My October Ipsy (formerly MyGlam) Bag! :)

Just received my October Ispy bag in the mail today! Their theme this month is 'Hello, Bombshell' which I think is a pretty cute play on words by including products like theBalm's What's Your Type? "the body builder" Mascara, Mirenesse Lip Bombs, and liquid eye liners from be a...bombshell cosmetics. ;)

Here's a look at what I received this month (I apologize for the annoying glare):

From left to right: 

be a...bombshell cosmetics - (liquid) eye liner in 'Onyx' (black)

theBalm Cosmetics - What's Your Type? "the body builder" Mascara sample

Couture Colour - Pequi Oil Treatment sample

Coastal Scents - Eyeshadow Sample, Set 5: Vibrant Red, Frosty Taupe, Vanilla Sky, Raisin Berry

mirenesse - Lip Bomb (Glossy Lacquer Stain) in 'Lip Bomb 4'

And now for some close-ups!:

be a...bombshell cosmetics eye liner in 'Onyx'

This one is a full size (3mL/0.1fl oz)! It retails for $14 on their website, and can be purchased here. I'm really excited to try this eyeliner because I've been practicing my 'wing' and 'cat eyeliner' lately.. and, well, you can never have too many black eyeliners ;)

theBalm Cosmetics What's Your Type? "the body builder" Mascara (black)

Deluxe sample sized (3.5mL/0.11fl oz). Full size retails for $19 (12ml/.40fl oz) and can be purchased here. If you happen to know me, you'll know how ecstatic I am about theBalm being featured once again - seriously one of my favorite cosmetics companies (which I kinda have MyGlam/Ipsy to thank for that.. hehe)! "the body builder" is designed to build body while conditioning and strengthening lashes with ingredients like Vitamin E, Panthenol, and Bamboo - also said to remain clump-free and smudge proof!

Couture Colour Pequi Oil Treatment

Sample sized (15mL/0.5fl oz) which retails for $12 on their website. They also carry two larger sizes - a 60mL/2fl oz spray bottle which retails for $32, or a 120mL/4fl oz spray bottle that retails at $50. They can be purchased here. Personally, I have never used an oil in my hair.. but I am definitely willing to give it a shot! It claims to make hair 6x stronger and 3x shinier/visibly smoother after just one application by nourishing, sealing split ends, stopping frizz, and boosting color. My sample came with a heat seal (as you will see on the left) and upon opening I noticed it has a cute little cap to keep it sealed/prevent leaks - very impressive! Also smells amazing - kind of a light coconut scent, not at all overpowering.

Coastal Scents Eye Shadow Sample, Set 5: Vibrant Red, Frosty Taupe, Vanilla Sky, Raisin Berry

Sample size (2g/0.07oz) with an approximate value of .99cents ea. as they are more the size of the eyeshadows that come in the larger palettes (such as the 88 palettes) and not as large as their Hot Pots which retail for $1.99ea. (also not available to purchase in this sample size).
I photographed a size comparison on the left to give you a better idea ;)

I want to add that I personally own a few Coastal Scents palettes and I absolutely love them (I use them quite frequently!). They are fantastic quality, and very well pigmented, especially for their price range - I have seen their Hot Pots compared to MAC eyeshadows and often times are close/dead on dupes! You can check out their website here.

mirenesse Lip Bomb (Glossy Lacquer Stain) in 'Lip Bomb 4'

Another full size product (3.1g/0.11oz), woo! This one retails at $35.10 (or $28.08, their 'club price) and can be purchased here. Mirenesse combines gloss, stain, and lacquer all in one, and is said to be non-smearing and long-lasting! Still not sure I would shell out $35 (or even $28) for a lippie.. but I really don't mind receiving one, hehe.

All in all, I am very happy with my Ipsy (MyGlam) bag this month! I think they have really stepped up their game and I am glad they are actually willing to listen to their subscribers. They have great sample sizes, and often offer full size products in the bags. They have even implemented a little 'quiz' so that we'll receive samples/products that are better suited to us.
Well worth the $10 (monthly) sub price tag, in my opinion :) If you are interested in signing up, you can visit the website here. I believe subscriptions are currently open for next month - and I've heard it will be even better!

FTC: This sub 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. All photos were taken by myself in natural lighting, are unaltered aside from cropping/collaging!

Madd Style Cosmetics: My First Tutorial (ever!)

