Random Sightings of Spring 2013 Makeup Displays

Hello, Spring is in the air, here are my favorite Spring makeup collections as of late.  The romantic colors are beautiful and perfect for Valentine's Day coming up!  

Clarins Spring Makeup Collection

Revlon Naked Tips and Neon Lips

Flower Beauty Cosmetics by Drew Barrymore

Yves Saint Laurent Spring Look 2013

Stila

What is your favorite makeup collection for Spring?

Thanks for reading.  Until next post......

Best of 2012 Roundup - Makeup

Hello, Happy New Year!  I sorted through many makeup products and I have summed up the most amazing short list of products of 2012...

Base

Giorgio Armani Maestro Fusion Makeup was launched in Fall 2012.  It is by far my current favorite and the best foundation from Giorgio Armani cosmetics.  The new Fusion Technology covers imperfections flawlessly with only a thin layer.  It never looks heavy or feel cakey.  My color is 4.5 and it blends beautifully with my skin tone!  Thumbs up!

I have heard about Eve Pearl for over a year before I made my first purchase at IMATS in Los Angeles last year.  I do not why I waited so long, I should have made the plunge earlier.  I got a good price on this palette at IMATS;  I paid $40 less than the regular price.  The Eve Pearl Flawless Face Palette contains all the products you need to perfect your canvas.  The flat palette is great for travel.  The kit includes: 2 Cream Foundation Shades (Light 1, Light 2), 2 Cream Concealers (Fair, Light), 1 Cream Blush (Rosy), 1 Mattifier, 1 Illuminator.  I highly recommend this palette if you have drier skin and want to give Eve Pearl a try.

Bronzer

Guerlain Terracotta Spray Bronzing Powder Mist is my go-to spray bronzing powder for the last few years.  I like the fine mist that gives me an airbrushed and healthy glow any time of the year.  Besides this bronzer, I am a big fan of other Guerlain compact bronzers too!  Love!


Brows

When it comes to brows, I stick to brow pencil and brow gel.  When I want a super natural look, I will use brow gel alone.  Anastasia Tinted Brow Gel does it for me.  It is fantastic in adding a touch of color to the brow hairs and the gel grooms the hairs in place.  Granite is grayish taupe and it looks very natural on my black color brow hairs.  It softens up my natural brow color.

Eyes

For eyeshadows, the following brands are what I reached for the most in 2012.  They are all fabulous in texture, pigmentation, and blendability:

Inglot Freedom System for eyes

Burberry Sheer Eyeshadow

Kevyn Aucoin Eye Shadow Duo

  

Blush

I tried many good blushes in 2012, but THE one that I was most impressed with was Illamasqua Powder Blush.  It might be the most pigmented and long lasting blush that I have ever tried.  I was amazed that it can last all day until I took it off.  As you know, the Illamasqua color range is always intriguing and beautiful, I am obsessed with this brand.

Lips

When it comes to lips, I had to choose my favorite texture of the year and a good drugstore find that was surprising smooth and hydrating...

YSL Rouge Pur Couture Vernis A Levres Glossy Stain

Maybelline Color Sensational Lipstick

All in all, I was very adventurous in makeup in 2012, I was happy with many products that I got an opportunity to play with.  For the short list mentioned above, I have no doubt that I will re-purchase every single item in the future.  What were your favorites in 2012?

Thanks for looking!  Until next post......

Wedding Guest Makeup

Hello, I wanted to preface by saying I love weddings!  I thoroughly enjoyed planning my own wedding back in the day.  When I attend weddings, I pay attention to the details because I understand and appreciate the effort that went into creating this once in a life time event.

In September, I attended an intimate evening wedding on the first day of Fall.  As a wedding guest, I decided to go with a demure and classy makeup look with soft neutral eyes and red lips.  I wore a cobalt blue cocktail dress, so I did not want my makeup to overpower the strong color of the dress.

Face:

Estee Lauder Invisible Fluid Makeup in 2CN2
Estee Lauder Double Wear Light Stay-in-Place Makeup SPF 10 in Intensity 2.0
Smashbox Step-By-Step Contour Kit - also mentioned here
MAC Pro Longwear Blush in Stay Pretty
Kevin Aucoin The Celestial Powder in Candlelight
Diorskin Forever Flawless Perfection Fusion Wear Makeup Powder Foundation in 021 Linen - not pictured

Eyes:

Nars Pro-Prime Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base - a cult classic must have!
Givenchy Magic Kohl Eye Liner Pencil in 1
Nars Larger Than Life Long-Wear Eyeliner in Via Appia
Inglot Freedom System Eye Shadow Squares
Kevyn Aucoin The Eye Shadow Duo in #202
YSL Shocking Mascara Volume Effect Faux Cils in 1

Lips:

YSL Rouge Pur Couture Vernis A Levres Glossy Stain in 20 - also mention here

I was inspired to mix two Estee Lauder foundations together from this bridal makeup look video:


Finally some snap shots from the beautiful wedding in September:

Have a great weekend!  Until next post......

Obsessed With...YSL Rouge Pur Couture Vernis A Levres Glossy Stain

Hello,  YSL launched Rouge Pur Couture Vernis A Levres Glossy Stain recently and I did not hesitate to go check them out once they arrived at my local Sephora.  I have tried other lip stains in the past and did not like them because they dried out my lips.  I was skeptical about the YSL Glossy Stain at first.  But after I tried one,  I ended up going back for more... 

From left to right in the picture:
7 Corail Aquatique - Medium coral 
10 Rouge Philtre - True red
20 Rouge Enamel (Sephora exclusive) - Warm red 

The formula is very unique and there is nothing quite like it on the market.  It is a cross between lipstick, gloss, and stain combined into a glossy stain formula.  The consistency is thinner and feels lighter than that of a lipstick or gloss.  The formula stains the lips which makes it long wearing and it is not drying.  The colors have good pigmentation.  It is formulated without parabens, sulfates, petrochemicals, phthalates, GMOs, and triclosan.  I am happy that YSL has decidedly become cleaner with their ingredients.  The glossy stain can be brushed on lightly or it can be built up with more color for dramatic looks.  I chose two reds because I do not currently own a lot of reds.  I figured I can better control the intensity of the red in a stain formula.  The applicator is flat and slanted.  It is quite a nice applicator for the stain formula because you can control the application easily with it.  As you can see in the swatches above, the finish is a bit creamy and glossy. 

Via Google images - A glimpse of the applicator

Check out this cute animation from the YSL website:  



This is a good alternative to lipstick or lip gloss if you want to try something different.  Do you like lip stains?  Have you tried these?  Until next post......

Clean Fingers, Bright Toes

Hello, From time to time, I like to switch it up from the dark nail colors that I love so much.  Clean and bright is my favorite combination of nail colors of the moment, clean fingers with bright toes or vice versa.  An easy way to shake off the winter blues...

OPI At First Sight - Light pink creme with micro gold shimmers

YSL Manicure Couture Duo Vernis Couleur in No.8 - Creamy tangerine orange with micro shimmers.  This is part of a limited edition duo set available at Nordstrom

Via Google images

Thanks for reading.  Until next post......

Best of 2011 Roundup - Makeup for Face and Eyes

Hello, This will be a fast and furious run down on my favorite makeup for face and eyes in 2011.  I tried to shorten the lists as much as possible, but there were too many products that I have enjoyed in the past year.  This is the condensed version, here we go:

Face

From left to right:


1)  Chantecaille Ultra Sun Protection SPF 50 PA+++ - I like the high SPF protection and it feels comfortable on the skin.  The only gripe I have with this product is the high price and the scent could use some improvement.  It has a chemical or plastic scent to me


2)  Skin79 VIP Gold Collection Super + Beblesh Balm - I already raved about this product in a previous post here.  This was purchased at Sune in San Francisco


3)  Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Illuminator SPF 25+ in Pearl - It is a white pearl color illuminator that will give a beautiful sheen to fair skin tones.  I mix it with tinted moisturizer or foundation and it also works great as a highlighter alone


