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.

August Favorites!

I've decided, that if I find I use something enough in a month that I'm noticing I'm using it often, I will do a monthly favorites post.  When I did wear makeup this month, I found that I used a few things more than once!

• theBalm Down Boy blush--I know I've talked about this a lot, but I LOVE this stuff! Literally gives me the perfect natural blush and it's sooo pretty.  I love it.
• The combination of:
• Clinique Acne Solutions Concealer--This is the lightest color, I'm not sure of the the shade number.  I got this a while ago, and it's usually my go-to concealer. However, it's really not easy to blend and it dries really quickly.  It is also the slightest bit light.  However, I am putting it on acne, so I wanted something that (hopefully) won't break me out.
• Hard Candy Glamoflauge in Medium Light--This is a tad bit too dark, so when I layer it on top of the Clinique concealer, it matches my skin much more.  Also, this stuff is creamy and a total dream to blend!  The combo of these two is really great, and doesn't make me feel like I'm going to break out like crazy after.
• NYX Jumbo Eyeshadow Pencil in Yogurt--I bought this on a whim.  I had been looking for the Shadow Stick in Milk, but then I saw this and thought it was really pretty! And it is.  It's a shimmery champagne color that is soo nice.  I have used it both under other shadows as well as just by itself.  When I wear it by myself, after a little bit of wearing it, it melds with my skin color and is such a pretty color. It's creamy and blends well, too!

• The Urban Decay Ammo palette--Especially the colors Sin, Chopper, and Smog.  I love using these with the NYX Yogurt shadow, and doing so gives me a glowing, coppery eye look. I haven't raised the courage yet to really use any of the colors in this palette, but they are all really nice and the consistency is so buttery and smooth.

• The combination of:
• theBalm Staniac in Beauty Queen--this is a really nice gel stain.  It goes on sheer, but you can build it to a darker color.  
• Korres Quince Lip Balm--this on top of the Staniac is sooo pretty! It's a my lips, but more refined look, and it's good for everyday wear!  

So that's what I used often this month!

Bollywood and Hollywood! I'm outskies.

Happy Birthday to Me! (Aka, What I Got Myself for My Birthday)

Hey hey hey!  Last week it was my birthday! So I made the trek to my nearest Sephora to claim my Beauty Insider gift--this year, it was a two-pack sample size of Benefit's "They're Real!" mascara and a "Watt's Up?" highlighter!  I do realize that I could have gotten both of these in an online order instead of traveling an hour to get to Sephora, but I hate not being able to swatch things in case I don't end up liking them in real life. While I was there, I decided to get a little somethin' somethin' for myself, to celebrate!  

The first thing I decided on was the Korres Lip Balm in Quince.  I have seen it so many times in different Youtube videos and when I tried it on in the store, I loved it.  It gives you a natural tinted look and it's soooo smooth on your lips.  I normally don't go crazy with lip balms, but I decided it was nice enough and felt like treating myself. :)

So in addition to the Sephora gift and the lip balm, I picked up a Creaseless Cream Shadow by Benefit.  The color is Bikini-tini, which the Benefit website describes as an oyster pink, but I think is a shimmery nude/champagne color.  I had originally seen these in the "World's ____ Nudes" palettes, and had really liked the R.S.V.P. and My Two Cents.  When I swatched them, though, I thought I could do better getting a more neutral/lighter color so that I could use it in more ways!  So I got Bikini-tini, and it's really pretty! The consistency is almost gel-like.  It's a cream, but it's not thick.  It feels almost slippery when you touch it, but it goes on the eye well and stays creamy, which is good for layering shadows on top!

              "Bikini-tini" in the pot....................................................and swatched next to "Watt's Up?" on left.

 Plus, can we talk about how cute the packaging for this is? All art-deco and what-not! I love it!

Bikinis and Martinis! I'm outskies. 

August Ipsy Bag!

This month's Ipsy bag was based on the theme, "Glamour Academy."  Now, obviously this is a back to school theme, and contains a few basics to make a natural, fresh-faced look for school without looking too made-up. I'm not in school anymore, but I'm still pretty excited about some of the products in this bag! 

What's in the bag:
-Michael Todd True Organics Jojoba Charcoal Facial Scrub-I'm really excited about this one! I've seen so many Youtubers rave about this. I actually got what I thought might have been a dupe for this from the drugstore, but it is very abrasive, so I'm hoping this one will be more gentle on my skin!

-City Color Cheek Stain in Pink- when I swatched this on my hand, I discovered that ir was a very bright and pigmented....cream blush. I left it unblended for about ten minuteson my hand, then was able to wipe it off completely.  So I probably wouldn't call it a stain, but it might be good as a just a regular cream blush!

-Pixi Lash Booster Mascara in No. 2 Blackest Black- I'm excited to try this! I have been wanting to try anything by this brand since I first saw it being carried in my local Target.  I just have been so overwhelmed by the selection and hadn't really heard much about anything, so I'm very glad to be able to try this sample!

