In which I learn that sometimes, you don't get what you pay for.

Honest to Papa Diós, I have been meaning to update more often, and with more substantial (or, dare I say...MEATY) posts, but I am at a very strange place in my life, so you will have to forgive me.

Last week, I was browsing the brush collections at Sephora because...well, mostly because I wanted new brushes.  The set I had does what I need it to do well enough, but there were some more brushes I could use, and...in short, I am the queen of justification.  So my good friend Erica pointed me to the Real Techniques brushes (available at Ulta) and said I would love them.  When I saw the price tag ($17.99 for the starter kit!!), I was like.  Hell, I can't even buy 2 packs of cigarettes with that (because, clearly, life is measured in packs of cigarettes).  It can't hurt to try them because of minimal financial investment when compared with other brush sets and worst case scenario, they become back up brushes.  So I got my order and...

look!! Brushes:

So then I did this:

and close up:

Skimp on the lid, Gravity on the crease, and Zephyr on the browbone (all from Urban Decay BoS IV)

And holy shit.  I feel like Sephora has been sort of ripping me off all these years after using the Real Techniques brushes.  They are soft but firmer than Sephora's, which is what I generally have used in the past, and I felt like I had more control when it came to blending, which is one of my stumbling blocks, however minor it may be. The construction of the brushes also seems pretty sturdy, like the brush won't fall apart in a week or two (last drugstore blush brush, I am looking at you) Also, you really cannot beat the quality for the price, .  $17.99!! Can't get over it.

I also tried out this:

bareMinerals Marvelous Moxie in Party Starter (a coral shade)

which I liked enough.  It is a thicker gloss, infused with botanicals and antioxidants and tingled when I put it on.  It gives enough color, though I am not big into lip products because of having to reapply and I lose everything that isn't a vital appendage.  This product gets compared to the polishes by Buxom (of which bareMinerals is the parent company) a lot due the shared stock and price tag, and if given the option of only buying one of these lines ever again, I would chose Buxom's lip polish.  Overall, I don't find this product to be earth-shattering, but I don't feel that I wasted my money, either.

And in keeping with the theme; NOTD:

Essie Lilacism and China Glaze Prism

The glitter is from China Glaze's new Prismatic Chroma glitters line.  I have seen a big deal being made all over the internet about these, and while I like it, it, like the lip gloss, is not earth shattering.  It is a sparkly multi glitter.  Not a waste, but not something I would rush out and stand in line to buy. I will be angry when I try to remove all that glitter, all I AM NEVERRRR USING GLITTER AGAIN WOOOOOOEEEEEE.  Until a day or so later, because I am sparkly and simply cannot help it.

in which we learn that you need your spinal cord for good makeup

Spring has sprung, which this year, means 2 things: my seasonal allergies have also sprung and I have thrown my back out.  Both of this explain my recent absence; when my seasonal allergies act up, I end up with patches of eczema on either eyelid.  I find this especially ironic or just unfair, seeing as my main purpose in life is makeup.  So I spent a few anxiety ridden days makeup-less at work, only to then injure my back at work (nothing incredibly serious, but I have been in pain for almost 2 weeks, so there is that).

Things I learned: it is far worse to have clear eyelids (once you get your antihistamines all squared away) and a broken back, as you look in the mirror all HOW CAN IT FEEL SO WRONG BUT BE SO RIGHT.  Doing your own makeup without looking like Quasimodo, at least temporarily, is a difficult feat on a good day.  Days of incredible back pain are not good days at all, so it was easier to just not get out of bed.

Anyway, I digress.  I had all these big plans for my brush mini-series, but that has gone onto the back burner while I try to get some focus back.

So today, I did my nails:

China Glaze VIII, which is a nice muted purple black (it looks darker in person, at least to me, but I am the first to admit I have bad eyesight) and Essie Shine of the Times which is an irridescent flakey topcoat that I really love.  It seems to take on a different personality depending on the color you put it over.  It is distracting me as I write this blog post, but I am ADHD certified, so if this is a problem you may not want to wear it to work.  Though, let's face it, if it isn't your nail polish distracting you, it'll just be your cleavage, so why not?

(And no, I don't believe in nail clean-up.  The only people who notice are those who troll the internet...oh wait.)

Then, there is this.

Which I did using this:

The Too Faced Natural Eye palette. These shits are how I learned how to blend, in part. There are little cards tucked into the top that if you can manage to get out (minor design flaw) give you 3 different looks.  I don't need those anymore, but they helped me with some kind of direction, initially. I used the bottom row; Honey Pot (the color in the middle) over the entire lid, the darker Cocoa Puff in my crease, then Nude Beach on my brow bone.  I am more than a little obsessed with neutrals right now, and they are kind of hard to mess up (in my opinion, but you know what they say about opinions and assholes).

I have also developed a new-found love for tinted moisturizer, but I'll save that for another day when I have the energy to wax poetic on the pros and cons of tinted moisturizer and liquid foundation and tell all my secrets about what I will buy at a drug store.

Like I said.  Another day.