Product and Company Review: Brazen Cosmetics

Hey everyone! Recently I was given the opportunity to try another brand of indie makeup, Brazen Cosmetics! The mastermind behind the brand, Sandria is a total sweetheart, and as soon as I went to their website, I knew Brazen was something I wanted to try!

Brazen describes themselves as:

"Brazen is your top stop for kick ass indie cosmetics for stage and street! We love creative and trendy makeup and scents! Why blend in?! We specialize in professional formulas, intense pigmentation, and long wearing shades."
http://brazencosmetics.com/

Brazen was kind enough to send me three mineral eyeshadows, three sample liquid lipsticks, and one full size liquid lipstick! 

Left to Right: Delinquent, Wicked, and Submission

Swatched over UDPP, Left to right: Delinquent, Wicked, Submission

Each jar comes shrink wrapped, and includes the name of the eyeshadow, a full list of ingredients, their website, and where it was distributed from. 

At the moment, Brazen doesn't have all these shades listed on their website, (at the time I'm writing this). However, they are planning a huge re-launch of their eyeshadows, so I'm guessing that's exactly why! 

Each shade as described by me:
Delinquent - Dark plum shimmer with an almost black base. Very similar to UD Rockstar eyeshadow, only darker and more sparkly!

Wicked - Shimmery medium green
Submission - Deep navy with bright blue shimmer

Look I did using all three shadows!

Complete list of products used:

• Urban Decay Primer Potion Original
• Urban Decay 24/7 Glide on Pencil in Perversion (used as a base on the eyelid)
• Brazen Cosmetics Eyeshadow in Wicked
• Brazen Cosmetics Eyeshadow in Submission
• Brazen Cosmetics Eyeshadow in Delinquent 
• Urban Decay 24/7 Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner in Perversion
• Urban Decay 24/7 Glide on Pencil in Rockstar
• It Cosmetics Hello Lashes! Mascara

Now onto the lip products! Brazen was kind enough to send me samples of three of their lipsticks, in Starlet, Le Femme, and Hot Blooded. I also got a full sized liquid lipstick in Hot To Trot! These lipsticks come in a twist-up brush tip kind of thing, exactly the same containers that Stila Lip Glazes come in. Personally, I don't mind this type of applicator, I think it's comparable to applying lipstick with a lip brush and it's easy to carry with you. 

Stila Lip Glaze just for comparison's sake.

Left to right: La Femme, Starlet, Hot Blooded

Left to right: Hot Blooded, Starlet, La Femme, and Hot To Trot

Each shade as described by Brazen:

Hot Blooded -  Fiery passionate flambe red with warm undertone and enticing shimmer.

Starlet - Vibrant hot pink (with cool undertones) 

La Femme - It starts out with a perfectly neutral peachy pink, not too pink but not too orange...just right. Then we swirl in a hint of gold sheen that adds a pop of sexy without going over the top

Hot To Trot -  Scrumptious flirty coral pink with gold shimmer.

These are currently priced at $13.99, and for the amount of product you get, I think that's completely fair. I wore Hot To Trot through-out my work day, and only had to re-apply after eating. So once, in an entire work day! The color stayed vibrant and I got tons of compliments on it! While these weren't drying in the least, they sort of never 'dried down.', I know lip products aren't really supposed to dry down, but it felt slightly greasy on my lips, but nothing to the point where I can't wear it. I'm used to OCC Lip Tars or matte lipsticks! When you order these lipsticks, they will come in the tube with the brush top. The pots are just how they package samples.

Clockwise from upper left: Hot Blooded, Hot To Trot, La Femme, Starlet

All in all, I love the look of Brazen Cosmetics. They have an edgy, and daring look, and I definitely dig it. Their products are great, and I am definitely on the edge of my seat waiting on that relaunch of their eyeshadows! I cannot wait to see what gorgeous colors they come up with!

Watch my video review here!:

***Disclaimer*** Products shown were sent to me by the company for the purpose of reviewing. However, complimentary products never receive special treatment, I review them just like I'd review something I bought myself. My opinions expressed here are purely my own, and are not influenced by any outside sources, nor do I represent any company.***

Easiest Winged Liner Tutorial!

