Face of the Day With Some Sephora Favorites

I created a FotD with some drugstore faves here, and I thought it would be fun to do a post with some of my Sephora favorites.

Complexion:
NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer -- This has a wonderfully light texture, and it has a seamless, skin-like finish.  It leaves the skin very slightly dewy.  It has kind of a citrus-y scent, which I don't mind, although it probably would be better for the skin if it didn't have fragrance.
Sephora 8 HR Mattifying Compact Foundation -- I like how I can get a little extra coverage from this powder foundation, or just use it sparingly to set my base.  It doesn't ever look cakey, and it controls shine fairly well.  I also quite like the compact.  Clearly I need a new one of these.

Pardon the dirty sponge.  Yeesh.

Cheeks:
Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Luminous Flush -- Gorgeous in the pan and on the skin.  It is just light-reflecting enough to give a subtle glow to the skin.
Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Matte Bronzing Powder in Milk Chocolate -- This is the lighter chocolate bronzer Too Faced offers.  It is just the right color to warm up my skin, and the lack of shimmer makes it usable as a contour color, as well.  And, yes, it does smell like chocolate, and I do spend a few seconds smelling it before I apply it.

from left: Hourglass blush in Luminous Flush, Too Faced bronzer in Milk Chocolate

Eyes:
Kat Von D Chrysalis palette -- I just love this palette.  It has neutrals, purples, metallics... I love all the shades.  The shadow formula is soft and silky, and, with the exception of Entombed (metallic blue) which applies slightly more sheerly than I prefer, all have good pigmentation and blendability.  

I used: Mezzanine (sparkling purple) all over the lid and lower lashline
            Hybrid Moments (matte plum) in the crease and outer v
            Lifelike (matte cream) under the brow and in the inner corner

Too Faced Perfect Eyes Waterproof Eyeliner in Perfect Black -- So creamy and very black, this liner is easy to apply and wears well on my eyes.  I use it  most often on my waterlines, and it never irritates my eyes.
Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner in Intense Black -- I can see why this is a best seller.  It is inky black, and has a calligraphy-style brush that makes creating a thin or thick line easy.  It sets quickly, so you don't have to sit with your eyes closed for 10 minutes waiting for it to dry.
Benefit They're Real Mascara -- Yes, it's a little tough to remove, but, man, does it work well.  I can tell I need a new tube because it usually does much more for my lashes than it did today.

from left: Mezzanine, Hybrid Moments, Lifelike, Too Faced liner in Perfect Black, Stila liquid liner in Intense Black

Lips: Dior Addict Gloss in Bed of Roses 576 -- This gloss is gorgeous!  It is extremely smooth, non-sticky, and shiny.  It's described by Sephora as a "petal pink shimmer".  It's a little darker than what I think of as a "petal" pink.  It doesn't have any scent or flavor.  Sooooo shiny!

Do you have any favorites you've discovered at Sephora?

Eyes of the Day with the Kat Von D Monarch Palette

Exciting post title.  Anyhow, I'm really enjoying the Kat Von D Monarch palette.  It's quite a versatile palette that allows for dramatic looks or something more subtle, like today's eye look.

I used:
    Killing Jar (shimmery golden pink) all over the moving lid

  Vanish (matte cool tan) in the crease

  Shadow Box (matte dark brown) in the outer v
  Deadhead (matte black) as liner on the upper and lower lashes

Entomology (matte light yellowish cream) under the brow and in the inner corner

from left: Killing Jar, Vanish, Shadow Box, Deadhead, Entomology

Mascara: L'Oreal Voluminous Butterfly

Some photos in natural light:

I paired the eyes with a little MAC Refined Golden bronzer, Hourglass Ambient Lighting blush in Luminous Flush, and Revlon Colorburst Lacquer Balm in Demure.

from left: MAC Refined Golden, Hourglass Luminous Flush, Revlon Demure

natural light

daylight bulb

So many possibilities with this palette!

Have a gorgeous day!

March 2014 Favorites

Yep.  I'm late with this.  But here they are in no particular order: my March favorites.

Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant -- This salicylic acid liquid treatment has made a huge difference in the size of my pores on my nose.  I use it after cleansing on my nose every night.  I find that I have some dryness if I use it all over my face, so I stick to glycolic acid for exfoliating everywhere besides my nose.  Kind of odd to have one product specifically for the nose, but we use products specifically for the eyes and lips, so why not the nose?  Enough about my nose.

L'Oreal Voluminous Butterfly Mascara (review) -- I'm so impressed by the length and drama this mascara gives my lashes.  The brush is fun to look at, too.

Elizabeth Arden Beautiful Color Moisturizing Lipstick in Blush Glow (review) -- I like how moisturized my lips feel while I'm wearing this lipstick.  Blush Glow is such an easy to wear pink that goes with everything.

Elizabeth Arden Beautiful Color Moisturizing Lipstick in Blush Glow swatch

Clinique Cheek Pop Blush Pop in 01 Ginger Pop -- Everyone and the kitchen sink has been raving about the Cheek Pop blushes, and for good reason.  So smooth and near impossible to over do, killer presentation, a decent price ($21 for a non-drugstore blush seems decent).  Ginger Pop is a slightly reddish coral that gives a satiny glow to the skin.

Clinique Cheek Pop Blush Pop in Ginger Pop swatch (heavy swatch for some reason)

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Luminous Flush -- Another very popular product this spring are the Ambient Lighting blushes.  Luminous Flush is a pinky coral that leaves the skin with a "lit-from-within" sheen.  The glow factor is more subtle here, with no discernible shimmer.  It's a beautiful blush to look at in the pan, too.  I was actually surprised that the packaging was a little lightweight.  I was expecting a heftier metal packaging, but it is just plastic.  Nice and shiny plastic, though.

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Luminous Flush swatch

Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate Kisses -- I have moved on from Junior Mints to dark chocolate kisses.  Science has shown a little dark chocolate is good for the heart.

Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette -- I've been using this lots lately.  My favorite colors at the moment are Nooner for the crease, Limit to blend out the crease, Buzz or Trick for the lid, and Blackheart as a liner.

from left: Nooner, Limit, Buzz, Trick, Blackheart

What are your recent favorites?

A View from the Detroit Opera House FotD

It was opera night in Detroit for me and my family on saturday.  We saw "A View from the Bridge", which is a modern opera (written in 1999) by William Bolcom based on the play by Arthur Miller.  It's the story of a dockworker named Eddie from Brooklyn and his niece Catherine who falls in love with an illegal immigrant who is a cousin of his wife.  Essentially, Eddie isn't okay with it (he is inappropriately attracted to and therefore overprotective of Catherine) and it all ends tragically.  What a story!

I love the Detroit Opera House.

I think my hair and makeup held up well.  The following pictures were taken at the end of the night, as I didn't have time to take any before we left.

Eyes:
     from the Urban Decay Naked 3 palette -- Nooner in the crease
                                                                Limit to blend out the crease
                                                                Strange under the brow
     BFTE loose shadow in Orchid on the lid
     L'Oreal Voluminous Butterfly Mascara
     Tarina Tarantino Hyperliner in Tommy Jet on the lower waterline

Cheeks:
      NYX Powder Blush in Taupe to contour
      Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Luminous Flush

Lips:
      Elizabeth Arden Ceramide Ultra Lipstick in Rose Aurora (limited edition from 2012)

from left: BFTE Orchid, Urban Decay Nooner, Limit, and Strange, NYX Taupe blush, Hourglass Luminous Flush blush, Elizabeth Arden Rose Aurora lipstick

In case you were curious, I wore a black sheath dress with slitted sleeves (the sleeves are elbow length, but have slits in them from the shoulder to the elbow, if that makes sense -- I think it's called a cold-shoulder style or something), and snake print pumps and a snake print clutch.

I wore Color Club Nail Lacquer Cosmic Fate on my nails.

My husband wore a gorgeous necktie.  (I matched my eyeshadow to it...)

Let's take a closer look at that Eddington knot!

The opera was quite interesting and intense, and rather different from most of the operas produced by the Michigan Opera Theater.  Wonderful evening!

Me and my husband!

Next month is Puccini's Turandot.  I'm already planning my makeup and outfit for it...