Magic: The Gathering Chandra Nalaar Inspired Makeup!

For Hallowe'en (and even going past the season) I decided that an interesting series to do would be Magic: The Gathering inspired makeup! I've wanted to do this for awhile now since my husband is *really* into the game and we often go to tournaments and engage in the community. My husband has done a lot of border extensions and artwork so I figured a good way to express my artistic aptitude for the game would be using the only canvas I actually know how paint on: my face.

Here's what Chandra Nalaar looks like in Magic: The Gathering:

Credit: Magic: The Gathering, Artwork by Steve Argyle

I took a series of photos that breaks down how to achieve this look if you're interested!

Start with a bare face, apply primer to your skin and a foundation that matches your skin-tone. Conceal your eyebrows using concealer (you can also use glue and light powder but I didn't think this was necessary for this look).

Then I used a burgundy red eyeshadow to fill in my eyebrows to get a better match to Chandra's auburn fire-burned brows. She has a brown undertone in the artwork, so my natural color played well with this, if you're a blonde you may want to mix brown and red eyeshadow to create an auburn effect.

I used Urban Decay's single eyeshadow in Freelove (golden vibrant peach) in my crease and applied an orange eyeshadow from the Coastal Scents 88 Original Palette. I used this nifty trick of applying some tape extending out in a line from my lower lash line to achieve a precise edge - make sure to press the tape on the back of your hand a few times before applying it around your delicate eye area to make sure the adhesive is weak.

Near the lashline, roughly apply a matte black eyeshadow, I used the one from the LORAC PRO Palette. Then, on my lid, between the bold orange I applied in the previous step and above the Black shade, I used Garnet (or a deep, shimmery red) from the same palette.

I defined the line with my Physicians Formula liquid eyeliner in Black to get a very crisp and bold edge. Then I used the Coastal Scents palette and put the yellow-most shade all around the inner corner of my eye.

I used the liquid eyeliner to create a second "wing" going downwards in a sideways "V" shape from the original wing. The final look is achieved by further smoking out only the top of the liquid eyeliner with more Black eyeshadow. I also accented my inner corner and inside the sideways "V" with NYX Loose Pearl Eye Shadow in Yellow Gold. I also applied falsies, e.l.f. Essential Dramatic Eyelashes to be exact.

I smudged black eyeliner along the lower waterline of my eye and then smoked it out with the same Black eyeshadow. Then I used the NYX Cosmetics Loose Pearl Eyeshadow Pigment in Rust underneath to connect and transition between the yellow color accents. I wanted to add the extra yellow to represent "sparks"!

You can use any red lipstick or lip-stain as long as it isn't pink-leaning as a base for the lips. After applying that all over, I used NYX Cosmetics Loose Pearl Eyeshadow Pigment in Rust and right in the middle, I applied the pigment in Yellow Gold (the same ones I used on my eyes).

To finish off the entire face, I used the Yellow Gold pigment as a highlight on my cheekbones, down my nose, forehead, cupid's bow and chin. Then I transitioned to the Rust pigment and used that contour my cheeks and create the "hollows" that add definition and create a more overall "fiery" effect.

I hope you like the look I created!

If you create a look inspired by this series, I really hope you show it to me on Twitter or leave a comment below the post linking to it!

"Of course you should fight fire with fire. You should fight everything with fire"

- Jaya Ballard, task mage

Review & Swatches: Wet n Wild Halloween 2014 Collection Eyeshadows - Limited Edition

I was so excited to find the display housing the new Halloween 2014 Wet N Wild collection, I could barely contain myself from purchasing the entire line! I did settle on these two palettes, "A Karat in the World" and "Daring Downtown" as being the most unique to my collection and ones that I would likely reach for.

Here's a closer look:

"A Karat in the World" features a gold theme, varying in tone from bright yellow to bronze and medium brown shades. "Daring Downtown" is a gem-toned palette, which appears not to be a stand-alone since Wet n Wild didn't stamp their typical usage instruction monikers. "Daring Downtown" is probably best served with a variety of light and mid-toned shades from your collection.

Both sets of swatches turned out pretty true to color. I'm happy to report once again, such as with the Wet n Wild Fall 2014 collection, these shadows are the old, buttery Coloricon formulation! Let's all hold hands and say thank-you to Wet n Wild for listening to our pleas to return to their tried, tested, and true eyeshadows. The fact that they listened to consumers is going to make me 300% more likely to purchase more items from Wet n Wild collections.

All of the shadows are smooth, buttery and glide on like a dream. They pick up onto your brush without creating powdery fall-out, and you will be pleased with the way they transfer onto your skin. I know that these palettes may be a little hard to come by, since they may sell out quickly, but I highly recommend them.

I wanted to take a photo with flash for you to see how much sparkle is packed into these shades and how it can reflect the light. As I was taking this photo, I had an incredible revelation that the "Daring Downtown" palette is a dupe for.... Urban Decay's "The Black Palette" (LE)!!

Wet N Wild "Daring Downtown" and Urban Decay "The Black Palette"

I have them side-by-side for your viewing pleasure. You can tell that there is no dupe in the Wet n Wild palette for Barracuda (slate gray with silver sparkle) or Cobra (bold golden yellow with gold sparkle). However, you are getting a unique red shade in the Wet n Wild palette which is not featured in the Urban Decay palette.

