Interview with Noella Beauty Works

In an effort to discover more and better makeup, I have been delving into the world of Indie cosmetics. My findings confirm exactly what I thought... there is some amazing makeup out there that doesn't make you pay top dollar. Starting today, I will be doing a series of interviews with some amazing, up-and-coming cosmetic brands. :D

Today's Indie cosmetic brand is....

 Noella Beauty Works

My first impressions of the web page (click on name above to visit!) is that it is so clean and mellow. I love the modern hippie vibes I get from the models and makeup colors. With more digging, I found out that all of Noella's products are completely natural. These are eco-conscious, gentle on the skin, carefully made in small batches, and 100% cruelty free! It really doesn't get any better than this. Click through to read an interview with Jackie, the owner!

No. 7 Mineral Lipstick Review

 Boots is a brand that I'm sure most of you have heard of. (For the USA-dwellers who may not know what I'm talking about, check out their website here.) They make No. 7, which is the most successful cosmetics brand in the UK. Anyway, Target sells their products stateside, and I thought I would give them a try. My first product by the company is a peachy nude sheer lipstick in Innocent. This is what the website says about the "No. 7 Mineral Perfecting Lipstick":

 "Long lasting moisture. Contains 100% mineral color pigments and natural pearl, leaving lips soft and smooth. Made with plant-based ingredients, natural oils and waxes. Paraben-free."

Tutorial: Candy Chic

Today called for color! If there's one thing that I love about makeup, it's making a statement. This look used mostly high-end products, but I will list replacements that are applicable. The star product? MAC pigment in Magenta Madness.

Face of the Day

 Today one of my followers asked me to do a look with burgundy and yellow. I never back down from a challenge!

NARS Wicked Quasi-Dupe

 While rummaging through the hoard that is my makeup case I found an old Covergirl trio of eyeshadows that looked kind of messy and dated. I sat them on my dresser to get rid of... and promptly forgot about them.
Well, later last night I pulled out my NARS eyeshadow duo in Wicked. Looking up, I saw the Covergirl trio... and it was magic. The swatches come out very close. I'm not a big fan of Covergirl shadows, because I feel like the quality could be better. However, the understated greens of these two were so similar!

3rd and 4th Blog Awards!

I received this award from two different bloggers, so I am going to combine it into one post! Jowee and Essie both tagged me; thank you so much you two! I'm so honored to see that my musings might inspire someone else.

Now I am required to give 7 random facts about myself, and tag 15 people. I will be visiting blogs and plopping 'em down like the Tooth Fairy of awards... so be ready!

* I'm a certified makeup artist, and I enjoy building my portfolio.
* My musical taste range from chill to insane, hence the videos I post about once a week. :)
* I love food. Anyone who says that they don't like to eat is a liar.
* I'm from the deep South of the USA. However, I can hide my accent at will.
* I recently got a new camera, so look forward to better quality pictures!
* Meeting new people is awesome. Please feel free to chat at anytime. I'll always be a listening ear.
* I am cheap. I hit up sales and clearance for literally everything... except makeup. It's my one weakness.

My Second Blog Award!

I recently received my second blog award! (My first was the Kreative Blog Award, which can be seen here.) This one is from darling Jenna! Thank you so much girl. :D I appreciate your thoughts in my direction.
The Liebster Award is an award meant to honor blogs of quality that have under 200-300 followers.

Now I have to send it out to five others, and they are...

-Jowee at onlytheobsessed.com - I love her blog! The photography is absolutely stunning, and she is beautiful.
-I don't know if I can do this, but Essie and Jenna both deserve this award. Since they both sent me awards, just go check them out!
-Beauty on a College Student Budget - As a student myself, I definitely appreciate the content she puts out!
-And the last person is... YOU! Consider yourself tagged everyone! If you have a small blog, feel free to post this and link back to me so I can read it. Thanks again for reading. :)

Face of the Day

Comment and let me know if you'd like to know what products I used!

Tutorial: Dry Ice

Today's tutorial is actually based on "Cosmic Love" by Florence and the Machine. (I'll put the video after the jump!) The video is so artistic, and this is what it inspired me to come up with: dark and deep, with glimmers of intense color occasionally, How did I get that from a music video? I don't know, I guess I'm just good like that.

 

Tutorial: Iconic

This look was suggested by Jowee at onlytheobsessed.com, on the Inspiration: Iconic post. She wanted to see a classic look on me, so here it is!

 

Tutorial: Nearly Naked

 Today's tutorial uses a model! I thought I would throw some new blood into the mix. I enjoy sharpening my artistry skills by practicing on others. The model has gorgeous skin and cute little freckles, but she never wears makeup. Since she's not accustomed to a full dramatic face, we decided to do a natural, pretty look. Click through for full tutorial.