I'm excited and nervous all at the same time :)  This is my very first tutorial as a Madd Model - and first ever tutorial in general! Since this is something completely new to me, I wanted to start out with something a bit "simple."

So let's get started! Go ahead and grab your "supplies" - as always you'll need a good eyeshadow primer and base, your go-to mascara and choice of eyeliner, as well as a crease and eyeshadow brush (depending on your choice of eyeliner, you may want to grab an eyeliner brush as well!). Most importantly, you will need Madd Style Cosmetics pigments in Unicorns & Glitter, Girl with the most cake, and Caramel Macchiato to complete this super simple but girly-neutral look :)

Here's what I'm using:

Top Left: Madd Style "Pop N' Lock" Shadow Base - Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion(original)

Bottom Left: E.L.F. Cream Eyeliner in "black" - Physicians Formula Organic Wear Jumbo Lash Mascara

Top/Middle Right: MSC pigments in Unicorns & Glitter, Girl with the most cake, and Caramel Macchiato

Bottom Right: bdellium tools green bambu brushes #781, #777, and #760

Start off by applying your eyeshadow primer and eyeshadow base (all over lids, up to brow.)
*as a side note:  if you happen to be using the MSC Pop N' Lock, as I did, you will find it has a sort of clay-like texture.
I find it easiest to apply with my ring finger, and I tend to rest my ring finger in the jar for a few seconds to kind of "warm" it up. I am then able to swirl my finger over the product to get a thin layer and I apply it very lightly.

Grab your eyeshadow brush (for reference, I'm using my bdellium tools green bambu #777) and apply Girl with the most cake all over your lid (with loose pigments, you want to "pat" this on to get the best color payoff) and up to your natural crease.

Using your crease brush (for reference, I'm using my bdellium tools green bambu #781) apply Caramel Macchiato very lightly to the crease/hollow of your eye (I use just the very tip of the crease brush to get a lighter application).

To make this addition of Caramel Macchiato not so "harsh" (since we are going for a softer look) use your brush in a "wiping" motion - think wind shield wipers!

Also, you can softly blend Caramel Macchiato upward (using the same crease brush) to further soften it a bit. If you feel like Girl with the most cake started to disappear during blending, go ahead and lightly reapply to the lid using your eyeshadow brush. :)

Still using my crease brush, I added Unicorns & Glitter to the duct/inner corner of my eye.

I really like the golden highlight that Unicorns & Glitter gives, so I very very lightly took my crease brush and dipped just the very tip of my brush into the loose pigment that was left on the lid of Unicorns & Glitter. I then, even further, blended out Caramel Macchiato using Unicorns & Glitter up to the brow bone.
When done lightly, this gives a nice golden shimmer that isn't too overpowering for this look.

Last but not least, you're going to want to grab your eyeliner and mascara to finish off this look. This is where my bdellium tools #760 came into play as I decided to use my E.L.F. cream eyeliner in "black" to create a wing - however, this is entirely optional and up to you! You can skip the wing and simply line your upper lash line and waterline with your favorite eyeliner and then apply your mascara if you want :)

Since I need the practice anyway, I decided to play up this look a bit by doing a wing:

And there you have it!

I hope you enjoyed my first ever tutorial and that it wasn't too hard to follow along :)

Recent Haul and Swatches: Madd Style Cosmetics

I'm back.. again! &with even more Madd Style Cosmetics to show you :)
The lovely owner of Madd Style Cosmetics (Mo Love <3) had a little birthday celebration a couple weeks ago in which she decided what better way to celebrate than with a MSC sale!? Everything in the shop was an automatic 15% off, free shipping was offered for orders over $25, and each order included a surprise sample of a yet to be released blush from her new Cheek Chic line! In celebration of her birthday, she also created a new (limited) birthday collection (more on this a little later)..

Still have yet to drop by the MSC Facebook page? I'll make it simple for you - click here, and don't forget to "like" the page so you don't miss out on future discounts and upcoming collections! And if really don't want to miss those upcoming sales and collections.. MSC just launched a Facebook group you should seriously consider joining! You can find out more about the group here, don't be shy :)


Now, on to my awesome haul.. since I know you've been dying to see what I ended up with (right!?) ;)

This is (left to right, top to bottom): a very generous sample of the new blush "Rebel Lollipop", the "Drink Me" glitter that comes with the Psychedelic Wonderland collection, the Psychedelic Wonderland collection, Frankencake lip balm (with mango butter base!!), the new Happy Birfday collection, and my 5/20 picks! 

(not to worry! all of these items will be shown in greater detail -- keep reading!)

I figured it would be easiest to split this up by collection - so, first, I'll show you swatches of the Psychedelic Wonderland collection, the Happy Birfday collection, and then my 5/20 picks (accompanied by the blush sample and a close up on the lovely sparklies in Frankencake!) As you may have already imagined, this post will be rather picture heavy :)
As usual - all swatches are done over NYX JEP in Milk (unless otherwise noted), eyeshadows are "patted" on over the base, photographs are taken in natural lighting on my windowsill and there has been no editing to the images other than cropping/collaging them! I will post the description of each product below (as taken from the website) as well as a link to the product (*) if it is currently available :)

This is one of two collections inspired by Alice in Wonderland, created earlier this year in celebration of MSC turning 2! Took me a little while, but finally got my hands on it ..hopefully the Twisted Wonderland collection is in my near future, too ;)
(Also - I should probably note that, at this time, the colors are not available to purchase individually - but as a whole collection only. Click here for the listing*)

(a vibrant tangerine)

(a pink icing color with blasts of hot pink and gold sparkle)

(a shimmery bright yellow)

(a bright kelly green with green glitter)

(an opaque white with LOTS of holographic sparkle)

(holographic glitter)

swatch of glitter was applied over pixie epoxy, 

also please note that the glitter is only available with this collection while supplies last :)

This collection was released two weeks ago in celebration of Mo Love's birthday! Each color name represents a little something about the woman behind Madd Style Cosmetics :)
(As with the previous collection - the colors are not available individually, but as a whole collection only at this time. Click to view the listing*)

(a gorgeous pearl black)

(a pearly/satin blue)

(a metallic lilac purple)

(a metallic/pearl seafoam green)

(is a grey-tinted yellow with rainbow shimmer)

Here are my choices for the pick 5/$20 option :) Since I have previously swatched Hallucinogenic Lipstick (received as a deluxe sample with my grab bag purchase) in my last post, I urge you to go check it out here as I decided it would be silly to swatch it again ;) It is absolutely gorgeous and you won't want to miss it!
(Currently Hallucinogenic Lipstick &Weeping Angel have not yet been added to the shop - BUT they are available to purchase and you can list them as options in a 5/$20 like I did!)

(a beautiful shimmery pink with coral undertones)*

(purple toned dark grey)

the swatch pictured on the right is intentionally out of focus and at an extreme angle in an attempt to showcase the beautiful purple tones this unique color has!

(a beautiful light blue with a slight red sheen and red/pink/silver sparkle)*

I cannot even put into words how beautiful this color is! I had a difficult time trying to accurately capture the red sheen/pink sparkles which you may slightly notice in the swatch on the right - however, don't let this fool you, it is much more breathtaking in person ;)

In an attempt to show you exactly what I mean.. I snapped this photograph of Soul Dust in the lid, which will also give you an idea of how much more apparent the red/pink would be over a black base:

stunning, right!? <3

(a light green with a satin finish)*

Last but not least, I wanted to show off "Rebel Lollipop" & Frankencake! Rebel Lollipop is not currently available for purchase, but is part of the new Cheek Chic line and should be popping up in the shop soon :) From my understanding Frankencake has been a long time favorite and occasionally makes appearances (though he tends to sell very quickly!) so keep your eyes on the Facebook fan page and the shop for announcements<3

Swatch on the left is over NYX JEP in Milk, right is on bare skin swatched lightly. It was noted that Rebel Lollipop and Cha-Cha Glow Bronze are eye safe as well - so I wanted to show how Rebel Lollipop might look when used as an eyeshadow, and of course as a blush! Note that if you plan to use Rebel Lollipop as an eyeshadow, it is meant to be sheer and you will have to apply more to achieve a more opaque color like you see on the left.

(scented like buttercream cupcake, has pink and blue micro glitter, is sweet on the kisser, and really packs a punch when it comes to the glossy shimmer.)

No lies, this lippie seriously makes me want to eat some cupcakes and has some serious shimmer - I'm  in love! 

You might be able to see the sparkles better by clicking to enlarge the photo. :)

Well.. that sums up my "little" MSC haul for now :) Rest assure, I'll be back with more at another time! xo

FTC: These items were 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. Descriptions of each eyeshadow/lippie/blush (underneath swatch photos) were copied directly from the listing of the product. All photos were taken by me in natural lighting, are unaltered aside from cropping/collaging!

Madd Style Cosmetics: Fire Works Grab Bag Swatches!

Remember when I mentioned something about a little bird telling me that Madd Style Cosmetics would be releasing a new and exclusive grab bag themed for the 4th of July?? :)

Well, here it is! (and everything is seriously gorgeous!)... The Fire Works Grab Bag!! Released on the 1st of July (so that everyone would have a chance to grab one).
I received mine Monday and made some time to do swatches and blog about it today ;) This time around, each grab bag contained;

• 3 all new (FULL SIZE!) and exclusive mineral eyeshadows; Bang! Bang!, Pew Pew Pow!, and Kablammy
• A brand new (also FULL SIZE!) and exclusive lip balm with mango butter base, super fruity scent, and loaded with rainbow sparkles! Appropriately named "Fireworks"
• &Last but not least.. a deluxe sample of an all new (never before seen) MSC eyeshadow!

All of this was packaged up super-cutely in a colorful star gift bag!:

I won't go over all of the packaging again since I did that in my last post and none of which has changed ;) Instead I'll get right into the swatches (that's the most exciting part anyway, isn't it!?).. All were done over NYX JEP in Milk, as usual, they are patted on. All are photographed in natural sunshine lighting, not altered in any way (unless you count the cropping and collaging) :) Also, descriptions are taken directly from the listing of the grab bag. <3

(BANG! BANG!- It's a saturated pink LOADED with color-shifting sparkles!)

(PEW PEW POW- a vibrant teal EXPLODING with purple sparkles!)

Purple sparklies are very hard to see, but are VERY much there - I promise!

(KABLAMMY- an electric blurple with pinky undertones LOADED with red, pink, blue, and violet sparkles!)

&For the first time EVER, I decided I couldn't wait to order a full size of the new MSC color to swatch. The deluxe size sample was part of the grab bag deal and I'm assuming will be a permanent color to the new line of mattes that are being released? I so dislike despise sample baggies that I never feel compelled to use them and will often just order a full size if I want the color badly enough - well, in this case.. I couldn't wait. haha This color is absolutely gorgeous, and matte! Plus, with a name like "Hallucinogenic Lipstick" - how can you resist!?...

the top swatch is direct sunlight, bottom swatch is slightly shaded lighting - are you drooling yet? this matte was super easy to work with, buttery smooth, and extremely vibrant! :)

Last but not least - I didn't get a swatch of "Fireworks" (the exclusive MSC lip balm) as my camera did not want to pick up on all the sparkle.. and, well, it is colorless! haha  I did manage to capture a bit of the sparkle in the balm itself to show you how pretty it really is:

(FIREWORKS mango butter lip balm: a yummy scented lip balm EXPLODING with rainbow sparkles!)

I think the rainbow sparkle gives this balm a nice pearlescent look, I absolutely adore it!

Once again, the grab bags are very limited, and as of now they are sold out - but you can't say I didn't warn you! ;)  You will definitely want to keep an eye on the facebook fan page for updates on new products, limited edition items (such as the grab bags), and sales/discounts! xo

FTC: These items were 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. Descriptions of each eyeshadow/lippie (underneath swatch photos) were copied directly from the listing of the product. All photos were taken by me in natural lighting, are unaltered aside from cropping/collaging!

Newest Loves: tokidoki Arte Palettes (Vegas & Til Death Do Us Part)

I recently (finally!) purchased these lovelies at Sephora:

I've had my eye on them for a little while now - they are super cute, I couldn't resist! I had a $5 off coupon/"gift card" to spend but I couldn't choose between these two so somehow I ended up with them both ;) What's worse? I want them all, now! <3

I'm not very familiar with the tokidoki line of cosmetics (this is my first purchase) but from what I've gathered  - it is exclusive to Sephora! These little travel size "Arte Palettes" retail for $10 (however, Sephora is currently having a sale on tokidoki products - hopefully they are here to stay and are just making room for new products!).

Each palette contains four lovely eyeshadows and a blush (each eyeshadow being 0.03oz/0.9g and the blush 0.11oz/3.1g). They have a magnetic closure and a mirror on the inside which is nice for on-the-go usage.

Here is what the inside looks like, open:

(sorry about that - slightly crooked! :p)

And the back of the packaging:

Annnnddddd... I did swatches (of course!). :)  The eyeshadows are swatched over NYX JEP in Milk. Instead of sweeping them on, I patted them on - they are actually quite vibrant over a base and are far more pigmented than I originally thought they were going to be! The blush was applied on bare skin, I simply swiped it on the back of my hand twice (they are very lovely and also nicely pigmented!). These colors are not named, so I went in the order they appear in the palette (blush swatch across the bottom). 

The only issue I had with this palette is with the white in the top left corner - it is a bit chalky and messy compared to the others, not quite as pigmented. Still makes for a nice highlight and personally it doesn't bother me too much. The grey is absolutely stunning and has an array of multi-colored sparkle. The lighter purple (bottom left) reminds me quite a bit of MAC Stars 'n Rockets - I would not go as far as to say it is a dupe by any means, but they do remind me of one another! ;) The darker purple (bottom right) reminds me of the galaxy a little bit - it has quite a bit of sparkle to it (looks blue, red, purple), so even being a blackened purple it isn't too harsh! The blush is a nice subtle pink with a golden highlight.

I really like that this palette has a "softer" feel to it. The cream color in the top left corner is slightly more chalky compared to the other colors in this palette, and has just a light touch of sparkle. The pink is a lovely light girly pink with a satiny finish. The blue-grey in the lower left corner is one of my favorites - I am a sucker for grey toned colors! It has a light blue/aqua shimmer to it as well. The black has quite a bit of shimmer, appearing to be mostly golden flecks. &The blush in this palette is a bit "warmer" than the other and seems a bit more shimmery (golden) in my opinion :)

FTC: These items were 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. All photos were taken by me in natural lighting, are unaltered aside from cropping/collaging!

Madd Style Cosmetics: Summer Lovin' Grab Bag swatches!

Since I recently started blogging, I never really got around to introducing one of my favorite companies: Madd Style Cosmetics! One of the very first "indie" companies I started purchasing from, &I've been a repeat customer for almost a year now :)
There is not a single product I haven't loved, and I can honestly say that Madd Style Cosmetics owns my heart and takes up the majority of my extensive makeup obsessed collection <3
One of my favorite things about Madd Style Cosmetics (or MSC for short) is that the entire line of cosmetics is vegan and cruelty-free, but also the quality and customer service always exceed my expectations!
If you would like to find out more about MSC - you can visit the facebook page here, or go straight to the shop and look around/purchase here.

I was lucky enough to snag one of the latest limited grab bags - released June 16th, the MSC grab bag (appropriately named "Summer Lovin'") had a "Grease" theme and contained; 

• 4 all new (and FULL size!) mineral eyeshadows; T-Birds, Greased Lightning, Beauty School Dropout, and Pink Ladies 
• A brand new MSC Lip Balm (also FULL size - with a mango butter base, a lovely coral tint, and yummy strawberry smell) named "Frenchie" 
• &last but not least a deluxe sample of an all new product entirely - "Cha Cha" Bronze Glow, a beautiful glowing bronze highlighter! 
• Also in my order - a sample of mineral eyeshadow "Pop Tarte" (which is a permanent color available to purchase in the shop.)

Take a look:

Each eyeshadow comes packed in a clear 5gr jar with sifter and glossy black lid displaying the MSC logo:

Here you will see the stickers that cover the sifters (easy to peel off and no spills during shipping):

The MSC Lip Balms come packaged in basic glossy black twist up lip balm tubes (shrink wrapped):

As seen above, my samples came packaged in little sample baggies :) I did not get around to swatching the "Cha Cha" Bronze Glow (I am currently searching my stash for an empty jar to put it in as it will be easier for me to use). I did, however, put together some swatches of the eyeshadows and lippie! All swatches were photographed in natural lighting and the eyeshadows were swatched over NYX JEP in Milk - lippie is on bare skin.

(A glowing gold, perfect for summer!)

(A gorgeous vintage teal color with a hint of aqua sparkle)

(A pearl white containing 50% silver and gold glitz!!!!)

(A metallic poodle pink with felcks of silver laced throughout)

(Mango butter lip balm: a coral lip balm)

Gorgeous, right!? Unfortunately, the grab bags were limited and sold out rather quickly - but there is a new grab bag in the works for the 4th of July and a little bird told me there will also be a sale coming up so you may want to keep an eye on the MSC Facebook page! ;)

FTC: These items were 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. Descriptions of each eyeshadow/lippie (underneath swatch photos) were copied directly from the listing of the product. All photos were taken by me in natural lighting, are unaltered aside from cropping/collaging!