FACE:PAINT

Overload

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

whaaaaaat, new domain name?! YUP.

My blog's moved over to http://www.face-painted.com!
widdlesh.blogspot.com will forward to the new domain, so no need to change bookmarks!

I just figured I might as well grow up and be a real blogger or something, considering I've had this blog for over 3 years now.
Lots of reworking to the blog still to be done, though I'm sure you guys have already noticed some changes.

ANYWAY.
Wanted to quickly share a couple super bright looks I put together for a couple contests, I'll link to each once I've already gone and entered. Just wanted to put all the info on my blog before I forget!

Originally only thought to do the gold and purple when a tealy green liner seemed really very appropriate. Now that I look back on it, it reminds me a lot of Esmeralda from Disney's Hunchback of Notre Dame.
COOL, I love that movie!

Face:
Primer: Origins High Potency Night a Mins + Lioele Fresh Face Sun Screen
Foundation: Lioele Beyond the Solution BB Cream + Rimmel 25 Hour Foundation in 300 Sand
Powder: MAC MSFN in Medium Plus
Contour: Benefit Hoola
Blush: ELF Peachy Keen

Eyes:
Primer: ELF Studio Primer
Base: NYX Jumbo Eyeshadow Pencil in Rust
Lid: Sugarpill Goldilux

Crease: Matte Red + MAC Espresso, MUFE 92
Browbone: MAC Brule
Inner Corner Highlight: MAC Ricepaper
Liner: ELF Black Cream liner + Ben Nye Jade + Sugarpill Magpie
Brows: ELF Brow Filler in Medium

Mascara: Blinc Tubular Mascara

----

This looks is basically inspired by a cream eyeliner! My ELF purchase from Cyber Monday finally arrived, which contained a beautiful electric blue liner. What really surprised me is that the metallic blue liner had tiny flecks of gold glitter in it! Really very subtle, but so beautiful I tried to mimic the effect on my lids!

I used the blue liner as a base, patted some electric blue shadow on top to intensify the color, and used my finger to dab a small amount of Sugarpill's Goldilux to get a bit of that gold glitter on top.

I also really played with a different, slightly more graphic eye shape here.

Really pleased with the results!

Face stuff is same as above, except I used ELF Mellow Mauve for blush

Eyes:
Primer: ELF Studio Primer
Base: ELF Brow Lifter, ELF Cream liner in Teal Tease, Punk Purple, Black
Lid: Ben Nye Cosmic Blue, Sugarpill Goldilux
Crease: MUFE 92

Undereye: Ben Nye Azalea + Cosmic Violet, MUFE 92
Browbone: MAC Brule
Inner Corner Highlight: Urban Decay Virgin
Liner: ELF Liquid liner
Brows: ELF Brow Filler in Medium
Mascara: Blinc Tubular Mascara

Oh Yeah! All my Cyber Monday orders have come in, so a haul/review shall be up soon!

Are you guys entering any holiday makeup contests? Which ones? And was this too much bright makeup in one post? lololol

Lemme know in the comments!

<3<3<3

Nay Vee

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

Spicin up my usual daytime look with a blue 'liner' I made by scraping off a bit of Urban Decay's Adore and mixing it with MAC Fix +. Loved the way it turned out!

Face:
Primer: Origins High Potency Night a Mins + Lioele Fresh Face Sun Screen
Foundation: Rimmel 25 hour Foundation + Lioele Beyond the Solution BB Cream
Powder: MAC MSFN Natural in Medium Plus
Contour: Benefit Hoola
Blush: ELF Peachy Keen

Eyes:
Primer: ELF Studio Primer
Base: NYX Jumbo Eyeshadow Pencil in Dark Brown
Lid: MAC Soba
Browbone: MAC Brule
Inner Corner Highlight: MAC Ricepaper
Liner: ELF Black Cream liner + Urban Decay Adore
Brows: ELF Brow Filler in Medium

Mascara: Blinc Tubular Mascara

<3<3<3

Bright is Better

2011-12-05T08:00:00.000-08:00

Been stickin with neutrals so often lately, I've forgotten what it's like to wear COLOR.

Threw on some purples, felt way good!

Used a technique I've kind of invented and have been falling back on a lot lately:

Prime lids. Apply black liner in desired shape, blend upwards on the lid
Press desired liner color (in this case, blue) on top of black liner, in desired shape
Using a duochrome eyeshadow, pat onto lid on top of remaining black liner, blend out
Finish however else you want

What does this actually do? Well, applying a duochrome on top of black brings out it's iridescent color more than the base, and when you play with the placement of black liner as a base, you can change up a color without actually grabbing a second shadow!

Might sound confusing, but I've been doing this a lot lately to maximize color while minimizing time/effort.

I'll do another look like this using Club, so you guys can get an idea of how it looks in a more neutral context.

Face:
Primer: Origins High Potency Night a Mins + Lioele Fresh Face Sun Screen
Foundation: Rimmel 25 Hour Foundation + Lieole BB Cream
Powder: MAC MSFN in Medium Plus
Contour: Benefit Hoola
Blush: ELF Peachy Keen

Eyes:
Primer: ELF STudio Primer
Base: ELF Black Cream Liner
Lid: AboutFace High Drama
Crease: MUFE 92
Browbone: MAC Brule, NYX Opal
Inner Corner Highlight: NYX Opal
Liner: ELF Black cream lineUrban Decay Deluxe Eyeshadow in Adore
Brows: ELF Brow Filler in Medium
Mascara: Blinc Tubing Mascara

I didn't go Black Friday shopping this year, and waited to splurge on Cyber Monday instead. Nothing too exciting; picked up some backups from ELF, and got an Origins Cleanser and Yu Be Cream from Sephora, both of which I'm pretty excited to try out! Still waiting on everything to ship, but happy to be trying out new things again!

Did you guys get anything from Black Friday/Cyber Monday this year? Anyone getting the NAKED 2 Palette? Worth it? Lemme know what you think!

Too Newt

2011-12-03T12:16:00.001-08:00

Hey all! Taking the little bit of down time I have before I have to go up to school and churn out a bunch of art to post a couple looks that have been my go-to this fall!

My favefaveFAAAAVORITE dramatic-yet-easy/quick look to throw on when I'm feelin shmancy!

Just pairing very lightly smoked out eyes and winged liner with a vampy, but not too dark lip color.

Keepin my face really neutral; still contouring but skippin the blush!

Face:
Primer: Origins High Potency Night-A-Mins + Lioele Fresh Face Fun Screen
Foundation: Revlon 25 Hour Foundation in 300 Sand + Lioele Beyond the Solution BB Cream
Powder: MAC MSFN in Medium Plus

Contour: Benefit Hoola
Highlight: ELF Peachy Keen

Lips:

Liner: NYX Dark Purple

Lipstick: Revlon Wild Orchid

Gloss: NYX Garnet

Eyes:
Primer: ELF Studio Primer
Base: NYX Jumbo Eyeshadow Pencil in Dark Brown
Lid: NAKED Darkhorse + MAC Soba
Browbone: MAC Brule
Inner Corner Highlight: MAC Ricepaper
Liner: ELF Liquid liner in Black, MUFE Black liner
Brows: ELF Brow Filler in Medium + MAC Soba
Mascara: Blinc Tubing Mascara

Another really quick n easy look I put together. I used my NYX Dark Brown Jumbo Eeyshadow Pencil as a base, lined along my lashes with carbon, put some Creep and Espresso in the outer corners, then patted Sidecar on top to blend everything together. Really liked how it turned out pretty dramatic, but still soft enough for daytime!

Used all the same face stuff as above, except I used Philosophy's You Make Me Blush in Happy/Healthy on my cheeks

Eyes:
Lid: MAC Carbon + NAKED Sidecar
Crease:MAC Espresso, Soba
Browbone: MAC Brule
Inner Corner Highlight: NAKED Virgin

What are your guys' go to looks this fall? Are you stickin to neutrals like me for ease, or are you goin dark and smokey? Lemme know in the comments!
<3<3<3

BACK FROM THE DEAD

2011-11-27T15:06:00.001-08:00

Me and my Zomboyfriend, clownin around on Halloween.

DAAAAAAANG you guys, WHATS UP!!

I've been gone for far too long this time around. I didn't mean to do it; I promise this little blog has been on my mind all the 2 months I was gone!

But I have several reasons for my absence:

1) Taking 3 studios this quarter has zapped the life outta me. Straight up no energy upon arrival at home. (will be posting some pics of my art soon on my art facebook, check it out soon!)

2) Song of Ice and Fire. Ever since the lovely Meredith Jessica over at Pigments and Palettes recommended Game of Thrones to me, I've been horribly obsessed . It was an AWESOME show, and the need to know what happens next drove me to read the series. Currently halfway through Storm of Swords, which means I've read 2 800 page books this quarter x_x.

3) Skyrim.

I play video games, and I play them a lot. This quarter has been a nice reunion for me and my pastime of choice, but once Skyrim came out, my pastime turned into an obsession.

So so sorry for the extended absence; I still love makeup, and still wear it everyday, just haven't been taking pictures as often. This has been a good opportunity to try out new looks though, which I'll be sharing soon!

This has been my go to face lately. Really simple light smokey eye, with the usual contouring and blush.

I've also been trying out some BB Creams lately, which explains why my face looks so pale in some of them, haven't found the one that matches my color best. Suffice it to say that I LOOOVE the way my skin's been likin them, despite color frustrations.

Face:
Primer: Origins High Potency Night a Mins + Lieole Fresh Face Sunscreen
Foundation: Lioele Beyond the Solution BB Cream + Rimmel 25 Hour Foundation in 300 Sand
Powder: MAC MSFN in Medium Plus
Contour: Benefit Hoola/MAC Blunt
Blush: Philosophy You Make Me Blush in Happy/Healthy

Eyes:
Primer: ELF Studio Primer
Base: NYX Jumbo Eyeshadow Pencil in Dark Brown
Lid: Mac Carbon, Soba
Browbone: MAC Brule
Inner Corner Highlight: Urban Decay Naked Palette Virgin
Liner: MUFE Black liner
Brows: ELF BRow Filler in Medium
Mascara: Blinc Tubular Mascara

I'll be really busy this week with finals and whatnot, so I might not post again til the weekend, but here are some pictures of my face from earlier this month!

Return of the 'blank stare smile' lololol

Red winged liner, a classic!

Alright that's all for now, lovelies! Hello to all my new readers, and thanks to the old ones for not abandoning me!
Love you all, and hoping you had a great Holiday Weekend!
<3

Dramarama

2011-09-15T16:35:00.000-07:00

Recently, I've been spending a lot of time over at The Makeup Bee DROOLING over the insane amounts of talent and GORGEOUSNESS. I've been inspired by all the bright colors, cut creases and DRAMA I've been lacking in my own day to day looks.

Here's a look I came up with inspired by a collection of looks from themakeupbee.

I did a cut crease too! I made it really easy too by drawing the line I want with black creamy liner and an angled liner brush, then pulling it out to blend. Dust some purple shadow over that and BLAMMO! Cut crease with no fuss :P

My face stuff is always the same.

Contour: Sephora Sun Disk

Blush: ELF Peachy Keen

Eyes:
Primer: ELF primer
Base: NYX Jumbo Eyeshadow Pencil in Cherry
Lid: NYX Sunset, Golden Orange
Crease: ELF Black Cream Liner, MUFE 92
Browbone: MAC Brule
Inner Corner Highlight: NAKED palette Virgin
Liner: ELF BLack Cream liner + Prestige Liquid liner
Brows: ELF Brow Filler in Medium
Mascara: Fairydrops Scandal Queen

So yeah, if you haven't checked out Makeup Bee yet, YA BETTA DO IT!

Some of my favorite bloggers like Ronnie (of Bows and Curtsies) and Meredith Jessica (of Pigments and Palette) are tearin it UP over there with their skills and talent!

Don't forget to follow me over there too, if you haven't already! :DD

Where do you guys look for makeup inspiration? Lemme know in the comments!

<3<3<3

Coolin down

2011-09-13T08:00:00.000-07:00

Summer's nearly over.

Days are getting shorter, and consistently gloomier, meaning that fall's definitely on it's way. Which is good for me, since it's one of my favorite seasons. I guess I really like all of them for different reasons, but fall is a nice balance of cool, gloomy weather that warrants dressing in layers (which is my favorite), and the last inklings of sun leftover from summer.

Here's a look I did, mildly inspired by the gloominess of today.

