Make-up for Olive Skin

noreply@blogger.com (breakfastinrome) — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 02:46:00 +0000

Hello blog readers!

I don't usually post make up of the day things, though maybe I should, I don't know. In any case, I loved my make up today and I figured I would share it! =)

I'd say it's pretty low key and natural but the winged eyeliner gives it a touch of whimsy/retro-ness.

So here's the breakdown for anyone interested:
MAC Matchmaker in 3
Bobbi Brown Under Eye Corrector in Peach
Bobbi Brown Under Eye Concealer in Natural
Chanel Rose Bronze Blush
Chanel Lumiere Scultpee de Chanel - Holiday 2011 Highlighter (On cheekbones only)
MAC Boldly Bare Lipliner
MAC Cremesheen Gloss in Geopink
Clinique Cream Liner in True Black
Mac Factor Million Lashes Mascara
Stila Primer Pot in Taffy

Hope you enjoy!

MAC Styledriven eyeshadows

noreply@blogger.com (breakfastinrome) — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 03:37:00 +0000

I decided to finally try the Styledriven eyeshadows that MAC released into their permanent collection. I have to say, these babies are not a disappointment! They say they have 8 hours of wear, but seriously, you could get more out of these than that. They don't crease or fade, especially with primer on. I prefer to use primer, it made the colors even more vivid than they already are! I didn't get all of colors they released. I got the ones noted below:

Legendary Black Warm almost black (Satin)
Carefree Pale white gold (Frost)
Lie Low Dark frosted golden brown (Frost)
One to Watch Light warm brown (Satin)
Make Your Mark Dark chocolate (Satin)
Sweet Satisfaction Soft neutral beige (Frost)
Hot Paprika Mid-tone burnt red (Frost)

These are the ones I didn't purchase and the reason why:

Pink Frontier Soft golden pink (Frost) - Too sheer and not particularly flattering.

Sunny Outlook Bright golden yellow (Satin) - Was not a flattering everyday color.

Plush Vivid purple (Satin) - Found that it was sheerer than I had hoped.

Thru the Night Deep navy (Frost) - This was a toss up, it flattered, but didn't wow.

Fresh Flare Bright kelly green (Frost) - Was not a flattering everyday color.

Tease with Ease Bright fuchsia (Frost) - Too close to Woodstock from Urban Decay.

Keep Your Cool Dark grey brown (Satin) - They were sold out.

Weathered Dirty blue grey (Frost) - This was a toss up, it flattered, but didn't wow.

Styledriven Pale white blue (Frost) - Was incredibly unflattering for Olive skin.

Now on to the colors I did purchase!

1) Legendary Black 2) Carefree 3)Lie low 4)One to Watch 5)Make Your Mark 6)Sweet Satisfaction 7)Hot Paprika

With Flash: Legendary Black, Carefree, Lie Low

With Flash: One to Watch, Make Your Mark, Sweet Satisfaction, Hot Paprika

No Flash: Legendary Black, Carefree, Lie Low

No Flash: One to Watch, Make Your Mark, Sweet Satisfaction, Hot Paprika

I hope this has helped some people find colors they think they can wear. I am incredibly excited about all of these colors, I can mix and match within the collection, but they can also make my existing colors wonderful as well. Overall, I definitely recommend you check it out, these eyeshadows will not be a let down for anyone.

Neutrals - will you marry me?

noreply@blogger.com (breakfastinrome) — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 04:10:00 +0000

Man, I think I have a problem. I think I'm addicted to neutrals. I just can't help it, they're just soooo pretty. Maybe my make up routine is boring, but dag nammit is it easy. Everything goes together easily!

Caprica and I obviously have similar tastes in color. (She always blinks, her piercing blue eyes can't handle flash.)

Just had to confess to being a neutral-aholic. However, I am trying very hard to branch out. I mean, I definitely own some super fun colors, especially in lipstick. Maybe I need to start a color challenge? 30 days of color. Hm...something to think about.

Nars Isolde - An everyday eyeshadow duo

noreply@blogger.com (breakfastinrome) — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 03:56:00 +0000

I'm going to honest, I hate Wednesdays. But to make up for it, I get to drink a beer and make a beauty recommendation.

Ladies (and Gents), today, I'm here to tell you about Isolde the eyeshadow duo from Nars. Not Isolde from Tristan and Isolde, the incredibly depressing love story.

