The "Christie" Look from Too Faced Loves Sephora palette

Hey glam girls n boys,

Today I'm finally doing another look from the Too Faced Loves Sephora palette!! I got really into MAC this past week so I've been doing a lot of MAC looks but I still wanted to finish doing all the different looks that came in the Glamour Guide with this palette. At the bottom of the page I'll leave you the links to the review and to the other looks I've already done. I won't talk about the palette here, as I feel like I've talked about it a million times so if you've been reading my blog religiously, then it'll be really boring for you.

The Too Faced Loves Sephora palette was released by Too Faced exclusively for Sephora. It is their 15th birthday and they have been working together since the beginning. This palette contains 10 eyeshadows, 1 blush, 2 bronzers, a flatbuki brush, and a mini shadow insurance.

This look is a good way to add a pop of color to an otherwise natural look. It's still classy and work appropriate but it still has that fun vibe. If it's too much for you, you can always forget the green and just continue Jer Jer to the inner corner. I actually really like the green, it's subtle but cute.

Also, this palette is and all Too Faced products are cruelty-free but this particular palette is not vegan.

The "Christie" Look from Too Faced Loves Sephora palette

Eyes:

Too Faced Shadow Insurance
Too Faced Loves Sephora palette

• Jer Jer: apply to lid and past crease, leaving the inner corner blank
• David & Marg: apply to inner corners
• Behind The Counter: apply to the crease
• Piano Keys: apply below the browbone to highlight

Too Faced Perfect Eyes in Perfect Black
Too Faced Lashgasm Mascara

Face:

Too Faced Primed and Poreless
MAC Select Cover-Up Concealer in NW20
MAC Studio Finish Concealer in NW20
MUFE HD Foundation in 110
MUFE HD Powder
Stila All Over Shimmer Liquid Luminizer in Kitten
Too Faced Loves Sephora Blush in Who's Your Poppy?
Too Faced Loves Sephora Bronzer in Sun Bunny

Lips:
Too Faced La Creme in Naked Dolly

Products Used:

Too Faced Loves Sephora palette

Too Faced Loves Sephora palette - 62$CAD

Too Faced Loves Sephora palette
Eyeshadows Used:
Piano Keys
Behind The Counter
Jer Jer
David & Marg

Too Faced Perfect Eyes in Perfect Black - 25$CAD

Too Faced Lashgasm Mascara - 28$CAD

Stila All Over Shimmer Liquid Luminizer in Kitten - mini shown, full size is 26$CAD

Too Faced Loves Sephora palette
Blush and Bronzer used:
Who's Your Poppy?
Sun Bunny

Too Faced La Creme Lipstick in Naked Dolly - 25$CAD

From left to right:
Too Faced Loves Sephora eyeshadows in Jer Jer, David & Marg, Behind The Counter, Piano Keys
Too Faced Perfect Eyes in Perfect Black
Stila Kitten All Over Shimmer Liquid Luminizer in Kitten
Too Faced Loves Sephora blush in Who's Your Poppy?
Too Faced Loves Sephora bronzer in Sun Bunny
Too Faced La Creme Lipstick in Naked Dolly

And that is the look! I quite liked the look, I thought the green made it pop out and made it unique, as opposed to your standard bronze and brown neutral eye. The nude lipstick and gold shimmer added to the brown eyes is what really makes that bit of green stand out.

So what did you think of the "Christie" look? Is this something you could pull off at work or would you only wear it out? What did you think of the Stila Kitten shimmer? Do you like it more than the Benefit High Beam that I usually wear? And did you like the Too Faced Loves Sephora blush and bronzer?

I would recommend this palette to someone who isn't afraid of colour. I personally really like it.

If you want to see more,

check out my review: Too Faced Loves Sephora Palette Review

and the following looks inspired from the Glamour Guide:

The "Stephanie" Look

The "Jen" Look

The "Artemis" Look

The "Alison" Look

My Look

Thanks for reading,

Steph xo.

Cruelty-free and Vegan Makeup Products

Hey green girls and guys,

So a few people have been asking me about cruelty-free and vegan makeup. I did some research and found out some interesting stuff. Makeup companies lie, so even if they list themselves as cruelty-free, they might not actually be cruelty-free which misleads consumers like you and me. How do we weed out the liars and discover the genuine brands?

