Makeup Play #3: Orange You Irate?

Hello everyone!
I am back, and I am super excited to return to the blog.

Today, I'm posting the details behind a look I posted recently on my Instagram:

Instagram @ladyjpsych

If you don't follow me on Instagram, nor have read any of my previous Makeup Play Posts, the general idea behind this series is, I ask my friends to choose any colour of their liking, and I have to incorporate them into a makeup look.

This time, the colours they chose were:

1. Yellow (Gold)
2. Green
3. Burnt Orange 

My friends have a wicked sense of humour. Luckily I do own a ridiculously beautiful orange eyeshadow, multiple shades of green, however, since I don't own a strict yellow eyeshadow, I was allowed to improvise with a yellow gold.

Eyeshadows Used:

L.A. Colors Eyeshadow Pot in Bare Mauve as my transition shade, and also to help blend out the orange eyeshadow.

Sacha Cosmetics Eyeshadow in High Voltage Orange - I used this in the crease, for that beautiful, warm burnt orange colour. Blending it out with Bare Mauve toned down the intensity of the shade. Although it is listed as a Frosted Eyeshadow on Sacha's website, in person it is more of a satin.

Colourpop Cosmetics Super Shock Shadow in Hammered - By far my favourite green eyeshadow. A smokey, olive green, with gold reflects; it satiates my desire for MAC's Sumptuous Olive.

Milani Cosmetics Powder Eyeshadow in Gold Dust (discontinued) - I still don't know why Milani discontinued this line of single eyeshadows because they were the most beautifully pigmented, easy to blend and affordable eyeshadows. I tend to use Gold Dust strictly to highlight, since I personally find it far too yellow for my eyelids. I prefer brass or coppery gold all over the lid.

From left to right - Bare Mauve, H.V. Orange, Hammered, Gold Dust

This look required a lot of blending, and a lot of patience. Although the Sacha eyeshadow is easy to blend, and extremely pigmented, and it was difficult trying to not overblend the eyeshadow, or blend it out too high. I spent 20 minutes on each eye just ensuring that the orange was strong but not overwhelming alone. There were moments when I wanted to scrap the look, however, since my friends were holding me to the challenge, I powered through.

If you're wondering, yes I wore this to work...*anywho*...I kept the rest of the look fairly simple, a touch of eyeliner, tons of mascara ( L'Oreal Voluminous Butterfly Sculpt), Kat Von D Lolita on the lips, and City Color Cosmetics Be Matte Blush in Papaya on the cheeks.

This was one of the more time consuming, and challenging looks simply because I've never worked with orange eyeshadow before; but it was fun nonetheless, and I truly love how the look turned out. I would definitely wear this look again.

Thank you all so much for stopping by. I hope you all enjoyed. My next post is going to be a review, so until then, stay happy, healthy, and positive.
Bye (^_^)/

My No-Makeup Makeup Look

Hello everyone!
If you follow me on Instagram, you would notice that I've been rocking some heavy makeup recently.
I've always been a bit of a minimalist when it comes to my makeup, so recently I've been stepping out of my neutral comfort zone, and been playing around with bolder colours, but I do have my days when I just don't feel like putting in all the effort to do my makeup.

For me, makeup application is usually the most fun, and even therapeutic part of my day, however, I've been extremely tired and run down, essentially burnt out, and it takes a lot out of me to pull off what to many may seem as a basic eyeshadow look.
On those days when I just don't have the energy or will to do a full face of makeup, but I still want to look awake, and pulled together, I turn to my go-to no-makeup makeup look. It is a quick and easy look to do, using some of my favourite drugstore products.

Left (Bare Face), Right (No Makeup-makeup look)

From the picture, the difference is as clear as day.

No-Makeup Makeup Look Requirements: These are my personal requirements, however, you can feel free to alter to your own needs.

