One of my favorite blogs is written by Karen in Novato, CA: Makeup and Beauty Blog. She has a terrific sense of humor and I love her creative reviews/posts on products (as well as the luscious food pics).
This past week, she has been posting awesome Halloween costume ideas and one in particular stood-out!
CRAZY CAT LADY!!!!!!!
I took her idea and am wearing it as we speak (yes, at work):
Here is the full "look"
For those of you that know me, this costume is somewhat ironic since I DO NOT LIKE CATS! I am a dog-person, and am very allergic to cats. Even the kiddos were questioning my choice as I was pinning their beloved "stuffies" to my robe. I am not a fan of the felines. I stopped at 3 since #4 would have been baby Simba from the Lion King and I refused to spend more than $10 on the costume.
My thinking on it is this: when else will I ever have the chance to wear pajamas/slippers to work? I have never been in the office during Halloween (usually traveling for work), so I decided to just go for it. There is a costume contest at noon, and am hoping there will be some great prizes! Also I won't have to change into anything later tonight when I am handing out candy/taking the kids out.
Even the nails (love the Dollar Store - G & H are probably laughing at that!) are in theme:
Hope all of you have a great day and spooky evening! Trick or treat!
I was watching some of my fave beauty "gurus" on YouTube today and saw this video upload:
and I decided I wanted to do it as well.
The Tag is to pick your favorite beauty/skincare/haircare brand (A to Z) and your fave product from that brand.
I am not sure if I have something for every letter, but I am going to see what I can come up with! Thank you Total Beauty for a comprehensive list of brands: Total Beauty Brands List
A - Almay, Get Up and Grow mascara - gives volume to my longish/sparse lashes
B - Burberry, Pale Barley eyeshadow - great basic for day and night looks
C - Chanel, Rouge Coco Shine in Fetiche - perfect all day, everyday color
D - Dior, Nude Concealer in Beige 002 - terrific coverage and no drying
E - ELF, Studio Bronzer in Golden - see previous post
F - Fresh, Sugar Lip Treatment in Rose - great color and moisture
G - Giorgio Armani, Maestro foundation - like my skin but better
H - Herbal Essences, shampoos/conditioners - smells fab
I - IT Cosmetics, Universal Brow Pencil - rocks!
J - Josie Maran, Argan Oil stick and oil- keeps it soft in dry Midwest winters!
K - Korres, Lip Butters - every night for soft/smooth lips
L - LORAC, Pro Eyeshadow Palette - great combop of both shimmer and matte
M - Maybelline, Color Tattoos in Bad to Bronze - great everyday shadow base
N - NYX, single eyeshadows in any color - super pigmentation and range
O - OPI, all colors - my go-to nail brand
P - Philosophy, Eyes Wide Open - for my puffy, not quite awake yet, morning eyes
Q - Q-tips (not sure this is a brand vs. product name, but that is how TB had it listed) - love me some clean ears!
R - Real Techniques, all brushes - fave brushes of all
S - Skindinavia, make-up setting spray - makes the face last longer through the day
T - Tarte, blush in Exposed - great natural philosophy and pretty cheeks
U - Urban Decay, Primer Potion - lets my struggle for decent eyeshadow placement stay put
V - Visine, eye drops - reference P above
W - Wet n Wild, eyeshadows - ties with ELF cheek products for BEST Beauty Bargain
X - ????????? never tried Xen-Tan so I am out
Y - Yves St. Laurent/YSL, Glossy Stains - most innovative, trend-setting product of 2012
Z - Zoya, nail polish - 2nd fave brand behind OPI
Whew, done baby!
P.S. while I was writing this, my 8-yr old was doing "hair salon" on me......like it??????
I use matte bronzers for contouring and giving my face a bit of color. I typically do not see a need for shimmery, glitterly "bronzer" since I feel it makes your face look like a dimming disco ball - not a good look!
With that being said, I found a terrific shimmery bronzer that is an awesome highlighter - the ELF Cosmetics Bronzer (in Golden Bronze):
This is a fabulous highlighter! The combination of 4 different shades is so versatile depending if I am using peaches, corals, pinks, roses, plums etc. for the rest of my "look."
ELF has 2 other Studio bronzers in Cool and Warm shades, but I did not see these at Target, and frankly the mid-tome Golden is just perfect for me!
And the 2nd bestest part? The cost is only $3! You can get this at Target (maybe - it is really hit or miss with the ELF inventory) and ELF online: http://www.eyeslipsface.com/
If you are not familiar with ELF products, I highly recommend you pick up a few items. Brushes are decent and the blushes are comparable to NARS/MAC. I do not have too many of their products, but I am loving those that I do have. Prices range from $1-$10 for most products and ELF online has a special of FREE shipping with $25 order (code: SHIP25). I am getting a couple brushes, lip gloss pencils, and a baked blush. You can really stock up for so little!
