Makeup Play #1: Positive Princess in Pink

For the past month and a half, I've not felt very inspired to play around with my makeup. My go-to no makeup-makeup look, was my constant day to day look, with just minor variations of my lipstick or gloss.

On Monday April 18th, I asked some of my friends to pick a colour, and I would use that colour as the central focus of my makeup for the following day. My friend Z, chose pink (her favourite colour is pink). If you're wondering why I called this the Positive Princess in Pink look, I made a promise to be extra positive and happy, as opposed to my usual snarky and biting sarcasm.

I decided to do pink on pink i.e.; pink/mauve and plum eyeshadows paired with a muted pink lip and I actually really loved it.

Positive Princess in Pink :D

Eyes:

Lid Colour: Sephora Colorful Eyeshadow in Hold Me Tight (shimmer)...(apparently this shadow is discontinued) D:

Hold Me Tight - In varying light, the colour shifts from mauve pink with shimmer to semi-metallic pink

Transition: L.A. Colors Eyeshadow Pot in Bare Mauve (matte)

Bare Mauve is neutral brown, perfect transition shade.

Outer Corner & Lower Lash Line: Avon Single Eyeshadow in Plum Burgundy (matte)

Plum Burgundy - Smooth and blendable

 
Eyeliner: 
L'Oreal Infallible Lacquer Liner in Blackest Black (top)
Milani Shadow Eyez in Almond Cream (waterline).

Mascara: Revlon Ultimate All-In-One

Lips:
Colourpop Cosmetics Lippie Stix in Lumiere

I kept the skin very simple. Using my Maybelline Matte and Poreless Foundation and Powder in 310 Sun Beige, and a tiny amount of my Sacha Buttercup Loose Powder, under the eyes. I used the smallest amount of bronzer around the perimeter of my face.

This was a fun, yet simple look to create, and I had so much fun doing it, that for the next few weeks, I got more of my friends to choose colours for me to build looks around. I will be posting the full details for those looks on the blog in the upcoming weeks.

Question: Should I do short videos demonstrating my makeup looks? I'm not a pro makeup artist in any way, but if you would like to see the method to my madness, please let me know?

That's all for today everyone, thank you so much for stopping by my Mind Palace. This is J, and I hope you all had fun. As always stay happy, healthy and positive, and I will talk to you all again very soon.

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 (^_^)/.

My Favourite Single Eyeshadows Part 2

Hello everyone! Welcome to my blog, if you are new, and if you're a regular, welcome back!
Today, is part 2 of my favourite single eyeshadows. These can also be used to do a quick and easy one eyeshadow look but these are not your traditional neutral shades. Are you ready for this? I know I am.

 Rose Gold Eyeshadow

This particular eyeshadow, L'Oreal Infallible Eyeshadow in Amber Rush, is quite possibly one of the most popular eyeshadows from this line and it is easy to see why. It's buttery texture and high shine metallic pinky-gold finish works well with every eye colour and every skin tone. It's great when paired with other eyeshadows, however on it's own it performs beautifully. Patted onto the lid, you get that high shine pinky-gold finsh, and when blended up into the crease, it blurs into a soft neutral pink, that does a great job at defining the crease.

L'Oreal Infallible Amber Rush Swatched in Natural Light (Is it metallic pink or metallic gold? It's a mix of both)

Fire-y Eyes
 

 Jordana Cosmetics Single Eyeshadow in A Classic, is one the most beautiful metallic orange eyeshadows I've ever seen. Jordana usually gets overlooked because their products are so inexpensive but the quality of their eyeshadows are unbelievable. Buttery and pigmented, they are so lovely to swatch, and it does not lose any of that pigmentation when transferred to the eyes. To me oranges and browns play well together, and for me, it tends to make my eyes look more fierce and fiery. I do wear glasses, so that tends to tone down the intensity of this eyeshadow a bit, but with a bit of black winged liner, I feel positively fierce and fabulous for the entire day. I used this recently while playing with my makeup to do a Deathstroke inspired eye look (posted on my Instagram: @ladyjpsych)

Jordana Cosmetics A Classic Eyeshadow Swatched

Speaking of fiery, this NYX Cosmetics Single Eyeshadow in Fahrenheit, is beautiful! I do believe this eyeshadow is discontinued, however, if you can find it somewhere online, I highly recommend it.

NYX Fahrenheit Eyeshadow

It's a pinky-reddish eyeshadow that is laced with gold shimmer throughout. It looks like fire! Depending on how light hits this eyeshadow, the tones and colour changes.

NYX Fahrenheit (Natural Light)

NYX Fahrenheit (with Flash)

Mauve-ing On

Get it, mauve-ing on....I need to stop! (U_U)

 Milani Marbelized Baked Eyeshadow in Fusion. This is one of my all time favourites, and it is perfect for a single eyeshadow look. Used dry, it gives a soft sweep of mauve and gold all over the eye, and when used wet, you get more of a reddish-mauve laced with golden shimmer look.
Because of it's versatility (being able to use it both wet and dry), I recommend having this single eyeshadow in your collection.

Top - Fusion (Dry swatch), Bottom - Fusion (Wet swatch) - Natural Light

 I can't even with this....

 Yes, that's seriously what I have labelled this last eyeshadow because it is so unbelievably gorgeous!
Just look at it....sighs! 

 This is the Sephora Brand Eyeshadow in Hold Me Tight. The best way I can describe this colour is a pink-purple that sometimes tends to look like a purple taupe. It's really hard for me to describe, but it is just beautiful. It acts perfectly as a neutral colour on it's own, I've paired this eyeshadow with red lips and they just worked together so beautifully. It is marked as a shimmer eyeshadow, but it does tend to run more metallic to my eye. I really need to get my hands on some more of the Sephora Brand eyeshadows...I wish Trinidad had a Sephora (T_T)

Sephora Brand Eyehsadow Hold Me Tight - Natural Light

  

That is all from me today, thank you so very much for stopping by my mind palace, I hope you enjoyed.

Until next time, stay happy, stay positive and stay healthy!

Bye guys!

(^_^)/

Nerd Favourites #2 (and A Few Makeup Faves too!)

Hello everybody!

Before getting into the bulk of the post, I just wanted to put some love and prayers for the victims of the Nepal Earthquake, the citizens of Baltimore, and any other individual who is going through a hard time and just needs some love and positivity. <3 
.........................................................................................................................................................................
It's been a long week but today is the start of a brand new month, and a new month means new opportunities and experiences awaiting you! (^_^)
I figured I'd start off the month of May with my Nerd Favourites!! It's been too long since I did one of these and I've been over the moon about a few nerdy/geeky things this past month so let's jump right in! Oh and I'm going to throw in a couple of makeup things cuz why not?! ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Venom (2011)
OMG! This comic is amazing! The art is beautiful and gory! I personally am a huge fan of grit and gore, so characters like Venom and The Punisher have always been some of my absolute favourites. These characters aren't portrayed well in films, so I tend to stick more to comics to get the true thrill and the true nature of the characters without the PG-13 label attached.
This version of Venom does not follow Eddie Brock as Venom but instead a guy named Eugene "Flash" Thompson, a war veteran, who lost his legs while serving, is a recovering alcoholic and works for the government secretly as Agent Venom...and that's as much of the story I'm willing to give away. It truly is an amazing comic, so much so I've been stretching out reading it because I'm almost ot the end and it makes me sad. Alas, all good things must come to an end.
 
Gotham (NO SPOILERS!)
This show just keeps getting better and better...there are no words to truly express how much I adore the writing and the characters of this show. Oswald Cobblepot is still my MVP, but Edward Nygma & Selina Kyle are gunning for that #1 spot! If you don't watch Gotham, I highly recommend that you check it out. It is truly great to have a show that doesn't solely evolve around Bruce Wayne, and you get to see the development of some truly amazing characters that we know and love from the Batman world.  

Judge Dredd Superfiend (Bootleg Universe)
If you like Judge Dredd and grew up in the 90's watching The Ren and Stimpy Show, you're probably going to enjoy watching this animated bootleg series brought to you from producer Adi Shankar. The animated series is available for viewing on YouTube and it is so damn good. It's gory and twisted and was bootlegged off of Dredd 3D which Shankar himself produced. What's better than someone bootlegging themselves? Nothing! Go check it out, you won't be sorry. His YouTube channel is filled with great bootlegs including a Punisher bootleg called Dirty Laundry...\(^o^)/....singing to the heavens because that bootleg is what I expect from anything involving The Punisher, gore, blood and a lot more gore.

Now for any of my lovelies who aren't as big of fans of gore as I am, I'm sorry but now you have arrived at the safe place, where makeup will be discussed.
I don't have very many favourites this month because I recently purchased some products that are new to me, and I've been putting them to the test for the past week. If you follow me on Instagram you would have seen me haul some stuff, one of those products will be getting a full review of its own on the blog, and another I have already posted an instareview on, so you can head to my Instagram (@ladyjpsych) to check that out.

Mt first makeup favourite, is something I've own since late last year, I believed I hauled it in the early days of my blog, but I never got around to doing a review and that product is Rimmel London Exaggerate Waterproof Eye Definer in 230 Deep Ocean. It's a rich, deep blue retractable pencil liner, that is super softy and creamy but it doesn't budge. Whether you use it on your top eyelid with or without primer or on your waterline, it remains where you put until you take it off. I am planning on buying a few more colours because I have the hardest time finding an eyeliner that won't wear off on my waterline, so this pencil is a great, inexpensive find!

Rimmel London Exaggerate Waterproof Eye Definer - 230 Deep Ocean

Swatch of 230 Deep Ocean

Milani Brow Shaping Clear Wax
It's a clear wax chubby pencil that you use to hold your brows in place. It's just that simple. I usually use this on days when I just feel too lazy to do my brows, to keep them in place, since my eyebrows like to do there own damn thing. It also works great if you fill your brows in with a powder product because it creates a tacky surface for the powder to adhere to. 

Milani Brow Shaping Clear Wax & My Pained Fingernails XD

I have a few reviews heading your way soon, but I'm still currently working full time (temporarily) so I'm not sure if I'll be doing a review each week for May...or maybe I should. Maybe I should make May, my month of reviews? Hmmmmmmmmm......decisions, decisions.
Well, I hope you all have a lovely first day of May and a lovely weekend, and if I don't get a chance to say it to you on the day, I'll say it to you now.....May The Fourth Be With You!....  ^_^)
Love you guys, stay happy, healthy and positive and I shall see you all next Friday!
Bye! (^o^)/

Easy Work/Everyday Makeup Part 2.

Hello everyone,
I'm finishing off my work/everyday makeup ideas post today with part 2.
Note: Base Makeup is the same for all looks, with the exception of the Bronze Daytime Smokey Eye. For details on the base products used in all the other looks, see part 1 ( http://jsmindpalace.blogspot.com/2015/04/easy-everydaywork-makeup.html).
Now I love a good winged liner look, and for all of these looks, I had winged out eyeliner, ranging for subtle to bold, but I got away with it because I wear glasses, and my frames detract from the bold eyeliner (yay four-eyed perks!)

Work/Everyday Makeup pt.2

Look 1 - Copper Winged Liner 
I started off the week by doing subtle winged liner with an eyeliner pencil. I used the Avon Mega Impact eyeliner in Rich Copper.It gives definition to the eye without being as dramatic as a black eyeliner, and the copper colour brings out the warmth in my dark brown eyes. This liner does contain some gold glitter, which I played off of by adding Sacha Gold Rush Eyeshadow (I believe this is discontinued) in the inner corner. Some mascara and a soft neutral/nude lip (I'm rocking some lip balm here) and the look is complete.

Copper Liner with Lip Balm

Look 2 - Work and Event Look (Bronze Daytime Smokey Eye)

The next look I did was for both work and an event that I attended after. It's was bronze-y smokey eye, with winged liner and pinky lips.I used my Smashbox Full Exposure Palette for the eyeshadows, L'Oreal Lacquer Liner for my winged liner and my lip colour was Revlon Colorburst Matte Balm in Sultry.
My foundation was L'Oreal True Match W7 because it has a natural finish, is long-lasting and feels lightweight on the skin. I also used Milk of Magnesia as a mattifer because I knew it was going to be a long and hot day. 
Brushes used:

 *Smashbox Full Exposure Palette Double Ended Brush,
 *CALA Eyeshadow 313,  CALA Blending Brush 311 , Real Techniques Fine Liner Brush

Smashbox Full Exposure Palette

Revlon Colorburst Matte Balm- Sultry

Look 3 - Golden Eyes

A simple, one eyeshadow look but unfortunately I cannot find this eyeshadow in stores. The eyeshadow in question is Nicka K HD Eyeshadow in 3009 (Love!). It is a beautiful golden brown shadow, that when blended out in the crease transforms into a gorgeous satin finish brown. I used the Eco-tools Full Eyeshadow Brush to apply the shadow and then I went ahead and lined my eyes with the Jordana 12HR Made To Last Eyeliner Pencil in 02 Espresso Last, and popped some of Sacha's Gold Rush Shadow into the inner corner.
Lips: Jordana Twist and Shiny - Honey Love

Sascha - Gold Rush (circular pan), Nicka K HD Eyeshadow - 3009 (rectangular pan)

Look 4 - Winged Liner on Fleek!
Ugh...I can't believe I used the term fleek but I think that maybe the only term to describe just how much I love this liner look and just how great it looks, especially if you wear large framed glasses.

Winged Liner Appreciation.

Without my glasses, it looks incredibly long and bold but with the frames on, it looks like your run of the mill, everyday wing.
I started off by priming my lid with my Smashbox Shadow Primer, then I used Milani Single Powder Eyeshadow in Caramel Brown from lash line to crease, again using my Eco-tools Full Eyeshadow Brush.

Now for the wing, I used the L'Oreal Infallible Lacquer Liner in Blackest Black and my CALA 508 Eyeliner Brush. The 508 is similar to the Real Techniques Fine Liner Brush, but the bristles are a tad shorter and less tapered, which makes doing the wing very easy. I just draw a line from the edge of my lower lash line, and go up towards the end of my eyebrow. I stopped where my orbital bone starts and then dragged the liner inwards towards my eye and lash line. I am considering doing a short video or pictorial on how I do my liner exactly, since it's hard to explain in just words.
Lips: NYX SN06 (I'm hooked on this stuff!)

I honestly wish I wasn't anxious about sitting in front of a camera and actually recording my eyeliner application, but I have a tendency to clam up in front of cameras (never going to be an actress ever!). I think I'm going to try and conquer that fear just to do a video on my winged liner application, although there are a lot of videos on YouTube about it.
Anywhosies, that is all for me today, and as usual I do hope you all have a fantastic weekend. Stay happy, healthy and positive and I will see you next Friday.
Bye (^_^)/

Favourites! September and October Combined

Hey guys, today it's going to be all my favourite products from both September and October. The reason why it's a combined favourites is my camera's Memory cards died towards to beginning of October and I ended up losing all my pictures for September :(

September and October Favourites

L'Oreal Infallible Eyeshadow in Amber Rush

1. Milani Powder Eyeshadow in Brown Stone. A completely matte dark brown shadow that I use to fill in my eyebrows. It's velvety smooth and pigmented, but I think it may have been discontinued and I've hit pan. (-_-')

2. Rimmel London Lasting Finish by Kate Lipstick in 107. It is a beautiful matte berry red. Glides on like butter and it doesn't budge after application. Highly recommend. 

3. L'Oreal Infallible Lacquer Liner 24HR in Blackest Black. I've had this for approximately 6-7months and it remains super creamy which makes it a breeze to apply. It's also very waterproof and smudge proof, I've walked through rain with this thing on and it didn't move. Mine is yet to show any signs of drying out so if you've been looking for a gel liner, you should give this one a go!

4. Beauty Treats Professional 88 Palette 

This palette is great for a novice with eyeshadow and it's also great if you really enjoy neutral eyeshadows like I do. Now some of the eyeshadows are smooth, some are powdery but not chalky at all. They are fairly pigmented and easy to blend. If you're a teenager and new to makeup and you want an affordable neutral eyeshadow palette, you should give this a try. 

5. Avon Big Daring Volume Mascara

One coat and my lashes are plump and volumised...ummm..yes please, give me more! The brush is a similar shape to Maybelline The Falsies but it's larger and has more bristles on it compared to The Falsies. It's a dark, rich black but for me the only drawback is that it's an extremely wet formula. However, when it dries it's smudge proof so it gets a thumbs up. 

6. L'Oreal Infallible Eyeshadow Amber Rush 

This particular shade in the L'oreal Infallible eyeshadow line has quite the following from bloggers, to Youtubers, to celebrity makeup artist and it's not hard to see why. It's an extremely pigmented pinkish-tan colour and it's absolutely beautiful. it has the look and feel of a pressed pigment, super creamy, blends easily and if you apply it correctly i.e. with your fingers instead of a brush, there is no fallout. 

I used this pigment on and off since I bought it in the later half of 2013, however I used it recently for my graduation portrait and it just looked so beautiful I had to include it in this combined favourites post.

Grad Portrait Look - eyes closed

Grad Portrait look - eyes open

Games 

World Of Warcraft 

I took the plunge into WoW and I'm hooked. I'm still a complete noob but I'm learning the ropes and enjoying every minute of it. 

Diablo 3 

Yes I've only now started playing Blizzard games, does that mean I have to turn in my nerd card? I only have the starter edition of Diablo 3 but rest assured I will be splurging on both DIablo 3 and Reaper of Souls for my birthday. Gotta treat myself ;) 

my only problem with playing both of these games is my crappy internet connection...sighsss

Television

Doctor Who 

The new series with the 12th Doctor has come to an end and oh my goodness, the feels were too much! I was never a huge fan of clara but the last two episode tore my heart out of my chest. Clara and Danny forever :'( I will say that this series had it's up and downs in terms of the episodes themselves, some were brilliant while others were just meh. Now that this series is finished, it's time to await this year's Christmas special with Nick Frost as Santa!!! - It's not a spoiler, the pic has been going around since the finale.  

This now marks he end of another post, my next post will be about new Television shows I've been greatly enjoying.Also if there's anything specific that you would like to see more of on here, let me know, all of my social media links are posted to the right hand side of the blog. Until next time, stay happy, healthy and positive and I'll see you next time.

Byeeeee (^__^)/

Makeup Battle Royale #2 : Eyeliner Throwdown: L'oreal Infallible Super Slim vs Milani Eye Tech Extreme

Hey everyone, how have you been? It's been a while since my last post. Had an awkward fall last week and hurt my left hand and wrist so I wasn't able to post anything last week and I'm sorry. I'm planning on making up for it by doing a double posting this week. Yep, that's right, two posts in one week!

Today's post is another makeup battle royal, two products battling it out for supremacy. Which of these liners do I prefer, well you'll have to keep reading to find out...
It's time for a felt tip pen liquid eyeliner throwdown! (Such a mouthful, lol!)

The Look:

L'Oreal Infallible Super Slim 8 hour liquid liner pen (top)
Milani Eye Tech Extreme Liquid Eye Liner (bottom)

• Very similar, both are pure black with gold detailing and a cushion grip
• Both contain 1ml of product 
• Both made in Germany 

The Tip:

L'Oreal Liner

Milani Liner

• Long, felt tip applicator on both
• The L'Oreal liner tip is firmer 
• Milani is more flexible and malleable.
• Both liners can achieve an extremely thin liner look and a bolder, more dramatic liner look, by varying the pressure you use when applying it to the eye.

 Pigmentation:

• Both are extremely pigmented and dry to a slightly matte finish. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Swatches

Doesn't seem as though there is a clear cut winner here does it? Well, the liner that wins, is the one with the better staying power. As an oily skin girl, I need a liner to stay put all day long, until I decide to take it off. The liner that does that is.........the......Milani Eye Tech!!

• The Milani Eye Tech blows the L'Oreal liner out of the water in terms of staying power for me. Usually, the L'Oreal Super Slim 8hr smudges badly within 2 hours and that's with eye primer on. No bueno! Milani Eye Tech stays put, no smudging, no flaking with or without a primer.

I recommend the Eye Tech over the Super Slim to my friends whether they have oily, dry or normal skin. In Trinidad, the Milani Eye Tech can be purchased at Wonderful World (that's where I got mine) or you could order it online from Milani's website.

I really wanted to like the Super Slim liner, however, it failed to life up to it's claim of 8 hour wear. The Eye Tech liner I've had for over 6 months and it hasn't dried out, which is quite impressive. I will continue to repurchase the Eye Tech Extreme liner, until I can find felt tip liner that knocks it off of it's pedestal.

This concludes this Makeup Battle Royale!! Congratulations Milani, you've knocked out your opponent and taken the crown. Thanks for sticking to the end everyone. Hope you all are having a great week, stay positive, healthy and happy and I will see you later this week for another post!
Bye Bye :)