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 - December 28 2011

Face:
Revlon Colorstay foundation
L'Oreal True Match concealer
L'Oreal True Match powder
Wet n Wild blush - Heather Silk
Physician's Formula Happy Booster translucent powder

Eyes:
Palladio primer
Physician's Formula gel liner trio for hazel eyes - purple (as base)
Urban Decay Deluxe Shadow Box - Ransom, Fishnet
Physician's Formula gel liner trio for hazel eyes - black
Maybelline 24 Hr Bold mascara

Lips:
Milani HD Advanced lipcolor - Vivacious Fuchsia

Target/CVS Haul

Target haul: Revlon Super Lustrous lipstick in Fuchsia, on clearance for  $1.94
Maybelline Color Tattoo Eyeshadow - Pomegranate Punk - $5.99

 Since I have kind of an obsession with hot pink lipsticks, I've had my eye on this particular one from Revlon for awhile, but was hoping it'd go on sale at CVS. It wasn't there, so when I found it on clearance at Target I knew I had to get it! Plus I gave in and got one of the Tattoo shadows from Maybelline because I was curious about them.

CVS clearance haul: Wet n Wild Greed Palette - $2.49, Revlon Colorstay Aqua mineral finishing powder - $3.49, Physician's Formula Organic Wear Bronzer & Blush - Light Bronzer/Soft Ginger - $3.75, Sally Hansen Natural Beauty cream blush - Bloom - $2.37

 Since they're 50% off I finally got the last 6-pan palette from Wet n Wild. The other products I know basically nothing about but I'd been curious about them and for the prices I decided to try them.

If any of you have tried any of these I'd love to hear your thoughts or how you use them! Especially the cream blush as I've never used a cream blush before and don't really know what to expect!

Face of the Day - December 12

I'm not sure if I've mentioned it on here yet, but the lens I use for taking these pictures no longer is able to auto focus, so I have to manually focus it. This isn't too much of an issue for products or most swatches, but it has made taking photos of my own makeup quite the challenge! I've worked it out to be decently in focus, but it's definitely less sharp than it used to be. Hopefully I'll get it worked out in the next month or so, but in the meantime, just know I'm trying!

(Just to be clear, the products in these pictures are not necessarily their relative size to each other...it's just how they fit together!)

Face:

L'Oreal True Match liquid 

Maybelline Superstay concealer

L'Oreal True Match powder

Physician's Formula Happy Booster blush - Rose (not pictured)

Eyes:

Palladio primer (not pictured)

Physician's Formula gel liner trio for green eyes - purple 

Urban Decay Deluxe Shadow Box - Ransom

Wet n Wild Vanity Palette - top left shadow

Physician's Formula gel liner trio for hazel eyes - black

Sephora Flashy waterproof liner - Flashy Blue

Urban Decay Deluxe Shadow Box - Peace

Maybelline The Colossal mascara

Lips:

Revlon Colorburst lipstick - Pink Sugar

Jordana Lip Shine - Pink Grapefruit

I also forgot to put my foundation brush in there! I used the Sonia Kashuk pointed foundation brush, though. I've done a blog post on it in the past - it's my favorite foundation brush I've tried so far.

Face of the Day - December 3rd

For the eyes, I started with NYX HD primer and a thin layer of the Sephora jumbo pencil  in Green. I used the Urban Decay shadows in Graffiti and Scratch from the Deluxe Shadow Box, with Graffiti on the lid and Scratch above. I applied both with the same brush - the all-over shadow brush from Mark.
I used a small angled brush from Coastal Scents to apply the copper eyeliner from the Physician's Formula Glam Collection for brown eyes.
I used Maybelline Lash Stiletto mascara.

I used L'Oreal True Match compact foundation, Rimmel Match Perfection concealer, and REvlon Colorstay pressed powder.
I used the ELF Studio Complexion brush with Physician's Formula Happy Booster light bronzer and the ELF Mineral blush brush with Wet n Wild blush in Pearlescent Pink.
For lips, I first did a layer of Revlon Super Lustrous lipstick in Kiss Me Coral, then topped it off with Jordana lipgloss in Darling. 

