Category Archives: Makeup

Makeup of the Day

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So, we’ve had FOUR thunderstorms today.  SO FAR.  My hair is a frizz bomb and I know if I put something on it to tame it, it will go from fuzzy to flat to my head.  So, before I post my makeup look of the day, I thought I would ask if any of you guys out there know of a product for smoothing frizz that is ACTUALLY for fine hair that will not weigh it down and have it laying completely flat to my head.

But hey, bangs are getting trimmed tomorrow, finally! 

  
FACE:  Maybelline Fit Me Matte + Poreless in Porcelain with MAC 190 brush, NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer under eyes blended with Luxie Tapered Blending Brush (thanks Ipsy), spot concealing with NYX HD Concealer in Porcelain, no setting powder (I may regret this), NYX HD Blush in Taupe for light contour with MAC 168 brush, MAC Blush in Pink Swoon with MAC 116 brush.

EYES:  Wet n Wild Fergie eyeshadow primer in For My Primas blended with ring finger, Urban Decay Naked2 Basics palette (I used all the colors!), MAC 210 Precise Liner brush with L’Oreal Infallible Gel Liner in black, Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler, Covergirl Clump Crusher Mascara and Tweezerman metal eyelash comb (careful with this sharp SOB!) 

LIPS:  MAC Diva-Ish lipstick with Art Deco lip brush.  

I used no luminizer or highlight today…hmmm.  Very matte.  What do you think? 

Makeup of the Day 

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So, I feel off my makeup game today.  I decided I wanted to give MAC Chromaline in Rich Purple another try today, although the last few tries had me feeling this plum-purple cream liner just had too much red for me to pull it off.  I should have known better, because I’m having allergies today already.  Sure, it matches my shirt, but I don’t think it’s doing me any favors.


Yep…off day.  I also used my sample of MAC Strobe Cream under Rimmel Stay Matte Foundation, hoping it would make it look a little more satin and life like and less flat matte.  Well, it did at least a tad…but the color is still a bit too light or something and oh my GOD you guys…the fragrance of the Strobe Cream is not going away!  I did my makeup an hour ago.  No Bueno!  Yeah, I’ll stick to L’Oreal Lumi Primer, thanks.  :-/

At least my NYX lipstick in Hunk looks awesome.  Thanks, Ipsy!

Ok, here I am 5 hours later, at 9:00 pm.  I added Sephora Contour eyeliner pencil in Eccentric Diva, which is a blue purple, which I think looks a bit better.  However, I think I’ve gone from “satin glowy skin” to straight up shiny (hard to tell here since my house is dark).  Not sure how I’m going to like Strobe Cream in the summer (regardless of the scent).  I am just so…combination.  *gets out Blot Powder* I switched here to Wet N Wild Fergie lipstick in Ferguson Crest Cabernet.  This lipstick has such great staying power!


Ever have makeup off days?

$10 off every $50 you spend at MAC Online – perfect time for me to get a few brushes! 

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So, MAC Cosmetics just launched a new website redesign and they’re doing something they’re not at all known for – they have a coupon code going on for $10 off every $50 you spend, plus, you can chose from 3 free samples.  (Hey, with free shipping, why not make separate orders and try different samples?) I had just sold a few things on eBay and decided this was the time to replace the 210 super-extra-skinny eyeliner brush (Ok, I made up that name) and try 2 eyeshadow brushes I always wished I had – the 217 Blending Brush and the 239 Eye Shading Brush.  I picked a sample of Strobe Cream and got $10.00 off my order!


For many of you, these shadow brushes are already staples; however, I still feel I should do a review on these later.  Just feeling them in my hands, they are about 300,000 times softer than the Crown and Makeup Geek brushes I’ve been using – although we know that doesn’t necessarily mean better, so the proof will be in the test!

I had already used the 210 liner brush…for so many years, actually, that I killed it dead.  Welcome home, new 210.  Nobody makes a brush as skinny as you.  I shall never stray again!

Here’s the code!  It’s good until 11:59 on June 22.


What are your go to eye brushes?

How I learned to love the MAC 190 foundation brush

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I’m a former MAC artist…ok, that was many years ago, but I still use some brushes by MAC (as well as many by other less expensive brands).  The 190 foundation brush is a flat, paddle shaped foundation brush that has always vexed me a bit when I try to use it with liquid foundations, especially ones with a texture like Studio Fix Fluid that can be prone to streaking.


The MAC 190 foundation brush is a natural fiber brush (horse hair) and great for application of liquid and creams, but blending was where I was having a problem – this is because I was using back and forth “painting” type motions to work the product onto the skin and continued trying to blend this way.  Eventually, I became disenchanted with my somewhat streaky results and stopped using this brush altogether, which sucks, because it’s expensive ($34.00 USD).  One day I was feeling bummed out about it and started looking around YouTube for some tutorials on how to get better use from this brush.  Low and behold, Wayne Goss (I love him!) had tips including using the side/tip to stipple and pat any streaky texture away once the product is on the skin, working in small areas of the face.  This absolutely works wonderfully!  I feel like I’m having a renewed love affair with an old brush now, as I have gotten my 190 out and have been using it for days.

Awesome!


MAC 190 brush with Maybelline Fit Me Matte + Poreless Foundation in Porcelain with MAC 134 brush and Maybelline Fit Me Matte + Poreless Powder in Translucent

Have you rediscovered any old favorites or learned to love something you thought you didn’t like?

Makeup of the Day

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Finally felt like wearing a little slap today!  Going to keep this short and just post a pic and a list of what I used.  Happy Monday!

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FACE:  Tarte Clean Slate Poreless Primer, Maybelline Fit Me Matte + Poreless Foundation in Porcelain with MAC 190 brush, NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Chantilly under eyes, NYX HD Concealer in Porcelain to spot conceal, Maybelline Fit Me Matte + Poreless Powder tapped on with MAC 134 brush to set, MAC Mineralize Blush in Gentle with MAC 116 blush brush, MAC Lightscapade as highlight with Sigma F25 tapered face brush, NYX HD Blush in Taupe as contour with MAC 168 angled contour brush, ELF Mist and Set sprayed lightly to make the whole look a tad less matte

EYES:  Wet N Wild Fergie eyeshadow primer, Urban Decay Naked eyeshadow palette (I seriously used about 6 colors?), L’Oreal Infallible Super Slim liquid liner, Anastasia Brow Powder in Ebony with Anastasia #7 brow brush, Covergirl Clump Crusher Mascara.  (I used about 6 different eye brushes, most are Sigma and MAC…no clue what all the numbers are but I shall point out that the Sigma pencil brush is awesome!)

LIPS:  NARS Rikugyen lip pencil (Sephora gives this pencil in the NARS duo for your birthday)

What are you wearing today?

Ipsy Glam Bag – June 2015

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I’m really happy with my bag this month!

Eyeshadow pencil, brow pencil, primer, lip gloss and body butter – sounds good to me!

  • JCat lip gloss
  • Smashbox Photo Finish primer
  • IT Cosmetics universal brow pencil
  • Lavanilla body butter
  • trèStique eyeshadow crayon in “Kona Coffee”

Want in on this? Go here to join the party!

What did you get in your bag this month? 💅💄

What jewelry are you rocking for summer?

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I have a deep, abiding love for white metals, always have.  I have a great big bunch of sterling silver jewelry…ridiculous amounts of it, since you can sometimes find such great deals on it.  One of the things I love about the current revival in 90s fashion is that suddenly, my jewelry is back in style.  No, I never stopped wearing this stuff!  

  
All those pieces were found in expensively on eBay…except one.  I bought the thumb ring at a hippie boutique in 1994.  Bringing back the 90s?  Or kept it alive all this time?

So, I showed this photo to Kristin and she said “You know we all wore that stuff!  Oh, and the black cabochon rings with the filigree around it.”  To which I said, “Ahem, left hand,” and sent her this photo:

  
Pardon the swollen hands, but it’s hot as HECK here.  

What jewelry are you rocking this summer? 

My NYX Memorial Day Sale Goodies <3

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At the end of May, I posted about NYX’s annual Memorial Day sale.  I took this opportunity to grab a few things I had really been wanting, but had not yet trekked across town to Ulta to get (especially considering our Ulta is not always well stocked and it is 20 minutes away).  It took quite a while to get my order, because this is a huge sale and it takes a while each year for them to process that many orders – but the savings are worth the wait!  I got all this for a whopping $20.00 USD:

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NYX Wicked Lippie in 01 Betrayal, NYX Primal Colors pressed Pigment Hot Black, NYX HD Blush in Taupe, NYX HD Concealer in Porcelain

Let’s take a look!  First up, the thing I’m most excited about, the HD Blush in Taupe.  I have been contouring for years with MAC’s Sculpt Powder in Bone Beige.  It is light and sheer enough for my porcelain skin, but it has a bit too much redness in it for my skin tone.  I make it work because it’s in a duo with a favorite highlighter (MAC Shape Powder in Emphasize).  I have been wanting to try a more taupe colored contouring product, though, because let’s face it…shadows are not brown.  I am pleased to say, this blush fits the bill for that purpose (there’s a photo at the end of this post of me wearing it.).  Plus, the compact is very slim and takes up very little room in my kit and has a cute bow on the the clasp:

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NYX HD Blush in Taupe

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Would you look at that?  It’s not orange!  Hallelujah and praise the makeup gods!

