Madd Style Cosmetics: Subtle Color Tutorial

I've been wearing a lot of neutrals on my eyes throughout the month so that I could play up my love for bright eyeliners, hehe. Because of this, I felt like doing something a little different but I still wanted it to remain 'subtle' while incorporating some color. :)
I apologize in advance for the lighting.. it's been quite cloudy lately & we're finally starting to see some rain!

Top left: Too Faced Shadow Insurance Anti-Crease Eye Shadow Primer,

Tarte lights, camera, lashes! Mascara,

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

MicaBeauty Cosmetics Gel Eyeliner in Black,  

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

Bottom left: bdellium tools brushes #781, #716 and #777,

& Tarte double-duty eyelining brush

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

Birf'day Suit, Pish Posh, Not about the Money, and Cheermeister

As always - start off by applying your primer and a base :)

Grab 'Pish Posh' and start applying to the inner corner/duct, stopping at about the center of the lid. 

You could keep this color strictly in the inner corner/duct if you prefer!

Take 'Not about the Money' and start applying this to the center of the lid, overlapping 'Pish Posh' - make sure to leave a little room in the outer corner.

Very lighty, apply a little 'Cheermeister' to the outer corner of the lid.

You'll want to go back in and blend your colors a bit more. I also brought 'Cheermeister' up above the crease and brought the color closer to the inner corner of my eye. 

When you're happy with how your colors look, go in with a matte eyeshadow that is close to your skin tone (I'm using Birf'day Suit here) and blend up to the brow and soften your lines :)

Last but not least - mascara and eyeliner! Since these colors have some shimmer to them, you may also want to go in with a q-tip (lightly dipped in makeup remover) to wipe away any fallout you may have.

Thank you all for viewing! xoxo

Birchbox Quick Look: August 'Finishing School' Box

My box contents this month:

• (MALIN + GOETZ) vitamin e face moisturizer - 2 foil packets, .04 fl oz/1.2g ea.
• Stila stay all day liquid lipstick in 'Beso' - 0.03 fl oz/1ml
• Whish Exfoliating Body Wash - 22ml/.75 fl oz
• Whish Deodorant Swipe with hair inhibitor - 2.3g/.08oz
• It's a 10 Miracle Leave-in Product - 59.1ml/2 fl oz

Feeling a little bit indifferent about my Birchbox.. However, I do feel like the Stila stay all day liquid lipstick in 'Beso' is the star of my box this month! I have actually been eyeing the stay all day liquid lipsticks for a while, so I had my fingers crossed & I'm really happy to have received it. I've also heard a lot of rave reviews on the It's a 10 Miracle Leave-in Product, so that should be fun to try. :) I highly doubt it'll be replacing my all time favorite Beauty Protector Protect & Detangle, though! I originally wasn't very excited about the Whish Exfoliating Body Wash, but after reading the description on the Birchbox website I'm feeling more optimistic that I'll be able to put it to use. Apparently the product formulation is gentle enough for use on the face, who knew!? Customer service over at Whish has confirmed this, so I'm excited to give it a shot!
As for the foil packets? I don't even want to talk about it. I loathe them and I am so over receiving them. :P

Here's a quick swatch of the star product from my box this month:

Stila stay all day liquid lipstick in 'Beso' swatched on the back of my hand (no primer, no base).
This amazing lipstick starts off as a liquid and dries down to a matte finish that doesn't budge <3

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. My photos are taken in natural lighting and are unaltered aside from cropping.

BeautySage Quick Look: Editor's Pick Box (August)

My box contents:

• Clark's Botanicals Deep Moisture Mask - size not specified
• Christopher Drummond Beauty Sateen Blush in 'Plush Pink' - size not specified
• clariSEA Sea Salt Solutions Beachy Waves Salt Spray - 1 fl oz/30ml
• Shea Terra Organics Rose Hips Black Soap - 1 oz/28g
• One Love Organics Brand New Day Microderma Scrub & Masque - 15ml/0.5oz

BeautySage is a company that is a bit new to me. I've seen the company mentioned a few times here and there due to the sample boxes they offer, but had never purchased any personally (until now!). From my understanding BeautySage is the online shop for YouBeauty.com. They only sell products that are "proven to work" - and in doing so, the products they sell are chosen by the editors, chemists test the claims, and they have a product test panel in place to get honest feedback on the products. You can read more about it here.

The BeautySage sample/brand boxes are not subscription based and they tend to sell out quickly. The best part, at least for me, is that you are able to see which products are included in each box before buying (you can see any current sample boxes that are available by clicking here) - I feel like this makes it a lot easier to decide whether or not the box is right for you (and, of course, whether or not they are even samples you're interested in trying!).

I was really excited to see the August "Editor's Pick" Box (and had to have it immediately) because I had already been debating whether or not I wanted to buy and take a chance on the One Love Organics Brand New Day Microderma Scrub & Masque. The size included in the box retails for $12, and the price of this entire sample box was only $10. I really really couldn't pass it up. ;) Aside from the scrub, I noticed a sample of my beloved Rose Hips Black Soap would be included along with a sample of a beach wave salt spray for hair (I am seriously obsessed with these lately..). It's like this box was meant for me! ha ha

I was pleasantly surprised to see that all of the samples in this box are generously sized and have more than enough product for multiple uses! To top that off, all of the sample packing is incredible - Now, this is going to sound silly, but.. I am a sucker for samples that have the same packaging as their full-size versions. They are so much easier to use, and I absolutely hate messing around with foil packets.. (cough, Birchbox, cough)..

For example, here are the items that didn't have a specified size/weight:

Unfortunately, this particular sample box is sold out.. BUT, I highly recommend checking out BeautySage and keeping an eye out for future sample boxes. ;) They have a lot of fantastic products available in their shop and are currently offering up free shipping on any order for a limited time.

Thanks for viewing! xo

FTC: This sample box was 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. The photo was taken in natural lighting and is unaltered aside from cropping.

Ipsy Quick Look: August 'Glamour Academy' Glam Bag

My bag contents this month:

• Michael Todd True Organics Pumpkin Nutrient-Rich Facial Mask - 30ml/1 fl oz
• Urban Decay Revolution Lipstick in '69' - 1g/0.03oz
• Pixi Beauty Lash Booster Mascara in 'Blackest Black' - 3.0g/0.105oz
• MicaBeauty Cosmetics Shimmer Powder in 'Bronze' - 0.1oz/2.5g
• Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer - .25 fl oz/7.1ml

Pretty impressed with the featured brands/products sent out this month. Ipsy continues to improve and I only hope that ipsyMatch will continue to do so as well (crossing fingers!). I do have to admit, I preferred when all subscribers received relatively the same products across the board and with little variation between the bags.. but I also understand why that may not be possible with the growing number of subscribers. :P

I am so ecstatic to have received the Urban Decay Revolution Lipstick, and the MicaBeauty Shimmer Powder is absolutely stunning! I will be passing on the Smashbox Primer (I'm probably in the minority here - but it just does not work for me!) and although I am *madly* in love with all things pumpkin/pumpkin spice.. the label states that it is suitable for all skin types except sensitive. I'm taking this as a clear sign that I should steer clear of it entirely, which really bums me out. :(  The Pixi Beauty Lash Booster Mascara should be fun to try out! I am a sucker for deluxe sample minis, and mascara is one of my favorites. :)

Quick swatch time! I wanted to show the difference between MicaBeauty Shimmer Powder in 'Earth' (which was previously sent out to some subscribers in April) and MicaBeauty Shimmer Powder in 'Bronze' (which went out to some subscribers this month) as well as the two Urban Decay Revolution Lipstick shades that were sent out to some subscribers this month:

MicaBeauty Cosmetics Shimmer Powder in 'Earth' and 'Bronze' - swatched over NYX JEP in 'Milk'
(I apologize for the dimmer lighting, 'Bronze' was impossible to capture true to color in direct sunlight because of its strong golden sheen. Much more beautiful in person, 'Bronze' also has a very slight pink tint to it!)

Urban Decay Revolution Lipstick in 'Anarchy' and '69'

'Anarchy' is a gorgeous bright fuchsia and '69' is a bright red with strong pink undertones. Love!

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.