Australian Care Package with Diary of a Beauty Padawan!

Early in my blogging days (like, way back when I did my Hunger Games posts), I had this lovely Australian reader named Shae. Little did I know at the time that Shae would become a great friend of mine, and then go to create her own blog, Diary of a Beauty Padawan! While she and I have both been incredibly busy due to our college schedules, we still occasionally like to freak out and fan girl over the newest beauty products, and some country-specific brands that we love!

This isn't necessarily a beauty swap, like our last post together was, but more of a care package from her to me, filled with all kinds of Australian makeup goodies! I thought I'd type up a post giving you my first impressions of the fun things she sent me.

The first thing that caught my eye was the Sunset palette by Chi Chi. Chi Chi is known for having gorgeously pigmented, affordable eyeshadow palettes, and this is now the second one I own! The first one was the Chi Chi Brights palette she also sent me a while back. When she asked which one I wanted and gave me the choice between two, I'm pretty sure my exact words to her were "The Sunset one speaks to me on a personal level." And it is even more stunning in person!

The eyeliner she sent me was kind of a joke, because of the name, but it is truly a gorgeous purple liner -- which is perfect for my hazel eyes. This specific eyeliner, appropriately named "Beauty School Dropout," was sold in a limited edition set, and unfortunately is no longer sold. Hopefully they'll come out with it permanently though, because this color is gorgeous!

The next bunch of eye products she sent my way were from a few different brands. The black liner on the left is by Model Co, and is called the Eye Define Crayon Liner. While, yes, it is just a basic twist-up black liner, the coolest part about it is that it comes with a built-in sharpener! Never will you be condemned to a dull line with this liner, because the sharpener pops right into the cap. The swatch for this has been included with the Chi Chi liner above.

The Face of Australia Colour Max "Gold Mine" quad is a simple little neutral quad that is just perfect to throw in your bag and go. It's got 4 neutral shades ranging from light to dark, and is easily blendable! These shadows aren't crazy pigmented, but if you're on the go, you might want the forgiveness that these shadows give. 

Lastly for the eyes are these two neutral cream shadows by Australis. But don't be fooled into thinking they're just ordinary cream shadows. These cream shadows pack a serious punch, and are super metallic! I was actually really surprised when I dipped my finger in them, because I wasn't expecting a cream product. But as soon as I swatched them, I knew they were magic. 

Now moving onto my favorite part -- the lips! The two on the left took me by surprise, because they look like the cult favorite Lip Butters by Revlon, but they're in blue and silver! While it looks like Revlon Lip Butters have been discontinued in Australia, we can still get them here in the United States, but not in these blue and silver shades. Fortunately (or unfortunately, depends on how you look at it), these two shades don't come off as opaque as some of the Revlon Lip Butters often do, but rather are more of a sheer, shimmery formula, that I didn't bother swatching because it really doesn't pick up as much of a color. 

The Face of Australia Lip Paints are very intense (but somewhat messy) liquid lipsticks. You really need very little product to apply these, which I totally forgot when I went to swatch them, which resulted in messy swatches. I think these have been discontinued, though, as I can't find them on the FOA website. However, I love the pigmentation and shine of these lip paints, and they stain your lips, so even when they wear off, you're still left with some color!

And onto the last few products! The first product is by a brand called Boe Beauty, and this particular lip gloss is no longer sold on their website. But I can tell you that it smells like peaches! It is relatively glittery though, and a little bit grainy, but if you can get past that, it smells really, really good and makes your lips look super plump! 

Next are the Velourlips Matte Lip Creams by Australis in "Grandmaster Pash" and "Los Angel-es." "Grandmaster Pash" is part of their AC❤ME collection, which is really interesting because, while the product is matte, it also has like a metallic sheen. It's kind of hard to describe, and something you may just have to experience for yourself! In terms of color, it's a super wearable brick red shade. "Los Angel-es" is a super bright bubble gum pink, not for the faint of heart! I'm not sure if I'll ever be able to pull this color off (but you know I'll try), but I don't have anything like this in my collection! 

