Failures, Faces, and Favorites

So I suppose the first thing to address is the failures, right?  Haha!  Well the first would be keeping up with this blog.  You would think that because I'm failing at being a normal and functioning person because I've been consistently ill for almost 2.5 solid months I could have updated this thing...but nooooooo...(I had a DVT in my leg, I also just had the worst asthma flare up I've had since I was diagnosed with it when I was 12...UGH!)

Really, that's all the failures...and I don't see them as failures but rather...this thing we call life.  Basically, shit happens and you deal with it. Right? Right.

So then that would lead me to the faces portion - aka just makeup pictures...because, well, it's a beauty blog after all and I do remember what most of the products on these photos are!  That's a plus!

Complexion:

Algenist Pore Correcting Primer

Sephora Collection 10H Wear Foundation #20 (Cream)

Make Up For Ever Artist Shadow #M548 (Pink Gray) - contour

Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush (Fearless)

Eyes:

Smashbox Double Exposure palette

Sephora Collection Dramatic Line Pen Liner

Lancome Grandiose Mascara

Lips:

Mint Rosebud Salve

Complexion:

Lancome Teint Visionnaire Foundation #210 Buff N

Make Up For Ever Artist Shadow #M548 (Pink Gray) - contour

Kat Von D Everlasting Face Shaper Blush (Belissima)

Eyes:

Anastasia Dipbrow (Dark Brown)

Urban Decay Electric Palette

MAC Eyeshadow (Chrome Yellow)

Tarte Aqualilies Cream Liner (LE/DC)

Lips:

Sephora Collection discontinued color (sticker missing)

Complexion:

Tarte Amazonian Clay Full Coverage Liquid Foundation (Light/Medium)

Sephora+Pantone Universe Blush Palette (Marsala)

Becca Shimmering Skin Perfecter Pressed (Opal)

Eyes:

Still Stay All Day Pen Liner (Pink)

Smashbox Full Exposure Palette

Lancome Grandiose Mascara

Lips:

I *think* it was a Bite Beauty lip? This was a while ago so I don't remember...

And then of course, there are always favorites, right?  So in no particular oder here are things I'm loving!

First thing up is my new obsession website - I'm on it all the damn time -- and for the sake of disclosure before anyone thinks anything, I am not an affiliate with them so feel free to click away :)

If you're a book lover (like I am!) check out www.bookoutlet.com -- I always tell people you need to want to have to dig around on the site but the deals cannot be beat!  I have ordered from them three or four times already and have loved everything I ordered and their service is pretty fab too!

I don't know if I ever mentioned that I'm a huge Star Trek fan...so next up on the list are a couple Trek related things -- my complete series of Voyager (which I am going through in order...I'm pretty sure I've already seen 75% of the series, but I want to see 100%! hehe!)

And then on the heels of Voyager, it's only appropriate to mention my favorite book (so far!) of 2015 -- Kate Mulgrew's memoir, Born With Teeth (seriously, just read it...even if you don't like Star Trek...which is featured only briefly in case you're wondering)

featured with my prized Captain Janeway teddy bear that I got out of Quark's Bazaar many many years ago in the Star Trek Magazine....

 And then there was makeup...

First up is the Smashbox Double Exposure palette.  So many choices and so many good colors!  I love the texture of the shadows (not too powdery and not too creamy....they're just right!) and you can use them all wet or dry so it's like having 28 shadows in a 14 pan kit!  My personal favorite colors are the muted silvery blue (top L), the shimmery golden tone (top 3rd in from R), and the reddish brown (bottom 2nd in from R).

Then there is a shoutout to my NARS books.  I got a new bookshelf recently and was reorganizing and so of course I sat and flipped through them...so many great images for inspiration!  If you haven't yet checked these books out, I highly recommend you do.  There are photos of the model's naked face on the left side, and then a clear overlay saying what products were used and where that lies on top of a photo of the finished face.  GREAT for learners or seasoned pro's alike! 

So that's what has been up...hopefully I can get some great content put together for you guys soon because I do miss doing this a lot!

