Easy Halloween Look

Halloween is almost upon us, so I decided to throw together a super quick makeup look that's Halloween themed! It's perfect for those wanting to get into the spirit of the day but aren't looking to dress up or haven't yet scrambled to put together a costume. I literally just layered on different eyeshadow, put on a different lipstick and touched up my blush that I already had on from work. It only took like 5 minutes.

I went with the classic purple and orange theme! I blended a dark, matte purple eye shadow in my crease and outer v and touched up my lid shade, a metallic copper penny color called Game Face from Colour Pop. I also added purple eyeliner (I used Urban Decay VooDoo but any purple liner will do) and smudged it out on my lower lash line with a bit of mascara on my lower lashes.

Threw on my Revlon Matte Lip Balm in Shameless, a wonderful purple color and touched up my blush using NYX Powder Blush in Bordeaux. Voila! Super easy, simple and can be layered upon existing makeup; perfect for transitioning from day to night.

I'm so excited for Halloween; I'm going as the female version of Harry Potter and my friend is going as Hermione! I will be Harry Potter: The Boy-Girl Who Lived. I'm stoked. 

What are your plans for Halloween? Got a kick ass costume or makeup look planned? Tell me the deets below!

xoxo

Jessica

In The Spotlight: theBalm

I have slowly accumulated quite a few theBalm products over the past year thanks to Hautelook, where I got almost all of my theBalm products half off! Here is a quick look at all their products in my collection!

Let's start with my two eyeshadow palettes, the Nude'tude  and the Nude Dude. Both palettes have 12 shades that are a mixture of mattes, satins and shimmers. The Nude'tude is more neutral in tone and the Nude Dude has more mauve, purple shades.

The quality is pretty good, but they do kick up quite a bit of powder and some of the mattes are patchy. I tend to reach for my Nude Dude the most just because I tend to gravitate to these shades more. I like them both though! The packaging of these is just hysterical too. Naked ladies and gents? I'm in.

Nude'tude

Nude Dude

One of the most well know products from theBalm with a cult following are the Luminizers; I have the Cindy-Lou Manizer and Mary-Lou Manizer.

I've had the Mary-Lou Manizer for a while, and I can see why it's so popular! It's an intense champagne highlight that is very soft and finely milled. Cindy-Lou Manizer is a newer edition to my collection, and it's a peachy-pink color that is not nearly as luminous. I typically use it as a very glowy blush and also makes a great blush "topper." It can be used as a more subtle highlight too, but if you're looking for the same kick that the Mary-Lou Manizer gives, you won't find it with this one.

Top: Cindy Lou Manizer, Bottom: Mary-Lou Manizer

My other cheek products include the Hot Mama! Blush, Bahama Mama Bronzer and Balm Desert Bronzer/Blush. 

Hot Mama! is a peachy-pink blush with a golden sheen that is so gorgeous on the cheeks, especially in the summer months. Bahama Mama is a dark, and I mean dark, bronzer that I use to contour because it's a fantastic neutral brown that isn't too warm or cool. Just use a light hand and blend well if you have lighter skin and you're good to go! The Balm Desert is a really unique warm, rosey toned bronzer that doubles as a bronzer AND blush. It's great for those days your feeling a more nude blush!

Starting from the top: Balm Desert, Bahama Mama, Hot Mama!

Last in my collection are two samples I got from my Ipsy! A Meet Matt(e) Hughes Liquid Lipstick in Committed and How 'Bout Them Apples? Lip and Cheek Cream in Pie. 

The liquid lipstick I have not worn yet, so I can't say if it's long wearing or not, but the shade is a gorgeous nude-pink and smells like Thin Mints. YAS. I'm not much of a cream blush girl because my skin is oily so it tends to do weird things for me, so this serves as just a lip color fro me. It's a really creamy strawberry pink that is more on the sheer side but can be built up. I might buy the full size palette just because the packaging is so friggin' cute. I'm ridiculous, I know.

Top: Pie, Bottom: Committed

theBalm is an awesome brand that has kick ass packaging and is kind of the bridge between drugstore and high end products in price in my opinion. I seriously recommend waiting for theBalm to be on Hautelook to get products up to 50% off if you've been wanting to try a few products. Totally worth it.

xoxo

Jessica

October 2015 Boxycharm Unboxing! #FacesOfTheMoon

I've seen sneak peeks for this box, and got super pumped for a few items! This months theme is Faces Of The Moon, an interesting spin on Halloween. Let's just dig right in!

Everything is black this month, giving it a very dark yet sleek feel. Immediately I'm excited about the Cult Cosmetics Nail Polish in Bone Yard ($12), a dark grey. I love grey nail polish and this looks like a good one! I can always count on Boxycharm for great nail polishes.

