Nerdy Girl Makeup

This site has moved to www.nerdygirlmakeup.com!

2010-02-02T12:35:00.000-08:00

Hi! I've officially moved over to my new website: http://www.nerdygirlmakeup.com I already have new tips, looks, reviews, and more on my new site, so please visit me there! I have always wanted to make a website about makeup, and I'm excited that this day has finally come. :)

I was once told that girls only wear makeup to impress guys. I never believed in that -- to me, makeup is a way to express our inner creativity, to showcase art on our face -- our mobile canvas. Makeup is a fun way to explore colors, and it's also a way to bring out confidence. Although it's nice to get dolled up for a date, I don't think that makeup's sole purpose is to impress people that we want to like us. I see makeup as another opportunity for learning and expressing ourselves.

My goal is to break the stereotype of the nerdy girl, who are thought to not care much about their appearance. Sometimes we're just too busy studying or working, as nerdy girls tend to put those first. Makeup can be intimidating if you don't know anything about it. Now that time has come where learning makeup will be easy. My goal is to break down application techniques so that you can focus on being creative with colors and enjoying makeup.

I just finished my degree in Computer Science, and I finally have more time on my hands to write about makeup, hair, fashion, and cool nerdy gadgets. I also completed my professional makeup artistry certificate in Hollywood last summer, so that I can share what I have learned. Nerdy Girl Makeup is a place where I can share all my interests in all things pretty and nerdy, and where I can help nerdy girls learn about (and love) makeup too.

Comments? Ideas? Requests? Feel free to e-mail me at , and let me know! See you at my new site!

Interview Makeup Look

2009-06-25T10:57:00.000-07:00

Here's a look I would wear to a job interview or to a business meeting. For formal occasions, I normally stick to neutral colors with a little bit of contouring, a touch of blush, and eye shadows that are shades of brown, light gold/peach, and cream.

I use a light color on the inner corners of my eyes to bring attention to them. When you're interviewing or meeting with people, you want to make eye contact during most if not all of the conversation -- your eyes should be the focal point.

EYES
MAC Paint Pot in "Soft Ochre" (entire lid)
MAC E/S in "Honey Lust" (inner and center lid)
MAC E/S in "Nylon" (blend on tear duct and apply on inner lower lash line to brighten eye)
MAC E/S in "Saddle" (outer corner)
MAC E/S in "Antiqued" (outer V, on top of "Saddle")
MAC Fluidline in "Blacktrack" (upper lash line)

CHEEKS
MAC Powder Blush in "Harmony" (contour)
MAC Sheertone Blush in "Peaches" (apples of cheeks)

LIPS
MAC L/S in "Jist"

I also straightened my hair with a flat iron in these pictures. My hair is already naturally straight, but I like to flat iron my hair to give it extra shine. I used the Chi flat iron my mom got me for my last birthday. :)

Colorful Makeup Look

2009-06-18T22:27:00.000-07:00

I bought a colorful plaid shirt from Forever 21 last night, and I wore it today. I used purple, pink, green, and blue makeup to match the colors of the shirt.

EYES
MAC Paint Pot in "Soft Ochre" (entire lid)
MAC E/S in "Sour Lemon" and "Aquadisiac" (mixed together and applied on inner corner)
MAC E/S in "Swish" (center lid)
MUFE E/S in #92 (outer V and blend slightly on crease)
MAC E/S in "Ricepaper" (highlight)
Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in "Electric" (lower lash line)
MAC E/S in "Electric Eel" (outer to center lower lash line)
MAC E/S in "Aquadisiac" (inner to center lower lash line)
MAC Fluidline in "Blacktrack"

CHEEKS
Estee Launder Signature Silky Powder Blush in "Rose Nuance"

LIPS
MAC L/S in "Snow Orchid"

I'm still gathering items for my first giveaway. Stay tuned! Subscribe/follow my blog! :)

MACCosmetics.com Sale Starts Now!

2009-06-15T11:39:00.000-07:00

I just got this email from MACCosmetics.com! Use code EARLY25 to get 25% off online purchases today (on shipments to the US only). Happy Shopping!!!

Save the Date: 25% off at MACcosmetics.com!!!

2009-06-13T12:15:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! Start making your MAC list! MAC Cosmetics is having 25% off online purchases from June 16 to 18, 2009!

This offer is only valid in the United States and Canada, online only (not at the stores).

Just enter SUMO at checkout!

They now have the MAC Pro refill pans and palettes on http://www.maccosmetics.com/, so I will probably order more of these! I also want to get another Fluidline, because I love how it doesn't smudge even when my eyes are watery.

What's on your list? :)

My New Shoes!

2009-06-12T14:23:00.000-07:00

I first saw Blowfish shoes at Macy's a couple months ago. I tried on a pair, and I really liked how the material felt on the inside of the shoe. It's so soft and comfortable. I didn't buy it right away, because I wanted to wait for a sale. I have a Macy's card, so I got some coupons in the mail -- $20 off any $50 purchase. So I went to Macy's last Sunday to look for the black flat shown on the bottom of the picture. I couldn't find it anywhere! Then before I was ready to leave, I found one on the clearance rack for only $27.30! I ended up getting a pair of flat boots too (which was also on clearance), so that I could use my coupon. The grand total was only about $39 with tax for both pairs! These are the first pairs of shoes I bought this year (I've been trying to be good haha), and I'm glad I got such a great deal. :)

They come in other colors too, for example:

If you try a pair, I suggest going 1/2 size up like I did. They run a little small.

Have a fun Friday!

Pink and Purple Makeup Look

2009-06-11T14:53:00.000-07:00

I bought MAC Pro refill pan eye shadows in "Creme de Violet" and "Yogurt" in April, but I haven't used them yet! I put them in my "colorful" MAC Pro palette (I named each of my palettes -- the others are "natural" and "smokey"). I just realized that they were untouched, so I definitely wanted to use them today.

"Creme de Violet" is a matte purple color with bright gold flecks, and "Yogurt" is a matte pale pink. In case you have the Hello Kitty "Too Dolly" palette, "Yogurt" is one of the four colors.

And speaking of Hello Kitty, I decided to use my MAC Hello Kitty Beauty Powder Blush in "Tippy" too!

EYES
MAC Paint Pot in "Fresco Rose" (lower lid)
MAC E/S in "Yogurt" (inner corner and highlight)
MAC E/S in "Creme de Violet" (center and outer lid)
MAC E/S in "Swish" (use to blend where "Yogurt" and "Creme de Violet" meet)
MAC Fluidline in "Blacktrack"

CHEEKS
MAC Hello Kitty Beauty Powder Blush in "Tippy" (on apples and blend toward temples)
MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in "Medium/Natural and Shimmer" (shimmer just above apples; powder on forehead, nose, and chin)

LIPS
MAC Cream Colour Base in "Crushed Bougainvillea"
Lancome Color Fever L/S in "Luminous"

Dupes: MAC vs. Milani Eye Shadow

2009-06-10T12:20:00.000-07:00

Hello my lovely readers! You may have noticed that I like using Milani powder eye shadows from time to time in many of my looks. Although I could use MAC eye shadows, I intentionally use Milani sometimes to show how great the colors are. Milani is definitely a wonderful alternative to some of the MAC eye shadows, especially if you don't want to spend as much money. Milani eye shadows typically sell for $3.99 USD (regular price) whereas MAC eye shadows are $14 USD (or $11 USD for a MAC Pro refill pan).

I came up with the idea for this post a few months ago, so I was slowly buying both Milani eye shadows and MAC eye shadows that look similar so that I could post more dupes for you. So here they are!

MAC "Stars 'N' Rockets" and Milani "Shock" are very similar. "Shock" is a little more purple toned, but I usually use "Stars 'N' Rockets" on top of a purplish base to bring out the purple anyway.

MAC "Black Tied" is a bit darker than Milani "Storm", but they look pretty much identical if you apply a couple layers of "Storm" to make it darker. They also match in the silver shimmer as well!

I couldn't decide which one Milani "Java Bean" would be a MAC dupe for. I think the closest in shade is MAC "Mulch" (they look the same even in the pan), but the closest in shimmer would probably be "Twinks" or "Glamour Check!" (part of the Starflash collection). What do you think is the closest match?

The first Milani eye shadow I bought was "Blue Ice". I got it when I barely owned any blue eye shadows. Of the MAC eye shadows I have, the closest one to "Blue Ice" is "Fall Deeply" from the MAC Devoted Poppy: 6 Classic Eyes palette (Holiday 2008 Collection). They vary a little in color, but I think it's still a close match for the price.

I also own two of the Milani Runway Eyes single eye shadows ("Leaf Green" and "Caribbean Sea"), but I don't think they are as nice as the smaller Milani eye shadows in my pictures. The Runway Eyes are more expensive too (I bought mine for $4.99, which I believe was on sale). Don't be deceived by the pretty shimmer -- as soon as I swipe some off the top, the rest of the eye shadow underneath doesn't have the same shimmer. Boo.

I highly recommend checking out the Milani powder eye shadows (there are more shades than the ones I've included in my pictures). I also have the Runway Eyes Fashion Shadows in "Glamorous Gems" -- this is awesome too! It comes with six colors, and the colors are vibrant. They are a little pricier though (~$8.99 USD), but I got mine on sale for $5.99. I also looked it up on Amazon.com, and I found some for only $6.99!

I usually buy Milani products at Walgreens and Target, but I think they are sold in other places as well (Longs/CVS). They also have a website: http://www.milanicosmetics.com

One last thing I want to mention in this post:

I'm going to have my very first contest/giveaway soon, so subscribe to (or follow) my blog so that you don't miss it! :)

Flip and Antiqued Brown Makeup Look

2009-06-09T16:37:00.000-07:00

After writing my post yesterday about using MAC "Flip" eye shadow instead of "Gorgeous Gold" for a more golden look, I decided to do it so that I could take a picture and show you how it would look like.

I used different blush and lipstick this time for some variety. I like the look of "Flip" eye shadow more than "Gorgeous Gold", and I think it would look nice with any type of outfit because it's more neutral.

