Sephora haul and EOTD

I got my order from Sephora on Friday (using my 15% off coupon!) and did an EOTD with one of the shades from the palette I got.

Urban Decay Stereophonic 24/7 Set of eyeliners for $20. It includes Gunmetal, Zero, Crash, Underground and a full size Heavy Metal Glitter eyeliner in Midnight Cowboy

Benefit To Go Beauty Bestsellers Kit for $10. It includes some very small samples of Posietint (a cheek and lip stain), Some Kind-A Gorgeous: The Foundation Faker, That Gal (a face primer) and High Beam. I am very pleased to get to some of this brands best sellers for a low price. The cheek and lip stain was very pretty pink and showed up well on my fair skin but was a little too sticky. The foundation faker was a little too dark and would probably be a good shade for people who have light to medium skin. The high beam did not show up on me, probably because I am too fair, but I bet it would look really awesome on light to medium skin and the face primer worked pretty well and smelled good. It smelled kind of sweet. I probably would not buy any of this in full size just because most of it didn't look good on me and I can get other variations of primers and blush that I like better.

Korre's Smoky Eyes Eyeliner Trio for $10 - this is a great deal for three eyeliners. The colors are light blue, blue/black and silver. I used it today and included some pics of my EOTD and some swatches. They are really soft, much like urban decay.

Tarte For Your Eyes Only Eyeshadow Quad with the brush for $12. I used the charcoal (looks like dark blue to me) today in my crease and used the brush that came with the set just to see if it was any good. I liked it. I thought it did a pretty good at applying and blending. I have not tried the other three colors. There is also a matte black, a matte brown and a shimmering plum.

I swatched some of the Urban Decay liners together so you can see the difference in color. I also have another set coming from Urban Decay and will put swatches of those up at another time.

Silk naturals lash conditioning gel. Before and After, sorda.

I should have thought about taking some 'actual' photos of my results, but I didn't actually think I would have any results. haha I have been using Silk Naturals Lash Conditioning Gel for a few months, but I started to notice results after about 3-4 weeks. This little bottle of gel is pretty amazing for the low price she charges. Some of my lashes have kinda grown too long in places. If you look at the before photos you can see (especially on the lower, outer sides) that my lashes improved greatly, they were sparse and now they appear more full. They also appear longer and a bit thicker on the upper lids in the after photos. These photos are all with Covergirl Lash Blast in very black, one coat and no primer so they should be equal when I am comparing them. If I were to take a pic of my lashes with no mascara you would see nothing because they are very light blond. LOL

The bottle is kind of silly, it's a little squirt bottle and when you squirt the product out it dispenses WAAAY too much product, so I just take the bottle apart and put a tiny amount on my finger and apply to the upper and lower lid (otherwise it would be very wasteful). I do not use it on my brows, but I know some people do. I use it in the evening prior to bed about 4-5 times a week. I think the first few weeks I used it just about every night. So, as far as I am concerned this stuff works really well. The ingredients seems really good. I have never tried any other kind of lash gel to compare it to. I think for the low price you can't really go wrong. I have also seen two other people that it worked well on. :)
Even though the photos aren't that great, I think you can get a good idea of how well the stuff works.

Silk Naturals Nova, SWAK, Velvet EOTD

e.l.f. mineral primer
NYX Jumbo pencil in Oyster
Inner 1/3 lid - Silk Naturals Nova (free GWP)
Outer 2/3 lid - Silk Naturals S.W.A.K. (free GWP)
Crease - Silk Naturals Velvet
Liner - Silk Naturals Bewitched applied with Silk Naturals Mixing Medium then applied Clinique Starry Plum pencil liner over it (explanation below)
Under brow - Nova
Lashes - Urban Decay Lingerie on upper for a primer and Cover Girl Lash Blast Very Black mascara

These Silk Naturals shadows are really pretty and easy to blend, I think the Nova shade would be a good one for Silk Naturals to have in the permanent line instead of just a GWP. The mixing medium really left me disappointed. I used a couple of little drops with Bewitched and mixed it up and put it on as a liner. I had a hard time getting the line to look straight (possibly my technique, but I don't ever have that problem) and then the line/shadow started to flake off all over the place. It was quite ugly so I tried to fix it by applying clinique plum liner over it. I am not sure how I feel about that Urban Decay Lingerie stuff either, I don't really think it does anything for me except it might make the mascara a bit more clumpy. Not worth the $17 they charge for it. (good thing I got it on Hautelook for way less!) The e.l.f. mineral eye primer is pretty awesome (especially for $3), I have never had any creasing with it. I also find applying NYX pencils in a similar color really help the mineral shadows stand out more.

