Hottest trends for spring and summer looks!

I swear, this year has been flying by faster than ever! That hasn't stopped me from trying to keep up on the latest trends though! I've been loving a simple, dewy look lately and trying to focus more on a simple, glowing look- mostly due to a rush getting ready! What have your favorite looks been lately?


Pops of color along the lower lash line.
An oldie but a goodie, I've been so excited to see this coming back around again on trend! The recent black or brown smoked out lash line is being passed over for a more fun burst of color along the lower lash. My personal favorites have been blue and purples!

Metallic lip.
Matte lip has been king for what seems like almost forever, but slowly we've been seeing metallic and frosts sneaking back in on the scene! Lip toppers have been coming out left and right, many having an intense metallic or glittered finish.

Heavy blush.
The flushed, heavy handed blushing look has always been a favorite of mine, so I'm glad to see highlighter obsession shifting back to fresh cheeks and healthy glows!

Dewy finish.
Much like the matte lip craze, an entire matte face has been insanely popular, especially in full face Instagram looks. Lately the tide has been shifting back to a more dewy and fresh look. Hey, I'm not complaining, I won't miss the struggle of finding a hydrating luminous foundation among a sea of full coverage matte finishes.

Peachy, orangey tones.
These colors have been everywhere, starting with the launch of the Too Faced Sweet Peach collection and escalating to new heights with Anastasia Beverly Hills' Modern Renascence palette. I've even noticed a growing popularity in a good orange lip, something that's sure to turn heads as well as peachy orange blushes popping up all over the place.

Neon liner.
I've been noticing bright pops of neon liner everywhere, especially with Urban Decay's newest release of the new Jean-Michel Basquiat collection. I think it's a fun and easy way to make a statement with your look!

Fact or Fake: "cruelty free" mink lashes

So I’m sure we’ve all seen lash companies or makeup companies selling and advertising what they insist are completely “cruelty free”  animal hair lashes. I’ve personally been contacted to affiliate with a lash company – no, I’m not gonna be name dropping here 😉. I’m in no way pretending to be famous here, we all know I’m not! But if I’m being contacted, god knows how many other bloggers are as well! 

In contact with a particular lash company, I was assured that their product was completely made from the seasonal sheddings of “free range” minks on a farm. Really? I wasn’t exactly born yesterday, and I can’t imagine a hundred minks running free on a farm to be carefully combed out for shedded fur. It just can’t be a reality. So I did a little research, and it’s absolutely not.  While these lashes are being touted as long wearing, natural looking and a good beauty investment as they can be reused, the fact remains that companies are simply not being transparent about the production process.

A quick google search later, and I found Mandy Carter writing for “The Dodo”. As she says in her informative piece, there is no such thing as a free-range mink farm. They are aggressive animals that cannot be allowed to “free range” with each other. It’s behaviorally impossible. The reality is they’re kept in tiny wire cages, deprived of natural habitat and basic quality of life. Mandy contacted several companies that purported to selling these so called “cruelty free” mink lashes, and was unable to get any response as to the realities of their true cruelty free status.

Gabriella from Glamby.weebly.com also wrote an excellent piece on the realities of fur farming, and I would encourage you to check her page out for more info as well.

Interestingly enough, many of these so called mink lashes are actually synthetic and not true mink. Due to the harvesting process, authentic mink lashes are typically extremely expensive and are mainly imported from China, according to eyelashlab.com. If a brand is selling them on the cheap online, they are probably lying twice over about the product.

The fact is that there is no way to actually verify these lashes are cruelty free at all, and in all likely hood came at enormous suffering to the animal. Fur farming conditions are horrific, the animals being caged tightly, terrified and eventually outright killed for their fur. There is no kindness here. There are so many better, kinder options to wear on your face than mink lashes. Some popular favorites I always see being recommended are by ELF, Urban Decay, and Ardell.  Check out the final link below to find Peta’s list of the best cruelty free lash options!

Don’t just take my word for it- check out these helpful sources:
https://www.thedodo.com/ethical-mink-fur-eyelashes-1117255634.html

http://glamby.weebly.com/blog/are-mink-lashes-animal-friendly

http://www.eyelashlab.com/index.php/product-information/2-uncategorised/26-truth-about-mink-lashes

http://www.peta.org/living/beauty/cruelty-free-false-lashes-guide/

THE CRUELTY FREE TAG!

Hey babes! Long time no see ;) It's been a while since I've been around- the semester got real rough, you guys. But I'm back, and hopefully headed into a regular posting schedule! What better way to break back into the blogging game by filling out the cruelty free tag! This was originally created by Jacquelyn Lovene and Hala Gabrealle on youtube, but I thought I'd give it a shot on here!

Something I think that needs to be raised in the cruelty free community is the tendency towards "policing" each other in a way- people make different choices in their journey towards going cruelty free and people jumping on them for being unsure of a companies testing status or something they had previously purchased is just unnecessary. You can educate without attacking. People make mistakes and people learn. Jumping all over them makes the community unfriendly and hostile. Instead of leaving a harsh comment, maybe send them a message with a link or two.

CRUELTY FREE Q&A TAG QUESTIONS:

- What was your first impression of cruelty free makeup?

Hmm, I don't know if I can truly remember my very first impression. But I remember when I first started wearing makeup, I never paid much attention to cruelty free or not. It wasn't even something that was in my universe- once I finally learned about it, it was just a sort of extra thing, it was never really a consideration either way.

- What is your opinion on parent companies?

People tend to get real fired up about parent companies, and I think it's something that people need to decide on for themselves and make an educated decision. Personally, I do buy from cruelty free companies that are owned by a parent company that isn't. I feel that by putting my money towards the sections under a larger parent company that are cruelty free will help show the parent company that it matters to consumers. It can also be extremely hard to find completely stand alone cruelty free as well, unless you're going completely natural or indie brands.


- What was the turning point in you going cruelty free?

Quite honestly, it was when I started doing my own research about animal testing and what it actually entails. The realities of the testing process is absolutely horrific, and in my opinion, unnecessary. I was pretty horrified at what I'd been blindly supporting in the past.

- What would you say to someone considering going cruelty free?

Makeup at the end of the day is something that is unnecessary to me.  Its a fun little luxury hobby, and something you're allowed to be as choosy and picky about as you want. I don't want my eyeliner to be a product of suffering of another living being.  I would strongly encourage people to do some research for themselves and educate themselves on what the realities of testing are.

- What are your best cruelty free dupes?

I don't have much dupe wise, but I've found a lot of success finding cruelty free brands and stickign with them. My current go to's are Wet N Wild for face products, ELF for lip products and Urban Decay for eye stuff, as I've been finding they work really well with my skin chemistry!

- What items have you not found a cruelty free dupe for yet?

My hardest items so far have been body products. Perfume, hair products, skincare. I would absolutely love recommendations if anyone has any?

- What's your favorite cruelty free brand? Drugstore & High end?

Drugstore wise, I've been really loving ELF, WET N WILD, and Essence. I don't really branch into "high end", but some of the more expensive brands I've been enjoying have been Urban Decay, Becca and Anastasia Beverly Hills!

- Which brands and/or items do you most wish were cruelty free?

I so very much wish MAC would return to cruelty free! I love their lip products so much!

- What advice do you have for the temptation to buy non cruelty free products?

The biggest thing for me is to recognize that it's just stuff. I'm not going to die without a lipstick. It's okay to be tempted, of course. It happens! Another thing I find is important to acknowledge is that people aren't perfect. You might make mistakes! I know I've done it on accident- it can be hard to find a companies status as many are switching back and forth all the time. Often you might find conflicting blog sources. If you mess up, it's not the end of the world, it's just a learning experience.

- What do you do with your non cruelty free products? Declutter? Use up?

For the things that were older or I didn't care for, I passed on or just plan threw out. Other things I've been slowly trying to work through. In my mind, the money's already spent, I might as well finish the product off!

