Uncategorized Archives - Page 12 of 23

Get to Know Me: The Beauty Blogger Tag

September 3, 2014 Katie Marie 3 Comments

I am a long-time follower of Beauty Broadcast — both her Youtube channel and blog — and I came across the Beauty Blogger Tag she did on her blog last year.

I’ve always loved to read tag blogs and videos, and I thought it’d be fun to do a tag on my blog. 🙂 The questions are fun, and it’s a neat way for you to get to know me a little bit more.

So let’s get this started!

The Beauty Blogger Tag

1. Is your hair naturally curly or straight? My hair naturally likes to be frizzy and have one funky wave. If I am able to put some hair oil in it, I can usually manage to tame the frizz and calm the way a bit, but I usually have to bring out the flat iron to really solve the problem.

2. Do you dye it yourself or go to a salon?

I’ve never died my hair before. 🙂 No particular reason why…I just haven’t found a color I felt worth coloring my hair for. I think I’ll probably eventually color my hair, but who knows when! 🙂

3. Do you wear the same style everyday, or do you change it?

Typically, around the house, I’ll just put it up in a ponytail. But when I go out — either church, shopping, or visiting friends — I do like to change up how I wear it. My go-to styles are straightened, curly, braids, and half-up, and when I have time I will try new and fun styles. If you’d like me to do more hair or makeup tutorials, let me know in the comments below!

4. Do you do your own mani/pedi or go to a salon?

I’ve gone to a salon before, but I normally do my own manicures at home. And I always do my own pedicures….haven’t gotten those professionally done yet. 🙂

5. How often do you change your nail polish?

My manicures usually only last a couple of days (I’m hard on my nails), and when I am in the groove to have color on my nails, I’ll try a new color every week.

6. Do you polish your toes in the winter or just the summer?

I paint my toes all the time — I don’t know why…I just don’t like to have naked toe nails. So whenever I take my polish off, I typically repaint them the same day. Though I do give them a break in the winter, when I know I’m going to be wearing closed toed shoes for several weeks. That way they can breath a bit. 🙂

7. How long does it take for you to put on makeup?

Ekk! Do I have to admit to this one?? If I am taking my time (and I enjoy doing my makeup routine, so like to take my time) I could probably take well over an hour. But if I have to get ready in a hurry — say I have to leave the house in ten minutes — then I can get ready in that amount of time. It’ll just be very minimal on the makeup: foundation, maybe some eyeliner, and mascara. So, yeah, I can adapt if needs be…but I prefer to take my time and enjoy the process. 🙂

8. What do you do first? Face or eyes?

Well, I apply primer to my face, but once that’s on, I always do my eyes. I like to be able to get all the color on the eyes and do my wings before I apply foundation — that way if any shadow falls in the process, it’s an easy fix. Then I’ll do my foundation and finish my eyes by applying mascara before finishing the rest of my face.

9. Do you collect makeup or just buy what you need when you need it?

Hmm…I would say I’m somewhere in between those two. I know I have more makeup than I absolutely need (I have several palettes, a couple foundations), but I don’t consider myself a collector. I, personally, don’t like to own a product and not use it. So while I like variety and being able to choose different products each day as I apply my foundation, I don’t like owning so much makeup that I don’t use them.

10. How often do you wear false eyelashes?

Never. I’ve only applied them once, and didn’t care for the feel or look of them. Maybe I’ll delve into that sometime in the future…but for now, I’m happy with the eyelashes that I have.