Next up, the product I’m almost as excited about, because pale concealers at drug store prices are a bit of a unicorn…the NYX HD Concealer in Porcelain:

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NYX HD Concealer in Porcelain

I’m also wearing this in the photo at the end of the post.  This is a great high coverage concealer that works wonderfully for concealing imperfections on the face.  It’s too thick and dry for using under my eyes; however, your mileage may vary.  I’m using NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer for that.  The NYX HD Concealer shade Porcelain is a lovely pale shade with a slight pink undertone that works great with my MAC Studio Fix Fluid shade in NW10.  It’s a keeper!

Next up, NYX Primal Colors pressed pigment in Hot Black:

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NYX Primal Colors pressed pigment in Hot Black

When I went to use this product today, I used it as an eyeliner with an angled eyeliner brush.  It performed extremely well, but I did have some fallout as I was applying, getting some black powder on my cheeks.  I sometimes forget this is an issue with pigments, whether they are pressed or not.  I would say use this product where you do your eyes first, then the rest of your makeup.  The great thing is, this is blaaaaaaaaaaaaaack.  Like, black like my soul black (hahahaha!!!).  It works great as liner and you could also use it to set pencil or gel liner.  I have not tried it as eyeshadow yet, but hey, goth night is coming up…oh hey, maybe I’ll wear it to the Voltaire show tomorrow!  (I am wearing it as liner in the photo at the bottom of this post, blended with Urban Decay Mushroom eyeshadow.)

All in all, I have to say that while NYX can be a hit or miss brand for me, I love everything I got in this order.  (I am also wearing the Photo Loving Primer underneath my foundation today – a long time favorite!)  I am wearing the concealer, blush for contour, and black pigment here.  I like that the contour is subtle, but I can go heavier for an evening look if I want to.  The only thing I haven’t tried yet is the purple lipstick, but the photos I’ve seen online are (wait for it) Wicked.

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Also shown:  Urban Decay Smoked eyeshadow palette, MAC Azalea Blossom Blush Ombre, Maybelline Lilac Flush lipstick with L’Oreal Extraordinaire Lip Color in Purple Prelude

What are your favorite NYX Products?  Have you tried any of the new stuff for 2015?

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Lightscapade 

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MAC has released a few versions of this beautiful pressed mineral powder highlighter over the years.  I have the current version in the permanent line with the new magnetized compact (MAC, please do this with all your compacts – never another broken nail!).  There is a limited edition version where the powder top is texturized, but I’m not sure how it compares to this one.


MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Lightscapade

The product itself is beautiful.  You can see ribbons of gold, blue, and peach swirled throughout the yellowish base.


Swirled together, they come out to a very light champagne color, a light shade leaning slightly warm.  This highlighter is actually light enough to highlight fair skin, which is hard to come by!  I’m a MAC NW10 and this is perfection on me.

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Lightscapade swatched heavily

This product can be worn heavily for a metallic sheen, or applied lightly for a barely there glow that’s suitable for daytime.  It’s shimmer without glitter; this will not emphasize imperfections in the skin like something that’s frosty might.


I wish my iPhone could show how it looks on me…I will get my fancy camera out and get a photo in the sun!  I’m wearing it here, but my house was so dark, it’s hard to tell. 😉


Lightscapade on high points of the face, worn with Urban Decay Bittersweet Blush and MAC Up The Amp lipstick

This compact comes with a whopping 10 grams of product.  It’s going to take ages to go through it, which is one reason I allowed myself to shell out $32.00 for a highlighter.  Next, I’m going to try it as an eyeshadow highlight.

MAC makes this great product in other gorgeous shades for darker skin tones and even colors that function like bronzers.  Do you use the Mineralize Skinfinishes?  How do you like them?  For me, I’ve found a new daily staple.  I only wish I had splurged sooner!

Makeup of the Day

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Five minute makeup!

  

Eyes: MAC eyeshadows in Nylon, Ricepaper and Aquadisiac, Wet n’ Wild MegaLiner liquid eyeliner in Black, Urban Decay Perversion mascara

Face: Kat Von D Lock-it Tattoo Powder Foundation in Light 44, NARS cream concealer in Chantilly

Lips: Rimmel Provocalips lip paint in Dare to Pink, Cailyn lipgloss in Love Affair (I think – rubbed the name label off)

Guys, serious alert here on the face stuff! If you have desperately pale porcelain skin like mine, these are fantastic. The powder foundation isn’t heavy and cakey like some powder foundations, it actually looks really natural… And te concealer is hands down the best concealer I’ve ever used.