Thursday, July 12, 2012

Revlon Colorstay Whipped Creme Makeup Review!

Revlon Colorstay Whipped Foundation Review

Revlon Colorstay Whipped Creme Makeup

Revlon Colorstay Whipped Creme Makeup ($13.99) is Revlon's newest addition to their foundation family. This mousse-like texture feels silky against the skin, with a "time release" formula that balances skin for a flawless long-lasting look. Provides medium to full coverage and withstands heat and humidity.

Available in sixteen (16) shades: Ivory, Buff, Sand Beige, Nude, Natural Beige, Medium Beige, Warm Golden, True Beige, Natural Tan, Early Tan, Rich Ginger and Caramel.

Being a big fan of Revlon, I was really excited when they launched a new foundation - especially since it's a part of the Colorstay line. After reading several very positive reviews, I didn't hesitate to purchase it! I've been wearing it now for a little under two weeks. (I was wearing it in every post for the month of July)

My color match is Warm Golden, which is a warm medium shade equivalent to the MAC NC30 coloring. In comparison to the Revlon Colorstay Liquid Foundation, it's almost exactly the same, but it's a touch less yellow toned. (Comparison swatches later in this post)

Revlon Colorstay Whipped Foundation Warm Golden


Wednesday, July 11, 2012

How to Create Ombre Nails!

ombre nails tutorial

In the fashion and beauty world, we've become obsessed with gradients. From dip-dying our shirts, to our hair to our finger tips, we can't seem to get enough of the trend. The ombre manicure is something incredibly simple and easy to do, and the results are very cool!

There are many different ways you can create ombre/gradient nails, but today I'll be showing you one method, using a craft sponge.

Tools needed:

* You can use any three (more or less) shades you'd like! You can use different colors, or different variants shades of the same color.
* Make sure to allow your nails to properly dry before moving on to the following step.
* If the polish on your nails appear bumpy after using the sponge, don't worry, it will all even out by the time a top coat is applied.

How to Create Ombre Nails in 5 Steps

Step 1: Paint your nails with your chosen base color. Depending on the opacity of the polish, paint 1-2 coats.

Step 2: Pour a little nail polish on the piece of wax paper that will follow. Dip the tip of the brush in the polish. Now, lightly lay the brush on your nail, lining the brush up with the side of your nail, and rotate, or roll your finger against the sponge to coat the bottom half of the nail. Or, you can simply tap the brush across the bottom half of your nail.

Step 3: With the tip of the sponge, lightly tap where the second color began to create more of a gradient effect. Also add to any areas that needs additional polish.

Step 4: Repeat Step 2 with your final shade, but this time only covering 1/2 of the previous color. White would have looked cool for my nails, but I wanted a little more flare, so I chose a holographic glitter.

Step 5: Finish off your nails with your favorite top coat. I like using a fast-dry top coat to reduce the chance of nicks and smudging.

ombre nail polish tutorial

Monday, July 9, 2012

MAC Star Wonder Mineralize Skin Finish Review!

MAC Star Wonder Mineralize Skin Finish

MAC Star Wonder Mineralize Skinfinish

MAC Star Wonder Mineralize Skinfinish ($29) is a new limited edition baked highlighter, released in the Heavenly Creatures Collection that launched in-stores July 5th.

If you typically aren't favorable of shimmery face products, you might want to steer clear of MAC Mineralize Skinfinishes, as they are frosty and sometimes shimmery. The amount of shimmer differs with each shade. I can't help but drool over Mineralize Skinfinishes each time MAC launches new shades.. they're just so pretty to look at! And although I'm not too crazy about too much shimmer, I love highlighter, and I always use a bit in my daily routine!


Star Wonder is described as a plummy pink with multi-dimensional pearl. It's made up of a few different shades - there's a warm pink, plum and pale gold. When combined, a shimmery plummy pink with a golden shimmer is created. 

Mineralize Skinfinishes have the typical smooth and soft texture of baked powders, and blend really well with minimal effort. Some shades are dark enough to be used as a blush, while some are light and frosty, and work best solely as a highlighter. Star Wonder could be used for either purpose, but is dark enough to use as a blush. Because it's shimmery, only a touch is needed for a natural glow. When buffed out, the shimmer isn't as noticeable, but it's still there, providing a glowing sheen to the cheeks. While it looks nice applied either way, I like wearing it across the top of my cheekbones as a highlight, paired with a pink blush.

I usually use a duo-fiber fan brush, but any duo-fiber brush would work well at laying down minimal product at once.

MAC Star Wonder Mineralize Skin Finish


Sunday, July 8, 2012

Green and Brown Cut Crease Eyeshadow Tutorial!


Green is actually one of my favorite colors, but I normally shy away from colored eye shadow. I've been wanting to do a look with green eye shadow, so this morning I decided to mess around a little bit with some green and snap some photos during the process.

Green looks great paired with almost every color. It's a earthy color, so it looks great paired with warm autumn shades (brown, gold, burgundy, orange, etc.) and it also works well paired with bright, floral shades (pink, purple, blue, etc.) You all know that I love my neutral and warm shades - so my favorite pairing is brown and gold.

I actually don't own very many green eye shadows - in fact, I got rid of most of them a while ago because they started collecting dust in my drawers (well, not exactly, but you know what I mean.) I would've loved to use an olive green for this look - I've had MAC Sumptuous Olive on my "to buy at some point" list for ages, so I'm definitely going to add it to the top of my shopping list.

Anyways, enough babbling..


Products Used:
Maybelline Bold Gold Color Tattoo Cream Eyeshadow (used in Step 1)
YSL Absinthe Green 4-Colour Harmony for the Eyes (used in Step 2)
MAC Retrospeck Eyeshadow (used in Step 3)
MAC Tempting Eyeshadow (used in Step 4)
MAC Brun Eyeshadow (used in Step 5 and 7)
Urban Decay Half Baked Eyeshadow (used in Step 8)
Physician's Formula 2-in-1 Lash Boosting Brown Eyeliner (used in Step 9)
Elizabeth Arden Caramide Mascara (review soon!) (used in Step 10)
Ardell #116 False Lashes (used in Step 11)

Brushes Used:
Sponge Applicators (used in Step 1, 2 and 3)
Sigma E30 Pencil Brush (used in Step 4)
Small Generic Shader Brush (used in Step 5)
Sigma E65 Small Angle Synthetic Brush (used in Step 7 & 8)

*A non-shimmery base would've worked better for this tutorial - I used gold to warm up the green, but this base in particular made the otherwise smooth, pigmented green appear patchy.

*A thinner line with a matte, cream eyeliner would've worked better for this tutorial (I made it too thick, and it was pretty much irreversible!)

*When using tape, make sure to press the tape on the back of your hand a couple of times before applying it to your face. You don't want it to be very sticky, because you don't want the tape pulling your skin when you remove it.