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!

Foundation Frenzy - Liquid Foundations

Foundations featured in photo (shades noted from memory! haha):

Make Up For Ever High Definition Foundation (#120)

*Annabelle BB Cream

Josie Maran Argan Matchmaker Serum Foundation (Light/Medium)

*Gosh BB Cream

Clinique Even Better (#04 - Cream Chamois)

*Smashbox Studio Skin

Marcelle BB Cream

*Marcelle Limited Edition BB Cream

NARS Sheer Glow (Santa Fe)

Kat Von D Lock-It Tattoo Foundation

Smashbox Camera Ready BB Cream (Light)

Sephora Collection Perfecting Tinted Moisturizer SPF20

Cover Girl NatureLuxe Foundation

FusionBeauty Prime Results Tinted Moisturizer (Sand)

L'Oreal True Match

*NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer SPF 30 (Finland)

NARS Firming Foundation (Punjab)

Benefit You Rebel Tinted Moisturizer

Benefit Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow Foundation

*Tarte Amazonian Clay Foundation

*Dr. Brandt Flexitone BB Cream

Maybelline Dream Liquid Foundation (not in photo)

Clearly 2012 was the year of the foundation for me.  I will tell you right now that not every foundation has been opened and/or tried as of this blog post (as noted by the *asterisks*) however - some of them I have actually tried before...I just clearly have too many foundations open and I need to clean out some of them first!

What I wanted to do with this post is to give you a mini rundown on what I like about each of these foundations (or conversely, what I don't love quite so much...)  You will find clickable links [surrounded like this] if I have a review posted about these foundations on my blog.  Eventually I hope to have a more in-depth review for each foundation.  Feel free to click through and read :)

• Make Up For Ever High Definition Foundation - I think this foundation gives a great medium to full buildable coverage, while still looking like skin with a natural finish.  The pigments are wrapped into amino acids and what this will mean for you is that rather than the foundation sinking into skin texture, it closely mimics the skin and flexes with it as it moves - thus preventing that overly cakey foundation face that everyone runs away from.  All skin types can wear this but what I find is that drier skins need a hydrating base or a really good moisturizer underneath and someone who is very oily will want an oil control primer. (also of note: I don't normally say you need to use the matching company's primer with their foundations, but in this case the HD Primer and HD Foundation are a match made in heaven).  I personally don't use this very much as an everyday foundation because I find that (especially in the winter) because of my dry skin, it can cling if I'm not diligent about moisturizer - so I tend to save it for tutorials -- and in point of fact, I just gave my bottle to a coworker who suited the shade I had a bit better than I did...I prefer #125 on my skin.

• Josie Maran Argan Matchmaker Serum Foundation - A lovely, creamy textured foundation spiked with Josie's secret ingredient - Argan Oil - a balancing oil great for all skin types (absorbs excess oils and hydrates dry patches!).  Chameleon pigments make this foundation a bit different than your typical ones.  It comes out of the bottle looking like a mottled white liquid that as you blend bursts and warms to your skintone perfectly.  There are 3 shade variants available (Fair/Light good for people with a pinker undertone, Light/Medium good for people with a more olive undertone, and Medium/Deep good for people with a darker and warmer skintone).  One of my all time favorite foundations with a glowy finish that's not too shiny (oilier skins may still want to set oily zones with a translucent or blotting powder) and looks great on my skin all day.

• Clinique Even Better SPF 15 Foundation - A great foundation for people who are looking to correct uneven skin tone!  Developed by Clinique's dermatologists, this foundation is said to visibly diminish age spots in 4-6 weeks.  I think that this may be a little far fetched as a serum or a treatment would give a better result...but I do love the finish it gives.  A more complete thought on this foundation can be found [here] but I find it's more of a full coverage foundation that feels like a medium.  Which is perfect for those people out there who want coverage but don't want it to feel too thick and heavy.  Clinique says it works best on dry-combination to oily skin.  I find oilier skin types don't always love it and may have to powder.

• Marcelle BB Cream - An 8-in-one multi benefit skincare/makeup fusion, this is another product in a long line on the train of both drugstore and high end BB creams.  But make no mistake...this one is my favorite so far.  BB creams should be skincare first and coverage second...this is rarely the case with our Western versions as they are akin more to our tinted moisturizers just souped up with a tiny bit more of a skin benefit (and I'm sorry to say that even Marcelle's falls into this category).  It does keep my skin nicely hydrated with a decent amount of coverage (I call it a light/medium...if I want a true medium I add some powder and it's flawless!).  Interestingly, this is the first BB cream I've met with  no SPF (though if I recall, there is one with an SPF available).  It is a Canadian product though so getting it outside of Canada may be a bit harder, but if you can get your mitts on it, please try it!  I'm smitten!  [Review can be found here]

• NARS Sheer Glow - If I could write a Sonnet to this foundation, I would.  This is my HG (or holy grail) foundation.  It's a perfect medium coverage, leaves my skin hydrated and glowing, and lasts all day with a primer.  It has antioxidants built into it and contains turmeric extract for improved skin radiance and and tone.  I have a comparison for this foundation [here] with the Sheer Matte finish.  If you have dry to dry-combination skin, please try this foundation.  You won't be disappointed!

