NAILS: Illamasqua "Phallic" Nail Varnish

Do you like nailpolish?  yes.
Do you like vibrant colors?  yes.
Do you like a variety of finishes?  yes.


Illamasqua is pretty well known in the makeup community for having some of the most versatile and pigmented makeup on the market today.  It *is* makeup for your alter ego after all and it holds true straight through to their nail varnishes.

They are long wearing and chip resistant (although admittedly I've yet to find a chip-resistant nail formula working 2 hardcore retail jobs...) and come in a huge range of colors from white all the way through to electric purple and blood red to black.

Phallic is definitely one of my favorite nail polishes in my collection - it's pretty unique to my collection, though I'm sure you can find something similar in other brands.  It's a deep midnight blue with blue and purple shimmer shot through it -- one color I did recently purchase is Sephora by OPI's "Countdown to the Kiss" which is an opaque royal blue with shimmer shot through.  Close, but not a perfect dupe.

Head past the jump for the photos and more information!

Thoughts: Sephora Jumbo Liner 12-Hour Wear Waterproof

The very first thing I have to say about this product is that the name is SO DARN LONG and I never remember what it actually is.  Haha.  Bad me.

The Sephora Jumbo Liners are akin to many jumbo shadow pencils (Tarte has some, MAC at one point had a lovely range shadesticks, and we can't forget the ever infamous NYX Jumbo Pencils).  Akin to the Tarte pencils, and differing from the MAC and NYX ones - these ones really do live up to their claims of 12-hour wear, and they're waterproof.  Did I mention they're waterproof?  Because they really are - I can't get them off without a dual-phase remover (think Lancome Bi-Facils or Clinique's Take the Day Off)

I have a handful of these - not only the three pictured after the jump but also a grey and a deep purple as well (I took these photos before the tragic loss of the original blog posts *tear*)

They are creamy and easy to apply, but don't fall apart when you try to sharpen them - at least - not in my experiences.  You do need a larger sharpener (and I'd like to interject here with a tip that the best pencil sharpener I have is a NARS one - best $6 I've ever spent in my life!) but they don't mush into the chamber as you turn the pencil against the blade!

I still like to use mine over a primer (and I've got an upcoming blogpost about favorite primers!) but they wear anywhere between 12 and 15 hours on me without one (please note that I have a fairly normal eyelid...I don't have oily lids at all...oilier lid types may still want their primer of choice underneath as oil melts makeup)

They're super affordable at $10 a liner and come in a bunch of amazing shades ranging from a shimmery white to the blackest black I've ever seen!

Head past the jump for photos!

Vintage FOTD: Dustin Hunter Inspired

IF YOU DO NOT KNOW WHO DUSTY IS...please click the following BLOG link and YOUTUBE link and follow/subscribe now.  Best. Life. Decision. Ever.

Haha.  (alsoyoushouldorderhiscdorbuyitonitunesbecauseitsamazing....justsaying.)

Here's Dusty's original youtube video on the look, and then my interpretation of the look can be found past the jump! :)

Vintage FOTD: Tokidoki Inspired (Mozzarella)

Hey guys!  Time for another vintage FOTD - this one was from late spring/early summer 2011.
---------------

Tokidoki (or "sometimes" in Japanese) is a lifestyle brand created by Italian artist Simone Legno back in 2005.

The line includes apparel, footwear, accessories, jewelry, toys, and makeup among other things!

You may have noticed the cute characters or the trademark heart-and-crossbones logo of the brand (which, by the way, I think is super cute!  I'll have to pull out my Smashbox Fusion Lights that Em Wyllie (youtube) gave me that has the logo on it sometime!)

I think that the characters are adorable and they're fantastic for makeup inspiration -- head past the jump to see my interpretation of the character Mozzarella.  (photo for reference if you don't know who he is)

Fun Finds: Beauty Investigator

If you guys follow Lisa Eldridge...or her blog...you've probably already seen the link to the Beauty Investigator Website.  If you don't...GO THERE NOW!!!

Super interesting photos/images/history...definitely worth a look around!


http://thebeautyinvestigator.com/

First Impressions: INGLOT Cosmetics

The internet has been abuzz for many many months now with a company that I'm sure you've all heard of by now - INGLOT Cosmetics.  (the website in that link is Inglot's USA site!)

They've been promoted heavily by gurus on youtube as well as being present at the many variations of highly anticipated makeup shows that go on throughout the year (i.e.: IMATS, The Makeup Show...)

If I'm correct in recalling my information, it's is a Polish brand and something like 95% of their products are produced in the European Union - which I think is amazing - I'm not going to get started on debates about where makeup is made and why [insert country of origin here] is good/bad....but I just think it's awesome when a company has a direct handle in the products they manufacture.

For us in the USA it's also awesome as there is now a flagship store in Chelsea, NYC and plenty of other locations to find their amazing products (Vegas, Jersey, Costa Mesa, Chi-town, SanFran just to name a few)!

I finally broke down when I realized that my beloved MAC Chromaline is drying out (I mean, I've had it FOREVER and it's just now starting to get to the point where it's a pain to work with) and I wanted to try something new...

Head past the jump to see my purchase and my thoughts on the products I received!

Roundup: Halloween 2011

So if you do read my blog, you'll have no doubtedly noticed the teaser post for Halloween 2011.  Originally I was going to blog each look each day (basically, I like to do Halloween for a week at my jobs and since they're so awesome they both let me!) but a power outage in the middle of it kind of ruined things.

THEREFORE

If you head past the jump, you'll be privy to all of the 2011 Halloween looks (and the youtube video I slapped together of them!)