Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in 'Double Dare' and 'Lovesick'

 The liquid lipstick trend has hit the beauty world hard and I don't think its going anywhere any time soon. I decided to hop on this trend after thorough research on what I thought the best liquid lipstick formula would be for my dry, depraved lips. I settled on trying out Kat Von D's Everlasting Liquid Lipsticks due to their reputation of having a long-lasting and very comfortable formulation.  I settled on picking two neutral colors to try this trend out.

R: Lovesick, L: Double Dare

 I picked out 'Lovesick,' a mauve pinky nude, and 'Double Dare,' a dusty rose mauve. The products come housed in a slender plastic tube with ornate black designs on it. I like the sleek packaging a lot, and the slimness may make it seem like you get less product, you actually get 0.22oz of liquid lipstick which is double what you get in an Anastasia Beverly Hills liquid lipstick. The applicator is a standard doefoot applicator which I found very easy to use to get a relatively perfect application.

Top: Double Dare, Bottom: Lovesick

I love this product a lot.  I am someone who LOVES lipstick to death but can't be bothered to reapply it through out the day when it fades. I also have a profession that doesn't allow me to look in mirrors often or take frequent restroom breaks for touch ups so I tend to avoid putting on lip products at risk of fading or smearing in an unflattering way. I think this product solves this issue for me as I get a full 8 hours of wear time out of this lipstick with no touch ups needed. This stuff lasts through eating and drinking and best of all, it doesn't make my lips feel uncomfortable. I definitely wouldn't say that this lipstick makes my lips feel moisturized while I wear it, but I'm certainly not bothered by it.

As an added bonus, I noticed in the morning following wearing this product my lips always looked and felt very refreshed. After some light investigating I discovered this product is infused with Vitamin E and sunflower seeds which my lips apparently respond really well to!

I'm in love with these lipsticks and will surely pick up more shades in the future. It's a beautiful product that works and costs the fair price of $20 per tube. Its not cheap, but its not going to break the bank if I hold off on my normal Starbucks purchases for the week!

Find these liquid lipsticks HERE!

xxSJ

bareMinerals Goodies: a blush, shadow, liner, and lipgloss, oh my!

My mom gave me a little kit full of bareMinerals goodies and I was so excited to try some stuff out from this brand! I love their pressed eyeshadows so was eager to try out some different products. This kit came with a blush, an eyeshadow, an eyeliner, and a lipgloss.

The eyeliner is called the 'Round the Clock 7PM Intense Cream-Glide Eyeliner waterproof.' This liner is a warm chocolate brown and has a very creamy consistency. I find it does have some nice staying power and is easy to apply, though I still find myself reaching for my brown Smashbox always sharp liner when I'm in the mood for brown...more on that later!  The lipgloss is called the 'Marvelous Moxie' lipgloss in 'Smarty Pants.' It is a nude peach color with gold shimmer through out. I LOVE this lipgloss. It smells minty and gives a plumping, tingling sensation to the lips. I feel like it makes your lips look luscious and supple! 

Here are the eyeliner and lipgloss swatched next to other popular brands. The eyeliner is much warmer and redder compared to the Smashbox always sharp brown eyeliner and Urban Decay's 'Demolition.' It has a similar consistency but I definitely prefer the deeper toned browns.  The lipgloss is actually really unique compared to other lipglosses I thought would be similar. It is peachier and more nude than NARS Orgasm and MAC Nymphette and more peachy and less sparkly than Stila's Apricot. 

The two loose products included were a blush and an eyeshadow and are the first loose powder products I have ever tried!

The products come housed in little plastic pots with screw on caps. 

The eyeshadow is in the color 'Sex Kitten' and the blush is in the color 'Sunkissed.' The instructions for the eyeshadow are to just pick up some product that has come through the sifter and tap off excess then begin applying to the eye. The blush instructions are to open the sifter, pour some product into the cap and swirl your blush brush into the product until it is all deposited into the brush. Then buff it onto your cheeks. 

Kitten is a medium brown color with golden sparkle. Sunkissed is a nude, warm peach shade.  Here's how I wore 'Sex Kitten' eyeshadow on my eyes:

I have Urban Decay's 'Combust' eyeshadow in my crease and then 'Sex Kitten' blended all over my lid and into the crease. I thought this shadow created a warm, toned-down, brown smokey eye.

You can see how nice the blush looks in the photo above! I found it easy to blend and very natural looking. It reminded me a lot of MAC Melba blush.

Overall I really enjoy these bareMinerals products! The blush was definitely my favorite from the bunch.

What are your favorite bareMinerals products?
My review of bareMinerals quad in 'The Truth' HERE!
My review of bareMinerals quad in 'The Happy Place'

xxSJ

Sephora Favorites: Draw the Line Eyeliner Sampler Kit

Sephora often releases these 'Sephora Favorites' kits and I thought this one would be worth a try. It is the 'Draw the Line' eyeliner sample kit complete with some great brands and well known eyeliners I already know and love. I thought this kit would be a great way to try some other products out with out fully committing to them!

The kit contains 3 full size eyeliners from Tarte, Stila, and Smashbox. There are 3 sample size liners from Urband Decay, Sephora brand, and Kat Von D.
Included in the kit are:
- 0.007 oz Kat Von D Tattoo Liner in 'Trooper' (deluxe sample)
- 0.028 oz Sephora Collection Contour Eye Pencil 12hr Wear in 'Black Lace' (deluxe sample)- 0.01 oz Smashbox Cosmetics Always Sharp Waterproof Kohl Liner in 'Sumatra' (FULL SIZE)- 0.01 oz Stila Cosmetics Smudge Stick Waterproof Eye Liner in 'Stingray' (FULL SIZE)- 0.034 oz Tarte lights, camera lashes precision longwear eyeliner in 'Black' (FULL SIZE)- 0.03 oz Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Eye Pencil in 'Vice' (deluxe sample)

One thing I really like about this kit is the varied types of eyeliners included. There are 2 liquid pen eyeliners (Kat Von D and Tarte), 2 smudge stick formulas (Stila and Smashbox), and 2 classic pencil liners (Sephora and Urban Decay).

I wish the color selection in this kit was more varied. I appreciate the bright purple and that there was a brown thrown in, but I think a deep navy or forest green would have added a lot to this kit in place of an additional black liner.

The Good:
-I love the Kat Von D pen liner in 'Trooper.' The brush tip gives a very nice and precise wing and I find it really easy to use.
-I really enjoy the Smashbox Always Sharp kohl liner in 'Sumatra.' I find the color flattering and this eyeliner is always sharp meaning its easy to use and apply.
-I like the Stila smudgestick for lining my waterlines as it is very pigmented and doesn't look too harsh since it smudges out a bit. I have to be careful around my outer corner as the color can travel a bit.
-I love Urban Decay's 24/7 eyeliners so I will definitely be getting some use out of 'Vice,' though I tend to reach for my eggplant, deeper purples over brighter ones.

The not so good:
-I was not a fan of the Tarte pen eyeliner. I loved it at first because of its ultra sharp tip and the way the pen feels in my hand, however I felt the product dried up very fast!
-The Sephora brand eyeliner was not very pigmented and so I haven't been reaching for it over my other eyeliners.


I really recommend trying kits like this out if you're interested in a brand inside! This kit was $30 for SO MUCH EYELINER. Fall Out Boy couldn't even go through this much eyeliner.

Give these Sephora kits a shot if you're on a budget and want some different brands and products to add to your stash!

xx, SJ

Light Brown: Comparing Transition Shades

A transition shade is a color you place in and a bit above the crease of your eyelid to make blending easier and the transition between all your eyeshadows smoother. The most popular transition shade is a matte light brown color. That being said, there are SO many to choose from and so many that are proclaimed 'must-have' colors by makeup gurus and companies. With so many to choose from you'd think picking one would be easy but wading through all the choices can be a tad daunting! I thought I'd share all the matte light browns I have to give you an idea of how more popular ones compare and my thoughts on some of my faves!

