Tutorial: Defined, Smokey Everyday Burgundy Look using the Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette

Hello Loves!

Today, I am going to be a tutorial of a more natural look. Shocker, eh? I am all about dramatic makeup so doing a look like this doesn't happen often for me. I did this look first for a job fair I had at my university and posted it to Reddit. SO many people wanted a tutorial and I have finally delivered. I had a presentation for one of my classes and found it to be a perfect opportunity to redo this look. I really don't like redoing looks because I get bored easily doing the same look, but I gotta tone down the makeup for classes. This should be mentioned (well, it is in the title) but I only used eyeshadows from the Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette so whip that out if you have it :)

Anyways... 

Here is the final look:

Tutorial after the jump!

Review: Lena Lashes in Naomi

Hello Loves!

Back with another Lena Lashes review. Today, I will be wearing and testing out the Naomi style and I am pretty excited to try these. I had a similar style by another company and wore them on my 3rd anniversary with my boyfriend, so this pair of lashes reminds me of the anniversary dinner. The dinner was fabulous but we ate WAY too much (a bottle of wine, 2 appetizers, entrees, and beer as a "dessert"). I pretty much had a gigantic food baby. Ok, story aside...

I got sent four pairs of lashes from Lena Lashes and have decided to review them. I want to say all opinions on these reviews are my own and nobody else's. Now that we have that out of the way...

ONTO THE REVIEW!

Review: Lena Lashes in Ellarie

Hello Loves!

Guess who's back with another lash review! I am very excited to try out some mink lashes, again. I haven't worn minks in a while because I had a bad experience with two pairs I have bought previously. The adhesive keeping the mink hairs on the band was defective and cause the lashes to easy shed its hairs. One of the lashes I had basically disintegrated after its first use. Let's hope this time I have a good experience with the lashes I got.

I got sent four pairs of lashes from Lena Lashes and have decided to review them. I want to say all opinions on these reviews are my own and nobody else's. Now that we have that out of the way...

A little background since I haven't previously reviewed any products from this company. Lena Lashes is a lash company selling lashes of different types of hair (mink, fox, human, etc.) and it is owned and operated by Marlene Aymone. It is indicated on her website that the human hair lashes are cruelty free but doesn't specify if the mink/fox hairs are. According to her IG, it is a cruelty free company. If you are unsure about this, shoot her an email. It never hurts to ask.

SHIPPING/CUSTOMER SERVICE

These lashes are a press sample and were sent out to me so I have no experience on either of these issues. If you want to input your experience on this company, email me about it! 

Ok, onto the review!

Tutorial: My Anniversary Look (Smokey Eye and Winged Liner Combo)

Hello Loves!

I am very excited to be posting this! I went to my Instagram to ask my followers to vote on their favorite of four trial looks that I would be doing for my anniversary. This one was the most liked, so I went ahead and did it. As a little bonus for my lovely followers participating, I wanted to make a tutorial for the look! After doing my trial looks, I actually loved this look the most and am really glad others thought the same :)

Here's the final look:

From the anniversary dinner <3

Tutorial after the jump!

Tutorial: How to Use Color - Neutral and Mint Cut Crease

Hello Loves!

This is the second tutorial that I have done for my IMAM (Indiemakeupandmore) exchange partner and this tutorial is to help introduce her to color! One of the best ways to use color is to pair it with a neutral. The looks are a bit more toned down whenever you use a neutral with a color. I know this look may be a tad dramatic (I am ALL about the drama) but the beauty of makeup is that you can modify it to your liking. The world is your pickle (Laura Vitale got that stuck in my head...)! I would recommend adding black winged liner to this to complete it a bit more. I was trying to get something done before I lost sunlight to take photos, which still happened. That is the worst thing about winter, the fact that you wake up when it is still dark and it is dark soooooo early. Also, the cold. The winters are harsh were I live. Anyways...

Here is the final look!

Tutorial after the jump!