11. Do you do a full face of makeup everyday?

I don’t wear makeup every day. But when I do, I typically like to do a full face of makeup. Unless I don’t have time, then I’ll do whatever I am able to fit in. But, yeah, typically I am a full-face-of-makeup kind of girl! 😉

12. Do you wear makeup when you’re home alone or with family?

Not all the time. On occasion, if my skin is doing well and not freaking out too terrible, I like to apply makeup before my husband comes home. He always likes when I “do my eyes up” (as he says) for him. 🙂

13. Will you leave the house without makeup?

I do…but usually (unless my face is doing really well — i.e. no red breakouts or large hyper pigmentation spots) I don’t like to. I definitely feel more confident and presentable with at least a little foundation on. 🙂

14. How many high-end products do you have?

Uhh….I’d guess between 5 and 10. (Yeah, I’m too lazy to go count them up right now…sorry :-/)

15. Do you plan your OOTD every night or decide when you’re getting dressed?

Usually I decide them as I get dressed. Sometimes I will plan ahead, but more often I’ll just decide in the moment.

16. How often do you change your handbag?

Uhh, almost never, lol! I’ve been using the same purse since the beginning of the year. I need a new one, for sure, but I haven’t found a replacement that I like yet. Still hunting!

17. What time do you wake up and go to sleep?

Yikes, that varies! Put, on a normal week, I wake up at 5:30am and get in bed between 9 and 10.

18. How often or when do you workout?

Once I got settled into my new home after being married (to my AMAZING husband!), I started getting into a workout routine. If I have the weekday mornings to myself, I’ll workout every morning. Weekends I take a break.

19. Left handed or right handed?

This girl is right handed! 😉

20. How tall are you?

Last time someone checked, I was 5 feet and 2 inches. 🙂

21. Do you speak any foreign languages?

No, unfortunately. I used to be able to sign American Sign Language very well, but I haven’t done it in over 2 years….so I couldn’t talk fluently anymore. (Yeah, I consider ASL a different language 🙂

22. How many pets do you have?

Currently, none. The house we are renting at the moment doesn’t allow pets. As for the future…we shall see!

23. How often are you on Blogger?

I write a new post on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, but I am on Blogger every day. Either working on a new post or answering your comments. 🙂

24. Do you read comments posted on blogs?

Yes, I do! On my own blog (of course) and on other blogs that I follow. If the post I am reading interests me, I almost always check out the comments to see what other people are saying and maybe leave one of my own.

25. Do you keep a list of products to try as you see other posts?

Yes, I sure do! And that list is ALWAYS growing! Oh dear…

26. How did you come up with your blog name?

Well, I knew that my blog was going to be about beauty and makeup, but I always wanted to be able to talk about skincare and hairstyles as well. So I wanted a title that could encompasss all of that.

I was staring at my vanity table one day, looking at my makeup, hair care, and skincare products when it hit me. My vanity holds all those things! And since, essentially, everything that I talk about one here will have come from my vanity…..that’s how the name was born!

27. What kind of camera do you use for your photographs?

I am really bad at knowing my cameras…but I know it’ a Canon. And on the front it says ‘PowerShot ELPH 13015’, if that helps anyone know what kind of camera it is. It isn’t anything fancy, but it takes pictures well enough. 🙂

28. How often do you clean your house?

I clean my house on a daily basis, but if you’re talking about deep cleaning (like the bathrooms, floors, and carpets) then I do that once a week. And more often, if I am seeing things that are looking dirty. 🙂

29. What’s your favorite color?

Definitely brown!! I just love all the different, warm, beautiful shades of brown! And I also love purple. 🙂 As you can tell from my wedding colors.

30. Do you swear?

No, I don’t. The Lord said not to take His name in vain, so I stay far away from that. 🙂

31. What are you doing with the rest of your day?

Well, since it’s 7:30pm at the time that I am writing this post…the only thing on my to-do list is to take a shower, get ready for bed, read a book, and go to sleep. 🙂

Well, that was fun! I really enjoyed doing this tag — and if there are any other beauty tags that you would like me to do, please leave them in the comments below and I will work on that. 🙂

As for who I tag…the beauty bloggers are…

Elle — ElleSees

Stephanie — The Fantasia

Laila — Townhouse Palette

Allie — LunaVida

Catherine — Catherines Loves

Ali — Ali in Bloom
Tianna — Storybook Apothecary

If you don’t follow these ladies already, you really need to! I am an avid fan of their blogs and love to see what new post they have up. Go check them out, and let them know that they are tagged to do the Beauty Blogger Tag! 😀

Question for My Readers: How long does it take YOU to do your makeup in the morning? If you had all the time in the world?

The Nude ‘tude palette from The Balm has some sultry colors (Makeup Review)

September 1, 2014 Katie Marie 5 Comments

Over the weekend From My Vanity hit 1,000 followers! I am SO excited to have hit such a big number — I would never have thought my blog would be anywhere close to having so many awesome readers, but I am so happy and thankful that it has.

I hope to put together a fun giveaway as a thank you to you all 🙂 Not sure when I can do it, I am going to be doing a lot of traveling in September, but hopefully before too long. So be on the lookout for that. 🙂

Love you all!

I purchased the products with my personal funds.

About The Balm’s Nude ‘Tude Eyeshadow Palette

Retail Price: $36

This amazing palette consists of 12 beautiful shadows that make wearing
nudes sexy! These satiny smooth colors can be applied naturally, i.e.
“let me slip into something more comfortable” or beautifully layered.

The wide range gives you light highlighters as well as brazen bold
shades that work to add definition and emphasis to your lids. Nude`tude
allows you to dramatically dress up your eyes—if nothing else!

There are 2 different types of palettes you can get: the ‘Naughty’ or the ‘Nice’ palette. BOTH VERSIONS OF THE NUDE`TUDE PALETTE CONTAIN THE SAME EYESHADOW COLORS.

My Review:

First Impression & Packaging…
First off, let me start by saying that I purchased the ‘Nice’ version of this palette. 🙂 The neutral colors in this palette really attracted me, as did the pretty shimmery finish of the shadows. Not all of the shadows are full of shimmer, but I’ll get into that in a minute. The palette itself is beautifully packaged and has a magnetic closure. I love the look of it!

Product & Application…
All of the shadows are really smooth and have nice pigmentation. As you can see from my swatches (and these swatches are without any primer underneath them), they are pretty pigmented. With a primer underneath, these colors really pop and show up well on your eyelid.

As I mentioned, not all of the colors have shimmer in them, thankfully. Sultry, Sexy, Serious, and Sleek are all really pretty matte shades. The black color in this palette isn’t a very intense black and I usually end up reaching for a different matte black or darn brown to get a really dark outer crease to complete a look I am doing.

Major Likes & Dislikes…
I like that all of the colors are natural — hence the name of the palette, Nude’tude (As if that’s not obvious, Katie, really…) Personally, while I love adding shimmer or color to my look, I still stay in the safety of the more natural colors like the pinks, browns, and greens. Nude’tude gives me all those colors in beautiful pigmentation, making this aspect a major like for me.

I think my only dislike is that the darker colors blend out a bit, making them not as dark as I typically like. You can build it up to a suitable level, but for me it’s just easier to use the black in my LORAC Pro to Go to get the job done quickly.

Final Thoughts…
While I am glad that I own this palette, I don’t think I would consider it a ‘must have’ to add to your collection. If you want a palette with neutral colors and don’t want to spend $50+ on any of the Naked, then I would definitely recommend you purchase this palette instead. But if you already have one of those palettes — or have a bunch of smaller neutral palettes from the drugstore (like the ones from Physicians Formula or Wet n Wild) — then I don’t think this palette is a must for your collection.

I used Stand-Offish, Sultry, Sleek, and Serious

It really comes down to if you want to buy this palette. The colors are soft and pigmented and you can create some pretty looks with it. I know I am glad I bought it and have it in my collection. I’ve only tried 2 or 3 products from The Balm, but I am looking forward to trying many more in the future.

Question for My Readers: If you were to purchase this palette, which one would you want to buy the most — the ‘Naughty’ or ‘Nice’ palette? Why?

I purchased the products mentioned
above with my own personal money. I was not compensated in any way for
posting this review. I only recommend products that I have used
personally and believe will be beneficial for my readers.

BoxyCharm has You Hitting the Beaches (August Unboxing)

August 27, 2014 Katie Marie 4 Comments

Today I’m really excited to share a BoxyCharm unboxing with you all. Never heard of BoxyCharm? No worries, I’ll explain (and get you hooked!) below. 😉

Warning: this post is picture heavy!

What is BoxyCharm?

BOXYCHARM is an online beauty subscription that surprises you each
month with name-brand beauty essentials. Our goal is to enhance your
current cosmetic collection by delivering trendy and popular beauty
items right to your front door. Our beauty experts have years of
experience in the health and beauty industry and are dedicated to
selecting the essentials that they know you will love. Each month, you
will receive a beautifully crafted box with full size and luxury size
beauty items.

Let us do the work! BOXYCHARM removes the hassle of picking the right
beauty products. The beauty items are carefully selected to promote
creativity and glamour. Your BOXYCHARM also includes a card with a
description of the beauty items received, keeping you savvy and excited
about your new items. It’s also a great idea for a gift! Our BOXYCHARM
can be delivered to your friends and family for any special occasion. So
what are you waiting for? Be charmed!

And just to add, it’s $21 a month and you get 5 full size products.

BoxyCharm sent me August’s box in the hopes that I would feature the contents in a blog post. I’m not paid to write this post and none of the links are affiliate — I just think this is a really awesome subscription box that you really get your money’s worth out of!

Stick around till the end of the post and I’ll break down how much this box is actually worth!

What’s Inside of BoxyCharm’s August Box?

Your products come in this cute box that has a printed ribbon and bow around it.

Each box that BoxyCharm sends out has a special theme to them. As you can see, August’s theme was all about the beach. 🙂 So it’s all about the bronzed and beautiful look. Let’s see if the product’s live up to this expectation!

And don’t forget to stop and appreciate the sweet message on their box 🙂

Packed with the product is this fun white and gold shredded paper. 🙂 As you can see, I received 5 FULL SIZE products in my box. They all were from brands I hadn’t heard of before, but looked like great quality.

The first thing I pulled out from the box was this makeup brush. It’s from Morphe Brushes and it’s they’re Powder Brush and it retails for $19.99. So, right there, this first product is almost the same price as the box itself (and we still have 4 products to go!)
The brush is very soft, though I’m not sure yet how it will work on applying bronzer…which is the next item in the box!

This product is called OFRA Cosmetics Americano Bronzer and is a pretty, powdery bronzed color.

(I apologize for this swatch not being so bright…I’ll work on it!) As you can see the bronzer appears to have just a little bit of shimmer/sparkle to it. I’m curious it see how this looks when I apply it on my skin. This bronzer retails for $35.

The third product I pulled out of the box was also from OFRA Cosmetics and it was their Eyeliner in Green Go.

This product retails for $13 and is a beautiful hunter green with shimmer.

This swatch was only once on my arm, and as you can see it looks really pretty. Not sure how I am going to use this eyeliner (I tend to just use black liners), but I look forward to trying!

Next up is the ModelCo‘s CHEEK + LIPS Cheek & Lip Tint in Rosy Red. I have never used a cheek stain before — I do use and love my cream blushes — but I am looking forward to trying this one out.

This product has really cute packaging — I love it! This full size product retails for $13.

So when you first squeeze it out, it looks like the picture above. Then…

As you blend it out, it has this jelly-ish texture and looks very bold and bright red. But…

Once you fully blend it out, it leaves your skin with this beautiful, natural summery blush. You only need the teeniest amount (I used too much in the swatches above), so this 0.04 oz tube will last you a very long time!

And the last product in the BoxyCharm’s August box was Tarina Tarantino’s Conditioning Lip Sheen!

This is one fancy lipstick, let me tell you! You wouldn’t believe how heavy-duty this tube feels when you hold it in your hand. It just feels high quality!

This full-size conditioning lip sheen retails for $22.

I love the feel of this lip sheen on my lips. It’s very velvety and smooth. And the color is perfect!

