EOTD: Purple Shock!

Add a pop of bright purple to your lid -- it's quick and easy to do (and cheap if you use the same drugstore purple products I used)!

1. Apply Rimmel Exaggerate Waterproof Eye Definer in "Purple Shock" (~$4 USD) on entire lower lid, up to crease. Smudge it with the sponge on the end of the pencil or with your ring finger. This will act like a base for your eye shadow, and it'll help the purple really pop.
2. Apply Milani E/S in "Shock" (~$3 USD) on top of the Rimmel "Purple Shock" and blend just past the crease.
3. (Optional) Highlight your browbone (I used MAC E/S in "Femme Fi") and blend into the purple just above your crease.
4. Put on eyeliner of your choice (it would be fun to use a bright blue or teal color too!).

I had 5 extra minutes before leaving for school, so I came up with this quick look. Give it a try! :)

MAC Prep + Prime Line Filler Review

I got a free sample of MAC Prep + Prime Line Filler from my nearby freestanding MAC store. I never got a sample from MAC before, so I was pleasantly surprised when they gave me this cute little container for free (which I'll definitely be using to put loose pigments in when it's empty).

When I applied MAC Prep + Prime Line Filler on my hand, I could really see a difference -- the lines were filled in, holding up to its name.

I also tried it underneath my eye. Granted that I am still young (in my 20s)and don't have many lines to fill in (yet), the effect wasn't too noticable. It did leave my under eye area feeling extremely smooth and silky though.

After trying it out, I'm no longer in a rush to buy the whole tube (especially now that it's part of the permanent line). I do think it works though, and I recommend it to those who are looking for a product to smooth fine lines and wrinkles. There is a slight scent to it though (for those with sensitive eyes--like myself, but it didn't irritate me), so you might want to try it in the store or ask for a sample before you decide to buy it.

FOTD: Taupe and Gold Makeup Look

Here's my first look using the MAC eyeshadow refill pans in "Omega" and "Satin Taupe" that I got last week. "Omega" is a nice matte taupe color that is great for natural or smokey brown looks. If you're blonde, you could also try this shade for your eyebrows.

EYES

Two Faced Shadow Insurance (entire lid)

MAC Paint Pot in "Indianwood" (lower lid)

MAC E/S in "Sugarshot" (highlight and tear duct)

MAC E/S in "Omega" (crease)

MAC E/S in "Satin Taupe" (outer V and contour)

MAC E/S in "Amber Lights" (inner and center lid)

MAC Fluidline in "Blacktrack" (upper lashline)

CHEEKS

MAC Powder Blush in "Harmony" (contour)

MAC Sheertone Blush in "Peaches" (apples of cheeks)

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Medium/Natural and Shimmer (shimmer just above apples, powder on T zone -- forehead, nose, and chin)

LIPS

MAC L/S in "Touch"

Light Blue Makeup Look (using MAC "Mutiny" Pigment)

This is a very simple daytime look using MAC Pigment Colour Powder in "Mutiny" (LE). This pigment is part of the Rose Romance collection, and it's $19.50 USD.
I wanted my eye shadow to be light, but if you want to make it darker, apply the pigment wet (with a mixing medium or a little bit of MAC Fix+ Spray).

EYES
MAC Paint Pot in "Soft Ochre"
MAC E/S in "Vanilla" (all over lid)
MAC Pigment Colour Powder in "Mutiny" (pack on lower lid and blend upwards just above crease)
MAC Fluidline in "Blacktrack" (upper lash line)

CHEEKS
MAC Powder Blush in "Harmony" (contour cheek bones)
MAC Sheertone Shimmer Blush in "Dollymix" (on apples of cheeks and blend just above "Harmony")
MAC Creme Colour Base in "Pearl" (dab lightly just above "Dollymix" with fingertips to add highlight)

LIPS
MAC L/S in "To Swoon For"

Mini MAC Haul + Mutiny Pigment Swatch

I went to my local MAC store yesterday to check out the Rose Romance collection that just launched. I wasn't too excited about most of the eye shadows and lipsticks, because they were (for the most part) light/muted shades. From the collection, I ended up buying MAC Pigment Colour Powder in "Mutiny" and a refill pan of "Creme de Violet" eye shadow (matte purple with bright gold flecks). I also got another blush refill in "Harmony", because I like this color to contour.


