black and tan

 

Beautiful 'Ambush' leather side zip ankle boots by Topshop, intermittently available, coveted by many --- finally got my (virtual) hands on these babies in black and tan. Also available in black glitter.

...photos from Topshop.com...

brushing up

I simply couldn't resist picking up some makeup brushes on Hautelook today by Crown Brush. I've been curious about this brand of brushes for a while and am excited to finally give them a try. I ended up going with a 15 piece professional brush set ($37.50) and a 10 piece badger brush set ($41.50). 

25 brushes later it becomes even more apparent that I rarely do things on a small scale.

...photos from Hautelook.com...

tarte for true blood

As a huge fan of the True Blood series on HBO I checked this palette out online as soon as it was released. I wasn't that impressed by the colors when I saw them on my computer screen and had very little experience with Tarte products. I'd only ever used Tarte's EmphasEYES Amazonian clay waterproof clay eyeliner in three colors, and loved them all, but they completely dried out before I could put a dent in any of the pots which was a total bummer and waste of money at $22 a pop.

This palette stayed in the back of my mind and I finally got a chance to see it in person a couple of weeks ago and was instantly sold. The packaging has a ton of personality and the colors inside are gorgeous. The spectrum is covered with both neutrals and bold colors and mattes and shimmers, so the possibilities are endless. It retails for $52 and includes 17 - 0.07oz eyeshadows, and EmphasEYES Aqua-Gel Eyeliner in black, Lights Camera Lashes! Mascara in black and a Lifted Natural Eye Primer. 

The colors in the palette are as follows (descriptions per Sephora.com):

The Light (shimmering warm ivory)
Fairy (shimmering pink)
Dusk (matte warm taupe)
Dawn (shimmering gold dust)
Werewolf (matte chocolate)
Waitress (sparkling pink champagne)
Nocturnal (sparkling deep indigo)
Charmer (sparkling burnt copper)
Glamour Me (sparkling deep plum)
Stake (matte steel)
Bayou (shimmering golden tan)
Telepath (sparking warm rose)
The True Death (sparkling silver)
Immortal (sparkling midnight black)
Moss (shimmering forest green)
Legend (deep matte black)
V (sparkling crimson)

Get yours here.

hideaway

I picked up two sets of the Sterilite Clearview Wide 3 Drawer Unit at Walmart for about $16 each with makeup organization in mind and they have been a huge hit, especially with Jay who loves the idea of my stuff NOT being all over our apartment. I have them stacked on my dresser.

Starting from the bottom up:

Excess body sprays...
The operative word here is EXCESS;  I have another stash stuffed on a shelf. 

Palettes...

I've got two 88 shadow palettes, a 40 shadow palette, my 12 blush palette and several Urban Decay shadow palettes. I use the Naked Palette the most which is why it's front and center.

Foundations, pressed powders, loose powders, concealers, tinted moisturizers, illuminizers...
I've acquired quite a few of these products in the past year; I really wanted to put some drugstore brands to the test.

Blushes, bronzers, lipglosses and lipsticks...

Lipgloss was the first form of makeup that I got into. This year I've started experimenting with lipsticks and lip pencils. 

Eyeshadows, eyeliners, mascaras...
Over the years I've grown a nice collection of shadows. This year I shifted my focus to palettes, but I still reach for the individual, duo and quad shadows every now and then.

All the extras --- Unopened goodies, brushes, contacts, eyelashes, miscellaneous tools...

I always try to keep extra sponges and powder puffs for my compacts so I can replace them on a regular basis.

Brushes and applicators sit on top, all of which are in desperate need of a bath...
I have a lot of MAC brushes, but I also really like brushes from Coastal Scents and drugstore brands like Posh and Sonia Kashuk.

Getting everything organized was a great way of taking inventory and sorting out the products that were expired, that I no longer used or liked or that weren't right for me. I used to have stacks, bags, baskets of makeup scattered all over. Having everything in one place helps me get a lay of the land when it comes to using products and putting together looks. It's great to know that I can reach for something and find it immediately. 

the waiting game

I've been legitimately stalking this Make Up Forever palette for about 3 weeks. It's on the Sephora site, but it's not available yet. Talk about mind games; Sephora is seriously toying with my emotions here. 

I'm pumped about this because it'll be my first MUFE purchase (not counting the foundation I bought and exchanged twice, before ultimately returning) and because it's $45 and includes eight shadows and two brushes. I've also been on a eyeshadow palette binge, that I'm not quite over yet. I'm consciously working on overhauling my makeup collection to include items that I truly love, are great quality and that I'll get the most use out of.

...photo from Sephora.com...