The steps I used for the eye shadow application is the same as yesterday's look:

EYES
Too Faced Shadow Insurance (entire lid)
MAC E/S in "Flip" (inner corner)
MAC E/S in "Saddle" (center to outer lid)
MAC E/S in "Antiqued" (outer V and blend towards center)
MAC E/S in "Vanilla" (highlight)
MAC Fluidline in "Blacktrack"

CHEEKS

MAC Mineralize Blush Duo in "Light Over Dark" (use the dark color to contour and the light color on apples of cheek)

LIPS
MAC L/S in "Touch"

If you try other colors besides "Flip" and "Gorgeous Gold", I'd love to see a picture! I think the "Saddle" and "Antiqued" combination is so nice and can be used with another color that matches some part of your outfit. Email me your photo (nerdygirlmakeup@gmail.com), and you could be featured on my blog. :)

Gorgeous Gold and Brown Makeup Look

2009-06-08T11:45:00.000-07:00

The first MAC eye shadows that I completely used up were "Antiqued" and a limited edition shade called "Bagatelle". I finally bought a refill pan of "Antiqued" on Friday, and I have added it to my MAC palette collection. Unfortunately, I haven't found "Bagatelle" anywhere -- it's a soft, goldish tan color that's great as a highlight and for inner corners. Here's a look that I used to wear almost everyday, but with "Gorgeous Gold" instead of "Bagatelle":

EYES
Too Faced Shadow Insurance (entire lid)
MAC E/S in "Gorgeous Gold" (inner corner)
MAC E/S in "Saddle" (center to outer lid)
MAC E/S in "Antiqued" (outer V and blend towards center)
MAC E/S in "Vanilla" (highlight)
MAC Fluidline in "Blacktrack"

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 forehead, nose, and chin)

LIPS
MAC L/S in "Tanarama"

I think "Gorgeous Gold" kind of has a yellowish-lime look to it, so I wore a lime green shirt when I wore this makeup look on Saturday. You can substitute MAC "Flip" or "Amber Lights" to achieve a more golden look.

Quick EOTD: Colorful Look

2009-06-05T20:21:00.000-07:00

This is what I used and what I did (in order):

Too Faced Shadow Insurance (entire lid)
MAC E/S in "Bright Sunshine" (inner corner)
MAC E/S in "Paradisco" (center lid; blend where it meets "Bright Sunshine")
bright pink E/S from Coastal Scents 88 Piece Makeup Palette (6th row, 7th column; apply to 3/4ths part of lower lid towards outer corner without overlapping "Paradisco")
light orange E/S from Coastal Scents 88 Piece Makeup Palette (3rd row, 9th column; use this color to blend edge where "Paradisco" and bright pink meet -- this will create a gradient effect)
MUFE E/S in #92 (outer V and blend slightly on crease)
MAC E/S in "Vanilla" (highlight)
MAC Fluidline in "Blacktrack" (upper lash line)

Alternatively, you can just use the 88 palette for all the colors. I just like MUFE #92 so much, because it's the most vibrant bright purple I've come across so far!

You can find a picture of the 88 palette here in case you want to look up the colors.

Have a great weekend!

Office-Friendly Makeup Look with a Pop

2009-06-04T10:09:00.000-07:00

I used MAC E/S in "Newly Minted" to add a hint of colorful teal for this look. Putting a bright color that matches your clothes on your lower lid and then blending a brown/taupe color on your crease helps dim down the brightness to give you a more professional yet youthful look.

Here's what I used and how I applied this makeup:

EYES
Too Faced Shadow Insurance (entire lid)
MAC E/S in "Newly Minted" (lower lid)
MAC E/S in "Satin Taupe" (outer corner and crease; blend with a fluffy brush like MAC 224)
MAC E/S in "Brule" (highlight)
MAC Fluidline in "Blacktrack" (upper lash line)

CHEEKS
MAC Powder Blush in "Harmony" (contour)
MAC Sheertone Blush in "Blushbaby"" (on apples of cheeks and blend just above "Harmony")
MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Medium/Natural and Shimmer (shimmer just above apples; powder forehead and chin)

NOSE (optional)
MAC Powder Blush in "Harmony" (contour sides and bottom tip of nose with MAC 224 brush; use a light hand!)
MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Medium/Natural and Shimmer (shimmer down the nose, between the contoured sides)

LIPS
MAC L/S in "Touch"

MAC Matte2 Eye Shadows For Less!

2009-06-03T14:25:00.000-07:00

I've seen MAC eye shadows at Costco for a few months now, but I only bought one of the shades ("Orb") because for ~$10 USD, I didn't think it was that good of a deal when I could just buy the refill pans for $11. However, when I was there Sunday, the MAC eye shadows went down in price to only just under $6! Now that's a deal. So I bought the colors that I didn't own yet -- "Copperplate" and "Newly Minted". The only other colors left were "Poison Pen" (which I got at the CCO in Gilroy, CA last year) and "Handwritten" (which I bought at the MAC store for full price *sigh* BUT I really like this color). All of these colors are matte2.

I swatched these two colors without any primer. They feel silkly smooth. "Copperplate" is a greyish brown color that is nice with smokey looks, and "Newly Minted" is a pretty teal color.

I will post a look using "Newly Minted" next. :)

Smokey Purple Makeup Look + Maker Faire Haul

2009-06-02T10:45:00.000-07:00

I got a cute purple shirt from Maker Faire over the weekend (pic at the end), so I came up with this smokey purple look using MAC "Shadowy Lady" for the first time.

I don't know why I didn't get "Shadowy Lady" earlier -- it's a beautiful dark plum shade, like an eggplant.

Here's what I used:

EYES
Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place ShadowCreme in "Lilac Petals" (lower lid to just above crease)
MAC E/S in "Digit" (inner corner)
MAC E/S in "Parfait Amour" (center lid)
MAC E/S in "Shadowy Lady" (outer V)
MAC E/S in "Vanilla" (highlight)
Loreal HiP creme E/L in "Eggplant" (upper lash line)
Lancome Oscillating Mascara

CHEEKS
MAC Powder Blush in "Harmony" (contour)

MAC Beauty Powder Blush in "Stark Naked" (on apples of cheeks and blend just above "Harmony")
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 "Lavender Whip"

This is my haul from Maker Faire 2009 in San Mateo, CA. If you haven't heard of Maker Faire before, it's the world's largest DIY (Do It Yourself) festival. It's a two-day event filled with several exhibits and DIY kits for sale. It's a wonderful environment for learning, being creative, and exploring arts, crafts, engineering, science, and technology. As a nerdy girl, I really appreciate events like this and seeing little kids really getting into techonology. <3

I really liked the crafts that I saw, and I wanted to make my own. So I got two Made By Moxie needle felting kits. One is a kit to make 2 rings and a pin ($20), and the other kit is a needle felting booster pack with 15 pretty colors and 10 needles ($27). I also got a book with cute projects to make necklaces, scarfs, dolls, etc ($19.99). Also, I couldn't resist this carrot bunny called Plinki made by Planet Tokki ($12).

Close up of Plinki. Isn't he adorable?!? Hae Eun Park, the "maker" of Planet Tokki, was sewing it by hand when I bought it.

Here's the cute purple shirt I mentioned in the beginning of my post. It's by Fat Rabbit Farm. The design is called "Sweet Rain Tank w/Ruffle", and it's $30.

I just love the expression on the bunny's face. It's how I would look like if it was raining ice cream and treats!

I like the back as well with the criss-cross action going on. haha :) This one is limited edition, so buy one soon if you want one too! You can find it here.

Wow, this was a long post! I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did writing it! Maker Faire is amazing, and I hope that you all get to check it out sometime! :)

Quick EOTD: Peachy Orange Look

2009-06-01T11:50:00.000-07:00

I used two colors from the MAC "Rose is a Rose" E/S Quad ("Solar White" and "Seeds of Love"). If you don't have this quad, you can use any golden white shimmery e/s for "Solar White" and MAC E/S in "Paradisco" for "Seeds of Love".

Here's what I'm wearing:

MAC Paint Pot in "Soft Ochre" (entire lid)
MAC E/S in "Solar White" (highlight)
MAC E/S in "Seeds of Love" (inner and center lid)
MAC E/S in "Orange" (outer V and blend slightly on crease)
MAC Fluidline in "Blacktrack"

I can't believe it's June already!!!

CCO Haul!

2009-05-30T23:52:00.000-07:00

I went to CCO (Cosmetics Company Outlet, also known as The Cosmetics Company Store) in Vacaville, CA last week, and here's my haul:

I missed out on the MAC smokey eye holiday palette last December, so I was thrilled to see it there. Even though I now have Satin Taupe (2nd row, 1st column) and I already had Carbon, I still wanted to get this palette because the other colors are pretty too. The names of the eye shadows from top to bottom (left to right) are: Scant (F), Gorgeous (M), Satin Taupe (F), Ambiance (V), Dark Devotion (M), and Carbon (M). I got it for $26.75 USD.

I also wanted to try Bobbi Brown blush, so I got this one in "Nectar" for $14.00.

I also bought MAC Lip Conditioner Stick with SPF 15. I wanted a lip conditioner to use under matte lipstick. I recently got MAC L/S in "Please Me" -- it's a really nice muted pink color, but it's matte and really dries my lips. Now I use this lip conditioner first, put the matte lipstick on top, and it works like a charm. :) I got this for $11.00. If you decide to buy this lip conditioner as well, make sure to check the expiration date on the box first (Yes! There's actually an expiration date!). Mine expires in February 2011.

The bright orange lipstick is called "Electro", and it was $10.00. I don't have a bright, bold orange yet in my collection, so I thought this was perfect (and I won't have a hard time figuring out which one is my "orange" lipstick due to the container haha).

I was also relieved to see that this CCO had the limited edition Mineralize Skinfinish with shimmer! I just hit the pan on the one I bought when these came out, and I was already getting worried about whether or not I could find another one. I used it everyday, and I love it! I've been using "Medium/Natural and Shimmer" for some time now, so I got another one of those. I decided to get one in "Light Medium/Natural and Shimmer" too for the winter. These were $18.75 each (compared to ~$27 that I paid a few months ago). If you live nearby a CCO and they have these in stock, I definitely recommend checking them out!

Bright Green and Purple Makeup Tutorial

2009-05-28T20:15:00.000-07:00

I recorded a new video tutorial of this bright green and purple look. I used 5 samples (4 for my eyes and 1 for my cheek) from my Ultimate YouTube Kit from Mineral Magic Cosmetics (swatches of all my samples are here).

I also talked a little bit about Loew-Cornell brushes in the beginning of my video. If you have not heard of them already, they are good quality brushes that are a lot cheaper than MAC brushes. I wanted to make a video using these brushes in case anyone's been looking for a cheaper alternative. I used my three Loew-Cornell brushes that I bought from Michael's to apply and blend all of my eye shadows for this look.

