All posts tagged: cosmetics

Stuff I Bought in 2015: Part I

So, I eventually broke and purchased a few items—two of them, rather thoughtlessly, I think—and I guess these are my makeup items for January-March 2015. Not to confuse you, but I made a deal with myself to buy 1 makeup item per month in 2015. In an effort to curb my makeup shopping. Obviously, it’s worked but I’m kicking myself in the face, haha. I talk a bit about the items in the video above (it’s short!) but I’ll post some swatches below: NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Train Bleu & MAC Viva Glam Rihanna II Why these are my thoughtless purchases: I love Train Bleu, but I think I should have held off and gotten the Pure Matte Lipstick in Volga! It seems more of the shade I’m looking for. I’ll use this anyway, because it’s really pretty, too. And for my “WTF?” I’ve got MAC Viva Glam Rihanna II. It’s a really frosty brown. I’m wearing it in the video. In a weird way, I do like it, but I still feel …

FOTD: Olives & Pears

I wore this look recently to a birthday dinner. The pear-like qualities of ColourPop’s Sleigh is a little subtle—it’s described as an “icy sage”—but that’s OK. It lets me wear a pink as bright as Tom Ford’s Flamingo, which is a shade that I’m still not sure why I even bought. Here are swatches of the eyeshadows I used: Swatched, top to bottom: MAKE Khaki*, Rouge Bunny Rouge Abyssinian Catbird, ColourPop Sleigh Base/Face Glossier Perfecting Skin Tint (Medium), Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder (Ethereal Light), Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush (Mood Exposure) Lips Tom Ford Flamingo: I don’t know, you guys. I just can’t seem to really get into this lip color. I mean, it doesn’t look horrible or too garish, but I think that my aversion to purples and oranges switched on over to bright, medium pinks. I DON’T KNOW WHAT IT IS. And I hate that I bought this lipstick in this color, haha. Thoughts?! Eyes K-Palette Real Lasting 2Way Eyebrow Marker (G101, powder only)*, Nature Republic Eye Primer, ColourPop Super Shock Shadow (Sleigh), MAKE …

Cure Natural Aqua Gel + Cure Water Treatment* Review & Giveaway

I’ve spoken about Cure Natural Aqua Gel* in a previous post (Post-Sunburn: Body Stuff) and though it initially left me a little unimpressed, I really paid attention to how to use it properly and tried again. It’s been an excellent addition to my skin care routine. The Cure Natural Aqua Gel* is “Japan’s No. 1 Exfoliator,” dealing with a myriad of skin issues like pigmentation, pimples, wrinkles, and dull skin, but doing so in a gentle way. Used 2 times a week, it can make a big difference for your skin. I especially noticed that it was effective when I burned myself stupidly in the summer sun. My skin had been peeling from a sunburn, something that hasn’t happened to me before, and Cure was one of the things I added into my routine, as regular exfoliation would have been too rough for my damaged skin. Cure Natural Aqua Gel is 90% water, with several ingredients to target specific problems such as gingko biloba (provides hydration + prevents freckles and age spots), rosemary leaf extract …

FOTD: Carinae + Gloss

I did a desk clear-out of my vanity area and fished out some of the under-appreciated items from the depths of my drawers. Everything I love is lost in drawers, as the song goes. Except Matt Berninger probably didn’t mean makeup. Ahem.

March Favorites: 2015

A quick post to highlight some of my favorites this month! As you might have probably noticed, I had a “beauty slump” in the past few weeks. I’m getting back into it now, but I was pretty into having a routine this month. I’ve got a few makeup bits here, but most of it is some type of skin and body care.

Ellis Faas - Identity Revealed

Ellis Faas: On the Edge of Beauty

I received the best email ever, a few days ago! Ellis Faas made a book. I’ve always been interested in “learning the basics” from beauty book staples by artists like Bobbi Brown and Kevyn Aucoin, but this is just on a whole other level of excitement for me. I’ve been such a big fan of Ellis Faas products—love at first swipe!—but I’m even moreso in love with her approach to makeup, and the progression of her story, coming from a photography background. Ellis Faas: On the Edge of Beauty “it is typical of the art of ellis faas to question and destabilise the rules and expectations of the beauty industry, to explore definitions and push boundaries of beauty. while adopting traditional tools and techniques of the trade, she attempts to transcend the industry’s restrictions, the idealised sense of perfection and the tendency towards global uniformity. to this end she makes use, in turn, of visual exaggeration, irony, surrealism, distortion and fantasy. by investigating the relationship between the everyday and the extraordinary, she creates her own …