Makeup Withdrawal

The Penguin Makeup Challenge: White & a Color

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

We've established that I like to play around with makeup that can't really be worn out of the house, right? Good. Let that be my disclaimer. For this white and a color challenge, I picked blue.

You know the wizards in Qarth, in the House of the Undying that drink shade-of-the-night which turns their lips blue? Oh you're a Song of Ice and Fire fan? Me too.

Brows: NARS Bali shadow
Eyes: NYX Jumbo Pencil in Milk, Milani Snow Frost shadow, LORAC Beige, Jane Rockstar shadow, Annabelle B-Ray shadow, Coastal Scents Hot Pot in M17, false lashes.
Lips: NYX Jumbo Pencil in Milk, Coastal Scents Hot Pot M17
Face: Graftobian HD Foundation, MUFE Full Cover Concealer, Smashbox Golden Glow bronzer

I'm sad that this challenge is over! I found a lot of really cool blogs that were new to me to follow and really enjoyed playing with my makeup. The best part for me though, was using some stuff that I had laying around for the longest time, unloved. That NYX Jumbo Pencil? I bought that like three years ago. Same with those Milani and Jane shadows.

Be sure to check out the other bloggers and their looks!

Stamped: Essie Case Study & Sally Hansen Silver Sweep

Monday, August 13, 2012

Hey folks!

Here's an older manicure I did a few weeks ago. Normally, I don't like to have a whole bunch of nail posts in a row, but it's getting late and I am unprepared to show you anything else! I suck.

My base color here is Essie Case Study, a medium tan creme that I bought on clearance a long time ago. I stamped with Sally Hansen Insta Dri Silver Sweep, which is fantastic for stamping. The plate I used was BM 322, from the newest Bundle Monster set. Bundle Monster calls this the "2012" set, I refer to it as the 3-- series.

My beau Morgan, bought me this set of stamping plates as a present. Actually, he bought me the 2-- series set as well, last summer. I hereby claim to have a monopoly on awesome boyfriend material. I can't wait to play with more of the designs, I like these so much more than the 1-- series or the 2-- plates!

What's your favorite set of stamping plates? The new MASH ones? XL ones?

Products featured were given to me as a gift. For additional information, please refer to my Disclosure Policy.

Sally Hansen In a Flurry

Sunday, August 12, 2012

A few weeks ago, I was bitten by the LE bug. Fellow nail polish aficionados, you know what I'm talking about. You see something really cool on a blog, and the words LIMITED EDITION jump out at you from the description and you know that you can't help but get it. Luckily I had a manufacturer's coupon and some cash register rewards, so I walked away with this polish for pennies.

It is a blackened green base with larger cool gold flecks, smaller blue/purple flashing sparkle and even finer purple shimmer. A lot of things going on. This is three coats.

I'm not totally in love with it though, so I think it may end up in my swap box. *sigh* LE fever, what can I say? At least I didn't really buy it, with use of coupons.

Products featured were purchased by me, for my own use. For additional information, please refer to my Disclosure Policy.

Complete China Glaze New Bohemian Collection: Swatches & Review

Saturday, August 11, 2012

Hey folks,

Last week I showed you guys two of the polishes that I received for review from the China Glaze New Bohemian Collection. They were so cool, I went ahead and ordered the rest from Transdesign. Imagine if you will, a very sheepish blogger sitting behind her desk right now. That'd be me. Anyways, I swatched them all together and I have the complete set to show you.

Deviantly Darling. I absolutely adore this one, a green/teal/blue multichrome. Perfect in just two coats, really pigmented.

Swanky Silk. A straw gold/pink/peach multichrome. I really love this sort of color, it's just so neat looking. Three coats. Good color shift.

No Plain Jane. A purple to bronze duochrome. Three coats, medium duochrome shift.

Want My Bawdy. Deep indigo. No real duochrome shift, but very rich and imperial looking.

Unpredictable. A green/teal duochrome, strong shift. Three coats.

Rare & Radiant. A gold/green duochrome, very bright. Three coats.

The formulas on these varied. Deviantly Darling was the best, it's so pigmented that I think that it'll stamp very well. Want My Bawdy and No Plain Jane were on the thinner, less opaque side and really needed all three. The rest were in between the two.

I really like these polishes! Even though some don't have a very strong shift in color, my inner magpie is still delighted with how reflective and sparkly they are, and I am very pleased that I have them all now. Again, I know that some of the colors in this collection have dupes out there, but I quite happy to pay less than $4 each for the ones that I ordered from Transdesign compared to the $8 Nicole by OPI or the $18 Deborah Lippmanns.

Which luster chrome is your favorite?

Some of the products featured were sent to me for review, while others were purchased by me. For additional information, please refer to my Disclosure Policy.

The Penguin Makeup Challege: Black & a Color

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Howdy folks!

It's week two of the challenge. Today, we're supposed to use black and a color... so I picked an unusual one that doesn't get featured in eye makeup all too often. Red! I love red eye shadow, but like I've said before, there's a line between conjunctivitis and pretty eye makeup.

So I added glitter. Go big or go home, right?

Brows: NARS Bali shadow
Eyes: e.l.f. Eyelid Primer, NYX Jumbo Pencil in Milk, Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy, Illamasqua Daemon shadow, Rock & Republic Fatalistic, red cosmetic glitter, false lashes, La Femme Eyeliner Sealer

Be sure to check out all the other awesome looks done by the other bloggers participating in this challenge!