I'm late for Mardi Gras too?! (starring Juvia's Place)

I could've sworn that Mardi Gras was in March sometime.

To be fair, I never really get the opportunity to celebrate Mardi Gras. The only memories I have of Mardi Gras are childhood ones, which involved eating King cake and being paranoid about accidentally swallowing the baby Jesus, and going to New Orleans with my half Cajun, half Southern family and walking down Bourbon Street (in the daytime, of course), eating beignets in the French Quarter, walking through the winter wonderland of the Fairmont Hotel, and finding the most hilariously lewd necklaces and T-Shirts in the souvenir shops. I haven't stepped foot in New Orleans in almost twenty years, so it's pretty natural for me to have no idea of when Mardi Gras is, but I might have to rectify that before I make any plans to move out of the country. Either way, I digress; don't be mad at me. Here's a look!

And some over exposed Snapchat-filtered pictures

I'm late as hell for Mardi Gras but I'm in love with this look! I was worried it would be too gaudy and I got a little intimidated around the time I started applied the first green, but it came out so much better than I could have imagined! Here's the details:

FACE:

Primer:

• Wet 'N Wild PhotoFocus Matte Face Primer on my T-Zone
• Mac Prep + Prime

 Concealer:

• E.L.F. Orange Concealer Stick under the Tarte Shape Tape in Deep on my mouth and the shadows on my cheek, and the Shape Tape paired with the Wet N Wild PhotoFocus Concealer in Medium/Deep Tan under my eyes.

Foundation: CoverGirl Queen Collection All Day Flawless 3-in-1 Foundation in Q825 Golden Honey

• Applied with a fake version of the Farsali Rose Gold Elixir, and enhanced by the Wet N Wild Hello Halo Liquid Highlighter in Goddess Glow under my eyes, and Go With The Glow on my forehead and chin.

Face Powder: Ben Nye Luxury Powder in Sienna (which, I've realized, makes my face too dark yay! What am I gonna do?!)

Under Eye Setting Powder: Maybelline Fit Me! Loose Setting Powder in Deep

BROWS:

Outline: ColourPop Brow Pencil in Black 'n Brown

Filler: E.L.F. Brow Kit in Dark

Browbone Highlight: L.A. Girl HD Pro Concealer in Toffee

 

EYES:

Primer: L.A. Girl HD Pro Concealer in Toffee

Shadows:

• Transition: Fulani, in the Juvia's Place The Masquerade Palette, topped with the purple shade in the Juvia's Place The Zulu Palette, and a little bit of Haze, in the Bad Habit Beauty Aura Palette on the very edges
• Lid: Makeda, in the Juvia's Place The Masquerade Palette
• Lower Lash Line: Mali, in the Juvia's Place The Masquerade Palette, with Ecstasy, in the Bad Habit Beauty Aura Palette on top of the outer third, and the green shimmer shade in The Zulu Palette on top of the inner third, all kind of smoked out by Egypt, in the Juvia's Place The Nubian II Palette
• Inner Corner: Nairobi, in the Juvia's Place The Nubian II Palette

 

Eyeliner: Wet 'N Wild ProLine Graphic Marker Eyeliner with the Kat Von D Tattoo Eyeliner in Trooper to start out that dramatic ass wing
Mascara: Ruby Kisses Very Sexy Mascara on the bottom lashes

Lashes: Kiss Lash Couture Faux Mink Lashes in Boudoir

CONTOUR:

Ruby Kisses 3D Contour Palette in Medium Dark

HIGHLIGHT:

Casablanca, in the Juvia's Place The Masquerade palette, topped with Nairobi, in the Juvia's Place The Nubian II Palette, with a little bit of Aziza, in the Juvia's Place The Saharan II Palette on top just to be extra

BLUSH:

Yara, in the Juvia's Place The Saharan Blush Palette Vol II

LIPS:

NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in London

Moral of the story is, when you need a really good colorful look (and apparently a bomb ass multifaceted highlight), Juvia's Place will never steer you wrong. Honestly I don't know why I have highlighters anymore; this highlight completely blew my mind! I've also realized that I've been spoiled by Fix+. I thought that my Kiss NY spray was booty in comparison to Fix+ and my Milani spray, but after using my Milani spray on this look, I realize that, in comparison to Fix+, it's booty too. So now I've been sucked into the void of having to spend $26 on a setting spray, or $12 on the minis. I think I can work with that some kind of way. Thanks for reading!

x Ashlan

Happy belated Valentine's Day?

