January Favorites

These are my most worn and loved products of the month. 

Oh no I forgot one of them! Dang it! Well, here it is by itself...

1. Neutrogena Oil-Free Eye Makeup Remover: I still like the L'Oreal one, but I was curious to try a new one after I ran out of it. This is just as good as the L'Oreal. I forget how much it costs as compared to L'oreal. Let me go look it up...At target the Neutrogena one is $6.49. When I googled the L'Oreal one it came out as $6, so they're both roughly the same in price.

2. Elf Makeup Mist & Set: I spray this on my face to set it after doing my makeup. It has Aloe, Green Tea, Cucumber and Vitamins A, C & E. It's only $3.

3. Elf Brightening Eye Color in Day 2 Night: This has several dupes. The 2nd shade is a dupe from Urban Decay's Naked 2 Palette, Busted. The 4th shade is a dupe for Urban Decay's YDK. It is only $1.

4. Maybelline Expert Eyes Moisturizing Eye Makeup Remover for Waterproof Eye Makeup: I like to keep this on my makeup table, and use it with a cotton swab to fix any mistakes I make when putting on eyeliner.

5. Essie Luxe Effects Nail Polish in As Gold As It Gets: This is a gold glitter nail polish that you can wear over nail polish or by itself.

6. Essie Nail Polish in Mamba: This is a pretty, nude color nail polish.

7. NYX Bronzer & Blusher Combo in Ibiza: I have been using the bronzer side a lot to contour. It is very light, but I think it suits my skin tone the best of any bronzer I own. I don't use the blush side very much.

8. Mac Eyeshadow in Quarry: This is a dupe for Urban Decay's Naked Palette 2's Tease. It's a nice matte color for the crease.

9. Hard Candy Glamoflauge Heavy Duty Concealer: This does the best job of any concealer I own for covering acne scars.

10. Physicians Formula Happy Booster Glow & Mood Boosting Blush in Natural: This is a pretty pink blush color. It gives a natural looking flush to my cheeks. It smells like violets.

11. Sinful Colors Nail Polish in Bali Mist: This is a beautiful purple nail color. It has a nice shine to it. It's hard for me to describe. Check it out in the store if you have a chance.

12. Wet 'n Wild Color Icon Palette in Pride: This has a dupe in it. The 2nd color on the right is a dupe from Urban Decay's Naked 2 Palette, Verve.

January Birchbox

Yay! It finally came! This has been the longest I've had to wait. I was very pleased with this box. I knew what I would be getting because I watched Youtube Birchbox videos, so I wasn't very surprised. Next month I will try to contain my curiosity to make it more fun for me.

1. Archipelago: Pomegranate Body Soap: Laced with good-for-you pomegranate extracts, this triple-milled soap smells divine and leaves skin feeling clean, not stripped. I will have to try this out the next time I take a shower.

2. Juicy Couture: Juicy's signature fragrance is a blend of sweet floral notes. Sophisticated and feminine. It's perfect for day or night. I just got a sample of perfumes and Viva La Juicy was my favorite, so I got the full size bottle. This is another one of their fragrances. It smells really nice.

3. Origins Checks and Balances Frothy Face Wash: What if your skin has dry patches and oily spots? Alleviate both concerns with this multi-tasking cleaner. I'm already on a strict skin care routine from my dermatologist, so I don't want to try this out. I'm giving this to a friend.

4. Stila Smudge Stick Waterproof Eye Liner in Lionfish: It's time to put down the black liner. This colorful pigment makes eyes stand out and stays put for hours. I'm so happy to get this! I have heard about this eyeliner. It's brown. This may become a new favorite.

5. Larabar Mini Bar in Cherry Pie: You won't find any artificial fillers in these natural bars: just dried fruits, nuts, and other wholesome ingredients. They're as tasty as they are healthy. I don't like cherry pie, so I'm giving this one away too.

Overall, I'm very satisfied with this Birchbox. I'm still waiting for my Glam Bag to come too!

Too Faced Natural Face Palette Dupes

Yes, I know I'm talking about Too Faced again. You should know by now my obsession with Too Faced products. This is another natural palette, but it is not focusing on eyeshadows. This is all about the face. The face charts and tutorials are all on the Too Faced website. If you would like a good look at the palette and swatches go to this blog: http://www.beautyops.net/2012/01/too-faced-natural-face-palette.html I will tell you about each face chart and my opinions of each. Also, I've included the products I used instead of the Too Faced products. You can use what products you have. A highlighter that works well for me, might not be right for you. Use your own highlighter, bronzer, and cheek colors. This is just a really great tutorial for people who want to learn how to put everything together.