Face of the Day 12.2.11 - Trying something new

 

I started with a layer of NYX HD eye primer, then did a base with the purple eyeliner from the Physician's Formula trio for green eyes. I applied it with a brush from a Sephora set that I believe is meant to be a concealer brush. I blended the edges out with a stiffer brush from a Sonia Kashuk set.

I used the shadows from the Wet n Wild Lust palette. I used the middle shade on the left all over the lid with a large eyeshadow brush from the same Sephora set, then blended the bottom left shade into the crease with the large crease brush from Essence of Beauty. I used a combination of the two top shades to blend the crease into the browbone and in the inner corners with a fluffy blending brush from Sephora.

For liner, I used the black from the same trio the purple came from and the angled liner brush from Sephora on both the top and bottom lashlines.

I hadn't used it in awhile so I decided to try Revlon Lash Fantasy Total Definition mascara again.  Somehow I put the photos in backwards and didn't notice, so the one on the far right is bare lashes, the middle is just the primer, and the one on the left is with the mascara as well.

I used my L'Oreal True Match compact foundation, NYX concealer in a jar, and Revlon Colorstay pressed powder before I did the eye look. I applied the foundation with a round foam sponge, the concealer with a stiff blending brush from Sonia Kashuk, and the powder with the ELF Studio flat top brush.
After the eyes, I did the rest of my face products. I applied the Physician's Formula Happy Booster light bronzer with the ELF Studio powder brush, then used my Sonia Kashuk small duo fiber brush to apply Wet n Wild blush in Heather Silk.
Finally, I used Rimmel Lasting Finish lipstick in Airy Fairy.

If you want to see the photos larger, you should be able to click on them and view them that way. This is the first time I've done a post like this with a look, so I'd really appreciate your thoughts on it! (Too much/too little information, if the photos are arranged well, if I should do more like this or keep doing them like before, etc)

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?

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. 

Face of the Day - October 2nd

Face:
L'Oreal True Match compact - C1
L'Oreal True Match powder - C1
Physician's Formula Happy Booster Powder - Translucent

Eyes:
Palladio primer
ELF Beauty Book - Bright Eyes Edition - Purple with blue glitter and shimmery nude
Physician's Formula eye booster liner
Maybelline The Colossal mascara

Lips:
Kat Von D Lightning Lipgloss - Marg

Look of the Day: 5/7/11

Crazy eyes! Took one with my lifting my eyebrows since it was the only way I could get the colors to really show with my eyes open.

Products used:
Face:
Palladio Primer
L'Oreal True Match Liquid
NYX Concealer in  a jar
Rimmel Stay Matte powder
ELF Studio blush - Candid Coral

Eyes:
Palladio Eye Primer
NYX jumbo pencil - French Fries
ELF Beautybook - Bright Eyes

• Second from left in the middle - base
• Farthest right in the middle - crease
• Farthest left in the middle - inner corner & brow highlight

Physician's Formula Gel Creamliner - Glam Green Eyes - Black
Maybelline The Colossal Mascara - Glam Black

Lips:
ULTA Lipliner - Beet
Maurice's lip gloss (The packaging is all worn off since it's a few years old, so I have no idea the name or if these are even made any more. It's basically your generic slightly pink clear sparkly gloss)

Top 5: Blushes

I have more blushes than these five, but I really only use these on a regular basis. 

Top Row, L-R: Physician's Formula Happy Booster Blush - Rose, Physician's Formula Happy Booster Blush - Natural, Milani Mineral Blush - Mai Tai
Bottom Row, L-R: ELF Studio Blush - Pink Passion, ELF Studio Blush - Candid Coral

Same order as above photo. L-R Rose, Natural, Mai Tai, Pink Passion, Candid Coral

I really like all of these and use them often. I've had Candid Coral the longest out of these five, so I've hit pan on it. I really like matte products in general, and blushes are no exception. I love both of the matte blushes I have (Mai Tai and Pink Passion). I think out of these blushes, Mai Tai and Natural are my most reached-for, depending on whether I want shimmer or not! I would recommend all these shades, however - great pigmentation on all of them, and they can all be applied with a light hand or heavier depending on how much color you want to show up on your face.

