NOTW + couple things

Actually, these are my nails from a couple days ago XD I changed them to green for St. Patricks Day, & will change them again tomorrow. But, I finally got my hands (derp!) on some of that highly coveted crackle polish! I found these on a couple sales online & was so happy to finally try them out! I had actually ordered a crackle polish on eBay, but it never showed up & F if that OPI one will ever come back into stock. So I got the China Glaze versions, which I'm totally okay with, because I prefer China Glaze to OPI anyways :D

China Glaze Mega Bite & China Glaze Black Mesh crackle!

Has anyone NOT received their Inglot Cosmetics order? I am just...kinda pissed right now, hahah. I placed my first order & was happy that it was processed & shipped so fast. I was little bum that some items were on backorder, but I was happy to wait. Well, thinking that since I had such a rad first experience, I placed a second order sooner than I told myself I would. This was on the 12th, almost a week ago & still, nothing :( 

I'm sure they got smashed with tons of orders when they opened their US website, but in my opinion, they should have been prepared. Backorders are one thing, but when I pay for 2nd day service, I expect the company to process my order quickly, so that spending $16 in a service is justified.

So, I have no new order, no back ordered items. I was emailed on the 12th, saying my back ordered items were being shipped....which is what made me want to place a second order, in which I did. I was told those back ordered items would also be shipped out 2nd day, but it's been longer than that & I'm just getting super frustrated. I love this company already & I think their products are really, really great. LE SIGH. Maybe it's because their products are awesome that I am just so anxious to get my stuff. Plus, I spent a lot of money there & am just sorta stingy about buying things that I don't have. Meh, I guess I need to relax :P

I'm going on a verrrrrrry much needed vacation next week! It will just be for a few days, but I need a break so bad! There has been a lot happening in my personal life that at times is just so overwhelming. I can't wait to just relax & play video games with a very special loved one for the weekend :D I'll try to get a couple FOTD's up before then!

I also bring you some early news of moving! I have decided to pack up & head for AUSTRALIA!!! :D :D :D I am f'ing thrilled, to say the least! I've been deciding between Southern France & Australia for quite some time now & Sydney is where it's at :P I'm going to try & be settled in by early next year and I could not be any more excited :D!!!

And, saving the best for last...I've got a huge project I've been working on for the last week; Amy from Sugarpill Cosmetics has asked me to do eye swatches for her website! I am so happy, honoured & flattered that she asked me to help out! She sent me a couple goodies that I will be adding to my giveaway selection! Can't wait to see the final product up on her site, I'm so excited!!! :D

Anyways! That's all I have for today! Like I said, I'll try to get some new looks up before vacation time! Have a great weekend everyone!

Final Fantasy inspired FOTD (Sephiroth - FFVII)

"Tell me what you cherish most. Give me the pleasure of taking it away."

I've had a crappy, crappy day. Sick, tired, so much to do, too much going on & not nearly enough time for it all. I've been working on a project for a makeup company (shhh, it's a secret :P) and when I finished working on some of that, I still felt like I wanted to do something. The thing with doing makeup, is that it helps me relax; I find it an outlet for relieving stress. I am so focused on executing what I have pictured in my head that nothing else matters.

So I sat myself down & thought of this hot piece of a villain, Sephiroth. While I'm doing this series, I am not looking at photos while I do it...just picturing what I think resembles what I want. While the Kingdom Hearts looks were inspired a case, this is the first of my series to be inspired by an actual character. What I thought of was a simple colour scheme with what I'm calling a "sleek" look to it. Not sure exactly what I even mean by that, but when I think of Sephiroth, I think of this silver haired, quick on his feet, better watch the F out kinda guy. I winged it out because of his wing...does this make sense? Hahah, probably not; it's 4 am & I am in desperate need of sleep :P

Anyways. Enough with the babble, here's what I came up with for this silver fox, Sephiroth. There is so much I would have changed, done differently. I could NOT fix the crease on one eye while I had difficulties with the wing on the other. Ohhh well ;D! I still liked it for the most part.

SO TIREDDDDD D:

What I used;

NYX Skin Tone eyeshadow base

Ben Nye Silver Lumiere Creme Colour on inner lid

Inglot #447 on inner lid

NYX Black Bean jumbo eye pencil

MAC Typographic eyeshadow

MUFE #28 or is it 08? (black) eyeshadow

Sugarpill Tako eyeshadow

Sugarpill Tiara loose eyeshadow (used wet)

MAC MSF Natural in Light (to highlight)

Urban Decay Gunmetal 24/7 liner on lower lash line

Inglot #447 & MAC Typographic on lower lash line

MAC Brun eyeshadow on brows

Lots & lots of foundation (3 layers, AAAGHHH!!!!)

