It takes a village.

Do you guys know that saying? I'm sure we're all familiar with that phrase. It usually applies to raising children, though (and I usually agree with it, especially when dealing with bad ass kids out in public), but this is a makeup blog, so in this instance, I'm referring to makeup.

Lately I've been teaming up with the lovely Codi (louloulovesbeauty) and Jameliz (jamzbeauty) to figure collaborations for comparison swatching and other things, and we decided to do a collaboration today! The common theme was to use yellow eyeshadow (I gave it a side eye at first), but outside of that anything went. Here's what I came up with:

Me finessing in the mirror:

Closeup on the eyes:

And a video, of course.

You'll notice that there are quite a few pictures for this look, and that's partially because I did enjoy the outcome, but the main reason why I took and posted so many pictures is because I worked my ass off for this look.

Let me tell you why the BH Cosmetics Take Me To Brazil palette ain't shit.

The color payoff is beautiful, it really is. Just as vibrant in the pan as it is in swatches and on the lid, but the only problem is that it won't stay on the got damn lid. I tried applying these shadows with my brush first, and I got a dull covering over the lid, but to really get this vibrancy I had to pack the shadow on with my fingers, because matte eyeshadows still suck. So yeah, everything's going all good and whatnot, got a little blending going, eyes are poppin' and whatever, but as soon as I went to sketch out my wing, the damn shadow started to move, right off of the white base that I laid under it. And then it transferred like hell onto the hood of my eyes (which you can see in the eye closeup); now, because of the natural shape of my eyes I usually get a little transfer, and I can usually fix the problem by just reapplying my crease shade, but this was ridiculous. I had to set my face like an Easter Island head just to keep the color from transferring too much before I could finish my face and take my pictures (so if my contour is a little off, that's why). I was rooting for you, Take Me To Brazil! We were all rooting for you! I was just talking shit about how good BH was the other day! You're making me look bad!

It took a village, the village shaman, the mailman and the grace of God to bring this look together long enough for me to capture it on film, so yeah, you're going to get nine pictures of this damn look, because I earned it. So there. Here's the details.

FACE:

Primer:

• 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 Ruby Kisses Pure Mineral Concealer in Chocolate Brown under the foundation, and L.A. Girl HD Pro Concealer in Fawn over the foundation
• Nose, Chin, and Uneven Skintone on Cheeks: Ruby Kisses Pure Mineral Concealer in Chocolate Brown
• Under Eye: L.A. Girl HD Pro Concealer in Fawn; Ruby Kisses Pure Mineral Concealer in Chocolate Brown

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 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

Lid Base: NYX Jumbo Pencil in Milk

Shadows:

• Lid:
• Overall: #2, in the BH Cosmetics Take Me To Brazil Palette
• Outer Third: #21, in the BH Cosmetics Take Me To Brazil Palette
• Transition Between Overall and Outer Third: #6, in the BH Cosmetics Take Me To Brazil Palette

Eyeliner:

• Wing: Wet 'N Wild ProLine Felt Tip Eyeliner
• Water Line: Jordana Cosmetics Easyliner Eyeliner in Blue Devine

Mascara: L'Oreal Paris Butterfly Intenza Midnight Black

 

CONTOUR:

Black Radiance True Complexion Contour Palette in Medium to Dark

 

HIGHLIGHT:

#7, in the Makeup Revolution Golden Sugar Ultra Blush Palette, with #4 from the same palette over top

 

BLUSH:

#15, in the BH Cosmetics Pride + Prejudice + Zombies Palette

LIPS:

Lipstick: NYX Cosmetics Liquid Suede Liquid Lip Cream in Soft Spoken, with Maybelline Color Sensational Lipstick in Untainted Spice on the perimeter of the lips

Liner: Jordana Cosmetics Easyliner Eyeliner in Coffee Bean

Okay, you guys, that's it. I'm done with this palette and I don't want to look at it anymore, so I'm gonna sign off now. I'll see you around this silly blog somewhere soon, bye!

P.S., Look at Codi's fucking collab look, you guys.

LOOK AT IT YOU HEATHENS.

AND LOOK AT THE HIGHLIGHT ON JAMELIZ'S FUCKING NOSE.