Put a cool, minty aqua over a dark brown. The same color is used on the lower lashes over a white base, so you can see the difference.

Typical face stuff.

Blush: Philosophy You Make me Bluch in Happy/Healthy

Contour: Sephora Sun Disk

Highlight: Laura Geller Blush N Bright in Como + highlighter in Portofino

Eyes:
Primer: ELF Primer
Base: NYX Jumbo Eyeshadow Pencil in Dark Brown
Lid: Coastal Scents Karma
Crease:MAC Club, Espresso, Soba
Browbone: MAC Brule
Inner Corner Highlight: About Face Widdles and Waddles + NYX Opal
Liner: ELF Black Cream liner + Prestige liquid liner
Brows: ELF Brow filler in Medium + ELF Brow Kit powder in Dark
Mascara: Fairydrops Scandal Queen

Goin down to LA for a bit next weekend, then school starts immediately when I return. So much to do before then!

<3<3<3

"Favorites"

2011-09-11T18:49:00.000-07:00

I've been trying to keep up with posting monthly favorites, but since I'm in college, and am constantly broke, I'm not finding I have many new options to show each month.

I haven't been buying much makeup lately (trying to save up for like, 4 more tattoos), so I've been getting creative with the makeup I already have to get new life out of old favorites!

Lately, I've been playing around with mixing different eye shadows to get new colors! Here are some awesome combos I've stumbled upon:

Left to right:
Ben Nye Iced Gold + Ben Nye Azalea (same color featured in Golden Azalea)
Ben Nye Iced Gold + Ben Nye Cosmic Blue (the mixed result is more icy blue in person)
NAKED Palette Hustle + Ben Nye Azalea (DIE. Fucking GORGEOUS color, right?!)

I feel like I played around more with mixing colors, but these are the ones that first came to mind. I'll post more if I find them.

I've also been loving playing around with duochromes and different colored bases.
"What's a duochrome??" you might ask?

Well it's basically when an eyeshadow color has a main base color, and also has a different colored iridescent shimmer to it, so it can look like different colors depending on what angle you see it at/how the light hits it.
The coolest thing about duochromes is that the iridescent color becomes more dominant when applied over a dark (black) base.
2 colors in 1? FUCK YEAH!
Some good examples of duochromes are MAC's Club (Brown/Green), Beautiful Iris (pale lavender/pinky violet) and Stars and Rockets (Pinky violet/Blue).

If you haven't tried using duochromes yet, you better get your hands on a few! Thankfully, they're pretty easy to come by!

In conclusion, here are the different ways I've been experimenting with color combinations:

Use different colored bases! My favorite by far are NYX's Jumbo eyeshadow Pencils. Put an icy blue over a dark brown base, try gold over red, or pink over taupe. It'll come out different every time!

Mix eyeshadows of different colors to get new ones! Literally just swirl your brush in one pan, then swirl it right into another color! It'll come out mixed when applied to the lid! Just be careful not to mix the colors too much, or it might muddy and ruin your shadows :P

Use both techniques to mess around with duochrome colors! Create something really new and unexpected!

It's the makeup equivalent to 'shopping your closet'!

Okay, so that's what I've been up to lately.
Besides cleaning, gardening and video gaming, of course!

How are you guys finishing up your summers? Know any cool color combos? Let me know in the comments!
<3<3<3

Bigger Looking Eyes with Lashes from KKCenterHK

2011-09-09T08:00:00.000-07:00

I think pretty much everyone wants to make their eyes look bigger. It gives you a kind of innocent, doe-eyed look that's pretty must irresistible, especially with Japanese gyaru makeup, TOO FUGGIN CUTE!!!

Anyway, with a little white eyeliner, false lashes and clever positioning, you can make your eyes look bigger and wider!

If you wanted X-TRA large, doll like eyes, you could try wearing a pair of circle lenses too! It's pretty much the icing on the cake, however, I'm horribly horribly paranoid about losing my vision, so dat shizz aint fo me!

Yes, I did try a double liner here, but that isn't what's gonna make your eyes look bigger. What will is a combination of white/fleshy eyeliner and falsies, specifically, bottom falsies.

You essentially wanna line your waterline with the light liner, to kinda make it look like the whites of your eyes extend further. You can even line your lashline (which I did), and recreate a false lashline a bit lower than your real one with false bottom lashes.

The lashes I'm using are from KKCenterHK. The bottom lashes are the ES A188, one strip cut in half. They're ok- but since the lash shape is kinda triangular, they don't look all that natural. Also, as I was cutting the band, one of the little strips of hair kinda rotated around the band, so it was facing a different angle. Kinda weird, but I made it work the best I could.
The top lashes are the ES A10 (My favorite from them!), also cut in half.

Again, legit gyaru looks do a way better job of creating the illusion of bigger eyes, so look it up if you wanna try something like this out for yourself.

Thank you to KKCenterHK for sending me the lashes to try!

As always, my review is 100% my own opinion, and honest. :))

Back to Black

2011-09-08T17:12:00.000-07:00

Nothing to do with Amy Winehouse. But I did recently bring back my love for black eyeshadow.

I'm still in the process of catching up, but I just put this on today and loved it a lot, so I wanted to share it with you guys now.
I've realized that as much as I love black, and wear it all the time (literally, my laundry is a nightmare to sort through, cuz it's ALL black.), I haven't been wearing it much on my eyes, apart from liner. I have quite a few black shadows... cuz c'mon, you GOTTA have at least 1 matte black eyeshadow! But I haven't been using them much in the last year or so, besides mixing with other shadows.

This is something I used to do all the time. It's kind of a no brainer, and it's always flattering and dramatic!

Pretty easy stuff here! Apply a shimmery shadow all over the lid, get a nice dark matte brown in the crease to give the black something to blend into, build up a matte black in the outer corners with a pencil brush. Easy peasy!

I also added a bit of color to the lips, since I normally don't do that and figured you guys might like to see a more toned down lip look.

Face:
Primer: Origins Vitazing
Foundation: Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer in Sand
Powder: MAC MSFN in Medium Plus
Contour: Benefit Hoola
Blush: ELF Peachy Keen

Eyes:
Primer: ELF Primer
Base: NYX Jumbo Eyeshadow Pencil in Iced Mocha
Lid: MAC Woodwinked + Naked Palette Gunmetal
Crease: MAC Carbon, Espresso, Soba
Browbone: MAC Brule
Inner Corner Highlight: MAC Light Ray
Liner: ELF Cream liner in Black + Naked Palette Creep
Brows: ELF Brow Filler in Medium + MAC Espresso
Mascara: FairyDrops Scandal Queen

A picture of the look without da lips.