For each look I did my makeup in this order:
1. eye makeup (wait to do the lower lash line)
2. face primer
3. foundation
4. concealer
5. powder
6. tutorial
7. lower lash line of eyes

Cream Blush: tea rose colored cream blush, I used Covergirl & Olay Simply Ageless Sculpting Blush in Plush Peach

Bronzer: light tan color with golden sheen, I used NYX Bronzer & Blusher Combo in Ibiza

Concealer: nude beige, I used Hard Candy Glamoflauge Heavy Duty Concealer

Lumanizer: opalescent cream, I used Elf Shimmering Facial Whip in Lilac Petal.

Powder Blush: frosty pink that's buildable, I used NYX Bronzer & Blusher Combo in Ibiza

Brightener: light neutral highlighter, I used Bare Minerals All-Over Face Color in Flawless Radiance

Day Glow
For the face chart go here: http://www.toofaced.com/c-103-get-the-look.aspx
For the tutorial and a photo of a model go here: http://www.toofaced.com/gtl-1161-day-glow.aspx

1. Begin your application of the concealer under the eye area and in the inner corner of the eyes where you see areas of darkness or discoloration.

2. Next, apply the bronzer across the cheeks, nose, forehead and chin.

3. With your finger take a small amount of luminizer and sweep under the arch of each brow, on the upper cheek bones, cupid's bow of the lip and on the chin.

4. Finally, using your middle finger, press the cream blush onto the apples of the cheeks and blend in a circular motion.

My Thoughts: I used a different blush. This is really pretty. It does give a day glow. I feel like it showed me how to do my face better than how I normally do my face. I don't always know how to use my bronzer. So this look really worked. I'm sure if I used the cream blush that I duped it would look good too. I was just doing two different looks at the same time. I'm glad Too Faced's website came out with a tutorial because the diagram was too confusing for me to follow, that's why I didn't make a blog about this sooner. The diagram is helpful though in seeing where to put the products.

Classic Radiance
For the face chart go here: http://www.toofaced.com/gtl-1153-natural-face-classic-radiance-look.aspx
For the tutorial go here: http://www.toofaced.com/gtl-1162-classic-radiance.aspx

1. Dust the bronzer onto the outer perimeter of the entire face.

2. Using your ring finger, take a small amount of Brightener and apply to the entire under eye area, above the brow arch, tip of the nose and chin.

3. Using your middle finger, press the cream blush onto the apples of the cheeks and blend in a circular motion.

4. To apply the powder blush, take your brush and sweep onto the apples of the cheeks layering over the cream.

My Thoughts: Wait to do the under eye makeup til after you do the Brightener part. I used the cream blush, but a different color for the powder blush. I'm not sure if I even notice my bronzer around the perimeter of my face. I guess that would probably look weird if it was too noticeable. It is very subtle, but it is a pretty look.

Supermodel Sculpt
For the face chart go here: http://www.toofaced.com/gtl-1154-natural-face-supermodel-sculpt-look.aspx
For the tutorial go here: http://www.toofaced.com/gtl-1163-supermodel-sculpt.aspx

1. Begin your application of the concealer under the eye area and around the nose. Next, take the Brightener and apply to center of forehead, under the arch of the brow, under the eye and along the sides of the lower lip and chin.

2. Dust the bronzer onto the perimeter of the forehead, the hollows of the cheek and onto the chin.

3. Use the Luminizer on the outer edges of the under eye and temples, down the length of the nose and on the cupid's bow of the lip.

4. Finish by sweeping the powder blush onto the cheek in an upwards motion towards the hairline.

My Thoughts: This seems to be a combination of the other two face charts. It looks pretty. I don't think I look like a supermodel of course. I wish they had a palette that would make me lose weight and get taller!

Rainy Day Haul

I went shopping today, and got a lot of cool stuff I thought I'd share with you. I've been waiting to make a blog for when my Birchbox or Glam Bag came, but they are both very late. It's driving me crazy waiting. When they arrive I'm going to mark it on my calendar, so I can be a little more prepared next month.

Anyway, first I went to the mall and found a cute little Sanrio store. It was filled to the brim with the cutest Hello Kitty things. I kept oohing and aahing like a mad woman. I found a Tuxedo Sam notebook! I also got a couple of pens.

Next, I went to Sephora to buy the Viva La Juicy perfume. I got the perfume sampler which comes with a certificate to get a full size perfume of my choice. I decided I liked the Viva La Juicy scent the best. I'm sorry the picture is so out of focus. It is the funniest bottle. It has a gold necklace around it's neck saying "couture" and a golden J. It is defiantly my most impressive looking perfume bottle.

The next store I went to was Barnes and Noble Bookstore. I wanted to get a cute planner for the year. I like this one because it is so whimsical looking and it reminds me of Paris. As I was waiting in line I saw on a magazine cover that Russell Brand was writing a tell all book about Katy Perry! I had to check out this magazine too.

After the mall, I decided to head out to Walmart. I've been looking for these Black Radiance eyeshadow palettes that look so much like Wet 'n Wild's 8-Pan Palettes. They come in beautiful colors. I have looked all over my state for them. On the website it says you can find this brand at my local Walmart, but it wasn't there. They also had no Hard Candy! I was so disappointed. But I did find a body wash that I had heard about from a Youtuber who I love to watch: the annie doll face show. She just did her favorite products of 2011 video and raved about this body wash. She said if you don't buy it at least go to the store and smell it. I did smell it and it smells exactly of mangoes. It was only $2! Here is a link to her video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SuVV2-Sn4Ow She has a great personality. The body wash is Tone Moisturizing Cocoa Butter Mango Splash Body Wash.

Since, I didn't find any Black Radiance or Hard Candy make up I decided to go to another Walmart. This one didn't have Black Radiance, but it did have Hard Candy, thank goodness! I got Hard Candy Glamoflauge Heavy Duty Concealer in the lightest shade. This stuff is so good! I had read about it on the internet that this was a really good product. I haven't been satisfied with the concealers that I have. This stuff is supposed to be able to even cover tattoos! I tried it in the car, and is definitely a heavy duty concealer. It covered up all my spots and veins around my nose. I'm glad to know I can still get Hard Candy products.

I hope you found my haul interesting.

Too Faced Enchanted Glamourland Palette Dupes

This palette is so pretty. I have lusted over it for awhile. If you want to see what it looks like go to this website: http://makeup-blog-info.blogspot.com/2011/11/swatches-too-faced-enchanted.html It's theme is fairies. It is very girly. I was looking at the makeup it came with and I realized I could dupe it. I'm so excited about this. I'm going to have to play with this makeup when I get home today. I found some really good swatches of the colors on this site: http://www.beautyaddict.net/too-faced-enchanted-glamourland-palette-swatches/ First, I will describe the shades and then list my dupes. Then I will include the face charts that come with the palette, and say how I like the looks on my face.

Eyeshadows
1. In the Buff: matte ivory shade, Wet 'n Wild Color Icon Vanity, 1st shade, Mac Bisque

2. Exclusive Pink: matte light pink, Wet 'n Wild Color Icon Lust, 1st shade

3. George & Weezie: metallic, yellowish with golden sheen, shimmery, Elf Beauty Book Bright Eye Edition, yellow color, first color, bottom row

4. Velvet Revolver: matte, coffee latte, Mac Wedge, Malt, Omega, Soba, Kid, Wet 'n Wild Color Icon Vanity, 2nd shade

5. Honey Pot: metallic orange gold, Mac Goldmine or Flip, Honeylust/Woodwinked, 5th shade in Wet 'n Wild Vanity, Milani Drenched in Gold

6. Teddy Bear: matte, neutral brownish shade, Wet 'n Wild Vanity 2nd and 3rd color mixed

7. Exclusive Purple: metallic, indigo and blueish shimmer, Maybelline Eye Studio Color Explosion Luminizing Eye Shadow in Amethyst Ablazed, blue purple color

8. Boy Toy: metallic pink, Elf Beauty Eye Manual Bright Eye Edition, 1st row, 3rd color

9. Peach Fuzz: shimmer, soft peachy shade, Wet 'n Wild Greed Palette, 2nd color on the right

10. Exclusive Teal: metallic, Wet 'n Wild Color Icon 8-Pan Palette in Blue Had Me At Hello, 2nd color on the right, teal color

11. Label Whore: metallic shimmer, Mac Club, last shade in Wet 'n Wild Color Icon 8-Pan Palette in Comfort Zone, 4th color on the right

12. Glamazon: metallic, shimmer neutral, Wet 'n Wild Color Icon 8-Pan Palette in Comfort Zone, 2nd shade on the left

13. Exclusive Dark Brown: shimmer, dark brown shade, Wet 'n Wild Color Icon Vanity Palette, 3rd color on the right

14. Ooh & Aah: metallic silver, Wet 'n Wild Color Icon 8-Pan Palette Blue Had Me At Hello, 2nd color on left

15. Stiletto: black matte shade, Mac Carbon, 3rd shade in Wet 'n Wild Greed Palette

Blush
La Vie en Rose Rumenilo: pink blush, A lot of blushes could dupe this. I have Physicians Formula Happy Booster Glow & Mood Boosting Blush in Natural

Bronzer
Snow Bunny: light bronzer, shimmery, It has several colors mixed together to get the shade. I have Wet 'n Wild Color Icon Bronzer in Everything Under the Sun and Physicians Formula Happy Booster Glow & Mood Boosting Powder in Light Bronzer

Lip Gloss
Pillow Talk: pinky peach. A lot of glosses could dupe this color. I have several that look similar. Revlon Colorburst Lip Gloss in Peony, Elf Hypershine Lip Gloss in Blossom, Elf Super Glossy Lip Shine SPF 15 in Goddess

Face Charts: Look on the first link to see what they look like to get an idea of how to do the look.

