FOTD: A Little White Lie

     It's been a while since I did a FOTD and sorry that this one isn't very special. I mean, I'm a neutral wearer so don't expect too much. Well, there's something special about this FOTD, and guess where? (It's pretty obvious!)

Base: Tarte Recrete Primer, Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation, MUFE Full Cover Concealer, MUFE HD Powder Eyes: NARS Eyeshadow Primer, Too Faced Natural Eye Palette -Silk Teddy, Heaven, Velvet Revolver, Sexspresso- L'Oreal Voluminous Carbon Black WP Mascara, Cover Girl Lash Blast Volume WP Mascara, Ardell 110 Lashes Cheeks: MAC Refined Golden Bronzer, LORAC Exposed Baked Matte Satin Blush

     Hmm? It's pretty apparent right? Fake lashes! This is my first time trying fake lashes and honestly, I bought them a long while back for my junior prom but couldn't get the hang of the lashes. Occasionally I try it out once again, so I've used the same pair of lashes for three times before I really got used to it. I did cut off the ends to suit my eye shape and decrease how dramatic the lashes are.

Thanks for reading! Please leave me a comment and follow! Byebye. :B

NARS Happy Days Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil Swatches and Review

     Since this summer season, I've crept away from my previous look of creamy full coverage lipsticks to sheerer and healthier finishes. I like to see some of my natural lip and I've come to love lip products that give a beautiful flush of color across the lips with a beautiful natural balmed or glossed texture. I still tend to shy away from actual gloss as I find it too overpowering and "fake". NARS Velvet Gloss Lip Pencils caught my eye because the line carries a hot pink (Mexican Rose) which I got, and will be reviewed later. I also went ahead and got Happy Days, and without further jib-jabbering, here are some swatches:

top to bottom: one swipe, three swipes, a bunch of swipes

bare lips

 



     NARS Happy Days Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil is a glossy orange coral with small golden shimmers. It swatches more coral on my hand than on my lips and it looks very healthy. In terms of the look of the product, I don't have too many complaints though it isn't the most special thing in the world. I do have to say that I find if I apply a light layer of MAC Myth with a heavy layer of this product I get my perfect warm baby pink lip (killing two birds with one stone since I don't have a use for Myth and I get the perfect color). However, I don't know if this product is worth keeping for such purposes as there are quite a few negatives to this product. The gloss is quite comfortable and it isn't very sticky. It feels like a heavy balm. I cannot feel any of the shimmers.
     First of all, in terms of wear, the product isn't bad as it last about how long a regular gloss would 3-4 hours without eating and drinking. However, it wears away unevenly and the center of my lips looks paler than the sides creating the "only lip liner look," a look I am not very keen on.
     Second, the application is not perfect. If you have any dry patches, the product will gather around those areas creating a patchy lip. Not attractive and it's not something I expect from a non-cream lip gloss product.

     Third, probably my biggest criticism of this item is that you don't get enough product for how much you pay and you use a large amount each time you use it. In the picture you can see I've already your the product quite a bit, but really, I've only used it 4 times max! Also, you barely get any product for the hefty 24$ price tag! (2.8g/0.09oz.) compared to the 4.8g/0.17oz od a regular MAC lip gloss which is 10$ less...Not cool NARS.
     All in all, I'm going to have to think about this item. I also have Mexican Rose, but I love the color (and other things to be addressed in its own review) that I will most likely keep it. Now on that beautiful warm pink lip that I can create with this item...I will try the combination for a couple more days and also try to create the same look with other products. And if in the end I decide to return this product, I will tell you all in the review of Mexican Rose!

Thanks for reading! Please leave me a comment. Byebye. C:

Video: What's in My Makeup Bag?

     What's in my handy dandy makeup bag? Well currently...this stuff changes once in awhile, but you can get the gist of it in this bag. I must say I don't love the bag, but I'm going to use it till it dies so I ca get my money's worth. I carry a crap ton of stuff in this bag for reasons I explain in the video, but yah. Hope you enjoyyyy!



Thanks for watching! Byebye. :D

Don't Bite Your Nails: Illamasqua Nomad Nail Varnish Swatches and Review

     It's been sooo long since I've made a nail post! I recently picked up two Illamasqua nail polishes, and Nomad is one of them. This color is from a recent collection and it's been getting a lot of love so I wanted to try it for myself. I'm not usually pulled into the color family that this polish belongs but it's nice to explore once in a while. Here are some swatches!




