Urban Decay Alice Through the Looking Glass Lipstick in Mad Hatter

Posted on April 29, 2016 by Rachel

Mad Hatter: Have I gone mad?
[Alice checks Hatter’s temperature]
Alice: I’m afraid so. You’re entirely bonkers. But I’ll tell you a secret. All the best people are.

Hellooooo! Last night I was able to pick up the Urban Decay Alice Through The Looking Glass Collection lipstick in “Mad Hatter.” I found the Alice Lipsticks at Ulta for $18.00 USD (the eyeshadow palette is here for $60.00 USD). These products have launched early at Ulta; however, if you are a rewards member at Urban Decay or have Flash Shipping at Sephora, from what I understand, they both will be getting the collection fairly soon.

I really love the limited edition packaging. Even the box for the lipsticks is psychedelic, man!

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The tube is plastic and feels a bit more lightweight than the regular Revolution Lipstick tubes. That’s ok, because LOOK HOW COOL this packaging is. O_O

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I know this is an Alice Through the Looking Glass collection for the upcoming movie, but who else is getting a Price’s Paisley Park video vibe besides me?

Description From the Ulta Site:

Inspired by the fantasy-adventure film release of Disney’s Alice Through the Looking Glass, Urban Decay’s limited-edition shades of Lipstick pay tribute to some of the main characters from the film: Alice, Mad Hatter, Mirana (the White Queen), Iracebeth (the Red Queen) and Time, a peculiar creature who is part human, part clock.

Pair the Lipsticks with the Alice Through the Looking Glass Eyeshadow Palette and you’ll have everything you need to recreate the looks from the film. From sheer nude with a pink shift and bright red matte to gunmetal-navy with silver shimmer, these shades range from classic to edgy. Regardless of the finish (sheer, shimmery or matte), each shade has a super-creamy feel and provides rich payout.

Each Lipstick case features a colorful, kaleidoscopic pattern inspired by the film. Urban Decay debossed the top of the cap and the Lipstick with the UD icon and screened “Urban Decay” on the inside of the case.

My Take On Mad Hatter Lipstick:

Mad Hatter metallic lipstick reminds me a bit of Makeup For Ever’s #15 Pearly Violet lipstick. However, I always found that lipstick to be quite dry and that it tugged on the lips and was uncomfortable to wear. Mad Hatter is a little more sheer; however, that means that it can be changed up with different lip liners and be a bit more versatile. It’s a sort of matte metallic, if that makes sense, and it’s more of a violet purple than a blue purple It’s not drying and does not tug at the lips, which I definitely appreciate as I have dry lips. It’s not particularly hydrating, either. The metallic finish is not the kind that shows every lip imperfection, like some frosts do. I do not feel any glitter particles when I press my lips together (this drives me crazy). It lasts for around 4 hours before I need a touch up and stays on very well when I’m drinking water/coffee.

PICS!

I loooooooooooooooove this, guys! Check it!! (Worn here with NYX Purple Rain lip liner. Yes, Prince would approve.)

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And for fun, here’s a closed eye shot of my eye look, done with Urban Decay Vice 4 palette (Beatdown and 1985 shadows with Grasshopper):

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Will you be getting anything from the Alice Through The Looking Glass Collection?

First Impression – Josie Maran Vibrancy Argan Oil Foundation

Posted on April 28, 2016 by Rachel

With my last Sephora order, something unexpected happened – I actually received a foundation sample that was (gasp) pale enough to work for me! That product was Josie Maran Vibrancy Argan Oil Foundation Fluid ($45). The sample card had many shades to try, so if you get a chance to grab one of these, you may want to do so!

What Sephora has to say about the product:

What it is:
A revolutionary medium-to-full coverage skin care foundation fluid powered by 100 percent pure argan oil and nutrient-rich pigments for vibrant, glowing skin.

What it is formulated to do:
Activate your skin’s vitality with Vibrancy Argan Oil Foundation Fluid. Like a fresh squeezed juice, Vibrancy utilizes a revolutionary cold-pressed process that preserves the powerful, hand-selected ingredients for the freshest, most effective skin care foundation. Vibrancy energizes your skin with the essential nutrients it craves and is designed to interact and adapt to the movements of your skin with delicate fluidity for a radiant, dimensional finish. The breathable, lightweight, medium-to-full coverage formula features a powerful blend of moisture-enhancing ingredients that help soothe, smooth, and restore skin’s luminosity.

What it is formulated WITHOUT:
– Parabens
– Sulfates
– Phthalates

What else you need to know:
This product is dermatologist tested and clinically proven to hydrate and smooth even the most sensitive skin. Find your ideal shade with confidence. First identify your undertones: R is for rosey undertones, G is for golden undertones, and RG is for neutral or rose gold undertones. Next, you’ll choose the depth of your shade, with 5 being the most fair and 85 being the most rich.

Research results:
In a clinical study after 4 weeks:
– 100% of subjects experienced a significant increase of skin moisture by 106%
– 98% of subjects experienced a significant increase of skin smoothness and softness by 111%

In a consumer study:
– 100% said that their past feelings about foundation improved after experiencing Vibrancy
– 93% agreed Vibrancy helped visibly calm their skin condition, specifically scarring, inflammation, and rosacea

My take:

When first applying this to my skin, I loved the light neutral shade of RG5; however as I was applying this to my face and blending in with my fingers I noticed two odd things: It felt somehow very heavy, but did not provide full coverage. I definitely had to go in with concealer around my nose and on my acne scars, but I do with most foundations. I would call this medium coverage at best. This foundation feels very oily, which I suppose makes sense since is is an argan oil foundation. However, it really doesn’t seem to say anywhere in the description that is is for extremely dry skin, which is the only type skin I could really see benefiting from this type of texture. It is extremely dewy, almost moreso than MAC Face and Body foundation, but feels more heavy than that and has more coverage. I set it here with MAC Invisible Set Powder for a little mattifying and in hopes that it would keep it on my face!

And then…OH NO! Complete and utter meltdown in only FOUR HOURS. Now, I have somewhat combo skin, but it’s combination leaning on the drier side, so this just floored me! Look at the breakdown around the nose where my glasses were. The coverage around my nose and mouth is basically gone and my redness is showing. My chin is a greasy, hot mess! OH. Oh hell no.

I feel like this foundation could really only work for someone with super dry and dehydrated skin, especially in colder or dry climates. However, there is nothing in the description that says that this is for very dry skin. It does mention increased hydration, but that’s it, really. I feel like a better description of what type of skin this is for would be beneficial in helping customers chose. I also feel that calling this full coverage is really stretching. All in all, I’ll not be shelling out $45 on this, especially knowing a humid and hot NC summer is around the corner!

Have you tried any new foundations lately? What did you think?

NYX Wonder Pencil First Impression

Posted on March 9, 2016 by Rachel

I’ve been trying a lot of NYX lately now that it’s available in CVS and Target. I have quite a few reviews in store!

The NYX Wonder Pencil may just be my new best friend! For years, I have used the MAC Chromagraphic Pencil in NC15/NW20, but it’s always been just a bit too dark for me. Other skin tone liners have either been the wrong shade or irritated my eyes, plus I wanted something that would work for other makeup multitasking purposes. Leave it to NYX to make another professional type product available at the drugstore!

My MAC pencil is a bit used up. You do get more with the $16.50 MAC pencil, but the NYX product is only $4.50.

Shade comparison of MAC NC15/NW20 and NYX Wonder Pencil in Light (this comes in 3 shades):

I used the NYX pencil today for cleaning up and highlighting around the brow, reverse lip lining (really great since I have freckles around my lip line), and concealing a few dark spots on my face along with lining my waterline. CAVEAT: If you use this on your face and the waterline, sharpen that sucker to a clean point for fresh product before going near your eyeballs! Also, clean your sharpeners from time to time with alcohol. Ok, enough lecturing. 😉

I am super pleased with this multitasking pencil! Have you tried it?

NYX and Stila Eyeshadow Swatches

Posted on February 22, 2016 by Kristin

This is the Stila “Eye for Color” eyeshadow palette. It has 13 eyeshadows in it – a light and dark of six colors, plus a shimmery black.

They seem to overall be well pigmented, which is great! The Petal Pink color is pigmented as well, but it is very light and so is my skin. 😜

Top (L to R): Petal pink, burgundy, bronze, coffee, moss, green

Bottom (L to R): Blue green, navy, lilac, orchid, porcelain, bisque, black

There are the three NYX eyeshadows Rachel sent me — good god look at how richly pigmented these are! Wow. And go on silky smooth… I think I’ll have to do eyeshadow with these tomorrow.

Swatches (L to R): Rock, Bright Green, Lime Juice

Well COLOR me excited to try these out.

See what I did there?

Color?

Lol.

Tarte BB Tinted Treatment 12-Hour Primer Broad Spectrum SPF 30 Sunscreen – FIRST IMPRESSION

Posted on January 26, 2016 by Rachel

Well that’s a mouth full, isn’t it?

I got a sample of Tarte BB Tinted Treatment 12-Hour Primer with my last Sephora order. I’m so pale that usually when I get a sample card of foundation stuff, I chuck it immediately; however, when I glanced at this, I noticed the “fair” shade was actually pretty fair. I did just glance at the card, though, and I mistakenly thought this was a typical BB cream. So, I sat down to do my makeup with this and just went a-slappin’ this all over my face.

