Happy Halloween!

Hey friends~

I hope everybody had a safe and fun Halloween!  I didn't have any plans to dress up this year but I didn't want to pass out candy without having some sort of costume so I applied some dark-ish makeup over my existing day makeup.  It literally took 10 minutes since I was rushing to catch the trick-or-treaters during peak hour.  Teasing my hair took another 3 minutes.

Face:

-Neutrogena Healthy Skin Foundation in Buff 40

-Ben Nye Neutral Set Powder

-TheBalm Bahama Mama Bronzer

Eyes:

-Sugarpill eyeshadows in Poison Plum, Love+, and Bulletproof

Lips: 

-Inglot AMC Lip Pencil in 89, MUFE Rouge Intense lipstick 43

I had a zombie princess trick-or-treater ask me what I was dressed up as.  I told her I hadn't decided yet, which was true.  I suppose I was some sort of vampiric gypsy witch.  Works for me!

How about you guys?  What did y'all do for Halloween?  What did everyone dress up as?  If you blogged about it, link me so I can see!

FOTD: Mmmm Purple

I don't do purple or pink looks very often.  When I use these colors, I like to throw them in with blues.  I figured it was about time I forced myself to do a girly girl purple look so I don't get too rusty.

Face:

-Benefit Porefessional Primer

-MUFE HD Foundation in 123

-Eve Pearl HD Dual Foundation in Light

-Ben Nye Translucent Setting Powder

-The Balm Bahama Mama Bronzer

-NARS Blush in Deep Throat

Eyes:

-MAC Paintpot in Painterly

-UD 24/7 Shadow Pencil in Delinquent

-Lancome Color Design eyeshadow in Drama (LE)

-MUFE eyeshadow #92

-Sugarpill eyeshadow in Bulletproof

-Too Faced eyeshadow in Heaven

-Urban Decay Theodora Palette: Beware and Broken

-Urban Decay 24/7 liners in Midnight Cowboy and Asphynixia

-Inglot Gel Liner 77

-Cover Girl Lash Blast 24HR

Lips:

-Lancome lipstick in Rose Tempest (LE)

How are you guys liking the pictures coming off my monster camera (Nikon D7000)?  I'm finally able to use it for my makeup looks cause I got a better fitted lens!  Only thing is, the flash kills the color.  In these pictures, the look is very soft and subdued but it was a full on smoky eye in person.  Even I felt a bit odd wearing this to work.

A mini tribute to the 12th anniversary of 9/11....

Eyes:
-MAC Paintpot in Painterly & Pure Creation (LE)
-UD eyeshadow in Evidence
-Sugarpill pressed shadows in Love+, Tako, and Bulletproof
-MUFE Aqua Shadow Pencil 32E
-MAC pigment in Vanilla
-Sephora glitter eyeliner in opal
-L'oreal Telescopic Waterproof Liquid liner
-Cover Girl 24Hr Lash Blast

Sorry about posting and running.  I wanted to get this up on the actual day of 9/11 before I run off to work.  I hope you enjoyed the look!

Update:
I wanted to take a moment and reflect upon this tragic occurrence 12 years ago on this day.  We remember the thousands of civilians who fell victim to this terrorist attack.  We remember the firefighters, search dogs, paramedics, and other individuals who risked their lives for the sake of others.  We remember a day when the entire nation came together in mourning.

9-11 has given Americans a reason to stand together, but sadly, hate crimes against Muslims and individuals of Middle Eastern decent have also escalated.  Hate only fuels hate, and the crimes that stem from it kills too many people.  The United States of America is far from being a perfect country, but it is a country that gave second chances and a new life to so many people.  It is a country that is meant to give equal rights to everyone, regardless of sexual orientation, sex, ethnic background, or social status.

So let us mourn for the lives lost on this day 12 years ago, remember the heroes, and take note that our country could do with a lot less hate in our lives.  And that, of course, starts with us.

Thank you for reading.

FOTD: Hopeless Romantic

I'm in so much of a makeup rut.  I have piles upon piles of makeup yet I have difficulty putting together color combinations.  This has to end!

