Target Beauty Box October 2014

Target is jumping on the Beauty Box bandwagon. (I guess WalMart has one now too.) Target releases a beauty box kind of whenever they want. This is only the second beauty box I've seen from Target, but I guess there have been a lot. I've read that it used to be free and come with a makeup bag, then it was $5 for shipping, but this one was $7 with free shipping. They tell you exactly what you're going to get (although, maybe not the colors you'll get) so you can decide if you want to order it. The first one I saw was back in March or April and sold out right away so I couldn't get it. This one didn't jump out at me right away but I noticed that it was still on sale a few days later so I finally ordered it. I did really want to try the Laneige BB Cushion since I'd heard about it a few months ago from Ipsy. 

Like other Beauty Boxes, this one comes with a card that tells you what you're getting. This box also included a $3 off coupon!

L'Oreal Elnett Extra Strong Hold Hairspray: ($6.69 for 2.2oz - which is what this is) I haven't used this yet, but I imagine it will be like any other hairspray. I will update once I have an opinion.

Fekkai Professional Blowout Hair Refresher Dry Shampoo: ($7.99 for 1.7oz, $19.99 for 4.9oz) I don't use dry shampoo that often, but I do like having some just in case. This is really nice. It has a very fine spray and a nice clean scent. It doesn't seem to leave any white residue and has a kind of cooling effect. 

NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk: ($4.49) I already have one of these in a gold color and I really like it. I guess Milk is like a cult product in the beauty world. A lot of people use it as a base for eyeshadows and to line their bottom waterline. So I decided to try a bunch of stuff one day. I used it as a shadow base, and it really did make my eyeshadow color stand out. Then I used it in the corners of my eyes and my waterline and I think it really did brighten my eyes. Since trying this, I have gone out and bought another JEP. I did notice my gold color crease one time that I used it, but the white with shadow on top didn't seem to crease. Maybe it needs a sort of setting powder?

L'Oreal Colour Riche Extraordinaire Lipstick in Ruby Opera: ($8.99) A lot of people got this in the color Nude Ballet. I think I would've liked that better, even though I don't really like nude lipsticks that much. This red just seems a bit unwearable to me. First of all, it's more like a lip gloss than a lipstick and it's very pigmented. Secondly, it doesn't have any staying power. I put it on and it was so glossy and sticky that it would come off onto anything it touched. So I tried to take most of it off and just have a thin layer. I think that worked a little better, and it maybe had a little bit of stain to it, but I just don't think I'll be able to wear this. I would like to try a more natural color in this though, as it does feel really nice going on. The wand is very fluffy and smooth.

Laneige BB Cushion: ($34 for 2 cushions - 0.5oz) I've heard that each box comes with 2 cushions of product so when you're paying $34, you're actually getting one cushion in the compact with one refill so it's not as expensive as you think. This BB Cream has an SPF 50 and claims 5-in-1 benefits. It's supposed to cool and hydrate, prevent shine and brighten skin by reducing dark spots. The sample came with a small puff to apply the product and 3 colors: Light, Medium, and Dark. I haven't had a chance to use it yet, because I don't want it to go to waste if I can't close up the sample again. I will update once I use it.

Ipsy Glam Bag October 2014

Each month, subscribers will receive a beautiful Glam Bag with deluxe samples and full-sized beauty products. Members can watch and play along with the stylists with the same products that they are using. All for only $10 a month. 

When you sign up, you take a "beauty quiz" to let them know what you like. I guess Ipsy is kind of a social network-type beauty website, but I don't do all of that. There's also some sort of points system that I haven't quite figured out. You get 10 points for each review, but you usually need 1000 points to get some kind of bonus product, of which they only have 3 to choose from at a time. There are points for referrals too, but I don't badger my friends into signing up. If you would like to sign up, please consider using my referral link: http://www.ipsy.com/r/4q7r

This month's theme: Beauty Candy

Epice International Purifying Exfoliant: I actually really like this exfoliant. It has tiny micro beads that feel really nice, not harsh. I feel like it's getting my face really clean. I haven't had any problems with it so far.

ModelCo Volumeyes Extreme Black Mascara: This mascara is just ok. It doesn't seem to volumize any better than any of my other mascara. It does seem to leave lashes soft when the product is on, instead of hard and coated like other mascara.

Figs and Rouge Hand Cream in Rose Berry: It's a hand cream. I'm running out of things to say about lotions. I don't see much difference between them. This does have a nice rosewater scent with a little bit of berry mixed in. It's a good size, small and skinny and perfect for a small purse.

Nicole by OPI Nail Laquer in Feeling Very Cherry: I didn't include a picture of a swatch because I couldn't get a good one right away. This is a great dark fall color, kind of a dark blood red if you can do it right. One coat goes on unevenly, but with two coats, it just looks black and you lose all the red tone. I was finally able to get a semi-even layer with one coat and it's a very pretty color. I wish it didn't need another layer.