Anyways, would you guys like to see how I do a full on black smokey eye? I haven't done one in years, but I'd love to try it again!

Hope you guys are enjoying soaking up the rest of the summer! It's pretty fuckin hot over here!! :)

<3<3<3

RETURN

2011-09-04T13:02:00.000-07:00

Hello blogger, it's been FAR TOO LONG.

Sorry with the extreme lack of posts, people, but it's from a combination of an extreme last few weeks of summer school and very aggressive 'relaxing' back at home. Now all that commotion is over, and I can finally get to catching up on my blog.

I've got a lot of plans for the future of this beloved blog, like a complete design revamp, as well as new forms of advertising. I just want it cleaner and less cluttered so it's easier to skim through. YOU'LL SEE. in time.

Also have several posts lined up, like August faves, favorite brushes, and how to make your eyes look bigger with false lashes.

Thank you for your continued support despite my absence. I've been reading all of your guys' awesome comments, and they've been making my day! :D

Anyways, here's a turquoisey look I did a while back, which I haven't posted for a while.

Inspired by Jen from Frmheadtotoe's Turquatic look. Really simple; just patted some blue in the outer corners, yellow in the inner corners and green in the middle to blend!

Face stuff is always the same

Can't remember everything I used, but I definitely used the Ben Nye Grande Lumiere palette liberally.
Sun Yellow, Chartreuse and Cosmic Blue on the lids, Prestige liquid liner for liner, ELF brow filler in medium, and MAC Brule as a brow highlight :)

That's it for now, hope you ladies are having a wonderful weekend. I promise, no more long gaps in between posts. Queue it or lose it! :D

Golden Azalea

2011-08-17T08:00:00.000-07:00

Helllooooo!
Remember when I posted the Ben Nye Grande Lumiere Palette in my last Favorites post? Well, you don't even have to, cuz here's a link back to it!

One of the reasons I love this palette is that all the colors are so mixable! Out of all my pressed shadows, these mix exceptionally well together; I love playing with different colors and textures!

I got this by mixing Ben Nye's Azalea, a velvety hot pink, with Iced Gold, a metallic champagne. The result was this fabulous golden coral! I mixed some matte colors from the CoastalScents 88 palette to make a pretty pinky purple. Didn't plan this look, but I'm really glad it ended up this way!

Face:
Primer: Origins Vitazing
Foundation: Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer in Sand
Powder: MAC MSFN in Medium Plus
Contour: Benefit Hoola
Blush: ELF Blushing Rose + Laura Geller Blusher in Como + Highlighter in Portofino

Eyes:
Primer: ELF Studio Primer
Base: NYX Jumbo Eyeshadow Pencil in Cherry + Rust
Lid: Ben Nye Azalea + Iced Gold
Crease: CoastalScents 88 Palette. NAKED Palete Naked + Buck
Browbone: MAC Brule
Inner Corner Highlight: White/purple duochrome in Hard Candy Techno Palette
Liner: ELF Black cream liner + Prestige liquid liner
Brows: ELF Brow Filler in Medium
Mascara: Fairydrops Scandal Queen Mascara

Do you guys experiment with your makeup? Find any great combos by accident?

<3<3<3

Smokey Grey with the Naked Palette

2011-08-16T08:00:00.000-07:00

It was cloudy a couple mornings ago, and I feel like cloudy days ALWAYS call for a smokey eye.

Yup! Nothing too fancy. Just Gunmetal all over the lid, and blended out with Naked and Buck. Of course, winged liner included, but definitely not necessary!

Sorry for the blur, I was in a rush.

Face:
Primer: ORigins Vitazing
Foundation: Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer in Sand
Powder: MAC MSFN in Medium Plus
Blush: Philosophy You Make Me Blush in Happy Healthy

Eyes:
Primer: ELF Studio Primer
Base: NYX Jumbo Eyeshadow Pencil in Slate
Lid: NAKED Palette Gunmetal
Crease: NAKED Palette Buck
Browbone: MAC Brule
Inner Corner Highlight: NAKED PAlette Virgin
Liner: ELF Cream Liner + Prestige liquid liner
Brows: ELF Brow Filler in Medium + Buck
Mascara: Fairydrops Scandal Queen

Do you guys match your makeup to the weather? How do you decide what to wear?

<3<3<3

July Favorites...

2011-08-14T17:09:00.000-07:00

super wayyyy late. It's not QUITE halfway through August yet, so I feel justified in posting this so late.

WHATEVA, I BEEN BUSY.

Clockwise from bottom left:

Ahava Hand Cream: Lithography uses LOTS and LOTS of water. My hands have been desert dry cuz of it. This has saved my life, and my bf's face! Smells kinda like a grandma, but that's kinda why I like it :P

Philosophy You Make Me Blush in Happy/Healthy: The blush side is a beautiful peach with gold shimmer in it, and the bronzer is a dusty, slightly shimmery neutral tan. When I'm in a rush, or lazy, I love swirling my brush in both colors and dusting it high on my cheeks. Blush, bronzer, AND highlight done!

Laura Geller Blush n Brighten in Como, highlighter in Portofino: Got this in my June Birchbox, and I feel like I got lucky, cuz this has a blush AND highlighter, while most got either a blush, bronzer or highlighter. Kinda the same idea with the above blusher/bronzer, cept I like to use this with a contour. It's pretty shimmery, so it combines blush and highlighter. Also great to brighten a really severe blush like MAC's Frankly Scarlet.

Ben Nye Grande Lumiere Palette: I've had this for probably 3 years now, and still have a long ways to go with it! All the colors are shimmery, but not too much. Kinda similar to the texture of Urban Decay shadows, but harder; not as buttery, if that makes sense? LOVE every single color, except probably the purple one, which is a GORGEOUS color, but sadly, not very pigmented.

Prestige Liquid Liner: Kinda my Holy Grail liquid liner. Yeah yeah, it's not super black, and it's ALWAYS sold out at the drug store, but I've been using it since high school, and just KNOW it so well. I'm on my last tube of it, and I have an ELF liquid liner as a backup, but I'm definitely gonna miss this one :(

MAC Brule: Definitely my HG highlighter. I use it every day, and you can tell since I've way hit the pan. Running out of this will be enough to warrant a trip to MAC... hopefully I'll have money to splurge by then...or at least $20 bucks for an eyeshadow -_-;;

Origins Vitazing: Talked about it so much, I don't feel like I need to reiterate the past like 2 times it's been in my favorites. But still, I love it.

Origins Ginzing: Again, a repeat from favorites past, but I'm still loving it. Summer school has been running me into the ground, basically, and this really helps me look like a person, and not a zombie in the mornings.

Yursss. That's it.

I'm making cheese today (mozzarella). Once I get back home from printing. Hopefully it turns out, cuz I bought some nice ass milk for it.

If it does, I'm adding garlic next time :DDDD

Hope everyone's had a lovely weekend! What are your current favorites?

<3<3<3

Earth People, I was born on Jupiter

2011-08-13T13:44:00.000-07:00

ack. School's been keeping me so busy I haven't had time to blog as much as I'd like.

Today's been my first day off in a few weeks, so I celebrated by throwing on somethin CRAZYYY

This is what I came up with

Inspired by a gorgeous photo I saw on Tumblr, but didn't save, so I can't link it :|

I didn't bother with any face product for this. Just some of my trusty Vitazing, with a bit of Korres Face Primer and ELF Complexion Perfection Powder.

On the eyes I used NYX Jumbo Eyeshadow Pencils in Yellow and Orange,

Ben Nye Sun Yellow and Tangerine,

and my favorite gold, EVER, Sugarpill Goldilux!

The bottom lashes I used were sent to me by KKCenterHK, and are ES188s. I'll do another, wearable look in the near future with them.

Of course, it would've looked better if I covered my brows, but I washed this off right away, so didn't bother.

Lips are lined with black liner, and filled in with a custom purple lip color I mixed up ages ago using OCC liptars and AboutFace Pigments.

....And this is how I cleaned my house. :P

Yup. Short n kinda sweet. Today is a super busy errand day, but will end with lots of blogging so I can cue up posts throughout my busy ass school week.

btw, my friend Rhiannon as an awesome blog you guys should check out. She's a sweetie who's helping me with HTML and general blog vamping. Definitely visit her and follow!

Hope everyone's weekend is off to a great start!

<3<3<3

Daytime Club

2011-08-07T18:13:00.000-07:00

It's a beautiful Sunday afternoon. I'm drinking tea and should be writing my Antony and Cleopatra paper, but am blogging instead. I'm too good at procrastinating.

This is the look I wore to a brunch/workday yesterday. Wanted to play around with Club, since I havent in a while. Here's how it came out!

Face:
Primer: Origins Vitazing
Foundation: Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer in Sand
Powder: MAC MSFN in Medium Plus
Blush: Philosophy You Make me Blush in Happy/Healthy

Eyes:
Primer: ELF Primer
Base: NYX Jumbo Eyeshadow Pencil in Dark Brown
Lid: MAC Club, NAKED Palette Hustle
Crease:UD NAKED Palette Buck + Naked
Browbone: MAC Club
Inner Corner Highlight: NAKED Palette Virgin
Liner: ELF Cream liner in Black + MAC Club
Brows: ELF Brow Filler in Medium + NAKED Palette Buck
Mascara: Fairydrops Scandal Queen

A sketch for an upcoming litho print. Part of what took up yesterday.

Btw, I have an art page on Facebook. Check it out and click 'like' if you haven't already done so! :)

...and on to that paper x_x

Pink N Olive

2011-08-05T15:42:00.000-07:00

Hadn't done an olivey look in a second, so I busted out some pigments from the now defunct AboutFace/TheSheSpace, and played around to get this! I threw in some of MAC's Club too, for extra brown n green measure

Face:
Primer: Vitazing
Foundation: Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer in Sand
Powder: MAC MSFN in Medium Plus
Contour: Benefit Hoola
Blush: ELF Peachy Keen

Eyes:
Primer: ELF Studio Primer
Base: NYX Jumbo Eyeshadow Pencil in Iced Mocha
Lid: About Face Vintage Advantage, Kiss the Frogs
Crease: UD NAKED Palette Naked
Browbone: MAC Brule
Inner Corner Highlight: NAKED Virgin
Liner: ELF Cream liner in Black + MAC Club
Brows: ELF Brow Filler in Medium + Soba
Mascara: Fairy Droops Scandal Queen

I liked the look a lot, and paired it with some super bright pink lips the next day! I also did something I haven't done before, which is leave my lower lashline bare.

It was super hard to try to not fuss with it, but I ended up really loving the way it looked!
I used the same techniques from my previous post, just wanted to show the same tricks can be applied to any lip color!

Face:
Primer: Vitazing
Foundation: Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer in Sand
Powder: MAC MSFN in Medium Plus

Eyes:
Primer: ELF Studio Primer
Base: NYX Jumbo Eyeshadow Pencil in Iced Mocha
Lid: About Face Vintage Advantage

Crease: UD NAKED Palette Buck

Browbone: MAC Brule
Inner Corner Highlight: NAKED Virgin
Liner: ELF Cream liner in Black + Prestige liquid liner

Brows: ELF Brow Filler in Medium + Soba
Mascara: Fairy Drops Scandal Queen

Lips:

Liner: NYX Plush Red

Color: Revlon lipstick in Wild Orchid, OCC Lip Tar in Anime

Seriously, these lips were BRIGHT. Fools were staring from across the street and whatnot.

WHATEVA. I love this color
I leave you now with a funny/slightly creepy 'blank stare smile'

Process || Red

2011-08-01T22:44:00.000-07:00

That's an ink color. And a title. :PP

Makeup application is a complicated and arduous process. It takes people QUITE some time to get down their routine for that perfect, polished face. I don't really do tutorials, but I thought I'd at least break down my routine for you guys! (plus what I'm currently using)

Recipe for my Daily Face

Start with moisturizer and eye cream (Origins Vitazing and Ginzing)
Prime eyelids & undereye (ELF Studio)
Sweep eyeshadow on lids, browbone, crease, undereye and inner corner(Naked Palette)
Foundation/Tinted Moisturizer (Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer in Sand)

apply with finger tips for minimal effort

liner/s (MUFE black liner, ELF Cream black liner, Prestige liquid liner)
Brows (ELF Brow Filler in Medium + UD Buck, MAC Espresso or Soba)

Depends on the day

Powdah face. Set foundation. (MAC MSFN, Medium Plus)
Contour (Benefit Hoola)
Blush, highlighter optional
Buff with Kabuki
Lips, if necessary.

