50% off Urban Decay Eyeshadows

Today only Ulta Platinum Rewards members can get Urban Decay shadows for only $9! These are some of my favorite eye shadows and they were recently reformulated to be even smoother and more pigmented than before. There is also a case available if you want to build your own palette. The shadows pop out of their individual containers and easily into the palette. Be sure to check your email today to see if you can also qualify for 3x points since that will help you to earn more Ulta Rewards.

Beauty Steal at TooFaced

Just got this in my inbox and had to share! The Matte Eye palette is only $20 until tomorrow!

Image courtesy of TooFaced
 
This a gorgeous palette for day to day that can transition to more dramatic looks. This is almost half price and I highly recommend snapping this one up!

Happy St. Patrick's Day EOTD

Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone. I played around and did two quick eye looks, one more bright and the other a little smokier. I used Lime Crime magic dusts, Lunatick Cosmetics, Victoria's Secret loose shadow in Magic Dust and the Urban Decay Black Palette.

Playing with Color featuring Lunatick Cosmetics

I made my first Lunatick Cosmetics purchase a few months ago and I have had such a fun time playing with them. Here are two looks I created with their AlieNEON glitter stacker.

 These colors just pop and are completely gorgeous. These are not subtle looks and that's part of what makes me love these colors. You just want to stop and stare! I used a white base to help the colors to stick and pop even more.

 

This first look I really wanted to showcase all these bright beautiful colors in a rainbow look that transitioned smoothly. The colors blend very easily and that made making this look a lot easier.

 

 This second look is similar to a look I've worn in the past, but updated with the colors from this stack and done a little more dramatically and with more focus on the blue color. This is something that as bold as it is, I would wear out or even to work.

If you're looking for makeup that's out of the ordinary or if you need horror and special effect makeup I highly recommend checking them out. They have very high quality and very good prices.

I'd love to see some of your looks if you've tried them out. Comment below!

Chinovi Cosmetics Review

I am super excited to write up this review. Vanessa of Chinovi Cosmetics sent out a coupon code for 50% off when the Seahawks won the SuperBowl and I took full advantage of that! I was immediately drawn to her OMG (Oh My Gods) collection for 2 reasons: First just look at those AMAZING colors and secondly I am a huge mythology geek! I also purchased Fairy since I was so drawn to it's amazing deep purple shade. I am obsessed with purples! How cute is Vanessa to include a hand written note (a rarity in today's world) and candy?! She's a girl after my heart.

 

Chinovi Cosmetics are all blended by hand and they have tons of vegan options and such a variety that there is something for everyone. On to the goodies!

From top to bottom, left to right: (1st row) Aphrodite, Apollo, Ares, Artemis, (2nd row) Athena, Dionysus, Hades, Hephaestus, (3rd row) Hera, Hermes, Poseidon, Zeus.

 

 

These swatches were done with no base or primer and you can see how well pigmented they are. This is a limited edition collection so get on this one while it's still around! There is such a good variety of colors here. I love that you have a full range from the lighter Aprodite, Athena and Hera to the darker shades like Hades, Hephaestus and Zeus. These apply beautifully and you can do so much with them.

Fairy is the other gorgeous shade I got (they have so many gorgeous colors I really had to restrain myself. At $5 each you really can't go wrong!) Fairy is a beautiful deep purple with hints of indigo and slightly teal blue sparkle. This is going to be a shade I'll be wearing quite often, it's just stunning.

They also gave me two samples in the colors Monsoon and Blame. Monsoon is a rich rusty red brown that I wouldn't normally pick, but instantly fell in love with! Blame is right up my alley, a gorgeous very pale green shimmer, nearly white,with a golden blue green shimmer. It's just stunning.

I highly recommend checking out their website, they have really beautiful products that apply so smoothly and have great pigmentation.

February 2014 Julep Maven Box

I was really happy with this month's Julep Maven Box, not only did I get my two polishes and beauty product, but there was a bonus polish as well! This is one of the few months that I remembered to log into my Julep account on the 20th to scope out the selection. I was super tempted to do the biggest upgrade since the polishes this month were all gorgeous! I'm attempting to be low buy right now, so I didn't, but this box didn't disappoint.

 This month Julep introduced their new Eye Sheen Liquid Eyeshadows. I thought this would be like some cream eye shadows I have tried in the past, but they are totally different. These are truly liquid and I used a very stiff flat brush to apply it, but you can use your fingers. The pigment is very rich and I had great color density with just one thin layer. It does feel a little funny while you're applying it and as it dries. I kept my eyes closed while it dried because I was afraid of it creasing. Julep included a look card on how to use some of the colors together, but I only got the one so I tried combining it with some other products I already have. My color was warm fig shimmer which is a plummy brown and is really gorgeous on, I think it would work well on any skin tone and it is extremely flattering. It held up really well and didn't crease through the day. It did start to fade along the upper edge by the end of the day (I used no primer to test it.) The following day I tried it with one of my Makeup Forever Aqua Shadow pencils as a highlight in the inner corner and they played well together. I hope the Julep expands their color range with these. I think these would be awesome for more talented makeup artists who create those amazing works of art like liner art.

 On to the nail colors! The photos just don't do them justice. I really loved this month's shades. Can we just talk about the fact that until this month I kept complaining that the Swatch Me was on the top and I had to use q-tips to swatch them... and then this month I figured out that the top pops off... I'm human, I make mistakes.

So first up is Judi! It looks a little bright in the photo, but they call it an English Violet Creme and I would say that's pretty close. This is one of the few Julep polishes I would recommend at least two coats on to achieve the true color. One coat looks fine, but isn't quite as deep as the bottle color.

Next up is Kristen! Julep describes this as a deep sea teal. It's a really gorgeous deep teal color with a silvery microglitter. The picture truly doesn't do it any justice.

The bonus color is Love. I couldn't even find it on the Julep site and I think it may have been for Mavens only. It's a gorgeous glitter shade with microfine pink and champagne gold. I think this would be great alone or over another color. It's just such a happy little glitter polish and I absolutely love it!

Want to get your own Julep Maven Box? Sign up here and take the style quiz!

Influenster Jolly VoxBox

I am so excited! I just got my first VoxBox from Influenster! I only found about Influenster a few months ago and I love how it works. Instead of your typical subscription box, Influenster chooses you to receive a box for free. You qualify by writing reviews for products you already use and you earn points and badges and then Influenster can evaluate you to see which products you would be best at reviewing. I received an email in early December with a pre-qualifying notice and survey. I had to complete a survey about various product types and brands and wait to see if I qualified. On the 13th I received an email that I had been chosen to receive their Jolly VoxBox (Happy Birthday to me!)



I just want to reiterate that this box was totally free and I was chosen to receive it. This does not impact my review in any way and does not guarantee a positive review.

I tend to prefer unhealthy options in healthy moderation, but these Skinny Cow Chocolates are really good. They have a light peanut butter creme that are lighter in texture than a Reese's cup. You can tell they are a little healthier, but they still taste really good. Each pack has 3 chocolates inside and I've been keeping one in my purse for when I get a sweet tooth craving.

I haven't tried the NYC eyeshadows before, but I do like the colors in this palette. The swatches to the left are done with no primer and just a swipe of my finger. There isn't huge color payoff, but it is better than some other drugstore brands. I think it could really benefit from a primer underneath it. I do wish the medium brown shade was a little darker, but these shades could be good for a very natural look.

I love that this tape is called a Duckling. It's so cute and small! Every time I need Duck Tape I don't have any and when I have it I don't need it. This actually came in handy for sealing up some Christmas boxes that were shipped out. I like that it has the strength of Duck Tape without the size. The tape itself is skinnier and the roll is nice and small, it's very convenient.

I was wondering what I was going to do to test out the Puffs Plus Lotion tissues and then Santa brought me a head cold for Christmas. So needless to say I have been using these and they are wonderfully soft. Often times I will just grab some toilet paper to blow my nose, but with the cold weather and constant sniffling, under my nose is a bit chapped and these feel much better.

