Category Archives: Eyeshadow

Eyeshadow, Floss Gloss, Nails, Personal

Picture Show

Since it’s Monday, I thought we could ease into the week together. AKA I don’t want to write anything, I want to go to Target. Lucky for everyone my phone has 4,201 pictures on it! Lucky for YOU, I’m only going to show you a few. I can’t show you all of them, because that would be too erotique. You would not even be able to handle it.  Your eyes would bug out, steam would whistle out of your ears, and you would hit yourself over the head a bunch of times with a mallet.

*****

nana hands

Crazy bright in any light!

Every few weeks, or so, I go to my Nana’s house and give her a manicure. She likes to get her nails done with fun colors, and I like to sit at her kitchen table and hear the same story a bunch of times. JUST KIDDING. I mean, not really. She does tell me the same story a bunch of times, but when she’s not doing that, she’s telling me cool stuff. Seriously, if your Nana is around, go over and do her nails. While you’re doing them, ask her all the questions you’ve ever wanted to know about family secrets and who she was before she was your Nana. No lie, she will tell you EVERYTHING.

These photos are from when I did her birthday nails a couple months ago. It was a really fun morning. We did nails, talked shit about all the people we know, and some shit about people we don’t know. Relatives were calling the whole time, so we never ran out of topics to discuss.

I know you guys probably don’t want to read a beauty blog about some abuelita, but OH WELL. She’s one of my top #1 LADY POWER ICONS. She’s a queen. And, look at the polish she picked! This color is Bikini Coral by Floss Gloss. It’s a killer, retina searing, attention grabbing summer polish! It looks fucking amazing on her skin.

Nana would hate that I was showing these pictures, because she thinks she has ugly hands, but she’s tripping. As long as I can remember, I’ve thought her hands were beautiful. When I was a kid, I would look at her graceful fingers with their perfectly shaped nails and think to myself, “Those are perfect lady hands.” Unfortunately, I did not grow up to inherit her lovely hands. Her rings don’t even come close to fitting me as I was cursed with los chorizo fingers.

mystery look

mystery look 2

This is a look I did for myself a couple weeks ago. I don’t remember what shadows I used. My best, educated guess, is that this was done using the Urban Decay Naked 2 palette. My lips are brought to you by Mindless Lip Chewing. Mindless Lip Chewing: For when you want to look crusty and corroded. I’m sorry I don’t have the exact colors used for the eyes! I didn’t do this look for the site, so I wasn’t really paying attention. I thought I’d show you guys anyways though. Maybe someone needs some neutral look inspiration.

random blue hair

WAHHHHHH!!! I miss my blue hair. *CRYING CAT EMOJI* *CHICKEN LEG EMOJI*

Speaking of emojis, is there an emoji suggestion box somewhere? I need a cheese wedge emoji, a hot dog emoji, and a crossed fingers emoji. Also, some more brown emojis would be cool, too. Don’t make me have to pretend that bride emoji is actually a Mexican girl in a communion dress!!

goat

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! YOU GUYS. LOOK AT THIS GOAT!!! GROSS, GOAT! DO YOU EVEN KNOW THAT GUY?!?!?!?!

 

 

 

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Beauty Tools, Cleansers, Eyeliner, Eyeshadow, Face, Mascara, theBalm

the Balm Balms Away Eye Makeup Breakup Remover Review

balms away

Amazon, $12.99

So, we’ve established that I love to wear a lot of eye makeup and too much mascara. We know this. So, I guess if we really think about it, we also know that I might probably go to bed a lot of nights with raccoon eyes. It’s not for lack of trying on my part. I really do try to get it off! Every eye makeup remover I’ve tried stings my eyes and/or turns my vision cloudy even until the next morning, so I resort to all kinds of other possibilities. I’ve used assorted and varied oils, I’ve tried all kinds of cleansers, I’ve rubbed and rubbed. It’s all hit or miss.

