Hello again readers!

I recently bought the Too Faced Totally Obsessed kit. The kit features five favorites from the Too Faced brand in deluxe sizes so you can get a feel for the formulas. It's always nifty to try kits out, and there were two products especially that I was excited about.

In the kit, you get the Too Faced: Chocolate Soleil bronzer, Better Than Sex mascara, Shadow Insurance eyeshadow primer, Hangover RX primer, and the Melted Chihuahua liquid lipstick.

I've reviewed the bronzer, mascara, and eyeshadow primer in the past, so I won't be getting into those again now. I'll be focusing on the two new additions to my collection instead.

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Hangover RX Primer

The Too Faced Hangover RX primer was something I was really excited to try out. I've heard that it gives instant moisture to the face and extends the wear of your foundation. As someone with oily skin this is not always necessary, but even I have those days where I feel my skin needs a little extra help.

The sample size has the same look at the full-size, but instead of a pump, it has a squeeze tube applicator. Not an issue, since this is just a sample. It's still sanitary, but the difference is that it is REALLY easy to dispense more product than you need, since the primer is like a gentle lotion.

The primer was very light, with a gentle scent. It did not have any overwhelming scents (just coconut), but the scent was rather sweet and pleasant. It spread into the skin quickly and evenly. I noticed an instant feeling of hydration, like my skin was drinking it right up. I was a little surprised with how much my skin felt like it needed the moisture. I often forget that even though I have oily skin, I need to moisturize too otherwise my skin won't be happy.

I did notice that it kept my foundation on all day, but it did nothing for me to keep oil at bay. I could touch up with a powder, but this primer would be better suited for me to wear during the fall and winter months.

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Melted Chihuahua

I was really excited to try this product, because this was the only color from the Melted line that I ever wanted to own. To have it included into the set? Well that sold me right there!

The packaging is the same as the full-sized product, just smaller. It has the same soft plastic packaging with a gold plastic cap. It looks really sleek and admittedly cute. The downside is that I can definitely see the plastic tube getting incredibly dirty if you're someone who likes to carry their  lip products with them throughout the day.

The applicator is the same as the full-sized, a soft, angled sponge-like applicator where the product goes through pore-like openings inside of the sponge. I've heard that it can gum up through the pores, so it's something to keep an eye on while I continue to wear this product.

The product itself was really nice. I love the color, it's a beautiful dusty pink-brown nude that looks really flattering on me. I was really impressed with how opaque it was.

The scent was light and sweet, and I didn't find it to be annoying. It did last longer than I was expecting, so if you're sensitive to scents, you won't like that aspect of this liquid lipstick.

It does not dry down, it stays a creamy finish throughout the whole day. Even with the slick finish, it lasted an incredibly long time. About 6 hours I ended up taking it off to eat lunch, but I didn't notice any significant fading or feathering.

The biggest issue I have with this product, is that it ends up getting ... chunks in it, while I'm wearing it. I'm not sure if product just balls up in pieces, if it's dry skin mixing with the lipstick, or if it reacts poorly with saliva I'm not sure. It has like weird balled up ... something that comes off my lips. Sometimes it's even slimy. It's a very weird feeling. I'm not sure what that's about, but it's something I can overlook if I just remove it and re-apply the product.

I'm glad I never bought a full-sized version of any of these lipsticks, because the color selection isn't my cup-of-tea, and why spend over 20 dollars for one lipstick, when I could spend the additional 4 dollars for a deluxe size along with 4 other samples? Made more sense to do it this way. I don't hate the lipstick, but I don't exactly love it either. I'll continue to use it, but I don't think I'll ever buy a full-size.

Thanks for reading!

ColourPop Lippie Stix, Lippie Pencils, and Lippie Primer

Hello again readers!

I started a new job, and I've been working 9–5, 5 days a week. It's really a big change to what I was doing before (which was a lot of doing whatever I pleased, and some education). It's left me so tired, but I'm happy to be getting back into the swing of things again.

 I'm starting my third round of Colourpop reviews today: Lippie Stix, Lippie Pencils, and the Lippie Primer.

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Lippie Stix and Lippie Pencils

The Lippie Stix ... have a very peculiar name. Now, Lippie isn't anything new. It's been slang for lipstick for ages now, but instead of saying "Lipstick Stix", they just went straight to slang. I don't personally have a problem with it (have you ever heard of the Chunky Dunk Hydrating Lippie?) as it rolls easily off the tongue, but I know that there are many who despise the name. They find it to be childish, and I can definitely see where they're coming from. Just think of trying to explain what you're wearing on your lips to a complete stranger ...

The name aside, let's move on to the product. The packaging for these is really sleek, and I'm really happy with them. They have clean looking white plastic packaging with the holographic brand name on the side. Each of the Lippie Stix has a color-coded bottom, with a sticker telling the shade name and the lipstick finish.

The Lippie Stix come in 8 finishes: matte, matte-x, sheer, pearlized, glossy, satin, créme, and satin luxe. I only have three different finishes in my collection (for now ...): matte, sheer, and glossy.

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Many of the Lippie Stix come with coordinating Lippie Pencils to match, making a cohesive, clean look easy to obtain. 

Each of the Lippie Pencils are housed in white packaging, with a white cap. They all have the name of the Lippie Pencil printed on the side, with the same holographic print that they use for the company name. The pencils have color-coordinated bottoms so it's extremely easy to find the liner that you're looking for in your liner collection.

They are NOT twist-able pencils. They must be sharpened if you need more product. That's a shame, because sharpening ends up taking away some of the product ... The upside is that because they need to be sharpened, the formula is creamier than say their Créme Gel Liners.

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Nevermind Lippie Stix and Lippie Pencil

Nevermind (Matte): Deep Violet

I really like this color. It doesn't look like much on the skin, but on the lips it ends up being a deeper shade of violet, more like Wet n Wild's Vamp it Up or MAC's Cyber. Although it has more of a true violet color compared to a blackened violet.

While I like this color, it's one of the shades that I feel needs the coordinating Lippie Pencil to work properly. Nevermind is a very creamy formula, that will feather out of the lip line. The Lippie Pencil ensures that the color stays on the lips, where I want it to be. Once it dries down, it's more like a Satin Matte finish that still feels creamy on the lips. 

The color needs a little build-up to be fully opaque, but this is one of those shades that I don't mind working with, since I don't wear it too often.

Tootsi Lippie Stix and Lippie Pencil

Tootsi (Matte): Greige

Tootsi was one of my first Lippie Stix, as it came in my first ever order from the brand. I cannot get enough of the grey-toned beige pink colors that are available in the market, so having so many in my collection is not a hassle! The Lippie Stix version of this shade, is really pigmented and goes on opaque with a slightly creamy consistency. That creamy texture goes away once it dries down to a matte finish. 

Close up of bottom of Lippie Stix to show color-coordination

Bound (Glossy): Pink

Kiddo (Sheer): Coral

Bound is one of those shades that I just really appreciate it as a glossy finish. I found that I liked it better off than if it was such a bright, cool-toned pink in a matte finish. I wouldn't ever reach for it otherwise. The finish remains through the entire time it lasts on the lips. However, with the formula being well, glossy, it doesn't last too terribly long on the lips. I find that I have significant wear in under 2 hours. It's easy to add more layers, and it's easy to remove as well. Out of all of the finishes, this is my least favorite because of the wear time.

On the other side of the spectrum, Kiddo is one of my favorites, only because it's a sheer, slick formula. One swipe gives a subtle flush of color, but it can also be built up. I like this one best, because I only use a little bit and then as it wears down through the day it doesn't look incredibly obvious the more that it fades. It fades more evenly than the other shades in my collection. Perfect for work.

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Finally, I have the matte Lippie Stix.

Oh Snap, Tootsi, Lumiére, Brink, Grunge, and Creature.

Oh Snap: Dusty pink nude

Tootsi: Reviewed above

Lumiére: Dusty mauve pink.

Brink: Dusty beige taupe

Grunge: Cool-toned plum brown.

Creature: Blackened burgundy.

I'm really impressed with these Lippie Stix. They go on smoothly, they are opaque, build up quickly, and they dry down to a comfortable matte finish. Not always a flat matte – more likely a satin matte finish instead, like a traditional matte lipstick.

