FotD : Ombré attempt

It has been a bit since my last post, I've been quite busy and haven't had time to do reviews/swatches. I do have a few I have sitting though, but with life it may be a while before I'm able to post them haha. Any ways today I went to Sephora to get a foundation match done, so I just did eye makeups and left my face blank so the SA would be able to do a match without removing makeup haha. Since I'd be entering bare faced apart from my eyes I thought I'd try something a bit more fun. Enter the ombre liner! During my Hello Waffle swatch fest I tried an ombré liner look which I loved. Thought I'd give it another shot today, except experiment with making it brighter since my first attempt was a sad failure.

The Face.

Product List

• Urban Decay Primer Potion
• Hello Waffle's Kai, Enchantress, and Lust
• Urban Decay 24/7 Waterproof Eyeliner
• Shiro It's Called Love (light usage)
• Anastasia Dipbrow in Ebony
• Urban Decay Naked Skin

White balance is a bit off and thus the colors are a bit off as well but you can kind of see the shift from bronze to purple. This is actually a super easy eye look to do! And since it's ombre you don't necessarily have to completely clean off the brush before using the next shadow… Which I like a lot. I think today's face also showcases both the difference foundation makes (my face looks so smooth! Except up close.) and the importance of blush/bronzer (I look so unhealthy! Like more so than usual!). The SA used the Urban Decay Naked Skin foundation, which held up during the day well and didn't feel like I was wearing makeup at all. I think the color match is pretty good, especially as I start to get more sun, so double win whoop whoop. And I am still in love with the Hello Waffle eyeshadows. After thinking about it more one of the reasons I think I love them so much is that they actually go really well with each other. It's easy to create cohesive looks, even with shadows from different collections. I'm still playing around with them though, similar to how I'm trying to learn how to use Dipbrow effectively. Liquid eyeliner is also on my to deal with list. For years I used Sephora's waterproof liquid eyeliner with the fine liner brush, but they recently reformulated it and it doesn't work for my eyes as well. I'm using an Urban Decay one at the moment, but the constant shaking and re-dipping isn't great when you're in a rush. 

Are there any liquid eyeliners you swear by? Let me know, I'd really appreciate it!

Monthly Favorites: May's 5+1

Thought I'd do a little feature of 5 favorites of the month so I can look back and see what past me liked to inspire future me. Unfortunately I could never narrow it down to just 5, so it's 5+1. So. Without further ado, my monthly favorites.

1. NEST Fragrances Passiflora

Oh man, I didn't think I'd ever find a "signature scent" but I seriously think this may be it for me. It smells like greenery and flowers and I LOVE IT. This is the mini size from the coffret but man is it fantastic. Getting a full size if I still love it after using it up completely haha.

2. Urban Decay Primer Potion

I never used a decent eyeshadow primer prior to this but this has been pretty great for swatching and whatnot. Also it's kind of adorable??? This month has been full of lots and lots of swatching. It also increases the longevity of non creasing eyeshadows on my greasy lids so I count it as a winner.

3. Trader Joe's Lemon Chicken & Arugula Salad

I have been obsessed with this salad lately. I've eaten it at least once a week, which is pretty major for food I have to buy individually. It just tastes like perfection.

4. Midol

Who could have known that this worked so gloriously. Weird to include in monthly favorites but this is like magic and deserves the public praise.

5. Coach Bag

Got this during a Mother's Day sale and it's surprisingly great. It makes me feel like Zoey Deschanel hahahaha. It has a magnetic flap and also has a decent amount of space.

5+1. Audible

Audible is glorious. I finally caved and bought a couple months subscription and there are zero regrets~ I've been wanting to read The Goldfinch for quite some time now, but now I can listen while driving and also while editing :)

Project Minimize : 30 Day Declutter Challenge

Apparently getting rid of one thing a day for 30 days is a great way to start minimizing the amount of things you have/get. I decided I would do this from June 1 til July 1. Here are photos and thoughts on the first week of declutter.

Item 1

True impulse purchase here. I bought this because it reminds me of Harry Potter's/Daniel Radcliffe's track jackets. I have never worn this in public, and it is gloriously unflattering. But Harry Potter!! But useless to me, and somebody else will probably actually be able to wear this. Donate pile it goes.

