The Warpaint Chronicles

Brief Hiatus

2011-02-19T04:04:00.000-08:00

Be back soon, I'm deciding whether to re haul this site here or move it over to a new web host. I've got some new stuff in store!

In the meantime if you'd like to see the potential new site, head over to http://www.warpaintchronicles.onsugar.com This is where i might move to and i've done some new posts to see how i like the format. Any feedback is great :)

Review: Wet N Wild Color Icon 8 Pan Palettes

2011-02-07T22:16:00.000-08:00

Finally got my hands on these things, seemed like my walgreens would never stock them. They were all doing rehauls of their cosmetic sections, not only did i see these, my Walgreens now carry Iman and Cover Girl Queen! FYI, you can only get these palettes at walgreens or walmart, but they are permanent items so if they're sold out, they will be back. Each are $4.99, which is a great deal i think, especially for the quality and quantity you get. Now to the swatches!

Blue Had Me At Hello

Thoughts: I wish it had better range of blues, maybe a nice light blue or deep grey shade would look better than two blacks and two deep blue shades. But still the colors are lovely, my favorite being the bright teal shade (i'm in love) on the right side. I personally would pay $4.99 just for that color.

The Browbone: The left side is a shimmery white shade; it went on okay, not amazing, a bit uneven and flaky. The right side is a light aqua shade, which was great to swatch. Went on opaque in just one swipe but the color looked like a dull silver grey and not aqua. It looks like a dupe for MAC's aquavert but doesn't swatch the same.

The Eyelid: The left side is a standard silver. It's very smooth and looks amazing. The right side is a bright teal, swatched just like the other side. I love both of these shades.

The Crease: The left side is a deep blackened blue with tons of shimmer. It was a bit too soft for me but its still really gorgeous when swatched. The right side is a bright deep blue, looks like MAC's Deep Truth and it feels like it too.

The Definer: The left side is a basic matte black, swatched terrible and took alot of work to get an opaque shade. The right side is a shimmery black, it has appeared in the Spoiled Brat trio.

Petal Pusher

Thoughts: Leave it at the store, don't worry if this one is sold out. Lol. It doesn't have the same pigmentation as the other palettes, no where near. The colors are very sheer and the shadow itself is hard making it difficult to put color on the brush. I found myself almost digging into the shadow to get a decent amount so I could use it.

The Browbone: The left one is chalky and terrible to use, it looks like MAC's Pink Opal pigment with out the color payoff. The right one however is a nicely pigmented light pink shade (i've needed one of these), it surprised me considering the rest of the shades were not so great.

The Eyelid: The left one barely showed up on the skin. Nuff said. The right one is a light cranberry color with glittery, very sheer and went on unevenly.

The Crease: The left shade is a lovely purple color, it goes on a bit sheer but i found this one could easily build up to a nice opaque shade. The right shade we have seen in other Wet N Wild palettes before, it is a dupe for MAC's Beauty Marked, looks good though.

The Definer: The left side is an uber glittery midtoned lavender shade, I do like it a bit but its sheer. The right side is a deep shimmery grey shade, reminds me of a mix of Gunmetal and Creep from Urban Decay. It has multicolored reflects in it, which makes it a very cool shade.

Comfort Zone

Thoughts: How fitting of a name huh? But this was a great palette and has an amazing variety of shades in the neutral range. Each are really pigmented, felt great to the touch and weren't overly glittery.

The Browbone: The right side was a really light colored yellow beige, looked like MAC's Nylon. It was a tad bit chalky but nice. The left side was an olive bronze shade, unique and i like that. Great pigmentation.

The Eyelid: The left side is a pinky champagne color and the right side is a nice olive lime shade. Both shades were a bit soft to the touch but had great payoff in one swipe. I can see each having quite a bit of fall out but the color payoff was great.

The Crease: The left side is a nice medium bronze and the right side is a deep olive bronze with multicolored reflects. The bronze shade looked just like MAC's Bronze to me, felt great and needed a few swipes to get a nice color deposited. The deep olive is really really shimmery, almost too much shimmer, but it was a nice shade. Not too soft but still easy to work with.

The Definer: The left side is a dark brown with tons of golden shimmer and the right side is an iridescent brown green blue teal (MAC Club basically). The dark brown is again, another glittery shade, pigmented but soft. The iridescent shade unfortunately needed alot of swiping to get a nice color payoff. There was no fall out, but i really had to work with the shade.

Get the Look: Amber Riley's SAG Makeup Look

2011-01-31T18:32:00.000-08:00

Back again with another get the look and this time i've got the specs on Amber Riley's (from Glee) makeup look. And its affordable!

*RANT AHEAD* I figured it would be fitting considering Temptalia (Christine) never seems to show any makeup looks from darker women who attend award shows and Halle Berry just isn't cutting anymore. I've asked her before about this in the comment section (politely I might add), I was simply wondering if their makeup artists information is hard to find or she just doesn't want to. But she's never responded, and just breezed over the comment and continued to respond to others ass kissing comments. Sorry, it was a bit of a rant but i'm so annoyed with seeing the same women she posts on her site, and its never a woman of color...but whatever, she's made it clear we aren't her target audience therefore i will not be checking her shit out anymore...deuces.

Anyways, to the makeup :)

MUA: Mylah Morales

-First, Morales prepped Riley's skin with Black Up Mattifying Base primer to ensure that her makeup lasted all evening.

-She perfected Riley's complexion with Cover Girl Queen Compact Foundation, and built up a natural-looking flush with a blend of coral blush and Cover Girl Queen Collection Natural Hue Minerals Bronzer.

-To keep Riley's eyes low-key but defined, Morales shaded eyes with a neutral shadow palette, and then applied Cover Girl LiquiLineBlast in Black Fire and LashBlast Volume Mascara.

-That wildly sexy, hot pink lip called for a bold lipstick with staying power. Morales chose Cover Girl Lip Perfection in Embrace.

Rock and Republic Swatches and Review

2011-01-25T22:25:00.000-08:00

Finally!!! These lovely products arrived on my doorstep last week and i seriously could not be happier! I was fortunate enough to come across a 50% off code (ROCKCOSMETICS) and a $25 referral code (more on that in a minute) so i could get these items super cheap, and cheap as in less than $100 for 13 items ;). So for the $25 referral code is by invite only, if you'd like one, email me your email and i will send you the link. Once you use it, i get $25 more to spend and you can pass on the goodness to someone you know for your own extra $25.

For the eyeshadows, they each contain .11 oz of product which is double to size of a MAC shadow so the quality, quantity and price definitely make these the more valuable product. For the blushes, they contain .32 oz versus MACs .21 oz, once again, much better value.

Lets get on with the swatches and review.

Envy, Denim, and Jaded.

Envy: a gorgeous deep emerald green shade with shimmer. Very similar to Humid from MAC but slightly darker imo.

Denim: a matte deep navy blue. This one feels like pure bliss when swatching and blends like a dream. Extremely pigmented and rich in color. A must have for you matte lovers.

Jaded: a soft shimmery light jade color. It reminds me of Shimmermoss from MAC but more green. Swatched lightly, and took a few swipes to get a good intensity but still a nice color.

Paranoid and Wrath

Paranoid: a gorgeous almost matte lavender pink shade. When i say almost matte, I mean it looks matte but it has a subtle shimmer to it. Feels just like Denim, very smooth.

Wrath: a deep bronze shade. Great for these upcoming summer months as just a wash over the eye with some black liner. It is a little rougher to the touch but still quite pigmented and blends wonderfully.

Alloy, Fuel, and Scorch.

Alloy: soft pink champagne color. It was hard to swatch and a bit difficult to get a good color pay off. Its a really nice color, feels good but i realized the brands lighter shades aren't their strong suit. Would look great as a soft highlight though or inner color eye.

Fuel: yellow golden shimmery shade. I love this one (i'm a sucker for golds anyways). Looks just like this on my eye without a primer or lighter color underneath, blends really well too.

Scorch: a coppery burnt orange shade with shimmer. I wanted this color from the get go. It looks so stunning on my eyes...and cheeks. It is very similar to Taj Mahal blush or Mediterranee duo from NARS, except not as soft. But its still really pigmented.

Shameless blush (applied heavy on top, sheered out on the bottom)

Shameless: a soft rosy bronze shade. Absolutely stunning, i am in love with this color and i've worn it for the past 5 days. It gives the most natural flush of color to the face and will look beautiful as a bronzer type shade during the summer. If you're brown, get this shade.

Immoral Blush (applied heavily up top, applied sheerly on the bottom)

Immoral: A matte coral orange shade. Online the blush looks like a safety orange color but when in person it looks like a nice pink coral orange shade. Still very intense but softer than I thought, and feels so smooth on the skin. With this one you need very very little to achieve a color payoff.

Cougar and Muse

Cougar: bright opaque red. I.Love.This.Shade. Nuff Said lol. Its very opaque and its a good red lip color for those days when you might not want a red lipstick.

Muse: A soft coral pink shade. I wanted a nice neutral lip gloss with no shimmer and this is it. Looks really natural on the lips, perfect for a grab and go gloss. Would look really good under a neutral lipstick or lip liner.

MixedChicks and #teamlightskin controversy

2011-01-17T22:28:00.000-08:00

I know this doesn't have anything to do with makeup, but its still a beauty blog and this topic piqued my interest...and not in a good way. For starters, twitter is the devil and nothing good ever comes out of it. I'm sure some of you might have heard of a certain club promoting a lightskin vs. darkskin party. If not head over to Clutch Mag for more info and prepare to be appalled. Now, in the midst of this messy "skin color war," the hair brand called MixedChicks, which caters to the hair needs of biracial/multiethnic girls, decided to tweet this:

#teamlightskin sure hope all will try @Mixedchicks to care 4 those curls.

What.The.Fuck? was my initial reaction when I read what they had written. Now in their defense the company apparently sent out a few different tweets like this to different teams but the #teamdarkskin was left out of those tweets...For those still unclear about my complete disgust let me break it down for you. This brand already gets a side eye from me just from the name alone, the name just felt like it excluded me even though my hair texture is just like theirs. I personally do not understand the term, biracial hair, i mean come on. "Biracial hair" has just as many variations in it as "African American hair" does so they can go have a seat with that. I just laughed when they call their "mixed" hair unruly, please... (can you tell i'm a bit irritated?)

What this tweet just basically said was; light girls are probably mixed with loosely curled hair unruly hair so lets send an invite to #teamlightskin for them to use our products. But what these owners seemed to forget, or ignore, is that skin color is NOT indicative of ones hair texture. There are darker girls who have loose 3a hair and light girls with tightly curled 4c hair. And to top it off, there are mixed girls who are darker than me and black girls lighter than me. What it really feels like to me is that the brand is only checking for folks with that kinda african yet kinda caucasian hair texture, ie whats most commonly referred to as "Good Hair." The whole incident is total ignorance on their part and their responses to the whole thing are half-assed at best. Here for the tweet responses. Just a damn mess.

Review: Wet N Wild Color Icon Trios

2011-01-11T19:59:00.000-08:00

They're here ladies and gents. Its the next part of the Wet N Wild Color Icon Trio sets, currently they have 6 old ones so these are brand new shades and honestly, they look so much better than the other ones. These colors are much more vibrant :). Enough chit chat, on to the swatches.

This is spoiled brat up above. It's such a gorgeous combo, a beautiful hot pink with purple undertones, a sparkly black, with a silver shade. Perfect for "girly" yet dramatic looks. It swatched well, but the shimmer from the black didn't translate too well to the skin, it barely showed. And the pink shade needed a few swipes to build up to a good intensity. Overall, worth grabbing.

I'm Feeling Retro is a really awesome color combo, but the colors go on quite sheer. It took alot of work just to get the blue and the purple to show up, which is unfortunate because they're quite gorgeous shades. The bottom purple/pink shade could be a close dupe for MAC's Stars N Rockets, but this color is actually more pink than it (to me).

I Dream of Greenie, meh...I just don't really care for the colors. Maybe if they had placed one of the greens in another palette or added a very deep green to this trio it would look better. But it just seems if someone tried to put all three of these on their lids, it would look a mess. I would have to use a deeper black or blue shade with these. The colors are VERY soft, the middle green shade has a huge dent in it now and is a fall out nightmare. The top green looks like MAC's Aquavert and the bottom looks a tad similar to MAC's Bio Green (a pro shade) but less pigmented.

Silent Treatment was a shocker, I initially did not like the trio and passed on it. It just seemed a bit too dull to me (and it was a little shattered so i definitely passed). But I found one later in the week that wasn't broken so i grabbed it. This was the first one I swatched and I was instantly impressed and fell in love with the bottom taupe color. The middle brown shade has a deep plum undertone with subtle gold glitter, and the top shade is a soft pink. Both beautiful. I can see this being a very stunning soft smokey eye, maybe perfect for a nice evening wedding look ;)

Another shocker trio, I'm Getting Sunburned, is just flat out awesome. I'm a bit of a sucker for bronzes but this bronze is bold and pigmented. The middle shade looks just like MAC's Beauty Marked, but more pigmented and the top pinky shade is pretty. The gold shade looks like a slightly more orange Amber Lights eyeshadow (from MAC).

I Got Good Jeans is a great trio as well. When I look at it though I think more royalty than demin but whatevs. It was butter smooth to swatch and looked gorgeous on the eyes (i wore it already) but the deep blue shade wasn't as pigmented as i had hoped. It took a few swipes to get a nice deep blue shade going, but the other two didn't have that issue. This blue looks really similar to MAC's Deep Truth and the light blue shade is a more pigmented Moon's Reflection.

Overall, I was really impressed with these trios. Wet N Wild has truly been stepping up their game when it comes to makeup and are giving some other brands competition, especially the other drugstore brands. If I were to give a recommendation on which ones to grab I say: I Got Good Jeans, Silent Treatment, Spoiled Brat and I'm Getting Sunburned. Check your local drustores for coupons because they've often got BOGO deals or Buy One Get One 50% off. Happy Shopping!

Get the Look: Cassie

2010-12-30T15:47:00.000-08:00

Ok I know not the best photo...but I love the catwing smokey eye look she has going on. And luckily she's using my favorite brand, NARS.

“We went for a classic smoky eye to work against her graphic dress,” said NARS International Lead Makeup Artist James Boehmer who created the celebrity’s look. “She has beautiful skin so I really wanted to play that up with the NARS Orgasm Multiple.”

Skin
Apply NARS Cadiz Sheer Matte Foundation. Dust NARS Mountain Loose Powder over the skin for an extra-mattifying effect. Contour cheeks with NARS Rapa Nui Multiple Bronzer. Blend NARS Orgasm Multiple on the apples of cheeks for a soft glow. Dust NARS Nico Blush to highlight cheekbones.

Eyes
Use NARS Zardoz Cream Eyeshadow as a base on the upper lid and into the brow bone. Set the shadow with the matte black side of NARS Pandora Duo Eyeshadow. Use the dark brown side of NARS Cordura Duo Eyeshadow to blend into the outer corner of eyes and lower lashline. Line the upper and lower rims of eyes with NARS Black Moon Eyeliner Pencil. Highlight inner corners of eyes with the frosted ginger side of NARS Isolde Duo Eyeshadow. Intensify lashes with NARS Larger Than Life Lengthening Mascara

Lips
Line lips with NARS Tonga Lipliner Pencil. Apply NARS Blonde Venus Lipstick. Gloss lips with NARS Harlow Lip Gloss.

It could also be similar to what she's wearing in this photo...

NARS Holiday Collection 2010

2010-11-18T13:40:00.000-08:00

"The Holiday 2010 Color Collection is brazenly mesmerizing. Eyes smolder in Okinawa Eye Shadow, a striking triad of black oynx, silver, and cobalt blue. Dangerously sensual: Sex Appleal blush and Little Daring Lipstick. Up the edge factor with very berry Bougainville Lip Gloss and lavender-gilded Downtown Lip Gloss. Glitz up and go"

Aren't these shades stunning!? I feel in love immediately with the gold color in the middle (Etrusque) and the blue in Okinawa (the trio) is like nothing I've seen NARS do before. As the statement says above it is a very mesmerizing collections, very sultry rich hues of color paired with warm neutrals. I love it.

NARS Downtown lipgloss and NARS Bougainville lipgloss, $24.

Downtown is a really cool lilac shade with pink tones in it. Depending on the way you turn it can look either purple or pink, kind of like an irridescent purple pink pearl. Very cool.

Bougainville is described as a sheer pomegranate but its anything but sheer. This swatch above was just two swipes and was quite opaque. The berry shade is uber flattering and perfect for the holiday season. Like Temptalia (Christine) said, its like Strawberry Fields' older more sophisticated sister.

Etrusque single eyeshadow, $23.

