Make Up Review: Lash Genius by Anastasia of Beverly Hills

I was sent this brand new product called Lash Genius from Anastasia of Beverly Hills. What it is is a top coat which waterproofs your favourite mascara so you don't have to worry about looking like the girl from The Ring after a rainy day. I don't usually wear waterproof mascara for two reasons: it's always flaky and difficult to remove. Thus, I don't find it practical for everyday use and never bother buying an extra tube for those occasions when I know I'll cry (i.e. funerals, graduations, weddings, viewings of Forrest Gump, finding out I got an F on my midterm, etc.). So when Anastasia of Beverly Hills asked to send me a tube of their newest eyelash elixir, I wasn't too excited. It really just meant that I'd have to find an excuse to cry in order to test it out. Keep reading for some way-too-close-up photos of my face and also what I thought of the product.

The topcoat is gooey and semi-opaque when it comes out of the tube, but it goes on & dries perfectly clear. It isn't too sticky (meaning, my eyes didn't get glued together) but I wasn't ever really sure that it was on my lashes and covering them fully.

I wore it out to see the new movie Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, anticipating one of those romantic-comedy-drama-tear jerkers. Not a single tear was cried and I left the cinema bone dry. In desperation to get some moisture in my eyes, I ran on home and plopped in front of the TV to watch The Cove. I think it's probably a good sign when you can't find anything to cry about except a heartfelt movie, but yet in this situation, I was desperate! The Cove did the trick and I started tearing up almost immediately. For those who have not seen the documentary, grab a tube of Lash Genius and check it out!

After the movie ended and I watched the credits all the way through just to make sure my tears were spent, I ran to the mirror to check out the damage. Na-da! My face, though red and blotchy, was free of the usual streaky black and my eyelashes weren't stuck together. Yes, a success! Before I settled into bed, I splashed the shenanigans out of my face with water, both hot and cold. My mascara didn't budge. I started to get worried that my "natural" make up removers (Vitamin E Oil, Jojoba Oil, or Olive Oil) wouldn't do the trick to get this stuff off, and I'd need to run to the store and buy something commercial. I squirted a bit of Vitamin E onto a cotton ball and started scrubbing away. Nothing. I kept working at it and eventually mascara started rubbing onto the cotton. Removing the mascara wasn't as easy as usual and I had to rub quite a bit, working the oil into my lashes. Once in the shower, the rest of the mascara slid off with some water.

(Yes, these work as make up removers! Even for Lash Genius!)

Overall, I'm really happy with the product. It worked a charm. In the future, I won't be quite so panicky about my appearance after a public break down. I think it will also be useful this summer if I head to the beach (unlikely) or get pushed into a pool (likely). You can find Anastasia of Beverly Hills here. Thanks for letting me try out Lash Genius!

akward...reposted?

Maybe it's just me being silly, but I think blogspot hit a glitch & my last post along with many recent comments got deleted. But maybe not. Maybe this will just be a duplicate of the same thing. Who knows? It's Friday the 13th...!

Anyways, in case you did miss it, I posted this makeup tutorial type video of me being an awkward ass & mumbling on about nothing. Watch it if you please.

lipstick & other vices

I recently bought six new lipsticks, and since I love playing dress up and making faces for the camera, I thought, "Why not post about them?" There's also the fact that it's May 2nd and there're little snowflakes in the air, so I've been choosing to stay indoors wearing thigh high socks and hoodies (except for an escape to the Mayday Festival yesterday, in which I froze my toes and fingers off, and ate a gyro [and as a side note for any locals - if you see me out & about, please say 'hey!' and introduce yourself!]).



I was super excited to try out Lime Crime lipsticks! I got three colours - Retrofuturist, My Beautiful Rocket, and Centrifuchsia, as pictured above. I'm now obsessed with these - they're super opaque, vibrant, and pigmented. They blend & layer well, as well. But the best part? The bright, glittery packaging (complete with unicorns!) and the fact that they smell like powdered sugar (and I love sugar).



My Beautiful Rocket is a tangerine-orange colour. It's super opaque, which is the best part, and I love wearing it with a thin layer of red on top. That being said, it looks brilliant on it's own. The idea of orange lipstick never really occured to me, but it's definitely a lot of fun and a nice pop.



Retrofuturist is a very true, all-skin-tone-friendly red colour. Reds are definitely difficult to find in the perfect shade (matching skin tones is such a hassle), so I must say this is probably the ideal red! It's got a great flapper-vibe to it because of how opaque it is.



Centrifuchsia is the last of the 3 I sampled from Lime Crime. It's a very deep neon pink which, due to its pigmentation, is hard to come by in drugstore quality make up. I feel like this one is particularly long-lasting and the colour is the perfect pop of girly-ness.


Next up, I gave the new Bite line at Sephora a whirl. Because I'm horrible at making decisions, I went for the pre-selected Crème Trio Set with Rhône, Pepper, and Bouquet, as pictured above. These lipsticks are definitely a lot more sheer than the Lime Crime one. They're very moisturizing, which is possibly my favourite part and they claim to contain antioxidant resveratrol. My favourite part is that they're free of synthetics and made with food-grade inredients that are safe enough to eat. The cases are super sleek and modern, however I feel like they could've highlighted a better selection, maybe with shades that would better compliment a wider range of skin tones.




The Pepper shade was very slightly darker than my natural shade - a dusty rose colour, a little bit on the browner side. This one is most certainly natural enough for daytime wear when I'm not feeling too bold. It accentuates my natural colour, but that's about it.



The Bouquet colour ended up being a lot brighter than the "soft pink" colour as described on the website. It's still very pretty but in order to wear it without my skin looking too washed up, I need to layer it with something a tad bit darker. It's a very lovely colour though, and I look forward to playing with it more.



Rhône was definitely the most pigmented of the trio. The others were a lot more glossy than this shade. It's a nice pink-berry colour and tame enough to wear for a casual day at work or on campus. I'm not sure how much I like this shade for my skin tone though, so I'm playing with layering it with other colours. It's like when you're painting and mixing a million colours together in order to find the perfect shade!


Anyways, there you go for if you're in the market for some new lipstick (and you should be!). Now, the cold weather is irritating-ly exhausting, so I must curl up in bed with my Domo plush and fall asleep. Let there be warmer days ahead!

FAQ: Hair, Makeup, Style, & Me

I get so many questions about my hair & makeup, so I decided to do a video about it, showing which products I use, etc. But mostly I just felt like talking (as I could've written everything).

And because I like to talk, and I talk a lot, I did the questions about style and about me on a seperate video...



In my second video I jabbered on for a while about this magazine article I was featured in. To read it for yourself, head on over to Vita.mn. If you'd rather, you can just check out the blogs featured. The Minneapolis Affair is the MN street style blog, who also shot the photos for the article. Dirty Hair Halo is ran by a super stylish Minneapolis girl. The personal style blog Kitty Cotten is written by a girl of the same name. And last but not least, Fashionasty is written by a boy who was actually a production assistant on the show Ugly Betty! It's such an honour to be featured next to these amazing, stylish people. All the same, I'm happy for the next issue to come out, so my co-workers can quit giving me crap. My supervisor called me up to his office & full out mocked me, doing some poses and pretending to be a model. My most frequently asked questions were "how did they find you?" or "what was it for?" Just goes to show how much people actually read.

love among the millionaires

I tried so hard to find a spot in my house where I could take these photos, but alas, nothing! So I braved the outside, where it was 3°F/-16°C & also super windy (I had to hold the slip down - I have a few photos where it looks like a balloon!). Let's just say, I'm greatly anticipating springtime and the above freezing temperatures it brings. In the end, I was probably outside for 5 minutes at most, took a few photos then scurried on in and put on my froggy mittens to warm my fingers. Ah ! the sacrifices which we make for our arts.
Today is "no school, no work, no pants" day. I'm wearing a black slip from Heritage 1981 which I got last year and an American Apparel lace blouse which I got with a giftcard from my sister. It's super pretty and a wonderful piece! I'm also wearing a vintage 1920's bracelet which I got a few months ago from Bohemian Bisoux. It's so beautiful, but extremely delicate & many of the rhinestones are missing. I'd like to bring it to a jeweler's & have it restored. I do wish I had a closer up picture so you could see my makeup. I lined my eyes with black liner, smudged that, and then put bright blue eyeshadow on the inner corners of my eyes. It's definitely a new look for me, as I usually go with browns & greens.
My boyfriend & I broke up a few weeks ago. It was a mutual split and we're still on great terms (in fact, we're going thrifting on Thursday because my mum threw out my old army jacket & now I must find a replacement!), and I've now decided that I will not commit to a serious relationship until August. By August, I will have graduated high school, turned 18, just gotten back from my month in Europe, be starting design school, and finding a place of my own. It'll be a new phase of my life and I don't want to try to transition a relationship through all of that. In the meantime, I've been enjoying dating and meeting new people!

Anyways, I must go write a paper on a Baudelaire poem for my French Literature class. I'll end this with a link to a recent interview I did with Fashion Paparazzis. Please check it out here! slip - Heritage 1981; lace top - American Apparel; tights - Hue; heels - Madden Girl

who's afraid of the big bad wolf?

Part of my agreement (with myself) for 2011 fashion is to try new things (fearlessly) & pull out some stuff from my wardrobe that I bought but never or rarely wear. Let's call it a fashion resolution. One of those things is this grey poncho. I bought it in autumn at Forever 21. I never ever go in that store when I'm out shopping - it's just too big, loud, and cluttered. But I was shopping with a friend who's addicted to F21, so we went in. I found this poncho & fell absolutely in love with it! It's super duper soft and comfy. I happily bought it, but then never wore it.

I'm really into capes & ponchos right now though, and have been loving all the fellow bloggers sporting them, so I decided to give it a go. I felt a bit like Little Red Riding Hood, if she was sort of a dark little emo girl. I felt like the red lipstick & rose pendant made it almost gothic-like. I like it a lot. A bit vamp-y, a bit '20s-ish (think Theda Bara).

The rose pendant necklace is actually my mum's. I own hardly any jewelry at all. I wish I had a larger collection. My mum has some nice pieces though, such as this one, which added a nice woodsy, outdoors touch.

My boyfriend saw me in this today & referred to it as a number of things, including "dark", "witch-y", & "trashy." Hmmmm... He's always had a great distate for a lot of the clothes & makeup I wear. In all honesty, I just wanted to be comfortable today, as I'm spending the day in getting stuff done before classes start tomorrow!

This semester I'm only taking 12 credits: two French classes, geography, and self defense. I'll also be working about 30 hours a week & sewing intensively (or so I plan to). Right now I'm working on a red cape. Obviously I've been drawing a lot of inspiration from fairytales.

Thanks to everyone for the book & author recommendations! I'll write them down & look around the next time I'm in a book store. Yesterday I read "What Would Audrey Do?" for an hour or so & I'm almost done! Hmmm what will I move to next?

stuff I like

Very Hollywood by Michael Kors / Sweet Lips sugar scrub by Lush / Revlon nail polish in Silver Screen / bra from Victoria's Secret / Dark Kiss body lotion from Bath & Body Works / mixed CD from my friend / Princess by Vera Wang / Nicole by OPI in Show You Care

I love good smelling stuff, & I recently got this Michael Kors perfume from my sister. The bottle & packaging is so pretty. I love Lush's sugar lip scrubs! It tastes so good & is great for chapped winter lips. I'm also obsessed with silver nail polish right now. It's perfect for winter (which is never ending in Minnesota).

The Dark Kiss collection from Bath & Body Works is so brilliant. I recieved the set for Christmas from my boyfriend. It's a very sexy scent of berries and vanilla and musk. My best friend Rachael made me a mixed CD, which is so lovely. Chris Fox, who I also love, made me a couple of compilations recently, too. Thanks to him I'm now listening to the same 4 or 5 songs on repeat.
Victoria's Secret was having their semi-annual sale so I got this beautiful purple, pink, & blue lace bra. I love very dark, girly colours. And lace. And rhinestones. In addition to all the yummy smelling stuff I already featured above, Vera Wang Princess is my absolute favourite scent. I love vanilla everything, & the original ads featuring Camilla Belle are so pretty. The dark purple nail polish is a colour called "Show You Care" which is so gothic and sexy. A very old man who I helped at work the other day asked "Is your nail polish black or purple?" And when I told him it was sort of both, he called it "cool" and then gave me knucks before leaving on his way. Keep in mind, he was probably about 90 years old.


Bûche De Noël by Lush / The Brothers Grimm / When Harry Met Sally / Pin Up 2011 Day Book / coin purse from Brazil / Charity Pot lotion from Lush / Pond's face cream / hair pins from H&M and Goody / R&B by Lush
If you haven't seen "The Brothers Grimm" yet (it came out in 2005 -__-) then please do! It's so wonderful, an extremely creative, enchanting movie with handsome men, witty comments, and a great story to it. "When Harry Met Sally" is also another current favourite of mine. It has wonderful quotes & the dialogue between the characters is so relateable. My 2011 day planner is full of pin up girls! I love pin ups, they're so sexy and cute. Maybe it's a little weird that I like them so much, but I don't mind that people know. I don't believe in hiding parts of your personality from people, & my interest in lingerie, pin ups, etc. is therefore nothing to hide. The little coin purse was brought back from Brazil for me from a friend who backpacked South America for half a year. It's so cute & painted on a coconut shell.

During harsh winter months, skin & hair needs a bit of TLC! I love Lush's Charity Pot lotion because proceeds go to charity. They had a special limited edition mini-pot in which you could choose where the full $5 was sent to. I chose Beauty's Haven Farm & Equine Rescue because I hold animals so very close to my heart & am flat out against animal abuse. It disgusts me. Charities like this one give sanctuary & love to animals who haven't been able to feel that before. Pond's makes my favourite face cream. Very gentle and basic with no smell. I lather it on every night after the shower, before I tuck into bed. For my hair, I love Lush's R&B. It smells like a tropical cocktail and moisturizes dried out locks like no other. Good bye static! I'm also pinning my hair up a lot. It's now long enough to pull back into a ponytail, but I still need to pin a lot of the shorter sections back. I can't wait for long hair again!

Lush's Bûche De Noël cleanser, a Christmas special (unfortunately), is my new favourite face cleanser. It's super moisturizing but also exfoliates so my skin feels so smooth and refreshed when I jump out of the shower. It smells really rich and booze-y, which I love. I wish they had this year round! Anyways, those are a few of my favourite things at the moment! What are you guys into at the moment? What kind of stuff might I like? I'm also looking for new beauty products to try out, new movies to watch, etc.

as our hearts started beating faster, I recalled your laughter from long ago

'Sup? This is unusual, to have two outfit posts only a few days from each other. Oh well, I haven't worked since Sunday and I've not been procrastinating with school, so I've had time to do other things. Also, I'm kind of friend-less right now (not that I mind too much) so I've had a lot of free time.

I wore this yesterday when I went shopping. The trip resulted in two skirts, but that is all. I found a really cute sweater at Forever 21 (a shop which I normally avoid) but I noticed that it was 10% angora rabbit hair. I thought to myself a) why does this sweater need rabbit hair? It's just a grey v-neck with a zipper and b) where did this hair come from? So I went to the front of the shop and asked the shop girl if the rabbits which the hair came from are humanely treated. She was dumbfounded (as she gave me washing instructions?) and appeared to not care or even think about whether or not the clothes which she wears comes from rabbits that live their lives in crammed cages, undernourished and sleeping in their own urine, only to have human contact once a month when they're shaved of their coat...and then immediately put back into their cold, metal cells. The store manager was the same way. He called the company or whatever, but they didn't know either!! Oh, mankind! You disappoint me!

Anyways, this outfit was originally inspired by Fred Astaire (if he, say, drove a motorcycle) but then I also incorporated Charlie Chaplin into it with the bowler hat, as well as the proportions and fit of the vest, shirt, and full shorts. I've been wearing this hat quite a bit lately, as the back of my hair is growing out. Whenever I wear it I think of that part in Sixteen Candles when Farmer Ted says, "I love a girl in a hat. It's just....so....VOGUE." I also like to wear this hat while I'm on break from work 'cause I like to be incognito. But one of the Italian kiosk workers told me I looked like Charlie Chaplin and I was like, "Ouch...I'll take that as a compliment?"

My favourite Charlie Chaplin film (among the few which I've seen) is The Kid. It's very funny and has the most amazing dream sequence. Plus, the kid is darn adorable! I wonder what happened to him?
Hello there, Charlie. I like your hat! The proportions of his outfits are great - baggy pants, fitted blazer, long, skinny shoes. He created the classy hobo look (which I wasn't actually trying to duplicate this day....).

I never really wear lipstick all that much. I wear it when I'm sitting at home alone & bored and just want to play dress up. But otherwise, never in public. I should. I layered like 4 different lip products to get this look. I wish it was darker. I want to try a really super deep red/plum colour. Any suggestions for brands/colours?