New job. New adventure.

Today, I started a new job here in Phoenix.  I am working for Facebook, which is pretty awesome so far.  It seems like a company where I can grow and really begin to enjoy a good work-life balance.

I am still working as an esthetician and as a freelance makeup artist as well.  I decided that I will no longer be modeling, however.  It just isn't fun for me anymore, and I will have way too much going on to focus on much more than what I will be doing.  For the next month or two, I will continue working all three jobs only to catch myself up financially and get into a new apartment.  After that, I will be leaving one of those jobs.  I start school full time in August, and I will be taking care of my daughter more at that point as well. 

Right now, I spend a lot of time looking st apartments and being completely unsatisfied with the results.  There is always something that I am not happy with.  I may be acting a bit more picky than what most do.  I just know how I am, and if I am not completely happy with where I am, I end up leaving rather quickly.  I want a place where I won't have to think about moving again for a year or more.  Moving every couple months is tiresome and becoming more and more aggravating.  It is time for my own place, though. I look forward to it.

I'm still organizing a schedule for my posts as well on top of everything else.  I'm hoping to have some of that a bit more organized tonight.

Off to the rest of my day!

Review: Anastasia Beverly Hills Liquid Lipstick

When I saw posts about the new liquid lipsticks from Anastasia Beverly Hills, I have to say, I was a little skeptical about how "fantastic" they would really be. Then, I saw everyone going crazy for them. I decided to wait to get them. My favorite liquid lipsticks are Kat Von D's and some of the Melted line from Too Faced, and I just couldn't bring myself to order the colors that I wanted to try from Anastasia. Fast forward a few months later, I planned my weekend vacation to California. I knew that I would absolutely have to go to the physical store to get a few of these lipsticks to try. So, first thing I did after the hotel was drive over to the store, sat there for about 10 minutes, swatching all of the colors on the back of my hand. I felt like I was at work or something with how much product was on my hand.

The colors above are the original colors that came out, and since then, there have been two new colors that were released (Craft and Unicorn). I wish I would have grabbed Craft because it is a gorgeous purple-ish pink color that I don't really have in my abyss of lip colors. However, I probably would never wear it. I am almost always wearing red. I LOVE my red lipsticks. So, I ended up buying American Doll, Potion, and Pure Hollywood. I really want Heathers, but it was out of stock. I almost bought Bloodline, but I thought why not do something a little different for my reds. I wore them each throughout my vacation.

Not only do I absolutely love all the colors that I purchased, but I absolutely LOVE the formula. They are not at all drying on the lips, and the colors wear a really good amount of time. I still feel like the Kat Von D ones last longer throughout the day, but my lips don't feel at all dry and chapped like they sometimes do with the Kat Von D ones. I really just need to get a good lip conditioner to wear while I sleep with how much lipstick I wear.

American Doll is such a different red for me. Outlaw from Kat Von D has always been my go to, which is similar to Bloodline from ABH. I still want to order Bloodline, but I will have to wait until all the colors I want are back in stock. It seems when looking online, they are constantly out of stock of a ton of colors. Proving even more that these lipsticks are just as good as everyone says. I did not realize that you could get them at Macy's as well, so I may just go ahead and order from them instead. Vamp is the other color that I really loved. There are just TOO many fabulous colors.

I love that Potion is such a dark color that has this gorgeous purple tint to it. I feel like Too Faced were going for that with Villain in the Melted line, and don't get me wrong, I love my Melted colors, but Potion is exactly the color I want when it comes to going almost black. I always get compliments when I wear Villain, but I feel like that is one of the colors that I have to keep reapplying throughout the day where I can apply Velvet once and be good all day long.

Then, there is Pure Hollywood. I absolutely love this color. I have never been a fan of nudes for lips. Agatha from KVD is a favorite, but it does not stay on like the liquid lipsticks do. Pure Hollywood is what I have been going for on a daily basis since purchasing. Part of it is that I really want to find a better lip liner for American Doll. The other part is that I actually really like how simple it is. However, with all nude lips, the color just does not stay on me all day like other colors do. I don't know why, but that is just how it is with all nude colors.


Is it fair to say that I have a new favorite brand for liquid lipsticks? ....Not quite. I love Kat Von D and her line too much to say that much for the Anastasia colors. However, I do love these lipsticks. I would rather sacrifice a little bit of drying on the lips for as long wear as I can possibly get. But, I will definitely be buying more as soon as possible. Just keep an eye out next month for the new colors launching with Kat Von D. I will probably go product crazy and just buy them all. =D

Get To Know Me

I always think to myself when looking through blogs, "Who are these people?" While I'm sure I won't have too many viewers or followers, I like the idea of giving those that want it an opportunity to know a little bit more about me. I found this 20 Questions Tag, and I wasn't tagged. I just think it is a fun way to go about giving some more detail as to who is sitting in front of the computer screen.



1. Are you named after anyone?
I am not named Anya after anyone. My parents heard the name in a movie and liked it. My middle name, Carol, is after my Mom's sister and my Dad's mother, though.

2. When was the last time you cried?
I cry a lot. It isn't a big deal. It's just how I express most emotions. Last time I cried was as I was walking around in the Batman Exhibit at Warner Brothers Studio Tour. Yes, this should show how much of a weirdie I really am. I got most excited when I touched the jacket Gary Oldman wore as Gary Oldman.

3. Do you have kids?
I have a four year old daughter, Dahlia.

4. If you were another person, would you be a friend of yourself?
Hmm....I would. I don't typically hang out with too many girls quite honestly. But, I would hang out with myself.
5. Do you use sarcasm a lot?
I don't think I will as I write out posts. But, I am pretty sarcastic in person, sometimes even witty!
6. Will you ever bungee-jump?
Never! I am beyond terrified of heights.
7. What’s your favorite cereal?
Hmm....I actually love Cheerios. Every now and then, I want Lucky Charms.
8. What’s the first thing you notice about people?
With women, I look at eyebrows and makeup. I'm a makeup artist, don't judge me. I also tend to relate everyone to animals depending on their face shapes. It's another weird thing I do. I try to figure out if I would get along with someone within the first few minutes. It's sort of a bad habit.
9. What is your eye colour?
Green, athough they do change quite often.

(Photo by Tate Hemlock)
10. Scary movie or happy endings?
Game of Thrones.
11. Favorite smells?
Hmm...I do love honeysuckle and rain. My favorite male fragrance is either Versace Eros or Gucci Made to Measure. My current perfumes are Jean Paul Gaultier's Classique and Versace Eros for Women.
12. Summer or winter?

13. Computer or television?
Computer, hands down.
14. What’s the furthest you’ve ever been from home?
I have been all over North America. I have been to Vancouver and Seattle for a visit. I went to Springfield, MO for a semester of school. I traveled back to the east coast to visit family and to go to Disneyworld. Seattle is still my favorite place.
15. Do you have any special talents?
I have been playing piano for a good, long while, and I have been singing since I was really young. I'm pretty good at those. Besides that, I guess makeup artistry could be seen as a talent.
16. Where were you born?
Baltimore, Maryland.
17. Do you have any pets?
No pets. A daughter is enough for me to handle.
18. Favorite movie?
There are just way too many to list! However, my top favorites are The Raven and all of the Batman movies.
19. Do you have any siblings?
I have 5 siblings. I have an older half sister, two older brothers, a younger sister, and a younger brother.

20. What do you want to be when you grow up?
At 25, I still don't feel very grown up. I just want to be happy with whatever I am doing. I've already got a ton of different certificates and licenses, but I am most excited to go back to school in August and work towards getting a degree in Forensic Investigation.
If you have other questions, you would like for me to answer, please let me know! I would love to hear back from anyone who pays attention to my ramblings!

Review: The Balm!!

I was walking around Kohl's the other night because, well, let's face it. I was procrastinating again on packing. Lately, I have been really bad at just putting that off. Either way, I had NO idea that Kohl's started selling The Balm, which has been one of the brands I have always wanted to try and play with. I just don't put aside money to spend on brands that I haven't tried already or can't play with and touch in front of me before purchase. I ended up buying Balm's Away, their eye makeup remover, and TimeBalm, the cream foundation. I was considering buying Schwing, the liquid eyeliner, but I decided against it after playing with the wand. Fun fact: I HATE felt tip brushes. For me to use and be sold on a liquid eyeliner, it absolutely has to have an actual brush tip. The Kat Von D Tattoo Liner has been my all time favorite since it came out years ago. I use her Autograph liner as well since that will last a lot longer than the pen will, but I do love my Trooper! Anyways, on to the review!

