WEEKLY REVIEW: Eyeshadow #2

     Since I already started, I'd like to continue on this 'eyeshadow roll' and post a review on more eyeshadows. I'm sorry for the love fest, but I really liked all of these. There was nothing terribly bad about any of them. I would only choose one brand over another, by personal preference, availability and/or convenience. What I can tell you is that currently in my kit are Coastal Scents and Ofra shadows.
     POP, Gosh. Cargo and Lisi don't really make convenient package for artists or have the range of either colors or finishes I would like to have. Also, Cargo is constantly changing formulas, so that inconsistency scares me.

Lisi $6-$9 per eyeshadow (lisicosmetics.com) LOVE these! I love the brightness of the colors, the pigmentation and wear. I wish they made a palette of these shadows.
     When I first saw them I was struggling on which colors to get, since there are so many, and I only wanted to test a couple, before committing to the line. I was not disappointed.
     Lisi shadows are pigment, especially for the price! The only thing I don't like is that they don't have a palette. The wear on these shadows is excellent! It's a brand, that if you had to, could be used w/o a primer. (Currently having a 50% sale on their website)

Coastal Scents $9-$25 per palette (coastalscents.com) I keep these in my kit at all times. There are so many colors, they are all pigmented and last a long time! Coastal Scents has over 300 colors, that I wish I could get all in a palette. The largest palette is the 252.  For the most part all the shadows last all day, there are a few that might crease, but they're hard to pin point and are almost worth not even mentioning, so just forget I even said it. :) If you can't find a color in this brand, then the color doesn't exist! They have everything. The problem is choosing which colors to use each day.

GOSH $12 for a trio (duanereade, goshcosmetics.com) -This is a Swedish brand here in America. The colors are bright with good pigmentation. The wear is good. These shadows feel  hard, but they are able to be manipulated and blended. It would just question the grouping. The colors they put together are either very slightly different, or supplementary. I would recommend primer, mostly to combat the potential fading of the shadows.




POP $24 (duanereade, popbeauty.com)-I like the palettes, I just think the texture is kind of powdery. Plus, these shadows appear to be very fragile. There isn't a brush soft enough that won't create some type of extra dust when picking a color. Primer is HIGHLY recommended ( a good primer too! i.e. Urban Decay or Too Faced) or the shadows WILL crease and badly!

     Personally, I would prefer NYX shadows because of the amount you get in each shadow and the quality  of the NYX vs POP. NYX is just slightly better, being that they hold up better in the packaging and work with ANY primer.

OFRA $79 per palette (ofracosmetics.com) -These shadows are a few things.
1. Amazing colors- probably the most you get in any brights palette.
2. pigmented- again the yellow is a bit of a problem, but I am slowly accepting the "yellow problem" with any brand of eyeshadow.
3. quality-for the deeper colors (which is most of the palette, with the exception of 2) you only need a small amount.
      Most shadows you usually need to layer, but you don't have to layer the color with these. The shadows come off the palette in full strength. Since the shadows are also large in size, you are looking at having this palette for a LONG time.
     This palette can also be used wet or dry. I tried both ways and the yellow became more pigmented when used wet. Another plus is that these shadows dry super fast if you choose to use them wet. These can be worn with or w/o primer.

Inglot $7-$9 per shadow (inglotusa.com)-Inglot means layering, at least that's how I see it.  Inglot is made for layering and blending, they practically blend themselves. I do like these, they remind me of Lisi shadows, but with more of a color and finish range.   
Inglot shadows are 'creamy' especially for powder colors.
Like I mentioned, layering is a must, I think they are just designed that way. These do crease but, I think the 'creamy' texture makes the creases almost invisible, kind of like the shadow moves itself around on the lid and blends itself back together, LOL. It's weird, I'm weird and that's the best way I can think to explain it.