Also from Australis are the Colour Inject Lip Gloss and the Cray For Colour Lip Gloss Crayon. I didn't swatch the Colour Inject Lip Gloss because it is very sheer, with just a very subtle hint of color, but the Lip Gloss Crayon is super pigmented but still hydrating! The shade she got me is called "Twisting Roses," and is an orangey red shade that is super fun for spring.

That's all for this post! I'm hoping to get a tutorial up using a few of these products soon. Is there anything you'd like to try? Anything you want to see a tutorial for? Let me know in the comments below!

Again, a HUGE thank you to Shae for sending me all these products! Go over to her blog and send her some love for me!

- D. 

Coral Sunset

I've been hanging out at my friend Alana's house, catsitting while she's out of town with her family. She has two adorable cats, one of whom is a 4 month old kitten and needs lots of love. Hence why I'm staying at her house instead of just checking in every day or so. Anyways, I was hanging out here, bored, and decided to run back to my house and grab some of my makeup and play a bit! Luckily, I live just a few streets over from her. I felt like playing with some color, since I've been feeling like I've been in a bit of a makeup rut, so I went on Google Images and did a search for some flowers to inspire me. This is the look I came up with, based on the "coral sunset" peony, which looks like this:

For this tutorial, I went to my trusty Coastal Scents 252 Ultimate Palette. I used the warm color palette within the 252 Ultimate Palette, and blended a mix of the taupey gray "crease/blending" colors into my crease and up to my brow bone, in order to make the transition more seamless. With this palette, the shimmery colors are much more opaque and pigmented than the matte colors, which I knew going into this look, so I started my look with the shimmery colors so the dark mattes wouldn't be blended away. I started out with a shimmery peachy "inner third" color, and placed that along the inner third of my lid. On the center of my lid, I took the matte peach "middle lid" shade and blended it with the shimmery peach. I really loved the way these two colors blended together, so I continued going back and forth with both of these colors on the middle lid, to create a richer version of the shimmery peach shade. Then I took the matte true coral "outer third" shade, and patted that on the outer third of my lid with a flat, stiff brush. I then went in with a clean blending brush and blended out any harsh lines.

After blending, the matte coral color began to fade, so I pumped it back up with another layer of the shadow. Then, to deepen it up, I took a combination of the fuchsia "outer V/crease" shades on a stiff domed brush and blended that into the outer V and even a little bit into the crease. This combination was super pigmented, but it did give just a small amount of dimension that really helped to bring the look together. To add another layer of depth, I added a warm chocolate brown in the outer V, only concentrating in the outer corner socket of my eye to deepen up the colors in the outer corner. Finally, I took the pale shimmery yellow shade and dabbed that on the inner corner of my eye to brighten everything up.

As a brow highlight, I used the Milani Bella Eyes Gel Powder Eye Shadow in "Bella White." This shadow is fantastic as a highlight on pale skin like mine and it really helps to clean up a look. On my lower water line, I used the Rimmel Scandaleyes Kohl Kajal in "Nude" to brighten up my eyes. This is an important step since sometimes pinks and orange eyeshadows can make you look ill. On my lower lash line, I used the Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Eye Pencil in "Voodoo" (which was a gift from Ulta for my birthday and is not available for purchase, but any purple liner will work), and used a pencil brush to smudge out the color and add a bit of smokiness. On my lower lashes, I used the Laura Geller GlamLASH Mascara, which I have found is a phenomenal lower lash mascara, since the wand is so small! I didn't add any mascara to my upper lashes since I planned to add falsies, so I just lined my upper lashline with my Lorac Front of the Line Pro liquid liner, and winged it out.

For my brows, I used my latest and greatest obsession, the NYX Micro Brow Pencil in "Ash Brown," which is a dead-on dupe for the Anastasia Brow Wiz. I love this pencil because it creates such a natural looking brow while still creating a defined look! On my cheeks, I stuck with creams since I wanted a glowy, bronzed look. I used my Sonia Kashuk Undetectable Cream Bronzer where I normally would contour as well as on the high points of the face, blending into the hairline for a more natural look. On the cheeks, I used my NYX Cream Blush in "Tea Rose."

On this lips, I originally wanted to go for a true nude, but then decided to go for more of a plummy nude. To start out, I used Milani Color Statement Lipstick in "Nude Creme," then went in with "Plumrose" to add a deeper, warmer color.

Finally, to top off this fun and colorful look, I added my Ardell Curvy Lashes in #415!

Hope you enjoyed! I'm so happy to be feeling a bit more back to my old self. Color sure is the way to do it! Would you wear this look? Let me know in the comments, as well as if you have anything you would like to see me do!

- D. 

Pink Lemonade Cut Crease

I'm baaaaaaaaack! No, seriously, I'm back to blogging! My first year at UNCSA just ended, and now I'm back in sunny San Diego (not really, it's been raining all day), and trying to get back into the swing of things. Of course, I'm going to be a bit rusty with all this, considering that, not only have I not done this in a while, but I'm also working on a computer that I'm not quite used to. My old HP laptop finally conked out on me, so as of right now, I'm typing and editing photos on my parents' desktop computer, waiting for my new Macbook Pro to arrive on my doorstep. Luckily, my parents' computer still has my photo editing program on it, so I can still get by!

Anyways, I thought, what better way to welcome myself back than with a fun, bright cut crease look that's perfect for summer!

I was shopping in Walmart at some godforsaken hour a few weeks ago, and spotted this amazing bright yellow eyeliner by Revlon that reminded me so much of the Stila Smudge Stick in "Canary" that I just had to have it! 

For this look, I used a handful of different eyeshadows in order to achieve just the right about of depth. Bright pink eyeshadow can be hard to pull off, because it can often just make you look like your eyes are swollen and that you've been sick or crying. A great way to combat this is with a bold liner and lots of depth in the color to make it appear as more than just some irritation.

To start out, I placed a layer of tape along the outer corner of my eyes, to help ensure a sharp cat eye with little cleanup. As a base, I used a thin layer of the NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in "Milk." Then, I used Makeup Geek "Beaches & Cream" all over the lid and up to the brow bone. In order to make blending easier, I then used Milani "Bella Caffe" in and above the crease, avoiding blending down onto the mobile lid to begin creating the cut crease effect. With a small, clean fluffy brush, I used Milani "Bella Rouge" and buffed that into the crease, again avoiding getting the color onto the mobile lid, blending upward. With a small detail brush, I applied Makeup Geek "Simply Marlena" eyeshadow into the crease, really focusing the color between the more feathered out "Bella Rouge" shade and the creamy "Beaches & Cream" color, creating a more defined cut crease. Because "Simply Marlena" is just slightly darker and more matte than "Bella Rouge," it also begins to create some depth in the crease. To deepen that color even farther, I took Makeup Geek's "Unexpected"  on the same detail brush and pushed that into the crease, flicking upward to help blend the color out. Then, using the same brush that I had "Bella Rouge" on, I blended upward and out, until I got a subtle gradient. When the hot pink gradient seemed to blend too far upward, I took "Beaches & Cream" on a stiff blending brush, and blended the pink shadow back under control.

In order to redefine the mobile lid, I took "Beaches & Cream" on a flat stiff brush and really carved out the contour of the lid,  mixing with Milani's "Bella White," and using "Bella White" as an inner corner highlight. After filling in my brows, I also used "Bella White" under my brow bone to really bring the look together. 

For the fun, bright yellow eyeliner, I used Revlon PhotoReady Kajal Matte Eye Pencil in "Matte Lemon." Making sure the tip was sharp, I created a thick winged liner, using the tape on the outer corner of my eyes to help keep the creamy pencil where I wanted it to be. For my tutorial on creating the perfect winged liner, click here. I also used the "Matte Lemon" liner on the lower water line. This bright yellow is a fun twist on the classic white or cream liner that you would normally apply to the lower water line to open your eyes up. In order to define the eyes even more and make the yellow really pop, I used the Maybelline Line Stiletto Liquid Liner and created a very thin winged liner along the lash line. I then used Milani "Bella Caffe" along the lower lash line to give the look a subtle smokiness, and then topped it all off with the Mally Volumizing Mascara.

To give my cheeks a subtle hint of color, I used the Maybelline Fit Me Blush in "Light Rose," then finished off the entire look with Milani's Color Statement Moisture Matte Lipstick in "Matte Orchid," which added an extra pop of color to this already colorful look. However, when I wore this look out and about, I went with a nude lipstick to make it more wearable.

It was crazy bright outside yesterday, so very few of the open eyed photos actually turned out alright. So you get this silly "it's too bright to open my eyes" photo instead!

I hope you enjoyed this look. I'm so glad to be back to blogging. I missed it dearly and I can't wait to share all of my fun new looks!

- D. 

Milani & Rimmel Haul

The other day, I had a few different coupons for CVS, so of course, I had to step in and take a look -- especially since I had been eyeing the new Milani Color Statement Moisture Matte Lipsticks. I love Milani's traditional Color Statement Lipsticks, so I was super excited for yet another drugstore brand to come out with a matte formula! I also had a couple of things that I actually needed to stock up on too, so I got those while I was at CVS as well, and I thought I would share it!

Starting out with the "boring" stuff, I had to get some face products from Rimmel. Well, really, I only bought one of the items in the picture. My Revlon PhotoReady Translucent Finisher is on its last legs, and I decided to finally try a new powder! I've used the Rimmel Stay Matte Powder on other people when I've done hair and makeup for various musicals, and I've always been happy with how it performed (buh dum tss). I finally decided to give it a try to myself! I've always been a little turned off by the packaging, but I figure, for the price, I might as well give it a try!

The other two things from Rimmel that I got were my favorite Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer. Like I said, I didn't actually purchase these -- Andrew did. When I was back home, every single time I tried to purchase a new one, they were out of stock in my shade! And there's no place nearby here in North Carolina that sells it. So when I received a care package from Andrew the other day, I saw that he had sent me a new one, plus a backup! I had already bought the Maybelline Fit Me Concealer in an attempt to replace my Rimmel concealer, so I'll have to use that up before opening one of these, but I'm so glad I have extras now!

For the most part, I don't tend to purchase single eyeshadows. But I had heard good things about the Milani Bella Eyes Gel Powder Eyeshadow, so I thought I'd give it a whirl. The colors I purchased are Bella White and Bella Caffe, which are both a Satin-Matte finish. I would definitely say they lean more toward matte, but they are incredibly pigmented! It applies especially well with your fingers. For a matte, drugstore shadow, I'm totally impressed, and I'm definitely going to have to get my hands on more of these, especially since they have so many colors!

I'm so excited about these lipsticks! I literally sat in my room playing with them for an hour or so before I realized I should probably stop procrastinating and just do my homework... Anyways, the new Milani Moisture Matte Lipsticks are phenomenal. They're super creamy and apply like a breeze, but have that lovely matte finish after being on the lips for about 30 seconds. The shades I purchased of the Moisture Matte Lipsticks were "Matte Diva," a super vivid fuchsia color, "Matte Confident," a deeper, blue-toned red (think MAC's "Russian Red," but easier to apply!), and "Matte Orchid," which is similar to "Matte Diva," although a bit more deep and muted.

I also picked up one of their classic Color Statement Lipsticks in "Nude Creme," because my nude lipstick collection is pretty sad (as in, I have like, one or two nudes), and a Color Statement Lipliner in "True Red," because for whatever reason, I completely forgot I had just bought a red lipliner from NYX. Whoops.

What have you purchased lately? Is there anything in the drugstore that you have your eye on?

- D. 

Johanna Mason's Interview Look + Giveaway!

So now we've come to the final look of the series! This makeup is from the scene when Johanna cusses out the Capitol citizens. She is so gutsy! 

This look was so much fun to do! I primarily used my Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette for this look. 

I first started out with an eyeshadow primer. Any primer will do, just something that will really hold onto the pigment. Then, I took the gold color, Creme Brulee, and packed this all over my lid and onto the orbital bone, but not quite all the way to my brows. I wanted to leave an empty space for the highlight color. I did this in a rounded shape. I also applied this color along my lower lashline and smudged it out.