- Do you think animal testing will end one day?

I think it ultimately will. I sure hope so at least!

Intro to 12 pans of Christmas

Even though I told myself that after I finished up 13 By Halloween that I would take a little break for the rest of the year, here I am, writing this. Yep, I'm heading into another project, and I'm hoping to work on these following 12 things until Christmas! Wish me luck.
I picked out these products for one of two reasons; Either they aren't cruelty free, and they need to been used up or tossed, or they're products I really love and want to continue to get use out of.
So let's get right to it:

1) Rimmel Stay Matte pressed powder- #4 Sandstorm.
This is actually the best color match I've ever gotten in a powder,  so I was pretty excited to try this product out. We all know it's been hyped by practically everyone and their mother! ;) However, Rimmel is definitely not cruelty free, and I'm wayyy too oily for this stuff to contain it apparently. I do get a good 5-6 hours but after that, I need a touch up. I also haven't been using this for very long and I already hit baby pan, which is weird.

Usage: Tiny pan already.
Goal: Finish.

2) Covergirl Clean Normal Skin liquid foundation in 120 creamy natural.
A lot of people actively hate this stuff, and I'm not going to pretend I can't see why. There's the signature noxeema scent plus the fact that this seems to oxidize darker on a lot of people. This would be a really good foundation for people who have good skin. It's very light, not very build-able and sets to a dewy finish. I used to really enjoy this honestly, but in the last few months I've been getting more oily and acne prone and it just hasn't been a good time. Plus Covergirl tests on animals, so I'm looking forward to just being done with this.
Usage: Almost gone.
Goal: Finish.

3) Maybelline Color Tattoo #35 Tough as Taupe
I bought this in hopes of using it as cool toned medium brown for my brows like everyone else uses it for. LOL NICE TRY, MORG. I'm pretty cool and olive toned, so this pulls straight up cool dusty purple on me. Works nicely as a liner, though. Also far from cruelty free.
Usage: still pretty new.
Goal: make a dent.

4) Covergirl eye enhancer single in 1KT
This is pretty old and I have major pan going, so at this point I just want it gone. It's a decent neutral color, but it's been getting a little hard pan lately so who knows how much I'll actually use before getting annoyed and tossing it. Also not cruelty free. Boo.
Usage: Big pan.
Goal: Use up or throw at end.

5) ELF Blush in Coy
So technically elf sells this as a blush, but I definitely use it as a highlighter/ sometimes as an eye-shadow. I love, love, love this shade and I think it looks great with fall looks. The pan is so huge though, so it feels impossible to ever finish.
Usage: decent dip going.
Goal: hit pan.

6) LA Colors Chunky Lip in Feels Nude
This is a few years old, so it's in the older style packaging.  This is a really easy color and I've almost used the whole thing up so I'd like to just finish it.
Usage: Almost gone.
Goal: Finish.

7) ELF Long wear Lip Pencil in Natural Blush
This matches really well with the lipstick I'm working on, so it's in here too. I never remember to actually use lip liner, so we'll see how it goes. It's a really gorgeous shade, but the formula is too dry and waxy to use as a lip color by itself. I think it'll go fast because you have to sharpen it alot to get a good point.
Usage: Halfway
Goal: Finish.

8) Becca  Backlit Priming Filter
This is a DS size from the Becca kit I got a few months ago. I haven't used this much, but I'm not sure how it's gonna work on oily skin. We'll see.
Usage: almost brand new.
Goal: Finish

9)Benefit Browvo! Conditioning primer
This was a little freebie ds Ulta gave out a few months ago, and I'm not sure brow primer is ever a thing I'd pay money for lol. I'm also pretty sure they are not cruelty free.
Usage: almost brand new
Goal: Finish

10) LA Colors DUO Eyes shadow pencil Java/Mocha
This is another oldie but a goodie. I like the nude end to use as a base, but I like the milani one I have better. This needs to be used up.
Usage: Half gone.
Goal: Finish.

11) Wishful White hand and body moisturizer
I got this in my stocking last year, I believe and I have way too much lotion. Might as well use this up. This smells pretty good but doesn't seem that moisturizing.
Usage: Half gone
Goal: Finish.

12) Angel Face perfume rollerball
This smells amazing, so I don't think using it up will be a problem at all. I got this like a year ago at TJ Maxx for like $2. Looks like I won't be able to repurchase though. Oh well.  It's a really beautiful blend of apple, black current, roses and jasmine.
Usage: Almost new.
Goal: Finish.


Who else is doing a panning project right now? How do you like to pick your products? I'd love to hear in the comments!

XOXO,
Morg

Online Shopping Fun: Shop Miss A edition. (HAUL) (review)

Hey babes,

Thanks for joining me over here on the blog! Today I wanted to share a little haul and review from the website, Shop Miss A . I purchased everything with my own money and all photos are my own. 

Now, if you aren't in the loop about this site, it's essentially a fast fashion online dollar store. That's right, almost everything online is just a buck! There are some things like charms and "pandora" style beads that cost a little more, but you can find a whole range of goodies on there pretty cheap. I've made a few orders in the past but that was a year or two ago and I thought I'd give it another chance. They offer a whole host of stuff- jewelry, bows and hair accessories, body piercing jewelry such as belly button rings, underwear, temporary tattoos, and even makeup. They also have an extra section of the sight for cutesy little things like stationary or stickers. While I have bought makeup from them in the past, this time I was mostly focused on the jewelry. I will say stock on there goes extremely fast and once it's gone, it's gone. As far as I can tell, they don't really restock products and new stock seems to be added on Fridays! 

So, what's the catch?? 

Please also keep in mind that this jewelry is $1. While the items are very pretty and on trend, don't expect insane quality. This stuff is very much costume jewelry, and most of it has "made in china" on the packaging because the site buys items out wholesale to resell cheaply. There's nothing wrong with this, I just want to be perfectly clear. The items you get can be pretty gorgeous but I would never order anything with the thought that is would be "investment" or long term jewelry. I find the quality generally on the level of Claire's or Forever 21.  I personally also wouldn't buy the body piercing jewelry such as the eyebrow or navel rings but that's your personal preference. I went ahead and picked up nine things this order and everything arrived perfectly beautiful and in one piece

The deets:

 Shipping for the site is $3.95 flat rate for US standard, with an upgrade of $9.95 if you want US express. If you're located in Canada, it starts at $5.95 for orders $40.00 and under, $9.95 for orders $40.01 - $70.00, and $19.95 for anything $70.00 and up. If you're international, it starts at $9.95 for $40.00 and under, $19.95 for $40.01 to $70.00, and anything after that is $29.95. Jeesh. If you aren't US based, you're gonna have a bad time 

 I will say they do a really excellent job in packaging. It ships out in the bright orange shop miss a bag, but inside your items are swaddled in bubble wrap, tissue paper and layers of foam and packing tape. Within that, items are individually separated in bags, foam sheets for makeup or nail polish or squares of foam for items like rings.

 However, don't rely too much on their shipping and tracking info! I ordered on October 21 and didn't receive any shipping info from them until the 27th, when they let me know my items were "ready to be shipped" and gave me a tracking number that didn't work. I got my order on November 2nd, but according to the site, it still hasn't shipped out yet! Funny how that works sometimes. 

Did you says $1 makeup?? 

As for the makeup, it's seems perfectly legit and these are pretty budget friendly brands to start with. Kleancolor, La Colors, Santee, Amuse, Rich on, and even ELF. I have my suspicions that at least some of these makeup items are factory seconds or specifically wholesaled for Shop Miss A, as I have noticed that the packaging and labeling is different than the same product you'd buy in a physical store (check out the photos of the elf brushes farther down in the post). Even if that is the case, I have been very happy with all the makeup I've purchased from them in the past. A major plus is that this site only sells cruelty free makeup and products! They also have lashes, brushes and things like sheet masks and scrubs. 

