make up look - Phoenix Rising

I like to come up with lame overly-dramatic names for my makeup looks. Anyways, there were some technical difficulties, like my eyes spontaneously starting to water and ruining things, but I managed to get it out. :) Enjoy!
Eyes:
Purple in crease: Makeup Forever #92, bright matte purple
Orange in outer third: Makeup Forever #18 bright matte tangerine orange
Yellow in center: Makeup Forever #2 bright matte lemony yellow
White in inner corner: L'Oreal Hip Pigments matte white from "Animated" shadow duo
Highlight on browbone: Random light shimmery gold from the Body Shop that they don't make anymore
Eyeliner: Beatique black pencil eyeliner
Mascara: Peter Thomas Roth Lashes to Die For The Mascara

Lips
Lined with Soap and Glory "Sexy Motherpucker" plumping lip crayon, Then applied Flirt Plushious Liquid Velvet Lipcolor in Rising Star, topped with a light sheen of Flirt Squeeze Me Supershiny Lip Gloss in Heavenly Honey.

Blush
Smashbox cast/crew blush duo, applied peachy shade on cheeks, lighter shade on forehead, nose and chin.

The pictures aren't really doing it justice, its quite pretty, I think :) I love Makeup Forever. They're a bright eyeshadow addicts dream come true...
I've also started using paint brushes instead of makeup brushes. They work just as well, are cheaper and there's more of a variety. As long as you get something designed for acrylic or watercolor, i recommend the synthetic brushes or smooth natural hair. You won't be doing yourself any favors if you buy the coarse brushes :)

Sephora Eyeshadow Primer

I've decided today to review Sephora Eyeshadow Primer. When I first heard about makeup primers of any kind I was skeptical. Why the fuck would I want to add another layer of stuff to my face. Well, the answer is this: it makes everything stay on better and for longer. I came home after 8 hours of work today, and only had to touch up the powder on my nose. Everywhere else was fine thanks to my foundation primer. And my eye makeup was fine thanks to my eyeshadow primer. Eyeshadow primer prevents eyeshadow from fading and creasing and also helps with getting really brilliant results from a minimal amount of product. Meaning, you only have to do a one or two strokes with that eyeshadow brush instead of ten to get the vibrant color that you see in the pot/package. My blacks go on richer and darker (instead of light gray) My lime greens go on bright lime green instead of pale, sheer green, forcing me to layer the product on really thick to get my desired results.

I wasn't really sure what type of eyeshadow primer to go with when I first bought some. So I went to Sephora and bought something cheap, just so I could experiment without having to spend a lot of money. I saw products from just about everyone, Stila, Urban Decay etc. Then I went to Sephora's proprietary brand (called Sephora, go figure...) and found a little pot of eyeshadow primer for $8. I brought it home and over the next few weeks figured out how to apply it. I use my index finger, and I put a thin layer across my entire lid and brow bone. I've discovered that, since its very thick that if you apply it too heavily it makes eyeshadow difficult to apply and blend without "skipping" (when the brush gets caught on loose skin and "skips" making a banded texture in the area of application). Its thicker than concealer (which I've also heard will work in a pinch for eyeshadow primer, but have never tried myself) so you don't need much. I've had this little pot for about three months now and haven't even begun to use it all. There are days when I've forgotten to put it on and I definitely notice a difference. I'm not 100% happy with it, though it does do the job for a minimal amount of money, because its not simple to apply, and if you goop it on too heavily it doesn't make for good eye makeup results. But, since its very inexpensive and lasts a long time, I do kinda like it, especially if you're just getting used to using professional grade products (like me). I look forward to trying other products so I can do an educated comparison.

Overall, I hesitantly recommend it.

Sorry its been so long since my last post. Work has been hell and the last thing I want to do when I get home is to sit in front of my computer...

I have a small bit of news. My friend Kyle over at FaceCandy gave my address to the PR rep for Maybelline and they sent me mascara to review. I'm about to take my makeup off for the night, so look for a review of it as soon as I've tried to for a few days. Thanks Kyle for passing my name along! I'm enough of a dork that I called a friend immediately to tell her the exciting news that the Maybelline (or at least their marketing company) knows that I exist. :)