Witchy Inspiration: An Elphaba 'Unbecoming' Smokey Eye | MORPHE 'Boss Mood' Palette

     Well hello all! Just when I thought my blog was at the point of being impossible to bring back from the dead (seriously, how much of a zombie could this blog possibly get? LOL!), I had it in mind to post the Wicked inspired eye makeup that I donned for Halloween night, after a day of having dressed up as Sherlock Holmes' wife, Mary Russell.

     Whilst looking through the Morphe display in Ulta about a month back, I immediately saw this palette, and thought, 'Yep, Elphie would wear these colors' and I just had a dapper little inkling-dinkling that this would be going home with me. This is my first Morphe purchase, and I have to say, I had pretty low expectations and buyer's remorse instantaneously, and I felt that guilty pang before I even checked out and paid for this palette! I thought, 'Why am I doing this? The quality is probably terrible,' and just negative thoughts of all sorts that I tend to associate with Morphe, as I overall see them as a pretty shady, negative brand, in retrospect of their behavior and business practices I've noticed in the past. While I think I love the color story of this 35M Boss Mood Palette moreso than most palettes in my collection, I do, however, think this will be my only Morphe purchase.

Morphe 35M Boss Mood

Steps

1. Transition - On primed eyes (with no setting powder on my lids whatsoever - it's the best way I've found to use this formula), I blended and overlapped two of the murky yellow-toned greens in this palette rather high up above my crease. First, I used the more mustard green, 'Hello Sunshine' more on the outer half of my crease, and the slightly lighter (but a bit of a brighter lime green) 'Stroke of Luck' on the inner half of the crease, overlapping it slightly into the green on the outer corner. I find that by not setting my eye primer with a thin layer of translucent powder like I normally do, that's when these Morphe shadows really shine and the most of their pigment comes out to play.
2. The Outer Corner and Crease - Knowing that I wanted purple to be the central focus of this look, I blended a matte eggplant, 'Power Slayer' (this one is atrociously patchy, and needs to be packed on - definitely a dud in the palette, no bueno) into my outer third of the mobile lid space and softly blended the color inward right above the socket of my crease, going about half way in.
3. That Bright Magenta Purple Lid, Tho! - The star of this look is definitely that gorgeous, electrified mid-toned magenta purple nestled on the bottom row, called 'Grape Expectations'. This had amazingly saturated pigmentation and was best applied with my finger. No glitter glue was used.
4. Lower Lashline: Wash, Rinse Repeat - I mirrored the placement on the eyelid onto my bottom lashline. I also made use of a red eyeliner in my waterline that gave the look something special. For this, I used NYX Faux Black Eyeliner in 'Oxblood'. 
5. Liner & Lashes - NYX Matte Liquid Liner framed my upper lashline, and Essence Lash Princess Mascara. 

On My Cheeks

1. Highlight - Colourpop Super Shock Cheek in 'Felicity' (entirely too sparkly for daily use, so I decided the best time to wear this was Halloween)
2. Bronzer - Too Faced Milk Chocolate Soleil Bronzing Powder 
3. Blush - Milani 'Romantic Rose' Powder Blush

Voila! I've been changed for good!

🌟🌙Alright loves, feel free to link any creative and colorful looks you've done lately down in the comments section! I would love to see them! Take care. 😀

Colourpop Goodies (I Should've Posted this in February. . .)

Hi there! Yes, I'm still alive on this 'ere blogosphere! At this point, I think it's pretty obvious that my sliiight obsession with Colourpop isn't going anywhere, at least not anytime soon...

Most of these products were from their Valentine's Day collection (plus their Flexitarian Supershock Highlight, which I purchased in the same order along with the V-Day collection) - as far as the limited edition Valentine's collection, a beautiful mini 6-pan palette of lovely cool toned eyeshadows, and three new shades from their lineup of Supernova Liquid Shadows. So since I bought these products back in February, I think I've had more than enough time to test them out, and I have a better idea of which ones I would recommend! So yesterday when I looked back on the Colourpop online shop for the first time in eons, I realized that, lo and behold, most of these products were still available to purchase on their site! So, naturally, here we are with a blog post and swatches! 😄

Supernova Liquid Shadows

L-R: From the Valley, Prelude, Over Again

     Ahh, my very first foray into the Colourpop Supernova line...so, all in all, I do quite enjoy the look these give once applied, but getting to that place of application is rather tricky. I find that putting the applicator directly onto my eyelids makes for a rather streaky application, and entirely too much applies when I use the applicator to apply them to my lids. Whenever I transfer the liquid shadow straight from the applicator to eyelid, they would dry down, and would instantly add a bunch of crepey texture to my eyelid, and the color would flake off entirely within the next hour. If I tried to blend in any way before they set, so much product was applied, that they would just look even more streaky, so blending afterwards was a no-go, when I used that method. 

