Depotting Urban Decay Primer Potion

A couple weeks ago, I saw that Hautelook was having an Urban Decay event where everything was 50-65% off. I decided to finally try out the Original and Sin versions of UDPP, which were being sold in the genie bottle packaging for $9.

Knowing the issues people have had with the bottle packaging, I decided to depot it when it arrived, but didn't want to use a jar for fear it would dry out the product. I decided to pick up a couple empty squeeze (lip gloss) tubes and 10 ml syringes from TKB Trading (they sell each for less than $1).

Step one was cutting the bottom of the bottle with a sharp knife

I then used the applicator to spoon the product into the syringe. I cut the bottle again in the middle and kept emptying out all the product.

Once all the product was out, I took off the syringe cap and replaced the plunger in the bottom. I took one of my lip gloss tubes and shot the product into the tube. Once all the product was in the tube I screwed on the plastic slanted applicator.

The whole process went beautifully! I was worried it would be a messy disaster. Now I have a full sized amount of product for half the price in easy to use packaging!

Monthly Favorites: May 2011

There are a lot of products, but since I didn't have a monthly favorites post last month, I guess it's alright. I'm really excited to talk about these things, so lets get right down to it!

• Nars Orgasm/Laguna Duo - I've had this for almost a year, and have used it almost everyday ever since. I usually alternate between MAC Pinch O' Peach blush and Orgasm. I've been using Orgasm a lot this month, and I use Laguna for an all over bronzed glow.
• Nars Copacabana Illuminator - I'm in LOVE with this highlighter! It's a gorgeous pale pink shimmer color, and you only need the teensy tiniest bit to highlight your entire face. I use it on my cheekbones, down my nose, on the browbone, on the eyes, on the cupid's bow and on my decollate. It's amazing, and I definitely enocurage you all to try it.
• MAC Harmony Blush - This is a really great contour color for me. It's about 3-4 shades darker than my skin tone and a nice neutral color. 
• Maybelline Mineral Power Concealer in Fair - I really liked the Instant Age Rewind Concealer, so I was encouraged to try out more of Maybelline's concealers. It's the perfect consistency for the summer. It's a liquid formula so it's nice and light and perfect for the under eye area, while still being opaque enough to cover any blemishes (which I have had plenty of this month. LAME!).

• Urban Decay Primer Potion in Eden - This is a really really great eyeshadow primer. My eyelids are naturally really oily, so a good primer is a necessity. I do have to set it with a powder, and my eyeshadow last for 12+ hours.
• MAC Reflects Antique Gold Glitter - This glitter is BEAUTIFUL! I either use this as an all over lid color, or just lightly over told of a shadow to liven up any look. It's just beautiful and I will definitely repurchase it.
• MAC Eyeshadow Quad - I know I got my 15 pan palette this month, since I depotted all my shadows into it, I was able to pick my favorite fun colors (Burmese Beauty, Twinks, which is another monthly favorite, Skintone 2, and Satin Taupe) and bring it along to Florida. I took this and my Physicians Formula Matte Quad, and I had all the shadows I needed for the entire week.

• Real Techniques Brushes by Samantha Chapman - I've been really impressed with these brushes!! I brought these with my to Florida and I only needed 2-3 extra ones to be set for the week. I like them all, but I feel like these in particular stand out from the rest. I use the Stippling brush for my foundation (since the weather is getting warmer, I want to get in the habit of using less foundation). The Deluxe Crease Brush is perfect for blending, and the Accent Brush is great for smudging as well as lining the eyes. I want to try more of these brushes sometime soon.
• ELF Angled Contour Brush - I've had this brush for a long time and have usually just been using it for blending on the brow bone. But I have found that it is perfect for my Maybelline Mineral Powder Concealer. It's nice and fluffy and blends the concealer effortlessly.
• Aerie Superfruit Vitamin Gloss in Coy - This is a really nice color that just adds a little interest to my lips without being too much. It's a sheer peachy beige color, with multicolored micro-glitter. If you have a chance to find these at an Aerie store, pick up a few. I got mine for $2.50.
• Johnson's Melt Away Stress Lavender and Chamomile Lotion - Lavender and Chamomile is probably my favorite scent combonation ever. I use the body wash, the body oil, the spray and now the lotion. I bought this because I wanted to bring a small tube of something on my trip, and this is a really lovely moisturizer. I'll probably end up getting the full size soon. 

What have been your favorites this month?

Sephora/MAC Haul!!!

