Red alert: this line is probably being discontinued. Proceed with caution. Then go to Walgreens or CVS and snap these babies up on clearance.

I'm a little obsessed with how similar Revlon's packaging is to Chanel's sometimes. Look at those top 3 glosses. Those are classy as heck and the same shape. And that bottom one. The same arrangement of colors but different dimensions. I'll admit, this is the only gloss formula I'll willingly buy for the colors because I'm not a gloss person. If I'm buying lip gloss it's for shine or flavor usually, and it's cheap. These? These are cheap but they're also fantastic. And super nice looking. I'm a sucker for packaging. Sue me. These are $4 right now. It looks like NARS packaging too!

I'm not an expert on formula, but these aren't sticky and they feel pretty nice. They settle into lip lines some, but I've found that wearing a lipstick or something underneath these helps a TON with that. These aren't really layering colors, since they're so pigmented, but if you have a sheer-ish layering base color, these look amazing. Bellini looks good with the lightest nude balm stain in Charm or any peachy-nude color, Embellished looks witchy-gorgeous over any vampy color. Sunbaked, though, looks awesome on its own. It's in the same area as NARS Dolce Vita, I think. But $4. 

Also, the whole Super Lustrous line is now in round packaging which I think is totally disgusting and I'm never buying any of them. But why would I? These are awesome. Also, they look more sheer now. Clear > sheer in my book. They all look the same anyway.

I really love highlighters, and though most people search for 'the perfect highlighter that doesn't make me look like a disco ball' I really don't mind that look.

Hey. I'm young. I can wear sparkles. Right? Right.

I love mixing liquid highlighters into my foundation (although these day's it's just a tinted moisturizer), and I love powder highlighters for the usual kind of highlighting or applied all over the face for, you know, extreme highlighting? All over illumination? Whatever we're calling it, I like it. Because even if I can't get my skin looking even and smooth, I can emphasize the finish and glow it has, and I like that control. Also, I like that glow.

I should add a disclaimer here: As much as I love shimmer on the face, I don't like shimmery blush. You know what happens when you blush? Your face turns a color. Your face doesn't turn SPARKLY. Also, I find that most blush placement does not really lend itself to adding sparkles there. Matte/satin blush+highlighter = genius. Sparkly blush = nope. Ahem, NARS. 

From top to bottom, my favorite highlighters:
Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch highlighting concealer in Ivory
Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector in Opal
Benefit High Beam
Sally Girl eyeshadow in Gun Metal
Chanel Dentelle Precieuse

The Maybelline concealer I like for spot highlighting in a more contour-y fashion, because it's not sparkly so it does just give the effect of lightening the area and making it look more prominent.

Opal shimmering skin perfector was my favorite thing to mix into my foundations this summer, although now that winter's here I'm really digging High Beam-- less peachy, more moonlit. Both look pretty sparkly here, but when mixed into foundation, especially Opal, they look radiant instead of glittery. Not that I mind glittery!

The Sally Girl shadow is a total hidden gem. Probably a dupe for Urban Decay Virgin, but 99 cents. It's incredible. The most subtle of the three I've listed here, but when built up it looks INCREDIBLE and now in a "what did you do to your skin?" or "your cheekbones look sharp" but a "WHAT HIGHLIGHTER ARE YOU WEARING?" way. (I'm that kind of person who would actually ask that, though.) It's very soft and blendable, shimmery without any kind of obvious sparkle, just an ethereal sheen on your cheekbones, nose, cupid's bow, wherever you like to apply it. I'm serious, if you're obsessed with highlighter like I am or if you're just a baby beginner, you should try this out. And if you don't use it for highlighting, it's a foolproof eyeshadow. I'll try to put up a picture soon of this one in action because it's amazing.

And we all know how I feel about Dentelle Precieuse.

TIP: I'm obsessed with highlighter, don't let me buy any more. I have WAY fewer than I thought I did. Let's keep it that way.

Not a lot. But check out this makeup I did for a rush party a while back. Getting the colors on already. Light blue and sunshine yellow.

I am THAT girl.

I have lots of free time on my hands now so I'm gonna try to get a bunch of posts up soon! Taking photographs is just very time-consuming, and having roommates, a little weird to be caught doing. Oh, you know, I'm just chillin, with seven lip glosses on my arm... yeah, on my arm... see you later...

Sorry for the photo dump here, guys, but I was really interested by the packaging on this one. That little matchbox-style cardboard sleeve! And the guilty smudge of using it before photographing...

I've never used anything from Korres, but I've always eyed the Wild Rose Lip Butter because it's totally up my alley. Deep color, sheer coverage? Um, yeah. Hydrating and shiny? Yeah.

