Courtney's Makeup Experiment: A Beauty Blog

Green Lantern Inspired Makeup Tutorial. Who's feeling like a superhero?

noreply@blogger.com (Acc82) — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 03:18:00 +0000

So, who's excited about the Green Lantern this weekend? ME! I'm feeling festive as usual, so I decided to do a makeup look inspired by the movie. I didn't think the female lead had anything different as far as makeup to emmulate, so I took from the picture of Ryan Reynolds below. His mask is green but the immediate area surrounding his eyes is black. So, I did a black smoky eye with green shadows placed over the black. I also had to incorporate glitter, because, If I were a superhero, you'd be assured I'd be loaded with glitter. So, I did add some gold glitter to the black in the look.

I used mostly higher end products, namely: MAC and Urban Decay but also used other affordable products like physician's formula and NYX. There are great drugstore/lower end green shadows that can be used to produce this look. Essentially, all you need is a matte black shadow, green shadow, and liner. This is another video tutorial, so please bear with me on the videos. They are still new to me.

The above picture was used for inspiration

This is the finished look - eyes only.

Finished look - everything all together. Notice that the lips and cheeks are very muted due to the heavy eyes.

Thanks for reading/watching!

Products:

FACE

Covergirl natureluxe foundation in 'flax'

Glamoflauge concealer in 'light'

NYC color loose smooth skin powder in 'translucent'

Physician's formula bronze booster in 'light to medium'

physician's formula mineral glow pearls in 'translucent pearl'

EYES

Urban Decay primer potion

LASplash eyeshadow sealer/base

NYX Jumbo Pencils in 'rocky mountain green' and 'black bean'

MAC paint pot in 'bare study'

MAC eyeshadow in 'swimming'

Urban Decay eyeshadow in 'chronic'

NYX single eyeshadow in 'black'

LASplash diamond dust glitter in 'golden smoke'

Milani eyetech liquid liner in 'black'

Urban Decay 24/7 liner in 'zero'

physician's formula shimmer strips gel liner in 'hazel eyes' (bottom color used)

MAC's eyeshadow in 'lightfall'

LIPS

LUSH's sugar scrub in 'sweet lips'

l'oreal color riche lipstick in 'fairest nude'

MAC's lip gelee in 'fashion flower'

Sally Hanen Insta-Dri in Silver Sweep + Sally Hansen and OPI Crackle!

noreply@blogger.com (Acc82) — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 03:03:00 +0000

I love crackle polish!! I have crackle polishes from OPI, China Glaze, and now Sally Hansen and I love them all! This is a mini-review of the Sally hansen and OPI crackles as well as the sally hansen insta-dri line.
The picture below is of Sally Hansen's insta-dri in 'silver sweep' as a base. The sally hansen crackle in 'cherry smash' and the OPI crackle is in 'black shatter'. Of course, the OPI is the black top coat and the sally hansen is the red. You can see from the pictures that both shatter equally well. I applied both in a linear fashion.

Insta-Dri Review:
As for the base coat in silver, I have to say that I also love this polish!! It does what it says - it dries fast; which, I love. I paint my nails a couple times a week due to chipping and I love it when I have a good fast dry nail polish. I really love this color because it looks just like liquid metal on your nails. But I have to say that I love the whole insta-dri line. The brush for the polish is oversized, which makes it easier to apply the polish. Plus, they all go on in one or two coats max and look great. The color selection is great and they churn out new polishes pretty frequently. So, I cannot say enough good about the line. The downside of the insta dri line? Chipping. But, I find that it doesn't chip as fast as other fast dry polishes. The chipping curse seems to be very common to all fast dry polishes.

Crackle Review:

For me, I have loved all my shatter/crackle top coats pretty much equally. What matters when it comes to these topcoats, IMO, is the color selection and the crackle action. As far as color selection, china glaze is tops, followed by sally hansen with OPI bringing up the rear. China glaze has a line of regular colors (mint, white, pink, purple, etc....) and they are debuting a line of metallic crackles. Sally hansen has a line of a few shades which is comparable to the primary lines by china glaze and OPI. I do like that Sally Hansen is more accessible than the China Glaze and OPI and the line has both primary colors and metallics. OPI was the front runner in the shatter game with their black shatter coming out first, but have been slow to churn out more. Just recently, they did release more colors in the shatter line.

As for application, the sally hansen and OPI go on similarly and shatter quite easily with ease in applying it evenly. China Glaze is a little thicker with less cracks in the average size coat. To make the china glaze crack more, you have to apply it thinner than the competitors. But, overall, I love them all and would recommend them all. The one thing sally hansen has over the rest is that it can be bought wherever sally hansen is sold (drugstores, major retailers), while the China Glaze and OPI have to be bought at Ulta or salon supply stores. For me this isn't an issue, but it may be for others.

I definitely recommend the crackle, as well as the sally hansen insta-dri. The two together make for a really fun manicure. I will be trying the metallic crackles by china glaze soon and will probably post on those as well.

MAC Bare study dupe found!! Covergirl intense shadow blast review.

noreply@blogger.com (Acc82) — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 02:36:00 +0000

I have found a dupe of one of my favorite MAC products ever. Let me first say that I love MAC's bare study paint pot because it is gorgeous and ever so versatile. I use this product pretty much every day. It makes a great eyeshadow base in general and works great as an all over with neutral looks. It just looks good with anything. So, of course, I would recommend the MAC point pot in bare study to anyone....I just love it.
But, for those of you on a budget or those that don't have easy access to a MAC counter/store, I have found a great dupe. Cover girl has a new line of cream shadows called Intense Shadow Blasts. I picked up one in 'beige blaze' (typo: i used the wrong terminology on the swatch pictures - it is beige blaze, not blast) and found that it is pretty spot on for bare study. It applies a little lighter than bare study. I would describe the texture as like that of a mousse. Bare study is more of a sturdy cream. You can see from the swatch below that bare study has a more pink base to it and applies more evenly without blending. Otherwise, it would be extremely hard to tell them apart (especially on the lids). The two swatches below were taken without flash in different lighting (natural vs. artificial).

You can see from the picture below, that the color in the packaging is very similar as well.

Let me talk about some other aspects of the packaging. It uses a doe foot type applicator so it's not as hygienic for multiple uses as the bare study (but, I would guess most people purchasing the covergirl are just using it for themselves only). And, I could foresee a problem getting every last drop of product out of the covergirl as the doe foot will have trouble reaching all areas of the tube.

The CoverGirl states that there is a primer built in and that it won't crease. I can't attest to the strength of the product alone as I always wear a primer under every cream shadow, the MAC paint pot included. However, with my E.L.F. primer, the cover girl did not crease through a whole days wear! And, without saying, neither does the MAC. It applies well, blends easily, and stays on. It also works well under powder shadows - it doesn't make them more difficult to apply or blend as some creams do.

Bottom line: I really enjoy these new cover girl shadows. Make sure you get the new product and not the old smoky shadow blast sticks (as they were pretty terrible) - it would be easy to get confused with the similar names. Look for the packaging pictured above. I like these shadows so much, I already have a total of 3 out of the 6 colors offered. I think they are a great, inexpensive, cream shadow that look great on the lids. I also think this is a good alternative for those that don't have access to MAC and would like to get their hands on Bare Study. Let me know if you have any questions or would like to see more of this line!

Emma Frost (January Jones) Makeup Tutorial as inspired by X Men First Class

noreply@blogger.com (Acc82) — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 01:41:00 +0000

I love movies and I love makeup. I am combining the two loves into one by emulating the looks I see in the movies. I do this often at home but would like to share what I do.

After seeing X Men First Class this weekend, I knew that Emma Frost was the character I wanted to model first. She wears frosty, diamond like glitter in the movie. This fits her well since she can transform into a diamond form. I also love glitter so this was very fun for me.

I decided to go in a different direction with this tutorial. I filmed myself applying the makeup on myself this morning, using a picture (posted below) as inspiration. I thought it may be more helpful to the vast majority of you to actually see me applying the makeup. Please let me know if the video route is better than the regular posts I've done in the past. Since I don't like the sound of my own voice (and neither does my flip video), they will be silent or with a music background.

