Revival and Revamped

I have made a few changes to the blog. I took a haitus for a while due to some unfortunate circumstances in my life. Now I am back and better than ever! Be watching for some exciting news and posts coming soon! Thanks to those who are following.

Superstar!!!

This is a look using Superstar from my new BE Custom Blend vol3 which is sold on QVC. I hope you like it. Comments are welcome!

The whole look. First I started with BE Eye Primer all over lids.

Then I patted Superstar all over lid to crease. Patted some Believe along brow.  Drylined Twilight on top and bottom lashlines. Waterlined with MakeUp Forever Aqua Eyes in 3L.

Finished the look with BE Foundation Golden Medium, Summer Bisque to conceal, Champagne Diamond Radiance as blush, Pearl Mineral Veil, and Wild Honey natural lipgloss.

Tonya did a really great job when she created this color. I am not the biggest fans of the blues. But I am in love with this one. So here is a look using it. I was trying to come up with a combo and ironically I chose the two colors that were blended to make Superstar, Twilight and Believe.

I thought I would share an application technique I have started using lately. There are many different ways of applying BE's foundation. There's the old Swirl, Tap, Buff, Bravon's Press N Roll, wet application, the sandwhich, beauty blender, the list goes on and on. I use just a plain ole white makeup wedge. I press the wedge into the foundation jar picking up the foundation and apply using a patting method all over the face, Then I smooth it out using the wedge. The wedge allows me to go around my eyes and nose very easily. This method takes less time than the Swirl, Tap, Buff, provides a more smoothier flawless coverage, and you don't have loose minerals all over your bathroom when you are finished. I was at the doctor's office today when the lady taking my vital signs told me, "You have smooth skin just like a porcelain doll. Very pretty." Why don't you give it a try and tell me what you think about it?

See ya'll next time!

BE Haul Part 1

Well this has been long overdue. I have just been lazy this weekend. I had a very hard work week and haven't been feeling well. But here it is finally! My BE Haul Part 1. Part 2 will be done when it arrives. Also there is some Clinique thrown in.

This haul includes 4 High Shine eyecolors in Bronze, Glisten, Moonshine, and Patina. Custom Blends vol.3 colors: Overjoyed, Smokin Hot, Stardust, Superstar. Brightening Eye primer in Gold and Pearl.Also included is the new BE Cares Eyecolor Enlighten.  All of these items are from Bare Escentuals. From Clinique a GWP and 3 eyeliners in Grape, Roasted Coffee and Egyptian.

 I love this bag! This is the reason I got the GWP in the first place. It  holds a lot of MU too. Everything from this haul fit with room to spare!

 Another pic of the haul.

 The Clinique goodies. A palette with 2 eyecolors and a blush. Mascara, lipgloss, and the eyeliners. I want to talk about the lipgloss. It is called Vitamin C Smoothie. It has good pigmentation and feels moisturizing on the lips. With it's name though you would expect a fruity smell and taste. It has neither. I was a bit disappointed with that. The mascara, palette, lipgloss, face wash, makeup remover, eye cream, and bag were part of the GWP from Dillards. The 3 eyeliners are what I bought to get the GWP. Just wanted to clarify that. :)

 The BE goodies! I love the Brightening Eye Primers!

 These are the high shine colors. Top to bottom: Moonshine, Patina, Glisten, Bronze.

 I love the High Shine colors. They have long staying power, blend well, and play nice with other colors. They give the foiled effect without foiling. Others have complained about messiness, but I haven't experienced that. I just pull the applicator out slowly and carefully. Then I apply using a patting technique to help minimize fall out. After applying I wipe below my eyes with a MU remover cloth.

 Here are the Clinique swatches. I detest the eyecolors. This palette will be gifted out.  I am not even going to go into a great bit of detail about them. They don't deserve it. They were horrible to blend with very poor color payoff. I had to apply multiple layers. Reminded me why I love my BE. The pencils are another story though. I have been trying to find a pencil that doesn't smear and smudge throughout the day. BE and MAC have both failed me. UD is so-so. These don't budge at all. They lasted all day through a busy ER shift. Beginning under the pink blush swatch from top to bottom is Roasted Coffee, Grape ( a nice amethyst color) and Egyptian. Egyptian is really pretty. It has a gold sparkle effect that is not captured by my camera. And out of the 3 it has the best staying power. I think I have found my Holy Grail eyeliners!

 Here are my BE eye colors swatches. Top to bottom Superstar, Stardust, Smokin Hot, Overjoyed, and Enlighten. This Customer Blends kit is my favorite to date. All of the colors are to die for. Enlighten is the newest BE Cares color and it is a gorgeous yellow gold. Very pretty. I think I may get another Enlighten from the boutique for my 50 subscribers giveaway. So ya'll need to start subscribing, LOL!

I just want to say that I love Superstar. Such a pretty sparkly teal color. Crown wishes it could be Superstar. Superstar stays true to it's color and doesn't become sooty on application. I have got to think up a combo for this color. I can't wait to try it! Anyone have any combos I can try with Superstar?

I am excited to say that Saturday October 2 I will be traveling to Jacksonville FL to the first stop on the BE Big Buffing Road Trip where I will be meeting Leslie! Again! I am so excited!  Here is a link about the Bus Tour if you are interested in attending. Of course,  BE expecting tons of pictures and a review of my experience. I will be getting my first makeunder EVAH done and will be meeting some of my Mineral Madness and Majykal friends for the first time! Super excited!

http://bareescentuals.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-BareEscentuals-Site/default/EventsClasses-tour?objectId=BBRT2010

Coming up next: BE Haul Part 2 featuring Beyond Gorgeous, Body Lingerie, and Gold Mineral Veil. Plus my exciting experience on the Big Buffing Road Trip!

Disclaimer: I bought these products for my own personal use. I am not affiliated with the companies they represent.

Vote Now

Vote Now: "I love Quickies. Don't you? Tell the Bare Escentuals Quickie Van to stop in your town in October. Vote now!"

Cosmetic Animal Testing

I am going to post on a very sensitive subject but a subject that has been weighing heavily on my heart and mind for some time now. This subject will probably offend some. That being said I want to say that I welcome all comments posted to my blog except those that are flaming or degrading in nature. I don't mind debate as long as it is constructive debate. Posting a comment to my blog means you agree to these terms. Any comment deemed flaming or degrading will be deleted and the commentor will be blocked. So now that that is out of the way....

I think cosmetic animal testing should be illegal. I have been doing some research on the issue and have decided that I will no support companies that participate in such practices. Animals are kept in cages and tortured all in the name of bigger eyelashes and plumper lips. Animals eyelids being burned off by chemicals and skin falling off in chunks all so I can have fewer lines and wrinkles...I think not! I am not going to post graphic pictures here cause I know some people are very sensitive to such images. I have seen such images and they are heartbreaking to say the least. If you want to see them google "cosmetic animal testing". I can no longer blindly purchase items from companies that engage in such practices. One of the companies that tests the most on animals is Loreal. They own many other companies such as Garnier and Keratase. Another guilty company is Proctor and Gamble which owns Cover Girl and Olay. Johnson and Johnson and Unilever are guilty too.

So are you wondering, "Which makeup companies are animal friendly?" There are tons. I already support two  of them, Bare Escentuals and Urban Decay. I have also provided a link below that lists many animal friendly cosmetic companies. If you are not sure if something you are about to buy is animal friendly or not, I suggest printing this list out and keeping it with you for reference.
http://www.mymakeupmirror.com/MakeupWithoutCruelty.php
Now my precious Bare Escentuals has been bought out by Shiseido which does practice on animals. IF BE starts this practice too then I will say buh-bye to BE. And ya'll have seen my MU collection. It is hugely made up of BE. That one will hurt..a lot. Leslie Blodgett are you reading this?

Lastly I want to add that I am not discussing medical animal testing or consumption of animal meat here. They are 2 separate topics. I am only referring to cosmetic animal testing. Thank you for reading. Please share your thoughts and feelings on the issue.

Edited to add: A link to lit of companie that do DO ANIMAL TESTING. DO NOT BUY FROM THESE PEOPLE!!!
http://www.mediapeta.com/peta/PDF/companiesdotest.pdf

Cashmere says"I don't need no stinking lipstick! I'm gorgeous already!"

Urban Decay Haul!

My Urban Decay haul is here! I have BOS3, Black Palette, Deluxe Palette, Naked lipgloss, Professional sized UDPP, and samples! I'm really excited about these products. First I will run through each product individually, then post a look a did with BOS3 and the Black Palette. Plus I'm sporting a new 'do!

UD luvs NYC or BOS3 opened. You can see all of the pretty lights!

Ohhh!!! Look at all the pretty colors! Plus a Zero and Ransom eyeliner pencil and a baby UDPP! I can't wait to try Ransom! This is a great color palette, one that I will be reaching for often.

Swatches L-R: Perversion, Uzi (very glittery), Loaded (luv!), Kush, Midnight Cowboy Rides Again (less glittery than my AiW version), Last Call, Rockstar(luv!), and Money (luv!) Please ignore my surgical scars on my hand/arm. I was in a car accident many years ago and the physical scars are permanent I'm afraid.

Haight, Maui Wowie, Smog(luv!), Bordello, Radium, Snatch, Suspect, Psychedelic Sister (luv!)

The Black Palette! These colors are very dramatic, and I can't wait to play with them! You have: Black Dog-the deepest black I have ever seen! This black ain't playin' around!, Barracuda-a steely black(luv!), Jet- a deep plum/black(luv!), Sabbath-a blue/black, Cobra-a golden black(luv!), and Libertine-a deep forest green/black. Swatched Libertine looks very black on the skin.

Swatches L-R: Libertine, Cobra, Black Dog, Barracuda, Jet, Sabbath

The Deluxe Palette. This has been around for a few months now but I just now discovered it. A friend of mine on a forum sold it to me. Thanks Rinne! The Deluxe eyeshadows are supposed to be brighter, even more pigmented, and more blendable versions of UD's already very bright, pigmented, blendable eyeshadows.

Swatches L-R, Top then Bottom rows: Fishnet, Honey, Ransom(luv!), Graffiti, Zero, Peace, Shag, Scratch, Underground(luv!)

I also bought the huge tube of UDPP(luv!), Naked Lip gloss(luv!), and Sephora and UD both gave me free sample of some product to try. Now on to my look! My first look created using products from this huge haul is a green one. Not my typical look, but that's the fun part of MU-straying from your comfort zone. I hope you like my look.

How I did it: BE brightening Eye Primer all over lids. UD Money applied to inner corner of eyes. UD Kush all over lid to crease. UD Loaded outer v and crease. UD Libertine to line top and bottom lashlines. UD Virgin to highlight. UD Zero to line top and bottom waterlines. BE Flawless Definition mascara. BE Naughty, Naughty blush. UD Naked lipgloss. I luv this gloss! I broke my lippie no buy to get it. It is a very natural looking lip gloss with a nice vanilla mint flavor/smell. Worth breaking my no buy for!

Availability: Follow the links at the top of the blog. BOS3 is available at Sephora online and UD online now if it isn't sold out. Will be available at all outlets October 1. The Black Palette is a Sephora online exclusive right now. It may become available  in stores at some point. The Deluxe palette is only available at Sephora right now. It is sold out everywhere else and I assume it will disappear as soon as Sephora sells out. It has been around for a while now. Naked lipgloss and UDPP available wherever UD is sold.

Up Next: BE Haul and application pointer. I have stuff from BE trickling in right now. Custom Blends, Eye Primers, High Shine colors, and Enlighten eyecolor. Once everything is here I will do another haul post.

Disclaimer: I purchased all of these products. They were not sent to me by the companies they represent.

Things I Am Loving Now

I love the change of seasons. Hot humid summer transitions to cool relaxing fall. Here are some of my favorite things that I am enjoying this fall.

These are Bare Escentual's Buxom Eyeshadows. These are available only at Sephora. I have a link to Sephora posted at the top of the blog. These are so creamy and blendable. I love how they stay in place all day long. They play nice with each other and with BE's regular powder eyeshadows and other brands' eyeshadows.  I have all of the colors available for purchase now. I hope BE is planning on expanding this line.

Bath and Body Works Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin. This is my favorite scent EVER!! I buy it every fall since they have been making it. It is a staple in my fall routine. I can not wait to take a shower to smell my delicious pumpkins! This is available online at B&BW. Follow the link at the top of blog. It is found in the Classics section.

No you are not hallucinating! That really is pumpkin scented shampoo and conditioner! I started doing this last fall and it too now has become a part of my fall routine. I found these large liter bottles on Ebay. I noticed that the salon in Walmart carries smaller versions beginning late summer. I love how soft it makes my hair feel and throughout the day I can catch wiffs of pumpkin goodness as I toss my head around.

URBAN DECAY'S NAKED PALETTE!!! OH HOW I LOVE THEE!!! I am going to get a back up of this palette as soon as it's restocked. I find my reaching for this all the time as it's so quick and easy. It travels well too. I hope UD has this restocked in time for the holidays.

Coming up next: UD and BE hauls. Some looks. Stay tuned and thanks for checking in. Please subscribe. A giveaway will be held as soon as we reach 50 subscribers.