I have a really exciting haul for you today! Some of these things have been on my wishlist for a really long time so I'm soo happy to cross those off now. Yesterday I went to Sephora and picked up a couple things, and then when I got home I recieved a MAC box so I knew this was going to be fun.

I'll start with Sephora: I went in there with the sole intention of picking up the Urban Decay Primer Potion in Eden, because I've been having issues with my Painterly Paint Pot. I find lately that it's been really unreliable. One day my eyeshadow will last all day (like 8-10 hours) and then the next it will be creasing after 4. VERY frustrating. I have oily eyelids (yeah, what kind of crap is that. Oily eyelids. Pff) so I have tried powdering my lids before applying the Paint Pot, and that helps to some extent, but I heard that UDPP was good for oilier lids and the fact that it's a matte skin tone color really appeals to me, because it will even out my lids while preparing for eyeshadow (the color is a little darker on my skin tone, but I'm not worried) I also wanted to get it while they were still in their new squeeze tube packaging. Here's what Urban Decay has to say about it:

All the benefits of our #1 product in a nude matte shade. Apply this weightless primer before your shadow (or alone to even out skin tone!) for ridiculously long wear, more vibrant color, and absolutely NO creasing! Out new squeeze tube hold 10% MORE Potion 

Left: Copacabana, UDPP Sin, and UDPP Eden

So once I had that in my hand, I started browsing a little bit, and I made my way to the Nars section. Nars is very dangerous for me. The colors are all gorgeous and I love the texture of their shadows and blushes. Unfortunately, they are not the most affordable products. But I had had my eye on the new Illuminators they released earlier this year. I wasn't interested in either Orgasm or Laguna (Orgasm is too brown looking and cream bronzers scare me), but I tested out Super Orgasm, and while I loved the color (it's a pinky peach with gold glitter. The color is more similar to the Orgasm powder blush rather than the Super Orgasm, which is odd) I found that the glitter was a bit too much for me. Then I swatched Copacabana, which I knew I was going to fall in love with. It's a light pink toned white with a very fine glitter. It's absolutely STUNNING! It is not overpowering at ALL! The tiniest bit will give you a gorgeous sheen, but you can still build it for a more opaque color. If you're unsure about the glitter, you may want to try it before you buy it. Nars says you can use these all over your face or as a highlighter, over or under makeup, and it may be mixed with your foundation for an all over glowy look. Use it on your face, neck, shoulders, or decollete. 

The girls at Sephora also gave me a couple samples. So I got a sample of UDPP in Sin, which is a warm brown, a Clarins Ecran Multi-Protection Moisturizer with SPF 40, and Boscia Oil-Free Daily Hydration with SPF 15. The girl that checked me out was a friend of mine and my sister's and knew we were going to Florida next week, so she made sure I had a lot of sunscreen. What a sweetheart! It's good that she did because I bought the Cetaphil moisturizer a few weeks ago, and I think it's been breaking me out. I thought it might be a hormonal thing, but I started seeing a few blemishes on my forehead, and that doesn't happen. Not cool, man, not cool. 

So, like I said before, not long after I got home, I got a MAC order I had placed earlier this week. I don't know if they have changed their shipping policy, but the last couple orders I have placed, I wont get a tracking number until the day it's supposed to get there, which is odd. But I only placed my order on May 4th, and I got it on May 6th! I don't know if they rushed the shipping without charging me for it or what, but I'm a fan. ANYWAY I've had the same stuff in my shopping cart for a really long time, and these were things I wanted to have while I was in Florida so I went ahead and order them. First I got a 15-Pan Palette, which I have been needing. It's just so sleek and pretty, so I'm really excited to have that. While I was at it I bought Twinks (Veluxe Pearl) and Smut (Velvet). Twinks is a plummy bronze and Smut is a dark grey plum color. When swatched, it's very similar in color to Showstopper (Matte), but I like the texture a lot better. I find Showstopper kind of difficult to work with. 

I also got a blush in Harmony (Matte). It's a medium neutral brown color. It looks like it would be a perfect contour color for fair to medium skin tones. 

So if you made it through all of that, kudos to you! I know I can ramble a bit. But I'm really excited to use all this stuff, and I'm even more excited that I got it all at the same time so I can show you all!

I'll end with a picture of my new palette! I went ahead and depotted my Burmese Beauty quad. Another order or two and it will be full :)

Top: Blanc Type, Skintone 2, Satin Taupe, Twinks, Showstopper
Middle: Trax, Beauty Marked
Bottom: Prized, Burmese Beauty, Smut

Monthly Favorites: March 2011

It's a little late, but better late than never. Hopefully this month I wont be as lazy when it comes to posting

Last month I included the Maybelline Instant Age Rewind concealer and highlighter duo in my monthly favorites, even though I had only just purchased it. I'm happy to say that it has worked really well for my this past month. I posted a better review for it a few posts back, so go check that out. My only complaint is that the concealer end runs out of product much quicker than the highlighter. Whenever I use it, it doesn't look like their much left in the container. But, since I've had good luck with this product I might have to check out some more of Maybelline's concealers. I've heard great things about their Mineral Power line. I've been using the NYX 10 Color Eye Shadow Palette in Champagne and Caviar a lot when I just want a neutral look. I used this palette for my makeup look I'm wearing today, which you can see in the post beneath this one. I bought the Rimmel Soft Kohl eyeliner a long time ago and have only just recently started using it regularly. It's great for days where I don't want to take the time to carefully draw on cream or liquid liner. I just run it quickly over my lash line and smooth it out with my Studio Tools Angled liner brush. I got this Urban Decay Lip Junkie lipgloss sample as my 100 point gift from Sephora, and I really like it. It's one of the more comfortable lip plumping glosses I've used because it's not too overpowering. The color looks kind of dark in the tube, but it's actually a very flattering shade. It's kind of like a "my lips but better" shade.

I was feeling kind of bored with my nails, and frustrated that I could never get them into the shape  that I wanted. So I picked up this at home Acrylic Nail Kit from Kiss, and I was really pleased with the results. First I used the white french tips included in the kit, and then after a few weeks I replaced them with the clear tips and painted over them. I still have a lot of the product left, but I ran out of the acrylic liquid. It takes a bit of patience, but it was really fun while it lasted, and I'd definitely consider picking this up again. I picked up the John Frieda 3-Day Straight spray because I had heard that it helps to keep naturally wavy/curly hair straight and frizz free. I can definitely say that it does exactly what it claims. I'm going to do a more in depth review soon, and I'll be sure to include before and after pictures.

I have been using this perfume called Laila a lot this past month. It's a Norwegian brand that I purchased while I was working in Disney World because they sell it at their Norway pavillion in the World Showcase. It's this lovely clean linen fragrance and has a bit of a floral scent. The notes are listed as watermelon, lavender, Norwegian lily, snowflower, herbs, flowers and musk.It's really pleasant and I've really been loving it..Finally, for my weird choice, I have been listening to Eisley's new album The Valley just about everyday this month. It's amazing! If you are interested in folk rock music, definitely check this band out. They're all really talented.

What have your favorites this past month?

Challenge Day 19/20

What is your favorite concealer?

I've been using the Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Concealer and Highlighter duo and I've really been loving it. It gives really nice coverage but doesn't cake onto my skin like some of the concealers in a jar that I have been using. I had used the NYX jar concealers and they were alright but they felt too heavy on my skin. I like this one because it's nice and lightweight, and the highlighter is actually lighter than my skin tone so it adds brightness and dimension to my face without looking shimmery or unnatural.

What is your favorite eyeshadow primer?

I really like using the MAC Painterly Paint Pot as an eyeshadow primer. I understand that it's not intended to be a primer, but I use it for that purpose anyway. I have the Urban Decay Primer Potion sample in Greed, and while I do like it, I don't think it does a better job than the Paint Pot. I have oily eyelids, so no matter what primer I use, I have to first put some powder over my lids (I use my MSF for that) and I find that the oil doesn't break through as quickly. When I do that, I can make my eye makeup last for about 12 hours or so.

Monthly Favorites: February 2011

I've always wanted to do a post like this! If you have been following along, then some of these wont be a surprise at all, because I've been using most of them everyday.

I have found that the Studio Sculpt and MSF Natural is the best combo I have ever used. It just gives a flawless finish, without feeling like I have a lot of makeup on at all. I have used Pinch O' Peach nearly everyday since I got it. It's such a lovely color and really compliments my skin, because it's so light and I can't overdue it. I only just purchased the Maybelline Instant Rewind Concealer and Highlighter recently, but I really am in love with it. I like that the concealer gives great coverage, and the highlighter gives such a natural sheen that is not too glittery. I've used the ELF Setting Spray for a few months, but it really does make my makeup last a long time.

I have been using my MAC shadows a lot this month, especially Blanc Type, Satin Taupe, and Beauty Marked. Also, I use my Physicians Formula Matte Quad in Canyon Classics just about everyday since I bought it almost 2 years ago. It's great for helping my eye shadows blend together. I bought the Maybelline One by One Mascara last week, and it's really great for separating my lashes and adding volume. I like this better than my Covergirl Lashblast, because the One by One doesn't make them clump together as much. I've really liked using the Urban Decay Primer Potion in Greed sample I got in my Dangerous Palette, especially when I do shimmery looks. I've been using my L'Oreal Linear Intense Liquid Liner a lot in the last few weeks, because I finally got the hang of using it. The one I have has a brush tip applicator, rather than a felt tip, so it can be a little difficult to work with. I need to draw out where I'm going to put it with a black shadow first, but it's really dark, and lasts all day without flaking or smudging. My favorite lipstick for this month has been MAC Milan Mode, because it's a luster finish and I can make it as sheer or opaque as I want.

I don't have the box for it anymore, but one of my favorites has been the hair color I use, which is L'Oreal Feria in Starry Night. It's a beautiful dark cool toned black, and makes your hair look kind of blue in the sunlight. Love love LOVE that color.  Since I've been dying my hair black, I've been using the Garnier Frutis Color Shield Conditioner (this is a new bottle, and I also picked up the shampoo to go with it.) It's a nice thick formula and is very moisturizing. When I use it, I like to mix it with a bit of the Hi-Gloss Conditioner that came with my hair color, and let it sit while I'm washing my body, and rinse right before I get out of the shower. I've been wearing my hair curly a lot this month, and I've been using my Conair 1 1/4 Tourmaline Curling Iron to style it. I love the nice loose curls it gives. I've used my ELF Matte Finisher top coat on all my manicures since I bought it, and I love the look that it gives. I am wearing it now over ELF Metal Madness. Finally, I've been loving this Body Butter by Basin in the scent Therapy. It's a very clean and soothing scent and the body butter is super moisturizing. I use it when I get out of the shower.

I think that's everything! What have been your favorite product for this month?

Haul: Urban Decay

I got my first Urban Decay item ever this morning! I ordered this from their website and it came in the mail today. They have recently come out with 3 palettes to showcase different styles and personalities, and this their new Dangerous Palette (the other 2 are their Fun and Feminine palettes). Each palette costs $34, and I actually thinks its a really great deal.

This is how Urban Decay describes this product:

"We like to describe everything we do as "feminine, dangerous, and fun"... but you appear to be rooted on the wild side. These six intense, bewitching shadows help your inner "Femme Nikita" come out kicking. Feed your dangerous desires with Greed, our gilded eyeshadow primer and a naughty purple eye pencil."

Top: Haight, Mildew, Virgin, Rockstar Eyeliner
Bottom: Oil Slick, Rockstar, Gunmetal, Greed Primer Potion

As you can see it came really nicely packaged. Each of these palettes come with 6 eyeshadows (which are a tiny bit smaller than their regular shadows, but nothing major), a miniature Primer Potion, and a mini 24/7 Glide-On Eyeliner Pencil. This palette comes with Haight, which a gorgeous teal color, Mildew, a dirty green with brownish undertones and gold sparkle, Virgin, a shimmery beige (this one is from the Naked Palette), Oil Slick, a black with silver glitter, Rockstar, a deep eggplant shade, and finally Gunmetal, a dark grey with silver glitter. All of these shadows are incredibly smooth in texture and very pigmented. The palette also comes with Greed Primer Potion, which is a neutral shimmery gold color, and an eyeliner in Rockstar, which is again an eggplant purple shade.

I'm really happy with all the colors in this palette. I'm actually pleasantly surprised with how much I like Mildew, since normally I am not a big fan of greens, but I think the brown undtertones make it a bit more wearable. I don't know, maybe my eyes are seeing things. I'm also really excited to try out the primer and the eyeliner. While I like my MAC Painterly Paint Pot, it is not a primer, per se, and I can only get a couple of hours worth of wear before it creases. I tried Too Faced Shadow Insurance a long time ago in a sample size, but I don't remember if it worked well for me or not, and I never repurchased, so it's about time I give Urban Decay's primer a try. And I've heard these eye liners are awesome for the waterline.

L to R: Haight, Mildew, Virgin, Oil Slick, Rockstar, and Gunmetal

I'm going to be making looks with this soon, when I feel up to wearing makeup. I'm feeling kinda crummy today.