New Year's Eve Makeup Look

On New Year’s Eve I attended a Las Vegas style party with food, drinks, gambling, and lots of dancing. It knew it was going to be a long, sweaty night but I wanted to ensure the longevity of my makeup. To accomlish this I layered products and used products that I knew would last for hours and hours such as my Revlon ColorStay foundation,  Neutrogena Shine Control Powder, and MAC lipgelee. I also used a makeup setting spray to keep it all in place.  Overall I was pleased with the way the look came together.  At the end of the night my face looked as fresh as it did at the start of the party.  

Take a look!

FACE:

NYX Primer

Revlon ColorStay Foundation

Lancome Maquicomplet concealer – under eyes

MAC Studio Finish concealer – to cover blemishes on chin

MAC Mineralize Skin Finish Natural (MSFN) – to set makeup

Neutrogena Shine Control Powder – pressed into T-zone

NYX Terra Cotta blush

Ruby Kisses Mineral Powder in Ebony – contour

MAC refined Deeper Bronze

EYES:

Too Faced Shadow Insurance

MAC Quite Natural Paint Pot

MAC Spiced Chocolate eyeshadow quad

Wet n Wild matte black

MAC MSFN – transition color

Physicians Formula Eye Definer Felt Tip Eyemarker

Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliner in El Dorado – on waterline

L’Oreal HIP Cream Crayon in Attentive 812 – on lower lash line

Tarte Gifted Amazonian Clay mascara

Katy Perry lashes by Eylure in Oh Honey!

LIPS:

NYX brown pencil (name is rubbed off)

MAC lipstick in Dressmaker, Dressmaker

MAC lipgelee in Resort Life

*My hair was originally down, but I pinned it over to the side before the party. Happy New Year Lovelies!!!

NARS PURE RADIANT TINTED MOISTURIZER

The Nars Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer with SPF30/PA+++ has piqued my interest. A combination of the online buzz, my addiction to tinted moisturizers, and the fact that my MAC StudioTint is running low, led me to Sephora. The plan was to purchase this product, however the $42 price tag stopped me in my tracks. I opted, instead, to get a sample.

For the past few days I've been testing it out to see if I like it enough to purchase it. Here we gooo....

1st try:
The first day I tried it and hated it. I applied it after my regular moisturizer (with SPF) and primer and set it with my MAC Mineralized Skin Finish Natural (MSFN). It was terrible. It had oxidized and made me look red/orange after about 4 hours of wear. I was a freaking grease ball after a few hours! Ummm, no ma'am.
Try again:
I decided that maybe I had done something wrong on the first day. On this day I used a very lightweight moisture serum (no moisturizer/no SPF), primer, then applied the NARS Tinted Moisturizer with my fingers. I set it with Korres Wild Rose Brightening/Flawless Finish setting powder, then pressed Neutrogena Shine Control powder onto my t-zone. It already looked much better! As a part of my experiment, I decided not to blot all day. See picture diary below

7:30 am : moisture serum and primer applied

TM applied; Note the dewy finish

8:00am : TM, concealer, powder/blush added



5:00pm: shiny as hell, but the coverage held up pretty well





Verdict:

As I stated, I decided not to blot for the entire day...unfortunaltely, I was oily by 10:30am! I tried this on multiple days with a varying combination of moisturizers and primers and had the same result. This tinted moisturizer does well when it comes to a lightweight coverage and alightweight  feel on the skin, however it was a miss for me. It left me entirely too oily too early in the day.

Have any of you ladies tried this tinited moisturizer?

Best 12 of 2012

Hi Beauties,

2012 was a year of minimal makeup (and blogging!) for me, but here are my 12 favorite products of 2012. I posted a little description below my most fav products...enjoy!

FACE
Renewal Powder brush - Love. This. Brush. Use it everyday for powder (setting powder, when I'm wearing powder foundation, etc) and it was super cheap at Rite Aid.
Tarte Pure Maracuja Oil
Clinique Moisture Surge Extended Thirst Relief - I got this as a free gift with purchase about 6 months ago and after using it almost everyday, still have a little less than 1/2 of the travel sized bottle left. This lightweight serum enhances my regular face moisturizer and allows my skin to remain more moisturized and healthy-looking throughout the day. I believe a full sized bottle costs about $40.
MAC Prep & Prime Skin Refined Zone Treatment
MAC Mineralized Skinfinish Natural
Clarisonic - not pictured

EYES
Tarte Gifted Amazonian Clay Smart mascara - I literally use this stuff everyday. It gives life to my lashes in the form of volume, separation, and bomb ass length.
MAC Quite Natural Paint Pot
Wet N Wild Vanity palette
Tarte emphasEYEs inner rim brightener

CHEEKS
NYX blush in Terra Cotta - I've included a better pic.

LIPS
Blistex Moisture Melt- actually provides moisture to the lips and doesn't just sit on top of them. It also has a pleasant taste and SPF 15 which is nice.

What were you guys rocking faithfully in 2012?

Curls Unleashed 'Take Command Curl Defining Creme'

Hi Beauties,

Here is a quick product review of a moisturizer from then Curls Unleashed line.

A few months ago I purchased the Curls Unleashed 'Take Command Curl Defining Creme' from Target for about $14.99. I was excited to try it becasue I have used and loved other products from this line.

Description on bottle:
This product is made with coconut, sweet almond and safflower oils and other ingredients. Helps shine, define and moisturize your curls without shrinkage. Great for twists, twistouts, coiling, freestyles, shingling and updo's.

• Perfect for curly and kinky textures
• Free of SD alcohol, parabens and mineral oil
• BPA free

First impressions:
I first applied the thick creme' to my 2 or 3 day old twist out for a little moisture boost. I distrubuted the Curl Defining Creme' throughout my hair, added a light oil, and slept in a bonnet. My hair did NOT feel moisturized in the morning, but instead still felt quite dry. Naturally I tried again adding a little more of the creme and light oil. The results were slightly better but still not great.

The next time I used the product was on damp hair. I applied the creme' over leave in conditioner and instead of using a light oil I used some heavy duty Jamaican Black Castor oil to seal in moisture for a twist out. The results were far better that time around. My hair felt soft and much more moisturized.

Pros:
My hair was more elongated and, after much effort, was adequately moisturized. Some people may appreciate the fact that it is a paraben free product, however this is not a deal breaker for me.
Cons:
When used alone it did not help with shine and provided little definition. It also took alot of trail and error and effort to have properly moisturized hair. Shouldn't a moisturizer just...moisturize?

Verdict:
I need to be quite heavy handed with this creme' (I feel like an asshole everytime I type creme' instead of cream) in order to get decent results. Also, for my thick, dry hair the creme' should be used in conjunction with a heavy sealant. This product costs about $15.00 in the drugstore which is a little to steep to require extra steps/products, in my opinion. The Elasta QP Olive Oil and Mango Butter retails for less than half of the price of this product and works amazingly well on my hair.

For someone with hair that is not as thick or dry this may work. Because I paid for it I will attempt to use the entire16 oz. bottle, but for future reference I will stick to what I know. I will not be repurchasing this product.

Creams, Butters, and Serum for Winter

Hi Beauties,

It's beginning to get very cold in my neck of the woods which, for me, means dry skin and hair. Every year with the change of season I change my products to accommodate for drier, colder air.

Face:
In the warmer months, I use an oil free cleanser with a gel-like consistency. This is meant to keep the skin matte/dry in more hot and humid conditions. For the winter months I've switched to Neutrogena Ultra Gentle Daily Cleanser ($8.50 at Target). It does not strip the skin of moisture while cleansing which is a plus!
Instead of my usual oil free moisturizing lotion I opt for a heavier, creamier moisturizer -- I recommend Olay Complete all day UV moisturizer SPF 15. See comparison photos below. I also love Blistex Moisture Melts for the lips.
Quick Tip: You may also want to try a serum or moisture gel before you apply your moisturizer if you have very dry skin.

Top: Oil free face lotion; Bottom: Olay Complete moisturizer 

Makeup:

Instead of my usual under eye concealer and powder, I like to apply tinted moisturizer and set with powder. In the winter, powder alone can leave me looking a little cakey; the addition of tinted moisturizer eliminates this problem. I like MAC Studio Moisture Tint {not pictured} but the Maybelline Dream Fresh BB Cream is a good drugstore alternative ($8.00 at drugstores).