Next, I took Milk Chocolate, which is a cool-toned light brown, and placed this on the orbital bone, into the crease. I also blended this color along the sides of my nose, near the brow, to create dimension. Jena Malone's makeup artists really love to accent her gorgeous bone structure this way! I used a fluffy domed shadow brush for the Milk Chocolate color. 

I then took an angled brush and Triple Fudge, and filled in my brows. I have very sparse brows, so this was a necessary step for me, but if you have great brows like Jena Malone, feel free to skip this step! I took a spoolie and blended out the brow color. I also took this same dark brown color and angled brush and lined my upper lashline, using a pencil brush to add a smoky effect. Then, I took White Chocolate under the brow. 

From here, I moved onto the face, using the same products I have used in every look I do, which you can find in any other makeup look or face of the day post! I also took Milk Chocolate on a fluffy domed brush and contoured my cheeks, as well as my nose. Milk Chocolate is a great contour shade, especially for really precise application. I used "Strawberry Bon Bon" from the Chocolate Palette as my blush. I then applied a light coat of my Maybelline The Mega Plush Volum' Express Mascara. I ran a clean spoolie through my lashes to ensure that it was a very light coat. 

Now moving onto the most important part of this look: the lashes! I bought these lashes from Elegant Lashes, and they are the exact style used in the movie. I simply applied my Duo Eyelash Adhesive in "Clear" to the band, let it sit until it was tacky, then placed them underneath my lower lashes. Don't worry if you can see the band. This look isn't supposed to be natural, despite the fact that she's a tree. ;)

For the lips I actually used a cream shadow, which was the Rimmel Scandaleyes Eye Shadow Paint in "Golden Bronze." I used a lip brush to neatly apply it, and I was done!

Now for the big surprise I keep talking about! 

I seriously have had so much fun doing this series, and I have gotten such positive feedback from it. So I wanted to give back to all of my followers! I have decided to do a GIVEAWAY!!! 

For this giveaway, there will be two winners. Each winner will receive a fun Catching Fire prize pack! 

I will be giving away the CoverGirl Catching Fire Limited Edition Nail Polish in "Seared Bronze," as well as the Nail Stickers in "Tawny Flame." I used both of these products in my last Katniss look (but don't worry, you'll be getting these products brand new and still in the packaging). The winners will also receive a brand new pair of lashes, just like the ones I wore in this post, as well as a replica Mockingjay pin! 

So here are the rules:

1. This giveaway is international! I will be choosing two winners at random via Rafflecopter.
2. If you are under 18, please get your parent or guardian's permission before entering this giveaway.
3. This giveaway will end on February 5th, 2014, at 12 AM, PST.
4. You MUST leave a comment below explaining why you want to win this prize pack. You will only receive one entry for this. Multiple posts will not grant you multiple entries.
5. You may tweet about the giveaway once per day. For each tweet per day, you will receive one entry.
6. You may follow me on Instagram! You will receive one entry.
7. You may reblog this post on Tumblr! One reblog per day will get you one entry per day. 

Use the Rafflecopter widget below to ensure that your entries count!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck! And may the odds be ever in your favor...

- d. 

Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette Review

If I'm being honest, this post has not been planned at all. I have a list of ideas for blog posts, and I generally know what I'm going to do or say. But I have been eyeing this palette for a while now, ever since they began to advertise it on the Too Faced website, and while in Sephora yesterday, I caved. I just had to have it!

As of right now, this palette is sold out on the Too Faced website, but it can be purchased at Sephora and Ulta! It retails for $49. In this palette, you get 16 chocolate-inspired shadows. Like the other chocolate products that Too Faced is known for, the shadows in this palette are made of pure cocoa powder, which you can smell when you open it up. It isn't overpowering, but it's definitely there. It has 6 matte shades, and 10 shimmers.

