Makeup by One Direction

Hello Lovelies! 

Today I am here to review the Makeup by One Direction Limited Editions sets, which consists of the Electro Glam Mascara, Liquilights Glow Gloss, and the Rock Me Nail Kit. The Makeup by One Direction was released on November 15th, and can be found at Macy's, Dillards, Boscov's, Stage Stores, Beauty Brands, and Lord & Taylor. 

ELECTRO GLAM MASCARA

The Electro Glam Mascara comes in three fun shades, and can be used not only for eye lashes, but for hair, and even eye brows. Pictured Below are all of the shades, and a sample of each against my red hair. My personal favorite was the blue, as it showed up the best in my hair, but all the colors are fun and highly pigmented. 

 LIQUILIGHTS GLOW GLOSS

Liquilights Glow Gloss is the perfect gloss for a fun loving, sparkly person. By day it's a simple sheer glitter gloss, and by night it transforms and illuminates under UV black light. The gloss can be worn by itself, or for even more of a pop, it can be worn over a vibrant shade of lipstick, you could even purchase the One Direction Creme Lipstick to pair with it. The gloss is long-lasting, and full of sparkle. Below are pictures of the shades by themselves, unfortunately I do not own a black light to show off the way they illuminate. 

ROCK ME NAIL KIT

The Rock Me Nail Kit consists of three colorful UV-Reactive nail polishes, and UV-Reactive glitters.  

For each nail I did two coats of polish, as you can see the blue polish named Happily, is a bit more sheer than the others, and may need another coat. Moments, the pink shade, is by far my favorite, it looked great even with one coat, and Diana is a fun glittery polish, the more coats you do, the more glitter you get. 

Overall I was pretty thrilled with these kits, they are fun, colorful, and the perfect gift for One Direction fans. 

Before you run out to buy these kits, they are actually having a giveaway (I am not involved with the giveaway.) so follow the link below and check it out for you chance to win.
https://promosimple.com/ps/5bda

#makeupby1D #thelookscollection #markwins 

https://www.facebook.com/MakeupbyOneDirection

Sponsored By Brand Backer 

Beauty Schooled- August 2014 Ipsy Bag Review

Hello Lovelies! 

I have been subscribed to Ipsy since May of 2012 and over time there have been good months, and bad ones. This particular month I do like the theme, but I am not overly thrilled with the execution and choice of products, but for the price I pay I am always pleased.  For only $10 a month I get the opportunity to try new products and test out new brands that I wouldn't normally purchase on my own. Sometimes I can tell as soon as I open my bag that their are certain products I wont like, those products I collect and give away, but sometimes I find products that I fall in love with. 

Let's start by discussing the bag that came this month. I am a huge fan of polka dot print, and I think this is adorable, although it really doesn't fit the particular theme. I would have preferred to see a bag with a cutesy book print, maybe something a little more colorful and artistic. I also detest the material of these bags, I much prefer when they use fabrics. 

I always love when I get to try out new lip balms, as they are one of my essential beauty products. I love this tin, although it is a little big to be kept in my makeup bag in my purse on a daily basis. I am glad I received the Green Apple Absolute Lip Balm not only because I love the scent, but the light pink tint is very complimentary to my skin tone. I am impressed with this balm as it is moisturizing, but it doesn't leave that sticky feeling like some lip balms tend to do. I also am super excited about this balm because stamped directly on the bottom of the cute tin is a little bunny symbol that says "against animal testing" and that always makes me happy to see. I definitely could see myself purchasing this in the future, and I would love to try out the other flavors (grape, strawberry, and bubblegum) especially since they are only $5.99 for a two pack. 