"Mutiny" pigment was actually released with the Naugty Nauticals collection last year. It's such a pretty light blue color. The picture below doesn't do it justice. This is how it looks with no base, so you could definitely make it pop with a blue base like MAC Paint Pot in "Delft" or apply it wet.

I got to play with this pigment this morning, so that means a new FOTD is coming up!

My Coastal Scents Collection (+ Sale)!

Coastal Scents is having a 15% off sale off everything on their website! Orders must be placed before April 26, 2009 midnight EST.

Here are the products I bought from Coastal Scents so far:

• 88 Piece Makeup Palette ($21.95 regular price; $18.66 after discount)




• Ultra Shimmer 88 Eye Shadow Palette ($24.95 regular price; $21.21 after discount)



• 10 Piece Professional Blush Palette ($16.95 regular price; $14.41 after discount)
• 28 Piece Eye Shadow Neutral Palette (great for everyday makeup and weddings) ($21.95 regular price; $18.66 after discount)




• Contour & Blush Palette ($19.95 regular price; $16.96 after discount)




• Pink Kabuki Brush ($4.99 regular price; $4.24 after discount)





• Italian Badger Angle Brush (currently out of stock -- but this one had a really weird odor to it when I got it. I had to wash it several times and air it out before I started using it.)

I use the Ultra 88 Shimmer Palette the most (I've posted a few looks using this palette), so I definitely recommend it, especially if you do not have very many colors in your makeup kit and you want to start experimenting with different colors without have to spend a lot of money.

These are some of the new products that I want to order:

• 42 Color Double Stack Matte Shadow & Blush (not so much for the blush, but the eye shadows look awesome -- looks like it has some potential MUFE dupes) ($28.95 regular price; $24.61 after discount)




• 42 Color Double Stack Shimmer Shadow & Blush (unfortunately the blushes are the same as the ones in the matte kit, but the eye shadows are great -- some MAC dupes for sure! I will probably stack the shimmer and matte eye shadows together in one palette and put all the blushes in the other.) ($28.95 regular price; $24.61 after discount)

• 66 Color Lip Palette (the blue lip colors look a little out there, but I'm curious to see how it looks!) ($19.95 regular price; $16.96 after discount)
  

• Jumbo Italian Badger Fan Brush (to use with my MAC Mineralize Blush Duos that are extremely pigmented) ($11.95 regular price; $10.16 after discount)
  

The Hot Pots look really nice too, but I don't want to get addicted. I think I'll stick with these for now.

Do you have any Coastal Scents products? What's on your wish list?

MAC Pro Refill Haul

I went to the freestanding MAC store in Burlingame, CA last Sunday. Of all the MAC locations nearby, I like this one the most because it's almost always not busy. There's only about 1 or 2 other customers in the store when I go (and I have only gone on weekends so far). The only negative is that they close a lot earlier than other stores. But the good news is that there's a Sephora only a few steps away that stays open a little later. :)

Here's what I hauled:


MAC Pro Colour Blush Palette (holds 6 blush refill pans)
MAC Sheertone Shimmer Blush Pro Refill Pan in "Dollymix"
MAC Sheertone Blush Pro Refill Pan in "Blushbaby"
MAC Sheertone Blush Pro Refill Pan in "Peaches"
MAC Pro Colour E/S Palette (holds 15 eye shadow refill pans)
MAC Pro E/S Refill Pans in (from top to bottom, left to right): "Tete-A-Tint", "Yogurt", "Knight Divine", "Omega", and "Satin Taupe".

