Makeup =/= High Maintenance

I find myself clicking a lot of links as I tour my university's career services website. One of these links had advice for what not to wear to an interview and had this gem about eye makeup:

Too much eyeliner and shadow will only start to bleed and smear as the day goes on (and who has time for touch-ups?) so use eye makeup sparingly.

Now, I'm not disagreeing that some looks aren't office friendly. However, I find this reason laughable. I can only conclude that these writers either a) suck in their makeup application, b) have a job that involves dipping their faces in coconut oil,  or c) have no idea what they're talking about.

For reference, I am a server. This is probably a little bit more stressful on your face than an office nine-to-five as there's lots of sweating and risk of ranch dressing splattering on my face. (It's happened before.) So I did a little experiment, applying my eye makeup as usual. Here's me an hour before leaving for work:

I blended a little more after this picture was taken. Sorry y'all.

And here's what I looked like after a six-hour shift. Excuse the coloring. Yay artificial light!

...Hm. Not seeing a lot of this bleeding. Let's look again.

My wings are faded a bit, which is par for the course for me. Other than that, my eyeshadow really hasn't budged. Would I wear this look to an office job? Eh, depends. Probably not. The point is, "because it will bleed/smear" is a really crappy reason not to wear eye makeup.

If you want to ensure your eyeshadow stays on like mine, I rely on two steps in my makeup routine.

1. Eye Primer - No, seriously, buy it. Drugstore is better than nothing, but mid-end/high-end is the best. Robyn has a great comparison here. I was an Urban Decay devotee until I bought Too Faced Shadow Insurance on sale. My HG (Holy Grail), though, is definitely LORAC Behind the Scenes primer. I got a deluxe sample with my Pro Palette and OMFG. This stuff does not budge. Ever. I use that on days when I put my makeup on early and need it to last through a dinner shift. For my standard 6-8 hours, I go with the Shadow Insurance. Whatever you get, it will not only increase the life of your eyeshadows, it can make colors appear more pigmented. 
2. Setting Spray - This helps keep my whole face on, so to speak. The only ones I've tried are by Urban Decay. I can't tell a difference between All Nighter and Deslick, though the latter is apparently better for oily skin. You can also allegedly make your own using glycerin, but I don't trust the Internet that much. Also, I'm lazy. 

So, there you have it. The myth that eye makeup necessarily smears/fades over a workday debunked, and the reasons mine stays on so damn well. Go forth and be fabulous. 

Revlon Colorburst Matte Balms (Review)

Usually, I am all about shiny. Sparkly eyeshadow? Silver shoes? Get at me. When it comes to my lips, though, sometimes I just crave a matte finish. This partially, but not completely, explains my addiction Revlon's matte balms. The rest can be explained by the opacity and ease of application. I love bright/pigmented lips but, as a server, I can't take time to reapply during a Friday night shift. I need something I can reapply with one hand while carrying five drinks and/or flipping off a coworker with the other. These fit the bill!

Revlon released ten of these shades. Over the past few months, I have collected five. This should give you an idea of how damn good these things are.

Revlon Matte Balms in Audacious, Unapologetic, Sultry, Standout, and Shameless

The tubes are fairly simple. I like that they're roughly the same color as the balms themselves, because it makes them easy to find. They look like oversized crayons, with one glorious difference: when you start to run out of product, you twist the silver portion at the bottom to get more. This glides up and down quite gracefully, which is good if you're easily entertained as I am.

Audacious

These have a slight mint scent as they glide on, which is a plus for 99% of the population and a minus if you are someone who hates mint, like me. Fortunately, it's bearable. These are some of the most moisturizing lip colors I've ever worn. I experience drying when I wear them, but it is minimal.

Onward to the colors! 

Left to right: Audacious, Unapologetic, Sultry, Standout, Shameless

 Audacious is an orange-y coral.

Audacious. Excuse the blurriness. 

Unapologetic is a beautiful medium pink, perfect for spring.

Unapologetic

Sultry is a dusty pink. Perfect for days when I don't want too much color but want something on my lips.

Sultry

Standout is a red that looks a bit darker in the tube, but comes out as just a hair darker than true red on me.

Standout

Shameless is a purple that leans dark on me.

Shameless (OH GOD MY POOR BANGS. Getting a trim this week, I swear.)

For an idea of their staying power, I wore one to work today and vowed not to reapply. Here's what it looked like after four hours and copious snacking:

Very minimal fading. What did fade is mostly around the inside of my lips, which I have trouble keeping color on anyway.

Overall, I love these things. They're easy to apply and re-apply, opaque in just a few swipes, and long-lasting. Perfect for those of us who don't have time to worry about how our lips look at work!

Revlon Colorburst Matte Balms retail for $8.99 apiece.

Ipsy - April 2014

Oh, Ipsy. So hit or miss. This month was a ridiculous hit, featuring awesome brands, great products, and SUCH GREAT VALUE.

For those of you unfamiliar with Ipsy, it's a $10/month subscription service. You fill out a survey, and each month, you get 4-5 beauty products plus the bag they come in.

