FOTD: Everlasting

I love love love Cover Girl Lip Perfection lipsticks!  They are so long wearing and I don't have to touch them up too much.  They will stain your lips but I can look over that.

Everlasting is one that I did not have a huge problem with when it comes to staining.  But then again, I only wore it for about 6 hours.  Here is a look I wore last Wednesday:

I only have two pictures because I decided to take them before I ran out the door :(

Eyes: 
-UDPP
-Inglot eyeshadows in 399P, 451P, 434P
-Stila eyeshadows in Kitten and Black Cat
-UD 24/7 Liner in Perversion
-Inglot AMC Gel Liner in 77
-L'oreal Waterproof Carbon Black Mascara

Face:
-Laura Mercier Hydrating Face Primer
-Smashbox Healthy FX Foundation in Light 3
-Cover FX Setting Powder in Light
-NARS Laguna Bronzer
-Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Amusing
-Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer in Ivory
-MAC Studio Finish Concealer in NC20

Lips:
-Cover Girl Lip Perfection Lipstick in Everlasting
-Jordana lip liner in Plush Plum

China Glaze Haul from Sally's

The problem with putting myself on a makeup buying ban is that I start finding reasons to buy other things.  So I end up doing damage either way.

For example, I bought quite a few nail polishes yesterday.  I know I'm late to the party but I decided to finally pick up a few polishes from The Hunger Games collection by China Glaze.  Needless to say, there weren't many left in the display at Sally's Beauty Supply.  The ones I REALLY wanted (Smoke and Ashes and Stone Cold) weren't there.  The girl there was in the process of unpacking boxes and she told me that she had a shipment of China Glaze in the back, but it doesn't necessarily mean there were some from the collection.  She said I should call back within an hour but I decided to just stick around for an hour while she worked on the boxes and served customers.  Turns out there weren't any more, but I did come home with these.

From the Hunger Games Collection:

Fast Track, Electrify, Luxe and Lush

 Crackle Polish/Prism Collection

Oxidized Aqua, Haute Metal, Full Spectrum

 Magnetic Polish:

Pull Me Close, Instant Chemistry

For the month of April, China Glaze Polishes are buy 2 get 1 free.  Sally's also has a bunch of Crackle nail polishes for $1.99 each, but those aren't included in the promotion.

Also....I purchased 4 more polishes from the Hunger Games Collection online because I wanted them that bad ><.

My poor wallet.  Does this count as sticking with my makeup buying ban?  I'm not sure anymore.

UK/USA Swap Anyone?

Hey everyone!

So ever since I saw the release of the By 3 Blush Trios from Sleek, I knew I had to have them.  I was just about to place an order for them on the Sleek website (despite my makeup buying ban, I know I know) but I figured it would be more fun to do a swap.  If anybody from the UK is interested in getting some items from the states, let me know!  If I don't get any response in about a week or so, I'll probably go ahead and buy the blush palettes.

Thankies :D!

My First Photoshoot! Feedback?

Hello lovelies~

Sorry it's been so long since I've last posted.  I don't know if I've mentioned this already but I had final projects and midterms so I've been busy busy busy.  I still have some midterms to come, actually, so my posting will still be limited.

Even so, I has the pleasure of working with some friends on a photoshoot today!  I found out recently that one of my high school friends, her boyfriend, and his friends have really gotten into photography, so I asked if I could do hair and makeup for their photoshoots.

I'm not going to lie--I know I'm jumping the gun but I wanted to do it anyway.  I've been wanting to do a photo shoot for the longest time so that I would have something for my portfolio.  I am far from happy from the pictures I take of myself, and my portfolio can't consist of pictures of mainly myself anyway.  Today's session was a real struggle.  I have a lot of trouble doing makeup on eye shapes unlike my own, ESPECIALLY monolids and hooded lids.  I'll continue my list of struggles after the pictures so you guys get a sense of what I'm talking about.

I mooched these off my friend's facebook album so the quality could definitely be better.  But they still beat my camera!

Photos by Andrew Chin.

Last, but not least, my favorite of all the shots.

Challenges:

-I wanted to keep her face looking fresh so I used very little bronzer and just some blush.  Alicia's face still ended up looking a little pasty.

-I ended up going too heavy on the eyeliner.  Either that or I'm really not used to seeing her with makeup on.

-Her makeup kept transferring under her eye!  I don't know why!  All the products I used on her are products that I use on myself and I have no issues with but her makeup kept smudging!  She doesn't have oily skin either.  Perhaps it was just the shape of her eye?

-The rain.  It was raining pretty hard the day of the shoot.  You can see that the hair looks fine in the indoor shots, but has deflated quite a bit in the outside shots.

-I tried putting some false lashes on the poor girl and ended up getting glue all over her eye makeup.  Alicia, her boyfriend, and Andrew have more patience than the gods to stand working with me.

-Hot rollers.  I used hot rollers in her hair so I could focus more on the makeup.  Even with voluminizing spray and hair spray, the hair deflated pretty fast.  Suggestions?

Despite the challenges, of course there were some highlights :)

Highlights:

-EXPERIENCE.  Wow, this made everything worthwhile.  I was able to better access my own makeup application and hairstyling skills.  Needless to say, I need tons more practice but these guys are willing to keep working with me!

-Alicia, my friend and lovely model, loved the hair and makeup.  She has never had that much prepping done to her before so it was a great experience for her to feel like a superstar.  I'm a bit more nitpicky but I'm glad she was happy.

-Seeing the beautiful pictures.  My jaw dropped when I saw the rainy day shots.

Okidoke, folks.  That's all for today.  Between now and the next photoshoot, I'm going to have to kidnap some new faces and force makeup on them.  Bwahahahhaha!

A Deranged Leprechaun

I'm in one of those phases where I want to keep pushing out makeup looks with a bit of an edge.  Something bright, something bold, something that's lots of fun to put on and wear.  And of course I had to wear it to work while my boss was on vacation for fear she would send me home and make myself more presentable.

Most of these taken after work so excuse the greasy face and faded eyeliner from the waterline =(  I did reapply my lips though!

Here's what it looked like without the gold.

Eyes:

-UDPP

-NYX JEP in Slate

-Sugarpill loose shadows in Tipsy (lid) and Stella (upper and lower lashline, darknening outer corner)

-Inglot eyeshadow in 418P (blended in the crease and lower lashline) and DS 463 (blended over 418P into browbone)

-Too Faced eyeshadow in Silk Teddy (extra brow highlight and inner corner highlight)

-Stila Smudgepot in Kitten (base for inner corner highlight)

-Milani Liquifeye pencil eyeliner in Black

-L'oreal Waterproof Carbon Black Mascara

Face:

-Laura Mercier Hydrating Primer

-Smashbox Healthy FX Foundation in Light 3

-Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer in Ivory

-MAC Studio Finish Concealer NC20

-Cover FX Setting Powder in Light

-NARS Laguna Bronzer

-NARS Blush in Deep Throat

Lips:

-Buxon lipgloss

-Sugarpill loose eyeshadow in Goldilux

-L'oreal HIP Chrome Pencil in Gold Charge

I was pleasantly surprised how my alternative to using a gold lipstick (which I don't own) went with a loose eyeshadow and some lipgloss.  I first applied a very sticky, long lasting lipgloss, then used alternating patting and smudging motions with my finger to spread the eyeshadow, and then went back in with a gold eyeliner to give definition to the lips.  Surprisingly, this lasted me my entire 6 hour shift at work with minimal fading and a bit of settling into the lines on my lips.  The Sugarpill loose shadows are very finely milled, but I could feel some of it going into my mouth and settling under my tongue and in the back of my throat.  It isn't too bad, but feels like I breathed in some dust with my mouth.

In any case, I have midterms and projects coming up so I may not be doing any fun stuff like this for a while.  I hope you guys all had a fun and safe St. Patrick's Day.  I'd love to see what you guys came up with for St. Patrick's Day too!  

FOTD: Royal Hysterics

Happy St. Patrick's Day, everyone!  Unfortunately this won't be a relevant FOTD.  That will come hopefully tomorrow :)

I had the luxury of time last night, in which I did not have to rush to get my makeup ready for work.  Of course I had to reach for my Sugarpill loose eyeshadows.  I have appreciated these more after I bought them because I really have nothing else like these babies in my collection.

Now you guys also have a glimpse of my newly shortened lengths.  I'm not completely happy with my hair, but at the same time I don't know what to do with it.  I wanted something more edgy.  Thoughts?

Face: 

-Laura Mercier Hydrating Primer

-Aveeno Tinted Moisturizer in Medium

-Cover FX Setting Powder in Light

-MAC Studio Finish Concealer in NC20

-NARS Laguna Bronzer

-NARS blush in Deep Throat

Eyes:

-UDPP

-MicaBella Eye Primer

-Sugarpill Loose Eyeshadow in Royal Sugar (lid), Hysteric (lower lashline), Tiara (Inner corner highlight and inner crease), and Stella (upper lashline)

-Lancome eyeshadow in After Dusk

-Too Faced eyeshadow in Silk Teddy

-UD 24/7 Liner in Perversion

-L'oreal Voluminous Waterproof Carbon Black Mascara

Lips:

-Buxom lipgloss

Now it's time to do another makeup look for work!  Green eyeshadow, here I come!

FOTD: Ransom

I appreciate all your wonderfully kind words.  Really and truly.  *Hugs you all to bits and pieces*

So I decided to go back in and use an eyeliner and eyeshadow I used in my last look for this look because I loved the colors so much.  The eyeliner being Urban Decay's 24/7 Liner in Ransom and Inglot eyeshadow in 441P.  The look ended up being a little too dramatic than I had intended for a day shift but I liked it nonetheless.

