30 Days of Lips + Looks: Day 25 "Feeling just a little blue"

Day 25 "Feeling just a little blue" - Bite 

Bite Lipgloss "Strangefruit": $22.00

I saw a look done with blue eyeshadow packed on the middle of the lid, so I decided to try it in a softer way that I could wear during the daytime. The gloss looks intimidating in the tube but once on it's super beautiful and absolutely wearable with any look.

30 Days of Lips + Looks: Day 22 "No Makeup Makeup"

Day 22 "No Makeup Makeup" - NARS

NARS Lipgloss "Orgasm": $26.00

When I do my normal full-face routine for work, I layer certain products to hide all of my acne and scarring. My "work professional" routine in the last 2 years has transitioned from "5-minute natural" to "15-minute cake-baking" with the amount of product I have to use to cover discoloration, acne, etc. It's a lot for every day, and today I decided to experiment and try to revamp my "5-minute natural" routine so that I feel comfortable enough wearing it to work. This is the result, and as you can see some of my acne and light scarring is still showing through, but I look pretty even as far as my coloring is concerned which is a major plus. No eyeshadow, just super basic with blush, a touch of contour, some pretty gloss, light mascara and natural highlighting.

30 Days of Lips + Looks: Day 21 "Good Intent Makeup Recreation"

Day 21 "Good Intent Makeup Recreation" - Calvin Klein/Bare Minerals

(Inspiration)

 

Calvin Klein One Color Pure Color Lipstick "LipLock": $16.00

Bare Minerals Marvelous Moxie Lipgloss "Dare Devil": $18.00

If any of you lovelies out there have heard of the amazing and talented artist Kimbra, then kudos to you, and if you haven't, she was the other half to the world-famous song "Somebody that I used to know". Yep, that women in the video is Kimbra. I've been obsessed with her for a few years now, and one of my favorite videos from her is "Good Intent". In the video her lover has essentially done her wrong and she's trying to decide whether or not to forgive him. Throughout the video she has her angel personality and her devil personality singing to her trying to sway her to each one's side. It's an amazing song and video, and her makeup/wardrobe in it is flawless. Her makeup is full glam in the video, so I decided to attempt to re-create the look from her "neutral" look, which is actually her. There is a "red" look which is the devil on her shoulder, and then there's the "white" look which is the angel on her shoulder, but the look her herself is wearing is black and very dark, smokey and stunning.

(I don't own vibrant magenta colors like what was used for her, I own softer to dark pinks/purples, but nothing vibrant like what's on her lids, so I used different colors for my recreation. I didn't go as dark with my eyebrows because they're so big when I go too dark it doesn't look right)

30 Days of Lips + Looks: Day 18 "Casual Evening"

Day 18 "Casual Evening" - Buxom "Two-Timer" & "YOW"

Buxom Full-Bodied Lipstick "Two-Timer": $21.00

Buxom Full-Bodied Lipgloss "YOW": $19.00

After a long night of work I changed into my pajamas and went to go take my makeup off when I realized I didn't take my face picture for my blog yet. I put the lipgloss just on the center of my lips on top of the lip gloss. I put a big line of light gold glitter on my eyes to just add a bit of pop to the look since the color is more neutral.

30 Days of Lips + Looks: Day 17 "Dark Matter"

Day 17 "Dark Matter" - "Black Opal" Mana Cosmetics

After a few days of dealing with the flu (or flu-like symptoms), I'm baaaaaaack! (Like the dinosaur movie)

 One of my good friends used to work for Mana cosmetics and many of my eyeshadows and one of my favorite lipsticks actually comes from  what she gave me, but unfortunately you can't buy Mana  cosmetics individually, you can only buy them bulk wholesale. I've kept this for a really long time because I love more dramatic colors like this, but I've used this once in the year and a half I've had it. Underneath of this really unique lipgloss is the Mary Kay lip liner in "Dark Berry".

30 Days of Lips + Looks: Day 13 "Burt's Bees of Every Flavor"

Day 13 "Burt's Bees of Every Flavor" - Burt's Bees Lip Gloss "Ruby Moon"

Burts Bees Lip Gloss "Ruby Moon": $8.97

 

I got this on sale at the beginning of the year when I happened to walk into Walgreens at the right time. They were having on sale on only certain colors of this lip gloss for $1.50 each, and I got the last one of Ruby Moon. I was soooo excited because I love Burt's Bees and I've always wanted to try their lip gloss. I don't wear this that much though because it unfortunately does that thing where it builds up on the lips towards the outter edges and it has the tendency to settle into the lines of your lips a bit. Those are my only complaints. It's semi-sheer, so you can go lighter than the color in the container, or add a second coat for a more pigmented color. I decided to do a bronze eye to balance the dark red gloss. 

(Please excuse my Joker pose in the first picture. I might be a little too excited for the Suicide Squad movie to come out)

30 Days of Lips + Looks: Day 10 "Baked and Bronze-y"

Day 10 "Baked and Bronze-y" - Smashbox "Copper Remix"

Smashbox Heat Wave Lip Enhancing Gloss "Copper Remix": $12.99

This was my first time in my life attempting to bronze: I've watched countless tutorials, I can practically recite them in my sleep about which products, how to apply and where to apply, and yet I've never used it because quite honestly, bronzing has never appealed to me. I've never held a tan very well in my life so I embrace my paleness and I don't feel the need to fake a tan. I did however wanted to push myself and so today I decided to do all-over bronze: bronze eyes, bronze lipgloss and bronze face. I'm a "Go big or go home" kind of a girl, so I sort of bathed in the bronze-ness today. 

The ironic thing though is that this gloss gives the slightest hint of sheer bronze - it's not very pigmented once on the lips, so it just looked like a natural clear gloss. The bronzer I used was Bare Minerals and I feel like it warmed up my face nicely. One the eyes was a smudge of two colors from Too Faced.

Top Ten Lip Products

Hi, my name is Ashley and I'm obsessed with lip products. In case this is your first time reading this: I currently own 72 lip products, and in the last year I've tried out well over 100. Out of all of the lip products I currently own, there are specific ones that I find myself reaching for over and over again. I own lip products that range from cheapy drugstore up to somewhat high-end (I don't own NARS or Chanel, so I can't claim REALLY high-end), and these are the ones that I've found wear the best and give the most color pay-off. 

My Top 10 Lip Products

Julep Luxe Lip Conditioning Treatment: $24.00

This is a sheer lip treatment that I wear to bed every night. This lip treatment has, I feel, made a huge difference in my overall lip appearance. Since using it I feel my lips look more moisturized and fuller. It also smells like yummy buttery popcorn, which is a plus to me.

Too Faced La Creme Lipstick in "Cinnamon Kiss": $19.80

 This was a spontaneous Cyber Monday buy last year, and it has turned into the lipstick I reach for the most. This is the best pink/mauve-ish lipstick I have ever owned. I get a lot of compliments when I wear this one, and it wears beautifully all day. 

 

Covergirl Lipstick in "Divine"" $6.99

This is a really beautiful, unique color. It's bright but it's not in-your-face, and when it's on it stays put. I feel extremely confident when I wear this color - I love neutrals but I think this is my spirit lipstick.

Maybelline Color Sensational Color Elixir Lip Color in "Blush Essence": $6.94

This is the perfect petal pink lip gloss. I repeat, this is the gloss that every woman should have in her purse. This stays in my purse with my MOLIN+GOETZ lipbalm at all times. This is what you wear to interviews, to meet the parents, to a big meeting - this is what you wear when you want to make a great impression but you can't wear loud colors.

Red Apple Lipstick in "Swoon": $16.50

I did a post on Red Apple Lipstick a few months ago and I did a separate post specifically on this color. The formula is very hydrating, very pigmented and stays on for a long time. Red Apple Lipstick's formula is one of the better formulas I've ever encountered in a lipstick. Also, this specific color is just really different. It's like a bruised sparkly raisin - it's very fun and earthy and edgy at the same time.

Lorac Breakthrough Performance Lipstick in "Nude Scene": $10.00

I started getting into nudes last year hesitantly because I was very scared of concealer mouth, but I did some research last summer and luckily came across this lipstick. I'm really glad I finally decided to pick it up last October. This is the lipstick I reach for 2nd most out of all of my lipsticks because it is so moisturizing and the color is beautiful.

Calvin Klein Pure Color Lipstick in "Liplock": $16.00

This is another unique color, and I was very hesitant about buying this one initially. The color is what drew me in when I saw it online and I thought about this purchase for a solid week before making the commitment. I've got to say: Calvin Klein makes some fantastic lipsticks. The intensity of this formula and the lack of feathering is the reason why this is on my top 10 list.

Tarte LipSurgence Lip Tint in "Elite": $24.00

This lip tint is such a pretty retro coral red. It's so feminine and easy to wear, especially during the warmer months. This is my go-to when I want a punch of color without going raver/Lite Bright. I own a lot of colors, but this is one that I feel is a classic.

MALIN+GOETZ Mojito Lip Balm: $12.00

I got this in my Ipsy bag a little while ago, and at first I was hesitant about using it but after my favorite chapstick got eaten by the dryer, I had no choice but to open it. This stuff stays with me at all times now. When I'm done with the one I have I will buy another one cause it's just that good. It leaves my lips feeling soft for hours and gives them a naturally moisturized look.

OCC Stained Gloss in "New Wave": $18.00

 This is a very bright, fun color and like all OCC products, it goes on and it stays on. A little bit goes a long way - I don't think I'll finish this tiny bottle any time soon. 

***In accordance with my New Year's resolution, as I use & finish many of these products that are not vegan & cruelty-free, I will switch over and stay with the vegan & cruelty-free alternatives***

LimeCrime: The Controversy

I discovered LimeCrime last year when I was stumbling around bored on Instagram one day, quickly falling for their dreamy-like pictures and colorful vegan products. It wasn't long before I was scrambling to buy from them, and I was of course over the moon when I (finally) received their products weeks later. I've mentioned them in more than one post/video, and they were everything I wanted in cosmetics, until about two weeks ago.

I follow many different makeup artists on Youtube/Instagram/Twitter, and two weeks ago I came across a video from Manny Mua talking about how he was boycotting LimeCrime. Curious, I hunted through a few other artist's pages only to find similar cries of boycotting and distaste with LimeCrime due to hacking. I was instantly confused: there had been no headlines on the company's website, no emails in my inbox, no videos from the company - nothing. Maybe I had missed the tweets and pictures, as that can happen with how fast everything is updated nowadays, but after Googling "LimeCrime controversy", I was hit with pages upon pages of customers crying out in anger over the way the company handled problems with their checkout process, shipping, and all-around general business practices. It turns out the website had had some long-brewing issues that finally boiled over and thousands of people had had their information stolen. Unfortunately, while it doesn't make this situation okay, ever, it does happen, and often. It happened to me back in high school with my first-ever online purchase. It happened just a little while ago to people who tried to buy the Jaclyn Hill palette from Morphe, and even Sony was hacked not too far back. 

My husband and I back in February noticed a fraudulent charge to our account for several hundred dollars worth of sports games. Neither one of us plays sports games, and neither one of us could figure out how anyone got our credit card information since we're always so careful. It wasn't until reading about the backlash against LimeCrime and the outcry over the company's practices that it dawned on me my debit card information had been stolen when I checked out on their website. We got the charges dropped from our account almost instantly, we got new cards and were lucky that no permanent damage was done. Everything worked out smoothly on our end, but I've read some horror stories where people's lives, and bank accounts, still haven't recovered from the scandal.

I have spent hours and hours over the last two weeks reading what people have said regarding the company and what happened, and I've come to one very certain conclusion: I am not boycotting LimeCrime. Yet. I am also not supporting them. I am not going to go into my bathroom to toss my glitter and gloss into the trash. I am also not going to hop onto their website and order myself anything new. I will be here neutral like Switzerland (without the good chocolate sadly). Reason being: 75% of what I've read about the owner and the company seems to contradict itself. There are certain things that keep popping up, like a possible grudge against the owner of SugarPill cosmetics, that there was a band and selling DIY on LiveJournal before makeup, possible controversy regarding whether or not the cosmetics were repackaged and sold as LimeCrime when they're not, etc. Many of the websites I've read have claimed to tell only "facts" about what was said regarding the website hacking and business practices, but then one person's "facts" and quotes contradicts something on someone else's.

With that being said, many major makeup personalities know LimeCrime's owner personally, and have come out with testimonies as to how she regards her customers and the company's products. A company can be fixed and a brand can come back from the brink of extinction, which is why I will not boycott LimeCrime. I had to wait 2+ weeks to receive my items, and my credit card information was stolen, so yes, I had a less than fabulous experience with the company, but aside from those things I don't feel enough hatred towards LimeCrime to publicly shame & boycott them. Thousands and thousands of people ranting across the internet however does make me think twice about hopping on to purchase from them, but the company, while embroiled in controversy right now, can turn around. This is why I will use up their products I own and simply wait to see what happens in the future. Things might continue to go south for the company and their reputation, or things might change and get better.

For now, I will remain Switzerland.