Organization & Display: Jumbo Eye Pencils

Trying to strike the perfect balance between functionality and aesthetic in my makeup storage is a never-ending project for me. However, this little project I took on this week seemed to be another step in the right direction! I had picked up the glass at Bath & Body Works during their semi-annual sale. Although it's meant to hold their mini candles, I don't actually have any of those - I just thought it was attractive! I decided it would make a nice addition to my makeup storage. 

Since it's taller than the container I previously had my jumbo eye pencils in, it was harder to see the colored tip of each one. I thought turning them upside down would help - except all of the NYX pencils are completely white, unlike the other brands I have, which show the color of the pencil on the bottom. 

Instead of giving up, I put my nail polish collection to use - matching each pencil to a polish & painting the bottom section! I taped off the bottom section so they'd have a crisp line and did as many coats as needed to get to the right opacity. For three of the colors I mixed polishes together to achieve exactly the right shade and texture, but the rest I had polishes that were close enough.

I am thrilled with the way they look! It's much easier to see each pencil's shade, and I think having the colors displayed more obviously will make me more likely to reach for them - lately, my jumbo pencils have been somewhat ignored! 

If you have any questions about the process, the colors I used, or anything else - just ask!

Face of the Day

Products:

Rimmel Fix & Perfect Pro
Revlon Colorstay
Milani HD Advanced concealer
Milani Minerals Compact Makeup
ELF Studio blush - Candid Coral
Prestige Brow Perfection - Light/Medium
Maybelline Great Lash - clear
Urban Decay All-Nighter setting spray
NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream - Antwerp
Maybelline Color Tattoo - Tough As Taupe
MAC Paint Pot - Painterly
L'Oreal Infallible Eyeshadows - Golden Sage, Golden Emerald, Gold Imperial
Wet n Wild Eyeshadow - Brulee
Revlon Grow Luscious Eyeliner - Espresso
Jordana Best Lash mascara

Blush Collection and Swatches!

Wet n Wild Color Icon blushes
L-R: Pearlescent Pink, Heather Silk, Mellow Wine

Physicians Formula Happy Booster blushes
L-R: Rose, Natural

Cargo blush - Key Largo

Milani Minerals blushes
L-R: Sweet Rose, Sunset Beach, Mai Tai, Luminous

Jordana Powder Blush
L-R: Redwood, Coral Sandy Beach, Tawny Beige

ELF Studio blushes
L-R: Pink Passion, Candid Coral

Milani Baked blushes
L-R: Terra Sole, Red Vino

Cream Blushes
L-R: NYX Hot Pink, Boho Chic, Sally Hansen Bloom

All swatches are done on my bare arm, both blended out and just to show the straight color. If you have any questions about any of these or would like to see them differently, let me know! If I've used it in a FOTD post on here, you should be able to search for it and it will come up.

Except the baked blushes, Cargo blush, Jordana blushes, and the creams, they've all been depotted for ease of storage. I would depot the Jordana blushes but I don't have a good palette for them currently.

Let me know if you'd like swatch posts of any specific brands or products!

Face of the Day

Products:

Urban Decay De Slick spray
Revlon Colorstay foundation
Milani HD Advanced concealer
NYX Cream Blush - Hot Pink
ELF Translucent mattifying powder
Prestige Brow Perfection pencil - Light/Medium
Maybelline Great Lash clear mascara
NYX HD eyeshadow primer
NYX Jumbo eye pencil - Cucumber
Wet n Wild eyeshadow palette - Pride
Milani Liquif'eye twist up eyeliner - blue
Maybelline XXL Pro Extensions (step 2 only)
ELF Luscious Liquid Lipstick - Pink Lemonade

May 18 FOTD - Wet n Wild Fauna eyeshadows, new Maybelline mascara

Face:
Urban Decay De Slick spray
Revlon Colorstay Combo/Oily
Revlon Photoready concealer
L'Oreal True Match powder
Milani Minerals blush - Luminous