Nars Isolde is beautiful duo of gold and copper. These two colors are known to be very flattering for blue eyes, but guess what? They are amazing on Olive skin too (have Olive skin and blue eyes? You lucky bitch.) My favorite part about these two colors is that they can be used together or alone. Use one of them as a wash and it's flattering. Wear the one on the left on the lid and the one of the right in crease and you have a more put together look. Want to make this night time friendly or add some depth to the look? Pop a chocolate color like MAC Swiss Chocolate or Folie in the outer corner and you have a sexy eye look.

I'm not going to mince words, I love me some gold eye looks. I feel like they're an understated way to make brown eyes pop and always look effortlessly sexy on Olive skin tones no matter the eye color. If you want to give an eye look like this a try, this is a good starting point. The colors are nicely pigmented (though probably a little light for anyone above NC40), a dream to apply and last a good 8-10 hours.

So, what do you say gorgeous, would you try something similar to this?

MAC Motif - Highlighter?

noreply@blogger.com (breakfastinrome) — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 19:00:00 +0000

Ladies. I found a cheat.

I think I put it this way because I'm a nerd, but I just feel like I'm gaming the system somehow!

I own MAC Motif, generally I use it as a highlight for my brow bone. It's such a beautiful almost duo-chrome color. MAC describes it as a gold/peach with pink pearl. That's a fairly accurate description, the pink pearl is the key here. If you look at Motif in the pan depending on the lighting it can look gold or it can look pink. In better lighting you can really see the pearl and it's really beautiful.

This brings me to my cheat. One day I thought, why not use Motif on my cheeks as a highlighter? I did it over Warm Soul and the result was remarkable! The shadow didn't look weird or out of place, in fact it looked amazing! The pink pearl really melded well with my blush and brought this truly amazing highlight into my cheeks.

I firmly believe this will come down to preference, however, I very much encourage Olive skinned Divas to try this trick. You can make it toned down and natural or super packed on and dramatic!

Unfortunately, the pictures just cannot capture the exact beauty of Motif on the skin. However, I really recommend people try it out. It works wonderfully as an eyeshadow, is buttery and a dream to put on. For those reasons, I believe it lends itself so easily to being used as a highlighter on the cheeks! Motif does not look out of place on the eye nor on the cheeks and can be quite a little multi-tasker! Talk about saving some cash, at $11.50 USD for a pan it's a pretty great option.

Mac Margin - Made for Olive Skin!

noreply@blogger.com (breakfastinrome) — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 05:35:00 +0000

I know that I need to branch out, but I've got to say that I really love MAC blushes. I also really love the fact that there are so many of them I can keep discovering ones that work well on Olive skin tones. MAC Margin is a defined as a Frost finish. I don't find it to be frosty, I do however find it to be Goh-geous!

I think I've really come to realize what a difference a good blush can make to someone's complexion. This is probably why I'm always excited to find a blush that compliments Olive skin, as they can be few and far between. MAC Margin is described as a peach with golden shimmer. I think that is a very accurate description of this blush. In the pan and in the swatch it looks exactly like the description. Because it is a frost finish you may have to use more than your usual blush amount, however, it builds beautifully and leaves a finish like a dream. Margin has a slight sheen to it that I love. I honestly wouldn't call it "shimmer" I believe "sheen" is actually more accurate!

If you take a look at the above swatches you can see that it's not a "BAM!" color. It's not super in your face, but it's beautiful once applied to the cheeks. This blush warms Olive skin right up, and gives me a wonderful healthy and natural look. It is understated enough to wear with little make up and also be worn with a strong eye or face. I find it to be truly versatile, so much so it can be worn year round! I get a good amount of wear from this blush as I usually do with MAC blushes, about 6-8 hours.

If you haven't tried this blush I really believe this calls for a visit to the MAC counter!

An Everyday Blush for Olive Skin

noreply@blogger.com (breakfastinrome) — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 04:17:00 +0000

There is one blush that I find myself going to most everyday. It's very versatile, incredibly flattering and very natural looking. This blush is the one you could call my "HG" or my "Holy Grail" of a blush. I remember not thinking much of it when I first purchased it but it has blossomed into being the blush that I would bring with me to a deserted island. (Okay maybe not, but I reaaaally love it.)

This blush is part of the permanent MAC collection and it is called Warm Soul. It is a mineralize blush and very nicely pigmented. I also find that it lasts on my skin all day, which is always a wonderful thing to encounter. I always feel pretty with this blush on, hence, why on bad mornings when I can't decide what to wear I just go right for this one.

I firmly believe that this is a color that would look wonderful on a wide variety of skin tones, so I urge you to give it a try, it will be worth it to find a blush that fits you perfectly. I'd describe it as a peachy-pinky-bronzey color. There is no one word for it, except of course, beautiful.

There you have it ladies, the most beautiful blush ever. Okay, maybe not to everyone, but it is to me! I can wear this blush year round and I always look good. So, I figured I should share my secret, many people don't give this blush a second glance. So what do you say? Will you be giving this a try?

Sally Hansen Emerald Express - ringing in the Fall!

noreply@blogger.com (breakfastinrome) — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 02:08:00 +0000

I went to Walgreen's the other day and saw the most beautiful nail polish I have ever set eyes on. It was a perfect time too, I was in the market for a new color and I was just musing on how awesome it is that Fall colors are finally coming in everywhere I look. I've been looking forward to wearing my mustard clothing for awhile now!

Anywho, here is the nail polish I'm rocking right now. I am a huge fan, pictures just couldn't capture how beautiful it is, but I sure tried! Sally Hansen hit this out of the park!

Can you look at this color and tell me it isn't gorgeous? I didn't think so...

I also did some depotting this weekend. I needed to make some room around here! I feel like showing you my palettes is a bit like baring my soul, but what the hell!

Free palette from Etsy, look at the cute owl!

Gasp! Pan!

It's looking like I already made a good amount of space around here, we'll see if I can continue. I think I almost cried when I dug my paring knife into a couple of my shadows. I need to be more careful!

How to...Highlight!

noreply@blogger.com (breakfastinrome) — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 19:00:00 +0000

So, for the longest time I had no idea how to use highlighter and was honestly resistant to the idea that it was even an important part of a make-up routine. Well, I still don't think it's important, but it sure is awesome to have.

Highlighter, luminizer, illuminator whatever you want to call it, they all serve the same purpose. It basically contains some type of light reflecting properties that give you that "glow" from within look.

Highlighters come in several shapes and forms, from liquids to powders. When picking your highlighter take into consideration what your skin type is. If you have oily skin it's to best stick to the powders. If you have dry skin you'd better use the liquid or gel. Of course, trial and error is always the best way to find what works best for you!

So, onto where to apply highlighter. Highlighter goes on the cheekbones and under the eyebrows. Be careful not to put any on the bridge of your nose, chin or temple if you get really oily it'll just enhance the look of oiliness. I do tend to get oily so I skip highlighter on the bridge of my nose, temple and chin. Some people like to do it, I don't.

Because I am oily I also like to stick to powder highlighters. Not always, sometimes I do use a gel or mix a liquid into my moisturizer but for the most part I only highlight my cheeks/brow bone with a powder. Right now my favorite is Mary Lou Manizer, my post about it here. It's a very flattering color for my NC35 skin tone and it really lasts through the day. It's very pigmented so a little goes a long way.

My routin is to do my full face of makeup, whatever I plan to wear for the day then I do my highlighter last. Over my blush or bronzer I suck in my cheeks so I can see the highest part of cheek bone and I apply highlighter there with a fan brush, again build, over doing it means having to start over. Then I grab a smaller thinner eyeshadow brush and apply highlighter under my brow bone. Ta da! Instant healthy but natural glow.

Smashbox Smokebox

noreply@blogger.com (breakfastinrome) — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 19:00:00 +0000

Smashbox decided to release a sister for the Fall Softbox, a Smokebox for a smokey eye look. I've never owned a palette dedicated just to a smokey eye, though I probably should have a long time ago, it really takes the guesswork out.

As with the previous two palettes I reviewed by Smashbox this one is full proof and really makes it easy to get beautiful eye looks. It also comes with two eye looks you can try out in case you're overwhelmed or uninspired.

Bliss: Looks a lot like Vanilla from the previous palettes but this one is pearlescent.
Putty: A dark brown with gold microshimmer.
Blacktop: Black with silver glitter.
Mist: A beige-taupe leaning more towards beige.
Royal: A dark purple, looks almost brown, matte.
Nocturnal: Dark navy with blue glitter.

So, there is only one matte shade in the palette, but this palette creates some really fun smokey eye looks. Definitely not boring by any means. The only down side is that Blacktop and Nocturnal have glitter in them which looks wonderful but can mean some minor fall out. With primer for me the fall out was hardly something to complain about but it is there, so I want to mention it.

Other than that I worried the colors were too dark for me to pull off comfortably or too cool for my olive skin. That was not the case the colors were wonderful and produced very beautiful looks. They are, however, very pigmented so use a light hand or you'll look like you have a shiner.

Smashbox Softbox Fall 2011

noreply@blogger.com (breakfastinrome) — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 02:00:00 +0000

I bought Smashbox's Softbox for Summer and really loved how it was so easy to use. I feel that many shades were probably a little too soft for my NC35 skin, but I still enjoyed it, especially the liners. Summer isn't meant to be about heavy eye make up, so their Summer Softbox made a lot of sense.

When I saw that they had released a Softbox for Fall I almost passed it by chalking it up to be another palette with shades too light for me. However, when I saw it on their Smashbox site I realized this was definitely a Fall palette and that it was definitely not going to be lacking in pigment.

Fizz: A pearlescent beige, very pretty.
Pebble: A matte brown almost grey.
Minx: A pearlescent medium brown.
Vanilla: Vanilla, matte.
Ignite: A beautiful coral with a yellow pearlescence.
Sienna: A dark brown with gold pearlescence.

The palette even comes with 2 eye looks you can try if you're not sure about how to use the colors. Just like with the brown eyes palette from yesterday I have no complaints about this palette. The colors are gorgeous, truly pair very well together, are pigmented and looked beautiful on my skin. If I had to pick nits I'd say that Pebble could be a little more pigmented, but it's not something that would make me want to return the palette.

As with the brown eyes palette, these are a joy to use, are brighter with primer and last me through the work day. I very much love these colors too, usually I'm not a huge fan of colors like Pebble but it works well with these shades!

Smashbox Photo Op Eye Enhancing Palette - Brown Eyes

noreply@blogger.com (breakfastinrome) — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 06:07:00 +0000

So I bought a new palette from Smashbox. It's part of their Girls on Film line and it's specifically tailored to brown eyes. Hey! I have brown eyes!

So, I'll start with the colors:

Marble: A very pretty taupe with a hint of pearlescence.

Wine: A reddish brown with a hint of golden sparkle.

Bark: A dark brown with a hint of golden sparkle.

Vanilla: Exactly like it sounds, looks like vanilla ice cream. Matte.

Brazilian Bronze: A bronze with a hint of sparkle.

Navy: A matte dark navy.

Direction on how to get 2 looks!

These shadows are gorgeous. They really do make brown eyes pop! The shadows themselves are a dream, they blend well, are nicely pigmented and the best is they feel like butter but the shimmery ones don't have fall out! All of my swatches above are without primer but with primer they're even better and last without creasing for my whole work day.

I own a lot of eyeshadows, but I truly love small palettes like these because they are pretty much full proof. You can create a lot of eye looks with the palette but can also just connect the dots if you're lazy or a novice. I sometimes get overwhelmed by large palettes and don't know what to pair together, with this it's like idiot proof makeup for a sleepy Liz in the morning.

This is available at Sephora.

Eye Kohl cream vs powder

noreply@blogger.com (breakfastinrome) — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 03:35:00 +0000

This post is a long time coming. I'll be honest and say the reason it took so long to get it up was a mix of being busy/doing research, but most of all it took forever because I had to buy a L'oreal Eye Kohl from eBay since it's not available in stores anymore and the seller took their sweet time shipping.

Anyway, the good news is I have a review now and here it is!

I bought an eye kohl stick from Sephora, in black to review it against the above mentioned L'oreal Hip eye kohl.

Sephore Eye Kohl

L'oreal Hip Eye Kohl

Left: Sephora Right: L'oreal

After washing/rubbing off. Left: Sephora Right: L'oreal

Sephora Eye Kohl

L'oreal Eye Kohl

So, after seeing pictures here are the basics. The Sephora kohl was a stick kohl and was a very creamy formula. It applied easily but very patchy and was not as dark as the L'oreal Kohl. It didn't seem as dramatic but was very easy to build (building was definitely in order) and use, no watery eye mess. However, it wouldn't transfer from my bottom water line to the top, I had to line the top separately, that was giant pain.

The L'oreal kohl was in powder form. When I applied it I got powder in my eye, so unfortunately, I didn't really enjoy that. All kinds of not okay. It didn't get all over my face though, I think I may have just done it at the wrong angle. After that initial shock and strategic angling the powder applied darker and more evenly to my waterline than the Sephora stick. It also transfered better from my bottom to my top lash line, which meant I didn't have to line more than once. One swipe got a dramatic effect and it transfered from top to bottom easily.

One thing about kohl is that it doesn't particularly last very long, it smudges and runs throughout the day. In order to see which one would last the longest I showered with it, while they both ran and smudged horribly the Sephora ran less. However, it was gone by the end of my shower. Once I got out the L'oreal eye kohl was just as dark on my water line as before my shower, it was just a runny mess. So, food for thought!

As for other uses for eye kohl it seems like people can use it as mascara. You'd need to use powder kohl and you can dip a spoolie in water then into the powder to darken your lashes, kohl wont do much but add color. However, like I mentioned above, it's not very run-proof so you'd probably just get raccoon eyes after an hour, so I wouldn't recommend it.

In the end my recommendation would be a powder version. I know that L'oreal doesn't sell theirs anymore, but if you can find one it'd the best option in my book. Once I learned how not to get powder in my eye it turned out to be the better option!

25th Birthday! 1920's look for Olive Skin

noreply@blogger.com (breakfastinrome) — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 22:48:00 +0000

I decided that for my 25th birthday I was going to have a party. I usually freak out about these kinds of things, I tend to over think and over plan it. Instead, this time I just let myself go with the flow and I decided to have fun with it. The party had a theme this year, 1920's speakeasy, the epitome of laid back and cool.

I didn't have a bouncer at my door or a password in order to get in. However, I did ask everyone to dress up with their fanciest 20's get up. I've had a flapper dress from H&M hiding in my closet for over a year now, it was time for it to debut. I also had a wig, a fascinator and shoes to wear. Now all I needed was to figure out the makeup.

So...here it gooooesss. Weeeeee...

I started out with a heavy foundation and concealer, I used Revlon Colorstay and Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage. I wanted to look as flawless and caked on as possible. Ahh this reminded me of my good old theater days! I also put some concealer on my lips so that the lipstick would look truer to color.

I moved on to my eyes. I used Wet n Wild's Brule from the contour of my lid to the brow. I then put on MAC's painterly on my lid, followed by MAC Vex. I put MAC Scene in the contour of my eye, and darkened the outer corner with MAC Typographic.

For my lips, I needed something dark so I started by using concealer to make the color truer on my lips. Followed by MAC Prep + Prime lip primer, this stuff really makes color last. I then used MAC's Vino lipliner and lined and colored in my lips. MAC's Media lipstick was the perfect shade for a 1920's look, I put it on with a lip-brush and then lined them again with Vino. To give a sharp look, I went around my mouth with concealer on an eyeliner brush to give me a more sharp line.

I moved on to brows, I darkened and elongated them. The style in the 1920's was to wear them thin and straight, but I was not going to screw with my brows! I then dusted MAC's Sincere blush lightly on my cheeks. I finished off the look with L'oreal's Voluminous Million Lashes, I swept my lashes towards the outer corner of my eyes as was the style at the time.

And ta da! 1920's flapper!

The party was so fun, everyone looked sharp and I drank a lot of cheap champagne. Overall a very goodnight!

Urban Decay - 15th Anniversary Palette

noreply@blogger.com (breakfastinrome) — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 04:18:00 +0000

I'll admit it, I am a sucker for a palette of eyeshadows. I flock to it like a fat kid to cake, so when I found out that Urban Decay was coming out with another palette I knew I had to have it. Then I was concerned I'd just end up with eyeshadows I already had, so Urban Decay upped the ante by making these 15 NEW shadows! The day my Macy's got it the Urban Decay counter girl called me and I got there 20 minutes later, she definitely made fun of me for practically teleporting there.

All I have to say, is ZOMG PRETTY. Everything about this palette is gorgeous including the amazing new colors. I feel like it's a wonderful balance between fun and neutral and only one of these colors was a glitter bomb, surprise! Another surprise? The entire under side of the lid is a mirror, +1 to Urban Decay again.

I have got to say that part of me worried that a lot of these would straight up disappear on my skin, but only Tainted seemed like I'd need to pile it on in order to make it more visible. Did you spot the glitterbomb shadow? That's right! Midnight Rodeo, but even with the glitter chunks it's a beautiful color. The clincher for this palette is that each of these are full size shadows, all for $55. Not bad at all. Overall I'm so happy I sprang for this palette. Part of me wonders if I should snag a second one as a backup? No, no, down Liz.

So, will you be springing for it? I've heard mixed reviews from most people on whether they'd like it, but I can say for sure that for people with Olive skin this isn't going to be a regretted purchase based on color payoff.

Foil Nail Monster

noreply@blogger.com (breakfastinrome) — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 00:22:00 +0000

I got Gelish nails a couple of week ago, which I totally recommend, they are bulletproof. They lasted 2 weeks and I really abuse my nails. However, you have to pay to get them taken off, which is a big "No thanks!" for me. Pay to remove it? Boo, why can't I just use polish remover?

Turns out I could! I ended up using this video to learn how and it totally worked! It was also very fun as you can see:

Yay for DIY!

Wednesday and Boscia Blemish Balm

noreply@blogger.com (breakfastinrome) — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 22:06:00 +0000

You know what I hate about Wednesdays? The fact that it's the day that people say "Happy Hump Day." People need to stop saying this, no more of that, don't be one of "those" people.

Instead people should say, "Oh hey, it's the middle of week, that sucks." Because it does. In any case, what doesn't suck is beauty blogging, well, except for the picture editing (and the website fixing, okay I lied sometimes it sucks okay?).

The good news is I have kitties and makeup to get me through the week (and to keep me from yelling at "hump day" users.) Those are my cats, it's the momma and her kitten doing what they do best, sleeping and being adorable. Their names are Caprica (because I'm a nerd) and Zooey (I named her after my girl crush Zooey Deschanel, except I pronounce is, Zoo-ee.)

Well now that we're done with that you probably want me to get on with the beauty blogging right?

I suppose, but you're so demanding!

I am constantly on the hunt for the best new foundation. I don't think I've found one I'm completely happy with yet, though I couldn't tell you exactly what is missing from all of them that I want. I feel like I'll just "know" like when you fall in love! I'll know it's the right one for me.

So, in my constant search for foundation I decided to try Bocia's Blemish Balm. I've never tried any of the original Blemish Balms so I have nothing to compare it to, so I'll just do my own review based on my experience with this alone.

Pros:

It covers evenly and makes it almost unnecessary for me to use concealer. I still have to use some in some part of my face but if I'm not nitpicky in the morning I could skip it with this one.
Goes on easily and evenly with fingers.
Has crazy good SPF.
It fit my NC35 nicely, I was nervous since it's a one shade pony.

Cons:

You can't put it on with a brush or a sponge, it never looks right!
You still have to use concealer if you want a flawless face.
I found I needed to set it with a powder, which is fine, I've come to expect it with combo skin!
The crazy good SPF? Gives you ghost face in pictures, wanna see? That's me in the middle with the ghost face! Yay!

If you want something that works along the lines of a tinted moisturizer but with more coverage, this would do it, but I don't recommend it for a night out where pictures will be taken! Unless you like the ghost face, I'm not judging you girl.

Dirty Blush?

noreply@blogger.com (breakfastinrome) — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 02:05:00 +0000

Man, I love Nars blushes but it's kind of awkward to title my blog post "Deep Throat" it may attract the wrong people. Nonetheless, even though the blush has a bit of an unsavory name it's what's inside that counts and let me tell you...it's awesome.

I feel like people probably don't need another Deep Throat review so I'll keep it short and sweet, but I'd never tried it before I thought it was too close to Orgasm and worried it wouldn't even show up on my skin. I managed to get my hands on the blush for relatively cheap on someone's blog sale, I figured, what have I got to lose? If I hate it I can swap it away on Makeupalley.

I was so worried I'd made the wrong decision it took me a couple of days to actually try the blush, but the day I did I realized, "This is a perfect Summer blush." For me at least, it's a wonderful light pinky flush of color with a hint of shimmer (which I never mind as long as it's not a glitter bomb.)

I like this blush more than Orgasm and I've been an Orgasm user for 2 years now. This one has a certain, something, I can't put my finger on it. It's a little more subtle, gives me a bit of a glow and is less glittery than Orgasm. I definitely recommend this blush as something to try out for the Olive skinned women out there. I didn't think it would work for me but I've been wearing it everyday since I got it!

C'est Faux?

noreply@blogger.com (breakfastinrome) — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 05:30:00 +0000

Well, I guess my last two posts are tied together by their French names! Faux, a nude MAC lipstick, is the culprit for this second french themed post.

I've got to say, as an olive skinned lady I am hard pressed to find a good nude lipstick. Usually they make my lips too white, like I've been hitting the crack, or it's too brown, which isn't nude at all. So, it's funny that although I've been on the hunt for a good nude lipstick for what seems like ages I ended up finding it randomly when I wasn't even looking.

This was a day when I went to the MAC counter to pick up a pre-order. I showed up, credit card in hand ready to pay and walk out. The SA had other things in mind. I had a fun 60's hair do and a thick winged out eyeliner and he says to me, "You know what would complete your look? A nude lipstick." To which I said, well, let me know when you find one that works for me because I'd like to see it.

Next thing I know he hands me Faux and just like So Chaud from the very first swipe I was in lipstick heaven. Faux is a satin finish and it glided on like butter, and while the color in the tube looks like a brown on my pigmented lips it was more of a nudey-pink and it was perfect. He was right, a nude lip did complete my look and I'd actually found a wonderful nude lipstick for the first time ever, by accident.