Hey everybody! I have some exciting updates to share!
First off, I FINALLY got a decent video camera, and I'm now going to be making videos much more 

regularly!
Second, EYELINER TUTORIAL!!

The number one question I get asked is; how do I do my eyeliner, and what eyeliner do I use?

I can tell you right now, that my liner is not ALWAYS perfect (duh, no ones is), and it's super easy to get precise, on point eyeliner!

Personally, my favorite is the Urban Decay 24/7 Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner in Perversion. It has a super small brush tip, glides on nicely, dries semi-shiny (think almost a latex-like finish!), and is waterproof! It can be sort of difficult to use if you're just starting out though. If you're new to liquid liner, I recommend trying something that's a pen-style liner. Such as Physician's Formula 2-in-1 Lash Boosting Liquid Liner Pen.

My number ONE tip for liner, is don't be afraid to try it! And don't worry about trying to get it absolutely perfect in one line, on your first application. It's NOT going to happen. In fact, I typically make a giant mess on my face every day when I do my makeup xD Check out my video here:

In the video, I'm wearing Urban Decay Eyeshadow in Walk Of Shame, and MAC Blue Brown pigment in the crease. I wanted to do something simple, so you could really see the liner better!
As you can tell, I'm far, far from perfect. But practice helps, and so do those pointed q-tips! xD You'll do much better practicing if you don't fret about it looking absolutely perfect from the get-go, it's the end result that matters!

I hope this was helpful! Now that I'm more capable of making videos, please comment, subscribe, and let me know what you all want to see from me!

Also I'm hosting a blog sale over on Storenvy! I have so much new, swatched, or barely used makeup that I neglect! So I've listed a lot of it (still more to come) over there for sale! Please check it out, there's some palettes, limited edition items, and body care!

http://biohazardousbeauty.storenvy.com/

( P.S., I will not be selling anything that was sent to me for review by companies, or samples. It's not fair to sell and make money off things I received out of the kindness of another company! Be sure to follow me so you can keep up with new items listed for sale!)

Product Review: Wet'n'Wild I Heart Matte Palette!

Hello everyone!

Today's review isn't of something that exactly new, but it was quite the hype when it came out.
Wet'N'Wild's I <3 Matte palette!

I believe this was LAST year's limited edition holiday palette from WnW (please correct me if I'm wrong, I hardly remember). But I remember seeing it, and thinking 'meh, I'll pass'. And shortly afterwards I was kicking myself for not getting this! All I was hearing was amazing things about it!

I managed to find it purely by chance a few weeks ago. I was walking around the drugstore, kind of looking for this, kind of just seeing what was new in drugstore makeup land, and I saw this. Sitting in the wrong spot on the shelf, with only this one, and none others in sight. And there was nothing wrong with it. It was meant to be.

Swatched over UDPP

Wet'n'Wild describes this on the back of the palette as:

"A stunning collection of 8 silky, ultra-pigmented day-to-night colors. Mix-and-match for a variety of looks from sweet to wild!
All-day, crease-resistant color."

I will say, some of the shades are slightly chalky. However, it's not something that's completely unworkable. The pigmentation in these is amazing for the whole $4.99 I paid for it. They are all blend-able and pigmented fairly well, with the sheerest of them being that lovely minty green color. Such a shame, because I think it's such a unique color, but a white base (like NYX Jumbo Pencil in Milk) will fix that right up! The white and the highlight creme color are wonderful, they just don't show up very well on my ultra-pale skin xD

I love that there's sort of a neutral side, and a bright side. Although that's not to say you can't mix and match which colors you use!

For this look I used all the colors from the 'bright' side of the palette, and the highlight color from the more neutral side.

Liner is Urban Decay 24/7 Waterproof Liquid Liner in Perversion, and the green liner on the outer edge under the black wing is a green liquid liner from the Sephora Pantone Universe collection. On the waterline and lower lid is the green from the palette.

Overall, I think this palette is definitely worth it if you're in need of some basic and fun matte colors. The price for it can absolutely not be beat, and the pigmentation is great, well worth it!

