Makeup Geek Recreation: Naked Palette

   

    I recreated this look from another beauty guru, and I will link the video below. There are actually 3 looks in the video, and I tried #2. I just love Marlena (MakeupGeek), I think she is amazing at what she does. Anywho, here's what I used:

- Urban Decay Naked palette
- Urban Decay 24/7 liner in "Stray Dog"
- Essence Waterproof mascara
- CoverGirl Lash Blast mascara (I layered the 2)
- NYC "Sunny" bronzer
- e.l.f Studio Blush in "Candid Coral"
- Wet n Wild lipstick in "Sunset Peach"
- Ulta lipgloss in "Cutie"

visit: MakeupGeek for more videos =)

Happy beautifying bloggers!!

New Goodies - and a LOTD!

    So today I got use my new Urban Decay Naked palette! So excited!! I saved up for it and I got the last one at Ulta. These babies have been selling out for a year now, that's crazy. Yes, it is expensive ($48) but it doesn't seem bad when you factor it all out. A single Urban Decay e/s is $17, and there are 12 in this palette. You also get a small size Urban Decay Primer Potion (lid primer), and the small size is $9. You also get an e/s brush which is $20 on it's own. So $233 worth of makeup for $48 is not too bad at all.

*photo courtesy of Urban Decay*

    I only used 2 brushes for this look today. I also did something I've never done before: RED lip stick! I hope you enjoy!

1) Prime the lids. I used NYX Jumbo Pencil in "Milk", which is a creamy matte white. 

2) Using a fluffy brush, I applied the color "Virgin" (lightest color, white frost) all over my lid, inner tear duct, and for my brow highlight. 

3) Next I applied the color "Naked" (light matte brown) to my crease, and blended up.

4) Still using the same fluffy brush, I applied the color "Buck" (darker matte brown) just into the crease to deepen it. Using the fluffy brush is doing 2 steps in one by applying the color and blending at the same time. It's also giving you a less defined, more natural look.

5) Using a brown eyeliner, I lined my upper lid and my lower waterline.

6) Using a small detail brush, I applied the color "Darkhorse" (darkest brown, frosted shade) to my outer V, and over the brown eyeliner. I also smudged it slightly under the lower lash line.

7) I curled my lashes, and applied my Cover Girl Lash Blast mascara. 

8) For the rest of my face I contoured my cheeks lightly with my NYC bronzer, and used my Hard Candy blush on the apples of my cheeks. It gives you more of a glow, rather than a color.

9) On my lips I used my Carmex lip balm, and topped it with "Ruby" lipstick by NYC. I've never used red lipstick before (it kind of scares me!) I'm still not sure how I feel about it. Thoughts?

Happy beautifying!!

Look of the Day 9/16/11

I did my daily foundation and face routine. Prime the lids, like usual. I used the medium purple in the crease, the lightest purple on the lid. Define the outer V with the darkest shade. Line lower lashes with purple eyeliner and top with medium purple shade eye shadow. Line upper and lower water lines, apply mascara.

Happy beautifying! 

Look of the Day 9/15/11

    I kept everything kind of neutral today. I have been going slightly on the boring side this week.... must be my mood? Anyway, on to what I did:

1) I evened out my face with a tinted moisturizer, followed by concealer where needed. I set everything with a mineral powder so my face stays all day. 

2) Next I warmed up my complexion with a light dusting of bronzer. Kind of did it all over the face very lightly, but concentrated most of it on the contours of my cheeks. I finished my face with a shimmery peach blush on the apples of my cheeks, buffed out really well.

3) After priming my lids, I applied a golden pink cream base to my lid space. I did this not only to help my shadow stick, but also to help tie in the colors I am using. 

4) I started with my highlight today, placing a cream color under my brow and into the inner tear duct area. 

5) Using a contour (dome shaped) brush, I applied a light shimmery champagne color to my crease and slightly above, blending out the harsh edges. I also put a slightly darker champagne color right into the outer half of my crease, blending that also. Using the darker shade gives it a bit more definition. 

6) Using an eye shadow brush, I patted a shimmery mid-tone pink to my eyelid. I did not blend this out because I wanted it to stand out a little bit.

