Dragon Ballz

With this face, I got to try out a few things I bought over the weekend:  Guerlain Meteorites Perles du Dragon and Givenchy Bucolic Poppy blush!  I'm very pleased with both.

A few nit-picky things about the Dragon ballz...  In all of the promo pictures, the ballz are clearly overflowing out of the container.  Also, in the promo pics, the ballz have a really hefty amount of purple, pink, and peach (as compared to, say, white).  For the record and the sake of reality, I am here to tell you that if you buy these ballz, they will not come overflowing out of your container.  In fact, when you open the container you might be looking around for missing ballz - ballz you believe are missing because you've been trained by marketing tactics to believe you will be getting twice the amount of ballz than you actually get.  And, for the record, the vast majority of your ballz will be white.  I literally only have like one or two pinky red ballz.  If you don't believe me, google "Perles du Dragon" and see the differences in images for yourself.

I love the iridescence of MUFE Star Powder!  How deliciously pretty is the pinky-gold shift?  Also, if you dislike creasy eye products, feel free to skip NYX Glam Shadow Sticks.  I used a pretty sparkly gold on my lid, under the Star Powder, and it began creasing within about 30 minutes (over primer, of course).  I guess I'll be saving it for use on the lower lash line only - or maybe as a more robust brow bone highlight.

Bucolic Poppy blush is more pink than I expected, just from gazing lovingly at it in the pan.  I'm not sad for that, though.  I absolutely relish a good pink blush.  This is no exception.  I'm actually super happy to have it because I had somehow convinced myself that it was limited edition and long gone - that I would never ever try or own it.  Hmmm.  Apparently it is LE and I am lucky to have stumbled upon it (just did a quick internet search)!  Whaddayaknow?!

Face:
Benefit The Porefessional (a couple of dots near the center of my face)
Amore Pacific Moisture Bound Tinted Treatment Moisturizer SPF 15 102 - Fair
BareMinerals A Stroke of Light Luminous 1 (under eye)
Korres Quercetin & Oak concealer Fair
Korres Wild Rose Mineral Setting Powder
Guerlain Meteorites Perles du Dragon (all over, except nose)

Cheeks:
Givenchy Bucolic Poppy <3
Tarte AC Stellar

Eyes:
Lorac Behind the Scenes Eye Primer
NYX Glam Shadow Stick 24 Karat (lid)
MUFE Star Powder 940 (all over - lash line to brow bone)
Tarina Tarantino Electric Butterfly e/s (crease)
UD Half Baked e/s (outer corner of lid)
UD Lucky e/l pencil (lower lash line)
MAC Pure Show Superslick liquid liner (upper lash line)
Stila Stay All Day black pen liner (tightline)
Givenchy Noir Couture
Givenchy Phenomeneyes Gold Sparkle
Givenchy Phenomeneyes waterproof (lowers)
Tarte Taupe brow pencil

Lips:
Nars Indian Red lip stain


I expected Indian Red to be more warm toned.  It's quite a classic red, perhaps only the tiniest bit warm.  Initially, it feels undetectable and weightless on the lips.  After about 30 minutes on, it begins to feel a little bit dry and papery.  I cannot speak to wear time because I actually took it off after about 40 minutes.  I just wasn't loving how it looked with the eyes and the blush in real life.

Good news, I think!  I may have found a dupe for Tom Ford's Black Orchid lipstick.  I had to return mine because, so so sadly, it had turned bad (smelled and tasted icky).  They didn't have a suitable replacement, either (Cosmetics Company Outlet).  Last night, I tried on Rouge D'Armani 609 and it was instant love.  Obviously, I don't have Black Orchid anymore to compare it to directly, but my initial thoughts are that it is gosh darn close.  What do you think?  Have you looked at, worn, or played with both?  The Armani also feels quite fantastic and buttery on the lips.

Oh, and despite my prior rant about discrepancies in the Perles Du Dragon, I love how they look on my face.  The high white ball count lends itself to a lovely, almost ethereal glow on my skin.  Bravo!

Thanks for stopping by and listening to my ramblings.  Or maybe you just looked at pictures.  Either, way, I appreciate it!  :)

Maybe I Already Am

...a vampire, that is.  I had this bright idea to do my makeup like a Twilight movie character.  I figured, hey, I am nearly as pale as a vampire already, so this will be easy and fun!  The blonde one was the obvious choice - Rosalie Hale.  I dutifully looked up a breakdown of the actress' makeup and discovered that it was quite indeed very simple.

