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.

Madd Style Cosmetics: Not Quite Neutral Tutorial

I wanted to do something simple but still 'fun'.. so, I decided on one of my favorites - neutral with a pop of color! I had a lot of fun coming up with this & now I am going to highly encourage you all to try out a bright/bold eyeliner color (especially with a neutral look). :)
I am currently obsessing over gel eyeliners and figured this was a perfect opportunity to try out a new one I recently purchased to see how well it would do.

Products used for this look:

Top left: Stila kajal eye liner in 'Pearl', 
Too Faced Shadow Insurance Anti-Crease Eye Shadow Primer, 
Sedona Lace Eyeliner Gel in 'Wicked' (#16),  
Tick:Tock Infinity Eye Shadow Base in 'Milky Way',
& Benefit Cosmetics 'They're Real!' Mascara
Bottom left: bdellium tools brushes #781 and #777 
& Real Techniques 'fine liner brush'
Top &bottom right: Madd Style Cosmetics eyeshadow pigments in: 
Unicorns & Glitter, Birf'day Suit, Princess Peach, and Iced Mocha

Start off by priming the eyes and applying your eye shadow base.

Grab an eye shadow brush and apply 'Princess Peach' all over the lid. Use a lighter hand when applying toward the outer corner.

Lightly pat 'Iced Mocha' on the outer portion of the lid and work a tiny bit into the outer crease.

Using a fluffy crease brush - start blending out 'Iced Mocha' on the outer portion of the lid and crease area.

Using 'Birf'day Suit' I further blended 'Iced Mocha' out up to the brow area to soften. I also added a bit of 'Unicorns & Glitter' to the inner corner. :)

Last (but not least) - apply your choice of eyeliner and mascara and you're set! <3

I hope you all enjoyed this tutorial & hopefully I've inspired you to try out some brightly colored eyeliner! ;)

Ipsy Quick Look: June 'On the Wild Side' Glam Bag

My bag contents this month:

• NYX Rouge Cream Blush in 'Tea Rose' - 0.12 oz/3.5g
• J. Cat Beauty Sparkling Cream Palette in 'Volta' - 0.1oz/3g
• Chella Ivory Lace Highlighter - 1.4g
• Starlooks Lip Pencil in 'Tipsy' - 2.4g
• J. Cat Beauty Eyelashes + Glue in style 'EL600'

Really happy with my glam bag this month (including the bag itself.. leopard print and neon? yes, please!). I received a really nice range of products and, if I'm not mistaken, all of them are full sizes! My only disappointments? My blush color is a bit dark for my skin tone and.. well, I don't have a clue what I'm going to use the sparkling cream palette for.
Personally, I wouldn't recommend using the sparkling cream palette on or around the eyes. I'm not sure about the other color variations.. but in my 'Volta' palette the gold glitter is quite chunky. While the others look like they might be okay - I find them to be quite messy and unpredictable. Better not to risk it! ;)

I did some quick swatches of my blush, lip pencil, and highlighter:

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.

Birchbox Quick Look: June 'Wanderlust' Box

My box contents this month:

• Color Club (Wanderlust Collect.) Mini Polish in 'Reign in Spain' - 0.25 fl. oz.
• 100% Pure Body Cream samples in 'Vanilla Bean' & 'Coconut' - 2ml each
• Suki Exfoliate Foaming Cleanser - 7.5 mL
• Mirenesse Glossy Kiss Lipstick in ' Perfect Kiss' - 4g / 0.15oz
• Klorane Gentle Dry Shampoo with Oat Milk - 50 ml

Overall I'm pretty happy with this box! Birchbox has recently implemented a new beauty profile and I feel like it is a bit more specific this time around. This should help with matching subscribers to more relevant box contents. :)
In my case, I certainly feel as though Birchbox matched me pretty well this month (much better than some previous months).. but we'll see how it pans out. My only disappointment is the size of the 100% Pure body cream packets - they are quite literally the size of ketchup packets! This is not a major issue, it is just that 100% Pure is a company I would love to try more products from! ;)

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.

Madd Style Cosmetics: Coral & Mint Tutorial

As you all probably already know.. I'm still obsessing over mint! I just can't get enough of it. Coral and mint seemed to be hot topics this month over in the Madd Style Cosmetics group on Facebook - you should join us if you haven't already! :)

I really wanted to give this color combo a shot but opted for more of a pink-toned coral to pair it with.

Products used for this look:

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

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

Benefit Cosmetics 'They're Real!' Mascara, 

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

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

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

Birf'day Suit, Cry Baby, Candy Floss, and Oops

Start off by priming the eye and applying an eye shadow base. I concentrate the eye shadow base on my lid and lightly blend out up to the brow.

Apply 'Candy Floss' to the inner part of the lid to about the center of the lid.

Apply 'Oops' to the remainder of the lid and blend it into 'Candy Floss'

Grab a fluffy crease brush and gently blend out/soften the crease.

Take 'Cry Baby' and lightly start applying this above the crease. I personally try to follow the shape of my eyebrows, but you can apply this however you feel comfortable! 

