Fool Proof Eye Shadow

Sometimes I want my eye shadow to be understated and "everyday". If I'm having a lazy day or in a rush, these picks also work lovely in a pinch!

Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette

You can tell that this palette had been my best friend because it has been VERY well-loved! I use W.O.S or Foxy for my matte lid color, Naked 2 for my crease, Crave in the outer "V" of my eye, Venus for my highlight, and Faint to darken anything up a bit. This palette is a win in my book for its ease of use, and for its versatility. I can use this palette in conjunction with brighter or darker shades, or just use it on it's own for a light, yet put together eye shadow look. Urban Decay's shadows are always top notch so naturally, this palette lives up to that standard.

Wet n Wild Color Icon Trio in Walking on Eggshells

This little trio is my pick for a shimmery look. I grabbed this little guy for my mom who wanted to get back into using eye shadow (she still hasn't played with it!). I had to try hers out for myself and was completely floored by how pigmented and creamy these shadows were. So of course I had to get one of my own. At around $2-3, you really can't go wrong. Also, if you're a newbie to eye shadow, each color tells you exactly where to put it!

L'Oreal Infallible 24 Hour Eye Shadow in Amber Rush

I've seen an image of this floating around on pinterest where this particular shade looks really pink/rose gold. In reality, it's more of a rosy copper. When I tried this out I was beyond impressed; I usually have this rule that if I want eye shadow, I gravitate towards the higher end of the spectrum. Drug store eye shadows have always disappointed me in the past. I've started to change my thought process after the Wet n Wild victory so I'm really happy I picked this up. It is so smooth in consistency, and has this beautiful, metallic-y shimmer. It's so gorgeous just as a lid color or when its amped up with Naked 2 or Faint from the Naked Basics, or any crease color for that matter. A little bit on the brush goes a long way as well, so I can't imagine running out of this any time soon!

I hope you enjoyed all my "easy to use" picks! If you're a beginner and you're looking for something to change up your beauty routine, but want to look natural, I'd definitely recommend these staples.

Let me know what your favorites are!

Thanks for reading!

Brows Are Important!

Okay, so brows are very important! As you can see in the above, my face looks crazy different just by fixing my brows! (minus the slight difference in lighting, bangs, and the angle of my head) I feel that grooming your brows really does frame your face and gives you a brighter, more youthful appearance. So take the extra time and take care of your eyebrows! Here's how I do it...

Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz in Medium Brown

Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Gel

Anastasia Beverly Hills DipBrow Pomade in Dark Brown

e.l.f. Studio Small Angled Brush

The focus on my camera was kind of all over the place and my lash band is kind of visible so please excuse that! But you get the idea of what I'm doing. Just re-shaping my natural shape, brushing the hairs upwards, lightly tracing the shape with the Brow Wiz, filling in the sparse areas with the pomade, and then setting and brushing the hairs with clear brow gel. This has worked wonderfully for me and has actually made filling in my brows quite fun!

Let me know what products you use! Are you lucky enough to not have to fill in your brows? Are you going to start?

Thanks for reading!

Shimmering Sea

L-R from top row: Bad to the Bronze, Gold Rush, Painted Purple. Pomegranate Punk, Barely Branded, Tough as Taupe, Shimmering Seas, and Inked in Pink

I know these have been out for quite some time, but I finally have a sizable collection! These are great for when you are short on time, and the colors allow for a subtle or bold look. I have oily eyelids so I do have to wear a primer under these (under everything, more like it!) but that doesn't discourage me. 

I picked up the new one last night, Shimmering Sea. I don't see it on their website yet so I can't link this exact shade but I do have some photos...

This one really intrigued me. It's this soft, pale blue with gold-ish iridescence. I'm not sure I've seen anything like this at the drugstore so I had to give it a go. I really do enjoy this color because it's a modern take on blue that isn't turquoise or navy. They also offered another iridescent color that looked like a lilac version of this one but they were all sold out! :(

Please excuse my janky eyeliner!

Do you have all of these Color Tattoos? Which one is your favorite? Willing to give Shimmering Sea a go? Let me know!

Thanks for reading!

Brittany

Revlon ColorBurst Matte Balms Swatches

I absolutely love a matte lip, so naturally I had to grab a bunch of these Revlon ColorBurst Martte Balms! I have 6 out of 10 and I am in love with all of them. They glide on smoothly, they are rich in color and pretty true to the tube color. They are moisturizing--not dry like other matte products. In my opinion, the finish is more like a velvet satin and not a true dry matte. They are great for a "burst" of bright color like a lipstick but with the ease of application of a balm. They're quite easy to apply and touch up on the go. Here's some swatches below.

I think my favorites are Striking, Unapologetic, and Mischievous. Have you tried any of these matte balms? Do you enjoy matte finishes? What is your favorite shade of the collection? Have you tried the original or lacquer finished of the ColorBursts?

Thanks for reading!
Brittany

E.l.f. Products

Sorry, my photos are really grainy today; the sunlight was dying because there's a thunderstorm coming! And I also forgot to number the products in the photo which I apologize for...Any way, onto the goods.

I love buying and trying new products all the time but sometimes my budget just doesn't match my makeup lust. In that case, I buy e.l.f. Their cosmetics are extremely affordable, the packing looks nice, and a lot of the products I've tried are really impressive. Not to mention a lot of their makeup is infused with good-for-you vitamins and extracts. You can find everything pictured above on their extremely addicting site here as well as a selection of things at Target and, I believe, Walmart. I'll give you a quick low-down on each item going left to right.

e.l.f. Studio Baked Eyeshadow Palette in California: $10.00Great pigmentation, nice, everyday shimmer colors, and affordable! Can't go wrong. Here's some sub-par swatches-- I'm practicing!

e.l.f. Studio HD Blush in Headliner: $3.00

I love this cream blush! It's got a pump, which is ideal, and the pigmentation is out of this world. You really have to be careful with the darker ones like "Encore" and "Showstopper" so I recommend those for darker skin tones.

e.l.f Studio Small Stipple, Contour, and Small Angled: $3.00 ea

These are so affordable and do the job just as well as some pricier ones. It's also nice that e.l.f even such a huge variety of drugstore brushes. Definitely impressed.

e.l.f. Studio High Definition Undereye Setting Powder: $3.00

I love this powder for setting my undereye concealer without giving it a dark shadowy cast as other powders can do. It does have little shimmer particles, but when you apply it with a setting brush such as Real Techniques Setting Brush, the shimmers don't show up.

e.l.f. Studio Hydrating Under Eye Primer: $3.00

I've never used a primer for solely the undereye area, but this one is extremely hydrating and stops my concealer from creasing ever so slightly. It's got a lovely texture and has a slight brightening effect.

e.l.f. Studio Acne Fighting Foundation in Ivory: $6.00

I've been using this foundation everyday for about 2 weeks and I'm hooked. It's got a really flawless finish that's kind of in between dewy and matte--so satin. I haven't noticed any oxidization after wear and it lasts just as long as any other drugstore foundation. It has worked well with any primer I've tried. I'm starting to favor this one over my beloved True Match.

e.l.f. Mineral Pressed Mineral Blush in Sweet Retreat: $5.00This blush is buttery, creamy feeling, the color is beautiful, and it lasts quite long. I honestly can't ask for more out of a $5.00 blush!

e.l.f. Studio Tone Correcting Powder in Cool $3.00

A powder that doesn't drastically change the color of my foundation is great so this is a must for me, especially in summer. The 4 colors help keep an even tone while mattifying. It works great for on the go, especially with...

e.l.f. Studio Kabuki Face Brush: $6.00

This brush has soft bristles, has the perfect size and shape, and expertly disperses powder evenly. I also love how the end is black which doesn't show what it's been through like white ended bristles. This brush has been in my collection for quite a while so it's stood the test of time so far.

e.l.f. Studio HD Lifting Concealer in Fair: $3.00

This concealer is the lightest on e.l.f. offers, yet it is a little too dark for my complexion. I can usually get away with it under the eyes with the brightening powder, and elsewhere on my skin. This shade is neutral with a tad bit of yellow. For me, it'd work better if it had a warmer undertone. Despite that, I find the texture to be creamy and not watery, and it creases less than other drugstore concealers that I've used.

Me, notably wearing most of the e.l.f. products mentioned and Nyx Butter Gloss in Maple Blondie. Please ignore my background mess! 

Let me know if you've tried any e.l.f. products and how you feel about the brand. Were you  blown away by anything or just "meh"? I'd love to get my hands on some new items to test!

Thanks for reading!

Saturday Face of the Day

I was hesitant to post this! But it's nice for everyone to know that we don't all wake up looking picture perfect so I thought I'd share the wonders of makeup! I know this list may seem like a lot on my face but this is what truly gives me the "flawless face" look. These photos are not retouched or filtered.

What I used:

BASE

L'Oreal Magic Lumi Light Infusing Primer

Maybelline Baby Skin

e.l.f Studio Acne Fighting Foundation in Ivory

MAC Pro-Longwear Concealer in NW20

Bare Minerals Well-Rested Eye Brightener

Maybelline Dream Wonder Powder in Porcelain Ivory

CHEEKS

Nars Bronzing Powder in Laguna

Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush in Thankful  This particular shade came in a mini limited edition pack, so the link follows through to the shades that are available at Sephora

BROWS

Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz in Medium Ash

Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade in Dark Brown

Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Gel

EYES

Urban Decay Primer Potion in Original

Bobbi Brown Longwear Cream Shadow in Bone

Wet n Wild Color Icon Eyeshadow Trio in Walking on Eggshells

Rimmel Glam'Eyes Professional Liquid Eyeliner

Covergirl LashBlast Volume Mascara in Very Black

LIPS

softlips Intense Moisture in Berry Mint

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend and Happy Mother's Day!

Liquid Liner Round-up

My go-to eye look almost always involves a cat eye! A perfect wing comes with practice, but a good liquid eyeliner is essential. I've been testing out some different types for awhile so I thought I'd share my pros and cons on the few I have in my makeup collection as of now.

Rimmel London Glam'Eyes Professional Liquid Eyeliner

Pros-- Tiny brush applicator, very black, matte, easy to apply, inexpensive, did not flake
Cons-- Had to touch up after awhile, had to build up the opacity slightly

This is the thinnest brush I've used on a liquid eyeliner which makes a perfect cat eye actually attainable! I wish the opacity on first stroke was a lot stronger and I didn't have to touch up throughout the day.

Wet n Wild Mega Liner Liquid Eyeliner in Black

Pros-- Tiny brush applicator, very black, matte, opaque somewhat easy to apply, super inexpensive, non flaky

Cons-- My inner corner rubbed off quite easy, is a pain if it gets on eyelashes, not the smallest brush I've used

This eyeliner is my favorite on the opacity and the matte finish. I found it always got on my lashes when applying and flaked off of them.

Revlon Colorstay Liquid Liner in Blackest Black

Pros-- Another matte formula, small stiff applicator, opaque, but had to build up

Cons-- Felt like applicator, transferred to upper eye area after a few hours of wear, more difficult application

Revlon's eyeliner was more difficult for me too use. This is hard to explain, but you know when the liner dries too fast and you have to go over it somewhat, but going over it ends up pulling some of the product off? Well that's what this one did! Since the applicator is stiff and a sort of felt material, it was harder for me to get a nice precise cat eye because it didn't flow as easy over my skin.I have super oily eyelids and will always use an eye shadow primer so I'm not sure why every time I used this, I got a faint black line on my upper eye area.

Revlon Colorstay Liquid Eye Pen in Blackest Black

Pros-- Opaque, easy to line the lashes, faded throughout the day
Cons-- Transferred to upper eye area, harder to make a clean cat eye, dries out fast during application

I'm learning that I'm not a huge fan of felt tip liners, but I decided to give them a try. This one also transferred to my upper eye area (again, I used a primer) and faded quite a bit. It looked very messy after a few hours of wear and my wing was much too thick. This might work if you prefer the pen style and have drier lids.

L'Oreal Infallible The Super Slim Liquid Eyeliner in Black

Pros-- Tiny tip, easy application, more control over wing, matte, opaque

Cons-- Dries out during application, transferred to upper lid, fades after a few hours

Like the Revlon pen, it was basically the same experience, only the finer tip made it easier to make a cat eye, but it was not quite perfection for me.

L-R: Rimmel, Wet n Wild, Revlon, Revlon pen, L'Oreal

Overall I've learned that I prefer a tiny brush tip applicator, a matte finish, and longevity. I have to say my favorite so far is the Rimmel Glam'Eyes. I've tried other drugstore liners as well in the past such as Maybelline Line Stiletto and their felt-tip pen version, and I still prefer the Rimmel one. What are your preferences? Would you rather use high-end versions? Have any to suggest? 

Brittany