What the fuck. What the fuck, I can't. Bye.

x Ashlan

Nudes and Neutrals, Part Deux

Hi.

Today was a long day, y'all. I was blessed with a night off yesterday, but today made up for that and then some. My feet hurt, but I'm full and employed and trying not to complain too much. I said all that to say that I really don't have anything to ramble about and chat with you guys about today. Let's see...I got some hair oil, a liquid lippie and some concealer at the beauty supply...oh, and I came to discuss my beat ass face.

Not really lol but I did put on some makeup today! Makeup that I actually wore out of the house, so I thought I would share it with you, as I usually do. Let's get to it! -clap clap- Queue the face!

 

 Since this shift was longer than usual, it was a makeup-with-glasses kind of day, so here's the look with my specs on.

A closeup on the eyes:

And a video; is there ever not a video?

I was trying to match the vibe of the scarf that you see in the picture, and, other than the fact that I almost walked out of the house with no mascara on (as you can see in the damn video; I literally was about to walk out of the door), I was relatively pleased! Moving on to details!

FACE:

Primer:

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

 Concealer:

• Mouth: L.A. Girl HD Pro Orange Corrector with the Ruby Kisses Pure Mineral Concealer in Chocolate Brown under the foundation, and L.A. Girl HD Pro Concealer in Fawn over the foundation
• Nose, Chin, and Uneven Skintone on Cheeks: Ruby Kisses Pure Mineral Concealer in Chocolate Brown
• Under Eye: L.A. Girl HD Pro Concealer in Fawn; Ruby Kisses Pure Mineral Concealer in Chocolate Brown

Foundation: CoverGirl Queen 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: 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 right under the brow
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: Trend, in the Makeup Revolution New-trals vs Neutrals Palette
• Crease: #30, in the Morphe 35T Palette
• Lid: 
• Overall: Mode, in the Makeup Revolution New-trals vs Neutrals Palette
• Outer Third: Tone, in the Makeup Revolution New-trals vs Neutrals Palette
• Outer V: #19, in the BH Cosmetics Blushed Neutrals Palette
• Lower Lash Line (Gradient from darkest [outer corner] to lightest [inner corner]):
• #19, in the Morphe 35P Palette 
•  #7, in the Morphe 35T Palette
• #17, in the BH Cosmetics Blushed Neutrals Palette

Eyeliner:  

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

Mascara: L'Oreal Paris Voluminous Million Lashes Carbon Black

CONTOUR:

Black Radiance True Complexion Contour Palette in Medium to Dark

 

HIGHLIGHT:

#7, in the Makeup Revolution Golden Sugar 2 Rose Gold Ultra Blush Palette, with #3 over top

 

BLUSH:

#24, in the BH Cosmetics Blushed Neutrals Palette

LIPS:

Lipstick: #14, in the BH Cosmetics Nude Lips Palette, with #7 on the outer perimeter of the lips

I was dying to have a crack at those two BH palettes again, after seeing a little of what they could do yesterday. I'm still obsessed with those blushes (they're literally perfect for me), and I was able to see how the lip colors worked over an extended period of time: very, very comfortable and creamy, and the color lasted for a very good amount of time, considering I didn't reapply anything over the course of almost five hours. I still love it, you guys; they're probbaly the best things I've ever bought from BH, and if you don't get your ass on that website and get them for yourself, I'm officially judging you.

Alright! Going to spend the next four hours or so writing! Have a good night!

x Ashlan

Let's talk about m----r f---ing BH Cosmetics

Okay, everybody knows about my love for Makeup Revolution, but there's a second brand that I seem to love just as much, but never rave about like I rave about Makeup Revolution, and I didn't even realize it until today, so let's talk about BH Cosmetics.

I'm gonna be honest with you for a moment - come, sit down, have a s'more - I came this close *snaps fingers* to hating BH Cosmetics.

Okay, wait, don't choke on the s'more, damn. Let me explain.

At the beginning of my quest for the perfect colorful eyeshadow palette (I was really only looking for one really good one to replace my E.L.F. 144 palette, and that's where the obsession began), I came across BH Cosmetics and their 120-eyeshadow palettes, and I thought my prayers had been answered; I ordered the second edition and patted myself on the back for my accomplishment. Then I got the palette in the mail.

