Love You Back
I know I've talked the whole 'OMG I'm turning 30' thing to the ground on this blog, but as each of my friends turns 30 one by one, I get a little emotional and puffed up with pride. Last weekend, my friends and I got together to celebrate another 30th and I remember looking around the table at all these smart & vibrant individuals thinking -
we have seriously got it going on! None of us are severely rich, so I don't mean this in a monetary sense, I mean that we've all managed to grow up into responsible, respectful, hard-working adults and every one's positive transformation was contagious. We've had a positive influence on one another for sure.
One of my dearest friends (the nail savvy one I mentioned two posts ago, actually) shared a link to her latest photo album of pictures taken this weekend at the latest dirty30. Lots of fun. Lots of good makeup, too. Excuse the shine, as most of these were taken post-party!
Check those nails!
PLEASE NOTE: I took the picture below like this on purpose so you could see my eyeshadow. I LOOOOOOVE this shade. and I was NOOOOOOOOOOOOOT this faded!
Eyes: Too Faced eyeshadow, Label Whore // MAC#7 lashes
Face: NARS blush, Sin
Friend's Eyes:
Stila Smudge Pot
Friend's Nails: OPI X Sephora, Le Beau
Labels: MAC, Nars, Opi, Stila, Too Faced
Bold As Love
My baby sister is super sassy and has no doubts about the things she likes, and the things she doesn't like. She's also a billion times more bold than I was as a highschooler, so it came as no surprise to me when she asked me to do her makeup for prom (it's this Saturday) and sent me this image for inspiration:
That's pretty much as bold and as colorful as it gets, and since I'm so monochromatic, I'm a little intimidated.
As soon as I got home yesterday, I pulled out a few colors in my collection that I thought I could use to emulate the look. I don't have a lot of vibrant colors, and I was playing on top of the taupes/browns that I already had on, so that skewed the outcome, but I kind of like the more subdued version that I came up with:
Still, I think I'll need to go a lot brighter, given my sister's original request. I'm thinking of getting her a little Urban Decay palette as a "have fun at prom"/ happy early birthday present (she turns 18 mid-May and I can hardly believe it). And just so she keeps her wits about her, I was gonna send her off with one of the CLEAN mini rollerballs that I mentioned in
this post. You know, to remind her to have good CLEAN fun on prom night.
This eye was crafted by MAC and Too Faced.
Labels: CLEAN, MAC, Too Faced
My Annual Mani/Pedi
ugh ... I feel like a total trend whore admitting this, but the color I chose for my mani/pedi on Saturday was OPI's You Don't Know Jacques. GAH!!! I wanted something that would photograph well and my very nail-savvy friend advised me to go dark. I'm embarrassed I succumbed to the "it" status of this shade ... but my friend's right, this DOES photograph quite well:
Labels: Opi
goldenGrey Sunday
How did you spend your Sunday? I spent mine hamming it up in front of a camera trying on piece after piece of cool-ass vintage picked out by my most stylish friend -- it was pretty much girl heaven. You can see some behind-the-scenes pics from the shoot
here on Jo Anne's blog .
She asked me to help with makeup, so I brought a few (hundred) of my most essential products:
We started the day around 1:30, then 800 shots later, we were done! Think it was around 8:30 when we wrapped, and it was honestly the fastest 7 hour time lapse of my life. Time flies when you're checking things off your 'things to do before I turn 30' list!
As far as makeup went, she asked for cat eyes and pale lips. This is me after I got home, so my makeup isn't the freshest in this shot, but it'll give you an idea of where we were going with it --
On my eyes: MAC eyeshadow in Carbon as liner, layered over Make Up Forever Kohl Pencil, 1K. MAC #7 lashes.
Nervous but excited to see the final shots!!
Labels: MAC, Make Up For Ever
Weekend Prep
This weekend I get to help my friend with a SUPER exciting new project. She asked me to model (so flattered!!!) for a vintage clothing website she's launching in a few weeks. You can get a sneak peak at a few of the items and close-ups of patterns here:
http://goldengrey.tumblr.com/
And though I'm digging the non-retouched trend taking over the glossies (a la Jessica Simpson's Marie Claire cover & spread), I'm planning to beg her to photoshop the hell out of my stomach. Unless I can figure out a solution by the photoshoot on Sunday. Akkkkk! Do you sassy ladies know of any de-bloating tricks?