I have a ton of errands to do today in between working from home (WFH). Kiddos have activities and a school H-ween party tonight, and karate belt test tomorrow. The weather has turned relatively cold (mid-70s yesterday, low 50s today - love Chicago!).
I felt like trying out a look that I will be doing for the wedding next weekend. A couple of the BMs requested a brown smoky eye. With smoky eyes you need to be careful on the amount of product you put on the lower eye or else you could look very Goth. S is getting married at 3:30 in the afternoon, with a reception later that night. I want to do a day-to-night look, where I can add some extra liner and blush/highlight for the reception.
Here is the daytime look:
and the stuff:
Chanel Perf Lumiere in 30
Bare Escentuals in Summer Bisque
Dior concealer in Beige 002
Physician's Formula bronzer
Almay get up and grow mascara
Pixi black liner
Laura Mercier Color to go palette warm neutrals
Chanel Loose powder to set
Chanel lip liner in Natural
LM gloss in Baby doll
To bump it up for night, I would add black liner in lower waterline, more mascara, shimmer at inner corner of eye, add deeper blush and highlight on cheeks.
I am not sure if I will do monthly faves, probably only when I am feeling especially inspired. For now, let's take it big-picture style and do season trends and faves.
For the start of the chilly season, there are so many trends out there it can be difficult to decide which to embrace. I have essentially decided to focus on 2 this season: deep lips and smoky brown eyes (but not at the same time).
Smoke in my eyes and daring lips!
It all begins with prepping this dry face of mine. Night time is for oils, specifically Josie Maran Argan Oil. Directions say to use 1-2 drops, but I need at least 4 to do face and neck. Pitter, patter around for a bit and then off to bed. And by pitter/patter, I mean try to get my kids outta my room and into their beds! They love to do headstands, cartwheels and "exercises" in my room right before bed. Too bad Mommy has NO desire to exercise......................
To start my morning face, I love Origins Vita-Zing and I have maybe 20% left. There is a very very slight tint to it, but absolutely no coverage. It is just getting chilly/dry enough for me to start needing more moisture in the morning. I am trying to use it all up before moving on to Embryolisse (always wanted to try from Pixiwoo videos: http://www.youtube.com/user/pixiwoo?feature=g-u-u) - thank you Birchbox Points! Then the CoverFx Serum Primer - love this! Adds moisture, treatment, and extends the life of my make-up - the perfect trifecta!
For lips, I am loving the Revlon Balm Stains in Crush and Romantic especially for night. In my wild nights at home with the Hub and 2 Kiddos (Friday Night Pizza and Movie nights anyone????), I really like the smooth consistency and the ability to re-apply without it building up in chunky bits. I do add some Smith's Balm underneath to keep it all smoooooooth. For day, I use more sheer tones of red and berry such as Burberry Lip Mist in Blueberry and Korres lipsticks. At night, I do not turn out the lights until I have put on my Clarins Instant Light Lip Perfector or Korres lip butter.
Swatches from top: Smiths Rose Salve, Korres Lipstick, Revlon Romantic, Mally gloss, and Clarins
For brown smoky eyes, I typically use the Maybelline Color Tattoo in Mahogany as a base with various shades from the LORAC Pro Palette. Burberry also make some terribly beautiful shades such as Midnight Brown and Rosewood.
Though the trend shows/fashion experts may say different, I just cannot wear both of these trends together - it just seems too too too much! For lips with a smoky brown eye, I usually pair a soft pink lip using my Mally gloss or Chanel Rouge Coco Shines. Love this look!
Swatches from top: Color Tattoo in Mahogany, Mally eyestick in Plum, NYX shadow pencil, and Milani brown liner
LORAC Pro Palette: some fave shades/swatches (shimmer and matte!)
This post is prompting a few more FOTDs using these products and looks. For pics though, I think I may have to bump it up so I do not look completely washed out! Also thinking I may do some collection videos, especially my Chanel quads and Coco Shines, and Burberry shadows.
I debated a bit on whether or not to do a FOTD, but decided that I would like a way to keep track of what I wear regularly. I figure this will help me know better what I really LOVE and what looks decent. Here goes:
and the stuff:
CoverFx Brite Primer
Healthy Mix Serum Foundation
Hourglass stick concealer
UD eye primer
WnW Brulee
Chanel Rives quad
Maybelline Mahogany color tattoo
Kat Von D tattoo liner in Trooper
Tarte emphaseyes in black
Almay get up and grow mascara
Mac Dirty Blond for brows
JM Rosey stick for cheeks
Korres light trio in Santorini
Revlon just bitten in Romantic
YSL Sheer Candy #7 Sweet Fig
Now that I look at the pic on a bigger screen, think I need to up my blush application I look pale.
