Meowmisu Makeup

Some Brightness

2011-06-06T11:54:00.000-07:00

Still loving my Inglot!! Here is a brighter look using some of these awesome shadows. I've realized that lately I have been pretty neutral in my color choices but since my inglot haul, I've been inspired to go a little brighter.

Eyes:
UDPP
NYX Jumbo Pencil- Milk- loghtly applied
Inglot ds 477 (bright light yellow green with some sparkle) patted all over lid
Inglot DS 504 (beautiful teal with sparkle) patted on outer edge of lid and outer V, into crease
Inglot DS 483 (navy blue) to deepen V and crease and along lower lashline
NYX Barely There (off white with gold shimmer) inner corners
Inglot DS 467 (peachy off white) on brow bone with some matte off white dusted on top
Ben Nye Cake liner Black upper lash line

Lips are Buxom Nantucket (LOVE) with NYX gloss in Natural

Cheeks are NYX Peach

Pics Galore:

My Inglot Order Has Arrived

2011-06-02T11:17:00.000-07:00

OMG! I can't believe I waited as long as I did to try out some Inglot. I will try and make some time to show you all of what I purchased, but for now I will just share my first LOTD using these glorious shadows. My initial reaction to these is an instant love- they are highly pigmented, blend beautifully and show up on the lid as beautifully as they do in the pan. They are also ridiculously affordable!! I am planning a day to go to the store in Times Square really soon, as shopping online isn't nearly as fun as being able to swatch in person. I took lots of pictures as I am really out of practice with using my camera for make up shots. I can't seem to capture the colors in all their glory. The DS finish is amazing. I am not the hugest fan of super frosty or metallic shadows so these are right up my alley- they have intense pigmentation and are satiny with some really gorgeous sparkles. The beauty of Inglot lies in the application, they kick my MAC shadows booty.

Oh, and please excuse my hair- it is a hot mess.

I used:

Eyes
UDPP
NYX Jumbo pencil in Milk- very lightly applied to entire lid space
Inglot DS 467 (peachy off white with some sparkle) inner lid and inner lower lashline, browbone
Inglot Pearl 441(lovely pearly purple) rest of lid up to crease
Inglot DS 483 (deep navy blue) outer V into crease and outer lower lashline
Inglot DS 504 (GORGEOUS teal with some glitter) lower lashline and softly at the edges of the navy blue to soften
Inglot Liquid liner 29 ( deep eggplant purple) upper lashline

Brows are Maybelline Define-a-Brow in Dark Blonde

Cheeks are Inglot Blush 29 (matte-ish peachy apricot, applied sparingly) and NYX Taupe as contour
Lips are Buxom Lips in London with NYX gloss in Smokey Look

Now for the pics, some with flash some without- sadly, they all fail to do the colors justice.

Yeahhhhh, that's way too many pictures :)

Antique Gold

2011-03-12T08:36:00.000-08:00

Helllloooo

I have sooooo many NYX shadows, they are all so disorganized that I find them hard to work with. I need a makeup organizing day!! I really love the color range NYX has to offer, and the quality is excellent especially for the price point. I normally wait to purchase for when Cherry Culture has a sale going because then they are dirt cheap. Here is a golden neutral look.

Face
MAC Face and Body foundation- C2
MAC MSFN- Light to set foundation
NYX Taupe Blush- contour
NYX Peach blush- cheeks

Lips
Maybelline Lipstick- Pink Please (light to midtone pink, I like this pink because it almost leans peach)
NYX gloss- Natural (peachy beige)

Eyes
Indelible Cream Shadow- Bare Necessity base
NYX Antique Gold- lid, blended to just above crease and inner lower lashline (dirty gold with some olive tones)
NYX Taupe- Crease, blender color (more golden tan than taupe)
NYX Greyish Brown- outer V, outer lower lashline (exactly as the name sounds, a deep greyish brown)
NYX Skin- brow bone (nude shadow)
NYX Barely There- tear duct area and highlight (cream with some gold shimmer)
Ben Nye Cake liner- Black upper lashline
Prestige Waterproof liner waterline

Gold and plummy pink

2011-02-03T09:59:00.000-08:00

Hi!

Two posts in a row!!! Yippee!!
I started this look knowing that I wanted to use Milani's Summer Sands on the lid. I have decided to delve into some of the shadows I love but have been neglecting for a very long time and Summer Sands definitely falls into this category. It is one of their single shadows, from the Runway collection, that is super glittery. I would describe it as a beige gold, with tons and tons of gold glitter. I find the best way to use any of these shadows is to use a damp brush to really get the glitter payoff. It is beautiful. After applying the lid color, I just started reaching for color after color after color.... I used many shadows today.

Face:
MAC Prep and Prime to prime skin
MAC Face and Body- C2
MAC Studio Fix Powder- C2 dusted on very lightly with fluffy powder brush
NYX Taupe blush- contour
NYX Peach blush- cheeks
Maybelline Pink Please Lippie
NYX LaLa gloss over top of lippie

Eyes:
UDPP
Milani Summer Sands applied with damp flat shader brush to lids, blended out at crease (glittery beige gold)
MAC Sunset B applied with fluffy crease brush to outer edges and blended all the way into crease (satin finish dirty yellow pink)
MAC Passionate applied with denser crease brush to outer edges of lid and into crease (matte hot pink)
MAC Fig 1 with dense crease brush to outer edges of lids (matte midtone warm plummy purple)
Wet N Wild Lust Palette- Darkest matte purple to deepen outer edges of lid and along lower lashes, light off white with sparkles as highlight

Lastly, this terrible shot that I had to include due to my cat's head poking out in the background :)

I'm Back! Greens with MAC pigments.

2011-02-02T12:17:00.000-08:00

Hello!

It has been forever, I know, and my posting has become more and more sporadic. I have been very boring with makeup lately, and have kinda been on a purchasing hiatus. I did however, finally purchase MAC Face and Body foundation and am using it today for the first time. I really like the way it photographs and am quite pleased with the natural/satin finish.... quite nice. I purchased it in C2 and while at first I thought it might be the slightest bit dark for me, I actually quite like it once applied and set. It is sheer but buildable, and a very thin consistency. It is my first time using it, and I will need a few days to really decide if I love it or not.

Today's look uses MAC pigments of which I have many, many samples but find myself ignoring them. Here is a smokey-ish green look with a sharp outer V.

The colors are a bit deeper IRL :)

Face:
MAC Face and Body Foundation- C2
MAC MSF Natural to set
NYX Taupe blush- contour
Benefit Coralista- cheeks
NYX gloss in Natural- lips

Eyes:
UDPP to prime
L'oreal HIP cream shadow pencil- Authentic as base on lid, blended to just above crease (dark green)
MAC Chartreuse pigment on inner 1/3 of lids (shimmery yellow green)
MAC Emerald Green pigment on outer 2/3 of lids (shimmer true emerald green)
MAC Dark Soul pigment on outer V (soft black with shimmer and glitter)
MAC Soft Brown Sahdow- crease. to soften edges of color (peachy light brown)
MAC Naked Pigment- Brow Bone (shimmery nude)
NYX Barely There- tear duct area, (cream with gold shimmer)
Ben Nye Cake Liner- black upper lashline
Prestige Waterproof liner- black waterlines (I really think I like these prestige pencils better than my Urban Decay ones, especially for the price)

Thanks for looking!!!

HiFi and some Fyrinnae

2010-11-29T15:14:00.000-08:00

Hello!!!!!

After taking advantage of HiFi's sale this weekend, I realized how long neglected my HiFi shadows had gone. I put this together for a day at work and instantly fell in love with HiFi's shadow, Eclipsed the Sun. It is a gorgeous duochrome color shifter that would compliment any eye color.

Face:
Maybelline Superstay Foundation
MAC Studio Fix Powder- C2
NYX Taupe blush- Contour
NYX Peach Blush

Eyes:
Fyrinnae- Half Elf Hottie (Soft, gently shimmering gold with light purple highlights) - inner corners of lids
HiFi- Eclipsed the Sun- (an amazing red-gold color shifter! Beautiful.) - outer 2/3 of lids
HiFi- Sacrelicious (deep black with bright purple glitter- on me this buffs out to a deep smokey purple) outer V/Crease/lower lashline
A matte Ivory color as highlight on brow
NYX Vanilla Sky- Palest golden off white- tear ducts

Lips are Carmex

Simple LOTD using drugstore products + Hair Extensions!!

2010-11-24T11:44:00.000-08:00

Hello all!!

I've been doing a terrible job of keeping up with my blog and all of your posts... soon I will catch up!!!
Today's LOTD is the type of look I always need more of.... quick, matches with any clothing type or color and uses easily accessible and inexpensive products. The eyes can be thrown on in just a few minutes, even with the falsies because I find the demi lashes to be so quick to apply!

The extensions were purchased at a beauty supply store and are the clip in variety. I really love them and think they are so much fun.. I just need to improve my application of them as I'm certain some of the wefts are visible from the back of my head :) They are natural human hair and I just lightly curled them with my natural hair with a very large (1.5 ") curling iron to help them blend into my hair a little better.

Products used:
Eyes:
Wet N' Wild Nutty all over lid to just above crease
Maybelline Natural Smokes Quad - matte dark brown to line lower lashline and smudge into outer upper lashline Matte Ivory color- highlight on brow and inner corners.
NYX Cream Cheese to add some shimmer and light to browbone
Prestige Waterproof liner- black waterlines
Jordana Liquid liner- Black upper lashline
NYX Demi false lashes

Cheeks are Milani Luminous Blush
Lips are Maybelline Color Sensational Lippie- Peachy Scene

Hot Pink Lips

2010-10-13T12:34:00.000-07:00

I am a self proclaimed lipstick wimp. I wear all sorts of colors on my eyes but inevitably reach for a neutral, light lippy. Today I opted for a neutral eye and some vibrant lips :)

Eyes:
Bare Necessity Indelible cream shadow as base
Matte Off white and Tan from neutral WnW palette- off white all over eye area, tan on outer edge of lid and into crease
MAC Dark Edge on outer V and along lower lashline
MAC Transparent Teal Reflects patted on lid (this did not show up in pics)
Ben Nye Cakeliner- black on upper lashline

Lips- Prestige lipliner in Diva to line and fill in lips and Bare Escentuals Buxom Gloss in Laura

Cheeks- NYX Peach

Thanks for looking!

Fyrinnae brightness

2010-10-12T12:42:00.000-07:00

hello!

I wanted something a little brighter today :) I used some of my faves from fyrinnae paired with some of my new staples from my WnW palettes.

The jesse's girl cream shadow i used as a base on lid is a disaster, I am creasing like crazy :(. Next time I need a teal base, I will just use some kohl liner smudged on lid.

Eyes
Bare Necessity Indelible Cream shadow from lashes to brow
Light satin finish off white (MAC Vanilla dupe) from purple WnW palette applied to brow bone
Midtone matte green from WnW pride palette applied to just above crease, blended into vanilla shadow
Jesse's Girl cream shadow in Destiny(as in, you're destined to crease- even in 60 degree perfect NY fall day crispness) (bright aqua) patted lightly onto lid
Fyrrinae Adam and Steve's ( Bright teal-green with a soft blue shimmer and sparkle highlight.) patted all over lid over top of cream shadow
Fyrinnae Faerie Glamour (Violet base with an aqua shimmer that changes to a bright pink when closer to light) patted on outer corners, blending slightly into crease
Colors repeated on lower lashline
Ben Nye Cake liner- black upper lashline
Urban Decay 24/7 liner- zero waterlines

Cheeks are Benefit Coralista, Lips are NYX Black label- Heiress

In Sunlight:

Those rogue bangs need to sneak into every shot!

Wardrobe change!

Thanks for looking!!!

Wet N Wild Pride (blue green palette)

2010-10-10T15:05:00.000-07:00

hi ladies!!

