My NYX Memorial Day Sale Goodies <3

Posted on June 5, 2015 by Rachel

At the end of May, I posted about NYX’s annual Memorial Day sale. I took this opportunity to grab a few things I had really been wanting, but had not yet trekked across town to Ulta to get (especially considering our Ulta is not always well stocked and it is 20 minutes away). It took quite a while to get my order, because this is a huge sale and it takes a while each year for them to process that many orders – but the savings are worth the wait! I got all this for a whopping $20.00 USD:

NYX Wicked Lippie in 01 Betrayal, NYX Primal Colors pressed Pigment Hot Black, NYX HD Blush in Taupe, NYX HD Concealer in Porcelain

Let’s take a look! First up, the thing I’m most excited about, the HD Blush in Taupe. I have been contouring for years with MAC’s Sculpt Powder in Bone Beige. It is light and sheer enough for my porcelain skin, but it has a bit too much redness in it for my skin tone. I make it work because it’s in a duo with a favorite highlighter (MAC Shape Powder in Emphasize). I have been wanting to try a more taupe colored contouring product, though, because let’s face it…shadows are not brown. I am pleased to say, this blush fits the bill for that purpose (there’s a photo at the end of this post of me wearing it.). Plus, the compact is very slim and takes up very little room in my kit and has a cute bow on the the clasp:

NYX HD Blush in Taupe

Would you look at that? It’s not orange! Hallelujah and praise the makeup gods!

Next up, the product I’m almost as excited about, because pale concealers at drug store prices are a bit of a unicorn…the NYX HD Concealer in Porcelain:

NYX HD Concealer in Porcelain

I’m also wearing this in the photo at the end of the post. This is a great high coverage concealer that works wonderfully for concealing imperfections on the face. It’s too thick and dry for using under my eyes; however, your mileage may vary. I’m using NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer for that. The NYX HD Concealer shade Porcelain is a lovely pale shade with a slight pink undertone that works great with my MAC Studio Fix Fluid shade in NW10. It’s a keeper!

Next up, NYX Primal Colors pressed pigment in Hot Black:

NYX Primal Colors pressed pigment in Hot Black

When I went to use this product today, I used it as an eyeliner with an angled eyeliner brush. It performed extremely well, but I did have some fallout as I was applying, getting some black powder on my cheeks. I sometimes forget this is an issue with pigments, whether they are pressed or not. I would say use this product where you do your eyes first, then the rest of your makeup. The great thing is, this is blaaaaaaaaaaaaaack. Like, black like my soul black (hahahaha!!!). It works great as liner and you could also use it to set pencil or gel liner. I have not tried it as eyeshadow yet, but hey, goth night is coming up…oh hey, maybe I’ll wear it to the Voltaire show tomorrow! (I am wearing it as liner in the photo at the bottom of this post, blended with Urban Decay Mushroom eyeshadow.)

All in all, I have to say that while NYX can be a hit or miss brand for me, I love everything I got in this order. (I am also wearing the Photo Loving Primer underneath my foundation today – a long time favorite!) I am wearing the concealer, blush for contour, and black pigment here. I like that the contour is subtle, but I can go heavier for an evening look if I want to. The only thing I haven’t tried yet is the purple lipstick, but the photos I’ve seen online are (wait for it) Wicked.

Also shown: Urban Decay Smoked eyeshadow palette, MAC Azalea Blossom Blush Ombre, Maybelline Lilac Flush lipstick with L’Oreal Extraordinaire Lip Color in Purple Prelude

What are your favorite NYX Products? Have you tried any of the new stuff for 2015?

MAC Amplified Creme Lipstick in Chatterbox

Posted on May 31, 2015 by Rachel

Yesterday, I brought my 6 items to the local MAC counter to recycle for their Back To MAC program – their recycling program where you can bring or send in 6 plastic, glass, or metal items that are empty for recycling and in exchange, you can chose a lipstick, lipgloss, or small eyeshadow (I think perhaps limited edition items are excluded, but don’t quote me on that). This time I picked out Amplified Creme Lipstick in Chatterbox, as it seems I have really loud lipsticks and nudes, but not much in the way of mid tones. The Amplified Creme formula is my favorite and I have more of these than any other formula: they’re packed with pigment and moisturizing with a little sheen. I love the vibrancy and comfort of the lipsticks in this formula and Chatterbox does not disappoint. What’s odd about this color is that nobody can agree on its undertones! It’s definitely a mid-toned pink, but when I read reviews, I saw it described as everything from yellow based to blue based to everything in between. It does appear that it looks different on everyone, so try this one on before buying if you can!

