But First, Lemme Take a Selfie: Julep's Photogenic Palette

Frequent readers of this blog know I'm a huge fan of Julep products. I've been a Maven (their monthly nail polish subscription box) for over a year and it's the only box I haven't cancelled yet. They have great colours, great deals, and their customer service is amazing. 

But while Julep is best known for their nail polish, their other beauty products are pretty badass too - I've been happy with their lipglosses especially. But in the eyeshadow department, I felt they were lacking. Their first palette was a mini sort of Naked Basics knock-off deal, with boring boring browns and taupes and it was boring and nothing special. Then they had gel/liquid eyeshadows for a while that didn't really go over well either. 

But when I saw this baby, I knew I had to have it. Enter Sweep - The Photogenic Palette

First off, the colours are beautiful. It's not your average Naked knock-off palette. There are bright, holiday-ready colours in here. The colour payoff is really great too - each tone has got just the right amount of shimmer and the pigment is bold while still being really wearable. The formula blends really well, and you can use this one palette for a whole variety of looks, from something more natural to a bolder, brighter vibe. 

From bottom: Flash (which you can barely see since it's almost the exact same colour as my arm), Gala, Focus, Pose, Filter, Sepia, Icon, Selfie, Debut, Star, Fame.

The brush it comes with is really nice too - dual ended with soft bristles. I've been having so much fun creating looks with this palette. It's unexpected, and a really great holiday offering from Julep.

The Photogenic Palette  makes for a great gift for makeup lovers in your life, or for yourself! It's on special discount right now and its TOTALLY WORTH IT. Julep winning it yet again. 

I Caved and Bought Another Naked Palette

I know I'm going backwards with the Naked palettes by Urban Decay.

I started with Naked 3, which is beautiful and perfect. The truth is, I always thought the other two were too brown for me. And I know that's like, sort of the whole point of the "neutrals" thing. But I'm not really a neutrals girl - I stay away from browns and beiges in all things, not just makeup.


And so I was really hesitant to purchase any of the other Naked palettes, because there were only one or two colours that I would really go for normally (greys and blacks, thank you very much). But I saw the Naked 2 used on my sister for her wedding, and I sort of went, alright fine, Urban Decay. You win again. 

So far I'm really happy with Naked 2 - the colour payoff is great, and now that I have both, I can mix colours and they still blend together perfectly. So far I'm using Pistol the most; it's a shimmery grey and it works really well with the pinks of the Naked 3. I love Blackout too, as well as YDK and Tease.

Overall, it's like, shut up and take my money, UD. Whatever, I give up trying to resist. But also, can we maked Naked 4 white, grey, black, and like, lavender? That would be great, thanks.

MAC x Osbournes: Bloody Brilliant Eyeshadow Quad

I haven't really been this excited about a makeup collaboration in a while, actually. When it was first announced that MAC was gonna be working with Sharon and Kelly Osbourne, I was immediately scouring the internet for swatches and hints of what the products might be. Needless to say, I was not disappointed.

Kelly has really stepped up her style game in recent years and is sporting some dope ass lavender hair of which I am thoroughly jealous. She's always been punky and fearless with her style, and her MAC collection is just that - full of bright purples, pinks, and oranges that are made for standing out from the crowd. And when I buy makeup, that's what I want. Fuck yo' neutrals, ya know? Purples kinda are my neutrals now.

I actually only ended up getting the Bloody Brilliant Eyeshadow Quad from her collection cuz the rest was sold out, but I'm really loving it.  Four shades are really all you need to create both daytime and nighttime looks.

From bottom: Spoonful of Sugar, Tickety Boo, Fizzy Rose, Shadowy Lady

Spoonful of Sugar is a really lovely shimmery champagne color thats perfect for highlighting under your brows or in the corners of your eyes. Tickety Boo is a great neutral base, and Fizzy Rose is a beautiful lavender that works well as an unexpected all over color or a base. Shadowy Lady might me my favorite of the pack - it's a dark purple that makes for a great smokey eye. I'm loving it for nighttime going out looks, and it's a great alternative to your blacks or greys.

Overall, I'm really pleased with this quad. The color payoff is amazing even without a primer, and it's extremely versatile if you're willing to step away from your Naked 3 palette for a while and get into some color.

Great job, Kelly. I am jealous of everything you chose to be.

The Body Electric: Urban Decay's Electric Palette

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.

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.

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

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:

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!