The 120 palettes suck, okay. They suck, and anybody on Instagram can tell you that I'm not shy about talking shit about the 120 palettes, because they suck. The pans are tiny, some of the colors are repetitive, and the color payoff isn't worth two pennies; I found a palette at the dollar store with pigmentation just as good, if not better, than the 120 palette. If anyone knows me in real life then they know that, outside of love, it only takes me one fuck-up to never fuck up again; I don't have to be retaught lessons. So when the 120 palette fucked me over, I was done with BH; I was like f--k BH, f--k BH's president, f--k BH's mama, f--k the delivery man, everybody.

And then I discovered the Carli Bybel palette.

Honestly, BH better thank their lucky stars and cut Carli an extra check, because if it hadn't been for the beautiful presentation and packaging of the Carli Bybel palette, I never would've bought another thing from them, and I never would've gotten the chance to really see what BH could do, because the Carli Bybel palette is fan-damn-tastic. The success of that palette led me to get the Missy Lynn palette, then the Foil Eyes palette, then the Pride + Prejudice + Zombies palette, and I was able to really see how awesome the brand is. So, with this knowledge of how great BH Cosmetics is, I didn't hesitate to pre-order the Shaaanxo palette when it dropped, as well as the Take Me To Brazil palette (both of which are on their way), as well as the Blushed Neutrals and Nude Lips palettes.

THEY. ARE. EVERYTHING.

The Nude Lips palette is literally exactly what it says it is. And the beautiful part about it is that it's Black Girl Friendly, meaning that it's not a bunch of lip colors that look dusty rose/mauve/nude in the pan and then straight Bubblelicious pink on brown lips and skin, but actually look dusty rose/mauve/nude! And the shit smells like marshmallows. And the Blushed Neutrals...Jesus...okay let's just say that both palettes are extremely Black Girl Friendly, and I know they're both going to be in my Faves at the end of the month, and I just got them today. 

I'm rambling, I'm rambling.

Anyway, I decided to do a One Brand Wonder today, starring all of the wonderful palettes that I have acquired from BH Cosmetics over the past few months (well, almost all of them; Pride + Prejudice took a back seat today), and this is what I got!

Closeup on the eyes:

And a video for yo' ass.

These palettes were specifically made for me, I'm convinced. Like, you can't tell me any different; I don't want to hear it - lalalala...

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

Foundation: Revlon ColorStay Whipped Creme Foundation in 340 Caramel

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:

• Transition: #3, in the BH Cosmetics Carli Bybel Palette
• Crease: #4, in the BH Cosmetics Carli Bybel Palette
• Lid: 
• Overall: #25, in the BH Cosmetics Blushed Neutrals Palette
• Inner Third: #3, in the BH Cosmetics Blushed Neutrals Palette
• Outer V: #5, in the BH Cosmetics Carli Bybel Palette
• Inner Corner: #8, in the BH Cosmetics Missy Lynn Palette
• Lower Lash Line (Gradient from darkest [outer corner] to lightest [inner corner]):
• #19, in the BH Cosmetics Blushed Neutrals Palette 
• #25, in the BH Cosmetics Blushed Neutrals Palette
• #7, in the BH Cosmetics Carli Bybel Palette

Eyeliner:  

• Wing: Wet 'N Wild ProLine Graphic Marker Eyeliner
• Top Lid: NYC Big Bold & Precise Felt Tip Liner
• Water Line: a mix of L.A. Girl Gel Glide Liner in Metallic Copper, and L.A. Colors Eyeliner Pencil in Gold
   

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

#7, in the BH Cosmetics Missy Lynn Palette

BLUSH:

#23, in the BH Cosmetics Blushed Neutrals Palette

LIPS:

Lipstick: #7, in the BH Cosmetics Nude Lips Palette, with #6 in the center of the lips

Okay, before I conclude this, let's also talk about the fact that Revlon has been thoroughly demoted. I used to think that the Whipped creme foundation was the best foundation that there ever was, until I revisited my Cover Girl Queen All Day Flawless, and then I thought that I just had two really great foundations in my arsenal...until I tried the Whipped creme foundation on again today. Yeah, nothing compares to the CG Queen; I didn't like the texture of this foundation on my skin, and it's just not as flawless or warm as my CG Queen is. Here, have a comparison:

Today versus the other day

Do you see the texture? I see the texture, definitely in person, and I don't like it. I had been debating for so long whether or not to chipmunk it and buy second whipped foundation as a backup, and I'm so glad I didn't; now I can dedicate that backup purchase to my CG Queen.