Ipsy, April 2014

The bag itself is purple and features a record with the slogan of the month - "Beauty Rocks!" It's juvenile as hell, but I still like it more than last month's avant-garde design that looked to me like it was trying to imitate something and failing. But really, I don't get Ipsy for the bag, and there's only been one I loved so far. Onto the goodies!

Urban Decay 24/7 Velvet Liner - Retail value $15
This was the item that every Ipsy subscriber this month received. I'm definitely an Urban Decay devotee - expect a review of their Electric Palette soon! - so I was excited to get a new liner to replace the black liner I killed back in high school. (Such raccoon eyes. WHY.) The liner isn't as dark as I would have expected, but it glides on nice and smooth and is easy to smoke out. This will definitely get used!

Cailyn Tinted Lip Balm in Acid Pink - Retail value $19
Oh, Cailyn. This a great color. You have a brush in the packaging, which makes you awesome. So why do you market this as a lip balm!? It's definitely not moisturizing. Is it as drying as the worst lip things I've tried? No. But it's definitely no balm! That being said, the color's beautiful and nearly opaque with just one pass on the lips. I think it's obscenely overpriced, so I wouldn't buy it, but I'll use this.

City Color White Gold Shadow and Highlight Mousse - Retail value $2.99
City Color is ridiculously cheap. I received a blush from them in February's bag, and was pleased with the quality and size. I'm also all about shiny, highlight-y things, so I was pumped to try this mousse! It's glittery, a light gold, and absolutely stunning. If you want subtlety, this is NOT the product for you. However, if you love products that require a little to go a long way and are SO SPARKLY OMFG, you'll use the crap out of this. I already have three other highlighters and I'm still going to use this.

Benefit Lollitint - Retail value $6
BENEFIT BENEFIT BENEFIT. I love you, but I hate your prices. I was so excited to get to try this! Lollitint is a beautiful purple-ish color. It's in-your-face going on, but blended out will give you a light stain that lasts all day. The sample size may be tiny, but it's one of those products where you don't need to use much. While I might be tempted to purchase the full size when I'm done with this, I won't for one reason: the damn applicator! The applicator in the mini is better than the full size, but that's not saying much. This is the ridiculous way Benefit wants you to apply its cheek tints to your face:

Really? WHY.

Fortunately, Benefit seems to have realized their error and is releasing their tints - Benetint, Chachatint, Lollitint, Posietint - in balm form! 

OMG YAY.

These beauties are coming out in June, and I will definitely pick at least one up. Only question - Lolli or Chacha?

Kiss Lashes - Retail value $7

I looooove false lashes. I generally don't have the patience to deal with them and I am terrible at putting them on, but I still love them. These aren't my usual cup of tea - I'm not sure I like the way some lashes are longer than others - but I'll give them a shot.

Top to bottom: Lollitint (Blended), City Color, UD (two swipes), Cailyn

Overall, this bag had a value of nearly $50, and I'm going to use every single product in it. THAT'S RIDICULOUS. This probably means next month will be worse than January's skincare/haircare bag, but honestly, it'll be worth it.

If you'd like to join Ipsy and get me points at the same time so I can buy even more makeup, you're welcome to join here.

Little Sparrow Cosmetics

I've been getting massively into indie makeup companies lately. Cheap prices, great quality, and they often have superfun themes and colors bigger companies don't. My latest haul came from Little Sparrow, a shop based out of Knoxville, Tennessee. Jessica specializes in lip colors called "lip jellies", blushes, and eyeshadows.

I saw a swatch of one of her lipsticks called "Gold Medal" and instantly had to order it. Because... SHINY.

I decided to just get Gold Medal, and shipping was a reasonable $2. I placed my order April 4th and it arrived on April 15th, which is a fabulous turnaround time for a one-woman show!

This is what I found when I opened the package. DESPICABLE ME DUCT TAPE, GUYS!

I was surprised to find TWO more tubes in my package. Samples are common in the indie world, but two full-sized lip stuffs? Awesome! Jessica threw in a lip jelly in Raspberry Tart and a lip balm in Bubble Gum.

Unfortunately, I cannot stand the smell of Bubble Gum. It smells... well, like bubble gum. I'm not sure if it's too sickly sweet for me or if this is due to an unpleasant incident with bubble gum vodka, but either way, it's not getting used.

Pleasantly, the other two lippies are a different story.

Raspberry Tart Lip Jelly on my lips

OMG SO PRETTY. Raspberry Tart is a beautiful dark pink that I will definitely wear this summer! The formula glides on lips nice and easily. I can't speak to its lasting power as my lip colors never last as long as other bloggers, but this was perfectly adequate.

Gold Medal Lipstick on my lips in atrocious lighting

SO PURTY. Unfortunately, it's a little bit drier than the lip jelly and doesn't go on as smoothly. It also leans a lot more greenish than the swatch indicates. It's still super pretty, though, and easy to build up to opacity. I'm also excited to try this one out over other colors!

I'm already planning my second order from Little Sparrow, and I definitely intend to pick up a lip jelly in Blueberry. Overall, I highly recommend Little Sparrow!