Starlooks Lip Gloss in Guilty Pleasure: I didn't think I'd like this lip gloss, considering I've already gotten 2 other nude lip glosses from Ipsy that I hated and I even told them I don't like lip gloss. But I used this one day when I wanted a more subtle lip and it was perfect. It's more pink than the other nudes I've gotten and is still pretty sheer. It's a bit sticky, but I've never found a lip gloss that isn't - even if people claim it's not... that's what a lip gloss is. It's a nice tiny size too, so it can fit in a pocket really easily.

Rocky Horror makeup! Face of the Day(Night)

I don't usually do posts like this but I was really proud of my makeup last night when I went to watch the shadow cast of Rocky Horror Picture Show. I've been going to some production of Rocky Horror every Halloween for 12 years now. I've worn a lot of different costumes but I usually opt for some sort of Columbia look. This year I did a little mixing of looks using a lot of my MAC Rocky Horror Collection. Here's what I used: 

Taken outside the theatre with streetlights. You can see the pale foundation here.

Taken in my bedroom with a standard lightbulb. Please forgive the 'not perfect' skin.
I had a couple bad spots but I think the Halloween makeup made them worse.

Hair: drugstore spray in color - Red for Columbia

Foundation: Neutrogena SkinClearing Oil-Free Foundation in Nude mixed with white cream makeup from a Halloween store for a more pale look and applied with my beautyblender. I finished with a dusting of Wet n Wild CoverAll Pressed Powder in Fair.

Eyes: (I used a lot of different things)
-Brows: Lancome Modele Sourcils Brow Groomer in Brunet
-MAC's Greasepaint Stick in B (blue) for a base over the lid
-MAC's Riff Raff Palette from the Rocky Horror Collection. Oh, Rocky! for the inner corners and browbone, then a little Crystal for the inside lid, Graphic Style for the middle of the lid, and Heavy, Black, and Pendulous for the outer corners
-MAC's Greasepaint stick in Black to line the bottom lid and blended it out a little
-Mally Starlight Waterproof eyeliner in Black for my bottom waterline
-Benefit's They're Real Liner for that great wing on the top lid
-My mascara was a combination of ELF mascara on the bottom lashes and Benefit's They're Real Mascara on the top
-Then it was time to play with the MAC Rocky Horror glitter I got. This was called 3D Black and held on with some KY Jelly, of all things :P

Cheeks: MAC Rocky Horror Collection Sculpt and Shape Powder - Bone Beige for the highlight on my cheekbones/under my eyes and Emphasize for a little contour under my cheeks. Then MAC Rocky Horror Collection Blush in Crazed Imagination applied with a heavy hand.

Lips: First I lined them with Sephora Collection's Nano Lip Liner in Real Red. Then used (again) MAC Rocky Horror Collection lipstick in Oblivion. This was the only Amplified (not matte) shade in the collection.

If you have any questions about this look, feel free to ask! This is the most makeup I've worn in a really long time and it's not likely I'll do it again soon - but it was fun to play :)

Birchbox October 2014

Birchbox is a monthly subscription box service. For $10 a month, they will send you 4-5 'Beauty and Lifestyle' samples. 

They also have a points system, which is the best I've seen. 100 points = $10 to spend in the Birchbox shop. Earn 1 point for every dollar you spend (monthly boxes don't count, except for the first one) and they offer a lot of promo codes to get extra points. You can also earn 10 points for each review of your monthly samples. That's like getting $4-5 back each month! You also get 50 points for each person who signs up through your referral. If you would like to try Birchbox, please consider using my link: https://www.birchbox.com/invite/pdwbx

This month's theme: Fan-tastic

This month's theme was all about pop culture and what people are reading and watching this fall. I don't even think the beauty products really match with the theme that month, but usually an extra card or something does. Like this one:

I think I saw about 4-5 different cards like this, asking what we were reading, binge-watching or listening to. I wasn't actually watching Gilmore Girls, but because my card had "for the millionth time" on it, that's what I had to put. I could seriously watch that show a million times and not be bored. It's usually what I put on for background noise when I'm cleaning or baking. I own all 7 seasons but it was just added to Netflix so it's even easier to watch whereever I am. Side note about my love of the show: my mom and I used to watch the whole season after it was released on DVD when I was home for Christmas. We have a close relationship similar to Lorelei and Rory. (Another side note: I also got to meet Lauren Graham and take a picture with her last Spring. She's incredibly sweet and I wish I had more time to chat with her)

beautyblender Sponge + mini blender cleanser solid: It's hard to put a price on this sample because, as far as I know, they don't sell a set like this. Birchbox sells the PRO single (the black sponge) with solid blendercleanser for $32.95 and if you wanted to buy them separately, like at Sephora, the sponge is about $20 and the cleanser is about $17 I think - which is what I did. I already own both of these products but I was SO EXCITED to get this in my box. I seriously love my beautyblender. I bought some dupes before and they don't compare. I really wouldn't even call them dupes because they're nowhere near as soft. For those that don't know, the beautyblender is a soft sponge for blending makeup. You run it under water, where it expands twice its size, and squeeze it out. The water helps the product sit on the surface instead of being absorbed by the sponge. I wouldn't think of doing my makeup any other way. I'm so glad to have another one as a backup. And the cleanser and seriously magical. My sponges and brushes would never get fully clean until I started using this. So I'm really happy to get another one of these.