Dear sweet Caro from MUA has been curious about the green and blue WnW palette so I finally decided to try mine out. This palette contains 3 shimmery shades- frosty white, shimmery midtoned green and a deep shimmering navy. It also has 3 matte shades- pure white, midtoned bright green and a deep navy. I am quite happy with all of the colors with the exception of the shimmery white- it is just way to sheer and applies patchy with chunky glitter fallout. The rest of the colors are fantastic :) I will swatch them all for you soon!

Here is my look of the day using the Wet N Wild Pride palette:

Eyes:
Bare Necessity Indelible Cream Shadow as base
Matte white from palette on inner corners (wanted to use the shimmery white for this, but it didn't apply well)
Shimmery Green all over lid and on inner lower lashline
Matte green on crease/outer V
Matte Navy blue to deepen Outer V
Black kohl liner smudged along lower lashline
Shimmery navy from palette smudged over black liner
Matte off white from Vanity palette as highlight
Ben Nye cakeliner on upper lashline

Cheeks are NYX Peach, Lips are Bare Escentual Buxom Big and Healthy lipstick in London

Thanks for looking!!

I love purple LOTD

2010-10-08T18:59:00.000-07:00

Hello!!
here is my LOTD using my go to favorite color- purple :)

Eyes:
Bare Necessity indelible cream shadow as base
WnW Lust palette- medium matte purple (outer V), dark matte purple (to deepen V), shimmery off white (highlight)
WnW Vanity palette- lightest shimmery gold (inner lid)
MAC Beautiful Iris (lid)
Ben Nye Cake liner

Lips are Rimmel Airy Fairy Cheeks are Benefit Coralista

Thanks for looking!

Fig. 1, you have been duped

2010-10-06T12:08:00.000-07:00

Hello!!

I knew the mid toned purple in the Wet N Wild palette was going to be close to MAC's Fig. 1, but didn't realize how close it actually is!! Check it out!!

No Flash:

Flash:

Left Fig.1, Right WnW

WnW Vanity Palette

2010-09-30T17:16:00.000-07:00

I finally gave in to all of the hype surrounding these wet N wild palettes, and I am so happy that I did. They are 50% off this week at Walgreens, so grab them while you can! Here is a quick look I threw on to try out one of the new palettes and am quite pleased. The shadows, both mattes and frosts, are so well pigmented and creamy. The mattes actually rival MAC's famous matte2 texture in both pigmentation and application. Awesome deal for $2.50!!

I used Indelible Cream Shadow in Bare Necessity as a base, the shadows as pictured below:

On my cheeks Mac- the perfect cheek Lips Mac- Cutester

Thanks so much for looking!!!

Softer Gradient Purples

2010-09-22T13:39:00.000-07:00

Hello!!

Ive been getting a lot of use out of my 88 matte palette lately... it had gone long ignored until recently. I love having all the shadows spread out before me in one easy to access place. Here is a simple look using a matte white and some purples from the palette.... as well as a pop of yellow on the inner corners. I think this would have looked really nice with some demi falsies, but I was too lazy to put them on :)

Eyes
UDPP
NYX Jumbo Pencil in milk (applied lightly all over lid)
88 Matte palette- white, yellow, medium purple and deep purple
Ben Nye Cake liner
Cover Girl Lash Blast Volume

Cheeks are Milani Luminous (a close dupe for Coralista!)
Lips are OCC lip tar in memento ( i think- name has been rubbed off)

ACK! Photos look a bit washed out :( Thanks for looking all!

88 matte palette, w/ step by step!

2010-09-08T10:08:00.000-07:00

Hello!!

I am lounging today and having some make up fun. I went for a brighter look, complete with false lashes. I used mainly my 88 matte palette for this look. Thanks so much for looking!

I started by priming my eye w/ Indelible Cream Shadow in Bare Necessity

Then I took my MAC 217 brush and placed the Shrek-y green from this palette to just above my crease and blended up toward brow

I then took a vibrant teal, with the same brush and applied it to my crease leaving a bit of the shrek green exposed.

I then took a smaller crease brush and dipped into some deep blue mixed with some black to darken and placed it in the very outer V.

Next, some cream colored shadow to the brow to highlight and blend using a larger shader brush.

Next, using a small shader brush, I picked up a muted gold and applied to the lid. I also sharpened up the outer V by cleaning up with a make up wipe.

Then, using a pencil brush I lined the lower lashline with a true green

I then took MAC's Gorgeous Gold with the same pencil brush and applied to inner tear duct area/lower lashline

Black liquid liner on upper lashline, kohl liner on waterline, filled in brows.

Touch up colors as needed, add some mascara and falsies and all done!

On my lips Wet and Wild Matte lipstick- 903C with NYX gloss- Natural
Cheeks are MAC The Perfect Cheek

MAC's Blackberry

2010-08-18T05:58:00.000-07:00

Hello!!

One of these days I will get around to blogging more regularly :)

MAC Blackberry is a color I don't hear or read too much about, but I love it. It is a matte plum, burgundy brown that is quite deep- this makes it a great crease/defining color for many different looks. It makes a wonderful pair with neutrals to add some color without being over the top.

EYES:
UDPP
Aromaleigh Fiona on inner 1/3 of lid (shimmery off white with silver)
MAC Smoke and Diamonds to outer 2/3 of lid (shimmery taupe-y dirty silver)
MAC Blackberry to outer V, into crease, along lower lashline (matte plummy brown)
Ben Nye Toast to brow bone (matte off white)
Ben Nye Cake Liner- Black upper lash line
Urban Decay 24/7 liner- Zero waterline
Cover Girl Lash Blast- Very Black

Cheeks are NYX Peach, Lips are Rimmel Airy Fairy

Thanks for looking!!!!!!!!!!

I'm back with a green LOTD

2010-08-03T12:42:00.000-07:00

Hello all!!

I've been away for way too long!! I have so much catching up to do with all of your posts. For all of those who have been wondering, I am alive and well but have just had soooooo very much going on... one of these days I will catch you all up on what has been going on. Here is a look of the day from this past week, using some HiFi and some MAC. It's actually one of the few colorful looks I have done in a while... with this heat and as busy as I have been, I've been sticking to my new favorite simple eye. I will share the look with you soon as it is quick, easy and perfect for an everyday work look :)
On another note, I've been going back and forth with my revlon photo ready foundation since I purchased it months ago. Lately I have been really loving it. It is quite thin and watery, yet provides a nice level of coverage. It is quite comfortable on the skin and imparts a glow- which I tone down with a bit of matte powder.

For this look I used:

Face:
Revlon Photo Ready Foundation
MAC Studio Fix Powder, dusted very lightly to set foundation
NYX Peach blush

Eyes:
ELF eye primer
MAC Sharp to inner 1/3 of lid, just up to crease (shimmery golden lime green)
HiFi BoomShakaLaka to rest of lid (sparkly green with some gold)
NYX Taupe in crease, and to blend out edges of green shadows (matte-ish tan)
MAC Dark Edge to deepen outer V and along lower lashes (deep matte brown)
Revlon Antique Lace on brow and to blend out crease (matte off white)
MAC Next to Nothing on tear duct area (frosty pinky nude)
Black liquid liner

Lips are Rimmel liner- eastend snob and NYX Beige gloss

Thanks for looking!!!

Nude-y naturals

2010-07-03T16:59:00.000-07:00

Hello all!! Long time, no post! This morning as I read through some blogs, I was inspired by Phyrra's Post about her new Too Faced Naked palette. I decided to bust out some neutrals and create this smokey nudey look. I used my favorite method- shimmery lid with matte contour colors.

I used:
Eyes
ELF eye primer
Urban Decay Sin patted all over lid up to crease with small shader brush (shimmery champagne-y nude)
NYX Chocolate applied to outer V with MAC 219, and dragged into crease (matte chocolate brown)
NYX Black to deepen V with 219 (matte black)
Ben Nye Toast on brow and to blend out edges of crease color (matte off white)
Ben Nye Cake Liner-black on upper lash line
Urban Decay 24/7 liner- Zero on waterline

Cheeks are NYX Peach blush, NYX Taupe to contour, MAC Soft and Gentle MSF to highlight

Lips are NYX Natural gloss

Thanks for looking :)

Aromaleigh Pandora

2010-06-20T09:11:00.000-07:00

Pandora is such a subtle and lovely color. Sometimes the softer looks are my favorites. Here is what I wore to my nephews first birthday party.

Eyes
UDPP
NYX Jumbo Pencil- Oyster from lashes to crease
Aromaleigh Pandora patted over the oyster pencil (A soft whisper of pinked mauve with silvery highlight)
Aromaleigh Grape to Outer V and along lower lash line(A luscious deep purple shade, for a dramatic look)
Ben Nye Toast on brow bone (matte off white)
NYX Barely There to highlight brow and inner corners
Ben Nye Cake Liner- black

Lips are Rimmel East End Snob liner and NYX Beige Gloss
Cheeks are NYX Peach

HiFi Pixies

2010-06-15T11:23:00.000-07:00

Hello!

I have the day off today and it is beautiful out! I'm heading over to my parents to relax by the water and eat some good food. :)

Eyes
UDPP
NYX Jumbo Pencil- Milk applied lightly all over lid
HiFi Pixies patted on outer 2/3 of lid (PIXIES is a bright, iridescent purple! Lots of glitz...just like a vision of pixie dust!)
HiFi Let it Snow on inner 1/3 of lid (LET IT SNOW reminds me of stepping outside first thing in the morning, after it has snowed all night, and seeing the crystalline blanket of snow glittering in the sun. This color is super sparkly and absolutely amazing!)
MUFE #92 outer edge of lid and into crease (matte vibrant purple)
NYX Black to deepen outer V and along lower lashline (matte black)
Revlon Matte Antique Lace on brown bone (matte off white)
Ben Nye Cake Liner- black

Blush is Revlon Matte- Peach
Lips are NYX Beige

Thanks for looking!

Gold and Teal

2010-06-11T17:38:00.000-07:00

Hello all!

Just got back from a work thing-y in Philadelphia, so I am a bit tired from the long drive. Was a cool couple of days and I won a raffle for the "next android phone from Motorola". It is unreleased so I just got a certificate saying that I will be sent one when available. Pretty cool!
Anyway, this was the look I wore on Wednesday when I left my house to head down to Philly.

I used:
Indelible Cream Shadow- Bare Necessity as base
MAC Gorgeous Gold all over lid (applied with Sigma 239) (gold with green duochrome)
MAC Too Dolly in crease with MAC 224 (light blue/teal with some frost)
MAC Plumage to Deepen outer corners with small dense crease brush, also along lower lashline (matte blackened teal)
Ben Nye Toast on browbone with NYX large shader brush (matte off white)
Ben Nye cake liner in black

Lips are Rimmel Tiramisu liner with NYX Beige gloss
Cheeks are NYX Peach

HiFi Rockstar Shadows

2010-06-08T13:32:00.000-07:00

I have been kinda MIA lately, just so much going on with work and life. I will try and catch up on all of your posts and comments soon!!

Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! I love my newest HiFi purchases! I took advantage of their sale on the new rockstar shadows and I am so glad I did. These shadows are amazing, packed with tons of glitter and are really nicely pigmented. Used atop their new shadow fix, the shadows really look like glimmering liquid metal. Yum!

The Hi Impact Shadow fix really rocks and I would imagine that it compares to Fyrinnae's Pixie Epoxy though I have never tried it. HiFi describes it as- Specifically formulated to be used with all my super-shimmery, mega-glittery Rockstar and Hi Fi shadows, this product can actually be used with any loose or pressed shadow! (Not recommended for mattes.) It's glycerin-based, contains soothing aloe vera, and it ROCKS at holding those sparklies on!

I applied it to the lid just up to the crease, and spread it out to a very thin layer. I allowed it to get slightly dry and tacky and patted the rockstar shadow on top. I used no other primer (as my UDPP is all dried out) and I had no problem with creasing or fading- even after a nap!

I used:
HiFi On Tour patted on top of shadow fix, just up to crease (ON TOUR is the goldest gold we have! This shadow looks like liquid metal on the lids, flecked with intense golden glimmers! Photos cannot do this shade justice!!!)
Ben Nye Terracotta blended into crease with MAC 224 (matte midtone warm brown)
NYX Black blended into outer corners and along lower lashline (matte black)
Ben Nye Toast on brow bone (matte off white)

Cheeks are MAC The Perfect Cheek and a bit of MSF soft and gentle as highlight. NYX Taupe to contour.

No Flash:

Thanks for looking!

Dramatic Greens w/120 Palette

2010-06-02T17:53:00.000-07:00

Hello!!

Here is yesterday's look using colors from my 120 palette. I used UDPP and NYX Jumbo Pencil in Milk as base. From the palette I used a couple (3 or 4) of matte greens, matte white and a matte black. I also used a shimmery yellowy green on the lower inner lashline.

My Cheeks are MAC The Perfect Cheek

Thanks for looking!

HiFi Purples

2010-05-23T17:04:00.000-07:00

Each time I use my HiFi shadows, I'm reminded how gorgeous and super pigmented they are. Love them!! Here is today's LOTD.

Face:
MAC Moisture Tint Tinted Moisturizer- Light
MAC Studio Fix Powder- C2 dusted on lightly
NYX Taupe blush as contour
Aromaleigh blush in Dolly
Lips are Rimmel Airy Fairy

Eyes:
UDPP
NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil- Oyster on lid, just up to crease
HiFi Lush patted all over lid and along lower lashline (this is no longer on their site, but I'd describe it as a midtone purple with gorgeous glitter and some aqua iridescence)
HiFi Sacrelicious in outer V and along outer lower lashline ( a deep black with bright purple glitter)
Ben Nye Toast on brow bone, to blend out edges of color (matte off white)
Aromaleigh Glow to highlight under brow and blended onto inner corners
Ben Nye Cake Liner- black
Cover Girl Lash Blast Fusion- Very Black

Soft, easy look with Aromaleigh

2010-05-22T19:10:00.000-07:00

This is a combo I used to wear quite a bit but somehow had forgotten. Its simple and features a light lid which I think serves to open up the eyes quite a bit.

I used:
Face:
Clinique redness relief protective base
MAC Moisture Tint- Light
MAC MSF Natural
Cheeks are NYX Pinky
Contour NYX Taupe blush

Eyes:
Bare Necessity cream shadow as base on lid
Aromaleigh Terphiscore on lid (this was LE and no longer available... its a pale pinky buff with iridescence)
Aromaleigh Slate in crease (matte light taupe)
Aromaleigh Grape in outer V and along lower lashline (matte deep muted purple)
Aromaleigh Glow on brow bone (white frost with some gold fine shimmer)
Ben Nye Cake Liner
Cover Girl Lash Blast Fusion very black

Lips are Rimmel Airy Fairy

Those rogue bang/fringe hairs have been trimmed... drove me crazy

Thanks for looking!

Cherry Culture Sale!

2010-05-20T17:51:00.000-07:00

Hi all!!

I am a fan of NYX products so I was excited to get the email today letting me know that cherryculture is holding a sale! Use the code NYX25 to receive 25% off of all NYX products. You can also get free shipping on all orders over $40 as usual. I will definitely be getting some things. I recently purchased their brow kit, and want to get another in a lighter shade. The quality was great, comes with 2 brow colors and a pomade to hold brows in place. I also love the Black Label lipsticks, and the single eyeshadows. Some of my fave shadows are:

Barely There- shimmery off white with gold tones (perfect highlight color)
Iced Mocha- Goldish Taupish lovely neutral
Black- the best matte black I own
Taupe- sheerish golden tan, perfect blender and lid contour shade for my coloring
Algae- beautiful shimmery midtone green
White- a great matte white shadow
Mermaid Green- quite close to MAC's humid
Irises- close to electric eel I think, very pigmented and bright

I love the mega shine lipgloss in Beige as well, it is the perfect pink... looks gorgeous over a nude lippie.

What NYX products are you thinking of getting?

Questions!

2010-05-20T16:05:00.000-07:00

I saw this survey on the lovely and adorable Caro's blog, decided to play along.

1.What shoe size are you?
I am a size 7.5 or 8 depending, and I love shoes! I am in serious need of a pedicure so that I can rock some sandals.

2.Where do you work?
I am in indirect sales for a major cell phone company (lol I feel like I am on a game show, ya' know how company names are never mentioned??) I visit major retailers who sell our product to promote our brand name, do trainings, do demo days, drive about 3,000 miles a month. I've been with the company for almost 4 years and recently moved into this position.... It is fun but enables my shopping addiction because I visit almost every mall in the eastern portion of Upstate New York.

3.Favorite piece of clothing you own :
my new express pants... I had been buying the editor cut for a while but recently bought a pair of the Illustrators,,,, OMG, they rock. They have a slimmer leg and a nice boot cut. Unfortunately, the average length is 33" so I have to hem them all. I am 5 foot 6, isn't that an average height?? Shorts are 30", way too short. Anyway.

4.Your favorite blog?
I love soooo many

5.Do you have any pets?
I have 2 dogs- a rottweiler and a mix breed who is beautiful. He is half german short hair pointer and half black lab, I call him a pointerdor and he totally should be one of those new designer mutts they are making like cockapoos and the like. I also have 3 cats.

6.How many siblings do you have?
I have an older brother.

7.If you could live anywhere where would it be?
Upstate NY is pretty gorgeous, except for the -25 degree winter days. I like it here though.... maybe somewhere beachy one of these days.

8.What were you doing before this?
got home from work and made a japanese cabbage salad with toasted sesame seeds.

9.Your favorite food?
I'm on an asian food kick lately... love sushi and all seafood.

10.Do you have a middle name?
Yes... It is Johanna (the J is a Y sound- like Yohanna)

11.Your favorite websites?
makeupalley lately... love reading makeup reviews. I also love Allrecipes for recipes....

12.Who do you tag?
Everyone!

120 palette tropical

2010-05-19T08:27:00.000-07:00

Hello

Its gray and gloomy today so I decided to go for some crazy brights for my eyes. I barely use my 120 palette. The colors are all pretty and well pigmented, but they are quite soft and messy. With a sticky base, these shadows are pretty great. Too bad the palette has a weird, old lady, perfumey smell to it.

I used a new liner brush today and I still have to get used to it... liner looks a bit wonky.

Face:
MAC Strobe Cream
L'oreal Studio Secrets Perfecting primer, dotted onto nose and under eyes (this helps hide my pore-tasticness)
MAC Moisture Tint Tinted Moisturizer- Light
MAC Studio Fix powder- C2 dusted very lightly to set
NYX Pinky blush
NYX Taupe blush to contour

Eyes
Aromaleigh eye primer- light
120 palette white gold, yellow, orange, blend of 2 pinks and black for lower lashline
Ben Nye Toast on brow
Ben Nye Black cake liner
Cover Girl Lash Blast Fusion- Very Black

Lips are Barry M Pinky Peach lippie with NYX LaLa gloss

Girlie muted pink and plum

2010-05-18T13:42:00.000-07:00

Hello!

Yesterday I stopped by the MAC counter and picked up a few things. I wanted to try Face and Body, but since it is only carried at MAC stores, the MUA recommended I try the Moisture Tint tinted moisturizer. I picked that up as well as 2 shadows- Blackberry and Girlie. Today's look is using all of my new goodies!

So far I really like the moisture tint, though it is too early to give a full review. It goes on sheer, blends easily and sets to a satin/matte finish. Worn alone, it really just gives a slight evening of the skin and a beautiful healthy finish. I topped it with MSF natural for a bit more coverage, and love them together. They are both light coverage but together they do the trick.

Face:
Clinique Redness relief Base
MAC Moisture Tint- Light
MAC MSF Natural- Light Medium

Eyes:
Indelible Cream Shadow- Bare Necessity as primer
MAC Girlie patted on lid to just above crease, leaving a bit of space on inner and outer lid (Rosy-pink with subtle shimmer (Satin))
MAC Blackberry in outer V, into crease and along lower lash line (Muted burgundy-plum brown (Matte))
Ben Nye Toast on brow bone and to blend out crease color (matte off white)
NYX Barely There on inner corners and to highlight brow (off white with gold shimmer)
Ben Nye Cake liner- black
Stila Kajal- Topaz on waterline

Lips are Sephora maniac liner in peach with NYX gloss in LaLa

Nothing too exciting or dramatic, but I think its a nice subtle look :) Thanks for looking.

Gorgeous Gold

2010-05-13T19:07:00.000-07:00

arrrrggghhhh I so loved this look today but my pictures are shiteous- too dark, too light, funny faces etc.. I wanted to share regardless, gorgeous gold is such a beautiful color. It is a yellowy gold with a green duochrome which unfortunately is quite camera shy. On a side note, I used Cover Girl Lashblast fusion again and I'm loving it now. No flakies and long luxurious lashes YAY!

I used:
Indelible Cream Shadow- Bare Necessity as primer
MAC- Landscape Green Pigment applied to outer V with dense crease brush and to lower lashline with smudger brush (matte true green)
MAC Gorgeous Gold patted onto lid with flat shade brush and to inner lower lashline (yellowy gold with green duochrome)
NYX Black to deepen crease and along lower lashline (matte black)
Ben Nye Toast on brow bone
Ben Nye Cake liner- Black

Revlon Matte Blush- Peach
MAC Slimshine- Bare on lips

Charcoal Gray and Pink

2010-05-12T18:17:00.000-07:00

hmmmm, I'm not entirely thrilled with the pics of this look, I think I liked this way more in person. I do however like my new NYX brow kit (perhaps a review is in order) and the smokiness of my lower lash line. I didn't really know where I was going with this, but knew I wanted to use my new Sephora shadow in the crease. So here is what I used:

Face:
L'oreal Studio secrets base
MAC Studio Fix powder C2
MAC The Perfect Cheek blush
NYX Black Lable lipstick- Diva

Eyes:
UDPP
Sephora City Fog applied to crease with MAC 217 brush (matte midtone gray)
NYX JEP Oyster on lid as base
NYX Cream Cheese on inner corner of lid (shimmery white)
Fyrinnae The Fancy Lad on rest of lid (sparkly warmish pink with green sparkle)
NYX Black to deepen crease and on lower lashline, with some Sephora City Fog to smoke it out
MAC Romping on very outer edge of lids, between pink and gray
Fyrinnae Parental Advisory wetlined on upper lash line (Vivid shimmery royal purple. Almost two-toned because it has a blue base, yet the shimmer takes on a slightly iridescent reddish hue. , that showed up way more blue on camera)
Black pencil on waterlines
Ben Nye Toast on brow bone, with some NYX Cream Cheese for shimmer

Natural light- a bit too bright me thinks:

2 with flash:

Temptingly smudgy eye

2010-05-11T06:57:00.000-07:00

For some reason, I find the simple and neutral looks the hardest to come up with. It was one of those mornings, slept too late and had an early conference call so I thought... what goes well with a messy ponytail? Smudgy semi smokey eyes!
So here is what I did in a big rush yesterday morning using 2 eye shadows and some kohl liner. This is something I will keep in my repertoire for those rushed mornings, when I still want to apply some make up. It is crazily simple, but I liked the results. Tempting is a gorgeous color that I ignored for too long.

Eyes:
UDPP
L'oreal le grand Kohl- Black to rim eyes, thicker on outer corners and then smudged out
MAC Tempting patted all over lid and blended to just above crease with a sigma 239 brush, and along lower lashline
Some face powder to blend out edges and on brow
NYX Barely There to highlight inner corners and under brow
A bit more kohl on lashline and waterline and some mascara, that's it!

