Meow Lost Rainforest EOTD

With every LE collection Meow releases, I get more and more impressed. They are definitely one of my favorite companies now, and I can't wait to get paid tomorrow so I can get some colors from the new Simple/Guilty Pleasures collections. I already got a free sample of Lace Lingerie with my last order, and it's basically the best purple ever. I might need a full size, heehee. I don't usually swatch the collections, as you might have noticed, but this is because usually a TON of other people already have, so I'm not going to bother with that. Here is a look I did using some of the Lost Rainforest colors. What I used: Concrete Minerals eyeshadow primer Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy Macaw (inner lid) Bromeliad (outer lid) Tropical (crease) e.l.f. gotta glow blush as highlight Maybelline Falsies mascara L'Oreal Extra Collagen mascara Sephora kohl & liner waterproof pencil in Keep Brown Covergirl Liquiline Blast in Green Glow (below waterline) Urban Decay Ultraglide gloss in Lust I adore this look. I did a slight cat eye, which I thought looked really great irl. I also love how Macaw and Bromeliad blended, making an orange-ish color in the middle of the lid. I also want to say that the gloss I used is my HG gloss, hands down #1 favorite of all time. Other Ultraglide glosses are on sale for $5 on the UD website right now, but it looks like Lust is sold out. Grab a tube next time UD is on Haute Look! I'm going to stock up next time. Sorry I haven't been using blush in a lot of looks lately. I don't wear blush if I'm going to work, because running around all over the place makes my cheeks have that natural I-work-at-Arby's flush. :P What are your thoughts on Meow? Have you ordered from the Simple or Guilty Pleasures collections yet?

Sephora Must-Have: Benefit Confessions of a Concealaholic

I didn't want the first post showing up on my blog to be a negative and angry one, so I thought I'd post about a product that I've been loving lately. Since a Sephora just opened in my area, I'm going to start doing a series of posts called Sephora Must-Haves, showcasing great finds and good deals. I am really spoiled with indie makeup, where I mostly buy only $1 samples, and that's fine, because I have so many colors I have only to this day finished off two samples. I'm also a big believer in drugstore products, so If I am going to shell out extra cash from my paycheck to go to Sephora every two weeks, the stuff I'm paying for better be well worth it. I have been dying to try out Benefit products for quite a while, so naturally I gravitated toward their Confessions of a Concealaholic set, which has 5 different products in it. Blogger is pissing me off and won't stop rotating that photo no matter what I do. The set comes with a tube of That Gal brightening face primer, Erase Paste concealer in medium, 2 shades of Boi-ing concealer, Eye Bright, and Lemon-Aid. It also comes with a little booklet on how to use each product. I like using this stuff without any eyeshadow or anything, because it gives me that "no makeup" look. I often go out without makeup, but my problem is I have many sleep issues, as well as dark under-eye circles from genetics, so I look very tired all the time. This REALLY makes my face look better and more awake. Here's a before picture, me with no makeup on except some Bare Escentuals Buxom Gloss (I wanted the tingly feeling, haha) Try not to hide! Here is the after picture! Purely my opinion, but I think I look 10x more awake while still looking natural. Here are some more before and after pictures. Chin: Before Chin: After Eye: Before Eye: After Forehead: Before Forehead: After The only product I find really mediocre is the That Gal primer, and at $28 I don't ever see myself buying a full size of it. I do like the Erase Paste, but a full size of that would be $26, which I also think is too expensive. I like the Boi-ing concealers, and at $18, I might buy the lighter shade when I run out from this set. I am head over heels in love with Lemon-Aid and Eye Bright, and at $20 each for a full size they would be worth it to me for the difference I feel they make in my face. These are the superstars of the set, the things that REALLY change my appearance from tired to awake. Besides the primer, I like all the products, and it's really nice and convenient to have them all in a set like this, so I can do a super quick 5 minute makeup routine if I just want to run to the store or something. I love that I got to try all these out without spending a shit ton of money on the full sizes. Since I bought this I have used all of it every single day (except the That Gal primer). It was $36, and to me is very worth it. If you have dull, super tired looking eyes and skin like I do, you will absolutely love this. It was a great introduction to Benefit and I definitely want to try out more of their products now. Does anyone else have this set, or the full sizes of any of it's components? What do you think? ETA: Ok, I seriously just now noticed how bright and pretty my skin looks in the second picture... I am dumb, That Gal is awesome.

Fuck you, Newport News

Unless you want to read about how pissed off I am right now, skip this post. I have a hell of a hard time finding bikinis that will look good on me, since I've been gaining weight but still have tiny boobs. Everything makes me look the great combination of fat + flat. I was really excited to browse through my mom's Newport News catalog and see a bikini with a padded bra-style top, because I've been looking for one everywhere. They had a bunch of mix n match bottoms too, and each piece is only $15, so I got really excited and ordered a size 2 and 4, because I didn't know which would fit me. And $30 is such a good price! When I got them, they fit me like I was shoving myself into doll clothes. For the record, I wear a jr's size M, a small or medium at Hollister / A&F, XS at Old Navy and Charlotte Russe. I should be able to fit comfortably into a size 4. But no. So, I ordered the same things in a size 6 and 8. They got here today. Here's the website links if you're curious: top bottom 1 bottom 2 Shock of the century, they still didn't fit in those sizes. They weren't too small, but the tops are cut so insanely low that my risk of pulling a celeb-style nip slip is about a 99% if I tried to wear them out. I even tried pulling the padding out and adjusting the straps, but still to no avail. Both types of bottoms were low in the front and very high in the back, so they looked awful on me. It made me wonder what kind of women they expect to be able to wear these. This crap isn't even what makes me the angriest. I noticed a really strong smell on one of the bikini tops. It smelled like straight up chlorine. I thought maybe that was just the factory smell or something, so I smelled the other pieces. They smelled like plastic. THEN I noticed the smelly top had no tag. Every other piece had a tag saying you can return swimwear, but ONLY if the tag is still on. They sent me a USED bikini top. Didn't anyone bother to check to see that there was no tag? And that it smelled like a swimming pool? Each piece comes in its own little sealed bag, so SOMEONE had to reseal it in a new bag, ignoring the fact that it had obviously been used. I am so angry right now. Not only do I still have no swimsuit at almost the end of July, when it's been around/over 100 degrees every day for the last week but I got sent something that someone else had been using, which is so disgusting and unsanitary. I buy used clothes all the time, but I'm not comfortable buying a used swimsuit. And the fact that it SHOULD be new, yet they sent me someone's old bikini top, infuriates me. My advice after this incident is to stay away from Newport News at all costs. I know it is pretty much targeted towards middle aged ladies, but they have some really cute shit in there sometimes, so I always flip through it. Now I know never to order from them again.

Eccentric Cosmetic Review

I'm really excited to review this super new etsy makeup brand for you guys, Eccentric Cosmetic. The shop has only been around for a month-ish, so when I say new, I mean it. As with any company I'm going to bother talking about, these eyeshadows are unique blends and NOT repackaged. I love finding new, original makeup companies :3 Gotta throw in that gold ol' disclaimer- I was sent all of these samples for free. That is NOT going to change how honest and straightforward my review is, cus I love you guys and I'm not gonna lie to you. The company is based in Australia, which I didn't realize until I got the package. Anna, the owner, threw in some candies and a lipgloss, which was really nice of her. She also left a note that I really liked, because she said she wanted my review to be totally honest so she would know what areas to work on. THAT impresses me. So, I'm going to be honest here, and say that by looking at the website pictures, I was not impressed. There are a couple that are pretty accurate, but for the most part, these photos seem dull and don't show how pretty these colors actually are. So if you're considering an order, please go by my swatches instead of the website pictures! All swatches are over Concrete Minerals eyeshadow primer. From left to right: Heartbeats, Love Generation, Hard Sun, Dry & Dusty, Autumnal Crush, Weathered Stone I LOVE HEARTBEATS. I have been searching for an eyeshadow that's a rusty brown-red for the last couple weeks, and this is perfect! I might need to buy a full size of this, because the color looks so great with my brown eyes. I love the rest of these shades too, they are so warm and pretty. I want to do a fall inspired look with them. From left to right: Acid Drops, Geology, Rain Song, Humanitarianism, Wolf, Wrecked Metal, Marble House I love Acid Drops, it is an amazingly gorgeous green. I also love Wrecked Metal. It doesn't look like much in the bag, but it is BRIGHT when you swatch it. Marble House is also a nice color. From left to right: Heroine, Dawn Night, Paradise Circus, Magic of Metals, Bunny, Tar Heart, Ted Remember how I just said I shouldn't even bother buying purples anymore? Yeah... Heroine reminds me why I do. It is the most beautiful purple, with a sort of blue iridescence. Magic of Metals is hard to catch in photos, but it has some orange to it, which looks awesome. Bunny is a FANTASTIC neutral, another color I want a full size of. Tar Heart and Ted are also just gorgeous. All the sample baggies have the ingredients listed, which I know some people really like. The colors really stuck to my arm when I swatched, not in a staining way, but I did have to scrub a teeny bit with a washcloth to get them off. So the staying power is very good! My overall impression is very good. There are a lot of similar colors for only having 20 shades currently, but there are also some stand out shades which totally blew me away. In the bag, these look pretty "meh". When I swatched them, I was amazed at how pretty they actually are. I would like to see more BRIGHTS obviously, heehee. I'd also like more of a color variety, maybe some pinks and berries, and more true blues and greens to go with all those "in the middle" blue-green shades. I'm excited to see how Eccentric will expand, because I think Anna has some great stuff here. All in all, I would definitely recommend trying some samples from Eccentric Cosmetic! I'd love to know what you guys think. :)

