Eyeshadow Look - Vegas Swimming Pool

Hi! omg. two updates in two days? wtf???

So, I came up with this look a while ago and its been a staple. It has a sister look (which I actually came up with first) called Dubai Sunrise which I will post at another time. Neither of them has much to do with the places they're named for.

Shadow:
Outer half of lid: Makeup Forever Star Powder #960 Turquoise
Inner half of lid: Flirt! Glamourazzi Palette, second color from right (I think its Showstopper) more or less a fleshtone
Outer part of crease: Flirt! Glamourazzi Palette, color on far right (I think its Golden Lady) brown that looks dark gold when its applied. I always think this is going to be darker than it is :)
Inner part of crease & under eyes: Mac pressed shadow in Amber Lights, its a bright brassy/gold

Mascara: 2 coats Peter Thomas Roth Lashes to Die for the Mascara. Two tricks to mascara application I've learned: 1. wiggling brush side to side as you move up 2. In addition to wiggling back and forth and moving upward, rotating the brush at the same time (i know, its a lot of stuff to do), but this prevents clumping for the most part and with this brush that has two different types of bristles its necessary.

Eyeliner:
Upper lid: Mac Fluidline in Blacktrack
Outer waterline: Beautique black eyeliner pencil
Inner waterline: Sephora eyeliner minis in Plum on and a little bit on the outer corner, connecting it to the upper eyeliner (you can't really see it, so probably not necessary)

Blush: Flirt! Bronzer/Blush in Sweet Desire applied to cheekbones, nose, forehead, upper lip and chin.

I didn't use foundation today, I put on my Makeup Forever primer and then used this stuff that I don't really understand that was given to me by my friend Kyle of FaceCandy called Dr. Brandt's Pores No More. I have no idea what it is. It smells kinda funny. Not bad, but still, kinda funny. The instructions say "use am after cleansing and toning. re-apply throughout the day, as necessary" Its flesh colored. And sheer when you put it on. It tends to make my powder go on wicked smooth, but I don't really know if its hiding my pores. I'm perplexed by it. But I'm almost out of foundation, so it seemed a better choice today. On top of primer and that weird stuff I put on concealer and powder and thats it.

Thanks for reading!




Up next: my search for foundations continues! Probably another day-long review.

Stuff I Always Buy

Hello!!! To all 4 of my readers! heh.
So, I'm sitting here at 1:10am, kinda bored because I'm used to being in bed by now, but I decided I'd talk about the stuff I buy over and over again, or at the very least that I've bought more than once.

Foundation:
I have yet to find the perfect foundation. Its still a work in progress. My day-long review of Revlon's ColorStay Active turned out not very favorable, and I said I was gonna return it... and then I didn't... So I'm still working through that little bottle, but its almost gone. I'm never buying it again. And now that spring/summer is on its way, I'm kinda thinking I might not buy foundation again until fall. In the summer I typically stick with primer, concealer, powder as my routine, just because I'll sweat off any more layers of crap on my face. I usually keep a tube of Maybelline's Pure Makeup around because its water based and doesn't clog my pores as much during the hotter months. It DOES NOT resist humidity well. For special events like weddings, parties etc. where I need to have full coverage on my face my go to for several years now has been L'Oreal Infallible make-up. Its a little akin to smearing clay on your face, but it stays put! Especially if you set it with powder. It can get a little cakey if you don't get the right powder to foundation balance though. But, because its like smearing clay on your face, I don't like to use it very often.


Primer:
I have always lauded the praises of foundation primer in the past. However, I kinda thought they all were the same. I found I liked the way Smashbox Photofinish with derma...something or other (age fighting) went on smoothly, but its of course the most expensive one. Regardless, I kinda thought they were all pretty much the same. That is until I, somewhat impulsively, bought Make-Up Forever High Definition Primer. Its thin, between liquid and cream, but closer to liquid and upon applying it I thought "what the fuck? I paid $32 for this bullshit??" But, I gave it a chance. And I started noticing that even that crappy Revlon foundation was staying on longer. When I was using Smashbox, I noticed that when I used my makeup wipes there wasn't much coming off from my skin, meaning there wasn't much there anymore. Now when I take off my makeup at night the wipe is covered in removed foundation. Now, that may sound gross, but it goes to show how well the MU4E stuff works. When this runs out, I'm going to try out the other tints that they have. I'm really excited about this product. For serious.

Powder:
I'm currently using Mac Mineralize Skinfinish natural. I like it. Goes on smooth and opaque. I'm not in love, simply for the fact that because its a mineral makeup (which I'm of course mixing with non-mineral makeup, is that a no-no? i have no idea ha!) and when I sweat, it feels like a thousand tiny pin pricks on my face. Not painful, just a little itchy. I've been dying to try Smashbox Halo perfect powder, but can't bring myself to shell out $65 for the stuff. The best powder I ever bought was another Smashbox product, the 5-in-1 perfecting powder or something like that. Of course, they don't make it anymore, but it was awesome. There were five different ways to wear it, one of which involved mixing with water for fuller coverage. Awesome. I used it with my L'Oreal Infallible for a wedding I was in last September and I never had to touch it up the whole time!

Blush:
I've always felt like blush is blush and its one of those things you don't need in a zillion colors. I'm very fond of a Smashbox one I got in a gift set, Softlights in Smashing Tint, but its almost gone. I probably won't rebuy it. Get yourself a bronzer and a blush that looks natural and you're good to go. My favorite bronzer is by Flirt! (available at Kohls), #22 Sweet Desire. Its highly pigmented, so one thing of it has lasted me about 3 years. A light dusting is all you need. Flirt also has a ton of blush colors, so you could just grab a bronzer and a blush and be done with it :).

Mascara:
Peter Thomas Roth Lashes to Die For: The Mascara. Awesome. I have nothing but good things to say. The brush is amazing, it has those exacting bristles as well as shorter ones (the idea being you apply more product with the shorter bristles and then smooth it out with the exacting bristles). It doesn't, so far, come in waterproof, which is fine because I hate waterproof mascara (its just a personal preference, I have no real reason). It doesn't flake, and even at the end of the tube it went on smooth and clump-free. Love love love love!!! My lashes look sooooo long.

Eyeliner:
My first blog post on Beautique still stands. I love the stuff. It comes in other colors besides black, but I haven't tried those. Beyond that, I've been playing with gel eyeliners. I'm currently using Mac Fluidline in BlackTrack. I like it, but will probably move on to another one, just to compare, when its gone. The trick is finding a good brush. Ulta has a good one, its flat and a little wider than your average eyeliner brush, but it tapers slightly, so it has pretty much all the surfaces you need for any eyeliner application. I also REALLY like all the Sephora brand mini-liners. At $5 each, they're not a bad buy and there's like 15 colors. I have Wild Spirit (shown second from the left in the picture), its like a cobalt purple/blue that really pops. I also have white and a purpley/red called Plum. I've used up all of Wild Spirit and re-bought it. They get used up fast because they're very soft and creamy.

Eyeshadow:
I have so much eyeshadow... I can't even begin to tell you. So much that I haven't even begun to use it up yet. I will be very upset when I run out of this random shimmery gold glitter stuff that I've literally had since middle school. Its from the Body Shop and its just a little brick of gold dust that you can apply everywhere. But its running out and I know they don't make it anymore. I'm running low on Mac Shroom too, which is the one that I recommend everyone buy! Its an off-white satin neutral and is a must for every collection. It looks great with everything. Its awesome as a highlight and perfect for pretty much anywhere else on the eye. Go! Buy!

Lips:
Lipstick is like another eyeshadow thing for me. I have so much that I've never had the need to rebuy. I love the CoverGirl minty ones that they partnered with Crest for. I love ALL of Flirt!'s lipglosses, Mac's Dazzleglass is awesome (and tastes good!). I usually apply lipstick or gloss when I leave the house and then forget to apply it the rest of the day, which is the other reason I've never run out :) Well, thats it for me tonight.

Eyeshadow primer/base:
My first review on the Sephora brand eyeshadow primer is no longer valid. I tried Urban Decay, wasn't thrilled, so I moved on to Two Faced Shadow Insurance, as I've seen it recommended the most on other sites. Its great. Goes on silky smooth, sets up quick, and keeps eyeshadow in place all day. But based on the foundation primer, I may try Make Up Forever's eyeshadow primer when this runs out.

Hope everyone has a good rest of their week! Happy Passover/Easter/Equinox whatever your holiday is!