Monday, March 31, 2014
Prom Makeup!
It's prom season and I wanted to provide some inspiration for a makeup look you could do yourself for prom! I wanted to create a look that was universally flattering on every skin tone, eye color, and eye shape. This makeup look is dramatic but super easy to do and you can definitely recreate it! If you are planning to do your own makeup for prom, I definitely recommend practicing it a few times before the big day so that everything goes smoothly the day of your prom! Even if you don't have a prom to go to, this would be a gorgeous look for a night out with your girls or any type of special event!
Friday, March 28, 2014
March Favorites!
It is a gorgeous Spring afternoon as I am writing up this post, and I could not be in a better mood. It is finally warming up slightly where I live and the Spring weather always seems to energize me and give me new life. I am super excited to bring to you all the products I have been loving this past month. Let's hop right to it...
1. DiorSkin Airflash Foundation
Never have I ever used a foundation that has made my skin look so incredibly flawless but yet is completely undetectable on the skin. This creates perfect looking skin, but it looks so natural to the point where people may wonder if you are even wearing foundation at all. I just adore this foundation, and it may be the absolute best I have ever used! Full blog post will be coming on this soon!!
2. Tarte beMATTEnificent Eye & Cheek Palette
I just did a full review of this palette with swatches and everything, so you can read that here, if you are interested. I want go too in depth here since that review is up, but I just lovvvve this palette. I am obsessed with matte shadows and these are super high quality. They blend out so effortlessly and I love the shade choices they made for the palette. I have been wearing these shadows non-stop this month!
3. Maybelline EyeStudio "Gusty Green" Quad
1. DiorSkin Airflash Foundation
Never have I ever used a foundation that has made my skin look so incredibly flawless but yet is completely undetectable on the skin. This creates perfect looking skin, but it looks so natural to the point where people may wonder if you are even wearing foundation at all. I just adore this foundation, and it may be the absolute best I have ever used! Full blog post will be coming on this soon!!
2. Tarte beMATTEnificent Eye & Cheek Palette
I just did a full review of this palette with swatches and everything, so you can read that here, if you are interested. I want go too in depth here since that review is up, but I just lovvvve this palette. I am obsessed with matte shadows and these are super high quality. They blend out so effortlessly and I love the shade choices they made for the palette. I have been wearing these shadows non-stop this month!
3. Maybelline EyeStudio "Gusty Green" Quad
My last blog post was a FOTD post featuring this gorgeous quad and I am just so impressed with the quality of these eye shadows. If you want to check out that fun FOTD post, then you can click here. The shadows are so vibrant and pigmented, plus they are so silky smooth and they blend like a dream. I have to pick up more quads from this Maybelline line asap!
I have never been much of a blush girl. I don't excessively hoard blushes like I do some other types of makeup products. However, I have really been getting really into blushes lately and I am obsessed with this Hourglass blush. These blushes are marbleized with the Hourglass Ambient Lighting powders which give them the most gorgeous finish. The swatch above looks fairly matte, but it's really more satiny in person. This gives the most natural flush to the cheeks and adds the most subtle, gorgeous glow. I have to pick up some more shades because I'm literally obsessed!
This is another gorgeous, gorgeous blush! These are fairly new products from Maybelline and this shade is stunning. They are highlighting blushes so they do have quite a bit of shimmer, but I actually like that. They aren't too over-the-top disco ball on the cheeks, but they add a noticeable and flattering glow to the cheeks. This shade is a super pretty medium pink shade that look sooo pretty with a pink lip!
I can't believe I haven't tried this mascara until now. The CoverGirl LashBlast Volume is my all time favorite mascara from the drugstore and I love this one almost as much as that one, which is saying a lot. This gives volume and length and like it says, it does NOT clump! I really, really like the wand on this mascara. It is a curved with rubber bristles and it helps that lashes curl nicely. It also makes it really easy to get the outer lashes so that they flare out really prettily at the end. I am loving this mascara at the moment!
I picked up this sample size from Sephora as one of their point reward things and I have fallen in love with this scent. This is sooo spring appropriate. It smells like you've stepped into a fresh spring garden with lots of roses. It is pretty intense but I adore it! The notes are Experimental Rose, Fig Leaf, and White Amber.
That wraps it up for my March Favorites. I have been obsessed with all of these products. I can't wait to see what April brings me in terms of great new makeup items. Thanks for reading and I hope you have an amazing day!!
xoxo,
Paige
Friday, March 21, 2014
FOTD: Mermaid-Inspired Eyes + Pink Lips!
Spring has officially begun and with this fresh new season, I have been super inspired to change up my makeup to coordinate with the changing weather. I found an awesome Maybelline eyeshadow palette and I could not wait to create a look with it. The palette is composed of gorgeous aqua and mint shades that just feel oh-so-mermaid-esque. This look is perfect for Spring and would also be an awesome Prom look, if the colors coordinate with your dress!
1. Foundation + Concealer
For foundation, I buffed Make Up For Ever HD foundation all over my face. For blemishes, I dabbed on the NYX HD Concealer and blended it out. For under the eyes, I used my much loved Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Dark Circle Eraser.
2. Setting Spray + Powder
To set my under eye concealer, I used the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in "Diffused Light". This just adds more brightness to that area! To set my entire face, I used the Urban Decay Chill Makeup Setting Spray.
3. Blush + Bronzer
I contoured and bronzed the face with NARS Laguna. Since I was going with some crazy colors on the eyes, I wanted a fairly natural blush shade. I chose to go with the Benefit Rockateur boxed blush. I also filled in my brows with the Anastasia Perfect Brow Pencil at this step!
4. Eye Shadow
Step 1
With super colorful eye shadows, this is the way I start 99.9% of the time. First, I use the NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in "Milk". Having a white base makes all the colorful eye shadows apply true to color and they show up much more vibrant. Since the jumbo eye pencils tend to crease really bad, I always set them with a shadow. Any light colored shadow will do. I just went with the Wet n' Wild single shadow in "Brulee".
I always want to have a transition shade when I'm working with bright shadows. This makes everything blend better and creates a better gradient effect when everything is blended. It also prevents the look from turning into crazy clown makeup. My all-time favorite shadow to use for this is MAC Soft Brown!
Step 2
First off, this quad is STUNNNNING! This is the Maybelline EyeStudio Quad in "Gusty Green". The shadows are super pigmented and soft. They blend like a dream! Had I not known, I would have thought these were high-end shadows! Such an amazing drugstore palette! Here's how I applied them:
1. I applied this all over the lid with a flat shader brush.
2. I took a precise blending/crease brush and applied this directly in the crease for intense definition.
6. Lips!
I finished everything off with the gorgeous YSL Rouge Volupte Lipstick in shade #1.
I hope you enjoyed this super fun bright, mermaid inspired eye look! Thanks so much for reading and I hope you have an amazing day!
xoxo,
Paige
1. Foundation + Concealer
For foundation, I buffed Make Up For Ever HD foundation all over my face. For blemishes, I dabbed on the NYX HD Concealer and blended it out. For under the eyes, I used my much loved Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Dark Circle Eraser.
2. Setting Spray + Powder
To set my under eye concealer, I used the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in "Diffused Light". This just adds more brightness to that area! To set my entire face, I used the Urban Decay Chill Makeup Setting Spray.
3. Blush + Bronzer
I contoured and bronzed the face with NARS Laguna. Since I was going with some crazy colors on the eyes, I wanted a fairly natural blush shade. I chose to go with the Benefit Rockateur boxed blush. I also filled in my brows with the Anastasia Perfect Brow Pencil at this step!
4. Eye Shadow
Step 1
With super colorful eye shadows, this is the way I start 99.9% of the time. First, I use the NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in "Milk". Having a white base makes all the colorful eye shadows apply true to color and they show up much more vibrant. Since the jumbo eye pencils tend to crease really bad, I always set them with a shadow. Any light colored shadow will do. I just went with the Wet n' Wild single shadow in "Brulee".
I always want to have a transition shade when I'm working with bright shadows. This makes everything blend better and creates a better gradient effect when everything is blended. It also prevents the look from turning into crazy clown makeup. My all-time favorite shadow to use for this is MAC Soft Brown!
Step 2
First off, this quad is STUNNNNING! This is the Maybelline EyeStudio Quad in "Gusty Green". The shadows are super pigmented and soft. They blend like a dream! Had I not known, I would have thought these were high-end shadows! Such an amazing drugstore palette! Here's how I applied them:
1. I applied this all over the lid with a flat shader brush.
2. I took a precise blending/crease brush and applied this directly in the crease for intense definition.
3. I used this shade on the outer 1/3 of the lid and blended up into the outer corner.
4. I applied this on the inner corner.
5. Liner + Mascara
I used the Maybelline Gel Liner in "Blackest Black" to wing out my liner. For mascara, I applied two coats of the YSL Babydoll mascara to my top and bottom lashes.
I finished everything off with the gorgeous YSL Rouge Volupte Lipstick in shade #1.
I hope you enjoyed this super fun bright, mermaid inspired eye look! Thanks so much for reading and I hope you have an amazing day!
xoxo,
Paige
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
Review + Swatches: Tarte Be MATTEnificent Eye & Cheek Palette
I was a little torn about doing this review. It was a limited edition palette and it seems to be sold out everywhere. You CAN find it on Amazon, but the price is jacked up a little bit. However, I really, really love this palette so I thought it warranted a full review!
Product Rundown
Original Price: $36 USD
The palette features 6 limited edition shadows, 2 "liner" shadows, and 1 blush. All are formulated with Tarte ever-so-famous amazonian clay! The palette also comes with a dual ended brush.
My Thoughts
I adore this palette. Matte shadows are my absolute favorite to work with and these are some amazing matte shadows! The are pigmented and smooth, and blend out very, very easily. You can create such an incredible range of looks with this palette, from very simple to dramatic. My absolute favorite shade is the "rose to the occasion" shadow. It is a great alternative for typical light brown crease and transition shades.
The blush is also fabulous. I love the Amazonian Clay blushes from Tarte. The shade in the palette reminds me a lot of the "Exposed" blush that is part of the permanent collection of their Amazonian Clay blushes, but this shade is just a little more peachy. I don't really gravitate towards the "liner" shades too often, so I don't get a lot of use out of those, which is a little bit of a bummer. But overall, I love this palette. The shadows blend so well together and I can create a quick shadow look in seconds without having to blend forever and ever! And since everything in the palette in formulated with that Amazonian Clay, everything is sooo long wearing. I love not having to worry about my eyeshadow creasing or fading throughout the day!
Also, I have to mention how much I LOVE the packaging. It is absolutely stunning and is definitely one of the prettiest palettes I own! If you are interested in purchasing this product, you can find it on Amazon by clicking here.
I hope this review was helpful and I hope you have an amazing day!!
xoxo,
Paige
Friday, March 14, 2014
FOTD: Spring Eyes + Nude Lips
I am craving Spring Time. I need warmer weather, sunnier days, and blooming flowers. Winter is still kind of lingering around where I live; so to cheer myself up, I decided to play around with some spring makeup! I went with super fun colors on the eyes and a easy, effortless nude lip. Hope you enjoy!
1. Foundation + Concealer
I am obsessssed with this YSL BB Cream. It's definitely the BEST I've tried yet. It is literally the only thing I've been wearing on my face for the last couple of months. To cover up blemishes, I used the NYX HD concealer which is an amazing, amazing affordable concealer. For under the eyes, I went with my trusty Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Dark Circle Eraser.
2. Set foundation/concealer
To set my under eye concealer and brighten that area, I used my all time fave Laura Mercier Secret Brightening Powder. To set the rest of my face makeup, I used the Urban Decay Chill Makeup Setting Spray.
3. Bronzer + Blush
To contour and bronze, I applied NARS Laguna, per usual. For blush, I used blush that's starred in the photo above from this NARS Foreplay Cheek Palette. The shade is "Orgasm". I actually found this palette at Nordstrom Rack reduced from $50 to $35, which was a total score. It was a limited edition product so I'm not too sure where you can find it.
5. Eye Shadow!!
Step 1...
Since I was going to be using brighter colors, I wanted to use a white base so that everything would pop more! I used the NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk over my entire eye, from lid to brow bone. These jumbo eye pencils crease like crazy on me, so I definitely recommend setting it with some sort of powder. I used Wet n' Wild single shadow in "Brulee" to do this. This shadow was discontinued so use any light matte shadow you have in your collection. Adding this shadow also allows for everything to blend more smoothly.
For any bright colored eye looks to come off nicely, I think it is 100% necessary to start with a light brown shade buffed all through the crease. This helps blending and prevents everything from looking like clown makeup. I used MAC Soft Brown for this step. I buffed this through the crease with a large fluffy crease brush. I like to take my time blending this and I want to look super diffused and soft.
Step 2...
I saw this "Luminous Lilacs" Maybelline Eyeshadow Quad at the drugstore and immediately fell in love with the color combo. This was my first time using the quad, and though I was able create a pretty look, I am overall disappointed in it. The color pigmentation just isn't there, especially with that peachy pink shade that I used over my lid. I actually had to take the blush I used, NARS Orgasm, to replace that color because it had zero pigmentation. BUT I still like the look I created with this even though the pigmentation wasn't great.
First, I took, in replacement of the pinky peach shade in this quad, NARS Orgasm blush and applied it all over the lid. Next, I took the shimmery green shadow and applied it directly into the crease with a more precise crease brush. I blended that absolutely gorgeous purple shade in the outer corner and the outer 1/3 of the crease. I also blended the purple and green shades on the lower lash line! I took a clean blending brush and blended everything out. I took the shimmery white shade and applied it into the inner color. Be careful with this shade though. It is the a little chunky so you may have fallout and it is fairly pigmented so you can apply too much.
6. Liner + Mascara
To finish off the eyes, I applied Maybelline Gel Liner in "Blackest Black" along the upper lash line and winged it out. For mascara, I went with my favorite YSL Babydoll Mascara.
7. Lips
For lips, I used the Maybelline Color Elixir in "Nude Illusion".
And DONE!
So all I have left to say is HURRY UP SPRING! Me and my makeup are ready for your arrival. I hope you enjoyed this look and I hope you have an amazing day!!
xoxo,
Paige
1. Foundation + Concealer
I am obsessssed with this YSL BB Cream. It's definitely the BEST I've tried yet. It is literally the only thing I've been wearing on my face for the last couple of months. To cover up blemishes, I used the NYX HD concealer which is an amazing, amazing affordable concealer. For under the eyes, I went with my trusty Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Dark Circle Eraser.
2. Set foundation/concealer
To set my under eye concealer and brighten that area, I used my all time fave Laura Mercier Secret Brightening Powder. To set the rest of my face makeup, I used the Urban Decay Chill Makeup Setting Spray.
3. Bronzer + Blush
To contour and bronze, I applied NARS Laguna, per usual. For blush, I used blush that's starred in the photo above from this NARS Foreplay Cheek Palette. The shade is "Orgasm". I actually found this palette at Nordstrom Rack reduced from $50 to $35, which was a total score. It was a limited edition product so I'm not too sure where you can find it.
5. Eye Shadow!!
Step 1...
Since I was going to be using brighter colors, I wanted to use a white base so that everything would pop more! I used the NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk over my entire eye, from lid to brow bone. These jumbo eye pencils crease like crazy on me, so I definitely recommend setting it with some sort of powder. I used Wet n' Wild single shadow in "Brulee" to do this. This shadow was discontinued so use any light matte shadow you have in your collection. Adding this shadow also allows for everything to blend more smoothly.
For any bright colored eye looks to come off nicely, I think it is 100% necessary to start with a light brown shade buffed all through the crease. This helps blending and prevents everything from looking like clown makeup. I used MAC Soft Brown for this step. I buffed this through the crease with a large fluffy crease brush. I like to take my time blending this and I want to look super diffused and soft.
Step 2...
I saw this "Luminous Lilacs" Maybelline Eyeshadow Quad at the drugstore and immediately fell in love with the color combo. This was my first time using the quad, and though I was able create a pretty look, I am overall disappointed in it. The color pigmentation just isn't there, especially with that peachy pink shade that I used over my lid. I actually had to take the blush I used, NARS Orgasm, to replace that color because it had zero pigmentation. BUT I still like the look I created with this even though the pigmentation wasn't great.
First, I took, in replacement of the pinky peach shade in this quad, NARS Orgasm blush and applied it all over the lid. Next, I took the shimmery green shadow and applied it directly into the crease with a more precise crease brush. I blended that absolutely gorgeous purple shade in the outer corner and the outer 1/3 of the crease. I also blended the purple and green shades on the lower lash line! I took a clean blending brush and blended everything out. I took the shimmery white shade and applied it into the inner color. Be careful with this shade though. It is the a little chunky so you may have fallout and it is fairly pigmented so you can apply too much.
6. Liner + Mascara
To finish off the eyes, I applied Maybelline Gel Liner in "Blackest Black" along the upper lash line and winged it out. For mascara, I went with my favorite YSL Babydoll Mascara.
7. Lips
For lips, I used the Maybelline Color Elixir in "Nude Illusion".
And DONE!
So all I have left to say is HURRY UP SPRING! Me and my makeup are ready for your arrival. I hope you enjoyed this look and I hope you have an amazing day!!
xoxo,
Paige
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