FOTD / Shameless Vogueing

OK, so all my fabulous followers inspired me to do a FOTD (that's "Face of the Day," for those who are scratching their head).

I usually do product reviews & news, but I figured - what the hell! Who doesn't love some shameless Vogueing, beautifully warm weather, and playing with some new makeup?! Enjoy!

Makeup Majesty

Fierce Look (and View!)

Secrets

The Return of the Lash Queen

Animal

Sky High Lashes

Lips

A kiss for each one of my special followers!

The Goods

Face

MAC Prep + Prime Transparent Finishing Powder

NARS Orgasm Illuminator (new!)

Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer

MAC Studio Fix Fluid

NARS Orgasm Blush

Eyes

Smashbox Photo Finish Lid Primer

Illamasqua Liquid Metal Shadow

MAC Pigment in Jardin Aires

Smashbox Eye Liner Pen

MAC #35 lashes

Lips

Smashbox O-Glow

Major Beauty Industry News!

plus

equals

This is very exciting! The Estee Lauder Companies have purchased Smashbox Cosmetics as part of their portfolio, Yahoo Finance and many other sources have confirmed today.

The Estee Lauder Companies own many amazing beauty brands already - Estee Lauder, Clinique, MAC Cosmetics, DKNY, Tom Ford, La Mer, Bobbi Brown, just to name a few. Now, Smashbox Cosmetics will be under the Estee Lauder umbrella.

I think creative and innovative things are in store for us...imagine a Smashbox & MAC collaboration? Brilliant!

I'm in love with the new Smashbox color story - Heartbreaker. It's super girly - pretty pinks and peaches. As reviewed previously, the felt-tip eye liner pen is one of my favorite new products! What Smashbox products do you guys use?

Stop, You're Making Me Blush

Hi Pretty Girls! I've reviewed four different types of blush for your reading pleasure!

Smashbox – Gel Cheek Color
Shade: O-Glow



I’ll be honest, I have a love/hate relationship with O-Glow. I think it’s absolutely fabulous in the winter time when your skin is on the dryer side. After applying foundation and a little finishing powder, O-Glow looks flawless when applied to the apples of your cheeks. I like the hint of pretty pink color it gives your cheeks - kind of that…is she? isn’t she? wearing blush look. I like the gel texture of the product, it feels gentle on your skin when applying it. However, I find myself steering completely clear of O-Glow in the summer months. Your skin has a lot more moisture (and potential oil) in the summer, therefore gel based products tend to sweat or wear off my skin super-easily – not cool at all!


Tarte – Solid Cheek Stain
Shade: Natural Beauty



This solid cheek stain had a lot of potential. I thought the chubby little stick it came in was very cute, and the color looked pretty too. However, I was disappointed. I felt like I had to continuously rub the cheek stain on my cheeks, and there was barely any color on my face. Now, I understand the shade is called NATURAL beauty, but the blush almost had no color at all! It’s possible that my skin tone was a little too dark for this product (I have olive skin), so maybe it wasn’t meant for me. So for you Tarte lovers, speak up and let me know if you disagree! =)


Benefit Cosmetics – Liquid Tinted Cheek and Lip Stain
Shade: Benetint



Benetint is an interesting animal. I like the color it provides the cheeks, and it seems to stay put throughout the day. I do find it a little difficult to apply to the cheeks though, since the brush is very skinny and tough to work with. You usually end up trying to blend the Benetint with your fingers, causing you to look like you just committed blush murder. Keep in mind, that Benetint also doubles as a lip stain. If you’re not crazy about using it on your cheeks, it’s actually an amazing lip stain in my opinion. After it dries, I love putting some clear lip balm or clear lip gloss over it for a really powerful set of lips!


NARS – Powder Blush
Shade: Orgasm



For me, NARS Orgasm Blush has been the reigning Queen of all Blushes. I find myself purchasing other blushes, but going back to NARS in the end. It seems to be the perfect shade on almost anyone! It surprises me that even in the summer when I have a tan, or in the winter when I’m paler, it still looks flawless. It also has just the right amount of shimmer in it – not too much shimmer so you look like a clown (god FORBID) or too little shimmer so your skin looks matte and boring. Until I find something better, NARS wins my heart in this category!

So, what will it be ladies? Gel, Solid, Liquid or Powder?

Crazy About Cream...Shadows!

Hi Makeup Addicts! Since I got such great feedback and LOVE from you ladies on my Eye Liner reviews, I figured i'd share with you some of my favorite Cream Eye Shadows of all time! Read up and enjoy!


Illamasqua - Liquid Metal
Shade: Enrapture

Illamasqua is one of my new favorite brands, it reminds me of MAC with a different type of edge. This shadow is so beautiful! It's highly-pigmented and intense, definitely will make your eyes stand out. I prime my eyes, and use either a flat eye shadow brush (like MAC's #242 brush) or my fingers. If i'm going to apply eye liner on top of the shadow, I usually let the shadow dry for a few minutes before laying. This shade (Enrapture) is a great day to night color that will make a statement.


