile publishing has revolutionized and put into the hands of actual content creators The Internet, for better or worse. Usually better.

Anyhow, that being the case, I still necessarily do my tinkering on a combination of my iMac and MacBook. You would imagine, unlike the picture up there where I’m sitting on the floor playing with my phone, I would know a few things about workstations. And I do. And what works for me….


I present to you ABH HQ. Yes, I literally sit on the floor to use my 27″ iMac. It’s comfortable for me and that’s what matters, right? Let me show you around.

On the left you will see my mannequins. Their names are Brad and Angelina. They’re very friendly and also stylish. To their right is my Christmas tree. I like it, so I leave it up year round as an ambient light source.

Above my desk are an array of pictures of me, my friends, my car, and various Burning Man related exploits. The Fluevog box under the desk has cables and peripherals in it.

Oh, and the street sign just joined the collection. I found it outside of work the other day and brought it home with me.


Proper fluid intake is essential so I have a cup of tea and also a glass of wine. I suggest you do the same, it’s highly recommended. For both blogging and web design.

There you have it! I’m not showing you my beauty cave. I’d like to say it’s because I like to keep secrets, but it’s mostly because it looks like a makeup-obsessed bachelor lives in my bathroom.

Urban Decay 49 Nights Til Summer Contest

Posted on by
Reply

YOU GUYS.  Look what I got in my inbox tonight.

  
So, I clicked the link, of course, and their event includes bloggers sharing fashion photos from all around the world in anticipation of summer.  But it also included this contest:

 
HOLY MOTHERLODE.  I just had a heart attack.  And then I cried a little, imagining if Kristin or I won this and then could split the booty and then review everything for the blog(s)!  OMG.

Here’s my entry for this week’s theme, UD Summer Nights:

  

Here’s Kristin’s entry, complete with Burning Man gear.  I’d select her if I was judging! 

  

Be sure to enter for your chance to win!

–Rachel