I have received many comments lately that have remarked on my absence from posting, and I just wanted to take a moment to talk about that. The people who read my weekly and weekend looks are typically those who are regular readers of my blog, and those are the people who I would like to update. 

I started experiencing some health issues a couple months ago, and I have spent a lot of time since then having appointments, getting scans, and seeking out second and third opinions. And what I have learned is that I need two pretty big surgeries. This has been an incredibly stressful time for me as it is also the busiest time at work, which will last through the summer. I still put on makeup every day as it is something that I enjoy, and that is why I am able to do the weekly wrap ups of my looks on the weekend. I love writing anti-haul posts and really love being able to interact with my readers, but those posts take a lot of time that I just haven't had recently. 

There are still a lot of unknowns for me, and how often I will be able to update the blog is one, but I really do love this blog and interacting with people and I will eventually get back to posting frequently. 

Separately, this marks the official end of indie month. And I have to say, I think I really went out with a bang because I loved the shadows I used. 

Here are the looks I did this weekend, featuring Bobbi Brown Camel.

Look 1: Notoriously Morbid Philosophoscope

Philosophoscope on the lid (over Pixie Epoxy) and Camel blended into the crease.

Look 2: Hello Waffle The Great Catsby

The Great Catsby on the lid (over Pixie Epoxy) and Camel blended into the crease. 

Notoriously Morbid Philosophoscope

Status: Favorite 

When I bought this shadow, I thought it might look like Fyrinnae Serendipity, and I have said many times that that is a favorite shadow of mine. When I got the pot, however, it looked much deeper and I wasn't sure if I could pull it off, so I delayed wearing it. When I decided to use it yesterday, safely on the weekend, I was blown away by how beautiful it was. I paired it with Bobbi Brown Camel, which is easily one of my favorite shadows I own, and I thought the look was just lovely. I don't think the shadow pays off all that well on camera, because I feel this looks like an average cranberry shade, but in person it was really beautiful. Compared to some of the light and frosty looks I have been doing recently, this shadow made me feel really sophisticated. 

Hello Waffle The Great Catsby
Status: Favorite

This shadow has also become a favorite of mine. I somehow ended up with a lot of blue shades when I delved into indie shadows, and I have been trying to space them out. This one, however, feels very wearable to me. My first instinct when I wear color is to be as bold as I can, pairing it with other intense colors or meeting somewhere in the middle by pairing it with Viseart Dark Matte. And while I think this shadow would work well with either approach, I decided to pull out Camel again and see how I liked the blue paired with a mustard brown. And man, do I love it. For a shimmery blue shadow, I think this has a lot of dimension, and pairing it with Camel made it surprisingly wearable.

This was the last full week of indie month. I have not grown fatigued at all with using indie shadows, and in fact, this is the most fun I have had with makeup in a long time. For one, single shadows are totally my preference (a fact I did not know about myself until I started my one week, one palette project), and two, the colors are so unique and special. 

With every new release that has come out, I find myself thinking that all of those shadows don't hold a candle to my collection of single shadows, especially indie shadows. And for this revelation, I am grateful. I love feeling in control when a new palette releases and thinking that most of everything is an easy pass. 

And that's really interesting for me because when I watch a lot of people's makeup collection videos or declutter videos, I've noticed that most people don't have a ton of single shadows. Or they say how they never use their singles because palettes are just so much better. And I wonder if that phenomenon happens because most people genuinely feel that way or if it's because we continue to hear people hype palettes. When's the last time you heard about a collection of single shadows be hyped? And not in the sense that you can buy a ton of them and pop them into a custom palette. So, this excludes MAC, Makeup Geek, Make Up For Ever, Colourpop pressed shadows, etc. When's the last time people seriously hyped a single shadow that came in it's own distinct packaging? 

Or is the reason that singles are not hyped because we all have become so conscientious of saving space and putting everything into palettes because we have all accumulated so much?

Whatever it is, I'm happy I found singles again and am even happier I have a beautiful collection of unique indie shadows. 

