Inner Vue Makeup Artistry

2015-12-23T19:42:00.003-08:00

Oil Cleansing Method

I feel so late to the game on this one! But I had to share because it really is a pretty awesome cleansing method. I started looking into it because I tend to wear more full coverage makeup so taking it off is a hassle. It made sense to me that oil dissolves oil so using oils to clean my face would be cleaner and easier. I hate those makeup wipes that I have to seriously scrub onto my face to get anything off!

The oil cleansing method basically uses natural oils to cleanse the skin and balance the skin's natural oils. It sounds scary to place oil on your face because we've always heard that oil causes acne. Actually, it is dehydration that causes acne and skin problems (among other factors like hormones, food, etc.) When our skin is dry, it makes it harder for our skin's oil to secrete and lubricate our skin. Instead, it becomes thick and hardened and gets lodged in our pores, creating corks of dried out sebum. (Sebum is that oily waxy stuff that comes from our pores- i.e. the stuff that gets suck on a Biore nose pad when you pull it off your nose:) Most people then think they have to wash off all the oil and this can cause more drying of the skin and more oil production that clogs our pores.

I don't get acne but I do get dry and flaky skin, especially in winter. The general recipe for cleansing oils includes castor oil which is the cleansing oil in the equation. Castor oil helps to clean out the pores and purify the skin. Castor oil is very drying and should always be combined with another more nourishing oil. Mixed in with the castor oil can be your choice of any natural oils meant for various purposes and skin types.

Examples:

Sweet almond or Grapeseed – Especially suited for oily skin
Jojoba – Great for all skin types, but particularly good for acne
Avocado or Apricot Kernel – Great for dry skin

The common ratios for mixing your own cleasning oils are:

Dry skin: 3:1 ratio olive oil to castor oil
Normal skin: 1:1 ratio of olive oil to castor oil
Oily skin: 1:3 ratio olive oil to castor oil

You can also purchase a commercial cleansing oil- I've been using the Josie Moran argan cleansing oil. I like it but it costs $32 for 6 oz. (Sephora.com). It is nice because it contains the ingredient polysorbate that helps to emulsify the oil- this means that if you use the oil cleanser in the shower, it will come off easily and not coat your tub (causing slippery tub).

However, I realized I could make my own cleansing oil using high quality natural oils and no chemicals for way cheaper. Here's my own cleansing oil recipe:

1 oz of organic olive oil

1/2 oz. grapeseed oil

1/2 oz of castor oil

3 drops of lemon essential oil

1 drop of Vitamin E

I estimate that it costs me about $2-3 to make a 2 oz bottle. I use all high quality organic and cold pressed oils too and know exactly what is going on my face and into my skin (I do not add any chemicals so it feels really luxurious and healthy).

Here's my cleaning method:

- take nickel size amount of oil onto dry hands.

- warm oil between your hands then massage onto dry face

- oils won't burn your eyes so you can massage on eyes to take off mascara too!

- take a hot washcloth and wring out water

- place towel on face to steam face and open pores, releasing the natural oils into your skin

- remove towel when cool

- I like to repeat with hot towel 1-2 times and wipe off cleansing oil completely.

I use it nightly and actually moisturize with my own moisturizing oil recipe:

1.5 oz. grapeseed oil

1/2 oz argan oil

3-5 drops Vitamin E oil

3 drops of lavender oil

This is my complete nightly routine and I've been doing it for two weeks now. My skin has felt more moisturized and there is no sign of stress like redness or dryness. I've noticed the pores on my nose have diminished so it is cleaning out whatever sebum is in my pores. It doesn't make my face oily at all. If I've had a long day with a full face of makeup, I might follow up the oil cleansing with a gentle exfoliator like my Murad exfoliating cleanser with AHA. This helps to really get into my pores and clean out all the gunk from the day.

Let me know if you decide to give this method a try! It is certainly a game changer for me and I don't think I'll ever go back to harsh cleansers that dry out my face.

Inner Vue Makeup Artistry: To B or not to B? My thoughts on BB creams.

2013-11-10T22:11:00.001-08:00

Inner Vue Makeup Artistry: To B or not to B? My thoughts on BB creams.

To B or not to B? My thoughts on BB creams.

2013-11-10T22:08:00.001-08:00

Okay, I am a super sucker for beauty trends. The big trend in the makeup world for a while has been BB creams and CC creams. BB cream stands for Beauty Balm or Blemish Balm. CC cream stands for Color Correct or Color Care. It seems like most BB and CC creams prime, moisturizes and provides SPF. The biggest difference is that CC creams will also correct color-related sin issues such as sallowness, redness, acne and dark spots. CC creams might advertise that they improve unevenness in skin tone. BB cream usually provide less coverage than CC creams but CC creams will appear lighter in color.

What I get from all of this is that BB creams are a little lighter than tinted moisturizers in terms of coverage but will provide you an easy, one step product for everyday wear. I would wear BB creams if I wanted the protection of moisturizer, SPF and primer and did not have time to do all steps in the morning. CC creams, on the other hand, would be best if you wanted to fix some skin color issue. For instance, my skin is very ruddy and sallow and I have a lot of brown/dark spots so I might use a CC cream to correct those issues. Then, because CC creams tend to come lighter than my skin tone, I will use a foundation on top of the CC cream. Each cream will come in different shades and for different purposes depending on the brand so it's best to check out what your needs are and look for an appropriate brand.

After my research, I decided to do a demonstration for you all using the BB creams I had. This will feature my awesome naked face with different BB creams.

Naked Face

As you can see, my naked face is pretty ruddy and there are many brown spots and freckles. Since I am demonstrating with BB creams, the ruddiness won't really be addressed but you can see how each BB cream looks and I will try my best to describe how each feel.

This next photo features each of the four BB creams I will discuss below. I also applied a tinted moisturizer in this photo to contrast the BB creams for you. On the left side of my face is the tinted moisturizer- you can see it is darker and covers more. On the left bottom part of my face is the Garnier BB cream. The chin features Smashbox. The top part of my right side is Wet N Wild and the bottom right side is Pond's. From this picture, when you see all the BB creams on my face at once, I don't think you can even really tell a difference.

Face featuring all four BB creams at once.

Garnier Skin Renew Miracle Skin Perfector BB Cream SPF 15 in Light/Medium, $10.35

Garnier cream is on the left side of my face, your right side.

Garnier felt substantial and a bit tacky but became more matte as it dried. I felt it provided really coverage too though it was more gray tone than I would have liked.

Wet n Wild Fergie BB Cream in Medium/Deep with SPF 15, $5.62 at Walmart

Wet n Wild cream is on the left side of my face, your right.

The Wet n Wild BB cream felt very emollient and had an almost silicone feel. It was more wet feeling and dried more silky than the Garnier one. I felt it was very sheer and had very little coverage which might be good for those who plan to still use foundation on top of your BB cream. Out of all the ones I tried, this one had a scent that was more "make-uppy." It smells fine to me but for sensitive noses, this may be a negative. Wet N Wild advertises this as hydrating, brightening, priming, concealing, smoothing, oil controlling, even toning and SPF.

Pond's Luminous Finish BB Cream with Tone Perfecting Complex and SPF 15 in Medium, $9.99-$12.99 (I got mine at Walgreens on a buy one, get one free sale so it was about $6.50)

Pond's cream is on the left side of my face, your right.

Pond's BB cream blended really good. I felt it was also emollient and went on very smoothly. It didn't have as much coverage as the Garnier one but I felt the shade was more close to my skin tone. It also seemed to do a tiny bit of tone perfecting as promised and was more shiny than the others. I guess that is the luminous aspect of the product.

Smashbox Camera Ready BB Cream with SF 35 in Light/Medium, $19.50-$39.00 at Sephora

Smashbox cream is on left side of my face, your right.

Smashbox was the most expensive one I tried. I got a sample from Sephora in a little container. This one provided most coverage as you can clearly see when you compare all the pictures. It wasn't as shiny as the others and dried pretty matte which I like. If you have super dry skin, you may want a more emollient BB cream.

Overall, I thought each BB cream had its good and bad qualities. I could not really tell a difference and went mostly by how the formula felt on my skin and the shades available. I normally wear a NC 30 in MAC. If I had to pick, I would probably pick the Pond's cream since I liked that it had the tone evening quality. I think BB creams are going to be a very personal thing for each person because each brand has different shades, smells and textures. If you truly want the ease of an all on one product, finding a really good BB creams is a good way to go. Otherwise, if you prefer the extra coverage anyways like me, I think you can probably get away with a cheaper BB cream and just add a bit more foundation for coverage. I plan to use my BB creams for the benefits of priming, moisturizing and SPF then apply my normal foundation on top.

I have yet to use each one of these long term to see if my makeup lasts when using each product. This will be my next research and I will definitely keep you posted on those results. Hope you learned something about BB creams. I think it is probably an overrated makeup trend but worth trying since there are so many fun brands out there. Enjoy!

2013-02-25T12:02:00.002-08:00

Wedding Makeup

2013-02-25T12:02:00.001-08:00

Here in Madison, WI, snow continues to fall and cover the ground. But spring and summer wedding joy is in the air and many of my friends are planning. I am also starting to schedule makeup sessions for weddings. Below are a few women I have done makeup for and some reviews. My rates continue to be very affordable so please contact me at: innervue@gmail.com for more information.

My makeup sessions start at a rate of $30 for day of event makeup application plus one complimentary trial run. The day of event usually runs 30 min-60 min per session. The complimentary session usually runs 30 min to 60 min as well. I don't charge for Madison location but for outside Madison, I charge a rate of 55.5 cents per mile. I provide makeup sessions for other members of the bridal party at a rate of $20 per 20-30 min session not including a complimentary session. I provide all my own products and do not sell any makeup. I use all high quality makeup brands and sanitize all makeup tools. I also don't require purchase of a session to get the complimentary session so contact me- what do you have to lose?

REVIEWS AND PHOTOGRAPHS OF RECENT CLIENTS:

Meghan (Madison, WI) "Nancy was so fabulous to work with. My makeup was flawless the day of my wedding. She truly creates a look specifically for you and works to ensure you’re happy. She not only did my makeup – but 6 bridesmaids and 2 mothers. Each individual walked away feeling beautiful and unique. Nancy is very responsive to questions and is such a professional. She was a pleasure to work with, a fantastic value and I would recommend her to anyone!"
Nkauj Shoua (Madison, WI) "Nancy Vue made me a very beautiful bride at my wedding, and I was very happy and satisfied with her work. She listened to what I wanted, and she delivered! She is very knowledgeable, skilled and professional. She also is flexible with what I wanted; she was open to make any changes if I didn't like something. Nancy stayed in contact with me up until the wedding. She's everything you would look for in a make-up artist, and she's also great to be around with. It was a pleasure to have her do make-up for me!"

Mytoan (Sun Prairie, WI) "For my wedding make up, Nancy did a make up dry run with me about two weeks in advanced in order to research my skin type, complexion, and the look I wanted for the day of the wedding. She asked me what I wanted and did not want, but since I’m no expert, she also gave me suggestions. Since I have dry skin, she also made sure to suggest skin products to treat my dry patches and slough off dead skin cells using a high quality skin peel (it’s not as invasive as it sounds). On the day of my wedding, Nancy did the make up for my mother and mother in law – both of whom have never had their make up professionally done – for my sister and of course, me. I had my make up done in the late morning and it lasted until the end of my banquet, approximately 10pm. She also made sure that if I needed any touch ups, that I had the products readily available. I was very happy with the service and professionalism that Nancy provided. Since weddings are already a stressful endeavor, I was glad that Nancy was there to put me at ease at least for how I looked. A note to future brides: make up should go on after the hair is done, and it will seem more dramatic because of the contrast needed in wedding portraits. I would happily recommend Nancy for any future wedding, for all skin types. Not only that, but she also gives great legal counsel."

Sara (Madison, WI) " just wanted to say thank you for doing such a wonderful job on my wedding day makeup. It stayed beautiful all day long, despite the sun and heat, and I didn't have to worry about it - which was great! I received many compliments, as did my Mom and bridesmaid. The work you do is wonderful and it definitely made my day all the more special. I've attached a photo from our photographer which shows off the makeup nicely. Thanks again!"

Huge Urban Decay sale

2012-08-06T19:44:00.001-07:00

This is such an awesome sale! Urban Decay- carrier of my holy grail eyeshadow primer is having a huge sale right now. Their black palette is now half off at $16. Their matte and vintage eyeshadows are only $9. Urban Decay carries some of the best eyeshadows out there. They are especially good for eyeshadow with glitter. Have fun!

TheBalm sale

2012-08-01T18:43:00.000-07:00

Triple Play Friday is back...Get all three shadyLady palettes for the price of one! Visit theBalm.com on August 3rd from 12am EST to 11:59pm EST to order this one-day-only deal. No special codes necessary. Shipping within the United States is $3.28. For international orders standard shipping rates apply: please see website for details. One purchase per household, while supplies last.

Cleansing Oil- DIY

2012-06-28T11:27:00.000-07:00

I have really dry skin so I've been researching oil based cleansers that don't strip my skin of my natural oils. I also needed a cleanser that was not drying and smelled good. I found a recipe online and I adjusted it slightly to meet my needs. I used organic lavender and rose geranium essential oils to fit my scent preference. The amount I made will probably last me 2 months since I only need a dime sized amount to take off all my makeup. The bottle I made cost $7.07.

Prior, I used Lancome's HUILE DOUCEUR Remove-All Deep Cleansing Oil. The 6.8 ounce bottle costs me $37 so it costs about three times more to purchase the Lancome bottle. (There is approximately 200 ml in the Lancome bottle)

I've been using my homemade oil cleanser for a week now and I love it. It is very moisterizing yet takes off all my makeup. The recipe I found was in grams which is difficult to measure with liquids. Basically, it's about 28 grams to one ounce. I used a scale from OXO that converted my liquids to grams so it made it easier. I've also indicated the ounce amounts below too.

Recipe:
To make a 100ml bottle of cleansing oil, you need:
40g or 1.4 ounces jojoba oil
15g or .53 ounces apricot kernel oil
15g or .53 ounces sweet almond oil
4g vitamin E (synthetic preservative)
13 drops of essential oil (use flower types oil for dry skin, use citrusy/lemongrass types for dry skin).

Method:
1. Mix oil
2. Add essential oil

Instructions for Use:
1. Take dime-sized amount in palm.
2. Rub amount with hand to warm up oil.
3. Slowly massage oil onto face and on eyelids.
4. Take warm wash cloth and wipe off oil.
5. Take any residue oil off with toner on cotton ball- I use Thayer's Rose Petal Witch Hazel with Aloe Vera.

Pictures below feature the ingredients I used.

The plastic bottle to the left is how much this recipe makes. This bottle will probably last me 2 months as it only takes me a tiny squirt (or dime-sized amount) to fully cleanse my face.
Let me know if you try this and how you like it. Below is a cost breakdown- obviously the ingredients I bought were more than what I needed for the bottle but I can use them to make more bottles when I run out.
List/Costs of Ingredients:

Jojoba Oil: 4 ounces or 113 grams ($9.20)
= .08 per gram
Apricot Oil: 4 ounces or 113 grams ($4.95)
= .04 per gram
Sweet Almond Oil: 4 ounces or 113 grams ($4.95)
= .04 per gram
Vitamin E, 45,000 I.U. oil: 2 ounces or 56 grams ($13.45)
= .24 per gram
Organic Lavender Essential Oil: 5ml or 125-150 drops ($6.70)
= .05 per drop
Organic Rose Geranium Essential Oil: 5ml or 125-150 drops ($8.70)
= .06 per drop
To make a 100ml bottle of cleansing oil:

40g jojoba oil = $3.20
15g apricot kernel oil = $0.60
15g sweet almond oil = $0.60
4g vitamin E (synthetic preservative) = $0.96
13 drops of essential oil= $0.35+$0.36= $0.71
Bottle: $1.00

Total Cost for 100ml bottle: $7.07

Cream Eyeshadows- Review and Test

2012-05-29T21:53:00.001-07:00

I love cream eyeshadows because my eyelids tend to get dry so they need a nice base to prevent crusty eyeshadow. I also like to use cream shadows when I am in a rush because I can simply use my fingers to swipe the color over my lid. I am a big fan of the MAC paint pot eyeshadows but they are pricey. The MAC paint pots retails at $17.50 or around $14 at the Cosmetic Company stores. I recently purchased the Maybelline 24 hour tatoo cream eyeshadows and so far, they are really amazing! I got them on sale for $6.89 each plus 50% off the second one so they came out to about $5 each. I also love the Stila smudge pots and Loreal HIP cream shadows. I decided to take all my creamy based eyeshadows and eyeliners and do two test. The first test is to swipe them with my finger after 30 minutes to see if they smear. The second test is to shower and see what happens when they get wet. The second test is especially important since I plan to wear cream eyeshadows when I go to Hawaii this summer. I want to make sure the color stays on if I go swimming. Below are pictures depicting my results. Let me know if you have had other results with other cream eyeshadows/eyeliners.

Here is a close up of the cream colors. The products from left to right are: Makeup Forever Aqua Cream shade 6, Revlon Line Fantasy Cream Eyeliner in Indigo, femme couture ultra smooth gel liner in navy, Clinique brush on cream liner in 01 Black Honey, Stila smudge pot gel eye liner in pomegranate, Maybelline Color Tattoo 24 hr eyeshadow in pomegranate punk, MAC paint pot in Girl Friendly, Maybelline Color Tattoo 24 hr eyeshadow in Tough as Taupe, Loreal HIP color truth cream eyeliner in Midnight Blue, Sonia Kashuk dramatically defining long wear gel liner in ebony, Bobbie Brown long-wear gel eyeliner in Sepia Ink.

Here is a photo of the different products I tested.

FIRST TEST: Here is a photo of the colors after 30 minutes and a finger swipe over each color. The Makeup Forever shade got pilly. The Revlon shade faded and swiped the most. The femme couture shade also smeared after 30 minutes. The SOnia Kashuk simply smudged off leaving gaps in the color. It also got kind of pilly and crusty. The same happend with my Bobbie Brown shade.

SECOND TEST: Here are the colors after I showered and they got wet. None of the colors faded completely off but surprisingly, the Makeup Forever shade got the most crusty followed by the Sonia Kashuk product. The great thing about cream eyeshadows are that they come in matte or shimmery shades. I often wear them over my Urban Decay Primer Potion then I layer powder eyeshadow colors on top to deepen and enhance the colors. I also like to wear the colors alone and blend slightly to create a nice subtle shade. The results of my two test are really based on my personal skin. Since I have dry eyelids, the results may happen differently on oily eyelids. Overall, I am really impressed with the Maybelline Color Tattoo 24 hr eyeshadows and will be going back to purchase all the colors- they are on sale right now at Walgreens and CVS for buy one get one 50% off.

Youtube Channel

2012-02-01T11:22:00.000-08:00

Check out my first video on my youtube channel: INNERVUEmua. You can search by typing "innervuemua" and my video should come up. I am also uploading it here. I am excited about this endeavor because I watch so many youtube videos and am always wishing people were doing tutorials or reviews on things I am interested in. I thought I might as well just do the videos myself since I can never seem to find reviews on the exact things I use or tutorials I want. Please let me know if there is anything you would like me to do a tutorial or video of. My camera is not too good and the sound sucks so all this will definitely be improved as I get better at this stuff. Thanks for your support.

XOXO,

Nancy Vue

FOTD- Light Grey Eyes

2012-01-31T09:36:00.000-08:00

I am feeling sick today so thought I would post a FOTD (Photo of the Day). I usually do dark colors on my eyes but have been playing around with cooler, lighter shades. My Urban Decay Naked Palette 2 is so awesome for this light look. Products are listed below.

Products:

Face:
Sally Hansen by Carmindy Your Skin Makeup in Creamy Beige
Maybelline Lunar Energy Super-Lasting Liquid Shimmer
Milani Mineral Powder in Nude Buff
Milani Baked Bronzer in Glow

Eyes:
Urban Decay Primer Potion
Naked 2 Palette: Pistol+Foxy above lid, Snakebite on lid, Busted in crease, Bootycall as highlight, Blackout on outer V
Urban Decay24/7 eyeliner in Crash
Milani Color Brilliance eye pencil in green
Rimmel Glam'eyes Lssh and Flirt in Black

Eyebrows:
Benefit Brow Zings in 04

Cheeks:
MAC Brit Wit Blushcreme
Rock and Republic blush in Shameless
Laura Geller Shade N Sculpt as contour
Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick in Copper Diamond as highlighter

Lips:
L'Oreal Colour riche lipstick in shade Kerry's Rosewood

Foundation Routine

2012-01-10T19:24:00.001-08:00

I've been wanting to post a step-by-step photo tutorial on how I do my foundation routine. I really think if you get your foundation routine down it will help create a long-lasting and smooth base for the rest of your makeup. Your foundation routine should stay put even if the rest of your makeup rubs off. It is definitely easier to reapply blush or lipstick than to do your whole face makeup throughout the day. This foundation routine took me approximately 15 minutes to do. Let me know what steps you use to create a flawless foundation base for your face. I would love any new tips. Feel free to post questions or comments. (Click on photo to enlarge)

Here are the products I use to prep my face: (from left to right)

MAC studio fix: two spritz on the each side of face to help lock in moisture on my super dry skin

Eye cream- small dab under each eye

Moisturizer

Renewal cream from TimeBalm that helps to exfoliate dead skin cells

Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream Sun Defense for face in spf 50

Make Up For Ever High Definition Primer in #7 to smooth face and fix any discoloration.

Lipbalm

My naked face is really a beautiful sunkissed look from all that California farming and sun I got growing up. I have tons of brown spots- this is also genetics because my mom has lots of brown freckles and brown patches too. I have some redness on my cheeks and forehead as well and lots of yucky undereye bag. My foundation routine is meant to even out my skintone and not necessarily to cover every spot on my face- I happen to love my freckles.

Foundation brush and foundation.