Eyes:
MAC paint pot - Painterly
Milani Shadow Eyez - Royal Purple
Urban Decay - Ransom eyeshadow
Wet n Wild - Fauna eyeshadow trio
Physician's Formula Nude Eyes liner trio - black
Maybelline Mega Plush waterproof mascara
Wet n Wild I <3 Matte palette (black over liner, dark brown for brows)
Maybelline Great Lash clear mascara for brows

Lips:
NYX lipstick - Femme

Recent Hauls (with swatches!) - NYX, Wet n Wild, Urban Decay, Coach

Cream eyeshadows in Purple and Pinky Beige, Matte lipstick in Hippie Chic

Coach Poppy rollerball, Shine Killer primer, stay matte but not flat powder

Urban Decay 24/7 concealer

Wet n Wild lipsticks

Face of the Day - April 5

Face: 

NYX Shine Killer

Revlon Colorstay foundation

Urban Decay 24/7 Concealer

L'Oreal True Match powder

Physicans Formula Happy Booster - Rose

Eyes:

NYX HD Primer

NYX cream shadow - pinky beige

NYX slide on liner - pretty violet

Maybelline Colossal mascara

Lips:

Covergirl Lip Perfection - Spellbound (bottom layer)

MAC - Candy Yum Yum (on top)

Face of the Day - April 4

If you've been following my blog for a very long time, you may remember that this is very similar to looks I used to do pretty often a few years back. (I'm sure there's at least one post of a looks similar to this one) I still love it - I had just been really trying to try a lot of different looks! I've been wanting to do more of my very bright looks like I used to do almost daily again recently - maybe I'll stick with it, we'll see!

Face:
Rimmel Fix & Perfect Pro
Revlon Colorstay foundation
L'Oreal True Match powder
Milani Mineral blush - Sweet Rose

Eyes:
NYX HD Primer
NYX Jumbo Pencil - Cherry, Orange, Yellow
NYX eyeshadow - Yellow Funk, Cherry
Jordana single eyeshadow - luv2shop
Jordana duo - perfect team (white only)
Milani Infinite liner - Infinite
NYX Slide on liner - Pretty Violet
Covergirl Lash Perfection mascara

Lips:
Rimmel Lasting Finish lipstick - In Vogue
Revlon Super Lustrous gloss - Pink Pop

Face of the Day - April 3rd

Face:
Revlon Colorstay foundation
Milani Minerals Compact Makeup
Wet n Wild Heather Silk blush
Physician's Formula Happy Booster - Translucent

Eyes:
NYX HD primer
NYX Jumbo Pencil - Purple
Wet n Wild - Petal Pusher palette
Milani Liquif'eye - black
Maybelline XXL Pro 24hr Bold mascara

Lips:
Wet n Wild 907C

Face of the Day - February 17

Face:
Palladio primer
Revlon Colorstay foundation
L'Oreal True Match powder
Jordana blush - Coral Sandy Beach

Brows:
Prestige Brow Perfection pencil- Light/Medium
Revlon Brow Fantasy (gel only) - Dark Brown

Eyes:
NYX HD primer
NYX jumbo pencil - French Fries
Milani eyeshadow - Java Bean
Maybelline 24Hr Bold mascara

Lips:
Covergirl lipstick - Fairytale
Kat Von D lipgloss - Marg

Face of the Day - February 4th

Face:
Palladio primer
Revlon Colorstay foundation
Milani HD concealer
NYX concealer in a jar
L'Oreal True Match powder
Milani mineral blush - Sweet Rose

Eyes:
NYX HD primer
NYX jumbo eye pencil - Slate
Wet n Wild Greed palette
Milani Liquif'eye black eyeliner
L'Oreal Voluminous False Lashes mascara
Prestige brow pencil
Revlon brow fantasy - gel only

Lips:
Wet n Wild lipstick - 907C

Depotted Eyeshadow Collection

This is just a very quick post for those who were curious about my eyeshadow storage. If you would like to know the names of certain shadows or anything else at all about this setup, please ask! 

The palettes appear in the same order as they are stored.

Eyeliner Pencil Collection and Swatches - Plus Urban Decay review

All my pencil eyeliners - including the 24/7 pencils. The order is the same in this photo as in the swatches.