-Pacifica Alight Multi-Mineral BB Cream-This product is supposed to have shade-matching technology, which when I swatched it on the back of my hand, seemed far fetched, because initially it looked much too dark.  However, when I blended it, it disappeared! I will have to try it out on my actual face, but it seems like so far so good.  I didn't even know Pacifica made BB cream, so this was a nice surprise!

-Noya Kosher Natural Lip Balm in Vanilla-I have to admit, I'm not too over the moon about this one.  I am pretty glued to my HG lip balm and it takes something awesome to get my attention.  One thing I can say about this is that it is very smooth and feels pretty nice on the lips. I'm not the biggest vanilla fan either, so this may just get stuck in my travel bag as a backup lip balm. 

That's it! I can definitely see all of these things coming in handy for a basic school bag of must haves! Plus, can we talk about the totally cute school crest bag this stuff came in?!

Lava and artifacts! I'm outskies.

Blush, swatched & blended!

No7 Beautiful Skin Cleansing Water

So I was in Target the other day, looking for something completely unrelated, when I stumbled across this Boots No7 brand Beautiful Skin Cleansing Water!

I've heard of cleansing waters before, and know about their popularity in the UK (especially brands like Bioderma and Clarins), but haven't really been inclined to go in search of them--I know they are hard to find in the States, and I am too lazy to locate any of the other, more expensive versions online.  Needless to say, I was pretty pumped when I discovered this one, and in Target, no less!

It ran about $9, and comes in a pump bottle, which is pretty handy for product rationing.  

Initial Thoughts:

     I used this to remove my makeup tonight, and while it had a nice smell, removed my makeup fairly well, and left my face feeling pretty clean--it left a weird stickiness on my face after I used it!  Now, I'm going to have to text it again for morning cleansing without having to remove my makeup, because that may have had something to do with the sticky feeling.  It's slightly disappointing so far, as I was expecting it to dry nicely and leave my face mattified.  However, I'll have to try it more than once to make sure!

    If that doesn't work out, I can use this as a pre-soap cleansing to get my face super squeaky clean.  

Bumblebees and lampshades! I'm outskies.

Urban Decay Ammo Palette

Another Hautelook find!  Urban Decay was featured a few weeks back and included a few palettes, including this one and the Mariposa.  Since I'm a bigger fan of neutral colors and shy away from brights (glasses, small eyes, you get the picture), I decided to go with the Ammo.  Plus, it sounded way more badass. :P  This is the original version of the palette (Urban Decay relaunched it in January with a different package design, a brush instead of a sponge-tip applicator, and Primer Potion).  

Fancy design coming from a fuzzy pistol....woooooo

Shadows inside!

Swatches! Yeah!

Most of these colors are shimmery, some with slightly bigger glitter.  

Colors:

1. Smog--a really nice bronzey-brown shimmer--I love this color, and it has nice pigmentation.
2. Mildew--an olive green shimmer--This looks more wearable than I expected--it seems to have medium payoff, but I'm sure you can build it up.
3. Oil Slick--a glittery black
4. Last Call--a berry red shimmer
5. Chopper--an awesome shimmery copper--I LOVE this color.  It has great color payoff and it's SO pretty!
6. Maui Wowie--a shimmery golden yellow--This reminds me of pineapple!
7. Shattered--a nice light teal-blue shimmer--This is really pretty and has nice pigmentation!
8. Polyester Bride--a glittery white
9. Grifter--a shimmery light purple--this actually swatched into a beautiful color! Can be built up, but I even like the color with one swipe!
10. Sin--a shimmery champagne--oh goodness, this one is gorgeous! Good color payoff and a lovely sheen.

So far, I've only used Smog, Chopper, and Sin together in a really pretty light shimmery bronzed look--perfect for summer and the colors complement each other perfectly.  

The shimmery shadows are very smooth and creamy.  The glittery are a little more chunky feeling, but I think if you packed them on with a brush they could come out pretty well.  

I'm looking forward to using more color in my eye looks, and I think this was a perfect addition to my nude-heavy eyeshadow collection!

Grifters and Choppers, I'm outskies.  

theBalm Down Boy, aka My New Favorite Blush

Ok, so I know that literally every other post I make here is about something from theBalm, but a bunch of weeks ago, Hautelook featured theBalm and I couldn't help adding to my already pretty big collection of theBalm blushes.  Luckily for my wallet, the prices were a good 50% discount, and I limited myself to just one.

Down Boy is a matte pastel pink shade of blush/shadow.  And I easily admit that I love it.  It creates such a perfect natural flush on my skin tone, and it doesn't add any shimmer to my face, which I like a lot.  In the pan, it looks waaay more pastel than I ever thought I would like, but once it's blended, it's really really great.  Again, like most blushes from this brand, a little goes a long way.  These bad boys are pigmented! 

Swiped and blended!

So basically, there's nothing from theBalm I've tried that I haven't liked. Bam!

Boytoys and blushes, I'm outskies!

July Ipsy Bag!

