New Layout, Upcoming School Year, and Blog Status

Hi everyone!

As you may have noticed if you visit the blog home page or from the picture, I got a new layout. I wanted a cleaner and minimal layout so I decided on this one. I'm really happy with the change and hopefully everything is working well. If there are any broken links or broken widgets, feel free to email me (by clicking the Contact Me/PR tab in the navigation bar) and I can fix them!

I wanted to mention that I'm starting school again (year two of my three-year program! I'm 1/3 of the way to a Master's Degree!!). This Fall semester is going to be busy between working as a graduate assistant, taking two clinics, and taking two classes. I've got a lot of posts that I've been working on which I'll hopefully get up soon. After those posts run out, I don't want to say I'll be going on the h-word (h i a t u s) because every time I say it, I end up not sticking to it. So I'll say I'll get posts in when I can but I'll definitely not be sticking to a schedule. Feel free to follow me on Instagram and Twitter where I'll be more active.

If you're going to be starting school soon too, I wish you luck for the upcoming semester!!

Introduction to Life's Entropy: Eyeshadow Swatches and Review

I Purchased This 

I'm so excited to be posting about this new indie company, Life's Entropy. Life's Entropy was started by fellow blogger turned entrepreneur, Jane. Her blog is/was fantastic and her company is a great evolution of her blog (which is archived here). As part of a blogger set, I tried out one full size and six samples of their eyeshadows. The eyeshadows have a wonderful duochrome/shift to them and are incredibly beautiful on the eyes. I find these to be quite pigmented but as with all loose eyeshadows, I prefer wearing them with a primer. You can also wear these over a glitter fixative like Darling Girl's Glitter Glue or Fyrinnae's Pixie Epoxy for the strongest duo chrome effect. I also got a few other products (including a contour stick and lip tar facsimile) which I hope to review soon!

Where to Purchase: Life's Entropy
Price: $1.50 for 1/4 tsp sample, $6.00 for a full size containing 2.0 grams.
Do they test on animals?: The company does not.
Packaging: The samples come in a plastic ziploc bag and the full size eyeshadows come in a five gram jar (sifter optional) plus a paper box.

As always, the eyeshadows were swatched dry over a primer (Too Faced Shadow Insurance) and the photos were taken in natural daylight.

Astral Imprisonment: Shimmery dark green with a medium green shift. I am such a sucker for a green duochrome. This will be fantastic to use in a smokey eye.

Dismember: Cool toned pinky beige with a red shift. On me, it was difficult to see the red shift, more of the satin beige came out instead. I'd recommend a glitter fixative for this shade.

Exorcism: Medium purple with a green shift. This is a color combination that a lot of indies have already done but it doesn't mean that it's not beautiful. The base color is super pretty in combination with the green duochrome.

Monkey Business: Shimmery medium golden brown with a strong gold shift.  The gold shift is really coming out in my photos. It's a nice eyeshadow, not my favorite but I do think it's a shade that can pull more or less brown depending on your skin tone.

Owl Always Love You: Shimmer reddish silver grey with a strong silver-gold shift. Out of all the shades I got, this has to be my favorite. In the swatch I think you see more of the gold shift but there's also a tinge of pink that I see. This looks fantastic over a glitter adhesive.

Shadow Walk: Shimmery reddish dark brown with gold shift and sparkle. In addition to the gold, I also see pink and green shimmers to the eyeshadow.  It may seem like a typical dark brown but it's not due to the intense amount of sparkle to it.

Turtle-ly Wicked: Semi-shimmery medium olive green with a strong gold shift. In all honesty, I got this eyeshadow because I have a tortoise.  It is a really beautiful deep mossy green with a gold shift. The base green is a little satin/matte and the gold adds nice depth to the eyeshadow.

Formula: 

The eyeshadows have carnauba wax added to them which helps make it less powdery and easier to apply onto the lid. I found them all to be fairly pigmented without primer and the duochrome effect still shows through. If you'd like to get a stronger duochrome look, you can apply the eyeshadow over a glitter fixative.

Conclusion:

I'm pretty pleased with my eyeshadows from the brand. I like the duochrome nature of the eyeshadows plus it seems like they have a nice range of neutrals with some bright colors. They do offer samples so it can be very economical to try the brand out. Turtle-ly Wicked, Shadow Walk, and Owl Always Love You were my three favorites from the set.