I understand that the music I've chosen for the video doesn't have anything to do with X Men but it's what I have in my collection and what I enjoy listening to (Green Day and Three Days Grace today).

I have the finished product pictures below as well as the product listing. This look is, in my opinion, a modern version of 1960's-esque makeup and really wearable as far as glitter goes. You could always omit the glitter and replace it with a shimmery shade which would be more appropriate for work or school. As always, you don't have to use the same products I have. As long as the shades are similar, it should still work.

Oh, and I'm very new to the video game. So please forgive some patchy editing as well as not getting into the viewfinder appropriately at times.

The video.......

The pictures.......

This is a picture of Emma Frost from the movie

Above are just the eyes.

Finished look above and below

Product Listing:

Eyes: E.L.F. eyeshadow primer, Bare Minerals High Shine Eyecolor in 'Ice', Wet N Wild comfort zone palette (2 shades), LA Splash Sealer/base, LA Splash Crystallized glitter in 'fuse', MAC's 'Phloof', Physician's Formula shimmer strips gel liner for 'hazel eyes' - black color used, maybelline volum' express one by one mascara in black, maybelline lash stiletto mascara in black

Face: Revlon colorstay foundation in 'buff', NYC color powder in 'translucent', physician's formula Happy Booster bronzer in 'light bronzer', MAC mineralize blush in 'giggly' (limited edition).

Lips: Cover girl lip perfection lipstick in 'sweetheart', nyx's mega shine lipgloss in 'sugar pie'

Retailers for the brands above:

Wet N' Wild - drugstores, Wal-Mart

Cover Girl - drugstores, Wal-Mart, Target, Ulta

MAC - MAC counters and PRO stores

Physician's Formula - drugstores, Target, Ulta

NYX - Ulta, http://www.cherryculture.com/

Revlon - drugstores, Wal-Mart, Target, Ulta

LA Splash - Ulta, http://www.cherryculture.com/

NYC color - drugstores (rite aid), Target

Bare Minerals - Ulta, Sephora, Bare Minerals Botiques, http://www.bareescentuals.com/

E.L.F. - Target, Kmart, http://www.eyeslipsface.com/

Maybelline - drugstores, Wal-Mart, Target

Half Moon Manicure with Essie + How to

noreply@blogger.com (Acc82) — Wed, 25 May 2011 18:26:00 +0000

So, I don't know about everyone else, but I am loving the new half moon manicure trend. But, if you're like me, you want to know how to do it yourself. Well, I've tried two different techniques to do this. The first is the free hand technique with a nail brush. This is where you place the light coat on your nails first and then dip a small nail art brush (or small acrylic brush) into the darker color to draw the moons. Then you use the rest of the darker color to fill in. This is difficult for me despite my ability to use my left hand pretty well. So, what to do?

I found via youtube that another technique is to use binder reinforcements to create the moon shape and paint over it as a guide. That, my friends, is what I did here. However, I found that it's easier to cut the binder reinforcements in half to make it easier to stick them to your nails.

So, this is what you do:
1. Paint nails all over with a base color. I prefer to make this a light color since you're going to be going over it later. This is the color of the 'moons'.

2. place the reinforcements on, one hand at a time, and paint over in your top color. I would advise that these colors have good contrast to make it stand out more.

3. remove reinforcements and add a top coat. done!

Below is my finished product. I have Essie's 'imported bubbly' on the bottom and essie's 'coat azure' on the top.

Sorry for the blurry pic below, but it's a good close up of the moons.

Organix Ever Straight Brazilian Keratin Therapy Review

noreply@blogger.com (Acc82) — Wed, 11 May 2011 15:52:00 +0000

Another beauty product review! Yay!

So, Keratin therapy is really 'in' right now. Keratin treatments at the salon are very pricey though and everyone's looking for something that will give semi-permanent straightening at home. I personally have tried a pricier keratin product that I did enjoy so when this went BOGO at rite aid, I decided to try it. I've only used the product once thus far, but I'll give you my first impressions.

I also want to point out that I have naturally straight hair. I use the keratin products for extra managability in straightening my hair. (it's naturally straight, but I still have to blow dry and/or straight iron to get it totally straight)

In Shower Experience: I LOVE the way this stuff smells! It smells like pina colada-ish suntan lotion. I don't know if I"m alone here, but I love the smell of Hawaiian tropic esque lotion.
The one thing I noticed in-shower was that it was lacking in lather. You really have to add extra water to this to get a good later. And, if you're like me, you figure the more lather, the more clean your hair is getting. So, this was a bit unsettling. After I did get a lather worked up and rinsed the product, I noticed that my hair felt dry and tangly. Thank goodness I bought the conditioner too! However, from what I understand, the drying/lack of lather problem is common to sulfate free shampoos/conditioners. This product is sulfate free which is great for us color treated folks......so, I do appreciate that.
The conditioner goes on and it does make my hair feel smoother in the shower, so I'm greatly relieved.

Out of Shower experience:
So, my hair was more difficult to brush through due to it being a bit more tangly and drier, but I was able to work through this without much difficulty. The perk to the shampoo being a bit drying is that your hair dries faster than it does with more moisturizing brands, so this is good for me.
During styling, I did notice my hair was easier to blow dry straight and it needed less flat ironing. When I was done, my hair was perfectly straight, so I was pleased. I'm working on day two hair now and it's still straight, so it did a good job in this department.
There is a styling product that goes with this line that I didn't purchase. The bottle claims that you get better results when you use that product. I can't speak for that but would be interested in hearing from any of you who did purchase the styling product.

Bottom line: I enjoy the smell of the product and the way it makes my hair more manageable and straight. Does this work miracles to straighten hair? Nah......but it does make it more easy to style/straighten. I'd be interested to hear from you curly haired girls and let me know how this worked for you. Would I repurchase? Yes - I'm always looking for shampoos that will preserve my color and the sulfate free options here are great for me.

Next, I'm going to try the Moroccan argan oil products in the organix line. I'll let you know how those fare as well.

MAC Starviolet look

noreply@blogger.com (Acc82) — Sat, 30 Apr 2011 20:34:00 +0000

Thought I'd grace you with another look. I'm trying to use different colors to create a variety of looks. So, I dipped into my MAC palette and found some shades I had yet to use. I decided to do something with pink and teal. The camera didn't pick up the teal like I wanted it too but it's there.

How to do it:
1. Eyeshadow/Brows: Urban decay primer potion all over, MAC paint pot in 'fresco rose' to the lid. MAC's 'pink venus' to the inner eye lid and MAC's 'star violet' to the outer lid. MAC's 'plumage' to the crease and blended. Hightlight to the brow bone is MAC's 'lightfall'. Finally, MAC's 'carbon' to the outer 'V'. I also applied a little bit of MAC's 'phloof!' to the tear duct area.
MAC's 'espresso' goes on the brows with a liner brush to define.

2. Eye Liner/Lashes: The top lashline gets a black, gel eyeliner. I don't have MAC's 'blacktrack' so I used maybelline's gel liner in 'blackest black'. I applied MAC's 'carbon' on top of the gel to set it and smoke it out a bit. Physician's formula shimmer strips pencil liner (the purple one) goes on to the waterline and L'oreal's HIP color chome eyeliner in 'black shock' to the actual lashline, again, with carbon applied on top with a liner brush for some smoke and depth. My eyelashes are culed and then I apply both a volumizing and lengthening mascara to the top and the lengthening mascara solo to the bottom.

3. Face: Revlon photoread foundation in 'vanilla', Revlon's photoready concealer in 'fair', and Revlon's photoready translucent powder to finsih.

4. Blush: I used 'giggly' by MAC to the cheeckbones and contoured with Too Faced's 'sunbunny' to the hollows. I blended all this out with a bronzer brush.

5. Lips: MAC 'mile' lipstick + MAC's lip gelee in 'Fashion flower'

I do want to note for anyone interested, that the Fashion Flower colors I used are out with the current collection and are most likely limited editions. Freso Rose paintpot isn't permanent from what I understand but all other shadows I used should be permanent.

"what do you do to your skin?" - My reccomendations for facial care

noreply@blogger.com (Acc82) — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 04:11:00 +0000

So, I get this alot.....
"your skin is so pretty! what do you do?"

Now, I'm not complaining about the compliments, I love hearing this. But, I wanted to share my experience to let you all know how you can have the skin you always wanted.

1.) Get thee to a dermatologist!!!
*I claim no fame to my complexion, at all! I have what I would describe as finicky skin.....skin that is prone to breakouts and dryness at the same time. I finally wisened up and went to the dermatologist when I started really struggling with acne in college. I have been a loyal patient ever since. My skin has long cleared since 2001, but I still go to my derm. Why? He keeps my skin regimen appropriate for me and that keeps my skin performing at its best. So, please consider going to get professional help if you feel you just can't get a handle on your skin issues.

2.) Makeup works wonders
Again, I always credit not only my derm but my current foundation to my skin looking nice. I do have a red-undertoned complexion and I have broken capillaries on my face, so foundation is a must. You can certainly wear foundation without looking like you're wearing anything at all. Go to a department store and get color matched. After that you can try to conquer the drugstore foundation aisles with your matching color in hand for comparisson. My foundation routine varies by season, and mood but I always wear it. It doesn't take me but 5 minutes to apply and it evens everything out and makes me look not so scary.

3.) Moisturize and protect
I use a moisturizer everyday prior to foundation. I started doing this to give a more even canvas for foundation application but I found that the moisture was much needed. Also, a moist face looks younger - this we know. I say protect because SPF is the one thing you can do to prevent aging (among the other things SPF does for us) and most moisturizers have an SPF built in. Right now though, I'm using the Neutrogena Baby SPF 60 under my foundation. Since it's made with natural sunscreens (also important - titanium and zinc), it can give a whitish cast to the skin. But, with foundation it's not noticeable and I feel comfortable knowing my skin is well protected in the summers here.

4.) Maintain
Treat your skin nicely. Make sure you nuture it. And make sure to keep up whatever works for you. In my experience with my skin, if I stop doing what works, it quickly goes back to being finicky.

So, that's about it. So that everyone knows what I use, I'll list my skincare routine below. I do reccomend the Over the counter products I use as I wouldn't use them if I didn't like them. But, again, the core of my routine is the derm prescibed regimen.

My Skincare:
Cleansing: l'oreal go 360 clean exfoliating scrub
Treating: derm prescribed topical antibiotic and topical acid based acne preventative
**I do not want to reveal the exact names on this forum as I don't want to endorse/fail to endorse any particular prescription product.**
Makeup remover:Neutrogena eye makeup remover for eye products
SPF: neutrogena pure and free baby SPF 60
Moisturizer: Oil of Olay complete moisture cream
Foundation: Revlon Colorstay in Buff

MAC Kitschmas and Shadowy Lady look/tutorial

noreply@blogger.com (Acc82) — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 14:23:00 +0000

This is a look I did a while ago, but I'm just now uploading. This is one of my favorite looks and I do it frequently. I am a big fan of pigments and MAC pigments are some of my favorites. This is using a shimmery pigment, kitschmas, as the base for everything. Hope you enjoy!! First off, the product listing. I have each product labeled with their corresponding name/shade in the picture above. 1. E.L.F. eyeshadow primer 2. Maybelline eye studio creme shadows in 'purple possibilities' - I used the pink shade on the right. IF you have MAC products, their paint pot in 'fresco rose' is also an awesome base. 3. NYX jumbo eye pencil in 'milk' 4. MAC pigment in Kitschmas 5. MAC four shade palette in 'shadowy lady' - colors used are 'shadowy lady' and 'smudged violet'. I know shadowy lady is permanent but I'm not sure about 'smudged violet' 6. Wet N' Wild Palette in 'lust' - I used the cream colored top right shade 7. NYX single eye shadow in 'matte black' 8. Milani eyetech liquid liner in 'black' 9. Milani easy liner for eyes glitter in 'black rocks' 10. NOT PICTURED - NYX studio liquid liner in 'extreme purple' 11. NOT PICTURED - mascara: l'oreal voluminous million lashes and maybellinee lash stiletto Lets go though how to do this! I really love this look because for brown eyed girls like me, the purples really bring out the color of your eyes. I love the shimmer in the pimgment and I like how this is more 'toned down' than my normal looks so I don't feel like I'm grabbing quite so much attention but still have a really pretty look. 1. prep eyes with primer, I used e.l.f. primer. Also, apply the eyeshadow bases. I used the maybelline purple possibilities as a drug store product and have also used the MAC paint pot in fresco rose and has pretty results. I prefer the MAC paint pot but the maybelline works almost as well for a lot less money. Put the pink color all over the lid. I used the NYX jumbo eye pencil in milk for the brow area and the inner corners of my eyes. 2. Apply the MAC kitschmas pigment wet over the entire lid. Use a flat shader type brush. I use the E.L.F. eyeshadow brush. 3. Apply the MAC shade, 'smudged violet' through the entire crease area for transition. 4. Apply MAC's 'shadowy lady' to the outer crease only. Put this on kinda heavy and then blend it out with a clean blending brush. 5. Apply NYX single eye shadow in 'matte black' (or any matte black, you can find these everywhere) to the outer 'V' of the eye and then blend that in with a clean blending brush. 6. Apply the Wet N Wild Lust palette shade (top right shade) to the brow bone and inner crease over where the NYX 'milk' shade lies. 7. Apply the milani eyetech liquid liner (or any other black liquid/gel eyeliner) to the top lash line. Place the NYX liquid liner in extreme purple to the outer half of the top lashes. Other good purple liquid liners are LASplash liquid liners, and Hard Candy Walk the Line liners. 8. Apply the milani easyliner for eyes glitter in 'black rocks' to the lower waterline. Other good water line pencils are physician's formula shimmer strips, Urban Decay 24/7 liner pencils, and revlon colorstay liner. 9. Curl lashes and apply mascara. I am still loving l'oreal voluminous million lashes for the first coat and maybelline lash stiletto for the second. And the finished lood with eyes closed....

My Fast Face! Using MAC products.

noreply@blogger.com (Acc82) — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 19:16:00 +0000

So, this post is intended to deliver a more realistic makeup look. Most days, we don't have time to spend 20 minutes on awesome looking, glittered-out, smokin' eyes. This is how I look when I don't have time or plan to reapply more makeup later. You don't need a lot of products to do this and most of what I used is MAC. All the products I used are pictured below - that's pretty much all I used (except my foundation/powder/blush). I think this whole look took 15 minutes for the whole face, tops.

Pictured are all the products AND brushes used. And they are....

1. Sephora eyeliner brush

2. Eco Tools concealer brush

3. NYX eyeliner pencil in 'white pearl'

4. MAC paint pot in 'bare study' (permanent line)

5. MAC fluidline in 'waveline' (permanent line)

6. eyelash curler

7. NYX round lipstick in 'galaxy' -> LOVE this color!!!

8. l'oreal voluminous million lashes mascara

9. Maybelline lash stiletto mascara

** Also used on face: Stila convertible color in 'lilium'; revlon colorstay in buff foundation; revlon photoread concealer in fair; revlon colorstay powder in fair.

So, for the eyes, all I did was use the MAC paintpot in bare study to the entire eye and brow area (using the eco tools concealer brush). This color is awesome. It's a shimmery champagne color and since it's a paintpot (doubles as base and cream base), it stays on forever. That's all for the eye color. Now, to line my eyes, I used the MAC fluidline to create a winged toplash line (using the sephora brush). I realize my wings aren't even and I'm working on that!!!! However, the uneven wings are not very noticeable with closed eyes. For the bottom lashline, I used the NYX pencil to line the water line. Since this is a white color, it gives you a more awake look. Curl lashes and apply mascara - you're done!! For the lips, I used just the NYX lipstick in galaxy. I only applied a little blush to the apples of my cheeks and that was using the stila convertible color. That's it!

