Tag Archives: nyx

Ipsy Glam Bag: September

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Glam Bag September

Glam Bag September


Ipsy Time Everyone! My favorite $10 surprise of the month. This month’s theme was classic beauty and the bag was one of my favorites so far. The quality of the bags are getting better and better as the months go on. It’s a pretty royal blue with black butterfly pattern. I’m starting quite a collection of little bags! But let’s get to the good stuff, what’s inside!

Starlooks Kohl Eye Pencil in Obsidian: This is not my favorite eye pencil but definitely not my least favorite. It’s a bit on the dry side but not dry enough to tug. Because it’s a little on the dry side, it actually stays pretty well on the waterline. Not bad and you can always use another black liner.

NYX Single Eyeshadow in Lanikai: When I took this out of the bag, I LOVED the color. It’s a beautiful dusty blue color. NYX eyeshadows are notoriously hit or miss…and I’m afraid this one is a miss. Even with a primer, the color didn’t go on as nice as it could have.

SKYN Iceland Hydro Cool Firming Eye Gels: I got two sets of these and man, I wish I got more. You put these little gel-like pads under your eyes and they de-puff and cool. They feel SOOO good on the skin and visibly make a difference on your under-eye area. These are the win of the bag for me and I’m going to be looking into purchasing more.

De-Puff Time!

De-Puff Time!


It’s So Big Volumizing Mascara by Elizabeth Mott: It’s so Big: That’s a lofty claim. Unfortunately, it falls short. The formula of this mascara is odd. You take the wand out and it’s almost stringy. When I put it on my lashes, it does nothing more than define it. No length, no volume and doesn’t really build on itself. I guess it’s good for natural days but for day to day wear, I like a little more out of my mascara.

Cailyn Tinted Lip Balm in Big Apple: I wouldn’t go on calling this a tinted lip balm. It’s more like a lip stain. It goes on dry…something I don’t think of when I think Lip Balm. But, this stuff STAINS! I put it on with a balm over it and the color lasted all day. And the color I got is gorgeous. So I like it, and I’ll continue to wear it, but I don’t think of it as a tinted lip balm.

So there’s the goodies I got this month. What did you get? Haven’t gotten on the Ipsy train yet? What you waiting for?! GET ON BOARD: http://www.ipsy.com/?refer=u-hgj5grwiit6y1fo9

Ethereal Face of the Day

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White Eyeliner is In!

White Eyeliner is In!


Sometimes, you just need to do something a little bit different. This look was inspired by a tutorial by ShaaanXO on YouTube. She did an almost Fairy-like look with white eyeliner and I thought: Humm…that looks fun! So here is my take!
Ethereal Eyes

Ethereal Eyes


Eyes:
Maybelline Color Tattoo in Too Cool
MAC Stars & Rockets Eyeshadow
MAC Extra Dimension Eyeshadow in Opalesse
ELF Mineral Eyeshadow in Girly
NYX Retractable Eyeliner in White
Urban Decay 24/7 Eyeliner in Uzi
Revlon Lash Potion Mascara
Face:
Benefit 15 Hour Primer
Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation
Rimmel Wake Me UP Concealer
Laura Geller Balance n’ Brighten
ELF Color Stick in Persimmion
ELF Color Stick in Pink Lemonade
MAC Iridescent Pressed Powder in Belightful
Lips:
ELF Tinted Lip Balm in Pink
ELF Lip Gloss in ?? (The sticker fell off!)

I love all the iridescent and glowy elements and how they all come together for a really ethereal look!

Check out ShaaanXO! She’s super cute from New Zealand and does fierce makeup tutorials!

Bronze Overload

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This is me trying to 'smize' a la Tyra

This is me trying to ‘smize’ a la Tyra


Something happens when I put bronze on my eyes. I always feel the need to incorporate bronze into everything else that goes on my face resulting in a kind of monochrome looks. I suppose there are worse things. I mean, you can’t really do a monochrome look with green….unless, I guess, you’re Kermit. But seriously, with my (most of the time) green eyes, I think that bronze really makes them pop. Here’s the look:
Bronzed

