Goth Night!

Last night was our local goth night!  I turned on my Spotify Joy Division radio station and had a blast doing this makeup look – too bad I had allergies the whole time and borked up my stupid eyeliner before I could even get done.  It was glorious…while it lasted.  😉

My amazing raven necklace is available on Etsy here.

MAKEUP

FACE:  Tarte Clean Slate Poreless Primer, MAC Studio Fix Fluid Foundation NW10, NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Chantilly under eyes, NYX HD Concealer in Porcelain to spot conceal/around nose, face set with Maybelline Fit Me Matte + Poreless Powder in Translucent, contour with NYX HD Blush in Taupe, blush is NARS Sin, highlight is MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Lightscapade

EYES:  Wet N Wild Fergie Eyeshadow Primer in For my Primas, MAC Vanilla shadow as brow bone highlight, MAC Mineralize eyeshadow in Cinderfella on lid with damp brush, Urban Decay Mushroom in crease with Cinderfella blended in, L’Oreal Infallible Gel Liner with MAC 210 liner brush, MAC Mineralize eyeshadow in Cinderfella patted on top, Ardell 110 lashes with Covergirl Clump Crusher mascara, Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Powder Duo in Ebony with ELF Clear Brow Gel (this eye look was all great until the itching and eye watering began…)

LIPS:  MAC Burgundy Lip Pencil with L’Oreal Endless Lipcolor in Sangria

SHOES

I even busted out some very special shoes, the John Fluevog Esoteric Temptations Odette!

KITTEH

And just for fun, here’s my kitty up on the table today where he’s not supposed to be, contemplating the consequences of eating my freshly cut roses from the garden.  Sorry this is blurry, but I grabbed this photo fast as I knew he was about to run!


Did you do anything fun this weekend?

Makeup of the Day

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 

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! 

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

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

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!

6-15-2015 116

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?

Makeup of the Day

  

Eyes: MAC eyeshadows in Nylon, Satin Taupe and Ricepaper, Wet n Wild eyeliner pencil in Black, Urban Decay Perversion mascara

Face: Smashbox Photo Finish primer, MAC MatchMaster Foundation 1.0

Lips: Rimmel Provocalips lip paint in Play With Fire

Fragrance: Black Phoenix Alchemy Labs “Red Lantern”

(Bonus: Finally re-purpled my hair – Special Effects “Wildflower”)

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Lightscapade 

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!

MAC Amplified Creme Lipstick in Chatterbox

Yesterday, I brought my 6 items to the local MAC counter to recycle for their Back To MAC program – their recycling program where you can bring or send in 6 plastic, glass, or metal items that are empty for recycling and in exchange, you can chose a lipstick, lipgloss, or small eyeshadow (I think perhaps limited edition items are excluded, but don’t quote me on that).  This time I picked out Amplified Creme Lipstick in Chatterbox, as it seems I have really loud lipsticks and nudes, but not much in the way of mid tones.  The Amplified Creme formula is my favorite and I have more of these than any other formula:  they’re packed with pigment and moisturizing with a little sheen.  I love the vibrancy and comfort of the lipsticks in this formula and Chatterbox does not disappoint.  What’s odd about this color is that nobody can agree on its undertones!  It’s definitely a mid-toned pink, but when I read reviews, I saw it described as everything from yellow based to blue based to everything in between.  It does appear that it looks different on everyone, so try this one on before buying if you can! 

Here it is swatched on my arm.  For reference, I wear an NW10 foundation in MAC, so I’m very pale. 

  
Here I am wearing it today!  I have on Maybelline Fit Me Matte + Poreless foundation in porcelain, which is more yellow than my normal MAC NW10 Studio Fix Fluid.  I think this pink shade of lipstick is fairly warm, possibly a yellow based pink, at least on me.  I’m in love with it!

  
Here it is with Smashbox Lip Enhancing Gloss in Luster on top.  Another nice sparkly one to go over this would be Revlon Colorburst lip gloss in Crystal Water.  

  
I love Chatterbox because I think it will be a great shade no matter the time of year and will go with just about any and every eye look.  What’s your favorite go-to lipstick?  

Makeup of the Day

  
Eyes: Urban Decay eyeshadows in Kinky, Freestyle, Mushroom and Asphalt, MAC Kohl Power eyeliner in Raven, Urban Decay Perversion mascara

Lips: Rimmel lipstick in 101 (a nude pink)