Fall Party Makeup!

Ooops. I guess it's been a little bit since I blogged. I've had a very busy September. I've been busy with work stuff and after work stuff, so there hasn't been a lot of time for makeup creativity.  Until this weekend. I'd gotten in a rut of easy fall makeup and decided that I needed to spice it up. Luckily I had a Theatre Karaoke Party to go to and decided I'd go all out.  What do I mean?

I mean I wore I all the makeup.  This bag is filled with all the stuff I applied to my face. There was quite a bit. I hadn't worn this much makeup in a while and it kinda showed. It was indoors and kinda darkish party so luckily unless I was in full sunlight it didn't look like as much makeup as it actually was...at least that's what I'm telling myself.

So starting with my base. Primer. I primed. I had put my usual day cream on earlier in the day. But about 10 minutes before applying my makeup I used my IT Cosmetics Feel the Moment Primer Serum. This needs to soak in a moment. I also applied my CeraVe Eye Repair Cream- I'd recently heard it played well under concealer so gave it a whirl. It's my usual nighttime eye cream. After the those had sunk in a bit I added my Maybelline Master Prime in Blur + Smooth where my pores are the worst- around my nose and tops of my cheeks and my Milani Eyeshadow Primer to my eyelids and a little below where my concealer goes.


Once all that set in I moved on to my next face products. Bring in the IT Cosmetics team. I love IT Cosmetics. I combine both the CC Cream regular and Illumination in Medium to make a delightfully glowy full coverage effect. I also use two Bye Bye Under Eyes in Neutral Medium and Tan. I apply the CC Cream with my fingers one pump of the regular and half a pump of the Illumination. I use about a pinpoint size of each Bye Bye Under Eye and mix them together on the back of my hand. Then I apply a thin layer to each under eye and blend out with a fluffy concealer brush. I love the look of this combo. It's incredibly full coverage and very long wearing. The CC Cream doesn't need any setting powder by the time I get to my face products it's set fine, but the Bye Bye Under Eye definitely needs to be set. It will remain very tacky and I'd worry it would move around if I didn't set it. My favorite way to set it is with my NARS Translucent Crystal Powder.

Normally I would move onto my eyes next, but this Saturday I did it reverse and did my face powders next.

I used my usual and ALMOST gone NYC Sunny Bronzer to contour and bronze up my face. Then I used the gorgeous highlighter from the IT Cosmetics Live, Laugh, Love Vitality Face Disc. This highlighter is not joking around. It is in your face and shiny and gorgeous. Then I finished it off with my Tarte Blush in Savored from last year's Tarte Holiday set from QVC. Combined these face products are gorgeous. I chose the IT Cosmetics highlighter because it's more champagne based and less gold than my usual. This is not a highlighter you'd choose for a natural day or if you were wanting to be subtle. I will also use up my Sunny bronzer this year if it kills me. I'm so tired of that thing and have so many other bronzers I want to use. Now that it's fall I've started to pull out my deeper blushes and this is one of my faves.

For my eyes I knew I wanted to do something special. Something fun and sparkly. I also wanted to use my Too Faced Chocolate Bar palette that I've been neglecting. I started with White Chocolate all over my lids for a smooth base. This helps the shadows blend together too. I then took Salted Caramel in my crease to just warm things up and give a transition. On my lids I used Strawberry Bon Bon. Then I took the star of this look Black Forest Truffle in my outer V and kept adding and blending and adding and blending. I got rid of some of the lightness of the Strawberry Bon Bon so I added on top some Champagne Truffle in the inner part of the lid to brighten things back up. Not satisfied with the depth of the outer V I added a smidgen of Dark Chocolate and then more Black Forest Truffle. It ended up being a super pretty eye look but not as party worthy as I'd been hoping so I reached for my ELF Long Lasting Lustrous Eyeshadow in Gala to add some sparkle, just to the outer edge.

To finish off the eyes I used my NYX Dark Brown Gel Eyeliner along the top lash line and Dark Chocolate on the lower lash line. I then let the gel liner set and filled in my brows with my NYX Micro Brow Pencil in Taupe. For mascara I doubled up with my Covergirl Super Sizer and Benefit's They're Real both in black. Not pictured is my NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Walkyrie.  To finish off the whole fancy pants think I was going for I used my Armani Si from Scentbird as Perfume.

Here is how the look came out in various stages in the evening. It was fun, but at the end of the night a pain to get off. I broke out the cold cream because it was just a lot of makeup.

      

*None of the links above are affiliate links, just where you can buy this fabulous stuff!

Favorite Eye Shadow Combos!

It's the last day of summer for me. My students started trickling back to town last ween but their first day of class is tomorrow. So that means summer dress is over, no more jeans in the middle of the week, no more flip flops, and for me- no more lazy makeup.  So I have a couple of Go-To eye looks I do throughout the academic year. I've been spoiled over the summer with my 10 minute makeup look, my usual routine takes about 1/2 an hour with the majority of time spent on my eyes.

So the palettes I use for my eye looks and will reference throughout this post are as follows:

1. Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette
2. Tarte Tartelette Amazonian Clay Matte Palette
3. Tarte Rainforest After Dark Palette

All of these links are for ULTA- so no affiliate links.

Neutral Matte
I would say the look I do the most and will continue to do the most this semester will be close to my Tartelette Redux look. An all Matte neutral bown-ish natural look. I can accomplish this look with both my Chocolate Bar and Tartelette palettes.

Chocolate Bar Palette (Left - Right)
White Chocolate, Strawberry Bon Bon, Salted Caramel, Milk Chocolate, Semi-Sweet, & Dark Chocolate

1. I'll start every look with eye primer- I'm working through Milani Eyeshadow Primer right now.
2. Then I cover the entire lid with a base powder either White Chocolate or Free Spirit. This makes blending out all the colors easier and doesn't seem to effect lasting time.
3. Next comes a pale pink all over my lid below the crease- I use either Strawberry Bon Bon or Caregiver. If these shadows get muddied during the blending process I'll come back to them at the end.
4. Then I start deepening the crease starting with a light medium brown or camel color like Salted Caramel or Force of Nature.
5. Then another crease color a little darker still- Milk Chocolate or Wanderer.
6. Blend Blend Blend!
7. Then the next shade darker brown goes just in the outer V and blended with a very light hand into #4&5. I used Semi-Sweet or Dreamer here and make the outer corner the darkest of all and blend it just so slightly into the V.
8. Blend Blend Blend! you don't ever want to see where the color changes so I blend till it's a perfect gradient.
9. If my pale pink has gotten a little lost then I'll brighten it up with it again, I don't always have to do that though.
10. Finally I use either the darkest brown color to line my lower lashes lightly and the outer corner of my top lashes- Dark Chocolate or Multi-Tasker.
11. If I want real liner I use my dark brown gel liner, but I've been liking the no-liner look lately.

Tartelette (Left - Right)
Free Spirit, Caregiver, Force of Nature, Wanderer, Dreamer, & Multi-Tasker

I feel like this is the most universal eye look I do. It goes with everything and always looks classic. If I want to make it more dramatic I can add Dark Chocolate or Multi-Tasker as a second outer V color. If I want my eyes to really pop I can use gel liner around the whole eye. I can even skip the outer V colors all together and just have a very no-make-up-make-up eye look. So I love this one, it still takes me 20 minutes to complete because blending takes time, but I feel like I've gotten as fast as I can with this.

Burgundy and Gold
I don't know when I fell in love with gold shadow on my eyes but I know it was sometime after purchasing the Rainforest palette and seeing Kristin Gehm rave about it. But I started playing with the golds in this palette and my chocolate bar palette and somehow stumbled upon burgundy being a good pair with those. So this is another look that I loved all last fall and have already broken out a couple times this past week. Gold is fun! So these looks can be done with the Chocolate Bar or Rainforest palette.

Rainforest After Dark (Left - Right)
Bare to Explore, Tangled Up In You, Up To No Gold, Plum Away With Me, Don't Turn A-Brown

1. Primer
2. All over lid base color- the Rainforest palette is missing a good nude base color so I either pull it from my Chocolate bar or just use my setting powder here as a base. White Chocolate still works here and whatever color I use goes all over the lid because the base is all the same color for this look.
3. Next I move to the crease with Milk Chocolate and Semi Sweet or Bare to Explore and Tangled Up In You. The chocolate bar look gets darker quicker and the Rainforest stays a little lighter.
4. Then I take GOLD all over the lid below the crease. I do it after the crease base colors in this look because gold gets everywhere if you blend over it too much. I use Creme Brule or Up to no Gold. They're both gorgeous- I feel like the Chocolate Bar Gold is smoother but the Tarte's sticks a little better to the eye. I usually do two layers of each to get that really metallic look.
5. Next up a burgundy or maroon color. In the Chocolate Bar you have two options depending on how dark you want to go Amaretto or Cherry Cordial. For Rainforest I go with Plum Away With Me. These colors start at the outer corner and come in for the outer 3rd and then blend lightly in the crease above the gold.
6. Then if I need more depth I'll add Dark Chocolate or Don't Turn A-Brown and add to just the very outside of the eye.
7. I use my dark brown gel liner with this look and usually take some gold and medium brown on the lower lash line.

Chocolate Bar Palette (Left-Right)
Milk Chocolate, Semi-Sweet, Creme Brule, Amaretto, Cherry Cordial, Dark Chocolate

This is a great look for fall! I just love the gold, if you were this look with Green and have blue or green eyes it's amazing! I also love to wear this when I'm wearing brown or orangey- you know fall colors. It's a great look that works for all the eye colors. Brown eyes look gorgeous with gold. This look takes me a little longer even though there are fewer steps because Gold can smell fear. You have to go slowly with gold or it'll end up all over your face.

So I think these shadows make great fall looks. Even within just the shadows I shared you can do a variation of things and each can be very appropriate work day or school day looks as well as evening looks. I frequently will just darken things up after work and have a perfectly good evening look.  Here in Texas fall is still a few months off, but hopefully we're at least done with the 100+ degree days so fall eye makeup here I come!

In case you want to know what blushes I would use with these looks- definitely plummier, deeper rose colors and with hints of gold. So I'll break out my NARS Orgasm again, my Cabana Boy from the Balm and my deepest Tarte blush in Savored. Less pinks more plums!

I don't need anymore bronze shadow...

It started the other day when I misplaced my Bronze Max Factor single eyeshadow I've been using this summer- talked more about here. So I went searching for other options and found this...

It turned out I had quite a few options... I have bronzes in warm tones, cool tones, with some gold shift and silver shift...bronzes all over the place! I've probably been wearing bronze eye shadow the longest of any other shade. Back in the day when I got my first makeover from Clinique they gave me an eyeshadow duo with a bronze color in it AND a bronze lipstick (mistakes were made, I've learned and moved on from this). So apparently bronze is just one of those great universally flattering colors of eyeshadows. Pretty much any eye color can wear them and they look great on most skin tones. For today's purposes we're just talking about eyes- I have some bronze bronzers (go figure) but it's the eyes where I use bronze the most.

Let's start with creams. So as I mentioned in my previous post I like to use two of these products as eye bases to place a powder shadow over. It's easy and makes the products last a long time.  I'm a little more than half way through the Maybelline Bad to the Bronze. This one is my favorite and I'll be sad when it's gone, I'll probably repurchase it because it's a really excellent base, lasts all day and doesn't crease.  The other pot is my ELF Cruisin' Chic Smudge Pot half the price of the Maybelline and works just as well honestly. But it has a stronger smell and you have to use a lot of it to build up the opacity.  Then I have a jumbo eye pencil from ELF that I totally forgot about! This is in Turkish Coffee and smells so strongly of crayons that I don't use it...I may give it a try but it's not my favorite.  

I have several Bronze eyeliners (not pictured in the swatches) that are just okay. I'm not really a huge fan of anyone. I talked about Tarte's Sunstone Bronze in the last post as well and while I hate that it's so soft it gets the job done. I have another Tarte Bronze liner that's just their regular line that is a little more firm but doesn't have the lasting power.  I also have a Rimmel Scandaleyez in Brown but it's a shimmery bronzey brown.  This one is also too soft for me so I haven't used it in months, if I can remember to sharpen it and let it sit overnight without a cap it's usually fine, but it's way too soft for practical everyday use.

Now I have a few single bronze shadows as well. As mentioned before the Max Factor doesn't have an actual name but it's a very decent shadow. I've tried to use it without one of my cream bases and it just does not pack enough punch on it's own. But layered it's gorgeous. Then I have the L'Oreal Infallible in Bronzed Taupe now this is n interesting one. If I layer it over my Bad to the Bronze it looks very grey and cool toned. It's got almost a silver cast to it, but on it's own it's much more of a typical bronze color. I have a love hate with this thing. It's a pressed pigment so it's got the pay off you want in a shadow but it's very delicate and fragile and can have lots of fallout if you're not careful. I know a lot of people will apply this with their fingers but I'm really more a brush kinda girl and so I don't reach for this one a lot.  Then my last single shadow but certainly not leave is my Victoria's Secret Very Sexy Single in Between the Sheets. If you can't tell by the fact that I've hit serious pan on this bad boy, I loved this color. I used to wear this all the time! It's been discontinued and it makes me want to cry. It's the second to last swatch on the right above and it's just the most gorgeous bronze ever. I'm going to leave this bad boy out and finish it up because I forgot how much I loved it.  It's a bit of a warmer tone than the other two so we'll have to see how it does, it's also fairly old so it may need a base. We'll see but I'm glad I found it again because I love this one.

Lastly I have a bunch of palettes that have a bronze shade here and there in them. To be honest I haven't been reaching for any of these over the summer because I've been using my creams and singles but it's good to know that there are lots of bronze shadows out there in palettes if I every use up my singles. I doubt I'll ever use up that Max Factor single because there is just a ton of product in that thing. 

