Gwennie Gwen Gwen pt. 2

So I know I already gave the Gwen collection some love with the eyeshadow palette, but that's just cuz I give each palette its own post, and now that I have THE WHOLE GWEN COLLECTION (pretty much) here's some more awesome Gwen stuff! Woo!

I really can't get over how lovely this whole collection looks. So glam yet not over the top. 

Gorgeous packaging. 😍

I even love the liners alone. Gahhh so nice. (Gwen Brow box not pictured, cuz know what I'm not? Blonde)

And holy shiz, I am a lipstick whore by nature, so obviously I had to gobble up all of these beauties. I love them so much I even assigned them personalities. Cuz that's totally normal, right? Sure. 

Since there are 6 pencils and 8 lipsticks, I took pix of the liners alone and then the lipstick of the same name, and the 2 outliers I left on their own. So enjoy some pretty lipsticks. 

There's Firebird, the firecracker- the girl who's full of personality, high highs and low lows, spunk and spice, you're not sure how a night with her will go but you know it'll be interesting

Spiderweb is definitely the classic beauty- she's a classy lady who just might turn out to be a black widow, but you'd never see it coming with how easy her elegant smile comes

Phone Call is your school girl- all ready for plaid skirts, knee high socks, sucking up to professors and kisses under the bleachers with a sheer shade that flies just below the radar so she keeps that 'good girl' rep strong no matter how bad she is

714 is the dancer- you'll find her at a salsa club captivating an audience, she has an extra swish to her hips cuz she knows just where to put them, and a matte shade stays put all night no matter the occasion- she's always got a song in her head

Ex-Girlfriend is your bonafide bad girl- RiRi is her spirit animal; whether it's rocking that leather with lace and a bad attitude, or flashing a smile and batting eyelashes stemming from a heavy smoky eye to get past security, she's the one you can't handle, but leaves you wishing you could. Who knows, she might even key your car if you're not careful

Rock Steady is your boss lady- she's in control and knows how to take charge of a room, in a board meeting or cocktail party- she knows what she wants and she takes it

Plaid is your All-American girl- she seems wide-eyed, full of sunshine, loves her blue jeans, and would never leave the house without a smudge-free coat of mascara

Wonderland is something special, an enigma really, you just can't quite figure out what's going through her mind, like she's always somewhere else, and you're not sure if you want to follow

Alright, yes. I am definitely crazy. But it's mostly lipstick-related levels of crazy so it's probably fine. Ok, onto the Blush Palette.

This is glorious. Don't get me wrong, I am totally obsessed with Afterglow Blushes, but this is such a solid go-to for everyday wear. Like do not even have to think about it, it goes with everything always. I like to use four shades together pretty consistently, but just look at that beaut. Ugghhh. I love it. 

So much Gwennnnnn

So the moral of the story is, yes, all of the Gwen shit is totally worth it. I love the neutral colors of the eyeshadow palette (and yes, they're different than the Naked palettes), the blush palette is the handiest go-to Ever, and Ex-Girlfriend is my FAVORITE nude lip hands down. Plus how can you resist the fuschia/lilac Firebird and bomb-ass red of Rock Steady?? Plus Rock Steady liner goes perfect with like Every other red I have. Definitely stocked up on those. So yeah, could I have lived without this collection? Mostly yes, but do I want to? Hell no. 

ALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS

OMG. OMG LOOK AT THE GLORY

I HAVE THE WHOLE UD ALICE COLLECTION. IT'S SO BEAUTIFUL. SO MUCH COLOR. AHHHHHHH.

LOOK AT THAT EMBOSS UGGHHH. Dying. 

But seriously, I was lusting after this thing so hard while doing collateral, and now that it's mine I almost don't even know what to do with it! But that's ok, I'm figuring it out as I go. 

What's really neat is each column represents a character with a corresponding lip color, so naturally I started off with the middle! 

This color group goes with the White Queen, Mirana and the nice metallized burgundy Lipstick of the same name

This is a super subtle color scheme, with really nice pinky-brown neutrals that complement the bold lip. This feels like a really nice everyday office sort of look for me. The lipstick is a gorgeous color, but the payout isn't as solid as a matte finish as its more like a slightly chunky cream. Not to say I don't like it, I love the metallic sheen to it, but I think I might use it more to ombré with something darker like Blackmail. 

The next look I tried out was the Mad Hatter, using the mad hatter color scheme column and matching lipstick- this is also a metallized lipstick, so it basically had the exact same consistency as the Mirana color. This one would go really well over another matte color as well, I think layering these metallic colors over something more solid is really the way to go. 

These eyeshadow colors are surprisingly wearable and coordinating, definitely not what I expected. When I see them in the palette I thought it would be a challenge, but I'm actually stoked with how this looks! A nice bold color look, but I don't feel like I look crazy or drag-queen-tastic. 

I was really looking forward to getting on that Alice lipstick, as it's sheer, but it has such a pretty iridescence to it I can't resist. It's definitely light, but it's nice and even and the shimmer is understated yet noticeable, especially in light. The only problems I'm finding with this palette so far is the color payout isn't as vibrant as I would like. I felt like I had to go over this blue color 16 times to get it to look semi-opaque, and even then it's really light. The pro is definitely blendability, but I almost feel like I'm blending some of these colors right off, or that the brush is taking more off than depositing on. Either way, I was a lot happier with this look than I thought I would be, so I'll def experiment more with some of these neutrals. 

Ok, I did this Red Queen look like four times cuz it just was Not working- I used all four of her shades first, but the blues made me look way too cracked-out kind of crazy. Then I did just the red with a highlight, but the red wore off before I could get a pic, then I tried it again and brought some of the other neutrals from the palette into the look, and then I tried just the red, highlight color, Duchess from the White Queen colors, and used Sugarpill's Grand Tiara and was finally content. 

The red really isn't as bright as I would like it, and it was the color I was most excited about trying. Buuuut OMG, this Iracebeth lipstick is my new favorite red, I love it so much! You can get a fairly crisp line without liner, it lasts for ages, and it's a super nice matte that just looks flawless. The reapplication was hardly an issue, it's so damn even, and the color is so gorgeous- it's somewhat pinky compared to my other reds, and I definitely cannot get enough of it! If nothing else, the Red Queen's look may have been a disappointment, but this lipstick is everything. It's funny cuz this is the one I was lest impressed with initially, cuz really, how many red lipsticks do I seriously need? Well one more apparently. 

Finally there's the Time color scheme and lipstick--- this was definitely the look that called my name. This lipstick-slate gray blue metallic- held all the excitement for me by a mile and I couldn't wait to get it on, so it's actually the look I test-drove first. Unfortunately I really didn't like the result, so there's no photographic evidence of that trial. Like I mentioned with the other metallics, this definitely is not as opaque as I was hoping and I decided to try it out over a similar colored matte lipstick to give it some really solid depth. These eyeshadow colors also start out decently dark and intense, but they wear off so easily I was really surprised by how everything looked by the end of the day. 

I used all four of the 'Time' themed eyeshadows, but also grabbed Bandersnatch for under the eye as a little color pop... that didn't really pop as much as I expected. I am pleased with how the metallized lipstick worked over the matte, and I used a BLACK LIPLINER with it. BLACK. Omg I'm so happy it exists. Such a nice defined line 😻 

Overall, this isn't my most favorite line ever and I'm pretty sad I'm not more obsessed, but that's ok! Sometimes you get surprised and wind up loving something you weren't initially impressed with, and if nothing else I have some fun colors to play with blending, and blending lipsticks is the ultimate fun! So go over to UD and hook yourself up with some gorgeous lip colors :D

What's better than VICE?? MORE VICE!!

Omg. I finally got the new Vice4 palette. I even got it before xmas, but it's so pretty I literally haven't been able to handle its majesty. This palette has taken me the longest to get to know and now I have another palette- the awesome UDXX Vice LTD palette. This palette spans the past 20 years of UD history, gathering some of the most iconic shades into one palette. And I have to say I totally love it. It even has my very first UD shade from waaaay back in the day, Freakshow. Omg.

I know I usually do separate posts for each palette, but I'm doing these together cuz I want to kind of compare the Vice palette to the UDXX. 

Vice4 really is tough for me, with all this color, I don't even know where to start. But here's a chill brownish/orange look for work (to go with my new Lime Crime Penny lipstick, but that's another post...) 

I love this shade Flame, but it's such a bummer it doesn't show up more on my skin. I have to use it more as an accent. But along with Flame, I used Bones, Discreet, Bitter, and Delete. 

Omg though. For serious I am obsessed with this UDXX Vice LTD palette. I can wear it every day, but I think this is my fave look so far. And the lid is spring loaded!! You push a button and it flips open! It's totally the little things. But seriously it's too beautiful to handle. 

With this I used Roadstripe, Goldmine, UV-B, 501, Misdemeanor, Moonflower, and Asphyxia on lower lashes. 

I've realized my eyelids are like, massively hooded and it's stupid hard to get a good shot of my eyeshadow, but whatevs. I do shit anyway. And I love this thing. Go buy it right now or you're doing it wrong. 