Cargo $16 single shadow/ $40 per palette (duane reade, cargocosmetics.com)- These are great, but the quality changes over each product. Some single shadows are good, some are bad. The palettes have great quality shadows, but little variety as far as texture. They are all shimmer colors in 'Paris' palette. You don't need a lot of eyeshadow , they are very close to urban decay quality. These also work with any primer, or with nothing at all. The colors are a big deceiving in the palette. I recommend swatching them before applying them to your face.

NYX $4-$6 single shadow/ $8-$30 per palette (ulta, cvs, nyxcosmetics.com)-I have tried a variety of NYX shadows, the palettes, the singles, the primals, WHATEVER!
I love the quality of the NYX singles as opposed to the palettes. The palette colors are just close in tone and will work together, but don't provide much variety as far as dark and light shades. They do have a good mix of shimmer and matte shadows per palette though.
     The Primals, I LOVE. I honestly think NYX should extend the primal range and include the same colors in a shimmer finish. Even without using the NYX white primer these colors are bright and pigmented! My only complaint would be the yellow. Without the whit underneath, the yellow requires a few layers to look as bright as it is in the package.
The singles are great too. They are affordable, small and come in such a variety of colors that you can crate your own palette.
     For all the NYX eyeshadows-they can be used with or w/o primer ( However, I recommend primer to decrease creasing and increase wear) They are a great quality for a great price!

WEEKLY REVIEW: Eyeshadow

     Out of all the reviews I think this one might be the one a lot of people have been waiting for. To test these eyeshadows, I tried them once, and sometimes twice with a different primer. I used NYX white eye base as the first primer and just to give the makeup a fair chance, I retested the shadows using Urban Decay's primer.
     All shadow will crease, eventually, it's just a matter of how long and what primer will cut down the creasing time and how noticeable the creasing is. I have had some eyeshadows survive overnight, even after a deep sleep...but that's a story for another day :) 
I've had some shadows crease so badly, that they damn near disappeared! I've had others that had such small creases, that it's hardly noticeable.

So where do we start?

Covergirl $3-$6 (drugstores) These shadows don't work AT ALL if you use them dry!!! The brighter colors, like the green and blues work wet, but the pink/purples barely show up wet or dry. The only color that worked dry was the silver. I wouldn't waste time or money on these. I am actually struggling on what to do with mine...I'll probably give them to my niece to play with.


Covergirl Flamed Out Eyeshadows $5 - Now these work! I haven't had to try them wet to 'force' them to work, because they work so well dry. With any primer or alone the colors show up. In the entire collection there are about 12 colors which is a mix of brights and neutrals. I think they should extend this line and totally do away with the regular line. The white was more of a "fairy dust" than an actually white. I still love it as an under brow highlight color though.
There is creasing, (using NYX primer) but it's such small thin creasing, it could be ignored.


Urban Decay $52 (Sephora, ulta, urbandecay.com) - These palettes are 50 bucks a pop for a reason. There are pigment and lasts all day with or without primer and no creasing. When you break it down $52 for 12 eyeshadows
 (not including double ended brush and primer/lipgloss added to the package) it's about $5 a shadow, which is as much as you would pay for a single eyeshadow in a drugstore. Plus, you need so little of the product it will last a long time. My ONLY complaint would be about the inconsistency of the blacks as you cross reference them from palette to palette.


Wet n' Wild $4-$6 (drugstores)- The matte colors crease HORRIBLY and they aren't pigmented. The regular shimmer/ glitter colors are better, but their pigmentation varies. The deeper colors seem to be better and of course silver the is good. Even with primer the colors fade throughout the day.





Victoria Secret $30 (Victoria Secret)- Victoria Secret makes makeup? Who knew?! I went in the store with a $10 off of $30 coupon to buy underwear, but ended up dropping the 'draws' to buy makeup instead. I picked up this palette, because of the colors and it even came with a card showing a couple of  'how to' looks. You could have some real fun with this palette. The pigmentation is great and the shadows last all day. Overall, the Victoria Secret eyeshadows are a quality product and area a good contender to other popular brands
 ( I wouldn't say MAC or UD, but Stila, Smashbox, POP would be a good comparison.)



Physicians Formula $12-$14 (drugstores)-All the colors are light. Light in texture and variety of colors. There are a lot of golds, silvers, metallic in general. PF is meant to be light and buildable. The palettes are great learning or beginner colors. They are not very strong colors, but universally flattering for all color eyes. I would only recommend this palette for adolescents and older adults.

Shades by Gal $46 (shadesbygal.com)-This palette, the colors selections, pigmentation, quality, and combination of the universally flattering satin and matte colors, IMMEDIATELY reminded me of Makeup Designory. Makeup Designory is classic and rivals any brand in quality, Shades By Gal colors can compete with them as well!
The eyeshadows blend very well and are easily buildable. Just a little goes a long way! Naturally, the colors last all day. *this palette is no longer available on the website, but there is a spring palette available as well as individual colors*

ELF $1-$15 (eyeslipsface.com)- ELF is hit or miss, some of the colors are true to their original color, Some are a totally different color once they're on. I recommend primer. The "bright" colors aren't as pigmented as they seem. The browns, metallics and pinks are good. The purples are often hard to tell from the blues, and both are a different color once actually applied. Of course these shadows crease, but with a combination of concealer and primer it can be avoided.
    



 I know this isn't ALL the eyeshadow brands, but I'm slowly and surely getting there. I just wanted to give a mix of price points with this first review. There will be MANY more of these, so let's call this version 1. Plus this review would be entirely too long with 20 brands on 1 page.
Here are brands to come: (please comment with any brands I may miss)
-GOSH                   -Sephora
-Revlon                  -Beauty Gems
-Maybelline           -Cargo
-L'Oreal                 -NYC
-POP                      -Lauren Luke
-NYX                     -Inglot
-Stila                      -Coastal Scents
-H&M                    -BH
-Forever 21            -Hard Candy
-Clinique                -Lisi
-Estee Lauder         -Prestige
-Ofra                       -Micheal Marcus
-Sigma                    -Impulse
-Mac                       -MUFE
-MUD                     -Sugarpill
-No. 7

BEAUTY NEWS!!!!!

     Hey everyone! I have LOTS of news to share with all of you! I just accepted a position as a beauty advisor for Duane reade/Walgreens. I also accepted another position as a makeup artist with Socialite  for a Night. I am so excited!! I can't wait to start.
     You're probably tired of hearing about me now, so let's talk makeup. Maybelline is revamping their new "fit me" line and added 4 new deeper shades! I think that's excellent news, especially for us gals who can NEVER find the 1 right shade and for the women that most makeup companies tend to leave out with their limited number of colors.

SALES!!!
      Sleek makeup is FINALLY having a sale. Everything is 20% off when u spend $30 or more...which is easy to do. They have an amazing range of foundation colors. Plus all their items are Quality!
   Ulta is doing their 21 days of beauty again, where each day you'll get a special deal. It started Sunday and goes into April. Items I'm most excited about are during week 3. There will be Anastasia brow gel (AMAZING!!)it will be on sales for 50% off, that's $11!!! You won't get a deal like that anywhere!!!!  There  will also be online deals, so check out the link for days and details.

 

Walgreens

BOGO 50%- Covergirl, Revlon, Nivea, L'Oreal, Neutrogena, Aveeno, Boots skincare for men, Maybelline

Lumene 40% off

Olay 2/$5

 

Rite Aid

BOGO 50%- L'Oreal makeup and skincare, Neutrogena, Covergirl, Revlon, Almay, Maybelline

Rimmel 40% off

 

CVS

BOGO 50%- Covergirl, Neutrogena, Rimmel, Almay, Maybelline, Lumene, Wet n' Wild, Neutrogena

Revlon nail & Physicians formula are buy 2 get 1 free

 

Now time for our CHALLENGE, which was using 1 palette for the entire week. You can see day to day looks by following me on Instagram @ aprilmaykup.
Here are the rules:

BEAUTY CHALLENGE DETAILS
-Choose a random small palette ( 3 or 4 colors)
-Use the chosen palette AND ONLY that chosen palette for the entire 7 days, in any combination you like.
-Any eyeliner, primer, mascara may be used,  just no other cream or powders shadows.
-A new palette will be chosen every week for the next 4 weeks.

 
The palette I chose at random was "Lotus".  It's a 3 color palette by LA Colors. I spent about $1 on it because it was on clearance. One thing is for sure, this should be VERY interesting! Below I have attached swatches and a pic of the palette.

 

 

GOOD LUCK!!

I'll see you all again, later in the week!!

 

 

 

WEEKLY REVIEW: Eyeshadow Brushes

     So next up for "Brush Month" Eye Shadow Brushes! I have tried many, a lot of them not so high end...I actually got NYX shadow brushes 3 for $5 at this "hoochie clothing store". They were on clearance. They had ELF stuff too, but it was over priced, I would have done much better getting it from the website. Who sells ELF items 3 for $12? Anyway...on to the review.

ELF Eyeshadow Brushes ($1/$3) eyeslipsface.com-I love these brushes and have been using the ones from the studio set for over a year. They're still very well put together. The essential brushes are just as good. I own quite a few. I even had them as a $1 *GEM* last year.

Coastal Scents Eyeshadow Brush BRCN02 ($4) coastalscents.com-I love, love, love this brush! It's study, fluffy, soft, picks up a lot of shadow and spreads it evenly! After getting a free brush in one of my beauty boxes, I ordered more. I never thought I would like natural brushes. I had fears of break outs and the smell of the brushes when they're wet is a little of putting. BUT if you wash them with shampoo and conditioner they smell better.

NYX Shadow 1 Brush ($5) nyx.com-NYX brushes kinda scare me. Out of the package they already look "well loved". After the initial wash, they look better, but it doesn't take much for them to start to look bad. Once I got these brushes, I discovered the TRUE meaning of brush keepers. It works well, I actually went and bought a few more, but I wonder about the longevity of these brushes.

Crown Eyeshadow Brush ($20/ for the set) crownbrush.us or hautelook.com-the M.O. of these brushes seem to be that they're light, and don't have tightly packed bristles. I use this and the blender brush to apply color, but not to blend. The brush just isn't strong enough to blend colors. The brush head is just too long and not built for the blending process.

 Bdellium Tools Antibacterial Eyeshadow Brush 774 ($10) bdelliumtools.com- This brush is made very well, but something about it makes it too light and hard to maneuver. I think the brush head is just too long. I have been thinking about cutting down the bristles to make them shorter and easier to maneuver.

I have PLENTY more brushes to review, these are just a few for now. Stay tuned! I have more coming.
I do have some brush I DO NOT love or even remotely like! I'll let you know all about those products later, maybe even in a video...HMMMMM...

MAKEUP BRUSHES: Which brushes are the essential brushes?

     What brushes are a MUST have for any makeup application? This might be hard to answer being that everyone uses the different brushes for different things, even their unintended purposes. I do it too, it's not a crime! If it works for you, do it!
     Below is a list of MUST HAVE brushes for makeup application. I'll get into brands and reviews throughout the month on each brush type.

1- The 'fluffy' Powder Brush
This brush is used for powder foundation application. I like fluffy big brushes! I feel like they cover more area in a shorter amount of time and provide a lighter application.
The powder brush is essential because you use it to apply powder to set you liquid or cream foundation. You can also use it to apply bronzer.

2-The Eyeshadow Brush
Of course you use this to apply eyeshadow. BUT, there are different eye shadow brushes I like to use.
I like "C" shaped brushes with a fluffier tip if I'm applying shadow to my entire lid. These type of brushes usually hold a lot of powder and cover the area quickly and evenly. You can even feather the eyeshadow or blend colors using this type of brush.
There are other types of shadow brushes, like the "squared" tip. In my opinion these brushes aren't good for blending. They can apply shadow, but you would need a blending brush to aid in your application.
*TIP* I usually have at least 2 eyeshadow brushes on hand to use.