     The way I opt to apply these is by simply dispersing some product onto my fingertip from the applicator and applying and blending them out in that way, so I have more control over how much product goes onto my eyelid, y'knows? In fact, that's the only way I've found to apply these so they look nice throughout wear and don't flake off. Beautiful duochromes in this lineup, but I always have to layer them over a colored eyeshadow cream or powder for them to really give that desired wow effect, as they are a bit sheer and much of that huzzah! factor is lost when they're applied to a bare primed lid. So the formula could definitely be tweaked a bit with these...

Colourpop Pretty Much Pigment Palette, $12

Swatches L-R: Ya Bish, It Me, NVM, OTP, Neither Do I, Cool It

     This little pocket-friendly number has a pretty lovely array of some beautiful berry pinks and purple tones, mixed with a couple cooler toned neutrals and a nice dose of a bronze shimmer. However, I find that the pink and bronze shimmers in this palette are a tad bit crumbly, and are quite flaky and dry, and take a little more work than I expected them to, as they need to be packed onto the lid to show up (which, I must say, is quite uncharacteristic and very unusual of Colourpop's quality as far as their pressed shadows go - maybe my palette was a fluke with those two shades, but I was left pretty disappointed, nonetheless), and although the mattes in the palette blend out fantastically and near flawlessly, I find that the only matte that is unique to my Colourpop collection is the matte taupe in this palette in 'NVM'. The other two mattes, 'Neither Do I' and 'Cool It,' are near identical to the mattes in my Fem Rosa palette, so this palette is just a bit repetitive for my needs.

I would wager that if you don't own the Fem Rosa palette, this might be a nice addition if you like the tones. However, if you own that palette already (or have similar tones) then this palette may be a bit superfluous for you, as it was for me.

Penny for your thoughts? I'd love to hear them! Sound off in the comments and tell me: As far as Colourpop palettes, what different color stories/combinations would you like to see released in their pocket sized palettes?

Makeup Revolution New-Trals vs Neutrals Palette | Look No. 1: Warm & Glowy Pink

wearing Makeup Revolution New-Trals vs Neutrals Eyeshadow Palette

     It's almost Friday! Every now and then we discover a makeup product that sends us into the horizon with wings, jumping up and down for joy and exclaiming to everyone, 'I've found it! It's here! The perfect tones to forever grace my crepey eyelids!' 

     Well, we may not do that in real life....but we certainly do tell everyone we can when cruising about online, yes? 😀 This palette became an addition to my collection last Christmas, and I'm ashamed to admit that I used it a mere two times, and then, for no reason other than the fact that I just wasn't wearing much makeup during that time, the palette sat in the back of my makeup drawer, untouched for a month or so. Roll in February, whence I dug it out and fell in love all over again.

Makeup Revolution New-Trals vs Neutrals Eyeshadow Palette

Drugstore 1st Impression and Swatches | Hard Candy Top Ten Satin Eyeshadow Palette in 'Rich & Famous'

      Hello everyone, and happy Monday! So, would anyone like to see a stunned makeup enthusiast's first impression on an insanely cheap palette? Because that's what I'll be doing in regards to this Hard Candy Top Ten Satin Eyeshadow Palette in 'Rich & Famous.' Ahem, now people, this is a $6 palette...just let that sink in, and let those swatches further down do the math for you. 😉 I know, I know, it's mathematically impossible to do that, but - I digress!

A Day in the Tropics: Sunset Eye Makeup feat. Urban Decay Full Spectrum Palette!

     Happy Friday! Yesterday I received the Urban Decay Full Spectrum Palette in a swap I did with my friend Anna. I wanted to do a look that wasn't restricted to just the eye area, and knew I wanted to do something with yellow. I saw a photo in one of those old makeup creative magazines that, to my knowledge, is no longer in publication, and it's a magazine called FACEON. It had a brightly pigmented coral eyeshadow brought down from the lower lashline blended all the way down to the cheekbone in a soft-focus too-high blush placement, which I love in editorial looks! I simply adjusted and tweaked the construction of the look to suit my eye shape.

I'll attempt as best I can to piece this into a step-by-step pictorial, but a couple of these shadows were just frustrating to work with, so, out of impatience, I just skipped ahead to the final look after only taking photos of the first couple steps.

A Minimal Fall FOTD

     *Contains Affiliate Links

Hello, dolls!  Now that it has finally begun to cool off slightly here in the midwest, I thought, what better time than now to reiterate an updated post of my everyday fall makeup look! I've been wearing a slightly altered version of this look for the past couple of years (using different products, of course), and the best part? This look takes me less than 10 minutes to achieve! 

The overall finished look is a glossy berry lip, with a light wash of taupe shimmer on the eyes, winged liner and barely-there face makeup.