And that was all of the product’s in my August BoxyCharm box! 🙂 Did it hold up to it’s theme of Beach Babe? I think so! The bronzer, cheek tint, brush, and lip sheen are definitely perfect for the beach. The eyeliner doesn’t stand out to me as being ‘summery’, but it’s still pretty!

I love my BoxyCharm box and can’t wait to start using the products!

Let’s do the math!

OFRA Cosmetics’ Bronzer – $35

Tarina Tarantino Lip Sheen – $22

ModelCo Cheek & Lip Tint – $22

Morphe Powder Brush – $19.99

OFRA Cosmetics’ Eyeliner – $13

TOTAL = $111.99

Wow! So you’re paying $21 and you get 5 products that add up to over $100. That’s so impressive!

If you’ve never heard of BoxyCharm, I would encourage you to check them out! There are many subscription services out there, but I like that this one is at a reasonable monthly rate and gives you several products that are full size!

Question for My Readers: Do you want to see a makeup look where I use all of these products on my face?? Have you heard of BoxyCharm before today? Does it interest you?

I
received one or more of the products mentioned above from
BoxyCharm in the hopes that I would mention them on my blog. Regardless,
this does not guarantee a review or feature on my blog. I only share information that I think will be useful for my
readers and I only recommend
products I have personally used.

I only share information that I think will be useful for my
readers and I only recommend
products I have personally used. – See more at: https://frommyvanity.com/#sthash.o2HfZzJD.dpuf

I only share information that I think will be useful for my
readers and I only recommend
products I have personally used. – See more at: https://frommyvanity.com/#sthash.o2HfZzJD.dpufee

Maybelline Color Tattoo Leather Collection – is it Worth Getting (Makeup Review)

August 25, 2014 Katie Marie 5 Comments

It’s Monday, y’all!

I always get so excited at the start of another week. I truly enjoy working on From My Vanity and love putting these posts together for y’all. 🙂

Now let’s dive right into the review for today!

I purchased the products with my personal funds.

About Maybelline Eye Studio® Color Tattoo® Leather Collection…

So rich. So creamy. Only our cream gel eye shadow formula gets the look of couture leather so right.

Dare to wear Maybelline Color Tattoo leather 24HR long wear eye shadow.

– Ink technology creates 24HR wear shadow for our most intense, long-lasting color saturation.

– Cream eye shadow formula glides on without creasing and keeps color vibrant.

– Leather Lush with a creamy touch

My Review:

First Impression & Packaging…
I was really excited when I saw that this line was coming out, as I am a die-hard fan of matte colors. Not that I don’t like sparkle or shimmer — I do, on occasion — but my go-to type of eyeshadow is definitely matte. This new addition to the Color Tattoo collection is packaged just the same as the original colors.

Maybelline Color Tattoo Leather Collections Creamy Beige Eyeshadow Review

I bought the colors Creamy Beige and Vintage Plum from my local drugstore, as I knew these were two colors that I would use frequently. I was really excited to try out Creamy Beige, as it looked like a color that would be perfect to wear as the base to my eyeshadow.

Product & Application…
I was rather surprised when I found out that these two shades both swatched and applied differently from each other. As you can see in the picture below, Creamy Beige came off very rich and pigmented, whereas Vintage Plum was rather patchy and sheer.

I just swatched them both once on my arm. But just from that I knew I was going to like the Creamy Beige a lot more than the Vintage Plum. I’ve had the chance to try these both out on my lid over the past few weeks — both alone and with power eyeshadows on top. I definitely love — and constantly reach for — the Creamy Beige. On almost a daily basis! It’s just a great color to use as a base for my eyeshadows. And since (for me) it is just a few shades darker than my natural skin color, it suits me well for those natural eye looks.

The Vintage Plum comes off patchy (like in the swatch) but if you blend it in, it won’t have that patchy look anymore. Though it will be sheer. It still works well as a base under eyeshadows, though, and prolongs the staying power of my eyelooks — so at least I will still get use out of this product.

Major Likes & Dislikes…
The lasting power on both of these are great. I typically have oily eyelids and if I don’t have a primer underneath them my eyeshadows won’t last half the day. But I’ve used Creamy Beige under my eyeshadows (without a primer) and when I take my makeup off at night my eyeshadows still look as pigmented as when I first applied it!

A definite dislike would be the Vintage Plum. I like using purple in my eyeshadows (that was the color I used for my wedding eye look), so I was hoping this would be a rich base that would enhance the purple. But, as you can see from the swatches, it doesn’t apply well. And while you can blend out the patchy-ness, it leaves the color very sheer. I am able to build it up suitably, but it just takes extra work.

Final Thoughts…
From my experience (with just 2 out of the 5 colors), this looks like a hit and miss collection. The Vintage Plum is nice, but I don’t feel it gives off enough color to
be worth buying to wear under your purple eyeshadows. I, personally,
would just use Creamy Beige and then good, pigmented purples on top to
get a purple eyeshadow look.

(As if you can’t tell yet…) I definitely highly recommend you purchase the Creamy Beige. I think any woman would benefit from having this color in their collection, especially if you have a darker skintone. It works great for those natural, every-day eye looks. And even if you go for dramatic and colorful, it will still work great as a base and ensure that the look you worked so hard to blend to perfection will last all day long.

Question for My Readers: I’m trying to make my reviews more short, to the point, and not quiet so lengthy as I typically do that. Would you like that? Do the long reviews turn you off? Would you appreciate my reviews to be more concise? (I know this review wasn’t all that short, but I was reviewing two products 😉

I purchased the products mentioned above with my own
personal money. I was not compensated in any way for posting this
review. I only recommend products that I have used personally and
believe will be beneficial for my readers.

Celebrating with a Giveaway from LORAC

August 20, 2014 Katie Marie 15 Comments

In celebration of rebranding my blog, LORAC was kind enough to send me a few of their new lipsticks to try out and give away to one of my awesome subscribers!

The lipsticks they sent are from their newly-released PRO Matte Lip Color pencil line. I was really intrigued when I read about these lipsticks, as they have a matte finish (I prefer that over shimmery) and come in a twist-up tube as opposed to a typical lipstick bullet. This really goes well with their whole “Pro-To-Go” theme — twisting up this skinny tube of lipstick makes applying it a dream!

But I’m getting a bit ahead of myself. Let’s take a closer look at the product line before we go on.

About LORAC PRO Matte Lip Color:

Go PRO with LORAC PRO Matte Lip Color! This velvety-smooth, matte lip
color is infused with anti-aging antioxidants of Acai Berry,
Pomegranate, Grape Seed Extract and Vitamins C and E to help nourish and
protect your lips. The PRO tip hugs the curves of your lips with
precision and control while the weightless, PRO formula easily glides on
with a long-lasting, matte finish. PRO Matte Lip Color comes in an
array of highly-pigmented, buildable, rich colors from natural nudes to
vibrant hues for a modern, matte lip in any shade you desire.

So when I received these products, as per the usual, I popped them out of their boxes and swatched it. LORAC sent me the color Mauve — a really beautiful matte color!

Now, I’ve only had the opportunity to wear this lip color once, so this post will not be my review of the product. That will come later. 🙂 But so far, just from the swatch and wearing it once, I am really loving this product!

I think my favorite aspect is that it’s really thin and twists up, which makes applying this to my lips really easy. For me, easier than a regular lipstick bullet.

So, if you would like to win your own LORAC PRO Matte Lip Color…now is your chance! 🙂

Rules: Since this giveaway is a celebration of rebranding my blog from Legacy of a Writer to From My Vanity, it’s going to be all about connecting with my updated social media handles! This giveaway is exclusive to GFC followers of my blog — and if you aren’t a follower yet, you can do it right now at the top, right side of my blog. 🙂 USA entries, only. If you are younger than 18, please get your parents permission, as I will need to know your mailing address. This giveaway will run for 3 weeks and end at midnight on September 10th, 2014.