I did throw together sort of a romantic look...for work.  Fitting, I know.  I just wanted to get some use out of my Too Faced SEXY palette that I acquired in a swap.  I was going for a more bold look but I had difficulty building up the shadows so it's much more subdued.

Face:
-Bare Minerals Prime Time
-MUFE HD Foundation in 123
-Eve Pearl HD Dual Foundation in Light
-Ben Nye Luxury Powder in Buff
-The Balm Bahama Mama Bronzer
-NARS Blush in Deep Throat

Eyes:
-MAC Painterly paintpot
-Too Faced SEXY palette: Icon & Hopeless Romantic
-Lancome eyeshadow in After Dusk (LE)
-Too Faced eyeshadow in Heaven
-Urban Decay 24/7 Liners in Midnight Cowboy and Bourbon
-Inglot Gel Liner 77
-Cover Girl Lash Blast 24HR Mascara

Lips:
-YSL Rouge Volupte Perle 104

It always fascinates me how it there seems to be so much makeup up close but when you step back, the overall look is very natural.  Power of makeup, I tell ya.

FOTD: Flashback

Since I've purchased by last foundation, I have spent a whole lot of time in the sun: a week in Los Angeles, a day Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, a day in Davis, a day in wine country, and let's not even count the time I spend outside just because.  Needless to say, my complexion has gotten just a wee bit darker.  I thought I could still pull off using a lighter foundation by putting extra bronzer on....and obviously I was wrong.  This is what I get for not doing regular FOTD posts and seeing how my makeup really looks on camera.

Sorry for the lack of closeups.  I took some on my DSLR but the SD card got corrupted somehow and I lost a lot of pictures :(

Face
-Bare Minerals Prime Time
-MAC Matchmaster foundation in 2.0
-Eve Pearl HD Dual foundation in light
-Ben Nye Luxury Powder in Buff
-Soliel Tan de Chanel
-The Balm Bahama Mama bronzer
-NARS Blusher in Deep Throat

Eyes
-MAC Painterly paint pot
-Lancome Color Design eyeshadow in After Dusk (DC)
-Aromaleigh eyeshadow in cloudburst (LE)
-UD 15th Anniversary Palette: Evidence, Junkshow, Vanilla, Flow
-Too Faced eyeshadow in Heaven
-Benefit eyeliner in Steel Her Date (LE)
-Inglot 77 Grl Liner
-Cover Girl Lash Blast 24HR

Lips
-Lancome Cover Fever lipstick in Rose Tempest (LE)

Anyhoo, I guess it's back to using my MUFE HD Foundation which was a little too dark for me in the first place!

What do you guys do when you find your foundation no longer matches you?

Midnight Therapy: Cut Crease and Ombre Lips

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

FOTD: Comeback

Hey ladies and germs~

I've got a FOTD for you guys today!  Woohoo!  For the past couple months I've been so busy and uninspired that I've been pretty much been doing the same exact look every single day.  It had become such a habit for me that it was actually kind of difficult to break out of.

Today I had extra time to do my makeup and I really had to force myself to break outside my box.  I decided not to over think it too much and go back to a look that I know that I will like and is everything but neutral.  Those of you who have been following my blog for a while may have seen a similar look before.

Yeah, I did go back to my trusty point and shoot.  My Nikon is just too difficult to take selfies with :(

Face:
-Laura Mercier Hydrating Primer
-MUFE HD Foundation in #123
-Ben Nye Luxury Powder in Buff
-Eve Pearl Dual HD Foundation
-Maybelline Dream Mousse Blush in Deep Plum
-NARS Blush in Deep Throat
-NARS Laguna Bronzer
-NARS Multiple in Copacabana

Eyes:
-MAC Painterly Paintpot
-Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy
-Sugarpill Chromalust eyeshadow in Royal Sugar and Hysteric
-Sugarpill pressed eyeshadows in 2am and Tako
-Urban Decay eyeshadow in Tease and Blackout
-UD 24/7 Liners in Zero, Midnight Cowboy, and Psychadelic Sister
-Inglot Gel Liner 77
-CoverGirl 24 Hour LashBlast

Lips:
-Lancome lipstick in Rose Tempest (D/C)

I'm trying to be more inspired to do more adventurous looks.  I post pics of my go to neutral look just so you guys have something to compare to.  What say you?