They are not transfer proof. If you touch or rub your lips, the product will smear off. That's fine, because it makes taking the lipstick off to eat something that is easily done. With liquid matte lipsticks I just have to eat and hope they don't look too awful while eating.

The only shade I wasn't a huge fan of, was creature. The color was gorgeous, and it was one of the first products from ColourPop I ever purchased. I just found it to be incredibly patchy and because of this it was difficult to apply evenly. It never ended up looking good, even with a lip liner underneath. It was hard to work with and isn't worth the effort.

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The biggest downside of these product, is that it seems like such a deal! $5 for a lipstick? Hell yeah! Of course, you only get .035 oz of product ... Say for example, a full-size MAC lipstick you get .1 oz. It takes about 3 Lippie Stix to make just the 1 MAC lipstick, so in the end they end up costing about the same. You save $2 with the Lippie Stix option, however, who really uses up a whole lipstick (except past me who was determined to use up every lipstick that I hated)? If your collection is large, you probably won't use up a full size, especially say, a mint green! It's up to you on what you'd like to spend your money on.

I really enjoy the Lippie Stix as a whole, and I look forward to adding more to my collection.

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Lippie Primer

The Lippie Primer has the same packaging as the Lippie Stix. I really like that for convenience and storage sake.

I wasn't really looking forward to using this product because how much can a lip primer really change up your lipstick game? Let me tell you, it makes a difference!

The primer smoothed out any lip lines I had, and gave it a nice base to adhere to. I definitely noticed a difference (especially with creamier formulas, compared to matte formulas) in longevity. It lasted much longer with the primer. I was really surprised that it made a noticeable difference.

The downside, is that it's an extra step and I tend to forget to use it. I don't have such a discipline when it comes to my lips, than I do to my face or eyes.

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Each of these products contains .035 oz of product, and retails for $5, and I recommend them! Especially if you're interested in a wild or hard-to-find color or you're interested in expanding your collection on the cheap.

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Thanks for reading!

Colourpop Créme Gel Color, and Liner

Hello again readers!

I'm ready for this next installment of ColourPop items from my collection.

Créme Gel Color

These are branded as Créme Gel Color, but in reality they're gel liners in a more traditional pot. The packaging is really fantastic, as each of the pots is made of clear glass, and the lids are like a tin with the holographic ColourPop logo branded on top. Each of the products has the name listed on the sticker on the bottom, because it's easy to get them confused (especially with the darker colors in lighting conditions that aren't that great).

Best O: Deep burgundy

Fast Lane: Deep teal

Workout: Blackened forest green

The products that I bought were all matte liners. With the Créme Color range, they are mainly mattes, some metallic shades, and when they have limited edition releases – glitter. Mattes are ones that I know I would reach for most often.

Each of the products feels creamy, and intense, but when it came to application they each needed two coats for full opacity. Best O and Workout were my personal favorites, while I don't mind Fast Lane it's just not a liner that I ever find myself reaching for often. Fast Lane is also the liner that needs the most TLC to really shine, as I found myself sometimes going for three coats!

They also have an issue, where with the more coats you use, the more texture you get for your liner. They can become hard, clumpy, and even crumbly. I have had a few occasions where there would be too much product and it would crumble up in places. The downside is often I found myself needing those layers for perfect application. 

With the crumbling issue aside, these liners were incredible. Once they set, they were smudge-proof, waterproof, and even on my oily lids I noticed that they lasted all day with minimal fading. I was really impressed with the lasting power! Even for the swatches, they set, and I had to take an oil-based remover to remove the swatches from my arm so nothing would be left behind – a makeup wipe wasn't cutting it!

Make sure to keep them closed tightly at all times when not in use. I've heard and seen photos and disclaimers from other customers that their liners have dried out. Mine have been going strong since I got them in October, and I haven't had any issues. The only one that I'm worried about is Best O, because that is the liner that I use the most often and I can see that one drying out first though it hasn't happened yet.

Each of these liners has .11 oz, and retails for $6. I definitely recommend these!

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Créme Gel Liner

This was the product that I was most excited about trying from the Créme Gel line. It's an eyeliner pencil that's more up my alley, as I use them for everything for smudging on my lash line to lining my eyes for dramatic looks. The packaging is similar to the Lippie Sticks packaging, but the difference is that the tip where the product is is color coded. So, even if you manage to ignore the colored bottom, you'll notice right away if you grabbed the wrong product once the lid is off.

