Showing posts with label smashbox. Show all posts
Showing posts with label smashbox. Show all posts

Saturday, 25 June 2016

Makeup Play #2: Easy & Fun Greens a.k.a Wearable Toph Inspired Makeup

Earlier this year, my good friend introduced me to the world of Avatar: The Last Airbender, and I binge-watched hard. When Toph Beifong was introduced, I knew that I had found my favourite "hero" character; Uncle Iroh is pretty much the best.

I decided to try and do series of looks for each of the elements, and for my favourite characters throughout the series, although I have hit a bit of snag in doing this, this Toph Inspired Makeup, was undoubtedly one of the best makeup looks I've ever done. The week I did this look, my friend, M. chose green as my makeup colour for the day.
Close Up on my Toph Inspired Makeup
For a Toph Beifong Inspired Look, I needed greens and yellow to represent her Earth Bending, but also some cool silvers or greys to represent her Metal Bending.

 I ended up using eyeshadows from two (2) different palettes; one inexpensive and one "high-end". The greens and yellow I used were from the L.A. Colors 12 Color Eyeshadow Palette in Brown Buzz.
L.A. Color 12 Color Eyeshadow Palette - Brown Buzz
N.B: I will be doing a full review with swatches on this palette.
The 3 shades marked with a white dot, are what I used on the eyelid. The second green is the main colour on the lid, while the third was used in the outer corner to build depth and definition. I blended out crease with L.A. Color Eyshadow Pot in Bare Mauve. The first green, I mixed in with a touch of yellow for a sparkling inner corner highlight.
 

The second palette used was the Smashbox Full Exposure Palette, and I used this mainly for the lower lash line.

I used the last two shimmer shades on the inner and outer portions respectively, and the second to last matte shade to gently blend it out.

Finished face
Doing this look made me fall in love with green eyeshadow, and definitely encouraged me to step out of my neutral zone.
Until next time, stay happy, healthy and positive, and I will talk to you again soon!
Bye guys!
(^_^)/

Saturday, 9 January 2016

Best in Beauty 2015: Eyes

Hello everyone! Welcome back!

Today, I'm going to be talking about my favourite eye makeup of 2015. A lot of the products being mentioned would have separate reviews that I shall link to at the end of the blog post.

Eyebrows:
NYX Tinted Brow Mascara
Revlon Brow Fantasy
  • NYX Tinted Brow Mascara - BrunetteThis product has become a staple for me since I first purchased it. My only problem is that my local NYX retailers never seem to have it stock. This tinted brow mascara has become my everyday, go-to eyebrow product, for natural fuller looking brows.




  • Revlon Brow Fantasy - Dark Brown  
    For slightly more defined brows, this two in one pencil and brow gel is what I turn to. It is easy to use, and the pencil has the right mix of stiffness and pigmentation to help you avoid going overboard on the brows. 






Primers:
  • Smashbox 24HR Photo Finish Eyeshadow Primer
  • Milani Eyeshadow Primer 
  • Urban Decay Primer Potion 
 
My trio of Eye Primer Faves - Smashbox 24 Photo Finish, Milani Eye Primer and UDPP
I know you're probably sick of seeing these three (3) eyeshadow primers constantly, however as a Caribbean girl, with oily eyelids, believe me when I say these primers work. They don't cause my shadows to slip or slide (both cream and powder), and I get very minimal to no creasing with them. The Smashbox 24 Hour Eyeshadow Primer, is thicker in consistency, and lasts the longest of the three, however, because of its limited availability in Trinidad, I tend to save using it for special occasions. The Urban Decay Primer Potion and Milani Eyeshadow Primer, are very similar, I shall leave my review for those at the end.

Palette:

  •  MAC Cosmetics Warm Neutral Palette
    MAC Warm Neutrals Palette
    Was there any need for me to mention this?! It's a palette fulled with beauty warm neutral colours a.k.a. my eyeshadow heaven. I've already done  full review with swatches, so I won't linger on this. 

