The Junkie's stash: Urban Decay lipsticks

Hello again to my 4 followers! :) I hope you're having a good Wednesday, or hump day as we like to call it. Today I wanted to swatch my Urban Decay lipsticks for you guys. I think UD is best know for it's other products: shadows, liners, and primer potion to name a few. But I have to say that their lipsticks are my absolute favorite that I've tried. First off, I *love* the packaging. It is too cool - what other lipstick do you pull out with a tiny dagger?? The base is purple metallic, and the clear plastic cover is covered in purple swirls. When you twist the tube to get the product, the lipstick itself has a tiny dagger and the words Urban Decay imprinted into it. They're really high quality, you just have to check them out for yourself.

The actual formula of these lipsticks is a dream - creamy, pigmented, and long lasting. The finish of these varies from color to color, and the website does a good job of describing them. Some are more sheer, others have glitter, etc. There are a good amount of colors to choose from, and many of the names are really clever.

The only downside to these is the price - $22 each. When I bought my first one (Rush), I immediately regretted it. Then I got home and tried it - and the regret was quickly forgotten. Rush is my all time second favorite lipstick - I absolutely adore it. The formula of this one in particular is amazing. It's a nude color that I think would look great on anyone. It's perfection in a tube!!

The two that I swatched on the bottom are actually deluxe samples that UD sent me when I placed online orders. These are so cute - they're exactly like mini lipsticks - you take the top off and swivel the bottom to bring the lipstick up. They're definitely a great free gift with purchase.

My collection includes:
#1 Rush - a sheer creamy neutral pink with no sparkle
#2 Voo Doo - a full coverage dark pink with a glossy finish
#3 Trainwreck - a full coverage fuchsia with a glossy finish
#4 Midnight Cowboy - a sheer beige with shimmer
#5 Wanted - a sheer creamy warm berry with no sparkle
#6 Gash - a full coverage blood red with a glossy finish
#7 Sellout - a creamy full coverage warm neutral

On to the swatches - remember that you can click on the pics.

The Junkie's stash: Benefit lipsticks

Hello again junkies!! Today I'm sharing my collection of Benefit lipsticks with you. These lipsticks come in two formulas - silky finish and full finish. I have a couple of each, and I greatly prefer the full finish formula. I have three (La La Land, Ladies Choice, and Thrillin Brazillian) and they're smooth, creamy, long lasting, and the pigmentation is great - exactly what a lipstick should be. The silky finish ones (I do I do I do and Swoonderful) are more of a gloss/lipstick combo. They are much more sheer and have a glossy effect to them. The ones I own also have glitter, which is pretty, but makes for a much grittier consistancy. The five I have are:

1. La La Land - full finish - a nude rose color

2. Ladies Choice - full finish - a pink based nude - one of my all time favorite lipsticks of any brand

3. I do I do I do - silky finish - a sheer coral with glitter

4. Swoonderful - silky finish - a silvery pink with silver glitter

5. Thrillian Brazillian - full finish - a spiced chai brown based neutral

Benefit lipsticks are $18 each and available at Sephora or Benefitcosmetics.com. They are a little pricier than MAC lipsticks, but in my opinion, they are superior in quality (at least the full finish ones). My absolute favorite is Ladies Choice - I think it would look great on anyone, and is one of my top 5 favorite lipsticks. Hope this was helpful junkies!!

My first time: Nars velvet matte lip pencils

Happy Friday junkies!! Today's post is a review of the Nars velvet matte lip pencils. Marlena at makeupgeek.com used one recently in a tutorial, and I knew right away that I would love these. I was right! I couldn't decide which one to order, so I ordered three. Typical junkie behavior, but I digress. These babies are wonderful - they are smooth and creamy - not at all drying. You use the same pencil to line and fill, and you can put a gloss over them. They last a long time, and come in many colors. The only downside I see is the price tag - $24 each. They are available anywhere you get your Nars fix - for me that's narscosmetics.com or Sephora. The three colors I got are:

Bettina: natural beige
Roman Holiday: pastel pink
Sex Machine: pink mauve

Overall, I adore these and can't wait to add a few more to my collection. Like I always say, you really can't go wrong with Nars. Have a great weekend!!

The Junkie's stash: Urban Decay 24/7 liners

I love me some Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliner pencils. I have collected all but 3 of them (Lucky, Honey, and Flipside), and I will have them all one day! These are rich, creamy, long lasting, and come in a ton of neutral and vibrant shades. There's bound to be several that catch your eye. They are great on the waterline too. These were one of the first items that I bought when I started buying higher end makeup, and I absolutely love them. My collection includes:

1999 - plum with tiny gold glitter
Baked - bold bronze
Bourbon - brown with tiny gold glitter
Covet - peacock green
Deviant - bold blue
Dime - very metallic silver
Electric - bright aquamarine
Graffiti - bright medium green with silver sparkle
Gunmetal - gunmetal with tiny silver glitter
Lust - deep purple with subtle silver sparkle
Ransom - bright iridescent purple
Rockstar - darkest eggplant
Stash - dark green gold
Underground - metallic taupe
Yeyo - metallic white
Zero - black


I really and truly love all of these colors. Zero is a definite must have, but I love having the option of so many colors to choose from. Like I said, there's something to complement any look. And remember that until Friday April 17th get 30% off your order from Urban Decay online by entering the code FNFS9 at checkout. That makes these liners about $11 each (normally $16). Remember to click the pics to make them bigger.

The Junkie's stash: MAC paint pots

Aaah, MAC paint pots. My love for these babies has grown by leaps and bounds lately. These are cream shadows that most people use as bases under regular shadows. They are used similarly to shadesticks, but I prefer these. They are creamier and easier to apply. You can use your finger, but I prefer a brush. I've tried the 217 (which some people swear by to apply these), but for me the winner is the 242 or 252. Each delivers a precise application, and like shadesticks, a thin layer works best. If you want a more intense color, apply two thin layers. Paint pots are great for making colors more vibrant and intense, and they also make shadows last much longer. When I swatch these on my hand, I have to scrub like crazy to remove them.

My collection includes:
Artifact - burgandy with red pearl

Bare Study - soft beige with gold pearl

Blackground - black grey with mulit colored pearl

Cash Flow - green gold with gold pearl (LE)

Constructavist - metallic brown with red pearl

Deflt - deep teal with gold pearl

Girl Friendly - rich ruby fuscia with pearl

Greenstroke - mint green with gold pearl (discontinued)

Indianwood - metallic antique bronze

Moss Scape - green with gold pearl (discontinued)

Painterly - nude beige Rollickin' - aqua blue green with white pearl (LE)

Rubanesque - golden peach with gold pearl

I copied the color descriptions straight from MAC, and the only one I completely disagree with is Girl Friendly. You can judge for yourself from the swatches, but I'd describe it as a matte medium pink/mauve color.

You can purchase most of these paint pots wherever MAC is sold, and they are $16.50 USD each. A great place to find discontinued ones is allcosmeticswholesale.com.

As far as my favorites, I'd have to go with Delft, Cash Flow, Rubanesque, and Bare Study. But I love them all - it's like making me choose between my kids. Can't do it.

I am dying for MAC to introduce new paint pot colors, and I know I'm not alone. A purple one anybody? Silver? White? A girl can dream. Here are some swatches to help you decide which paint pots you need in your stash. As always, click on the pics to see them better. Until next time junkies!!

The Junkie's stash: MAC shadesticks

Today will be the first post of the series called "The Junkie's stash". I will post my collection by category, and today's will be my shadesticks. I don't have many, so I thought it would be a good first post.
I use shadesticks mainly as bases under my regular powder shadows. They make the colors more vibrant and long lasting. Sometimes they even slightly change the color of the actual shadows - this happens mostly with duochrome shades. You can wear them alone, but honestly I haven't tried that yet.
I have heard that MAC is discontinuing the shadesticks, but I have yet to verify this.
The old formula of the shadesticks can be a little hard, and they tend to pull your eye when you apply them. MAC released 5 new shadesticks with the Sugar Sweet collection last month, and these are much creamier and blendable than the older ones. They also changed the packaging slightly - the entire container is similar to the color of the shadestick. You can apply them to your lids either by "coloring" directly on the lid, or you can get some product on a brush and then use the brush on your eye. I find they wear best if you use a thin layer and they are also the perfect size to smudge under your lower lash line. My collection includes:

Sharkskin - a very dark grey (almost black) with minimal shimmer
Beige-ing - a very shimmery champagne color
Fresh Cement - a medium brown-taupe with medium shimmer
Red Velvet - a dark pinkish red with medium shimmer
Cakeshop - a very unique color similar to Greenstroke paintpot. It's kinda silvery, pewtery, and greenish and it is almost glittery
Penny - a vibrant copper - the name says it all

Sharkskin would look best for a dark, sultry eye - Red Velvet is great for any pinks, reds, and even oranges - Cakeshop is perfect for blues, greens, and teals. Try it under Club too. Click the pics to make them bigger.

The bottom line is that shadesticks are a great, multi-purpose item and this junkie recommends that you have a few in your collection. They're $16.50 USD each and available where ever you get your MAC fix. And if the new ones interest you, you better get them while you still can.