L-R: Urban Decay - Radium, Physician's Formula - Shimmer Strips Eye Enhancing trio for blue eyes,  Milani Liquif'eye -  Blue, Milani Liquif'eye - Aqua, Jordana Easyliner - Bliss, Revlon Luxurious Color Eyeliner - Electric Blue, Urban Decay - Junkie, NYX eye pencil - Acid Green

Just a note- the Revlon and NYX liners above don't go on that pigmented over shadow on the eye area - probably because they are a bit harder so it's more difficult to apply the right amount of pressure without hurting the eye area.

L-R: Urban Decay - Ransom, NYX Slide On Eyeliner - Pretty  Violet, Jordana Easyliner - Purple Fusion,  ULTA Automatic Eyeliner - Raisin, Urban Decay - Woodstock

As you can probably tell, the Urban Decay and NYX purples are almost identical, with the NYX being even a little bit more pigmented.

L-R: Urban Decay - Perversion, Milani Liquif'eye  - Black, Physician's Formula - Shimmer Strips Eye Enhancing trio for blue eyes, Jordana Kohl Kajal Eyeliner - Onyx

I heard from several people that Perversion is the blackest black they'd seen...but from this photo the Milani looks even darker and the others don't really seem that different in darkness (of course the Physician's Formula liner has blue shimmer which changes it a bit - although it's hardly visible on the eye). The Jordana liner looks a bit shiny but I think that's because it never really sets. I never use that liner for that reason.

Physician's Formula - Shimmer Strips Eye Enhancing trio for blue eyes, Jordana Easyliner - Coffee Bean,  Rimmel Soft Kohl eyeliner - Pure White,  Rimmel Soft Kohl eyeliner - Stormy Grey, Milani Liquif'eye - Silver

After I had taken the regular swatch photos and uploaded my computer and then even waited a few more minutes, I just swiped down over all the liners with my clean, dry fingers to see how they smudged. The Milani and Physician's Formula liners definitely have the least smudging. The Rimmel and Jordana liners were the worst, and the others were somewhere in between. The Urban Decay liners didn't smudge a ridiculous amount, but they definitely did smudge.

I liked the color Junkie from the Urban Decay set since it was a more unique color that also had pretty good pigmentation. I wanted to really like Woodstock, but it wasn't as bright as I'd hoped. Radium is kind of in between bright and dark blue and while I didn't dislike it, I didn't get the feeling I'd reach for it often. I already have (slightly better, in my opinion) dupes for Perversion and Ransom in my collection, so it just isn't worth the money for me to keep this set. They're not awful liners but they're certainly not outstanding and I think better quality can be found at the drugstore price level, if perhaps lacking in shade range. But what good is a great shade range if the colors are only sort of pigmented and they smudge fairly easily?

What are your favorite or least favorite pencil eyeliners?

Rainbow Eyes : Inspired by Pixiwoo

After watching this video from Pixiwoo this week I knew I was going to have to recreate it for myself! I didn't copy everything exactly - it was more of an inspiration. 

I highlighted the shadows I used because I thought it'd be easier that way.

 NYX Yellow Funk, Jordana Luv2$hop,Wet n Wild Enter A New Realm (red only), generic 88 palette from eBay (mix of three greens), MUFE #92 and #75, Wet n Wild I <3 Matte (blue only)

Products and tools used to create the look.

I first put a layer of Urban Decay Primer Potion and a layer of NYX Jumbo Pencil in Milk over the entire lid up to the brows and under the eyes. I used NYX eyeliner in Acid Green under the green area because I thought the green might need a little extra. Then I did all the shadow work, then brows, then lashes.

I used the darker powder in the Tweezerman brow powder duo for my brows.
To get the blue lashes, I used the white primer side of Revlon Lash Fantasy Total Definition mascara, then applied several layers of blue eyeshadow with a sort of flat-topped eyeshadow brush.