The product comes pre-sharpened, but the packaging doesn't include a sharpener. I haven't noticed any issues with the product not being incredibly sharp, so I don't mind it, but I do know that it bothers others.

The best part of the packaging, is that it's twistable! I don't have to sharpen the entire pencil (just the tip, if I so wish). It's such a wonderful feeling because I rarely (if ever) pack a sharpener when I travel.

I chose Best O, which, like the Gel Color pots, is a deep burgundy matte. This liner performed better than the Créme Color pots. It was smooth, pigmented, and I got the color payoff I wanted almost immediately. I rarely have to go over the liner I applied a second time, and when I do it's because I didn't put enough down the first time. 

These liners come in two finishes as of now: matte and metallic.

Though pigmented, this product was a lot drier than I was expecting. I was expecting a formula like the Rimmel London, Jordana, or Milani gel liners, but this formula had to be drier in order to twist the product. If you have too much product dispensed, it will break off, of that I can assure you. It will break off, and you will mourn the loss of a few applications of your liner.

These don't have the same staying power, minus the smudge-proof qualities. On my oily eyes (especially since I usually wear this on my waterline and tight-line where it's extra moist from being next to my eyeball) they don't last as long as the Créme Gel Colors. Not to say that they don't last long, because by the end of a long day there's still color there, it's just not as intense as when I first applied it.

Each of these liners has .01 for $5. I really suggest this product especially if you're interested in trying some out-of-the-box colors!

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Best O was the "best" choice to try out in both formulas, because it's the color that I reach for the most often. It's such a wearable color that's a little out of the box, and makes the blue in my eyes pop! I really enjoy both formulas in this shade, and it makes me eager to try other shades from the collection.

I have yet to try a metallic finish, so I'm looking forward to add one to my collection to see how it's different than the mattes (besides for the obvious difference in finishes!).

Thanks for reading!

Maybelline Color Tattoos - Creamy Beige, and Dramatic Black

Hello again readers!

These aren't new by any means, but they're recent additions to my collection. I went out and started adding to my Maybelline Color Tattoo collection once again (remember when I was really obsessed with this killer fomula and went crazy trying to buy all the shades?) and I stopped myself at buying just the two ...

Creamy Beige: A nice neutral brown with slight glitter.

I bought this shade to use as an all-over-the-lid shade, as well as a base for certain looks. I was a little shocked to find sparse glitter, but I was happy with how pigmented and creamy the formula is (no big shocker). This is like how I often find the color tattoos to be, and I was pleased to have added it to my collection.

Dramatic Black: Matte black.

I bought this because someone on YouTube mentioned they love it as an eyeliner. I was excited to try it, because they tend to last so long on my eyes, but this one was a disappointment. It wasn't as pigmented as Color Tattoos tend to be, as it was patchy and took a few coats to build up the true black opacity. The wear time was tragic. I don't know if it's the formula for this particular shadow, but it smeared, and didn't last on me at all. It faded and by the end of the day looked patchy. I wanted another black "liner" to be added to my recommendation list, and this just fell short.

Thanks for reading!

Wet n Wild Summer 2016 Lost in the Wildflowers Collection

Hello again readers!

Wet n Wild released some new limited edition products for Summer, and for once I found the display at my local Walgreens (usually I have to travel to get my hands on anything limited edition such as this). I couldn't resist trying a little bit of everything, aside from the nail polish. There were 4 Megalast Nail Polishes in this collection, but I wasn't fond of any of the colors, so I passed on them.

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Megaglo Multi-Stick

This is not my first time using a highlighting stick from Wet n Wild, but when there were three new options; pink champagne (Marigold Round), light rose pink (Light Up My High-Biscus), and a peachy-coral shade (Carnational Anthem).

These sticks can be used on the face, eyes, and lips, making a very cohesive all-in-one look. Marigold Round I chose because I am a sucker for good highlighting shades. The downside of picking such a light shade (for myself) is that I never found myself using it for anything other than a cheek highlight, perhaps a little bit of a brow-bone highlight. I didn't like it much as an eyeshadow without adding other shades in the look, and I didn't like it as a lip color either.

Like the stick product I've used before, I was blown away with the lasting power. Even with my oily skin, as long as I set the stick with a powder, it lasted all day on me, without fading or losing intensity.

For comparison's sake, I compared the new Marigold Round stick to the Pocahontas Great Spirit Highlighting Stick from the Disney Dare to Dream collection from last summer.

They're both champagne shades, with Marigold Round a more pink toned champage and Great Spirit a more yellow-toned champagne. They're just different enough in color that I can justify keeping both in my collection.

I loved this stick so much, I went ahead and bought Carnational Anthem, since I fell in love with the beautiful warmth of the shade and I can definitely see myself using that shade all over my face.

This product retails for $3.99.

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Megaglo Highlighting Powder

There were two highlighting powders in the collection; Precious Petals, and Crown of my Canopy. I chose Precious Petals as Crown of my Canopy was far too dark for me to use as a highlighter, as it's directed towards more medium to deep skintones. The packaging is a sleek black plastic with a clear plastic lid so you can accurately see the product.

The powder is absolutely gorgeous. It has an embossed petal design, perfect for summer. It looks very delicate and really luxe for a drugstore highlighting powder.

Precious Petals is a very pink-toned champagne. It's really dark in the concentrated swatch, but it blends out into a much more wearable highlighting shade if applied lightly.

This powder is absolutely gorgeous, even to the touch. It's very soft, finely milled pressed powder and blends out so very effectively that I don't find it to be a hassle at all. I found it to last through the day on my skin while looking incredibly natural. It caught the light in the perfect way, giving my face an incredibly healthy glow.

The biggest downside of this powder, is that it's SO soft that the decal in the powder I find will be brushed away quickly, unless you work at the corner and work your way to the other corner first.

This product retails for $3.99.

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Metallic Liquid Lipstick

This was one of the products that I was both really excited to try and also sort of dreading. I remember ages and ages ago in the late 90's when I would wear a frosty lipstick (handed down to me from my really cool aunt!) and ... it looked awful. Then again, as a kid I thought they looked great. As I got older, every time I tried a frosty, metallic looking lipstick I wasn't a fan.

This range came with 6 exciting, unique colors: Peony Express (rose pink), My Tulips are Sealed (pink nude), Coming up Roses (cherry red), Chrysanthemum's the Word (warm bright pink), Days of Fuchsia Passed (bright fuchsia), and Indigo Your Own Way (light violet).

The packaging is the most impressive part of this product (to me, since the metallic lipstick I find to be a fad more than a huge wishlist item for me). It's incredibly sturdy, has a weight to it, and with the black cap it looks more like a mid-range product than a cheap lipstick from the drugstore!

The wand is absolutely perfect. It has a doe-foot applicator, but the kicker is it has a little indented reservoir to hold onto more product. It holds just the perfect amount that I found I never had to go back in (at least with the shade that I chose).

Multiple swatches on the left, one swatch on the right.

The shade that I chose was My Tulips are Sealed, which I found to be the most unique out of all the shades available. Most of the shades had a traditional metallic finish, where it has a sort of white/silver shimmer to catch the light. My Tulips are Sealed has a gold shift, and I was instantly smitten with this trendy lip color.

I'm going to start this off with that it's NOT a liquid to matte formula! It will not dry down to a matte finish. Rather, it's more like a traditional bullet lipstick, just in a tube. It does dry down a bit so it's not as slick, but it remains creamy and moisturizing on the lips. It's a very comfortable lipstick to wear.

It looks incredibly bright, washing me out a little bit. The lip color almost looked fluorescent in some lighting, and because of the metallic finish it always looked incredibly glossy. I managed to get 4 hours of wear before I noticed that it faded too much and only left behind the gold shimmer.

The biggest (and really only issue I truly had) is that with the shimmer, sometimes it would feel gritty if I pushed my lips together too much. It wasn't something I took notice of often, but on the off time that I would notice it I wasn't a fan. I took it as a good trade-off to have.

This product retails for $2.99. 

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Thanks for reading!

Urban Decay Smoked VS ELF Smoke Prism Eyeshadow Palettes

Hello again readers!