FACE

Lacome Photogenic Lumessence in Bisque 1 (N)

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Medium/Natural

EYES

MAC Paint Pot in "Soft Ochre"

Mineral Magic Cosmetics in "Oscar" (green)

Mineral Magic Cosmetics in "Telly" (purple)

Mineral Magic Cosmetics in "Turquoise" (blue)

Mineral Magic Cosmetics in "Hi-lite Violet"

MAC Fluidline in "Blacktrack"

CHEEKS

Mineral Magic Cosmetics in "Pink Tourmaline"

LIPS

NYX "Narcissus"

Estee Lauder Double Wear Swatches and EOTD

2009-05-27T11:00:00.000-07:00

I've been looking for Estee Lauder Stay-in-Place ShadowCreme in "Sea Mist" and "Lilac Petals" for a couple months now. I usually see "Lilac Petals", but rarely "Sea Mist". I wanted to wait to buy them until I could get both at once. Last Saturday, I went shopping with my mom, sister, and my sister's bf who is a Navy officer. He took us to the commissary and exchange for the first time, and I found both of these colors there. I also bought them much cheaper there (and it was also tax free), so it came out to be $14.90 USD each (compared to $17.50 plus tax at other retail stores).

The reason why I've been searching for these colors is because I want to use them as primers. I don't have any MAC Paint Pots that are similar to these shades, so I wanted to give it a try. Estee Lauder is the parent company of MAC, so I figured these would work well. They really do stay in place, and the colors are gorgeous!

I'm wearing "Sea Mist" in this EOTD. I applied it to the lower lid, and then I put MAC E/S in "Aquadisiac" on top of it. I used MAC E/S in "Vanilla" as highlight, and I lined my upper lash line with Loreal HiP creme E/L in "Teal".

UPDATE ON GLASS BEACH: I mentioned in my last post that I was going to see Glass Beach near Mendocino, CA, and I did. However, it didn't turn out the way I expected. I guess there has been so many visitors there since the 70s that the glass rocks have greatly diminished. :(

Here's a picture of it now (you can still see a few glass rocks here and there):

And here's how it looked like back then:

I wish I could have taken a picture like that!

Hope you all had a great long weekend!

Black and Purple Makeup Look

2009-05-24T08:22:00.000-07:00

I ended up returning my MAC refill pan E/S in "Sketch", because it turns out Sketch has red pigment in it, which irritates my skin. :| So I got 3 other colors to replace it (lol -- I need to work on one for one exchanges). Now I have refill pans in "Brule", "Shadowy Lady", and "Black Tied". I am wearing two of those three for this look.

I wore this with a plain purple tank top from Old Navy, flowy black capri pants from Forever 21, and a black scarf from Myers Department Store in Australia.

EYES
MAC Paint Pot in "Soft Ochre" (all over lid)
MAC E/S in "Brule" (highlight)
Milani E/S in "Shock" (crease and middle lower lash line)
MAC E/S in "Black Tied" (entire lower lid and outer lower lash line)
(optional) lilac concealer on the inner lower lash line/tear duct to brighten the eyes
MAC Fluidline in "Blacktrack"

CHEEKS
MAC Beauty Powder Blush in "Stark Naked"
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 "Lavender Whip"

I'm off to Mendocino, CA for the long weekend. I know they have a bunch of trees and beaches there, but I'm not sure if they have internet haha If any of you are planning to go there, make sure to stop by Glass Beach -- it's a place where good ole Mother Nature corrected a man-made mistake. The beach used to be a public dump, but it was later closed in the late 60s when people realized what they were doing to the beach. Now it has been reclaimed, and all the glass that was once thrown out is now colorful rocks that sparkle in the sun. I'll take a picture when I get there, and I'll share it with you all soon!

Brown and Hot Pink Makeup Look

2009-05-22T16:54:00.000-07:00

I used MAC E/S in "Soft Brown" for the first time today, and I really like it. It's the color on the center of my eyelids. It's matte and easy to blend.

I was already done putting my eyeshadow on when I decided to use my MAC L/S in "Snow Orchid" again. I ended up adding a hot pink e/s from my Coastal Scents 88 Palette to my outer lower lash lines to match the lipstick.

EYES
MAC Paint Pot in "Soft Ochre" (entire lid)
MAC E/S in "Retrospeck" (inner corner, tear duct, and inner lower lash line)
MAC E/S in "Soft Brown" (center lid)
MAC E/S in "Glamour Check!" (outer V and outer half of crease)
hot pink e/s from Coastal Scents 88 Piece Makeup Palette (7th row, 7th column; outer lower lash line)

CHEEKS
MAC Sheertone Shimmer Blush in "Dollymix" (on apples)

LIPS
MAC L/S in "Snow Orchid"

Hooray for Friday and long weekends! Hope you all get to relax and soak in some sun! :)

MAC "Rose is a Rose" E/S Quad Swatches

2009-05-21T22:45:00.000-07:00

I went to Nordstrom last night, and I bought this MAC E/S quad. The quad is called "Rose is a Rose", and it's part of the "Rose Romance" collection that launched last month. The original release date was May 1st, but it didn't actually come out until last week. It's $36.00 USD, and it is only available at Nordstrom.

I made swatches, in case you're wondering how the colors look with and without primer. The swatches on the top do not have any base, and the swatches on the bottom are with MAC Cream Colour Base in "Luna".

Solar White (Frost) - golden white color with lots of shimmer (repromote)
Seeds of Love (Frost) - coral/pale orange color similar to Paradisco, but easier to blend!
Petal Worship (Lustre) - light pinkish lilac color similar to Stars 'N Rockets
Contrast (Velvet) - navy blue with purple color (permanent)

So you can think of it as paying $9 for each color in the quad. Pro refill pans are about $11 each (plus you'd have to buy a palette), so this quad is a cheaper alternative if you want colors like these as part of your makeup stash. :)

EOTD using MAC Flip E/S

2009-05-20T14:31:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! I'm back! I finished my 5th and last final today, but I haven't had much sleep lately since I've been studying a lot. I wanted to write a post as soon as I got home from my final, so here it is! This one's just going to be an EOTD (Eye Of The Day).

Here's what I'm wearing:

MAC Paint Pot in "Soft Ochre" (entire lid)
MAC E/S in "Femme Fi" (highlight)
MAC E/S in "Flip" (lower lid)
MAC E/S in "Mulch" (outer V and crease)
MAC E/S in "Goldmine" (apply a little on the center lid to blend Mulch and Flip)
MAC Fluidline in "Blacktrack"

MAC Flip E/S is limited edition, so if you want to pick one up, you should get it while you still can!

MAC Haul from Bloomingdale's

2009-05-16T23:18:00.000-07:00

Here are some items I bought while shopping in Bloomindale's in San Francisco, CA last weekend. I already posted a picture of me wearing Sea & Sky (which I love, love, love!), and I used "Flip" E/S for the first time today. I took pictures, and I'll include it in my next post.

The other E/S is called "Soft Brown". It's a matte eye shadow that I actually haven't seen as a tester in all the MAC stores I've been to. When I was in Bloomindale's, I was immediately drawn to this color. I haven't had a chance to use this yet (and it's been a week since I've had it!), but I'll definitely play with it as soon as I'm done with finals. This is one of those colors that would look great with any eye shadow, and it can be used to transition colors.

I need to exchange the lipstick though, because the container is broken! :( It's so hard to rotate it, and the bottom of the lipstick is a bit smashed. Maybe this time I'll go to Bloomingdale's in Palo Alto to exchange it, so that I can also stop by the new Nordstrom Rack in East Palo Alto :)

Inspired Look: Dior Catwalk 2008

2009-05-15T11:50:00.000-07:00

Hi! This is just a quick post, because I need to get back to studying for finals. :\

I attempted to recreate the Dior catwalk makeup trend from 2008, and this is how it turned out (sorry for the picture quality; I had to take it with my cell phone):

I wouldn't wear this out, but some girls have told me they would definitely wear it to go clubbing. lol I really like the false lashes on the bottom though, because it helps open up the eyes. Maybe I'll come up with something that's a little more wearable using similar techniques. :)

Hope you're all doing great!

Sea and Sky Makeup Look

2009-05-12T23:11:00.000-07:00

This is the look I came up with on Mother's Day. I went to Bloomingdale's in SF on Saturday and picked up MAC Mineralize Duo in "Sea and Sky", which I've wanted to buy for a while but haven't seen in the stores since it came out. These mineralize duos are really pigmented!

EYES
Too Faced Shadow Insurance (entire lid and under lower lash line)
MAC Paint Pot in "Delft" (lower lid)
MAC Mineralize Duo in "Sea and Sky" (light blue color on lower lid and inner half of lower lash line; dark blue color on the outer V, crease, and outer half of lower lash line)
MAC E/S in "Electric Eel" (apply where dark blue and light blue meet and blend!)
MAC E/S in "Vanilla" (highlight)
MAC Fluidline in "Blacktrack" (eyeliner on upper lash line)

CHEEKS
MAC Mineralize Blush Duo in "Love Thing" (take an angled blush brush and dab a small amount of the lower pink shade and mix with a lot of the top highlighter color -- then apply to apples of cheeks)

LIPS
MAC L/S in "St. Germain"

This is the outfit I'm wearing. I got it at Forever 21 in SF on Saturday as well. It was $29 USD.

I have finals starting Friday and lasting until the end of next week. This means I probably won't get to post as much as I would like until I'm done with exams. However, I'm planning to make new videos and continue to update my blog regularly once I'm done. If you'd like, enter your e-mail address in the box on the right to sign up for automatic e-mail notifications of my blog updates. :)

My Gift for My Mom

2009-05-11T23:51:00.000-07:00

This is what I got my mom for Mother's Day -- makeup of course! I bought these items about 2 weeks ago, but I didn't want to blog about this until after I gave my mom her gift (in case she might've read this before Mother's Day, which is very likely haha).

She hasn't tried MAC Dazzleglass yet, so I figured I would get her one in "Get Rich Quick". It's a warm yellow brown color. Her favorite color is purple, so I bought MAC Mineralize E/S Duo in "Odd Couple" because it has a really pretty purple in it. I also got the last Prep + Prime Line Filler in stock at my local MAC *phew*. I've been talking to my mom about this line filler for a while, so I really wanted to get it for her.

This is a close up of the Too Faced Glamour To Go palette. This is great for keeping in your purse to touch up your eye shadow and lipstick throughout the day. I saw my mom eyeing this at Ulta the last time we went shopping together, but it was out of stock. So I made sure to pick this one up as well to include in my gift.

On Sunday, my parents picked up my little sister from her dorm and then they came over to my neck of the woods. We ate at this Korean BBQ restaurant called Palace BBQ Buffet, and then we watched Star Trek afterward. If you haven't seen this movie yet, you should watch it! It was awesome -- a lot of action, a little bit of romance, and also some comedy. You don't have to be a "trekkie" or even know anything about Star Trek to enjoy it. :)

Mother's Day was a lot of fun, and I hope you all had a great time too!

Pink and Yellow Makeup Look

2009-05-10T00:47:00.000-07:00

This is the makeup look I came up with for my little trip to the Japanese Tea Garden in San Francisco, CA. It was another sunny day today, and I wanted to use bright colors, similar to the colors of a pink cherry blossom.

I also used my new MAC L/S in "Snow Orchid" to match my hot pink outer V eye shadow color.