Whoa. That is all I can say at this shade, it feels amazing and is crazy pigmented. I know this isn't the best swatch but this is one swipe and that is how well it went on my skin. It is like a true antique gold, but not too olive which I find in most antique gold shades. For warm toned folks, I think this is a must have; for the color and the texture!

Melusine eyeshadow duo, $32.

Melusine is a pale shimmery lilac and a bright deep purple. The lilac shade is honestly nothing special, very close to Beautiful Iris from MAC but with a better texture and color payoff. The purple shade is brighter than NARS Daphne but has that same bad texture when swatching it. Unfortunately, it doesn't perform that well either, its a gorgeous pairing but not one of their best duos.

Okinawa eyeshadow trio, $45.

Okinawa is NARS first eyeshadow trio and I personally feel its beautiful. Is it worth $45? I'm on the fence about that. As a NARS fanatic, I say yes. But as a student and budget conscious person who has obvious dupes in her stash, I say no. That being said, the colors themselves are what you would expect in terms of NARS quality. They're very smooth and pigmented, easy to work with, and just flat out wonderful.

I do wish they would have made the blue the larger portion, I would find myself using that the most, with the silver and black in moderation. I'm a bit hesitant to start using it, since I don't want to blend the colors together just yet. It's too pretty lol.

Well that is the NARS Holiday overview guys! Hopefully this helped anyone on the fence decided on whether or not to get anything. If I could only pick a few things I would definitely recommend the Etrusque eyeshadow and for those who missed out on Strawberry Fields, go pick up Bougainville.

Review: Sephora Beauty in a Box: Gold Icon

2010-11-13T20:26:00.000-08:00

If you love Make Up For Ever, you probably want to include these items in your stash. I've had my eye on the kohl liner and the metal powder for months but they never debuted in the stores, and the Diamond lipgloss isn't even sold by Sephora yet. For a cool $65 you get all full sized items; Smoky Lash mascara, lab shine Diamond lipgloss in D16, Diamond Powder in Gold 16, Kohl pencil in 6k, and Metal Powder in 1 Sunflower Gold.

These powders are stunning! The gold glitter on is very fine and had very little fall out even without a base. The metal powder is beautiful, very smooth to the touch, no fall out, long lasting, pigmented, everything you want it to be. When applied wet, it looks like a metallic gold metal on the lids.

Make Up For Ever's kohl liners are top notch, they are the only liners I can put on my water and tight line that don't melt away. This one, 6k, is a black kohl with gold flecks. It kinda looks like MAC's Black Line Pearlglide that just came out but a little less gold. The golden flecks also don't irritate the eye ;) The new Lab Shine lipglosses are pretty cool, this one is a golden peach with lots of glitter/shimmer. When applied, it gives off high shine and shimmer but the gloss isn't sticky nor is the shimmer gritty feeling.

Like all the other beauty in a boxes, they have step by step tutorials. You get a daytime one called "Subtle Glow" and a nighttime version called "Smoky Metal."

Another hit guys, if you love gold that is. This i feel is an even better deal that the NARS Junkie box, every product in this box is full sized and great in quality.

Review: Sephora Beauty in the Box: NARS Junkie

2010-11-13T19:56:00.000-08:00

I'm loving the new Beauty in a Box kits Sephora has been creating lately, they're such an amazing deal. I picked up 2 because of Sephora's 20% off sale, one from Make Up For Ever and this one here, from NARS. For $69 you get a full sized eye palette, the Essential Eye Palette (9952), a full sized lipgloss in Ophelia, a mini sized bronzer in Laguna, and a mini sized multiple in Orgasm.

Eyeshadows: The palette contains (from left to right, top then bottom) one cream shadow from the Unconditional Love duo, Night Star, Galapagos, Nepal, Ondine and Thunderball.

Unconditional Love: a light peach cream shadow. Any of the lighter shades would look gorgeous on top of this color, its also a very subtle highlighter shade. You will need a primer underneath the NARS cream shadows, they crease like crazy.
Night Star: a light pink with golden shimmer (part of the Night series). It isn't sheer like they describe it, goes on fairly opaque in one swipe. A bit chalky but still workable and the glitter does transfer well to the lid.
Galapagos: This is one of my favorite shadows of all time. It is a gorgeous warm chocolate brown with golden shimmer. Pigmented and easy to blend, i think its a staple.

Nepal: a beige rose with shimmer, medium pigmentation. I'm starting to love this color, its a perfect highlight shade.
Ondine: taupe plum with shimmer, not my favorite shade I honestly try to avoid palettes with this color its repeated so much. It's an okay color, easy to work with but nothing super special.
Thunderball: deep midnight blue gray. Feels very smooth to the touch, does not swatch well but looks gorgeous on the lid. It reminds me of Nehru from MAC but much smoother in texture.

Ophelia: described as a strawberry nectar color whatever that is. But its a very sheer strawberry pink shade with golden shimmer.
Orgasm Multiple: A cream version of the cult classic blush, its a pinky peach color which can be used on cheeks, eyes, and/or lips. I love using this as a highlighter, its a perfect peach shade for my skintone.

Laguna Bronzer: Brown with golden shimmer, its a bit too light for my skintone so I use Casino bronzer but Laguna is a great crease color though.

On the inside flap of the box, they provide 3 different looks you can try, "Bronzed Glow, Sparkling Eye," "Romantic and Radiant," and "A Sophisticated, Smoldering Eye."I think that is awesome because it provides a step by step guide for people to follow.

For $69, this is an amazing deal. If you're a NARS fan or are looking to jump into the brand definitely check this one out. I was looking to be disappointed in the quality of the products because often times bundles skimp on quality but this one is the exception.

Get the Look: Sanaa Lathan

2010-09-17T21:30:00.000-07:00

I love Sanaa Lathan, she's a great actress and drop dead gorgeous. I wanted to do this look because its so simply gorgeous, almost anyone can do it.

Eyes: Prime the lid with the primer potion of your choice, then apply a reddish brown crease color such as Saddle from MAC, and even Rule would work as well. For the lid color, use a golden shade all over, Urban Decay's Half Baked eyeshadow is perfect for this. Take that color under the eye as well. With a liner brush, add some black gel liner to the top of the eye and a coat of mascara.

Face: Sanaa keeps it simple with some light contouring of the cheeks and a medium reddish brown for the cheek color. For someone her skin tone, a great contour color is Blunt from MAC and also the Contour Kit No 2 from Make Up For Ever. For a blush color I'd use Exhibit A from NARS with a tiny bit of bronzer on top.

Lips: First use a deep wine color to line the lips, Vino from MAC would look great. For the light baby pink lip color, MAC's Viva Glam Gaga lipstick is a great option.

Hope you all liked this look, Sanaa looked flawless from head to toe. I love the whole black greek goddess look she had going on!

Review: Urban Decay Book of Shadows 3

2010-09-14T00:25:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone, look what arrived on my doorstep today! It definitely made my morning considering i've been sick, so i tore open the box, jumped for joy and went back to sleep. I'm sure most of you all heard the fiasco disaster that happened when this thing first launched a week or so ago...sold out in 10 minutes. I got my email at 10:14 am, had an order confirmation at 10:16 am, folks were getting the page load error at like 10:22 am, and by 10:24 am, it was gone. Luckily I was home just hanging out and happened to be on my computer, I had forgotten it even launched today. I heard stories of folks waiting by their computers and being up extra early in the morning for it too..But it will be back around October 1, and expect it to sell out just as fast guys.

Anyways, once again, Urban Decay has delivered another stunning book of shadows, full of colorful, smooth, pigmented, at times glittery, eyeshadows. If the photo above isn't a dead giveaway of this books theme, it is centered around the infamous New York City, when you open up the top there is this hodgepodge of NYC landmarks plus a mirror and some little lights :) I just wish they would have renamed some of the shadows after places, and/or significant items New York is known for. There are 16 shadows, 7 brand new ones. Check the link below for swatches and more photos!

Instantly I noticed Perersion looks so different. It's been in the BOS 1 and 2 but it always looked like a matte dark navy, not black. This time, it looks distinctly black and the texture is different. It's much smoother and feels really good but its not as intense as the other BOS. I say the standout colors for these 2 rows is Rockstar and Loaded. The look great and feel great, I need to do a look using those 2.

Haight, Radium and Psychedelic Sister are my go to shades for the two lower rows. What can I say, I love a purple and a stunning bright blue lol. But Suspect was a shocker, its this beautiful champagne gold color and against my skin it just popped, I can see myself using this one for low key makeup days with some mascara.

Ransom and Zero eyeliner (again lol) , UDPP (primer potion). Ransom is a pretty eyeliner, has some iridescent look to it, kinda falls between purple, lavender and some blue depending on the light. Zero just isn't dark enough for me.

Look at how awesome that pop up is! The little lights are a cute addition, but all the extra stuff practically hides the mirror.

This time Urban Decay has made the shadow pull out portion, a pull out drawer. Now there is no need to have the entire palette open, just take it out and use it! It's a bit looser than the other BOS, but does take quite a bit of shaking to get it to fall out.

Welp, everyone that pretty much sums it up for the review. I wanted to get this out ASAP, so when it comes back in stock some of ya'll either know you want it or know you don't want it. We don't want a Naked Palette let down again do we? ;) Got any color combo ideas for tutorials, shout em out and let me know. Take Care.

Fall Trends: Red Lips

2010-09-12T20:39:00.000-07:00

This fall its all about red. Red lips that is. It doesn't matter if it's a bright red, a deep red, a pinkish red, matte or frost, just as long as its red. I, for one, am thrilled red lips are back (not that they ever went out of style) but to see them grace the runways and magazine covers, has made my season! Here are some tips to get that perfect red lip for fall:

1. Exfoliate. Giving the color a nice smooth surface will ensure an even finish for the lip color. I like to use Mary Kay's Satin Lip Mask and Balm once a week to help get rid of dead and dull looking skin.

2. Prime. Adding a primer to the lips is just like adding primer to the eyes, it helps keep the lip color from bleeding and makes the color last throughout the day. Two good picks are Urban Decay Lip Primer Potion and Two Faced Lip Insurance Lip Primer.

3. Lip Liner. A must have for bold lip colors, also helps prevent bleeding and gives the color a little something to adhere to. Plus it can also help to brighten or deepen the color of your lipstick. I like Make Up For Ever's Waterproof Lipliners, they're creamy, bold, and budge-proof!

4. Lipstick or Lipgloss. It really depends on your mood, comfort level, and also the environment in which you're going to be wearing the color at. If you're going to be at work, i'd probably leave the extra bright, glittery lip colors at home and opt for a more deep colored red. But for nighttime looks, please go all out and have some fun with it.

Check out the two other red lip posts down below in the "you might also like" area for a bunch of some great red lip shades for day and night :)

More Revlon...

One Day Blog Giveaway

2010-09-12T00:08:00.000-07:00

Ya read right, one winner will get a nice prize from the blog. Rules are simple:

1. follow my blog
2. post a comment and include your youtube name
3. the whole over 18 thing
4. post by 11:59 pst sunday night (sept 12).

I'll announce the winner a video later on this week! Have fun ;)

Get the Look: Rhianna

2010-09-09T18:15:00.000-07:00

Her makeup is always daring and on point, and often breaking the "rules of makeup." Here she pairs a bold lip look with a dark bold eye.

Eyes: For the lid, keep it the exact same shade as your skintone. MAC has a great range of no to low shimmer skin toned neutrals, such as Soba, Cork, Soft Brown, Wedge...Use whatever it is, and apply it using a fluffy brush all over your lid area. In the crease, it looks like a soft orange shade, Rule from MAC will look great. Now for the pop of blue we see, any gel or liquid blue eyeliner will work, or if you don't have one, use a black liner and apply a blue eyeshadow on top. For the liners try, Sonia Kashuk gel liner in Navy or MAC fluidline in Waveline.

Lips: For such a bold intense lip, be sure to first make sure the lips are moisturized and primed. Then apply a hot pink lipliner, I personally like to use NYX lipliner pencil in Hot Pink but MUFE lipliner No 16 C is stunning as well. Lipstick wise, MAC's Girl About Town would be perfect, if thats what she's wearing I wouldn't be surprised!

Face: Blush wise I would actually say NARS Taj Mahal applied lightly. It looks as if its a softer bright orange/coral colors on the cheek, add maybe a little bit of bronzer to the cheek to dull the intensity of the orange.

Hope you guys liked this one, and feel free to add any other color substitutes as well!

Urban Decay: The Black Palette

2010-09-07T22:18:00.000-07:00

Urban Decay is killin me with all these palettes the past 12 months. Book of Shadows 2, the Alice Palette, the "failed" Naked Palette, the Book of Shadows 3 and now this...The Black Palette. Now when I first heard it, I got kinda excited because I thought it would be just like the Naked palette but just darks...I. WOULD. LOVE. THAT...but its not. Just 6 smallish shadows, but i'm not totally let down, it seems cute. Comes with...sigh, zero liner and a mini eden primer. Should be available in September, probably going to be around $38. Check below for more pics...

You get 6 shadows:

Black Dog – Matte Black
Barracuda – Charcoal with silver sparkle
Jet – Dark purple shimmer
Sabbath – Dark blue shimmer
Cobra – Black with gold sparkle
Libertine – Dark green shimmer

Props to lipglossiping.com for the photos and information!

Review: Smashbox Masquerade Eye Palette

2010-09-06T19:45:00.000-07:00

$35, available at ulta, sephora and smashbox.com

Hey ya'll I've got another review for you. I picked this up with the Stila backstage palette and between the two, I like this one so much more. Yes the amount of the eyshadow is smaller but the colors themselves are gorgeous for fall. Smashbox says the way you pair the colors together is by going horizontally across, but of course you can mix and match as you please. The shimmery ones are the gems of the palette while the matte ones left much to be desired. But each finish is quite smooth and goes on nicely. My biggest gripe is that this palette is sooo hard to get open! Takes me at least a minute to pry that thing open, so i just leave it cracked for easy access. Check below for some swatches :)

Review: Stila Backstage Eye Shadow Palette

2010-08-30T00:48:00.000-07:00

Such a lovely palette for fall. Six new shades in a small compact palette. The packaging is like cardboard, yet very durable (so far) and has a nice raised rose design on the front. It's nice to see brands now making the packaging a bit "cheaper" and thus making the product cheaper for us to buy. I am a believer that all that extra stuff they add one just adds to the price.

I was actually surprised at how smooth and pigmented the shades were, I don't know why I was shocked because Stila usually has amazing eye shadows. Like I said, each shadow goes on smooth but I wasn't impressed when I began blending. The shadows seemed so soft, they easily blended together at times, like some of my NARS shadows tend to do. I found that these work best when applied in a patting motion and lightly blended (or not at all). Maybe I have to play a little more with these, but the shadows by themselves are gorgeous, the only one I don't care for much is the pink one called Flamingo.

Check Below for Swatches

Chiffon, Flamingo, Pacific

Luster, Poetic, Coal

Get the Look: Keri Hilson's Smokey Eye

2010-08-25T22:33:00.000-07:00

Hey guys I thought this would be something kinda fun to do, i'm gonna try my best to figure out the colors so bear with. And without further adieu..

Eyes: it looks like a dark green or grey color on her lid. You can use MAC's Greensmoke or Knight Divine over a black base. Or even MAC's Club eyeshadow. Pack that color all over the lid and bring it under the lower lash line as well. In her crease and inner eye, it looks like a darker shimmery brown so try MAC Bronze. Apply black eye kohl to the tightline and waterline, with a couple of coats of mascara.

Lips: She has a milky pink nude lip going on and I think NARS' Belize lipgloss would look perfect on top of MAC's Hue lipstick.

Face: Her blush is neutral colored, it might even be a bronzer. Try Sunbasque blush from MAC or maybe Love Joy blush from NARS.

So that is the look breakdown you guys. Hopefully this is something you find informative or just plain fun. Feel free to toss out any other colors you feel would work, I would love to hear what brands and colors you would use too. And also feel free to pass along any photos as well too, for this or also FOTD/Youtube tutorials!

Wearing Blue Eyeshadow

2010-08-19T20:13:00.000-07:00

I love blue eyeshadow almost as I love a good purple. And there are definitely ways of making it work without looking like Mimi or an 80's throwback. Wearing blue liner or eyeshadow is a great way of adding a pop of color to any look and making the whites of your eyes appear brighter!

For daytime wear, keeping the blue in moderation is the key for successfully pulling it off. Try adding a little bit under the eye for a pop of color or using it lightly in the crease to blend out the lid color. Even a wash of a pastel light blue on the lids with black liner works too.
For nighttime wear, this is when you can feel free to go wild with the blue. Applying a blue pigment wet creates a metallic look and blended out with a black or even a bright purple or green, creates instant drama on the eyes (in a good way).

Some blues I love!

