Daniel Wellington Classic Black Collection

I've been a huge fan of Daniel Wellington's brand since I first saw them on Instagram.  I'd always wanted a watch, but the white face just didn't fit with my wardrobe. Quite recently, they launched the Classic Black collection, which is an extension of their flagship Classic Collection.  All black watch in a minimalist style? I had to get my hands on one. 

The watch I chose was the Classic Black Sheffield in silver. Black leather band, silver hardware, and black face. The watch case is super thin, at 6mm. It fits my wrist perfectly. I find most watches far too bulky for my tiny wrist. 

Along with my watch, I also got the silver cuff! It was delicate and simple.  I think it's beautiful. It has a circumference of 155mm(for the small.) It makes a beautiful accessory to the watch and is also lovely on it's own. It's made of refined and polished 316L stainless steel.

This beautiful watch is regularly $199 on the Daniel Wellington site, but right now it's showing $159 when added to cart. If you use AYCARTER at checkout, you can save an additional 15%, bringing the discounted total to $135.532. The cuff is also discounted right now! It's normally $59 but is ringing up for $47. The watch + cuff together with all the discounts is $175.56

One last bit of info before I stop writing! The Classic black collection is offered with gold and silver hardware and multiple band options -- leather, texture leather, and NATO in black, brown, and dark brown. 

Macro shot of the detail on the watch face

Macro shot of the detail on the watch face

The watch is beautifully made and goes with everything. I've worn it almost every day since it made it to my door.  I like that it's super simple and can be dressed up or dressed down. I wore it and the cuff with a Helmut Lang dress for Christmas and I wear it with just plain leggings and a blouse. My kind of jewelry is jewelry that goes with everything. I definitely recommend this if you're in the market for some wrist decoration that also tells time ;P

***To maintain transparency, I want to let you know that this blog post is not sponsored. My opinions are my own and are truthful. The watch and cuff were graciously gifted to me from the Daniel Wellington team.  The discount code I have is not an affiliate code, so I do not make a percentage on sales.  

NEW Pretty Poison Collection from Sugarpill

I've been a Sugarpill customer since almost the beginning! My very first "real" makeup palettes were from Sugarpill and I've been a fan ever since. They recently re-released the adorable Trinket as a permanent shade along with Kim Chi's liquid lipstick. But, it seems like Amy and her team have been working forever on bullet lipsticks. I remember seeing Nurse forever ago on their Instagram and just dying for it to be released somewhere besides IMATS! 

Many, many thanks to Sugarpill for gifting me these lipsticks. I am ever so thankful and I have so many ideas running through my head on what to do with these babies.  Those of you that have been following me for a while know I love just covering my face (and body) with makeup.

Introducing Sugarpill's Pretty Poison collection!  These are six unique shades that range from classic to unconventional in a long-wearing, hyper-pigmented matte formula with single-stroke coverage and a sweet creamsicle scent. These beauties launch this Monday, Nov 14, at noon PST. 

Sugarpill has some of the most pigmented, buttery eyeshadows on the market, so why would their lipsticks be any different? These are very opaque and so smooth and buttery.  If you've played with a lot of brightly coloured lipsticks, you'll notice that the most vivid ones are always a little harder/more dry to apply or you need many, many coats to make them as bright as they look in the tube--these are not like that. One swipe and you have full colour.  They are easy to apply and don't feel drying at all. The creamsicle scent isn't overpowering.  In fact, it's hardly noticeable. 

These beautiful lipsticks come in a little sugar pill tube that's covered in sparkles. Their net weight is 3.2 grams and they will cost $20 each or $120 for the bundle. They are also vegan and cruelty free!

Super sparkly packaging 😍

Now, for the swatches. These were swatched on dry, bare skin.  No primer or base was used.

From top to bottom:

NURSE: Rich, matte, true red with blue undertones.

CUBBY: Matte peachy-pink coral.

DETOX: Delicious, revitalizing orange. Very true-to-colour.

GIRL CRUSH: Vivid, matte fuchsia with blue undertones.

SPANK: Matte, deep blue-based violet.

U4EA: Super saturated, darkened matte teal.

If you'd like to see these on a darker skin tone, @makeupbykrishna swatched them on her page AND in Sugarpill's very FIRST Youtube video (Finally!) You can watch it down below or click through to their Youtube. Autumn and Krishna live swatch the lipsticks!