(All products here were purchased by me)

Product Review: Illamasqua Paranormal Palette!

Hello everyone!

Today's review is going to be of Illamasqua's newest color innovation, their Paranormal Palette!

But before I get into the product itself, let's just take a moment to appreciate some of the absolutely stunning promotional photographs for this collection. Being a spooky kid myself, anything 'paranormal' or slightly odd automatically has my interest, but after seeing these photos promoting these products, I needed them. All of them!

All Photos taken from Illamasqua.com

So amazing. These photos are gorgeous and captivating. 

Out of the entire collection, the thing that caught my eye the most was the new Paranormal eyeshadow quad. 

Described by Illamasqua as:

"This unique water-resistant eye shadow can't quite decide if it's a cream or powder. Instead it combines the best of both worlds, delivering the textured silky appearance of a powder, but with the deep colour wash of a cream.

With a long-lasting hold, each shadow's silky texture allows for effortless application and blending. Choose from Paranormal (vivid cerise), Aura (warm copper), Trance (soft violet) or Possession (cool green)."

www.Illamasqua.com

I bought mine from Sephora for $46.50 USD
I find that to be an extremely steep price for a 4-color quad, however Illamasqua is more of a luxury brand, and I really couldn't pass this one up. I don't own a lot of Illamasqua, but I love what I have!

When this arrived to me, unfortunately, the purple shade (Trance) had just up and fell out of it's pan, and was sitting ontop of the pink shade (Paranormal), so that was a bit of a surprise when I opened it. Luckily due to the unique texture, it's not a powder, so nothing broke, and I could basically pick up the purple chunk with my fingers and place it back in it's pan, there was minimal transferring onto the pink shade. So THAT was interesting. A quick fix, it didn't really bother me that much. Trance seems to be pretty set in it's pan now, as long as I don't put this thing through an earthquake or anything.

Left to Right: Paranormal, Aura, Possession, and Trance (Swatched over UDPP)

The texture of these shadows is really something else. It's not a powder, looks and acts like a cream, yet applies smoothly and evenly like a powder. It is really unlike anything I've ever used before. I'm not a huge fan of cream eyeshadows, but once you get this on your skin it feels like the silkiest powder you've ever felt. Yet it's squishy in the pan like a cream. MIND = BLOWN!
These shadows are apparently waterproof, but I can't attest to that. It wasn't raining when I wore them, nor did I feel like dipping my face in water to prove that point xD However they are easy to remove with a regular makeup remover and water. 

Using Paranormal, Aura, and Trance in this look. 

I used them over UDPP, and honestly did not notice much creasing through out my day. A lot of people have been complaining that these crease, but maybe they're just using too much? I'm not sure. Cream eyeshadows sometimes don't agree with those who have oilier lids, but I have no issues with creasing. Which is totally a relief! I also had no problems blending these shades together. Once you get them on the lid, they act more like a powder than a cream, and are easy to blend together and blend out. 

Overall, if you're looking for something new and fun to try, I highly recommend this palette! It's absolutely beautiful, and while it's a little pricey, it'd be a perfect little treat just for you! Those UV nail polishes are calling my name next!

(All products here were purchased by me)

Product and Company Review: Beauty From The Earth Cosmetics

Hello again everyone!
Today I have a review of Beauty From The Earth Cosmetics (BFTE) for you! I have only briefly tried a few samples in the past, and they've since been buried in my collection, so I was excited at the chance to get a more in-depth experience with the company!

"We celebrate diversity one face at a time with our large selection of multi-use minerals in over 400 unique and modern colors of the rainbow. Please check back as we add new colors and products to our collection of eye shadows, blushes, foundations, collections and more."
http://www.bftecosmetics.com/

They sent me a generous 16 sample sized (0.5 gram)  eyeshadows in an adorable tin, which is perfect for storing them in!

Eyeshadows are available in sample size ($2) or full sized ($6.50). 

I love when companies offer sample sizes, it gives you a chance to try it out a few times before you dive into a full sized jar. However, $6.50 is extremely reasonable for a full sized jar of product!