Click on the image above to see the blushes up close. From left to right, "Peaches", "Blushbaby", and "Dollymix". This is the first time I'm trying the blushes in refill pans. Each one is $15 USD. They are normally $18, so I'm saving $3 by buying the refill pans (though the blush palette was $12). If you're new to MAC blushes, I definitely recommend starting off with a peach blush and a pink blush like "Peaches" and "Dollymix" -- those will be enough to match a majority of makeup looks.

As for the e/s palette -- my boyfriend bought that for me including the 5 e/s refill pans I mentioned above (palette $12, e/s refill pans $11 each). It's part of his anniversary gift to me (coming up this Thursday). We've been celebrating every month for 2+ years, and I guess we just haven't gotten tired of it yet. :)

I'm trying to switch over as much of my makeup to these palettes now so that I have more room in the bathroom. I now have three e/s palettes (including this new one) and one blush palette. They all look the same though from the outside, so I'll probably label them with some stickers.

If you're interested in going the MAC Pro refill pan route, just remember that not all MAC locations sell the pro refills. MAC counters at Macy's, Nordstrom, and other department stores most likely do not carry these refills. Visit a freestanding MAC store or MAC Pro store near you!

Smokey Brown Makeup Look

While I was in Australia, the movie "Hoodwinked!" was showing on TV in my hotel room. I started watching the first half hour, and I was actually enjoying it (LOL). I like corny jokes though, so if you do too, I recommend it haha. Anyway, the title of the movie reminded me that there's a MAC eye shadow called "Woodwinked" that I bought last December but haven't really used. So I used it yesterday and here's what I came up with:

EYES

MAC Paint Pot in "Soft Ochre"

MAC E/S in "Shroom" (highlight)

MAC E/S in "Espresso" (crease)

MAC E/S in "Woodwinked" (lower lid)

MAC E/S in "Ground Brown" (applied just above crease with MAC 266 brush; blend!)

MAC Fluidline in "Blacktrack"

CHEEKS

MAC Mineralize Blush Duo in "Light Over Dark"

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in "Soft & Gentle"

LIPS

MAC Cremestick Liner in "Caramellow"

MAC L/S in "Touch"

:)

Smokey Blue Black Makeup Look

Hi! Hope you're having a good weekend so far. :) I tried my new Prescriptives U-Pick Eye Color in "Cobalt" today. It's a newly released shimmery blue shade that I picked up at Macy's last week.

I wore a new blue tank top from Old Navy with a black vest from Forever 21 to match my makeup.

EYES

Too Faced Shadow Insurance (all over lid)

MAC Paint Pot in "Delft" (on lower lid)

MAC E/S in "Ricepaper" (highlight)

Prescriptives U-Pick Eye Color in "Cobalt" (on lower lid, on top of "Delft")

Milani E/S in "Storm" (on outer V and 3/4ths of crease)

MAC Fluidline in "Blacktrack"

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in "Electric" (lower lash line)

MAC E/S in "Vellum" (tear duct)

CHEEKS

MAC Beauty Powder Blush in "Fun & Games" [from Hello Kitty Collection]

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in "Soft & Gentle"

LIPS

MAC L/S in "Bubbles" [from Sugarsweet Collection]

I still have three more U-Pick eye shadows that I haven't tried yet -- Green Tea (shimmer), Relic (satin), and Blackberry (matte). Green Tea and Blackberry are also brand new shades. I chose Blackberry (a dark purple that is similar to MAC Shadowy Lady) as my free U-pick shade (buy 3 get 1 free at Macy's). I'll come up with looks for those soon!

Bronzy Beach Makeup Look (using Too Faced Duos)

After a week of rainy and extremely windy weather, the sun has come out and it's beautiful outside! It's supposed to be in the 80s this weekend, so I'll probably make a trip to the beach for a picnic and some sandcastle building. :) Here's my bronzy beach look that I'm wearing today:

I used the Too Faced products that I blogged about yesterday. The eye shadow duos are really easy to blend.

