Christmas Makeup Tutorial/Inspiration

With only a couple more days until Christmas (3, to be exact), I thought it would be fun to do a festive, Christmas-y makeup look. I don’t have step-by-step pictures for you, but this look is very simple to recreate, and I will give you a list of the products I used, and a quick description!

To start off, here’s the look:

Sorry this first one is so washed out… For some reason the camera decided my skin was pure white for this shot! I swear the rest will be better…

And a close up of the eye makeup:

Obviously, if you have similar colours, you can use whatever products you have at hand, but here’s what I used:

Lancome Color Ideal Foundation:

I honestly don’t think they make this foundation anymore, but I still have this and its still fine, especially since it has a pump so my fingers have never been in it. Anyways, I used this with my flat-top Real Techniques Buffing Brush in a thin coat all over my face. Followed by:

Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Concealer in Fair:

Under my eyes and in a triangle on either side of my nose to highlight the center of my face. I don’t have much in the way of dark circles, but this helps my makeup to look more flawless, and I feel like it—and the powder of top of it—help to keep my eyeliner in place. Next, I used my:

Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder in Sandstorm:

Over my foundation and concealer to set and mattify everything, and to make sure it says in place all day. Next, I took my

ELF Eyebrow Kit in Light:

I used an Angled liner brush from Morphe with the gel side first to shape and darken my brows, followed by the powder to set the gel and fill in sparse areas. I like to do my brows first because then I don’t over do it on my eyes, and that way I don’t forget. After that, I used my:

Urban Decay Primer Potion:

To prime my eyes to make sure my makeup lasted, of course. Then I topped the primer with:

Urban Decay eyeshadow in W.O.S. (from the Naked Basics palette):

You haven’t seen the Naked Basics palette on my blog yet, I don’t think, but you will soon. Anyways, I just wanted to use a shadow that was basically the same colour as my skin to make sure my eyelids looked matte, clean, and bright, since I have thin eyelids. Also, I find that my eyelids are just oily enough to make my eyeliner transfer if I don’t wear it over eyeshadow, so this helped with that as well. Next, I used:

Wet’n’Wild H2O Proof Liquid Liner in Black:

To line my upper lash line and to create a wing, followed by:

Annabelle Glitterama Liquid Liner in Neon Green:

After drawing on the wing in the black liner, I traced just above that line with the green glitter liner. I had to do 2 thin coats to make it look this glittery and bright, but I really love how it came out. Next, of course, I added:

Urban Decay 24/7 Liner Pencil in Zero:

To line my lower waterline. (If you find that liner in your water line tends to slide from the outer corners down into weird smudges, like mine loves to do, I would suggest using an angled brush and a matte black eyeshadow and press that into the edge of your liner, just below your lower lashes. I find that helps to prevent some of the smudging, if not all, and keeps my makeup looking cleaner, longer.) And to finish up my eyes, I added:

Rimmel Scandaleyes Waterproof Mascara in Black:

To make sure I had eyelashes! I used about three coats of this mascara, since I find it goes on fairly thin. The upside of this formula is that I don’t find it really ever creates clumps, even after three coats. But the downside is that I have to do three coats to make my lashes look how I want them to. I’m pretty meh on this mascara. I don’t hate it by a long shot, but I wouldn’t choose it again.

If you wanted even more drama, you could definitely add some falsies, but for this look I stuck to just the mascara.

Now that the eyes are done, there are just two more steps to this look:

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Soft And Gentle:

I used my Morphe fan brush and swiped this along the tops of my cheekbones, the bridge of my nose, my cupid’s bow, and just under my eyebrows. I love this highlight, but if you use it, make sure to use the tiniest amount, since it is insanely shimmery! I just swipe my brush into the product lightly, tap it off, and that is more than enough for me to highlight everywhere I want to do so!

