Accutane: the beginning

If you've read my blog even sporadically over the years, then my acne is no new subject. At the beginning of 2013 I finally had health insurance and could see a doctor to help me get it under control. She had me on about 6 different medications, and in the fall of 2013 my battle was looking like it had been won. My skin wasn't perfect, and my doctor had recommended accutane since everything else I had been on wasn't working 100%. Sick of ingesting pills that made me sick, I decided to not take any more medication & see how my skin did. It was healing more & more, until December when my acne came back in full force on my chest & back. After 8 months of being on all of these meds, my acne cycle looked like it was returning.

In January i saw my doctor again,  and talked to her to see if Accutane was still on the table. I wanted to catch my acne at the beginning of the cycle before it got horrible again. Plus, another benefit to Accutane is that it can rid your skin of acne scarring since it sort of forces your skin to start over at its base.  Knowing that laser resurfacing can cost hundreds of dollars per session and isn't covered by my insurance, this is a major point of interest for me. Thankfully acvutane was still on the table,  but not without warning.  The biggest being to not get pregnant whilst on the drug, as it guarantees birth defects. After two blood tests (these are standard to check if you're pregnant) & another doctor's appointment, I was deemed eligible to go on it.

Cut to today,  which is day two of taking accutane.  I can already feel my skin drying out, which is good because I can tell it's working. I'm going to try to post updates each month because there's so much scary information available (personally, what I found initially scared me off) and I want to provide a real account if what I experience. 

Have you ever taken accutane? What was your experience like? Let me know in the comments!

Kat Von D Esperanza palette

Hi! Long time no talk! Before we start, just wanted to note I'm trying out the blogger app on my phone to post this review. I have so many reviews that are waiting in the wings, but it's always a process I rarely have time for. Hopefully this way I can get more reviews out to you guys! The photos aren't edited in this post, bc i forgot i could do that on my phone, but they will be in the future! I'd love to hear what you think!  Onto the review...

New for spring '14 from Kat Von D is the Esperanza palette. Housed within its no-frills cardboard packaging are eight shadows of varying textures. All are incredibly pigmented and most are buttery smooth.

Top to bottom: Placebo, Galore, Dayglo, Selena

Selena: Satin medium bright purple with larger iridescent glitter. Did have some glitter fall-out with this one.

Dayglo (transformer shade): shimmering white with pale yellow shift. 

Galore: pale peach with soft shimmer. Would be great as a highlight color!

Placebo: Matte bright orange-pink. This looks almost neon in daylight.

Top to bottom: Dog Roses, South, Archangel, Santeria

Santeria: Shimmery dark blue-grey with pale blue micro glitter. This one had a drier texture than the rest of the bunch.

Archangel: Satin super pale seafoam green with fine light pink, purple, and light blue glitter.

South: Matte pale beige.

Dog Roses: Metallic bronze with fine bronze glitter.

Something to note is that the Esperanza retails for $36 and doesn't come with an eyeliner or anything (unlike some of the past few palettes from the brand that have retailed for $35) and comes in cardboard packaging (unlike the metal packaging of the past few non-holiday palettes). For me, the only weak part of this palette is the packaging. Cardboard packaging just seems kind of cheap to me, and considering I normally carry palettes with me, this is probably going to get damaged pretty quickly. However, a plus is how big the mirror is in here. If the packaging suffered for the quality of the shadows, then I am willing to take whatever cardboard packaging comes my way, because the shadows are EXCELLENT!

You don't have to take my word for it. Kat Von D's Esperanza palette is available now from Sephora.

Kat Von D Spellbinding Lipstick Set

Dear readers,
I broke down and bought the KvD "spellbinding" holiday 2013 collection.  Here's my take on the lipstick set:

For $39, you get 10 mini (1.2g) lipsticks.  There are 5 permanent colors, and 5 colors unique to this set. 9 shades are matte (some moreso than others), and 1 is the "foiled love" formula (which just means it's super sparkly).  I do already have 2 colors from this set-- Ritual and Lovecraft-- but there were a few I was interested in trying (mostly Thin Lizzy!!). Plus, I feel like I am either wearing red or nude lips these days and I wanted to branch out without buying a full lipstick.

Mau5: Purple tinged magenta. On the sheer side upon first swipe, didn't quite build up to being fully opaque.

Thin Lizzy: Sheer rose with a ton of copper sparkle. Much different than what I was expecting!

Bachelorette: Cool-toned pinkish red cream. This is really similar to Dita Von Teese's Follies Pink

.
L.U.V.: Mauve. When I removed the swatch, it left behind the most noticeable stain (other than Vampira).

Underage Red: True balanced red. One swipe delivered opaque color.

Ritual: Warm nude-tan.  For some reason, this color is different than my tube from the permanent line.

Backstage Bambi: Cool toned semi-bright bubblegum pink

A Go Go: Orange that leans a touch red. Pigmentation-wise, this was the best of the bunch.

Lovecraft: Cool pink nude

Vampira: Burgundy with more than a hint of purple. Pretty similar in color to KvD's Rosary lipstick, but this has a creamier texture. This was the first one I wore in real life, and I was a tad disappointed.  It applied a bit patchy, and it only wore around 4 hours.  It did, however, leave behind a pretty stain.

All in all, I think this set is worth it if, for no other reason, you (or a friend!) are lipstick phobic and/or want to try some new colors.  The textures seem to be a little better than the KvD lipsticks I have, BUT mine are old so either they're a little dried out or it's been reformulated.

You don't have to take my word for it! The Spellbinding Lipstick set is now available at Sephora.

Review: Kat Von D Lock-It Powder Foundation in L45

For summer/2013 KvD for Sephora released the follow up to the best-selling liquid foundation: the Lock-It Powder Foundation   For years, I've been using StudioFix powder foundation from MAC for on-the-go touch-ups.  Since MAC changed their policies on animal testing, I have been looking for a new compact powder.  Let's see how it measures up!

PIGMENTATION: This is billed as full coverage, but I would say this is more medium coverage.  I was disappointed it wasn't as high coverage as StudioFix, but it's enough to cover minor redness.  In MAC, my perfect match is NC15, and I felt that L45 is a perfect match in the Lock-It Powder Foundation.

PRODUCT: The powder is silky smooth, and doesn't feel like I'm wearing any makeup.  It kind of floats over my skin and makes it look poreless and not powdery.  My pores on my cheeks and nose are on the larger side, so pretending to be poreless is pretty exciting! It also does a pretty good job at battling shine. 

PACKAGING: It's a heavy-duty plastic compact with a raised KvD logo and roses printed on the lid.  In the compartment for the powder sponge applicator, it's completely closed.  (Not sure if this is a good or bad thing-- I'm just used to my StudioFix compact with the airholes. I would think that it would keep the puff cleaner bc if you have a messy makeup bag like me, any broken eyeshadow or leaking lipgloss won't get to it.)  The applicator compartment may be big enough to house a bigger puff or sponge or whatever suits your fancy.  Also, the sponge that comes with it is the exact same one that MAC sells.  So if you're willing to buy from MAC, you can buy replacements.

PRICE: $34

All in all, if you're looking for a lightweight powder that blurs imperfections that doesn't get cakey and gross, the Lock-It Powder Foundation is a good choice.  As always, you don't have to take my word for it! Kat Von D's Lock-It Powder Foundation is available now at Sephora.

Review: Physician's Formula Eye Booster in Ultra Black

It's no secret that I am a huge fan of liquid eyeliner, and that I'm super picky about it.  I need something that is really pigmented, can effortlessly create a sharp line, and is waterproof.  Enter the Eye Booster by Physician's Formula.

PIGMENTATION: The name of this color, Ultra Black, is not a misnomer.  One swipe immediately delivers a rich, dense black.

I rubbed these lines a few times, and, as you can see, nothing happened.

PRODUCT: Not too thin, not too thick, the eyeliner's formula glides easily over my eyelids.  It dries down super fast, and STAYS PUT. I experienced no flaking or running-- even when my left eye would go rogue and water like crazy.  Also, it dries down to a satin finish.  The only downside to the how fast this dries, is that I have to scrape the dried eyeliner off of the brush tip a few times each time I use it.

The claim for this formula is that it has lash-boosting properties.  When I began using this, I was using the Urban Decay Lush Lash mascara, which did help my lashes grow.  If anything, the Eye Booster just maintained what the Lush Lash mascara did.

Obviously this is super well-loved!

PACKAGING: At first I was wary of the pen-style eyeliner since I was used to an inkwell, but it's really awesome.  The brush tip isn't too thin or too thick, and the fibers are really smooth.

PRICE: I bought this for around $11 at CVS, but it might be more or less depending on where you buy it.

All in all, the Eye Booster is easily my new favorite eyeliner, and is a great drugstore buy (or any store, really).  Of course, you don't have to take my word for it.  Physician's Formula Eye Booster is available  now at a drugstore near you. (or drugstore.com if not)

Review: Dita Von Teese Art Couture lipstick-Manslayer (631)

After lusting over her makeup line since it came out, I finally ordered a few things from burlesque goddess Dita Von Teese's cosmetic collaboration with European brand Art Deco.  First up is Dita von Teese's lipstick in Manslayer (631).

On me, Manslayer appears to be a deep berry red. It dries down to a matte finish in a few minutes, and it didn't feel drying compared to other red lipsticks I have.

Don't worry matte lip fiends-- it is much more matte in person.

 When I saw swatches online prior to my purchase, I was expecting it to be closer to MAC's Russian Red.  Besides the formulas being different, Manslayer is much deeper.  

Here's how it compares to my other red (and one burgundy) lipsticks:

Top row (L-R): DvT Muse Red (615), Kat Von D Rosary
Middle Row: MAC Russian Red, DvT Manslayer, MAC Viva Glam I
Bottom row: MAC Prolong (Pro Longwear Lipcreme)

If you've always wanted to try to wear red lipstick, I think Manslayer would be a good gateway color.  It's not bright, and looks great sheered down if you're scared to wear it full-strength.  

I suppose the only downside to the DvT lipsticks is that they have a vanilla-y smell.  Personally, I like it because it actually smells like food (unlike the plastic-y vanilla scent MAC uses for their lipsticks); but, if you're super sensitive to scented cosmetics, this may be a dealbreaker.

Also, if you are nervous about ordering something from another country, that will put a damper on things as well.  Dita Von Teese's line is not sold in the USA, but I was able to buy it from a UK site called Tender Loving Skincare.  The shipping was very reasonable (about $10), and their customer service is impeccable.

As always, you don't have to take my word for it! Dita Von Teese's Manslayer is available now at Tender Loving Skincare.

Review: Kat Von D Ladybird True Romance Eyeshadow Palette

Quick story: When Urban Decay's Naked Basics palette came out, I was pretty excited because it was a palette comprised entirely of matte shadows, but the colors were so blah.  I never ended up buying it, and boy howdy am I glad I didn't.  Dare I say it, this is my HG matte palette.

L-R: Für Elise, Vespertine, Renholdër, Siouxie Sioux

Für Elise- Matte plum
Vespertine- Matte pale peaches & cream
Renholdër- matte taupe (leans more grey)
Siouxie-Soux - Blackened blue-grey with faint blue sparkle

L-R: Unrequited, Harlow, Wolf, Cleopatra

Unrequited - Matte nude with peachy undertone
Harlow- Matte sandy brown with a hint of olive
Wölf- Matte medium brown with red undertone
Cleopatra - Matte rust (best performing shade)

Immortal Love Autograph Pencil Eyeliner

Immortal Love

Immortal Love (Autograph Eyeliner Pencil) - Slightly blackened dark brown. This had excellent color payoff in one stroke, and a creamy texture.  Once it dried, it stayed put!

Pigmentation/Product: All 8 shadows and the eyeliner are decently pigmented.  I feel like, in past KvD palettes, there's always (at least) one dud.  Für Elise was the "worst" performing shade of the bunch, but it really wasn't bad.  It was a tad dry and I had to work with it a smidge more than the other 7 to build up the swatch (2 passes instead of one!).  I've used about half the palette thus far, and of the shades I used (Unrequited, Harlow, Cleopatra, Vespertine), next to no powder was kicked up with my brush.  Pretty awesome for how buttery soft these shadows felt when I swatched them!

Packaging:  This is the same metal case of the last few palettes, and just like her other metal palettes, the lid doesn't stay up on its own.

Price:  $36.  

All in all, Ladybird is my new favorite KvD palette.  If you're into pigmented (mostly) warm neutrals, then you might love this Ladybird too.

As always, you don't have to take my word for it! Kat von D's Ladybird palette is available now at Sephora.