• Filled in eyebrows (I wear glasses, so my brows tend to get lost behind my frames)
• Mascara (lifts my eyes, makes me look more awake)
• Evened out complexion 
• Dark circles lightly concealed
• Neutral lips ( usually matte, although I go for the occasional gloss)

Products Used:

• Face: L'Oreal Magic Nude Liquid Powder Foundation (328 Sun Beige)
• Under Eyes: L.A. Girl Pro Conceal (Pure Beige) w/ Sacha Buttercup Loose Powder to set
• Eyebrows: Revlon Brow Fantasy in Dark Brown
• Mascara: Revlon Ultimate All-In-One Mascara (502 Black)
• Lips: NYX Cosmetics Soft Matte Lip Cream in London (SM04)  

Unless I've pre-planned a makeup look, this is my go-to look, and I absolutely love it.
This brings us to the end of this week's post, and I'm sorry that my posting is still a bit sporadic, but I'm truly trying to recover from burn out. I did have a scheduled post for last week but it did not come out the way I wanted so I chose no to upload it.

Anyways, I hope you all have a great weekend! Feel free to follow me on Instagram, and/or Pinterest (J's Mind Palace Blog).
Stay happy, healthy, and positive guys, and I will talk to you soon.
Bye (^_^)/

Links:
 L'Oreal Magic Nude Liquid Powder Foundation 

Revlon Ultimate All-In-One Mascara:
 http://jsmindpalace.blogspot.com/2016/02/product-review-revlon-ultimate-all-in.html

L.A. Girl Pro Conceal: 
 http://jsmindpalace.blogspot.com/2015/11/product-review-la-girl-pro-conceal-in.html

Sacha Buttercup Powder:
http://jsmindpalace.blogspot.com/2015/10/product-review-sacha-cosmetics_16.html

M.A.C Cosmetics Warm Neutral Palette Thoughts and Swatches

Hello everyone! Welcome back! Today, I'm doing a short post about the M.A.C Warm Neutral Palette, along with some swatches. I bought this palette last Tuesday at my local M.A.C store, and to be honest, I've been wanting this palette since it released last year, but I only just recently caved and decided to splurge. These are the first eye products I have ever bought from M.A.C because M.A.C is quite pricey here in Trinidad; this palette costs TT$840 = US$85 (on the M.A.C Cosmetic website).

Quick Look - M.A.C Warm Neutral Palette

Packaging: 
Hard plastic casing, with a see-through plastic lid. It's very sleek, and lightweight. I do wish that instead of a see-through lid, there was a mirror, that would make it perfect for travel.
There is a label on the back that contains the name of each shadow and its finish.

The Shadows
This palette contains all warm neutral tones, with various finishes from Frost to Matte.
I will break down the palette according to rows, and having the corresponding name and finish of the shadows.

Closer look at the shadows in the M.A.C Warm Neutral Palette.

First Row 

Top row of Warm Neutral Palette

 From left to right

• Hey (Veluxe Pearl)
• Warm Breeze (Satin)
• GingerSnap (Frost)
• Dark Brew (Velvet)
• Dance in the Dark (Matte)  

Swatches

Swatches of the First Row in the M.A.C Warm Neutral Palette

All of the colours in this row with the exception of Dance in the Dark, swatched and applied smoothly with good pigmentation. Dance in the Dark is extremely patchy, and powdery, it is quite a pain to work with.

Second Row
 

Second Row - M.A.C Warm Neutral Palette

From left to right

• Brulé (Satin)
• Vanilla Extract (Frost) 
• Honey Lust (Luster)
• Amber Lights (Frost)
• Saddle (Matte) 

Swatches 

Swatches from 2nd Row

 All the shadows in this row applied and swatched beautifully. Saddle unlike its fellow Matte brother Dance in the Dark, applied like butter, it did not skip, it just glided on in one swipe.

Third Row

Third Row - MAC Warm Neutral Palette

 From left to right

•  Lemon Tart (Veluxe Pearl)
• Creative Copper (Luster)
• Butterfudge (Satin)
• Divine Decadence (Velvet)
• Unwind (Veluxe Pearl)

Swatches 
 

Final Row Swatches

All the colours in this row, swatched and applied just as beautifully as the previos one. Lemon Tart and Unwind are definitely going to be shades I play around with. The swatches don't do either of those shades much justice, with Lemon Tart being a gorgeous light yellow gold pearl, and Unwind is the definition of smokey/dirty olive.

Final Thoughts
Despite the high price point, I'm quite impressed by the quality of the eye shadows in this palette. Like I mentioned earlier, this is my first time trying M.A.C eyeshadows, so for a newbie, this give quite a good first impression. With only one shade I can truly call a flop (Dance in the Dark), 14 out of 15 are good quality, very pigmented and soft, without them being crumbly. This is a permanent item in M.A.C's collection, so if you are interested, I recommend going to your local M.A.C store, and giving this guy a swatch. Although I do love this palette, because of the high price point, I can't say run and buy it, unless you want to splurge and spoil yourself like I did. 

Thank you all so much for coming by today, I hope you enjoyed today's post. Before I say goodbye, I just wanted to announce that today, I have finally launched a Facebook page for J's Mind Palace! I decided to finally get over my fear of opening a Facebook page, dedicated strictly to my blog. I will leave a link to the end of this post. Thank you all for all the support for the past year, and I can't wait to post more content here.

Remember to have a safe and fun weekend, stay happy, healthy and positive and I shall see you all next Friday!
Bye-bye (^_^)/

FB: https://www.facebook.com/jsmindpalace

L.A Girl Cosmetics Matte Flat Finish Pigment Glosses Swatches and Review

Hello everyone! Welcome back!

I'm feeling better this week, so I decided to play with my L.A. Girl Cosmetics Matte Flat Finish Pigment Glosses that I recently purchased. If you live in Trinidad and want to get your hands on these, you can find them at Tres Belle Cosmetique, Wonderful World, or you can order them from The BeautyBox 868.

I have four shades to share with you today, two of the shades, I've done wear tests with. The shades I own are;

1. Fleur - peachy nude
2. Rebel - a mid tone purpley-mauve shade
3. Secret - deep brick red
4. Backstage - deep/vampy berry (with purple undertones)

L.A. Girl Matte Flat Finish Pigment Gloss

Wear Testing
I've worn both Fleur (to work) and Rebel (visiting my grandma), and I can say that they are very lightweight, and they do tend to stay the lips for a long time. They wear beautifully throughout the day, even if you are eating and drinking, I'd say approximately 5-6 hours...I lost track of time.....but they leave a nice stain to the lips.

Taken from my Instagram: @ladyjpsych

 

 

 

Taken from my Instagram: @ladyjpsych

Application
In terms of application, the product has a flat doe type applicator that makes it easy to get the product on and remain within the lines of the lips. However, I do use a lip liner with Fleur, because on it's own it tends to wash out my complexion. These glosses take a while to set, usually about 1minutes (60 seconds) for one layer, and I would advise not smacking your lips together while the product is setting, because it causes the product to flake off.

Backstage & Secret (Lip Swatches)
Backstage is the only one of my four that requires two layers to get the true colour, although on my lips Rebel doesn't look as purple as the swatch but I still really love the colour I get in one layer.

 

 

 

 

Lip Swatch of Backstage (2 layers)

 

 Secret is going to become a staple for me, because I absolutely adore red lips.

Lip Swatch of Secret (1 layer)

In the end, these are very good products for the price (I paid $35TT on sale), and if you like liquid lipsticks, give these a try. They're inexpensive, long lasting, pigmented, matte without being overly drying the lips, and the chubby packaging is super cute.

Before I end, I just wanted to thank those of you who read my post last week. I'm not usually one to talk about feeling down, however, as I grow older, and I get closer to my dream of becoming a psychologist, it will be important for me to talk about particular topics, mostly mental health, and I se my blog as a great way to integrate that practice.

Thanks again for coming back to my blog, if you're new, then thank you for stopping by and I hope you will pay my blog another visit. Until next Friday, I hope you all stay happy, positive, and healthy!

Bye (^_^)/

Review : Rimmel SCANDALEYES Eyeshadow Paint and Eyeshadow Stick

Another Friday, another blog post.

Hey everyone, how are you today? I really hope you're all safe and enjoying your day.
I'm continuing my month of reviews this week, with a couple of products that I absolutely love!
Today's post is going to be all about the Rimmel Scandaleyes Eyeshadow Paints and Eyeshadow Sticks. I have two (2) of each product, and I'm most definitely going to pick up some more. Now, I may have mentioned these products in a few favourites post I've done in the past, but I decided that they needed their own time in the spotlight.

I know many of my foreign readers may not care to read a post about these products since they came out a long time ago over in the UK, USA and Europe, but Rimmel has only been available in Trinidad for approximately one (1) year, so a lot of these products are new to myself and my fellow Caribbean peeps. So without any further ado, let's get into the review.

