Tranquility

The holidays are over (for now), so I figured this would be the best time to focus on relaxation. I didn't relax much over my break (yeah, I know I am weird). Instead, I spent all my time entertaining children, and worrying about everything lol. I don't care who you are, Christmas is stressful. Then there's new years, and you have no idea where your going, what you're going to wear, or what your makeup is going to look like. My first makeup look of 2014 is all about tranquility, and what is more tranquil than a beach? Seriously, it's like 30 degrees here right now (which is warm for a lot of the world, I know, I shouldn't complain!), but I am friggin freezing.

To get the full details on how I created this look, keep reading!

FACE:
For the face I kept it easy peasy sense my skin is dry (stupid winter!), and I don't think being tranquil means piling on foundation. The foundation I used was Tarte's Airbrush Amazonian Clay Airbrush Foundation. I then used Tarte's blush in the shade honored to give my cheeks a little life.
EYES:
I primed my eyes with Too Faced Shadow Insurance and then applied Dark Heart Designs shadow Rag Doll to the lid, stopping halfway up. In the inner corner, blending out towards the Rag Doll shade, I applied  DHD e/s in Frost to highlight my eyes. In the crease I dabbed on DHD e/s in Ultraviolet, and blended it towards the center of the lid and upwards. I continued adding Ultraviolet and blending until I was happy with the gradation. After I had my shadow the way I like it, I took a smaller detail brush and applied Ultraviolet to the lower lash line. I then took a matte black shadow and carefully lined my upper lash line, staying as close to the lashes as possible. I then curled my lashes, and applied mascara liberally. I used Rimmell's glam eyes mascara in black for this look.

Are you relaxed yet?

I love doing makeup because it allows me to be creative, but also relaxes me. I put in my headphones, pick up a brush and begin to paint. I encourage you all to sort of de frag your brain in any way that you can. Take time for you!

Check out Dark Heart Designs!! Their products are insanely good!! http://darkheartdesigns.storenvy.com/

Thanks for sticking by me, I hope you like this look, and as always if there's anything you would like to see, I love a challenge, so let me know!

Purple Smokey Day To Night Look

I have been sick for what seems like a few weeks now so I decided I needed to put my face on and tell the flu to kiss my booty.

For the first look I wanted to keep it soft, sweet, and natural.

Face: I used Rimmel Stay Matte mousse for my foundation, and Dark Heart Designs Scarlet Starlet Blush.

Eyes:I first primed my eyes using too faced shadow insurance, and then began with the lids. I used Dark Heart Designs e/s in St. Valentine all over the lid, and then I softly blended Dark Heart Designs e/s in Heartkiller from the center of my crease outwards. My eyelashes are tinted, so I just curled my lashes and left them in their natural state.

Lips: I applied Urban Decay Lip Love gloss in Drizzle for just a touch of shine.

Now for the night makeup, I really wanted to accentuate my crease, smoke it out a bit, and make it sexy. You can't do sexy eyes without a wicked cat eye, so I added that a few other things to amp up the look.

When I was doing this I kept telling myself I just wanted my eyes to go POW!! So, I guess I did a pretty good job. I know there is a rule where it says if you do a lot to your eyes you should tone down the lips, but this is makeup honey, go on with your misbehaving!

Face: Since I already had my foundation on, I added a touch more blush, and a bunch more highlighter to my face. I used Dark Heart Designs Scarlet Starlet for the cheeks, and EM Michelle Phan's Chiaroscuro contour stick/highlighter for the highlight on the bridge of the nose, cupids bow, inner corner of eyes, and brow bone. 

Eyes: I used the Kat Von D Poetica Palette e/s in Wonderland in the crease to darken it up and stick with the purple and pink theme. I then used my Jessies Girl liquid liner and gave myself a wicked wing (which I screwed up, and ran with!). For the lower lash line, I lined my inner rim with kat von d puro amor (black) eyeliner, and tightlined my eyes as well. I then used EM Michelle Phan's waterliner in amethyst to line my lower lash line, and used the built in smudger to smudge it out a bit. I then applied Kat Von D's Para Amor mascara to my lashes.