OCC Lip Tar in Narcissus

I've been spending all my blogging time on the Blog Everyday in May Challenge that I've been neglecting my blog for what I created it for: beauty.  I do apologize about that.

Now, normally I would consider this a FOTD post but I've had these pictures for so long that I actually can't remember what makeup products I used.  It's nothing special--just a daytime look with neutral shadows, winged eyeliner, and bright bright lips.

I remember spending the day at home with family when I did this look, so I had been searching for a neutral lipcolor to apply.  I also really wanted to use one of my lip tars because I have a pretty extensive collection and hardly give them any love.  For some odd reason, I thought Narcissus would be a good choice.

Or not.  It looks much more muted in these photos but I remember looking like Nicki Minaj in person.

Sorry for mugging you guys.  I am still taking pictures of myself in a mirror and trying to get used to my new camera.  

Nonetheless, I really like this color!  I really want to wear it to work but the last time I wore a lip tar to work it bled outside my lips and I don't have the luxury of being able to touch it up.  Problematic.

Is this color up anyone else's alley?

FOTD: Test shots

So I acquired a new camera recently.  I have yet to do an official post about it because I'm still waiting for a few things to come in first before I do so.  But that doesn't mean I can't put it to use!  With the lens I currently have, the angle isn't wide enough so that I can get my entire face in frame when I attempt to take pictures of myself at arm's length.  The camera's previous owner suggested I take pictures of myself in the mirror until I get a proper lens.  And that's what I did here:

Face:

-Laura Mercier Hydrating Primer

-MUFE HD Foundation in N123

-Eve Pearl HD Dual Foundation in Light

-MUFE HD Powder

-NARS Laguna Bronzer

-Illamasqua Blusher in Thrust

Eyes:

-MAC Painterly Paintpot

-Too Faced Natural Eye Palette: Honey Pot, Silk Teddy, Velvet Revolver, and Heaven

-Sugarpill eyeshadow in Bulletproof

-Urban Decay 24/7 Liners in Midnight Cowboy and Bourbon

-Inglot Gel liner 77

-Cover Girl Waterproof Lash Blast Volume mascara

Lips:

-Lancome l'absolu creme de mat in Prune Elixir

Stay tuned as I continue to experiment with this monster!  Until next time!

Welcome to My Afterparty

I found these pictures in my good old point and shoot whilst clearing out my memory card about a week ago.  I can't believe I haven't posted this look!  It's definitely one of my recent favorites.  

Tried the look with a different lipstick.  Just for funzies.

Eyes:

-MAC Painterly paintpot

-Sugarpill pressed shadows in Afterparty, Dollipop, Tako, and Bulletproof

-Inglot Gel Liner 77

-CoverGirl Waterproof LashBlast Volume mascara

-Urban Decay 24/7 liners in Zero and Psychadelic Sister

Face:

-Laura Mercier Hydrating Primer

-Lancome Teint Idole Foundation in Bisque 4

-Ben Nye Luxury Powder in Buff

-NARS Laguna bronzer

-Illamasqua blusher in Thrust

-NARS Multiple in Copacabana

Lips:

-Inglot lipstick #264 (1st look)

-Lancome l'absolut rouge lipstick in Blush Classique

When I feel like I need some color, I always fall back on Sugarpill.  How about you guys?

FOTD: Royal Sugar Dollipops

My brain is slightly fried but I'm determined to get this post up because this is one of my favorite looks that I've done in a long time and I really want to share it with y'all.

One of my former classmates recruited me to do makeup for a photoshoot of hers to promote her business.  Part of her business was promoting local artists, such as myself.  I was told I would be interviewed and filmed so I wanted to do something a little special with my makeup.  I love love love my brights so I had to pull out some Sugarpill eyeshadows.

Face:
-Smashbox Photofinish Face Primer
-Lancome Teint Idole Ultra Foundation in Bisque 4
-Laura Mercier Pressed Setting Powder
-NARS Laguna Bronzer
-Sleek Blusher in Pixie Pink
-Eve Pearl Dual HD Foundation in Light

Eyes:
-MAC Painterly Paintpot
-MAC eyeshadow in Night Manouvres
-Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy
-Sugarpill Chromalust shadow in Royal Sugar
-Sugarpill pressed shadows in Bulletproof and Dollipop
-Micabella eyeshadow in Sunshine
-Too Faced eyeshadow in Heaven
-Urban Decay 24/7 Liner in Zero
-Inglot Gel Liner 77
-Cover Girl Waterproof Lashblast Volume Mascara
-Duo Lashes

Everytime I wear Royal Sugar, I get tons of compliments on how gorgeous the blue is.  I guess I better bust it out more often, eh?  What about you guys? How often do you Sugarpill lovers bust out them brights?

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Hi guys!  I'm running late but I threw on some green lips for 2 seconds and I wanted to show you guys!

This is MicaBella Luck O' The Irish over OCC Lip Tar in Chlorophyl.

Be safe tonight, everyone!

FOTD: The Evidence of Pea Soup at the Junk Show

Hello fellow beauty lovers~

I took my sister and mother shopping at a new outlet that opened a few months ago (Paragon Outlets in Livermore if you're in the area).  My mom, who knows nothing about makeup, needed to pick up some high end makeup for gifts so I took her to the closest Cosmetic Company Store.  I may or may not have found a loophole in my beauty buying ban but more about that later.

I had plenty of time to do my makeup so I really took my time and played with some colors.  This is something I really enjoy, and I most definitely haven't had a chance to do it very often since I've moved back in with my folks.  I am super bummed that the pictures didn't showcase the makeup the way I see it when I look into the mirror.  Here are the few that are worth showing:

Face:

-Laura Mercier Hydrating Primer

-Lancome Teint Idole Ultra Foundation in Bisque 4

-Eve Pearl Dual HD Foundation in Light

-Laura Mercier Pressed Translucent Powder

-NARS Lagina Bronzer

-Illamasqua Blusher in Thrust

Eyes:

-MAC Painterly Paintpot

-MAC eyeshadow in Night Manouevres

-Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy

-Spellbound by Jynx eyeshadow in Pea Soup (This eyeshadow stains....use with caution)

-Urban Decay 15th Anniversary Palette: Junkshow, Blackout, and Evidence

-MicaBella eyeshadow in Sunshine

-Urban Decay 24/7 Shadow Pencil in Sin

-Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliners in Zero, Covet, and Binge

-Inglot Gel Liner 77

-Too Faced eyeshadow in Heaven

-Cover Girl Waterproof Lashblast Volume Mascara

Lips:

-MAC lipstick in Syrup

I know I say this a lot, but I find that a lot of my looks are kind of mellow and boring.  I'd like to be able to wear bright fun colors everyday, but as you see from all my FOTD posts, there are certain styles and colors that I tend to gravitate back towards.  I'm doing a combination of checking out more beauty blogs and digging through my loose eyeshadow drawer for look ideas.  

What do you do when you're in a makeup rut?  Blindly reach into your eyeshadow drawer?  Call upon friends for back up?  Let me know!

FOTD: Job hunting makeup & "OOTD"

I earned my California Cosmetology license three months ago, but I've been too chicken to apply to too many salons for fear of being rejected.  Last Friday I finally kicked myself in the butt and forced myself to print out my resume and pass them out at salons in the business district of the small town I live in.  I was going for a slightly dramatic, but neutral toned look.  The look turned out well considering I looked like a mermaid raccoon at one point (There was bright teal eyeshadow on one of the brushes I used that gave my lids a hint of green.  Then I tried to blend it out with some brown and ended up looking like a raccoon.).

Face:

-Laura Mercier Hydrating Primer

-Lancome Teint Idole Ultra Foundation in Bisque 4 (discontinued)

-Eve Pearl HD Dual Foundation in Light

-Laura Mercier Pressed Translucent Powder

-NARS Laguna Bronzer

-Illamasqua Blusher in Thrust

Eyes:

-MAC Painterly Paintpot

-MAC eyeshadow in Night Manoeuvres (LE)

-NARS eyeshadow duo in Dogon

-Too Faced Natural Eye Palette (Heaven and Silk Teddy)

-Yves Rocher Intense Eye Pencil in Vert Marine

-Urban Decay 24/7 Glide  On Shadow Pencil in Sin

-Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliner in Zero

-Inglot Gel Liner 77

-Cover Girl Waterproof Lash Blast Volume Mascara

Lips:

-YSL Golden Gloss #14

Meanwhile, I was joking with a friend that I was going to wear a toga while I drop off my resumes, and quickly snapped this picture to show him.  I was laughing because he thought I meant a real toga.

There you have it.  Toga, jeggings, and bright pink bra.  For the record I wore a peacoat style jacket over it so you couldn't tell I was wearing a toga.  I chose to dress entirely in black to look professional.  But I also tried to spice it up a little so that it looked somewhat fashionable.  I'm not too good with fashion so putting together feminine looking outfits is quite a feat for me.  

Well there you have it!  I hope you enjoyed my mermaid-raccoon-toga post!  I'll continue dropping off resumes in different areas so I may be doing more of these types of posts.  Those of you already in the industry, let me know if you have any tips and suggestions for me.  Thanks, guys!

FOTD: Pickings from pan porn

After taking pictures for my pan porn post (lol, an alliteration!), it only made sense for me to do a look using some of the products.  While I'm not extremely happy with how the look turned out, you could at least see how makeup performs.

Mind you, these are some "I just got home from work" pictures.

Face:

-Neutrogena Daily Moisturizer with SPF 50

-Laura Mercier Hydrating Face Primer

-Smashbox Healthy FX Foundation in Light 3

-Eve Pearl HD Dual Foundation in Light

-NARS Laguna Bronzer

-Sleek Blusher in Pixie Pink

-Laura Mercier Pressed Translucent Powder

Eyes:

-MAC Paintpot in Painterly

-Too Faced Smoky Eye Palette (discontinued)

-Inglot Gel Liner 77

-Cover Girl Waterproof LashBlast Mascara

Lips:

-MAC lipstick in Syrup

FOTD: Neutral look gone wrong

Believe it or not, I meant to do a quick look with neutrals, since they are idiot proof and easy to use.  I even started out with a chocolate brown in the crease.  But when I looked around to see what color I should pop on my lids, I spotted Sugarpill's Tipsy on my desk and it all went down hill from there.  I absolutely love the result, so I can't complain.

Green, purple, blue, pink...if only the colors were more prominent.

Too Faced Natural Eye Palette on the left
Top L-R: All MAC--Make your Mark, Daisychain, Satin Taupe
Bottom L-R: Fyrinnae Digital Faerie, Fyrinnae Freya, Sugarpill Decora, Sugarpill Tipsy

This still counts as a "shopping my stash" look.  So this makes Episode 5.  All items marked with an asterisk (*) are "new."

Face:

-Laura Mercier Hyrating Primer

-Lancome Teint Idole Foundation in Bisque 4

-Annabelle BB Skin Perfect Conearler in Medium

-Laura Mercier Pressed Translucent Powder

-NARS Laguna Bronzer

-Illamasqua Blusher in Thrust

Eyes:

-MAC Painterly Paintpot

-MAC eyeshadows in Daisychain, Satin Taupe*, and Make Your Mark

-Too Faced Natural Eye Palette: Heaven, Sexpresso, Silk Teddy

-Fyrinnae eyeshadows in Digital Faerie* and Freya*

-Sugarpill Loose Shadows in Decora* and Tipsy*

-UD Shadow Pencil in Sin

-Inglot Gel Liner 77

-CoverGirl Waterproof LashBlast Volume Mascara

Lips:

-Quo lipgloss in Pout