Physician's Formula Haul and Review

Baked Collection - Baked Smokes

Top: dry, Bottom: wet.
Without flash.

Top: dry, Bottom: wet.
With flash.

 I was really not impressed with these. They wiped off my hand right away without leaving any color behind, the color payoff wasn't great even when wet, and the colors weren't anything unique for my collection. I ended up returning it since I knew I would never use it.

Eyebrightener

Looks crazy but it's basically just a shimmery highlight shade for the browbone or inner corner. It works well for that. The packaging is ridiculously large; I depotted it immediately.

Healthy Wear Powder Foundations
Left: Translucent Light
Right: Translucent Medium

I had originally bought the Medium of the foundation because it was the lightest one my CVS ever had in stock so I thought it was the lightest...then I saw the light one! I took a photo comparing them before returning the medium one, which is obviously too dark for me! The light matches perfectly, though. I don't think these have any coverage, really, but with SPF 50 I use it as a powder on top of my foundation on days I plan to spend more time outside.

Physician's Formula Gel Creamliner Glam Brown Eyes Swatches and Review

I couldn't resist the 40% off sale at CVS and decided to get another one of the Gel Creamliner Trios, this time in Glam Brown Eyes. I don't usually do much with gold but I actually really love this trio. I think it made my green eyes pop more than the set for green eyes! I actually did a look using only these as my eye products, using the gold on the lid, the copper on the outer 1/3, and the black as liner. I was blown away at how well they lasted! I used a primer but did not top them with any powder eyeshadow and they looked the same at the end of the day! Unfortunately I didn't take any photos of that look, but I liked it enough that I'll probably do it again and photography it then!

With Flash

Without Flash

Look of the Day: Silver & Red

Products used:

Face:

Palladio Primer

L'Oreal True Match Foundation - C1 

Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder - Translucent

ELF Mist & Set

ELF Studio Blush - Pink Passion

Eyes:

Palladio Eye Primer

Physician's Formula Glam Blue Eyes Gel Creamliner - Silver (as a base on the whole lid)

Wet n Wild Spoiled Brat Palette - Silver (on top of the cream base)

ELF Studio Eyeshadow Single - Charcoal (outer 1/3 and crease)

Sonia Kashuk Gel Liner - Ebony

Maybelline XXL Pro 24hr Bold Mascara

Lips:

NYX lipliner pencil- Hot Red

MAC Lipglass - Russian Red

 To show how longwearing the eye products are, the following photos were taken about 9 hours after the first set. The only product that really changed was the ELF Studio eyeshadow in Charcoal - the crease is hardly evident in the later pictures. Unfortunately the lighting is different on these so similarities and differences may not be that clear.

Physician's Formula Custom Eye Enhancing Liner Swatches

Gel Cream Liners - Glam Collection for Blue Eyes

Gel Cream Liners - Glam Collection for Hazel Eyes

Eyeliner Trio for Blue Eyes

Gel Cream Liners - for Green Eyes

The Gel Creamliners come in a stack that you can take apart into the individual containers if you want. The eyeliner pencils twist up and come with a tiny sharpener on the bottom, so you can maintain the sharpened point they come with. These last FOREVER on! I had them on my had probably 5-10 minutes and struggled to remove them with a regular makeup wipe. They last all day if you're wearing them and go on really creamy. I really recommend these.

Collective Haul: Makeup, etc.

Queen Helene Cleansing Cream. I've been using this to remove makeup at night and am LOVING it.

Essence Denim Wanted Palette, Palladio Tinted Lip Balm - Orange, Milani Blush - Mai Tai, Palladio Baked Eyeshadow - Green Apple

Revlon Colorstay Undereye Concealer

Physician's Formula Happy Booster Blush - Natural

Covergirl Lip Perfection Lipstick - Fairytale, Physician's Formula Healthy Wear Powder Foundation SPF 50, Physician's Formula Happy Booster Blush - Rose, L'Oreal True Match Powder, Covergirl Lip Perfection Lipliner - Splendid