Tutorial: Simple Duochrome Smokey Eye

Hello Loves,

Today I got a tutorial for you! I haven't done one in a long time cause I've been so busy with class! I did manage to get some time to do tutorials. I actually made this and the next tutorial for my IMAM exchange partner to introduce her to rainbow of colors and duochrome. Colors can be intimidating and it takes time to get used to using them. I used to be strictly a neutrals girl but now, I LOVE color! :)

Today, I am doing a simple smokey eye using ONE eyeshadow. Yes, one eyeshadow was used for this whole entire eye look, but if desired, you can add a transition color and a highlight to the inner corner and browbone. The trick is when and when not to use your brush wet because it changes the intensity of the duochrome shimmer. If you want something quick, simple, yet still sultry, this is for you. I recommend using any darker duochrome colors you want but the eye product I used is Diggy, Diggy Hole by Shiro Cosmetics.

Here is the final look:

Tutorial after the jump!

Review: KoKo Lashes in Iris

Hello Loves!

I know... it has been 2 months since I have done a post of any kind on my blog. I have been extremely busy from the combination of work, school, and maintaining a LDR (aka long distance relationship) that I have not had much time to do much makeup related. I still keep most active on my Instagram (which you should most definitely check out, click the stuff on the side) if you want to follow my makeup journey of mine. My Youtube channel is a different story; I basically post a video once a month there. There is a recent haul there if you are interested in watching :)

ANYWAYS, stop babbling Elle.

So this style, Iris, is the last pair of Koko lashes that I will be reviewing from the set of lashes I got ages ago from Lady Moss Beauty. I want to try more of the newer styles whenever the lashes go on sale and am really eyeing Misha, Bella, and Goddess. 

Ok, onto the review!

Review and Swatches: Glamour Doll Eyes Eyeshadows in Ahoy Sailor, Courageous, Arrogant, Tawdry, Spikes and Pearls, and Pretentious

Hello Loves,

Today, I finally got to try some Glamour Doll Eyes (GDE) eyeshadows! I have been really wanting to try them for a while, especially some shades from their matte squared lines, Matte Squared Feminine and Masculine. More generally, I just wanted to try their matte shades. I have been wanting to try almost every matte formula I come across because I am trying to find the best matte formula. Matte is my favorite finish, if I haven't already said that before in a blog post. I'm putting all six shades to the test and seeing how they perform. As a disclaimer, all products are press samples but all opinions are my own.

The shadows I will be reviewing and swatching are Pretentious and Tawdry from the Matte Squared Feminine collection, Courageous and Arrogant from the Matte Squared Masculine collection, Ahoy Sailor, and Spikes and Pearls.

Close ups, swatches and review after the jump!

Swatch and Haul: NYX Cosmetics 4th of July Sale with First Impressions

Hello Loves!

I bring you guys the makeup that I bought from NYX for their 4th of July sale (as the title suggests). Before I get onto to the goodies I have to tell you guys a story... a story about how insanely difficult it was for me to make a purchase not only during their sale but off their website in general. I guess this is my first impression for their customer service as well.

ORDERING/CUSTOMER SERVICE
Alright, so NYX was holding a 40% off sale during the 4th of July (which is USA independence day) and I have been wanting to pick a few different things for a while. However, they did not prepare their web servers the for the mass influx that is savvy shoppers. I would try to buy what I want whenever I got home and went for this for maybe an hour at a time. No luck during the sale and it ended. Thankfully, NYX was awesome and provided me with a 40% code whenever I emailed them about having difficulty purchasing off the site. All things seem good, right?
NO. Ugh, I tried for at least a week to buy online and every single time I had an "invalid request," which I assume means my card does not want to process. I call NYX and they tell me to give it a day to try again because they are fixing their website. I try again the next day with no luck. What happened is that everything worked perfectly over the phone and my computer basically does not like the NYX website. This steers me away from ordering off the website because of how difficult it was to place an order.

Not related to customer service or ordering of NYX but... (prepare for a mild rant) FedEx takes FOREVER to get your packages to you. Grrrrrrr, dammit I want my stuff.
Alright, end rant. Let's continue.

THE STUFF:

Left to Right: Taupe Blush, Macaron Lippies in Orange Blossom, Earl Grey, Pistachio, Violet, and Lavender, Velvet Eye Pencil, and African Queen Mega Shine Gloss

Closeups and all sorts of swatches after the jump!