Here it is swatched on my arm. For reference, I wear an NW10 foundation in MAC, so I’m very pale.

Here I am wearing it today! I have on Maybelline Fit Me Matte + Poreless foundation in porcelain, which is more yellow than my normal MAC NW10 Studio Fix Fluid. I think this pink shade of lipstick is fairly warm, possibly a yellow based pink, at least on me. I’m in love with it!

Here it is with Smashbox Lip Enhancing Gloss in Luster on top. Another nice sparkly one to go over this would be Revlon Colorburst lip gloss in Crystal Water.

I love Chatterbox because I think it will be a great shade no matter the time of year and will go with just about any and every eye look. What’s your favorite go-to lipstick?

Makeup of the Day

Posted on May 31, 2015 by Rachel

Well, I’m breaking out and I forgot to put my nose ring back in, but gosh darn it, I look cute anyway! (Heehee) I am wearing the Naked2 Basics eyeshadow palette, Hikari blush in Tango, and MAC lipstick in Diva-Ish. I also tried out ELF Gotta Glow blush as a highlighter and it’s gorgeous, but you can’t see it in my pictures – it has a beautiful golden sheen in the sun!

Sephora Birthday Goodies!

Posted on May 27, 2015 by Rachel

So, every year I grab an item or two from Sephora around my birthday to treat myself and to get their yearly birthday freebie. This year, it’s this awesome NARS duo of lip crayons:

Sephora Beauty Insider birthday gift, NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Cruella and Satin Lip Pencil in Rkugen

Cannot wait to try this! They look interesting.

I ordered myself two rather luxe items. First, I ordered something I’ve been wanting to try for ages, but I’ve been waiting to use up another product (took me a year to use up my MAC Mineralize Concealer). The object of lust is NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Chantillty, and oh my gosh…it appears to PERFECTLY match my ridiculously pale skin tone. If it covers and wears well like the reviews say, I’m thinking this is worth the $29.00 for the color match alone!

NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Chantilly

Next is something I have lusted after since before it was released (thanks, YouTube), the Urban Decay Afterglow 8-Hour Powder Blush in the shade Bitter Sweet.

Urban Decay Afterglow 8-Hour Powder Blush in Bitter Sweet

Dat packaging tho…

AHHHH GAHD! Can we talk about purple? Let’s just talk about purple. Purple is my favorite color and you can easily find purple eye shadows and lipsticks. Blushes? Not really. You can find the rare lavender, but they usually end up reading as pink on the skin. I can’t tell you how excited I am that UD is bringing back the COLOR with this blush line. Check out the other shades and you’ll see what I mean…not everything is nudes!

SO EXCITE.

Anyway, Sephora was having a deal with a coupon code where you could get 3 deluxe samples, so I jumped on that. Here’s what I got:

Deluxe samples of Fresh Sugar Lip Scrub, Jack Black lip balm, and Dolce and Gabbana Passion Eyes curling mascara

How awesome is that? I usually make my own lip scrub with sugar and coconut oil, so having one from Fresh is always awesome when they have these samples (it’s a very nice product). The Jack Black lip balm has SPF 25, so that’s going right in my purse! I have tried the Dolce and Gabanna Passion Eyes mascara, but not this curling version (I liked it, just not $30 worth, LOL).

Sephora also always offers 3 free samples so I got this Urban Decay card sample of the blush trio in Naked Flushed:

Urban Decay Naked Flushed sample card

I also received a Christian Dior Diorshow mascara sample and a sample of the Kat Von D Lock-It Featherweight Primer (I’m excited to try this, since it’s a water based primer):

Samples of Christian Dior Diorshow mascara and Kat Von D Lock-It Featherweight Primer

All in all, I would say with all the deluxe samples that this order was a great value for the money and made my birthday feel rather special! I cannot wait to share how these things work for me with all of you!

What do you guys do for your birthday? Anything special?

Giveaway Time: Win a MAC Lipstick of Your Choice!

Posted on May 19, 2015 by Rachel

The Rose Beauty Files is having a contest to celebrate reaching 100 followers!

Giveaway Time: Win a MAC Lipstick of Your Choice!.

via Giveaway Time: Win a MAC Lipstick of Your Choice!.

Today I’m Wearing – A Little Urban Decay, A Whole Lotta MAC

Posted on May 17, 2015 by Rachel

So, today was a whole lotta lazy! It’s a Sunday and I basically hung around, house sat/fed my sister’s cat, and I didn’t even put on any makeup until 5:00 pm, and that was only because I wanted to play with the gifts I just got and some samples. Most Sundays are spent barefaced and laying on the couch watching Game of Thrones!

Well, I was having a great time experimenting with the MAC shadows my good friend sent me when I remembered that a couple years ago, she had sent me the Crush Metal Pigments Stacked 1 set! I decided I would layer the icy violet one on the lower lid over the Mega Metal shadow in Mating Call (LOL, that name). Even used wet, the glittery pigment still managed to get everywhere including on my face and in my eyes, causing me to have a major tear-fest and red-eyed reaction of Not Good. Well, here is an example of how glittery it is:

Top middle frosty glittery concoction is the pigment from Stacked 1

So beautiful, so not fun if you get it in your eye. Reminds me of Kitchmas in lavender. Be careful with glittery products, you guys. I don’t even have sensitive eyes. I can wear almost anything.

Me with bloodshot eyes and a face full of fun purple makeup; see below for breakdown.

Featuring Urban Decay Revolution Lipgloss in Bittersweet

FULL BREAKDOWN:

FACE: NYX Photo Loving Primer Lavender (I don’t see color correction here, so the clear version would probably be a fine alternative, but I love this primer!), Maybelline Fit Me Matte + Poreless Foundation in Porcelain with damp Beauty Blender, MAC Studio Finish Concealer in NC15 with Sigma E10 brush for pinpoint concealing (thanks for the tips to Lisa Eldridge), MAC Mineralize Concealer in NW15 under eyes blended with tip of damp Beauty Blender, MAC Casual Color in Evening Stroll (lovely violet!) sheered out with Sigma F82 round top kabuki brush, foundation lightly set with Maybelline Fit Me Matte + Poreless Powder in Translucent and MAC 150 Powder Brush.

EYES: Too Faced Shadow Insurance, MAC Vanilla eyeshadow as highlight, MAC Mega Metals shadow in Mating Call (lid) and Noir Plum (crease/outer V/lower liner), MAC Chromaline in Deep Purple, L’oreal Infallible gel liner in Black, Covergirl Clump Crusher Mascara, Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Powder Duo Ebony with No 7 double ended brow brush set with ELF Clear Brow Gel.

LIPS: NYX Slim Lip Pencil in Deep Purple with Urban Decay Revolution Lip Gloss in Bittersweet (thanks for the sample, Ipsy!)

Most of these products are all available to be purchased currently except the two Mega Metals eyeshadows and the Casual Color by MAC, since they love to do those limited edition runs.

Everything here was purchased by me or given to me by a friend. All opinions are my own! 🙂

A care package from a friend – with a little Sleek, a little NYX, and a whole lotta MAC!

Posted on May 16, 2015 by Rachel

I’m blessed to have a rich online life and a lot of online friends. A lot of them are merely acquaintances; however, I have a few friends that I’ve had for over 10 years that I consider to be real, close, lifetime friends. One of them was talking to me this week about a shadow palette I had bought from Sleek makeUP and wanted to try some for herself. She bought the Sleek i-Divine Eyeshadow Palette in Bad Girl from Amazon, but unfortunately she ended up allergic to it, so she said, “Hey, I’ll send this to you and you can use it and blog about it. I’ll send you some other things too, like this green NYX Wicked lippie.” She mentioned some metallic MAC shadows, but I didn’t expect a gigantic box to arrive at my doorstep a few days later. Imagine my surprise…

Unboxing…

Wait. What?

Hold on a second…I’m confused.

SWEET MOTHER OF GOD!

Ok, let’s clean this up and take it in the bathroom with natural light.

Sleek i-Divine Palette in Bad Girl and NYX Wicked Lippie in Risque

MAC Mineralized shadows in Cinderfella, Gilt by Association, and Blue Flame

MAC Mineralize shadow trio in Danger Zone

MAC Mega Metal Shadows in Noir Plum, Mating Call, Odalisque, Dandizette, and Chromaline cream liner in Rich Purple

The only casualty of the cross-country trip was this shadow from the Maleficent collection, My Dark Magic – not a problem, because I’m going to put it in a container and use it as a loose pigment and recycle the container at Back 2 MAC for a lipstick, as you do! 🙂

MAC Mineralize Shadow My Dark Magic from Maleficent Collection

Words cannot express my gratitude at receiving such a kind package from this friend and what’s even sweeter is that it’s not the first time she’s done this. I hope we’ll always be in touch and I am hoping to go visit her at some point!

And of course, I believe you should always pay your good fortune forward. Kristin: INCOMING! 😀 (I had to make room for all this somehow.)

Maybelline Color Sensational Rebel Bloom Lipsticks in Power Peony and Lilac Flush

Posted on May 13, 2015 by Rachel

I’ve been a big fan of Mabelline Color Sensational Lipsticks for quite some time. I have seriously flaky, dry lips and I love a moisturizing lipstick. I also love bold colors that aren’t boring. These are not always easy to find in the drug store! Maybelline has really been stepping up in that department in recent years. I recently picked up 2 of the lipsticks in the spring line, Maybelline Color Sensational Rebel Bloom. (Rebel! I like it already…) I chose Power Peony, a milky pink pastel (yet not the lightest in the bunch) and Lilac Flush, a milky lavender. Lilac Flush is not your typical drugstore color and was sold out when I first tried to get it, so imagine my surprise when my boyfriend walked in the front door with it about 2 weeks later. REALLY?! How did he remember I was looking for that?! Awesome boyfriend, 5 stars, would date again!

Power Peony and Lilac Flush:

Also shown: Earth Essence Lavender Moisturizing Body Candle, Chanel No 19 mini, Guerlain L’Interdit mini, Balmain Ivoire mini

What Maybelline has to say:

“Super-saturated pigments take fresh picked pastels to a new bright

Never dull, washed out or shy
Honey nectar adds a sumptuous feel

Why You’ll Love It

Maybelline Color Sensational® Rebel Bloom lipstick. Now pastels rebel in 10 vivacious shades. A kicky boquet of lip colors in pinks, reds and mauves. Honey nectar adds a sumptuous feel

For Best Results

Apply lipcolor starting in the center of your upper lip. Work from the center to the outer edges of your lip, following the contours of your mouth. Then glide across the entire bottom lip.”

Well, thanks for the lipstick application tips, Maybelline. But I’ve been doing that since I was five. As to when I started getting decent at it is anyone’s guess! 🙂

The formula: The Rebel Bloom lipsticks are a little bit different than the other Maybelline Color Sensational lipsticks. They have a bit more of balm texture, so to me they are more moisturizing. Fabulous! They are a tad more sheer, as well, letting a hint of your natural lip color show through, unless you really layer them on. I think this lends to the white based pastel shades being a million times more wearable than most of the white based, opaque pastel lipsticks out there. You know the ones I’m talking about…the kind that nobody can pull off. Still, I went a step further and added a gloss on top to add just a hint of dimension.

Maybelline Color Sensational Rebel Bloom lipstick in Power Peony with a hint of clear gloss on top

Maybelline Color Sensational Rebel Bloom Lipstick in Lilac Flush topped with a bit of L’Oreal Extraordinaire by Color Riche lip color in Purple Prelude. I find this shade is so light and milky that deepening it a hint flattered my skin tone much better.

Wrap up: All in all, these feel good on the lips, do not dry them out (even without a gloss on top or a balm under), and do not settle in fine lines and cracks. I get a good 4 hours’ wear out of them before I need to reapply. I like the pastel lavender tube, as well. I paid about $5.50 each for these at Target. I hope these go BOGO somewhere before they’re gone; Blushing Bud and Orchid Ecstasy are now on my wish list!

–Rachel

A Bad Homance

Fabulous is a State of Mind

Category Archives: Lips