Since "The Black Palette" retailed for $36 for 6 eyeshadows, and Wet n Wild's "Daring Downtown" retails for $3.99-4.99, you can expect that the Urban Decay shadows are more pigmented and easier to blend out. However, I do think that the "Daring Downtown" palette is a good performer, you may just need to layer the shadows on more than once to achieve the desired intensity.

"Daring Downtown" dupes for "The Black Palette":
Purple => Jet (WnW's is more black, UD's has more sparkle and is amethyst-toned)
Red is not a dupe
Black => Black Dog (WnW's has more sparkle, UD's truer black)
Blue => Sabbath (WnW's is darker, less blue, strong sapphire color in Sabbath)
Green => Libertine (UD's was darker, more black than green, highly pigmented)

Did you pick up any of the Wet n Wild Halloween palettes? Are you happy with the shadow formulation?

Review & Swatches: Wet n Wild Halloween 2014 Megaslicks Balm Stain - Limited Edition

Wet n Wild has released a whole new Halloween 2014 Collection and it can be found at Walgreens and Duane Reade. I have purchased "2AM Call Time" and "Senorita" and wanted to compare them to two colors from the permanent collection of Megaslicks Balm Stains. I only skipped out on one of these from the Halloween collection, it was a gold color called "You're Golden" but it just wasn't my cup of tea!

Now as you may already know the Megaslicks Balm Stains are a moisturizing formula combining both color and nourishment for your lips. They are an easy alternative to the lipstick and they go on smooth and wear comfortably. They stain the lips, specifically leaving a color if they are darker or brighter-toned (the nudes don't do this as much). The Balm Stains also have a minty refreshing feeling which perks your lips up and even has a slight plumping effect in my experience.

You may be able to tell from the swatch that "Senorita" was by far the most glossy of the Balm Stains, and the new shades ("2AM Call Time" and "Senorita") seemed to apply even more smoothly than "Rico Mauve" and "Pinky Promise" form the permanent collection.

Lip Swatch of Wet n Wild Megaslicks Balm Stain in "Senorita", ambient lighting

"Senorita" is a true red in every sense of the word, it seems to be a mid-tone red that doesn't lean orange or plum. I really love this shade for a night out or a bold lip with a muted eyeshadow look. It made my lips look full, didn't settle into any creases and the shine left a healthy glow.

Lip Swatch of Wet n Wild Megaslicks Balm Stain in "2AM Call Time", with flash

"2AM Call Time" is a bold color, not for the faint of heart! It is a bright purple shade, not cranberry-like in the slightest. It reminds me of more expensive lipsticks such as LimeCrime's which specialize in bold colors. I'm so happy I bought this color, it's truly unique! I can see myself lightly patting this on my lips for a hint of color for daytime.

I was so intrigued by 2AM Call Time and I just had to compare it to other similar colors from the drugstore from my collection. I have the Revlon Colorburst Matte Balm in "Shameless" and the Jordana Twist & Shine in "Cranberry Crush" for comparison.

Wet N Wild Megaslicks Balm Stain "2AM Call Time" Comparison

You can see from the swatches above that the Jordana Twist & Shine Moisturizing Balm Stain in "Cranberry Crush" is the most wearable of the bunch, applying more as a cranberry than a purple. The Revlon Colorburst Matte Balm in "Shameless" is a more matte, blue-toned purple, slightly deeper in saturation than the Wet N Wild Balm Stain in "2AM Call Time". I actually thought the Revlon Balm in "Shameless" was much patchier (you can even tell in the swatch) and it settles into the fine lines of my lips, something that the Wet N Wild Balm Stain does not. The biggest difference between the Revlon and Wet N Wild products is that the latter has a good amount of moisturizing and shine, while the former can be described as drying on the lips and is best worn with another balm underneath.

Do you own any of the Wet N Wild Megaslicks Balm Stains? Which color is your favorite and why? Let me know in the comments below!

E.L.F. is Having a Treasure Hunt (Discounted Items Inside)

E.L.F. is having their Hallowe'en Treasure hunt for 2 days. It's basically an Easter egg hunt for makeup. You can only find out what's discounted if you click on all of the categories of makeup they offer. So I've gone and done it for you. Here's what they've got (with links and discount info below):

Mineral Blemish Kit $3.60 (originally$5.00)

Studio Kabuki Face Brush $4.60 (originally $6.00) - this brush is amazing for all-over foundation coverage

Studio Shimmer Palette $1.80 (originally $3.00)

Studio Shimmer Sheets $1.20 (originally $3.00)

Essential 3-piece nail polish set (only in the set featuring the colors purple gray and navy) $1.80 (originally $3.00)

Various Eyeshadow Palettes and Brush Set

Essential Primer Eyeshadow $1.20 (originally $2.00)

Essential Jumbo Eyeshadow Stick $1.20 (originally $2.00) only in the color Rock Out


Here's another coupon code - ECS50F : Save 50% Off Your Studio Line Purchase Of $20 Or More. Plus, Get Free Shipping When You Spend $35. For First Time Buyers. Limited time offer.


I do have to warn all my fine readers that these deals can last for certain hours only, so even though you  may see more codes elsewhere (and even on here) they might not work during the sale for more than a couple of hours. This was stated on ELF's Facebook page. For example, the Studio Matte Eyeshadow was on sale for $1.65 from $3.00 but when I clicked on it, the price was still the full price.

Happy shopping, everyone!