This is embarrassing.

I said that I was going to do a Valentine's Day post on Valentine's Day; I had done a look in advance and everything. And yet here we are, four days later, you shaking your head at me, me looking pitiful. I'm supposed to be doing better in 2018.

I think the problem is that I did the look in advance for ahem reasons (which is funny because I didn't even use the look for what I wanted to use it for anyway) so there was no urgent need to do the blog post. I should've done the blog post that same day and just saved it, but it's neither here nor there now. 

See, for your forgiveness, I was supposed to give you two looks with details, but I seem to have deleted the details for one of the looks I had done, and therefore can't post it because I haven't the slightest idea of what I used. I'm gonna deactivate this blog after this post.

 

This look still has the whole pinky Valentine's Day-esque vibe going on, so maybe that's not too bad? I don't know; this is a train wreck.

FACE:

Primer:

• Wet 'N Wild PhotoFocus Matte Face Primer on my T-Zone
• Nicka K New York Ultra Smoothing Makeup Primer

 Concealer:

• E.L.F. Orange Concealer Stick under the Tarte Shape Tape in Deep on my mouth, and the Shape Tape paired with the Wet N Wild PhotoFocus Concealer in Medium/Deep Tan under my eyes.

Foundation: CoverGirl Queen Collection All Day Flawless 3-in-1 Foundation in Q825 Golden Honey

• Applied with a fake version of the Farsali Rose Gold Elixir, and enhanced by the Wet N Wild Hello Halo Liquid Highlighter in Goddess Glow under my eyes, and Go With The Glow on my forehead and chin.

Face Powder: Ben Nye Luxury Powder in Sienna

Under Eye Setting Powder: Maybelline Fit Me! Loose Setting Powder in Medium Deep

 

BROWS:

Outline: ColourPop Brow Pencil in Black 'n Brown

Filler: E.L.F. Brow Kit in Dark

Browbone Highlight: L.A. Girl HD Pro Concealer in Toffee

 

EYES:

Primer: L.A. Girl HD Pro Concealer in Toffee

Shadows:

• Transition: Warmth, in the Bad Habit Inferno Palette
• Crease: Hot Spot and Smolder, in the Bad Habit Inferno Palette
• Lid: Burn, in the Bad Habit Inferno Palette, with Ahora, in the Juvia's Place The Saharan II Palette on top
• Lower Lash Line: Hot Spot and Smolder, in the Bad Habit Inferno Palette
• Inner Corner: Marrakesh, in the Juvia's Place The Saharan II Palette

 

Eyeliner: Wet 'N Wild ProLine Graphic Marker Eyeliner
Mascara: Ruby Kisses Very Sexy Mascara on the bottom lashes

Lashes: E.L.F. Luxe Lash Kit in Winged & Polished

 

CONTOUR:

Ruby Kisses 3D Contour Palette in Medium Dark

 

HIGHLIGHT:

Tan Lines, in the Bad Habit Oasis Highlight Kit, with Marrakesh, in the Juvia's Place The Saharan II Palette on top

 

BLUSH:

Milani Baked Blush in Rose d'Oro

 
LIPS:

Nicka K New York Lip Gloss in Chocolate Cosmos to act as a liner of sorts (I couldn't find my liner), paired with the Milani Amore Shine Lip Gloss in Foxy Sexy

Honestly I'm surprised you stuck around this long to read the end of this post, but I thank you for it anyway. I promise to be more put together and ready in my next post, which will hopefully be soon!

x Ashlan

Let's talk about Bad Habit.

Hello, welcome back. Grab a s'more and a seat.

So, I'm a sucker for new releases just as bad as any other makeup obsessed person out there. It has taken some real effort me to say "no thanks, I don't really need that" to a lot of new releases that have come out over the past year or so, especially high end products. I've skipped on many a Anastasia Beverly Hills palette, many a foundation, many a highlighter, as much as it has pained me, and while I'm still broke, mind you, I am proud of myself for not cluttering my collection up with stuff too expensive for me to feel like I can play around with on a regular.

However.

