Face of the Day With a Pop of Sugar From Too Faced

I used the very cute Too Faced Sugar Pop Eyeshadow Collection (aka eyeshadow palette) a couple of days ago (I posted a pic on Instagram of my eyes) -- Chelle's post is what really inspired me.  I also used a boatload of bronzer.  I've also been doing some self-tanning, so yeah, I have some color to my skin.

Peacock Eyes with Urban Decay

I love the colors in peacock feathers.

When I was a child and my parents would take me to the specialist eye doctor at the University of Michigan Kellogg Eye Center, they would take me to a store that was in downtown Ann Arbor as a treat.  I would always choose a peacock feather to take home with me.

Eyes:  Urban Decay Shadows -- Peace (inner 1/2 of lid)
                                              Graffiti (outer 1/2 of lid)
                                              Fishnet (crease)
                                              Asphyxia (above crease)
                                              Honey (lower lash line)
          Wet 'n' Wild Brulee (under the brow)
          Pixi Endless Silky Eye Pen in Copper Glow (upper lash line)
          Too Faced Eyeshadow Luxe in Socialite (over Pixi liner on upper lash line)
          Benefit They're Real Mascara

from left:  Urban Decay Peace, Graffiti, Fishnet, Asphyxia, Honey, Too Faced Socialite, Pixi Copper Glow

Cheeks:  Too Faced Sweethearts Perfect Flush Blush

Lips:  CoverGirl Lip Perfection Jumbo Gloss Balm in 205 (no color name...)

from left:  CoverGirl Jumbo Gloss Balm 205, Too Faced Sweethearts blush

kind of an odd angle...

 

indoor light

Have a gorgeous day!

Look of the Day Gemstone Series: Tanzanite

It's December, so I decided to do a look inspired by one of December's birthstones: Tanzanite.

Tanzanite was discovered in 1967 and is found only in Tanzania.  According to the American Gem Society, the most prized color is a "rich violet-blue" and is often heat-treated to achieve the desired color.  According to Wikipedia, Tiffany and Co. named the gem after it was discovered that it was a new variety of the mineral zoisite.

I tried to capture the violet-blue tones of the gem by layering a purple shadow over a blue shadow.

source: American Gem Society

Eyes:  blue NARS shadow from a duo that I don't have the name for since I depotted it

             MAC Parfait Amour

         

         silver color from Marc Jacobs The Starlet palette (inner corner)

        Badass from the Too Faced Pretty Rebel palette (tiny bit in the outer v)

      Naked from the Urban Decay Naked 1 palette (blend out the crease)

      Wet 'n' Wild single eyeshadow in Brulee (under the brow)

         Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On liner in Binge (upper and lower lashlines and waterline)

         Physicians Formula Eye Booster Eyeliner and Serum in Ultra Black

         Maybelline Full 'N Soft Mascara

from left:  NARS blue shadow, MAC Parfait Amour, Urban Decay Naked, Wet 'n' Wild Brulee, Marc Jacobs silver, Too Faced Badass, Urban Decay liner in Binge, Physicians Formula liquid liner)

Cheeks:  Milani Coming Up Roses blush in Flora Passion

             Pixi Beauty Bronzer in Subtly Suntouched

Lips:  NYX Mega Shine Lip Gloss in Perfect

The other December gemstones listed on the American Gem Society webpage are Zircon and Turquoise.  Blue Topaz also seems to be a popular December birthstone with jewelers.

Thanks for checking out today's gemstone inspired face of the day!

Opal

Diamond

Citrine/Imperial Topaz

Emerald

Look of the Day Gemstone Series: Opal

I thought it would be fun to do a makeup challenge involving look of the day posts inspired by gemstones.  I thought I'd start off by featuring October's birthstone: opal!

Quoting the American Gem Society page on opals: "Opal is a formation of non-crystalline silica gel that seeped into crevices in the sedimentary strata.... The opal is composed of particles closely packed in spherical arrangements.  When packed together in a regular pattern, a three-dimensional array of spaces are created that give opal its radiance."  Opals are soft gemstones and need to be handled with a certain amount of care.

I tried to capture the flashes of color in an opal.  Fiery opals have varying shades of blue, green, gold, copper, and sometimes red.

photo:  American Gem Society

Some opals have a more milky appearance overall than the one in the above photograph, but still contain flashes of color.

photo: gemstones-guide.com

I used turquoise, green, gold, and copper eyeshadows.

Eyes:  Urban Decay eyeshadows --
               Peace (turquoise) on inner 1/2 of lid
               Graffiti (green) on outer 1/2 of lid
               Shattered (turquoise with gold shimmer) middle of lid
               Mildew (moss green with gold shimmer) outer corner
         Smashbox Smashing Mirror Image eyeshadow trio -- copper in crease
                                                                                     gold in inner corner
         Fyrinnae Velvet Vampire (sparkling red) -- liner on upper lashes
         Too Faced Eyeshadow Luxe in Socialite (copper with silver glitter) -- liner
         Bare Minerals Eyeshadow in Opal (shimmery cream) -- all over lid (gives sheen)
         Milani Liquif'Eye Liner in Gold -- lower lash line
         Pixi Endless Silky Eye Pen in Copper Glow -- lower lash line
         Benefit They're Real Mascara

Cheeks:  Too Faced Sweethearts Perfect Flush Blush

Lips:  Urban Decay Revolution Lipstick in Lovelight
          Rimmel 3-D Stay Glossy Lipgloss in Lights, Camera, Action

daylight bulb

From left:  Urban Decay shadows in Peace, Graffiti, Shattered, Mildew
                 Smashbox Smashing Mirror Image trio copper and gold colors
                 Fyrinnae Velvet Vampire loose shadow
                 Too Faced Luxe eyeshadow in Socialite
                 Bare Minerals eyeshadow in Opal
                 Pixi Endless Silky Eyeliner in Copper Glow
                 Mialni Liquif'Eye liner in Gold

flash

daylight bulb

From left:  Too Faced Sweethearts blush, Urban Decay Revolution Lipstick in Lovelight, Rimmel 3-D Stay Glossy lipgloss in Lights, Camera, Action

flash

If you would like to join me in the gemstone challenge, please link to your posts in the comments!

Have a wonderful day, and thanks for visiting!

Gold and Turquoise EotD

I felt like using some sparkly, colorful shadows today.

From the Disney Sephora Ariel Storylook Palette:
    Triton (gold) -- all over the moving lid
    Caspian Sea (turquoise) -- crease and outer v
    Jetsam (dark grey) -- outer v
    Sea Shells (cream) -- under brow and inner corner

Pixi Endless Silky Eye Pen in True Teal

Maybelline Mega Plush Mascara in Very Black

Have a beautiful day!

Pixi Endless Silky Eye Pen in True Teal Review and Swatches

The Pixi Endless Silky Eye Pen is an awesome eyeliner.  It isn't a pen, but an incredibly creamy, soft eye pencil that applies like a dream.  

Pixi says: Waterproof, super-long-wear, no-smudge, no-budge eye liners. They glide on like seamless silk, and in a single sweep motion create a flawless, solid jewel-toned line. No retouching required all day - or night! Gentle on eyes, yet intensely coloured and super-silky. 
Long wearing, non-transfer, and waterproof eye pen gives the intense effect of a liquid liner but is much easier to apply.

I have to say I pretty much agree with their description.  This liner glides on with no tugging or skipping whatsoever, has an intense color, and wears well all day.  It's creamy enough that you can smudge and soften the line it for a less defined look before it sets.  I get a tiny bit of smudging on the outer corners of my eyes after 6-7 hours when I wear this on my waterline (like most liners -- I think due to my watery eyes), and it will smudge only slightly on my oily eyelids if I rub my eyes (ahh allergies...).

They are packaged is a pretty, flowered, light yellow pencil that has a tip on the non-liner end that matches the color of the liner (so it's easy to find the right pencil).  The flowers on the body of the pencil also match the color of the liner.  So cute!

True Teal is a jewel-toned dark teal with lots of blue in it.

(defined, smudged)  sunlight

indoor light (and out of focus lol)

One of my favorite ways to wear this color is with a copper or brown shadow on the lid and the teal liner on the waterline and lower lashes.

There are 10 colors in this formula, and they retail for $15.  Pixi is sold in Target and there are usually testers available in the displays.  I highly recommend checking these out!