Bat Those Lashes Baby pt. 2

So much Urban Decay!!! Omgggg
I tried every mascara UD has to offer (and even a couple they don't anymore) and threw in a NYX at the end there too for good measure.

1. UD Perversion:

I actually love this mascara and it's become my go-to for several reasons: it's not very dramatic so easy for everyday, it glides on better than most, you don't have to work to coat every lash (which is great during the morning rush), it doesn't irritate my eyes even without primer, and it doesn't even flake off very easily or smudge. 

It definitely gives a nice boost to any makeup look and it's by far my most needed mascara. If I could only have one mascara, this would be it.

2. UD Big Fatty:

So tons of people at work swear by Big Fatty. Like totally devoted. I guess my lashers do look nice and thick, like a little more than the usual, and they're really fanned out, but they're def not as long as a lot of other options so don't show up with my eyes open and eyeliner on as well as other mascaras also. Another thing I don't love is that this mascara feels super heavy upon putting it on and really irritated my eyes for a long time until it was totally dry. So in this case, if you don't have sensitive eyes, and are looking for a thickening mascara, this is actually a really great option. 

The applicator on this wand is really pretty interesting though, it's basically a uniform cylindrical shape, pretty thick and long, with very short spikes to catch the lashes. I found this to make it a little more difficult to get the little hairs in the inner and outer corners. Also, I felt like despite the fanning that occurred, it was a little harder to get a uniform amount of product on each lash. So overall it's not one of my favorites ever, but it does look nice, probably just a little more caters to certain preference as opposed to an all around product. 

3. UD Supercurl:

Ok this is definitely a super easy, wear any day kind of mascara. The wand has a nicely curved applicator with different lengthed rubber spikes to really catch each lash and deposit some color on. It grabs the lashes so well even, this is a good mascara when in a rush cuz I didn't  even feel like I needed to comb them through when I was done. Omg, losing a step in the makeup routine?? Crazy.

So if I were to compare this directly to any mascara, it would be Benefit's Roller Lash, as that's another self-proclaimed curling mascara. They have very similar attributes and applicators, but they have the edge over the other in different ways. Supercurl really doesn't bother me the whole day- I really forgot I had mascara on and it was super lightweight, more so than Roller Lash. Where Roller Lash wins though, is definitely on length- my lashes definitely looked longer than with Supercurl. But there are photos on here for both, so you be the judge of which is better. 

4. UD Cannonball:

I love using waterproof mascaras for several reasons, but mostly cuz my eyes water like all the time, and my skin gets sweaty in summer and working out so its a lot easier to kee things looking good when waterproof. Cannonball is UD's only waterproof option (though I really hope there's a w/p Perversion in our future) and it really is a solid option at that. 

For being a waterproof mascara as its claim to fame, I feel like it does a really good job of really fanning out the lashes. The wand's applicator isn't my favorite, but it is a little interesting, as it's the classic bristle type brush, just with very short bristles to create a thin straight applicator. 

The only negative to this mascara is how it smudges underneath my eyes a little bit. The pic above is post shower so I could see just how waterproof it is, and it def flaked off a little bit. I will say it definitely doesn't show up with eye makeup as much as some of the others on this list, but I like how light it feels, and is non-irritating even without Subversion on underneath.

5. Lush Lash:

So UD doesn't carry Lush Lash anymore, but i know other countries still do, and it's kind of a nice mascara. it fans the lashes out really well and has good staying power, and i have coworkers who absolutely love it. It's just not my favorite. The applicator is nice, just the way i like it with the spiky rubber bristles, and it goes on really easy, but even though it's super light, it tends to get a little brittle and feels stiff imo. But look how long those lashes look! so this is another instance of having your own preferences.

On the bottom lashes in the pic above, I have NYX Color Mascara in Mint Julep from Ulta. This is kind of a super fun mascara. I do a lot of bluey-green looks, and this mascara gives just a little pop of fun, it makes me kind of want all the colors they offer. the applicator is really easy to use on bottom lashes too, as it's a teeny tiny skinny wand that easily hits all those little baby lashes without too much trouble. plus it doesn't bug my eyes, which is another plus entirely.

Bat Those Lashes Baby pt. 1

So many mascaras, so little time.

To be perfectly honest, I can't tell much of a difference in how every different mascara looks. I can tell how they feel after a few hours (sometimes), but I wanted to definitively figure out which mascara does what, and what ones I actually like. 

I have a lot of them, so this post has taken some time, and i'm showing them different ways to really get an idea of things.

This was starting to get a little crazy long, so I opted to break it up a bit and group brands together with a few stragglers thrown in.

here's the ones in this post, so let's get the ball rolling with Benefit!

