Tag Archives: beauty blog

NYX Wonder Pencil First Impression

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I’ve been trying a lot of NYX lately now that it’s available in CVS and Target.  I have quite a few reviews in store!

The NYX Wonder Pencil may just be my new best friend!  For years, I have used the MAC Chromagraphic Pencil in NC15/NW20, but it’s always been just a bit too dark for me.  Other skin tone liners have either been the wrong shade or irritated my eyes, plus I wanted something that would work for other makeup multitasking purposes.  Leave it to NYX to make another professional type product available at the drugstore!

  
My MAC pencil is a bit used up.  You do get more with the $16.50 MAC pencil, but the NYX product is only $4.50.

Shade comparison of MAC NC15/NW20 and NYX Wonder Pencil in Light (this comes in 3 shades):

  
I used the NYX pencil today for cleaning up and highlighting around the brow, reverse lip lining (really great since I have freckles around my lip line), and concealing a few dark spots on my face along with lining my waterline.  CAVEAT:  If you use this on your face and the waterline, sharpen that sucker to a clean point for fresh product before going near your eyeballs!  Also, clean your sharpeners from time to time with alcohol.  Ok, enough lecturing. 😉 

  
I am super pleased with this multitasking pencil!  Have you tried it?

Makeup of the Day – Spring Brights

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Ok, let’s face it.  Here in the mountains, it’s definitely still winter at the beginning of March.  But it’s in the 70s today and everyone is outside going spring crazy.  (Unfortunately, we’ll get at LEAST one more snow when nobody expects it!) I simply could not resist getting out some bright makeup since it’s so sunny out. 

  
The stars of my look today are Sephora Countour waterproof eyeliner in Summer Cruise, MAC Pink Swoon blush, and MAC Girl About Town Amplified Creme Lipstick.

What are you wearing today? 

NYX Ombre Blush Review – Mauve Me

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When I fist saw the NYX Ombre Blushes, I got pretty excited!  My first thought was that these may be an affordable version of an earlier limited edition MAC offering. 

From the NYX website:

“Treat your cheeks to a radiant flush of color with our Ombré Blush, a new gradient blush inspired by the ombré trend. This must-have formula features two silky colors blended into one perfectly coordinated shade combo. (It’s like they were meant for each other.)”

My excitement turned to doubt when I saw the INTENSE color selection.  I have incredibly fair skin and realized that most of the shades were going to be “too rich for my blood.”  One shade stood out as a possibility that might work for me, though, and that was “Mauve Me.”  I thought, “Well, at $10 for an enormous blush, let’s give it a shot,” and ordered it from Ulta.  I’m SO glad I did, because this particular shade of mauve is my jam!  Check it out:

  
I love that ombre fade!  There’s a nice mirror inside, as well. 

  
The compact is nice and sleek.  

Here’s how it looks on my skin (around a MAC NW10, for reference):

  
(Worn with MAC “Syrup” lipstick.)

  
(Worn with Kat Von D “Lovecraft” lipstick.)

I have been using my MAC 116 blush brush and sweeping from the light color into the deep color in the pan, then applying the blush in a swirling motion on my cheeks.  The color is a lovely satin (very lightly shimmery, NOT frosty yet not matte), a healthy glowy type finish that I tend to get from MAC Mineralize blushes.  Not bad!  I’m not wearing any highlighter in this photo.  

NYX Ombre Blushes come in 8 shades and retail for $10.00 USD.  Have you tried them? 

Nuxe Reve de Miel – EMPTY!

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I have quite a bit of blogging to catch up on, but before I get to reviewing my latest finds, I just want to say A) this is the richest, creamiest, most luxurious lip balm known to man and B), I use this every day (day and night) and it STILL took me around 4 months to use this up!  BEHOLD:

  
This pot shall be repurposed for DIY sugar lip scrub!

Of course, I had a backup waiting.  ðŸ™‚

  
What’s your favorite lip treatment? 