Concrete Minerals & Evil Shades swatches

I did the blogger/reviewer special to get some new Concrete Minerals shades. It says they'll send you four samples (which are huge, btw), and they sent me an extra one that I didn't order, Vegas. I swatched everything today over Concrete Minerals eye primer, which I think I'm going to start doing regularly instead of swatching over bare skin. I don't want to swatch over Pixie Epoxy, because not everyone uses that every day, but I'm pretty confident if you wear makeup and read this blog, you use an eyeshadow primer every day. From left to right: Wicked, Prude, Detox, Vegas, Lolita Wicked has some a great blue sheen to it. Prude is a gorgeous, pale pale pink. Detox is the perfect mint I've been looking for, Vegas is my new favorite gold, and Lolita is a purply taupe that will be great for smokey eyes. Safe to say I am in love with all these colors! Next up is Evil Shades. From left to right: Sinister, Acolyte, Reondite, Phyrra's Fantasy, Nightshade, Chusi, Double Barrel, Zombie I adore Phyrra's Fantasy, it's a super gorgeous raspberry pink-red. I also love Double Barrel, and ESPECIALLY Zombie, which I have nothing like. Nightshade and Chusi are almost matte, so they are kind of chalky. I don't know why I even bother to buy purples at this point, I'm pretty sure I have every variation you could ever imagine, and they're all starting to look the same. Now I'm off to watch some scary movies with my fantastic boyfriend, I hope everyone's day is as fun as mine's going to be :)

I'm back! EOTD's from this last week

Hey everyone! I'm back from St Louis, and my family got a new computer so I can finally blog again, thank goodness. I'm still thinking I'd like my own laptop, though. I have contacted the giveaway winners and gotten their addresses. Thanks to everyone who entered!

Here are some looks I did last week, I'll try my best to remember what shadows I used.

Hi Fi Labyrinth EOTD

Slime & Snails (inner lid)

Magic Spell (outer lid)

Lost & Lonely (crease)

Mornings of Gold (highlight)

Soft Purple Look

Wonderland, by Sassy Minerals (inner lid)

Kismet, by Concrete Minerals (outer lid)

Ephemeral Violet, by Aromaleigh (crease)

Eat Me, Drink Me, by Hi Fi (highlight)

LADY GAGA concert look with the Sleek Acid Palette

The night I saw Lady Gaga was probably the best night of my life. I don't know if you know this, but I WORSHIP her. It was amazing to see her live. So many people were dressed up in the craziest, awesomest Lady Gaga costumes you could ever imagine. The Westboro Baptist Church was there before I got there. Regardless of your beliefs, I think we can all agree they are horrible people. Even though they decided to bring that hate, all of us little monsters had so much love for each other, it was so unifying. Honestly, if you can't accept other people's differences, fuck you :) I also liked the opening band, Semi Precious Weapons. I guess they are considered glam rock? I don't know, but I'm gonna order the cd off of Amazon.

I have tons of swatches to do for you guys, a review, and I have to tell you all about my very first Sephora experience. Thanks for sticking with me while the computer was busted! See you tomorrow ;]

Sally Hansen Hidden Treasure Giveaway Take 2!

Ok, let's try this again! US ENTRIES ONLY. You must be a follower! To enter just leave a comment with your email, and something else too. A story about your life, a "hidden treasure" makeup item you've been searching stores to find, something you'd like to see on my blog, etc. Anything is fine! The last day to enter is this Sunday, and I'll choose the winners on Monday. I will have 2 winners! :D We got a new computer, but I'm going to St Louis tomorrow for Lady Gaga and staying the weekend :D I'll catch up with everyone's blogs and announce the giveaway winners on Monday. Have a good weekend everyone!

No computer!

Well, the family computer finally croaked. I don't know when we're getting a new one, so I decided its finally time to take the plunge and buy a laptop. I don't know when that will be, so I won't be able to post much this week. :( What a bummer, I have a review of a brand new company to do! ;]

Hopefully I'll have a laptop at worst by the time the weekend is over. Sephora opens here Friday, and I'm so excited. The first 100 people in line (obviously I'll be one of them) will get a random gift card, and the lowest amount is $10, so that's awesome! Plus I get a free bag for being a beauty insider. Then Saturday I'm seeing my love of all loves, Lady Gaga! So I'll be in St. Louis for the day, and I'll do a really crazy makeup look for the event. :D

I won't be able to keep up on blogs much either, sorry! See you soon (hopefully).

