SDCC 2015

A week ago, the world's largest comic convention took place. If you don't know what SDCC is - It is the San Diego Comic Convention (also known as SDCC or Comic Con) and it is held annually every summer in San Diego, CA. Originally, this started out as just a convention for nerds and comic lovers, but has since turned into an all out 4 day event for cosplayers, fans, producers, writers, artists, nerds, collectors, and just about any thing you can categorize into pop culture.

I have been to quite a few conventions, but this was my first time at SDCC and I wasn't quite sure what to expect. What I discovered was that it is a massive city-wide event! You literally can find something to do with the convention or comics or pop culture throughout all of SDCC. The entire city puts on costumes and decorates for it. I was just really happy to be able to see my favorite collectibles there- My Little Pony, Tokidoki, Funko, and Hello Kitty! I also had the opportunity of seeing a live panel with the living cast members of Babylon 5 (yeah, I never said I didn't have a nerdy side)! As for make-up and beauty, there was plenty of beauty, but not much for me to report on make-up. In some ways that is good. I think, we all know how make-up can be both positive and negative, especially for women. There were live models being used for prosthetics and costume make-up; these models were turned into monsters, which is really not my cup of tea, but can be an interesting process to see. I personally enjoyed seeing cosplayers with little or no make-up. It's a freeing feeling to be able to feel like you can go out in public and still feel beautiful or amazing without having to "put on your face". Don't get me wrong, I love make-up and wore it at the convention, but it's nice to see that many people do not feel it is necessary. I certainly do not wear make-up every day of my life. If you pay attention to comics, most Super Heroes and females included, do not wear make-up and so it's nice to see people staying true to the characters and even better that the public embraces these women to be natural! - Women in comics and female super heroes have always been a subject of controversy, because in the past they were usually created and drawn by men, thus giving them a more desirable appearance for men and not a true or accurate account of what a female is or would want to look like. While this is changing all the time with people campaigning for women's equality and more and more women are entering the field, it's still highly debated and at times frowned upon by women, feminists, and groups who support equality. This is a completely different topic and something I may touch on later, but I feel it's something that cannot be ignored, especially when the beauty community is attacked constantly.

On a more positive note- I'd like to share my make-up looks with you for the 2015 SDCC. Enjoy! All products used are listed below.

Day 1

• Foundation: Tarte Amazonian Clay Full Coverage Airbrush Foundation in "Light-Medium Neutral"
• Contour Shade: Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Matte Bronzer
• Blush: MAC Cosmetics Sunset Beach Blush Ombre (Proenza Schouler collection - limited edition)
• Lipstick: Jeffree Star Cosmetics Velour Liquid Lipstick in "Queen Supreme"
• Eyeliner: Buxom Lashliner in Leatherette
• Eyeshadow: It Cosmetics Naturally Pretty Volume 1 Matte Luxe Transforming Eyeshadow Palette - all over Lid (Warmth), Crease & Outer V (Java), Shading & Crease (Sunset), Highlight & Inner Corner (Sheer Joy)
• Finishing Powder: bareMinerals - Mineral Veil in "Original"
• Eyebrows: Tarte Tarlette Palette in shades "Dreamer" & "Fashionista"
• Eyelashes: It Cosmetics Hello Lashes

Day 2

• Foundation: Tarte Amazonian Clay Full Coverage Airbrush Foundation in "Light-Medium Neutral"
• Contour Shade: Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Matte Bronzer
• Blush: MAC Cosmetics Ocean City Blush Ombre (Proenza Schouler collection - limited edition) & Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush in "Natural Beauty"
• Lipstick: Jeffree Star Cosmetics Velour Liquid Lipstick in "714"
• Eyeliner: Buxom Lashliner in Leatherette
• Eyeshadow: all over Lid - Urban Decay Electric Palette in shade "Thrash", Outter V & Crease - MAC Cosmetics "Green Room" (Moody Blooms collection - limited edition), Crease & shade color - It Cosmetics Naturally Pretty Volume 1 Matte Luxe Transforming Eyeshadow Palette in shade "Sunset"
• Finishing Powder: bareMinerals - Mineral Veil in "Original"
• Eyebrows: Tarte Tarlette Palette in shades "Dreamer" & "Fashionista"
• Eyelashes: It Cosmetics Hello Lashes

There's my SDCC looks. If you have any questions or comments feel free to leave them below. I have at least 2 more conventions I'll be going to later this year and I'll be posting about them too! Hopefully, it will be posts of my cosplay that I am working on now!

Fashion Look: LC by Lauren Conrad Sweater

I'm sharing a *Fashion Look* today. I always say this is a fashion and beauty blog and in the 50+ posts I've created on this blog, I have yet to really show any fashion. This is something I recognize I need to work on and progress is going to start right now!

This is an Early Spring Look featuring a sweater by LC Lauren Conrad, which is sold exclusively at Kohl's. You cannot buy this sweater anymore, but it retailed for around $40 when I bought it. I believe it was originally $54, but Kohl's is a department store and you know they never sell their clothing at the full retail value that is marked on the tag. The sweater is a mint green cable knit that is very light and leans towards the grey side. It may vary color depending on your screen settings.

I have paired it a pair of ripped jeans by Bullhead, which is sold exclusively at Pac Sun. They were around $45. I feel the ripped jeans give this look a little edge.

As for LC Lauren Conrad- I find her line to be on the vintage side. If you're into the vintage, boho, or classic fashion scenes you'll like her line of clothing. I find her clothing to fit true-to-size in most cases with a few items running a little big. I have heard her dresses run a size small, but I have never bought any of the dresses from her line.

Here is a closer look at the sweater. You can see the see-through lace that is so delicate at the top. I love when you see 2 extremes paired together that set each other off just right. In this case, it's something elegant with something edgy.

Here is a a close-up of the make-up. The eyes and blush are from the New Year's Countdown palette from em Michelle Phan. The foundation is the Amazonian Clay Foundation by Tarte and the contouring is just simply the bronzer from a Few of My Favorite Things palette from Too Faced. The lips are Instigator from MAC.

Make-Up Look: On Trend - Neutral Eye & Red Lip

I'm sharing a look I did that follows the current trend of a more neutral eye-look that is paired with a bright lip; the trend seems to be leaning towards a bright red lip, which is what I'm wearing in the pictures.

I used Tarte's Amazonian Clay Foundation for my face and Too Faced Shadow Insurance to prime my eyes. My lips are MAC's RiRi Woo. The eye look and cheeks come from the em Michelle Phan Ice Bunny palette. I lined my eyes with Buxom's Lashliner in "Leatherette". 

I wore this look out for dinner with my fiance. I think it turned out pretty well and I'm really impressed by the way the blush complimented my skin tone.

Christmas Nails & Make-Up 2013

As I stated in my last post, I was on vacation and I'm back now! So, I have a lot of catching up to do! Christmas is not a big holiday to me. I do not personally celebrate this holiday, but for family and friends I do. I spent most of Christmas day on the phone and internet connecting with my friends and family who were far away. I did go see the movie "47 Ronin" that day, which is a movie based on a true Japanese story, and I highly suggest you see the movie if you like action; skip the 3D though, because it was clearly not made for 3D viewing.

First let me start by sharing my nails and also asking that you ignore my Pinkie. I damaged my finger Christmas Eve and it bled under the skin. It has since healed. - I painted my nails in "Emerald Rock City" from Wet 'N Wild's Fergie line. This polish was part of Fergie's holiday collection from 2013.

My makeup is all from the Too Faced limited edition palette released over the holidays entitled "A Few of my Favorite Things":

• I used Too Faced Shadow Insurance to prime my eyes.
• First I used "Creme Colored Ponies" as a highlight color.
• Then I took "Melt Into Spring", which is actually a blush, and used it as the crease and blending coloring.
• I finished with "Pure Glam", a sparkly black, and that was all over the lids. 
• I lined my eyes with Tarina Tarantino's Eye Dream Hyperliner in "Spark of Envy".
• I used both bronzers from the palette and the blush I used on my face was "Raindrops on Roses".
• My lipstick is the color "RiRi Woo" which is part of the Rihanna collection from MAC.

Hope you enjoyed this look. Leave questions, comments, and links to your Christmas looks below!

Stay tuned for a load of reviews!

HAPPY NEW YEAR! Welcome, 2014!

I know I'm a week late, but I've been on a mini vacation. I take time off every year for my birthday (which is January-2) and I make the week all about me, so that's where I have been. Also, the holidays were so much more hectic for me this year than ever before! I feel this extra chaos comes from me now living on the other side of the country, apart from my friends and family. I hope everyone out there had a great holiday and that includes the New Year! 

I'd like to share with you my New Year's look. Real quick on the dress- The dress is from Frederick's of Hollywood and I bought it at an actual store out here in California (not online) and I actually bought it in October specifically for New Year's. I believe this one was around $79. I tend to plan outfits far in advance for big occasions.

So, now onto my makeup! I realize my hair is a little frizzy, but it was the end of the night and my hair is naturally frizzy....... Anyway! My look was inspired by Holiday Glam and my dress! I like when make-up coordinates with my outfits and my man loves it.

The way the light reflected it looks like there is something on my eyelash, but I promise you there was nothing. It's not in the other photos either. But moving onto the products-

• I started out with Too Faced Shadow Insurance to prime my eyes.
• I used the silver color called "Ice Bunny" from the Ice Bunny palette from EM Michelle Phan all over the base of the lid for a good base color.
• Next I put "Shellshock" from the Urban Decay Vice 2 palette all over the lids.
• I used "Black Pumps" from the Ice Bunny palette to line the lids and softly define the crease.
• I then took my MAC Cosmetics liner in Smolder to line the bottom lash line.
• I used the "Ice Bunny" color again under my eyes and very sparingly for my highlight color.
• Lastly, I took NYX Loose Pearl Eyeshadow in "Shimmering Silver" all over the lids to give it that extra silver shine!
• On my lips I used "RiRi Woo" from the Rihanna Holiday Collection released by MAC.

For my face I used Tarte's Amazonian Clay Foundation and Too Faced bronzer & blush from their "A Few of my Favorite Things" palette.

That's my look! Hope you liked! Leave comments, questions, and links to your New Years look! 

A Christmas Tale: "A Girl and A Few of Her Favorite Things"

In the spirit of the holidays, I would like to share a story about a girl and her quest to get her hands on "A Few of My Favorite Things".

With all of the holiday palettes, sets, and limited edition items that cosmetic companies come out with this time of the year it can be hard to choose what to get and what you'll pass on. -At least for me it is.

I narrowed down what I wanted pretty fast and when I finally decided exactly what I was going to get with the money my mom gave me to specifically spend on a treat for myself (thanks, Mom), I found that Sephora was sold out online with the Too Faced limited edition palette entitled "A Few of My Favorite Things", which is an exclusive to Sephora only. Bummed out for days, I finally decided that I would go to Sephora after work, last Friday. While I was sitting on break I thought to myself- What if they don't have it and you waste that time going there? And since there were multiple Sephora locations around, I could end up driving all over just to try to find it. Then that genius-part of me finally came through and said, "Kaitie, call the stores to see if they have it in stock." So, I called the Sephora location closest to me and not only did they say they had it, but they would hold it for me! (Apparently, this holding thing is common at Sephora, but I had no idea they would do that.) So, now you can imagine how excited I was for the rest of the day!

After work, I drove down to the mall and walked into Sephora. I walked up to the counter and when the girl asked what I wanted, I told her that they were holding a Too Faced palette entitled "A Few of My Favorite Things" and she started looking for it. 

She couldn't find it. -Trying not to get worried.

A second girl approaches and the first girl explains what she's looking for, and then they're both looking and cannot find it. -I'm worried now.

They ask me if I came to the correct location, which I knew I did, and even asked to see the # on my phone to confirm it is their store, which it was. -Ladies, please! I know who I called!

They get a third girl involved now and she can't find it either! -Now I'm just upset. Feeling like I wasted time and I'd been standing there for a good 15 minutes or so and no progress is being made.

Finally, a fourth girl comes over and they all explain what is going on and this new girl says, "Are you sure you have the right palette, because we've been sold out of it since last week." -Now, I'm raging inside, because I feel like I've wasted 20+ minutes and I called ahead, and all my happy feeling was being stabbed and shredded.

So, the first girl then says she will call other Sephoras to see if they have it. -I do not want to drive all over after this nonsense. 

She calls the Sephora inside JcPenney at the same mall they are located in and they assure her they have it and will hold it for me with my name on it. So, I dash out of that Sephora and make my way down to JcPenney.

As soon as I arrive inside JcPenney they ask me if they can help me. (Of course they can!) I tell them I am here to pick up the Too Faced palette on hold for me. The girl goes into this big draw where all of these products with names on them are in AND........she can't find it. -WHAT?!

She looks in another draw with items on hold. Can't find it. -ARE YOU SERIOUS?!

She double checks both draws and takes everything out, and cannot find it. -OMG! WHY ME?!

And then she looks around the register and cannot find it there. -Heart sinking.

She looks in the draw where all the back stock of Too Faced is kept. It's not there. -They're sold out too.

She then asks me if I'm at the right location. -Not this again.

A manager came over and asked what was going on, and after explaining everything she walked over to the registers, pulled up some papers and said she had left it there. -RELIEF!

I not only walked out of the store with the palette, but also with a goodie bag that the girl put together for me. I don't know if she just felt sorry for me or what, but I'll take it! The bag was just one of those reusable bags that you usually buy for groceries, but it is a little better made than most (the ones I have gotten from the Disney Store & Bath and Bodyworks are not near as sturdy as this one).

