Too Faced Chocolate Bar: Review and Swatches

After many months of lurking in the shadows, I finally have the much hyped Too Faced Chocolate Bar palette. Thanks to my patience (aka waiting in agony), I was able to get the palette for a sweet price (post about it here). Now my ever growing collection of eyeshadow palettes has a new, pretty member.

Too Faced Everlasting Chocolate set, $49 (from HSN.com)

I was debating whether I should do a full review or just first impressions+swatches. But I thought it would be silly to do a first impressions post, then have to go back and review. So why not just do it all in one go. 

For the people who can't resist chocolate in any form.

Nyx Simply Vamp Lip Creams

Hey Y'all! I picked up a few of the new Nyx simply vamp lip creams a couple weeks back and have been experimenting with them the last few days. These are ideal with fall fever going around for dark lips.

Just Because: I Love Cheese

I know it's bad for me, but I love the hell out of some good cheese. I think I'm mildly lactose-intolerant, but I just can't help myself. Something about a salty/smoky/savory hunk of funky dairy just speaks to the innermost depths of my soul. My boyfriend knows this about me. So when we were visiting Tennessee a few months ago with some of his family, he and his dad told me about an amazing cheap shop that used to exclusively supply the White House with dairy delights. And fortunately for me, the cheese shop was only a thirty minute ride from our hotel. So we hurried to Simonton Cheese House in Crossville, since we knew the shop closed in a little over an hour. Along the way, we saw a lot of beautiful land and hills. We even cruised through a supposedly haunted area right at mile marker 10. When we arrived, it didn't look like much from the outside. But all amazing gems are hidden, aren't they?

The local lore is, a bus of schoolkids died at this mile marker. So when you shift your gear to neutral, you can feel the car being pushed uphill.

BIG DEAL: Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette set

As you may have heard, HSN.com has a bunch of great deals on beauty. I've seen a lot of sets that come with full-sized products for way below retail. One such set I want to talk about is the Too Faced Everlasting Chocolate set.

Too Faced Everlasting Chocolate Set, $49 (HSN.com exclusive)

ZPalette VS MAC Pro Palette: Comparison and Review

For someone who loves to hoard makeup products, you think I would be on top of my custom palette game. Nah. I mean, I've had this old MAC pro palette from eons ago but that didn't really fit my need to mash everything together. I even pried out the 15-shadow insert to really utilize as much space as possible. But all that did was make the metal sheet inside become loose. It was high time to throw it out anyways (turns out, acetone can melt plastic). So I did some looking around the internet for custom palettes and decided on getting a ZPalette. But wait, MAC also has some, too! They revamped their entire Pro Palette line, which totally drew me in. I couldn't handle the pressure of picking one over the other, so I got both. Beautiful self control.

Tragic.

How to Clean Your Makeup Brushes

When it comes to makeup, no matter how expensive or affordable it is, you have to have the right tools. A good brush is all the difference between seamless coverage or uneven color. Keeping that in mind, it would be plain good advice to take care of those tools. You can go out and buy a fabulous $40 foundation brush, but if you don't properly take care of it, what's the point?

Brush maintenance is not at all hard to incorporate into your daily life. While you're doing your makeup, give each brush a spritz of alcohol (or a spray brush cleaner) and wipe on a clean paper towel after each use. This prevents any extra bacteria from chilling in your brush, waiting to jump onto your face. It also helps get rid of color residue so that you can use the same brush for a different shade of blush or shadow, or whatever. If you apply makeup daily, I suggest you fully wash your brushes at least once a week. Of course, that changes depending on if you're doing different colors, different faces, or you go wild and apply makeup twice a day. For me, I wear makeup maybe two or three times a week. So I'm fine with washing at least once every two weeks. As always, your mileage may vary. If you look at your brush and see more color from product than bristles, you definitely should get to washing. There is also such a thing as being overzealous when it comes to washing your brushes. Fully washing your brush every day can lead to bristles shedding and becoming coarse. Getting into a good habit of washing your brushes regularly not only keeps things clean, but it also prolongs the life of your brushes. I still have some eye shadow brushes from when I was a junior in high school.

So now that I've given you a primer on brush care, let's get right on to how I clean my brushes.

Adventures in Couponing: Ulta

Today was a day like any other. Hang out with Brad, get something to eat, find portals to hack (Ingress), etc. Then we decided to stop by a Best Buy and Ulta, just for shits and giggles. I was about ready to leave until I saw that a lot of the tools and accessories were Buy One Get One 50% off. Remembering I had a $3.50 Off coupon, I decided to grab a few things.

Ah, the infamously bright and noisy Ulta bag.

How to Create a Long-Lasting Lip

If you're anything like me, you hate it when you apply a stunning lip color only to worry about it for the next few hours. The hair flicking, awkward eating, and constant mirror checks. It's enough to just swear off wearing lip colors altogether. But before you go to such drastic measures, read my tips on how to prolong your lipstick without destroying your lips.

Get this right and you can reward yourself with a couple gin and tonics. No worries about your lips. I already tested this.

Anastasia Dipbrow Pomade Review and Routine

Brows. They take up the least amount of room on your face but are the most crucial in a final look. I don't always fill them in when I just want to run errands. But when I do make an effort to dress up my eyes or lips, I make a point of perfecting my brows. I know it isn't the same for everyone, but when I forget to do my brows when I'm rocking a smokey eye or bold lip, the upper part of my face just seems incomplete and ill-composed. I find that a well-executed brow tones a look down and keeps it all "together".

Review: NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams (Lip Swatches!)

I don't know what took me so long to get these NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams (SMLC). I even remember suggesting these to one of my friends when the SMLCs were first getting hyped in the ~blogosphere~ (geez, how that word makes me cringe). But when I stopped by an Ulta a couple weeks ago with my boyfriend, I knew I should just go for it ($3.50 off and 2x points holla). I made sure to pick the two shades I thought would test how A) true to color and B) opaque the product is on my highly pigmented lips. So I went for a "nude" shade and a deep shade.

NYX SMLC in Copenhagen (L) and Stockholm (R), $5.99.

Excuse my out-of-control nails. 

Summer Saviors + Reviews

Technically, summer is just about over. But if you're like me, it's a neverending hell thanks to living in the good ol' South. Which is why I always try to invest in products that I know will treat me right and power its way through the sweltering heat. Introducing the two stars of the show: First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream and Make Up For Ever Full Cover Concealer.

Just for fun

Sorry for the sporadic posting. Having no computer and only a phone and tablet makes creating posts and uploading and editing pictures a pain. Enough about that. 

Here is my first attempt at doing a face chart. A face chart is basically a planning guide for a makeup look or idea. It appeals to my high school art geek side and, of course, my makeup addicted side. So in a fit of restlessness, I decided to just go ahead a start on one. 

I got these face charts by looking up pictures on my iPad then tracing them onto regular ol computer paper. Silly, I know, but I have no computer and my printer's not behaving so you gotta make do. 

xx May

What's In My Bag: Marc by Marc Jacobs Classic Q Baby Aidan

I'm sitting here fretting over what kind of posts I should do next. My camera hasn't been behaving as of late and I can't do video tutorials so planning pictorials is a little trickier than I thought. Also, I've been an emotional wreck for reasons unknown. Currently listening to Torn by Natalia Imbruglia. Who hurt you, Natalia? Who. Hurt. You. (name that reference)

Anyways, I decided that what better way to remedy the lull in post ideas than to post a What's in My Bag!
I go between bags often, but this bag is for my "I have a long day ahead of me and need everything" days.
It's a pretty heavy and awkward bag but it does have a ton of room to shove whatever in there. The strap is weird to use since it warps the shape of the bag, but I fix that by attaching the strap "hooks" to the rolled handles' grommets.
Whatever. I just needed a nice leather black bag that I can use for everything and I hasn't failed me yet.

I might do another WIMB with my smaller purse, a crossbody satchel.

Review: NARS Pure Matte Lipstick

I don't know about you, but I am a sucker for matte when it comes to makeup. Matte foundation, matte eye shadows, and above all, MATTE LIPSTICK. I know some people steer clear of matte lipsticks because it can be drying or staining or hard to apply. But it doesn't always have to be that way! My remedy for that is lightly scrubbing your lips after you've brushed your teeth and washed your face, then applying a balm immediately after and before your makeup application. Okay, I can see myself veering off-topic. So back to matte lipsticks. The reason I gravitate towards matte lipstick is that it tends to pack a bigger punch, i.e., more pigmented, longer lasting, and less likely to stick to my hair (gross).

So, with that being said, this is a review of my favorite matte lipstick: NARS Pure Matte Lipstick (did the title give it away?). From its sleek packaging to ease of use, this lipstick is everything I love about makeup rolled into one slender tube.

Comparison: Milani Liquif'Eye VS UD 24/7

I decided that it would be helpful if I did a comparison swatch test for two much-talked about items that are frequently called "dupes" of each other. I had these two pencils in my makeup collection for a while and thought "why not?"

I also thought it'd be doubly appreciated by those on a stricter budget.

My Vanity/Makeup Collection

So I like makeup. Makeup, for me, is one of the first things that comes to mind whenever someone asks me what is on my wishlist (that and makeup accessories. Hello, ZPalettes?). I can't really explain why. Maybe it's because I can play around with it and change how I look on a daily basis. Or blending colors and drawing lines. I don't know. I just really like it. To the point of excess. I get a tinge of guilt whenever I describe my recent makeup purchases to family or friends. Now, I don't drive myself into debt over it, or choose a new palette over a paying a phone bill. I understand the amount of money I spend can go towards something better. But to me, right now, there isn't much better. Makeup (and skincare) is therapy to me. An escape, if you will. So without further ado, let me show you my own personal paradise.