Max Payne 3 Inspired FOTD

I only play video games sporadically, due to my tendency of taking them way too seriously, getting frustrated and not having any fun as a result.  My hubby, though, loves to play video games and I find a certain pleasure in watching him play and absorbing the visual style and story of the game (my favorite aspects anyway).  After the dark, broody nature of the original Max Payne, the third installment (yes, I skipped one) was odd in its sunny South American setting.  Here for you is a look that combines the bright, cheerful nature of yellow with a deep, melancholy green.   The colors are a bit more vivid in person; I was not able to use my nice camera today. :(

This angle shows the impact a lighter/brighter inner corner color really has on the overall shape and effect of the look.

Products Used:

Face:

• I made a foundation-like compound out of moisturizer, baby sunscreen, powder foundation and a smidge of stick concealer.  It works, so far at least, and doesn't have the nasty texture, et. al of regular liquid foundation.
• Physician's Formula mineral veil powder
• regular black mascara on brows.

Eyes:

• I used my own home made shadows like so-softly blended warm brown in the crease (Santa Barbara), yellow in the inner corner (Come On, Son), grass green on center of lid (Suck It, Gus!), dark green on outer corner, crease and lower lash line (Primeval), and sheer white sparkle under brow (Toothy).
• Generic black pencil liner to line upper lashline and upper and lower waterlines
• Almay Get Up and Grow mascara in black, two coats.

I forgot entirely to put anything on my lips...oops!

Anyway, hope you found this helpful, and have a fantastic day!

Gothic Mermaid Makeup Tutorial

My first ever tutorial!!!  It's just a slideshow, but I hope it still gets the point across.  It showcases some of the eye shadows I've been busy making.

Products Used:
Face-
generic moisturizer and sunscreen
Maybelline Cover Stick Concealer in Ivory
Meow Cosmetics Purrfect Puss powder foundation in Frisky Siamese
Eyes-
Phoenix Blood Cosmetics loose eyeshadow in Shining Armor (silver), Lady of the Lake (aqua), Gloaming (dark teal), Leviathan (dark charcoal gray), and A Very Juliet Story (light beige)
Detrivore Original eye shadow primer
Wet n Wild Fergie Take On the Day eye shadow primer
Wet n Wild non-waterproof liquid eyeliner
Almay Get Up and Grow mascara in black
Lips-
Morgana's Crypt lipstick in Absinthe

My Etsy shop for makeup can be found here, and is called Phoenix Blood.  

Have fun everyone, and have a wonderful day!

Rosy Nude FOTD

Finally, I am sharing with you a look done with makeup I made.  I didn't make all of it-there's still store-bought mascara and pencil eyeliner.  It will probably be a while before I try to make items that ambitious.  However, here is one of the favorite eye shadow colors I've made so far.  I named it Romanza after an Andrea Bocelli CD I like (it's not Goth, but I don't care! :) )

I also used it as blush.  It's a little frostier than I like my blush to be, so I might reformulate it with less shimmer to suit my tastes better. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Rainy Day FOTD

The rainy season has finally come to Arizona, relieving the heat wave and rejuvenating the earth.  For one, I also feel relieved and refreshed when the rain comes...I probably appreciate it so much because of the dryness of my home state.
Anyway, I was inspired to do my makeup in cloudy, rain-friendly colors.

Blurry photo is blurry...ick.

My hair is in desperate need of re-dying...please look away from the bad roots and humidity frizziness. :)

Inner thoughts- "Is it focused? Is it? Is it?  Oh heavens, don't blink!!!"

Eyeball closeup!



Okay, here are the materials:

Face: Meow Cosmetics Pampered Puss foundation in Frisky Siamese
Brows: Black mascara.  I still need to get actual brow stuff...
Eyes: Detrivore eye shadows in Apparatus (lid) and Abyss (crease and lower lash line)
I just finished it off with mascara and (slightly crooked) liquid liner.

Also, here is as much of my outfit today as I could photograph.  The stripey shrug (originally Forever 21), black dress (originally a slip) and fancy short necklace were all thrifted.  The rosary was originally rose scented, and came from a stall that sells Catholic and Rastafarian items in the halls of my university's dining hall.

Have a wonderful day!

My Favorite Lippies

Hi, all,
I thought it might be fun to take a look at my favorite lipsticks and favorite lip gloss.

Here is the stash-it consists of two Revlon lipsticks, one Revlon lipgloss, one Maybelline lipstick and one Morgana's Crypt lipstick.

Here are my bare, naked lips for reference.  They're not always this pink...I had just exfoliated a little.

1. Revlon Colorburst lip gloss in 008 Peony.  This is part of the Colorburst core collection, and the best "my lips but better" lip gloss I have ever found for my skin and lip color.  It is fairly sheer, with a medium amount of gold and peach shimmer.  This is the only lipgloss I have not only run out of, but repurchased simply because I could not find anything better.  These glosses range from $6.50-$7.50, depending on where you buy them.

2. Maybelline Color Sensational Vivids in 875 Vivid Rose.  I bought this as my spring/summer bright lipstick, and it did not disappoint.  The color is very bright, but very flattering to the skin (unlike some of the more extreme colors in this collection).  The finish is somewhere between matte and cream, and the staying power is amazing.  This is due to its high tendency to stain.  I think this might be limited edition, but at the time of this posting it is still widely available.  Prices range from $5.50-$7.50.

3. Revlon Super Lustrous lipstick in 477 Back Cherry.  I am, sadly, almost out of this color.  It is a slightly sheer (but buildable) blackened burgundy-red cream.  I like to think of this as the perfect Goth red, and the formula, though slightly prone to fading and shifting, is silky and fairly moisturizing.  Prices range from $5-$8.

4. Revlon Super Lustrous lipstick in 663 Va Va Violet.  This is such a rich plum-purple cream, the perfect wintry purple lip for me.  This formula does leave a little to be desired, though-it is a bit sheerer and more slippery even than its red counterpart Black Cherry.  However, I deal with it because it's inexpensive and I love the color.  It doesn't bleed or feather much, so that's a plus.  Prices range from $5-$8.

5. Last but not least is Morgana's Crypt lipstick in Licorice, which I have reviewed in a previous post.  This is still by all-time favorite black lipstick-during school, I sometimes did a quick morning look with a touch of gel eyeliner, some mascara, face powder and a slick of this...it worked very well, if I do say so myself. :)

That's it for this session-feel free to check out my other lippie and assorted makeup reviews including my Morgana's Crypt review.
Thanks for stopping by, and have a wonder-filled day!

Iron Man III Tribute FOTD

A day or two ago I went to the movies with my hubby and mom-in-law to see Iron Man III.  It. Was. Awesome!  The Avengers is still my all-time favorite comic-movie adaptation, but IMIII was tons of fun to watch.  The day after, I had a jones to wear red and black eye shadow.  I kind of wish I had thought to wear this to the theater, but that's the way things go, I guess.


(iPad pictures aren't so great in low light-sorry, guys.)



Whenever I curl my eye lashes, they look invisible when I close my eyes...

Anyway, here is the list of
Beauty Stuffs:

Face:
Nivea Creme (my fave moisturizer-I have super-dry skin)
Meow Cosmetics Pampered Puss powder foundation in Sleek Siamese

Brows:
Black brow mascara
Detrivore loose eye shadow in Abyss

Eyes:
Wet N Wild Fergie Take On the Day eye shadow primer (review coming soon)
Detrivore loose eye shadows in Vitriol (lid) and Abyss (outer V)
L'Oreal Infallible Lacquer gel liner in Blackest Black (thin line on upper lid, medium line smudged pretty far down on lower lash line, plus tight-lining)
L'Oreal Voluminous Original mascara in Blackest Black (on curled lashes)

No blush or lippie, I ran out of time!
Thanks for stopping by, and have a fantastic day!

Sparkly Silver Nails Tutorial-and Bonus FOTD

Hey everyone,
I have damaged nails.  I have a habit of occasionally picking off my nail polish instead of using polish remover, and a lot of times I forget to moisturize my cuticles until it's too late and they look all dry and kind of hurt.  So, I have had to chop them off and start over many times.  This time, at least, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel; I should only have to chop once or twice more, and then I will be able to start growing long vampy nails (mwah ha ha!).
While my nails are extra short, I try to paint them lighter colors so that their tiny size isn't so painfully obvious.  Therefore, I wanted to share with you my favorite light nail look-sparkly silver glitter.

Step 1: Clean your nails, attend to all cuticles and possible hangnails, and brush on a base coat.  To mend my nails and help them grow in better, I'm using Nail Life Nail Revitalizer in the non-formaldehyde formula.

Step 2: Paint nails with two coats of your favorite frosty or shimmery white.  Here I'm using Finger Paints Well Cultured Pearl, which is glowy and awesome.

Step 3: Top it off with two coats of a silver glitter topcoat.  I used Pure Ice Beware, which consists of a clear base with heavy amounts of small silver glitter.
Now you're done!  I added these next two pictures to show the difference in shine between direct and indirect light.

Indirect light-sparkly

Direct light-blinding! Well, to my camera, at least.

To finish, I'll leave you with a little FOTD featuring Detrivore's Lab Rat eye shadow (part of the Mad Scientist collection) and Maybelline ColorSensational lipstick in their  new shade Deepest Cherry, which I am testing and will review shortly.

Thanks for stopping by and have a wonder-filled day!

Amethyst Butterfly FOTD

Hi there!
This look was from a day or two ago, when the weather was very soft and springlike.  I felt it was definitely time to bust out the pink eye shadow.  I named this look after a great friend of mine suggested that the extended crease gave the impression of butterfly wings.

Beauty Stuffs:

Face: Meow Cosmetics Pampered Puss powder foundation in Sleek Siamese

Detrivore blush in Lascivious

Brows: Detrivore eye shadow in Fortress 

Eyes: Detrivore Original eye shadow primer

Detrivore eye shadows in Laboratory (lid), Livor Mortis (crease and lower lash line), and Apparatus (to blend)

Maybelline Volum' Express The Falsies mascara in Black Drama

Lips: Revlon Color Burst lip gloss in Bordeaux

Thanks for stopping by, and have a wonder-filled day!

Gloomy Blues FOTD

Hi all,
Today I was inspired by the hail and snow outside to do a look with gray and blue...it turned out a bit brighter than I expected, but I still like it.

Beauty Stuffs:

Face: Meow Cosmetics Pampered Puss foundation in Frisky Siamese
Hard Candy Blush Crush Baked Blush in 127 Honeymoon

Brows: Detrivore loose eye shadow in Fortress

Eyes: Detrivore Original eye shadow primer
Detrivore eye shadows in Test Tube (Light blue, on lid), BSoD (Bright blue in inner crease), and Apparatus (soft gray in outer crease)
Detrivore Pallor Mortis white face powder to blend and highlight
Milani Runway Eyes eye shadow in 02 Black Out (as liner)
L'Oreal Voluminous Power Volume 24H mascara in 681 Blackest Black (review coming soon!)

Lips: Revlon Color Burst lip gloss in 008 Peony

By the way, I just finished performing in a production of Così fan tutte at NAU, and my hubby brought me some lovely orchids I just had to share.

Aren't they pretty?  Anyway, thanks for stopping by, and have a wonder-filled day!

Soft Lilac FOTD

The other day, after painting my nails lavender (SpaRitual Thunder Road), I decided to try my Detrivore Special FX blush as an eyeshadow...and it worked!

Here it is-

Beauty Stuffs:

Face:

Maybelline CoverStick Concealer in Light (my in-between while I wait for my Meow foundation to arrive)

Detrivore Pallor Mortis Dehydrating Powder

Meow Cosmetics Lush Blush in In-cat-uation (one of my samples from them-it's simply gorgeous!)

Brows:

Detrivore Fortress (a matte gray that still makes my brows look black...I don't know why. )

Eyes:

Detrivore Special FX blush in Conquest (on lid and blended out)

Maybelline Volum'Express One By One mascara in Blackest Black

Lips:

Revlon Colorburst lip gloss in Peony

And off to class I go!  Have a wonder-filled day!

Emerald Greens

Hello, I hope everyone's holiday season has been a good one so far.  I got sucked into the stress of college finals, then the start of the holiday season, and have been sadly neglectful of this little blog.  However, I am back with some pictures of another Detrivore look I did, this time with some new colors which I will review more fully soon.

Picture time:

The color of Putrid is somewhere between the pics above and below.  It's not quite as yellowy as the top pictures show, but brighter than the lower one shows.  Darn you, camera!

Shadow from camera hand...eep.

Pardon the bad eyeliner; this was the first time I had worn contacts in weeks!  I had gotten used to putting on makeup essentially blind, half an inch from my magnifying mirror.  :)

The list of beauty stuffs:

Face:

Revlon Colorstay foundation Normal/Dry formula in 110 Ivory

Detrivore Pallor Mortis Dehydrating Powder (not actually dehydrating, but more on that at a later date)

Brows: Jordana Color Effects eye shadow duo in 08 Perfect Team, the matte black side

Eyes:

Rimmel Fix and Perfect Primer

Detrivore Original Eye shadow Primer

Detrivore loose eye shadow in Putrid (bright green on lid), Plague (dark green in crease), Abyss (little touch in outer V to darken) and White Chapel (for brow and inner eye highlight)

LA Colors loose eye shadow in Snow White to intensify highlight (I do not recommend this shadow; I got it at the dollar store and it is essentially fluffy white Mylar-esque glitter that goes everywhere. )

L’Oreal Infallible 24 hour Lacquer Liner (gel eye liner) in 171 Blackest Black  (I have to get a thinner eyeliner brush...I'm always making a mess with the one that came with the eyeliner.)

