Wet n' Wild Coloricon Eyeliner in Mink Brown!

It's officially the best time of year to be a tourist in Vegas: Summer. It's officially the best time to sight-see and be seen, get in to all the good sold out shows on both ends of the infamous Las Vegas strip, and bar hop 'til you drop a'la lifted vip passes to the most stuck-up kick-backs in the country. It is also the best time to get a great five minute tan, if you catch my drift. Well in the midst of all that, we still have to find time to get our look in gear, and the buzz word of the season is brows. Whether we're filling, contouring, or completely reconstructing them, they have got to be on point. For myself personally, this is the first time I've experimented with my brows; I've always had a turbulent relationship with them because a) they're not congruent in shape, and b) any attempt to tame or maintain them is met with opposition (yes, they've got their own security clearance). If you've been hanging out with me on Instagram, then you know that I have been a good two months at work on my technique, and I'm not open to too much experimentation. While plucking, threading, waxing, or otherwise removing a single hair from my brow line are options I've carefully considered, I don't think they'll be viable options for my perfect eyebrow look in the near future! BUT, I do think I can achieve a happy medium by contouring with a filler. Powder and gel are popular in colder weather, so for Summer, it looks like brow pencils and mascaras are a good option. They are waterproof and add great weight to your brows without the worry of having them smudge or run (from you know, sweat and other saboteurs).

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Color.

   I see a lot of people use a really, really dark color to fill and shape their brows. To each their own, I have forever and the day after said; it looks good on them but I have dark skin and non-black facial hair, so the oh-so-covet-able Cara Delevigne brows that work for others is only passable for me on rare occasions(like New Year's Eve of 2013. yeah). The color I chose from WNW is a dark brown that is more of a happy medium between true brown and brown-black. I like it because is adds low-light to my face without my having to do very much contouring and directs attention to my forehead first.




    Durability.


Yeah, since this is a dual-wield brow and eye liner pencil being used strictly for it's intended purpose; still, it stands to reason that you may encounter some issues with durability. This stuff smudges if you lay it on heavily, so it's best to opt for the less is more look with a fixative. Makeup setting spray or a swipe of food-grade starch works for me, but if you are a face sweater then a professional fixative is a great place to start!


    Price.
It's very affordable, retailing at 0.99USD to start and available a most major drug-store chains. You'll hear it often that Wet n' Wild cosmetics is a cheap brand; and that's in reference to the prices only in most cases. What you get with their products is often more than what's paid for it, and they are a great place to start for beginning artists and enthusiasts alike.


    Ingredients.
      Ricinus Communis Seed Oil (Castor), Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Euphorbia Cerifera Wax (Candelilla), Petrolatum, Beeswax, Ozokerite, Isopropyl Myristate, Hydrogenated Soy Polyglycerides, C15 23 Alkane, Zinc Stearate, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Tocopheryl Acetate, May Contain (+/-): Iron Oxides (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499), Mica, Blue 1 Lake (CI 42090), Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Ultramarines (CI 77007), Manganese Violet (CI 77742)

    Overall.

I'm gonna say it's a 5 star buy! I'm pretty satisfied with the look I was able to create too. It's a subtle yet simultaneously striking. Later on, I want to try black eyebrows or some highlighting on my brow bone but for now I really love how this came out!

What do you use to add that wow factor to your brows? Lem'me know on Twitter:@cloud9kollketiv

Season's Savings! AP Cosmectics Holiday Special!

 It's that that time of the year when we all break the bank to buy tons of Holiday gear. Well, for some of you that may have officially started on Black Friday this year (because according to America, it's a holiday), and never ended. But, if you're looking to get some good gifts without the extra fuss for the makeup maven in your life (or if that's you then that's fine too!), then you're in luck: AP cosmetics, who we've been fortunate enough to get in touch with, is having a Holiday special! Through the twentieth of this month, all orders that come to a total of 20.00+USD will receive FREE SHIPPING. The image above leads direct to their website and if you want to get the latest developments from the AP Beauty team, you can follow Alexa's blog here, connect via Facebook, or Twitter!

If you've been reading us frequently, then you know that we discovered AP cosmetics through Alexa's blog. We are so happy that the line is doing great and we really encourage to you stop by her page and see what the buzz is about. Did you know that Alexa is also a makeup artist with a stunning portfolio? Now you do; visit Makeup By Alexa for a closer look at the beauty, and brains behind the brand, or for a list of services offered. You'll be glad you did~

20121202 Sunday FOTD!

It's finally time for that long awaited verdict on e.l.f. cosmetics! I bought a lot of things from them recently (they've had so many sales in the past two months that I couldn't resist), and I wanted to give a definitive recommendation about what's in and what could be better with the often buzzed-about cruelty free line.

FACE:

E.L.F SHEER TINTED MOISTURIZER IN TONE THREE.

SEPHORA MATTIFYING POWDER IN D50

E.L.F. MAKEUP SETTING MIST

LIPS:

E.L.F. LIP STAIN IN CRIMSON CRUSH

BEAUTIQUE LIP LINING PENCIL IN WINE

C.O. BIGELOW ROSE SALVE

EYES:

ARDELLE FALSE LASHES IN DEMI-PIXIE

E.L.F. LENGTHENING AND DEFINING MASCARA IN BLACK

E.L.F. LIQUID EYELINER IN BLACK

E.L.F. ESSENTIAL 83 PIECE STUDIO SET, SHADE B2 (PICTURED BELOW) USED ON INNER CORNER OF LOWER EYELIDS.

 

      Looking back on this I now realize that my eyeliner was smudged on my left eye! I didn't rub or anything so I don't know what happened with that. But anyway, I'm really pleased with how a lot of the product performed! For the face items, I love my TM to death but I can only use it if my skin is having a dry spell (Winter coverage only ordeal) other than that it's too dewy for me. It looks good at first but after a few hours my skin will be bogged down with both moisture from the TM and my own oily-ness. As for the color, I'm pleased with it! I thought it'd be too light but it worked out just fine, and this product was just a dollar so I'll definitely think on buying it again in the future. Now here's to the bread winner: the makeup mist and set spray. I'm not into heavy setting sprays (I find that if they're too wet that they create wet, splotchy discoloration in my foundation; I work too hard for that to happen!) but this one is wonderful. It wastes a bit of the product with each spray but I think that can be regulated with half pumps. On top of makeup, it keeps your coverage smooth and long lasting, but underneath your makeup it can double as a primer! That's what I generally use it for when I want a smoother finish to my tinted moisturizer. It also helps to minimize the appearance of cakey-ness in powders! This spray is three dollars and can be found at K-mart or on eyeslipsface.com.

       The lip stain pen is a product that I had some inhibitions about using. It was very dry when I opened it and the color doesn't spread at all. It's a felt-tipped pen with a cap insulation and while I'm madly in love with the design, the color performed poorly and the amount of product in the pen is a bit.. Alarming to say the least. Still, as you can see from the picture, the color is build-able (I'm wearing about five layers of stain here). One thing that you should know if you buy this lip stain is that the pen will make any dehydration problems you have very obvious, so use a lip conditioner or have a cup of hot tea before you put it on. All in all, it's a dollar, and cheaper than they alternatives offered by Revlon and Benefit: use at your own discretion.

      As for my eye products, I've nothing but good things to say! I'm very impressed with the mascara. I has a short wand and the bristles are appropriately short and rounded. If you want to get the full length detail on each lash, then this is the mascara for you. It's even short enough for use on the lower lash line, so go for it! I use this mascara now even more than my full exposure by Smashbox! It's  good all around and just one dollar. The wand in the eyeliner has changed to a thinner brush, and that allowed me to regulate how much product it picked up from the pot. I'm really glad that was changed, it was something that I'd pointed out in my review of the eyeliners that can make using them a bit of a hassle, but not anymore! Later I think I'll get into the other colors, but I'm pleased with my black liner for now. Still love my studio eyeshadow kit. I'm using mostly neutral colors now because I want to try something different: I usually use a lot of color and liner to create my looks, and avoid neutral/nude/brown hues, so this Fall I'm taking the dive! What I really want now is a good, played down smokey eye look made with neutral hues (but I'm still praying on the whole red shadow thing..)