This is a problem because leftover eye makeup can cause those tiny, hard, underground bumps around my eyes. They’re not pimples because they’re not caused by bacteria. They’re called Milia, and they’re actually little cysts comprised of dead skin cells, oil and dirt. Dirt includes leftover eye makeup. I get these little bumps, and then, even though you’re not supposed to, I scratch at them. I can see them under my makeup, and they really rile up my picking tendencies. Your girl wants to party all the time, and a party for me is a really sharp pair of tweezers, an extracting loop, and a clogged pore. BUT THAT’S BAD. I know better. I went to eight months of beauty school, so, yeah, I know what I’m talking about. Call me Pimple Popper, M.D..

I don’t even really try with real eye makeup remover anymore. I tried this one kind of because it looked moisturizing, but mostly because it was half price on HauteLook and I had a credit.

I am so, so happy I took a chance! I love this stuff so much!

balms away detail

As you can see, I’ve been sticking my fingers all in this. It looks gross, but I think it’s good because it gives you a better idea of the product texture. It has a consistency that can best be described as “Crisco-like.” You glob some onto your closed eye, work it in a circular motion for 30 seconds (take some time to focus on your lashes), then, you wipe it off with toilet paper. If you have a bidet, use a kleenex. I was using a cotton round, but for whatever reason, the TP works better. All the makeup should wipe right off, even the mascara and liner under your eyes, and your eyelids will be moisturized! I always do this before I wash my face with my cleanser, so I wash off any excess oiliness then. It’s a dream come true!

I’m removing pigments, I’m removing mascara that doesn’t play, I’m removing black gel liner that promises 24 hour wear. I’M UNSTOPPABLE. This stuff makes me so happy because a lot of times I’ll skip a serious eye look just because I don’t want to deal with a difficult removal process that doesn’t even clean everything off. Now the only thing standing in my way is my own laziness. As usual! That’s ok, I can deal with that.

Buy theBalm’s Balms Away Eye Makeup Breakup Remover HERE.

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Eyeshadow, Fave Looks, Urban Decay

Urban Decay Electric Pressed Pigment Palette Review and Looks!

electric palette outside

Electric Pressed Pigment Palette, Urban Decay, $49

I ordered this bad mamajama last Monday morning, when Urban Decay released it. It was in my mailbox on Friday, and I have looked exquisite every day since then. I haven’t really had anywhere to go, BUT, I’ve been looking foine while I’m cleaning toilets and wrapping dog pills in American cheese. Today, I’m going to wear a full face while I clean our room. Is that a fitting activity for the way I look today? No, but it looks like a dirty panty bomb went off in there, and I can’t keep living this way. Maybe this is other people’s idea of good room decor *coughJasoncough* but it ain’t mine. Also, I’m out of underwear.

MOVING ON.

Back in the early years, crazy colors were what first drew me to Urban Decay. I was snapping up nearly every palette they released! The first few little ones, all the Book of Shadows palettes, Alice in Wonderland, the Anniversary Palette, Vice, more little ones! And that’s not even counting the single shadows I picked up. Then, around the time I started to feel like I had to tone it down a little, so did UD. So, then I bought all four of the Naked palettes! The Smoked palette! The Black Palette! I don’t think I need to tell you I don’t really have a lot of counter or drawer space. There are so many palettes, they have a dedicated cubby. Once the Naked palettes came around, I started doing my makeup way more neutral, and I had found myself wondering if I was ever going to go back to wearing a bright colored shadow. Honestly, as much as I used to love it, I didn’t know if it was me anymore.

Cue Urban Decay reading my mind again!

electic palette inside

Top Row, L-R: Revolt, Gonzo, Slowburn, Savage, Fringe
Bottom Row, L-R: Chaos, Jilted, Urban, Freak, Thrash

electric palette swatches

GAH. Those are bright! When I first saw them, I was like, “I don’t know….” Then, I bought them, and I was like, “OH. WAIT. I DO KNOW. I LOVE THEM.” I haven’t been able to keep my hands out of it. I even set up my makeup station at the kitchen table, and I look at the palette while I eat my Eggos. Syrup is part of my creative process, ok?