Do your research!! It really isn't hard these days with the power of the internet. Google your favorite brands and ask the questions "is ______ cruelty-free or vegan?" and you will usually get a straight-forward answer. Check a few sites, not just one, to make sure the answer is legitimate.

PETA has a list of cruelty-free brands (including vegan brands as well) and another list that contains brands that currently aren't cruelty-free. Now I don't agree with their mission statement and some stuff that they've been doing, but they have a very extensive list and some of the information that I've verified is correct. Leaping Bunny is also a good source. Just make sure that if you're going to follow their lists, to do your own research too, because companies are constantly changing their policies, so these lists may not always be up to date. Also, the list isn't strictly makeup, it contains all companies.

And also what you have to understand is that most of the makeup brands are owned by 4 multi-national conglomerates these days, which means that a company might have a certain view on animal welfare, and when they buy a smaller brand that has another view, the parents company is likely to push their views on the small guy. Since the small guy is now owned by the big company, it's up to the big company to make the final decisions. Even if you give money to the little guy who is cruelty-free, you're ultimately giving your money to the parents company to conduct their tests on animals.

Also, companies are constantly changing their position on this matter, so if you really want to be 100% cruelty-free and/or vegan, I suggest you check occasionally to make sure that the products you're using aren't suddenly being tested on animals.

I'm going to list popular makeup brands (MAC and all of Sephora's brands) and tell you what their stance is on being cruelty-free and being vegan. I made the cut-off 30 brands when in reality there are sooo many makeup brands and I just couldn't fit everyone in nor do I have the time to research them all. So I chose 30. If your favorite brand isn't here, please do your own research so you can make an important and informed decision. In square brackets [ ] is the parent company. If the company is vegan, I will say so.

The list would get really really long if I included nail polish companies, bath companies, etc so I've limited my list to just makeup. 

Also, some countries, such as China, have laws where companies HAVE TO test on animals. They are legally obligated to test on animals. So I would imagine that if a product is being sold in China, then they are not cruelty-free. One example is Shiseido. They sell in China. Some people believe that Bare Minerals is not cruelty-free, but they are listed on PETA's site as cruelty-free. Though their parent company, Shiseido, is listed on PETA's website as NOT cruelty-free.

And some companies, such as Benefit, word their phrases so that it gives the impression that they are cruelty-free, but after some digging, I've discovered that they actually aren't. I was under the impression that they were cruelty-free.

Recently, Urban Decay was acquired by L'Oreal and L'oreal changed their position on animal testing to being pro animal testing. Urban Decay still insists they are cruelty-free. So it is up to you to decide if you want to buy from a brand who's parent company is not cruelty-free.

The main parent companies are: L'Oreal, Estee Lauder, LVMH, Shiseido

It's also worth it to note that Procter & Gamble as well as Johnson and Johnson and also Unilever own a lot of the drug store brand makeup and household items.


And if I made a mistake on this list, please please leave a comment so I can correct it. I don't want to mislead anyone if I've made an error. This list only covers medium-lux makeup brands, if there is a brand that is not listed here, please do your own research. A couple sites (listed above) have extensive lists that tell you both cruelty-free and non-crueltyfree brands.

Here's a checklist for determining whether a brand is cruelty-free or not.
Does the brand test on animals?
Does the parent company test on animals?
Do any 3rd parties test on animals on the company's behalf (including ingredients)?
Does the company sell in China or have plans in selling in a country where animal testing is required by law?

If you answered yes to any of those questions, that means that the brand is NOT cruelty-free.