I'm super happy and very impressed with these and I can't wait to create looks with them! If you'd like to check these out yourself, you can purchase them on the 14th of November, at sugarpill.com

 

***To maintain transparency, I want to let you know that this blog post is not sponsored. My opinions are my own and are truthful. However, these lipsticks were graciously gifted to me by the Sugarpill team. 

Black Magic Lashes Review (NOW Rouge and Rogue)

Black Magic Lashes, now going by the name Rouge and Rogue, is a brand I found out about in January of this year. I fell in love with their branding and soon fell in love with their lashes.  **If you don't want to read the whole blog post, the coupon code is AYCARTER

I wish I would have taken better photos of my first pair of lashes from BML, but I was so eager to try them on, I didn't have a chance. I'll put the photo I posted on instagram below:

Lashes from left to right: Rogue, Wicked, and Vamp

Lashes from left to right: Rogue, Wicked, and Vamp

These lashes are made of 100% cruelty-free mink hair. Super soft and perfectly fluttery.  As beautiful as the lashes were, I was so mesmerized with the packaging I wasn't quite sure what to do with myself.  The three pair came in their own little box that contains a little paper fortune. The three pairs were then bundled up in black paper and sealed with wax.  Beautiful.

I've pretty much used these lashes until they could be used no more. In fact, I still use them.  I took great care of them, and aside from a little extra buildup on the band, there really isn't anything wrong with them.  I had a few hairs fall out on Wicked, but that was my own fault for grabbing the actual lash band instead of the glue when I was taking the adhesive off.  I've worn each one of these lashes at least 25 times. 

Ok, on to the new lashes!
BML sent me 6 of their newest lashes. They recently launched two faux mink lines: Luxe Faux Mink and Faux Mink. Even though the real mink lashes are cruelty free, they were aware that some people still don't want to use anything derived from fur.

The new lashes came in the same beautiful packaging, just with a few changes.  The case has more of a tarot card feel to it and the back is now decorated with an orbuculum full of stars and a mystic's hands. Pictured below is what I posted to my Instagram feed:

Top Row (l to r) Riot, Paradox, & Raven | Bottom Row (l to r) Luminarra, Noctura, & Alpha Girl

Top Row (l to r) Riot, Paradox, & Raven | Bottom Row (l to r) Luminarra, Noctura, & Alpha Girl

 
Faux lashes from the Enigma Collection (left to right): Paradox, Raven, & Riot

Faux lashes from the Enigma Collection (left to right): Paradox, Raven, & Riot

I love these lashes.  My favourite pair so far for a basic, everyday look is actually Alpha Girl. I looove Riot. They remind me of Anime lashes.  Luminarra is perfectly fluttery and is so gorgeous for a dramatic and glitter eye. 

Below are couple eye looks I've done so far with my new lashes. They are incredibly stunning and pretty comfortable.  The Faux Mink isn't as soft and comfy as the higher quality Mink lashes, but as a long time eyelash wearer, comfort doesn't really matter when it involves beautiful lashes. 

If you'd like to try some of these lashes yourself, use "AYCARTER" at checkout to save some money!  Get them @ Rougeandrogue.com

***To maintain transparency, I want to let you know that this blog post is not sponsored. My opinions are my own and are truthful. However, I do receive a very small percentage from the usage of my coupon code "AYCARTER" on Rougeandrogue.com, which helps me purchase supplies for my makeup art/everyday life/products to review...etc.  But, I generally try to put that towards creating art. If you would like to support me, thank you so much! I try to post any coupon codes I get from companies, whether I get any percentage from them or not. I'm all about saving money, so I like helping those that like to do so as well! 

Muddy Body Detox Face Mask

Let's talk about face masks! 