Bronzed


Eyes:
Maybelline Color Tattoo in Bad to the Bronze
MAC Eyeshadow in Honesty
NYX Roll on Glitter in Nude
Tarte SmolderEyes in Sunstone Bronze
Maybelline Colossal Volume Express Mascara
Face:
Makeup For Ever Face and Body Foundation
Rimmel Stay Matte Powder
Collection Concealer
NYX Mosaic Powder in Dare
ELF Golden Bronzer
MAC Omega Eyshadow (for brows)
Lips:
Rimmel Show-Off Lip Lacquer in Stargazer

NYX Smokey Palette Look

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Smoked Out

Smoked Out


Everytime I go to Ulta, I see this Smokey Palette by NYX and for around $7, I caved one day. I like that it has a great blending color, as well as highlight color in it so you can really JUST use this little palette for your smokey look. NYX Shadows, in my opinion, are hit and miss sometimes but I was overall pleased with the quality in the palette. Here’s a good ole smokey look using my new little friend:
Smokey Eye

Smokey Eye


Eyes:
MAC Paint Pot in Painterly
NYX Smokey Palette
L’Oreal Carbon Black Lineur Intense
ELF Black Eyeliner
Maybelline Colossal Volume Express Mascara
Face:
Wet n’ Wild Coverall Foundation
Wet n’ Wild Coverall Pressed Powder
Hard Candy Glamoflauge Concealer
Maybelline Bouncy Blush in Coffee Cake
NYC Sunny Bronzer
Benefit Brow Pencil in Light
Lips:
Bare Minerals Moxie Lip Gloss in Spark Plug

June Favorites

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June Faves

June Faves


Since we are halfway(!) through the year, I thought now would be a good time to reflect on some of the makeup products and tools that I have been getting some good, hard use out of in the past month. I think it’s only proper to give a shout out to the things that have been helping me be the most fierce lately.

Inglot YSM Foundation: I know I just picked this up on my recent trip to Ireland but I can already tell you it’s going to be my favorite foundation. I can’t lie, I don’t think I had a favorite foundation before this…but I do now and I see myself repurchasing it for quite some time. Love the finish, love the lasting power, love the coverage. Love it!

NYX Push-Up Bra for Eyebrows: Silly Name. Awesome Product. I find most brow pencils to be either too hard or too soft. But I’m telling you Goldilocks would use this pencil because it’s Just Right. It also doesn’t have too much red in it, which is another problem with brown brow pencils. The highlighter end, like I said before, is a dupe for Benefit High Beam which is a product I’ve used and loved for a long time.

Cream Products for Face: There are so many cream products that I’ve been using for my face that it was hard for me to pick a specific one. I love using cream blushes/bronzers/highlighters during the Summer for that fresh Summer Glow! They are especially awesome when you have a bit of a tan. Some specific ones to mention are Sonia Kashuk Undetectable Creme Bronzer in Warm Tan and the ELF All Over Color Sticks.

Makeup Setting Sprays: I live in Texas. It’s hot. I sweat. A lot. Not a good combination of factors for lasting makeup. Setting Sprays to the rescue. A mist from one of these bad boys give my makeup at least a fighting chance in the Texas Heat. I’ve been using ELF Makeup Mist & Set, Urban Decay All-Nighter, and NYX Dewy Finish Setting Spray

Dishonorable Mention: ELF Triple Tip Waterproof Eyeliner Pen. I Love ELF. 9 times out of 10 their products are ah-mazing and perform as good if not better than their high end counter-part. And for a mere fraction of the price. This let me down. It looked like a dupe for the Too Faced 3 Way Eyeliner Pen, which I have and love. The Too Faced is $22 while the ELF Pen is $2. I’m sold! I should have known we were in trouble when the tip of the pen was hard….like scratch my eye hard. How can a felt tip pen be so hard?, I asked. But for only $2, I perservered. It applied ok, other than the hardness, but after I finished my whole face, I noticed that the inner corner of my upper lash line was creeping. Creeping up. Creeping to where eyeliner need not be. My eyes were not watery either. So I did an experiement where I put a swatch on my hand and let it sit. Then I wet my finger and rubbed across it. NOT. WATERPROOF. Sadly, that was the end for ELF’s poor little Waterproof Eyeliner Pen and he will now live out his days in the trash bin.