Camille Beckman Glycerine Hand Therapy: ($13.95 for 6oz) I fell in love with a different Camille Beckman lotion I was sent and this one is really good too. I love having small lotions like this. It's pretty thick, more like a body butter, but maybe a little greasy. You really have to rub it in. Overall, I really like it though.

dr. brandt pores no more vacuum cleaner: ($45 for 1oz) This is a mask that, when ready to wash off, turns blue (or at least a white-ish blue). It's supposed to suck out all your blackheads, but I read that it takes using it 2-3 times a week for about 2 weeks to notice anything. I've only used it a couple times and it seems to help a little. Maybe I'll actually try it a few times a week like it says.

SAGE + fasten Onward Eau de Parfum: ($50 for 50ml) I think some of the text was rubbing off my package... unless it's supposed to look like that? I can't really tell. But I really like that this is a rollerball instead of a spray. It's a nice fruity scent, but I haven't used it often enough to see if I really like it.

ModelCo Party Proof Lipstick in Kitty: ($24 for a trio, so $8) Oh the issues I've had with this. I can't give you a real review of it because I don't have a usable product. If you look in the top right picture, there is a small crack to the package. I didn't think anything of it until I opened it and smelled it. Everyone has been raving about how amazing this lipstick smells. That it smells like strawberries and blah blah blah. Mine smells a tiny bit like strawberries, then it changes and an overpowering smell of unwashed armpit takes over. Even my swatch smelled bad. I also think the color is off. It's supposed to be a pinky MLBB color, but mine seems really brown/orange, not pink. I think it turned bad because of the crack in the plastic. I emailed Birchbox customer service because they're always really good about fixing stuff like this. I got a response fairly quickly saying they would send a new one. 9 days after that email, I got a white envelope with Birchbox written on it. But sadly, it was very flat. I opened it and my assumptions were confirmed - the envelope was EMPTY! WTF?! So I emailed again, but they told me they were out of this sample so they couldn't send me another one. I think that's a bunch of BS. They did give me 100 points to make up for it, but this was my Sample Choice this month and I really wanted to try it. I'm not happy and am considering not partaking in any of their "extra" stuff anymore - sample choice, Birchbox extra, promo code bonuses (ones for an actual product), etc so I won't keep getting disappointed :(

MAC Rocky Horror Picture Show Collections (Lots of pictures!)

It's taken me a long time to write this post because I was never sure how to start it. Lots of people talked about how this collection sold out within a few hours online. Some people started with their own RHPS story. I guess I'll do both.

Rocky Horror Picture Show is very important to me. It's hard to explain why, but it always makes me happy. I think it's because it's something I know very well, and it's a cult classic so there's this little group of fans that just connect every time it's brought up. I started watching Rocky Horror when VH1 was showing it, I think usually around Halloween. I first saw the beginning, then the end, then finally saw the whole thing and I feel like, at 14, I was probably too young to be watching it but I did anyway. When I was 16, I found out that a local theatre was doing a midnight showing. I convinced my friend to come with me and we loved it! Since it was the first showing for this small town, they didn't really know what they were doing either, so I feel like I grew with them (and literally with them as I'll explain in a moment.) The next year they did it again, so my friend and I decided to dress up - as we'd researched the shadowcast performances since the year before - and brought our boyfriends at the time. This time, the company decided to start marking virgins to do the "Virgin Sacrifice" before the show and we felt pretty good knowing we weren't virgins that year. The next year, I was in college and was talking about the show with a friend of mine. He told me he was in a cast with some people from the college across the river and that he was sure they needed more Transylvanians (ensemble people in the cast) so he got me in touch with the director. I went to one rehearsal and met everyone that I had seen on stage the year before. I got to be a Transylvanian for 2 years, then had the honor of being Columbia my junior year of college. During my senior year, I had to back out of the performance, since my senior project was taking precedence and the rehearsals and midnight shows were in the town over an hour north of my college. It got to be some late nights. The director all but begged me to stay, but 7 friends of mine and I booked a couple rooms at a hotel and all went - dressed up of course. I made sure to go every year after that, since I hadn't moved away yet. Even since moving to LA, I found out about a cast that performs every Saturday and finally got to go to a midnight show with my current boyfriend. We're going again this year (of course). For me, it just isn't Halloween without Rocky Horror.