I've been on a face mask kick lately. First it was the Ayesha mask from Lush and now it's the Detox mask from Muddy Body.
I absolutely love the Ayesha mask from Lush, but the downside of it is the expiration date and only being able to purchase it in store. (Ordering online is what I love to do)
I have never finished a jar of my mask before it expired--as it expires very quickly due to it being fresh. I was looking for a face mask that made my face feel similar and had much a longer shelf life.
Here's comes the Muddy Body Detox mask. It is a dry mask that can be activated with a few drops of water (and it has a shelf life of a year)
I'm going to break down the ingredient list, how much is in it, benefits..etc.
If you just want to try it and don't care about this long-winded review, I have a coupon code for you at the very end. (:

The Detox mask has 9 ingredients. 4 of them being in the main ingredient, Dead Sea Clay.
The list is:

  • Dead Sea Clay
    • Calcium
    • Sodium
    • Magnesium
    • Sulfur
  • Activated Charcoal
  • Organic Witch Hazel
  • Organic Raw Cacao Powder
  • Coconut Milk Powder

What do these do? Well, Dead Sea Clay is packed with rich minerals from the Dead Sea.  These help to balance, moisturize, and restore skin. The minerals in the clay promote cell renewal, help restore youthful and healthy skin, it detoxifies skin of impurities, soothes damaged skin and protects from allergic rashes.
Activated Charcoal is a natural magnet to draw out bacteria, chemical, dirt..etc to the surface of your skin. It also is said to tighten pores, smooth the skin, and reduce inflammation.
Organic Witch Hazel possesses anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, and astringent properties which is beneficial in the treatment of acne, porous facial skin, wrinkles, and many other problems. Due to it's astringent properties, it may also prevent black heads from occurring. 
Organic Raw Cacao Powder is packed with antioxidants that help repair skin and flavonoids that reduce inflammation. It also has minerals that may promote healthy cell growth.
Coconut Milk Powder is right in Vitamins A and C, calcium, iron, and proteins. These contribute to smooth and radiant skin.  It also acts as a moisturizer for dehydrated skin. 
 

Now that the long and detailed part about this mask is over, let me tell you why I like it.
It's super easy to use.  I use a big scoop of powder and about a tsp of water, mix my mask up, and apply with their 100% vegan and cruelty free applicator brush.
Once I apply the mask to my face, I just let it dry for 10-15 min. I love how tight it makes me skin feel when I have the mask on. Once it is dry, I remove it using circular motions with a soft cloth and warm water.  
After, I apply moisturizer and continue about my day! (or night)
I really liked this mask when I first tried it. It made my skin feel amazing and smooth, my pores seemed smaller, and I just felt like my skin was a little more lifted.  I don't really have problem skin, so I can't attest to the other benefits of it.
What really made me love this mask was when I tried a face mask from Fresh and woke the next morning with a horrible rash all over my face. I didn't want to go anywhere or do anything because I had this red and bumpy allergic reaction going on. Foundation hid the redness, but it was no match for the texture of the rash. Nothing was helping it go away and I decided to try my Detox mask and see if it helped at all. Not only did the redness subside after one mask, but the rash cleared up within three days (and two masks).

To the amount you get: each bottle is 60 g (2 oz) and costs $23.99.
A typical 2 oz lush mask ranges from $8-11. While it may seem like a hefty price difference, I try to think about how much I'm getting out of it, how many uses, will it expire before I can finish the product?
With my Ayesha mask from Lush, it was $8 dollars for 2 oz of product.  I maybe got three uses out of each mask I purchased, four uses at max.  I've used my Detox mask 6 times, and I still have over half of the bottle left, so while 2 oz may not seem like a lot, it definitely goes a long way.  It also won't expire on you in 6 days. 
Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my Ayesha mask from Lush, but for someone that uses masks frequently, that price does build up. I like to put weird things on my face for photos, so I like to treat my skin with a mask often. I can't buy the Ayesha mask in bulk because it'll definitely expire before I can finish it. So, I like that this is a dry mask. 

tl;dr: I recommend the Detox mask from Muddy Body.  It does my skin good, you get a large amount for you dollar, and (like LUSH) it's all natural, organic, and cruelty free. 

Also, to save you guys some money, Muddy Body gave me a coupon code for you! If you use "AYCARTER" at checkout, it'll take some $$$ off your total. 

***To maintain transparency, I want to let you know that this blog post is not sponsored. My opinions are my own and are truthful. However, I do receive a very small percentage from the usage of my coupon code "AYCARTER" on Muddy Body, which helps me purchase supplies for my makeup art/everyday life/blogging..etc.  But, I generally try to put that towards creating art. If you would like to support me, thank you so much! I try to post any coupon codes I get from companies, whether I get any percentage from them or not. I'm all about saving money, so I like helping those that like to do so as well!