NYC City Proof Swatches

Hello, Fireflies!

I am obsessed these days with eyeshadow, metallics, and shadow sticks, and these NYC City Proof Waterproof shadows are bringing it! (Well, one I picked up isn't metallic, but it's still pretty.)

Fresh and Natural Face with Youngblood #YBCosmetics

Press Samples. All opinions are my own.

Hello, Fireflies!

When I hear the words, "mineral cosmetics," my first association is usually, "messy."  I avoided them for a long time because I didn't know how to use them, I didn't want to deal with the packaging. And, I was missing out.  There is so much more to Youngblood Mineral Cosmetics!

Colour Pop-a-Palooza

Hello, Fireflies!

I have a small addiction to Colour Pop! I love their soft, squishy eye shadows and their intense and pigmented lippies.  I thought I'd share a few swatches and a couple of looks I've done with these beauties.  Warning, many pictures ahead!

Naturally Charming Eyes #ButterLondon

Press Sample.  All opinions are my own.

Hello, Fireflies!

No matter how many neutral eyeshadow palettes I own, I can't seem to get enough.  And when it is neutral with a pop of color, well, that makes me weak in the knees!  The new Butter London Shadow Clutch is so versatile, I can slide in my fave neutral shades, and then use their duos to add in some fun colors! Then, I can change out the colors and create a whole new look.

Goege-eous, Inexpensive Eyeshadows! #eyeshadow15

Press Sample.  All opinions are my own.

Hello, Fireflies!

I don't know when I became a hoarder of neutral eyeshadow palettes, but there is something about them that I find hard to resist! Even though my skin tones is better suited to cooler tones, I'm also attracted to warm peach and browns - and this 15-color palette from Goege is chock-full of them.

Borghese Eclissare Color Eclipse Makeup and Giveaway!

Product provided for review.  All opinions are my own.

Hello, Fireflies!

Something happened to me that rarely happens to me.  A while back I got an e-mail from Borghese.  In this e-mail, they said, they'd like to send me a gift, a token.  I'd tried a few of their nail polishes, and liked them, so I thought that was pretty cool.

I was expecting maybe a nail polish or two.  I was not expecting this.  And best of all, they sent me two sets, so I'm sharing one with you.  New makeup is a great way to start the New Year!

What Do You Get For the Girl Who Has ALL The Makeup? A Book With Ideas Of How To Use It!

Product Provided For Review.  All Opinions Are My Own

Hello, Fireflies!

It's no secret that I love makeup.  I have a particular weakness for lipstick.. and eyeshadow palettes.  I go cuckoo for a new neutral palette, or bold colors, or great summer colors, or, well, almost anything.  Last time I was in Walgreens, I picked up a couple of $3 LA Girl palettes, and I also picked up the Lorac Mega Pro eyeshadow palette, so it runs the gamut.

But if you're someone like me that owns ALL the eyeshadows, sometimes it can be daunting to figure out what to do with them all! And, here's where this amazing book comes in.

Getting Wild with makeup and nails with the Wet 'n Wild Fall LE Collection

Hello, Fireflies!

When the new LE Fall Wet 'n Wild collection came out, and people started posting comparisons to the UD Naked 3 palette, I knew I wanted to try them.  Don't get me wrong, I have the original Naked palette, and it's a great palette.  But I wanted to see if these rose-toned neutrals were worth another $50, or if I'd be okay with the two $4 Wet 'n Wild palettes.

I actually really like these palettes! Wet 'n Wild definitely has both hits and misses with their eye shadows, but I think these are a hit.  Here's a closer look at the eye look I did with the Wet 'n Wild Melrose at Night palette.

I am always up for a dark berry lip, and I love the new matte Bordeaux Boulevard.  I am also a sucker for the rubbery black packaging on these LE lippies, too, but the formula was fantastic. 

Um...I know I used a foundation, but it didn't seem to make it into the picture.  I've been using powder foundation this summer, for the most part, so it's either Ageless Derma Pressed Mineral Foundation, or the It Cosmetics one.  Also, I used mascara.  Was I drunk when I put this together?  Where's the mascara?

I'm hard pressed to use anything other than my Cover FX stable of primers, though.  I haven't found a foundation they won't work with, and I love that they are skincare as well as makeup.  The blemish primer is proving especially useful these days, and because the eye primer is also a treatment, I put it over my lid and under my eye, as well.

I finally gave away that Physician's Formula brow definer.  The design just bummed me out.  I hated having to replace the cap whenever I wanted to switch to the brush.  I'm much happier with my Too Faced Bulletproof Brows.

The blush, Maybelline Mineral Power in Fresh Plum, is one I've had for a while, and thought it complimented the eyeshadows well. 

I have tried the UD setting spray, this mist from Pur, and the ELF setting spray.  I like them all, but the Urban Decay sprayer beats them all, hands down.  The Pur spraying mechanism just douses me, which wastes product and is annoying because I can't put my glasses back on until my face is dry.  So, for now, I'm back to using the UD spray full-time, and I'll refill the bottle with something else when its done.

I also did a nail look to go with the outfit I'm wearing.  I started with Echo Dark from this same LE collection.  It's a dark navy jelly matte.  What? yeah.

I did random brushstrokes with Revlon Spirit and another color from this LE collection, Careful, it's Vine-tage. a matte grape.

To better match the pattern on the shirt, I used Mentality Eeny and Pueen 13 plate to stamp this floral pattern.

And, here's the final result!

The whole look, sorta:

Have you picked up anything from this collection?  What do you think?

Fusion of Color

Hello, Fireflies!

As I get more into makeup, I'm loving a lot of Indie brands for the great quality and unique colors and products they can offer.  I jumped at the chance to try a few items from Chicago-based Indie, Fusion of Color, owned by Kathy Duncan.

Lots of products, pictures, and a full-makeup look ahead.  Read on to see if I liked this brand!

Impulse Cosmetics

Hello, Fireflies!

Have you heard of Impulse Cosmetics?  I don't remember how I heard about this little Indie cosmetics company, but they have some really cool, wild makeup.

I decided to try some of their lippies and eyeshadows.

Impulse Cosmetics' 'claim to fame' as it were is their opaque, matte lipstick. Dahlia, on the end, is one of those.  The rest are from their new line of Metallics.  In order, from left to right: Thrill, Tough Love, Forget Me Not, Boggart, and Dahlia.

Here you can see each one matched up with its name.  The colors are vibrant! I wish they were in a real lipstick bullet and not a tube, because I had a little trouble with application.  I am going to have to invest in a good lip brush, I think.  I've only tried Boggart, the emerald green, on my lips so far, and it was pretty patchy when applied straight from the tube.

In addition to the lippies, I bought their signature eyeshadow primer, Glam Glue, and three mineral shadows.  I love their packaging!

I haven't tried this on my eyes yet, but I found it pleasant on the skin.  It feels light and a little bit sticky, and you can't really see it on its own.

I swatched the three shadows over the Glam Glue.  Wow!  Left to right: Poseidon, Macabre Moon, and Hocus Pocus.

I've never seen colors like these.  If you'd like to see more from Impulse Cosmetics, you can find them on HERE on Facebook and their Etsy shop. (not affiliate links)