Face:
L'oreal Studio Secrets primer
MAC Studio Fix powder- C2
Benefit Coralista Blush
MAC Fix+ love this stuff, sets the studio fix powder to such a lovely satiny matte finish
Lip Balm (though I swiped on some MAC Shy Girl on my drive in)

Ack! Excuse the rogue hairs

One with flash to show the shimmy shimmer of tempting:

So what are some of your favorite quick and easy eye combos? I need to come up with some more staple looks for rushed, can't be bothered to think, mornings ;)

Fyrinnae Electric Stardust

2010-05-05T15:49:00.000-07:00

My love for fyrinnae continues!!

I went to the dentist today for an ouchy tooth... the good news is that I might not need a root canal after all. After drilling out the old filling, he thinks replacing the filling might suffice. He put a temporary filling in and if I feel no pain in the next few days, we will replace it with a permanent one and be done with it. :)

***I look sleepy and kinda worn out today, probably 'cause I was up worrying all night about the dentist... I have a slight phobia. This means I should sleep like a rock tonight though :)*****

This afternoon I was in the mood for some greens, so I dipped in to my fyrinnae stash and created this. I ALWAYS do a sharp, exaggerated black cat eyeliner.. today I opted for a softer smokier line. I also am in deliberations now over my bangs, do I grow them out or trim 'em back... thus, the combover ;)

I used:
UDPP
NYX Jumbo Pencil- Horseradish (shimmery light green cream shadow) on lid blended out to just above crease
Fyrinnae Electric Stardust (Electric Stardust is a bright, cheery, shimmery green. Darker than mint, light but yet full of vibrance. Brought closer to light, it changes to a lighter aqua then to a pale silvery blue) Patted on top of jumbo pencil
Fyrinnae Bamboo Revolution (Nearly matte vibrant, deep teal green. Just a hint of coordinating shimmer to add dimension.) on outer corners an into crease- bended up a bit
NYX Black (matte black) buffed lightly to deepen crease
Revlon Antique Lace (matte ivory) on browbone, and to blend out crease
NYX Barely There (shimmery ivory, with gold) on inner corners and to add shimmer to brow area
NYX Black to line upper and lower lashline... bolder on lower lashline. I went over the black on lower lashline with some Bamboo Revolution as well, with some Electric Stardust on the inner lower lsahline
Prestige Waterproof liner on waterline
Cover Girl Lashblast- very black

Cheeks are MAC- The Perfect Cheek
Lips are Bare Escentual Big and Healthy Lip Pencil- Las Vegas topped with NYX Mega Shine Gloss- Beige

Two with flash to show off the sparkle...

2 happy ducks, they are a couple and spend all of their time together :)

Thanks for looking

Fyrinnae- Faerie Glamour

2010-05-03T16:06:00.000-07:00

Faerie Glamour was one of the shades that I knew I had to have from Fyrinnae. It combines my 2 favorite colors, purple and teal, into one delicious shadow :) I really love the colors that this shadow brings out in my eyes and am a sucker for all things duochrome.

I used:
UDPP
Aromaleigh Slate (matte taupe, and my go-to crease definer) applied to crease with MAC 224
Fyrinnae Ashes (Medium grey with a brown tone and slight sheen, try pairing with Soot for a dark smokey look.) with MAC 219 to deepend outer crease, and along lower lashline
NYX Jumbo Pencil- Oyster drawn onto lid, up to crease, an smoothed out with finger
Fyrinnae New Moon's Light (Rich violet, just between royal purple and royal blue. Like Nevermore, this shade has a slight satin finish) patted onto inner and outer corners of lid with small SK shader brush
Fyrinnae Faerie Glamour (Violet base with an aqua shimmer that changes to a bright pink when closer to light.) patted on center lid and blended into and over the new moons light.
Ben Nye Cake Liner- Black
Cover Girl Lashblast Fusion - Very Back I love the way this mascara makes my lashes look, but it gives me mascara crumblies within a few hours. Black crumbs on my cheeks and irritating my eyes... back to the lashblast classic for me.

Cheeks are Benefit Coralista
Lips are MAC Cutester

and one with flash....

What are some of your favorite ways to pair Faerie Glamour?

Thanks for looking :)

MAC naked teal

2010-05-02T17:14:00.000-07:00

Hello!

This morning I decided to put some of my new haulage to good use, well at least the naked pigment. Naked is a beautiful, semi shimmery, skin tone color. It has such a beautiful finish and is maybe a shade or so darker than my skin tone. It is a lovely lid color for a neutral look, but today I decided to pair it with some teal. If my liner looks a little funky in some of the pics, its 'cause my eyelid has a weird dry patch going on right along the lashline of my left eye... i think i need to stay away from the new cosmetic wipes i have been using.... or at least be a bit gentler when i use them.

I used:
Bare Necessity Indelible cream shadow as base
MAC Naked pigment lid and brushed up to brow on inner corner
MAC Gulf Stream in outer V/blended inwards onto lid and up a bit towards brow (frosty teal)
MAC Plumage to deepen V and along lower lashline (matte blackened teal)
Ben Nye Toast on brow bone and to blend out edges of color
Ben Nye cake liner- black
Urban Decay 24/7 liner- zero on waterline
Cover Girl Lashblast- very black

Cheeks are MAC- The Perfect Cheek

Thanks for looking!

CCO goodness

2010-05-02T16:58:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I visited the CCO at the Woodbury Commons Outlets and picked up a few things.

Top row, L to R: MAC Sunset B. and MAC Warming Trend
Center: Estee Lauder Plum Pop shadow, MAC Blush- the perfect cheek
Bottom: MAC Naked piggie, MAC Holiday '09 mini pigment set :)

I love love love Naked pigment, I had it in a sample and knew I wanted a FS.... so happy they had it in the original full size packaging (and for only $13.75!). I'm kicking myself for not picking up the last jar of Tea Time they had.

The mini pigment set is awesome too, it includes a jar of reflects teal which I have been lusting after forever :)

The blush is a gorgeous pinky brown, matte, and is a perfect natural looking cheek definer. Might become my new go-to blush.

The 2 mac shadows are both LE and I'm a sucker for all LE collections. The Estee shadow is a lovely matte, muted plummy brown. I've been looking for a shade like this.

A bit of this and some of that

2010-04-29T18:53:00.000-07:00

Here is the look I applied yesterday, before my fyrinnae order arrived, that I promptly washed off to play in my new colors. Greens and blues using a variety of different textures and brands :)

I used:
UDPP

NYX Irises in crease, applied with mac 217 (vibrant satiny matte tealy blue)
Random deep matte navy blackish Blue to deepen crease, blended into Irises
NYX Jumbo Pencil- Horseradish applied to lid, just up to crease
HiFi Cosmetics 100 proof patted over top of horseradish, to center lid leaving inner and outer corners bare (low shimmer minty color)
HiFi Cosmetics BoomShakaLaka applied to inner and outer corners of lid (midtone green with gold and lots o'shimmer)
HiFi Cosmetics Lover's Revenge along lower lashline (deep nav with lots of shimmer)
NYX Halaiwa on inner corners, blended into crease color
Ben Nye Toast - brow bone
Ben Nye black cake liner
Black Kohl liner on waterline
Cover Girl Lash Blast- very black

NYX Blush- Pinky
NYX Black Label Lipstick- ~~Diva~~ not Diva but Bling

This pic btter shows the vibrancy of Irisies in the crease:

Thanks for looking!!

Fyrinnae- Wearable Yellow and Orange

2010-04-28T14:35:00.000-07:00

super super excited! My fyrinnae order arrived (in under 2 weeks!!!) and I am in awe of the sparkly goodness. I have been trying to break my rut of purple and teal, so I decided to do my first fyrinnae look using yellow and orange. It was sooo very difficult to not reach for the beautiful teals and purples which pretty much made up the rest of my order.... my resolve will not hold up long.

To me, this combo seems surprisingly wearable. The colors are gorgeous and vibrant without being over the top and paired with the brown I definitely would rock this look to work. My original intention was to pair this with a deep magenta pink in the outer corner, but opted for the brown at the last moment. To me it kinda resembles a monarch butterfly :)

I used:
Milk jumbo pencil as base from lashes to brow
All Fyrinnae unless noted:
Banana Mochi on inner half of lid and inner lower lashline (Softly shimmery, almost frosted light golden yellow.)
Electro Koi on rest of lid, blended into yellow (Vibrant orange that's loaded with coordinating sparkle.)
Ultrasuede applied to outer V and into crease and along lower lashline ( Matte, velvety deep charcoal brown. Great for smokey looks and eyeliner.)

NYX Chrome eyeshadow -Orange Blended between electro koi and ultrasuede
Ben Nye Toast on brow bone
Rimmel Kohl Liner in White on waterline

(Ultrasuede is amazing. I love matte shadows and this one does not disappoint. It is such a perfect shade of brown and its blendability is amazing. The texture is lush and almost satiny... the pigmentation is amazing. )

My handsome rottweiler, he appears to be being swallowed by the couch.

Thanks so much for looking!!

Soft Gold with Aromaleigh

2010-04-27T08:05:00.000-07:00

Hello!

Today I tried out some of the manual settings on my new camera and after sorting through the pics, I am actually starting to grasp some of the differences between the shots. It is cloudy and gloomy here today, so I used the flash but adjusted the shutter speed and ISO settings to try and prevent any wash out of color. I think a bit of trial and error and I'll have the camera down pat. Here is a FOTD using mostly Aromaleigh with a bit of TKB.

I used:
Bare Necessity indelible cream shadow as base
Aromaleigh Awe on lid ( A sparkling lush golden khaki shade. Divinely unique)
Aromaleigh Slate in crease (matte light taupe)
Aromaleigh Smokin' in outer V (smoked mauve with earthy tones, set your stare on fire.)
Ben Nye Toast on brow bone (matte off white)
TKB Grape Pops on lower lashline (shimmery true purple)
Bn Nye Black cake liner on upper lash line

Lips are NYX Gloss- LaLa
Cheeks are NYX Pinky

In these last couple of pics, you can't see the shimmer of the lid color... perhaps set the ISO too low?

New Camera

2010-04-26T17:18:00.000-07:00

Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!! After much deliberation, I finally picked up a new camera. I'm so very excited. I got the Canon Poweshot SX20IS this afternoon at Best Buy and just had to try it out immediately. Just a couple of close ups of my eyes, excuse the far from perfect makep- this was after a full work day and some time out in the rain. I just used the auto setting for these shots as I have so much to learn about this camera. I have a feeling I will be on a posting spree for a while! Click below if you are interested in reading more detail about the camera :)

My new Camera

On my eyes I used a few colors from a MAC Holiday Palette... think its the royal assets palette :)

What do you all think of the photo quality? I think its pretty great, I didn't realize I needed to pluck my brows till I saw these pics ;)

Elegie

2010-04-22T17:55:00.000-07:00

I had yesterday off and although I had many things to get done, I took the liberty to give myself extra make-up time in the morning. I really wanted to use Aromaleigh's Elegie (this shadow has a dark and smokey indigo plum base with tons of multi colored glitter throughout), so I created the look around this shade. This shadow is one that will not show its true beauty on camera, it might just be one of my favorites of all time. It really needs a sticky base for the all the glitter to stick to and I really wanted to bring out the purple tones in it, so I opted for NYX jumbo pencil in Purple as a base on just the outer edges of my eyes. This took some extra time, but I was happy with the results. The manicurist at the nail salon was impressed and gathered the rest of the girls to look at my eyes :) So here you have it, yet another teal and purple concoction... a favorite combo of mine ;)

I used:
UDPP all over eye area
NYX Jumbo Pencil- Purple (blended carefully into outer V)
Aromaleigh Elegie Patted over top of the NYX pencil with small shader brush (A dark dose of shimmering jewels. Add to other shades to deepen and dramatize, use wet-lined or all-over for a magnificent, glimmering smokey eye.)
Aromaleigh Strychnine patted onto rest of lid, blended into Elegie and up into crease ( Intense bright cool green. blacklight reactive)
Aromaleigh Aqua Nightmare patted onto seam of Elegie and Strychnine and blended inwards (Technicolor bright aqua pearl sheen with divinely bright aqua sparks)
Ben Nye Toast Applied to brow with large dense shader brush and pulled down into lid colors to help blend edges (off white matte)
Blended edges with MAC 224 brush and cleaned up outer V with a makeup wipe to create sharp outer edge.
Aromaleigh Lavande (discontinued) blended into inner corners (palest shimmery lavender)
Ben Nye Cake liner- Black
Cover Girl Lashblast Fusion - Very Black

Lips are NYX Beige gloss
Cheeks are NYX Peach with MAC MSF soft and gentle as highlight

Thanks for looking all!!

