Friday, February 25, 2011

HAUL: ELF

I ordered some nail polishes from ELF last week. I've always really liked their nail polish formula, and they are super cheap, at $1 per bottle. They have released some newer polishes that I've wanted to try for a while. I also picked up a pair of lashes and a new eyelash curler (mine is pretty worn out).

Now, I had bought 8 polishes, actually. I had bought Light Red, but when I opened the package I saw that the Light Red polish had shattered during shipping, and there was red polish EVERYWHERE. It looked a little disturbing, actually. All the other polishes were fine, though, so I just cleaned off the bottles. Since it was only a dollar, I'm not going to sweat it too much. I'll probably email them or something. Plus I can probably find that particular polish at Target. The only thing that confuses me is that normally, ELF packages their polishes in boxes. This time only two of them were in a box, and the rest were just thrown into the bag. Weird.

Here are some pictures and swatches. I only painted my index, middle, and ring fingers, and the ring fingers have a coat of the Matte Finisher over top of them.


I bought the Matte Finisher Top Coat, which I have been really curious about since they released it, and I am so happy I picked that one up. Innocent is the perfect nude shade for me, and Desert Haze is more like a light taupe color. Innocent and Desert Haze are very similar, in that they are both light shades that need about 3 coats to be completely opaque. (For the Innocent swatch, the matte coat is on the middle finger, because I was going to put Golden Goddess over the ring finger and didn't want to redo it.)


Golden Goddess is a nearly clear polish with both fine and chunky glitter. It's great over other polishes and used as an accent nail. The swatch has three coats, and that is about as opaque as it's going to get when used alone. Blush is a bronze frosty color. I was expecting this to be either a pink or a more champagne color, but no. It's bronze, and that typically doesn't look good on me. But I'm sure I'll use it eventually.



Party Purple is a dark purple with a lot of purple glitter. The first coat can be a little light, but you can definitely build it up to be as dark as it is in the bottle. Metal Madness is this awesome dark grey with multicolored glitter. It's completely opaque with one coat. I actually love using the Matte Finisher over this. It looks like OPI Suzi Skis.

I did end up doing a full manicure on myself, which I am enjoying. I used three coats of Innocent on all of my nail, and on the ring fingers I used Golden Goddess. Then I went over all of them with the Matte Finisher.




Thursday, February 24, 2011

FOTD 02.24.11


Face:
Monistat Chafing Relief Powder Gel (Primer)
MAC Studio Sculpt in NW15
MAC Tickle Me Pink Cream Color Base
MAC Mineralized Skinfinish Natural in Light
Nars Laguna Bronzer

Eyes:
MAC Painterly Paint Pot
NYX 10 Color Eyeshadow Palette in Champagne and Caviar
 - Light shimmery champage shade on the lid
 - Dark frosty brown in the crease
 - Matte black in outer corner
Loreal Carbon Black Linear Intense Liquid Liner
Covergirl Lashblast Mascara

Lips:
MAC Milan Mode



Monday, February 21, 2011

FOTD 02.21.11

Sorry I've been MIA for the past couple days. I've felt kinda cruddy for the past couple days, and wasn't wearing much makeup, and when I did the lighting wasn't that great for taking pictures. But I promised a few looks from the Urban Decay Dangerous Palette, so here's the first one.

Face:
Monistat Chafing Relief Powder Gel (Primer)
MAC Studio Sculpt in NW15
MAC Tickle Me Pink Cream Color Base
MAC Mineralized Skinfinish Natural in Light
Nars Laguna Bronzer
MAC Pinch O' Peach Blush
MAC Too Chic Beauty Powder (highlight)
Elf Studio Setting Spray

Eyes:
Urban Decay Primer Potion in Greed
UD Virgin Eyeshadow on the lid
UD Rockstar Eyeshadow in the crease
UD Gunmetal Eyeshadow in the outer corner
MAC MSF Natural on the browbone
UD Rockstar Eyeliner on upper and lower lashline, and on waterline

Lips: 
Light pink lipstick (again, sorry I don't know the name)
MAC Nymphette Lipglass


Thursday, February 17, 2011

Haul: Urban Decay

I got my first Urban Decay item ever this morning! I ordered this from their website and it came in the mail today. They have recently come out with 3 palettes to showcase different styles and personalities, and this their new Dangerous Palette (the other 2 are their Fun and Feminine palettes). Each palette costs $34, and I actually thinks its a really great deal.
This is how Urban Decay describes this product:
"We like to describe everything we do as "feminine, dangerous, and fun"... but you appear to be rooted on the wild side. These six intense, bewitching shadows help your inner "Femme Nikita" come out kicking. Feed your dangerous desires with Greed, our gilded eyeshadow primer and a naughty purple eye pencil."
Top: Haight, Mildew, Virgin, Rockstar Eyeliner
Bottom: Oil Slick, Rockstar, Gunmetal, Greed Primer Potion
As you can see it came really nicely packaged. Each of these palettes come with 6 eyeshadows (which are a tiny bit smaller than their regular shadows, but nothing major), a miniature Primer Potion, and a mini 24/7 Glide-On Eyeliner Pencil. This palette comes with Haight, which a gorgeous teal color, Mildew, a dirty green with brownish undertones and gold sparkle, Virgin, a shimmery beige (this one is from the Naked Palette), Oil Slick, a black with silver glitter, Rockstar, a deep eggplant shade, and finally Gunmetal, a dark grey with silver glitter. All of these shadows are incredibly smooth in texture and very pigmented. The palette also comes with Greed Primer Potion, which is a neutral shimmery gold color, and an eyeliner in Rockstar, which is again an eggplant purple shade.

I'm really happy with all the colors in this palette. I'm actually pleasantly surprised with how much I like Mildew, since normally I am not a big fan of greens, but I think the brown undtertones make it a bit more wearable. I don't know, maybe my eyes are seeing things. I'm also really excited to try out the primer and the eyeliner. While I like my MAC Painterly Paint Pot, it is not a primer, per se, and I can only get a couple of hours worth of wear before it creases. I tried Too Faced Shadow Insurance a long time ago in a sample size, but I don't remember if it worked well for me or not, and I never repurchased, so it's about time I give Urban Decay's primer a try. And I've heard these eye liners are awesome for the waterline.

L to R: Haight, Mildew, Virgin, Oil Slick, Rockstar, and Gunmetal

I'm going to be making looks with this soon, when I feel up to wearing makeup. I'm feeling kinda crummy today.

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

REVIEW: MAC Studio Sculpt Foundation

Here is my review of the MAC Studio Sculpt foundation. It is retailed at $29.50 and available at MAC stores, some department store counters, as well as online at maccosmetics.com. I've had this foundation for a little over a week now, so I think its about time to give my initial review of this product.

I can definitely say it is my favorite foundation I have ever used. Keep in mind that I haven't tried that many. There maybe 4-5 that actually come to mind. But this is definitely my favorite so far.

First: the color. I purchased the shade NW15, and as you may have read in my haul post when I first got this product, I ordered it online, which means I had to guess which color would suit me. I am usually the lightest pink toned shade in foundation lines, so that is what I picked out. When I initially swatched it on my hand, I was a little worried that it would be a tad too orange for me. But once I applied it onto my face, it matched really well.

I really like the packaging for this foundation. I like how the squeeze tube helps prevent waste (little side-note: you do get more product than regular foundations. It's 40ml instead of 30ml. Just saying). As for application, I have been applying  a VERY small amount of the foundation with my Sigma Sigmax F82 brush (the round-top foundation brush) and I really like the finish that gives me, as well as the fact that a little goes a long way. I find that it doesn't take too much work to blend into my skin, as long as I use a dense brush. Then I build up the coverage a bit by dabbing it on  areas that need concealing (this foundation has pretty much replaced my normal concealer). The product claims to be a medium buildable to high coverage, and I quite agree. The finish looks really natural. It's not too dewy, not to matte. I set it with my MAC MSF Natural. To see it on my skin, check out my latest FOTD post.

Left: Unblended swatch; Right: blended it;
On me, this foundation will last about 6-8 hours. I've not had an issue with it oxidizing on my skin, which is good. I seldom have to touch it up or blot. The only time that I had to was a day where I forgot to apply my primer so the oil broke through the foundation a little quicker than normal. I am testing it out with a setting spray to see if that lengthens the wear-time of this foundation.

I had read reviews from people who claimed that this foundation broke them out. I have combination skin, and I do have issues with acne, nothing too severe but the problem is still there. So after a week of testing this foundation, and knowing what is normal for me in terms of breakouts, I don't think this product has had any affect on my skin.

So that is my in depth review of the MAC Studio Sculpt foundation in NW15. I am loving this foundation so far however if I experience any catastrophic changes due to this foundation I will let you all know immediately. I hope that this is helpful for anyone looking for a new foundation and are thinking of trying this one out. Also, if you have tried this product out, leave a comment and let me know what you think :)

FOTD 02.16.11

I really liked this picture, so please excuse the long
piece of hair in my face
Face:
Monistat Chafing Relief Powder Gel (Primer)
MAC Studio Sculpt Foundation in NW15
MAC Mineralized Skinfinish Natural in Light
Nars Laguna Bronzer
MAC Pinch O' Peach Blush
MAC Too Chic Beauty Powder (highlight)
Elf Studio Setting Spray

Eyes:
MAC Painterly Paint Pot
MAC Skintone 2 (on the lid)
Physicians Formula Canyon Classics Quad (medium brown in the crease)
MAC Showstopper (in the crease and outer 'V')
Sugarpill Bulletproof Eyeshadow (in outer 'V' and to set liner)
NYX Jumbo Pencil in Black Bean (cream liner)
Maybelline Eye Studio Gel Liner on the waterline
Covergirl Lashblast Mascara

Lips:
MAC Creme d'Nude Lipstick
Bonnebell Liplites in Cappuccino


Monday, February 14, 2011

FOTD 02.14.11

Happy Valentines Day!! I've come up with a look that is appropriate enough for daytime, but also looks great for a date with your love :)

Face:
Monistat Chafing Relief Powder Gel (Primer)
MAC Studio Sculpt in NW15
MAC MSF Natural in Light
MAC Pinch O' Peach Blush
Nars Laguna Bronzer
MAC Too Chic Beauty Powder (highlight)

Eyes:
MAC Painterly Paint Pot
Physicians Formula Matte Quad in Quartz Quartet (rosy shade in the crease, light grey shade to fill in brows)
MAC Trax on the Lid
NYX Runway Collection 10 Color Eyeshadow Palette (light pink shimmery shade in the inner corner)
MAC Blanc Type on the brown bone
MAC Beauty Marked in the outer crease
L'Oreal Carbon Black Linear Intense to line eye (winged out a bit)
Covergirl Lashblast Mascara

Lips:
Light pink lipstick (I'm sorry I don't have a name for this. I got it years ago in a cheap makeup palette and I have no idea what it is called. But any light pink lipstick will do. It looks a bit like Viva Glam Gaga)
MAC Nymphette Lipglass

For my hair, I curled it with my new Conair Tourmaline Ceramic Curling Iron and pulled it into a loose side pony tail. I think it make it look a bit more romantic.

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Haul 02.12.11

This is just another mini haul. I went to Target tonight on a mission to look for a new curling iron. If you have seen my holy grail list, you'll see that I have the Instyler listed as my favorite styling tool, and while I like the finished product when I use the Instyler, actually using it is a pain in the butt. Straightening is super easy, but if I want to curl my hair, I have to wrap my hair around the barrel and I'm always afraid I'm going to burn myself. Plus I'm never able to run through my ends and they look all frazzled. So I wanted to get something a little more straight forward.

I decided on a Conair Tourmaline Ceramic 1 1/4 inch Curling Iron. I used it when I got home, and I like it so far. It took me a bit of time to get the used to the technique, because I've not used this type of iron in a while. It took about the same about of time as it does with the Instyler, but I think now that I know how to use it, this will be a much quicker way to curl my hair.

I also picked up a bottle of Tresemme Heat Tamer Spray. I've been through 2 bottles of this heat protectant and I really like it. What I like is that it protects you hair against the heat from the blow dryer as well as a flat iron or curling iron. Then I picked up a tube of Clean and Clear Finishes Moisturizer. My favorite moisturizer of all time is the Clean and Clear Soft, both the Day and Night ones. But that line was discontinued, which is a shame because I really like the products from this line. However they came out with the Finishes line and the moisturizer is the same exact formula as the Soft ones. The only downside is the tube is just over 1/4 the amount of product as before, but at the same price. Lame.

Here's a quick picture of what my hair looked like after using my new curling iron:

Tiny update: changed the background a bit. Still playing with the styling.

FOTD 02.12.11

Face:
Monistat Chafing Relief Gel
MAC Studio Sculpt in NW15
MAC MSF Natural in Light
MAC Pinch O' Peach Blush

Eyes:
MAC Painterly Paint Pot
MAC Prized as a highlight
MAC Satin Taupe on the lid
Physicians Formula Canyon Classics Quad cool medium brown in the crease
MAC Showstopper in the outer crease
NYX Jumbo Pencil in Black Bean, melted, used as a cream liner
MAC Beauty Marked over liner
Maybelline Eye Studio Gel Liner in Charcoal

Lips:
MAC Milan Mode
Aerie Superfruit Vitamin Gloss in Coy

Thursday, February 10, 2011

REVIEW: MAC Eyeshadows

I'm going to do a little review on my MAC shadows. I've only been buying from MAC for about 5 months,  but I've been really impressed with their products. I'm not an expert on their products, by any means, but I have formed opinions about them.

Left: Burmese Beauty Quad; Right: Showstopper, Skintone 2,
Burmese Beauty, and Prized
First MAC product I ever bought, and by far my favorite, is the Burmese Beauty Quad from the Fabulous Felines collection. These shadow are super blendable and compliment one another beautifully. The colors are more suitable for fall/winter, but I can see myself using this year round. I can make a lovely bright gold look with this, but my favorite way to wear it is the red brown/teal shade called Burmese Beauty (the most unique shade I have ever seen, as well as my favorite eyeshadow of all time. I am a total sucker for duochrome) on the lid, Skintone 2 (the neutral gold, and my favorite gold ever) in the inner corner, Showstopper (dark plummy brown shade) in the outer crease, and Prized (highlight shade, which matches my skintone really well, and just gives a nice sheen) on my brow bone.

Left: Custom 4 Shadow Quad; Right: Satin Taupe, Trax,
Beauty Marked, Blanc Type 
The other shadows I have I bought as a custom palette. I bought the shades Blanc Type, Satin Taupe, Trax, and Beauty Marked. Blanc Type is soooooo super smooth in texture and blends effortlessly. I use that either all over the lid for a matte neutral look, or on the brow tone for a subtle highlight. It's pretty much the highlight shade of my dreams. It doesn't show up in the swatch picture that well because it is so closet to my skintone. Satin Taupe, which of course has a bit of a cult following, is a frosty silvery brown shade (though in the swatch  it looks warmer. It's the lighting). It also is incredibly smooth and great for on the lid or in the crease. Trax is a really interesting shade, and the swatch doesn't quite do it justice. Its a medium plum shadow with gold glitter. It's gorgeous but I don't use it as much as I'd like.

Beauty Marked is as intriguing as it is temperamental. In the pan, it's stunning, and it catches my eye every time I see it. But when you swatch it (normally, at least) it comes off as a black with maybe three specks of red/purple glitter, and when you try to use in on the lid, the glitter kind of falls off. You either have to apply it wet or over a dark base to get it to show up. But as you can hopefully see in the swatch, I was able to swatch in a way that shows off how gorgeous it can be. You're going to think I'm crazy, but I just ever so lightly scratched the shadow with my finger nail (just to kick up enough shadow to use in swatch) so it becomes sort of loose. I've not tried using this technique on the lid, so I'll make an update on that when I do. Unfortunately, this is about the fullest to it's potential that I have been able to get it.

So, that is what I think about the shadows I own. Overall I really do love these shades, and am planning on purchasing more in the future.

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Haul 02.08.11

I placed an order through MAC last week and it got here this morning. I had been putting off buying these items for a white but I finally gave in.

I picked up Studio Sculpt in NW15 and Pinch O' Peach blush.

Now, I had promised myself that I was not going to buy a MAC foundation until I had finished the ones I already had. I had been using Revlon Photoready foundation for almost a year and I really really don't  like it. I kind of knew I wouldn't like it from the first time I tried it, because when I put it on my face, though it covered alright, there was just too much glitter everywhere. I just never got around to returning it, so I was determined to use it up. I have about 1/4 of that bottle left, but I just really don't think I want to finish it.

So I caved and bought Studio Sculpt. The reasons I picked this over Studio Fix Fluid or any of their other full coverage foundations was 1.) I wanted it to be something that wasn't very dupable (like SFF is to Revlon Colorstay), and 2.) from what I've heard, SFF has a tendency to turn orangey, and on my extremely pale skin that would look awful.

I've only used it once but for a first impression, I'm really happy with it. I love the finish, there's no damn GLITTER, and is photographs beautifully! I'll do a more in depth review after about a week to see if my skin reacts to it. But the color matches me perfectly, which I was a little nervous about, since I did buy it online. It's weird, though, because on the back of my hand it looks about half a shade too dark, but it matches my face really well. I don't know.

Pinch O' Peach is a beautiful and flattering as it is decieving. They named it Pinch O' PEACH, but there is not even a hint of peach in this blush. It is straight pink. It's a sheertone color, so it just gives a lovely flush to the cheeks that is nearly impossible to overdue. In the picture to the left, I did a heavy swatch  and a sheered out swatch to show what it would look like on the skin. If you'd like to see what it looks like on my cheeks, take a look at my FOTD post below :)

I think that about covers everything for now <3

FOTD 02.08.11

Here's my first face of the day :)

Face:
Monistat Chafing Relief Powder Gel (Primer)
MAC Studio Sculpt Foundation in NW15
MAC Mineralized Skinfinish Natural in Light
Nars Laguna Bronzer
MAC Pinch O' Peach Blush
MAC Too Chic Beauty Powder (highlight)

Eyes:
MAC Painterly Paint Pot
MAC Burmese Beauty Quad
      a. Burmese Beauty on the lid
      b. Skintone 2 in the inner corner up into the inner crease
      c. Prized on the browbone
      d. Showstopper in the outer corner
Physicians Formula Eyeshadow Quad
      e. Medium brown shade in the crease
NYX Jumbo Pencil in Black Bean (melted, used as cream eye liner)
Maybelline Eye Studio Gel Liner in Charcoal (on waterline)
Covergirl Lashblast Mascara

Lips:
MAC Nymphette Lipglass

Just a little introduction

So I've been debating whether to start up a blog for a while now. I know it may seem like the world does not need another beauty blog. I've had blogs and sites before, but I was always posting about things that weren't that relevant or interesting, and paying for something I'm not going to keep up with is just a waste. So I think if I blog about things that I'm actually passionate about, and seem to interest others, such as makeup and photography, I'll be able to stick with it.

Now, with all that said, my name is Amy, and this is my new blog!!!

Hopefully I'll start posting things like FOTD's, hauls, reviews and things. SO I'm going to start on the right foot by doing all three today, just to test the waters a bit.

Stay tuned!!
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