Here are five looks I did this week. 

Look 1: Femme Fatale Faerie Fire and Shiro Cosmetics There's No Such Thing As Magic

Faerie Fire on the lid (over Pixie Epoxy) and There's No Such Thing As Magic blended into the crease.

Look 2: Shiro Cosmetics He Loves His Hammer

He Loves His Hammer on the lid (over Pixie Epoxy) and Kat Von D Shade and Light Quad in Plum blended into the crease. 

Look 3: Hello Waffle Furry Godmewther and Shiro Cosmetics Little Bird

Furry Godmother on the lid (over Pixie Epoxy) and Little Bird blended into the crease. 

Look 4: Femme Fatale Candied Apple

Candied Apple on the lid (over Pixie Epoxy) and Melt Rust Stack blended into the crease. 

Look 5: Notoriously Morbid Fight for Beauty

Fight for Beauty on the lid (over Pixie Epoxy) and Kat Von D Meow blended into the crease. 

Femme Fatale Faerie Fire

Status: Keep

I enjoyed this shadow, I just think that I am a bit over the duochromes that mainly look white or gold on the lid. I do like those shadows, but I have used a lot of them in this indie month challenge, and they are not always all that flattering on me. With this color, it looks so pink in the pot, but when applied to my eyes, it was lime green. It was a really cool color, and I'm glad that the camera picked up the duochrome of it. I think for work, it wasn't my favorite color, but it is certainly a color that I will wear again and enjoy. 

Shiro Cosmetics There's No Such Thing As Magic

Status: Love

I paired Faerie Fire with this shadow, and I really loved it. This was a lovely pink satin color that looked more matte than satin. I don't have a ton to say about nice mattes other than they are nice and I enjoy using them. And that's how I feel about this shadow. I don't think this is a "must have" if you have other mattes in your collection that you enjoy, but it is certainly a nice shadow. 

Shiro Cosmetics He Loves His Hammer

Status: Love

This color really took me by surprise. I have mentioned a lot during indie month that many of the colors in the pot have surprised me when applied to the lid, but it is usually in a slightly negative way. The opposite was true for this color. I actually avoided using this color for a long while because it looked so gray and dark in the pot. I just wasn't excited to use it. I finally forced myself to use it this week, and holy cow, was I surprised. It is a gorgeous taupe purple color, and may be one of my favorite taupes in my entire collection. 

Hello Waffle Furry Godmewther

Status: Love

I just love this color. This is definitely one of the best performing shadows from Hello Waffle that I've tried. It is a bit cool-toned for me, but I still love it. I think it gives that perfect soft, pretty color. I paired it with a pink in my crease, and I thought the look was really pretty. I would love to try this color with some of the shades in my Kat Von D Shade and Light Eye Quad in Plum as well as some of the purple shadows from the Viseart Dark Matte palette. And I really appreciate that this shadow is one that can be versatile in that way while still being very unique. 

Shiro Cosmetics Little Bird

Status: Love

I liked this color a little more than There's No Such Thing As Magic, but I think both are really great. This was a shadow that was highly recommended, and I can see why. I have a few matte pinks in my collection, but they payoff is not as good as from this shadow. I thought it paired so beautifully with the shadow from Hello Waffle, and I imagine since it is a satin finish, that it would also be very lovely all over the lid. 

Femme Fatale Candied Apple
Status: Favorite

This was the biggest surprise of not only this week, but probably all of indie month for me. When I was researching which colors I wanted to buy in exploring these different indie brands, I kept hearing about this shadow from Femme Fatale. And I actually ordered it in a large size (most of the shadows I've purchased have been mini sizes) because of all the glowing recommendations. When it arrived and I swatched it on my hand, I was so, so disappointed. It looked just like any green-brown duochrome shadow, like MAC Club or the shadow from Wet N Wild Comfort Zone. And as I've mentioned before, I am actually not a huge fan of that kind of shadow. I think it looks interesting when swatched, but I just don't like how it looks on my warm olive skin. I was so sure that I was going to declutter this shadow, and it was also one that I put off wearing. I finally decided that I had to wear it in the last week and that I could just live with wearing a shadow that I didn't really like for one day.