As I’m applying this, I’m thinking, “Uh. What. This feels like a primer. With silicone. And silica. And it feels WEIRD. What…….the…………HECK?” Yet, it has color to it. The fair color oddly matches my skin tone, which is around a MAC N10 or NW10, which is crazy because that never happens. The strange thing about it is that Tarte claims you can wear this alone as a BB cream/tinted moisturizer type thing, or under foundation. I’m here to tell you that as a BB cream or tinted moisturizer, it has basically no coverage and a completely weird finish. I did attempt to wear this by itself with just a bit of concealer (NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer) and the lame thing about that was, it didn’t play nice with the concealer…I feel like primers are supposed to make blending easier, but this made it harder to move the product around. ANYWAY, as I was applying it, I looked at the sample card a little better and was like, “OHHHHH, you can use this as a primer, too.” But the other thing about this primer is, it didn’t really seem to fill pores or blur fine lines, so I’m not sure why I would. My Tarte Clean Slate Poreless primer does that in spades!

This product also has an SPF of 30 and the sample size has about the amount you would need for a full face to get that SPF…except there’s no way you could use that full amount without being a hot mess. So, you’re not going to get the full amount of sun protection claimed when using this product. You’re about to see where I’m going with this, but first, let’s see what the claims are on the Sephora website:

Indulge your skin with this powerful multitasker that works as a primer, moisturizer, light foundation, antiaging treatment, and sunscreen to give you a youthful-looking glow. Worn alone or as the perfect base for makeup, this 12-hour, age-defying, oil-free primer offers light-to-medium, buildable coverage that helps even skintone and other skin imperfections while diffusing light to minimize the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, and pores. The creamy, silky formula goes on smooth and blends easily, leaving you with a natural-looking, flawless finish with a broad-spectrum, chemical-free SPF 30 that offers ideal protection from the sun’s harmful UVA/UVB rays.

What else you need to know:
Beauty Balms or BB Creams were originally developed as a perfect post-procedure cream used to treat, hydrate, prime, protect, and camouflage the skin. Great for all skin types including those with sensitive skin, these versatile “five-in-one” formulas are designed to do it all: treat with high levels of active skincare ingredients; moisturize and smooth dehydrated skin; prime and perfect skin’s surface; camouflage and color correct the skintone; and protect skin from the sun with SPF. They can be used as a last step for their skincare benefits or used on their own as an instant beautifier.

This product is powered by tripleB complex, a proprietary blend of natural diamond dust, plants, and lipoamino acids that diffuses light and minimizes the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, and pores while improving the appearance of skin luminosity.

Research results:
In a consumer panel study:
– 100% of women immediately saw an improvement in the surface texture of skin for smoother makeup application
– 97% of women saw and felt smoother, softer skin
– 91% of women said fine lines appeared minimized
– 94% of women said pores appeared less visible after 4 weeks

Pretty hefty claims for a primer!

In conclusion, basically I have a beef with BB creams in general that are trying to be all things at once, and that is that they usually fail to do any of those things well. Skipping steps may seem faster, but you’re going to lose out in the end – lose out on sun protection, coverage, the actual function of a good primer, and the skin care benefits you’d get from a great skin care regimen. Products that claim to “do it all” rarely can. Since this is a first impression, I cannot speak to the results over time, but I can say that it did not blur fine lines or fill pores and it did not hydrate my skin and I was not able to use enough to get good sun protection and the coverage was slim to none. I have yet to try it underneath a foundation, but I can tell from the consistency I probably don’t need to…no need to fix what isn’t broken. I’ll stick with my great skincare (including antioxidant serum, high SPF, and a badass primer) and take that extra 5 minutes to use seperate products rather than trying to use one product that’s trying to be all things.

For reference, here’s me wearing the product just after applying. It’s hard to tell about the coverage, because I did go in and spot conceal because I just couldn’t stand it, LOL! It didn’t really control oil and I did have to blot after about 2 hours.

Your mileage may vary with this one, but I’m going to say DEFINITELY get a sample before shelling out $36 for 1 ounce!

Have any of you found an all-in-one product like this that actually works for you?

Makeup of the day – Kat Von D Studded Kiss Lipstick in Lovecraft

Posted on August 12, 2015 by Rachel

So, I needed to replace my Bobbi Brown Cream Eyeshadow that I use as a base, so I made a small Sephora order and got my double points and this adorable Kat Von D Studded Kiss Lipstick mini in Lovecraft. First of all…that name. HELLO. I love Lovecraft’s writing and the Cthululu mythos, so this is one of the coolest makeup names ever. Plus, look at the studded tube:

How cute is that?

The color is a muted, warm rose mauve, basically one of those colors that looks amazing on my cool toned fair skin. It’s also really, really matte. I have heard that some of the mattes in this line apply patchy or are too dry, but this one applies nicely and feels comfortable to me!

I have it on here with MAC Soar lip liner – perfect match!

Have you tried any Kat Von D products? So far, I have loved everything I have tried from the line.

Hard Candy Glamoflauge Foundation – Oily, Pale Folks Rejoice!!

Posted on July 6, 2015 by Rachel

HAY GIRL HAY! Or guy. Whomever is reading, LOL! I have been away for a few days having a great 4th of July here in the U.S., which for us mainly means cooking things on grills even if it rains, drinking too much, and blowing shit up. WOO, AMERICA! *ahem*. ANYHOO. Now that I’ve reinforced some stereotypes (giggle), I’ll tell you about a few things I picked up at Walmart from the Hard Candy line.

(Glamoflauge Foundation in Porcelain, Glamoflauge Concealer in Ultra Light, nail polishes in Bachelor Party and Crush on Lava)

So, something bizarre and REALLY unusual happened to me with the Hard Candy Glamoflauge Foundation in Porcelain. Not only did I find a cheap ($7.00) drug store foundation light enough for me, this foundation is TOO light for me. This stuff makes MAC Studio Fix Fluid in NW10 look positively TAN. This is why I had to come on here and tell you folks about this stuff. You guys, this is LIGHT.

I ended up with the Ivory shade in the Glamoflauge to try, and I did some swatches. The bottom swatch is MAC Studio Fix Fluid in NW10. The one above that is Hard Candy Glamoflauge in Ivory (this too is lighter and more yellow than NW10!). The one on the top is Hard Candy Glamoflauge in Porcelain – you can see it’s super light and very yellow. Just for fun, over to the left I put Maybelline Fit Me Matte + Poreless in Porcelain. It’s also very light and yellow, but not as extreme as the Hard Candy (also much lighter coverage).

So, here I am in the Hard Candy in Ivory. It blended out so easily over the NYX Photo Loving Primer I always use. The Hard Candy foundation has a liquid texture, but has very high pigment and a solid medium coverage. It dries quickly and is not really buildable after it dries, so you have to work fast. I’m used to fast drying foundations so this isn’t an issue. I used my Beauty Blender with this; I do not think it would blend as well with fingers. It does not need to be set with a powder.

Unfortunately, the formula of this foubdation does not work for my 44-year-old skin. I’m combination to dry with some fine lines, and this foundation showed off every wrinkle I have. I think, however, it would be a fabulous foundation for younger, oily skin. It also really exacerbated the dehydrated skin of my cheeks and made them feel very uncomfortable and tight. To be fair, Studio Fix Fluid does this too, just not this bad. All in all, if you’re very fair and have oily skin, you may love this. Sadly, there were not many deep shades, which really sucks. Step it up, Hard Candy.

I went out today looking for something more suited to combination/dry skin and came up with Rimmel Lasting Finish Foundation, so look for a new review in the future after I try that for a while!

I’m going to try these nail polishes over the next couple of days. Hope they are as awesome as they loo in the bottles.

Oh!! Sad to say, the Ultra Light Glamoflauge Concealer doesn’t really color match the foubdation, so it’s sort of useless. I exchanged it as it is just too dark. If your shade in the foubdation is “Fair,” you may like it.

What’s your go to foundation this summer? Or is it too hot where you are to wear it? (Looking at you Kristin)

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 Mineralize Skinfinish in Lightscapade

Posted on June 4, 2015 by Rachel

MAC has released a few versions of this beautiful pressed mineral powder highlighter over the years. I have the current version in the permanent line with the new magnetized compact (MAC, please do this with all your compacts – never another broken nail!). There is a limited edition version where the powder top is texturized, but I’m not sure how it compares to this one.

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Lightscapade

The product itself is beautiful. You can see ribbons of gold, blue, and peach swirled throughout the yellowish base.

Swirled together, they come out to a very light champagne color, a light shade leaning slightly warm. This highlighter is actually light enough to highlight fair skin, which is hard to come by! I’m a MAC NW10 and this is perfection on me.

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Lightscapade swatched heavily

This product can be worn heavily for a metallic sheen, or applied lightly for a barely there glow that’s suitable for daytime. It’s shimmer without glitter; this will not emphasize imperfections in the skin like something that’s frosty might.

I wish my iPhone could show how it looks on me…I will get my fancy camera out and get a photo in the sun! I’m wearing it here, but my house was so dark, it’s hard to tell. 😉

Lightscapade on high points of the face, worn with Urban Decay Bittersweet Blush and MAC Up The Amp lipstick

This compact comes with a whopping 10 grams of product. It’s going to take ages to go through it, which is one reason I allowed myself to shell out $32.00 for a highlighter. Next, I’m going to try it as an eyeshadow highlight.

MAC makes this great product in other gorgeous shades for darker skin tones and even colors that function like bronzers. Do you use the Mineralize Skinfinishes? How do you like them? For me, I’ve found a new daily staple. I only wish I had splurged sooner!

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?

A Bad Homance

Fabulous is a State of Mind

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