New Goodies Look

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Vacation Hangover

Vacation Hangover


Right when I got home from Vacation, I wanted to immediately do a look with as many of the new goodies I got on vacay/were waiting for in my Ipsy Glam Bag. I think I have found some new fave products in some of the new stuff! Here is the look I came up with:
Inglot Eyes

Inglot Eyes


Eyes:
Too Faced Shadow Insurance
Inglot Shadows: 324, 296, 399 and 47
Cailyn Gel Liner in Iron
Benefit Bad Gal Liner in Grey
Maybelline Volum Express Mascara
Face:
Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation in Ivory
Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer in Ivory
Physicians Formula Tone Correcting Powder in Translucent
NYX Mosaic Blush in Dare
NYX Liquid Illuminator in Gleam
NYX Push-Up Bra for Eyebrows
Lips:
Soap & Glory Sexy Mother Pucker in Half Naked

Yes, there is still a post coming on all the new goodies from abroad!

Ipsy Glam Bag: June

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Hey everyone! We are back from our UK Vacay and back to the disgusting heat of Texas in the summer. We had an awesome time and I picked up quite a few beauty items on the trip that I’ll share with you guys in a future post. BUT FIRST! Waiting patiently in the mail when we returned was my Ipsy Glam Bag for June and it did not disappoint at all.

Ipsy Glam Bag: June

Ipsy Glam Bag: June


Here’s the breakdown:

Let’s first start with the bag itself. Animal print and neon? Duh! Super cute and it feels more durable than the bag last month. (Not that I’ve had a problem with the bag from last month, just an observation!).

1. J. Cat Eyelashes and Glue Style EL99. These look really nice for a super glam look. The are long and a little flared at the ends, which will be great for a cat eye look. The band doesn’t look bulky or thick so I have high hopes that they will go on nicely. They also say they are 100% human hair….which I can’t lie, kind of creeps me out…are all lashes human hair? I don’t know. Anyway, I’ll try to remember to do a post when I wear them…maybe that false eyelash post that I’ve been meaning to do forever!

2. J. Cat Sparkling Cream Palette in Volta. Another J. Cat product. I’ve never heard of the brand but I’m going to go check out the line for sure. I’m not sure what to think about this glitter palette. It says to use caution around the eye area and I can see why since the glitter comes out super chunky. I’ll stick to my eye-safe Eye Kandy glitters for eye looks. So I guess it’s supposed to be a body glitter product? I’m not quite sure what I’ll use it for but I’ll put it in my professional kit and see if I can come up with a use for it there.

3. Cailyn Line Fix Gel Eyeliner in Iron. I actually have heard super good things about the Cailyn liners and had wanted to purchase one myself. So thanks Ipsy! I got the color Iron which is a pretty gunmetal grey. This stuff lasts for sure. I swatched it on my hand and literally had to scrub to get it off! The only thing to take into consideration is that it dries super fast so you have to work quick. Other than that, I love it and will have to invest in some more colors for super long wear.

4. Starlooks Tickle Me Pink Lip Pencil. I have heard of the Starlooks brand and had been cruising their site not to long ago so I was happy to see something from the brand in my bag. Lip pencils are something that are seriously lacking in my collection. I don’t really wear them as often as I should and never find myself gravitating to them at the store. So many more exciting things than lip liner. Tickle Me Pink is a really pretty true pink color and the pencil glides on very smooth. Not much other to say than it’s a lip pencil, and I like it.

5. NYX Mosaic Powder in Dare. Loves me some NYX and I don’t have any of their blushes so holler again to Ipsy! The Mosaic Powder is a powder blush comprised of 5 colors that you swirl together. The color that Dare comes out being is quite lovely. Not sparkly or matte but a nice satin finish that turns out peachy pink. Savy Likes!

So again, my Ipsy experience is a win! I also got a bonus Bauble Bar Bracelet for having 2 people sign up for the service! Shout out to Monica and Kymberli! If you want to join in on the fun too, click the link below! I’m happy to be back in the blogging groove…even if not happy to be back in America.

Join Ipsy!:
http://www.ipsy.com/?refer=u-hgj5grwiit6y1fo9

Pumped in Pink

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Pink is Fierce

Pink is Fierce


You all know that I’ve raved about the Color Tattoos. I just love them to pieces. This eye look features two of my fave pink tones together: Pomegranate Punk and Inked in Pink. I love a good Pink Eye….of the non-contagious variety, of course!
Non-Contagious Pink Eye

Non-Contagious Pink Eye


I concentrated the dark Pomegranate Punk on my lid and then blended the lighter Inked in Pink up into the crease for a sort of ombre’ effect. To blend into the browbone, I used Loreal Infallible Eyeshadow in Iced Latte. The Infallible Shadows are another product that I love to bits. They are like a pressed pigment almost. The color payoff is amazing and my only problem is that I need more of them! šŸ™‚ A good winged liquid liner added some pizazz. On the bottom lash line I used the Pomegranate Punk on the outer edge of the lid and faded it into the Inked in Pink. I lined my waterline in black and put a dab of the Iced Latte in the inner corners to brighten.

