Quick Taupe FOTD a la Lisa Eldridge

I haven't been wearing as much makeup lately since I started my job (a combination of laziness and sleepiness) but have been rewatching lots of makeup videos instead to spur inspiration. One of my recent favorites is from Lisa Eldridge where she showed how to do a quick smokey eye using black liner and cream eyeshadow.

I tried doing the technique today but I was a little too heavy handed with the cream eyeshadow so it was more a block of taupe than a smokey blended eye. I might have to try using a creamier liner to darken the color at the lashline but otherwise, I really like the look.

I've got just about a month left of summer vacation before school starts. On the bright side, my birthday is coming up in a few days (August 5th!) and I'm in the midst of getting a few giveaways set up for my birthday week so stay tuned for that!

Products Used:

Face
Cover FX Powder FX in M40
Too Faced Sun Bunny Bronzer on the cheeks
Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Bronzer to contour

Eyes
Urban Decay Perversion Liner
Maybelline Tough as Taupe 24hr Color Tattoo Eyeshadow
Maybelline The Colossal Volum' Express in Glam Brown

Lips
Revlon Colorburst Lipstick in Soft Nude
Too Faced Glamour Gloss in Flirt

My Current Favorite Nude Lipcolor

This is a content lite post but I just wanted to show off an awesome "my lips but better" color I got from Silk Naturals. This is Maiden, supposedly a clone of MAC Bare Slimshine but since I don't own Bare I can't compare the two.

Forgive the no makeup face, I took this picture before I hurried off to work and I didn't want to bother with any real makeup this morning! I got three Silk Naturals lip products in a recent order and I'll be swatching them soon so until then, enjoy Maiden.

Darling Girl Blogger Glosses

This is slightly belated but the Bloggers Glosses from Darling Girl Cosmetics are finally available! This was a mini collab of sorts with Susan where she made glosses for a few bloggers including me, Swatch Storm, Judixo, Makeup Junkie, The Beauty Spot, and Rock, Roll, Glam! I've linked to their respective blogs but here are their corresponding lip glosses: Judikins, Mai, Makeup Junkie, McSwatchy, Rach, and Rock, Roll, Glam!

I'll be swatching all of them soon but I would snatch them up now, especially since you can use the code DGCHEARTSU for 15% off now through 7/27/12 at 11:59 CST. By the way, I don't get compensated in any way by you purchasing "my" lip gloss, it just feeds my ego that you like the color enough to purchase something with my name.

Are any of the glosses catching your eye?

Zodiac Collaboration: Leo

I had so much fun doing the Sailor Moon Collaboration that when Amy asked if I was interested in doing another one, I jumped at the chance to do it. We went back and forth on what topic to do and finally decided on a Zodiac Collaboration and I called dibs on Leo (since that's my Zodiac!) I know that some people don't hold much stock in Astrology and their opinion falls along the lines of this while others are big believers but it's still nice to do a look on it anyway.

I drew my inspiration for the colors for the look from the element, symbol, metal, and look of the lion. The Zodiac Element is Fire and I figured it was apt to use bright orange (specifically Sugarpill's Flamepoint) and the metal is gold so I had to use Sugarpill Goldilux. Its symbol is the Lion so I was inspired by their eyes to try to do cat eye liner and also to emulate the flaxen mane of a lion with a pale gold.

I went through a few renditions of the look before I settled on this one and it was starting to get super hot in my room so that may explain my expression in this picture. I feel like I look all surly but this was a mixture of me becoming overheated and wanting to get a good picture.



I just adore the metallic sheen of Goldilux, it's easily my favorite gold eyeshadow to use.

Face
Cover FX Powder FX in M40

Eyes
Too Faced Shadow Insurance
Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy
Aromaleigh Fidelius on the inner half of the lid
Sugarpill Goldilux on the outer half of the lid
Inglot 108R, the lightest and darkest shade in the crease
Sugarpill Flamepoint in the crease
Urban Decay Naked and Buck as a transition color
Make Up For Ever Waterproof Eyebrow Corrector in 3
NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk on the waterline
e.l.f. Cream Eyeliner mixed with Inglot Duraline to do the liner

Lips
Silk Naturals Kisser Slicker in Maiden

Be sure to check out the other bloggers in the Zodiac Collaboration (all of whom did much better jobs than I did!)