The powders are so silky and rich, they’re really beautiful. I’m talking HUGE color payoff, plus, they blend like buttah. I never stood a chance. UD enticed me back to bold colors, and I am happy about it! I used my matte UD eye primer for all of these looks except the last one when it occurred to me to try my white eyeshadow base. Also, I did my eyes before I did my foundation or anything else on my face. I didn’t actually get a lot of fall out from these shadows, but what does fall is so intense, you’ll want to be able to just sweep it away with a brush. I haven’t yet had the chance to use every color in the palette, but I plan on continuing to play with it, and I’ll post any other looks I do. For now, I have three looks to show you!

electric palette look 1

I’m a sucker for cobalt blue; it’s one of my all time favorite cosmetics or accent colors. I had to try it first! It was flirting with me! Like, practically waggling its tongue at me, and we all know how ladies can’t resist that! This look was done using just Chaos on the lid, Revolt in the inner corners, and a matte nude from the Naked Basics palette to clean above the crease and up to the brow bone. I used a liquid liner on my top lid, and one of my black UD pencil liners on the bottom, the blush is actually the hot pink color, Savage, from the same palette, and I finished it off with UD’s Revolution lipstick in Naked. I’m sorry, but I looked really beautiful that day.

electric palette look 2

Look Two was the easiest one to work up. I wet my brush with saline solution, and used Fringe as a liner on my top lid, with Freak lining the bottom lash line. I also dabbed Revolt into the corners of my eyes, and used Savage as blush again. Lips are UD’s Super-Saturated High Gloss Lip Color pencil in Crush. For some dumb reason, I forgot to take a picture of this one with my eyes closed. It’s too late now! We’re all just going to have to get on with our lives. I’m not sure how I feel about my mismatched earrings, is it like Janet Jackson, or, is it like a pirate? Is it like pirate Janet Jackson? Is there still such a thing as “the gay ear”? Do I look crazy? I think I like it, but I’m halfway through a bottle of wine right now.

electric palette look 3

GAZE UPON ME, IT’S ALLOWED. NO EYE CONTACT PLEASE.

I thought that first look was my favorite, and then I did this one. Are you freaking kidding me with this? UD’s purples have always been my favorites. It’s their signature color, they do it right, and Urban is no exception. For this look, I used the dark pink color, Jilted, in the crease, blended that forever, then added Urban to the lid, and blended THAT forever, too. I lined my top water line and lower lash line with the same black UD pencil, then, I smudged Urban underneath that. Once again, I used Revolt in the corners, and Savage on the cheeks. The lip color is a drugstore nude.

Also….

electric palette look 4

I couldn’t resist trying it with my all time favorite UD lip color. Jilted!!!! The addition of this lip color changed the whole look into something way bolder. Which is, like, amazing for a look that already boasts bright purple and dark pink eye makeup.

electric palette love

4 EVA

Do you see how we’re totally falling in love?

It’s my responsibility to inform you that some of these colors aren’t “approved” for use around the immediate eye area in the USA. From what I understand, they’re cleared in Europe, and that’s good enough for me. Just be aware if you have extremely sensitive eyes, I guess.

So far, I have zero complaints about this palette. I’m so happy I bought it! I am looking dope and feeling good. The potency of this palette is so great that I bet nobody even noticed I need to get my eyebrows done. In fact, I bet nobody even noticed I wasn’t wearing pants in almost every picture. I am a master of mind control, and this palette has made me more powerful than ever!!!

Buy Urban Decay’s Electric Pressed Pigment Palette from UD HERE.

From Sephora HERE.

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Eyeshadow, Upcoming, Urban Decay

Buy it now! Urban Decay Electric Palette!

ud electricUrban Decay, $49

Naked is good. But, Naked-like hues probably aren’t what drew most of us to makeup. What drew us to makeup was COLOR. Bright blues, jewel purples, peacock greens!! Wheeeeeeeeee!!!!

Urban Decay’s new Electric Pressed Pigment Palette is online, and it’s got everything you’d need to put some bold color back in your life for Spring. At first, I wasn’t sure if I was going to order one. It’s been a looooong time since I wore shadow colors like this. But, I decided to go for it! IMMA SHAKE IT UP. So, now, I’m fucking pumped to get my electric pigments on!

I promise pics as soon as it shows up!

Buy the Urban Decay Electric Pressed Pigment Palette HERE.

