Evil Queen Style: OOTD 1

Saturday, March 29, 2014

fashion, outfit, elizabeth and james, louboutins, agent provocateurfashion, outfit, elizabeth and james, louboutins, agent provocateur
fashion, outfit, elizabeth and james, louboutins, agent provocateur



Evil Queen Inspiration: Dita Von Teese is an Actual Goddess

Thursday, March 27, 2014



Dita Von Teese is my Ultimate. She is my Supreme. She, for me, is the Be All and End All of Beauty. She is not someone whom I'd call a "Bad Bitch" or an "Evil Queen", because to me she is more of an angel. She's untouchable, completely unparalleled. And she's so sweet and soft and just ugh, okay, I'm in love with her.

Probably her most famous quote is "I advocate glamour, every day, every minute" which comes from her book Burlesque and the Art of the Teese, and that basically describes her very well. She's the ultimate in retro glamour, having amassed quite an army of red lippied, winged eyelinered ladies if the Bloomingdale's event I attended is anything to go by.

By trade she is an all-star burlesque dancer, but after gaining quite a reputation in the fashion industry, she is also now a model, muse, purfumier, and designer, with a lingerie line of her own and an apparently foray into sunglasses coming soon. Essentially, she's a full time beautiful person. And she really is stunning.

The thing that I love about Dita, besides her absolute and constant poise, grace, and femininity, is that she is an advocate for alternative glamour. In an interview with the Chicago Tribune last year, she discusses her look: "Old Hollywood (beauty), for me, it seemed easier to attain that kind of beauty because I could paint it and wash it away when I'm done. When I look at the cover of Sports Illustrated … I appreciate it and admire that kind of beauty and think maybe in another life I'm going to come back as that kind of beauty. But, actually, I'd rather be me, because I have an affection for anyone that has arrived to a different kind of substance with hard work and dedication." 

It's always really wonderful to me to see women who, though they may not look like super models, do not bring down those who do. Instead, Dita manages to promote finding a glamour that suits an individual personally. It's not about what other people tell you is beautiful, it's about what makes you feel beautiful. 


I think there's a power in that, a power that is untapped in most women. Dita helped me, along with countless others, realize that being "trendy" or looking like what is in a magazine is not the only form of beauty. 



"Growing up, I tried to conform to the more traditional, American look a few times…but it never worked. When I would dress modern, people would tell me that I have such a retro look, and I would tell them that I was trying to wear something new! [Laughs] What I remember most was being made fun of by people on the street for my style and for wearing red lipstick and black eyeliner. I was sixteen when I started doing my cat eye; it was really subtle then. When I was seventeen, eighteen, I really started going for it. I wanted to be the next Bettie Page. I started hanging around more alternative people and drag queens, and I was working in the LA underground scene. And back then, there was no E! True Hollywood Story: Bettie Page; it wasn’t trendy. So I just remember people not having anything to equate with me, you know? People love to point at you and say, ‘You remind me of this.’ I would get a lot of Dracula and Elvira. And when Pulp Fiction came out, people were like, ‘You’re the girl in Pulp Fiction!’ People have a really hard time just looking at you for you; they have to point out what they think you remind them of, which I think is a very strange phenomenon."  - Dita to Into The Gloss


""I would tell anyone that she could capture the spirit of what I'm about, that she could find her own confidence in her own way. My aesthetic is not for everyone. … I feel like I've been called beautiful and ugly in different measures. 'Beauty is in the eye of the beholder' is very true. You have to remember that. You can't listen to what people say. It's like water off a swan's back." - Dita to the Chicago Tribune

Recently I had the opportunity to meet Dita at an event in New York, the launch of her Dita Von Teese lingerie line in Bloomingdales. And LET. ME. TELL. YOU. She is so flawless, I saw her out of the corner of my eye and thought she wasn't real. I swear to you I thought it was a mannequin or something. She is just so poised, so careful with her movements and delicate it's like she's made of glass. She was flawless from head to toe in her Zac Posen, and she was so sweet when I talked to her. She signed my copy of her book and took a photo, as well as complimented my clutch bag. It was really the opportunity of a lifetime, and I am so in awe of her. 



These are the photos I took at the event:

Dita Von Teese and EQB! 





