Some rants, woo!

Tonight I feel like venting to some like-minded ladies! There's two things I've been thinking a lot about today, and I'm going to address them both. The first is about a company- which I won't name- contacting me to do a review. I picked out a few colors, and they said they'd ship them out Monday (it was Friday). After about a week and a half had passed, I emailed the owner, who seemed really nice, and asked if my package was ever sent out; I thought possibly she had changed her mind about the review. She said she was busy, and gave me the list of reasons why my package wasn't sent, and promised to send it in the next couple days. Well, now it's been two weeks since then, and nothing. Quite frankly, I don't feel like reviewing the makeup if I ever DO get it. I don't appreciate being lied to, and given a ton of excuses. Why would someone contact me about a review if they weren't going to bother sending me my stuff, almost a full month after they asked? You know? My brother doesn't get it, because who cares, it's free stuff. But the point is that I was the one contacted and asked to do this, and I've just been strung along since then. I would much rather give my money to companies who are truthful and timely than get free product from those which are not. Now for the part that I think might surprise a lot of people... I have just over the last couple days been thinking a lot about Aromaleigh closing, and I'm actually feeling sad about it. Before I was like "Oh, it's really too bad Kristen's closing", but now I'm actually UPSET. Some of you probably thought of me as Anti-Kristen, but let me reassure you that was never the case. I had problems with some of her actions, which in my mind, she has rectified. Everyone talks about her "playing the victim", but in my mind, she has definitely been targeted since R4TU started. I'll let my opinion be known, I DO NOT LIKE R4TU. I think it may have had good intentions when it was started, but now it's just malicious, with everyone sitting and waiting for her to do the tiniest thing- or if she doesn't, make up some accusations. Her personal life has NOTHING to do with her business, and trying to drag anything like that into it just makes you a jerk. Not even those of us who are opposed to Doe Deere seem to show this kind of hatred towards her, the way some people do to Miss K. Kristen is an extremely talented person with great business savvy, and I'm sad to see Aromaleigh shut down. I'm going to try my hardest to score some more shadows before it's all gone for good. I truly, truly hope that she starts again with a new company and a fresh, positive outlook, so no one can get her down. It's really sad how everything played out, because Aromaleigh meant something to so many people. Hopefully tomorrow I'll have time after work to do my bi-monthly movie post, I don't want angry blah blah to be the first thing people see when they get to my blog. I'd love to hear your comments, and hopefully this time I won't have to disable them because of people who ruin things for everyone else.

Drugstore Favorites, part 2: bright eyeliner

For my next "I'm on a low buy so I need to rediscover great products I already have" post, I thought I'd focus on bright liners! I need to take a picture of my eyeliner collection someday, it is ridiculous. If I had to guess at how many I own, I'd say around 35. So, here are my favorite ones, available at Walgreens / CVS / WalMart, etc. First, we have the relatively new Covergirl Liquiline Blast eyeliners. Therese go for about $8 or $9. I have the shades Blue Bloom and Green Glow. The staying power is good on the lids, not so great for waterline. The Milani Infinite liquid liners go for about $6, and come in lots of cool colors. I have Infinite, the cobalt blue, and Endless, a purple. Anyone who has these can attest to the fact that the things DO NOT budge. I've slept in them, and they've stayed mostly intact. The last one's I'm going to show you today are part of the shimmer strips collection by Physician's Formula. They are cream liners, and I bought the set for green eyes. I think these are around $10-11, but I got mine when they were 40% off at CVS :) The neat thing about these is that you can stack them together.I love the black, it's very opaque and has little sparklies in it too. Do you have any of these liners? Which drugstore liners are your favorites? WHICH STAY ON THE WATERLINE? I can never find ones that will stay well on my waterline, or even show up very well.

