Friday, April 20, 2012

New Look!

Hey there! I know it's been quite some time since I've written and I certainly apologize! My life has been extremely hectic with a lot of personal changes lately. Some good, some bad, but I haven't failed to do my makeup! My latest look I created using all MAC Cosmetics on my eyes and NYX Cosmetics & LA Colors on my lips. It's a fairly natural, every day look, but can certainly be darkened for a nighttime look by simply adding additional color to your outer corner and into your crease.

Face:
I put on my normal full face of makeup which is:
- smashbox primer
- NYX Cosmetics HD Concealer
- NYX Cosmetics HD Foundation
- MAC prep & prime finishing powder
- smashbox Halo powder
- MAC blush in "Well Dressed"
- MAC bronzer in "Refined Golden"

Eyes:
I begin, as always, by applying MAC's Paint Pot in "Painterly" to my entire lid as a primer.
*The following are all MAC eye shadow colors*
- I first applied "Brule" to my entire lid from lash line to the brow bone.
- Next, I applied "Orb" to my lid for my lash line to my crease.
- I then added "Malt" to my crease, working the color slightly down on my lid, and slightly up beyond the
  crease.
- Next, I applied "Folie" to my outer corner and slightly into the crease.
- I finished by applying "Naked Lunch" to my inner corner and just under my brow bone.
- Apply a dark brown eye liner, mascara, and fill in your brows and your eyes are set!

Lips:
I always begin by applying a lip conditioner at the beginning of my makeup to prep my lips!
- I first wipe off any remaining lip conditioner to have a blank slate to work with.
- Next I applied NYX Cosmetics Xtreme Lip Cream in "Natural" to my lips.
- Then, I simply applied a clear gloss (I used L.A. Colors moisturizing glossy lips in "Clear") over top
  of my lip color using my ring finger to dab it on.

I hope you like the look and thanks for being understanding of the delay in posting! I appreciate your loyalty to my page and look forward to talking makeup & skin care with you more!


 

New Hair Color Too!


Wednesday, April 11, 2012

The Difference Your Makeup Can Make!

Now don't misunderstand me. I genuinely believe every girl/woman out there is beautiful naturally. Whether you have gorgeous eyes, kissable lips, a great body or fabulous hair, I can assure you that YOU are beautiful! BUT, I am a strong advocate of makeup (clearly!) because I think that with makeup, you can bring out your natural qualities and features and feel more confident in your own skin! Earlier today I wrote a post about smokey eyes and soft pink lips and how to create a Nighttime Barbie Look and the directions & pictures of the look are right below this post. For this post though, I just wanted to show my readers a before and after picture. The picture with no makeup is technically after I washed my makeup off, but still you can see the difference makeup can make and how much it can diminish flaws (like my redness!) and highlight attributes like eyes or lips or cheeks!


Natural ... obviously!

Look #7 Nighttime Barbie (Smokey eye & pink lip)

I wanted to do a dramatic eye and a pink lip to create a going-out, nighttime Barbie look. I decided to visit my local Dollar Tree again and check out the L.A. Colors section. I found the perfect products all there to create this look, and best of all, the entire look cost $4.00!

For seductive, evening smokey eyes:

- Using L.A. Colors eye shadow trio in "Lily", apply the middle shade, a dark, sheeny silver to your entire lid. Apply using a medium shadow brush from lash line to the crease and take the color up a little beyond the crease. Layer this color until you achieve your desired darkness. I applied about 3 layers for my look, but even after 1 layer, there was plenty of color!

- Next, take the first shade, a shimmery white, and apply it to your brow bone and down to your inner corner. Only apply one layer of this shade because you'll add more later.

- Now, take the last shade, a matte black color, and take an angled contour brush and apply it to the "V" we've discussed before. That is essentially your outer corner. Work the brush from the outer corner upwards into your crease about 1/2 to 2/3 of the way in depending on how dramatic you want the look to be. I did about 2/3 of my crease in this look. Then take the brush again from your outer corner down along your lash line, only about 1/3 of the way in. This is the "V", just sideways! This tip can be used to apply any smokey eye in any color or to just add your deepest shade for added depth.

- Next, reapply your shimmery white to just under your brow bone and down around to your inner corner. Really focus on your inner corner and layer this color to brighten up your eyes with such a dark look.

- Apply any black eyeliner to your upper lash line and lower water line for more definition.

- Finish the look with L.A. Colors mascara in "Very Black" for dark, defined, dramatic lashes!

For soft, sweet, pink lips:


- As always, begin by applying lip conditioner before you apply any makeup so when you're ready to do your lips at the end of your look, they'll be soft and all the makeup fall-out can be easily swept away.

- Next apply the lipstick in the L.A. Colors Lipgloss & Lipstick Duo in "Twinkle" to your lips. (The complimentary lip gloss is very pretty, but it reduced the pink shade too much for my liking for this look so don't use that gloss.)

- To finish your lips, simply apply L.A. Colors Moisturizing Glossy Lips in "Clear" using your finger tip for full color, kissable, wet lips!

And again, this whole look is under $5.00!

-L.A. Colors Eye Shadow Trio in "Lily" -$1.00
-L.A. Colors Mascara in "Very Black" -$1.00
-L.A. Colors Lipgloss & Lipstick Duo in "Twinkle"  -$1.00
-L.A. Colors Moisturizing Glossy Lips in "Clear" -$1.00

(I'm assuming my fellow makeup addicts have a black eye liner at home so I didn't include that in your total so whether you need mascara or liner (or both or neither!), your total cost for this look could be $3.00-$5.00! That's an amazing deal for any look, especially one so pigmented and easy to apply with staying power!



 


Monday, April 9, 2012

Look #6 The Easter Look

Easter Sunday just passed and while I personally am not very religious, I still celebrated the bunny with my daughter for her first holiday and had dinner with family. I wanted to create a colorful, spring look with my makeup for this event and I think I did pretty well! Let me know what you think!

Eyes:

- I primed my eyelids with MAC's Paint Pot in "Painterly".
- Next, I applied a shimmery white shadow to my entire lid from lash line to brow bone.
- Then I worked my way outward. I applied the yellow shade from NYX's eye shadow trio "Shangri-LA" to my inner corner and about 1/4 of the way in on my lid.
- Next I applied the green shade from L.A. Colors eye shadow trio "Lotus" to my lid next to the yellow shade and left about 1/4 of my eyelid free for the next shade in my outer corner.
- The next shade I applied was the blue shade from the L.A. Colors eye shadow trio "Lotus" to my outer corner. Basically at this point, it should look like you have three separate, not blended colors on your lid.
- Then I applied the pink shade from the "Lotus" trio to my crease and worked the color somewhat on to my brow bone, but left just under my brow remaining the white shimmery shade. Applying this color into my crease will gently blend the other colors to look flowing, without smudging all the colors together entirely.
- I then took the bright orange shade from the NYX eye shadow trio in "Shangri-LA" and applied it under my lower lashline.
- I reapplied a little more of the yellow shade from step 3 to the inner corner for a little extra brightening and pop.
- Next I lined both my upper lash line and lower water line with cream eyeliner in black.
- I finished up with mascara, filled in my brows, and was left with colorful, rainbow Spring eyes!

Lips:

- I first applied a lip conditioner when I applied my face primer to keep my lips soft and smooth and to easily wipe away makeup when I was ready for my lips.
- Obviously, my first next step to my lips is to remove the conditioner and be left with a clean, blank, soft palette to apply color to!
- I wanted a pop of color since I did my eyes in an array of colors, but all of them were softer shades. I decided to apply NYX's Xtreme Lip Cream in "Dolly Girl" to my lips. This can sometimes look dry after it sets so I tried something different from the last time I wore this lip color.
- I completed my lips by simply applying a clear gloss from L.A. Colors on top of the hot pink lip color to keep the lips looking moist and shiny. This combination created the perfect hot pink lip for my look.


