Skyrim Makeup Series- Dawnstar

Yay!

I finally have another installment in my Skyrim series.

It's been entirely too long since I did one.

Today's look is based off of an appropriately cold & wintery village-

Dawnstar !

Dawnstar is a rather small mining and garrison village,

capital of The Pale in Skyrim.

It, along with Winterhold,

is one of the coldest cities in Skyrim. 

Using mainly the snow and frigid ocean,

here's my look inspired by Dawnstar.

(disclaimer: I also used a pic of wintery makeup on Pinterest as inspiration,

so this is in no way ALL my own!)

I used:

UD Primer Potion

UD's 'Haight', 'Money', 'Crystal' & unnamed Sephora royal blue- crease

SYN Cosmetics' 'Absolute' & shimmery white from Maybelline quad- lid

L'Oreal Butterfly mascara

Lime Crime Uniliner in 'Lunar Sea' lash tips

In retrospect, the white tips of my lashes (featured in the Pinterest look)-

was a bad idea.

It looks gloopy and crappy,

not wintery.

So, meh.

Otherwise, though,

I really like the look.

It looks cold & beautifully desolate, much like Dawnstar.

(Even though it's a "major city",

not many people live there)

What do you think?

September favorites

So I realize I'm a couple days late,

but it's time for my favorites from last month!




1. Covergirl LashBlast Clump Crusher mascara

This is by far the best mascara i've used in awhile,

especially for a drugstore brand.

Check out my very recent full review of it here :)

2. Urban Decay's Vice 2 palette.

They really outdid themselves with this palette.

I own almost every palette/shadow from UD,

and these are by far the most satin-y smooth than any they've ever released!

I highly, highly suggest you get it if you can!

See swatches of them all here :)

3. Maybelline 'Totally Toffee'

This bad boy is a perfect lipstick for Fall.

I picked it up at a local drugstore about a month ago,

and i've worn it constantly since.

It goes with everything, and gives a nice, slight shade to my lips!

4. The mini palette within Sephora Smoky Studio II

^^

See that smaller palette? Yeah, that's what I'm referring to.

You can choose any 3 rows from this palette and pop them out

and into the smaller palette--

and take them anywhere with you!

I've been using the neutrals on the left tons this past month.

So glad I made this purchase awhile ago!

* REVIEW * Benefit 'They're Real!' mascara

As you read from my post the other day,

I've been trying several different mascaras lately.

I'd heard from my best friend that the new mascara from Benefit was amazing,

so when I was in Sephora a couple weeks ago, 

I scooped it up.

Some of it's Claims:

- Lengthens, volumizes, separates, & curls

- Lasts for a long time

- Smudge proof

- No drying out

- Visible lift

Review:

I had heard really awesome stuff about this mascara. 

When I tried it for myself, however... it left a lot to be desired.

I actually felt it made my lashes appear THINNER, of all things.

I also didn't like the almost rubbery way it made my lashes feel.

It was really a pain to take off- and i'm used to wearing long lasting mascaras.

But this was just much more difficult and annoying to remove than others i've tried.

It definitely did lengthen my lashes, but since it made them appear thinner I certainly didn't see a volume increase.

I did however, like the brush. It really enabled me to reach those tiiiiny inner lashes :)

PROS:

- Lengthens

- Great for people with shorter/thinner lashes

- Long lasting (maybe TOO long lasting...)

- Smudge proof

- Handy, skinny brush applicator for smallest lashes

CONS:

- Rubbery/waxy feel to lashes

- Didn't volumize or curl

- Didn't separate much at all

- Hefty price tag ($20- $23), especially for the quality

Verdict:

All in all, I think this mascara works best depending upon what kind of lashes you have.

I'm blessed to have fairly long eyelashes already,

so what I really need is something that just highlights them-

some color, a little volume, and separation.

This mascara DID NOT do that for me, but I think people with shorter or thinner lashes would have a different experience with it.

For the at least $20 price tag, though, I don't think it's worth it at all.

There are some great drug store brands who do a just as good,

if not better, job.

RATING (OUT OF 10): 6

Sephora/Bday Haul

So thanks to some extra money and my bday,

i've been able to score some pretty awesome products in the past week.

;P

These three little numbers from Sephora:

The foundation is something I already use & have been for awhile now,

but the other two products are totally new to me :)

Also, I was gifted this amazing beauty gift set from Lancome!

Ahh! Just look at all the goodies!

I cannot wait to try them all.