I did not get the lips right here, and was able to successfully tweak them later on at work.  What you see here is just Stila Pomegranate stain - not bright enough.  I added Hourglass Flush (sorry, no pictures), which was the perfect soft but bright reddish pink.  My eyebrow below has suffered a casualty due to very minor trimming.  The hairs on the end were really obviously getting to be too long.  A little careful trimming has proven to be much too much!  Thank goodness for pencil and do remember that when not zoomed in so very close, it doesn't look nearly so tragic.

By now, you may have noticed an odd texture and sheen to my skin.  That would be the ever sparkly Nars Illuminator Silver Factory all over my entire face.  I thought that it would nicely emulate the whole vampire skin sparkling in the sun thing...but I learned that I was wrong!  Not everyone even noticed it and one coworker asked me why I was "sweaty."  Not exactly what I was going for!!  She volunteered to douse my face in Make Up For Ever Diamond Powder (white gold 2), which apparently sealed the deal and made my character all the more believable (again, sorry, no pics of that sparkle-trocity).  And thank goodness for friends willing to dump endless sparkles on your face when the need arises!  I've taken a few pictures in the sun so that you can hopefully appreciate Silver Factory.

Additionally, I would just like to say that I was feeling confident that my Illamasqua Skin Base 2 would be just the perfect too pale base for me, however, after wearing it for a day and seeing myself in these pictures, I fear it was not nearly light enough!  What a disappointment.  I should have gone all in with white base.  My apologies for the strange crop below.  It was an awkward photo, but nicely showed off the sheen on my cheek.  The combination of weird textures with Skin Base and Silver Factory emphasize every single imperfection, divot, and pore in my skin as well.  It's not easy trying to be a vampire!!

Face:
Illamasqua Skin Base 2
Tarte Maracuja concealer Fair (under eye)
Nars Silver Factory Illuminator applied generously over my entire face

Cheeks:
Too Faced e/s Birthday Suit (attempted contour)
Revlon Diamond Lust e/s Celestial Silver (highlight)

Eyes:
Lorac Behind the Scenes Eye Primer
Too Faced e/s In the Buff (all over)
Too Faced e/s Pillow Talk (smudged into liner on lowers, used lightly over Nightcap in crease)
Too Faced e/s Nightcap (crease)
Urban Decay Stray Dog e/l pencil (lowers)
Stila Stay All Day liner pen black (tight line)
Stila Stay All Day liner pen Alloy (upper lash line)
YSL black cream liner (waterline)
Givenchy Noir Couture mascara (upper lashes)
Givenchy Phenomeneyes waterproof black (lower lashes)
Tarte Taupe brow pencil

Lips:
Stila Pomegranate Crush lip and cheek stain

Admittedly, I really needed some nice dark brown contacts and some TEETH (impressive incisors, specifically).  I think if I had had those elements, the rest would not have mattered.  In any case, it was a learning day for makeup, and I enjoyed the process.  I laughed a lot with friends over the whole thing and have pretty much decided that I must already be a vampire if I tried so hard to look like a semi-famous one and ended up merely looking like myself.

Do let me know what you think!  I'm prepared to laugh some more.

Pat McGrath Inspired

This is a runway inspired look that I wore on Friday.  I was rather taken by a photo I saw on a Pat McGrath Tumblr (I say "a" instead of "the" because I have no idea if it is "the" one or how many Pat McGrath Tumblrs in fact exist).  You can see it here.

Yohji Yamamoto's Fall 2012 show featured models with dark blue lips and glossy lids.  I just had to try it!  I was only looking at the one inspirational picture, and since it was blurry, I took some liberties.  Now that I've since looked at other pictures of other models, I realize I missed out on a gold cupid's bow highlight, gold inner lower lash line highlight, as well as amped up my black liner too much.  Ah well, it was certainly fun!

Also, I did add a soft contour with Nars Douceur blush and a brow highlight with Nars Silver Factory after these pictures were taken.  Sorry that you missed out on that!  The awkward picture below is intended to show some of the glossiness on my eyelids.  And yes, I do believe I overdid it with the pink, as well.

