simplicity cosmetics // eyeshadow

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Today, friends, I bring you simplicity cosmetics, an etsy shop that sells all-natural, high quality, handcrafted makeup. Sarah sent me several products to review, but right now I'm going to show you the eyeshadows :)

Sand Mineral Eyeshadow:

Vanilla Mineral Eyeshadow:

left: sand // right: vanilla

Ever since I got it, Sand has been my go-to crease color. It's a medium-to-light brown with cool undertones. The coolness of Sand really makes it appear more of a natural shadow in my crease, but it still gives definition. Of course, that's my own personal experience. I'd be interested to see how this works for someone with a slightly darker skin tone.

Vanilla is a pale matte cream-colored eyeshadow that's excellent for highlighting you inner corners or brow-bone. However, I like to use it all over my lid because it really brightens up my eye area. 

The texture of Sand is very dry-actually, one of the driest mineral eyeshadows I've ever used. You would think that this would make it hard to blend and work with, but it really doesn't, which was a very pleasant surprise. It's very easy to blend and build-up without being splotchy.

I would classify this shadow as almost completely matte. It has teeny tiny micro-glitter in it, but the glitter is barely noticeable. 

It's very pigmented, but you can easily control how much pigmentation you want by using different brushes. If I use a fluffy crease/blending brush, I can build up the color to its full intensity, but if I use a shorter, denser brush, you get the full impact of the shadow on the first sweep.

These shadows last incredibly long with a primer. I put them on one Friday morning at around 5:30am, and when I got home from school that day at 5:00pm they hadn't budged. That night, I fell asleep before I could remove my makeup, and the next morning they were still in place. Sure, it didn't look like I had just applied my eyeshadow, but it was very impressive to see how long they lasted.

Here's the look I've been wearing lately with these shadows:

step 1: after applying primer, sweep vanilla across your whole lid.

step 2: blend sand into your crease.

step 3: smudge a purple pencil eyeliner on your top lashline, concentrating the thickness of it on the outer corner.

step 4: smudge a deep plum-brown shadow over the eyeliner.

step 5: smudge the excess shadow on the outer half of your lower lashline.

step 6: make a thin line on your top lashline with a black liquid liner, making a small wing on the outer corner.

step 7: apply mascara generously on your upper lashes, but don't neglect your lower ones!

After that, you're done!

I definitely recommend checking out simplicity cosmetics. What eyeshadows have you been loving lately? 

xo,

hannah

electro eyes // a review+tutorial

Today I bring you the Wet n Wild Idol Eyes Creme Shadow. I received the colors 'Graphite' (left) and 'Electro' (right) to review.
These retail for $1.99 and I must say they are totally worth the investing in. They glide onto the skin smooth and creamy, but will crease like crazy if you don't set them with a powder eyeshadow. That's really my only complaint! They are pigmented, smooth, and last as long as you need them to if you set them with eyeshadow.
All the shades in the line are frosty (from what I hear), and aside from these two colors I have two other ones, in "Pixie" and "Techno".
They have no fragrance whatsoever and are extremely light on the eyes. All in all an awesome product :)

From left-to-right: Electro, Graphite, and Pixie.

Here is a tutorial using "Electro". I had so much fun with this because I rarely use blue shadows and I don't think I've ever done a tutorial with blues, so enjooooy!

Step 1: Prime your eyelids. I'm using the original UD Primer Potion.

Step 2: Smudge "Electro" or any other blue cream shadow that you have onto your upper lashline and bring it about halfway into your lower lashline. Don't be too careful, just blend it a little if it's messy. Wing it out slightly, not too far.

 Step 3: Set the cream shadow with a blue powder shadow. This one is from the Coastal Scents 88 Original palette.

Step 4: Set the cream shadow on the lower lashline with a darker blue. This shadow also comes from the Coastal Scents palette

Step 5: Let's start adding warmth to this look! Smudge a copper shadow on the remaining half of your lower lashline.

Step 6: Apply a light shimmery color to your inner corner. This one is from the Physicians Formula Shimmer Strip palette for green eyes.

 Step 7: Draw a thin line of copper eyeliner on your upper lashline. Let it follow the wing of the shadow, but not all the way out.

Step 8: Line your waterline with that same copper eyeliner. This one is by Wet n Wild in 'Bronze'.

Step 9: Add mascara and guess what? You're done with ze eyes! (The mascara I used was Covergirl's LashPerfection in Blackest Black.)

Keep the rest of the face pretty neutral. After I did my foundation I actually used Milani's eyeshadow in 'Coffee Shop' for blush/contouring. It's a warm burgundy-rose color that's pretty dark so I used a light hand and applied it to the sides of my cheeks as well as my temples. For lips I just used NYX's xtreme lip creme in 'natural'.

Zat is it! (In case you couldn't tell, I was going for a French accent there)

Any requests for future tutorials? Leave a comment and I'll throw something together :)

xo,

hannah

2 in 1 || review+tutorials

I was so excited to start using the Wet n Wild 8-Pan Comfort Zone eyeshadow palette! I had been eyeing it at my local drugstores for a while, and when I discovered it was packed in the box with the other Wet n Wild products I was kind of pumped (to say the least).

retails for $4.99

without flash

 All swatches were made without a primer.

with flash

As you can see in the photos above, all the shadows in this palette contain shimmer, some more than others. However, it's not too overpowering, so I can use them easily for every-day looks. The shadows are what I would say as "buttery" as you can get for a powder product. Extremely soft, but, well, buttery and smooth. 

With a soft texture like they have, they do have some fallout, but not to the point where I can't work with them. All I have to do after creating a look is take a q-tip with a bit of makeup remover and swipe it under my eye.

I find this palette to be very versatile. You can create dozens of different looks that can be both dramatic and natural. The colors are gorgeous as well as useful. As you can see, you have your basic cream-colored highlight shade, a nice copper-y color, and several different options for darker colors. You can use them as liners or give your crease extra depth!

Here are two looks I pulled together with this palette. One is natural, and one is much more dramatic. Hope you like them!

1) Sweep the light cream color all over your lid.

2) Apply the Eyelid color from the brown side of the palette on the outer half of your lid.

3) Softly line your eye with the dark brown Defining shadow

4) Line your waterline with a copper pencil liner

5) Highlight your inner corner with the other "browbone" shade

6) Apply mascara and you're done!

And on to the dramatic look:

1) Sweep the copper crease color into your crease

2) Pack on the bright green lid color

3) Line your top lashline with the dark green crease color and wing it out slightly

4) Smudge the copper crease color into your lower lashline

5) Pat the cream Browbone color onto your inner corner

6) Apply a few coats of mascara and line your waterline with brown and viola! Finished!

I hope you guys enjoyed these tutorials+product review!

Which look is your favorite? What other ones would you create if you had this palette?

xo,

hannah

life as of late No. 2

what? no, I wasn't standing on the table to get these photos. Psh, what are you talking about?

this has been my makeup look for the past week. I'm seriously in love, and it only takes about five minutes! (you know I love a makeup look when I where it over three days in a row ;])
maybelline color tattoo in bad to the bronze // Profusion palette: champagne color // wet n wild liquid liner in black // covergirl professional all-in-one mascara

my dad seriously makes the best pancakes ever. Why he doesn't open a diner I'll never know...

It's been rainier around here lately, but I don't really mind, it makes for nice photos :) Oh, and I would like to announce....

My new and improved design business!
I've been working on it for a while, and I'm so excited for it to actually be up now! So if you're ever in need of a blog design for an affordable price, swing by and check it out :)

-hannah