Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ¸. •*´¯`*• Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ Does Brand Name Really Matter? Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ¸. •*´¯`*• Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

We have all seen in on YT that a lot of the makeup guru’s prefer to use the brand named make-up ie MAC, Inglot, Makeup Forever, and the lists goes on and on. So, I’ve asked myself the question, does brand name really make a difference? So in order to test my theory I purchased a couple of eye shadows, blushes, and liners from a MAC, Urban Decay, and NARS. Well for starters, I’m all about being chic for cheap so I already own mostly drug store products, coastal scents palettes, and a couple of items that were purchased from Ebay. So, I decided to compare the products to the ones that I already have. Soooooo, let’s get started.

Eye shadows IMO: I really didn’t notice the difference. A lot people say that the brand names are more pigmented and less chalky. Well, I disagree. For example, the color Heaven from my Too Faced palette and the pinks and yellows from my coastal scent Prism palette are all chalky. I really don’t know the reason behind the chalkiness but I know for certain that it has nothing to do with the brand. As far as the color pay off, every product/brand is different. Another example, I did a blue smokey eye 1^st using the blue from a HIP Duo and I didn’t like it at all. I attempted it again using a blue from a Black Radiance Palette (also store brand) and the color payoff on that was absolutely awesome. I didn’t even use a base with it and it cost me 5 bucks. Check out the pic below.

I was just learning to apply makeup. I used a Black Radiance Palette and no base and the color still pops!

Now, I know your probably thinking, but wait they have a certain color that I can’t find. Trust and believe that it can be duplicated. You can either mix two colors together or find the exact dup from a drug store brand or off brand company. Prime example, the Naked Palette has a dup by Forever 21 (Love and Beauty) brand has duped it and it’s called Natural. See the pic below. 

Natural by Love and Beauty (Forever 21)

Naked by Urban Decay

Exact replica and half the price and more than half the price ^_^ I wish they would have had this before I purchased my Naked Palette. I actually had to stalk the website for mine because it was always sold out. 


Eye liner IMO: Now, with this one I will have to go with the name brand. I have several different black eyeliners and nothing has come remotely close to Mac Black Feline Eye Kohl pencil. This is the blackest black eye liner I have and I absolutely love, love, love it! I have not found a dup for this and I am looking. If anyone has please let me know so I can test it out. That’s all I have to say on this topic. Again, I love it!!! On the left is a black liner from Wet n Wild and the right is Mac. See pic below.

L: Wet and Wild  R: MAC

 Blushes/Highlighter IMO: My opinion is the same, the color pay off are the same regardless of the brand or non brand. And you can definitely find some dups for some of your fav products especially from ELF. 

Lipstick/Lipgloss IMO: I don’t own any lipsticks from any brands, but I have duped a couple of the shades for example MAC Pink Friday with Rimmel Pink Champagne. I purchased it on clearance for 3 bucks so what a savings. All of my lipsticks are drug store brand. My lip glosses are a combination of brand (MAC) and drug store brand. Now, with the lip glasses, honestly, I haven't been able to dup the colors :(. I actually prefer Revoln Lip glosse over Mac because it is less sticky. I really dislike sticky lip glosses. The wind is blowing and now my hair is stuck to my lips! Patooey!!!!! 

Well, ladies thanks for tuning in and I know i've probably typed you all a headache (since I'm not actually talking). Hope you found this read interesting. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to leave them below. You are greatly appreciated. 

Pink Kisses! Muahhhhhh!

Primers and Bases

 

                                

I decided to do an entry today on the benefits on using an eye shadow base or primer. Well, for starters it helps your eye shadow not crease and helps with the longevity of your eye color. There are many different types of primers out there and what you choose to use is totally up to you. What I use is UDPP (Urban Decay Primer Potion). I love this stuff! IMO, it works really great at preventing my shadow from creasing. I’ve gone as long as 18 hours with my shadow applied on top of this and my colors were still popping. I’ve also used my concealor as a primer. I usually do this when I’m being lazy and I don’t feel like searching for my UDPP. Either option works great.

                                 

Why use an eye shadow base? Well, just like a primer it will help keep your shadow on longer and it can also help bring out the color in the shadows that you are using. The bases that I like to use are NYX Jumbo Pencils. They come in a variety of different colors. You would apply these just as you do your primer, but you do not want to apply a lot because these will crease. I normally use Jumbo pencils when I am using bright eye shadow colors like yellows,pinks,and greens. By applying either the same color base or a white base this will help bring out the color more. 

L: No base R: NYX Jumbo Pencil in Milk (base)

                        

                   

In the pic above I applied a green shadow from my 88 palette to my hand. On the left is with out the base. You can still see the color, but look how much more pigmented the green is on the right when applied on top of a white eye shadow base.

Hope this info was helpful ladies ^_^

Pink Kisses! Muah!!!

♥ Birchbox ♥

I’m super excited to write about this product. I would have written about these months ago, however, it slipped my mind and I moved on to other things. Wondering what the heck I’m talking about? Well it’s BIRCHBOX. 

What is BIRCHBOX?  Birchbox delivers the best products and the best insider secrets, without any fuss. Every month Birchbox members will receive a curated box of luxe beauty samples. Each box will span beauty categories and deliver exciting products that fit into both your day-to-day routine, and into those days when you want to turn up the drama a notch. (www.birchbox.com). Each month, you'll receive a  selection of 4-5 samples that we’ve tried (and retried) ourselves.  You'll receive anything from skincare to makeup to cult beauty tools, from well-known brands as well as emerging gems.

For just $10 dollars a month you get all these really cool samples to try out. And they are not just small samples neither. I have been a member of Birchbox for about 4 months and each month I get excited about it because you never know what’s inside of it. If you check out my YT page (www.youtube.com/beautiful305girl) there is a video I recorded of me opening my box and showing you the awesome goodies that were inside. 

Unfortunately, this month box I didn’t record or take any pics of Boooo, to me ::sad face::, BUT, I do have pics from a previous one that I will include so that you can see exactly what it looks like. IMO, I feel that this is a really great investment, especially when you are not sure if you want to purchase the entire product. The sample allows you to test it out and if you are interested you can purchase the product right from their site. The cool thing about that is when you do make a purchase, take product surveys, or refer a friend you earn Birchbox Points. For every 100 points you earn you receive $10 to spend on their website. How cool is that? Very, Very cool.  So enjoy the pics below.

 

Pink Kisses! Muah!!!

Love the pink box it comes in ^_^

Box inside the box. ♥ the logo

It comes with a little note that includes the product description. I don't read it because I liked to be surprised! I'm weird like that LOL.

♥ how they wrap everything so neat and in such pretty burgundy and pink paper

And here are the goodies: Stella eye shawdow, a sample purfume by Bvlgari, a really nice blank greeting card, and the other two products I can't remember right now ::it's 230 am right now. Yikes!::