 Okay so I know this isn't the best picture, but I was running out of the house for work and wanted to try this out. This is the Rimmel Show Off Lip Lacquer in Aurora. I love the name because Aurora is my favorite Disney princess. The photos on the left are with flash and the ones on the right are without. It's sort of a deep watermelon color. It goes on very smoothly and is not sticky or drying. I really loved the texture and it had great pigmentation and held up well. My only complaint is that I kept finding it on my teeth, even before eating or drinking anything. Other than that I really did like this lip lacquer. Just know that it is a lip lacquer, not a lip gloss and therefore it is a whole different type of product. I saw a lot of people reviewing this as a gloss. This is great if you want an easy lip product that will hold up well throughout the day. My lips felt very soft while I had it on.

Urban Decay Vaults Are Back!

These vaults just make me drool! They are the stuff Christmas dreams are made of! These vaults are super complete and visually stunning. It's like "Oh you need an eyeshadow? BAM here's 68 of them lovingly displayed in a case." It's like opening a treasure chest and it's aptly named The Mother Lode. They've also brought back their limited edition 24/7 eye liner vault and added a new Stockpile vault with 10 of the new Revolution lipsticks and their matching liners. At $195 this impressive set will cost you less than $10 per product.

24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil Vault: $295 

40 of their full size 24/7 Liners in every color they make. Look at it, it just makes me so happy!

The Stock Pile: $195

10 full size Revolution Lipsticks and their matching 24/7 lip liners. I love that UD created exact matches to every one of their new lipstick shades. It's currently sold out on the UD website, but still available on Ulta.com

The Mother Lode: $595

I've talked about this one before and it deserves being talked about again. All 68 of Urban Decay's eye shadows. All of them! Every. Single. One. Let that just sink in. This thing is massive and amazing. Yes, it seems a little pricey, but it's worth $1224 and you won't need any other shadows for quite a while.

I know what I'm asking Santa for :) 

Images are all property of Urban Decay and are from urbandecay.com

December Julep Maven Box

December is my favorite month of the year, not just because of Christmas and snow, but because it's my birthday month! It's like Julep read my mind because everything in this box is so me. This month colors are Cara and Andrea. Cara is a fun deep rose pink with a high sheen that almost looks a bit metallic. Andrea is a dense gold glitter polish. I would have expected it to be like a top coat from looking at it, but I was pleasantly surprised with how much glitter coverage you actually get. I love these colors so much! This has probably been my favorite color duo I've received to date.

Also included in this month's box is the Sweep Eyeshadow Palette in Neutrals. its a nice range from champagne to chocolate and the formulation is very soft with good pigmentation. It's small size is something I also like because I can bring this to work or on the go. I only wish that it came with some kind of brush.

I also got two twistbands which are those non snagging, non damaging hair bands that have been really popular. I got one lavender and one silver. I'm curious to see how these hold up with my thick hair since I'm always breaking elastics.

This month also includes a 40% off entire purchase coupon which is nice.

Take their personality quiz and become a Maven too! 

Morphe Brushes That Look Like Cotton Candy

I was browsing through my Facebook feed when I saw another beauty blogger talking about Morphe Brushes makeup. When I looked them up I found these adorable brushes that are right up my alley! They look like cotton candy and are priced really reasonably ($19.99 for a 10 piece set and they're Vegan if you're interested.) I've never heard of this company before, but I'm wondering how the quality is. I might just have to pick them up.
 

Photo Credit Morphebrushes.com

I also took a peek at some of their makeup and the prices are ridiculously low. I really want to try some of their shadows and I love that you can buy them individually and get the magnetic case for them so you can build a custom palette. 

The Ultimate Makeup Lover's Gift

Wanna get a make up gift that completely wows? Urban Decay has got your solution with The Mother Lode. This collection has all 68 of their awesome eye shadows plus a Build Your Own 4 pan so you can have a custom palette on the go . I'm a huge fan of Urban Decay eye shadows and I think this set is amazing, if only they'd bring back the 24/7 eyeliner vault. The set seems pricey at $595, but the value is $1224 for the eye shadows plus the $10 BYO. That's a crazy deal and you won't need eyeshadow for forever. This is a gorgeous set and anyone would be lucky to unwrap it this holiday!

Photo from urbandecay.com