Kat Von D Shade and Light Eye Shadow Palette Review

It was with much hesitation that I purchased this palette.  Due to the fact my experience with the contour palette was not the best. Read that review HERE. But I watched a video that Stephanie Lange (vlogger) did and from that moment I knew I had to have it.

I don't even want to say the H word.......hooded eyelids.......I have them and one day, I will overcome them.  But until them I shall work with shade and light to fight the good fight on not accentuating that dreaded hood.

So I broke down and bought the palette......because matte shades are what you should wear with hooded lids.

And so far, I am very pleased with it.  I recreated the Stephanie Lange look, of course, and have worn it every day since I got it!!

The nice thing about this palette is that it is aimed at all skin tones.  Kat Von D wanted everyone to be able to enjoy it.  I say that like I know her......"You know, when Kat and I were hanging out the other day discussing her plans for her new palette"........

The left side is the neutral side, the middle is cool and the right is the warm side.  Though I lean towards warmer tones, the look I am in love with comes from the cool portion of the palette,

You can see how I extend and round off the corners to define the shape of my eye and pull the focus outward rather than upward (towards the hood).

I blew up these pictures so you all could see the placement.  I always put my crease above the hood so that when you are looking at me straight on, the shadow is visible.

Courtesy of vampyvarnish.com

The palette comes with look cards which will be very  helpful if you are trying out new ways to enhance or play with your eyes.

Courtesy of glamourzen.com

For my look I started out with Lazarus directly above my hood, creating my own crease.  That is also my transition shade.  Then I placed Saleos there as well and blended them both out and extended. Liberatus was used next on my mobile lid and inner corner only.  Then I took Solas (from the warm side) and placed at the outer corner of my eye and rounded it up into the other shadows.  Blend, Blend, Blend.

Overall, I am very pleased so far.  There are absolutely so many looks that can be created with this palette,  The price is steep, but not when you think about how much product you get.  The packaging is kind of bulky but all of her palettes are great for travel, I have found, because of that.  And the shadows are great quality.  They blend smoothly and stay on all day.

Click HERE to read the exact color descriptions from Temptalia!

Do you have this palette??  What do you think so far??

Let us know in the comments below!!

Have a great day!! xo

Purple Eyeshadow Look With Pigments And MAC And Sephora Haul

Hey loves! Check out my latest video doing a simple purple eye look with MAC pigments.

Don't forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel on the sidebar as I will be having a giveaway soon specifically for my followers :) I know this was a loooooooooong video but I hope you found it informative and they will get shorter as they go on :)

Here is a list of all the products used in the video to create eye look:
Urban Decay Original Primer Potion
MAC 217 brush***side note, I referred to brush as synthetic in the video and it is not, this is a natural brush***
MAC pigment-Kitschmas
MAC pigment-Vanilla
MAC pigment-Push The Edge (part of 2013 Nocturnal Holiday set)
Kat Von D Chrysalis Palette color in Lifelike
Kat Von D Immortal Lash Mascara
Make Up For Ever Aqua Liner in Diamond Black Purple

Also here are the Sephora items referenced in the video (and picture) and links to get them!

Formula X-Extreme polish
Kat Von D Studded Kiss Lipstick in Wonderchilde
Sephora Nano lip liner in Lovely Lilac
Sephora Cream Blush in Golden Spice

Let me know what you think and stay tuned for more looks!!

Have a great day! xo

Younique VS Too Faced Fiber Mascara Review

I know it's been quite some time since I received my sample of Younique's mascara to try and review. Well, let me tell you, it took some time getting used to.  I am sure you have heard of Younique before.  But maybe not....it wasn't until I joined Instagram that I started seeing pictures all over.

Now based on these pictures, of course I wanted lashed like these!!  But it's the internet and I had to experience it first hand.

Here are my normal lashes with regular mascara on them.  I believe this is Benefit's They're Real.

Younique comes in a cute, kind of glasses case.

It comes with transplanting gel and fiber lashes.

And instructions, which is good!

 I thought this picture of external use only was quite humorous :)

This is what the transplant gel looks like.  A typical mascara wand and the gel is black.

And this is what the fibers look like.  I apologize for the picture quality, but they look like wisps of cotton candy :)

It's fairly simple.  You use a base coat of your own mascara, which is optional but I did.  You then use the transplant gel and then you brush the fibers on.  You then seal the fibers on with another coat of transplant gel.  This prevents them from falling on your face throughout the day.

You can definitely see the difference in what I looked like with regular mascara.

Now.....let me tell you...there were some issues for me.  I don't do anything with a light hand and that is key for application with this type of product. I also kept getting fibers on my face no matter how little of the fibers I used.  This product takes time so it always looks best on me on the weekends when I have time to really sit there and be patient.  I also accidentally put my fibers into my transplant gel wand one day but luckily I just had to wash it off and it was good as new!!

I strongly recommend getting a metal lash comb, too.  My plastic one did not work.

This one is by Sonia Kashuk and also has a great brow brush on it and recently I took an old mascara wand and use that to separate my lashes.  It works incredible!

Now, the other product on the market that is comparable to this is Too Faced's Better Than False Lashes fiber mascara.  Since I have never used fiber mascara before I wanted to see how it compared.

This is also a two step system but does not require adding your own mascara.

The base coat is also the top coat and looks just like regular mascara but the fibers in this case are white,

At least I am able to really tell where I applied the stuff :)

So today I did one eye with each product.

My left eye I did with Too Faced.

And my right eye I did with Younique.

I only did one coat on each eye so the results were fair and as you can see, the results show that Younique is better and definitely gives me more volume!

Watch this video to see how to properly apply Younique and see me use two coats :)

Don't forget to subscribe to me on YouTube so you can make sure you don't miss any of my videos :) Click HERE.

Here is Rachel's info!!

Rachel Scott-Stogner
www.greatlengths.com.co
yourlashlovinlady@gmail.com

Let me know what you think about Younique and of course any tips and pointers you have!!

Have a great day!! xo

KISS InstaWave Demo and Review

This video has been a long time coming but let me tell you, it was worth the wait!!  I was sent the KISS InstaWave Automatic curler for demo and review.  I have tried close to every product on the market that claims to achieve perfect curls in no time at all.  I finally found one that lives up to those claims.

I cannot believe the ease of use and the quality of the curls....the same curls that I try so hard to achieve with my regular curling iron in half the time.  And I have looooong hair, so trying to get the look I want is very time consuming!

Please watch the video for the demo!!  Disclaimer: This is my first ever video demo so I need to work on timing and how long the video can actually be in order to upload successfully.

Look at the final curls I was able to achieve!!

I am truly impressed and so glad that I was able to get this product in my hands :) This will definitely save me much needed time in the morning getting ready.

This is available at both Target and Ulta and click HERE to learn more about the product and get answers to questions that I may not have covered!

Even when I went out today, I got so many compliments on my hair and everyone thought I had it professional done!!

My curls lasted all day long :) Go get this today!! :)

Again, please let me know your thoughts on this product in the comments below!!

Have a great day!! xo








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DIY Christmas-Homemade Infused Olive Oils

Last up in the series for DIY Christmas this year is homemade infused olive oils.  I did both garlic chili and rosemary olive oils.  It was a lot of fun and super easy. I mean I hope people think I slaved over a hot stove all day long making these beauties :)

First thing I want to tell you about is the potential for food poisoning....yeah, hate to be a buzzkill but the threat is real so make sure you really take the time to adhere to these guidelines prior to making these.  Any time a fresh ingredient is introduced in to a dish, there is the possibility of it causing more harm then good.  Thus the reason I did not do just fresh garlic infused oils and have garlic cloves in the oil.  If not properly prepared, botulism is a risk.

Moisture brings mold so when making the rosemary infused olive oil, if you choose to buy fresh rosemary, make sure you wash it and let it dry for about a week.  You don't want to be able to bend the herb at all, you want it to the point where it is cracking when trying to bend it as that means all the moisture has been removed.

You can skip fresh rosemary all together and just use dried herbs, too.

For the rosemary olive oil, I sprinkled some dry herbs in my jar and then added the (fresh) dried herb for decoration.  I cooked my oil on the stove with some of the other dried rosemary sprigs for about five minutes and then drained the rosemary out.  Let cool for about five minutes and then add to your jar. You can use extra virgin if that is what you have lying around, but regular olive oil seems to infuse and take on the flavors better.

For the chili garlic oil, I smashed some fresh garlic and put it in a pot on the stove with my olive oil. I let it cook for about five minutes or until you can smell the garlic cooking.  You don't want to burn it so keep an eye on it while it is in the pot.

Then I sprinkled some crushed red pepper in the oil and let it cool for another five minutes.  I threw in a dried chili for decoration in the bottle and then poured the olive oil in the jar.  You can get a funnel but I just used my turkey baster to transfer the oil :)

Done!  I attached a note letting my giftees know to use within one week or keep in the fridge.  You can let them know the oil can be used in cooking, sauteing for example, or you can dip crusty, french bread in the oil and eat it that way.  You can use the chili oil with egg rolls or in stir fry.  You can use the rosemary oil with a chicken salad.  So many delicious options!!

And there ya have it! They look beautiful.  I got my jars from Hobby Lobby when they had all glass 50% off and I just tied a pretty tag on the jar with some twine for the rustic look.

Let me know if you have any questions in the comments below!!

Enjoy!!

Have a great day!! xo

DIY Christmas-Homemade Mason Jar Cookie and Brownie Recipes

Everyone loves sweets for Christmas.  It's a time of indulgence.  I love to make gifts that can be dumped into a bowl with a few fresh ingredients.   Simple yet people know how much time and effort went into making them.

I am going to include three variations in this one post.  Remember if you are one of my loved ones I expect you to be happily surprised when you see them if you continue reading :)

Last year was my first year making these and I knew some changes had to made this year and I changed all the recipes as not to gift the same ones, too.  So round up your supplies first.  I save pasta jars all year long as I make these gifts for Easter and other holidays so they always get used.  But you can just buy mason jars or canning jars at the store, too.  I just take the labels off and clean them very well.  The same method that goes behind cleaning my old used candle jars for my vanity gets used here.  Slowly take the label off and then take equal parts baking soda and vegetable oil to make a paste and let it sit on the glue for about 10 minutes until you can wipe it off with a paper towel.  You can also use Goo Gone if you don't want to make your own :)

Last  year I tediously cut out scrapbook paper and glued it to each lid.....this made for a very long project but also I was told the lids were hard to get off since the modge podge had really stuck on there. So this year I got some scraps of Christmas fabric and once the goodies were in the jar I laid them on top and then tied them on with some string.

Let's get to the ingredients used to make these homemade cookie and brownie jars.

Recipe used from TheFrugalGirls.com

First one is Butterscotch Cake Cookies in a mason jar.  You just need a box of white or yellow cake mix and a bag of butterscotch chips (try not to eat them all while making these because it requires a lot of self control).

You might want to get a funnel (I just used a piece of paper) to get all of the ingredients in the jars.

Take the entire cake mix and pour it in the jar.  I use my pestle from my mortar and pestle to really pack them in so the entire box fits.

Yes that is a picture from the next recipe :)

Once your white cake mix is in your jar then take about a cup of butterscotch chips and add them to the top.  If there is more space in the jar then add more chips to it.  Done!

You can hand write your recipe card or print it out and attach it with a string to the jar.  I still have to do that part but I wanted to get this up here for ya'll :)  Oh, I also am attaching a Christmas spatula to each jar this year.

Directions:
Beat together 2 eggs and 1/2 cup of vegetable oil.  Add contents of jar.  Stir well and form dough into a ball.  Let chill in the fridge for 15 minutes prior to baking.  Drop into rounded spoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 8 minutes or until golden.  

Next recipe I literally had to pry the bags of Reese's away from my husbands hands :)

Chocolate Reese Cake Cookies in a mason jar.

You will need a box of chocolate cake mix and 1 1/3 cups of Reese's pieces.

Recipe used from TheFrugalGirls.com

Pour the cake mix in the jar and push it all the way down.  Add the Reese's pieces on top! Done!

Directions:
Beat together 2 eggs and 1/2 cup of vegetable oil.  Add contents of jar.  Stir well and form dough into a ball.  Let chill in the fridge for 15 minutes prior to baking.  Drop into rounded spoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 8 minutes or until golden. 

Last recipe is a big one and this one takes some time but it looks oh so pretty!  I recommend making more than one jar of this at a time since you will have all the ingredients out to make your life a little bit easier.

Christmas Fudgy Brownies in a mason jar....mmmmmm........

I will list out the ingredients in the order they should go in jar and this is an actual recipe so measurements are important in this one or else your giftee will think they did something wrong :)

1 cup and 2 tablespoons of flour
2/3 cup of brown sugar (packed)
2/3 cup of white sugar
3/4 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/3 cup of cocoa
1/2 cup of your choice of sprinkles (or use more chocolate chips)
1/2 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips

You will need to pack each layer down as you go to get the desired layered look but it is all worth it, it looks so nice!!

Directions:
Mix contents of jar with 2 eggs, 1/4 cup of water, 2/3 cup of vegetable oil and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Pour into a greased 9x9 baking pan and bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

And there ya go!! I hope I covered it all and if you have any questions please let me know in the comments below!

Have fun with this and get creative in decorating them :)  These are always a huge hit.  People love the simplicity behind them and the fact that they don't have to do much.  If you have kids, this is also something they can help create with you as it really is a lot of fun.

Have a great day!! xo

DIY Christmas-Homemade Peppermint Sugar Body Scrub

The time has come where I am again a crafting fool making things to give as gifts this year.  I absolutely love making unique things for people all year round but Christmas is especially fun.  For the family members that read my blog, be warned, I expect you to be full of surprise in the event you receive any of the gifts that I post over the next week :)

This is probably the easiest gift I have ever made and I hope you all will try it, if not for a gift but for yourself.  This is an all natural exfoliating body or foot scrub, perfect for the dry winter months.  This can be made with any oil or scent you want, too.  I am going to use white sugar, olive oil and peppermint but you can swap the olive oil for coconut oil and the peppermint for vanilla.  You can swap the white sugar for brown sugar.  Add some lavender, add some lime juice.  This is easily customizable and lasts for up to 2 months.

First you want to pick the jars you are going to use.  Hobby Lobby had all glass 50% off so that is where I went.  I wanted cute jars but also ones that would be easy enough to get the product out. Next time I may go with plastic but I really couldn't find any that I liked.

Grab your ingredients.  I am going to be using about two and a half cups of sugar for these 6 jars.  Of course I didn't know that until I made them :) The olive oil I did not measure as you are going to make it to the consistency that you like.  And I had this peppermint oil in the cupboard, had I not I was going to use vanilla.

Pour your sugar into a large bowl and slowly start pouring your olive oil in.

I kept stopping to check the consistency until I got it where I wanted it to be.  Rub it through your fingers so you can feel it instead of only looking at it.

Once it was perfect, I added several drops of peppermint oil and mixed it really well.

It smells divine.

Then I scooped it into the jars.

Oh and I got these really festive labels that fit on them perfectly.

I, of course, did it the hard way and labeled my jars once the labels were on them.  To make it easier, write on them before hand :)

And there ya go! I mean super simple yet a perfect gift for anyone and everyone.  Especially people you just don't know what to get for.  My family loves my homemade gifts as they truly know I am taking the time to do something for them and that is what the holidays are all about.

I'd love to know if you try this recipe or have made your own homemade body scrubs before!

Let me know in the comments below and be sure to share your variations!

Have a great day!! xo