Evil Queen Beauty's First Giveaway!

Sunday, March 23, 2014

giveaway, julep, pop cosmetics, too faced, narciso rodriguez, viktor & rolf, perfume, nail polish, lashes, lipstick, lip gloss, prize, evil queen beauty


In celebration of reaching 50 followers on Bloglovin, I am doing my first ever giveaway! I'm really excited and so thankful to all my followers. The giveaway is currently open until the end of the month, which gives you about a week and a half to enter and encourage all your friends to enter too! It's an awesome prize pack filled with lots of pinky, spring-themed beauty goodies!

The prize includes:

  • One full size Pop Aqua Lacquer lip gloss in Flowering Fuchsia
  • One full size Julep nail Polish in Love
  • One Fill size Dex lipstick in Rockaway Rambling Rose
  • One mini Too Faced Better Than Sex black mascara
  • One set of Salon Perfect lashes with lash glue
  • One mini Narciso Rodriguez For Her perfume
  • One mini Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb perfume


This is open to US RESIDENTS ONLY. So lets get started! 


a Rafflecopter giveaway



Thanks for entering, and good luck!

Must Have: Tarte's CC Matte beMATTEnificent Amazonian Clay palette

Monday, March 17, 2014


tarte matte amazonian clay palette bemattenificent
tarte matte amazonian clay palette bemattenificent

I remember saying after I got the Naked 3 palette that I'd never need another palette again.

I was wrong.

I've actually had Tarte's CC Matte beMATTEnificent Amazonian clay palette for a while but I haven't blogged about it yet because I'm so in love with it I don't know what to say. It's definitely on my must-have list. I take it with me when I travel, I recommend it to everyone, I use it more often than anything else (alright, about 50/50 with the Naked 3 - I still love that thing too). I love it. I love love love it.

First off, the packaging is epic. The cut-away gemstone pattern is an enchanting intro to the colours inside, and the case is nice and heavy, but slim enough that I can carry it easily in my purse. It also comes with a sheet of paper with two looks - one for day and one for night - mapped out and with instructions so it can be easily re-created.

The pallette itself is 8 matte eye colours and a blusher in gorgeous purple, pink & taupe tones. It's extremely versatile, and the brush that comes with has both defining and blending ends for a multitude of looks. I've swatched them below for you:

tarte matte amazonian clay palette bemattenificent swatches
From top left: Sand Out From the Crowd, Peach for the Stars, Two Plums Up, Don't Stand Black, Pink Outside the Box, Rose to the Occasion, View from the Taupe, Dream in Chocolate

The lightest colour is a bit hard to see on my skin tone but the matte texture makes for a really lovely natural look. I am not a person who likes a lot of shimmer so it really is great to have an all-matte palette. Plus, purples and pinks look great with brown eyes (or any eyes, really, I love me some purple) and the blusher is a really subtle, rosey pink. Actually, a lot of these colours work well with the Naked 3 palette if you're looking to combine mattes and shimmers. The black and brown colours (Dream in Chocolate & Don't Stand Black) are great for both lining and creating a more smokey look, but I personally like the darkest purple (Two Plums Up) for a bit of a twist on a smokey eye.

Overall, I've found it to be really versatile and easy to apply and blend. Pair it with Tarte's Lights, Camera, Flashes mascara for a high-def look!




Beauty Boxes: The Good, the Bad, and the Glossy

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

wantable, glossybox, julep, beauty

One of the first things I did when I decided to start experimenting more with makeup and skincare was sign up for some monthly subscription boxes. I wanted a way to try a lot of different types of products from brands that might be new to me without having to commit to buying a full size. Plus, I really like getting packages in the mail. I always say it's like Christmas. 

glossybox, march, nail polish, hair, moisturizer, skincare, eyeliner


The first one I found was actually Glossybox, through ICovetThee.com, which is one of the first beauty blogs I started reading and still one of my favourites. Glossybox is by far still my favourite. The quality of the products is higher for the price point, and the amount/size of products is totally worth what I pay each month. I always get about 5 products, some full size and some more of a travel size. I have found some really great brands through Glossybox (Anatomicals and Fresh, to name a few), and I always am really pleased with the type of products given. When you sign up, you let them know your skin and hair type and what kinds of products you like (makeup, skincare, etc) so that the products are tailored for you. Like most beauty boxes, you can also order products you like through the website and leave reviews. By far, I've been most impressed by the products I've gotten through Glossybox. It's super high quality, and totally worth it. It's the first box I recommend to people looking to try new products.

