EOTD: Eye Makeup of the Day! Urban Decay Chaos Eyeliner

Hey guys!
I am sure everyone get those days where you feel like being a little, tiny bit daring with your makeup. Not super crazyyyy but just something to make your every day look pop. I'm a neutral kind of girl, but today, I wanted to do something a little bold with Urban Decay's Chaos eyeliner from the new UD Ten 24/7 eyeliner set (review: http://havenlymakeup.blogspot.com/2014/11/urban-decay-ten-247-glide-on-pencil-set.html).

It is a very easy way to get out of your everyday neutral rut.

 

I applied makeup normally and did my eyes with Make Up For Ever Aqua Eyes crayon in 28E smudged on my top lid and 20E in my inner corner and inner lower lash line. Then I took UD Chaos and applied it to the outer 1/2 of both my top and bottom lids. I then smudged the liner upwards on my lid and also smudged Chaos on the lower lash line towards the inner corners. Finished off with a thin wing using Stila's liquid liner and some mascara.

Tip! For girls with hooded eyes like me, we don't really have much of an upper lid, so that makes wearing colored liners a little trickier...but not impossible! Pack the liner on the outer 1/3-1/2 portion of the top and bottom lid. Smudging the liner up on the top lash line or adding a similar eyeshadow helps as well. I find that just lining the entire bottom and neglecting the top looks a little unbalanced.

Products I used:

- Smashbox BB cream

- Too Faced Brown Envy

- MUFE Aqua Eyes in 28E and 20E

- Giorgio Armani Eyes to Kill mascara

- Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Liner in Dark Brown

Hope you enjoyed this look! Please let me know what you think!

MTG Nail Art!

What is that you read? MTG as in Magic: The Gathering? Yes, yes it is. I think everyone has a little, secret guilty pleasure. Well! I guess mine isn't so secret anymore haha. Here's a throw back to some nail art I did a few weeks ago for the midnight release of the latest set of cards.

Ah, I'm super nerdy, huh? No shame!

For those of you not familiar with Magic, there are 5 basic lands: Mountain, Forest, Plains, Island and Swamp. I think its pretty close! Search "MTG basic lands." 5 lands, 5 fingers...It was only natural to have a land a nail, right? I easily had the cutest nails at that event, if I do say so myself.

I used:
- dotting tool
- Butter London Cotton Buds as the base color
- Essie Really Red
- Revlon Colorstay Gel Envy in Ace of Spades
- Revlon Colorstay Gel Envy in Casino Lights
- Revlon Colorstay Gel Envy in Wild Card
- China Glaze Liquid Leather

As always, let me know what you think and please subscribe if you like what you see!

Urban Decay Ten 24/7 Glide on Pencil Set Brings the Sparkle to My Eyes...literally

Hi everyone!

It is no secret that I love holiday make up sets. Urban Decay releases new eyeliner sets each holiday season,and this year I decided to go out and get the Ten 42/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil Set ($52 at Sephora and ULTA). I have about 4 UD eyeliners I have picked up over the years, but I felt like it was time I expanded my collection. This set has 9 travel sized new shades (Glitter Rock, Moonspoon, Vacancy, Faint, Gonzo, Smokeout, Mugshot, Stargazer, Voodoo), a full sized Perversion eyeliner and the Grind House sharpener. What I really like about this set is that UD included both neutrals and bright, statement colors and also a variety of finishes, from matte to satin to glittery pencils. So if you break things down, a full sized Perversion eyeliner is $20 alone! That is almost half the price of the entire set. On top of it, the Grind House sharpener is $10. So that leaves $22 for the 9 travel sized eyeliners, which is $2.44 a pencil. When I say travel size, they actually aren't that much smaller than the actual full sized pencil, 0.03 oz to 0.04 oz.

This set is a real beauty. Look at all those colors! You get so much stuff from this set. My only complaint, which really isn't a big one, is that these little suckers were so difficult to remove from the packaging! UD packed them all in good. I had to take the end of a pen and dig each of these pencils and the sharpener out of their respective grooves. I appreciate the sturdy and shockproof packaging, but it was a bit frustrating to try to pull all of the items out. In particular, the Grind House sharpener did not want to leave it's old home. The sharpener can be disassembled into three parts and as I tried to remove the sharpener, I could only take one section at a time out, as you can see below.