Review: KoKo Lashes in Risque

Hello Loves!

Another lash review. I have been really enjoying going through my lash purchase from... almost two months ago and gradually reviewing it for you. I have been loving wearing the lashes and really using what I have purchased. On the note of using what you purchased, have you ever bought something and then just forgot about it? I have a really bad tendency to do that with nail polishes. I will use them once and forget about it for a while. Ok Elle, don't go off on a random tangent.

Before the lash review, I recently purchased lash glue from House of Lashes and have plans on reviewing it. If I am wearing all these lashes, why not test lash glue? So look out for that sometime in the future.

ONTO THE LASHES!

Review: KoKo Lashes in Koko

Hello Loves!

More lashes! This pair that I am reviewing may be my favorite so far. I have Eylure lashes that I ADORE that are very similar to this style I am reviewing. However, the Eylure ones have a little bit of color depending on the style so its nice to have a basic black of this wispy pair of lashes. Because I have been meaning to use the KoKo lashes each time I do a makeup look to review them, I am growing to feel like a lot of my makeup looks are incomplete without lashes. Guys, once you try false lashes, you will get hooked! The pair of KoKo lashes I will be reviewing today is the "Koko" style.

ONTO THE LASHES!!!

Tutorial: Blown Out Smokey Eye

Hello Loves!

Today, I am going to be doing another tutorial! I haven't done one of these in a while so, it's kind of nice to be doing one again. I am currently doing a series of smokey eyes called "rainbow smoke" on my Instagram (which you can check out on the side). I am basically doing smokey eyes but of different colors and adding an element of uniqueness to each one. While I have not posted anything about this here, I will be doing a summary post on it once I finish it (which may take a while...).

Anyways, here's the final look!

Pictorial, full product list, and more after the jump!

Review: KoKo Lashes in Ariel

Hello Loves!

More lashes! I have been growing to love false lashes lately. I am not genetically gifted in the lash department so sometimes some enhancement is appreciated. But I digress...
In my last post, I mentioned how I purchased 5 different styles of Koko lashes from Lady Moss during their Memorial Day sale and will be testing out style as I wore them. Well, today, I wore the style in "Ariel" and will be reviewing those for you today!

ONTO THE LASHES!!!

Review: Koko Lashes in Foxy

Hello Loves!

Today, I have a review of a pair of false lashes that I purchased off of Lady Moss during their Memorial Day sale. Why did I purchase these lashes? Well, I have been wanting to try House of Lashes but didn't want to pay their prices. So, I stumbled upon these lashes just casually browsing the website and I really wanted to instabuy the lashes. I had enough willpower to wait until they had a sale, which thankfully wasn't too long. I purchased 5 styles of lashes in Foxy, Ariel, Iris, Risque, and Koko. I will be reviewing Foxy today.

ONTO THE LASHES!!!

Swatch and Haul: Shiro Cosmetics Anniversary Sale with bonus FOTD

Hello Loves <3

It has been way too long since I last posted some goodies for you guys! Today, I finally got my Shiro anniversary sale purchase. It has been a long time coming (took about a month to ship out). Not only did I get the sale order but I got my false lash order from Lady Moss in at the same time! I came back from work and arrived to two packages. I was too excited for the packages that I forgot about the food I brought home, and I was pretty hungry. Makeup is pretty important y'all. Anyways...

ONTO THE GOODIES.

Game of Thrones Makeup Collaboration

Hello Loves!

I am so excited to post about this! I asked my MUA friend Josephine (most known as /u/juntaoren on Reddit or @juntaoren on Instagram) to do a few Game of Thrones looks with me. I really wanted to do the main houses as everyone is familiar with them and they have the most characters on the show. I can definitely say that I am obsessed with the show. I don't know how I should feel about finishing 3 seasons in a week (not consecutive days). It's SOOOOOOO utterly addicting. Guys, if you haven't watched it, you should. When you do, you will be hooked. Hooked I say.

Anyways, onto the collage!

Closeups and product lists after the jump!

Tutorial: Mermaid Inspired Teal Eye

Hello Loves!

I am so glad to posting a bit more often now. And by often, I mean once or hopefully twice a week. I am glad to be done with finals and moving onto my summer. Hopefully having a job will not prevent me from posting but I guess we shall see.

