Review: Urban Decay Vice 2

Urban Decay: Vice 2 Palette
Closed.
Great Packaging as always.

Open.
Gotta love that huge mirror.

Actual Pallette.
So vibrant.
Everything that was missing from the Vice is here!

Moments ago, I received the most wonderful email. The subject? 'You have received a UPS box.' I knew that my Urban Decay: Vice 2 palette had finally arrived in the mail. My squeals, without a doubt, echoed throughout the entire office. 

Having darker skin away makes it impossible to find great pigmented eyeshadow that will actually show true. In the three years of our relationship, Urban Decay has never let me down in regards to having vibrant colors that last. The Naked Palette, though great for others, was definitely not for me. All browns. 😑 I felt as if it wouldn't even show up on me for the most part. I'd always have to wait for year-end when the Book of Shadows was available to get colors. So when the Vice debuted last year, I listed that at the top of my Secret Santa list. I said to myself when I finally received the package containing it that I will henceforth buy every version of Vice that I can get my hands on. 

Samples of colors. 

I'm overjoyed. The colors that I'm truly excited to try are Rewind (a matte color that will serve as a base), Betrayal (an electrified shimmery lavender-lilac), and Prank (an indigo resembling that of a mermaid's tail.)

Nailed: New Nails Everyday (Elle/Sally Hensen) Red Manicure

Elle magazine had a booklet in their latest issue; I'm trying to find it online but alas, it's lost. If I find the link, I will be sure to post it. It's an ad for nails but I'm thinking that I'll probably try all off them eventually due to the extensive material in my home salon that I've blown over 100$ on. I'll post each manicure separately with minor changes. Then I'll update with my own version of these manicures.

First up is the white to a twist on the classic red manicure.

The first day starts with a simple glossy white nail. I would definitely do a modification on this. I'm black. This will look like chalky WhiteOut on my nails. I'll probably end up going with a beige or something super light pink, my skin will wash out the color anyway.

This is followed by a tan stripe added to create a reverse french. In that case- a very pale pink will be used. I think that would look amazing with the gold.

After that the white is used as a base coat for a red polish with a gold glitter tip. I kind of want to try sticking some sequins, kind of like the gold stars inside the snowglobe onto my nails when I do this one.

 
The following day glitter is added to the rest of the nail. I'll either use multicolored glitter or Essie Luxe Effects on the nail. I have it in gold.

Review: Dior Mascara

Shopkicks roped me into trying this mascara and I must say I'm having completely mixed feelings about this mascara. I wouldn't have bought it otherwise (I'm not at the level where I buy makeup simply because a designer slaps their name on it.)

The primer has a 'comb' brush which is perfect for primer but the actual primer solution itself is... Complicated. Either too much comes out or not enough comes out for the tube, but that may be user error. 

The mascara itself has a traditional brush. The solution is decent, a close third to Bad Gal & Smashbox's Lash DNA.     

Halloween 2012: Year of Playboy Bunny

As much as I hate store bought costumes, I truly wanted to be a Playboy Bunny at least one Halloween in my life. So I've done as always- accessories from the store and came up with the attire myself.

 

I wanted a more authentic look (as always), so I opted for a bustier rather than the shapeless option from Spirit of Halloween. The 'sexy' shop in Miami that is literally Halloween headquarters had a zip up bustier that was perfect for my purposes. Not only could I go braless (I wanted a strapless number that would work for me), it was form flattering and as comfortable as a corset gets. I decided on a bikini cut panty with the same material. (Yes, I was running around on Halloween in my underwear.)

All accessories came from Spirit of Halloween. I wanted a solid color for everything, and white (due to my ongoing war with that absence of color) was out of the question. Black ears were incredibly difficult to find. At the fourth store, I finally scored the last pair. Instead of gloves (which I originally wanted but didn't fit right, or go along with the traditional bunny that I wanted to portray), I got the cuff-links. Totally glad I did because making this costume work appropriate called for them later.

Making it work appropriate.

We have an annual costume contest so in order to enter without getting shunned or fired- I paired the bustier with a collared hi-lo sheer white top with rhinestones on it (to create the illusion of a tuxedo). I was incredibly surprised to find this in Loehmann's. The white 'tuxedo' shirt was genius as I had cuff-links to further create the  image of a full shirt.

I also used a blast from years of Halloween past-the shorts from the ringleader costume- rather than panties. Fishnets were still a go to cover my legs.

