May Favorites!

Today I bring you a short and sweet post about my favorite products during the month of May.

1. NYX Matte Lipstick in Indie Flick- Orange-y red, creamy, opaque, beautiful for summer!
2. Graftobian Ultrasilk Matte Eyeshadow Palette - my go-to palette for when using bright colors. These basic shades help me give depth and definition to the eyes without competing with more shimmery/bright shades. 
3. Maybelline Master Shape eyebrow pencil in Soft Brown - It's a basic brow pencil, nothing special. I just really like how natural this shade looks on my brows, so it's definitely found a place in my day-to-day 
4. Darling Girl Cosmetics eyeshadow in Obviously A Wig - It looks like a magenta with blue sheen in some light, in others it looks bright purple. Beautiful, easy to work with, very pigmented. 
5. MAC Extra Dimension Bronzer in Delphic - bought it for the packaging, loved it for the ease of wear, not too matte but not shimmery, manages to look natural on my light skin
6. Nivea Lip Butter in Raspberry Rose Kiss - this stuff smells sooo good. I wish I could find a perfume that smelled like raspberries and roses. Also moisturizes my lips and does what a lip balm is supposed to do. yeah. (the only thing I don't like is that you have to dip your finger in to get to the product)
7. Real Techniques Eye brushes - I found these at a hidden corner of a Walgreens far away from where I live. I love these and have been using them on a daily basis. 
8. NYX Dewy Finish setting spray - It's so hot here every day of the year, and keeping your makeup on is definitely a challenge. I think setting sprays in general all give a dewy finish, but this one is a little... glossier? I don't like looking too matte most of the time, so it's perfect. Ive tried it over different foundations and it has always given me good results. 

So, that's it for this month's faves! Have you tried any of these products? Which products have been your favorites this month? Share!

Thanks for reading!
Love,
-Tat 

FOTD: Obviously a Wig

Hi!
Today I'm sharing a makeup look I based around Darling Girl Cosmetics eyeshadow in Obviously a Wig. Originally I was just trying to do a pink look for a challenge we had on a Facebook group I'm in, but this eyeshadow ended up looking a lot more purple than I thought it would and I just went with it.

Pale Pink Lipstick is Pale

The Rundown: 

Face:   Maybelline Fit Me Foundation in 125, Concealer in 15, some random face powder to set. Tarte Dollface blush, MAC Omega for contouring, Benefit Watt's Up highlighter

Eyes: Darling Girl Cosmetics Death By Unicorn on the inner corners, Obviously A Wig on lids and lower lashes. Graftobian Ultramatte palette was used to work the crease, for blending, dimension, etc. Maybelline black gel liner, purple pencil from Maybelline Chromatics on the waterline. False lashes, because it's obvious.

Lips: OCC Lip Tar in Malibu Pink topped with Neon Pink lipgloss from Hot Topic.

Hope you like this look! Let me know if you would like to see tutorials and such in the future.

Love,
-Tat

NYX Butter Glosses - Swatches & Review

It's no secret that I am not a fan of lipgloss. Really. I am not ashamed of my unpopular opinion, and will share it with anyone who asks.
Lately, though, I've been more and more pleasantly surprised by a few new lipglosses that have been popping up on the market. NYX Butter Glosses are probably my favorite of them all.

NYX Cosmetics has been slowly trickling into stores near where I live, and I'm ecstatic. They are a solid brand, most of the products that I've tried from them are total hits, and they keep up with trends and new offerings in fun colors, which I love. I have five colors to show you today:

swatched outdoors in direct sunlight

Swatched indoors in indirect sunlight

I'll keep it short:

The colors are so beautiful and right on-trend. I love the creamy finish of these! The color payoff is amazing while staying in lipgloss territory (that is to say, they're not super opaque, which would definitely make them a liquid lipstick). They smell like buttercream, which makes you want to eat them. They do not settle into fine lines, so it's a smooth, even application and they last for about 2-3 hours on me (if I don't eat or drink anything) but they don't feel sticky. They definitely feel more expensive than they actually are. (these retail for about $5 )

The only thing I'm not loving is the doe foot applicator, which I find kind of small. This makes me have to apply a couple of times just to be able to fill in my entire lips, and my lips aren't even on the fuller side.

All in all, this is a great product that I would definitely recommend, and I will definitely be getting more shades in the future.


Thanks for reading!
Love,
-Tat

NYX Indie Flick (review, FOTD)

A good red lip never goes out of style. For us on the warm-ish side of the skintone spectrum, this also rings true for orange shades. When you find a nice lipstick that combines the two it's pure love at first sight, as is the case with NYX Matte Lipstick in Indie Flick (described by the NYX website as a bright coral-red).

I had seen someone on Instagram wearing this shade awhile ago and fell in love. On some people it looks more orange, on others it leans more red. It is really bright, and pretty difficult to photograph accurately.
As I mentioned before, it is a matte lipstick but it applies creamy and soft, I don't think it looks totally matte (maybe satin). I really like the formula of this lipstick, and the shade, although a little intimidating, would work well on practically everyone.

