Bare Escentual goodies and EOTD

So this was supposed to be a Valentines gift, but the bare escentuals site is sloooow on shipping. It was mailed out on the 8th and it was in the mail system for 10 days. It went from UPS to USPS and the tracking number they provided never really got updated. I guess that's what happens when you get free shipping! haha If you order over $50 the shipping is free, but let me warn you it is soo slow.

The eye shadow set is SUPER cute! It is called bareMinerals Sweet Obsessions and it looks like a mini box of chocolates, including the little wrapper. Each shade is pretty unique, but are really small. Supposedly it's a $99 value, originally $48 and now it is marked down to $36.  There is a little instruction manual in case you are unsure of what colors might look good together. (If you really want to see some swatches, let me know)

The lipgloss set is really cute too, Buxom Babes Diamond Lips. It was nearly half price. Originally $28 marked down to $14.50. I have tried the Buxom glosses and LOVE them! So I thought this was a steal! :)

 

  

  

 

The mint eyeshadow looked like a color that I could never wear so I thought I would go ahead and try the shade today and get that color out of the way. Well, who would have thought it would actually look good? I couldn't believe how much I liked it. It made my green eyes look really green. Even my husband commented on how nice it looked.

UDPP all over lid
BE Mint all over lid
BE Dark Chocolate in the crease
BE Creme De Menthe outer V also used it to wet line
BE Lemon Meringue under brow
UD Lingerie to prime the lashes
Clinique Lash Doubling mascara
e.l.f Eyebrow Kit in light (all time favorite brow filler for my shade of blond brows!)

 

  

  

I also stopped at walmart tonight and picked up some Hard Candy Sheer Envy face primer. It was only $8 for 1.6 oz. It has spf 15 in it and the price is really cheap compared to the higher end primers! Will let you all know if I like it soon! :)

Today's attempt using Pixie Epoxy!

I tried the Pixie Epoxy again today and it was much better after taking Phyrra's advice. I let it dry for a full minute before even attempting to put on the shadow. The shadow I used on the lid is a color from Pure Luxe and their eyeshadows SUCK on me. They are PURE CRAP but using the Epoxy stuff it showed up awesomely! So now I have a bunch of shades I can actually use! :)

I placed MAC Paint Pot in Painterly all over lid.
Then I placed a thin layer of pixie epoxy all over lid.
Pure Luxe Ballerina on lid (not linking to it b/c I can't recommend their shades)
Fyrianne Dark Magik in the crease
Silk Naturals Nekkid on the brow bone
Fyrianne Incubus as a liner applied wet, upper and lower
Cover Girl Lash Blast in very black
Looking forward to trying it a few more times then ordering a full size of it!

Fyrianne haul and swatches!

I placed my first order with Fyrianne and I am HIGHLY impressed. The shadows are very unique and unlike most other shades that I have. I am so happy about that because I am getting rather tired of ordering "same shade, different company". I am looking forward to trying the Pixie Epoxy, keep hearing awesome things about it!

These swatches are all done dry with no primer.

Beauty on a budget and some short reviews

I decided to do a look using some of the rather inexpensive cosmetics that I own. I am very happy with the way this turned out.

Almay Bright Eyes Duo Eye Base + Concealer to Prime (this stuff is okay but nothing special).

88 Shimmer Palette  I got mine on eBay for about $17 shipped from Hong Kong. It's exactly the same as the Coastal Scents one. I used the hot pink color on the inner lid and the blue color on the outer lid blended with more hot pink the on top.  Over the pink and blue on the lid I put NYX Chrome shadow in Black blending with the $1 e.l.f brush. That gave it kind of a purple appearance. Then I used to two lighter shades in the palette up to the brow and inner eye. (Colors used are marked with stars)

Liner - L'Oreal Extra Intense Liquid Pencil Eyeliner on upper and lower lid. I am highly impressed with this pencil. I love it, (almost as much as the Urban Decay pencils) It's a very smooth liner and doesn't drag. Water line is e.l.f Eyeliner and Shadow stick in Brown/Basic. Used the liner (basic) side. These are pretty crappy, they break off and fall out of the applicator.

Mascara - e.l.f. Studio Line Lengthening and Volumizing Mascara. This stuff is okay, but I like Cover Girl Lash Blast or Clinique better. The stuff that is making my lashes healthier is Silk Naturals Eye Lash Conditioning Gel. Maybe it is all in my head, but I swear they look a little longer.

Lash Curler - My all time favorite and I use it every day is the e.l.f. $1 lash curler. I can't say enough good things about it, especially for the price.

So this was a fun look, I really love the NYX Chrome shadow that my friend Sunshinegal (Jamie) sent me. It's shimmery with minimal fallout. I think it would look good layered over various different colors. The shimmer palette is a good palette with super pigmented shades that can create endless looks. I definitely think it is worth the money if you want to experiment and not spend a ton of money.

 

  

  

 

 

 

Ulta kit - another lpug project.

When I was at Ulta they had a bunch of these holiday kits marked down to $12.99. Well, of course I couldn't pass that up. I mean, $12.99? :) I really didn't like the case it was in, it's big and bulky and takes up a bunch of unnecessary space. So I decided I would pop those things right out of that cheap plastic and put them into CD cases. Most of them popped out without difficulty, one of the blushes cracked and one of the eyeshadows kind of crumbled, but I pushed them back into their pans. All but three of the pans had sticky stuff still on the bottom so I only had to glue three of them into the CD cases. Then I made labels for them. Much more convenient than that bulky case. I can put all four CD cases into the top of that case. I am gonna use that red case to store other stuff in now. All these colors can be bought individually at Ulta so if I fall in love with shade I can buy it in full size! woohoo :) The blushes, the liners and the lip glosses are good, the only thing negative about this kit is the scratchy blush brush (and the big bulky case). But who cares for $12.99!?!

Oh and yes, the liners fit right into the side of the cases like they were meant to be there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I wore a look from the kit today.
Inner half of lid - Moonbeam
Outer half of lid - Bayou
Crease - Nightsky
Brow Bone - Platinum
Eye liner is also from the kit - black.
Mascara - e.l.f. studio line lengthening and volumizing mascara

 

Lorac Palette - brown EOTD

Still loving my Lorac Palette that I got from Sephora. I think it's my favorite palette for neutral looks. The colors are nicely pigmented and blend really well. I just went to find the link and it looks like it is no longer offered. So sad. :(

 

Aromaleigh EOTD 1/14/10

Well, it's not Valentine's Day, but my eyes sure do look like it is! I am wearing some beautiful shades from the Aromaleigh Valentine's Day '09 Collection. My favorite shade from this look is Sweet Nothings. Such a pretty, shimmery pink shade. I am so happy these were made to be a part of her permanent collection!!!! yay!!

The lid shades were foiled, the rest applied dry.
Inner 1/3 of lid - Pillowtalk
Outer 2/3 of lid - Sweet Nothings
Crease - Lovelorn
The below are not from the v-day collection, but they are from Aromaleigh.
Brow bone - Fiona
Liner - Drama Queen Cocoa
Lashes - Cover Girl Lash Blast in Very Black