So, now that that’s all over, enter away!! 😀

UPDATE: To read my review on the LORAC Pro Matte Lip Color, click here.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I
received one or more of the products mentioned above for free from LORAC. Regardless, I only recommend
products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my
readers.

One Direction’s Up All Night is a hit for the Bold Fans! (First Impression Review)

August 14, 2014 Katie Marie Leave a Comment

The Looks Collection comprises three keepsake tins inspired by One
Direction’s globe-conquering albums, Up All Night, Take Me
Home and the latest chart topper, Midnight Memories.

Each tin
comes complete with everything you need to show off your personality.
Are you a rock n roll girl, a fun party girl or the girl next door?
We have just the right collection for you and illustrations to help show
you just how to get your perfect look.

All your beauty essentials are
housed in a LIMITED EDITION collectable keepsake tin with removable
sleeve, complete with ONE DIRECTION doodle stencils to decorate your
keepsake tin and make it uniquely your own!

* * I apologize, in advance, for the length of this post. But there are a lot of products in One Direction’s Limited Edition makeup collection and I wanted to remain true to my blog and be thorough with my initial thoughts on these products. * *

My First Impression Review:

4+1 Eye Shadow Palette:
Being an eyeshadow junkie myself, the One Direction Eyeshadow Palette was the first thing I took out and played around with. If you are a fan of One Direction, than the neatest thing about this palette is that each of the colors are named after one of their songs. So the pink shade is More Than This, the mint color is Save You Tonight, and the pretty taupe crease color is Gotta Be You. And the last two darker, sparkly colors in the palette are Another World and Up All Night.

None of the colors are matte. The pink and taupe aren’t exactly sparkly, but they do come off with a satin finish. Which isn’t bad, but personally I love my matte colors. The shade in the middle (darkest blue, Up All Night, is actually (surprisingly) a cream eyeshadow, and the chunky sparkly is only on the top layer. Once I swatched it a couple times, the chunky glitter was pretty much gone and all that was left was a shimmery creamy eyeshadow. Which I thought was better, as I didn’t like the chunky glitter at all. It was very patchy.

I always swatch the shadows on my arm to test them out before using them on my eyes. As you can see in the pictures below, the eyeshadows are actually pretty pigmented and came off fairly well on my arm.

The two blues, obviously, are the worst out of the lot — but the other three are really pretty! I love the taupe color and like using the mint as a pop of color. The colors don’t blend well, which is unfortunate, but they look well when placed with a shader brush or your finger. And if I use the pink very lightly, it works well to highlight my browbone and inner corner.

“Little Black Dress” Mascara:
For my personal needs, I am content with the length of my lashes, and typically just look for a mascara that will thicken and lengthen them even more. With One Direction’s Little Black Dress Volumizing Mascara, I felt it did a fantastic job at giving me longer, natural looking lashes.

So for me, personally, I didn’t see much volume happening. Maybe a little bit, but not at the extent that I like. 🙂 Thought it gave very nice length and it does have a dark, black formula. The consistency of the mascara is a very dry formula. I think I prefer more wet, but I didn’t mind this one being so dry.

All in all, while I don’t think it gave me the volume I like, it was lengthening and I like using the Little Black Dress Mascara on an every day basis for a natural look.

“Na Na Na” Nail Polish:
If you like glittery nail polish, than Na Na Na is going to be right up your alley! It’s a really pretty iridescence bluish/green.

The polish is rather thin, so it takes several coats in order to build up the color and coverage on your hails. But I rather like it. It dries quickly and lasts for several days without chipping. All in all a very nice nail polish to add to my collection.

“Taken” Lipgloss:
If you like bright colors, than pull up a chair — because One Direction’s lip products are exactly that!

Taken is a vibrant, neon pink that has plenty of sparkles. As you can see from my swatch below, it is rather pigmented for a sparkly lipgloss (in my experience, often all you can see is the sparkle, and no color).