Make Up For Ever: No 72 and No 83
MAC: Freshwater, Contrast, and Deep Truth
NARS: China Blue single shadow
Urban Decay: Shattered, Flipside, and Goddess
Loreal HIP: Showy
Milani: Atlantis

Did I miss any?! Let me know :)

The Primer Potion Showdown

2010-08-07T19:11:00.000-07:00

Primer potions are essential in any makeup kit and for good reason. They help to keep eyeshadows from creasing or fading away throughout the day as well as make them appear more vibrant. So which one is best? Well that is ultimately up to you and what your personal preference is but here is a breakdown that might help steer you in the right direction.

1. Urban Decay Primer Potion (UDPP) $18, available at Sephora, Ulta, Amazon.com, Urbandecay.com

This is the original cult primer potion, with its signature genie bottle appearance. It has a doe foot applicator which makes it easy to apply to the eye and undereye area. One of the biggest negatives is that the cute bottle appearance often times makes it difficult to use every last bit of the product. I've heard you can depot it but who really wants to cut open the bottle and put it into a jar, risking it drying out much faster. But I have heard some rumors that UD is making the new packaging look like TFSI later on this year! I personally do not like UDPP, its oily and causes creasing on my hooded eyelid. And also the fact that the price has gone up like $2 in 2 years :(

2. Two Faced Shadow Insurance (TFSI) $17, available at Sephora, Ulta, Amazon.com

Another cult favorite, but this one comes in a squeeze tube allowing you to get every last bit of product. It comes out a bit gritty feeling, not necessarily smooth to the touch but it does blend out flawlessly. This is the primer potion i've been using for almost over a year now, and i like it alot, but i do get the occasional creasing in the summertime. Overtime you will notice that it does separate in the tube so when you squeeze, some other oil liquid comes out before the primer does, no bueno.

3. NARS Smudge Proof Base $24, available at Sephora, Nordstroms, Barneys

A brand new runner in the game, NARS smudge proof base comes in a basic tube with a doe foot applicator. It goes on creamy and smooth, dries to a colorless matte satin finish. My shadows stay on the lid, crease free for the entire day, even in muggy 90 degree weather. The simple design allows for the use of every bit of the product and the applicator means easy application. Its taking the best parts of UDPP and TFSI and putting them into one better product :) Despite the higher price point, I would pick this over the other two primers any day.

Review: Urban Decay Naked Palette

2010-07-26T19:13:00.000-07:00

I finally tracked this down! Geesh its been almost a month, but i have to say I totally underestimated this palette. When I first heard of it, I kinda blew it off, it just didn't strike me as anything I needed. Till the reviews and hype hit so my curiosity peaked, and once i saw the shadows and the pigmentation, I was sold. They are friggin amazing: very smooth, pigmented, easily blendable, contain very little shimmer, and there aren't that many repeat colors. I can easily see this palette as staying on my vanity top because its so easy to use and perfect for those of us who might work in professional environments or just neutral lovers in general :)

Virgin: a light pale shimmery beige. A bit too intense for us darker girls if used as a highlight but it would look great as an inner eye color.
Naked: This one here is a permanent color, and it has been included in 2 of the past Book of Shadows. It is a shimmery champagne color, looks gorgeous as a wash of color.
Naked: A matte soft brown shade, buttery and smooth. A permanent shade.
Sidecar: A frosty bronze taupe color, included in the first Book of Shadows, but not permanent.
Buck: This is your best friend color WOC! (ie an amazing crease color) It is a satin matte medium brown. A dupe is Saddle from MAC, except this has less red in it.
Half Baked: Probably my favorite UD color, a beautiful frosty golden bronze shade. Extremely pigmented and smooth. Permanent and in alot of their current palettes.
Smog: A dark bronze shade, gorgeous.
Darkhorse: A deep espresso brown color with light gold shimmer.
Toasted: A pinky brown shade with shimmer. Permanent.
Hustle: A deep brown with plum undertones with some shimmer. Great for smoking out the eye without going too dark.
Creep: This is very unique shade. A darkened grey with blue undertones and shimmer.
Gunmetal: A shimmery grey color, very intense.

In addition to those 12 shadows, you get another zero...and whisky eyeliner (a deep brown) and a mini primer potion. Each of these shadows is phenomenal, they all feel velvet smooth and are easily blendable. Out of all the years I've been an UD fan, and i'm talking original face case days, this is the best product they've come out with. I'm absolutely blown away. It is worth the hunt so track it down and if you can't find it, its alright, most of these shades are permanent. Please don't pay the high prices for LE items that some folks charge, its not fair. Enough of that, hope this helped you wonderful brown ladies see how great this palette is :)

Review: NARS Palettes 9956 and 9957

2010-07-26T18:38:00.000-07:00

So I head into my local Nordies for some new NARS moisturizer and lo and behold what do i see...new NARS palettes! I love when NARS comes out with palettes, its a great and cheap way to acquire colors from the line. Even though I did end up with two shadow dupes, it was worth it for me. I have yet to see these launched on the website or in other stores, even the sales lady wasn't sure if they were supposed to be out yet! They look completely different from the rest of the previous palettes, these ones are made of a nylon/cotton type material, very durable with a hard shell and it even has a zipper. Makes this an amazing option for travel.

NARS "Only You" 9956 Palette. $65

Eyes: Alhambra, Mekong, Eurydice, Pandora

Cheeks: Hungry Heart, Orgasm

Alhambra: a light pink champagne color, very smooth

Mekong: Deep chocolate with golden shimmer, not like Galapagos at all so no worry for dupes

Eurydice: a bright yet very deep purple shade, has undertones of blue in it. A really cool iridescent color.

Pandora: your standard matte black

Hungry Heart: A golden ivory shade, has flecks of gold throughout. Beautiful highlighter

Orgasm: light pinky peach color with gold shimmer. On darker girls, the color is quite subtle is quite flattering as a light peach highlight.

NARS "Beautiful You" 9957 Palette. $55

Lipsticks: Sexual Healing, Honolulu Honey, Roman Holiday, Funny Face

Cheeks (Multiples): Copacabana, Orgasm

No swatches here guys, I tried but it wasn't to my satisfaction. But here is a brief breakdown of the colors.

Sexual Healing: a sheer lipstick that is described as a shimmery pink blossom

Honolulu Honey: a satin flesh toned beige. A very pretty neutral color.

Roman Holiday: a sheer color, light pink pastel.

Funny Face: a bright pink semi matte shade. Love this color.

Copacabana Multiple: a glistening pearl shade, looks very flattering as a highlight shade as well.

Orgasm multiple: a peachy pink with shimmer, also looks great as highlighter or soft lip color.

MAC Rodate: What the F*%k?!

2010-07-26T01:30:00.000-07:00

I think by now everyone in the makeup and beauty community has heard about the recent controversy regarding MAC and the upcoming release of their collection, Rodarte. For those who haven't, or simply don't quite understand what the big deal is, here is a breakdown.

MAC teamed up with a pair of designer sisters, who drew their inspiration from a recent road trip along the Texas border. According to the two, they were inspired by the ethereal nature of the area *insert side eye here* and intended to "celebrate the beauty of the landscape and people in the areas that we traveled." From there they continued to use names such as "ghost town", "factory", and "sleepwalker" for some of the lines products, in addition to using a very gaunt and dead looking model as the collection photo. Now on the surface, this seems harmless, very editorial . But for those who know what is going on Juarez, it has a totally different meaning.

Juarez is one of the most dangerous cities in the world and has been known for its violence, especially violence against women. Numerous rapes and murders have taken place, many unsolved. Every morning, these "sleepwalkers" make their way to their jobs at a "factory" and often times go missing on their way, or their way back.

For MAC and Rodarte to be able to profit off the femicide that is going on in Juarez is sickening to me. I find it so hard to believe that NO ONE in either company's PR or marketing department thought that this might not be the brightest idea. You hire people to avoid these kinds of issues and everyone dropped the ball on this. I'm disappointed that it even got to this point and also I feel MAC's reaction is pretty shitty too. $100,000. That's all. That is all they are going to donate, after profiting from the plight of the people of Juarez. But it isn't MAC who disappoints me the most, its some of the reactions from this women out there who don't care, and not care to know about what happens in the world they live in. I've read a few forums, and youtube comments and it gives me such little hope for my generation of women. Makeup is more important than stopping the rape and murder of women around the world. I read comments that sounded like:

1. "i'm black, not mexican so it doesn't affect me".....you don't need to be a latina to be pissed about this. It does affect you, not directly, but as a woman you should know this could happen to anyone of us. The simple fact we have vaginas makes us targets for rape everyday. As a WOMAN, you should be outraged. Hell, as a HUMAN, you should be outraged.

2. "well MAC is donating so thats really great of them. Makes me feel better about wanting that Quincinera blush".... and the comments like that topped the cake for me ...those kind of responses were just ugh. All MAC had to do was toss a little money out there to pacify folks and you took the bait. I can only shake my head at those folks. Despite your new knowledge of the situation in Juarez, you're still going to purchase items because a tiny tiny tiny tiny bit of it is going to provide some aid there.

Listen, I understand that art is a form of expression and at times you can take a truly painful, terrible situation and find beauty in it. And I'm sure that is what is probably happened here, but I still feel that their approach was wrong. How come MAC didn't take this as an opportunity to educate its main consumer, women, about what is happening there? They push Viva Glam and AIDS education down our throats all the time so why not this ? (btw i am not dissing AIDS, its cause is just as important) Did MAC think we were that stupid? That we wouldn't figure out what a sleepwalker meant when you say Juarez was the inspiration? To me, there is just so much wrong here that I can't get with MAC much anymore. I was already displeased with the brand before this but now i'm truly disappointed and its going to take something phenomenal for them to see my money again in the near future. HELLO NARS AND MUFE!

MAC Rodarte: The Petition

2010-07-26T00:31:00.000-07:00

There is now a formal petition for those of you who feel MAC should be donating 100% of the profits from this collection. You can go HERE to sign the petition and allow your feelings to be heard. Please take action.

"We ask that MAC and Rodarte make a long-term commitment to helping the women of Juarez by donating ALL profits from their upcoming Fall 2010 beauty range and include in their marketing and advertising campaign and materials a direct message in reference to the suffering and exploitation happening in Ciudad Juarez, in order that wide scale global awareness of this issue may be raised."

As for where the profits would be donated to here is a quick excerpt from the petition:

"Having sought advice from the Executive Director for Women on the Border, Inc, we ask for profits to be given to the CFO (Comité Fronterizo de Obreras) who have a proven track record of empowerment of women. Profits should also be given to two non-profit organisations working with the affected families of the femicides: Amigos de las Mujeres de Juarez and Casa Amiga."

http://cfomaquiladoras.org/

http://www.casa-amiga.org.mx/

http://www.amigosdemujeres.org/

High End Blush dupes

2010-06-25T01:44:00.001-07:00

Since imo MAC doesn't make the best blushes, I included all brands for the blush section.

Benefit Benetint: L'Oreal Pinch Of Colour in Blushing, L'Oreal Translucide Gel Blush in Blushing Glow, Sonia Kashuk Lip & Cheek Tint in Sheer BlissTint, Wet 'N' Wild Ink Stains
Benefit Blush in Dandelion: Almay Blush in Petal, Jane Blushing Cheeks Blush in Blushing Blossom, L'oreal Blush Delice in Strawberry Tart, Maybelline Blush in Seashell Pink, Maybelline Blush in Sweetheart Rose, Maybelline Blush in Wash of Winter
Bobbi Brown Blush in Blushed: Jane Blushing Cheeks Blush in Blushing Orchid, L'Oreal Blush in Rustica
Bobbie Brown Pink Raspberry Pot Rouge: NYX Cream blush in Glow
Cargo Blush in Tempting Beige: L'Oreal Blush in Rustica
Cargo Catalina: Maybelline in Seashell Pink
Cargo Topeka: Jane Blushing Cheeks in Blushing Glow
Chanel Caprice blush: Maybelline Mauve Pulse

GA Blush in #2: L'oreal True Match in Barely Blossom
Laura Mercier Crushed Hazelnut: ULTA Glow
MAC Blush Hipness: Milani Mai Tai Donner
MAC Blush in Angel: Maybelline Blush in Packed Powder Pink, Maybelline Pure Blush in Pure Blossom, Almay Stay Smooth Beyond Powder Blush in Petal
MAC Blush in Cubic: B&BW Blush in Water Lily, Jane Blushing Cheeks Blush in Blushing Petal, Prestige Blush in Putty
MAC Blush in Fleur Power: CoverGirl Blush in Rose Silk, Maybelline Pure Blush in Pure Rose & Pure Peach, L'Oreal Blush in Sunset
MAC Blush in Margin: Jane Blushing Cheeks Blush in Blushing Glow, Rimmel Blush in Apricot, NYX Terra Cotta
MAC Blush in Peacher: Rimmel blush in Apricot
MAC Blush in Prism: Jane Blushing Cheeks Blush in Blushing Baby Doll, Rimmel Blush in Bronze
MAC Blush in Well Dressed = Jane Blushing Cheeks in Blushing Pink
MAC Blush Margin: NYX Terra Cotta
MAC Cheekhue in Da Da Delight: Revlon Cream Blush in Berry Fliratious
MAC Plum Foolery: L'oreal Color of Hope blush
NARS Antibes multiple: Wet 'n' Wild Twist Up Blush StickScandalous
NARS Blush Deep Throat: Rimmel Apricot
NARS Blush Orgasm: Milani Luminous, The Balm Hot Mama
NARS Blush Torrid: L'Oreal Front Page Peach
NARS Copacabana multiple: Wet 'n' Wild Twist Up Blush Stick in Flirt
NARS Exhibit A: Milani Blush in Mango
NARS Laguna Bronzer: L'oreal HIP Bronzer in Blessed
NARS Lovejoy: Flirt! Caramel Belle
NARS Maldives multiple: Wet 'n' Wild Twist Up Blush Stick Just Peachy
NARS Orgasm: Flirt! Blush in Hearthrob, Jane Blushing Cheeks Blush in Blushing Glow, Milani Blush in Luminous, Pretty Pretty Face Revlon Blush in Sandalwood Beige, Rimmel Blush in Apricot, Prestige Flushed Eyeshadow, Cover Girl Rose Silk Cheeker, Mark. Afterglo, Loreal's LE Front Page Peach
NARS Outlaw: NYC Darling Donner Blush
NARS Plaisir: Bourjois Blush in Santal 92
NARS Portofino: Wet 'n' Wild Twist Up Blush Stick Coy
NARS Sin: L'Oreal Feel Naturale Blush in Mauvelous, L'Oreal Feel Naturale Blush in Plume, Revlon Skinlights Eye Cheek Color in Berry, L'oreal Color of Hope blush, Milani Temptation, Rimmel blush in Temptation, Cover Girl Cheekers in Natural Twinkle, Maybelline in Berry Winey & Bohemian Blush
NARS South Beach multiple: Wet 'n' Wild Twist Up Blush StickBrazen Babe
NARS Torrid: L'Oreal Front Page Peach, Prestige Putty
Stila Camellia: Wet 'n Wild MegaGlo Face Illuminator in Toasty
Stila Hint: Jane Blushing Petal
Stila Rose: Wet 'N' Wild MegaGlo Face Illuminator in Rosy

MAC Lip Dupes

2010-06-25T01:43:00.000-07:00

Same as the eyes list but with lipsticks and glosses.