Face:
Amore Pacific Moisture Bound Tinted Treatment Moisturizer SPF 15 102 - Fair mixed 50/50 with
Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Rose Quartz
BareMinerals Stroke of Light Luminous 1 (under eye)
Korres Wild Rose Mineral Setting Powder (under eyes and lightly through t-zone)

Eyes:
Lorac Behind the Scenes Eye Primer
Illamasqua Morale powder blusher
YSL black cream liner
Fiberwig D.J.V. Beautenizer Volume Lash
Malin & Goetz Mojito Lip Balm (as gloss)

Lips:
YSL waterproof eye pencil 3 Ultramarine
Anna Sui waterproof eye pencil 03 (magenta color on center of lower lip)
Malin & Goetz Mojito Lip Balm (as gloss)

This was my first time attempting a dramatic and unconventional makeup look on myself.  Furthermore, I actually wore this makeup for a full 9 hours or more.  Let me tell you something I'm sure you may have already guessed - runway makeup is not meant for a full day in real life!!  I knew it was going to give me trouble, but with some careful monitoring and tweaking, I was able to manage it.

The eyes creased and smudged some due to the gloss, but after the first few hours, they calmed down and did fine really (of course by then, most of the glossy effect was lacking).  Oddly enough, my lids were super duper soft and plump at the end of the night, after I took all my makeup off!  I have to give credit to that amazing balm!!  The lips were the most high maintenance for me.  I had to frequently check that they weren't misbehaving, moving, or breaking down on the corners.  Surprisingly, though, the corners were the only parts that gave me any trouble.  The line remained crisp and in tact and as the color faded it remained relatively even and soft looking due to the gloss (balm, really).  At one point in the day, I tried to wear the lips without gloss, which was not only uncomfortable, but wore much worse and patchy on the corners.  Gloss to save the day!

Can I just say that that YSL blue liner is not messing around!?  It wore exceptionally well on my lips and was quite tenacious.  I have since tried another waterproof blue eyeliner/shadow on my lips which wore off in patches very quickly.  Yuck.  Points to YSL for making an eyeliner that rocks as a lip color.  Hopefully I don't die from consuming something not lip safe!

If ever you are feeling courageous or curious about social psychology, do wear a bold blue lip (and perhaps even blush and gloss on your eyes).  It's a strange day to have.  People look at you very differently.  It was a humbling experience for me, I must say.  And I'm thankful that despite odd looks, no one had the nerve to actually say much about my makeup.  Of course a few dear souls were fabulously supportive.  Makeup should be fun, no?  I think so.

Thanks for stopping by and do let me know what you think of this look!

Black Orchid

I wore my Tom Ford Black Orchid lipstick yesterday.  I am so sad to say that I discovered it is rancid.  I don't think I've ever known or understood lipsticks going bad until now.  :(  I plan on exchanging it (hopefully for a non-rancid one) of course.  Other than it tasting and smelling bad, it sure looks good.  Ugh.  Oh!  And I wore it as a stain, if you are wondering.  I applied it lightly with my finger.

The eyes were a bit of a strange mix of fall colors.  The whole look makes me think of cranberries and pumpkins and very fall-ish things.

The gold shimmer on the center of my lid is from Lorac's 3D liquid lustre.  I think I'd like to have the "gold" version (this one, believe it or not, is the orignal version, which is more white gold).

I started the eye look with my beloved Laura Mercier Caviar Stick in Golden.  I fear I've covered up most of it with other things!  You can see it best on the lower lash line.  The Caviar Sticks are one of my favorite eye things and while they are so lovely on their own, I almost can't resist dressing them up with other shadows.

Face:
Smashbox Photo Finish More than Primer
Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer Creme Compact Porcelain
Fresh Umbrian Clay concealer 1
YSL Touche Eclat 1
Korres Wild Rose Mineral Setting Powder

Cheeks:
Guerlain Terracotta Light Blondes 01
Tarte AC Glisten
Nars Hungry Heart (gold side)

Eyes:
Lorac Behind the Scenes Eye Primer
Laura Mercier Caviar Stick Golden (lid and lower lash line)
Makeup Geek Pretentious e/s (outer corner)
Makeup Geek Goddess e/s (crease)
Too Faced In the Buff e/s (inner corner)
Makeup Geek Bling e/s (brow bone)
Lorac 3D Liquid Lustre (patted on center of lid over Golden)
Stila Stay All Day black pen liner (tight line)
Stila Sparkle liquid liner Rock Candy (upper lash line)
Urban Decay liner pencil Lucky (waterline)
Tarte Taupe brow pencil
Fiberwig D.J.V. Beautenizer Volume Lash
Givenchy Phenomeneyes Waterproof mascara (lower lashes)

Lips:
Urban Decay Ozone lip liner
Tom Ford Black Orchid (as a stain)


This was my first time trying the LM tinted moisturizer compact.  I was pleasantly surprised to find that it is not too yellow for me!  It blended in really easily.  I didn't love the final finish, though.  It's definitely not flawless on me and I had some breakdown on my nose relatively quickly.  I've tried much worse, though.  If I were giving it a grade, I'd say B or B+.  I really expected to like it much less, oddly enough.  I do enjoy that it's quick and easy, and overall, not taking into account my crazy nose, it wore pretty well through a long day.

Thanks for stopping by!

Quick Looks

Somehow I left myself with very little time to do my makeup the last few days.  What gets sacrificed, you ask?  The eyes, of course.  I used GA ETKI #8 as a wash, YSL's waterproof eyeliner pencil in 3 Ultramarine, lightly smudged, Illamasqua Vow on the waterline, Stila Stay All Day black liner pen for tightline, and Givenchy Noir Couture mascara.

On my face I am wearing Smashbox dark spot correcting primer (which smells a little strange after I've massaged it in), Amazing Cosmetics Velvet Mineral Pressed Powder, Illamasqua Hussy blusher,  Guerlain Meteorites Perles D'Or, and the BareMinerals Stroke of Light brightener under my eyes.  The lip color is Tarte's Luster in Obsession.

The next look is a little more amped up with the eyes, but not by much.  I used more mascara and shadow smudged into liner for a very quick smoky liner effect.

I'm wearing Tarte's lip Tint in Lust, which is one of my favorite reds ever because it's easy, quick, long lasting, low maintenance, and comfortable.  My pictures here make it look slightly pink but I assure you that in person it is a warmer, true red when layered to intensify (yes, I've layered it here but it just looks a little dull and cool).

On my eyes I am wearing GA ETKI 18 as a wash, Stila Lionfish Smudge Stick with RBR Abyssinian Catbird smudged into the uppers and UD Baked eyeliner pencil on the lowers (again, with Abyssinian Catbird smudged into it).  I've used Stila Stay All day black liner pen for tightlining, Fiberwig D.J.V. Beautenizer Volume Lash mascara with Korres Volcanic over top on the uppers lashes, and Givenchy Phenomeneyes waterproof mascara on my lower lashes.  The mascara looked a little chunky, but seen from a reasonable distance gave me quite a nice dramatic look!

On my face I wore the Amore Pacific Tinted Moisturizer, which I continue to enjoy.  It's so smooth!  Also, my skin is very clear right now, so I have to wonder if I should give it that credit.  I finished with Korres Wild Rose Mineral Setting Powder, blushed with Stila's Custom Color Coral blush, and do believe I went for a dusting of the Guerlain Meteorites in Perles D'Or yet again.

I apologize that the last picture is so blurry, but I was smiling, so I decided to include it.  :)

I've obviously not listed every single detail of my makeup for either of these looks, so please feel free to ask about anything you see or wonder about that I've not mentioned.  Otherwise, I'll assume that you are happy just to breeze on by and see what I've been up to makeup-wise the last few days.  I'm hoping to get back to some more dramatic eye looks very soon.

Not Pink

I really meant for this look to center around pink eyeshadow(s).  I started with what I thought was a pink eyeshadow (Urban Decay Tainted from the 15th Anniversary palette).  Not.  Quite.  Pink.

Don't get me wrong!  It's pink-ish.  Tainted is more lavender, I now believe.  Then, I was kind of lost and not sure what to do with myself.  Somehow I ended up pulling out the Tarte for True Blood palette and went with mauve and reddish plum.

It's not my favorite eye ever, but I do like it!  The pinky plummy colors make my eyes look really green.

I wish I had gone for a cooler lip color, at least for these pictures.  I was debating wearing YSL Glossy Stain 13 or 14, but was in such a hurry this morning, I reached for something I could literally slap on my lips in two seconds (Korres Mandarin Lip Butter Stick in Rose).

What's your favorite way to do a bold pink eye?  Clearly, I need more ideas!  :)  I'm still trying to smile.  See?  I tried.