EYES
MAC Paint Pot in "Soft Ochre" (entire lid)
MAC E/S in "Bright Sunshine" (inner lid and inner lower lash line)
MAC E/S in "Swish" (center lid)
Coastal Scents 88 Piece Makeup Palette hot pink E/S -- 7th column, 7th row (outer V and outer lower lash line)
MAC Fluidline in "Blacktrack" (upper lash line)
Lancome Oscillating Mascara

CHEEKS
MAC Mineralize Blush Duo in "Love Thing" (take an angled blush brush and dab a small amount of the lower pink shade and mix with a lot of the top highlighter color -- then apply to apples of cheeks)

LIPS
MAC L/S in "Snow Orchid"

Happy Mother's Day to all those moms out there! (Love you, Ma!)

Brown Script Makeup Look

2009-05-08T19:02:00.000-07:00

This is my first look using MAC E/S in "Brown Script". It's a matte2 pro color, and I got a refill pan of it the other day. It's a terracotta color that I was drawn to when I was looking through all the eye shadows at the store -- now to think of it, I blame my boyfriend for this because he's been into buying clay pots lately for our plants and this shade looks exactly like the color of the clay pots (LOL). Anyway, here's how it turned out.

I was going to call this post "Brown and Pink Makeup Look", because I did use a pink color on my eyes. However, it turned out more peachy/orange, so I ended up using peachy blush and lipstick.

EYES
Too Faced Shadow Insurance (all over lid)
MAC Paint Pot in "Fresco Rose" (lower lid)
MAC E/S in "Expensive Pink" (lower lid on top of paint pot)
MAC E/S in "Brown Script" (crease and outer V)
MAC E/S in "Ricepaper" (highlight)
MAC E/S in "Handwritten" (e/l -- use MAC 266 or any small angled brush to apply)
MAC Mineralize E/S Duo in "Heat Element" (just a little of the gold color on the inner lower lash line)

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 "Jist"

Mineral Magic Cosmetics Swatches

2009-05-07T17:57:00.000-07:00

I had the opportunity to try 27 samples from Mineral Magic Cosmetics. These samples along with 2 really nice brushes (a double-ended brush for eyes and a powder buffer) are part of the Ultimate YouTube Kit that I received in the mail last week (thanks Kellie!).

Here are the swatches (click images to enlarge)!

I will experiment with some of the pinks on my cheeks. They are gorgeous!

These hi-lite colors look white in the container, but when you apply it on your skin, you can see the actual colors.

These colors are very pigmented! Telly is a good dupe for MUFE #92 E/S.

I grouped these colors together, because they are great for summer bronze and tropical looks. Isn't that "Bird" color just amazing?!? It's so vibrant! (It made me think of Big Bird from Sesame Street haha)

I do recommend using an eyeshadow base/primer (as I do with pretty much all makeup anyway) as it will help reduce fallout. I used MAC Luna Creme Colour Base underneath all of these swatches. I will be playing with these samples for a while, so you'll probably see these show up in upcoming FOTDs. :)

From my experience so far, these Mineral Magic Cosmetics makeup are buildable and easy to blend too. I do end up with some fallout, but that tends to happen when I use loose pigments and mineral makeup in general. A good trick is to apply loose powder on your cheeks before you apply your eyeshadow -- this way the fallout will just sit on top of that powder and not set on your skin. Then you can just brush away the powder along with the fallout when you're done.

If you want to buy the YouTube kit as well, make sure to enter "youtube" in Notes To Seller at checkout to get free extras! The samples I have include all of Mineral Magic Cosmetics' new products as well as some unlisted colors to date. If there is any color here that you want specifically that you do not see on their website, email Kellie at MineralMagicCosmetics@hotmail.com.

Have a great Friday!

Quick FOTD: Purple and Blue Look

2009-05-05T13:19:00.000-07:00

This is my quick take on the MAC Rose Romance collection photograph (I didn't want to do it exactly, but I used similar looking colors) :P

EYES
MAC Paint Pot in "Soft Ochre"
MAC Pigment Colour Powder in "Mutiny" (on inner lid)
MAC Pigment Colour Powder in "Viz-A-Violet" (on center lid)
MUFE E/S in #92 (outer V)

CHEEKS
MAC Beauty Powder Blush in "Stark Naked"

LIPS
MAC L/S in "Bubbles"

P.S. Happy Anniversary to my parents! (And Happy Cinco de Mayo too haha)

Smokey Gray and White Makeup Look

2009-05-04T15:48:00.000-07:00

I used my MAC Knight Divine e/s for the first time with this look. I think it's the perfect shade for the outer V of any smokey gray look. It's really easy to work with and blend with other colors.
Because I have a lot of color on my eyes, I used a very sheer, pale color on my lips. This helps keep the focus on the eyes.
EYES
Too Faced Shadow Insurance (all over lid and under lower lashline)
Coastal Scents Gel Liner in "White" (as base on inner corner)
MAC E/S in "Gesso" (matte white color on inner corner)
MAC E/S in "Electra" (light silver color on the center lid -- blend towards Gesso; also apply on inner lower lashline)
MAC E/S in "Knight Divine" (outer V and contour -- blend towards Electra; also apply on outer lower lashline towards Electra)
MAC Fluidline in "Blacktrack" (on upper lashline)

CHEEKS
MAC Mineralize Blush Duo in "Love Thing" (take an angled blush brush and dab a small amount of the lower pink shade and mix with a lot of the top highlighter color -- then apply to apples of cheeks)

LIPS
MAC L/S in "Bubbles"

Bright Green and Purple Makeup Look

2009-05-02T12:01:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! Hope you're all having a great weekend so far. As for me, I'm stuck in my apartment all weekend working on my last coding project of the semester (I'm a Computer Science major). I took a break to play with makeup (of course!), and I came up with this green and purple look. I used 3 of 27 (yes! 27!) of the Mineral Magic Cosmetics samples that I received in the mail a couple days ago (thanks Kellie!). I'm going to write a separate post with all of the samples and swatches next week.

The 3 samples I used for this look are "Oscar" (bright green), "Hi-lite Green" (it looks white in the pot but it has a pretty light green to it when you put it on), and "Telly" (bright purple). These are included in the Ultimate YouTuber Kit available on the Mineral Magic Cosmetics site here: http://www.mineralmagiccosmetics.com/storefront/ (enter the word "youtube" in Notes To Seller at checkout to get a bunch of extra samples!).

EYES

MAC Paint Pot in "Soft Ochre" (all over lid)

Mineral Magic Cosmetics Makeup in "Hi-lite Green" (as highlight)

Mineral Magic Cosmetics Makeup in "Oscar" (lower lid)

Mineral Magic Costmetics Makeup in "Telly" (lower lashline)

Loreal HiP creme E/L in "Teal" (upper lashline)

Lancome Oscillating Mascara

CHEEKS

MAC Powder Blush in "Harmony" (contour)

MAC Sheertone Shimmer Blush in "Dollymix" (on apples of cheeks and blend just above "Harmony")

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in "Petticoat" (to add some shimmer to upper part of apples)

LIPS

Lancome L/S in "The New Pink"

EOTD: Purple Shock!

2009-04-29T15:52:00.000-07:00

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)!

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.
Apply Milani E/S in "Shock" (~$3 USD) on top of the Rimmel "Purple Shock" and blend just past the crease.
(Optional) Highlight your browbone (I used MAC E/S in "Femme Fi") and blend into the purple just above your crease.
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

2009-04-29T13:12:00.000-07:00

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

2009-04-28T15:44:00.000-07:00

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)

2009-04-25T15:07:00.000-07:00

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

2009-04-24T14:33:00.000-07:00

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)!

2009-04-24T08:47:00.000-07:00

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

2009-04-21T11:46:00.000-07:00

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

2009-04-20T16:00:00.000-07:00

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

2009-04-18T23:34:00.000-07:00

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)

2009-04-17T13:59:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-04-16T16:38:00.000-07:00

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

2009-04-13T22:43:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-04-12T20:35:00.000-07:00

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!!!

2009-04-10T12:00:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-04-09T17:59:00.001-07:00

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. :)

Prom Purple Makeup Look

2009-04-06T15:44:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year again when I start seeing more limousines, pretty dresses, and nice tuxes when I go out for dinner. Seeing everyone dressed up and having a good time brings back memories of when I went to prom. When I was in high school, I attended four proms (two Junior year and two Senior year haha). I did my own hair and makeup all four times (and wore my prom dress two times Junior year and my other prom dress two times Senior year -- I wanted to get my money's worth!). I came up with a purple makeup look for prom, in case any of you plan to do your own makeup.

Here's a close up of the eye shadow:

EYES
MAC Paint Pot in "Soft Ochre" (entire lid and brow bone -- this will help your eye shadow stay nice and vibrant as you dance the night away!)
MAC E/S in "Parafait Amour" (inner and center lid)
MUFE (Make Up For Ever) E/S #92 (it's the darker shade of purple on the outer corner)
MAC E/S in "Carbon" (lightly blend into outer V to create depth)
MAC Fluidline in "Blacktrack" (as eye liner, or you can also use "Carbon" e/s with a small angle brush like MAC 266 to line your upper lash line)
(optional) lilac concealer on the inner lower lash line/tear duct to brighten the eyes

CHEEKS
MAC Beauty Powder Blush in "Stark Naked"
MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in "Soft & Gentle"

LIPS
MAC L/S in "Lavender Whip"

This is the MUFE E/S #92 that I used on the outer corner. It's such a gorgeous purple shade. It's $19 USD at Sephora. I included pictures of this eye shadow below (with and without flash) in case you want to use a similar eye shadow color that you already own:

You could wear this look to a night out too. :) Have fun, whatever you'll be up to!

EOTD: Peachy Orange

2009-04-05T00:32:00.000-07:00

EYES OF THE DAY (EOTD)
MAC Shadestick in "Butternutty" (highlight)
MAC Shadestick in "Penny" (lid)
MAC E/S in "Sugarshot" (highlight, on top of Butternutty)
MAC E/S in "Paradisco" (lid)
MAC Pigment in "Melon" (dab on center lid and lightly blend side to side)
MAC E/S in "Orange" (outer V)
MAC Fluidline in "Blacktrack" (upper lash line)
Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in "Lucky" (lower lash line)
Lise Waiter Portfolio Concealer (lilac on the inner lower lash line)

I also used:

CHEEKS
MAC Mineralize Blush Duo in "Hot Planet"
MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in "Soft & Gentle"

LIPS
MAC L/S in "Jist"

This is the makeup I wore yesterday when I went to Vacaville Premium Outlets with my mom, sister, and nephew. I rushed to CCO of course (Cosmetic Company Outlet)! I will post my haul soon. Hope you're all having a great weekend! :)

Colorful Spring Makeup Tutorial

2009-04-03T17:00:00.000-07:00

I'm wearing colorful makeup today, because the weather has been nice and sunny. Also, Easter is just around the corner, and the colors remind me of Easter eggs I used to color when I was little -- purple, pink, and pastel blue.