 Overall, I'm going to give E.L.F. cosmetics a big thumbs up! I'm partial to their mineral and studio items, but, they've really got something good going on. With all the sales they've been having recently, it's really easy to get into their collections without spending a lot of money. I will be reviewing the products listed here in full detail through December, but please remember that experience is the best review that you can benefit from!

The ELF Shipment has Arrived!

      Hello! Sorry for the hiatus between posting; I got really busy in the middle of last week and wasn't able to log on! Anyways, I am here now, and so is my e.l.f. shipment! I've always been very enthusiastic about e.l.f. products and I wanted to sample a bit of everything they've go to offer. They had a free shipping sale for the week of election day so I invested of course, and bought about twelve things that included:

• Makeup setting mist
• Lip stain pen in Crimson Crush
• Waterproof eyeliner in Black
• Automatic eyeliner in Black
• Tinted Moisturizer in Tone 3
• Zit Zapper Stick
• E.l.f. custom elements eyeshadow pan
• Lengthening an Defining Mascara in Black
• Eye widener pencil in White
• Professional Tweezers
• Natural Lash Kit
• Dramatic Lash Kit

This experience has definitely helped me decide what my favorite products from elf are, and which ones to personally avoid (if something doesn't work for you, then what's the point in continuing to use it???) If you want to know what my favorites are, you'll have to stick around for another week-full  of reviews; Happy reading!

FOTD: 20121118 Featuring Admin A!

 

This is our first FOTD so I wanted to start out using some products that have been reviewed by us already! It doesn't look I put on much, right?? Truthfully, a lot of makeup went into this picture (and the other 60 that were taken). As you may have noticed, I didn't bother to tame my eyebrows! Sorry haha. Anyway, let's have a look at all the items used for this look~

White Eyeliner for the Beauty Guru's Soul.

      Now and again, the million dollar question wavers between being a question of the existential depth of the human soul... and the ethical use of white eyeliner in a daily cosmetic ensemble. (Thanks to the handful of you that hung on through that train wreck of a joke). But really, there is a lot of confusion encompassing this simple little product; from 'What's the point of a white eyeliner' to 'how do I know if I'm using it right' to the dreaded 'is this look not good for me', white eyeliner has been given a bit of a bad rap over the past few years. It could just be the beginner's blues, we aren't quite sure, but we're going to deposit our two cents on the issue here, hopefully in a way that helps alleviate the anxieties that we experience when someone mentions 'white' and 'eyeliner' in a sentence within close proximity of each other.

E.L.F. Essential 3-Piece Liquid Eyeliner Set

      Well, it's officially been a year since I've started using e.l.f. products. When I first caught wind of this brand, I was a bit skeptical, admittedly because of the rave reviews that I'd heard from family and friends about their products (and mostly because they are so inexpensive..)

Sana Extra Heavy Black Eyeliner!

      When I think of all the eyeliners that I've ever used, it becomes kind of confusing to me that I ever used a pencil liner in the first place. Pencils, speaking very subjectively (and frankly), require sharpeners and can crumble when you go to use them (but you can just pop it in the freezer for two minutes to perk up their pliancy). Automatic liners need no such thing and come in a variety of different applicators: brush, stick, felt tipped pen, etc... the list goes on, really..
      Today, I want to share my experiences with a very awesome Extra Heavy Black Eyeliner with you guys. I bought it a year and a half ago on a whim, and it's one of the best (and most expensive) drugs store buys that I've ever made! These thing usually expire after a year (yes ew I know I should have trashed it by now) but this one still works quite well! I'm considering buying it again so I can do a video demo for this item, but there's just one problem with that: the store I bought if from is usually out of stock and I can't seem to find it online! I've even visited the original website for this baby and well, it was in straight up Japanese with no options to buy it in English, only Japanese.. So, I guess it's Japanese only (crying on the inside), but I haven't given up! Haha, okay now for the actual review: