Confessions of a Makeup Junkie
This glitter eyeliner was the one I felt I missed on my last Tarina Tarantino haul! I had gotten the white/pink duo chrome, but decided to hold off on this black one. I don’t know WHY, if I knew I was probably going to go back and get it anyways :) This is one of the better black glitter liners I have seen, check it out!
Hi, my name is Amy aka LadycrowX!
I have been into makeup since 2008 when I got hooked on watching Youtube tutorials. I currently write a blog called The Crow and the Powderpuff where you’ll find posts about Makeup Tutorials, Product Reviews, Product Swatches, and anything pertaining to beauty. I am currently in the process of moving further into beauty subjects as well such as Nails, Hair, and Fashion. I also have a Youtube channel where you can find video tutorials of the looks I do as well as tips and reviews.
In my spare time when I am not blogging or doing makeup you can usually find me playing video games, watching anime, reading, or doing anything involving nerdiness. I enjoy fantasy based movies, books, and games.
I did this look based off an old look I had done a while back and I hope you enjoy it!
Happy Sunday! Hope you all had a great weekend :) Here is the first set of Love it/Leave it videos! I’m really excited about this series, I love short, to the point videos and these will be just that.
Love it! Proactiv Refining Mask
This mask is one of my favorite acne fighting masks, and I’ve tried a ton! It’s perfect for spot treatments, which is what I generally use it for- I just dab a bit on a blemish after washing my face before bed, and leave it on overnight and it really helps to speed up the healing process. I had mentioned in the video that one thing that bothers me is that the mask doesn’t really dry, that it stays tacky and to be aware of that if you wear it when sleeping, and got an awesome suggestion-
GENIUS! Totally doing that next time :)
Leave It! Revlon Photoready Airbrush Makeup
I was SO excited for this foundation, it looked great when I tried it on my arm, and when I initially put it on my skin. I wore it out to the movies (we went to see The Artist.. definitely an interesting movie, although I had a bit of trouble fully paying attention to the whole thing since it is a silent film!) and right after that I went to the restroom and saw that the foundation had oxidized quite a bit darker on my skin, just a few hours after applying it. I never ever have issues with foundations oxidizing, so that really bummed me out about this foundation.
ps- the nail polish I have on is from the new zoya collections- base coat is Skylar and then the flakies are on top :) I’ll have a review up this week! :)
This week, I finally got off my butt and started working out. I started doing Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred, which is a 20 minute workout, but don’t let that fool you into thinking it’s easy! It’s pretty challenging, especially if you are like me and haven’t really worked out in months, and whenever you do, it’s only cardio with no strength exercises, basically ever.
I was so proud of myself for actually sticking with this all week, and then yesterday I started having pain in my back. I kinda assumed it was from slouching or something, but today during the workout I actually had to stop because the pain got SO bad. I think the main problem was that I was using 5 pound weights, and they were just too heavy for the reps and for someone who never ever did strength exercises. I’m planning to go at it again tomorrow, but after I go to target and get some lighter weights!
Every time I work out, I have been wearing these Hot Pants I got in December by Zaggora. They were on Groupon for half off, so I thought why not :) I was a bit skeptical at first, but the website has 297483294 reviews that are almost all 5 star ratings, so I figured why not? They are basically compression shorts that help to combat cellulite and make you sweat more. I don’t really have problems in my butt and thighs, but it does cover the bottom half of the stomach which is where I gain weight more than anywhere, so it still is helpful. I can definitely tell a difference in how much I sweat when I wear these, and my skin feels really soft as well from them :)
On another note, I did film a vlog! Basically talking about everything I just mentioned here, but ah well :)
One more thing I wanted to share was this awesome blog I have been going to daily called Chocolate Covered Katie. If you are like me, being healthy is hard because you love sweets! This is a healthy dessert blog, and it seriously rocks. Her most popular post is her Cookie Dough Dip. I made it yesterday, and its really good! The weird part is the main ingredient is actually garbanzo beans.. so its technically a sweet hummus (that sounds way less appealing than cookie dough dip lol) I definitely recommend checking her blog out, it’s great :)
image via http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com
Okay, that’s all for this week’s healthy beauty.. for this next week I’m going to try to keep going with 30 day shred, even though I have to go out of town for 3 days, and then my mom is visiting right after.. gotta push through!! :)
-Leesha
So.. Ulta loves me.
They basically told me. They thanked me for Spending so much money being so loyal.
See?
I like when they do 20% off almost everything (sometimes they don’t let you get any high end makeup, so the fact that only a few are limited is nice)
I think this is the first time Bare Minerals. I haven’t used Bare Minerals in yeaaaaars.. for the longest time they felt WAY too infomercially for me, and their brushes felt like branches on a tree. I know that they have changed up their game plan though, so maybe I’ll take a look this time?