glossybox, beauty blender, sea salt spray, body wash, skincare, beautyThis month's box features Puffy the Eyebag Slayer by Anatomicals (their product names are the BEST - my other favourite by them is a rose-scented body wash called You Need A Blooming Shower); City of Angels nail polish by Lauren B (an emerging brand); Truffle Therapy Serum by Skin&Co Roma (great moisturizer); Colour Fanatic Hair Beautifyer for Coloured Hair; and Kala black eyeliner pencil by Sumita Beauty (which is dooooooooope and exactly the kind of dark black badass eyeliner pencil I've been searching for). Other boxes has gifted me with Fresh and Vichy brand moisturizers, great hair products, exfoliants, and even an eyelash curler and the BEAUTYBLENDER! Winner.






Julep was the second box I signed up for after seeing ads for it. One of the best things about Julep is that you can get your first box free with the code FREEBOX when you sign up (use my link here ). You create a profile based on your colour preferences and style, and each month you get two new nail polish colours and a beauty product (three nail colours if you're an It Girl). As a Maven, you'll also have access to special deals and Secret Shops during the month. One of the best things about Julep Maven is that you can preview what will be in your box and change your profile choice if you aren't happy with that month's colours, and often if they're sending out beauty products, you'll also get to pick what colour you want in that too. 

Julep offers high quality nail varnishes (seriously, they last all week) and products. I've gotten lip glosses, eyeshadow palettes, and their new liquid eyeshadow (and this month, a special candy treat! They sent candy corns for Halloween too). I've always been really happy with the colours, and their customer service is great. I received a broken product only once, and they were quick to replace it with a new one. 

Sign Up to be a Julep Maven here




Wantable came to my attention fairly recently, and I wanted to give it a try. It's more expensive than the other boxes at $32 a month, but boasts high quality luxury products and a more selective tailoring system. When you sign up for Wantable, you choose not only what types of products you like but also colours, textures, and styles - as specific as whether you like metallics or mattes, lipsticks or lip glosses, etc on a like-neutral-dislike scale. I was excited about this system because I'm really picky about the colours I use. 

However, my first box (top photo) was a huge disappointment. I don't wear blue or brown as a rule and two of my products were blue tinted, and the lipstick was more brown than I really liked. After contacting customer service with my disappointment, I learned that you can actually return your box - either completely or partially  - and get a refund. I ended up keeping only one product from my first box and then ordering another one (bottom photo) which was much more satisfactory. I'm still not 100% impressed, but the second attempt was better. But if the whole shtick is that you can be selective about colours, at least let me put in what I absolutely do not want! I ended up emailing them after ordering the second box to make sure I didn't get any ugly blue things again. I'm going to give it one more month to see how the next month is. Wantable also has intimates and accessories options for monthly boxes if that's more up your alley. 

Sign up for a Wantable box here


I also tried Birchbox in the beginning but ended up cancelling - the product sizes were small (only "tester" sizes/packets and barely worth it. The only thing I like about Birchbox is that they have a wide range of brands they work with and an online shop where you can buy fullsizes. 

Overall, I cannot sing the praises of Glossybox and Julep Maven enough. Wantable is still a wait and see, but I loved the concept of subscription boxes. 

Does anyone have any other subscription boxes they'd recommend, or great/negative experiences! Share in the comments! 









Evil Queen Style Tip #2: Paint your lips with the blood of your enemies. Red is classic and always in style.

Sunday, March 2, 2014

barbara palvin, chanel, red
Barbara Palvin for Chanel Rouge Allure





red, lipstick, lip gloss, mac, cosmetics, beauty, smashbox, julep, elf,


photo by ICovetThee.com

 
Ginta Lapina at Jason Wu SS12 

Lime Crime lipstick in Retrofuturist 

Demi Lovato

Lana Del Rey for L'Officiel Paris April 2013

Leigh Lezark

Rihanna in Riri Woo for Mac Viva Glam

Dita Von Teese

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