Anastasia "Tamanna" Palette! :D

Anastasia Beverly Hills can do no wrong in my eyes at this point.  Unless they do something absolutely horrible, I am an obsessed follower of all their products.  The "Tamanna" Palette is just another addition to my collection.  

The affordability of their products coupled with the quality is to die for.  This entire palette was only $29!  10 eyeshadows for $29 is a great deal for a drugstore brand, let alone a higher-end indie one.  But it's real and it's unbelievable!  

I love my Lavish Palette and I love my Amrezy Palette.. and now I love my Tamanna Palette!  (Although I will say, I'm pretty partial to the Amrezy and I think I like that one just a little bit more.)  I can't stop using colors like Gilded, Bengal, and Chocolate.. obviously.  You know I love my neutrals.  But even the color-y-ier shadows like Sangria and Custom are gorgeous as well.  The only color I'm slightly disappointed in is Venezia, only because I wish it was more pigmented.  Even on top of a primer it still didn't give me the color payoff I was hoping for.  But it's still a beautiful teal shade!  And even though Fresh is a super-pale color on my skintone, it's still a nice shadow to highlight your brow bone if you want a matte finish.  The formula is nice and velvety, and not too chalky or sheer.  Building up color is super easy with a few layers of each color (and some, like Chocolate and Sangria barely need more than one to look super opaque!).

For swatches, check out the photos below!

The packaging has a magnetic closure, like the Amrezy Palette

It comes with a little double-ended brush

Natural sunlight, NO primer

Artificial light, NO primer

Natural sunlight, WITH primer

Artificial light, WITH primer

Hope this helps, and inspires you to pick up this $29 palette, or experiment with similar colors!  Get it while it lasts -- Anastasia products run out FAST!!

xojaybee

DIY: High-Low Flannel Shirt!!

Ahh, the ever-polarizing "high-low" trend.  Remember when the mullet skirt/dress first debuted and people either loved it or despised it?  Well, recently this controversial style has transitioned from the bottom to the top.  More and more shirts have been sporting this cut in recent seasons, and it doesn't look like it's going anywhere anytime soon.  It even made an appearance on good ol' Ky-Jen last month:

There's absolutely no reason to be dropping big bucks on something this trendy and easy to recreate.  I doubt it'll be around forever, so why waste money on investing in a nice piece?  Instead, head to your local thrift store, pick up a long and oversized flannel, and get to cutting!

Once you have all your materials, it only takes about 10 minutes start-to-finish.. seriously!  Tutorial after the jump!

Favorite Fall Lip Colors!!

So as I am currently writing this, it's about 45 degrees in Chicago.  Yes.  Within one week it went from 80s and shorts weather, to I-can-see-my-breath weather.  I can't say I'm too disappointed.  Fall is definitely my favorite season of the year, and the sooner it comes, the happier I am.  Personally, I think it's the best weather for fashion and the best season for makeup.  (I'll be posting a full-face vampy cold-weather makeup tutorial as well as a fall fashion guide up within the month!)  

I decided to pull together my favorite fall lip products for this post.  I whipped out a dark lip today for the first time in months!

Uber close-up of the lips!

I love doing ombre dark lips -- they're flattering, make your lips look super full, and just a ton of fun to wear.  Like I said before, I'll be posting a tutorial on a whole makeup look soon, so a step-by-step for this lip look will definitely be up!  

But that's just one of my go-to's.  There are a ton of different ways to wear a pretty lip for fall.  I love burgundy lips, but I'm also a huge fan of warm nudes for a more toned-down and subtle look.  Darker nude lips are also the best way to still wear a lip color with a super smokey eye (in my opinion).

So without further ado, here are some of my favorite lip liners and lip colors for fall [swatches below, at the bottom of the post!]:

1.  Sephora Collection Nano Lip Liner, in "09 Pleasant Plum" ($5)

The Sephora Collection Nano Liners are the best bang for your buck in the lip liner world.  The formula is super creamy and pigmented, and comes in about half the size of a full-sized lip pencil.  And.. it's only $5.  I mean, come on.  It's a great way to experiment with different shades of liner, because if you don't like it, it was only $5.  It's also a good product to pick up for shades that you know you'll wear, but won't go through super fast and need a ton of it.  It comes in 18 different colors, so there's still a somewhat large variety to choose from.  Sephora brand products are a hit or a miss, and this one is definitely a hit.  It could be a bit more long-lasting, but I can't complain for only $5!

The color above is Pleasant Plum.  It's a plum-y cranberry shade that is perfect for wearing with red and deep red lips.  Wear it all over your lips as a base for a more purple-red lip color, or as just a liner for a beautiful ombre effect with a cherry red lip in the center.

2.  MAC Lip Pencil, in "Whirl" ($16)

Ahh, the holy grail lip pencil for the Kylie Jenner lip.  Kardashian MUA Mario Dedivanovic just recently revealed that he loves using the MAC Whirl liner on Kylie's now iconic lips.  Perfect, because I loveeeee using this liner, too.  Whirl is one of those cult-favorite lip liners that people have been using for years to achieve that perfect brown-nude lip.  It's definitely a must-have product that I'd recommend anyone to go out and pick up for their makeup collection, no matter how novice or advanced.  

I find that MAC liners are more dense and much less creamy than a lot of other liners out there at the moment.  It's sort of that drier texture that you think of when you think of 90s lip liners (which is sort of fitting, considering that's what decade Kylie's makeup is known for).  It tugs a little more on the lip when you try to fill it in, but it ends up giving your lips great coverage and a beautiful color.  [TIP: This may sound absolutely crazy, but if you sit on this liner while you do the rest of this makeup, it actually warms the product up and makes it easier to glide on your lips!]

3.  MakeUp ForEver Aqua Lip Waterproof Lipliner Pencil, in "12C Matte Dark Plum" ($19)

I absolutely adore this liner.  It is the liner that I'm wearing in the ombre vampy lip look above.  It's the perfect in-between, cool and warm, burgundy and purple, dark but not black, lip liner color.  Because it's not too cool and not too warm toned, it's perfect for almost every skin tone -- whether you're porcelain skinned or tanned all year round, this shade is gorgeous.

The consistency of this liner is amazing.  It's extremely pigmented and creamy, and just glides on all over the lip.  I use this pencil to slightly over-line the natural shape of my lip for extra fullness.  I can't get enough of this liner.  Yes, it's $19 and that may seem a little crazy to most people to spend on a lip liner, but I'm telling you it's worth it.  The liner stays on your lips for hours, hours!, without budging.  It lasts through talking, eating, drinking.. not so sure about kissing, but I wouldn't really recommend kissing with any of these lip products on in the first place. Womp womp.  But seriously, this is one of the best lip liners, and it comes in 25 shades.  Go get some.

4.  NARS Satin Lip Pencil, in "Rikugien" ($25)

Not a lip liner, not a lipstick.. but a lip stick pencil!  I'm not even sure exactly what to even categorize this as.  It isn't nearly as opaque as a lip color, but definitely not as sheer as a lip "gloss" stick (think Tarte Lip Stains).  It gives a beautiful wash of semi-sheer color all over the lip.  It's very moisturizing for a lip product, which makes for super comfortable all-day wear.  

Rikugien a gorgeous color for fall -- it's like a natural, rosy nude flush on the lips that pairs perfectly with a brown smokey eye.  It also leaves a pretty, satiny finish that makes lips look full and subtly shiny.

5.  MAC Lipstick, in "Yash" ($16)

Such a beautiful color for fall!!  Everyone loves MAC Myth, Shanghai Spice, Freckletone, etc. but I think Yash is up there with the best of 'em.  It's a matte, neutral, nude shade that is super sutble yet super opaque.  On my fairly tan skin, it almost reminds me of a creamy skin-toned shade.  It is on the cooler side of the nude spectrum, so I'd be careful with this color if you are extremely olive- or yellow-undertoned.  

As are all MAC lipsticks, Yash is very creamy and long wearing.  Because it's a matte finish, it isn't the most moisturizing product ever, but it has a beautiful finish.  

6.  Gerard Cosmetics Lipstick, in "1995" ($19)

This is definitely the newest product in my collection, but is quickly becoming one of my favorite ever.  1995 was designed and formulated by Jaclyn Hill to completely mimic the Kylie Jenner lip color.  The website says it was inspired by the 90s grunge revival, and I can't really argue with that.  It's very Cindy Crawford, supermodel chic.  For some reason the photo of the lip stick I took reads way too red and warm-toned than the color actually is, which is why I included the swatch picture from the website (and is much more accurate).

It's a gorgeous spicy, pinky brown nude.  The lipstick is very creamy and pigmented, and super smooth feeling on the lips.  Even though it's a matte shade, it still feels "wet" and not too drying or powdery.  I can definitely pull off wearing this color as an every day nude, whether paired with a smokey eye, dramatic cat eye liner, or an only-mascara look.