Other than that, I can't really complain. As a whole, the pencils were creamy and a joy to work with. I have heard complaints that some of the shades are not as pigmented as you would expect from UD eyeliners, but I think it is perfectly fine because it just gives a different look. In fact, the shades that are less pigmented are actually my favorite shades. 

So onward! To the swatches!

(Left to Right) Glitter Rock, Moonspoon, Vacancy, Faint, Gonzo, Smokeout, Mugshot, Stargazer, Voodoo, Perversion

Glitter Rock

It is a glittery, mauve-y bronze. This has to be my absolute favorite pencil in the set. It is also one of the less pigmented shades. I love lining my lower lash with this color to give a glittery, almost natural look. It is sheer but it can be layered up for a more densely. Glitter Rock went on smoothly and gave off plenty of glitter; however, I think there could be just a little more glitter. For something called Glitter Rock, I just expected it to have chunks of glitter, but maybe it's just me.

Moonspoon

It is a greyish black sparkle. My second favorite! I think everyone can agree that the name is a lot of fun to say. This is also not as pigmented as expected, but I like it that way as well. It reminds me of a sparkly Ether in the way that it gives that almost faded black look. I don't have Ether to compare it to, though, unfortunately. I don't mind that it isn't a dark black because UD included Perversion in this kit, and that is the blackest of the black eyeliners. I like using Moonspoon as an intermediate color to add definition to my lower lash line or to create a more natural, sparkly look. Again, I want more glitter! But, I think if they added any more glitter to these eyeliners, it would be gritty. This pencil applied smoothly and can be built up.

Vacancy

This is a metallic, bluish teal. No sparkles in here. I love teal liners and this one was pigmented and smooth. Compared to Junkie, which is a teal I have, Vacancy is a brighter blue and lacks the sparkles of Junkie.

Junkie Left, Vacancy Right

Faint

Faint is a matte, light brown. The first neutral of the kit. Since it's matte, it will work on the water line.

Gonzo

A bright cool blue with silver microglitter. This is pretty much the color that made me want this kit. It is smooth and pigmented. I really like how it is a statement blue. I have navy blues and royal blues but this is the first bright blue I have. I wore this shade smudged on my lids as a cream shadow. It did not crease. Very impressed with the color and staying power.

Smokeout

Smokeout is a dark chocolate brown with some silver microglitter. The second neutral. I like how UD included a light brown, Faint, and then this darker brown. It went on smoothly and is pigmented.

Mugshot

Mugshot is a metallic medium brown. This is my favorite neutral. It applies like a dream! Of all the pencils, this one was the creamiest and most pigmented. 

Stargazer

This is a metallic yellow-gold. If there is a color that was the least pigmented, it would be this color. As you can see in the swatch, it seems a bit sheer. It still went on smoothly. I like using this smudged out in the inner corners of my eyes as a highlight. It works really well there. As compared to El Dorado, Stargazer is a lighter and cooler gold.

El Dorado Left, Stargazer Right

Voodoo

Voodoo is a purple with microglitter. It is not as glitter packed as Moonspoon or Glitter Rock, but the glitter is there. Of all the pencils, this was probably the one that disappointed me the most. It goes on a little streaky but it does build up to opacity.  It's a really lovely color, especially in direct light. I own Ransom, which is also a shimmery purple. Voodoo is a deeper purple and leans more towards red than Ransom, though.

Ransom Left, Voodoo Right

Perversion

Perversion is a matte black. This is amazing! It went on like butter and was so jet black. After swatching all the other pencils, I have to say, Perversion was creamier than all the rest except maybe Mugshot. I am so glad this pencil is a full size. 

In case you were wondering how big of a difference in product you are getting between the travel sized and the normal sized pencils. Here's an idea.

I know some might be disappointed that not all of these colors are as pigmented as Perversion, but I think each shade is great the way it is. They all go on smoothly and last a long time. So even without being intensely pigmented, there are still great uses for these colors. I did have some trouble removing these colors from my arm as I swatched them as they stained a little, but I did not have a problem with them on my lids. They all easily lasted a full 8 hours.