This is more of a fun post, rather than a full-on review. I was going through my collection and picking out things that have gone bad (which I try to do relatively often) and I took notice on some similar shades in my Urban Decay Smoked palette, and my ELF Smoke Prism Eyeshadow Palettes. I thought that it'd be fun to put them together, and compare the shades.

First off, the packaging for both are great in their own ways, The UD Palette is larger (as it holds more shades!), with a cloth coating and a zipper opening. It's a bit of a hassle to have to unzip it and re-zip it (especially if you *think* that you're finished with your look, only to notice you didn't blend a shadow far enough and it doesn't match up.

The ELF palette is much more sleek, and easier to access. It's smaller, with a matte black plastic packaging. They both have mirrors, but the elf mirror is the entire length of the palette, making it better for the space.

The UD palette has a total of 10 shades, where six of them are shimmery shades, and four of them are matte. The ELF palette has 6 shades, all in a shimmery metallic finish.

The UD palette is better for creating a variety of looks without having to pull in shadows from other palettes. With the addition of the mattes, there are shadows to add definition, transitions, and overall a better look compared to the ELF palette, which I feel needs other shadows pulled in to make the look complete.

The only shadows that I found truly similar were the jewel tones, which are the reasons for this post in the first place. Both palettes have jewel toned violets, blues, and greens

In comparison, the UD shades are more intense, and have a deeper color to them, while the ELF shadows are more muted. It's one of those things that I don't reach for jewel toned shadows often, but if I did I would want them to be incredibly intense.

Both shadows are good quality, easy to blend, and feel really smooth to the touch.

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The UD Smoked palette is unfortunately being phased out. It's a shame, because this is the first mid-ranged palette that i ever wanted to get my hands on, it's the palette that's held my interest for the longest amount of time. It was more expensive (originally $50, down to $30, and you can still find it for $20). Most of the shadows can be bought in singles, which is great if there's only a shade or two that you're interested in.

The ELF palette is a lot more affordable ($10, but if you wait till ELF has a 50% sale you can get it for $5 like I did!) and has a lot more shimmery shades to make really interesting smokey metallic looks.

If you're someone that craves those deep jewel tones, check out the UD singles, they're really interesting and really great pigmentation.

If you're someone who doesn't reach for jewel tones often, or prefer a more muted look, invest in the ELF palette.

Thanks for reading!

Tarte Tarteist Clay Paint Liner

Hello again readers!

I have been holding onto this product since October (I bought it when I was still working at the Haunt!) and I haven't been itching to share my thoughts on it. After working, I stopped using this liner in lieu of other liners that I wanted to use up. Now that I've rotated this back into use, I regret ever letting it go.

This liner was a sort of a "treat". At being $24 a pop, it was something that I was really hesitant on taking the final plunge onto investing in, since before my most expensive liner has only ever been about $10 (and often cheaper, thanks to sales!). 

The packaging was nothing to write home about, it was unnecessarily bulky with the cardboard flap taking up most of the space. I would have preferred a paper insert, or better use of the space on the smaller box instead. Just a waste issue.

Inside the packaging was a plastic tube, and I was surprised to find it came with a brush! The brush is a wooden handle with "gold" metal ferrule and cap for the end of the brush, with a very fine brush tip. The brush has a bit of an angle to it, making it easier to get right against the lash line. The eyeliner is a basic plastic matte black tube, with a gold plastic cap. I really like black and gold color schemes, even if gold has never been my favorite. It looks luxurious without being too over the top.

This liner is unique, in the way that it's dispensed. I was expecting to have to apply the product onto a makeup palette and go from there, but it actually has a dip in the tip to act as a reservoir for product. It's extremely handy, as I NEVER squeeze out too much product (as of yet!). It's always better to use too little and squeeze out more than try to guess how much you need. It doesn't dry up as I'm dipping my brush into the product, which is sweat off my back so I don't worry about the product drying before I can even use it.

The issue I have with the tip, is that it does get dirty with leftover product. I just take a cotton round with a little bit of alcohol (or a q-tip!) and clean it, and also disinfecting it for the next use. It's easy to maintain, just takes a little more effort than some other eyeliners I've ever used.