Idol Eyes

2010-04-17T16:54:00.000-07:00

Idol Eyes was the very first mac eye shadow I ever bought. It is a silvery lilac with tons of glitter and shimmer- I love to pair it with purple. This was a quickie look I put together the other morning when I slept in a bit later than I should have. I think I would have preferred this with a smokey matte shadow as a liner in place of the usual black wing that I did. :)

I used:
Bare Necessity Indelible cream shadow as base
Aromaleigh Slate applied in crease as lid contour/blender color
MUFE #92 applied to lashlines with 219 and winged out (kinda like eye liner), then blended out
MAC Idol Eyes patted all over lid
NYX Barely There as highlight
Ben Nye Black cake liner
Cover Girl Lashblast mascara- Very Black

Lips are NYX black Label in India, with NYX gloss in beige

Cheeks are Benefit Coralista

These lips did not look streaky IRL, dunno why they do here ... I actually love this lip combo :) NYX Beige gloss is not beige at all, but actually the perfect light pink.

Thanks for looking!

NYX Black Label Lipstick Swatches

2010-04-12T12:45:00.000-07:00

I've been kinda raving lately about the Black Label Lipsticks from NYX, so I have decided to share some swatches with you all. I have a preference for creamy mattes (like MAC's amplified cremes) and so I was careful to review and choose the colors accordingly. Not an easy task when ordering from NYX because they provide no written descriptions and their swatches are never close to reality. I found Makeup Alley to be really helpful and I think I chose some really great colors! All are creamy mattes with the exception of one, Orchid, which I would describe as more like MAC's cremesheen in that it has a bit of a lustre to it. In the pics below, the lipstick is freshly applied, without any liner or lip primer. I find after a few minutes, the colors all really set nicely and lose a bit of their sheen while still remaining soft and moisturizing.

Without further ado:

L to R: Heiress, India, Nude

L to R: Bling, Diva, Orchid

Heiress

India

Nude

Bling

Diva

Orchid

Disclaimer: the degree of smile on my lips in no way indicates a preference to a particular color :)

so, with the exception of Orchid, they are all nudes of varying degrees. I like nudey lipsticks! The color called Nude looks amazing with a swipe of creamy pink gloss (like NYX's Beige for example) over top! A reviewer on MUA described Nude as a cross between MAC's Shy Girl and Creme d'Nude, I would have to agree.

So... what are some of your favorite nude lippies?

You're A Criminal- Smokey Silver w/HiFi

2010-04-11T19:34:00.000-07:00

Hello

Today I used one of my new HiFi shadows called You're a Criminal... it is such a pretty and unique silvery grayish taupe. I bought a bunch of shadows when HiFi first announced their sale- buy 2 shadows get 1 free. This sale runs through the end of April, check out their etsy shop HERE.

Somehow, I ended up at the makeup counters in Macy's again and was sucked into buying Clinique stuff because today was the last day of their bonus day. I got myself All About Eyes-Rich to moisturize my under eye area because I've been wanting to try it forever. I just put some on after washing and exfoliating and it feels quite nice- I will update as I use it more. The makeup bag that came with it is really really cute and I just love getting travel sized lotions to keep in my overnight bag to make packing for trips easier. It also came with an eyeshadow duo,a mini mascara, a tone correcting face cream as well as the 2 makeup bags and the travel size dramatically different moisturizing cream. I like free stuff! I am proud to say that I stopped at MAC and was able to control myself, although I swatched Shale and it was really really pretty. That might go on my wishlist :) Anyway, on to the LOTD.

A few days ago, I ordered a bunch of NYX Black Label lipsticks from Cherry Culture and I am just loving them. In this look, I used a color called India. It is a super light salmon/melon nude in a creamy matte texture. The color is not the easiest to wear because it is so very light, but I like the effect when contrasted with a darker smokey eye. It has full opaque coverage and is not drying at all. I really love Black Label lipsticks so much more than their round ones.

Hmmmmm, maybe one of these days I'll do something besides a smokey eye ;)

Eyes
UDPP
NYX Jumbo Pencil in Black Bean smudged lightly to crease as base
NYX Taupe to contour lid, and blend out edges of black base (matte golden soft brown)
NYX Cream Cheese on Brow Bone and inner corners
HiFi Cosmetics You're A Criminal all over lid up to crease, patted on top of black bean
NYX Black in outer V and along lower lashline (matte black)
Ben Nye Cake Liner on upper lashline
Urban Decay 24/7 liner in Zero on waterline
(The MAC MUA thought I was wearing Electra shadow over top of Smolder Eye Kohl)

Lips are NYX India

Cheeks are Benefit Coralista

The pics without flash better portray the smokey nature of the look, while the flash ones show the shimmery gorgeousness of the HiFi shadow.

No Flash:

The rest are with flash:

NYX smokey purples

2010-04-07T12:51:00.000-07:00

Hello!

Here is a look using NYX shadows... a smokey purple. This was kinda inspired by a look I saw ages ago by Kuuipo1207 on YouTube. Really looks nothing like her look, but the color scheme is the same. I used lots-o-shimmer in this look, and find they photograph kinda messy ...

Eyes:
UDPP (running so low, think its time to saw that sucka open)
NYX Jumbo Pencil- Milk
NYX silver on inner corners
NYX Purple on center lid
NYX rock on outer corners, V, into crease (rock is a black with some shimmer that buffs out kind of blue)
NYX Black to deepen V
I can't remember what highlight I used, but it looks pretty shimmery

Lips are Bare Escentual Buxom lip pencil in Las Vegas

No Flash:

Thanks for looking!

POPS!!

2010-04-05T17:03:00.000-07:00

I finally broke into my recent TKB pops haulage and created this bright shimmery look, a tribute to Silhouette Screams whose lovely looks inspired me to finally order from TKB trading. This completely office inappropriate look was my office LOTD, and I loved every minute of it. :)

Face:
L'oreal studio secrets primer
MAC Studio Fix Powder in C2
Cheeks are Aromaleigh Nectar
Lips are rimmel liner in Eastend Snob and NYX black label lipstick in Heiress
(I love this lippie, it is the only black label lipstick I currently own but plan on buying many more. I so wish there was a store nearby where I could buy NYX because I hate buying NYX online. Their swatches suck and it is always a gamble when you order... this lippie happened to be a winner. I own many of the round lippies and they just don't compare to the quality and texture of the black label ones!)

Eyes:
UDPP
NYX Jumbo pencil in Milk dotted onto lid and spread out with fingertip
TKB Lemon drop pop on inner lid with Sonia Kashuk small eyeshadow brush
TKB Green Apple Pop on center lid with same brush
TKB Blueberry Pop on outer lid and into crease with same brush
Mad Minerals Navy (matte deep blue) to deepen V
All colors repeated on lower lashline
Some mineral foundation to buff out harsh lines and highlight brow
NYX Barely There to highlight inner corners
Ben Nye Cake liner on upper lashline
Cover Girl Lashblast

No Flash:

2 days of neutrals

2010-03-30T17:09:00.000-07:00

I was on a neutral kick I guess. I have a feeling it will be ending because I received my HiFi order today!! I took advantage of their sale and ordered a bunch of F/S shadows. Yippeee!!

For this first look, I used only my 88 warm palette from coastal scents. After seeing Lillian's red lip look, I was inspired to do a neutral eye with some brighter lips. I opted for hot pink, though I loved her look with red lips. The lipstick is from prestige, I don't have it with me now but will post the color later :) (Edit to say: The lippie is Prestige Madrid... I love it because I have a strong attraction to shimmer free lippies. This is a creamy matte finish, non drying and highly pigmented.)

Excuse my fooked up wing on my liner :(

This second look features neutral lips (MAC shy girl lipstick), TKB trading's glimmer beige on lid with a soft brown and a deeper reddish brown in crease from the 88 palette. My cheeks are Aromaleigh verve.

Thanks for looking!!

NYX Blues and Curls

2010-03-25T19:07:00.000-07:00

Hello!

I had the day off yesterday, which meant I had time to play. After curling my hair using my flat iron, I busted out some long neglected NYX shadows and created this dramatic blue, smokey eye.

I used:
UDPP
NYX Jumbo Pencil - Milk
NYX White on inner corners (matte white)
NYX Halaiwa next to white (satin finish baby blue)
NYX Irises next (vibrant satin finish tealy blue)
NYX Black in outer V, crease, along lower lash line
NYX Atlantic to blend edges between black and Irises, and blended into black on lower lashline (shimmery deep blue)
Black liquid liner

Lips are NYX Black Label in Heiress

Yummy coral and deep purple

2010-03-24T07:24:00.000-07:00

Hello all!!

Here was my Birthday FOTD, some corals and purple inspired by a YouTube tutorial posted by SunniShinee. I've been totally loving corals lately, so when I saw the tut I knew I had to try it. I instantly thought of Aromaleigh's Rhinestone Housewife (which i regrettably never grabbed in F/S) and Zinnia... these 2 shadows are gorgeous together. I really love the way this turned out IRL, the pics came out a little funky due to my assy camera. One of these days I'll get a good camera :)

I used:

Eyes:
UDPP to prime lid
MAC Fig. 1 applied with small crease brush to outer v and dragged onto lid, then blended out with a 217 brush (matte deep warmer toned purple)
Aromaleigh Rhinestone Housewife patted onto outer 2/3 of lid with small shader brush, blending into the fig.1 (softly frosted vivid orange-fuchsia with a magenta highlight and some sparks of pink)
Aromaleigh Zinnia patted onto inner 1/3 of lid with same shader brush, then patted lightly on top of the rhinestone housewife (So unique, this vibrant but soft coral peach turns into a blend of pinkish coral with a dominant violet iridescence.)
NYX Jumbo pencil in Milk dotted lightly onto tear duct area and then blended out
Some random soft white with slight shimmer patted over top of the milk pencil and blended slightly onto lid, also as highlight, it's a sample from somewhere but somehow got into an unmarked jar
NYX Black Applied with small crease brush to deepen outer V, then blended with a bit of the Fig. 1. Also to line lower lashline (matte black)
Milani Eyetech black liquid liner on upper lashline

Cheeks are NYX Peach and MAC MSF in Light Flush
Lips are Rimmel lipliner in Clover with a bit of MAC Cutester on top

Excuse the funky tail on my liner that didn't get filled in completel... and the smudge on the inner corner, I didn't use my usual cake liner in this look.

Thanks for looking darlins'!

Meow Cosmetics Easy Greens

2010-03-20T17:55:00.000-07:00

Here is my quick and easy LOTD... and my first time using meow cosmetics shadows. I'm feeling a bit sick and beat up by the cold I've been fighting all week, hoping I start feeling better soon. I bought a bunch of samples a few weeks back and I'm just getting around to using them. I really do love the colors I used today and found them quite nice in terms of application and blendability. The shadows I used today are all from their modern eyes collection, which they describe as being a mid level shimmer. I can't wait to try out the other colors!

I've been using my new Benefit Coralista blush everyday, I love it.... I especially love corally peach blush paired with green shadows. The blush imparts such a soft glow and has just the right amount of pigmentation for lighter skin tones. It also smells sooooooo good.

I used:

Face
Monistat as primer
MAC studio fix powder - C2
Benefit Powderflage to brighten under eye area
Benefit Coralista blush
NYX Taupe to contour
Lips are MAC Shy Girl with NYX liner in Natural

Eyes
UDPP
NYX jumbo pencil in lemon (metallic green) on lid as base, applied with finger
Meow Evil patted all over lid on top of lemon pencil (bright green with gold shimmer)
Meow Magnificat in outer V/crease and lower lashline (dark forest/emerald green with gold shimmer)
Some powder foundation to blend out crease
Meow Dr Zhicato blended onto brow and inner corner
Ben Nye Cake Liner in black to line upper lashline (w/ aromaleigh sealant)
Urban Decay 24/7 liner in Zero on waterlines
Cover Girl Lash Blast

Thanks for looking!

Aromaleigh Brown Sugar

2010-03-16T10:47:00.000-07:00

What a prettttyyyy color. I took advantage of the 35% off rocks shadows at Aromaleigh and picked up a bunch of colors in F/S that I had earlier sampled. One of the colors I got is Brown Sugar, it is such a lovely rosey neutral with gorgeous green sparkles.

Here is what I used:

Face
Monistat chafing gel to prime
MAC strobe cream
MAC studio fix powder in C2
Benefit Coralista blush
Lips are NYX liner in natural and MAC Shy Girl lipstick

Eyes
Bare Necessity Cream shadow as base
MAC soft brown to in crease
Aromaleigh Brown sugar applied with damp brush to lid
Aromaleigh Willow to outer V/crease and outer lower lashline
Aromaleigh Googoomuck on lower lashline and waterline
Aromaleigh Alchemy on inner corners
Aromaleigh Oyster on brow bone and to soften edges of color
Gold Bliss gel liner on upper lashline
Ben Nye cake liner in black, very thinly on upper lashline

Color Descriptions:
Brown Sugar- sugary sweet rosy brown with green and blue shimmers. blacklight reactive
GooGoomuck- smooth but subtly shimmering greenish yellow.
Willow- A deep yellowish greenish brown (matte)
Alchemy-Shimmery white with coppery iridescence

Thanks for looking!

Pink with Aromaleigh and MAC

2010-03-09T18:00:00.000-08:00

helllloooo allll!

Here is a fun pink look using some Aromaleigh and some MAC shadows.

Here's what I did:
UDPP all over lid to prime
NYX Jumbo Pencil in Strawberry Milk, blended on to lid to just above crease with finger
Aromaleigh Little Craving ( Soft medium pink frost with a hint of buff undertone and a silvery highlight) patted onto lid with flat shader brush, leaving a bit on inner and outer corner uncovered
MAC Passionate (hot reddish pink, completely matte) applied to outer V with mac 217
Aromaleigh Ophelia (The sweetest pale baby pink with a dewdrop green highlight) patted and blended on to inner corner with flat shader brush
Aromaleigh Sand (matte lightest beige) blended on to brow with large shader brush, using to soften edges of pinks
Aromaleigh Ophelia to add some luster to the under brow area
Ben Nye Cake liner with aromaleigh sealant
Stila Kajal in Topaz on waterline

Cheeks are Aromaleigh Candy
Lips are Jesse's Girl Liquid Glass in Shock Wave and Prestige Lipliner in Diva
Foundation is Aromaleigh 1yl glissade

The amazing glitter in this gloss isn't captured well in pics :(

The handsome and dainty Wally, acting extra frisky... especially for the old man that he is:

Smokey Shimmery Greens

2010-03-06T16:05:00.000-08:00

Hi all!

Here was my look for today, I had a very long day at work (as per usual), but my makeup held up nicely :)

I used:
Bare Necessity Indelible Cream Shadow as base all over lid
Pure Luxe Pandora (this is a shimmery, deep green which I'm pretty certain can be found almost anywhere, as it's probably a repackaged color but nonetheless lovely) patted onto lid with flat shader brush
Clinique mid tone matte brown (from Butter Pecan Duo) in crease to create depth, and serve as blender color... applied with MAC 224
NYX black in outer V with MAC 217, and along lower lashline with MAC 219
Clinique matte off white (from Butter Pecan duo) on brow bone with large shader brush
MAC Gorgeous Gold (yellowy gold with green duochrome) on inner corners with soft pencil brush
Ben Nye Cake liner with Aromaleigh Sealant
Cover Girl Lashblast in black
Prestige waterproof liner in black on waterlines

Cheeks are Benefit Coralista
Lips are Loreal Colorstay in Smooth Nude

This look is pretty much identical to a tutorial I did a while back on YouTube, with a few substitutions. Being that I'm feeling loopy and did a horrible job of describing the steps, you can watch the tutorial HERE :)

These last 2 with flash:

Three Things About Me :)

2010-03-06T15:34:00.000-08:00

I saw this on Nea's Blog, and decided I needed to play along.

Three names I go by:
1. Nina
2. Niku

Three jobs I have had:
1. Middle School English Teacher
2. Waitress
3. Indirect Sales

Three Places I have lived:
1. New York City
2. Upstate New York

Three Favorite Drinks:
1. Diet Wild Cherry Pepsi
2. Coffee
3. Water

Three TV shows I watch:
1. Lost
2. House
3. True Blood

Three Places I have Been:
1. Finland
2. Sweden
3. Mexico

Three people who text me regularly:
1. mom and dad
2. Co-Workers
3. My Brother

Three Favorite Old TV Shows:
1. Six Feet Under (not that old I know, but my fave show of all time)

Three Favorite Dishes:
1. Shrimp Scampi
2. Sushi
3. marinated grilled chicken

Three makeup/beauty products I can't live without:
1. Mineral foundation
2. Mascara
3. Black eyeliner

Three things I look forward to:
1. Moving somewhere else
2. vacation
3. each and every day

Everyone who reads this is tagged!

The famous MUFE #92

2010-03-01T15:24:00.000-08:00

ooohhhhhhh, I longed after this shadow for so very long. I kept telling myself that I really didn't need another purple, that this one couldn't actually live up to the crazy hype. Well, I broke down the other evening and purchased it during a mini Sephora haul and I am so very glad that I did. It is absolutely unlike any other purple that I own. It is super pigmented and applies amazingly.
I also purchased Benefit's Coralista blush, and Powderflage. I'm loving the Corlista, I have yet to use the powderflage.

I used:
UDPP
NYX Jumbo Pencil in Milk
Aromaleigh Ice (matte white) on inner corners
MAC Gulf Stream on center lid
MUFE #92 on outer lid and along lower lashline
Aromaleigh Moon as highlight
Ben Nye cake liner in black

Cheeks are Benefit Coralista
Lips are bare Escentuals Big and Healthy Buxom lipstick in Las Vegas

Aromaleigh Yellow, greens and pinks

2010-03-01T09:38:00.000-08:00

Hello!!

I have the day off today!! Yay! That means make-up play for me. Today's look uses all Aromaleigh shadows, keep scrolling down for a step by step pic tutorial.

Finished look:

What I used:
UDPP
NYX Jumbo Pencil in Milk
Aromaleigh Lookin' for a Kiss (intense fuschia pink with contrasting blue/green shimmy. blacklight reactive.)
Aromaleigh I see Red (intense true red with red and silver glitz.)
Aromaleigh Italian Ice (sweet and tart bright lemon yellow with pretty pink sparkles throughout... )
Aromaleigh Coney Island (joyous green apple luster with bright sparks of green.)
Aromaleigh Poison Ivy (Smooth lush leafy green. Vivid and cool. blacklight reactive.)
Aromaleigh Glow (A pale golden iridescent shadow. )
Ben Nye Cake liner in black, with Aromaleigh Sealant
Cheeks are NYX Pinky
Lips are Rimmel Airy Fairy

Brushes:

Apply UDPP and a light layer of Milk JEP, with a heavier concentration on inner corner

Using the first brush pictured (from left), apply lookin' for a kiss to crease

Using large Shader brush, 3rd from left, apply glow to brow bone

Using Pointed crease brush (2nd from left) apply I see Red to outer V and into the deeper part of the crease, blending into Lookin for a Kiss

Using small SK shader brush, pat Italian Ice onto inner 1/3 of lid (4th brush from left)

Using small SK shader brush, pat Coney Island onto middle 1/3 of lid (4th brush from left)

Here's what we have so far

Using same SK shader brush, pat a bit of Poison Ivy onto outer 1/3 of lid

Using last brush pictured, pat some Glow to the inner corners of eyes and blend inward

Use First larger crease brush, and the remaining lookin' for a kiss on the brush, to blend edges of crease color.
Add some liner, mascara and all done!!

Lots and lots of snow!

2010-02-28T14:39:00.000-08:00

Living in the Catskills in NY, we get our fair share of winter weather. This year, we were missed by most of the storms which were hitting just south of us. Very unusual being that we are usually the hardest hit. this week, we were hit with back to back storms for a total of 4 1/2 feet. I was snowed in for 2 days waiting for someone to come plow out the driveway. They ended up bringing a tractor in here with a bucket loader to dig me out being that the driveway is long and has a little bridge going over a stream. I also happen to be house/animal sitting for my parent's and their brood of dogs, ducks, peacocks, chickens, goats and cats so it was a heck of a week. The poor peacocks were in the back of the barn, and it took me till today to get into them. Knowing that the storm was coming, and that i might be unable to reach them, I loaded them up with extra water and food. I am happy to report that they are doing just fine... I however, am sore and tired from digging. I have not seen a storm like this for a very long time. Below are some pics of the snow!

That's Baron, loving the snow

This is Sisu, who ran away for an hour in the blizzard

Seriously, this little guy ran for hours in the snow. It was like he was swimming and all I could see was his little nose peeking out for air.

My car is somewhere in there, this was the pic I sent informing work that I would not be making it in :) This was early in the AM and the snow continued on all day.

Green and Purple

2010-02-28T12:47:00.000-08:00

Today's look was created around the lid shade. It is a Lorac shadow, called Lazu-lite, that I am pretty sure has been discontinued because I bought it years ago, before my whole makeup obsession really began. I found it here at my parent's house... in my mom's makeup bag knowing full well that she would most likely never wear this color. It has been confiscated, and put back in its rightful ownership. It is a midtone true green, matte with teal sparkles throughout. Unfortunately, these sparkles don't show up on the lid applied dry as I did today but I would think they might if applied wet. Anyway...

I used:
UDPP
NYX jumbo pencil in milk
Aromaleigh Got Dibs (matte warm light purple) in crease with 217
Aromaleigh Blue Orchid (matte dark blueish purple) to deepen crease and along outer lower lashline with 219 brush
Aromaleigh Oyster (matte off white) with SK blender brush to brow bone
Aromaleigh Magic Wand (white shimmer with lavender iridescence) to brown bone and inner corners
Lorac Lazu-Lite (midtone matte green with teal glitter) patted onto lid with Sigma 239
Ben Nye Cake Liner in black with aromaleigh sealant

Cheeks are NYX Pinky with NYX taupe to contour

I also used a different method today to do my brows, using tips from Jen's Beauty Blog where she posted a brow step-by-step tutorial here. I really like the way they came out. I used my usual Maybelline define-a-brow in dark blond, along with a light brown shadow from the 88 warm palette. Yay!

With no flash:

Aromaleigh Smokey Neutrals

2010-02-24T17:58:00.000-08:00

Hello!!!