This here is the Dr. Brandt Pores No More pore refiner primer for oily/combination skin. I myself have combination skin,  my cheeks and parts of my forehead tend to be dry, while my t-zone can get a bit shiny. This pore refiner says it will minimize the appearance of pores, blur imperfections, erase shine and mattify skin, absorb oil, and even act as a shield to prevent makeup from clogging your pores. The product directs you to apply either under or over your makeup, and throughout the day as needed. I decided I would wear this under the makeup as I would a typical primer, and I was impressed with how smooth my face felt and appeared. I continued to work on my makeup and realized I didn't feel the need to apply as much foundation or see the need to apply my Makeup Forever finishing powder as I normally do to get the matte look I like. I am thoroughly impressed with this product, but I do find it to be a bit pricey ($45 for 1oz.)  

If you have followed me for a bit you may know that I am a huge fan of Coastal Scents products, so its always great to get stuff from them. If you have never tried products from them they are definitely a great company for all sorts of makeup enthusiasts as the products are high-quality, but affordable. I have made many purchases in the past from Coastal Scents, especially since they frequently have sales, and they are one of the main brands I recommend to people. Although the  brown shade of blush isn't really fitting to my pale skin tone, the pink shade works quite well for me. These Forever Blushes are highly pigmented and come in various different shades, and I guarantee you can find a shade you will adore also. 

Every so often I get the opportunity to try a product from a brand I have never heard of before, and this liner is one of those products. This mini kajal kohl-liner in black is from Lord & Berry and I was quite excited to try it out as eye liner is essential to me. In the past couple years I have grown to love marker-like pencils, or liquid liner, but I am always willing to test out a pencil. Unfortunately, this particular one kind of fell short for me, I didn't think it was dark enough and it smudged quite easily, so, it doesn't work well for me personally as I typically rock a cat eye, but I think this could be a good liner to use when creating a sultry smokey eye look. 

Last, but not least, is the Urban Decay Perversion Mascara, and I must say I love UD products. I love receiving mascaras because I wear them on a daily basis, even when I don't exactly feel like wearing makeup. This mascara is exactly what it says it is, it's bigger, badder, and blacker, I have no complaints. 

Here is a simple look using all of the Ipsy bag products along with: 

Kat Von D Lock-It Tattoo Foundation in Light 

Pacifica Natural Beauty Eye Shadow Duo #2 (Received in a past bag) 

Benefit Gimme Brow in Medium

Updates, Upcoming Reviews, and Two Looks!

Hello Lovelies!

 

Well, it's been a crazy time in my little household lately so I haven't had much to post, I have created a couple looks and I will throw some photos of those in this post, but I haven't really been as active as I would like to be and I will tell you why.  

 

About six weeks ago I had to take a personal leave from my job so my little one could have her tonsils and adenoids removed, and tubes put in her ears, because her tonsils were enlarged and she had six ear infections in about two months, on top of that we also found out that she had hearing problems. So, I took 9 days off so she could have the little surgery, which went well, and so she could heal. At the end of that time period I found out that me taking that leave meant I lost my current position as a wireless sales associate, so long story short I have been home for about six weeks now waiting for them to call me with a position, and also fighting to try and get unemployment. \

 

Now you would think I would have tons of free time to dedicate to my blogging and creating looks, but no, being home this much has made me feel cooped up and made me slightly depressed, and overly sleepy. On top of me feeling blah, my children are also home with me, so no more daycare fun, which means crabby kids.

 

Now, enough with all of the craziness I will tell you what I do have coming soon.

 

In the near future I will have a thorough review of HYD for Men skincare products that my boyfriend has been testing for me. I know this will not apply to all of my followers, but if you have a husband, boyfriend, or even just a guy friend who needs a good product recommendation make sure you check it out. I received these products thanks to IFabbo, and although there are tons of people out there reviewing these products, I think I will have a interesting point of view due to the fact that my boyfriend has issues with  psoriasis (extremely dry skin).

 

I also will have a review of the trending ItWorks wraps soon. I have used a couple so far, and I will give you detailed honest results as soon as I am done.