Rice powder

MAC Naked Liner lipliner

MAC C-Thru lipglass

Yay, happy I finally have that one done & posted. I'm not too sure what I'll do next, but Final Fantasy Dissidia 2 comes out soon & I'm sure that will inspire me :D Suggestions would be great as well :)

Passing out now ;D!

Inglot FOTD :D

This whole not having red hair thing failed. Tonight, I went back ;D I love red hair and I've never felt so good about myself without it.

Tonight's look was based off of some chick from Glee. Hahah. She was at an awards show (sorry, I don't really keep up with celeb crap) and her makeup was AWESOME. I changed my brow shape a bit & thought this look would be perfect!

I didn't pull the outer wing out as far as she had hers, but I wanted this to suit my face better. Either way, I think this is my new going out look, I loooooove it! Here's what I used :D

Too Faced Shadow Insurance

Inglot #348 (matte) eyeshadow on entire lid, winged outward towards end of brow

Inglot #37 (amc shine) eyeshadow on crease, winged outward & blended over #348

MAC Naked Lunch eyeshadow on crease, pulled upward

Inglot #351 (matte) eyeshadow to highlight

Sugarpill Tako eyeshadow under brows

#347 & #37 on lower lash line

Demi-Wispies lashes

MAC Blacktrack fluidline

MAC Well Dressed blush

Contour palette to highlight

MAC Style It Up lipstick

My backordered Inglot eyeshadows were shipped today! Hurrah! Should be here Monday, plus the other order I placed will be here Tuesday. I also ordered some Crown brushes from the HauteLook event & should be getting them pretty soon. I did a LOT of spring cleaning thru my vanity & pitched a ton of old brushes.

Quick question! How do you all store your pigment samples? I have about 300 of those tiny little jars & I am wondering your solution for storage? I need something new because I just have too much! Thanks <3!

Day off tomorrow. I am FORCING myself to complete the next installment of my video game series. I can't believe I let myself wait it out so long. I have everything planned out, just didn't sit myself down to do it! :)

Have a great weekend!

Inglot Cosmetics; Ingl-OMG! *PIC HEAVY*

I wasn't going to post today, because I did a bit yesterday, but FedEx just dropped off my Inglot Cosmetics package!!! AAAAAGHHHH!

5 of the colours I ordered are on back-order, so I am a little bummed. They offered to let me choose new colours or wait for the others & I really just wanted what I selected so I'm going to wait it out. They also said they would ship those 2nd day service to help make up for the wait. Before I get into photos/swatches/review, let me just say that their customer service is fabulous. Each e-mail I received was quick in response & very professional yet friendly. The only thing I was thrown off by was what seemed to be an invoicing error. When ordering on the website, my total came to $121 with shipping. Looking over the email confirmation, my order was $146?! I double checked my bank info & was charged $121, but still questioned it anyway. I didn't receive a direct response (as my question was a little vague) but they said I was charged the correct amount of $121.

I placed my order for a 20 Freedom Pan & 20 Freedom eyeshadows. The more you buy with Inglot, the more you save. I bought a little bit of everything with the eyeshadows, but purchased 3 or more of each type, so the pricing went down. I also received an 80% discount on the 20 pan, taking it from $25 to $20. I'm not exactly sure how/why/when this happened, but it still rules! I am already ready to order more!

Before I post the images, I want to do a small little review. A lot of people have been asking about the finishes the shadows come in & how they are, how they compare to other brands, etc. The only thing I can say, is that everything is AWESOME. Some of the shadows looked chalky in their pan, but I was so pleasantly surprised when I swatched them. Not one shade disappointed me. Some were more sheer, the mattes....heaven, but nothing was just "meh" or anything of the sort.

Matte; CREAMY, not chalky at all like you would expect matte eyeshadow to be like. These are workable, blendable, you name it.

AMC; Seems to be their basic shadow. Opaque, very vibrant. Soft finish.

AMC Shine; Sheer, yet buildable. Very awesome for blending/transitioning. Super soft.

Double Sparkle; Glittery look, but amazing application. These looked chalky in their pans but I was surprised to apply them & see how fantastic they looked. The glitter does apply, but it is not a disastrous mess.

Pearl; Soft, creamy & semi-opaque.


