November IMAM Challenge Roundup

I've managed to mostly stick to the IMAM challenge themes everyday- I just haven't really kept up with posting them. Here's the first half of the month!
Day 5: King Tut
Little Sparrows "Sin" blended out with Shiro's Constant Vigilance and Blackbird's Lucid as a liner

Day 7: Stormy Weather

Here I used Aromaleigh "Perichor" blended out into "Too Old, Too Poor, Too Dangerous" I forgot to take a picture until later in the evening so it's a little dark. 

 This is supposed to be all about the eyes but my makeup looked much more dramatic at 6 am in the dark when I did so as to not wake my roommate, I promise.

 Day 11: This is my standard pin up makeup featuring Detrivore's "My Hands are Cold" as my lid color.

 Day 12: Contrast. Here, I just really played up my paleness with NM's Lilith on the lips and Shiro's "Just as Sane as I Am" on the lid

 Day 13: Least Favorite Product
For me, it is DEFINITELY blush. I have an extremely round face with wide eyes and I always end up looking like an infant. Here I used Aromaleigh's Valkyrie, Mater Matutda, and Orion on the lid. Foundation is Aromaleigh medium coverage in 2CL

 Day 15: Pumpkin Spice!
I used the goodies from the Kiss My Sass subscription. Tiramisu lip tint, affogato on the lid (apparently it's actually a highlighter. Oops), Espresso on the outer third/crease.

I also did all about the lips, but I didn't get a good picture of that day. I wore Fyrinnae's Winter Romance with just basic eyeliner/mascara. 

Overall I think I'm doing pretty well. 11/15 this half of the month- I'm going to shoot for 15/15 for the second half!

November 3rd- Glitter

I had two class presentations today so I didn't really go all out on the glitter front- instead I played with my new shinies from the Shiro Harry Potter collection that launched last month.

I started with a layer of "That's Chess!" on my lid and blended it out in my inner corners and the top inside half of the edge with Hello Waffle's "Eat Me" over a base of NYX Milk and UDPP. I used Aromaleigh's Mineral foundation in 2CL/2C mixed together with the highlighter from the May box called "Marquess" to give my cheeks some glitter as well. I went with a perfectly matte lip using "Debbie" from Lonely Planet Co (highly recommend, it lasted 8+ hours on me). I'm super proud of my blending today- there weren't any harsh lines and there is usually at least one between my two eyes when I try to blend darker eyeshadows. 

Long Time, No post- Plus IMAM November Makeup Challenge!

So it's been forever since I posted, but the IMAM makeup challenge seemed too perfect. I want really try to do most of the November themes so I'm going to post my progress here because half my instagram followers are friends and family who have no concept of selfies and makeup challenges

November 2nd: Duochromes

For this look I used two Aromaleigh shades: Striga from the Galactic Mission One collection and Everlasting Credit from the now discontinued Hunger Games collection. I'm still getting the hang of glitter glue so my blending leaves something to be desired, but I really liked how the color turned out. Usually I avoid blues and blue-leaning greens but this one turned out surprisingly wearable on me. 

A Long Overdue Update and My Current Holy Grail Products

Hi guys!
It's been a crazy long time since I've updated, mostly due to extreme procrastination on my part. There's a snow day right now so I'm working on some photos while I have okay lighting and getting some of my pile of homeowrk done when I have the chance. To tide you over for a little while longer I've crafted a list of my current Holy Grail Status products, a combination of drugstore, indie, and mid-end products.

1. L'Oreal Butterfly Intenza Mascara in Black
2. Rimmel London Retro Curves Mascara in Blackest Black
3. Clinique Age Defense BB Cream in Shade 01
4. Fergie by Wet 'n Wild Take on the Day Shadow Primer
5. Aromaleigh Viole Powder Foundation in 2CL
6. NYX Round Lipstick in Snow White
7. Wet 'n Wild Moisturizing Lipstick in Ring Around the Rosy
8. Kiss My Sass Lipstick in Glamping
9. Alchimnia Apothecary Eyeshadow Incognito
10. Aromaleigh Eyeshadow in Wingardium Liveosa
11. Blackbird Matte Eyeshadow in Thirteen

This is just a small sample. I hope to review these products in a more  extensive post in the coming weeks, but we'll see what my class load is like. 

Review of TenThree Labs Hanging Tree Collection

     So I've been behind on posting my reviews of this. It's just so pretty I needed to post it. Technically the collection is discontinued but the perfume and smudge stick are both back for a short time until January 15th! I ordered these during Black Friday, TAT was a bit long but the owner received over 200 orders and kept all of us updated throughout the whole process. Preparing for 25 orders and receiving 200 is a huge difference so all is forgiven in my opinion. Here's some swatches for the pretties.

Packaging! Very professional and eye catching the labels seem like they will hold up well.

Lids removed.

Swatches over NYX Milk, Fergie Take on the Day primer, bare skin. 