I think the best part about this lipstick is that it doesn't wash out my face/lips. It serves its purpose as a nude lipstick without being overbearing and unattractive, ahem, Gaga 2. It takes the usual berry color from my lips and covers it in a single swipe, leaving instead an evenly colored nude lip. Perfect.

So Chaud, So Caliente!

noreply@blogger.com (breakfastinrome) — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 00:57:00 +0000

A lot of new things have been going on over on this end. I'm sporting my curly hair for the first time in pretty much, ever, recently. It was all thanks for my awesome stylist who gave me my first hair cut tailored to my curly hair. I was apprehensive, but I've gotta say, I'm loving not having to blow dry my hair everyday! ---->

Another new thing going is that I've gotten a promotion at work! It's been really busy and the pay hasn't kicked in yet, but it's also really exciting because I'm really getting a lot of control over how things are done with a new project and that's incredibly exciting.

However, with it comes a lot of moments of frustration and feeling overwhelmed so whenever that happens I feel like I need a pick me up. Sometimes that will be a fun song, a cupcake or even a lipstick. In this case I'd been having a particularly bad day so I went to the MAC counter and said, "If I told you I'm angry what lipstick would you recommend?" and the SA (who is pretty much my make up guru) said, "Oh my God! So Chaud!" I was apprehensive to own another red lipstick, but gave it a try anyway.

I really think this lipstick is aptly named, "Chaud" means "Hot" in french. This is a very "Hot" color. When I saw the color in the tube I thought it leaned too orange to work on me, but I'm not going to lie when I swiped it on it was like my troubles melted away. What bad day? Look at this awesome lipstick I just found! Err, my SA found...haha

So Chaud is a matte and it is definitely a red/orange. Despite being matte it isn't incredibly drying and the lasting power was really impressive (Hello making it through lunch?). Gotta say though the best part about this shade is that it doesn't matter how down you are, you can't be sad when you have an awesome lipstick like this on! I wore it out of the store and got compliments all day. A bum even said to me, "Hey Lady! You got some nice lips there!" to which I responded with scurrying away, but still very nice nonetheless.

I have to say, this lipstick really made my day. It's part of MAC's permanent line so if you've been looking for a red/orange lipstick for your olive skin I'd give this one a try. I got so many compliments with this I don't even care that it's flashy! So go on girl, get you some hobo compliments!

Laura Geller Blush-N-Brighten Honey Dipped

noreply@blogger.com (breakfastinrome) — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 03:27:00 +0000

In my June Birchbox I got a full size product and it turned out to be Laura Geller's Blush-N-Brighten in Honey Dipped. When I realized I'd gotten something worth $30 for $10, and even with a bunch of other goodies, I was so happy! I am even happier now because it's not just a good value, it's a good product. I tested this out and is such a versatile and flattering product for women of olive skin.

This can be used as a blush, a bronzer or even eyeshadow in a pinch! If you layer it nicely it's a good blush and even has some luminizing qualities built in. If you wanted to use it as a bronzer (as long as you don't mind a shimmery bronzer!) you'd use a light hand and swipe it over the usual suspects. The best part about this is the color, it's just so...attractive!

I already owned some Laura Geller products and they are worth it. They last all day, you get a lot of product for the money and it's been good to my skin (no breakouts or anything!).

Summer-luminizing

noreply@blogger.com (breakfastinrome) — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 01:51:00 +0000

Well, summer is in full swing and now is the time to get a beautiful healthy glow. I've swapped (on Makeupalley!) for a new highlighter just recently and it is in one word: Amazing! I really feel that this is a wonderful highlighter for olive skin. I was worried that it was too white and that it would give me a chalky look, but what I ended up getting was getting a very nice illuminated glow. No glittery chunks, no white cast and no chalkiness! And look at how friggin cute this packaging is!

This stuff is super pigmented, not sure if that's the word for it in this situation, but in any case the best way to put it is, a little goes a long way! So use a light hand and build it if you find it necessary. The other good thing about it? It's multipurpose! You can use it as a shadow too.

Tarte Amazonian Clay Blushes

noreply@blogger.com (breakfastinrome) — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 00:51:00 +0000

So, I bought two of the Tarte Amazonian Clay blushes. I felt these were the MOST flattering on my NC35 skin tone. However, they are all beautiful. If I could have had my way I would have also walked away with Tipsy (Coral) and Exposed (Mauve-nude). The colors I did walk away with were Blissful (Peachy) and Flushed (Berry).