Finally to finish off my look I added:

Sephora Lip Attitude Lipstick in Chic:

Green and red is such a Christmassy combination, so to complete this look I figured a classic red lip was in order. This is my favourite red lipstick, but I’m not sure if it’s still available. It’s Sephora’s own brand, and the colour is Chic… unless it’s C27. Either way it’s gorgeous and I love it, but any classic-red lipstick will do!

And that’s all! Spritz with a makeup setting spray to make sure it lasts all day long (I use Urban Decay’s All-Nighter), and you’re good to go.

***

This look is really simple, so I think it would be good for just about anywhere that you might want to wear it! You could also, substitute the green liner for gold or silver glitter for a slightly different look, but I really love the green and red together, since it looks so subtly Christmassy. Or maybe it’s not that subtle. *shrugs* I wore this out shopping at the mall today, but I think it would also be great for Christmas parties, Christmas dinner, or maybe even as a simple New Year’s Eve look!

Anyway, I hope you liked this or took some kind of inspiration from it for yourself.

Thanks for reading, and Merry Christmas!

Face of the Day // How Much Does My Face Cost?

A few days ago I had tons of time to do my makeup and take pictures before I went out. It was probably a class day, since I’m usually rushing out the door other days, and my makeup ends up looking a lot simpler. So I decided to take advantage of the opportunity to show off an casual, fairly natural/everyday type of makeup look for me.

Whole picture:

The eyes:

And all the makeup and brushes I used:

As you can see, I did pretty much everything in this look, though I have used more at one time before. Anyways, when I add up how much this look cost, I’m going to be estimating my prices, since I can’t remember exactly, obviously, for each product. For stuff I can’t remember at all, I’ll google it.

Up first…

Face/Skin Products:

Revlon Nearly Naked Foundation in Ivory = $10

Veil Illuminating Complexion Fix Concealer = $38 (but I won it)

Used on eyes and under-eyes, and for blemishes that aren’t acne related.

Clinique Acne Solution Clearing Concealer = $19

Shiro Cosmetics Fatality Finishing Powder = $10 (plus shipping)

ELF Blush in Candid Coral = $3 (plus shipping)

Physician’s Formula Organic Wear Bronzer in Natural Glow = $22

For contouring under jaw, below cheekbones, temples, forehead, and sides of nose.

Face product total: $102

Lip Products:

Rimmel Lasting Finish Lipstick in Sugar Plum = $6

Mine looks funny and has a weird cap because this was in the staff room with a bunch of other testers that my last job was trying to get rid of before they closed. I believe it was free.

Mai Couture Social Gloss in Femme Fatale = $25

This colour is really dull and (in my opinion) ugly on it`s own, but over this too-dark-for-the-season lipstick, it makes a great colour.

Lip product total: $31

Eye/Eyebrow Products:

Essence Get Big Lashes Waterproof Mascara = $5

NYX Auto Eyebrow Pencil in Light Brown (I think) = $5

BA Star glitter glue primer = $9

Used as a primer under my eyeshadow

Urban Decay 24/7 Liner in Perversion = $23

On the lower waterline.

MUA Heaven and Earth Palette = $7 (or 4 pounds in the UK. I won this in a contest.)

I think I used two colours out of this palette for this look: The dark bronze colour, second from the right in the top row, and probably the second from the left in the bottom row.

Eye product total: $49

Brushes:

ELF Kabuki Face Brush = $6 (plus shipping)

Used for finishing powder, and softening my bronzer

Real Techniques Contour Brush – and –

For my bronzer.

Real Techniques Buffing Brush = $20 (Set price; I bought these brushes as part of the Core collection.)

My foundation brush.

ELF Blending Brush = $3 (plus shipping)

I’m guessing the price, since it looks like they don’t sell this brush anymore. I use it for my blush.

ELF Studio Contour Brush = $3 (plus shipping)

ELF Essential Smudge Brush = $1 (plus shipping)

Brush total: $36

***

And my total cost for this whole look?

$218

That’s a lot of money, and that doesn’t include shipping on anything I bough online! That said, you also have to remember that very little of every product is used each time you use it, and I didn’t buy all of these products in one shot. Still, I think this was a fun exercise to see how much I really spend on makeup!