Urban Decay spring look using Wallpaper Palette

All the colors (except what I used under the eye) came from the Urban Decay Wallpaper Palette. I was going for a spring-y look and it was so much better in person!  Don't forget to use the 30% off code! Code 1SFNF Good until April 19th. :)


Primer - e.l.f. mineral primer
Inner lid -  Asphyxia
Outer lid -  Shattered
Crease -  Last Call
Under Brow - Grind
Under eye area - Urban Decay Mayhem from the BOS Vol. 1
Liner - Urban Decay Zero Pencil
Mascara - Lash Blast Very Black

Silk Naturals Breathe and Cruise EOTD

Primer - e.l.f. mineral eyeshadow primer
Lid - Silk Naturals Breathe
Crease - Silk Naturals Cruise
Under Brow - Silk Naturals Sonic
Liner - Silk Naturals Amethyst cream liner applied with the e.l.f small angled brush
Mascara - Cover Girl Lash blast in very black

Breathe is a clone of Urban Decay's Asphyxia - a lavender shade with shimmer and blue highlights. Although, I really didn't see any shimmer. I have UDs Asphyxia and I would say it is a a good dupe. UD is more pigmented.

Cruise is a clone from a color from Smashbox's Muse palette - I have no idea if it is a dupe because I don't have the Smashbox palette. It is a very pretty blue color, although with Breathe it looks more purple on me.

Sonic is a very light, pearlescent golden tone with an intense golden slightly pinkish copper highlight. (according to the Silk Naturals site). This is a very pretty color, but I have no idea if it is a dead-on clone like the SN site states because I do not have this MAC color.

Amethyst - a deep purple color with a decent amount of shimmer (again, this is taken from the SN site). Personally, I do not see any shimmer. I must be shimmer blind or something today. I really like this color for a liner but the formula is a bit too drying and hard to work with. I would not buy these liners again and I would not recommend them. However, I would highly recommend the shadows. They are some of the best I have tried!

everyday minerals (EDM) - they really are a horrible company

I have been contemplating writing a review about this company, but I didn't really think they were ever worth mentioning. Tonight I was informed of this blog and they have really reached a new low in my book. I honestly didn't think they could get much worse.  I have noticed the last few things I have gotten from EDM they they looked like items they already had, with maybe a little shimmer added but I never even thought to compare the ingredients like the above blogger did. I am stunned that they just take a product and give it a new name. I am not sure why I am stunned after everything else they have done to their customers.

I don't even know where to begin with this company. I will start with terrible products. Their shadows are almost all chalky (with a few exceptions) and the blushes all turn orange on me. I have read that this is a common problem. Also, the lip glosses are HORRIFIC! They are very grainy and actually hurt to put on your lips. Their brushes are okay, but nothing to brag about. They are synthetic, or so they say. I have a hard time believe anything EDM says after all the lies they have told to their customers. Some of the lies that I have witnessed are 1. The forum members were told their Super Custom Kits would be leaving then Carina (the supposed owner of EDM) informed the forum members that she would not be getting rid of the kits. Well, a short time later they disappeared. 2. She told the mods that the forum would always be there and that it would never shut down. Within a week it was shut down with ZERO warning. (not even the mods were told this was going to happen) 3. They are supposed to be a VEGAN company (they even have the little PETA symbol), yet they give away and promote LEATHER handbags on the fab club...WTF? I could go on, but I think you get the point. They lie a lot.


Their customer service is the most horrendous thing I have ever seen in a company. The better business bureau gives them an F.  This forum page will tell you just one story of the horrible customer service. (you have to registered to read this, but trust me, it is well worth registering to read how awful they are to their customers). I don't understand how a company like this stays in business. All I know is I will never spend another penny on them - this is coming from a person who purchased hundreds (or more) dollars on them.