The Look: 

I was feeling summery today so I decided to pair it with bronze-y neutral eyes and lots of bronzer on my face. It does not show up well in my pictures but trust me, it's there ;)

Eyes: Urban Decay Naked 1 palette , Wet N Wild black liquid liner, the same pair of falsies I used for the Maleficent look.

Face: Revlon Photoready in 004 Nude, Maybelline Dream Lumi Concealer in Nude, Graftobial Banana Powder, MAC Delphic bronzer, Maybelline blush sticks in Subtle Bronze and Coral Sheen

Lips: NYX Indie Flick matte lipstick

More pictures!

Staring longingly into the distance helps show makeup more accurately

 

I also did my best attempt to do something with my hair today. Im not sure I succeeded. 

Anyway, I really like this look, it's dramatic but I also feel it's wearable, and the lipstick color is totally interchangeable (But I really really like these eyeshadow colors with orange lip shades!) 

Would you wear this lip shade? Or is it too out there? 

Thanks for reading!

Love, 

-Tat 

Alien Maleficent Drag Queen

Is it me or is the whole entire internet suffering from Maleficent fever lately?

Yeah, no, it's not me. The new movie is coming out and Angelina Jolie looks absolutely Ah-maazing as Maleficent, complete with somehow human-colored skin and cheek implants courtesy of none other than Rick Baker (a.k.a my spirit animal).

 

There have been lots of tutorials popping up on the internet explaining how to do the makeup similar to hers in the picture, my favorite is definitely Kandee Johnson's (Go check it out !). After seeing hers I was bit by the bug and decided to recreate it. But then, something happened. While searching Google Images of Maleficent, this little lady popped up: 

Never Forget. 1959-2014

Look at that fabulousness! Purple! Green! How could I not want to do purple and green?! So I was set with a question: do you want to do New Maleficent or Old Maleficent?

And then I decided to do both. 

Did I mention she loves drag? 

This picture has been edited, of course. I added a bit of a filter for a greenish cast on the skin, and lots of shadows to mask the background of the mess of products I used for this.

The Rundown: 

Face:  Graftobian Foundation Palette (lighter than my skintone, taupe and black shades for contouring) , NYX Milk for highlighting
Eyes: Sugarpill Acid Berry, 2 AM, Tako, Buttercupcake, Bulletproof (for brows) and a little Poison Plum and Mochi as well. I blocked out the eyebrows with a glue stick and did a crap job at it (I'll get better, I swear!!)  and applied two pairs of falsies on top, and clusters of individual lashes on bottom. 

Crappy photo is crappy 

 Lips: lined lips with red NYX retractable lip liner, topped with Milani Ruby Valentine lipstick and created the ombre effect with MAC Vino lipliner. dabbed Milk JEP on bottom lip for dimension. 

I then wanted to sort of contour a widow's peak shape on the forehead, and also applied some green eyeshadow in some parts of the face to sort of bring it all back to retro Maleficent. 

I think this came out pretty good, but it could definitely be better. I need to keep practicing my brow covering techniques. Here is one more pic,  taken with my HTC One: 

Now I have to do the Angelina-inspired version, for the sake of modern times. 

Thank you for reading! Let me know what you think about this mess ;) 

Love, 

-Tat

The Darling Chicks - Swatches !

Hi! Today I will be sharing swatches of the Darling Girl Cosmetics Easter collection (yeah, I know. I'm super late. ) The Darling Chicks.

Well, hello there, cutie! (stolen from the Darling Girl website)

This collection was released April 10, and is limited edition. I wrote to Susan, the owner of the company, and she said it would probably be up until mid June, so you still have some weeks to get your hands on these if you wish (and you should).

The names of these colors were chosen by fans and customers, which I think is a really nice detail to have in mind. That's something I like about indie companies, they tend to really involve their customers in the decision making process, which I think makes every collection just a little more special.

There are eight shades in this collection, and while there are some standard pastel, easter-y shades, there is also a stunning bright blue, dark purple, and two gorgeous neutrals.

I Got The Magic Chick, Chick Magnet, Tricky Chick, Chick Flick 

A brighter pic showing the variations in shades

Color Descriptions (according to the website): 

I Got the Magic Chick - Sheer lilac with blue violet sheen and blue and purple sparkles throughout.
Chick Magnet - Dark lavender with golden sheen.
Tricky Chick - Gorgeous shimmering aqua with green undertones.
Chick Flick - Blackened violet with tons of color shifting purple glitter.

Chickster, Chicks Dig It, Chicka Chicka Boom, Chick Me Out

I dont know what happened with this set of pics. The lighting is off :( 

Chickster - Light caramel with silvery green sheen and in the right lighting you might just spy the prettiest soft pinky purple.
Chicks Dig It - Mint green with pink to green shift purple sparkle.
Chicka Chicka Boom - Pale golden champagne with soft pink glow and in certain lighting a green shift
Chick Me Out - Green tinged yellow (just shy of chartreuse) with green to peach shift.

My Favorites/ Must Haves:

Chicka Chicka Boom (Look at that flash ! look at it! This color is creamy, gorgeous, glowy, and perfect.)
I Got The Magic Chick is super pretty for a soft, ethereal look
Chick Magnet is one of those shades that I think would be super flattering on just about everyone. It's got the right balance between being a neutral but getting some color on your face, which a lot of people are afraid of.
Get them here 

As always, when using loose powder shadows there are a couple of things to keep in mind; such as prepping, priming, and using the right brushes. I usually apply an eye primer followed by a thin layer of Darling Girl Glitter Glue, then pat on the shadow with a flat brush for better color payoff. I recommend doing your face makeup after you do your eyeshadow because there will inevitably be some fallout, especially with the sparklier shades.

Has any of the shades caught your eye? Tell me in the comments !

Thanks for reading!
Love,
-Tat


*Samples were provided by the company for consideration*

MAC Alluring Aquatics - Swatches, Reviews

In this first post I will be sharing with you some pictures (otherwise known as packaging porn!) and swatches of the new MAC Cosmetics Alluring Aquatics collection.
This collection was out online on May 15 ( I think) and I managed to get three of the lipsticks and one of the bronzers.

First off: the packaging.
This collection is housed in a GORGEOUS metallic blue (aqua?) packaging textured to look like it is sprinkled with water droplets. I haven't been this in love with a lipstick case since Liberty of London x MAC collaboration. Remember those?

No actual water was used for the taking of these photographs.

I'll start with the lipsticks. I got three of the five shades offered in this collection: Pet Me, Please, Goddess Of The Sea, and Siren Song. (pictured below in that order) For reference, I have a light/medium skintone (in MAC speak, I'm about an NW20-25 )

The first one I'm going to show you is Pet Me, Please. I honestly don't know where the name comes from, and I think it's kinda weird but whatever. I like this color. It is described on the website as a "light, shimmering Mauve" in a frost finish.

She photographs great, too.

The texture feels creamy, a bit on the dry side, but it definitely has good color payoff. I really like how this one looks, and I can't wait to use it in an actual makeup look that sort of ties it all together.

Pet Me, Please 

 

 

Next up is Goddess Of The Sea. The website states this is a "Dark, vibrant violet" and it is a Cremesheen formula.

I honestly don't think I paid attention to the Cremesheen part, otherwise I probably wouldn't have bought this. It's a pretty color in the tube, and it's a pretty color on the lips. I would not describe it as vibrant, it's more of a muted violet if anything. It applied a bit streaky and quickly migrated into the fine lines around my lips, so this one definitely needs a bit of work (lipliner, concealer, the works). I do, however, think it is a great shade for those who want to wear a dark lip ( everyone wants to look like Lorde, admit it.) but are afraid of going full goth chick. Also, maybe, a "daytime-appropriate" (whatever that means) purple lip.

check out those lines, yo' 

Last of the lipsticks is Siren Song. It is a "sheer, pale beige" lustre...

Fancy, isn't it?

... and it might as well be a glorified lip balm. I first saw this one on Jeffree Star's Instagram and thought: " need!!!" but when I swatched it it was quickly turned to " how am I going to make this work?". Here's the thing: my lips are quite pale, so this does not show up on me AT. ALL. I'm guessing with a darker lip liner it would make a nice ombré type lip, or maybe to top a matte lip color and make it, well, not matte without making it too glossy I could definitely wear it, but on its own it does absolutely nothing for me. (someone with pigmented lips would rock this, though. Big time.)

See? :(

Last, but certainly not least, the bronzer. I got the shade Delphic, which the website describes as "soft brick tan with a touch of fine shimmer".

I'd say you can definitely see the shimmer if you're looking at it in the pan, but it does not translate to the skin, which might be a good thing. I don't really like my bronzers to be shimmery, I prefer them to be matte because then you can multitask with them (bronze, blush, contour, etc). That being said, this is definitely not a flat finish, and I think it's quite pretty. The powder feels really smooth to the touch, I almost felt like I didn't catch any product when I swatched it, it's so light! MAC says it wears for ten hours, but I have yet to test that out so I can't talk about wear and staying power. I think this is a nice bronzer for light/medium skintones, as it isn't too orange or in-your-face.

Blended out, applied heavily

In hindsight, I wish I would've had the chance to see swatches/reviews of these shades before purchasing them, but with MAC's limited edition collections it's kind of impossible. I really wish they'd fix that in the future, but I don't think they really care about their customers making informed decisions. I like everything I got, and I definitely will wear all of it, but other than the GORGEOUS PERFECT packaging I'm not blown away.

What do you think of the MAC Alluring Aquatics collection? Did you manage to get anything? Do share!

Until next time,
-Tat