Some looks!

I feel like I don't post enough makeup to the blog. It's always reviews & swatches lately. I'm going to try & change that :) Here are a few looks that have accumulated over the last few weeks (yes, weeks D: I don't get much time for makeup lately) & a qt surprise at the end :D

 All Inglot! If you wanna know what I used, just ask! I'll get the pans out ;D

 Sugarpill Afterparty, Poison Plum Dollipop, Tako & Royal Sugar!

 Sugarpill Love+, Flamepoint, Buttercupcake & Tako!

Sugarpill Bulletproof, Poison Plum, Dollipop & Tako!

This morning, my pride & joy kitteh cat, Pookie, started having her kittens. I went outside (all my cats are outdoor cats) and she had one by the side of my house. I don't think she scouted out a place to have them, so I ran & got her a box with a towel and found a place for her in the garage. 

/squeeeeeeeee! 

Last I checked she had four. But I think she'll be having five! Combined with the other cat's kittens, I'll have 12 or 13 bb'z this year :D :D :D! Prepare for a qt'ness overload soon!

MAC Surf, Baby!

It's that time of year again, when MAC regurgitates last years summer collection with new names & different packaging. I honestly don't remember much about To The Beach (last years collection) other than Marine Life causing a total uproar & crying because I missed out. I went into MAC the day it launched & it was already gone. I only got a lip liner & eye liner from that collection, but found a Marine Life later on, yay! This year, they have a new hot piece of blush that I'm sure everyone will go nuts for; My Paradise. But I'll get into that a little later.

I'm sure that most of you are aware of how cynical I am towards MAC. I used to love their company & the products they dished out. Lately...their collections are total flops for me & it's rare for me to leave with more than 2 items from them. Surf, Baby is no exception to that. I thought for a summer collection, it lacked vibrancy & colour range. The shadows were so boring & the eyeliners seem to look just the same as last years (Blue Moon looks identical to Float On By!) I also didn't really get how red & brown lipglass were a summer thing...I would expect those in a fall collection. I eyed Naturally Eccentric for a few seconds, but remembered how much I hated it from it's first release. I hardly glanced at the bronzing products, as I heard the bronzing sticks took a huge price increase & MAC bronzing powder just never looks right on me. The pigment stacks looked nice, but they also looked chunky which is a definite 'no' for me. WAH WAH WAH. Le sigh. I was really looking for a collection like Belle Azure (OMFG<3) or Hook, Bait, Lure. Something more versatile...Surf, Baby is a weak attempt at a 'summer' collection & as per usual, MAC fails this one. Bummer.

So, while the majority of this collection did not tickle my fancy, a few items were deemed buy-able. I think the obvious one is My Paradise Cheek Powder.

With flash.

From what I've read online, this is expected to sell out incredibly fast. This is definitely an orangey-coral, unlike Marine Life which was a pinky-coral mixed with pink + the overspray. What I like about My Paradise, is that the gold on it is a flake, so it will last more than 1-2 applications unlike Marine Life. I ended up getting two of these babies, as I wanted to feel justified in missing out on Marine Life when it launched :P

I also picked up Girl On Board lipglass, as I am an absolute sucker for anything nude/neutral, especially the creamy, light shades. I really, really am digging this gloss & will for sure be using it all summer!

There is one product that I absolutely LOVE from this collection & that's Ocean Dip nail lacquer. I am really not a fan of MAC's polishes at all...they've always been super runny & streaky for me. But when I saw the swatches on Temptalia, I knew I had to get this one!

This was an eeeeeensy bit streaky, but two coats was all I needed. Loveloveloveeeee this shade! I think it would look super awesome with the silver shatter. I'm going to try it out later :D

Overall, with the exception of a few nice items, Surf, Baby is not that great for a summer collection. At least not for me, as I would have hoped for brighter options.

Versus; Crackle nail polish!

In conjunction with the previous post, I wanted to do a comparison of other brands' crackle polish.

First up: black crackle polishes.

OPI Black Shatter; Retails $8.50 at Ulta & select nail salons.

China Glaze Black Mesh; Retails $6.49 at Ulta, Sally Beauty Supply & select nail salons.

Sally Hansen Ink Splatter; Retails $6.99 at Ulta, Walgreens & other drug stores.

