February 2012 Favorites

This February I discovered a couple amazing new (to me) products, and fell in love again with some classics:

1. Lush The Sacred Truth Fresh Face Mask - I have used this before and it's definitely my favorite mask from Lush. Although I can't vouch for its anti-aging benefits, this leaves my skin super soft, moisturized and smooth, not tight and dry. 

2. Gud by Burts Bees Hand Cream in Floral Cherrynova - I love how fast absorbing this cream is, yet it still manages to infuse a solid amount of moisture in my skin. When I use this at night I wake up with super soft hands. I love floral scents and this smells soooo fresh and floral, but there are other scents available too. My full review of this line is here. 

3. Sue Devitt Gel-to-Powder Blush in Marion Reef - This blush is AMAZING! It has a velvet feel to it and it applies like a gel/cream but sets on the face as a powder. It feels so silky and lasts ALL day on me. I normally layer powder blushes on top of cream blushes but I don't have to with this because it is so pigmented and long lasting. I will do a full review soon. 

 

4. Nars Sheer Glow Foundation - This is such a popular product in the blogosphere so I just had to try it for myself. My verdict? It does live up to the hype! Nars has done a great job with the shade selection and the formula sets beautifully. Although it is called sheer glow, it has medium coverage and a natural finish. I will do an in-depth review of this product too, but so far I am loving it.

5. Kirkland Makeup Wipes - I have re-discovered my love for makeup wipes and these are by far my favorite. I love the thick texture, the moistness of each towelette, the fact that one towelette removes ALL my makeup (including mascara and gel eyeliner) and the price! Check out my full review here. 

Hope you all had a great February! I am glad it's over because that means we are one month closer to spring and warm weather! Oh, and in other news, the Too Faced Vintage Sale started today so check out the Too Faced Website for some great deals on soon-to-be-discontinuted products and sets.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! I hope 2012 brings you and your family lots of happiness, love, prosperity, and laughter! Personally, I don't have any resolutions because they are so hard to keep, but I wish you lots of luck with yours!

Did you do anything fun for New Year's Eve? I went to a friends place for a intimate party with good friends. Here is the look I wore for the evening:

Almost finished look, i.e. no lipstick and hair undone

Face: 

• Stila One Step Primer
• MAC Face and Body Foundation
• MAC Pro Longwear Concealer under eyes
• MAC Studio Finish Concealer on red spots and blemishes
• MAC Cream Color Base in Bronze to contour
• Laura Mercier Second Skin Cheek Colour in Citrus Spark 
• Victoria's Secret All-over Shimmer Powder in Candygirl to highlight

Eyes:

• Nars Primer on lid
• Laura Mercier Foiled Eye Colour in V.I.P. Gold on lid
• Victoria's Secret Shimmer Shadow in Golddust on browbone
• MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack to line upper lash line
• MAC Powerpoint Eye Pencil in Engraved to liner outer half of lower lash line
• Victoria's Secret Triple Drama Mascara in Blackest Black on top and bottom lashes

The above photo is the finished look, with MAC Slimshine Lipstick in Most Wanted on my lips. I didn't do anything too fancy or complicated, just a bit of gold on the eyes and a peachy-maroon lip. 

How was your New Year's Eve? What are your resolutions for 2012?

Habanera with the Hubby, Nars Habanera That Is

I haven't been feeling too creative in the makeup department recently, so when I knew I was going out on a dinner date with the hubby, I reached to the bottom of my makeup stash to pull out some non-neutral fun: Nars Habanera eyeshadow duo:



I love how pigmented these shadows are and the minty shade gives a bit of flair to a classic grey. When swatched, the glitter in the grey shade is not so visible, and although there is some glitter, there is no fallout.

Nars Habanera Swatch with Flash

Nars Habanera Swatch without Flash

This is the look I created for my dinner date:

My Halloween Devil Look

I don't like Halloween.

There, I said it.

I know most beauty fanatics love this spooky holiday because it gives them the freedom to go cra-zay with makeup, and don't get me wrong, I like that too, but I hate the build-up around Halloween parties. Everyone always has such high expectations over Halloween party and inevitably, the party ends up being just ok. I did go to one really good Halloween party last year, and I think it was great because we didn't have any expectations and it was at my cousin's house so I was just excited to see my cousins.

In any case, I did end up going to a Halloween party this weekend and I wore my standard issue devil costume. This year I decided to do more of a beauty look with a little funky twist. 

MAC Dupe for Nars Orgasm

In the last couple months I have received several requests asking if there is a MAC dupe for the infamous Nars Orgasm blush. A lot of bloggers recommend Springsheen, but personally I think Peachykeen is the closest:

Nars Orgasm with a pan of MAC Peachykeen on top

Orgasm has tiny flecks of glitter in it that are slightly visible once blended on the skin. Peachy keen looks satin in the pan but it has a bit of sheen on the skin. 

L-R: Nars Orgasm and MAC Peachykeen in indoor light

L-R: Nars Orgasm and MAC Peachykeen in daylight

Both shades are super similar but I prefer Peachykeen because I don't like the look of glitter on my cheeks. Have you tried either (or both) of these shades?