• Kat Von D Lock-It Tattoo Foundation - A more recent addition to my *ahem, little* collection, the KvD foundation is amazing as far as pigmentation, transfer resistance, and lastability go...but it falls short for my dry skin in that it dries to be way too matte of a finish for myself (it's listed as a soft matte finish, but on me it just looks unnatural).  But this also makes it an amazing foundation for someone who has that oilier skin type.  Interestingly, please note that I've also found that this foundation is fabulous as a concealer and offers quite a bit more coverage than her tattoo concealer!  If you are a drier skin type and you want to get the most out of this because you're looking for the coverage or long wear factor, you can layer with her priming serum (or any hydrating primer - the MUFE HD Elixir is fabulous under this!).

• Smashbox Camera Ready BB Cream - Another fantastic BB cream, and probably my 2nd favorite of the ones I've tried so far...Smashbox offers you a higher SPF (35), oil control and hydration, primer built in, medium coverage that feels like sheer, AND it comes in 5 shades (typically a BB cream comes in one, maaaaybe two shades)!  Again I find that I can go either way with this BB cream and I can leave it without a powder or I can set it with one for more coverage...same goes for my oilier skinned friends...because of the nature of the oil control, you may not need to set it.

• Sephora Collection Perfecting Tinted Moisturizer SPF 20 - Oil control, antiaging peptides, sheer color and sun protection!  This is a fantastic product for any age...from someone who is just starting out wearing makeup to the seasoned makeup enthusiast who just wants to lighten up a bit (especially in the summer months...how I wished I had this when I lived in Florida those many (read: 5) years ago haha).  The coverage is light enough to not feel like you've got anything more than a moisturizer on, but it does give a light coverage to just even out any light skin discoloration.  Spots, dark circles, and heavier ruddiness will need a little more concealer.

• CoverGirl NatureLuxe Foundation - I find that most people think that just because I have so many higher end foundations that I am a makeup snob.  This isn't the case, I just have more than enough to last me for a while before I need to buy anything myself (perks of working in cosmetics I guess)...but I am definitely a sucker for a bargain so when I saw the Cover Girl NatureLuxe foundation on sale at my local Hannaford because they weren't going to be carrying it there anymore, I had to get one.  Lightweight, blendable, soothing feeling on the skin...It's almost like the feeling of a tinted moisturizer but just a smidge more coverage.  My issue with drugstore makeup is that a) there are no testers and b) the shades are always orangey...and this stays true with this foundation unfortunately.  I can wear it in the summer, but only when I'm at my tannest as the orangey shade is more noticeable without that slight burn you get from a tan.  It's probably my least favorite looking foundation that I currently have going - but that's ok because I don't have to use it until summer ;)

• Fusion Beauty PrimeResults Tinted Moisturizer - If you can't tell by the sheer amount of BB creams in that picture, I kind of like things that are multi-taskers.  PrimeResults is an amazing tinted moistuizer that has a sheer coverage that weightlessly veils imperfections and fills in unwanted skin texture with it's built in primer!  This also has ingredients in it that deeply hydrate and re-hydrate your skin - again with my oilier skinned readers, you may find you need a powder to set this.  I find I get the most amazingly flawless coverage when I pair this with my MAC Studio Fix powder.  Probably because of the extra hydration from this it's best on drier skin types.

• L'Oreal True Match Liquid Foundation - This has to be one of my favorite drugstore foundations and has been for years.  While I tend to err on the side of Maybelline for my drugstore needs, L'Oreal stepped up their game and I am pretty sure this is one of the most extensive color matched foundations I've seen in a while.  Medium coverage, satin finish, and matching powders to boot (of which I will discuss that one in my powder foundation post when I do it!).  I think it's good for all skin types.  Typical to what I find in drugstore foundations...it will last longer when layered with a primer.

• NARS Firming Foundation - Sadly I do believe this has been discontinued.  Therefore, I don't feel it fair to talk about it at length.  Sorry!!!

• Benefit You Rebel Tinted Moisturizer - A great sheer coverage foundation (because really, that's all tinted moisturizers are!) I love the Benefit products because of their quirky packaging (which to be honest sometimes is over-priced...and yes I'm looking at you box powders!) but the products are 9 times out of 10 good!  (Following this one is one that I'm not so hot-to-trot for though...whoops).  This is a great tinted moisturizer, and it does come in a lighter shade as well (aptly named You Rebel lite).

• Benefit Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow Foundation - Light in texture, an SPF of 25, and buildable coverage don't save this foundation from my list of "foundations I want to love but for reasons [x,y,z] I just can't."  If I had to pick my top reason though, it would be that on my dry as a bone skin, it makes me look oily after 2 or 3 hours - and it's an oil free foundation! o_0  That aside, it is buildable and it is light in texture and there are plenty of people out there (and many of them are oily) who love this foundation.  I say set it well with powder and maybe it'll be ok.

