Lorac Pro 2 Palette -- A Quick Look

Products used:
Revlon Colorstay Foundation
MAC Prolongwear Concealer
Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Diffused Light
Benefit Hoola Bronzer
Tarte Amazonian Clay Blushes in Exposed and Buff
Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Luminous Light
Chanel Illusion D’Ombre in Emerveille 
Lorac Pro 2 Palette 
Kat Von D Tattoo Liner in Trooper
Jordana Best Lash Extreme Volumizing Mascara

For the eye look:
Chanel Illusion D’Ombre as a base
Snow on the inner corner of the eye (to brighten) (bottom left row)
Beige on the inner 1/3 of the lid (second on bottom row)
Rose on the outer 2/3 (third on bottom row)
Lt. Brown and Nectar mixed to blend and soften the crease (matte colors top row)
Beige and Rose on the lower lash line (Beige on the inside, Rose on the outside)

Tarte Off The Cuff Amazonian Blush Palette is BACK

Holiday 2013 brought us the the amazing Tarte Off The Cuff Amazonian Clay Blush Palette. And in a few weeks, it was gone. Luckily, I’m happy to report that it is back!! At Ulta, and online only right now...for $38 you receive 4 full size blushes (one costs $26) and a Park Avenue Princess bronzer. Can you say amazing deal? 

click here to buy it online at Ulta

Update: As of 8/22/14, the palette has been taken off of the site. Keep an eye out for it’s reappearance!

Photo courtesy of Amazon.com

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide on Lip Pencil in Naked

This is what I would consider the fair girl’s version of the Kylie Jenner lip trend!

Urban Decay’s 24/7 Glide on Lip Pencil in Naked (Sephora, $20)

(eye look using the Lorac Pro 2 palette and Stila Stay All Day Liquid Liner in Moss)

Swag from Tarte 30% Off Sale Event

-Tarte Rainforest After Dark Palette ($38, Sephora)  

-Amazonian Clay 12-Hr Blushes in Exposed and Buff ($26, Sephora)

Exposed (left) & Buff (right)

Exposed (left) & Buff (right)

Urban Decay Naked Basics 2 Coming Soon!!

The original Naked Basics palette is the only Naked palette I don’t own. I just didn’t think it was worth it! The yellow tones just did not strike my fancy and the color range (I found) is nothing special.

Well, meet the Naked Basics 2 palette! Coming soon, according to the Urban Decay website, a 6 shadow palette with more pink toned neutrals. But the range seems much broader! I see the perfect everyday quick neutral eye. Left 2 for the lid, center 2 for crease and right 2 for the outer v. 

Obviously would need to swatch it in person, first. But it looks very promising!

The Scotch Tape Trick -- Wednesdate Wednesday

Scotch tape has been my new best friend when it comes to eyeshadow. When you’re in a hurry, have to do a quick look but don’t want to look like you’ve scribbled carelessly all over your lid -- use scotch tape to create a clean line. This way, when you’re blending, you don’t need to worry about making a mess. I don’t know why it has taken me so long to start using this!

Products used:

Revlon Colorstay Foundation, NYX HD Concealer, Nars Crystal Radiant Powder, Anastasia BH Dipbrow Pomade in Blonde, Benefit Hoola bronzer, Benefit Dandelion Box Blush, Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Luminous Light, bareMinerals 5in1 cream eyeshadow in Blushing Pink, Nars Charade eyeshadow duo, Lorac eyeshadow in Pewter, Stila Stay-All-Day Liquid Liner, Kat Von D Eyeshadow in Heavens, Jordana 12 Hr liner in Jade Jewel, YSL Babydoll Mascara, Rimmel Exaggerate Lip Liner in East End Snob, Burts Bees Matte Lip Crayon in Carolina Coast

July 2014 Favorites

This month has been a pretty light makeup month. And cream products have been my absolute go-to as they are quick and withstand the summer heat!