 

Here are a couple looks I have recently created, for more updates check out my Facebook.

www.facebook.com/bri.grim.pinup

 

 I created this look above using:

Nume's Reverse Wand and Titan 3 Wand

NYX Cosmetics Lavender Studio Perfect Primer

NYX Cosmetics Stay Matte but Not Flat Foundation in Ivory

Maybelline Shine-Free Loose Powder in Light

NYX Cosmetics Powder Blush in Angel

NYX Eye Shadow Base in White

BH Cosmetics San Francisco Palette ( Brown Shade )

BH Cosmetics Malibu Palette ( Gold Shade )

Urban Decay's Naked 2 Palette ( Half Baked, Chopper, and Verve )

BH Cosmetics Eye Liner in Black

Mary Kay Ultimate Mascara in Black

Rimmel White Eye Liner

E.L.F Cosmetics Matte Lipstick in Natural

 

This look is Dr.Nefarious from Ratchet and Clank and I created this fun look for a contest.

 

Strobe Cosmetics Review, and Swatches

Hello Lovelies! 

Yesterday I received some AMAZING samples from Strobe Cosmetics and I was super excited to get some swatches because they look absolutely beautiful in the package. Strobe Cosmetics sent me twelve different shades and I love every single one of them. As you can tell from the names and the shades the shadows are very reminiscent of The Little Mermaid, which makes me even more excited.

Swatches of all the shades prove how beautiful these shadows are, even without primer they look spectacular. Strobe Cosmetics products are 100% handmade, and cruelty-free. These shadows blend splendidly, and are highly pigmented, and I definitely would recommend them.

This is my third look in my ice cream series, and I used Miracle, V.I.P, and Shellbound on the lid.

Check out my Facebook for more looks using Strobe Cosmetics, as well as other looks!

www.facebook.com/bri.grim.pinup

I also happen to be running a monster themed makeup contest on Facebook, so check it out!



Mermaid Makeup

Hello Lovelies!

 

Here is another mermaid look, this time with a lot more detail and colors.

Product List

 

Pixi Flawless and Poreless

NYX Stay Matte but Not Flat Foundation

Maybelline Shine-Free Loose Powder

NYX Eyeshadow Base

Sugarpill Darling, and Junebug

Bh Cosmetics 120 Palette

Urban Decay Moondust in Space Cowboy

Cailyn Cosmetics Gel Eyeliner in Purple

Ardell Natural Fake Lashes

Crayola Hair Chalk

Independence Day Inspired Makeup

Hello Lovelies!

 

Today is July 1st, which means it is coming awfully close to Independence Day for my fellow Americans. So, I decided I would create a red, white, and blue based makeup pictorial for you guys.

 

Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Inspired Makeup

Hello Lovelies!

 

This is look #2 in my ice cream inspired makeup series, and I decided I would go with mint chocolate chip. Not only is this my boyfriend's favorite ice cream, but I chose it because mint is a very trendy color this year.

 

 

Superman Ice Cream Inspired Makeup

Hello Lovelies!

 

One of the first things I come up with when thinking of summer is all the yummy treats that help cool you down. After thinking about this I decided that I was going to do a makeup series based on ice cream flavors. Yum! Here is the first look of my ice cream series, and it is based off of Superman Ice Cream. If you have any suggestions for flavors, please leave a comment.

 

Barbie Inspired Makeup

Hello Lovelies!

 

Here is a barbie inspired makeup I created for a contest.

Face:

COTZ Sunscreen

Too Faced Primed and Poreless

Urban Decay Concealer in CIA

Maybelline Shine Free Loose Powder in Light

NYX Powder Blush in Angel

 

Eyes:

NYX Eyeshadow Base

Coastal Scents Mirage Palette

NYX Pearl Mania in White Pearl (highlight)

Starlet Cosmetics Chocolate Eye Pencil (bottom lashline)

MICA Beauty Gel Eyeliner (top lashline)

Rimmel Pure White Eye Pencil (waterline)

Mark Scanda-Lash in Brownout (bottom lashes)

Mary Kay Lengthening Mascara in Black (top lashes)

False Lashes from NYX

Chella Eyebrow Defining Gel

 

Lips:

NYX Matte Lipstick in Summer Breeze

NYX Jumbo Lip Pencil in Chaos (used as a liner)

 

This is the photo of barbie I based my makeup on.

 



God of War!

Hello Lovelies!

 

Here is a little project I did last night modeled by my lovely boyfriend.

 

I used NYX Cosmetics, E.L.F Cosmetics, and body paint.



If you have any requests of makeups you would like to see please leave a comment.

June Ipsy Bag Review and Swatches

Hello Lovelies! 

 I came home today to find my package from Ipsy stashed in my mailbox and after opening I knew I needed to get the review and swatches done asap, so here we go!

This month's theme is "On the Wild Side" and features a lovely animal printed bag that I happen to love, and some products from brands I have never heard of before.  

To start off my review I am going to begin with the product I was most curious about, the Sparkling Cream Palette from J.Cat Beauty. I had never heard of J.Cat before seeing this product, and I don't have much glitter in my collection so I was eager to test it out and swatch it. At first glance I expected this glitter to be an eye shadow, but it is actually not safe to use around your eye so it is definitely not for everyone, but I know it will come in handy for me when I am working on more creative makeup pieces. Although it is described as cream the top layer of the glitter is just like regular loose glitter, but as I rubbed the brush in a little bit I could tell it did have a slight creamy texture, but nothing like I expected it to be. Overall I feel these palette would be awesome for someone who does a lot of creative types of makeup, or body painting, because they are quite cheap ($4.49ea.) and they come in a variety of different shades.

BONUS TIP: For my lovely readers who received this in their Ipsy Bag and don't see yourself using body glitter, you could always mix it in with some nail polish to create a lovely glittery shade of polish.

Although I think the body glitter was a bad choice to add into the Ipsy bags I do find myself still curious about the J.Cat brand so I was excited when I realized the fake lashes in my bag were also from J.Cat. At first glance these lashes are perfect to add some drama to any look, and they are a great choice for my favorite styles of makeup. Although I didn't like the lash glue that came along with these lashes I think they are a pretty good pair of cheap lashes ($3.99ea.), but you can also find the same quality lashes around the same price at drugstores.

If you have read any of my previous posts you would know that I absolutely love NYX Cosmetics and am always excited when I receive a new product from them, this time I received a blush named angel. Angel is a soft matte pink shade that looks nearly nude on my pale skin tone, and I absolutely love it. This blush is perfect to add just a little emphasis to the cheeks, but not go over the top with color. I absolutely love NYX products because they are high-quality, and affordable, these powder blushes are only $5.

I am not sure how I have never heard of Starlooks before, because if the rest of the products they offer are anything like the lip liner I received, they are definitely quality. The liner I received was in a shade called Tipsy which is a lovely shade of coral that I would more than likely never choose for myself, but I absolutely love. When I tested the liner I realized that is quite smudge-proof, and long-lasting, which is something that's very important to me. These liners are a little pricier compared to some lip liners, but at $12 I think they are still pretty worth it. I would love to test more products from this company, and hopefully will be making an order in the near future.

Last, but not least, there is the gel eyeliner from Cailyn Cosmetics, another company I have never heard of, so thank you Ipsy for introducing me to a bunch of new things this time around. Before I get to reviewing this product I must tell you that these sell for $21 each, so if this doesn't make you want to subscribe to Ipsy, I don't know what will. I received the eye liner in purple, which is an odd shade for me, but it will be wonderful when I am working on more creative looks. I love gel liners because they are easier to work with when trying to create a precise line if you use the right brush, I believe the brush that is paired with this liner is a little thick, but it will get the job done if you don't own an eye liner brush already. This liner is definitely long-lasting, smudge-proof, and waterproof, which makes it harder to take off, but if you are in the search for a good resistant eyeliner this is the one for you.

If anyone is interested in joining Ipsy, sign up here . I absolutely love Ipsy and would never cancel my subscription, the products are amazing and definitely worth the small price a month. If you have any reservations about joining just remember that most months you receive $30+ worth of products and adorable makeup bags, and you also get to try new things. :)

Must Have Summer Beauty Products

Hello Lovelies!

 

Basics

Water! Duh!

