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Nosy Beauty Vol. 24: Joanne

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Hey everyone. Apologies if this week's Nosy Beauty is a day late. I have no excuses other than I forgot to take care of it during the week. January is incredibly hectic, so I hope you all understand. 🙂 Anyway, this week, I have another fellow BNTGirl on the chopping block, Joanne! She is also Filipino, but is based in the US, and blogs over at Ur Happy Bunnie. 🙂

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I’m Joanne and I’m admittedly a makeup junkie. I’m a BS Nursing graduate procrastinating to take my NCLEX. In between reviewing for my exam, working part time and enjoying my Korean dramas and Kpop, I’m a beauty blogger – Urhappybunnie. I currently live Jersey City, very accessible to New York but I hail from the City of Smiles, Bacolod, Philippines. Read More

Swatchfest: bareMinerals Degress of Dazzling

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Hey everyone! Here’s a quick swatch post for one of the few holiday items I ended up buying this year (I’ve been good, I swear!). I’ve gone crazy overboard last year, so I am taking my makeup purchases very seriously this year. This wasn’t supposed to be a purchase, since I am trying to cut down on eyeshadows and a 20-pc. set is not a step in the right direction, but I asked Sarie to look out for it for me in CA, since the set was on sale from $79 to $49 online and in actual bareMinerals stores (not counters). Luckily, she was able to find a set on one of her last few days out there.

Degrees of Dazzling Set

Similar to last year’s set, A Vision in Velvet (review), this set contains 20 eyecolors, but Degrees of Dazzling is such a way better deal, in my opinion, since the 20 colors come in 4 different finishes, whereas last year’s colors were divided into just two: mattes (or velvets) and satins. The swatches will be divided according to finish.

VELVETS — these are basically matte colors. There are two duplicates here from A Vision in Velvet: Velvet Mauve and Velvet Charcoal.

bareMinerals Degrees of Dazzling - Velvet Pots

“Surrender to the rush, the high, the incredible feeling of velvet eyecolors. Ultra smooth and unbelievably blendable, these velvety, stay-true shades can be applied dry for rich color or wet for a high-sheen “foiled” effect. Experiment, mix and match…it’s just the beginning.”

bareMinerals Degrees of Dazzling - Velvet Swatches
L-R, swatched: Velvet Mauve, Velvet Emerald, Velvet Lavender, Velvet Nude, Velvet Charcoal

These are really nice, though they aren’t my favorite. I have a feeling Velvet Lavender will show up chalky on me, but I can’t be too sure, either, without even trying it.

HIGH SHINE — High Shines are similar to a frost finish in MAC terms. They’re buttery, rich and opaque.

bareMinerals Degrees of Dazzling - High Shine - Pots

“bareMinerals High Shine Eyecolor provides mega-watt, high-intensity sheen for eyes. Perfect for on-the-go vibrant shades versatile enough for day or night wear. Satiny-soft and sheer with a touch of glow. Wear it dry for whisper effects, or wet for a more opaque sheen.

bareMinerals Degrees of Dazzling - High Shine - Swatches
L-R, swatched: Pewter, Stay Golden, Deep Sea, Iridescent Iris, Rose Gold

I have tried Pewter on my eyes—out of curiosity, mostly—and holy cow, that stuff’s powerful! There’s a hint of purple somewhere in there, which makes the silver/grey friendlier on my coloring than usual, I think. Absolutely stunning. I also can’t wait to use Iridescent Iris, and actually everything else in this category, too.

GLIMMER — glimmer is a very sparkly, very glimmery finish, like glitters without all of the chunkiness. Quite pretty on the lid. It’s one of the original bareMinerals finishes for eyecolors, if I’m not mistaken.

bareMinerals Degrees of Dazzling - Glimmer - Pots

“Glimmer: High-intensity shimmer. Can be softer and more translucent when worn dry, but creates an opaque wash of high sheen, known as foiling, when worn wet.”

bareMinerals Degrees of Dazzling - Glimmer - Swatches
L-R, swatched: Silver Dollar, Ginger Sugar, Violet Spell, Golden Pear, Strawberry Mousse

I’m super in love with this set, but I’m not too crazy about using bM’s glimmers in general, since the shimmer is SO FINE. This gets everywhere. I can’t wait to use Ginger Sugar, Golden Pear, and Strawberry Mousse, though.