'Cry Baby' is a bit on the sheer side so it may take a few applications to build up the color.

Following the outer corner of your bottom lash line, bring 'Cry Baby' upward toward the outer corner of your lid/where your eyebrow ends.

I then used 'Birf'day Suit' to blend and soften the edges of 'Cry Baby' a bit.

Last but not least.. apply some eyeliner and mascara and you're all set! :)

&Please excuse my bad eyeliner day! haha

Thank you for stopping by and checking out my tutorial! xoxo

Ipsy: May Glam Bag

Hello everyone! I wanted to do a quick post on my Ipsy bag and share a couple of swatches with you. ;)

First of all - Ipsy introduced a little something new this month. I believe they like to call it their 'ipsyMatch' technology, which basically means: personalization!
It involves being active on their website (by 'loving' different products/looks) and by taking their beauty quiz (which asks questions such as... which 'looks' best describe your personal style, which ipsy stylists you relate the most to, beauty brands you love, makeup products you love the most, skin tone, skin concerns, etc.). These are basically the tools they will use to match you up with beauty picks 'just for you' every month.

IpsyMatch was super hyped up this month which honestly left me feeling a little disappointed after receiving my bag.. Well, not disappointed in the products I received - but I honestly thought they could 'match' me better (products/color variations more suited to my profile). haha  Silly.. yes, I know! But Ipsy has proven time and time again (at least to me) that they continue to improve and listen to our feedback - so, I'm hoping in time ipsyMatch will continue to improve!

They also note in the FAQ section that any changes to your beauty quiz must be made by the 1st of that month in order for it to take affect for that month's bag. And admittedly, I did sign up for a second subscription this month (before I knew how everything worked - and well before the 1st of the month!). It was solely due to sneak peeks of multiple 'or' products being sent out this month. I figured I would have a good chance at being able to try out a variety of products - and, since Zoya is my all time favorite (hands down!) nail polish.. I didn't have much to lose! ;)

Anyhow! Enough Rambling! Here's what my 'main' bag consisted of this month:

Pictured*:

Pacifica Perfume Roll-On in 'Tahitian Gardenia' (full size)

Zoya Nail Polish in 'GeiGei' (full size)

Yaby Concealer Refill in 'Buff' (full size)

Mirabella Colour Sheers Lipstick in 'Posy' (full size)

Anastasia Beverly Hills (Mini) Clear Brow Gel (2.5mL/0.085 fl. oz.)

*I received the cosmetic bag that went out in April (white bag with pink zipper) with my Ipsy bag this month. They experienced a quality issue with some of the cosmetic bags last month.. basically, my cosmetic bag from April was delayed and this is why I am just now receiving it. :)
*I was also chosen to receive a new full size Urban Decay Moondust eyeshadow for being 'an active member of the ipsy community.'


Swatches were a bit tricky this month since I ended up trading some items! Here's what I came up with:

Left: Mirabella Colour Sheers Lipstick in 'Pixie' swiped on the back of my hand,

Middle: Urban Decay Moondust Eyeshadow in 'Space Cowboy' applied over 

NYX JEP in 'Milk' and Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy (to help the glitter adhere),

Right: Yaby Concealer Refill in 'Buff' swiped on the back of my hand.

I could not do any justice to 'Space Cowboy' - these Moondust Eyeshadows are unbelievably glittery and complex. I highly recommend checking these out in person! &If you're worried about fallout with ultra-glittery eyeshadows, check out the Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy I linked to up above! ;)

Rumor has it that June subscribers will receive one of these full size NYX Cosmetics blushes!

If you're new to Ipsy and would like to sign up, I'd love for you to use my referral link. <3 <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. All photos of products and swatches were taken by me in natural lighting, and are unaltered aside from cropping!

LORAC: GLOgetter Palette + Swatches!

I wanted to do a quick swatch post because... Well, I recently picked up this gorgeous GLOgetter Palette by LORAC. It's exclusive to ULTA and retails for only $20! It contains a total of 10 eyeshadows and has just about everything you need - from brights to neutral, with a little bit of matte, shimmer, and duochrome all rolled into one! I was so impressed by this little palette and I'm pretty sure you will be, too! ;)

The LORAC GLOgetter palette is pretty compact - just a tiny bit smaller than my hand! It opens up to a full mirror (not shown) and the two highlighting shades are almost double the size of the other 8 eyeshadows. They are all beautifully pigmented and are so ridiculously smooth!

Unfortunately, the colors are not named. My swatch photos show the colors in order from left to right (top to bottom). All of the colors (including the highlighting shades) were swatched over Tick:Tock Cosmetics Infinity Eye Shadow Base in 'Milky Way' and photographed in natural sunlight. The highlighting shades are not as opaque (but they are buildable) and I actually think they would look quite lovely as a highlight for the face as well (top of the cheek bone/temple, length of the nose, cupids bow, etc.)!

(the mauve-ish shade has a gorgeous golden overlay,

the aqua/mint shade has a strong golden duochrome,

and the purple has a gorgeous blue duochrome!)

