Makeup Confessionals~ Black Eye Shadow and Me

Hello Lovelies~

 I love makeup. Period, end of story. I love it. I used to sit at my mum's side when she would get ready for a date and watch her peruse her vast collection of colors and liners and everything from liquid to solid and I knew the first time she put it on me that I would never be the same again. She taught me everything she knew, going through each step every time she did her make up, they are some of my fondest memories from my childhood.

And while I had the passion for makeup even way back when, I didn't start actively wearing makeup until I was in middle school, and then for awhile I collected lipsticks, but never wore them until my senior year in high school.

 By that point it was relearning how to ride a bike. I hadn't forgotten, but I didn't have any finesse with it either and I was Goth adjacent, Tripp skirts, thigh highs, and heavy eyeliner, oh the joys of the early 2000's.

But the one thing I never learned how to do was apply Black eye shadow. I know! Right? Goth girl who never wore black eye shadow. Pretty rare for back then, but it seemed silly on me and always smeared into a big mess, making me look like I had been hit a few times after far to little sleep.

 So I tried it once and never tried it again. That's it!

'All that for a lousy 'I don't know how to put on black eye shadow'?!

 Yes. Honestly, I've always felt like I was just a step to the left of "Getting It" because of my lacking in this area. The Smokey eye trend came in and I never even attempted it because of my general fear of darker saturated pigments that smear everywhere, even with a good primer.

So Today I was getting ready to for to Free Comic Book Day and I was putting on a dress I usually pair with various pinks and a black eyeliner when I stopped.

 'Why not try something new today?' I thought. It's not like if I didn't like it I couldn't take it off and start over. So I bravely reached for the up opened trio of black, grey, and light silver I got in an Ipsy bag months ago and got to work.

This is the result of hard work and determination to get it right.

I wish I had taken more pictures of just my eyes. I am really proud of how they came out! I'm going to attempt to do this look again on my youtube channel, which will be posted here and on my facebook as well, so look out for that.

  I never thought I would be one for dark eye shadow. I always wanted to brighten my eyes rather than darken them, fearing they would end up looking small, but the black and grey look was really pretty and I think when done right, it's a stunning, head turning look.

Thanks for reading!

 Kat

My October Glam Bag/ Ipsy Bag!

Hello Lovelies~

 Yesterday I received my October Glam/Ipsy bag and I was blown away! October was defiantly the right month to be an Ipsy Girl.

This months theme was 'Bombshell' and let me tell you, I certainly feel like one, especially since my hair is blonder now. Lol ^_~

First picture is of the bag. I really like the POP of red pleather on top of the clean black and white pattern. It reminds me of old Hollywood and the bombshell women of the time. Marilyn Monroe is the first to spring to my mind.

 Simple. Elegant. Mysterious.

Those were my thoughts upon seeing this makeup bag.

Next is my favorite piece of the collection.

 I was so pleased to see this lip color when I unzipped my bag, you have NO idea. I have been looking high and low for a good red gloss/stick that doesn't make me look like a clown. Usually the color is to Lipstick Red or so dark it borders on Burgundy. Nothing has ever been a 'BAM' Red, but my search is over!!!

The flash doesn't do this shade justice. It's a beautiful deep blood red color. This is the color you see in magazine adds. The color you always imagine woman in the 30's and 40's wearing with perfectly swirled hair and pencil skirts. Very 'Mad Men'  'esque.


Next is a simple black eyeliner, which is essential for any bombshell when looking her best. This one is a nice felt pen and I look forward to trying it out. I'll let you know what I think when I do.

I also received a tube of 'Boost Your Body' mascara, which promises the lashes of your dreams and a the pony you never got as a child. ...Personally I'm sceptical. But I look forward to trying this one out as well.

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Funny story. About a year ago, around this time of year, I happened to run out of my favorite mascara. I was out shopping and happened to say, 'If I get nothing else while out today, I must get some mascara. I can't believe I ran out. Who runs out of Mascara!'...well lovelies...someone must've been listening because I did happen to get mascara that day, though I didn't realize it at the time as I got it in a gift with purchase, but as of right now, I am the proud owner of 28 different mascaras... not including the duplicates.

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Ok, so the next item is a Shine and Smoothness booster for your hair. It says a small amount worked into wet hair, then blow dried or let the air dry will tame frizz and fly aways and keep your hair shiny and smooth all day.