1. Benefit's Roller Lash: 

Starting with Benefit's newest mascara, I do love Benefit and have been totally happy with their They're Real! mascara, so wanted to try this new one and see if it really curled my lashes all on its own. 

The wand itself is just the way I like it, with the plasticy-rubbery spiky wand, but unlike They're Real, it's really short bristles on a curved skinny wand so it's really easy to reach each lash, even those tiny ones in the corners.

I wouldn't say it necessarily curled my lashes like crazy, but it did make them look nice and defined, and also definitely longer, so it curled enough that they showed even with eyeliner. And on this one I feel like I could tell the difference between the eye with Subversion and the one without, cuz the one on the left definitely looks a little thicker especially toward the base of the lashes. I really like that I feel like I can't tell there's mascara on and that it makes a difference even with the thick liner on. 

2. Benefit They're Real!:

This is definitely one of my favorites, I've been using it for a while and I'd say it's definitely a solid one for special occasions cuz it really gives a good dark thick coat on the lashes and makes them look nice and long. The only thing that makes this not an everyday sort of mascara for me is its a bit heavy to wear, and I feel like I really notice I'm wearing it all day. I feel like this one needs a fair amount of help to not irritate me too. I usually wear Subversion underneath, combed out before and after mascara application, several coats, and if any curling is going to happen it needs to do so before the mascara, otherwise only a heated curler will work over the mascara. 

But despite any difficulty, it really holds up and doesn't smudge under the eye very easily, so it lasts all day quite impressively and truly finishes a whole look.

3. Benefit BADgal Lash:

Of Benefit's mascaras, this is definitely my least favorite. It's got the traditional bristled wand, but it's quite a bit thicker than usual. I find it not super easy to apply, you kind of have to go over and over to deposit some color, and it doesn't glide though the lashes as easily as say They're Real! or Roller Lash. 

I feel like it's not particularly thickening or lengthening, and when there are such better options, I kind of feel like this is one that's not worth it. Too much work for too little reward. 

4. Butter London Iconoclast:

Ok, this mascara is rad. No joke man, i never would have picked it up on my own, but a friend who works at Ulta recommended it, and I'm in love. So there are a bunch of reasons why this is a great mascara and I'll try to make logical sense, but it's so great I don't know if I can. 

SUCH LENGTH. MUCH VOLUME. my lashes look soooooo prettehhhhh. I didn't feel them at all all freaking day (which is Really saying something when your eyes are as tweaky as mine). The wand is everything i want–it's that nifty plasticy-rubbery applicator, nice and skinny, but—best thing ever—it's also got a spiky little ball on the end, similar to the Givenchy mascara applicator. OMG. Love. So it's super easy to use that ball and hit specific lashes, and the skinny part of the wand hits the rest while you're nailing those corners. It's great. 

Also, this is how they look after a mother fucking spin class. this mascara holds up. I am so down. Even after sweating like a pig and having that salty shit running into my eyes for 45 mins, it still looks good. ugh. yes. i will wear you all the time. be on me, iconoclast. stay on me. 

Oh, one more thing, your lashes are still soft!!! even after putting on like 2 coats, then putting on Mascara Resurrection later in the day, then two more coats. They are soft and pliable and feel perfect.

Bittersweet + Mascara Resurrection

Got a short one today, it was spin class so I didn't do much with makeup, but ya know, why not wear three layers of lip type things and mascara? A workout is clearly not going to stop me. 

These pix are all post-class, so the mascara held up quite well considering i was sweating buckets, but what i really want to talk about is Mascara Resurrection. this came out in UD's spring 15 release, and it's a really neat product in that it's for later in the day to freshen up your mascara. You know, you do your mascara in the morning, and by evening maybe you want more on, or you want to get yo fabulous night groove on and need stylin makeups to match. It's typically not a thing to re-do mascara, and if you put more on it doesn't feel too great NOT ANYMORE with Mascara Resurrection. you just put a coat of this baby on and it glides through your already-applied mascara, making the lashes nice and supple to put on more coats. It's really pretty snazzy, goes on clear, and feels great. 

 

Look at how nice those lashes look. That's post-workout, post-mascara resurrection, + 2 more coats. 

I love this stuff.



So for mascara I used Butter London's Iconoclast, and on lips we have UD's Bittersweet lip liner, matte lipstick, and topped off with the Revolution High-Color lipgloss.

And side note, I may be in love with spin. I don't know how committed i'll be to going once it's no longer free, but damn. such a good workout and it really feels good. Like i don't feel like i'm dying or straining. Sooooo awesome.