     There's something special about Illamasqua Nomad that's made it so popular. It's a different color from the oh-so-dominant trend of mint green polishes. It's hard to describe the color perfctly as it's been described as a bright jade color. But I don't get it because there are so many shades of jade...just me nit-picking. I can only say, Nomad is a intensely saturated mid-tone slightly yellowed green with no blue. It's definitely a statement shade because of it's saturation that really makes be want to say it's neon. The Illamasqua cream polishes I've tried have always applied decently well though I think they're a bit thick and if the bottle is open too long, the polish can get even more goopy.

     I can't say too much about wear right now because I seem to be having trouble with base coats and top coats. I don't know what it is but my nail polish has been chipping very quickly. Please recommend to me any top coats and base coats you like!

Thanks for reading! Please leave me a comment. Byebye. o u   o''

MAC Cut A Caper Lustre Lipstick Swatches and Review

     Hahaa! The second part of my most recent purchase from MAC's mineralized collection for 2012. Cut A Caper Lustre Lipstick is not only a lipstick in my favorite MAC lipstick formulation, but it's also a repromote lipstick that sold out too fast for me to get. I wasn't really sure about getting it, but after swatching it in store, I was like, "what the hey.." Here are some swatches:










     MAC Cut A Caper is a glossy neutral leaning cool rose coral. The lip swatch isn't the perfect representation of the color and the hand swatch is much more true to color. Like I said before, the MAC Lustre finish is my favorite formula or lipstick as the colors tend to have a type of juicy sheerness I like so much right now. The product is smooth and of a thick balm texture, but I find that this lipstick doesn't always apply evenly. you also need to swipe the lipstick on the lips more than once to get good color payoff. What I love however is that it's a color that leans cool, but doesn't clash with my skintone. (Creme Cup from MAC is horrendously purple on me, I hate it.) On the other hand, I find this lipstick makes me look tan...Hmmm.
     Now to compare to the previous lipstick I reviewed, Pleasureseeker...they are in the same range in terms of darkness, but this lipstick contains no shimmer and they are different colors. In comparison to the limited edition MAC Ever Hip Cremesheen Lipstick, Cut A Caper is definitely more blue and Ever Hip has an apparent warm peachy hue that Cut A Caper lacks.
     Other than that, I don't have much else to say. I recommend this to light to medium skin tones both cool and warm as the hue sits in the more neutral category.


Thanks for reading! Please leave me a comment. Byebye. O:

Life Update: Tech and Wholesome Funnn!

This is a text heavy post with pictures at the end. I don't expect anyone to read this.. ; -;...


Update of life: THE TECHNOLOGY GODS HATE ME. If you've followed me for a while, you know I haven't had much luck with anything tech involved whether it be Windows Live Movie Maker, my camcorder, my always missing SD cards, and now my laptop. I'm currently working on a 4 to 5 year old MacBook, yeah, one of the cute little white ones. What happened was my regular Toshiba has some major flippin' problems with the connection between the battery and the charger; it's not the charger because I tried a new one and I'm just sure. So I finally cannot charge it and it won't turn on. In desperation, I grabbed this MacBook my dad had used once a long time ago. It's crappy as well... All the Microsoft apps are gone and I don't know how to get them back. All of the editing systems are gone and the computer is too old to update or something. I'm just plan like WTF am I supposed to do. So yah...how did I edit my last post? I used some online editing site which is such a hassle. I don't think any videos will be able to get on any time soon. FML, summer plans= ruined. I'm going to beg for a new computer...

     Another thing! I'm slightly annoyed with my newly done nails, which I will post a swatch post on later. I have two top coats (butter London and Sally Hansen Instant Dry). The first I think<-- chips in like two days, and the second which I used this time caused bubbles! I used it last week and it didn't do that! What is going on...

     ON THE HAPPIER SIDE OF THINGS. One of my best friends (I wonder if she will read this) and I were thinking about how teenagers (us included) have fun through only technology. And it's true, so we made a little summer bucket list of things that are technology-less. Good wholesome fun. So we combined this goal with one of my favorite things everrr. We went nectarine and peach picking! Whutwhut. Another one of my best friends (I wonder if she's reading this) joined us and oh my god it was so amusing. We also had a bit too much fun in the car, stuff I will not divulge in. I'm not sure if they're cool with me posting their faces on my blog, so I'll try to only pick ones with me. Here some pics, creds to one of the best friend's awesome Canon T3i and multiple photographers:

     I highly recommend anyone who wants to have a good day off with some delicious smelling fruits to go fruit picking. It's great. (:

I'm too tired to think and type more so I'll leave it off for now.


Thanks for reading, if you actually read this. Byebye. :3

Passion for Peach: MAC Pleasureseeker Glaze Lipstick Swatches and Review

     I love peach, it brightens my complexion and gives me a girly glow, I feel so much more alive wearing it. I wear neutral eyes so much, like most girls, and I find that peach blushes and lipsticks look gorgeous paired with a brown eye. Anywho, this series will provide swatches and reviews (or quick reviews) on peach colored products I adore. (I was looking back on the Passion for Peach posts I did before and realized that none of them are reeeaaalllyyy "peach"... I think we can all assume now that I like to link peaches, corals, and oranges together. Well, I'll try from now on to keep it more peach based.)

     MAC recently launched a new mineralized collection for summer 2012. I'm getting bored of MAC like most people who have begun to settle into the makeup world. It's just too much stuff to keep up with and too much money spent on too many most likely will not be used items. Well, I saw the items being promoted and at first I wanted more than just one thing, but I looked at the items in person at a counter and was not amused. I only really wanted two of the lipsticks, Cut a Caper and Pleasureseeker. Pleasureseeker, the lipstick I am swatching and reviewing in this post is the first Glaze formula MAC lipstick I've ever gotten! Here are some pictures and such! The shots are a bit warm today, sorry about that.

MAC Pleasureseeker Glaze Lipstick is a medium-light pinked peach with a soft silver sheen. If compared to the permanent, popular MAC Shy Girl Lipstick, I would definitely say that Pleasureseeker is more pink and more natural because it lacks the opacity of Shy Girl's Creamsheen formula; the shimmer that the two contain is also different.--> Currently, because I'm so much more attracted to sheer, slightly glossy, natural lipsticks, I can see myself choosing Pleasureseeker over Shy Girl (!!!).The lipstick is sheer upon a first coat but within a couple of strokes it can reach a semi-opaque finish. The product is smooth, but not a wet type of creamy, if you know what I mean; it's just very comfortable and my hair doesn't stick to my lips +++. The silver sheen makes applying a gloss over top a bit of an overkill for me (seeing that I don't like extremely glossy lips). The overall effect of Pleasureseeker is very pretty and natural, I could see it working with nude and smokey eye looks.

That's all I can remember saying for now.

Thanks for reading! Please leave me a comment and follow this blog. Byebye. :P

Video: Guerlain Parure Extreme Foundation Review and Demo

     Woooo, two Guerlain product reviews consecutively! Well, now this time it's foundation. As you may know, skin is not my best asset, so foundation is a big part of my everyday makeup routine. I love testing new base makeup, but recently I've found that there's no longer room for new foundations in my drawers. So I'll start actually reviewing the foundations I have and in the process, maybe finished some up.
     The Guerlain Parure Extreme Foundation is the first foundation demo I will do. Well I was seeking to purchase this foundation, I didn't find many videos on it and seeing that I have a decent quality camera I decided to contribute a bit. Hope this helps anyone who needs it!



Here are pictures of the foundation on my skin (no edits, but my camera doesn't perfectly catch blemishes. well if you close up somehow you can see the hyper-pigmentation...):



 
Thanks for watching! Please leave me a comment and follow this blog. :D

Guerlain 4 Couleurs Eyeshadow Palette in 06 Les Fumes Review and Swatches

     So the taupe eyeshadows trend has been going around for a long while now and I must say I really enjoy it. Whether it's a shimmery taupe across the lid or a matte taupe crease color, I find the color extremely flattering in all the hues it can come in, warm and cool. I tend to use cooler taupes for a more dramatic look as I think it contrasts with my warm/neutral tone skin. Maybe later I'll do a round up or all of my taupes and show you all the warm and cooler colors.
     The Guerlain 4 Couleur Eyeshadow Palette in 06 Les Fumes is a high end take on the taupe trend. Here are some photos and swatches!

      Guerlain 4 Couleurs Eyeshadow Palette in 06 Les Fumes is definitely a cool-toned taupe palette. The palette consists of 4 different variations of taupe. Clockwise from the left you get a mid-tone taupey brown with a pink micro shimmer, a matte pinky tawny taupe, a high shimmer almost metallic pinky silver taupe, and a satin taupey gray. All of the colors in this palette have a dry yet smooth texture. The second and third shades have the best pigmentation while the last shade swatched a bit sheer and unevenly. 

     I'm sure you think the first and last shade are really similar, and I honestly agree, but one does have shimmer and the other does not. When on the eyes however, I see almost no difference, especially since the pigmentation of the last one really decreases the color saturation of the shadow. It could have been much darker, but it's not. In addition, both of those shades were harder to blend.