Finally, we come to the eye shadows! As you can see below, I received four colors. Red, Green, Purple, and White. I swear, as I was doing the color tests I kept thinking how a bit of gold eyeliner would enhance the palette.

These colors have some nice shine to them and thus picked up the flash pretty good. From left to right we have, 'Vibrant Red', 'Raisin Berry', 'Frosty Taupe', and 'Vanilla Sky'.  The Vanilla Sky color wasn't showing up well on my skin, so I mixed it with a bit of the Vibrant Red to make a light pink color. Of the four, I like the Purple shade the best.

 So there is is! My October Glam Bag/ Ipsy bag. I can't wait for November. I hope we get some golds and earthy colors, you know, like the colors of Autumn leaves.

Thanks for reading!

Make up Monday : Lancome Juicy Tubes

Hello Lovelies~

 Last week I talked about how much I love a good lip gloss and that I never leave home without some on me. This week I want to show you my favorite color.


 This is Lancome's Juicy Tubes lip color in 'Coral Rush'. It's a wonderful light nude pink color with just the right amount of sparkle.

The gloss is smooth and not as sticky as some glosses. The best part about this gloss is that it smells like Watermelons and has a light sweet taste, not the I recommend actually eating it.

Price: $18.00
Quality: 4-5  It's a really nice gloss, but it wears thin and gets gummy after a few hours. Which is an odd combination.

Want: YES!
  I will totally buy this product again. I really love the silky feel of it and enjoy the various colors. The next color I want is 'Fruity Pop'.

Here is a picture of the color worn.

Makeup Monday

Hello Lovelies~

    Summer has ended and Fall is here! Luckily there won't be to many more days of high temps to melt our carefully applies make up, but that doesn't mean we're safe from makeup melt downs. In the fall the weather cools and it is important to keep your EMK handy.

What is an EMK you ask? Well an EMK is an Emergency Makeup Kit. This is a small makeup bag containing a dry powder compress, mascara, hydrating lipstick or gloss, blotting sheets, and a small bottle of hand lotion.

  Don't worry about adding eyeshadow or blush to your EMK, this is not a substitute for a full makeup bag or doing your makeup at home. This is a small kit that can fit in any purse and is for quick fixes or touch ups.

But if an EMK is to big for your date night, here is an even smaller kit  that will fit in even the smallest of purses. I call this my Last Resort.

 Lip gloss, Mascara, Blotting Sheets.

I always have these things in my purse, but I was surprised to find that a lot of people don't. These three things should be on your 'Never Leave Home Without' checklist, but if you don't carry anything else carry your Lip gloss or Lipstick with you.

 This is the one beauty tip I will swear buy. In fact, I never leave the house without my lip gloss. I have it with me on the floor at work for quick touch ups and once my clear gloss even fixed a badly broken nail. It was just sticky enough to hold the nail in place while I dried it under a hand drier and it stayed all the way until I got home and could fix it properly.

Lip gloss is your friend.

 Next Monday I'll show you pictures of my EMK, but I have to find my camera first ^_^;

Thanks for Reading!  

My August Glam Bag!

Hello Lovelies~

  Beauty bags are all the rage all over the world, but here in America.....they are a bit...young. These wonderful inexpensive treats are packed full of trial, deluxe trial, and sample sized beauty products. As far as I know, there are three official Beauty Bags being sold here in the US.

One is sold by Allure Magazine. I do not receive that monthly bag, but I want to. Birch Box is another option if you like more indie type brands. But I subscribe to Glam Bag.

 For ten dollars a month I receive a cute make up bag, a few fliers describing the products filling the bag, and the wonderful products.

Here is a picture of the full bag.

And in side I found ....

 'Ringmaster' by Andrea's Choice.

My Glam Lip gloss called 'Glam Girl'. This was an extra gift and while the shade isn't totally me, I love the gloss itself.

The shade is a bright sharp pink color and it smells like watermelons! I was so surprised with that. It doesn't taste like watermelons, but it's not Smuckers, so one can't expect to much. ^_~*

The bottle is beautiful!

 And don't you just love the color?

This is a mildly sticky gloss, but it lasts a long time and resists that icky clumpy feeling after hours of wear. So I guess you have to take the good with the bad sometimes.

I got a vial of roll on perfume in Dragon Fruit. It smells so good!

 And last but not least I received a custom blended eyeshadow color from S.A.L.T.Y cosmetics. It's called GLAM-a-zoid and at first I though it was a white or really light blue, but upon further inspection I found it was a light light pink that turns mildly violet when applied!

The lighting wasn't the best for this picture, but as you can see it's light violet and shimmery. I'll have more pictures of this color coming soon.

 Lastly I received an Anti ageing serum and a night restorative that goes with it. I will not be trying out these products, but my mother has offered to test them for me and she was excited to see them, so it all works out.

I am VERY pleased with this months bag and I am really looking forward to September's Glam Bag.

A Bit of Retail Therapy.... (Picture Heavy)

Hello Lovelies~

 I was supposed to be up in Chicago this weekend for Anime Central, but due to money issues and the family car needing three belts changed at the same time, the amount of which actually made me cry because it made me miss Acen in the first place, I am not there. But instead, I am here and to make myself feel better about missing my favorite con, I went shopping and my gracious did I descend upon the make up counters!

First I had to get ready for battle....

Then came the war paint!

I decided to go with soft neutral tones to lure the unsuspecting counter attendants into a false sense of security before I pounced! ^_~*

 I scouted Estee Lauder, Lancome, Dior, Chanel, Elizabeth Arden, Clinique, and Shiseido. After investigating the new products and gifts with purchases, I ended up buying from Estee Lauder, Lancome, Elizabeth Arden, and Chanel.


So, here is my entire haul!

For everything here, I only actually bought.....six things.

It's it inspiring? Just looking at this picture makes me feel like the trip was four and a half hours well spent. So let's break it down!!!!

 I'm going to go in the order I bought everything, then go through all of the perfume. So we'll start at Estee Lauder...


Out of everything EL was offering this season, I liked their new lip glosses the best. They are light weight, richly pigmented, and best of all, non sticky!

This color is part of the 'Pure Color' collection and is called Molten Honey. It is a beautiful bronze cinnamon color and adds a touch of the beach goddess everyone is into this summer to any outfit!

Next we have the products I got as a free gift with purchase!

 First I got a base lipstick called 'Pinkberry'. It's creamy and smooths on like velvet. The great thing about this lipstick is that it can be worn as a sheer, if lightly applied, or as a full bodied color if done with a heavier hand.

As you can see, above on the right is the color with two light coats. It's still nicely sheer for a day wear look which is great for summer! I mean, who wants their lipstick to clump and fade after a few hours in the sun?


 Next is the lip gloss I got with the free gift. It's so pretty!!!

This is called 'Star Pink Shimmer'. As you can see it's super sheer. I actually found it a bit sticky and thick on it's own, but when paired with the 'Pinkberry' lipstick, it took on a nicer feel. Together they create a shiny mauve color that looks like it would work great for a fun night out. Sadly, I do not have pictures of the color at this moment.

Then we move on to the skin care part of the free gift.

This is the 'Perfectly Clean Splash Away Foaming Cleanser'. It's thick, like a body butter, and his just a touch of shimmer in the mix.

 I've wanted to try this for a long time, but I'm always hesitant about buying full sized products, just in case I don't like them. So when free gifts come with the products I'm curious about, I jump all over them ^_^

This is 1.7 oz. . Not a bad deal for a $30 purchase.

Expect a full review on this later.

Next I received the 'Day Wear Advanced Multi-Protection Anti-Oxidant Creme with SPF 15'.

 I have yet to try this out, but it is a cute mint green color and smells like cucumbers! It's so relaxing to just smell that I can't wait to try it out.

It looks white in the picture, but I promise, it's actually a light gentle green color.

 I also received a small tube of black mascara. But I don't have pictures of it.

Funny story...Around Thanksgiving I had run out of mascara and went to my favorite makeup counters to get some more. Well, I didn't want to pay $35 for a tube of mascara, so I resigned myself to getting a cheep walmart brand instead and picked up a redness reducing solution from Clinque instead. Apparently my purchase qualified me for their free gift and I wasn't expecting it, so I didn't bother looking at what I got, figuring I would check it out when I got home.

