I watched an amazing tutorial by NikkiRothBeauty that really inspired me. I knew I didn't have all the things she used, but I wanted to try it using things I had on hand and really liked the way it turned out. I got lots of compliments, and decided I would do my own tutorial based on her look.
Here is the original look by Nikki:
And here's my video:
Sorry about the lighting, I usually use natural light but it was raining and kind of dark when I was filming.
Products I used:
MAC Paint Pot in Painterly
Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow Liner in RSVP
Urban Decay Eyeshadow in Omen
bareMinerals Eyeshadow in Silhouette
Tarte Clean Slate Poreless 12-hr Perfecting Primer
Lancome Teint Miracle Foundation in Ivory
MAC Mineralize Concealer in NC15
MAC Select Sheer Pressed Powder in NW15
MAC Mineralize Blush in Warm Soul
MAC Lip Pencil in Boldly Bare
MAC Lipstick in Style Curve (Cremesheen)
Stila Lip Gloss in Pink Grape
Hello Kitty Charmmy Kohl Eyeliner in Goodnight Dreams and Grape Juice
Dior Diorshow Mascara in Black
I'm planning my videos and blog posts for next month, and would like to do as many Halloween themed posts as I can. What would you guys like to see? Let me know!
I'm not going to lie, I had no idea what to write about today. I don't have any interesting new products or ideas, so I thought this would be a good time to post about my skincare routine. It's always changing, and I'm sure I'll be using different products by the end of the season. My skin is dry and fairly sensitive.
These are the products I use in the morning. Pretty basic, I start by washing my face with Origins A Perfect World Cleanser. I have used other brands in the past, like Clinique and Philosophy, but right now I use a lot of Origins and The Body shop. Sometimes before I get in the shower, I use some of Tarte's Lip Exfoliant as well. I moisturize with Origins A Perfect World Moisturizer, and let that sink in before applying my makeup.
At night, my skincare routine involves a few more steps! First, I remove my eye makeup using a cotton ball and The Body Shop's Chamomile Gentle Eye Make Up Remover. I've used this for two years now, and it's hands down my favorite. I've been trying a lot of different makeup remover wipes, and right now I'm using The Body Shop's Vitamin E Gentle Facial Cleansing Wipes. After I remove my makeup, I use The Body Shop's Vitamin E Hydrating Toner. These last two products are fairly new to me, but I do like them so far!
Finally, I moisturize the crap out of my skin. My skin gets so dry when it gets colder outside! I use Origins GinZing Eye Cream, which is nice and smells like citrus. A finish by applying lots of A Perfect World moisturizer.
What's your skincare routine? What will you change for fall and winter?
Last week I was at my grandparents' house, and we went to a department store called Elder-Beerman. Of course I wanted to check out their cosmetics, and I noticed that Lancome had a free gift with purchase.
Lancome isn't one of my go-to brands, but I was in the market for a new foundation and decided to check it out. I liked this free gift because it wasn't just one set group of products, you have a choice between one or two products for each category. Lancome does this a lot with their free gifts, and I really like that.
I did buy a foundation. I picked up Lancome's Teint Miracle in the color Ivoire 1 (N), which is the lightest shade they have. It's a lovely liquid foundation, and I've only tried it once but I am happy with my choice so far. This cost $39, which is right around what I usually pay for a foundation and also put me over the amount needed to get my free gift. Yay!
This is the free gift! The bag is a decent size for a makeup bag, with a really cute rose pull tab on the zipper. I picked the Renergie Lift Multi-Action Eye and face creams. I haven't tried these yet, but they seemed to meet my needs the best. Next is an eyeshadow palette, which I have tried and found to be very nice. Really good quality eyeshadows, nice pigmentation, very blendable- everything you could ask for! I picked the Hypnose mascara which I am also impressed with. It does a great job of lengthening and separating my lashes. I picked a Juicy Tube in Beach Plum, and it's a very nice purple color which will be perfect for fall. I usually don't like these squeeze tube style lip glosses, but this one is excellent. It has buildable color and is not sticky at all. And lastly I chose the body lotion, which I haven't tried, but I go through lotion like crazy in the winter so it will be nice to have!
Bad lighting here (I really need to work on that!), but here I am wearing the foundation, eyeshadows, mascara, and lip gloss mentioned in this post. This promotion is still going on, if you have an Elder-Beerman near you, and does apply online although there are fewer choices.
What are your favorites from Lancome? Let me know!
This video was originally 17 minutes long, so now it's in two parts. In the first part, I show you what's on my vanity and go through my perfume collection, as well as my lotions and nail polish storage.
Recently I got my shoulder-length hair chopped into a pixie cut. I absolutely love it, and totally recommend taking the plunge if you're considering going short with your hair! I was ready for a change, and hair is such an easy one. My hair grows quickly, so I knew that even if it turned out badly I could just grow it back out. I've been experimenting with different products for a few weeks now, and have finally solidified a hair routine. I thought this would be a good time to post about my hair, even if only for me to look back on later!
First, of course I wash my hair. My hair is thin and fine, and I have to wash it every day. When I had longer hair, I would sometimes skip a day and wear my hair in a ponytail, but that's not an option now! I use Paul Mitchell Lemon Sage Thickening Shampoo and Conditioner. I love how clean these products get my hair, and how easily they rise out of my hair.
After I get out of the shower, I comb a small amount Nioxin Volumizing Reflectives Thickening Gel into my hair before drying it off. Then I rub some Nioxin Volumizing Reflectives Root Lifter onto my scalp, at the roots of my hair. Nioxin products are great for people with fine or thin hair, because they don't weigh hair down at all. The gel definitely makes my hair feel more substantial and less limp and lifeless, and the root lifter is effective as well. I used to use their shampoo, but it was way too harsh and left sores on my scalp.
I pat my hair dry with my towel, and shortly after that I blow it dry. I use the little round brush in the picture to help smooth my naturally wavy hair- this usually tames most of my curls and helps put them into place.
After blow-drying, I spray Chi 44 Iron Guard Thermal Heat Protection Spray all over my hair. I love the smell of this product! Then I take my curling iron and flip my hair under and into place. I use a curling iron instead of a flat iron because I feel like the flat iron makes my hair too straight, whereas the curling iron gives it more body. I finish off with a small amount of got2b Playful Texturizing Pomade, emulsifying it in my hands and rubbing it all over my head. I can make my hair very polished looking or more piece-y, depending on what I want that day!
That's my hair routine right now! What products are you using and loving right now?
I had the privilege of being a bridesmaid in my friend's wedding this summer. It was a fantastic experience, and a beautiful wedding. Ever since then, I've wanted to do a tutorial on the makeup I wore that day, because I was very happy with how it turned out. I thought it would be a perfect video to launch my new YouTube channel with, so that's just what I'm doing!
Me on the day of the wedding
This picture was my inspiration- this is the actual look, the day of the wedding. I felt very beautiful, but not over the top- I didn't want to upstage the bride! She looked gorgeous, and I think the bridesmaids all found the perfect balance of looking pretty, but not taking attention away from the bride.
For this look, the bride wanted us to wear neutral colors, but more amped up than we would wear for everyday. This worked for her wedding, which was all about simple elegance. This look would not be appropriate for a very glam wedding, but for this wedding it was perfect.
Here is the video tutorial for this look:
Products I used:
MAC Paint Pot in
Painterly
TheBalm Meet Matte
Palette
Tarte Clean Slate
Poreless 12-hr Perfecting Primer
MAC Mineralize Concealer
in NC15
Tarte Amazonian Clay
12-Hour Full Coverage Foundation in Ivory
MAC Select Sheer Pressed
Powder in NW15
MAC Powder Blush in
Stunner
Make Up For Ever Aqua Lip
Waterproof Lipliner Pencil in Pink 15C- Vibrant Pink
MAC Lipstick in Way To
Love (Lustre)
Make Up For Ever Aqua
Eyes Waterproof Eyeliner Pencil in Pearly Brown 2L- Golden Brown Sheen
Tarte MultiplEYE Lash
Enhancing Primer
Dior Diorshow Mascara in
090 Black
Hope you enjoyed the video! Let me know what tutorials (or other types of videos) you'd like to see in the future!
Colors swatched on my hand (I'm an NW15), same order as in the palette
My thoughts: I picked this little palette up at Sephora last week, and I'm absolutely in love with it. This is the first time I've tried bareMinerals pressed eyeshadows, and I'm very impressed with the formula. The eyeshadows are very pigmented, creamy in texture, and blend very well. The mix of neutral colors with a few vibrant jewel tones is perfect for fall. The colors in this palette lend themselves to a variety of different looks for different situations, which makes it perfect for travel. It's also very small and the mini brush it comes with is actually useful.
Fits in the palm of my hand!
The only problem I have with this palette is the packaging. It's functional and would be easy to pack, but the reflective, mirror-like surface collects fingerprints very easily. While this would be easy to wipe off, it would always look kind of messy, so this wouldn't be a palette for someone who likes all their makeup packaging to look neat and clean at all times.
Wearing Tres Chic, Silhouette, Pret-a-Porter, and Editor's Pick
Final words: These eyeshadows are very good quality, and would work for a lot of different skin tones. Personally I think $40 for eight eyeshadows in a convenient case with a usable brush is a fair price. If you like the colors, I definitely recommend this palette. If the packaging would bother you, I would suggest checking out some of their READY Eyeshadow 4.0 palettes, which have bareMinerals' traditional rubberized black packaging.
What do you think about this palette? Will you be picking it up, or skipping this one? Let me know in the comments!