Here’s the look Breakdown:
Eyes:
Maybelline Color Tattoos in Inked in Pink and Pomegranate Punk
L’Oreal Infallible Shadow in Iced Latte
L’Oreal Carbon Black Lineur Intense
ELF Mineral Liner in Black (I just used it for the waterline)
Maybelline Volum Express Mascara in Glam Black
Face:
Cover Girl Whipped Creme Foundation
Rimmel Stay Matte Powder
Sonia Kashuk Undetectible Cream Bronzer in Warm Tan
Maybelline Bouncy Blush in Coffee Cake
Benefit High Beam
L’Oreal Magic Lumi Concealer
NYX Push Up Bra for Eyebrows
ElF Brow Gel
Lips:
NYX MegaShine Lip Gloss in Crystal Soda

When Ulta and Sephora Happen

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All I really have to say is Guilty. I’m so Guilty! I have absolutely no business buying new beauty products but the Shopping Gods called….and (un)fortunately, I answered! I did end up picking up some things that I had been eyeballing/hearing good stuff about. I picked up Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Exposed, Urban Decay 24/7 Eyeliner in Uzi, NYX Push Up Bra for Eyebrows and NYX Love in Florence Eyeshadow Pallet in Ciao Bella.

Ulta/Sephora Goodies

Ulta/Sephora Goodies

The Blush: This stuff is legit. I’ve heard nothing but raves about it and it seriously lives up to the hype! I tend to touch my face a lot (a bad habit, I know), and this stuff stayed put for real! The color is a perfect matte, nude that I think would be flattering on a lot of people. $26 is a bit much to spend on a blush but I didn’t need a lot and it stayed all day so I’ll definitely be buying more colors.

The Eyeliner: I’m obsessed with the color of this! Grey eyeliners are my go to for summer and this is a great one to add to my collection. It has a metallic finish that really looks like gun metal on the eye. On the eyelid, it performed splendidly but it didn’t stay on my waterline as long as I had hoped. Still on the hunt for that perfect stay put eyeliner that won’t creep down into my ‘laugh lines’. The color is amazing though, like I said.

The Brow Product: This little nugget is a two in one brow pencil/highlight. The highlight end is exactly like Benefit’s Eye Bright and the brow end is a real great ‘universal’ brow pencil. I’m always skeptical of ‘universal’ products but this particular color works for my brows. With a light hand, it’s not too dark and not red at all. I don’t think this would work for people with hair much lighter than mine. The pencil is not too soft or waxy and applies the color to your brows in a way that looks very natural, not ‘drawn’. (If that makes any sense) Given that the Eye Bright alone is $20, you can go and get this nugget for only $9.99 and have the brightener AND a great eye pencil all in one! I say, DEAL!

The Shadow Palette: I’ve been drawn to this palette ever since I spotted it online. I’ve even picked it up in the store and put it back down several times because my rational mind was going: “You DON’T need anymore eye palettes!” Well NYX items were buy one and get one 50% off. I knew I wanted the Push Up Bra (hehe) but couldn’t find anything else I wanted so I went ahead and caved. NYX Eyeshadows are hit and miss, in my opinion. Some perform beautifully, while some tend to be un-pigmented and chalky. When I swatched them on my hand without primer, the coral and satin grey weren’t very pigmented. I applied them to the eyes with some primer and the coral ended up being beautiful but I still couldn’t get anything out of the grey. The ‘highlight’ color and smokey color are excellent and the super shimmery grey is a fun way to add some glam to a look. Overall, I’m happy that I got it. I feel like I’m going to be able to get a lot of different looks out of this little palette.

New Haul Face

New Haul Face

So there’s a little review of the little (unnecessary) nuggets that I picked up…and of COURSE I had to use them ALL in a look. They actually all paired quite nicely together.

Ciao Bella Eyes

Ciao Bella Eyes