Pick your Eyeshadow Palette GIVEAWAY! UD Naked Palettes and More!

Pick your Eyeshadow Palette Giveaway!

Hey Everyone! A few days ago I hit 5,000 followers on Google Friend Connect, so I thought it'd be the perfect time for a giveaway! I was originally going to give away one of the Urban Decay Naked Palettes, but because of their popularity, many already own them, I thought it'd be fun to give you the choice between a few different palettes! Additionally, I'm going to toss in some of my favorite products from the drugstore.

The winner will receive:

• Your choice from the following: Urban Decay Naked Palette, Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette, Urban Decay Smoked Palette, Too Faced The Return of the Sexy Eyeshadow Palette and Laura Mercier Artist's for Eyes Palette. 
• Some of my favorite makeup items from the drugstore as an added bonus!

There are two ways to enter:

• Leave a comment on this post about anything you'd like. Did you order anything from the MAC Glamour Daze Collection? Which websites are your daily regulars? What's on your nails right now? Did you collect anything when you were younger? Or simply write Enter me! This will yield (1) entry. *If you comment anonymously, please leave your name or e-mail. 
• Follow me on Twitter @nattyngeorge. I have to bribe you somehow, right? If you're already following me, tweet about the giveaway! For example: Enter @nattyngeorge giveaway for a chance to win your eyeshadow palette of choice! http://www.missnattysbeautydiary.com/2012/10/pick-your-eyeshadow-palette-giveaway-ud.html. This will yield (1) additional entry.

Terms and Conditions:

• This giveaway will run for one week, and the deadline to enter will be on Thursday  November 1st at 11:59 PM (CST). 
• For fairness, the winner will be chosen at random using random.org.
• Winner will be announced within 48 hours of the deadline. 
• This giveaway is open internationally. I will ship anywhere in the world.
• You must permission from a parent or guardian to enter if you are under the age of 18 in most states (with the exception of Alabama and Nebraska, 19; Mississippi, 21).
• The winner will have 48 hours to respond or another winner will be chosen.

Thank you all for your continued support! It means the world to me!

Tips on How to Wear a Berry Lip this Fall!

Berry Colored Lips for the Fall

Now that it's Fall, it's time to pull out your darker lipstick shades from hibernation. Wearing a dark lipstick could be very intimidating. I know it took me a long time to feel comfortable with wearing darker colored lipsticks, but now I can't get enough of them!  In this post, I've written out some tips to keep in mind when wearing a berry lip. I've included a slideshow at the end of this post for inspiration.

Your Lips should be the Focal Point

Simplicity is key whenever you're wearing a bold lip because you want your lips to be the star of the show. When wearing a bold lip, keep the eyes clean by adding a matte nude shade to the lids (I like using MAC Brule eyeshadow) to even out the color of the lids and hide any redness or veins. Apply a black liquid liner the upper lash line and wing it out if you'd like sort of the pin-up look. For something a little more natural, line your lid with a soft black pencil eyeliner and use a small brush to smudge/soften the line. If you're fair skinned, you might want to use a dark brown instead of black as sometimes black can look too harsh with this look. I love voluminous lashes with this look, so apply lots of mascara to the upper and lower lash line. To add a glamorous girly touch, apply false lashes snipped in half to the outer end of your eyes. Anything more might look too dramatic.

Pick Neutral Eyeshadows

I you want a little something extra on your eyes, opt for neutral shades. Neutral shadows pair great with plum, wine and cranberry lipstick shades. Think ivory, champagne, silver, taupe, ashy browns, charcoal, plum, etc. If your lipstick has red tones to it, gold and warm brown work great.

Here's a little example of shades I'd pair with a berry lip. I'd pick two colors at the most - one shade all over my lid in a sheer layer and a second shade in the crease, or as a highlight.

Swatches from left to right: Urban Decay Half Baked, MAC Electra, Highlight from Dior 5 Golds Quint, MAC Retrospeck, Urban Decay Sidecar, MAC Jardin Aires Pigment, MAC Patina Eyeshadow, MAC Gold Stroke Pigment, L'Oreal Bronzed Taupe Infallible Eyeshadow, MAC Soba Eyeshadow, MAC Satin Taupe, MAC Maroon Pigment, Nars Galapagos, Urban Decay Gunmetal, MAC Silver Ring, Generic Purple Eyeshadow.

For a Quick Fix, Try Mixing your MAC Pro Longwear Concealer with your Favorite Moisturizer!

Some days when I'm in a rush or just need to run a couple of errands and don't feel like putting on my full-face, I always look to my concealers for a quick fix. Concealing my under eyes is always a must, and then sometimes I dab a little concealer on each area of my face and blend with a large brush. Then pop a little blush or bronzer on my cheeks and I'm out the door.

So, a couple days ago when I was on my way out the door and didn't want to scare the general public, I decided to try out a recommendation from LoveMelisaMichelle (thanks, girl!) in her recent Flawless Face video. She mixed her favorite moisturizer with MAC Pro Longwear Concealer ($18) for a great lightweight light-medium coverage foundation.

I would have never thought of it before because MAC Pro Longwear Concealer isn't really what I'd call full coverage (although it does provide a very good medium), but somehow, it morphs into a (much better) second skin once combined with a moisturizer.

I like to take one pump and mix it with equal parts moisturizer and then apply it to my face with my fingers, working it into the skin as I would a moisturizer. MAC Pro Longwear Concealer sets very quick, and doesn't go too far when you try spreading it alone, so it really needs the combination of the moisturizer to be able to smooth it out all over your face and give you the extra time to blend. I like adding in a drop of illuminator too to make my skin glow.

It feels like I have nothing on my face, yet my skin looks naturally perfected. It's the perfect "no-foundation" foundation. Depending on your moisturizer, it may make your skin shine after several hours, so make sure to set with a little powder.

I absolutely love this combo, and highly recommend trying it if you own MAC Pro Longwear Concealer. After all, if you already own it, you have nothing to lose. I've tried this with other concealers, but I like this combo the best.

Hope your Monday is a little brighter than mine! What's up with this rain?!

Last Chance for 40% Off at Drugstore.com!

40% Off All Makeup @ Drugstore.com

The 40% Off sale on all makeup at Drugstore.com is wrapping up, so if you have any drugstore staples or favorites, now is the time to buy! I'm heading over there right now to take a look. Also, shipping is free on orders over $25! Sale ends tonight! Use code: MAKEUP40.

*Apparently, the 40% doesn't work on everything in the makeup department as advertised. I was going to pick up a few Real Techiques Brushes, but the code didn't work. I thought maybe it only works on actual makeup, but it did work for instance on makeup remover wipes. I wasn't able to locate the fine print on the website.

Also, if you need to grab any goodies from Tarte Cosmetics, make sure to place your orders before Oct. 21 @ 11:59 ET for 20% with code: TREAT.

Unfortunately, I just noticed that there are exclusions, one of which is the Fantastic Foursome set pictured above. *sigh* See the website for the fine print. (In the top left hand corner of the page where it mentions the sale, click "*click for details")