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!

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!

Video Share-DIY Corrective Concealer

If you have read some of my earlier posts, you know that I am a big fan of DIY fashion, beauty, and hair products.  I love to just dig in and try new things, especially since DIY usually has the advantage of being cheaper than ready-made products as well as being completely customizable to what you need.

Wayne Goss, Youtuber and makeup artist, is a proponent of corrective concealers for undereye darkness and overall issues with ashy or dull skin. In this video, he shows you how to make your own peach or pink-toned concealer to brighten the undereye area.  I haven't tried this yet, but I think I will just as soon as I can get my hands on some peach or coral lipstick.

So, what do you think of mixing your own concealer, or odd-colored correctors in general?  Comments are welcome.

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

Video Share-Pixiwoo Blue

I have to admit, blue is the most difficult color for to use in my everyday cosmetics.  I have bluish-greenish eyes, which can make blue eyeshadows look dated or just all-out strange.  Someone who has no trouble with this icy color, however, is Sam from Pixiwoo, who uploaded this gem of a tutorial.  But remember, just because she used a particular palette does not mean you have to go out and buy something to achieve this look. Just use similar shades from your own collection, or tweak it a little to suit your tastes.  There are no rules-just have fun. :)

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!

Video Share-Glam Red and Black

I love the combination of red and black for eye shadow, but it can be difficult to pull off.  Here Goldiestarling shows off her talents and finesse, and details a glamorous twist on the combination.

Also, remember that you can tweak the blush and lip color to whatever your dark little heart desires.
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!

Meow, meow, meow, meow...

This review is not sponsored in any way.  All products were bought with my own funds.

Last week I received two full-size canisters of Pampered Puss powder foundation from Meow Cosmetics.  Let's take a look...

I got a jar each of Sleek Siamese and Frisky Siamese.

Not only do they hand-make all their products with no fillers or extra chemicals, Meow Cosmetics offers 85 foundation shades, with color bases being named for a cat breed (Siamese for neutral, Manx for warm, Bengal for beige, etc) and levels of lightness/darkness named for feline attributes (Sleek, Naughty, Slinky, etc.).  The website is a little unwieldy, but I think the enormous color range makes it worth it.

Each of these 85 shades comes in three foundation formulas; Purr-fect Puss (light/medium coverage), Pampered Puss (medium coverage), and Flawless Feline (full coverage).  I picked Pampered Puss because I have some acne and redness, but didn't want too heavy of a finished look.  All right, enough blabbing, picture time!

This is the unopened jar--it carries 1/4 cup of product rather than the standard 3 tsp in most mineral foundations.

Pretty lid!

This is the lighter color I chose, for my winter complexion (or whenever I feel like going pale)

This is one shade too dark for me now, but in the summer I think it will be perfect! If not, I can always use it as eye shadow or contour...

This is the two colors heavily swatched side by side. S is for Sleek, and F is for Frisky.

You can see that the Sleek Siamese looks too light for my hand, and that makes it perfect for my face.

For some reason it didn't show up on camera, but this foundation has a bit of shimmer under bright sunlight.

The shimmer doesn't bother me, as it is very subtle and helps to bring a bit of radiance to my dry skin.  Speaking of which, as long as I don't try to pile on the powder my skin is not dried out by this foundation.  I always put a layer of moisturizer and a layer of sun protection under my foundation, and the moisture from those products really helps the powder foundation both to stick effectively to my skin, and to not strip the oils from my face.

From ordering to reception, the process took about 2 1/2 weeks. Full-size jars of Pampered Puss foundation are $25.95, not counting shipping or sales tax.  Purr-fect Puss, being a lighter concentration, is $23.45, and the full-coverage Flawless Feline is $28.95 a jar.  Samples are a dollar, and each formula is also available in a travel-size Munchkin jar, which holds about a fifth as much as the full size.

Hope you found this helpful, and have a fabulous day.

All opinions are my own, and I was not solicited to do this review.

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!

Detrivore Cosmetics Review

This review is not sponsored in any way.  All products were bought with my own funds.

So, my order from online indie cosmetics store Detrivore Cosmetics just arrived 6 days ago (after about 5 weeks; I would have had them in 4, but they were shipped to the wrong address and I requested a replacement, which came lighting-fast), and I have had some time to try out the products and have some fun.  I decided to give this company a chance because

a) there is a huge selection of lovely colors

b) all the names and collections are rather gothic/horror inspired, and

c) these handmade, unique shadows are only $4-$5 apiece (depending on whether they are part of a special collection), and blushes are $6.

Be warned, I have quite a few pictures.

Eyeshadows come in a 5 gram jar and blushes in a 10 gram jar, both with sifters which makes them slightly less messy.  I didn't realize how tiny these jars would look until they arrived.

This is a blush and an eyeshadow.  All jars came wrapped in plastic with ingredient lists, great for checking for allergens.  The samples (of which I received two) came in little baggies with labels and their own ingredient lists.

Eye shadow bottom label

Blush bottom label

Sample baggie

Sample ingredient list

Anyway,  I picked three matte shadows, two shimmery ones, one shimmery blush (the standard formula) and two matte blushes from Detrivore's Special FX collection, as well as the original (clear) eyeshadow primer.

The actual primer inside is yellow, but if you put on enough to see the color, that's way too much and it will crease very badly.  Less is definitely more here.

Eyeshadow descriptions( swatched over stripe of Detrivore primer), starting with those closest to the knuckles, from left to right:

Abyss: matte charcoal black

Fortress: matte gray.  stone over primer, light dove gray by itself

BSoD (Blue Screen of Death): matte bright blue over primer, soft powdery blue by itself

Vulture: medium/light cool shimmery brown

Vitriol: shimmery deep bloody red

Wrist (samples):

Top: Acid Test: shimmery chartreuse-tinted gold

Bottom: Hack: shimmery faded reddish salmon-pink

These shadows are very pigmented, but they really need a sticky cream base to show their full color (hence the primer).

Blush Swatches (left to right):

Conquest: matte medium purple (from the Special FX collection)

Ironborn: matte medium/dark gray (from the Special FX collection)

Lascivious: shimmery light cool-toned pink with silver and pink sparkles

Here's a closer look at Lascivious. It's very close to my skin tone, but very pretty for a natural/subtle blush.





So, to finish, if you are willing to wait about a month to get it, these are lovely products at a lovely price.  I recommend it highly!  Looks made with these products are coming soon.

All opinions are my own, and I was not solicited to do this review.