Anyways.. the whole point of this post is to get your input on what the heck I should get. I feel like Regina’s mom in Mean Girls.. “So, you guys, what is the 411? What has everybody talking about? What is the hot gossip? Tell me everything!” lol :)
I basically am curious as to what products or tools you have been eyeing at the store, but want a 2nd opinion on.. or even something you recently have bought and like, but want more ideas on how to use it. I’m open to any suggestions.. foundations, concealers, eyeshadows, nail polish, hair care.. you name it. Drugstore, high end, whatever!
Let me know. I’ll probably do a haul on what I pick up. And then first impressions. ;)
-Leesha
Hi there!
First and foremost, I want to apologize for the fact that there were no new videos this week. Tyler (le bf) left on a 10 day trip on tuesday, and my plan was to film a bunch of videos this week to get ahead of the game, but unfortunately last week I had a really bad reaction to a skincare product I was trying out (I know it will be asked, so it was Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Wash Redness Relief Facial Cleanser. I’m not sure if my skin was reacting because it was a new product or what, but it was baaaaaaaad). I decided to postpone filming to give my skin some time to heal, and it’s finally getting to the point where everything looks okay under makeup. I wanted to get a video up today, but the day got the better of me so the plan is to get right back on track on Sunday- I’m gonna add an extra little 2-part video series called Love it or Leave it.. essentially product of the week and product of the never again lol :)
The main point of this post is to say that I’m feeling like I’m in a bit of a blogging rut. Every post is either a product review or a tutorial recap, and for me it’s kinda boring. I know that there is a weekly guest look, but I really want to start having more interactive posts, get more feedback and participation from you guys, and make xSparkage feel more..like a community? haha i don’t know, just less repetitive like i feel it is now.
This also applies to Youtube. The way I have been going about everything lately is a review/haul/something on Mondays, and tutorials on Wednesday and Friday. I always notice that the more popular videos seem to be hauls overall, followed by tutorials and finally reviews. What types of videos do you enjoy watching most? I read a comment recently asking me to bring back First Impressions and Theme tutorials, as well as Ask Leesha. I guess my question is, What are your favorite style videos to watch from beauty gurus? Hauls? Reviews? Tips/Tricks? Full on tutorials? I put videos up to help YOU guys, so knowing what it is that appeals to you will help me out a lot.
I’m totally planning on bringing back theme tutorials (they will start mid-february, and there is a reason for that, you shall see!) but until then I’m sort of striving for ideas in the tutorial department, so it’s difficult to bring two a week. I work MUCH better when I have a set idea in my head and know EXACTLY what it is I want to represent, but without that I tend to sort of go back to the same styles, which I know gets repetitive.
I’m writing this because I want to know your thoughts. I’m sure you all have loads of favorite blogs you check out daily, and I’d love to know what it is you like about them- the type of posts, the way they present photos, etc. I’d also love to hear what you do/don’t like about xSparkage, both the blog and youtube.. feedback either way is really helpful!
omg, if you read all of that, I will personally bake you cookies. Sometimes I miss having a personal blog, lol :) To make it up to you, here is a picture of two cats actually using a cat product the way it was advertised (I didn’t think it was possible)
Again, sorry for the boring post and total MIA-ness this week! I appreciate all of your support so much!
Hola! So I have been a sucker for Kat Von D palettes for awhile, they’re so preeetttyyy! I haven’t gotten one in some time though, until I happened to see this baby hiding in a leeeeeettle picture on the bottom of the Sephora site. The outside of the palette alone had me excited! Read on to see some more photos and swatches!
omigosh- So I got these two weeks ago when I reviewed the new Concealer Pencils and the new 24/7 Eyeliners from Urban Decay, and I SWORE I uploaded my post about these babies at the same time.. NOPE. Just opened my blogging program, and looked in the drafts section, and here was this post! -___- Sorry guys!
Aaaaaanyways, these are two new pretties joining the Super Saturated Lip Color line from Urban Decay, and they rock!
One of the Mineralized Eyeshadows to come out with the MAC, Naturally Collection is Cloudy Afternoon, a somewhat gray-brown shade, with a ~silver lining~ (har har) There are also specks of olive green and blues thrown in a s well. Read on to see more photos and swatches!
Four Mineralized Eyeshadows were introduced in the MAC, Naturally Collection that came out earlier this month. The one I have to show you in this post is called Summer Haze, But I just want to call it Jupiter :) It has shimmery beiges and strong, bronze veining, it reminds me so much of the big red giant! What do you think?
Also- apologies for the not-as-clear-as-usual photos in this post! I swear, sometimes pictures look super clear on my camera, and it isn’t until AFTER I upload them that I see they aren’t. Live and learn I guess!
Copyright © 2012 · Lexicon Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Customized by April Showers · Log in 