Let's get started from left to right! First up are the two matte browns from the Naked 1 palette, Naked and Buck. These colors are great because they layer beautifully on top of one another, meaning you can dip your brush in both of these, buff them into your crease and effortlessly add some great dimension to your eye look. MAC's Soft Brown is the next color and is a great shade if you're looking for a warmer brown that leans peach. It is really similar to Makeup Geek's Creme Brulee and Stila's Wit (from Eyes are the Window 'Mind' palette).  I like these colors if I'm going for a warmer eye look. I think they all perform comparably to one another though I prefer MAC's Soft Brown slightly because I think it is slightly less powdery and blends with other colors a bit better because of its satiny feel.  Next I have the NARS eyeshadow duo in 'Portobello.' These colors are SO amazingly buttery and soft and yet don't kick up a bunch of product when you dip your brush in or are blending them. The color on the left is unique as it has a bit of green in it and the color on the right in the duo is so rich and adds gorgeous depth to any eye look. I highly recommend this little compact if you're looking for some unique and gorgeous colors for your collection that you can get a TON of use out of. Lastly I have the matte brown color from the Dior 5-Colour palette in Grege. Unfortunately I don't think Dior sells this palette anymore which is a shame because it is gorgeous (find my review of it HERE), but if you have it, here is how the rich matte brown in it compares with some other popular browns.

I hope this post was helpful for anyone looking for comparisons of these popular colors!

xxSJ

MAC Powder Blush in 'Melba'

When I visit my sister and spend the night at her place, I always look forward to raiding her makeup stash in the morning. She has completely different tastes and products from me so I love exploring her treasure chest of makeup goodies! One of the items I always use and love the look of is this MAC blush. I finally purchased it for myself since I found myself missing it when I wasn't at my sister's place. The blush is Mac Melba, a matte soft coral peach blush that is perfectly neutral on my pale skin.

This blush is far different from the bright pinks, peaches, and glittery blushes I already have in my stash. I was on the prowl for a more professional color to wear on my clinicals and this one definitely fits the bill. It looks a bit brown and neutral in the pan but swatches with a nice warm coral tone to it.

MAC blushes are super soft and easy to work with. They build up really nicely and also blend out if you accidentally apply too much. They create a wonderful effortless look to a full face of makeup. I also found that this blush pairs really nicely with my Becca Pressed Powder in Rose Gold layered on top for when I want some extra shimmer and highlight! 

MAC blushes can be purchased from MAC cosmetics online or at counters nationwide. A blush in the pan costs $22.00 for 6g of product or $17.00 for just the refill pan.  Go check this blush out Here! if you're looking for a neutral blush for day to day! 

xxSJ

My Costume is My Face! Feminine Owl Makeup

My next makeup look in my 'My Face Is My Costume' series is this owl look! It took me about 30 minutes to do this realistic yet soft and feminine owl look. Read on to see how I achieved this! 

Above are the products I used! Makeup Geek eyeshadows in Creme Brulee, Beaches & Cream, and Cocoa Bear, my Stila 'Mind' palette, liquid eyeliner, UD eyeliners in 'Smog' and 'Demolition' and my trusty NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in 'Milk.'

First I defined my brows with a dark brown and extended the outer ends straight out toward my hair line and the inner corner down the sides of my nose and then forming the little beak tip in the center. from there I used my Milk eye pencil in Milk to draw the two big circles around my eyes

I used Demolition (a dark brown) eye pencil to outline the white circles using feathering motions. Then I used lighter colored liners to make smaller circles around my eyes to give a feathered effect. Finally I used a liquid eyeliner to extend my liner inter a thick wing as well as extending it inward to a point at my tear duct. I used a brown lipstick for my lipstick.

Overall I really like the way this cute owl look turned out! It took me about 20 minutes to complete all with makeup I had in my stash. No feathers or special effects needed to create an adorable yet feminine look! Hoot Hoot!

Check out my other posts from this Halloween makeup series!
Shattered Doll
Lion