The product has such a wonderful, creamy consistency. It's not too thick (though it's thicker than anticipated) and it applies incredibly easily. It doesn't go on patchy, and it's extremely easy to get a very fluid line on the lid. It goes on with a sort of velvet sheen, and then dries down to a true matte black. I was really impressed with just how matte the product was, it was like having little black holes on my eyelid! It was intense, and I loved it.

The liner lasted through an intense testing period. While I was working at the Haunt, I would wear it for at minimum six hours, at maximum nine hours, and it would still be perfect (or pretty damn close to perfect) by the time I would go to wash it off. That includes sweat, tears, water being thrown at my face, rain, and rubbing at my face in frustration. I was blown away with how great it was. On a regular day (for everyone who isn't dressing up as a murderous doll) it lasts the entire day. Even if I go to rub at my eyes, it'll last through that abuse. If I continuously rub at my eyes it'll start to smear or flake off, which I have come to accept from every eyeliner I try, but through regular wear and tear? It performs fabulously.

The biggest issue I've had with the formula, is the same issue I generally have with products that come in a squeeze tube: the product separates in the tube. It's an easy fix, smacking it against my palm and sort of kneading the tube with my fingers to mix the product. I've only had ONE day where the formula separated, and since then I haven't had any issues with it (and that was because I had it sitting in disuse while I used other liners).

I love this liner, and it hurts a little bit that I love this so much, because that means I'll want to pick up another one when this runs out! Which, is sad for my poor wallet, but good for my makeup looks!

This liner retails for $24, and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a good quality, matte black liner.

Thanks for reading!

Pumpkin and Poppy Oak Bark Contouring Powder

Hello again readers!

It's always good to have a lot of options when it comes to makeup, and since I'm a sucker for contouring my cheekbones I like to have a lot of options. I've been picking up taupe and grey shades for ages, and this was a product I really wanted to try.

Pumpkin and Poppy Oak Bark Contouring Powder

The packaging is a 20 gram plastic jar, with sticker labels. The front is the logo and the Etsy shop name, while the back has the name of the product, size, and ingredient list. I don't mind the sticker, but I've already started getting it incredibly dirty with use ...

The best feature of the packaging, is that it comes with a sifter!! It's wonderful, because you don't want too much product coming out at once. I highly suggest that you keep the sifter only open half way (or closed completely if you store this product on its side!) because it's such a finely milled powder that the powder will come out incredibly quickly if you're not careful.

Oak Bark is a cool taupe that's perfect for creating subtle shadows that look natural on the skin. If you apply more layers, you can build up the color but I really enjoy how it makes my cheekbones look with just a small amount. It's incredibly easy to blend too, making it a pleasure to work with.

Make sure to tap off the excess off your brush, because there's been a few times where I neglected to do so and found myself with a bold line running down my cheek.  It's always better to add more and blend as you go rather than add too much.

The biggest downside to this product is that it's not readily available. You can't just go to the drugstore and buy one, you have to order it online and wait. For those who are impatient it might not be worth it for you (especially if you like instant gratification), but if you can manage to wait a couple of weeks for it to arrive I can assure you that you'll enjoy it.

The other downside, was actually rectified ... sort of. While Oak Bark is amazing for those with fair to light skin tones, everyone else seemed to be left in the dust as it could definitely make someone look ashy if they were medium to deep skin tones. Pumpkin and Poppy formulated a new Midnight Oak powder, that caters to light to medium skin tones. A step in the right direction, sure, but for those who have a deep skin tones there is still not a suitable powder available. So for that I will indeed count it as a con.

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You can purchase Oak Bark here for $9.25. It depends where you are, since shipping fluctuates. I calculated what the shipping would be for me, and it was about $2.75, making the product a total of $12. When I bought this, it was $8.75, so they raised the price by 50 cents, which isn't a big deal. I'm a really big fan of this product, and I highly recommend it.

Thanks for reading!

Essence Liquid Lipstick and Pure Nude Foundation

Hello again readers!

I picked up two new Essence products while walking through Target with my boyfriend, and I was really interested in trying them out. A new foundation that's supposed to feel like you're wearing nothing, and a new liquid lipstick? Sign me up!