Are there any colors from this set or from the brand that catches your eye?

Disclaimer: I purchased these eyeshadows myself with a blogger discount. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.

Question of the Week #10: Liquid, Gel, or Pencil Eyeliner?

This week's Question of the Week is all about eyeliner! Which eyeliner type do you prefer: liquid, gel, or pencil? 

Photos courtesy of Sephora.com

Although all three types have their merits, my hooded eyelids prefer liquid eyeliners. Gel and pencil eyeliners are usually wax-based which sadly can transfer onto my eyelid unless I'm careful and use eyeshadow primer and eyeshadow. Liquid eyeliners on the other hand are fab and can last throughout the whole day for me with minimal fussing.

How about you? Which type of eyeliner do you prefer?

July 2014 Beauty Favorites

I Purchased This Affiliate/Referral Link

Another month has gone by and I'm that much closer to starting school again (summer has passed by so quickly!). This month's beauty favorites have been focusing on the basics, my eyebrows, skin, and my lashes with a bit in for my nails. I've been teetering away from bright colors as the summer wanes away and want to focus on getting a clean polished look. 

Benefit Porefessional (Affiliate)

With the summer season, my oily skin has been doing a number on my pores. I've been using the Porefessional recently to act as a primer over foundation and to obscure the acne scarring and pores. If you have any enlarged pores on your skin, you definitely need to check this out. I prefer this under foundation because it somehow breaks down whatever foundation I have underneath.

Butter London The Old Bill

The Old Bill is a classic copper nail polish with a hint of bronze to it. The shade really differs depending on the lighting. Combining this with the CND Vinylux Top Coat means I can get a week's worth of wear without chipping.

NYX Eyebrow Gel in Blonde and Brunette. 

I purchased Brunette first (review here) and then decided to pick up Blonde later to mix in with Brunette. I like mixing half and half of both shades to get a lighter ashy brown. It's a bit high maintenance but I love the look and wear that the eyebrow gel gives me.

Koko Lashes in Koko

I discovered Koko Lashes from a facebook group catering to makeup artists and makeup enthusiasts. Someone mentioned that Koko Lashes were/are very similar to the lashes by House of Lashes and when I went to PHAMExpo, I encountered them at LadyMoss. I got a few different pairs but my favorite pair is the Koko style (which I swear is similar or the same style as the House of Lashes Pixie Luxe) and best thing was that these only retail for $5.99.

Paula's Choice 2% BHA Gel (affiliate link)

Again with the oily skin troubles. I was previously using an AHA product to deal with some post-acne pigmentation but the summer exacerbated my acne so I decided to transition over to a BHA gel. I had heard such great reviews for the Paula's Choice BHA Gel plus it's the right pH (always vital when looking for skincare) and my skin has been positively glowing. 

These were all my favorites for July, what were some products that you loved during the month?

Disclaimer: The Paula's Choice link is a referral link that gives you $10 off your order and $10 for me if you decide to use it. The Benefit link is an affiliate link that gives me commission based off your use of the link. Feel free to use a nonreferral link!

DHC Deep Cleansing Oil Review

Press Sample Affiliate Link

The One Oil to Rule Them All, that's probably the best way to describe the DHC Deep Cleansing Oil. A little dramatic (and perhaps Tolkien would not appreciate my appropriation of one of his most famous lines), but this Cleansing Oil is extremely popular and well-loved for a good reason and count me in as one of the fans.

I mentioned this cleansing oil ages ago in my June Favorites and decided to give extra time to review it and give my thoughts. I've been wearing makeup more often now (before this, extra sleep was more of a priority during the school year) and so I've had to take more effort to make sure it's removed. This does the job easily and without any extra effort.

Where to Purchase: DHCcare.com (affiliate)
Price: $28.00 for 6.7 oz
Do they test on animals?: The company does not.
Packaging: The cleansing oil comes in a plastic bottle with a pump.