Single Eyeshadows:
 
Most Loved Eyeshadows of 2015
  •  Prestige Single Eyeshadow in Golden Retriever 
  • Avon Single Eyeshadow in Champagne 
  • ColourPop Cosmetics Super Shock Eyeshadow in Hammered 
  • L'Oreal Infallible Eyeshadow in Golden Sage

    Both the Avon and Prestige Shadows have been featured previously. Check links at the end of the post.
    In 2015, I developed a love for green eyeshadows . They not only complement my eye colour, but they work great with my skin tone also. I've had the L'Oreal Infallible in Golden Sage for quite some time, but was too scared to casually wear green eyeshadow, but once I reminded myself that people's opinion on my makeup don't matter, I popped it on and fell in love.
L'Oreal Infallible in Golden Sage

Golden Sage, led to my decision to purchase ColourPop Hammered, because I wanted a smokier olive green eyeshadow for the longest time but again was to afraid to buy it and never use it. ColourPop eyeshadows are amazing! The texture is creamy, and is extremely pigmented. I'm definitely wanting to get my hands on some more.
ColourPop Super Shock Shadow - Hammered

 Mascara:

In 2015, two (2) mascaras stood out from all the rest I've tried, although I still love the L'Oreal Butterfly Effect, Jordana Best Lash Extreme and Maybelline Pumped Up Colossal Mascaras, were my definite favourites. Honourary mention to Maybelline The Rocket Mascara, which I also enjoyed this year.
Favourite Mascaras 2015.
Eyeliner:
L'Oreal 24HR Lacquer Liner in Espresso and Blackest Black ( I haven't tried anything new that beats this)

 This is only part 1 of my 2015 Best in Beauty, next week will be Face products of 2015.
Thank you so much for visiting my blog today, I hope you enjoyed.
As always stay happy, healthy, and positive and I shall talk to you all soon.
Bye (^_^)/

Links to Reviews featuring products in this post:
  1. NYX Tinted Brow Mascara - http://jsmindpalace.blogspot.com/2015/10/product-review-nyx-tinted-brow-mascara.html
  2. Milani Primer - http://jsmindpalace.blogspot.com/2015/07/milani-eyeshadow-primer-is-it-dupe-for.html
  3. MAC Warm Neutrals - http://jsmindpalace.blogspot.com/2015/09/mac-cosmetics-warm-neutral-palette.html
  4. Prestige Eyeshadow -  http://jsmindpalace.blogspot.com/2015/06/my-favourite-single-eyeshadows-part-1.html
  5. Avon Single Eyeshadow -  http://jsmindpalace.blogspot.com/2014/08/product-rave-avon-single-eyeshadow.html
  6. Jordana Best Lash Extreme -  http://jsmindpalace.blogspot.com/2015/08/july-makeup-favourites.html
  7. Maybelline Pumped Up Colossal - http://jsmindpalace.blogspot.com/2015/11/first-impression-review-maybelline-pump.html

Friday, 10 April 2015

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 (^_^)/

Friday, 3 April 2015

Easy Everyday/Work Makeup

Hello everyone, welcome back to my blog. Hope you had a fantastic week. Mine was a bit stressful, but it's Friday so let the weekend begin.....with makeup ideas for the office! (Say what!) (-_-)
I know on a Friday the last thing you want to hear about is work or school but I'm hoping that this post would give you some ideas for some super easy, very neutral makeup looks for the upcoming week. 
Forewarning: my brows weren't filled in at all this week as I currently have one brow that is wider than the other (don't you just love getting your brows waxed) and also I ran out of brow powder and haven't been able to repurchase any. 


Monday: it's the simplest and quickest look of them all. 
Eyes: 
1. Prime the eye - I used Urban Decay Primer Potion
2. Maybelline Color Tattoo in Bad to the Bronze all over the eye, from lash line into crease. I used the Real Techniques Deluxe Crease Brush to apply it.

