Quick FOTD – Wet n Wild Holiday ColorIcon Pixie Palette in Sugar Plum Fairy

I was so super excited last month to finally find the Wet n Wild ColorIcon Pixe Palettes…so excited that I bought one of each of the limited edition holiday sets! As promised, I’ve been using them and wanted to share with you some of the looks I’ve come up with.

I’m really loving the Sugar Plum Fairy palette, which is a set of shimmery purples (all tones, from light lavender to deep plum, along with a sparkly brown that some people have compared to NARS Mekong eyeshadow).

To achieve this look, I used the lightest shade (top left) as an inner corner and brow highlight, then applied to one next to it (top right) as an all-over lid color. I darkened up the outer third of my lid with the pretty grape color (2nd row, right) and finished it off with the purpley brown in the outer corners.

These shadows are really easy to work with, and they are shimmery, so they really play up your eyes and bring lightness and brightness to them. On the rest of my face, I’m wearing NARS Orgasm blush and Laguna bronzer (love that duo!), with the combo of Neutrogena Healthy Skin Liquid Makeup in Natural Ivory and Sonia Kashuk Perfecting Liquid Makeup in Buff, set with e.l.f. Pressed Powder.

I’m still loving purple shades for my eyes, and this Wet n Wild holiday palette adds a festive touch to those colors with shimmer. This eye look definitely dressed up my outfit, which was just a grey sweater and jeans…when you wear mostly monochromatic outfits, you have to get a touch of color somehow!

Face of the Day! featuring Urban Decay Naked palette

This one’s a little belated, from about a week ago, but I’m wearing the same shirt and makeup today so consider it current!

Here’s what I’m wearing..

• Milani Secret Cover Concealer in Warm Beige
• Revlon ColorStay Active in Buff (love this stuff! Amazing staying power.)
• e.l.f. HD powder (to set my concealer and foundation)
• NARS bronzer in Laguna
• NARS blush in Orgasm
• e.l.f Shimmering Facial Whip in Spotlight (this is a shimmery white cream highlight that I dab on my cheekbones, above the cupid’s bow, on my brow bone and in the inner corners of my eyes)

• e.l.f Eyelid Primer (I use this to, duh, prime my eyes so my eyeshadow is long-lasting.)
• MAC Paint Pot in Bare Study (And, I use this in combo with the eyelid primer as an eye base to make my lids have an even starting point for shadow.)
• Urban Decay Naked Palette – Virgin all over lid to brow, Sin in outer corner (aaah, I LOVE LOVE LOVE this palette. I am going to post all about it, and other neutral palettes, soon. Swatches and dupes to come!)
• Victoria’s Secret Private Beach in outer corner and crease
• UD Naked Palette – Naked in crease, Buck in outer corner, Toasted as brow highlight – blend, Darkhorse in outer corner
• Whiskey liner (from UD Naked Palette)
• Curl lashes
• CoverGirl LashBlast Fusion
• Loreal HIP Jelly Balm in Plush
• Loreal HIP Shine Struck Liquid Lipcolor in Pretentious

Quick CVS Haul – 90% off makeup!

I made 2 trips to 2 different CVS stores after work today. The first one still had items from the 50-75% off beauty sale — score, I thought! This sale started back in the spring, and I’ve found some leftovers! I got a Maybelline ColorSensational lipstick in Born With It, and a Sally Hanson Natural Makeup Inspired by Carmindy lipstick in Lilac, both on clearance (and a $1 off coupon for the Maybelline lipstick!).

That’s the Born With It on the left and Lilac on the right. Born With It is a really pretty, sort of nude pink-y shade that I think will work nicely on my pale skin. Lilac is quite a bit more dramatic, with deep purple undertones. Still super pretty, though, and since I’m a fan of the Sally Hansen Natural Makeup lipsticks, I immediately tried it on…

I also got two CoverGirl Eye Enhancers shadows — one in Golden Sunrise and another in Brown Smolder — because I had two coupons for $2 off any CG product (and CVS was having a buy one, get one 50% off with CG).

So, nice kind of boring haul, right? I stopped by a different CVS just to see what they had, and as soon as I walked in, I saw a table with a sign that said “90% off” and wouldn’t you know…there were a few makeup products just begging to be bought.

And how much did it cost?

That’s right, just over $5 for 3 shadows and 2 blushes!