Lips: I applied Kat Von D's Foiled love lipstick in FTW

It seems like a lot of work, but I was able to do the first look in about 5 minutes, and the second one took about 10 (because I suck at using liquid liner lol). From day to night in 15 minutes flat, is pretty much a beauty miracle. I would totally rock this look out to dinner, a concert, bar, party, wherever -I'm there.

Make sure y'all check out Dark Heart Designs! Their products are amazeballs, and right now you can get it for 50% off by entering coupon code blknovemeber at checkout. Products can be found by clicking here

Thats it for now! I sure did kick my sickness's ass, if I do say so myself. Who needs a red nose, save that ish for Rudolph. 

Until next time, stay beautiful!

XO

EM Michelle Phan Party Life Palette Review (In Depth With Swatches)

Back in September I purchased a party life palette sample, and I absolutely hated it. I posted a blog (can be viewed here) and EM cosmetics messaged me on Facebook and offered to send me a free full size life palette, at absolutely no cost. First off, how could I refuse!? Anything free is amazing, but the fact that they wanted me to change my mind (hell I wanted me to change my mind) was awesome. The palette was sent next day air to my home as promised and I was absolutely thrilled. It is now November and I finally have had time to play with it (I am so terrible, I know!). All words are my own, and I was in no way paid to create this review. Thank you to EM cosmetics for sending me this at no cost, and I wouldn't hate it if you sent me more things to review ;).

At first glance the first thing you will notice is the size of this palette: it is quite large. Their are 8 lip products, 4 blushes, and 24 eyeshadows. There are several different life palettes, and they retail for 75$ each. The packaging itself is plastic, but it is extremely solid. The palette comes with double ended shadow/angle brush, and a tool to remove the pots. I am told that the pots are refillable, but I don't see anywhere on the website to reorder single pots yet. Product can be viewed at emcosmetics.com

SWATCHES/LOOKS

First up is the upper left hand corner. From Upper R working counterclockwise: 

LIPS: fuschia affair, and lavender lust

EYES: midnight dance, eventing sky, lavender stars, pink sparks, lilacs in love, and twinkle & glimmer

BLUSH: pink soiree

If you go to emcosmetics.com and click on the party life palette, their are four look tutorials created by Michelle. I followed along with the video and recreated the looks to test the product. No eyeshadow primer/mascara/ or foundation was used for these looks. This is my bare face (just brows filled in) and eyes :)

LOOK 1: MIDNIGHT DANCE

THOUGHTS:

When I swatched this quad of the palette I wasn't impressed. Funny enough this is the same quad that I received as a sample that I hated as well. The weird thing about this quad is that it doesn't swatch well, but it does show up well on your eyes and face. This is my favorite look out of the entire review. The colors were highly blendable and pigmented. This is a look I would honestly wear everyday. It's soft and pretty. YAY! 

Upper right hand corner from upper R corner working counter clockwise:

LIPS: chic, and wine a lot!

EYES: black sky, dance floor, blue pumps, cake & confetti, blue cosmo, and spwarkle

BLUSH: party in pink

LOOK 2: PARTY IN PINK

THOUGHTS:

All of these colors are insanely pigmented. The look created by Michelle is cute, but it isn't exactly my taste. I don't care too much for a dark pink on my lids because I think it looks awful with my skintone, but ironically enough I wore this look to dinner and got a few compliments so I guess it does suit me. I love that this palette does everything. The blue shadow (blue pumps) that I used for my liner and waterline really made the look. I will say that the shadows used for lining (any of them can be used for lining) are perfect with the angled brush that comes with the palette. 

Bottom left working from the top right counterclockwise: 

LIPS: caramel, and just fab

EYES: mink coat, rich rust, bronze cuff, copper groove, gold lame, and poppin bottles

BLUSH: sexy nude

                             

LOOK 3: MY OWN CREATION ( I HATED THE ONE MICHELLE CREATED)

As said above, I did my own look for this quad because the one to demo the product looked rediculous lol 

THOUGHTS:

This quad reminded me of a holiday party because its chock full of glitter and neutral tones. When I think of fall I think of deep cranberry colored lips, and eyes that remind me of the changing leaves. This quad definitely delivers that. I love copper/metal type finishes so I was really happy with this part of the palette. I swept the copper color all over my lid, highlighted the inner corner with the golden color, accented my brows with the silver, and lined my lashline and waterline with the black shadow. The lipsticks are moisturizing, long wearing and beautiful. A + for sure!

Last but not least bottom right quad working from the right side counter clockwise:

LIPS: peach fizz, and on the prowl

EYES: black moonlight, late night, midnight swim, confetti, hazy, and girl time

BLUSH: sassy chic

LOOK 4: OUT ON THE TOWN

Following along with the tutorial

Yes, I meant to leave the fallout! It's a demo, remember? <3

My face is red because I did this right after I worked out..oops!

THOUGHTS:

Like the 3rd quad this part of the palette has a few shimmery golden/copper tones as well as a shimmery black (which I love!), a grey color and a blue. The lip color in this look is bright and cheery and I really love the on the prowl shade. It's a perfect red. Overall, I was impressed with the pigmentation, I just wish that the shadows with glitter in them were easier to blend (thats to be expected tho!)

BLUSH SWATCHES: 

Pink Soiree, Party In Pink, Sassy Chic, Sexy Nude

I love the blushes from this palette and I will definitely use them a lot. There is a blush in each tone (bright pink, flesh pink, peach, and nude) so I can use them for any look.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

I am very happy that EM cosmetics was kind enough to send me this palette because my initial review really put me off the entire brand. As a die hard Phan girl of Michelle's -- this deeply upset me. Since they sent me this palette, I have ordered a few other items from them (which I will be reviewing soon!) My only issue with this palette is the pricing, and the way the shadows and lipsticks are set up. The price is steep for me, and I am not afraid to admit it. You are getting a lot, and they do offer free returns if you don't like it (GREAT IDEA!), but even thought I know the palettes are great, I doubt I will be dropping 75$ for one anytime soon. I hope they do another $ or high % off sale soon because I will definitely take advantage then. Another concern is the anatomy of the palette. The shadows are close to the lipsticks, and unless you are using a lip brush, your lipsticks are going to smudge our of their homes. The shadows had a small amount of fallout, but I am worried that once this baby gets broken in..if chunks of shadow will end up compromising my lippies. Time will tell, but those are my concerns.

Do I recommend this product? Yes, I do. Do I still love Michelle Phan? Yes, I do. She is, and I feel will always be my beauty idol.

My suggestion is to wait for a sale, and pick the life palette that suits you best. Just because its named party life doesn't necessarily you have to use it for that specific purpose. Their are shadows in here that I could use everyday. 

Look for more EM cosmetics reviews to come :) This took me 4 days to compile lol so bear with me. College is hard!

Octobers Ipsy Bag Review

Since it's 10 days into November (doh!), I guess it's about that time for Octobers review of my favorite monthly treat: the ipsy bag!

This months bag contained five items: volumizing hair gel, lotion, lip gloss, nail polish and some face wipes.

This months bag rates at 4/5 kittens; details as to why a kitten is missing can be found below!

THE REVIEW:

Sexy Hair Blow Dry Volumizing Gel

I really liked this product and there is a few reasons why. First off, I cannot do hair, like, at all. I cannot braid, heck, I am lucky enough that I can put it into a ponytail, or bun. Hair has never been my forte and I am extremely blessed to have a wonderful aunt who does hair and is able to teach me a little wisdom. This stuff rocks because you can be as bad with hair as I am, and still be able to use this. I have fine, flat hair, so I am in desperate need of volumizing to stop the hair from laying and looking so flat. I semi-blow dry my hair, and when its still damp but not soaking wet I apply a quarter size amount of this to the roots, and work my way to the ends. Then I flip on my hair dryer and really concentrate on my roots. I take my pinkie, index, ring, and middle finger and massage my scalp while blow drying that area. When my hair is dry, I look like I've had a blow out, and it's amazing. I highly recommend this product!

Nourish Organic Coconut & Argan Oil Body Lotion

I hate this so much, I feel like I should invent a new word for hate. First off, it stinks, really bad, and it doesn't even feel like lotion. It applies like water, and I get no nourishment from this product. I've tried to use it (several times), and I literally cannot get past the stench of it. To me it smells like red tide, or rotten fish. The only good thing about this product is that it is organic and cruelty free. Other than that...EW!

La Fresh Oil Free Face Cleanser Wipes

I like these wipes, but they are not my favorite. I will definitely use them, but they are only good for one thing. After you take your makeup off with a makeup remover wipe, these will clean your face, but they do NOT remove any makeup. If you use these expecting for them to remove makeup, you will be highly dissapointed. I found myself using my makeup remover wipe, washing my face, and then using these because when I used these after my makeup wipe, I found no traces of foundation on my face, yet when I washed my face, my eyebrow powder was still on! They smell nice, and do not burn or sting my face or eyes like my makeup wipes, so I have been using them after I work out and cannot rush to the shower right away. It would be great to keep in your car or purse if you needed a little refresher on the go.

Bare Minerals BUXOM lip plumper gloss

First off let me say that I love Bare Minerals and I have been wanting to try this product for I dunno, 5 years or so. I was so happy to see this product in this months bag, and I was not disappointed. I have tiny little lips, and have never tried a lip plumper product before because I never thought that it would work. This stuff works, is an excellent gloss, isn't tacky, smells like a caramel frappe,  tastes like one too, and makes my lips look perky and ta dow. I would buy 500 of these if I could, no joke. It tingles, but doesn't irritate my lips which is what I was afraid of. Everyone should own at least one of these. The color is nice, and is a pinky nude which is perfect for everyday. It's festive without being too intense, and it makes me want a frappe really bad.

My lips look considerably fuller... LOVE!

Zoya Nail Polish in Giovanna

I love green, and metallic and this is the prettiest green metallic polish I have ever seen. From my 50 random facts video, y'all know I can't paint my nails for ish. But that doesn't stop me from trying or admiring polishes. This color is so pretty, everyone should check it out immediately because it is gorge! Zoya is becoming one of my favorite nail polish brands because every polish I've gotten through them has been in an ipsy bag, and they have all been fab.

Look how pretty that is!

In summary, I enjoyed 80% of this bag this month. The total retail for all of these products is somewhere in the 45$ range, and I received them for 10$. I really love ipsy, I know I tell you that every month, but I do. I highly recommend signing up. It's available for the US and Canada, and it's 10$!

If you are interested in signing up, please use this link because we will both earn points! Points are used to redeem higher end items :)

Join Ipsy here!! 

Until next month kittens, remember that you are beautiful, and valued!

XO

Rimmel Stay Matte Foundation First Impressions/Review

Hey dolls!

I did a review of this product over on my YouTube channel! Please subscribe, it means so much to me!!

Check it out below :)

NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream Review & Swatches

I recently purchased four of NYX soft matte lip creams, and I've been wearing them non stop to get a good feel for them. I have recently become a lipstick whore, and It seems like everywhere I go I have to buy some sort of lip product lol I am obsessed with matte lipsticks so I figured I'd try NYX because they are so affordable. At 6$ each (right now they are BOGO 50% off at Ulta) it's an amazing opportunity and price point for everyone.

The colors I got are called Sydney, Addis Ababa, Amsterdam, and Monte Carlo

       

Sydney is a pale pinky-nude color, and I like it because it can be applied with a light hand and is a perfect pink nude, or if you layer it, it's a soft pastel pink. It's a pretty color, but I am not sure If I like it. It did crease a bit, but I am not sure if its the product or the fact that my lips are dry right now with the cold weather we are getting here in NC. Would I buy it again? Probably not.

"Sydney"

Addis Abba is a bright fuchsia tinted lipstick, and I absolutely love it. It's bright enough to satisfy my rainbow loving soul, but its also muted enough so that you can wear it everywhere; including work. It applies smooth, smells amazing, and isn't drying like most matte lipsticks. Definitely worth 6$!

"Addis Ababa"

Amsterdam is known to be a dupe for LimeCrimes famous red velvetine lipstick, and my opinion on it is that it comes close, but the coloring doesn't match. The smell, and feel of Amsterdam is really good, and for the price, you can buy almost 3 of these- compared to Red Velvet. I love the color, the feel, and the application of all of these products, but this one feels so velvety and smooth when you're done, it makes you feel like you aren't wearing any lipstick at all. It's not drying, stays put, and is a good (I say good because it's not my perfect shade) red. It's got more blue in it, than orange, so it flatters vampire toned skin like mine. I imagine it would look great on anyone though. Buy it again? Yes, I already have actually!

"Amsterdam"

Monte Carlo is my favorite out of all of the lippies because I love a good red. Blue toned reds look really nice with my skin tone (opposed to orange toned) and I love the richness of the color. It reminds me of cranberry sauce. Like all of these, the application is easy, smooth, and velvety, and it's very moisturizing (surprisingly). I would definitely buy this again!

"Monte Carlo"

All of these products can be purchased anywhere NYX is sold: Nyx.com , Ulta.com, Ulta stores, and even in Target!

I've made it my mission to stock up on my favorite colors, and to own the entire collection. They are great, and I hope you will check them out! On Nyx.com if you give them your email you will receive a 25% off coupon 'welcome25' which will save you some $ too. I also like that every order over 25$ ships free, which saves you even more ;)

Vampy Look of The Day

Who doesn't love Vampires, they're usually hott!! haha I didn't do this look thinking that I wanted to look like a vampire, but it kind of reminded me of one. The dark, deep set eyes, dark lips, and pale skin (I get that naturally). I am loving my Dark Heart Designs products a lot lately, they really are as amazing as I keep telling you, so you should really check them out.

1. Prime eyes with Too Faced Shadow Insurance.
2. Using a fluffy brush apply Marry The Night (the dark blue) to your entire lid, blending outward and upward. Blend until the color looks uniform with no empty spots. You want the outer edges to fade out, so make sure to blend out the hard lines.
3. Using the same brush, pat on Rag Doll onto the center of your lid. This gives your lid the iridescent look seen in the pictures above.
4. Apply Fairy tale to the inner corners of your eyes.
5. Using your favorite black eyeliner, line your waterline heavily and then take a flat brush or eye smudger and smudge the lower lash line to create a heavy, defined waterline.
6. Using your favorite liquid liner, line your upper lash line with a thin line. (You can wing out if you'd like, but I chose not too)
7. Apply Mascara.
8. Next is the skin. Apply your favorite foundation. I used the new Airbrush Amazonian Clay Powder Foundation from Tarte.
9. Apply a deep plum blush like the one from Dark Heart called Dark Paradise.
10. For the lips I lined them with Perversion from Urban Decay (the same eyeliner I used on my waterline), and then using a lip brush patted on Venom lipstick from Urban Decay. 
11. Put your fangs in (optional)

Sit there and sparkle like a Cullen, cus you look good!

This was a super easy, simple look to do. I hope that you guys like it. Be sure to like me on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/24-Karat-Dime/346926852073610 and become a follower of my blog if you like it :)

Protect that neck, the creepers come out this time of year!


Until next time :)