Muh Favs: May 2011 + Swatches

     I'm in the finally stretch of school and it's killing me. I HATE ESSAYS, who likes them other than...essay lovers. yeahh. The past couple weeks have been so busy, but I just couldn't leave my makeup alone. I've seriously applied makeup every single day. I think I'm going to do some posts on my everyday makeup and stuff like that. But here are some things I've been using a bit more than everything else. (Note: From last month I haven't stopped using my Sonia Kashuk Blush and Smudger brushes. Benefit Sugarbomb is still a fav, I've been venturing out though. Everything else has changed quite a bit though)

     1. I've been using the Revlon Illuminance Creme Shadow Quad in Not Just Nudes alot. The first shade on the left is a matte cream color which I like as a base to even out my eyelid color. The second is a nice shimmery pinky brown which looks like on the lid. The third is a nice  matte warm light milk chocolate which works well in the crease. And the last is a shimmery dark chocolate which I like in the outer corner. These work really well as bases, I don't usually use them alone because they will crease.

     2. Next are the MAC Superslick Liquid Eyeliners in Smoky Heir and Defiantly Feline. These are amazing liners. Smoky Heir is a dark purple with blue and red micro-shimmers. Defiantly Feline is a bronzy brown with puny golden specks. I adore these, the applicator is perfect, the formulation is perfect, the colors are perfect. I think I'll go get the regular black one to be a basic black liner. I'm glad these are in the permanent line. (: Oh and creds to my best friend for buying me Defiantly Feline for my birthday last year. >w < 

     3. MAC Ever Hip Creamsheen Lipstick is such a gorgeous Spring and Sumemr lipstick. It brightens my face just a bit and has such a smooth formula. I love it for when I do a brown eye or for when I do a super simple face with only mascara. Better pictures and swatches here: http://valeriestlbm.blogspot.com/2011/04/swatch-mac-ever-hip-cremesheen-lipstick.html

     4. The two cheek products I've been liking a lot are Benefit Hoola Box Powder and Illamasqua Powder Blush in Excite. I like Hoola for contouring, I use the MAC 109 brush which you will see later in this post. I like it since it's matte and more natural. Excite is a bright coral orange. It's really nice for spring time. I like this when I was a fresh face and I only use mascara on my eyes. Crazy pigmentation! To see better swatches and a quick review of my Illamasqua blushes, see: http://valeriestlbm.blogspot.com/2011/05/illamasqua-blush-swatches-and-first.html

     5. Lancome Dual Finish Powder in Matte Neutrale II has been a powder I reach for quite a bit. This is a powder foundation, but I like it as a setting powder since I use a fluffy brush that won't apply too much of this powder. When I want light coverage, I just use some concealer and use a bit more of this powder. You can use this wet, but I haven't tried yet.

     6. The Sephora Professionnel Round Powder Brush #41 is such a fun brush. It's so big and fluffy, I love it. I use it for a quick sweep of loose translucent powder.

     7. A generic eyelash spoolie is a basic for me, I just decided to add it in. I just use this to get rid of clumps in my mascara, super useful. I love this for when I try to finish a crappy mascara. Haha. I got this in a Asian market.

     8. The MAC 109 Brush is so frikin' useful. A lot of people like this for cream products and foundations, but I heard a bunch of hairs also come out when you use it that way. I haven't tried since I like to apply my foundation with my fingers. I love this as a contouring brush sicne it fits perfectly under my cheekbones. The density also allows for buffing out the contour powder. If I apply too much blush, I also use this to buff it all out. (:

     So that's all for this month. I need to get back to typing up my final essay. If you have questions about any of these products do ask me. I'll be doing reviews on some of these later.

Thanks for reading, byebye. C: