Review & Swatches: Inglot Freedom System Eye Shadow Pearl Square in #407

Inglot Freedom System Eye Shadow Pearl Square in #407 is a more complex color that it looks in the pan. It a warm orangey peach shade with a gold sheen and Inglot describes the finish as pearlescent. It contains 2.7 grams / 0.10 ounces of product and retails for $7.

Review & Swatches: Maybelline Color Sensational Creamy Matte Lip Color in Touch of Spice

Maybelline Color Sensational Creamy Matte Lip Color in Touch of Spice is a neutral mauve lipstick with a tiny bit of plum. Matte lipsticks have a reputation of being dry, but Maybelline claims that this line of matte lipsticks will slip onto the lips with its creamy formula. It contains .15 oz. / 4.2 grams of product and the price can retails between $5-$8. 

Makeup Lust List #3

I have a short post and wishlist for today! Holiday Sets are being released and they're all so lovely. I've had my eye on two particular sets, but I'm still deciding if I actually really do want them. Some sales are coming up soon and so I have a bit more time to look into them.

Benefit Cheeky Sweet Spot Box O' Blushes - This blush palette contains 6 of their box powders and even though I already own two (Hoola and Rockateur), I want this so much. I know I'm too dark for Dandelion, but I heard that the the other three should still show up on me. Watt's Up is included with this set and I also have two deluxe samples of that. The packaging is so cute and convenient, but I'm trying to see if it's worth repurchasing products that I'm not even close to finishing. 

Marc Jacobs Beauty The Sky-Liner Seven Piece Petite Highliner Collection - I also have two out of seven of the liners, but I go through eye liners faster than blushes. I tend to buy Urban Decay eye liner sets, but I'd much rather buy this Marc Jacobs set because I love their eye liners more. 

NARS Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base - Eyeshadows have been creasing on me lately and I don't understand! I haven't changed anything but even my trusted products that never crease are creasing on me. I've heard that the NARS base is great for oily lids, but it does have an expensive price tag. I'm going to wait a bit longer and experiment with what I have, but this is definitely going on my lust list to remind myself to look into this even more. 

What's on your makeup lust list?

Review & Swatches: Marc Jacobs Beauty Highliner Gel Eye Crayon in (Luna)Tic

Marc Jacobs Highliner Gel Eye Crayon in (Luna)Tic is a metallic pale lavender and I do see that, but there's also silver glitter like in Brown(Out). It is waterproof and the claims include having a smooth application and being long wearing. It contains 0.5 grams and retails for $25. 

Hao Are You? #8 // Exciting and Scary Times

Please excuse the apple in the middle picture. I was wearing a top that showed my stomach and for some reason, I feel embarrassed about it now. I also love apples and thought might as well use an apple sticker to cover that area. 

What have you been up to?

School just started back up and I'm a lot busier than I thought I would be. I got a job at a makeup store (eep!) and I'm so excited about it. Weekends were supposed to be my break, but I couldn't help but apply because I love makeup. 

I'm trying to figure out how my blogging will work from here on out because most of my days (and sunlight) is spent at work or school. I prefer natural lighting for my pictures and so I'm having trouble finding time to take swatch pictures. 

If you didn't notice, I'm also lightening my hair. I can't decide if I want to go blonde or lavender / silver. Right now, it's really brassy and orange though. It's starting to grow on me and reminds me of Hayley Williams and so I'm not sure what I want to do. I do look slightly ridiculous because my roots are more yellow then the rest of my hair. 

What are you looking forward to?

I'm super nervous about working at a new place, but I'm so excited too. It's obviously something that I'm interested in, but retail is so much different from what I'm doing now. The socks on the third picture are the socks I wore to my first day and they're from one of my best friends. They make me laugh and so I wore them to have a little bit of an inside joke to keep me more calm throughout the day. 

My boyfriend also transferred to a UC and now we're 1.5 hours apart instead of 6 hours. We get to see each other a lot more and it makes me so happy. He's been my best friend for 16ish years and my boyfriend for a little over 3 years and so it's great to be able to see each other more than once every 2-3 months now.

How have you been?

Products I've Repurchased #2

I picked up some basics again and these products have a permanent part in my collection now. 

Makeup Forever HD Foundation in #127 Dark Sand (review here) is my go - to foundation for both the pictures that'll go on my blog and in real life. It doesn't cover everything, but covers enough. It also stays looking beautiful all day. 

Mally Evercolor Poreless Face Defender (revew here) was recently on sale at Ulta and I took the opportunity to snatch one up. I've bought this 3 times already and it sets my makeup so nice without making it look cakey or unnatural. 

NYX Stay Matte But Not Flat Powder Foundation in #2 Nude (review here) helps me set my foundation but doesn't make my face look powdery. I also like using it by itself when I'm in a rush. It doesn't keep my face matte, but keeps a natural sheen. It's not dewey and it's not matte, but somewhere in between. 

