I'm slowly rekindling my relationship with makeup (as in, I'm actually wearing it instead of just buying it), and I wanted to share my thoughts on the products I'm using. Seeing as this site began as a beauty blog, I thought I'd take a step back and actually do a post on something makeup related.This look isn't from today, but I'm basically wearing the same look, so let's go with it.



I was extra excited when I found out that Marc Jacobs was releasing a beauty line. His bags are gorgeous, so why wouldn't his makeup be just as amazing? While I do love some of the things I picked up, I was generally underwhelmed by the products I've tried.



























Genius Gel ($48): I really like the finish and the texture. Little to no transfer or
fading as well. I applied with The Face brush and got good (but light)
coverage with one pump. Not HG, but I'm happy to add it to my
collection.



Remedy Concealer ($39): The color selection sucks, in my opinion, but
I experienced no creasing all day, so that's good. Really great
coverage, and the cooling tip is a nice touch. I'll finish my pen, but I
won't repurchase.



Shameless Bold Blush ($30): Quite pigmented, and I like the
luminous sheen. However, I think there are better blushes out there,and
I'm happy I only purchased one.



Style Eye-con ($42): Nice pigmentation
and blendability, but I don't like his concept with these. I won't use
the lightest color in any of these trios because they don't look good on
me. Seems like a waste of money. Won't repurchase.



Lash Lifter ($26): Total meh for me, but ymmv. My lashes suck, and I need Jesus in a bottle for them to look decent.



I have a separate review coming up for the lip products I picked up, and of course, more polish swatches.

Even though I have tons of jellies, I'm so drawn to Verity Deep Violet, I can't help but use it! SpaRitual Giggle is an awesome multicolored glitter. My favorite component is the orange holo sequins, but I couldn't get nearly any onto my nail.








I used my typical layering method to achieve this look. Six coats is a lot, but I love the depth I get. A trick to getting it all to dry is to do 2-3 coats one day, and add the final coats the next day.

1 coat, with topcoat

Marc Jacobs Petra is an intriguing plummy taupe packed with multicolored shimmer. I hoped to show how complex this shade is by capturing both the plum (pinky) and taupe (middle) tones. The shimmer really comes alive with topcoat. Without it, Petra looks more like a smooth foil.



The formula is thick and pigmented. Petra is opaque in one thick coat, but two thin coats would probably be easier to apply.



This is definitely my favorite of the few colors I picked up! What are are your favorites from the Marc Jacobs Beauty line?



Marc Jacobs 140 Petra retails for $18 and is available at Sephora.

Finally! Urban Decay is doing full sized (well, kinda - they're 9ml) nail polish again. I'm not even annoyed that both of the shades they released are dupeable. I hope this is just the beginning of an expansive range of awesome shades.



Anyway, today I have an Urban Decay Vice swatch and comparison for you.

2 coats

Urban Decay Vice is a deep purple with red and blue microshimmer. It's a really gorgeous color. The application was a breeze, and Vice has great opacity. You could get away with one coat, if you're careful.





For this comparison, I pulled the first two deep purples that came to my head - NARS Purple Rain and Illamasqua Baptiste. In hindsight, I probably should have chosen cheaper nail polishes. If you're looking for cheaper alternatives, Zoya Yasmeen and China Glaze Let's Groove look pretty close based on bottle comps.

2 coats each of Illamasqua Baptiste, Urban Decay Vice, and NARS Purple Rain

Purple Rain and Vice are quite similar, except Vice has a slight dusty quality to it. Baptiste is darker and cooler than the others. I'd say, if you already own Purple Rain, you can skip Vice. However, Baptiste and Vice are different enough to own both, in my opinion.



Urban Decay Vice retails for $15 and is available at Ulta.

2 coats

This is the second half of the Birds of Paradise duo. Gorgeous, right? It's lighter, more vibrant, and smoother than China Glaze Deviantly Daring, in case you were wondering. This glowy teal totally makes up for its mint partner that I wasn't too pleased with.



If Dior released this shade individually, I'd be all over it for a backup.

I have a few swatches that I either can't dedicate a full post to or are part of a collection that I've neglected to finish swatching. I figured I'd share them with you before I forget about them completely.

2 coats

Color Club Angel Kiss is part of the 2012 Halo Hues collection. It's a pretty light blue with a killer flame. Remember the holo drought? For years, companies would release weak, scattered holos, holo glitter, and even flakies and call them holographic. What a frustrating time! I'm so happy we have strong, linear holos that are easily accessible.

3 coats

Essie Secret Story is a midtone pink jelly. I randomly picked this up on clearance and was pleasantly surprised when I found out it's a jelly! Don't you love that? Secret Story's easy application was just a cherry on top.

3 coats

Here's an unnamed franken that I found while reorganizing my stash a couple months ago. I know it contains Wet n Wild Nocturnal and Cover Girl Ice Slicks Anti Freeze, but I'm not sure what else is involved. I only made a mini bottle, but I wish I'd made more. I love it!

2 coats

American Apparel Neon Red is more coral than Neon Coral is, in my opinion. I love the AA neons because they apply so well and don't require white undies.

4 coats

Verity Deep Violet is a purple jelly that should be in everyone's collection. It's gorgeous! However, I don't think my bottle is as pigmented as others because I see all these posts with 2 coats and no VNL, and I'm like...what? 4 coats later, my Deep Violet mani still showed VNL. I don't mind, though. It's perfect for jelly sandwiches.

2 coats

Illamasqua Charisma, how I love thee. It's a gorgeous cranberry raspberry hybrid with a flash of gold. It also has red shimmer sprinkled through it. I know people say Essie Swing Velvet is a dupe, and I even bought that one to satisfy my lemming for Charisma. It didn't quench my thirst, though, and I ended up buying Charisma anyway. I wouldn't say they're dead on dupes, but they're definitely similar. I prefer Charisma.





That's all, folks!