This is the age of the dupe, specifically the age of the very obvious dupe. Makeup Revolution has been doing it for years, though their palettes have been a little subtler about their duplicating, but just recently I have discovered the beauty that is Bad Habit Beauty. Bad Habit is the king of the obvious dupe, I'm going to go ahead and claim it right now. They've gone after Natasha Denona, Anastasia Beverly Hills, Urban Decay, Fenty Beauty and, most recently, the little Huda Beauty mini palettes whose names escape me at the moment. But it's one thing for the palettes to just be obvious visual dupes; these palettes are damn near close in quality, as well. Granted, I haven't tried any of the Makeup Revolution Reloaded palettes (though I am dying to, and probably will in the very near future), at this moment in time, based off of the palettes that I have been able to try, I can say that Bad Habit has them and every other lower end brand of makeup beat when it comes to quality in their products. Packaging? Check. Pigmentation? Check check. Smoothness? Check three times. Every palette that I have bought from them has been amazing, and I have purchased many:

From top to bottom, left to right: Retro Love aka the Subculture palette from ABH, Inferno aka UD Naked Heat, Aura aka the Prism palette from ABH, Solstice aka the Sunset palette from ND, Artistry aka the Master Palette by Mario from ABH, the Oasis Highlight Kit aka the 3D Highlighter Palette (Gold Sand Edition) from Huda Beauty, Athena aka the Desert Dusk palette from Huda Beauty

I have yet to be failed when it comes to Bad Habit. I've heard that some people have complaints about the obvious duping of higher end palettes, but I personally find absolutely nothing wrong with it. If the higher end palettes are the best on the market, then they shouldn't be worried about sales; their product should back up their pricing, in my opinion. As for me, I'm a makeup lover on a budget, and I can't afford to drop $50 on one palette, and I'm not in the mood to save up the money for it over weeks, or charge it to a credit card, just to say that I have it. I don't get a chance to wear makeup very much, so it's nice to have cheaper alternatives.

Anyway, I digress. I got the Retro Love, Inferno and Aura palettes yesterday, and here are my swatches:

I thought I was cute today, y'all

I was super really excited with how this came out! It's a little more chocolate raspberry in the crease instead of the deep chocolate that I was going for, but it's a beautiful alternative! I ruined it with a lash mishap, but I'm still really happy with it! And am also really angry with Kiss for changing the style of my favorite lashes. Anyway, details below!

FACE:

Primer:

• HM Mattifying Primer on my T-Zone
• Trust Fund Beauty Gimme Good Face Primer

 Concealer:

• L.A. Girl HD Pro Orange Corrector, Wet N Wild PhotoFocus Concealer in Dark Cocoa on my mouth and under my eyes, Tarte Shape Tape in Deep, as well as Wet N Wild PhotoFocus Concealer in Medium/Deep Tan under my eyes.

Foundation: CoverGirl Queen Collection All Day Flawless 3-in-1 Foundation in Q825 Golden Honey

• Applied with a fake version of the Farsali Rose Gold Elixir, and enhanced by the Wet N Wild Hello Halo Liquid Highlighter in Goddess Glow

Face Powder: Ben Nye Luxury Powder in Sienna

Under Eye Setting Powder: Maybelline Fit Me! Loose Setting Powder in Deep

 

BROWS:

Outline: ColourPop Brow Pencil in Black 'n Brown

Filler: E.L.F. Brow Kit in Dark

Browbone Highlight: L.A. Girl HD Pro Concealer in Toffee

 

EYES:

Primer: L.A. Girl HD Pro Concealer in Toffee

Shadows:

• Transition: Haze, in the Bad Habit Aura Palette
• Crease: Mod and Nostalgia, in the Bad Habit Retro Love Palette
• Lid: Ecstasy, in the Bad Habit Aura Palette, with Icon from the same palette right in the center
• Lower Lash Line: Rock 'N' Roll, in the Bad Habit Retro Love Palette
• Inner Corner: Soul and Phenomenon, in the Bad Habit Aura Palette

 

Eyeliner: Kat Von D Tattoo Eyeliner in Trooper
Mascara: Ruby Kisses Very Sexy Mascara on the bottom lashes

Lashes: Kiss Lash Couture Faux Mink Lashes in Boudoir

 

CONTOUR:

Ruby Kisses 3D Contour Palette in Medium Dark

 

HIGHLIGHT:

Tan Lines and Nude Beach, in the Bad Habit Oasis Highlight Kit

 

BLUSH:

Milani Baked Blush in Rose d'Oro

 
LIPS:

Nicka K New York Lip Gloss in Chocolate Cosmos

Liner: Jordana Easyliner Eyeliner in Coffee Bean

I can already tell that some of these things are going to be featured in my end of the year favorites lol. I'm really happy with these palettes! I've been getting more and more into single jewel toned colors on my lids, and these along with my Juvia's Place palettes are definitely filling in that love for me.

