Winter Wonderland

Face:
Smashbox More Than Primer
KGD Aqua PK-0
BareMinerals Stroke of Light Luminous 1
Nars LRP Loose

Cheeks:
MAC Full of Joy
Sephora MicroSmooth Baked Winter Wonderland swirly luminizer

Eyes:
WnW Fergie eye primer
all eyeshadows from Sephora Winter Wonderland palette
UD Perversion e/l under smudged e/s (uppers)
UD Uzi e/l - waterline
UD 1999 e/l under smudged e/s (lowers)
Stila Stay All Day pen liner (tight line)
MUFE Smoky Extravagant
Blinc Amplified (lowers)
Anastasia brow powder duo Ash Blonde

Lips:
Too Faced Smurf gloss!  (seriously old, but I seriously love that thing)


Let me know if you have questions about the eyeshadows or anything else!

Lots of Laura and a Little Dita

The above picture is just for funsies, to show how truly asymmetrical my eyes and brows are!

Tarte BB Tinted Treatment Primer Fair
BareMinerals Stroke of Light Luminous 1 (under eye)
Nars Light Reflecting Powder Loose (under eye)
Laura Mercier Smooth Finish Powder Foundation #2

Dior Aurora 01 bronzer (I'm running dangerously low on this much loved staple!)
Shu Uemura Glow On Blush Soft Pink 324
Laura Mercier Matte Radiance Baked Powder Highlight 01

Wet 'N Wild Fergie Eye primer
Laura Mercier Artist's Palette -
Sparkling Dew (brow bone)
Vanilla Nuts (inner corner/crease)
Fresco (crease)
Guava (lid)
Too Faced Midnight e/s from Matte palette (cut crease with angled liner brush)
Laura Mercier black cake liner
Enter Pronoun black liner pen over top of cake liner
Stila Stay All Day black liner pen (for tight line)
Laura Mercier Twilight Caviar Stick (lowers)
UD Midnight Cowboy e/l pencil (inner lowers)
Hourglass Arch Soft Brunette (for tails)
Anastasia Brow Powder Duo Ash Blonde/Taupe (lighter side)
Make Up For Ever Smoky Extravagant <3
Blinc Kiss Me Amplified (lowers)

Artdeco Dita Von Teese No. 637 lipstick


I'm trying to conquer the winged liner.  Lately I've been lightly sketching out the trajectory of just my end wing portion using a little brush and some powder eyeshadow prior to applying the liner.  That seems to be helping me a lot!  I still have so much room to improve, though.  Today I tried using a cake liner and a small traditional pointy liner brush.  It went well enough, but I struggled to keep the line smooth across the center of my lid.  Also, I worried that the cake liner mixed with water would not last all day for me, which is why I topped it with a pen liner.  I'm assuming not all cake liners are created equal.  And that some just might need to be mixed with a sealing gel for maximum longevity and smear prevention!  Also, I'm really just working out what my favorite type of liner is going to be for the iconic black winged liner look.  I tried Bobbi Brown's gel liner the other day but was definitely not wow-ed.

The cut crease is a new-to-me look.  I don't hate it, but I feel awkward in it.  I am not certain that it's suited to my eye shape.  I plan on tweaking it to see if I can come up with a more flattering version!  I've decided that I like using just a powder shadow with an angled liner brush instead of pencil liner first with shaded shadow over top.  I would maybe go with a pencil, though, for a really dramatic one.  I just find it tough to blend out the pencil nicely.

That was a lot of rambling and obsessing from me.  The only other thing I'm going to say about this is that 1) I think I love the Laura Mercier Smooth Finish Powder Foundation 2) I was really hot and flushed in these pictures and 3) I prefer looks that require less geometry and need for precision/perfection!

Dana, thank you SO very much for the goodies that you sent me!!  <3

Dubstep Remix

Face:
Armani Fluid Master Primer
Koh Gen Doh Aqua PK-0 mixed with Ardency Inn Americana Fair Pink
BareMinerals Stroke of Light Luminous 1 (under eye)
Nars Light Reflecting Powder Loose
Guerlain Meteorites Perles du Paradis <3

Cheeks:
Laura Mercier Matte Radiance Baked Powder Highlight 01
Dior Rosy Glow

Eyes:
Wet 'N Wild Fergie eye primer
UD Shellshock
UD Dope
UD Voodoo
UD Coax
UD Lovesick
Tokidoki e/l pencil Mozzarella
Stila Stay All Day black pen liner
UD e/l pencil Psychedelic Sister
MUFE Smoky Extravagant
Blinc Kiss Me Amplified
MUFE Aqua Cream #7 (brows)

Lips:
Ardency Inn Modster Lip Vinyl Dubstep Remix
Tarte Lip Luster Adored


This was fun.  Seriously.  I'm sorry if I look hot and overly pink.  I was definitely warm when I took the pictures this morning.  Also, my hair is looking shabby!  I've been using my Urban Decay Vice 2 palette quite a bit lately.  I like it!  There are a few colors I still haven't touched yet, but overall I am having a good time with that palette.