Today, I wanted to do a teal eye look with glitter. Upon swatching several products, I actually came up with something that turned out well!

Here is the final look.

Video Tutorial!

Pictorial, more pictures, and full product list after the jump!

Swatch and Haul: Little Sparrow Cosmetics

Hello Loves!

I am so excited to show you my latest indie makeup purchase! This time, I ordered from Little Sparrow Cosmetics, which is a cosmetic shop on Etsy that is owned and operated by Jessica Randolph. She makes a variety of products such as blushes, a "lip jelly," eyeshadows, and much more.

A little on the shipping, customer service, and all that jazz before the goodies.

SHIPPING:
I got my items during a sale, so everything was 15% off, but what surprised me was the shipping fee. The first item I got had a $2 shipping fee and an additional dollar with every item after that. So, if any of you, like me, do not enjoy paying larger shipping fees, just a heads up. Since I did order during a sale, it is to be expected to wait a little more time before getting the products. Her TAT mentioned on her Facebook page was 1-2 weeks. I got my items shipped out within a week and a half after the order date and received it shortly from USPS. Everything was packaged in a bubble mailer and was then enclosed in cute little bags. The products have shrink wrap with perforations as a safety seal. Only one product had damage, which was small crack on the lid.

The bags products were wrapped in

CUSTOMER SERVICE:
I also want to commend Jessica on her customer service. She was very prompt whenever I did email her. I would definitely say I was excited to receive her items and emailed her towards the end of week on the status of the package. She let me know when it was expected to ship and a day or two afterwards, she sent it out and emailed me when it did. Another thing, which you will soon see, is she is VERY generous with samples. I was astonished with the size. She sent me a mini blush and FULL-SIZED lip jelly. I don't know if this is standard but I am very happy with the generous samples. I don't know what samples you will receive when ordering but this is what I got.

Time for the goodies :)

Before removing safety seals

The samples are Carnation and Oh My Papaya.

Closeups, swatches, and first impressions after the jump!

Concept Makeup: Emptiness and Sadness

Hello Loves!

Sorry for being MIA (again...). I am in the midst of finals and I need to what I need to get the grades I want. Don't worry, I haven't left the blog!

(The next paragraph is a bit of a rant/vent. So skip ahead if you don't wanna hear me ramble)
Also reason of why I have been gone is because I have been going through a lot in my life away from the blog. Everything has been making me stressed to the point that I want to break down and cry. I think we all get to this point in our life. I want to do well in my studies and of course, everything comes down to the final. Talk about "no pressure." I'm also in the midst to transitioning to the summer. So... how bout it is significantly harder to get a job now than I thought. Yes, job searching and interviewing is putting a gigantic stress on me. More so than I feel like I should. I have a tendency to really stress myself out and then, break down because I just can't take it...
Ok, I need to stop rambling.

Well, I created a makeup based off of my current struggle.
Emptiness and Sadness. I wanted to meld the two together and thought full coverage base, big black void of emptiness that fades into nothing, and black tears of sadness.

So here it is!

More photos and a product list after the jump.

Tutorial: Kim Kardashian American Vogue Cover Look

Hello Loves!

Sorry I have been a bit MIA lately. I am now closing in on the end of my semester, and as you college students and graduates know, everything comes down to the wire at the end of the semester. You get assigned homework in every single class. You have to prepare for final exams. It is like being at the bottom of a pile of books and I mean a lot of books. Bad analogy? That's how I roll. I tell the best stories and use the best metaphors (*cough* *cough* sarcasm).

Anyways, I have FINALLY redone my Kim Kardashian Vogue cover look and will be showing you how to do it. And I am gonna take the next step, I will be filming myself do it! Oh lord, you guys actually see and hear me. A little intimidating to say the least.

I will also be posting a pictorial. So, pick your poison.

Here is the final look (taken from pictorial).

The video!

Pictorial and full product list after the jump!

Face of the Day: Cream and Black Cut Crease

Hello Loves!