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Coastal Scents, Eyeshadow, Fave Looks, How-To, MAC, Maybelline, Urban Decay

Double Trouble – Maybelline Color Tattoo Shadows in Barely Branded and Tough as Taupe

 color tattoo looks diptic

I’ve been working on this post for days! I’ve just been really distracted with, like, the Olympics, and learning to play ping pong, and I’ve had on pants and a bra SO MUCH this week, which is really, very unusual. Being seen in public a lot = less time sitting in front of my laptop. Also, I think I was telling myself this post might suck and second guessing myself tons, so I was making everything more difficult. That’s just maybe laziness disguised as self esteem problems, though. I don’t know! I guess you guys will be the judge. If it sucks, I was right, and if it doesn’t suck, I’m maybe lazy, or I maybe have self esteem problems, or, maybe both. Let’s find out!

Last week, I finally got around to grabbing a few of those Maybelline Color Tattoo cream shadows, and now I am OBSESSED. I hate that I’ve been not buying them all this time! They’re so easy to work with, and the color is long lasting. I’ve used them almost every day since I got them, and I have fully planned to buy several more.

Today, I want to show you two looks I’ve done, using the same colors. Since the colors and placement are the same, the looks are similar, but they’re both so pretty and wearable, I had to show you guys both.

Color Tattoo Looks products

These are the colors I used for these looks. We’ve got W.O.S. from Urban Decay’s Naked Basics palette, Maybelline Color Tattoo cream shadows in Barely Branded and Tough as Taupe, and a Coastal Scents shadow in Wild Raisin.

color tattoo looks swatches

L-R: Costa Riche liner, W.O.S, Tough as Taupe, Barely Branded, Wild Raisin

Before I begin, I always use my Urban Decay Primer Potion. Then, on the first look only, I used W.O.S. on the entire lid; just to even out the skin, and to give the cream shadow something else behind it. Now for the fun part!

color tattoo look steps

  1. Using a flatter brush, I applied Tough as Taupe over the lid, just to the crease.
  2. Line the upper lash line and water line with a dark brown or grey liner; I used MAC’s Costa Riche. Smudge the line.
  3. Using the pads of your fingers, gently pat Barely Branded around the edges of Tough as Taupe, blending upwards and onto the brow bone.
  4. Apply Wild Raisin to the crease and the outer corner of the eye, then BLEND THE HELL OUT OF IT.

And that’s it! If you want, you can lightly line your bottom lash line with the liner or the remaining product on the flat brush from the first step. Add some mascara, and you’re done!

color tattoo look 1

Lips: UD’s Naked

Look Two is exactly the same as Look One, except you switch Wild Raisin and Tough as Taupe. So, Wild Raisin will cover your lid, and Tough as Taupe will get blended into the crease. It looks like this:

color tattoo look 2 detail

Lips: UD’s Protest

color tattoo look 2 close

I’ve worn my makeup one of these two ways almost every day since last Friday. I just love how easy and flattering it is! And how awesome is it that these shadows are super cheap? I guess the Naked palette isn’t super cheap, but that color is also sort of unnecessary to the look, so who cares?! I’ve been doing this blog for almost a year, and the one thing I’ve learned is that my makeup snobbery has been keeping me from a lot of good makeup. Maybelline, in particular, has become a new favorite of mine. I never ever thought I’d be searching everywhere for a particular drugstore product like I do with high end brands, but here I am. It’s cool though, you know. Cheap products means more products, and Maybelline is always on sale, AND you can use your Ulta coupons on their stuff. I’m rolling in affordable cream shadows over here!

What do you guys think? Do you have any questions?

Buy Maybelline Color Tattoo shadows basically everywhere.
Buy Wild Raisin from Coastal Scents HERE.

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Eyeliner, Eyeshadow, Face, Fave Looks, How-To, Lips, MAC, Naked, OCC, Sephora Collection, Urban Decay

OCC Black Dahlia Look Breakdown

occ lip tar set black dahlia

Witch-ay Woman

A commenter asked about the other makeup I’m wearing in this photo from my review of the OCC Lip Tar All-Star Mini set. I was like, duh, I should probably start including that information along with my photos. I guess I probably never thought about it because I am the worst and I like to keep all my secrets to myself. Like, if you gush about my sunglasses and ask where I got them, I’ll tell you–but, inside, I really don’t want to. I know. That’s terrible. And it’s not even the grossest thing about me. Don’t worry, I get karma back on it. A couple months ago, I asked a lady at the farmers market where she got her sunglasses, and she was all, “I don’t remember.” And I was like, “Girl. Yeah, right.” It’s like Justin Timberlake says, “What goes around, goes around, goes around, comes all the way back around.”