This particular base mix did well until about hour nine, then it turned into total chaos on and around my nose.  It probably didn't help that I was on fire super duper hot right about then!  I still love the coverage of the Americana concentrate but I'm not sure I like how finicky it is.  Or maybe I'm expecting too much from my flawless full coverage base to last past eight or nine hours.  I've always had trouble with full coverage foundations.

I have some older looks from last week that I still need to post!  Hopefully I can do that soon.  :)  Thanks for stopping by!

Ellis Faas Bright Red

Face:
Smashbox More Than Primer
MAC Studio Fix Fluid NW10
Illamasqua Concealer 115 (spots)
BareMinerals Stroke of Light Luminous 1 (under eye)
Nars Light Reflecting Powder Loose

Cheeks:
Dior Aurora 01
Tarte AC Flush
Tokidoki Luminosa

Eyes:
Tarte eye primer
Too Faced Natural Eye Palette -
Silk Teddy (lid and inner corner)
Velvet Revolver (through and above crease)
Push-Up (crease and outer corner)
Sexspresso (to darken crease)
Lorac Undercover e/s (brow bone)
UD Rockstar e/l pencil
UD Midnight Cowboy e/l pencil
Stila Stay All Day black pen liner (tight line)
Hourglass Arch Soft Brunette
Dior Iconic Overcurl
Blinc Amplified (lowers)

Lips:
Ellis Faas Creamy Lips L103 Bright Red

I realize that I've titled this post after the lipstick, but I actually don't have a ton to say about it since I didn't wear it for very long today.  I was really having a hard time decided what color lip I wanted and I ultimately felt that the warm red was somehow too clashy with the other colors on my face (although, I have to say that the pictures turned out better than I expected!).  I switched over to Givenchy Le Rouge in Brun Createur.  However, I can and will tell you that I'm not a huge fan of the odd little sponge tipped applicator.  I don't mind that type of applicator for a gloss or even a sheer color, but with such a pigmented color as this, it proves to be quite tricky and even messy!  The texture of the lipstick is very nice and reminds me of Armani Lip Maestros.  It's light and comfortable and has a slight silicone-y feel to it.  The lipstick has a glossy finish, but I can't be certain if that would have stayed around or not.

Today I used my new MUFE foundation brush and I am really pleased with it!  It's the Large 108 brush.  I've used it with various liquids and powders on clients, but have only used it on myself twice now.  I really love it.  It's fantastic!  I'm very happy to have several brushes from their new line and would highly recommend them.

Thanks for stopping by!

La Dee Da

Yeah, I know.  I have posted in forever.  I'm sorry about that.  What can I say?  Here are some photos to make up for it (hopefully).  I'll write a little bit about each one, but I'm not going to go on and on because really, I probably can't remember all that much about any of them at this point!  And you probably want to just look at pictures versus read what I'm writing anyway.  :)

The eye above features Urban Decay Zodiac suuuuper sparkly eyeshadow over top of a dark base.  The lime color on the inner crease is an old single from either Tokidoki (Soya) or Tarina Tarantino (Tokyo Hardcore) - I'm thinking the former.  RBR Gracious Arasari to blend out the top of the crease.

In the full face above, I am wearing Stila CC Cream in Fair.  I've decided that it's too yellow and a little too dark for what I like.  Blush is Benefit Rockateur which is UGH so pretty on just about everyone but my sad self!  My lip color is a Susan Thompson Cosmetics Pout Popper in Evelyn's Journey.  It definitely plumped out my lips!

This is a look with Shiseido Into the Woods eyeshadow trio.  I really love the picture above!  I did add a little bit of dark matte brown from the Tarte Aqualillies palette (it's called Hammock) into the outer corner, which I think really made the eye complete for me.  I've used that brown a lot lately and love it!

I'm pretty sure I was wearing Givenchy Le Rouge Magnolia Organza above.  And I'm kicking myself because I'm not going to be able to remember the foundations or blushes in most of these pictures!!  This blush is Tarte Amazonian Clay Tipsy, though.  :)

Okay.  So, this is much too much of a good thing.  I was roughly emulating a Marc Jacob's intense smoky eye look here, but I think it's a tad too much for me!  Woah.  Reverse bandit mask.  Yeah.  Scary bad blending thanks to a black base that set WAY too fast.