LINER SHADOWS — these are the deeper shades that are supposed to be used for liner, but they are apparently multi-purpose. I’m not sure why they are “different,” since bareMinerals does have a Liner/Shadow range, so I’ll have to look into that.

bareMinerals Degrees of Dazzling - Liners - Pots

100% pure bareMinerals® Liner Shadows from bareMinerals® offer intense, radiant color for a variety of eye-defining effects. Wear Liner Shadow dry for soft, subtle or smoky looks, or wear it wet for a more intense, fine line. Longer wearing than a traditional waxy pencil, bareMinerals® Liner Shadow applies velvety smooth and won’t smudge, run or fade off for stay-true color that lasts all day.

bareMinerals Degrees of Dazzling - Liners - Swatches
L-R, swatched: Black Leather, Starry Night, Toasted Espresso, Lagoon, Yoga

These are some of the most stunning colors in the set. Black Leather is a matte black with some silver glitters in it, kind of suspended over the color. Lagoon is a beautiful, deep navy, and Yoga is such a rich burgundy-purple color. I’ve tried Toasted Espresso on dry and it’s a little light, but I’ll keep working at it.

I noticed that I had a Velvet Nude in this set, so I decided to compare it to A Vision in Velvet’s Satin Nude:

bareMinerals Degrees of Dazzling - Velvet Nude vs Satin Nude Swatches

Exact same color in a different finish. 🙂 I like using Velvet Nude as sort of a buffer, transition shade.

All the swatches together:

bareMinerals Degrees of Dazzling - Swatches

And, for your reference, here are the shades from last year’s A Vision in Velvet, over Etude House’s Proof 10 Eye Primer:
bM - ViV Velvet Swatches
Velvets

bM - ViV Satin Swatches
Satins

What did I tell you about this set being superior? If I didn’t already say, these swatches from Degrees of Dazzling were made on bare skin, sans primer. Holla! I love it when products WORK SO DAMN WELL.

I’m still playing with this set, but I can tell how much love it’s going to get from me. The colors are smaller than the full-size bareMinerals shadows you can buy individually, but it still has a lot of mileage.

I’m just posting this now, because you can still get the set from Sephora ($79) and bareMinerals ($49). As far as I can tell, these colors are exclusive to this set.

I’m quite a pleased little pea.

Slap Dash: An FOTD and some tips on putting makeup in the car

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Here’s a quick-ish FOTD that I came up with in the car, on the way to a doctor’s appointment and a whole day out.

FOTD - Car

Eyes: MAC Paint Pot in Constructivist, a bunch of Inglot Eyeshadows that barely showed up, K-Palette Real Lasting Liquid Eyeliner in 01, Le Métier de Beauté Anamorphic Lash Mascara in Noir.

Eyebrows: Graymelin Seven Tatto Eyebrow in Dark Brown, The Body Shop Brow & Liner Kit in 02.

Face/Base: Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Mood Light.

FOTD - Car 2

Cheeks: Le Métier de Beauté Kaleidoscope Face Kit in Cheeky Chic

Lips: Hourglass Femme Rouge Lipstick in Fresco

Way too much work—and product— went into this look, and you can’t even see it.

Car - Bag

Which made me want to draw up some tips on putting together a face when you’re in a hurry and only have your time in the car/on your commute to put together a presentable face. Here’s what I’d do instead:

EYES: Use a cream shadow (that doesn’t crease) and a pencil liner, since it’s easier to do a smudge-y line.
Car - Eyes

One color shadows are your best friend here. You have no time for complex eye looks or gradients—you lost that privilege when you slept in later than you thought you should have! A smudge-y line on your top lash line will provide dimension and room for error, c/o your shaky in-the-traffic hands.

Suggestions for cream shadows: MAC Paint Pot in Groundwork, Constructivist, Rubenesque. Maybelline Color Tattoo in Bad to the Bronze or Tough as Taupe.
Suggestions for eye pencils: Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencils. MAC Eye Kohl in Prunella or Teddy. Le Métier de Beauté Dualistic Eye Pencil in Tamarack.

CHEEKS/BLUSH: Use a color with a sheen to it, to cut down on having to use a highlighter!
Car - Cheeks

Apply this on the outer apples of your cheeks, or on your cheekbones in a downward, diagonal motion, kind of like a contour but higher up on your face. Blend well!

Suggestions: NARS Powder Blush in Orgasm. Tom Ford Cheek Color in Wicked.

LIPS: For lips, choose a light nude or an MLBB (My Lips But Better) shade so that any errors will be minimal. Hydrate with a lip balm, too!
Car - Lips

Use a lip balm for easier application and slip. Carefully apply the lipstick, making sure the road is not at its bumpiest when you do so. Choosing a nude-ish or light color will minimize errors. Imagine correcting a light lipstick mistake, then imagine correcting a red lipstick mistake!

Suggestions: Le Métier de Beauté Hydra-Crème Lipstick in Sahara. NARS Pure Matte Lipstick in Montego Bay. MAC Lipstick in Mehr, Jubilee.