On a lighter note, I might consider getting a mani/pedi in preparation for the shoot. The last one I had was in August of last year, so it's been a while. It's probably necessary at this point. Currently, my tosies are done up in OPI x Sephora's Under My Trenchcoat, wonder if this color is too dark for the shoot? Shoot, shoot, shoot - I can't say that word enough! I'm so excited!
On another lighter note, I finally saved up enough MAC to do a trade-in. I chose a Dazzleglass Creme - Soft Dazzle. What do you think? Since gloss tends to get everywhere fast, I probably won't bring this to the ... shoot ... but it just seemed like a color that needed to become a part of my collection.
Labels: MAC, Opi, Sephora
Is Tarte MultiplEYE Actually Working?!
This could be a case of wishful thinking, but this Tarte stuff *might* actually be working. It's been a week since I started using MultiplEYE (haul memo
here) and my lashes may not be longer, but they seem fuller and stronger. Check out how they curled yesterday. They don't usually cooperate like this. Makes me feel like the mom who knows something is up when her crazy kids inexplicably start behaving. Something is fishy here ...
Is Tarte the answer to my fervent prayers for lashes of Kardashian proportions? I hope, I hope, I hope so! But I'll be keeping my expectations for this in check. The curl power I experienced yesterday could also be a result of the perfect storm as it relates to lashes: careful primer application + getting to the point in my mascara tube where just the right amount of product is picked up by the wand. Makeup addicts, you know what I'm talking about!
Labels: Tarte
Gloss Giveaway 1: Stila High Shine Lip Color
In the spirit of spring cleaning, I've decided to give away a tube of my favorite gloss ever -- Stila's High Shine Lipstick in Diane - shimmery champagne. Thanks to the panic-induced shopping spree I went on when this product was discontinued, I still have 4 unused tubes of it. I think I can
probably make-do with 3, so I'm giving one away!
Here's a shot of me with it on:
And a close-up of the actual product:
And a close-up on my lips:
First one to leave a comment on what my next Lyrics & Lipgloss challenge should be, wins! It can't be something that I've already attempted. So sorry, but I have to limit this to residents in the US :(
Labels: Gloss Giveaway, Stila
Lyrics and Lipgloss: Rihanna
First things first: I looooooooooooooove Prince. I am obsessed with him on a scary level and will probably do a lyrics and lipgloss feature on him soon. As mentioned in my earlier post, the illustration you see here comes curtesy of my talented artist of a sister. Guess you can say she supports my *other* addiction.
But back to the task at hand....so not *quite* a sucess, but I had a lot of fun trying Rihanna's color combo out. Here's my recipe for this look:
Eyes -
Make Up For Ever Aqua Eyes liner in Purple 11L, Blue 3L and Shu Uemura's Eye Light Pencil for highlighting the brow bone and inner corners.
Lips -
Korres Lip Butter in Quince layered with Givenchy Lip Gloss in Fuscia
Cheeks -
Benefit Creaseless Cream shadow in Samba-dy Loves Me as contour blush
On my Head -
Snake Chain headband from Forever 21 - this one is grey, the one available online is silver
I got the colors down pat, but I need to work on my face swagger. Rihanna is too fierce for me to keep up with!!! Here's a closeup of my eye tools for this look. From top to bottom, it's Purple, Eye Light and Blue.
Labels: Benefit, Korres, Lyrics and Lipgloss, Make Up For Ever, Shu Uemura
Sephora VIB/Makeup Madness Haul - with scary, scary pictures
Shooooooooot ... so, part of my Makeup Madness haul includes a gorgeous
NARS blush (Sin) . This is my first NARS blush - I was pretty excited to test it out, but I'm not used to how pigmented this stuff is and .... well, I'll let this picture speak for itself:
I couldn't walk around with only one heavy blushed side, so now I'll spend the rest of the day looking like one of those scary porcelain clown dolls with painted on cheeks. No matter, I sill love it and since I'm slowly getting back into powder products, this probably won't be my last NARS blush purchase. It will just take some practice to get it right.
My second haul item of note is the
Tarte MultiplEye Lash Enhancer . The only way to gauge how effective this stuff is to actually compare my lashes before and after a few weeks of 'treatment.' I'm skeptical but hopeful that this could work without making me go blind! Here are a few before shots for us to reference - excuse my tired, tired eyes. Haven't gotten a lot of rest in the last few days:
That's enough scary pictures for one day.
Labels: Nars, Tarte
Cupcake Nation
Whilst testing out color combos for my Rihanna challenge and paying homage to this illustration of Prince (a special gift from my little sister), I was suddenly seized with a craving for something sweet.
