Love Day

 

To me, Valentine's Day means a handful of things. Of course it means spending time with that special someone (why do we need a designated day for this to happen?) but for me, it also means makeup, flowers, and other pretty things. If you can't be girly on Valentine's Day, when can you be?

For the occasion, I will be wearing this look.

Soft brown eyeshadow, classic black winged-liner, punchy pink cheeks, and bright fuchsia lips. It's soft enough to be natural, but colorful enough to be fun.

I created this look with the products pictured above. Bobbi Brown's "Pale Pink" blush, NYX's Soft Matte Lip Cream in "Addis Ababa," The Balm's Mary-Lou Manizer, Maybelline's The Falsies mascara, and MAC's fluidline liner in "Blacktrack."

Top-bottom: Mary-Lou Manizer, Addis Ababa Lip Cream, and Pale Pink Blush

Of course no makeup look is complete without a few little extras like the perfect romantic scent—I like Flowerbomb by Victor & Rolf—and fun nails. And throw in a little glamour with some bejeweled earrings. I mean, why not?

I'd love to hear what everyone is doing with their Valentine's Day, or better yet, with their Valentine's look! I hope everyone enjoys all the sweetness the day has to offer.

Til next time. 

drugstore makeup: a love story

(Did it come through that I tried to make a heart-shape out of some of my favorite drugstore products...No?... Oh well.) 

I would consider myself an equal opportunity makeup user. I love Chanel. I adore Laura Mercier. I gotta lotta MAC. But I also love drugstore makeup. In fact, there are certain drugstore favorites of mine in which I have yet to find a comparable department store dupe. And why would I want to?

Here are some of my favorite drugstore products that I have in my collection right now.

Face

I use to think foundation and concealer haaad to be department store brand. And while I do have many favorite high-end foundations, concealers, and powders, I also have some cheap ones that I find just as reliable. 

1. L'Oreal True Match Lumi Healthy Luminous Makeup *great for combination/dry skin *dewey finish *very blendable *medium coverage

2. Neutrogena Mineral Sheers Concealer Kit *dupe for the Laura Mercier "Undercover Pot" *creamy and blend-able *2-in-1 concealer and setting powder

3. L'Oreal Magic Lumi Concealer *dupe for YSL's "Touche Eclat" concealer/highlighter *brightening *lifting *doesn't settle into fine lines

4. Rimmel Stay Matte Powder *keeps shine away all day *smooth/not chalky 

5. Revlon ColorStay Foundation *full coverage *range of colors *sets quickly and stays all day

Eyes

I like some of these eyeliners more than their expensive counterparts!

1. Maybelline Eye Studio Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner *dupe for MAC Fluidline *will absolutely not smudge *sets quickly *comes with liner brush
2. NYX Noir Collection Liquid Liner *thin applicator brush for precise lines *stays all day *very black
3. L'Oreal Lineur Intense *dupe for the Lancome Artliner *precise felt-tip applicator *lasts all day *very black
4. Milani Color Brilliance Eye Liner Pencil  *dupe for some of the MAC pearl color pencils *glides on, doesn't pull *stays in the waterline *highly pigmented

Left-Right: Milani, L'Oreal, NYX, & Maybelline

With few exception, I don't believe in high end mascara. Right now, these are my favorites.

1. Maybelline Volume Express The Falsies *buildable volume *does not flake or transfer *removes easily with makeup remover *deep black

2. CoverGirl Lash Blast Volume *volumizing *no clumps...ever! *does not flake or transfer *deep black

Lips

One of my favorite products to buy and try from any brand, high-end or low-end, is lip products. While many of these lip products were after thoughts while picking up toothpaste or deodorant, they have become fast favorites!

Because I have soooo many favorites in the lips category, I won't detail each one. But I will say that they are all great and below you will find color swatches of some of my top picks.

NYX Mega Shine Lip Gloss. L-R: Beige, French Kiss, & Sweet Heart

Revlon Kissable Balm Stain. L-R: Cherish, Honey, & Rendezvous

Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butter: L-R: Red Velvet, Sugar Plum, & Berry Smoothie

NYX Slim Lip Pencil. Top-Bottom: Burgundy & Pale Pink

If you have tried any excellent drug store products that you think I should know about, let me know! I'm always interested in trying something new. I would really like to try some nice drugstore blushes...I've heard good things about Rimmel. Another post?

Glad to be back on the posting wagon. Expect new posts from me this coming week!

Til next time. 

Monotone : Cranberry Lips and Eyes

A makeup trend that I am really loving is monotone colors. Matching lips and eyes. And while this could be potentially very unflattering, I think if it is done properly, it can look beautiful and sophisticated.

To create this look, start out with whatever foundation routine you follow. I like a medium-full coverage look, so I chose Laura Mercier's Silk Creme Foundation. This foundation has fantastic, creamy coverage. I also find that I don't always have to use a concealer with it, so this time, I didn't.

Then, blend a bit of blush or bronzer onto the cheeks. I used Benefit's Dallas, as it looks like a bronzed-blush.

On the eyes, I packed MAC's Sweet Chestnut onto the lids, then with a clean blending brush, blended it upward to the crease. Another perfect color for this would be MAC's Cranberry. They are very similar.

Finally, the lips. I used Sephora's Pleasant Plum lip liner followed by MAC's Odyssey lipstick. This combo created a reddish-plum tone, which seems to be very popular these days in cosmetics, clothes, shoes, bags...

This look ends up appearing done up, but in a very simple way. It is a good example of letting color be the focus. I get tired of using multiple eyeshadows, blushes and bronzers, foundation, concealer, and powder. Some days, easy color is best.

Til next time.