Drugstore Favorites, part 1

Sorry I haven't done my Darling Girl cosmetics review yet! I am at the very last of my Concrete Minerals primer, and I don't have enough left to do swatches. Hopefully a new one should be here early this week! Since I am on a very low-buy, I thought I'd do a couple posts highlighting some of my favorite drugstore products, nice and cheap, mmm :) First up is the FabuLiners from the InColor line of Jordana products. These are available at Walgreens for the amazing price of $1.50. They are great for those of you who, like me, don't do well with liquid liner, because these have the nice felt-tip ends instead of bristles. So far I have only ever seen them in brown and black, I hope they add more colors someday! The lasting power isn't insane, you might have to reapply at the inner corner of your eyes a bit, but that's fine by me for only $1.50! Next up is the Blushable Creme Stick by NYC! If you don't already own at least one of these, WHY NOT? Ever since they came out, beauty bloggers have raved about them, and for good reason. This is my go- to blush. The stick form is so convenient, and being a creme bush it is super easy to blend.I think I got mine for about $4 from Meijer (Midwest only super center) in the shade Big Apple Blush. That first swatch is with the stick twice over bare skin, and next to it is twice over bare skin, and blended in. The last one is a product I'm not normally a big fan of- lipstick! My problem with lipstick is that it's the part of my makeup I don't want to be bold, and I have a hard time finding lipsticks that are basically just my lips but better. This is why I only own about 8. But Rimmel Moisture Renew lipstick in Coral Shimmer is awesome! It has a nice, not old-lady type smell, it comes in super cute purple packaging, and it is nice and sheer (I like sheer lipsticks) and VERY moisturizing! It applies so smoothly. I got this for $7 at Walgreens, but Rimmel is currently 40% off, so you would only pay $4.19 plus tax! I'll end this post with two of favorite things, makeup and one of my kitties :3

EOTD with the Sleek Circus Palette

I'm really excited to get my purchases from Haute Look this week! Especially the Urban Decay Stereophonic set. I have been eyeing it for quite a while, but I think it has just recently been dc'd. Anyway, I got it for $7, and it will be my first time trying out 24/7 pencils! I haven't done any real bright looks lately, so today I decided to play with the Sleek Circus palette. The color on the inner corner is actually the lime green from the palette, it turns almost neon yellow on me! Does this happen to anyone else? What I used: Concrete Minerals eyeshadow primer Sleek Circus Palette Max Factor 2000 Calorie mascara e.l.f. all over color stick in Pink Lemonade Urban Decay lip gloss in Lust I stopped listing any face products I use a while ago, so I thought I'd list them today. Hard Candy face primer Jane tinted moisturizer in "natural" Covergirl pressed powder Benefit Confessions of a Concealaholic kit I had to get in a weird spot by the window to take this, all my full face shots kept turning out blurry. I have bought so much makeup and bath stuff these last few weeks, too much in my opinion. So starting this weekend until near the end of September, I am going on a low-buy. I'm going to rediscover great products I already have, and hopefully this will help me curb my spending in the future. I'm ending the low buy in time for the Urban Decay book of shadows 3 :) Is anyone else on a low buy, or *gasp* even more awful, a no buy? How's it going for you? Since I started blogging I honestly don't think I've gone more than a week without buying some sort of cosmetic.

Detrivore swatches

All swatches done over Concrete Minerals primer. Top row: Hemoglobin, Misery, Lotus Middle: Sordid (highlight color) Bottom row: Artery, Slimy, Crypt Top 2: Gorgon, Saprophyte Middle 2: Harpy, Asylum Bottom 2: Dagon, Kraken I thought Crypt looked similar to Meow's Illegal in 50 states, so I swatched them next to each other over Pixie Epoxy. Meow is on the left, Detrivore on the right. They are not exact, but very similar. Don't forget, Urban Decay will be on Haute Look tomorrow!

I LOVE YOU, JULISSA.

I got home from work and chauffeur duty today and went to check the mailbox. I was excited because I had new packages from Skin Journey and Darling Girl Cosmetics (review later this week). There was a third package too, from the lovely Julissa of Rebellious Makeup. I ran inside and tore it open. I had no idea she was planning on sending me anything. What did it contain? Your eyes do not deceive you. She really did sample her Sugarpill pigments for me, and she sent me a freaking BURNING HEART PALETTE! I about died of joy right there in the kitchen. Actually, I called my boyfriend and was like "I KNOW YOU DON'T CARE BUT GUESS WHAT I GOT!" I'm not going to review or do swatches, since everyone and their mom has, but now I'm not the sad little girl who's the only one without the Burning Heart quad :D Thank you so much Julissa! This is seriously the nicest thing anyone's done for me. I am so grateful to have met such awesome people through blogging :) PS. Julissa when you read this... do you ever make bow barrettes? I'd really like to buy some from you :D PPS. Her contest ends on the 31st! Enter if you haven't already! I know my lazy ass still needs to.