 

Skin Care

Sunscreen- I use Aveeno Protect + Hydrate Lotion Spf 70

Julep Daily Defense for Hands and Face

Banana Boat Aloe After Sun

Pacifica Tuscan Blood Orange Body Butter

EOS (evolution of smooth) Pomegranate Raspberry Shaving Lotion

Yes to Tomatoes Clear Skin Daily Cleanser

 

Fragrance

Viva La Juicy La Fleur

 

Nail Polish

Sinful Colors Rise & Shine, and Sweet Tooth

Circus by Andreas Choice in Ringmaster

Julep Natasha, and Rose

 

Hair Care

Macadamia Healing Oil Treatment (protects from uv rays)

Chi Heat Protectant

New York Streets Dry Shampoo

Bandanas

 

Cosmetics

Maybelline Dream Nude Airfoam

Maybelline Shine-Free Loose Powder

Maybelline BB Cream

Urban Decay Naked BB Cream

E.L.F Blush in Tickled Pink

Be A Bombshell Cosmetics Blush in Sweet Cheeks

Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette

Hard Candy Naturally Gorgeous Palette

Urban Decay Moondust in Space Cowboy

Coastal Scents Mirage Palette

Mark Scanda-lash Mascara in Brown-Out

Too Faced LashGasm

Urban Decay Lip Junkie in Naked

Julep Lip Balm

NYX Lipstick in Iced Honey

NYX Lipstick in Shiva

NYX matte lipstick in Summer Breeze

NYX Jumbo Lip Pencil in Chaos

E.L.F Matte Lip Color in Rich Red, and Natural

Mirabella Sheer Colour in Posie

E.L.F Mist and Set

Urban Decay All Nighter Spray

 

 

 

 

May Beauty Army Box: A big let down

Hello Lovelies!

After this month I am unsure if I will be continuing my subscription with Beauty Army , because in the past couple of months I haven't had many good products to choose from and a lot of the products have been repeats of what I have already tried. Although there are some products that I do love to receive multiple samples of it is hasn't been worth the $12 a month. I will show the products I received this month but since I didn't receive the greatest selection I honestly won't have a lot to say.

Cotz Face is a mineral sunscreen for natural skin tones with an SPF of 40. The tube I received is absolutely tiny and only included enough for maybe five to ten applications if I am lucky. When I first squeezed the sunscreen out of the tube I was surprised to find it the same shade as my skin tone and I initially tested it on the top of my hand. At first it has an almost mousse like consistency and when blended it turns into a lovely matte finish. This sunscreen would be great for days where you want to skip a couple makeup steps because it also offers a little coverage. I may find myself having to purchase this for this summer. 

Once again Beauty Army is filling it's boxes with tiny samples such as this one, they are so small that it's near impossible to give a good review. The Wild Rose Cream is suppose to moisturize and brighten the skin for 24 hours, and it's meant for normal and dry skin types. When I first ripped open the package I noticed that it is heavily scented and kind of smells between something floral and my grandma, I also notice that the majority of the package is not in English. Although this product did make my skin feel quite smooth, I honestly  didn't have enough to really offer a good review. 

I was honestly curious about the skincare line from Own receiving this small sample has me feeling defeated. Although the statistics of the skin line seems to prove that there products are wonderful I have actually heard a lot of negative reviews recently, and they say it takes up to 8 weeks to see results and this sample definitely will not last that long. Once again I can't really say much about this product which bums me out because I want to be able to fully review everything I receive for everyone.

 Another product I can not get any use of is this gel polish from Nail Luv because I do not own a LED or UV lamp which is required and I do not plan to purchase one. Although gel manicures look fabulous I would rather not raise my chance of getting skin cancer in the long run. Using UV lamps frequently for nails has the same effects as using a tanning bed frequently. Although some people don't seem to notice that these beauty regimens are risky, I am the type to avoid things like this. Basically if you do decide to follow this trend please apply sunscreen to your hands before your nail appointment. 

Last but not least, these products are ones I have chose before and decided to choose again for lack of better choices. I absolutely love the scanda-lash mascara from Mark, it has become my ultimate favorite because it makes my lashes look fuller and longer in one quick application. Although I do like the Teen Tone Color Touch Eye, Cheek, and Lip Glow, I find myself rarely using it because I do not like cream blushes and I own so many better pink lip products, but it is a very good product for on-the-go or travel purposes because of it's multiple uses. 

May Ipsy Bag "Spring Fling"

Hello Lovelies!

I received my May Ipsy Bag two days ago and once again will be reviewing the products. The theme of this month's bag is of course "Spring Fling" and it's filled with products that are good for looking good in spring/summer. I also noticed that it seems a lot of people received different products this month which makes it kind of fun for us bloggers. I absolutely adore the print of the bag this month, it is bright, colorful, and fun.

My favorite product this month is the Moondust eye shadow in the shade of Space Cowboy from Urban Decay. I received this as an extra because I am an active member of the Ipsy community. This shade is a light champagne color with TINY flecks of silver glitter and has quickly become a favorite in my makeup collection. The collection of Moondust shadows consist of six different BEAUTIFUL shades that I would love to own. From the container the Moondust appears to be a cream, but it actually is a powder and applies easily and looks wonderful. These little shadows are $20 each from Urban Decay which makes this $10 Ipsy Bag so worth it. Below is a look I created using the Moondust, and a brown shadow, called Roo, from RoseMarie Shadows.

I always love adding new lip products to my collection, especially in red/pink shades like this one from Mirabella called Posy. Posy is a color sheer lipstick and applies very lightly and provides about as much color as a tinted lip balm, but it does go on smoothly and lasts long.  For $22 I would much prefer to purchase a tinted lip balm to wear if I wanted this little color, but if price doesn't matter I think these would be a nice everyday lip product.

Juice Beauty  is a great company that offers organic alternatives for cosmetics such as this pink reflecting gloss. The gloss itself smells wonderful and is quite moisturizing but I do have a little thing against the texture that comes with it being an all-natural product. I can get past the issue with the glosses texture, but I can not see myself paying $15 for the gloss although it's organic.

When I first opened the little box I wasn't sure what to think of this color of polish from Zoya called Blu. Obviously pastels are part of the trend for this spring/summer but being as pale as I am some shades just don't work well for me and this seems to be one of them. Although I am not a huge fan of the shade personally I do like the color and the polish is wonderful. I created the look pictured below using two coats of Blu topped with a 3D accent bow from Kiss Nail Designs. These polishes can be found on the Zoya website for $8.

I already have a love/hate relationship with this concealer from Yaby. I love this concealer because it provides great coverage, but I hate it because this particular shade Ipsy sent me isn't right for my skin tone. Ipsy sent me a shade called Buff which seems a little too dark for my skin I typically would have chosen the shade of Ivory for myself. I also dislike when Ipsy sends us refill tins, because I honestly just don't have a place to put them, one day I need to purchase myself a concealer palette. Setting the hate aside the concealer itself is quite wonderful, it is perfect to cover up flaws and applies smoothly. I also love Yaby concealers because they offer a wide range of skin tone choices. These refill tins are $4.85 each, but a full concealer palette from Yaby is $100.



This is one of those products that I will never be testing and I will be giving away to some lucky friend unfortunately.  As I have said before I love having an ivory complexion and do not wish to have a tan. The reviews for this Wash Off Instant Glow Lotion are kind of all over the place, mostly I see bad reviews from people with fair skin like myself saying it was too dark for them, but others say it is amazing. Although I don't have much to say about this product if you would like to try it for yourself you can find it here and the full sized bottle is $18. I wish Ipsy would really take the little quizzes they give us more into consideration so people like me wouldn't receive products like this, but even though I don't like this particular product this month's bag was definitely worth it. 

In the end this bag adds up to about $80 worth of product (not including the price of the bag itself) and is obviously worth the small price tag of $10 and being active in the Ipsy community to receive bonuses such as the Urban Decay Moondust.