Quick Pinks, Purples and Plums Using Urban Decay Alice In Wonderland Book of Shadows

So as I had mentioned, here is a simple look using Urban Decay Alice In Wonderland Book Of Shadows. As I said in my review, the colors are rich, pigmented and are a dream to apply. I used the pinks, plums and purple for this look. I used them sparingly because this was a daytime look, hence no falsies either. I was also traveling when I used this so I was not able to use a colored base like my MAC paint pot in Fresco Rose or Girl Friendly. Either of those would have made the pinks and purples more vibrant, but this would do.

Here's a step-by-step. All eye products Urban Decay unless otherwise stated.


Apply primer potion all over lid and browbone and lower lashline. Using a stiff shader brush like the MAC 239, apply Curiouser on lid.


Using Sonia Kashuk blending brush, apply Queen on outer V.


Using the same brush, apply Underland on crease.

Purples and Neutrals Featuring Coastal Scents, Urban Decay and Bare Escentuals

I had been lemming for this eyeshadow set from Bare Escentuals for a while, so when I got a gift card at ULTA for Christmas, I went to ULTA in California while I was on vacation, only for it to be completely sold out. When I came back home, I headed to the nearest ULTA from work and was able to snag the very last one off the shelf! I am really loving the classic colors. I read that Madras used to be a coveted, LE color, and it was re-promoted in this set. I love the little eyeshadow "recipes" written on the front of the box.




These swatches were applied dry with no base. These will be all the more vibrant and gorgeous with the right base!

Here is a look featuring some of the shadows from this collection and Coastal Scents gel liner in Deep Plum. I am a bit disappointed in this liner. If you look closely, it came out really sheer on the lashline no matter how many times I'd reapplied it. I don't know if it was because of the gel liner itself or the brush that I used (Coastal Scents' angled eyeliner brush), but I couldn't build the color at all. I had a bit of success when I patted the color instead of gliding it on, but it was still disappointing. Oh well. It can be a great base, though, just not the eyeliner color I was going for. I lined my lower lashline using Urban Decay's 24/7 liner in Lust.

On the other hand, I am loving the Pure Pleasures shadows. I used Shantung dry because I had wanted a sheer color on the lids, and it is just the perfect sheer wine color I'd been going for. I used Pamper on the lids, and Cultured Pearl on the inner to mid-lid and to highlight.













For the face, I used Earthen Glow mineral foundation in Yuan Yuan, topped with Aromaleigh Illuminating Finishing Powder in Rose. I used my Lumiere silk blush (mineral blush) in Au Naturale. I just LOVE Lumiere's blushes! They are never splotchy and are actually better than many traditional blushes I've tried. I love the subtle glow as well. People should go and try mineral makeup and get out of their comfort zones, as these products are sometimes better than some known brands for a fraction of the price.

For the lips, I used MAC lipliner in Whirl, MAC Hug Me lipstick, and MAC Date Night dazzleglass.

Urban Decay Haul: Ammo Shadow Box Plus, Velvet Rope 24/7 Liners and Concealer

I was so excited when I got my little package from UrbanDecay.com yesterday. Urban Decay held their Friends and Family Sale last week with a whopping 30% discount throughout its entire online store. It was my first time to shop at that site, and I am glad to say that ordering was a breeze, payment was easy (I could use Paypal on the UD site which was surprising, but awesome!!), and shipping was uber fast. I got my haul in as little as four days and I only paid $6 for shipping. I could have had free shipping if I let my haul reach $75, but these are the only items I'd wanted. Yes, I bought these for way below 75 bucks! Originally total would have been $82, but the 30% discount was amazing; I saved over $25! I got the Ammo Shadow Box Plus, plus meaning it came with a full-size tube of Urban Decay Primer Potion for only $39 without the discount, so I only paid $27.30 for the box of ten shadows plus the UDPP! I also got the 24/7 concealer in Light-Medium, and the Velvet Rope 24/7 Liner Travel Set. Here are my thoughts on these.


NOTE: As of this writing, Ammo Shadow Box Plus ($39) is currently sold out on the UD website, although they still have the Ammo Shadow Box for $34, without the UDPP.

Okay, let's start with the Ammo Shadow Box Plus. As I mentioned, the "plus" meant a full-size UDPP. I would never have bought a full-size UDPP for retail if it were not included in this kit and if it weren't on sale. Why? A lot of you are probably wondering why I never use UDPP in any of my looks. Well I used to have one two years ago, but I gave it away. Let's just say I was never impressed with it. Didn't like the staying power of my shadows with it; I liked MAC Beige-ing shadestick a lot more and prefer the way it makes my eyeshadows look vibrant compared to the UDPP. Then when I saw those pictures proliferating in blog-landia about how devious and scheme-y the UDPP container where there was a lot of product hidden in the tube and you needed to cut your genie tube in half just to scoop out 50% of the product, I promised to stay far far away from an overhyped product in such a horrendous container. I mean, why do I need to saw my tube in half just to scoop out a substantial amount of product that I paid for anyway? Besides, I am SO satisfied with my Beige-ing shadestick and Soft Ochre paint pot that I don't really need it. So anyway, the fact that it was almost free for the price I paid for this kit is okay with me.

On to the shadow box. I kinda like the cardboard box with the magnetized closure even though it looks cheap compared to the ornate metal or sturdy plastic that MAC uses for its holiday palettes. I like the Ammo box because of the simplicity of the lines, the thin casing which is perfect for travel, and the pretty design in front. It depicts a pistol that spews animals, hearts, skulls, botanical accents and squigglies- so Urban Decay-ish. The pink on matte black is also very appealing. When you open the box, you will see a real mirror with ten little squares of eyeshadows, individually labeled with a rather cheap-looking sponge applicator which I didn't care very much for. I heard that UD is replacing (or has already replaced - as evidenced by Sephora's UD Book of Shadows) this with real brushes.





The shadows are beautiful, very pigmented and glide effortlessly on the skin. If you are into glitter and shimmer, this palette is for you, but stay away if you are repulsed by anything glittery. The shadows are wearable during the day if you use the neutral ones and even the brighter ones as I discovered that they are quite buildable. The texture of the shadows is slightly different from MAC's as it has a very slippery texture. MAC's glide like butter on the lids but UD shadows are a little bit more slippery, I believe.


Swatches were applied over UDPP.

Smog is a pretty bronze coppery brown. Mildew is a shimmery olive green, Oil Slick is a black with chunky silver glitter, Last Call is a pinkish plum. Chopper is a shimmery coppery beige.



Maui Wowie is a beautiful green-tinged beige-gold, Shattered is a shimmery icy blue, Polyester Bride is a platinum-white, Grifter is a lilac pink and Sin is beige-gold with pink tones.

My favorite colors would be Maui Wowie (amazing wash color), Sin (another beautiful all-over lid color), Mildew (I haven't met a green I didn't like), Smog (pretty for neutral looks) and Chopper. These are the colors that are very wearable for me and I could use even every day. The rest are pretty accents to give more oomph to your eye looks, like Oil Slick for a smokey eye and Grifter and Shattered for blues and purples.

The downside is the chunky glitter fall-out. I used this today and I could see glitter on my lips, cheeks and undereye area during the day. A solution would be to use it wet although I really don't like using my pressed shadows wet. I have used UDPP for base.

All in all, the Ammo Shadow Box Plus is a great value for high-quality shadows. It comes in a convenient palette for one to tote around for travel. The UDPP thrown in is a bonus so you don't need to scrounge around for a primer.





I am glad I bought this set during the sale because I really saved a lot. I now have ten of these mini-liners from Urban Decay, two of these are the black eyeliner in Zero which I don't mind because I use it almost every day. I already bought my VIP 24/7 Glide On Liner Travel Set that contains the bright liners from UD, and now with Velvet Rope, I also have the more subdued but still very smooth, easy-to-apply liners.



My favorites are Yeyo, 1999 and Stash. I would have loved Bourbon but I think it's a wee bit too light for my taste. I am planning to get MAC Pearl Glide liner in Molasses because it's the perfect dark chocolate brown that I am looking for. I need Yeyo as white liner really opens up the peepers and makes them look more awake. I have Fascinating eye kohl from MAC, but Yeyo definitely glides better on the lids and on the water line. No drag or any tugging whatsoever.

Lastly, the 24/7 Concealer is a-ma-zing. I used it this morning to conceal blemishes and even my dark undereye circles, and what impressed me was that it is SO creamy for a pencil concealer. You wouldn't even feel any tugging even if you use it on your sensitive undereye area. So soft, creamy, but it is opaque enough to hide all the blemishes. Truly amazing.

All in all, I am very happy with my UrbanDecay.com purchase. I will be on the lookout for more UD products I can snag online, of course hopefully with another coupon code as great as the Family & Friends one.

Purples Using Aromaleigh, MAC and Urban Decay

Halloween is just around the corner so I thought of doing a little Halloween purple look. I used a pretty lavender shadow from Aromaleigh called Diamanda, and I think it went well with MAC's Memorabilia and Top Hat purple shadows. Also, last week, I received a 20% off the total purchase coupon in the mail from ULTA. Now usually, ULTA would just send a coupon of 20% off one item, and you cannot use that for prestige cosmetics like Urban Decay or Bare Escentuals. Last week's coupon was different, though, as it allowed me to get 20% off my total purchase, and no restriction was made as to prestige cosmetics. I immediately went to ULTA to get my holy grail mineral undereye concealer, Bare Escentuals Well Rested, as I have been out of it for a couple of weeks now, and the eye brightener minerals I was using still didn't compare to Well Rested.


I know it contains bismuth, but I believe the glowy sheen of the bismuth itself creates the illusion of well-rested, awake eyes. It refracts light and instantly brightens my undereye area. I also love that it is SO easy to apply on the undereye area. I remember it has been mentioned somewhere that this is Photoshop in a jar, and I second that.



I also got the Urban Decay 24/7 VIP kit, a set of five travel-sized 24/7 Glide-On eye liners that have earned a gazillion raves on makeup boards and sites. These glide like butter on the lids and pigmentation is divine. When I saw Mandi's review of these a month or two ago, I realized I just had to have one. I didn't see it right away in ULTA and thought that maybe it was a Sephora exclusive, but when I went up to the cashier with a heavy heart, I suddenly saw a bunch of these sitting on the cashier's counter. That really made my day. All these at 20% off!




See how pigmented these are?

I used Lust on my waterline in the look below, and it stayed put the whole day and didn't smudge. I heard and read about the hype surrounding these liners. I'm a believer now. I also love the travel size because I know I will never finish any of the colored pencils (well, maybe I can, in probably a couple of years). By that time, hopefully I can get another set for 20% off again using the same coupon from ULTA.













Eyes:
MAC Beige-ing shadestick as primer
MAC mineralize shadow in Love Connection (gold side) foiled on lid
Aromaleigh Eye Lustre in Diamanda foiled on mid to outer lid, and foiled on lower lashline
MAC eyeshadow in Memorabilia on outer lid
MAC eyeshadow in Top Hat on outer V and crease
MAC eyeshadow in Cloudbound on browbone and inner corners
Indelible gel liner in Tanzanite on upper lashline
UD 24/7 liner in Lust on waterline
L'Oreal and Maybelline mascaras

Face:
Monistat gel as primer
EG Minerals foundation in Helena
Mary Kay signature concealer on undereye area
BE Well Rested over Mary Kay
Aromaleigh Ultra Resolution Finishing powder in Translucent and Clear (50-50 mix)
MAC beauty powder blush in Stark Naked

Lips:
MAC lipliner in Whirl
MAC Baby Sparks dazzleglass