Urban Decay 24/7 Liquid Eyeliner: Review + Lookbook

While growing up certain beauty aesthetics were engrained into me as a sort of "Don't Do" bible. Each time we passed by the beauty aisle or I would play in my mother's makeup I was reminded of those rules as a warning, as if some glittery makeup goddess would bestow bad eyebrow days on me if I disobeyed. Of course, as a young teen and being told "Don't do that" only made me want to do it even more, and as I've gotten older and developed my own style I've rebelled against one rule in particular:

 ***Pink around the eyes makes you look sick/diseased***

As soon as I was out on my own in college I dove into variations of browns, pinks, blues and greys and I am happy to say that pink eyeshadow is one of my best friends. I'm so drawn to pink now as an adult that when I saw the Urban Decay 24/7 Liquid Eyeliner in the shade "Woodstock" on sale, my heart skipped a beat. The shade is a beautiful deeper sparkly coral that's perfect for the summer months. Instead of just doing a regular review about whether or not I like the product and how it wore, I decided to create 2 different eye looks using the eyeliner because I love it so dern' much.

Look #1 Half-eye cat flick

A very simple, easy half-eye cat flick. Since my eyes are smaller I like to start at the middle of the eye with eyeliner and then draw it out to the side since I've noticed it creates the illusion of larger eyes. The eyeshadow shades underneath the liner are lighter pinks and dusty mauves with a shimmery pink in the corner of my eye to draw light to it and create the illusion of a wider eye. I went very light on the eyeshadow application to give just a gentle base contrast for the bright pink eyeliner. My trusty NYX concealer under my eyes and one coat of Calvin Klein mascara completed the look.

Look #2: Double Liner Happiness

This was a tricky look for me as I've never really done a really big bold eyeliner, and I'm sure you can see I don't have the steadiest hands. I love contrasting two colors like this so I might continue to try to push myself with more challenging looks like this in the future. Practice makes perfect, and clearly I need a lot of practice! :-P

Overall Review:

Urban Decay's 24/7 Liquid Eyeliner is very easy to use, and of course the packaging is adorable. It goes on quickly and it STAYS on. I accidentally rubbed my eyes more than once, and my eyeshadow shifted but not the eyeliner. It applies very smoothly and it's effortless to create any kind of shape you want due to the thin application brush that comes with it. The color itself is bright but it's not a neon "I'm going to a rave after this" bright. It's a really beautiful bold pink and the sparkles add a nice hint of shimmer in the light. The ONLY bad thing about this liner, if you can't already tell from the picture above, is that you have to go sparingly with it or it can get a little...clumpy.

The price is absolutely worth it due to the quality of this product. This shade probably isn't for everyone, but if you're looking for a formula for a great liquid eyeliner, I recommend going for the Urban Decay 24/7 in another shade. I've tried different brands of liquid eyeliner with a brush before and I've got to say this is my favorite to date.

Lipstick Queen's "Frog Prince" - Review

Hey lovelies, if you're wondering if you should pick up Lipstick Queen's new "Frog Prince" color, then check out my review below!

The Polish Prerogative

As someone who strives every day to come closer to becoming a tiny house owner/lifestyle enthusiast, I'm constantly fighting an inner battle due to my love of options. From my shoes to my jewelry to my clothes, I love having lots and lots of options despite the fact that I know I don't need them. 

Naturally it should come as no surprise that that same love of choices extends to my nail polish collection. When I first moved in to my room over a month ago, I had close to 70 nail polishes. The funny thing is, is that it didn't look or feel like that much. One night I was organizing my bathroom and on a whim I counted my collection. My jaw hit the floor. I immediately started grabbing the ones I used the least in the last year and promptly placed them to the side to give away to my roommate and coworkers. 

Within the last 5 weeks I have whittled down my collection to just 21 polishes, including my base and top coats. To some people this is still a lot, and to others this may be very small.

Out of these 21 beauties, I have selected my top 6 favorite ones:

Zoya "Odette": $9.00

I've been in love with Zoya for years. I've done a post on them before, and mentioned them countless times in other posts. They're the original "4-free" nail polish, and their polishes chip the least. This polish is that perfect neutral. At first glance this doesn't look like a neutral, but it goes with EVERYTHING.

OPI "Midnight in Moscow"

Every time I wear this I get compliments everywhere I go. This color is one of the prettiest colors I've ever owned, and every angle in the sun makes it look different.

Julep "Zelda": $14.00

One of my biggest frustrations with Julep is that I have found most of their colors chip very easily. However, the 6 colors I own, 5 of them being shimmer, don't chip easily, dry quickly, and stay on the nails for a very long time. That's why they're still in my collection (obviously), and Zelda always feels fun and glamorous.

LVX "Viridian": $16.00

I discovered this brand by accident in New Orleans last year, and I've been over the moon since. They're 5-free, cruelty-free and vegan, and their polishes last FOREVER on the nails. I also receive a lot of compliments whenever I wear this color, and usually after a week I only have one teensy chip. For me that's a miracle considering how hard I am on my hands. 

Formula X "Neon Top Coat": $10.50

This top coat is the coolest because not only does it help my polishes last way longer than they normally would, it gives the most interesting holographic sheen to every color. 

Sephora by OPI "It's Real 18k Gold Top Coat": $30.00

This bad boy is unfortunately no longer available. 3 Christmases ago I felt like being fancy, Iggy Azalea-style and ordering myself a top coat with flecks of 18k gold in it. It adds the prettiest appearance to any polish I put it over, and I always get compliments whenever I wear it. If they ever decide to bring it back, I'm buying two.

Palm Tree Nation: $50 or less

It might be because it's summertime, or maybe because designers have fallen in love with palm trees, but lately fashion seems to be favoring the palms. Almost every day, I see someone wearing something that has some palm trees on it. Whether it's at the grocery store, at work, on when I log on to yahoo news and they're talking about what celebrities wore; people everywhere love their palm trees. Luckily for me, I love them too. I decided to find some gorgeous and affordable palm tree wears for anyone who loves the palms just as much as I do:

Palm Tree Nation

$50 or Less

Soak Up The Sun Beige Tropical Print Tote: $33.00

Adorable yet still the perfect size for all those papers and your laptop.

Impact Palm Sporty Dress: $25.00

Pair with leggings and boots for a more casual vibe or dress it up with heels for a date or a blazer for work. This dress is mulch-functional AND perfect for the summertime.

Palm Harmony Print Flare Skirt: $47.40

 While the palm trees say summer, the colors can easily take this skirt from summer to winter when paired with the right pieces. The easy shape makes this gorgeous skirt flattering on all body types.

Palm Tree Round Sunglasses: $36.00

A slight retro feel makes these fun glasses the perfect accessory for your beach day or date outfit.

One Fine Vacay Flat: $44.99

The bright blue and white makes these flats and the cutest shoes to throw on with your beach cover-up or farmer's market dress.

Mouth-Off Whitening Treatment Challenge

For anyone out there wondering which whitening treatment they should try, check out my video below for a mouth-off between two popular whitening treatments.

Why I canceled my Ipsy subscription

At the beginning of this year I made a resolution to be more conscious of what I purchase. As an Ipsy bag subscriber, $10 a month was my little happy outlet, my escape from the stress going on around me. I lit up like a Christmas tree every time I saw that pink metallic pouch in the mail each month. When I separated and moved into my friend's house about a month ago though, I packed up all my things and unpacked them in my new single girl bathroom. It was eye-opening and overwhelming as I kept pulling mini-bottle after mini-tube out of my cardboard boxes marked "Bathroom/Beauty".

After getting settled and having multiple friends over, each one uttered the same sentiment when they saw my bathroom set up and makeup stash. "You own a lot of products for someone who doesn't work in the beauty industry" they all said in a similar fashion. As a woman who will be on the move all this summer, I don't want to be tied down by beauty - I want to be freed by it. While I've given away many many products to my coworker's delight, I still have so many that I'm beginning to understand how Frodo felt when he looked at Moordoor. Despite trying my hardest, I realized about 2 weeks ago that I've become almost buried in beauty and it's overwhelming me. Beauty is supposed to bring happiness, but instead it's made me feel anxiety over wasted money and products.

At the beginning of the year I had a feeling this day would come, and so, with much sadness, I canceled my Ipsy subscription a little over a week ago. While having the extra $10 a month in my account isn't a big deal, I am happy that I am no longer adding to this:

 The products in the pictures above are only 1/6 of my beauty arsenal. True story. As someone who wears makeup at LEAST 5 days a week and still can't use up products fast enough, it's an overwhelming task to use all of this before it goes bad, but it's something I'm working on every day diligently. When I fly back to California, my goal is to own only enough to fit 2 large cosmetic bags. I know, laughable, but it's still a goal, right?

For anyone who read my post yesterday, yes I did buy a new beauty product. The Lipstick Queen shade in Frog Prince was purchased due to the fact that it's only ONE product vs. a bag that comes with 4-5 items at a time. Also, with the incoming of this ONE item, TWO items will be taken out of my collection and be given away.

Baby steps lovelies, baby steps.

Frog Prince Lipstick

About 2 years ago I came across an article talking about a makeup brand called Lipstick Queen and their insanely popular blue "Hello Sailor" lipstick. Intrigued, I called up every Bloomingdale's around the country until I found one in Hollywood that had a few left. I ordered it, tried it, loved it, and reviewed it on here on my blog. 

Yesterday I was browsing through the latest in fashion & beauty news like usual when I saw another Lipstick Queen lipstick, but instead of the blue Hello Sailor color, this one was green. Of course Rihanna has paved the way with the green lipstick trend and many companies have scrambled to produce the unique and niche color for those brave enough to try, but just like the Hello Sailor color, this isn't your typical lipstick. Yes, it comes in a lipstick tube and is shaped like a lipstick, but it's actually a color-changing lip tint that turns into a lip stain.

With the Hello Sailor color, it went on and turned into a beautiful berry tint that actually stayed on like a lip stain even after it felt like it had worn off. This color, Frog Prince, promises the same desired effect, except this one turns into a beautiful rosy color on the lips. 

 

 

 Lipstick Queen "Frog Prince": $25.00

 

While I could never pull off green lipstick, I love the color-changing lipsticks that are coming out, and like with the Hello Sailor lipstick, the second I saw this one I called around and bought one. A review will be coming soon <.3

Facial Face-Off

For anyone who likes all things beauty and facials, check out my facial face-off between Glamglow & Boscia!

My summer purse

Hey lovelies, since it's summer that means bright, fun purses to tote around while going to the pool and out shopping. I hope you enjoy my purse and what I keep in it to keep me going while I run around between work and play.

Holistic Health: Allergy Edition

To make up for my hiatus over the last few weeks, I'm doing a video or written post every day this week! Today is a video post talking about how I deal with my allergies, I hope you lovelies enjoy <.3

Face Secrets Brush Cleaner

I'm back from my hiatus with a video review for the Face Secrets Brush Cleaner! I hope you lovelies enjoy! <.3