I am back to blonde! These pics are also taken with my Motorola Droid - I am house and dog sitting for my parents while they are in Finland and didn't bring my camera with me. I only live 15 minutes away but we have been getting burried in snow all day, so I decided to stay put :) My camera needs replacing anyway, really distorts all colors and just all around sucks. I think this camera more accurately portrays colors, although the abundance of sunshine before the storm rolled in kinda washed out the pics. Anyway, here is a smokey neutral look using all aromaliegh shadows.

I used:
Bare Necessity cream shadow as base- applied from lash to brow with finger
Aromaleigh Oyster (matte off white) applied with fluffly brush to the brow bone
Aromaleigh Chocolat (matte mid tone brown) applied to crease with MAC 217 brush
Aromaleigh Umber (matte deepest brown) to deepen crease also with mac 217
Aromaleigh Ebony (matte black) to deepen crease further with angle fluff brush, then blended out with MAC 224
Aromaleigh Dandelion (frosty pale yellow) patted to lid with SK small shadow brush
Rimmed lower lashline with Ebony and a 219 brush
Prestige waterproof liner in black on waterlines
Ben Nye Cake liner with Aromaleigh sealant and a fine tipped synthetic liner brush
Cover Girl Lashblast

Cheeks are Aromaleigh Verve applied lightly
Lips are MAC cute-ster

Thanks for looking!

What camera do you gals use and love?

Stardust Magical Muse

2010-02-20T06:35:00.000-08:00

Stardust's Magical Muse is such an awesome color!!! For this look, I paired it with some NYX shadows and was really please with the results.

I used:
UDPP
NYX jumbo pencil in Oyster on lid as base (this is a pinky lavender cream shadow)
Stardust Magical Muse patted on top of the cream shadow base, to just above crease
NYX Taupe applied with MAC 224 to crease, and to blend out edges of lid color
NYX grayish brown in outer V and to deepen crease (BTW, this color is awesome... it is a deep charcoal brown color with a satin finish. I really like it because its a charcoal without blue undertones)
Revlon matte shadow in Antique Lace (matte off white) on brow, and to blend out edges of color
NYX Barely There on inner corners and under arch of brow

NYX Pinky on cheeks

Rimmel liner in Eastend Snob to line and fill in lips
NYX gloss in Tea Rose

Thanks for looking!!

Stardust Cosmetics Teal and Purple

2010-02-14T16:09:00.000-08:00

Hello!

It has been a while since I posted.. I was away all week on a work thingy (in Rochester NY) during which my makeup was basically non existent. I have such a hard time getting into a morning routine when staying at hotels or anywhere that is not my own home. I did however have a great time shopping and taking advantage of some great sales going on right now (got 4 pairs of really nice pants at The Limited for $19.99 each!!! Also, stopped by Ulta and grabbed one of the Stila eye Kajal pencils... quite pricey but the application is gorgeous, nice formula.), love visiting malls away from home!

Note to self: Pack some respectable comfy clothes for next business trip, 'cause wearing purple flannel PJs with rainbow colored reindeer to run down to lobby for coffee WILL get you laughed at by co-workers.

On to the makeup... I recently purchased a bunch of samples from Stardust cosmetics, including the entire sample set of the newest collection: Facettes de la Femme. They are all quite pretty, and they arrived quite quickly from Canada.

I particularly like one of the blushes I received called Inner Glow, described on their site as a Fleshy Beige Shimmer. I think it gives a healthy bit of color and sheen to the cheeks while still looking fresh and natural.

I used:
UDPP
Jesse's Girl cream shadow in Destiny (midtone shimmery teal) as base on lid just up to crease. These are similar to Mac cream color bases and come in a nice selection of fun colors. Just be sure to apply the thinnest of layers and pat the shadows on top to acheive the best color payoff and minimal creasing. Too much of this cream shadow and you will undoubtedly have creasing.
Stardust Lush (aquatic blue green frost) patted on lid, covering cream shadow base and blended to just above crease- using small flat shader brush. (Sonia Kashuk)
Stardust Temptress (Naughty blackened purple with bewitching pink sparkles) Using Mac 217, applied to outer V and blended into crease... also smudged along lower lashline
Prestige waterproof Pencil in Black upper waterline and smudged between lower lashes (did this before appying the temptress to the lower lashline)
NYX Jumbo Pencil in Milk applied to tear duct area and blended out
Stardust Unforgettable (Pale putty with faceted shimmer) on inner corners, atop of the NYX pencil in milk and blended into crease color and lower lashline, also applied to arch area of brow
Blended out harsh lines using a MAC 224 and some mineral foundation on brow bone
Ben Nye cake liner in Black w/ Aromaleigh liner sealant
Stila Kajal liner in topaz on waterline (skintone kohl liner with some shimmer)
Prestige Mascara in Black

Lips are rimmel liner in Wild Clover... filled in lips with liner and applied MAC Cute-ster on top
Cheeks are Stardust Inner Glow

Thanks for looking all!

With Flash:

No Flash:

I'm so orange here lol!

Hot Pink and Purple

2010-02-04T18:41:00.000-08:00

Here is today's LOTD. I wanted to use some more of my Hi Fi shadows, I'm still realllllyyy liking them!!

I used:
HiFi Kiss on inner corners
HiFi Punk Rocker on rest of lid
HiFi Sacrelicious on Outer V, and along lower lashline
Aromaleigh Fiona on brow bone

Ben Nye Cake liner on upper lashline with aromaleigh sealant
Prestige waterproof liners to tightline
CG lashblast

Cheeks are NYX Pinky
Lips are my new Prestige Lippie in Madrid over Jesse's Girl Lipliner in Bubble Gum

No Flash:

My new lipstick, as I;m trying to branch out into some more adventurous lip colors.

Thanks for looking all!!

Aromaleigh Coral Pinks

2010-02-01T21:36:00.000-08:00

Hello!!

Here is my rather bright FOTD. I used one of the LE Angels shadws from aromaleigh, which retire on 2/6!! The shade is called Rhinestone Housewife and it is insanely pretty. It is an orangey coraly pink, a color that I don't generally gravitate towards... but I am surely going to try and snag a full size of this before its gone. Paired with Zinnia from the Spring Solstice collection, the color is just amazing.

Here is what I used, all Aromaleigh:

Apricot Frost Indelible Cream Shadow as base
Rhinestone Housewife- The completed shade Rhinestone Housewife is a softly frosted vivid orange-fuchsia with a magenta highlight and some sparks of pink.
Zinnia- So unique, this vibrant but soft coral peach turns into a blend of pinkish coral with a dominant violet iridescence
Oyster- Matte off white
Dandelion- A soft, yet vibrant pale yellow, with subtle gleams of gold.
Umber- The darkest Brown black, completely matte

I think I could've chosen a better color to deepen the V... Blending the Umber into these colors was difficult. A matte burnt red wouldve worked well.... I still like the way it turned out, especially the way the Zinnia and the Rhinestone work together :)

Ben Nye Cake Liner

Cheeks are NYX Stone, very very lightly applied (I've had this a while, but never used it. The color is not something I thought I'd like, but applied sparingly is quite nice) ... with some MAC MSF in light flush dusted on top

Foundation is MAC MSF Natural

Applied apricot frost cream shadow to lid to just above crease using my finger
Used a small shader brush to apply Rhinestone Housewife to the inner and outer part of my lid, patting it on top of base and blending to just above my crease and leaving the very center part of my lid blank
Using the same shader brush, I patted some Zinnia to the center part of my lid, staying below crease and gently blending it in to RH
Used a 219 pencil brush, I lightly drew in some definition in my outer V with Umber and then blended that out with some RH and a crease/blender brush
Used a large fluffy shader brush to apply Oyster to my brow, using that to soften the edges of the color
Applied Dandelion to the tear duct area and under the arch of my brow

Look, a bright lippie!!!!!!! (MAC lipliner in cranapple applied all over lips with some NYX Harmonica on top)

Below: No flash

And, with a lighter lippie.......

( MAC Cute-ster from the Hello Kitty collection)

Hi-Fi 100 proof eyes

2010-01-31T07:15:00.000-08:00

Hello!

Here is my first look using Hi-Fi cosmetics. Out of the 3 colors I used on this look, only 1 was one that I chose for myself (100 proof, this was a half off shadow as its sadly being discontinued). The other 2 were free samples included with the order. I love free samples because they're free (LOL) and because they're like a little surprise of colors you might not have chosen for yourself, but often end up loving. This is definitely the case with these beautiful colors. I really like the way this came out, these colors are gorgeous and the texture is amazing.

I'm not liking my foundation in these pics (revlon photo ready), think I'm going back to my old routine of MAC MSF natural. The photo ready looks better IRL, really bad in pics... go figure.

Color descriptions are taken from HiFi's etsy store, with the exception of ballad.

I used:
Aromaleigh eyeshadow primer
HiFi Ballad on inner corners (about 1/3)- (I couldn't find this color in their etsy store but I'd describe it as the palest green with beautiful shimmer)

HiFi 100 proof middle of lid, blended into Ballad, almost to edge of eye- (100 PROOF is a bright neon green that is fabulous!!! )

HiFi Boom Shaka Laka applied to edge of eye, V and into crease.. and along lower lashline (BOOM SHAKA LAKA is a vivid gold-green with lots of emerald glitter! Unique and beautiful!!!)

NYX black, the tiniest amount, to deepen V and lower lashline (matte black)... then buffed some more of the Boom Shaka Laka on top of it to blend it out

I used a clinique off white color on my brow bone... not sure of the name.
Ben Nye cake liner
CG lashblast

I only used 1 brush today for the majority of the application- my Sonia Kashuk small shader brush. I did a little bit of blending at the upper edge of the greens with my MAC 224.

Cheeks are Aromaleigh Nectar

Lips are Revlon Colorstay Ultimate in Prized Peach- this stayed on allllll day

I rarely do head on straight shots, 'cause I normally get the big eye little eye thing from the flash... and it makes my nose look bigger lol.

The next color I want to try out is Arsonist, its the 2nd form the left on the bottom row pictured below. Any ideas on what to pair it with? I'm thinking yellowy gold on inner corner and some matte brown in outer V.

Suggestions??

Thanks for looking!!

HiFi Cosmetics Swatches

2010-01-30T08:25:00.000-08:00

I received my HiFi mini haul yesterday and anxiously tore into the package. I am wowed by the gorgeous colors, texture, and pigmentation of the shadows. The colors adhere to the skin quite nicely and a little goes a long way. I am also quite impressed with the generosity of Veronica, the owner of HiFi cosmetics. The free samples and extras are generous, the colors she chose to include were amazing. Here are swatches applied on bare skin using q-tips:

Top row, L to R:

100 proof, Kiss, Ballad, Boom Shaka Laka, Spotlight and Alone

Bottom row, L to R;

Live Large, Arsonist, Punk Rocker, Sacrelicious, Bounce, Things That Cannot Speak

I am excited to try these out on my eyes, I'm envisioning a green look for today. Pictures later!

NYX sultry purples.. yes, purple.... again

2010-01-29T19:21:00.000-08:00

yeaahhhh, I like purple ok?? :)

Today I was wearing my favorite teal cardigan on top of a black tank paired with my new pencil skirt that my mom and I made the other day. The skirt is a lovely charcoal grey, with teal and white pinstripes in it. I have tons of the fabric left, so I have to figure out some other things to do with it! The temperature barely got above 10 degrees today, and it was snowing, yet I still decided a skirt was a wise choice. Anyway, whenever I wear teal, I love pairing it with purple shadows. Purple and Teal are awesome.

This look was deeper in real life, this is a combo I used to go to regularly but havn't worn for a while.

What I used:
Bare Necessity cream shadow as base
NYX Barely There on inner corners and brow (off white with golden sheen)
NYX Daffodil on rest of lid, blended to just above crease (satin finish midtone warmish purple)
NYX Deep Purple Outer corners into crease (Pruney deep purple with some sheen, this is the older formula of Deep Purple, the new one is more blackened)
NYX Black to deepen outer corners (matte black)
Ben Nye Cake liner in black applied with aromaleigh sealant
CG lashblast

Cheeks are Aromaleigh Dolly
Foundation is MAC MSF natural in light/medium
Lips are Rimmel Celeb (edit... airy fairy, not celeb!!)

At home beauty day and an ultra cheap deep conditioner!

2010-01-27T07:33:00.000-08:00

Ahhhhhh, a day off with nothing on the agenda. Right now it is just the dogs and I lounging on the couch. I've decided to take this day to relax and pamper myself a bit. Right now, I have a great deep conditioning pack in my hair. I have used this conditoner a couple of times already and really like the results. It is an Olive Oil conditioning pack, available at walmart and drug stores and can be found in the ethnic hair section. It costs just a little over a dollar for the pack, and I can easily get 2 uses out of it. Here is a pic:

It smells like citrus fruits and is very thick and creamy. What I do is wet my hair squeeze out extra moisture, then apply a generous amount of this stuff and comb it through with my fingers. I put on a shower cap and let it sit for 45 to an hour and rinse really well. Sometimes, I like to put this on and sit in the sauna over at my parent's house to really let the heat work it in. Here is a pic of me, with ACK! no makeup, letting the product do it's magic. He he, sorry for the silly face! The dogs are laughing at me too.

I find that my hair looks a bit greasy afterwards, so I generally do this on a day off when I have nothing else to do. After a shampooing the next day, my hair looks shiney and soft.... its moisturized and i have less flyaway hairs and more manageability.

So what is next on the agenda?? I wish I had some kind of facial masque to apply. My nails do need serious attention, and later on perhaps some makeup fun! I have 2 packages en route to me, hopefully they'll come today and I can play!

What do you all use for deep conditioning?

Earthy Teal

2010-01-24T12:29:00.000-08:00

Aromaleigh's Myrtha is a lovely smokey tealish shade with very earthy undertones. Today I wanted a warm smokey look with some color, so I built a look around this color. I paired it with some neutral mattes and really like the way it came out. I think by layering Myrtha on top of some smudged out black shadow, you can really amplify the gorgeousness of it!

I also wanted to mention how much I really love Prestige waterproof pencil liners. They apply smoothly and are quite smudgeable, yet stay put once set. They are quite similar to the Urban Decay 24/7 pencils and can be found at Rite Aid and Walgreens for about $5. I actually reach for my prestige pencil way more than my UD zero!

I used:
UDPP as base
Aromaleigh Latte in crease (matte midtone neutral/warm brown)
Aromaleigh Ebony on outer corners (matte black)
Aromaleigh Myrtha all over lid (The rich deep blue green of night with an earthy base. Gorgeous dramatic blue-green highlight shimmer. Apply wet for high drama, dry for softer effect. Plush matte base with sheen highlight.)
I used a too light foundation sample on my brow to highlight and blend
Ben Nye Cake liner in black
Cover Girl lashblast
Prestige waterproof liner in black on waterlines

Cheeks are Aromaleigh Verve

Step by Step:

After priming lids, used Mac 217 to apply Latte to crease
Using a Mac 219, applied Ebony to the outer corners of my eyes, first drawing a line extending out from my lower lashline towards the outer end of my brows. I then dragged it inward forming a wedge shape along the outer upper lashline, dragging it then across the entire lashline... thinnest on the inner corners. Using the 217 again, I smudged this black shadow out. You could also do this by applying a piece of tape and smudging the black shadow inward, keeping it thickest at the outer edges of your eyes.
Using a small Sonia Kashuk shader brush, I patted Myrtha all over the lid, starting on the inner corners then working towards the outer. I blended this into the crease color and patted it on top of the black.
Go back with the 219 and ebony and deepen the black as needed
Using a Mac 224 I applied some mineral foundation to my brow area for a natural highlight, using it o blend any harsh edges
Used 219 to smudge some ebony along lower lashes then smudged some myrtha on top of that
Applied Ben Nye cake liner with some aromaleigh sealant and a synthetic fine tipped liner brush, applied mascara and done!

Thanks for looking!

Phloof-y Purple

2010-01-20T17:22:00.000-08:00

Hello!!

Today's look is all over the place as far as brands used. It is a softer purple look... I guess I'm on a purple spree!

I used:
Bare Necessity Cream Shadow as base
Aromaleigh Slate as crease contour/blender color (light taupe matte)

Revlon Matte antique lace blended above the slate (matte vanilla color)
MAC Phloof on inner 2/3 of lid, and a bit under the brow (supper shimmer pinky vanilla)
NYX Purple applied to outer V, into crease and blended into the phloof (warm midtone purple)
Mad Minerals Eggplant to deepen V (cool deep blackened purple)
Ben Nye Cake liner
CG lashblast mascara

My Lips are Rimmel Celeb

Aromaleigh Pinks and Purples!!

2010-01-19T20:31:00.000-08:00

Hello!

This was yesterday's LOTD. I purchased the entire sample set of Aromaleigh's Retro Hi Fi matte collection a while ago; I knew I would love them as I am always in search of matte shadows in exciting colors. I like to combine textures and finishes in my looks, and usually reach for a matte or satin shade for the crease/outer V area. This collection makes me so happy because the colors are vibrant, matte, nicely pigmented and from the ones I've swatched so far- not chalky at all. Today I used Whats Shakin' in my crease and fell in love with the cool, midtoned purple shade.

The pics don't do a great job of relaying the colors, they were a bit deeper and more vibrant IRL. Darn flash!!

Here is what I did:

Applied UDPP and a very scant and even layer of NYX Jumbo Pencil in milk from lashes to brow, with a slightly heavier application to the tear duct area
Using a MAC 217 brush, applied Aromaleigh Whats Shakin' to my crease. I applied from the outer corner in to ensure that the heaviest depositing of color was on the outer edge of my eye. I blended this at the upper edges.
Using a Sonia Kashuk small shader brush, I applied Aromaleigh Fan Club all over the lid up to the crease blending it into the Whats Shakin'
Using a pointed crease brush from Coastal scents (like the MAC 226), I applied Aromaleigh London Dungeon to the Outer V and brought it slightly into the crease
Picked up that 217 brush and blended the London Dungeon out using whatever Whats Shakin was left on the brush
Using the same Sonia Kashuk brush, I picked up a tiny but of Aromaleigh Peony and blended it into the outer edges of my lid and dragged it inward into the Fan club
Lined the lower lashline with a smudger brush and some London Dungeon
Using the same shader brush, wiped clean, applied Aromaleigh Moon to the tear duct area, dragging it slightly into the inner crease and lower lashline colors
Lined with Ben Nye Cake Liner, applied mascara... Done!

Eyeshadows- all Aromaleigh- What's Shakin' (retro matte), Fan Club (rocks), London Dungeon (rocks), Peony (Pure Hue... discontinued), Moon (pure hue ... discontinued)

Face- I used Revlon Photo Ready foundation and pressed powder. On my cheeks is Aromaleigh Pomegranate applied very lightly. Lips are MAC Slimshine in Long Stem Rose

Color Descriptions-
What's Shakin'- Cool toned purple, one tulle prom dress at a time.
Fan Club- Perfect high lustre pink with opalescent blue violet sheen.
London Dungeon- michievous purple glimmer reflects the depth of black. sealant/base recommended.
Peony- the Pure Hue collection is discontinued but this is a deep magenta
Moon- also disc., this is a high shimmer pure white

Thanks for looking!!

Eyeshadow Quickie!!

2010-01-16T22:03:00.000-08:00

Somedays I just don't have the time for elaborate eyeshadow looks. Today was one of these days. In these instances I focus on one main eyeshadow color, one that has enough pop and drama on its own to still look rich and original. The color I chose for today's look was Jazzy from Pure Luxe. PL describes the color as medium blue with purple underone and LOTS of shimmer, I'd say the description is pretty spot on. I went with this color because it is quite multi-dimensional and because green eyed gals can't go wrong with purple. I like how this made my eyes look extra green.
Here is how I created this quickie look:

Applied UDPP all over lid area
Rimmed my eyes thickly with black kohl liner (l'oreal le grand kohl), thickest on the outer lashline
Smudged the heck out of that liner using a smudger brush, bringing the color up above the crease slightly in a cat eye-ish shape making sure the edges were well blended
Patted Jazzy all over the black pencil, blending it out at the crease
Buffed on some matte cream colored shadow to the brow area, using this to blend out any harsh lines
Highlighted inner corners with MACs vanilla piggie
Lied eyes with my trusty BN cake liner and applied mascara... Done in record time!

I used Revlon matte blush in peach, no lipstick on in the pics... just some rosebud salve, but I topped that with some Pink Please Lipstick from Maybelline later on.

Aromaleigh LOTD- Golden Bronze

2010-01-15T20:44:00.000-08:00

Today's look was created from some of my aromaleigh samples that have gone long neglected. I've been loving golds lately and opted for a warmer sultry look to go with my newly darkened hair. This is my favorite kind of look to wear lately, its smokey and somewhat sultry... kind of neutral yet the shades are all so multi-dimensional that they stand out regardless.

I used:
Bare Necessity cream chadow as base all over lid

Aromaleigh Concrete Jungle on inner lid
Description: warmed taupe with the most amazing bright sparks of aqua.
Dupes: NYX antique gold, MAC Patina (though neither of these really match the gorgeousness of this shade!)

Aromaleigh Aurelie on outer lid
Description: Coppered bronze with smokey lowlight and gold and copper sparks
Dupes: MAC bronze maybe

Aromaleigh Ebony In outer V/crease
Description: completely matte black
Dupes: NYX Black, MAC Carbon... any matte black will do

Aromaleigh Oyster on brow
Dupes: your fave matte highlight shade

Ben Nye Cakeliner in black on upper lashline
Urban Decay 24/7 in zero on waterlines
CG lashblast mascara

Cheeks are Aromaleigh Nectar

Lips are MAC slimshine in Bare

Pure Luxe Greens and Blues... and a hairdye OOPS!

2010-01-14T16:43:00.000-08:00

Here is a LOTD and my new hair color mishap. This is from a few days ago and thankfully the color has begun to fade a bit. I used Natural Instincts in the color Champagne on Ice which was supposed to turn out a medium neutral blonde, as you can see the results were much darker. I used this in hopes that it would match my natural color, and that I could stop damaging my locks through constant lightening. The color left my hair extra shiny and soft, my only qualm is that it is darker than I had hoped for. The color has begun to grow on me a bit, especially since it has lightened up nicely with a couple of washes.

On my eyes I am wearing the following:
Pure Luxe Jaded on inner corners of lid , Pure Luxe Venom on remainder of lid and Mad Minerals Navy in crease. I used some mineral foundation as my highlighter and lined with Ben Nye Cake liner in black using a fine synthetic liner brush wetted with Aromaleigh eyeliner sealant. I love Ben Nye's cakeliner, don't think my gel liner will get much use anymore!!

On my cheeks I am wearin NYX peach blush with MAC MSF in light flush buffed on top.
My lips are Rimmel Airy Fairy

Color Descriptions:
Jaded- lighter green color, with golden metallic shimmer to it. This green leans towards yellow, especially with the golden shimmer it reflects.
Venom- a true green with shimmer, not too blue or too yellow with a fine shimmer. MAC's wondergrass is a close dupe
Navy- a deep primary blue, lighter than navy and completely matte. This color is ultra pigmented and applies gorgeously.

New Blog!

2010-01-14T15:30:00.001-08:00

Thank you so much for visiting my blog! I've decided to finally start my own blog where I will share some LOTDs, tutorials and random makeup reviews. My makeup style ranges from the everyday natural neutral to the bright and smokey. I love the way makeup makes me feel and enjoy the process of application and color choices most of all. I hope you enjoy visiting my blog and will come back for many new looks in the near future.