All posts filed under: This or That

Ace of Base: Making Eyeshadow Stay Put on your Oily Lids

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One of my greatest frustrations when I was starting out with makeup was eyeshadow. I think that’s why I was so ecstatic to find out about primers. They made crappy eyeshadow look good and stay put. I eventually found some awesome eyeshadows that work well, even without a primer, but I couldn’t not wear primer once I started. Eye primers are basically the magic glue that bonds your eyeshadow to your eyelids. If your eyelids are prone to oiling up, a good primer or base will prevent your eyeshadow from ‘creasing’—or bunching up in unattractive lines, around your eye folds—and will get you through the day with pretty flawless makeup. There are a lot of good ones out in the market today, and I’ll share with you a few of my favorites. For your standard, dries-down-translucent eyeshadow primer, my top picks are Urban Decay Primer Potion and NARS Pro-Prime Smudgeproof Eyeshadow Base. These have worked the best on my eyes so far. Other alternatives are the e.l.f. Mineral Eyeshadow Primer (though it didn’t agree with …

Day to Night with Urban Decay Naked Basics & a Palette Comparison

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The Urban Decay Naked Basics has been treated as though it was a savior of the eyeshadow world. It’s a 5-matte-1-satin neutral palette that works as a standalone palette or the perfect companion to either of the two über shimmery Naked palettes. The pigmentation is of excellent quality, as to be expected from Urban Decay. The colors are just a bit too light for my skin tone. I feel like it’s a bit uninspired, but that’s from someone who likes playing with makeup. If you’re looking for something that will give you a great neutral eye day after day, then this might be your best bet. Swatched, top: Crave. Swatched, L-R: Venus (satin), Foxy, W.O.S. or Walk of Shame, Naked 2, Faint The colors are gradations of a standard brown, and while this is completely usable, I’d love to have seen something more “exciting,” like the purple-toned Tease from the Naked 2 Palette. The other awesome thing about this palette is the overall portability of it. This is freaking small and handy, great for traveling, …

My MAC Eyeshadow Palette (Swatches, Looks & Video)

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I know I’ve shown these before, but I have this feeling that it shouldn’t be left out of any eye month. Someone is bound to ask for these, so here: My MAC Eyeshadows. MAC eyeshadows seem to be the gateway to makeup madness. It’s a phenomenon quite unlike anything I’ve seen—anyone who’s at least knee-deep in the business of beauty knows what Satin Taupe, Woodwinked, and All That Glitters all mean. I don’t have a lot of MAC shadows and I don’t have a special relationship with them. I bought my first two eyeshadows in October 2012, and bought the rest in one go. Today, I’ll show you my MAC eyeshadow palette (plus, 2 that don’t fit), and give you a rundown of what they look like and how I use them. Here’s a pretty short video, if you want to see the swatches in action (different angles, etc): Here are the two out-of-palette stragglers. The Runaways: Amber Lights, and Trax — Amber Lights is a “peachy brown with shimmer” and has a frost finish. …

Check in your bags for the long haul with these concealers

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An overview of my current concealer products. In case you have no idea what these do, concealers hide our blemishes, red spots, acne, and dark circles. They do almost nothing to your bags. I mean, let’s be real. No matter how much concealer you put on a surface that it not flat, the protrusion will cause a shadow. Like Krysty, I don’t really like hiding my bags because lighter concealers emphasize them and make them look baggier, or at least more noticeable. I think my issue is more on the ‘puffy’ side than ‘dark circles,’ so when I conceal under my eyes, I keep my expectations in check. Of course the puffs will show when I smile! The best thing I’ve ever done about that is come to terms with it. But that’s neither here nor there! I have found a favorite to use, however! Can you guess which one I like the best? 🙂 THE BODY SHOP TEA TREE CONCEALER (02) I think this might be my pinkest shade. I used this on my …

Top Five Eyeshadow Brands (Cruelty-Free)

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I’m a big eyeshadow fiend, which I think is pretty obvious by now. Here are some of my favorite cruelty-free eyeshadow brands, in case you want to start wearing eyeshadow also, but don’t know where to start. Please note that by cruelty-free, I mean brands that do not themselves test their products and ingredients on animals. For that reason, I have included cruelty-free brands that are owned by parent companies who test. I will state which ones are owned by whom. 1. Le Métier de Beauté Le Métier de Beauté is a beautiful brand from New York City. They make small quantities of their exquisite inventions, which makes me want to buy them ASAP. One thing I have a hard time saying ‘no’ to is their limited edition Kaleidoscope Eye Kits ($95), four-tiered eyeshadow palettes that are especially designed to be layered on. Sometimes, the pigmentation of these shadows leave a lot to be desired, but they blend like a dream. I never really understood how “blendability” can affect how much you love an eyeshadow …

Brow Maintenance: Products

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To cap off the first week of this month’s Special Eye Makeup Feature, I will tackle the issue of brows! This is a very small thing you can do that I feel will enhance your overall look. Honestly, I am pretty low maintenance when it comes to brows. I just kind of shade them in (as you would a blank spot in a coloring book) and call it a day. If you are looking for some how-tos, here are some posts that I’ve enjoyed from other, more capable bloggers: — Ae from An Artechoke — Xiao from Messy Wands — Tina from What Tina Loves — Liz from Project Vanity This is just an overview of the tools I use, in order of my preference. I don’t have a tutorial because I literally just brush through my normal eyebrow shape and comb through with a spoolie. I don’t typically outline the outsides, because I find that I look very harsh in the face, especially since I have been blessed with the Bitchy Resting Face. So …

Liquid Foundation Swatch Fest

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After I posted about the Ahava Liquid Foundation, fairytalesandcoffee asked me to do a swatch comparison with my other liquid foundations. I said OK because it’s fairly different from the other liquid foundations I have. Here are four types of foundation I own, since I have the L’Oreal Lucent Magique Liquid Foundation* in two shades, and strictly that. I didn’t include BB creams or tinted moisturizers, etc. From left to right, they are Ahava Light Foundation in Sand, Benefit Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow in Cheers to me Champagne, L’Oreal Lucent Magique Foundation in G4 (I also have N5), and Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum, which is technically a “gel” foundation, but I found the consistency to be similar to my other liquid foundations. Here are unblended swatches in the same order: I hope it’s evident that the Ahava foundation is thicker and creamier, whereas all the others are quite runny. Also, this goes to show you how sucky I am at shade-matching. (Although, I feel like I pick the correct shades. Agree?) Here are the swatches …