A New Source of Awesome, AKA Indie Makeup Is My New Favorite Thing

A few months ago, a friend of mine linked this article about Indie/Geeky makeup companies.  With that new found information, I catapulted down the rabbit hole of indie cosmetics, perfume, and bath products.

I can actually say that I am a little bit obsessed. It's literally a whole new world of makeup that has opened up and it's awesome and so cool and I admit also very overwhelming.

However, it has also led me to look at makeup in a different way.  So much of what I was lusting after in the cosmetics world was ending up getting rather pricey.  I was in Ulta the other week looking for something to pick out for Christmas, and found nothing, because every time I would see the price of something, I couldn't help but think....I bet I could find a less expensive, as good if not better, indie version of this...and for that price, I could get three of them!

Additionally, what drew me in even more was that most of the companies create collections based on things that my little nerdy heart adores.  There are Harry Potter themed shadows and perfumes, Supernatural nail polish and lip balms, and gigantic collections of eye shadow based on awesome, bad-ass women from history. Some of said items even come with really cool artwork on the packaging! This is a fantastic way for my work-day, closeted super-nerd to come out in a super secret way that only I know, unless I choose to gush to someone about how cool the themes behind my cosmetics actually are.  Oh, you like my eyeshadow? The colors are based on Egyptian gods and goddesses.  You think my perfume smells good? Yeah, it was created with the Greek goddess of the UNDERWORLD in mind.  No biggie.  Hey, I'm here to see the last Hobbit movie and why, yes, my eyes are covered in Middle Earth-inspired shadows!

In my research, I also discovered reddit, and more specifically, the sub-reddit Indie Makeup and More. It's full of helpful, awesome, funny enablers people who, without even knowing it, have already helped my narrow down my scope and take this fabulous indie-inspired journey one step at a time.  It's also become my new internet hang-out, although I've still been more of a lurker than a hard-core poster yet. (I just need to improve the quality of my swatches and photography skills).

Here are some of the companies I've tried out so far, as well as some of the ones I've made recent orders from (that haven't come in yet.)

Aromaleigh Cosmetics (AWESOME fandom/nerdy/cool shadow collections!)
Shiro Cosmetics (FANTASTIC nerdy shadows, as well as themed face products too)
Notoriously Morbid Cosmetics (All fandoms, all the time. Adorable nerdy themed monthly subscription!)
Blackbird Cosmetics (The best loose mattes I've ever used)
Smelly Yeti (perfumes--Buffy perfumes, so cool!)

Hello Waffle (One of the most raved about. Haven't tried anything yet, but THEY ARE COMING.)
Black Violet (perfumes/bath/body...I just blind bought a few things from them and I can't wait to smell the lovely smells!)
TenThree Labs (cosmetics, bath/body, perfumes...I ordered some of the raved about Salve Sticks and I'm super psyched to try them out!)

SO EXCITED.

2015 Knitting Resolutions!

It's officially a new year, and I have decided that there are some things I HAVE to get done. Like, before I add anything else to my list. I've had a handful of WIPs for MONTHS, YEARS, and they need to be finished. My early 2015 knitting goal is to finish ALL OF THE WIPS, before I start anything else. Hopefully making myself update via blog will encourage me to keep at it!

What I Need To Finish:

• Pine Bough Cowl--This was supposed to be a gift for my cousin....last December. Now over a year has passed and it needs to get done and to her before winter is over! Pine Bough Ravelry Link

• Paraphernalia Socks--I was excited to work with this yarn...it seems like everyone loses their shit over Noro yarns and I was looking forward to seeing if the hype was real. I wasn't really impressed. The colors are awesome, but the yarn isn't, imo.  I finished everything but the toe of the first sock, then got a bad case of SSS. Paraphernalia Rav Link

• Mora Lopapeysa--Another one I hope to finish before the cold weather is done.  It won't take me long--it's literally just knitting the collar part, sewing up the armpits, and blocking.  It's taken me waaay longer for this to be done than I intended, and I can't wait to wear it! Mora Rav Link

• Freyja Shawl--Ok, this is the big one. I started this shawl for my mom in 2010. 2010. It was my last year of undergrad and my mom and I decided that we were going to knit each other shawls while I was away.  I worked a bit on it, then decided that college was too distracting for all of the lace knitting going on, and hibernated the project.  I took it out again like two years ago and did a few more rows, but I NEED TO GET THIS DONE. I'll do this one last, I think, so I can concentrate fully on it.  Then I can knit myself a new pair of celebratory socks! :) Freya Rav link

So...let's see if I can do this! I CAN DO THIS.

Knitting Update--Hats, Hats, and...Oh Yeah, Hats!

So a friend of mine was recently diagnosed with cancer.  This month, a benefit is being held to help with costs and such after treatment and surgery, so I decided I'd whip up a whole slew of hats to raffle off during the event.  This is what I've gotten done so far.  I also have one more on the needles currently and a last one planned.