3-The Blush Brush
I think the blush brush is essential ONLY if you wear blush/bronzer. You could use your powder brush, but you would have to clean it between uses. People have their favorite shape of blush brush.
Angled- can be used for contouring as well
Round- typical type of brush. the roundness mimics the roundness of the cheeks. May be easier to manipulate for beginners.
Pointed (Arrow)-can also be used for contouring. This is my personal favorite. It's versatile and can mimic a angled or round brush.

 

4-The Concealer Brush
Again, self explanatory. Not everyone use concealer, but it's still an essential brush.
The concealer brush can not only be used for concealer, but for color corrector, eye primer and cream eyeshadow.

5. A Brow Brush
ANY type of brow brush will do!
For powder or gel application, use a small angled brush.
(this brush can also be used to for gel or cake liner)
For pencil application, a spoolie brush is great.
For general grooming a regular brow brush/comb combo tool will be just fine!

If you are looking to more BEYOND the basics, try these...
Lip brush- for even application and creating fun looks, by mixing colors or an ombre effect.
Blending brush-used in conjunction with your eyeshadow brush to blend colors together. I also use the brush to add a highlight color underneath my brows.
Contour brush-I use different sizes for different purposes. A small angled one can be used on the nose (you can also use an blending brush).
A larger angled or oval tip contour brush is used to contour the rest of the face.
Stipple brush-I LOVE this brush! It's a person FAVORITE! I use it to apply liquid foundation and sometimes even blend it. It aids in a light, even application.
Liner Brush-For gel, or cake liner application.
Foundation brush-used for cream or cream to powder foundation.
Fan Brush- Honestly, I use to think this brush was a waste. It came in every brush set I own. I keep a couple in my kit to cleanup eyeshadow fallout on the cheeks. Recently, I used it to contour my nose. It worked out very well!

30 Day Palette Challenge !!

DRUM ROLL PLEASE!!!

     I am happy to announce that the palette I will be using for the next 30 days is my Leopard palette by Crown.

I bought this during a special on hautelook.com a few months ago, so we'll approximate the value @$20.    

(side note there are crown brush sets and makeup currently on sale at hautelook) 

 

Pros

• 36 colors
• Different color families
• Variety
• Lights and darks
• Fashion and neutral colors

 

Cons

• No black or white
• All shimmer finishes
• Opalescence of the colors make the color change with different angles and lighting. I could possibly walk out the house with something that looked fabulous at home but terrible in different lighting.

 

this is a pic of some of the colors and my little note :)

 

Halloween Look #3-Mermaid

My final Halloween look is the Mermaid.

It can be broken down into 2 sections. If you want to do just the eyes for the mermaid look, Fantastic!

But after that I take it a little further adding scales on my forehead and cheek area.

 

Materials:
Shimmer eyeshadows in purple,  royal blue, sea green and gold
Darker foundation 1 shades  ( for contour,  if have a contour kit, it's equally as good!) A matte brown shadow may also be used.
Blue/teal liquid eyeliner (gel liner may also be used)
Eyeshadow primer or tinted cream shadow
Hair net 
Green or teal/blue mascara

Materials I used:
100 elf palette  $10
Nyx eye base  $6
Elf liquid liner pen  $1
Hair net (borrowed) $3
Rimmel teal mascara $4

Step 1
I applied my foundation. I actually used a color 1 shade lighter than my  normal color. I did this because I new I'd be. Applying a dark blue and a lot of contour in places it wouldn't normally be.

Step 2
I wanted to create a thinner looking,  fish like face, so I contoured my nose thinner. I also contoured my cheeks, starting At the usual point by the earlobe but bringing it down to the jaw bone, and chin.  Don't forget underneath the chin as well.

Step 3
I wanted to get the eyes right! I wanted this look to be pretty and give you options. Essentially you could just do the eyes and end your mermaid look there w/o using the extra steps.
First I primed the eye and eyebrows with the white base. I even did the bottom lash line.
Next apply your sea green shadow all

Over the eye and on the bottom lash line.
Our royal blue goes in the crease. 
Blend that in the entire socket area.
The purple goes in the inner and outer corners of the eye.
Add the blue liner.
I forgot to add the mascara until all the way at the end. If you're stopping here add the green or teal/blue mascara and you're done! But for those that want to push the mermaid look further move on to the next steps.

For my brows, I tapped in the blue eyeshadow with a brush. 

Step 4
I tied a hairnet around my face. Try not to laugh at my pic :)
We'll be adding different layers for an iridescent look.
First I dabbed for blue on my forehead and cheeks.
Next I put some purple
Then sea green
And last gold
I layered them in some areas to give the translucent, opal like effect of scales.
I sprayed the areas with a fixative to stop it from moving around, then removed the hairnet.





Step 5
As a final accent and to make the scales more noticeable (or to clean up mistakes) you can take a concealer and lightly go over the lines made by the hairnet.

Step 6 (remember to moisturize the lips first!)
LIPS
First color lips with eye primer.
Put sea green in the center of the lip.
then blue on either side of the green.
lastly add purples to the corners of the lips.

VIOLA!!! take a look at the mermaid you!

Best $10 I ever spent AND $1gem

     I had to join these two segments this week because it was absolutely necessary!
     I am not familiar with Ruby Kisses. I've seen them around and I did try their liquid liner once. It was was good, but as I recall I found a cheaper on that was better. It happens!!
Anyway, after seeing this in the  store many times I decided to buy them. I went to my gem of a beauty supply store on my way to the train...I tend to factor in an additional 10 minutes to my trip just so I can browse.
     So I see these Ruby Kisses colors and I'm amazed! They're bright! VERY bright and I couldn't help myself. They reminded me of when I brought by first bright palette,  the sky opened up and I heard the cosmetic angels sing. With the colors, I saw a customizable 4 color palette, so naturally I just had to by 4 to fill it!  I chose 4 colors that I would wear together and give me a variety of looks.  There are matte and shimmer finishes for almost every color. I chose all shimmer b/c I have a matte bright palette already. I did choose 1 matte in white. (Because now I'm on the hunt for a true white shadow and I want to see if it delivers.)
The palette was $3
Each shadow was $1!!!!
      If you want to fill the palette it would only cost you $7  (without tax of course)
     There are 34 colors to choose from, so have a ball and make your palette to fit you, your lifestyle  and your taste!
      As for the eyeshadow.  It's soft. They are very blendable! You can actually mix a whole new color right on your eye.
     They are rather pigmented and used with a primer the colors become even brighter. There is also no fallout. Might I add that the shadows last all day!

                                                                   ADDED BONUS!!!

I walked into Bloomingdales today and was complimented on my makeup by the Estee Lauder consultant and the MAC consultant...wouldn't they be shocked to know my eyeshadow was $1!!

In the top left-  outside of the palette, top right-inside of the palette, filled with my original 4 choices
bottom-the inside of the palette and my additional colors

                                              

Beauty news

Hello again!!!
I hope everyone enjoyed their 3 day weekend!
I missed the review last week :( and it's unfortunate.  I have all my notes on my old computer, which is now DEAD. So I have to remember and write new reviews for every product I've already tried...plus it's been so long, that I now have more products to add to the mix! I PROMISE the cleanser review will be up this Wednesday...or at least 1/2 of it. There's a lot of info to digest.

Sales this week:
Ulta
Same sales as last week will be going on for the entire month.
Today I got and email offering a special!
A 5 piece bare minerals bag AND a 12 piece ulta beauty bag with purchase of $40 or more...I'm sure it's $40 but it could be 50 (don't quote me on that LOL)

Rite aid
Covergirl, Revlon, Biore, L'oreal, Maybelline bogo 50%
Loreal youthcode& revitalift 19.99
Almay foundation, powder &blush 8.99
Physicians Formula face 40% off
Simple, Oxy and Phisoderm cleansers $4.99

Walgreens
Covergirl, L'oreal, Revlon, Yes, Roc bogo 50%
L'oreal skincare 13.99-19.99

 

CVS
Maybelline, CVS brand beauty, Clearasil, Acnefree, Covergirl, Milani BOGO 50%
Neutrogena moisturizer and devices buy 2 get 1 free 

 

     So I've been thinking about our next challenge and I would like to make it all about cutting down the morning routine. I don't know about you, but I can never wake up on time in the winter time. I usually end up cutting back on my morning routine and there's only so much to cut, since I MUST smell good and brush my teeth! Bb cream will be a quicker application for me and maybe you too.

     In addition to this bb cream trial which I plan to last 2 weeks, I'd like to only use 1 eyeshadow palette, this would run for the entire month!! I have quite a few palettes and every day I'm using a new one or some of my single shadows. Again, this will cut down my prep and force me to get more creative with my looks.

    Coming up this week, I will also have another halloween look,  (this time I used a model), a review and the return of the best $10 I ever spent.

Halloween Look #1 Baby Doll

 

    All month I'll be posting Halloween looks.  Since this is Beauty on a Budget,  the looks will be inexpensive, pretty and easy! Did I mention inexpensive?
I will us items I already own and maybe some Halloween makeup too, even though that stuff isn't really that good for your skin.

 

 

 

 

 

For this look the required items are:
-your normal concealer, foundation, powder etc.
-hot pink blush (a hot pink matte eyeshadow will also suffice)
-powder foundation 1 or 2 shades darker that natural complexion. ( you can substitute this for a matte eyeshadow, or matte bronzer)
-nude eyeshadow with shimmer
-hot pink lipstick & lip liner
-concealer 1 or 2 shades lighter than your natural complexion
-mascara 
-mascara primer
-black gel eyeliner( you can use a liquid liner if you prefer)
-white eyeliner pencil

Optional
-white eyeshadow primer
-white eyeshadow
-false lashes and lash glue (for the pros)

What products I used:
-elf acne pressed powder in spice & cocoa (1 shade darker) -total $2
-revlon dna  pressed powder in light( 2 shades lighter)-on clearance $3
-elf conceal in medium 1 shade lighter -$1                                          

 -l'oreal true match w8 (sample size)-$3 for a trio
-elf studio blush-$3
-NYX eyeshadow primer in white-$6  
-elf 100 palette-$10
-elf mascara primer-$3
-loreal telescopic mascara- $11
-wet n wild black gel liner-$3
-wet n wild dollhouse pink matte lipstick-$2
-nicka k pink lip liner-$2

 

Step 1
Put on your makeup as normal. Covering blemishes and etc. If you need to go heavier than usual its ok, BUT DO NOT set your liquid of cream foundation with powder yet.
Step 2           
Directly in the center of the bridge of your nose dab the lighter concealer  from the center point on your nose straight across to your ear. Do this to both sides.
Step 3 
Blend the concealer by lightly tapping with your fingers.  It should look like a weird highlight on the face, we don't want it fully blended in, just even no not leave streaks.

Set your makeup using the lighter powder on the highlight and you regular powder.

 

Step 4   SMILE!

This will help you place the contour line.
Using your darker foundation

 ( or eyeshadow),  with a brush, locate the bottom  area of the light concealer you just applied. It should be on the bottom of the cheekbone by your earlobe. Dab the powder in a line from your earlobe to your nose- don't cover the nose with the powder. Do the same to the other side.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Step 5
The hard part is now over!
Apply the nude shimmer shadow and black gel liner to your lids. 
Step 6
Apply the white liner on your waterline and on your lower lash line. This will work just fine, however, I used the NYX white shadow primer on my lower lash line and set it with white shadow.
Step 7
Apply mascara primer and let dry a minute. Then apply a coat of mascara let this dry another minute and curl your lashes. Immediately apply another coat of mascara. If you lash stick together a bit, it's fine! My did and it gave me  even more doll-like eye.