Face:
Anthony Logistics for Men Instant Fix Oil Control (nose)
Amore Pacific Moisture Bound Tinted Treatment Moisturizer 102 Fair
Fresh Umbrian Clay Absolute Concealer 1 (spots)
YSL Touche Eclat 1 (under eye)
Korres Wild Rose Mineral Setting Powder

Cheeks:
Guerlain Terracotta Light Blondes 01
Illamasqua Nymph
Nars Hungry Heart (pink side)

Eyes:
Lorac Behind the Scenes Eye Primer
UD e/s Tainted (lid)
UD e/s Vanilla (inner corner)
Tarte e/s Telepath (crease)
Tarte e/s "V" (smudged into liner on lash lines, outer corner of lids, deepest part of crease)
Tarte e/s Fairy (brow bone)
Tarte e/s Legend (to darken outer corner)
Anna Sui pink e/l (lowers)
UD Rockstar e/l (uppers and waterline)
Stila Stay All Day black liner (tight line)
Tarte Taupe brow pencil
Fiberwig D.J.V. Beautenizer Volume Lash
Givenchy Phenomeneyes waterproof mascara (lowers)

Lips:
Korres Mandarin Lip Butter Stick Rose

Thanks for stopping by!  Hopefully tomorrow's makeup look will be more exciting.

Bronze & Shine

I've caught myself up to the present.  This is what I wore today!  This morning, I stupidly forgot that I would be wearing a pink t-shirt (the one you see here) or else I think I might have picked different colors for my makeup.  Yes, I put my makeup on while wearing my night gown.  That said, I don't think the bronze look was a total disaster with the really cool-toned and bright pink shirt.

I used Armani Eyes to Kill Intense shadows in 15 (lid and lowers) and 28 (crease).  They are quite similar, as you can see, but 28 has a rosy quality to it and is more sparkly where 15 is just metallic, if that makes sense.  I did a tone-on-tone eyeliner on my upper lash line, using Stila's Sparkle liner in Rock Candy.  You can just hardly even notice it here but it did add a tiny bit of extra definition, sparkle, and covered the area right up by my lashes, which is often neglected when I chose not to wear liner.

Oh look!  I'm smiling, mostly.  I know folks like to see smiling pictures, but gosh, it's hard to get a good one!

I decided to just wear gloss, which sadly looks washed out here.  It's Lorac's Multiplex 3D gloss in the color "3D," which is one of my favorite glosses ever.  It goes iridescent from bronze to pink and has a really lovely shimmer.  The forumla is superb as well.  It hydrates and is long lasting.  I adore these glosses and have several.

I think you can see the rosiness of ETKI #28 better in the picture above.  I wish the sparkle showed up better, though!  I guess that's what happens when you take pictures in indirect lighting, though, huh?

Face:
Illamasqua Skin Base 2 mixed with
Amore Pacific Moisture Bound Tinted Treatment Moisturizer 102
(approximately 1/4  Skin Base and 3/4 AP TM)
Bare Minerals Stroke of Light Luminous 1 (under eye)
Illamasqua Concealer 115
Korres Wild Rose Mineral Setting Powder <3

Cheeks:
Guerlain Terracotta Light Blondes 01
Guerlain Terracotta Blush and Sun 03 Sun Tan (strictly as blush)
Laura Mercier Rose Rendezvous Illuminator

Eyes:
Lorac Behind the Scenes Eye Primer
GA ETKI #15 (lid and smudged into liner on lowers)
GA ETKI #28 (crease)
Too Faced In the Buff e/s (inner corner)
Too Faced Pink Cheeks e/s (brow bone)
Urban Decay Baked eyeliner pencil (lower lash line and water line)
Stila Sparkle eyeliner Rock Candy (uppers)
Stila Stay All Day black liner pen (tightline)
Urban Decay El Dorado eyeliner pencil (inner lowers)
Fiberwig D.J.V. Beautenizer Volume Lash
Givenchy Phenomeneyes waterproof mascara (lowers)
Tarte Taupe brow pencil

Lips:
Lorac Multiplex 3D lip gloss "3D"

The mix of the Illamasqua Skin Base (which is too fair) and the Amore Pacific tinted moisturizer (which is only a pinch dark and yellow) provided a perfect match for me today.  It still went on like silky perfection and lasted great through the day.  I am loathe to mix bases only because I find it annoying and troublesome (where do I put the excess if I mix up too much?), however, in this case I'm glad I took the time to do so.  Also, it puts my sad and oft neglected Skin Base to good use.