Anyways, onto the pics. These are massive, as I wanted to photograph them in great detail ;D

Bigger, cheaper & better than MAC ;D

I did take pictures of each shadow individually, but adding photos on this post has been a pain, as it will only let me add them one by one. Not sure why it's happening :( 

I also got two free pigment samples with my order :D

 I am astounded with this company. Amazing customer service, amazing products. My only, smallest, complaint is with the lid of the palette. It's held on by magnets, there is no latch or anything like that. For me, I try to be as gentle as possible with makeup because I'm known to be a clutz that drops everything...so opening taking the lid off is an eensy bit difficult for me. 

I'm already looking forward to placing my next order. I highly recommend everyone check them out. The Inglot website is a little messy IMO, but I think this company can reach amazing lengths with their astounding product.

I have only two words.....Goodbye MAC!

Showcase: Urban Decay Naked Palette

It's BAAAAAACK! Since first launching the highly coveted Naked palette nearly a year ago, Urban Decay has had a hard time keeping it in stores & in stock. The rumour I heard was that the machine that made the double-sided pencil broke. Not sure if that's true, but UD has FINALLY. FINALLY put this awesome palette back on the shelf.  The palette now has a full sized eyeshadow brush instead of the liner, but unfortunately, went up $4 in price. Kind of a bummer, but $48 for 12 rad eyeshadows & a brush isn't that bad in my opinion.

I picked one of these up at Ulta today. I've been wanting to do a Showcase on it before, but didn't want to make anyone upset because of how hard it was to find one. Now that it's rolling back into stores, you should be able to get your hands on one of these hot babies. At the time I purchased this, Sephora was still out of stock & I'm not seeing an option to buy it on the UD website. I've had my other Naked palette since it launched & I will tell you that it is my most used palette. 

Before I get to pics & swatches, I want to share with you why I think it's worth the hype. First, the colour range. You can create the most simplistic neutral look, or a hot, dark smokey & everything inbetween with this palette. Your possibilities will seem endless, because there is so much to work & play around with. The second reason, is that UD seems to have caught on that having glittery cubes of eyeshadow in their palettes was just not cool. I own all their book of shadows & while I love the range, those shadows are SO frosty/glittery and overall, just do not impress me with how they finish. Naked is a totally different story. These shadows are creamy, easy to pull off the pan & even better to apply. While a couple shades do have the glitter in them, it is not an obscene & ridiculous amount. It is subtle & can match your look easily.

I'm also really digging the new brush that comes with it. I still have my double-sided liner & it's never been used. Partially because I already own about 10 Zero liners via other UD palettes, but the liner just never appealed to me. The brush? Totally different story. While I didn't use it to apply colours from the palette, I did use it to apply a different product wet & it worked brilliantly. It's soft yet firm & honestly, worth the $4 price hike (According to UD, it's a $16 brush!) I am so happy to finally have a backup of this palette as I've hit pan on a few shadows already! So if you're able to get one, then do it. You will love it. I don't even like neutral eyeshadows & I am obsessed with this palette ;D Now, onto some photos & swatches! Enjoy :)

Pics are pretty huge, so click to enlarge!

Go.

Get.

Naked.

:D

Versus; TF Glitter Glue vs Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy vs LA Splash Eyeshadow Sealer

As you can clearly tell, I am a glitter fiend. I actually have to try to NOT use glitter in my looks because I am obsessed with it. Whether it's glitter liners, loose glitter, eyeshadows with glitter; I love it all.

The problem with glitter, no matter the form, is that not only can it be difficult to apply, but staying power is hard to maintain. Before I purchased the items I'm showing you today, I would try to use glitter with a wet brush over a sticky/creamy base. While it worked, the new products out in todays makeup line are a god send. 

Up to bat: Too Faced Glitter Glue, Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy & LA Splash Eyeshadow Sealer. 

Too Faced Glitter Glue; Squeeze tube that retails $18 (Ulta, Sephora, Too Faced Online.) Has a creamy, thick consistency.

Details from the website: An extension of our best-selling Shadow Insurance Eye Shadow Primer, Glitter Glue was specifically formulated to lock-down glitter and enhances its reflective quality. Our colorless cream formula is designed to grab and hold loose glitter, pigments and shimmers in place, insuring they wont come off until you take them off.

Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy; Tube with applicator wand that retails $7 (Fyrinnae.com) Has a semi-thick consistency.

Details from the website: A must-have for shimmery, sparkling shadows! This is not an eye shadow primer, or really a base. It is to keep sparkles on or to make shimmery shadows appear "glossy": a foiled look without foiling. 

L.A. Splash Eyeshadow Sealer; Tube with applicator wand that retails $6.99 (Ulta, LASplashCosmetics.com) Has a thin, almost watery consistency.

Details from the website: Splash Proof Sealer/Base intensifies color and provides extra protection against smears and smudges for flawless 12 hour wear.

The results;

Too Faced Glitter Glue - Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy - LA Splash Eyeshadow Sealer

After the initial application, Pixie Epoxy was the one I liked best. It seemed to make the glitter look even more intense. But I had to do one last test before resorting on my winner. So I took a kleenex & wiped it over my hand a few times, to try & remove the glitter.

The winner; Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy!

Made the glitter more vibrant & had the best hold before & after my attempts to wipe it off. Plus, it's relatively inexpensive & easy to use. While a squeeze tube is ideal for me, I don't mind the wand at all. I just grab a little with a flat brush right off the wand & gently pat it onto the lid/area I want glitter. Don't wait too long after application though, because it dries fast, but you will LOVE the results!

MAC Jeanius & Sheen Supreme + NOTW

MAC Jeanius. Not so genius. Total fail, really. So much fail, it didn't even deserve it's own post, hahah. Here's my exceptionally tiny MAC haul from today. 

Docile lipglass & Pink Cult blush. How thrilling, right? MAC....you stink! What happened to the innovative and awesome products you used to make? You had to settle for a line based on JEANS?! Those eyeshadows....uck. All the testers at MAC had the tiny button thing already worn off. I didn't even bother picking them up at all. Acid Wash lipstick looked interesting, but when would I ever wear that? The answer is never and if a client wanted a colour similar, I'd use concealer & Pink Opal pigment mixed with gloss :P YIKES, MAC, yikes...

I also picked up one of the new Sheen Supreme lipsticks, which unlike Jeanius, totally rule. They were out of two colours I wanted, so I only left with one :( BUT! These are permanent & are for sure worth checking out! I left with Supremely Confident & ohmannnn, it's PERFECT for me.

LOVE it! It's not the least bit orange at ALL. I wanted to like Myth lipstick soooo badly, but that orange cast it left on me was just disgusting. I am so stoked with this lipstick. I did a smokey eye today & paired it with this & I can not stop checking it out ;) The girlies at MAC told me they'd call when the other two I want come in, so I will post those once I get 'em!

I've had some major nail polish haulin' this week! I bought a TON of Zoya online, mostly on eBay for their cheap prices :P Yesterday I received that rad St. Patricks Day deal Zoya had (3 green polishes for $5 + shipping) and today I checked out some OPI & China Glaze. I walked into my Sally Beauty Supply at the right time to get the last 3 of CG's holographic collection. Right after I picked these up, someone came in after me looking for them. SCORE! I generally always miss out & was so happy to get these. So here's my nails for this week in celebration of St. Patty's Day :D

Zoya Envy with China Glaze Laser Lime! I recently had to cut my nails super short (I work with film processing chemicals all day) so I'm sorry that my nails are probably the worst looking ever :P

I think that's all I'll cram into this post! I'll be posting lotsa stuff within the next few hours!

Madd Style Cosmetics: Review & Swatches!

Finally! I guess I'll start with the boring backstory of it all!

I'm pretty new to Etsy & was browsing makeup on there a few months back. Most of it looked like the same, repackaged TKB junk that anyone could easily do themselves. To be honest, I lost interest fast because it was the same crap over & over. Then a friend of mine on Facebook suggested me to the Madd Style Cosmetics fanpage. The first thing I do whenever I'm suggested to try new makeup is look through the fan photos section to see what can be done with their products. There was one photo in particular that just completely sold me. I knew I had to try this stuff. I've said it before & I'll say it again; I do not mind companies that repackage as long as they are unique with it. Dumping one colour into a qt jar doesn't cut it for me, but if you go through the process of mixing & grinding, adding a base/filler to make your product worth a shit, then I am totally okay with that.

So I headed on over to the Madd Style Etsy site & sorted through what I wanted to order. Her pigments come in 5g jars, no sifters & are pretty well packaged. Individually they are $5, but I chose one of the deal packages, 5 for $20. The owner of the shop is only able to ship once a week, which, if you're impatient like me, seems like forever. I placed my order on a Thursday, not knowing she ships just on Wednesday, so I will admit I was an eensy bit bummed out. But, in the meantime, she offered a sale of 3 for $10, so I placed a second order. Everything came on the same day which definitely justified waiting ;D Here's some swatches, all applied over NYX Milk jumbo eye pencil:

 

For the first time in a VERY long time, I absolutely LOOOOVE every single colour I ordered. I'm normally weird about trying new companies & test out every green/teal they have, which leads me to be awful disappointed when I find I don't like them...but these. I LOVE.

