Review - Medusa's Make Up Monthly Box

A couple of weeks ago, I saw that Medusa's Make Up was starting a monthly box subscription and, well, since I love their products (you can read my previous review here), I had to jump at the chance.

I received the products while I was gone on vacation. Funnily, it came in the same pink padded envelope as the Ipsy bag so I thought that it was the Ipsy one. In my fuzzy, jet lagged and sleep deprived state, I didn't clue in for a while and realized that I should have taken pics of all the opening steps. lol So the 2 plastic wrapped things in the picture below were wrapped in some other protecting sheet with a cute sticker to close it.

Still plastic wrapped pic:

Opened so we can see the colors of the lipstick and lip gloss:

What I received, from left to right on the above picture are:

• Lip gloss in Loverboy
• Eye glitter in Ozone (which is a lovely pale blue/teal color)
• Eye dust in Magma
• Lipstick in Baroque

I was surprised to see that all 4 products were actually full size. I re-read the description of the subscription box to see if I had just missed it but it just said that you receive 3-5 products to try... I thought they'd be samples. So I got 4 full size products for $15.95. That's pretty darn good. I just checked their retail price for all 4 items and it'd be $35. Granted, you're not choosing the colors but it's a rebate of $20. They're not asking you a quiz about your preferences so they're likely just picking out stuff and shipping that to you. So, funnily, I have an eye dust that is in a similar shade as that Magma, just a bit paler. I do love both, though.

Would I recommend it? Yes I totally would. That was good loot. (I of course reserve the right to change my mind depending on upcoming months.)

And here's a pic of me wearing the eye dust and the lipstick:

The Dita Experience

In April, I saw Strip Strip Hooray (it was wonderful!) and not only did it make me want to bling up all my costumes but I also picked up Dita's new book, Your Beauty Mark, signed, of course. This entry won't be a book review (though I may do one later) as I haven't read it fully yet. However, it is about my experience since the show and starting to read the book.

Before the show, I had noticed that I hadn't been wearing as much makeup as I used to (it partially explains why I've had fewer entries on this blog for a while). Mostly, it was due to time constraints to get out the door in the morning so cutting on makeup application was shaving off some time.

Something else that happened in the meantime is that I've gained back quite a bit of weight between the stress of moving quickly from Indianapolis to Seattle, adjusting to all the new things (new job, new apartment, new city, etc.), and the amazing food here. My confidence has been going down increasingly and it was hard to look at my reflection in the mirror and I felt like a failure given my previous weight loss. So I was feeling pretty low.

Watching the show, seeing gorgeous women of all shapes and size being wonderfully sexy, I had this moment where I leaned over to my partner and said "I think that I need to rekindle my glamorous side." It dawned on me that it would be something that might be helpful. And it sure was.

I started first with wearing more makeup, getting back to the whole routine that I used to do, which involves Beauty Balm instead of foundation, concealer, loose powder, eye shadow application, eye liner, mascara, and blush. Shortly after that, I added wearing lipstick too (which I wouldn't do before), which makes for a more complete look.

When I started reading Dita's book, I was reminded that I also had been neglecting my skin care. I knew it but sort of was ignoring it because the products I normally use are a little pricey. Not outrageously so but more than what my budget could withstand at the moment. But the book reminded me of less expensive options so I slowly added back items to my skin care regime to supplement what I didn't have as samples thanks to Ipsy.

It's been about 6 weeks now and, yes, it does help. I feel better about myself and its much much easier to look at myself in the mirror. My confidence has definitely increased too. It feels like it's totally worth the time and money investments to feel this way.

As for the book, yes, thus far, I would recommend it. The caveat is that, as is to be expected, it's very Dita focused with some of the experts in the book showering her with compliments on her dedication to this or that. So it very much is a celebration of Dita and she explains how she does things but also has some other suggestions. It's definitely not a comprehensive book and never was meant to be. But I find it interesting to hear about her world, her process, etc. And the pictures are gorgeous.

NYX palette

Recently, I wrote a review for the Beautycon box and then a specific one on the Maybelline Rock Nudes palette where I promised that I would write a review of a NYX palette. Yup, this is it.

First off, I have to put the disclaimer that I am rather a fan of NYX. And I'm super glad that Ipsy often has NYX products in their bags. So I was of course delighted when I received this palette with lovely warm neutral tones.