Maybelline Great Lash Big mascara in Blackest Black

Cheeks:

Maybelline Single Eye shadow in Pink Petal (I don't know what possessed me to buy a pale pink eye shadow, but I have since salvaged it by using it as a soft, subtle blush.  Hey, it works.)

Lips:

Rimmel London Lasting Finish lipstick in 070 Airy Fairy.  This is slightly pinker and more muted than my natural lip color, so it's great for days when I don't want my lips to be the center of attention.

Also, I was reminded this week why I should stay away from waterproof mascara.  I have only one tube, which I keep for days spent at the beach/pool or dealing with heavy rain or snow.  Flagstaff had its first major snow a few days ago, and since I knew I would have to be out in it I decided that it was an appropriate day to bust out the waterproof.  As usual, (why do I keep doing this to myself?) when I tried to remove it, it stuck to my lashes so badly that I ended up with six little eyelashes broken into stubs and blobs of mascara still stuck in the roots.  Not good.  Next time, I either have to try the Vaseline/olive oil removal method or just deal with runny mascara.  Oh, well.

Have a wonder-filled day!

Detrivore Dark Lips

Here is another look involving Detrivore, but without the dramatic eyes I used last time.  The lips can be kind of fussy, requiring more upkeep than a solid color, but I think it's worth it on a day that needs that extra punch.

Eyes closed to show eyeshadow better...

Eeeeeven clooooooser...

So, here is the list of beauty stuffs.

Face:

Revlon Colorstay foundation Normal/Dry formula in 110 Ivory

Coty Airspun Loose Face Powder in Translucent 070-24

Brows: Jordana Color Effects eye shadow duo in 08 Perfect Team, the matte black side

Eyes:

Rimmel Fix and Perfect Primer

Detrivore Original Eyeshadow Primer

Detrivore loose eye shadow in Vulture (on lid)

Jordana Color Effects eye shadow duo in 08 Perfect Team, the matte black side (to deepen crease) and the matte white side (as highlight)

L’Oreal Infallible 24 hour Lacquer Liner (gel eye liner) in 171 Blackest Black

Jordana Best Lash Extreme Volumizing Mascara in 301 Black

Cheeks:

Detrivore blush in Lascivious

Lips:

Wet 'N' Wild Color Icon Brow and Eye Liner in 651 Black Black (used as liner and blended in)

Maybelline Color Sensational lipstick in 625 Are You Red-dy (to fill in lip)

And, of course, no look is complete without my everyday glasses (I have awful eyesight) and my favorite drink, black tea with milk and honey.

Have a wonder-filled day, everyone!

Detrivore Dark Eye

This was one of the more obvious looks I thought to do with my new Detrivore eyeshadows (see last post for review and swatches).    I also thought that, to satisfy curiosity, I would list the other things I used on my face.

     Yep, this is me.

Eyeball closeup...

List of Beauty Stuffs:

Face:

Maybelline Super Stay 24 Hour Concealer in Ivory,  Neutrogena Mineral Sheers Powder Foundation (SPF 20, win!) in Natural Ivory 20

Brows:

Jordana Color Effects eye shadow duo in 08 Perfect Team, the matte black side

Eyes:

Rimmel Fix and Perfect Primer (yes, this is a foundation primer, but it helps keep other stuff from creasing)

Detrivore Original Eyeshadow Primer

Revlon Illuminance Creme Shadow in 711 Black Magic (the shimmery black used as a color base)

Detrivore eyeshadows in Abyss (lid) and Vulture (crease)

Jordana Color Effects eye shadow duo in 08 Perfect Team, the matte white side (highlight)

L'Oreal Infallible 24 hour Lacquer Liner (gel eye liner) in 171 Blackest Black

Jordana Best Lash Extreme Volumizing Mascara in 301 Black

Cheeks:

Detrivore Special FX blush in Conquest (applied very, very lightly)

Lips:

Alba Botanica Coconut Cream Clear Lipgloss

Well, there you have it.  Thanks for stopping by!