Alicia: Libra

Amy: Aquarius

Angela: Sagittarius

Anna: Scorpio

Kassie: Taurus

Mandy: Capricorn

Phyrra: Gemini

Soo: Cancer

Beauty Blog Coalition Weekly Roundup-Week of July 16th!

Here are the links to this week's beauty posts by the Beauty Blog Coalition!

• BlushingNoir celebrates July by giving away a Melie Bianco handbag and a Le Metier de Beaute blush!
• Making Up the Midwest shows you Jemma Kidd's On Location Palette and the interview look she created with it!
• TheFabzilla shares her grandma's morbid but true beauty advice "Never go to sleep fugly! ". Find out why she won't be caught dead with bacon undies and effing ugly!
• Midnight Manicures shares with you the hottest new Independent polish company - Sea Lore and it's first release, Triton's Daughters Collection.
• Kiehls has a great new collection of Aromatic Blends that take you around the world, in fragrance. Bath and Body products to die for! The Advice Sisters take you on a guided tour!
• Destany at Confessions of a Sarcastic Mom is loving the new Zoya Gloss collection!
• Lola's Secret Beauty Blog has once again found brush nirvana- this time with the Rouge Bunny Rouge Blusher Brush 002- because it really is that great!
• Want to supercharge your anti-aging regimen? Check out the review of Paula’s Choice RESIST Intensive Wrinkle-Repair Retinol Serum over at BeautyTidbits.
• On the lookout for the best argan oil hair products out there, Spontaneous Chick posted a Macadamia oil review.
• Love to drool over holos? Cosmetics Aficionado reviews Jade Energy. Get your bib ready.
• Laura from My Newest Addiction Beauty Blog is having a GIVEAWAY! 3 lucky readers will win a Smashbox Softbox Palette!
• From Dior's Summer Mix Collection, Polarbelle picks a brightly colored Ulta-Gloss Glow Lipgloss to show you.
• So far she's flashed her boobs, bared her bottom and aggravated the French far right, it can only mean Madonna is on tour and she's coming to Edinburgh. In her honour, Scottish Beauty Blog asks MAC's senior makeup artist, the lovely Lesley Keane, to explain how to recreate four of Madonna's iconic looks. Everyone ready? VOGUE.
• Can a matte lipstick look radiant? Perilously Pale shows us that Yves Saint Laurent proves they can with their new Rouge Pur Couture The Mats for Fall 2012.
• HelloDollface takes a look at the newest and best from L'Oreal Paris. Afforadable beauty just got better.
• Emily Hudspeth, hair design and makeup artist, shares what came in July's Sample Society box. The biggest success from this is figuring out MY way to use the Vincent Longo lip duo lip pencil, it was such a mystery!
• Beauty Info Zone loves two things lately - hair without frizz and something for free. Find out about both of those by reading about Simply Smooth Xtend Magic Potion. Yes, we said free!
• The Beauty Professor talks about her latest lip discovery--La Prairie Cellular Luxe Lip Enhancer--it is time for this product to recieve some well-deserved attention!
• Is Guerlain by Emilio Pucci Terracotta Khol Kajal as good as it looks? Check out The Stepford Witch's review and swatches to find out!
• polish insomniac gives you the dish on the "new" GOSH Holographic!
• Pammy Blogs Beauty channels her inner "Palette Princess" as she embarks upon a new Palette Review Series with her review of Jemma Kidd's Backstage Palette.
• Phyrra wants you to show some skin with Urban Decay Naked Skin Weightless Ultra Definition Liquid Makeup. Which shade is your match?
• Mama Fashionista has started a new series: Mama's Mani Madness (the title is a work in progress :) ). This installment features some shades from Avon's nailwear pro+ collection. What brand should she feature next?
• Stephanie Louise- All Things Beautiful is hosting a Become Giveaway! Enter to win aBecome Beauty Tinted Mineral Foundationquick!
• Mai continues with her Sugarpill obsession by featuring another look using the Heartbreaker palette!
• Christina from Curls N Pearls shares a sneak peek of OPI's fall collection, and asks if the OPI Germany Collection be your favorite fall 2012 accessory?
• Amber from Amber Did It takes a nail art request for Avengers Nails.
• Lit from Within celebrates Cult Nails all week long! Come see swatches and nail art from the current and past collections.
• Sheila from Painted Ladies was incredibly amazed by Milani's Marbelized Baked Eyeshadows ...click over to find out why!
• Miss L from Beauty by Miss L swatched and reviewed MUA Going for Gold limited edition eyeshadow palette created to celebrate London 2012 Olympics.
• Its that time again. Check out what Geniabeme got in her Little Black Bag for July!
• BeautyJudy gives you the 4-1-1 on following for news out of CosmoProf this weekend/early next week, and shares with you her very overpacked travel makeup bag!
• The Lacquered Lady shows off her favorite polish from the China Glaze On Safari collection!

theBalm on Hautelook!

I'm sure a lot of people will be posting about this but theBalm (affiliate link) is on Hautelook today! I'm going back and forth about getting the TimeBalm concealer but they do have a few palettes on sale along with their nail polish.

Here are links to my swatches of the Meet Matt(e) palette and the Shady Lady Vol 2 palette.

Will you be getting anything?

Disclaimer: The links in this post and picture are affiliate links (excluding the links to my swatches) and if you sign up through me and make a purchase, I get credit to use on Hautelook. Feel free to go to Hautelook.com for a nonaffiliate link.

Lime Green and Bright Blue Cut Crease FOTD

Long time, no post! Even though it's only been a week since I last posted anything, it feels like it's been ages. I started my summer job on Friday (selling Konad Nail Art as a local fair), went on a mini vacation on Saturday/Sunday in addition to trying to study more for the GRE so free time has been a premium for the last week.

I've been so inspired lately by the Sugarpill Heartbreaker palette that I can't stop doing looks with them. I have been neglected 2am though so I'm hoping to find some inspiration to do a look with it.


I absolutely positively love these Sinnocent lashes. Brooke mentioned in her Things I'm Loving-IMATS they're a pretty close dupe of the Shu Uemura Luxe Black lashes. I'm still craving the Saint Lashes but unfortunately they were sold out at IMATS and I am a little wimpy now about paying shipping for them on Sugarpill's site (though I'm sure I'll break down soon and get them).






Face
Cover FX Powder FX in M40
Rock and Republic Contrived Blush in Bedroom

Eyes
Too Faced Shadow Insurance
Sugarpill Mochi in the crease
Sugarpill Velocity to define the crease and on the lower lashline
NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk on the lid and lower lashline
Sugarpill Acidberry on the lid
Wet n Wild Brulee on the browbone

Physicians Formula Eye Booster liner in Ultra Black

Sugarpill Sinnocent Lashes

Make Up For Ever Eyebrow Correcter 03

Lips
Too Faced Glamour Gloss in Flirt

I'm making it a mission of mine to try out more indie lip products, what are some of your favorite brands? I made a purchase of a few Silk Naturals lip products so I have that coming to me but I'm looking to find out more!

Portland Black Lipstick Company Lipstick Swatches and Review Part Two

Here's the other half of the Portland Black Lipstick Company Lipsticks. I'm normally not a metallic lip product type of girl because I don't usually like how it shows off my lip lines but I have to say that these lipsticks are changing my mind. I think the colors look SO cool on, I'll deal with the lip lines and the weird stares I get.

I wrote a review on the formula, wear time, plus pros and cons of everything in my last post where I swatched the first installment of lipsticks so feel free to read it there. These lipsticks were all applied with my finger and all the pictures were taken without flash in natural daylight.

Gilded Lily: "Remember your postmodern culture class? You are text, and what text couldn't benefit from some illumination? This shiny, beautiful gold will highlight your every discourse" This was applied a little sheerly, you can most definitely get opaque coverage out of this. There was a slight metallic scent to this but the mint in the formula helps to overpower it.

Indigo Bridge: "This is a dark, metallic blue that verges on black". I loved this if only because I think it's the perfect navy blue. I have good thoughts about dark wash denim jeans.

Irony: "The rouge to our noir, Irony is a warm, metallic, red lipstick that derives its color from cosmetic grade iron oxide red (Get it? Iron-y!! Ha!)" This and Bad Penny (in my other post) tie for my favorite lipstick colors from the line. It's like the perfect metallic maroon, I love it and I want to marry it.

Lux et Voluptas: "A two toned lipstick It has a top layer of metallic gold backed by a charming carmine-based pink" If you've ever had MAC Rose pigment, you're already familiar with the color. This is a gilded rose and very buildable. The swatch I did here was a thin layer and you can see how the middle of my lip really caught the light. It is a little firmer than the other lipsticks which means you can do one pass and get a sheer layer (perfect for topping other lipsticks) or doing more passes to get opaque coverage

Metallurgy: "This unique lipstick is forged from black, green, and gold colors to produce a truly unusual metallic experience. The results are surprisingly sophisticated but with the primitive boldness you have come to expect from Portland Black Lipstick Company products" An olive lipstick is probably a strange sight but oddly enough I really like the color. It really reminds me of army fatigues .

This Corrosion: "The charm of decay can be yours when your lips are the color of purified rust". It applies a little lighter than it appears and it reminds me of a burnt carrot orange. When I saw it in the bag, I didn't think I was going to like the color but I'm actually fond of the orange.

Undead Red: "A dark, dark red that wants to be called 'plum' or something". This errs so close to brown but there's a red purpleness to it that makes it more plum colored. It's not a typically pretty color but somehow I'm drawn to it.

Anyway, that's all fourteen lipsticks! Do you like any of the lipsticks and will you be getting any?

Disclaimer: I received these lipsticks and lipstick samples for free for review. I wasn't paid to review and none of the links are affiliate links!

Portland Black Lipstick Company Lipstick Swatches and Review Part One

I think I was talking about unconventional lipstick brands with fellow blogger Arabelle when she mentioned the brand Portland Black Lipstick Company. I had never heard about them before so I did lots of googling and came across this impressive swatch post by Good Morning Angel. I contacted them about trying a few of their lipsticks out and was sent a whole bunch of samples so I'm splitting this up into two posts so as to not overwhelm you with swatches!

I'm trying out a better way of writing my reviews by adding in a pros/cons section so do tell me if you find it useful or not and I changed the way I have my lip swatches by showing my bare lips for each color. Do tell me if you like either change!

Be sure to check out Part Two with the other half of the lipstick swatches when you're done!

(Preview of the cool awesome colors!)

These lipsticks are packaged in round lip balm tubes and shrink wrapped. Personally I don't care for shrink wrap but I appreciate the touch. I think the branding for the lipsticks is well done, and it certainly adds a professional touch.

Ingredients: Sunflower Oil, Castor Oil, Beeswax, Candelilla Wax, Coconut Oil, Lanolin, Cocoa Butter, Vitamin E, May Contain Iron Oxides, Mica, Titanium Dioxide, other FDA approved mineral pigments, and/or carmine

The lipsticks aren't vegan since they contain beeswax, lanolin, and carmine for some colors but I did notice that they are working on a vegan lipstick base. I would like more specific ingredient lists for each color, showing which have and don't have carmine.

Swatches ahead! These were taken in natural daylight with no flash. With the exception of Black(which I applied from the tube), I applied the lipsticks using my finger.The colors are opaque enough that a thin layer gives great coverage.

The lipsticks are fairly soft so applying from the tube means you get a heavier and thicker layer of lipstick, running the risk of getting lipstick on your teeth and it can be difficult to get a precise edge. The formula is soft enough that you can apply with your fingers or a flat lip brush but if you apply from the tube, I would recommend blotting or doing the "Finger Pop" to get the excess off. Wear time on these lipsticks were great. I wore them for about 4 hours (not eating and drinking) before I removed it and nearly all the color was still on so you can easily get hours more of wear time.

I want to apologize for some of the dust on the bags, it's not in the bag but just on the exterior.

Artificial Amethyst: "We introduced this dark purple lipstick at this year's wonderfully fun Portland Hallowe'en. In true modernist fashion, we celebrate the fact that it is not made from real gemstones but from FDA approved mineral pigments". This is a black based purple and while not my favorite, I do love the royal purple sheen to it.

Bad Penny: "Strong copper color that combines metallic shine with good coverage". I love this color like no other. It's as if I dipped my lips into molten copper penny. The coverage on this is amazing and though I don't normally favor metallic lips, this is a must have. This was one of the softer lipsticks and a dream to apply.

Black: "The best ever! A perfect blend of black iron oxide and mica in a moisturizing base, this color is opaque and long-lasting" This is an extremely opaque shiny black lipstick, similar to the finish of patent leather. Though many brands will claim one stroke opacity, this delivered it. If you're not one for a glossy looking finish, you can blot with a tissue and it'll take away the shine.

Blood Red: "Developed by accident, this color is disturbingly realistic". I wouldn't necessarily call this a pretty color, especially since one could conjure up a number of unpleasant associations but I'd say it's spot on and very opaque.

Bug's Blood: "A charmingly simple cold red stain made from carmine. Good for Neo-Victorians". This lipstick looks deceptively dark but when you put it on, it's a bright raspberry pink. I don't consider it a stain in the sense that it doesn't color your lips and is easily removed without leaving color behind. It's a very buildable lipstick and one of my favorites from the batch.

Sorry, I couldn't take a color accurate lip swatch so this was the next closest thing!

Chlorosis: "Have you tried to get diagnosed with the Green Sickness lately? It's nearly impossible! Thankfully, we offer this green shade for lips (or face, as needed)". This was one of the shades (along with the next one, Difficult Island) did have unblended ingredients in the lipstick and I'm hoping that'll get fixed. This one could get opaque but it was slightly patchy on.

Difficult Island: "What does every oceanic adventure need? A difficult island! Difficult Island lipstick is a beautiful and vivid aquamarine blue. For those of you familiar with our lipstick palette, this color is a little greener than Cyanosis but much bluer than Chlorosis" I had to adjust the coloring in the picture to get it more true to real life. This also had an issue with unblended ingredients but it smoothed out on my lips.

Pros:

• They smell slightly minty and that helps to cover up some of the waxy lipstick smell
• These have damn near opaque coverage.
• Wear time is great, you can get 4+ hours of wear
• Color selection is AMAZING. There are so many unconventional colors available
• You get quite a bit for $9.00, 4.25 grams or .15 oz. To compare, MAC lipsticks have 3 grams or .10 oz
• The lipsticks aren't drying, my lips always feel softer after I have them on
• They don't feel heavy on your lips, the softness of the lipstick makes me think it feels more like a lip balm

Cons:

• The lip balm tubes can make application messy with some of the softer lipsticks. The soft texture does require the support of the tube so I don't think it can be packaged like a traditional lipstick bullet
• It can get messy near the cap as you apply
• Shelf life seems a little shorter compared to mainstream/commercial cosmetics (freshness guaranteed for at least eight months)
• Website-wise: I would like to see more specific ingredient lists to see which have/don't have carmine, actual color swatches (versus approximations) on the product listings, turn around time listed, and the option of them being listed alphabetically or by color family so it'd be easier to find the lipsticks
• There were unmixed chunks in Chlorosis and Difficult Island though it blended out fine on my lips
• The metallic lipsticks can accentuate lip lines

I really do like these lipsticks, even though I'm not too fond of the packaging. It can be difficult to find unconventional colors so I'm glad to have come across a brand that caters to that market while still having conventional colors available.

Stay tuned for my Here's part two where I cover the other seven lipsticks I got! Are you intrigued by any of the lipsticks?

Disclaimer: I received these lipsticks and lipstick samples for free for review. I wasn't paid to review and none of the links are affiliate links!

2NE1 "I Love You" Minzy Inspired Eyeliner

I've sort of been really obsessed with K-Pop (Korean Pop) lately, specifically with the group 2NE1. The music video for their song "I Love You" debuted a few days ago and I can't stop grooving to the song and watching the video. Listening to the song late last night, I was inspired to do this eyeliner (I hesitate to really call it an EOTD because it was more of a playtime) after one of the group members Minzy. If you want to see the music video and the look that inspired it, you can click here (it starts where I pulled the look from). Hers is different because it incorporates eyeshadow whereas mine is just liner but I really liked the shape and altered it to suit my eyes.




Eyes
e.l.f. Cream Eyeliner in Black mixed with Inglot Duraline

Sugarpill Sinnocent Eyelashes

Make Up For Ever Waterproof Eyebrow Corrector in 3

Do you guys listen to any K-Pop or are into Korean Dramas the way I am?

Sugarpill Heartbreaker Palette Swatches, Review, and New Palette Style

When the Sugarpill Heartbreaker Palette was released in May, I held off from purchasing it because I knew I was going to go to IMATS LA and therefore I could save some by purchasing it there. It certainly tested my patience because I kept seeing some amazing looks being done but I finally got my hands on it. Unfortunately the palette is out of stock on Sugarpill's website but you can still get it on Shanalogic.

The four eyeshadows in the palette are Acidberry, Velocity, 2am, and Mochi. As with all Sugarpill Palettes, this retails for $34.00, a 30% cheaper than if you bought the singles individually. I got this on sale at IMATS for $23.80 meaning I got it about 51% cheaper than if I had gotten the singles individually (you can see why I held off on buying it when it first came out!). The palette isn't entirely vegan because while Acidberry, Velocity, and Mochi are vegan, 2am isn't.

These were swatched dry over Too Faced Shadow Insurance and this picture was taken under natural daylight. Honestly I redid these swatches about three times before I could get it just about right and I still think it doesn't do the colors justice. Mochi especially looks so much better.

From left to right: Acidberry, Velocity, 2am, and Mochi.

Acidberry: "The perfect vibrant lime green you've been looking everywhere for. Matte with slightly pearl sheen." I did have really high hopes for this but it was sheerer and requires layering or a white base to get good pigmentation. I like the color enough that I'm willing to work with it to make it look great.

Velocity: "Vibrant matte royal blue" I absolutely love this, it's like the pressed version of Royal Sugar but without the turquoise sparkles. I think it looks a little uninspiring in the swatch but it applies smoother on the eyes.

2am: "Matte purple with a slightly pearl sheen". There is also a slight blue sparkle to the eyeshadow. Compared to Poison Plum, this is much lighter and more red toned. I'll admit, I did worry about having texture issues with this since it's a purple but I was SO surprised to find that the pigmentation was great from the get go. Though I normally stray to blue based purples, I liked wearing this paired with Poison Plum in the lid

Mochi: "Matte mint seafoam with a slightly pearl sheen" This is actually slightly darker and more green toned in person but it's not as green as it appears in the listing on the site. I'd say this is more aqua than seafoam. This had the best texture out of all of the eyeshadows, and pairs so well with Velocity.

I didn't expect to all four colors (I especially thought I'd dislike 2am) but I'm pleasantly surprised at how well I do like them all. I think compared to their other palettes, it's not readily obvious how you'd pair all four colors together though I don't feel like that detracts from the palette. Overall, I'm happy with my purchase (especially since I got it 30% off retail price which is already cheaper than buying the singles alone) I will admit that I was hoping that Acidberry would have a better pigmentation but it's certainly not a color I can't work with. I know people are hoping for an all vegan palette so I'm hoping that one of the upcoming palettes is.

I did want to make note of something about the new packaging. It is very pretty, incorporating the palette design within the branding of the company. The front now has a printed cover (versus stamped on) with foil accents.

The inside mirror now has a cover with a fancy cutout with more foil accents. I love all the little touches and color incorporation.

The only thing is about the new palette design is that there isn't a magnetic bottom anymore, the pans are glued in. I found this out because one of my pans came loose. Sugarpill's customer service was stellar and they offered to replace it but then I realized that I could just put the eyeshadow in one of my magnetic palettes so I opted not to have it replaced. While I do think the new packaging is cute, I miss the magnetic bottoms because it meant depotting (if I wanted to) was much easier.

Do you have the Sugarpill Heartbreaker Palette? If not, are you planning on getting it and how do you feel about the new palette design? Also, what are your guys' opinions on watermarking?

Disclaimer: I purchased this palette myself and I was not paid to write this post, all opinions are my own. None of the links in the post are affiliate links.