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Monday, May 24, 2010

LOOK: Sun Kissed Eyes

You've heard of sun kissed skin. Why not sun kissed eyes? I decided to bring out my all time favorite MAC Pigment, Off The Radar, and use it to give my eyes a really nice summertime look.

I also chose to lay off the eyeliner on my upper lash line because I really wanted this look to be bright and fresh. I really wanted the orange and green to pop so I just stuck with using mascara and black eyeliner on the lower waterline.

I really love this look for the summertime. Off The Radar pigment is so easy to pull off as a single wash of color even though I did blend some other colors into it. This color would look amazing on its own. I hope you all like this look. Not sure if I'm feeling the lip color though. I love it and hate it at the same time. What do you think? I did replace the lip color with a peachy pink lipglass but I couldn't get any good pictures out of it so these will have to do. Enjoy!










EYES:
Urban Decay Primer Potion
MAC Flammable paint (discontinued) applied all over lid, avoid going above the crease
MAC Off The Radar pigment (LE) applied all over lid and above crease (wet)
MAC Fab & Flashy eyeshadow (LE) applied above crease
MAC Golden Lemon pigment applied to inner corners and inner lower lash line
MAC Coppering eyeshadow applied to outer corners
MAC Brule eyeshadow applied as highlight
MAC Wondergrass eyeshadow (LE) applied to lower lash line
CoverGirl Lash Blast mascara
Revlon Colorstay eyeliner on lower waterline

CHEEKS:
NARS Laguna used to contour
MAC Gingerly blush on apples of cheeks

LIPS:
Revlon Nude Attitude lipstick
NYX Cafe Latte round lipglass

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Sunday's Best: Tropic Thunder FOTD

My boyfriend named this look. Lol.

It's another Sunday's Best look. Here's what I wore to church today. Before I get any comments that might say that this is too dramatic for me to wear especially to church, just know that I'm that type of person who doesn't care. Simple as that. (:

Anyway, I mostly wanted to match my top because it's such a pretty teal color. Hope you all like this look. I know I went a little crazy on the close up eye shots. It's because when I take decent pictures, I want to post all of them no matter how repetitive they are. Hope you all don't mind that! Enjoy!













EYES:
Urban Decay Primer Potion
MAC Paint Pot in Otherwordly (LE)
Glamour Doll Eyes eyeshadow in Shamrock applied to the inner 2/3 of the lid
MAC Prussian eyeshadow applied to outer 1/4 of the lid
MAC Cork eyeshadow applied to the crease
Any dark brown eyeshadow applied to the outer corners. (I used a brown from Coastal Scents)
MAC Beautiful Iris lightly applied to the inner corner and blended upwards
MAC Brule eyeshadow applied as highlight
MAC Golden Lemon pigment applied to lower lashline
MAC Blacktrack fluidline applied to upper lashline
MAC Auto-De-Blu Technakohl Liner applied to lower waterline
Covergirl Lash Blast mascara
Bliss lashes (#?)

CHEEKS:
NARS Laguna as contour
Estée Lauder blush in Nectar applied to apples of cheeks

LIPS:
Revlon Nude Attitude lipstick
NYX Cafe Latte Round Lipgloss

Saturday, May 22, 2010

Pink and Green Cut Crease Look Using MAC LE Eyeshadow

It's been a while since I've done a creative look using bright colors. I noticed I haven't touched my Limited Edition eyeshadows from four years ago so I decided to use them to create this look. Hope you all like it!!

PS: New layout! I added another sidebar column. I never thought I'd upgrade to 3 columns but I feel like my blog has taken off pretty successfully that it deserved another column because it just looks better this way! I am in no way HTML or CSS savvy so I was stuck in a rut trying to fix the layout of my blog. Please let me know if its looks weird when you view it. It looks normal to me but I'm afraid it might not be for others. I'm crossing my fingers that my lack of knowledge in web design has somewhat sufficed.





I hate when I forget to put mascara on my lower lashes!




EYES:
Urban Decay Primer Potion
MAC Paint Pot in Pharaoh all over lid
MAC Wondergrass eyeshadow (LE) applied 2/3 of the lid
MAC Big T eyeshadow (LE) applied to outer 1/3 of lid
MAC Smolder eye kohl used to cut crease
MAC Carbon eyeshadow applied to crease & blended outwards
MAC Passionate eyeshadow applied above crease & blended with Carbon
MAC Helium pigment applied to inner corners & brow bone
MAC Nylon eyeshadow applied as highlight
Revlon Lineur Intense liquid eyeliner on upper lash line
Revlon Colorstay eyeliner on lower waterline
Bliss Lashes (#?)

CHEEKS:
NARS Laguna as contour
Estée Lauder blush in Nectar applied to apples of cheeks

LIPS:
MAC Mattene lipstick in Tango (LE)

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

LORAC Bronzer in Glow, Review and Swatches


  
LORAC Bronzer in Glow is a perfect bronze color that's not overly shimmery and not completely matte. Having oily skin, I was afraid to use a bronzer that had shimmer in it because I didn't want to look like a baked disco ball. This bronzer appears to be shimmery in the packaging and swatched, but when it's blended it gives your face a nice sun kissed dewy look.

The pigmentation is amazing! It's very smooth, almost buttery and not like your typical powders that feel dry. This bronzer lasts all day and it doesn't rub off easily, which I love! I also like the fact that it doesn't look streaky when you apply it. The color blends easily and works great for contouring. It works well for all skin tones but if you're very fair, this may be too dark for your taste so you might want to pass on this particular color. (I'm an NC30 in MAC) But if you want that sun kissed warm summer glow, definitely pick this up.



