FOTD 12/17/2010 Dont Ya Just Love A Smokey Eye :)

So as I mentioned in a previous post, I am trying to step outside of my "neutral box" but I am going to take baby steps into the world of colorful looks instead of a great giant leap. Although a dark smokey eye isn't a "colorful" look, it definitely is something outside of the norm for me. I actually ended up LOVING the look so lets get straight to it.

FACE: 

- MAC Fix +

- MAC Studio Moisture Fix SPF 15 Lotion (Moisturizer)

- MAC Oil Control Lotion (T-Zone)

- MAC Studio Finish Concealer - NW40 (Brow bone)

- MAC Studio Tech Foundation - NC 50 

- MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural - Dark

- MAC Powder Blush - Blunt (Cheek Contour)

- MAC Sheertone Shimmer Blush Sweet as Cocoa (Apples of Cheeks)

- MAC Sheertone Shimmer Blush Trace of Gold (Highlight)

- Urban Decay Dew Me Moisturizing Makeup Setting Spray (After makeup application)

EYES:

- Urban Decay Primer Potion (Primer)

- MAC Paint Pot - Blackground (Base)

- MUFE Eyeshadow Diamond Black 7 {Rock For Ever Eyeshadow Palette}(Lid)

- MAC Eyeshadow - Knight Divine (Crease)

- MAC Eyeshadow - Mulch (Blended Above Crease Color)

- MAC Eyeshadow - Vex ( Browbone Highlight and Inner Corner of Eye & Tearduct)

- MAC Fluidline - Blacktrack (Upper Lashline)

- MAC  Powerpoint Eyeliner - Engraved (Waterline)

- Gabriela Eyelashes - G109

LIPS:

- MAC Lip Pencil - Hodgepodge

- MAC Lip Pencil - Spice (Fill in lips)

- MAC Lipstick - Shy Girl

- MAC Cremesheen Glass - Deelight

Pics below:



I'm sorry for the weird looking facial expression but
 the lighting was great so I decided to post the pic :/

Thanks for reading! XOXOXO



FOTD More Glitter :) 12/15/2010

I don't know about you guys but when I think of Holiday parties, two things instantly pop into my mind: Glitter and Red lips. And that's exactly what I did for my company Christmas party this past Wednesday. Let me apologize in advance for the pics. They aren't that great because they were taken with my blackberry but you will be able to get an idea of the look :)

FACE:
- MAC Fix +
- MAC Studio Moisture Fix SPF 15 Lotion (Moisturizer)
- MAC Oil Control Lotion (T-Zone)
- MAC Studio Finish Concealer - NW40 (Brow bone)
- MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural Dark (All over face)
- MAC Powder Blush Blunt (Cheek Contour)
- MAC Beauty Powder Blush All's Good (Apples of Cheeks)
- MAC Sheertone Shimmer Blush Trace Gold (Highlight)
- Urban Decay All Nighter Long- Lasting Makeup Setting Spray


EYES:
- Urban Decay Primer Potion (Lid to brow bone, lower lashline)
- MAC Paint Pot Indianwood  (Lid & Crease, lower lashline)
- MAC Eyeshadow Mulled Cider (Crease to brow bone)
- MAC Mineralize Eyeshadow By Jupiter/ MAC Fix + Spray (Packed on lid, blended into crease)
- MAC Glitter Reflects Bronze (Lid)
- MAC Eyeshadow Ricepaper (Brow Highlight)
- MAC Fluidline Blacktrack (Upper lashline)
- Gabriella Lashes #66




LIPS:
- MAC Lip Moisturizer
- NYX Lipliner Pencil Auburn
- N.Y.C Lipstick Sheer Red
- L'oreal Infallible Lipstick 310 Crimson

FOTD Glitter and Lashes ;)

Once I got my Tartan Tale Pigment/Glitter set in November, I knew I was going to have to step outside of my little "neutral eye" box and do something with the Reflects Blackened Red Glitter. I didn't step way outside of it but this FOTD is different from what I normally do on myself and I definitely loved the outcome. I received alot of compliments :) As always, before I post the pics and tell you guys what I used to achieve the look, I must fill you in on where I went and what I wore. 12/11/10 was one of my favorite co-workers birthday; We planned to go to karaoke but ending up going to a club. I wore all black (you'll learn that black is my favorite color). Before we met up I went to dinner at a Hibachi restaurant. I wore a black tank top with a sequin bow on the front of the shirt and a ribbon that ties into a bow on the back, {My hair is long (right now) so no one saw the ribbon in the back} black jeans, black booties, and a black blazer. Pics and products below.