Look book: Pinterest recreation (Blue/yellow eyes)

Source: weheartit.com via Andi on Pinterest

Theirs Mine

Rant: Dear People of Fashism

Dear People of Fashism,

After over a year of being a member of this site and after the two generous glasses of wine I just consumed, I feel that we are on an honesty level to which we adhere & thus i'm writing this letter as there have been some things on my mind that I must address.

To those who defend their outfits when receiving well needed criticism,
Your outfits average at a 52% approval rating. This hereby meaning you need help getting dressed in the morning. Luckily, you came to a site of people who with try to help you look better. We can't help you if your catty "I know how to dress" statement follows every comment aiming to help your pathetic sense of style is made. If you knew how to dress, you'd average higher. Stop being catty bitches because we called you out. If you don't care what we think, don't post.

To those who have 4+ pictures with the same hideous article of clothing,
It is not the only article of clothing in your closet. If we thought it was ugly the first three times it was posted, what makes you think we won't realize you have tried to pass it off as something else and vote it off the proverbial island yet again? Have you ever stopped to think that this article of clothing may be killing your ratings? It is still ugly & newsflash, you haven't tricked us, you've just made us angry that we have to comment on it & call you out on it so that we can stop seeing it surface every 26 minutes. Jesus! Try some variety!

To the retro enthusiasts,
I get that you're trying to thrift and wear things that were worn in 1989 regardless of whether they flatter you or are attractive & that's awesome. Good for you. My only request is that you stop calling something 'retro' everytime its something old school & ugly. That just insults fashions of the day & consequently pisses me off. Blossom, Six, Clarissa Explains it All & the entire cast of All That wouldn't appreciate you butchering their iconic fashion memory.

To the serial belters,
There's more than one way to define your figure without using a belt. Stop telling people to "add a belt". Adding a belt doesn't solve your problems. It doesn't make them magically disappear. If the article of clothing didn't flatter them in pattern and/or shape then it certainly won't after. You add a vest, or a cardigan, blazer, tuck the shirt in ( if its a shirt that CAN be tucked in) or you can change the shape of the bottom or just change completely because let's be honest, most high fashion is modeled on twiggy 19 year olds that are 5'10 & have -2% body fat, not the general public. Dress for your body type!

To the flip flop freaks,
Flipflops are not suitable attire. They are meant to be worn to the beach, on college campuses, or while running errands or doing housework... Cinderella housework. They can also be worn when you don't want to ruin shoes (while raining) or when your feet hurt (on after wearing a kickass pair all day as a last resort) They scream 'I don't give a rat's ass about the way I look today.... in fact, I didn't feel like trying at all so this is the end result, plastic shoes that allow me to go into placed that require shoes. There's nothing fashionable about flip flops. Nothing. So stop telling me to take my hooker boots off & put on flip flops because that will only happen behind closed doors as I find them tacky & distasteful. Shame on you for that advice.

To the legging/jeggings/skinny Jeans lovers,
Leggings never have between, and never will be pants. Stop telling people to pair their outfits with leggings rather than going back to their closets & finding a real pair of pants. Especially when the poor girl is overweight. Also, throwing this out there, skinny Jeans & jeggings are only appropriate at certain times with certain outfits and at times certain body types. Real friends don't let friends try to pass leggings off as pants.

Last but secondly not least,
To the tweens that get mean,
You've come to us for advice & when we tell you your outfits either aren't right for you, don't match, or anything negative you try to get even by posting negative feedback about anyone who actually tried to help you to not become the hot messes we were when we were twelve. you're fucking twelve. If you can't take constructive criticism without going on a vengeful rampage to ruin the very nice people who to help you look better, then try getting on this site again after puberty.

With all my love & honesty,
LongLivethe Queen.

Look book: Pinterest recreation (red/blue eyes)

Saw this eyeshadow on Pinterest & decided to try it out.

Review: OPI in Excuse Moi

I am not a fan of glitter. I never have been because it reminded me of a Limited Too styled twelve year old girls with a bedazzler gone wild. Can I say that this is adult glitter? (not to be confused with stripper glitter- that's sucia & laced with herpes) This nail polish gives me a similar feeling as I did when I saw a pair of Christian Louboutin's encrusted with "diamonds" (here meaning not actual diamonds but a mystery material bearing the likeness of diamonds). I felt luxurious. Definetly going to try more colors like this. OPI's The Muppets line carries two more to try.

OOTD: New York & Blazers... Automatically synonymous

The feather earrings were a fun touch to bring out the color in the graphic tee. I chose to pair a v-neck with my blazer because in all honesty, I felt as if I was neglecting my graphic tee collection that I was so into. Why not smuggle them into the office under a blazer? 

