My Holy Grail Products (Toner)

This weeks Holy Grail Product is Toner! Now what toner is my can't live or function without toner? drum roll...

That's right it is Lush's Tea Tree Water toner and that's right it is another Lush product. What can I say? My face and Lush are best buddies. If you have oily acne prone combination super sensitive skin then Lush should be your best buddy too. Their face products are effective and gentle. Also I can read all the ingredients so I know exactly what I am putting on my special skin. This toner works wonders for getting rid of that excess oil and treating that acne without drying out or irritating the skin. It has anti-bacterial tea tree to treat the acne and trouble zones and Juniperberry and grapefruit to keep skin clear and balanced. Most importantly there is no alcohol in it! That's right this is an effective toner without alcohol! so there is no drying or cracking of the skin that some other toners can cause. This toner is great for oil, blemishes and redness. It balances out all the trouble areas without over compensating by sucking all the moisture out of your face.

How I use depends on how my skin is feeling. If I feel very oily and am broken-out,  after washing my face I spray a cotton pad with the toner and rub it gently over my face, focusing on blemishes and trouble spots. most times I just spray it directly on to my face and let it dry before moisturizing. If my skin has been extra oily I will just spray it on my face and skip moisturizing and since there is no alcohol in the toner it does not dry out my face. I always use at night and in the morning before I do my makeup. Often I only use the toner and no moisturizer in the morning because of how oily my skin is. If you have skin like I do this is a must need toner in your skin care routine.

what toner can you not live without?

August Dark Heart Looks and Products of the Month

New monthly series! Since I am a promoter for Dark Heart Designs I thought I would do a post each month of my favorite looks I did with their products and a little talk on my favorite products that month from Dark Heart. I don't want to say review because if it's not new I won't review it but want to give a little explanation on why certain products are my favorite that month. So without further ado lets get to the looks so we can get to the products!

For this look I used all of the Talia collection, which is an amazing collection. If you're interested click here. Half of the proceeds go to Base Camp Charity which supports children with cancer. I fell in love with the collection and the gold sparkle that ties all the shadows together. I wanted to use all the colors together in one look so I used Love on the inner corner, then Hope on half the middle of the lid, then Strength on the other half of the middle of the lid, then Joy on the outer corner. I blended Joy and Strength up into the crease. On my cheeks I used Edwardian Rose Blush with Pretty Girl gloss on the lips. I think it's a soft summer look with a fun pop of color.

 This is a Lip look I created using It's My Life and Born this Way lipstick. They pair greatly together and the lip look works great with a purple smoky eye or a brown smoky eye.

This was a fun abstract look I created just playing around with purple shadows. I used Villain, Plum Insane, and Perfect. I mixed Villain and the eye elixir together to get the drip effect. The look was inspired by several fellow Dolls( Heather Makeup Mouse and Randomly Me) who have done the running mascara looks. On the cheeks is Crash and Burn Blush and the lips is the same lip above.

My favorite products of the month?

Well my favorites I used the most this month was The Talia: Just Keep Swimming Collection and Born this Way Lipstick.

You can see in my swatches that each shadow in this collection has a gorgeous gold sparkle that represents the color for childhood cancer and also ties the whole collection together. The beauty of this collection is it can be worn intense like the swatches above or the colors can be worn more sheer, which means building the product is very easy. All of the colors apply smoothly and blend easily. My favorite of the collection is Love just because I don't have any other eye shadow color like and it is just gorgeous worn all by itself.

Born this Way is this gorgeous gold sheer lipstick (picture coming soon!) that can be worn on it's own or over whatever shade of lipstick you want. I love to layer it over a lipstick of my choosing to add that soft gold glow to help soften my lip look and my over all makeup. The product itself glides on smoothly and is not drying. The lasting power is also quite good at about 4 hrs or so. For me it is a must have lipstick because of it's layering ability and the soft warm glow it adds.