7) Using a black eyeliner, I lined my upper lid, winging it out just a bot. I also lined the outer 1/3 of my lower lashline, and all of the lower waterline. 

8) I chose a dark plum color to smudge out my liner, and to set it. I smudged both top and bottom eye liner.

9) Curled lashes, applied mascara, and that was it.

Happy beautifying!

Collective Nail Polish haul

    These are the new nail polishes I've collected over the last 2 months or so, and my thoughts.

Sally Hansen Hard as Nails - "Mint Sorbet"  $2.48

I really like this polish. It goes on very smoothly, and is opaque in 2 coats. I've been digging pastel green lately, so this is perfect! Such a pretty mint color. I highly recommend the Sally Hansen Hard as Nails polishes. They are pretty inexpensive and great quality.

Hard Candy - "Beetle" $4

This color is SO COOL! It's like flip-flop paint that you see on cars. Sometimes it looks purple, sometimes green, sometimes gold. It's very shimmery, mostly just glitter with a jelly sort of base. You need at least 3 coats for it to look right, but it's so cool, who cares? =)

Sinful Colors - Black Crackle $2

Why pay $8 for O.P.I Shatter, or $7 for Sally Hansen? This shatter is $2 and it's just as good. I have it on over a medium purple, and it looks good. I think the black would look better over a lighter color though. I finally jumped on the Shatter Polish bandwagon, ad I'm lovin' it!

LA Colors - "Shocker" $1

I have this on under my black crackle right now. It's a very nice medium, bright purple. It was almost opaque in 1 coat, and defiantly opaque in 2. I like LA Colors polishes because the dry really quickly. I usually buy them at the Dollar Tree, and I have quite a few from this brand.

Sinful Colors - "Nirvana" $1

This is a grayish brown color I picked up on a whim. I thought it would be great for fall. *Under Review, will post more later*

Sinful Colors - "Dancing Nails" $1

This is a metallic rose pink color, also part of my fall collection. *Under Review, will post more later*

Sinful Colors - "Ciao Bella!" $1

I thought this would be great for fall. I don't own many blue nail polishes, maybe 2. This is such a pretty metallic, shimmery blue color. *Under Review*

Sinful Colors - "Sugar Sugar" $1

Another one for the fall collection. This is a metallic ruby red. It reminds of Dorothy's ruby slippers from Wizard of Oz. *Under Review*

My NOTD. "Shocker" purple, with black Crackle over top. 

Anyone else have any new polishes? Happy beautifying!

Swatches and Reviews

   I love, love, love the Rimmel Long- Lasting lipsticks. They have a great feeling, so creamy! They really are pretty long lasting. "Crush" is a peachy/ orange shade. "Airy Fairy" is a great cool- toned pink. I am in love with Airy Fairy, and find myself going for it often.

  I am not "over the moon" about the Hard Candy baked blush. I got the color "Honeymoon", which is a light peachy/pink shade. Maybe other shades are better, but this one is just not very pigmented. It is nice for a subtle highlight, but not the greatest blush for $7. I will still use it, but I wish it had better pigmentation.

   I found  3 e.l.f eye shadow sets at the Dollar Tree. They are normally $1 anyway, but I've only ever seen these ones online. I picked up the "Day 2 Night" quad, and also the duos in "Butternut"  and "Olive". Butternut is good for an everyday natural look. Olive is just that: dark and light olive green. It looks nice with my brown eyes. Pigmentation is kind of hit or miss with e.l.f eye shadows. I think the Olive performs a little better than the Butternut. I think the quad has nice colors, but they are all kind of powdery. The other e.l.f quad I have is a little powdery too. Makes for a little bit of fall-out on the cheeks. However for $1, they are defiantly not bad at all, and I enjoy them.

   I am really liking the color pay-off of the Milani baked blushes. There are a lot of bloggers out there that rave about them. I picked up the color Luminoso, and it's sooooooo pretty! The picture doesn't do it enough justice. Such a gorgeous peach color with a gold undertone to it. A little bit of gold shimmer. I love it, and I can't can't say enough about this blush. Gorgeous! 