My college also did the stage version 2 years after I graduated, but was still living there and boyfriend got to be Rocky! I asked the director (one of my old professors) if there was any way that I could be involved, and he let me sit in on tech rehearsals and yell all the callback lines at the actors to help them get used to it. I also ushered for every performance so I could be there to start the yelling.

I heard a rumor of this collection probably 2 months ago and thought "It's about damn time someone does a RHPS inspired makeup collection!" but I didn't realize the extent of craziness for MAC collections. I wasn't sure what lipstick colors I wanted, or if I wanted the blush - I figured I'd try them in store and decide - so I didn't immediately order everything online. I had a bunch of stuff in my cart, and by the time I realized I should just buy some things and then decide later, half my cart was sold out. I was still able to get the eyeshadow pallet, the sculpt and shape powder, the blue greasepaint stick, and both glitters. Then I called my local MAC store to see if they had anything available. They informed me the closest store selling the collection was at Hollywood and Highland (the biggest touristy mall in LA). I called that store and they told me they still had 3 shades of lipstick, the blush, etc etc... so I drove down there after work and bought 2 lipsticks, the blush, and the black greasepaint stick. I would still like to get the 2 nail polishes and the red pigment.

ANYWAY! On with the pictures and swatches! That's what you're here for...

 This is my collection!

 The outer packaging is a soft black with the classic lips and "bleeding" font.

The inside of the packaging is brilliant! The characters are all right there when you open the box.

 The blush is called Crazed Imagination and apparently is a "frost", which a lot of people were concerned about. It's described as a "muted plum with a hint of pink pearl". I think it's a gorgeous mauvey type color. It applies very sheer but is great for layering. The first time I wore it, I fell in love. And it is not too shiny! Don't be worried about the frost description. It's more of a light shimmer. (swatch below)

 Out of the 4 lipsticks they had in this collection, I bought 2: Oblivion and Strange Journey. There was also Sin, but it was too dark for my taste, and Frank N Further, which immediately sold out. Oblivion is described as a "vivid blushred" but for me it's more on the berry side of red. It is the only amplified color of the 4, which is MAC's way of saying creamy. Strange Journey is described as "yellowish brick red" and is on the orange side of red. It is a matte color, which I'm not used to but it was easy to apply and never felt drying. 

Swatches: Top - Crazed Imagination blush (look closely)

Middle - Oblivion amplified lipstick

Bottom - Strange Journey matte lipstick


Me wearing Strange Journey. Sorry for quality.

Wearing Oblivion. I'll replace the picture with one in better light when I get one

My plan was to only buy the blue greasepaint stick, even though I don't wear blue eyeshadow like that, but once I swatched the black in the store I just had to buy it. I tried to capture the beautiful purple tones in the black. I've actually been using it as an eyeliner and it's lasted all day, no smudging. I imagine it works the same for all over the eye. Now that I've actually seen the blue, I'm so happy I grabbed that when I could!

 I was also very excited about this sculpt and shape powder in Bone Beige and Emphasize. First it was because I could definitely see using this to recreate a makeup look from the movie. Then I swatched it in the store and realized the lighter colors would be perfect for my light/medium skin. The Bone Beige is a bit shimmery but the Emphasize is completely matte. 

 A lot of people were disappointed in this eyeshadow pallet. I obviously had to buy it for the name: Riff Raff. The color choice could be better, but I understand the darker colors. And 4/6 of the names are pretty uninspired, and I think they're colors you can get normally. From top to bottom on the swatch they are: 

Oh, Rocky! (light at the very top, a silver with a hint of yellow), 

Crystal (soft muted white with pearl, slightly lavender), 

Blackberry (*yawn* matte burgundy), 

Graphic Style (soft silvery gray), 

Heavy Black and Pendulous (the best name ever. Bluish gray shimmer),  

Carbon (matte black. Does not apply easily)

I don't wear glitter. But I had to buy these. Maybe some day I'll really need some gold glitter? Actually, I figured I could try them out as nail polishes. The black glitter reminds me of Columbia's top, and the gold of course would be her coat and hat. If I figure out how to use these, I will post pictures.

And because I told you my whole story at the top, I'll share some pictures of me at Rocky Horror over the years with you:

The year I played Columbia. Sadly, I don't have a lot of pictures from this :(

First year not being in the cast. Went with the best people!

The next year only a couple could come. I miss these boys!

Then the year after, just 2 of us and no crazy makeup. We had to drive an hour home at 4am after
the show and both had to work the next day 

This was before the stage version at our college. Most of the same people I went with years before.

Then I bought the alien costumes from the costume designer and wore it to the midnight show. After that night, I then sold them to the shadow cast to use because they were way too good to sit around in my closet.