Halloween Look! (and some extra Halloween items!)

Happy All Hallows Eve everyone!

One of my most favourite times of the year, when the veil between life and death thins and we dress up to confuse the demons who are up to no good! I've got my current vampy manicure, my make-up look for my costume, the pumpkins me and my mom did and the spiderweb cupcakes we made. Lots of spooky goodness in this post!

I painted my nails first with my base coat Gelous then two coats of Vampira by Eyeko. Then I took painters tape and taped across so only the tips showed and used Sephora OPI's Sample Sale for blood red tips on a very blood splattered and gothic looking nail design.

Showing the shimmer :D

Green slime and purple webbing blood splatter cupcakes! (Actually it's just buttercream icing and cherry chip cupcakes but they were fun to make!)

Here's my vampire look! My first time using false eyelashes I had to cut them in half to get them to stick on okay but overall I'm quite pleased.

My vampire teeth (I love these, no lisp and the look awesome!)

My vampire look :D (Some of the white eyeshadow has come off by this point but you get the idea). Here's what I used: 

• Annabelle matte eyeshadow single in Snowflake
• Lorac oil-free illuminzer in pearl 01
• Revlon dark red lipstain in Twilight
• Mac Greasepaint stick in Greengrease
• Wet n' Wild Holographic Silver glitter
• Mac Vex eyeshadow
• Gosh Waterproof eyeshadow cream stick in Love That Ivory
• Kat Von D 500 point Sephora palette black sparkly eyeshadow
• Fake Lashes from Life Brand
• Urban Decay 24/7 Pencil in Zero
• Fyrinnae Lip Lustre in Ghostly Voice
• Quo Eiffel Tower lip gloss in burgundy
• Cargo Activating Primer
• Laura Mercier Secret Concealer in number 2
• Make Up Forever Full Cover Concealer (forgot the number)

My Graveyard scene with the wind-blown tree branches!

And all lit up!

Mom's pumpkin topiary :D

Top lit up!

That's all for now! Hope you enjoyed, feel free to ask any questions.

Getting to Know Me from a Blog Award

I've been tagged by Varnish Vixen for this blog award, my very first! I'm fairly sure the Spanish translates to Your Blog Enchants Me, but I could be wrong! lol, so here are the questions.

1. Why did you create the blog?
Honestly, because I felt like I had something to contribute. I love helping other people out, it makes me feel good and giving advice and ideas about something I love is a small state of bliss for me! I like making people do better for themselves as well, plus I like to talk, a lot! A cosmetics blog was just the perfect fit! Plus I could work on my writing skills as well as giving myself something entertaining to do when I was ill (which I was for over a month when I started).

2. What kind of blogs do you follow?
So many! You can see my ever growing list at the bottom of the page but mostly I follow cosmetics, nail polish and the odd photography blog. On top of that I follow a fanfiction (stories fans write about their favourite books with those characters) blog or two as well. (There are some AMAZING fanfiction authors out there!)

3. Do you have a favourite make-up brand?
I have some that I like more than others but there isn't one that stands above all the rest for me. I find many brands have a couple great items but there isn't one brand that has really blown me away and kept my attention strong yet! Plus, I change my mind a lot so a favourite one month won't be the next!

4. A favourite clothing brand?
Honestly, at the risk of having rotten tomatoes thrown at me, I'm not a clothes person. I'm a jeans and baby tee girl I'm not gonna lie, though there are some items that really grab my attention. Le Chateau is probably my favourite for formal wear.

5. What make-up products are essential for you?
Oh wow. This could get long quick! I'd have to say a good primer, foundation, concealer, Too Faced Shadow Insurance and Wet n' Wild's Color Icon single eyeshadow in Brule for covering eye discolouration. I really don't like to leave the house in anything less! (Though this week I have twice because my alarm went off late and I was late for class. Those were concealer only days, ugh.)

6. What's your favourite colour?
This is so easy for me! Hunter Green. The colour of haunted forests and medieval dresses. I love love love dark green (in fact I'm constantly on the look out for more despite having at least four green eyeshadows and nail polishes already!)

7. What's your favourite perfume?
Benefit's Your Place or Mine Gina. I bought this bottle before I found out Benefit was an animal testing company (that says they aren't but they test their ingredients on animals, just not the final products). I still have quite a bit left and I LOVE the sweet scent of it. It's the only perfume to date I've smelled that hasn't made me either have trouble breathing, or given me a killer headache. So I'm on the lookout for a creulty-free option still. (Recommendations are greatly appreciated!)

8. What's the film you liked the most?
This is almost impossible! But I'm going to have to say Pride and Prejudice. The one with Kiera Knightly. Such a good movie, such a good book and Mr. Darcy when he smiles *fans self*.

9. What countries would you like to go to?
I adore traveling and I believe traveling is one of the most educational and mind opening experiences there is. So here's my list (in no particular order just what pops in my mind first!): Greece, Italy (Rome and Venice specifically!), Egypt, South Africa, Brazil (Amazon River!), Costa Rica, Golapagos Islands, Hawaii, Australia, Madagascar, Ireland, Russia, Japan, Norway, Sweden, Amsterdam, Germany, Mexico, France, New Zealand, gosh I could go on! And I'd like to go to the places I've already been again too!
(Scotland, England, U.S.A., Tanzania, Caribbean Islands- Curaco, St. Thomas, St. Martin, St. Lucia, Aruba)

Tagging onward!
Here's who I'm passing the love onwards to! (Only three because I'm lazy and I've actually chatted with these girls!)

Miss Diorista
My Lips But Better
EvermoreImmortal 118

Mac Fluidline in Rich Ground~ Review

Everyone always talks about the Mac Fluidlines. And with good reason! I love my little pot of Fluidline in Rich Ground. A reddened chocolate this is my absolute favourite liner to bring out the green in my hazel eyes (a hard feat to accomplish). 

These pots, though small really pack a bang for your buck. Creamy and richly pigmented, not very much is needed for the desired effect. I find the gel liners the easiest to control and can produce the smoothest line for me with my brush of choice (no included).

What I really love about these is that these literally do not budge once they set. I can literally rub hard on my eyes (which happens more than it doesn't when you're cursed with allergies) and it won't smear or fade. I still have the lovely metallic brown-red glow until I take it off at night. This stuff even lasts all day on my waterline with my very watery eyes.

This was only one small dip of my brush in the liner and look haw much I got!

Clicking above will bring you to the Mac website with all the fluidline colour options. Most people's favourite is blacktrack, obviously a black liner, but seeing as I don't use black liner I've never been tempted by it.

One thing to keep in mind is that fluidline twist caps must be secured tightly otherwise they'll dry out as it's their ability to dry when spread that keeps them from smudging. So after every use close the cap tightly and store it upside down. By storing it upside down you are keeping the moisture in the product as any that evaporates will evaporate into the gel itself instead of into the air and escaping. As I've stored mine upside down I've never had any problems with it drying out and I've had it for about a year now. If it does get a bit dry, I've heard putting a couple drops of Visine on it and then closing and storing upside down helps a lot.

Overall Rating: 10/10 I've not found a liner that stays as well, doesn't irritate, brings out my eyes and doesn't smudge yet!

And because I recently uploaded it, a cute picture of my gerbies Rowan (left) and Merlin (right) sharing a drink from their water bottle.

Deborah Lippmann Nail Polish Trios

Nordstrom seems to be having the best deals lately on Deborah Lippmann nail polish. They've got two trios of polish that let you try the brand at a lesser price than buying all three separately. Not to mention this glitter happy brand is literally bringing glitter back as a fashion trend! Above we've got the All That Jazz Trio in Razzle Dazzle (darkened raspberry sizzle), Some Enchanted Evening (Pink Salmon Glitter), and Lady Sings The Blues (silver sparkled blue). The trio costs $40.00 USD from Nordstrom. All three are stunning, in fact check out Varnish Vixen's swatches of these they're lovely! (Some Enchanted Evening, Razzle Dazzle, and Lady Sings The Blues.)