Item One: Balm's Away
What it is: Vitamin based eye makeup remover for the most sensitive skin
This eye makeup remover is a super smooth, silky balm texture that you rub over your eye makeup for about 30 seconds, giving it time to break down the makeup. You then wipe away the remains with a soft cloth or tissue. I'll admit, when I first grabbed it, I didn't realize it was only for eyes. And trust me, I tried it on my face. No go. However, on the eyes, it works fantastically!! It is super hydrating with the vitamins, easy to wipe away after. It's awesome for travel and has the most awesome packaging! You press down on the one side of the lid, and it pops the lid up on the other side, making it super easy to open! I appreciate this like crazy considering I always seem to have such a hard time with small tin cases of products. On top of this, it was only $20 for the tin, which I would assume lasts a good while considering you only need a little bit for both eyes, and you are only using it on the eyes.
Unfortunately, I think I will be returning this product. As awesome as it would be, I already have an oil that I use for both my eyes and my face. There really isn't a reason for me to have one for eyes and another for face. I have enough steps in my skincare routine, so adding another is not what I am looking to do. But, if you are someone who travels a lot or only wears eye makeup, this is an absolutely fantastic product!


Item Two: TimeBalm in Lighter Than Light
What it is: Medium to full coverage cream foundation
This foundation is a cream that feels super silky and lightweight on the skin. With one layer, I definitely saw the medium coverage. I would say the one layer was closer to a full coverage, but comparing it to the most full coverage foundation I wear (Kat Von D Lock It Foundation in L42), it is definitely more of a medium. In case you haven't noticed, I am whiter than white. I am one of those proud ghostly looking ladies that stays out of the sun as much as possible. The color of this foundation doesn't look very pale in the container, but when I applied it, it definitely blended out to my pale tones. While it was a smidge darker than I am used to wearing, it did not look unnatural at all. It was super easy to blend with my new mini Sephora Pro Mini Brush #53.5, which I love by the way. I decided to try this with two different primers. On one side of my face, I used Too Faced Primed and Poreless, a smoothing primer with a silicone base. On the other, I used my current favorite primer, which is Too Faced's Hangover Rx, a silicone-free primer with coconut water, electrolytes, and probiotics. I then applied my Laura Mercier Translucent Pressed Setting Powder. I have photos before and after the setting powder. Realistically, there was not an incredible difference between the two primers. However, I feel like the side with the Hangover primer looks smoother and more finished. Now, these photos don't have any concealer or anything else (besides my brow product) on my face. I wanted to show the work of just the foundation. This was right after applying the product. I am going to wear the product through work and see how it wears. Maybe take a photo afterwards?

I am looking forward to trying some of their eyeshadows as I have always heard great things! I saw some of the palettes, and I wanted to buy them so badly! But, I had to step back and take it all in a little bit at a time! I also saw some gorgeous blush colors that I may try out as well. More reviews to come, of course!





UPDATE: I was disappointed with how the foundation wore throughout the day. I ended up returning both items. Bummer. I am hoping to have better luck with their shadows, highlighters, and blushes when I get the chance to try them out. I typically hear great things!

Vintage Dollface. A Blog of Life and Beauty

My name is Anya, and I am a lover of all things vintage. I have debated back and forth whether or not I would really want to start a blog considering how many beauty gurus are out there. But, I am here. What is one more beauty admirer to the mix?

I guess I should start with my background. I started young as a lover of all things beauty related, and as I went through life, my eyes turned completely to the vintage lifestyle. I researched everything from these different eras, and there hasn't been a single thing I didn't fall in love with from the music, the clothes, the decor. I started modeling when I was a teenager, and I dove into the makeup industry. I started doing makeup on others, and then I went to school for esthetics and cosmetic lasers. I'm now a licensed esthetician, certified cosmetic laser technician, published model and makeup artist, and a freelance artist for Too Faced Cosmetics.

I'm also a bit of a nerd. Batman is my all time favorite superhero, and calling me obsessed is a bit of an understatement. I'm sure as time goes on, my nerd bit will show more and more.

While I do plan on having a ridiculous number of posts based on beauty and vintage, I do want to write about everyday life as well. My background and life has hardly been the easiest ride, and using my experience to help others get through their own issues has always been something that keeps me going. I am a single mother to a 4 year old girl, Dahlia, that is an exact replica of myself. I make it through with the help of my parents, and I have been able to continue working and going to school because they constantly stand by with whatever assistance is needed. I was even looking to move to Seattle, and my parents were going to keep my daughter until I was settled out there. My mom just found out about some health concerns, and we are currently awaiting test results to really determine the next move for her. My mom is my best friend, and I would never dare think to leave during such a trying time. I'm making some changes in my own life to become more active with Dahlia, and I'm sure that will be an adventure on it's own.

I have plenty to tell about my life story and reaching out to those that need it. There will be plenty of time for that. I am looking forward to posting all about past and future experiences, beauty and music, and of course, Batman. If there are any suggestions for posts, questions or comments, please feel free to comment!