I actually just tried this Palmetto Derma Rejuvenating Antioxidant Mask ($64) this week, and I really like it! It kind of stings at first, but my skin is breaking out like crazy so that might be why. It's pretty thick, almost oatmeal like in texture and takes a loooong time to dry. It's a great luxury mask to put on when you want to relax!

Aaaaaand a black eyeliner. BOOOOO. This Lord & Berry Line/Shade Eyeliner in Black ($18) is really smooth and pigmented for a wooden pencil though. I'm just not excited about getting eyeliner, especially when I get one like twice a month. The Doucce Punk Volumizer Mascara ($24) I tried this morning, and I liked it! It's a huge wand, but surprisingly usable and does add decent volume.

The last item in my box is a Bellapierre Cheek and Lip Stain in Coral ($19). I'm a little iffy on this one just because I'm not a cream blush person. It seems creamy and pigmented enough, and is a gorgeous coral color. I'll give it a shot though! 

That concludes this months round of subscription boxes! I loved the nail polish, mask and mascara this month.

What were your faves?

xoxo

Jessica

My Red Lip Collection

Every girl needs at least one red lipstick in their collection; in this case I have several! Red lips are among my favorite to wear because it can transform a whole look and add confidence (to me at least). Here is a peak at my red lip collection, minus my deeper more burgundy/plum lips because I wanted to *try* to stick with the more classic reds. I'll do a separate post on those. ;)

I feel like NYX Round Lipsticks are underrated because they come in a plethora of colors at a great price. I own the shades Snow White (deeper blue toned red) and Chaos (a brighter blue toned red). Both are gorgeous and are a satin finish. I have one from ModelCo in Stiletto that I got in a Birchbox that is closer to a true red. 

I have two red shades from the Maybelline Creamy Matte line in Craving Coral (coral red) and Divine Wine ( a deeper burgundy wine red). Both are amazingly creamy for being mattes, fantastic pigmentation and feel good on the lips. 

I also have an assortment of lip crayons, a gloss and liquid lipstick in varying shades of red! The Jordana Twist & Shine Moisturizing Balm Stain in Rock N' Rouge is more of an orange-toned red while the Jing Ai Velvet Shine Lip Jewel in Rascal has more pink undertones. Revlon Matte Balm in Standout is more of a brick red. A mini NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Cruella was part of the Sephora birthday gift this year, and it's a beautiful scarlet red.

My Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick sample in Beso, a classic, true red. is one of my favorites. A comfortable matte finish that LASTS a long time and stays in place without getting all over my face. Love it. And just because, I threw in my Cailyn Art Touch Tinted Gloss Stick in Love Affair, a very opaque deep brick red/burgundy gloss. It's a nice option when I'm not actually committed to a red lip but still want the red lip effect minus the work.

What is your favorite red lipstick? Do you prefer cool toned, warm toned reds or right in the middle? Comment below!

xoxo

Jessica 

October 2015 Birchbox Unboxing!

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, and in honor of this Birchbox is raising money and awareness for breast cancer research. It's only fitting that this months box is pink and has a beautiful wood grain pattern. Go Birchbox! Let's take a look at what I got!

I received a deluxe sample of Davines LOVE Smoothing Shampoo and a sample of the matching LOVE Conditioner! I've tried a few products by Davine and I've loved them, so I'm stoked to try these out. I just wished the big bottle was the conditioner...

COOL A PERFUME SAMPLE. Not. This one by Etat Libre d'Orange will go great with my other samples that are sitting in a pile in my vanity. It smells like very perfume-y orange, which isn't bad but I just never use these samples. The Shiseido Ultimune Power Infusing Concentrate on the other hand, I'm happy to try out! I've heard great things about this serum that helps defend against aging and brightens skin. Sweet!

Two makeup samples I got is the Eyeko Black Magic Mascara and the Too Cool For School Dinoplatz Pearl Bay Invasion Highlighter in #2 Pink Baby Clam. The mascara has a curved wand which I like, but I've heard mixed reviews on Eyeko products so we'll see how this is. The highlighting cream is GORGEOUS; a pink-gold highlight that goes a very long way. It's blends like a dream too.

Birchbox has surprised me this month! I'm liking everything at first glance (minus the perfume)! 

What did you like from your Birchbox this month?

xoxo

Jessica

October 2015 Ipsy #AlterEgo

This months theme for Ipsy is Alter Ego, in honor of Halloween! I freaking love Halloween, so I was hoping to get dark, bold makeup in this months bag but got surprisingly wearable shades. Let's take a look at what I got!

For what seems like the third month in a row, I only received 4 out of my 5 samples. I looked online and I was supposed to get some sort of hand cream, so I'm not completely crushed because I don't really care to receive lotions. But seriously, get your shit together Ipsy. If this continues I might think about cancelling... probably not though.

Anyways, rant over! On to the samples:

Dr. Brand Microdermabrasion Scrub

Mica Beauty Cream Shadow in Bronze

Emite Make Up Professional Slant Tweezer

theBalm Meet Matt(e) Hughes Long-Lasting Liquid Lipstick in Committed

I'm so excited I got a sample of theBalm's liquid lipstick! I've been wanting to try it for sometime now, and the shade Committed is a beautiful peachy-pink nude. The scent is INCREDIBLE. It smells straight up like Thin Mints. Yassssssss.

The Mica Beauty bronze shadow is also a stunning bronzy gold that I'm interested to try out. I've found the Mica Beauty formula to be pretty dry; I personally don't mind because it means less creasing but others might hate the tugging feeling. This would make a nice eye shadow base for sure!

The Emite Make Up Tweezers seem pretty nice, and remind me of my hella expensive Tweezer Man ones. Aother pair is always nice to have!

I love Dr. Brandt products, so I'll definitely try this scrub and let you all know how it is, most likely in my empties. :)

I was a little let down this month because it hardly seemed Halloween or "alter ego" themed at all! The winner this month for me is obviously the liquid lipstick, and the cream shadow is cool too.

What did you think of this months bag?

xoxo

Jessica

Disappointing Products

It's happened to all of us; we buy a product with high hopes and it just doesn't work out for us for whatever reason. I decided to share a few products that I found disappointing or that I flat out didn't like. But just because it doesn't work for me, doesn't necessarily mean it's a horrible product. A few products I mention are favorites among others, so keep that in mind! With that said, let's take a look!

Two foundations that I just can't bring myself to use is the Rimmel Clean Finish Matte Foundation and Revlon Colorstay Whipped Foundation. The one from Rimmel was super cheap, like under $5 at Walmart that I impulsively picked up and let me tell you; I regret it. It's a super thick consistency that is so hard to blend and is very dark and orange in tone even though it was one of the lightest shades.

I've heard rave reviews about Revlon Colorstay Whipped, and I LOVE the liquid foundation so I was super pumped to try it! But I was disappointed. I could not for the life of me figure out how to blend it so it wouldn't look so cakey and "foundation" looking. I tried my Beauty Blender, a variety of brushes and even my fingers! My fingers worked the best for by far but just still didn't look right. I've finally come to figure out that thicker, mousse foundations just don't work for me, so I will always be jealous of those who can look flawless wearing this foundation.

Top: Rimmel Clean Finish Mattein True Ivory, Bottom: Revlon Colorstay Whipped in 150 Buff

I'm not really picky about nail polish formulas, but this one by Salon Perfect is just not my fave. The shade is called Haute Pink, but it's really a neon orange. When I used it, it just did not apply evenly, looked clumpy and not smooth at all. I pretty much had to remove it 2 days later because it was driving me nuts.

Another Rimmel product I wasn't a fan of and was real sad about it was the Rimmel Keep Calm Lip Balm in Clear. The packaging is adorable and definitely suckered me in! But this straight up smells and tastes like melted plastic that stays with you for a while. It tastes so bad and is completely unusable for me.

Lastly, I was not feelin' the Wet n' Wild Fergie Take On The Day Eyeshadow Primer in A Little Party... or the Physicians Formula Organic Wear Jumbo Mascara. The WnW primer is gorgeous swatched, and has a silver-pink shimmer to it. By itself, I love it, but when I try to blend out shadows on top of it it just looked patchy, uneven and almost balled up on my lids. I like the regular nude color primer, but this does not work for me as a primer and I use it as a cream shadow instead.

The mascara has beautiful packaging and a plastic applicator which is my favorite! So I was expecting to love it, but I just didn't. It looked like I didn't put anything on my lashes! Even with 2-3 coats it did nothing for me; no volume, length and barley tinted my lashes black. *sigh*

That's all folks! What are some products that disappointed you?

xoxo

Jessica

Fall MOTD

I LOVE a dark, bold lip and decided to create a fall makeup look that includes a dark red lip and neutral-peachy eyes! Here is a peak at some of the makeup I used to create a fall-time appropriate look:

For my eyes, I used the Kat Von D Shade + Light Eye Palette and for a pop of shimmery champagne peach, this OFRA Shadow/Highlight in Bliss.

I used the peachy shade from the palette for a transition shade, and the two left brown shades for in the crease and outer v of the eye as well as smudged under my lower lash line.

I also love to use dark, bold blushes that give me a natural looking flush like I just got done playing in the snow. The one I used today is Coastal Scents Forever Blush in Passionate. I then top that with my trusty theBalm Mary Lou Manizer for a golden champagne glow.

I used my L'Oreal Infallible Pro-Matte Foundation for my base, and to contour I used my Aesthetica Contour Kit.

 And of course, for my lips I used Wet n' Wild MegaLast Lip Color in 918D Cherry Bomb. It's a matte dark red that looks amazing and is dirt cheap. Definitely recommend for those of you looking to experiment with darker lips!

What is your favorite fall makeup look?

xoxo

Jessica