Get Creative with Your Product Names Y'all

Hi there!
Happy New Year!
I guess. I'm not very festive so I have nothing to really show or do on the first day of the new year. For example, I'm sitting here typing this out while letting some Directions silver toner(review coming soon, y'all!) sit in my hair and some eye masks sit on my pretty eye bags.
I just wanted to finally type out this review that I was supposed to put out before Christmas but I was hauled away from civilization by family and had no wifi for 10 days.
Anyway, this is a review of the Lunatick Cosmetic Labs KromatiCK silks. I got a custom stacker with 6 sifter jars of loose eyeshadows. The colors I chose were Occult Classic, Zombie Nation, Franken Lime-stein, Killer MayBEE, Basketcase, and Dr. Jekyll.

This is the stacker. I was a bit disappointed with the appearance. On the site the packaging looks more professional with the name of the company on the lid and the stacker was a different model with the sifters labeled. Here is the link to the custom stacker.

This is the first silk in the stacker, Occult Classic. The site's description of the color is "Blackest matte black infused with tons of pink *color shifting to violet* ultra fine glitter." This is accurate. I used this for my makeup and the black is very intense and the glitter has minimal fallout. However, I suggest patting this on as an all over shadow or at least not buffing it out. The glitter is very fine and disappears when blending the shadow.

The second color in the sifter is Zombie Nation. The site's  description is "High shine royal green with gold glitter iridescence." I have no idea what royal green is but I want to say this is more of a sea foam green. It's a unique color and  I can't wait to find a use to show it off.

The third silk is Frenken Lime-stein. There is no description for this color but it is essentially a lime green with gold iridescence. It's a very pretty color that isn't too bright and can be worn casually or packed on to look super bright and OUT THERE.

This is the fourth silk called Killer MayBEE. The description on the site is "Yellow with fine orange glitter". In the jar it looks like a true canary yellow and  I love  it. Once applied it turns into yellow with a fine gold iridescence. I was not able to see any orange glitter when swatched or applied.

This is the fifth silk called Basketcase. The description on the site is "Orange with fine gold glitter." I don't know if it's just me but that glitter is not gold. To me it came out as a light blue and silver. Honestly, just because of that I fell in love with the silk. It's very unique and I hope to find a way to keep the glitter visible

The last silk in the sift is Dr. Jekyll and it's my absolute favorite. The description on the site is "Your fools gold color- high shine with fine sliver glitter iridescence." I don't know about any silver glitter but I love how dark the gold color is. It reminds me of what a doubloon would look like. It's also one of the more neutral colors from LCL.

Here is a swatch on my arm of all the silks in the same order they are in the stacker. This was also taken in natural sunlight and with no primer underneath. I think the pigmentation is pretty impressive, especially for Killer MayBee since yellows usually have terrible color pay off. You can also see a bit of glitter fallout from Occult Classic.

In this picture I'm wearing Dr. Jekyll all over the lid. I took this picture by a window so the color looks like real gold instead of the darker shade it is in the jar. Either way I love it.
I want to say that I am pretty satisfied with these eye shadows. I'm fully aware that lighting changes the look of the glitters and shadows so I can't say anything bad about differences in descriptions.
Also I would like to point out that $35 for 6 sifters jars with 2 grams of product is a great deal. LCL KromatiCK Silks usually come in containers with 20 GRAMS for $12. You're essentially getting a sampler for a great price.
The closest thing I can compare this to is when I went to the SJ Beauty Show and found a cosmetics company trying to sell their last bits of loose eye shadow and they were sifter jars with about 6 grams of product. They were selling 5 for $35.
Anyway, I would reccommend buying products from LCL. They sell pretty unique named products an array of colors. They also sell cosplay and special effects(SFX) stuff!
On my next round of purchases from them I want to try out their primer, pick up some more KromatiCK silks and some of their ApocalipSTICK.
From the KromatiCK silks I'd get My Bloody Valentine and Mint Night Magic. The ApocalipSTICKs look amazing and come in a unique packaging. I really want to try out AK-47, Violet Shock, UZI, Saint and Dreamsinful.
I love the names of all their products. I think that is very important and companies should take note of that. People will buy more of your products if the names are cute or just unique, but still tasteful. I know there are companies that sell bright lipsticks with cheap packaging and their lackluster naming of their products leave much to be desired.
You might actually get away with cheap packaging if the names are great and the product works.
Anyway, I'm going to go make dinner and play some video games. At some point I'll take off this toner and write a post about the results.
Thank you for reading!