Evil Queen Beauty's Favourites of 2013 Part 3: ELF palettes, Serge Normant, Bumble&bumble, Not Your Mother's, and Fragrance picks

So I posted a little bit about the major E.L.F. hauls that I had this year, but I want to talk more about the palettes. ELF has a lot of great palette options that are so inexpensive it's insane not to stock up. There are a ton of their geometric palettes in all sizes and colours - mine is the 32 piece - which are coordinated for every kind of use - lots of great neutrals for everyday in varying shades, plus great bright colours for something special. They're just the right amount of shimmer, and the great thing about all of these palettes is that they can fit in your purse. The Prism Eyeshadow Palette are perfect jewel-tones which are great for going out looks and are completely my colours, and is my favourite palette out of the ones I have. The 22 piece Mini On-The-Go Pallette is smaller than your cellphone and is great for travelling. It comes with 12 eyeshadows, 4 lip colours, 3 blushers, and a mascara with a wide range of colours. If you're looking to get some colours into your makeup kit without buying individual eyeshadows, these are a great option.

I'm pretty weird when it comes to fragrances. I think of scents as colours and the colours have to match/coordinate with what I'm wearing. My standard is Pink Sugar which is obviously a pink scent, then I also use Wild by Ralph Lauren (red) and Fame by Lady Gaga (black). I got a sample of a Tokyomilk Dark scent in with a Sephora order and immediately fell in love - they're dark, mysterious, sexy scents and I've loved all the ones I've picked up so far. Right now I have both Destiny #79 which is a very musty, woody, midnight floral scent (Jasmine, Fresh-Cut Ginger, Honeysuckle, Rose, Davana notes - a black or purple scent) and Tainted Love #62 which is lighter, more fruity (a pink or lime green scent). I carry both in my purse. I love them, I want to have their babies, I want to smell like Tokyomilk Dark forever. 

BCBG's Bon Genre is definitely a pink scent, it's floral and spicy, and very light. It came in one of my Glossyboxes, which is great because I love having the little rollerballs or spritzers to travel with. I forget to put perfume on sometimes so I carry them in my bag and spritz on the train (probably much to the annoyance of my fellow travelers, but whatever).

This year has definitely been a huge development in the haircare department. I have huge, frizzy, poofball hair that has always been hard to manage. I was just flat ironing the hell out of it and hoping for the best or curling and ending up looking like Shirley Temple, without much thought to finding the right products.  I'm glad I made a real effort this year to help my poor poofball head.

The Serge Normant products are amazing, especially the Meta Silk Shampoo and Meta Velour Conditioner. I also really love the Meta Luxe Hair Spray and the Meta Sheer Dry Oil which is great for calming frizzies and flyaways without being too oily. I can't WAIT to try the Meta Revive Dry Conditioner, cuz I think it's going to be a haircare gamechanger. Definitely worth the investment.

At some point I'm going to do a full post about Not Your Mother's, but I cannot rave enough about Kinky Moves Curl Defining Hair Cream. It has been quite a search for a curl cream that appeals to my laziness - I want something that I can just put in, scrunch a little, and let air dry and it'll come out with great curls/waves. This is it. I've tried a few other curl creams and the Not Your Mother's is by far the best, plus it smells amazing.

The Lock Luster Oil Treatment also smells amazing and is great for pre-styling heat protection. It gives my hair a nice and sleek look without being too heavy or oily, and I only need a very little bit to get the effect I want.

I posted before about my temporary pink hair which I totally loved, and it was all thanks to Bumble&bumble's Spraychalk. So easy to use, great colour payoff even on my dark hair, and it completed an absolutely perfect look.  I want to try all the other colours. No. I want to dye my fucking hair pink. I will do it one of these days!


And that concludes my 3 part 2013 favourites! Back to your regularly scheduled EQB posts soon!

Evil Queen Beauty's Favourites of 2013 Part 1: Getting Naked with Urban Decay & Fresh skincare

Happy 2014, Beauty Queens! It's time for the obligatory 2013 favourites post.

I'm going to start off with the best thing that 2013 had to offer, the Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette. The Naked Palettes have been a big hit with the blogger world, but up until now, they've all been too, well, brown. I'm not a brown person, and actually I actively avoid it. All these "natural" palettes are brown and beige and fucking boring. So I haven't really been all that thrilled with the Naked palettes until now. There was a huge buzz when UD announced that they were doing a third version, and I was SO THRILLED to find that it was a beautiful pinky palette. They call them "rose gold" shades, and they range from soft glimmery pinks to more golden colours, and a lovely defining grey and black with red glimmers at the end. It's safe to say I'm in love, and there are so many beautiful combinations that I really feel like I never need another palette again. The colours blend flawlessly and last all day, and the brush that comes with the set is pretty much perfect for creating a multitude of looks. I'm so pleased and it was totally worth the money.