I'd seen L.A. Colors makeup before, but I was always skeptical about their quality since I'd only seen them in discount stores. While I was shopping at my local dollar store the day before Easter, I passed by the makeup section and saw a large selection of makeup from liquid and powder face makeup, to an array of eye makeup products and plenty of lip colors and products to choose from. I decided to give an eye shadow trio and lip gloss a try (the ones listed above) to see how they worked because after all at $1 a piece, if they sucked, it wasn't a huge loss. I was extremely surprised by the quality. The eye shadows all were highly pigmented and easily applied. They didn't crease or wear off either. The only complaint I'd have is that they are somewhat powdery and you get a little extra fall out than higher-end shadows, but for the price, it's not too bad of an inconvenience. I tend to always run a brush with face powder under my eyes after applying eye makeup to sweep away any fall out and blend any finger marks left from when I applied my makeup, so it made no difference to me. Also, I can say the quality (color, application, longevity) far surpassed any drug store brand eye shadows I've ever tried and some of them can run $5-$10 for a trio.

* L.A. Colors can be found at stores like Dollar Tree, Dollar General,  Family Dollar, Five Below and can also be found online at www.cherryculture.com. For a complete list of stores, visit L.A. Colors' website , select "Retail Locations" at the bottom of the page, fill out the e-mail form, an a complete list will be e-mailed to you! *



Zoe is peeking in the picture!

Sunday, April 8, 2012

Happy Easter!

I just wanted to wish all of my blog readers a very Happy Easter! Whether you celebrate religiously or not, I hope you have a great day with family and friends and that the bunny takes extra good care of you! Enjoy your treats & I'll keep my fingers crossed that the bunny brings makeup surprises for your basket!

I'd love to see the special holiday looks you create for the day!

Lots of love!
-Tina

Friday, April 6, 2012

Olay Microdermabrasion & Peel System

I love my Philosophy Oxygen Peel, but I was curious about microdermabrasion. I have sensitive skin and also didn't want to spend the money for the service at a spa. I decided to try Olay's version since it was only about $30.00.

Overall, I liked it. The results were very good. My skin was rather red, but since my skin is naturally sensitive and red in the cheeks, I expected that. You begin by applying the derma crystals to your face and massaging it on for 45 seconds to 1 minute. Then you apply the activator serum to your fingertips and add a thick layer to your face over the derma crystals. A white foam will appear to let you know it's working and the directions let you know you may feel a "warming sensation". *You may be surprised by the amount of activator serum you'll need. Make sure your entire face has a white foam to know you've used enough!* I feel the need to point out that a "warming sensation" is somewhat of an understatement. It doesn't burn or anything, but if you're taking a hot shower, you may need to add more cool water because I felt like my breathing was a little difficult. After that experience, I prefer to do this at my sink. While it still does become quite warm, it's much easier to breathe.

You only have to leave it on that way for about a minute and then you rinse thorougly. They recommend using a wash cloth to make sure you get it all off. Like I said, you may notice some redness in your skin, but mine always disappeared by the next morning.

Most importantly it keeps my skin extremely soft and clear. Overall, I think it's a great value for a microdermabrasion kit. It does a great job at renewing your skin without leaving you red for days. And for under $30, I'd definitely recommend it if you feel your skin needs a wake up, is dull, or if you have a little excess oil.

You can find this product at most drug stores, Target, Walmart, and Ulta. You can also find coupons online as well. Give it a try & let me know what you think!

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Look #5 - Rainbow eyes & hot pink lips

I wanted to make a fun spring look with a bunch of bright colors. I was planning on wearing a pink shirt on Easter, a blue flower in my hair, and mint green nail polish so I wanted an array of colors! I created this look using MAC cosmetics, e.l.f. cosmetics, and NYX cosmetics. I used a bunch of colors on my eyes, but it really is very simple to do.

For gorgeous rainbow eyes:

1. I primed my eyelids with MAC's Paint Pot in "Painterly".

2. I then applied a shimmery white eye shadow to my entire lid using a medium eye shadow brush.

3. Next, I applied a bright green shadow to my lid from my inner corner to about 2/3 across my eyelid using e.l.f. cosmetics eye shadow brush "C".