At least the rest of my face looks awesome here.  :P  No idea what is what - perhaps some Dior Rosy Glow blush?

I did not tight line here.  Eek!  The inner corner gold is Sugar Pill Goldilux.  I believe most, if not all, of the other shadows are from the Lorac Pro palette.  Given the little sparklies I see peeking through, I'm going to say I probably used Chanel Ebloui as my base here (or might have even been a bronzey GA ETKI shadow!).

Again, face looking relatively awesome here, and no stinking idea what I was wearing!!  If I had to guess, it's probably Smashbox CC Cream in Fair.  I've been using that a lot.

This is another sort of kind of Marc Jacob's dark smoky eye inspired look.  I used Urban Decay 1999 eyeliner pencil as a base for the lid, then UD Last Call eyeshadow over top.  The blue is from the Tokidoki Skate Deck palette.

I'm going to wager that I was wearing Dior Rosy Glow blush in this picture because I've been loving on that one hard lately!

This is a metallic eye featuring Ellis Faas Light in E303 (lid) and Urban Decay eyeliner pencil in Lucky.

I really love the blush and lip combination here, but of course haven't the foggiest idea what blush I was wearing (it's kind of amazing - I'm so mad at myself for not remembering)!  The lipstick was Givenchy Le Rouge in Beige Plume, which I have been mildly obsessed with for some number of months now, and only recently own.

Dark smoky eye using Chanel Illusion d'Ombre in Mirifique as a base and Ardency Inn loose eyeshadow in Teddy Boy over top (lid mostly).  Teddy Boy is dark red with turquoise sparkles - not that you can tell here.  I also supplemented with Lorac Pro.  A little sloppy, but mostly good.

This is a really silly, kind of shocked looking picture.  My lipstick is Bite Pastille Violet with some MAC Rebel in the center, over top.  I'm wearing Armani Fluid Sheer(s) as blush and highlight, but I'm not positive which ones.

The glitter here is about the only good thing going.  It's Urban Decay Spandex over Empire eyeliner pencil.  The all over wash is MAC paint pot in Let's Skate, which I do adore.  RBR Gracious Arasari is in the crease.  Top liner is UD Stray Dog pencil.  The mascara on the lower lashes is a lovely purple and blue duochrome from Butter London (Wink in Indigo Punk).

I can't remember anything about the rest of the look.  Sorry!  I mean, really, I could write this down or bother to keep track somehow.  Also, the liner shape, and perhaps lack of shadow depth/shape, made my eyes look down-turned and dopey.  :(  (It's true, honestly.  I picked the least bad picture to put above.)  Proof that I cannot just slap on eyeliner, following the natural shape of my eyes, and look good.

Above is a fab smoky look using just Urban Decay Naked 1 palette!  Niiiiiice.  I do enjoy this.

I'm sorry that my lashes look junky here, but in person I can assure you that they were just fine.  I've been loving Make Up For Ever's Smoky Extravagant very much lately, and while it doesn't always photo well in close ups, it looks freaking awesome on me in person.  It gives me fantastic length, volume, and lift!!  J'Adore!  My new favorite.

The eyeshadows used were from the Urban Decay Vice 2 palette:  Strike, Stash, Dope, and Radar.

The clashy lipstick I wore above was Givenchy Le Rouge in Rose Taffetas!  My foundation was UD Naked Skin in 0.5.

This is another Vice 2 look.  I so much loved this in person.  I'm not sure it translates all that well in photos.  I used Toxic, Damaged, Dope, and Derailed.

I believe that the lipstick above was Shiseido Lacquer Rouge 309.  Two or three of my Lacquer Rouges do look quite similar...so.... *crickets chirping*  The blush was a mix of Hello Kitty Head of the Class palette (the one with the peachy blush!) and a touch of Tarte AC Tipsy.

Another Vice 2 look!  Love!  I used Coax, Madness, and Dope.  Also used, UD eyeliner pencil in Chaos.

I'm wearing Bite Cuvée Coral lipstick, which holy smokes do I ever love this shade and formula so, so, so, so much.  It's crazy pretty.  I can't even believe it.  In person it got just slightly more orange coral throughout the day, but just wonderfully balanced and bright.  It's a stunner and I do highly recommend that you grab it if you can.  It's limited edition, but of course.  Dior Rosy Glow blush, again!  I think my highlight is Tokidoki Luminosa.  