I wanted to try something different with this post -- a picture tutorial! The lighting where I took the pictures isn't too great, and I didn't use flash, so the colors don't look as vibrant as they actually are. The purpose of the pictures is more to show you where the colors go and the type of brushes I used. Let me know what you think. Comments/suggestions are always welcome :)

Step 1: Apply a primer on your entire lid. I used MAC Paint Pot in "Soft Ochre" (my current favorite), and I applied it with a concealer brush from Sephora.

Step 2: Apply Make Up For Ever (MUFE) Flash Color in "Turquoise" on entire lid. I used a Royal brand brush from Michael's that was about $2.

Step 3: Apply a light blue color on top of the MUFE flash color. I used the Coastal Scents 88 palette (the one with mainly matte and some shimmer), 2nd row from the top, 6th column from the left. The brush I am using is a 3/8 Loew-Cornell 270 Maxine's Mop brush from Michael's (a great dupe for MAC 239 brush, and this one is only about $4).

Step 4: Using MAC 226 brush, apply the pink e/s from the 3rd row, 7th column in the same Coastal Scents palette. The MAC 226 brush is from the Blonde, Brunette, Redhead collection that released early this year. The brush was sold out when I tried to buy it here in the US, but they had it in Australia when I was there last week (since it launched recently there). If you don't have this brush, MAC 224 will work as well or any other fluffy blending brush.

This is how it should look like after you apply the pink color on your crease.

Step 5: Using the same brush from step 4, take some of the purple e/s on the 8th row, 8th column in the same Coastal Scents palette. Apply the color to the outer V of your eye lid. This will create some depth.

Blend, blend, blend!

Step 6: Apply MAC Sugarshot e/s on the brow bone. I used an eye shadow brush from the Sephora pink brush set.

Step 7: Using a MAC 209 brush, apply gel liner to your upper lash line. I used Loreal HiP creme liner in "Eggplant".

I extended the line a little further. Add a flick if you want!

Step 8: Line the lower lash line with Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Covet. I used a Q-tip to soften and blend the line afterward.

Step 9: Take some of the same light blue e/s from step 3 and apply on the lower lash line. I used a MAC 266 brush.

Step 10: Using the same brush from step 9, dab some of the purple e/s from step 5. Apply the color on the outer lower lash line and blend to the center lower lash line.

Next, curl your lashes, apply mascara, fill in eyebrows, and you're done! It should look something like this :)

I'm wearing MAC Mineralize Blush Duo in "Love Thing" on my cheeks and MAC L/S in "Lavender Whip" on top of MAC L/S in "Violetta" on my lips.

Have a great Friday night!

"Shock" Purple and Brown Makeup Look

2009-04-02T17:16:00.000-07:00

I came up with this makeup look on the first day of my Australia trip. I stopped by Walgreens before the flight (to load up on Airborne haha), and I picked up a purple Milani eye shadow called "Shock". This was the first time I used it, and I really like the color (especially since it was only $3.49 USD). It looks similar to MAC Stars 'N Rockets, and it's 1/4th the price!

EYES

MAC Paint Pot in "Soft Ochre"

MAC E/S in "Femme Fi" (highlight)

Milani E/S in "Shock" (inner corner and center lid)

MAC E/S in "Handwritten" (outer corner blended to center lid and crease)

Loreal HiP creme E/L in "Eggplant" (upper lash line)

Loreal HiP creme E/L in "Teal" (lower lash line)

CHEEKS

MAC Mineralize Blush Duo in "Light Over Dark"

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in "Soft & Gentle"

LIPS

MAC L/S in "Touch" <-- from MAC Sugarsweet Collection

Peachy Brown Makeup Look using MAC Sugarsweet

2009-04-01T00:01:00.000-07:00

Here's the first look I came up with using some items I bought from MAC's Sugarsweet Spring 2009 collection:

EYES
MAC Shadestick in "Butternutty" (highlight) <-- Sugarsweet
MAC Shadestick in "Penny" (lower lid and crease) <-- Sugarsweet
MAC E/S in "Sugarshot" (on top of Butternutty) <-- Sugarsweet
MAC E/S in "Dear Cupcake" (crease) <-- Sugarsweet
MAC E/S in "Handwritten" (lower lid)
MAC Fluidline in "Blacktrack"

CHEEKS
MAC Mineralize Blush Duo in "Hot Planet"
MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in "Soft & Gentle"

LIPS
MAC L/S in "Lollipop Loving" <-- Sugarsweet

I put this makeup on the day of my flight to Australia. I wanted to do a little experiment to see how my makeup would look like when I arrived at my hotel in Melbourne, Australia (exactly 24 hours later). Here's how it turned out:

Not too shabby if you ask me! It goes to show that eye shadow primers really do make a big difference!

Back from Australia + Bloom Makeup

2009-03-31T00:42:00.000-07:00

G'day mates! I'm back from Australia! I'm a bit jet lagged though, because it's an 18 hour difference between California and Melbourne, Australia. I was there for 8 days, and I devoted 3 of those days for shopping :) One of my favorite Australian stores is Myers, and I picked up an Australian brand makeup set there. The brand is called Bloom. They had 2 new eyeshadow colors that I liked, and luckily they had a special set that came with the 2 eyeshadows that I wanted. So I ended up buying the set for $99 AUD (valued at $145 AUD), which includes tax. This is about $68 USD.

The makeup artist also gave me a free scented wax bead candle and two pieces of chocolate too! I didn't even know about it until after I already paid. :)

There were two different kits, one that was more of a blue/green set (even the bag is different) and this one that is brown/bronze.

Here's what is says on the box:

Bloom Bohemian Luxe Limited Edition Colour Collection Pack
Opulent and exotic, Bohemian Luxe fuses a bohemian sensibility with an irreverent edge to create a seriously feminine look.

Featuring a strong palette of earthy, bronze-toned Eye Shadows and Bloom's unique Shadow Liner, Bohemian Luxe has a relaxed romance at its core. Complete your doe-eyed look with curled lashes and Full & Flirty Mascara.

Contains:
Cosmetic Bag - Makeup Essentials
Eye Shadow - Chestnut
Eye Shadow - Amber
Shadow Liner - Ebony Brown
Full & Flirty Mascara - Black
Eyelash Curler

The eye shadows (chestnut [left] and amber [right]) are really pretty and easy to blend.

Even the free french lavender-scented candle looks and smells great! It burns for 30 hours.

Here's what I used on my EOTD:

MAC Paint Pot in "Soft Ochre"

MAC E/S in "Sugarshot" (highlight)

Bloom E/S in "Amber" (inner corner and center lid)

Bloom E/S in "Chestnut" (outer corner and blend into center lid)

Bloom Shadow Liner in "Ebony Brown"

Bloom Full & Flirty Mascara in "Black"

Taken in the Grand Hyatt Melbourne bathroom of my hotel room (LOL). The scarf is from a store called Forever New, which was right across the street from Myers.

This picture was taken when I (officially) finished shopping the day before my flight back home. Stores close early (6pm on Saturdays!), so I was hopping into taxis the whole day, making sure I got to go to all the stores and factory outlets I Googled before the trip. Big brownie points go to my boyfriend for being so good with the shopping part of our trip! haha I'll post more Australian brand makeup purchases and my makeup looks I did there soon!

MAC Sugarsweet Haul and Swatches

2009-03-20T00:01:00.000-07:00

I had a very long week filled with midterms and homework, and now that I'm officially on Spring Break (as of 3PM today), I went to the mall after school and hauled these items from MAC's Spring 2009 collection called Sugarsweet.

Here are the swatches of the items I purchased:

(click on image to enlarge)

I initially wanted to buy Red Velvet shadestick, but after trying it on I decided to get something I would use more often. So instead of the pinkish-red color, I got Butternutty (light white gold color similar to Beige-ing shadestick) and Penny (copper color similar to Indianwood paint pot). Butternutty is a great highlighter color as well as a base color for your entire lid.

Here's how Dear Cupcake looks over Red Velvet (Sugarshot e/s is on the top without any base, Dear Cupcake over Red Velvet is on the bottom):

Dear Cupcake e/s looks just as pretty over Butternutty as it does over Red Velvet -- it just ends up looking like light pink rather than hot pink.

The 5 lipsticks from this collection are awesome. I wish I could have bought all of them. I ended up getting three, because I couldn't decide which one I wanted most (this is where a shopping buddy would have come in handy haha).

This is how I eventually convinced myself to get all three lipsticks:

1) I don't have any lipstick that looks like Bubbles. This light creme color would look great when I wear dramatic smokey or colorful eye shadow. Also, Bubbles applied on top of any lipstick will make the overall color lighter.

2) Lollipop Loving is the lipstick I originally wanted to get (after reading other reviews online). I have been into peach-colored lipstick lately, and this one has green shimmer in it. Too cute!

3) Touch lipstick is a very nice natural color. It's the perfect shade of brown -- not too dark and not too light. Also, this color matches really well with the shadesticks I already decided on getting.

So there you have it! Definitely check out this collection!

(P.S. I'm off to Australia tomorrow, so hopefully I'll find some local brand drugstore makeup to blog about!)

Gold and Black Makeup Look

2009-03-16T15:31:00.000-07:00

I wanted to play with my Ultra Shimmer 88 Eye Shadow Palette again. I ordered it from Coastal Scents last November, but I haven't really been using it much until now. I don't know why I didn't use it sooner -- the colors are really pigmented, especially for the price!

Here's how my Gold and Black makeup look turned out:

When I use a lot of color on my eyes, I try to keep my lips as neutral as possible. I usually like to either make my eyeshadow pop out or my lipstick stand out, not really both at the same time.

EYES
MAC Paint Pot in "Soft Ochre" (can you tell by now that this is my favorite paint pot? haha)
Coastal Scents Ultra Shimmer 88 Eye Shadow Palette (4th row, 2nd column gold on inner to center lid, up to browbone; 8th row, 11th column black on center lid to outer corner)
MAC e/s in "Femme Fi" (as highlight on outer and inner browbone only)
MAC Fluidline in "Blacktrack"
Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in "Lucky" (apply lightly on lower lash line)

Here's the Coastal Scents palette again so that you can look up which colors I used:

CHEEKS
MAC blush in "Enough Said"
MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in "Soft and Gentle"

LIPS
Lancome l/s in "Luxe" (this was a free gift last month)
Benefit 24k Lipstick (on top of Luxe; released at Sephora in a Holiday 2008 gift set)

Also, I have enabled email notifications on my blog! If you would like to receive emails with my new posts, please enter your e-mail address in the "Subscribe via email" box on the right. :)

Blue Makeup Look

2009-03-11T23:41:00.001-07:00

Here's my Eye of the Day (EOTD)!