Time for this month's Ipsy bag!  The theme for this month was "Beach Beauty."  Now, I live in the middle of nowhere, and there aren't really any beaches around.  However, I do tend to go for more natural looks and summery warm colors are nice.  I also checked out the Glam Bag hints on the ipsy website and based on the comments knew what to expect, and was pretty excited for my bag to get here!

What came in my bag:

• Pouty Pop Crayon by POP Beauty in Fuchsia Flirt--I was super excited for this!! I am all on the bandwagon with the chubby lip trend (my fav at this point is still the Revlon version), and the color looked so pretty in the stick...then I put it on my lips.  It seemed way lighter on my lips than in the stick...almost Nikki Minaj-pink to me! Not my cup of tea.  However, when I layered it over a brighter lip stain (Revlon Just Bitten in Passion), it looked a lot better and helped tone down the brightness of the stain, making it more wearable for the daytime.

• California Collection Eye Shadow Sample by BH Cosmetics--I was super excited for this item, having never tried BH Cosmetics.  The California Collection is a trilogy of palettes based on three cities in California--San Francisco, Hollywood, and Malibu.  The palettes contain eyeshadows, blush, bronzer, and highlighter, but this mini sample palette came with an eyeshadow from each palette! Hollywood is a cool matte purple, San Francisco a shimmery light brown, and Malibu a shimmery gold! I did my eyeshadow using all three of them today, and they were nice.  The purple doesn't go on as dark as it looks in the pan (which is good, considering purple usually makes me look sick), but it is buildable so you could make it darker if you wanted.  The other two are pretty neutral, which I love...plus, I don't have any really true gold colors in my collection, so this was perfect!

• Mineral Face SPF 20 Unscented Moisturizer by COOLA--I'm looking forward to this one.  I don't have a go-to facial sunscreen, so this will be good to try out! I've heard good things about this brand, as well as rumors that this stuff mattifies, which is always good for my oily skin.

• Weather Proof Humidity Resistant Spray by Sexy Hair--This seems to have come at the perfect time! It's been SUPER humid out the last few weeks and I've noticed that my hair has been extra frizzy.  Maybe this will come in handy?

• Salt Air Perfume Oil Roll On by Demeter--All I can say about this is, OMG.  One sniff of this brings me back to summers at the shore.  Salt, sand, and sunscreen.  I adore this. It reminds me of a wearable version of the Poolside Bath & Bodyworks candle, so awesome. 

 BH Cosmetics Eyeshadow sample!

(Can I also mention this adorbs bag everything came in this month? So cute!)

Shadow swatches

Poolside + Salt Air = #Summerlove

Awkward close-up of the POP Beauty lip crayon.  

This pic makes the color look less pastel than it does in real life.

Overall, I'm pretty pleased with this bag, and glad to add these products to my collection! :)

Haight and Ashbury, I'm outskies!

June 2013 Ipsy!

The theme for this month's Ipsy bag is "On the Wild Side."  I have to say, a few of the products were enough to put in my makeup stand, and some of the others were just...confusing.

What came in my bag:

• Cailyn Gel Liner in Iron--I like this a lot! I have never used a gel liner before, but this one is very easy to apply! It comes with its own little brush and I don't end up with liner all over my lid from blinking so much!  The color is a medium grey, but it is buildable, so you can get it darker.
• NYX Cream Blush in Tea Rose--When I first put this on, I thought I had used too much and it looked very bronzy-rose colored.  However, when I had let it sink into my skin for a little bit, it turned into a very natural looking flush.  Good color for summer, I'm just not sure about the cream consistency on my already oily skin....especially in the summer heat.
• Starlooks Lip Liner in Tickle Me Pink--This is a creamy, bright rose colored pink liner.  I layered it with NYX gloss in Perfect on top, and the colors matched perfectly!  It is a more wearable pink than other brights I have, but I think I will be able to get use from it in the summer months.  
• J. Cat  False Lashes--Here's the thing...I have small eyes, I wear glasses, and the last time I was forced to wear false lashes, I was in high school....and they were bright pink and holographic. (Oh, the troubles we winterguard girls went through).  Since then, I have never even attempted to wear them.  So these lashes? I don't know.  I guess I will have to cut them down and see if they are short enough to *not* hit my lenses every time I blink.  They are also 100% human hair, which is kinda creepy, if you ask me.
• J. Cat Sparkling Cream Palette--I don't even. Pretty sure the only time I would use this would be to go to a gay bar, and since I've never been to a gay bar, this is most likely not going to be coming in handy for anything.  I saw some people on the ipsy site suggesting using it as nail glitter? Idk. I might see if anybody else I know wants it.  Otherwise, it's probably gonna go in the trash.

 Light blush swatch

Lip liner swatch

One eye with the Cailyn liner, one without. I've got that crazy-eyes look going.

Lips have the liner, but the coloring in this picture is terrible so you can't really tell.

Tickle Me Pink Liner with NYX gloss in Perfect. (Again, apologies for the crappy pic)