Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Top 5 October Favorites

Covergirl Clump Crusher Mascara:: I only got this about a week ago, but it has quickly become one of my favorite mascaras ever. I love mascaras that give a lot length and definition with very little clumping and hassle. This one does just that! The brush comes out of the tube super clean with almost no extra product on it, so you can throw it on quickly and it looks great. The brush also has hard plastic bristles, which tend to be my favorite kind. I hate having to work and work at my lashes to get them how I want, this mascara is super low maintenance. I'm so siked to have picked this product up at CVS and have been using it daily!

Benefit Hello Flawless Face Powder:: This is the first legit face powder that I have used. I use my Maybelline translucent mattifying powder all the time, but this Benefit powder has actual pigmentation to it-so it's very different. I have been loving this product this month because it creates a really flawless (hence the name), airbrush effect. After applying foundation, I used a Beauty Blender sponge to apply this mainly to the T zone and it smooths out pours and imperfections. It also gives a nice, matte finish which I prefer for the colder months.

Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch Concealer:: I did a blog post already raving about this product and it is most definitely a favorite of the month. I have been using this concealer every single day and have zero complaints. It works just as well if not better than my very pricey Bobbi Brown concealer and it is less heavy because it is a liquid instead of a cream. It conceals and highlights the troublesome under-eye area beautifully and is definitely a daily necessity for me!

Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette:: I longed for this product forever before I finally took the plunge and purchased it. I'm not sure what it is, but something about this palette makes me happy every time I use it. The colors are super wearable and I have been using them often for work makeup. You can create the perfect, understated brown smokey eye, or just give your lids a wash of color. It also comes with a brush that is surprisingly nice and I actually use it almost everytime I use the palette (usually brushes that come with products are crappy). I love the packaging in general, its a metal-ish container that clicks closed. This is an October favorite because it has been easy and fool-proof go to for me in the mornings before work.

Smashbox Cream Eye liner Palette:: This is a favorite for me this month because I have been using the brown and deep blue color a lot for upper lid eyeliner. Applying a color to the lid and then sweeping on some of this cream eyeliner makes for an easy, but put-together look. Using blue and brown instead is a nice change instead of always using black.

So those are my top 5 favorites for this month! What are your favorites?!! Have a great night and I hope everyone had a fun Halloween! xx

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Barbie Makeup

Barbie



Yes, It's supposed to be totally corny and cheesy.

Monday, October 29, 2012

50's Pin Up Girl Makeup


These looks are so fun to do! If anyone has any good ideas please leave them in the comments section!! xxxx

Gift Ideas Under $30: Jewelry


More gift ideas to come!
Francesca's
Joveda
JewelMint

Sunday, October 28, 2012

Friday, October 26, 2012

NOTD + Manicure Repair

I am absolutely in LOVE with this color from the new OPI Bond collection: Skyfall color- Live and Let Die.
Its a deep forest green with lots of subtle gold shimmer. It goes on like a dream!


Unfortunately, no matter how gorgeous the color, after a few days it starts to chip :-(. 



For a quick fix:

Apply some nail polish to the end of a Q-tip

 Lightly dab the chipped area so that the nail showing is completely covered

Place the polish on all chips.

To make it look even better, re-apply your top coat to smooth out the roughness of the polish "band-aid"

It doesn't look perfect, but it looks great from afar and lengthens the life of your polish!!



Wednesday, October 24, 2012

JewelMint Mystery Box

For those of you that haven't heard of JewelMint, its a jewelry website run, in part, by Kate Bosworth. You sign up for free, create a profile, and then jewelry pieces are picked for you and placed in your own personal "showroom." You can buy the pieces in your showroom or any of the jewelry from the entire website. Different collections are put together every so often like "pink for october" or "purple haze." These collections usually have specific characteristics in common. There are also picks from Kate and her partner Cher (whoever that is). The rest of the site has various, unique jewelry pieces that usually reflect different trends that are popular at the moment. Oh! I almost forgot, every item is $29.99 unless there is a sale. I really like this website because the jewelry seems less mass produced (even though I'm sure it is) and mainstream-things that aren't exactly on the beaten path.

So recently they were offering a Mystery Box promo. Of course, I was immediately intrigued because I am such a sucker for this type of stuff. Basically, you pay $29.99 for box of jewelry, each piece being a complete surprise, woohoo! Mine came in the mail recently and I thought I'd share it's contents :-)

This is my favorite piece of the things I got. I think a lot of people would think this is completely tacky, but for some reason I love it and think its adorable. I love the chunkiness and the silly pieces of fruit. I wouldn't have purchased this on my own so I was happily surprised to receive it in my box.

 These earrings are o.k. They are very long and have a vintage feel. I definitely would not purchase these on my own, they don't have that special something that I would be drawn to-and I don't really wear super long earrings anymore. But I am going to try and get some use out of them and hopefully they will grow on me!

 I really wasn't a fan of these when I first saw them. But they are growing on me little by little. I think they are something I could get some use out of even though I wouldn't have picked them out on my own. 

Overall, was the mystery box a complete success? Well, no, not completely- but I did get 3 pieces of jewelry for $29.99 and got to feel like it was Christmas for a second before I opened the box :-). 
Hope you enjoyed!

Monday, October 22, 2012

Illamasqua Complement Palette: Review + Swatches

Recently I broke down and bought an expensive palette from Illamasqua. I was really drawn to the colors and textures that this collection of eyeshadows had to offer. The dark purple and rose colors are very soft, pigmented eyeshadows. The light tan is mostly sparkle and less soft. The brown is a duo-chrome cream shadow that looks brown at the outset and then has a blue-ish tint when it catches the light. The positives of this palette is, for one, you can tell its high quality by the packaging and the way the eyeshadows feel. I absolutely love the deep rose color and the duo-chrome bronze. The different textures and combination of colors make it easy to create a dynamic look. A downside to this palette is that I don't think the shadows are made for long-wear. The creamy bronze creases almost instantly when it isn't set with a powder. This makes it necessary to apply a primer and a base to get even a few hours of longevity. Also, of course, the price. I had to think about it for a while before I decided to cave and spend $45.00 on this palette. In fact the only reason I took the plunge was because I had a 20% off coupon for Sephora- even with the discount it is still seriously expensive. If I wasn't so in love with the colors this would be a quick return- but I can't seem to part with it yet! We all need a little splurge once and a while ;-). Have you guys bought anything you absolutely love lately??




Sunday, October 21, 2012

At Home Manicure

Before

After
This is OPI for Sephora It's Wine O-Clock


Step 1: Remove all previous nail polish that is on your nails.

Step 2: Soak your finger tips in a bowl of warm water for 5-10 minutes until your cuticles are very soft

Step 3: Cut your cuticles using a cuticle cutter. Trim all hang nails and loose skin and also cut along your nail bed to sharper the look of your cuticles

Step 4: Coat each cuticle with some type of cuticle oil. Josie Maran's Argan Oil works really well for this because the bottle comes with an applicator that is perfect for coating cuticles without getting all messy

Step 5: While the oil is still on, place your hands in a very warm, wet wash cloth for 5 minutes so that the oil can sink in

Step 5: Wash the oil off with warm water and soap

Step 6: Cut and file your nails to a desired shape

Step 7: Apply a base coat, your nail polish, and then a quick trying top coat
*I use an OPI base coat and Sally Hansen Fast Dry Diamond Flash Top Coat

Step 7: Let nails dry (the top coat should make the nails dry within 10 minutes) and then coat them with lotion

You're done!!!!


Thursday, October 18, 2012

Gift Ideas: Makeup!

We all have that friend or relative that is the total beauty junkie. With the holidays coming up I wanted to show you guys some great gift options that anyone would like! All of these are from Sephora and they are mainly between $20-65. If you guys would like me to do a set of gift ideas that are less expensive let me know!

Eyes

LORAC Eye Candy Full Face Collection
6 palettes including eyeshadow, cream liner and lips+face tint
$59.00


Tarte Precious Gems Limited Edition Waterproof Cream  Eyeshadow Collection
Comes with: 4 Shadows and an application brush
$44.00

Tarte Femme Naturale Eye Palette
Comes with: double ended liner and a double ended brush

Makeup Forever Eyeshadow Palette
Purchase this palette and one MUFE eyeshadow to get them started!
Palette: $21.00
Singular Eyeshadow: $20.00
*Urban Decay + MAC offer similar options

Lips
5-Piece Lipsurgence Collector's Set
$34.00 

BUXOM Time to Shine
6 Big &Healthy mini lipglosses

Benefit High Flyin' Glosses
Limited edition set of 6 mini glosses
$26.00

Clinique Taste of Honey set
4 "Almost Lipsticks"
$29.00

BUXOM Lip Polish Duo
$18.00


Fresh Sugar Perfection Duo
$22.50



Combo


bareMinerals The bare Guide to Color- Warm
Eyelid primer, 2 eyeshadows, lip gloss, eyeliner and brush
$39.00

Tarte The Luxe List Amazonian Clay Color Collection and Woven Clutch
Travel sized brush, eyeshadow quad, mascara, finishing powder, luminizing wand, lip luster eye pencil, woven clutch
$44.00

Tarte Carried Away Collectors Set
Amazonian clay blush, finishing powder, 8 x .052oz lip glosses, mascara, face brush, 24 eyeshadows, bag
$54.00
Benefit Upgrade to Gorgeous
.05oz fragrance, pore refining primer, liquid highlighter, mascara, blush, bag
$34.00

NARS Beach Lover
Blush and highlighter Duo (Orgasm + Hungry Heart), Soft Touch Shadow pencil, Gloss, Illuminator
$49.00 

Josie Maran Moroccan Bazaar Shimmer & Glow Argan Essentials
Argan Color Stick, Bottle of pure Argan oil, Argan illuminizer, Argan High Gloss Lip Quench
$28.00

Tarte The Stand Outs Limited Edition Best Sellers Kit
Waterproof cream liner, mascara, Natural Lip Luster, double ended liner brush
$25.00

bareMinerals Fired Up set
Quad of Ready Eyshadow, eyelid primer, waterproof eyeliner, lip gloss, mini blush brush, eyeshadow applicator, makeup bag
$54.00


This is what I've come up with so far- hope this was helpful and have a great night!


Quick Post: UD

Urban Decay is on HauteLook today!

event/22731urbandecaywb

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Quick Post: 40% off sale

Need to stock up on your drug store essentials?

Drugstore.com is having a 40% off sale on everything in their makeup department!


Tuesday, October 16, 2012

MAC Dark Brown + Quarry

Dark Brown is a Veluxe shadow, so it is highly pigmented with a velvety, smooth consistency. The name pretty much sums up this color, it is simply a deep brown. This is a great color for your crease or for a building up a smokey eye- a solid addition to your collection.

Quarry is a Matte shadow so it should have zero shimmer to it when applied. Interestingly, when looked at closely and in the light, Quarry has a very subtle shimmer to it, but comes out mostly matte. This shadow has very light pigmentation and does not have a lot of color pay off. However, its great for a light crease color. You can slowly build this color up and it won't be super strong right off the bat, so it makes it really easy to achieve a natural look. I use this color a lot for day time looks-check this post here to see how it looks on the eye.
Dark Brown- Quarry

Quarry- Dark Brown

Quarry- Dark Brown

Do you guys have either of these colors in your collection?

Thursday, October 11, 2012

GIVEAWAY WINNER!

Thank you SO much to everyone who entered this giveaway!!! I used random.org to choose a completely random number. The number that came out was 23, so I chose the 23rd comment on the original Giveaway blog post. Sooo... the winner is:

NEHA GUPTA





Congratulations!! And for those of you who did not win, don't worry there will be lots more giveaways in the future! XX

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Easy 3 step morning makeup- all drugstore products!


Step 1: Apply a sheer cream eyeshadow for a base and then a light shimmery powder eyeshadow over top

Step 2: With a blending brush (MAC 217 brush works great for this) take a matte light brown color and use a windshield wiper motion to apply to the color through the crease to create depth

Step 3: With a liquid liner, create a thin black line along the upper lash line- create a tiny wing on the outer corner of the eye with the liner

Curl your eyelashes and apply mascara, your done!


Products used:
-Maybelline Color Tattoo in Barely Beige
-Maybelline Eye Studio eyeshadow palette in Copper Chic- lightest color
-Covergirl Line Exact Liquid Liner Pen in Very Black (review of this product here)
-Covergirl eyelash curler
-L'oreal Telescopic Clean Definition Mascara in Black

Last day to enter the GIVEAWAY!

2012/09/giveaway.html

Monday, October 8, 2012

NEW YSL Touche Eclat Illuminating Foundation Review

The YSL Le Teint Touche Eclat Illuminating foundation is the newest foundation out by YSL.
My color: BD 40 (Beige Dore 40)

 The description of this foundation on Sephora.com says:
For the first time, the magic light of Touche Éclat is in a foundation with the added benefit of SPF 19 sun protection. Infused in a weightless fluid, this foundation targets shadowy areas and highlights the contours of the face. Free of opaque fillers, its perfecting texture evens the complexion and helps conceal imperfections while enhancing your skin’s natural beauty.

These descriptions always make the product sound like a miracle worker don't they? YSL previously released the widely popular concealer, the Touche Eclat Radiant Touch. So it looks like they are capitalizing on that popularity by making a foundation with similar illuminating capabilities. 

This is, no doubt, a very nice product. The formula feels light on the skin and leaves a glowy, dewey effect. It provides medium coverage and has a really subtle, but pleasant smell. This foundation also leaves the skin looking natural, not cakey or "foundationy." Although this foundation has an illuminating effect, its not at all shimmery, like other foundations. This makes it useful for covering blemishes as well as just evening out skin tone. Very shimmery foundations (like Almay Wake Up) tend to highlight, rather than conceal blemishes, but this foundation covers very nicely. Another great thing about this foundation is the range of colors. It has a bunch of color options with both rose and golden undertones. I was actually suprised that I wasn't matched with one of the colors with Rose undertones as those usually work the best with my skin. However, the color I ended up with matches my skin perfectly. 

I wore this foundation for a day at work. It takes A LOT for a foundation to stand up to my days mainly because I am in a school and the temperatures seem to vary from room to room. One minute I'm freezing, the next im sweating. So no matter what I do my skin seems to look pretty shiny by the end of the day. Because this foundation has that subtle light reflection and dewiness, the shininess was very appararent by the end of the day. For work, I definitely go for matte or semi-matte finish foundations because they need to control oil throughout the day. I wouldn't choose this foundation for all day wear, at least not yet. As winter comes on and temps drop my skin tends to get a lot more dry so it may work a lot better then. This foundation would, however, work great for just a couple hours of wear or for people who have very dry skin. You can also improve the length of wear by using an oil controlling primer. I had an allergic reaction to the last primer I tried so, needless to say, I'm taking a break from those for a bit. This foundation is pricey, at $55 a bottle, but that's to be expected from Yves Saint Laurent. I would recommend grabbing a sample of this from your local Sephora before committing to buying it. 

I hope this was helpful for you guys and if you'd like to see it applied check out the video!!