Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Graphic Eye: Featuring NYX!




Last weekend I felt a bit bored, so I though, why not let's play around with make up? (It seems to be one of the only things I'm actually good at) So as I was browsing through my colors, I realized I wanted to do something bold and graphic once I chose 3 stark constrasting colors. The look may seem complicated, but really it took about 5-10 minutes to do! Enough rambling, here's the products I used:





SmashBox Photo FInish Eye Lid Primer
NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk
NYX e/s: White & Irises
Studio Gear Gel Eyeliner in Invincible Onyx
L'oreal Extra Intense Liquid Eye Pencil in Balck
L'oreal Telescopic Mascara
L'oreal Telescopic Mascara



Would you ever wear graphic make up like this out in public? <3

Monday, September 19, 2011

Multi-tasking Beauty Tips!



Lipstick:

  • On the cheeks as a cream blush.
  • A neutral tone on the eyelids for a sheer wash of colour.
  • A dark beige/brown tone as a contour underneath the cheekbones, under the chin, down the sides of the nose.
  • An orange tone with concealer to neutralize darkness.

Clear Ointment/balm (think lanolips/paw paw ointment):

  • On the highest points of the face as a highlight.
  • Mixed with blush for a fresh runway cream cheek colour.
  • As a clear gloss.
  • On the eyelashes when out of mascara. (Ensure you use petroleum free)
  • On the brows to keep them in place, on the eyelids for a fresh dewy look.
  • Mixed with lip liner for a cheek colour.
  • On the eyelids for a fresh natural looking runway finish.

Mascara:

  • On the lash line as an eyeliner when used with a eyeliner brush.

Brow Pencil:

  • As an eyeliner.

Eyeshadow:

  • A matte neutral shade as a brow fill in.
  • As an eyeliner.
  • As a lip or cheek colour.
  • A medium/dark brown matte or shimmer shade as a bronzer.
  • A light shimmery shade as a highlighter.
  • A dark matte neutral shade as a contour.

Bronzer:

  • As an eyeshadow on the lids.
  • As an eyeliner.
  • As a lip colour when mixed with clear gloss/balm.
  • As a contour.

Clear Mascara:

  • On the brows to keep them in place.
  • Around the lip line to prevent lipstick from bleeding/feathering.

Lip Liner:

  • Before Lipstick to prevent feathering/bleeding.
  • Mixed with a small amount of clear balm for a cheek colour.
  • A dark brown or bold vivid colour as an eyeliner.

Blush:

  • As a lip colour when mixed with a clear balm/gloss.
  • For a very subtle hint of colour on the eyelids.
  • A dark neutral shade as a contour.

Eyeliner:

  • As an eyeshadow when used over the entire eye lid.
  • As a brow fill in.
  • As an eyeshadow base for other colours.

Foundation:

  • On the eyelids with a dusting of translucent powder as an eyelid primer.
  • On the lips extremely lightly to neutralize them before applying lip colour.
  • As a tinted moisturiser when mixed with moisturiser.
  • As a long lasting sheer foundation when mixed with primer.
  • A dark shade as a contour.

Primer:

  • A light hydrating formula on the lips as a lip primer.
  • A matte finish primer as an eyelid primer when set with powder.
  • Use a clear silicon based primer too fix dried up gel liner.

Concealer:

  • As an eraser to correct any lipstick mistakes.
  • A dark shade as a contour.



I remember seeing this on tumblr about a week or two ago, and saved it so i cant give credit to the blog i found it on, hope it was helpful!


Do you have any special beauty tricks? <3


Sunday, September 18, 2011

EOTN 9.17.11



I went out to dinner to Red Lobster & to the movies in a city near me. I really didn't feel like making my make up too much, but wanted a smokey eye still. I came up with this navy blue smokey eye :) Here's what I used:



SmashBox Photo Finish Eye Lip Primer
MAC e/s: Brulee (highlight), Saddle (Blending Color)
Urban Decay e/s: Goddess ( Lid/Crease), Perversion (Outer V)
L'oreal Extra-Intense Liquid Pencil Liner in Black
Studio Gear Gel Eyeliner in Invincible Onyx
L'oreal Telescopic Mascara
Maybelline Lash Stiletto Mascara
L'oreal Voluminous Carbon Black Mascara


What's your go-to smokey eye look? <3

Top Fall Nail Polishes!




