Pigment

This is probably just a weird pet peeve of mine that nobody else notices or cares about.

It really bothers me when people refer to loose powder eyeshadow as "pigments". Really, it's all MAC's fault, giving a finished, blended product such an inaccurate name.

Pigments in terms of manufacturing are coloring agents. An iron oxide or red #40 are examples of pigments. Now I see all kinds of beauty bloggers, YouTubers and even trained makeup artists calling every loose shadow a pigment.

The companies that make these products have them clearly marked and always referred to as eyeshadows, so I really don't know where these people are getting it into their heads to call them anything else. And when you think about it, it's insulting to the formulator of an eyeshadow that they worked hard to blend, creating their own unique colors and a functioning base. To say it's a pigment is inadvertently accusing them of repackaging.
Naturally I don't believe this was anyone's intention, likely they are simply misinformed.

Just my two cents.

Broken Doll

 This is a look I put together for Spectacle of Sin; a goth-y, S&M themed event featuring fashion from local design house Wings of Sin, Industrial and dark alternative dance music (spun by djs I happen to know personally!), and the metal band Amadis. The show opened with a dance performance my friend Lauren was a part of, she is the one who said I looked like a broken baby doll.

So, onto what I used.

        Eyes:
tarte lifted primer
aromaleigh rocks! sonic rouge in sinisterrouge on outer eye area, extended to cheeks
Fyrinnae Princess of Darkness blending from black to magenta
Fyrinnae Kuroneko used dry on lid and underneath; wet to define brows and on lashlines, outlining fume
aromaleigh fume exaggerated inner wing
aromaleigh odette  to highlight just under brows
cheapo Halloween false eyelashes I found at the dented-can store for 99 cents because I'm awesome.

        Face:
foundation primer, I don't remember which one
aromaleigh metamorphosis (applied as foundation, not finishing powder; i.e. heavier)
aromaleigh rocks! sonic rouge in sinisterrouge

        Lips 
tarte natural lip stain pencil in amused
Sobe Botanicals Goth Lips Stix in Vamptress, just a teensy bit on a lip brush to 'toughen-up' amused
black lipstick that I made, again just a wee bit, blended into amused and vamptress with a lip brush 

 crappy no flash pic

Giveaway at Glitter is my Crack!

Blix is having a big giveaway at her blog- Glitter is my crack, with shadow collections from Morgana Cryptoria and victorian zombie jewelry.

Her LOTDs are always stunning, so you should follow her blog!

Eyeshadow primer or How to make eyeshadow work.

I have 2 eyeshadow primers.
1.) I had a demo at MAC and I asked to buy what he used to make the colors look good, I walked out with a little tube of MAC Paints in Bare Canvas for $16.50. Oh my, just now as I'm adding the link I see that this is described as a champagne color with shimmer. For the record, I have never seen any shimmer in mine.

2.) In august, when Tarte was having a 40% off sale I picked up their Lifted primer since I wanted to play around with different brands. I also got their wonderful lip stain (more on that later).

I know those aren't the standards, all the gurus and beauty bloggers seem to suggest Urban Decay Primer Potion or Too Faced Shadow Insurance. Well, I of course looked at those two when I first learned about how you need primer to make eyeshadow not suck. They both have talc in them and a lanolin derivative. I'm not going to tell you I'm the perfect vegan and have exclusively vegan products, I don't, I allow beeswax and sometimes even carmine, but I draw the line at lanolin because I think it's ickier. Mainly though, it's the talc that is a sticking point, I won't buy anything with talc in it.

Now, reviews:
1.) I like this, I like it a lot. My appreciation for what it can do may be colored by the fact that it's my first primer, so it seems like a miracle product. I'm not really fond of the tube it comes in though, has a nasty habit of oozing out way, way more than you need, so you end up wasting a lot. The $16.50 vs $18 for either UDPP or TFSI was another good reason to go this route, but honestly still seems too pricey to a poor and frugal me.

2.) This is a great primer- grips my shadows, keeps them from creasing or fading, and makes them look better overall. No talc or petrochemicals and it's vegan! Also, I think (or hope) Tarte is a little less planet-raping than the majority of cosmetics manufacturers (or anything manufacturers), on account of the fact that the packaging is biodegradable. It is fairly difficult to wash off, but I gather that's kinda universal with primers, and it may be I'm just using a lousy makeup remover. This is regularly $20, which is too much for me, yay sales!
About the supposed firming benefits... I haven't noticed any.

I would suggest either of these as products that get the job done. But I wouldn't recommend buying them unless there's a sale or some kind of deal.

The primer from Concrete Minerals  seems like a good one too, I might have to try it. If it works as well as it's ingredients suggest it should, it's the best deal on primer at only $8.99!

Hopefully this was informative for some people.
If you know of a super fantastic primer I should check out, let me know!

Some Aromaleigh LOTDs

Sunday 10/3 - I stepped outside to take these while I was working, I knew I was about to lose the sun. So, yeah, pictures taken in setting-sun light. Well, better than nothing. Unfortunately Darcelle's awesomeness isn't quite captured here, it's absolutely stunning, I'm so glad I got a full-size!
Imperial - inner V
Ephemeral Violet - all over lid
Darcelle - crease
Flirt! Big flirt mascara in Blue Hawaii on lashes

Sunday 10/10 - I wised-up and took these before going to work. I again wanted to play with some new(ish) colors. I'm not sure if it really worked out, but hey, I'm still learning the ropes on eyeshadow application.
Lisette - lid
Astonish - inner V
Morphing moon - crease/outer V/lower lashline
Flirt! Big flirt mascara in blue hawaii
I can't remember what I used to highlight on my browbone, but it was probably May Lily.

 Ooh and there's more ...

 Yes, I'm wearing overalls.

Twinkle Perle powder on cheeks
unknown strawberry flavored lip balm on lips (has no label, I picked it up at some fair or something)

Hopefully later this week I can post a review of Silk Naturals, as I placed  my first order with them on Friday. Yay, I can't wait! I love packages!

First Post. Eek!

   Everybody loves a haul post, right? Stash and haul posts on beauty blogs have been like porn to a beauty addict like me the past few months since I rediscovered my love of makeup, I know I can't be the only one.
I got my second Aromaleigh final clearance order last night:

 I love how in their final days Aromaleigh has started including surprise packs of eyeshadow samples.
This arrived less than a week after I placed the order, amazing considering the warnings on the site about high order volume causing long delays of up to 22 business days.

I ordered:
foundation stuff (boring/not sparkly)

bete noire mineral eyeshadow in:
 -aurelie
 -darcelle

les papillons mineral eyeshadow in:
 -crimson mimicry
 -ephemeral violet
 -morphing moon

pure eyes opulent lustre in:
 -imperial

mini jar of metamorphosis

sunday girl rocks! sonic rouge

coquille vert

gothic lolita nightbright mineral shimmer

If I get a chance tomorrow I want to do a FOTD with some of the colors, I think imperial and darcelle would look great together.