Where the f&@% have you been?

In case you visit this blog frequently, or at least did, you might be wondering where the hell I've been recently. My last post was almost a month ago and it was to tell you that I wouldn't be posting while I was getting ready for my LA trip. I did go to LA, I had a wonderful time, and I came back and started taking photos to show you all what I had gotten. I did all of the work and I'll post that later today or perhaps in a few more days, but while I was doing all that work, something struck me; it felt like work. I never want this blog to feel like work to me and unfortunately, it had become that.

If you don't know me in real life or even if you do, but maybe not all that well, I'm a product photographer. I spend my days, Monday through Friday, behind a camera. Sometimes, at the end of the day, the very last thing that I want to do is pick up the camera again and start taking photos of products... which is what I was doing for this blog. A lot of the time, I was forcing myself to do the work even though I really didn't want. All I wanted to do was go home, turn on Buffy, and zone out; but there I was, making myself work on the blog when I didn't want to. Due to that, I was starting to get resentful of something that I had created.

Since I was feeling so strongly about it, I decided to take a step back for a bit. This last month has been pretty great and I honestly haven't missed blogging all that much. However, there are small parts of me that think "Oh, that would be great for the blog!", which means that there is still something inside that wants to blog. I'm probably going to stop doing so many product reviews, which might strike you as bad news, but I just can't keep up with all the new products coming out. It costs a lot of money to constantly be buying the "new thing" and then end up never using it again. My personal makeup collection is completely out of control and until I get that back to a manageable size, I'm not letting myself purchase more than one makeup item per month.

I'm also going to venture into YouTube a lot more since I find it easier to film videos than to write a blog post (which seems completely backward to me, but it's how my brain works). I want to do more to show you how to use makeup rather than just talk about it and review it for you. I'll still do product reviews from time to time, but they aren't going to be a weekly thing.

I wanted to let all of you readers know where I've been and why I haven't been posting this last month. Get ready for some new posts in the next few weeks and keep an eye on my YouTube channel for update. Love you all!

xx,

Bisous

This Week

Hey Guys!

As you've probably noticed, I haven't posted anything this week. I'm pretty bogged down right now since I'm getting ready for a trip to LA. There won't be any posts this week, but I will be back to normal posting next week.

After my post on the Chikuhodo brushes, I got some feedback on the high cost of the brushes. It's one of those things that can be hard to explain unless you know how brushes are manufactured and what they are made out of. Most of your everyday, run of the mill brushes are made in mass production with synthetic, pony, or goat hair (goat is usually nicer and therefore more expensive). In mass production like this, the bristles are cut to create a uniform shape, which can result in a rougher brush. Even if the bristles are laser cut, it still isn't as nice as a completely cut free brush. I thought I would post a link to a Beautylish article about how Wayne Goss' brushes are made. They're also made in Kumano, where Chikuhodo is made (I think that Chikuhodo might make Wayne Goss' brushes, but don't quote me on that), so this gives a pretty nice little idea of the work that goes into these handmade brushes. Check it out here.

That's all I've got for the time being and I'll see you guys next week!

Bisous

FOTD : 4.18.14

First off, I apologize for a lack of a post yesterday. We had a employee appreciation day at work yesterday and when I got home, I immediately passed out for a few hours and then had a LA trip meeting with my friend. I had zero time yesterday, but I still hope to get a post up for "tried & true" at some point this weekend (I'll be in the car for two hours on Sunday, so that seems like a good time!). Also, if you follow me on social media, then you might have seen that my hair has changed, quite drastically! I'm fairly blonde now (if you haven't already looked at the pictures below...) with some massive dark roots. For those of you who don't know me in real life, I kind of love punk and grunge influences, so I decided to just go for it with the hair. I haven't done anything to my hair in three years, so it felt like it was time to switch it up. In fact, I'm thinking about doing a wash out pink for Easter and if I do, I'll post it on my Instagram (the link for that is juuuust to your right, follow me for fun!). Anyhow, on to my face for today!

These photos turned out fairly yellow and while I could have tinted them, I didn't. My hair isn't quite as brassy looking as it is in these photos, but it is a mix of ash and more golden blonde.

Face

• NARS Sheer Glow in Gobi
• Revlon Age Defying Targeted Dark Spot Concealer Treatment in Light
• NARS Light Reflecting Loose Setting Powder Translucent Crystal - I decided to purchase the loose version to keep on my vanity and I have the pressed version for travel!
• Milani Luminoso Blush
• NYX Blush in Taupe

Eyes

• Noir Longwear Eyeliner in Black
• Sonia Kashuk Jewel Toned Palette with all of the purple shades (LE)
• Lorac Pro Palette - White & Nude to highlight
• Armani Eyes To Kill Mascara
• Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz in Medium Brown - they changed the name of these! My shade used to be called Medium Ash and is now called Medium Brown... they better not have changed the formula/color
• ELF Clear Brow Gel

Lips

• Bite Beauty Matte Creme Lip Crayon in Blood Orange  

What do you guys have planned for Easter weekend? Let me know down below!

(contains affiliate links)

Bronze Spring Eye (Lorac Unzipped Palette) : Video

Maybelline Tastefully Taupe Shadow : Product Review

I feel like it's been a hot second since I've reviewed anything from the drugstore, so it only seems appropriate to kick of my weekly posts with a drugstore item. I actually wear quite a bit of drugstore stuff, so I don't know why I don't put it up on here more often. Perhaps I should do a "Best of the Drugstore" type post soon... Regardless, let's dive into this, shall we?

The Facts

Price: $2.99 (in Kansas)

Amount of Product: .09 oz.

Number of Shades: 20

Claim: "Extraordinary Color from our ultra-blendable pigments. Long Wear with sensual finish that lasts up to 12 hours." 

Shade that I used: 250S - Tastefully Taupe

Shades and the powder itself: I used to use almost exclusively Maybelline eye shadows when I was in high school, they were kind of my go to brand, but I cannot remember anything about the Expertwear shadows aside from the two shades that I wore religiously (Silken Taupe and... Shell [?]). I don't remember if they used to offer matte and shimmer shades, but they definitely do now. There were several matte shades, but the majority of the shadows were the slightly shimmery type that Tastefully Taupe is. 

For having talc as the first ingredient, the powder doesn't reek and it's surprisingly un-powdery; both of which I'm completely fine with.

Finish and Color: I purposely bought Tastefully Taupe because it looks exactly like what Silken Taupe used  to look like. The current Silken Taupe looks a bit lighter and frostier than its older counterpart. The finish on Tastefully Taupe is definitely that of a shimmer shadow, but there isn't any visible glitter.

The color is fantastic when applied with your finger, but it is really hard to pick up with a brush. If you want a sheer wash of color, then apply with a brush is awesome, but if you want it to show up on your lids like it is in the pan? Use your fingers or, and I can't believe that I'm going to suggest this, use the sponge tip applicator that it comes with. Yup, this shadow actually applies better that way.

Wear Time: I always wear a primer with my eye shadows, but even with primer, eye shadows can still crease. This however, did not crease and wore well for the entire day.

Does it deliver on its claim? Yes. The shadow wore for 12 hours (albeit with a primer, but no powder shadow lasts on me for 12 hours without a primer). The shadow is very blendable and you can get great color, you just have to know how to apply the shadow. For $2.99, this is a great all over lid color to pick up!