My thoughts on Hard Candy Primer.

I have given this primer a few weeks now and I have to say I really like it. It comes in a tube and it helps to shake it before squirting it out. The consistency can become almost watery looking unless it has been shaken. A little goes a long way. It is a white, almost creamy consistency that disappears when rubbed into the skin. It significantly helps the pores on my cheeks and nose and helps to diminish the fine lines (especially around my eyes). It last the entire time I am at work, which is 13 hours and keeps both liquid foundation and mineral powder in place. I have not broken out from it and I seem to be very sensitive to things like this that help with pores. It is pretty amazing stuff, especially for the price. I have tired smashbox primer, clinique pore refiner and monistat anitchafing gel (this stuff broke me out) and this works as well and perhaps better than any of those. I have to say, for the price this is a great product and would highly recommend anyone who has issues with the mineral powder settling into the fine lies and pores to give this stuff a go! I use it with my silk naturals powder foundation and it makes a world of difference!

Bare Escentual goodies and EOTD

So this was supposed to be a Valentines gift, but the bare escentuals site is sloooow on shipping. It was mailed out on the 8th and it was in the mail system for 10 days. It went from UPS to USPS and the tracking number they provided never really got updated. I guess that's what happens when you get free shipping! haha If you order over $50 the shipping is free, but let me warn you it is soo slow.

The eye shadow set is SUPER cute! It is called bareMinerals Sweet Obsessions and it looks like a mini box of chocolates, including the little wrapper. Each shade is pretty unique, but are really small. Supposedly it's a $99 value, originally $48 and now it is marked down to $36.  There is a little instruction manual in case you are unsure of what colors might look good together. (If you really want to see some swatches, let me know)

The lipgloss set is really cute too, Buxom Babes Diamond Lips. It was nearly half price. Originally $28 marked down to $14.50. I have tried the Buxom glosses and LOVE them! So I thought this was a steal! :)

 

  

  

 

The mint eyeshadow looked like a color that I could never wear so I thought I would go ahead and try the shade today and get that color out of the way. Well, who would have thought it would actually look good? I couldn't believe how much I liked it. It made my green eyes look really green. Even my husband commented on how nice it looked.

UDPP all over lid
BE Mint all over lid
BE Dark Chocolate in the crease
BE Creme De Menthe outer V also used it to wet line
BE Lemon Meringue under brow
UD Lingerie to prime the lashes
Clinique Lash Doubling mascara
e.l.f Eyebrow Kit in light (all time favorite brow filler for my shade of blond brows!)

 

  

  

I also stopped at walmart tonight and picked up some Hard Candy Sheer Envy face primer. It was only $8 for 1.6 oz. It has spf 15 in it and the price is really cheap compared to the higher end primers! Will let you all know if I like it soon! :)

Today's attempt using Pixie Epoxy!

I tried the Pixie Epoxy again today and it was much better after taking Phyrra's advice. I let it dry for a full minute before even attempting to put on the shadow. The shadow I used on the lid is a color from Pure Luxe and their eyeshadows SUCK on me. They are PURE CRAP but using the Epoxy stuff it showed up awesomely! So now I have a bunch of shades I can actually use! :)

I placed MAC Paint Pot in Painterly all over lid.
Then I placed a thin layer of pixie epoxy all over lid.
Pure Luxe Ballerina on lid (not linking to it b/c I can't recommend their shades)
Fyrianne Dark Magik in the crease
Silk Naturals Nekkid on the brow bone
Fyrianne Incubus as a liner applied wet, upper and lower
Cover Girl Lash Blast in very black
Looking forward to trying it a few more times then ordering a full size of it!

Fyrianne haul and swatches!

I placed my first order with Fyrianne and I am HIGHLY impressed. The shadows are very unique and unlike most other shades that I have. I am so happy about that because I am getting rather tired of ordering "same shade, different company". I am looking forward to trying the Pixie Epoxy, keep hearing awesome things about it!

These swatches are all done dry with no primer.