Back to the Earth Swatches *Pic Spam*

The one thing I love most is being able to look pretty without wasting hundreds of dollars on mediocre products.

Besides drugstore products, another good option would be to try out handmade makeup from Etsy. Not only are the products safer, but they're also a lot cheaper!

So long story short, I did a MUA swap with the owner of an Etsy shop called Back to the Earth (linked for those interested) All of their makeup is vegan, natural and organic.

I got the 5pc deal, where it only costs $12 for 5 eyeshadows of your choice (I got them free though, since it was a swap) and I have to say, I was really impressed with the pigmentation!

Here's what I got:


Illuminated
This is probably my favorite of the bunch. It's a bit hard to tell, but this is a sort of cream colored shadow in disguise. When you shine it in the light, it turns into a really amazing sheer gold.


Diamonds and Shamrocks
This was a bit darker than I expected (I was hoping for something like pastel green),
but still a really pretty shade nevertheless. Honestly, I can never say anything bad about glittery eyeshadow, they're just so pretty!


Northern Lights
Another one of my favorites, this is a really beautiful and intense shade of purple. The sparkles are really amazing, it really does look like the stars!


Starry Night
I was really disappointed that it was more black than purple, but if you forget about that, the black in itself is really amazing! When applied wet, it's a really intense purple/black with hints of purple glitter. Have you ever seen the ocean get all sparkly when it hits the sun? Sort of like that.


Water Elemental
Although it's a really intense color, this is probably my least favorite out of the five. I just didn't see the wow factor from it. It's just my POV though...

Anyways, here are the swatches I promised you:





Overall, I give this shop an A+ :)

Question: What's your favorite etsy makeup shop? If you've never bought from one, are you planning on doing so?

Victoria's Secret Haul + Swatches

So as you all know, Victoria's Secret does this huge semi-annual sale twice a year. Although I was really disappointed at the clothing markdowns (even plain t-shirts were $10!), I loved all cheap beauty products! Most of them were 75% off and some were 50% off. Since I only had $10 in my pocket, I had to really pick my favorites.

Here's what a got:



VS Radiant Face Trio -$4 (Orig. $16)
Wow, this is probably one of the cutest packaging I've ever seen! I checked online, and a lot of people said that it looked similar to the YSL version. I love both of them!



VS Brilliant Shimmer Eyeshadow in Nightdust - $2.50 (Orig. $10)
What really shocked me was that part of their more mature makeup line was also on sale! I'm not sure if it was by accident (there were no sale signs), but I'm still happy about it!



VS Brilliant Shimmer Eyeshadow in Skydust - $2.50 (Orig. $10)
Another eyeshadow I decided to pick up. Yes, it was an impulse buy. I actually have way too much eyeshadow for a 14 year old, but it looked so much like the mac packaging, that I couldn't resist!

Here are the swatches (dry and wet for eyeshadows):



Question: What items did you score from the Semi-Annual Sale:

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P.S. Did you notice that I changed my heading? What do you think about it? I'm thinking about changing my blog layout though, because it doesn't really match.

Look What I Got!

Here's me with the two cd's (hehe, I'm in pj's!)
You might not know this, but I actually have a love for Visual Kei, which is a style of Japanese music. I love it so much that pretty much 95% of the songs in my mp3 are specifically visual kei. I don't know what it is, but the music, fashion style, and just the connection between the audience and the bands, everything about vkei just draws me in. Yep, I've got a ton of posters for various bands on my wall!

That's why when I won these two Alice Nine CD's from Kawaii Kawaii Sugoi Blog, I was happy beyond words. Although I don't really listen to that band much anymore(became mainstream), I still stay faithful to them because Alice Nine was the first that really got me hooked to Visual Kei. You could say that it changed my whole perspective on life.


That was just a little something I wanted to share to you guys, since I feel really lonely being the only one in my school interested in vkei. Just trying to spread the love. :)

Anyways, here's what else I got:



Got these in 3 Separate swaps:
-Kose Esprique Precious Liquid Eyecolor Stylish in BL900 (omg, gorgeous! I have to show you sometime!)
-NARS Orgasm Illuminator Sample (first NARS product!)

-benefit BADgal lash Mini Mascara
-Lancome Le Secret Sample Eye Powder (holy crap, best color EVER!!! Scroll down for swatch)

-MAC Pink Opal Sample
-MAC Quick Frost Sample
-MAC Pink Pigment Sample (IDK the name)
I love MAC, but I can never afford it! Luckily, pigment samples are a lot cheaper and you get to experiment with more colors. :)



Also, I stopped by Chinatown last week and discovered a tiny store that sold phone straps for insanely cheap. I got 4 for $5, what a steal! If you didn't know already, I have an obsession with kawaii phone straps and my collection is always expanding!


As promised, here's Lancome Le Secret (layered over stila smudge pot violet):


and what is looks like in light:


AMAZING RIGHT? It's sort of like a mermaid kind of color, you get what I mean?
Wow, I think I might even buy the full product in the future!

I haven't experimented this with other colors yet, but I'm looking forward to it. xD

Have a great weekend everybody! It's difficult to blog when I also have 3 tests next week, homework, and fencing practice 3 times a week, but I'm trying!

Grace~

Swatches for Sephora Bronze Makeup Palette to Go

As promised, here are the swatches for this lovely mini palette. If you haven't already, go to your nearby sephora and snag this for only $7! (orginally $15)

Here are the eyeshadows and bronzer:

I love the blue shades!



and lipglosses:

The texture is much better than I expected!



Overall, I really liked this product. Great for the summer and on the go. The eyeshadows are very good quality, the lipgloss is nicely pigmented, and for the bronzer, I have no idea, lol. I will probably never use the bronzer, since my skin is already pretty tanned for an Asian (I want pale skin!)

Grace~
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