Monday, November 26, 2012

Review: Urban Decay's "Dangerous" Eyeshadow Palette




Urban Decay has released a limited edition set of eyeshadow palettes -- Dangerous, Fun, and Feminine -- and I purchased the edgier variety a month ago at Sephora out of curiosity and intrigue. I had already been drawn to the Mushroom and Ace shades on their own (purchasable separately) and the deal was unbeatable: six shades plus lip gloss for the price of two single eyeshadows. I am no big fan of purple or blue eyeshadows but I figured at the very least I could go out of my way to try them out, or let Kathryn use them. I am more fond of Loaded and Deeper, alongside Mushroom and Ace.


INCLUDES:
Zippered compact case with mirror

Six 0.03 oz eyeshadow shades (From top left to right: Gravity, Loaded, Evidence -- from top bottom to right: Deeper, Mushroom, Ace)
One 0.11 oz Lip Junkie Lip Gloss in Naked



PROS:
Price
Versatile compact case
Compact size
Shade variety
Great quality pigmented eyeshadows
Blendable
Impressive longevity -- a little goes a long way! 

CONS:
Very powdery
Creasing
Very dark application
Boring case design?



PROS:

⚔ The price is fan-freaking-tastic. A single eyeshadow typically runs for $18, and this compact comes with SIX. This was the deciding factor for me, and while that can sound steep to some, it is completely worth it if you are interested in these shades. (Or any of the shades from the other palettes, for that matter.)

⚔ The eyeshadow tray in the compact is removable in the event that A.) you deplete your supply of eyeshadows and need to designate a new use for it or B.) just want to remove the palette and use the case for something else. To avoid any mishaps, it does not sit freely but attaches to the case via hidden magnets. (Warning!! Do not put any magnetic-sensitive items in the case, such as phones or credit/debit cards!)


⚔ It is quite a small case, sizing at about 5.25" by 3.75" and 0.75" thick (just barely outsizing the height of an iPhone, and is maybe 2" wider) making it great to throw into your purse for later.

⚔ Another reason to purchase any of these palettes is the variety they give for your buck. No two shades are alike, making your money do more for you when you buy one of these products, they're very complimentary, and work well together for a dual-coloured look.

⚔ The quality of the eyeshadows is very admirable, and is certainly one of the things UD is known for. You really don't have to worry about whether or not these are actually good eyeshadows. They are highly pigmented and very long lasting.

⚔ The key to eyeshadows is blending, and these cooperate beautifully. Being smoky hued in nature, they are also seemingly smoky textured as well.

⚔ As I said above, these eyeshadows last all day. In my use of them, I have not noticed any fading on their part, which means I don't need to reapply during the day, meaning I don't even need to bring this with me when I go out, which is a relief. With as rich and dark as these eyeshadows are, you don't need to pile on layer after layer to achieve a sexy, smoky look. A little dab'll do, meaning you save more eyeshadow.





CONS:
⚔ When applying, even when I tap my makeup brush to relieve it of any excess, I still find that I have eyeshadow powder under my eyes and on my cheeks, which can be kind of irritating if I have already put concealer/foundation on my face. Wiping the powder off leaves coloured streaks on my face, resulting in the use of makeup remover, and thus, reapplying my concealer/foundation. The obvious fix is to just apply the eyeshadow first, but it's a pain if you put any base makeup on your eyelids. (I don't, but I know others do.) The powdery consistency also means getting the eyeshadow on other parts of the palette. I have not had an issue with eyeshadow colours mixing, but I do have to clean up powder off of the palette tray from time to time, which feels like a waste.

⚔ My only REAL qualm with the eyeshadows: they will crease on your eyelid. No matter what shade I use, no matter if I combine with an eyeshadow that I know doesn't crease, I always find creases later on.
THE FIX: Urban Decay's Eyeshadow Primer Potion. And you know what, for the price, it is absolutely worth it. A little really does go a long way. I only need to apply a ridiculously tiny amount, and when combined with this eyeshadow, I never see a single crease. (Pro tip: I also apply this underneath my eyes sometimes before using concealer, and it looks great.) If you already use primer for this purpose, you have nothing to worry about.

⚔ This is, duh, a smoky colour set. If you're buying this palette, you want rich, dark colours -- but be careful when applying. These colours apply surprisingly dark, and you can end up looking like a raccoon when all you intended was a little smoky accent to your eyes. You can totally achieve a smoky effect without going dark with these, it's just all about how gradual you are with it.