The List:

Anastasia: Cruelty-free

Bare Escentuals / Bare Minerals [Shiseido]: Cruelty-free but parent company Shiseido is NOT cruelty-free

Becca: Cruelty-Free

Benefit [LVMH]: NOT cruelty-free

Bobby Brown [Estee Lauder]: NOT cruelty-free

Chanel: NOT cruelty-free

Clinique [Estee Lauder]: NOT cruelty-free

Dior [LVMH]: NOT cruelty-free

Givenchy [LVMH]: NOT cruelty-free

Guerlain [LVMH]: NOT cruelty-free

Kat Von D Sephora [LVMH]: NOT cruelty-free

Hourglass [I think it is privately owned]: cruelty-free and some products are Vegan

Illamasqua: Cruelty-free

Josie Maran: Cruelty-free

Korres [Johnson & Johnson is their North American distributor]: Cruelty-free and some products are Vegan, their partner Johnson & Johnson is, however, NOT cruelty-free

Lancome [L'Oreal]: NOT cruelty-free

Laura Mercier: NOT cruelty-free

Lorac: Cruelty-free

MAC [Estee Lauder]: NOT cruelty-free

Makeup Forever [LVMH]: NOT cruelty-free

NARS [Shiseido]: NOT cruelty-free

Obsessive Compulsive - OCC: Cruelty-free and Vegan

Sephora Brand [LVMH]: NOT cruelty-free

Shiseido [Shiseido]: NOT cruelty-free

Smashbox [Estee Lauder]: Cruelty-free and some products are Vegan but they are owned by a company that is NOT cruelty-free (I've heard that they are NO LONGER cruelty-free)

Stila [Estee Lauder]: Cruelty-free but they are owned by a company that is NOT cruelty-free (I've heard that they are NO LONGER cruelty-free)

Tarte: Cruelty-free and some products are Vegan

Too Faced: Cruelty-free and some products are Vegan

The Balm: I believe they are Cruelty-free

Urban Decay [L'Oreal]: Before they were purchased by L'Oreal they were Cruelty-free and some products are vegan. Now, I'm not so sure. I would think not because L'Oreal is NOT cruelty-free.

Yves St Laurent [L'Oreal]: NOT cruelty-free


I hope this post helped you to determine what brands are cruelty-free and which ones aren't. Doing this research really opened my eyes to how our makeup is being produced. While I don't own strictly cruelty-free or vegan products, I would like to make sure that at least half of my future makeup purchases are cruelty-free. And I wouldn't encourage anyone to throw away what they already have, but to make conscious decisions in the future. You don't have to suddenly buy only cruelty-free makeup, you can make a gradual move towards it. Also, by sending letter/emails to companies that have yet to comply with making their companies cruelty-free, you are letting them know that people care about this issue and it's a way of raising interest in it so that someday, maybe we can make a difference.

I just want to note that there are certain American brands, like E.L.F. and Eco-Tools that are cruelty-free, but I haven't listed them because we do not get that here in Canada, unfortunately.

If you want to learn more about this and keep up with the ever-changing company policies on this matter, check out Camila's blog, Humanely Chic.

Again, if I've made an error, please let me know.

Steph xo.

P.S. I'd like to hear your thoughts on this issue, but please be respectful of people's opinions.

And lastly, here is a photo I found on Google showing the many brands that still continue to test on animals. This may be inaccurate depending on when it was done, companies are always changing their policies.

Black Smokey Eyes using MAC - Rebel Rocker Chic

Hello glam dolls!!

As promised, here's the Rocker Chic look I promised in my Nails post. The Nail Set I used was from Nails Inc and it is the Bling It On: Rebel set. The black nail polish gives a Leather Effect on the nails and it comes with studs, crystals and skulls so you can bedazzle your nails. Now that your nails are bedazzled and looking good, it's time to make your face look Rocker Chic too!!

I used mostly MAC products for this look. I've been in a MAC mood lately lol where I just keep doing MAC looks. For the eyes I used the Blackground Paint Pot as a base on the lid and I used Black Tied eyeshadow on top. I put Forgery in the crease and I used Electra eyeshadow to bring the two colors together so it doesn't look like stark line between the two. I used the Pearlglide Intense Eyeliner in Black Swan to line the upper and lower lashline and I used a Powerpoint Eye Pencil in Engraved to do the upper and lower waterlines. I used MAC Zoomlash in Zoomblack as the mascara. Now that the eyes are looking pretty badass, for the face I used Benefit High Beam to highlight as usual, MAC Cremeblend Blush in So Sweet So Easy and to contour I used Too Faced Pink Leopard. On the lips, I used a lipstick and lipgloss from the Archie's Girls collection. The lipstick is Girl Next Door and the lipglass is Stay Sweet. Since these are limited edition and not for sale anymore, you could also use MAC Lipstick and/or Lipglass in St-Germain, Too Faced La Creme Lipstick in Marshmallow Bunny, NARS Larger Than Life Lipgloss in International Velvet. These are just some ideas of lipsticks and lipglosses you can use to complement the eyes. I would stick with a light to medium pink color or a nude color. You want to make the dark eyes the focus of the look. If you're daring enough, you can go with a bright pink lipstick to make both the eyes and lips stand out, which is common in a Rocker Chic look.