MAC Blonde on Blonde: Wet 'n Wild 770A Gold Rush
MAC Bubbles lipstick: Wet 'n' Wild #516A lipstick
MAC Carnal lipstick: L'Oreal Wine and Dine lipstick
MAC Clear Lipglass: Wet 'n Wild Glassy Gloss in Clear; Bonne Bell Enticemint (clear); Rimmel Lip Vinyl in Clear; NYC Kiss Gloss; Caboodles Fruitopian Glosses
MAC Creme de la Femme lipstick: Rimmel Asia, Milani Pink Chiffon
MAC Cyber lipstick: Manic Panic lipstick in Black Witch
MAC Dainty Cake lipstick: NYC Firefly #306b
MAC DEl Rio lipstick: Cosmetic Factory Brazil lipstick, Necessities lipstick in LeeAnn
MAC Delish lipstick: Wet 'n' Wild Ice Cream lipstick
MAC Diva lipstick: Jane lipstick in Really Raisin
MAC Film Noir lipstick: L'Oreal Colour Endure lipstick in Hot Fudge
MAC Flavour lipstick: Maybelline Nude Pink lipstick
MAC Frenzy lipstick: Revlon Bamboo Bronze lipstick
MAC Frou lipstick: Bonne Bell Vanilla Volts lipstick
MAC Grid lipstick: Bonne Bell LipGear in Traffic Jam
MAC Haku lipstick: Wet 'n' Wild #546-A lipstick
MAC High Tea lipstick: Rimmel Airy Fairy, Milani Sheer Lipstick in Amaterro
MAC Hyper lipstick: Revlon Granite lipstick
MAC Impish Lipglass: Rimmel Vinyl Lip in Eastend Snob
MAC Lame lipstick: Prestige Sorbet lipstick
MAC Lip Lacquer in Acrylicka: Maybelline Lip Polish in Mauvie Star
MAC lip liner in Girlfriend: Prestige lip liner in Baby
MAC Lip Liner in Mahogany: Prestige Auburn
MAC Lip liner Stripdown: Rimmel Femme Fatale
MAC Lip Pencil in Plum: Prestige Lip Pencil in Deep Plum, Revlon Colorstay Plum
MAC Lip Pencil in Spice: Cover Girl CG Smoothers Lip Liner in Cinnamon Slick, Wet 'n Wild #712 or #666; Avon - Glimmersticks Lip Liner in Glimmer Simply Spice; Annabelle Lip Pencil in Spice, Prestige Sand, Estee Lauder Spice
MAC Lip Pencil in Test Pattern: Sephora Lip Pencil 114
MAC Lipglass in Chai: Bonne Bell Lip Lites in Cappuccino
MAC Lipglass in C-thru: Milani Secret #12 gloss, Prestige Vinylwear lipgloss in Liquid
MAC Lipglass in Dreamy: Wet 'n Wild Precious Metals Lip Gloss in Sugar Plum
MAC Lipglass in Explicit: Bonne Bell Lip Lites in Shoutin' Sugar
MAC Lipglass in Fancy That: Maybelline Wet Shine Diamonds Liquid in Marquise Peach
MAC Lipglass in Freezefrost: Wet 'n Wild in Shimmy Shimmer
MAC Lipglass in Lust: Bonne Bell Lip Lites in Cappuccino, or Mocha Mousse,Neutrogena Lip Gloss in Chic, Prestige Vinylwear in Cha Cha, Jane Mirage Lip Dips pot lipstick, Almay 1 Coat lipgloss in Blush, L'Oreal ColuorJuice in Passionfruit Squeeze
MAC Lipglass in Lychee Luxe: Chanel Glossimer in Sirop, or Volage, Neutrogena Lip Gloss in First Blush, NYC in Sungold Pink
MAC Lipglass in Nico: Maybelline Lip Polish in Purple Passion, L'Oreal Glass Shines in Luminous Lilac & Lilac Crystal
MAC Lipglass in Nymphette: Rimmel Lip Gloss in Airy Fairy
MAC Lipglass in Oh Baby: Neutrogena Lip Gloss in Glimmer, Rimmel Vinyl Lip in Cosmic, Milani Serendipity gloss, Revlon Lip Glace in Lounge Lizard, L'Oreal Glass Shine in Bronze Radiance
MAC Lipglass in Oyster Girl: Caboodles Lip Dee-lish in Deelux, Neutrogena Lip Gloss in Tickled, NYC Lipstick #548A
MAC Lipglass in Pink Clash: Bonne Bell Lip Lites in Berry 'Nilla Creme
MAC Lipglass in Pop Mode: Maybelline Wet Shine Diamonds Liquid in Jewels 'n Berries
MAC Lipglass in Prrr: L'Oreal Colour Juice in Mai Tai, Almay One Coat Lipstick in Petal; Rimmel Lip Vinyl in Essential; Rimmel Lip Vinyl in East End Snob; Wet 'n Wild Liquid Lipstick in Rose Gold
MAC Lipglass in Revealing: Bonne Bell Lip Lites in Cappuccino
MAC Lipglass in Russian Red: NYC Kiss Gloss in Cherry, Prestige Vinylwear in Sleek
MAC Lipglass in Song and Dance: Prestige Vinylwear in Mica
MAC Lipglass in Underage: Wet 'N' Wild Glassy Gloss in Sugar Glaze
MAC Lipglass in V-Red: Prestige lip liner in Baby
MAC Lipglass Love Nectar: Milani Coral Shimmer
MAC Lipglass Lovechild: Rimmel Snog
MAC Lipglass Viva Glam V: Neutrogena Dreamy Sally Hansen Royal Romance
MAC Lipliner Whirl: Rimmel Darling Nude
MAC Lipstick in Midimauve: Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Smokey Rose
MAC Lipstick in O: Chanel Glossimer in Spark, Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Copperglow Berry, Jordana Bahama Bronze
MAC Love Nectar lusterglass: Milani Coral Shimmer lipgloss
MAC Lovechild lipglass: Rimmel Snog
MAC Lust lipstick: Maybelline Great Wear lipstick in Silver Lilac, Revlon Virtual Violet lipstick
MAC Lustreglass in Star Nova: Sonia Kashuk Sexy lipgloss
MAC Modum lipstick: Almay Malt lipstick
MAC O Lipstick: Jordana Bahama Bronze; Revlon Mulled Cider; Prestige Fudge Brownie Aromatherapy Lipgloss; Wet 'n Wild #769
MAC Oak: Rimmel Femme Fatale
MAC Odyssey lipstick: Bonne Bell LipGear in Berry Bash
MAC Pervette lipstick: Jane HipLips in Pink Slip
MAC Plum Liner: Revlon Colorstay Plum liner
MAC Retro lipstick: Jane Lipstick in Browned Down Red
MAC Rockocco lipstick: Milani Candy Apple lipstick
MAC Russian Red lipstick: Sonia Kashuk lipstick in Geisha or Prestige Lipstick in Fatal Red
MAC Sequin lipstick: Almay Sequin one coat lipstick
MAC Spice Liner: Wet n’ Wild #666 or #712 Liner
MAC Spirit lipstick: Cosmetic Factory Angel lipstick
MAC Strawberry Blonde: Victoria's Secret Love Bite
MAC Strength lipstick: Avon Brilliant Moisture Lipstick in Tiger's Eye
MAC Touch lipstick: Jane Browned Down Red lipstick, The Body Shop Vanilla lipstick
MAC Twig lipstick: Avon Twig lipstick, Prestige VIP lipstick, Jane LipHuggers in Kind Of Carob;
MAC Underworld: Neutrogena in South Beach
MAC VGV lipglass: Neutragena Dreamy lipgloss or Salley Hansen Diamon Lip Treatment in Royal Romance
MAC Viva Glam II lipstick: Jane Flipstick in Roseland, Maybelline Great Wear Lipstick in Flesh
MAC Viva Glam Lipstick in Viva Glam V: Neutrogena Moisture Shine Gloss in Dreamy, Milani Sher Lipstick in Pink Chiffon, Neutrogena Moistureshine Tinted Lip Balm in Clean #20
MAC Wuss lipstick: Avon Spice lipstick, Wet 'n' Wild #547A lipstick
MAC XS lipstick: Cosmetic Factory Extra lipstick, Wet 'n' Wild #506A lipstick

MAC Eyeshadow Dupes

2010-06-25T01:41:00.000-07:00

Everyone can't always afford or justify purchasing MAC items so buying cheaper items makes sense, especially when its a trend color. I came across this list on a forum and I felt I really needed to share it with you all . Enjoi!

MAC Amber Lights: Milani Sun Goddess, Milani Desert Sun, Prestige Melba, L'Oreal HIP Saucy, NYX Golden
MAC Aquadisiac: Jane Millionare
MAC Atlas: ULTA Silk
MAC Bamboo: Wild and Crazy Wild Guava
MAC Band on Blue: NYX Lanikai
MAC Banshee: Milani Spice
MAC Beaded: NYX Sahara
MAC Beautiful Iris: ULTA Iris
MAC Big T: NYX Wild Fire
MAC Black Tied: Covergirl Shimmering Onyx, Milani Storm, Jane Clubbing
MAC Blue Brown:L'Oreal HIP Inrepid
MAC Blue Noir: Prestige in Ink
MAC Brill: Wild & Crazy Bahama Water
MAC Brule: Milani Almondine
MAC Camel: Revlon Pro Bamboo
MAC Carbon: NYX Black
MAC Coco: NYX Beanie
MAC Coppering:NYX Copper
MAC Coquette: Almay Khaki Eye Gel
MAC Cork: M Professinals Soft Brown Eyeshadow, Covergirl Swiss Chocolate
MAC Cornflower: Physician's Formula Virtual Eyes Loose Shadow in Eye-Tech
MAC Cranberry:NYX Rust
MAC Creme de Violet: ULTA Iris
MAC Crystal: L'Oreal Beauty Queen On-the-Loose
MAC Dark Soul pigment: Jane clubbing
MAC Dazzleray Pigment: NYC Loose Sparkle Eye Dust in Champagne
MAC D'Bohemia: Wild and Crazy Crazy on You, ULTA Knit
MAC Deep Truth: Loreal On the Loose in Night Fever
MAC Dementhe: Milani Clover
MAC Electra: Jane Hi Ho Silver
MAC Electric Coral Pigment:NYX Tropical
MAC Electric Eel: Milani Atlantis, NYX Irises
MAC Embark: Jane Brownie Points, Flirt! Coconutty
MAC Emote:NYX Taupe
MAC Eyepopping: NYX Lime Juice
MAC Fab & Flashy: NYX Arica/Golden Orange
MAC French Gray: NYX Iced Mocha
MAC Girl meets Boy:NYX Antique gold
MAC Glare: Prestige Golden Sun, ULTA Silk
MAC Going Bananas:NYX Yeallow Pearl
MAC Goldmine: Prestige Golden Retriever
MAC Gorgeous Gold: L'oreal's Enlightened Emerald Duo, Dior GoldFusion
MAC Guacamole: Milani Limbo Lime
MAC Hepcat: Prestige Blossom
MAC Humid: Milani Clover, WnW Sensual Sage, NYX Mermaid
MAC Hypnotique: Prestige Saturn
MAC Jest: Milani Peachy Peach, Maybelline Pink Sands, ULTA Bermuda Sand
MAC Jewel Blue: Jane Eye Zing in Surfer Girl
MAC Juxt:NYX Springleaf
MAC Kicky Blue: L'Oreal Holographic Blue
MAC Leisure Time: L'Oreal OTL in Flash Light
MAC Little Madame: Milani Illusion
MAC Lucky Green: Wild and Crazy Marquis, NYX lime
MAC Medowland: L'Oreal Wear Infinite in Glistening Sea
MAC Melody: Jane Millionare
MAC Metamorph: Rimmel Hope
MAC Midnight Blue: Jane Blue Jeans, Prestige Horizon
MAC Mulch: Milani Java Bean, L'oreal HIP in Saucy
MAC Naked Lunch: Wet n' Wild Fine Wink, NYX Aloha
MAC Nocturnelle: Milani Shock, Lancome Contrast
MAC Nylon: Milani Classic Beige, TooFaced Glamazon, WnW Cream
MAC Paradisco: Flirt! Feeling Hot
MAC Parfait Amour:Milani Shock/Enchanment
MAC Parrot: ULTA Deep Sea, L'oreal HIP in Showy, NYX Ocean
MAC Passionate:NYX Sunrise/Redhead/Cherry
MAC Perverted Pearl: Milani Silver Bullet

MAC Pink Freeze: Prestige Ballet, Milani Taffy, Cover Girl Pink Chiffon
MAC Pink Source: Milani Taffy
MAC Pink Venus: Milani Taffy
MAC Pink Vivid Pigment:NYX Hot Pink
MAC Quarry: Prestige Sandalwood
MAC Romping:NYX Hot Pink/Burgundy Pearl, Milani Exotic Berry
MAC Rose Pigment: NYX Flamingo
MAC Rose Pro: Jame Prom Queen
MAC Rose: Prestige in Flushed
MAC Sable: Milani Java Bean
MAC Satin Taupe: Maybelline Silken Taupe, Rimmel Strength, ULTA Twilight,NYX Iced Mocha, NYX Mink Brown, NYX Root beer
MAC Shadesticks: NYX Eyeshadow Wands
MAC Shadowy Lady: Milani Marooned
MAC Shale: Milani Icy Plum
MAC Shimmermoss: ULTA Luna, NYX Jungle Fever
MAC Shroom: Jordana Beige, Jane Magic Mushroom, Wet 'n Wild Flirt Shimmer Stick, NYX Bearly There
MAC Silver: Milani in Mercury
MAC Sketch: Milani Marooned
MAC Sky Blue Pigment:NYX Cool Blue
MAC Soba: ULTA Toast
MAC Sprout: Prestige Wasabi, Milani Garden Mist
MAC Star n Rockets: NYX Luxor
MAC Steamy: Milani Clover, ULTA Luna
MAC Sumptuous Olive: Milani Antique Gold, ULTA Golden Olive, NYX Herb
MAC Sushi Flower: Prestige in Love, NYX Cherry
MAC Sweet Sienna: Theshespace.com Gothic Glamour
MAC Swish: Prestige Love
MAC Trax: Prestige Flushed, Flirt! Glamourazzi, Milani Desire
MAC Unreally Blue: Milani Blue Jeans
MAC Vanilla: Philosophy Serenity, Wild and Crazy Mist Over Me 3110, Milani Snow Frost
MAC Vapor: Prestige Chilly
MAC Vellum: M Professionals Opalescent White, Wild and Crazy Lily Song, Milani Moonlight, Max Factor Spotlight Sparkle
MAC Vex: Max Factor Mint Matinee
MAC Wedge: M Professionals Taupe
MAC Wondergrass: NYX Kiwi
MAC Woodwinked: Milani Golden Bronze

Make Up For Ever Aqua Cream swatches

2010-06-22T23:50:00.000-07:00

I love these, they have replaced my MAC paint pots! They truly are waterproof and have amazing staying power. Usually when I use my delft, blackground or mosscape paint pots, they do tend to crease. Typically they MAC paint pots with shimmer crease on me within a couple of hours, but these ones, nope :) I got four initially and loved them so I went back for 2 more, eventually i'll have them all. They make amazing bases and also look great as shadows, blushes, or lip color by themselves.

No 14 : Satin Brown (looks like MAC Chocolate Brown pigment in cream form)

No 22: Emerald Green. Gorgeous deep grassy emerald green

No 21: Turquoise. A brighter version of Delft.

No 18: Purple. But its not really purple but a light lilac color. Its gorgeous. But they really do need a purple.

No 1: Anthracite. dark grey shimmery color. Perfect for smokey eyes.

No 10: Orange. A bright shimmery orange, to be used for cheeks and lips. A WOC must have for summer

Shoe-Gasm Time

2010-06-21T11:45:00.000-07:00

I don't buy shoes very often, usually I end up getting some nice classic black work shoes or some Air Forces. But with the summer coming and friends wanting to go out, I needed some "clubbing" shoes...So I headed to DSW and found some super cute shoes, on sale :)

So these lovely ladies are from Carlos by Carlos Santana, Regent Bootie, is the name. It comes in 4 colors and fits like a dream. I have very narrow feet with a narrow heel so support all around my foot is needed. The zipper in the back of the shoe makes it easy to get on and off, and the materials are very soft and comfortable on the foot. Buy it HERE.

These shoes here are from DIBA. It lucked up and found these on clearance for like $30 and they are a pain in the ass to get on the feet. But once i'm in, they look really good. The only reason they take for ever is because they're got 3 buckles and if its the end of your night, its not gonna be fun getting these off. But the color is nice, a good change from basic black.

MAC Venomous Villiains Sneak Peak :)

2010-06-20T13:58:00.000-07:00

Cruella
Lipstick
Innocence, Beware! - light yellow pink (Cremesheen)
Heartless- Cherry Red (Amplified)

Lipglass
Wicked Ways- Light nude with gold pearl
Devilishly Stylish- Deep fuchsia with pink pearl

Eyeshadow
De-vil- rich copper (VP)
Sweet joy (repromote)- creamy pale gold (Frost)
Carbon

Rapidblack Eye Liner

Beauty Powder
Her own devices -cool nude

Powder Blush
Darkly my dear- mid-tone brown plum (Matte)

Evil Queen

Lipstick

Toxic Tale- Bright coral (Satin)

Sinister- soft brown plum (lustre)

Lipglass

Strange Potion- soft coral pink

Hot house- Deep raspberry with pink pearl

Eyeshadow

Her Alter Image- Light violet (VP)

Vainglorious- Bronze burgundy (Frost)

Vile Violet- Deep blue purple (Matte)

Penultimate Brow Universal

Beauty Powder

Oh so fair -mid-tone pink with gold pearl

Powder Blush

Bite of an apple- soft coral pink (Matte)

Maleficent

Lipstick

Violetta (Repromote)- Violet Purple (Amplified)

Dark Deed- Burgundy plum (Amplified)

Lipglass

Revenge is sweet- light yellow purple

Wrong spell- Deep plum with pink purple

Mineralize Eyeshadow

My Dark Magic- Deep pink with pink pearl/ Deep plum with purple pearl

She who Dares- Deep navy with blue pearl/ Deep forest green with lime pearl

Beauty Powder

Briar Rose- Soft violet pink with pearl

Nail Lacquer

Bad Fairy- Red with multichanging pigments

Formidable!- Teal green with pink pigment

Mean & Green- Purple with teal pigment

Dr. Facilier

Lipgelee

Resort Life (repromote)- off white with pink pearl

Greasepaint

Slick black- true carbon black

French Quarter- Black green with multi colour pearl

Pigment

Melon- bright golden peach

Brash and Bold- bright magenta

Push the Edge- deep bright purple with pearl

Magically Cool Liquid Powder

Truth and Light- sheer shimmer reflects silver and pink

Cajun- Sheer bronze reflects gold

Mirror

I'm so vain - Round special decoration compact mirror

Here are some product photos leaked on the web!

Alright ladies and maybe some gents out there, what strikes you?! When I heard of this collection I damn near fell outta my chair in complete happiness, I am the biggest Disney buff! But honestly, the packaging is a bit cheap looking, like i could pick this up at the Disney Store because it was made for some little kids. But who knows, these are just "leaked" photos and could easily change.

Credits to vex in the city for the information.

Quiz: Should You Relax Your Hair?

2010-06-01T21:42:00.000-07:00

Quiz: Should You Relax Your Hair?

Consider Relaxing Your Hair

We knew it: You are tempted to tweak and toy with your hair, like you do with your clothing, weekend plans and daily routine. It's fun to try something new with your strands, be it a style or texture, and we like that you understand that hair speaks volumes about your personal style and edge. For this reason, you should absolutely consider relaxing your hair, explains NYC stylist, Antonio Cipriano (who relaxes client's hair at the Cutler Salon in New York City). Just remember -- hydration is the key to keeping relaxed hair sleek, shiny and soft. To prep yourself for relaxed hair after care, get into the routine now of giving your strands mega moisture by using at-home conditioning products geared toward hydrating and healing parched, naturally-coarse hair. We suggest Motions Deep Penetrating Treatment, $4.79, which you can use once a week to give hair serious TLC. On a daily basis, try Motions Weightless Detangling Conditioner, $4.99 .

Buwahahahaha. oh man I truly needed that laugh today. I came across this quiz on Scandalous Beauty's blog, so naturally ventured over. I, as a black female who has had every type of hair style, found this quiz to be um, ridiculous. They made it seem as if relaxed hair (aka straight hair) is the only kind of hair texture that is going to give you options and variety when it comes to hair styling and that simply is not the case. It was just mind bogging that boring and non trendy equaled natural hair. The "qualifying" questions that total beauty asked were absolutely stupid, like how many lipsticks do I wear? wtf? just cause i have more than 5 lipsticks doesn't mean i crave versatility and thus need a relaxer. A relaxer is a chemical treatment that permanently alters the state of your hair, and process should not be taken lightly. It's quite damaging to the hair and its expensive to maintain. There is so much more I could say but I could write an essay on how many things are wrong with this quiz...oh and Motions sucks.

Review: Multiple Tint from NARS

2010-06-01T12:45:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was able to get my hands on these new multiple tints from NARS, and well i'm extremely disappointed. I couldn't bring myself to buy one. They are extremely sheer, which is fine because they are a tint, but they're so sheer that they don't appear very well on my skin tone. Or at all. I was able to blend Cadaques (left color) so it gave my cheeks somewhat of a pinkish tint, but the other two, Beverly Hills (deep berry) and Turks and Caicos (bright orange) barely left any color. The consistency is not creamy like the other multiples either, its very sticky and feels like glue, almost Vaseline like. The more I added, the stickier my face felt.

Overall, I will be passing on these. If you are lighter in skin tone then maybe these will show up beautifully on your skin, but regardless the sticky feeling is enough to make anyone pass these up.

MUFE Fashion Palette Swatches

2010-05-27T11:43:00.000-07:00

Yay! More Make Up For Ever swatches, i'll get to the others soon but until then enjoy these :)

82, 10, 67, 9, 160

122, 123, 168, 84, 40

2 Wear to Work FOTD's

2010-05-05T19:00:00.000-07:00

These are a couple of looks that never made it into tutorials on video but I liked them so I thought I would share it here :)

Look 1: Winged Liner and Pink Lips

Eyes: MUFE No 128, 148, and 28. MAC blacktrack fluidline. Benefit Bad Gal Mascara

Face: NARS Albatross. MAC lipstick in Craving (which i lost that day...)

Simple yet polished and pretty ;)

Look 2: NARS Shimmery Neutrals

Eyes: NARS duo in Isolde (left side), Cheyenne (right side) and Galapagos. MAC Blacktrack fluidline. Benefit Bad Gal Mascara.

Face: NARS Albatross. Cargo lipgloss tin in South Beach.

A variety of browns on a brown girl...

If you guys wanna see these looks on video let me know :)

My Favorite MAC Eyeshadows

2010-05-03T22:16:00.000-07:00

Since I've really parred down my MAC collection the past few months, it really allowed me to enjoy the shadows that I have and realize which ones I really love. Of course my favorite shadows changes all the time, it really depends on the season for me. But as of right now, these are some of my favorite (all time favs included) MAC eyeshadows.

This right here is my highlighter quad, these colors stay on my brow bone or my inner corner.

At the top (L to R): I have Ricepaper and Soba. Ricepaper is a light yellowish golden shade, a bit dramatic for daytime but i love it, even on the lid it makes my eyes pop! Soba is a light golden brown color, very similar to my skintone. I often use this to blend out my eyeshadow and add subtle shimmer to the brow bone.

On the bottom (L to R): I have Femme Fi and Arena. Femme Fi is a limited edition color, a light beige color that i use for an intense brow bone look. I don't use it often, but its a great color to me, very flattering. Arena, a lighter peachy golden shade. A wonderful highlighter for darker girls, adds a pinkish orange glow...sorry thats really the best way I could describe it!

These are my current favorite shadows, some are all time favs, some are good for the now.

Top Row: Vex, Coral (pro), Aquavert (LE), Blue Calm (pro), Beautiful Iris

Middle Row: Woodwinked, Lime, Club, Freshwater, Stars N Rockets

Bottom Row: Amber Lights, Goldmine, Humid, Contrast, Satellite Dreams

If you're wondering my all time favorite MAC shadows are: Vex, Woodwinked, Freshwater, Humid and Club. I would probably boycott MAC if they discontinued these, but not before I stocked up lol.

What are you favorite MAC shades?

MUFE Artistic Palette Swatches and Review

2010-04-23T01:28:00.000-07:00

As some of you know I went to IMATS and picked up some MUFE stuff. This is one of three of the palettes I put together. It's called the artistic palette :)

No 00, No 02, No 18, No 72, No 60

No 00: Goes on really smooth and very opaque, with a good base it appears near white on woc skin. The photo above shows it with no base, pretty good huh?

No 02: This one took a couple of swipes to get a nice yellow color but I would imagine on a light base, it would be much easier. Goes on smooth.

No 18: Went on orange with one swipe, a very true orange shade, not too yellow and not too red.

No. 75: I love this color in the pot but it goes on a little darker on my skin, in order to get that bright teal color, you need to have a lighter base. Otherwise it looks like a dark teal (see above) Very smooth and easily blendable.

No. 60: I already know i'm going to hate working with this shade. It was really really difficult to get the color to appear. It's very hard and chalk like, not too fond of this one. You'd be better off getting Prussian or Nehru from MAC. Or Thunderball from NARS.

No. 91, No 75, No. 92, No 158, No 159

No 91: Love, Love this color. It's very bright and vibrant, went on lime green in one swipe.

No. 75: THE BEST BRIGHT PINK EVER! It really is, it needs no base, it blends like a dream and is very pigmented. It will stain the lids though, its also considered a blush shadow too I think.

No 92: This is one of the best purples I've ever owned. It's a deep royal purple color, a tad bit chalky and hard at times but once you've got it working, it works.

No 158: An okay red, it's brighter than MUFE No 99. Took a few swipes to get this shade to appear. I love Sugarpill Cosmetics Love + for an amazing red color.

No 159: Gorgeous blue shade, blends well, really pigmented and true to the color in the pot. A fav in this palette.

So there ya have it guys, my artistic palette swatch and review. As I do looks for youtube, i'll update the blog with the other two palettes. Lemme know of any other awesome MUFE colors i might be missing!

MUFE Flash Color Palette Swatches

2010-04-23T01:09:00.000-07:00

Have you ever seen something more beautiful in your life?! After months and months of debating whether I should purchase this, I picked it up at IMATS so 40% off. Good deal, right? This pack has 12 cream color bases that have a variety of uses. You can use them as paints, eye bases, lip bases, you can easily mix the colors to create your own personal shade. You only need a very small amount to get a desired finish. The brown can even be used for contouring (I have yet to test this theory out). But anyways, here are some swatches and which ones are NOT eye and/or lip safe!

Gold 004 (metallic gold), Coral 002 (vibrant coral and), Turquoise 000 (light turquoise), Fuchsia 005 (bright fuchsia pink), Yellow 013 (vibrant yellow), Brown 023 (dark brown)

002 and 005 are NOT eye safe. 003 is not lip safe.

Silver 003 (metallic silver), White 010 (pure white), Red 017 (bright red), Bright Blue 014 (bright royal blue), Leaf Green 008 (bright green), and Black 011 (pure black)

017 is not eye safe. 010 and 014 are not lip safe.

Buy it right on Amazon.com

Obessive Compulsive Cosmetics Lip Tar Swatches

2010-04-19T19:49:00.000-07:00

Wow. These lip tars are amazing. They are very opaque and you only need a tiny bit to cover your entire lip area. You can go crazy with your imagination with these. They have great staying power and while i was wearing my Anime out today, it wasn't sticky or overly glossly. It does, however, stain the lips but it goes away after using some makeup remover and soap.

OCC is a brand that is 100% Vegan and PETA approved, so that means no testing on animals because I know to some of you that means something! Enough with the chit chat, here's the swatches!

Anime, Katricia, Hootchie

Petty Beige, NSFW, Vintage

Rx, I'm going to find some way to rock this! I MUST!

For more information on the brand go check out occmakeup.com

Other Brands Makeup Sale

2010-04-19T19:13:00.000-07:00

Ok I'm just going to list everything that is up for sale, photos to follow soon. I will be open to swaps, i'm primarily looking for some pigments from MAC (doesn't matter if its old size or new size) MUFE products, or NARS stuff. It is all first come first serve and i will only hold items for 24 hours before it goes to the next buyer. No shipping internationally, except Canada. Paypal only. Shipping is 2.00 for 5 items or less. 5 items or more, shipping is 3.00. Unless you get a larger amount of items or something heavy that requires larger packaging (i will let you know when you purchase). Please let me know if there are any questions you might have! Please email me at erikosan84@gmail.com for purchases and questions.

For starters I am Selling the Urban Decay Alice in Wonderland Box I have (got one as a gift). It doesn't have the liners or the primer potion. I have the liners and i've used them, I can sanitize them for you if you'd like. So without liners, its $35. With liners its $40. No photos unless you want them.SOLD

Make Up For Ever Eyeshadows

No 92, No 75 SOLD No 10 (92 and 75 are refills but i have the little pot if you want it)

$10 for each

NARS lipstick in Barbarella.

$10 (SOLD

Cargo Neutral Essential Eye palette (great for interviews!)

$10

Stila Talking smokey eye palette in Browns

$10 SOLD

NYX Jumbo Pencils

Strawberry Milk, Yogurt, Gold, Yellow and Milk

All except Milk are $2, Milk is $1. I'll give you all of them for $5.

Loreal HIp pains in Steely and Commanding. $2 each

Tokidoki Quad in Diamante (swatches also on my blog)

$12. I can't find the little charm, i'm so sorry... (shipping on this might be a bit extra, its bulky)

Kat Von D Memento Mori palette, comes with box.

$12. SOLD

Kat Von D Palette in Metal Orchestra.

$12.SOLD

Sephora Lipglosses, sample sizes from the birthday gift last year. All 3 for $3!

Essence eye palettes in Party Animal and Sixies Reloaded. Both for $3.

Review: Tokidoki by Sephora

2010-04-10T20:35:00.000-07:00

Since I'm all about everything Tokidoki, you can only imagine my utter surprise when I saw Sephora was coming out with a tokidoki line of makeup. So it took it about 3 weeks to get to my local sephora and when it did I jumped all over it. I'll be honest, most of the line is a disappointment for me, but I'm assuming they were just banking on people buying it for the packaging and not the product. I picked up 2 of the 3 eye quads, Adios and Diamante.

L to R: Diamante, Rubino, Romeo, and Nancy Rocks

So the Diamante quad was a bit of a disappointment for me. Diamante is a chalky glittery mess and I don't ever see myself using this. Rubino is pretty, it is a mauve lavender color and very smooth. Romeo is gorgeous, it is a very deep cranberry shade. Easy to blend and smooth. Nancy Rocks is a unique color shade. It is a mix between Stars N Rockets and Satellite Dreams to me.

L to R: Candy Cane, Carina, Adios and Malandrino

I loved this quad here, I am a complete sucker for a smokey quad since I wear that type of look often. Candy Cane is a bit chalky but really pigmented, you don't have to use alot to get the color to show. It is very glittery though. Carina is very similar to Diamante for me, except Carina is white in color. Adios has to be one of the darkest matte blacks I've come across. I always complain that Carbon from MAC is to light...well Adios is much darker. It is really pigmented and I love it. Now my favorite color of all 8 shades is Malandrino. As you see in the photo it is a smooth looking grey color, very pigmented and is very flattering on darker skin tones. I wore this shade to work and it can be very appropriate for daytime wear.

Each of the quads comes with a little tokidoki key charm, I got a diamond and Adios (the little devil dude). The line is super fun and pulls at the kid in you but I advise you to try the product out first. I wanted some of the lip inks but only one actually showed up on my darker lips, and it was Peperincino. The pencil liners and liquid eye pens are hit and miss, as well. But I say for sure check out the single eyeshadows, they have some fun great colors, I have my eye on Skeletrina and Ciao Ciao. I apologize the review is a bit longer than normal but I didn't want to miss any details for you guys!

Sugarpill: Addicted to Pretty

2010-04-10T20:04:00.000-07:00

Yes I know i'm SUPER late but life has been hectic. I said i'd order more then review but money is short so here ya go. Anyways I'm here to share some information and swatches on the new Sugarpill quad called Burning Heart.

From left to right: Flamepoint, Buttercupcake, Love+, and Poison Plum.

Each of these colors is extremely pigmented and I would expect no less from Amy (Shrinkle), I've purchased Kryolan from her in the past on ebay and my experience was great. This is the first time that I've had a yellow which appears on my skin without any white base or constant layering. The purple, is good but I honestly think that MUFE No 92 is better. Flamepoint, the orange, is a great flattering orange for women of color. And finally, my favorite color and the one I think all girls should have is, Love+. This red shade was just one swipe! It's a very dense and intense color. If you're looking for a great red shade, this is the one. The packaging is a hard cardboard and the cover design is actually not a sticker, and the writing is in silver glitter. She even signed and thanks all of her customers on their order sheet! Overall, I give this palette 4 ninja stars out of 5.

Vogue Goes Black

2010-03-09T00:31:00.000-08:00

Yea you read it right! After the enormous success of the all black Vogue Italia magazine (which I have tucked away in plastic lol) Vogue has created a website specifically geared towards beauty, fashion, and cultural issues that black women all over the world face! It has got a wealth of content, but it is fairly new so I'm assuming more is to come and please be sure to bookmark this in your internet browser ;) Let's help make this a success ladies!

Vogue Black

2010 Oscar Makeup: Zoe Saldana

2010-03-08T23:39:00.000-08:00

I won't speak on the dress but Zoe looked great from the neck up! NARS Artist, Vera Steimberg, went for a "sexy and sophisticated look" for the Oscars.

Orgasm Illuminator
Enchanted Cream Blush
Lamu Multiple (new for Summer 2010; try South Beach Multiple for a similar effect)
Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base (new for Summer 2010)
Brousse Duo Eyeshadow
Nuits Blanches Eyeliner Stylo
Larger Than Life Volumizing Mascara
Love Devotion Lipstick (new for Summer 2010; try Casablanca Lipstick for a similar effect)
Ophelia Lip Gloss

2010 Oscar Makeup: Jennifer Lopez

2010-03-08T23:33:00.000-08:00

One Word: Flawless. She took a dress right off the runway (which is hard for people to do) and looked better than the model! NARS makeup artist, Matthew Vanleeuween, was awesome enough to give us a breakdown of her "ethereal movie star" look.

Orgasm illuminator
Enchanted Cream Blush
Desire Blush
Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base (new for 2010, available May 1)
D. Gorgeous Single Eyeshadow
Brousse Duo Eyeshadow
Larger Than Life Volumizing Mascara
Cruising Lipstick
Sweet Dreams Lip Gloss

2010 Oscar Makeup: Queen Latifah

2010-03-08T23:20:00.000-08:00

"OMG!" That was my reaction when I saw Queen Latifah walk onstage during the Oscars last night. She looked stunning, from the dress to the hair and the makeup. Fortunately, her makeup artist, D'Andre Michael, provided us with the steps necessary to recreate her look using CoverGirl cosmetics :)

For Queen Latifah’s Oscar’s look I decided to go with a plum smoky eye, soft mauve lip and bronzed skin. Queen Latifah’s wardrobe was a beautiful, custom-designed lavender gown.

I used a foundation brush to apply COVERGIRL Queen Collection Natural Hue Liquid Makeup in Warm Caramel and set it with COVERGIRL Queen Collection Natural Hue Minerals Pressed Powder in Brown Bronze.

For Queen Latifah’s eyes, I started by applying COVERGIRL Queen Collection Natural Hue Minerals Pressed Powder in Brown Bronze 1 to the brow bone. I do this to achieve a more natural look to the brow bone. Secondly, I used COVERGIRL Smoky ShadowBlast in Purple Plume on the entire lid from the lash line to the inner crease. I then used COVERGIRL Smoky ShadowBlast in Onyx Smoke in the inner crease to blend up on the brow bone. For depth and intensity, I used COVERGIRL Outlast Smoothwear All Day Eyeliner in Onyx on the inner bottom eyelid. To give lashes the oomph that most women crave, I applied COVERGIRL LashBlast Length Waterproof Mascara in Very Black.

For Queen Latifah’s lips, I wanted to compliment the plum eye by doing a beautiful mauve lip to balance out the various purple hues of the entire look. To start I used a base coat of MAC Lipstick in Midimauve and then lined her lips with Kevyn Aucoin Flesh Tone Lip Pencil in Deep. I recommend rubbing your lips together after lining lips to blend the line. I added luster and shine to Queen’s lips by applying a dab of COVERGIRL ShineBlast Lip Gloss in Aglow.

To complete Queen’s look I used CARGO Blush in Siena on the apples of her cheekbones for a hint of color and glow. To complete the overall look I used COVERGIRL Queen Collection Natural Hue Minerals Bronzer in Brown Bronze for a soft and subtle glow on her upper cheekbones, forehead, nose, neck and collar bone.

Depot Your Lipsticks!

2010-03-08T23:02:00.000-08:00

I needed a project while I was sitting at home sick so....I depoted my lipsticks! Here is a step by step tutorial on how to depot your MAC lipsticks and place them into containers.

What you will need:
Lipsticks
A Blow Dryer
Exacto Knife (or just a knife)
Empty containers

Step 1: Hold the lipstick against the blow dryer to loosen the lipstick. Matte lipsticks are so dense they simply "pop" out. Just wiggle the lipstick slightly and it should come out.

2. Screw the lipstick as far up as it will go. Place the exacto knife at the base and cut into the lipstick. Slightly wiggle it, it should all come out. If not, just scoop the rest out of the tube.

3. Dump the lipstick in the empty container. I got these from a craft store. You can either leave them be or I melted them slightly with the blow dryer.

4. You can take the bottom tag of the lipstick and place it on the bottom of the container.

5. Repeat the steps for as many lipsticks as you have. Screw on the tops and put it away. Oh don't forget to take the empties for a B2M @ MAC.

While bored at work, I review on Amazon.com

2010-02-16T14:57:00.000-08:00

When i'm at work honestly I can get really bored so I spend just a tiny bit of my day on Amazon.com. I love that site, you can find almost anything and everything you would need INCLUDING reviews. When I'm shopping for something, especially electronics I go to amazon to read what other's have to say. That being said, I also love to write reviews (mostly because I love to write and I like telling it how it is) so I've provided you guys with a link to my personal page on amazon so maybe you'll find some review i've done beneficial.

The Mariner's Fan Amazon Page

When I can't do reviews on youtube, I take my opinions to amazon. I've got everything from movies, music, electronics, books, makeup, clothing, pretty much everything I use throughout the day. I've also got a listmania list of great beauty products for women of color. There isn't much quite yet but I typically write a couple reviews a week. Of course if you have questions ask away!

Homemade Facial and Body Scrubs

2010-02-15T23:35:00.000-08:00

This winter has been havoc on my skin and i'm sure some of you have been trying to deal with parched dry skin as well. While perusing on ivillage one day I found 6 homemade facial scrubs you can make and try at home for cheap! Even if you don't have most of these products in your home, they're readily available at your local grocery store and are better for your skin that prepackaged facial items at the drugstore imo. My personal favorite; the honey, sugar and olive oil facial/body scrub. My dry skin loves it.

IVillage's DIY Exfoliating Scrubs enjoi!

For the Curling Iron Challenged

2010-01-30T00:10:00.000-08:00

I can't use a curling iron, i just never learned how and its just an extra step I don't want to do. But I do want curls every once in a while. Lucky me, I found a product that is a flat iron/curling iron in one. It's called the Conair You Style. It has a flat iron, and on one side, the edges are curved. Half way down your hair you flip it and slowly rotate the iron, and instant curls. For hair styling challenged black chick like myself, it makes it easy to flat iron and curl my hair.

Urban Decay's Alice in Wonderland Book of Shadows Swatches

2010-01-20T19:57:00.000-08:00

Finally, the day has come, I've received my Alice in Wonderland Book of Shadows. I have no clue why i'm excited to get colors I already have but I am. For those of you who don't have any Urban Decay goods or are simply just interested in the book, I've provided some swatches right after the jump.

The book also comes with a mini primer potion, zero eyeliner (black) and flipside eyeliner (teal). So if you haven't heard already, the colors are renamed existing shades that Urban Decay currently has, some are in other BOS and others aren't. Here is the list of the new names which correspond with the old names.

Underland = Flash

Alice = Painkiller (from the Show Pony Palette)

Oraculum = Baked

Queen = Last Call

Chessur = Chopper

White Rabbit = Polyester Bride

Wonderland = Maui Wowie

Curiouser = Grifter

Muchness = X

Mushroom = Mushroom

Midnight Tea Party = Midnight Cowboy Rides Again

Vorpal = S&M

Absolem = Homegrown

Drink Me, Eat Me = Sin

Mad Hatter = Twice Baked

Jabberwocky = Oil Slick

There you have it guys! Hope this was informative and peaks your interest in UD products, they're really fun.

Buy it here from Urban Decay

Or directly from Amazon!

Urban Decay Disney Alice In Wonderland Palette

Narciso Rodriguez for Her: Eau de Toilette

2010-01-15T00:47:00.000-08:00

After months of searching I've finally found my new favorite fragrance. For the longest time I was a huge BCBGirls fan of the Metro, Nature, Sexy and Star fragrances, but they're extremely hard to find and ridiculously overpriced. Fortunately for me, i've found Narciso Rodriguez's for Her and it's musky yet soft scent reminds me so much of Metro.

For Her is a woodsy scent with notes of honey flower, solar musk, orange blossom, osmanthus, amberlyn, vanilla, tactile musk, tactile woods and vetiver. I'm not a girly floral, fresh scent person so I prefer to a woodsy or spicy scent. At first it is a bit strong, but very quickly it settles with my body chemistry and lets off soft subtle scents throughout the day. Initially, it is a stronger musk smell but not overpowering and as the day goes on it turns into a subtle sweet scent. 10 hours later i've got just a hint left on my wrists and it smells so wonderful. I'm in love!

Sephora: Narciso Rogriguez for Her Eau de Toilette

Makeup Book Review: Scott Barnes About Face

2010-01-06T22:03:00.000-08:00

I've been browsing around Amazon.com for a couple of months looking at this new makeup book called About Face: Amazing Transformations Using the Secrets of the Top Celebrity Makeup Artist. I was excited, I enjoy collection makeup books and I do learn a lot of tips from them. I walked by the bookstore to check this out and it was heavy and thick, I thought great. I sat down to browse through and well, it sorta sucked. But before I get to why it sucked, I'll go over the things I did like.

I learned some great tips in the book. Applying foundation, blush, and contouring are things I always try to learn about. There wasn't too much emphasis on eye makeup, just the overall transformations of the models. The skincare portion of the book was done well, repetitive to some other existing books, but good. I like Mariska Margitay and Judith Light.

Now to why it sucked...there was so much fucking filler. Too many words. I know I have to read to understand sometimes and I get that, but why do I need to read about some model's ambition in life? If you don't know, now you know, but most of the "real" people who are made over in makeup books are pro models or actresses. Not like everyday 9 to 5 (or even retail hour) people like most of us who buy these books. There were these recorded and written conversations between Scott and the model on the sidebar of the page , and the entire time I'm just thinking "I don't give a fuck, just shut up" Then there are interviews with 4 celebrities, 2 of whom are just bogus and the other two just amazing imho, about beauty and how they view it. No one has heard from Kat Deluna in forever and ...rant coming....why the hell is Kim K still relevant? When will she disappear, and when will she take her money hungry family with her? She is popular because she ended up as a cum dumpster for Ray J on video...that's harsh and I know but tell me it's not the truth and I'll retract my statement. That just shows what a sad world we live in....rant over.

Now for the makeup done in the book, it was perfect and I loved it. The transformations were gorgeous, even though at times it looked like a ton of powder had been tossed on their faces. The real transformation came AFTER the photo airbrushing. Some women even looked older :( . I personally also wished that more girls with hooded eyes had been included, there was only one. Even though i'm not asian, I have a hooded lid that is quite heavy so the other girls makeup will never really look good on me. Some of the other models had slightly hooded lids but their eye makeup I noticed was minimal, simple lashes with focus on the rest of the face. So yes, it was a bit long but this was my true reaction to the book (i posted a nice but honest review on amazon). In the end, this book will go back for a variety of reasons, a large chunk due to my complete disgust with seeing Kim K in it...and the rest for simply not being worth the $25 I paid.

MAC All Ages, All Races, All Sexes Collection

2010-01-05T01:55:00.000-08:00

All Ages, All Races, All Sexes is our credo. Now M.A. C. takes the "One World" idea further than ever, with a multi-culti colour story intent on a universal focus – spectacularly shaded and shaped brows for all, because beautiful people come in colours! Miraculously matched to the individual, Impeccable Brow Pencil is the ultimate artist’s tool to fill, lengthen and shape, with a firm tip that sharpens application for high-performance precision. Penultimate Brow Marker, in one shade suits all, has a liquefied glide adept at the all-important arch. But that’s not all: Lipstick, Lipglass, Eye Shadow and Nail Lacquer shade extensions speak your language, a match for every international skin tone.

Launches January 5, 2010

Eyeshadow ($14.50 USD/$ 17.50 CDN)

All Races Cool light mauve taupe (matte) (Limited Edition)

Cross Cultural Dark yellow brown (matte) (Limited Edition)

Banshee Dirty taupe with frost and sparkle (Lustre) (Limited Edition and Repromote)

Showstopper Deep blackened brown (matte) (Limited Edition and Repromote)

Pigment ($19.50 USD/$23.00 CDN)

Universal Mix Sparkly white gold (Limited Edition)

Rich Life Dark cool brown with silver pearl (Limited Edition)

Lipstick ($14.00 U.S. / $16.50 CDN)

Myself Creamy pale yellow beige (Lustre) (Limited Edition)
Equality Light dirty mauve with traveling pearl (Lustre) (Limited Edition)
Empowered Creamy mid-tone neutral brown (Satin) (Limited Edition)
5N Plumy sheer brown (Lustre) (Limited Edition) (Repromote)

Lipglass ($14.00 U.S. / $16.50 CDN)
Glamour for All Sheer pale baby pink with pearl (Limited Edition)
Spirit & Soul Frosted dark cool brown (Limited Edition)
Liqueur Frosted mid-tone pink brown (Limited Edition) (Repromote)
Naked Frost Sheer taupe with silver pearl (Limited Edition) (Repromote)

Beauty Powder Blushes ($19.50 USD/ $24.00 CDN)

Personal Style Light mauve taupe (Limited Edition)

All’s Good Cool deep rose (Limited Edition)

Blot Powder/Pressed (Permanent)

Medium

Deep Dark

Impeccable Brow Pencil ($15.00 U.S. / $18.00 CDN) (Permanent)
Blonde Pale yellow brown

Dirty Blonde Cool light brown

Taupe Mid-tone taupe

Black Blackened dark neutral brown

Penultimate Brow Marker ($16.50 U.S. / $20.00 CDN) (Limited Edition)
Universal Sheer neutral brown

Brow Set (Permanent)
Mink

Clear

Brow Pencil (Permanent)
Lingering
Stud

Looking for a great red lip?

2010-01-04T20:45:00.000-08:00

Well the people over at Elle have compiled a list of over 20 lipsticks that they deem must haves. They range from Wet n Wild to Guerlain, so no price range is excluded. I'm lusting after that Guerlain lipstick called Geisha. Which one strikes your fancy? Check below for the list of stunning reds.

Day 1: M.A.C Ruby Woo
Ok, let me just tell you where I'm coming from: I love matte lipsticks, and I love a great blue-red. Dita Von Teese is my lipstick inspiration. But also, in terms of matte, I like the texture that was prevalent in the mid '90s (I know, I'm dating myself). I saw a Rolling Stone magazine cover of Wilson Phillips from the '90s the other day, and all three chicks were wearing the mattest of matte red lipsticks. Perfect texture! Why don't they make 'em like that anymore? Well, it turns out they do: M.A.C Ruby Woo. It’s even a fave of Dita Von Teese (per her Twitter). The color is thick and rich, blue-red, and it does not budge all day. All day. So, hey, hold on, Carnie, Wendy, and Chynna: I’ve got the perfect lipstick for you.

Day 2: Dolce & Gabbana Iconic
Would you believe I met a really cute boy because of Dolce & Gabbana’s Classic Cream Lipstick in Iconic? I wore the lipstick, a satisfyingly bright orange red opaque formula with a glossy finish, to a friend’s house to watch Twilight. I was sitting on her sofa, waiting for the video to start (and, okay, thinking of Edward Cullen), when her four-year-old son walked up to me thisclose and said: “Why are you wearing lipstick?!” Stumped, I replied, “Because I like to look pretty?” He threw up his hands, ran around the room, and yelled, “OH WOW, BEAUTIFUL!” I’ll take this kid over Edward Cullen anytime.

Day 3: Revlon Fire and Ice
Today, I feel very nostalgic; I’m wearing Revlon Super Lustrous lipstick Fire and Ice. This lipstick has been around since at least the 1950s, when Revlon threw a huge advertising campaign for it with such lines as “Would you streak your hair with platinum without consulting your husband?” The lipstick feels wonderful on—not too greasy or dry, just perfect. And the color? Elle associate beauty editor Maura Lynch took one look and said, “Now that’s a perfect coral red!” I was thrilled, then realized I was struck by the urge to put streaks in my hair.

Day 4: Estée Lauder Rich Red
Busy day at work—and everything needs to be done YESTERDAY. I need a boost. My boss says, “I’m not used to not seeing you in red lipstick.” Bingo! I decide to put on Estée Lauder Signature Hydra Lustre Lipstick in Rich Red in honor of the original beauty biz workaholic, Estée Lauder (who showed up at the office until well into her eighties). I swipe on the lustrous, creamy blue red color, inhale its feminine floral scent, and take in my reflection. My boss says it perfectly, “Ah, much more you.” Thanks, Estée!

Day 5: Nars Jungle Red
Normally, I tiptoe around the orange-y shades, but I shocked myself by loving the bright red tone of Jungle Red by Nars, as well as its amazing long-lasting texture, which is a just-right combo of matte and slick. When I asked burlesque star World Famous *BOB* what her favorite red lipstick is (burlesque stars know a thing or two about makeup), she said she also loved Jungle Red, because “it’s bright and has staying power—two things I strive for myself.” Amen! That deserves a shimmy or two.

Day 6 and Day 7: Shiseido 415 and Chanel Lover
I’ve been rocking two amazing lipsticks the past couple of days, courtesy of the recommendations of two awesome Elle beauty staffers: Assistant Janna Johnson’s fave red lipstick is Shiseido 415, while senior editor April Long says je t’adore to Chanel Lover. I wear Lover when I’m in a more sedate mood and crave something rose red, silky, and a little sheer, with a lovely, delicate powdery scent. And when I’m up for standing out in the crowd, the Shiseido is a great bet; it’s a bolder, more opaque formula, a true red. Two different lipsticks courtesy of two different ladies. Merci!

Day 8: M.A.C Russian Red
I had a job interview the other day, and I couldn’t help but to think WWMD? What Would Madonna Do? Put on a cone bra, bulldoze into the head honcho’s office, and start vogue-ing? Well, I couldn’t do that, but I could shore up my confidence by wearing Russian Red by M.A.C, a phenomenal dark red matte shade that Madonna wore during her Blonde Ambition tour in the 90s. It’s truly one of my favorite lipstick shades ever, long-lasting and rich as all get out. And something must have worked, because I did put on the Russian Red that day and P.S.: I got the job.