First up, the earrings!

Now, just a word to the wise: be very careful when looking at earrings on here. They do sell clip on earrings or some can look not true to size unless they have a photo of a model wearing them. I have accidentally ordered extremely long dangling ones in the past! 

1) Crystal Collection rhinestone accented silver tree charm hook earrings. 

I'm a sucker with anything with a tree or nature theme, so these got me right away. The stones on this are pretty obviously faux, so don't think you're going to get away with passing some of these off as real. 

2) Gold Scalloped hoop earrings. 

Some of the smallest options on the site, these feel understated and versatile. I think they'll be great for dressing up a casual outfit! Also, these guys are so shiny, you can sort of see my reflection in them! 

3) Rhinestone Embellished Tassel earrings in orange. 

These are so on trend right now it's ridiculous. I picked out a gorgeous orange for fall but the white and black versions were stunning as well! If only they hadn't sold out before I could order! 

4) Crystal Collection Rhinestone Center Flower earrings in peach.

These are pastel perfect and so cute. I can't wait to wear them! The delicate peachy pink feels like it will be perfect all through winter and into spring!

The necklaces on the site are pretty much my favorite part- so many options! 

I ended up choosing just three though. They all have fairly sturdy chains and clasps, and most come in various color and metal finish combinations. 

1) Gold "diamond" flower necklace. 

This was so beautiful and dainty on the model that I fell in love. They're obviously costume but still pretty enough to be on trend. 

2) Vintage Gem pendant necklace in white and gold.

There were so many color combinations in this style, I kind of wanted them all! I ended up going with white because the stones had such a pretty marble effect.

3) Tribal Stone necklace in gold and red. 

Again, they had so many options here! I went with the red because it was so striking on the model but now that I have it here, the stones almost pull more orangy- coral than red. I wish you could see how interesting the stones are in person - they have a black, marbled effect like the style of the white and gold necklace too!

I picked up one ring: 

It's probably my very favorite thing out of the whole order! Note, some of the rings are adjustable, like the one I got here. But some of them aren't, and apparently only come in sizes 7 +. In the past, I got some rings that claimed to be 6s but they were easily an 8. Your mileage may vary here, so I usually stick with the adjustable ones. 

1)  Rose gold boho stone ring in yellow. 

Now, this stone is acrylic but is a pretty passable fake citrine. I was hoping it would be real but I figured it wouldn't be. As a crystal junkie, I'm pleased with the fake's appearance though! The rhinestones around the rim are a pretty cute touch as well. 

Brush:

Lastly, I ordered a single new brush from ELF. I got the essential eyeliner brush, and it was more of a convenience factor than a bargain.

* As I mentioned before, I have ordered ELF in the past from this site, and the packaging is always a little bit off. I've gotten an eye quad without the elf printing on the front. Labeling on the packaging will be upside down or printed the wrong way. As you can see below in the comparison photo I took with some elf brushes I picked up a physical store, the handles are completely different. The shade of white is not as pearly, the label is in black ink instead of the classic elf silver and it's upside down on the handle as well. I don't think these are fake products, because who is really going to knock off a one dollar item? As I mentioned earlier, I think they are either factory seconds with packaging mistakes or wholesale specifically for Shop Miss A. *

The very bottom brush is from Shop Miss A, see the difference? 

Overall, I am very pleased with this order and very pleasantly surprised with the quality of the items I received. I can't wait to get some wear outta these beauties, and I'll be sure to keep you all updated on how they hold up! Anybody else have experiences with this site? Lemme know down below! 

Hello :)

Just a quick hello, everyone! Welcome to the blog, where you can expect much more in depth posts than just my instagram ones- if you don't follow me there, I'd encourage you to go check me out on Instagram, my handle there is @missteaandlipstick as well :)  I will probably always be much more active on there as it's simply an easier place to post on the go! I'm looking forward to chatting with everyone on here and am always looking for new blogs to follow as well, so please leave a comment below so I can check yours out as well!

XOXO,
Morg