I've been using my new Sally Hansen foundation for a while now and I love it. It comes with a pump dispenser which is super sanitary. I pump two full pumps on the back of my hand and use a foundation brush to pat the foundation all over my face. Since my face is very dry, I try not to swipe the brush because it streaks. I pat then use a wet sponge (see next pic) to pat the foundation into my skin. The wet sponge helps to keep the foundation dewy looking and helps to keep foundation stay put on my face.

Pat, pat, pat. I don't try to smooth out foundation at this point because the sponge will do this later. I am simply just trying to get foundation on my face. Plus a foundation brush will tend to streak and soak up too much foundation if I used it on it's own to blend my foundation. I think if you have more normal or oily skin, you can rely just on the foundation brush to blend your makeup.

I love this sponge from Sonia Kashuk. I have heard the Beauty Blender works even better but it is more expensive and I just can't shell out $20 bucks for a sponge right now. I wet the sponge fully under faucet first, squeeze out any excess water then dab it on the excess foundation on the back of my hand and use it to pat the foundation on my face.

I next use my Lorac concealer to conceal bags under my eye. I have problems with my under eye area being too dry so that when I apply concealer, it leaves dry flakes. I've begun applying a little primer on top of my eye cream before I apply the concealer and this has helped tremendously to avoid the dry flaky skin.

I like to use a fluffy brush to blend the concealer under my eye. I feel this makes it more smooth.

I next use my Coty powder to set my foundation. Using a big fluffy brush, I simply sweep powder lightly over my face- avoiding too much on my cheeks since I will be using cream blushes.

I like to use a more fine setting powder like Mac's prep and prime to lightly set the concealer under my eye. This helps to keep the concealer in place throughout the day.

AFTER photo. Notice the makeup has just balanced out my skin tone so now when I apply the rest of my makeup, everything will look even. This is not a super high coverage look since high coverage tends to look too cakey on my dry skin. If I wanted more coverage, I would have probably used a more pigmented foundation and set my powder using the powder fluff method. For every day wear, this foundation routine serves the perfect base for the rest of my makeup. My foundation is also a lot lighter than my neck so when I do my makeup, I will be doing lots of bronzing and contouring. I do pull down some foundation along my jawline. Unlike what other makeup artists may suggest, I don't like to use too much foundation on my neck as the foundation could come off on my clothes.

BEFORE photo. Lots of freckles and redness!

Final photo with all my makeup applied. I always apply bronzer first to even out the face and neck area. Then comes cheeks, eyes, eyebrows, and mascara.

Hope you liked this photo tutorial. Happy make-uping!

Great upcoming sale! Beautyticket.com

2012-01-09T15:56:00.000-08:00

Beautyticket.com is seriously one of my favorite websites. They are having an awesome sale starting February 1st at midnight where you can purchase any 5 Prestige beauty items for $10. Items include, color cosmetics and premium skin care products ND Includes brands like Urban Decay, MOR, Bliss, Bourjois, MAC and more. Limit 3 per order. Here's what I would buy if I should be lucky enough to have these items still available when the sale starts:

Urban Decay Brow Box in "Gingersnap"
Urban Decay Liquid Eyeliner in Radium
NARS Cream Blush in "Gold Member"
NARS Night Series Single Eye Shadow in "Night Clubbing"
Tom Ford for Estee Lauder Cheek Glow in "Soiree"
Bourjois Lovely Base Redness Correcting Base #28

Happy shopping! Let me know if you plan on getting anythang!

CVS Haul

2011-12-18T11:33:00.001-08:00

Here are photos of my recent CVS Haul. Got lots of Physician's Formula stuff. My favorite item was the cotton balls for $0.49. I use at least two cotton balls a day for toner and eye-makeup remover. Awesome deals. Everything I got was 75%. I saved a total of $133.41. (click on photos to enlarge)

Q and A- Preventing Raccoon Eyes.

2011-12-13T15:15:00.000-08:00

Q: I always get raccoon eyes and was wondering what would help?

A: Raccoon eyes is usually when eyeliner transfers to the top or bottom of eyes. It transfers because eyeliners are cream based and the oil slips off the eyes. Raccoon eyes also come about when eyeshadow falls off the lids and starts to flake all over the eye. I definitely think eye primers help with preventing raccoon eyes from eyeshadow. Primers like Urban Decay's primer potions or Too-Faced Shadow Insurance or Laura Geller Eye Spackles are great. Primers help create a smooth base on your eyelid and acts like a glue to help eyeshadows stick on eyelids.

To prevent eyeliner from transferring, line eyes, then pat a similarly colored eyeshadow on top of just the eyeliner to help the liner stay put. I have also found gel cream liners to stay put better than pencil liners- my favorite is Clinique gel liner in true black. Bobbie Brown cream liners and MAC's fluid line are also good. More affordable dupes are ELF's cream liners or Loreal hip cream liners.

Let me know what other methods you use for preventing raccoon eyes.

CVS Annual Makeup Clearance

2011-12-12T19:39:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year again. CVS is having their major clearance on makeup. I bought tons of stuff last year for 75% off. Check out this awesome blog for a list of all makeup that is on sale at CVS: http://nouveaucheap.blogspot.com/2011/12/cvs-beauty-clearance-sale.html

I haven't gone to the Madison stores but if you go, let me know what you get. There's a CVS on Broom Street and one in Middleton. I highly recommend bronzers from Physicians Formula, Revlon foundations, Rimmel lipsticks, Sally Hansen cream blushes, and Wet n Wild eyeshadow 6-pan palettes. At 75% off, you can get awesome stuff for $3 or less. This would excellent stocking stuffers for any lucky girl too!

Happy shopping.

Exfoliating dry skin

2011-12-12T19:14:00.000-08:00

About a year ago, I started noticing dryness on my skin. It was most obvious when I would use a primer and the primer would just flake off my face. I felt like the primer could not soak into my pores to create that flawless canvass that a primer is supposed to do because my pores were already clogged with dirty dirt stuff. I tried exfoliating with scrubs but they just aggravated my face more and made it more dry. Then I started using exfoliating pads saturated with glycolic acid. Glycolic acid "works as an exfoliating agent because of its high acidity but easy solubility. When placed on the skin as part of an exfoliating cream or gel, glycolic acid goes under the damaged upper layers of skin and destroys the 'glue' which holds dead skin to the surface. As this dead skin is chemically burned off, the other ingredients carry the individual flakes away and a water rinse neutralizes the remaining acid. The result is a much-smoother skin surface and a more youthful appearance. A secondary benefit is glycolic acid's ability to draw moisturizers into the newly-exfoliated skin surface."

I've been using Peter Thomas Roth Un-Wrinkle Peel Pads for a few months now and I have totally noticed a difference. When I apply foundation in the morning there is no flakiness on my skin. Primer does not slough off my face anymore. My face is also more glowing and less sallow. Glycolic acid is supposed to help "stimulate new growth of skin and collagen by decreasing the bond that holds dead skin cells on the surface. This allows dead cells to be removed gradually, leaving behind a layer of smoother and softer skin." I have noticed my brown spots being less prominent.

Anyhow, I really like exfoliating pads with glycolic acid. It is not meant for everyone- you definitely want to use very little at first to see if you are allergic to this kind of alpha hydroxy acids or AHA. The strength for glycolic acid can range from 10%-70%. 70% is usually reserved for professional chemical peels. It is also intended for aging skin so definitely don't use if you have youthful skin with few problems. Always consult your dermatologist.

I buy my unwrinkled pads from Skinstore for usually 20%. off $45 so it is $36. You can always try to buy it for less on Amazon.com as well. It is also sold at Sephora. Let me know if you try it. Or if you are already using something similar. I am always looking for new products to try.

Stila Warehouse Sale

2011-11-28T09:01:00.000-08:00

Stila is having their warehouse sale. Get lip glazes for $6 ($22 original price) and smudge stick eyeliners for $6 (original $20). There are lots of items to choose from that are up to 80% off the original price. No code needed: Www.stilacosmetics.com/warehousesale

ALL SALES FINAL.
PRO ARTIST DISCOUNTS AND PROMOTIONAL CODES CANNOT BE APPLIED TO WAREHOUSE SALE ITEMS.
STILA BUCKS CANNOT BE USED ON WAREHOUSE SALE ITEMS.

2011-11-16T07:21:00.000-08:00

Sephora Family and Friends Haul

2011-11-16T02:50:00.000-08:00

Whew- the sale is over and I was able to stock up on all my makeup basics. This may appear like a lot of stuff but this is my usual once a year haul from Sephora so it's really not that much. I guess not too much for me as I am a makeup freak. I am so looking forward to trying some of these products on all my friends. The cheek palette and professional sized primer potion has already come in so handy already. The Clinique cream liners are quickly becoming my favorite cream liners- even compared to Bobbie Brown. I'll be doing a review on cream eyeliners soon so keep an eye out for that. I haven't done too many reviews on here but would love to start since I do try out lots of cosmetic items. Please let me know if there are any products you have questions about.