So that was August's Looks and Products of the month! each month I will do the same! Any product from Dark Heart Designs your curious about? Leave a comment below and I will check it out and review it for you in my next monthly post! If I don't already own the product I have no problem buying the product and reviewing and swatching it for you. So if there are any DHD products you are curious about just leave a comment below! 

My Holy Grail Products( new blog series!)

Any makeup addict has those list of products they can't live without; the ones that if they were ever discontinued would feel like the world has ended. For each artist it is different for different reasons. For me Holy Grail products mean the ones that if I had to chose one and only of that product to use for the rest of my life these are the ones I choose. So here is a new series for my Blog and Each week I'll spotlight a different Holy Grail product of mine. I figure I'll start with my bases and work my way through everything. depending on the week I might feature one or I might to do.

this week's Holy Grail product is....drum roll.... Lush's Fresh Farmacy face wash!

Why is this a holy grail product? 

well let me start with telling you about my skin. My skin is super sensitive and many face washes will make my skin burn or dry my face out in my dry areas( i'm combination skin. Lush's Fresh Farmacy does none of those things while also actually getting all the dirt and makeup off. after I wash with this I have no doubt in my mind my skin is clean. where some face washes can leave a residue, with this when I rinse I get that squeaky clean feeling without the tightness other face washes can cause because they are drying you out to get your face clean. So my dry areas don't get drier, while my blemish and oily areas get the deep clean they need the best part is it does all this without aggravating my redness or making my face burn! what ingredients work such wonders? well the cleanser is calamine and tea tree based; the calamine soothes while the tea tree works on those trouble spots. 

On top of the wonders of all of this the product itself is easy to use just wet face and clean hands lather it in hands and apply to face, then rinse! there's no spillage or anything to pump, which also means it is travel friendly. all you have to do is throw it in a soap box and it's good to go! also when you go to lush to buy you can have them cut into whatever size you want so if you are worry about it sitting out or you travel a lot you can get it cut into travel friendly small sizes or a big size, which also means the price is friendly on your wallet because you pick the size you can afford. A little goes a long way with this face wash!

I discovered this product about a month ago and now I can't live without it. It is my favorite face wash and the one I will always carry with me or turn to if a new face wash does me wrong. it works for all skin types so give it a try and i bet you'll fall in love!

go to Lush's website or a store near you to try it out for yourself!

Being a Dark Heart Doll

As I mentioned in a previous post I recently became a promoter for Dark Heart Designs. I wanted to talk to you all about the company and what being a Dark Heart Doll means. I'll also do a little informal review of their products.

That Thank you card is plantable! How cute is that? plant it and wild flowers will grow!

Using the New Dark Heart Designs Steam Punk collection not yet released. Eyes: Gilded Girl and Victorian Candlelight and Bone Daddy, which is available. Cheeks: Edwardian Rose. Lips: Mechanical Lady.

Dark Heart Designs is an indie cosmetics company run by the fabulous Tina Zabriski. The company carries a variety of products, but at the moment it is just eye shadows as the store is in the process of reopening. Their is a wide range of eye shadows available during the soft open that you should check out. The products are vegan unless otherwise stated and their is absolutely no testing on animals or using ingredients that test on animals. Tina's mission is to create a quality cruelty free product and company while at the same time being more than just makeup. She writes on the store's website "Dark Heart Designs is more than just a cosmetics company. I want it to be a resource, an inspiration, and a brand that makes you feel like you're a part of something. Make up is just the beginning." That is exactly what she achieves. Each collection is inspired by something and she encourages all to share their looks with her products. She is open to feedback and is a sweet honest person that wants to give customers the best service and product she can.

About the products themselves, the eye shadows are awesome. As I get more products I'll review more, but at this time I only have eye shadows to review. They are very smooth and blend well. The lasting power with a primer is outstanding. below is a picture wearing colors from the new steam punk collection "Glitter and Gears" that last over 8 hours with very minimal creasing and that was with sweating and being hot. 

