Kat Von D Sin-full Mascara

I always feel like I am on a never ending search for that perfect mascara. I want one that creates volume, length and is very black. I have found a few I like but none that I particularly love. About a month ago one of my model friends tweeted about how she was using Kat Von D's Sin-full mascara and strangers were asking if she was wearing fake eye lashes. I immediately went to Sephora and purchased the mascara. I love Kat Von D products and wondered if I had been missing out on the holy grail of mascaras.

The Sin-full Mascara is only available at Sephora, like the rest of the Kat Von D line and it retails for $19. I consider that a bit pricey for mascara but I figured if it works, it will be worth it. It comes in a black "tattooed"  box and is visually appealing like all of the products in her line. The description states that mascara "turns up volume by curling, lengthening, and thickening each and every strand." Perfect, I thought! Those are the exact things I am looking for. Here is a photo of the product:

I was ready to apply to my fresh clean lashes and be impressed. There are actually instructions for the best application method. I followed them to ensure that I had the best looking lashes possible. I held the wand horizontally and worked from the lash root to the tips of the eyelashes. You need to let the first coat dry before you apply a second. Most people say that you only need one coat. I applied two. Here are my before and after photos.

 After I applied the mascara, I was less than thrilled. Maybe I had convinced myself that it was going to be stellar and therefore nothing may have allowed it to meet or exceed my expectations? There are things I liked about it though. It certainly delivered on the curling and lengthening performance. It was also very black which was striking. What bothered me was that it was clumpy. It caused my lashes to stick together at points and made my lashes look like thick stubs. I checked the reviews on Sephora.com and those who did not like the mascara cited the same issue I experienced. I have tried it a few times since then and there have been moments where it has delivered and has not clumped to this extent. For the most part it has disappointed. I primarily use Maybeline's Falsies mascara which definitely lengthens and creates volume without clumping. It is not my dream mascara by any means but for more than $10 less, I will stick to that for now. The quest for my "perfect" mascara, however, will continue.

Iron Fist Shoes

Like most other women, I have an obsession with shoes. Oddly enough, even as a corporate career woman, I don't care as much about my every day work shoes. I want to be comfortable at work, but when it comes to play, well, that's a whole different story. I also like comfort but if I want the hottest and coolest shoes I can find.

As someone who prefers the pin up look and the rocker chick look, I love funky shoes. I like shoes that make a bold statement about who I am and I like my heels high. I am talking over 3 inches. In the past I have often bought my shoes at specialty shops in NYC, and sometimes from Pleaser. But in the last few months, I have discovered a shoe company that must live in my brain. That company is Iron Fist.

Iron Fist began in 2001 as a Men's clothing line, and after 4 years they began to launch women's shoes. THANK YOU!! The women's items were so successful, they basically took over the brand. Iron Fist shoes are definitely bold and full of life. The range from tattoo artwork, bold bright colors and designs to hard core rock and roll with skulls. They make boots, ankle booties, platform heels, sandals and even flats! There are so many options to choose from. In the last three months, I have already purchased three pairs of shoes and trust me that I am not done yet. Here are the three I have bought so far:

 
I have two of these in size 10 and one in size 9. Iron Fist is supposed to run small and they do not have half sizes so they suggest you size up. I am normally a 9.5 so I got the 10, but found it was a little loose in the back. Easy fix with heel inserts. You will notice a trend of purple and skulls with the shoes I bought from them. Skulls are a top design in their collection, but not the end all be all. As for the purple, well, I just can't have enough purple shoes.

So, you have to be thinking at this point, how much damage will these do to my wallet? Flats range from $15-$50, heels from $25 to $65 and boots/booties from $35 to $130. I think the cost is very reasonable. There are also plenty of ebay retailers selling brand new IF shoes for less and you can catch a great deal. Many retailers also sell them, like Sourpuss, Pinup Girl Clothing, Hot Topic and Torrid to name a few. Make sure you look for a good deal. I really did my homework. In fact I got the black shoes for $26!! Can't beat that.

Iron Fist is not just a shoe retailer. They sell clothing, accessories, purses and of course what they started with, men's clothing. I own clothes, shoes and a really kick ass purse that has, surprise, skulls and purple! :)

What can I say? Iron Fist is my new addiction. I have cleaned shoes from my closet to make room for new Iron Fist Shoes. Check them out now! Happy Shopping!!

www.ironfistclothing.com

Kat Von D Ludwig Palette

I will begin by saying that I was so excited when I first learned that Kat Von D was launching a makeup line with Sephora. I have been a big fan of hers for years, starting with her appearance on Miami Ink. I love her Rock N Roll look and love her confidence and her fearless spirit. As a rocker chick, I knew whatever she was selling, I would be buying.

The first item I purchased was one of the eyeshadow palettes, called Ludwig. Anyone who knows about Kat, know she is a big Beethoven fan. This palette intrigued me because I felt the colors were perfect for someone with my eye color, hair color and complexion. I love to wear browns and I love the smokey eye look so this was a must have. The palette features eight colors which are: Lucifer (Black Matte Charcoal Black), Orbi (Golden Green Shimmer), Dimebag (Metallic Lime Green), Tequila (Metallic Cornsilk Shimmer), Clay ( Beige with gold glimmer), Downtown (Metallic Light Copper Shimmer), Baroque (Golden Bronze Shimmer), and Leather (Deep Chocolate Brown Sheen).

I love these colors. I love the pigmentation. I love the way that they can be used together to make dramatic looks or beautiful toned down everyday looks. I find that the color last longer when worn with a primer, as it also is intensified, but even when worn without the primer it lasts fairly long. I think this is probably the most tame of all her palettes in terms of the colors. There are others with bolder colors like bright blues and purples, which are also beautiful, but this is a great introduction to the colors. One thing I will say is that you need to be very careful with the palette. I don't recall dropping it but maybe I tossed it into my makeup case to hard but the black has now crumbled and is barely usable. The others colors are still intact.

Overall, I love this palette. I have other Kat Von D products which I also love but this is my favorite. The palette can be purchased at Sephora for $34. Well worth the money.

www.sephora.com

Lime Crime Candy Eyed Eyeshadow Helper

I am fairly new to the Lime Crime product line. I recently purchased a few lipsticks, then some glosses and then some more lipstick. I follow them on twitter and a few weeks ago they tweeted about a flash sale. Certain items on their site were significantly discounted. The biggest discount was on this Candy Eyed primer. I decided to purchase it along with two lippies I had been eying.

Primer is an important tool in any makeup fanatics toolbox. I have tried quite a few over the years and for the last few I have been a dedicated Urban Decay user. I have always loved the shimmer that the Sin style offered. I think there is a new favorite in town now. Lime Crime describes the primer as guaranteed to keep your eyeshadow on no matter what. I tried the primer for the first time when I went out to a friend's gig. I applied my eye makeup at around 8pm, went out and came home around 2am. It was warm in the bar and I noticed a lot of people who by the end of the night had faded eye makeup. My eyes, however, looked exactly as they had when I left my house. I used the primer again last night for New Years Eve. I did a silvery smokey eye and applied it at 6pm. I went to bed around 3am and I glanced in the mirror before I took off my makeup. Again, my eyes looked exactly the same. It was as if I had just applied my makeup at that moment. I LOVE this product. The only downside is that it becomes difficult to actually remove your makeup. You will need waterproof makeup remover. I actually ran out, and I had quite a hard time getting off but I eventually did! :)

The primer is on the expensive side at $17 for .25 ounces plus sipping. I happen to have purchased it during a flash sale for only$10. In retrospect, I should have bought two of them, which was the maximum you could purchase during the sale. Damn! Hindsight is always 20/20. The Urban Decay primer I usually buy is $19 for .37 ounces. Not really a huge difference in price.

I highly recommend this primer. It not only intensifies your eye shadow color but it really does last. It is well worth the price and what's better than not having to worrying about touching up your makeup at work or during a fun night out. Go buy it!!

www.limecrimemakeup.com