2 Concert makeup looks featuring Make Up For Ever Aqua Rouge #11

While cleaning up some of my pictures I realized I never posted two looks from last year that I really, really liked.

Because they were looks for concerts, I was in a rush and did not get to take as many pictures as I normally would. One of the days I even only had my phone camera. I didn't take note of which products I used (what I can remember I will note below)

In both of these looks I'm wearing Make Up For Ever Aqua Rouge lip color in #11, Dark Raspberry.

These are actually from September of last year. Whoops! As you can see I still have dark hair in these pictures.
In fact, looking at these made me miss my dark hair!! What do you think?

In this first look I wore a blue/green smokey eye to see Fall Out Boy in September. I had to apply my makeup in the car and my only camera was on my phone.
Not the most ideal for documenting but I still really loved how the look pulled together so I felt it was worth sharing!

The only things I remembered using are the Elf little black beauty book (I talked about it here, and to answer my own question, no, no I would not call it Holy Grail) and MUFE aqua rouge in 11.

Any discoloration you see is due to my crappy cell phone camera NOT a real reflection of my skin. My camera does this sometimes.

I like the general sharp winged shape I had here. It could have been blended a bit more but because this is such an old look, I didn't know as much back then.

My second look is from when I went to see my favorite band, Yellowcard.
I remember being so flattered because a few people complimented my makeup that night and of course that made my day.

For this look I used MAC pigment Bright Fuchsia which is the bright pink you see on the eyelid that ended up staying on all night through the concert AND sleep. Pretty impressive!

 A worse phone quality but you get the picture. I also really like my key clock necklace which I got for less than $5 on Amazon.

If you notice there is a part of my lips which are discolored...the MUFE Aqua Rouge didn't seem to stick to it.
I honestly have no idea why or how this happened...I didn't realize it until later when going through my pictures. It could have been a dry/chapped spot of lips or it could have been because I tried on a few different lipsticks before settling on this one. I don't know!

As you can see I smoked the pink out with a dark purple in the crease/outer V.

I had just dyed my hair again so it's extra dark so I was trying something different with my eyebrows here. I think they look a bit off but it's all apart of the brows journey!

So there are 2 looks that I put together back in September and needed to last all night.

I didn't think they were worth throwing away so I hope you've enjoyed them. The truth is the MUFE Aqau Rouge is my go-to lipstick. It lasts FOREVER and is waterproof, smudgeproof, etc and MATTE (if you don't apply the 2nd side which is how I usually wear it). This meets all my basic needs because I rarely re-apply lip products through the day. I need something to last me all day.

The MUFE Aqua Rouge is my go-to for any big events, anything where I will be eating/drinking, and really a majority of my full face looks! I really love it and I'm so glad I got it.

MAC Punk Couture lipsticks (swatches & review)

So if you've been hanging around for a while then you might remember when I bought my first MAC products. It feels like just yesterday I was wrapping my fingers around those sleek black packages for the first time.

MAC always seemed like a faraway fantasy for me. It always seemed out of my reach. It wasn't until semi-recently that I took a closer look at the prices.
While they aren't something I can afford frequently, I can certainly splurge every once in a while on it.

When I heard the name 'punk couture collection' in passing, my ears immediately perked up and I dove headfirst into the internet to find this magical myth. I didn't know what to expect. I knew that anytime a mainstream brand claims to be "punk" it's probably the furthest thing from being 'punk'. But considering my style is dark and alternative at best, I was still totally intrigued.

Which led me to the website Spektra. It's a message board all about makeup, mostly MAC and only other high end brands. I lurked and lurked and joined and commented and fell in love with the collection months before the release date. I came up with a plan on how to get my hands on the collection weeks ahead of time.

The babies I had my eyes on in particular with the lipsticks. Most everything else in the collection was re-promotes, but the lipsticks were brand new, matte, and oh so gorgeous.

So the day after Christmas I got out of bed bright and early to arrive at the local mall just in time for opening. There is a MAC counter inside Dillard's, and I made a beeline for it. I was the first person there and the sales woman knew exactly what I was looking for! She even said that some people had already called and reserved some of the collection, which was extremely limited. I was so grateful to be able to get my hands on all 4 lippies!

I could basically drool over this picture all day! Le'ts break it down from left to right!
Studded Kiss- a medium darkened matte red. I almost didn't get this one! But who doesn't love a darkened red lip? The only red I have is bright so I eventually decided that I needed this.
Punk Couture- To me this is the definition of  mate purple! It is more blue-toned than red, which is hard to come by. It was love at first sight with this lipstick and me!
Haute Core- black matte. I can tell you that I have searched for black lipstick for a while. All the ones I have found are either not pigmented enough or so patchy it's not worth it. When I heard there would be a matte black I was excited to get my hands on it!
Instigator- burgundy purple. This is a hard color to explain because from what I've seen it is different on everyone! All I needed to know was that it was matte and dark and I was on board!