(these shades are similar at first glance  - 

the color on the left leans a little more pinky/peach, 

and the color to the right has quite a bit more shimmer!)

In my opinion, this palette is worth every penny and I'm actually shocked by the low price tag. I highly suggest checking this out in person! The colors are perfect for summer.. or, if you're anything like me - all 365 days of the year ;)

FTC: This item 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 me in natural lighting, &are unaltered aside from cropping/collaging!

Madd Style Cosmetics: O'Malley Inspired Tutorial

Okay, so.. you're probably sitting there wondering what an/who the heck O'Malley is, yeah? :) O'Malley is one of our 'rescue' babies who adopted us on September 27th, 2009! He's going to be four years old next month, so as far as I'm concerned.. he's still our baby. hehe

You may have noticed I haven't gotten around to blogging much recently.. Definitely nowhere near as much as I would like to. But, the past couple of months have been pretty rough for us. We noticed that O'Malley was starting to look a little scruffy and didn't seem to have any interest in keeping his beautiful coat clean. We started thinking 'Okay, it's definitely time he take a trip to the groomers' - but little did we realize, this wasn't the worst of his problems.
We took him to get a rabies vaccine (required before taking your cat to a groomer) and they did a quick overall 'health exam' and determined something was wrong with his teeth/gums. Well.. actually, they went way overboard with their 'analysis' by suggesting he HAD to have had either FIV/FeLV (feline immunodeficiency virus/feline leukemia virus) and that he needed ALL of his teeth pulled.. that it would be better to just put him down. I over-stressed myself out, my little heart was in pieces, and I just couldn't bring myself to function properly!
First, we had to take him in to get him tested for FIV/FeLV. That was a tough waiting game, but he came back negative for both! We were so relieved and so happy - but unfortunately, he wasn't entirely out of the woods just yet. He still needed some dental work done and so between all of the antibiotics and shots, we decided it would be best to get him properly groomed as well. He had some matting in his fur and we thought a fresh start was best - and being such a long haired kitty, we thought this would help him in the cleaning department as well (he was experiencing a lot of pain eating/yawning/cleaning himself/etc. due to his gums and teeth).
We had to drop him off to have four teeth extracted and the rest of his teeth cleaned a little over a week ago, and he has been such a trooper about all of it. We've just finished giving him the last of his antibiotics (which, let me tell you, was a whole other nightmare..) and he seems to be doing very well!

Here is a picture of O'Malley so you can see where my color inspiration stemmed from with this:

(This is definitely an older photo, as O'Malley was recently shaved as mentioned above. 

His coat is just starting to grow out and I can't wait for it to be this beautiful again!)

I apologize for the long story (it's definitely the short version, though!) and I hope that you'll still enjoy this tutorial I put together :)

Products I used for this look:

Left: Stila kajal eye liner in 'Pearl', Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in 'Whiskey',

Tick:Tock Infinity Eye Shadow Base in 'Milky Way', theBalm What's Your Type? mascara in "the body builder", and Too Faced Shadow Insurance Anti-Crease Eye Shadow Primer.

Top &middle right: Madd Style Cosmetics eyeshadow pigments in: Andraste's Grace, Birf'day Suit, Moth, Cocoa Puff, & FRESH POTS!

Bottom right: bdellium tools green bambu brushes #781, #777, #716, and #760

As always, start off by priming your lid and applying your eyeshadow base. :)

I quickly realized.. I don't have a matte white! I decided to use 'Moth' as it appears to be the least shimmery of the whites that I do own. :)
I applied 'Moth' all over the lid using my eyeshadow brush, but used a lighter hand/application toward the outer corner of the lid. If you are using a relatively sheer or shimmery white, you may need to build up your color a bit before moving on.

Still using my eyeshadow brush, I very very very lightly applied 'Cocoa Puff' - since I have an irrational 'fear' of over-doing darker colors, it takes me forever. :P
I always have the whole 'it's easier to add more than it is to take away' theory in mind when doing this. I seriously apply the tinniest amount and build up little by little until I'm happy with the color/shape.

I then applied more of 'Cocoa Puff' and brought it up a bit higher and started working 'Cocoa Puff' very lightly into my crease!

Using my liner brush I took a tiny bit of 'Fresh Pots' and, little by little, drew a line from the outer part of my lower lash line up to the very outer corner of my lid. I then started blending 'Fresh Pots' into 'Cocoa Puff' a bit more in the outer corner and made my corner a bit sharper.

I then added white eyeliner to  my waterline...

...since I didn't have a bright blue eyeliner pencil, I used the beautiful 'Andraste's Grace' over my white eyeliner instead! :) I also added some 'Birf'day Suit' under the brow to clean up/blend a bit more.

Last but not least - apply your liner and mascara! I also finished this off by adding a bit more of 'Moth' to the inner corner. If you find you have a lot of shimmery fallout, carefully take a q-tip with a bit of makeup remover on it and gently sweep it over any areas you want to 'clean up'. :)

Thanks so much for reading/viewing! <3