Eye Candy

Hey everyone~

In the past few months I have been accumulating quite a bit of makeup.  As a blogger of course, I try to take pictures of new products before actually using them so that I have a clean product to show you guys.  Unfortunately, the makeup is piling up and the blog posts most definitely have not been being written.  I thought I'd try to shame myself by gathering all the BRAND NEW IN BOX (unopened and sealed) products I had purchased in the last few months and take pictures in hopes that I will remind myself how much stuff I have.  Here are the results:

Terrifying yet glorious at the same time, right?  The plan completely backfired.  I got more excited about the new goodies I had to play with and only feel ever so slightly ashamed.  Problematic.

In case you guys were wondering, some of the products are for my kit, some are products that I need, some I'm not sure if I want to keep, but all of it was acquired to satisfy my sick lust for makeup.

And let's not even go through the brand new, unboxed makeup I have lying around.

Retail Therapy: MAC

This is one of quite a few hefty makeup hauls I have to share with you, as I've been doing some serious retail therapy lately.  I've left the makeup untouched, as I wanted to share pictures (and hopefully swatches.....) of everything before I start seriously playing with them.  At this rate, I have a loooooong way to go.

But in any case, let's start with some MAC (well actually I started with MUFE but that's okay).  I received a gift card just because from somebody who is dear to me and understands my makeup whoring.  Funny thing is, I didn't really see anything that caught my eye from MAC but the more I looked, the more items I picked up.  Here's the damage:

I'm trying to expand my collection of lip liners, as I tend to use them a lot on clients.  I work on many different complexions and skin tones so I'm working on getting a variety of colors.

Half Red

Beet

Cherry

I also picked up a couple lipsticks that I've had my eye on for a while, but decided to skip each time I made a trip to MAC.

Here's Love Joy, a mineralized blush, that I picked up on accident because I thought it was from one of the summer collections.  Not sure if I'll keep it.

 

When I went to the register, I noticed a beautiful sparkle on the MUA's lids and asked her what she had on her lids.  That's when I got suckered into buying two pressed pigments.

I've been working on a post about these babies, actually.  I don't see them in store anymore but hopefully you can still find them online.

I think I picked a couple of cult favorites here.  Have you guys tried any of these?  Let me know!

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?

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?

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?

Haul: Cosmetic Company Store and DF & CCO

Hello friends~

I mentioned a couple posts ago that I went shopping with my mom and my sister recently at the (fairly) new outlets that opened in Livermore, California.  I have either cheated on my buying ban, found a loophole, or did not break it at all.  It depends how you look at it.  I'll let you guys decide for me.

We went to The Cosmetic Company Store to find some gifts for my mom's friends.  My mom doesn't use any makeup her fragrances herself, but she has some wealthy friends in China who are really into that stuff (kind of like us, beauty bloggers) so we went to see what was fitting.  I picked up MAC Viva Glam Gaga 2 lipstick for my kit.  I have this lipstick already but I couldn't bring myself to cut some of it off to put in my lipstick palette, so I bought another one.  Technically, this purchase was for my kit, which is okay.  When I got home, I actually found that one of my lipstick palettes has a very similar color, so I may be giving this lipstick away.  My sister has also been fawning over the Coach Poppy fragrance for the longest time, and I liked the scent myself, so I bought her the gift set.  Just because.  Of course I'm going to steal a spritz from time to time.

For the record, the lipstick was $10.25 (retail $14.50) and the gift set $72 ($90 at Sephora).

Next, we went to DF & CCO which is not a store that I hear much about in the blogging community.  While The Cosmetic Company Store (CCO) has a much wider selection, the deals at DF & CCO are usually much much better.  This store sells fragrances, some skin care, and Lancome and YSL cosmetics.  They have sales that change every two weeks.  When I last visited, Lancome single eyeshadows were $5.60 each, Lancome eyeliners were $5 each, YSL eyeshadow duos were $15, and then there were these guys.....

These are all Lancome palettes.  And how much were they?  $15 a pop.  Yes, that's right.  Those color design palettes at Sephora are $48 each.  You see what I mean about steep deals?  By the way, I didn't buy these.  My sister did.  She bought them so that we could either share them or give away some of the palettes as gifts.  I'll see if I can convince her to keep them LOL.

So that's it for my "haul."  I wanted to get this up soon so that any of you that live near these sorts of shopping outlets could take advantage of the deals.  Also, feel free to voice your opinion on whether or not you think I've broken my beauty buying ban.  

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: 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