AND THAT'S ALL FOLKS!!

Jk. I wouldn't leave you guys without a face. But really, this is how I do my makeup. Everyday. It definitely looks like a lot, but I got it down to 15-20 mins for a full face. All the looks on my blog are looks I wear IRL, so ya know, that's pretty fast! If I'm rushed, I can get away with pretty much nothing
BUT I NEVER LEAVE THE HOUSE WITHOUT WINGED LINER.

Anyway, here's my face from today:

Had an exam on Romeo and Juliet for my Shakespeare class today. Ugh fuck summer school. If I wasn't tryna graduate early and get outta college I'd for sure be layin around smokin blunts playin video games, and blogging ALL DAY.

So much for the last summer of my school career :(

Oh well. Wanted extra confidence for aforementioned test, hence the lips. I think it worked. A, PLEASE!!

This is where I normally where I post what I put on my face, but I just did up there ^^^ when I laid out my routine. DONE.

Eyes:
Primer: ELF Studio Primer
Base: NYX Jumbo Eyeshadow Pencil in Iced Mocha
Lid: MAC Woodwinked, UD Naked Palette Sidecar
Crease: UD Naked Palette Naked
Browbone: MAC Brule
Inner Corner Highlight: NAKED Palette Virgin

Liner: MUFE Black liner, ELF Cream liner, Prestige liquid liner
Brows: ELF Brow Filler in Medium + MAC Soba
Mascara: Fairydrops Scandal Queen

Lips:

Liner: NYX Lip liner in Hot Red

Color: Revlon Certainly Red, OCC Lip Tar in NSFW

Gloss: HIP Shine Struck liquid lip color in Turbulent

Some people have asked me how to sport a red lip.

Wearing any kind of bold lip color is hard, just cuz it's so easy to make mistakes; bleeding/feathering, fading, lipstick on teeth, awkward post-food ring in the center, etc. TOO MANY THINGS TO WORRY ABOUT.

I HATE applying makeup in public. Even to re apply lipstick. For me, it just ruins the 'illusion'. So I definitely try to apply my lips in a way that I won't have to reapply through out the day, and the secret is LAYERS.

Here's how I do it:

Moisturize lips with balm or something while doin the rest of the face
Wipe off excess balm, and POWDER LIPS. *this is a crucial step to avoid feathering*
Line lips with a SHARP lip pencil roughly matching your lip color or slightly darker. Fill in lips as well.
Apply lip color, either lipstick straight from the tube, or a lip tar with a brush.
BLOT
repeat previous two steps till satisfied with color opacity.
Throw on some gloss for a super fake, perfect lacquered look. (LOOVE a glossy lip, but it bleeds easier)
Don't forget the notorious finger pop to avoid lipstick on your teeth!

OK. Kinda late. Gotta catch up reading for Antony and Cleopatra and get ready for my litho class tomorrow morning.
UGH. Are any of you guys doing summer school? What are you taking?
<3<3<3<3

July Birchbox review!

2011-07-31T18:31:00.000-07:00

I'm not really sure if I posted a Birchbox review for June? OH WELL. I think that might've been the one where everyone got a full size Laura Mercier blush? If that's the case, I LOVED IT. done.

This month was pretty good for Birchbox too!

First of all, the box was awesome! Love the awesome marbled cover sleeve!

Redken Shine Flash

"A must for all Cynthia's runway shows, this weightless spray give hair a brilliant finish"

This spray is awesome! I can't tell if it's really a style-holding hairspray, but it definitely makes it super shiny! With this crazy heat in the summer time, my hair's been pretty frizzy and pretty knotty and dull. This spray helps it look shinier, and healthier!

Ahava Mineral Hand Cream

" Loaded with Dead Sea Minerals, this fast-absorbing cream heals dry hands without a smidge of residue"

Perfect description! This lotion sinks in to the skin really well, AND has a really pleasant, clean-laundry scent. I've been taking a litho class this summer, which works with water and grit, which means my hands are constantly dry and crackly. This has been my SAVIOR. And my friends too! Wouldn't mind a full size one of these, myself!

philosophy purity made simple one-step cleanser

"This perennial award-winner is PH-balanced to gently clear away dirt, oil and makeup without drying out skin"

I recently ran out of my beloved Cetaphil cleanser, and this has been a really nice replacement. It's a milky cleanser that creates a little bit of foam, but not too much. My face feels really clean when I use this! I don't know if I really like the minty-herby scent it kinda has, but it's tolerable enough for me to use everyday!

Zoya Touch Collection Nail Polish in Shay

"Neutral gets a sexy makeover in this creamy, slightly metallic nude. The perfect accessory to summer's bright fashions"

On me, this color looks exactly like my actual nails, but slightly lighter and more even, with a tiny bit of shimmer. Not quite so pink as it looks in the picture, it's slightly more yellow and champagney. It's too nudey for me to want to wear all the time, but it's a great color to wear to like a formal event when you want to look clean and polished. Will probably pass this along to my mom.

This box also included a Kind Almond and Apricot bar, which I brought to school and ate during a long work day. I really loved it! It's just like whole nuts and fruits compressed together, sooo delicious! If I see these anywhere, I'll definitely be picking some up!

Ok, that's it! What did you ladies get in your July Birchboxes? Let me know! :D

<3<3<3<3

Giveaway Closed! And the Winners are....

2011-07-29T09:38:00.000-07:00

First Prize Winner:

VIK

Yup! You're winning the Vitazing, Sigma Brushes, And ELF Essentials!

I will be contacting you shortly, please check your emails!

Also, you should totally continue writing your blog! You have a great writing style, and I'd love to see more!

Second place, winning an F80 Flat Top Kabuki Brush, courtesy of Sigma:

A.M

You create beautiful looks, and have a great blog!

I will be contacting you shortly!

Thank you soooo much to everyone that entered! Your feedback has been invaluable for future posts! Expect lots of great things from me in the future!