AVAILABLE AT:
Sephora.com
PRICE: $28 USD
VALUE FOR PRICE: 4/5
EASE OF USE: 4/5
PACKAGING: 5/5
MEETS EXPECTATIONS: 5/5
OVERALL USE: 4/5

WOULD I RECOMMEND THIS PRODUCT? Yes
WOULD I PURCHASE AGAIN? Yes

Swatched, Blended


DISCLAIMER: The products reviewed on this blog are based on the opinions and experiences of the author. This product was purchased by the author and in no way was this review influenced by the company of the product.

Sunday, May 2, 2010

FOTD: Sunday's Best #2 Using Coastal Scents 28 Palette

I'm thinking of doing ritual "Sunday's Best" posts. What do you think? Since I do go to church and I usually do my makeup, I might as well keep the tradition going. Haha anyway, here's another look I wore to church today. Still very simple and everyday but you can totally rock the hell out of this look just by darkening up the outer corners with a dark brown or black eyeshadow.

What's really good about my eye makeup is that I used my Coastal Scents 28 Neutral Palette to create the entire look. So it's very easy and inexpensive!















EYES:











Urban Decay Primer Potion as primary base
MAC Rubenesque Paint Pot all over lid
#22 applied to the entire lid and as highlight
#12 applied above crease
#20 applied to outer crease
#21 applied to darker the outer corners
MAC Blacktrack fluidline applied to upper lashline and lower waterline
Darkness lashes
Covergirl Lash Blast waterproof mascara
 
CHEEKS:
LORAC Bronzer in Glow for contour
MAC Hipness blush (LE) applied to apples of cheeks

LIPS:
MAC Her Fancy lipstick
MAC Of Corset lipglass

Product Review: BrushLab Thermal Round Hair Brush



They need to change the name of this brush to The Ultimate Sex Hair Brush!!!

I kid you not! After I used this hair brush, I could not stop running my fingers through my hair and have it flow down my face like, well... sex hair! I don't mean to sound all raunchy or anything. But it's the truth! And the truth is, I love this brush!

Personally, I am not one who uses a hair dryer on a regular basis. I hardly ever do! Matter of fact, I can't remember the last time I ever pulled out my hair dryer. I always air dry my hair after i shower and after that, I flat iron. I'm guilty of using a flat iron too many times on my hair which is probably why it's so damaged at the ends. I just can't help it! It's a fast and easy way to have tamed hair, which is why I do it too often.

AVAILABLE AT: Brushlove.com
PRICE: $18.98 USD
BARREL SIZE: 3"
VALUE FOR PRICE: 3/5
EASE OF USE: 4/5
PACKAGING: 4/5
MEETS EXPECTATIONS: 4/5
OVERALL USE: 4/5


PROS:
It adds volume to your hair 
It gives your layers more dimension
The barrel is made of thermal ceramic that heats up! This helps distribute heat to prevent over drying & damage.
Versatile brush. You can straighten, curl, or add volume to your hair.
Your hair looks healthier rather than stick straight hair that a flat iron would typically do to your hair.
Your hair won't feel weighed down
Comfort grip handle
100% natural premium cut boar bristles

CONS:
If you're not used to using a brush like this, it might take longer to style. It's definitely something to get used to.
Using it against a hair dryer seems like it causes more damage (I don't know how, it just seems like it)



OVERALL:
My overall experience with this brush made me think different about using round, boar bristle brushes. I remember as a little girl I used to play with my mom's rounds brushes (because I wanted to be like her) and I would always get it tangled in my hair and it would get stuck! I was basically afraid to use this because I had a lot of bad experiences using them. But after my entire life (literally), I finally gave this another whirl. And since the good definitely outweighs the bad, you can say that this will definitely not be the last time I use this technique over a flat iron.

I thought this particular size was perfect for my long hair. I didn't have much trouble running this through my hair since it actually made my hair smoother and less tangled. Except for when my hair was still extremely wet but I guess that's a given.

The comfort grip handle made it very comfortable for my hands. You're basically holding on tightly to this brush since you're somewhat pulling on your hair so the comfort is a definite plus.

HOW I STYLED MY HAIR:
With this brush you can either straighten, curl, or add volume to your hair. I was definitely going for volume. What I did first was I took pieces of my hair on top and I put it under the hair brush so that it's flared outwards. And then I straightened underneath it slowly with the concentrator attachment and rolling the brush outwards, pulling it down my hair at the same time. When I got to the very ends of my hair, I concentrated more heat so that it was sure to flare out at the bottom (as you can see in the pictures). Then I took hair from the crown of my head and I put it over the hair brush and I concentrated the hair dryer on top so that it added more volume to the crown.

I'm sure you are all familiar with how my hair looks on a regular basis when I do makeup looks, you can definitely tell that my hair is usually straight, unstyled, and flat! But the after pictures of using my hair dryer and the thermal round hair brush made my hair look in such a way that I can't recall the last time it ever looked bouncy and voluminous. I styled my hair the night before and when I woke up the next morning, my hair was still bouncy and voluminous! I love what it did to my hair.





WOULD I RECOMMEND THIS PRODUCT?
Yes
WOULD I PURCHASE AGAIN? I would definitely purchase other brushes from their website!



DISCLAIMER: In no way is this blog accepting any form of payment for products received by companies. The products reviewed on this blog are based on the opinions and experiences of the author. The products in this review were provided by the company.

Saturday, May 1, 2010

LOOK: Blue With a Wash of Purple

I did this look a while ago when I did my review on the Hana flat iron. I completely forgot about it and now I can't recall any of the colors I used to create it. My bad! I know it's not the best work I've ever done but I figured I couldn't let this go to waste without posting it so I might as well do it anyway.

I do remember using MAC Viz-A-Violet on the lower lash line and crease, if that helps!

PS: My hair was a mess (it was before I flat ironed my hair) so ignore the baby hairs and fly-aways. :P