Dark green EOTD

I was really feelin' the forest green shades the other night. I hadn't done a look for a while, so this is what I put together to go see Piranha 3D. It was good, cheesy fun. This Friday I'm hopefully going to go see The Last Exorcism with my friend during the day, since we don't have work or class that day. It's PG13 so we have to be there at a time when all the annoying teenagers are still in school! -_- Watch this viral marketing campaign for The Last Exorcism, it's hilarious. Anyway, on to the look: Brianna, by Aromaleigh (inner lid) Magic Moss, by Stardust (center lid) Brocade, by Fusion of Color (outer lid) Some L.A. Colors pigment for highlight (possibly called Honeysuckle) Mix of Maybelline Falsies and L'Oreal Extra Collagen mascara Rimmel black liner Boots no 17 lip glaze in Remember Me Hi Fi's Starlet glimmer gel and e.l.f.'s Gotta Glow blush for cheek highlight I feel like I barely ever do my makeup anymore since I work every day, it's so sad. I'm really going to make an effort into doing my makeup every day now, it's something so enjoyable to me. ALSO! Stila will be on Haute Look tomorrow. Urban Decay will be on Haute Look on Wednesday. Yaaaaaay!

e.l.f. books- hit or miss?

I'm sure that most of you own at least a few e.l.f. products. If you're a mega-cheapie like me, you may own quite a few. To me, e.l.f. is a very hit or miss brand, which is ok since most of the products are only $1-$5, so if the item isn't great, it's not like I'm out a lot of cash. I picked up the Beauty Book Eye Brights Edition for $5 from Target, and The Beauty Encyclopedia Sparkle Eye Edition for $5 from the e.l.f. website. Let me tell you an interesting story about the e.l.f. cs first (you can skip this if you want, it doesn't relate to the product review). I actually ordered the Sparkle Eye set a couple weeks ago when there was that 60% coupon for the e.l.f. website, along with a bunch of other stuff. It arrived with most of the shadows totally cracked and spread all over everything. I emailed the company, and they said they would send me a new one. I got a confirmation email saying my package had been sent and everything. Then a couple days later, I got another email saying they were refunding the money because the set was out of stock. Does this make sense to you? Me neither. I never did get the set, so why they said they had shipped it is beyond me. Anyway. I got the Sparkle Eye set in the mail today and was excited to open it up. But something seemed eerily familiar... DUN DUN DUN! *lightning crash* Two different books. Same damn set of eyeshadows! *werewolf howl* The only difference is that the Eye Brights set has a mirror, and the Sparkle Eye set has 2 cream shadows. Thankfully it was only $5, so it's not like I'm out much here. But it was still annoying to finally get the product I was excited about only to discover I already have it! I'm going to give it to a friend who will hopefully like it. Here are the swatches for the palette(s), row by row. The top half is on dry skin, the bottom half is over pixie epoxy. As you can see, the pigments are pure garbage without an adhesive base. I used pixie epoxy instead of a primer because I didn't know how much a primer could even do to fix these. Without the PE, the first three colors are basically nonexistent. The fourth is a beautiful, beautiful taupe. Still terribly pigmented and chalky. I could not get an even coat on the dry skin for anything. I like the nice forest green, and the blue has pretty good shimmer in it (like Barry M's Aqua Gold). That first silvery shade was so stiff and hard (heehee) I felt like I was rubbing the brush on cardboard. Seriously. Even over the PE, it barely shows up. The purple and wine shade are both GORGEOUS. The silver & the black both have glitter you can't see in the picture. This leaves me confused on my opinion of the palette! There are some really nice colors in there, but you absolutely have to use them over a super sticky base to get any color out of them. For only $5, and the few really nice colors it has in it, I wouldn't say I recommend it, but I'm not condemning it either. I will say I probably wouldn't buy any other beauty books after this. e.l.f. has some really stand-out products, but these beauty books certainly aren't contenders for that category. While the PE makes the colors gorgeous, I don't think they should have to have that much help to show up. Could this review be more wishy-washy? I don't think I've ever felt this way about a product before, lol. Do you have these or any other e.l.f. books? What do you think?