I'm so excited Fall is soon approaching! Fall is my absolute favorite season, all the cute clothes (scarves, cardigans, boots) the warm hues outside warm coffee, and it means Christmas is near! Now, even though I live in the south and it's still not actually "Fall/Autumn" but I'm so crazy about these colors that I'm already wearing these darker hues!



TOP 5:


Zoya's Dree: A gorgeous creamy opaque army colored green. It looks gorgeous against my yellow-toned skin, definitely one of my top 3 favorites this fall. It's such a non-conventional color for fall that we don't see that often but still looks clean and polished.

Zoya's Jem: An absolute breath-taking dark burgundy with reflects of olive green. To me, this shade and the next one I'm going to be talking about (Orly's Space Cadet) looked like exact dupes in the bottle but once applied they were COMPLETELY different. This is my #1 pick for this Fall!

Orly's Space Cadet: I've had this shade for a while now and i have no idea why I was so silly as to shy away from it! Its such a pretty color to look at! It has a mixture of olive green/gold reflects with a burgundy tone undertone. It is the most unique shade I own to date. It reminds me a lot of the new Chanel nail polish "Peridot". As I mentioned above, I thought this and Zoya's Jem where pretty much the same shade but I was so wrong. I'll be wearing this more than not as a accent nail on the ring finger with either Zoya's Dree or Jem on the rest of the nails.


Essie's Very Structured: In my opinion, every girl needs a Camel toned leather bag but also, every girl needs a warm toned camel nail polish. This shade blows my mind away at how simple yet genius it is. It's like I said, a Camel Leather color to me. It goes perfectly with my leather hang bag and boots. I know I will get LOADS of use out of this shade.


OPI's Ski Teal We Drop: This deep teal shade was a favorite of mine last year also when it came out with the Swiss Collection, but once again it attracts me. I love the contrast it gives with warm toned outfit. It also looks very complementing with cooler tones. Overall this unique shade is one that I always get compliments while wearing.






Other Top Picks:


OPI's You Don't Know Jacques: How the French say, Comme D'habitude this shade had to be included in this post! Its one of those shades that I will wear year round and never think it's not appropriate. Its a taupey-brown shade that in my opinion, will never go out of style for fall and winter.


OPI's Royal Rajah Ruby: Like I said in my Fall Obsessions post, this shade came out with the India collection a while back, but still a favorite! It is a deep warm maroon with red and brown undertones. It has a golden-red sheen/glitter running trough it, which only enhances the nail polish.


OPI's Bogota Blackberry: A reddish-toned plum with a satin finish. I can't really describe this shade, but I can say that it is basically MAC's Cranberry Eyeshadow. I really like this shade because it has enough depth to grab someones attention to your nails (in a good way) but yet not being overly dark for the fall.


OPI's Black Cherry Chutney: This shade is a deep purple, (but not quite as dark as Linkin Park After Dark) I has a burgundy sheen shot through it that can be seen in certain angles/lighting. Its dark, without being too dark.

OPI's Brisbane Bronze: Since metallic is really in this fall, i figured I'd choose this beautiful metallic copper shade. (Its like MAC's Coopering in an eyeshadow) Its great for medium & deep skins. I will wear this a lot as an accent nail on my ring finger with Essie's Very Structured on the rest of my nails.






Honorable Mentions:





What are your top nail polish picks this fall?
<3



Saturday, September 10, 2011

FOTN 09.10.2011


I went out to see the new movie called Contagion (amazing film, btw!) which I've been dying to see with my best friend. I didn't want my make up to be too dramatic for the cinema but I still wanted something noticable (if that makes any sense!) So this is what I came up with:



The products I used were:


Eyes:
MAC Brulee & Texture Eyeshadows
UD Half baked, Baked & Zero Eyeshadows
Estee Lauder Artist's Eye Pencil in 01 soft smudgeblack
L'oreal Carbon Black Lineur Intense Liquid Liner
Maybelline Lash Stiletto Mascara
L'oreal Telescopic Mascara
NARS ALbatross Highlighting Blush (inner tear duct)

Face:
NARS Sheer Glow Foundation in Stromboli
MAC Studio Finish Concealer in NC35
Cargo Blu_Ray Powder in 20
Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess Bronzer
NARS Albatross Highlighting Blush (as highlight)

Lips:
Estee Lauder Lipstick in 04 Nude Almond



Have you seen any good new movies lately? <3

Cute Ways to Store Nail Polish!



Now, if you're a nail polish addict (a.k.a hoarder) like me, you'll know how hard it is to store nail polish. I'm not one to have all of my things in my room on display, I like it tidy. So for the longest time I would just store them in a basket underneath my bed. Until one day, while cleaning my room I realized that I already had the PERFECT place to store them! They are these hard cardboard decorative "valises" or suitcases. They usually come in a range of different sizes. Fortunately for me, I already had some as decoration. You can find them anywhere really, (Sears, TJ Max, Stein Mart, Ross, Target, Pier 1 Imports) in a variety of designs, shapes and sizes. They fit a multitude of nail polishes, and keep them up straight. Here are some pictures to show you exactly what I'm talking about.



I only use the top two "suitcases" for nail products, the largest one I use for hair tools (straightners, curling irons, ect).


The smallest for drugstore nail polishes (Rimmel London and Sally Hansen), base coats/top coats (OPI, Seche Vite) and some random tools. And the medium one I use for my high-end nail polishes. (OPI, Butter London, Essie, CHI, Orly, China Glaze & Zoya)



Here is how I have mine all stacked and with a little Eiffel Tower on top that holds some jewelry. So there you go, A very simple and cute way to store your nail polish (or anything really!!!) I hope some of you found this useful or at least give you some new ideas in relation to storage!



How do you store your nail polish? <3
xoxo

Monday, September 5, 2011

Fall Obsessions!



I couldn't be any happier that Fall is soon approaching!! To "celebrate" the season, I decided to do this little TAG where you say your favorite products to the Fall season! I have many favorites in the fall season, it's my favorite time to play around with all the colors! I'm ALL about warm and jewel tones! So here they are :)






Favorite Face Product:

Although it's really not considered a "face product", I have to chose Benefit's "Benetint" as my favorite "face product" because it gives the most natural flush to the cheeks and lips with minimal effort. This product never leaves my purse in the fall and winter months! It brings life
back to what can be a pale face in the fall and winter.





Favorite Blush:

I'm all for warm cheeks in the fall season, my favorite has to be my newest MAC mineralize blush in the color "Gleeful". It's a dark rosy blush with gold sparkles running through it, it is absolutely GORGEOUS! I can't get enough of it! It gives such a healthy medium-deep rosey color to the cheeks that looks like its coming from within, I definitely recommend all you ladies to go try it out at your nearest MAC counter if you have a medium to skin complexion.





Favorite Combo:

I'm not one to go for lipliners, I feel as though they dry out my lips too much. Instead, I opt for a moisturizing lip conditioner or lip balm of some sort to make sure my lips are really well hydrated. My favorite lipstick i MAC's "Fast Play" which is medium/dark dusty mauve color with pink undertones. It looks lovely on the lips by itself, however I like apply Covergirls 205 "Smolder" on the center of the lips for a more brownish look to them. (Both of these lipsticks offer a very creamy moisturizing feels to them with opaque coverage) Then at the end, I like to apply just a bit of Smashbox's "Tease" lipgloss on top for a plummy sheen.







Favorite Eye Product:

MAC "Sketch" eyeshadow! I can't get enough of this shadow in the fall! It was actually my first ever MAC purchase!! It's a deep plumy color with sparkles in it (although the sparkles don't translate to the eye). It's truly an amazing color that offers so much to be done with it. You can deepen up a look by using it in the outer corner, or create a plumy smokey eye with it, all around an AMAZING eyeshadow!





