Makeup Withdrawal

After a Long Hiatus... New YT Vid!

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Ugh, now I remember I was bad at this!

All items shown were purchased by me, for my own use.

Avon Eye Brushes

Monday, June 7, 2010

The lovely and gracious LipGlossJunkee included a couple brushes in my birthday present, and I want to briefly talk about 'em before I go to bed.
They're both made with sturdy plastic handles molded into an interesting "ergonomic" handle with really soft and dense bristles. I say ergonomic in quotations because to me, it just looks like the bottoms of handles flare out, fancy lookin' and all, but of no real help to me when applying eye makeup.

The first one is called the Rounded Shadow Brush, that's the one that with the ahem, rounded tip. Though initially I thought I'd be using it as a pencil brush, to smudge eyeliner into eyeshadow, I found that the bristles where too long, and gave way when pushed- not so good for precision control. However, it made a really great crease brush, letting me tuck dark colors into my crease with ease.

The second brush is the flat Eye Liner Brush and I am really loving this one! It's absolutely amazing when used as a 'push brush' (used for pushing liner into the lash line for tightlining). The bristle fibers are much softer than my synthetic Sephora brush, but firm enough to manipulate easily.
I've had a few weeks to test them both out, and they're really well made for how cheap they are! Neither one of them bled or shed, nor did the ferrules come loose or anything like that. Good job, Avon!

Have any Avon brushes?

Products shown were given to me as gift, for my own use.

FOTD: Eeek, Purple Lips! (And How I Strangely Love Them!)

Sunday, June 6, 2010

I thought I was against purple lips. Before I get rocks thrown at me for being a color hater, let me clarify- I thought that bright purple lips belonged on editorial shots and runways, but had never really seen too many people actually pulling it off.
Then along came this lip gloss. Sally Hansen Smile Brightening Lip Treatment in Twinkling. It's muted enough for every day wear but bright enough to be interesting. I guess the blue undertone is supposed to make teeth seem whiter, but I'm not sure about that. I think it makes my teeth more noticeable overall, but may actually emphasize the yellowness.
I got this gloss for $1 at the Dollar Store! Seriously, good deal. I like the packaging of this gloss, the bulging bubbling is cute, plus the metal one near the cap doubles as a mirror. I'd warn people who are sensitive to scents to stay away from this though, it smells a little odd like minty nail polish (that's the best description I can come up with).

Because this lip color is so cool, I had to do a complete tone shift with my overall look. I used a foundation that was a little cooler than my skin tone, and likewise used a hot pink blush with blue undertones. I kept the eye neutral, so that it wouldn't collide with or take attention away from the lips.

I used:
Face: From the Makers of Monistat- Anti Chafing Gel, L'oreal Magic Perfecting Base, NARS Concealer Duo Ginger/Custard, MUFE HD 117, e.l.f. Complexion Perfection Pressed Powder, LORAC Hibiscus Cheek Stamp
Eyes: L'oreal HiP Cream Shadow Paint in Secretive, LORAC Beige shadow, Milani Almondine shadow, La Femme Taupe shadow, Opera Volume Control Mascara
Brows: NYX Brow Powder in Taupe/Ash
Lips: Sally Hansen Smile Brightening Lip Treatment in Twinkling

What do you think of this interesting color?

NOTD: Review of Revlon Cotton Candy

Saturday, June 5, 2010

Seche Vite Clear Base, Revlon Cotton Candy x4, Seche Vite
Top Coat

As I'm sure everyone knows, nail polish fumes smell just awful. While I've yet to stumble upon a product that promises the make the process of painting nails unsmelly, there's now a product that can make them smell glorious after they are done! I'll be honest, I was highly dubious that a formula could leave a scent that didn't reek of chemicals, but Revlon's line of scented polishes actually does it.
The polish itself is really thin and doesn't apply very evenly. It took me 4 coats for it to look unstreaky and actually 5 coats on my thumb. The color was quite pretty, a light milky pink with iridescent shimmer. Even as it dried, the chemical scent started to dissipate and was replaced by a sweet cotton candy smell. It made me so hungry. The scent even continued though I topped it off with a coat of Seche Vite Top Coat, which really impressed me. When I finished, it was perfectly smooth but I noticed that hours later, tiny bubbles formed in the layers of the Cotton Candy
(not at the top, with the Seche Vite). The best part was that the cotton candy smell stayed for two days (probably would have stayed longer, but I changed the polish).
So while I am highly amused by the scented nails, the formula and crappy application keeps me from trying other polishes from the Summer Scents collection.

All products shown were purchased by me, for my own use.

NARS Deep Throat + Half Assed FOTD

Friday, June 4, 2010

Guess what was waiting for me when I got home from my vacation? (Really, not that hard to guess since the title of this post has the answer). Another blush! Do I really need yet another blush? Why yes, yes of course, especially if it's a NARS blush with a dirty name. Actually, funny side note- Deep Throat is mentioned so often on MakeupAlley that I've become completely desensitized to the scandalous term. I was given the weirdest look from a friend when I mentioned I had Deep Throat waiting for me at home.

Deep Throat is often compared to Orgasm, which I don't have. I'll admit it, I'm rather terrified of the golden sparkles in Orgasm (and more frightened of Super Orgasm which is an even glitterier version of the original O!) so I've refrained from purchasing it, but have fondled it many times at Sephora so I'm well aware of the differences. Deep Throat is pinker, perhaps a twinge darker and less shimmery than the O. I like to think of DT as Orgasm's more mature older sister who has outgrown the glitter phase.
Confession time. I don't think DT is all that pigmented. Buildable, yes- but compared to some of the other NARS blushes it's just so-so. I don't need a skunk to apply it, I just use a normal Sephora blush brush. I'm not going ape shit over the color either, while it gives me a lovely flush and shimmer and is suitable for every day use if you're a working professional- I think the reason it is so loved because it's a rather universal shade. Pretty hard to go wrong with a pinky peach. I don't know what it is with me, but I'm more impressed when a brand creates unique, bold colors rather than soft, subtle ones. What an ungrateful blush collector I am.
Oh hey, did I mention that I got this blush for $16? That's right, I bought it off a blog sale, swatched one time. You can see that all the hatch marks are still intact. :D
FOTD time!

Face: Revlon PhotoReady Foundation, L'oreal Magic Perfecting Base, NARS Deep Throat
Eyes: UDPP, Wet'n'Wild Creme Eyeliner in Black, Fyrinnae Atomic Afterglow e/s, Revlon Glistening Snow, Revlon Black Galaxy, false lashes, La Femme Cake Mascara in Black
Lips: Revlon SuperLustrous gloss in Pink Pursuit