Swatches from left to right- Instigator, Punk Couture, Haute Core, Studded Kiss
As you can see in the swatches, these are very pigmented and fairly matte. As you can also see, from the edges of the swatches, is that at first swipe the colors can be patchy. I found this the same on the lips. One swipe won't do the trick but a little layering and there's no problems. I didn't find them to be too difficult to apply, but I know some people have had trouble.
Since they are matte, it is best to prime your lips a little before applying- exfoliate, and perhaps put on a lip balm to add moisture.
In my lip swatches however I did no prep. I just applied it straight from the tube!

Instigator. In certain lighting it is this beautiful blackened purple. But mostly for me, it ends up looking so dark it's almost black. I will be experimenting different ways to apply this to get the most out of the color, and perhaps I will share them on the blog when I find the best way that works for me!
As you can see it's not that matte. This is the kind of lipstick that needs a little bit of time to set. However I found that overall it doesn't get too mattified.

Studded Kiss is a dark red as promised. It's not anything ground-breaking but I really like it! I think I like it even more than the red I usually wear.

Haute Core is a solid black that I love! I think it looks great.

On new years eve I put on Haute Core and dabbed half baked from the Naked palette in the center , I really loved how it turned out.

Perfect for New Years Eve!
I can't talk about the wear of any of the lipsticks because I haven't worn them for extended periods of time. But when I wore haute core on NYE it lasted all night through drinking, eating, and smoking. I know this is due in part to half baked acting like a setting powder on top but it's still pretty impressive that it lasted through the wee hours of the morning.

Last but not least, my favorite of the bunch: Punk Couture! This is a true purple lippie and I am so happy to have it in my arsenal. I find myself wanting to wear it ALL the time!

So these lipsticks sold out RIDIC quick. If you weren't able to snatch it up I'm afraid the only place you might find them is ebay or other re-sellers.

As for me, I am so glad I splurged on this collection of lipsticks. They are a must-have for me!

Christmas Haul

Normally I wouldn't feel the urge to post what I got for Christmas. But I am doing so for a few reasons.
1- I have read on blogs recently people proclaiming to be 'so nosey' and wanting to know what others got for Christmas. So, why not oblige?
2- I left Christmas this year feeling overwhelmingly thankful for the people in my life, and how grateful I am for the gifts they kindly gave me. This year I got truly spoiled and I could not be more thankful!
3- A lot of my gifts were beauty related! So of course it's only natural to share them on my blog!!

First and foremost is the lovely gifts I got from my friend from work, Jessica from Leopurrd. She definitely spoiled me, as you can see! Here's a closer look:

Aside from the Seche Vite quick dry top coat that she knows I use, she got me these 2 lovely shades of OPI nail polish.
On the left is OPI DS Magic . Right when I saw the silver cap I knew this must be a special polish. I was right! The DS stands for Designer Series. So this is a lovely extra fancy polish. It's a shimmery sparkley blue that flashes a purple duochrome. I guess to me it's a true blurple, since it shifts!
On the right is OPI Underneath the Mistletoe, which is part of the Mariah Carey holiday 2013 polishes. It's a red jelly with silver glitter which is exciting because it's my first jelly polish!

In addition to the unique polishes, she gave me my first BH cosmetics! I got the 120 palette, the first edition. I love how thoughtful Jessica was- she got me and another friend of ours both the 120 palette. However she got me the first edition because it contained mostly bright colors and she knew that's what I liked; meanwhile she got our friend an edition that contained mostly neutrals because she knew that's what she liked! Truly thoughtful, I tell you!

Above is the top layer- soo manyyy cooolors!

And here is the 2nd row of colors. So many colors I don't know what to do with!

My favorite part about this palette is the size. I thought it was going to be the kinda palette that you leave at home (I often do my makeup on the go or at a friends house) but to my delight the size is perfect to throw in my makeup tote and bring along with me. It's not too big at all!

Not pictured that she also got me is the BH cosmetics flawless brow trio in medium. I didn't take a picture of this because I have used it far too much for it to be picture-pretty. I have to say that I like this trio better than the ELF one I was using before!

This amazing present was sent all the way from Colorado from my best friend! And how well does she know me!! First the 'big' gift is this lovely nail polish set from Sephora. In addition to the ones pictured is a black, clear, a multicolored glitter polish, and a set of star shaped studs. These are all great staple colors to have in your collection so of course I'm thankful for them.
However, the main star of this present is the Hocus Pocus lanyard! I can't wait to put my work badge on it and wear it every day. This just truly goes to show how well my bestie knows me, since it's in my top 5 favorite movies of all time! We also watched it one year in the middle of July just because! So this movie has memories for us, as well. I thought it was a very sweet and thoughtful gift to include, when the polishes would have been more than enough!

Now every year my mom usually buys me a fragrance for Christmas or my birthday. This is usually an interesting experience because my mom has no sense of smell! However somehow she has usually managed to be spot on with my taste- I don't know how she does it! Well, this year she cheated! Sort of. I truly wasn't expecting this present because my mom got me a big gift this year- pictured below.

Just before Christmas I half-mentioned that I should have asked her for a perfume this year, since I don't currently have one. She asked what I would have wanted and I didn't tell her because I felt that she already spent too much on me. Yet on Christmas here I opened a full size bottle of Taylor Swift's Wonderstruck! Whaaa? How did she know?! Apparently at one point I mentioned in a store that I loved it while I tested it. I don't even remember this and yet here it was under my Christmas tree! Truly taken aback and pleasantly surprised by this gift. I love this scent!

Now I'm saving the biggest & best for last so I'm going to shove these non-beauty items in here awkwardly.

If you know me then you know that my favorite animal is an Orca whale. I'm obsessed. So my boyfriend adopted one in my name! It's Princess Angeline from the J pod near San Juan islands in Washington. I have a friend that lives there and works for the whale watching tours so I have lusted after going there for years now. So he adopted me this whale because it's the next best thing :P

Princess Angeline was picked especially for me because for one, she's a princess, and I am also a princess. For two, her pod number is J-17 and my birthday is June 17th. And lastly, she was one of the whales in the Free Willy movies! I love those movies because they are what got me interested in Orcas when I was just 5 years old.

My boyfriend's family can always be counted on for media related gifts. They are religious black friday shoppers and always are sure to get media at a ridiculously good price!
This year they got me Pretty Little Liars seasons 1 &3, Season 3 of Justified (PLL and Justified are my 2 favorite shows! Next to Parks & Recreation). They also got me Eminem's Marshall Mathers 2 LP and (not pictured) Miley Cyrus's Bangerz, which is currently in the car player!

The big gift I mentioned my mom got me was this Nikon Coolpix S3500 point & shoot. I'm going on a cruise at the end of January and really wanted a point & shoot to take along so that I wouldn't have to drag my DSLR everywhere, and also because I don't feel comfortable taking it off the ship. So I am so excited to have a point and shoot camera again! Woo! Thanks momma.

Now for the grand finale!

First and foremost is this set of holiday MAC brushes that I got from my boyfriend. To be fair I specifically asked for these. I was going to buy them for myself but they sold out online. So naturally, I sent my boyfriend on a quest to find them. And he did! He got the last one apparently!

These are my first MAC brushes!!! I only own Elf brushes other than this, so this is a big deal!
Speaking of deal, this was a great one! I couldn't ever bring myself to buy any MAC brushes because the price is quite steep. However with this limited edition Holiday collection, the price of each brush is less than half price!
I got "the essentials" set, which comes with 168, 193, 217, 239, and 212.
I can't wait to try out these brushes!!

And, drumroll please...

I know. I know. My jaw is on the floor, too. ALL THREE Naked palettes?!?
I can't even.
Technically one is from my boyfriend, one is from his parents, and one is from his siblings. I am so overwhelmed that they would spend this kind of money on me and I truly can't believe how lucky I am!

To go from never trying a naked palette aside from lustfully swatching a few shades in Ulta, to owning all three is simply unimaginable to me. I don't even know where to begin!

So in 2014 you can expect LOTS of new looks! Between the colors in the 120 palette, the neutrals of Naked, the array of nail colors, and the beautful brushes I have to apply them, I am now so excited to put together looks and tutorials for you! And I'm going to smell great while doing it ;)

So that's the majority of my Christmas haul! I can't believe how blessed I was this year. I hope that you all were doubly blessed as I was and that this holiday brought you all you wanted and ever so much more!

Did you have a good holiday? What do you want to see me swatch first? Let's talk Christmas in the comments below! 

Follow your bliss,

Ember Darling

P.s. As there is a slight chance this is the last post I will be posting will be the last of 2013 so THANK YOU everyone who has read this blog in 2013 and I hope you stick around through 2014! I can't wait to see what the next year has in store :) 

September & October hauls

Yes you read that right...Yes it is embarrassing that I am writing this in NOVEMBER. Let's not talk about it.

Also, this definitely isn't everything I hauled in September & October. But it's all the stuff I made sure to take a picture of. Ha!