FOTD: Feeling More Like Myself

COLOR! Thank goodness it's Friday because that's casual day in these parts and I feel more comfortable trying to pull off a watercolor-rainbowie eye... and I realized that I also feel more like this is the REAL me, not just "professional, hard-working me" but the girl who is not trying to cover up flaws but have FUN with her makeup!

Products used:
Urban Decay De-Slick Setting Spray (before and after makeup application)
Origins VitaZing (makes me too shiny... overall good stuff but I'm looking forward to trying out different tinted moisturizers)
100% Pure Foundation in Peach Bisque
It Cosmetics Bye Bye Undereye Concealer in Natural Medium
Too Faced Amazing Face Powder Foundation in Warm Vanilla

Urban Decay Primer Potion
Urban Decay 15th Anniversary Palette:
Deep End on moving part of lid, Omen in the middle and outer crease, Junkshow on the inner crease, Vanilla on the inner corners and inner half of undereye, Evidence on the outer half of undereye.  Tainted blending all the outer edges with a fluffy shadow brush.
Urban Decay 24/7 Pencil Eye Liner in Junkie on upper lashline and waterline.

Mascara = Kat Von D
Blush = NYX Angel
Lipstick = MAC Hue
Nails = Orly Frolic, with Wet n Wild Stars & Stripes on accent nail

See the pretty slight holographic quality of the stars? They were really easy to pick up, too :)

What kind of look makes you feel the most like yourself?

10 pts. for Gryffindor if you can guess my desktop background :-P

I Can't Believe It's All Vegan! FOTD

Happy Saturday and Happy Holidays to those of you who are celebrating!
I broke my budget yesterday buying a few new goodies (the Too Faced concealer and powder, and Stila foundation mentioned below) because they are vegan, and decided to challenge myself to a fully-vegan FOTD!
Let me know what you think <3

Avalon Organics Lavender Revitalizing Eye Gel
Crazy Rumors Soda Fountain Lip Balm in Black Cherry
Wet n Wild Megalast Lipstick in 900B
Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer
Stila Natural Finish Oil-Free Foundation in C
Too Faced Absolutely Flawless Concealer in Perfect Nude
Too Faced Amazing Face SPF15 Powder Foundation in Warm Vanilla
Sleek Contour Kit in Light
Sleek Blush By 3 in Lace (middle shade)
Too Faced Eye Duo in Lucky Charms
Victorian Disco Eye Shadow in Skywalker
Urban Decay 24/7 Eye Pencil in Stash
(I forgot mascara, as I often do when I wear bright monochrome looks, but I don't own a vegan mascara yet anyway!)

Brushes:
ELF: Studio Powder Brush (used to apply liquid foundation), Studio Blush Brush, Studio Crease Brush
Real Techniques: Multi-tasking brush (used to apply foundation powder to set liquids/creams)
Rite Aid Renewal: Contour Brush

Disclaimer: I got the information that all these products are vegan from the internet, not from the manufacturers. Some misinformation could apply - please be sure to check yourself!  All these products are guarenteed cruelty-free.

Wishlist: Vegan mascara, Vegan version of Fix+ (I noticed I look quite powdered, so a spray to diffuse that powdered look would be nice).

Do you own any makeup that just happens to be Vegan?

More MAC FOTD

Hey guys.  Sorry I haven't been better about keeping up with the blogging world.  I've got all the usual excuses but basically I've just been busy.  I still love your blogs and read/comment as often as I can.  I'm still mad about makeup, too, of course!

A moment of stress led me to the MAC counter at Macy's yesterday, and I walked away with Force of Love Lipglass (from the Chenman collection) as well as Mythology eyeshadow and Star Violet eyeshadow.  After I returned to the office I googled those two eyeshadows together and up popped an old EOTD from a fave blogger of mine, Amanda B. of Beauties in Bloom.  So good to have that confirmation of my good taste right after a purchase, haha ;-)

Today I did a look with my new Harry Potter baseball tee from my recent Orlando trip.  I just love warm colors like these :-D A nicely made-up eye helps balance the tomboy look of my tee.

Face: (I have been breaking out since I stopped using Effaclar Duo... could be that or hormones)  Origins Vitazing, Smashbox Photo Finish Hydrating Foundation Primer, L'Oreal Magic Smooth Souffle Foundation in 518 Natural Buff, It Cosmetics Bye Bye Undereye Concealer in Light Medium (it's a little too light. If you're NC25 or slightly darker, you probably ought to go for this concealer in Medium), MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Medium Plus, Milani Luminoso Blush, Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess Soft Matte Bronzer in 01 to contour cheekbones.

Lips: MAC Plushglass in Bubble Tea topped with MAC Lipglass in Tra La La (both LE, sorry!)

 Eyes: Tarte Lifted Natural Eye Primer, MAC Paint Pot in Rubenesque, MAC Mythology on lids, Star Violet in outer crease, and All That Glitters on inner crease and inner corner. Lorac Multidimensional Eye Shadow in 3D-Luxe to highlight browbone.  Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliner pencil in Lucky on waterline and lower lashline, Urban Decay 24/7 liquid eyeliner in Perversion on upper lashline.  Clinique bottom lash mascara, Revlon Photoready Mascara under Maybelline Illegal Lengths mascara on upper lashes (that layering combo worked out pretty well!).

Hope you guys are having a wonderful Saturday <3

My Everyday Look is All That Glitters

Hi gals! I felt pretty in pink today so I thought I'd share with you my "everyday" look as well as my happy pink outfit ^.^

Face:
Stila Tinted Moisturizer SPF 20 in Medium
Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer
L'oreal Magic Smooth Souffle foundation in 518 Natural Buff
Dermablend Concealer in Medium Beige (I think, I'll have to double-check the shade name) for spots
L'oreal Magic Smooth Souffle blush in Angelic, topped with Physicians Formula Happy Booster blush in Natural. To be honest, I usually use my Maybelline Dream Mousse Blush in Coffee Cake, but it's discontinued so I used this combo today.
Physicians Formula Happy Booster Powder in Translucent (the L'oreal foundation is matte and this imparts a subtle, light-diffusing shimmer. I really like this over it and it does seem to extend the wear-time!)
MAC Mineralize Charged Water

Eyes: Too Faced Candlelight Shadow Insurance, MAC All That Glitters eye shadow, NYX Crystal Glitter liner in Crystal Onyx, Covergirl LashBlast Volume Mascara, Garnier Tinted Eye Roller

Lips: Lorac Multiplex 3-D Lip Gloss in 4D - Gloss Spam! Sorry, it's just such a pretty gloss :-*

Sweater, sequined tank top, trousers - Express
Lariat necklace - Jewelmint
Watch - Fossil
Sally Hansen Salon Effects Real Nail Polish Strips

You can't see it but my pants are gray with skinny pink pinstripes.  I love how the sequins on the tank caught the light here :)

  Did I successfully block the toilet from view? heh

 It's like a lollie necklace... nom <3 Happy Thursday, everybody!

FOTD and NOTD: Candy Apple Fishnets

Ahh, Tuesday. I hate Mondays but Tuesday has a little bit of optimism for the coming weekend, no?  Still too long away, you say?  At long last I had an extra couple of minutes to get ready this morning and I rimmed my eyes with black liner and slicked on a red pout.  I haven't worn a real look in ages (nearly bare-faced most days recently, can you believe it?) so I guess I just gravitated toward the classics.

Sorry, I'm not actually green. Nor do I have dark circles (le sigh).  Fluorescent lighting really sucks.  Pictures taken four hours after I put the makeup on originally!

Breakdown: H20+ Sea Results Eye Mender Eye Cream, Jack Black Mint lip balm, La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo, Stila Sheer Tinted Moisturizer in Medium, L'oreal Studio Secrets Magic Perfecting Base, L'oreal Magic Smooth Souffle Foundation in 518 Natural Buff applied with Real Techniques stippling brush (first time I used the two together... it's like they're made for each other! I got weightless, perfect application with no streakiness and barely used any product at all... this is HG material, people!), Illamasqua Cream Blush in Rude, Physicians Formula Happy Booster blush in Natural, MAC Mineralize Charged Water (as setting spray), Maybelline Unstoppable mechanical eye pencil, no mascara, Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter in Candy Apple

I've also not had anything on my nails for over a week.  I thought I'd pop on a set of Sally Hansen nail polish strips at long last; they make my nails stronger so they can grow out a bit, which is nice.

Hanukkah and Christmas Eve FOTNs

Hi Guys! I hope you're having a wonderful holiday break, or that you've enjoyed your celebrations past if you're back at work now.  I've been doing the family thing so I apologize for my lack of posts!
Just thought I'd share with you my Hanukkah and Christmas Eve looks :) I hope you like them <3

Hanukkah

Face: Hourglass Veil Mineral Foundation Primer, Chanel Perfection Lumiere Beige 30, Maybelline Dream Mousse blush in Coffee Cake
Eyes: Urban Decay Primer Potion in Greed, this cheap palette, NYX Crystal Glitter Liner in Crystal Onyx, Giorgio Armani Eyes to Kill mascara
Lips: DuWop Blue Venom

Christmas Eve

Face: same as above
Eyes: Urban Decay Primer Potion in Greed and Rollergirl Palette, Giorgio Armani Eyes to Kill mascara
Lips: Rimmel Kate Moss lipstick in 005

Easy-peasy and festive!

Holiday Party Look 2011

Hello girls :) I hope you all had a wonderful weekend!  This weekend was my office Holiday Party, and thanks to your help in the comments on my 100 Followers Thank You post, I devised a smokey purple look:

Glitter is so darned difficult to photograph!

