Let's talk about the 350 Bandwagon

Okay, if you're in the beauty community and you don't know anything about the Morphe 35O palette, then you've been living under a rock. This isn't some kind of popular clique superiority complex; literally, the damn palette is everywhere. From the moment I stepped foot into the beauty community, in particular Instagram, I was slapped right in the mouth with the 35O palette; everybody had it, everybody wanted it, and it was (is) always, always, sold out.

For the longest time I hated that damn palette, because I couldn't get away from it. I didn't have it, I didn't want it, and I didn't care, but everyone was obsessed. Restocks came and went and the shits sold like hot cakes, and I rolled my eyes and kept scrolling every time it showed up on my Instagram feed.

But then, one day, a restock came, and I figured...what the hell, why not.

I was on a Morphe binge. I had just ordered two of the 12 pans from the website, had managed to get my hands on the 35U for stupid cheap on Facebook (seriously, get over the concept of used makeup and join those groups; you won't regret it), and then I won the 35D in an IG giveaway, and I wanted more. So, when the restock happened, I threw my credit card at it, and it was mine.

And I love it.

Now, I'm a warm undertone kind of girl, and this palette is, for the most part, warm undertoned, which is perfect for me. I thought that the Makeup Revolution Flawless Matte palette was the perfect transition palette, and it actually is a really great matte palette, but this palette is perfect for me specifically. So, for today, since I actually went to work, I decided to do a One Palette Wonder featuring (or starring, rather) the infamous Morphe 35O.

A little "the store is finally closed get tf out" finesse action:

And a closeup on the eyes:

 

I. Loved. It! I didn't have to use any other palettes for this look, and I was completely satisfied with the result. Perfect, I said! Perfect! Details!

 

FACE:

Primer:

• Benefit Cosmetics The POREfessional Matte Rescue Mattifying Gel on my T-Zone
• L'Oreal Magic Perfecting Base Primer on my cheeks
• E.L.F. Mineral Infused Primer on the rest of my face

 Concealer:

• Mouth: L.A. Girl HD Pro Orange Corrector with the Nicka K New York HD Concealer in Coffee under the foundation, and L.A. Girl HD Pro Concealer in Fawn over the foundation
• Nose, Chin, and Uneven Skintone on Cheeks: Nicka K New York HD Concealer in Coffee
• Under Eye: L.A. Girl HD Pro Concealer in Fawn; Nicka K New York HD Concealer in Coffee

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

Face Powder: Black Radiance Pressed Powder in Golden Cashews

Bronzing Powder: Black Radiance Pressed Powder in Warm Hazelnut

Setting Powder: Black Opal Deluxe Finishing Powder in Neutral Light

 

BROWS:

Filler: ColourPop Brow Pencil in Black 'n Brown

Browbone Highlight: L.A. Girl HD Pro Concealer in Fawn
Brow Gel: Milani Brow Shaping Gel

 

EYES:

Primer: Wet 'N Wild PhotoFocus Eyeshadow Primer

Base: The Sculpt powder in the Black Radiance True Complexion Contour Palette in Medium to Dark

Shadows:

• Transition: #14 and #18, in the Morphe 35O Palette
• Crease: #31, in the Morphe 35O Palette
• Lid:
• Outer V: #31, in Morphe 35O Palette
  
• Outer Half: #35, in the Morphe 35O Palette
• Inner Half: #4, in the Morphe 35O Palette
• Inner Corner: #10, in the Morphe 35O Palette
• Lower Lash Line (Gradient from Outer to Inner): 
• #18, in the Morphe 35O Palette
• with #31, in the Morphe 35O Palette over top
• and #35, in the Morphe 35O towards the outer corner

Eyeliner:  

• Wing: Wet 'N Wild ProLine Graphic Marker Liner
• Top Lid: NYC Big Bold & Precise Eye Liner 

Mascara: L'Oreal Paris Voluminous Million Lashes Mascara on the top lashes; Ruby Kisses Very Sexy Mascara on the bottom lashes

 

CONTOUR:

Black Radiance True Complexion Contour Palette in Medium to Dark

 

HIGHLIGHT:

Makeup Revolution Vivid Baked Bronzer in Rock On World, with #4, in the Makeup Revolution All About Bronzed Ultra Blush Palette over top

 

BLUSH:

Black Radiance Artisan Color Baked Blush in Toasted Almond

 
LIPS:

Lipstick: Milani Amore Matte Lip Creme in Devotion

Liner: Smashbox Always Sharp Lip Liner in Nude Dark

 

Alright, that's it for me tonight. Kento Nakajima is on my computer screen and he needs my undivided attention. Good night!

x Ashlan

Fortune Favours The Shimmers

So, yesterday, I finally, finally, got my package from the Makeup Revolution website, which included the original Golden Sugar blush palette, the Beyond Flawless palette, and the gorgeous Fortune Favours The Brave palette, which is in collaboration with a lady named Jane, or the British Beauty Blogger (I think that's her blogging name? I really don't know). The palette is gorgeous, see here:

The shadows are named as follows:

 Row 1: Glimmer, Buffer, Peachy, Hope, Fortune, Skylight, Transformer, Midnight Rainbow
Row 2: Ice Cloud, Golden Coins, Cashmere, Tip Top, Yes Please, Green Machine, Smoothie
Row 3: Caffeine Fix, Latte Pink Diamond, Creme, Drama Queen, Lonely Planet, Blacqua
Row 4: Soft, New World, Favour, Sunset Hour, Super Gold, Winning, Brave, The Revolution

And the outside packaging is beautiful, too; I don't have a picture on hand, so here is a video I did of me opening the palette, where you can see the outside packaging, too. It really is a stunning palette, and with a breathtaking color choice in regards to the shadows, and the marbled/baked pans have no competition, in my book.

But the mattes.

Honestly, not just the mattes. There were one or two shimmery colors that just didn't show up on my skintone, but they were in the minority. There are, I think, about ten matte shades in this palette, and about 4.5 of them suck. No matter how much I rubbed my hand in the shadow, the color did not show up on my skin whatsoever; there are, then twenty satin/shimmer/baked shades in the palette, and four of them were just as bad as the mattes, so in total there were nine shadows in this palette that really, just really sucked; here's my swatch of them all, so you don't think it was just BS:

Looking at the palette, it looks like every shadow would be absolutely stunning and even annoyingly pigmented, but that just wasn't the case with some of these, so that was a bit of a letdown, but the others were truly spectacular, and for around $12 I can't really complain too too much, I just wish that it was as awe inspiring as the packaging leads it to be, as well as the people at Makeup Revolution, who posted a video of these swatches here:

Screenshot by @iva.zderic

Clearly, you can see they used some primer, and some Fix Plus, and everything else you can think of, because nobody's real swatches look like this; the deception is real.

I'm surprised at this, though, because as you can see in my swatch gallery, every other palette that I have from MUR is fantastic in regards to pigmentation, I mean I have not come across a dud yet, so why does this one have so many bad shadows? I don't know, I don't get it, but the packaging is beautiful, the mirror is huge, and those shimmers are to die for. That being said, here is the first look I did using only this palette:

It's an eyes only look today, because I had a paper that I had to do, and I just wasn't in the mood to do a whole face (or get my eyebrows together, clearly), but here it is! I was greatly influenced by the music that was playing in my background, so I ended up with a kind of fantastical, galaxy inspired smokey eye, that I like to call the Secrets of the Universe (why? I don't know). Oh, here's a video for this, too. But yeah, it was pretty nice! Ironically enough I feel limited by this palette, which has so many gorgeous colors, because of the lack of mattes, and such, but that's only because I attempted a One Palette Wonder; I think that this palette, in collaboration with another palette (or six other palettes; you know how I do), would be a force to be reckoned with. Okay, details!

BROWBONE: L.A. Girl HD Pro Concealer in Fawn

PRIMER: LORAC Behind the Scenes Eye Primer

BASE: the Sculpt powder from the Black Radiance True Complexion Contour Palette in Medium to Dark

SHADOWS:

• Transition: Latte, in the Makeup Revolution Fortune Favours The Brave Palette
• Crease:  Drama Queen, in the Makeup Revolution Fortune Favours The Brave Palette, with Transformer right in the crease to smoke it out
• Lid:
• Outer Two-Thirds: Skylight, in the Makeup Revolution Fortune Favours The Brave Palette, with Brave over the last third (I hope that makes sense)
• Inner Third: Green Machine, in the Makeup Revolution Fortune Favours The Brave Palette
• Inner Corner: Ice Cloud, in the Makeup Revolution Fortune Favours The Brave Palette 
• Definer: Lonely Planet, in the Makeup Revolution Fortune Favours The Brave Palette
• Lower Lash Line (Gradient from darkest [outer corner] to lightest [inner corner]):
• Lonely Planet, in the Makeup Revolution Fortune Favours The Brave Palette
• Sunset Hour, in the Makeup Revolution Fortune Favours The Brave Palette, with Super Gold over top
• Ice Cloud, in the Makeup Revolution Fortune Favours The Brave Palette

MASCARA: L'Oreal Voluminous Million Lashes

I have high hopes for this palette! I can't wait to try those shimmers out with other colors in other palettes to really see what I can come up with, so we'll see how it goes in the future! Right now, I'm waiting for another package! Hopefully it gets here before I have to leave for class (I doubt it).

x Ashlan

The time I tried to take my spirit back to Africa.

I was just minding my business today...went to work, paid some bills, made plans to write...when the Nubian Palette came.

I had already been expecting this palette to be amazing, because of all of the swatches and videos and pictures that I had seen on Tumblr (where I saw it first) and Instagram, but then I got it, and opened it, and this happened, and there was no way that I could let the day go by without doing something with it, and so I did, and here it is.

Le closeup on le eyes (because front shots don't do it justice):

Honestly, the basic face-to-camera shots don't do it justice either, so here's some pictures I took through the mirror, in which the look is almost as striking as it is in real life:

And of course, the video. I don't know what happened; I started with the transition and crease as usual and then just had a moment like, let's channel Nefertiti real quick, and then this happened. Here come Ye Olde Details.

FACE:

Primer:

• L'Oreal Magic Perfecting Base Primer on my cheeks and nose
• E.L.F. Mineral Infused Primer on the rest of my face

 Concealer:

• Mouth: L.A. Girl HD Pro Orange Corrector with the Nicka K New York HD Concealer in Coffee under the foundation, and L.A. Girl HD Pro Concealer in Fawn over the foundation
• Nose, Chin, and Uneven Skintone on Cheeks: Nicka K New York HD Concealer in Coffee
• Under Eye: Nicka K New York HD Concealer in Coffee; L.A. Girl HD Pro Concealer in Fawn

Foundation: Maybelline Fit Me! Matte + Poreless Foundation in 340 Cappuccino

Face Powder: Black Radiance Pressed Powder in Golden Cashews

Bronzing Powder: Black Radiance Pressed Powder in Warm Hazelnut

Setting Powder: Black Opal Deluxe Finishing Powder in Neutral Light

BROWS:

Filler: L'Oreal Paris Brow Stylist Definer Pencil in Dark Brunette

Browbone Highlight: L.A. Girl HD Pro Concealer in Fawn
Brow Gel: Milani Brow Shaping Gel

 

EYES:

Primer: LORAC Behind the Scenes Eye Primer

Base: The Sculpt powder in the Black Radiance True Complexion Contour Palette in Medium to Dark

Shadows (Of course, this look was completely done with the Juvia's Place Nubian Palette, which makes it a One Palette Wonder yayyy!):

• Transition: #3, in the Juvia's Place Nubian Palette
• Deeper Transition/Crease: #10, in the Juvia's Place Nubian Palette, with #13 in the same palette to cut and define the crease
• Lid: 
• Overall: #5, in the Juvia's Place Nubian Palette
• Inner Third: #6, in the Juvia's Place Nubian Palette
• Inner Corner: #4, in the Juvia's Place Nubian Palette, with a little of #6 over top to warm it up
  
• Lower Lash Line (Gradient from darkest [outer corner] to lightest [inner corner]):
• #8, in the Juvia's Place Nubian Palette
• #7, in the Juvia's Place Nubian Palette
• #4, in the Juvia's Place Nubian Palette, with a little of #6 over top

Eyeliner: Black Radiance Eye Appeal Kajal Eyeliner
Mascara: Base coat of Wet 'N Wild PhotoFocus Lash Primer, with L'Oreal Paris Voluminous Million Lashes Mascara

CONTOUR:

Black Radiance True Complexion Contour Palette in Medium to Dark

HIGHLIGHT:

Makeup Revolution Vivid Baked Bronzer in Rock On World, with #3, in the Makeup Revolution All About Bronzed Ultra Bronze Palette over top

BLUSH:

#1, in the Makeup Revolution Hot Spice Ultra Blush Palette

LIPS:

Lipstick: NYX Liquid Suede Lip Cream in Cherry Skies

Liner: Smashbox Always Sharp Liner in Nude Dark

Yeah...I went a little overboard, but that's okay! This is a creative space, and makeup is art! And I felt like a real Nubian for about an hour, so I'm not mad! Oh! And since today is Flexible Dieting Friday, I feel compelled to let you know that I made my purchase already, and ordered the Makeup Revolution Iconic Pro 1 & 2 Palettes, as well as the Flawless 2 Palette, because Ulta was having a BOGO 1/2 off sale, and I had a $10 off of $30 coupon, so it only made sense that I use it, right? Next week is my in store purchase, but I don't think I have anything in mind at the moment! I might try and find the NYX lippies that I want, as well as some more of the oval cotton pads from Ulta (which I love). If I can't find that I'll just settle for a couple more Milani singles and a Maybelline color eyeliner, but we'll see next week! Have a good night!

x Ashlan

I finally did a One Palette Wonder!

Well, almost. Just about 2% of the stuff I messed around with yesterday was not from the same palette, so I'm getting close you guys! It's a work in progress.

I honestly wasn't planning on doing anything involving makeup yesterday; I worked, and I was a little tired, and I was supposed to be writing, but I had a sudden desire to play in makeup (okay, I was on Instagram, too). But, I wasn't in the mood to do a recreation; recreations take work, and a lot of palettes, as you have seen, and I just wanted to do a little something simple - well, simple for me, at least. So I grabbed the Makeup Revolution Redemption Iconic 1 Palette and a couple of ColourPop SuperShock Eyeshadows and played around a little, and got this!

Girl.

And here's a closeup on the eyes:

I actually did a video for this look as well, but, of course there's no comparison shot, because this mess came from one palette and the top of my head! I'm not completely sure about how I feel about it all the way, but I like it more than I dislike it, and I'm pleased, considering the fact that I was basically going into this blindfolded. Details, yes?

FACE:

Primer:

• L'Oreal Magic Perfecting Base Primer on my cheeks
• No general primer again! But I did that on purpose this time because...laziness

 Concealer:

• Mouth: Nicka K New York HD Concealer in Fawn; L.A. Girl HD Pro Concealer in Fawn
• Nose: Nicka K New York HD Concealer in Fawn
• Under Eye: Nicka K New York HD Concealer in Fawn; L.A. Girl HD Pro Concealer in Fawn

Foundation: L'Oreal True Match Lumi Foundation in C6 Soft Sable

Face Powder: Black Radiance Pressed Powder in Golden Cashews

Setting Powder: Black Opal Deluxe Finishing Powder in Neutral Light

BROWS:

Filler: L'Oreal Paris Brow Stylist Definer Pencil in Dark Brunette

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

 

EYES:

Primer: LORAC Behind the Scenes Eye Primer

Base: The Sculpt powder in the Black Radiance True Complexion Contour Palette in Medium to Dark

Shadows (I tried to keep this look limited to just one palette, with the exception of the transition/crease and the inner corner highlight):

• Transition: #5, in the Makeup Revolution Iconic 1 Palette
• Crease: #8, in the Makeup Revolution Iconic 1 Palette
• Lid:  
• Overall: #10, in the Makeup Revolution Iconic 1 Palette
• Middle Third: #7, in the Makeup Revolution Iconic 1 Palette
• Outer Third: #6, in the Makeup Revolution Iconic 1 Palette
• Lower Lash Line (Gradient from darkest [outer corner] to lightest [inner corner]:
• #9, in the Makeup Revolution Iconic 1 Palette, with a little of #8 from the same palette over top
• #7, in the Makeup Revolution Iconic 1 Palette