First things first: the packaging. This palette is beautiful to look at! The packaging is metal, and the mirror seems sturdy. It's compact, it's sleek, and easy to fit just about anywhere. I have one major beef with it though. It has a weak magnetic closure. Usually, I don't mind magnetic closures. I mean, I love my Inglot palettes! But this magnet in this palette isn't enough to keep it closed, and it could easily open up and get ruined if not properly stored. 

Another flaw in the packaging is that the names aren't on the palette. It comes with a little plastic cover that has the names on them, but after taking and labeling the photos of the product, I don't even remember where I put it.

So how are the shadows themselves? 

Gilded Ganache: This shade is a cool brown, with gold and bronze microglitter. Not much to say about this shade. Good color payoff, and the glitter is definitely noticeable.

Salted Caramel: One of the smoother (if not the smoothest) matte colors in this palette, Salted Caramel would make a fantastic blending shade. It's a warm light brown, very comparable to Urban Decay's Naked shadow.

Hazelnut: This is a gorgeous bronze shadow, which reminds me of a less shimmery version of Urban Decay's Smog. It's very smooth, and has great color payoff.

Marzipan: Probably one of my favorite shades in this palette, and I know I'm going to use it a ton. It's a shimmery light pinky peach shadow that would be great as an all-over lid color.

White Chocolate: This is a matte, creamy off-white shade. This would be a great blending or highlight shade for anyone with fair skin. It's not chalky, but it's not incredibly smooth either. It also tends to grab when applied.

Creme Brulee: This a very true, cool-toned gold color, with lots of shimmer. It's incredibly smooth and pigmented.  

Semi-Sweet: This is the warmer-toned brown in the palette. It's like if the color "brick red" had a cousin named "brick brown." Initially, the color payoff isn't great, but it definitely builds well.

Haute Chocolate: This is a pinky brown shimmer. I'd compare it to a shiny new penny. It's smooth and pigmented, and really easy to apply.

Milk Chocolate: This is the cool-toned counterpart to Salted Caramel, and totally comparable in texture. It's a cool, matte light brown and a great blending shade. 

Strawberry Bon Bon: This cool baby pink shade is probably the most disappointing shade in the entire palette. First of all, it seems a little out of place. It's also the chalkiest shadow in the palette, and the color payoff could be described best with a "meh" and a shrug. 

Cherry Cordial: I guess this is considered a shimmer, but it's more like a matte brick red shadow with multi-colored microglitter. The color payoff is okay, but it can definitely be layered and built up to a deep brick red color.

Black Forest Truffle: This color is insanely glittery. It is a deep wine color, with TONS of silver and bronze glitter. It's also very pigmented, and you don't have to completely pack it on to get the glitter to show up.

Candied Violet: This is a really pretty cool-toned purple shimmer. Really great pigmentation, with lots of pink and green duochrome microglitter. It applies very smoothly. 

Triple Fudge: This is the cool-toned counterpart to Semi-Sweet! Definitely a great crease color, and, like Semi-Sweet, it builds well.

Amaretto: This shade sucked me in the moment I saw it. I love bronze colors like this one! It's incredibly shimmery, and applies smoothly, with great color payoff. 

Champagne Truffle: This would be a fantastic inner corner highlight shade. It is smooth and very shimmery, and would also be great to layer on top of other colors to add some extra shine. 

I think that Too Faced did a fantastic job balancing cool and warm tones in this palette. A couple of the matte shadows are hit-or-miss, but the shimmery shades are really smooth, pigmented, and all of the shadows are easy to blend. 

I love that this palette has a great variety. While it is definitely a neutrals palette, it also has some lovely shades to add a pop of color. This is a "complete" palette, meaning that you could easily create a look using just this palette. It has some great mattes for blending, and the looks you could create with this palette are endless! Many of the shades are comparable to many of the shadows found in Urban Decay's Naked palettes, and this is a great response from Too Faced to all of the Naked 3 hype.

Final Thoughts? This is definitely a palette I will find myself using often, especially for travel. Unfortunately, I think I will probably have to tie a rubber band around it to ensure it stays closed, but it is sleek and doesn't take up much room. It is a versatile palette, yet still basic enough for beginners! For all that you get, I certainly think it's worth the $49 price tag.

- d.