All posts tagged: makeup

My Christmas Present to Myself: The RMS Beauty Round-Up

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I have already lamented my weakness over at Twitter a few weeks ago, when I confessed to buying a selection of RMS Beauty items and blamed it on Black Friday. In truth, I have been drooling over these items for months and months, always relegating them for one reason or another to the “not right now” list. It was a mistake on my part, at least for some of them, because they are, quite frankly, amazing. RMS Beauty, one of the better known niche green beauty brands, has a handful of items in their product catalog. Some of the more famous and well-loved ones are the Living Luminizer ($38) and the “Un” Cover-Up ($36). They have a selection of color makeup items, some skin care and brushes, and most recently, a 6-free nail polish range. I went the safe route, and argued for “value.” I reasoned that getting the Glowing Gift Set was probably the best choice since it had the aforementioned best-sellers as well as your choice of Eye Polish (a cream-based eyeshadow; $28) …

To the Rescue?

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I purchased the bareMinerals Complexion Rescue because I was picking up something for my sister, and I needed a lightweight base that had SPF. My favored Glossier Perfecting Skin Tint is pretty much perfect for me for daily use, except for its lack of SPF. The bareMinerals Complexion Rescue is a “tinted hydrating gel cream” with non-chemical Broad Spectrum SPF 30. It is also formulated without oil, silicone, parabens or fragrance. I got the shade “Natural 05,” which I guesstimated from a shade finder they had on the bareMinerals website. Natural 05 is “for medium skin with neutral tones” and according to Shelbey, is similar to “Medium Beige” in the Original foundation, which is what I wear. As you can probably see from the photo, “gel cream” is a pretty accurate descriptor for the texture. It’s not really my favorite, because it still feels heavy when I apply it, even if the coverage isn’t necessarily so. bareMinerals claims that this is “the best of a BB, a CC, and a tinted moisturizer” and provides a …

A(nother) Bunch of ColourPop Stuff

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I think this is my last ColourPop update for now. I don’t really know what possessed me to try the blush and highlighters from the range… but here we are. I also picked up a stray eyeshadow and lipstick, which I figured I could just fit on over here instead of making a whole other separate post. I guess I’ll start with the Lippie Stix and the Super Shock Shadow, since they’re both items that I’ve previously tried in a different shade. Lippie Stix in Tootsi Tootsi is a “cool-toned grey beige (“greige”) in a matte finish” and is pretty similar to one of the the Ultra Matte Lips I bought called Trap. I don’t really know what to say about this—I like the matte lipsticks by ColourPop, though I maintain that they are not “true” mattes. In any case, I’ve been having fun with this shade, true matte or no. Super Shock Shadow in Central Perk I believe Central Perk was part of their fall collection. It’s a “dirty maroon in a matte finish,” …

Give Me Lip: A Melt Cosmetics Lipstick Review

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I’d been looking at Melt Cosmetics for a while now, especially after they released their eyeshadow stacks, a very celebrated product that I felt like I currently had no room for, considering my already overgrown makeup collection. Melt Cosmetics’ lipsticks, however, were always some of the favored mattes by true blue makeup fans. Around Black Friday, Melt Cosmetics had a 30% off sale, and I snagged a code from someone I followed on Tumblr, who was kind enough to share tips re: application and who also let me know which shades he favored. Luckily, I had picked 3 of his 4 favorites! Swatched, L-R: Laced, Catsuit, Space Cake Laced Laced is part of Melt Cosmetics’ Nood Collection, and is a greige-y type of color. It’s often compared to Lime Crime’s Cashmere, which I love the look of but refuse to buy. After looking at swatches, I don’t think they’re all that similar, but I do think Laced is a beautiful color regardless. Unfortunately, my tube of Laced arrived damaged. Melt Cosmetics has a decent return …

FOTD: Vela

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I wore this look to a book launch and an exhibit, and I thought it was a good time to play around with makeup, aka Not an Office Look. I based it on this because I really wanted to wear a dark lip. Funnily enough, it led to a fun eye look, too. It’s not as ~fashion~ as the picture I based it off, but I think it’s quite nice! I haven’t been wearing a lot of blush lately. For this look, I just used a general combination of Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Radiant Light, Dim Light, Incandescent Light and Kevyn Aucoin Sculpting Powder in Medium for contour. For the eye look, I mainly ran Makeup Geek Cocoa Bear through my crease, and sandwiched Oslo Cosmetics Vela patted in the center of my lid with Rouge Bunny Rouge Bejewelled Skylark. I ran a bit of Cocoa Bear on the lower lash line, too, and lined my upper lash line with a liquid liner. My (shoddily reapplied) lip color is ColourPop Matte Lippie Stix in …

My Newest Concealer Trick

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This is such a simple thing that I don’t even know if it warrants a whole post, but let me indulge. Because it works really well. I’m not a full coverage foundation person. I don’t even know if I’m a medium coverage foundation person most days. I’ve been really liking spreading a thin layer of foundation or, more often, reverting to my Glossier Perfecting Skin Tint—a product notorious for “pointless” coverage. After using up my much-loved NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer, I decided to dig through my stash and attempt at using up the concealers I do have instead of repurchasing. I’ve been using the Ellis Faas Concealer* which is another favorite formula, but I came across the Le Métier de Beauté Peau Vierge Correcteur, which I’ve inexplicably stashed away after a love affair with the NARS RCC. So, this concealer is amazing and pigmented, but it doesn’t go on as well as the NARS RCC, which has great pigmentation and enough slip to it that it doesn’t look cake-y, ever. I’ve never managed to perfect …

FOTD: Navy & Neutrals

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Another day, another FOTD. Here’s a largely neutral look that took way too much effort, probably, to achieve. I saw this look and wanted to recreate it, but I guess I needed to commit more, and also a super sparkly pale blue liner instead of all the neutral/rosy/dark ones I’ve got. My eyebrows are really uneven, huh? For my eyeshadow, I just used the ColourPop Super Shock Shadow in Just a Sip, which is my obsession as of late, then I lined my upper lid with 3CE Creamy Waterproof Eye Liner in #5 Moulin Rouge, which is a gorgeous sparkly navy. For my lower lash line, I just went with the Innisfree Gel Liner in 3 (I think). Other product info after the photo. Products Used: — Kjaer Weis Cream Foundation (Just Sheer) — ColourPop Super Shock Shadow (Just a Sip) — 3CE Creamy Waterproof Eye Liner (#5 Moulin Rouge) — Innisfree Gel Liner (3) — K-Palette 24H Real Lasting 2Way Eyebrow Pencil (103)* — Kevyn Aucoin Sculpting Powder (Medium) — ColourPop Blush (Aphrodisiac) — …