L'oreal Shocking Extensions Waterproof Mascara in Blackest Black has plastic bristles that define and lengthen my lashes so much. The wand is flattened and the bristles are mostly on edges. It doesn't give me that much volume though.

Maybelline Volum' Express the Rocket Waterproof Mascara in Very Black (review here) is what I use when I want more volume. The bristles are short and so they never poke my eyes or go onto my lids. 

What are some of your recent repurchases? 

Review & Swatches: Revlon Colorstay Skinny Liquid Liner in Electric Blue

Revlon Colorstay Skinny Liquid Liner in Electric Blue is a bright blue liner that has a 0.1mm felt tip applicator. Its claims include staying on all day with bold color from just one swipe. It contains 0.08 fluid ounces / 2.5 mL of product.

Review & Swatches: Maybelline Brow Drama Sculpting Brow Mascara in Deep Brown

Maybelline Brow Drama Sculpting Brow Mascara in Deep Brown is a tinted gel mousse for the brows and it has a "ball brush." It's supposed to give a even, natural, comfortable hold without clumping or flaking. 

Review & Swatches: Life's Entropy Eyeshadow / Pigment in Happy Annibearsary, Oh Deer, Dismember, and Moonlight Shadow

Makeup Look: Captain America Inspired Eye Look

Taken before I added black mascara on the bottom lashes 

I was trying out Etude House Play 101 Pencil in #21 on my eyes and then I started to add stuff on top until I created this look. The title says "Captain America" inspired, but I started to see a Captain America- ish vibe after I finished it. 

It's totally not everyday, but it was interesting incorporating red eyeshadow into my look. Red eyeshadow could make eyes look really tired, but the thick black wing creates a barrier between the eye and shadow. 

Products used - 

• Etude House Play 101 Pencil in #21(review here)
• Inglot Freedom System AMC Blush in #58 (review here)
• Applied on top of the red base and blended out 
• Urban Decay Eyeshadow in Broken (Theodora palette)
• Applied on the brow bone and to help blend out the blush more
• Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner in Black (review here)
• Geek Chic Cosmetics Eye Shadow in Don't Blink (review here)
• Applied on the outer half of the lower lash line
• L'oreal Telescopic Shocking Extensions Waterproof Mascara in Blackest Black 
• As a base for the next product and reapplied again on top of the lower lashes
• Life's Entropy Eyeshadow / Pigment in Moonlight Shadow
• Applied wet using a slanted doe foot applicator on the lashes and also dry on the inner corner and inner half of the lower lash line
• Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade in Dark Brown

One Brand Focus and Look ft. Maybelline!

I recently bought more Maybelline products and I realized that I had enough to do a full makeup look. Some products I love and some I'm very "eh" about. I don't have a powder or blush from Maybelline though. I don't like powdering anymore and I rarely wear blush. 

Maybelline is usually my go-to brand for mascaras, but I've started to really love their foundations. The two I've tried makes my skin look so nice and they're also very easy to use in a rush in the mornings. 

The look I have above is a very no-makeup makeup look. I have a wash of color on my lids and color was also added into my face with a plummy mauve lipstick. 

I'm going to talk about the products I used for the look above, but I'm also going to touch on some other products I have tried from Maybelline.

Baby Skin Instant Pore Eraser is a primer that is supposed to help lessen the appearance of pores. I find that you have to be very careful in using this sometimes because having too much can make the face feel slippery. It helps foundation slide on, but the slip can stay and then make the foundation slide off. 

Dream Smooth Mousse Foundation in #240 Natural Beige (review here) gives me such a nice finish on my skin. I like a more natural / satin finish. My skin is more on the dry side and so I like the added moisture from this foundation too. 

Volum' Express The Rocket Waterproof Mascara in Very Black (review here) gives me defined lashes but also volume. It lasts all day and keeps my curl. I've repurchased this mascara multiple times and I also have a backup too. It's one of my favorite mascaras to use and it's a great "base" for other mascaras that don't hold my curl. 

Color Tattoo in Bad to the Bronze is a product I don't love from Maybelline. After the first month or so, I saw the product pulling from the edges and drying up. It's a very shimmery taupey bronze color and makes everything on top super shimmery too. I'm still going to use it since it is a quick color to put all over the lids, but I much prefer other cream eye shadows. 

Color Sensational Matte Lipstick in #660 Touch of Spice is a recent addition to my collection and I'm still testing it out. It is completely matte and so creamy. I had another lipstick from Maybelline that you can read about here and I hated it. The color was so patchy and made my lips so dry. Touch of Spice is a plummy mauve color that works great as a MLBB for me. 

Brow Drama Sculpting Brow Mascara in Dark Brown is the other recent addition and I quite like it. It adds hold and a natural tint to my brows. I've been using other brow products that give me darker and defined brows, but I wanted to take a step back. This is exactly what i wanted right now. It doesn't seem to do much in the pictures above, but there is a difference because my brows look so naturally groomed after using it. 

Keep reading to see other Maybelline products I've tried !