What I used:

MAC Paint Pot in "Soft Ochre"

Coastal Scents Ultra Shimmer 88 Eye Shadow Palette (1st row, 6th column as highlight; 2nd row, 6th column on crease; 7th row, 6th column on lower lid)

MAC Fluidline in "Blacktrack"

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

If you'd like to buy the same e/s palette I used for this look, visit http://www.coastalscents.com/. I bought it for $24.95. :)

Everyday Brown Makeup Look

2009-03-10T15:36:00.000-07:00

I try to hang out with my mom every other weekend. When I come over, we catch up on life (this includes what new makeup we've seen/tried/bought/etc.). Then I almost always end up giving her (as well as my sister(s) who happen to be home at the time) a makeover. For our last makeup session, I came up with this everyday brown look that she can wear to work/dinner/outings/etc. Here's how it turned out:

EYES
MAC Paint Pot in Soft Ochre
MAC Devoted Poppy Holiday Palette: Sweet Eyes e/s (as highlight), Amourously e/s (on crease)
MAC Mineralize Eye Shado Trio in Inter-View (dark brown e/s on entire lower lid and swipe a little of the middle gold e/s right on the center of the lid)
MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack (as e/l)

CHEEKS
MAC Hello Kitty Beauty Powder Blush in Tippy (just a little bit on the apples)
MAC Hello Kitty Beauty Powder Blush in Fun & Games (under Tippy, contour cheekbone and bring up towards temple)
MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Soft and Gentle (on top of where you put Tippy to make it not as bright)

LIPS
Dior Addict l/s in 420

If you didn't get a chance to buy the Devoted Poppy palette over the holidays, you can use other colors to achieve this look. For Sweet Eyes, use a shimmery muted golden beige e/s and for Amourously, use a frosty antique gold e/s.

These makeup sessions are so much fun. I look forward to it all the time.

Thanks Ma, for being my model (and role model) ;)

The Story of Me and My Lancome Foundation

2009-03-09T16:05:00.000-07:00

When I worked at my first job in high school, I was so excited to get my first paycheck. As soon as I cashed the check in, I bought two items -- a titanium Yonex tennis racket (like what Martina Hingis was using back then) and Lancome Photogenic foundation. It was my first time trying a foundation that was not from a local drug store (Loreal True Match, Revlon Color Stay, etc.). When I tried it on my face, I absolutely loved it. However, I only bought that one bottle, because I was saving for my first year at UC Berkeley. Repeatedly paying $30 for foundation was going to be a bad habit I could not afford at the time.

Over the years, I kept that same empty foundation bottle so that 1) I could remember my shade (so that when I graduated from college and got a good paying job, I could run to the nearest Macy’s and buy them in bulk) and 2) it was a nice memory to remind me of the days when I worked at a toy store making minimum wage and saving for the little things that I wanted. Now that I'm older and have worked at a few places (and saved, lol), I buy this foundation all the time. I even keep some in stock just in case I might run out.

About a year ago, Lancome replaced Photogenic with Photogenic Lumessence. Fortunately, I still like it just as much as the old formula. I’m on my second bottle now, and I use it everyday.

So what I was originally getting at with all of this is that every couple months, Macy’s gives a free makeup gift with any $29.50 Lancome purchase. Every time they have one, I end up buying a new bottle of my foundation and getting a new gift. The most recent gift was this Lancome Chic Travel free gift that came out last month:
Here’s a look I did using the free Lancome makeup (and some MAC blush of course haha):

EYES
Lancome Color Design e/s quad (Latte, Waif, Mannequin, and The New Black)

MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack as e/l

CHEEKS
MAC Hello Kitty blush in Fun & Games
MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Soft & Gentle

LIPS
Lancome Le Rouge Absolu l/s in Luxe

Next time Lancome has a free gift, you should definitely check it out (and Lancome Photogenic Lumessence too)!

Tropical Makeup Look

2009-03-05T16:53:00.000-08:00

Want to add a little color on your eyelids without having to spend too much dough? CoverGirl Eye Enhancers in Tropical Fusion comes with four fun eyeshadows for only ~$5 (USD).

I bought it at Walgreens when there was a CoverGirl Buy One Get One 50% Off sale, so I picked up this contouring blush as well:

CoverGirl Instant Cheekbones in Peach Perfection

This is how my tropical look turned out (I used all four eyeshadow colors and the peach blush):

I was aiming for a colorful yet subtle look.

This CoverGirl quad is perfect for those of you who do not wear these types of colors often but have always wanted to try it out. It's cheap, and the colors are not too shocking.

EYES

MAC Paint Pot in Soft Ochre

MAC Femme Fi (highlight)

CoverGirl Eye Enhancers in Tropical Fusion (all four colors applied to lid -- same order as it appears in the quad)

MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack

CHEEKS

CoverGirl Instant Cheekbones in Peach Perfection (darkest color to define cheekbones, middle color on apples of cheeks, and lightest color "2 finger" lengths from bottom of eyes)

MAC Mineralize Blush in Soft & Gentle (very little applied on apple of cheeks)

LIPS

MAC l/s in High Tea

Party Purple Makeup Look

2009-03-01T23:17:00.000-08:00

I went to a friend's birthday party on Friday, and I decided to wear my new lavender XOXO jacket I bought at Macy's last weekend. I came up with this purple makeup look to match my outfit (as usual) :) Here's what I used:

EYES
MAC Paint Pot in Soft Ochre (on entire lid)
MAC E/S in Digit (as highlight)
Coastal Scents 88 Shimmer Palette -- 8th column, 4th row purple e/s (on crease)
Coastal Scents 88 Shimmer Palette -- 6th column, 8th row dark purple e/s (on lower lid)

MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack (eyeliner)

Urban Decay Heavy Metal Glitter E/L in Metalhead (place right above blacktrack line)

CHEEKS

MAC Blush in Stark Naked

LIPS

MAC L/S in Violetta

MAC Cremesheen L/S in Lavender Whip (on top of Violetta)

MAC Free Shipping!

2009-02-24T13:58:00.000-08:00

Get free shipping with all MAC purchases at https://www.maccosmetics.com/ (US only).

No offer code needed -- just place an order on February 24 through March 1, 2009. Happy shopping!

MAC Soft & Gentle is... soft and gentle!

2009-02-19T17:32:00.000-08:00

If you want the look of sun-kissed cheeks, MAC Soft & Gentle Mineralize Skinfinish will do the trick. It is also great for toning down blushes that are (too) vibrant.

It sells for $25 (USD), but it comes with a lot of product. I've used it everyday for a month now, and it still looks untouched. Although, if you do find yourself falling in love with this item -- no worries! MAC has added this shade to its permanent line! :)

BEFORE

AFTER!

Milani Makeup Haul and Blue Makeup Look

2009-01-31T12:49:00.000-08:00

I picked these Milani items up from Walgreens a few days ago. For some reason, the newer Walgreens stores around my area do not carry Milani but the older stores do. The Glimmer Stripes were on clearance for only $1.79 (originally ~$7)! These Glimmer Stripes can be used all over your face -- you can pick some colors for your eyes and swipe a blush brush across all the colors for your cheeks or for your whole face for an all-over glow.

Here are the names of the colors:

I wore Milani Caribbean Sea (light blue) on the inner corners, MAC Electric Eel E/S on the center of my lids, and Milani Blue Ice E/S on the outer corners. I used MAC Gesso E/S (matte white) as highlight.

I bought the Milani Runway Eyeshadows (Caribbean Sea and Leaf Green shown above) for $4.99 each and the Milani E/S in Blue Ice for $3.99 (regular price). You may want to wait until Walgreens has a sale before you buy them though. :)

Coastal Scents Coupon Code!

2009-01-30T08:54:00.000-08:00

I just got an e-mail from Kathy at Coastal Scents with a coupon code for $5 off all orders of $50 or $10 off all orders of $100 or more. Enter code 2009 at checkout.

The coupon code discount starts now and ends at 11:59PM Sunday, February 1, 2009 EASTERN TIME (8:59PM PST)!

I want the new 66 Color Lip Palette ($19.95), but they are sold out. Darn!

Happy Friday!

Red Lowlights + Gray and Light Blue Makeup Look

2009-01-29T16:14:00.000-08:00

By request, I am posting more pictures of my hair where you can see the red lowlights better. I got two triangular sections of hair behind my ears bleached then dyed red. If you only want two streaks, I think that this is the perfect place to get lowlights if you are planning to let it grow out without having to continue bleaching the roots. I put my hair half up in the first two pictures so that you guys can see the red better.

I don't wear my hair like this normally, but it gives you a good view of how the red looks like and where the lowlights are placed:

This is how my hair usually looks when I'm in a rush though (except it's a bit messier here because I just took my half up-do down):

It's not as striking -- just adds a hint of color, which is what I was going for. :) The lowlights look more vibrant if I straighten my hair with a flat iron, because then the streaks are grouped together and the color becomes more noticeable.

As for my eye makeup, I'm using MAC Dame Edna Wisteria E/S Trio and MAC E/S in Ricepaper as highlight.

My New Hair Color and MAC Brunette (Blonde) Redhead Makeup Look

2009-01-22T23:50:00.000-08:00

Last week, I went to the salon to get my hair cut and colored. I wanted to go back to my original hair color (dark brown) and get two red lowlights. I also bought two eye shadows from the MAC Brunette Blonde Redhead collection. I didn't realized until I started writing this blog entry that one color is from the Brunette collection (Femme Fi) and the other is from the Redhead collection (French Cuff) haha :) I guess it worked out!

I love these two eye shadow colors. They look so pretty together. I used them with MAC Glamour Check! to achieve this look. This is a nice everyday look. I would also probably use this look to go to interviews.

EYES

MAC Paint Pot in Soft Ochre

MAC E/S in Femme Fi (browbone)

MAC E/S in French Cuff (crease)

MAC E/S in Glamour Check! (lid)

MAC E/S in Carbon (eyeliner)

CHEEKS

MAC Blush in Stark Naked

MAC Mineralize Skin Finish in Medium/Natural and Shimmer

LIPS

MAC L/S in Too Swoon For

P.S. I'm also wearing one of the Bumpits hair volumizing inserts. You may have see the infomercials on this LOL It's made by Big Happie Hair. I don't use it as often as I thought I would, but it does give a good *bump* without having to tease. :P

Golden Brown Makeup Look

2009-01-06T18:17:00.000-08:00

The very first MAC Paint Pot I bought was Indianwood back in September 2008. I own 8 paint pots now, and Indianwood is still my favorite. Here's a look where I used Indianwood as a base to really bring out the golden/bronzy colors:

Here's what I used:

MAC Paint Pot in Indianwood (all over lid)

MAC e/s in Twinks (outer corner)

MAC e/s in Woodwinked (center lid) -- use MAC e/s in Amber Lights instead if you want it to be really golden

MAC e/s in Honey Lust (inner corner)

MAC e/s in Carbon (eyeliner)

If you haven't already bought MAC Indianwood Paint Pot, I definitely recommend it, especially because it looks great by itself as well. I tend to sport my Indianwood on the lid, blending with my ring finger towards my crease, on days that I am rushing out the door.