2 mini Etsy reviews: Skin Journey & Lethal Lathers

So, I finally bought my own laptop! You would think that would mean I would have been actively blogging the last few days, since I can now do so from the comfort of my own room... but no. I've just been catching up on True Blood. >:) I recently received orders from some etsy shops I discovered, and since they were just really small orders, I thought I'd combine the two "mini reviews" into one post.Thank goodness blogger decided to flip half my pictures so they look stupid, now people have a warning sign my blog sucks without even reading what I have to say... *sigh* First up is Skin Journey! I love their whole theme of all the scents being based off of different locations. As someone who is desperate to see the world (but too desperately broke to do so), this idea really appeals to me. I just checked my email to see when I ordered -at 12:09 AM on the 12th-, and they got it shipped out by later that day! Pretty awesome. I wanted to try out some of their scents, so I ordered three sample sizes of lotions, which are fairly priced at $2.50 each. When I got it, they included a sample of their Peruvian Chocolate soap, and a nice thank you note with a code for 15% off my next order. The scents I chose were Athens, Greece; Caribbean Islands; and Curacao Netherlands Antilles.I'm not going to go in-depth describing the scents here, but I will say I didn't really like Athens, Greece. It smells nice, but air freshener-y. Caribbean Island is ok, very fresh floral. Curacao is just awesome. I can't describe the scent, but I love it. I've already placed another order (last night, shipped out today) for some other scents to try, and they have a lot of other cool face products and lip balms I'd love to test out. Next up is Lethal Lathers. I'm really surprised that I haven't seen any other bloggers reviews this company, but I guess it is relatively new so I was just lucky enough to discover this gem first! Their soaps all have really cool names, inspired by the macabre, scary, etc. I love how they have samples available, and they are SO CHEAP! I ordered a set of 3 samples for just $2.50. I ordered this around 1 in the morning, and it also got shipped out the next day. Excellent! The samples are described as hotel soap-sized, which is dead on. Blogger flipped my pictures :( Isn't the packaging so cute? And all the soaps were nicely plastic wrapped and taped. Danse Macabre is a nice smell, kind of musky I guess? I can't describe it, but I like it. Dutch Annie just smells really clean and nice, I love it. As you see from the picture, Dia de los Muertos is already out of the packaging and in my shower. It has got to be one of my favorite scents of all time. It is AMAZING. If you buy samples, you've GOT to try this one! To me it smells like a really sugary lemon/orange, like a flavored buttercream icing or something. I'm not even a fan of lemon or orange scents (they are the lame citruses reserved for cleaning products), but this is amazing. I want to eat it while holding it tenderly and whispering sweet nothings. Uh... I've already placed another order (last night, shipped out today), because obviously I have to try Suspiria and Sookie! Don't even get me started talking about Suspiria or True Blood... geez (unless you want to discuss in the comments how David Gordon Green is doing a Suspiria remake- should be interesting. Also how hot Eric is. And Alcide). Two of my loves, now in soap form. The etsy shop says new scents and perfumes are coming soon, so I know I'll be ordering again! I have to get Dia de los Muertos in a perfume. Thanks for sticking through all my talking here! Have you tried out either of these companies? Are you planning to? Lethal Lathers has only made 40 sales, you should bump up that number and support an awesome new company!

Meow Simple & Guilty Pleasures swatches

I actually haven't seen too many people swatching the Pleasures dual collection from Meow, so I thought I'd show you guys the few that I ordered. Of course, some are up and down instead of left to right... sigh. I swear the little Blogger monsters are like "SHE'S TRYING TO UPLOAD SWATCHES! QUICK, FLIP THE PICTURES! GO GO GO!" >:[ Here are the Simple Pleasures colors I picked out. From left to right: Funky Dance, Rainy Day, Birdsong, Karaoke, Making Love, Morning Latte, Purpose Can I just say that I HATE the phrase 'making love'. It irritates the hell out of me. Just call it sex like adults, geez. Purpose is actually a very peachy color, the swatches of that shade really aren't very color accurate. I LOVE Birdsong and Funky Dance. Here are the Guilty Pleasures ;] From up to down, damn it: Soft Porn, Illegal in 50 States, Margarita, Lace Lingerie, Those Heels One of my kitties was in my room so I got her in the picture :) Illegal in 50 States is the real showstopper, imo. I have no color like it. Here's a look I did the other day using Birdsong, Purpose, Soft Porn, and Morning Latte. For some reason that last picture makes me think of Nea. :) Have you ordered anything from this collection? What do you think of the shades? I think this probably is my favorite Meow collection, tied with Lost Rainforest.

Simple EOTD using Eccentric Cosmetics

I really felt like using Eccentric Cosmetic color Acid Drops today. I wanted a simple look for work that was colorful, but not too vibrant- I've been on a kick with that lately, using pretty colors that aren't so super bright. It's nice to have a look that is colorful but still toned down. Acid Drops and Raing Song are on the lid, Wolf is in the crease. Yeah, that's a Hello Kitty bathrobe. Don't be jealous. Also, everyone should 'like' Models Own on Facebook! If they get 10K 'likes' before August 31st, they will have a 50% off sale! This is a brand I'd love to try, and paying international shipping would be worth it for items that are 50% off. I know some of you must be Models Own fans, what are your favorite products? One last question- I need a new wallet, so of course I went to browse etsy. Trying to choose a single wallet is overwhelming, and I keep finding little pouches and coin purses instead of wallets. Does anyone know any etsy stores with cool wallets they can recommend (or any website with cool wallets, really)? Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Questions & what I've learned from blogging!