So, the makeup in this picture!

Eyes – It looks like I used three shadows for this look. From the original Urban Decay Naked palette, I used “Virgin” for the brow bone and “Half Baked” for the inner eye corners. The bulk of the shadow, the wine color, is from a very old TIGI Cosmetics palette. I tried to find it, and unfortunately, it doesn’t look like they make it anymore. I swear this is not me just trying not to tell. I bough the palette when I was in beauty school a million years ago, and I probably shouldn’t even be using it anymore. The color was just called, “Wine,” and it’s not very hard to dupe; any wine color that leans more towards a plum will do the trick. I used a white pencil liner from the Sephora collection on my lower waterline, and UD’s black pencil liner on my bottom lash line and upper waterline. The mascara is Benefit’s They’re Real.

Eyebrows – Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Powder Duo in “Brunette/Dark Brown” is my go to brow product. I use a light mixture of the two colors on a thin angled brush.

Blush – “Peaches” Sheertone Blush by MAC.

Lips – OCC Lip Tar in “Black Dahlia”

There you have it! I guess I really don’t mind telling about makeup and beauty stuff. I mean, if I did, I probably wouldn’t have started a beauty blog. So, the good news is, my shadiness only extends to accessories! The bad news is, I will never ever start a sunglasses and bracelets blog.

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Beauty Tools, Beginner, Education, Eyeshadow, Kevyn Aucoin, SALE, Smashbox

Santa Bunny: Beginner’s Bundle

Along with Fall (my birthday, Halloween, no more bathing suits), Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year. Christmas the day is whatever to me; I love giving and getting presents, but all that cooking and cleaning can get out of here. The month leading up to Christmas is awesome though! People are nicer to each other, there are lights, and songs, and ornaments, and hot cocoa, and cookies! CHRISTMAS MOVIES! I’ve already watched “Christmas Vacation,” and “Love Actually.” I’ll hit “Scrooged” and “White Christmas” sometime soon. I’m emotionally gearing up for “Miracle on 34th Street,” and I’m saving “It’s a Wonderful Life” to watch with my mom. We like to cry together over that one. Stupid George Bailey gets me every time.

So, looking forward to Christmas, and inspired by a conversation I had with a friend, I’d like to help out with your shopping. Is my gift guide late to the party? Of course it is! Late to the party is my middle name. I actually like to BE late to parties. I wait just long enough for people to start wondering if I’m coming, and then BOOM there I am, drink in hand, making all your dreams come true.

This guide is for the budding makeup artist in your life, or for anyone who wants to improve their skills and get a little education.

“Making Faces” by Kevyn Aucoin

makingfacesbook

Amazon, $16.69

I wrote about my adoration for this book a couple months ago. I’ve had my copy for nearly 15 years, and I still break it out all the time. I learned a lot about makeup application from my mom, but where her knowledge ended, this book picked it up. It’s extremely comprehensive and easy to understand, with clear instructions and pictures. Kevyn doesn’t just show you how to do eyeshadow, he shows you how to build your entire face from your bone structure up. His two makeup books are the only two I own. Nothing else comes close. “Making Faces” is an excellent guide for anyone, beginner or more experienced.

Buy “Making Faces” HERE.

Sonia Kashuk Limited Edition Lavish Luxe 10 piece Brush Set

Brush set

Target, $29.99

If you’re buying for a beginner, you probably want to get them brushes that are nice, but not too expensive. This Sonia Kashuk set fits the bill perfectly. Are they the most high quality, makeup artist level brushes in the world? No. But, they’re pretty nice. Every Sonia Kashuk brush I have has stood up to frequent use and cleanings without any problems. This set is a good place to start building a brush collection. It has everything a beginner should need, and some stuff they’ll probably have to figure out. That’s fun though! That’s learning! I bought a set of brushes in beauty school almost 10 years ago that had a weird shaped brush in it. I never could figure it out until just this year! Mystery solved! The new artist in your life will get a lot of use out of these brushes, and they’ll be glad to not have to use those weird sponge foam tipped applicator things. Do they even put those in makeup anymore? Am I showing my age? Wait. Does pantyhose still come in eggs? Does anybody wear pantyhose anymore?! The internet sure has changed everything!

It doesn’t look like this brush set is available online, but they have it in store. At Target’s site, you can search the stores close to you for specific products, so that makes things easy.

Find the Sonia Kashuk Lavish Luxe Brush Set HERE.

Smashbox Wondervision Mega Palette

Screen Shot 2013-12-10 at 10.02.46 AM

Ulta exclusive, $39.00

I JUST reviewed this palette last week, and it’s on sale now! How fortuitous! Last week, I talked about how I thought this palette would be fantastic for beginners, anyone who wants to expand their options without spending a lot of money, and anyone who struggles with palettes in general. I stand by all of that! With 30 shadows, 3 blushes and 1 bronzer, it’s got almost everything you’d need to start learning. The colors are wide ranging and beautifully coordinated with different finishes and consistencies. The palette even comes with clear, plastic instructional cards you place over the shadows to learn how to apply different eyeshadow looks. It was a great deal at $49, it’s a KILLER deal at $39. Plus, right now, with any $30 Smashbox purchase at Ulta, you get deluxe sample sizes of their fab Classic Primer and Photo Op Eye Brightening Mascara. Even better!

Buy the Smashbox Wondervision Mega Palette exclusively at Ulta HERE.

Throw in a couple of lipsticks or lip glosses. NYX and E.L.F. both have cheap, but good lip products. And right now there are tonnnnns of lipstick and gloss sets that are crazy cheap. Add in some brush cleanser because it’s never too early to learn to keep your tools clean and well maintained! You can get everything I’ve shown here for $85. So you can get a couple lippies and a cleanser and still keep it under $100. This will all make for a good start, and a happy makeup lover!

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Beginner, Eyeshadow, Face, How-To, Smashbox

Smashbox Wonder Vision Mega Palette

smashbox wonder vision palette

Ulta exclusive, $49

WHEW! This palette was a chore to swatch and photograph. It’s really hard to shoot a picture of a mirror without capturing your own reflection. Have you ever caught your own face in a reflective surface before you had to time to prepare yourself? Yuck, right? It’s like that, but instead of being a passing glance, it’s there on your camera roll so you can really look at how squishy your chin looks.

Photography problems aside, I’ve been having so much fun with this palette! It’s been sitting in front of my mirror since I brought it home, and I’ve used it almost every time I’ve done my makeup since then. It’s the first non-Naked palette I’ve bought in a long time, and with 30 shadows, 3 blushes, and a bronzer, I think it’s a good buy.

This post is going to be long on photos, maybe short on words. We’ll see. I never set out to write most of the stuff I end up posting.

smashbox wonder vision inside

smashbox wonder vision interior

This palette contains a wide array of colors and finishes, and they’re all coordinated to make putting together looks easier. I tried to swatch all the colors on my arm, but, they didn’t show up like I’d hoped. This is the first time I’ve swatched a whole palette! Bear with me!

smashbox wonder vision swatch 1

smashbox wonder vision 2

smashbox wonder vision 3

Most of the colors were very easy to work with, the exception being some of the matte, light colored shadows. A couple of them took a few more swipes of the brush to get them to show up bright, but that’s ok. They were still manageable, and I didn’t go, “Eww. No.” Which I’ll totally do! It wasn’t even close to a deal breaker for me. I’ll take a buildable color over a garish mess any day. Those couple of semi-sheer shadows were nothing when you put them with the rest of the shadows in this palette. The satin, and shimmery shadows were absolutely gorgeous. They blended nicely and the color payoff was great. The silver, in particular, was soooo pretty.

