I’m really happy with my bag this month!
Eyeshadow pencil, brow pencil, primer, lip gloss and body butter – sounds good to me!
Want in on this? Go here to join the party!
What did you get in your bag this month? 💅💄
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?
Today, I have a nice mixture of spooky and sweet going on – my claw midi ring and this lovely cool pastel purple nail polish, OPI’s “Do You Liliac It?”
I used Sally Hansen Cuticle Remover (blue gel of the gods), Nailtiques #2 as a base coat, two coats of the OPI color, and Poshe quick drying top coat. Honestly, this color had plenty of shine without the top coat!
What’s on your nails?
Ok, so see this bottle of Milani glitter nail polish? It’s dead. Well…maybe it’s just pinin’ for the fjords.
No, this bottle of nail polish is not just merely dead, it has ceased to be.
It has gone to meet its maker! Bereft of life, it rests in peace! Its glittery processes are now history! It has kicked the bucket, shuffled off its mortal coil, run down the curtain, and joined the bleedin’ choir invisible! THIS IS AN EX NAIL POLISH. But wait, what’s this…
Enter, stage left:
Seche Restore is a nail polish thinner that’s made especially to work with the quick dry top coat, Seche Vite. The awesome thing about this stuff, however, is that it works brilliantly to thin out regular nail polishes that are past their prime. Seche Restore comes with a glass pipette that is separate from the bottle, since the cap needs to stay extra tight so the chemicals don’t evaporate. That’s the only slightly odd thing about this product for me, but I don’t mind it, because:
*choir of angels sings* Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
Just add a few drops, or a dropper, or however much your bottle needs to get to the consistency it needs to be to apply nicely again. Close it up tight and roll the bottle between your hands and then check the consistency until you get it just right. Voila! Amazing!
Just a note…Seche Restore does contain tolulene, so if remaining 3-free or 4-free or 5-free with your nail products is a big deal to you, then you’ll want to steer clear of this polish thinner. Then again, Seche Vite does contain tolulene also. I had tried to go all 3-free until I realized my nails do just terribly without my Nailtiques strengthener, so I am back off that train until I find a replacement (Citra did not work for me, so I’m open to suggestions).
I did this mani with this glitter polish, though I took it off a day later. I didn’t do the neatest job, but see that cup of coffee there? I think I’d had about 4 of them. 😉
So, if I can get to it, I usually wash my brushes on Sunday (unless I haven’t used them much). This weekend I’ve been cleaning a lot and today I rearranged my new makeup desk setup (I recently moved EVERYTHING across the room because I decided standing up is for the birds). I’m sure I will keep moving it around because I cannot seem to get good lighting even with 2 lamps and a lighted mirror. Well…I got the cheap one…not the $200 one…ah, that’s a post for another day.
Last night as I kept dropping things while getting ready to go see Fury Road (holy shit, Kristin, you were right, OMGGGGGGG), I got sick of my desk space being taken up by my brush roll, dropping things, etc, so I went back to my cases and vase filler I put together with supplies from Michael’s. In no time, I will be sick of dust and random cat hairs…there is no winning when it comes to brush storage. (And yes, I’m running a brand new air purifier in here!)
That’s an obscene number of brushes. Some aren’t even shown here. I take really great care of them, though, and most of my MAC brushes are about 13-14 years old – no lie!! If you invest in quality brushes and care for them properly, it’s a worthwhile investment. That’s not to say there aren’t some cheap gems out there – see that $1 ELF concealer brush? I spot conceal with it nearly every day. There are some Sonia Kashuk and Eco Tools brushes in there, too, along with the MAC and Sigma. You might even spot one or two detail brushes from the art store!
What brushes are your favorite? Any special tips for how you store them?
…you know, I’m not going to list the products I used. I’m going to tell you what I did.
I took a 1″ paint brush and wet it, then made sure to saturate it with as much black eyeshadow as I could. I then closed my eyes and grabbed the brush and smeared it across my eyes with my eyes closed. I got the rest of the pigment off the brush by randomly dabbing it around my eye area. Then I put black eyeshadow on all of my fingers, rubbed my hands together, and wiped them across my eyes as though I was wiping sweat off my brow.
Heavily lined just the bottom of my eyes with a dull black eyeliner and dragged it out towards my temples. Then went back with liquid eyeliner to add the war stripes.
Finally, I drew lines down my chin from my lips and filled in my top lip with black eyeliner.
Makeup ain’t always glamorous! Sometimes it’s FIERCE.
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:
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:
NYX HD Blush in Taupe
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:
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:
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.
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?
I recently ordered some stuff from NYX from their Memorial Day sale. Some sweet warehouse person saw that I ordered a black eyeshadow and threw in a freebie pencil brush – how nice! As I was snipping off the plastic wrapper, the brush slid down in the package…
Well, it’s the thought that counts. Sigh.
Have you ever had an un-boxing disaster? This is not my worst one, by far. I once stabbed a pair of scissors right through the fabric of a corset. Luckily, it was a cheap one (giggle)! Yes, yes, I know…each time I swear I will pay better attention!
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!
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.
A Bad Homance 