Alright, back to BH. Yes, yes, and yes. Yes, BH. You put your foot in these palettes, seriously

Okay, that's it for today! I have to work tomorrow, so I'll have another look for you then! Probably with glasses on. Later!

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 Hellhole that is Retail.

Y'all.

I'm so tired right now, like...I'm exhausted. I knew I was going to be a little bit weary, having worked both jobs, but this goes beyond. My second shift was hell, and to top it off we didn't get out of the actual store until almost an hour after we were scheduled to, because that's just how retail works. I love that it gives me a place to dress up for, but when I actually get there, man...I don't know, today just wasn't a smooth sailing day. So I cant even give you the usual sassy bubbly antics that I normally do, because I'm just worn out. But, I wanted to do the details on this look, specifically because I wanted to talk about a certain product, so let's get into it.

With a closeup on the eyes, of course:

 I was attempting to be subtle; can you tell?

And here is me trying out that back camera-flash in daylight thing that Alissa Ashley does in her selfies:

 I mean, it's not nearly as gorgeous as hers (by a long shot), but not bad! I like that idea.
And my shirt is wrinkled. I was in a hurry; don't judge.

This was my look for the day. I already knew that I wasn't going to be in the mood to put on contacts (my shift today was longer than normal), so I did a look surrounded by the fact that I would be wearing my glasses, and here I am with glasses:

As I stated before I wanted to be a little more subtle, meaning not as vibrant of an eye  look (since it was going to be obscured by glasses, anyway), and a bolder lip to give me the look of a sophisticated magazine editor in New York or something, not just a dopey chick who didn't want to put on contacts. I think it came out pretty well, and here are the details, before I tell you my favorite thing about it.

FACE:

Primer:

• Benefit The POREfessional Matte Rescue Mattifying Gel on my T-Zone
• L'Oreal Magic Perfecting Base Primer on my cheeks
• Hard Candy Sheer Envy Shine Free Primer on the rest of my face

 Concealer:

• Mouth, Nose, and Uneven Skintone on Cheeks: the lighter shade of the Ruby Kisses 3D Face Creator in #12
• 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
Brow Gel: Milani Stay In Place Brow 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:

• Transition: Rust, in the Makeup Revolution Flawless Matte Palette
• Deeper Transition/Crease: Olden, in the Makeup Revolution Flawless Matte Palette
• Lid:  
• Inner Half: #5, in the Makeup Revolution Day to Night Palette
• Outer Half/Outer V: Earth, in the Makeup Revolution Flawless Matte Palette
• Inner Corner: the ColourPop Super Shock Eyeshadow in Get Lucky
• Lower Lash Line:
• #8, in the Makeup Revolution Day to Night Palette, with a little of Earth, in the Makeup Revolution Flawless Matte Palette to darken the very outer end

• Wing sketched first with Carbon, in the Makeup Revolution Flawless Matte Palette (but any black eyeshadow would work)
• Wing: Wet 'N Wild ProLine Graphic Marker Eyeliner

Mascara: Base coat of Wet 'N Wild PhotoFocus Lash Primer, with Ruby Kisses Big Lash Mascara

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:

L.A. Colors Mineral Blush in Spiced Rum

LIPS:

Lipstick: ColourPop Ultra Satin Liquid Lipstick in Prim 

Liner: Smashbox Always Sharp Liner in Nude Dark

Can you guess what I was crazy about in this look? If you guessed the Flawless Matte palette, then you were dead on. I freaking love this palette, and that's saying a lot for a person who hates matte shadows. These blend AMAZINGLY, like, it doesn't take much for me to spread it from point A to point B, and I can build it up without accidentally dropping a lot of product in one concentrated spot (which forces me to rub my eyelid endlessly trying to blend it out, which is highly irritating to my skin -ahem- Tarte). The shadows blend beautifully with one another as mattes, and they mesh wonderfully with different finishes like shimmer shadows. I love it, you guys. I thought that the L'Oreal La Palettes were great for transition shades (and they are still, don't get me wrong), but this palette has every single one of any single matte eyeshadow I could ever need in one palette, and they go on, well, flawlessly.