Urban Decay is one of my favourite brands, so the other products I'm putting on this list are the Naked Skin Weightless Ultra Definition Liquid Makeup which I use every day and pair with their Pore Perfecting Complexion Primer Potion and I always set with All Nighter Setting Spray. I used to use their cream-to-powder foundation, but since that has been discountinued, the liquid foundation has been serving me well. I definitely recommend using the primer though as I find it wears a little bit by the end of the work day.

The B6 Vitamin-Infused Complexion Prep Spray was something that came in a sample bag and I was a little bit confused as to what it was for, but I use it before I put on my moisturizer and it really helps my skin absorb the moisture and stay moisturized throughout the day. Right after I shower I spritz it on and I never feel wanting for moisture, even with the winter cold. It's really useful if you have super dry skin like me.

Fresh is definitely my favourite skincare brand of 2013. They're a little bit on the pricey end but I really love the products and they've lasted me a good long time, so I don't regret shelling out for them. The Soy Face Cleanser and Moisturizing Cream are part of my daily skincare routine and have never failed me. My skin has never felt softer and smoother.

The Brown Sugar Body Polish works wonders for my skin. I have very dry skin which can get scratchy and flaky, and this stuff makes everything smooth as all get out. The first time I used it at my boyfriend's place, he said I was "all marinated", so it passes the boy touch test! I use the Sugar Lip Polish before I put on my lipstick and it really helps soothe my chapped winter lips so that my lipstick goes on flawless and stays flawless throughout the day. Pretty much is my entire skincare routine was Fresh products, I'd be really happy. I'd be broke, but really happy, and with fucking flawless skin.

Stay tuned for part 2,

Bang for your buck: ELF cosmetics

I decided to check out ELF's site because twitter was all abuzz with how great their sales are. And they really are great. I probably spent about $25-30 on both of these hauls, and the second one came with a free complete brush set. ELF has a lot of different palette options for eyeshadows, as well as some great beauty products.

The nail polish cube was maybe one of the best buys out of all this. It was $10, and came with 14 nail polishes. They're mini-sized but great colours and have lasted well on my nails. The one I have is the "party" set, which comes with great pinks, greys/silvers, and greens, but the other sets are really beautiful too and I have a feeling I might go back and collect them all.

My other favourite is the Studio Prisim Eyeshadow Palette, which I have in "smoke", but also  comes in a great set of pinks, and everyday neutrals. The eyeshadows are really beautiful glimmers, and blend pretty easily. They're not so highly pigmented so you'll have to build up the colour if you want it really dark, but I really love the shades and the palette is a great deal, also at $10.

I was a bit hesitant to buy concealer over the internet without trying swatches first, but I took a bit of a gamble and went with their Studio Under Eye Concealer & Highlighter. The coverage is surprisingly good, the colour worked out well, and the highlighter is great for the corners of my eyes. The 2-in-1 thing makes my morning routine so much easier.

The Studio Lip Primer & Plumper is also a great 2-in-1 deal. The plumper doesn't work as well as I'd hoped but has a nice cinnamon-y tingle, and did fill in the lines of my lips. The primer is great, and my lipstick stayed in place all day, also with the help of the Lip Lock Pencil. I really like the Lip Lock Pencil because it goes on clear, which means you don't have to worry about finding matching or coordinating lipliners.

The Eye Refresh worked just okay - I didn't see a huge difference in my dark circles but it does leave a nice refreshing cooling feeling in the morning, which helps me feel more awake. The concealer does a better job at covering up my under eye area.

Stay tuned for part 2!
-Christina

All That Glitters: RMK Ingenious Cream&Powder Eyes 01*

So I haven't really blogged about makeup yet but I'm going to start doing that more often, because if there's anything essential to being an Evil Queen it's not only having flawless skin but also flawless makeup. I'm a big fan of bold eyes and bold lips, so you probably won't be seeing a lot of "natural look" mumbo jumbo on here. We're going for fierce, exciting makeup that makes you look like you're about to fuck shit up.

I was sent the RMK Ingenious Cream & Powder Eyes 01 by the lovelies at lookfantastic.com, and though I don't ever wear gold, this was still really fun to play around with. The packaging is ADORABLE (the silver box says "open me choose me" all over it, like it's begging for you to pick it up off the shelf in the store and take it home with you), and the two eyeshadows swivel out from each other in a very sleek silver compact. It comes with a brush which you can push out to either side, one for the cream shadow and one for the powder, so you never mix. I really like things that come with brushes. It makes my life easier, and feels like a 2-for-1 deal.

