Break Time!

Today I played the part of the greasy gamer girl. I didn't shower, let alone put on makeup. The world is lucky I washed my face before going out to get a cup of coffee. So day 4 in my makeup challenge will have to wait until tomorrow when I have real motivation.

I did however manage to get my League of Legends smurf I created to practice jungling (without getting raged at) from level 6 to 10! Now I can finally stop playing Arams and get on to some real games! I'm probably the worlds worst jungler, honestly you would be hard pressed to find a worse one than me. I love Fiddlesticks support so I'm going to focus on jungling him first, since I am so familiar with him.

Hopefully it goes well! Wish me luck <3

Day 3: Mothers Day Look (a day late)

Today's article is actually yesterdays makeup, I ended up not feeling well and went to sleep without updating. But let me assure you, I thought about it REALLY hard! So, yesterday was Mothers Day and it being such I had a lot of running around to do, visiting in-laws and all that jazz. I wanted to keep my look classic and not over done. I half way succeeded because I went a little crazy by wearing my orange-y Nerdgasm blush, but I loved the look and felt fabulous all day. I do apologize for not having better pictures in this article, the weather was awful yesterday and I could NOT get the light from the windows to cooperate in the slightest, so as a result I had to do some tweaking to get the colors right in the photos.

Hello Waffe's Twins on outer lid, same neutral blending shadow I always use on the inner

I may not look happy in this picture but I thought it showed off the BEAUTIFUL color of the Nerdgasm blush by Geek Chic Cosmetics

The entire look!

For this look I chose Twins (now known as Doormouse), from the Hello Waffle 'Painted Flowers' Collection. I bought this color forever ago and have only worn it once or twice, not because I don't love it but I just have so many neutrals! 

Twins is a light shimmery taup that looks slightly gold, but with a duo chrome that leans more into silver. This color blended very nicely and retained a good amount of its shimmer, and those who know anything about me know how much I LOVE shimmery or glittery shadow. So this fact made me very happy. As for longevity I am not sure, It made it about 5 hours of family affairs but then I took a nap and ruined it. But 5 hours is nothing to sneeze at!

I don't own many Hello Waffle colors, and I'm not quite sure why! They are of amazing quality and honestly the owner was delightful to deal with! I had won this order in an indie makeup contest on Reddit for introducing a fellow makeup lover to the brand. The owner was such a sweetheart about it! She upgraded multiple products from samples to full sizes and tossed in a few extra samples since it was a prize! It completely made my day when I opened my package!

Over all: Twins is a fabulous color for days you want something simple and elegant. I would highly recommend it!

Day 2!

I very nearly didnt post this because my AS is acting up and I have spent the afternoon/evening bedridden with my trusted heating blanket. But, luckily I had taken good photos this morning and my laptop just so happens to be laying next to me! So here is Day 2 of my self challenge to use every makeup product I own!

I used Master Ball on the outer lid and Repel on the inner.

All my shadows are worn over Medeusa's Makeup Stick It primer topped with a nude shadow to improve blendability

This morning when I opened my fantastic bag of indie samples I was stumped as what to wear! So I did the only logical thing, and let my 3 year old choose something.

She pulled out MasterBall from Shiro Cosmetic's Super Effective Collection because she wanted me to wear pink and that is the closest I had. I pared it with Repel (also from the same Shiro Collection) and I honestly do not know how I have not pared these before! I have actually never even opened Repel before! I feel like a bad Pokemon master for not using these enough!

Master Ball is a beautiful dark dusty violet with a slightly pink hue. It is shimmery but without being sparkly and once it was blended it was fairly matte. It was a bit tougher to blend then most of the Shiro shadows I have used before but once I muscled through it, it looked fabulous!

Repel is their zubat inspired shadow, which I absolutely love!  It appears to be a shimmery light purple in the bag, but on the skin it is the most BEAUTIFUL periwinkle/purple color! it was a lot more blue then I imagined it would be.This shadow too was a bit tough to blend, but honestly I loved the color so much I would have been ok if it ended up on my entire face.

The blue hue of this shadow got a little over powed by Master Ball in the blending process so i will be sure to use it avian sometime to show you just how perfect of a color it is.

After looking just now on Shiro's website it would appear that Repel has been disconnected from the Super Effective line! I'm really sad now because this is definitely a color I would love to purchase in a full size! I may have to try to replicate it for myself!

All in all I loved both of these colors. I do wish they were just a bit easier to blend because this look was much more time consuming than normal. However the color payoff was gorgeous and I was complimented several times on my "spring-y" makeup!  Another great product from Shiro!

I'm so so sorry!

I'm a terrible blogger! I got so busy with my new shop AFK Cosmetics that I have been severely neglecting all you lovely Paladins. Well good news, I'm back for good this time and bringing a fun new project with me!

It has recently dawned on me, that I MAY own too much makeup. Now, I know what you are going to say... but Dena, there is NO such things as too much makeup! I completely agree here, however I realized I have too much makeup to justify buying any more, mainly eyeshadow as I have a weakness for it. SO here is my new plan. Every day I have to use at lease one different product and take a photo to document it. Each day I successfully do this I will put $1 in a jar to save up to buy more pretties! I'm really excited about this because I have a ton of indie samples from places like Shiro, GeekChic, and Hello Waffle I have never even tried!

Day 1 Features: A Regular Bears Meeting by Shiro Cosmetics

I used A regular Bears Meeting on the outer lid and a random nude tone from my 96 color ELF Palette

This is my first time using this color. I received it as part of Shiro's 'The Hobbit' collection. This color looks MUCH different on skin then it does in the container. At first glance it looks like a deep matte brown with a very light dusting of honey colored glitter. It is a really rich color and at first I was worried it was too dark for me, but I was surprised when I blended it a bit that it looked more grey than brown. I have no problem with this as the final shadow was beautiful and it blended like a dream.
This color is BOLD and a tiny bit goes a long way, which I love! It has great buildability (is that a word?!) The color builds up really easily and it seems like it would be amazing for a neutral colored smokey eye (which I'm going to have to try eventually)

All in all this color is fabulous and I was really happy with my finished eye!

I'll post again tomorrow! I will see you lovely paladins then <3 Dena

AFK Cosmetics is OFFICIALLY OPEN! Hurray!

Come check it out! League of Legends themed eye shadows! I'm doing some grand opening hoopla and giving away freebees with each order! AFK Cosmetics

Hello Waffle Review!

I want to start off this review with a great big song of praise for Hello Waffle. This order was won in a contest on reddit for introducing a fellow redditor to HW. I ordered a full size Hatter and a few samples and because it was for a contest she upgraded me to a full size lippie as well as throwing in a few extra samples! I was really flattered and it completely made my day! Now onto the fun part!

 Full size: Hatter. A lovely rosey gold color, more peach then gold
Samples: Fresh Lacquer, Arendelle, White Roses, Rabbit Hole, and Twins
Lippie: Elsa- A beautiful deep pinkish red

 Direct Sunlight

 From top to bottom: Fresh Laquer, Arendelle, Rabbit Hole, Hatter, Twins, and White Roses
 All swatched over bare skin.

 Indoor artificial light

 Natural indoor light

 Elsa Lip gloss: direct sunlight

Indoor artificial light

 The Elsa lippie is a BEAUTIFUL color but it doesnt have much staying power. I would highly suggest a lip primer with it, preferably a lighter red or a nude, as Elsa is a fairly sheer color.

I wore Hatter and White roses the next day and they looked just as good on me as the swatches! Paired with my Medusa's Makeup primer they were just visible enough to catch attention without being too out there. They stayed nicely with only a little color fallout for about 8 hours until I washed them off. I'll do a fun look with them in the next few days!

All in all I am in LOVE with both the shadows and Hello Waffle as a whole. The only slight gripe I could possibly have is the lasting power of the gloss. Besides that I think Hello Waffle is a lovely company run by a lovely person! I will definitely be ordering more in the near future!

Hope you all enjoyed! Any questions please feel free to ask <3

A Surprise is coming!

So today, I spent about 6 hours carefully constructing my first  10 eyeshadows! So far they have been taken with a TON positive feedback, and while I dont want to give away names, or the line idea (because as far as I know right now I'm the first person to think of this) I want to show my lovely viewers some teasers!

A few unnamed teasers for you! I'll announce my line as soon as I get my etsy shop up and running! Any feedback is more then welcome! <3

50% OFF Tarte Power Pigment lippies AND Cheek Stains!

On the Tarte Cosmetics website! So basically 12$ and 15$ Tarte products?! YES PLEASE! Just use the code Luckydaily4

It is good for Power Pigments and Cheek Stains! BUT the sale is only until the end of the day so jump on it! Normally I'm not going to be posting sales and stuff (maybe mentioning it in the end of a post) but this one is just too good to pass up!

Lets take it all off tonight!

So tonight I decided to do a demonstration of something I think is highly under appreciated in the makeup world. Makeup removal and cleansing! I have seen (and been guilty of in the past) far too many mistakes from sleeping with your makeup on, to over scrubbing which leads to breakouts.

Now before we get started I want you to know I have been under a lot of stress and my skin is  showing the effects, so for me to post my bare face is a BIG deal right now. But I really feel proper cleansing is so important, I went ahead and made a little image tutorial of my nightly routine.

A little about my skin type: I have terrible combination skin, I get oily on my forehead, nose, and cheeks thorough the day, but I get dry patches on the top, and creases of my nose, as well as my jawline around my chin. I don't generally get pimples, but I have an issue with blackheads I am still working on finding the perfect product for. My skin is quite sensitive and dries out at the slightest bit of alcohol and many products can leave my skin irritated and reddish. 

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My starting face, heavily made up for a St Pattys day contest I was entering

 First off start with a good makeup remover, whether it be liquid or wipes, I'm using Burt's Bees Pink Grapefruit facial cleansing towelettes today since I havent been wearing my makeup very long. But if I have been wearing it through a whole work day or gone out I will use a liquid.

 Gently wipe all of the makeup off your face, this will probably take a few wipes, don't be stingy with them!

 Wrap a clean wipe around your finger like so and GENTLY so very, very gently wipe off all your eye makeup. I have seen far too many girls scrub their eyes roughly and that is about the worst thing you can do!Use the very tip of your finger to get the lash line, lots of reserve makeup can be left behind in there. Be careful though, don't get it in your eyes!

                                                      All clean!

 Next its cleansing time. Since this is my night time routine I will of course be going to bed after this. I use Neutrogena naturals purifying facial cleanser. I prefer natural cleansers because they tend to be more gentle on my skin and I have annoyingly sensitive skin. We do not have a large selection of face washes where I live and I tried most of them from Clean and Clear to Olay and every drug store brand in between and nothing has been better. Now I would like to state that I don't think this is a perfect face wash, and if I had more of a selection I could possibly find something a little better. BUT if drug store is all you can afford or like me all you have available, then this is a damn good face wash for your money!

 Using luke warm water, NOT HOT, rub the cleanser in small circles on  your face, I generally wash for around a minute.

 Toner time! Now THIS is a perfect product for my skin. Formula 10.0.5 So Totally Clean toner. I bought it on a whim off Ulta.com and I can say for sure I will be buying this forever! It is so gentle but effective, after all this cleansing I this baby makes sure to get any last speck of dirt or makeup around! This really helps with my oil problem without drying my skin out in the slightest bit. I use a bit on a cotton pad, and starting at the bottom of my face use upward half circles until my face is covered, then I move to my neck and do the same. Far too many people forget the neck!

 Fresh and clean face! Not a speck of residue anywhere in sight! Then, sit on reddit, pet your cat, get a sandwich, whatever you want, for 5-10 minutes before the next step.

First off, WASH YOUR HANDS! No one wants dirty moisturizer! Moisturizing is really important for me. My skin gets awfully dry to the point it flakes if I'm not careful. I use Neutrogena Natural multi-vitamin nourishing moisturizer. While it could moisturize a little better, it is gentle and doesn't clog my pores or irritate my skin. So for now this is my moisturizer of choice! I use a dime size dollop and rub it into my skin in small upward circles, making sure to rub it in especially well in my problem dry areas. Wait another 5-10 minutes for it to fully absorb into your skin.

 Now here is the scary part! If there are children in the room have them leave now! I broke out terribly and am going to have to use an acne spot treatment for the next few days. NOW this is a problem for me because of my crazy sensitive skin, no matter what I do its going to dry this space out so its important to be careful here! (again hand washing is a good idea before this step)

 I use Burt's Bees natural spot treatment cream. I use a teeny tiny dab on one finger and dot it on each pimple, then rub again in small circles until it is gone. I have tried about every drug store spot treatment and this is by far the best solution I could come up with. If I find a breakthrough product I will let everyone know!

All fresh and clean and ready for bed!

I hope you all enjoyed my little tutorial! Residual makeup is a HUGE agitator for skin issues and I honestly cannot stress how important it is for women who wear makeup every day! Since I established a proper skincare routine my skin is clearer then it has ever been and slowly but surely getting better! Thanks for reading my lovelies!

Doctors Suck and Im in a 2 hour que for League of Legends...

Im not going to be very active for the next few days my lovelies. For my doctor needs to make me take a drug test before he will refil my pain pills (I have serious inflamitory arthritis of the spine and sacrum) So I will be spending the next few days in my bed with a heating blanket hating the world. I am going to try to do a review of one of my all time favorite products tonight or tomorrow but its very much depending on what I'm feeling like. Sorry everyone!

Also... League has a 2 hour que FML

Geeky tattoos!

A lot of people have expressed intirest in seeing all my nerdy tattoos! So I put together an Imgur album for all to see! I tossed a few extra of my favorites in there, and these are by no means all of my tattoos, some are just in areas I dont feel comfortable showing on the internet, and others simply dont have anything to do with this blog! So here they are everyone! My tattoos :D

Dena's awesome step by step every day face!

Today I wanted to do a review on a product but had a hard time deciding what, so what I did instead was a comprehensive step by step of my daily routine. That way everyone knows just what I am doing when I review a product!  Be prepared for a crazy long post today!

         I have been using Baby Skin instant pore eraser as a primer lately and I quite     like it. I only use a small dab, dotted around my entire face, then rubbed in gently. I have slightly oily skin and too much of this will turn your face into an oil slick in a few  hours. Sadly this is the BEST primer I can get in town right now so it will have to do.

                              Somehow I forgot to take a pic of my actual foundation bottle, but I use Cover FX in      . I don't normally use concealer or anything else other then my foundation. But I do apply it a bit differently. I use a small spray bottle with (bottled not tap) water to slightly moisten my brush before stippling the foundation on all over my face. Then using varying small circles and stipples blend all of your foundation. I usually spend about 2 minutes doing this to insure a good clean blend. Then use a powder brush to brush downward to push any tiny hairs back down on your face.

 Now! Right now I am growing out my eyebrows so its quite an ordeal to get them to look somewhat decent.
1.  Eyebrow pencil to LIGHTLY make tiny upward strokes along the brow, giving it whatever shape you want.
2. Wax from ELF eyebrow kit to put those unruly hairs in their place
3. TheBalm's Nude'tude is going to star twice in todays production of Dena's face! First I used a combination of sultry and selfish to fill in and blend my brows. I dabbed, mixed on my hand, and ALWAYS positioned the bristles of my angled brush straight again. This is especially important near the ends.
4. Blend the inner brows a bit extra, a harsh line looks far too unnatural.

   Brows are finished, but you may need to do light touch up after you apply finishing powder.

 Eye primer time! I have 3 primers for this right now but this one takes the cake. Medusa's Eye Primer. Its about $8 online and one tub will last you forever! I have been wearing my shadow all day and honestly it has barely budged! PLUS it is a very natural nude color which is great for subtle looks

 For the darker outer shadow I used Geek Chic's 'We are coming' from their 'Timey Wimey' collection. I do <3 Doctor who! Its a lovely deep, dirty brown with blue and gold specs. I have swatches on both bare skin and NYX milk in an older post if you are intirested!

 This part is easy! Find the angle that is right for you (this will take some experimenting) and slap some of this on with a shadow brush! I personally like a sort of cat eye effect so I only cover half my lid, but you can always do the entire thing if you are wanting a smokey eye!

 Next, I used 'stand-offish' from TheBalm's Nude'tude palette. Starting in the inner eye and working into the 'We are Coming' After that.... blend your ass off! I normally blend the colors in the center, then add another dabble of my dark color to the outer lid for a more emphasized look.

 I need new liner but for now I'm using some ELF liquid liner with my Sephora Lash Plumper mascara. I do winged eyeliner every, single, day so it is really easy to control for me, even though the ELF leaves little room for error.

                                                             All done withe the eyes!

 Since my skin is slightly oily I love, and I cannot say this enough I LOVE Palladio's rice powder. This powder is my holy grail of mattifying magic! Use the small pad included and press firmly around  your entire face, this will help to both set your foundation in place, but it will help absorb oil throughout the day!

I didn't do any highlighting or bronzing today because snapping pictures took forever and I was running out of time. But I did use a tiny touch of the Sephora blush on the outside of my cheekbones, then blended it forwards.

 Since I am basically a retro 50's house wife on the inside my favorite lip color is RED! I blindly reached in and pulled this baby out! NYX lipstick in CHAOS! Its a lovely red, close to a true red but with a slightly darker, blue undertone.

                                       Bam! That's the entire face ladies and gentlemen!

 Finish off with a little setting spray! I ran out of my Urban Decay setting spray but this ELF makeup mist and set spray actually works quite nicely.

In natural light (ignore my messy kitchen its has the best light)

I hope you all enjoyed! I certainly did, even though it made my makeup take about 45 minutes! Any questions about products or techniques please feel free to ask!

P.S. Im sorry for the formatting on this, its late... and I'm TIRED I'm too lazy to fix it now, I have gone too far