Item 2
Keeping with the purging of the clothes here's a top I have from Middle School. It's pretty worn out now, and hits me at a gloriously unflattering place. I really needed to get rid of this but was pretty attached for reasons unknown. 

Item 3
I think this first week may end up being a clothes purging. Here's a skirt I bought online that was cheap and looks atrocious in real life. If it sounds too good to be true it probably is too good to be true.

Item 4
Skirt #2, cotton and unflattering. Also billows in the wind very easily which was annoying.

Item 5
Found bags I need to get rid of! These are a bit too youthful for me, though the circle one has some good memories. First small concert this bag protected me from the throng. Oh Circa Survive. Oh funnel cake.

Item 6
A polo? I look like a grade schooler in this.

Item 7
Headphones? These are super cute but they take up a lot of space and the quality isn't fantastic.

This actually was not painful at all, and it felt really refreshing to remove items that were clogging up space. We'll see how the rest of the month goes!

Review & Rave: Hello Waffle Cosmetics

Warning, this post is going to be pretty long and also photo heavy.

Today I'll be reviewing Hello Waffle Cosmetics, a fairly new indie cosmetics brand that opened earlier this year. There's a blogger pack available, which included 2 full sized eyeshadows, 1 full size lip balm, 10 eyeshadow samples, and 2 lip balm samples. It's a pretty fantastic deal, and she recently had a flash sale that I simply could not pass up. I've always seen the owner Christine answering questions and posting swatches and reviews of other companies and she just seemed so lovely, so I figured that even if I didn't like the products at least I'd be supporting somebody who was genuinely nice. Fortunately, the products are absolutely fantastic. Like I heard they were good but these are my favorite indies thus far, and actually favorite eyeshadow colors in general (except for Climbing Chaos, Climbing Chaos is right up there with some of these). I also really really like the lip products.

The Haul
So I bought the blogger pack, an extra set of 5 samples, and one extra lip balm sample. Unfortunately I completely forgot to include which lip balm samples I wanted in the note to seller and thus didn't get them :( I had it all typed out but ended up backtracking from paypal because it said I had a different address, and when I tried to go back the entire note was erased and I had to type it from memory. Afterwards I never double checked my order, so that was my fault. She did include an extra sample and also upgraded one of my samples which was nice of her! However, I was sent the incorrect lip balm sample. I'd contact her about it, but I actually quite like the accidentally sent one so I'm planning on just buying a full size during her next free ship sale. Also since she included all those additional freebies I kind of want to let her have the extra $2, especially since she covers the difference in shipping out of pocket! There was also a GWP in an absolutely gorgeous color included. SUPER generous.

The goods.

Lippies
So I got two lip products. A full size of Roses of the Vale and a sample of Seedless. I had ordered a sample of Vamp, but based on swatches and now after testing the others on my own lips I feel safe getting a full size next round :)

Rubbing a bit of Seedless, that tiny amount tinted my lips that much.

This formula is a lot more slick and pigmented than the Shiro tinted lip balms. It's a bit grainy, but the colors are great and work well with my favorite lip application. Instead of applying them all over my lips and having my entire lips heavily pigmented I prefer to have a sort of stained style. Like the "I've been eating popsicles and so the inside of my mouth is slightly more colorful than the outside" look. It's really easy to maintain and I don't have to worry about feathering or precise application.

One swipe of Roses of the Vale on bottom lip, rubbed lips together and voila! Tore the wrapping so you could see how much is included in a full size (which is a lot!) and also took a photo of it before applying so you could see how it's not quite flat and actually sinks a bit.

These also were good at actually moisturizing my lips. They clung a bit to dry skin patches but it somehow made them peel off???? Like what I imagine treatments and scrubs are supposed to do but this is a lip balm. They were also minty, which I enjoyed a lot.

Eyeshadows 

So here are 19 EYESHADOWS. 19!! And four of them are full sized! And the stickers on the full sizes are GORGEOUS.

The full sizes: Sloth, Greed, Rainforest, and Rose Champagne (which she upgraded from a sample!)

I confess I chose Sloth and Greed as my full sizes because of the stickers, but the new logo is pretty darn cute as well. Here are swatches of the lot. UDPP on the left side of arm, small stripe of Pixie Epoxy on the right side of arm. Indirect sunlight on left, direct sunlight on right.

