Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Season Mini Series: Winter

Next in the season mini series is winter. When I think of winter I think of icy blues, white, and of course rosy cheeks! Also with winter there's a sort of harshness, so I did something things a little bit differently.




Seeing how there is a harshness in winter, I did a double wing liner.  To start off use a primer I used Too Faced Shadow Insurance then I used NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk all over the lid and blended it out. The reason for this is because I'm using mostly white and light blues, so I needed a good base so it would show up a little better. Then on the inner half of the lid I used an icy blue from the E.L.F 100 palette
After that I used Maybelline Blink of Blue eyeshadow trio
And first I used the top light blue on the outer half of the lid. and then with a very light hand I took the bottom blue and blended it into the crease to add some dimesion. For the highlight and near the tear duct I used the white. Now for the liner...I used L'Oreal Lineur Intense liquid liner in Black on both top and bottom, but I also used the NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk right in the corner and extended it quite high. The bottom and top liner follows that to create the double wing. Then I took Urban Decay Heavy Metal Glitter Eye Liner (in white) on the bottom lashline. For mascara I used Maybelline Volum' Express Falsie in Very Black (with the Maybelline Volum' Express One by One wand) For blush I used Physicians Formula Happy Booster Glow & Mood Boosting Blush in Rose. For lips I used Burt's Bees Lip Shimmer in Raisin and E.L.F 2 in 1 Conditioning Gloss in Va Va Voom. And there you have it Winter!

If there are any comments or questions feel free to post below!

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Season Mini Series: Autumn

So I have started a mini series (seeing how there's only four seasons) and I'm starting with Autumn. When I think of Autumn I think of golds, dark greens, and browns...



After putting a primer on I used Physician's Formula Shimmer Strips Custom Eye Enhancing Gel CreamLiner Glam Brown Eyes in gold for a base. After I had that all over the lid I placed Urban Decay Half Baked on top. Next I mixed Urban Decay Homegrown and Misdemeanor (from the Book of Shadows Vol. II) on the crease with Homegrown towards the inner crease. Then I took Urban Decay Twice Baked into the socket bone to create a little bit more dimension. After that I took the Physician's Formula CreamLiner in Black on the upper lashline and the brown on the lower lashline, then added Maybelline Volum' Express The Falsies on the lashes, and your eyes are done, and for blush I used Benefit Dallas and that all for the look!

For questions or comments please feel free to post below!

April Favorites!!

So this month I didn't buy as much "makeup" as I usually do, but I still found some products that I LOVE!

The first thing that I use everyday, and feel that I will continue using on a daily basis is Garnier Nutritioniste Skin Renew Anti-Sun-Damage Daily Moisture Lotion with SPF 28 UVA/UVB sunscreen. I have noticed a major difference in my skin. I'm sure I have quite a bit of sun damage, because I usually forget sunscreen! But this not only protects from sun, but also helps with prior sun damage!

Next is Garnier Nutritioniste Skin Renew Anti-Dark-Circle Roller this baby has gotten a lot of love, and finally broke down and bought it, and I'm so glad that I did! It is great for not only helping puffy eyes in the morning, but it also is a great concealer! This product just feels so amazing going on too!

Now I've gotten quite a few nail varnishes that I think will be a staple on my finger nails and toe nails this Spring and Summer. First is essie Ballet Slippers. I have been wanting a great pale pink color, and although I do like this color, I still don't think it's the one I've been looking for, so I'm still searching! But this is a great color!

Two China Glaze colors I couldn't wait to put on were For Audrey (a perfect version of Tiffany Co. Blue) and Flip Flop Fantasy, which is a beautiful neon pink! Flip Flop Fantasy will probably stay on my toes most of the Summer, and possibly my fingers, because it makes me look more tan haha! And I love For Audrey and I love the way it looks on my nails!

The last nail varnish I was super excited about is Sally Hansen HARD as NAILS Xtreme Wear in Green With Envy. It is such a creamy neon green, which doesn't even seem like it goes together, but it is beautiful!

Another concealer that seems to work perfectly with the Garnier Roller is bareMinerals Summer Bisque. This was originally released as an eyeshadow, but now is a concealer, and if you pair this on top of ANY concealer it will make your concealer so much better!

Lasty is a product that was sent to me, and I use it now on a daily basis! It's Physician's Formula Shimmer Strips Custom Eye Enhancing Gel CreamLiner. This a great liner for everyday, because the black isn't so black that it becomes harsh. The black also has brown shimmer in it (must be because it's for brown eyes) but you get three different shades of CreamLiner; a gold, brown, and black.

That is all for this month! If there are any questions or comments please post below!

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Bright Spring Look

There is nothing I love quite as much as bright makeup! I love adding colors to my eyelids that most people wouldn't. There isn't any rules for makeup, so why not have fun with it? In my search of a bright green color I discovered makeup on Etsy called Vandaleyez and I LOVE LOVE LOVE these colors!














Of course start with a eyeshadow primer. Next I took Vandaleyez Superhero wet and put it on the eyelid. You can add more or less, but I put quite a lot (I like bright colors!) Then I took Vandaleyez Violet Vixen in the crease and brought it up quite a bit. Next I took Vandaleyez Tombstone in the socket bone. For the rest of the eyes I used Maybelline Volum' Express One by One mascara, L'Oreal Lineur Intense liquid liner on the top and bottom lash line, for blush I used Benefit Coralista. And that is basically it.

For any other questions or comments please feel free to comment below!

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Bright Pop of Color for Spring!

There is nothing better than a quick and easy look, that adds just a pop of color! Usually in Spring and Summer I'm not one to wear a lot of makeup due to the fact it gets quite humid in Georgia, and I'm usually ready to get out of the house! And the best part is this look is using completely drug store products! And this look will also last ALL day long!



Now before I put my foundation on I used L'Oreal Studio Secrets Professional Magic Perfecting Base all over my face, including on my eyelids. Then I used L'Oreal True Match Super Blendable Makeup, which is the foundation I use everday. Onto the eyes I used Neutrogena Nourishing Eye Quad in Sea Shell 140/Taupes, which I think is discontinued, but the Sea Biscuit would probably be the closest. And I followed the back of the shadows to create that eye look. For the upper lash liner I used Wet N Wild Mega Liner in Turquoise. I made the liner quite thick and dramatic, because this is where the pop comes from.  For mascara I used Maybelline Volum' Express The Falsies. And of course for the lower lashline I used L'Oreal Lineue Intense liquid liner. For blush I used Physician's Formula Happy Booster Glow & Mood Boosting Blush in Natural. And lastly for lips I used NYX Mega Shine Lip Gloss in Pop 156.


If anyone has any questions or comments please let me know! Also, my cousin came up with an idea to do team color looks, so if you have a favorite sports team let me know, and I'll do a look with that team!


Saturday, April 2, 2011

March Favorites!!!

Ok so this month I did try out a few different things, and some things I really loved, and others I wasn't too impressed with. So to get started:

I'm going to talk about hair products. The thing that completely impressed me was Tresemme Naturals shampoo and conditioner! I can't say enough nice things about this! It smells amazing, it makes my hair so smooth and silky, so what more could you really want?

Next is something I can't stop raving about! I love everything I have purchased, but I especially love Sugarpill's Sweetheart Palette and Absinthe Loose Eyeshadow. Included in the Sweetheart Palette is Dollipop, Afterparty, Midori, and Tako. Just about everyone I have showed the palette to say it's some major color, and the best part the color payoff is amazing! What you see is what you get! Absinthe loose eyeshadow is quite possibly my favorite green shadow EVER! The shadow is very finely milled and blends beautifully even when wet!

Another eyeshadow on the list is probably NYX Iced Mocha. This eyeshadow is the perfect brown and is great for many different skin tones! It's a great everyday color, and is easily blended, the color payoff is great, and it wears all day with a primer. The color is almost metallic like and is very creamy! It puts me in mind of Urban Decay shadows.

Again another shadow...Vandaleyez Superhero. This is color that I have been looking for! It is a perfect neon green and is absolutely beautiful when used with a mixing medium, but if it's a little too bright for you it can be worn dry and still be beautiful.

When it comes to eye creams I have been looking for the perfect for close to a year now, and each time it seems they would get worse, but I finally found something that has worked! In a matter of days I could tell a difference, and the best part? It's all natural. Honey Bee Holistics Wrinkle Away Eye Cream is the best thing that I have found! It's creamy, mouisturizing, smells good, and it also isn't like putting a ton of chemicals on your eyes! I wear contacts and it hasn't irritated them at all either, which some leave a burning sensation, not fun!

I'm such a sucker for brushes! I have more expensive brushes and less expensive brushes, and I have got to tell you I found the best foundation brush and it's on three dollars.  The E.L.F Powder Brush is amazing! It is a flat top brush, which would be great for stippling or buffing into the skin. It makes your face look almost airbrushed. The bristles are really soft, and so far I haven't had any shedding. This brush is currently out of stock (for good reason) but I got mine at Target.

Lastly is a blush(es) that I wear almost everyday! Physicians Formula Happy Booster™ Glow & Mood Boosting Blush is just so beautiful. Whether it's in Natural or Rose they're both easily blended and pigmented, which sometimes drugstore brand blushes aren't too great. They also smell wonderful, and I haven't seen a scented blush except Benefits Box O Powders. Do they do everything they claim to do? I wouldn't say the smell alone makes me happy, it's gone a minute after I put it on, but the blush itself makes me happy! It is the cutest packaging EVER!

Well that's it for the month of March, if there are products you would like me to try let me know! Also if there's any questions or comments please post!

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Vandaleyez Custom Mineral Eye Shadows

Another Etsy shop that I found was Vandaleyez. Anyone who knows me knows that I am a sucker for eyeshadows! I can never have enough, so when I heard of etsy I had to search eyeshadows, and I came across Vandaleyez mineral shadows. I have recently come to appreciate loose shadows again, and what better way to try out Vandaleyez's shadows than to purchase six samples just to get a feel of the shadows and shop itself, so I chose Rockstar, Tombstone, Violet Vixen, Moonstruck, Red Velvet, and Superhero (which was the color that the owner suggested to me for a bright green.)

I have to say I LOVE these colors. I was very excited about the Superhero color, because I've been looking for a bright/neon green, and I believe that I found it! The color wasn't too bright when applied alone, but I applied it wet, and it was the perfect neon green! It's a yellow based green that looks as if it would glow in a black light haha!

The other colors I loved too! Rockstar is a beautiful indigo color with tons of sparkle which I loved! Red Velvet is like a red based brown, almost a coppery color. Violet Vixen is a bright true purple color. Tombstone is a beautiful blue based gray that would look great for smokey eyes. Moonstruck is almost like a tarnished silver, another beautiful color!


After playing with these colors for awhile, I do think that they would all be wearble for everyday depending on how much you intensify them! One of the best part of these samples are they're not in messy little bags, they have their own container and are so much better than the bag! I also think you get a little bit more per sample! The box that they are packaged in are also cute! Again this was another pleasant experience with esty!

















This was a look I created using Superhero, Violet Vixen, and Rockstar. Even with using Superhero and Violet Vixen wet, Rockstar was still easily blended, and the colors on top of a primer lasted over ten hours! Which is incredible for any eyeshadow!

Honey Bee Holistics Wrinkle Away Eye Cream

I just recently heard about Etsy, so I had to check it and out and some searching for beauty products that I needed. Also have recently got into organic beauty products. One of the first things that I had been looking for was an eye cream, and I believe I have found my favorite/go to eye cream. It's from a shop on Etsy called Honey Bee Holistics!

The Wrinkle Away Eye Cream is like all their products and are all natural and has only organic products. All the herbs used to make their products are either wild-harvested or grown by the owner herself. So of course this seemed like a no brainer for me. The ingredients (organic local beeswax, organic sweet apricot kernal oil, organic golden jojoba oil, organic carrott seed essentrial oil, organic evening primrose oil) in the Wrinkle Eye Cream are simple but very effective.

When I received my package I was super excited to try to the Wrinkle Eye Cream, but I was even more happy with how nice the owner was to include a handwritten note, and even a sample of soap!













Aside from the owner being super nice the product itself is AMAZING, and it actually smells good, too! And like the directions say a little bit goes a long way! Overall this is the eye cream that I have been looking for! There are other amazing products in their shop, especially for mommy to be's and babies!

Monday, March 28, 2011

Bright Green Eye Using Sugarpill & Urban Decay

This was my first attempt at creating a cut crease look, and I'm not quite sure I got it perfect, but I did like the results! This was also another reason to play with some more Sugarpill colors, and quite possibly my favorite green EVER!











First always prime your eyes, this time I used something different, Urban Decay Primer Potion. Then I took Sugarpill's Absinthe and added a little bit of mixing medium to make the color more vibrant, and then just added that to the entire lid. Next comes the more difficult part, the actual part of cutting the crease! I used a small angled brush and first added Sugarpill's Dollipop and blended that up, then I took Urban Decay Underland (from the Alice in Wonderland palette) and added that under the Dollipop and blended it in just slightly. Last I took Urband Decay Oil Slick and blended that slightly into Underland. The actual part of cutting the crease is finished. Recently I have really been into putting actual colors on the waterline, so first I used NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk and then added Sugarpill's Afterparty over that and smudged it into the lowerlash line. Then I added my Maybelline Volum' Express One by One mascara in Very Black and L'Oreal Lineur Intense liquid liner in Black on the upper lashline and on the outer 1/3 lower lashline. For blush I used Physicians Formula Happy Booster Glow & Mood Boosting Blush in Natural

Music Genre Series: Dance

This was the genre I was most excited about! Mostly because I knew I was going to get to use my new Sugarpill Sweet Heart palette (a review will follow)! Lots of bright colors, because when I think of dance music I think of raves and being in the club and having lots of fun colors!












Again I always start with Too Faced Shadow Insurance just to make sure your eyeshadows are more vibrant and will last longer, no one like having creasing! Then I took Sugarpill's Dollipop on the inner half of the lid and then add Sugarpill's Midori to the outer half of the lid, and blend the two colors a little bit (not too much this is a look you don't want to be muddy). I then took Too Faced Like a Virgin shadow from the Pixie Pin-Ups palette very lightly a little bit higher than the crease. Then with my Studio Tools crease brush I blended Sugarpill's Afterparty on the crease, and blended it up a little bit on the brown. After that I added Maybelline Volum' Express One by One in Very Black mascara, and L'Oreal Lineur Intense liquid liner to the upper lashline and the outer half of the lower lashline, and then I added Physicians Formula Happy Booster Glow & Mood Boosting Blush in Rose, and that's the complete look






If there are any questions or suggestions please post them...I still have a few more of the genre series to do, but the next few posts I'm venturing off of it;)

Music Genre Series: Rock

When I think of Rock I think of Rock I think of purple and as cheesy as it sounds royalty! I also think of Steven Tyler and Mic Jager, so I took a lot of inspiration from them.













Of course always start with Too Faced Shadow Insurance (or any eyelid primer of your choice) After that I used Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliner pencil in Zero all over the lid and smudged it out. Next I used the Urban Decay Alice in Wonderland palette on most of the colors. The first color was Underland on top of the Zero. Then I mixed Mushroom and Vorpal in the crease.oI put Jabberwocky in the outer v and on the smudged it on the lower lashline. That was basically going to be the look, but I thought it was too clean for  rock, so I added Urban Decay Alice on the inner crease, and normally I wouldn't blend too much because it becomes muddy, but I thought hmmm...this is rock, so I did blend it. I left a little bit of just Alice peeking through, because it really is a beautiful color. For a brow and tear duct highlight I used Sugarpill's Tako (I think this is becoming my go to brow highlight). To finish off the eyes I used Maybelline Volum' Express One by One in Very Black and L'Oreal Lineur Intense liquid liner on the upper lashline and Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliner pencil in Zero in the water line and used Ardell's 21s for false lashes, just to add some more volume. For blush I used Benefit Dallas

If you have any questions or comments please post!

Music Genre Series: R&B

For this look I drew a lot of inspiration from Beyonce`. When I think of Beyonce` I think of lots of gold, but yet still very natural.











For starters use an eyelid primer, I used Too Faced Shadow Insurance. Then I put E.L.F Bronzer in Sun Kissed on the inner lid, and from the Urban Decay Book of Shadows Vol. II I used Half Baked on the outer 2/3 of the lid and then Too Faced Like A Virgin (from the Pixie Pin-Up palette).  Again from the Urban Decay palette I mixed Perversion and Twice Baked and put it in the outer v with a Essence of Beauty crease brush. I then put Urban Decay Midnight Cowboy Rides again in the tear duct. For the brow highlight I used Sugarpill's Tako. To finish off the eyes I used Maybelline Volum' Express One by One in Very Black for mascara, and L'Oreal Lineur Intense liquid liner in Black, and with any look inspired by Beyonce you have to have major lashes, so I added Ardell's 21s and 305s to add volume and a more winged look. And for blush I used Benefit Coralista

Music Genre Series: Country

Next in this series is Country. Being from the South I have had my fair share of country music playing in my life. Up until I was in fifth grade I didn't realize there was any other type of music besides Rock. When I think of the females in Country music I think of very natural looking makeup, so that's basically what I did a very neutral eye look and simple face.













Don't forget to always use an eyelid primer, I used Too Faced Shadow Insurance. Then I used Too Faced Heaven from the Pixie Pin-Ups palette (all Too Faced colors will be from this palette) all over the lid. Then put Too Faced Leading Lady in the inner corner. Next use NYX Iced Mocha all over the lid, and put Too Faced Like A Virgin on the crease. I used Urban Decay Twice Baked very lightly in the outer v to add some definition and Too Faced Erotica on the lower lashline. I used Maybelline Volum' Express One by One mascara in Very Black, and L'Oreal Lineur Intense liquid liner, very thin on the upper lashline. For blush I used Physicians Formula Genie Blush in Nude Rose, and lastly Too Faced Totally Nude lipstick.



















This was a very simple look and would be good to wear everyday for school or work!

Music Genre Series: Pop

The next series I'm doing is inspired by music genres. I listen to music all the time, so this seems like a natural choice. The first genre was possibly the genre I first got to pick out myself and that's pop. When I think of pop music I think of the one and only Britney Spears. When I think of Britney Spears I also think of pinks and purples.












On the inner corner I used a light magenta purple from the E.L.F 100 palette
Then for the outer part of the lid I used a light pink from the same palette

Then for the crease color I mixed two brown shades together and used my Studio Tools Crease brush
Then just too add a little bit more pink I used Sugarpill's Dollipop in the outer v. I then took Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliner pencil in Bourbon on the top lashline and smudged it out.  Next was Maybelline Volum' Express One by One mascara in Very Black and L'Oreal Lineur Intense liquid liner in Black. For blush I used Physicians Formula Happy Booster Glow & Mood Boosting Blush in Natural, and then on my lips I used Burt's Bees Lip Shimmer in Champagne.
If there are any questions or suggestions feel free to post!

Element: Air

This was quite possibly one of the more difficult looks out of the Element series, because let's face it, air is invisible. So I thought I would use whites and blues, which can be somewhat. I decided to take it upono myself to basically play with some Sugarpill!













Always first is Too Faced Shadow Insurance. Then I placed Sugarpill Tako all over the lid and up to the brow, and I put several layers of Tako on the lid, and then I took the Studio Tools Crease brush and applied Afterparty very lightly. Next I used NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk on my water line and tear duct, and blended it out. I put Tako over the Milk on the waterline, and Lumi in the tear duct. That is basically it for shadows, then I used Maybelline Volum' Express One by One in Very Black for mascara and L'Oreal Lineur Intense liquid liner in Black. For blush I used Physicians Formula Happy Booster Glow & Mood Boosting Blush in Natural, Cover Girl Wetslicks AmazeMint in Tickled Pink .
Yeah I know I look super tired, that's because I was

Element: Water

Next in the Element series is Water. Water was so fun, because there's so many colors associated with water. I went more for an ocean type of water.  With this look I used only colors from the E.L.F 100 palette!












First of course put Too Faced Shadow Insurance all over the lid. Then I took a light blue on the inner half of the lid
Then I used a light green on the outer half of the lid

Then I used a dark purple and dark blue for the crease

Then to add a bit more demension I added a mermaid green to the outer corner
On the lower lashline I added a true blue color
For the brow highlight I used a matte white and for the tear duct I added NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk, blended it out and then added a light blue with some shimmer


For mascara I used Maybelline Volum' Express One by One in Very black, L'Oreal Lineur Intense liquid liner in Black. For blush I used Neutrogena Mineral Sheers in Rare Rose and for lips I used CO Bigelow Mentha Lip Tint No. 1136