Xo

-A-

Disclosure:

In addition to the products I purchase, I receive a lot of product as GRATIS through my job.  I know I say this all the time, but it cannot be repeated enough in a social media dominated world -- It is up to me (and me alone) to feature what I feel are good products that I can stand behind 100%.  I always take the utmost care as I write my posts to give you, the reader, the best information that I can about my experiences.  If I love a product, I'll say so.  If I hate the product, I'll tell you why.  It's equal opportunity on my blog in all aspects.  I am in NO WAY a spokesperson for my job when writing on this blog.  No company, including the one I work for, has any influence on what I say or what I feature on the blog.

The Dupe Dossier: Benefit "Peek-A-Bright Eyes" vs. WetNWild "Walking on Eggshells"

Makeup Junkies.  I'm one.  If you're reading this, you're probably one.  We always are on a mission.  To find the most amazing products.  To find the perfect foundation.  Sometimes it's to find the better deal on things.  But my favorite thing to do is to be challenged to find a duplicate of something (when I'm at work, that is). 

Nine times out of ten, I'm honest about it and what we find will not be the exact same color/texture/finish/etc but you can usually find things that are pretty darn close.

The other day I decided I wanted to have something super simple that I can just toss into a makeup bag when I know I'm either staying at friends' places/traveling for work and I don't have to think about it -- I can jazz it up with a funky liner or a fun lip color but it will serve me well to look put together.  I remembered that I wanted to try the WetNWild trios (wait, just because one works at Sephora doesn't mean that one is a makeup snob?! Haha! I'm here to debunk THAT rumour - the looks that people give me when I'm told that their Maybelline mascara is amazing and they don't want a high end one and I say "well, my favorite mascara if I'm honest will probably always be the original LashBlast!" is probably the best reaction ever!)

I ran into the local RiteAid and grabbed one for $2.99.  I got "Walking on Eggshells" which is undeniably the most popular and just an easy addition to my travel bag as far as natural and pretty.

The next day I brought home some gratis and found the new Benefit "Peek-a-Bright Eyes" palette.  I was flabbergasted when I opened it and found that it pretty much duplicated what I just purchased the night before!

seriously? after I just spent money? SERIOUSLY? LOL!

 swatched.  can you tell the difference?

Top: Benefit

Bottom: WetNWild

So basically my major differences that I noticed are:

• Benefit's pink tone is brighter and brown is cooler and slightly deeper
• WetNWild's pink tone is more champagne pink, brown is warmer
• Benefit's applicators are superior to WetNWild's craplicators (yep, that's what I call them!)
• Benefit has a cream eye brightener and instruction booklet included.

The textures are similar across the board...WetNWild has come a LONG way in terms of taking shadows that used to be chalky and frankly, quite painful to put on to having such a buttery smooth texture with fabulous one swipe payoff!  Benefit never disappoints in their eyeshadow department.  Buttery, pigmented, and a dream to work with.

Is one better than the other?  Truthfully, no.  I think that both are quite good for different reasons and I'm sure that both will find homes in travel bags and everyday makeup looks alike!

*Benefit Peek A Bright Eyes was gratis'd to me through my employer.  This does not sway me on my own thoughts or opinions*

Double Winged Liner

Just a quick little look for you all while I figure out what I want to blog on for the future -- I've been so busy with work (and now I've been cast in a musical that opens in September!) so by the time I get home, I'm just a little tired ;)

Products Used:

NARS Pro Prime Foundation Primer

Josie Maran Argan Matchmaker Serum Foundation

Sephora Collection Microsmooth Powder

Tarte Glisten Amazonian Clay Blush

MAC Mystery Eyeshadow (brows)

Too Faced Shadow Insurance

Urban Decay Naked Palette (Sin, Naked, Buck)

Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Liners (Black and Periwinkle)

Tarte MultiplEYE Lash Primer

Yves St. Laurent Babydoll Lashes Mascara

Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment

 

YouTube Series: ABC's Once Upon A Time: Snow White #2 (Entertainment Weekly Cover)

A quick and easy look for anyone based on Snow White's flushed cheeks, winged liner, and natural pink lip as seen on the late-October cover of Entertainment Weekly!