FACE:

- Absolute Make-Up Cleansing Tissues Fresh Aloe Extract
- MAC Fix +
- MAC Studio Moisture Fix SPF 15 Lotion (Moisturizer)
- MAC Oil Control Lotion (T-Zone)
- MAC Studio Finish Concealer - NW40 (Browbone)
- MAC Studio Fix Fluid Foundation NC50
- MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural Dark
- MAC Powder Blush Blunt (Cheek Contour)
- MAC Powder Blush Format (Cheek Contour)
- MAC Powder Blush Raizin (Apples of cheeks)
- MAC Sheertone Shimmer Blush Sweet as Cocoa (Apples of cheeks)
- MAC Sheertone Shimmer Blush Trace of Gold  (Cheek Highlight)

EYES:
- Urban Decay Primer Potion
- NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil Rust (Lid & Crease)
- MAC Eyeshadow Mulled Cider (Crease to Browbone)
- MAC Eyeshadow Vaniglorious ( Lid & Crease)
- MAC Glitter Reflects Blackened Red (Lid)
- MAC Eyeshadow Vex (Tearduct)
- MAC Pigment Gift O' Glamour (Tearduct and Browbone highlight)
- MAC Fluidline Blacktrack (Upper lashline)
- Red Cherry Lashes #66

LIPS:
- MAC Lip Pencil HodgePodge
- MAC Lipstick Sinister
- MAC LoveChild Lipglass


Notes:
- Reflects Blackened Red Glitter - Tartan Tale  Smoky Thrillseekers Pigment/Glitter set
- Gift O'Glamour Pigment - Tartan Tale Warm Thrillseekers Pigment/Glitter set
- Sinister Lipstick - Venomous Villians Evil Queen collection
- Vainglorious Eyeshadow - Venomous Villians Evil Queen collection

Thanks for reading :)

FOTD Soft smokey eye.....

Last Thursday, the 9th of December to be exact, I went to a lounge to support one of my friends. I'm not sure if I have mentioned this but when I go to clubs I try to keep my makeup simple; no real reason why, its just "my thing". So after about four days of "omg i have nothing to wear" I decided to wear a black off the shoulder top, gray harem pants, with some gray ankle boots. I figured a quick soft smokey eye would work for me for the evening. You can find the pics as well as a list of what I used below......





FACE:
-MAC Studio Fix Plus Spray
-MAC Prolongwear Concealer in NC50 (under eye)
-MAC Studio Finish Concealer in NC 42 (brow highlight)
-Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer
-MAC Mineral Skinfinish Natural in DARK
-MAC Powder Blush -Blunt (Contour)
-MAC Powder Blush - All's Good
-MAC Powder Blush - Trace Gold (Highlight)
-Urban Decay All Nighter Long - Lasting Makeup Setting Spray

EYES:
-Urban Decay Primer Potion
-MAC Paint Pot - Bare Study (Lid)
-NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil - Iced Coffee (Crease)
-MAC Eyeshadow -Mulled Cider (Crease)
-MAC Eyeshadow -Vex (Lid)
-MUFE Diamond Shadow - Diamond Black 307 {Rock For Ever Eyeshadow Palette}(Outer V)
-ELF Gel Eyeliner Black (Upper Lashline)
-Red Cherry Lashes-109
-MAC Mineral Skinfinish Natural in DARK (Browbone)

LIPS:
-MAC Tinted Lip Conditioner - Close for Comfort
-MAC Lip Pencil - Hodgepodge
-MAC Slimshine Lipstick - Bare
-MAC Cremesheen Glass - Delight 

Photoshoot 11/14/2010

So as you guys may remember, I was asked to do makeup for a friend of mine for one of her photo shoots sometime in mid-November. Well, I did. I was a tad bit nervous because she changed her outfits the night before but it definitely went well. She gave me the freedom to do whatever I felt would look best to match her looks. In fact, it went so well that after her shoot was finished, the next photographer asked me to stick around and work on his model. My friend did not get her pictures back yet but the 2nd model did and she was kind enough to email them to me so that I could post them on the blog :). Check them out below:

Right or Left?!?!?!?

Hey guys! This weekend I will be working on a friend's makeup for her photo shoot. I was home playing around with some ideas the other night. One of the outfits she sent me a pic of is a black shirt and some light blue denim shorts. Sounds pretty plain right? Well on the shorts is a belt that is soooo cute. It's teal, blue, pink, and, purple yarn intertwined with gold beads. Its hot trust me! So anyway, I did two looks but with the same colors. I used hot pink, purple and gold e/s from my 88 Matte palette (BH cosmetics), and MAC Undercurrent Pearlglide Intense Eye Liner (Which you don't see in the pics because I took it before I was finished). The lip I have in the pic was not related to where I was trying to go with the look. I was just trying to see how I would look with a purple lip LOL prior to starting my eyes, but in case you want to know its MAC's Go For It!

