Quick Update!

I've got a bunch of posts that are going to come up soon. I just need to make make my photos at home visible on my work computer so I can update during my lunch hour... or whenever :P

Some photos that I'm really looking forward to sharing are from this weekend! I did some FX Makeup for my friend Jason who is the mascot for 2 different RollerDerby teams. This weekend we dressed him as a Zombie Derby Girl and the effect was.... well it was a man dressed like a girl, but the makeup was awesome. I used some inspiration from different people, and then conformed it to what he wanted. I also did his wife's makeup, she wasn't playing (her team didn't play that night) but she was giving out raffle tickets and volunteering. They won't be super in depth photos but I think they'll turn out okay.

Kat Von D Part 2

Kat Von D True Romance Eye Shadow Palette - True Love

So I'm a sucker for nifty packaging and I really like the way the eyeshadow palette was packaged. It was in a little box with tattoo flash art on it, then when you open it it's wrapped in sparkly tissue paper. The compact itself is pretty cute also. The other really nice thing is that it has a very decent mirror. Always a good thing!

I swatched these over the two primers that came with the set, A. is over Sin and row B is over Smokey I also swatched it over bare skin, row C. As you can see these shadows absolutely ABSOLUTELY need a base. They go on incredibly sheer without a primer.

I really like the quality of all of the eye shadows except the metallic gold one Benji (Number 7). It’s almost like it can’t make up its mind whether it’s a cream or powder eye shadow. It’s really difficult to work with unless it warms up. So I will be applying this mostly with my finger, which makes it difficult to get an even application. Sigh.

That being said, I thought the rest of the shadows were awesome. All of them are really pretty and easy to blend.

 Missy (1) – White with purple-y duo chrome SUPER SHIMMER! The purple shows up more over the darker primer.

Babe (2)– Violet kinda blue duo chrome, also very shimmery

Skiba (3) – Lavender with gold sparkle. Not awe-inspiring, but a very decent colored shadow.

Cholita (4) – Dark Plummy Burgundy shimmery and very pretty. So I think, looking at these photos I need to use this more. It's GORGEOUS.

Lucifer (5) – Matte black with a hint of sparkle. I like this black a lot. It's got great pigmentation (way better than the pictures give it credit for.

Rebekah (6) – Chocolate Brown with a hint of Sparkle. I honestly don't have a single bad thing to say about this shadow. I have used it more than any of the others. Good all around shadow. The picture makes it look kind of reddish but it's perfectly chocolate brown.

Peanut (8)– Creamy gold color with gold shimmer. I've used this shadow quite a bit, the only thing I don't like about it is that it has a lot of fallout. Other than that I really like the texture of this shadow, it goes on almost creamy but it's a powder. In the picture it looks kind of silvery over the dark primer, I haven't done this aside from the swatches, so I'm curious to see if that is true outside of these pictures.

Kat Von D Get the Look Kit Part 1

I’m going to do this in two posts: The first post will include the eyeliner pencil, primer, lipstick as well as the samples I got from Sephora, the second will be the eyeshadow palette.

I am overall really happy with the Get the Look kit. I would certainly recommend it to anybody else, especially people who are looking for a decent starter kit for their makeup collection. The reason I bought this, since I certainly don’t need an introduction to my makeup collection, is I found myself in need of primer and an eye pencil, as well as wanting a more shimmery eyeshadow palette that would be good for smokey eyes. For the price ($54) it really couldn’t be beat. I’d be likely to spend almost that much on just one primer and a palette. Unfortunately I think Sephora is no longer carrying the kit, so you might have to purchase these products individually.

On to the review! Swatches Under the cut!

