Tag Archives: makeup blog

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 – 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 

Happy Fall! 

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I thought I’d go crazy with some fall colors to celebrate the arrival of fall!  I used some burnished eyeshadow colors, a muted blush, and centered the look around MAC “O” lipstick. 

   
 

FACE:  

Smashbox Photo Finish Primer in T-Zone, Rimmel Lasting Finish Foundation in 010 Light Porcelain with Sigma round top kabuki, NYX HD Concealer Porcelain under eyes and around nose, face set with MAC Set Powder Invisible, Contour with NYX HD Blush in Taupe, Bronzer is MAC Bone Beige Sculpting Powder, MAC Mocha Blush, MAC Lightscapade for highlight 

EYES: 

Too Faced Shadow Insurance, MAC shadows in Dazzlelight (browbone), amberlights and mythology (lid), Kid and Mulch (crease), Bronze (lower liner).  L’Oreal Super Slim liquid Liner black, Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Powder Duo Ebony, Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara

LIPS:

MAC Mahogany liner and “O” lipstick 

Transition to fall makeup with MAC Rebel Lipstick 

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When the weather starts to change, I start to change up my makeup a bit.  I start to wear more dramatic lip colors and often reach for plums, berries, burgundies, and wines.  MAC Rebel is a lipstick in their permanent collection that is perfect for when the days just start getting shorter and the leaves are just starting to drop. 

  
MAKEUP BREAKDOWN:

Face:  Smashbox Photo Finish Primer on t-zone (this is an experiment to see if this behaves badly with my foundation, which is water based), MAC Face and Body Foundation (2/3 N1 mixed with 1/3 White), NYX HD Concealer in Porcelain around nose and under eyes (I am now rationing my NARS concealer, ha!), MAC Studio Finish Concealer in NC15 on random pigmented spots, face set with Rimmel Stay Matte Powder and a puff to set and mattify, NYX HD Blush in Taupe to contour, MAC Mineralized Blush in Gentle, no highlight needed with dewy foundation and shimmery blush.

EYES:  Urban Decay Primer Potion, MAC eye shadows in Shroom and Satin Taupe, L’Oreal Super Slim liquid liner black, Cover Girl Clump Crusher mascara black (I could not use Too Faced Better Than Sex for another day….ugh…more on that later), It Cosmetics Brow Power pencil 

LIPS:  NYX Lip Liner in Deep Purple, MAC lipstick in Rebel

WOW this lighting washes me out.  We got new light bulbs.  Not sure I’m a fan!  

Maybelline Color Sensational Creamy Matte Lipstick – Divine Wine

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So, fall is almost here and the weather is getting cooler.  This time of year I get out my darker lipsticks, even for daytime wear.  I was so happy when Maybelline brought out their Creamy Matte lipstick in Divine Wine, because it’s a very close dupe for a MAC lipstick discontinued many years ago, called Carnal.  Divine Wine isn’t a purple based wine, it’s actually a burgundy shade with a red base, and that’s hard to find these days when most wine shades lean purple (though I like those a lot, too).  I will probably get at least one backup of this, since I am not sure if it’s limited edition.


This shade will not look quite as dark if you aren’t as pale as I am.

MAKEUP BREAKDOWN:

FACE:
Smashbox Photo Finish Primer, MAC Studio Fix Fluid NW10, NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Chantilly under eyes, NYX HD Concealer in Porcelain around nose, Cover FX Cream Foundation in N10 to spot conceal, MAC Invisible Set Powder to set, NYX HD Blush in Taupe to contour, Benefit Dandelion blush, Guerlain Meteorites in Clair to brighten

EYES:
Bobbi Brown cream shadow in Bone as base, MAC shadows in Shroom, Satin Taupe, and Vex, L’Oreal Super Slim Liquid Liner pen Black, Anastasia Brow Duo Ebony (dark side), Too Faced Better Than Sex mascara

LIPS:
Skone Luxe Double Eye/Lip Pencil in Wine, Maybelline Color Sensational Creamy Matte Lipstick in Divine Wine

What’s your go to fall lipstick?

Vintage Fashion Find – 1950’s Stratton Pill Case 

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So, it’s no secret to anyone who knows me that I get migraines!  I had just gotten this beautiful Stratton compact to go in my cute handbag, but I had the UGLIEST pill case for carrying my migraine rescue meds around.  It was this very beat up hospital-y looking plastic thing.  It was a crying shame, heh!  So I started looking around for a vintage pill case and found that Stratton also made these, too.  I did see some matching compact and pill case sets, but I had my heart set on using the compact I already had (more modern, with room for a larger modern day powder puff), so I just found one that wouldn’t clash much.  This black one should go with any future brass and black enamel compacts I chose (there is an amazing Art Deco red rose design, though I have seen both pill cases and compacts in that design).  

  
Now this is how you carry your pills in style! 

Makeup of the day – Kat Von D Studded Kiss Lipstick in Lovecraft

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So, I needed to replace my Bobbi Brown Cream Eyeshadow that I use as a base, so I made a small Sephora order and got my double points and this adorable Kat Von D Studded Kiss Lipstick mini in Lovecraft.  First of all…that name.  HELLO.  I love Lovecraft’s writing and the Cthululu mythos, so this is one of the coolest makeup names ever.  Plus, look at the studded tube:

 
How cute is that?  

The color is a muted, warm rose mauve, basically one of those colors that looks amazing on my cool toned fair skin.  It’s also really, really matte.  I have heard that some of the mattes in this line apply patchy or are too dry, but this one applies nicely and feels comfortable to me!

  
I have it on here with MAC Soar lip liner – perfect match!

Have you tried any Kat Von D products?  So far, I have loved everything I have tried from the line. 

Target Summer Beauty Box – Unboxing!

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I try to snag these Target Beauty Boxes whenever I see them before they run out.  You have to be fast because they run out fast! I usually see announcements on the Target Facebook page, but this time I saw someone mention it on a WordPress blog I read on Bloglovin.  It’s particularly awesome for me, because my boyfriend is a Target employee and I get domestic partner benefits, so I get his discount on these boxes!  They’re a steal at $6, but I paid a little less.  (And yes, I use the hell out of that discount, guys.  If he moves jobs I will cry employee discount tears.)


The box itself is super and I will be saving it for storage.


Hello, yourself!  How exciting!


Hmm, I might give this coupon away.  Nothing shall ever tear my Mason Pearson tools away from me.  It was insane to buy them, but I love them like my own children.  My own overpriced, hair obsessed children.

WHAT HAVE WE HERE.

Ok, so this is a full sized bottle of Clairol Hair Food mask.  I just colored my long hair and it’s super thirsty.  SCORE.

Ok, so I have been whitening my teeth lately.  They are stupidly sensitive though, so I use the sensitive strips for 5-10 minutes.  These right here scare me.  Maybe just a few minutes?  This type is stronger and meant to be left on longer, and the time I used this type caused major pain when used as directed.  Be warned.

Ok I love Olay, but these products contain menthol.  I think they’re for young people who want tingly things because they think that means their skin care is doing something.  However, I’m 44 and sensitive.  I’ll stick with my fragrance free Regenerist.

Now this is interesting!  This is a hair sun protectant!  If this keeps my black from fading, I’m in.  It looks siliconey, so I bet it will help with frizz.  I love the Fekkai dry shampoo I got in my other beauty box, so high hopes here.


Yay, volumizing mascara!  Please don’t suck!  I’m very picky about mascara being clumpy.  Really, really picky.  I also will not use anything that transfers below my eyes.  At all, ever.  So, hoping this is good.  This mascara is around the price of the whole box, so it’s like everything else in it was free!

Honestly, these beauty boxes are always so awesome, Target should consider just doing a subscription service like Ipsy or Birchbox.  I hear that Sephora is getting in on the game starting out in the fall in some test markets.

Do you get any beauty boxes?

Makeup of the day – Smoky Eye

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No, this wasn’t done with the Naked Smoky palette, as much as I wish it was!  I haven’t justified getting it since I have the Urban Decay Smoked palette, which is what I used to create today’s look, since I was getting tired of bright summer makeup every day (what?!).  I smoked it up good!

  
I have Urban Decay eyeshadows Kinky, Mushroom, and Asphalt on my eyes with the Perversion 24/7 waterproof eyeliner pencil, all of which came in the Smoked palette.  If you can still find this palette somewhere, I recommend it, because it has more than just greys; it contains lovely jewel tones too.  

Owning this palette hasn’t stopped me from hinting around about the Naked Smoky palette for Christmas, though.  #justsaying 

Do you ever rock a smoky eye? What do you use to get the look?