You can see for yourself how well they hold up on a rough day. The pricing is very reasonable at 6 dollars an eye shadow jar, which isn't bad for the amount and quality of product you get. I have shadows that are now my go to shadows for everyday looks and for highlight. If you only get one shadow from Dark Heart let it be Bone daddy, it is a must have highlight eye shadow. Below is a variety of colors with bone daddy in the right hand column in the middle. It may not look like much, but trust me once you swatch it for yourself you'll see what I'm talking about. check the colors out here

Using Gilded Girl, Victorian Candlelight, Bone daddy. Blush: Edwardian Rose. Lips:Mechanical Lady. 

Now that I've explained the company and informed you about the products you're probably wondering what a Dark heart doll is. A DHD (Dark Heart Doll) is a promoter for the company. This is not a free program and there is a small fee but it is minimal to the amount of product you get. What's more is you become a part of a family. Now I've never promoted for another company before but at Dark Hearts you become a part of the Doll family when you become a Doll. You have fellow Dolls you can ask for advice, suggestions, support, and the list goes on.You can come to the group with any problem not just makeup related. Tina is very hands on with the group and makes sure there is no negativity or drama. All the dolls support each other's pages, contests, looks and so on. I don't know about other promoter programs, but with this program you get a whole online family that welcomes you with open arms which to me is priceless. 

Kiki, Howl, Elphaba, Bonedaddy.

The actual work of a Doll is pretty simple. Create a couple looks a month using DH products, promote the company and new products, share information, and support fellow dolls. Being a Doll you get a network of friends to help you out in your own makeup career. It's a chance to learn from others and share your own skills, while promoting a great company. Currently applications for Dolls are closed, but if they reopen I will post on my blog and facebook page. 

Dark Heart Designs is a unique indie company with a great product and a great creative person in charge. The product is fabulous and the customer service is too. Being a Doll is a great experience to network, find friends, grow, and support an amazing company. It is a privilege to be a doll and I can't wait to see what great things my fellow dolls and I achieve! If you haven't checked out the products yet go! you won't be disappointed! Also below is a list of fellow doll pages you should go check out!

Like A Boss Beauty

Face By Emily

~Randomly Me~

Dotty Anns Beauty

24 Karat Dime

Makeup Playdate

For the Love of Science and Beauty

A Bit Prissy

Kay's Kolors and Cakes

Glitter Graffit

The Viciously Vivacious Vixen

Makeup Craves By Sara Gullzaib

Sarahstrasza Cosplay

My New Favorite lipstick Tina Loves Kiss Lipstick! MUST OWN!! also used storybrook and fools gold on eyes.

Alice in Wonderland Series

I decided a fun way to practice my skills would be to do a series of looks. This series is inspired by the world of Alice in Wonderland. Below each image I will try and List all the products used. It's been awhile since I've done these looks.

Alice

EyeLid & above cut crease: BH Cosmetics 120 4th ed. palette

Cute crease: NYX jumbo eye pencil Milk

Bow. UD Perversion eyeliner & Pop Rox Blue Duochrome

Mad Hatter

Hat: SugarPill Burning Heart Palette, UD Ransom liner, BH Cosmetics 120 4th ed.

Eyebrow: UD Electric eyeliner

Eyelid & under eye: BH Cosmetics 120 Palette 4th ed.

Cheshire Cat

Brow; Eye Kandy Cosmetics glitter: Confetti

Eyelid: Urban Decay Fishnet and Ransom eyeliners and eyeshadows

Lips: Pop Rox Violet Lipstix and Nyx White eyeliner

White Rabbit

Eyelid: NYX jep in Milk, MAC White pigment (need to look up exact name), BH Cosmetics Liquid liner

Brow: Carina Dolci Ruby Red slippers glitter

Ears: NYX jep in Milk, MAC White pigment (need to look up exact name), BH Cosmetics light pink from 120 palette 4th ed.

