Madd Style Cosmetics: Playing in Brights Tutorial

So, originally I had a completely different tutorial planned.. I could not get the colors to photograph correctly to save my life! In my complete frustration I decided to use some super bright colors that I knew would photograph well. Maybe I should become frustrated with my tutorials more often, huh? ha ha
I really love how this turned out and I hope that you will, too! :)

Top left: Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Zero, 

Too Faced Shadow Insurance Anti-Crease Eye Shadow Primer, 

Benefit Cosmetics 'They're Real!' Mascara,

MicaBeauty Cosmetics Gel Eyeliner in Black,  

&Tick:Tock Infinity Eye Shadow Base in 'Milky Way'

Bottom left: Real Techniques 'accent brush'

& bdellium tools brushes #777 and #781

Top &bottom right: Madd Style Cosmetics eyeshadow pigments in: 

Birf'day Suit, Sneetch, Pew Pew Pow!, and Who R U?

As always, start out by applying your preferred eye shadow primer and base

Pat 'Pew Pew Pow!' on the center of the lid and into the hollow/crease. Make sure not to bring your color too close to the inner corner/duct area.

Apply 'Who R U?' to the outer corner area of the lid and then gently sweep this color to overlap 'Pew Pew Pow!' where the two meet on the lid and in the crease.

Continue to lightly blend 'Who R U?' and 'Pew Pew Pow!'

Using a fluffy crease brush, you may want to grab a color close in skin tone to soften up the edges a bit.

Using a small brush (such as the Real Techniques 'accent brush') you want to very lightly apply 'Sneetch' to the inner corner/duct area. I also went back in with 'Who R U?' on my accent brush and brought it further over toward the inner corner above 'Sneetch'

And last but not least - you'll want to apply your eyeliner and mascara to complete the look!

A small accent brush is also prefect for applying gel eyeliner to the waterline ;)

Thank you all for viewing! xoxo

Ipsy Quick Look: July 'Beach Beauty' Glam Bag

My bag contents this month:

• COOLA Mineral Face SPF 20 Unscented Moisturizer - .23 fl oz / 7ml
• Nailtini Nail Lacquer in 'Mai Tai' - 15ml / .5 fl oz
• POP Beauty Pouty Pop Crayon in 'Coral Crush' - 3g / 0.1 oz
• BH Cosmetics California Collection - 3 sample eyeshadows
• Sexy Hair Soy Renewal Beach Spray - 1.7 fl oz / 50ml

Overall, I'm pretty happy with the majority of the samples I received this month. To sum things up... I've fallen in love with the beach spray (it smells divine and gives my hair the added texture/volume it so desperately needs). I'm thrilled to have received the coral lip crayon this month - I had my fingers crossed for it! Sunscreen is always welcome here, and I'm really quite pleased that it's mineral, organic and cruelty-free! The nail polish isn't really my thing - I'm already a Zoya addict and hardly stray from what I already know and love. ;) The California Collection sample eyeshadows were a bit of a let down - absolutely gorgeous, but they are sheer and it takes a lot of effort to build up the color.

BH Cosmetics California Collection sample palette:

Swatches:

(BH Cosmetics Hollywood, San Francisco, and Malibu are swatched over Tick:Tock Cosmetics Infinity Eye Shadow Base in 'Milky Way' and POP Beauty Pouty Pop Crayon in Coral Crush is swatched over bare skin.)

P.S. ...Woops! I almost forgot to mention - I received a sneak peek e-mail today! It looks as though some lucky subscribers will be receiving an Urban Decay lipstick sample next month (click to enlarge the photo):

*This is likely not a guaranteed sample for all subscribers & there is a current waitlist for new subscribers. Signing up now may be your best shot at being taken off the wait list in time for the August Glam Bag, just a heads up! <3

If you're interested in signing up for Ipsy I would love if you use my referral link by clicking here. :)

Ipsy is a beauty subscription service. For $10 a month (free shipping within the U.S.), you will receive 4-5 deluxe or full-size beauty products in a 'glam' (cosmetic) bag. You may cancel your subscription at any time (unless, of course, you sign up for a yearly subscription). Ipsy is currently working on their referral program (when two people use your specific referral link to sign up for the monthly glam bag, you will receive a bonus item in your next glam bag) and allows you to give feedback on the products you receive each month so that they can better match you to more relevant products in the future.

Thank you for viewing! <3

FTC: This subscription is paid for by myself/by my boyfriend. I am not being compensated to write this post, these are my honest opinions on the products and company. If you choose to use my referral link, I may potentially receive a bonus item in my next Glam Bag. The photos were taken in natural lighting and are unaltered aside from cropping and adding text.

Birchbox Quick Look: July 'Power Play' Box

My box contents this month:

• Birchbox Bobby Pins with green pattern - two matching bobby pins
• purminerals CC Cream Broad Spectrum SPF 40 in 'light' - .3oz / 10g
• Eyeko Skinny Liquid Eyeliner in 'Purple' - 2g / 0.07oz
• Vivant Skin Care Mandelic Acid 3-in-1 Wash - 4.5ml
• Kerastase Chroma Thermique (Protect) - two foil packets, 10ml ea.

A decent box and variety of items this month, for sure. This definitely was not my dream box by any means - but I can't deny how insanely excited I am to have received a full sized Eyeko Skinny Liquid Eyeliner (and in purple, at that!). I did, however, make the mistake of trying out the Vivant Skin Care sample.. why am I so tempted by these things? I should know by now that my skin absolutely hates anything marketed for 'treating' acne. The description states that it is a 'gentle' cleanser, but my skin felt otherwise.. it was left irritated and dry, go figure! I am looking forward to trying the CC cream - but mostly because of the sunscreen benefits. ha ha The Birchbox bobby pins are actually pretty cute and will likely come in handy. I find them difficult to use, though, as they are hard to pry open! And as for the sample packets of Kerastase.. they'll be left unused (by me, at least).

Before I go - here's a quick swatch of the Eyeko Skinny Liquid Eyeliner in Purple:

If you're interested in signing up for Birchbox I would love it if you use my referral link by clicking here. :)
Birchbox is a beauty and 'discovery' subscription service. For $10 a month (free shipping), you will receive a selection of samples to try. Samples may range anywhere from skincare to makeup and the occasional non-beauty related extras (or 'lifestyle' extras). You may cancel your subscription at any time (unless, of course, you sign up for a yearly subscription). Birchbox awards points for reviewing the products you receive each month - each review is worth 10 points, 100 points are equal to $10 that can be used toward purchasing full-size items in the Birchbox shop!

Thank you for viewing! <3


FTC: This subscription is paid for by myself/by my boyfriend. I am not being compensated to write this post, these are my honest opinions on the products and company. If you choose to use my referral link, I will receive a bonus of 50 points to use on the Birchbox website. The photo was taken in natural lighting and is unaltered aside from cropping.