EYES

Too Faced First Base (apply as a primer on the lower lid and blend upwards toward brow bone with finger)

Too Faced E/S Duo in "George & Weezie" (light gold color as highlight, light brown color on the crease)

Too Faced E/S Duo in "Full Frontal" (brown color on the lower lid and blend up to crease)

MAC Fluidline in "Blacktrack" (as eye liner)

CHEEKS

MAC Mineralize Blush Duo in "Light Over Dark"

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in "Soft & Gentle"

LIPS

MAC L/S in "Frenzy"

Happy Friday!

Ulta Haul!

I just got home from taking 2 midterms, and I'm running on 3 hours of sleep. I wanted to post these pictures before I take a nap. :) Here's what I got at Ulta last Sunday:


Too Faced First Base Soothing Eye Shadow Base ($17 USD)
Too Faced Eye Shadow Duo in "George & Weezie" ($17 USD)
Two Faced Eye Shadow Due in "Full Frontal" ($17 USD)
Casaro Double-Ended Sponge Applicators 30 Count (~$4 USD)

I got 20% off everything (coupon came in the mail for Ulta Club Members -- it's free to join!).

The First Base primer is just as smooth as it claims to be. It's a shimmery base, unlike Too Faced Shadow Insurance. I'm a big fan of Shadow Insurance though, so I'll have to try First Base a few times before I let you know if it's a must-have.

Click on the image to see the eye shadow colors up close. My favorite of the Two Faced e/s duos is George & Weezie. Both of these duos will be great for bronzy looks in the sunny months ahead.

Stila Precious Pearl Palette Swatches + Thoughts

I was initially pretty excited about this Stila eye shadow palette, because I really liked how the swatches turned out (on top of a base). However, the colors were actually a lot nicer on my hand/arm than they were on my eye lids. I wore the four eye shadows from the left, but I wasn't impressed. And to make things worse, my eyes got extremely irritated -- I'm not sure whether it's the crushed pearl or not. I wear contacts, and I have never experienced that type of irritation with any other product.

I ended up returning it at Sephora -- no questions asked. I used the money I got back to buy a U-Pick Prescriptives quad e/s refillable compact at Macy's (they have a buy 3 get 1 free deal). I haven't tried Prescriptives before, but I figured after how bad my eyes were feeling, something that sounds like a medical term would be worth a shot. :)

After what I went through, I don't really recommend this product. In case you do buy this Stila Precious Pearl palette, just be careful with your eyes! My vision is bad enough already :\

Happy Easter!

I hope you all had a great Easter! I visited my family today. We went to church, ate ham for lunch, and then dropped by Ulta. :X So that means there'll be another haul post coming soon haha. I just wanted to share with you some of the goodies I got for Easter. This is a yummy Lindt milk chocolate bunny from my mom:

When I was younger, I was always excited about looking for Easter eggs and finding my Easter basket (the "Easter Bunny" used to hide my basket somewhere in my room while I was sleeping -- usually my closet LOL). Now that I'm "too old" for baskets, I still keep my hopes up for one. :) I lucked out this year -- my boyfriend got me this cute basket!

Here are the goodies that are inside:

Mixed in with the candy and colored pencils was a Milani eye shadow in "Storm" and a Revlon Illuminance Creme Shadow in "Twilight" (referring to the book that I was really into earlier this year). :)

My boyfriend bought this cute chocolate in Australia when we were there for Spring Break. He's too cute to eat though, so we decided to just name him instead -- "Douglas".

Hope you all enjoyed your weekend!

CCO Haul!!!

