May Favorites!

Hey guys and gals!  Here is the best of the best for the month of May.  Some of these products I use all the time, others I have just started obsessing about in May.  

Just a few things to obsess about :)

May Favorites:

1. Urban Decay All Nighter setting spray - This stuff locks your makeup DOWN!  No joke!

2.  LORAC Tantalize Me Baked Bronzer - bronze/gold, ultimate cheek sheen

3.  Fresh SUGAR Rose lip treatment - Def in my top 3 favorite lip balms

4.  Make Up For Ever Smokey Lash in Extra Black - Fake lashes in a tube.  Amazing formulation.

5.  L'Oreal MagicSmooth Souffle in 530 Sun Beige - Major coverage for something so light and airy

6.  Make Up For Ever Aqua Cream in #15 - The most summer friendly shadows!!!

7.  Anastasia Brow Powder duo in Brunette/Dark Brown - I have yet to find something better.  HG!

8.  Tokidoki Gelato lip balm stain in Donutella - coral, moisturizing, and leaves a stain like no other

9.  MAC pigment in Rich Life - Dark espresso brown with silver reflects.  Easy to blend, amazing for smokey eyes

10.  Tarte Amazonian 12 hour blush in Tipsy - This is an orange creamsicle on my cheeks.  Pictures do not do this blush justice

11.  LORAC eyeshadow in Cappuccino - the most adorable, teddy brown neutral

12.  Benefit boxed powder in Dallas - plummy, glowy color for my cheeks.  Contours well!

13.  Amazing Cosmetics Concealer in Medium Beige - I keep coming back to this.  Great opacity, blendibility, and good color range

14.  Urban Decay Lip Junkie gloss in Wallflower - cools, plumps and the prettiest nude

15.  Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Gel eyeliner in 27 Caviar Ink - Smooth and inky

16.  Wet N Wild Color Icon shadow single in Brulee - HG highlight

17.  Make Up For Ever #55N large Duo Fiber brush - For cheek color, highlight, it cannot be beat!

Rainy Day Project 1

Hello!

We have had some pretty crummy weather here this past month.  A ton of rain.  But I am not going to complain.  Instead, I used my time inside for a project I had been thinking about. 

To your left is my to-go kit! I am one who is always on the move, changing purses, taking things out, putting things in.  It gets a bit much when your purse starts weighting 100 lbs or more! HA!  I wanted to make this to throw in my purse, gym bag, over night bag, etc.  For a face, it has everything I need for a quickie makeover.  Of course, the way this is made is not suited to everyone, but it is what works for me.  Let us get on with telling you what's in the kit!

Homemade To Go Kit

Kit contents:

Clean & Clean oil blotting sheets
Smashbox O-Glow blush
Stila Plumping Lip Glaze in Citrus Mint
Juicy Couture's Viva La Juicy perfume vial
Tarte's Lights, Camera, Lashes sample tube
Too Faced Shadow Insurance mini
Amazing Cosmetics Amazing Concealer in Medium Beige (travel size)
L'Oreal HIP Cream shadow paints in Nervy (817) and Steely (909)
Rimmel Lip Bloomer lip stain/gloss in 500 Killer Kiss
2 cotton swabs
Sonia Kashuk brushes - liner, crease, and all over shadow from mini kit
hair elastic
House in Too Faced mini leopard bag

I can use this for a clean daytime look, or smoke out the HIP paint in Steely and give myself a very glamorous eye.  This does not have everything, I know.  There are always staples I carry in my regular makeup bag.  This is also a good way of rotating products in your stash, or a good time to raid your samples stash!

Do any of you have an awesome rainy day idea like this?  Would love to hear your thoughts!

Memorial Day

Hello all.  Hope everyone had an amazing Memorial Day weekend.  I had the pleasure of watching my boyfriend's dad march in his hometown parade.  Boy, was it a hot one.  91 degrees, a slight breeze, and sun that could melt metal.  I was smart enough to wear light clothing, had my long hair up and away from my face, and simple makeup. 

I have to give it up to Make Up Forever's Aqua Creams.  I wore shade number 15 as a wash all over the lid.  This held up even when I took off my sunglasses and started to perspire heavily.  I must say that two of my to-go-to products let me down.  First up is Bobbi Brown's Long Wear Gel eyeliner.  I wore this in shade 27 Caviar Ink on the waterline.  About an hour into being outside in the sun, this had already vanished from the waterline, with some patchiness that just looked bad.  The other disappointment was my beloved Tarte Amazonian 12 hour wear blush in Tipsy.  This lovely orange color simply melted off of my cheeks within the first hour of being outside. 

I had brought with me some spray sunscreen by Neutrogena, a water atomizer, and tons of bottled water.

I haven't photographed my last little haul yet, so please be patient.  I promise to have that up by tomorrow.

A career change is not always the easiest thing to go through.  I am finding this out now.  I am also finding out that people may be very passionate about how they feel about something or someone, but given the right circumstances, will change, and adopt what they had just thrown away. 

Night everyone...until tomorrow.

CCO Haul 5/28/2011

A very rainy day here in NW Indiana.  This was my mom's birthday weekend, and decided to take her to Michigan City to go shop at the outlets.  Ended up raining super hard all morning and afternoon, which made walking the outdoor mall a feat!  After shopping for her, I made a quick stop at the CCO, and picked up two pigments.  Since I am not at home, will take pictures later.  

I hope everyone is having a great holiday weekend.  

:)

Small Haul 5/27/2011

Hello! Here is the small haul I promised a few days ago...

I got the Hot Off the Red Carpet Collection by LORAC. Inside it contains Tantalize Me baked bronzer ( I have read that some people think it is similar to a MAC MSF) 2 baked eyeshadow duos in Tempt Me and Tease Me. Tempt me is half true champagne and half burnished dark chocolate brown. Tease Me is half bright bronze, half pale blue, almost akin to MAC's Mutiny, but not as shimmery. The last part is the Multiplex gloss in 3D. A gorgeous bronze with a bit of a pink hint and tons of glitter running throughout. I almost forgot that this comes in the most ridiculously cute gold clutch with wrist strap.

This is part of LORAC's summer line.

Also in the picture, is a Sonia Kashuk small duo-fiber brush. This was a bargain at $9.99. I have used this brush with the bronzer in the kit and am now in love.

Rainy yesterday, and rainy today. It does not matter if the weather does not cooperate with me tomorrow, I am feeling taking more pictures and posting some more for everyone!

:)

A happy bride = a happy me!

Excellent day today!

Did my friend Larissa's first wedding makeup trail. It went amazing.

I am thoroughly convinced I found my summer to go to for cheeks. It is LORAC's Tantalize Me bronzer over Benefit's Cha Cha tint. Sooo pretty!

This morning was very sunny out, so I am hoping to grab some of that light to be able to do some awesome swatches.

How did everyone do today?

Here's a question...what is an item you have in your collection that you keep, but have no idea how to use?

New goodies!

Hello all! Today was another warm one, and we had a bit of a storm too. Did a lot around the house...cleaned, collected trash, blah blah blah. I made some amazing manicotti that turned out really really well! My roommate had 4 manicotti, and they were huge.

So, my roommate when to get a haircut, and while at the mall, I decided to stop at Sephora Inside JC Penny. I was finally able to get the LORAC Hot Off The Red Carpet Collection. It is a 4 piece kit that comes with a cute bag. No pictures tonight. Promise to update tomorrow, and will try to get some good light and maybe try my hand at a swatch or two.

I have a friend coming over tomorrow for a makeup trial, as she is getting married, and has asked me if to do her makeup. Have my train cases full of stuff she will hopefully like!

I am off to bed now. :)