Cosmetology School: Hair Experiment Success

Hi there!
Today I went through a process of removing hair dye/excess hair dye from my hair and toning it to reach a pale blonde color and felt like I should blog about it.
The first thing I want to mention before diving into this process is that removing hair color is something should be done by a professional or under professional supervision. The chemicals that go into this mixture can do serious damage. This is why I do not recommend any drugstore products that remove hair color. I am talking about Color Oops and L'oreal Color Zap(also any other brand of color remover that is sold to the public).
Those products have peroxide and at times, specifically when you are working with blonde shades(7-9) or semi permanent hair dyes, you do not need peroxide to remove the dye.
Also the instructions for color removers are very exact and must be followed accordingly. Any break away from the instructions could lead to serious problems with your hair(such as it turning green or your hair actually being fried).
Anyway, I am a cosmetology student and I am lucky enough to have a teacher that is very observant of her students. None of us are allowed to go through a chemical process without her supervision, especially the first, second and third time we attempt the chemical process.
So this process was done by a fellow student of mine along with the help and supervision of my teacher.
We used a professional hair color remover called L'oreal Effasol Color Remover. This product was purchased through my school supply but it is also available at Sally's to anyone who has a PRO card.

Please excuse the mess. This was taken after the process.

If anyone has looked through this blog they would know my hair was two colors. My bangs about 3-4 inches of my hair was blonde and the rest was a bright purple, light purple, light blue, and turquoise(from previous bleach touching blue spots).
I had colored my entire hair purple 4 months ago and there was a 4 inch section where the purple would not budge. About a month ago I decided to change up the all over purple with alternating strips of blue and purple. This lasted for about 2 weeks before the new dyes started washing off and mixing themselves in with the constant purple.
Finally I had had enough and decided I wanted to remove it. I mean, my mother is coming down to visit, I have Christmas and New Years parties to go to, and there will be many, many pictures taken. I was not about to take pictures with a mostly blonde head and purple tips with randoms spots of blue or turquoise.
I talked to my teacher and she recommended a color remover instead of bleaching the color out. She told me it would not cause any damage to my hair and would take out the majority or all over the dyes that would not come out otherwise.
So I bought all the products I needed and started the process early in the morning. There are instructions for 4 different hair situations on the packet. I decided mine was the first situation.
The instructions were simple: mix the packet with 2 oz of warm water and apply to dry hair. Leave in for 5-20 minutes. Rinse, Shampoo, etc. Because the purple had been so resistant and that blue dye would barely budge I went through this process twice. So I used 2 packets of the color remover.
Remember, my process did not contain peroxide so there was no damage done to my hair. The instructions on the packet go as far as hair color that is at levels 1 to 4 and using 20 vol developer. This is why this is only a professional product.
Even with the double process, I was left with greenish bits in the back of my head where the blue dye had once existed. My teacher recommended bleach but I had dealt with hair color stains likes this before and felt it would be better to just tone my hair and leave it wash out on it's own.
To tone my hair we used Wella Color Charm T18. This is my go to toner if I want a pale blonde. I would not recommend this if you want white hair. I will hopefully have a post up soon about how to get white hair. That is my next project. I have already done it but this time I will be trying a different product and my hair is in much better condition than it was the first time I attempted it.
Sorry I do not have a picture of this toner. I use it all the time but I have linked it just because.
After leaving it in for 30 minutes I washed it out with purple shampoo. All I ever use is purple shampoo since I made my bangs blonde. While in the process of hair remover I also used purple shampoo. I would recommend a clarifying shampoo instead but I currently do not own one. Many people recommend Paul Mitchell Clarifying Shampoo #3.
After shampooing, I always use a protein treatment. If you ever decide to bleach or lighten your hair you need to buy hair masks and treatments for your hair. The best thing you can buy is pure protein and covering your hair with it, like you would with a mask, about once a week.
I wash my hair once a week so every time I wash my hair I use it. The protein product I use is called Jheri Redding Professional Natural Protein Conditioner.

It is 100% natural protein. The ingredients are water, hydrolyzed vegetable protein, sodium chloride, and apple cider vinegar. Those are count as vegan ingredients right?  Anyway, this stuff smells like soy sauce but it leaves your hair so much stronger. It strengthens and hardens your hair and it is necessary if you like to go through any chemical process. Here is where you can buy it. And here are some reviews from Folica.
Also I would recommend using your usual conditioner after rinsing it out. Your hair will be pretty hard after leaving it in for 20 minutes. Also if you have a sensitive scalp you might want to spot check to see if it causes you any irritation, as you would with any product I hope.
ApHogee also makes a pretty good product that helps inject protein into your hair. It is not pure protein and because of the instructions and how specific of a product it is I would not recommend this to be used by yourself. You should consult a professional about using this product. I have used it before myself and it left me with so-so results because I could not comply with the directions exactly.
Anyway it's called ApHogee Two Step Protein Treatment and can be bought at Sally's.
Now, every two weeks I use a hair mask. It has become a great conditioner after the protein treatment and it always leaves my hair silky smooth and perfect. It's called Carol's Daughter Monoi Repairing Hair Mask. This stuff is the real deal. A super natural solution and it only takes 5-7 minutes.

After shampooing and doing the protein treatment, I take 2 fingers full of product, rub it between my hands and cover my hair from top to bottom. It smells like a day at the beach and is perfect to relax in. You could leave it in your hair for longer than 7 minutes and just pamper yourself.
And honestly you can get this product for much cheaper than $32. I bought it for $24 at an Army base PX. Check Amazon and eBay.
Well, this has become a long post about hair care and hair processes. I will leave you with the outcome of double hair removal process and toner.

You can see the section that is green. It's like a patch. That is where most of the blue hair strips were.

Thank you for reading!

Throwing Red Lipstick at Passersby

I wanted to make a blogpost about my makeup and outfit from last weekend. I really did love the outfit and it was first time going out with a more retro look. I went to go see the Nutcracker ballet with my grandparents and thought it was a good time to try something new and dress up a bit.
I'll start off with the outfit since it will be less explaining.

Shirt: lola

Skirt: Loft

Shoes: Paris Hilton the Shoe Collection

That peplum skirt is fantastic, especially in red. If you want your butt to stand out all you need to do is wear a red peplum or a tight knit skirt and some platforms and you will be set.
Moving on.

It's a simple look compared to my usual makeup. Also I did pin curls for my hair to come out this way. Usually I have my hair straight or up. The pin curls took me about 45 minutes and my hair is 5-6 inches past my shoulders.

I used 2 different hair tutorials to get these pin curls. One is more visual while the other is more informative. I found both of them to be helpful though since this was only my second time trying out pin curls and these were actually more of a success than my first attempt.

Jenny's tutorial is all visuals. You will just be watching her do her pin curls. Her technique is a bit different than some others I've seen and it works very well with her hair, but not so much with mine.

This is Ashley's newer video on how to do pin curls. It's step by step with a voice over. She even tells you what products she uses. She has plenty of techniques. Her "get ready with me" videos also show how she does pin curls. One of her videos is essentially the authentic way of doing pin curls and I plan on doing that when I get the right products.

I did a strange mixture of both videos and only combed through my curls with my fingers since I did not have any brush thin and light enough to not completely destroy the curls. However they're not perfect and I'll have to keep trying until they actually look like full on pin curls

On to what I used for my makeup.

I've been enjoying this Eyes on the 60's palette from BH Cosmetics. It has two rows of neutral colors with or without shimmer and lots of bright and more subdued colors for anything else. For this look I used the cream color 2nd from the left as my highlight and overall lid color, Buck from the Urban Decay Naked palette for my crease, and the dark brown color with shimmer 2nd from the right for my outer corner and lower lid.

 To line my eyes and water line I used Maybellien Eyestudio gel liner in blackest black. Honestly, I don't like this liner at all. It smudges too easily and barely ever stay. Plus it dries up in the jar fairly quickly. I find myself having to warm up the product on my hand or it gets clumpy. I only use it for more dramatic looks and then put black eye shadow on top to set it a bit. The brush it brings is very good to make precise lines though. That might be it's one redeeming quality.

 

I rarely have ever used powders but this is my absolutely favorite. This is Airspun Loose Face Powder in Translucent Extra Coverage(?). This stuff is usually $5-$8 at your local drugstore and it comes in various shades. I had no idea I had picked up the extra coverage one until I took these pictures. I usually use a puff and pat on under my eyes and use a brush to quickly skim over my nose and chin. This is heavy duty stuff and will make you look pale if packed on. For me it works as a good way to set my concealer and foundation under my eyes and add a matte highlight. Honestly a fantastic product. I prefer it over the Palladio Rice Powder even though this smells much stronger.

Favorite blush alert! This is the Balm's Frat Boy and the cutest pink I have ever used and it doesn't look blue on me. I used a similar pink from another brand and was not a fan. This also looks pretty matte in the picture but it has a pretty shimmer so that if you only dust on a tiny bit it gives you a pretty glow and not a pink flush. I love any of the Balm's face stuff though so I'm pretty biased.

The only bronzer I have ever bought more than once in my life(probably 4th time buying it and I already need to get another one). Too Faced Chocolate Soleil in Original Chocolate is a matte chocolate brown color. It smells like hot chocolate and looks like packed hot chocolate in a tin. I usually take a round kabuki and pat in right under my cheekbones and sweep it up to my temples once for good definition. For more drama I repeat this process twice.

This is an amazing red lipstick that I hope never gets discontinued. It's Rimmel's Lasting Finish Lipstick by Kate #10. I wish these lipsticks had cute names. Anyway I wish I could carry a box of just this lipstick around and throw it at anyone who says that red lipstick is not for anyone. Seriously, anyone who puts on this color looks fantastic because it such a perfect red. I will admit that I do find it hard to find since I do believe it's quite a popular color. When the line originally came out it had about 10 lipsticks in total and this was one of the originals. I wish they had just kept the original 10 thought, especially that perfect purple.

I don't have a picture of my foundation because for whatever reason it won't download from my phone to my laptop. I use 3 different foundations but this time I used MUF Mat Velvet+. I don't know what color because it was not listed on the bottle. It's an alright foundation. It's medium to full coverage just like my other foundations but there's just something about it that I am not a fan of. Also this is a foundation I only use when I have not been out in the sun for a while.

I usually apply this foundation with the round brush that is sold as the preferred brush to use with the Naked foundation. I also use a replica of the $20 face sponge. I got that sponge for $5 at Marshall's.

So this is my first makeup/outfit/hair post. I hope it was at least fun to read. I am going to try to do more posts similar to this but with an actual tutorial or something. And maybe some makeup that is a little less commonplace. Ha!

Thank you for reading!

Introduction

Hi there!
I feel like starting blog by doing some sort of introduction of not only myself but also how I got into makeup and hair coloring. I don't joke when I say makeup is my lifestyle. I can spend an entire day just doing makeup and feel super exhausted afterwards but the feeling of joy during and after the work is explainable.
I can't even really pin point when it was when I got interested and fully immersed in the world of makeup. My mom was never some kind of connoisseur but she always had this beautiful range of lipsticks and her makeup always looked very IN. However she was not a fan of letting me wear makeup during my teen years. I got away with wearing eyeliner and little mascara from the ages of 13 to 15.
It was when I was 15 that I started using YouTube to find makeup tutorials. I was really into using bright colors and making my eyes bigger. It was around that time that I found the scene styles and gyaru styles. I somehow managed to try to mix them together by having big dolly eye makeup and black, overly teased hair.
By the time I was 16 I was going through some tomboy/short hair/loose clothes situation where I still wore makeup but enjoyed disguising myself to look less feminine clothing-wise. It was a weird time but for whatever reason I felt comfortable explaining to people that I just wanted to dress that way. Gender roles have never been my thing.

I was 16 and in some loose variation of my school's uniform. Makeup was eyeliner and neutral eyeshadows.

It wasn't until I turned 17 that I decided to go blonde and get more into trying out gyaru fashion. It was also around this time that I started wearing foundation and learning about contouring.
I just realized this is becoming like a timeline and I don't really like that idea. Anyway, fast forward to me being 19 and many things have changed in my life. I went through most of my 18th year being a brunette (again) and it felt like such a detriment on my creativity. So one day I decided I was going to be blonde, but not blonde like I was when I was 17, which was a golden blonde. I want to be PLATINUM BLONDE.
This was going to be a bit difficult since I was full blown brunette. As in, it was a chocolate brown all over. I went to the hair salon and my stylist told me that I had to do it slowly so she gave me highlights and I was mildly satisfied. For about 2 weeks.
I decided to start doing some research since I had never bleached my own hair and I was planning on doing this all by myself since I knew my mom would not be willing to attempt it. After about 3 weeks of research I found a great step by step guide and a list of all the products I needed. The whole experience (2 bleaches and a toning) took me about 5 hours. My hair came out completely white, which was perfect, but my mother had a bit of a meltdown when she saw me and told me I needed some color in my hair. So we went to Walgreens and I bought the lightest shade of ash blonde I could find.
I kept my hair that way for a while. I really did like the super light blonde. However, I knew nothing about purple shampoo and it eventually started getting brassy and more yellow.
I had already been watching videos on how to lighten your hair and everything and I had found some videos on how to get your hair pastel shades and even a perfect white. I had decided to let my hair rest for about a month or two and then I would go in with pastel colors and whatever else.
I had never used any semi-permanent hair dyes so I did more research. Manic Panic was an obvious choice but I didn't feel like paying $12 for a tiny tub of dye. Instead, I found out about La Riche Directions and fell in love with the colors and pigmentation. Plus they don't run or wash out as quickly as Pravana or Manic Panic, respectively.
I found a great online store on eBay that sold them for the same price as they do in the UK and quickly ordered 3 shades, Violet, Carnation Pink, and Atlantic Blue. I had a bunch of different colors and mixtures and truly loved playing with my hair so much.

This was my first attempt at pastel hair. I mixed a smidge of Violet with lots of conditioner. My hair was still more blonde than lilac. This was the best light I could get to show off the color.

Probably one of my favorite hair experiments. I still call this my MLP hair because of great the gradient is and how much my hair looks like cotton candy. This is using all three dyes I had with varied amounts of conditioner.

For the most part I had my hair like in the two pictures above, white/gray with slight color variation. Whenever I used Carnation Pink I would end up with peachy blotches in my hair that I hated and would just cover with blue or purple and eventually go back to this light silver. My hair is also naturally curly and you can see in the picture on the left that my hair was left quite dry and damaged.
I had a lot to learn about hair care during this journey and in the end I think it was worth it. I would only wash my hair once a week with purple shampoo and a leave-in conditioner instead of a regular one. I used the Aussie one that comes in a purple tube. I also started using hair masks and protein treatments.
There's only so much you can do on damaged hair. It will never gets it's full life back.
I didn't mean for this to turn into a hair show but I don't have many pictures documenting just my makeup and in most of these pictures I have some kind of makeup on. I'll try to document my makeup better just for this blog.
Currently, my hair is 3/4 purple and 1/4 blonde. It's a transition I'm going through. I even cut off my dead ends so my length has been slightly affected. It will grow back and quickly too since all the processes I put my hair through don't really seem to slow down it's growth.
I did go back to being brunette in March. It was a mistake and a big setback for me hair-wise and style-wise, but I guess it did let my hair breathe and gain strength before I went full purple.
I hope this posts sets a good foundation for this blog. I will be using it to document my hair and makeup experiments along with whatever fashion catches my eye. I will be trying to keep this blog as free of my personal life as possible, in which I mean I will not be talking about what happens in my life that has nothing to do with these things.
Anyway, thank you for reading!