Review & Swatches: Lipstick Queen Hello Sailor Lipstick

After getting and loving Frog Prince (review here), I was convinced I also needed to get Lipstick Queen's Hello Sailor. Instead of using pH "magic" like Frog Prince, this navy blue lipstick goes on sheer to tint the lips into a plummy / berry color. Vitamin E is also infused into the lipstick to keep the lips moisturized. This product contains 0.12 ounces and retails for $25. 

Review & Swatches: L'oreal Voluminous Superstar Waterproof Mascara in Blackest Black

Firstly, I would like to apologize for the white based background on the above picture since it doesn't show the primer side that well.

Moving on... 

The L'oreal Voluminous Superstar Waterproof Mascara in Blackest Black is a two step mascara that contains a volumizing primer (Step 1) and a lengthening and lifting fiber mascara (Step 2). I personally love lash primers and wanted to try this out in case it's better than my beloved Urban Decay Subversion Mascara Primer. Both sides contain 0.20 fl oz / 6.0 mL of product each and retails for around $10 depending on where you buy it.

Here's a quick before and after to show what effect the mascara gives me. 

Like other primer + mascara combinations, I did a layer of the mascara, the primer, and then the mascara. Using the primer by itself usually wilts my curl.

In Depth Foundation Routine | All About That Base!

I do not use all of the pictured products at once! I swear!

I just wanted to show everything that I have been using lately and frequently enough that I put them in a separate area for quick grabbing.

My desired finish after applying my foundation is a soft matte look that makes me look more awake. I also prefer a medium finish in general to cover the majority of my acne marks. I get lazy to do pin point concealing and so I only break out the full coverage concealer when I have large cystic acne.

Lately, my skin has been normal to oily. I tend to not do touch ups and so when I get back from work (out of the house from 7:20 AM to 5:40PM), I do have an oily glow going on. I don't like looking too matte and so I like to go towards more slightly dewey products and techniques. 

Here's a before and after to show you the end result! Sadly, the lighting wasn't as consistent throughout the process and I feel like I look a bit more overexposed in the after picture. I do want to note that when I do more full coverage, the contours of my face also look more flat - the same way overexposure sometimes does.

Review & Swatches: Wet n Wild Fergie Centerstage Eye Shadow Palette in Desert Festival

Now that Halloween is coming closer, I was super interested in getting an orange eyeshadow. I didn't know how much I would like a straight up orange color and so I bought the Wet n Wild Fergie Eye Shadow Palette in Desert Festival to test it out. There are three matte shades, one shimmer, and one matte based with shimmer (if that makes sense). You can find this palette for around $4.99 and it contains 0.19 ounces / 5.5 grams of product.

Review & Swatches: Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick in Sunset Pink

Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick in Pink Sunset is described as a "golden, rosy pink glow" and I would say that that's very accurate! There's 5 stripes of color - 1 off white shade with a pink shift, 2 pinky shades, and 2 golden bronze shades. They can be used mixed together or separately on the eyes and face. Pink Sunset contains 0.4 ounces of product and retails for $46.

September 2015 Favorites!

It's time to do a monthly favorite again! This month looks very familiar to last months post... but I swear it's kind of different! I actually forgot that I put the L'oreal Studio Secrets Magic Lumi Concealer in Medium (review here) in last month's favorite but I guess that shows I much I love it! The Charlotte Tilbury eyeshadow stick is also a different color and so it's just one product I'm repeating.

Taken under natural light

L to R:

L'oreal Studio Secrets Magic Lumi Concealer in Medium - It's great! I won't go too much into this product since I already mentioned it last month. 

L'oreal Infallible Pro-Matte 24HR Foundation in #105 Natural Beige (review here) - I disliked this foundation when I reviewed it and gave it another chance this month. Since my cheeks kind of "ate" my foundation, I tried to see if using two layers made a difference. Turns out, it did! I also set it with the next product and setting spray and it worked amazingly. I didn't need the setting spray, but I still wanted to douse my face in it since my days are long. I've worn this foundation with 2 layers on non-work days without powder and setting sprays and it still looked great. More importantly, using two layers helped figure out how to use this foundation in a better way so that I didn't have to throw it away!

L'oreal Infallible Pro-Matte 16HR Powder in #300 Nude Beige (review here) - L'oreal definitely has been my best friend during September. This powder helped with the Infallible foundation as well as my other foundations I normally wear. The finish is a soft matte and it never made my face look too flat or cakey. 

Taken under a white OttLite

Hard Candy Contouring Face Trio in 3x A Lady - For my favorites, I'm talking about the pinky shade but only for a pinky highlighting sheen. I'm pretty disappointed in this trio since it barely shows up on my skin. I'll go more into it in my full review, but the highlighter is glittery and the blush and contour/bronzer shades barely showed up on my skin. Luckily, the sheen from the blush was very smooth and pretty that I was able to use it like a subtle pinky highlight. Kind of reminds me of Wet n Wild's Shimmer Palette in Rose Champagne Glow, but more subtle. Even though this palette is kind of a bummer, the blush is perfect for my no-makeup makeup days though!

Charlotte Tilbury Color Chameleon Morphing Eyeshadow Pencil in Bronzed Garnet - I loved Amber Haze so much that I placed an order for Bronzed Garnet as well! It has more of a warm reddy base than the golden bronze base Amber Haze has and so it's perfect for transitioning to fall/autumn. It wears amazingly well and works as a base and eyeshadow just by itself.

Clinique All About Shadow Single Eyeshadow in Black Honey - Now that I swatched Bronzed Garnet and Black Honey side by side, they look pretty familiar. If you don't like cream shadows or don't like CT's price tag, I would recommend getting Black Honey. The powder formula also helps you build up the color to what you want it to be. There's a slight black base, but it's mostly this beautiful shimmery reddy burgundy color that's surprisingly neutral enough to wear by itself.

What products were your favorites during September? 

Review & Swatches: Jeffree Star Cosmetics Velour Liquid Lipstick in Unicorn Blood

Jeffree Star Cosmetics had a Free Shipping promotion a few weeks ago and I decided to pick up a Velour Liquid Lipstick in Unicorn Blood! It's a deep brown based "rusty" red and it might sound odd, but it does remind me of blood. The Velour Liquid Lipsticks are liquid lipsticks that set to a matte and long wearing finish. Unicorn Blood contains 0.19 ounces and retails for $18.