Face: Dermalogica Active Moist, Stila Sheer Color Tinted Moisturizer in Medium, Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer (a sample I had. I knew it was risky to try it out for an event, but the risk paid off and I LOVE this stuff! Best primer I've ever tried, as far as feel on the skin and finish it gave my foundation.  I'm definitely going to invest in a bottle!) applied with a flat Eco Tools Foundation brush, Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation in 52 Vanilla applied with the beauty blender sponge (this is the best application method for this foundation.  My skin looked nearly flawless!  If it wasn't more time-consuming than my Sephora #55 brush, this combo would be my HG). Just FYI, I had prepped my skin earlier in the day with Vivo Per Lei Facial Peeling, followed by a wash with Philosophy Purity on my Clarisonic Mia. I'm sure this helped with smoothing my skin under the foundation.

Please pardon the weird shadows cast on my face

Cheeks: I used the NYX Highlight and Contour Powder (review here), and kept my blush very subtle using sheer Rimmel Santa Rose on the apples.  Then I highlighted my cheekbones with a little Benefit Highbeam.

Eyes: I didn't really need it, but out of habit I applied Garnier Tinted Eye Roller to the dark circle area.  This messed up the finish of my foundation a little, but I was able to blend it in the end.  The Bourjois Healthy Mix had actually covered up enough of my shadows, though.  I applied Too Faced Shadow Insurance to my lids and lower lashline with a synthetic concealer brush (this is kind of drying on my lids. Can anyone tell me if the NARS shadow base is less drying but not oily like UDPP?).  Next I dabbed on Tokidoki shadow in Donutella, a shimmery champagne with silver glitter.  I think it is a lot like Urban Decay Midnight Cowboy in that it has tons of glitter fallout.  I liked this effect for my festive look, so no worries! This went on my lids' inner third and corner, and the purple from NARS duo eyeshadow in Bysance went on my lids' outer two-thirds.  I found this shadow frustrating as I really had to pack it on with effort.  I hear this is common for purple shadows, though. I was originally going to use the gold in this duo as well but decided not to.  Next, I applied NARS single in Ondine (a plummy brown) in my crease and outer v.  It wasn't giving me the depth I wanted, so I darkened the crease with Giorgio Armani Eyes to Kill Intense in Red Lust (probably any black eyeshadow would have done the trick; this one just has a reddish nuance that won't really show in this look). The last shadow I used was Wet n Wild Brulee, a matte cream, to blend Ondine out and highlight my outer browbone.  I had to reapply and keep blending all the shadows until I got the desired balance of the colors.

Next I lined my lower lashline up to the inner half of my iris with Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliner in Asphyxia. I wanted to bring in the pinkish-purple shade to match the amethyst look of my Jewelmint Screen Siren earrings. I topped it with NYX Crystal Glitter eyeliner in Crystal Pewter.  I applied Revlon Beyond Natural Lashes in 91182 Flirty with Duo Lash Glue and used a liner brush in the black gel shade from Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips Glam Gel Creamliner trio in Glam Green Eyes to hide the lash band.  I topped this with NYX Crystal Glitter eyeliner in Crystal Onyx.  Lastly, I applied Majolica Majorca Lash Expander Frame Plus Mascara. And after all that, I forgot to put any mascara at all on my lower lashes... argh!

Lips: MAC Hue topped with Too Faced Glamour Gloss in Barely Legal.  There was heaps of glitter on my eyes and I didn't want my lips or cheeks to compete.

It's pretty obvious which dress I ended up wearing:

It wasn't very cold, even with the snow on the ground :D

Originally I was going to do a regal combo of gold and purple as many of you suggested.  I did up my nails with over-the-top bling to bring more gold into the outfit and planned to use a little gold handbag to tie it together.

Sadly, it wasn't meant to be! My nail decals trapped water in the shower and the whole shebang just peeled off with only hours until the party and my full makeup left to do.   Rather than freak out, I removed the nail look, replaced the gold in my eye makeup with a glitter-bomb champagne shadow, and switched to a duo-chrome evening purse.  Right at the last minute, I applied two coats of NYX Girls nail polish in Spot Light, a polish with hexagonal holographic- and silver micro- glitter in a clear base.  This would up looking awesome with the boyfriend watch my husband bought me for my first Christmas present!  I had been wanting a boyfriend watch but the Michael Kors ones were too big for my wrist.  The Fossil ladies' boyfriend watches were also too large.  In the end, I got a real men's watch with crystals... would you know this was meant for men? The only differences were we had to remove more links... and it was $30-$50 cheaper than the Fossil ladies' boyfriend watches! I love it <3

Yay, thanks G <3 xoxo!

So, obviously I'm really in the spirit this year... are you guys still psyched for the holidays or are you over it already?