Saturday, January 31, 2015

Anastasia Beverly Hills Liquid Lipsticks

So Anastasia's liquid lippies launched on their official site on January 7th and I had to just jump in and immediately order four colors. I limited myself to four because I couldn't decide on only one or two, but I didn't have enough money for more than four. I got Pure Hollywood, Neon Coral, Sad Girl, and Potion. I was able to use Anastasia's 10% off code for signing up for an online account with them. The code is "WELCOME10", but it only will work once for initially signing up and logging in, so be sure to order all of the shades you want, if possible.

These lippies apply very smoothly onto my lips and the applicator doesn't get too much product on it. These guys take around a whole minute to dry on me, so I try to just not move my mouth while it dries, especially avoiding pressing my lips together so as not to make it go patchy.

Anyway, I'm loving these so far. They're definitely not completely pro with no con, but I honestly don't think any lip product truly is. I'll list pros and cons (in my opinion/experience) right here and will go into detail after:

PROS:
  • Very smooth application
  • No need to re-dip for the shades I have (except maybe for Neon Coral) 
  • More play time before drying to get it perfect
  • Very long wearing
  • Reapplies smoothly over itself without caking
  • Feels like nothing on the lips
  • Feels fully matte without drying my lips out
  • Doesn't feel too thick or heavy if I layer a gloss over top (though, that will obviously take all matte properties away from the product)
CONS:
  • Breaks up from eating anything oily (common with most lip products, really)
  • Transfers a little bit onto straws, cups, etc.
  • Has less product than some similar products, like KVD Everlasting Love or Pretty Zombie Cosmetics liquid lipsticks
  • Short shelf life according to the product label (only 6 months, but use your own discretion)

Now, in my opinion, these potential cons don't outweigh the pros whatsoever. I'll take a little bit of transfer on my drinking straw and having to reapply after eating if it means I'm wearing the same gorgeous color all day without having to completely remove it to reapply or having to worry about my lips drying up like they do with Lime Crime Velvetines after a few hours, especially in colder weather. These puppies feel like I'm wearing nothing at all on my lips, which, I think, are comparable to the feeling of Kat Von D Everlasting Love lippies. In my experience, the KVD ones feel just a hair lighter.

On my lips, these have been lasting from 7-10 hours depending on what I've been eating or drinking. As long as my lips weren't dry before applying, they don't make my lips any more dry. Liquid lipsticks in general are the kind of product where it's crucial to moisturize beforehand. 

Onto some lip swatches! 

Pure Hollywood
Pure Hollywood is a very nice beige nude with some peachy-pink tones. It looks super pretty when first applied (as shown above), but it does start to look dry after a few hours, or after eating. This is the only shade out of these four I have that actually feels drying after only those first few hours. 

Neon Coral
Neon Coral is a beautiful, bright, neon light orange. It's exactly what I've been looking for for a long time: a bright orange that's not too light, not too peachy, not too dark, and with no excessive red tones. It's the hardest of the four to apply evenly. I find that swirling the wand inside the tube to mix the product before applying helps it go on more evenly without streaks. This color looks absolutely perfect paired with MAC's Grand Pumpkin lipglass (from the Simpsons collection).

Sad Girl 
Sad Girl is so gorgeous in person! It's a nice, deep burgundy sort of a wine shade with little pink glitters in it, but it still dries down to a matte texture like all of the others.

Potion
Potion is a very dark neutral-to-warm toned purple. From a distance, it looks almost black, so it's definitely a statement dark lip color. This one takes a little bit more effort to get fully opaque, but it's a really fun color, even if it's not the kind of shade a ton of people are rushing out to get.


So, all in all, I'd recommend trying these out for sure. I'm not planning to build a huge collection of these, but I do want maybe one or two more colors. These do claim to have a short shelf life on their packaging, though, so I may wait until spring or summer to get any more.

These liquid lipsticks retail for $20 each and can be purchased on Anastasia's official site or at Macy's Impulse stores. Anasasia Beverly Hills does not test on animals.

Saturday, January 3, 2015

My Perpetually Growing Makeup Wishlist

I thought it'd be kinda cool to make a post with all of the things currently in my makeup wishlist from all different places so that it's all together with collective links in one place.


Fair warning that this post will be longer than Satan's dick as I covet a LOT of makeup products. I don't necessarily intend to buy EVERY single full-sized version of these items, but I'd at least like to sample many, if and when possible. There's a lot of foundations in this list, and that's because I still haven't found a foundation that I'm super in love with, so I'm planning to sample a bunch and see if I can find a good one for me. Also, tons of lip products because I'm a huge lip junkie.

*If the text is strikethrough, then it's because I've either bought or sampled the product.


Anastasia Beverly Hills
- Lash Genius Waterproofing Top Coat (love this shit and will totes repurchase)
Clear Brow Gel (I have Granite and it's nice, but the brush is too wide for my skinnier brows; clear would be more functional)

Becca
Ever-Matte Poreless Priming Perfector (no dimethicone; really want to try this)


Kat Von D

Tattoo Liner

Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics
Nail Lacquer (shades Pool Boy, Derelict, Cosplay, Belladonna, Distortion, Anime, Black Metal Dahlia, Technopagan, Feathered, Tarred, Batty, Inky, and Deven Green)
Cosmetic Colour Pencils (shades Pennyroyal and Sybil)
Lip Tar Primer (good for mixing with loose powder pigments)
- Lip Tar RTW (Indrid, Sebastian, Lydia, Derelict, Synth, Stud, Anime, Technopagan)

Too Faced
Better Than Sex mascara (great mascara, but quite wet. Clumps easily after two layers on me)

Lit Cosmetics
Water Resistant Clearly Liquid Glitter Base
Glitters (Barbie Shops, Goth, Kissy Face, Fire Cracker, Mary Jane)

Sugarpill
Sparkle Baby palette (dat packaging!)
Heartbreaker palette (I already have Sweetheart and Burning Heart shades)
Bulletproof single shadow
- Lashes! IdolCharlotteAngel BabyXOXOPorcelainPixie Bomb, and Stormy (faves!)

Urban Decay
24/7 Glide-on Eye Pencils (Stash, Perversion)


Pretty Zombie Cosmetics
Potion #9 liquid lipstick

Medusa's Makeup
Eye Dust: Pennywise, Golden Boy, Mary Jane

Lunatick Cosmetic Labs
AlieNEON palette
- ApocalipSLICK: Coven CreamTainted TemptressParanormal
Sweet Night Light UV-reactive gloss
Oracle palette

Portland Black Lipstick Company
- Lipstick: Coffee, BlackThis Corrosion (how great is that song btw), Indigo Bridge

ColourPop
- Lippie Stix: FeministSkimpyPonyBrillsGrind, LeatherPitchWetLumièreCookieJuicyBoundCakeTootsiBYOB
- Eyeshadow: RouletteSugarRexSlave2Pink, FizzCoconut, Too Shy, RavenFantasy
- Blush: MochiPrenupPegacornCheerioRainSticky Sweet
- Highlighter: WispMonster

WolfeFX
Hydrocolor Essential in Black

Shiro Cosmetics
- Lip gloss: Nic Cage Churning Butter One Crisp Thanksgiving Morn

Moon Prism Power eyeshadow
- Fullmetal Collection: AlkahestryColonelEquivalent ExchangeSlave 23
- Blush: Gelato BeachEndearmentConcubine
- Tinted Balms: A Girl and a CatCome Out, Come Out

- Custom GlossExhumationAlkahestryMoon Prism PowerSlave 23Little BrotherNocturnalNic Cage Raking Leaves on a Brisk October AfternoonBurnt Flowers Fallen

Meow Cosmetics

Jars (5 gram jars for loose shadow samples because I hate baggies)
Sleek Korat or  Sleek Abyssinian mineral foundation

Sayuri Nail Lacquer
- Nail lacquers: DecoraFairy KeiLolitaNeo Plasma

Ben Nye
Banana Powder (or maybe Buff or Cameo)
Clown White Lite foundation for costume looks
Thick Blood


Nyx Cosmetics (links are to Nyx's site, but I often buy their stuff at Ulta, for convenience)
Glam Lipgloss Aqua Luxe in VIP, High Society (already have Disco Playground and it's awesome)

Matte Lipstick in Butter, Natural

Powder Blush in Taupe, Summer Peach, Silky Rose
Studio Liquid Liner in Extreme Blue, Extreme Purple
Roll On Eye Shimmer in Onyx, Nude, Platinum


Real Techniques (I already own a bajillion of these, but the following, I still don't have)
Bold Metals 300 Tapered Blush brush
Bold Metals 301 Flat Contour brush

Setting brush
Shading brush
Lash/Brow Groomer brush
Travel Essentials set

Chagrin Valley Soap and Salve (I LOVE this company's stuff and really want to try some more)
- Lip Balm in Vanilla BeanAvocado Cream LavenderMocha Java
Cleansing Sugar Scrub Facial Sorbet
Butter Bar Conditioner 
Ayurvedic Herb Shampoo Bar full size (already use this and it's my fave)
- Soaps: Pumpkin SpiceMistletoeAloe, Aloe, AloeCastile


So that's all I can think of for now. I'll definitely be going back and editing this as new items come out that I want because I basically just want all the things. I'm trying to be on a "low-buy" for now, though. Not a no-buy because I know I'd disappoint myself by not sticking to it, but yeah. I'm not trying to go nuts buying everything in sight with money I don't really have.

Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade in "Granite"

So I was just sitting around watching Rachel Whitehurst's recent Sephora haul video when I see she mentions having got Anastasia's Brow Wiz. I don't often comment people's YouTube videos, but I felt like randomly mentioning how I have a love-hate relationship with Brow Wiz because I love how easy they are to use, but they only last me about two months at best when I'm wearing brows almost every day, and how Granite was my perfect color, but they didn't make it in Dipbrow formula...

Then, somebody replies to my comment saying that Sephora started listing a Granite shade of Dipbrow, but it's out of stock. I nearly flipped a table. I'm actually still in the surprised phase of having been made aware that Anastasia finally has made a Granite Dipbrow. I actually emailed Anastasia several months ago asking if they'd ever be coming out with Granite, but I never got any response.

Anyway, so the fact that Sephora listed it led to me checking Ulta's site, and they indeed also had it. But, I then remembered that I had an Amazon gift card to use, so I checked Amazon and, sure enough, Amazon carries some Anastasia products as well. Got that Prime free two-day shipping, y'all! ;D


So the package arrived yesterday and I had to immediately test it out after snapping a few photos of it in the packaging:

Anastasia Dipbrow packaging

Sticker showing the shade name

Dipbrow product inside its packaging

Bottom of the container showing product info

When I opened the jar, I got just a little bit scared at first, because the product looks very dark. It almost looks like a slightly-less-than-black gel liner (Dipbrow can actually be used as gel liner, btw, but I haven't tried it myself as such).

Under bright kitchen lighting

Kitchen lighting, different angle. Look how dark it looks!

Quite full of product. This will last me forever.
I promptly did my brows as I usually do (I should say, "as I currently do them") to test the product. Anastasia recommends that you never take product directly from the pot and apply to brows, but rather swipe some product into the lid of the jar and use it as a little palette to work off of. It's not sanitary to keep dipping into the jar, but this doesn't seem like as big of an issue for people who never share any of their products with other people. I will say that my Medium Brown Dipbrow has dried up a little bit over these past few months of having it and I was always dipping right into the jar, so I'm going to follow Anastasia's instructions this time around.

Here's the way I currently do my brows. I start applying a teeny amount of Dipbrow where my arch begins and I draw the tails on. Then, I finish the tail shape with the bottom line of my brow. Then, I draw the top and bottom lines at the front of the brow and connect to the tail, and finally, I fill everything in. I also will go over the tails with Maybelline black gel liner to darken the them. I will then blend the hair part with a spoolie and clean up any mistakes with a bit of powder foundation or concealer. When all of that is done, I set the hairs with Maybelline clear mascara or Anastasia Granite tinted brow gel.

Granite Dipbrow with some Maybelline black gel liner on tails

Alternative lighting and angle

I know I've only had this product for a day, but I was using Medium Brown Dipbrow for months and I really love the formula. You can easily achieve anywhere from a very natural brow (if you blend a lot out with a spoolie and go very light-handed) to a full-on sculpted Instagram brow, if that's your thing. I'm elated that they finally came out with a Granite shade because it is, in my opinion, the perfect shade to match black hair. I dye my hair black and I don't really like the way it looks to have brown brows with black hair, but I was doing it anyway because Medium Brown was a good ashy shade. I highly recommend this shade to anybody who wants to have brows that are almost black but not straight-up BLACK and scouse-brow looking.

Anastasia Dipbrow Pomade in any shade retails for $18 and can be bought from SephoraUltaAmazon, or directly from Anastasia's website (three new shades not listed yet). Anastasia Beverly Hills does not test on animals. :)


What I'm wearing on my face:
- Nyx HD concealer in Green on the inner cheeks and Fair under the eyes
- Urban Decay Naked Skin in 2.0 all over the face
- Ben Nye HD media pro powder to set undereyes
- MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Light to set all over face
- No eye makeup
- Anastasia Granite Dipbrow and Maybelline black gel liner on brows
- MAC Blunt blush as cheek contour and Harmony blush as bronzer
- Milani Rose D'Oro baked blush on cheeks and nose
- Nyx Butter Gloss in Ginger Snap