Today, I want to share a look that is inspired from an certain MUA on Instagram. I teamed up with a few other lovely, amazing girls on Instagram to recreate a bunch of different looks from this same artist.
I will provide a link to collab collage so you can see the rest of the looks :)

More pictures, a full product list, and the link after the jump!

Makeup Art: Engineering and Programming

Hello Loves!

So, I thought of something in the past week whenever I had 3 exams. I realized... these equations and code are taking over my life, becoming a part of my soul. It's as if the code and equations are taking over.

That was my inspiration for what I have created. It's as if you take the layers of skin that is my face off... my face and you see what is taking over my mind and soul. Yes, I put that very eloquently. I have a way with words.

Here is the interpretation of my soul takeover.

More pictures and product list after the jump!

Tutorial: Birthday Makeup Pictorial

Hello Loves!

I have had some requests to how I did my birthday makeup, so, I did a tutorial on it.
Here is the look I am talking about:

The tutorial will not include individual lashes to show what it looks like with just mascara as an FYI.

Tutorial after the jump!

Face of the Day: Kim Kardashian American Vogue Cover Look

Hello Loves!

Sorry for being MIA for this week, I had 3 exams and of course I wanna do well and they all went better than expected! That's all you can ask for is to meet or surpass your expectations. So, Friday, I had to unwind by doing my makeup while watching Youtube.

Yesterday I created a smokey look based off of Kim Kardashian's Vogue cover.

Here is the final look!

More pictures and full product list after the jump!

Swatch and Haul: Birthday Shiro Cosmetics Order

Hello loves!

I got in my Shiro Cosmetics order. I was so excited to come back from class this morning to find the package at my door and it shipped earlier than expected!

Shiro Cosmetics is an indie makeup company that is owned by the lovely Caitlin and has been around for a few years now. I have previously ordered from them and have been pleased with how prompt it had shipped and arrived (compared to the TAT on the website). This time around it still shipped before TAT but wasn't as quick as my first order. But, USPS tracking is not good and well, I didn't where my package was at until discovering it at my door.

Before ordering, I emailed Caitlin if they were still selling Twilight Realm and Dark Sacrifice, which are soon to be discontinued colors. Thankfully, she said they are still selling it, and I found a link to where I could find the colors. I ordered mainly because I needed these two colors.

And look at everything I got. I definitely didn't get just the two colors. 

More pictures and all the swatches after the jump!

Face of the Day: My Birthday Makeup

Hello, hello, hello!
I finally get to posting my birthday makeup! I used one of my favorite indie eyeshadows, Shiro Cosmetics Dark Scarifice, to create this look. This is actually a modification on a look I did months ago on my old reddit account and I loved how this eyeshadow made my eyes look.

You know what the sad part is? This eyeshadow is soon to be discontinued :( BOOOOOOO. I thankfully ordered a full sized of the eyeshadow. Also, expect to see a haul and swatches of my Shiro Cosmetics order. I am impatiently waiting for the order to come and it seems like ages. I will talk more about that in that upcoming haul and swatch post.

ANYWAYS, on to the look. Here is the final look!

Look for more pictures (and a special announcement) after the jump!

Review: Makeup Forever HD Foundation for Dry to Normal Skin

Hello Loves,
I figure I get started on my first review. I was unsure what I wanted to review but I somehow had the urge to review this foundation. I have been wearing this foundation a lot lately and figured to give a review on how I feel about it. I have had this foundation for a few years and want to tell you my thoughts on it. I want to mention that I have dry skin during the harsh winters where I live and normal/combo skin during the summer.

Review after the jump!

Tutorial: Colorful Cut-Crease and Double Wing Look

Hello Loves,
I am gonna start posting some tutorials that I previously posted on my old reddit account. I want to share you guys some of the previous work I did. Also, I like teaching you guys new techniques and looks. In this look, I wanted to use new products I got at this time. This was also when I got my first indie makeup order. I was so excited to use the unique shades I got.

Here is the final look!

Read on for the tutorial!

Tutorial: St. Patrick's Day Eye Pictorial

Hello loves,
I love doing holiday looks. It gives me an excuse to do my makeup all crazy. Today, I will give the steps to do you own St. Patty's day eye look. Be prepared because this post is picture heavy for obvious reasons.

This is also a little before and after. My skin did not like having all those gears on it and as you can imagine how amazing taking them off is. It wasn't. It wasn't painful but left a mark and was a bit sore afterwards.

Final Look

Read on for the tutorial!

Makeup Art: Metal Elemental Deity

Hello loves!
I have been so excited for this and it has FINALLY COME. I talked with a few makeupaddiction ladies on reddit and decided to add my own rendition to their elemental post. I chose to do metal and kind of went with my inspirations. This required a trip to Michaels, so this means serious business.

Read and view on for even more images, a product list, and what not!

Flash

More exciting stuff to come and look forward to!

Hello everyone!
I am still getting adjusted to blogging and the fact that I actually have a blog. I just want to give you a few hints into planned posts and also a teaser for a very exciting post for me!
I have not been able to do much post-wise because I have been on vacation. However, I got a few posts for you to look forward to.

First, it is a very exciting week come March 17th to 21st. The 17th is St. Patricks day and I have plans to do an awesome look themed after that and then...

March 21st is MY BIRTHDAY!!!!!! Yep, not super exciting because I am just getting older at this point. But that doesn't stop me from being an ultra sexy vixen and having amazing makeup to go with it. So plan on seeing something fantabulous for that.

Also, I have had something in the works for about a week now. Now I shall tease you with some really vague picture of shtuffs

Elle, what the hell?

Gears. They are fun to play with... No, they really are. But, what do they have to do with makeup? Find out in a few days :) I shall make you anxiously wait. Basically, I am so stoked for this that I am doing a "faux-toshoot." Get it? Huh, huh? Ok, never mind.

Anyways, exciting week for you guys because we get to share the love of makeup together! Make sure to stalk my Instagram (@pittpantherelle) because I usually can post stuff there more quickly than here!

Until next time, have a beautiful day!
-Elle

IMATS LA 2014 Haul and Swatches

Hello my loves,
This marks my first real blog post! Yeah, so exciting!

Today, I provide you with my haul from IMATS in Los Angeles that I attended earlier this year (in 2014). It was an amazing experience to go to California because I have always wanted to see what all of the haba-balu was all about. It lived up to all the hype, and I loved that it was warm there. I know this is a small thing to appreciate but I live somewhere where its cold and has lots of snow. I think before we left for the trip, we actually experienced sub-zero temperatures, and it was -8 Fahrenheit if I recall correctly. It was ironic how a day after our arrival back home, we experienced similar temperatures. Love you too, Mother Nature.

I just want to talk a little bit about the experience before we get onto the goodies. The year before, I went to IMATS NYC and I loved, loved, loved every minute. Coming to this IMATS, I knew what to expect. While I still had an amazing time, I didn't enjoy as much as the first time I went. I definitely think it is not only because it was second time doing this but also the crowds. Fact: I am not a huge fan of crowds. I am glad that I got there one hour early to get to everything early and hit up every stand I wished to visit. However, the line to the venue was absolutely INSANE one hour before the show opened, and I believe it wrapped around the block. I am so glad I had some coffee while waiting. Gotta love me some coffee.

Alright, what you have been waiting for, THE HAUL.

The goodies!

Read on for swatches, prices, and how I budget for this spectacular event!

Welcome to the blog celebrating my obsessions.

Hello everyone!
Welcome to my blog! I created this blog to share all of my obsessions with you. I guess I will share what the obsessions you will be looking forward to:
Makeup. It is something I really got into freshmen year of college. I love how the way you do your makeup can completely change how you look, and it instantly gives you a huge confidence boost. Absolutely amazing. It is also really relaxing to slowly apply makeup and watch YouTube videos, which is something I do too often. Makeup also has another special part in my heart that I will not disclose at this moment...
Food. Once I didn't live in college dorms, the world was my pickle with my food choices. I stepped out of my comfort zone because honestly, I was a really picky eater. I made different foods I would have never ate before and was surprised to love what I made. It also one of the most gratifying things to eat something absolutely delicious and think "I MADE THIS DELICIOUSNESS."
Look forward to all the amazingness to come. I want to share my loves and make my loves your loves as well.
Love to all those that are reading, and until next time, have a beautiful day :)
-Elle