Face of the Day - October 26

Face:
Milk of Magnesia (primer)
Revlon Colorstay foundation
NYX concealer in a jar
Revlon Colorstay powder
Wet n Wild blush - Pearlescent Pink

Eyes:
Palladio primer
Wet n Wild Petal Pusher palette - left side
NYX slide on eyeliner - Violet
Covergirl Lash Perfection mascara

Lips:
Rimmel Lasting Finish lipstick - In Vogue
Jordana Lip Out Loud clear gloss

Hot Pink Lipsticks! Updated Version

Since I still LOVE hot pink lips, I've gotten quite a few more since the last time I did a post of hot pink lipsticks! Remember, the photos are much larger if you click them! If you have any questions on any of them, let me know!

L-R: Wet n Wild 908C, Wet n Wild 552A, Milani Lip Flash - Photo Flash, Milani HD Advanced Lip Color - Vivacious Fuchsia, Wet n Wild 905D, Rimmel Lasting Finish - In Vogue, NYX - Louisiana, Covergirl Lip Perfection - Temptress, NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream - Addis Ababa, Milani Rose Hip, MAC Candy Yum Yum, Wet n Wild 511B, Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick - Stormy Pink

 908C


552A

Photo Flash


Vivacious Fuchsia

905D

In Vogue

Louisiana

Temptress


Addis Ababa


Rose Hip

Candy Yum Yum


511B


Stormy Pink



Stormy Pink can hardly be called hot pink but it looks very bright in the tube. I picked up because I assumed it would be bright, since it isn't at all what it looks like I thought I'd include it as a warning! (Or if you want a toned down version)

Face of the Day - October 14

Just a reminder - as with any of the photos on my blog, you can always click them to view them larger!

Face:
L'Oreal True Match compact
Rimmel Match Perfection concealer
Revlon Colorstay pressed powder
Jordana blush - Coral Sandy Beach

Eyes:
Palladio primer
NYX single - Lime Green
L'Oreal HIP duo - Devious (dark green)
L'Oreal single - Morning Light
Kat Von D Autograph liner - Proud Peacock
Maybelline Lash Stiletto mascara

Lips:
Wet n Wild 916D (a very light layer!)

Face of the Day - October 10th

Face:
MAC Matchmaster foundation
Revlon Colorstay under eye concealer
Revlon Colorstay pressed powder

Eyes:
Palladio primer
Wet n Wild Vanity Palette (shimmery gold and copper, matte nude)
Physician's Formula eye booster liner - black
Covergirl Lash Perfection mascara

Lips:
NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream - Antwerp

Wet n Wild Lust Palette look

My actual FOTD today consists of five products - Revlon Colorstay powder, Milani Infinite liquid liner in Infinite, Maybelline The Colossal mascara, the Physician's Formula Eye Brightener shadow, and NYX Megashine lipgloss in La La. I was running a bit late today! Bright liner and a subtle shadow is my go-to look when I'm rushed, and there is nothing unique about it whatosever, so I didn't take any photos of the look.

Instead, I'll post photos from a look I did September 29th. I really love how it turned out - it's one of my favorite looks I've done in quite awhile. Of course I didn't write down my products that day, so there will be some guessing involved.

I honestly have no idea what products I used for my face! I don't think I used any blush, though, so it's nothing too unfortunate.

Eyes:

I know I used a primer, but I'm not sure whether it was the NYX HD or the Palladio. 

The eyeshadows came from the Wet n Wild Lust palette. I used the lightest matte shade all over my lid. I love this shadow since it's basically my skin color but it's really nicely pigmented so it hides the veins in my lid well. I used the grey shade above my natural crease so it could actually be seen. I used the lightest shimmery shade as a highlight. 

As a liner, I used the purple from the Physician's Formula gel liner trio for green eyes on both my upper lash line and the waterline. I then set both with a matte purple from the Lust palette.

I'm not sure what mascara I used, either! I've been rotating through quite a few lately, though I have been a bit more focused on using up my Maybelline The Colossal so that one is probably most likely.

Lips:

NYX soft matte lip cream in Addis Ababa, which is a product I've been reaching for a lot since I got it! LOVE these, specifically this color.