3. L'Oreal Miss Manga Mascara

Face: (the same for each day) 
1. e.l.f Mineral Face Primer 
2. DIY mattifying primer (blog post available in archives)
3. L'Oreal Magic Nude Foundation  

Lips
1. Maybelline Color Sensational Matte Lipstick in Touch of Spice. 

Tuesday - Neutral Warm All Round
Eyes:
1. Prime eyelids - Smashbox 24 hour Photo Finish Shadow Primer
2. Smashbox Full Exposure Pallette - S3 (all over the lid), M3 (transition/purple dot), M2 (crease colour/bright red dot) 
3. L'Oreal Voluminous Miss Manga 

Lips: 
NYX Simply Nude Lip Cream (SN06) - Sable 

Wednesday = No makeup day

Thursday - Cool-toned Neutral Eyes w/ Glossy Lips 
Eyes: 
1. Prime eyelids - Smashbox 24 hour Photo Finish Shadow Primer 
2. Smashbox Full Exposure Palette - M5 (crease/purple dot), S5 (all over lid), M6 (outer corner/bright red dot) 
3. L'Oreal Voluminous Miss Manga Mascara 

Lips: 
1. Avon Ultra Glazewear Lipgloss - Palm Beach Pink

Friday: Matte Eyes & TGRL! (Thank God for Red Lips!)
Eyes:
1. Prime - Smashbox 24 hour Photo Finish Shadow Primer
2. Smashbox Full Exposure Palette - M3 (transition/purple dot), M2 (outer crease and crease/bright red dot), M4 (all over lid) 
3. L'Oreal Infallible 24HR Lacquer Liner w/ Real Techniques Fine Liner Brush - Blackest Black
4. L'Oreal Lash-Out Butterfly Mascara. 

Lips:
1. Lipliner : NYX LipLiner - 817 Hot Red
2. Avon Color Precise Lipstick - Just Right Red (discontinued) 
    Alternative - Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick - Certainly Red (crème), Rimmel Kate Moss Lipstick 111 (matte)
Left- Avon Color Precise (discontinued), Center- Revlon Super Lustrous, Right- Rimmel Kate Moss Lipstick.
Apply lipstick straight from the tube, then blot with tissue. Repeat process 3 times, for all day wear. 

Brushes: (considering doing a separate post about my everyday makeup brushes)
Eyes:
For each day, I used the same eye brushes in rotation, and they were all spot cleaned after each use.
1. CALA 313 Eyeshadow Brush
2. CALA 311 Blending Brush
3. Real Techniques Deluxe Crease Brush
4. Real Techniques Fine Liner Brush
Face:
1. Real Techniques Expert Face Brush
2. e.l.f Complexion Brush 

This post was originally meant to go live last Friday, but illness and exhaustion prevented me from completing it on time. However, I do have some more wearable, office appropriate looks that I may include in another post because why not?!
Until, next week, I hope you all have a fantastic Easter and if you don't observe Easter, have a fantastic weekend, and I will see you Friday.
Stay happy, stay healthy and stay positive!
Bye (^_^)/

Sunday, 29 March 2015

March Favourites

Hello hello beautiful people :3,
 I promised you a post today, and now I present to you my March favourites. There are actually a good bit of products this month, so let's get started!

March 2015 Favourites! 
Makeup:

Foundation : L'Oreal True Match Super Blendable Foundation in W7 Caramel Beige.

Ever since I purchased the L'Oreal Magic Nude Foundation, my True Match has taken a seat to the back of the pack. However, with random colds and stomach bugs rearing their head as well as insomnia (I'm a mess, I know!), I busted this bad boy out once more because nothing can beat it's lightweight feel and kick butt coverage. I use this in conjunction with my Real Techniques Expert Face brush and I am so pleased with the results. Never cakey or heavy looking, just flawless, seamless finish that looks like skin.