• Wing: a line of the ColourPop Super Shock Eyeshadow in Get Lucky, along with a line of the ColourPop Super Shock Eyeshadow in KathleenLights under it, with a small, tiny razor sharp wing of the RubyKisses Ultimate Precision Liquid Eyeliner in between them (extra, I know)
• Water Line: Maybelline Master Kajal Liner in Onyx Rush

Mascara: Base coat of Wet 'N Wild PhotoFocus Lash Primer, with L'Oreal Paris Voluminous Million Lashes Mascara over top

CONTOUR:

Black Radiance True Complexion Contour Palette in Medium to Dark

HIGHLIGHT:

The Makeup Revolution Vivid Baked Bronzer Powder in Rock On World, with #3, in the Makeup Revolution All About Bronze Ultra Blush Palette over top

BLUSH:

#2, in the Makeup Revolution Sugar and Spice Ultra Blush Palette

LIPS:

Lipstick: Milani Color Statement Lipstick in Double Espresso, with a little of Black Radiance Perfect Tone Lip Color in Molten Bronze in the center for a little warmth, more so than an ombre effect

Liner: Jordana Cosmetics Easyliner in Lavish Brown

The Makeup Revolution Bronzer combo is quickly becoming my absolute favorite highlighting method, and this look was a good way to practice with more of the MUR shadows, since I'm going to transition into having a collection that consists of about 85% of MUR-only palettes. As usual, I'm not disappointed in the slightest with them; I can't wait to do more One Palette Wonders!

Alright, time for me to attempt to write again. See you later!

x Ashlan

Behold, the One Palette Wonder!

So, if you've been paying attention to my Instagram, you would see that I've been buying a shit-ton of makeup lately, and I have decided not to buy anymore makeup for the month of March. This is all of the crap that I've bought in the last, what, two weeks?

I'll post the details later; mainly because I don't feel like getting up and walking over to my vanity

You can see why I am forbidding myself from buying makeup for a month; I'm spending entirely too much money in entirely too small of a time frame. So, with nothing else to do, I decided that I should probably start using the makeup that I've already bought, which brings us to this look right here! 

The pictures aren't great (at all), but the eyeshadow was stunning, I shit you not. Matter of fact, here are some slightly better pictures of the eyes alone.

I really need to get a camera.

I fell in love with this palette as soon as I opened it and swatched it, and I was no disappointed in the color payoff, or the smoothness of application when I used it; I can easily see this becoming one of my favorite palettes. So, let's get into those details!

FACE:

Primer: 

• L'Oreal Paris Magic Perfecting Base Primer on my cheeks
• E.L.F. Mineral Infused Primer on the rest of my face

Concealer:

• Mouth: L.A. Girl HD Pro Yellow Corrector; Nicka K New York HD Concealer in Fallow
• Nose, Chin and Uneven Skintone on Cheeks: Nicka K New York HD Concealer in Fallow
• Under Eye: Nicka K New York HD Concealer in Fallow; L.A. Girl HD Pro Concealer in Fawn

Foundation: Maybelline Fit Me! Matte + Poreless Foundation in 340 Cappuccino

Face Powder: Black Radiance Pressed Powder in Golden Cashews

Setting Powder: Black Opal Deluxe Finishing Powder in Neutral Light 

BROWS:

Filler: L'Oreal Paris Brow Stylist Definer Pencil in Dark Brunette

Browbone Highlight: L.A. Girl HD Pro Concealer in Fawn; Nicka K New York HD Concealer in Copper

EYES:

Primer: LORAC Behind the Scenes Eye Primer

Base: The Sculpt powder in the Black Radiance True Complexion Contour Palette in Medium to Dark

Shadows:

• Transition: Trend, in the Makeup Revoution New-trals vs Neutrals Palette
• Crease: Custom, in the Makeup Revoution New-trals vs Neutrals Palette
• Lid: Tone, in the Makeup Revoution New-trals vs Neutrals Palette
• Outer V: Strong, in the Makeup Revoution New-trals vs Neutrals Palette
• Inner Third: Mode, in the Makeup Revoution New-trals vs Neutrals Palette
• Inner Corner: Personal, in the in the Makeup Revoution New-trals vs Neutrals Palette

Liner: Rimmel London ScandalEyes Gel Liner in Black (I liked it so much better without liner, but I had already applied it, so I couldn't go back!)