Nars Larger Than Life Volumizing Mascara Review

You may have noticed that I have been using a new mascara in my recent face of the days...the Nars Larger than Life Volumizing Mascara:

I have been using mine quite a bit so the packaging has taken a beating, but the mascara itself is pretty good. I like wands that are full and have lots of bristles to coat each lash, and this one fits the bill:

I know this mascara is pricey ($25) but it works pretty well. See for yourself:

Bare lashes

Bare lashes after being curled

Lashes with one coat of Larger than Life Volumizing Mascara

 Lashes with two coats of Larger than Life Volumizing Mascara

This mascara does not smudge or flake on me, and it doesn't clump up like a lot of volumizing mascaras do. It lasts all day and holds the curl very well. I'm not sure if it really thickened or lengthened my lashes, but it does what I want a mascara to do: darkens my lashes while holding the curl. Overall I give this a two thumbs up but I don't know if I would repurchase because there are so many mascaras that I want to try and many of them are cheaper than this one. 

What mascara are you using currently?

Eye of the Day - Most Makeup I've Worn in Awhile

Hey All! I have been a bit busy the last couple weeks so I didn't get a chance to blog much and respond to comments, but I am back to my routine again. I haven't been wearing much eye makeup recently, so when I did this look the other day I thought I would snap a couple pics for you.

Here's what I used (all MAC unless noted):

Arena shadow on lid

Texture shadow in crease

Engraved Liner on upper lid

Petrol Blue Pearlglide Liner on water line and lower lid

NARS Larger Than Life Volumizing Mascara on lashes

In other news, I was at Costco recently and found the most AMAZING thing for my tastebuds:

These belgian waffles come individually pre-packaged and they are already sweetened with a cinnaminon-sugar flavor (even though the package says vanilla). They are great for grabbing as a breakfast on the go or even as a snack. However, the best part is these taste absolutely divine! Like melt-in-your-mouth-heaven-for-your-tastebuds divine. They are cooked but I just pop them in the toaster for a minute or so to heat them up....easy peasy!

On that note I am off to eat a waffle!

Eye of the Day Using Faux Gold Mineralize Shadow

I have been really sick for the past week and haven't been wearing makeup. I was feeling a little better yesterday so just had to whip out my makeup box and cheer myself up with some eyeshadow and mascara. Here's the result:

MAC Faux Gold Mineralize Shadow foiled on the lid

Combo of MAC Arena and Expensive Pink shadows in the crease

MAC Vanilla shadow to highlight

MAC Blitz and Glitz Fluidline on upper lid

Nars Larger Than Life Lengthening mascara

Yes, I am wearing blue contact lenses. I have had them forever and need to use them up. 

June Favorites

Here are my favorites from the past month:

1. Kirkland Daily Facial Cleansing Towelettes - These are so effective at removing makeup and cleansing my skin, and they are SUPER affordable! I switch it up between these and MAC wipes, but this was a coupon item at Costco during the last coupon book period so I couldn't help but purchase them again. I LOVE them! My full review is here.

2. Origins GinZing Eye Cream - This eye cream has been a lifesaver the past month. Life has been super busy recently and this magical cream makes it look like I have been relaxing on vacation! It reduces puffiness, helps brighten the under eye area, and helps my concealer from settling in to the fine lines around my eyes. I love this little jar and will be doing a full review soon.

3. MAC Pro Longwear Concealer - So after taking care of the skin around my eyes, I have been using this concealer to conceal my dark circles. This stuff is amazing and I already said everything I love about it in my original review. 

4. MAC Technakohl Liner in Smoothblue - This is one of my summer must-haves. I love using this to line my upper lash line and then add mascara. It is such a quick and easy eye look and adds a pop of color for the summer. Even my hubby loves when I wear this "blue stuff" on my eyes. 

5. Nars Pro-Prime Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base - I have mentioned this in the past, but this truly is one of the best eye primers out there. It prevents shadow from creasing and fading, and it is invisible on the skin so you can use it under any color shadow. This is especially great for summertime when it is hot and eyelids tend to be oilier than normal.

What products have you been loving recently'?

Does Nars Eye Makeup Remover Live Up To The Nars Reputation?

I received a travel size Nars Eye Makeup Remover in a travel set a few months ago, and although I was saving it to use for future travel, I decided to just go ahead and use it. 

I am so glad I tried this now because I would have been cranky if this was the only eye makeup remover I had on a trip. I generally like these type of duo-phase oil and water makeup removers that you have to shake and mix up before using. I find that oil-based removers really do the best job of removing eyeliner and mascara. However, this one did not live up to my expectations. Why? Because it removed all of my eyeshadow, but I really had to rub my eyes a LOT to remove my eyeliner and mascara. It was a pain to have to physically rub my eyes for a longer-than-normal amount of time and also I try to avoid rubbing my eyes a lot because it contributes to the aging process. 

Overall, I think there are much better duo-phase eye makeup removers available like Lancome's Bi-facil, MAC's eye makeup remover (the pink bottle), and the Neutrogena eye makeup remover. 

What is your favorite eye makeup remover?