Eyes That POP!

I’m a huge fan of makeup. Especially eye makeup. With just two strokes of the right color the whole face can be transformed into something amazing and eye catching. Buying eye palettes are fun because it gives more than one option in order to give various looks. One of my favorite palettes is the Pop Beauty Liner Cake. The pigments are rich and work with everyone no matter your skin tone. The colors included are Electric blue, silver black, velvet plum, emerald green and gunmetal. Some makeup trends come and go but anything that makes your eyes pop last forever. I like to use these colors as both a liner (with a wet liner brush) and a shadow (with a smudge brush).

Foundation: Urban Decay Surreal Skin Mineral Makeup

Urban Decay Surreal Skin Mineral Makeup

I an currently in the process of rebuilding my makeup collection and decided to use this as an opportunity to try some new things instead of sticking with the products that are tried and true. When it comes to foundation I knew that I found something great with my Philosophy The Supernatural mineral makeup but also mentioned Urban Decay having one. Since I'm now on a strict budget I decided to try the UD one and use those $8 towards another product.

The first things I noticed with the Urban Decay Surreal Skin Mineral Makeup is that the lid doesn't come with a mirror. I like the idea of it all being built in for ease of use but not having a mirror gives the need for an extra step. 1 point deducted for that. With my first use I had to beat myself in the face in order to bring the powder up to the surface level for application. Aside from not wanting to hurt myself too much this is a good thing. If it stays being this difficult then it means that less powder will get lost which is great. If I have to keep beating myself with it I may not need blush- another plus! I also like that it can be moved to an either open or closed position which saves foundation for spilling out.

After a full day of use my skin doesn't look shiny (and I have very oily skin) nor does it look dry. I high recommend this for anyone searching for one-step make up application. Just be sure to carry a travel mirror to ensure even application.

***This comes in 10 shades guaranteeing that everyone can wear it***

Actually it’s YOUR face that’s a mess.

Actually it’s YOUR face that’s a mess.


Thanks to Urban Decay's 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil mine isn’t. What can I say about these liners without sounding like a stalker? Awesome names (Zero, Yeyo, Defiant, Covet, Binge, etc) - check. Easy to apply-double check. And their ability to make eyes pop just makes it all worth it.

These are liners but I like to use them as shadows as well. I’m not a fan of using shadow primer for its intended purpose and I like to wear tons of colorful eye makeup and haven’t found anything with enough pigment for my taste. Unlike most liners I have about 5 minutes to blend before it sets which is a definite plus. And once it’s set I can line over parts of my eyes with a different color and they don’t blend. Oh, and if you’re like me, you can stay out til 4am, take a power nap, roll out of bed and head to work with perfectly applied eye makeup. That is a promise.

Review: Make up For ever Smoky Lash Mascara

Forget everything you thought you knew about mascara. Throw it all away and run to get the Make Up For Ever Smoky Lash Mascara. It is amazing. I tried it on today just because it looked interesting and I ended receiving compliments left and right. Once I sat down and looked at myself in the mirror i became obsessed. OBSESSED!

Now I already have super long upper and lower lashes and aside from one or two rouge ones the curl up naturally. They're also very full. But I am greedy and want them fuller and longer! They were so much fuller that they looked fake a fuzzy and I looooooved it! For me the only downside to this is that it made my lashes so much longer and curl even more that I kept having to wipe the mascara off of my eyelids until it fully dried. For the length challenged folks this is def a good buy based on that last sentence alone.

I also love how non clumpy it was throughout the day and how fresh it looked as well.

Foundation: bareMinerals Foundation

bareMinerals Foundation

I can't lie. This is the first I heard of mineral makeup and when I first tried it I loved it....after buying 2 different starter kits because I couldn't find the right one. When I finally did I only ever used one of the brushes and one of the foundations (the other i used now as a mixer with something else. When I get to that it will be linked here). I have oily skin so I never really had the problem of it looking cakey but sometimes I notice instantly that people have bareminerals on and that's not good. I suggest anyone with normal to dry skin switch to philosophy immediately! Or at least give it a try. But I digress. The application takes work. I mastered it in 5 minutes but the opening each one and the process of getting it into the brush and then applying and then the mess if it doesn't get closed properly doesn't work for me anymore. Add to that the fact that you normally can't wear just one of the powders so it becomes a longer 5 minute process that doesn't make everyday use easy anymore. I love applying makeup. I think it's therapeutic and fun but spending time on skin coverage doesn't work for me.

I do however highly recommend their Warm Radiance face color. I received it as a full sized sample and loved it so much that had to buy it when it ran out. It gives my skin this beautiful healthy, sun-kissed glow with just the right amount of shimmer that stops way before getting glittery. I like to also use it on my shins and collarbone in the summer.

I'm ready for my close-up.

So I've been noticing a lot of HD makeup out there and it makes me wonder: Does it really make a difference? Are people really looking at the size of someones pores when they're watching a movie? But most importantly, do everyday people (like you, not me) need it. After all, There is a Norma Desmond in us all.

So i decided to try for myself. i went to Sephora and tried on the Make Up For Ever HD Microfinish Powder. I must say I was impressed! I already had makeup for from earlier in the day and just did a quick touch up while I was there. After I applied this powder on (with the super soft and way cool kabuki brush) My skin not only felt great, but it looked pretty awesome. My dark skin didn't look powdery or fake at all.

I highly recommend trying this product. Especially with the brush. For you girls that love bare minerals and tend to look cakey this is the thing for you. Much better than their mineral veil.

Foundation: Philosophy The Supernatural Airbrush Canvas

The Supernatural Airbrushed Canvas comes in such an easy and quick way to apply (Urban Decay makes one as well) without having to worry about making a mess. All you do it tap the sponge to your face in certain areas and blend until the right amount of coverage is reached. What's better than that? It comes in 7 shades that work with every skin color/tone which I think is great because some brands just go overboard with different shades because their formulas don't allow buildable coverage. And that is a big no-no by the way. This foundation is also very long lasting. I've had mine for over a year and I wear it about 6 days a week. Imagine that for a foundation? For the price, the convenience of us and how long it lasts, it's totally worth it! I did have to replace sponge once (very cheap) because it lasted that long.

P.S. This also eliminates the need for a separate press powder.