Sunday, March 10, 2013

Nars Lola Lola and Night Fever Eyeshadows Review, Photos & Swatches!

Nars Lola Lola and Night Fever Eyeshadows

I recently purchased a couple new Nars eyeshadows to add to my forever growing collection. Like I need any more eyeshadows, right? Well, after these I'm probably done one for a while.. don't quote me on that though.

I'm all about simplicity on most days, so I love a good eyeshadow single that can make me look quickly polished without the help of any additional eyeshadows.

Nars Lola Lola Eyeshadow is described as a neutral brown with shimmer. It looks copper/brick toned in the pan, but once swatched, the color is more muted and neutral. It definitely has some soft reddish tones (no yellow-orange) mixed with silvery/gray pigments, so it doesn't lean warm.

It's actually more unique than it appears. The slight shimmer/frost really pulls this shade together and makes it a really pretty, elegant shade. It's a nice shade for any eye color, but I'd think it would look especially nice on blue and green or hazel eyes.

The eyeshadow itself is super soft and pigmented and blends like a dream. I've been wearing it alone on  my lids and lower lash line for a soft daytime eye. I like that it's not super intense and has a softness about it so it's a shade that I can wear every day.

Nars Night Fever Eyeshadow on the other hand is a super dark and intense shade that I thought would be a great eyeliner shade. Night Fever is described as a black with red pearls. Pretty Simple. It's a super dark, matte black filled with fine red shimmers.

It's one of those shimmers that disappears when you wipe it, so to get the shimmer to show up, you have to pat the eyeshadow on as opposed to sweeping it. If you sweep it on, you'll only get a matte black. It doesn't transfer well when applied dry, but applied on top of a base (preferably a sticky one), it really helps the shimmers stick. They also show up when applied wet, but regardless, if you want the shimmer to stick, you need a creamy base and you have to dab it on.

Truthfully, I think it's too much work and I'd recommend skipping this shade all together. MAC Beauty Marked Eyeshadow and NYX Sensual Eyeshadow are both similar alternatives for a lower price.

To see these two shades in action, check my previous post where I'm wearing Lola Lola on the lid and lower lash line and Night Fever on the outer corners.



Friday, March 8, 2013

My Face of the Day.


Haven't posted one of these in ages! This is pretty much my usual makeup look using all products that I use on a regular basis. I don't wear false lashes often, but I recently ordered some Red Cherry Lashes and I've been wearing them almost every day because I love them so much! Strangely, my eyelashes are almost non existent as of lately and I'm not sure why. I think since I've begun using Covergirl Clump Crusher Mascara, I've lost all of my lashes. (This happened to me when I was using Covergirl Lash Perfection too - good mascaras, but for whatever reason, they pull my lashes out) So I've been resorting to falsies for the time being and I purchased the Ardell Brow & Lash Growth Accelerator treatment I used in the past to grow my lashes back.

I've had a few questions regarding my eyebrows because they are lighter than they were before. I bleach them every three weeks using Sally Hansen Creme Hair Bleach and I've switched to a lighter shade in my Make Up Forever Aqua Brow. I really like the way they look now.

Products Used-

Face
Le Metier de Beaute Peau Vierge (tinted luminizer, skin treatment and spf - used as a base)
MAC Pro Longwear Concealer NW25 (applied under my eyes)
Guerlain Parure Extreme Foundation #3
NARS Laguna Bronzer (applied all over the face)
NARS Oasis Blush (applied to the cheeks)
MAC Superb Extra Dimension Highlighter (applied to the highest points of my cheeks for shine)
Ben Nye Neutral Set Powder (applied to my undereyes and t-zone to set foundation)

Eyebrows
MAC Spiked Eyebrows Retractable Crayon (used to shape my brows)
Make Up Forever Aqua Brow #15 (used to fill my brows in)
MAC Girl Boy Brow Set (tinted brow gel)

Eyes
Nars Lola Lola Eyeshadow
Nars Night Fever Eyeshadow
Red Cherry #82 Eyelashes (my new favorite lashes!)
Covergirl Lash Blast Fusion Mascara

Lips
MAC Soar Lip Liner
MAC Insanely It Sheen Supreme Lipstick (very lightly dabbed on my lips)
Nars Super Orgasm Lipgloss (my new favorite lipgloss!)

*Nars eyeshadows not pictured.. oops!


I'm working on a post as we speak on the Nars Eyeshadows I used in this look - it should be up in a couple of hours!

Ulta 21 Days of Beauty 2013!

Ulta 21 Days of Beauty 2013

It's that time of year again! Ulta Beauty is hosting their bi-annual 21 Days of Beauty event at Ulta stores. The event will showcase Ulta's Spring and Summer trends, as well as provide makeup and skincare consultations and demonstrations from several brands in order for you to find the perfect products to suit you. There's also of course special offers and my favorite part of it all - the "Beauty Steals" which features a new product every day. The event will start March 10th and will be ending on March 30th. Appointments for each event are recommended, so make sure to visit your local ULTA store and sign up!

Continue reading for the full calendar of events-


Week 1 Events

SUN: 3/10
bareMinerals
Learn how to get flawless natural beauty with bareMinerals best sellers
Lorac
See how one palette can give you 3 gorgeous looks
Philosophy
Recapture hydration to eliminate wrinkles

MON: 3/11
Stila
Learn how luxurious complexion starts with perfectly prepped skin
Dermalogica
We'll give you a skin analysis and match you with the perfect skincare regime

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Physicians Formula Super BB All-in-1 Beauty Balm Concealer Review, Photos, Swatches!

Physicians Formula Super BB All-in-1 Beauty Balm Concealer

Physicians Formula Super BB All-in-1 Beauty Balm Concealer ($12.95) is new twist-pen style concealer that's a part of the Physicians Formula Super BB line. The line consists of a BB Cream, concealer and powder that are all designed to perfectly compliment each other. The BB concealer is said to diminish the appearance of dark circles, puffiness, imperfections, blemishes, redness and uneven skin tone.

Physicians Formula Super BB Concealer is available in two shades: Light/Medium and Medium/Deep. I purchased Light/Medium which I'd consider to be around the MAC NC20 coloring. It's peachy toned, so it's ideal for covering up under eye darkness.

The consistency is very thin and creamy. If you're familiar with MAC Select Moisturecover Concealer, it has that similar thin, wet consistency, but creamy to the touch.

One quarter of a twist provides enough product for one eye. I apply it directly from the brush to my undereyes and then lightly pat the product with my finger tips to blend. Patting works best with this concealer as opposed to wiping to provide the best coverage. The product diffuses into the skin without much of a trace. It has a healthy, dewy (not greasy) finish much like the BB cream.

The coverage is light and can be slightly built, but not up to much. With two layers it can be built to a light-medium, but still fairly sheer. It never fully reaches what I'd consider to be medium coverage.

It doesn't completely camouflage my under eye darkness, but it does slightly lighten them up. Since I like a pretty opaque undereye coverage, I usually apply my regular concealer prior to my foundation and then after my foundation I like applying a brightener - something like YSL Touche Eclat or MAC Prep & Prime Highlighter. Sometimes I use a lighter concealer, and this seems to work pretty well for that. It's not opaque enough to do major brightening, but because of it's thin consistency and blendability, it's ideal for layering since it will never look thick or cakey.

It doesn't settle in my fine lines and it feels lightweight on the skin.

Here's the before and after of one layer. You can see from the after photo that some darkness is still visible and you can faintly see my sun spots.