     The palette ends up for me as a cool smokey eye which was really quite dramatic when I wore it. I really like the second and third colors and I think they'd be perfect for a lighter cool toned pinky eye.

     Overall, although the packaging is beautiful, I don't really think the palette is that great to justify the high price tag it carries. There are definitely better palettes out there for a lesser price and I wouldn't recommend this palette unless you don't mind the price tag. If anything, I think this palette is more suitable more the moe mature ladies. It's like a classy, not so mainstream, smaller version of the Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette.

Thanks for reading! Please leave me a comment. Byebye. x_o

Video: Current Misses, Empties, and Favorites #1

     It's Summertime! I've been wanting to blog for a little bit now but then I realized that I lost my SD card...I'm going to get one today but for now here's a video!




Thanks for watching! Please leave me a comment. Byebye. o_x

Reached Blogger Photo Limit Again!

Quick post, I have a new post prepared so what should I do! I'm not happy about the new terms for adding more storage cause basically, I have to pay money every month! Any suggestions? Would any of you follow me on Wordpress, is the Wordpress photo limit any better? Please help!

Dior Summer 2012 Lip Swatches and Review

     Gahhhhh! I really wanted to put this post in my Passion for Peaches category, but honestly, none of these products are really peachy. On me at least, well, I'll still tag it in that category.
     I saw this collection, and I didn't really want anything but the lip products. The main "driver" was the Addict Lip Balm in 003 Crystal Coral, because I'm a huge fan of the original Addict Lip Balm which has color adjust technology or something like that. When I saw a new color, I needed to have it, so I got it. Haha. So here's the whole lot of things/swatches/review. Note the full face swatches as a better representation of the colors.

Bare lips

 

     Well, I'm pretty biased for this lip balm. The original is my official favorite lip balm of all time, trumping the Korres Lip Butters, the Rose Bud & Co. Lip Balms, and the fresh Sugar Lip balms. Essentially, 003 Crystal Coral has the same formula as the original; it has a thicker consistency that really sinks in the the lips. I have quite dry lips, and I can guarantee that this lip balm keeps them moisturized for a good amount of time.  Because it is thicker, it stays on longer and without eating or drinking I can peak with a 2-3 hour wear time (for real). Compared to the original, which gives a healthy rosey color to the lips, 003 Crystal Coral gives a reddish coral tint. This swatches quite orange with a little bit of golden shimmer (the shimmer does not seem apparent on the lips). Maybe when my lifes are paler that usual, it'll really turn out to be a orange! I like both the original and 003 equally...for now. I'm wondering if I should get a back up of this, it's all I've been wearing since I got it.

      354 Palace from the regular Addict line is a sheer warm baby coral pink; there's a hint of shimmer that's quite undetectable on the lips. When swatched on the hand, it looks warmer than when it's applied on the lips. I think the color's quite flattering for every day wear, because it's not what I would call a nude, but like a colored nude. Natural enough to wear with both a nude eye or a darker eye. I do have to say however that the color applied a bit unevenly on the lips. The texture is smooth and semi-glossy, I get about 2-3 hours of wear with a lighter shade of Lip Addict Lipsticks.

     544 Jet Set, also from the Lip Addict line, is a jelly red-orange coral with (bare there on the lips) micro white shimmers. The color is very summertime, and follows this years trends without overdoing it. It's a good lipstick for the shyer souls who stick to pinks and natural lip colors. I wouldn't describe this as sheer, but a jelly finish because you get good payoff with a translucent look. It's got a good amount of shine and because it's a bit brighter, I get about 3-4 hours of wear. Very comfortable and not drying.

     Note that the regular Lip Addict Lipsticks consist of sheerer glossy lipsticks that are reminiscent of lip balms with more pigment. I think 354 and 544 fit really well into that description.

     003 Crystal Coral is the most orange of the three (most natural), 345 Palace is the most pink (palest), and 544 Jet Set  is the most coral (brightest). So take your pick.    
     Overall I'm satisfied with this collection. It's pretty obvious I favor the 003 Crystal Coral Lip Addict Lip Balm, just because it's the type of tinted translucency I love in a lip color. I've pretty much convinced myself to get a back up... I think Dior really addressed a good range of colors with these lip products and I'm sure most people can find a color that they like.

Thanks for reading! Please leave a comment or question below. Byebye. :D

Video: Spring Green and Purple Smokey Eye Look

     I did a video look today, I'd rather not call it a tutorial just because I'm personally not in the position to be teaching about makeup. Anyways, I love wearing this smokey eye because it isn't as basic as a regular smokey eye; it's got some color.