I've never used Lancome but know it's a great brand,

 so I'm really stoked :)

Have yall tried any of these products here?

What are your thoughts?

Let me know!

Skyrim Makeup Series- Solitude

Ok guys, the next Hold in my series is Solitude.

This is the capital city of Skyrim and one of the richest regions.

It's home to one of Skyrim's chief ports and is known for shipbuilding and trading.

In the far right of this picture, you can see the Blue Palace that houses much of the royalty in Solitude. This Hold is also home to the Thalmor and Bard's College.

Okay, so based on the location of being along the coast, the shipbuilding, and the luxurious royalty that lives there, I created my Solitude inspired look:

I used:

Too Faced's Shadow Insurance

SYN Cosmetics' 'Synfused'- brow bone

SYN Cosmetics' 'Delusion', UD's 'Evidence' & unnamed brown matte from Sephora- crease

MUG's 'Sea Mist', SYN Cosmetics' 'Savage', UD's 'Copper' & 'Smog'- lid

Covergirl Line Exact eyeliner

Maybelline mascara

WELP, i freaking love this look.

I wasn't sure how I was going to translate the Hold at first,

but as I played with it, I really grew to like it immensely.

It's a color combo that I haven't really worn before,

and I like it!

What are your thoughts?

Cocktail Makeup Series- Gin & Sprite w/ Lime

Hey everyone,

I have another look for you today.

( i know i've had several makeup posts lately;

not to worr- i've got some new polishes in the mail that i'll feature soon).

Today's look was a request by a good friend when I asked for suggestions for my cocktail makeup series.

She wanted me to try a Gin & Sprite w/ lime.

Shockinly, i'm sure you can imagine what makes up this drink :)

Using the  colors as inspiration,

here's my look!

I used:

Too Faced's Shadow Insurance

Sugarpill's 'Tako'- brow bone

unnamed silver & light green from Sephora palette, Lime Crime's 'Seahorse Discourse', 

& Urban Decay's 'Homegrown- lid

unnamed dark green, Sleek's 'Cricket' & 'Dragon Fly', & Sugarpill's 'Midori'- crease

Urban Decay's 'Uzi' all over for an 'iced' effect

Covergirl Line Exact eyeliner

L'Oreal Volumious Million Lashes mascara

I was worried this would be reminiscent of my 'Margarita' look,

but the fact that I used NO yellow and a few other shades helped a bit, 

i hope :/

'Uzi' is a chunky silver glitter that I had hoped would look like ice,

but it didn't translate in the pictures quite as well as it did in person.

WHAT DO YOU THINK about it all?!

Skyrim Makeup Series- 'Dunmer' (Dark Elf)

I have another installment in my Skyrim makeup series for you today.

Apparently I unknowingly have a theme (other than the obvious one) going...

I've unintentionally chosen to do all the elven races first!

Whoops :P

So today's look is the Dunmer, or Dark Elves.

They are characterized by their dark skin and red eyes.

I wish I had some sweet red contacts I could have used for this look :/

In lieu of that, I decided to translate this race into the look a little differently.

I used:

Too Faced's Shadow Insurance

unnamed warm beige from Sephora palette, UD's 'Chase' & 'Muse'- lid

UD's 'Cobra' & Sugarpill's 'Love+' crease

Covergirl Line Exact liquid mascara

L'Oreal Voluminous Million Lashes mascara

unnamed neutral from Sephora palette- brow bone

Obviously this look had to be dark and somewhat mysterious,

as the Dark Elves are.

Though I didn't have legit red eyes, I did try to pull that in softly in the crease.

After all was said and done,

I actually really liked this look!

Would even wear it out for a nighttime event :)

What do you guys think?

A Psychedelic Saturday

Happy Saturday, everyone.

Hope you're having a lovely weekend!

I haven't really gotten to play with my Aquataenia palette that much,

so I decided to create a look using mainly that today.

I started with no plan and just kind of let things come to me,

and it turned out reminding me very much of a psychedelic color combo.

( & seeing how it IS 4/20, that worked out rather well... :D)

This turned out bright and super great for a show/rave.

I can't say enough about Lime Crime's shadows- they blend like butter!

And the unnamed purple Sephora shadow worked impressively, too.

I used:

Too Faced's Shadow Insurance

Lime Crime's 'Pear-Ple' & an unnamed purple matte Sephora shadow- crease

Lime Crime's 'Seahorse Discourse'- lid

Sugarpill's 'Tako'- inner corners

Lime Crime's 'Coral of the Story'- waterline

What do you guys think?