<3<3<3<3<3<3<3

*EDIT*

The winner for the F80 brush has kindly and very generously declined the prize, as she already owns
this brush and wants to give someone else a chance to try it out!

She posts really great reviews and has great makeup skills, so please go check out her blog and follow this awesome human being! :D

Again,
CHECK OUT HER BLOG!!

Alrighty, my new winner for the F80 brush is....

MEREDITH JESSICA

another woman with an amazing blog! Her makeup skills are truly incredible and hugely inspiring!

Congrats dear! I'll contact you shortly through email!

alrighty, my first giveaway, DOWN! Congrats to the winners! (who were selected through Random.org, btw)

<3<3<3

Nyx Jumbo Eyeshadow Pencils

2011-07-28T07:00:00.000-07:00

These are my favorite bases. EVER.

They're inexpensive, easy to use, and come in a variety of colors, what's not to love?
Perfect for punching up eyeshadow colors, or slightly altering them!
They're super creamy, and don't last long without setting an eyeshadow over them, but tackiness of them helps eye shadows adhere to the lid much easier.

I've had mine for about 2 years now, and I still have plenty product to last a lifetime!
If I need to pick something up from NYX, I'd definitely want to expand my jumbo eyeshadow collection!

I definitely recommend these babies to anyone who loves packing on shadow!

**My Giveaway is ending TONIGHT at 11:59 PM Pacific Time. Get your entries in before then for a chance to win some of my favorite products! **

No Flash

Flash

From Left to Right:

Milk, Cottage Cheese, Yellow, Gold, Orange, Hot Pink, Cherry, Rust, Iced Mocha, Dark Brown, Slate

Milk: Matte, milky white. Perfect all around base, as its brightness makes any eyeshadow show more like it does in the pan.

Cottage Cheese: Frosty white. It looks pretty opaque in the swatch, but sheers out a bunch when applied to the lid. Makes any shadow instantly shimmery.

Yellow: Matte Canary Yellow. Matte yellow shadows that have great pigmentation and aren't chaly are hard to find. This base can boost almost any yellow, making the hard to use color easier to work with!

Gold: Frosty rose gold. This gold definitely leans toward the warm, almost coppery side, but if very useful in neutral and gold looks. Great as a liner too!

Orange: Matte yellowy orange. I don't use this color as often as I use Yellow or Cherry, but if I'm doing a look that involves red AND yellow, this one's the one I reach for. I've also used this as a blush base. Excellent for extra warmth!

Hot Pink: Matte Flamingo Pink. This pink is pretty violent, but not quite neon. Can be subdued a bit under more neutral colors, and great with purples! A great blush color!

Cherry: Matte Orange Red. Probably one of my favorites, and one that I've been reaching for a lot lately. Obviously, it's great paired with red eyeshadow, but when worn under a warm brown, it can range from looking like brick to burgundy. Excellent Blush color too!

Rust: Frosty Rusty reddish brown. Another favorite, especially in the Fall! I love its metallic sheen under coppery shadows. Would look AMAZING under something like MAC's Coppering.

Iced Mocha: Frosty Taupe. And amazingly versatile color, this works well for nearly EVERY neutral look. It woks with color pretty well too, a definite must have.

Dark Brown: Matte Dark Brown. This brown is so dark, it's almost black! It's probably the creamiest out of the bunch, therefor the messiest, which sucks cuz it's also the darkest. Other than that, it's and excellent brown liner, and it works SO GREAT for brown smokey eyes!

Slate: Shimmery Gunmetal Grey. I don't find it necessary to get a black cream base, since I could use some cream liner, and it works just as well. I do, however, absolutely love using Slate where I would use a black base. Another great base to use for any smokey eye, a bit more versatile than Dark Brown. Another must have!

Alright, those are my faves from NYX. As you can see, I don't have m(any) cool bases in my collection, so I'd definitely wanna pick up a blue, purple and green!

I love NYX products! I haven't tried their blushes, but they're eyeshadows are also great, so I can't wait to try some of their blushes out.

If you haven't tried NYX out yet, you definitely should!

Check NYX out for some great quality products at a much friendlier price than high end cosmetics!

Do you guys use NYX Jumbo eyeshadow pencils? What are your favorite colors? If you don't, what are your favorite cream bases out there? I wanna know!

<3<3<3<3

BOOM

2011-07-27T20:29:00.000-07:00

You guys know this.

I LOVE RED EYESHADOW.

I seriously try to incorporate it in as many looks as I can, I love it so much! I know I have quite a few red shadow looks, but I really don't post them as I often as I wear them, cuz I figured you guys don't wanna see the same thing over and over again. But when I DOO make a variation, however slight, to how I wear red, I post it here!
Like I'm doing now :D

Yes, red isn't for everybody, but it's such a strong color I always feel great wearing it!

DEFINITELY wish I could get my hands on Sugarpill's infamous Love+. WANNNNTTTT

This is one of my favorite ways to wear red in the daytime. I used a bright matte red, and a rusty metallic red on the lid, with a little pop of a shimmery champagne right in the center. Blended it all out with a neutral brown.

Surprisingly fast too! I woke up late that day and STILL didn't miss my bus! :D

LOVE ITTTTT.

Face:
Primer: Origins Vitazing
Foundation: Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer SPF 20 in Sand
Powder: MAC MSFN in Medium Plus
Contour: Benefit Hoola + MAC Blunt
Blush: ELF Candid Coral
Highlight: Smashbox Softlight Fusion in Baked Starburst

Eyes:
Primer: ELF Studio Primer
Base: NYX Jumbo Eyeshadow Pencil in Cherry
Lid: Nameless Red from Hot Topic, About Face Kissed with Wax lips
Crease: MAC Soba
Brow highlight: MAC Brule
Inner corner highlight: UD Sin
Lower lashline: MAC Soba

Liner: ELF Cream liner in black + UD Naked Palette Creep
Mascara: Fairydrops Scandal Queen Mascara
Brows: ELF Brow filler in Medium + MAC Espresso.

Would you rock some red eyeshadow? PLEASE tell me you would!

If not, what's your 'power' color? What makes you feel INVINCIBLE?

Don't forget to enter my giveaway if you haven't already!

It's ending tomorrow, so get those entries in!

Definitely looking forward to making someone very happy. Not so much about shipping costs :P

OH WELL.

You do whatchu gotta do!