Mascara: Maybelline Butterfly Intenza Midnight, enhanced with Milani Length In Seconds Lash Extension Fibers

CONTOUR:

Black Radiance True Complexion Contour Palette in Medium to Dark

HIGHLIGHT:

#8 in the Makeup Revolution Hot Spice Ultra Blush Palette

BLUSH:

#1 in the Makeup Revolution Hot Spice Ultra Blush Palette

LIPS:

Lipstick: Marc Jacobs Le Marc Lip Creme in Mahogany

Liner: Smashbox Always Sharp Liner in Nude Dark

Loved it, loved it, loved it. What I hated was the way I could not, for the life of me, capture the glory of it on camera. Please take my word for it, you guys; I promise it was pretty.

x Ashlan

 

Everyday Makeup?

Hey, y'all.

Okay, so I don't wear makeup every day; I'm entirely too lazy for that, and I manage my time so that I have just enough time to get ready and get out of the door with pants on. But, on the days where I'm not going to my weekend job and want to do a little something, I don't paint an entirely new face on like you've seen in these previous posts; I like to enhance what's already there, not change it, I guess you could say. And today was one of those days: I had a little extra time between work and class, so I decided to beat my face just a little.

Just a smidge.

I thought somebody might be interested in a look of mine that doesn't involve seventeen brushes and a jackhammer, so here we go with the details!

FACE:

Primer: Benefit Cosmetics The POREfessional Matte Rescue Mattifying Gel on my T-Zone

Foundation: Bare Minerals Original Broad Spectrum Foundation in Warm Tan 

BROWS:

Filler: L'Oreal Paris Brow Stylist Definer Pencil in Dark Brunette

(A very light) Browbone Highlight: Naked, in the Urban Decay Naked Palette

EYES:

Primer: Wet 'N Wild PhotoFocus Eyeshadow Primer

Base: #5 in the L'Oreal Paris La Palette Nude 1

Shadows (another One Palette Wonder!):

• Transition (which I'm really bad at): #6 in the L'Oreal Paris La Palette Nude 1
• Crease: #8 in the L'Oreal Paris La Palette Nude 1
• Lid: #7 in the L'Oreal Paris La Palette Nude 1
• Inner Corner: #4 in the L'Oreal Paris La Palette Nude 1

 Mascara: Ruby Kisses Big Lash Mascara

CONTOUR:

Black Radiance True Complexion Contour Palette in Medium to Dark

HIGHLIGHT:

#2 in the E.L.F. Studio Bronzer Palette in Bronze Beauty

BLUSH:

#2 in the Santee Cosmetics Mineral Blush & Bronzer Palette

*I like to set this kind of face with a spray, because there are so many powders going on and literally no liquid, so I set this with the new Wet 'N Wild PhotoFocus Setting Spray.

LIPS:

Lipstick: Maybelline Color Sensational Lipstick in Barely Brown

Liner: Smashbox Always Sharp Lip Liner in Nude Dark

See how easy that was? I thin that literally took me ten minutes to type, and probably twenty or twenty-five minutes to actually apply to my face. Nothing to it but to do it, right? I like this because it looks like an enhanced rendition of my face, and it's very comfortable to wear on a daily basis, or a lazy day basis. The extras (eyes, lips, cheeks, etc) have a tendency to vary, depending on what I'm feeling like that day, but the base of the look usually stays the same, and definitely stays simple.

Alright! It's late as hell and I have class in the morning (since I have to leave earlier, and won't be getting home until after nightfall, I can almost guarantee you that there will not be a face), so I'll see y'all on the flipside! Good night ^_^

x Ashlan