Monday, October 31, 2011

FOTD: Happy Halloween!



Halloween combines two of my favorite things: makeup and chocolate. Even though Halloween is during a school day this year, I still dressed up! I'm a 50's pinup zombie this year c: I'm wearing a black polkadot dress with black sheer tights and patent black flats with bows on the front too!

Makeup used:

  • MUFE Rouge Artist Intense 50 Lipstick
  • C.O. Bigelow Mentha Lip Shine
  • Anastasia Brow Powder Duo in Ebony
  • Chanel Perfection Lumiere Foundation in 12 Beige Rose
  • Tarte Smooth Operator
  • Assorted colors from UD Naked Palette
  • Assorted colors from Wet n Wild Color Icon Palette in Comfort Zone
  • Assorted Colors from UD Alice in Wonderland Palette
  • Assorted Colors from Smashbox Click You're It Palette
  • Assorted Colors from a Sephora palette (don't know the name! ah!)
  • MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack
  • d.j.v. beautenizer mascara
  • Benefit Prima Donna False Eyelashes

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Review: Korres Lip Butter in Jasmine

Sephora had this little kit that included this lip butter in jar and tube form for basically the same price as the lip butters individually. I had heard about this online a bunch, so I had to get it even though part of me was reminding me that I have a billion lip balms already.

It's important to note that I have perpetually chapped lips, regardless of how much water I drink, so most lip balms don't do much. Not this guy. I've never seen my lips so wonderfully moisturized, and also it tastes delicious. My friend has super dry skin, and she actually gasped out loud when she saw/felt how moisturizing this is.

Bare lips, surprisingly not chapped
After application
As you can see, it doesn't provide any color to my lips (not that I need it). It just makes my lips feel so soft and shiny in the best way possible. I also appreciate that it's made with natural ingredients (and has Sephora's Natural Seal) in addition to being wonderful in its own right. My only gripe is that it comes in a jar, which is kinda annoying if I have slightly longer nails and for sanitary reasons. Luckily, there's the tube version of the lip butter, which I'll probably end up buying again as opposed to the jar. 

In short, get this is if you like things that taste good and have thirsty lips! It also might provide a tiny bit of color if you have not-pigmented lips, but I can't vouch for that personally.

Pros:
  • Tasty
  • Very moisturizing, even for the extremely dry-lipped
  • Sheer (if that's what you're in to)
  • Natural ingredients, such as shea butter
Cons:
  • A little pricey for the size (but if you can get the 2-for-1 set, then it's a pretty good bargain)
  • The jar form isn't as convenient, in terms of nails getting in the way and sanitation

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Review & Swatches: Urban Decay Naked Palette




I actually bought this right when it came out (as in the day it came out, I think). I've seen that the palette comes with a brush now, but before it came with this double ended eyeliner! It's a shame, because the matte brown eyeliner is a really versatile color, and it's not available in the permanent line! I know that this isn't a new product or anything like that, but for anyone who doesn't have it: you need it. Emphasis on need. NEED. I had lost it for a couple months after moving out of my dorm room, but now that I've found it again I think I've used it literally every day. It's marvelous.


The packaging, both inside and out, is really sleek and well done. The width of each shadow is just wide enough for a brush, even my wider blending brush. The only problem I have is that Sidecar gets glittery bits into the matte shadows, due to its position between them. Other than that, it's well done.
L to R: Virgin, Sin, Naked, Sidecar
Naked doesn't appear very pigmented, but that's really only due to the paleness of my skin. For a matte, it really doesn't come off chalky whatsoever. Virgin has very small shimmer, compared to Sin (which has small but denser shimmer) and Sidecar (which has larger and denser shimmer). Virgin is a really good highlighting color for the browbone and inner eye, especially for more subtle looks that don't demand the intensity of Sin and Sidecar. Even though Sidecar has larger glitter, it absolutely is not gritty. 
L to R: Buck, Half Baked, Smog, Darkhorse, Toasted
Like Naked, Buck also is pigmented and not-chalky for a matte. The other shimmery colors have similar glitter as Sin (Sidecar is actually unique with its large glitter). Toasted always surprises me with how pigmented it is, and I really love the purple undertones it has compared to the rest of the palette. Darkhorse, for some reason, didn't translate well onto the camera (although it is less pigmented compared to the rest of the palette). It's a blackened gold that almost has greenish undertones to it, compared to Smog and Half Baked which are warmer.
L to R: Zero and Whiskey 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil, Gunmetal, Creep, Hustle
I guess if I were to call anything a "dud" in the Naked palette, it would be Creep. It's just not as black as I expect or want it to be. Compared to how pigmented Gunmetal is, they almost look the same. Hustle is actually the same way, but the purple undertones still make me forgive it. Zero is the same black eyeliner in the permanent line, but Whiskey is basically a matte version of Bourbon ( I think, I haven't actually swatched it before). I end up using both the same amount, but it will be a sad day when I run out of Whiskey :c

So here's the rundown!
Pros:
  • Very, very useable colors, regardless if you're wearing it to work or at a party.
  • All the colors have good, if not exceptional pigmentation.
  • Very smooth application.
  • Reasonable price ($4 bucks a shadow if you don't include the brush/eyeliner is a total steal)
  • Matte colors!
Cons:
  • The black isn't SUPER black, if that's what you're going for, although patting it on top of the black eyeliner helps immensely.
  • A little bit of fallout, so make sure to tap your brush before you apply!
Available from Sephora, UrbanDecay.com



Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Hey! Hi!


Hello friends! My name is Zoe, and I'm a 19 year old pre-med student in Chicago. I'm not a professional makeup artist, but I end up playing with makeup when I have free time. I've done makeup for a couple fashion shows here and for a couple photoshoots too.

Too often I've bought stuff online and it ended up not as good as it looks on the computer, so I really wanted to make a blog that was more dedicated to swatches and makeup looks as opposed to gossiping about the latest collections (not to say I'm against that!).

I wish I could say this blog is for the frugal! Unfortunately I'm the worst with spending. I'm slooowwwlly starting to know drugstore brands and how to look for deals. I'll try and get that on my blog, but it's a work in progress.

So thanks for looking! Hopefully I'll be posting lots, probably just going through my current makeup stash first. c: