Alexa for Eyeko - Eye DO!

So, you all know who Alexa Chung is, right?! I hope you do because she's the epitome of cool. But if you're under a rock or you've been locked in a high security vault for the past few years, Alexa is a DJ, model, style icon, illustrator (which totally inspired the main image I drew for todays post) and all around person extraordinaire known for her effortlessly cool style - very laid back tomboy, but feminine and chic. I don't know how she does it, but she does it well. And she's of course known for her classic kitten flick eyeliner. Her makeup is always minimal, but she's never without that 1960's flick inspired by the classics. How can you go wrong?! So, recently, she teamed up with Eyeko to create a kit with her perfect liquid eyeliner and mascara. This is the first time I ever tried anything from Eyeko and I'm impressed!

Spring Makeup - YSL Spring 2014 Beauty

I cannot believe we're already thinking Spring, but it's pretty much the end of January so it's time! I have to admit though that I've been eyeing the YSL Spring 2014 makeup collection since December. I saw promo images of it and practically fainted. OK, slight exaggeration there, but you catch my drift. It's beautiful!! The limited edition compacts are these pretty pinks with gold cutting through it like marble. It almost reminds me of branches. So gorgeous. And the colors are perfect for spring. Vibrant pinks and coral reds with soft lavender pink and peachy oranges. It's mere perfection. The Pivoine eyeshadow palette is great for a soft or punchy eye look. The pink may throw a few of you off, but theres a soft dusty pink in there that's beautiful on the lids as well as that soft peachy orange color with the perfect champagne color in the center to highlight and a deep brown for definition. It's definitely a feminine palette with all shimmery shades. I love it so much I almost didn't want to touch it! Below are the promo images and some swatches from the palette. 

Top M.A.C Shadows

I must be some kind of crazy. I just love eyeshadows. I want every one of them in every single color I can get it in. The obsession started with M.A.C eyeshadows. I remember in high school, distinctly buying Trax, Phloof! and Beauty Marked. Those were my firsts and I've been collecting ever since. I was lucky enough to be start my makeup collection with M.A.C which is a great brand with a huge range of products. I have since grown to love so many other makeup brands for a lot of things, but I continuously go back to my M.A.C eyeshadows even after all these years. The quality is excellent. Highly pigmented, smooth and easily blendable. Everything you want in an eyeshadow, really. They also last well on my eyelids. I never have issues with the color fading or anything. If you're unfamiliar with M.A.C, here's a little summary. They have a large range of eyeshadow colors from neutrals to primary colors and electric greens. The brand was created for to specifically meet the needs of makeup artists. So, the color range is extensive, the packaging is basic and practical. And you get great quality for a reasonable price. Not cheap, but not too expensive either. You also have the option to buy the shadows in a single package (as shown above) or you can get them without the casing where it is just the eyeshadow in the pan with a magnet on the back. You can then take those eyeshadows and pop them into palettes (which M.A.C sells). They come in different sizes - four, twelve, etc. I used to buy the shadows in the individual cases, but now I just buy them in the pans and I pop them into palettes. It's just easier and takes up less space in my collection. I have somewhere between 60-75 shades. I know. It's ridiculously excessive. I definitely have my favorites though and I wanted to share those with you today. I gathered my top 20 here with swatches and all. I do have a few that are "I would cry if you ever got discontinued" shades within that 20 that I'll note as we go along. Let's jump in…

Urban Decay's Naked 3 Palette - Rosey Neutrals

Hey everyone! So this is the big one. The one everyone is waiting for and talking about and obsessing over. I'm right there in the middle of that crowd, no doubt. I've been lusting after this palette since I heard the first rumor of it's possible existence. I was lucky enough to spot that the palette was available when at the very first launch date on UrbanDecay.com and snatched it up before it sold out. It is crazy how quickly it sold through and that it sold through again when it came back in stock. Insanity! It's finally popping up at other retailers online so you can go to Urban Decay, Sephora or Ulta to try to get your hands on one of these if you so choose. In store launch is still scheduled for December 12th. So, let's go over my thoughts as well as some nice swatches and hopefully this can help you decide if this palette is right for you or not.

What's in my Makeup Bag - 3

I absolutely adore looking inside peoples makeup bags. Is that weird? Whatever. It's interesting to see all the stuff they're using at that moment. To see how they're pairing all their items together and to see what sticks around from this time to the next time you take a peek. I've done a couple others before here and here, so I wanted to do another updated one this week with what I've got going here as my makeup back is constantly changing. Is that just me or do you all do that too?