Alright, that's about as much enthusiasm as you're going to get out of me tonight! I'm going to try to write for another hour before I go to sleep; see you tomorrow!

x Ashlan

Let's talk about primers.

There was a point in time, back when all I had was a 144-color eyeshadow palette from E.L.F. and a couple dirty sponge applicators, that I didn't use primers. I haven't been using them for very long, but the one I had was some crusty E.L.F. primer that I had had for years, and whose effectiveness I had never really paid attention to (it wasn't good). But now, being the obsessed aspiring beauty guru that I have become, I've tried out a few primers, from the pricier items, the cult classics, and some that I just grabbed from my local beauty supply. However, just recently I have truly discovered the beauty and quality of Wet 'N Wild products, and I have fallen in love with their eyeshadows, lip colors, blushes, bronzers - you name it, I've tried and loved. So when I saw that they had an eyeshadow primer, I was dying to try it, which brings me to this review.

Wet 'N Wild PhotoFocus Eyeshadow Primer

The Wet 'N Wild website boasts that this primer "preps" and "brightens eyelids to lockdown eyeshadow color all day", and "features smooth, effortless application that dries to a clear finish and keeps eyes makeup in place". I've worn it in the past but not long enough to really test its staying power, but today I had a 5.5 hour shift to work at my second job, and I figured it was the perfect time to try out this product, and see just how well it holds up. Below are pictures of my eye when I applied my shadow at about 3pm this afternoon (left), along with pictures of my eye at about 9:30pm, after a long shift of BS (right).

Bruh.

When I tell you that my eyeshadow stayed? Like, it didn't fade, it didn't transfer, it stayed sparkly, all of my blending stayed in the same place that I applied it before. Everything was perfect, and didn't look anywhere near going bad any time soon. It honestly stayed better than it did when I used the LORAC Behind the Scenes primer, which is about $16 more expensive than the Wet 'N Wild. Of course, I'll still use my LORAC samples until I run out of them, but this will be my one and only primer when I get to it, hands down. Wet 'N Wild does it again for me, man; they never cease to amaze me.

Now, about my face.

I was really itching to do a look based around the third lip color of this set I did (also Wet 'N Wild, turn up), so this is what I came up with on some self imposed short notice, and I loved it (the eye color in particular). Let's get into these details.

FACE:

Primer:

• L'Oreal Magic Perfecting Base Primer on my cheeks
• Benefit Cosmetics The POREfessional Matte Rescue Mattifying Gel on my T-Zone
• 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: Revlon Colorstay Whipped Creme Foundation in 340 Caramel

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: Wet 'N Wild PhotoFocus Eyeshadow 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: #9, in the Wet 'N Wild Au Naturel Nude Awakenings Palette
• Lid: #9, in the BH Cosmetics Carli Bybel Eyeshadow & Highlighter Palette
• Outer V: #9, in the Wet 'N Wild Au Naturel Nude Awakenings Palette
• Smoked Out Definer: #10, in the Wet 'N Wild Au Naturel Nude Awakenings Palette
• Inner Third: #7, in the BH Cosmetics Carli Bybel Eyeshadow & Highlighter Palette

Mascara: L'Oreal Voluminous Million Lashes Mascara, enhanced with Milani Length In Seconds Lash Extension Fibers

CONTOUR:

Black Radiance True Complexion Contour Palette in Medium to Dark

HIGHLIGHT:

 Wet 'N Wild To Reflect Shimmer Palette in Sand-gria Castle

BLUSH:

#4 in the E.L.F. Studio Blush Palette in Dark

LIPS:

Lipstick: Wet 'N Wild Velvet Matte Lip Color in Hickory Smoked

Liner: Smashbox Always Sharp Liner in Nude Dark

 

This was a Wet 'N Wild kind of day, and I absolutely loved it. I have never been more excited to use eyeshadow primer in my life. Alright, I guess that's it! Good night, you guys; see you in the next one!

x Ashlan