I've also been doing lots of makeup for friends recently for weddings, birthday parties, Halloween, etc. Photos are forthcoming on some fabulous feather eyelashes I purchased from falseeyelashessite.com.

Sephora Goodies

Fusion Beauty IllumiCover Line Smoothing Luminous Concealer - Medium Dark

Urban Decay Naked Palette

NARS Danmari All About Cheeks Palette ($107 Value) - Danmari All About Cheeks Palette

Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion - Professional Size - 0.85 oz Original

SEPHORA COLLECTION Pro Foundation Airbrush #55

Clinique Brush-On Cream Liner - Black Honey, Deep Brownd True Black

Still Lip glaze set

Peter Thomas Roth Unwrinkle Peel Pads

My new Love- NARS Danmari All About Cheeks Palette

2011-11-01T07:39:00.000-07:00

During Sephora Friends and Family, I snatched up the NARS Danmari All About Cheeks Palette and anxiously awaited its arrival. It is beautiful. I got it just in time for Halloween and was able to do all my friends costume makeup with it- pirates, gangsters, and rock stars. I was hesitant to purchase it because I already have four out of the six shades. I find that sometimes shades in palettes don't measure up to the actual normal product. In this case, I found that the palette shades were of equally good quality and pigmentation. This palette is amazing and if you don't yet have NARS blushes but want to try it, I highly recommend it. It is $65 for six shades at .12 oz each. A normal NARS blush is $27 for .16 oz. If my math is correct, you get 46% more value by purchasing the palette. It basically comes out to $10 a blush with the palette. I got mine for 20% off so it cost me $52. I just got my VIB pass in the mail as well so if you've been looking for something to purchase with your VIB holiday pass, this is an awesome value. The palette also comes packaged in a beautiful matte/red box so it is great for gifting as well.

Enjoy!

This set contains:
- 6 x 0.12 oz Cheek Color in Hungry Heart (gold ivory), Super Orgasm (peachy pink with gold glitter), Desire (cotton candy pink), Casino (dark brown with golden shimmer), Orgasm (peachy pink with golden shimmer), Sin (berry with gold shimmer)

Sephora Family and Friends 20% off online code

2011-10-24T09:18:00.001-07:00

Sephora Family and Friend is here- this is 20% off anything online. To get the code, go to: http://www.sephoralove.com/friendsandfamily/

You can sign up for as many codes as emails you have. I think it is five codes per computer though. I tried signing up for 5 codes using five different emails and was able to attain five codes. If you like getting free samples, you can use each code per each $50 order and get more samples. It's free shipping with $50 or more purchase.

I put in three orders yesterday. Definitely had to buy the professional size Urban Decay Primer Potion for eyes. I also got another Urban Decay Naked Palette. And I got the NARS cheek palette- six amazing cheek products- a highlighter, bronzer and four blushes. I can't wait to try the NARS palette.

Happy shopping.

MAC Blushes at Beautyticket.com

2011-09-19T06:59:00.000-07:00

My favorite makeup item are blushes. I probably have about 50 blushes and always looking to try new ones. Blushes really complete a look- even if you have nothing else on, blush truly can wake up a face and make you look fresh and ready to face the world. I have found that MAC sheertone blushes work best for me because the color is not too pigmented and very buildable. I tend to have a heavy hand with makeup so this is perfect for me. The sheertone blushes are also not so shimmery so I can wear to work without looking too glitzy. RIGHT NOW- beautyticket.com has MAC blushes on sale for $16.99. That's not a huge discount- just 13% off the normal price of $19.50 but it's still cheaper than buying in store. And you get free shipping for purchases $75 or more by entering "FREESHIP75" or 10% off if you are a new customer by entering "NEW10" at checkout. I highly recommend Breath of Plum and Trace Gold. Enjoy!

Summer Wedding

2011-08-29T12:46:00.000-07:00

I recently did makeup for a wedding in Madison. The bride went through a trial run with me in February so I would be familiar with what colors and techniques worked for her. I had loads of fun doing her makeup as well as her mom and one of her bridesmaids. For Sara, I did a very classic look. We kept the colors in the brown/golden toned family. I used lots of primer and layering to keep her makeup long-lasting. I love how she turned out. Here is a before and after photo of her. The wedding photo is courtesy of: Chrystal from Image Studio Photography (http://www.yourimageisourimage.com/)

Before Photo

After Photo

Urban Decay- Amaaaazing Sale

2011-08-16T13:42:00.000-07:00

$1.00 for loose pigments, $3 for cream shadows and other super-duper cheap makeup. Check out the sale at: http://www.urbandecay.com/