Cinema Secrets Friends & Family Sale Coming Soon!

Cinema Secrets Friends & Family Sale

Cinema Secrets will be hosting their Friends and Family Sale from Wednesday, December 12th through the 19th. Use the code: FF25 at checkout to receive 25% off your order! Now is a great time to try some goodies from the popular special effects makeup brand.

I've only tried the Cinema Secrets Ultimate Foundation, Foudation Palette & Moisture Spray, so I can't really comment on any of their other products, but the Ultimate Foundation is great. Although I don't find it ideal for every day, it makes the skin look flawless, and it photographs really well.

I like pairing the Ultimate Foundation with a silicone based primer and a light dusting of a setting powder and my skin will look airbrushed for hours. Because it's a cream-based foundation, I can start to really feel it on my face after 4-5 hours, and by the end of the day I can't wait to wash my face. Of course results may vary, and if you're use to cream foundations, it might not bother you. I like to save it for the holidays or occasions when I know I'll be in lots of photos.

Also, because it's a fairly full coverage foundation, you don't really need to use it all over the face. Sometimes I'll just buff a little over areas that need extra coverage.

Also, the palettes are great to have in your makeup artist kit!

Here's an older photo of me wearing Cinema Secrets Ultimate Foundation in shade #302A, which is equivalent to the MAC NC30 coloring. (click for full-size)

A little self-motivation for your day.

Being Confident

I don't know if any of you are familiar with Sprinkle of Glitter on Youtube, but she's a fabulous UK blogger/youtuber with a really down to earth and witty personality. When I want a laugh, I like to watch Louise's videos.

I really liked this video Lousie uploaded last week and I've been meaning to share it as I think it sends a really positive message to us all regarding our own self image. The video is titled 'Being Body Confident'.

We already know that no one is perfect, right? And that whatever the media sees as perfect, unique or beautiful isn't necessarily true, nor is it all realistic.

So regardless that we know no one out there is perfect, so many of us strive and exhaust ourselves over trying to reach our own personal ideal of what "perfection" is.

I've gone through being bullied growing up, being judged and being criticized for the way I look when I was older (even now) and although the way I present myself is important to me (I was raised in a house where looking put together/presentable on a daily basis was valued as a reflection of my family) but I also feel that through the years of people picking on the way I look, it has affected the way I see myself and has caused me to be absorbed in my looks over the years. Although I'm still not 100% happy with the way I look, I have really grown over the past few years. With the losses we go though in life, as well as the changes, growth, gains, etc it really starts to put some things in a better perspective.

Makeup Geek Eyeshadows Review, Photos and Swatches!

Makeup Geek Eyeshadows

Makeup Geek Eyeshadows ($5.99) are a line of high quality and cruelty-free eyeshadows created by one of my favorite Youtube gurus, Marlena (also known as Makeup Geek!)

Makeup Geek Eyeshadows are available in an array of 56 colors, and today, I'll be showing you 18 of those colors.

Vanilla Bean is a sheer, creamy matte beige.
Beaches and Cream is a creamy matte peach-beige.
Shimma Shimma is a metallic champagne.
Peach Smoothie is a matte light peach.
Bleached Blonde is a shimmery dusty gold.

Gold Digger is a true metallic gold.

Chickadee is a matte medium orange.

Glamorous is a shimmery copper.

Cocoa Bear is a matte deep red-brown.

Pretentious is a metallic brown-bronze.

Homecoming is a medium brown with gold shimmer.

From left to right: Vanilla Bean, Beaches and Cream, Shimma Shimma, Peach Smoothie, Bleached Blonde, Gold Digger, Chickadee, Glamorous, Cocoa Bear, Pretentious and Homecoming.

Bada-Bing is a deep, dark chocolate brown with gold sparkles.
Burlesque is a metallic plum-burgundy.
Sensuous is a soft shimmery purple with silver sparkles.

Drama Queen is a shimmery dark purple.

Ocean Breeze is a metallic ocean blue.
Envy is a deep metallic emerald.
Corrupt is an intense matte black with a very subtle sparkle.

From left to right: Bada-Bing, Burlesque, Sensuous, Drama Queen, Ocean Breeze, Envy and Corrupt.

Urban Decay Naked Foundation First Impressions.

Urban Decay Naked Skin Foundation

Urban Decay Naked Skin Foundation ($38) is a newer foundation by Urban Decay that is described as being "light as air", with coverage that's buildable but ultimately making you look like you're wearing nothing at all.

"Naked Skin uses light-diffusing spheres to "blur" imperfections for a luminous, demi-matte finish that feels invisible but looks professionally retouched. Naked Skin is oil-free, paraben-free, fragrance-free, and loaded with nourishing ingredients. "

Naked Skin is available in (18) shades: 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, 4.5, 5.0, 5.5, 6.0, 6.5, 7.0, 7.5, 8.0, 9.0, 10.0, 11.0, 12.0. Shades ending in .5 are cool toned, and shades ending in .0 are warm toned.

4.0 seems to be a really good match for my warm NC30-35 skintone. I could probably go one shade up if I'm really tan, as 4.0 is better geared for NC30.

From left to right: 2.0, 3.5, 4.0 and 8.0.

This foundation is often compared to Make Up Forever HD Foundation, and with MUFE HD being one of my favorite foundations, I was really curious to try Naked Skin. 

Although the sample I have doesn't have an adequate amount of foundation to properly test the foundation, I was able to gather some thoughts and decide whether it's a foundation I'd purchase or not.

First off, the consistency is very thin and velvety. It has a watery, silicone consistency (had I known this prior, I probably wouldn't have been curious to try it).

After blending a small amount of product on my face, the product almost played a magic trick - once it was completely blended, it looked like nothing was there. After examining the side of my face without foundation, I noticed that the foundation softened the appearance of my pores and gave a little color to my skin. I didn't notice much, if any coverage, but the side with foundation did look slightly better. With another coat of foundation, flaws were concealed a bit better, but still visible. Redness and any discolorations are evened out, pores are softened and my skin has a velvety matte finish. It feels completely weightless on my skin.