Products Used:

Alima Pure Satin Matte Blush in Tulip, Tarte Smooth Operator Powder, L'oreal True Match Concealer in Neutral Fair/Light, Fyrinnae eyeshadow in Te Amo, Too Faced eyeshadow in Shooting Star, Urban Decay 24/7 Liner Pencil in Zero, Maybelline The Colossal mascara in Glam Black, Urban Decay Primer Potion in Eden

MAC Dupe... Frankengloss?

There has been a huge buzz about the process of making "Frankenpolishes", which is where you add your own pigments, eyeshadows, glitter, and different polishes to make a custom polish. It's so much fun!
MAC is known for releasing limited edition collections, and then ripping your beloved products from your very grasp! So is the story with my favorite lipglass, Dare to Dare. It is a blue-toned fuchsia with blue microglitter. I recently began running low on my only tube, and I decided to come up with my own version of the gloss for when I run out. So begins the tale of the Franken... gloss?

 Rummaging around my makeup case, I found MAC pigment in Pink Pearl. It is a similar blue toned fuschia, so I thought it would be worthwhile to try. Next, I picked up Tarte's Vitamin Enriched lipgloss, which is supposed to be pink, but is really more clear than anything.

MAC Dare to Dare lipglass and MAC Pink Pearl pigment

Tutorial: Electric Ombre

Ombre has been all the rage this summer, and I thought I would use it in today's tutorial, with a little twist. The colors are electric blues and greens, vibrant water colors. They remind me of the beach, rivers, teeming with sound and life!

Tutorial: Glitter in the Air

I recently bought some new NYX glitter and I am in love with it. I would love to glitter everything, but that isn't exactly practical. Reality can bite it.
Sorry for the tangent! Anyways, today's look is all about the sparkle. I used makeup grade glitter in this look, but remember to be careful when using anything with glitter near the eye! If used incorrectly, it can really irritate your eye. Click through for a full tutorial! Here's a sneak peek:

NYX glitter and HiP eyeliner

 

NARS Fashion Night Out Dupe

Hi everyone! As some of you may know, NARS will be hosting a Fashion Night Out Celebration this Thursday night. (Fashion Night Out is a global after-hours event for the hottest fashion cities in the world, including New York, and my hometown Savannah. There is a full list of participating cities on their website.) NARS has created a exclusive-for-the-night liner and polish for their event.

Via Crispi Larger Than Life Long-Wear Eyeliner ($23)
Space Odyssey Nail Polish ($17)

click through to see the more affordable dupes!

Tag: Would You Rather?

Cami recently did a blog post tagging her readers to do a "Would You Rather" survey. I normally don't do this much, but I thought I would switch things up a bit! I have new readers, so hopefully, this lets you get to know me better. :) If you read this, I tag you! I would love to read your responses. Comment here and let me know if you do.
Also, I'm gonna put a plug in here really quickly! If you have twitter, feel free to follow me @mixtape_bandit. I normally update my status constantly, and I'd love to talk to you guys.

~

E.L.F. Waterproof Eyeliner Pen Review

The E.L.F. waterproof eyeliner pen in Plum has legitimately changed my mind about the company. I tried one of their old liquid liners a long time ago and ended up looking like a drunk raccoon within two hours. This new waterproof formula is amazing. I swatched it on my arm, nothing underneath it:

 I left it on my arm for 24 hours. Within this time I sweated, took a shower, and wore perfume. This is what the swatche looked like at the end of the testing period:

It definitely faded a bit, but it stayed on for a whole day! It did not smudge off, and I did not notice any flaking off like some liquid liners do. The color is matte deep purple, nothing super unique. But I'll probably get their other colors in the future to try them out! What are some of your favorite liquid liners?

Inspiration: Confident

 "I love food and hate exercise. I don't have time to work out... I'd rather weigh a ton and make an amazing album then look like Nicole Richie and do a sh*t album. My aim in life is to never be skinny." -Adele

Today's topic is a little more serious. I just wanted to share with you all that you are beautiful. Your bodies are amazing and you should love everything you are. I have curves that I am just now learning to embrace! Love yourself for everything that makes you unique, and you will be happier than you ever have before. For those of you who need more inspiration to love what ya got, check out http://stophatingyourbody.tumblr.com/ for awesome stories and encouragement. 

Be Brave. Join the Revolution.

Inspiration: Iconic

 Today's page is an homage to the looks that have been famous for years, and still are today. They are iconic because they are universally flattering. Click through for close ups!

E.L.F. Studio Line Pigment Review and Swatches

 

     Hello dolls! Today's review is on the E.L.F. Studio Line Pigments. Let me say right off that these are not pigments in the traditional MAC sense. MAC makes pigments that are literally that. pigment. They can be used on the eyes, lips, anything, because they are pure color! 

     However, E.L.F. is a little misleading with this product. These are pigment eyeshadows, not actual pigments. These really should only go on the eye area. They work well as shadows, but I wanted to say that right up front. Eyeshadows have extra bases added to them that pigments do not.