It goes on a little bit shearer than what you can see in the swatch above. But it still has plenty of color in it on the lips. While I have never been the type to wear bright, bold colors…but I might wear this one on certain days. 🙂

“I Should Have Kissed You” Lipstick:
Now this lipstick is bright! When I first tried it, I kind of startled myself in the mirror.

I don’t think this color compliment my skin tone, personally, but that doesn’t mean you might not love it. 🙂 It is a very matte lipstick, and because of this it can be pretty drying. But I made sure to moisturize my lips very well before applying the lipstick.

The color is very pigmented and goes on great. Because it’s matte, it stays put really well. Even after I have eaten. While some of it does come off, of course, the color is still there and noticeable.

“Stand Up” Eye & Body Crayon:
Out of all the products in this collection, I think Stand Up was the one that I was the least impressed with. I suppose it would work well as a body crayon, to use with the Doodle Stencils that come in this collection. But I wasn’t really pleased when I used it on my eyes.

The color is not very vibrant and it doesn’t really set. I applied the swatch (below) to my arm, and after 30 minutes or so tried to see if it would hold up to being rubbed on lightly. And it all came right off. There was a hint of color on my arm — as if it stained the skin — but that was about it.

For me, personally, I constantly have a problem with colors creasing on my oily lids, so I didn’t even want to try out as I knew it wouldn’t last. But I did use it in my waterline the other day, and it held up rather well.

Doodle Stencils:
The final product that was included (as a bonus, I just discovered) in the Up All Night Limited Edition Makeup Collection. Personally, I haven’t used it — but for fans of One Direction I have no doubt they will be excited to try out these stencils on their personal items.

Apparently, from what I read about these stencils, you can use them with the body crayon on your own body or grab a marker and decorate your bags, purses, or paper.

Final Thoughts:

All in all, the makeup in Up All Night are really nice quality. The collection has it’s pros and cons, but for the better part of the collection they are pros. And if you would wear these colors, than this is a collection totally worth getting! Especially if you are a One Direction fans — that’s a no brainer, of course. 🙂

Question for My Readers: Are you a One Direction’s fan? What’s your favorite song by them?

I
received one or more of the products mentioned above from Markwins, through BrandBacker. Regardless, I only share information that I think will be useful for my readers and I only recommend
products I have personally used.

I only share information that I think will be useful for my
readers and I only recommend
products I have personally used. – See more at: https://frommyvanity.com/#sthash.V98n09u8.dpuf

Welcome to ‘From My Vanity’!

August 11, 2014 Katie Marie 4 Comments

I am so excited to announce to you the new face of my blog! It’s kind of sad to let go and say goodbye to “Legacy of a Writer”, but I am SO excited to continue the adventure with “From My Vanity”. 😀

Thank you all SO much for the title suggestions you gave me during the giveaway. There were so many good ones! If you could ask my family, they would confirm the fact that I wavered between so many of them for a long time!

But, From My Vanity finally won out.

I made the grand transition this morning and while there are still a few quirks I need to iron out (like make a blog button and get the sidebars in order), the blog facelift is pretty much complete.

I have updated my About Me and Policies & Disclosure page — and I’ve also added another page, Advertising/PR. Go check them all out and let me know what you think! Leave it in the comments below this post — for some reason I can’t get the comments to work on my pages. But I’ll be working on that!

I also had to update my Twitter and Facebook accounts. So if you are following me on Twitter, my handle is now @ladykaty92. And on Facebook, I will eventually be closing out the one you have ‘liked’, so please visit my new page and ‘like’ it at www.facebook.com/ladykaty92.

Those are the only two social media accounts that have been changed so far. Instagram and Pinterest will stay the same, and I am in the process of changing Bloglovin’. I will keep you posted on that. 🙂

I hope you all like the new look! Share it on your social media, if you do! Let’s get some more beauty and fashion lovers to join and keep the conversations on here lively. 😀

I’ll be back on Wednesday with a new post. See you then!