FOTD: Smokey Brown (something quick & easy)

Hey Guys!

I thought I'd post a quick FOTD. I was watching one of pixiwoo's recent videos and I liked the way Sam had her eye makeup.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovYfow38UUs

It looked like she may of only used a couple shades of brown with a little bit of a messy application. So, when I was doing my makeup on my way out the door last night, I grabbed a couple of my brown eye shadows and a fluffy smudge brush and tried it myself. I really liked the outcome. I couldn't get any good pictures because I was having lighting issues.. it looked a lot better in person. :( I thought I'd share anyway..







Face:
Palladio Stick Concealer in the shade #Yellow
Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse in the shade #Dark 2 to contour my cheekbones
Make Up Forever HD #127 Foundation mixed with a dab of Nars Sheer Glow Foundation in #Stromboli
Rimmel Lasting Finish Transparent Powder to set my foundation and under eyes
MAC Improvise Mineralized Blush

Eyes:
NARS Galapagos eyeshadow smudged all over my lid and under my bottom lash line
MAC Cork Eyeshadow smudged over the previous application of eye shadow
Covergirl Volume Exact Mascara
Cargo Reverse Lip Liner in the shade #Medium on my waterline to brighten it up

Lips:
Wet n Wild Lipstick in shade #901B Think Pink
MAC 2N Lipglass

Review: Maybelline Dream Mousse Concealer!

Product Description:

• Air-whipped mousse texture feels lightweight on skin and builds opacity for settle-free coverage
• Completely covers dark circles, imperfections and redness
• Blends and smoothes away imperfections instantly
• Oil-Free, fragrance-free, non-comedogenic, dermatologist tested, safe for sensitive skin.

 My Review:  This is the first "mousse" product I've ever tried and didn't really know what to expect. The consistency is very light and airy and has a silicone-like feel to it. It's super soft and blends with no effort needed. I've tried applying this with my fingers or with a concealer brush and I didn't like either application method. The only way I like applying this is with my Sigma 224 or MAC 224 brush. I just dab the brush in and swirl it around my under eyes and build it to the desired coverage. This has a light - buildable to medium coverage. It's definitely not full - or full enough for what I prefer. I like using this on blemishes.. it covers them pretty well. I like to use my fingers for that and pat some product on it. Definitely can build it to a pretty heavy medium coverage on blemishes and it covers redness very good. The only thing I don't really like about this is the matte finish it gives. I've never used a matte concealer.. and this just makes my under eyes look dull. I don't think this is something I would repurchase once I run out.

Nars Sheer Glow update! (My winter shade)

I had a gift card to Sephora so I decided to pick up my favorite foundation. I haven't had a bottle in months because $42 for me is a lot to shovel out for a daily use foundation. Now that I'm not using as much self tanner as I was, I've been using a lot of foundations that are in the NC30-NC35 range rather than NC40. Previously I was using the shade Barcelona in Sheer Glow.. which was the absolute perfect NC40 match. It matched my skintone even better than MAC NC40 did. But this time, I picked one shade lighter.. and that is Stromboli. This shade is the dead on perfect match for me right now. I can't believe how perfect the color match NARS Sheer Glow offers for my skin tone.

I did a few comparisons for you guys.. Since I'm on vacation, I didn't have all of my foundations with me. Just MAC Studio Fix Fluid and Make Up Forever HD. I'm sure Estee Lauder Double Wear in the shade Tawny may come close to these as well.

MAC and MUFE look almost exactly the same. Nars is the slightest more yellow.. and looks the best on me of the three. (I actually think I did a typo.. it may be mufe #125.. the label has rubbed off!)

This picture is taken indoors with flash.

I took a picture yesterday morning after I applied my Nars.. matches my neck perfectly. :)

Cheryl just reviewed Sheer Glow in this shade.. check out her review here!

FOTD: Natural w/ Black Winged Liner + a Couple Vacation Pics!

Hey Everyone!

I didn't really explain that I'm on vacation, but if you've been seeing my twitter updates.. you may of caught on. I'm on vacation in Minnesota visiting one of my really close aunts. She has always been like my second mom and she means the world to me. She has always visited Chicago for every birthday or any occasion that is special to me or my family. She has always been there and I'm so graceful for that. It's really nice to be here spending quality time together.. I haven't seen her in over a year.

Having a picnic in the park..

We went to the casino as soon as I arrived... I looked terrible. lol wasn't really expecting to go anywhere after a 7 hour drive..

Warming myself up by her awesome fire place. lol my aunt loves taking pictures. I blame her for any type of photogenic-ness I have today and for my love for photography. Shes always behind the camera.

Having lunch by the lake

lol, my aunt made me take a picture by this..


I got a free sundae ;)

Wouldn't be Minnesota without some cows!! haha

I'll be sad to leave.. but hopefully I'll be able to visit more often. :)

Here's my face of the day..

I never usually apply my liner like this.. I usually only apply if halfway on my top and bottom lash line.. but I noticed in photos my eyes looked very small. So I decided to apply my liner across my whole top lashline a little thicker than what I'm used to.. to make my eyes look larger and more round. And, apply no liner on my lower lash line to make my eyes look more open. I really liked how it looked and I'm sure I'll be wearing my liner like this more often.

Face:
Prepped my skin with Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel (first time using this)
Applied MAC Select Cover Up Concealer in the shade NW25 to my under eyes using my MAC 190 Brush.
Applied NARS Sheer Glow Foundation in the shade Stromboli to my face using my fingers and blended lightly. Then, I buffed it in using my MAC 131 Brush to better blend it.
Applied MAC So Ceylon Mineralized Skinfinish to my cheeks using a powder brush.
Set my under eyes with Rimmel Lasting Finish Translucent Powder (love this!)

Brows:
Maybelline Define-a-Brow Pencil in the shade medium brown

Eyes:
Shiseido Mascara Base
Covergirl Volume Exact Mascara
Shu Uemura Eye Lash Curler ;)
Ardell Accents Lashes (I believe #305? They are the halves)
Mary Kay Black Liquid Liner
A very, very light sweep of Urban Decay Last Call eyeshadow on my lower lash line (a plum color)

Lips:
MAC Shygirl Lipstick