<3<3<3<3

Summer Smokey Eyes ala Kim Kardashian using UD Naked Palette and MAC

2011-07-25T21:41:00.000-07:00

Back to school. Again.
Started what seems to be a pretty great Shakespeare class, just worried about a super packed schedule for the next 5 weeks. Between that and the litho class I'm taking, I will not be at home. I'll pretty much live on campus.

Anyway.

Thought to do a brown smokey look suitable for daytime. When I think smokey eye, I can't help but think of Kim Kardashian. I'm not a fan of her "work" but damn, her makeup's FLAWLESS.
Smokey Eyes
Sculpted Cheeks
Bronzey Skin

Didn't start out with kimk in mind, but that's what it started looking like as I finished putting my face on, so I went with it!

Face:
Primer: Origins Vitazing
Foundation: Laura Mercier Tinted moisturizer in Sand
Powder: MAC MSFN in Medium Plus
Contour: Benefit Hoola
Blush: Philosophy You Make Me Blush in Happy/Healthy
Highlight: Laura Geller Blush N' Brighten in Como + Highlighter in Portofino

Eyes:
Primer: ELF Studio Primer
Base: NYX Jumbo Eyeshadow Pencil in Dark Brown
Lid: UD Naked Palette: Darkhorse, Smog
Crease: MAC Soba
Brow highlight: MAC Brule
Inner corner highlight: UD Sin
Lower lashline: MAC Soba, UD Darkhorse
Liner: ELF Cream liner in black + UD Naked Palette Creep
Mascara: Fairydrops Scandal Queen Mascara
Brows: ELF Brow filler in Medium + MAC Espresso.

Of course, don't forget to enter my GIVEAWAY if you haven't done so already. I'm giving away a travel size Vitazing, Sigma F80 Flat Top Kabuki, and some favorites from ELF.

Only THREE days left!! :)

<3<3<3

*This post does contain an affiliate link, but I am not paid for this post.

Colorful looks using Ben Nye Grande Lumiere Palette

2011-07-24T17:33:00.000-07:00

I've had this palette for almost 2 years now, and no matter how ugly or beat up it gets, I'm STILL loving it to death! AND I still have loads and loads of product left! Such a great palette. If you're into brights, I highly suggest getting your hands on one!

I did these two a couple weeks ago, so I don't quite remember everything I wore.

I'll do my best to list the important stuff though :P

I was getting tired of wearing neutrals to school, so I threw on some greens and yellows to not be so boring.

Blush: ELF Blushing Rose

Contour: Benefit Hoola

Lid: Ben Nye Jade, Chartreuse

Inner Corner: Ben Nye Sun Yellow + Ice

Bottom Lashline: MAC Club

I don't remember what inspired me to put this on, but then again, I really don't need to!

I probably just felt like I hadn't done blue in a while, so it was TIME!

Blush: ELF Candid Coral

Lid: Ben Nye Cosmic Blue, About Face Barefoot is Bliss

Crease: Coastal Scents 88 Palette

Lower lashline: Ben Nye Cosmic Violet, MUFE 92

Inner corner: NYX Opal

Ok, also My giveaway is ending in FOUR DAYS.

*PLEASE DON'T FORGET*

You MUST comment on the giveaway post listing your entries. I will not be counting entries that aren't listed in the comments, but I'm coming across a few of them. If you've entered but haven't left a comment, please do so before Thursday for your entries to count!
Also don't forget to add your email! I can still get a hold of your through blogger if you don't, but I don't want anyone to miss their chance to win because I couldn't get in contact with them!

Enter if you haven't done so already!

And canijusssay. 500 followers! 8DDDD YAYYYY!! :D

Hope everyone's having a great weekend!

I start school (again) tomorrow x_x

<3<3<3

SO BUSY. x_x

2011-07-18T19:58:00.000-07:00

As I've said before, it's basically finals week for summer session, and I'm literally DYING over finishing my final for bookmaking. DYING. Since last Wednesday, I've been at school more than I've been at home, and haven't had much sleep to match. GAHD.

Great thing it's almost over... I CAN'T TAKE ANYMORRRREEEEE!!

...totally worth it though. I'm makin some great books!

I'm making a cookbook for my final, since cooking is another passion of mine, right behind art and makeup! I had a bbq yesterday to knock out a total of 5 recipes! Here's the look I wore:

For my giveaway I've been asking people what kind of looks they'd like to see me do. So far, one of the more popular requests that popped up that I haven't done in a while is a purple and black smokey eye, so here it is!

I basically smudged black liner along my lashline and in my crease as a base, then I set it with a matte black shadow. Put my beloved MUFE 92 next to that, and swept Ben Nye's Cosmic Violet ( a GORGEOUS Pink/Blue duochrome, similar to MAC's Stars and Rockets) over all of it. Excessive blending in the crease and smudging for the liner, and voila!

Face:
Primer: Origins Vitazing
Foundation: Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer SPF 20
Powder: MAC MSFN in Medium Plus
Contour: Benefit Hoola
Blush: Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess Sea Star Blushing Bronzer
Highlight: Smashbox Softlights Fusion in Baked Starburst

Eyes:
Primer: Too Faced Shadow Insurance
Base: NYX Jumbo Eyeshadow Pencil in Cherry
Lid: Ben Nye Cosmic Violet, MUFE 92
Crease: MAC Carbon
Brow highlight: MAC Brule
Inner corner highlight: NYX Opal
Lower lashline: MUFE 92
Liner: ELF Cream liner in black + UD Naked Palette Creep
Mascara: Fairydrops Scandal Queen Mascara
Brows: ELF Brow filler in Medium + UD Buck

Ok, some of you guys mentioned that you'd like to see photos of food I've cooked. So as I promised before, here are some photos for the recipes I'll be including in my cookbook! :D

Curry Udon with Fried Chicken

Egg n Chorizo Breakfast Taco

Pasta Carbonara

Pizza with Bacon, Pepperoni, Artichoke Hearts, and Spinach

French Bread! :D

'Juicy Lucy'= a burger patty with cheese in the middle= SOOOO GOOD.

Ok, I made this post to kill some time waiting for tea-soaked paper to dry so I can start making my book. Back to campus, and onward to a full night of bookmaking! x______x

What are your favorite bbq treats? I'm planning another one in a week or so and need some new ideas!

<3<3<3