I learned about this $25 USD trio through polish insomniac's blog. Called the Deborah Lippmann "Layer Cake" Nail Color Trio, this has got three mini bottles of 0.3 oz each. You get more polish than 2 Lippmann polishes for less than 2 polishes in 3 colours. What could possible be bad about that? The three colours are Wicked Game (Swirling Lavender-Grey), Happy Birthday (Sparkle Party in a bottle) and Dark Side of the Moon (absolutely dark aubergine). You can see the polishes here- polish insomniac's Wicked Game, Kitty Luvs Color's Dark Side of the Moon, and Vampy Varnish's Wicked Game & Happy Birthday! (Personally I'm not really digging Happy birthday but I love the other two!)

Lastly is the Nordstrom Deborah Lippmann "Start me Up" set which is great as a gift for someone just really getting into nail polish. It includes a Cuticle Oil, Cuticle Remover, Rehydrating Base Coat, On a Clear Day Top Coat (which has sunscreen to protect your nail colour!), 2 Second Nail Primer, a Nail Lacquer in Baby Love (a sweet pink) and the Nail Buffer File which has four sides so you can buff and file your nails all with one tool. With all the amazing ingredients these pretties have this luxurious set would make a great gift. Each bottle has 0.33 oz and the set costs $44.00 USD. Lovely eh?

Avon Holiday: Luxe Lace

Another adorable collection with lace detailing for this winter. Avon can be ordered online and through an Avon Lady near you. So far I've heard good things about the collection, but really I've not used anything by Avon so I have no idea. But I like the packaging! :D

One of the lipsticks from the collection in Frostiest Mauve (a pretty pink with lilac undertone)

Black Supershock Mascara (doesn't the brush on this look neat?)

Two SuperShock pencil eyeliners in Black and Silver

And last but not least two lovely eyeshadow quads (that look very Chanel-esque don't you think?) in Lace Electric (top) and Lace Hues (bottom). Both in my opinion are drool worthy!

I've never really thought of Avon as a possible contender before for my money when it came to cosmetics. Skincare yes, but not makeup. This collection has changed my mind. What do you think?

Too Faced Shadow Insurance~ Review

I honestly don't know why I haven't reviewed this before as it's such an essential part of my eye make-up routine! Too Faced Shadow Insurance (TFSI) is an eyeshadow primer that seriously rocks. This handy little tube contains something from the cosmetic gods.

A nude coloured lotion, TFSI is velvety soft and you only need the smallest amount. Shown here is enough for both eyelids up to the brow bone. It goes translucent when on and it literally prevents eyeshadow creasing all day for me. I'm talking like 14 hours here, I can put on eye make up at 8:00 am and still have it look great when I take it off at 10:00 pm. And unlike Urban Decay's Primer Potion, it doesn't feel greasy while you're applying it and it doesn't sting the sensitive skin of my eyes.

Image from Viva Women Blog 
(I lost my box so I had to look up a picture off of google images!)

The only slight downside to this product is that through time it has been known to separate a bit. However, I've heard from multiple people all you have to do is roll the tube between your hands and it should go back together again. Personally I've taken to rolling it for a couple seconds before every use to prevent this.

I also really love the packaging of the TFSI. I like the very precise little nozzle tip so I don't end up with too much squeezing out at once. I like the twist cap so I'm sure it's on tight. I like the fact the cap it a slight metallic and the tube is a cream blue. I adore the little twirls and frenchy sort of design.

I especially like that there is a tip that automatically lines up when you put on the cap that goes into the nozzle of the TFSI so that the nozzle doesn't get clogged with dried product. Not to mention this also saves the product from losing moisture in the packaging too.

All in all I'm never going back to Urban Decay's Primer Potion. Though the UDPP worked I just love the TFSI way more, plus it packs easier for travel due to the tube shape.

Too Faced Shadow Insurance costs around $18 USD (I believe it's $17 USD at Nordstrom though) and you get 0.35 oz of product. It's important to note that this does have silicone in it but I've never had any problems with it causing reactions in my skin.

Overall Rating: 10 /10 Perfect! (The only way it could be better is if it didn't separate but this is such an easy fix I'm not taking points for it!)

Laura Mercier Deal!