Swatches of the browns.

Reds and purples.

Gold and pink.

Misc others and the full sizes. 

Application for all of these was actually really great. Not quite as buttery as Morgana's Crypt's Selene, but easier to apply than the Notoriously Morbid and Shiro samples I have. Also more pigmented than the pressed Tarte eyeshadows which I had been using prior to this indie adventure. The sample sizes themselves were also really generous.

Trying to capture the pretty that is Rainforest.

Quick thoughts on the colors

• Gluttony - Deep brown, more sparkly than expected but also more interesting.
• Locked Doors - Actually a really nice crease color.
• Bach - This is quite pleasant in person. I don't think I built it up enough to tell in the swatch but it has a pretty shift and I like that it's more muted.
• Bartok - UGH IT IS SO NICE. Like this exquisite coppery shimmery explosion of gloriousness. Bit of fallout though.
• Tchaikovsky - Not as gold as I was expecting, good for a toned down look.
• Fey - Everybody raves about this, and while it is pretty it wasn't my cup of tea. The color shift was fantastic though, I tried but failed to capture it in the photos. The smallest movement would make it switch which was SO fun.
• Mendelssohn - Quite pink. Unfortunately I'm not a big fan of pinks, but it applied smoothly.
• Enchantress - The moment I started swatching I knew this would be a favorite. This is stunning. Deep burgundy color with just the right amount of flicks. So good.
• Kai - A coppery version of Enchantress which I adore. It's a lot more copper in person and I want to wear this every day. Every. Day.
• Wastelands - Not as glorious as Enchantress or Kai but it's still fantastic. More brown than purple, I don't know why I swatched it with the purples. Has different multicolored glitters though which makes it more interesting than your ordinary deep brown. 
• Silk - Sparkly prettiness. This also had quite a shift that was hard to capture on camera.
• Lust - I liked it, but it was hard to appreciate it after the glory of Enchantress and Kai. A bit more red toned than the others and I actually really want to try it on my lips.
• Pride - Pride kind of reminded me of Bach, a more cool toned taupey wearable shade.  
• Chopin - Holy god this is gorgeous. I couldn't capture the shift but this was my favorite of the Musicians collection that I tried. It is ethereal and shifts so beautifully, highly recommend.
• Schubert - I want to try Schubert with Pride and Bach, I feel like the three would look good together. Shift is more prominent over Pixie Epoxy.
• Sloth - Mmm, pretty. Glad I got a full size of this one, it's neutral and wearable but has a lot of dimension and has a slight shift as well.
• Greed - A gold, honestly not too impressed but I was spoiled by the gorgeous purples.
• Rainforest - SOOOO PRETTY. I want to try this as a liner. 
• Rose Champagne - I used to think gold and champagne colored eyeshadows were my favorite, but after many eyeshadow samples I think I actually prefer coppers and bronzes. Still very nice though, will look good with Sloth or possibly even as a highlight.

A Few Looks
I decided I'd try a wash of color which is my usual daily eyeshadow look, and also a more graphic ombre cat eye since the colors just begged to used that way. First, Sloth, Greed, and Looked Doors as a neutral wash. Hard to see it in the photo but you can see how it covered my eyeliner. Think I'll have to experiment with application methods (maybe foiling? Pixie Epoxy?).

Bit of Sloth, Greed, and Locked Doors layered over bare skin & liquid liner.

Also, Enchantress, Lust, and Rainforest as an ombre liner. Again a bit hard to see but it was my first attempt at this! This was just with water/a wet brush, Rainforest wasn't as vibrant without primer.

Enchantress, Lust, and Rainforest. Again, not as pigmented without primer.

Finally, Kai, Enchantress, and Lust as an ombre liner.

Kai, Enchantress, and Lust as an ombre liner atop my black liquid liner. Roses of the Vale on lips, 2 hours after initial application. Also brushed my brows and tried a bit of eyeshadow in them!

I think my favorite application method for these colors is the ombre liner. I need to practice more obviously, but I find it quick, subtle, and delightful. I'm going to experiment with making it more opaque and thicker as well because these colors work SO well for this.