 

**If you are applying fake lashes then you would do it now. Still curl, prime and add a coat of mascara before adding lashes.

Step 8
Using your liner draw 3 or 4 long eye lashes at the outer corner of  each eye.
Step 9
Using blush or pink shadow apply 2 pink circles of blush right on the apples of your cheeks.
Then using a q tip and your darker powder (or shadow), dot on freckles.  (I chose to only apply 4, but you can do more or less) The q tip is just easy to use and gets the perfect round shape.

Step 10
Use your concealer to cover your entire lips. I set mine concealer with powder just so it would stay longer
Step 11
Then draw on cute puckered lips on top with your lip pencil. The pencil might be faint, but it's just to get a line of where to put the lipstick. I drew kind of a rounded heart shape on my lips. 
Step 12
Fill in your lips using the pink lipstick. If you make a mistake just fix it with the concealer.
                                          

 

Now your done! Although I do recommend a big bow  pink  to really complete the look!

If you have any questions or comments just reply below and I will answer them ASAP!

              

I'm BACK and No Buy Month Extras!!!

   HEY ALL YOU BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE!!!
   So I am officially back!!! So far i'm loving my new computer. It's SUPER fast, I made sure of that. I should even start taking pics with the camera and having them automatically on my computer instead of transferring them to my phone. One less step always saves time!
      I feel like I've missed SO much. I know, I've missed you all VERY much. I feel like you missed a lot to. I didn't get to do anything I planned for "No Buy Month". I had so many fun things and info to share. I'll try to shove as much info into you as I can without overwhelming you.

As you all may know, the purpose of "No Buy Month" was to:
-use products I already own
-give previously disliked products another chance
-use other products in creative new ways
-save money
-save waste

     One of my main missions was to make those notorious NYX jumbo eye pencils work for me. I used them as a base and them put powder on top of the pencil as normal. I was able to build on top of them, making my eyeshadow damn near permanent and totally creaseless. I would recommend using a waterproof remover to take the eye makeup off.
In the picture, I used the purple jumbo eye stick all over, then set that with a lilac pressed powder eyeshadow. I placed lavender powder in the center of my eyelid and blueish purple in the outer corner.


     I also used the NYX sticks as lipstick. This was difficult b/c I got the same results as I did when I used them as eyeshadow. The color rubs off so easily. The lighter colors act more like a lip gloss that a lipstick. I used the black and purple NYX sticks together, and though I loved the result, I knew it would only be temporary... VERY temporary. There is a pic of the result on the right.
    I tried the gold and bronze colors together AND with and eye primer on my lips. The eye primer was by ELF. It is definitely NOT supposed to be used on lips. It's drying to the lips and just made the colors look like a nude lipstick rather than a gold shimmer.


     Lastly, while I was trying out this new "lipstick", I removed the terrible results with eye makeup remover. Did I tell you anything that can be used on your eyes can be used on your lips, such as eye/wrinkle creams and remover? Well just in case I didn't, anything that can be used on your eyes can be used on your lips. I used my previously disliked Wet n' Wild Eye Makeup remover. I am down to a TINY bit of my precious Sephora remover, so when I remembered that I still had this, my day brightened that much more! It removed my "lipstick" completely!! even my failed experiment with the primer! There was no irritation, but still PLEASE don't swallow it! I know you're smart and I shouldn't have to say it, but I have to cover my butt regardless! In any case, I'm glad I didn't have to toss that remover. It was a full bottle and I feel terrible about wasting things. Guess this "No Buy Month" was successful!

Overall the NYX Jumbo Sticks make AWESOME bases. If you use them in conjunction with a primer, such as the NYX eyeshadow base, and apply your powdered eyeshadow colors on top, you should be in for eye makeup that will make it through the apocalypse and beyond!