Makeup Withdrawal

I Love Your Blog

Sunday, February 5, 2012

The lovely Lacquered Lady tagged me for this award. I thought it'd be a nice change to let you readers a little more about me since in my two and a half years of blogging, I haven't really brought up much personal likes and dislikes.

1. What is your favorite fashion magazine?
Er, I haven't read any fashion/beauty magazines in the longest time. I became pretty tired of the same beauty advice regurgitated to me over and over again as well as the product placements. I much rather read blogs!

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2. Who is your favorite singer/band?
I started loving Muse almost six years ago and I doubt I'll ever stop. I also like Rammstein, Lykke Li and have a strange fondness for Nicki Minaj which I really don't understand.

3. Who is your favorite YouTube guru?
I honestly do not watch any YouTube gurus, for many reasons. Some have voices that put me to sleep (Michelle Phan), some are truly awesome and talented like the sisters Pixiwoo or Lisa Eldridge but I can't understand (I have an extremely difficult time understanding English accents). Of course, there's other "gurus" that are 16 years old and somehow spend more in one haul than I can afford in six months. Those videos just leave me somewhat appalled.

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4. What is your favorite makeup product?
Right now, my favorite item is my Clarisonic Mia that my boyfriend gave me for Christmas. It has really done wonders for my skin and I'm so incredibly happy that it was given to me.

5. Where would you like to live?
California. I'm not big on living in crowded L.A., but a place like Sacramento would suit me just fine. Only a few hours away from the beach and mountains, yet close enough to some great shopping. Oh, not to mention I'd be living much closer to a certain fine fellow that I know!

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6. What is your favorite film?
Have you ever seen Pan's Labyrinth? It's an extremely dark, somewhat disturbing film that I love all the same. It's in Spanish, so you'll have to read subtitles, but I actually love doing that.

7. How many pairs of shoes do you own?
I think only about eight or so. Sadly, I spend about 50% of the year in orange Gizeh Birkenstocks. They're not the cutest thing out there (far from it, I know) but they have great arch support and are quite practical.

8. What is your favorite color?
Scarlet. Not red, not orange, but scarlet.

I'm not so great at tagging, so I'll just end on this note- if you write a blog, then I love it. I love that people are willing to spend the time to make a little piece of the internet their own. So feel free to tag yourself !

FOTD- Foundation Test

Saturday, February 4, 2012

I'm at home, just hanging around but I thought I'd take a quick FOTD picture. I'm also testing out a new foundation that was giving to me by chance, but it actually matched my skin color. It's Mary Kay Medium Coverage Foundation and so far, I like with how well it controls oil, how it looks and how it photographs. I'm somewhat of a foundation snob, so I'm pleasantly surprised.
I also pulled out some old things as well as some new things from the stash and was happy to just play with makeup.

I used:
Brows: NARS Bali shadow
Eyes: LORAC Behind The Scenes Eye Primer, MAC Style Snob, Milani Snow Frost, NARS Demon Lover, LORAC Beige, Prestige Total Intensity Deepest Black liner, Kiss Me Heroine Make Volume and Curl Mascara
Face: L'oreal Magic Perfecting Base, MUFE Full Cover concealer, Mary Kay Medium Coverage Foundation, Rock & Republic Foreplay blush
Lips: NYX Thalia lipstick

I Just Can't Live Without....

Friday, February 3, 2012

Earlier this month, I manged to misplace a few beloved beauty items and after three weeks of not being able to find them, I realized just how much I needed them. So this post is entirely about things that I absolutely can't go without, the items that I'd repurchase if I every (truly) lost them. (Luckily, I found a few of the items last night in my laundry hamper... what were they doing there!?)

1. This well worn purple tube is my Urban Decay De-Slick In A Tube Mattifying Gel. I've been using the same tube for OVER a year, every single day. Back when I originally reviewed it, I had a hard time figuring out how to use it, but now I've got the process down to a science! I take a tiny dot (less than half a pea), mix it with a tiny bit of water or aloe gel on the back of my hand and apply it to my t-zone after my foundation and before my powder. Hours of shine free skin follow.

2. My beloved Chanel Joues Contraste in Rose Temptation. This blush was from Fall 2010, and LE. I'll be very sad if I ever use this up/lose it/break it, because it's a blush that makes me feel like I look amazing! The brownish rose always makes my makeup look sophisticated, well put together and makes my cheekbones look great, never emphasizing redness of my skin.

3. LORAC Behind The Scenes Eye Primer is what I turned to after I became annoyed by the silly packaging of Urban Decay Primer Potion. Yes, I know that it comes in a tube in the "Pro" size, but when I bought a tube it was poorly packaged as well, and gushed all over me the first time I tried to squeeze a little out. I switched allegiances to LORAC's primer and love it just as much!

4. This well worn little pot is Graftobian Hi-Def Glamour Creme Foundation. I wear the shade Ingenue and I bet you won't believe that I've been using this same pot for close to a year. A little goes a ridiculously long way! It's so unbelievably pigmented and cheap- I bought mine for around $13 from Camera Ready Cosmetics. The only downside is that it is a tad bit oily feeling and in the hot summers it makes me feel/look a little greasy. Still, I highly recommend it. It photographs beautifully and comes in over 50 shades. You'll find your perfect match, trust me.

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5. My go-to concealer, Make Up For Ever Full Cover Concealer. You may be seeing a trend here, but products I like seem to last a long time, they're well worth their value! I'm pretty certain (don't quote me) that I've been using this same tube (Shade #6, well suited for fair/medium fair skin with yellow undertones) for the last 18 months. At least that long. I like that it sets very quickly and is very dense to cover up blemishes. Due to how fast it dries, I don't find it appropriate for delicate areas like under the eyes. I wish it came in more shades for all skintones.

6. BECCA Pressed Shimmer Powder in Nymph. I didn't believe all the hype about BECCA's PSPs for the longest time. I'm always a skeptic when people rave about how a product is completely different from all other comparable products out there. Yet here I am, agreeing with those people who say that Nymph makes me look delicately glowy, ethereal but not stupidly shimmery and oily. I use the tiniest bit on the top of my cheekbones. I also like the smell of BECCA products which is surprising since I'm overly sensitive to scents.

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7. Panasonic Heated Eyelash Curler. Once I went heated, I never looked back at the standard crimping eyelash curlers. I love how this curler is super easy to use (don't brush through your lashes, just use the wand to bend over your lashes at the base) and the heat gives me lashes that stay curled all day, regardless if I'm using waterproof mascara or not. I also like that I can actually curl every lash, including my inner ones which stick straight out and sometimes INTO my eye. I was seriously about to rebuy this curler before I found it again. It's quite cheap (I think around $14? Check Amazon or Ebay) and small, fits perfectly into a makeup bag.

Awfully long post, wouldn't you say? There you have it, seven products that I use quite often (almost every day with the exception of the Chanel Rose Temptation) that I would absolutely repurchase if something were to ever happen to them.

What are your absolute desert-island-I-can't-live-withouts?

Products feature were purchased by me, for my own use. For additional information, please refer to my Disclosure Policy.

Day 24: Inspired By A Book

Thursday, February 2, 2012

When I was little, I remember my mom reading The Giving Tree to me. She only ever read it once to me, because somehow she managed to turn this book into a parable about how parent figures always give and give, never getting anything back from their ungrateful offspring. So, being four years old and horribly guilt-ridden, I never wanted to hear this story again.

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When I went to do this challenge, I wanted to do a children's book that was easily identifiable.

I really need to run to Micheal's and buy some new thin brushes. The child is looking kind of chunky, hah!

I used: OPI Green-wich Village, Revlon Red Hot Tamale, my white mixture polish, Wet'n'Wild Black Creme, Sinful Colors Envy.

What was your childhood favorite book? Was there one that you didn't like?

Products featured were purchased by me for my own use. For additional information, please refer to my Disclosure Policy.

Day 23: Inspired by a Movie. Shaken, Not Stirred.

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

I love the James Bond films. I really do. So when I had to do nails inspired by a movie, it was a no brainer. This was the challenge that I was most excited to do! My picture is a little crappy, weird lighting and dry cuticles.

Thumb nail:

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I'm so excited for the new James Bond movie- Skyfall, this year. Daniel Craig, I'm all over that.
So here's the weird thing. You know who one of the new Bond girls is going to be? Naomie Harris. As in, Calypso with-the-blacked-out-teeth from the Pirates of The Caribbean franchise. I have a hard time picturing her all sexed up. Maybe she cleans up real nice?

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All kidding aside, I bet she makes a great Bond girl.

My boyfriend thought these nails were all sorts of awesome.

I used:
Orly Mirror Mirror, Ulta Snow White, Wet'n'Wild Black Creme, China Glaze Westside Warrior, Essie Lollipop Loving.

Have a wonderful night!

Products featured were purchased by me, for my own use. For additional information, please refer to my Disclosure Policy.