⚔ I don't know, perhaps this is just me, but I feel as though the design could have been way cooler. I mean, this is the DANGEROUS palette -- yet it looks more like the BORING palette when it's zipped shut. The Fun palette gets a sparkly turquoise case with a gold octopus -- awesome -- and the Feminine palette gets a metallic purple case with a gothic application of black lace -- gorgeous. Dangerous? Flat black with a dagger. They could totally have gotten away with black and charcoal grey texture or snakeskin print with the font and etc. in silver, with the palette tray doing something else. Grayscale flowers don't strike edgy fear into my heart, man.



⚔ VERDICT

I do recommend this. Even if Dangerous isn't up your alley, you may very well like Fun or Feminine. (And to be honest, Dangerous and Feminine have nearly identical colour options, both featuring purple, grey, gold, and green.) It's price efficient, good quality, compact, versatile, and overall really great. I pretty much use these shades constantly, even if I only use Mushroom to just give my eyes a little something.
My cons are just nit-picks anyway. ♥



 
"Loaded" (green shadow) paired with L'OREAL H.I.P. "Flamboyant" (gold)
 


"Mushroom" (brown shadow) paired with L'OREAL H.I.P. "Flare" (orange)


 
"Loaded" paired with Kat Von D. Shade Shifter "On The Road"

Friday, November 23, 2012

102; Glamabilly








Jacket + skirt: c/o ROMWE ☯ Shirt: thrifted vintage ☯ Bra: The Cultlabel ☯ Demonia Creepers: eBay ☯ Tights: DIY destroyed JCPenny





(Psst, Geek USA's free shipping code is still valid for the next week! Check it out!)

Something about this reminds me of the 1950s rockabilly scene, but super glam... So I guess Stray Cats + Madonna. Perhaps it is aided by the old English architecture of New England, so I get this potent mental picture of 1950s Liverpool, with brooding teens in leather jackets and pompadour hairstyles loitering around rotting brick buildings near the shore. Any Beatles fans in the house? Anyone? Anyone?

This, but '80s. (source)
Nevermind that this may very well be Germany but WHATEVER.

But I suppose a french braid isn't a proper substitute for a pompadour.

I have an increasing interest in this sort of style. I kind of have a secret desire to bring this all together in an outfit someday: plaid button up, leather jacket, skinny jeans, creepers, wayfairers, pomp. It will be attempted, surely.

Some inspo on the matter until I get this assembled; I originally saved this to my "future haircut" folder. It seems like this is the obvious next step for my hair when I get tired of it.

 (source: tumblr)

I'll just be over here, sighing longingly, dreaming of this perfect life.

Thursday, November 22, 2012

ONTHEGANGES's (Reposted) BLACK FRIDAY GUIDE

So I'm a total doofus and was deleting old drafts here on Blogger, and managed to delete this entry. Thanks, Blogger, for trashing your post cache recovery system two years ago. Awesome.

Blah blah blah, shop at these places they're ridiculous and I love them!



This sale is actually happening RIGHT NOW!
























Up to 70% off, from Nov. 21st through 26th



Starts tomorrow

Friday, November 16, 2012

101; I bless the rains down in Africa








Dress: c/o Geek USA Vintage Belt: Tunnel Vision vintage Shoes: Sam Edelman via TJ Maxx Scarf: Fanneuil Hall, Boston Tights: JCPenny destroyed Necklace: birthday gift Arrowhead earcuff: eBay Earrings: vintage






THIS DRESS! I can't look at this dress without getting Toto's "Africa" stuck in my head...and that is totally okay. This is a marriage of my favourite colours -- black, red, orange, gold -- PLUS fringe. Heaven.

Kelsey of Geek USA was extremely kind and generous to me when she sent me a package of vintage goodies. She is such a wonderful lady! She is truly driven by a love for vintage fashion and if you strike up a conversation with her, you can just feel the pure joy and enthusiasm through the pixels and font. It made receiving this dress (and two other beautiful items; you'll see!) such a pleasure and a privilege. I don't like accepting collaborative items unless they're really unique, to stand out in the outfits I style them in and make you stop and notice, and a lot of her stuff is STATEMENT.

She is so awesome that she and I are joining forces to give you readers a FREE SHIPPING discount code when you shop Geek USA, effective for two weeks!


That easily knocks off $6 on average, and even more if you're buying shoes or a jacket! I really do urge you to take a moment and browse Geek USA; she has tons more in her stock than what she has listed on her store, and with an email she will be more than happy to share with you all of the beautiful vintage clothes that she has ready to sell. Also? She's up for bartering, on everything. Haggling prices plus free shipping? Sweet.

Here are some of my personal favourites from what she has listed on her Etsy: