Monday, January 31, 2011

Persephone Minerals Sailor Chibi Moon Set


The latest from Persephone Minerals, Sailor Chibi Moon! I was lucky enough to get to do a trade with Victoria, so I got a sample set of this as well as Sailor Moon. I plan on swatching the Sailor Moon set soon as well. As a kid, I didn't really like Chibi Moon. I thought she was bratty, and she was my least favorite character. However, a few years ago I watched the subtitled version of Sailor Moon and realized Chibiusa isn't really like that at all. The English dub just made everything sucky. She's actually one of the best characters, IMO. Anyway, on to the swatches :) All of these are swatched over Fyrinnae's Pixie Epoxy.
There are some SERIOUSLY gorgeous colors in this set. Moon Prism Power (as I mentioned in my previous post) is a really gorgeous white/pink/blue/gold color. I'd imagine it would like awesome over a black base.
Black Lady (known as "Wicked Lady" in the English dub) is a really lovely "black cherry" kind of color. It looks sort of brown here, but it isn't at all. It's more burgundy/purple. A very sultry/sexy color!
Chibiusa and Sailor Chibi Moon are very similar, but Chibiusa is more of a strawberry pink and Sailor Chibi Moon has a bit more fuschia and cool tones in it.
Pegasus is an incredible sparkly white/gold. I'm in LOVE with this one.
Small Lady is the girliest girly pretty princess pink.
Pink Sugar Heart Attack is an explosion of hot pink and silver glitter. SUPER sparkly and awesome.

My picks are Pegasus, Small Lady, Black Lady, Twinkle Yell, and Moon Prism Power. I hate to be "that person" that loves everything and never says anything critical, but I really do like all of these and wouldn't change anything about them. If you're someone who even REMOTELY likes pink eyeshadow, I highly recommend getting at least a sample set of this. The full size set is $40, which is a great deal considering these go for $6 each (6 x 9 = 54). The sample set is $11.25.

Totally unrelated to getting this set(honestly), I drew the Super Chibi Moon version of Chibiusa the other day. I got a new tablet not too long ago and I'm trying to get used to using it by doing some simple fan art. My boyfriend's favorite character in Sailor Moon happens to be Chibi Moon, so I drew this for him. I'm not the best at drawing in the anime style, but I figured it'd be appropriate to include it here. :)

So what do you think of the Chibi Moon set?

Have a lovely evening! :)

Sunday, January 30, 2011

Daytime Pink & Gold LOTD with Persephone and Shiro

I've been testing out my Sailor Moon/Chibi Moon samples from Persephone a lot, but haven't really put a look together until today. I plan to do a post with swatches of everything, but there's a lot so I'm going to have to wait until I have time. I thought this look was really pretty for day-to-night, which is what I wore it for.


What I Used:

Face:
-e.l.f. primer
-Maybelline matte mousse concealer
-Hard Candy tinted moisturizer
-e.l.f. Complexion Perfection (as a setting powder)
-Hard Candy blush in "Pin Up"

Eyes:
-TFSI
-Persephone "Sailor Moon" inner 1/2 of lid
-Persephone "Chibiusa" outer 1/2 of lid
-Persepone "Moon Prism Power" inner corners
-Persephone "Princess Serenity" brow highlight
-Kat Von D tattoo liner on upper lashline
-MAC "Feline" on waterline
-Wet n Wild Mega Lengths mascara

Lips:
-Kiehls clear lip balm
-Shiro Cosmetics "Over 9000" (LOVING this color! Review/swatches of these coming soon!)

I love all of these shades. Sailor Moon is a gorgeous gold with pink sparkles. Moon Prism Power is really amazing, I can't even really describe it. It's sort of..white/pink/gold shimmer all at the same time. It's really interesting, I love it.

Sorry I haven't posted any looks in so long, but I'm glad to be back! :)
Have a lovely evening!

Saturday, January 29, 2011

Zoya "Charla"

I finally got my three Zoya polishes the other day. It took FOREVER, but I can't complain since they were free. I got Adina, Charla, and Happi.

I pretty much immediately put Charla on both my fingers and toes.
I had a really hard time photographing this color. I feel like it looks sort of "meh" here but it's notttt it's my new favorite! Imagine if you took a mermaid, liquefied her, added some gold glitter and sweet rave party and you'd get this color. I have a feeling I'll be wearing this a while.

Did anyone else order from the Zoya sale? I'd like to know which colors everyone got.

Have a lovely evening!

China Glaze Secret Periwinkle and Solar Power

I feel like it's been forever since I've written anything on here, sorry about that. I'm going to go ahead and blame school, this semester isn't fun. Anyway, I bought a couple of China Glaze nail polishes the other day, one of which I really love, and the other I really hate. I'm going to show you both and you will see why.

Secret Periwinkle:
This one I really love. The color is cute and casual, and is perfect for spring time. The finish is so shiny it doesn't even need a top coat. I actually took these photos after wearing this a few days and my index fingernail was a little chipped, which is why I'm hiding it. The only reason I took this color off is because my Zoya polishes finally came in. In short, definitely a winner.

Solar Power:
Now, I would first like to say that I gave this polish as much time to dry as I always do. Nail polish should not take longer than 10 minutes to dry. This is two coats. Check out what happened.Umm, gross. The reason I bought this color is because I realized I don't have any yellows. Yellow isn't the best color on me, but I figured having at least one was a must. It was between this one or "Lemon Fizz" which is a really pale pastel yellow. Needless to say, I wish I'd gotten the other one. I'm not sure if this is the polish's fault, or if it's old...? I don't know. I did this in the afternoon and even by late in the evening it was getting bumps in it. Not to mention the color looks disgusting with my skintone. Major disappointment here. Oh well. You can't win them all.

I love China Glaze. I'd actually go so far as to say it's my favorite brand of nail polish. Solar Power just isn't their best. I plan on keeping it to use in designs for flower centers and that type of thing. I LOVE Secret Periwinkle, though, so not all was lost.

I'm going to be showing all of my Zoya polishes very soon, when I can manage to photograph them accurately. The colors I got are Happi, Adina, and Charla. I'm wearing Charla right now and I'm in LOVE.

Have a lovely Saturday! :)

Saturday, January 15, 2011

EOTD using Persephone Minerals Sailor Mars

I actually did this look a long time ago, right after I got the Sailor Mars set, I just forgot to post it for some reason. I love how it turned out, Mars Crystal Power and Princess Mars look so very nice together. It's a red look, but it's not harsh or dramatic at all, in my opinion.


What I Used:
-TFSI
-Persephone Minerals "Rei" on outer V and lower lashline
-Persephone Minerals "Mars Crystal Power" on outer 1/2 of lid
-Persephone Minerals "Princess Mars" on inner 1/2 of lid, blended into Mars Crystal Power, and blended above "Rei"
-random white highlight shade on brow bone
-Kat Von D tattoo liner in "Trooper"
-Wet n Wild lengthening mascara
-Maybelline black eyeliner

Victoria (the genius behind Persephone Minerals) agreed to do a trade with me, so I will be getting a sample set of Sailor Moon as well as the new Chibi Moon set. I'm really excited, there's not a single color in either of those sets that I don't like! In exchange, she will be getting this from me: A moon necklace for Sailor Moon eyeshadow, seems appropriate, right? :)

Have a lovely evening!

e.l.f. Haul/Review

Not too long after Christmas I saw that e.l.f. (eyeslipsface) was having a sale where basically you get $5 off your order. I had been meaning to try them out so I picked up a couple of things. This brand is known for there lowlowlow prices but also for having very hit-or-miss products. Here's what I got:
Face primer, complexion perfection, and three brushes.

The cream handle blending brush is from their "Mineral" line and was $5. The other two are from their "Studio" line and were $3. I actually really love these brushes. I have a problem with paying $20 for one brush, so I was really eager to try these. I've heard from others that the brushes from their regular line are awful, but these work just fine. They're pretty dense and serve their purpose. I would definitely recommend these.

Face primer: $6. I haven't ever tried a face primer before, but I rather like this. It's a clear gel that feels very velvet-y. It doesn't make my face feel greasy or anything, and it does make my foundation apply smoother. You actually don't get very much product with this, though. The container seems fairly large at first, but when you look there's just a small tube in the middle that contains the product. This kind of sucks because when you press the pump once, too much product comes out so it's wasted. So, $6 seems like a good deal, but you don't get very much at all. Overall, I like the product, hate the packaging.

Complexion Perfection: $3. This is designed to even out your skin where you have redness, undereye circles, or any kind of discolorations. They say to swirl a large brush all through and and apply it all over your face. I tried this when I wasn't wearing any make up and didn't notice any difference. I then tried it after I'd already applied foundation and noticed it helped a little. I wouldn't say this stuff is really outstanding, but it works well as a setting powder at the very least. That's what I plan on using it for.

I can see why everyone says that e.l.f. is hit or miss. You can't really complain though, seeing as how low their prices are. I like the brushes the best out of everything I got, especially the "C" brush. It works really well for brow bone highlighting. I'd like to get some more brushes from this line eventually.

Are there any really great or really awful e.l.f. products I should know about? I've wondered about their nail polish and mineral lipstick. Let me know!

Have a lovely Saturday! :)

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Plaid Lunar Eclipse

Don't you love how clever that title is? Leave me alone, I'm sick. I can't be clever when I'm sick.

Even though I feel too yucky to do makeup, I've been okay for nails. My nails had gotten too long and were scratching me so I cut them, and it feels so weird! I always have them long so my fingertips feel naked.
I used Orly's Lunar Eclipse as the main color and China Glaze's Midnight Kiss as the stamp color.
Sorry about the yucky no-flash pic, it's the only way I could get the pattern to show up. Also, check out how short my nails are. Weird!
Lunar Eclipse is a really lovely color, but the formula is kind of difficult. You really need 3 coats to get it opaque, though this is only 2. I figured it didn't matter since I was putting a design on it anyway. The first coat looks super gross, but by the third, it's gorgeous. Midnight Kiss actually works pretty well as a stamp, even though it's subtle.
I can't help but think about my high school when I look at this. The school colors were blue and gold. I kind of hated my high school, so I can't say I'm in love with this design. haha Oh well. What do you expect, I'M SICK! *cough* *sniff* Okay, that was the last time. XD

Have a lovely evening!

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

15 Random Facts About Annamax

Okay, I don't normally do these "tag" things but I figured it's about time to give a little bit of information about myself. I've also been really sick lately which is why I haven't been posting at all, so I feel like I need to write SOMETHING. I always like learning about other bloggers myself, so here's some useless information about me.

1. The reason I call myself "Annamax" is because my first name is Anna and my middle name is Maxwell. I bet you thought it was something clever, haha nope. :P I just have a weird middle name that I've grown to love.

2. It should be obvious by now that I love making jewelry. I've actually been doing that since I was very young. My mom has a pair of earrings that I made for her when I was 5 years old.

3. I'm obsessed with anything Little Mermaid or Sailor Moon.

4. Actually..I'm obsessed with anything having to do with mermaids period. That's been true all my life.

5. One of my pet peeves is picky eaters. "Eww I can't eat that, eww that's gross." That drives me absolutely insane. There are people in the world who have NOTHING to eat, and you're complaining about broccoli? I'll eat most anything, especially if someone is giving it to me.

6. I attend a branch of the University of South Carolina and my major is graphic design. I'm good at design, crafts, photography, etc, but NOT drawing. So it's challenging.

7. I didn't get my ears pierced until I was 18 years old because I was afraid.

8. I took music classes all through school, but have done nothing music-related since I got to college. I really miss singing.

9. I have been with my boyfriend, Caleb, for five years. It bothers people that we aren't engaged yet, but getting engaged halfway through college just seems pointless to me.

10. I'm extremely shy and quiet, and people tend to mistake that for being stuck-up. Therefore, it's hard for me to make friends.

11. I'm really short. 5'1"

12. I'm 20 years old and have never been drunk or high. That's not me bragging, I just find it funny. I actually have no interest in doing either, but I don't judge other people who do(unless they're obnoxious about it).

13. I have five cats, Red, Grape, Scooter, Jynx, and Peabo, a rabbit, Gypsy, a dog, Halo, and a horse, Moon. Needless to say, I love animals. Caleb's two cats, Jasper and Rufio, are pretty much mine as well.

14. I don't have any brothers or sisters, so I'm pretty used to solitude. Possibly the main reason why I'm so timid.

15. I love make up and nail polish WAY TOO MUCH! I blame you all! ;P

I don't really see the point in tagging people here. If you want to do this, do it! I'd like to see what a lot of you have to say. You can say I tagged you if you want. :)

I promise I'll be back to normal soon. I'm super sick, not to mention snowed in. The first day of classes was supposed to be Monday but I haven't gone yet because of the snow. We haven't gotten this much in a WHILE. I'm enjoying it though, I like staying in and being lazy :)

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Checkerboard Tips

As I mentioned earlier, I finally got a couple Konad plates. I'm not very good at doing it, and it helps that I don't have the "special" polish. I'm thinking I'm going to get some in black, white, and red. Those are probably the colors I'd use the most. Anyway, I did this using the m56 (I think) plate. If you zoom in, you can see where I went in and dotted some more white over the design to make it show up more. Regular polish just doesn't do the trick in one stamp (not plain white or black, anyway).
(Do my nails look stained to you? Uh, "Midnight Kiss" did that. Bad. Definitely recommend using a base coat with that one.)
I LOVE Orly's "Liquid Vinyl." I've been using a crappy .99 cent black polish and finally got fed up with it and got that one. It's really dark black, but still not black enough for the stamping. I actually painted my tips black and used the white as the stamp. It's not perfect (at all) but I like it. I added a little silver stripe to give it a little something extra, and I think that's what makes it.

I'm definitely going to get some more plates when I get the polish. Which ones should I get? I have this one (m56) and m60.

Have a lovely evening! :)

Jewelries and Whatnot

As you all know, I've been trying to move away from the "glass tile" necklaces I've been making and get back into doing beaded stuff, which is what I love. I will still make glass pendants for anyone who wants one, and probably still a few here and there, I just don't want that to be the main focus of my shop.

I made a couple of necklaces while my shop was closed and they turned out really cute. I know they're really simple and not particularly breath-taking or anything, but they're cool because they're customizable.
These are what I came up with, but I can make these in just about any color combination. Pink & black, blue & red, purple & teal, yellow & green, you name it. Also, they're very affordable for me to make, so I don't have to ask much for them. I have both of these for sale here and I'm only asking $18 for them, and it'd be the same for any custom ones. This isn't an advertisement post or anything, I'm not saying GO BUY NOW, I just thought it was pretty neat and that I'd share. I'm ready to get my creative juices flowing again and can't wait to see what 2011 holds for my little business. :)



In more "beauty related" news, I finally got a couple of Konad plates. I've wanted to get some for months now, and I finally had a little extra money to get some. I've been playing around with them a lot to try and get used to them, so expect to see some nail posts very soon.

Have a lovely day! :)

Saturday, January 1, 2011

New Years Eve Look

Everyone else is doing it, I figured I might as well do it too. I also had a "Top 10 Eyeshadows of 2010" post prepared, but gave up because I couldn't decide on just 10. True story.
This look is pretty much the same thing as what you see in my little default picture, but with silver instead of gold. It's dramatic, but actually pretty simple.


Face:
-Hard Candy "Light" tinted moisturizer
-Hard Candy blush in "Pin up"
-Meow Cosmetics Pampered Puss foundation in "Frisky Persian"

Eyes:
-Too Faced Shadow Insurance
-Sugarpill "Tiara" (wet) all over lid and inner corners
-Sugarpill "Stella" crease/outer V/lower lash line
-Sugarpill "Lumi" on browbone
-Kat Von D tattoo liner pen on upper lash line
-MAC "Feline" eyeliner on waterline
-Wet n Wild lengthening mascara

Lips:
-Morgana Cryptoria "Wisteria" (LOVE THIS.)

All I really did for New Years was go to a party with Caleb. I didn't know hardly anyone though, and I'm a VERY shy/awkward person when I'm around unfamiliar people. It was fun though, better than what we usually do, which is nothing. We did stay out way too late, and I'm regretting that now. It feels like 10 in the morning to me, and it's 3:30 in the afternoon. Anyway, I'll leave you with an awkward picture of Caleb and me, and my lazy cat, Peabo.



Have a lovely New Years!! :D