FACE BASE: When I’m in a rush, I don’t really end up doing my face base anymore, so I just settle for some finishing powder.
Car - Face

Pick a great powder for your base, as powder mistakes aren’t as obvious as ones made by unblended cream or liquid products. The sheerer, the better. You just want to look put together; you don’t have to have a full face of makeup on! P.S. Pick a great travel brush!

Suggestions: Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Mood Light, Ethereal Light, Dim Light.

There. Easy, peasy. Do you have any favorite things to do when you’re in a rush?

First FOTD of 2014: Eye of Newt & the Storm

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LOL, what a dumb title. Happy 2014, friends! 🙂 Here’s the first full face of makeup I wore this year. Full-ish, I should say. Since one of my beauty resolutions is to do a modified Project Pan, I picked out the things I wanted to/had to use up before I could buy another (if I want to replace that shit in the first place).

FOTD - 1

Base: y.e.t. Cosmetics Fill It Up Primer, Benefit Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow Liquid Foundation (Cheers to Me… Champagne), Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder (Ethereal Light)

Cheeks: Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush (Flush), MAC Mineralize Skinfinish (Lightscapage)

FOTD - Eyes

Eyes: OCC Crème Colour Concentrate (Newt), MAC Prolongwear Paint Pot (Stormy Pink), Inglot Eyeshadow (125R, middle shade), MAC Eye Kohl (Prunella), Le Métier de Beauté Eye Brightening and Setting Powder (Refresh) to set shadows.

I should note that Newt creased on my left eye, though I didn’t wear primer.

FOTD - 2

Eyebrows: Inglot Brow Powder (569)

Lips: MAC Lustre Lipstick (Jubilee)

And that’s it! I’m trying to be more adventurous, too… In case you couldn’t tell. Hee! What are you looking forward to this year?

Buxom Big and Healthy Lip Cream in White Russian*

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Earlier this month, I got sent two items by My Socal Shoppe, and one of them was a deluxe sized mini of the Buxom Big and Healthy Lip Cream in White Russian. I already have another shade, Berry Blast, reviewed here, so I was quite familiar with the formula already. Thankfully, I’m a big fan of the formula.

Buxom - White Russian - Swatch

White Russian is actually more my speed when it comes to lip products. I find myself a bit mistrustful of bright pinks and violets, so this beautiful pale pink shade is actually kind of perfect and more Carina-friendly.

It is sort of like a very milky pale pink—and is opaque for a gloss. (I guess that’s why they call it a cream.) I have pretty pigmented lips, so I had to make sure that I covered every inch of that lip edge so I don’t look like an inadvertent chola. I didn’t do a very good job, but you can see what I mean!

Buxom - White Russian - Face

I wouldn’t call it a liquid lipstick, so it’s definitely an opaque, milky lip gloss. There is a strong vanilla scent to it, which I am not the biggest fan of, but I think I’m in the minority who enjoys the strong mintiness of the product. It feels strongly minty, like spearmint Chapstick x 1000, and a lot of people do not like this product because it stings too much. I quite like it, but maybe I’m just weird. I think that’s supposed to plump up your lips, though mine are full to begin with, so I don’t notice much of a difference in terms of lip plumpiness.

I noticed something strange with White Russian that I don’t experience when I wear Berry Blast—it sometimes gloops around my lips and kind of forms a mozarella cheese effect when I part my lips. Well, that’s gross. I swear, I didn’t even put on that much product. And yet.

All in all, though, I like this product. It’s one of the few gloss/cream lip formulas that I like.

You can purchase this, as well as other hard-to-find beauty products and food items, over at My Socal Shoppe. 🙂 This Buxom lip cream, specifically, is priced at Php 300. I thought it was rather thoughtful that both items that I got from them were cruelty-free. 🙂

* Sample provided by My Socal Shoppe. Buxom is cruelty-free.

Swatches: Sigma Créme de Couture Palette

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Sigma - Creme de Couture

Hey guys, just a quick swatch post of one of my Christmas gifts to my sister—the Sigma Crème de Couture Palette. I had such a strong urge to buy this for myself, but let’s face it. I’m not going to get a lot of mileage out of this one. It’s a beautiful collection of pastel-y matte eyeshadows heavily inspired by French macarons.

Sigma - Creme de Couture - Pans

There are sixteen shades in all—each corresponding to a macaron flavor. The packaging is quite nice; a slim cardboard box reminiscent of macaron and pastry boxes.

