Out of the Box: Episode 1 (FOTD)

I'm starting a new series called "Out of the Box."  I tend to use the same products over and over again, leaving a lot of makeup untouched or barely used.  I think most bloggers typically relate these types of posts as "shopping your stash" but for some reason I really dislike that phrase.  Plus, that usually refers to the rediscovery of one product.

This series will be focused on creating a look with as many products that I wouldn't really reach for.  Some items, like my foundation, I can't really switch up because the only foundations I have that I don't use regularly are the ones I use for class and on clients.

Let's just hop to it, shall we?

Face: 

-Eve Pearl HD Dual Foundation in Light

-Laura Mercier Setting Powder

-NARS Laguna Bronzer

-The Balm Bronzer in Bahama Mama

-Illamasqua Blusher in Thrust

Eyes:

-MAC Paintpot in Painterly

-Spellbound Cosmetics eyeshadow in Bubble

-Black Rose Minerals eyeshadows in Earthen and Frost

-Stila eyeshadow in Black Cat

-Stila eyeliner in Stingray

-L'oreal Waterproof Carbon Black Mascara

-Maybelline Eyestudio Gel Liner in Forest (LE)

Lips
-Inglot lipstick in 264

As I've said, I tend to stick with the same products once I find something I like.  I find this to be most convenient when I have to look presentable and don't have the time to experiment with different things, which means a risk of needing to redo my makeup.  I had the luxury of time on Friday, so I pulled out some products I have barely touched (some even unopened!) and tried to figure something out.  I ended up using a few items for the very first time.  Here are some ways I tried to step out of the box:

1. Using mineral makeup/makeup purchased from an independent company.  I own quite a few eyeshadows from independent companies, but have never really used them because it's messy, and I find that most of the pressed shadows in my collection much more pigmented.  I was VERY pleasantly surprised with Bubble, as the pigmentation was fantastic.  Earthen...not so much.

2. Using pink.  I have nothing against pink, but I'm much more attracted to richer, bolder colors.  I own so few pink eyeshadows that there have been a couple times when I decided to use pink, but could not find the shade I wanted.

3. Lashes.  Again, I have nothing against lashes.  But as a frequent glasses wearer, they tend to brush up against the lenses and it's really quite annoying.  For the purpose of this look and because I was staying at home, I threw them on anyway.  Then ripped them off after taking pictures because they're so uncomfortable.

4. Light/nude lipstick.  When I first tried this lipstick on inside one of Montreal's Inglot stores, I was horrified when I looked in the mirror.  Light lipstick is NOT my thing.  One of the makeup artists claimed that she really liked it on me, and I figured I did not own such a light lipstick anyway so I got it.  Since then, I've tried it on a couple times but never found an occasion to wear it.  I still haven't, but at least I am documenting it, haha.

5. Hair.  Totally not makeup related, but that's okay.  I don't really know how to wear my hair curly anymore now that I have short hair, so I did a test run.  I curled it with a new flat iron I got from Le Angelique, then teased and hairsprayed the crap out of it.

As for the direction I took, I really didn't have one until I applied Bubble to my lids.  It was such a beautiful, pure, shimmery pink, that I didn't want to contrast it with dark colors.  I still wanted to break the pureness of the color, so I darkened my lash line with Earthen, and applied some non-dolllike lashes. The magenta blush on my cheeks ended up more pink than I expected.  I was flirting with doing a fantasy look and actually blended the blush up to my temples, but decided not to overdo it.

I used 5 products that I have never used before, which I'm proud of.  I discovered that I really really like some of them (Maybelline gel liner, Bubble, and Thrust) so hopefully I'll use them more often now.

What are some ways that you like to step out of the box?  I'd love to know!

FOTD: Painted Purple

I have to leave for work in 6 minutes so let's see how quickly I can get this post up!

This is a look I did for work yesterday.  I randomly looked around for inspiration and saw Maybelline's Color Tattoo cream shadow in Painted Purple on my desk and decided to go from there!

I also tried out an Eve Pearl foundation for the first time.  I'm going to have to keep playing with it because I look too pale in some lighting and too dark other times.  In these pictures, I look pasty.

Eyes:
-Maybelline Color Tattoo Painted Purple
-INglot eyeshadows: AMC 66, 446P, 440P, 352M
-Inglot AMC gel liner in 77
-L'oreal carbon black mascara

Have to run! Byee!

THERE'S LEAD IN MY LIPSTICK (and yours too)!!!

I found this out not long ago but I wanted to get the word out as soon as possible.  33 popular lipstick brands were tested in 2009 by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics and the results have finally been published.  It is absolutely ASTOUNDING because so many of the popular lipsticks we rant and rave about are on this list.

L'oreal is the producer of the top 10 most lead-contaminated brands of lipsticks.  Brands that are contaminated include:

1. Estee Lauder
2. MAC
3. Clinique
4. Wet n Wild
5. Dior
6. Benefit
7. Maybelline
8. Cover Girl
9. Revlon
10. Mary Kay
11. Bobbi Brown
12. NARS
13. Avon
14. Shiseido
15. Clarins
16. Chanel
17. Rimmel
18. Burt's Bees
19. Elizabeth Arden
20. Almay
 ...and many many more

With that said, I don't think ALL lipsticks from each of these brands are contaminated with lead.  In this list, you can check for the specific shade(s) that are contaminated.

Just to throw a few out there, some of the lipsticks on the very very extensive list include MAC Angel, Clinique Black Honey, MAC Lady Danger, MAC Red, MAC Viva Glam I, MAC Show Orchid, Maybelline Nearly There.  I'm listing a lot of MAC lippies not because I'm picking on them, but because MAC is probably the most talked about brand in the blogging world.

So what does this all mean?  Research shows that there is no safe level of lead, and yet the FDA claims that there is no concern for the level of lead in lipsticks.  In fact, the FDA does not have a limit on lead in cosmetics and have never been very restrictive on beauty products in general.  At the very least, however, cosmetic companies should be REQUIRED to list ALL their ingredients on he label, which they currently are not.

Here are the lead-contaminated lippies (that I know of) that I dug out of my own personal collection:

Wet n Wild Red Velvet, L'oreal Undeniably Mauve, Maybelline Madison Mauve, and Maybelline Mauve Me.

I haven't decided what to do with these lipsticks yet.  I originally wanted to throw them out immediately, but I wonder what good it would actually do me.  All cosmetics that are not organic and natural are probably bad for us in one way or another, and all the food we eat is also processed and contaminated to some point as well.  With that said, I don't think that this makes it okay for there to be lead in our lipsticks in the first place.  You see how I'm bouncing back and forth here?

In any case, I wanted to put the facts out there and let you all decide for yourself what to do about the lipsticks.  I think one thing we can all agree on is that there should not be lead in our lipsticks to begin with, so we can email or facebook message many of the companies listed about lowering or eliminated the lead in lipsticks.

If you would like to read more about lead in lipsticks and see the extended list of lipsticks tested, please check out these very helpful and informational sites:

http://safecosmetics.org/article.php?id=223

http://www.fda.gov/Cosmetics/ProductandIngredientSafety/ProductInformation/ucm137224.htm#expanalyses 

FOTD: Shopping Makeup

I went shopping today with my boyfriend and my roommate today.  I wanted to do something fun and bright, but not over the top dramatic.  I looked at one of my Inglot palettes and saw the pink and the blue sitting together, so I decided to make something out of it.  I found out that the pink has very mediocre pigmentation, as did the green Maybelline eyeshadow I used in the inner corner.  This picture was taken after my shopping trip which was about 6 hours later, hence the fading of the eyeshadow and the oily face.  I was also super freaking tired so I didn't do my usual routine of taking over 9000 pictures and picking out the best ones.

~*Products Used*~

Face:

-Tarte Silicone Free Face Primer

-Smashbox Foundation in Light 3

-L'oreal TruMatch Foundation in N6

-Maybelline Dream Mousse Concealer (discontinued)

-Lancome Concealer (discontinued)

-Laura Mercier Translucent Setting Powder

-NARS Laguna Bronzer

NARS blush in Deep Throat

-ELF bronzing powder

Eyes:

-UDPP

-MAC Painterly Paintpot

-Maybelline EyeStudio e/s in Ivy Icon

-INGLOT e/s in AMC70, AMC66, and DS467

-UD 24/7 Liner in Zero

-Stila Smudgepot in Black

-L'oreal Waterproof Carbon Black Mascara

Lips:

Nothing :)

Sorry for the lack of posts, guys.  Been a lot of unhappy stuff happening.  But there's tons of stuff to come! I promise!  Thanks for hanging in there and stopping by :)

Lots of love,

Janny

P.S.  I'll post a haul from my shopping trip in a week.  One of the items I wanted was out and so the store had it shipped to me instead.

P.P.S. Don't forget to check out my blog sale! http://jannysblogsale.blogspot.com/

[I have nothing to disclose.]

FOTD: Evening Skies

So last night I was desperately in need of a pick me up so I decided to do a bit of a makeup session.  I've been doing mostly neutral looks and needed to break into some color.  Unfortunately, my "break" into color is a combination I often go back to when I want something bright: pink and blue.  Still, it was nice rocking a colorful look, even if just for the evening.  My lovely roommate actually named this look for me.  Evening skies...which unfortunately reminded me of sunsets and some sweet turned bittersweet memories.  Depression aside, here are the pics!

Face:

-Smashbox Foundation in Light 3

-Cover FX Setting Powder in Light

-Maybelline Dream Mousse Concealer

-NYC Matte Bronzer 

-NARS Blush in Oasis

-NARS Multiple in Copacabana

Eyes:

-UDPP (not pictured)

-L'oreal HIP Duo in Sculpted

-Maybelline EyeStudio Baked Shadow in Navy Narcissist

-Too Faced e/s in Heaven

-INGLOT e/s in AMC Shine 29

-UD 24/7 Liner in Zero (not pictured)

-Maybelline Falsies mascara (not pictured)

Lips:
-Lancome Cover Fever l/s in Rose Tempest
-Stila Plumpling Lip Glaze in Citrus Mint

March 2011 Favorites!

Hey ladies and gents~

Allow me to present some items that I've been really enjoying and reaching for a lot during the month of March!  It's been a hectic month, but I still had a bit of time to play with my toys =)

1) Tresemme Heat Tamer--This is an oldie but a goodie.  I've always loved this product but I've been experimenting with my hair a lot more so I've been reaching for this a lot.  It smells really nice and is relatively inexpensive (around $6 USD and under).  It does a fantastic job of keeping my hair from burning.

2.) Teasing Comb--I got this from some independent beauty store in some shopping outlet.  It has no name or brand that I know of, and I can't tell you where you can get this comb.  At first glance it looks like a normal rattail comb but if you look closely, you can see that the teeth are uneven.  This works so much better than a rattail comb, and does a lovely job when my hair needs a little bit more "oomph."

3.) Too Faced Natural Eye Collection Palette--I'm not sure why it's called natural eye but it isn't really.  I've been reaching this on date nights where my company does not consist of people I am super familiar with.  In other words, I don't want to rock too much color and seem "normal" in their presence if that makes sense.  In any case, I love this palette because I can make a few bombass night (and day!) looks that are not over the top.  The gold and brown combination especially is a favorite of mine, and looks great on any skin tone.

4.) Vaseline Lip Therapy--I received this as a prize from Emma of Birds Decorate Branches last Christmas as I won her giveaway.  After coming back from Quebec my lips were far from sexy after having been beaten by the cold and dry weather.  This is the only stuff that I feel really soothes my lips.

5.) Maybelline Dream Mousse Concealer--I'm sorry to say that this has been discontinued, because it certainly is a wonderful product.  I purchased this over the summer and found it too light for me, so I waited till I lightened up again during the winter.  I use this wherever I need some extra coverage, including under the eyes.  I love how it provides good coverage and doesn't get cakey if applied correctly.

I'm trying to keep it short and sweet cause I am butt tired (as usual....what else is new?).  Feel free to ask me if you have any questions about the aforementioned products.  Thanks so much for stopping by!

Much love,
Janny

[I have nothing to disclose.]

Why do I look so stupid in the video thumbnail? Haha.

Anyways, if you guys check out the March edition of Cosmopolitan magazine, there are foundation samples for every shade of Maybelline's new foundation.  You can also find coupons for the new products, which include $1 off if you purchase the foundation, and $3 off if you purchase any two Fit Me products.  Considering the magazine is only $4, I think it's worth it.  Cosmo mag also has lots of entertaining articles, beauty tips, and other girly stuff.  If you're under 16 you may have to hide it from your folks though, cause the word "sex" is pretty much stamped all over the cover.  Anyways, check it out!