Favorite Nail Polish:

I'm not one to wear bright nail polish so often, and if i do, I don't keep it on my nails that long. For the season, my favorite nail varnish definitely has to be OPI's "Royal Rajah Ruby". It came out with the India collection a while back, but still a favorite! It is a deep warm maroon with red and brown undertones. It has a golden-red sheen/glitter running trough it, which only enhances the nail polish.



Favorite Hair Product:

My absolute favorite thing to do is to curl my hair in the fall! I have pin-straight hair, which can be boring sometimes. In the summer I don't tend to use heat on my hair, so in the fall I go a bit crazy with the curling. To help my hair with all this heat, I use the "It's a 10 Miracle leave-in product". The product is a "10 in 1" therapy spray. It mainly use it to replenish moisture to my hair and to protect it from the heat. It claims to:

1. Repair dry, damaged hair
2. Add shine
3. Detangle
4. Control frizz
5. Seal & protect hair color
6. Prevent split ends
7. Stops hair breakage
8. Create silkiness
9. Enhance natural body
10. Flat iron spray & thermal protector.




Favorite Fashion Item:

reason fall is my favorite season has alot to do with the clothing, it's absolutely adorable (and keeps you warm) !! I am probably one of the biggest scarf addicts out there, (I have so many!) I really couldn't narrow it down to one particular scarf, so instead i'll show you my favorite 3!



They all go with the colors I would most wear in fall, a plum-lilac floral pattern with beige "ruffles" at the ends. Another is a scarf with a gradient of a light olive green all the way to a deep olive with gold shimmer running through it. And the last one is a Burberry-esque that will make any outfit more sophisticated and put together. This scarf that is an absolute staple in the fall for me!





What are your Fall Obsessions? <3

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Face of the Day 08.20.2011





This is my go-to, typical make up whenever I want to look polished yet not too overdone. I use alot of golds and rosey colors to compliment my skin :)






Face:


SmashBox Photo Finish Primer
NARS foundation in Stromboli
MAC Studio Finish Concealer in NC35
Cargo Blu-Ray Powder in 20
Urban Decay Secret Service E/S for the brows



Eyes:


MAC Rubenesque Paintpot
MAC "Brulee" E/S
MAC "Expensive Pink" E/S
MAC "Texture" E/S
MAC "Brown Script" E/S
Urban Decay "Baked" E/S
MAC Dip Down & Rich Ground Fluidlines
L'oreal Telescopic & Voluminous Mascaras


Cheeks:


NARS Torrid Blush
NARS Albatross Highlight Blush
Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess Bronzer


Lips:


MAC Petting Pink Lop Conditioner
MAC Fanfare Liptick
SmashBox Lipgloss in Afterglow




What make up are you wearing today? <3

Monday, August 22, 2011

Too Faced: Lip of Luxury!


I've been a big fan of Too Faced Cosmetics for a while now, so I decided to give their lipsticks a shot once I saw how cute their packaging was! It's definitely a tube of lipstick that I don't mind putting on in public! The packaging is a shiny light pink color with a big rhinestone on the top! One word, PRECIOUS! <3



I ended up picking up the shade Centerfold, (yes... the name IS centerfold!) It's a mid-tone cool toned mauvey purple-pink color. It's an absolutely beautiful color, but unfourtunately it didn't suit my skin tone so well. I found it too cool toned to compliment my coloring, however, i think that pairing it under a warmer toned lipgloss would make it wearable for me. I think I will end up using the color more in the winter months when my skin is paler and less warm toned.




Overall, the lipstick has a great silky smooth feeling as it's applied to the lips. There is a small sour smell to it, but it's nothing offensive. It has a normal 2-3 hours wear on me.








I think I would skip out on this if you have a warmer skin tone, just because the color doesn't suit yellow-based skin as well as it would for a cooler tone. The shade was a miss for be but I will definitely be trying out other shades in the future!



Have you ever been attracted to a lipstick simply
because of its packaging? <3