Here are the shades from the first two rows:
Sigma - Creme de Couture - Swatches 1
L-R, swatched on bare skin: Redberry Rose, Apricot Flower, Passion Fruit, Cherry Blossom, Meyer Lemon, Ginger Pumpkin, Café Au Lait, Blueberry Cream

Here are the shades from the last two rows:
Sigma - Creme de Couture - Swatches 2
L-R, swatched on bare skin: Violet Whip, Lavender Honey, Cassis, Elderberry, Crème de Menthe, Blue Chocolat, Almond Pear, Citron Pistachio

Overall, it’s an alright palette, the biggest pro being that they have the weirdest colors ever that are still somewhat dainty, and they’re all matte. They’re not the best quality of eyeshadows, but you can definitely work with them to create stunning looks. I don’t know what drew me to this—believe me, I was lemming so hard—but now that I look at the colors, I’m actually a little inspired to do some looks. Weirdly enough. So, if you have this palette, or some similar shadows, stay tuned!

Unfortunately, this is not in stock on Sigma anymore which is where I bought this baby, since it was a limited edition palette released in September. However, you can probably find one from makeup swaps or eBay. This palette was $32, for your reference.

Sigma does not conduct, condone, or endorse testing on animals.

Beauty Goals and Resolutions for 2014

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Hey everyone! I hope you’re all having a great year. 🙂 I have been pondering on creating a beauty resolutions list for a while now, but didn’t want to post anything on the 1st, just for the sake of posting on the first day of the year, so I took some time and wrote down some of the things I want to achieve this year, at least in the spectrum of beauty. I’ve made similar lists and goals for my reading, which you can read here, and for life in general, which you can find here.

Similarly, I have a goal for beauty and makeup, since it comprised a big chunk of my life (and finances) last year. I went on a fairly long no buy (and proceeded to break it, lol) from May to December, but it still wasn’t enough. I think you really have to personally come to a point where you realize that enough is enough. Until that happens, no-buys won’t work out.

In any case, here is what I came up with for beauty goals and resolutions. I’m going into it with the RIGOR OF SHERLOCK HOLMES.

  • Project Pan — a failed project on my end because the items I set aside for maximum use turned out to be items I set aside for no use at all. I will be making up my own rules/parameters for this, so maybe stay tuned for that.
  • Makeup Inventory — I will be keeping an updated makeup inventory (help me, Lawdddd) so I can be shamed into keeping that credit card inside my wallet. Even though I have all the information memorized. Yes, even the credit card number.
  • Spend Sheet — I’ll be tracking all of my beauty (as well as non-beauty purchases) this year, and I hope that it carries on all throughout. This is great to provide perspective on consumerist habits and my lack of financial responsibility, lol.
  • Focus on health and skin care — I consider this a beauty resolution! I’ve worked out twice this year so far, and have been monitoring my food intake. I also resolve to drink more water and cut back on coffee and sweets.
  • Be more adventurous! — Gurl, colored eyeshadow you bought shouldn’t just be for swatching, ooh-ing and ahh-ing! Start wearing those colors.
  • Purge, purge, purge — I distinctly remember Kate of Drivel About Frivol having a “one in, one out” rule for products she has that are similar. (I found a detailed post of hers here.) I think this is a great method to try, if you’re on the makeup warpath/purge like me.
  • Unsubscribe from Devil Emails — I got this tip from Caroline Hirons‘ 2014 organizational post. She suggested the site, unroll.me, and I managed 286 subscriptions (!) and got rid of a lot.
  • Continue my CF journey — some time this year, I dedicated myself to a more CF-friendly direction, but I do slip every once in a while. I’m making more of an effort to eliminate animal tested products (and products with animal tested ingredients) this year.
  • Explore independent and local cosmetic brands — I’ve been having a ton of fun getting to know brands like Shiro Cosmetics and Oslo Cosmetics. Would love to support more home-run businesses.
  • Press pigments and depot bulky cosmetics — I gots a plan! And I’m rill, rill excited for it.
  • Have fun and don’t sweat it — at the end of the day, it’s just makeup, ya goof!

That’s that! I notice that most of the resolutions I’ve drawn up are related to consumption and purchases, but I feel like that’s something I want to take focus away from, so that I use up more makeup than I buy. I’ve always had this odd habit of over-purchasing. Prior to makeup, it was books, then 35mm films and cameras, and so on. I guess we all have to find an outlet… but no more!

I was scanning Makeup Talk’s thread on 2014 beauty resolutions and this one girl combined her goal of weight loss and trimming down her stash, so she got the idea to “pay” herself $5 per hour of working out, to be spent on makeup things. I think that’s a pretty interesting direction.

I’m actually pretty excited about this coming year. 🙂 Is this the familiar feeling of maturity I sense? Just kidding, I think I’m pretty immature for my age, but what can you do about that except try and fix it.

Do you have any beauty resolutions? I’d love to read about it. If you blog, leave a link to your post, and if you don’t, feel free to share in the comments below. 🙂