So, in review. These rock. Plain & simple, hahah! Of course, with just about every loose product, I suggest using it wet for maximum opacity & vibrancy. These aren't chalky at all, very very smoothed out. The colours stay true, though a similar coloured base would of course be ideal. Those who know me, know I HATE blue eyeshadow, but Sub-Zero is a friggin' must have! And Trashed? Oooooh, don't get me started on Trashed.

As you can tell, overall, I am diggin' this brand! She holds all sorts of awesome sales & updates the FB page about them; I can't wait to buy some more! I want them all, really! I would fo' sho' suggest these to those looking for a decently priced indie brand. A lot of these repackaging companies charge waaaayyy too much & it just sorta stinks thinking you could do this yourself for cheaper. But her pricing & shipping is fair & you can generally always catch a deal! I hear her lip balms are really awesome, too & I think with my next order I will try a few :D

Sorry this took FOR-EVAAAARRRR to get posted! I didn't mean to fall so behind, but I've been under the weather & working my bum off so I can buy pretty makeups to show you all :P I really want to have my new Fyrinnae swatches up, next as well as some haulin' hopefully tomorrow; my day off :D!

Inglot Cosmetics!

Giving you all a heads up & letting you know Inglot Cosmetics US website has launched!

Inglot USA

I placed my order last night for a 20 freedom palette & can't wait to get these in! Everyone's been raving about Inglot & I've been dyyyyying for a US website :D Perfect timing, too...as I've felt incredibly crappy this week. 

 Here's what I picked up:

20 pan (I only paid $5 for this! They took off $20 somewhere along the line, how rad!)

AMC Eye Shadow; 74, 70, 68, 64

Double Sparkle Eye Shadow; 474, 473, 494

Matte Eye Shadow; 384, 348, 373, 379, 382, 351

Pearl Eye Shadow; 414, 447, 448

Shine Eye Shadow; 37, 45, 24, 29

Overall, with 2nd day shipping included (because I'm impatient) it was $121.00. Way better than MAC in terms of pricing, that's for sure! Plus, the more you buy, the cheaper the items are, which is seriously just insanely awesome. Of course I will have TONS of pictures & swatches once this hot piece comes in!

Anyways, just wanted to share the news :D I am beyond excited to get these new goodies. I'll try to get my ELF haul up later & still (I know, I stink) want to post my Madd Style Cosmetics review/swatches. I've been getting really sick & working a ton, but will have some spare time today! Sorry for the lack of an update, but I have loooots to share with you! <3

Some random stuff ;D

I decided, that since I own (& keep buying) so much freakin' nail polish, that I will force myself to change my nails every week. Thus, Nails of the Week is now in effect ;D Here's what I did for this week;

 Yes, my hands/nails are suuuuper tiny, hahah :D I used Zoya 'Barbie' with OPI 'Teenage Dream' on top!

I'm also still getting the hang of recording myself when I do makeup. My sister finished setting up the lighting for my room, which will help tremendously!

 

I did record a tutorial tonight (it won't be posted as I'm still practicing) and it was just a litttttle bit too orange/red. I might shop around with different light bulbs until I can get some that work perfectly. These lights are rad, but whilst recording, cast a LOT of orange on my face, which is just bleh, especially for a makeup tutorial.

 Up close shot came out well, but full face is a bit orange. Oh well, I'll figure it out eventually :P

For this look I used;

MAC Painterly paint pot

NYX White eyeshadow base

28 Neutral palette

Ben Nye White eyeshadow

MAC Black Track fluidline

MAC Brun eyeshadow on brows

Studio Gear Bisque matte foundation

MAC Light natural skinfinish

NARS Deep Throat blush

MAC Her Own Devices beauty powder

Contouring palette

Rice powder (most amazing stuff everrrrrrrr!)

MAC 1N lipstick

Smashbox Desire lipgloss!

I coloured my hair, too...though it's a tad difficult to tell. It's not as dark as I'd like, so I will be redoing it within the week. I looooooove red hair so much, but I need a break, hahah. I'll be red again soon, though, as it's necessary for my Halloween costume (more details on that later ;D)

Do any of you have your brows tattooed on? Or know somebody who does? I want to go through with it really bad, because I'm tired of doing them every day. I would love to hear your experience/info! Thanks <3

Anyway! Sorry the post isn't about much :P I just wanted to give a quick update on some smaller things for now. I've been swamped at work & personal life junk. I'm trying to plan a vacation & it's just not going my way :P I really wanted to get my review/swatches of Madd Style Cosmetics up today, but I am off tomorrow & will do my best to post it all then! <3