EOTD/ FOTD Series: Belle,Boe and Neno in a bar with Vampires? A Notoriously Morbid eye

Hello lovelies!
   Welcome back to another installment of the EOTD series. Today is a redo of a look that I wore to a family outing this weekend and I forgot to take a picture of it. =(  ( #makeupartistproblems ) I hate it when I do that! However it was just to pretty to not redo and it is more of a neutral look that everyone can feel comfortable wearing.

Belle, Boe and Neno in a bar with Vampires? WHAT?

   I know that a lot of you are wondering what is with the name of this look. So here is the madness behind it, it is all based off the various colors and collections from Notoriously Morbid. Notoriously Morbid has a lot of amazing bright and bold colors but she also carries some really gorgeous neutrals which I used for this look.

Here is the list of products used for this look:

Too Faced Shadow Insurance 

Nyx Jumbo Pencil in Milk

Belle's Bounty in the inner eye and tear duct (Notoriously Morbid)

Boe  middle lid (NM)

Neno outer corner and crease (NM)

Where the Kids and the Vamps Go above the crease (NM)

Goodbye Sweetie  highlight (NM)

She Names the Stars lower lash line (NM)

Desiree lashes from Oh My Lash

I also used this brush set from the Born Pretty Store to create this look. Use discount code KLH10 for 10% off your order!

I hope that you enjoyed this look and until next time lovelies!

A Swatch Here and a Swatch There: Beauty Bar Baby's Opulent Opaques from her new POE inspired line!

Hello Lovelies!
    I am back again this time with more swatches of the new Opulent Opaque lipstick line from Beauty Bar Baby. The first of the Opulent Opaque lipsticks is a collection inspired by the works of Edgar Allan Poe! Awesome opaque lipsticks inspired by one of my favorite writers of all time I am over the moon! But enough of my blathering I know what you really came for and that is the SWATCHES!  (Links are provided to the direct product just in case you have to get them NOW. ^_~)

Angel of the Odd

      "Angel of the Odd- A bright vibrant pink as intoxicating as the poem the name was inspired after"

Dream Within A Dream

   "Dream Within A Dream - A light lavender with a hint of blue & the perfect amount of dream essence"

Eleonora

"Eleonora- an almost maddening beautiful burgundy full of passion and fancy like the maiden it was named after"

Haunted Palace

          "Haunted Palace- a medium toned mauve as angelic as the palace that was tended by angels"

House of Usher

       "House of Usher - a darkened plum as dark and beautiful as the estate which it is named after"

Island of the Fay

          "A dreamy orchid color similar to beautiful flowers one would find on an Island of the Fay"

Ligeia

                 "Ligeia- A haunting combination of reds and plums to create a supernatural look"

Masque of the Red Death

"Masque of the Red Death- A brilliant bright berry red which will cause you to be the center of the party even if the plague and chaos are all around you."

Nevermore

               "Nevermore- Dark as the raven's wing that quoted the unforgettable phrase"

   Now for some reason you aren't a big Poe junkie as I am, you can go read the various short stories and poems on this site. (Seriously go read them now, everyone should read Poe. ^_~) But I hope that you enjoyed this swatch EXPLOSION of lipsticks !

Until Next Time Lovelies!

EOTD/ FOTD Series: Moonchild Charmed Absinthe Dragons done with Dark Heart Designs

Hello Lovelies!
   Welcome back to another EOTD/ FOTD series this time featuring Dark Heart Designs! I have been on a blue kick lately so I while I really wanted to do another blue look I decided to go with green and purple look instead. Since I haven't done anything with green and purple I decided to pair the two colors with silver and black to obtain this dragon inspired look.

Moonchild Charmed Absinthe Dragons

I used the following products for this look:

Too Face Shadow Insurance

Nyx Jumbo Pencil in Milk

Moonchild inner eye and tear duct (Dark Heart Designs)

Absinthe middle lid (DHD)

Dragons outer lid (DHD)

Audrey outer most lid corner and in the crease (DHD)

Charmed above the crease and in the lower lash line (DHD)

Frost highlight (DHD)

Desiree lashes from Oh My Lash

I also used this 15 piece makeup brush kit from Born Pretty Store (use code KLH10 for 10%) off your purchases)

I hope that you enjoyed this look and if you have any any color suggestions that you would like to see me try just let me know! Until next time lovelies!