The Sephora bag came with a Snowglobe from Disney that features Mickey Mouse with "2013" printed on it; Lorac's "TANtalizer" sample; and a plastic pouch of goodies.

Most of the samples in the pouch were repeats. I received foundation, primer, and perfume samples. I'm not complaining. It was all free and I'll take what I get.

The packaging features a very eye-catching chevron print and as you can see in the background- it comes with a make-up bag that holds everything, including the palette; a deluxe size of their "Better Than Sex" mascara; and their Lip Injection Color Bomb in "Bee Sting", which is an exclusive color to Sephora.

The set contains 20 eyeshadows, 2 blushes, and 2 bronzers, along with what I already mentioned.

And when you open it up, you are just simply taken with it! Even though it took me about an hour to get my hands on it, it was well worth it. I will be posting looks that I do with this palette soon enough, as I plan to use it on some upcoming events I am attending. If you would like swatches I suggest checking out these blogs:

• xsparkage
• Dulce Candy
• Makeup Geek

With all these blogs out there who have already swatched these, I feel like there's really no need for me to do so. The 3 blogs I listed did a great job and swatching and explaining the colors, and there are many more out there!

I hope you enjoyed my story and if you're still trying to get your hands on one then I suggest trying the Sephora inside of a JcPenney's if you're lucky enough to live near one. I know when I was living in Tennessee there was no Sephora inside any JcPenney around me, so it's not an option for everyone else. Otherwise, your only choice is Amazon or eBay where these babies are going for an average of $100, which the initial price is $56. 

***Don't forget: If you're a Sephora Insider you have $15 to use by SUNDAY. They expire after that!

Make-Up Look for September-22, 2013

I took my Turtle out for a little exercise around our patio, Sunday, after football was over (except for the Sunday night game). She enjoyed it.

I decided to take pictures of my Detroit Lions inspired make-up. This time of year is football for me on the weekends- Saturday is college and Sunday is the NFL. I'm originally from Michigan, so all my favorites are Detroit teams!

Products Used:

• Primer: Too Faced Shadow Insurance 
• I used Wet 'N Wild Trio #34169 "To Muse and Carouse", the light blue color, all over the lid. (This was from this years limited edition Pop Art Craze collection.)
• I then used the Wet 'N Wild Fergie "After Hours" palette, the blue in the center, for the crease. I'd just like to say that this color performed better than I thought it would, but there was a lot of fallout. (This palette was from the limited edition collection released this fall.)
• The highlight color was from the same "To Muse and Carouse" trio by Wet 'N Wild. It is the first first color, looks kind of peachy.
• I lined my eyes with the Wet 'N Wild Fergie creme liner "Cobalt Vault" on top and bottom. I'm very impressed by this liner. It stays on and looks very nice. Just a little tougher to get off, but nothing that oil can't take care of.
• Lipstick is Milani #09 "Pink Frost".

Make-Up Look for August 9, 2013

These first set of picture are from my make-up for the morning/afternoon of August-9,2013 (yesterday).

Aside from my awesome Legend of Korra t-shirt! (I'm so ready for Season 2!) I used make-up inspired by the blue, black, and purple in the shirt.

Products Used:

• I started with my favorite primer- Too Faced Shadow Insurance.
• I used Sugarpill Cosmetics Tako as a white base.
• I then applied Sugarpill Cosmetics Hysteric all over the lid.
• The black I used for the outter corner and crease is My Beauty Addiction's Skydancer from their Rainbow Bright Collection.
• I lined my eyes with Cailyn Linefix Gel Eyeliner in #6 Purple.

For the evening I changed up my make-up just a bit. I went with something a little more fun. However, these pictures were taken this morning. Yup, I have been up all night! I'm a night owl and once I get with my friends we can't stop talking.

Products Used:

• Same primer and base as before. I applied the Maybelline Color Tattoo Eyeshadow in #15 Blue Paradise. (This was a limited edition shade from this summer's collection.)
• I then went in with L'Oreal's Infallible Eyeshadow in #342 With A Twist in the outter corner and crease. (This was a limited edition shade from this years Miss Candy Collection.)
• I used Wet N Wild's #34052 Going In The Wild palette for a highlight; the purple shade in the palette. (This was a limited edition palette release this year for spring and released this summer.)
• Underneath the eye, on the bottom, I used the Maybelline Color Tattoo Eyeshadow in #20 Waves Of White. (Also part of the limited edition collection from this summer.)
• I lined the eyes with Milani Liquid Eye #1 Black on top and bottom.