  A periwinkle Pink Ribbon Hat and a Snowflake Hat!                                                          

 

 
 A purple 5-Hour Hat and a Hat for a Lawyer!

 

A crazy-colored Basic Cable Hat

 And a semi-slouchy Katherine Hat.

I actually made 2 of the periwinkle hats--one to raffle and the other because a friend called dibs on the same of another.


I'm also making a red & white striped hat for kids and a really cute little teddy bear ears hat for a baby!  I've been pretty busy, and still can't wait to finish all of my old WIPs, since I put them on hold for the hats, as there was a time limit on them.

On another note, today I ordered the skein I need to finish my Bayerishe socks! I've been working on them since the summer after my sophomore year of college, and they will finally be done.  Hallelujah!


Bon bons and pom poms, I'm outskies!

Mini Nail Polish Haul/Gushing About my Favorite Gold Polish

So I was traveling a few weekends ago, and happened to be passing a town on my way, which I happened to know has an Ulta...so of course, I wanted to try to plan a detour.

I looked around for a while, and didn't find what I *really* wanted--a rollerball perfume of Marc Jacobs Honey. I smelled it in Sephora and loved it, but passed up on it, only to regret my decision later.  Ulta didn't have a rollerball of the scent, so I made my way around the store pretty aimlessly, only to find myself at the back in the nail polish section.  AKA, I found the Zoya.

I got a Zoya polish in one of my Ipsy bags a bunch of months ago, and was super excited to try it.  I ended up loving it, and I always end up gazing longingly at them when I encounter any displays.   I try to keep most of my nail polish purchases on the cheap side--after all, why shouldn't I, when there are so many awesome colors, textures, and brands available so inexpensively?  But Zoya, they have some pretty cool colors and I decided to treat myself a little.

I also shopped the clearance polishes and suddenly realized I needed a new bottle of my favorite gold polish, so I walked away with 3 brand-spanking new sparkle for my fingertips!

• Zoya Professional Laquer in Faye--This is described by Zoya as "A bronzed mauve with purple and brown undertones flooded with bright gold sparkle."  It's a light purple with gold, almost bronzey shimmer to it. It's super pretty and because it has those metallic colors in it, I can see it being worn all year round.
• Layla Nail Polish Ceramic Effect in...CE 61, aka "Ipanema Girl"--This is a super shimmery green with almost a yellow sheen to it.  When I put the first coat on, I was disappointed, but after a few more, the color really came out and the polish is soo pretty.  I haven't been too lucky with green polishes, but this one was so pretty in the bottle, and I was not disappointed!
• Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear Nail Color in Golden-I--This is my absolute FAVORITE gold polish ever.  It's cheap as heck, super pretty, wears well, and goes on smoothly without any drying out or clumps! This is my second bottle, and I have had the first one for a really long time.  I was glad it hadn't stopped being made! I recommend it sooo much, and converted my little sister into a Golden-I lover as well. :)

After one coat!
(Ipanema Girl, Faye, Golden-I)










After two coats!
(Ipanema Girl, Faye, Golden-I, Faye again)




After I swatched, I decided the colors all looked pretty rad and shiny together, so I just painted the remainder of my nails in Faye and called it a night.

All in all, I now know that I will continue to lust after Zoya polishes, and hopefully not break my bank to get the entire line.

Shimmer and sparkle! I'm outskies.

September 2013 Ipsy

This month's theme for the Ipsy Glam Bag was..dun dun dun....Classic Beauty!  Now, I don't consider myself a classic beauty at all, but I think there were a few staples in this bag that could come in handy.  However, not all of the products ended up actually being what they claimed to be...read on, good people!

Here's what I got in this month's bag:

• Tinted Lip Balm by Cailyn Cosmetics in Big Apple--I think this is a great product, I love the color and the pigmentation is fabulous...but there is no way in heck that it's a "tinted lip balm."  Unless you use lip balms that are drying and have a super matte finish.  This would be much more likely to fall under my "super awesome lip tint" category.  It's got a nice color, and the coverage is great, and it's a very classic, very nice, red lip color.  The packaging is a little bulky, but it's because it's a pot that comes with a lip brush hidden in the lid (in fact, the packaging is the same as the Cailyn gel eyeliner I got a few ipsy bags ago).  I will definitely use this, I was just taken aback for a minute that they were calling it a lip balm!  PS--my sister "borrowed" this and totally fell in love with it.  Thanks for the Christmas gift idea, sis!

• It's So Big Volumizing Mascara by Elizabeth Mott (in black, I think)--I honestly haven't even opened this yet.  I use one mascara at a time (right now I've been using Covergirl Clump Crusher), and was fully not impressed with the Pixi mascara that came in the last ipsy bag, so I decided I would wait to open this one.  If I like it, I will let you know.