Mani Monday: Featuring Ashley Rose from Ruby White Tips

Hello Lovelies!
   I am back again this Monday with another addition of Mani Monday and this time I am presenting Ashley Rose from Ruby White Tips. This was my first purchase from RWT and my first time purchasing a thermal (color changing ) polish. It applies as a light purple but when it gets cold it turns a darker purple!  So with one mani you have endless polish possibilities throughout the day! Especially if you are easily amused as I was when I first applied it I was constantly sticking my hands in Mr Dreadful's face after subjecting my nails to various water temps. So needless to say, I am now officially hooked on both thermals and polishes from RWT. This polish is currently still available on Ruby White Tips Etsy however it is a limited edition color so go grab a bottle while you still can. She also points out that thermals only have a limited color changing lifetime of a year and while still will be a gorgeous color it might not change color after the year is up.  But enough of my yapping and on with the photos.

Just check out how cute the bottle is! Taken in natural light

Ashley Rose (with my new adventures in nail stamping) applied with 3 coats in natural light

Ashley Rose after I dunked my fingers in ice water for a couple of seconds. Check out that color change!

    So if you are wanting multiple manis in one bottle, thermal polishes are the way to go! If you just want an amazing polish, head over to Ruby White Tips on Etsy and order yourself a bottle of Ashley Rose and you won't be disappointed!

**The lovely owner, Laura contacted me and now is offering a special discount code to all of you! Use code DIVINE15 to get 15% off your purchases from RWT! Thank you so much Laura! <3 **

Until Next Time Lovelies!

Pursuit of Fabulous: Review of Innocent +Twisted Alchemy and April 2014 Monthly subscription.

Hello lovelies!
       I am back again, after a recent bout of bronchitis which decided to share itself with the WHOLE Dreadful household (all FIVE of us came down with it--yay  -_-), with a review of Innocent+Twisted Alchemy. Innocent + Twisted is a name that I kept running across in the We <3 Indie Cosmetics room and her monthly subscriptions struck my interest. The I+T subscription is extremely similar to other makeup subscriptions that you have heard of but instead of the big box subscriptions, you get mainly her products with samples from other indie companies. Since I love supporting indie and I had heard such good things I decided to check it out.
   Essentially you have basically a couple of  choices when choosing a subscription from Innocent +Twisted Alchemy. First off you will need to decide if you would like to get the samples verses the full size. When people first think of samples I know a lot of you think of baggies but her "deluxe samples" come in clam shells that are literally filled to the brim bursting with shadows or full size shadows which are also filled to the top without sifters.Just take a look at them and how filled they are!

Amaranthine is full sized while Haunted Heart is a "deluxe sample" sized! They are both filled the the brim!

    Then you have three choices on how you want to receive them. You can choose to have  a one month trial trail subscription (ranging from $9.50-$15  plus your shipping cost) , a recurring deluxe subscription which is billed at the same time each month (ranging from $12-16 whether you are US or international) or the recurring full sized monthly subscription which is also billed at the same time each month (ranging from $18-22). Now some of you may notice the difference in price from the trail subscription (1 month) and the recurring subscription which continuously bills the same time each month. The difference is that you are paying for shipping with the trail subscription verses with the automatic subscription the shipping is all ready figured in.
    But now on to the actual subscription, I was a little worried about receiving three surprise shadows since I was worried that I would like them or use them so I decided to pick up the April deluxe trail subscription just to be safe. It came with three gorgeous colors : Saccharine Nectar, Empyrean and Fathomless Chasm .

Look at the gorgeous packaging!  Linda  actually does the drawings! O.O

Packaging of the April 2014 subscription. Look at the adorable top labels!

  The purple paper included with your subscription details the colors and their listed ingredients as well as the featured samples that are included with your monthly subscription and their websites. Finally LAST but not least there is a COUPON code (yes, you read that correctly and you KNOW how much I love getting makeup at a bargain) off your next order!