Hi-Fi Cosmetics Labyrinth Collection Swatches!

I was SO excited to get my huge Hi Fi order in the mail yesterday. Today I have the Labyrinth collection swatched for you, and sometime soon I'll have a bunch of new swatches from the Rockstar collection and the permanent collection! You are warned here, this collection of colors is very complex and hard to get accurate pictures of. I highly suggest you just buy them all regardless of what you think of these swatches... ok, ok. Check out Painted Moogle's blog for some really great swatches of this collection. And of course, the Hi Fi etsy shop has swatches in their product listings, which is always so fantastically helpful for me. From left to right: Magic Spell, Pale Jewel, Land Serene, Down In the Underground, Mornings of Gold Pale Jewel looks so BRIGHTYELLOWOMG in these photos, but it's not. It's a beautiful pastel yellow, I don't have anything quite like it. Down In the Underground is IMPOSSIBLE to photograph! It is seriously the most incredible duochrome ever- dark green or purple depending on the light. I thought the swatches on the listing seemed exaggerated, but it truly does shift THAT much. From left to right: Valentine Evenings, Slime & Snails, Lost & Lonely, Between the Stars, Crystal Moon Valentine Evenings is another amazing color. It is red, bronze, and pink all at the same time. I can't wait to use it in a look. Slime & Snails is another crazy duochrome, it is a shimmery blue and an irridescent green at the same time. I tried taking a picture of the brush with pigment on it, the pigment in the bag, the outside of the bag, everything, but I just couldn't capture it's beauty, so here is the listing. Lost & Lonely is a pretty dark blue, another one that's hard to capture. I'm sorry these swatches aren't the greatest, but these colors are seriously so beautiful, unique, and complex, take my word for it. The whole collection is definitely worth ordering, whether it be sample or full size. There are also some Labyrinth lippies I didn't pick up. If anyone has pictures of these, please share!

"Neutral" LOTD with the Sleek Sunset palette

The colors in the Sleek Sunset palette are deceiving... I thought I'd be doing a bronze-y, wine-y, neutral look for work. It turned out bronze-y and wine-y, but definitely not neutral! These babies are MAJORLY pigmented. I used Concrete Minerals eye primer, some NYX liquid liner, some Rimmel liner, and L'Oreal Extra Collagen mascara. I thought I'd share something great I heard at The Muse's blog. Bruce Willis, aka the world's manliest man, is launching a line of manly men's products. If you can't tell, I LOVE BRUCE WILLIS. He is such a kick-ass MANLY MAN. Die Hard is my favorite movie of all time. Also, when Bruce Willis and Samuel L Jackson team up... it's gold baby. You know it, I know it. There's a street in my town called Willis street and I scream "WILLIS!" every time I drive by it. I do the same thing with Fox drive... "FOX MULDER DRIVE!" Speaking of which, I have exactly 7 episodes of X-Files left before I have finished the series... I already feel the void coming into my life. Sure, I have seasons of Supernatural and Buffy to go through, and I'm about to get into Doctor Who, but nothing will ever replace my beloved Mulder and Scully, and even Doggett and Reyes, who I've grown to love. Only a true X-Files fan can understand my misery... good thing my boyfriend has every season, so I can start all over when the sadness is too overwhelming :D Any movie stars you have an odd fascination with? Tell me about the tv shows you love so much more than you should.

LOTD using Shiro Cosmetics

Here was my look today. I finally felt good enough for the first time in a week to put in my contacts and do my makeup and hair, so I felt really happy to look nice. My skin, however, has quickly gone downhill since I caught my cold, an it looks awful. I mean actually awful, not beauty blogger awful (aka AMAZING!) I also cleaned out my closet of everything that doesn't fit me anymore- one skirt, a pair of shorts, a pair of pants, 4 hoodies, and about 40 shirts. My closet looks so barren now :P I'm taking it all to Plato's Closet, and using the money I get from selling it to buy new (used) clothes. I love Plato's Closet. What I used: UDPP Pixie Epoxy Squirtle (inner lid) Articuno (outer lid) Bulbasaur (crease) Mew (outer v) Maybelline Falsies mascara Rimmel black liner on waterline HiP metallic liner below waterline I wish you could see in these pictures how amazing Articuno is over Pixie Epoxy, you can see my swatches here. Sorry this is so short, I have a lot going on right now and some really hard decisions to make so I'm very stressed out and confused about everything. I wish everything could just fall into place by itself, but it won't. All I can do is try to make the best choices for myself.