Review: Milani Shadow Eyez Pencils + (A few) Vacation Pics

I know, I know. It's been far, far too long since I last posted. But, I do have a (somewhat) legitimate excuse this time: I was on vacation. I know what you're thinking, "You've been on vacation since the beginning of May?! What the crap?!". Let me break it down for you: The first week or so of May I was in Orlando, the rest of the time since then has been recovering from vacation and other random "fun" life stuff. But, we had a great time, so it all works out.

Here, I'll prove it:

Cinderella's Castle at the Magic Kingdom.

Me and the Hubs enjoying some Popsicles at Hollywood Studios.

Hogwarts at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. I was in mega fangirl mode. Serious business.

Universal Studios.

All of us: The Hubs, Me, My Mother-In-Law, Bro-In-Law, and Father-In-Law.

Epcot.

See? Good times. Oh, and this is not all of the pictures I took. I took a ridiculous amount of pictures. Believe me.

Let's get on with the important stuff: REVIEW TIME!

I picked up three of the Milani Shadow Eyez Pencils just a few days before vacation. I was hoping that they would be a better alternative to my NYX Jumbo Pencils in terms of longevity, and I was not disappointed.

I did a before and after shot of the swatches. This is the before (duh). 

In therms of longevity, Royal Purple has the second best staying power. After 12+ hours of wear, the creasing was not that bad at all. This isn't the most pigmented color of the bunch, and as you can see from the photo it swatches kind of patchy. But, with a bit of blending and layering it looks just fine.

Aquatic Style is my absolute favorite of the bunch. The color payoff is absolutely amazing as you can see. And, of the three pencils I have, this is the one that has the best longevity. I am honestly absolutely in love with this pencil.

I had very high hopes for Winter White, but sadly this one did not measure up. I probably put this one on the toughest test out of the three pencils. I wore this as an eyeshadow base for the drive down to Orlando, and it just didn't make it. As far as creasing, it's up there with the NYX Jumbo Pencil in 'Milk'. Needless to say, I was super disappointed. However, I love to use this as a base for a brow highlight and on the water line.

Here's how my initial swatches held up. I washed dishes, did house work, you name it, while these were on my hand. As you can see, Winter White just barely made it.

Here I'm wearing Royal Purple as a base with M.A.C. 'Stars N' Rockets' and 'Prussian' over top.

Here's how my makeup looked at the end of the day. All in all, the creasing wasn't that bad.

Here I'm wearing Aquatic Style as a base under M.A.C. 'Club' eyeshadow. I absolutely loved how this look turned out.

So, here's the skinny:

Pros:

• Overall, good color payoff
• Overall, they last longer than the NYX Jumbo Pencils
• Waterproof

Cons:

• Price. These pencils are $6.99 each, as compared to the NYX pencils which are $4.49. But, I still think that these are great pencils and worth the few extra bucks.

So there y'all have it!

See you soon, my freaky darlings!

<3

Double Feature! Review + FOTD

Holy crap on a stick. It's been a month since my last post. I am so sorry you guys, things honestly got a little hectic and time just went, whoop, right out the window. Honestly, though, the main reason why I haven't done any EOTD/FOTD post is because my skin has just about lost it's mind. My eyes have really been my biggest issue. The skin on my lids and under eyes have been dry and itchy, my eyes have been watery. Pollen season is in full swing here in the South. And my skin has decided that it's a teenager again, and I've been having breakouts galore. But, I am happy to say that all of the these problems are just about behind me (thank the L-rd!) thanks to a changed up skin care routine and some awesome new (to me anyways) products. I plan on doing a big post about all of that on Monday, after I finish my experiment.

Moving on.

Since it's been so long since I've posted, I've decided that today is going to be a two for one special: A Review and a FOTD.

Still love me? Of course you do.

NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer

Though I haven't posted anything, I haven't been idle. I've been sampling foundations for the past month now try to find something lighter in coverage for the summer. Now, I still love my MAC Studio Fix Fluid, it's pretty much my baby, but with the heat and humidity down here in Alabama I really wanted something that was going to be light on my face but still evened out my skin tone.


So, I picked up 3 samples: 2 foundations from Clinique (I apologize for not listing their names, but I can't read the writing on their labels. I will edit that information in when I find it.) and the NARS Tinted Moisturizer. One of the Clinique I liked alright, but I was no way in love with it, and the other, though it was the lightest shade in its particular range, made me look like I had just slathered Nutella on my skin. It was horrifying, and yet very amusing.


After that particular experience, I be-bopped myself over to Sephora and picked up a NARS sample in 'Finland", which is their lightest shade. Let me just say, I loved it. Not only did I finish out my sample, I went out and purchased the full size.

So here is what NARS has to say about their product:

Your skin -  almost bare, but better. This advanced oil free formula provides a translucent veil of color and sun protection while helping to reduce the appearance of hyperpigmentation and dark spots in just four weeks. Infused with lush, naturally derived botanicals and ingredients to immediately help thirsty skin feel hydrated. Kopara from French Polynesia and mineral rich seawater revive and re-mineralize skin for softer, smoother, and brighter natural glow. Skin is transported.

First off, I don't have dark spots or hyperpigmentation, so I honestly can't say if those claims are true. But, my skin does feel hydrated, and smoother, and softer. No joke. 

One of the biggest selling points for me was the sun protection in this product. Of all the tinted moisturizers at Sephora that I looked over, this one had the highest SPF: 30. But wait, there's more! This product is a broad range product, which means that it protects you from UVA and UVB rays. I thought that was pretty fan-freakin-tastic! 

Another selling point for me is that it is a neutral tone, as in it has a balance of pink and yellow undertones. As with any skin tone, not all fair skin is alike. Some pale girls have yellow (or warm) undertones in their skin, and therefore need a pink toned foundation to balance them out; others, like myself, have pink (or cool) undertones and need a yellow based foundation (Like my MAC NC15). This moisturizer is perfect for both. 

The product is oil free, synthetic fragrance free, and retails for $42.00 for 1.9oz of product.

Now to the nitty gritty.

Pros:

• 30SPF/PA +++
• It gives good, even, light coverage
• Lightweight, and leaves my skin feeling silky smooth.
• Though there are no synthetic fragrances, it does have a very light citrus scent that I absolutely adore

Con:

• $42.00 a bottle is pricey, but honestly this product is worth it. So this isn't really a Con.

Now, we get to move on to the FOTD.

Since my skin has been acting like a brat, all I've been wearing is skin toned eyeshadows and no real color except for lipstick. Let me tell you, it's been driving me absolutely bonkers! So today I decided that I'd play with a little bit of color- I have a feeling that tomorrow I'll be incorporating even more color and getting back to my old self.

Pics!

Face:

• NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer in 'Finland'
• M.A.C. Prep + Prime Translucent Pressed Powder
• Bourjois blush in 16 Rose Coup De Foudre

Eyes:

• M.A.C. Paint Pot in 'Painterly'
• 'Woodwinked' eyeshadow by M.A.C., all over the lid
• Nameless Gray/Brown (s) eyeshadow (Colourizations Duo #3) by M.A.C., in the crease and concentrated in the outer 'v', and very lightly along the lower lashline
• 'Tissueweight' eyeshadow by M.A.C., as the brow bone highlight
• Pin-Up Tease mascara by NYX

Lips:

• 'Viva Glam Cyndi' lipstick by M.A.C.

There you have it guys! I do plan on doing a big post on Monday about my skincare routine and the little experiment I've been doing this week. Hopefully I can get an EOTD or two in this weekend.

Have a lovely weekend, my freaky darlings!

<3

P.S. I dyed my hair again (surprise, surprise). It's now a super bright, vibrant shade of red and I friggin love it!