    The last swatches I have are of NYX Mega Shine lip glosses. I decided to try some of these out because I read about them in blogs ALL the time, and they were on sale. I picked up the ever popular "Beige", which is actually pretty pink, and "Sweetheart" which is a nude/peach color. They have excellent pigmentation, a non-sticky formula, and they smell like cupcakes. Bonus! I will be getting more in a future haul I have planned from beautyjoint. 

Nighttime Look

     I should have taken a picture of myself this morning so you could see how I changed up my daytime look, without redoing my whole face. Well I forgot, so oh well!

Products used:

Tinted moisturizer

Concealer

Mineral powder

Bronzer

Light brown e/s (matte)

Medium brown e/s (matte)

Tapestry Taupe e/s (frosted)

Shimmery peach blush

Eyelid primer

Brown liquid liner

Purple eyeliner pencil

Purple e/s

Mascara

Peach lip gloss

Added for nighttime:

Black e/s (shimmery)

Black liquid liner

Black eyeliner pencil

Highlighting powder

Peach toned lip stick

Pink lip gloss

    I did a very natural, neutral brown eye look for daytime, although I did purple eyeliner on the lower lash line. To punch it up a little I added some black eye shadow in my outer V area, and a little into the crease. I blended that out to a nice smokey eye. My brown eyeliner had basically come off, so I relined my lid with a black eyeliner. I redid the purple eyeliner on the lower lash line (remembering to top with purple eye shadow). I did add black liner to my upper and lower lash lines. I touched up bronzer and blush, but didn't add any color, I left it pretty neutral. I punched up the lips by mixing a peach lip stick with a pink lip gloss.

Happy beautifying!! =)

Totally Turquoise

     This is the other look I came up with for bright eye shadow colors. The hubby said he liked this one better than the pink. (It goes better with my brown eyes is why!)

Products used:

- Eyelid primer

- 88 Shimmer palette (colors used shown below)

- Turquoise eyeliner pencil

- Black liquid liner

-Black eyeliner pencil

- CG Lash Blast mascara

light cream, med teal, dark teal, light brown

1) Prime eyelids

2) Apply darkest shade to out half of lid and under the lower lash line.

3) Apply medium shade to inner half of lid. Blend edges of both colors out to create a soft crease.

4) Apply light brown color into crease. Light cream color under eye brow for a highlight.

5) Use the turquoise eyeliner kind of thick to top lash line. Smudge it out with the dark turquoise eye shadow.

6) Use the turquoise liner under the bottom lash line also.

7) Line lower waterline with the black eyeliner pencil.

8) Liquid liner VERY close to lashes on the top.

9) Curl lashes, add mascara.

Pretty in Pink

I decided to do a couple bright colored eye looks. The first is this pretty pink. Hubby says it's not his fave, but I thought it was pretty =)

Products Used:

- 88 Shimmer palette (will show colors used below)

- Eyelid primer

- Black eyeliner pencil

- Eyeliner marker

- CG Lash Blast Mascara

Colors used circled in RED

1) Prime eyelids. Remember that this helps your eye shadow to adhere, and also to prevent creasing.

2) Using a patting motion, place the darkest shade on the outer half of the lid. Bring it down underneath the outer half of bottom lash line.

3) Blend the dark shade up onto the crease and out a little for outer V definition.

4) Apply lighter shade on inner half of the lid and blend into the crease, overlapping the darker shade a little.

5) Use the pale silver shade as a highlight in the inner tear duct area.

6)Use the eyeliner marker on the upper lash line, make a small wing on the end.

7)Line outer half of lower lash line, and also your waterline, with the black eyeliner pencil. 

8) Curl your lashes, apply mascara.

   

Jardana & Milani Lipgloss, ELF Brushes & ELF Quad

 Here's a couple more things I've randomly picked up over the last month or so that I haven't talked too much about.

Jordana, Milani & Jordana again

- Milani "Summer Baby" lip gloss ($4.19 Kmart). This is a dupe for MAC's "Nymphette" Lip Glass. I heart this lip gloss. The color is super pretty, and it smells like vanilla.

- Kmart had a BOGO free on Jordana one day, so I picked up 2 lip glosses for a total of $1.89. "E-123" is a sparkly, sheer bright pink color. It comes in a tube with a wand. "Pink Lemonade" is also a semi sheer pink color, better payoff than the other. It comes in a tube like a chapstick and it smells like watermelon. 

- e.l.f quad in "Butternut" ($1 Target) The top right color is a dupe for MAC's "Woodwinked" eye shadow. I enjoy the colors, but you do tend to get a bit of fallout. 

Sorry about the crappy pic quality!

- e.l.f brushes (eye shadow, concealer, defining shadow brush, face/powder brush) All $1, except the face brush which was $3. Great brushes, I highly recommend them!

(Another) Wet n Wild Haul

     So I went to Rite Aid a few weeks ago, and eyeliners and lipstick were on sale for 69 cents!! Everything else was 40% off. (They may still be doing this). I picked up:

- Lipstick in "Sunset Peach" 516C
- Lipstick in "Pink Frost" 528A
- Turquoise eyeliner
- Purple eyeliner
- Charcoal eyeliner
- A new White eyeliner
- Color Icon single in "Penny"
- Color Icon trio in "Walking on Eggshells" (On my MAC dupes list!)

     I won't really review here. Wet n Wild eyeliner pencils are pretty basic. They are cheap and they work great Both lipsticks are very creamy and feel nice on the lips. The "Penny" color is a very cool bronze with a pink undertone. The "Walking on Eggshells" trio is AMAZING! Gorgeous colors, great payoff, and easy to work with.

Haul & Review - Ulta

   I have so many things I've bought over the last month or so that I needed to review. To make it easier for me, I've kind of grouped things together, so bear with me for all these haul posts. I didn't buy all of these things at one time, I've picked stuff up here and there. This is stuff I've gotten at Ulta. I am in "Club Ulta", and you get a point for every $50 you spend. Every 3 months you get a certificate to trade in your points for FREE products! If you have 6 points (which is $300 spent, and I'll never get there lol), you can pick ANY perfume up $45 for FREE. You can also get things like a free sitting at the salon, a curling iron, all kinds of things. So I though that was pretty cool. Anyway, I purchased:

- NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in "Yogurt"

- NYX blush in "Pinched"

- Essence Eyeliner Marker

- Essence Waterproof Mascara

- Essence Multi-Action False Lash mascara

- Essence All Eyes on Me mascara

- Ulta nail polish in "Princess"

1) NYX Jumbo Eye Pencils are highly recommended by MANY! They are a great eye shadow base (it is a cream shadow stick). They apply easily and have great pay-off. Make sure to tap it over with your finger so it doesn't crease though. The color I got "Yogurt" is a bronze/peach/pink color, so  pretty!

2) NYX "Pinched" blush was in my August faves. I seriously LOVE this blush, it's so beautiful!! 

3) I enjoy the Eyeliner Marker, it's very easy to use, and the felt tip is so much easier than a brush to apply liquid eyeliner. I feel like the tip dries out quickly however, and I have to tap it on my hand to get the "juices flowing" again. However for $2.49, it's not bad. I'd buy it again.

4) The price drew me to the mascaras right away, the most expensive being $3.49. They are GREAT mascaras. I enjoy all 3 very much. The "All Eyes on Me" separates my lashes really well. The "False Lash" one really pumps them up, and the waterproof one is really good. (So good it takes me forever to wash it off, hehe)

5) I really like the nail polish. It is a very sheer, shimmery pink on it's own, which is nice. I like to layer it over other colors to create a different effect.

   All in all, I enjoy everything I got and use them all often. If you haven't been to Ulta, check it out. They sell regular brands like Revlon and Cover Girl, not just high end makeup. The also have a hair salon in the store, which is pretty cool. You can get a sneak peek HERE.

     Happy beautifying! 

Blue Sky Eyes

I know what you're thinking... "blue? This isn't 1983!!" Well, colors are very in, you just need to know how to apply it properly. Keep it mostly on  your lid, toning it down with a neutral color in the crease. Don't go full- on matte blue from lashes to eyebrow, and you'll be alright. I used my 88 shimmer palette for this look, but you can use something similar you already own.

