Moi Minerals Swatches

So I *finally* got my Moi Minerals order the other day. I'm in SC and they ship from Nova Scotia, so it's a bit of a wait. Worth it, though! I found Moi on Etsy and had been eying them for a while. They were having a very short 50% off sale for facebook fans so I jumped on that and got 2 full sizes. I got "Galaxy" and "Hot as Hell." I haven't heard much at all about this company. I would do a review, but since I only got two colors I don't feel like I could say a whole lot. I do like what I got, though! They are definitely worth checking out if you don't mind waiting a little while for your order.
I swatched both of these over Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy. "Hot as Hell" is a lovely rusty red color with a bit of pink to it. "Galaxy" is a dark smokey slate blue with lots of little sparkles.

These are normally $5.00 each for full sizes. They also offer sample bags, mini jars, and even larger 8gram jars. They have tons of other colors to choose from. The only reason I only got two is because I've never tried them before and haven't heard much about them. So far, I'm a fan. "Hot as Hell" is a great color. It reminds me a lot of "Asylum" from Sugarpill. I don't actually own that color though, I'm just judging from the swatches I've seen. "Galaxy" is gorgeous, IMO. I can't wait to play around with it some more, I'm thinking it'd make a great smokey eye.

I hope this was at least somewhat helpful. Have a great evening! :)

Morgana Minerals Lipsticks + A Giveaway Opportunity

It should probably already be a known fact that I LOVE Morgana Minerals lipsticks. However, the ones I originally had (Serenity, Licorice, Shrieking Violet, and Azalea Blue) were in the lip pot form, and I am just not a fan of that. I'm terrible with a lip brush, but that may have something to do with the fact that my lip brush is actually a regular cheapo paintbrush from Walmart. Oh well. Anyway, I ordered some full sizes and received them not too long ago. They did not disappoint!
I got Gargoyle (dark gray), Turquoise(...turquoise), and Very Cherry(rich but not neon red with a little shimmer to it).

Yaayy ^-^ I took some photos to show what they look like on. I know this has been done many times before, but hey, you can never have too many swatches amirite? Okay, maybe you can but I did it anyway.

Gargoyle: This color is described as "dark gray" but I don't see it that way. To me it's more like a soft black. Obviously it appears to be black but it just isn't quite as harsh. This one smells kind of weird in the tube but, once you put it goes away once you put it on. It's unscented, so it's just the smell of the oils and such. I'm a fan of black lipstick but I hate how difficult it is so naturally I love this color.

Turquoise: I died for this color when I saw it on Scrubbing Up Well's blog. Oh my gosh. It's so unique and pretty! Also, I kind of expected it to be dry and icky since it's a weird color but it's not at all. It's creamy and wonderful just like the others. I will definitely be wearing this out in public, I'm not shy! :D

Very Cherry: If you're looking for the perfect classy red lipstick, this is it. I feel like this picture makes it look more "clown" red than it is. It's very classy looking, and there are no orange undertones at all. I want this to be called "Ruby Red" or "Ruby Slippers" or something like that because that's what it makes me think of. This is my favorite of all my MM lipsticks so far, I believe.


GIVEAWAAAY!
BLIX (Glitter is my Crack) is having a VERY generous giveaway! Check it out here and good luck!

I'm off to finish season 3 of Dexter. Have a lovely evening! :)

Jewelry jewelry jewelry

Well, I posted a video in my last entry to try something different and it didn't get any comments at all so I will take that hint haha thanks guys. Anyway, no look for today but I wanted to post some pictures of some jewelry I've been working on. Didn't know I made jewelry? Duh, check out my Etsy page to the right, or just click here. :)

I make tons and tons of glass tiles like these. They're my most popular items. (Totoro, Ponyo, Gir, and various Pokemon being the most popular subjects)
(newest)


I'm not a one trick pony, I also make beaded stuff. I really like to make stuff using Swarovski crystals as well as semi-precious stones. Just some examples:

Turquoise and Red Coral necklace:


Beach-themed charm bracelet with faceted Czech glass and pewter:


Pink Swarovski crystal moons and Swarovski pearl earrings:


You get it. I have tons of stuff in my shop, please take a look! This isn't a "GO BUY STUFF" post, I just thought I'd share some of my stuff and see if I can get some feedback or suggestions. What do people like? What should I make next?

Bluuuueness LOTD (video)

So, today I did something a little different, maybe a little crazy depending on your taste. I wanted to wear my Morgana Minerals lipstick "Serenity" (blue) so I did. Since it's such a noticeable color I didn't want to get too crazy on the eyes so I kept that pretty simple. I used "Family Secret" by GDE all over the lid and brow bone and "Curiouser and Curiouser" by Fyrinnae on the upper lashline. I applied this wet and then went over it again with some dry so the sparkles would show up more.


Clearly I was having trouble photographing this correctly, so I made a video! Wow! Unfortunately I can't freaking upload it. SO. I turned to youtube. I don't like posting videos of myself on youtube usually because people are so darn mean, but eh. Oh well.



Obviously I'm not used to making videos, so I was pretty much just playing around with it. I may or may not continue to do them. I clearly don't have a video tutorial VOICE haha I know, my accent is awesome. I may do them just for fun anyway, though. We shall see.
Anyway, hope you all liked my look for today. Have a lovely evening! :)

BTW I'm sorry if this post appeared twice.. I was fighting with the video uploader and WOW videos take forever to upload!

Jasmine's "Pink Ice" LOTD

Yesterday my boyfriend and I made plans to take pictures since I got a new camera for my birthday. I figured I'd do something special for pictures. Well, since we made those plans it, of course, rained the whole day. I got some pictures anyway, though.

This is not something I came up with on my own, it's from jazziebabycakes' youtube tutorial titled "Pink Ice." You can watch the tutorial here.







Obviously I didn't go AS dramatic as she did, but that's mainly because I'm terrible with liquid eyeliner. Anyway, this is what I used:

Eyes:
Too Faced Shadow Insurance
Morbid turquoise eyeliner (yes, that is hot topic brand and no, I don't recommend it though it is quite pigmented, surprisingly.)
Sugarpill "Afterparty" on top of the eyeliner
Fyrinnae "Javan Rhino" above Afterparty
88 palette hot pink color
Glamour Doll Eyes "Unicorn" on top of the hot pink
Fyrinnae "Rapunzel Had Extensions" on inner 1/3 of eye
Glamour Doll Eyes "Family Secret" on inner corner and brow bone
Maybelline liquid eyeliner
Maybelline "Falsies" black mascara

Face:
Meow Cosmetics Pampered Puss foundation in "Frisky Persian"
No blush..forgot it.

Lips:
Bonne Bell lip gloss in "Strawberry Parfait"

I was proud of this look! Two of my favorite colors to use together. Funny story, I have two different pairs of shoes that are really similar except one is pink and the other is turquoise. Obviously they both matched and I couldn't decide which pair to wear so I wore both. I definitely got some looks haha

Let me know what you think! Hope everyone has a lovely Sunday evening. I'm off to watch Dexter! :D

Things I Want to Try

OK I know it's been a while since I posted a new entry, I've just been busy. My birthday was August 14th, and I was at the beach August 15th until yesterday AND I started school today. So, it's been a bit hectic but I'm not gone.
I haven't done any neat-o looks lately to show you so I figured I'd take this time to mention some things I've been wanting to try. Please please please leave comments about any items you've tried! A lot of these things are a bit on the pricey side and I'd like to know if it's worth it or not because I'm just a poor college student.

1. Urban Decay Naked Palette

Believe it or not, I've never used anything from Urban Decay. There isn't a Sephora anywhere near where I live at all so I have very, very few things from there. I've seen a lot of looks that xsparkage has done using this palette and it looks really nice. Neutral without being too boring is always good, especially since I don't have a whole lot of neutral colors in my collection. This is definitely at the top of my list so let me know if you've tried it, or what you think about it.

2. Too Faced Lip Insurance Primer

One of the very few things I have from Sephora is Too Faced Shadow Insurance, and I love it. I use it almost everyday. I don't own a lip primer, or even ever used one for that matter but I love lipstick, so I've pondered giving this a try.






3. Lime Crime Lipsticks

OKAY I know what you're thinking, and yes I have heard all the junk about this brand. I would probably never ever buy their eyeshadows, mainly because they're really expensive for what you get and not terribly unique. But to me their lipsticks look really pretty. Particularly the color "Countessa Fluorescent." I have heard some people say that they're awful and some people love them, so I dunno. They are a bit on the pricey side for a newish indie company, but their pinks and reds tempt me. (Not that awful blue color! And I like blue lipstick!)



4. Kat Von D Painted Love Lipstick

Another brand that has some gorgeous looking colors..I mean "Adora"? "Backstage Bambi"? "Rosary"? LOVE. Haven't really read or heard any reviews of these though, so I'd definitely wait until I did. They're $18 each so I'd definitely need to hear some praise first.





5. Shiro Cosmetics

Eyeshadow named after Pokemon? YES PLEASE. I'm a total Pokemon nerd so this really caught my eye. Plus I'm always willing to support a fellow Etsy seller. The color in the picture is "Pikachu" OF COURSE. :) I haven't heard many reviews of this company but their prices are really reasonable so I wouldn't mind risking it. I really want Pikachu, Rattata, Mew, and Articuno! :D

I could probably keep going, but I'll probably do a continuation of this at some point. There are tons of things I have my eye on. Please feel free to comment with any thoughts or opinions about any of these products. After all, it's why I posted this. I need to be 100% before I buy, that's how I am! :)

BTW Expect a mini review of Stila waterproof eyeliner really soon!
Have a great day!

Some photography

So did you guys know photography is my first love? I don't talk about it much because it's such an OMGSCENE thing to be into. However, I've been doing it seriously for about 5 years now and plan to keep on as long as people want their pictures taken.