I know a lot of people are intimidated by palettes. I’ve heard from two people just in the last week that they don’t know where to start with palettes, they aren’t sure how to use them, so they just don’t buy them. I understand that. That makes me sad though because palettes can be a really great buy. They’re particularly great if you want to expand your makeup collection without spending a lot of money. This Smashbox palette has 30 shadows in it for $49. Their eyeshadow trios contain colors that are just a touch bigger than the shadows in this palette, and those are $28. I think this palette would be great for beginners, or anyone who gets overwhelmed by their choices because Smashbox has made this palette very easy to use. Besides the coordinated colors, it comes with four clear plastic cards that show you how to combine colors to achieve a more in depth look. They’re really cool because you just place them over the colors you want to wear, and you can see exactly which colors you should be using where.

smashbox wonder vision card

Isn’t that rad?! I used the cards myself a few times to check them out, and the directions were clear and easy to handle. It’s a good way to learn a little more about how to apply shadows. Once you get the hang of it using the cards, you’ll probably feel more confident on your own with other shadows!

These are a couple looks I’ve done with this palette since I’ve had it. I don’t always take pictures in front of my lights and backdrop every time I do my makeup, we’d never get out of the house if I did. But, I did grab a couple. The first one is primarily silver, and the second one uses the rust colored shadows show above.

smashbox wonder vision look1

smashbox wonder vision look2

Sorry about the lighting in the last photo. I didn’t intend to use this picture here, I was just looking at my own face. You know how in Clueless, when Cher is picking out outfits, she says she always takes polaroids because she doesn’t trust mirrors? It’s the same thing as that. I catch things that need to blended or touched up all the time like this. Plus, I like  any opportunity to look at a good picture of myself!

The blushes are nice, they’re also buildable, so that’s good. I think a lot of people prefer that in a blush. The bronzer is GREAT. It isn’t shimmery, so it’s good for contouring. I’ve been using it to bring up my cheekbones, and I love it. I predict I’ll hit the pan on the bronzer, actually.

This palette is a good buy financially and artistically. It has colors that can take you to a lot of different places with a lot of different looks. It makes application easy to understand, and easy to do. It would be really good for traveling. Wait. Do other people travel like I do? Does this seem like a lot to bring with you? I don’t think it does. You could slip this in between a couple of shirts, no problem. Then, you’d have neutrals and bright colors for whatever you wanted to do! It’s so easy!

Buy the Smashbox Wonder Vision Mega Palette exclusively at Ulta HERE.

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Eyeshadow, Stila

Stila Magnificent Metals Foil Finish Eye Shadow in Vintage Black Gold

stila magnificent foils

Sephora, $32

A couple of weeks ago, on my way out of Sephora, I ran into these shadows. I had to go back to the counter because once I saw this color on my fingertips, there was no way I was leaving without it.

stila magnificent foils swatch

Soooo pretty…

stila magnificent metals shadow 2

Soooo hard to photograph….

This brilliant metallic cream shadow comes with a primer and a mixing tray to help you get the perfect foil lid. The color is buildable from a semi-sheer shimmer to a full on opaque foil. It’s easy to mix up, and application with fingertips is best. Admittedly, I can see how this product could be a little tricky for makeup newbies —I faced some difficulty getting my eyes blended evenly— but, practice makes perfect!

This particular color, Vintage Black Gold, is a smoky brown-gold that reflects crazy gold the more you build. I had no problems with fallout on my cheeks during application, and, most importantly, I had no problems with fallout into my contacts. That’s the WORST.

stila magnificent foils face

stila magnificent foils face 2

This eye look is all Vintage Black Gold on the lid, and under the eye. I used my fingertips to apply it to my lid, and a very thin brush to line under my eyes.

The $32 price tag is a little steep. I really can’t remember ever paying that much for a single shadow before, actually. But, this color and this finish together is kind of my dream. Jason was with me when I found it at Sephora, and he didn’t even protest a little bit about the price because, as soon as I touched the shadow, I started SHAKING WITH EXCITEMENT. Clearly, we were meant to be, me and Stila Magnificent Metals Foil Finish Eye Shadow in Vintage Black Gold. Our love is powerful.

A little bit of this shadow goes a long way, and I really like getting the primer and the little tray included, so the price wasn’t that painful. I think it’s worth it for how easy this product makes it to get this high-metallic foil look.

Buy it HERE.

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