Products used:

- 88 Shimmer palette (light blue, medium blue, medium gold, light cream)

- Essence eye liner marker

- Wn W Charcoal eyeliner

- Essence "All Eyes on Me" mascara

- Sunny Bronzer

- NYX blush in "Pinched"

- e.l.f eyelid primer

- e.l.f tinted moisturizer

- Sephora mineral powder

- NYC lipstick in "Cafe"

Haul & Review- Coastal Scents

Coastal Scents 88 Warm palette








Coastal Scents 88 Shimmer palette




     If you are not familiar with Coastal Scents, it is a makeup website specializing in larger palettes. They have many different 88 eye shadow palettes, blush palettes, concealer palettes, lip glosses, you name it. They also have makeup brushes, gel eye liners, and bath & body products. You can check it out here.
     Last week they had a sale and all of the most popular palettes were 35% off. I ordered 2 palettes. I received them VERY quickly, nothing broken. I also received an eye shadow sample, and a small kabuki brush for free.

88 Warm palette

     The Warm palette consists of 88 different neutral and smokey colors. Some are matte, some shimmer, some frost. All are very pigmented and easily blendable. If you like to play around with different looks, but aren't big on bright colors, this is the palette for you. Normal price is $24.95, but there are sales A LOT, and could score this cheaper, as I did. (I got it for $16). $25 for 88 eye shadows is not bad at all. You can't even get 2 eye shadows from MAC for $25!

88 Shimmer palette

     The 88 Shimmer palette (there is also an 88 matte) is AWESOME! I love to play around with color, and there are so many! I love my shimmer, so this is right up my alley. This palette is so beautiful. If you decide this is something you'd be interested in, you won't be disappointed. This palette is normally $18.95 (I got it for $13). Again, 88 colors for $19 is 21 cents per eye shadow. That's unbelievable! All colors are very pigmented and easily blendable.

A couple Shimmer swatches

     I hope this gives you a little insight into an awesome company you may, or may not have heard of. Anyone else have any Coastal Scents palettes? How do you like them? Happy beautifying!!

Purple and Gold

     I gotta tell ya, when I wore this the other day, I could not stop checking myself out LOL. I thought it turned out SO pretty, and you know I am all about the purple lately. I used products I already owned for this, but this can be achieved with the Coastal Scents 88 Shimmer palette, which I will be doing a review on in a later post.

Products Used: 

- e.l.f eyelid primer

- My shimmer palette from Go Jane. Purple and Light Gold colors used

- MK "Crystalline" e/s

- WnW "Charcoal" eyeliner pencil

- Esscense False Lash mascara

- Sephora "Peche" blush

- NYC "Sunny" bronzer

- NYC 'Cafe" lip stick (I think!)

Happy beautifying!

Ideas for Pre-teens

     I realize not everyone reading this blog is my age, as I've said before. I have nieces, and cousins, who are about the age where makeup and beauty start to become interesting. I was thinking back to when I was that age, and what I liked to use. Obviously I didn't wear a lot of makeup (as young girls shouldn't), but there were things I liked to do, and use. Here are some ideas for the younger generation out there =)

1) Lip gloss: Lip stick is for older girls, but lip gloss is good for all ages. When I was younger I could not get enough of Lip Smackers! They are still cool nowadays also =) There are so many out there! Skittles, fruit "flavors", soda pop "flavors", you name it. It is like a chap stick in the way it feels on the lips, but it also gives you a little color without being full on "made up". 

Look what kind of collection you could have! =)

The BEST one to have, for any age!

Bath & Body Works

2) Scented Lotion:  Who doesn't like scented lotion?? There are so many out there to choose from these days. My one piece of advise would be, to pick something that smells fresh and light, not too much like perfume. Some brands to consider: Calgon & Bath and Body Works. Scents to consider: Morning Glory (Calgon). This was my FAVE when I was younger. Also from Calgon: Marshmallow, Vanilla Swirl, Cotton Candy or Powder Fresh. From Bath and Body Works: Sparkling Berry Bliss, Country Chic & Carried Away, just to name a few. At BBW you can get 3 of the small sized lotions for $10, and normally they are $5 each.

Calgon

I will do more posts of ideas in the future. I just wanted to give you all a little something to think about. Maybe you thought Lip Smackers were "un-cool", well now you know they defiantly are NOT un-cool! As always, Happy Beautifying!!