Read on if you would like to see which products helped me achieve this simple fall look!

A Cordial Affair: Dramatic Fall Makeup w/ Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette

   *Contains Affiliate Links  

     Back to bloggin' I go! Yes, I didn't realize how out of practice I became with my makeup skills, and here's where I have to be honest and come clean: I have not been wearing makeup for months. Well, my daily routine has been involving a bit of makeup, but the most I've been using daily hasn't been any more than a light touch of concealer and maybe a coat of mascara.

Now that autumn is approaching as ever as the winds are quickening (where that came from, I have no idea), I just thought I would vampen it up a bit when I got home from class today. I popped out the palette that seems to be on every 'Ride or Die Products' tag that I've seen so far: feast your eyes (for the millionth time, I can imagine lol), on the ever-beloved Chocolate Bar......(ahem, by Too Faced, just in case you don't know of it for some unthinkable reason 😊)

After I applied primer: 
Step 1: I blended the light pink shade in the palette, 'Strawberry Bon Bon' into the entire crease socket and above the crease, stopping just below the browbone. This shade required quite a bit of layering to show up, and I so rarely use it, that I was shocked, and pleased to see that it didn't look powdery or chalky on the skin, even after multiple layers.
Step 2: Then came the warm-toned reddened brown, called 'Cherry Cordial.' This was blended right into the crease and kept on the socket and not blended anywhere above that. I blended it and extended it towards the inner corner of my eye. 
Step 3: The dull one of the palette (but still quite pretty! Its nuances and dry texture remind me a bit of MAC Patina), called 'Amaretto,' was packed onto the mobile lid all the way to the inner corner.
Step 4: I then took this stunning, warm (but wearable!) gilded gold called 'Creme Brulee' and packed it on the center of the lid, switching back and forth between this shade and 'Amaretto' as I went, and finally reinforcing 'Cherry Cordial' at the very end to tie the crease together.

For the rest of the eye products used: 
1. Primer: Wet 'n' Wild Photo Focus Eyeshadow Primer
2. Liner: Maybelline EyeStudio Gel Liner in 'Blackest Black'
3. Lashes: Jordana Best Lash Extreme in Black
4. Brows: L'Oreal Brow Stylist Plumper in Light to Medium
5. IC Highlight, Tho!: L'Oreal Infallible Eyeshadow in 'Iced Latte' was that high shine, blinding, angelic inner corner highlight

Face

Base/Foundation: Skin79 VIP Gold Collection Super+ BB Cream

Undereye Concealer: Skinfood Salmon Dark Circle Concealer Cream in 'No 1 Salmon Blooming'

Contour/Undereye Setting Powder: Wet 'n' Wild Color Icon Contouring Palette in 'Caramel Toffee'

Blush: NARS Sin

Lips

Liner: NYX 'Currant' Lip Liner

Lip Color Combo: NYX Matte Lipstick in 'Up the Bass' and NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in 'Prague' applied on top of the purple to lessen its gray undertones

Hope you all have a beautiful day! So tell me: What products are you wearing more of, now that the fall season is approaching?

💋 xoxo-Cailee

Tutorial: Nighttime Smokey Eyes Using UD Naked 2 Palette

     Hello there!  It has been almost a month since I last uploaded a makeup look of any sort (boo-hiss, hehe just kidding 😉), and I wanted to upload a post showing the eye makeup I wore today, and figured, why not make it a pictorial? So, I have to say that the eyes are quite dramatic for me, and I had to tone it down for daytime with a soft mauve lip and light pink cheeks, because I had Saturday morning errands to run, and.... well, my eyeballs still looked as though they were about to pop out of my skull in natural light, with this 'sandwich' method of eyeshadow placement. I unfortunately could not capture the true contrast of the shadows very accurately in these photos, as it has a much higher contrast in real life. All eyeshadows used for this look are from the Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette.

New Beauties from Coastal Scents! | Palettes & Brushes

     Back in 2009 was the year I was introduced to the "makeup utility" brand Coastal Scents. I heard all these accounts from seemingly everyone, their mother, and their mother's brother, about how economical of a brand it was (and still is!) for freelance makeup artists and makeup enthusiasts alike. At the time, I was still an enthusiast and hobbyist who just wanted some affordable, decent quality color palettes to play with, to possibly hone my skills with in the future, and yep, times have changed since then! :) In the recent years, the brand has exploded in popularity.

Evening Makeup: Purple Smoke & Nude Lips (A Pictorial)

     Hello there! How are you all doing today?  So, this is my very first attempt at an eyeshadow pictorial. All eyeshadows used for this look are from ELF's new and limited edition palette: their Essential 18-Piece Eyeshadow Palette. I used this palette in my last FOTD so that you and I could see exactly what the warmer neutral shades in this palette have to offer. For this pictorial, I decided to play with some of the cooler more colorful shades for a glammed-up look that's perfectly appropriate for those evenings out. (And, y'know, also for those evenings at home, dog-sitting and eating mint moose tracks ice cream? Yes? Maybe? Ok 😊). 