Top: Ransom, 441P
Bottom: 441P over Ransom

Face:

-Laura Mercier Hydrating Primer

-Aveeno Tinted Moisturizer in Medium

-Cover FX Setting Powder

-Bobbi Brown Cream Concealer in Ivory

-MAC Studio Finish Concealer in NC20

-NARS Laguna Bronzer

-Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Amused

Eyes:

-UDPP

-Urban Decay 24/7 Liner in Ransom and Perversion

-Inglot eyeshadows in 441P and 362M

-Browbone highlight from Cargo 2009 Runaway palette

-Stila eyeshadow in Black Cat

-L'oreal Voluminous mascara

Tomorrow I will be chopping off my hair.  Actually, one of my instructors are going to do it for a haircut demo.  It's supposed to become midlength but we'll see what happens.  Of course, I will share with y'all how it goes!

FOTD and a look inside myself

Hello beautiful beautiful people!

Before I get to the FOTD, I'd like to thank those of you who took the time to comment on my last post, especially regarding my lack of inspiration.  I've decided that I have taken a long enough break from makeup, and that if I were to officially decide on letting go of makeup for a while, I don't know when I'll be able to pick it up again.  I want to get better so badly, and the only way to do that is to keep practicing.  More on that later.

As for the look, I literally spread out all my Inglot eyeshadows in front of me and looked for inspiration.  As always, I was immediately drawn to blues, greens, and purples.  I settled for a blue and purple look, and it wasn't until a few minutes ago that I realized I have done this color combination before.  Oops.

THIS is why I don't include shots without my glasses anymore.  I
look so weird!

Face:
-Laura Mercier hydrating primer
-Aveeno tinted moisturizer in Medium
-Cover FX Setting Powder in Light
-NARS Laguna Bronzer
-Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Amused

Eyes:
-UDPP
-Yves Rocher Intense Eye Crayon in Vert Marine
-Inglot eyeshadows in 413P, 426P, 441P, 362M, 388M, DS 462
-Stila Smudgepot in Kitten
-Stila eyeshadows in Kitten and Black Cat
-Lancome eyeshadow in After Dusk
-NYX JEP in Oyster
-UD 24/7 Liners in Perversion and Ransom
-L'oreal Voluminous Mascara

That's all for the look!

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So now is when I'm going to be using my beauty blog for something a bit more personal.  I've never formally announced it on my blog, but I'm an aspiring makeup artist.  Makeup was the very first thing that really lit me on fire and has not yet burnt out, and it has been amazing for me to find something I'm truly passionate about. I've gotten a very late start on applying makeup--I didn't start wearing eyeliner and mascara regularly till I was 19!  Despite my late start, I put my education towards my career as a teacher on hold so that I could pursue my dream first.  I was offered a teaching position in Korea a while back.  I had time to do one semester of cosmetology before I was supposed to leave, but I decided I wanted to finish and get my cosmetology license first.

Now during my second semester of my cosmetology program, I find myself frustrated and questioning myself.  I want to become a professional makeup artist so bad!  But the classes are focused around hair and I have learned literally nothing about makeup.  I do so much research online on kits, acquiring clientele, etc but it's never enough.  I'm so impatient to improve my skills at makeup application, and I become so frustrated when it doesn't turn out right.  Recently, I've become even more impatient because my financial situation has taken a dip down, and I want 'real' work NOW, instead of being a full time student and working part time.

I also have a problem with caring too much about what other people think.  I love blogging so very much.  I feel great being able to share how I interpret and put together different colors, and just this ever growing passion in general.  Over two years after I started blogging, I find myself doubting if the content I lay out there has any value or hold interest for very many people out there.  I have a problem with constantly comparing myself to others and it drives me nuts.

I have these sorts of discussions with my boyfriend often.  He's a lot like my therapist and cheerleader, who has a lot more faith in me than I do, and does his best to convince me that everything will turn out the way I want it to.  It's a wonder he isn't tired of hearing me talk about these things over and over again.

In any case, these are some of the thoughts that run through my head quite frequently.  Typing it all out has been sort of a therapy session for me.  I'm doing my very best to punch those thoughts down and have a little more faith in myself.  I think perhaps on each day I don't have work,  I'll kidnap a poor soul and force a makeover on him/her.  We'll see how that goes :)

Stay sane, my lovelies, and whatever goals you have, don't stop until you get there.

(old) FOTD: Green Beans

I wore this look a couple weeks ago for work.  The problem with posting things now and not then is that I don't remember most of the products I've used.  I really have to stop doing that.

I DO remember that I used Sleek's Curacao Palette (Apres Midori & Martini) and a matte black eyeshadow from Inglot for the eyes.  I also remember drawing inspiration from Sam of Pixiwoo for this look.  Those are the more important bits, I suppose.

I've been feeling so uninspired lately.  Like I said, these looks are from a few weeks ago and since then, I've only worn makeup twice.  I've been on youtube and reading through blogs like mad trying to catch some inspiration.  Perhaps it's time to take a break from makeup?  What a frightening thought.