What MAC Paint Pots do you have and what eye shadows do you like using them with?

Electric Blue Makeup Look

2009-01-06T17:43:00.000-08:00

I came up with this fun electric blue look to wear to a game night my older sister was hosting at her apartment last Friday.

I actually recorded a video tutorial for this look with the new Canon Vixia HF100 HD Camcorder my boyfriend got for me for Christmas. However, since it records in Blu-Ray quality, my computer processor wasn't fast enough to handle playback and editing at a rate my patience could handle. So, I am planning to exchange the camcorder. In the meantime, here's what I used in case you want to try this look before I can record another tutorial on how to create it:

EYES
Too Faced Shadow Insurance (all over lid)
MUFE Flash Color in Bright Blue (on outer corner of lid)
MUFE Flash Color in Turquoise (on center lid)
MUFE Flash Color in Silver (inner corner)
MAC e/s in Electric Eel (on top of Bright Blue on outer corner)
MAC e/s in Aquadisiac (on top of Turquoise on center lid)
MAC e/s in Fineshine (on top of Silver on inner corner and lower lashline)
MAC e/s in Carbon (as eyeliner)
Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Electric (on lower lashline/waterline)

CHEEKS
light pink blush (I used one from the Coastal Scents 10 blush palette)

LIPS
MAC l/s in To Swoon For

I also curled my hair with my 25mm (1 inch) Enzo Milano.

I finish the look with a light blue scarf from Forever 21 and dangling turquoise earrings. Enjoy! :B

Makeup Looks using MUFE Flash Palette

2008-12-31T12:51:00.000-08:00

I first saw this Make Up For Ever (MUFE) Flash Palette when I went to New York in August. It was in the Sephora store on Times Square. I immediately fell in love with this palette, but after seeing the price ($93) I couldn't buy it right away. I figured I would come back sometime during the week, and if I really wanted it I would buy it (I tend to do this a lot). Anyway, I came back a few days later after convincing myself that I really should spend my vacation money on this one item -- only to find that they were sold out! :(

I tried to buy this on Sephora.com too at some point, but they were sold out. Then, last Monday I went shopping with one of my best friends (who's back home for winter break and wanted to go to San Francisco). We stopped by Sephora in Union Square, and there it was!!!

At first, I thought $93 is too much to spend on one item from Sephora, but this palette is worth it. It comes with a good amount of product -- you would have to buy around 14 MAC Paint Pots to get the same amount ($16.50 per Paint Pot x 14 = $231!). Anyway, this post wasn't meant to be a review -- I'm just really excited that I finally picked this one up and realized that it's a pretty good deal!

Here are the first two looks I came up with using the silver and gold flash colors:

Smokey Black and Silver

MAC Paint Pot in Blackground (I just bought this so I wanted to try it -- you can use the black color in the MUFE palette instead)

MUFE Flash Color in Silver

Too Faced Smokey Eye Palette (Christmas present from my parents!)

Here's my younger sister with the gold look:

Smokey Cranberry and Gold

MUFE Flash Color in Gold

MAC Goldmine e/s

MAC Amber Lights e/s
MAC Cranberry e/s

HAVE A HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

Enzo Milano Hair Style

2008-12-31T12:27:00.000-08:00

This review has been moved to my new website:

http://www.nerdygirlmakeup.com/2010/01/09/enzo-milano-hair-style/

After Christmas Haul

2008-12-28T00:17:00.001-08:00

The day after Christmas I went to the mall to exchange some of the colors my boyfriend got me from MAC. As I mentioned in my previous post, I ended up getting Aquadisiac, Paradisco, Electra, and Cranberry. But of course, I couldn't just walk away without getting more items (ah!). So, I got two more paint pots in Delft and Blackground and the Wisteria e/s trio from the Dame Edna collection.

When I first learned about the Dame Edna collection from Pursebuzz, I wasn't too crazy about it (the guy sort of creeps me out). However, the Wisteria e/s (the light blue one) is just too pretty and it's not available as a single e/s. When I went to MAC and took a better look at it, the Fineshine e/s looked amazing too (the light silver one). So yeah... I ended up buying it. That pretty much takes care of the Christmas present from my grandparents. :X

Here's the makeup look I did today using Wisteria (on top of Delft Paint Pot) and Fineshine (on top of Luna Cream Colour Base):

MAC Electric Eel Makeup Look

2008-12-28T00:00:00.000-08:00

One of the colors my boyfriend got for me was Electric Eel (see previous post to see the other colors he gave me for anniversary). I was so excited about this color, because it is sooo pretty. Here's how it turned out:

I used MAC Electric Eel e/s on the lid, MAC Mulch e/s and MAC Ground Brown e/s on the crease, and MAC Ricepaper e/s to highlight the brow bone. MAC Ground Brown is a pro color that I picked up back in August when I was in Las Vegas at the Mac Pro store in the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace. If you don't have this color, any dark brown color will work too. :)

MAC Purple Makeup Look

2008-12-27T23:42:00.001-08:00

I wanted to play with my new MAC purple colors on Christmas Eve. I used Digit, Parfait Amour, Vibrant Grape, and just a little bit of a dark purple tarte color to add depth. I was in a bit of a rush though, because it was 6:30pm and the grocery stores were closing early (7pm!).

This is when I realized that I need to buy a dark purple MAC color, so I found Poison Pen (matte2 -- deep purple with grey) at the nearest Cosmetics Store Company yesterday. :)

Anniversary Gift From My Boyfriend :)

2008-12-27T23:25:00.000-08:00

My boyfriend and I celebrate our anniversary every month. I know, I know... it's a little kiddy, but we still like it. We just celebrated 2 1/2 years a couple days ago, so we gave each other slightly bigger presents than the usual monthly exchange. This was my main present from him -- a MAC pro palette with 15 colors! :D

I had so much fun arranging the colors in my palettes. I had one previously, which I turned into more of my neutral palette since I have a lot of browns. I ended up exchanging 3 colors and tossing one out, because I recently learned that I don't do too well with red pigment :( So I exchanged Beauty Marked, Passionate, and Plum Dressing (and threw away Post Haste which I bought in August) and got Electra, Aquadisiac, Paradisco, and Cranberry (this one was a little risky since it does have some red, but I'm hoping it will be okay -- it was just too pretty!).

Thanks Greg! <3

Christmas Pink and Lime Makeup Tutorial

2008-12-24T11:50:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone!

Here's what I used for this tutorial:

EYES
Two Faced Shadow Insurance
Coastal Scents 88 Shimmer Palette
MAC Fix+
Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Zero

FACE
Coastal Scents Contour & Blush Palette

LIPS
MAC Cream Colour Base in Crushed Bougainvillea
MAC Romancin' Lipstick

Coastal Scents Black Friday and Cyber Monday Sale!

2008-11-28T14:09:00.000-08:00

Get 25% of the entire store on Black Friday (today! 11/28/2008) and Cyber Monday (12/1/2008)! I just placed my order! Unfortunately, the True Black Gel Liner is out of stock, but everything else I wanted was there:

10 Piece Professional Blush Palette
28 Piece Eye Shadow Neutral Palette
Contour & Blush Palette
Pink Kabuki Brush
Italian Badger Angle Blush
Black on Black Taklon Angle Liner
Silk White Gel Liner (only decided to get this one since True Black wasn't available)

Hope you had a Happy Thanksgiving! :B

Cute Slipper Socks!

2008-11-25T22:37:00.001-08:00

These slippers are so adorable! I saw them at Bath and Body Works over the weekend, and my boyfriend bought them for me :D I bet they're wearing falsies haha :)

I also stocked up on Winter Candy Apple lotion while I was there -- aside from Sweet Pea and Japanese Cherry Blossom, this is one of my all-time favorite scents for lotion. What are your favorite scents?

NYX Private Sale at cherryculture.com

2008-11-20T11:24:00.000-08:00

If you use the discount code NYX25 at cherryculture.com, you will receive 25% on all NYX items from now until tomorrow (November 21, 2008) ! NYX is really affordable for the quality -- I think it's the drugstore version of MAC. To give you an idea of how much you'll save:

Ultra Pearl Mania (loose powder that's highly pigmented) - originally $1.25, on sale for $0.94
Round Lipstick - originally $2.00, on sale for $1.50
Trio Eyeshadow (recommended!) - originally $5.00, on sale for $3.75

I also recommend the felt tip liners. :)

Happy NYX shopping! :B

Purple Makeup Look with Tarte Pink Lip Gloss

2008-11-16T19:25:00.001-08:00

One of my YouTube subscribers watched my review of Tarte's The Vanity and left a comment about her favorite gloss that comes with this palette. I told her I would try it out, and she's right! It's super pretty! Thanks jamnotjelly702 for pointing that one out to me -- there's too much in this palette! :)

Here's the makeup look I did today using this pink shimmery gloss (the dark purple color is also from the Tarte palette):

I tried my Lancome Oscillating Mascara for the first time today too! What do you think of the length?

Hope you all had a great weekend! :B

MAC Holiday Haul Swatches!

2008-11-15T01:01:00.000-08:00

Here you go! Click to enlarge :)

Gray and Pink Makeup Look

2008-11-14T00:46:00.000-08:00

I had Tuesday off for Veterans Day, so I met up with my sister to eat lunch with my mom and go shopping. I found this tokidoki jacket at Macy's, and I just had to buy it (the two little birds on the collar were too cute):

I wore this jacket for the first time today. I decided to do a gray and pink look to match it. Here's how it turned out:

EYES

Too Faced Shadow Insurance

MAC Phloof e/s

Urban Decay Last Call e/s

MAC Royal Assets: 6 Smokey Eyes Palette (courtly grey)

CHEEKS

NYX Pinky Blush

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Medium/Natural

LIPS

MAC Romancin' Lipstick from Adoring Carmine Rose Lips Set

FACE
MAC Select SPF 15 Foundation in NC30

20% off coupon for Ulta!

2008-11-13T14:20:00.000-08:00

Click here to get a 20% off coupon on any one item including select top brands at Ulta. You can print the coupon from that site. It expires on Saturday, November 15, 2008.

If you prefer to shop online, the coupon code is 97153.