Fancy Book Review - MATERIAL GIRL by: Keisha Ervin !!!

Let me start off by saying that Keisha Ervin is one of my FAVORITE urban fiction authors. I have read all of her books starting with her first novel “Me and My Boyfriend”, which is still by far one of my favorite books of all time! I find that her books encompass relatable situations for the every day young woman heightened with some things we may want to experience but do not have the means to. When one hears “urban fiction” I think they instantly think vulgarity, sex, and drugs. While a lot of times that is the case, this author goes beyond that. I notice a pattern of “relationship” related topics. If we have not experienced something that she has written, I can guarantee we know someone who knows someone who has been through it! I read a lot of books mainly from the urban fiction genre but because of the type of person I am (a “sucka for love”), my reading preference is books that deal with the topic. I am going to try to do a review of her latest book entitled “Material Girl” without it doubling as a spoiler, just in case any of you lovely people are interested in picking it up.

In my opinion, Material Girl is a good book. If I had to put it on my list of favorite novels written by Keisha Ervin, it would be number 4. The book is about a young woman by the name of Dylan Monroe and her relationships with her boyfriend, State, the handsome, successful, liar, her mother, Candie, the outrageous man and money chaser, her best friend, Billie, who is brutally honest with everyone else but herself, her cousin Tee Tee, who is just off-the-hook, and Billie’s brother, Angel, who is also handsome and successful like State, but is the opposite in every other way as far as Dylan is concerned. The title of the book definitely describes Dylan, she is a “label-whore”, who purchases more than she necessarily can afford and thinks she has it all because she owns a mass amount of material things. Throughout this novel you will see Dylan loving someone that doesn’t love her back, then she gets a good man but is so stuck on the bad one that she doesn’t recognize it until its too late. I recommend for anyone who loves to a good read about love, hate, lies, betrayal, infidelity, denial, drama, and steamy sex scenesJ .The ending isnt strong but you can tell its a set-up for a part II and I respect the growth of the character so I was satisfied. 

Oh and I just read that we can expect part II to release on July 26, 2011. I already have it added on my Amazon Shopping List because although it wasn’t my favorite, it definitely is a good read that held my attention from beginning to end and I would love to see what happens next!

Ms. Ervin has a website: http://www.keishaervin.com%20!here/  or you can follow her on twitter for some updates on her literature @Keishaervin . Here some other novels written by Keisha Ervin:

Me and My Boyfriend



Chyna Black



Mina's Joint





Hold U Down





Finding Forever







Gunz and Roses





Torn

RANDOM POST!!!!! Evidence of my boredom!!!!!!

I know we all have those moments where we have some free time and we play in our makeup. Well here is the product of one of my moments! For some reason I have stacks of magazines in my living room and the Hype Hair with Nicki Minaj on the cover was sitting on top of front stack.....

Clearly I look nothing like Nicki Minaj, and she had on more blush and a more pigmented/ vibrant shade of pink lipstick. Although I was playing around in my house, I still had to make it work for me and my skin tone. We can wear whatever color we want, but its about finding the right shade of that color that compliments our skin tone. Nicki and I are one two different spectrum's of the color wheel. This look inspired to me rock bright colors only on my lid the last few times I went out. I have a pic from one night but I didn't take any real pics so I don't want to make it a FOTN, I'll post what I have along with this one!

Mini NYX Haul

Hey everyone, I apologize for being behind on posts. As most of you may know, I was trying to get my graduate school applications in order but I finally submitted them last week so I should be able to get some more posts up. I made this purchase a few weeks ago but I was so busy
I haven't even taken them out of the bag until tonight. So i went into a beauty supply, just to "look" and ended up picking up 6 Jumbo Eye Pencils, 2 Jumbo Lip Pencils, and 2 Mega Shine Lip Glosses. Below you'll find the swatches on NC50 skin.



Jumbo Eye Pencils
From Left to Right:
623A Purple Velvet; 618 Purple; 615 Slate; 624 Cherry; 623 Orange; 625 Strawberry Milk



Jumbo Lip Pencils and Mega Shine Lip Glosses
From Left to Right:
(JLP) 722 Hera; 715 Burgundy; (MSLG) 115 American Queen; 116 Vixen

Jumbo Lip Pencils and Mega Shine Lip Glosses From Left to Right:
(JLP) 722 Hera; 715 Burgundy; (MSLG) 115 American Queen; 116 Vixen






Jumbo Lip Pencil 722 Hera

 

Jumbo Lip Pencil 715 Burgundy



Mega Shine Lip Gloss 115 American Queen

Mega Shine Lip Gloss 116 Vixen

For reference I swatched a few lipsticks and glosses. Please note I am not labeling them as dupes, more like a "comparison".



From Left to Right:
Ma Violetta lipstick; MAC Rebel lipstick; MC Revenge is Sweet; MAC Magnetique lipglass; NYX American Queen Jumbo Lip Pencil




From Left to Right:
NYX Jumbo Lip Pencil Hera, MAC Violetta lipstick, MAC The Amp Up lipstick, MAC Violetta & The Amp Up lipsticks mixed.



Thanks for reading!! XOXOXO :)

FOTD Navy blue smokey eye 10.08.2010

I went out to a comedy show with one of my friends about two weeks ago. I had a hard time picking out an outfit and a makeup look but I did know I wanted to use one of my NARS shadows because I haven't had the time to do any looks with them. After going through my closet about 12 times, I

 picked out a royal blue jacket, a black silk tank top, ripped black jeans, and some suede royal blue pumps. After I got dressed and did my hair, I had about 5 minutes left to do my makeup. Here is a few pics of the look I wore for the night:

Products Used:

(FACE)

-MAC Tinted Moisturizer in Dark

-MSF Natural in Dark

-MAC Blunt Powder Blush  (Cheek Contour)

- MAC Sweet as Cocoa Sheertone Shimmer Blush (Apples of cheeks)

-MAC Trace of Gold Sheertone Shimmer Blush (Cheek Highlight)

(EYES)

-MAC Mystery Eyeshadow  (Brows)

-MAC Bamboom Paint  (Base)

-MAC Vex Eyeshadow (Highlight)

-MAC Satin Taupe Eyeshadow

-NARS Night Flight Eyeshadow

-MAC Lash Prep and Prime

-MAC Studio Fix Mascara

(LIPS)

-MAC Hodgepodge lipliner

-MAC Bare Slimshine lipstick

-MAC Delight Cremesheen Glass

THANKS FOR READING!!!!!

How To: Tattoo Cover Up! (My routine)

I am very big on self-expression. One of the reasons I am so into makeup and other beauty related topics is because it is a way to express yourself. With that being said, I have roughly about 11 tattoos. I say roughly because everytime I count, I feel as if I'm missing one. While I dont have any offensive tattoos, sometimes they just dont fit certain occasions (interviews, certain work envirnoment, formal dinners, etc). I started playing around with ways to cover them and this is what i found to work best for me :)

What i use:

-A Sponge or a blending eyeshadow brush (depends on the size of my tatt)
-Concealer (lighter than my shade)
-Dermablend Leg & Body Cover
-MAC Select Sheer Loose Powder
-MAC Mineral Skinfinish
-Urban Decay All Nighter Long Lasting Makeup Setting Spray

Dermablend Leg & Body Cover

Avon Concealer Stick &
Urban Decay All Nighter Long-lasting Setting Spray



MAC Select Sheer Loose Powder NW45 MAC Mineral Skinfinish DARK
Sponge

 - First I take my concealer, and using a stippling motion, I apply it to the tattoo I would like to cover. Depending on the size of the tattoo sometimes I use my 224 to apply the concealer. (Normally I would use my MAC Select Cover Up concealer but I ran out in the shade I need, so I used this AVON concealer stick)
- Next, I take my sponge and do that same stippling motion, over the are where I applied the concealer. (I did this for this particular cover up because of the consistency of the concealer, it is VERY creamy).
- On the other side of the sponge, I poured a little bit of the Dermablend Leg and Body cover, and applied it to the area where I applied the concealer. (For smaller tattoos I use the stipple motion and for the larger tattoos i stipple the middle and blend out the corners)
-The Dermablend doesnt match every part of my body (I have an uneven skintone) so for some tattoos I use a translucent loose setting powder (Dermablend Loose Setting Powder). For the two cover up pictures below I used MAC Select Sheer Loose Powder in NW45, followed by MAC Mineral Skinfinish in DARK. I used my sponge for both but sometimes I use a powder brush.
-Lastly, I spray with a setting spray (Urban Decay All Nighter) and then im done!

I also use this routine for my stretch marks but sssshhhhhh!!!!!! ;) LOL.




Before



After



Before



After

Just in case you are interested Dermablend can be found on http://www.macys.com/ or http://www.amazon.com/. Below you can find a list of some of there products as well as prices.

- Dermablend Leg & Body Cover 1 oz. $26.00

-Dermablend Loose Setting Powder 1 oz. $21.00

-Dermablend Quick Fix Concealer SPF 30 $22.00 (Stick)

-Dermablend Cover Creme 1 oz. $33.00

- Dermablend Compact Setting Powder 0.5 oz. $21.00

-Dermablend Smooth Indulgence Concealer $21.00 (Long lasting matte finish)

-Dermablend Leg & Body Tattoo Primer $25.00 (Stick)

-Dermablend Long Wear Makeup Remover $21.00

Hope you enjoyed!