Eyes:
Favourite Eye Products - March 2015

Eye Primer: Smashbox 24 hour Photo Finish Shadow Primer
As a Caribbean girl with oily skin eyeshadow primer is an absolute must have for me. I love my Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion and never did I think that I would find a primer I love more than that one, man was I wrong! This eyeshadow primer from Smashbox is the heavy-weight champion of all the eyeshadow primers  I have tried. It dries quickly, and it does not budge. Not even midday Trinidad sun could get this thing to melt or budge. On Friday 13th, when I was struck with a stomach bug, I took a nap with all my eye makeup on, with this primer underneath, when I woke up from said nap 3 hours later (after a 8 hour workday + lunch run in midday sun), all my eye makeup was completely intact.
The only drawback: Smashbox is not readily available in Trinidad. It can be ordered online or if you have family or friends in the US, you will be able to get your hands on it. For now I have to use it sparingly, because I don't want it to run out without having a backup or a cheaper alternative to it in my collection.

Eyeshadow: Milani Powder Single Eyeshadow 
 Can we just swoon over this eyeshadow for a minute? Hnng! 
A golden, caramel brown that is perfect for everyday wear, whether you want to wear it alone all over the eye and blended into the crease or if you want to use it solely as an all over lid colour with another shade in the crease. It doesn't matter this shade is beautiful and enhances the deep chocolate brown tones of my eyes. I'm really happy I dug this out of my collection to use again, it truly is a beautiful eyeshadow.

Smashbox Full Exposure Palette
Smashbox Full Exposure Palette and Smashbox 24 Hour Photo Finish Shadow Primer

I have read and seen a lot of mixed reviews on this particular palette, but since I LOVE neutral eyeshadows I decided, why not give it a shot? My verdict: I absolutely love this palette. I've been using it almost every single day since the start of February, whether it be for a simple matte crease colour or for a full on smokey eye, this palette is versatile and very user/beginner friendly. The shadows are soft and easy to blend, although some of the more sparkly shades have a small amount of fallout, but it is mostly glitter, opposed to actual shadow pigment.  The main complaint people have about this palette is that it isn't pigmented enough, and personally I don't mind that it isn't one touch super pigmented. To me, it's easier to work with because it teaches you how to slowly build up colour opposed to dipping your brush into an extremely pigmented shadow and applying far too much product. The matte shadows are more pigmented than the shimmery; again I have no problem with this because it's so easy to go overboard with shimmery shades. Some may hate it, but I adore it! It hasn't left my vanity, and I'm sure it won't leave anytime soon. I just wish Smashbox products were available in Trinidad. Plz Smashbox (;-;)

Eyeliner & Brushes: L'Oreal Infallible 24HR Lacquer Liner in Blackest Black, Real Techniques Fine Liner Brush & CALA Brow/Liner Brush 317
What's as pitch black as oil, glides on like a dream and stays put all day? Did you say the L'Oreal Infallible Laquer Liner in Blackest Black, well you will be absolutely correct! (^w^)
I've own this liner for over a year and it hasn't dried out, it's still extremely creamy, and dries to an amazing matte black finish. It's great for beginners, and I've also changed the way I apply it. I use my Real Techniques Fine Liner brush to get really into my lash line, and for the wing, I use my CALA 317 brush. The 317 is super soft and has the perfect amount of give, meaning it's not too stiff but not too malleable, making it very easy to get the perfect winged out liner. Other days I create the wing with the Real Techniques fine liner brush and then dip the 317 into some eye makeup remover (which I will talk about a little later on) to clean up the wing. All in all, this trio makes winged liner an everyday affair.


Mascara: L'Oreal Voluminous Lash Out Butterfly Mascara. 
Holy Grail! I cannot and will never be without this mascara in my collection. The brush grabs on to each of my lashes, including the short, difficult ones, giving them volume and lift and separates each lash like none other.
L'Oreal Voluminous Lash-Out Butterfly Mascara Wand

I used to be all about the Maybelline Falsies, but this mascara does so much more for my lashes, that I can't see myself going back to it just yet. I would like to try more mascaras instead of being a one trick pony, but I refuse to give up my Butterfly mascara.