:)

MAC Brownish Blue Makeup Tutorial

2008-11-13T10:27:00.000-08:00

My first look using MAC's Passions of Red holiday palette in Classic Eyes.

EYES
MAC Paint Pot in Bare Study
MAC Devoted Poppy: 6 Classic Eyes palette
MAC Carbon e/s for eye liner

CHEEKS
MAC Stark Naked Blush

FACE
MAC Select SPF 15 Foundation in NC30
MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Medium/Natural

LIPS
MAC "To Swoon For" from the Adorine Carmine Rose Lips set

Enjoy! :B

MAC Holiday Haul

2008-11-13T10:22:00.000-08:00

Items from Little Darlings, Passions of Red, and Adoring Carmine! I also ended up doing a little review of the face brush set. Although I was not fond of the 187 brush, the others were pretty good.

Macys.com promo code for 20% off!

2008-11-12T20:26:00.000-08:00

Hi there! I got an email with a promo code for macys.com — 20% off! Here’s what it says:

From November 12 - November 17, 2008, enter promo code XG0SF1TAIW8N at checkout and save an extra 20% on your online purchase! Extra savings are reflected at checkout and apply to sale, clearance and regular prices, with exceptions listed.
Excludes Coach, Dooney & Bourke, Lacoste, Ed Hardy, 7 for all Mankind, cosmetics & fragrances, gift cards, toys, sunglasses, watches. For her: BCBG, Impulse, Lauren. For him: Emporio Armani, Polo/Ralph Lauren, Tommy Bahama, 7 for all Mankind. For the home: All-Clad, Henckels, Tumi, Waterford China & Crystal, Wusthof, area rugs, electrics and electronics, furniture, mattresses. Savings do not apply to Everyday Values, Jewelry Super Buys, web busters™, purchases on macysweddingchannel.com, purchases in Macy’s stores or prior purchases, payments on credit accounts, gift wrap or shipping charges.

Enjoy! :B

Classic Makeup Tutorial using MAC Red She Said (continued)

2008-11-04T13:12:00.000-08:00

This is Part 2: Tips for Lips

Classic Makeup Tutorial using MAC Red She Said

2008-11-04T13:08:00.001-08:00

This is Part 1: Eyes and Cheeks

Ulta NYX and Blockbuster Haul

2008-11-03T16:41:00.001-08:00

Sephora Friends & Family Discount Code!!!

2008-11-01T02:41:00.000-07:00

From November 6 to 10, 2008, Sephora is giving 20% off online orders! It's their Friends and Family Discount Code: FF2008

This would have been useful for my tarte The Vanity palette and Urban Decay Book of Shadows... but there's always something to buy from Sephora!

Happy online shopping!

:B

Coastal Scents Coupon Code!

2008-11-01T02:40:00.000-07:00

For the next 3 days, you can use the following coupon code to get $10 off on your purchase of $75 and above: SAVEMONEY

The code expires on November 2, 2008 at 11:59pm EST.

They are also going to have new products next week, and there will also be a delivery of Out Of Stock Palettes.

Enjoy!

:B

MAC "Red" She Said Makeup Look

2008-11-01T02:37:00.000-07:00

Here's what I'm wearing:

EYES
MAC Paint Pot in Bare Study
MAC E/S in Naked Lunch
MAC Mineralize E/S Trio in Inter-view (from "Red" She Said Collection)

CHEEKS
MAC Blush in Enough Said (from "Red" She Said Collection)

LIPS
MAC Lip Pencil in Cherry
MAC Amplified Creme Lipstick in "Red" She Said (from "Red" She Said Collection)
MAC Dazzleglass in Love Alert (from "Red" She Said Collection)

MAC Haul with Red She Said and Holiday Brush Set

2008-11-01T02:34:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to share a picture of my most recent MAC haul. For anyone looking to buy any one of the three holiday brush sets (basic brush set, eye shadow brush set, and face brush set), BUY IT AT NORDSTROM!!! They're selling it for only $35 there, compared to $50 at MAC! What a deal!!!

I also picked up some Red She Said items -- mineralize eye shadow trio in Inter-view, MAC Beauty Powder Blush in Stark Naked (LOVE IT!) and Red She Said Amplified Creme Lipstick. These are my favorites from the collection. At first, I went to the mall looking for the mineralize eye shadow trio in Threesome, but I ended up liking Inter-view better -- especially since I wanted to buy makeup for my upcoming Classic/Vintage Pinup Makeup Tutorial and Threesome doesn't look that great with red lips.

If you have any questions about any of these items, leave a comment and I'll let you know as soon as I've tried these on!

:B

Quick Hair Trick: Updo without any hair ties, clips, & pins!

2008-11-01T02:30:00.000-07:00

Want to get your hair away from your face quickly but don't have a hair tie? No worries! I've got a solution for those with medium to long hair. Watch my YouTube video below if you want to see how to do my trick. I came up with this trick in 8th grade, and over the years a lot of my classmates/friends/co-workers/even strangers ask me how I do it, so I figured I'd share it with you!

Remember, this is more for functionality than for looks -- but you can make it nice and neat too if you want! It only took me 20 seconds to put my hair up in the pictures below. :D

Let me know if you get it to work for you! :B

Pink, Orange, and Yellow Makeup Look

2008-11-01T02:22:00.000-07:00

I decided to wear my flowery dress to school a few days ago, and I wanted to match my makeup with it! Here's how it turned out:

These are the colors I used:

EYES
MAC Cream Colour Base in Luna (all over lid)
MAC Bright Sunshine e/s (inner corner)
MAC Post Haste e/s (outer corner)
Coastal Scents orange color from 88 Shimmer Palette (center of lid)
MAC Carbon e/s (upper lash line)

CHEEKS
MAC Paint Pot in Rubenesque (primer)
MAC Blush in Nuance
MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Medium/Natural

LIPS
Lancome Lipstick in Mars

:B

Tarte The Vanity Limited Edition Palette Review

2008-11-01T02:16:00.000-07:00

I bought tarte's newest palette at Sephora. It's called "The Vanity", and it's a follow up to tarte's "We Wish You Well" holiday palette from last year. It comes with 16 brand-new eyeshadows, 16 brand-new lipglosses, a luminizer, a mineral powder bronzer in Park Avenue Princess, a mini "Lights, Camera, Lashes!" mascara, and 2 brushes (one eyeshadow and one eyelining)! It was $52, but for 41 items, that's only $1.27 each!!!

My swatches are below (the eyeshadows/lipglosses/blushes do not have names so I couldn't really label them here -- but the eyeshadows are in left to right order from top to bottom row. Click on the images for a better view):

I also recorded a review on YouTube. Check it out!

Overall, this palette is great! tarte makeup has Vitamin E in it too (good for preventing premature aging)! This palette would make a wonderful holiday gift for your makeup loving friend or family member (or yourself!).

Here's the pumpkin orangy bown look I did using everything from this palette (except for the eye liner):

:B

Urban Decay Bronzy Green Makeup Tutorial

2008-11-01T02:11:00.001-07:00

Here's my first look using Urban Decay's Book of Shadows.

EYES
Primer Potion (mini size included in palette)
Urban Decay Gridlock, Baked, Absinthe, and Protest E/S
MAC Carbon E/S for eyeliner

CHEEKS
MAC Nuance Blush
MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Medium/Natural

LIPS
MAC High Tea

:B

Urban Decay Book of Shadows Review

2008-11-01T01:48:00.000-07:00

I picked up Urban Decay's Book of Shadows palette at Sephora. I bought it for $45, and I think it's a good deal, especially since the eyeshadows are really pigmented. It comes with 16 eyeshadows, 2 brushes, and 1 travel-size primer potion. I recorded a review on YouTube:

Here are my swatches (with and without flash):

8 BEST-SELLING SHADES
Goddess (midnight blue with lots of electric blue microglitter)
Shattered (bright green/blue shift)
Roach (deep brown with reddish sheen)
Smog (deep coppery bronze)
Baked (rich bronze)
Last Call (plum punch)
Grifter (sheer lavender with lots of silver microglitter)
Midnight Cowboy (golden beige with gold glitter)

8 EXCLUSIVE SHADES
Perversion (matte black)
Mayhem (deep purple)
Gridlock (medium brown)
Sidecar (bronze sparkle)
Shakedown (shimmering taupe)
Scandal (peachy-pink)
Absinthe (electric green)
Protest (dark green)

:B

Peachy Pink Makeup Look

2008-11-01T01:31:00.000-07:00

I used (in order):

EYES
MAC Phloof! e/s (brow bone highlight)
a light pink matte e/s from Tarte "The Vanity" L/E Palette (right under the highlight): http://sephora.com/browse/product.jhtml?id=P223604&categoryId=C12001
MAC Swish e/s (lid)
Urban Decay Last Call e/s (outer corner and crease)

CHEEKS AND LIPS
MAC Cream Colour Base in Crushed Bougainvillea (LOVE IT!!! Too bad you can't use this one on your eyes though)

This was a quick look -- only took me about 10 minutes total. Hope you like it! :B

***UPDATE***

I got this message from Pursebuzz on the Crushed Bougainvillea cream colour base when I mentioned that it can't be used on the eyes due to the warning label that came with it in the packaging:
"Hey There!
I think this only applies to those who are allergic to red dyes and products. A lot of people are allergic to red pigment/dyes/shadows and that’s why the warning is there. But if you aren’t then it’s fine :)~PB"

So if you're planning to use Crushed Bougainvillea on your eyes, do so at your own discretion! Make sure you are not allergic or anything first!

Pinky Purple Makeup Tutorial

2008-11-01T00:55:00.000-07:00

This is my first makeup tutorial! This is the look:

Here's a list of products I used in this tutorial (in order of appearance):

EYES
MAC Paint Pot Artifact
MAC E/S Shroom
MAC E/S Post Haste
MAC Pro E/S Vibrant Grape
MAC E/S Swish
Note: E/S = eye shadow :)

LIPS
MAC Amplified Lipstick in Violetta

CHEEKS
Dior Bronze Blush in Sunrise Party
MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Medium/Natural

Special thanks to EverydayStyle for coming over and helping out! :B

First Post!

2008-11-01T00:45:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! I'm starting up this new website about makeup, hair, fashion, good deals, and anything nerdy! I'm currently a full-time student, so I will try and update this as much as possible between exams and projects. I'm a computer science major, and I've loved makeup all my life. I'm not a professional makeup artist or anything, but I have been wearing makeup since... 5th grade! :-X I will also be making makeup videos and posting links here from YouTube. I like all makeup brands, especially MAC. I try to experiment with different brands though, from drugstore to Chanel and Dior just to see if there really is color payoff. I will post hauls, reviews, and any bargains that I find. Hopefully they will be helpful to you on your journey with makeup! That's about it for now! Check back again! :B