Too Faced - Lockdown Ultimate Creaseless Cream Eye Shadow
Shades: I'm Guilty (Teal Blue) and Bondage (Ivory)

This is truly the first of its kind, a NO CREASE CREAM EYE SHADOW. This is no joke - Too Faced means business! I purchased Bondage first, and it has become a staple in my every day beauty routine. It is a go-to, no-fail color that looks good on everyone, and it really does stay put all day! Unlike Illamasqua's shadow, these Too Faced shadows are more on the sheer and shiny side. I loved the formula so much, that I went back to Sephora and purchased the shadow in another shade - I'm Guilty (sounds about right...)This teal color is so fun for spring/summer! I keep both creaseless shadows in my beach bag - they are great to throw on when you aren't wearing a lot of makeup and always look shiny and pretty. A must-have in my opinion!

NARS - Cream Eye Shadow
Shade: Corfu

Similar to the Too Faced Creaseless Eye Shadows, the NARS Cream Eye Shadow is subtle and sheer. I like wearing this shade (Corfu) with a little mascara and bright lips. It looks natural and flawless - unfortunately, it will crease after some time. Since the application is silky and easy, I'll sneak off to the bathroom for a mid-day touch up!


Urban Decay - Precious Metals
Shade: Platinum

This product screams REBELLIOUS! The shadow name says it all - Precious Metal: Platinum. The color is extremely metallic, shiny and BOLD. I'd say mostly a night time color, I really go all out with my eyes when using this shadow! Once I let it dry, I like to apply a thick strip of liquid liner to the lash line, then apply false lashes. Instant diva makeup.


Yves Saint Laurent - Eye Colour Touch Water Resistant Shadow
Shade: Luminous Toffee

This is an excellent "on the go" shadow. With a built-in applicator brush, you could even put it on without using a mirror. This YSL Shadow has a high-shine, glow factor that makes for instant pretty doe-eyes. I keep this product in my desk at work and love it.





Partners in PRIME
Smashbox Photo Finish Lid Primer & Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion

With all the amazing cream eye shadows above, you absolutely HAVE TO HAVE a good primer base. If any eye shadow is going to work for you all day, you must properly coat your lid with a primer first. I alternate between Urban Decay's Primer Potion and Smashbox Photo Finish. The best way to describe the difference between the two primers, is the Urban Decay primer is dryer and has a powder-like finish. The Smashbox Lid Primer is wetter and creamier, so only use a tiny amount each time or you will have a mess on your hands. =)

Was this helpful, chicks? Are there any Cream Eye Shadows that you can't LIVE without? Share them with us!

Liquid Liner Love

Let's face it, most of us can't LIVE without eye liner. For those of us who use eye liner in our every day makeup routine, it is insanely important to find just the right eye liner. You want it to stay intact throughout the day, without smearing or smudging or creasing. This, as we know, is not such an easy task since most of us are running around like crazy people with work, school, social lives and so on.

I've tried four different liquid liners from four different brands. I wore each one all day, and kept track of how it looked throughout the day.

MAC Cosmetics - Penultimate Eyeliner


I am a huge MAC fan. I bought the Penultimate liner and wore it all day. The tip of the liner is very long and flexible, which made it a little difficult for me to apply. I used a primer and nude eyeshadow, and applied the Penultimate to my lash line. It looked nice at first, but by the 3rd hour of working it kind of wore off and got smeared a bit. I'm a believer in long-lasting makeup and hate reapplying eye makeup during the day, so unfortunately this liner did not pass the longevity test!

Sephora Brand - Doe-Eyed Liner Pen

This is the first Sephora Brand product i've ever purchased, so I wasn't sure what to expect from this liner. Same as above, I used a primer and nude eyeshadow, and applied the Doe-Eyed liner to my lash line. The application was fairly easy and I liked the formula. I checked my makeup throughout the day and it seemed like this liner was staying put. The only trouble began when I went to remove the liner with my makeup remover and it BURNED! My eyes felt like they were on fire. Therefore, it was long lasting but I don't think I would wear it again since the removal was painful!

Smashbox - Heartbreaker Liquid Liner Pen

Simply put, I am IN LOVE with this product. It has kicked out any other liner i've used, and has become part of my daily makeup routine. While browsing Ulta Beauty, the girly Heartbreaker packaging caught my attention and I started playing with the products. Always on the lookout for the next best product, I purchased the Liquid Liner Pen to see if it passed my test. The application was flawless, the black color was extremely BLACK, and the line looked sharp and crisp. It stayed on all day, from 7am until 6pm when I returned home from work. It allows you to achieve that perfect winged-tip eye that every woman is after. This liner is truly great, well done Smashbox!

Urbay Decay - Ink For Eyes

I love Urban Decay's products. However for my "test," this eye liner did not make the cut. Ink for Eyes comes with a dual-sided brush applicator, which is a useful brush...I was hopeful about this one! I had trouble applying the liner to my lash line, and found it to be very smudgy and messy. During the day, I look for liners that have longevity, not so much a "smoky eye look." So, this liner did not pass the day test BUT it wasn't a total waste. I use Ink for Eyes on the outside corners of my eyes when trying to achive a smoky eye look for night time.

Ladies, what do you think? Any comments or reccommendations as to "day time" eye liners that are long-lasting? Share them with us! xoxo