Overall
Overall this haul had the most hits out of all my indie hauls thus far, and actually probably the most hits out of any makeup splurge in general. Like I've had mini Sephora hauls in the past that ended in general disappointment but these shadows and lippies were all great. Highly highly recommend giving Christine's products a shot. My absolute favorites were Enchantress, Kai, Bartok, Chopin, Rose of the Vale, and Rainforest but honestly I think I was pleased with everything except for Greed (because I already have a bunch of golds, but the sticker makes it worth it haha).

Are there any brands you've found where you adore all or most of the products tried? Also, does anybody have any tips for getting more vibrant color payoff without using NYX Milk or Pixie Epoxy? Milk doesn't agree with my oily lids and Pixie Epoxy is too difficult for me to use in the morning, so any suggestions would be greatly appreciated~

Review: Morgana's Crypt Eyeshadows and Swatches

So Morgana's Crypt is another indie cosmetics company. They recently decided to downsize so they could focus on their lipsticks (which look gorgeous) and had a $3 for 1 tsp which was a pretty sweet deal, especially considering they have semi loose shadows instead of just loose. I thought these would make them easier to use, or at least faster since the semi loose wouldn't require a sticky base.

6 baggies of eyeshadows

I weighed them on my food scale and noticed slight differences in weight, 4 of the baggies measured .1 ounces, however two of them (Selene and Pyramid Scheme) didn't even register, which was a bit disappointing. However they were the two regular lose shadows I ordered, which may account for the difference. Also, Selene exploded a bit in transit (which of course would happen to my favorite one) but it still measured the same as Pyramid Scheme.

Spiritus Vini on my food scale.

Selene on my food scale.

But onto the swatches! From left to right it's Peeping Angels, Spiritus Vini, Labyrinth, Shrieking Angels, Pyramid Scheme, and Selene. All swatches were done with UDPP on top, bare skin in the middle, and a small stripe of Pixie Epoxy on the bottom.

Swatches indirect natural light.

Swatches in direct sunlight. 

So, quick thoughts!

• Peeping Angels (SL) - Rich, deep color. Less glittery than expected which is quite nice! Also is great even without a base which is fantastic. 
• Spiritus Vini (SL) - Really gorgeous multifaceted color, lots of glitter. Didn't perform as well on bare skin but is nice over primer and great over a sticky base like Pixie Epoxy. Kind of reminds me of Notoriously Morbid's Boe.
• Labyrinth (SL) - Quite sparkly. Though the base is purple it has magenta/pink sparkles, which makes it interesting.
• Shrieking Angels (SL) - This was an absolute pain swatching. It was more clumpy/wet than any of the other shadows, and getting it off the brush and onto the skin was trying. The color is very vibrant though, a very orangey red. 
• Pyramid Scheme - Really nice pink/champagne color. Applied like butter.
• Selene - Great neutral, applied like butter. A bit more golden than Pyramid Scheme and has a more metallic finish in person.

I was surprised that I preferred the "loose" to the semi loose shadows. It may have been the brush I was using, which was flat, but the two loose shadows applied much more smoothly than the others. They also applied a lot more smoothly than other loose indie shadows I've tried, and had less fallout. I also generally prefer more neutral shades, so the colors are much more wearable for me. I don't think you need both Selene and Pyramid Scheme though, since they are pretty similar. Peeping Angels seems like it'll be a good blending/outer color for Labyrinth.

TAT was a bit disappointing as well, I ordered on the 25th, got a shipping notice on the 15th, and received my package on the 19th. The estimated delivery when I placed the order was a solid week ahead of when I actually received it, and I placed my order really early in the sale, like wee hours of the morning I hadn't gone to sleep for the night yet hours. I also left a note to seller asking about jars (which she stated to do on Facebook) but she never contacted me about it and thus I received baggies, though I really would have preferred jars (especially since one of the baggies died in transit).

Overall it's a good deal (when she reopens, all of these shadows are final sale ah!) but none of the shadows I ordered were really mind blowing. The colors and the textures for all the eye shadows were good (except Shrieking Angels) but again, nothing screams amazing. It's worth checking out if you'd like a non loose shadow, or even a more buttery loose shadow. Selene may be incorporated into my go-to casual/daily makeup look if I can find a jar for it. Honestly though my experience wasn't too great, and I would rather recommend a company that I did have a good experience with over one that was subpar.