4. After, I applied a bright aqua blue to my remaining 1/3 of my eyelid to my outer corner.

5. I then took a crease brush and applied a bright pink to my crease from the outer corner inward.

6. Finally, I applied a shimmery purple on top of the pink shadow using an angled contour brush.

*If you feel the green and/or blue faded in brightness when you applied the other colors, just reapply by pressing a flat shadow brush on your lid so it just goes where you want*

7. Then I added black eye liner to my lash line using an eyeliner brush. I used a cream liner for a smooth, fluid line.

8. I also added cream eye liner in black to my water line for added definition to my eye.

9. I finished with a bright orange shade under my lower lash line using a small smudge brush.

10. Apply mascara and you'll have vibrant, can't miss eyes!

For luscious, smooth hot pink lips:

1. I always wear a lip conditioner at night to keep my lips soft and smooth. I also apply a lip conditioner when I begin applying my face makeup to keep my lips hydrated and face makeup off them.

2. Before I apply any lip color, I wipe off all the lip conditioner which removes any makeup that fell on top of it and any dead skin.

3. For perfect hot pink lips like I have in this look, I simply apply a lip gloss I have from NYX Cosmetics. It's called "Dolly Girl" and it's the hot pink color in NYX's Xtreme Lip Cream collection.

- NYX Cosmetics





Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Who loves getting their nails done?

I'm sure all of us! I know I love a good pedicure, especially that massage! Sometimes time and money are hard to come by and we have to go without ... :( I know! Don't let that stop you from having gorgeous pedicured toes and pretty manicured hands! And this is certainly not just for women! Men-don't be too proud! I convinced my husband (who is not at ALL metro and has a major phobia of people touching his feet) to get a pedicure and he was like okay, that's kind of awesome after. So when our little bundle, Zoe, came along ... and so did bills, rent, car insurance, etc., pedicures weren't at the top of the list for expendable income (whenever that shows up!).

We didn't let that stop us from enjoying the benefits and relaxation. Go to your local dollar store and you'll be shocked by the finds! They sell little plastic tubs that you can fill up with warm water. They also sometimes sell rose petal soap that you can add for scent and ambiance too! You can find bath soaks and salt scrubs for your feet, hands, and legs too. They sell an array of scented lotions too and you don't necessarily need an expensive lotion for your leg massage; Suave also offers great options for body lotion. They have a large selection of lotions for a variety of concerns.

Also, you can find little kits with glass nail files, nail clippers, and a buffer for your nails. They sell a 3-in-1 foot brush, callus shaver, and pumice stone too! You will basically be set on products and supplies for pedicures for under $10 that will last you time and time again!

Now I know this obviously won't be the same as getting out to the nail salon, having someone do it for you (if you don't have a hubby who will!), and of course the amazing leg & foot massage, but it'll keep up with the look and feel of your feet!

Also, Sally Hansen offers a huge variety of nail polishes, but I love their Sally Hansen "Complete Salon Manicure" polish collection. According to sallyhansen.com, it's 5 steps all in the 1 bottle: base coat, strengthener, growth treatment, color, and top coat. They recommend applying 2 coats and then you're all set! They offer 42 different colors to choose from from white and light baby pinks to midnight blue and black. This polish was also listed on Marie Claire's 25 Best Beauty Products Of The Year.

Visit Sally Hansen to learn more to get a full manicure or pedicure in a bottle.
I also recommend Suave Advanced Therapy body lotion or Suave Natural Oatmeal body lotion for those of us with sensitive skin. Both feel great and hydrate the skin well and of course would feel great massaged in! Visit Suave online for more information on their array of body lotion choices.

Sunday, April 1, 2012

Confessions From a Makeup Addict Now on Facebook!

Hey there, blog readers!! Come like my page on Facebook where you can see pictures of looks and get updates when new posts are up!

Confessions From a Makeup Addict Facebook Page