Rimmel SCANDALEYES Eyeshadow Paint
 

Swatches: Rimmel Scandaleyes Eyeshadow Paints in Pomegranate(left) and Rich Russet (right)

The two shades I own are; 019 Pomegranate and 006 Rich Russet.
I was highly skeptical about purchasing these because I saw many mixed reviews on it. It was either people absolutely loved them or they absolutely hated them. So, I decided to try them out for myself to see whether or not I liked them. 
These eyeshadow paints are not cream eyeshadows, they are liquid eyeshadows and recently liquid eyeshadows have been "trendy"...I don't know, I'm not one who cares for trends. If I like something, I'm going to wear it whether it's in season or out of season, I really don't care.
Liquid eyeshadows are thinner in consistency to cream eyeshadows, so you have to be careful when blending these out because you run the risk of removing the product from the eye. However, when applied correctly, these are longlasting, beautifully pigmented, and great to grab on an early morning when you are in a hurry. I've been using Rich Russet all week, I wore it for my Master's interview with a warm matte brown shadow in the crease, yesterday, I wore it all over my lid with some mascara, and today I wore it as a base for my (Avon) Satin Taupe eyeshadow with a pop of Makeup Geek Insomnia pigment in the inner corner.

Today's Makeup: Lids: Rich Russet as a base, (Avon) Satin Taupe (lash line to crease) and Makeup Geek Insomnia Pigment (inner corner)

Rimmel SCANDALEYES Eyeshadow Stick

Scandaleyes Eyeshadow Stick in Blackmail (left) and Bad Girl Bronze (right)

 I have had my fair share of love/hate relationships with jumbo eyeshadow pencils in the past...I'm looking at you NYX. However, these Rimmel pencil have me singing a happier tune. These are extremely soft and pigmented and extremely long wearing. I've been using 008 Blackmail to tightline and the only time I look like panda is when I'm removing my makeup. I tend to use 003 Bad Girl Bronze, as a stand alone eyeshadow all over the lid on days when time isn't on my side. Through heat and humidity these eyeshadows sticks last. They are amazing on their own or you can use them as a base. I am planning on getting more of these, especially since I can get so much use out of them as an eyeshadow base, a stand alone eyeshadow or a longlasting, waterproof eyeliner.

I highly recommend these two products, and no this is not a sponsored or paid post for Rimmel. I am 100% positive that Rimmel don't even know I exist.

I hope you all have a safe and fun weekend.
I hope to see you all again next Friday for another post.
Stay happy, positive and healthy guys!
Bye (^_^)/

Milani Eyeshadow Primer - Is it a Dupe for Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion?

Welcome back to my blog everyone!
Today, it's all about the Milani Eyeshadow Primer.

Milani is one of my favourite inexpensive makeup brands, and can be found in Trinidad at Wonderful World.
I've been putting off getting this eyeshadow primer, simply because I own a fair few, and I didn't really want to buy another one. If you're a regular visitor, you would know that I've been searching far and wide for an inexpensive alternative to my trusty Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion (UDPP) and my Smashbox 24 Hour Photo Finish Eyeshadow Primer.

**I've tried eyeshadow primers from Nicka K (which I previously reviewed; http://jsmindpalace.blogspot.com/2015/05/nicka-k-perfecting-eyeshadow-primer.html).
**I've also tried one from Rimmel, which I did a quick review on my Instagram (@ladyjpsych).

Now to the Milani Eyeshadow Primer:

Milani Eyeshadow Primer

I've been using this primer for two weeks now, and I can safely say that this is a great dupe for the UDPP.
The product itself is similar in appearance, texture and finish to the UDPP. The only difference I find between the two is the price. The UDPP cost approximately $190-$200TT, which roughly around US$18-US$20 while the Milani Eyeshadow Primer costs approximately $60-$65TT (US$5.99).

In terms of longevity, this primer holds up well. I've gotten between 8-10 hours of wear with little to no creasing or fading whatsoever, similar to the UDPP, in my experience.

After 10 hours of wear.

When I use this product, not only do I use it on my eyelid but I also put some in my brows to help make my brow products last a bit longer during the day, and it really works. Usually my oily/combo skin eats away at my brow products, leaving gaps but since I started priming my brows with this, I've had no problems with that.

Milani Eyeshadow Primer applied all over the eye and into the brows.

This primer is unbelievable especially for the price range. I absolutely love this eyeshadow primer. I've actually put away my UDPP and have been strictly using the Milani primer because it's so good.

This to me is definitely an amazing dupe for the UDPP, I highly recommend it! ^O^

Please forgive me, I know this post is a lot later than usual, got thrown off schedule a bit but better late than never...right?!
I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, and a great week next week. I don't think I'm going to be doing a monthly favourites for June, simply because I did my Favourite Single Eyeshadow posts, and those were basically my loves for June. Feel free to check it out if you'd like. As always stay happy, healthy and positive, come over to my Instagram (@ladyjpsych), I'd love to have you there. I've been contemplating starting a Facebook page for the blog, let me know if you guys would be interested in that in the comments.

Thanks for stopping by everyone,
Bye (^_^)/.

Maybelline Fit Me Matte and Poreless Foundation and Powder Review

Hello doves, I'm still very ill hence why this post is a little bit later than usual. My sinuses are congested, tonsils are painfully inflamed and I have really bad muscle aches, but I am going to fight through it to get this post up. It's going to be a concise post because I really need to get some rest. It's been over a week, and I'm feeling worse now than when I first got this cold.

Maybelline Fit Me Matte and Poreless Foundation 310 Sun Beige

Holy crap, I love this stuff! My only wish is that it came with a pump. This shade matches me perfectly. If you need a reference I'm a W7 in L'Oreal True Match and NC44 in MAC Studio Fix Fluid Foundation. I've used this foundation with and without a primer for a week, ( I haven't worn makeup since I got sick...yikes!) and I have to say this foundation is awesome.

Firstly, it has a beautiful consistency, it's isn't overly thick but it is not at all watery. It's creamy and super lightweight and it blends like an absolute dream. I use my Real Techniques Expert Face brush, and buff the foundation into my skin. Super quick and easy.

The second thing I absolutely love about this foundation is the finish. The finish is not at all heavy or cake-y, your skin just looks demi-matte and naturally flawless. My makeup area is directly next to a window, so I usually use a mix of natural light  and artificial light to apply my makeup, so I can usually see off the bat if my foundation is looking heavy, and it never has.

Third, this foundation does indeed leave you looking poreless. I personally, have a lot of open pores on my cheeks and around my nose, but with this foundation, you can't tell and that makes me quite happy.

Finally, this foundation, does a pretty good job at keeping me matte. I have to blot a lot less with this particular foundation than usual. I usually have to blot every 2 hours, but with this I can get away for 4-5 hours straight without needing to blot (if used with powder), or 3-4 hours without blotting if used on it's own.

In conjunction with the Maybelline Matte and Poreless Powder, also in shade 310 Sun Beige, the longevity and oil control ability is really great.

Maybelline Matte and Poreless Powder 310 Sun Beige

N.B. I've rocked the powder sans foundation with just a bit of primer underneath, and the coverage is light/medium which is impressive for a pressed powder. It does a great job of controlling oil and evening the complexion.

I wore both to Ani-Market 2015 that took place here in Trinidad, and goodness me did this foundation hold out. I applied it at 8 am, I got wet in rain, got sweaty thanks to high humidity, spent hours walking around the convention with my friends, blotted once during lunch at 1pm, snapped a selfie with one of my best friends close to 3pm, and this is what my skin looked liked (I'm the one with the purple hair)...

Selfie @ Ani-Market 2015 with my Best Friend ChenChen

It's absolute craziness!

In the end, I absolutely love this foundation, before I tried it, I was on the fence about purchasing it, but I'm really happy that I did. It's about $60-$70TT which is cheaper than my beloved L'Oreal foundations, so I am positive that this will be a staple in my makeup collection.

This concludes this week's blog post, I'm going to go lie down and listen to some music and continue fighting this beast of a cold. I hope you all have a great weekend. Ramadan Mubarak to all of my Muslim readers, keep safe during this time. To all of my US readers, have a great 4th of July weekend, keep safe.

Question: If I were to get my hands on the L.A. Girl Nude Eyeshadow Palette, would you prefer to see a review with swatches, or a few looks and review? Comments are welcomed here.

Feel free to follow me on Instagram (@ladyjpsych) I post stuff there, and my Pinterest (J's Mind Palace). I also have a Tumblr under the same name, where I reblog all of the weird/nerdy/psych related things.
I hope everyone keeps safe, and stay happy, healthy and positive and I shall talk to you all very soon!
Bye (^_^)/