Eye Makeup Remover : Simple Kind To Eyes Eye Makeup Remover


I love this stuff! It is the first eye makeup remover that I've used that is purely liquid. I used to use the Avon Makeup Remover Cream or whatever you call it, but I never liked it. It was a thick lotion, that used to burn the crap out of my eyes, leaving them red and irritated...no thank you! I decide to try this on a random trip to my local drugstore and I fell in love immediately. It's strong enough to remove the most stubborn waterproof mascara or eyeliner, and can decimate a smokey eye in seconds. If you're in the market for a good, inexpensive eye makeup remover, give this one a shot!

Lips: 


Nivea Soothe and Protect Lip Balm with SPF 15
A clear, moisturizing lip balm with SPF, is perfect to keep lips protected and hydrated especially in a tropical climate. I love this lip balm so much that when I lost my first one, I ran out and repurchased it. Of course as is the case with most lip balms, the lost one magically reappeared after it had been missing for two months, so now I keep one in my handbag at all times and the other on my vanity.

Jordana Pencil Lipliner in Natural 
A beautifully soft and creamy lip pencil, it glides on like butter and it is extremely pigmented for the low price. This is my only Jordana lip pencil but I am hoping to get my hands on some more. The colour is a beautiful reddish-brown, great on its own or paired with a nude lipstick or gloss, perfect for work.
Jordana Lipliner - Natural

NYX Simply Nude Lip Cream- Sable (SN06)
I'm not even going to bother writing much about this, because I have been raving about this lip cream pencil since I first bought it. It was a favourite last month now hear it is again. I was going to leave it out, but I've been using it almost every single day so I had to put it in.


Maybelline Color Sensational Matte Lipstick - Touch of Spice (660)
Perfect red-brown lipstick! You can rock it with a smokey eye or on days when all you're wearing is a BB cream and some mascara, this lipstick makes a statement without being too loud or in your face. I knew this would be a favourite when I initially purchased it and it has. When I'm going for a statement lip, I reach for this rather than my usual red lipsticks. It's creamy, pigmented and doesn't dry out my lips despite it being a matte lipstick, which makes me love it even more.

Skin: Homemade Rose Water
My favourite DIY, is homemade rose water. It's a refreshing mist, that helps to keep skin hydrated during the day, and it can also help eliminate the look of powdery/cakey foundation. All I do is collected dried rose petals, toss them into a small pot of boiling water, until the water extracts the colour from the petals. However, I sometimes steep the petals in the boiling water as one would do with tea. Without adding alcohol to it, you would have to store it in the fridge, where it would keep for approximately 4 weeks. However, since I carry a small bottle with me in my makeup bag, I add about 1teaspoon of alcohol, to prevent it from going bad in the heat.
Homemade Rosewater
Nerd Faves:
In terms of video games I've only been playing Pokemon Omega Ruby, trying to finish my Pokédex via evolving and trading...so much work! I'm currently reading James Patterson's Private, which is going really good, I'm thoroughly enjoying it! Also, I'm very close to finishing off the Locke and Key series, if you like graphic novels and haven't read Locke and Key, I highly recommend it! It's art is amazing, the storyline entrapping, I've been procrastinating finishing the series because it's just so good, I don't want it to end (~_~')

We have arrived to the end of this Favourites post, let me know some of your favourites in the comments, I'm always interested to know what you've been loving this month. Thank you for being patient and waiting for this post, I've just been so exhausted and sick of being sick to have had a full post this past Friday. All of my social media links are located to the right hand side of the blog, so if you're interested you can follow me.
Until Friday, I hope you all have a wonderful and safe week ahead. Stay happy, healthy and positive!
Bye (^_^)/