Head past the jump to see photos of the finished look and the video!

YouTube Series: ABC's Once Upon A Time: Rumplestiltskin Look #1 [Robert Carlyle]

Rumplestiltskin kind of reminds me of the Beetlejuice of fairy tales!  And that reminds me of the old Beetlejuice movie and it just makes me giggle.

It's not very often that I pick a character that I'm head over heels about from the beginning of a series (the one exception being Captain Janeway from Star Trek: Voyager...she was always my favorite because she's a coffee loving badass!)  But Robert Carlyle has to be that one for me for this show.  He masterfully plays both sides of Rumplestiltskin/Mr. Gold to sheer perfection, so how could I not do an inspired look based on his character?

Head past the jump for inspiration photos, look photos, and the tutorial!

Fashionista: Christophe Guillarmé S/S 2012 recreation

Just as a little treat I thought I'd recreate an image that I found while browsing through an online magazine called EN VIE Fashion Magazine.  I hope you guys like it :)

YouTube Series: ABC's Once Upon A Time: Red Look #1 [Meghan Ory]

Firstly...the photo I chose was the one above SOLELY because of how hard I laughed when I looked at the wolf's face.

Red is one complex character for reasons I'm not going to go into on the blog...just because if you've not seen her episode, I don't want to spoil it!  Go watch it though, it was kind of an epic twist.

Head past the jump for the photos and the video of my first Red look from Once Upon A Time!

YouTube Series: ABC's Once Upon A Time: Emma Swan Look #1 [Jennifer Morrison]

Emma Swan is definitely one of my favorite characters on the series and mostly it's because of the mystery surrounding her.  We (the audience) know that she can come and go from Storybrooke, we also know she's Snow White's daughter...but *who is she?* is still on the tips of everyone's tongues!

Head past the jump for another inspiration picture and the link to the video!

YouTube Series: ABC's Once Upon A Time: Blind Witch [Emma Caulfield]

Ok I know that this particular look is supposed to be based off the Blind Witch and honestly, it is...but just stay with me here for a minute while I pose a question.

Did anyone else compare the scene with the kids at the house to the Pale Man scene in Pan's Labyrinth?  Because I sure as hell did.  Sneaking around, being quiet as a mouse, and for all that is good in the world, DO NOT EAT THE FOOD because the witch is sleeping and if you do eat it she'll wake up and eat YOU! (and with copious amounts of food laying around and they haven't eaten all day...it's the exact same storyline)...and for the record, Pan's Labyrinth is one of my favorite movies!

Head past the jump for the actual screencaps I used for inspiration as well as the embedded video tutorial :)

YouTube Series: ABC's Once Upon A Time: Evil Queen Look #1 [Lana Parrilla]

The Evil Queen is someone you both feel sympathy for (once you know her back story...or at least what we've been given so far) and yet...you hate her just as much! 

Lana Parrilla...you do her justice.

Head past the jump for the screenshots and the video!

Bigger Brighter Eyes [my way!]

Many people who wear makeup (men and women alike) are in search of the look that will make their eyes look bigger and brighter - and I am no exception!

I discovered this look accidentally one day when I was experimenting with different color combinations (I tend to like ones that people either will notice or that don't necessarily "go together" when you first think about them).  And so this look was born.

The key to this look is NOT to connect your crease color to the outer corner of the eye thus lifting the crease shape and keeping the eye looking nice and big.  Also, keep your liner thin so that it doesn't overtake the lid area - this is especially important for people who have a smaller space to work with (also, winged or not, keep it thin!  the trick to that is to make sure you feel your liner almost pulling along the base of the lashes so that it's just hitting the skin above them  - I'll do a quick tip video about it sometime in the future!)

and here are some pictures of other color combinations I use with this look if you're feeling like you're in a rut and don't want to do the same old thing ;)

YouTube Series: ABC's Once Upon A Time: Snow White Look #1 [Ginnifer Goodwin]

I hope that there are some people out there who are as obsessed with this show as I am.  I'm not an avid television or movie watcher by any means...ask anyone (basically, if it's super popular or a movie that "everyone and their brother" has seen...I've probably not seen it)...but this show? TOTALLY different story!