Body:
I love Body Butter for the winter. My absolute favorite is Mango Body Butter from The Body Shop, however the Shea Moisture Raw Shea Butter Eczema Therapy w/ Argan Oil & Extracts of Frankincense & Myrrh ($9.99 at Target in the baby bath section) is excellent for dry skin. It feels a tad oily upon application but settles into the skin nicely and provides moisture all day.

Hair:
To moisturize my hair I need something a little thicker in the winter. I LOVE Elasta QP Olive Oil and Mango Butter Moisturizer, but have recently purchased the Curls Unleashed 'Take Command Curl Defining Creme' ($14.99 at Target)...I haven't tried it yet, but I'll update you with my thoughts. For best results, top off moisturizer with a bit of oil to seal moisture into the hair. Quick Tip: For dry, itchy scalp try a hot olive oil treatment prior to washing your hair...works wonders!

What do you all use for in the cooler months?

Blemish Balm + Satin Taupe = FOTD

I cannot remember the last time I did my makeup for work. I had a little extra time this morning, so I though...'What the heck?'. I came up with a very simple eye look and a basic face using the Maybelline Dream Fresh BB Cream. Overall, I like the BB cream which looks, feels, and acts like a tinted moisturizer (my base of choice).

There are some skin enhancing properties associated with Blemish Balm (BB) creams which differentiate them from tinted mositurizers. For the record, I do not believe that this BB cream will make my skin better and brighter, but for $9 it's cool so far. I need to play around with it some more before I determine whether or not I like/love/could-care-less-about it.

EYES:
MAC Quite Natural Paint Pot - blended over eyelids with ring finger
MAC Satin Taupe - pressed onto the lid and slightly above with a flat shader brush
MAC Mulch - applied to outer corner with a blending brush
Urban Decay Zero - placed in outer corner and crease (bc Mulch did not show up!)
Wet N Wild matte white - tapped onto inner tear duct area
Milani black eyeliner - applied on top lash line and slightly smudged into a wing
Tarte emphasEYES inner rim brightener - placed on waterline

Gifted Amazonian Clay Smart Mascara in black = LOVE!

FACE:

Maybelline Dream Fresh BB Cream - applied very lightly with fingertips (so lightly that you can still see my freckles/moles and pimple!)

Lancome Maquicomplet concealer - blended under the eyes with a flat concealer brush

Cover Girl Queen Collection bronzer in Brown bronze - applied to the hollows of cheeks for contour

Wet n Wild bronzer - applied over CG bronzer as contour and blush

MAC Mineralized Skin Finish Natural - applied lightly with a large fluffy brush to set BB cream

LIPS:

NYX Brown Cafe lip liner

Tarte Lip Surgence Lip Shine in 'Smitten'

Ulta Haul

 I hardly ever go to Ulta because of it's distance from where I live, however I was in the neighborhood a few weeks ago and was excited to grab some things.

Here is what I picked up:

NYX Xtreme lip cream in 08 Skin Tone and 09 Strawberry. I have a previous post about the NYX Soft Matte lip creams and these are just as wonderful PLUS they are very creamy and hydrating.  These lip creams are amazing!! Swatches below.

Maybelline Define-a-Brow pencil. These pencils are very similar to the MAC eyebrow pencils but retail for half the price. I have been having difficulty finding them in drugstores lately, but if you can get your hands on them, I highly recommend. I purchased two!

Essence Clear Mascara/Brow set. This is your standard clear mascara - I use it to set my brows and keep them in place all day.

Katy Perry lashes in Oh, Honey! Haven't worn them yet, but they look promising. Each box contains 1 pair of lashes, 1 small tube of lash adhesive, and an insert with tips to apply lashes like a pro.

Essence gel eyeliner in 01 Midnight in Paris (black). For such an inexpensive brand, thus eyeliner works pretty well and stays all day.

NYX Eyebrow Shaper. This was pencil is supposed to groom browns into shape. I purchased this to use on clients with unruly eyebrows.

MAC Prep + Prime Skin Refined Zone (obviously not from Ulta). Your pores will become invisible and your skin will be as soft as butta. This can also be used on non makeup days for a smooth, mattified look.

Have you tried any of these products? I think the NYX lippies may be my favorite so far!