     This palette, being mostly neutral, also has a gorgeous matte mauve-lavender and deep matte navy shade, which I really wanted to incorporate into this look (which, yes ma'am, I did). The pigmentation on these mattes ended up surprising me, in a good way. For this post, I will be focusing mainly on the color cosmetics, and not the base skin products. 

New Product Alert: LORAC Pro Palette 2!!

       Hello lovelies!  Yes, I know! Isn't this awesome?! I was up late last night browsing Google+ (which is something I rarely do) and was ecstatic to see a sneak peek from LORAC on their new Pro Palette 2! The cooler-toned companion to the coveted and highly loved LORAC Pro Palette is scheduled to be launched on June 15 on ulta.com. These colors are right up my ally! All I have to say is move over Naked 2! I still love ya, but this LORAC baby is something I can already see crafting an even greater multitude of looks. Carol Shaw incorporated some color into this (and from the looks of it, I think I spot a deep navy, an eggplant purple, and an olive green?), and, as with anything she does with her brand, this looks like it's going to be a knockout hit!

      I will definitely try to get my hands on this! Will you be picking this up? Or do you think you'll be passing on it? Let me know in the comments! I think I would need to actually see the palette in-store to hold and swatch (I rarely buy things as expensive as palettes sight unseen; I always try to wait until they're released in stores so I can test them out).

Things I Bought: ULTA & Milani Cosmetics

       Hey everyone!  In my neck of the woods, life has been pretty crazy as of lately, and my schedule for my blog posts has been pushed back, as I'm in the midst of packing up and moving (the news for this, which is actually good news, came to me out of nowhere). Therefore, due to inadequate lighting and settings, I haven't had the opportunity to take any pictures, and am now working with what pictures were already uploaded onto my computer, before the moving began. Alright, I think I've blabbed enough, yes? You already know what this post is all about! Now let's get on to the pretties!

A Review: Sephora + PANTONE UNIVERSE Elemental Energy Eyeshadow Palette

     Hi all!  Today I thought I would finally do my in-depth review of the Sephora + Pantone Universe Elemental Energy Eyeshadow Palette, which is a product that is still available on Sephora's site (you can get it here), and is on sale for $25. I got this a couple weeks ago, and I have to say first that I am quite new to Sephora's eyeshadow formula. I don't know if the formula of these Pantone shadows is similar across the board to the other shadows they have to offer in their brand, but my overall first impression of this palette was that of pleasant surprise, as many of the shadows in this palette seemed nicely pigmented and the quality seemed to be there. I've had some time to play around with these shadows, and hopefully this review will answer some questions for someone who is contemplating on whether or not to purchase it. Swatches will be towards the end. 

Sephora + PANTONE UNIVERSE Elemental Energy Eyeshadow Palette

| Eyes of the Day | featuring Sephora + PANTONE UNIVERSE Elemental Energy Eyeshadow Palette

     Hey everyone!  Wow, I can't believe spring is finally  here! I'm definitely going to the park today to enjoy this beautiful weather, but I wanted to get this posted while I could. I have been playing around with this bad boy eyeshadow palette from Sephora + PANTONE. My review of this palette will hopefully be up by tomorrow!

Sephora + PANTONE UNIVERSE Elemental Energy Eyeshadow Palette

       Here is the back of the palette (both pictures match the quadrants' positions; top (L) green-toned quad is 'Earth,' top (R) barely-there quad is 'Air,' bottom (L) burnished copper and pink quad is 'Fire,' and bottom (R) aquatic blue quad is 'Water'

Until the review, here is a soft, subdued neutral look I created with this palette! (Please excuse my unruly brows; the closer up they are, the more apparently bad they look; I could pluck them and shape them to the end of their days but they would still grow back full and mad-looking a day later. Haha oh, genetics) 

I didn't restrict this eyeshadow look to one particular quad, or element, rather, but I did use 2 shades from the Earth quad (Gingersnap and Pebble), 1 shade from the Air quad (Murmur), and 1 shade from the Fire quad (Dawn). More details about shadow placement are in the product breakdown below. 

Itty Bitty Haul (Sephora and TheBalm)

       Hi everyone!  Hope you're having a great day! So, the products in this post are actually the only non-drugstore acquisitions I have made within the past few months. I wanted to get this posted while the Sephora palette is still available to purchase on their website. The Sephora Pantone products just arrived in the mail today (about an hour ago, if we're getting exact here 😋), but the other items were purchased at an earlier date.