Hey guys! I'm bored and don't want to go to sleep yet, so I thought I'd do some of the little survey things I've been tagged in. For anyone who gives me blog awards, I really appreciate it but I am far too lazy to retag people and all that stuff. >:D But here's some questions I've been tagged in! This first set is from Nicole. 1. What is your favorite brand of makeup and why? Could there be a more difficult question? haha. I guess I'd have to say Hi Fi cosmetics, I've placed more orders (big ones, too) from there than any other company, the eyeshadows are just the best. But I do love Urban Decay and Too Faced as well! Milani is a great drugstore brand. 2. What is the most you've ever paid for one single item of makeup or other beauty related product? Does my Benefit Confessions of a Concealaholic count, since it's a set? If not, I think UDPP. Seriously. $17. I like my bargains. 3. Hot rollers or curling iron? Neither... I just have to put my hair up most days because of work. If I have the day off, I straighten it. 4. How long does it take you to get ready in the mornings? If I get to take my time and do things how I like, a good hour. I really like to actually get to do fun makeup on my days off, plus the extra few minutes for my hair. 5. Do you have a "beauty budget" each month? HAHAHA as if such a thing exists... my paycheck is my beauty budget. 6. What skincare line can't you live without? I'm not big on skincare products. I pretty much keep it to the basics. 7. Who is your all time beauty icon? This is gonna sound cheesy, but all you beauty bloggers! I don't have any kind of celebrity or model beauty icon, I get inspiration from you guys :) 8. Do you wear makeup and fix your hair even when you aren't going out? Sometimes! I don't need to look pretty for other people, it's fun to look nice for myself. This set is non-beauty related, just 10 things that I like, from Michelle. 1. Feminism. I can't wait for the only course I'm taking this semester: Women in Arts, Culture, and Society. 2. The new show Haven on Syfy. I want to live in Haven. It's so crazy and cozy. 3. The movie Saw. I just watched it for the first time tonight (I know, how has someone so movie obsessed, especially with horror films, never seen it?), and it was pretty cool. 4. Nail polish, which I can't wear because of work. I have around 30 untried bottles that will just have to wait until I eventually leave Arby's. 5. My favorite of the many Asian grocery stores in town, where they will sell me their sushi dirt cheap if I come in late at night to buy it... sushi cravings, man. 6. Buying socks & panties... the cheap thrill of spending money without the sadness of emptying your wallet. Almost every pair of socks I own is argyle. 7. Days off... I don't get enough of them. One a week, typically. 8. My Hello Kitty fleece blanket I'm using right now :) 9. Cool weather, and soon I hope! Pleeeeeeeease. 10. The fact that Shiro Cosmetics just released 8 new colors... shewt. And of course, Charlotte posted today some things she's learned from beauty blogging (I'm sure a lot of you have already seen her post). I thought I'd add a few of my own! .Drugstore makeup in the UK is awesome. .Different types of shadow brushes really do make a difference! .All lipstick does not smell like old ladies! .Face primer is a must. .Amazing websites like Beauty Ticket or Haute Look (when it has good sales) have pricey brand products at good prices. See how oblivious I was before I started blogging in November? :P What are some things you've learned since you started blogging?

Sephora Must-Have: Too Faced Glamour To Go II Pocket Palette

I've been using this palette like mad since I bought it, and for the amazing steal of a price- $20!- I thought it needed to be my next Sephora Must-Have. This cute little set is about the size of my cell phone when it's closed. It opens up to reveal 8 eyeshadows, 4 glosses, and a blush.This is Glamour to Go 2, I don't think the first one is still sold anymore. The Sephora website has no 3, which looks even better than this and is on sale for $10 (omg, I know), but is sadly sold out right now. I know my window is really dirty! Don't judge me! The eyeshadows are all neutral, so if you're not into that, I'd skip this set. I, however, love a good neutral eye, and these colors are all great for that. I like the glosses. They work best when applied with a lip brush. They're somewhat sheer, but not entirely, which is my personal preference for glosses. I love the berry colored one. I can't comment on how well the blush works on other skin tones, but for me personally it has to be one of my HG blushes, which is sad since it's just a tiny thing out of a palette. I'll definitely have to try some regular Too Faced blushes.On my skin, it gives the most perfect, natural looking glow. Here's a quick look I did with the palette. So, I'd say this isn't something that everyone would love, but for me it's great to do a quick, full look for work or going out. It's going to be great to take with me to a hotel so I don't have to choose out of my crazy collection what to bring (I know it's weird, but choosing which makeup to take for vacation bothers me sooo much; I don't want to leave anything behind I might need), I can just grab this and I'm good. For $20, this is a steal :D