Day 9: Armani Hollywood Red
Crystals, black velvet, Armani label? Sounds like something Beyoncé would wear to a red carpet event; in fact, it’s the luxe packaging for ArmaniSilk, the brand’s latest lipstick. I tried on the Hollywood Red shade during an annoying morning commute (my train’s engine broke down, then I was stranded on a cold platform for 20 minutes), and I have to tell you, the vivid red color really did give my crabby self a lift. The formula feels amazingly light and sheer on the lips, aided by “an exceptional blend of Micro silk powders,” the company’s site says. I just know I’ll keep this lipstick around for my next bungled commute.

Day 10: Lipstick Queen Rouge Sinner
Poppy King is one of my personal heroes: She started her own lipstick line at 18 by looking up a cosmetic manufacturer in the phone book. When I was 18, I was cutting classes to go to the movies (but that’s a whole other story). Today, hoping for a piece of her energy and gumption, I’m wearing her Lipstick Queen Rouge Sinner. For aficionados, the thicker texture (shea butter and 90 percent pigment) and dark shade is similar to M.A.C Russian Red, if a little more on the rose side. Poppy says it “looks good on everyone night or day.” Ah, I can feel the entrepreneurial urge kicking in right now…

Day 11: E.l.f Royal Red
Want a bold color but not quite ready for stoplight red? I would try E.l.f. Royal Red. It’s surprising when you first open the cap—the lipstick is a gold color with just a little bit of burgundy. But once on, it’s a wine red with a gold sheen. And it’s pretty long-lasting; it hung in there through my lunch with co-workers. I had a margarita and cheese enchilada with mole sauce, and the shade stayed prettily without leaving that annoying ring around your mouth, which often happens when your lip color is wearing off.
Day 13: Lipstick Queen Medieval
Ultimate test of a lip stain? See if you can apply it on a jerking train without looking, and then have it look right when you check in a mirror. Lipstick Queen Medieval successfully passed this test—and New Jersey Transit trains are probably the jerkiest of the jerky. Medieval is the loveliest, lightest, most natural red stain; the color is as if you’ve been chewing on your lip—or sucking on a popsicle. And it feels moisturizing (courtesy of vitamin E), not sticky. Also, I put the stain on with just concealer and mascara and boom—instantly looked awake and ready for work. (FYI: I do recommend looking when putting on concealer and mascara.)
Day 13: Revlon ColorStay in Top Tomato
Revlon ColorStay Ultimate Liquid Lipstick says in its ads that it is “food-proof.” Today, I put that to the test, wearing Top Tomato, a nice brick red. It was a tough challenge, to say the least, right up there with a bowl of soup, and, say, kissing. It was my lunch: a bag of Cheetos. (That noise you hear? It’s the collective shudder of nutritionists around the world.) Yes, that powdery, nuclear orange snack has ruined many a made-up mouth, and ColorStay passed with flying, ahem, colors. The Cheetos simply flaked off, and my beautiful red shade stayed intact. Perhaps one day I’ll venture forth and test it on a better lunch: a salad?

Day 14: Kat Von D Hellbent
I admit it: I wore Kat Von D Hellbent Lipstick for the attention…while I was walking my dogs. The color is a more soft pink red than I expected from this edgy, rock ‘n’ roll tattooer. (It has a soft sheen, and fades to a nice fuchsia throughout the day.) But I still figured, it’s red enough for someone to notice it while I did this most mundane of chores. The lawn maintenance guys next door didn’t notice me while I strolled by with my pooches. People walking next to us? Nary a glance from them. My dogs? Nah, they were just doing their business. Dejected, I returned home, and stepped inside. Right away, my roommate looks at me coming in and says, “Ooooo, you look so pretty in that red!” Score! Mission accomplished!

Day 15: Guerlain Rouge G Geisha
When I ordered Rouge G de Guerlain Jewel Lipstick Compact in Geisha, I thought of subtle images: graceful creatures with elegant kimonos, porcelain skin, and perfect little bow mouths. Little did I know what I was in for when I opened the package: the Cadillac Escalade of lipstick cases! In other words, big, flashy, over-the-top…and fun! The large, hinged silver lid opens up to reveal the lipstick itself and not just one mirror, but two—the more to peer at your pucker with. And the shade? It delivers. The beautiful cherry red would fit in just fine in the geisha houses in Kyoto.

Day 16: Guerlain KissKiss Exces de Rouge
With its vintage-inspired packaging, Guerlain KissKiss Lipstick in Exces de Rouge (a berry red shade) wouldn’t look out of place on an antique dressing table with a gold-trimmed hand mirror and hairbrush set. And so, when I put the lipstick on, I wouldn’t have been surprised to look down and see I was wearing a negligee and marabou-trimmed high-heel slippers, rather than my T-shirt, jeans, and Converse. I wore the shade to Whole Foods, where I pulled aside an employee to ask where the spelt bread was. As she answered, she looked from my eyes to my mouth, and back again. Was she dazzled by the red color? Who knows? I just know I how I felt—like I was swanning down the aisles like Rita Hayworth.

Day 18: Chanel Passion
While testing these lipsticks, I’ve been putting test swatches on my hand for the past couple of weeks. On my commute home from Midtown Manhattan to New Jersey, I went into a bakery at Penn Station. I heard a voice say, "That one is definitely the best." Confused, I looked up, and the bakery counter girl was pointing at my mouth! She said she noticed the swatches and wanted to tell me the color I was wearing was the best one. Cool! (I was wearing Chanel Rouge Allure Lipstick 14 Passion, a bright red with a touch of blue.)

Day 19: YSL Red Muse
On my way home from work, I was walking down Seventh Ave. toward Penn Station. A bicycle messenger suddenly skidded to a stop next to me and said, "Don't be scared, baby, but I just wanted to tell you you look fine in that red lipstick." Aaagh! Creepy…but I admit, I felt a small thrill about the lipstick compliment. What was I wearing? YSL Rouge Volupté Silky Sensual Radiant Lipstick SPF 15, in shade 17 Red Muse. A wonderful deep fuchsia red with an extremely satiny and creamy texture. That messenger has taste!

Day 20: Clinique Ambrosia
Don’t be scared of Clinique Colour Surge Butter Shine Lipstick in Ambrosia when you first open the cap. You’ll see a sparkly orange that’s fit to wear to an ‘80s karaoke night and not much else. But I wanted to challenge myself with this color; I usually shy away from orange reds, and when an online description called this an orange with a touch of red, I jumped. I’m glad I did. Like the name, it does go on deliciously smooth. And the color? I picture a warm peachy sunset. Like buttah!

Day 21: Wet n Wild Red Hot
Wet n Wild Silk Finish Lipstick Red Hot 519 A is the first red lipstick that made me feel like a ’50s sweater calendar girl. The color—a combo of a candy apple red and pink bubblegum—the girly fruity-licious smell, and the slick texture (it’s loaded with aloe) made me want to throw on a leopard-themed outfit, curl up on some pillows and pose—in a most ladylike way, of course. And at an amazing $1.29, you really can’t pass this up this opportunity to be a pinup.

BONUS! Day 22: CoverGirl in Really Red
CoverGirl Continuous Color Lipstick in Really Red 575 has been described on blogs as a “bright and hot” red. It is indeed really red—if you layer it up. It starts out as a more prim, sheer shade, with my lips showing through. The other day, wearing this color, I went out to dinner and drinks with friends. I was tempted to take a cue from my demure lipstick, and just order the lightest of white wines, or even a seltzer, and a salad. (I ended up with a beer and a cheeseburger. Oh well.) My friends said the shade lasted throughout the whole meal, but I didn’t believe them. I looked in the mirror, and there it was: It had faded, just a little, into a lovely—and prim—red pink.

Red Alert: 21 days of must have rogue lipsticks

Alice in Wonderland and makeup?!

2010-01-02T20:41:00.000-08:00

If you are a massive Disney fan, AND a massive makeup fan then you already know. OPI and Urban Decay, have teamed up with the new Alice in Wonderland movie, directed by the ever so talented Tim Burton. The new Urban Decay shadow box has 16 best selling shades with names such as White Rabbit, Jabberwocky, and Oraculum. Basically they've renamed some of their existing shadows, I believe that White Rabbit is Uzi maybe? It also comes with two eye pencils and a mini primer potion. The inside of that palette is to awesome! I will let you know more info on its availability when it comes, more than likely it will be available on urban decay's website around Feb or March.

Now OPI has four new shades coming out in collaboration with Alice in Wonderland as well too.

Off With Her Head: A glowing empowering hot red
Absolutely Alice: An absolutely amazing glitter blue
Mad As A Hatter: A madly marvelous black-multi glitter
Thanks so Muchness: For this ”much-have” red shimmer.

The movie comes out on March 5, 2010.
The Official Movie Trailer

my MAC love lace fotd

2010-01-02T20:33:00.000-08:00

I had the worst case of "makeup block" with these shadows, i could not think of a combo to try, so I winged it :)

the how to for the look:
blackground pp as a base
place love lace e/s on the lid
blend hypnotizing e/s into the crease and up towards brow bone
line fascinating eye kohl under the eye
place suave intentions e/s on top of the fascinating
line eyes with feline eye kohl
2n lipglass on the lips :)
on the mission blush

A link to the youtube tutorial

MAC Love Lace

2009-12-29T20:43:00.000-08:00

Did anyone get their hands on the new MAC Love Lace Collection? (and yes i know that i'm late). I was a bit intrigued by the collection, it seemed to be a much softer side of winter. I really wasn't all that interested in anything until I swatched some of these eyeshadows. Love Lace and Suave Intentions are Veluxe Pearls and go on butter smooth. Very pigmented and gorgeous shadow colors. Hypnotizing, while I don't love the frost finish, is a pretty deep lavender color and you all know how i love my purples. Of course there are the eye kohls, stock up :) and well the lippies, you could easily pass these up. I'll have a tut look up soon.

Lipstick

Pretty Please Pale Pink Pearl (lustre)
Intricate Frosted Cool Icy Taupe (Frost)

Suggested Retail Price $14.00 U.S./$16.50 CDN
Lipglass

Icescape Sheer Pale Pink with Pink Pearl (Frost)
Utterly Discrete Sheer Frosted Cool Icy Mauve (Frost)

Suggested Retail Price $14.00 U.S./$16.50 CDN
Eye Shadow

Pincurl Dusty White (Frost)
Hypnotizing Frosted Greyed Mauve (Frost)
Love Lace Frosted Mid-tone Grey-ish Blue (Veluxe Pearl)
Suave Intentions Light Frosted Silver Blue (Veluxe Pearl)

Suggested Retail Price $14.50 U.S./$17.50 CDN
Kohl Power

Sense of Style Blackened deep marine blue
Raven Intense red with black pearl
Feline rich black

Suggested Retail Price $14.50 U.S./$17.50 CDN
Eye Kohl

Fascinating Intense matte white

Suggested Retail Price $14.50 U.S./$17.50 CDN
Zoom Lash

Zoom Black Rich black

Suggested Retail Price $13.00 U.S./$15.50 CDN
Eye Brows

Stud Deep rich blackened brown

Suggested Retail Price $15.00 U.S./$18.00 CDN
Lash

44 Lash Unique combination of separate bundles at inner corner and dramatic winged outer corner

Suggested Retail Price $13.00 U.S./$15.50 CDN
NaiL Lacquer

Light Affair Creamy pale grey taupe

Suggested Retail Price $12.00 u.s./$14.50 CDN

Red Lips

2009-12-28T22:02:00.000-08:00

Finally, I'm able to post the red lips tutorial. If you've been on my youtube then you will have already seen it but i'm just doing a double post on the blog, plus some extra honorable mentions I didn't have time for in the video.

The Matte Red Lip (classic)

MAC Ruby Woo

The Party Red Lip

Make Up For Ever No 205, MAC Brick lipliner, Make Up For Ever clear lipgloss

The Daytime Lip

MAC Spice It Up lipstick, MAC Mahogany lipliner

Honorable Mentions:
MAC
MAC Red
Russian Red (lipstick and lipgloss)
Dubonnet
Fresh Moroccan

NARS (so many amazing reds)
Fire Down Below
Shanghai Express
Cruella velvet matte lip pencil
Bloodwork lipgloss
Bad Education lipgloss

Make Up For Ever (or MUFE)
No 506
No 204
No 206

Urban Decay
Revolution
Gravity
Gash

Kat Von D
Hellbent
Underage Red

Revlon
Cherries in the Snow
Fire and Ice

Good Hair: the movie

2009-10-29T22:55:00.000-07:00

" If your hair is relaxed then white people are relaxed, if your hair is nappy then their not happy"

Paul Mooney

I just saw "Good Hair" today, and I honestly thought it was beating a dead horse. It was funny and my boyfriend, who isn't black, said that it was informative and that he "felt privileged I allowed him to touch my hair. " But for those of us who are black, how informative or even insightful was this movie? Yes it was funny, I found myself just giggling at most of it. But it really broke my heart when I was looking at little girls getting relaxers in their hair...wtf? I don't remember any girls in my class getting their hair relaxed till at least 6th grade, I was able to hold out till 8th grade but promptly went back to my natural state.

And another thing, those silly high school girls who basically blasted the natural girl by saying her hair made her looked "unkempt" if she went in for a job interview. This is what our young girls think of themselves, that whats in their brains isn't as important as whats on their head. I've seen so many women with bad hair thats relaxed its not funny. Hanging onto shoulder length by three straggly, fried, discolored ends...but they look "professional". Sigh. I dunno you guys, I knew watching that movie would aggravate me but damn. I wanna hear what you all have to say on the movie if you've seen it.

Oh and about the business dealing with OUR hair being taken over by whites and asians....that needs to end NOW!

Nail Color of the Month: Fortune Teller from China Glaze

2009-10-27T23:55:00.000-07:00

This shade is so gorgeous, just in time for Halloween. It's called Fortune Teller and its exclusively available at Sally's Beauty Supply. On my pinky nail there is the matte finisher from China Glaze as well, you can see the difference. The matte makes it just that more creepy for Halloween!

NARS Holiday Collection 2009

2009-10-11T14:40:00.000-07:00

"For the holidays, I think its a great time to feel beautiful...with a little bit of movie star attitude"
Francois Nars

Eurydice: Bordeaux with hints of iridescent blues and coal rich with metallic greens make for a modern holiday pairing. US $32

Taiga: A surprising contrast of bright, yet intense hues in the sheerest of textures. US $32
Brousse: Deep, subtly shimmering hues of eggplant and the darkest wood create an earthy, yet sophisticated palette. US $32

Mousson: A shimmering, spicy pine named for the monsoon – natural and unpredictable. It has richness and depth, yet allows for a surprising range of intensity. US $21

Skorpios: An irresistibly iridescent copper named for the alluring Greek isle of the famous and flamboyant. US $24
Aigle Noir: A smoky black infused with gold shimmer named for the rare, dark raptor that soars the Himalayas. US $24
Goddess: A cool, divinely ethereal, glistening pink champagne that’s worthy of worship. US$24

Rogue Andalou: Lasting and lustrous, like its namesake region – this classic, incandescent candy apple red nail hue is sultry, sexy and steeped in tradition. US $16

Toundra: This richly pigmented Barolo wine shade is creamy, long-lasting and matte for strong, seamless color and a perfectly defined pout. US $24
Pop Life: Coat lips with this bold, bright and modernly matte holly–red hue that slips on with a velvety texture – a new holiday staple. US $24

Luxor the Multiple: An iridescent pink to be used on eyes, cheeks, lips and body. Use to create shimmering accents, contours and a perfect, glowing complexion. US $37

MAC Lipsticks for Women of Color

2009-10-10T15:08:00.000-07:00

Finally I got around to doing the MAC Lipsticks for Women of Color. Like I said in the video, these are not the only colors you can wear. These are simply ones I find to be the most flaterring for me and also ones I've read or gotten the best feed back from other WOC.

Neutrals: Siss, Touch, Honeyflower, Shag, O

Pinks: Hot Gossip, Craving, Up the Amp, Impassioned, Snow Orchid, Girl About Town

Purples: Violetta, Rebel, Faultlessly, Cyber

Reds: Spice It Up, Ruby Woo, MAC Red, Kanga Rougue

Sephora F&F Sale!

2009-10-05T21:25:00.000-07:00

Its that time of year again, the friends and family sale from Sephora is on starting October 19th (Happy BDay to me!) to November 2nd. It gives you 20% off your entire purchase off anything in the store or online. The code is FF2009. I can't wait to get my hands on some more NARS blushes and some MUFE gear. Enjoi your shopping spree, I will!

What i'm Loving in October: Urban Decay Box of Shadows Vol. 2

2009-10-05T20:46:00.000-07:00

If you missed this box the first time, please don't make the same mistake twice!!! Since i'm a huge Urban Decay fan i'm a little biased but when I say this box is amazing I mean it. It has 16 wonderfully pigmented shades which are all too gorgeous on any skin tone, as a bonus you get two UD 24,7 liners in bourbon and zero (brown and black) as well as a mini primer potion. You also get 6 brand new shades exclusive to the palette. Swatches below and I wish they were more true to color :) * indicates new shade

Perversion, Gunmetal, Ectasy, AC/DC*

Nylon*, Sellout, Mushroom, Sphynx*

Half Baked, Twice Baked, Midnight Cowboy Rides Again, YDK
Jinx*, Flipside, Homegrown*, Misdemeanor*

Style Black Swatches

2009-09-25T23:53:00.001-07:00

So finally I got my hands on the Style Black Collection, and i'm quite happy with my latest haulage. Enjoi

left photo no flash: Night Violet with Blackfire Glimmergloss on top (top), Night Violet (bottom), Midnight Media (right)

right photo w/flash: Night Violet (left), Midnight Media (right)

The Night Violet is beautiful and goes on the lips like a dream, with Blackfire glimmerglass on top it looks drop dead gorgeous. Blackfire by itself is like a deep plum color and its wearable for the day, not too much glitter to worry about. Now Bling Black glimmerglass is very glittery and on those who have brown lips it can turn them green if nothing is on underneath. Midnight Media is another really pretty color, its supposed to be black but it looks like a very deep eggplant. Darker than Cyber lipstick but lighter than black. Of course a lipliner can change that. I skipped Black Knight lipstick, it went on the lips streaky...not good.

left photo no flash: Guilt by Association (top), Cinderfella (bottom) both with no base
middle photo no flash: Black greasestick (top), Guilt by Association (middle), Cinderfella (bottom) both with black greasestick underneath
right photo w/flash: Black greasestick (top), Guilt by Association (middle), Cinderfella (bottom) both with black greasestick underneath

These are so amazingly glittery! Without a base they're fairly sheer but pretty nonetheless. Once you put a base underneath, they pop and are hawt! The greasepaint stick isn't straight black, it has a purple tint to it and it works! Gorgeous. Young Punk (purple) and Blue Flame are pretty colors but for me they just didn't jump out like "Buy me!"

MAC nailpolish in Seriously HIP. I wanted this color because its the most unique out of the three. Black nailpolish is a dime a dozen and I see a few different colors like Baby Goth Girl (basically Beauty Marked in nail polish form). But this one is dark olive green with hints of gold and its going to be gorgeous for the fall.

Now the volcanic ash exfoliator and mask. Love em both. The exfoliator left my skin feeling really soft and somewhat bright. All the dull dead skin was gone, my skin afterwards wasn't irritated or overly dry. The mask is fun, it comes out looking dark gray and kinda freaking looking. I left it on for about 5 minutes then washed it off. Word of warning, when the water hits your face the mask heats up. Yes, like you got a burst of hot air on your face! It felt good but what that does is heats up the oils and lubricates the skin. I washed it off and my skin looked great.

Must Haves: Both the volcanic Ash Mask and Exfoliator, Night Violet Mattene lipstick, Baby Goth Girl and Seriously HIP nail polishes, All four of the MES, Blackfire glimmerglass, penultimate pen liner (perm), and Black greasepaint stick

Good to Have: Bling Black glimmerglass, Smoulder eyeliner (perm but i'm waiting for Feline to come back), Cream color bases in Bat Black and Black

Pass: Black Knight lipstick, Blackware glimmerglass

Style Black Collection

2009-09-24T01:02:00.000-07:00

The day has arrived. The Style Black Collection from MAC has arrived! Of course I can't get my hands on my stuff till friday, I'm going to go check it out today. I just have to say I can't wait to get my hands on my volcanic ash exfoliator and mask. More to come!

Lipstick ($14.00 U.S. / $16.50 CDN)

Black Knight Creamy true black (Cremesheen) (Limited Edition)

Mattene ($14.50 U.S. / $17.50 CDN)

Midnight Media Dense matte black (Limited Edition)
Night Violet Deep purple grape (Repromote) (Limited Edition)

Glimmerglass ($18.00 U.S. / $21.50 CDN)

Bling Black Sheer black with gold pearl (Limited Edition)
Blackfire Sheer black with pink purple pearl (Limited Edition)
Blackware Creamy true black (Limited Edition)

Mineralize Eye Shadows ($19.00 U.S. / $23.50 CDN)

Cinderfella Black with silver pearl (Limited Edition)
Young Punk Black with pink purple pearl (Limited Edition)
Gilt by Association Black with gold bronze pearl (Limited Edition)
Blue Flame Black with blue pearl (Limited Edition)

Grease Paintstick ($17.50 U.S. / $21.00 CDN)

Black Intense black (Limited Edition)

Penultimate Liner ($16.50 U.S. / $20.00 CDN)

Rapidblack True black (Permanent)

Eye Kohl ($14.50 U.S. / $17.50 CDN)

Smolder Intense Black (Permanent)

Cream Colour Base ($16.50 U.S. / $20.00 CDN)

Black Creamy True black (Limited Edition)
Bat Black Burgundy black with pink pearl (Permanent at PRO)

Nail Lacquer ($12.00 U.S. / $14.00 CDN)

Nocturnelle True black (Cream) (Permanent)
Seriously Hip Black with gold particle pearl (Frost) (Limited Edition)
Baby Goth Girl Black with pink and purple pearl (Frost) (Limited Edition)

Brushes

#214 Short Shader Brush Short, rounded, double-chiselled brush with soft, natural bristles. Can be used with shadow to line and smudge around the lash line and very effective for densely shading lids. (Permanent) ($23.00 U.S. / $27.50 CDN)

Volcanic Ash Exfoliator ($19.50 U.S. / 23.50 CDN)

For all skin types. Volcanic ash (in the form of mineral-rich clay), sugar crystals and natural enzymes combine to exfoliate and remove excess oils from the skin. 3.4oz (Limited Edition)

Volcanic Ash Thermal Mask ($19.50 U.S> / $23.50 CDN)

VATM contains natural volcanic ash to cleanse and treat the skin. The mineral-rich ash works with oat kernel flour to help absorb excess oil from the skin’s surface. A combo of natural oils (lavendar, sunflower, safflower seed and evening primrose) help lubricate the skin, leaving it feeling soft and moisturized. It helps to even out the skin’s texture and leaves the skin feeling smooth and perfected for makeup application. The unique formula glides effortlessly onto the skin, allowing ample playtime. The mask heats up on the skin when used with water and removes impurities from the surface, leaving skin looking radiant and fresh. Use 1-3 times a week. Derm-tested, non-acnegenic and for all skins. 3.4oz (Limited Edition)

Nail Color of the Week: Spontaneous from China Glaze

2009-08-28T21:44:00.000-07:00

More nail polish!!! This here is the perfect lavender color for WOC, its lush!

Urban Decay Smog is $8 at Sephora!

2009-08-15T17:00:00.000-07:00

Right now Urban Decay liquid liner in Smog is only $8 at Sephora. Even though it wasn't on my must have list, I picked it up. Its supposed to be a very pretty olive gold green color but it looks more dark bronze with gold in it on my skin, pretty nonetheless. Buy it here

FALL MAKEUP: NARS 2009

2009-08-08T18:31:00.000-07:00

I love Fall makeup lines, besides celebrating my wonderful birth, I get to go back to rich lush colors and warm clothing. Nothing against summer but something about fall gets me excited! NARS once again delivers with a collection of rich color well suited for fall and a nail polish to die for.

NARS Fast Ride Lipstick – $24

It looks initimating but once you sweep this lovely mulberry color on your lips, its amazingly sheer with the right amount of color.

NARS Tokaido Express – $16

Just the name makes me want to grab it, fyi its named after Japan's high speed train. Its a black amethyst color with gold flecks. A wonderful alternative to black.

NARS Silk Road Duo Eyeshadow- $32

Described as an icy pink paired with rose gold, inspired from Damask fabrics. Good shade ideas, but on my skin toned they looked a bit washed out, these would be great as highlight colors or accents.

NARS Brumes Duo Eyeshadow- $32

A matte charcoal and a slate blue are amazing shades for falls smokey eyes, this one isn't a must have as it looks quite similar to NARS Underworld duo (just with matte colors).

NARS Indian Summer Duo Eyeshadow- $32

Frosted champagne and a mustard seed yellow are great combos but the duo didn't wow me at all. It reminds me of Star Sailor mixed with Sea, Sex and Sun.

NARS Mekong Single Eyeshadow- $22

This color rocks! It shares the same name of the store i get my fav vietnamese sandwiches from but of course its named after the Mekong River in southeast Asia (runs through Burma, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Yunan province in China) OK back to the shadow, its a deep rich brown with gold, sounds like Galapagos but it isn't. Its a darker brown and looks like it could fit in with the night series.

Nail Color of the Week: For Aubrey from China Glaze

2009-08-08T17:36:00.000-07:00

So for some reason i'm back into nail polish, i don't think i've painted my nails since senior prom. But i'm in love with China Glaze's colors, this week i picked up For Aubrey which is a matte robin's egg blue. Its such a gorgeous color and adds a fun punch of color.

Guru Recreation: MakeupbyTiffanyD

2009-07-12T21:52:00.001-07:00

I saw this look that Tiffany D did on youtube and i loved it so i wanted to recreate it.
Eyes: (MAC) Electric eel on outer v, delft paint pot as base, aquadisiac on inner corner. Shattered by Urban Decay all over lid. Smoulder eyeliner from MAC.

What I'm loving in July: Kat von D True Romance palette

2009-07-01T22:27:00.000-07:00

I friggin love this eyeshadow palette, so many gorgeous greens to use on women of color. I own each one of the Kat Von D palettes and each one is a absolute must have, they're extremely pigmented and rich in color. The colors in each one range from safe neutrals to extreme brightness. I do have enough matte blacks to last me a lifetime (it comes in each one). This one is only limited edition and its only available at that crappy wasteland called Sephora (sorry i absolutely HATE sephora).

MAC: Greens and Blues for Women of Color

2009-06-10T22:40:00.000-07:00

Must Haves: Contrast or Deep Truth, Humid, Club, Lime, Aqua, Atlantic Blue, Swimming, Clarity or Electric Eel

Good to Have: Sumptuous Olive, Colbalt, Sky Blue, Shimmermoss, Freshwater

Pass: Bitter, Tilt, Greensmoke, Juxt

MAC: Purples and Pinks for Women of Color

2009-06-10T22:27:00.000-07:00

Must Haves: stars n rockets, nocturnelle, satellite dreams, cranberry, sketch, post haste, trax

Nice to Have: paradisco, beauty marked, shadowy lady

Pass: Purple Haze, Passionate

MAC Naked Honey

2009-06-07T16:25:00.000-07:00

Following the example of their fabled Queen, Cleopatra, Egyptians bathed in honey and milk. Queen Anne of England used it to silken her hair; from the Ancient Greeks to the Roman Empire, honey has never lost its regal, ever-amber lustre. We love the luxury of its sensual essence…but we also know that it’s a highly efficient and wholesome humectant and healer.

So this collection launches June 11, 2009. I will posting some swatches of what i ended up with. I know for a fact that I do want that skin salve, I tried some a couple months ago and it was amazing. Plus it smelled good. Also the lipglasses look promising. The highlighters, from what i've heard, are an overspray (basically the shimmer disappears within 10 uses)

l to r: buckwheat, pollinator, creme de miel

top to bottom: Buzz, Honeybee, She's a Star

L-R: Honey Light, Golden Nectar

L-R:Body Wash, Hand and Body Cream

Skin Salve

Lipglass - (LE) $14.00USD/$16.50CDN

•She’s a Star - Light neutral gold (Repromote from Dress Camp)
•Queen Bee - Mid-tone apricot with multi-dimensional pearl
•Buzz - Dark copper brown with multi-dimensional pearl

Eyeshadow - (LE) $14.50USD/$17.00CDN

•Crème de Miel - Frosty light yellow gold
•Pollinator - Mid-tone warm reddened peach with pearl
•Buckwheat - Dark copper brown with multi-dimensional pearl

High-Light Powder - (LE) $24.50USD/$29.50CDN

A high-light powder specially created for the Naked Honey Collection. Features an embossed honeycomb pattern. Super fine, impeccably pearlized, it creates soft highlights. On cheeks, brows, shoulders–anywhere on the body.

•Honey Light - A light peachy gold with shimmer
•Golden Nectar - Muted golden tan with gold shimmer

Naked Honey Salve - (LE) $18.50USD/$22.50CDN

Formulated from honey , organic beeswax, sunflower oil and other natural ingredients, this rich honey–scented and flavoured salve instantly moisturizes and helps recondition dry skin. Multi-purpose . Use everywhere.

Naked Honey Hand and Body Cream - (LE) $22.50USD/$27.00CDN

A sensuous cream made from bio-converted honey, shea butter, and vitamins C and E derivatives. Absorbs quickly for skin-softening moisture. Conditions, nourishes, protects. Use on all areas where ultra-moisture is called for.

Naked Honey Body Wash - (LE) $19.50USD/$23.50CDN

Formulated from bio-converted honey, this body wash cleanses the skin while providing the soothing and moisturizing benefits of lavender, narcissus, jasmine flower and blue agave extracts. Provides a sensual, calming, cleansing experience.

Creations Fragrance: Naked Honey - (LE) $22.50USD/$28.5CDN

An aromatic journey that traces honey’s fragrant heart back to summer’s sweetest blooms. Energy starts to buzz, spirits soar, light floral and woodsy notes float toward an electric finale. Sweet and sexy all the way.

Creations Fragrance: Africanimal - (LE) $22.50USD/$28.50CDN

A scent that starts with a honey-ness that’s seductive and given its dash of pepper, not without spice. Add a dark kiss of bergamot and wood, and an aromatic orgy breaks out to create a scent that's all-honey, but far from sweet.

photos courtesy of specktra.net

MAC: 15 Neutral Eyeshadows for Women of Color

2009-06-05T16:11:00.000-07:00

Top row, l to r: Ricepaper, Goldmine, Rule, Soba, Mulch
Middle row, l to r: Femme Fi, Say Yeah!, Cork, Woodwinked, Down Brown
Bottom row, l to r: Arena, Amber Lights, Saddle, Satin Taupe, Handwritten

Honorable Mentions not mentioned but rock as well:
Coppering, Kid, All That Glitters, Folie, Bronze, Patina, Tempting.

Any more I missed?! Let me know!

Makeup Must have of the Month: Albatross Highlighter from NARS

2009-06-04T23:18:00.001-07:00

With summer finally here, amazing glowing skin is a necessity. Albatross is practically a cult favorite and is the best highlighter out there. I use it on the tops of your cheekbones and the bridge of my nose, either with a Fan brush or MAC's 168 brush. It looks pure white in the pan but it goes on the skin the most flattering shade of gold, even on darker skin tones.

You can also use it on top of blush, under lighter blush to make it pop, the corners of the eyes, shoulders, cleavage....basically anywhere you want a subtle candlelit glow. So get out there and go get this NOW!!!

Style Warriors Review

2009-06-04T22:44:00.000-07:00

Must Haves:
Tribalist lipstick, Bright Future e/s, Vibrant Grape e/s, Tempting e/s, Style Warriors lipgloss, Eversun blush, On A Mission blush

Maybes:
Night Manouvers e/s, Sunsational lipstick, Purple Rite lipstick, Fierce and Fabulous lipgloss, The Bronzers, Lustre Drops, Solarbits

Passes:
The Nail polishes, Brave New Bronze lipstick, Soft Force e/s, Liberated lipgloss

Some of these changed since the video because i've had some more time to swatch and try things again.

NYX 50% off til May 15

2009-05-04T19:21:00.000-07:00

Ya heard me, 50% off all NYX cosmetics products till May 15. Just because its a budget brand does not mean its budget quality. They make quality products that rarely disappoint me, i'm a fan of the eyepencils and the single eyeshadows. And if you dont' want to order them, till May 10, Ulta has NYX buy one get one free.

NARS Summer 2009 Collection

2009-04-19T23:03:00.000-07:00

NARS SUMMER 2009 COLLECTION

NARS is celebrating 15 years of beauty! Glowing sun kissed skin and rich tropical colors are the theme of this summer and NARS has delivered.

Scorching Sun eyeshadow duo (bright sunny gold/bold golden orange): $32
Tropic eyeshadow (vivid sea blue): $22
Belize lipgloss (milky pale pink) $24
Tonga lippencil (nude pink beige) $20
Outsider (rich copper bronze) $24
Fabula (muted bronze) $24
Adelita nail polish (peachy gold) $16

There is also a new bronzing powder called irresistible, it is a matte light to medium color. It is $30.