Month: March 2014

Unboxing: Le Métier de Beauté Beauty Vault VIP March 2014

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Hey everyone, just a quick post for today. 🙂 Before I left for Japan, I had gotten the March box from my Le Métier de Beauté Beauty Vault VIP Subscription. For those not in the know, it’s basically a monthly subscription box from Le Métier de Beauté. The box’s set-up is an upfront payment for all 12 months. Each box costs roughly around $30, and this is the seventh box so far. If you’re curious about the subscription, here are my posts on it. Sign-ups open back up after this round is done. Boxes often come in this manner, with crinkly shredded black paper as the padding, a handwritten note, and a beautiful box tied with a black LMdB ribbon. We received two items this month, the Le Métier de Beauté Ultra Hydration Eye Mask Duo and the Le Métier de Beauté Peau Vierge Correcteur Concealer, which is a product I’ve been longing to try but can’t seem to bring myself to because of the price tag. The Ultra Hydration Eye Mask Duo retails for …

This or That: Urban Decay Naked Eyeshadow Palettes

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With 3-and-a-half eyeshadow palettes, Urban Decay has proven that the neutral world is actually pretty expansive. Like I mentioned in my Naked 3 review, there is a total of 40 shades in the Naked line right now (2 are repeats), so what do you do when you can’t seem to pick which palette is the best one for you? You look for swatches online, of course! And, happily, I am here to oblige, as promised. Luckily, I have all 4 palettes at my disposal, so let’s begin, shall we?

5 Things Friday: Heroic “Extras”

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Todays 5 Things Friday features some extras in my routine that actually make a big difference. I call them extras because they’re not necessary steps to my routine, though they make a ton of difference. 1. MAC Fix+ This is essentially a setting spray to lock in your makeup, but you can also spray this on before makeup application or use it to apply your eyeshadows wet. I know there are many dupes around, but this is the one I have. 2. Le Métier de Beauté Peau Vierge Lash Growth This is a pricier version of the many lash growth serums that have become widely available, but it’s the one that’s suited to my sensitive eyes and it actually works! I can do without it, but no one in their right mind would say ‘no’ to slightly longer lashes. 3. Sara Happ Lip Scrub Again, something easily duplicated with the right DIY recipe. I don’t use scrubs that often, but when I do, my lips—and lipstick application—always thank me. 4. Bobbi Brown Hydrating Eye Cream …

Delayed Gratification, Kind Of: Urban Decay Naked 3 Eyeshadow Palette

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The Urban Decay Naked 3 was one of those very hyped-up beauty releases that I knew I really wanted but didn’t end up getting for one reason or another. Instead, my sister attempted to get this for me for Christmas… and she did, but with a very long delay. Which is fine, because I still like it and now I have it! (P.S. As of today, I haven’t bought a single lick of makeup for a month and a half. There is a threshold for new makeup and I have reached it.) True to the Naked tradition, the Naked 3 has twelve neutral eyeshadows, bumping the count of Naked neutrals to a total of 40. The Naked 2 has overlapping shades from both the Naked 1 (Half Baked) and the Naked Basics (Foxy). The booklet contains samples of 4 of their primer potion variants, two of which I already have. The eyeshadows are fixed in a lightest to darkest type of arrangement, sort of. — Strange: perhaps ironically~* named because it’s your standard matte off-white, …

Tried & Tested: NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer

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In a fit of consumerist desire, I bought the NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer near the beginning of the year. I got it along with the NARS Sheer Glow (review), which I absolutely love. I’m not really a concealer fiend, so I was very unsure of this purchase (but so quick to throw away the money!) and I felt even more unsure when I felt like I had gotten the wrong shade for me. My Sheer Glow shade is Punjab, which NARS has straightforwardly categorized as “Medium 1.” You would think that I had enough sense to pick up the Radiant Creamy Concealer in, similarly, “Medium 1,” but I went against this basic instinct and picked up “Medium 2,” or Ginger.

Made-Up History: Jenny Saville’s “Hyphen,” 1999

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(source) This is the first Made-Up History post in a while, huh? For the new people here who have no idea what I’m talking about, Made-Up History is a series I have been working on for a year or so where I take a piece of art that I am in deep like with and talk about it while kind of recreating what it feels like on my face. It’s not an art project where I duplicate it on my face, but I kind of distill it into a look that represents the work, or at least how I perceive it. For this edition of Made- Up History, I have Jenny Saville’s “Hyphen,” which was completed in 1999. Jenny Saville is one of my favorite artists, though I’m sure her work unnerves a lot of people. I have picked a rather tame work—a portrait of herself and her sister—but she is known for depicting a lot of graphic themes in her work. I was a little wary of picking her for this because a) she …

Sample Stash Sunday: Darling Girl Cosmetics

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I don’t know what happened, but I went sampler-crazy in January. There were a lot more brands I wanted to try but didn’t get to (i.e. Fyrinnae, Black Rose Minerals, Aromaleigh, etc) because they don’t ship to the Philippines. However, I have had my fill of indies for now, I think. (I’m still expecting parcels from Victorian Disco, Notoriously Morbid and Hello Waffle… So yes. I have a problem.) Aside from all of that, though, I picked up a 10-sampler pack from Darling Girl Cosmetics. It’s one of the indie brands that I hear frequently, so I thought it might be a safe place to start. They have quite an extensive collection of collections (lol), including an all-matte one called MILF or Matte I’d Like to Find. I love their musically-named ones, too. Here’s what I ended up getting: And somehow, I ended up receiving one more sample baggie and this GWP: Swatched, L-R: Vicar in a Tutu, Saddle Up, Heaving Bosom, Between the Sheets, Naughty Bits, Bodice Ripper, Tainted Love, Miss Argentina, Pirate’s Booty, …