Beautiful Blushes

So recently I've been obsessing over all sorts of blush, especially cream blush which was beginning to take it's toll on my cheeks. I was breaking out far more than I liked and blush didn't do a good job of covering it. While surfing Youtube, I found this blush palette along with this fabulous video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YaxBL80x1jI

In the comments section there is a little spot where you can grab the coupon code for $4 off.

Oh my god. The blushes are pigmented perfectly. They don't disappear into my skin like other powder blushes have and now I can match the color of my blush to my outfits every day. There's also the added benefit that they suit every skin tone. I just ombred my hair and now that it's lighter, I find myself leaning towards more peachy makeup (instead of my usual pinks). This blush palette can accommodate that change perfectly!

Click on over to http://www.sedonalace.com to purchase your own!

Elegant Eyeshadows

Hi everyone!

Recently I decided to splurge on a Too Faced eyeshadow kit that I absolutely fell in love with when I was out shopping.

Too Faced Natural Eyes palette that retails for $36 and is definitely worth more than just that much. The amount of compliments I've received when wearing this eyeshadow is ridiculous.

It blends flawlessly, fallout is minimal, the colors are well pigmented so they show up well on darker skin tones and with the primer, it literally does stay on all day. 

Probably the best neutral palette I own.

The way this works is that each horizontal row is intended to be a single "look". The largest shadow is filled in on the entire lid and used as a highlight, the second one covers the first half of the lid and the darkest shade is blended into the end. I find that Nude Beach has the most fallout and looks incredibly dramatic and far more glittery when applied with fingertips instead of a brush. 

You can pull little cards out of the lid to learn where to apply which colors.

None of these colors are too dark to be worn during the day but they are buildable enough that they can be used easily when going out at night. Too Faced did also release a nighttime palette with darker versions of these same essential colors, however I have yet to give that one a try and probably won't because I'm not a fan of very dark eyeshadow.

Although this palette is intended for brown eyes I think it would look great with green, hazel and perhaps grey eyes as well. There are a few shades that could benefit you if you have blue eyes but it's probably not worth the investment in that case. 

These follow the order of the palette, keep in mind the picture is a bit diagonal.
They don't show up perfectly on the back of my hand but with a good primer, I promise they'll work perfectly on your lids.

The original primer with no shimmer. I highly recommend buying this one because a matte primer with an even base will make all your eyeshadows stand out well. The shimmery ones interfere with the color of your eyeshadows sometimes. 

If you have brown or green eyes, this is a staple for your makeup collection and it is well worth the money. If not, there are palettes for every eye color and I highly recommend checking out the one for your eye color. Too Faced eyeshadows are in my opinion, the best in the market. Even better than Urban Decay. 

What's your favorite eyeshadow brand? Have you tried Too Faced?

Gel Eyeliners

Hi everyone!

Lately I've been feeling like my usual liquid liner is a bit too dramatic to use everyday so I decided to give gel eyeliner a try. I did have a few pots sitting around because I purchased them a while back but was displeased with the smudged look. This time around though, I was very pleased.

The few gel eyeliners I found.

Close-up of the brush applicators they came with.

These are the ones that I found, naturally the Nars one is my favorite. It glides on much smoother than the others though the Maybelline is a close match. The Maybelline one is also brown (I usually wear black liner) and it's a very light shade which works well on days you don't really want to wear a lot of heavy makeup.

The applicator I received with my Nars liner is really a lot smoother and easier to use than the Maybelline one which is really stiff and almost painful to use. However, you can just pick up a gel eyeliner brush at your nearest makeup store if you're unhappy with the one your eyeliner comes with.

Pros:

Significantly easier to apply than any other type of eyeliner, these just smooth right on.
They give you the precision of a liquid liner but with a lot more control.

Cons:

They smudge. Easily.
Wears off after about 7-8 hours so it really can't be worn all day.


If you haven't invested in one of these yet, I would recommend that you do. It's a necessity for every eyeliner wearer and they're nothing like anything you've tried before. The amount of control you have with these is also spectacular, it's easy to master any eyeliner shape.

Have you tried gel eyeliner? Do you prefer it over liquid liner?