If you also want to do this, let me know in the comments, and link me to your blog post or youtube video. I’d love to see how you do! Thanks for reading!

My January 2013 Favourites!

So, I’m barely getting this to you by the end of the first week of the month, as I like to do, but honestly, I forgive myself…

Anyways, I only have a few favourites this last month. I’m not really sure why, since I’ve been able to buy myself more stuff than I have for the past few months, but I guess I just stuck to old favourites. I do have a couple of things to share with you for January though, and here they are:

Lipstick/lip products:

I don’t have any particular shades or products for you in this case, but more and more lately I’ve been loving lipsticks, lip balms, and lipstains. The only thing I’m still not very into is gloss. These are some of my favourite colours at the moment, and I love that NYC one more than it looks like I should. Once it’s on it has a really nice dark-ish berry colour!

Real Techniques flat top brush as foundation brush:

Most of the time, I apply foundation with my fingers. I’ve tried using my ELF brushes, but they just don’t really seem to spread the product very well or evenly. However, when I tried this brush, it worked beautifully! I haven’t used my hands alone to apply my foundation since! It really blends the foundation in naturally, even my Lancôme, which I usually have found looks a bit cakey on my skin.

OPI’s On Her Majesty’s Secret Service:

I’ve been loving this colour so much. I’ve worn it several weeks in a row, on it’s own, or layering it over other polishes to play with how best to wear it. It’s just so shimmery and gorgeous, especially under natural light!

Non-Cosmetic Favourites:

Greek yogurt:

Image from Delectablychic.com

I posted this in my last haul post, so this might not be a shock. Astro is definitely my favourite of the three brands that I’ve tried. I love how thick and creamy Greek yogurt is. I wouldn’t say its all that healthy, though, if you think that. All the one’s that I have found have had very high fat contents, about as much as cream in some cases. It also has lots of protein, making this a very high-calorie food. It is delicious though. I think it makes a great treat, and I like to eat it as a dessert type food. =)

Vanilla Spice Lattes:

Image from Starbucks.co.uk

I’m very much hoping that these, and the Vanilla Spice syrup, are permanent additions to the Starbucks menu, because I am completely in love! It tastes so much less sweet than the plain vanilla, and the cardamom (which is the “spice” in vanilla spice, and also one of the dominant flavours in chai tea) is so smooth and soothing! So delicious!

And that’s all for January. I hope to have more posts up soon, including some Valentine’s Day nails. I apologize again for my slow posting lately.

Anyways, let me know what your favourites were in the comments! I love to here from you, as always. And don’t forget to follow on GFC if you aren’t already; I plan to start my first giveaway when I finally get to 50 followers! =)

Thanks for reading <3

London Drugs mini-haul + One last Christmas prezzie!

Since it’s so obvious in the picture below, let’s start with my final Christmas present from my boyfriend. He bought me lots of presents leading up to Christmas, but I love surprises, so I told him I just wanted one small thing to unwrap from him as well. This was a bit late, since he ordered it online from ThinkGeek, but I don’t mind because I’m so happy I have it: My Gandalf plushie! They had these a while back, marketed as Lord of the Rings plushies, but because of the Hobbit movie, they released them again, and I was so excited because I’d wanted one last time, but they ran out a day or two before I was going to place my order! I love my squishy little wizard so much… I’m such a nerd… let’s move on to the makeup, shall we? >_>

Because he’s crazy, or too nice for his own good, or both, or something else, my boyfriend buys me a lot of stuff. We needed something to do last week, so he asked for some of the products I’ve been wanting, and I gave him a short list. He decided we were going shopping. I wanted to pick up a white liner, a lip liner, and a brow pencil. I estimated they’d be less than $30… since they were much less than that, David decided I also needed the Real Techniques brushes, since I was looking at them probably somewhat longingly while we were at London Drugs! I’m kinda spoiled…!

On to what I got, and swatches!