4)  Maybelline Dream Mousse Bronzer in 20 Sun Glow - This shade is not on the website, I do not know if it has been discontinued.  I love the mousse texture and the bronze color.  It is the perfect bronze color that looks natural, no orange tan here.  It is easy to blend and the color is buildable


5)  Tom Ford Traceless Foundation Stick in 05 Natural - Oh, how I love thee!  This is my favorite stick foundation to date because of the formula and the color match.  This one is actually good for my dry skin and gives me a dewy look.  It does not look masky like some other stick foundations out there.  I am a big fan of stick foundations because of the coverage, portability, and it can double as a concealer too


6)  Koh Gen Do Maifanshi Natural Lighting Powder - This is a beautiful loose powder that will give the skin a soft focus look with micro pearly shimmers.  See more information in my previous post here


Eyes

From left to right:


1)  Korres Eyeliner Pencil - I bought a set of these a while back.  They are eyeliner pencils made of cedar wood and the colors are very pigmented.  They are creamy and long lasting


2)  YSL Dessin Du Regard Eye Pencil in 001 Velvet Black  - The name for this product is currently different on the Sephora website, the picture looks like the pencil I own though.  The color is very intense and  it is super long lasting even on my oily lids


3)  Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara in 02 Black/Brown - I like the small bristle brush, it is the perfect  applicator for my eyes that are smaller


4)  Benefit Stay Don't Stray - I am on my second bottle.  This is a really good primer for eyeshadow and concealer.  The eyeshadow will not budge or crease if you use this underneath.  It works well as an under eye concealer for me because it does not accentuate the fine lines I have and the nude shade works for my skin tone to conceal dark circles.  It comes in one universal shade


5)  Hourglass Film Noir Lash Lacquer - This is a genius product!  It is a top coat that boosts the color and volume of your lashes


6)  Ombres Perlees De Chanel Eyeshadow Palette - This is one of my most favorite eyeshadow palettes in 2011.  All the colors are wearable.  The texture is user friendly, you can apply the colors with the applicators or with your fingers.  This is not available at the stores anymore, but you could probably find it online

7)  MAC Mineralize Eye Shadow in Snow Season - I enjoy most MAC Mineralize products and this is no exception.  See more information in my previous post here


And a honorable mention to my last favorite eye product and it is...


8)  Chanel Illusion D'Ombre Long Wear Luminous Eyeshadow in 82 Emerveille - Again, the cream/powder texture is amazing and the light golden nude color is foolproof.  You can't go wrong wearing this gorgeous color alone or mix it up with other colors

Hope you enjoyed this post.  I get so excited sharing all of these wonderful products with you here.  One more Best of 2011 Roundup post coming up...Until next post......

The Top 4 Tag

Hello, I was tagged by Hayley from The Flaxen Owl to do the Top 4 Tag.  She has a blog about her experience switching to natural products and she just started her own YouTube channel.  She has the most amazing skin, check her out!  The Top 4 Tag is to show your top 4 makeup items from your collection.  It is extremely difficult to choose just four, so I have chosen four items that I would use on a daily basis and these are also items that I would definitely repurchase over and over again.
And I tag all of you to do this tag, it would be very interesting to read all of your picks.  Here are my Top 4:

1)  BB Creams - My all time favorites are Lioele Beyond the Solution BB Cream and Skin 79 VIP Gold Collection Super + Beblesh Balm.  I did a brief review on these BB Creams here

2)  Black Eyeliner - YSL Dessin Du Regard Eye Pencil in 001 Velvet Black is intense and long lasting

3)  Voluminous Mascara -  YSL Volume Effet Faux Cils Shocking Mascara in No. 5 Black Burgundy.  To me, YSL makes the best color mascaras.  The burgundy color in this mascara is actually quite subtle because the focus is more on black.  You can pick up the burgundy color under certain lighting.  The brush and formula help create the look of false lashes without the hassle.  I also picked up this mascara in two other colors in Deep Black and Black Bronze when Nordstrom's had a sale on mascaras.  I am not sure if this is a limited edition item, I sure hope not!

Via Google images

4)  Tinted Lip Balm - I reviewed the Burt's Bees Tinted Lip Balms here.  They are my most favorite tinted lip balms

Thanks for reading!  Until next post......