 Well! I got home and finally looked in it and would you believe it? I got two different mascaras in the gift? Lol! Since then, I tend to get free gifts with Mascara in the mix and I never worry about running out now!


The next counter that I went to was Lancome! Now, I actually went to this counter with a purpose. I had been on their site the night before and saw that they had a Hot Pink liquid eye liner. O.O....Yes lovelies, I tell the truth! A hot pink liquid eyeliner! I wanted it so bad! But sadly, the counter lady said she knew nothing about the eyeliner actually being in stores, so I have to get it from the site later. What I did get was this epic violet mascara!

 It is called 'Hypnose Doll Lashes' and it's....wow!

Before I get into anything else, let's take a moment to admire this beautiful mascara tube! I love to get beautifully packaged make up. I think it just adds to the experience!

Ok! Now! Look at that color! It's a rich violet color that pairs nicely with black eyeliner for a fun reversal of what people expect traditional make up to look like.

 This shade called to me because it isn't often you find a color that is so different from Black. Often times you find Black, Navy, Black Blue, Brown, Black Brown, and Black Violet, but rarely do you find a mascara with such vibrance!

Yes the above picture looks like a mild bruise than it does a color swatch, but it works.

 Next was Chanel! I went specifically for the gold eyeliner that you can see above. But I got something else on a complete whim! But first, the eyeliner.

This is a left over from the Christmas Holiday collection that was carried over into the 'Viva Las Vegas' collection offered in early February.

 I love this eyeliner because it is actually metallic! It's not a matte gold and it doesn't smear because it's not a Kohl. I look forward to playing with this color more.

 As you can see so far, I have stayed away from getting any blacks or browns this shopping trip. This summer is all about color!

And shimmer! ^_^ Who doesn't like to add a little glitter to their cheeks or another layer of sparkle to their eyeshadow?

 This next purchase is actually a completely frivolous purchase, but I tried it on and fell in love!

How fun is this?

 It looks like a solid, feels like a cream, and goes on like a powder. It's so beautiful! I wore it just yesterday when I went out with friends and I felt like I was a fairytale princess! My cheeks had just a hint of shimmer, my eyes shimmered, and I even put it on my lips. I want this in the other five colors now. Best buy of the trip!

Ok~ So that's it for all of the make up. I'll let you breathe and come back on Tuesday for all of the perfume I got away with ^_^

I hope you had a great weekend!!!

Getting Organized! Make up round up, part 1

Hello Lovelies~

 Now that my room in getting organized to the point that I may eventually be able to set up my vanity and before I can do that, I have to organize my make up. Figure out what I want to keep and what I don't. So while I do that, I thought I'd share what I have with all of you ^_^

So this will be a picture heavy post, just a warning.

 First I'm going to show off my lipstick collection!

So here is the whole collection, minus the stuff in my personal make up bag which I'll be showing off later.

These four were part of a giant set of make up that I got for Christmas years ago, I've never used them, so most likely I'll be getting rid of them....

From left to right, we have Brown, Mauve, Red, and Pink. Nothing more fancy than that. but the thing about cheep lipstick is that you get what you pay for.

Cheep colors stain. This picture is after the lipstick was removed and an hour later I was still off color. The pain of cheep colors.

          Next we have some of my more favorite colors.  Some newer, some older, but all still use able.

From left to right, we have Raspberry Ice from a company I can't remember, Rose Gold from Covergirl, Ruby Luster from Maybelline, and Pink Chic by Rimmel London. Pink Chick is my favorite of the four and it's so creamy! Lasts for hours. Rimmel is a great company.

                                     Next we move on to the glosses and stains...

From left to right we have Bianca from Buxom, Best friends from Bareminerals, Covergirl Outlast lips stain shade 435 and 415, and a cute baby pink from Sally's beauty supply.

                     More gloss, though I don't wear these as much as the colors above.

From left to right we have a clear gloss, a watermelon flavored chap stick that can not be seen, but tastes great, Tinted lip gloss from Bath and Body works color 1137, and Loreal Color Shine : Back up Dancer.

last but not least, we have a creamy nude gold color from an on line shop called Aromaleigh. She does a wonderful line of Lolita colors and while this didn't look that great on me, I would get more of the other colors if they were still available.

As you can see, it's a super light nude gold, It's called Creampuff!