April 2014 Deluxe Sample 

   The first color, Saccharine Nectar, is a soft shimmery light orange with subtle hints of gold. While a lot of people may shy away from anything orange related this colors is simply beautiful and perfect for neutral looks.  The second color , Empyrean, which is delicate and shimmery blue with hints of silver sparkle. Last but not least is Fathomless Chasm which is simply are gorgeous almost metallic steel blue gray and of course turned out to be my favorite of the three. Now a lot of people with the April subscription received a badly blended batch of Fathomless Chasm due to a bad blender which she has thrown away and purchased a new one. The owner Linda, has apologized for this issue and issued refunds to those that received a bad batch. I was one of the lucky ones and I managed to receive a Fathomless Chasm that doesn't have issues.

   I also picked up another color Amaranthine , which is a simply stunning dark violet red duochrome (as you know I have such a weakness for duochromes). I+T also added another jam packed sample of Haunted Heart that is a lovely mid tone blue with hints of purple and multicolored shimmer. (**See the full size verses size photos for those two colors**)  But enough of the chatter and on to the actual swatches!

Swatched over Milk and taken WITH a flash

Swatched over Milk in IN DIRECT sunlight

Here is an eye look done with all of the colors I received from Innocent + Twisted Alchemy to show you how lovely these colors work together

As I mentioned earlier, not only did you receive a coupon code off your next order from I+T there were also a bunch of lovely samples from other indie companies to try which is an added bonus since I love trying things before buying. Now on to pictures of the lovely samples that I received in this month's subscription..

Tangerine Dream from Candii Blossom Cosmetics

The Beast You Made from Antimony Blue

Celtic Sunset from DreamWorld Hermetica

Ossuary from Detrivore Cosmetics which is now distributed by Shiro

Raspberry Tart from Little Sparrow Cosmetics

Sample Swatches L-R : Detrivore Cosmetics (from Shiro), Candii Blossom Cosmetics, Dream World and Little Sparrow.

  The samples were a wonderful addition to the subscription. Ossuary by Detrivore was a gorgeous neutral matte light tan color. It had to be taken with a flash since it was so close to my complexion. Tangerine Dream from Candii Blossom Cosmetics was a light shimmery tangerine color with lots of sparkle. Celtic Sunset from Dream World is a rich deep brown with lots of sparkles and a slight greenish tint. Raspberry Tart from Little Sparrow Cosmetics is a bright raspberry red tinted balm just perfect when you want just a hint of color on your lips. which fits it perfectly. Finally last but not least was the amazing scent of The Beast You Made from Antimony Blue, it is was described on the site as, "Forests of birch trees and evergreens, carpeted with thick green mosses and hung with the misty, electric haze of a summer thunder storm. Tart red fruits and sweet yellow berries cut the fog like lightning, melting against something alive and warm. This blend contains rainbow moonstone to strengthen out ties to the natural world, awaken long-forgotten intuitions, and soothe the wild beast within,"  which fits it perfectly. It is a combination of a fruity, earthy smell with a hint of musk which isn't too overpowering and the full size bottles contain chips of gemstones which is fantastic!

    Now finally on to the ratings for I+T...

Color/Pigmentation 9 out of 10 bats
  Like I mentioned before, I managed to luck out and receive a good batch of Fathomless Chasm and I haven't had any issues with the color using it, swatching it and blending it out. I did a series of tests after the first reviews came out about the issue with the color. All of the colors I received were simply gorgeous, applied well and blended easily.

Affordability 9.5 out of 10 bats
   Innocent+Twisted Alchemy's prices is simply a seal for the amount of product you receive in the jars and clam shells. (I highly recommend placing the clam shells on a white sheet of paper and tapping the top to keep all of the gorgeous goodness inside but if there is spillage you can put the spillage back in your clam shell with the paper ^_~) With full size jars priced at $6.00 and deluxe samples filled to the brim for $3.00 this price honestly can't be beat.

