Birthday Love

My birthday just passed, and as usual, most of my gifts came in the form of a small plastic card. I've already got down to business putting them gift cards to work!

MAC Lipglass in 'Lovechild'

Lovechild is a beautiful mauvey plum with golden shimmer. Anything mauve goes well with an olive complexion, so even though I don't normally gravitate towards darker colors, I knew I'd like this one.

MAC Eyeshadows in Mythology, Saddle, Soft Brown (no base)

Just some swatches of some well known colors. I needed medium and light warm browns, so I picked up Saddle and Soft Brown. Mythology is one of my favorite crease colors.

Conceal FX Camouflage Concealer in Light-Medium
Left eye (your left) completely bare, right with concealer
I really don't want to jinx it, but I think I might have just found my holy grail under eye concealer. I'm usually weary of anything that claims to "self-adjust", but I've read too many good things about this concealer to not try it. Cover FX describes this as being self-adjusting, water-resistant, and 'hi-definition'. It also has a built-in primer. It went on yellow when I first applied it, and I was instantly dissapointed because I thought it was another bad color match. But as I blended more, the pigment magically harmonized with the coloring of my foundation. It might not be totally seamless around the edges, but the coverage factor and texture of this concealer beats that of any I've ever tried. I know this line is over-used, but since you need so little to achieve full coverage, this product is a great value. $25 at Sephora.

the Balm Mary-Lou Manizer

LOVE. That pretty much sums up my feelings towards this highlighter. Unless you like an extremely subtle highlight, I can't think of any reason to not like this luminizer. I fully expected it to be chunky and glittery, but it isn't either of the two at all. It gives you a gorgeous glow. You have to see it in person to understand exactly what I'm talking about. I much prefer powder highlighters to creams/liquids, because the latter make me look greasy. This is hands down the most flattering highlighter I have ever used. The packaging is adorable, and the compact has an sturdy mirror built right on. Plus you get a ridiculous amount of product.


Urban Decay 24/7 Eye Liner in 'El Dorado'

Lastly, a UD 24/7 pencil. I've been wanting this one forever. El Dorado is a true gold, creamy and pigmented as are all of the 24/7 liners.

That's all for now. Hope you're all enjoying your summer :)

Bad Lighting Woes

So I visited my best friend over the weekend. She actually lives right by the city that has my nearest CCO (still an hour and a half away!), but for some crazy reason that didn't occur to me until the last day I was there. I did manage to pick up a bunch of other make-up though. Along with what I'm about to show, I got three Micabella eyeshadows. If you haven't heard of the brand, they're a mineral make-up line that you'll find at many mall stands. It's funny, because normally I am not the type of person to fall for a good salesperson's tactics, but this girl sucked me innnnn! I really was only coming up to check out the colors, but somehow she managed to sell me 3. It probably had to do with the fact that she was able to relate to me, since we had similar ethnic backgrounds.. a great way to sell is to relate to the customer personally. In retrospect, I guess I felt obligated, like if I didn't follow through with the sale I'd be letting her down. But I didn't even know her! I could have walked away. The eyeshadows are really gorgeous though. I'll do a separate post on them, with swatches and a look.

Moooving on.



The Balm Bahama Mama Bronzer is the only product I have by The Balm. I've been looking for a bronzer for a while, and had my heart set on finding a matte one, but I swatched this in the store and it looked pretty enough to make me want to try it out. It does have a sheen to it, just more subdued than how it shows up on my hand. The color is perfect, no orange. The texture is smooth.. I apply with a 109 in really quick, circular motions. It truly does make me look tan, not like I have anything applied on my face. Say hi to my weirdly pale looking hand.


NYX Blushes in "Terra Cotta" and "Mauve"
I got the blushes in the first store I've ever found with a full NYX display.. I am so excited now. I went for Terra Cotta because, surprisingly, I think it makes a pretty highlight. Like for a bronzer or dark blush when applied extremely lightly. I don't know if I would use it as a blush, the color is kind of weird on my skintone for that. Mauve is a pretty mauve-pink (color description skillzz). Just a good everyday shade, but one I'd definitely apply with a light hand as well.

MAC Eyeshadows in "Brown Script", "Jest", "Beautiful Iris", and "Samoa Silk"
I got Brown Script because I've been in desperate need of a warm brown, whenever I do any eyeshadow look with browns they always blend out into a gray or even purple.
I used to have Jest but returned it because I had too many similar colors, but I caved in and bought it again because the pigmentation and texture of this shadow are unbeatable.
Beautiful Iris makes for a gorgeous inner corner or lid color with any purple look.
Samoa Silk is the best example of how much mac's lighting will throw you off. In the store, I could have sworn it was a pale yellow. Then I brought it home and realized it was almost exactly the shade of Peaches blush. I'll see what I can do with it, though.

In the store, this lipstick looked both gorgeous, and like an exact dupe of mac's Shy Girl. I has SG on that day, actually, and spent 30 minutes comparing the two with this face D: ...trying to decide whether I should spend the $12 for a color so similar to one I already have (WHO CARES IF THE SHADES ARE EXACT MATCHES, THE FINISH IS DIFFERENTTTTTTT!). So in the end I bought it, of course. Whisper is a sheer, peachy color with gold glitter... on my hand and under Victoria Secret's lighting, anyway. Back home, this morphed into a metallic finish, gold-flecked sheer lipstick.. thing. It's not ugly, it's just not worth the money. The good thing about these lipstick is that they are very creamy and moisturizing. That can be a bad thing too though.. I kind of like my lipstick with a bit of grip. Applying gloss over this lipstick would be a slippery nightmare.

That's it for now, check back for the mineral eyeshadow swatches!
Happy Wednesday ;)

MAC In The Groove + Masssssive Haul

Okay, so I may have gone a little.. overboard.. with the make-up shopping this past week. But I had the sudden urge to get myself some bright lipsticks, now that it's summer. And that sudden urge happened to fall on the same week mac's massive collection came out.. so that's how I wound up where I am right now. Broke... but with so many pretty colors!

All Styled Up (Cremesheen)
This is from In the Groove. I chose this over "I Like It Like That" because that one seemed way too purple and I thought this was more bubblegum-pink.. but I was wrong. The two lipsticks are soo similar, I have no idea why they came out together. "All Styled Up" is more pink, but the purple is definitely there. I don't really like shades like this on my skin, the only thing they work well with for me is dark smokey eyes.. and even then, I'd much rather go with a different lip color.

Speed Dial (Cremesheen)
This is a well known permanent color, kind of a brighter version of "All Styled Up". "Speed Dial" is medium blue-pink with some golden shimmer in there. I really like this color.. it's the barbie pink I've been looking for. With this lipstick I find that I need to apply several layers to get full color-payoff, but that doesn't mean it isn't a pigmented lipstick.

Vegas Volt (Amplified Creme)
I've been lemming a bright orange lipstick, and that's what I went in for. This is what I came out with, instead ("Morange", you're next on my list). It's a bright coral, which I think pulls more pink than orange. I personally like that.. I think pinky-coral is way more flattering than orange-y coral. This is a great color for summer, and can be layered to achieve different levels of color.

Looooooove love love love love this lip gloss. I bought it to go with Vegas Volt, but I think it'll be gorgeous with just about any shade of lipstick. It can tone down oranges, add a hint of peachy coral to your pinks, and it goes hand in hand with coral shades.

Harmony is wayyyy lighter than this, I swatched it heavily to show it's undertones. It's just a muddy brown color that works amazingly well for contouring for a large bracket of skin tones.
Blushbaby is a brown-ish pink that's totally matte. It works well with neutral looks, or if you have loud eye make-up or lips and need to a subtle cheek color.
Peaches is pretty self-explanitory, a matte, true peach color. I think it looks really good on both light and tan skin tones. It doesn't look ridiculously peachy on the cheeks, it blends out into a believable, natural color.
Pink Swoon is a gorgeous cool pink, made famous by Kim K. It's extremely pretty, my new favorite pink blush. It looks more sophisticated than other warmer pinks that can make you look too young.

By Candlelight Mineralize Skinfinish
Famous MSF that I missed out on when it came out with Warm & Cozy. I'm sure a lot of you have seen it a million times, but here it is on my skin tone for reference. The texture it amazing, and it seems to adapt to whatever your blush color is when using it as a cheekbone highlighter.

Lilicent Blushcreme
I know this is a popular one, and I've checked it out in the store a few times, but it never seemed as pretty when I'd swatch it. I'm happy I finally got it though. When actually applied to the cheeks, it becomes a really pretty peachy pink. I like using this on it's own with a Cream Color Base to highlight, or more commonly, under a powder blush.

Bust out those bright lippies, though, seriously! Summer is the most fun season in that you can get away with pretty much anything when it comes to bright colors, so take advantage of it.

Have a good weekend :)

Biiig Haul

I've really been into blushes lately, with summer coming up. Tan skin goes well with bright blush and some lip gloss. So I've spent way more on blushes this past month than I should have been spending.. but they're all so pretty! Here's some stuff I've bought recently:

Laura Geller baked blush palette, Bare Minerals "Precious Pearl" blush, Nars "Madly" blush, Mac "Tilt" and "Steamy" eyeshadow, Mac Studio Finish concealer in NC25, MUFE HD foundation in shade 120, and Mac Dazzleglass in "Sugarrimmed"

Woo!

Here's a close up of the blushes:


Laura Geller blush swatches:

I love the finish on these blushes. I do love my matte blushes, but sometimes I don't like how done-up they make me look. These blushes are pigmented, but not too dark in color. The shades themselves are gorgeous, and versatile too. Sunswept would make a pretty highlighter, in my opinion. The swatch is heavy, but one swipe gives a sheer, iridescent silver-pink.

I picked up the Nars blush on a whim. It looked so pretty in the store. It's a muted pink-brown, with shimmer. I was hoping it would be a nice hybrid of blush and bronzer, but unfortunately it's not that spectacular looking on my skin. It just looks muddy. Also, it's shimmer doesn't translate onto my skin, which was a disappointment. The Bare Minerals blush, on the other hand, is my new love. It's a mauve-pink that I think looks beautiful for every day when applied lightly, and even better applied a bit more heavy-handed with dramatic looks.

The eyeshadows:

Steamy is a well-known colors. It's a teal with a very pretty sheen. Tilt is another popular color. It's a iridescent sky blue, but with violet undertones that reflect light in a gorgeous way.

Ohh my goooodnessssssss do I love this lip gloss! The camera doesn't do it any justice.. it's the perfect color in real life. Normally I don't pay any attention to the colorless shades in a set of lip glosses, but I'm so glad I got this one. It's an extremely pale, milky pink with allll different kind of pearl in it, the most prominent being blue (yay for whiter teeth!). However it may look in the picture, this gloss looks amazing in real life. On it's own and topped over any lipstick, this gives me shimmery, full lips. Go to your nearest Mac store or stand and try this on!

Lastly, the concealer:

I've used Studio Finish in the past and hated it. I thought I'd give it another try, though, with a darker color this time. NC 25 is very peachy (almost orange-y), so I thought it would work well to counteract the colors I got going on under my eyes. Well, it did, but just like my last go with this concealer, the pigmentation faded once the concealer had set. It may look alright up above, but after 10 minutes I'm left with a gray cast under my eyes. Worst of all is the finish on this concealer. It's really chalky and highlights everything on my skin. The only thing I like about this is it's brightening properties. Oh well, on to the next one

I'll be doing a review on MUFE's foundation soon.. it was the first thing I bought of the whole haul, and I've been wearing it for a few weeks now. I'll have that post up soon :)

Luscious Red Lip Tutorial

Finally I get around to this! I have so much to upload, but I lost the USB cord to my camera so unfortunately all that will have to wait :(
For now here's another tutorial I made.. another basic one, while I get the hang of making picture tuts. This was pre-foundation, so don't hate on my skin.

My Take on Luscious Red Lips ;)

Always start out with a freshly sharpened pencil to get rid of bacteria and give you more precision. I used some nameless liner I've had forever since I don't opt for red lips that often.

To prep the lips, I exfoliate gently with a warm washcloth, then smooth something moisturizing on them (I prefer alba's unpetroleum jelly or aquaphor to a wax-y lip balm before lipstick).

Begin by lining the cupids bow (the top-of-a-heart shaped section of your upper lip) from the middle point up and outwards. Then line the bottom lip. On both the top and bottom lips, leave about half an inch of unlined space on each side of the line.

Finish lining the upper lip by starting from the outer corners and connecting to what you already drew. Repeat the same for the bottom lip: outer corners to previously drawn line.

Use one side of a q-tip to blend and soften the liner into your lips.

Use the opposite end of the q-tip to clean up any messy edges.

Lined lips :)

Using whatever red lipstick you choose, brush a thin layer of color onto your lips with a lip brush. I used Sally Hansen's (Natural beauty) inspired by Carmindy lipsticks in "Sangria".

First layer of lipstick. Not too thick.

If you want your red lips to last through the day or night, do not skip this step! Set your lip color by pressing your lips down on any type of tissue.

This layer will last and last, and creates a base for the second layer of lipstick. The cracked look is what you're aiming for, it's what shows that the inital layer of lipstick is really worked in there, and there will be no funky looking skin-colored lines in your lips when you smile!

Apply a second layer of lipstick. If you want a matte-ish finish, you can continue to brush on color until you get to your desired result. But the look I'm going for is luscious, not business! It's often said that adding gloss to red lips will goop up your look, but I beg to differ.

I finished off with a single layer of clear gloss, and I'm done! I usually pair red lips with nothing more than some winged black liner and sweep of bronzer on the cheekbones.

Hope you enjoyed :)

NYX Lipstick Swatches

I took the time to swatch all my nyx lipsticks, because I really do like them a lot. I have trouble with most lip products, within an hour they all give me the dreaded white ring, no matter what I do to my lips to prep them beforehand. It drives me crazy, I have to carry baby wipes around with me and basically re-apply my lipstick or gloss every hour. If anyone goes through this, or knows why it happens pleeease let me know :)
These are all amazingly creamy in texture, and super pigmented. The staying power isn't the greatest, but I get at least 2 hours out of these if I don't eat or sip my water too often.
Anyways, I was gunna do these swatches on the lips, but most of the lippies aren't that flattering without liner underneath (show every crack on the lips), and I wanted to provide true-to-color swatches. If I get a request though, I'd be happy to take some pictures of all of these on the lips.

Swatched heavily, slightly edited to get the best color depiction, (L-R):

Femme, Jupiter, Louisiana, Tea Rose, Heather

Femme and Tea Rose are my favorites out of these. The others are fun colors, but I could live without them. Those two colors have the least shimmery finish, which is rare in the range of nyx lipsticks. Jupiter is a great shimmery barbie pink to layer on top of a flat-pink lipstick, since it's sheer but glossy in finish.

Summerlove, Pumkin Pie (yes, pumkin!), Mars, Perfect, Thalia

Summerlove doesn't show up as much more than shimmer on my arm, but it's actually a pigmented fleshy nude. Thalia is way lighter on the lips, but turns into a darker shade after a couple layers. My absolute favorite is Pumkin Pie. It may look kind of funky in the swatch, but it makes for a great warm nude lip with a similar gloss on top. The name is so accurate, it really looks like pumpkin pie. Mmmm. One of my favorite lip combos is this lipstick with Yes to Carrots lipgloss in "Playful Nude" on top.

Last two colors, Sash and Castle:

These are $4 on the nyx website, but I think that's really overpriced for the actual product. I buy them from $1 at my local beauty shop.

The ingredients, taken from nyx's website: Ceresin Wax, Polyethlene Wax, Microcrystalline Wax, Beeswax, Lanoline Oil, Isopropyl Myristate, Mineral Oils, Octyl Palmitate, BHA, Propyl Paraben, Mica, Titanium Dioxide, D&C Red No.A1 Lake, Pearl Powder, Iron Oxide

Target Haulin'

I love Target ;)

I got Sonia Kashuk's loose powder, NP Set Liquid Veil (so excited about this one), Almay Clear Complexion foundation, an Almay lipgloss, and a Revlon lipgloss.

Sonia Kashuk loose powder in 02, "Colorless Matte"

I actually had the white one before. My thinking was that it was translucent, but it wasn't until I was done with it that I realized it was not in fact translucent, and wayyy too light for my skintone. So this time around I picked out a darker color, but even now I think going a shade darker wouldn't hurt. Two words for the finish of this powder: ethereal glow. For around $11, you get .14 oz, which I've heard many a complaint about. I never shopped Sonia Kashuk before, so I'm not feeling the pain about this powder shrinking in size over the years. But this lasts a really long time! My last jar lasted me around 8 months. You don't need to use a lot of product. What I don't like though, is that it doesn't seem to set my heavier foundations the way a pressed powder would. That, and it sometimes it cakes up my concealer if it's a cream formula. It works great to finish glowy TM's though, and the finish it delivers for the price makes this one a keeper for me.

Next swatches:


NP Set Liquid Veil in "Houston"
I love liquid highlighters, for the sole purpose of mixing them in with my foundations and TM's. The product description is so strange though. The jar states it is for hint of color, and it's called a "veil". Nowhere does it use the word "shimmer", or say something along the lines of "use on the cheekbones or for an all-over glow". So is this a highlighter?! I tried mixing it in with my foundation, but it didn't do squat. I also tried using it as a highlighter on certain parts of the face, and it didn't show up there either! Maybe it was too closemy skin tone, and I should have picked out a different color. Whatever it was, I'm so dissapointed. I was really hoping this would lend my foundation some golden shimmer for a pretty glow. This also comes in a pink shade, "Paris", and a darker bronze shade, "Buenos Aires". Liquid Veil Retails for $15.

Almay Pure Blends lipgloss in "Nude"
Gives my lips a pretty sheen. Really subtle, but still pretty. I prefer to use natural products on my lips most days, so their advertising sucked me in. Although the color is nice, I had a terrible experience with this. For one, the texture is terrible. It is so ridiculously gritty, applying it makes me feel like I've sworn off lip exfoliation for years. That, paired with the gross plastic smell... for $6, I wouldn't recommend this gloss at all.

Revlon lipgloss in 070 "Glossy Rose"
I don't normally buy drugstore lipglosses, but this one was marked down to under 2 bucks..I couldn't resist. I actually ended up loving this gloss! The name describes the shade perfectly, but my opinion of it in detail is that it is a mauve-y rose with golden shimmer, more accurately depicted in the swatch than on my lips. It looks really elegant... I would love to have this exact shade in a lipstick. This gloss isn't sticky in the least bit, but it has surprisingly good staying power. On my lips it had no scent, which makes it even better.

That's it for now. For nowwwwww....