Sunday, February 27, 2011

Nail Polish Storage + Super Tiny Sigma Haul

For some odd reason, I've had all my of my nail polish stuffed into a large tote bag. So not fun to carry & definitely not easy to dig my way through for whatever color I'm looking for. I've been checking various websites & eBay for a nail polish rack for the last year. They were always just way too expensive & generally, pretty ugly. I have a friend who works in a salon who offered me one, but she later found out she could have been fired for letting me have it, so I was on the quest for another alternative.

I didn't really have anything in mind when I would shop; I just browsed everything & thought of how I could store my polishes. A nail polish rack would have been ideal, but for now, I found these:

 Found these at Walmart for $7 a piece. They're small bathroom racks that I figured would do the trick. So I picked up 3 of them & gave 'em a try. Needless to say, I didn't think it out too well when I bought them; when I set the nail polish on the rack, they'd plop over & look uneven. I am really, really obsessive/anal about things looking perfectly straight, it's pretty insane! So I ran to JoAnn Fabrics & picked up some cheap Foamies sheets & silver-y holographic ribbon. Ta-da! :D

I haven't added the ribbon yet because I'm going to sew it together once I've measured everything. I put that together in about 5 minutes & just haven't had the time to sit down & measure. I realize this is a pretty basic thing to do, but IMO, made it look muuuuch better & now my polishes won't fall into each other. Plus, it's a little more personalized, too & once I add the ribbon, it will look pretty rad :D





Next, I will begin the task of sorting these all out by brand & then colour, because I'm partially psychotic like that :P

I also received my first Sigma brushes haul the other day & am so impressed! I'm not really a brush snob by any means...I'll pretty much use anything as long as it's not cheaply made or doesn't shed everywhere. I have quite a few MAC & Sonia Kashuk brushes as well as brushes from the craft store (also, a really great investment) so I just ordered 3; Something About Marilyn kabuki (duh!), E35 tapered blending & E45 small tapered blending. I also received a free travel sized brush (E25 blending) which reminds me of the MAC 217 (my favourite brush ever!) I'm sure someone has compiled a list of the MAC/name brand comparatives, but I just bought brushes I knew I needed.



The first thing I noticed when I opened these up, was that the handles smell HORRID. I'm not exactly sure what that smell is, but it's kinda gross. Luckily, I left them sit out overnight & the smell has worn off a bit. It's still there, just not punch-you-in-the-face there. They also sent two pamphlets showcasing their brushes/prices & also included brush cleansing instructions. Sweet!

I really wanted one of the pink brush kits, but it was sold out. Actually, looking at the site now, it seems to have changed a bit since I made my order & I no longer see that one on there :( Boo! Hahah, either way, I'm definitely going to invest in one of the sets, probably one of the Make Me Up sets, because they are a really good deal. $100 bucks probably sounds pricey, but imagine how much money you'd spend on MAC/Bobbi Brown, even Sephora brand brushes. They also send you a free gift on orders over $30, plus, you can generally find a coupon code floating around online (Try RetailMeNot.com, I saved 10%) I am loving these brushes, especially that kabuki. I need to go through & pitch some of my old/heavily used brushes that really just gotta go & replace them with these. They are awesome!

So I leave you all with a question today; what are your favourite brand of brushes & why? And more specifically, what is your #1 go-to, must-have brush?

Friday, February 25, 2011

Got a new camera, so of COURSE I had to do makeup!

Picked up my new camera today! I am pretty pleased with it so far, it has amazing macro & HD recording. It wasn't the one I intended on getting, but after playing around with other cameras, this is the one I liked best. I did a test-run tutorial so that I can start getting myself in the groove of talking & doing makeup :P I have great amounts of respect for those who record tutorials, because I am so ADD/boring & listening to myself was a total joke, hahah. But I vow to get better & have tutorials soon :) I also have to get the lighting in my room done up. I purchased a 6-bulb vanity bar & some full-spectrum light bulbs to help mimic natural light. My sister is going to put everything together for me & mount it on my wall, so I will start recording & posting tutorials (for real) once that's taken care of.

Also, I am so happy that FINALLY my photos come out true to colour. I don't have everything figured out on the camera in terms of settings, but I think I'm going to really like sharing FOTD's a whole lot more :D

Anyway, here's tonights look!







DERP!

What I used;
NYX White eyeshadow base
MAC Flammable paint on lid
Sugarpill Love + eyeshadow on lid
Sugarpill Dollipop eyeshadow on crease
Sugarpill Tako eyeshadow to highlight
Sugarpill Poison Plum eyeshadow on crease
Random purple liner + Poison Plum & Dollipop on lower lash line
MAC Blacktrack fluidline

MAC Her Own Devices beauty powder

MAC Lady Gaga 2 lipstick
Smashbox Desire lipgloss

I'm definitely more & more excited to do FOTDs/tutorials now that I have a decent camera.  Hope you like the look, I'll fo sho have maaaaany more to come <3!

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Haulin' & Rantin' plus some FOTDS

I stopped by the Chicago Premium Outlets today so I could check out the CCO there. I haven't been there for quite a bit & figured I'd *hopefully* find some new stuff.

Nope. Same old crap, hahah. Now, while I love saving on makeup & such...I really hate that the women who work there treat you like utter garbage. No "Hello" when you walk in, not even a smile on anybody's face. Like...really...I'm about to give you my money & you can't even acknowledge my existence. Right. So I spent about a good 30-45 minutes in there, checking just about everything MAC. Selection was, like I said, pretty lame. I get everything I want & when I'm ready to check out, am reminded of the "rules"; You can't re-sell this on eBay (um, fuck you? I'll do what I'd like with the items I purchase, thanks) you can't purchase more than 3 of the same TYPE of item (no more than 3 eyeshadows, 3 pigments, 3 lipsticks, etc) and your total can not exceed $300. IMO, that's kind of lame. Even though I don't buy things just to re-sell, especially not for MORE than I paid, I think these limitations are just silly. It's not that I'm unappreciative of CCO's or anything, I just don't really get why they enforce such rules. Then again, my stand point is that I'm purchasing just for my own use & not to make money on eBay or whatever. So that and the shit attitude from everyone who works there just gives me a headache. The store was messy & I ended up purchasing two of the wrong things because they were not placed correctly. It's my fault completely, but I just grabbed the box behind these items & thought the name was correct (it was two Estee Lauder blushes which I am not familiar with in the least) When I brought it to the attention to the cashier (oh yeah, there's NO refunds either) she snatched the items out of my hand, huffed, puffed & blew the house down. I said I'd just buy the one I actually wanted & keep the other one (I kinda wanted it anyway) EITHER WAY. Sorry to rant, but I just HAAAAAATE being watched like a hawk while I shop there.

Anyway. Here's some pics of my overall haul. I stopped by a couple other stores as well XD




 Yep, I totally bought those shoes XD!

I also had quite a splurge at Ulta the other day, too. And with all the stuff I've been buying online, too, there's no excuse for me to not do my makeup :P

Speaking of which! Here are some looks I've done since my last post :D



NYX White eyeshadow base
Urban Decay Electric 24/7 liner
Glamour Doll Eyes Radioactive pigment
Glamour Doll Eyes Immature pigment
Ben Nye White eyeshadow
Glamour Doll Eyes Techno glitter



 

NYX White eyeshadow base
MAC Red Velvet shadestick
MAC Later. pigment, applied wet
MUFE #92 eyeshadow
MUFE #9 eyeshadow
Ben Nye White eyeshadow

Ugh! I had such a hard time getting this to photograph, especially up close. It was MUUUUCH more blue than it's appearing. BOOO.

NYX White eyeshadow base
Ben Nye Silver lumiere creme colour
MAC Platinum pigment
MAC Cinderfella mineralized eyeshadow
MAC Blue Flame mineralized eyeshadow
MAC Hi-Def Cyan pigment
Ben Nye White eyeshadow

After this week, I want to get back to working on my video game series. I took a break because I didn't want to fill the blog with just video game looks, even though video games rule :P If you have any requests, feel free to email them; glammedupgeek@gmail.com! 

Have a great weekend everyone! I feel myself coming down with a cold (I try to stay away from my makeup when I'm sick) so I might not update for a few days :( If I do, it will be the zillions of swatches I've been meaning to post :)

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

FOTD + More TKB creations/swatches

Out of sheer boredom & the inability to sleep last night, I decided to do my makeup. I ended up really liking this a lot, especially since it's been so dark, dismal & gloomy here in Chicago lately.



MAC Chartru paint on entire lid & crease
MAC Lime eyeshadow packed on lid
MAC Sassy Grassy eyeshadow on crease
MAC Overgrown eyeshadow on crease & inner tear duct
MAC MSF Natural in Light to highlight
Ben Nye White eyeshadow under brows
MAC Greenglo pencil on lower lash line
Lime & Sassy Grass on lower lash line
NYX Green & Lime glitterliners on lower lash line
MAC Black Track fluidline
Really, really shitty mascara :P

MAC Shell Pearl beauty powder
MAC Marine Life high-light poweder

MAC In Sync lip liner
Flirt Cherub lipstick
MAC Cultureclash lipglass


I also mixed together more TKB micas the other day. I received another order two days ago, too, I just haven't had the motivation to play around with my new stuff. 






& Here's some swatches of a super secret project I'm working on for my sister. She's a huge Superman fan & she's helping me create a little collection for it :) This is just sort of a test run as several of the colours need to be adjusted. We're still picking out names, too. The blue we're naming Kal-El, the red we're thinking of "S" & the yellow might be "Justice." The green will be Kryptonite (we're going to lighten this one up a bit) & I'm also making a colour named Lex Luther which I haven't started just yet. This is all just for fun & she's going to design the labels for each colour (she's an artist) Anyway, here's some swatches of that :D!


It's been pretty fun doing all of the mixing, testing, swatching, etc. I've been starting down this super extensive colour wheel for about a week so that I can create exactly what I want.

Anyways! Thanks for looking :) And I'll be purchasing my new camcorder later this week so I can get the ball rollin' on tutorials! Woo hoooo!

Monday, February 21, 2011

It's Mondaaaaay! Giveaway day :D

A huge thank you to everyone for following & participating. This is the first of many giveaways I'd like to do!

I created a list of all the followers & gave those who requested a number theirs. I then numbered everyone else with the remaining numbers. I went to random.org to select the winner...

& The winner is..... *insert drum roll here*

#42 ; Kim @ feedkmayeorchids is the winner!

Kim, please comment on this post with your e-mail so I may get your shipping info. Also, please let me know which prize you'd like. You may choose from the following:

BNNB MAC Babyspark Dazzleglass
BNIB MAC Talent Pool eyeshadow 
BNIB Too Faced Shadow Insurance
BNIB Too Faced Lash Injection mascara
BNIB Too Faced Lash Injection Pinpoint mascara
BN Stila Eye For Colour eyeshadow palette
BN Beauty From the Earth 'My First BFTE' set (Bright Colours)
As an added bonus, my 100th follower, Libby, may also choose a prize! 
 I will e-mail you via Facebook for your info :)


Thanks again to everyone! I have looooots of goodies to give away, I'm already planning my next giveaway which will have five winners :D I'll post those details as soon as I have them all figured out!

<3

Friday, February 18, 2011

Giveaway! :D!!!

Yay! I'm so excited about doing my first giveaway. There are many, many more to come!

A couple things;
You need to subscribe/follow this blog in order to participate.
Open worldwide. However, only items shipped within the US will come with tracking.
I will number all followers & then using random.org, select the winner. If you would like to have your own number (it's okay, I have a lucky number, too) please leave a comment in THIS entry.
You do NOT have to comment on this post to enter. Everyone who has subscribed is already entered to win! :D
I will be selecting a winner in 3 days, so that those who would like to choose a number may do so.
The winner may choose from several items, which I will be posting once I've picked a winner.
If the winner does not respond within 5 days, I will pick another winner.
As a bonus, I'm also sending some goodies to the gal who was the 100th follower!
All prizes up for grabs are NEW & UNUSED

A huge thanks to everyone! This is the first of very many giveaways I'd like to do! I'd also like to use this post to announce that I've finally created a YouTube account ;D I am still doing my research on good, high quality HD camcorders & will *hopefully* have my first tutorial up within the next 1-2 months. I'm thinking of letting you all vote on what to do my first tutorial on, how does that sound?

Again, thank you EVERYONE. I am seriously beyond thrilled to be a part of all of this. Your support is so valued & I look forward to expanding the blog as time rolls on. <3!

*Click the giveaway tag to see what's up for grabs!*


TAKEN NUMBERS:
13
37
3
7
45
87
17
11
26
5
27
30
18
EDIT: Once these prizes reach your hands, they are yours do what you'd like. I will be giving away some rare pieces of makeup & would like to encourage that you do not attempt to make a profit off of these items. It would be very disheartening to see any of these on eBay or sales, anything. I am doing this as a huge thank you & favour to my fans & followers. I have so many more planned & would not want to resort to ending these sort of things if items are being sold for a profit. Please note that everything listed to be given away was purchased by ME, with my own money. Some items may be samples that were included with orders, but nothing I'm giving away was sent to me for any purpose other than for my own use. Thank you for understanding.

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Sooo close to the first giveaway! +3 EOTDS!

My first giveaway is going to be happening VERY soon /points left ;D!! I am so excited! Thank you so much to everyone for supporting this blog & spreading the word. It is greatly, greatly appreciated!

I have a ton of swatches & reviews to post, but I decided that instead of doing that so much, I'd actually show you those products put to work! :D

I did two of these just now, so no face shots because that would just look awful funny. I'll list everything & my application technique as well. I've finally created a YouTube account, though I will not have anything posted to it for a bit. I'm this > < close to buying a Canon Vixia camcorder & am still shopping my options before I settle! I'm also taking any requests you may have, which you can email to glammedupgeek@gmail.com (subject: request) So send me ideas, products you may want to see used, anything!

Anyway, on to some looks. Enjoy :)!



This one is from about a week ago, so I don't remeber everything :( But I know for sure I used Fyrinnae Dressed To Kill & Madd Style Trashed. Lashes are Demi-Wispies.




 Had a really difficult time photographing this look. My camera kept focusing on my lashes, hahah. & The teal lid wasn't showing up the way it looked :( Can't wait for a better camera :P

Urban Decay Primer Potion
MAC Hi-Def Cyan chromaline on entire lid
MUFE #18 pure pigment applied wet & reapplied dry on lid, pulled into the crease
Sugarpill Afterparty eyeshadow on crease
Madd Style Nirvana pigment on crease, pulled upward
Madd Style Sub-Zero pigment  to highlight & blended on crease, also applied to the inner tear duct
Ben Nye White eyeshadow applied under brow & also on inner tear duct
Urban Decay Electric 24/7 liner on lower lash line
Nirvana & Sub-Zero applied on top of liner
Too Faced Lava Gloss eyeliner on waterline
Maybelline Eye Studio gel liner in black on upper lash line






Urban Decay Primer Potion
Too Faced First Base eyeshadow base on lid
NYX jumbo eye pencil in Milk under brow
Fyrinnae Sugar Skulls pigment on lid, applied wet
Fyrinnae Chaotic Evil pigment on crease
Fyrinnae Cheeky pigment above crease, blended in & pulled upward
Fyrinnae Marshmallow Puffs pigment to highlight
LA Splash Pink Delight glitter on lid, applied wet
L'Oreal HIP Violet Volt eyeliner on lower lash line
Fyrinnae Sennyo pigment on lower lash line
Cheeky & Marshmallow Puffs on inner tear duct

Hope you liked these! I'll have my review & swatches on Madd Style Cosmetics up tomorrow :D Plus some new Fyrinnae & nail polish swatches sometime after that!

MAC Viva Glam Gaga 2 : Photos & Swatches

Just came back from MAC with the new Viva Glam Gaga 2 lipstick & lipglass. I was a little skeptical of this at first, even though I positively live for neutral lips. The lipstick is described by MAC as "a light warm beige with an amplified finish" & the lipglass; "seductively pale milky-beige"






 Viva Glam Gaga 2 lipstick

Viva Glam Gaga 2 lipstick + lipglass


 Overall, the lipstick isn't bad. When paired with the lipglass, it is just a tad too brown for my liking. The lipstick is an Amplified finish, so it will emphasize any dryness you may have on your lips. The lipglass is a Cream finish, and is incredibly milky (almost to an excessive) and doesn't feel as sticky as MAC lipglass normally feel. I'm sure I'd end up selling off the lipglass, because as you can see, I had no others in that colour range to compare it to, simply because I don't wear this type of shade. 

These products I would highly recommend trying in person. It was much more different than I originally thought. As with every Viva Glam product, these are NOT redeemable with Back 2 MAC, as all of the proceeds are donated to the AIDS foundation.


*ETA* My skintone is lighter than NC15 by MAC. I think that was a large contributing factor for my small dislike for this colour combo. I think this would look amazing with darker toned skin, I am just incredibly, incredibly fair & felt this was a bit too harsh/too brown!