How to Wear Red Eyshadow Right!

noreply@blogger.com (Acc82) — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 01:30:00 +0000

So, it's no secret that I love bold, bright ey color. So, red is fitting, right? The problem with red eyeshadow is that it can make you look sick or weird if you use it wrong. I feel as though I pulled it off pretty well if I don't say so myself. Here's the key -> don't use a lot and keep it grounded with neutrals. You can see from the picture below that I put the red eyshadow only on the inner parts of the eyelid and used darker colors on the majority of the lid and the outside of the lid. Also, picking a good red will help. I used the red chrome pigment from NYX. To darken the red a little further, I applied a dark eyebase to the entire eyelid. I used NYX's jumbo eye pencil in slate as the base and applied the red chrome pigment over that to the inner lid and NYX's black chrome pigment to the rest of the lid. Blend. Then, I used a taupe transition color over the entire crease before applying a matte black to the outer crease and a black glitter powder shadow (WNW's dupe for MAC's black tied)to the outer 'V'. ^^just the eyes

^^Finished look. See, I still look normal. :-)

Products used:

Eyes:

E.L.F. eyelid primer, NYX jumbo eye pencil in slate (base), NYX Dramatic Chromatic Pigment in Red, NYX Dramatic Chromatic Pigment in Black, Wet N' Wild's 8 pan palettes in Petal Pusher (browbone highlight and deep purple 'crease' shade) and Blue Had Me At Hello (black tied dupe), NYX single eyeshadow in black -matte, Milani eyetech liquid liner in black, milani easyliner glitter liner in black rocks (waterline), maybelline lash stiletto, l'oreal voluminous million lashes

FAce:

MAC mineralize skinfinish in Pink Power, Cover Girl lip perfection lipstick in Sweetheart.

Essie: Cute as a button Swatch and Review

noreply@blogger.com (Acc82) — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 01:16:00 +0000

More Essie! I don't think that Essie has the same range of colors that OPI or China Glaze has but the colors that they do have seem very unique to me. I always end up in the Essie section of Target determining my next purchase. This time, it's Essie's Cute as A Button. This is evidently from a 2009 summer collection, but I'm just discovering it. Corals are going to be huge this year - nails, lips, etc... So I figured this is the perfect coral shade for me to start the season with. I found no problems with application or otherwise. It did take me three coats to get the color you see below but that's nothing abnormal as lighter colors usually take me about three. I used a fast dry topcoat after application which gave it more shine. ^^The bottle itself

^^Label and color name

^^ Picture taken without flash, indoors.

^^ Picture taken with flash indoors.

Sucker Punch Hair and Makeup Tutorial: Baby Doll

noreply@blogger.com (Acc82) — Sun, 27 Mar 2011 06:21:00 +0000

Sucker Punch! I love Zack Snyder movies (300, Watchmen) so I went to see this on Friday. Unfortunately, we had to leave mid movie because I had a migraine but I really liked the 1.5 hours I did watch and would love to see the rest. The main character in the movie is Baby Doll and is named as such because she looks like a baby doll. I loved her 'look' in the movie and tried to emulate the makeup and hair. This is my attempt. For this tutorial, I will cross reference the product used by referring to the number I assigned them in the product picture. Let me know if you have any questions about where you can buy the products.

The picture below is the finished look. I will start with the hair. You can see from the picture of baby doll above, she has pigtails with a headband and bangs. So....

HAIR

1. Part hair in the center to create pigtails. Secure more towards the back of the head than the front. Straighten bangs and pin back.

2. Spray pigtails with hairspray to hold curls. Take a smaller barrelled curling iron OR a straightening iron (if you know how to use a straightening iron to curl). I used my CHI straightening iron to create the curls. 3. Place a headband BEHIND the bangs. Baby doll uses a stretchy all around headband. I used this type also because it doesn't give me a headband headache.

MAKEUP:

A.) FACE

1.) You want your skin to look creamy and pale with a touch of pink blush. This is easy for me as I'm already really pale. So, apply foundation with concealer. I used a highlighter to bring more light to the center of my face. I used E.L.F.'s shimmering facial whip in spotlight (product number 4 below). I applied this cream highlighter to the bridge of my nose, my forehead, chin, and cupid's bow. Then, I applied my powder to set this and the foundation.

2.) Blush: This needs to be pink and rosy. Baby doll's do not wear bronzer!! I used l'oreal's True Match Blush in c3-4, tender rose (product 10). I applied this sort of liberally to the apples of my cheeks.

3.) Lips: You want your lips to be nude/neutral. I used revlon colorstay lip liner in natural (product 15) to line my lips and applied maybelline's color sensational lip stick in sugared almond (product 12). For gloss, I used NYX's mega shine lipgloss in baby rose (product 13).

B.) EYES

1.) Prime your eyes with any primer. I used E.L.F.'s primer (product 1).

2.) Apply cream bases. I used NYX's jumbo eye pencil in milk (product 2) to the browbone and Wet N' Wild's Idol Eyes creme shadow in 130 Pixie (product 3) for the entire lid. Blend those out with a finger or creme shadow brush.

3.) Apply a light, shimmery shade to the entire lid. I am using E.L.F.'s mineral eyeshadow in Angelic (product 5). I applied this wet to the entire eyelid and brow.

4.) Apply a taupe color to the crease in a defined manner. It's not an exact cut crease but, it's not a very blended look. I used Wet N' Wild's single eyeshadow in Nutty (product 9). I applied this with a flat shader brush so that it would be more precise.

5) Now, to add some definition to the crease, I took a darker brown and went over the line I just created, working from the outside in. I do this to make sure the darkest colors are in the outside of the lid. I also applied this with a flat shader brush to ensure precision. For this, I used the Wet N Wild 8 pan shadow palette in comfort zone. I used the bottom left shade (product 11).

6) I took a small blending brush and blended the two colors together and blended them out a tad, but not too much as I still want to keep precision in the color.

7.) Baby doll uses a lot of eyeliner on the top lashes with a cat eye. I realize my cat eye is not even here, but I'm working on that. I used a gel liner for this. Using maybelline's blackest black (product 6) and and eyeliner brush, I applied it thicker at the outer eye and winged it.

8.) For the lower lashline, I didn't see very much if any liner, so I used a golden eyeliner pencil to give some reflection but not depth. I used Urban Decays 24/7 pencil in el dorado (product 14). I applied to this to entire lower lashline very close to the lashes.

9.) Curl lashes and apply mascara. I'm using my tried and true everyday combo, l'oreal voluminous million lashes (product 8) first and then maybelline's lash stiletto (product 7) as a second coat. This helps both create volume and length.

Just the eyes picture above ^^

Products used ^^

Product Review: Matrix Biolage Colortherapie Shielding Shine Mist

noreply@blogger.com (Acc82) — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 15:56:00 +0000

Another review! But, this one is for hair stuff! My obcession isn't limited to just makeup, I love anything beauty-ish. Hair is no exception. I bought this as I already love biolage color care shampoo and conditioner to extend the life of my red color.

Claims: This claims to provide some UV protection to your hair as well as making it smooth and shiny (even reducing frizz).

Price/Where to buy: I bought mine at Ulta and unfortunately, Ulta doesn't list biolage online. It seems to go for about 15.77 at wal-mart online. I am not sure if you would find it at your local wal mart, though. Any store that carries salon products like Ulta or Trade Secret should have it.

Packaging: It comes in a pump that is similar to one that you would use for hairspray and you get a lot for your money as you only need a pump or two per use.

Smell: It smells like a Pina Colada! It has that typical sunblock coconut type smell, which I love. But, if you're not into that, you may want to stay away. I will say that once you spray it on your hair, the scent dissipates. So, if you want to try but don't want your hair smelling like a tropical bar, I can tell you, it won't.

Review of the Claims/General Impression: I love this stuff! I can't believe I just re-discovered it. I recently found that the ends of my hair were looking kinda frayed, and it's most likely do to all the color I put in it. I needed something that would smooth the ends out. I had originally bought this with the intention of only using it when I'm out in the sun for long periods of time (which rarely happens), thinking the UV protection would be nice. I started using it again recently when I discovered that the ends of my hair were looking ragged.

This product smooths out those rough ends, gives my hair shine, and also gives me some comfort knowing my hair is protected from the sun when I'm outside. I would recomend this to anyone with color treated hair who is worried about fading. I would also reccomend it if you suffer with minor frizz or want something to make your hair shiny.

The only downside is that this will make your hair oilier at a faster rate. I wouldn't say using for the past two days has made my hair super oily but that it has made it slightly more oily than usual. I think the best thing to combat this is by using it sparingly. You don't need a ton! Just a spray or two.

LOVE!

St. Patrick's Day look using MAC, Urban Decay, and NYX

noreply@blogger.com (Acc82) — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 02:41:00 +0000

Alright! It's St. Patrick's day and I'm not remotely Irish but it's a great reason to wear green! This look can be done using any variety of green colors. You'll need a mid-tone green, bright green, and dark green. I'm using a variety of products to achieve this, so, it can't be done with just one palette that I own. However, you can achieve the same thing with different brands/shades.

What will you need?

1. Eye primer
2. cream shadow base in white/neutral and green
3. Three green shades: bright, midtone, and dark.
4. a matte, black shadow
5. black liquid eyeliner, black pencil eyeliner, green pencil eyeliner
6. shader brush, crease brush, blending brush, regular eyeshadow brush, pencil shadow brush
7. Bottle of water for pigments (if you use any)
8. of course........mascara

1.) Prime the lid. I'm using E.L.F.'s eyeshadow primer for one dollar at target!! It's pretty darn good stuff. I wouldn't say it is as good as urban decay primer potion or NYX's HD eyeshadow primer (I consider these two equivalent) but it's aaaaaalllllmost as good. It shows signs of wear about an hour or two earlier than the previous two I listed.

2.) Apply a cream shadow base to the lid in green. I'm using NYX's jumbo eye pencil in rocky mountain green. Apply this from lashes to crease (not into crease but up to it). Take a light white color and apply to the brow bone at this time also (highlight).

3.) Apply the green midtone color to the lid. Here, I'm using a MAC pigment in antique green. I ALWAYS apply pigments wet, no exceptions. It gives you the best, vibrant color of the pigment. This is no exception. Spray that shader brush with water, grab the green pigment, and apply all over the cream shadow base on the lid. Below, I have the picture of the MAC pigment I used.

4.) Now, take the deepest green color and apply it to the crease (using a crease brush). I'm using 'libertine' from Urban Decay's black palette. The color is a green that's very dark (dipped in black) and pictured at the bottom right of the palette. The black palette is one of my favorites from UD and probably gets the most use of all their palettes. I'm also going to use the matte black, 'black dog' in this look. I use this palette almost everyday mostly for no other reason than that one, perfect, matte black. The palette can be purchased only at sephora, btw.

Front of the palette pictured below...

5.) Apply a bright colored shadow/pigment right below the arch of the brow over the white cream base. I'm using NYX's pearl pigment in 'pearl'. These pigments are cheap (I bought mine for 1.99 each) and they are freaking awesome! They apply great, stay on, and look vibrant. I highly, highly, reccomend. Again, I'm using a wet shader brush to loosely apply this. We'll blend it out in a minute.

6.) Now, blend the libertine in with a clean blending brush. Also, blend the pearl pigment into the crease color to allow for transition. Apply more libertine if need be and keep blending until you get a good look.

**Here, I'll add a trick I use to get precise looking eye makeup. I apply my eyemakeup before any foundation and use a cloth makeup remover to easily remove any eyeshadow fallout or mistakes. I get the eyes all clean with the wipe before I apply my foundation. Whala.....perfect eyemakeup with no fallout on your face.

7.) Now, use an eye pencil brush (a smaller, precise brush) to pick up the matte, black color (I'm using 'black dog' from the black palette) and apply that to the outer "V" over the libertine. We do this for additional depth. Blend that out with the clean blending brush also.

8.) For a little extra pop, I'm using a bright green for the center of the lid only. I am using 'kush' from the Urban Decay Book of Shadows III. Ignore the brush in the picture...."kush" is at the top right. See how pretty it is? Looks just like money.....:-)

9.) Now, you're ready to line the upper lashline. I'm using a liquid liner. I prefer maybelline's Ultra Liner in black. I wing this out a little at the edge of the eye.

10.) Line the lower waterline with a black liner. I'm using Physician's formula Shimmer strips liner in black. I also like Urban Decay's 24/7 liner in Zero, as well as L'oreal's HIP black chrome eyeliner for this purpose.

11.) Line the lower lashline with a green liner. I'm using a 24/7 glide on pencil from Urban Decay in 'mildew'. You want to place this right below the black on the waterline.

12.) Curl lashes and apply mascara. I'm currently loving L'oreal's voluminous million lashes with Maybelline's lash stiletto on top. (volumizing for the first coat then legthening for the second is a winning combo).

And....the finished look......

Essie: Sand Tropez Swatch and Review

noreply@blogger.com (Acc82) — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 02:26:00 +0000

Essie!!! It used to be that Essie could only be bought at places such as Ulta. However, recently, Essie has made its debut in CVS, Rite Aid, and Target (probably walgreens too, but I haven't checked). Which means..........you can use extra care bucks and up rewards from CVS and Rite aid to buy Essie polish. So, that's exactly what I did.
I have always been a big fan of bright or dark nail polishes but I have been wanting to try the nude polish trend and Essie had the perfect color: Sand Tropez. I thought I'd like the color but I didn't realize how much. I love this color. It almost blanks out my nails against the pale color of my skin. It's pretty neat; I welcome the change from my traditional polish selections. the picture below if of the bottle.

As far as the polish application and the polish itself, Essie holds up to OPI in quality. The polish applied smoothly and evenly. I always top it off with a fast dry top coat, so I can't say a whole lot for the drying time. Also, I noticed that in my second day of wear, it chips less than a brand like China Glaze. So, overall, Essie is a winner in my book. CVS and Target have a good selection of shades to try out and I think I will definately purchase again.

The label for the color. Sand Tropez.

This picture was taken with some daylight streaming in. I think it does the best job of showing the color.

This was taken in the indoor light with no flash.

Jesse's Girl Eyedust: Applying pigments wet!

noreply@blogger.com (Acc82) — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 05:56:00 +0000

So, I like color, most of you know that if you know me. However, though it may be hard to believe, I've never applied my minerals/pigments wet! So, I decided to do that today. I love Jesse's Girl eyedusts as the best cheap pigments, but I've had them fade/crease without using adequate primer/base so I decided to see how they would do wet. All the products used in this tutorial are drugstore and therefore pretty affordable. You can get great color for a small price!!! (Jesse's Girl can be found at Rite Aid and online)

Lets get to it..........

This is the finished look on my eyes. The look is a green/blue/black mix. Not too dark, more bold.

The finished look overall.

So, to start, of course, always use a primer. Any primer will work. For the eyedusts (and bare minerals loose shadows), I use BOTH a primer and a cream shadow for extra staying power. This did prevent the Jesse's girl from creasing, btw. I use the skin tone pink here in the Revlon Illuminance cream pallette.

Unfortunately, once you open the package of Jesse's girl, you loose the color name! I believe this is called 'majestic green'. This is how the outside of the packaging looks.

To apply loose pigments, place some color in the lid and then dip your brush into it. You can use a brush specially designed for loose shadow (bare minerals line) or any stiff shadow brush. Here, I'm using the E.L.F. eyeshadow brush.

To apply the shadows wet, the easiest technique is to buy an empty sprayer bottle (at target or anywhere else) and use it to spray the brush with water. I give the brush two sprays only so I don't overwet the brush and then pack on the shadow. Pat the shadow on, don't rub. If you need more color, redip the brush -> you shouldn't have to rewet again.

Now for the crease color. I've chosen "blackstar blue" from Jesse's girl (i just happened to remember that name for some reason). We will apply this dry since it's going into the crease. I used my Essence of Beauty crease brush to pick up the color.

Pick up the color as you do with any other mineral -> place color in lid, tap of excess and apply to crease and outer corner.

Now, blend the crease color out and blend it into the green a bit. I'm using my Kat Von D clean crease brush to blend.

I'm turning to Wet N' Wild's sweet as candy color trio for the browbone color. I'm using the lightest color in this pallette for the browbone.

I always like a little extra depth, so I'm using my essence of beauty brush (came in the crease brush duo set -> this one is smaller than the other crease brush I use). The reason I'm using the smaller crease brush is for precision; I just want the matte black in the outer V and it's easier to use a smaller brush for this application. The color I'm using is the matte black in Wet N' Wild's Greed pallette.

Now, I line my eyes with liquid liner everyday. Again, you don't have to use liquid; you can use a gel or pencil. However, a liquid or gel will show up better against the colors we used. I'm using maybelline's ultra liner for this. I wing out the liner just a little on the upper lashline only.

For the lower lashline, liquid is typically too harsh. So, I'm using two colors. For the outer 3/4 of the lower lashline, I'm using L'oreal HIP's color chrome eyeliner. This is just a black eyeliner but I like HIP for staying power.

For the inner 1/4 of the lower lashline that is yet unlined, I'm using Revlon's colorstay liner in Teal.

I want to reinforce that pencil eyeliner to make it stay longer, so I'm using the same matte black I used before from Wet N' Wild's Greed pallette to place over the liner. For lining with shadow, my favorite brush ever is Bare Minerals Soft focus liner brush. These brushes are made to place shadow on the lashline so they are tops for this purpose. I only apply the black to the portion of the lower lashline that we used the black pencil for.

To finish off the look, I use Revlon's super lustrous lip gloss. The color I'm using is in 'pink whisper' (see below). I LOVE revlon's super lustrous glosses. I'd compare the super lustrous to the high end bare minreals glosses I own.

The best of Cheap!!

noreply@blogger.com (Acc82) — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 06:13:00 +0000

I've been wanting to do this for a while now. I've always appreciated the quality of high end products and I still do. However, in the past, I feel I've underestimated the quality and potential of cheaper products. I've written off cheap items as not having quality do to the lack of an inflated price. I have discovered recently, that If you read reviews and look hard enough, you will find those drugstore gems for great prices. What I'm doing with this post is comparing my favorite drugstore products to my favorite high end products of similar type. Let me know if you have anything to add to this list!

It all started with a $1.00 eyshadow brush from E.L.F.......

FOUNDATION
Best high end: Bare Minerals

Best Drugstore: Revlon Colorstay ties with Revlon Photoready

CONCEALER
Best High End: Merle Norman Coverup

Best Drugstore: Covergirl smoothers concealer (redness)
Maybelline 24 hour superstay (undereye circles)

EYESHADOW BASE:
Best High End: Urban Decay Primer Potion

Best Drugstore: L'oreal Decrease (in fact, I'd call decrease a dupe for UDPP)

BRIGHT EYESHADOW:
Best High End: Urban Decay (entire line)

Best Drugstore: Wet N Wild

EVERYDAY EYESHADOW:
Best High End: Too Faced Natural Eye Pallette

Best Drugstore: NYX champagne and caviar pallette

LOOSE EYESHADOW:
Best High end: Bare Minerals (entire line)

Best Drugstore: Jesse's Girl Eyedusts

GLITTER:
Best High End: Urban Decay's midnight cowboy line

Best Drugstore: NYX candy glitter liner and cream pallettes

MASCARA:
Best High End: Buxom Lash mascara in black

Best Drugstore: Maybelline's Lash Stilletto and L'oreal Voluminous Million Lashes

LIPGLOSS:
Best High End: Buxom and Bare Minerals lip gloss

Best Drugstore: Revlon super Lustrous lip gloss

BRONZER:
Best High End: Too Faced in Snow Bunny

Best Drugstore: Physician's Formula Happy Booster

NAIL POLISH:
Best High End: OPI (entire line) -> my favorite color is lincoln park after dark

Best Drugstore: Sinful Colors (avaliable at Walgreens)

MAKEUP BRUSHES:
Best High End: Merle Norman ( my foundation brush has lasted for 7 years!) and Kat Von D (sephora only)

Best Drugstore: E.L.F. ,Sonia Kashuk (Target for both), and Eco Tools

EYELINER:
Best High End: Urban Decay 24/7 glide on eye pencils and Buxom liners

Best Drugstore: NYX jumbo eye pencils, E.L.F. liquid liner, physicians formula shimmer strips liners.

MAKEUP SETTING SPRAY:
Only one and it's high end: Urban Decay All Nighter setting spray

FOUNDATION PRIMER:
Best High End: Bare Minerals Prime Time

Best Drugstore: L'oreal Magic Pefecting Base

PALLETTE:
Best High End: Urban Decay's Naked Pallette

Best Drugstore: Wet N Wild's color Icon pallettes *favorite is Lust*

PERFUME:
Best High End: Viva La Juicy

Best Drugstore: Britney spears circus fantasy

Makeup Organization for Small Bathrooms

noreply@blogger.com (Acc82) — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 05:33:00 +0000

So, recently, I found that my makeup collection was kinda all over the place and not easy to access. My idea was to use an over the door shoe holder to organize everything so that it would be easy to access and grab what I need. I don't mean to pat myself on the back or anything but this was a great idea! Our master bathroom is small and only has one sink. The actual bathroom itself is also small and doesn't have enough room for any extra cabinets or drawers. All the space under the sink is already pretty full, so that wasn't an option either.
I encourage people to use this method if they are short on space but even if you have a large bathroom, this method is still awesome because everything is in one place and the pockets are see-through. I get ready everyday right behind this door as it's where the vanity is; so, I love this.

So, as you can see from the picture above, I organize items into pockets. Example: for eyeshadows, I have a drugstore eyeshadow pocket, a prestige eyeshadow pocket, a pigment pocket, an eyedust pocket. I also have a pocket for glitter only. At the bottom, I have pallettes stored in the larger pockets.

Here, you can see, I have a pocket for eyeliner, one for cream shadows, one for bases, etc.... You can organize your products any way you wish; this is just how I've chosen to organize mine.

L'Oreal Infalliable lip gloss: A Review

noreply@blogger.com (Acc82) — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 20:29:00 +0000

So, I must admit that up until recently, I had written off drugstore lipglosses thinking they couldn't possibly be as good as the high end stuff. But, when I saw positive reviews of L'oreal Infalliable's lipgloss, I decided to try it. The claim of this is that it lasts for 6 hours. This claim is another reason I was hesistant-> typically long lasting lip products function more like a stain or are sticky when you apply them.
L'oreal's infalliable does last; I wouldn't say it lasts for 6 hours, but it does have pretty good staying power. Plus, it's not sticky or stain like. I would compare this to Buxom on the higherend. But, unlike Buxom, this doesn't plump. I like Buxom so much because they provide great color and stay on well.

So, the color I picked up is 'petal'. I also have a browny color of the same brand; however, petal is my favorite. In fact, I like this stuff so much, it holds a place in my purse. A product has to be pretty good to get to stay in my purse full time. :-)

The packaging is pretty good also. It has a doe foot applicator and goes on easily. Overall, I do reccomend this product. I encourage others who are like I am, to branch out into drugstore glosses as you can find some real gems that remained as yet undiscovered.

Completely Bare: A Bare Minerals Tutorial

noreply@blogger.com (Acc82) — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 03:36:00 +0000

This look is done with only bare minerals eyeshadows and the overall look includes a bare minerals lip. For anyone not familiar with, or have never purchased, a bare minerals shadow, I will say this: They are great eyeshadows, they last forever, and the color is very pure. The only downside to bare minerals eye products is dealing with the fact that they are loose and that can be frustrating if you are new to pigments. The most important thing is that you MUST use a primer and you need to pat the eyeshadow on (don't sweep or rub). If you don't pat the eyeshadows on, you will have shadow all over your face. As with other bare minerals products, I believe that once you master the learning curve, you can realize the true beauty and awsomeness of the line. :-)

As I noted earlier, a primer is a must to keep the loose shadows in place!! You can use any eyeshadow primer, but, I'm going with Urban Decay Primer Potion (my favorite high end primer). I reccomend buying this in the professional size (as pictured above) as it's easier to get more primer out of the packaging.

Just for good measure, I'm also using a cream base over the primer. I use a cream shadow over primer when I'm dealing with eyeshadow that doesn't tend to 'stick' well OR If I need the eyeshadow to last for more than eight hours or so. My go to cream shadow pallette is pictured above, and it's Revlon's creme illuminance in Seashells. I use the peach colored shade that is positioned one from the right.

For the bare minerals eyeshadow application, I'm using a bare minerals brush. The one pictured is the Full tapered shadow brush. The bare minerals brushes are great for the bare minerals shadows because they are so dense and hold so much color. However, you can use any eyeshadow brush for this (such as the E.L.F. $1 brush).

For the lid color, I'm using bare radiance (pictured above both open and closed). Now, bare radiance is categorized as an all over face color (a.k.a. blush) by bare minerals. I thought it was pretty, so I decided to use it as a shadow. To apply, pick up color with your eyeshadow brush, either by placing color in the lid or by lightly dipping brush into color. Make sure to tap your brush off so that all excess color drops off, giving you a brush with just enough color for your eyes. To apply, TAP the brush to lid and keep tapping until you have covered the entire lid.

For the crease color, I'm using bare minerals 'quickie shadow' brush. It's small and tapered, making it easy to get color in the crease. Again, however, you can use any crease brush.

I'm using bare minerals shadow in 'tiramisu' for the crease color. This is a nice taupe color. Again, pick up color the same way we did with bare radiance and blend into crease. I would tap on the outer edges of the eye to and then sweep into the crease to avoid color fallout.

Now, blend the tiramisu with the bare radiance. All blending when using bare minerals should be with a light hand. The really awesome thing about the loose shadows is that they are very easy to blend and it doesn't take a lot to do the blending. I'm again using the Kat Von D eye crease brush for this.

If you are satisfied with the look up to here, you can skip this step. But, for extra dimension in the outer lid, I'm using a deep purple shadow in the color 'kir royale'. I use the quickie shadow brush to pat this in the outer corner of the eye and the first outer half of the lower lash line as well as placing the color slightly into the crease. After application, grab the blending brush again and blend that into the tiramisu.

For the highlight, I'm again using my smashbox tapered shadow brush.

The highlight color I'm using is 'light show' by bare minreals. Grab that with the tapered shadow brush (or any eye shadow brush) and place that in the crease. Again, tap to place the color and then blend with the shadow brush; be careful not to 'erase' your crease color.

For the liners, I'm still sticking with the Bare Minerals line. However, bare minerals only recently started making pencil liners as they used liner shadows in the past. So, due to this change, I typically prefer the Buxom line. Buxom is a bare minerals brand (owned by and manufactured by the same company); however, you can only find Buxom liners at Sephora. Don't ask me why....I don't get it either since they sell other Buxom products at bare minreals botiques.

The liner colors I'm using are Onyx and Amethyst. Place Onyx to the entire upper lashline and outer lower lash line (place from outer corner to mid eye) and then place Amethyst to the inner lower lash line. Blend them, together and smudge if you want, but do it fast! These liners set and then don't move. I do really love the Buxom liners so much!

Still sticking with the Bare Minerals line, I'm using Bare Minerals Flawless Definition volumizing mascara. I think this is a pretty good mascara but I don't advocate for spending lots of money on their mascaras. I feel that lots of drugstore mascaras are just as good. The exception is the Buxom line mascara. I love that mascara -> It is my favorite of all time. I cannot seem to find a mascara as good as the Buxom mascara but that won't stop me in my quest to try.

For the lip, I'm using Buxom again. The buxom gloss line is my favorite of all high end glosses. It does 'plump' lips, so it feels cool and a little tingly when you apply it but be assured that this is normal! My favorite color of buxom gloss is pictured above -> the color is 'princess'. Again, I cannot say enough good about Buxom glosses. I definately give my blessing on anyone wanting to purchase.

This is the eye finished look. You can see that the colors are well blended and the look is a more natural one.

Finished look put all together!! I liked it a lot! Thanks for the request from brs.momma for the look. Keep the requests coming. I love being challenged. Request brands, looks, reviews, whatever -> just keep them coming!

Urban Decay Book of Shadows III Tutorial

noreply@blogger.com (Acc82) — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 02:55:00 +0000

And now.........for a high end look! My favorite high end brand is Urban Decay. Their products are just top notch as far as quality goes and the selection is amazing. The colors are just perfect and suit my makeup taste perfectly.

This is a look I created with the purple colors in the palette. It combines glitter, matte, and shimmer. This is a moderately complicated look.

First, as always apply primer to lids. You can use any primer, but I'm using Urban Decay Primer Potion since I'm going with Urban Decay products.

After applying primer, use a clean eyeshadow brush to apply 'bordello' to the inner lids only. For this look, we will split the eyelid into thirds. Apply this color to the inner third. As usual, I'm using my E.L.F. eyeshadow brush.

Next, clean the eyeshadow brush on a clean cloth and grab the darker purple color labeled 'psychedelic sister' and apply to the middle third of the lid. No need to blend the colors yet; just apply like paint by numbers.

Finally, we will apply the darkest purple to the outer third of the lids. Clean the eyshadow brush again and apply 'rockstar' to the outer third of the lid. With all colors, apply all over lid to crease.

Now, use a clean blending brush to lightly blend the three purles so that they gradually blend into each other. What you are trying to get rid of are harsh lines between the colors. Since they are all very similar, this shouldn't take an awful lot of blending. Again, I'm using my Kat Von D blending brush (avaliable at Sephora).

Finally, use a crease brush (here I'm using Essence of beauty's crease brush) to blend the matte black 'perversion' into the crease.

Now, use a clean blending brush (wipe on soft cloth if this is the same brush used earlier) to blend the crease color so no harsh lines exist. For me, this sometimes mutes the color too much and I go back and add more color to the edges with my color crease brush.

Finally, we take my favorite shade ever, 'midnight cowboy rides again' and place it as a highlight to the brow bone and inner eyes. You can use a fluffy shadow brush for this and blend with this same brush. Here, I'm using sonia kashuk's eyeshadow brush (target stores).

Next, it's time for eyeliner. For my lower lash line, I use the Urban Decay 24/7 liner pencils. Now, let me say these are my favorite liner pencils ever! I'm currently looking for a cheaper dupe though because a full size pencil is 17 dollars each. So, I'm using the two pencils that come with the set. The black color, 'zero' goes on the outer lower lash line (only line half). On the inner lower lash line (the inner half to completely line the lower lash line), I use the purple color, 'ransom'. Blend where the two colors meet and smudge out the lower lash line if desired.

For the upper lash line, I use black liquid liner. So, again, I'm using E.L.F. liquid liner in black.

Now, this is my favorite part. I like to add a little more sparkle to the look. I love the NYX candy glitter liners. You can use these as liner, or just anywhere you want. It's a glitter gel and they come in different colors. For this, I'm using the green candy glitter liner. The above picture is a close up of the brush.

This is a better view of the glitter liner tube. Since NYX makes this, it means it's affordable and avaliable at either Ulta or a variety of online sites (such as cherryculture.com). Each costs aboout 4.79 at Ulta or ulta.com (and they're worth every penny!). If you don't like glitter you can skip this step. What I do is apply the liner over the black liquid liner on my upper lash line. I usually only apply to the outer half of the lid unless it's for a nighttime look; for nighttime, I apply all over the upper lashline. The key is to do a thin line. The only downside to these liners is that they take a little while to dry, so you must keep your eyes half closed for a little while.

Now, curl your lashes and apply your favorite black mascara. Right now, I'm using Rimmel's glam' eyes.

This is the finished look on just the eyes. You can see the glitter, graduated purples, and the black.

This is the finished look! thanks so much~!

L'oreal Sublime Bronze spray gel: A Review

noreply@blogger.com (Acc82) — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 02:20:00 +0000

This is a review of a (from what I understand), new product. I picked this up last week on a sale as I'm always trying to look tanned without going out into the sun. I have been a fan of l'oreal sublime bronze's self tanners because they typically give good color, blend well, and are easy to apply. The idea of a gel was what caught my attention as I don't think I've ever seen anything quite like this before. Bottom line: I do like it.

Color: I got the medium natural tan and it produces a good, natural looking, moderately deep color. I noticed results the day I applied it even though it was hours later.

Smell: This is what I love about this product. Anyone who has used self tanners knows that they smell awful. This does produce that 'tanner' smell after the color develops but that is inevitable with any product. The smell of the actual prodcut that is evident during application is probably the best of any I've used! It's like an oriental deep scent that is very pleasing.

Application: To apply, you spray the gel and rub in. It's easy to apply but isn't tinted, so it's hard to tell if you've applied it evenly. Due to this, I did notice some streaking in places but I think this could be approved with more practice and perhaps a lighter trigger finger.

Drying time: I love how this dries super fast. Because it's a gel, you can put your clothes on pretty quickly after application.

Overall, I like this product. The only thing I think could improve it is if it were tinted. I like how other sublime bronze products are tinted; this allows for better application and an instant bronze color to your skin.

Manic Panic for the dyehards!

noreply@blogger.com (Acc82) — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 19:49:00 +0000

Sorry I don't have any pictures for this. This post is about using manic panic to dye your hair and if you've used it, you know that it's staining. I didn't want to get my camera all pink. But, I'm going to go through the steps to use manic panic to get good results.

First, before I get into it, I have to layout how manic panic will affect different hair types. Manic panic is a temporary dye but they reccomend bleaching hair first for the best color. If you bleach your hair and put manic panic over it, you will get a really bright color. I haven't done this myself so I can't say much about it. I have naturally brown hair that I go to a salon to have dyed red. The red looks great but (as anyone with dyed red hair knows), it's so hard to keep vibrant and fresh. It will fade inevitably. You can postpone the fading by using color safe shampoos and reducing the frequency of washing your hair but again, it will happen. So, I use manic panic (in vampire red) to brighten my current color when it fades. It does a great job of this. The color takes well and makes my hair look again, like i'vet stepped out of the salon. However, If I did the same color manic panic over my naturally brown hair it would not take nearly as well. You can use the manic panic reds over undyed brown hair but it won't be as noticeable. There are many pictures of this online. So, if you're interested look them up. I definately did a lot of reasearch before I dyed.

So, lets get on with it.....

1.) pick a color: manic panic has tons of bright shades and some not so often seen shades. I stick with red as it looks more understated than a pink or other. I do want to use purple one day.....

2.) purchase manic panic: i get mine from sally's beauty supply but they also sell it at other outlets and online.

3.) purchase supplies. You will need: a color mixing bowl, a color brush applicator, gloves, shower caps, vaseline, and hair clips. Oh, and towels and clothes you don't care for very much.

4.) Patch test: this is very important. I don't feel like they really emphasize its importance on the dye. You have to apply the dye to your inner forearm and let it dry. leave it there for 24 hours and watch for a reaction. If you have a reaction (reddness, etc...) then it's a no go. THEN, I would reccomend a strand patch test to make sure you don't have to schedule corrective color the next day. Apply it to a small section and see how that goes first.

The actual dying process:

1.) clear your bathroom counter and lay down a towel or newspaper - something you don't mind getting dyed. Get your supplies out and put them on the towel.

2.) apply vaseline to hairline and ears to prevent staining.

3.) brush through your hair and section with a part. I do mine in two sections and clip each when I'm done.

4.) Put on gloves (also, I like to have a second pair handy) and pour the dye into the bowl.

5.) Use the tint brush to pick up dye and apply as close to roots as possible. Apply to right and left side of part. Keep sectioning off 1/2 inch sections with a comb to apply all over roots.

6.) once done with one section's roots, apply to ends with brush and gloved hands. Now, twist hair and clip up. Be very careful not to splash the dye in your eyes (very bad as the label states). I do the actual dying pretty slowly.

7.) repeat on the other side.

8) take off current gloves and use second pair to clean bowl, brush, and comb. Put them all aside

9.) apply shower cap to dyed hair and wait forever........ The dye says to leave on for 15-30 minutes but I usually leave it on for at least 2 hours. Some people sleep in it or leave it on for 4 hours. I do this for better color. I have read that this is okay since the dye is really like a stained conditioner but if you want to stick with the 30 minute time, that's fine.

10.) shampoo out with a color protecting shampoo. be careful not to get dye in eyes during the shower.

11.) bleach towels used and clean shower. Mine always turns pink.

That's about it. :-)

Another Wet N Wild Look - 'Lust' color Icon palette

noreply@blogger.com (Acc82) — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 03:48:00 +0000

This look is another from my new favorite cheap yet awesome makeup, Wet N' Wild. I had no clue how good their products were until recently as I'd always written them off being so cheap. After using great E.L.F. products, my eyes were opened to the world of good quality, budget friendly makeup that DOES exist. This look can be done with all drugstore products.

First, use a primer (any will do). I reccomend l'oreal's decrease for drugstore and Urban Decay Primer Potion for prestige. For most dark looks, I prefer to use a primer AND a cream base as I believe it helps my makeup to stick better without creasing. The above cream pallette is revlon's creme illuminance in seashells. I use the color to the far left but any color that matches your skintone will work. Apply the primer all over the lid and place the creme base on the lid and crease.

As I have mentioned before, the color Icon pallettes have one matte side (left) and one shimmer side. You can mix the two types of shadow up or stick with one. I am going to use the matte deep purple for my lid but use the shimmers in the look as well. Mixing of matte and shimmer produces a cool effect. Put the color highlighted above all over the lid with a clean eyeshadow brush. I'm using my favorite eyeshadow brush here, E.L.F.'s shadow brush ($1 at target and online).

Next, we will use the midtone shimmer highlighted above to put in the crease. This is a dark look (can you tell I like dark makeup?). When a dark color is used all over the lid, a lighter color needs to be used in the crease. This is the oppositive of an everyday, typical look. Such a look would call for the lighter color on the lid and the darker in the crease. Just go with me here though. :-) Use your crease brush to apply that color to the crease being careful not to go over too much of the lid color. Here, my crease brush is CVS's exclusive brand, essence of beauty. The essence of beauty crease brush is my favorite for detailed work because it's so small.

Next, we blend it all together (before the highlight color is applied so it doesn't look muddy). I am using Kat Von D's crease brush to blend. Make sure you use a fluffy brush that is clean for this. I love this brush for blending because it's soft and does it very nicely. To blend, first blend the crease color out towards the brows and then lightly blend the crease color in with the lid color; but, be careful not to erase your lid color.

Finally, we will use the lightest shimmer as a highlight right under the brow arch and in the inner corners of the eyes. blend this with a large fluffy brush. Here, I'm using Sonia Kashuk's eyeshadow brush (exclusively sold at Target).

It's eyeliner time. This week, I picked up a new purple eyeliner as I know I'll run out of my cherished Urban Decay soon. This is the physician's formula shimmer liners that come in a set of three. I am using the set for brown eyes. In the set, there is a black, a purple, and a brown variety. I'm using the purple variety here to line my lower lash line. You can skip this step or use a black liner if you prefer. I like purple because it's not as harsh with the dark looks and it brings out brown eyes well.

I love liquid liner, so I use it pretty much exclusively when I do dark eyeshadows. I feel that the liquid has a higher contrast against the dark eyeshadow and it lasts longer. Here I'm using my favorite liquid liner, E.L.F.'s liquid liner in black ($1 at target and online). You can use a gel or a pencil if you don't have confidence with a liquid liner.

Next, curl those lashes and finish off with mascara. I'm trying out a new one I just got - Rimmel's Glam Eyes. I do like it. It lenthens and seperates well which is suprising considering how small the brush is. I feel it has good precision though. See the picture below to see a picture of the actual brush.

Rimmel glam eyes brush. Not a bad mascara - it does go head to head with Maybelline's volum' express but I can't decide which one I like better. We'll have to see....

This is the overall finished look (whole face).

Just the eyes. You can see the two different colors here and the blending.

By the way, this look lasted for hours during class and errands. Primers work!! I also reccomend a makeup setting spray. I love Urban Decay's All Nighter spray.