CCO Haul!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!