Essence Pure Nude Make-Up – 10 Pure Beige

The packaging is alright. I'm not a huge fan of plastic packaging that's suppose to allude to the product inside. I would much rather see a clear plastic, so I can see for myself how light (or how dark) a foundation is before I even buy it. The packaging is also really cheap looking. Really, I'm just not a fan of packing that looks like this, since it looks like makeup that a child would play with. You know the toys I'm talking about, the ones without any actual makeup in it, so they use colored plastic to color code what a "product" should be. (Of course, in this day and age the look of toy makeup is becoming more advanced. Lucky kids!)

The most amazing feature of this product is that it comes with a pump! I wish all liquid foundations came with a pump, it's just something that makes the most amount of sense. It's hygienic and easy to distribute product without excess waste. I'd much rather put one pump of foundation onto my palette (or back of the hand) than tip over the container and try to pat out some foundation.

Pure Nude Foundation after oxidizing for one hour

I picked up the lightest available shade: Pure Beige. It was dreadfully dark for me. This would be better suited to someone like my sister, when she's between being pale and being tan, but for me who tends to stay pale throughout the year, I just don't have a use for a shade such as this. To fix this issue, I just added in two pumps of Manic Panic Dream Tone. It did not change the consistency, but it made the color wearable.

I wasn't too pleased with the foundation. It applied well, and looked amazing: at first. Within four hours I was a greasy mess. My skin looked terrible, like I accidentally covered my entire face in highlighter. The foundation broke up in different places all over my face: my nose, my chin, my forehead, and my cheeks! I rarely have a foundation that holds so poorly on my skin that it breaks up on my cheeks. It was such a disappointment because I did like how it looked on my skin upon initial application, but I just couldn't bring myself to overlook such a glaring issue.

It also clung to dry patches. I don't generally have dry patches, but when I do I always notice when a foundation performs this way. It's a foundation that I wouldn't recommend if you have a very oily skin type, nor would I recommend it if you have a very dry skin type. This would be best with combination skin types, in theory.

The last issue I have with this foundation, is that it comes in three shades. All that cater to pale white people. Frankly, it annoys me that I can't find a shade that suits me, but it creates a burning rage when I can't find a shade that won't suit someone with more than a light tan from a tanning salon. Do makeup companies never walk outside? Do they never interact with other people in their lives? There is obviously a lack of foundations for people of color, and makeup lines like this are the reason why. With just three shades? Come on, get with the program.

The Pure Nude Foundation retails for $5.

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Essence Liquid Lipstick – Beauty Secret

I picked up one of the new liquid lipsticks too. The packaging for this one reminded me a lot of the Maybelline Lip Elixers that came out ages ago. This one also has a color-coded cap. I picked the most neutral one available at that particular Target, just to give it a try. The worst part about the packaging, is that while it felt cheap, it really was. I don't know how it happened (perhaps I dropped it?) but the plastic chipped on one of the corners, and I only had it for a week!

The applicator is the most interesting part of the product. It's not a standard doe foot, but rather it has more of a tapered edge. I'm assuming it's so you have two sides with product that you can flip over and get both lips without having to continuously having to dip the applicator back into the packaging for more product. I found that I had to do so anyway, so this design wasn't the best.

I bought Beauty Secret, which was a nice, neutral pink shade. Not too warm, and not too cool. This is a pink shade that I do enjoy wearing on the lips, because the color is very nice on me.

Now, I want to start this off with the fact that just because it says "liquid lipstick" does NOT mean that it must be a liquid to matte lipstick formula! I was assuming it'd be much more like a Rimmel Apocalips lipstick where it would be shiny, and creamy.

No, this lipstick was none of these things. It came out shiny, and sheer. I put one layer, and while the color was there, it wasn't much of an impact. In some places it was streaky, so I had to dip the applicator in the tube to even it out.

This "lipstick", is really just a pigmented gloss. It's not like my much loved NYX Butter Glosses, no. It's a sticky mess! I hate sticky glosses with a passion, while I know some people really enjoy the feeling of them. When I'd press my lips together, and pull them apart, strings of "lipstick" would follow. It wasn't attractive, and gave unnecessary texture to the overall look. This didn't wow me, this didn't even make me satisfied with my makeup. This was just an awful product, that made me take it off just as soon as I put it on.

The Liquid Lipstick retails for about $3.50. I wouldn't recommend it, unless you're a fan of sticky lipglosses, to be honest.

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Thanks for reading!