Interestingly, it looks like it might be an Ipsy exclusive, as I don't see a palette that matches exactly on their website. I love the high pigmentation of the NYX products and they are generally not too expensive so it is a very good purchase for the price. I know, though, that it can be hard to find the products depending on where you live but you can order from their website and get free shipping after $25. I have recently purchased from their website and they were fairly quick. They also have more options on their website than what you can find in stores.

Here is how these shadows look on me. And if you want to do a comparison with the previous blog entry with the Maybelling Rock Nudes, you'll see that this below look pops more.

Maybelline Rock Nudes Palette

As I mentioned in an entry last week, I received the Maybelline Rock Nudes palette in the Beautycon Box.

As I mentioned in the previous entry, I was a little disappointed to receive something that can be found at a drug store. It retails for $9.99 at Ulta. I will admit to my bias against drug store products as they generally don't have enough intensity when applied. And, sadly, for all that some of those colors looked pretty intense, they weren't as intense when I applied them.

On my eyelid and crease, I used the last two colors on that top row, with the blue on my eyelid. It's okay but it's not as blue as I had expected it to be. I did apply a primer underneath but I guess it might have needed a further boost from a colored creamy base. It certainly did not look as intense as it does in the ads that I've seen for the palette.

I tested that theory where I did my makeup (using different colors than above) yesterday with just the primer underneath and it looked washed out as above (I forgot to take a picture). I tried again today but with a golden creamy base on the eyelid and it does look better, though it took A LOT of effort to pack the color. I used the middle 2 colors from the top row for the eyelid and crease and the white at the left of the top row on the brow bone.

There are a lot of colors on that palette and the folks at Maybelline decided to help the customer out by putting hints on how to use the colors in a quad, trio, and duo scheme. Great idea. However, you gotta pay attention to the actual numbering, which is in super tiny font. See, the numbers are not always in the same order. The palette was clearly designed to be used in a duo scheme and then someone went "but wait... we can also do trios and quads"... which, anyway, if you are used to makeup application, you can figure out for yourself. And if you're not used to it, the numbering would be confusing, honestly. So A for effort but C on execution.

I also noticed this morning that, for all that there are a lot of colors, there are 3 browns (1 in the top row and 2 in the bottom right) that are either identical or very close to being identical. It's likely that this happened in order to have the different looks but I generally prefer to have all different colors in a palette. The whole point of getting a palette is to have more options.

Would I recommend this product? Not really. Granted, the price is really low but instead of buying that product, invest a bit more on a palette from E.L.F., NYX, or POP. If you use an eye primer and a creamy base, you may be able to get something out of it but it seems to be a lot of work for not enough payoff. Again, sometimes you're better off putting a little more money on makeup to get better results... and use less product... so it ends up pretty much evening out anyway...

Beautycon Box

I had never heard of the the Beautycon Box until it popped in my Facebook feed a few months ago. The cost is $29 for each season or $99 annually. I'm trying to remember but I believe that they charged shipping, which was around $5. They promised that they would have over $130 in items and lots of them would be full size.

So, yanno, I like these boxes so I figured that I'd try it. Here are pictures of what I received.

I received:

• 2 tiny makeup sponges that work well for foundation application
• Glamglow mask
• Garnier makeup remover towelettes
• Pacifica lipstick
• NYX face setting spray
• Benefit - They're Real mascara sample
• A weird baby/doll trinket
• Maybelline Rock Nudes palette
• Fabric hair ties
• Nail decals
• $20 gift card for Dolls Kill 

The picture on the Facebook page shows that there's also a Murad product but I don't think that I received it.

Indeed, a bunch of items were full size. But I was a little disappointed that some of them were pharmacy things like the palette and the makeup remover towelettes. Sadly, the Pacifica lipstick was too much like my natural lip color to really work well for me but it works well as a base for lip glosses. And, well, hair ties are completely pointless for me, given my short hair.

Since I get these kinds of boxes for the thrill of receiving a surprise in the mail, I liked it enough to try it also at least another time.

Product Review - Sexy Booster™ Ooh La La Sexy Eyes Trio by Physician's Formula

I was at Walmart and looking for a liquid liner when I saw this eyeliner trio by Physican's Formula. I thought that it seemed interesting enough for me to try as I generally like the brand. Well, and I have to admit that the super cute packaging got me.

The box promises that you can create 3 different eyeliner looks from this or use all 3 together. I've yet to use all 3 together but I've definitely used 2 at the same time. So what's included?