Tarte Off the Cuff Blush Palette- From the Holiday 2013 collection, the Tarte blushes last forever and don’t oxidize
Stila Convertible Color in Peony - amazing product. Has been a staple for years. And for good reason. This color is fabulous as a blush or even on the lips.
Stila Convertible Color in Camellia - my favorite shade in this product. It’s a bronzy color with slight pink undertones. Amazing for quickly warming up the face.
Laura Mercier Caviar Stick Eye Color in Khaki, Rose Gold and Amethyst - by far my favorite cream shadow (in stick form). This formula lasts forever and has a slight metallic finish that is beautiful for summer. So easy to apply and head right out the door!
YSL Babydoll Mascara - I received a sample of this mascara as a point perk from Sephora. It gives me great length and separation and a descent amount of volume! When I’m finished with the other eight thousand mascaras I’ve recently purchased, I may have to get a full size of this!
Rimmel Scandaleyes Eye Paint in Chestnut Taupe - a great drugstore cream eyeshadow. Staying power is fantastic and a good range of neutrals to choose from!
Mario Badescu Facial Spray with Aloe, Herbs & Rosewater - the perfect pick me up to give your skin hydration. Can also be used to set makeup!
Mario Badescu Glycolic Foaming Cleanser - my new miracle worker! I received this sample with an Ulta purchase and will be buying a full size. Using it 2-3 times/wk, it reduces discoloration and smoothes skin. Amazing!
Serge Normant Meta Revive Dry Conditioner -  a Birchbox find, this not only softens and tames the hair...it smells a-mazing! I use this as the last step of my hair routine.
Scotch Tape - how have I not used this before? This may sound weird, but putting this from the outer corner of your eye towards you eyebrows before applying eyeshadow/liner will give you a crisp/clean line. Just make sure to apply concealer after as it will pick up any makeup you’ve already put on!

JCrew Panama Hat -- Summer Looks

Filter vs No Filter 

Such a great summer staple! Not to mention a JCrew summer staple for a number of years. This year, they’ve offered brighter contrast ribbon choices. Which as of now, are on sale! 

JCrew Contrast Ribbon Panama Hat

Mini Haul

Hubbles and I were in Indy for some appointments, and after, we decided to hit up the Fashion Mall in order to shop and peruse without the weekend traffic! It was fabulous!! Right now in store, JCrew is having an Extra 50% off sale items (online it’s only 40%). Naturally I took about 75 things into the  fitting rooms, only to find that nothing was looking right. Don’t you just hate those days? But of course I couldn’t walk away empty handed, so being the perpetual accessories girl, I snagged 2 pairs of earrings, $8 and $10. I mean come on, who could say no? And also their signature Panama hat but with a gorgeous neon orange contrast ribbon ($22!). Perfect summer staple!

Next, Ulta. Had to stop here so Hubbles could stock up on his favorite Crew shampoo. I also decided to give the new bareMinerals 5in1 cream eyeshadows a whirl. I picked up the shade ‘Blushing Pink’ -- stay tuned for a review! And of course, at checkout, they had the Too Faced Better Than Sex mascara set, which included a travel size for free. And I fell for it. 

Finally, Nordstrom Rack. My spirit animal. And of course, with an empty store and multitudes of time, I just could NOT find anything. Here and there I’d see maybes that were quickly vetoed by Hubbles. He scored major in the shoes and activewear departments, sadly, I came away empty handed...until the checkout. I’m seeing a pattern here! In those plastic bowls, I spotted Stila Smudge Crayons in Pink Violet and Antique. Now, at Sephora they retail for $22. I picked mine up for $3.30 and $7.97. Well, clearly they came home with me! Sidenote: do check your cosmetics at The Rack...I find many packages have been broken into and touched. People, they have testers for a reason! 

Not too bad for an impromptu trip! Stay tuned for reviews etc on these items...

Stay beautiful!

- M