Author: Carina

Quickie: MAC Fix+

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Marketed as a finishing spray, the MAC Fix+ was actually on my radar for another reason entirely. I knew you could use eyeshadows wet to get more intensity from them, but I also knew that water would destroy most eyeshadows. And then, I found out that a solution like MAC Fix+ was a work around, so after much dilly-dallying, I went and got myself a bottle. Thankfully, it works as an Eyeshadow Intensifier fairly well: Just spritz the brush, or onto a dish, and use the damp (not wet!) brush to apply the eyeshadow onto your eye. So easy, it kind of hurts. Also, please observe how intense that eyeshadow became. It is applied without a primer underneath, on both sides. As a setting spray, it works like a charm, too. The mist is pretty fine, which is not what you would expect when you see its nozzle. My makeup stay put throughout the day—I can’t really say anything else about that. One other cool thing about this is that the nozzle locks in place, …

bareMinerals Prime Time Primer Shadow in Bronzed Twig

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Okay, so I’ve had this for a while. It’s basically a colored eye primer from bareMinerals called Prime Time Primer Shadow. I have it in Bronzed Twig. I can’t really explain why I never bothered to use this because as you will see in a bit, it is pretty gorgeous. Check out this swatch in the mean time: It reminds me of the Buxom Stay-There Eyeshadow, because this has quite a bit of sparkle and shine. This one’s a bit more pigmented and opaque, however. Bronzed Twig is a pretty warm, bronze-y midtone brown. It works well as a primer and it adds a lovely dimension and complexity to the eyeshadows you layer on top of it. The applicator and packaging are the almost deal-breakers, I think. It is hygienic, sure, but it is so hard to squeeze the primer out this little hole: Here is Bronzed Twig on my eyes: It’s a pretty easy look. I just applied Bronzed Twig over the mobile eyelid. (I warmed up the product first.) Then, I added a …

Drugstore Finds: Maybelline Master Liner & Baby Lips ♥ Color*

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Two quick reviews on two items I received in my October BDJ Box*. I don’t really have much to say about either of them, so I thought I’d lump them together in one post. 🙂 First up, I have the Maybelline Master Liner in BK-1. It’s a standard, retractable black eyeliner that promises to be smudgeproof and creamy. I would actually argue with that assessment, because it was not creamy at all. It’s kind of hard to apply a hard pencil on delicate parts of your eye that are so close to the opening and the eyeball itself. I don’t want to have to apply too much pressure to achieve maximum pigmentation. Unfortunately, I found that to be the case here. In these swatches, the upper, darker one was achieved by a lot of pressure—too much pressure for upper/lower lid application. The lower swatch is indicative of the amount of pay-off I got when I applied the amount of pressure I would if I were to line my upper lashline. It’s not entirely bad—as you …

Bare Study: Minimal Makeup Look

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This look is for the girl in you who actually likes minimal makeup more than the “fun stuff.” I thought about a basic look with the brief: “No Makeup” Makeup, and this is what I came up with: — Powder all over ze face. – Thicker brows c/o of the MAC 266 and the darker side of my eyebrow powder. — MAC Paint Pot (Bare Study) on entire mobile lid, y.e.t. Cosmetics eyeshadow pencil (Nude Pink) on outer third. Matte brown blush (Tarte Exposed) on eye crease. — Smudge-y outer corner eyeliner. — Curl lashes and mascara-fy. — Dust cheeks with powder. — Make your lips yours but better. Here are the products I used: Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush (Exposed), The Body Shop Brow & Liner Kit (02), Maybelline Clear Smooth All in One Powder (05 Sand Beige), Le Métier de Beauté Anamorphic Lash Mascara (Noir), NARS Pure Matte Lipstick (Montego Bay), MAC Paint Pot (Bare Study), y.e.t. Eyeshadow stick (Nude Pink), Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Pencil (Crave). 🙂 Honestly, if I didn’t …

BECCA Eye Tint in Baroque

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Ever since trying out the BECCA Beach Tint and liking it, I’ve wanted to try out their eye counterpart—the eye tint. I haven’t gotten my hands on any of them, until now. The BECCA Eye Tint “offers adjustable levels of sheer to high pigment color when applied with a brush or finger.” Basically, it’s just a “semi-sheer créme that tints lids with a soft wash of colour.” Judging from my skin tone, I probably should have known that Baroque would be too light for me. Here’s a fairly heavy swatch that I tried really hard to make opaque. I barely blended it out, but I think you can see the color? It’s a cool-toned greige, in my eyes. Look at how much it doesn’t show up, though. I feel like I’m those evil people who sold the emperor his new clothes. Seriously, this is the pigmentation after many layers of Baroque (Baroque? More like b-roke! Boo, I’m not funny.). Barely any color. I guess a great eye product for a “no makeup makeup look,” but …

Drugstore Finds: Maybelline Cheeky Glow in Peachy Sweetie*

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I got this Maybelline Cheeky Glow (a powder blush) in the October BDJ Box. 🙂 I haven’t tried any of Maybelline’s blushes before (at least as far as I remember), so I was pretty curious as to how well it would perform. Peachy Sweetie is a light peachy coral, chock-full of very fine silver shimmer. The shimmer remains visible even when you blend out the blush. I suggest tapping off the brush before application to get rid of the excess glitter. A heavy swatch (top swatch) makes it appear more pink, whereas blended out, the peachiness becomes visible. On the face, it’s quite subdued, but the shimmers are visible up close. I think it would be a pretty everyday color, which is perfect since it’s so cheap. The blush itself is not velvety-smooth or buttery at all, but even the hard powder yields decent color when you swipe it. Packaging is not-s-flimsy, but it is quite “drugstore-looking,” with the white, light plastic as well as the clear plastic top. It’s smaller than higher end blushses …

Made-Up History: Piet Mondrian’s “Composition with Yellow, Blue and Red,” 1937-1942.

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(via) Happy Halloween! Ah, it’s been too long since my last Made-Up History post, so a refresher for anyone who is new here: Made-Up History is a series on this blog, in which I recreate art on my face. They’re not meant to be literal translations, just an interpretation that’s almost always wearable. Today’s subject is by Piet Mondrian, a Dutch painter who was a major contributor of the De Stijl art movement, which was somewhat a proponent of pure abstraction in the Netherlands.