Kat Von D 'Adora' Palette

I haven't blogged in forever because of some life changing events that have taken place since November. However, I'm now enrolled in a makeup class and want to start getting more active with the blog. So, here are a couple of pictures of a casual evening look I did using the Kat Von D 'Adora' palette.

I primed my lid with Urban Decay Shadow Insurance and then smudged 'Bloodletting' from the palette over my lid and into the crease. I highlighted my brow with 'Albino' then blended 'Glock' into the crease and up the brow bone a bit. I added a little extra on the outer 'v' for a bit more depth. On the lid I used 'Holy Bible' on the lid. I lined the upper lash line with a pen black eyeliner, then put some 'Glock' under the lower lashes. I went over the top line with 'Ace of Spades' and brushed a little of that underneath as well. Then I curled my lashes and used L'oreal Voluminous mascara in black.

Here's the finished look:

I'm fairly pleased with how it turned out, though my cheeks look a little pale in this photo. I could have done a little contouring and highlighting, but I was in a hurry and it was just a casual get together with friends. I'm just pleased that my eyes don't look dark underneath as I've been having a hellacious time with dark circles as of late.

For foundation I used M.A.C. Studio Tech in NW20. I have no idea what lipstick that is -- I think it's Celebutarde by Kat Von D as well.
Notice that my eyebrows are a good match to my hair. Yay me!

Anyway, I'm totally in love with the Kat Von D eye shadows. I bought the Ludwig palette as well and they're two of my favorite kits. The shadows are very creamy and pigmented with minimal fall out. They blend like a dream! I'm also very impressed with the lipsticks from this line. I bought a limited edition collection of minis and love each color. There's not one that I wouldn't wear. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like this collection are available now, which is too bad.

MAC's Venomous Villains

Recognize that dashing creature on the left? No, not Cruella. The other one. Kate-ella. Earlier tonight I attended the Venomous Villains event at my local M.A.C. store. The line was fairly long to get in, but moved quickly, and it wasn't long before I had a cocktail in my hand and my eye set on the prize.

Maleficent.

My favorite of all the Disney villains. The One to Rule Them All. I had known for months that she was going to be one of the featured villains in this limited edition line, and she was the reason I bribed my husband to go to the mall even though he'd rather stay home and play on the 360.

I didn't buy all of the Maleficent set because I'm not big on nail polish, and I didn't really like the 'Briar Rose' blush/powder. However, I did get both lipsticks, both glosses and both eye shadows. I also picked up one of the Cruella eye shadows (Sweet Joy) which is a pretty light golden color, and I got one of the Cruella powders (Her Own) which is a lovely brownish rose. Also I grabbed the Dr. Facilier Truth and Light powder.

Here are swatches of the Maleficent lippies. From left to right they are Dark Deed, Violetta, The Wrong Spell and Revenge is Sweet.

The color is slightly off here, even though I tried to make it as close as possible. Dark Deed is a beautiful purple-wine color while Violetta is a rich magenta. The Wrong Spell is a dark purple with ... what seems like a hint of ash. Very striking, while Revenge is Sweet is candy pink and enticing as you would expect. I immediately tried all four on when I got home. I think Dark Deed is my favorite of the lipsticks and Revenge is Sweet my favorite of the glosses, but I look forward to playing around with all of them to see what kind of looks I can come up with.

Here are the shadows:

She Who Dares is one of M.A.C's Mineralize eye shadows (as is My Dark Magic), so they're swirls of color mixed together and highly pigmented. This one is a rich purple-blue and black along side a dark mossy green and black. The photo is pretty true to the shades, but you can achieve different shades with a careful dab of your brush.

My Dark Magic is very much the same color scheme as the lips -- purple and rich fuchsia -- but with some black swirled in. They're fairly close in color on the skin, but have more contrast in the package. Still, I think this offering might be my favorite of the shadows, though I do love that green.

Not all of the eyeshadows are mineral. The Cruella shadows are very much the regular singles, and there are pigments available with the Dr. Facilier set.

All in all I'm in love with what I bought, and had common sense not at least blinked in my direction, I might have bought more. If you're a M.A.C. fan, you can't go wrong with these colors, and if you're a Disney fan... well, you NEED this makeup! The packaging alone is to die for.

For more images (fabulous images!) of these products, check out Temptalia's blog.

DIY: Mixing Medium

In yesterday's post I talked about using mixing mediums with pigments. Mixing mediums are liquids used to change the consistency of makeup so it can be used in a variety of ways -- such as using shadow/pigment as eyeliner or diluting liquid makeup.

Many companies make mixing mediums for different uses, but there's a recipe for making a simple mix that will suit most needs. I've made and used this myself, so I can vouch for how good it is. I use it mostly with pigments and shadows and it's great. Here's what you need:

Rubbing Alcohol
Bottle of any size to keep mixing medium in
Distilled water
Natural vegetable glycerin -- you can get it at the grocery or drugstore

Wipe out/clean the bottle and cap with the rubbing alcohol to disinfect. Then, add the glycerin and water so that the mix is 1/3 glycerin, 2/3 water. That's it! Shake before using, and remember to separate the powder/makeup you want to use onto a palette or lid and add mixing medium to that. That way you'll avoid contamination. If you're using the medium on solid eyeshadow, put your damp brush at the edge of the shadow pan so you're only wetting a small section.

For a video on how to make this recipe, check out EnKore on YouTube