It's really awesome, honestly. The texture is dreamy, buttery and smooth, and really comfortable and hydrating. I'm sure all these things have been said before. But this isn't really a "review" blog so much as a "ramblings" blog, so here's my issue. 

It's in a pot.

I knooooooooow. It's so picky. But... gross. I reapply lip balm a lot. I don't want to put germy fingers into the jar to smear them on my lips and save some for later. Otherwise, this would be in a SERIOUS fight with my beloved Benebalm.

TIP: Tinted lip balms are way easier to use for sheering out bold lip color than a lip gloss because the texture is so much more forgiving. I mean, so is clear lip balm, but that's not what this post is about.

I'm gonna use this here post to talk a lil bit about something non-makeup related (wow) for just a second, and then I'll get to the lipstick.

I looooooooove Nicki Minaj's Anaconda and Meghan Trainor's All About That Bass. I really really like em, I think they have a great message and are super fun. BUT as a thin girl, I don't think they're super-duper "body-positive" songs. I think they're positive, but "skinny bitches" isn't positive for everyone... or, really, anyone? Not sure about that. I understand that this is an unnecessary complaint, because there are so so so many songs and videos and photographs enforcing 'thin' as the only beauty ideal, and I fit that. However, I also think it's important to remember that positivity should be inclusive, because putting down one group of people to make yourself feel better isn't doing anyone any favors, huh? And especially, putting yourself down to make your compliments seem nicer totally doesn't work. "Ugh, I'm so fat, you're so skinny, I'll never be as pretty as you..." Well, I understand that I fit many traditional, sexist and Eurocentric beauty ideals, but I didn't make them, I try not to perpetuate them, and putting yourself down isn't going to help you achieve that impossible goal. I understand that any criticism here (ha, like anyone reads this blog enough to hate it) is valid because I have a totally different point of view from those who criticize me, and those who do put themselves down to compliment me, so I can't really understand all of what you mean when you say that. Still... It's important that we love ourselves first. Make yourself feel beautiful the way YOU want to, if you want to at all.

Anyway... Kat Von D's new Studded Kiss lipstick line sure is interesting...
I bought the beautiful and sparkly Thin Lizzy because it says LIZZY (not because of THIN) which, believe it or not, used to be my nickname that I went by (har, har, look at the narcissist buying things with her name on them) but also because it's insanely pretty.

I mean... dang. From left to right, a purposefully blurry photo to show the sparkles, a photo of the most beauty I could capture on my camera of mere mortal power, and a photo of the base color.

It's the perfect early fall lipstick*. It's so, so, so pretty and doesn't look frosty or metallic because the sparkles here are actually quite sizeable, but not gritty or chunky, just enough to be seen, and in all different colors, too! Ohh, if only it was always fall... because of fall makeup...

TIP: I love wearing something kind of sparkly and metallic like this with a mostly matte face and then metallic eyeliner or really bold highlighter. Two lil things to catch your eye and tie 'em together.

*Late fall demands DARK DARK VAMPY LIPS before we get to holiday season, which calls for red.

Sorry, I'm just obsessed with the name of this bronzer. Too Faced Snow Bunny bronzer. THAT'S SO CUTE IT'S THE CUTEST THING EVER. It's supposed to be a 'winter bronze' which is nice because since joining the SPF revolution I look like it is always winter. The permanent sweaters don't help, because I am always cold so I also always feel like it is winter. Unfortunately, I'm not thaaaaaaat much of a fan of winter.

This bronzer is great. It looks really intimidatingly shimmery in the pan and in swatches, but it's not, I swear!

Nah, it's great. I like to apply it where I would normally apply both blush and highlighter (like I've said before, I'm new to bronzer) and it instantly gives the illusion of "yeah this person has definitely been outside more than once!" It sometimes looks a little orange on me, so I don't like pairing it with cool-toned shades in my other color cosmetics for the day and it looks fine without them. 

Shown above with Korres Wild Rose Lip Butter (coming soon, omg it's nice).

I really like it! I like how I can sweep it on in the morning and feel like I look just a little... better. Not in the same way as the Hourglass Ambient Lighting powders, that make my skin look better, but in a way that just makes my face look better-- more awake, flushed, healthy, balanced? I dunno. Too Faced, you guys nailed it here.

TIP: If you want your bronzer to look pretty natural, apply bronzer with a big brush... and then blend it out with an even bigger one. Huge. It'll distribute the product more evenly across your entire face, and make it way less obvious that you're wearing bronzer. Blend it allllllllll the way around your face and neck.