Ice Queen

When I first started working on this look, I was wanting to do something fun and colorful, yet slightly subdued. And when I started playing with the colors, I hated it. This look is a primary example though of a look that I started out hating, but ended up loving! This is a fun, colorful, icy look that is loosely inspired by Frozen (which was totally unintentional, but that's the way it ended up going...)! It is also incredibly easy and will definitely get people stopping you to tell you how much they love your makeup!

I'm also gonna take a moment to recognize that I probably look incredibly conceited/into myself right now because I'm sitting in an airport as I type.

To start this look out, I covered my entire mobile lid using my NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in "Milk." Next, I used my Coastal Scents 252 Ultimate Eyeshadow Palette, and took a medium shimmery purple color and used that on the outer two-thirds of the lid. Then, with a very, very light hand, I took the dark navy color and placed this in the crease, being careful to really blow this color out and keep it from getting too intense. Finally, on the inner third of the lid, I took the light shimmery silver color and used that as a highlight.

For the blue liner, I used the Milani Liquid Eye Mechanical Eye Pencil in "Blue," which is a gorgeous, shimmery royal blue color. I did a fairly thick line, and brought it two-thirds of the way along the lower lash line, to help start out our gradient liner. I then went back with my NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in "Milk" and used this on the inner third of the lower lash line. I used both of these pencils as a base for the next color, which was the light blue eyeshadow, and applied this color to the lower lash line, fading it into the dark blue liner to create a beautiful gradient effect. Then I used the L'Oreal HiP Color Truth Eyeliner in "Black" to tightline, although this would definitely look even better with a purple or blue liner! I did not use the blue liner on my waterline because of the glittery specks in the liner, which make it unsafe for use in the waterline. Then, I topped it all off with Maybelline The Mega Plush Mascara and Maybelline The Rocket Mascara.

I wanted really intense brows but really subtle cheeks for this look, so I used the Anastasia Dipbrow Pomade in "Dark Brown" (which is weirdly not available in "Dark Brown" on the Anastasia website, but is available at Sephora and Ulta) through my brows, and topped it off with the Benefit Gimme Brow in "Medium/Dark." To contour, I used Inglot 358 Matte, and for a subtle peachy glow, I used the Milani Baked Blush in "Luminoso."

On the lips, I chose to keep it a similar color to my natural lips, but obviously, much prettier. I used the Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Natural Lipstick in the color "N9 Copper Pink."

I hope you enjoyed this look! Have you gotten any snow where you live? 

- D. 

First Impressions: Real Techniques Bold Metals Collection -- Part 1

Of course the whole world has been going absolutely NUTS over the new Real Techniques Bold Metals Collection that just came out. These absolutely gorgeous metallic brushes were released late December, and since I've been home in San Diego (where there are like 8 or 9 Ultas), I've been on the hunt for all of them. As of right now, I only purchased 3 of the 7, since they are nearly impossible to get a hold of in stores! So instead of waiting to do a huge collective review, I decided to do a first impressions in two parts.

To start, let's talk about the collection itself. There are 3 categories of brushes: Base, Eyes, and Finish. The Base brushes are gold, the Eye brushes are Silver, and the Finish brushes are rose gold. The handles are a tapered square shape, making them easy to take out of a brush belt, and guaranteeing that they won't roll off your table or vanity when you set them down. The brush handles are also weighted for ease of application and control, while the brass ferrules ensure the durability of the brushes. Finally, the bristles themselves are synthetic hairs, but mimic real hair, since each individual hair is tapered on the end. The bristles have been both tied and glued, in order to maximize the lifespan of each brush.

The first three brushes I purchased were the 201 Pointed Crease, the 300 Tapered Blush, and the 202 Angled Liner. 

The packing itself is solid and beautiful. When I first took the brushes out of the packaging though, I noticed that it had a really annoying sticky adhesive holding them into the packaging, which was a bit difficult to get off. I was worried that if I used alcohol, the metallic paint would come off, but I took a risk and it wasn't a problem at all. The adhesive easily comes off with alcohol, and the brushes looked pristine!

Each of the brushes also has RT stamped into the ferrules, along with the number of the brush on the opposite side.

Let's start with the 201 Pointed Crease brush. This brush costs $16, and, obviously, is meant for the crease. It's almost like a large pencil brush in density. It picks up and places product really well, and comes to a nice point at the very tip, which is great for precise application. Because it is so dense, it buffs out product beautifully with very little effort. 

The 300 Tapered Blush is one of the rose gold brushes, which seemed to definitely be the most popular of the bunch. It is paired with the 301 Flat Contour brush, which is pretty much impossible to get right now. It's sold out of every Ulta in San Diego, as well as online at both Ulta and Boots. Go figure. This particular brush is $24. 

Anyway, onto the brush I'm actually reviewing! The 300 Tapered Blush brush is a relatively small, rounded paddle-style brush. It isn't your typical fluffy blush brush because it is flat on both sides, with a bit of a tapered top. It's quite dense, however I find it a bit bizarre applying blush with this brush. It almost reminds me a bit of a fluffier version of a standard flat foundation brush. I also tried applying a contour color with this, and actually quite liked the effect it gave! It is also quite dense, so if you are using a very intense product, use caution. I think I will have to work with the brush a little more in order to really get a feeling for it, since I'm definitely used to using a more traditional blush brush.

Finally the 202 Angled Liner brush. Of the three brushes I purchased, this is probably my absolute favorite, and well worth the $16 price point! It is super small and precise, making gel liner a total breeze. I haven't been so happy using gel liner in quite a long time as I was using this brush! It is super dense and the bristles are short, making application super easy and precise. This is definitely the perfect brush for anyone who is a gel liner junkie like me, or new to using gel liner!

After using all of these brushes, I decided to put them to the test and give them a good solid wash! I expected the blush brush especially to shed, since I've had trouble with my Expert Face Brush shedding during washes, but nope. Not a single bristle fell out of any of these three brushes, which was impressive! The only thing noticed was that the Angled Liner brush did get a bit stained with my gel liner.

Final Thoughts: So far, so good! I really enjoy all three of these brushes, and I'm really excited to get the last four of the collection. I will definitely have to do a follow up and let you all know how these brushes are holding up, but after my first use/wash, these brushes have definitely impressed me so far!

Are you planning on getting any of the new Bold Metals brushes? Which ones do you want?

- D. 

His & Hers Face and Outfit of the Day -- Disneyland Edition

Happy New Year! Right now I'm currently home in San Diego celebrating the holidays with my family. For Christmas, Andrew decided to take me to Disneyland, and we had an absolute blast! It was pretty chilly at Disneyland when we went, and it only got colder as the day turned to night, which I suppose is pretty appropriate considering all the Frozen stuff they have up in the park right now. For this outfit of the day, I decided to include what Andrew wore as well!

Let's start with his outfit, since I am going to include my makeup in this post! We were planning on buying him some sunglasses, which is why he is so squinty, but unfortunately we couldn't find any that he liked. Both of our outfits were very simple, but warm nonetheless. His heather gray sweatshirt is from Old Navy, and I'm pretty jealous because it's super cozy. His coat is an amazing double-layer style jacket by Levi's, and is a wool blend, meaning he stayed warm in the colder temperatures! His jeans are a basic blue slim fit from H&M, and his boots are casual canvas Doc Martens. When the sun went down, he threw on a simple black beanie from Target, along with some dark red touch screen-compatible gloves.

For my outfit, I wore a cozy green waffle-knit infinity scarf from Target, and a basic, long-sleeve gray and white striped tee, also from Target. The best part about this shirt is that the sleeves are extra long! My jeans are my favorite high-waisted jeggings from Aeropostale, and my boots are the same cute moto booties that I featured in my fall fashion post back in October, but, go figure, they are no longer available. Of course, I also wore my favorte sunglasses, which is another piece from Target! When it got cold, I threw on an oversized faux-fur lined anorak style coat that I recently found in my closet. It was given to me years ago by my aunt, and living in San Diego my entire life, I never really needed it, until I moved to North Carolina. It isn't pictured above, but you can kind of see it below, with my two favorite face characters!

Shop His Outfit:

Crew Neck Heather Gray Sweatershirt :: Double Layered Hooded Trucker Jacket

Slim Fit Jeans :: Canvas Doc Marten Boots

Shop Her Outfit: 

Gray Striped Long Sleeved Tee :: High Waisted Jeggings

Black Surf Sunglasses :: Waffle Knit Infinity Scarf

For my makeup, I went really simple and used long-lasting products, so I could avoid touch ups and just enjoy the park! To start out, I used my itty bitty sample size of Benefit's The Porefessional (which is lasting me ages, by the way), and primed my nose and chin. Most people will prime their entire T-zone, but my forehead was feeling exceptionally dry this day, so I didn't think I needed to. For foundation, I wanted a product that I knew was going to last all day without caking up or sliding off, so I used my CoverGirl 3-in-1 Foundation. Andrew and I had gotten up early to leave for Disneyland, so I definitely had some darkness and sleepiness under my eyes. To combat that, I used my Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Dark Circle Concealer, and set it with the "Banana" color from the Anastasia Contour Kit. Then, I set the rest of my face using the Revlon Translucent Finishing Powder (not pictured), and lightly followed up with "Fawn" from the Anastasia Contour Kit, in the hollows of my cheeks. To finish off the skin, I used Milani's Baked Blush in "Luminoso" and set everything in place with MAC Fix+.

On my eyes, I did a simple winged liner (which you can learn to do by clicking here), using the Lorac Front of the Line Liquid Liner. This eyeliner performed SO well during the day. Sometimes, when I wear winged liner for long periods of time, it creases or flakes in the smile lines near my eyes. When I got home at 2 AM after a long day at Disney, my liner looked like I had just applied it a few minute prior! For mascara, I used my new favorite, the Mally Volumizing Mascara, which was a great, fuss-free option, and makes my lashes look long and voluminous! On the inner corner of my eye, I added just a little dab of "Champagne Truffle" from the original Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette. 

Finally, I used "Triple Fudge" from the Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette, to fill in my brows, and I set it all into place with Benefit's Gimme Brow.

I hope this has given you some ideas for what to wear and how to do your makeup for your next big day out. I'm so enjoying my time here at home in San Diego, and I am so thankful to Andrew for taking me on this wonderful trip!

- D.

p.s. Some more photos from the day! As you may be able to tell, I LOVE meeting face characters! And the new Frozen Ice Bar in California Adventure had these cool glowing margaritas!

This is Andrew's default selfie face... He's pretty much the worst with photos.

I hope you all had a fantastic New Year!