Friday, June 28, 2013

NARS Blush Swatchfest! (6 of 'em!)

I love NARS blushes.  Who doesn't?  They are some of the best on the market.  They are long-wearing, finely milled, and pigmented.


I have Orgasm, Super Orgasm, Mata Hari, Torrid, Lovejoy, and Sin to show you.  (Click to enlarge photos)

Orgasm -- peachy pink with lots of gold shimmer


Super Orgasm -- pink with a touch of peach and gold shimmer and chunky gold glitter (this is definitely darker and warmer than Orgasm)


Mata Hari -- matte cool dark pink


Torrid -- coral with gold shimmer


Lovejoy -- bronze with a tinge of rose and gold shimmer


Sin -- browny berry with gold shimmer


From left:  Orgasm, Super Orgasm, Mata Hari, Torrid, Lovejoy, Sin
indoor light

flash

natural light

Orgasm, Super Orgasm

Mata Hari, Torrid

Lovejoy, Sin




I thought I would compare Lovejoy and Laguna bronzer since they Lovejoy kind of looks like a bronzer.  You can see Lovejoy has more red in it.

from left:  Lovejoy, Laguna

What are your favorite NARS blush colors?


Note:  I did not purchase all of these.  4 of them were gratis from way back when I was working in the cosmetic industry.  All opinions are my own.

Thursday, June 27, 2013

St. Tropez Self Tanning Mousse Review (and comparison to the St. Tropez Dark Self Tanning Mousse)

St. Tropez is my favorite brand of self tanners.  My biggest gripe about self tanners is the odor they create when the color develops, but the St. Tropez mousses with their "Aromaguard" technology (whatever that means) seem to not smell on me.  I reviewed the dark self tanning mousse here, and thought I would review the regular to compare the two.



St. Tropez says:
What is it? 
This super-lightweight, easy-to-apply, velvety mousse delivers that ultra-even all-over tan you’ve always wanted. Simply sweep on with an Applicator Mitt for a beautiful even tan. 

Who is it for? 
Our best-selling product is perfect for anyone looking to get a natural-looking, streak-free golden tan that dries in an instant. Whether you’re a first-time tanner or a total pro, our tinted formula will ensure you know where to apply your tan for a perfect application, everytime. 

Why is it different? 
Infused with conditioning aloe vera and long-lasting color, our innovative Aromaguard™ fragrance technology eliminates the tell-tale self tan aroma by a minimum of 70% and instead gives a beautiful subtle, yet refreshing fragrance. Never orange, St Tropez Tan always gives a beautiful, golden color.


You want to shake the bottle well to mix the guide color in with the self tanner, put some on your hand or the mitt (which I highly recommend), and then apply it in small circular motions being sure to blend it in well.  The guide color for this self tanner is a nice, light brown (very different than the green color of the dark mousse).  It gives a natural looking color, even before the color develops.  Again, this leaves me sticky for about 30 minutes.  The (fairly strong) sort of tropical scent is has during application is not as strong as the dark mousse.

(this is how the mitt looks after use and washing)
This formula doesn't claim to have the same formulation that "contains innovative melanin technology that ensures your tan is tailored to your individual skin tone" that the darker formulation has.  

The color this develops to is a lovely light tan on me after one application.  The dark formula does give me more color, but not by much.
left: St. Tropez Dark Self Tanning Mousse
right: St. Tropez Self Tanning Mousse
(after one application of each)
This gives me a beautiful, natural color and doesn't create that self tanner odor either.  Layering this for a darker color is very easy, and the color never turns orange.  You can layer this after the first "coat" has finished drying, or wait until the next day.

This is great for a very believable, not at all orange tan.

This is their best-selling self tanner and is $42 for 8 oz.

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Some Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencils Swatches (Vintage and Non-Vintage)

Urban Decay is having a sale on some of the (discontinued?) 24/7 Glide-On Eye pencils, so I thought I would swatch my stash for you, since I have a some that are on sale.  (They are calling these vintage colors.)



From left:  Binge, 1999, Covet, Ransom, Zero, and Rockstar, and Yeyo (which was part of a set and not available alone)

indoor light
flash
natural light

These are the colors on sale:  Binge, 1999, Covet, Ransom

on sale -- Binge is a shimmery navy blue.
on sale --1999 is a plum with pinky plum sparkle.
on sale -- Covet is a rich green with a little silver sparkle.
on sale -- Ransom is a slightly duochrome bluey purple.
Zero is a matte black.
Rockstar is a dark browny plum.
Yeyo (not available) is a shimmery white.

The pencils on sale are $9.50 and the non-sale colors are $19.

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

What's on my nails today?

I love holographic nail colors.  They look so different in different lighting conditions that it is hard to keep your eyes off of them.


This is Color Club Nail Lacquer in Cosmic Fate, which is a warm peachy coppery color that is kind of hard to describe because the holographic effect is so strong and rainbowy.





I don't usually match my fingernail color and my toenail color, but this one is so pretty that I had to!

I got this a 8ty8beauty.com (not an affiliate link).
What's on your nails today?

Monday, June 24, 2013

My New MAC Palette

I don't own a lot of MAC products.  I'm much more of a Sephora girl.  I have a few MAC eyeshadows from ages ago, but they are all really bright colors that I don't want to wear every day.  I have been wanting to try some of the really popular more neutral type colors that they offer, so I created my own palette.


The colors I chose are Woodwinked, Cranberry, Satin Taupe, and Shroom.

Clockwise from top left:  Woodwinked, Cranberry, Satin Taupe, Shroom
Woodwinked is a really awesome color that goes on as a bronzy gold but as you blend it out it loses some of it's shimmer and turns into a beautiful warm brown color, so it looks like you are wearing two shadows on the lid, but you are only wearing one!

Woodwinked by itself on the lid


Cranberry is a very pretty reddish plum with some shimmer.

Satin Taupe is a shimmery dark taupe (has a little brown and a little grey).

Shroom is a perfect shimmery cream colored highlighter.

From left:  Woodwinked, Cranberry, Satin Taupe, Shroom (indoor light)
(natural light)

Woodwinked on lid, Cranberry in the crease, and Shroom under the brow and on the tear duct looks rather pretty.



These are really buttery and soft and highly pigmented gorgeous shadows.

Charlie is really getting into the Tigers game!

Friday, June 21, 2013

First Day of Summer Look with Too Faced

Today is the first day of summer, so of course I had to use my Too Faced Summer Eye palette.





Products:

Face:  CoverGirlOutlast Stay Fabulous Foundation
          Neutrogena Shine Control Powder

Cheeks:  Too Faced Milk Chocolate Bronzer
             Too Face Sweethearts Perfect Flush Blush

Brows:  LORAC Creamy Brow Pencil in Auburn

Eyes:  Too Faced Summer Eye Palette
                      --Plumeria on the lid
                      --Cocoa Beach in the crease
                      --Sugar Sand under the brow
          Too Faced Foiled Eyeliner in Turquoise Tinsel (discontinued)
          Maybelline Full 'N Soft Mascara in Very Black

Lips:  Milani Haute Flash Lipgloss in Quick Flash (reviewed here)

From left:  Sugar Sand, Plumeria, Cocoa Beach, Foiled Liner in Turquoise Tinsel

I put the eyeliner on the lower lash line and some of it on the lashes, which I think looks really cool.

Have a beautiful day and thanks for visiting!

Thursday, June 20, 2013

Super Smokey Look and Tutorial

I was inspired by some YouTube videos I watched recently (like Tanya Burr and the Pixiwoo girls) to try and use more makeup all in one look (like contour, blush, and highlighter--I usually do bronzer or blush and rarely use highlighter).  I quite like how it turned out.  I'm also trying to get up my nerve to try out false lashes.  They make it look so easy.




Face:  Maybelline Dream Smooth Mousse Foundation
          Maybelline Dream Matte Powder
          NARS Bronzer in Laguna
          Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Dollface
          Elizabeth Arden Pure Finish Highlighter in Rose Illumination (limited edition)

Brows:  Benefit Browzings in Medium

Eyes:  NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Black Bean
          Urban Decay Eyeshadow in Loaded
          Urban Decay Eyeshadow in Naked
          Urban Decay Eyeshadow in Virgin
          Sephora Colorful Eyeshadow in Lazy Afternoon
          E.L.F. Cream Eyeliner in Black
          Tarina Tarantino Hyperliner in Tommy Jet
          Maybelline Full 'N Soft Mascara in Very Black

Lips:  Milani Color Statement Lipliner in Nude
         Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Natural Lipstick in N1
         Urban Decay Lip Junkie in Peroxide
   
For the eyes, I started with the NYX Black Bean pencil (matte black), and applied it all over as a base. Then I patted Urban Decay's Loaded (a shimmery black-based forest green) over Black Bean.  I blended out those two using Urban Decay's Naked (light matte tan) and Sephora's Lazy Afternoon (matte vanilla) eyeshadow, and I put a little of Urban Decay's Virgin shadow (light shimmery vanilla) on my tear duct.  I lined my upper and lower lashes with E.L.F. cream eyeliner, and patted more Loaded over the lower lash line.  I lined my water line with Tarina Tarantino's eyeliner in Tommy Jet (black) and applied 2 heavy coats of Maybelline's Full 'N Soft mascara.


NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Black Bean, Urban Decay eyeshadow in Loaded, Urban Decay eyeshadow in Naked, Sephora eyeshadow in Lazy Afternoon, Urban Decay eyeshadow in Virgin
NARS Laguna Bronzer, Tarte Blush in Dollface, Elizabeth Arden Rose Illumination Highlighter
Milani Lipliner in Nude, Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Natural in N1, Urban Decay Lip Junkie in Peroxide
What has inspired you recently?

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Look of the Day with Prescriptives!

I used a limited edition Presciptives eyeshadow palette today.  I bought it years ago and felt like it needed some love.





I used Maybelline's Full 'N Soft mascara in Very Black as my mascara.


I'm also wearing Benefit Cha Cha Tint, Benefit Sunbeam, and L'Oreal Color Caress Lipstick in Sunset Angora.

Have a gorgeous day!