I love color- from bright pink nail polish, to a smoky purple eye, to a vibrant red lip- but there's something about a nude and beige makeup look that feels so comfortable and brings out a sort of "prettiness" in everyone. Nude colors, or neutrals as they are otherwise called, are colors that resemble different skin tones and shades that compliment your existing skin tone, enhancing your existing features to create that "no makeup" makeup look. It's an easy way to put together a look without the guess work of what color goes with what, and using neutral colors are great for a put together, on the go look for those busy moms out there. I feel you ladies- a toddler that won't sit still and the infant that screams at your feet, begging to be picked up, all while you're trying desperately to put some kind of makeup on to hide the sleepless night you thought would never end! And if you're not a mom, well, just wait, your turn will come ;) Here are my top picks for neutrals: Eyes When using neutrals on the eye, think soft earth tones and the varying shades of skin tones that we see all around us. Browns to use in the crease to create depth in the eyes and cool tone shimmers to highlight the brows and inner tear ducts to make your eyes pop and appear larger. Makeup Geek Eyeshadows in Creme Brûlée, Cocoa Bear, Beaches & Cream, and Vanilla Bean Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette Cheeks When using neutrals, coral and bronzy colors for the cheeks are great at adding color and also to sculpt the cheekbones. Lips Nude lips doesn't necessarily mean no color- think of it as your lips, but better! You can enhance your natural skin color by wearing a lip color 1 to 2 shades darker than your natural skin shade, or make a bold move with a darker earthy tone color for a more dramatic look. I love, love, LOVE nudes!! Flattering on any skin type, color, and face shape- it really is the universal go to look for fool proof, no brainer, beautiful makeup. It's also a great way to incorporate a bright color against a neutral backdrop. So when in doubt, just stay in the nude ;)
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It's Friday, and you know what that means... Today is when I feature a product I am currently reviewing or a product that I am in love with, and this week we're looking at mascara. Specifically, the Mary Kay Lash Love Mascara: This product retails for $15 and comes in two colors- I love Black and I love Brown, and can be purchased on the Mary Kay website. Here's a link to view the product, which is connected to a very loved and very trustworthy consultant whom I purchase all my products from- Mary Kay Lash Love. I got to try out this product from a sample I received from a previous order. I was a bit skeptical at first because I'm not one to use very thin, plastic lash comb mascaras- I like to use lash wands that are thick and dense with natural fibers. But being the makeup lover and conosseiur that I am, I said what the heck, let's try this baby out! And boy was I surprised! Not only was it lengthening and super dark ( I got mine in black) but it had just the right thickness in formula to coat your lashes without creating clumps and giving you separation between the lashes. Oh, and it's waterproof and smudge proof, which is important to me because my sensitive eyes can tear up with the slightest gust of wind! Here's a comparison of one eye without any mascara and the other with one coat of Mary Kay Lash Love Mascara: As you can tell, I lack severely in the eyelash department, but with just one coat, voila! Instant lashes! The formula is super dark and creates a flare all around the lash line, opening up the eye at the corners. This mascara is also great to use when using false lashes because it does a great job at binding your natural lashes with the falsies without the added clumpiness that can often occur. Not only is this mascara great on it's own, but I've found it to be a mascara "booster" when used on top of other mascaras, giving extra length and separation when paired with another volumizing mascara formula. My favorite mascaras to pair with the Mary Kay Lash Love are L'oreal Voluminous Carbon Black and Maybelline Colossal Mascara.
This product is definitely thumbs up and what's great about Mary Kay is their satisfaction guarantee- try out their products and if you're not completely satisfied, you can return it for a full refund. But I think this is one product you won't be returning anytime soon! Here's to dark, full, and lovely lashes!! Some things are just worth splurging on- a new dress, a nice manicure, a hot fudge sundae with sprinkles on top (hey, Im pregnant, so food is kinda always on my mind!). My recent makeup splurge has created a big buzz in my makeup routine- it's like the makeup gods parted the heavens and I heard angels sing... But seriously speaking, this product has stirred up quite a commotion since its debut a couple of months ago and I finally see why- it's amazing! Here it is in all it's glory: Anastasia Contour Kit- $40 Created by the woman hailed as the "queen of eyebrows" for her amazing eyebrow products that are celebrated by celebrities and makeup artists around the world, this compact palette provides the most universal shades to contour and highlight the face, creating flawless, dimensional faces each and every time. The top 3 powders are for highlighting, with one containing shimmer for the lovely "glow from within" look; and the bottom 3 powders are for all over bronzing and contouring, making anyone look like they have the cheekbones of a goddess!. Here are some swatches: From left to right: Vanilla, Banana, Sand, Java, Fawn and Havanna) The colors are great for both pink and yellow undertones, which comes in handy to have in one kit for those makeup artists who want an all in one product that is portable from one job to the next. I recommend using Vanilla for pink undertones and Banana for those with more yellow to olive skin tones to highlight under the eyes and the high points of the face. The shimmer highlight is subtle enough to give a glow without overpowering the face with too much shimmer and shine. The powders are silky and finely milled with a lot of color payoff, which is great because you don't need much for the color to show up on the face, so use a light hand with these powders- a little goes a very long way! This kit is bold enough to give a very dramatic contoured look, but is also user friendly for the everyday woman who just wants to give that extra "oomph" to her face. Here's how I wear it on an everyday basis:
Here's a chart explaining where contour and highlight is placed on the face: This contour kit has become a staple in my everyday makeup and I believe it will do the same for you. This kit definitely gives professional quality at a decent price compared to what other high end contour kits costs. Definitely worth the investment due to its high pigmentation and all day staying power. And the exciting part is, starting July 24th, refill pans will be available for the kits, as well as over 20 new colors to choose from to create your own custom palette! Check out anastasia.net for more details.
Friday product spotlight is back! And today's lucky product is... the Coastal Scents Revealed 2 Palette! This 20 color eyeshadow palette debuted earlier this year and I finally got my hands on it after much purchase debate. It's predecessor, the original Revealed Palette, came out as the affordable alternative to the Urban Decay Naked Palettes, most similar to the first Naked Palette with its gold and warm neutral undertones. When Urban Decay unveiled their beautiful Naked 3, with its rose gold undertone eyeshadows, I was kinda settled on cutting off my right arm and paying the $52 price tag. But after I saw how close in shade range the Revealed 2 palette was to the Naked 3, the $30 price difference spoke loudly and I placed my Coastal Scents order on Amazon (Naked 3-$52, Revealed 2-$19.95). Here are some swatches: Top Row Bottom Row The color payoff is great and the range in rose gold shades are distinctive enough to create many different looks. I was especially surprised on how pigmented the black shadow was because that is one color which can fade throughout the course of the day, but surprisingly it stayed true to color. I did see a difference in color payoff and longevity when using an eye primer, but then again I always advise to use an eye primer to get the most out of your eyeshadows. Some shadows were a bit more powdery than I would have liked, but that happens in the original Naked palettes too, so it all depends on how the shadow was formulated. I love that there are 3 matte shadows that are great as a transition color to blend your shadows in the crease. All in all, this palette did not disappoint and is a definite recommendation to anyone who wants the shade range of the Urban Decay Naked palettes without their hefty price tag!
Before we go any further- I'm baaack! Life, as always, brings its little moments of interruption and with an infant, a four year old, and being 5 months pregnant, you can only imagine the excitement at my house! But after a much needed break and with a newfound sense of inspiration, and a whole lot of new products I've been trying and can't wait to review, new blog posts will be coming your way! In this post, I wanted to share my most often used combos of high end and drugstore makeup that are staples in my everyday makeup routine. From lip products to concealer, these products provide long lasting results with flawless application. NYX Lipliners and MAC Lipsticks: To start, let me say that these two products act and look like they were made by the same company. If you have followed me for any extended length of time and have checked out my essentials page, then you know both of these items are in my all-time favorite products list. MAC is famous for their extensive color palette of lipsticks and NYX is hailed as the best affordable makeup brand that feels like its expensive counterparts. NYX also has an array of color options, which makes pairing the two a lip dream combo! Here are some of my favorite combinations: NYX Hot Red and MAC Russian Red NYX Pale Pink and MAC Blankety NYX Deep Purple and MAC Rebel NYX Dolly Pink and MAC Candy Yum Yum MAC Full Coverage Foundation and Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Concealer: This combo has truly become my new favorite to wear when I want a flawless, full coverage makeup application, especially in the udereye area in covering redness and dark circles. I recently worked as the makeup artist in a wedding and I used this combo on the bridesmaids and many commented on how awake and bright their eyes appeared after I used these products on them. The foundation can become heavy on the face, but when applied with a damp beauty blender, it can be sheered out to provide high coverage and avoiding the dreaded "cake face". The Maybelline concealer is seriously a wonder product- easy to use, blends beautifully, and provides great coverage. My preferred method of use is to apply a shade in the MAC foundation to counteract the problem area, whether it be redness, darkness or uneven skin tone, then apply a color that is 1-2 shades lighter than your skin to act as a highlight under the eye. Set with translucent powder and you've got long lasting coverage all day! Lancome Aquatique Waterproof Eye Base in Nude and any drugstore eyeshadow: Now this product here is one of those that do live up to its prestigious brand name. When you hear Lancome you think high end, fancy, and expensive of course! I got my hands on this product on a trip to Costco (check out this blog post I dedicated to its discovery) and paid half of its retail price! The item is available at Sephora for $26, but at Costco I scored it at only $12.99, woohoo!! This base is creamy, sets as a cream to powder finish, and will brighten and add wear length to even the most stubborn drugstore eyeshadows that may not always have the best color payoff on their own. The only downside is that it only comes in one shade, Nude, so those with deeper skin tones may not benefit from using it. This item was truly like find finding a needle in haystack, but I would still be willing to pay the $26 for it. A little goes a long way with this product, so you'll definitely be getting your money's worth! Do you have any of these items in your makeup collection that you might try pairing up? Or do you have some tried and true favorites of your own? Let me know and share the wealth! I hope you come back for more product spotlights and reviews, as well as a special behind the scenes wedding makeup post I'm working on featuring a new youtube video, so stay tuned!
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When I'm not spending way too much time getting ready or drooling over the newest beauty product, I'm a stay at home mom of a rambunctious 4 year old boy, a sweet baby girl we lovingly call "sissy", and a wife to my high school sweetheart. Archives
August 2014
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