What do you think? Do you mind the pigmentation? Let me know!

Tarte Pin Up Girl Blush: A Happy Review!

As the holidays roll around, I look forward to HOLIDAY MAKE UP SETS/PALETTES! They are usually such a wonderful deal, and people snatch them up fast...and for good reason! One of these palettes is the Tarte Pin Up Girl Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush Palette ($42.00 at Sephora). Last year, tarte released the Off the Cuff Blush palette, and I regret not buying it sooner, because it was gone before I knew it. I have been sitting in giddy anticipation for this year's tarte blush set for the last 2 months. I actually think Pin Up Girl is sold out online already, but they still have a couple in the Sephora stores that I've been in recently. So GO GO GO! I don't expect them to stay on the shelves much longer!

You get 5 different blushes in a cute golden compact. It looks so feminine and elegant. There is a mirror in the lid of the compact, which I really like. They included 2 "vintage" decorative bobby pins, which I think add a nice touch to the overall look of the package, but I probably will never wear it in my hair.

For those of you who are not familiar with tarte blushes, they are wonderful, and the blushes in this set are no exception. The texture is soft and silky and the pigmentation and staying power are all amazing. I really like the color selection they included. It has every type of shade I would need. Unlike last year's palette, this year's does not contain a bronzer, which I appreciate because I love my Too Faced Chocolate Soliel bronzer too much to cheat on it with another. I would rather have an extra blush in the set than another bronzer I don't need. Two of these blushes (Embraced and Bashful) have some shimmer to it, but it is not at all overwhelming. I tend to have oily skin so sparkly and over-frosted blushes make me look greasy. These had the right amount to just give off a glow. Embraced has more shimmer than Bashful.

Now to the swatches! The colors are Breathless, Embraced, Whimsy, Bashful and Irreplaceable. Overall, these blushes have the same silky formula as you would expect, but some blushes are not as pigmented as others, as you will see below.

Breathless

This is a matte, nude peach. I love these sorts of nude blushes, because I can wear them every day. Unfortunately, it is quite sheer and does not show up particularly well on my medium skin. Nevertheless, I do like it and it does build up.

Embraced

 

A satiny plum. Despite looking quite dark in the pan, Embraced was still on the sheer side. I suppose with plums, I want to use a light hand to avoid looking too overdone, but I would have liked for this blush to have been a tad bit more pigmented. Still, the color is beautiful and I foresee myself wearing this much more as we enter the later Fall to Winter season. There aren't any obvious glitter flakes in this blush, or any of them actually, but this had the most shimmer to it. You can tell it's more frosty just by looking at the blush in the pan.

Whimsy

A matte, cool medium pink. This is the color I reach for the most in this palette. I think it is indeed a very fun and whimsical color. I can't say it is a unique shade, but it is good to have. The pigmentation on this blush is so much better than for the first two.

Bashful

A satin, warm coral. You have to be careful with this color! Even on medium skin, I scooped into this shade thinking it would be a little less pigmented like the first two and BAM! I looked like I had just been punched in the face. There is nothing bashful about this shade. Apply it with a light hand and it will give you a wonderful, healthy flush.

Irreplaceable

A matte, russet red. I love these reddish blushes. It's awesome for date night or to give you that wind-bitten flush in the winter months. I like how it's matte! This color, like Bashful, need to be applied lightly. It is very pigmented! It might be a little too much for me to wear on a daily basis but I am glad tarte included this in the set.


In all, I love this palette so much. I wish the first two blushes were more pigmented, but the latter 3 definitely make up for it. I am so glad I purchased this and I would recommend it to everyone! This is a great palette for those who are starting off and want a wide selection of blushes to kick start their make up collection, but it is also wonderful for those who already love tarte blushes and want to collect them all. Let me know what you think! Do you love this palette?

Nyx Matte Lipsticks!

Hey everyone,

have you ever gone back and tried a product that didn't wow you before, but you fell in love the second time you tried it? Yeah, these lipsticks, NYX matte lipsticks ($6.00 on the NYX website) were love at second try. Back then, I was not as into wearing lipsticks as I am now, and I didn't like the matte look, but now I do! Lately, I had  been dabbling with high end lipsticks, and I am so surprised that these amazing, affordable lippies were already in my possession! I had to go out and get more. I have 7 here. I'll probably be wearing a different one each day of this next week! I started off with 3 of these lipsticks a couple years ago: Pure Red, Angel and Natural, and then purchased Sierra, Merlot, Aria and Maison last week after trying the ones I already had on again.

(L to R) Natural, Sierra, Angel, Pure Red, Merlot, Aria, Maison

These lipsticks are matte but go on smoothly and opaquely. After a couple hours of wear, the colors fade and the lipstick begins to feel dry, but considering that this is a matte lipstick, it was less drying than expected. I can get about a good 4-5 hours of wear from this without reapplying. There is a slight tug when I apply it, but I expect that from a matte lipstick. Some of these lipsticks tugged more than others, like Aria. I can feel these lipsticks on my lips, but it's not overly uncomfortable. I do not detect a distinctive smell when I wear it, which is great for me. Many of these shades apply lighter and brighter, if that makes sense, than it appears in the tube. I think the packaging is super cute even though I have heard other people describe it as "cheap". In my swatches, some of the colors look shiny, but it is only because they have not fully dried yet. These lipsticks dry to a true matte finish, but be careful, because they can still transfer.

Natural lips for comparison

Natural

Natural is probably the color I would reach for the most in the set I have. I am such a sucker for dusty purplish pinks. It is such a unique color. I absolutely love it! It is anything but "natural" though. I think this color would look great on all skin tones.



Sierra

Sierra is a very interesting coral-nude. It actually is more orange-brown than pictured. It is almost a roan color. Even though it is not a bright color, it is quite eye catching and does make a statement. I don't own any color quite like this. I am not sure if it was just the particular lipstick I bought, but this lipstick tugged somewhat at my lips; however, I will keep using it because the color is amazing and very opaque.

Angel

Angel is a medium pink. This was the first statement lipstick I ever owned way back then when I was starting to dabble with lipsticks. This shade seems quite muted now compared to most of my bright lipsticks. I have come so far! This is a bright rosey pink. I feel like even though it is bright, it is still very wearable and would look lovely in the spring.


Pure Red

Such a bright red! It's a blue-red and so classy. I really like how incredibly eye catching it is. It is true to its name and is "pure red". I don't think I have any reds brighter than this. It applied so smoothly but it will probably need a liner to keep the lines even. The only times I've ever worn this was for Halloween and New Year's, but! I love it! Everyone needs (at least) one great red lipstick. This swatch is shiny, but it really does dry down to a matte. This shade stains.

Merlot

As fall rolls around I CANNOT wait to wear this more often! It is so beautiful. Merlot is actually a bit more of a burgundy than raspberry in real life, kind of giving the effect of wine staining your lips. I love the name and love this color!


Aria

This is one of the new shades that I bought last week. I was really looking forward to this because I wanted a vampy purple. The actual color is more purplish than fuchsia. I love how it looks but this was the sheerest of these colors that I have. I had to slather the lipstick on to build it to the same opacity as the others. I also thought the formula was drier than the others as well. That being said, the color is so amazing and fit for the upcoming holiday season that I'll keep it around. This particular shade will definitely stain your lips.


Maison

This milk chocolate brown color was the lipstick I was the most excited about when I ordered the most recent colors! Maison did not disappoint! It is a cooler brown than it looks in the tube. I don't own a single brown lipstick and this looks so edgy and appropriate for fall. It might look scary in the swatch and in the tube, but I will definitely be wearing this throughout the fall and winter season. It is actually rather flattering on my medium skin tone. This color is as opaque as the other lipsticks, but unfortunately my lips were stained after trying on Aria, so some pink is peeking through. I think on a normal day, Maison would apply much more evenly.



In all, I would highly highly recommend this to anyone who likes opaque matte lipsticks that are also very affordable. I will probably be picking up more colors in the future. In fact, I'll probably turn to these first before considering any high end matte lipstick. Hope this helped! Let me know what you guys think!!