I’ve never tried Almay shadow before. I have a cream blush and a bronzer from them, which I like…nothing that’s holy grail, but they work for good everyday products. I got these shadows in the shades (l-r) Apricot, Ivory and Petal. You’d think this could create a nice neutral eye look, right? Maybe the Ivory all over the lid, with Apricot in the crease and Petal as a highlight. But when I got home and swatched them (and the CoverGirl shadows from my first CVS stop), I was a teeny bit disappointed (or as disappointed as you can get from not loving 80 cent eyeshadows).

The photo quality isn’t the best, but the Almay shadows really were not all that pigmented and were kind of chalky. But, I think I can work with them, and if I use an eye primer (like Urban Decay Primer Potion or e.l.f. Mineral Eye Primer) with a base (good ole MAC Paint Pot in Painterly), they might be OK. Left to right, that’s Almay Apricot (kind of a peachy bronze), Almay Ivory (the most pigmented of the 3…a shimmery off white), CoverGirl Golden Sunrise (I like this one…very bronze-y with a touch of gold), CoverGirl Brown Smolder (a rich, deep brown that I’ll use for defining the outer V of my eye), and Almay Petal (super sheer and frosty).

The mineral blushes I got will be fun to test out. I have a ton of blushes in my collection but rarely reach for anything other than NYC Blushable Creme Sticks topped with NARS Orgasm.

Maybelline Mineral Power blush in Gentle Pink. Got it for 95 cents!

The sticker says 50% off, but it rang up 90% off! Just like rock beats scissors, register beats sticker!

24.7 Minerals Anti-Aging Mineral Blush in Champagne. Not sure I love this as a blush, but it’ll probably be a pretty highlight color. I don’t know much about this brand, other than I first saw it in CVS maybe late last year, and soon enough, they had just about everything from the line 50% off (and now the leftovers at 90% off).

Don’t you love impromptu shopping trips that turn into major reasons to brag on how much you saved?

Quick Face of the Day – 7/29/2010

I woke up this morning (actually, slept all night, too) with a migraine, so I stayed home from work. I wasn’t even planning on doing my makeup or leaving the house, but I need to get to the postoffice, and I’m watching YT beauty videos, so I figured why not?

This FOTD is inspired by my Top 15 Drugstore (aka “Won’t Break the Bank”!) Beauty Products that I posted last night.

Foundation is Maybelline Dream Smooth Mousse (if you want details on my concealer/primer, it’s the same as in the FOTD in this post), and I also used my Milani HD Advanced Concealer to brighten my undereye area and the e.l.f. Studio High Definition Powder to set it all. Blush is an NYC Blushable Creme Stick in Plaza Pink, which could have been on my Top 15 list…let’s call it #16! I set that with a sweep of NARS Orgasm Blush on both cheeks.

The eyes have it! That’s a combo of 3 things on my Top 15 list — Wet n Wild Coloricon palette (this one in Vanity), Prestige Total Intensity Eyeliner in Bold Brown, and CoverGirl Lash Blast Fusion mascara.

I wanted a pinky coral pop of color on my lips since my eyes are neutral. So, I paired Sally Hansen Natural Beauty Inspired By Carmindy lipstick (not the Baby Pink that was on my Top 15 list…I used Perfect Pink instead) topped with Revlon ColorStay Mineral Lipglaze in Continuous Coral. Got this at Target the other day with a coupon, and I love it! It’s really opaque and pigmented.

So, that’s what’s on my face today! Don’t forget that my Holy Grail Hair Treatment Giveaway ends TOMORROW at midnight, so get those last minute comment entries in!

7/16/2010 – Outfit of the Day!

Happy Friday! For those of us who work a 40-hour week Monday through Friday, there’s nothing like the start of a weekend.

So, to celebrate the awesomeness that is Friday, here’s my first ever Outfit of the Day. I love these types of blog posts and YouTube videos, so I hope my fashion interests you.

This is actually my Outfit of the Evening…during the day, I wore exactly this, but I had on a shirt with the name of my employer, which I didn’t want to post, and didn’t want to wear when I went out after work, so only the top is different from the day look! We’re probably just going to go out to dinner, so I’m keeping it casual!

My shirt was an awesome find from our trip to Austin, TX, last week. We ate breakfast one day at Magnolia Cafe (which you MUST do if you go to Austin; everyone eats here!), and stopped by Prima Dora, a shop next door to Magnolia that had shirts for the restaurant for sale! I found this super cute, thin tee that’s black and has adorable pink flamingos on it! I thought it was apt since the meal I got at Magnolia was called The Flamingo.

The jeans are a gray wash from Banana Republic Outlet (we went to the massive outlet mall in San Marcos, TX, on our vacation last week…it was a sensory overload!), and the shoes are the brand nicole, purchased at ROSS a month or so ago.

Ruffles are really on trend right now, and I love how the leg of the jean hits my foot so that the little ruffles on the shoes just poke out a bit. So girly and pretty!

I got the headband at Target — they have a TON of really cute ones in stock right now, very sweet and stylish. This is second-day hair, so when I got ready this morning, it wasn’t giving me much volume, so I just stuck the headband on it, and bam — looks like I put a ton of effort to style, and I didn’t!

As for jewelry, I went simple on the earrings, since I’ve got the jeweled headband up top, too. These are probably my favorite earrings of all-time. They’re from Forever21, and they came in one of those sets of 3 pairs of earrings for $3ish. Just cute little white flowers, and I get a ton of compliments on them.

I also threw on this rosary bracelet that I got from a local vendor at a craft show a few months ago. (I lost her business card, though, so I can’t find her name. I don’t think she had a website or anything.) I think pink and gray work really well together.

And a quick face of the day, list-style!

Products used:

• Laura Gellar Spackle Tinted Under Makeup Primer (fantastic primer, gives you a nice base of color under foundation)
• Lancome Effacernes Waterproof Concealer (I dot this under my eyes and blend in before foundation)
• Milani Cosmetics Secret Cover Concealer Cream (I use this to cover up any redness, blemishes, discoloration, etc.)
• Physicians Formula Healthy Wear  SPF 50 Tinted Moisturizer in Fair to Light (Yes, the $0.74 score from my Target haul yesterday! Tested it out today, and I liked it. Very silky to apply, blended well, but I was left with a super dewy, almost oily finish — and I have dry skin! So, just set it with a powder, and it was fine.)
• MAC Just a Pinch Gel Blush – limited edition (Got this at the CCO in San Marcos outlet mall. I use it over foundation but under my finishing powder, then follow up after powder with a light wash of powder blush.)
• e.l.f. High Definition Powder (love this to set my foundation and cream products! It really softens the face and is not at all cake-y.)
• Almay bronzer in Sunkissed (I apply this with a light hand to my cheekbones, forehead and under my chin, just so I’m not so pasty white!)
• NARS blush in Orgasm (This truly is the perfect color, pinky-peach and makes you look so alive!)
• Laura Gellar Baked Body Frosting in Sugar Glow (this is the prettiest highlight! Goes above my cheekbones, on my browbone and in my cupid’s bow.)
• e.l.f. Mineral Eyeshadow Primer (a total dupe for Urban Decay Primer Potion!)
• MAC Painterly Paint Pot (after the primer, this gives my lids a really even base to start applying shadow)
• MAC Phloof! (I use this eyeshadow all over the lid and in the inner corners, to open up my eyes and add some shine)
• Lancome Color Design Eyeshadow in Moccachino (I use my crease brush to softly blend this into the crease, adding some definition without making my lids too dark. Plus, it’s a matte, so it helps to balance out the shimmer of Phloof!)
• Smashbox Etch eyeshadow (Is this no longer sold in the Smashbox line? I got mine in a set through HauteLook so I’m not sure. Anyway, I tap a bit of this into my outer corners and blend to the middle of the lids.)
• Christian Siriano for Victoria’s Secret eyeshadow in Royalty (This was limited edition, and I bought at the VS outlet in San Marcos. It’s a gorgeous chocolate brown shade, and I use it to deepen the outer V.)
• Rimmel Soft Kohl Kajal Eyeliner in Pure White (I line my waterline with this to open up my eyes and make me look wide awake!)
• Prestige Total Intensity Eyeliner in Bold Brown (I line my upper and lower lash lines with this for definition.)
• Urban Decay Skyscraper Multi-Benefit Mascara (After curling my lashes, I apply this to my upper lashes. I have a mini-tube of this, and I love the control I have with the brush!)
• Upper Canada Naturally Lip Butter in Sweet Vanilla Fig (Holy gosh, I got this at a Buc-ees convenience store on the road during our vacation last week, and I LOVE it! Most conditioning lip butter ever, and I have super dry lips!)
• MAC Viva Glam Gaga lipstick (such a Barbie pink!)
• Revlon Super Lustrous Lipgloss in Lilac Pastelle (softens up the Gaga and gives me a baby pink pout)

Gosh, that looks like a lot in a bulleted list, doesn’t it? But remember, I’m doing a full face of makeup, and I’m not blessed enough to have such good skin that I can leave stuff out.

So that’s what I’m wearing tonight. Hope you like it! What did you wear today?