Monthly Archives: December 2015

Benefit They’re Real Tinted Lash Primer Review

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So, for once, I have something to review for you guys before it’s released!  I don’t get PR products, but Sephora had promo sample sizes of these available, although they will not be for sale until 2016!

Here’s the package it came in.  Pretty hefty claims!


They’re Real Tinted Primer is a lash primer that’s unique in that it can be worn alone or under other mascaras.  It is a gel formula that is in a natural medium taupe brown shade.  I find that worn alone, it real does define and lengthen lashes, but I wear nothing but black mascara, so I would only use this under other mascaras.  I tried to get a photo of it alone, but my camera would NOT focus…


To be fair, I have REALLY long eyelashes to start with, so I feel a little guilty reviewing mascaras.  But the definition and separation this stuff gives is excellent.  It has a flexible wand, which I don’t love, though I know that’s a popular feature right now.  The bristles are the same as They’re Real Mascara, which is one of my favorite mascara brushes of all time, since you can use the spiky ball on the end to really fan out corner lashes.

And here it is underneath Covergirl Clump Crusher!  HOLY COW!!!


Like I said, I alread have long lashes,  but this result is kind of INSANE.

And with my eyes open…


The great thing about this product is that UNLIKE They’re Real mascara, this stuff is easy to remove!  I was able to easily take this off (including the extra coat of Covergirl) with nothing but Simple Micellar Water on a cotton pad.  I had stopped buying They’re Real because taking it off at night was a pain in the ass!

Lash primers are a luxury “extra” that I never spend money on, but this product is making me reconsider.  If I’m buying this at $24, and Covergirl at $6, then how is that different than a $30 Dior mascara?  THAT, my friends, is your introduction to “Rachel logic!”

Do you ever use a lash primer?

Bold lips with Kat Von D Studded Kiss Lipstick in Mercy 

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I recently found myself really lusting for a Kat Von D Studded Kiss lipstick.  I had a credit after returning something to Sephora.  I still really couldn’t justify the price unless I found a shade unlike anything I already owned, yet something I would wear all the time (so not black or green, though I am still looking at those!), so I settled on this unique shade called Mercy.  Mercy is described as a “romantic garnet berry;” however what makes this really unique is that it is somehow matte and metallic at the same time.  It still manages to have a creamy and comfortable formula, unlike the unfortunate experience I had with a similar shade I had from the old Foiled Love line called “Oh My Goth.”  Oh My Goth was dry and dragged on the lips and had uneven pigment.  This lipstick is smooth and manages to be everything that one should have been – I’m in LOVE! 

Look at this beautiful packaging.  Kat says she designed it to look like her favorite studded wrist cuff.

  
The logo is stamped into the lipstick bullet.

  
This is a beautiful wine garnet shade!  If you aren’t pale as a ghost, this will not seem quite as dark. 

  
Pardon the damp hair!  Hubby’s napping and I don’t want to get out the noisy blow dryer.  

Do you have any new makeup favorites? 

Makeup of the day – Urban Decay Vice 4 Palette Low, Crowbar, Frame 

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Ok guys, Low and Crowbar are shadows with serious GLITTER.  Do not attempt to wear these without some sort of glitter adhesive or you will have them all over your face!  I wore them with ELF Glitter Glue and they stayed on like magic!  I wish my camera picked up the sparkle.  I have NYX Cream Blush in Boho Chic on my cheeks and Rimmel Let’s Get Naked Moisture Renew Lipstick on the lips.  

 I will be posting more Vice 4 makeup looks, so get ready!  😀 

  

Hope you all had a great holiday!!

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I had a wonderful holiday with my husband and family – and I even received a makeup gift, the Urban Decay Vice 4 palette! 

  
(playing with goodies before bed last night)

Today, I dipped into it for the first time and WOW!  These colors ain’t playing!

  
Those purples!  Those greens!

My sister also made me this amazing 40s style cloche hat by hand – isn’t it incredible! 

  
Holiday FASHION, you guys.  

Ok, I got even more festive and got out my MAC Black Friday nail polish from a few years ago…oh wait, it’s actually called Grey Friday.  

  
More GLITTER.

Ok, so I would post more, but my husband got me this Chromecast thing and we are showing each other YouTube videos on the TV.  LOLLLLLL 

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, guys! 

Guess how old my Tweezerman tweezers are!

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If you guessed 19 years old, you’d be RIGHT!  I bought these when I worked in my first makeup job at Merle Norman.  They still work great and I haven’t even sent them in for sharpening!  I clean them with rubbing alcohol and they are good to go.  

 
If that’s not an endorsement for a product’s quality, I don’t know what is! 

 

From squoval to oval nails

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Or are they round nails?  Oh my, this is going to take a while to get the hang of.  Back in 1993 when I worked in a department store, my friend at the Lancome counter said, “girl, you’re filing your nails wrong!” and showed me square nails.  I basically haven’t changed them since then.  Well, I just chopped 14 inches off my hair…why not get even crazier?! (Who am I kidding, nobody will notice this but me.)

  

(On the left is Zoya Daul, on the right is Sinful Colors Bleeding Heart.)

This was REALLY hard to do after not doing it in 20 something years.  Also, I have arthritis and my fingers are crooked.  Now that I think about it, not bad, eh? 😉  I think this will be great when they grow a bit more.  Better keep up those supplements!

What shape are your nails?

Bad Makeup Habits – Do you have any?

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So, I have some bad makeup habits I’m trying to break!  In 2015, it was bad brows.  I watched a bunch of tutorials and I stepped it up big time.  Thanks, YouTube!  

Next year, I have a few “resolutions” I’d like to try to remember.  

1.  STOP BLOWING ON MY BRUSHES.  OMG, you guys, I even got yelled at on a makeup counter for doing this.  I still catch myself doing it.  GROSS!  Bacteriaaaaaaaaaaa.  

2.  Placing contour and blush too damn low on my face.  Oh man, this is so bad.  It ages you and drags the face down.  Dear self, do the trick with the brush handle from top of ear to edge of mouth…then do not deviate below that!

3.  Getting eyeshadow too far out/down on the outside corners of the eyes, dragging the whole eye down.  There’s a reason some people use tape.  I mean, talk about another thing that ages you…shadowing your crow’s feet?  Let’s work on that.  

4.  Going too matte on the whole face.  Again, this is an aging thing.  We are no longer a greasy 17 year old and it’s not 1983.  Calm down with the powder explosions. 

5.  Nudes every day.  OH GOD SO BORING.  You are not boring!  Change it up.  Why do you have all that zany MAC and UD?

6.  Either get your bangs trimmed more often or grow them out, but the barrettes thing is getting stupid. 

So, do you have anything you’d like to change about your beauty game?  

Makeup of the Day – Smoky Eye + Nude Lip

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So, I finally replaced my waaaaaaay too old Beauty Blender.  I couldn’t bring myself to blow the cash on another (got the first one in a swap, anyway), so I got the Real Techniques sponge last night at Walgreens.  For 1/4 the price, I actually like it better!  Then again, almost everyone on YouTube agrees, it seems.  I got the double pack for $10.00.

Today’s makeup is a more dramatic eye and well, I needed moisture for my lips, so I chose a Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipstick and still put gloss over it.

  
FACE:  

Tarte Clean Slate Poreless Primer around t-zone, Rimmel Lasting Finish 25 Hr Foundation 010 Light Porcelain, MAC Pink Studio Finish Concealer under NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Chantilly under the eyes set with MAC Set Powder in Invisible, spot concealed with NC15 MAC Studio Finish Concealer, whole face set with MAC Set in Invisible, MAC Sculpt Powder for contouring in Bone Beige, NYX Cream Blush in Natural

EYES: 

Urban Decay Primer Potion, Urban Decay Smoked Palette (green shade on lid and for lower liner, dark brown in crease, pale shade for highlight), Urban Decay 24/7 Liner in Perversion for tightlining, Maybelline Master Precise Liquid Liner in black for top liner, Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara Black

LIPS:

Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipstick in Let’s Get Naked with Lorac gloss in Rock and Roll 

Makeup of the Day – Soft Fall Look 

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Today, I kept my makeup casual and easy.  I put on my foubdation, concealer, and cream eyeshadows with my fingers and wore cream blush for extra hydration.  I just wasn’t feeling like anything too bold today.  I love this soft look!

  
FACE:

Rimmel Match Perfection 010 Light Porcelain, MAC Concealer Palette Pink under eyes w/ NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer and NW10 to spot conceal, MAC Set Powder Invisible, NYX Cream Blush Boho Chic, MAC Sculpt Powder Bone Beige for very light contour

EYES:  Bobbi Brown bone Cream Eyeshadow, Urban Decay Naked 3 palette (omg I forgot the shades?!), Maybelline Master Precise black liquid liner, Covergirl Clump Crusher mascara Very Black (let’s never be apart again), Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Duo Ebony (light shade)

LIPS:  Very light layer of Nuxe Rève de Miel lip balm under Kat Von D Studded Kiss Lipstick in Lovecraft

PS — NYX Cream Blushes are on clearance at Target for about $4!  I got “Boho Chic” and “Natural.”  I already had “Glow.”  I love these when my cheeks are dry in the winter, so I should be good to go for the cold months ahead!

Makeup of the day – Festive Red Lip

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So, I swear I’m feeling like wearing red lips for all of December!  Part of this is that I have my fancy Nuxe Reve de Miel lip balm and a sample of Fresh Sugar Lip Scrub, so my lips almost look normal and healthy.  Enough to fake it, anyway… Today I really went for that red lip and retro minimal makeup.

  
FACE: 

Tarte Clean Slate Poreless Primer in T-Zone, Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation in 010 Light Porcelain (ASOS, EBay, or Amazon for this UK-only shade), MAC Set Powder in Invisible in T-Zone, MAC Bone Beige/Emphasize for contour and highlight, Illamasqua Katie powder blush

EYES:

Bobbi Brown Cream Eyeshadow in Bone, MAC shadows in Vanilla, Kid, Brule, and Mystery, Wet N Wild H2O Liquid Liner in Black, Maybelline Super Sizer Mascara Black (blah), Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Duo Ebony (lighter shade), ELF Clear Brow Gel

LIPS:

NYX Liner in Hot Red, Maybelline Creamy Matte Lipstick in Siren In Scarlett