Too crazy?

Or just enough crazy?

Namaste!

Game of Thrones Makeup Series- 'Winterfell'

Okay, so you guys may be getting totally sick of my Game of Thrones-themed posts,

but now that the season has started, you better just brace yourselves for more!

(Although I will take a break from it in tomorrow's post :P)

I've wanted to do a makeup series based on the show/books since last summer,

but by then the show had ended & I figured i'd just wait until it started again,

because it just feels better to me to do it while the show is running.

Although some looks may be a little crazy & bold,

I'm going to do my best to make most of them wearable! :)

Today's look is for Winterfell- the stronghold in the North of House Stark,

and I used their House's colors, white and grey.

I really want a better camera or lighting so that you can see all the dimensions of this look.

Many of the shadows just aren't picked up that well :/

For instance, there is chunky silver glitter on the lids/eyelashes that, in real life,

looks so much like snow- but it just does not translate in these pictures :(

I used:

Too Faced's Shadow Insurance

Sugarpill's 'Tako' & Urban Decay's 'Polyester Bride'- brow bone

UD's 'Gunmetal'- crease/outer corners

2 greys from Sephora palette, UD's 'Strip' & 'Uzi'- lid

Covergirl Line Exact eyeliner

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide on eye pencil in 'Gunmetal'

L'Oreal Voluminous Million Lashes mascara

It's simple (kind of), & wearable,

and it definitely reminds me of Winterfell.

If you don't watch Game of Thrones- YOU SHOULD.

The books are even better! :)

Granny Smith Apple

Hey guys,

due to some nasty/cloudy weather lately (and thus no sunlight to take decent nail photos),

I've got another St. Patty's day inspired makeup look for you today.

Here's 'Granny Smith Apple' !

This look uses a trio of greens from the Sephora palette.

I've been wanting to use them together for awhile,

but just decided to save it until the upcoming holiday :)

I know it's rather bright,

but I really liked it.

What do you guys think?!

p.s. Like the lipstick?! Stay tuned in the next day or two for a full product review on it!

Serendipity Inspired- 'Hucklebug'

Alright, it has been WAY too long since i've done another look for my makeup series, 'Serendipity Inspired'.

(for background info on the basis of this series, go here).

I've been itching to do another one, but Christmas & Valentine's just had too much associated with it. Now that things have slowed down, I'm ready.

Today's look is based off of 'Hucklebug'.

(and this picture particularly)

The moral of this story is to learn from your mistakes, so they become lessons :)

A fine moral, indeed.

Based on the vivid colors in this picture (which came out duller than they really are),

here's the look!

Swatches:

MUG's 'Razzleberry'- waterline

unnamed blue from Sephora palette- crease

UD's 'Peace'- brow bone

UD's 'Graffiti' & unnamed green from Sephora palette- outer lid

UD's 'Penny Lane' & unnamed orange from Sephora palette- inner corner

Since the picture has mostly green & orange, I wanted to make those my predominant colors.

I'm not sure what I think about the red on my lower lash line, though.

I think it might have looked better somewhere else...

All in all, I like the look okay. Definitely a new color combo for me!

What do you guys think?

Thanks for reading!

MAKE SURE to check the end of yesterday's post for a little 'thank you' to my followers!!

;)

'Bubblegum' tutorial!

Hey everyone.

I've had a few people ask me about doing a tutorial for the 'Bubblegum' look,

so I obliged!

In case you didn't see the post,

this look used all unnamed pinks from a Sephora palette,

plus 'Raspberry' from BFTE.

1. On a primed lid, sweep the lightest pink of the pink trio on the inner corners outwards, using a flat shadow brush.**You'll notice a lot of fallout with the Sephora shadows,

but that will be taken care of at the end :)

2. Using a fluffy brush, sweep the lightest pastel pink from pt. 2 of the palette on brow bone.

3. Using the shadow brush again, apply the matte pink to rest of lid.

4. Using a thin liner brush, apply the darkest pink to the crease.

5. Using a different fluffy brush, blend 'Raspberry' over the crease.

6. Using a short, square, thin brush, apply shadows under waterline the same order as one lid, lightest to darkest. Also, finish blending together everything up top so it looks fluid.

7. Apply eyeliner & mascara. Also, dab a bit of foundation on a makeup sponge & swipe under both eyes with it, picking up any fallout.

Tada!

What do you guys think?

I haven't done many tutorials before,

so was this one helpful?

Let me know! :)