Image from Laura Mercier Website

Hey everyone! Sorry for the lack of updates, I'm swamped with projects and midterms here at uni! However, I wanted to tell you about Laura Mercier's What is Flawless? and their deal right now.

By easily and quickly contributing what your idea of flawless is on the Laura Mercier website you get Laura Mercier to donate $1 USD to the Gulf Relief Foundation, which works to restore the Gulf damaged by vast amounts of oil spillage back to it's flawless state.

On top of this from now until October 31st the code FALL10 gets you ten dollars off a purchase of $25 USD or more. You also get to choose from a selection 3 deluxe samples. You get free ground shipping in the United States with an order of $50 or more. 

Laura Mercier is a high end brand, but totally worth it as their blushes are pigmented and smooth and their oil-free tinted moisturizer is lovely! I've also heard wonderful things about their primers, lip products and eyeshadows. So if you are interested in anything from the brand, now would be the time to indulge!

NOTD: Eyeko Vampira and Halloween Makeup Tips

Vampira is a lovely polish. Most of the time it looks black, thus giving a very gothic feel but when the light hits it-

BAM! Amazing red glitter! I love this polish. The name is perfect for it and I think it gives the perfect elegant dark mistress touch!

This polish went on without a struggle which was much appreciated after both Rain and Indigo caused me issues. This takes two to three coats for an opaque finish and the glitter is apparent when you rotate your nails in the light for the most part, just not from a distance. I also recommend a top coat as this seems to need some extra oomph to make it shiny and glass-like which is how I prefer my darker colours to be.

It also seems to be wearing better than Indigo as well with a couple small chips and minor tip wear after four days which is about average for my polish. (I apologize for my super short nails, they decided to have a breakdown quite literally with peeling and breaking all at once after I removed Indigo and I was forced to give them the cut. *Sigh*)
Anyways I think this is a great polish, though I did notice it seemed to look scuffed up very quickly.

Rating: 8/10 Not quite as much red glitter as I would have liked and seemed to scuff up and thus look cloudy easily.

 As a bonus for this post, since I'm being a Vampire-thing for halloween I decided to include some make-up tips and hints for costumes.

1. Make-up is a great cheap way to really flash up your look, and halloween is the one time of year when more is well more! Don't be afraid to go crazy with your look.
2. Do a Make-up trial run or 'dress rehearsal' before the big night or witches party. Finding out it takes 15 minutes to get the eye look you want or that it takes 30 minutes to get false eyelashes on right before you need to leave is not going to lead to a great start to the night.
3. Hunt through your make-up stash for items that will already work before you hit the drug store. For example, I'm going to be a vampire and thus I want to be even paler than I am. How to do this? Use a matte white eyeshadow (I recommend Annabelle's Snow).
4. To get a darker lip colour of any shade of lipstick you have put on a thin sheer coat of black lipstick (easily available this time of year) and then apply the lipstick over top and smoosh around on your lips. This is a great way to get more bang for your buck!
5. Futuristic looks are easy to pull off if you have any highlighers or illuminators. Just put them on all over, especially if they are silver, gold, bronze or a mix of these. Metallics in other colours make great futuristic contrast. 
6. A ghost is really easy for a last minute costume. Find white pjs, cover your face with white eyeshadow, take a white eyeliner pencil and colour in your brows and line your eyes and inner rims too. Take foundation and cover your lips. If you have a lip safe blue eyeshadow (any shade and finish of blue!) pat it lightly on top of your lips and presto! Instant ghost. (This is also a great base for a zombie look too! All you need after that is some blood and stitches.)
7. If you've got a more complex costume, don't be afraid to bring you're makeup down from just your face. Black liquid liner makes excellent temporary tattoos.
8. Try to avoid halloween face paints if you can. I only say this as they're not up to the standards of regular make-up for the most part, especially if you're sensitive in any way or acne-prone. That being said don't go out and buy a bunch of products you're only going to use once either. Sometimes opting for a mask or a half mask is the way to go.

Wet n' Wild Sleep Walker over WnW Black Fog.
Pretty Orange Shimmer in Black :D
Left with top coat, right without top coat (it obviously really needs one don't you think?)

Wet n' Wild's Sleep Walker
Awesome Haunted Halloween colour!