What do you think of this look?  I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Dragonfruit with Glitter

This will be a shorter post as I didn't get hardly any decent pictures of myself this go around.  Some days are like that.  It was a simple look, anyway, so I don't need to go on and on about it!  What I like most here is the tinted moisturizer (Amore Pacific), the lip color, and the purple glitter, of course!

Face:
Amore Pacific Moisture Bound Tinted Treatment Moisturizer 102 Fair
Bare Minerals Stroke of Light Luminous 1 (under eye)
Korres Wild Rose Mineral Setting Powder

Cheeks:
Guerlain Terracotta Light Blondes 01
Addiction Revenge
Dior Amber Diamond

Eyes:
Lorac Behind the Scenes Eye Primer
RBR Alabaster Starling (inner corner)
RBR Angelic Cockatiels (all over)
Makeup Geek Shimma Shimma (brow bone)
Stila Stay All Day black pen e/l (tightline)
Urban Decay Rockstar e/l pencil
Urban Decay glitter liner Metalhead
Fiberwig D.J.V. Beautenizer Volume Lash
Clinique Bottom Lash
Tarte Taupe brow pencil

Lips:
Becca Beach Tint Dragonfruit
NYX Glam Lipgloss Aqua Luxe Paint the Town

Okay.  So I don't like how Angelic Cockatiels looks out of control frosty in a bad way up to nearly my brow bone!  Good grief.  I can only say that I thought it looked better in person - but, ya know, that may or may not be true.  In any case, I hope you'll forgive me for that lapse in judgment.

The Amore Pacific tinted moisturizer is so dreamy, I simply must rave!  It goes on like silky smooth buttery face perfection (do you really want butter on your face - no, you do not - bad analogy).  It lasts all day, as well, which is an absolute must for me.  I even bothered to get hot and sweaty at work, so that was a great test for wear.  The coverage is a very nice light with a radiant but not overly dewy finish (if that makes sense).  It has the typical Amore Pacific scent going on, but fades away pretty quickly.  It also has a hefty price tag!  Oh boy.  For now, I'm enjoying a sample.  I definitely recommend that you get a sample if you can.  It is worth the trouble.

Thanks for stopping by and feel free to comment if you have anything to say - even, "Lauren, never ever wear that frosty eyeshadow that high up again!"  :)

Hearts on Fire

I'm back!  I am playing catch up once again.  I swear, one day I will get the hang of this and figure out my timing.  This was a fun look I did using two new L'Oreal Infallible eyeshadows as well as a new Tom Ford lipstick.

I was a bit hesitant to pair Golden Mahogany with Pepsy Coral, but I figured that I could make it work and I'm glad that I went for it!  It's fun trying new color combinations together.  Check out my hair below!  It's all wooshy wavy and I look like I'm in a hair product ad or something.

My hair tends to look the most wavy and awesome the first day after I've washed it.  I only wash about twice a week, so there are many awkward in-between days.

I really love the orange eyeliner and shadow combination on the lower lash line.  I used Anna Sui waterproof pencil in 800 and smudged Makeup Geek eyeshadow in Goddess over top.

The above picture is a little blurry - I apologize for that.  I just thought it made my lashes look nice and you can also see the gold liner on my inner lowers better (Urban Decay El Dorado).  In the next picture I am attempting to smile.  I say attempt because clearly I didn't quite make it all the way to actual smile.

And one more with my eyes closed.  I love how the Golden Mahogany eyeshadow on my lid mirrors the plumminess of the lipstick.  I guess it's plummy-pink, sort of,  the eyeshadow.

Face:
Stila Tinted Moisturizer Bare
YSL Touche Eclat 1
Korres Wild Rose Mineral Setting Powder
Cover FX Loose Setting Powder Light

Cheeks:
Guerlain Terracotta Light Blondes 01
Illamasqua Ambition
Laura Mercier Rose Rendezvous Illuminator

Eyes:
Bare Minerals Well Rested brightening pen
Lorac Behind the Scenes Eye Primer
L'Oreal Infallible Golden Mahogany e/s (lid)
L'Oreal Infallible Pepsy Coral e/s (crease)
Makeup Geek Goddess e/s (lowers)
Makeup Geek Bling e/s (inner corner and brow bone)
Anna Sui waterproof eyeliner pencil 800 (lowers)
Urban Decay El Dorado eyeliner pencil (inner lower lash line and water line)
Jordana brown pen liner (uppers)
Stila Stay All Day black eyeliner pen (tightline)
Armani Eyes to Kill mascara
Tarte Taupe brow pencil

Lips:
Urban Decay Ozone lip liner
Tom Ford Bruised Plum lipstick

Overall it was a very strong look, in terms of the colors and intensity.  I liked wearing it, though, and hope you've enjoyed seeing it.  :)  Let me know if you have questions about anything!

THANK YOU SO SO MUCH Alysia for being kind enough to send me Golden Mahogany and Pepsy Coral!!!!  <3

Recent Swatches

Hello, again!  I thought I would post some recent swatches I've done of random things.  They are all recent purchases for me.  These first ones are of the Tarte Fantastic Foursome Amazonian Clay Blush set.  I immediately fell in love with Angelic, Magic, and Fantastic.

The surprise of the set was Stellar, which I was worried about not liking.  I've worn it in several more bronzy looks (you may recall), and was happy to find that I really like it for that!  I don't imagine I'd want to wear it on a regular basis, but I'm actually glad to have a beige blush in my collection now.

I admit that Tarte AC blushes don't swatch all that great.  I find them to be much more impressive on the cheeks in actual wear.  I've heard people complain that they seem chalky.  I don't find that to be true, but I can see why they might say that.  I personally really like them on my cheeks.  They are easy to blend, natural looking, have amazing colors, and always last all day for me.

Angelic is so much prettier in person!  It's got a gold to pink iridescent shimmer that is just drool-worthy.  I can see myself using it a lot.  I do wonder if Magic might be dupey to Illamasqua Hussy.  I'll have to compare them at some point as I own both now.

Next up are my Dior Diorific lipsticks!  I splurged and bought all four.  Limited edition stuff definitely makes me crazy.

These pictures were taken in late afternoon/early evening light, so I apologize for any issues with that.

The packaging is silly and over the top for me, personally, but I like the actual lipstick so much that I can deal with it.  They remind me of little light bulbs somehow.

Diorling was my first buy.  It's a dark and classic red.  I wore it here.  It's a no brainer awesome red.

I tested out Marilyn today, just at home.  It's on the far right.  Marilyn is a really stunning bright cherry red on me.  It makes my teeth look white and lovely.  I very much like it!  They all have a beautiful, easy texture going on.  They feel light on the lips and wear very well.

Lady, the second from the right, is the one I have some worries about because it's a little muted and brown, compared to the others.  It's really hard to tell in my swatches - my apologies for that.  I'm up for the challenge of figuring out what kind of face to do with it, though.  It'll be good!  Diva seems to have more orange to it.  It's really firey, bright, and intense looking.

Now for the Tom Ford lipsticks!  These are very recent additions to my collection.  I happily stumbled upon them at the local Cosmetics Company Outlet store the other day.  What a great find!

Can you see the little micro-shimmers in Smoke Red and Bruised Plum?!  So PRETTY!

I like the packaging.  It's elegant and clean.  The lipsticks don't seem to have a scent or flavor (I forgot to mention that the Diorifics above do have a perfume scent).

These colors swatched smooth and creamy like dream butter!  I've only worn True Coral so far, but it went on nicely, was very pigmented, and it wore well.  I'm very excited to try out the others!

Smoke Red looks a little like Dior Marilyn, doesn't it?

Black Orchid reminds me of my Addiction Vamp lipstick.  I want to compare them.  Also, I absolutely adore the Black Orchid perfume.  I'm just nuts about it.

True Coral reminds me of Illamasqua Scandal (more orange, I think) and Tarte Spirited (perhaps less orange).

Bruised Plum doesn't so much remind me of anything, although I'm sure I must have some similar colors.  I'm just really getting into the vampy berry/wine colors now, so I'm not as well-versed about them.  Just maybe it will destroy my desire for Nars Scarlet Empress!

Are there any Tom Ford lipstick shades you really love?  Rants or raves on the formula?  I find most every lipstick to be somewhat drying.  Neither the Diors nor the Tom Fords seem to be overly or excessively drying for me (like Lancome Rouge in Loves), so that's good.

I hope you enjoyed the swatches!  I definitely take too many pictures, I know it, but I hope it is helpful for someone.