C-C-O! C-C-O! That's what my mom and I say when we're at a factory outlet and my sister takes too long at a store that's not CCO. :) For those of you who are not familiar with CCO, it stands for Cosmetic Company Outlet. They sell a lot of brands like MAC, Bobbi Brown, Clinique, Stila, Estee Launder, Prescriptive, etc. at about 30% off retail price. Most of the items are either discontinued or leftovers that did not completely sell out (for example, items from various MAC collections). I always walk out of a CCO with a good amount of makeup and a big smile on my face.



I got these four Bobbi Brown eye shadows. The colors are (from left to right) Shimmer Wash E/S in "Rose Gold 8", E/S in "Cocoa 13", Shimmer Wash E/S in "Chocolate 11", and E/S in "Mahogany. These were $13.50 each.



Before this haul, I owned only one Bobbi Brown product, which is this eye shadow on the right. I went to Carmel-by-the-Sea for a short vacation right before Spring semester began, and I bought this eye shadow in "Mahogany" for my eye brows. I really like using Bobbi Brown for my eye brows because the color really stays and doesn't smudge, even when I accidently touch it throughout the day. The eye shadow that I bought on the right is the newer square packaging. It was around $25, and it has .08oz/2.5g of product. However, at CCO, I got this same eye shadow color for $13.50, and it has .11oz/3.2g of product. Whoohoo!

I was surprised to see that they had MAC "Femme Fi" eye shadow there too. It was $10. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this color, and if you haven't already noticed, I use it a lot as my highlight color. I bought this color when the Blonde, Brunette, Redhead collection came out earlier this year. It actually came out with the Neo-Sci Fi collection last summer (which is why it's in orange packaging).

This next item is from DF&CCO (Designer Fragrance & Cosmetic Co.), but I decided to include it in this post anyway. My mom bought this lipstick for me, since they were having a buy 2 for $15 sale on Lancome lipsticks and eye shadows. This lipstick shade is "Luminous", and it has a very pretty pink shimmer to it.

I will definitely be wearing this one over some other lipsticks, so keep an eye out for it in an upcoming FOTD (Face of the Day) makeup look.

All in all, CCO in Vacaville was a success. The one in Gilroy doesn't have as great of a selection as Vacaville. However, my all-time favorite CCO (of the ones I've been to) is still in Las Vegas -- it's makeup heaven!

What's your favorite CCO location?

Sephora Haul: New Stila Items!

I went shopping last Saturday with my mom and sister. We went to Vacaville Premium Outlets, and then made a last minute stop to Sephora on our way home. I already posted pictures of the MUFE #92 purple eye shadow in my Prom Purple post, so I wanted to share what else I got at Sephora that day.

I have been eyeing this eye shadow palette ($40 USD) since the first time I saw it at Sephora in February. These eye shadows are made with genuine pearl. The minerals and proteins contained in genuine pearl nourish your skin, leaving it soft and smooth. These can be applied either wet or dry.

The case is really cute too!

Stila also came out with a new beauty collection called "My Mother, My Hero". It's meant to be a gift set for Mother's Day. I still bought it for myself anyway (even though I'm not a mom haha), because it is a really great bargain. These 5 items are only $38 USD total, and it's valued at $110!

Here's a close up of the makeup (click on image to enlarge). I bought the eye shadow trio in Gold Glow a long time ago (~ 5 years ago I think), and I used it everyday when I didn't own as much makeup. This trio is $28 by itself, and the illuminating finishing powder (in bronze) is $32 -- so $38 for this entire set is such a good deal!

The clutch is cute too -- and if you do decide to buy this set as a gift, everything in the box is wrapped in pretty tissue that matches the outside of the box.

I acquired enough points (again) to get a free gift at Sephora (sign up for the Beauty Insider Rewards Program if you haven't already -- it's free), so I also scored this Bare Escentuals Mineral Veil sample with small brush. The brush is tiny, but it's really soft.

I haven't tried any of my new items yet, but I will definitly post some pictures of the looks I come up with soon.

I'll post my CCO haul pictures next. :)