7.  NARS Pure Matte Lipstick, in "Volga" ($26)

Definitely the priciest lip product on this list, the NARS Pure Matte Lipsticks are worth every penny.  They might be the most long-lasting lip products I've ever used.  I'm talking, put this on your lips in the morning, and the color is still there at night.  Yes, it might fade a bit, and yes, the inner portion of your lips will eventually wear off with a normal amount of eating and talking.  But you may only need to re-apply it once or twice throughout the whole day to keep it looking as fresh as it did when you put it on.

I love this color because of how deep and rich it is.  It's somewhat drying, but it's a suuuper matte product, so I would expect no different.  After a few layers of application, this color can be built up so dark it looks almost-black -- which I find absolutely gorgeous for fall.  One swipe of color over the lips, and they look like a beautiful, cool-toned cranberry shade.

8.  Sephora Collection Color Lip Last, in "23 Elegant in Brown" ($13)

This is the amaaaazing lip color I am wearing in the middle of my lips in the vampy lip look above.  This is another awesome bang for your buck product.  For only $13, this lipstick acts like a $20+ high end version.  Sephora really knows how to do a good lip product!

It's creamy, opaque, and moisturizing.  It has a semi-sticky feeling on the lips, but I don't mind that because I know the product is stuck on my lips all day.  This lip stick just glides effortlessly over the lips, and doesn't leave a weird, cracky appearance like a lot of dark shades can do.  

SWATCHES!:

I hope this post inspires you to experiment with all different kinds of fall lip looks!  Even though most people automatically think of dark, mysterious berry shades, I definitely recommend trying out some pretty browny-nude looks as well!  And like I said twice before, a tutorial should hopefully be up on the blog shortly :]


xojaybee

Nail Striping Tape

First off -- I know I've been gone for about a month!  I've been so busy with the school year starting back up, and was trying to get so much shit done during the end of summer break before my soul was sucked from my body.  Then having to readjust to a new semester really kicked my ass.  But here I am, and I'm back!

I have so many blog posts lined up to write (tutorials, product reviews, hauls), but I figured I'd start off slow.  So let's get into it!

I recently purchased some nail striping tape.  If you've ever seen nail designs that you loved with super-clean-looking stripes, patterns, or designs, I bet they were done using nail striping tape.  It looks really impressive, and seems pretty complicated and out of realm for most at-home nail painters. But that's far from true!  Granted, yes, it does take a smidgen of practice and skill -- but I'm telling you, it's so much easier than it looks.

I decided to do a really clean and simple design.  I started with two coats of a semi-sheer nude/cream nail polish for the base.  (Hold off on the top coat though until after the tape is on the nails.)  Wait til the nails are 90% dry before applying the designs!  Then I cut two strips of a gold striping tape and placed them in an inverted-V shape to mimic the shape of my stiletto/almond tips.  I started with the point of the "V" in the middle of my nail and laid it down on an angle, with the rest of the strip hanging off near the edges of my nail (where my finger meets my nail).  Once the tape was on the way I wanted, I cut the excess ends off the ends, and firmly pressed it down.  I finished off the design with a thick coat of clear no-chip polish -- this makes the nail look shiny and binds the tape to the nail so the ends don't stick up and peel off!

Whew!  That seems like a lot but it's sooooo simple.  You can do any design that you can think of!

The nail striping tape comes in thin spools like this.  The tape itself is tacky on the back, so it makes it easy to place a design.  They're not too sticky though, so you can peel it off if you aren't happy with the way it turned out, and re-stick it over and over until you like the final product.  Keep in mind though that they aren't going to stay on your nails unless you paint over the design with a thick layer of top coat!

The colors above are gold, bronze, black, and white -- staple neutrals!  I get mine from the Etsy shop Pixel Piece, based out of California.  I try to buy domestic products when possible, because it's cheaper shipping, faster turn-around, and overall a nice idea to buy from US-based sellers.  Pixel Piece sells about 60 different colors of nail striping tape, for only $0.99 a color!!  

Obviously the tape is super thin and perfect for creating any sort of design you want on your nails.  You can also use this tape for virtually any craft-y project you can think of -- decorating notebooks, room decor knick knacks, custom artwork.. you name it.  

It looks fancy and impressive, yet takes only a few minutes to create. How can you go wrong?

xojaybee