The cream eyeshadow is a very lovely, shimmery gold, and goes on pretty light and sheer. If you want a lot of colour, you have to pack it on, and then it can get a little clumpy. The silver is also very sheer and very glittery, which I do like, and mixes well with the cream for a blended look. I did a very simple look with these - gold all over the lid, silver on the outer V of my eye and under my brow, and winged eyeliner. I think it makes a pretty perfect holiday look, and it's super easy to do with just this one compact. I really enjoyed playing with it, and I think I would look for other colour combinations with this item like the purples or greens, and there's also neutrals - all available on lookfantastic.com! And apologies in advance for my horrible eyebrows that need to be done badly:

Try it out for yourselves and send me looks that you come up with!

x
Christina
* indicates PR sample

Guest Blog from the Good Queen: Battle of the Primers

A few weeks ago Christina asked if I wanted any of the product samples she wasn't going to use. I love makeup, so of course I said yes. I also offered to write this guest post. But be warned: There is no way my writing could ever be as funny as hers, so I won't even try. 

I was really excited about the primer samples Christina gave me. Ordinarily, I am completely devoted to Bare Minerals for makeup and skin care. My skin is sensitive and breaks out at the slightest change, and I find that Bare Minerals products keep everything under as much control as possible. But this week I put aside my trusty BM primers to try Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion and Benefit "That Gal" brightening face primer.

I used "That Gal" for two days, and my face exploded. So it's going in the bin thanks to my pesky pores. For those two days, however, I didn't really notice any "brightening," though I think that effect may be more noticeable under a tinted moisturizer or liquid foundation. It kept my face in place for most of the day. To make the comparison fair, I used the Bare Minerals Prime Time foundation primer on the third day. It worked just as well as it always does and, like the Benefit product, kept my makeup in place for most of the day. I really don't think there is any primer in the world that is going to make me look perfect at 8 p.m. when I apply my face at 7 a.m. I always have to touch up in the afternoon.

With the eyeshadow primers I could literally do a side-by-side comparison (see photo above). Urban Decay on the left; Bare Minerals Prime Time eyshadow primer on the right. I used both shimmery and matte eye shadows. The consistency of the Urban Decay is a bit more liquid-y and goes on smoothly. The Bare Minerals is thicker and I feel like I used more of it to get the coverage I wanted. Both products worked perfectly. Unlike the foundation primer, that stuff stayed on my eyelids for 12+ hours -- my eyeshadow looked exactly the same at the end of the day as it did when I applied it. 

Has anyone thought of using eyeshadow primer all over their face? Because I'm starting to think that might be a good idea.

The Good Queen Katherine (sister of The Evil Queen Christina)

Christmas Wishlist Part 1

The holiday season is quickly approaching and this year it is all about the Naked 3 Palette. I am a huge fan of Urban Decay but so far the Naked Palette's haven't impressed me - or rather, they're not colours I'd actually use. I'm not a brown kind of girl, and yes I get that the whole point of the Naked palettes is neutrals, but neutrals don't have to be brown. So, I fucking love this palette. It's pink and purpley instead of browny, which is 100% up my alley. I'm obsessed. I need it. I have to have it. It better be in my damn stocking come Christmastime.

Since I'm trying to change up my makeup routine a little (read: experiment with something other than what's come to be my signature MAC black liquidlast winged eyeliner), I think it's time for some COLOURED EYELINER INSTEAD (because the wings are mine forever), and I'm going with Stila this time:

What's appealing to me about the Stila High Shine Liquid Vinyl Eyeliner is the applicator tip. The MAC is definitely a brush, which makes it a little hard to apply and get even every time. I like that this applicator has more of a pointed tip, so if I wanted to, say, wear a line of purple above my black, I think it would be much easier to do with this.

I'm also going to ask for the TokyoMilk Dark Body Souffle in Destiny No. 79, which is the same as my rollerball perfume.  I'm really into this brand right now, not only because their packaging and marketing is totally on point, but also because the scents are just fucking badass. There is no other way to describe it. Destiny No. 79 musty, mysterious, sexy, and make you feel like the fucking Queen of the Wood Nymphs or something. It smells like a fairy tale, and not the Disney kind, the original Grimms Brothers kind where people get their limbs cut off and eyes pecked out by creepy birds. I love it. It's Evil Queen epitomized. I want to bathe in it (oh wait, there's a Shower Gel? Add that to the list too).

I want to start experimenting with Lush products so I'm going to go with their Dream Cream first, which I hope will be good for my extremely dry skin. I've heard a lot of great things (Mindy White of States is a fan and I fucking love her) about the brand and since I've got so many skin problems (dry patches, itchiness, etc) I'm hoping Lush will be good for me. It's so hard to find products that really work, so we'll give this a go and see how it works.

Also in desperate need of some new wardrobe additions, so I'm going with:

Faux Shearling Mix Biker jacket from Topshop

Luxury Rebel Aberdeen Lace Up Boot from Free People

Amulet Maxi Dress from Nasty Gal

Real Evil Queen Style. 

xx

C