Sugarpill Review (photo heavy)

Before I get started I just want to get something out of the way:


Hi. My name s Aimz, and I'm Addicted To Pretty. *waves*


I had been wanting to get my hands on some Sugarpill products for a really, really long time and my dream has finally come true. I was so excited about this order that it was ridiculous- I watched the USPS website like a hawk until my package arrived. Serious business. 


As most of us should know by now, Sugarpill was founded by Amy a.k.a. Shrinkle. She started Sugarpill Cosmetics with the intent of creating a line of high quality and deliciously bright makeup to complement her fashion line, aptly named Shrinkle. I believe that it is safe to say that she has accomplished that, and with flying colors. Ha! I love puns...


I placed my order on September 1st, knowing full well that it was a holiday weekend and that it would most likely be later the next week before I got my order. No biggie, I'd waited this long, right? As I said above, I watched the USPS track and confirm site like a hawk, and by September 4th my package had made it to the Dirty South. I was really, and pleasantly, surprised. Keep in mind I ordered at pretty mush the start of Labor Day weekend. My package reached my mail box on the 6th- less then a week from when I placed my order. You would not believe how much of a happy panda I was, especially when I opened the mailbox and beheld this:

I absolutely adore the Sugarpill kitty. So precious.

Now lets get to the good part.

Nestled inside masses of hot pink tissue paper was my palette along with a sample of Goldilux, Amy's business card, a double sided 'look' card (which are gorgeous), and a glitter-tastic sticker (which now resides on my eyeshadow palette organizer). And, of course, my invoice which even included a thank you from Amy herself:

So cool.

One thing that people go on about is Sugarpill's packaging. There's a good reason for that, because the packaging is pretty much amazeballs. So much thought and detail went into it, it's crazy!

I think the only complaints I have heard about the packaging/palette is that it's heavy and that it's made of cardboard. The palette is heavy, I don't deny that, but to be honest I like a heavy palette. In my mind it comes across as well made and durable. Which brings me to the cardboard bit, that doesn't bother me either. Why? Because it's not flimsy at all. So, in my opinion, these folks that are complaining about little things like that can just get over it. Just saying.

Also, I love that this palette comes with a mirror. Definitely bonus in my opinion.

These colors are delicious. That's right delicious. The color payoff is just incredible, and the texture is fabulous. And, I just love playing with them. I told my husband that it was like getting out my favorite color and water color pencils and working with them. These eyeshadows just made my artistic side come out in spades, and that is a very wonderful feeling to have.

My camera is just not doing this color justice at all. This is the brightest yellow I have ever seen. It's kinda crazy, and, needless to say, I'm in love.

The texture for this color is amazingly smooth. Dr. Pepper Cherry amazingly smooth. The name definitely fits the bill as well. If ever someone wanted to capture the intensity of a flame and put it in eyeshadow form, this is what they would come up with.

I love 'Love+'. It's honestly the perfect red- especially for football season. Roll Tide, y'all!

Oh, 'Poison Plum', where to begin? I've probably used this shadow the most out of the quad. I just absolutely love it. I've actually found myself coming up with excuses to wear this color, no matter what my outfit looks like I love it so much.

Now, let's get down to it.

Pros:

• Quality. That goes for both the packaging and the product, both are unbelievable.
• Fast shipping- with a flat rate of $5 here in the U.S.
• The products were well packed. Plus, pink tissue paper is always a win.
• Price. The quad retails for $34, so you actually come out cheaper than you would buying 4 of their individual eyeshadows ($12 each). And, it's also cheaper than the quads that M.A.C. will release with their collections ($38), and you get more product.

Cons:

• None.

If you haven't looked at Sugarpill, then what the heck are you waiting for?!

Sugarpill

See you soon my freaky darlings. <3

Collective Haul + Review

I'm alive!!! 


Believe it...or not!


My brain has been all a buzz because it's starting to become my favorite time of year: Autumn. The weather is starting to cool down, the breezes are picking up, the leaves act like they're about to turn, and the Halloween merch is hitting the shelves. I have several ideas for Halloween tutorials, and I'm very saddened by the fact that I don't believe that it's humanly possible for me to fit them all in in one month. But then there's always next year, right? The last few weeks in September are going to be a lot of fun as well. I've got a few reviews coming up, plus I'm going to be starting a special makeup series as a lead up to Halloween. Good times, great oldies. 


But, in the meantime, for your viewing pleasure, I've got a haul and some review-age! This is just some of the things that I have accumulated over the last month or so, and they products that I've primarily been playing with.


Disclaimer: I purchased all of these items myself, all opinions are my own. Yadda, yadda.

I freaking love this eyeshadow. I've used it in the crease, as a liner, as an all over shadow, and it's just amazeballs. 'Beauty Marked' is a gorgeous browny/burgundy with tons of crimson glitter shot through; it is a velvet finish. I honestly cannot say enough good things about this shadow. Serious business.

How I came to own 'Sushi Flower' is the same story as with 'Stars n' Rockets': I came in for 'Blanc Type', it was out of stock, I got this instead. 'Sushi Flower' is a lovely cool toned salmon pink, and it is a satin finish. It's a fabulous blending color (I've used it blend out 'Beauty Marked' and various other colors like matte browns), as well as being used by itself. I've even used this color as a blush, and it is quite beautiful.

Let me just be honest here, I love lipstick. I love M.A.C. lipstick. This should be evident by the fact that I bought two lipsticks on the same day.

'Rebel' is a dark purple/berry color, and is a satin finish. It was re-promoted with the 'M.A.C. Me Over' Collection, and is apart of the permanent line. The color is gorgeous, and it is highly pigmented. I do find it to be a bit drying on the lip, personally, and I have been known to swipe 'Skeltrina' by Toki Doki (a tinted lip balm in almost the exact same shade- it's also one of my faves that lives in my purse) over top for some extra moisture. 

'Morange' is bright. Really bright. You are not going to believe how bright this lipstick really is, because the picture does not do the brightness justice. My husband suggested that I wear it the next time we go play laser tag to see if it shows up under the black light. That's how bright it is. So, if bright lip color frightens you, this is not the lipstick for you. Truth be told, it's not an easy color to wear- as is the case with a lot of orange lipsticks. The key is to keep your eye neutral, then you won't look like some sort of day glow clown. But I love this color. 'Morange' is very, very pigmented and is an amplified finish. Its application is smooth, and it is not drying at all.

Let's just take a moment, shall we? Just soak in those big four letters up there.

.......

Yeah. NARS. 

This was my first NARS purchase. Ever. It was also the first time I ever spent $23 on a single eyeshadow. It pretty much gave me heart palpitations. 

NARS is the brand that I always stare at every time I go into Sephora. Usually I go stare at the blushes, swatch them, and walk away. I hadn't ever looked at their eyeshadows before, why I don't know, but I swatched several this particular trip and I now have a running list of eyeshadows that I want. But, 'Strada' was the one that I couldn't walk away from. It was one of those "You had me at hello" moments. 

'Strada' is a beautiful smoky lavender with gold reflects, I don't think I've ever seen another color like it. The texture is so buttery smooth it's amazing, and the color payoff is unbelievable. Yeah. After staring at the swatch on my arm for a good five minutes, I put on my big girl panties and headed to the cash register. 

Consider my NARS virginity officially lost.

There y'all have it, a haul and review all in one fell swoop. But before I go, I'd like to leave you with a little preview of a review to come.

Hehehe...

Later my freaky darlings.

<3

Tarte for True Blood - Review!

I think I deserve a reward for this one. Seriously. At least 100 photos sorted through, cropped, watermarked, and labeled, and one new piece of background material later I finally have everything done. I feel like my brain has liquefied and is about to ooze out of my skull- at least the zombie Apocalypse is scheduled, tentatively, for December 22, 2012, otherwise that might be worrisome.


I feel like I need to put a bit of a disclaimer on this one. While I love the Sookie Stackhouse novels, I'm not that enthralled with the 'True Blood' television series. As far as adaptations, while I have seen worse, this one is not that great, and I do have issue with some of the casting. Yes I'm being nit-picky, I know. But, I do love the casting for Eric, Pam, and Lafayette- they're great characters to begin with (especially Eric). But, from what I've read of season four thus far, I don't think I could stomach it. Thay just changed way too much for my liking. Aaaaaand end rant.


 Anywhos... Everything is finally ready to go, so let's just go on and get to the good stuff!


**Disclaimer: All products were purchased by me. All opinions are my own. 

Hello awesome sauce packaging! This just absolutely screams Fangtasia, and I love it.

This is such a well put together palette, and the attention to detail is just fabulous. A lot of thought obviously went into this design, and I think that Pam would even approve.

I tried to get a shot of the front of the little drawer at the front on the palette, but it was apparently not to be- just to let you know, it says "Open After Dark" on it. But it's what's inside that's important...

Nestled inside the drawer you'll find: 'Lifted' Eye Primer, 'Light's, Camera, Lashes!' Mascara, and 'EmphasEYES' Aqua Gel Eyeliner.

First up, the primer: I hate it. Yep. Hate. The first time I used it I put it through probably the most brutal test I could- I went out to a concert. 3-4 hours hanging out in a crowded theater in the middle of a hot and humid Alabama summer, with changing lights, and the heat coming off of the sound equipment. Yeah, heck of a test. Needless to say my eye makeup was shot to hades by the time I got home. But I wanted to give the primer the benefit of the doubt, so I used it again the following Friday before church. No later than 30 minutes and my eyeshadow was not only creasing like nothing else, but fading as well. Can we say fail?

^o^

Next up, the mascara: I actually really like this mascara. It's great for lengthening, but not so much volume. It tends to weigh my upper lashes down, which is a bit of a bummer, but I absolutely love it for my lower lashes. The wand is like the traditional mascara wand, not the plasticy ones, and I haven't had any issues with clumping at all.

Win.

^o^

Third, the eyeliner: I have a love/hate relationship with the eyeliner. We'll start with the loves: The formula is lovely. Though it's a retractable eyeliner, it feels like a liquid when applied. Weird, but true. It's very, very highly pigmented, and when it dries it does not move. Serious business, it is on there.

Now the hate: Well, it's not really hate.. Because of the initial texture of the product before it dries, I don't like it for the waterline. I'm not sure what it is about it, but it just didn't work for me in the waterline department.

Overall, win.

^o^

The palette also comes with these handy dandy face charts, and all of the looks were designed by Brigette Myre-Ellis, who is the head of True Blood's makeup department. 

Fancy pants.

Let's just take a moment here, shall we? Let's just soak it all in before we go through them individually. 17 eyeshadows people. 17! *sighs*

I know you're probably thinking the same thing I did when I first saw this palette: Wow. For a palette based on a vampire series, there sure are a lot of neutrals. 

Yep. There's are lots of neutrals. But in all honesty, it fits the series. True Blood vampires are not Dracula knockoffs who only favor red and black- unless they're on duty at Fangtasia, then it's just for show. Pam, for instance, is a pastel favoring vampire- she's also a vampire who favors Nars' Lip Pencils.

All of the shadows have just an absolutely amazing texture. They just glide on, and it's wonderful. It's like buttah.

Let's get on with the individual shades. 

You might want to grab some popcorn and a bottle of True Blood for this, we do have 17 shadows to get through.

*All eyeshadows were swatched over NYX eyeshadow base in 'Skin Tone'.

This is one of my faves. I know it's a bit hard to see, but it's a gorgeous golden champagne color. It is very sheer, but it makes a fabulous highlight.

Like, 'The Light', this one is also a bit hard to see. Where 'The Light' was a golden champagne, this one is a pink champagne. And, like 'The Light', it makes a great highlight color.

'Dusk' is a matte tan color. I am a fan of matte browns (lucky for me this palette has two). Why matte browns? Because they are great for doing vintage and pin up style makeup- which is my go to quick look. While shimmery shadows are fun and modern, there's just something about mattes that just scream classic beauty and sophistication.

I love this color. Love it. It's just gorgeous, and I do believe that it has become one of my favorites. I will be posting a look featuring this eyeshadow very soon. 

Remember the other matte brown that I mention? Well this is it. I love this color, not just because it's a matte, but because it's called 'Werewolf'. Yeah. I'm a nerd. Shut up. But it was correctly named, in my opinion- it does seem like a very Alcide color. One of my new found favorite uses for this color is as a brow powder. It's actually the right shade, unlike the E.L.F. one I had been previously using- which was just way too red and too light. 'Werewolf' is also an great color for the deep crease, it gives excellent dimension to any look.

'Waitress' is an interesting color. It's a gorgeous mauve/gold color with tons of glitter. And when I say tons of glitter, I'm not exaggerating. This is definitely a color that you would want to pack on the lid. But because of the size of the glitter you are going to get some fallout- it's inevitable. Just keep that in mind if you're going to wear this shadow on a night out.

When I first saw this color it immediately reminded me of 'Solid Snake' by Geek Chic Cosmetics. But, while this is indeed a gorgeous navy, it doesn't have the wow factor that 'Solid Snake' does. If I want drama and shine, I'm going to reach for 'Solid Snake'. If I want just a navy blue with subtle sparkle, I'm gonna reach for 'Nocturnal'.

'Charmer' is another that is becoming one of my favorites. It's also one of those interesting colors. A salmon pink goldish color thing-a-ma-jig? Who'd have thunk it?

'Glamour Me' is a cool color. Not cool as in cool toned, but cool as in cool. I know that in the photo it looks like a blue undertoned purple, but it's really more of a neutral purple. It's one of those neat shades that could really go either way, warm or cool. I like versatility in an eyeshadow.

Another matte! Woot! A matte gray is a staple eyeshadow, in my opinion. It's a versatile and useful color, and 'Stake' is no exception. 

Guess what? This is another favorite! Bet you didn't see that one coming, did ya? And let me just say that it looks fabulous when paired with 'Dawn'. Serious business.

'Telepath' is an eyeshadow much in the same vein as 'Waitress'. Huh. Is it a coincidence that they are inspired by a certain telepathinc waitress? I think not. But I digress. This is the more pink counterpart to 'Waitress', but like 'Waitress' this shade does produce massive glitter fallout. Just be warned.

This was the first eyeshadow that I used from this palette. Needless to say, I love it. This has to be the most rich and pigmented silvers I have ever seen. It's just simply gorgeous.

'Immortal' is a lovely matte black with silver glitter. Luckily, unlike 'Waitress' and 'Telepath', the glitter is not chunky and fallout happy. 

I love this green. It's just. Ugh. Fabulous. And it goes fabulously with 'Inevitable Betrayal' by Geek Chic Cosmetics. Just saying.

'Legend' is a great matte black- it even has the same intensity in pigmentation as 'Black Dog' from Urban Decay, which surprised me. I love using this color smudged along the lash line on those days when I don't want the harsh, precise lines from regular liner.

Last one. 

This color is delicious. And I will venture to say that is my absolute favorite from the palette. I just absolutely friggin' love it.

So, let's get down to the nitty gritty.

Pros:

• 17 eyeshadows, primer, mascara, and eyeliner for $52.00- fabulous price for the amount of product you get.
• The quality of the eyeshadow is great, smooth and highly pigmented
• Packaging is adorable
• It's inspired by True Blood, works for me

Cons:

• The primer is sucky.

I also have several comparison photos for the eyeshadows, but I will do a separate post for those since this one is getting rather long winded. Also, I will be posting several EOTD/FOTD's featuring the eyeshadows and such- so keep a look out!

Let me know your thoughts!

Spread the Peachy love, my freaky darlings.

<3