But, oh my gosh, I was so wrong. I love this shadow. I think what's so special about it is that it is really soft, bight, and shiny. I don't know how else to describe it. The "brown" undertone in it is essentially not brown at all, and is more pink. And I guess that's what I didn't see when I swatched it for the first time. This shadow reminds me a lot of the concept of Femme Fatale Faerie Fire, but is much more successful (in my opinion) in application. I love this shadow and I could not be happier that I have it in my collection.

Notoriously Morbid Fight for Beauty

Status: Enjoy

This shadow was the one I was most looking forward to using this week. When I swatched it on my hand, I couldn't believe how stunning it was. It was a perfect light blue and pink duochrome that didn't seem to sacrifice on either color the way I feel a lot of duochomes do (like Faerie Fire). However, when I applied it onto my lid over Pixie Epoxy, It came of very heavily blue, but the concentration of color was also quite patchy, if that makes sense. It wasn't a smooth duochrome. Some areas looked blue and others looked pink instead of the color shifting. I don't know it that was due to user error, and maybe this is a shadow that doesn't work with Pixie Epoxy. I'm not sure. I liked it enough that I am happy to keep it in my collection, but I didn't fall as hard for it as I was expecting, and that is always a little disappointing. 

In the summer, Too Faced will release yet another eyeshadow palette that no one needs: the Cover palette. 

And I won't be buying. 

I don't like this palette for a lot of reasons, but this palette also represents something really positive for me. In the past, I would see palettes get released, and while I knew I was not going to buy them, I still got a little excited by just the thought of a new palette. And then I would see the colors, get disappointed, and move on. But when I heard that Too Faced was releasing yet another freaking palette, I just flat out did not care. And that's because I am just so over all the blatant marketing and hype and consumerism. 

And I can see very, very clearly. And what I see is Too Faced mashing up all of their palettes into one to give the impression that this is a unique, new palette. Well, sorry Too Faced. You're not fooling me. All of the unicorn colors and cutesy artwork in the world would not make me want to buy this palette, even if those were things I was into. 

Let's look at this thing:

You know what I see when I look at this palette? 

I see Sweet Peach:

And Totally Cute:

And Peanut Butter and Jelly:

And Peanut Butter and Honey:

If you mash all of these palettes together, you get Clover. 

And I don't even know if this makes me mad anymore. After watching Too Faced with a critical eye for the past year and a half, I am just not at all surprised by this. This is completely predictable of them, and I honestly think that most consumers, not just those like me who are critical of Too Faced, are starting to feel Too Faced fatigue. 

I've mentioned this before in almost all of my anti-haul posts about Too Faced, but nearly everything that they come out with just feels exceptionally greedy. "Here is a product that is made up of recycled colors from our other palettes mashed together and renamed in the hopes you won't notice that it is all recycled, that is much lower quality than what you came to except from us before we sold our company for billions of dollars, and that is still expensive despite all of the aforementioned cuts. But don't worry! We will make sure to provide cutesy packaging and some kind of gimmick, like it smelling like some kind of food or it being about the company owner's dog."

I mean, come on. 

I very honestly don't have anything positive to say about this product. Obviously it has not released yet, so I can't speak to its quality, but overall, I have no reason to recommend anything from Too Faced anymore, especially new releases. Too Faced has proved time and again that they do not have customers at heart. They are not pumping out release after release because they care about their customers and they want to give the people what they want. They are doing it because they know that there is now a community where people will buy anything that Too Faced puts out so that they can be seen as cool girls on the internet. 

Again, I don't knock people who truly enjoy collecting palettes because there are things that I truly enjoy collecting. I have over 30 plants, and I love them and they bring me so much joy. And if collecting Too Faced tin palettes brings someone a lot of joy, just by adding it to their collection, then I say do what makes you happy. But for the people who are buying this palette because they "can't resist the hype and have to add it to my Too Faced collection," are spending upwards of $50 or $60, and expecting quality that is commensurate with the money they are spending, this palette is such a waste of time and money.  