• NYX Single Eyeshadow in Pure Gold--I have been wanting a nice gold shadow for a while, and just haven't gotten around to looking for one, so this was pretty serendipitous.  I have tried other colors of this eyeshadow, and I like it!  The shadows are soft and blend fairly well.  This gold is more of an antique gold than a bright gold, which I like because it seems to be more neutral and wearable, and that's what I tend to move toward.  This color went especially well with the "Classic Beauty" theme.  When I think of old Hollywood starlets, I always think of gold shadow, a dark black liner, and a red lip.

• Obsidian Kohl Eye Pencil by Starlooks in Obsidian--I have to play around with this, but from swatches, I don't know that I was that impressed.  It's not very soft, and kind of tugged on my skin when I put it on the back of my hand...which made me worry how it will be on the more delicate skin of my eyes.  The color is nice, and it's a staple product, so I will probably use it for the top lash line if I want to do a smokey eye.

• Facial Paper Masks by Freeman Beauty in Rose, Blue Agave, and Starfruit--I haven't tried these yet, but what do you know--I actually came across these in my local Walmart and bought the Starfruit one!  Hope I like it, because now I have two.  I have used Freeman masks before, and have found that I like them a lot, so hopefully these will be nice.  I have a little bag in my bathroom almost fully dedicated to the little mask pouches, so I'm always glad to have more to add to my collection!  I haven't tried a paper face mask yet either, so I'm looking forward to it.  Maybe tonight, who knows?

NYX Single Eyeshadow in Pure Gold--in the pan and swatched on the back of my hand!

Starlooks Eye Pencil in Obsidian, swatched next to the Cailyn Cosmetics "tinted lip balm" in Big Apple.

All in all, this bag had a good theme and definitely stuck to it.  I can get a perfectly classic look with the items I received, and although I was obviously more excited about some of the items than others, I think that this bag was a pretty good one.  Keep 'em coming, Ipsy!

Pumpkins and apple-picking! I'm outskies.

Teeny Tiny NYX "Haul"

Recently, I was alerted by one of the beauty blogs I read that NYX was now being sold at Target!  I was super excited, and immediately went to the store locator on the NYX website to see if my local Target was one of the stores they were talking about....only to find that, of course, the closest branch participating is about 35-40 minutes away from me.  Luckily, I had to drive near to that location recently, and so I just *had* to stop and check out what they had gotten in!

• Jumbo Eyeshadow Stick in Milk--I am super excited they had this!! I have been looking for this for a while, and every location I had previously gone that sells NYX products were sold out! I can't wait to try this on a night out to use as a base for some of the eyeshadows in the Urban Decay Ammo palette--this white is going to make them really pop, and I think it will look amazing.  I also think I could get away with using this as a brow highlight, and maybe even put it in my inner corners to brighten a look.

• Soft Matte Lip Cream in Antwerp--I have the worst luck with lip colors.  Since you can't really swatch in the store, and the colors of the tubes in real life don't look anything like the swatches I looked up online, I got this color based on a review that it was a good everyday color.  However, I have a light, cool-toned skin tone, and I don't think peachy colors ever end up looking that good on me.  I tried this on the first day I got it, but I was in a rush and wiped it off without really getting a good feel for the color.  I do like these Lip Creams though...they kind of feel like you are wiping frosting on your lips, but they have a very good color payoff and they don't feel too drying.  (I know that in the swatch below, this doesn't look matte...but that's because I was overexcited and took the picture before it dried...woops!)

• Matte Lipstick in Summer Breeze--I chose this color because I don't really have any bright lighter pinks in my collection, and I thought that this might be nice, since it is a slightly more neutral-looking color.  Again, I tried this on quickly and didn't get too much of a feel for the color on my lips, but the lipstick is buildable and I think this could work nicely as a more wearable color if I can figure out a way to tone the pink down a little.  I love bright lip colors, but it's taking me a while to get used to wearing them, as they are definitely more obvious, and a far cry from the everyday, more natural and MLBB lip colors I tend to gravitate toward.  

Matte Lipstick in Summer Breeze...........................................Jumbo ES Stick in Milk and Antwerp SMLC.

Bubblegum and starfruit! I'm outskies.

**Knitting Update**

Now that it's getting closer to the Autumn season, I've been itching to start knitting again.  So much so that within the last two or so weeks, I have knit a mug cozy, a pair of guy's socks, and I'm currently working on the second sock in a pair meant as a Christmas gift...for last Christmas.  I got a *little* case of the dreaded Second Sock Syndrome, and I'm just now getting to finish the pair up.

Mug and French Press Jacket by MK Carroll

Thuja by Bobby Ziegler 

Maeva by Stefanie Bold

I've also decided to finish everything on my Rav page that's either in hibernation or in progress...which means I have (after I finish the Maeva socks) a pair of socks, a lace shawl, and an Icelandic sweater to finish before I will let myself start anything new.

May the odds be ever in my favor?  I'm outskies.