So, there you have it, those are the beautiful colors I chose and really love. Blissful gives me a great summer glow, while Flushed manages to look very subdued and natural on my skintone. These blushes are super pigmented and last a long time even during hotter months. I very much recommend these blushes and I also very much recommend these colors for people of olive skin.

Some changes!

noreply@blogger.com (breakfastinrome) — Sun, 26 Jun 2011 23:40:00 +0000

So, by some I really mean one. I added a new bit to my dashboard. As you can see there is now a "How to..." tab and it drops down to link to my "how to" blog posts. I figured that would be handy. Hope it helps someone!

What's in your make-up bag?

noreply@blogger.com (breakfastinrome) — Thu, 26 May 2011 06:17:00 +0000

I had someone ask me what I keep in my make-up bag. Well! I actually didn't have a "make-up bag" for a very long time. I'd just do my make up at home before work everyday and just let it do its thing. Now I take my make-up to work with me for those "lazy days" when I feel like I need coffee more than I need make-up (I'm going to be honest, I wake up 20 minutes before I have run out the door, I really do only have the option for one or the other).

So, here it is, the contents of my make-up bag. These are by no means my only pieces nor even necessarily my favorite make-up pieces. Some of them are tried and true faves and others are just the flavor of the week. I'll let you know what they are as I go along!

My make-up bag, from Ecotools from the Alicia Silverstone Line

This bag came with brushes in a separately zipped pouch, it's pretty great!

It's also nice and roomy.

Now on to the contents!

Urban Decay Baked Bronzer in "Baked"

I'm really loving the Urban Decay Baked Bronzer right now. It wasn't an impulse buy, I bought it because the counter girl put it on my bare face with nothing else and when I walked back to work after my lunch break I got compliments from people on my skin! It's pretty great. It's $24 at the counter.

Wet N Wild Comfort Zone palette.

This palette is a great mix of colors, is pigmented and thin so it doesn't take up much room. It's also only $4.99 at drugstores! Yaaaay!

Benefit Cosmetics "Hello Flawless!" SPF 15

I love this powder, it's just...what's the word? Nice! It evens everything out and sets all my make up really nicely. I'm a huge fan of the bottom level that houses a mini brush and sponge. I've already hit pan on this, which is hard with so much make-up!

E.L.F Palette with MAC shadows: Satin Taupe, Sketch, Illegal Cargo, Coquette

I enjoy this palette because it's small and cheap, it does the job for $1. These shadows I've collected by swapping for them on Makeupalley.com. Some of these are depots and some are MAC pro pans. I like to use Coquette as my eyebrow fill in color. It's perfect.

Trial size of Benefit Cosmetics stay don't stray

Stay Don't Stray is my favorite eyeshadow primer. It seems to do a really good job of 1)evening out the color of my lid 2)Making color more vibrant 3)Less likely to crease and 4)Makes it last longer.

Revlon ColorStay Makeup, Combination/Oily Skin

This is my favorite foundation, right now. I see that changing because it's not great, but it gets the job done. I'm honestly still on the search for the best foundation for my skin. It may be a never ending quest.

These are the brushes I use for my eyes. E.L.F Shader and Counter brushes and Revlon brow brush.

I use only these three brushes to do my eye make-up. Only when I'm on the go, at home I use way more brushes. Probably because I have a lot.

Urban Decay 24/7 Concealer

This is the easiest concealer for me to tote around in my bag. I do like it though, so it's not like that's the only reason I carry it around. It's creamy and easy/quick to use. It also matches my skin very well so it never looks odd if worn alone.

CoverGirl Professional Super Thick Lash Mascara

This is my holy grail for mascara. It's a drugstore brand, but it seriously does for my lashes what no other mascara does. They look full, long, healthy, and not clumpy. It's a truly well kept secret and I wish more people would sing its praises!

Clinique Airbrush Concealer

This concealer is THE BEST one stop shop for my under eyes. When I used to work at the Clinique counter I honestly never understood the power this product has. It took Lisa Elderidge to show me the way of the airbrush concealer to find out that this is what my under eyes had been looking for all along!

Urban Decay Zero/Whiskey 24/7liner from Naked Palette

This eyeliner is pretty much, amazing. It has a black and a brown together so they take up less space in my bag but also they are creamy, blendable, smudgeable, and yet wont budge throughout the day and last FOREVER. I love these 24/7 eyeliners now, it's caused me to buy more colors, all of which are also great.

Well! That's all folks! Hope this was either interesting or informative. Cuz lord knows it can't be both. Either way, hope you enjoyed it!

So, what's in your make-up bag?