While we are on the subject, let's talk about Too Faced's hype tactics here. I have heard that the Clover palette is releasing in August. It is currently April, and I believe I heard of this palette about a month ago. So, we are being shown this palette a whopping FIVE MONTHS before it is even available to purchase. And I would usually ask why, but the answer is obvious. To drum up hype. 

Something to note, this palette launch is also coinciding with the launch of the Too Faced Animal Rescue Fund. I have read that people assume that a portion of the proceeds from this palette will go to supporting that fund, but that I know of, that has not yet been officially confirmed. So, I have a lot of feelings about this. First, I think it's great that a billion dollar company like Too Faced is doing something positive with their funds and platform. I am always cautious of charitable funds, however, because many of them are not actually all that charitable at all and are quite corrupt. I don't know anything about the Too Faced Animal Rescue Fund. 

Second, I think it's weird that people assume that proceeds from this palette will benefit that fund, but that it has not been confirmed. I would imagine if this was truly a charitable endeavor that Too Faced would proudly market the product as such. And finally, while I think most charitable endeavors are positive, I also think some are shams. When people say that 10 or 20 percent of something will go to a charity, people are much more likely to purchase. They feel good that they supported something and get an item in return. But, that usually ends up being $2 or so that actually gets donated off of $20 that you spent. The only charitable organization that operates with spending money and getting an item in return that I fully support is the MAC Viva Glam campaign that supports the MAC AIDS Fund. One-hundred percent of proceeds go toward this fund, not just a portion of it. 

And finally, if you really want to support a charitable endeavor, your money goes so much farther if you research an organization and find one that you are happy to support and make a direct donation. You won't receive an eyeshadow palette in return, but you probably don't need it anyway. 

Personally, I can't see myself supporting Too Faced moving forward unless they seriously step up their game, change their marketing tactics, and maybe even change their brand image and identity. Too Faced's biggest claim to fame was their Chocolate Bar palette, and I didn't even like that too much. With everything that they have been pumping out lately, it just shows me how little they actually care about being innovative or even classic. They are just looking for a cheap fix and riding the coattails of their better days. I honestly feel Too Faced is literally (not figuratively) banking on people getting excited about a new palette for a few weeks, getting bored, and then moving on once they've already spent their money. That's not something I really want to support, and there is nothing about this palette that I find appealing. So, I won't be buying. 

New episode of The Pokémon Series! We are currently in Gen IV: last week I posted Leafeon's inspired look and today it's the turn of its companion in this generation: Glaceon, the ice type eeveelutions.  This is the second to last eeveelutions, next episode will be the final one of this mini series! (But I'll be doing more Pokémon inspired looks in the future for sure, I already have some ideas running through my mind ;D)

Glaceon, the Fresh Snow Pokémon.

Type: Ice

"By controlling its body heat, it can freeze the atmosphere around it to make a diamond-dust flurry. As a protective technique, it can completely freeze its fur to make its hairs stand like needles."

Being a former ice skater, I've always had a thing for Glaceon ♥___♥ It has an ice-blue fur, a blue tuft on top of its head and matching dangles , deep teal rhombus marks on its back, tail and dangles that match its paws. I really love its design, and I couldn't wait to do this look... But when its turn finally came I didn't really managed to made it the way I pictured it in my mind, plus the application ended up being quite uneven - especially on the lid area. And I really wish I had Shark Bait eyeshadow by MUG back then, as I think it would match perfectly Glaceon's paws and marking - better than the shadow I used. I did my best with what I had available - but I'm not really happy with this look outcome. The only thing I really like is that it shines like snow - which is appropriate, considering this is an ice type Pokémon XD

After priming my lids I started off with the main lid shade: I used a pale green pigment as a base, so to speak, and I applied it all over the lid. On top of it I applied a NYX pigment ("Baby Blue") to achieve that shimmery, icy-blue shade. (The two pigments didn't really get along, hence the uneven result)
On the crease I applied Under Pressure by NABLA Cosmetics; I left part of the outer corner empty, for the eyeliner geometrical design. I used Fossil as transition shade, Antique White as brow bone shade and Baby Blue again on the inner corner.

As eyeliner I used a turquoise pencil: I applied it normally but I drew the wing in a rhombus shape - just like Glaceon's tail; with a deep teal pencil I added the rhombus mark at the end of the wing, and I also applied it on the lower lashline and waterline. To keep the the pencils in place I fixed them with a pale blue eyeshadows (which I don't own anymore and can't recall its name) for the eyeliner part ,and Under Pressure where I used the darker pencil.
I completed the look with false lashes and mascara.

Eyes

- Too Faced Shadow Insurance Eye Primer
- NYX Cosmetics Loose Pearl Eyeshadow in "Baby Blue" (inner corner, lid)

- U-Makeitup Mineral Eyeshadow in "Evergreen" (upper lid)
- NABLA Cosmetics Eyeshadow in "Under Pressure"* (crease, outer corner, lower lid)

- NABLA Cosmetics Eyeshadow in "Fossil" (transition colour)
- NABLA Cosmetics Eyeshadow in "Antique White" (brow bone)
- Neve Cosmetics Pastello Occhi in Petrolio/Blue (lower lashline, waterline, eyeliner detail)

- Neve Cosmetics Pastello Occhi in Cielo/Turquoise (used as eyeliner)

- NABLA Cosmetics "Le Film Noir" Mascara

- MAC Cosmetics False Eyelashes n° 34

- DUO White Eyelash Adhesive

Eyebrows

- NABLA Cosmetics Brow Pot in "Mars"*

Brushes

- 239 ~ MAC Cosmetics

- 213 ~ MAC Cosmetics
- 224 ~ MAC Cosmetics
- 217 ~ MAC Cosmetics

- 2x Short Smudge (A13)* ~ Spectrum Collections (Marbleous Set*, BombShell Set*)
- 2x Fluffy Pencil (A12)* ~ Spectrum Collections (Marbleous Set*, BombShell Set*)

- Large Fluffy Shader (A06) ~ Spectrum Collections (Siren Set)

- 2x Lip Liner (A15)* ~ Spectrum Collections (Bombshell Set*, Siren Set)
- Accent Brush ~ Real Techniques

Hope you liked this look ♥

Check all the other Eeveelutions inspired looks!

Eeve
Vaporeon
Flareon
Jolteon

Umbreon
Leafeon
{Coming up: Sylveon}

Mermaid kisses and starfish wishes ♥

*Disclaimer: Starred products are press samples, sent by respective brands for me to test and review.

I'm all about Instagram trends lately - in case you haven't noticed already XD After the helix liner and the crown makeup I decided to try the floating/invisible liner style launched by @staceymariemua.
There are quite a few different versions of this liner (all created by her), the one I chose is my favourite so far - but I'll probably try one of the others too in the future ;D It's such a fun technique and you know I love to challenge myself!
Here's my very own version! ♥

Apart from the floating liner, I created this look from scratch. Choosing which colours to use took probably more than doing the look itself XD The only one thing I knew for sure from the beginning was that I was going to use the most beautiful eyeliner ever aka Klimt by NABLA Cosmetics - mostly because its fine brush and perfect texture is ideal for this kind of looks. My usual (and now outdated) black liner would work too - but it was way more time-consuming.
Anyway, back to the colours dilemma. After a lot (and I really mean a lot) I chose to use golds and lilac/fucsia shades - and that probably made the difference! I loved and still love this look, definitely worth the brainstorm, the effort and the time spent working on it! 

After priming my lids, I started off with the blending. Basically I moved from top to bottom: I applied my brow bone shade first (Antique White by NABLA Cosmetics), then the transition shade (Peach Velvet by NABLA), and lastly the crease (Fashion Addict by MakeupGeek Cosmetics) and the outer corner (Mimesis by NABLA) shades. Every time I added a new shade, I made sure I blended it carefully with the previous one, to achieve a smooth blending.
After that, I had to "carve" the round shape on the inner part of the lid, and I used Crème Shadow in Morning Glory by NABLA Cosmetics to do so: I used a flat brush and applied the cream colour on the inner part of the lid and partly above the blending, to create that neat shape. Then I moved to the lid shades: I started off by applying Lilac Wonder on the tearduct, Cleo on the inner part and Calypso in the middle - connecting it to Mimesis. (All shadows by NABLA)
I felt like Cleo wasn't really standing out as it usually does (perhaps due to the presence of the cream eyeshadow underneath, I'm not sure), so I "helped" it a little by applying a bright gold pigment on top, to revive its colour (24K mineral eyeshadow by Mineraliberi).

Before moving to the fun part (aka the floating liner XD), I had to create the negative space on the outer corner and lashline: again, I used Morning Glory to do so. I cleaned/covered the outer corner, creating the neat edge that is crucial for this kind of look.
I finally could apply the liner - again, I chose to use Klimt, since it's both stunning and perfect for graphic applications like this. I started applying it from the inner corner, followed the lashline until the middle of the lid, then I winged it out moving away from the lashes and followed the negative space previously created. Last minute idea: I decided to apply the gold liner on the round shape on the inner area too. Not planned, but I loved this detail!
On the lower lid I applied Hopscotch by MUG as transition shade, and Calypso (again) close to the lashes. I decided to wing it out to, as a sort of lower frame to the negative space.
Since this look was so bright and shiny I didn't feel like using my usual black pencil on the waterline - so I skipped it and left that area nude. Lastly, I completed the look with falsies and mascara.

Eyes

- Too Faced Shadow Insurance Eye Primer

- NABLA Cosmetics Eyeshadow in "Lilac Wonder" (inner corner)
- NABLA Cosmetics Eyeshadow in "Cleo"* (inner part of the upper lid)
- Mineraliberi Mineral Eyeshadow in "24K"(layered over Cleo)
- NABLA Cosmetics Eyeshadow in "Calypso"* (middle part of the upper lid, lower lid)
- Makeup Geek Cosmetics Eyeshadow in "Hotscotch" (lower lid)
- NABLA Cosmetics Eyeshadow in "Mimesis" (outer corner)

- Makeup Geek Cosmetics Eyeshadow in "Fashion Addict" (crease)
- NABLA Cosmetics Eyeshadow in "Peach Velvet" (transition colour)
- NABLA Cosmetics Eyeshadow in "Antique White" (brow bone)

- NABLA Cosmetics Dazzle Liner in "Klimt"

- NABLA Cosmetics Crème Shadow in "Morning Glory"* (negative space) 

- NABLA Cosmetics "Le Film Noir" Mascara

- MAC Cosmetics False Eyelashes n° 34

Eyebrows

- NABLA Cosmetics Brow Pot in "Mars"*

Brushes

- 239 ~ MAC Cosmetics
- 213 ~ MAC Cosmetics

- 217 ~ MAC Cosmetics
- 224 ~ MAC Cosmetics
- London Detail ~ Neve Cosmetics *discontinued*

- Short Smudge (A13)* ~ Spectrum Collections (BombShell Set)
- 2x Fluffy Pencil (A12)* ~ Spectrum Collections (Marbleous Set, BombShell Set)

- Large Fluffy Shader (A06) ~ Spectrum Collections (Siren Set)
- Tall Tapered Blender (B06) ~ Spectrum Collections (Siren Set)

- Lip Liner (A15)* ~ Spectrum Collections (Bombshell Set)
- Accent Brush ~ Real Techniques

I hope you liked this look!

Are you into these Instagram makeup trends? Any thoughts about this particular one?

Mermaid kisses and starfish wishes

*Disclaimer: Starred products are press samples, sent by respective brands for me to test and review.