My Mystery Crease Color

Lately I have been reaching for a not-often-talked-about shadow for my crease. So what's this mystery color?

MYTERY by MAC!!

 Left: Mystery, Right: Smut

Mystery is in the same shade range as the popular shade Smut, but it Mystery (satin finish) is warm toned and Smut (velvet finish) is cool toned.

Left: Mystery, Right: Smut (without flash)

Left: Mystery, Right: Smut (with flash)

Mystery is a great alternative to using Carbon if you are looking for a shade that is less harsh but still gives the impact of a dark shade. It complements everything from neutral looks to colored looks, for smoky eyes to contoured eyes....it is a very multifunctional shadow!

Here I used a few random pigments and shadow colors, and used Mystery in the crease:

Mystery is quickly becoming a go-to crease shade and if I had a February Favorites, this shadow would top the list. Speaking of, do you want me to start doing monthly favorites? 

Choo Choo!! Do You Have a Makeup Train Case?

I do. It is big and bulky and I love it. =) (Note to self: I should take a picture of it and show you.)

When I was perusing the beauty counters at Nordstrom the other day, I saw this MAC train case:

It is a professional artist case that is temperature controlled so if you left it out in the car in the summer, nothing would happen to the makeup inside because it maintains the temperature inside the case. 

I really like all the compartments, but I feel like there are so many sliding trays and such that I couldn't stuff it to my liking, so I don't know how much I could actually fit in here. And I always want to carry more products than I actually need....cuz you never know....and I don't think this would work too well for me. But I still like the idea of it.

Oh, by the way this costs $225. Forget the case....you know how many lipsticks I could buy with $225?!?!

What do you think? Do you have a train case?

My Addiction With Costco (and Kirkland Makeup Wipes Review)

If you have been following me for awhile, you know that I am OBSESSED with Costco. I love shopping at Costco, I love browsing at Costco, I love eating at Costco, I love samples at Costco, and I even look forward to getting my monthly Costco coupon book. Yes, I need CA....Costco-holics Anonymous.

Back to beauty.

After reading all the rave reviews of Costco's makeup wipes, the Kirkland (Costco's brand) Daily Facial Cleansing Towelettes, I just had to get them for myself. 

So after trying these out for a few months, what's my verdict? These wipes make me love Costco even more than I already did! Here's why:

1. The wipes take off ALL makeup, including waterproof mascara and long-wear eyeliner
2. The wipes are thicker than most so they hold up well and don't rip easily
3. One wipe is more than enough to take off all my makeup, even stubborn eye makeup
4. The wipes have a fresh scent, similar to a light cucumber smell, that is clean and refreshing
5. The wipe amount in each package is varied...the Costco box includes 4 packs of 30 wipes and 2 packs of 15 wipes......ideal for traveling
6. The wipes are cheap! You get a total of 150 wipes for about $11! And some months there is a coupon for the wipes!

So will these permanently replace my beloved MAC wipes? Maybe. There is only one thing I don't like about these wipes: the packaging. The opening is supposed to work like this:

However, I keep ending up with this problem:

The little plastic piece keeps coming loose, and often slips off the package entirely, meaning the package is exposed and the wipes could dry out. Now, I travel a lot and my wipes packages get tossed all over the place, so that might be why I experience this issue. If you only use these at home and keep them on a countertop, you probably won't have to deal with this. It's just a bit frustrating because I don't want my wipes to dry out, and I never had this problem with the MAC wipes. My MAC wipes would get tossed around as well, and since I used to use the 100 pack of MAC wipes, as opposed to the 30 pack of Costco wipes, one pack would last longer and endure more tossing around. But I still never had packaging issues.

All in all I probably will keep purchasing the Costco wipes and just hope they improve the packaging.

Kajal Couture Rating: A

Anushka Sharma's Makeup in Band Baaja Baraat

 Since I have been sick and therefore stuck at home all week, I was able to catch up on my Bollywood movie watching. I have been wanting to watch Band Baaja Baraat. In a nutshell, this movie is about two University students who graduate and start a wedding planning business together, and the movie follows their masti (fun) and struggles as they build their business. I have been wanting to watching this FOREVER because I always wanted to be a wedding planner (still kinda do...but that's a whole other story):

The lead actress Anushka Sharma is a Bollywood newbie and throughout the whole movie she has an incredibly fresh and natural look. 

Of course I couldn't help but do a quickie makeup breakdown for how to achieve this fresh-faced look:

Face:

A good moisturizer like my fave MAC Lightful Ultramoisture Creme

Tinted Moisturizer

Concealer under the eyes on on red/dark spots

A natural peachy or apricot blush to give some color to the skin

A light dusting of powder

Eyes:

Fill in brows, even if you have solid eyebrows, to make them stronger and create a frame for the face

Apply a peach or golden shadow to the lid

Draw a thin line on the upper lash line with a dark brown gel or liquid liner

Line the waterline if you want to (she does this sometimes in the movie)

Curl lashes and apply black mascara

Lips:

Apply a sheer pink stain to the lips and top with clear gloss, or apply a lightly colored pink gloss to the lips

What do you think of Anushka's look in the movie?

Twist Up A Little Rosy-ness! Bobbi Brown Sheer Color Cheek Tint Review

Bobbi Brown is known for creating products that give a natural and pretty look. The Sheer Color Cheek Tint fits this mold exactly.

This is a twist up blusher that is a cross between a gel and a cream. It applies very easily on the skin and is VERY easy to blend. When I first got this blush, I thought it was really small and would run out after just a few uses, but you really need just a tiny swipe on each cheek to get some color, so I know this will last me awhile.....several months if I were to use it daily. 

Sheer Color Cheek Tint in Sheer Raspberry

I got what I thought was the darkest shade, knowing that all the shades are sheer. Sheer Raspberry seemed to be the darkest, but when swatched, it is still lighter than I expected:

Left: Swiped straight from the stick, Right: Blended out

I like this product because it gives a natural lit from within glow. It is a bit on the dewy side, which is more natural looking and looks like skin. I also like this it is so portable and takes up very little space. It makes blush application super easy and quick. I get the best results when I blend with my fingers, so if you like to touch up blush, you can carry just this and you won't even need a brush. This can also be used to add a tint to the lips. 

Kajal Couture Rating: A-

You might like this if:

• You like a natural flush to your cheeks
• You like products that are easy
• You are new to using blush
• You like carrying blush with you in your handbag

Skip this if:

• You prefer a matte look to your entire face
• You prefer a bold cheek

Sephora Reward

Hey dolls. It is 65 degrees here in Philadelphia and I really really want to go outside. For those of you who are lucky to not have to go through a real winter, 65 degrees is like heaven when temperatures have been down in the 20s and 30s the past few months. Unfortunately, I have a bad cold and am stuck inside. =( I don't even have the energy to put on or play with makeup right now.

But I can still think about it!

Several months ago I redeemed my Sephora Beauty Insider points for the following Smashbox gift:

It includes mini sizes of the following:

1. Photo Finish face primer

2. Photo Finish lid primer

3. Lip Enhancing Gloss in Pout

4. Artificial Light Luminizing Lotion (highlighting liquid) in Flash

5. Bionic Mascara

I've used the face primer before and I like it, and I like the consistency of Smashbox glosses. I have yet to try the mascara and luminizer. Overall, I think this was one of the best 500 point rewards that Sephora has had in the past. 

Have you tried any of these products? What was your fave Sephora reward gift?

Happy Valentine's Day

I just wanted to wish you a HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!! 

If you have someone special in your life then I hope you enjoy a sweet evening with him/her. If not, then I hope you have a great day hanging out with your friends and keeping positive about how awesome you are! 

Glimpses of Costa Rica!!!

You dolls are lucky....you are the FIRST to see photos from my Costa Rica vacation! I haven't even posted them on Facebook yet! These are just a few glimpses.....enjoy!

 Sunset on the beach

 We saw sooo much wildlife....a lot of which is unique to Costa Rica and Central America....and we saw all the animals in their own habitat....not in a zoo or anything! These monkeys were playing on a tree about 1 foot in front of us!

Me lounging in a hammock....I am absolutely OBSESSED with hammocks!  

 A frog with crazy red eyes! 

An old tree with new trees growing around it

A view of the green (inactive) side of the Arenal Volcano. It was foggy on the day we went to the black (active) side