I think the storyline is different enough to keep the watcher interested, it's not a copycat of Disney (which, don't get me wrong, I do loves me some Disney adaptations but I know they're cookie cutter versions of the originals and I prefer not to always have the happy ending...LIFE ISN'T ALWAYS HAPPY! haha) and of course, the makeup is PHENOMENAL!

So I decided to do looks based on screencaps and the promotional photos that ABC has released...so up first:  Snow White played by Ginnifer Goodwin!

Head past the jump for the picture I used and the link to the video!

FotD: Poisoned by Purple

This is one of my absolute favorite looks I've done in a while...purple is my favorite color and I've been in such a neutrals or nude eye with a hint of colored liner that it was fantastic to just be able to do a multi-tonal purple smokey eye!

Head past the jump for the list of products I used!! :)

Vintage FOTD: Dustin Hunter Inspired

IF YOU DO NOT KNOW WHO DUSTY IS...please click the following BLOG link and YOUTUBE link and follow/subscribe now.  Best. Life. Decision. Ever.

Haha.  (alsoyoushouldorderhiscdorbuyitonitunesbecauseitsamazing....justsaying.)

Here's Dusty's original youtube video on the look, and then my interpretation of the look can be found past the jump! :)

Vintage FOTD: Tokidoki Inspired (Mozzarella)

Hey guys!  Time for another vintage FOTD - this one was from late spring/early summer 2011.
---------------

Tokidoki (or "sometimes" in Japanese) is a lifestyle brand created by Italian artist Simone Legno back in 2005.

The line includes apparel, footwear, accessories, jewelry, toys, and makeup among other things!

You may have noticed the cute characters or the trademark heart-and-crossbones logo of the brand (which, by the way, I think is super cute!  I'll have to pull out my Smashbox Fusion Lights that Em Wyllie (youtube) gave me that has the logo on it sometime!)

I think that the characters are adorable and they're fantastic for makeup inspiration -- head past the jump to see my interpretation of the character Mozzarella.  (photo for reference if you don't know who he is)

First Impressions: INGLOT Cosmetics

The internet has been abuzz for many many months now with a company that I'm sure you've all heard of by now - INGLOT Cosmetics.  (the website in that link is Inglot's USA site!)

They've been promoted heavily by gurus on youtube as well as being present at the many variations of highly anticipated makeup shows that go on throughout the year (i.e.: IMATS, The Makeup Show...)

If I'm correct in recalling my information, it's is a Polish brand and something like 95% of their products are produced in the European Union - which I think is amazing - I'm not going to get started on debates about where makeup is made and why [insert country of origin here] is good/bad....but I just think it's awesome when a company has a direct handle in the products they manufacture.

For us in the USA it's also awesome as there is now a flagship store in Chelsea, NYC and plenty of other locations to find their amazing products (Vegas, Jersey, Costa Mesa, Chi-town, SanFran just to name a few)!

I finally broke down when I realized that my beloved MAC Chromaline is drying out (I mean, I've had it FOREVER and it's just now starting to get to the point where it's a pain to work with) and I wanted to try something new...

Head past the jump to see my purchase and my thoughts on the products I received!

Thoughts: Tarte for True Blood (palette)

I will admit.  I did read Twilight when I was living in Florida (I mean, I literally had nothing better to do with my time) and despite it's angsty teenage terribleness...it threw me back into the VampHype that was going on at the time -- and is still going on...

Which leads me to True Blood.  I started watching the show before I'd ever read any of the books and I adored it!  I literally craved the next episode when the first one was over.  True Blood was also something Florida offered me that Maine wouldn't have (we don't get HBO in our cable package here - but when I lived down there my roommate was a TV-holic and so we had super premium cable).  Then I read the books...and goodbye tv show (I think I made it through all of season one and part of season two and I haven't watched it since).  The books far outshine the show.  But that's not what this review is about is it?

Head past the jump for thoughts, photos, and my ever helpful rambles about the TARTE FOR TRUE BLOOD palette!