Halloween: Poison Ivy inspired lip art.

A couple of days ago I had the intention of doing a Poison Ivy look (can be seen on my instagram @cynthiaiskillikill) but due to the ridiculous time it took for me to figure out how I wanted to do things I scrapped the idea halfway and went with an elvish kind of thing so yesterday I wanted to do it better.

And here's the result:
Full product details and process at the end.

Product details:
As usual I used Dirty Hippie Cosmetics (DHC) Hemp Seed & Red Raspberry primer for my base, which does an awesome job at keeping my skin moisturized under any make-up.
I mixed Stargazer cosmetics Pro Foundation in Pearl with the shadow Betrayal from Espionage Cosmetics (EC) for a shimmering, lightly green skin.
To set my face I mixed Shiro Cosmetics Fatality: Setting powder with DHC mineral powder in Sunkissed and EC shadow Betrayal, all equal amounts.
For my dark lip I used EC Kiss of death lip serum in Fatality mixed with the shadow Vault Hunter.
I went in with a bit of DHC mineral eyeshadow in Carbon along the edges and then topped the centre of my lips with F.A.I.R. Beauty Cosmetics pressed shadow in Hydra's Wrath and added glitter from EC in Gorram. Finished with clear gloss.
Concrete Minerals shadow in Risqué for the hair topped with F.A.I.R. Beauty Cosmetics shadow Blazing Unicorn.
Neve cosmetics eyeliner in White and shadow Ghiaccio for the flowers. Sugarpill Goldilux for the golden sparkle in the center of the white flowers. DHC mineral eyeshadows Pine Needles and Ever Green for the leafs. Carbon mixed with gloss for all the black lines.
EC in Betrayal under my lip, Wub-Wub in the center of the leafs and Mata Hair for Vines.

Halloween: Harley Quinn cyborg.

I went there.
I did eventually do the look I've been avoid (for no good reason) for a good while... I did my first Harley Quinn look, with a twist, a cyborg twist!

Product details at the end.

Product details:
For my face base I used Dirty Hippie Cosmetics (DHC) Hemp seed & Red raspberry primer. Covered my redness with DHC mineral concealer in Sunkissed and used mineral powder in Sunkissed to set my base.
All the black seen on my face is a mix of eye-shadow primer, DHC mineral eye shadow in Carbon and an old black eyeliner.
On my lids I used Espionage cosmetics (EC) shadow in Cosplayer topped with F.A.I.R. Beauty cosmetics shadow in Blazing Unicorn on my inner corners I have Ghiaccio by Neve Cosmetics which I also have down the bridge of my nose.
I used Kraken by F.A.I.R. Beauty Cosmetics under my eyes.
My lips is Concrete Minerals shadow in Risqué, which is what I used along my contour as well. The dark lip gloss is made by mixing EC kiss of death lip serum in Cold Blooded Killer with the sdow Vault Hunter.
Also used EC shadow in The Engineer to add so dimension to my cyborg hand, it's the pretty lavender/blue sheen seen.
To tidy up the edges I used Neve Cosmetics eyeliner in White.
Finished the look by using the beautiful blue highlighter called Incubus Dreams by F.A.I.R Beauty cosmetics.

First impression: Cometcomforts monthly box: Harry Potter.

Alright, it's time for yet another post where I talk about something which isn't available anymore...

Click picture to get to CometComforts!

I received my first CometComforts box early October. Keep in mind that the long delivery time for my box has nothing to do with the people who put together this box! I live in the middle of nowhere, takes more or less a month for me to get my deliveries.

This is a limited numbers limited edition monthly box, no subscription.
Put together in the US and can be shipped internationally (shipping was $14 to the UK).
The box was to my surprise very light (total 0.5 kg), very well padded and everything arrived in excellent condition. I will not be going into specifics about the shades or notes of fragrances as these aren't available.

Let's begin.

Here's the Comet Vomit nail polish! Yay, was so excited to try it!
It's the first one I try from this lovely lady and I was not disappointed, except for the disappointment of my eagerness and not doing the polish justice by applying it in the heat which caused a couple of bubbles. It was kind of a happy accident in retrospective, it was way less bubbles than most polishes so yay! First coat goes on very thin, the consistency of the polish is thick. You can easily cover the nails in two fast coats, I tried this on my less photogenic hand. Overall happy and it doesn't have a strong chemical smell to it being free from 5 which is a huge plus for me. (Don't remember what the five are right now but it's better for you!) It's "gloopy/rubbery?" but dries solid within the hour in my experience, even with a base coat. I'm wearing two coats of top coat in these pictures for longer wear and shinnyness! Click picture to get to Comet Vomits shop!

Southern Comforts fragrance oil. I can't say anything bad about this lovely indie brand. I will however mention that this fragrance was definitely not for everyone. In the roller it smells really intense but once applied to the skin it changes into a really pleasant fragrance. I've been using it before bed and I love it. But again, not for everyone.
I won't make an attempt to describe this fragrance as I'm useless at it. Allison is always making unique mixes and this fragrance definitely felt different and comforting. It's a weird one which I think was perfect for this box. Click picture to open a new tab with Southern Comforts shop.

This little baby balm had melted a little as it had been sitting in a hot office for a day, but it was a minimal amount which got out. I love Southern Comforts balms and wrote a post about them a couple of weeks ago, click on the picture to be redirected to it in a new tab. So excited to have this cutie, no special reason (it's cute!). Smells great (obviously) which makes me happy.

This bathbomb from MoonBabyShop was so fragrant!
I will have to get myself a couple of bits from this shop.
And how cute is the little surprise charm! It's now an earring. Fitted perfectly through my circular barbell! Click the picture to open a new tab with MoonBabyShops shop.


This box was such a pleasant experience.
I'm not normally a fan of themed boxes or subscription things as I don't usually use everything (samples) and I'm not big into things. When I say "things" I refer to items which aren't consumable or don't have a purpose. Maybe I'm just getting old.
I have already ordered a second CometComforts box which was the Rocky Horror themed box. Super excited! Already been creeping on #cometvomit. And the coming box will be Alice in Wonderland themed... Sneak peeks are all over CometComforts Instagram page. Let me know if you got the Harry Potter box! What did you think?

In my stash: My setting powder, the power of three.

The first ever make-up product I put on was in secret.
Unfortunately for me it wasn't a very discrete secret.
I was probably 10 when I put my moms bronzer on my face, all over my face to be exact.
Knowing nothing about make-up back then I didn't understand why it looked so different on me... As my friend frantically tried to wipe it all off of my face in the school yard before class.

Today I know better!
Haha.

I have been through a lot of powders in my few make-up years mainly because it is nearly impossible for me to like them.
I only started using powder about 4 years ago. Prior to that I was very much into Korean beauty and the whole dewy skin and before that I only used foundation mixed with moisturizers as I tend to favor the no make-up feel.

So what I now do is that I mix a few that I like.
And as I dislike matte face I mix in some highlight powder.

I currently use the following:
Shiro Cosmetics Fatality: Finishing Powder, 30g.
Ingredients: Rice powder, Kaolin clay and silica.
I absolutely bought this for the name, wasn't expecting it to be anything special at all. It isn't really anything special really when you look at the ingredients list but for me it's perfect.
It's a colorless powder but I don't personally know how it lookin deeper skin, sorry.
It can feel a bit grainy when you take it off and if applied with a heavy hand it will leave a white cast on your face, almost like dry shampoos can on hair. I have not tried baking with any of these so can't say how they preform in that department.

Dirty Hippie Cosmetics Mineral powder in Sunkissed, 15g.
Ingredients: Organic arrowroot powder, GMO-free corn starch, Sericite Mica, Raw Cacao powder (theobromine), Argiletz clays, Jojoba Esters and naturally extracted vitamin E.
This little pot became an instant favorite, photographs well without any weird residue showing up.
Not much to say.

Dirty Hippie Cosmetics Coconut highlight powder, 6g.
Ingredients: Organic arrowroot powder, Argiletz clays, natural vitamin E, organic apricot kernel oil, coconut oil and mica.
Out of all the cosmetics I own this little tin would probably be my favorite item. It's simply beautiful. Not too much, just a glow. I sometimes use it as my setting powder on it's own because I just love it.

These three powders is what I mix to get my setting powder.
They compliment each other so well and don't feel heavy or cakey. The mix will offer close to no coverage with a pretty glow which is what I'm personally always looking for.

You can find Dirty Hippie Cosmetics on Etsy and Shiro Cosmetics on their own page.

Halloween: Dark Siren.

Ah, it's that time of year when the beauty world goes completely nuts and everyone and their mom will be turning into Harley at some point. 😂

Yesterday I was feeling a tad better (still recovering from a concussion) so I did a quick look as I've been itching to play with make-up but couldn't commit to any of the more elaborate looks I plan for this month.

Here's the look:

I didn't have a plan, just needed to feel a bit magical.
Product details at the end plus a discount code!

Product details:
On my face I'm wearing Dirty Hippie Cosmetics (DHC) Hemp & Red Raspberry primer.
On my primed eye lids and contour I used DHC mineral eye shadow in Carbon. Neve Cosmetics Ghiaccio for the white highlight. Over the black shadow I used F.A.I.R. Beauty Cosmetics pressed shadow in Hydra's Wrath. On the cheeks in turned into a red while on the lids it went magically green... So in love with this shadow! I used it mixed with a bit of Medusa's Make-up eyeliner seal to make it pop a bit more.
On the lips I'm wearing Espionage Cosmetics (EC) Kiss of Death Lip Serum in Soulless mixed with EC shadow in Vault Hunter.
The glitter on my face is also from EC, it's Oxidize.
And under my eyes I have the EC shadow Riveting.

And I have a code for Espionage Cosmetics!
Code: NMACYNTHIA15
Get 15% off on orders over $25, free domestic (US) shipping on orders over $50.
For Europeans, you can order EC products through cutecosmetics.co.uk unfortunately the coupon isn't valid here.
If you want to try them but feel like the selection is overwhelming let me know and I'll gladly help out! I have about 70% of their line and regularly adding to it as I love them!

Look: Hardcore highlight.

So... I got a bit carried away today.
No! I take it back! I was obviously helping the mothership find me, with the glow of destiny! (And so on) 😂

But yeah, finally got around to try the other highlighter from @fairbeautycosmetics I got at the beginning of the month.
My application wasn't perfect as I'm still getting used to the pigmentation of the highlighters. But looking forward to next time.

Full product details at the end as usual.

Product details :

Dirty Hippie Cosmetics Hemp Seed and Red Raspberry hydrating primer.

Stargazer Pro Foundation in Pearl mixed with Jordana Cosmetics foundation in Natural and with some F.A.I.R. Beauty Cosmetics loose highlighter in Incubus Dreams for the face base.

Espionage Cosmetics shadow in Retrofit for a light shadowy contour. EC shadow in Epic for a bit more definition of the contour and in the crease. Kiss of Death lip serum in Soulless.

Dirty Hippie Cosmetics mineral eye shadow in Carbon (all black seen).

DHC coconut highlight powder mixed with Incubus Dreams to set my face, which turned out to be a magical combination.

Neve Cosmetics pressed shadow in Ghiaccio on my high points.

And finally I went nuts with F.A I.R. Beauty Cosmetics Incubus Dreams and Dragon Mist.

Finished with Autograph Aqua Proof Mascara.

Southern Comforts: My balms, so far.

My thoughts on the body balms from Southern Comforts Fragrance.

The balms come in 2oz (60m) tins. Super convenient for future hoarding, which I know will be a thing in my life as I often catch myself trying to figure out ways of justify a couple more in my collection...
They are vegan and Leaping Bunny Approved.
Product base ingredients: Shea butter, mango butter, cocoa butter, avocado/coconut/sweet almond/grapeseed oil, soy wax, dimethicone, vegan isopropyl myristate, fragrance oil, phenonip (vegan preservative).
I currently own:
The night the lights went out:(rich dark citrus): Honey tangerine EO, lavender, dark vanilla, tonka.
Miss Leonie's lift: (herbal, citrus): bergamot, pink peppercorn, geranium, yuzu.
(Plus two more which aren't available anymore.)

The balms come is all the fragrances available in the shop (Master fragrance list).
The balms are lovely, the smell of soy (which had me worried in the beginning) does disappear after a couple of minutes of being applied to the body. They will not linger on the body for as long the fragrance oils but they do preform better than many other scented body butters/balms. I normally apply them after my evening bath and can still catch the smell on my skin the following morning.

When it comes to the moisturising levels it doesn't do the job for me on it's own as I have very dry skin. I apply another moisturizer before the body balm (you might not need this, my skin is dry to the point of it hurting). I mainly use these balms as a treat for my senses. The fragrance range offered by SoCo is amazing. I have never in my life been so excited about fragrance. It has become an event in my evening routine, something which I look forward to, I experiment by pairing them with the fragrance oils but they offer great fragrance adventures all on their own.

I strongly recommend you to have a look at this company if you want something special for yourself. SoCo has loads of fun limited edition releases through the year and is also part of a monthly collaboration with another lovely indie company: Comet Vomit, who makes nail polish. Together they put together themed boxes containing a limited edition fragrance and nail polish and they invite yet another indie company to contribute each month.

So yeah, fragrances. It's apparently a thing I love now and I look forward to the next time I can place big order of fragrance adventures!

Southern Comforts:
https://soco-fragrance.myshopify.com
Comet Comforts (monthly box):
http://cometcomforts.wixsite.com/cometcomforts

Look: Glitter lip and nails. (+mini review)

Found myself a tiny bit hormonal yesterday morning so I decided to make an effort to cheer myself up a bit and keep my mind busy by playing with make-up.

Did nothing complicated but it doesn't have to be.
Sometimes I only do one part of my make-up and I like how it looks way more dramatic then it is.

Anyhow.
Product details at the end.

Product details:
Face
First of all I used a light application of DHC Mineral Powder in Sunkissed over the lower half of my face (wasn't going to take pictures beyond my lips).
The lipstick was a kickstarter early bird reward, I don't remember the brand but that's fine as it's kinda bad...
It's very moisturising but the color is really streaky and you have to blot and powder about 3 layers for a somewhat passable application. Which in my opinion isn't worth it for everyday use. I did four layers here, I've used this lipstick for a total of four times and I'm quite a bit down the bullet already... 😒 But I guess that's alright seeing as its only a playtime product for me.
On my top lip I have Dirty Hippie Cosmetics mineral eye shadow in Carbon blended to an ombre effect downward.
Since the lipstick is moisturising I didn't need any help to fix the glitter to the lips.
The glitter is T-800 from Espionage Cosmetics. It's one of my favorites to use, I love holographic stuff.

My nails:
Stargazer Products Nail polish in 129 (black). This one does get bubbles if it's warm, just a warning. The first layer is super off putting as it is very streaky but the second one completely covers the nail. Wears well just be careful not to have a hot bath the same day you get them done as I did. Two of my nails came clean off...
Used Barry  M Cosmetics Gelly plumping top coat to fix three layers of glitter.

Look: Everyday glam.

I really don't like the trendy Kardashian face on me, looks great on others but in all honesty I'm too lazy for the baking, perfectly contoured face, highlight of destiny etc.
I look after my skin and don't see the need to cover it up.
I've been brought up with the mentality of enhancing beauty and features without twisting them or creating unnecessary illusions.
Because of that I'm always using as little over all coverage as I can, it also feels better and it gives me more freedom.
So today I made sort of a "get ready with me", wasn't going anywhere but felt the need to play.
(This was really just an excuse to try some new things from the haul in my previous blog entry.)

Dirty Hippie Cosmetics Hemp Seed & Red Raspberry Hydrating Primer on my face.

Primed eyelids and applied a layer of DHC BB Cream in Moonlit under the eyes.
I do that because it blends nicer the longer it's on the skin.

DHC Bronzed Rose Powder applied on the crease and upwards for blending later.

DHC Mineral eye shadow in Carbon along the lash line.

Espionage Cosmetics shadow in Athena on the lids.

Athena blended up to the crease with DHC Bronzed Rose Powder.

F.A.I.R. Beauty Cosmetics pressed shadow in Hydra's Wrath over the lids.

DHC BB Cream blended and more applied to the rest of the face to cancel some redness and sunscreen!!!

Setting. I mix Shiro Cosmetics Fatality: Finishing powder with DHC Coconut Highlight Powder and DHC Mineral Powder in Sunkissed for a not so matte finish.
Gives a pretty glow when it catches the light.

DHC Mineral Lipstick in Terra Firma applied and blotted once lightly.

Lashes curled and coated with two layers of Autograph Aqua Proof Black mascara.
(By Marks and Spencer) Brows defined using a small amount of DHC Mineral eye shadow in Carbon.

Finally a light contour/blush using DHC Bronzed Rose Powder to tie it all together.
And that's it!
Might seem like a lot but I use minimal product and this look, including time to take pictures and messing with the light took me just under an hour.

How long does it take for you to do your medium glam face?
I'll have more pictures of the completed look on instagram @cynthiaiskillikill

Haul: Newness and some Back-ups.

Where I live post codes don't exist.
In order for me to get things which can't be found in our little town I have to order online, internationally. What I order I get sent to a local hub through a shipping warehouse in SA, the UK or US. So it's whatever time it takes for the parcel to arrive at my selected warehouse plus the time it takes for the warehouse to process the parcel as they have to go through the contents to make sure there's no dangerous goods or things which they don't handle for various reasons.
All in all it normally takes around 2 (if I'm lucky) to 5 weeks for me to get my things, it takes longer if my orders contain liquids. I just wanted to put this out there as I will be posting about things which are limited editions, seasonal or even GWPs occasionally.

Such is the case today.
I placed my first ever order to Southern Comforts in June and this little indie company has changed my love for fragrance, which before them was non existing. I used to go for "clean smells", fresh laundry stuff, hella boring. In August I placed my second order in conjunction with Moonpie's Bath Day Tea Party celebration.
So here's what I ordered:

Two body balms:
The Night The Lights Went Out (Honey Tangerine, Lavender Absolute, Dark Vanilla, Tonka Absolute)
Miss Leonie's Lift (Yuzu, Bergamon, Pink Peppercorn, Geranium)

Body lotion:
West Memphis Sweater Weather (White Chocolate, Coffee, Whipped Cream, Toasty Bread, Vanilla, Wood, Amber)

5 Oil Samples (plus two extra, because she's wonderful):
I let Allison chose for me as I was a bit overwhelmed by the amazing selection, she has great taste and this is what she chose for me:
From the Pretty Scents:
Island in The Stream (Pineapple, Sweet Orange, Spicy Cardamon)
Charlotte Sunshine (Lemon Wedges, Tea, Sugar, Gardenia Blossoms, Gardenia Tree Leaves)
Mama Tried (Four Vanilla, Blended Whisky, Gardenia, Honeysuckle)
Kentucky Harvest (Fall Leaves, Red Apple, Pear, Cedar Wood, Dirt)
From Hamilton by SoCo:Helpless (Tea Cakes, Champagne, Floral Arrangements and Fresh Peaches Imported from Georgia)
You'll Be Back (Seawater, Wet Sand, Wood, Tea, Powder)
Burn (Aging Roses, Tears and Burning Paper)

Fragrance Oil:
Moonpie's Bath Day Tea Party (Sugared Lemon, Buttery Cake, Bakery Vanilla, Sweet Burbon Glaze, Black Tea, Fresh Lemon, Raw Sugar, A Touch of Pink Lady Apple and Anjou Pear, A Hint of Spice and the Faintest Wisp of Sweet Amber) with pin.

Also received a GWP which consisted of a petite solid perfume in Moonpie's Bath Day Tea Party (these are so convenient on the go) and a mini foaming sugar scrub in the same scent, which is pretty awesome if you're into luxury feel body care.

Southern Comforts link: https://soco-fragrance.myshopify.com/
Southern Comforts Fragrance Master List: https://soco-fragrance.myshopify.com/pages/fragrance-master-list


And now to my Dirty Hippie Cosmetics loot... Hahaha, this post is going to be so long... Sorry... ^^
As the people who follow me on Instagram might know, I'm a huge fan of DHC.
I started my journey towards a cleaner life in 2011 after I got married and was at my all time biggest.
It's been a very rewarding journey and along it I decided to look into clean beauty, that's where I came across amazing Danni who runs DHC.
So what I got this time round was:

Organic Vegan Moisturizers:
2x Age Defying Blueberry Bliss (cause I'm getting old ya'll)
Nourishing Sweet Rose
Hydrating Hemp and Raspberry Seed Primer

Face Mask:
Calming Chamomile
Blueberry Bliss (back-up)

Coconut Highlight Powder, refill.

Raw Face Feed (a must, back-up)

Luxury Facial Cleansing Bar (back-up)

BB powder in Sunkissed which was super well timed as I hit major pan on one of my powders.

Mineral lipstick in Terra Firma... Which is now my all time favorite.

Link to Dirty Hippie Cosmetics shop: https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/dirtyhippiecosmetics?ref=l2-shopheader-name

I'm going to write more about both these companies later on with reviews and how I use each thing... I love them both and have not come across anything which hasn't preformed or not been as described. So yay! Also please feel free to drop me any questions.

Look: Purple is Epic.

Purple is a comfort color to me.
I don't really know why, do you have a color you associate with a feeling?

I wanted to feel sparkly after a previous bad make-up day.
So this is what I made:

Product details at the end as usual.

Product details:

Dirty Hippie Cosmetics BB Cream as base. Coconut Highlight Powder mixed with Shiro Cosmetics Fatality: Finishing Powder. Mineral eyeshadow in Carbon and Boysenberry. Bronzed Rose Powder.

Espionage Cosmetics glitter in Phaselock. Shadows in Eridium and Vault Hunter.

F.A.I.R. Beauty Cosmetics loose highlight powder in Dragon Mist.

Such a beautiful multicolored shimmer.

Collaboration: Summer favorites.

This week I'm part of a "Summer Favorites" collaboration hosted by @natyrabeauty on Instagram.
The theme is very wide with the only restriction being that it has to be something from this summer.
What I chose was a couple of make-up trends which I mashed together.
The trends I went with was:

Glossy lids.
Red shadows.
Multicolored brows.
Colored lashes.
Glitter.
Dewy skin.
Shadowing rather than the over done contouring.
Nude gloss/lip oil.

And here's the result:

Product details at the end as usual.

Products used:

Dirty Hippie Cosmetics BB cream in Moonlit. Mineral eyeshadow in Carbon for the brows. Mineral eyeshadow in Blue Sky over primed lashes.
F.A.I.R. Beauty Cosmetics pressed eyeshadow in Blazing Unicorn (the red/copper/peach shadow).
Espionage Cosmetics glitters Frak! mixed with Boom! and Kiss of Death Lip Serum in Gilded Force on the lips and over the lids keeping a safe distance from my eyes.
Neve Cosmetics shadow in Ghiaccio as highlight on my cheekbones, cupids bow, nose bridge and inner corners of my eyes.

A moment: RuPaul Andre Charles, you're a winner!

I'm so happy about RuPaul winning an Emmy!!!
Can we just call this victory for what it is? Drag is officially mainstream!
As a supporter for the LGBT-community this inspires me to be even louder about it.
In a world where people unfortunately don't get exposed to the actual world it's important to speak about what you are passionate about. A lot of people live very sheltered lives and have been passed on generations of ignorance. Unless we who have a bit more life experience speak about this, the world will continue to be a very divided place.
So share your views, don't be scared, listen to others and see what you can contribute with. Share your experiences, what you are passionate about and help growth.

Anyhow... Yay! ^^