My good friend Casey is getting married in September and today I took her bridal photos. She rented out this super old house for us to go take the pictures and WOW! It was gorgeous. Here's a tiny snippet of some shots I got. Is the location not PERFECT?





The last one is my favorite. :) I think Casey is stunning.
What do you think? Critiques welcome, but keep in mind I never claimed to be a pro. I had a lot of fun today. For now it's just a hobby, but I'm trying to eventually make this my full-time job.

Witch's Afterparty + A Giveaway Opportunity

I really wanted to use my Sugarpill eyeshadow today, and since I only have two, I picked Afterparty. (Goldilux is my other one, and it's super sparkly. Do I even need to say how amazing it is, though? No. You guys know). But anyway, I didn't want it to look too crazy and I paired the blue with something a little different.




I used:
Too Faced Shadow Insurance
Sugarpill "Afterparty" on the lid - SUPER bright electric blue. This color really "pops" on my eyes, I think.
Just a SMIDGEN of Meow's "Purrrfect" on top to tone down the BAM of Afterparty
Morgana Minerals "Witch's Wine" in the outer crease and lower lashline
Glamour Doll Eyes "Family Secret" in the corner and on the browbone
black liquid eyeliner ($1.99 from Walgreens, I don't even know the brand)
Maybelline Falsies black mascara
Rimmel white eyeliner

ALSO!
Lily from Paris is having a really sweet giveaway on her blog! Go follow her and leave a comment here to be entered! :)

Have a lovely evening!

Purple, Pink, and a Blueberry Cupcake

Today (well, actually a couple of days ago) I wanted something that would match my pink and purple checkered dress, and I hadn't worn GDE's "Unicorn" in a while so here's what I came up with.




Eyes:
Too Faced Shadow Insurance
Pixie Epoxy
Glamour Doll Eyes "Unicorn" on the center of the lid (Gorgeous color, I recommend this to anyone who likes girly feminine colors)
Glamour Doll Eyes "Family Secret" on inner corner and brow bone
Fyrinnae's "Shinigami" in the outer corner/crease as well as on the lower lashline
Rimmel white eyeliner
Maybelline Falsies black mascara

Glamour Doll Eyes is having an awesome 50% off sale right now, so check them out. I picked up some more colors myself.

Foundation:
Meow Cosmetics Pampered Puss mineral foundation in Frisky Persian (LOVE this stuff, btw)

Lips:
Kiehl's clear lip balm
Fyrinnae lip lustre in "Lollipop-Pop"

Later that day my mom and I got some delicious cupcakes from "Sugah Cakes." Oh my God. These things are so good they practically melt in your mouth. Seriously, if you're ever in upstate SC (though, why would you be?) you should stop by the White Rabbit and get you some Sugah Cakes cupcakes..it will complete your life. My mom got lemon and I got blueberry, though strawberry is my favorite. Yum!


I devoured it. It was delicious. :) Check out the super flattering lighting in that last picture, mmm cute. hahaha

Makeshift Eyeshadow Sample Container

I don't know about you, but I hate dealing with eyeshadow in little ziplock bags. Especially the really long ones. When I'm trying to test out the samples, product ends up getting literally everywhere except my brush. Don't get me wrong, I love free/cheap samples and I understand why companies do this, but the other day I was thinking "there's got to be a better way than this." And yeah, I suppose you could just buy some empty jars but pff where's the fun in that?
Here's what I came up with. Now, don't laugh.

I use Schick Intuition (best razor EVER for sensitive skin, btw) and the replacement blades come in little plastic containers like this. I kept a few of them because I KNEW I would end up using them for something at some point.



Yeah, you know where I'm going with this.
Now get your eyeshadow sample.

I just put the cup down in the sink and carefully poured the eyeshadow in. A lot of it sticks to the sides and corners so I had to get a brush to scrape the rest of it out.

Now just label it! I used a piece of tape so I can re-use the container when I run out of this color. I will probably try and get a bit more creative next time haha


Tada! No more messy-ness. :)I hope this was helpful, and I leave you with this adorable picture of my dog Halo.

Have a great evening!

Subtle but Colorful with Meow Cosmetics

I got some samples from Meow Cosmetics a while back that I have been meaning to mention. I was mainly looking at their mineral foundations but saw that they have about a bazillion different colors of eyeshadow so I had to get a couple samples.

I came up with this look really quickly yesterday. Aside from the white, all the colors are from Meow.




Too Faced Shadow Insurance
Pixie Epoxy
Meow Cosmetics "Purrfect" all over the lid (blue/purple)
Meow Cosmetics "Siren" in the crease above the blue (dark pink)
Meow Cosmetics "Fat Cat" on the lower lashline (green)
Glamour Doll Eyes "Family Secret" inner corner and brow bone
Maybelline Falsies Mascara
Rimmel white eyeliner on waterline

Looking back I think this would have looked a lot better with some black eyeliner on the top lashline, but I still think it turned out okay. Subtle but colorful. haha A lot of people are probably like "That is NOT subtle," but for me, it is. :)

Have a great night!