Onward to swatches! (all swatched dry, over UDPP):

Left To Right: Double Chocolate, Dragon Slayer, Gable, Mississippi Mud

For some reason, BFTE is not very consistent with describing their shadows. Some has shade descriptions, and others only have ingredients. Which is okay, I like to see what each company describes their colors as, but for now, I'll describe them the best I can for you!

Each shadow as described by me:

Double Chocolate - Shimmery chocolate brown, slightly warm toned

Dragon Slayer - Gorgeous shimmery darkened gold

Gable - Cool brown with coppery shimmer

Mississippi Mud - Cool dark matte brown

Left To Right: Super Nova, Paris, Lava Momma, Clara

Each shadow as described by me:

Super Nova - Pinkish red with greenish sparkles

Paris - Bright medium pink with pink sparkles

Lava Momma - HOT pink with pink shimmer

Clara - Sheer sparkly gold. This color has some SERIOUS sparkle to it!

Left To Right: Emerald Bliss, Tropical, Blue Bird, Blacklisted

Each shadow as described by me:

Emerald Bliss - Kelly green with gold sparkles

Tropical - Jungle green with blue duotone, nearly matte

Blue Bird - Intense bright blue. Nearly matte

Blacklisted - Darkened blue with blue sparkles

Left To Right: Aphrodite, Big Ego, Sugar Daddy, Meteor Shower

Each shadow as described by me:

Aphrodite - Light lavender with pink shimmer

Big Ego - Royal purple with purple shimmer 

Sugar Daddy - Cool purple with reddish sparkles

Meteor Shower - Black with rainbow sparkles

Overall I really enjoyed these shadows. I swatched them all dry, but mineral eyeshadows usually look even more gorgeous when used wet, so I can't wait to play around with them more! They seem pigmented and smooth. Some of the matte and nearly matte colors were a bit chalky feeling, but not unusable. Some of my favorites are; Tropical, Clara, Dragon Slayer, and Big Ego! 

I also choose two gel liners from them to try. I'm not normally a gel liner fan, but BFTE has a great range of shades, and I thought I'd give them a shot. Gel liners are $8.99 for 6m.

Left: Rave, Right: Oceanic

Rave is a deep plum color with silver and colored glitter, and Oceanic is a pretty royal blue. 

In all honesty, I don't prefer gel liners. And these didn't help the case to change my mind. I tried using these on my eyes a few times, but wasn't successful. They don't apply very opaque or evenly with a brush, and it would've taken a lot of work to get these to work as I wanted. They work great as mineral shadow bases though!

In this look I used Clara, Dragon Slayer, Gable, and Mississippi Mud!

Overall, I would recommend purchasing at least some sample size eyeshadow from BFTE, with their shade range of over 400 colors to choose from, I'm SURE you will find something worth trying! 

***Disclaimer*** Products shown were sent to me by the company for the purpose of reviewing. However, complimentary products never receive special treatment, I review them just like I'd review something I bought myself. My opinions expressed here are purely my own, and are not influenced by any outside sources, nor do I represent any company.***

Blog Blip: Pressed vs. Loose Eyeshadow, and why?

Hey everyone!

Today's entry is just going to be a short one. A lot of people ask me if I prefer pressed or loose eyeshadows, and why. The short answer to that, is I prefer pressed eyeshadows, but here's why!

There are benefits and effects to both pressed and loose eyeshadows. My personal preference is pressed, because they are more compact and portable. Pressed shadows give you a bit greater control over how much pigment you want on your brush, and they tend to be a little less messy! Fallout is typically far less with a pressed shadow than with a loose one, it can seem like you're wasting more product when it creates more fallout.

However, there are many benefits to using loose eyeshadows too! Loose eyeshadows are easier to use wet. Sometimes when you go to use a pressed shadow wet, the formula can cause there to be a sort of crust, over the place where you wet it. With a loose shadow, this is never a problem. While they tend to be a bit more fallout prone, it's easier to get a gorgeous 'foiled' effect using a loose eyeshadow. 

I have quite a bit of both pressed and loose eyeshadows, and I love both forms for different reasons! I just find myself reaching for pressed shadows more often than loose ones!

What about you? What is your personal preference, and why?

Product and Company Review: Makeupgeek!

Hello everyone! Recently, I was lucky enough to have a chance to try out some products I've always wanted to try, Makeupgeek eyeshadows! 

I was able to choose 12 eyeshadows, and 3 brand-new pigments courtesy of Makeupgeek, to create some looks with. I've never heard anything negative about this company/website, so I was ecstatic at the opportunity!

 

 I went ahead and popped the pans right into my large Z-palette (they stick without needed any additional magnets or stickers or anything!) They come as pans, however you can buy them in compacts if you would like. I prefer them in pans because I have a bunch of Z-palettes, and it's far less clutter. (Pans are $5.99, compacts are $7.99) Don't worry about labeling, each pan is labeled with the color name and all of the information already!

SWATCH TIME!!!

Left to Right; Razzleberry, Burlesque, Unicorn, Wisteria, Fairytale, Sea Mist

Left to Right; Appletini, Shimmermint, Stealth, Moondust, Vanilla Bean, Taupe Notch

 All of these were swatched over Urban Decay Primer Potion Original. 

Color descriptions according to Makeupgeek;

Razzleberry - Raspberry Pink with Gold Glitter

Burlesque - Deep Metallic Burgandy

Unicorn - Shimmery Blue Purple

Wisteria - Matte Pale Purple

Fairytale - Pale matte lavender

Sea Mist - Shimmery Turquoise

Appletini - Shimmery Apple green with flecks of gold

Shimmermint - Metallic Mint Green With Gold Shimmer

Stealth - Matte True Gray

Moon Dust - Metallic silver taupe

Vanilla Bean - This simple but smooth shadow has a matte finish with just the slightest sheen.

Taupe Notch - Taupe

The only one of thee descriptions I DON'T agree with is Taupe Notch. I find it far too brown, when I think of taupe, I think of a brown with more of a grey tone to it, but this one has too much red in it for me to consider it a 'taupe' shade. Other than that, they're all pretty accurate descriptions! 

I also got to try some of the newly released pigments Makeupgeek now makes!

The texture of these reminds me of MAC pigments a lot. It almost bunches up together, but goes on so shimmery and so smooth. 

Left to Right; Afterglow, Insomnia, Utopia

All swatched over Urban Decay Primer Potion Original

Color descriptions according to Makeupgeek;

Afterglow - Soft Shimmery Champagne

Insomnia - A dark chocolate brown duochrome with blue/teal reflects.

Utopia - A mixture of deep brown and antique gold shimmer duochrome.

These come with 2 grams of product in them, and they are packed to the BRIM! Literally! I'll also mention that these do NOT come with sifters in the jars! (Which is a plus for me, since I remove all jar sifters anyways xD) Pigments are $6.99 each. 

Complete list of products used:

• Urban Decay Primer Potion Original
• MakeupGeek Eyeshadow in Vanilla Bean
• MakeupGeek Eyeshadow in Moondust
• MakeupGeek Eyeshadow in Taupe Notch
• MakeupGeek Eyeshadow in Unicorn
• MakeupGeek Pigment in Afterglow
• MakeupGeek Pigment in Insomnia
• Urban Decay 24/7 Waterproof Liquid Liner in Perversion
• Rimmel Kohl Kajal Eye Pencil in Pure White
• Bare Escentuals Flawless Definition Mascara

That about sums it up for now! All in all, I am loving these shadows. Great pigmentation and quality for a very, VERY reasonable price. I'm looking forward to filling up my large Z-palette with these! I can't wait to play with them more! 

Have you ever tried MakeupGeek makeup? Are you a member at MakeupGeek.com? Find my profile here:

https://www.makeupgeek.com/members/ToriBiohazard/

***Disclaimer*** Products shown were sent to me by the company for the purpose of reviewing. However, complimentary products never receive special treatment, I review them just like I'd review something I bought myself. My opinions expressed here are purely my own, and are not influenced by any outside sources, nor do I represent any company.***