My Favorite Pink Blushes

I have a thing for pink blushes. Seriously. I just love those pale baby doll pink blushes that look soft and sweet on your cheeks. They're the kind of pinks that are universally flattering and I'm obsessed with buying them. There's something about a perfect pink blush that if I find a good one, I have to buy it. Even if I have five others at home. They do have slight variations though. I promise you, they do. So, I went though my collection the other day and pulled out my top five favorites. The ones I keep going back to and the ones that have deemed good enough to be repurchased. Here we go!

Clarins Splendours Color Quartet & Liner Eye Palette - Review

So technically this palette was released for Summer (I know I know, I'm a little late. It happens). I had seen it online and it was one of those things that I kept looking at over and over again, but it somehow kept getting pushed aside. I've never tried anything from Clarins. I've heard a lot about some of their skincare products, but not much about their makeup. This palette was just so gorgeous though, I kept going back to look at it! It has this intriguing embossed aztec looking pattern on the lid of the compact that has a reddish bronze overlay on top of it that gives it this beautiful casing and reflection. Then I looked at the shadow colors and those are just so my colors. As you can see, this purchase may have come a little late, but I went ahead and finally purchased this and I'm so excited.

NARS | Guy Bourdin - Review

Hey hey hey. So many brands release holiday collections it's sensory overload. Seriously. But when I saw that NARS was doing a collection inspired by Guy Bourdin, I was so excited. I love art and photography and Guy Bourdin has some amazing photography. Known for his bold imagery with vibrant colors, his work is a perfect pairing with NARS. Not to mention his work is very provocative and sexy. It's seriously a match made in heaven and I really think NARS did this one justice. Very rich and vibrant colors. Ugh, I just can't even describe. It's so nice for the edgy girl that's not afraid to be bold and out there.

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder Palette - Review

 

For quite a few months now I've slowly been hearing more and more about the Hourglass Ambient Powders. I'm always a bit hesitant with any sort of highlighting products because I do have combination skin so the natural oils my skin produces is more than enough sheen for me. I mostly use highlighting powders in the evenings when I want to go out and look glamorous and I know I won't be wearing my makeup all day long. I had swatched a few of the different ones in Sephora and was a bit iffy about them. They have quite a few shades all named after different types of light. Dim Light, Incandescent Light, Diffused Light - just to name a few. They are said to give you a naturally lit glow. I do think that they vary quite a bit between shades. Some look more natural (having less noticeable shimmer) than others which are the ones I like more. They're so expensive though too and I never really bit the bullet. 

Marc Jacobs - Lolita - Review

If you've been around here for a little while, you'll know that I purchased quite a few of the Marc Jacobs Beauty items. I have been loving the shadows and blushes so much, but when I saw The Lolita palette, I thought - I have so many neutral palettes. Why bother? Especially being that the line has some beautiful fun and rich colors to play with, right? Then, slowly, little by little, inch by inch, I was leaning towards buying this palette. I'd put it in my cart and then take it out. I'd swatch it in the store, debate in my head and convince myself out of the purchase. Finally I jumped the gun and did it on a whim. I am so so so happy I did. I will quickly say that I've heard a lot of complaints about the price tag, but you're getting 7 high end eyeshadows here so I think that's pretty in line with other brands in that price tier. Anyways, this really is a beautiful neutral palette and I believe it's very worth it. The colors are just perfect. I really appreciate that they aren't too warm or bronzy. They're a bit more cool, but not too cool so I think this could work for any skin tone. I'm personally obsessed with the shimmery light pink shade in the palette. It's gorgeous! I have been using it on the eyelid or in the inner corner and it just brightens up your eyes. The other great thing about this is that the three shades on the left hand side are matte, the middle shade is a frosty glittery shade (beautiful to layer on top of the other shadows for an extra pop on a night out) and the three shades on the right are gorgeous fine shimmery shades. The shadows are greatly pigmented and buttery smooth. They blend really easily as well. I have nothing bad to say about this. Honest. Scouts honor. Oh, and shall I rave about the packaging? I mean. It's just. Sexy, right?!

Click through for swatches. 

Review - Maybelline Color Tattoo Pure Pigments

Recently, Maybelline released pigments as part of their Color Tattoo line. As a huge fan of their Color Tattoo Cream Shadows, I knew I definitely wanted to give these a try. I picked these up from Ulta a couple of weeks ago. Luckily, they actually had one of every color at the Ulta I visited. But, by one of every color, I literally mean just one of each color. Only a few shades had multiples left! My first instinct was to buy all the neutral shades, but I decided to venture out and picked up an assortment of colors. They're priced around $6-$7 depending on where you buy. Maybelline was on sale that day so I got mine for around five bucks. Woohoo!

OK, onto what you're really wanting to know. How does the quality compare? I have to say that I have mixed feelings about these. Below are dry swatches of the colors I picked up. My first thought upon opening was that the powder is very very fine. These are quite messy and you have to be careful when working with them. The second thing I noticed is that the pigmentation varies from shade to shade.