NYC Kohl Eye Liner Pencil in White:

I’ve been wanting to try using a white pencil in my waterline for a long time, which is why I finally picked up this pencil. I chose NYC because it was long, very cheap, and because I wasn’t sure at all if I would like the effect, since I’m so used to my black liner in my waterline. This pencil is actually creamier than I expected it to be, considering the brand and price (less than 3 bucks, and it was 40% off!), but it isn’t very pigmented and it takes several swipes to get any visible colour on my waterline.

As for whether I like the look on me: not so much. At least, I don’t like using it on it’s own. I have yet to try using this in the waterline, and a black or colour along the lower lash-line, and I want to try that eventually. This is pretty good, though, as a subtle highlight on my inner corner.

NYX Auto Eyebrow Pencil in Light Brown:

This is a retractable brow pencil on one end, with a small brow brush on the other end, as you can see in the picture. Oddly, the brush end is like a cap, but when you take it off, there’s nothing underneath. Though that’s not all that important. It’s nice to have the brush to tidy up the little hairs in your brows and to even out the colour. The colour goes on really easily, and the pencil is slightly oval shaped, so that it’s easy to draw a very thin, precise line.

Overall, I really like this pencil, the only issue is that I bought one colour too light. It looked good swatched on my hand, but it ends up looking a little orange in my brows, especially if I draw a little too heavily. Still, it’s workable; I’m sure I’ll repurchase eventually in my correct colour.

NYX Retractable Lip Liner in Nude:

I’ve never been a lip-product type of person, but lately, I’ve been starting to like lipsticks a lot more, which is why I wanted to get myself a good liner. I went with a nude coloured liner so that I can use it with a variety of colours, rather than trying to find pinks, berries, and reds to match my different lipsticks. I thought this pencil would be too brown or too dark for my lips, but its actually very hard to tell the difference between the pencil colour and my natural lips. Also, I’m not sure if I should continue using it as I have so far, which is just thickly lining the edges of my lips, or try filling in my lips with the pencil first like I’ve seen some YouTubers do… that almost seems like a waste of a pencil.

Anyways, I have found that my lipsticks last a bit longer and look a bit cleaner over the liner, so I’m happy with it. It also claims to be waterproof, which I hadn’t noticed before. I haven’t tried it enough times to really judge this claim, but that’s cool nonetheless!

Swatches:

Left to right: NYC eye liner, NYX lip liner, NYX brow pencil

And here’s me with the white on my waterline and the brow pencil in my brows. It’s not the perfect colour, but I’ve figured out that if I use it a lot lighter, I get a much more natural line, and the colour doesn’t look so off. That said, I do think I’ll need a darker colour next time, so I don’t end up with orange eyebrows!

And finally…

Real Techniques “Core Collection” brush set:

(Sorry for the weird colouring on this one…)

I forgot to take pictures of the brushes in the packaging, but you can see it in the collective picture above.

These brushes are definitely really nice. I’m not 100% sure what I’ll do with the foundation brush yet, since it seems a little small for foundation. The little brush I’m sure I’ll mainly use for lip products, unless I need it for eyeliner, the flat brush will likely be face powder or setting powder, and the small domed brush will be great for highlighting or contouring. I think I was expecting a little too much from these brushes, because I was expecting them to be softer, though that said, they feel even nicer than my ELF studio brushes, which I was—and still am—in love with.

The case is nice, and would be good for travelling, I’m sure, but for my everyday makeup, it just kinda gets in the way. As these brushes are incorporated into my routine, they’ll probably end up living outside the case with the rest of my brushes! Also, four brushes for only $20 is a pretty great deal, considering the price of single brushes at Sephora, MAC, or Sigma! I definitely think these are a good buy.

***

So that’s everything this time! I still have some more reviews and purchases to show you, which I will hopefully get up in good time. Also, I have a pretty good idea what I’m going to buy for my giveaway, but it’s not too late to give me your input if you have any good ideas.

Thanks for reading!