Top to Bottom: You Burn With Us (NOV COTM but I included it as a defacto member of the collection), Not Real, Real, and Ash on Leather. Hijacked pictured on the bottom though I couldn't get the green shift to show up in any photos.

Diffused daylight

Half Light

Swatches of the free GWP "bow down" I was supposed to get a full size but sadly she ran out before my order. Glitter stick in "Yukon" very pigmented and I like it quite a bit. The gold and red will look nice over a lipstick for a night out. 

         You Burn With Us was a runaway favorite for me but Real was also very well mixed in my opinion. It's a nice taupe with gold undertones that I think will play well with my admittedly extensive collection of golds. Ash on Leather is a bit too blue for my tastes but it will be workable for a dramatic eye outer v or as a liner I think.  

        Typically, I don't consider using a "blogger discount" since I don't consider myself a "real" blogger. However I need all the smudge sticks and a salve stick in peppermint. Either way, another TenThree order is in the books very soon.

January 2015 Project Pan product list!

This month I am participating in Project Pan! I've let my collection get a little out of control due to stress buying so now I'm on a low buy and working to use up my stash. This month I'm working on:





1. Female Titan AFK Cosmetics sample | 95% | nice wash color, but I have others I prefer that are more pink toned like me.
2. Fyrinnae Lip Lustre in Winter's Romance mini | 100% | oddly in love with this. I will even suffer the applicator for it.
3. Alchimia sample in Penny Loafer | 75% | I stressed about running out since they discontinued it, convinced Erin to sell me a FS and now I still haven't used the sample up.
4. Alchimia sample in Incognito | 75% | see above.
5. Benefit Bad Gal travel size liners | 98% | Bought over BF to see if Mid End eyeliner was seriously better than drugstore (Rimmel, my first love) spoiler alert: they aren't.
6. Shiro sample in No Men Like Me | 45% | Got a mini in a swap so now I can stop hoarding the sample.
7. Shiro sample in A Regular Bears Meeting | 95% | I collected way too many browns, time to start culling them out.
8. ELF concealer in Fair | 40% | A bit too yellow for my tastes. I've found what I think is my HG concealer that is actually pink toned enough for me so I want to knock this out.




I know I probably won't finish these but I'm going to give it a shot! Are you participating in Project Pan? If you are let me know what you are working on this month!

Run, Don't Walk to Aromaleigh Clearance Sale

SO guys, I've become a bit of an Aromaleigh addict in the last few weeks. So far I've made an order with the old site, the new site, signed up for the sub box, and made a second order yesterday. So many shades! Admittedly, some shades start to look similar after a while as she really favors rose golds and purples. Today I am swatching and reviewing one of her older collections, the "Ever in Your Favor" Hunger Games themed collection. It can be found here on her old website. The collection was discontinued, once her current stock sells out the collection is gone. In light of this I chose to review this collection first of the several reviews that are waiting to be done.

First up, swatches: Pictured over NYX Milk, Fergie take on the day primer, and bare skin. Pictures were slightly color corrected to accommodate for the dreary grey sky.
Colors from top to bottom: Oddly Ostentanious, After the Dark Days, Act of Defiance, Poisonous Nightlock, Rabid, Feral. Mad., Inital Bloodbath, Bragging Rights, Pentulant Affluence, Everlasting Credit, Silver Parachute.

The swatches are pretty true to color, but Rabid. Feral. Mad. has a beautiful cranberry undertone that didn't pick up well in the swatches. 

For me, the standouts of this collection are Silver Parachute, Everlasting Credit, and Rabid. Feral. Mad.  Rabid. Feral. Mad. is just extremely unique with the glitter and purple shade with the cranberry undertone. I've seen pink undertones but no cranberry. The other two are amazing highlight shades. I struggle to find nice highlight shades that aren't just white since I'm kinda milky pale, especially around the eyes.

The collection is definitely on the brighter side for Aromaleigh, and the formulation is slightly different from the new formulation they use now. It works much better with a basic primer, the sticky base brings out the colors but mutes the sparkles a little. The three reds/pinks are not lip safe or vegan. If they were I probably have made them into lipsticks like I did with my reds from Shiro. Currently samples are 0.50 and full sizes are $3.25. There are several other collections on half off on the site I linked to from old stock she still has around after her big reformulation this fall. 

I think Aromaleigh is definitely one of my new favorites. I have blush and foundation on the way from them as well. Admittedly, I bought the blush because it's lip safe Sherlock colors I can smear on mouth, but I will swatch them nonetheless. TAT was less than a week even during the holiday season while she was trying to arrange for her new subscription box. If you order from the main site and the old sale site she will combine orders and refund part of the cost of shipping, which I think is terribly nice of her.   

Stay tuned for a review of the Ten Three Labs Hanging Tree collection, Aromaleigh Brillant Deductions collection, and a fumbling attempt at a scent review or two!