Shipping/ Turn Around Time 9.5 out of 10 bats
    I was super pleased with the shipping and turn around time. I placed my order on the 26th of March and knew that it wasn't going to be shipped out until either the 31st of March and I received it in my hot little hands on April 2nd. I could be more pleased. Everything was packaged nice and securely with to problems.

Customer Service 10 out 10 bats
   While I super hesitant on giving 10 out of 10 bats for anything since I don't care for constant perfect scores in anything (*see my reason why in my other reviews) I believe that Linda of I+T really deserves this. She has shown extreme professionalism with is issue that arose with some batches of Fathomless Chasm. She not only has posted the negative reviews on her Facebook page for her customers (new, old and potential) she also offered a public apology and even offered refunds. That shows me what kind of company this is, one that is dedicated to creating the best product that she can and acknowledging any mistakes and learning from them. So Linda of I+T deserves a perfect rating on customer service because THAT is what customer service and professionalism is.

Overall 9.5 out of 10 bats

    As I mentioned earlier in this SUPER long review, I was initially worried about picking up a monthly subscription since I was concerned with not liking the colors chosen or being able to use them. I was completely surprised and this was an excellent experience with a monthly subscription as well as with the other two products I received from her. Everything was simply fantastic from the color and pigmentation, the amount of product for the price, super fast shipping /turn around time and the excellent customer service.  I would not hesitate to recommend Innocent + Twisted Alchemy to anyone and I am all ready planning my sights on my next order.

Until next time lovelies!

       

Mani Monday with Vapid Lacquer

Hello Lovelies!
   I am back again after the holidays with a new mani Monday installation! Today I am wearing Black Opal and Shattered Rainbows from Vapid Lacquer! Black Opal is a gorgeous smoky grey polish with a subtle shift. It isn't as apparent as some of her other shifting polishes so perfect for those of you who don't want a dramatic shift in your polish. I did manage to get in on the presale of her AMAZING opal top coat that she featured on her Facebook page a little bit back and dear gods it is fabulous. Not this isn't your everyday opal like shifting top coat, this is LITERALLY CRUSHED opals on your fingers. I placed this amazing top coat on my accent finger over Salon Perfect's Oil slick to soak in the beauty of the shifting colors and sparkly goodness. Just take a look at the rainbow look in this photo...

Yes, my mani skills need some real work but look at the SPARKLE!

   While I know it looks like my two year old painted my nails compared to a LOT of other swatches of Black Opal but this image captured the multicolored facet of Shattered Rainbows the best. Black Opal in available in two sizes (full -as pictured here and a mini) however, Shattered Rainbows is ONLY offered in a mini because of the cost. While some of you may scoff at the price of this top coat you have to remember this is CRUSHED OPALS so it isn't cheap to begin with. Shattered Rainbows is offered in a mini but with three different choices (Coarse, Fine or a mixture of the two.) and I chose a mixture of the two in order to get the best sparkle payoff in my opinion. Now Shattered Rainbows is offered in the store just yet, but it is definitely something to save your pennies for if you are on tight beauty budget like I am. You can order Black Opal from here right now from the shop and get your steely smokey grey goodness right now . So that is all for Mani Monday this week and I will continue to work on my mani skills for next Monday! 

Until Next Time Lovelies!

EOTD/FOTD Series: "Oz meets Hellmouth" with Notoriously Morbid

Hello lovelies!
   I am back again with another EOTD this time with Notoriously Morbid. I just recently got her Slay Me collections both 1& 2 (cause honestly no one can ever have to much BUFFY, seriously...SPIKE and OZ are all I have to say) and I needed to do a look. I also got some colors from her Trip to Oz Collection and the two combined to create this look.

Oz meets Hellmouth in a combination of green, black and red

   I hate that people often associate green and red with holiday looks and while yes, I could and would rock this look to a holiday party this makes me think of awesome heroes, villains and a kick ass pair sparkly red shoes! I used the following colors to create this look: Dust to Dust, Nighttime in Emerald City, I'm Melting, Bloody Awful Poet, Boca del Infierno, Shoes to Kill For and Goodbye Sweetie (cause I had to add the Doctor and it is an amazing highlight color.) The lashes were from the Born Pretty Store (use discount code KLH10  for 10% off your total order). I hope that you enjoyed this look stay tuned for a review of the Slay Me collections!

