Friday, January 9, 2015

2014 Wrap Up Video

On the last day of 2014 I made this video of the past year.

I originally made it to just share on my facebook but I thought, eh, why not share it here!

I hope you all had a good 2014, a wonderful new year, and that 2015 brings you nothing but happiness!!

Enjoy~



Tuesday, January 6, 2015

Red Coat Tuesday: Holy Grail Red Lip?!

Finally!! Pretty Little Liars returns tonight for season 5B after a grueling wait.

Which means, the #RedCoatTuesday link up is back!


For the premiere I decided to focus on lips since I am currently wearing acrylic nails (for the first time in my life! More on that later).

And what better way to kick off the season then to talk about the perfect red lip?

Chances are you know who Kat Von D is, and you have probably heard that her makeup products have steadily taken the beauty world by storm. The Kat Von D line is sold at Sephora and is a little too steep for me. I have been wanting to try her products for quite a long time but the opportunity never came up.

So when I heard that some of her products were popping up in Marshall's and TJ Maxx I knew I had to try and snatch some up!

I got lucky and found one of her infamous Everlasting Liquid Lipsticks which are liquid lipsticks that dry matte. Even better, I found it in the universally flattering shade, Outlaw!

Matte Liquid Lipsticks are probably one of the most popular items in the beauty world lately. Kat Von D's Everlasting line has been compared to Limecrime Velvetines or Stila stay all day lipstick. It applies wet but dries to a matte finish that is supposed to be smudge proof, kiss-proof, and stay on all day!

So, after trying it, is it my new Holy Grail?!


As you can see, I truly got a steal on this one! It was on sale for $6.99! The tag says compare at $14 but it is actually on Sephora's website for $19! So I got it for less than half of the full price!


A sticker on the bottom has both the shade name and the color. I find this helpful since the rest of the box does not give any indication of the shade.


When I opened it I realized it was a lot smaller than I thought it was. It's very skinny. Because of this I would feel even more uncomfortable paying full price, since you're not getting that much product. I found out that the reason this is at Marshall's is because it is the old packaging.


It has a standard doe foot applicator but since it's thin, it has pretty good control. I still think it's a good idea to apply with a brush on the edges to get a crisp line. I did not use a brush but for best results I think you should.


As you can see with just one swipe it is INCREDIBLY pigmented. The top of this swatch is still wet, and the bottom has begun to dry and you can see it become a matte finish. You can also see how it looks like it is part of my skin as opposed to the top of the swatch looks like it is just sitting on top of the skin.


I rubbed the bottom half of this swatch pretty hard and as you can see there is a *slight* pink smear and the color gets patchy. But it was still not completely dry when I did this. When I tried again a few minutes later it was much harder to get to budge!


On the lips it is a beautiful brick red. It is pretty neutral and therefor I think it would be flattering on most skin tones! Since this is a matte lipstick it is best to prep your lips beforehand. However since I'm lazy I did not and I did not experience any of the typical drying you usually get with matte lipsticks. It doesn't cling to dry patches either so it's a pretty nice formula!


I wore this lipstick out to a bar with some friends because I wanted something I could throw on and forget about. This definitely fits that description! Once on my lips I couldn't even tell it was there. While it's drying you don't want to rub your lips together but once it's dry it's DRY and not going anywhere.


OKAY so remember I said I was going to a bar? I'm going to let that explain the face..... I will also say that there were friends in this picture also making silly faces but I cropped them out to respect their privacy.
The point is, this is the lipstick about 5 hours and a few drinks later. As you can see it is still going strong! No smudging or fading at all! In fact when I got home several hours later it was still as bold as ever, and I took pictures of myself again because I was so amazed. To spare myself the embarrassment I won't be posting those pictures haha


I wore this lipstick again on Christmas as it felt like a very holiday friendly shade. It also matched my dress. My lips were a bit dry this day and I should have prepped them first but I ran out of time. For not exfoliating or moisturizing, I'd still say they don't look that bad but they do look dry.


Lastly I thought I would include this picture from after Christmas dinner. As you can see the color faded a bit in the center but it's not awful. This is after a few hours and a meal, and it held up pretty well. I didn't even touch it up after although I probably should have, haha.

So is this my new holy grail?! Honestly...it is for now! I really love that I can throw it on and not worry about reapplying all day. I can also eat and drink without worrying about it smearing everywhere. My boyfriend loves that I can kiss him without leaving behind a big red lip mark. Even though it's quite neutral, if this were just a tad more blue toned it would be a TRUE holy grail for me. As it is now, I do love it and will use it up but I would only repurchase if it were on sale.

Have you tried any of Kat Von D's cosmetics? I have been dying to try the Lock It Foundation and have heard great things about her eyeshadow palettes and liquid eyeliner.

Don't forget to check out everyone else's Red Coat Tuesday and don't forget to watch the season B premiere of Pretty Little Liars!




EmberDarling