• On the far left is a thick kohl eyeliner and is my favorite thing in this trio. It really can create a thick line and is relatively easy to work with. 
• The middle one is the liquid liner. It's okay. I was excited b/c it has a felt tip with a ball inside that I thought would help bring more liquid to the felt tip but it's only working so so. I end up having one eye with a very intense black line and the other not so much.
• The third product (on the far right) is a pencil. It's actually pretty good and doesn't require sharpening as it's the twisting kind. I mean, it works well but it's a fairly typical liner.

I enjoy that all 3 items are together in this pouch thing so you can just grab it and all have 3. The price was also rather fair since I paid a little less than $10 at Walmart. Would I purchase it again? I'm not sure. I'd love to purchase just the black kohl eyeliner but it seems that it only comes in a trio (either the one I'm reviewing here or along with 2 other colors). In fact, I ended up purchasing the Jesse's girl liquid liner just last weekend because I find it easier to work with than the liners in this trio (I like to be quick and efficient on weekday mornings). Still, I think that the trio is a pretty good purchase if you want versatility.

Makeup Technique - Smokey Eye Tips

Everyone loves a good smokey eye... and everyone seems to be searching for better ways to do them. Here are some of my thoughts that hopefully will be helpful.

What is it?
First off, what is a smokey eye? Generally speaking, it's a dark eye shadow on the eyelid whereas regular application would be a medium or light shadow. It usually evokes a vamp look. Essentially, your eye will look like there's smoke around it... hence smokey. ;)

Note that, if you're not used to doing this kind of makeup, it might take some getting used to, not so much in how to apply but more in getting used to the look on your face.

Alternative to black
When we say smokey eye, people will generally think of applying black. And while that's a good choice for it, there are other alternatives that may work best, especially if you have pale skin (I know all about that). Really, it just needs to be a darker eye shadow. So consider playing with other colors like dark blue, dark green, dark brown. It will open up a whole new set of possibilities and may actually look better depending on what you are wearing as well as your eye color. For example, I have blue eyes and, when I use a dark blue, it makes my eyes look paler (sort of icy blue) whereas, when I use a dark brown, it makes them look more intense.

If you're going to use black...
If you are going to use black, consider going for anything but a matte finish. The reason for this is that matte will make your eye look like it's receding, especially if you will be using this for a stage makeup under bright spotlights. My favorite black to use for a smokey eye has gold sparkles in it and it makes for a very nice shimmery effect. So it's still undeniably black but has a nice richness to it.

Fallout management
Whenever you apply a dark color all over your eyelid, there will be more fallout than a medium or light color... or so it seems b/c of the intensity of the color. There are several options to take care of this. One way is to wipe the fallout with a soft fluffy brush, using a light touch. DO NOT USE YOUR FINGERS! It would only embed the dark eye shadow more in your skin. Another option is to apply more loose powder after your eye shadow application, which is a similar principle as just wiping it off with the brush. You also can simply apply your foundation after you have done your eyes: it will simply erase any trace of fallout.

Don't forget the brow bone highlight!
Since you will be using such dark eye shadows, definitely remember to apply a pale, shimmery eye shadow at your brow bone to create a nice highlight. It will take your eye from looking closed to opening it back up again. It's like magic!

What about the crease?
That was something that bugged me for a bit: what do you do with the crease? Well, I do either of two things: either I will bring that dark eye shadow in the crease as well, generally using a lighter touch when applying so it sort of feathers out or I will use a medium eye shadow to have a gradient of color. Typically, I do the former if I use black whereas I'll do the latter if I use a different color. But it depends on my mood too. Just experiment and see if you prefer one or the other option.

Eyeliner
I still line the upper and lower eyelids (usually on the waterline for the lower lid) with a black liner, even if I use black. It just makes for a nicer finish as generally the eyeliner will be a more intense black. But you could skip the eyeliner as it's dark enough as it is.

Another option entirely
If you don't like using dark eye shadows on your eyes because you don't like the look or you want to keep your eye looking open, there is another option entirely. One of my favorite makeup looks that looks like a smokey eye and isn't exactly one is the one in the below picture. I applied a silver eye shadow on the eyelid and black at the crease but I made my crease bigger/more prominent than I normally do, which is yielding this smokey eye look (you can see the instructions for this makeup here). Essentially, this could be done with whichever shadow combination you want, just making sure you have a dark shadow at the crease and making said crease more prominent.