Makeup of the Day

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I bet you didn’t know my hair was this long. I’ve had it short since 2001, the longest it ever gets is about this length. When I dyed it recently, I couldn’t get all of the black out, but due to some stroke of luck I got enough out that it dyes burgundy when I hit it with the fuchsia dye I use (SpecialFX Virgin Rose).

Eyes: Stila eyeshadows in Porcelain, Coffee and Bronze, Rimmel Soft Kohl eyeliner in Stormy Grey, City Color Be Bold mascara in Black

Lips: MAC lipliner in Spice, NYX lipstick in Thalia

Face: Wet n Wild Fergie Centerstage Mattifying Powder in Pedestal

Fragrance: Black Phoenix Alchemy Labs “Nemesis”

NYX and Stila Eyeshadow Swatches

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This is the Stila “Eye for Color” eyeshadow palette. It has 13 eyeshadows in it – a light and dark of six colors, plus a shimmery black.

  
They seem to overall be well pigmented, which is great! The Petal Pink color is pigmented as well, but it is very light and so is my skin. 😜

Top (L to R): Petal pink, burgundy, bronze, coffee, moss, green

Bottom (L to R): Blue green, navy, lilac, orchid, porcelain, bisque, black

  
There are the three NYX eyeshadows Rachel sent me — good god look at how richly pigmented these are! Wow. And go on silky smooth… I think I’ll have to do eyeshadow with these tomorrow.

Swatches (L to R): Rock, Bright Green, Lime Juice

Well COLOR me excited to try these out.

See what I did there?

Color?

Lol. 

Books and Shoes

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As if I wasn’t enough of a nerd, I store my two favorite collections (my Fluevogs and my amassed J. R. R. Tolkien reference library) in the same place. 

THE BOOKS

  

Left to right:

The Silmarillion (hardback)

The Silmarillion (trade paperback)

The History of Middle Earth vol. I-XII:

  1.  The Book of Lost Tales 1
  2. The Book of Lost Tales 2
  3. The Lays of Beleriand
  4. The Shaping of Middle Earth
  5. The Long Road and Other Writings
  6. The Return of the Shadow
  7. The Treason of Isengard
  8. The War of the Ring
  9. Sauron Defeated
  10. Morgoth’s Ring
  11. The War of the Jewels
  12. The Peoples of Middle Earth

The Children of Húrin (hardback)

The Hobbit

The Lord of the Rings

Unfinished Tales of Númenor and Middle Earth

The Lord of the Rings (leather-cover)

The Silmarillion (paperback)

The Tolkien Reader (Ballantine Books compilation, 1st edition 1966) – it’s not worth anything but it was a cool thrift-shop find!

The Complete Tolkien Companion  (by J. E. A. Tyler)

…not that I’m a nerd or anything. I also own a couple of LotR related art books, including one that is an atlas, but I packed them away “to be safe” when I moved up to Seattle from California and still have some boxes which have not been unpacked – and I moved in 2012.

Let’s move on to the fashion-y part!

THE SHOES

  

I have a Fluevog “problem.” At this point I’ve managed to replace most of my other shoes with Fluevogs, because I’d rather own fewer shoes of higher quality than more that will fall apart. But now I have more Fluevogs than I had regular shoes… And I neeeeeeeed mooooooooore. I buy them pre-owned on the cheap and on sale – I don’t have the money to purchase new.

Left to right:

  • Friends Mae
  • Derby Swirl
  • Yunnan
  • Zaza
  • Hi Vanny
  • Moon
  • Vera Ellen
  • Angel Bill
  • Arabella (worn)

You can’t see my Defender boots in this picture because I wrecked them at Burning Man and I haven’t had a chance to clean and condition.

What’s on your nails? Ombre Black and Red 

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In the wintertime, I often start to get a little stir crazy.  That’s when I start to do more craft projects, coloring/drawing, and get into doing more nail art.  Hey, why not?  It’s not like I’m going to go run around in the single digit temps outside!  Here’s my latest mani – a red to black ombre done with Zoya Janele (red), Revlon Vixen (dark blood red), and Zoya Willa (black).  I used a damp sponge wedge to do the sponge paint method and topped it off with a coat of Poshè for a great 3-free home mani that looks pretty cool!