Mia Secret Black; Retails $3.50-$7 on eBay & possibly in salons.

I swatched these all over OPI Alpine Snow nail polish. I accidentally hit the China Glaze crackle while it was wet & couldn't fix it, so that blob is my mistake :P

The Sally Hansen is my least favourite. It has the smallest brush & that can make it a pain to apply the product quickly & before it starts to crack.  I'm not sure I could pick a winner on this one, because as you can see, there really isn't a HUGE difference within any of those. The OPI & Mia Secret had the biggest brush, so I guess it's a tie between those two, simply for convenience with application.

OPI Silver Shatter; Retails $8.50 at Ulta & select salons.

Sally Hansen Fractured Foil; Retails $6.99 at Ulta, Walgreens & other drug stores.

OPI Silver Shatter is the definite winner here. I felt the Sally Hansen crackle had a weak opacity & just didn't like it in general. Again, the brush on the polish also stinks as it is simply too small & too narrow.

Here are all the crackles together with a clear top coat;

I hope this was helpful & I hope the crackle phase never ends. I would love to see more unique colours!

Showcase : Sally Hansen Crackle Overcoat

I'm sure you've all noticed that crackle polishes are the hot item right now. Though they have been around for a while, it seems the release of OPI's Black Shatter really gained a huge interest in them once again. Since then, nail polish companies have been releasing their versions of this to keep up with the craze.

While browsing Ulta the other day, I ran across the Sally Hansen version of the crackle polish, Crackle Overcoat. I'm not really a huge fan of SH, as I find their polishes turn my nails yellow & aren't really long lasting. I decided to pick these up anyways because I am definitely one of those who is loving the crackle phase ;)

These retailed for $6.99 each & the collection consists of 8 polishes.

I really like that they released coloured polishes, because black was getting a little boring. China Glaze released theirs with a pink, blue & grey, but I will admit that I am super happy having a red & gold crackle.

I swatched the white, silver & gold over a black polish while the others were over a white polish. I also added a clear top coat to help make the colours look less flat.

In review, these aren't too bad. The gold & silver were pretty weak, though, as they seem to have a lot of sheen/glitter to them; I was highly disappointed in those two. The red & pink are my favourites & I felt their consistency was the best. The black one isn't bad, either, but I will say I do prefer the other brands versions over this one.

When applying these, I felt it was easy to use too much. The brush is small compared to other brands & therefor I had to dip into the bottle for more product. Considering how you're supposed to apply crackle as quickly as possible, I found those extra seconds to be crucial to the way the pattern formed. In which case, with these, looks uneven.

I'll be doing another post soon with comparisons with other brands. Considering the OPI is $8.50, and these were $7, they're a decent alternative if you're looking to save a few bucks when purchasing more than one or two. The colour range also helps! I went back to Ulta today, though, and noticed they were all sold out. They're popping up at some drug stores (Walgreens, CVS) but we sold out of them within 2 days. I also know that Sally Hansen goes on sale at Walgreens for BOGO 50% off, so if you can find these during a sale, snatch 'em up!

Sugarpill Giveaway Winners!

Eeek! I'm a little behind on posting this, sorry! I've been sick with allergies/sinus infection, laaame! I also wanted to leave some extra time for everyone to enter due to the issue blogger was having for a few days.

First, so many thanks to those who entered. Your entries were all fabulous. It was great to see such fun, vibrant makeup. Especially when lately, all I rock is mascara...your looks were huge inspiration for me! It was so difficult to choose winners & I studied everyone's entries very closely. Great job to everyone, really <3.

Here are the two grand-prize winners for the giveaway!

Erika;

I love the execution with this look; the shape, the blending. I thought this was incredibly bold & not something you would see everyday.

Dolly;

Vibrant eyes & vibrant lips most people tend to stay away from because of the "makeup rules"...I thought her look was a great way to break those silly rules & do what you want! Looove the hot pink lips mixed with an already super vibrant rainbow eye.

I also had an opportunity for those without digital cameras to submit a detailed text entry. I didn't receive anything & still want to giveaway the prize intended for that. So I chose a runner-up who's look was definitely out of the ordinary!

Brandy;

 What I love about this look, is that she exemplified exactly what it means to have fun with makeup!

I wanted to create a look specifically for this contest myself. But once I had time off, I became sick with a sinus infection. I try to stay far away from my makeup when I'm sick, so I went through one of my makeup albums & chose a look I did that I felt was a huge step for me. It was a look I decided to try & do on a total whim, as I had never done anything like it before!

Bold brows, cut crease, tons of glitter?!?! I always liked vibrant makeup, but before this look, had never tried anything remotely close to it. I've redone this style so many times now that I've taken that one chance & stepped over my boundaries. That's all it takes!

Another huge thank you to everyone! I loved all of your looks & wish I had an endless supply of makeup to send to everyone who entered. I will have LOTS more giveaways, including one that's sort of opposite of this one.

Erika, Dolly & Brandy, if you could please email me with your shipping info so I can package up & send your prizes out! [glammedupgeek@gmail.com]

<3!

Sugarpill Giveaway is now CLOSED!

Thank you everyone for your fantastic entries! I am so happy with the outcome, you all rock! I have everyones looks saved & will be announcing the winner later tonight! I am a tad under the weather right now (stupid allergies!) but will have my look as well as the winners looks all posted.

A huge thank you for your continued support!! 

If you missed out this time, no worries! I have so many more contests & giveaways planned!

Thank you again! <3.

Giveaway update.

Hi everyone! I'm just posting really quick to let you know I've extended the contest until Sunday. Blogger has been down for a few days & I wanted everyone to have a chance to enter. I've been getting some incredibly awesome emails/posts with your looks, so a huge thank you to everyone who has participated :)

Winners will be chosen & posted on Monday morning!

Showcase : Urban Decay Rollergirl Palette

Browsing through Ulta the other day, I ran across the new Urban Decay Roller Girl palette. I picked it up on a whim along with the newly packaged Eden primer potion. I can honestly say that the palette was a total impulse purchase as I really don't wear neutrals at all & I've already got tons of pinks. But, I found myself leaving with it anyways & decided to give it a try.

 The palette retails for $32 & includes a sample of Crush lip junkie instead of the usual primer. I think the packaging is really cute, especially the inside of the palette & it's perfect for summer. The palette includes a mirror across the inside lid & has a magnetic closure. It is smaller than UD's other palettes which is really nice when traveling.

Two of the shadows in the palette are re-promotes (Darkhorse from Naked & Suspect from Book Of Shadows) and I'm fairly certain Woodstock & Verve are exclusive to this palette. You also get Whiskey 24/7 liner which isn't permanent, but was available in the first Naked palette.

One thing I noticed about the shadows is that (thankfully) they are not the traditional glitter bomb's UD generally puts in their palettes. I'm not sure if they reformulated their shadows, but these had little to no fall out & while a few were shiny, they weren't chunky.

Overall, I'm not ecstatic about this palette, but I don't necessarily dislike it either. Honestly, I would have preferred one-less neutral/brown shade & have a black shade instead. Not Oil Slick, though, because it's a tad too glittery for my liking. But I felt Darkhorse just wasn't dark enough when going from the transition of 'day look' to 'night look'. Verve is also a very shiny, reflective colour & when applied as a highlight, I thought it was way too frosty. Woodstock is a nice, soft but vibrant pink & is similar to MAC's Fuchsia pigment, but perhaps it's just a tad more pink. Suspect is probably my favourite of the shadows; it's a warm, almost coppery-brown shade that would look gorgeous when doing a warm-toned neutral look. Whiskey 24/7 liner is a nice shade, but per my preferences, I would've liked something darker. Crush lip junkie was a nice, sheer hot pink shade. I'm not really into the whole lip-plumping thing, but the effect was subtle & didn't hurt or sting my lips.

I would definitely suggest this palette to those who like/wear neutrals. Personally, I thought it was just a little boring for my taste. I think the colours are gorgeous, but I just don't wear neutrals too often. I did create a quick look using the palette & I did like it, but was yearning to use a darker shade in my crease for more depth. I did this in about 5 minutes & just used NYX Milk eye pencil as a base, no primer.

Since I used a poor base, blending out the crease was a bit of a hassle. And I broke down & used my typical matte white shadow under my brows because Verve was just so shiny.

Palette is available at Ulta, Sephora & UrbanDecay.com for purchase. 

Retails $32.00 USD.