I’m proud and pleased to launch the first two products in my cosmetics line.
I have two beautiful liquid lipsticks. One in a classic red. I named the shade, “Darcy”.
The other is a bubblegum pink. The shade assigned by the manufacturer, MS Make-up, is number 13, so I named this shade “Agent 13”.
Both lipsticks are a velvety liquid formula, with a matte finish. Both are mask-proof and transfer-proof. They aren’t drying or sticky. I have been road-testing them for a while, and they are fantastic.
These essential shades go well with any bounding or cosplay builds.
If you guys like them, I’ll offer more shades in the future. Click here to buy.
WandaVision the series might be done, but not the fantastic products!
I’ve got lots of Wanda goodies coming up, the first of which is a new make-up line from Ulta.
There are a pile of goodies to choose from. I chose the brush set, make-up bag and eyeshadow palettes.
The Brush Set
These brushes are fantastic! Besides being very lush and gorgeous to look at, they are great brushes. I especially love the flat-ended highlighter brush. Made my highlighter go on perfectly. The case comes with the set and it is a great size to tuck into your bag for on-the-go touch-ups.
The Make-Up Bag
I absolutely love this make-up bag! Pretty much my favorite from the collection. It is a perfect size to pack your stuff for a trip. The Wanda logo is beautiful, and I’m in love with the color.
The Eyeshadow Palettes
Lastly, I got the eyeshadow palettes from the “vault”. There is a small palette for the 50’s and 60’s, the 70’s and the 80’s and 90’s. The colors are super pigmented and great to mix and match to create your own look. There was a little fall-out in the pan and on my face, so put down some powder for that. Other than that, for $20, you can’t go wrong with them. The colors are really nice and wearable for day and/or night.
Buy your own pieces from Ulta here. Happy shopping!
I’ve always loved red lipstick. My grandmother, Doris, always wore a nice red lip. She preferred Fire and Ice by Revlon. Growing up, there were different trends in lipstick- the super gloss of the 70’s, the frosted lip of the 80’s, the nude and chocolate lip of the 90’s and so on. I tried them all, but I love coming back to the classic red lip.
Fire and Ice has too much of a warm undertone (yellow tones in the red) for me. I prefer the cool toned reds (blue tones in the red). How do you know which red is for you? Best way is to try them on in store. Take selfies and then compare them. Warm tones tend to work with people with darker skin, but the photos you take will show you which one is better for you. Take a look at the pictures below for examples. Russian Red is the cool toned red and Lady Danger is the warm toned red.
Once you know if you prefer warm or cool, then it is way easier to buy a red from any brand. Then you need to decide if you want matte or gloss finish and the level of pigment. That is purely a matter of preference.
I have some links in a variety of price points below. These are all cool toned reds, for reference.
We have had a lot of requests recently for what make-up and skin care products we use, so I’ve compiled a list here with shopping links, where available. I’ve also included information if a product is a good dupe for something more expensive, and vice versa, I found good less expensive dupes. All products are products that we currently use.
Obviously, everyone is different, so please bear that in mind when trying out something new, particularly with skin care. My skin is very dry, same as most middle-aged people. Benji’s is oily, same as most teenagers. So, keep that in mind and get shopping!
Skincare
All Photos: amazon.com
Benji uses ProactivMD, which is the stronger version of Proactiv. He’s particularly fond of the gel treatment. You can find it on Amazon here. I do recommend subscribing to this program from the get-go. First, you get free stuff. Second, if you don’t like it, it is super easy to cancel the subscription. It is a quick phone call.
Benji loves using this contour kit and this nude lipstick. He keeps it pretty natural, so that’s all the product he uses. Click on links to buy.
I am a “little” more complicated. I start with this great moisturizer from Trader Joes with sunscreen. I wear sunscreen every day, without fail. Obviously, this moisturizer is not expensive at all. I found this link to buy on Amazon if you do not have a Trader Joes around you.
Then I use a wonderful stick foundation by Wet N Wild. This is also very inexpensive and available at all drugstores and big box stores. I’ve used more expensive brands, but to be honest, this is the best one I have ever found. I wear the shade “classic ivory”. Click on link to buy. I blend with this blender dampened with this coconut water primer, also by Wet N Wild. All of these products are available at the drugstore, but click on the links to buy them online.
For the rest of my eye make-up, I use various palettes depending on what I’m wearing. My go-to, is this one by Revlon in “avant garde”. My brushes are by E.L.F. which are a good dupes for the ones from MAC.
For lipstick, I have four shades that I choose from for everyday. I have a burgundy red, bright red, light pink and hot pink.
We finish with our hair care products. Benji doesn’t have a tried and true shampoo really, and he uses my finising products, so here are our go-to’s for both of us:
I use WEN to wash my hair and have used it for almost a decade now. I refuse to use anything else on it. After one try, I never went back to sudsy or foaming shampoos. It works the same as the first day I used it too. In short, I’m a believer. Get yours here. Like Proactiv, I recommend you subscribing for the discounts and free stuff. It is also really easy to change anything or cancel. A quick phone call.
Finishing products I use are the non-frizz gel from WEN. I love to use this men’s product from Redken’s “Brews” line. I’ve found that finishing products like wax and pomades, go with the men’s lines. They have more formulas and are usually cheaper.
That’s it! If you have any recommendations, let us know in the comments. We love hearing from you.
I, like every other fashion-obsessed person, always wanted to have a big ‘ol closet. I have a small closet at home that has always been a struggle to keep neat and tidy. So, when the kiddo got old enough that he didn’t need a toy room anymore, I pounced on the opportunity to make-over the room into my own dressing room.
This small wardrobe with shelving is a great place to display some of my handbags, and I use it for skirts and cardigans. I use these Loungefly mini-backpacks for Cons and theme park visits because they hold everything I need, and they are super cute and great for bounding. For Loungefly’s website, click here. The wardrobe is from Target.
This cube storage unit is from Target from ages ago. I actually traded furniture from Benji here. He obviously did not want pink furniture in his room anymore, and I love pink, so it worked out. I replaced the pastel cubes with cubes from Dollar Tree. The vignette on the wall I put together with items from the 99 Cent Store. The bat light is from Amazon.
The wicker high-boy is the first piece of furniture I ever bought for myself back in 1990. I will have it always. The shield I glittered it myself because my shield got all scratched up, so I rehabbed it. Click here for instructions.
This clothing rack is from Bed Bath and Beyond. It has shoe storage below and a shelf on top. I keep my dresses here because they are much heavier. And finally, the large zip-up wardrobes hold our cosplays and we’ve had them forever. We purchased them at Bed Bath and Beyond.
So, I took the room and built it wall by wall to give myself the dressing room of my dreams. I hope I’ve inspired you to do a make-over of a space within your space.
While I wait for everyone to see “Avengers Endgame” this week, I thought I would highlight some great new products available at Ulta, in stores and online.
They released a great make-up line inspired by “Avengers Endgame” with an eyeshadow pallet, four lip glosses, four matte lipsticks and three make-up bags.
I got two of the make-up bags and love them! I got the smallest one for my purse and the medium sized one for travel.
I didn’t have an opportunity to try the eye shadows or the lip glosses, but the good word is that they are both great.
I did get two shades of matte lipsticks. Both have a nice feel, good amount of pigment and aren’t drying. I tried them both, and they lasted all day.