   

 

What’s on your nails?  

Drugstore Makeup for Pale Skin!

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Hallooooo!  If you have truly pale skin (and no, I don’t mean the drug store’s orangey-beige version of “Ivory”), you have probably done countless online searches trying to come up with foundation, concealer, and powder options, both high end and drug store.  Drug store options seem to be the most impossible, but after loads of searching, I’ve found a few options.  Actually, my entire face today is drugstore, and I’ll post a list of what I’m wearing below! 

For reference, in MAC terms, I would be around an N10, shade wise.  I usually settle for NW10 since I lean more cool, but honestly I would prefer a perfectly neutral base.  Studio Fix Fluid in NW10 works fine for me.  Cover FX does have an N10 shade that is fairly perfect for me, but both these lines are pretty pricey and I wanted another option!

What I have on today is Rimmel Match Perfection in 010 Light Porcelain.  Unfortunately, if you’re in the United Stares, you’ll have to order this shade online, as it’s only available in the UK.  American Match Perfection starts at an ivory shade that is rather dark and super pink!  The Light Porcelain is beautifully neutral.  This is a sheer to medium buildable foundation with a satin finish.  This shade is also available in the UK in a few other formulas such as Lasting Finish, which is a heavier coverage, but sadly breaks me out.  I have no issues with this one.  I got this on Amazon for around $10 USD. 

The concealer I’ve used today is a new one to me and I’m praying it won’t break me out, because it looks pretty nice!  This is NYX Gotcha Covered in Ivory.  I saw a Youtuber say this was “really light” and had to try it for $6 USD.  It’s a full coverage cream concealer in a tube.  What a I like about this for under eyes is it has a bit of a peachy-salmon tone, great for correcting dark circles!  I’ve yet to determine if this creases or causes breakouts, so watch this space.  I set this with powder immediately today and it looked bomb.  Which brings me to…

Maybelline Fit Me Matte + Poreless Pressed Powder in Translucent 100!  This is a wonderful, finely milled pressed powder that mattifies oil and sets foundation like nobodies business.  Don’t let the white color fool you – this is basically invisible on the skin, at least if you’re fair like me!  It has a nice sponge and a mirror so it’s good on the go.  Don’t want to shell out for MAC Blot?  Don’t have to!  This product is around $6 at the drug store. 

Here’s my finished look.  You like? 

  
I also have on Wet N Wild’s Comfort Zone palette and I used Rimmel’s “Tower of Mauve” lipstick on the lips and as a cream blush!

Do you have any drug store favorites? 

Makeup Of The Day – Berries 

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Sometimes I don’t feel like going full tilt with the dramatic makeup, but yet I don’t feel like doing a 100% nude/natural look either.  Usually on these in between days I will go for a middle toned blush and lipstick color like a nice rich berry that isn’t too dark or deep.  MAC’s Amplified Cream Lipstick in Craving is perfect on these days and is also nicely hydrating on these cold winter days.

  
Darn this winter light situation…

Anyway, then I put my nose ring back in and made my nose really, really mad.  Probably should have done this before makeup.

  

BREAKDOWN: 

FACE:   Smashbox Photo Finish Primer mixed with Cover FX Custom Cover Drops in N10 w Real Techniques sponge, NYX HD Concealer in Porcelain under eyes, NYX Gotcha Covered Concealer in Ivory to spot conceal, MAC Set Powder in Invisible, NYX HD Blush in Taupe to contour, Kat Von D Shade + Light Blush in Gomez + Morticia (mixed), MAC Accentuate Sculpting Powder on high points of the face

EYES:  Too Faced Shadow Insurance, MAC shadows in Vanilla, Brule, Kid, Mystery, MAC Fluidline in Shade (this never picks up as green on camera, ugh), Benefit They’re Real Lash Primer, Covergirl Clump Crusher Mascara, NYX Micro-Brow Pencil in Black (OMG this is great), ELF Clear Brow Gel

LIPS:  Jordana Lip Liner in Baby Berry, MAC Amplified Cream Lipstick in Craving