More Nudity: Urban Decay's Naked Flushed Palette

Tuesday, April 29, 2014


As you all know, I'm a big fan of Urban Decay's products, so when I decided to start wearing bronzer and maybe doing a little bit of contouring, Urban Decay was a natural place to start.

The Naked: Flushed palette is so easy to use. Basically it's like Contouring 101 - it includes a buildable, sheer bronzer, a very pink blusher, and a shimmery champagne coloured highlighter. I've been using this every day on my face and have been very pleased. Here's what I look like with it:


Basically what I'm doing is placing the bronzer in the hollows of my cheeks (and yes I'm sucking them in to do that so I get the placement just right) and also a bit along my hairline so it looks natural. To do this I'm using the (weirdly enough) ELF Studio Blush brush. That brush has sort of a pointed tip so I can get it right in the hollows, and then also blend it really well. Another reason why that kind of brush is great, or an angled blush brush, is because I'm using bronzer on the sides of my nose to slim it down a little (#bignoseproblems).

After bronzer, I'm either using the blusher on the apples of my cheeks and then highlighter along the cheekbones and down the center of my nose, or lately I've been mixing both the blusher and highlighter on my brush together. This creates a more sheer, natural look. The pink blush in this can be a little overwhelming if it's too heavy handed, and combining both on the brush will even it out a little. Plus you get a nice, natural highlight that way.

I'm really loving the Naked Flushed palette because it's easy to use for every day, and I like having all the products I need in one case, especially when I'm travelling. It stays pretty much all day (but better to use your All Nighter Long-Lasting Makeup Setting Spray as always) and is really great for basic contouring. Apparently also I'm going for a pretty much all Naked products face. Another win for Urban Decay!

PS - how is everyone liking the new layout? I think it's way easier to navigate, don't you? And I'm loving my little crown social media icons! Thanks so much to Eve of Epic Eleven Designs for all your help, I really love what you've done with the place. And if you're in the market for a new blog layout, she's having 25% off in her etsy shop right now!


The Body Electric: Urban Decay's Electric Palette

Sunday, April 13, 2014

urban decay electric palette eyeshadow makeup

Okay so, I know I talked about in my last post about my style being more black-white-grey-red than anything else, and that's totally true. But I do love me some neons, especially for the summer. When UD first started sending marketing emails about this palette, they were geared towards the festival crowd, and as my ass can't afford to go to Coachella, I didn't even bother to look. But soon I started seeing swatches popping up on the blogs, and I knew I had to have it.

urban decay electric palette eyeshadow makeup

urban decay electric palette eyeshadow makeup

Welcome to the Urban Decay Electric Pressed Pigment Palette.

Essentially this palette is the complete opposite of the Naked palettes, and gets back to what UD was when I first started buying the brand - bright, highly pigmented colours that you don't really find anywhere else. This isn't your average palette. This is a palette for the bold, the brave, and the wild.

I was so gleeful when I opened the palette for the first time that I actually kept the swatches on my arm for a while, because I kept looking at them and going "look how BRIGHT they are!!" They really are bright, and the color lasts a long time even without a primer. But obviously a primer enhances them even more, and UD also has a great page for the palette complete with blogger looks to help those who may be at a loss as to what to do with anything that isn't a nude.

The other great thing about this palette is that I'm seeing the colours used in new ways - for eyebrows, as hair chalk, even on lips. So seriously, go nuts. I've used it in my brows (the blues and purples are better for darker brows, but go over them with concealer and primer first and then do whatever), used it as coloured liner - the palette is so versatile for what it is. I totally encourage finding new and weird ways to use bright colour. Be unexpected, be experimental. This palette makes me want to look like Effie Trinket from the Hunger Games with crazy brows and lips and whatever.

So, basically, if you're not afraid to have people staring at your face a little, this palette is highly recommended. It's totally badass, and totally worth it.




Liebster Award!

Monday, April 7, 2014


I am so grateful to Dayna of sofashionablyfrugal.blogspot.com for nominating me for this award! Thank you so much darling, it means so much that you enjoy my blog so much. 

This award is passed on from blogger to blogger in recognition of blogs under  200 followers that have great potential. Those who accept the award answer a series of questions and then pass the love on to five more upcoming bloggers. I'm so pleased to be chosen for this, so without further ado, here are my questions. 

1) What's your favorite brand of all time?
In terms of makeup, MAC and Urban Decay were two of the first brands I picked up on my own, and I'm still very loyal to them. With skincare, I love Fresh and also Soap&Glory

2) What color nail polish do you wear the most?
Probably black and red

3) Who are some of your favorite bloggers?
With beauty bloggers, I love I Covet Thee, Vivianna Does Makeup, and the Pixiwoo girls. For fashion, Sea of Shoes and Fashion Toast were two of the earliest blogs I followed, but I also love The Blonde Salad right now.

4) Share something really unique about yourself.
I'm a very creative person, and besides blogging and beauty and fashion, I'm also a creative writer.

5) What's the story behind your blog name?
I went through a lot of blog names in my life. I was What Would Blair Waldorf Do during college, and my tumblr has also gone through a few names. Evil Queen Beauty came about because I think being an Evil Queen is empowering - for me, that title is all about being badass while still graceful and regal. It's about being the best version of yourself, to the point where it should terrify other people.

6) Do you have any pets?
I don't, but my boyfriend and I want to get a puppy eventually!

7) What did you dream of being when you were younger?
I think writing was always a big dream for me, but I wanted to be on stage, either as an actress or a singer.

8) If you could only keep one thing from your makeup bag, what would it be?
Black liquid eyeliner.

9) Heels or Flats?
Heels.

10) What is your favorite post that you've written?
I'm really proud of the way my blog is going now - instead of just reviews, I want to incorporate outfits of the day and more expository pieces. I love doing things that are a little bit different and hopefully make my blog unique.

11) How long have you been blogging?
Since the summer of last year!


And my chosen nominees are:
Beautures
AimeeBelle
Wardrobe Conversations
Shabby Chic and Tea
Charlotte Rose

And my questions to you are:
1) How did you chose your blog layout/design?
2) What are your favourite books, tv shows, and films?
3) How do you choose what to write about?
4) What inspires you?
5) If you could blog about anything other than what you currently do, what would it be?
6) What is on your summer playlist?
7) What is your favourite colour to wear? What colour do you have most of in your closet/makeup bag?
8) What other forms of social media can we find you on?
9) What is your favourite place to go in the city that you live in?
10) How did you choose your blog name?
11) What is one think you'd like your readers to know about you?

Thank you so much again to Dayna, and keep passing on the love!



Dressing "On Brand": Compromising Personal Style for Work

Friday, April 4, 2014

fashion, ootd, forever 21, nasty gal
Work outfit, 3/28. Top Forever 21 shop similar; skirt Nasty Gal

I have always been a creative person, and ever since I was a child, one of the ways I showcased that creativity was through the way I dressed.

And as anyone knows, when you don't dress like other people, you get made fun of. Especially as a kid. I remember being teased about my clothes very early on - of course, I was teased about a lot of things, from my body and my hair to the things I liked. I've always been a super nerd too, and my friends and I never hid the fact that we liked Harry Potter and Star Wars. And I always had my own sense of style, too. I remember as early as third grade being asked why my pants didn't cover my shoes - at that time, it was popular to wear baggy/bell-bottom jeans, and I wasn't on the third grade trend. And as a wannabe-popular third grader, I immediately had my mom take me to the mall to buy baggier jeans. That started a phase of my wearing boy's jeans, which wasn't really in style either.

When I was older, in middle school, I started dressing more, well, gothy. As middle schoolers do, I was going through my angsty period and I'd discovered a few books about girls my age who felt the way I did, and they all dressed in black. So I dressed in black. I discovered Hot Topic and wore bondage pants and band tshirts. I wore pajama bottoms to school and got in trouble for it, and the style was soon banned at the school I went to. I wore my Slytherin crest tshirt. I wore heavy black eyeliner and studded cuffs. I was always considered a weirdo. But middle school is also the height of needing to be accepted. I was flat chested at the time (and teased for that) but I wanted to wear low cut tops like the other girls. I had my mother secretly buy me padded bras so that I could get a boyfriend (then, a status symbol) and be friends with the more popular girls. But I still didn't dress right, my jeans were wrong, my makeup was wrong, my big poofy hair was wrong.

The problem was exacerbated when I transffered out of my public middle school to a private high school in eighth grade. I was the only goth kid amongst a sea of prepsters - the one who stood out in black bondage pants and studded bracelets while the others popped the collar of their polo shirts and wore birkenstocks. It was hard for me. It wasn't just teasing then; girls had learned how to be mean to each other and were out in full force. I remember being asked by an upperclassmen, "What are you like, punk or something? Like Avril Lavigne?" and being so offended - not because he was wrong, because I was wearing Lavigne-esque ties and black eyeliner, but by his tone. It was as if he'd asked, "why do you dress so wrong?", or "why are you so much different than the rest of us?". So, I hid. I stopped wearing the things I liked and again, bought in-style items: polo shirts and birkenstocks and khakis. It didn't work. The moment the other girls made me angry, I pulled out my studs and went right back to what made me happy. Eventually I found a group of friends that were happy with me the way I was, too. And I found ways to skirt around the dress code and still be me.

When I was in college, I started blogging and developing my personal style. I wanted to be a fashion person, and I liked using the way I dressed to make a statement about myself. I liked being asked why I looked different, because I was proud of the way I looked. I wore heels to class and liked looking more dressed up than the other students in their Juicy sweatpants and Ugg boots. I'm sure many other fashionistas have experienced this too - the feeling of constantly being overdressed, or at least, more so than those around you. The way I looked became a construction of who I was. I crafted this look completely on purpose. I was more decisive about what I bought, the way I did my makeup (my winged eyeliner developed at this time, heavily influenced by Miss Dita Von Teese), and the way I presented myself.

But eventually I needed a job, and I was hired at Loft - which I had never shopped at before. I started working at Loft because my mother and my sister wanted the discount, and I didn't particularly want to work so I didn't care about where it was. I was told that I was hired because I was "edgy" - this would be the first time I'd hear that term in reference to how I dressed, but it wouldn't be the last. Of course, I took this to mean that they liked me. But almost immediately, I was told to dress differently - to cover up with cardigans, to wear less jewelry, to wear different shoes, to wear more color.

Now, okay. I get this. From a business perspective, I get this. I understand presenting the brand through your employees, and stores like Loft have a very distinctive look. Now that I'm not with them, I can speak more candidly about the brand. We parted on bad terms. I was fired for another employee's mistake a day before I was set to leave, and I'd given my noticed because I simply couldn't stand my co-manager, who was selfish and homophobic (literally said "ew that's disgusting" when I mentioned kissing other girls and the store manager made no effort to stop her - and as a queer girl, I couldn't stand that kind of atmosphere). But Loft has always had that kind of bored housewife look. It's not really "trendy", it's suburban, accessible, and bland. In my opinion, Loft isn't "fashion", not really. It's great for some people, and sometimes they have some stand out pieces, but mostly I thought the clothes were ugly. But because I worked there, I made it work. I learned to dress in a way that was comfortable for me and acceptable for work.

At one point, I was working for Ann Taylor in New York City - another toxic atmosphere, filled with a management team that thought they were better than everyone else (and please, it's Ann Taylor, not Chanel, calm down). I was told I dress "lazy", that my velvet pants counted as jeans, that I needed to dress more On Brand. Again, I get it, it's business. But at this point, I'm out of college, and I still need to be me. Ann Taylor/Loft was never my personal style, and I found it increasingly more difficult to compromise. I mentioned casually to one of the other managers about how I don't wear blue, only black, due to my "secret goth" status - she told me, "It's not a secret". Of course, they knew I was different. And the combined circumstances (travel time, and a bad atmosphere), lead me back to Loft, and eventually I left the company. Or rather, they cut ties that I thought were good. Apparently my 3 year loyalty was unappreciated.

But the truth was, it was fine. I wanted something new anyway. I wanted a career, a "big girl" job, and retail had taken it's toll on me physically. But I was really excited about getting to dress the way I want. I remember talking several times to my mother about how stoked I was to really get to express myself because I wanted to find a job in the corporate offices of a fashion company. I knew that people in the fashion industry would accept me for who I was. I could make my more "edgy" style work for corporate offices now that I was older - I mean, it's not like I was showing lots of skin or doing anything offensive. Lots of fashion people have tattoos and wear black, especially in New York. And eventually I got a job, and proceeded to wear whatever I wanted. I mean, I really took the opportunity to experiment with how I dressed. I bought new and interesting pieces. It's a business casual atmosphere, so I can wear tshirts and skirts, I can wear my combat boots and my converse. I really really thought I'd be able to stretch my creativity here, and it was so exciting for me not to feel like I was being boxed in anymore. I got a lot of compliments on how I looked, and I felt really good.

The way I dress is an extension of my personality. I created the person I am, I have crafted and built my wardrobe specifically to say something about the person that I am, down to the colour of my nail polish. I have spent a lot of money to become the woman that I want to be, and I am finally in a place in my life where I am happy and accepting of myself.

So I pose this question to you, dear readers. Where is the line drawn when it comes to compromising personal style for work? Do you feel it is necessary to have to separate wardrobes, one for work and one for play? Are you willing to sacrifice your personal style for your career?

Let's talk about it.