Showing posts with label make up. Show all posts
Showing posts with label make up. Show all posts

12.20.2011

Makeup Brushes

Some of you probably buy high-end make up  - or some might just grab whatever foundation looks like it might match your skin tone off the racks at the drug store. Whatever works for you is great - I've done both. No matter what the brand, your brushes should be up to par. I had heard nothing but amazing things about MAC brushes, but I'm just not willing to dish out $30+ a brush for a complete set. Not gonna happen, people. So I did my research and found that Sigma carried some high-quality brushes - for a decent price. So I asked for this set for Christmas last year. 


It has provided every type of brush I need! I have used them on a daily basis since last year and they are still in great condition. I do have a couple hairs on the larger brushes fall out every once in a while, but it's never a big deal. I love these babies and I'm wanting to try out some more of what Sigma has. 



I really want to try out their travel kits. A vegan or 18K gold would be nice. I'm also sharing these because (although it's late) I do think these would make great gifts for any female friend you have on your last-minute list. 


Aside from these travel kits, I'd also love to get my hands on the Extravaganza 29 Brush Complete Kit in 18K Gold  (ZOMGGG!!!!) and I'd also really like to see how their palettes stand up.

Anyway, I just really love these brushes for the quality and price and wanted to share! Do you use Sigma products? I do have certain favorite brushes if you're not looking to buy a whole kit - let me know if you'd like to hear about individual favorites!

11.12.2010

Friday Favorites


{via}

{it's not in stock right now on Sephora or Ulta, but try actually going in the stores or other places online like Amazon}


I've written on this palette before, but it has never been featured as a favorite, and it most definitely is - especially since I have been using it almost every day since it came in the mail back in September. This palette is most definitely a bit pricey, it will put you back $44 (ask for it for Christmas!), but it is well worth the price - let me explain.

The palette is comprised of 12 full-sized eye shadow colors. Full-sized UD eye shadow pots are $17. If you buy three solo pots, you've already spent past the $44. The palette features some of UD's most coveted colors as well as some new colors that you can't buy individually. The colors in the palette range from light highlighting colors to dark smoky colors. In the palette you will see colors such as white, tan, brown, gold, rose, plum, black, and blue (check out the picture). I've swatched a few of the colors before. Something I personally love about UD eyeshadows is that not only are the colorss gorgeous, but they are highly pigmented. Which means one sweep with your brush does the trick, and the colors will last you longer when you aren't having to constantly build the color on your eye. As if getting 12 full-sized colors wasn't enough, you also receive a mini UD Eye shadow Primer Potion (which is a favorite of mine) and a double-ended 24/7 Glide-On Pencil which features Whiskey (brown) and Zero (black) - I'm not a huge fan of pencil liners, but this one is great! Very smooth and perfect for waterlines.

The versatility of the palette allows you to create a natural looking eye, a brown smokey eye, a blue smokey eye, or anything else you can think of with these colors. Since fall rolled around, I've been using Toasted (shimmery rose) on my lid and Hustle (a dark plum) on my crease - it's a great fall combination. With all the possible combinations this palette has to offer, it's perfect for traveling. If you are going on a weekend trip or somewhere for just a couple days, this palette is perfect. You only have to keep up with one piece for your eye color and you can create just about any look you would want. There's no opening and closing little pots of eye shadow or digging around your makeup bag for the color you are looking for.

I feel like I've written a ton, but it's just such a favorite of mine. (And I'm not getting paid to say any of this - I just am in love with the palette). UD eye shadows are definitely a favorite of mine since the very first time I tried them. My first color was Smog - a goldish-brown - and it's front and center in the palette.

If you are curious about the palette, just go to your local Sephora, Ulta, or UD counter and play with it. But I'm warning you, you may fall in love.

11.02.2010

October Favorites


I apologize in advanced that half of these favorites are lip products. 

I found this lip stick on clearance a while back for $9. It's a beautiful color. A burnt orange almost - which sounds weird for putting on your lips, but it works. It's really a great color for Fall. This lipstick lasts as well. Which is always a plus. 

I've spoken on this line of lip stick before, but I've only recently purchased this color - and I love it! It's a shade of red, but definitely has the undertones of peach and even pink. It's bright and gorgeous without being overly red - which I love a bright red just as much as the next person, but sometimes a subtle red is more appropriate. 

I'd been eyeballin' this lipgloss for a while and mom bought it for me on my birthday last month. There are several great features to this gloss. It's long lasting and the color pay off is great - definitely better than most glosses. It also contains Maxi-Lip which is a plumper, but it's non-irritant, which means it doesn't sting like other lip plumpers. Which is awesome. Naked is a pinky neutral. It taste good (vanilla mint!) and lasts forever. 

Now, I haven't technically purchased this, but I have been using a couple samples that I was given through Sephora purchases and it's one of my most favorite scents. (Maybe I'll share my very favorite scent this Friday!) This is a very feminine, soft, and fresh scent. The description says it's a combination of roses and amber. I'm sure it's a little more than that, but whatever the combination is, it works! I love this stuff! 

5. Victoria's Secret Beauty Rush Lip Gloss ($7 or 2/$12 or 5/$20)
I like this gloss mostly for it's flavor, although, it does do a great job at glossifying. I have two flavors, Passion Fruit Pop and Juiced Berry - both delicious. There are 21 flavors to choose from, and I'm sure they are equally delicious. 

Another birthday gift from mom. I'd been wanting this blush for a while. It's considered a "cult" favorite and loved by all. It's a peachy pink with golden shimmer. It's almost exactly like the Lorac Blush I mentioned in September Favorites, but the shimmer in Lorac is cooler, with silver highlights instead, but the peachy pink color is the same. I love them both, though. This color is universally flattering. It highlights and warms up the face. It's perfect. 

7. Lush Sexy Peel Soap ($5.95 for 3.5 oz)
I love Lush. I want everything in the store, but that's not possible. This particular soap is what I am digging right now. It's citrus scent is so delicious and takes over your entire shower. All of the products at Lush are handmade and natural. Sexy Peel is made of organic lemon, lime, and orange peels which help to exfoliate while washing and also made up of orange juice. It's especially nice to use in the morning, but I love it any time of day. Another soap I really like is the Bohemian Soap - it's made with lemon oils and smells oh, so fresh. 

I've been using this concealer almost every day since I purchased it over a month ago and haven't even made a dent in it. A tiny bit goes a long way and offers full coverage. This stuff works miracles and I can't really see myself buying any other concealer any time soon. I love it. A tiny bit fully covers under my eyes, discolorations on my cheeks, and any redness around the bottom of my nose. It you are interested in trying or purchasing this stuff, definitely go by a counter and have someone help find your correct color - that's what makes the difference. 

Hope you all enjoyed these favorites!

10.29.2010

Friday Favorites


MAC and Disney's Venomous Villains Collection

This collection was released late September/early October and I jumped on it. Most likely because of Cruella de Vil and the Evil Queen and Maleficent - what can I say, I'm a Disney baby? 

 Now I didn't purchase all this collection had to offer, although I would have liked to, I only walked away with four items - and I love all of them. And they were all things I didn't necessarily have already as far as makeup. There are a couple other items I would have liked to gone back and purchase, but I didn't. What I do have and love is as follows:

Her Own Devices Beauty Powder
This color is great for just a light dusting of rose blush. Even with a hard hand, the power goes on lightly. 

My Dark Magic Mineralized Eye Shadow Duo
This eyeshadow is awesome for several reasons: It's a duo and iridescent. And it can be used as a shadow (dry) or liner (wet). And when you wet the product, the colors are so much more intense. Love it!

Vainglourious Eye Shadow
This color is great because you can really pack in on and make it true to the color you see below, or you can apply it softly and blend it out into a really pretty light rose/pink color.


Wicked Ways Lipglass
This stuff is awesome. You can't completely tell, but it is a super vibrant, hyper-pigmented red lipglass. And don't let it fool you just because it's not a lipstick. This stuff is the real-red deal. If you want bright red glossy lips - get this. The great thing is that you can apply a couple dots and smooth them out for a (still intense, but) less intense red lip... or apply a full coat for super red lips. It's great. 


{via}

(if you are interested in any of these products check on MAC's online store or even at the counters first, then look at places like ebay. You will pay so much more on ebay, but I'm just not sure if these are still available at the counters since the Holiday Collection Tartan Tale has been released)

10.15.2010

Friday Favorites

I have a somewhat busy day today, but I could not skip out on my Friday Favorites. 




This week I wanted to share a mascara with you. Back in September I posted on my Summer Staples. In that post I raved about Maybelline's Colossal Mascara. And I still love that mascara; however, I have ventured out of my comfort zone to try a new one. I chose to try Almay's One Coat Triple Effect Mascara. It's rare that I am initially impressed with a product, they have to grow on me. So after a few uses I really started loving this stuff. It lengthens (which I need) and thickens (which I need). The triple effect stated is that it "instantly builds, extends and sculpts lashes" and I believe that it does. The brush is a bit intimidating in that one side has normal sized bristles and the other side has tiny bristles. You first coat with the long ones, then the short ones for length (I believe). 


I usually do two coats with the long side, then move on to one coat of the shorter side and my lashes look fabulous (and trust me, they need all the help they can get; they are pretty pathetic). I will most definitely be buying a second tube of this mascara.


If you are interested in trying this, I would suggest looking at Walmart for the cheapest price or checking out the weekly sales at your favorite drug store. I did see these where two tubes were packaged together and it was "buy one, get one" which is a good option just in case you do love this mascara. And if you don't love it, you can pass it on to a friend or family member that may like it. Just an option. 


Well I am off to a fabulous weekend with my parents and grandma. They are visiting and I am so excited to see them, show them our place, and just spend time together. Happy weekend to you all!

10.08.2010

With and Without a Paint Pot

So in my September Favorites post I mentioned that I had really been enjoying my MAC Paint Pot. It works as a base to help your eyeshadow stay on throughout the day, keep it from creasing, and it really intensifies the color. Below is a picture I just took. I have a swatch of just the Paint Pot in Rubenesque (1.) then I used three different eye shadow colors to swatch with and without the Paint Pot underneath.


1. Paint Pot by itself. You can see it's a really gorgeous pink/gold iridescent color. And it can definitely be worn by itself.

2., 4., and 6. Are three different colors that are put on top of the Paint Pot.

3., 5., and 7. Same colors but without being put over a Paint Pot

If you look at the picture and do a color to color comparison (i.e. compare 2. and 3.) you will see just how much the Paint Pot works to really intensify the color of the shadow. It makes the color more vibrant and more true to what you are actually seeing in the shadow's pan.

I image that different colored Paint Pots will intensify the colors differently. Black or matte neutral would have a totally different effect; however, it would still work to make the colors more vibrant in one way or another.

If you are interested in a Paint Pot, I would definitely encourage you to go to your closest MAC counter and talk with someone or play with the Paint Pots yourself. It's fun.

Friday Favorites: September Favorites

Today instead of doing just one favorite, I thought I would share some of my many favorites that I found and enjoyed through the month of September. I know we are over a week into October, but I guess it's better late than never. I'm hopefully going to keep my descriptions a bit shorter than the ones in my Summer Staples.


I hate trying out drug store foundation because you can't try it on before buying it and I almost always pick the wrong color. I had heard people on the internet ranting and raving about this stuff, so I finally put my hate aside and tried it out. Luckily (and seriously, this never happens) I ended up picking the perfect color. And I love it. I've worn this product almost every day since I bought it! It's definitely smooth and gives great coverage - the packaging is kind of weird in that you have to screw open the top to get to the product. If you want to give it a try go to Walmart - it would be the cheapest there or keep a check on your local drug stores. They usually put two to three brands each week on a sale like 40% off or BOGO.

That's a mouth-full. I used this scrub a while back and recently re-purchased it. It smells delicious, it's gentile enough to use every other day, and it does a great job at exfoliating. You may already have or want to add into your routine a scrub that works a bit harder for once a week use, but this stuff is perfect for that constant exfoliating that your skin needs.

The color of this blush is a gorgeous pink-peach. Which I love. This particular product is highly pigmented (which you want so that you use less product making it last longer), it wears well throughout the day, and it's very easy to blend. It's pricey, but like I said above, the fact that it's highly pigmented causes you to use less each time it's worn, thus lasting longer. 

Maybe you have heard of ELF, maybe you haven't. The line used to be solely online, but now it's in Target and I've also seen it in Kmart. It's a super cheap line that offers decent products. I like the eye shadows because they are $1 and are well pigmented. To the brush - if you use brushes to apply makeup, you know they can cost quite a bit of money. Elf's regular brushes are $1 and their Studio brushes are $3. I decided to give the Studio Complexion brush a try because... it was $3... there's barely anything to lose. It's a great brush because it can be used with wet or dry product and the brush is so, so soft! The only thing I can complain about is its density, but it's still an awesome brush for the price. I think the studio line is a great place to start if you don't use brushes and you want to give them a try. The price is low and the quality is high. 

I searched every drug store around, Walmart, Target, and Kmart for this stuff. Couldn't find it. The all of a sudden it was in front of my face at Target - I had just been looking on the wrong aisle. It's not where the medicines is - usually around the medicine there is a lip balm section for sick people - like carmex - no, it was in the makeup section of target. Anyway this stuff is great! I use it every other day. It's packed with lots of different natural oils and made with sugar - so if you accidentally get some in your mouth, it's sweet. Once you scrub, your lips are packed with oils and are super smooth. I usually follow with a generous coat of Vaseline and go to bed. 

I like these for many reason. They come in so many wonderful colors, they can be used by themselves as eye shadow color or they can be used as a base for eye shadow, and they are easy to blend out and into shadows. They are usually around $4 each and you can find them in Ulta, online, and sometimes in certain drug stores. Generally, like mentioned above, drugstores and Ulta will have sales going on for certain brands. I waited to buy mine when Ulta had NYX products 50% off. I will warn... use an eye shadow primer if you use these. I've always used a primer while wearing these, so it hasn't happened to me, but I've heard these pencils will crease up in your eye lid badly if you don't have a primer on. Creasing can ruin your look, especially if you planned on wearing your makeup throughout the day. So make sure to do that, or you may end up hating these!

These paint pots come in several different colors - from natural matte, to iridescent, and to black - it just depends on what you want. The rubenesque color I have is a pink/gold iridescent color. I told the guy working at MAC that day that I generally wear neutrals on my eyes and this was just the color he recommended. And I love it. It's such a pretty color I can even wear it by itself. I use it as a base. I first put on my eye shadow primer, then the pain pot, then my eye shadows. What it does as a base is it helps, like my primer, to keep the color where it is supposed to be and avoid creasing, it also really intensifies the colors of the shadows that I put on. (If I remember, I will take pictures of swatches with the paint pot and without so you can see what it does). This stuff will last forever too because it is highly pigmented and you use very little to cover your lid. 

So those are some of my favorites from September. I guess I failed at keeping each description to a minimum, but I wanted to make sure I said everything I wanted  and what I thought you would need to hear about each product. 

9.17.2010

Friday Favorites


Yesterday when I was out and about, I stopped by Rite Aid who happened to be running a sale for 40% off all Maybelline products. I grabbed a couple things I had heard good reviews on and wanted to try and while I was there I took a look through their lip products. 

Now, I am a very picky lipstick kind of gal when it comes to color. I prefer places like Sephora, Ulta, and department stores where you can try on the color before purchasing, but this Maybelline Color Sensational lipstick had an entire line of nothing but neutrals. I love neutral lipstick. (They also have an entire red line, pink line, plum line, and pearl line) So I am looking through the natural line's swatches on the display and finally decide to purchase Totally Toffee

I check out, get into my car, and immediately pull out the lipstick. I run it across my lips and boom. It is a perfect color. I nailed that one and I was so excited. Not only was the color exactly what I wanted, but it was moisturizing and smooth. And not too shiny and not too matte. Perfect. Looove.

My luck with lipsticks that work for me goes a little like this: find perfect color, use up the tube, go back to purchase new tube, color is discontinued. I swear. Like every single time. (I'll never forget you Sephora brand #49. Moment of silence, please.) So on the way home I have to pass a Walmart. The idea of this color and line discontinuing or being limited edition or whatever is running through my head and I determine, I need to stock up. So I stop by Walmart - and surprise, surprise, I think the Walmart price of these things was less than the sale price at Rite Aid (so if you decide you want to try these, go to Walmart). I grab myself another Totally Toffee - which is like a taupe with pink undertones. I then decided since I am having luck with this neutral line, maybe I should branch out. And by branch out, I mean stay in the neutral line, but buy a pink and a red toned neutral. So I ended up leaving there with Warm Me Up (neutral pink) and Warm & Cozy (neutral red). 

Again, as soon as I get in my car I try out my new colors - and, I love them. They are definitely my new favorites right now - and this lipstick goes on and looks like a lot of $20+ lipsticks out there, so who doesn't like a great deal like that? Definitely go try them out if you are in the market for a new lipstick that has great quality and a great price!

9.16.2010

Gettin Naked

That's what I'm going to be doing now that my PALETTE came in! Y'all, I seriously let out a little squeal when I opened the package this morning and realized it was my UD Naked Palette. I received an email when the package was shipped that estimated the delivery for this thing on Sept 21 - so you can image my joy when this baby showed up almost a week early!

I haven't started playing with it yet, but it's a good assumption that once I finish this post, I will be washing my face and painting on something new and naked. Shmee.

I also went out to Sally Beauty Store and a couple drug stores for a few things - makeup related. obvi. I want to share all about the great finds and perfect lipsticks I came across, but I may save that for another day (and you may not even care). You know sometimes you go out shopping and it's a "good shopping day" - much like a "good hair day" - well, I had one of those.

Good sales, good prices, good colors - all that girl stuff.

On a side and completely unrelated note: I also have been in conversation with a couple contract companies and between them, I hope one is able to find a job for me soon! And one that is reasonably close to where we live. Everyone seems to really care about me and my needs, and want to hire me into their company - we just need some openings! Fingers crossed.

(I can see where this post is going - ramblings - so I'm going to stop. here.)

9.10.2010

Friday Favorites

After completing this post, I decided I wanted to keep with that theme and continue to share products I love.

Back in the summer of 2007 my little sister (in-law) and I were browsing though Ulta trying on lipsticks, blushes, and eye shadows - the usual. A beautician who worked there came up to us and asked if we had ever tried Urban Decay Eye Primer Potion. We both said no, but were instantly interested. She went on to explain it's a primer like you'd use for your foundation, but it's for eyes. We tried it. 

I remember us driving around in my car later on that day, pulling down my visor, and looking at my eye makeup that looked as though I had just put it on. At that moment I was hooked. The next day I went back to Ulta, bought the primer, and have been using it ever since. 

It's a great buy! You makeup stays put and fresh all day, there are absolutely no creases, and this tube lasts forever! They have even started to make new variations of this product - they have a clear (the one above), a tawny matte colored one, and a shimmery champagne colored one. AND for those of us who really love it, there is now a big-girl sized tube

Whichever one you choose the point is that this product is worth every penny if you have problems with eye shadow creasing or not lasting throughout the day.