This is a simple smoky look using the Kevyn Aucoin eyeshadow duo in #204 and Urban Decay's eyeliner pencil in Roach.

I'm wearing MUFE Face & Body 38, Tarte's Amazonian Clay blush in Natural Beauty, Kevyn Aucoin Candlelight, and Givenchy Le Rouge Beige Plume lipstick.

Aaand yet another Vice 2 look!  I used mainly Shellshock and Prank, but also some Lovesick, Dope, and Betrayal.

On my face:  Dr. Jart + Renewalist BB Cream (looks dark here, but I find it to be better in person), Illamasqua Katie, Laura Mercier Baked Highlight 01, and Givenchy Le Rouge Croiserie Fuchsia (LE from summer).

Thanks so much for stopping by!  I appreciate you.

Nomadic Soul

I don't usually feel so strongly about any given look, but the one featured above, I just absolutely love.  I copied the eyes from a picture of a model found on the internet - not sure where the picture came from exactly or what designer, show, or makeup artist.  In any case, I'm most pleased because it turned out so well and was done in such a way that I don't think I would have ever thought to do, left to my own devices!  This particular combination of colors is not something I would ever think of.

Key items used:  Vincent Longo Water Canvas Porcelain, Tarte AC blush Peaceful, Dior Aurora 01 bronzer, BECCA Moonstone pressed Shimmering Skin Perfector, Dior Iconic Overcurl mascara, Tarina Tarantino Mr. Gold/Mr. Silver eyeshadow duo, dark brown eyeshadow from Tarte Aqualillies palette, Stila Silk eyeshadow, and Tarte Lip Luster in Buff.

I love it all so much that I'd be content to recreate it any day and wear it over and over.  Many thanks to ella343 of MUA MUB for providing much needed inspiration.  <3

For the above look, I used Shiseido Ghost eyeshadow, Rouge Bunny Rouge eyeshadows Lilac Reef Curassow and Alabaster Starling, Laura Mercier Caviar Stick in Twilight, UD Stray Dog eyeliner pencil, Rimmel Pop Turquoise mascara, Illamasqua Katie blush, and YSL Glossy Stain #1 (a patchy, finicky, awful, yet beautiful thing).  Observe my lack of brows here.

The above pictures feature the Shiseido Lido eyeshadow trio, UD Freak, LSD, and Deep End eyeliners, Givenchy Bucolic Poppy Blush, BECCA pressed SSP Moonstone, and Givenchy Le Rouge Beige Plume lipstick (which I heart so hard).

The above really simple face (simple looking, yet still took much too much time, somehow!) featured a bunch of Benefit products including:  Posie Tint (lips), Bella Bamba blush, Dandelion, High Beam, Watts Up, The Bronze of Champions kit, Bad Gal black waterproof eyeliner pencil, They're Real, 15 hour primer stick, and Hello Flawless powder in Ivory.

For this one, I used Armani Eyes To Kill Intense eyeshadow #30 (love, love, love), RBR Lilac Reef Curassow, LM Caviar Stick Orchid, Nars Barrow Street eyeliner, and Too Faced Lip Injection Color Bomb Bigger Berry.

Here I had used the Karl for Shu Uemura Smoky Velvet palette (for blush, too - and even used the ridiculously tiny included brush to apply it) and Shiseido Lacquer Rouge in Deep Coral.  The white sparklies on the lid were much nicer and sparklier in person.

This is just an eye look using the Lorac Pro palette!  You don't get to see the face pictures because I am not keen on them at all.  I was sick, and it really showed.  :(

I'm having a hard time remember exactly what was used here, but I know for sure that the stars are Armani Eyes to Kill Intense eyeshadow in Blue Beetle (over top of a dark gray cream stick) and Lipstick Queen Hello Sailor lipstick.  I believe that I used Tarte AC Stellar blush as well as BECCA blush in Gypsy (lightly, sort of as a highlight).

And last, but not least, an eye look using Stila's In the Moment palette and UD Psychedelic Sister eyeliner pencil...I think.

My apologies for not posting in a long time.  It seems like every day I delete I don't know how many super annoying spam comments from both my blogs (most coming in to my nail blog), but rarely ever see a comment from a real, live, caring person!  It's not even the lack of comments that bothers me - it's more the spam.  SPAMMERS BE GONE!  Ugh.  Okay, glad I got that off my chest.  Otherwise, and more importantly, life has been extra challenging, emotional, and sad for me as of late.  Thanks for stopping by and I hope you'll forgive my absence.  I think that within a few weeks I'll likely be in a better headspace.

As always, I hope you enjoyed the makeup!