I'll start with the trios first. I have the Wet 'n Wild trio in Walking on Eggshells and the middle crease color is a really pretty neutral bronze. It's pretty light and comes off warmer on me that some of the others. It's got great color pay of for a $2.99 eyeshadow trio and it's always on sale for less. I got mine for $1.99 so talk about bang for your buck. The other two colors are just as nice.  The Clinique trio I can't find online, I got it from my sister and the packaging looks like it might have been in a free gift set, but the middle color Buttered Bronze is another delightful warm bronze. The Tarte 8 Shadow palette was in a Holiday Gift set from QVC called Sweet Indulgences it was a limited release but you can see what all came with it online. The bronze in this kit does not have a name but it's the darkest bronze I have and is much more of a cool tone than some of the others. Then I have two Too Faced Palettes. I love Too Faced and the Too Face palette that I've panned two shadows from was actually my first high end makeup purchase post-college. The Too Faced Natural Eyes is a gorgeous neutral palette and has a couple of bronzey shades in it.  Push Up and Erotica are my favorites and they're pretty pretty shimmery too.  These are a little too shimmery for me now but for specially occasions I could probably still pull them off.  This palette has been repackaged and some of the colors have changed but those two are still in the new one.  Then last but not least my Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette I love this thing. Hazelnut and Haute Chocolate are two very different bronze colors but bronzey none the less. Hazelnut is lighter and warmer and Haute Chocolate is very dark. I usually use these two together and it's gorgeous.  They're not as shimmery as the Natural Eyes shadows but they're still reflective in a subtle way. 

So yah I have a lot of bronze shadow options. I just find it such an easy color to work with. It's very neutral but can go warm or cool depending and it's easy to find. I have a good array of high end and drugstore options in every form and that's fun. I think for the summer bronze is perfect and works for both day and night. You can get a dusty smokey eye with bronze or keep it light and natural. Bronze is the perfect multitasking shadow. 

Makeup Madness Part 2! Bronzer and Highlighters

It's time for part two! Part One was on Blush and now we're onto Bronzers and Highlighters.  I didn't really think I had this many, but there were a few in my collection that I had totally forgotten about. So what I'm sharing are things that can be used to highlight, bronze and contour.  I really only started highlighting and contouring last year but I've been bronzing since High School.  Bronzer was very big when I was in high school to make you look tanned without actually tanning...that was all I knew about it back then.  So lets take a look at what I have.

Again sorry for the poor pictures...

We have some repeat offenders from last Makeup Madness my Tarte Palette and Duo from the Too Faced le Belle Carousel.  So lets start with bronzers and go from oldest to newest again too.

1. Cargo Bronzer in Medium- My first bronzer ever! It amazingly still has pigment and doesn't smell! This bronzer I used the heck out of and while you can see I've hit pan (it's in the upper left corner in the bottom right picture)  There is a ton of product left in this thing.  It started with 8.9 Grams.  I remember using this thing all over my neck, decolletage and arms. It's very orange in the pan but comes off really pretty and somewhat sparkly.  This was about $30 15 years ago so I have no idea if they still carry it or what, but I got it at Sephora when one first opened in San Antonio.  I'm gonna hold on to this one and see if I can't put it to use this summer when I bronze up.
2. bare Minerals warmth.  This is from my very first bare Minerals kit I got a 10ish years ago and there is just a little less than half left.  I remember using this as instructed, but it never really looked right. It's very warm brown...not really what I'm looking for. I thing it served it's purpose in my life during my mineral makeup phase, but I can't imagine every reaching for this thing again. I know too much about makeup now.  I'm going to toss it and not give any more thought to the subject. Although I do know it's still out there and you can buy more at Ulta...I shall not.
3. Wet n Wild Ticket to Brazil Bronzer- This was my first YouTube recommended purchase. I saw StilaKiss33 (my first youtuber) talk about it being perfect to give an allover warmth to your face and this was right after I went blonde and felt super washed out so I snatched this up.  At $3.99 and you can usually find Wet n Wild half off, I bought it and was so pleasantly surprised by the wonder it did.  There is so much product in this thing too I never thought I'd hit pan but this thing is great. It's a beautiful bronzey orange that matches my tanned skin perfectly, but with a light hand adds just enough color to make me not look dead.  I use this also like I used to use my Cargo bronzer, on my neck and decolletage area.  It's perfect and so affordable.  I will repurchase this and I'm keeping it. 
4. NYC in Sunny- another YouTube purchase recommended by EmilyNoel from Beauty Broadcast. This is a matte bronzer in a medium light brown that is perfect for contouring.  It's amazing the variety of skintones this color works on.  I use this thing almost everyday to contour and carve out my non-existent cheekbones.  I've hit some serious pan on this one and am hopping to kill this compact by early spring so I can buy a new bronzer.  Another ridiculously cheap bronzer at $2.99 I've recommended it to everyone and will repurchase it. I do want to try some other bronzers out there but this is a really great standby.
5. Tarte Rainforest After Dark Palette, bronzer in Park Ave Princess-  This is Tarte's Standard matte Bronzer and it's beautiful.  I feel like it's the grown up version of NYC's Sunny. I've made a pretty good dent in it but have used it sparingly because it's in my limited edition palette. I really use it mostly when I take that palette traveling because it's easier than hauling other bronzers around.  I can't repurchase this set, but I imagine I'll pick up another set with it in it in the future.  Or Tarte sells it in it's own kit with a blush and highlighter.
6. Too Faced Le Belle Carousel, chocolate soleil bronzer.  One of the mini palette's in my Christmas purchase! I had been wanting to try this bronzer forever.  Another standard matte bronzer, this is Too Faced's probably most popular bronzer because again it is universally flattering.  It is also the bronzer I've used the least of. I have been trying to use up my Sunny before I dip into this one so I'll probably get to this one later in the spring.  We'll see if I want to purchase it later, again I can't get it in this kit or format but if I like it Too Faced is always adding it to things.

Bronzer wish list- I really want to try Benefit's Hoola bronzer and maybe the Tarte Park Avenue Princess palette that has bronzer, blush and highlighter...we'll see. 

So up next Highlighters. I only have one highlighter from before I went blonde and I totally forgot I had it and I don't think it was sold to me as a highlighter but that's what it is. So let's look!

