February 2012 $200 Makeup Budget

A February no-buy proved to be too difficult a challenge for me, so I decided instead to set a budget for the month and attempt to stick to it.  Now, $200 is a LOT of money for just makeup and I realize that, but this is one of my only hobbies and I typically spend a larger chunk of my income than $200 on makeup/beauty and the $200 includes shipping and sales tax.  FYI I used all the images I could easily get from Polyvore so some of the colors aren't what I actually purchased.  I also forgot to include a lip gloss and two gel eyeliners by Essence.
The cost breakdown:
1) Real Techniques Webstore $50 (two stippling brushes, a brow/lash brush/comb, eye shadow shader brush, eye brush set)
2) MAC $59 (Call Me Bubbles eye quad, Melba blush pro pan)
3) Milani (CVS) $6 (two clearance lipsticks - Red Delicious and Minky Pinky - and Leaf Green Runway eye shadow)
4) Physicians Formula (Rite Aid) $25 (Happy Booster blush in Warm, PH blush in Natural, and Youthful Wear Matte Translucent powder)
5) Wet n Wild (CVS) $2 (eyeshadow singles in Trashed and Golddigger)
6) e.l.f. $20 (two flat-top powder brushes, two stippling brushes, two makeup removing wipe packs)
7) L'oreal True Match Foundation $3 (Rite Aid)
8) Ulta $25 (2 Essence gel eyeliners and a lip gloss, plus the Real Techniques Core Collection)
9) Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder in 001 Translucent $4 (Meijer)
10) Rimmel The Max Volume Flash Mascara $6 (CVS)

Have you ever tracked your incoming makeup to try to cut back on accumulation?

DUPE SMACKDOWN #7: Urban Decay 24/7 Pencil Eyeliners

Happy Friday, Beauties. I just wanted to again thank you all for your kindness and support!  It is so saddening when trolls make nasty critiques and it can feel so discouraging.  We're all putting ourselves out there by blogging, however, and unfortunately that type of person is also out there.  On the wonderful side, for every single mean troll there are dozens of people with gorgeous hearts, as all of your comments evidence.  I can't thank you enough <3

Top to Bottom: UD Dime, Milani Silver, UD Flipside, Milani Aqua, UD Electric, NYX Azure, UD Stray Dog, Sephora Taupe, UD Bourbon, Wet n Wild Copper, Milani Brown, UD Demolition

Back to fun makeup talk, now!  I have several black eyeliners, brown eyeliners, color eyeliners... but most of them have some nuance of difference. I did a comparison for fun in my stash (FYI I collected every Urban Decay 24/7 Eyeliner over the past year.  They're now $19 apiece!) and found a few cheaper alternatives to the pricier Urban Decay pencils - have you noticed these dupes in your stash?

UD Liner: Dime
Dupe: Milani Liquif'Eye Metallic Eye Pencil in 02 Silver (Milani pencils are $7.99 each)
These two wound up not being total dupes, so my apologies. In the warmer light at my house they looked dead-on, but in the harsh, reflective office fluorescent lighting the Milani looks lighter.  Disregard if you like!

UD Liner: Flipside
Dupe: Milani Liquif'Eye Metallic Eye Pencil in 04 Aqua

UD Liner: Electric
Dupe: NYX Slide On, Glide On, Stay On & Definitely a Turn On Water Proof Extreme Shine Eye Liner in Azure (sheesh, what a name. On the pencil it also says, "This eye liner is so good, the name had to be this long!" can anything be that good? haha). $8

UD Liner: Stray Dog
Dupe: Sephora Flashy Liner Waterproof in 14 Taupe $8

UD Liner: Bourbon
Dupe: Wet n Wild Color Icon in Copper $0.99 (best bargain! It's not as creamy, admittedly, but it lasts on your lashlines)

UD Liner: Demolition
Dupe: Milani Liquif'Eye Metallic Eye Pencil in 05 Brown

Top Row: UD Dime, Milani Silver, UD Flipside, Milani Aqua, UD Electric, NYX Azure
Bottom Row: UD Stray Dog, Sephora Taupe, UD Bourbon, Wet n Wild Copper, Milani Brown, UD Demolition (I messed up the order while swatching, sorry!)

Of course, quality/lasting power are legitimate concerns.  The picture above was taken after I washed my swatching arm with soap and water (minimal rubbing). As you can see, even the bargains didn't really budge!

Please share any dupes you've found in your liner stash below!

October 2011 Favorites

October always seems to blow by, doesn't it? What with prepping for Halloween and the changing weather, it's such a dynamic month.  I, for one, was so busy I rarely had time for my trademark colorful eyeshadows and found myself primarily sporting statement lips!
Without further ado:

Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder 001 Transparent $4
I never would have purchased this powder without hearing about it first from Hayley of Hayley is TCB.  She's such a makeup prodigy!  I trust products she recommends because I think she's quite the artist.  I haven't been disappointed in this matte setting powder at all.  It is an incredible bargain, doesn't make me break out or cause skin irritations, and doesn't make my skin appear paler.  It really controls oil, as well, for hours! My only complaint would be the packaging, but at $4 I'm not complaining!

Boo! Haunted powder!

Milani Lip Flash Pencils are $6.99 each, have great pigmentation and lasting power, and are nice and glittery for Halloween looks (or festive holiday looks in the coming months).  They sharpen really easily and are mostly smooth, though a bit sticky (I think that's why they last) and slightly gritty.  I bought these to be dupes of those Sephora-exclusive Urban Decay lip color pencils, but I don't own those so I can't compare.

03 Flash Light - the driest of the pencils

04 Photo Flash - really soft and moisturizing

05 Hot Flash - almost-dupe of Hourglass Siren gloss

Hot Flash topped with LE Milani Hot Flash gloss - even closer to Hourglass Siren

06 Flashy

07 In a Flash - this one is really sheer. Used in a FOTD here

08 Star Flash - difficult to cover my pigmented lips

Bath and Body Works Liplicious Lip Gloss $4 (Crazy for Candy Corn/Cookies & Scream) These are both yummy and glossy, but also sticky and I keep licking them off.  If you can avoid eating them, they last pretty long because of the stickiness.  I liked to wear them alone to feel festive or over the Milani Lip Flash pencils for extra gloss and moisture.  I blame the Muse for featuring Bath and Body Works products so often -- you can only witness so much cuteness before you give in!

NYC Bronzing Powder in Sunny $2.99 for when I don't go after Too Faced Chocolate Soleil in my Sweet Dreams Palette.  It's in my bathroom, handy for quick contouring when I'm running late (every day...), and a great bargain Stephanie C. from In Her Makeup Bag found.  Thanks, Steph!

MAC Painterly Paint Pot $17.50; best under cooler eyeshadows.  I use Soft Ochre for warmer shades, but this month I was reaching for more plum-toned neutrals when I had time to do eye makeup.

The blushes from Stila Travel Girl palettes, $14 per palette.  I have several so they're running the gamut of shades I've been reaching for to complement my bold lips.

Left to Right: Love and Empower palette hope & joy; Stila Loves Roxy palette gold coast & swim; Find Your Magic palette love & shimmer. Original review here

Ballet Flats (too cold for sandals, too warm for boots!), though it's starting to get too cold around here to skip out on fuzzy socks! For most of this month, though, I've been rotating the ballet flats collection.  It's just a coincidence that all these are a bargain, too!  I have to mostly stick to fabric shoes because I don't wear real leather.

Ballet Flats from Target and Kohl's

Do you go for comfy shoes and easy bold lips when you've got a busy month?

Milani Paint Palette: Round 2

Hanging around the house and not doing much besides laundry and dishes, I decided to play with Milani's LE Paint Palette once again.  Does this eye look redeem it?  I suppose I needn't use every color!
One addition to products used is the NYX Electric Blue jumbo pencil in the outer corner.

Hayley is TCB Eye Look Using Milani July LE Paint Eyeshadow Palette

I was playing with makeup while DH mowed the lawn outside, and decided to play with the limited edition Milani Paint Eyeshadow Palette doing a look I've wanted to try since I saw Hayley is TCB's Youtube tutorial about... a year ago! I don't know why I waited so long to try it because I have the Coastal Scents Palette she used (88 Original), but when I saw this Milani palette I immediately thought of her tutorial and decided to take a whack at it.  The tones of the rainbow colors are different and my lighting is (sorry) terrible, but it was my first time playing with tape on the sides of eyes for a sharp line and it works amazingly well.  Check it out and let me know what you think (even if it's "you look jaundiced," hehe)! BTW the purple in this palette faded to nothing immediately : / so if it seems a lighter color shows through in the crease, the purple was there before.

Honestly I'm glad I played with this tonight instead of trying to wear it out grocery shopping or something.  The yellow is kind of rough. 

Milani LE Swatches, and All My Purple Lip Swatches

At last I've had the chance to do lip swatches of the Milani LE High Speed Fast Dry One Coat nail lacquers in Yellow Whiz (hehe) and Purple Rush, as well as the four limited edition Milani Haute Flash Glosses.  The purple, In a Flash, got me itching to compare it to all the random purples I have, so I thought I'd include them as well.  Sorry, this will be picture-heavy!  But please note how white teeth look with purple lip color, and how my green eyes are intensified.  If you're curious, I'm wearing Stila's Beach Girl Travel Palette in Living the Life in Laguna $14 on eyes and cheeks, with Lancome Hypnose Drama Mascara (much better than Hypnose Doll Lashes, imho).

Left to Right: Sephora OPI IM Beauty topped with Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Disco Ball, Sephora OPI IM Beauty alone, Milani High Speed Fast Dry in Yellow Whiz

Left to Right: Milani Yellow Whiz, Sephora OPI IM Beauty, topped with Sally Hansen Disco Ball, Milani Yellow Whiz

Milani High Speed Fast Dry in Purple Rush on Thumb. I couldn't photograph the red tones in this polish, but it is really a good purple between warm and cool

Yellow Whiz is definitely a cheerful, Corvette yellow, while IM beauty is more of a Marshmallow Peeps yellow.
Guess what? Between the bottle, the brush, the coverage (1 to 2 coats to full opacity), the shiny finish, and the quick dry-down time, this is without a doubt the best fast-drying polish I've ever used.  However, fast-drying polishes always chip on me within a day, so if these make it 1 day or more they are still winning.  I am very seriously considering ordering the rest of the colors but I have a million nail polishes I've yet to use...

Next up, the Haute Flash Glosses. These aren't so much glossy or moisturizing as they are shimmery (not frosty, though, which is nice).  They feel similar to other Milani glosses I tried before but I can't remember the line name.  They smell as usual, too, which is sort of plastic vanilla, but it's light and doesn't bother me.  They are a little tacky but I don't personally have to worry about getting hair stuck in my gloss, obviously :P
The feel and wear time are nothing special but these are definitely show-stoppers:

Star Flash (is more opaque than it looks)

Flashy

Hot Flash (I lovelove this in the center of my lips over Maybelline Colorsensational Lipstick in Are You Red-dy)

In a Flash

My lips bare, for reference

That purple is GORGEOUS!  I don't know why I have so many purples, but I love to put them on when I'm not going anywhere and In a Flash triggered a swatch-fest:

Milani In a Flash (FYI the gloss pencil Milani makes that is also called In a Flash is far lighter and pinker)

MAC All of My Purple Life Lipglass

Wet n Wild Megalast Lipstick 919B

Cover Girl LipPerfection Lipstick in Divine (I have worn this to the office a few times XD)

The "divine" stain CG Divine leaves behind

NYX Round Lipstick in Castle

NYX Mega Shine Lip Gloss in African Queen

Stila Lipglaze in Guava, for reference. Notice how my eye color appears duller?

I hope you enjoyed the comparisons!  I'm going to make a colorful look with the LE Milani paint palette this weekend and actually wear it around (it's not ideal for the office... duh).

Regular Teeth

Holy Nuclear Smile, Batman!

Brighter Teeth

 Of course, the only woman of my coloring who'd wear a lipstick this intense would probably be a Batman character, ha.