Until Next Time Lovelies!

Mani Monday with Carpe Noctem Cosmetics!

Hello lovelies!
    Welcome to the first installment of a new series called Mani Monday! I have recently developed a polish addiction and I wanted to share my looks with you. I may even share my learning attempts with stamping as well. For my first Mani Monday I started with another indie polish company Carpe Noctem Cosmetics. Today, I am wearing Diva D in Diamonds inspired by the amazing Diva in The Fifth Element, which is one of my favorite movies, and Gifford Gorgeous on my accent nails.

Diva D and Gifford  Gorgeous from Carpe Noctem Cosmetics.

Both of these colors are on the lighter side of blue and purple which I am trying out since I am such a bold and bright or dark and vampy girl. Both took three coats in order to the opacity that I wanted and top off with Seche Vite's fast drying top coat cause I hate waiting for polish to dry. I always manage to smear it or dent it.  Diva D in Diamonds is part of her regular stock while Glifford would be considered a special order so you would have to order a custom polish.  I really wish that I was able to get a nice sunny picture of this mani but it looks like it is finally going to rain since it has been grey and overcast all day. Here is a nice sunny image of Diva for those of you curious to see what it looks like out in the sun (rather than indoors) back when my nails were longer.

A lovely sunny pic of Diva D in Diamonds

The two rings are from the Born Pretty Store (use code KLH10 for a discount off your purchase). While they are not listed as knuckle rings, they are for me since apparently I have "larger fingers" (I wear an 8-9 ring size) so they became kick ass knuckle rings.  I hope that you enjoyed the first Mani Monday and stay tuned for more polish looks and reviews!

Until next time lovelies!

In the Pursuit of Fabulous: Vapid Lacquer Review!

Hello again lovelies!
   I am back this time with my first ever actual polish review! Recently I have been delving into the vast world of indie polishes. I will freely admit that as a beginner it was a bit overwhelming with various terms such as jelly and crelly, holos and thermals, I was a bit lost at the beginning. So, I did what any beginner would do and looked for an awesome polish to slather on my nails, definition be damned! By sheer dumb luck I managed to stumble across an awesome indie shop called Vapid Lacquer. I was enchanted with all the nail pretties on her page and seduced by the sale that was going on that I broke down and bought not one but two amazing polishes.

First up is the gorgeous Grape Stomp. Seriously take a look at it and just gaze into the purple holographic abyss....

Grape Stomp from Vapid Lacquer..look at all that holo goodness! 

  Now, that you have drooled and oohed and ahhed over it (cause I know I did after painting my nails with it for the first time) it is described as a vivid purple jelly that is packed with linear holo. While I do have to say that this description hits the nail right on the head, I am going to have add some more colorful adjectives to my own description. This bright medium purple nail polish isn't just packed with holo it is EXPLODING with it! It is billion of little stars were sprinkled on my nails every time the light hit it. I was entranced and bewitched with not only the color but the staying power as well.

Now on the the second color...Delusional

While this isn't the best mani photo ever I wanted to post it due to the holo capture and the fact that this is polish after 5 DAYS!

Now the site has it listed an olive to violet/blue shift with a linear holo that makes you think twice of what color you actually have on your nails. This is a true chameleon color. It constantly changes color depending on the light and and the holo makes it just looks like a universe on my finger tips.  I couldn't decide on what color it really was but it was just an explosion of of sparkles!

Enough yammering and on with my review...

Color/ Finish Variety- 9 out of 10 bats

    I have to say that Vapid Lacquer has a really nice variety of color and finishes in her shop. She not only has a nice variety of colors from lighter more pastel colors to the darker vampy colors that I love to slather on my nails.

Application & Formula- 9 out of 10 bats

  Both polish had a great formula that wasn't too thin or too thick. They were easy to apply to no major issues and both polishes too 2-3 coats for full opacity.

Staying Power/ Durability-10 out of 10 bats

  If you have read my reviews before you know that getting a 10 out of 10 for something is something that RARELY happens since I am such a stickler for it. I think that giving constant 10 out of 10s takes away from the awesomeness that it takes to achieve what I think is perfection. I won't lie I am horribly hard on my nails. I have three kids so that means I am a CONSTANTLY doing dishes and laundry and everything else under the sun. This polish lasts and lasts and lasts. The photo of Delusional is after 5 DAYS. Yes, that is right, polish that normally doesn't last more than 2- 3 days without chipping (with a base coat and a top coat ) on me. This one lasted a full week. Color me impressed.

Affordability- 9 out of 10 bats

   When I first dived head long into the world of indie polish I will say that I was both shocked and surprised at the price. These are run of the mill polishes that you are going to find at your local Walmart for 1.99. Don't get me wrong, I am on a tight budget just like everyone else so I have to spend my dollars wisely. While 5-10 dollar polishes are a bit pricey for your budget, Vapid Lacquer does tons of flash sales and regular sales throughout the month were you can spend without crying into your empty wallet later. 

Customer Service- 9.5 out of 10 bats

   Vapid Lacquer also has superior customer service. I pre ordered a bottle of her "Shattered Rainbows" polish (look for that review in the next week or so) and she was a dream to deal with. She answered my questions about it and really impressed me with her knowledge and professionalism. 

Shipping/ Turn Around Time- 9 out of 10 bats

   While I don't know if this is a big issue for polishes but I do know that it is a rather big deal for ordering makeup so that is why I included this rating. Her shipping and turn around time were fantastic. If I remember correctly it look a little over a week for these lovely bottles to be packaged up securely and in my hot little hands. 

Overall- 9.5 out of 10 bats

    Overall I have to say that I am really in love with Vapid Lacquer, not only does she create some really incredible polishes that make me ohh and ahh like a little kid when staring at my nails she is the utmost professional with handling orders, questions and processing them and getting these lovely polishes in my greedy little hands. I wouldn't hesitate to order from her again (and I have in fact and I plan to again soon..and perhaps next time I will try some of her lovely soap). So be sure to check out Vapid Lacquer . You won't be disappointed. 

Until Next Time lovelies!

A few FOTD/ EOTD done with Candii Blossom Cosmetics

Hello lovelies!

   It appears that another month has ambushed us again. Those of you who follow me on my other social media pages will recognize the FOTD from late in March however due to the plague which attacked my house I wasn't able to steal away and post it to the blog. But I promise to do better! More posts this month, I promise! But anyways here is my most recent EOTD done with Candii Blossom Cosmetics.

This what I would consider more of a neutral eye look with a pop of color.

   I wore this neutral-ish eye look to a baby shower and it was a huge hit. It was done used Candii Blossom Cosmetics: Oasis, Fairyland Green, Atlantis, Miami Rose, Shikomi, Purple Rain and Intergalatic. The lashes were also from the Born Pretty Store (see the link on the side).  Now on to my favorite look of the two since naturally I love bolder and brighter looks. Here is the full face look that I did with a tutorial at the tail end of March.

Oh how I love the dramatic looks. ..

  For the eyes I used Candii Blossom Cosmetic's : Fluff, Fairyland Green (I am in love with that shade), Angel Eyes, Atlantis, Intergalatic, Purple Rain, Skikomi and Maiko (foiled for the golden dots). 

The lenses are from Pinky Paradise (see the links on the side to take you directly to the page) and the lashes were from the Born Pretty Store (used coupon code KLH10 for 10% off your order from them). 

I even have a full face photo of this look (sadly I have chronic RBF so I always look angry. >.<)

#thebitchfaceisstronginthisone

And as promised here is the actual tutorial for this look.  So, this is like two posts in one but enough of my babbling and on with the tutorial!

I hope that you have enjoyed these rather long EOTD/FOTD post and coming up are more EOTD posts, I have a review from a lovely indie company called Innocent + Twisted to stay tuned!

Until next time lovelies!