I plan on still doing a Queen of Hearts,  The white queen, and at least one other to complete the series. 

Feel free to leave thoughts comments and any suggestions for the series below!

Must Have Favorites!

So I thought I would do a post on some of my must have favorites. These are the products I always have to have and are always in my purse.

1) My first go to is my Make Up For Ever Pro Finish multi-use powder. The beauty of this powder is that you can use it as a sheer powder or use it wet for a full coverage foundation. It lasts all day even with sweating with minimal touch up. I am in love with it and can never leave the house without it.

2) Ever since Urban Decay's Perversion was released for the first time it has never left my side. I have one in my purse and one at home. It is great for the water line and has amazing staying power. I want to try Anastasia's Covet eyeliner to see if it has better staying power than UD on the waterline, but even if it does I will still always carry around Perversion with me. I would feel naked without it.

3) This a new product I have just tried but it is an instant must have classic, it is Dark Heart Design's Bone Daddy. It is the most gorgeous highlight color slash five minute face color. When I'm in a rush and need a quick face I like to do a light neutral all over my eye with mascara and eyeliner. This has become my go to shade for that quick face. It is just absolutely gorgeous and looks amazing on anyone. 

4) Benefit's Hervana is hands down my favorite blush. It is always in my purse for that go to face. It looks good on everyone and with almost any eye. It's the perfect compliment to any face you're trying to create. plus it smells good!

5)  Kat Von D Eye Primer is one of the eye primer's I have tried. For me it is the perfect primer for summer because it really makes eye shadows stick and last all day. I tend to sweat more than I would care to, thanks to receiving my father's lovely sweat genes, so this is a life saver in those hot summers where I want my eye makeup to stay put.

6) Maybelline Mega Plush Volum' Express Mascara is a new find but I am absolutely in love with it. It does a great job of defining and accentuating my natural lasshes. It makes them look long and full without clumping and taking a million coats. I also love the brush shape and the way it separates lashes and curls them

7) My last favorite for this post is Urban Decay's Lip Junkie, it's my chapstick. It's smooth and not sticky, it leaves my lips feeling buttery soft, and it smells like wedding mints! it's always in my purse. Love Junkie is my favorite because it gives a nice berry stain that I can layer over anything to make a little darker or wear by itself for a nice berry looking lip without looking like too much.

So these are just some of my favorites! You should give em a try and find out for yourself how awesome they are. They might just become some of your favorites! If you like this post then I will probably do some more in the future of new favorites or new finds. Leave feedback below and let me know what you would like to see on this blog!!

Update on Makeup Progress

I just wanted to update you all on what is going on with me makeup wise in my life. 

First and most excitingly I got selected to be a Dark Hearts Doll for Dark Heart Designs!!!! I am super excited about this and can not wait to get started. What this means is I will be a promoter for them doing a couple looks a month, writing reviews, letting you guys know important information and what not. I am beyond thrilled that I get to be a part of group of amazing MUA's and promote an amazing product and company. The shop is currently in the process of reopening but did do a soft open at the beginning of April just selling eyeshadows. I will let you guys know when the full line is available!

Second I have a facebook page up and running where I post my face of the day, contest looks, collab looks, and so on. This is also where I will do my giveaways and contests once I get more likes so go check it out and Like! Please! click here!

Third I have some looks in the works, specifically a series inspired by Alice in Wonderland. I figure doing a series of looks gives me a chance to practice and try out new techniques so I will be posting the Full series here once it is complete and give a little background on each.

Lastly I have a couple more reviews in the works and a list of my favorite products. I will also start doing  my first impression swhen I buy items and do haul posts and will go back later and do a more in depth review. This way I can keep you all updated on what I'm using and inform you of any new and exciting finds I have.

So that's all for right now, please follow if you haven't already and check back to see the posts I mentioned above. Thank you all! and any questions, concerns, or comments please leave in the comments!