Friday, May 13, 2011

FOTD/Party look and What's in my Travel Bag

I've been playing with those pigment samples a lot lately and I have found my new favorite party look using my Reflects Antique Gold pigment! It's a very simple look to do, but it goes well with pretty much any party outfit.

Face:
Monistat Chafing Relief Powder Gel
MAC Studio Sculpt in NW15
Maybelline Mineral Power Concealer in Fair
MAC MSF Natural in Light
MAC Harmony
MAC Pinch O' Peach
Nars Copacabana Illuminator

Eyes:
Urban Decay Primer Potion in Eden
NYX Jumbo Pencil in Iced Mocha (used lightly on the lid as a base)
MAC Reflects Antique Gold Pigment (on the lid)
Physicians Formula Matte Quad in Canyon Classics
      -medium brown in the crease
      -dark brown/grey on lower lashline
NYX Jumbo Pencil in Black Bean (liner)
Sugarpill Bulleteproof (over liner)
Maybelline One by One Mascara

Lips:
Aerie Superfruit Vitamin Gloss in Coy

Since I'm flying to Florida, I had to condense the amount of makeup I'm bringing, so I was able to pack all of my essential items in my little makeup case. Most of the stuff I'm bringing probably wont be a surprise, but I thought I'd share anyway.


  • I'm bringing my Real Techniques brushes, as well as a few others that I use regularly. I'm able to fit them all in this case really easily

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

FOTD 5.10.11

This is the look that I have been wearing all week, and it's using the new stuff I got in my last haul :)

Face:
Monistat Chafing Relief Powder Gel
MAC Studio Sculpt in NW15
Maybelline Mineral Power Concealer in Fair (which I just got the other day, and I'm really liking it so far)
MAC MSF Natural
MAC Harmony (contour)
MAC Pinch O'Peach
Nars Laguna (mainly down the neck)
Nars Copacabana Illuminator (on the cheekbones and down the bridge of my nose)

Eyes:
Urban Decay Primer Potion in Eden
MAC Twinks (lid)
Physicians Formula Canyon Classics Matte Quad (medium brown in my crease)
MAC Smut (outer corner)
MAC Blanc Type (on the browbone)
Nars Illuminator (near the tear duct)

Lips:
Aerie Superfruit Vitamin Gloss in Coy

Saturday, May 7, 2011

Sephora/MAC Haul!!!

I have a really exciting haul for you today! Some of these things have been on my wishlist for a really long time so I'm soo happy to cross those off now. Yesterday I went to Sephora and picked up a couple things, and then when I got home I recieved a MAC box so I knew this was going to be fun.

I'll start with Sephora: I went in there with the sole intention of picking up the Urban Decay Primer Potion in Eden, because I've been having issues with my Painterly Paint Pot. I find lately that it's been really unreliable. One day my eyeshadow will last all day (like 8-10 hours) and then the next it will be creasing after 4. VERY frustrating. I have oily eyelids (yeah, what kind of crap is that. Oily eyelids. Pff) so I have tried powdering my lids before applying the Paint Pot, and that helps to some extent, but I heard that UDPP was good for oilier lids and the fact that it's a matte skin tone color really appeals to me, because it will even out my lids while preparing for eyeshadow (the color is a little darker on my skin tone, but I'm not worried) I also wanted to get it while they were still in their new squeeze tube packaging. Here's what Urban Decay has to say about it:
All the benefits of our #1 product in a nude matte shade. Apply this weightless primer before your shadow (or alone to even out skin tone!) for ridiculously long wear, more vibrant color, and absolutely NO creasing! Out new squeeze tube hold 10% MORE Potion 
Left: Copacabana, UDPP Sin, and UDPP Eden
So once I had that in my hand, I started browsing a little bit, and I made my way to the Nars section. Nars is very dangerous for me. The colors are all gorgeous and I love the texture of their shadows and blushes. Unfortunately, they are not the most affordable products. But I had had my eye on the new Illuminators they released earlier this year. I wasn't interested in either Orgasm or Laguna (Orgasm is too brown looking and cream bronzers scare me), but I tested out Super Orgasm, and while I loved the color (it's a pinky peach with gold glitter. The color is more similar to the Orgasm powder blush rather than the Super Orgasm, which is odd) I found that the glitter was a bit too much for me. Then I swatched Copacabana, which I knew I was going to fall in love with. It's a light pink toned white with a very fine glitter. It's absolutely STUNNING! It is not overpowering at ALL! The tiniest bit will give you a gorgeous sheen, but you can still build it for a more opaque color. If you're unsure about the glitter, you may want to try it before you buy it. Nars says you can use these all over your face or as a highlighter, over or under makeup, and it may be mixed with your foundation for an all over glowy look. Use it on your face, neck, shoulders, or decollete. 

The girls at Sephora also gave me a couple samples. So I got a sample of UDPP in Sin, which is a warm brown, a Clarins Ecran Multi-Protection Moisturizer with SPF 40, and Boscia Oil-Free Daily Hydration with SPF 15. The girl that checked me out was a friend of mine and my sister's and knew we were going to Florida next week, so she made sure I had a lot of sunscreen. What a sweetheart! It's good that she did because I bought the Cetaphil moisturizer a few weeks ago, and I think it's been breaking me out. I thought it might be a hormonal thing, but I started seeing a few blemishes on my forehead, and that doesn't happen. Not cool, man, not cool. 


So, like I said before, not long after I got home, I got a MAC order I had placed earlier this week. I don't know if they have changed their shipping policy, but the last couple orders I have placed, I wont get a tracking number until the day it's supposed to get there, which is odd. But I only placed my order on May 4th, and I got it on May 6th! I don't know if they rushed the shipping without charging me for it or what, but I'm a fan. ANYWAY I've had the same stuff in my shopping cart for a really long time, and these were things I wanted to have while I was in Florida so I went ahead and order them. First I got a 15-Pan Palette, which I have been needing. It's just so sleek and pretty, so I'm really excited to have that. While I was at it I bought Twinks (Veluxe Pearl) and Smut (Velvet). Twinks is a plummy bronze and Smut is a dark grey plum color. When swatched, it's very similar in color to Showstopper (Matte), but I like the texture a lot better. I find Showstopper kind of difficult to work with. 

I also got a blush in Harmony (Matte). It's a medium neutral brown color. It looks like it would be a perfect contour color for fair to medium skin tones. 

So if you made it through all of that, kudos to you! I know I can ramble a bit. But I'm really excited to use all this stuff, and I'm even more excited that I got it all at the same time so I can show you all!

I'll end with a picture of my new palette! I went ahead and depotted my Burmese Beauty quad. Another order or two and it will be full :)

Top: Blanc Type, Skintone 2, Satin Taupe, Twinks, Showstopper
Middle: Trax, Beauty Marked
Bottom: Prized, Burmese Beauty, Smut

Thursday, May 5, 2011

FOTD 5.05.11 / Mini Makeup Geek Haul

Happy Cinco d Mayo, everyone! I feel like I haven't done a FOTD in forever. I was really excited for this look because it was the first look I did with my new Real Techniques brushes! They work beautifully and I will definitely be checking out more from this line soon. Make sure you check out my review of these brushes here!

Face:
Monistat Chafing Relief Powder Gel
MAC Studio Sculpt in NW15
Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Concealer
MAC MSF in Light
MAC Pinch O' Peach Blush
MAC Too Chic Beauty Powder

Eyes:
MAC Painterly Paint Pot
MAC Satin Taupe (lid)
MAC Beauty Marked (liner and outer-V)
MAC Trax (crease)
MAC Blanc Type (browbone)
NYX Jumbo Pencil in Black Bean (liner)
Maybelline One by One Mascara

Lips:
MAC Nymphette Lipglass

I ordered a few things from the Makeup Geek store last week, and they just came in the mail today. I ordered a NYX Jumbo Pencil in Iced Mocha, as well as two MAC Pigment samples in Blue Brown and Reflects Antique Gold. These colors are GORGEOUS!! If you have been following my blog you know that my favorite eyeshadow is MAC Burmese Beauty. Blue Brown is the loose version of this shadow, and I'm absolutely in love! I picked out Reflects Antique Gold because I saw someone use it in a tutorial that I wanted to duplicate. It's very true to name: it's an antique gold that is neither too warm nor cool, and it's just stunning. I would definitely consider picking both of these pigments up in a full size, but the sample size Makeup Geek sends is enough to last me quite a long time. I love the NYX Jumbo pencils, so I bought Iced Mocha, which is a medium toned shimmery taupe color. It looks like a creamy version of MAC Satin Taupe, so I'm excited to use that.I went ahead and melted the pencil into a jar, because that is how I prefer to use these. In the photo, I have a swatch of the pencil, the two pigments, and then the pigments used over the pencil. They are much more pigmented over the pencil, which is typical. But I can't stop staring at these swatches.

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Haul / First Impression: Real Techniques brushes

Sorry I haven't been around much lately. I didn't wear a lot of makeup in April, didn't really go shopping, and couldn't think of anything in particular to include in a favorites post, so I haven't had much to talk about. I do have some exciting news, however! My sister and I will be taking a trip to Florida in less than two weeks! We're going to Disney World, because a.) it's our favorite vacation spot, and b.) since I do work their seasonally, I want to work and play a bit. In fact, this upcoming trip inspired my most recent purchase!

I'll be honest: I am only a recent fan of the Pixiwoo girls on Youtube, which is odd because I think they are an absolute delight to watch. I've been watching their videos for a couple weeks now, and when I stumbled across a video in which Sam announced that she was releasing her own line of affordable brushes, I was immediately interested. Her line, called Real Techniques, is a collection of face, eyes, and finishing brushes made of "ultra plush taklon bristles" which can be used with powder, liquid, and cream products. The brushes are color-coded according to their purpose (face brushes are gold, eye brushes are purple, and the finishing brushes are pink). Most of the face and finishing brushes have a flat bottom so they may stand upright on your table top. I purchased the dual-fiber Stippling Brush ($9.99), as well as the eye enhancing Starter Kit ($15.99).

On the back of the stippling brush packaging, it reads:
My dual-fiber stippling brush is the trade secret for creating airbrushed, high definition resultswith all types of makeup. Look pixel perfect even in harsh light.
What immediately drew me to this brush was the fact that the bristles are a lot shorter than you would find on most dual-fiber brushes, so it is dense enough to buff in the product you are using, while still giving a nice, soft airbrush finish. I plan on using this brush for foundation, since it provides a lighter application which will be nice as the weather gets warmer.

The eye enhancing starter kit comes with five brushes:
  • Deluxe Crease brush: "soft, oversized design for effortless blending"; this brush is a rounded dome shape
  • Base Shadow brush: "applies a smooth, flawless foundation of color"; it is wide and tapered on one side, and flat on the other.
  • Accent brush: "designed for precision detailing, spotlighting, highlighting, and smudging"
  • Pixel-Point Eyeliner brush: "tapered cut is ideal for dense or fine eyeliner application"
  • Brow brush: "distinctive shape easily defines eyebrows"
The Starter kit is cleverly packaged in a "panoramic case", which basically means it can be closed and secured by a velcro tab, or the back can be folded backwards to serve as a stand for easy use. The case also contains extra slots to store additional brushes. I was able to fit the Stippling brush, as well as 2 other face brush, and 2 eye brushes comfortably in the case.

This set of brushes could not have been released at a better time! Since I am going on travel, and I'm flying, I'm limited by how much storage and makeup I'm going to take with me. I found that I was trying to cram all of my most used brushes in my tiny makeup bag, so it's great to have a compact case and set that carries all the brushes I need.

I definitely want to check out more of these brushes. At the moment, they are being exclusively sold at Ulta stores and online. Online they are buy one, get one half off, so I actually only paid $4.99 for the Stippling brush. Be sure to check out Real Techniques to see video tutorials from Samantha using these brushes!
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