Formula:

This is perfect for removing makeup and cleansing my skin without stripping or overdrying it. It rinses off cleanly and I personally don't feel the need to follow up with another cleanser. I also appreciate that I can use this to remove eye makeup without worrying about foggy vision and stinging eyes. Previously, I was a user of the Kose Softymo Cleansing Oil and while I would use it to remove eye makeup, I had to be careful lest it get into my eyes and I'd have to wait a few seconds for my vision to clear. If you've ever tried using straight up olive oil to remove your makeup and got it into your eyes, you'll know what I mean. 

I have no such problems with the DHC Deep Cleansing Oil because of the combo of olive oil and its emulsifiers (the ingredients used to mix the water and oil together for easier rinsing off) that helps prevent it. One pump (sometimes just a half), and it's enough to clean my face.

If you're not familiar with cleansing oils, here's how you use it: Start with a dry face and apply the cleansing oil straight onto your dry skin. Rub to break up and makeup on your face and wet your hands. Slowly massage your wet hands onto your face until the oil starts emulsifying with the water turning white. Then proceed to rinse off the white mixture.

Conclusion:

Since using it, I've noticed that my skin doesn't feel stripped or overdried, it doesn't make my skin more oily, and it hasn't caused me to break out. I feel like it's been helping my skin remain free of acne! Skincare can be a fickle thing but if you're looking for a cleansing oil, you can't do wrong with the DHC Deep Cleansing Oil. I'm already planning on getting another bottle once this one runs out (which it won't for a while!). It is a little expensive but completely worth it in my opinion!

When it comes to cleansers, have you ever tried a cleansing oil? If so, do you have a favorite?

Disclaimer: I received this product for consideration by the company. All opinions are my own and I am not being paid for this review. The link marked with an affiliate link gives me a commission based off your use of the link, feel free to use a nonaffiliate link!

Hakuhodo G5526 Eye Shadow Brush Review/Comparison to MAC 226

I Purchased This 

For two years now (ever since I first saw them at The Makeup Show LA 2012), I've been hemming and hawing over Hakuhodo brushes. They are the creme de la creme of makeup brushes but each time I went to a show, I would end up chickening out. Well this year at PHAMExpo, I made a decision and got myself one Hakuhodo brush, the G5526BkSL.

The G5526BkSL is part of the G series, which contain brushes that are usually a mix of black blue-squirrel and goat hair (which is why it's denoted with BkSL) though the G5526BkS has horse hair bristles. The G5526BkSL was only $20.00 and in the grand scheme of brushes, it's actually not as expensive as you might think.

I was in between the G5526BkSL and the J242G (which looks similar to the MAC 239), but decided on the G5526BkSL because I couldn't pass up on a brush that looked so close to my beloved MAC 226. While I adore the shape of the MAC 226, it's just not as soft as MAC brushes usually are and I wanted the Hakuhodo version without the scratchiness. I do own both brushes so I'll review the G5526 first then compare it to the MAC 226.

The handle is black and sleek but unfortunately the name or number isn't embossed on the brush, just the brand's name.

The G5526's shape is unique because it's the result of crossing a pencil brush and a fluffy blending brush. The top of the bristles comes to a soft point which allows you to apply eyeshadow in the crease with precision or use the edges to widely blend out a crease color. I prefer using the tip of the brush for drawing out the beginning of a cut crease and using the sides of the brush to blend out the edges. I've also been able to use the sides of the brush to pack on eyeshadow onto my lid.

Here's a comparison to the original MAC 226. I say original because the rereleases of the brush have never quite lived up to the first release. The G5526BkSL has a similar shape but the MAC 226 comes to a sharper point and has a less rounded shape overall but the MAC bristles are much more scratchy. The Hakuhodo brush on the other hand is extremely soft, the bristles feel luxurious on my eyes and it makes for such a wonderful application.

In summation, I'm extremely pleased with the brush. The brand and the brush live up to the hype in my opinion. I've been able to use the brush in my crease and to apply eyeshadow on my eyelid. It's been brilliant for the smokey eyes I've been preferring lately and can be a great pick for anyone seeking the dual purposes of the precision of a pencil brush and the blendability of a fluffy brush.

Do you own any Hakuhodo brushes or any similar brushes? Do you think you might invest in one?

Disclaimer: I purchased this brush myself. All opinions are my own. I'm not being compensated for this post.