• Maybelline Dream Liquid Foundation - This is probably my favorite drugstore foundation ever created.  Big claim, I know...but it comes in a great range of shades and it is this very strange consistency that works well with my skin.  Best for normal to drier skin types (may make oilier skins feel too slick)...It comes out a mousse type consistency but then goes to almost a gel-like consistency.  This leaves my skin with a great dewy finish (on days when I feel more normal than dry, I do find I need powder) and with a primer it stays all day.

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!

Mascara Madness: Lash Primer Love! My Holy Grail!!

I know I give a lot of time to lashes...but 2nd to eyeshadows, mascara is probably my most favorite beauty item.  A mascara can completely change a look just depending on what it claims to do.

I know I said in my last mascara review my thoughts on lengthening and thickening and how every mascara can do both...and I still firmly believe this to be true (unless of course the lengthening has fibers in it which is a completely different story).

Something I haven't mentioned however is how I feel about lash primers.  I'm pretty sure everyone at one point or another has tried the drugstore equivalent with their double ended tubes of white primer on one end and blackest black mascara on the other.  My major issue with those is that no matter what, the primer and mascara combined leave your lashes one of two ways...clumpy or gray.  Neither of which is my personal favorite mascara look, but if it's yours by ALL means please keep going with it :)

I've been jaded about primers.  I've tried the Dior one, I've tried the Lancome one...both of which fell short on my priming expectations.  I was resigned that a primer just wasn't for me.  Which is perfectly fine - I'm not saying that like a face primer a lash primer is something that is completely necessary.

Enter:  Tarte multiplEYE Lash Enhancing Primer.

Head past the jump for my thoughts on what is now my holy grail of lash priming.

Mascara Madness: Givenchy Phenomen'Eyes Mascara

I'm going to wholeheartedly admit that I am one of THOSE PEOPLE when it comes to mascara.  I have the ones I love...and then I have a graveyard area where I toss the rejects to save just in case I need one for theater/I run out of my favorite and I need something until I can get another one.

But when it comes to Givenchy's Phenomen'Eyes mascara...it kind of lives in this weird limbo area between the two.  I simply cannot decide one way or the other about it.

Head past the jump for more of my thoughts and photos of application!

YouTube Series: ABC's Once Upon A Time: The Siren [Aria Pullman]

Mythology.  Some of the most interesting stories are born of myth.  Sirens are usually portrayed as a type of femme fatale and they lure men (out of mythology fishermen/sailors) to their death by drowning or hitting their ships on rocks and then drowning.  All by just using their voices.  Aria Pullman's Siren in Once Upon A Time was no exception...sort of.  (No spoilers, you'll have to watch the show!)

Head past the jump for inspiration pictures and the embedded video!

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!

Lash Out! - Sephora Collection Mink Eyelashes

False lashes can add the perfect touch of dramatic flair or just add some oomph to your natural lash line.

Today, I give you my ultimate favorite pair of dramatic falsies!  Sephora Collection Mink Eyelashes!

What do you think?  Will you give them a try?  What are your favorite false lashes?

What: Sephora Collection Mink Eyelashes

How Much: $8.00 USD

Where:  Sephora Stores, Sephora.com

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!

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!

First Impressions: Sephora Collection Brush Protectors

The brush guard has been circling around the beauty community for a while now...I'm pretty sure that I first heard of them two years ago and I'm positive they were around before that as well...but I never bought into them because I didn't think I needed them.

I deep clean my brushes once a week and spot clean them between each use so I wasn't seeing frays, splaying, or any signs of damage to the actual bristles themselves.  That is, until I looked at them last week and noticed the first signs of wear and tear.  I'd say that considering some of my brushes I've had for about 6 or 7 years, that's pretty good!  (at work, I'm prided on only having replaced 2 or 3 brushes in my belt in almost 2 years!)

I also never really got into them because I don't order a lot of things online (firstly because I'm cheap and secondly I hate paying S&H) so when I saw these in my local Sephora I got a little giddy!

Head past the jump for photos and my thoughts!

Rave: Inglot Duraline

Let's be real here.  I love eyeliner...but I have a problem.  I'm rubbish with pencils (unless it's specifically for lining the waterline) and nine times out of ten I just can't stop the slight shake in my hand that you get when you're using a liquid...so I've been living off of my cream and gel liners!

(for the record...personal favorites for cream/gel liners are:  MAC Chromaline, YSL Gel Liner, Clinique Gel Liner, and L'Oreal HiP gel liner)

MAC does a mixing medium - both water based and others (I own the water based) which is great and I love using it for pigments to foil them onto my lids...but it just doesn't hold up to my sneezy, itchy, watery, allergy prone eyes (aka, it's not waterproof).

Dear Stupid Allergy Eyes:  meet Inglot Duraline (clear bottle on the right).

Head past the jump to hear my thoughts on this [fantastic] product!

Vintage FOTD: Tokidoki Inspired (Mozzarella)

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