Thanks for reading, and I'll see you in the next one!

x Ashlan

Setting sprays are not created the same.

What is this? Another post in the same year? I'm batting a thousand.

Hi again! This post is gonna be really quick because my best friend is making watch half naked men in the pool and I can't really concentrate. I've been playing with makeup a lot these past few days, because I finally replenished my eyelashes, and I wanted to try out a couple of products, namely a foundation whose shade selection was a fail, and, finally, the infamous MAC Fix+. 

 

I've been dying to try things from MAC for the longest time, but could never bring myself to make a purchase. I want to try a foundation from them, but first I figured I would start with the setting sprays; I found the Snowball collection minis online for stupid cheap, and couldn't pass it up! Before I got Fix+ I had been using the Milani Make It Last setting spray which I absolutely love, but I was caught by the bug to try some high end stuff again. I also caught a bug to try a different setting spray, and tried the Kiss New York ProTouch setting spray. Now honestly, I hadn't been paying much attention to the finish of my looks as of late, so I was using the Kiss NY spray with no problem. It wasn't until I tried Fix+ and looked at my faces, and went back and looked at my Milani faces, that I realized something.

The Kiss NY spray is booty.

I did some makeup last night and tried to take pictures of it and my face was hideous; the texture was exaggerated, and it didn't help that I was using the wrong concealer and was practically working in the dark. The only good picture I got from it was this:

Look at how ugly my fingers are lmao

Selfie camera, no detail, all the works; everyone is lucky I didn't put a filter on it. I felt like I had failed as a makeup lover, but after I realized the problems, I was determined to make things right. Which is why, as soon as I got home today, I broke out my mirror and my tools and got to work, and made this!

There are quite a few pictures from this look because I really liked the way it came out. Details details!

FACE:

Primer:

• HM Mattifying Primer on my T-Zone
• Nicka K New York Ultra Smoothing Makeup Primer

 Concealer:

• Wet N Wild PhotoFocus Concealer in Dark Cocoa on my mouth, under my eyes and over the L.A. Girl HD Pro Orange Corrector, as well as Medium/Deep Tan under my eyes.

Foundation: CoverGirl Queen Collection All Day Flawless 3-in-1 Foundation in Q825 Golden Honey

• Applied with the NYX Honey Dew Me Up primer, and enhanced by a fake version of the Iconic Liquid Highlighter in Glow (shout out to Wish)

Face Powder: Laura Mercier Medium Deep Translucent Loose Setting Powder

Under Eye Setting Powder: Maybelline Fit Me! Loose Setting Powder in Deep

BROWS:

Outline: ColourPop Brow Pencil in Black 'n Brown

Filler: E.L.F. Brow Kit in Dark

Browbone Highlight: L.A. Girl HD Pro Concealer in Toffee

 

EYES:

Primer: L.A. Girl HD Pro Concealer in Toffee

Shadows:

• Transition: Equinox, in the Bad Habit Solstice Palette
• Crease: Dusk, in the Bad Habit Solstice Palette
• Lid: Chi, in the Juvia's Place Masquerade Palette, topped with Cleopatra, in the Juvia's Place Nubian 2 Palette
• Lower Lash Line: Casablanca and Cairo, in the Juvia's Place Masquerade Palette
• Inner Corner: Nairobi, in the Juvia's Place Nubian 2 Palette, topped with the Wvrthy Stardust Powder in Eros

 

Eyeliner: Kat Von D Tattoo Eyeliner in Trooper
Mascara: Ruby Kisses Very Sexy Mascara on the bottom lashes

Lashes: Kiss Lash Couture Faux Mink Lashes in Boudoir

CONTOUR:

Black Radiance True Complexion Contour Palette in Medium to Dark on the cheek, with the Stila Stay All Day Contouring Bronzer in Dark on the jaw.

HIGHLIGHT:

The Wvrthy Stardust Powder in Eros, topped with Tan Lines and Nude Beach, in the Bad Habit Oasis Highlight Kit

BLUSH:

Milani Baked Blush in Rose d'Oro

LIPS:

NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in London

Liner: Jordana Easyliner Eyeliner in Coffee Bean

Alright, that's it for me tonight! I'll see you in the next one!

x Ashlan