I Won Temptalia's Urban Decay Giveaway! Theodora Palette, Naked Flushed, Eyeshadow Swatches and Mini-Reviews

     I can proudly say that the week leading up to and including prom weekend will probably be remembered as one of the happiest times of my life. Everything was going right- school, friends, and prom preparations were going smoothly, and I couldn't decide if I was more excited for prom itself or the weekend I was ready to spend in a rented house with my friends in the Poconos!

     Happy turned into pure, panicked joy when I checked my email in my sixth period investing class and found one from Temptalia's Christine, stating that I won her Urban Decay giveaway from  January! I couldn't believe it at first, and it still makes my head spin- out of over 15,000 people, I was randomly picked to receive a ton of goodies from one of my favorite brands (and beauty blogger, eee!), and I couldn't have been more thrilled.

I kid you not, guys... I lost my shit when I saw this.

This is what I got:

• Naked Flushed Palette
• Snare Eyeshadow
• Uncut Eyeshadow
• Heartless Eyeshadow
• Omen Eyeshadow
• Moonflower Customizable Palette
• Oz The Great & Powerful Palette- Theodora

     EEK, so many AMAZING products! I knew when the Oz palettes came out that I preferred Theodora's right away, because the eyeshadows and bright red lipstick that are modeled after her match my hazel eyes and pale as hell NC15 complexion.

Everything all in one place- the broke student in me is still cheering about the fact that I didn't have to pay for all of this wonderful stuff!

     It was SO nice of Christine to add in the empty palette with the four eyeshadows, because now I have a safe place to store them all! But the box itself comes with its own exclusive eyeshadow that I am currently loving to bits, named Moonflower. (I am crazy about my bronze shadows, and the buttery texture of this one fits the bill perfectly.)

 

Here's a photo of me gazing lovingly into the mirror of my few favorite six-color palette.

UD Theodora Palette.

From left to right, top to bottom: Broken, Beware, Bewitch, West, Spell, Jealous.

The eyeliner is a 24/4 Glide-On pencil in Zero.

     The three shadows on top are great for neutral, everyday looks, and they have a satin sheen, which means that they have only a small amount of shimmer. The bottom three shades can be worked into any look to make the eyes pop for a more dramatic look. I love the way these eyeshadows pair with each other, and I seriously CANNOT WAIT to use this baby regularly (I held off for a while so I could get clean pictures of it, but now there's no holding back!)

PERFECT PALETTE IS PERFECT.

 It comes with a bold red Super-Saturated Lip Color in "Theodora", too- I LOVE my reds so this is just amazing to have.

UD eyeshadow singles.

Clockwise, from top left: Heartless, Uncut, Snare, Omen

These are shades I never would have picked out for myself, but I'm glad Christine did because they are incredible colors! Heartless is a perfect neutral highlight for me, Snare is a beautiful olive I can imagine in the crease or smudged on the lashline, Uncut is a gorgeous deep shimmery plum, and Omen is a stunning duotone violet that flashes a frosty blue in the light. I'm going to get some serious use out of these babies!

From top to bottom: Snare, Uncut, Omen, Heartless

Naked Flushed, Moonflower

I'm surprised that Naked Flush actually suits my skintone! I was certain that the bronzer was going to be way too dark/orange for me, but it works great as a contour for me. You just need a tiniest amount of the blush and highlight to have enough color on the face- that's why their designated areas are so much smaller.

Moonflower Eyeshadow

Gorgeous, buttery bronze. This is perfect. Need I say more?

need to clean the lens, oops! i still like this picture, though.

Before I end this post, I sincerely want to thank Christine from Temptalia for being so kind and generous towards her fans! She's an amazing and thorough blogger for those of us that really enjoy in-depth reviews of products before purchasing them. She is a huge inspiration for my own blog, and I hope she'll always be doing her thing, because a lot of us appreciate it!

I hope you're all having an amazing summer!

Love,

Izzy

Wordless Wednesday #2.

Love,

Izzy

Grand Cayman's Discount Makeup: NARS Haul, Review, & Swatches (Isolde and Deep Throat)

I apologize in advance for the crappy iPhone pictures- it was the only decent camera I had while I spend the week away!

Today I came home from the wonderful Cayman Islands, and I'm more than depressed about it. I was actually able to fully relax during my time there and the scenery and beaches were beautiful beyond belief. (Maybe I'll do a little lifestyle post about it when I get the chance!) Check out my spring break travel essentials here :)

I got to HOLD A BABY TURTLE, GUYS!!!

(it took all of my willpower to not kiss it and take it home with me)

     Grand Cayman didn't have a lot of shopping options that weren't extremely high-end and expensive, but while my mom and I were scouring the streets of Georgetown for good a good deal I stumbled upon a duty-free tax exempt high end beauty shop.

     To my mother's dismay ("You have too much makeup, Isabel!!") I ran immediately to the NARS counter (in hindsight, how in the world did I ignore the YSL stand?!?) and oogled the price cuts. Everything was $3-5 cheaper than in the states, and there was no tax on any of the items either. This might not sound like a huge discount to you guys, but I've been eyeing these two products for a very long, and to get them at any kind of discount was pretty awesome, so I just jumped at the chance to get them!

      I probably should have probably gotten more because of the lower price, but you know what? I have what I really wanted and that's fulfilling enough for me :)

Like I said, I picked up two things:

• Blush- Deep Throat
• Eyeshadow Duo- Isolde

     I've been using a dupe for Deep Throat for quite a while (blog post about that later! ohohoho) but it seems that it was finally time to branch out and get the real thing. This color is just gorgeous, long-wearing, and flattering on my monburnt NC15 complexion.

     Ah, Isolde. A favorite blogger/YouTuber Zoella wrote a blog post praising this duo, and I've had my eye on it ever since. The colors are bronze-y and gorgeous, and even though these colors are more for blue eyes I couldn't care less- I love my golds and bronzes, and it still looks okay on my hazel eyes!

     I literally only had to tap my finger in the pan to get these colors... NARS' pigmentation makes me go weak at the knees, you definitely get what you pay for!! :) 

     This concludes my (makeup) shopping adventures at Grand Cayman! I miss that little island so much already D: but these products will always being me back to those sunny days filled with tanning, the occasional sunburn, and holding baby turtles!

     Did you do any shopping around easter time? Let me know in the comments!

Love,

Izzy

What's in my travel makeup bag- Caribbean Edition

     First I'll update you guys on what's been going on lately. I've spent the last six days in the wonderfully perfect Grand Cayman, which has been hands down the best spring break vacation I've ever been on. This place is just BEAUTIFUL- The island is so safe, the locals are friendly and helpful, and the weather is absolutely perfect. Not to mention that we're staying on the Seven Mile Beach (and the name is well deserved, just look at this!)

     When I haven't been on the beach I've always kept a simple but full face of makeup, just because it makes me feel put-together. The heat and humidity here is pretty intense, so i wanted to bring products that I know I could get a lot of use out of during the week.

Smashbox Camera Ready BB Cream- I used this as my all-over foundation all week (while sometimes applying a primer and moisturizer underneath). This BB cream is great because it moisturizes and primes the skin while also giving you a fair amount of coverage- and it's SPF 35, which really helps with this beautifully sunny weather!

Benefit Boi-ing- This concealer has stayed put wherever I've decided to apply it. It erases my dark circles (and also helps in getting rid of the glaring red sunburn on my nose!)

MAC Paint Pot in Painterly- I picked up this beauty in the mall right before I left for Grand Cayman and let me tell you- this cream shadow is a lifesaver. I don't even need to put an eye primer under it because it seriously doesn't budge at all! It cuts down my makeup routine so I have more time exploring the island, and it makes any shadow or liner I apply afterwards really stays put for the rest of the day. 

Eyeko Skinny Mini Liquid Liner- I have a review of this eyeliner here! I brought this along so I could quickly and easily apply some liner- this product is really convenient and was the only liner I could imagine taking along with me this week. The small size of the eyeliner is great, too, because it takes up less space in my bag.

Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Dollface- This is such a gorgeous bright pink color that's perfect in complimenting makeup when under the Caribbean sun. It gives my NC15 skin a bright, sunny glow, it doesn't budge, and I've used it every day I've been here.

Tarte Bronzer in Park Avenue Princess- Both the blush and this bronzer came in a  mini set from Sephora that was on sale, and I'm loving them both! The small size makes these products very travel friendly (and it was only $12 for both!) This bronzer compliments both my skin and the blush perfectly and is great in giving my skin some extra tanned dimension during the day.

Benefit Sun Beam- This came in a mini set with a little Coralista blush (which has been neglected for the Tarte blush, lol) and this is a great highlighter for summertime. It gives my skin a nice, bronze, summery sheen.

Urban Decay All-Nighter Spray- This spray has been incredibly helpful in prolonging the life of the makeup I wear. This is the last product I use before I'm ready to go- a few quick spritzes and I'm out of the bathroom (to my mom's delight!)

Tarte Glamazon Lipstick in Bold- I used this lipstick in this look! This is the perfect (can i say tropical-y?) tropical-y shade that just screams warm weather and sunniness. It's a gorgeous bold, matte coral color that I think really brings my look together every day. I could fangirl on and on about this for paragraphs, but all you need to know is that it's just AWESOME.

Lush Shine so Bright Split End Remedy- I've been swimming in the ocean every day and unfortunately I've had to wash my hair every day as well, which has really been drying out the ends. This hair wax tames my ends (and hopefully hydrates it, too).

Not Pictured: Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette- I'm pretty sure I've used Naked 2 in my crease every day I've been here. It's a very convenient palette to carry around with me.

Blotting Papers- To keep me from being all gross by noon. These are just Rite-Aid brand, nothing special here lol

Mascara- I forgot to pack my own so I've been using my mom's- she brought Maybelline's One by One. I wouldn't purchase or wear this in any other situation if I was given the chance because, sadly, Maybelline tests on animals, but I've been tolerating this product this week because I have nothing else.

     OH MY GOD, THIS IS JUST A WALL OF TEXT NOW. I hope you guys got something out of this, though! I'm off to enjoy the beach and read some game of thrones in a lounge chair under an umbrella :) what do you like wearing on vacation? be sure to leave a comment and let me know!

Love,

Izzy

FOTD: Everyday 40s Inspired Look

     Here's a simple look that I constantly wear at school or out in town! The application is pretty simple as well, and it always comes out perfectly. The look can always be toned down by using lighter lipstick or eyeshadow, but since it's the weekend, I don't mind walking around with a bright color on my lip. It is spring, after all!

     I've always admired vintage makeup looks from actresses in the 40s. The matte eye, winged liner and bold matte lip always seemed to elegant and classy to me. It's fun to be able to recreate the look on myself today!

     I've been breaking out some bronzer this week. The sun's out and the weather is getting warmer so I don't feel like walking around looking like a ghost anymore, lol.

    Here it is. Scroll down for the product breakdown:

Face:

MAC Pro Longwear Foundation- NC15

Cover FX Finishing Powder- Light

Tarte Bronzer- Park Avenue Princess

Benefit blush- Coralista

Benefit highlighter- Sun Beam

Lips: 

Burt's Bees Lip Balm

Tarte Glamazon Pure Performance Lipstick- Bold

Eyes:

Urban Decay Primer Potion

MAC Paint Pot- Painterly (all over eyes)

Tarte Amazonian Clay Waterproof Liner- Black

ModelCo Lengthening Mascara

Eyeshadow (From the Urben Decay Naked Basics Palette)-

Naked 2- Crease

Faint- Outer Crease/V

Venus- Under Brow and Inner Corner highlights

Have a great Easter, everyone! :)

Love,

Izzy

Haulin' at Nordstrom Rack!

     I'm going to start this post by saying that I absolutely should not be allowed into any store that offers discounts especially one that sells makeup for dirt cheap. I can't deny my thrifty nature when I'm thrown into one of these situations, and I'm going to admit right now that I have to stop buying more makeup!! But it was on SALE, my god, I couldn't just pass by and not stare at all of the wonderful products that were begging me to buy them!!

     The Nordstrom Rack is dangerous. A good friend of mine has been raving about this place for years, and now I finally know why! They have a great collection of designer clothes, shoes, bags, makeup.... everything.. and it is SO FREAKING CHEAP.

     Well, okay, I saw my favorite brands and I flipped out and impulsed a bit, but can you blame me? Look at these beauties:

NARS, guys. FREAKING NARS. 

I had a heart attack when I saw that box...

Here's what I picked up, with price comparisons:

Urban Decay All-Nighter Finishing Spray- $13.97 ($29)

NARS Midsummer Dreams Set- $34.50 ($47)

Urban Decay Primer Potion- $8.97 ($18)

     I will definitely be writing separate reviews on all of these beauties, because I use these products regularly!

     Midsummer Dreams from NARS is a set with a mini nail polish, a small The Multiple in Orgasm (get it, lol), and a beautiful highlighter duo called Hungry Heart. I'm in love with this, and now that spring break is coming I'll be able to work the glittery highlighters into my routine, and the blush stick is a beautiful shade- I've always wanted to try Orgasm and now I have it! (squee) 

     The next two products that I picked up from UD were at Nordstrom Rack only because the company is changing the packaging on the products- I got them for half-off just because the brand wants to redesign their bottles! Yay.

     All-Nighter has been WONDERFUL with increasing the staying power of my foundation and blush, but my best find was the primer, hands down:

     I am OBSESSED with Urban Decay's Primer Potion, and I'd been using the same container for years. I dropped and shattered my old one a few months ago, and I was heartbroken, because I didn't feel like throwing down $20 for another one. I had been using ELF's eyelid primer in the meantime, which is pretty terrible. To find this product in its old packaging for only nine bucks is such a steal, and I'm relived that I was lucky enough to find and buy it!! I've been using it every day, and I'm ready to burn my interim ELF primer, lol.

    After coming back from Nordstrom Rack I had a wonderful opportunity to try everything out- I was out the door an hour later for dinner with a friend, and I felt very posh with my new blush/highlighter combo on!! c:

here i am in all my glittery, neon-y glory!! (is it spring yet? screw it, neon 4-eva)

***I'm wearing MAC's Cockney on my lips- I swatched it in this post! ***

I'll definitely be taking a trip back to my new favorite store- and maybe i'll actually look at the clothes they have next time! :p

Love,

Izzy

Eyeko Skinny Liquid Eyeliner Review, Swatches, & EOTD

     I got this eyeliner in January's Birchbox, and while I was not thrilled with it in the beginning, I've been converted into an every day user of this product, which is impressive, because I'm an EYELINER FEIND.

 

There's a little defect on my stick's design :c it's okay, though, it still works beautifully! Also, this is a smaller version of the actual product, hence the "mini" on the stick (.04 oz of product as opposed to .07 oz)

Here's Sephora's description of this holy grail of liquid eyeliners:

    Featuring a long-lasting pigmented formula, this black eyeliner has an easy-to-apply, pen-style nib, allowing you to create thick feline flicks and defined lines for a smudge-proof finish. Apply a thin line along the lash line and inner rim or smudge outside the rim for a sultry, smoky effect. This gratifying, color-intense liner doesn't flake or fade and adds a unique touch to any look.

     The felt-tip of this pen makes for such an easy application of the product. The fact that the tip is tapered allows for complete control of the thickness of the line, and the finished line is always pigmented, smooth, and truly black. It dries on my lids really fast too, which is awesome because other liners will stay wet and transfer to my crease if I'm not careful. And once it's dry, it won't budge, which is awesome. I haven't tried it under my eyes but I'll be sure to update this post if I have any problems with it.

      I know a lot of girls that are intimidated by the difficulty of applying a cat's eye (I used to be one of them, haha) and this product allows me a beautiful winged look, and I can apply it on both eyes in less than a minute- messing up is almost impossible!!!

     Today's look is a prime example of quick makeup. I finished my face in under ten minutes today because I slept in (ew, mondays...)

Today's EOTD with Eyeko- 

Urban Decay Primer Potion

Urban Decay Eyeshadow- Midnight Cowboy (Lid)
MAC Matte Eyeshadow- Soft Brown (crease)

Eyeko Skinny Mini Liquid Eyeliner- Black

ModelCo Lashxtend Lengthening Mascara.

     I've heard of other people having this eyeliner dry up on them, but I've had mine since January, and so far, it still works fine.

     All in all, this is a GREAT product, and I use it regularly, especially to school (though I've been shopping my stash a little more lately, and I've been into colored liners in the past few weeks!). This is a great staple for someone who's starting to get into liquid liners, and it's pretty reasonable, at only $16, and they have some other colors with the same formula available, too.

     Like I said, I got this in my birchbox, but it's available at Sephora, too!

     Make sure to leave me any questions or comments that you have!!

Love,

Izzy

MAC Year of the Snake Lipstick Review & Swatches: Cockney

     I picked up this lipstick with my last order to MAC, and I absolutely love it! The red is so vibrant and warm- it seems like a great color if you're going on a tropical vacation (or if you use bright reds in your daily routine, which I'm hesitant to to do!)

Click here to check out a FOTD where I'm using Cockney!

   The packaging of the lipstick is like any other normal lippie from MAC, with the exception of the beautiful holographic cover that goes over the box.

     The snake pattern that's embossed on the actual lipstick is gorgeous. I've never seen anything like it before, and it makes the lipsticks really stand out from the rest of the collection.

     The lustre finish of MAC's lipsticks has never been my favorite- they are usually drying on my lips, but I can always apply some balm as a base to prevent from feeling uncomfortable throughout the day. Cockney has some real staying and staining power, though, which strays from many other lustre formulas I'm used to! All in all, this is a great tropical red that I'm glad to add to my collection.

    I used it in this look on a Friday night with a friend! It's such a bold color :)

     I hope you're all having a great week!

Love,

Izzy

Wordless Wednesday: 2/13/2013

A nice little box came in the mail today ;)

Love,

Izzy

MAC Archie's Girls Lipstick: Oh, Oh, Oh Review & Swatches

I ran into MAC on Saturday afternoon with a mission: I've been looking for a light, shimmery plum lipstick ever since my Urban Decay lipstick in Pistol discontinued and broke apart. I saw Oh, Oh, Oh swatched on different blogs and I was instantly in love.

I know some people are up in arms about the packaging in this collection; a lot of people think MAC's choice of white makes the products look cheap. I absolutely love the packaging on the lippies, blushes, and lipglasses, though! They have an adorable vintage look to them.

I was never into Archie comics when I was a kid- too preoccupied by pokemon, I guess- but nevertheless, I think this new collection is pretty freaking adorable. I'd love to pick up a few more pieces before time's up (Betty Bright is calling my name!) but I don't know how I can justify spending more at MAC this month. I have a huge haul I'm almost ready to post about, oh no :x

* * B+ * *

     I love the color of this lipstick. It's a sheer plum color with enough gold sheen in it to make the shade really unique and beautiful. This shade is Lustre, though, which is quite drying on my lips, but I just put Burt's Bees on beforehand and I'm usually fine. The Lustre finish also doesn't last on me at all- I can get 3 bours of wear with this lipstick at the most- but I'm so enamored by this shade that I'm going to stick with it. If you're willing to spend $16.50 for a decent lasting lipstick, give Oh, Oh, Oh a go! There's something so unique and gorgeous about this shade.

Click Through For Swatches!

Kat Von D True Romance Palette: Star-crossed Review and Swatches

     I've always admired Kat as an artist, and when I used to watch her on TV I would marvel at how awesome her eyes always looked (She's always wearing a great "Kat" eye! harhar). I knew I had to pick up one of her products when I got the chance, and I'm certainly glad I did.

     The Star-Crossed palette includes four blendable, metallic, and overal vampy shades to experiment with.

From left to right; Hyperballad, Scandanavian, Oceansize, Ville

•      Hyperballad is a metallic, cool-based silver, and pairs well with:
•      Oceansize, which is a beautiful metallic turquoise. 
•      Scandinavian is a beautiful metallic brown-taupe that's growing on me every day.
•      Ville is a gorgeous blendable plum shadow, and is easily my favorite shade in the quad.

Swatches: Click Through to see!