Tee: American Eagle, Blazer: Marshall's, Jeggings: Walmart, Wedges: Erge Footwear. 

OOTD: Walmart shopping isn't so bad!

Bohemian chic maybe? I don't know.... I normally don't dress like this. The heels are way lower than the usual larger than life platforms that I usually sport. Jeggings? Not a trend I jumped onto right away. Bubble tank? Another one I steer away from due to my ill proportioned 30E bust. BUT the Mentos moment in me forced me to step out of my comfort zone & improvisation led me to this combo, one I actually like & will explore on a more frequent basis. Having said that- everything (save the Hollister cardigan) was from WalMart. The boots are from Erge Footwear in Broward Mall. A chic bun pulled this look together as well. *Note to self. The way to take a bubble top work for a larger bust: make it look less maternity by giving yourself a waist. Something to cinch the middle, I've found that a belt works best.

Top: Walmart, Jeggings: Walmart, Boots: Urge Footwear, Cardigan: Hollister, Purse: Coach, Belt: Ross. 

Hair: New Haircut to bring in 2012

They say that you go through a massive transformation after a breakup- a somewhat reinvention of oneself. As I find myself newly single as of late, I decided to take advantage of my company discount card that I purchased a while ago and chop my hair off. 

Rik Rak is a salon in the Miami Brickell area where I had the pleasure of getting my hair cut. This salon not only has a boutique shop at the entrance, they also have a bistro where you can order food that can be delivered & eaten while in your appointment. Definetly felt like celebrity status. 

Menu. Yeah my salon > your salon. 

Poppin bottles while I wait for this appointment. 

Here are the results!

How to: MAKEUP JUNKIE: Makeup 101: Colourful Smokey Eyes For Summer

Definetly like and will try this.
MAKEUP JUNKIE: Makeup 101: Colourful Smokey Eyes For Summer

Rant: Ridiculous Deal:Wedges, the fun alternative to pumps

Wedges are the funky cousin of pumps, hands down. I love the attitude they bring to an outfit.
I scored this pair from Mandee on Black Friday (yes, I'm blogging in retrospect- dont judge me) for all of $11 USD.
They have a snakeskin relief on the actual wedge a a faux brushed leather upper. The slope, however is incredibly deceiving as it makes me feel like I'm running around in flats! But the back is my favorite part. Reminiscent of a corset, there is a lace up featurette along the heel.
Score.

Review: Urban decay lip primer potion

I found myself in dire need of a lip primer due to my dissapointment with Sephora's sampler. Urban Decay has always been my friend so I figured if their eye primer is that awesome, the lips may appreciate the same. To add to that.... Only a few companies make lip primer. Benefit was my only other choice & between the two, my stellar loving relationship with Urban Decay shot Benefits chance out of the water. So far the lip primer has been extending the life of my lip color. (as well as can be expected with Sephora's 5 minute lip color.) I give it two enthusiastic thumbs up.

Rico!

Updated pics of the pup.

Look book: putting my favorite colors into play

Review: Sephora's answer to all gift sets.

With the holidays coming around again, I know I'm in store for a treat. I love love love shopping for makeup at this time since a strategically spent $50 or $60 can get you a makeup sampler that becomes a real game changer. Sephora, you're up to bat. 

Last year, I gave Urban Decay a chance. I went out on a limb this year and purchased Sephora's Studio Kit. It brings a huge mirror, eye color (entire top level), lip color (two mid levels), eye liner (bottom drawer), bronzer & blush (bottom drawer), and a few applicators (bottom drawer). Should I say a 50$ well spent? I'm still on the fence about that. I've had to but primer for my lip color & eye color (from none other than Urban Decay) 

 Lips. The lip color simply doesn't last without primer! It drives me nuts. There are some pretty nice colors in the palette though & they blend well with my skin... something I was not expecting. Nonetheless, I'm happy to be experimenting with lip color. That is my new venture. 

 Eyes. I have a pressing need for a color wheel. With so many colors to choose from, I go in every direction at once. Looking for an app pronto. However, I Love the eyeliner. I purchased brushes (LINK) which I'll also blog about, but the sleepover brush takes to it perfectly. It glides on with ease, I love it.

Ridiculous Deal: Finally a dream I can weave myself

I've been looking for affordable clips for a long time. Who knew that I would've find them in the hood? DIY hair extensions are the effing bees knees. Not only do they look natural, Dream Weaver extensions are easy to install and mantain.

Available in so many different colors and lengths, I'm impressed with this product.