I finally used the last bit of Too Faced Pink Leopard that I had and I'm so sad. The new, re-vamped Pink Leopard is different than the old one. Not only was it new packaging, the bronzer colors are way different and they swatch different. I bought the new one months ago but haven't used it yet because I love the old one so much and I didn't want to disappoint myself in case I didn't like it. But now I have no choice. I'll be testing out the new one and I'll do a review and comparison with the old one. My mom has the old bronzer so at least I can steal hers if I don't like the new one. So to be clear, I've been using the OLD Too Faced Pink Leopard bronzer up until today and including today. From now on, I'll be using the NEW Too Faced Pink Leopard bronzer.


Black Smokey Eyes using MAC - Rebel Rocker Chic

Eyes:

Too Faced Shadow Insurance
MAC Paint Pot in Blackground
MAC Eyeshadow in Black Tied
MAC Eyeshadow in Electra
MAC Eyeshadow in Forgery
MAC Pearlglide Intense Eyeliner in Black Swan
MAC Powerpoint Eye Pencil in Engraved
MAC Zoomlash in Zoomblack

If you really want to smoke the eyes out, use MAC Eyeshadow in Carbon in the outer part of the lid and crease.

Face:

Too Faced Primed and Poreless
MAC Select Cover-Up Concealer in NW20 (for undereyes)
MAC Studio Finish Concealer in NW20 (for blemishes)
MUFE HD Foundation in 110
MUFE HD Powder
Benefit High Beam
MAC Cremeblend Blush in So Sweet So Easy
Too Faced Pink Leopard

Lips:

MAC Lipstick in Girl Next Door (Archie's Girls Collection)
MAC Lipglass in Stay Sweet (Archie's Girls Collection)

Products Used:

MAC Paint Pot in Blackground

MAC Paint Pot in Blackground - 22$CAD

MAC Eyeshadows - 18$CAD each
From left to right, top to bottom:
Forgery
Electra
Black Tied
Carbon

MAC Pearlglide Intense Eye Liner in Black Swan - 19$CAD

MAC Powerpoint Eye Pencil in Engraved - 19$CAD

MAC Zoomlash in Zoomblack - mini shown, fullsize is 19$CAD

Benefit High Beam - 32$CAD

MAC Cremeblend Blush in So Sweet So Easy

MAC Cremeblend Blush in So Sweet So Easy - 25$CAD

Too Faced Pink Leopard - 38$CAD

MAC Lipstick in Girl Next Door (Archie's Girls Collection) - 18$CAD

MAC Lipglass in Stay Sweet (Archie's Girls Collection) - 18$CAD

From left to right:
MAC Paint Pot in Blackground
MAC Eyeshadow in Black Tied
MAC Eyeshadow in Electra
MAC Eyeshadow in Forgery
MAC Pearlglide Intense Eyeliner in Black Swan
MAC Powerpoint Eye Pencil in Engraved
Benefit High Beam
MAC Cremeblend Blush in So Sweet So Easy
Too Faced Pink Leopard
MAC Lipstick in Girl Next Door
MAC Lipglass in Stay Sweet

Thanks for reading and if you haven't already, read the post on Rocker Chic Nails: Nails Inc Bling It On Rebel.

What did you think of the look? Do you think it is Rocker Chic enough for the nails? What do you think of the dark eyes? What do you think of the lips and what lipstick or lipgloss would you wear instead for this type of look? Have you used the new Too Faced Pink Leopard bronzer? If so, how does it compare to the old one?

Thank you for reading and take care n be safe,

Steph xo.

Nails Inc Bling It On - Rebel

Heyy glamour girls!!

Here's to another nail post!! It's pretty obvious that I'm not the type of girl to do my nails multiple times a week. Hell, I don't even do my nails once a month. I usually do it every 2 months, sometimes less, but when I see that my nails are getting damaged and super frail, I give them a break. By this time, they're usually all broken down to the pink anyway so they clearly need time to grow and strengthen. Even now, my nails aren't the longest.

I just want to note that there will be no makeup look today, I wanted to give my skin a little break, especially since I'm starting to break out cuz of this heat. But tomorrow I will do a Rocker Chic look inspired from my nails!!

I was so excited when I bought the Nails Inc Bling It On - Rebel. I had picked it up months ago and refrained from using it because I had gotten this as a gift for my friend. Her birthday was a month ago and we still haven't gotten together yet. I couldn't wait any longer, I just had to try it out. So I'm blocking her from viewing this post on facebook, hopefully she won't notice this post until after she gets her present :P

I'm not sure if this product is still available in Sephora stores, but it is definitely still available online on their site. The product's tag line is "leather, crystals, and skulls" and damn right it is!! It's rebel with a touch of glam. It comes with Nail Polish that has a Leather Effect, Nail Glue, 2 double-ended wooden sticks, one end is pointy like a tooth pick (cuticle pusher) and the other end has a diagonal slant (used to put the crystals and studs on the nail); 40 crystals, 10 studs and 4 skull embellishments. There are basically 4 types of nail jewels: round crystal, smaller round crystal, smaller black round crystal, and square stud.

The nail crystals and studs are really cute and give a glam rebel look. The skulls really make this look more rebel than not. The nail polish is matte black and has a texturized surface. It's hard for me to describe, so you'll have to check out the photos. The glue dries really fast so you have to work fast or you'll find your fingers stuck together.

I used a base coat (Rimmel Base Coat Top Coat Pro) and 2 coats of Nails Inc Nail Polish Leather Effect. I did not use a top coat because I wanted to preserve the look of the leather effect. I did this at night and I went to bed. The next afternoon, I put the crystals on. I wanted to make sure that the nail polish was completely dry because I knew I'd be putting pressure on the nail to make sure the crystals are stuck on properly. My technique to put the crystals on was as so: Put Glue on the slanted edge of the Cuticle Stick. Pick up Crystal or Stud using the slated edge of Cuticle Stick. Take a pair of tweezers and pick up the Crystal or Stud and place it carefully onto Nail. Apply pressure for a few seconds. Continue on to next nail. I applied the crystals and studs at the bottom of my nail, near the cuticle, instead of the top because I did not want them to come off if I so much as touched something. By being at the bottom, they have less chance of falling off. For the Skulls, I applied a tiny dot of glue onto the middle of my nail and another dot of glue onto the back of the skull. I used tweezers and my fingers to pick it up and place it on my thumb. I applied pressure for 60 seconds. If you remove your finger and the skull is still moving around, keep applying pressure until it does not move. Your fingers might be stuck but it will not lift the skull off as long as it is completely dry.

Here are some product photos as well as photos of my nails:
(I didn't think of taking pictures of the product before I blinged out my nails, sorry!)
Please ignore all the glue and nail polish that is still stuck on my fingers.

Rimmel Base Coat Top Coat Pro - approx. 5-6$CAD

Nails Inc Bling It On: Rebel - 30$CAD

Nails Inc Bling It On: Rebel - 30$CAD

Nails Inc Bling It On: Rebel

Inside the box

This is everything you get plus a sheet of plastic the same size as the two squares holding the products

These are the skulls, crystals, and studs
I already lost a skull :(

Do you like this look? Is this a product that you would use on your own nails? Which of my nails is your favorite? If you've used this product, what do you think about it? How long did your nails last and were you able to save some of the crystals? Are there any other Bling It On nail kits that you like? I think the Emerald Kit looks quite nice.

So that's it for today, tomorrow I'll be doing a Rocker Chic makeup look to go with my nails!! I do hope you've enjoyed today's nail post.

Steph xo.