1. Glo Mineral Makeup- gloShimmer Brick in luster. Glo mineral makeup is one of my favorites from years ago when I got monthly facials, I love this brand to death and totally forgot I had this.  It's a quad of shimmery neutral colors that I probably used as eyeshadows.  One color the bronzey one has hit pan and there are serious dips in the pink and champagne colors as well.  This makeup brand wasn't cheap so I'd bet I paid about $30-45 for this.  There's a lot of product in it.  All the colors still give pigment and it doesn't smell so I may keep it around to see if I can incorporate it into my routine.
2. ELF Shimmering Facial Whip in Lilac Petal. I bought this thinking it'd be a good eyelid base color. I love pale pinks on my eye, but it ended up being too shimmery.  I didn't realize I could use it as a highlighter till much later.  I've used it a couple of times as a blush topper and it's beautiful.  You have to use a really light hand because it is shiny, but for $1 what's not to like.  I'll keep it around till it starts smelling bad.
3. Wet n Wild Reserve Your Cabana- this is the same format as my Ticket to Brazil, but I got it because a YouTuber said it was a good under eye concealer setting powder.  It doesn't have much shimmer as it's sister, but it does have a little.  When I'm tan I can't set my concealer with it but when it's the winter and I'm paler I totally can.  It's a nice highlighter the rest of the year though.  I don't use very much of it and have a bunch of other setting powders so I can't imagine going through this thing in the next year so I doubt I'll repurchase it. There's nothing wrong with it but I don't need it. But I'll keep it around till then.
4. ELF Baked Highlighter in Moonlight Pearls- this is my favorite highlighter, my go to everyday highlighter.  It's the perfect subtle shimmer for my cheeks and inner corner of my eyes. I love it.  It's a light champagney color but doesn't transfer much pigment. It lasts all day and a little bit goes a long way.  This one was $3, I use it every day and it looks like I've only had it for a week.  I don't really need anything else from a highlighter so if I ever get through this one I'll definitely repurchase it.
5. ELF Blush in Gotta Glow. I unfortunately bought this in the same haul as the baked highlighter so this one didn't get any love. I bought it because I heard it was a dupe for one of the NARS highlighters, but I just wasn't impressed. I've used it a couple of times but it has too much pigment and just kinda can brush off.  I think this was one of the $2 elf blushes, but I will not repurchase. I may keep it around and see if I can use it for something but this one I'm very blah on.
6. Tarte Rainforest After Dark Palette, highlighter in Champagne.  Another gorgeous Tarte product.  This is a very simple and light highlighter. Great for everyday.  It has a really weird texture in the pan but one the skin it goes on evenly and gives you a very lit from within kinda look.  I don't think Tarte does highlights as well as they do blush or bronzer or eyeshadows, but I wouldn't turn down a future kit because it had this highlight in it.  When I don't use my ELF Baked Highlighter this is usually the one I go for instead.  And it's great for traveling because it's a complete kit.  
7. Clinique Glow Blush. This I got from my sister when I was home for Christmas. I thought it'd be good for a blush topper it's a creamy stick blush with lots of shimmer.  But unfortunately it's gone bad and smells like cheap lipstick. I bet it was pretty once upon a time, but unfortunately it's past it's prime. 
8. Temptu Highlighter in Pink Pearl (not pictured). I got a tiny sample of this liquid highlighter in an Ipsy bag in the fall and it is gorgeous. I never use it but should because it's separating but I think I can shake it up and it'll work again.  It's the perfect lit from within glow and you just apply it with your fingers and it's gorgeous.  It's supposed to go with an airbrush makeup kit so I wouldn't purchase it on it's own and also it's not the easiest to work with but it's super pretty, I'm going to keep it till I use it up or it goes bad. 

So I only got rid of two items this time around, In the next few I should be able to get rid of a lot more. I know I have some super old liners and lip products so those should be productive.  But slowly we'll get through this.  Next up will be liners, eye and lip! 

Makeup Madness! Part 1: Blush.

So I'm going to start a new blog series here to get through my makeup collection. Now I know my makeup collection isn't as ridiculous as some of my favorite YouTube Beauty Gurus but for someone who only has one face and only plays with makeup for fun, it's kinda out of control.  Partially because I'm a hoarder and partially because of the last year.  So here's a picture I added to Instagram tonight to show my collection and over the next few weeks I'll take us through all these things...

New blog series coming about my ridiculous makeup collection. I do not need this much makeup. #makeupmadness #makeupmonday #makeupcollection

A photo posted by Tyler Archer (@tyleralyse) on Feb 2, 2015 at 5:58pm PST

 So blush...first we need to talk about my face. I am fairly fair...but I have a lot of pigment in my face- make sense? Great. Now I am not pale, but I am fair- however in makeup I am usually Beige or Medium if those colors are lighter and more yellow/red in pigment instead of pink/bronzey undertones.  Now here's where it's complicated and I confuse the makeup artists at Sephora and Ulta.  I have yellow undertones and red cheeks and nose.  So I can do cool tones or warm tones...which is so annoying! So that explains why my blush game has suffered for years and I've spent years looking like a clown because I don't even have to put on blush and I can look like I'm wearing too much of it.

So here's the collection...

Well they're pink...yes.  And those pictures suck...well yes too. There are maybe three blushes in these pictures that I've had since before I went blonde (almost a year ago).  And those blushes are either terracotta, rose or hot pink.  Now the blushes I've bought in the last year range in pale pink, hot orange pink, mauve, tea rose, terracotta, neutral pink, peony and what the hell were you thinking pink.  I'll go through them one by one with my thoughts- let's go oldest to newest...

1. NYC New York Color Cheek Glow Powder Blush in Riverside Rose 651- this blush shows up with no pigment on me. I can swatch it on my arm and you can't even see it.  This is a lighter clay rose color and I don't know when or why I bought this. I also don't know why I've kept it, it's clearly the wrong color, I never use it and the logo is still completely visible in the product. Goodbye blush.
2. Ben Nye Dry Cheek Rouge Victorian Rose DR-61- oh my goodness why do I still have this. This is a dark deep rose color and I've had this since high school.  This was a part of my Ben Nye makeup kit I bought for my musical theatre program in high school.  At some point my sister stole it from me because she liked the color and in the last year or so I stole it back from her...I never used it after I stole it back- it was just the principle of the thing.  This blush is so old I can't even swatch it- I rub my finger in it and nothing comes off.  Luckily it doesn't smell, but it's a sad sad blush so it's going to be friends with the NYC blush and my trashcan. One thing I can remember about this blush though is it stays on like a trooper, this stuff wont budge till you tell it to.
3. Very Sexy Mosaic Blush in In Lust by Victoria's Secret.  I've been wanting to do a post on all my Victoria's Secret makeup because I have a lot. There was a time in my life during college and post college where I bought all my makeup from Victoria's Secret. Who could refuse a line called "Very Sexy".  I loved their makeup and this blush is no different.  But it is HOT, like hot hot pink.  I've hit major pan on it but it's still going strong. In the last few years I've mostly used it for theatre and Halloween, but I love this stuff.  A few of the colors in it make great eye shadows too.  There's some shimmer and some matte and all together it's fabulous.  It also stayed on my cheeks all day which I didn't know yet, but would become a problem with future blushes. I'm keeping this...forever- or till it runs out...
4. bareMinerals blush in Poppy. This blush is beautiful! I light rosey pink I wore the hell out of this blush in my early post-college days. There's barely any of this stuff left.  My first boss got me hooked on bareMinerals for a little while.  I used all their products but their blush is the only one I've made this much of a dent in. I think this color is a perfect light flushed color and looks great on many skin tones.  Now like all bareMinerals products about half way through the day I noticed they were gone, very little pigment remained on my cheeks.  I wouldn't repurchase it because the loose powder format is annoying but I'll definitely keep it till it's gone too and if they have a pressed version I'd be open to getting it some day.
5. Lancome Blush Subtil Powder Blush in Cedar Rose- a very neutral almost mauvey rose color. I bought this blush my first Thanksgiving in College Station, so 2ish + years ago.  I bought this because my Glo Mineral Makeup Terra Cotta duo blush had run out- I had gone through 3 of those things inbetween my bareMinerals Days and my Lancome days.  I was sooooo upset. So I went to Ulta and told the lady I was looking for a new blush and of course she took me to the high end section and I just went with it.  She put this on my cheeks and it looked amazing. So natural and pretty I spent the $30 for it and was a super happy camper for the next year and 2 months.  Now this blush was beautiful but once I went blonde it just didn't work with my coloring anymore.  I've hit serious pan on this product too, because you can not overuse this product if you try, but keep it around because I may go back to it eventually- also it smells really nice like all Lancome products.  As far as staying power went it didn't stay all day, but got me through a good 5ish hours- this was before I learned about primer.
6. Wet n Wild Color Icon Blusher in Mellow Wine.  Bring on the pink! This blush is pink. Not hot pink, not cool pink, just pink.  I bought this blush shortly after becoming blonde when I realized I needed some more color in my cheeks. Now my blonde was not a nice subtle dark blonde, but a bleached blonde platinum blonde thing- so to say I was washed out would be an understatement.  This cheap like $2 blush did the trick. It was bright, made me look awake, and sometimes like a clown.  It's really easy to put too much of this stuff on. I frequently looked perfect in my bathroom mirror, got into my car to look in the mirror and realized I had clown face.  Now this stuff still didn't have great staying power, so luckily if I did make it to work clown faced normally by lunch or early afternoon I'd look normal or like I didn't have any blush on at all.  I've since moved on from this blush but will keep it around for shows, Halloween and the likes.  This is basically the drugstore equivalent of my favorite Victoria's Secret Blush.
7. NYX Blush Dusty Rose- A few months after going blonde, I started trying to dye my hair a little more natural of a color, I ended up with a strawberryish orangey blonde color and needed another new blush.  Something less loud than my Wet nWild.  So I went with a a pretty dusty rosey pink closer to my Lancome color but still with a little more pigment.  My cheeks soaked up this blush like I'd never worn blush before.  This stuff would not stay on. I could put on piles of it and my face just kept it all for itself. So this was a short lived blush relationship. Still before I'd discovered primer so I'll keep it around to see if I ever reach for it and use a primer.  It's only $5-6 I probably wouldn't repurchase it because I eventually learned a blush secret, but I'm not going to toss it out just yet either.
8. elf Pressed Mineral Blush in Jet Setter- this is a gorgeous mauvey pink. I love this color and it was only $3.  I just wish it translated on my cheeks stronger! It's very natural looking and had about average for me staying power.  I didn't use it very frequently at all but will give it another try someday. It's such a pretty color and very natural looking, I just had too many new blushes come in right after it and steal it's thunder.
9. Tarte Rainforest After Dark Palette- blush in Unleashed- this is a beautiful pale pale pink. Oh my gosh this is gorgeous.  This was my first experience with Tarte and with high end blushes since Lancome. And I'm afraid I can't go back! This blush makes your cheeks look like the perfect pink flush. I have red undertones on my cheeks and it never pulls red, but always stays a beautiful light pink. I wish this blush was in the permanent line because I would use it for always but alas it's limited and so I use it sparingly.  Also this blush lasts all day...all day long. I was amazed and swore it was because it was a high end product.  Love. 
10. Coastal Scents Forever Blush sample duo in weird purple pink and nude.  This was a sample I got in my first Ipsy bag in August.  I didn't care for them.  One the sample was too small to try and two the colors were just wrong. I can't speak to really anything on the quality of these blushes but they're going to go make friends with Ben Nye and NYC- sorry.
11. Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-hour Blush in savored.  Another limited edition blush from Tarte darn it!  This blush came in my QVC Today's Special Sweet Indulgences Holiday collection. It came with two blushes the other one wasn't right for me so I passed it on to my sister, but this one is dark mauvey pink with light shimmer. And it's gorgeous.  This was a perfect fall shade and I love it. I feel like the 12-hour is super true because like my other Tarte blush, that I didn't stop using till I got this one, it lasted all day.  I love it! I really started to believe that the high end blushes were bringing something special to the table- or maybe it was just Tarte. All my favorite YouTubers talk about Tarte blushes strongly and I can see why. 
12. Too Faced Blush in Who's Your Poppy? This blush was a part of the Le Belle Carousel holiday set I bought to divide up between friends. This was the section I kept it also has a Chocolate Bronzer in it too, but the blush is gorgeous and very similar to the blush I'm going to talk about next.  It's a shimmery orangey pink with very high shine on the cheeks.  It's lasting power is great if you use a primer under it.  In late fall I discovered using primer on just my cheeks. I'd never liked primer's before because they dried out my face but I learned you could use primer on just your cheeks to make you blush stick around longer- good to know.  I haven't used this blush very much at all, because it's in a duo with a bronzer I'm not letting myself use until I finish up another one. So it's sticking around and will have its time.
13. Nars blush in Orgasm.  If there was every a more hyped up, cult favorite blush of the beauty blogosphere then I don't know what it is.  This blush is talked about by everyone in that it's a color that looks good on everyone.  I got this blush in a holiday set from Sephora and probably never would have just bought it flat out on it's own. However I was thrilled to have it in the set and bought the set in part because this was a full sized product in it.  This blush is an orangey pink with gold shimmer.  The Who's Your Poppy looks very similar but comes off shinier than this one.  Orgasm is a beautiful color and I do imagine it looks good on most people. Whenever I do a really neutral eye look I just throw this on and it adds something special.  This blush has great lasting power and it amazing.  At $30 I'm not sure if I'd buy this blush again though. I wont right away when it's gone since I have a pretty convincing dupe in my Too Faced blush but if I see it for a great deal in a kit again I'd definitely jump on that opportunity.  If you've been eyeing this blush and thinking you want to buy it I recommend it- it's great.
14. Stila Convertible Color in Camellia.  This was a hand me down from my sister- she couldn't make it work for he.  I was a little nervous and apprehensive about my first cream blush product. The color is a very neutral nude with more orange than pink in it.  I thought it'd be good for no-makeup makeup days.  I apply this with my elf small stipple brush and it goes on smooth.  When I first started to use it though my cheeks broke out just a little bit.  I think it's a very thick and heavy formula.  Also since it's a cream it stays kinda dewey and I found I needed to set it with another blush or a translucent powder.  I usually just wear this on the weekends, it doesn't last all day at all and it doesn't pack a high enough color punch for me, but I like having it in my collection and will continue to use it.  I don't think I'd purchase this again but maybe another color in the Convertible Color line.

And that's my blush!  If I had to pick two blushes out of the bunch it'd be my Tarte Unleashed and Nars Orgasm.  Two very different colors but between the two you could get both day and night covered. I really enjoy the higher end blushes.  I use some of my drugstore blushes on the weekends but am really too big a fan of my others now.  

I apply my blush with the Real Techniques Blush Brush.  Don't be intimidated by the size of this brush, it's large but it's perfect. I feel like it prevents me from getting too bag clown face because it helps diffuse the color so much.  

Like a lot of things in my makeup collection right now, I don't need anymore blush.  I do not have a simply blush palette yet and that is on my list for eventually, but right now I have plenty of blushes I enjoy and don't feel like I'm missing anything in my range of pinks.  

Next up bronzers and highlighters...a much smaller collection for me. 

Get Ready With Me! Saturday Morning December 2014

So I wanted to do a step by step look at my makeup process but it would be a pain to take a million selfies on my phone. So I set up my makeup routine in my living room with the window open and my MacBook Pro in front of me.  The pictures are fairly washed out either because of the camera or the light, but whatever you get the picture.  All products used will be listed below and probably misspelled in the slideshow- enjoy!

...

1. Olay Age Defying Instant Hydration Day Cream
2. Smashbox Camera Ready BB Cream in Light- review to come
3. It Cosmetics Bye Bye Undereye in Neutral Medium
4. Wet n Wild Fergie Eyeshadow Primer in Take on the Day
5. NYX Eyebrow Cake Powder in Blonde
6. Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette (original)
7. NYC Smooth Skin Bronzer in Sunny
8. Tarte 12 Hour Amazonian Clay Blush in Savored
9. ELF Baked Highlighter in Moonlight Pearls
10. NYX Gel Liner in Dark Brown
11. Tarte Lights Camera Lashes Mascara
12. NYX Dewy Setting Spray
13. Brushes are a mixture of Real Techniques, ELF, and Up & Up brand

My Thanksgiving 2014 Travel Beauty Bag(s)

I worked really hard not to overpack this year. I didn't overpack my clothes- I may have under-packed tops forgetting that newborns spit up every time I hold them. And I tried...not to overpack my makeup.  So really it's my beauty/bathroom travel bags that I'm talking about here- there are 3. 2 for makeup and one for shower, face and any extra toiletries I may need.

My big Polka Dot Bag has served me well, I've been using it for a good 5 years and it's always been my go to toiletries bag when traveling.  In it I have makeup wipes the Target Up and Up Cucumber Exfoliating ones are my favorite, Neutrogena Night Cream, Vaseline Intensive Moisture Lotion, Secret deodorant, a wide tooth comb, Dr. Bronners in Almond and Tea Tree Oil scents, NYX Dewy Setting Spray, Q-tips, bobby pins, a few packets of nail polish remover liberated from some hotel, a sample packet of moisturizing face serum by a brand no one has heard of (they're not very good), Redken Curl Sugar Gel, Olay Refresh Facial Cleanser Sample (don't like it either), and a white washcloth I use for wiping my brushes off after each use (cuts down on oil/product buildup).   A lot of the standards I keep at my sisters house or steal hers. I have a toothbrush and toothpaste, some random hair products, and a razor I leave there.  If I need anything else they can usually provide it, like last time I came home and forgot deodorant, I stole a travel size of my brother-in-law's Old Spice Tropical stuff- I smelled like a boy all week- no one seemed to mind.

This ELF pink bag is a newer addition to my travel routine. I needed something better to carry my brushes in and liners and weird things I didn't want mingling with my palettes or other makeup things.  So the basic rule here was that it was long, tube like, a brush or a makeup tool it went in here.  This pouch has two sides, one with spaces specifically designed for brushes and a mesh pocket perfectly shaped for my eye brushes.  Then it had a big dumpable pocket that I stuck my pencil liners, Age Rewind Concealer, eyebrow wax pencil, eyelash curlers, big kabuki brush, eyeshadow primer, and I'm sure I'm forgetting something else.  But this bag fits inside the next bag event with everything else in it- and of course it's pink so I like it. 

Then my big train case makeup bag, also from ELF. They didn't have it in pink when I ordered it- sad.  But this bag I hold all my bigger products or things I'm not too concerned about getting mixed up together. So my eye palettes, BB Cream, Blush, eyebrow powders, 3 single eyeshadows, two under eye concealers and a lipstick.  This is where I cut down the most on my packing, I really wanted to add two more palettes into this bunch, but I didn't.  Then my pink bag fits on top and I just have this black bag and the polka dot bag to keep track of in my luggage.

So here's a breakdown of some of the contents of my bag.  Here is all the eye stuff I brought.  So I have 3 eyeshadow palettes (including my Tarte rainforest disc that has some face products in it as well). All the palettes are Tarte, I love the quality and texture of the shadows.  They're beautifully pigmented and last all day- even when running after a toddler nephew and dealing with new niece spit up. The two 8 pan palettes are from the Tarte Sweet Indulgences kit I splurged on from QVC. I have two L'Oreal Infallible eyeshadows in my cream color and bronze- great for an easy everyday look, or great additions to the palettes I brought.  I also brought a pale iridescent pink Maybelline Color Tattoo.  My Too Faced Shadow Insurance primer- this is a sample size I thought was perfect for travel and it has been.  Two eyeliners in bronze and brown.  My Tarte Lights Camera Lashes mascara.  My eyebrow stuff form NYX- both cake powders and wax.  Then eyelash curlers.

And here are all the face products minor those I used in my Tarte Rainforest Palette.  So we have my usual BB Cream, Tarte Blush, Pixi Color Corrector, Benefit duo concealer, Maybelline Age Rewind, Benefit Porefessional Primer, Temptu highlighter, It Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye Concealer and my NYX Setting Spray.  This is really the bare minimum face stuff I need.  I always use my BB Cream and reach for one or two or all three of the concealers I brought depending on sleep.

So I have to say I'm pretty pleased with my packing job this trip.  I've used everything I brought except 3 items.  The Tatu liquid highlighter is gorgeous, but I just haven't felt the need to get "that" done up this holiday. I love it but it's kinda for a more glitzy look.  I also haven't used my Maybelline Color Tattoo, this item is the exact opposite, it's for a more casual look and I just haven't been in the mood.  Then the last thing is the Benefit Porefessional, and part of the reason I haven't used it is because I'm not quite sure how to integrate it into my routine in the first place. I use a BB Cream so I can't wear it under it, but if I put it on over it I sometimes look like I'm wearing way more face makeup than I actually am.  So out of everything I brought I feel pretty good that only three things didn't get use. 

The best thing I brought or the most useful would have to by my Rainforest After Dark Tarte palette because it's so multi-useful.  I can use it for eyes and face.  It has the bronzer I've been using all weekend as well as the highlighter, I haven't used the blush but that's okay cause everything else in the palette got action. 

So when I come home for Christmas pretty much the same things will be coming home, only I'll probably throw in my Too Face Chocolate Bar Palette for a few more color options, another lipstick option and a setting powder. I didn't need a setting powder too badly but I still feel better with one in my kit. 

Tomorrow I have to pack it all back up and take it back to College Station, but it'll all return again in 3 weeks for a little longer visit. 

What if all my makeup was stolen?!?!

First off I would cry. If someone stole all my makeup I would most definitely cry and then I'd have to prioritize what I'd repurchase and how much it costs. Maybe I should call State Farm and see how much $ they'd give me to repurchase my makeup... I should really insure it.

What kind of monster would steal my makeup thought?!? And oh my gosh they stole my brushes too?!  To make this experiment/challenge a little more interesting I've broken it up in 3 price ranges. If I had $100 to restock, $50 or $25.  And it's completely doable in all price ranges, but obviously some are a little more generous than others.  So let's start at the bare minimum with $25.

So this post came after watching all my favorite YouTuber's version of the stolen makeup, lost all the makeup or desert island makeup tag videos. Most of them didn't put a price cap on it but I needed a little more structure so I wouldn't go overboard.  SPOILER ALERT I have too much makeup.

$25 Restocking Challenge:
Wet N Wild Color Icon 5 Pan Palette in Naked Truth- $3.99 (usually on sale at Walgreens)
ELF Contouring Blush and Bronzer Duo in St. Lucia- $3.00 (Target or Online)**
3 ELF Essential Brushes @ $1 each- $3.00 total (Eye shadow brush, blending eye brush and contouring brush)
NYX Eyebrow Cake Powder in Brunette - $5.99 (from Ulta)***
Maybelline Great Lash Mascara in Blackest Black- $5.99 (Walgreens, Ulta, Target)
ELF Studio Concealer in Beige- $3 (Online or Target)
TOTAL- $24.97 (without Tax)

Some things I'm missing/making due without. Eyeliner- the darkest brown in the eyeshadow palette can double as eyeliner. No BB cream or allover face coverage which I didn't use until 8 months ago anyways so that's fine. I probably could have gotten a better concealer if I'd been willing to give up the eyebrow powders, but I like my eyebrow powders. Another thing missing is an eye shadow primer but I could use my elf concealer stick to act as a base and hopefully amp up the color on the eyeshadows with that.  But when looking at all these products I could get a very decent face full of makeup that I'd be very happy with.  I have most of these products already or have used them in the past so I know how they work and know that in a pinch $25 could get me through.

$50 Restocking Challenge:
Olay Fresh Effects BB Cream in Light Medium- $9.34 (if you can find it at a drugstore or Amazon)**
Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Concealer in Medium- $8.99 (Ulta or drugstores)
2 ELF Studio Brushes @ $3 each - $6 total (Studio Blush Brush and Studio Crease Brush)
2 ELF Essential Brushes @ $1 each- $2 total (Eye shadow brush and blending eye brush)
NYX Love in Florence Eye Shadow Palette- $3.99 (Ulta or Target)
NYC Bronzer in Sunny- $2.99 (Drugstores or online)
Wet N Wild Blush in Mellow Wine- $2.99 (Drugstores)
NYX Eyebrow Cake Powder in Brunette - $5.99 (from Ulta)***
Maybelline The Rocket Mascara in Blackest Black- $7.49**
TOTAL- $49.78 (without Tax)

That was harder! I wanted to definitely up my face game in this round since I had a little more money, but face products are expensive! Also I can't always find the BB Cream I like so that price could potentially go up or down if I go with another brand. I also wanted better concealer, stick concealers are usually very drying and while the ELF one from the $25 challenge is one I've used for years, I dislike using it on my under eyes. I still didn't get an eye primer in this round, but I got higher quality eyeshadows (even if not higher quality price) so hopefully that'll make up for it and again no eyeliner.  I got some of the same products in this round and the first- ELF makes excellent brushes and I'm perfectly happy with my NYX Eyebrow Cake Powders.  Again a lot of these products I already have and this makeup would make a face very similar to what I wear daily, minus eyeliner and highlighter.  But in all honesty there's probably wouldn't be that much of a different look-wise between this and the first round.

So on to the grand finale...

$100 Restocking Challenge
Olay Fresh Effects BB Cream in Light Medium- $9.34 (if you can find it at a drugstore or Amazon)**
Pixi Correction Concentrate Brightening Peach- $12.19 (from Target)
Real Techniques 5 piece brush starter kit- $17.99
ELF Studio Brush- $3 (Studio Blush Brush)**
ELF Contouring Blush and Bronzer Duo in St. Lucia- $3.00 (Target or Online)**

Too Faced Natural Eyes Palette- $36 (Ulta)

NYX Eyebrow Cake Powder in Brunette - $5.99 (from Ulta)***
Milani Liquid Eye Liner in Brown- $6.99 (Walgreens)
Wet N Wild Fergie Eye Primer- $3.59 (Walgreens or Target)
Maybelline The Rocket Mascara in Blackest Black- $7.49**
TOTAL- $99.59 (without Tax)

This is a wonderful and complete makeup look. I have every one of these items in my makeup stash and use them frequently. I've hit pan on my Natural Eyes Palette and Cake Powders so these are very loved items. I've gone through an entire BB Cream and 2 Liquid Eye Liners.  There are lots of duplicate items in this challenge and the $50.  The thing I spend the most on is eye shadow because shadows are my favorite part of any of my makeup looks. No matter how much money I get to spend I'll still get some ELF brushes because they are excellent. So overall this would be my favorite look mostly because of the eye shadows and I finally got eyeliner.

Okay so what did I learn? I spend way too much money on makeup, but we already knew that. And honestly all these things were purchased very far apart, not all at once. Given the choice I'd still buy a lot of the same products no matter what.  I think at any price you can find great makeup that works for you.  Also there are some things from the lower price challenges that I miss in this one, I love my ELF eye brushes, but the 5 piece Real Techniques brush set has been a part of my life for several years and given the opportunity to purchase it again I will.

Some things you'll notice missing. Setting powder all the under eye concealers I picked have a pretty satin finish after blending and don't really need setting, if I'd gotten a creamier concealer I would have needed it, but these are good.  Also missing is highlighter. I really only got into highlighter in the last 6 months or so and again in a pinch like concealers in lieu of primer I could use a sparkly eyeshadow as a highlighter.  Lipstick, lipgloss or something for the lips is probably the most glaring thing that's missing to some people, but I don't like wearing lipstick. I'm trying to, and in the last 3 months I've purchased a lot of lipstick, but it's more important to me to have my brows done than my lips.

In all these challenges I really only selected one high end makeup item and that's my Too Faced Natural Palette, I think the drugstore has wonderful makeup.  Yes I have some blushes that are high end, yes I have some mascaras and concealers that cost over $20 each but I honestly don't reach for them everyday, but everyday I do use a high end eyeshadow palette.

