Highlight Your Lips! #HighlightCosmetics

Press Sample.  All opinions are my own.

Hello, Fireflies!

Usually the last makeup item I put on before my look is done is my lipstick.  The perfect lippie can take a look a totally transform it - and my mood.  Bold, matte, glossy, nude - whatever the lipstick, if I feel good in it, it can put a smile on my face.  I've been testing out this new lipstick from Highlight, and it has definitely put a smile on my face!

Latest Lippie Haul - Lots of pinks and nudes!

Hello, Fireflies!

I haul way, way too many lippies.  I have a real addiction! I want to show you some of the latest things I've picked up - I've got some new technologies, new collections, and some new-to-me brands, too!

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!

Lots o' Lipsticks #BHCosmetics #HoneyBeeGardens #Catrice #Clinique

Hello, Fireflies!

Nail polish may have been my gateway drug to the cosmetics world, but lippies have given me some of my best buzzes.  I love lipsticks the most, and today I want to show you some swatches of lipsticks I've bought that I haven't really blogged about yet.

Buttery Bloody Brilliant Lip Crayons #ButterLondon

Press Sample.  All opinions are my own.

Hello, Fireflies!

I am obsessed with lippies - all kinds - lipsticks, lip gloss, lip balm, liquid lipstick, matte, glossy, satin, creamy, I want to try it.  So I was thrilled that Butter London sent me their new Lippy Bloody Brilliant Lip Crayons!

BeautyKind - Cosmetics Shopping With A Conscience #WeAreBeautyKind

Press Sample.  All opinions are my own. Affiliate link.

Hello, Fireflies!

I may have a little bit of a makeup addiction, specifically, shopping for makeup.  I love it.  So, when Jess from Love For Lacquer became an ambassador for BeautyKind and offered up a chance to try the site, I was excited.  Not only do they sell some amazing cosmetic brands, they do it with a positive message and a charitable donation!

Butter London - Shine Out Loud

Press Sample. All opinions are my own.

 Hello, Fireflies!

I have a lot of Butter London polishes that I've bought over the years.  I love the, well, buttery, formula, the fun colors, and the square packaging.  But I hadn't really delved into their new cosmetics line much.  So, when Butter London offered to send me a few things to try, I was cautiously optimistic - could they live up to the love I had for the nail polish?

Come Escape With Borghese! #BorgheseBeauty

Product provided for review.  All opinions are my own.

Hello, Fireflies!

The first time I'd heard of Borghese, it was because one of their nail polishes had gotten some buzz, and I scoured blog sales until I found it.  Mediterraneo Sea was blue and sparkly, and I eventually got a backup of it because it was so pretty.  Now, I've gotten the chance to try some of their eyeshadows, lipglosses, makeup brushes, and eyeliner, and they've proven to be worth the buzz! Recently, I got to try 6 of their new Eclissare Color Eclipse Colorstruck lipsticks, and I'd love to show them to you.

The Day I Wore Green Lipstick

On a whim, I bought a green lipstick. It's green, really, really green.  Wicked-Witch-Of-The-West-Green.  Here's what happened on the day I wore it.

Beauty Bloggers of Central Florida Wear Pink!

Hello, Fireflies!

This month, the Beauty Bloggers of Central Florida decided to think Pink! So, we all did some kind of look with pink.  I have a head to tips pink extravaganza to share!

I don't have a full picture of the dress I wore, but the dress is black with a fuchsia top that is has a sort of starburst pattern. I based the majority of my look today off that fun pink!

I know that not everyone was able to get the Lorac Mega Pro eyeshadow palette, but if you wanted it, I hope you got it! I really like Lorac shadows.  I used a few of the mulberry-type shades to create this look.

I had also just gotten the It Cosmetics new QVC collection, so I'm wearing their new Hello mascara with the melted fiber technology.  I don't get crazy long lashes with it, but that's fine with me.  If my lashes are too long, they touch my glasses, which makes me cray-cray.  I'm also wearing the It Cosmetics Black/Brown gel liner and I'm in love.  Really great liner, and the color matches my eyes.

Perfect ensemble to pair with a bright pink lip!  I picked up the new colors from the ELF matte lipstick line, and they are all fabulous.  This is ELF Fuchsia.

This nail look turned out a little more neon than expected, but I still liked it.  I started out with China Glaze Strike a Rose, which was so bright! Layering Wing Dust Feel The Burn over it gave it a little bit of a neon coral feel. 

I used Dashika Big SdP-D to make the stamp.  I like how they include reverse images of the same pattern!

I like stamping over glitter and seeing the little flashes peek through.  I wish my stamping had come out a little clearer, though.  I used Cult Nails Nevermore to stamp, and sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't.

Bottle shot:  China Glaze Strike A Rose, WingDust Feel The Burn, and Cult Nails Nevermore.

I'm also wearing the new It Cosmetics Celebration Illumination Foundation in Light, and the ombre' pink blush.  I'm a fan!

Need a pick-me-up? Try hot pink! How do you rock pink?

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?

I'm Melting!

Hello, Fireflies!

Here in Florida, it is a gazillion degrees.  Everything is melting. My makeup, my ice cream, the polar icecaps... usually, it's a bad thing.

Not for Too Faced Melted lippies, though.  I've been coveting them since the first reviews came out, but at $21, they were a little more than I wanted to pay. 

Then, Ulta had a coupon that could be applied to prestige brands, and I bought the two I wanted most:  Fig and Ruby.

Fig is a muted mauve that leans purple.  It's a very wearable shade, but it's not boring.  If you're wanting to try the Radiant Orchid trend, but the idea of bright purple lips is too much, you might like Fig.

I didn't want Ruby.  I didn't.  I have way too many red lipsticks, and I didn't need another one.

Until I swatched it on my hand at Sephora.  Then, I was done.

Ruby is a bit of a chameleon.  It's a bright red, but the pink undertones are strong, so if you only put on a little, it leans fuchsia.  As it wears, you also get that fuchsia stain.  It's unique in my collection of reds, for sure.

Both of these felt great on, with decent staying power.  I like that they 'set' and didn't feel slippery like a gloss, but also didn't feel drying like a matte.  I definitely want more.  I think Melted Candy and Melted Berry are next on my radar.

What is your fave red or purple lippie?

A Wild Lippie Appears!

Hello, Fireflies!

I love lippies! I have so many in all different colors and textures, but lately I've found myself attracted to colors that are a little outside the box.  So, I picked a few of the wild ones to try on and tame!

MAC Pure Heroine, from their Lorde-inspired line, is a dark aubergine purple.  It's a great vampy color that is so gorgeous! It's my first MAC lipstick, and its everything I hoped for.  Great color, and feels great on. 

 

Milani Bella Blue is a mottled purplish-blue lipstick.  I love the purple sheen, but I wish the color were more opaque.  I felt like this color just accentuated every crease on my lips.  I'm going to try and layer this one over a nice, creamy, opaque color.

I really wanted to try the purple trend this year, and Milani Violet Volt hit the mark perfectly! It's a very wearable purple that is actually flattering.  It feels great, wears well, and I love it so much, I accidentally bought it twice.

Milani Violet Addict looks like it might be the same color as Violet Volt from the packaging, but this one pulls more bright fuchsia on me.  This is my first color from Milani's Lip Intense line, and I really like it.  I do tend to prefer a liquid lipcolor to a gloss.  I just like more opacity, which this definitely has. 

I was actually hoping that Sally Girl Magic Green would be green! Not that I could actually pull off a green lipstick.  Well, maybe.  This turns bright pink as soon as it's applied.  There is some tingling action with this one.  After trying this one and Magic Orange, I had to stop trying on lippies because my lips were hurting!

Sally Girl Magic Orange also changes colors on the lips.  This one turned coral pink on me.  The orange is more prevalent in the inside of my lips, almost like an ombre effect.  I really like this one, even with the tingling. 

Do you 'gotta catch 'em all'?  What colors have you tried (or wanted to try) that were outside your comfort zone?

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)

Beauty Tuesday - Ellis Faas, and an inspired mani #TMSOrlando

Hi, Fireflies!

Out of allll the amazing things I saw at The Make Up Show Orlando, one of my favorites was the Ellis Faas booth.

In my blogger pack, I was given a sample of Ellis Faas mascara to try, but I couldn't leave without buying the 'Ellis Red' lipstick.  I was so impressed with both items, I knew they had to be my first review for you.. and I had to do an inspired mani!

I wanted to incorporate both the black mascara and the red lipstick, so I did a 'framed' mani using Finger Paints Black Expressionism and a red holo from Above The Curve called, Prototype Red.

Here's the bottle shot:  Above The Curve  Prototype Red and Finger Paints Black Expressionism.

On to the Ellis Faas lovelies - I dig the packaging.  Everything comes in these elongated silver bullet cases.

The end of the tubes tells you what the product is, though, so you don't have to open everything up to see what's what.

L101 is the Creamy Lips Ellis Red.  The applicator is a sponge, and the product comes out when you twist the barrel.  My only complaint about this packaging is that when I had this lipstick in my work bag, some of the product would invariably leak out of the sponge.  Fortunately, it's a thicker formula, so it didn't run anywhere, but I don't want to waste a drop!

Ellis Red mimics the color of natural blood.  The idea is, because everyone's blood looks the same, this color red won't clash with anyone's skin tone.  I find it very wearable, and have truly fallen in love with this color.  I find myself picking certain outfits just so that I can wear this lipstick.

The Ellis Faas mascara has also become my absolute favorite mascara to use.  The only downside for me is the extra-long wand.  If I'm not careful, I usually get a dab of mascara on my cheeks!  I'm pretty uncoordinated, though!

The formula on this mascara is the best I've ever used.  Not only does it cover well with no clumps, it feels amazing all day long.  My lashes never get crunchy or flaky.

At the end of a long day, my eyeliner is smudging, but my mascara isn't budging.  No dotty spots, no flakes.  Comes off with my makeup remover wipes!

Lipstick and mascara both by Ellis Faas.

On EllisFaas.com, the Creamy Lips retails for $35, and the mascara retails for $34.

Have you tried Ellis Faas?  What did you think?