Products Used:
Lancome Teint Idole Ultra 24Hr Foundation in 230 Buff(W)
Makeup Forever HD Foundation in 118
Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Foundation in 52 Vanilla
Laura Mercier Secret Concealer in 2
Makeup Forever Full Cover Concealer in 6
Laura Mercier Creme Cheek Color in Innocent Peach
Makeup Forever HD Powder
NARS Pro-Prime Eyeshadow Base
Rock & Republic Eyeshadow in Veil
NARS Nouveau Monde
MAC Eyeshadows in Blackberry, Fig 1, Sumptuous Olive, (Extra Dimension) Modern Pewter
NYX Eyeshadow in Taupe
Lancome Hypnose Drama Waterproof Mascara
Makeup Forever Aqua Smokey Lash
Urban Decay 24/7 Liner in Zero
Benefit Hoola Bronzer
MAC Lipsticks in Peachstock and Ravishing

I filmed this quite a while back and it just took me a while to edit because I'm in Windows Live Movie Maker. Hope this was enjoyable!

Here are some pictures to get a better idea of the colors:

 
Thanks for watching! Please leave a comment! Byebye. U:

Don't Bite Your Nails: Butter London Knackered Swatch + Quick Review

     I always find holographic or duo-chrome polishes really interesting. However, duo-chromes tend to come in colors that I find extremely unflattering on me. Knowing this, I still couldn't resist Butter London's Knackered from their Spring 2012 collection. It's too cool and I must say, I'm completely impressed even though the color doesn't totally suit my color palette. I took a video to kind of show you the effect the polish has other than the duo-chrome. But please remember, this is even more interesting in real life.

     Butter London Knackered is a multicolor "duo"-chrome with small rainbow glitter particles. In different angles and lighting it can flash gunmetal, lavender purple, hot pink, blue, and lighter green. In addition, the rainbow glitters add another crazy dimension to the polish. Obviously, pictures could not justify the polish and surprisingly video couldn't either; it's one of those real life must see nail polishes. Personally, my favorite part of the polish is the mini rainbow glitters that under sunlight makes the polish look animated (actually!). Now down to logistics. The payoff from the polish isn't amazing, but it builds up well. The swatch here is three coats for pretty much full opacity. The application of the polish is wonderful. Because the polish is pretty sheer, it's also pretty thin, but that means that the polish won't get clumpy or thick, no bubbles either.
     Overall, if you can get your hands on this, I highly recommend it. I also suggest layering this over a darker polish for  less coats and different effects.

Thanks for reading and watching! Please leave me any comments. :x

Video: 5 Month Collective Haul

     The Spring makeup collections were really pretty this year! So I couldn't resist. ;P This haul is so big that it's in 2 parts.






Tell me if you want extensive reviews on anything!

Thanks for watching! Byebye. >W  <

FOTD: Dimensional Smokeys

     I never have time in the morning to actually put on a lot of makeup, not that I want to, but my items just seem so wasted. So when I'm particularly stressed out or tired or bored, I just go to my makeup and I do a little sumtin' sumtin'. A couple nights ago, I went for a dimensional smokey eye with a dimensional face. I usually already have the most basic face makeup and mascara on, but that's it. You'll get it once I get into it. I was really into that day because my skin hadn't been so good in a couple of months. But now the acne's back and it's wild... Anyways, here are some pictures.

     On my face I used...

Makeup Forever HD in 118 (had on for the whole day)

Josie Maran Argan Blend Concealer in Sand (had on, but reapplied a lot...)

NYX Eyeshadow in Taupe (to contour only nose)

Maybelline Dream Matte Powder

     On my cheeks I used...

Bobbi Brown Cabo Coral Pot Rouge (as a base, and low on the cheeks)

NARS Sex Appeal Blush (to set)

Note: Placing the blush low serves a contour!

     On my lips I used...

MAC Peachstock Lipstick (Perfect)

 

     On my eyes I used...

Urban Decay Eden Primer Potion

Rock & Republic Veil Eyeshadow (as a base)

LORAC Avant Garde Haute Couture Palette (dark green-black and mid-tone brown)

MAC Dazzlelight Eyeshadow (for inner corners)

Makeup Forever 23L Aqua Liner (lower inner corner)

Urban Decay 24/7 Liner in Zero (upper and lower rims)

Maybelline One by One Mascara (already applied)

Makeup Forever Smokey Lash Aqua (upper and lower lashes)

And another cam-whore pic. C:

Thank you for reading! Please leave me a comment. o w  <''