MAKE UP FOR EVER Artist Palette Swatches

I bought the limited edition MAKE UP FOR EVER Artist Palette because I had to have it.  That's a good reason to buy something, right?  The colors are so saturated and gorgeous and amazing and oh my goodness.  I thought I do some simple swatches of it for your viewing pleasure.

Colors from left to right:
   M-536 -- "Milk Tea" -- this works well as a blending color for my skintone
   I-524 -- "Pinky Beige" --  nice highlighting shade
   I-550 -- "Olive Gray" -- pretty shimmery taupe
   D-652 -- "Celestial Earth" -- this has some sparkle
   ME-728 -- "Copper Red" -- very pigmented!
   ME-230 -- "Peacock Blue" -- gorgeous jewel tone (my favorite)
   D-926 -- "Blueberry" -- this has some sparkle
   ME-930 -- "Black Purple" -- great liner color

Some odd names for some of the colors (like Olive Gray)...

Daylight bulb:

Natural light:

I love the mix of neutrals and jewel tones.  What a beauuuuuutiful palette.

Expect some many eye/face of the day posts using this.

The MAKE UP FOR EVER Artist Palette retails for $42 USD at Sephora.

LORAC Face of the Day Fail?

Ever do your makeup and feel "I kind of hate this" about it?  I had one of those days recently. Maybe it was just my mood in general, but I wasn't keen on how this turned out.  Or at least how it started.

I used the LORAC PRO Palette thinking some neutrals were in order for the day (I have no idea/can't remember why), and started with using mostly Mauve in the crease, Pewter on the lid, and Deep Purple in the outer v corner.  I felt like it was really muddy and blah, which is when I started to get annoyed and started to dislike what I had done.  Instead of starting all over, I just patted some Gold over the top of everything (which really blotted out the Pewter shade), added Cream in the inner corner and under the brow, and lined my upper lashes with Black.  Once I added liner on the lower waterline and some mascara, I felt a little better about it, but I'm still not that keen on it.

Mauve in the crease
Pewter on the moving lid
Deep purple in the outer corner
Gold on the moving lid
Black as liner on the upper lashline
Cream in the inner corner and under the brow

from left: Mauve, Pewter, Deep purple, Gold, Black, Cream

Tarina Tarantino Hyperliner eyeliner in Tommy Jet on the lower waterline
L'Oreal Voluminous Butterfly Mascara

I added some favorite shades on my cheeks and lips to try to make me happier.

Cheeks: NARS Orgasm blush

Lips: Revlon Lip Butter in Peach Parfait

from left: NARS Orgasm blush, Revlon Peach Parfait Lip Butter

I managed a smile.  ;)

I guess it turned out fine.  Whatever.  I guess it was a grumpy day for me.

How do you deal with a look you aren't happy with?  Start over, change it, or live with it?

Buzzing Factory EotD

Buzzing Factory -- another name for a beehive?

This is just a simple eye of the day using mostly the Buzz and Factory shades from the Urban Decay Naked 3 palette (see how I came up with the name of the post?).

There's a little sparkle reflecting on that outer corner!

I used:
   Nooner in the crease
   Limit above the crease to blend out Nooner
   Strange under the brow and in the inner corner
   Buzz all over the moving lid
   Factory in the outer corner and lower lashline
   Blackheart as liner on the upper lashes

from left: Strange, Limit, Nooner, Buzz, Factory, Blackheart

L'Oreal Voluminous Butterfly Mascara

I do love the Naked 3 palette!

Have a wonderful day, friends!

Autumnal Equinox Face of the Day with BFTE and Too Faced

Happy first day of fall!  I thought it would be appropriate to use the loose shadow/pigment from BFTE called "Autumn" today.  "Autumn" is an incredibly pigmented, metallic, molten gold. Seriously MOLTEN.  I didn't use any glitter glue or foiling medium with the shadows.

I used:
  BFTE Autumn all over the moving lid and inner part of the lower lashline
  BFTE Copper Cauldron in the crease, outer corner, and lower lashline
  BFTE Heat in the inner corner by the tear duct

from left: Autumn, Copper Cauldron , Heat

from left: Autumn, Copper Cauldron, Heat

  Wet 'n' Wild eyeshadow single in Brulee under the brow
  Marc Jacobs Highliner Gel Crayon in Brown (Out) on the upper lashline and lower waterline
  L'Oreal Voluminous Butterfly Mascara

Cheeks: Too Faced Sweethearts Flush Blush in Peach Beach

Lips: Too Faced La Creme Lip Cream in Spice Spice Baby

from left: Too Faced peach Beach blush, Too Faced Spice Spice Baby La Creme Lip Cream

Are you celebrating the equinox in any way?  I celebrated by going to the doctor for my "yearly". Yay.

Late Summer Favorites

Happy (?) last day of summer!  I thought I'd celebrate (???) the day with a favorites post.  And, because I didn't write a July favorites post, and I'm slightly late with August favorites, I figured I'd just call this a "late summer favorites" list.

NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer -- This tinted moisturizer has a wonderfully light texture, has a light citrus scent, and leaves the skin slightly dewy.  It has decent coverage for a tinted moisturizer, and it protects the skin with an SPF of 30.  I have been wearing the shade Alaska because I've been using a self-tanner, but I think I'm going to need to switch to Finland for the winter.

MDSolarSciences Mineral Creme Broad Spectrum SPF 50 UVA-UVB Sunscreen -- This stuff has an interesting texture.  It's very silicone-laden, and kind of thick.  I love that it has a really high SPF, but my favorite thing about it is how well it works as a makeup primer.  I need to try to write a full review of this sunscreen.

Benefit They're Real! Mascara -- Whenever I use this mascara, I remember how good it is. However, I did manage to poke my eye rather seriously with the wand recently, and it really hurt.

Prada Candy -- Wearing this perfume puts me in a good mood.  It's kind of a sweet, but spicy
floral-y scent that has completely different top and bottom notes, so it smells totally different after a few hours of wear.  You really need to try it for yourself.

Sleek Garden of Eden Eyeshadow Palette -- I have really been enjoying this palette.  My favorite shades in this palette are Eve's Kiss, Evergreen, and Fauna.  Tons of possibilities with this.

from left: Eve's Kiss, Evergreen, Fauna

I sometimes find writing favorite things lists kind of tough, because the staple items (like foundation/tinted moisturizer, mascara, powder, etc.) remain pretty much the same each month, and I use so many different other things (like eyeshadows, palettes, blushes, lip colors -- I usually mix those up everyday) that it is hard to choose favorites.  Does anyone else have this problem?  How do you choose what favorites to write about?

Thanks for checking out my recent favorites!

Nude and Silver Nails

I tried to do something arty with my nails.  It's not particularly arty, but I think it's a little more interesting than my standard "one color of polish on my nails" nails.

I though the combination of a cream nude with a tiny bit of sparkly silver on the tip would look cool. I obviously didn't do a perfect job, and I could have made the silver tip even thinner, but I like the results.

I used JINsoon Nail Lacquer in Nostalgia all over my nails, and Orly Shine on just the tips.

I love JINsoon Nostalgia.  It is a perfect nude.  I actually love it for fall as an alternative to all the deep and dark polish shades we usually see trending in the autumn.

What's on your nails today?

Totally unrelated:  I suddenly have "Phantom of the Opera" music going through my head.  What is that about?

Goodbye Summer, Hello Fall

The low to mid 60°F temperatures here in Michigan really make it feel like fall has arrived, even though the autumnal equinox is not for another week or so.  It got me thinking about a few favorite things about summer and fall. 

A few things I will miss about summer:  

   

1) long days -- I like when it is still light out at 9pm.

   

2) easy dressing -- Undergarments, a dress, sandals  DONE.

   

3) baseball -- Although, if you count the playoffs, we have until the end of October for baseball.  Hopefully the Detroit Tigers will be in the playoffs!

   

4) high temperatures -- I actually enjoy hot weather.  I mean hot for Michigan (usually less than 95°F).

   

5) my garden -- There is still visual interest in the garden in the fall, certainly, but as plants start to die back to prepare themselves for winter, the garden starts to look less full.

What I will not miss about summer (I could only come up with one):

1) over air-conditioned restaurants/stores/theaters -- I never remember to bring a cardigan with me.

A few things I'm looking forward to this fall:

   

1) butternut squash soup -- I like to eat this soup in the autumn.  Yum.

   

2) changing leaves -- The colors of the turning leaves in Michigan can be pretty spectacular.

   

3) fall fashion editorials in fashion magazines -- They seem to pull out all the artsy photography for the fall issues.

   

4) fall fashion -- The cozy knits, layered looks, and boots boots boots!

   

5) fall makeup -- I love jewel tones and deep shades on eyes, cheeks, and lips, which seem to mirror the moody weather.  

   

6) football!

7) Halloween stuff -- Especially the decor and the candy.

What I'm not looking forward to this fall:

   

1) shorter days -- I don't get as much done when the days are shorter.

   

2) uneven temperatures -- The temperatures in Michigan can vary wildly from day to day, so I never know what to wear until the morning of that day.  And even then, sometimes more than one outfit is needed.

3) leaf blowers -- I don't know if I'm particularly sensitive to the frequency at which a leaf blower operates, but the sound absolutely drives me up the wall.  One of my neighbors is especially fond of his leaf blower and will use it whenever he feels like it and for as long as he feels like it.  I've seen him use it in the rain.  Just thinking about the sound of leaf blowers is making my blood pressure rise.

So, what will you miss about summer, and what do you like about fall?