So I was MORE than stoked to discover a
newly-opened cupcake joint in our neighborhood while picking up a weekend ritual coffee from Pete's. The BF and I helped ourselves to half a dozen: Key Lime Pie, Chai Tea, Vanilla, Coconut/Pineapple (got two of these) and Banana Chocolate Chip.
Banana Chocolate Chip and Coconut/Pineapple (numbers 1 and 2 in the first row below) were my favorite. Mmmmmmmmm ...
Here's a closeup of the Key Lime Pie and Chai Tea cupcakes. Even though these weren't my fave, I liked their colors :)
Sweet Tart isn't Kara's, but they've got all the makings of a cupcake joint with a cult following: unique flavors, pretty packaging, friendly staff. If they keep at it, their creations will be MORE than sufficient to satisfy my random cravings (which are actually becoming less and less "random" as I age ...)
on a side note, Rihanna pics will be posted soon!
My Sephora VIB Wish List
Awwwww yeah!!! Look what came in the mail yesterday. Guess someone's going shopping this weekend.
It's dangerous for me to step foot into a Sephora without a set agenda, so I'm making this a premeditated shopping trip. Observe le liste:
-
NARS So Famous set
-
NARS Lipgloss set ... been eyeing this since last Holiday
-
Korres Lip Butter in Jasmine - one of my staples
-
Tarte MultiplEYE Lash Enhancer
- More colors of
Benefit's Creaseless Cream Shadows. During Easter weekend, I bought my first color, Get Figgy (kept calling it 'Get Figgy With It' at Macy's). I'm using it as both an eyeshadow and a contouring blush today.
Obviously, my wish list needs some editing. And after it's been edited, my list will need a fat reality check. I can realistically afford 1 - 2 things on here ... I'm open to suggestions on what to pick up and what to forget, my lovelies.
Labels: Benefit, Korres, Nars, Sephora, Tarte
Easter Weekend
A little photo summary of the weekend leading up to Easter. I spent it at "home, home" (mamma's house) with my Mom, Dad and two of my sisters.
Me and the youngest sis show off some MAC: mineralize blush in Gentle on me a limited edition pale pink nail lacquer on her.
Domino celebrates his first birthday with a gift from his Auntie. He's puttin on the ritz with those sideways lips (and scary eyes which I could not photoshop out)!
My sisters capitalize on an irrisistable opportunity at the theater before settling down to see Clash of the Titans (an enjoyable cheese-fest, as long as you don't go in expecting too much)
Mamma celebrates her birthday with a smashing chocolate mousse cake.
I got mobbed with kisses from my Hercules.
Sis converts my necklace into a headpiece. And also shows off some MAC Viva Glam lips.
Instead of chocolates, the Easter Bunny left us shirts and shirts and shirts ... my mom loves to spoil us rotten when we're at home.
Labels: MAC
Lyrics & Lipgloss: Rihanna
Even though Rihanna's latest album didn't sell, her look has launched a thousand makeup copycats, and I hope to be one of them. She has quite the catalogue of bold and fearless looks to choose from, but I've decided to take on the following challenge:
This will be a fun way to spend the weekend!
Labels: Lyrics and Lipgloss
Get to Work!!!
It's seldom that I let my work & home life overlap, but this time, there's good reason for it. My agency is doing some research on the subtleties of women and beauty (though as my company president puts it, there's nothing subtle about women & beauty), and put together this quick 10 question survey:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/GXDPWBCIf you need a break from your day, take it take it take it! I'll love you forever!
On a closing note, check out the cute nail polish I scooped up from Forever 21 over the weekend - simply named Purple. After making an exchange, I was left with a .30cent store credit and quickly grabbed this bottle from one of the little bins so manipulatively placed by the cash register. Lucky for me, it ended up being a very wearable color, and perfect for Easter.
Labels: Forever 21, Nail Polish
In Rotation
I've got a new set of lippies in action this month. I shopped my own stash for a nice mix of pinks and browns. I like to use the browns at work and the pinks for going out on weekends.
Since I'm such a fan of the pale lip, my favorite of the bunch is LORAC Couture Shine in Haute. This stuff is actually penned as liquid lipstick because it has a rich pigment to it:
Here's Givenchy Gloss Interdit in Fuscia. I REALLY didn't intend to make fish lips. I've been told I wear my heart on my lips, and this is oddly one of my pensive faces, so I must've been obsessing over something at this exact moment:
MAC lustre lipstick in Fresh Brew. I really like the "finished" look this lipstick lends):
Labels: Givenchy, In Rotation, lipgloss, LORAC, MAC