So I know it wouldn't be the end of the world if I lost all my makeup, and it honestly would be lots cheaper than the total value of my current collection to reach a base line that I'd be happy with.  I think these challenges are kinda fun, but also kinda scary when you actually have to look at the prices and what you're getting for them.  I'm still going to keep my fingers crossed that I never lose all my makeup.

Christmas Gift Guide! 2014

I am a terrible Christmas shopper, I usually wait till the very last minute, spend too much money and then end up having to get some people really crappy gifts.  This year I'm being strategic, I've decided to break up my list into two months. I'm buying half my peeps their things in November and the other half in December. Stuff that needs to be bought online is being purchased now and stuff that can be bought in a store can wait.  So far I've bought 2 out of 19 gifts. I'm also hoping not to overspend this year.  

But! You know what makes an excellent gift? Makeup. Or beauty stuff.  All the above! There are tons of things on my makeup wishlist I have a whole Pinterest board dedicated to it, but there are also things in my makeup collection that I think make excellent gift options.

Gift Ideas!

1. The Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette this is something I already have and love.  And a very special person on my gift list is getting one this Christmas too.  But this is a great gift for any eye shadow lover and especially neutral eye shadow lovers.  This has all the brown neutral tons you need with a few pops of purple and burgundy when you want a little extra.  It's reasonably priced at $49 and you get 16 shadows!!! Also it smells like chocolate because it's infused with cocoa powder. You can create so many looks with this one palette I am constantly recommending it to friends and anyone would be thrilled to get this candy bar in their stocking this Christmas.
2. The Lorac PRO To Go This is on my wish list. This eye and cheek palette is the perfect travel companion. I've been eyeing it for months! It has 6 beautiful highly pigmented neutral eye shadows and 3 cheek products. This product is great for anyone who travels a lot, or for a weekend get away or for someone looking for a palette they can create a consistent polished look from. I want it for all the above! I mostly want it for travel, when I go home to San Antonio for weekends and holidays I hate lugging 3 makeup bags home, it'd be so nice to take this, some brushes, mascara and a lipstick home and know I can get the look I want.  At $38 this is another super affordable gift for anytime of the year.
3. In the mood for something sweet?  This is on my wish list as well the Tarte Sweet Indulgences st from QVC. OMG this is beautiful.  16 beautiful eye shadows in a variety of neutral shades with both matte and shimmery finishes. Two amazonian clay blushes. 2 lipsurgence pencils, 1 lipsurgence gloass, 3 eyeliners and 2 lights, camera, flashes mascaras! Today only! It's on sale for $59.99 and tomorrow it'll go back to $72.50. It's only available from QVC.  It is currently taking all of my willpower to not purchase this product. 
4. Every major brand at Ulta or Sephora has holiday gift sets out this time of year. Tarte has some amazing ones, Too Faced has some of my favorite and Urban Decay has a bunch of great options too for the more bold at heardt. When it comes But if you don't know what to get somoene a Gift Card to Ulta or Sephora will do. 
5. Then the non-makeup makeup lover gift idea is the Bobbi Brown Makeup Manual another item on my wish list. This book is basically the bible of makeup for beginners and intermediates. Or anyone who loves makeup.  Bobbie Brown is a legend and literally wrote the manual that has no comparison.  I've seen this book in real life dozens of times but have never purchased it and at around $25 it's easily the most affordable gift on my list this year. 

Happy Shopping! 

My go to fall makeup.

Once upon a time I only had one go to makeup. The makeup I wore everyday, didn't edit and change with my outfits, or the season or the weather. I wore the same eye shadows, blush and concealer everyday.  Now all those things change...pretty much daily.  But this fall I've been using the same color range over and over.  I like a bronzey gold eye with a dusty rose cheek.  Unfortunately I have too many options for products to achieve this.  And require about 6 individual eye brushes to achieve just the eye shadow look.  But it's always fun, always new and always makes me be creative first thing in the morning.

Here's the process-

1. Olay Fresh Effects BB Cream in Light to Medium.  It's the perfect base it offers beautiful coverage without being drying or looking like heavy makeup.
2. Under Eye Concealer- either my Pixi Color Corrector or my IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Undereye.  Both are super hydrating but the IT Cosmetics is a little light and I usually have to set it, so I only use that when the bags are really unruly. 
3. Fergie Wet 'n Wild Eyeshadow Prime. I love this stuff! It's cheap and it works great.  It's very tacky though so I need to let it dry for at least 2-3 minutes before I pack on the eyeshadow.  
4. NYX Eyebrow Powder and Wax Pencil. While waiting for my primer to set I use the wax eyebrow pencil to place my brows, then I use the powder to fill in the gaps.  The wax helps the powder stay in place and the brows. To apply my brow powder I use my Real Techniques Small Detail brush. 
5. Oh the eyeshadow process so many steps
1. Cream color all over the lid up to the brow- I use either L'Oreal Infallible in Endless Pearl or  White Chocolate from the Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette- I use a flat Real Techniques brush for this 
2. Next I use a matte warm pale brown to warm up the crease like Salted Caramel from the Chocolate Bar Palette- I use a Maybelline brush I've had for years that doesn't have a name 
3. Then I layer a darker brown in the crease too but pull it down a little in my Chocolate Bar Palette I'll use Milk Chocolate and Semi-Sweet to build up different shades with the medium shade in the middle and the darker towards the outer v all while staying in the crease- I've been recently using the Up and Up eyes brush duo for this step
4. Next I decide if I want to just go smokey brown or burgundy and pick a satin finished brown or burgundy for the outer third of the lid and the lower part of the crease- I use the other Up and Up brush or a real techniques blending brush
5. Then I use a shimmery gold for the inner 3rd of the eye like Creme Brulee- I use a classic Sephora pencil brush 
6. Next I use eyeliner. Depending on how I feel I'll tightline with a brown khol pencil and then use brown gel liner from NYX for the top lash line, if lining the bottom lash line I'll use just a medium brown shadow with a smudger brush 
7. Next I move on to bronzer and use either my Tarte After Dark bronzer or NYC Bronzer in Sunny with a Real Techniques precision face brush
8. Then Blush from either Tarte After Dark or NYX Dusty Rose with an ELF small tappered brush
9. Then I highlight with my Tarte After Dark highlighter with an ELF small tappered brush as well
10. Next I add mascara. I've been loving my Urban Decay Subversion primer and Perversion mascara. I do mascara after bronzing and highlighting in case a get a little crazy and hit my lashes.
11. Then I finish up with lips, depending on how I feel I'll either just throw on a chapstick and call it a day or I love love love my Revlon Matte Balms or Kate Moss Rimmel pink nudes. They have good lasting power and don't stray too much.

Once everything is done I let it sit for a few minutes before topping it off with a setting spray. I have the NYX Dewey Setting spray or a homemade one from water and glycerin. I don't feel like either makes my makeup last any longer but it gets rid of any powdery look and add a touch of hydration on top.  And then I'm out the door.