November Favorites

1. Milani Baked Blush 05 Luminoso: This has a beautiful peachy-pink color that looks like a natural flush on my cheeks.

2. Wet 'n Wild Color Icon Palette in Greed: I use this palette a lot. The left side has matte colors, and the right side has shimmers. The 1st shade is a dupe for Mac's Brule. The 2nd shade is a dupe for Mac's Paradisco. The 3rd color is a dupe for Mac's Carbon. The 5th color is a dupe for Mac's All That Glitters. The 6th shade in the palette is a dupe for Urban Decay's Creep or Mac's Black Tied.

3. Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips Custom Eye Enhancing Shadow & Liner in Brown Eye Candy: This is an eyeshadow palette for brown eyes, but I think any eye color can wear it. I have hazel eyes. This palette has a lot of beautiful fall colors.

4. Physicians Formula Powder Palette Mineral Glow Pearls in Translucent Pearl: I like to use this sometimes as a highlight on my cheekbones, brow bones, down the center of my nose, and above my cupid's bow.

5. NYC Smooth Skin Bronzing Face Powder in Sunny: I like to use this as a contour for the hollows of my cheeks, my temples, sides of the nose, under bottom lip, and under jaw. I don't always use it and I'm very light handed with it because I have fair skin.

 6.  Frizz-Ease Hair Serum Lite Formula: This is a good frizz control product for someone that has fine hair. It doesn't way my hair down at all or make it look greasy.

 

7. Milani Easy Liner Retractable Pencil in Espresso: I like to use this eyeliner instead of black. I think black looks too harsh on me.

8. Paul Mitchell Tea Tree Lemon Sage Thickening Spray: This is a nice thickening spray to spray at the roots of your hair. It smells good too.

9. Kenra Platinum Blow-Dry Spray: This is a spray I use to protect my hair from the heat of the blow dryer or straightener. It smells so good!

 10.  Urban Decay All Nighter Long-Lasting Makeup Setting Spray: I have been using this every day after I do my makeup. I noticed it has helped my makeup to stay on during the day. I have combination skin, so sometimes my skin can get oily during the day and mess my makeup.

Autumn Look Duping Avon

Today I copied a look originally done by AModelRecommends in her "Autumn Collection: Makeup Megamix 2 YouTube video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jah_U41Hn5A. She shows new products from different brands and puts looks together. I don't have any Avon products, but I found a way to copy the look she did when she was showing her Avon products. I wanted to share this with you. It turned out to look very pretty, especially with my coloring.

1. Avon Blush in Earthen Rose = I used L'Oreal True Match Super Blendable Blush in Bare Honey.

2. Avon Quad in Glitz and Glamour (She used the golden shade on her lids.) = I used Milani Baked Eyeshadow in Drenched in Gold.

3. Avon Supershock Shadow Pencil in Cream Dream/Chocolate Melt (She used the brown side to line her eyes, and the champagne side to color her inner tear ducts, under brows, and above the cupids bow.) = For the brown side I used Covergirl Liquiline Blast in Brown Blaze and Palladio Shadow & Liner Herbal Crayon in Champagne for the lighter color.

4. Avon Plump Pout Lip Gloss in Brown Sugar (She didn't list this in the below bar, so I'm not sure if this is the correct name. I tried to find this online, but couldn't so I don't think this is the correct name.) = I used Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter in Brown Sugar.

I'm sad that Autumn is almost over. I love the makeup looks that come with Autumn, they suit my coloring very well.

Birchbox November 2011

I got my Birchbox in the mail today! Again, I wasn't that impressed with it. I think what I'm waiting for is something from Laura Geller, Too Faced, or some kind of brand that I already like. I'll share what I got, and my thoughts about each.

1. Atelier Cologne Vanille Insensee Cologne Absolue: Warm notes of vanilla, oak wood, and amber anchor this autumn-ready perfume. It smells good. I'll probably wear this. I still have the other perfume I got from Birchbox, and I like it. The little samples last a long time with me.

2. Two Paper Dolls Ampersand Coasters: Our favorite letterpress studio adds a hip, playful touch to everything they do, from notecards to coasters. I think they look cute. I never use coasters though.

3. Borghese Fango Active Mud: This classic Italian treatment has mineral-rich mud from Tuscany, plus nourishing avocado and sweet almond oils, to smooth skin on face and body. This is another skin product I'm giving to my mom. I have acne problems and I'm seeing a dermatologist about it. I don't want to use anything that will irritate my skin.

4. LaRocca Skincare Campagne & Shimmer Supreme Creme: Shea butter and olive oil join forces to leave skin firm, supple, and ready to set off your favorite party dress. This is a lotion with very fine sparkles in it. I put it on my hand. It's very moisturizing and smells good.

5. Bauble Bar Bracelet: I watched a youtube video about the November Birchbox and someone said that if you purchased something or gave feedback you would get this in your box. It's a really cute bracelet.

6. Zoya Nail Polish in Izzy: The perfect party polish, this bold pink shade from Zoya's holiday 2011 collection has a touch of look-at-me sparkle. This is a magenta color that I normally wouldn't wear. I don't know if I will like it, but I will try it and see. Magenta looks better on my mom, so I might just give this to her too.

Jane Eyre

When I was 13 I first read Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. This was the best book I ever read. Ever since then whatever book I read could never be as great as this book. I'm 31 now and I decided to reread Jane Eyre. I don't know why I haven't read it since I was 13. I was curious to see if I still would love it. I guess I am still quite the same from when I was 13. I absolutely love this book. I was reading it today, and got to the point of the book where Jane realizes she's in love with Mr. Rochester. The beauty of it enraptured me. I wanted to share it with someone, so I decided to make a blog post about it. I know it has nothing to do with makeup, but this blog is about beauty right? So I can share beauty I find within a book. If you do read this post, I hope it brings you as much pleasure as it brought me.

"Most true is it that 'beauty is in the eye of the gazer.' My master's colourless, olive face, square, massive brow, broad and jetty eyebrows, deep eyes, strong features, firm, grim mouth, - all energy, decision, will, - were not beautiful, according to rule; but they were more than beautiful to me; they were full of an interest, an influence that quite mastered me, - that took my feelings from my own power and fettered them in his. I had not intended to love him; the reader knows I had wrought hard to extirpate from my soul the germs of love there detected; and now, at the first renewed view of him, they spontaneously arrived, green and strong! He made me love him without looking at me.

I compared him with his guests. What was the gallant grace of the Lynns, the languid elegance of Lord Ingram, - even the military distinction of Colonel Dent, contrasted with his look of native pith and genuine power? I had no sympathy in their appearance, their expression: yet I could imagine that most observers would call them attractive, handsome, imposing; while they would pronounce Mr. Rochester at once harsh-featured and melancholy-looking. I saw them smile, laugh - it was nothing; the light of the candles had as much soul in it as their smile; the tinkle of the bell as much significance as their laugh. I saw Mr. Rochester smile: - his stern features softened; his eye grew both brilliant and gentle, its ray both searching and sweet. He was talking, at the moment, to Louisa and Amy Eshton. I wondered to see them receive with calm that look which seemed to me so penetrating: I expected their eyes to fall, their colour to rise under it; yet I was glad when I found they were in no sense moved. 'He is not to them what he is to me.' I thought: 'he is not of their kind. I believe he is of mine; - I am sure he is - I feel akin to him - I understand the language of his countenance and movements: though rank and wealth sever us widely, I have something in my brain and heart, in my blood and nerves, that assimilates me mentally to him. Did I say, a few days since, that I had nothing to do with him but to receive my salary at his hands: Did I forbid myself to think of him in any other light than as a paymaster? Blasphemy against nature! Every good, true, vigorous feeling I have gathers impulsively round him. I know I must conceal my sentiments: I must smother hope; I must remember that he cannot care much for me. For when I say that I am of his kind, I do not mean that I have his force to influence, and his spell to attract; I mean only that I have certain tastes and feelings in common with him. I must, then, repeat continually that we are for ever sundered: - and yet, while I breathe and think, I must love him.'"

Stila Love and Empower Dupes

Stila released a palette based on the movie, "The Help." I haven't seen the movie, but my cousin rated the book all stars on goodreads.com. I have to check out that book. Anyway, I found dupes for the colors in the palette and I also found the face chart that goes with it. I got my information for duping and the chart from this blog: http://www.musingsofamuse.com/2011/08/stila-love-and-empower-palette-review-swatches-photos.html. I think the blogger mixed up the shades Dignity and Cherish according to the face chart, or maybe Stila mixed it up. So I fixed it. I'm pretty sure the mauve color goes on the lid and the dark brown goes on as an eye liner.

1. Apply Love from lash line to crease. Love is a soft matte creamy beige color. You can find this shade in Wet 'n Wild Color Icon Palette Vanity the first shade.

2. Apply Empower to crease and blend. Empower is a shimmering gold color. You can also find this shade in Wet 'n Wild Color Icon Palette Vanity the fifth shade.

3. Apply Dignity to lid for a hint of shimmer. Dignity is a soft, plum mauve color. I mixed the browbone color with the eyelid color in Wet 'n Wild Color Icon Trio Knock on Wood.

4. Apply Cherish along upper lash line. Cherish is a shimmering dark brown color. Again, you can find this in the same Wet 'n Wild Vanity Palette the sixth shade.

My Thoughts on the Eyes: It is sort of an odd combination to have gold on the crease and cranberry on the lid. I think it really brings out the hazel in my eyes, but I would never wear this. It just looks odd to me. I'm not really sure why.

Blush in Hope: Dusky, warm peach, I couldn't find a dupe for this in my collection. It doesn't look peach to me. It looks like a dark pink.

Highlighter in Joy: Cooler, pale peach Covergirl Cheekers in Pretty Peach. Even though the color matches I wouldn't use this as a highlight. This is more of a blush. It looks pretty with the Elf gloss.

Stila Lipglaze in Apricot: Elf Hypershine Gloss in Blossom