High Voltage Eye Primer (Skin and Smoky)

The consistency of the primer is pretty thick. A veeeery little goes a long way. It’s quite sticky and holds the shadow quite well, it’s a little heavier than UDPP, but it doesn’t bother me since I used to use the MAC paint pots as primer and they are quite heavy. Think of these as a blend between the two. The smokey primer is pretty awesome I have to admit. I’m kind of shocked that nobody else does this. In a endless parade of champagne and shimmery primers how come nobody thought to make one that perfectly complements a look that gets done SO much. Weird, right? Take a look at the second post for how AMAZING it is at making the shadows look SUPER VIVID.

Painted Love Lipstick in Celebutard (Light Pinky Nude) –


For the most part I like Kat Von D’s Lipstick, Celebutard is unfortunately the exception. It’s really creamy, but since it’s so light it means that every single flaw shows up. Which is a bummer when you have fish lips like me, everything is super noticeable because they’re so big. I even tried to put a gloss over it and still not so good. I need to try it out with a primer and then do a re-review :P.

Also pictured is Urban Decay Lip Gloss in Midnight Cowboy. It's a really pretty sparkly nude gloss. It's a little sticky when layered over some lipsticks, but isn't too bad on it's own.


Autograph Eyepencil in Maybe Black Metal Love – 

This is a very good pencil, creamy and fairly long lasting. It comes with a smudging tip on one end and a sharpener on the other (which is AWESOME). The sharpener works quite well so far, which is usually my major complaint against attached sharpeners. I've used this a couple times for smokey looks and it works really well. I don't really bother with the smudger. I would not suggest using this on the waterline since it does have glitter in it which could potentially irritate your eyes.

Guerlain Abeille Royale Youth Serum - This serum is really lovely. It smells so good and leaves my skin feeling really silky and smooth. As much as I would love love LOVE to purchase the full size of this, since I've already gone through the sample.It is way WAY too expensive for me: $140 for 1 oz at Sephora just to put that into perspective for you, an ounce of gold is about 6 times that. When I'm older, have hit the lotto and am really in need of a really spectacular anti-aging serum I might revisit this as a possibility. For now I'll just grab a sample from Sephora every chance I can.

Tocca Eau de Parfum in Stella ($19-$68 at Sephora) - I never really know what to say about perfume. What I can say is this: This would not normally be a smell that I would look at based on its description (I actually got this on accident, I wanted the Tom Ford Black Orchid). It's slightly sweet smelling with notes of bitter orange, blood orange, watery accord, white freesia, wild diamond orchids, spicy lily, sheer musk and sandalwood. Now I normally gravitate towards floral perfumes, citrus notes tend to turn on my skin and smell a little bug-sprayish. This really smells good, in the bottle and on my skin.

I actually haven't used the Tan Towel yet, I'm saving it for a special occasion when I want my legs to look tan. It's winter, so it's probably going to be a while...

Product Focus: YBF Brow Pencil

YBF (Your Best Friend) Brow Pencil in Taupe

My NEW Best Friend! Hahaha. This is definitely one of my favorite products I've received from BirchBox. I have suuuuuper light eyebrows, and finding a product that works with them is difficult. I've always used powders (the lightest duo from Anastasia), but I don't have a brow gel and powder without brow gel = no staying power. Pencils are a typically a little waxier, which is great because they keep the hairs in place and the color doesn't rub off as easily. I would say that the product lasts at least 6 hours, possibly more. At first I thought it was a teeny bit darker than I liked, I think this is just because I'm not used to having really defined eyebrows. The color suits me quite well and after using it for a few months I think I’m in love... It comes with a really coarse spoolie and which makes it super portable and since the color is really light but build-able I can use it on anybody else, even on brunettes! This would be a really decent pencil for free-lance artists since you could use it on almost any client.

Update and Birchbox

So obviously that 30 day challenge thing hasn't been happening. But I promise it's not my fault, Chris re-organized the office and my camera disappeared, right after the cord connecting it to my computer disappeared, which was the original reason I wasn't updating. This past weekend Chris and I went through the office together and found my camera. So! I'm going to add a BUNCH of stuff to this really soon. In the meantime (a little late) here is my review of last month's birch box.