Violet Femme
1. Eyes: Shadow Insurance
Ooh & Aah, Exclusive Dark Violet, Exclusive Lavender
Eyeliner: Stiletto
2. Blush: Snow Bunny
3. Gloss: Pillow Talk mixed with La Vie en Rose Blush
My Thoughts: I put the Exclusive Purple shade on my lid. The "Exclusive Dark Violet" shade I think is the same as the "Exclusive Brown Sparkle" you see in the Flirty Fairy look below. I'm putting that in the crease and outer half of the lid. I'm using Ooh & Aah as a tear duct shade. Be careful with this shade. It's really pigmented. I lined both top and bottom lash lines with Stiletto. I put the lip gloss on and then used my finger to apply the blush. It's a pretty lip combo that goes with the purple eyes. I like this look.

Forest Nymph
1. Eyes: Shadow Insurance
Peach Fuzz, Label Whore, Honey Pot
Eyeliner (Top): Stiletto
Eyeliner (Bottom): Teddy
2. Blush: La Vie en Rose
3. Gloss: Pillow Talk mixed with Exclusive Pale Pink
My Thoughts: I put Honey Pot all over the lid. I applied Label Whore to the crease and the outer part of the lid. I put Peach Fuzz as a highlight. Teddy to the lower lash line. Stiletto to the top lash line. This eye look reminds me of a sunset. I put on the gloss first and then used my finger to apply Exclusive Pale Pink. The lips don't go with the rest of the face. Other then the lips I like this look.

Flirty Fairy
1. Eyes: Shadow Insurance
In the Buff, Velvet Revolver, Boy Toy
Eyeliner: Exclusive Brown Sparkle
2. Blush: La Vie en Rose
3. Bronzer: Snow Bunny
4. Gloss: Pillow Talk
My Thoughts: I put Boy Toy on my lid. Velvet Revolver I put on my crease and outer half of the lid. I put In the Buff as a highlight under my brow bone and the tear duct. I used the Exclusive Brown Sparkle to line my eyes. This is a really pretty look. I wasn't sure about pink on my lids because usually I don't think that looks good on me, but this doesn't look bad I think because of the brown in the crease.

Overall, I'm satisfied with this dupe list. The only thing that I caught strange was the Exclusive Brown Sparkle and Exclusive Dark Violet being the same color. In the swatches the color looks dark brown to me.

My Perfume Collection

I set up my perfume collection today and I took a couple of pictures to show my friend. I decided to share them with you too. I have a lot of little sample perfumes. I got Sephora's Favorites Collector's Edition Fragrance Sampler for Her. I also got a box of samples from Rite Aid that looks similar to the Sephora one, but different perfumes. I have my samples from Birchbox, body mists, one regular size perfume, and a fragrant lotion. I thought they all looked pretty set up.

Some of the bottles look like jewels. My friend asked what that dark, looming thing was in the corner. That is a stone flower fairy carrying one of those helicopter seeds. I thought it looked pretty and whimsical.

Here is a list of my sample perfumes.
1. UR for Women by Usher
2. White Diamonds Elizabeth Taylor
3. Forever Mariah Carey
4. Luscious Pink Mariah Carey
5. Curious Britney Spears
6. Fantasy Britney Spears
7. Euphoria Calvin Klein
8. Warm Cotten Clean
9. Addict to Life Dior
10. Golden Delicious DKNY
11. Ange ou Demon le Secret Givenchy
12. Jennifer Aniston
13. Viva La Juicy Juicy Couture
14. Lady Million Paco Rabanne
15. Amazing Grace Philosophy
16. Angel Thierry Mugler

I have so much perfume to try out now. I don't know which one I like the best. They all smell good to me.

NYX Haul

Today I got delivered my first haul of NYX products! I don't have anywhere close to me that sells NYX, so I had to order from their website. This is what I got:

from left to right: eyeshadow in Dune, bronzer & blusher combo in Ibiza, Jumbo Eye Pencil in Cottage Cheese, cream blush in Orange, cream blush in Natural, and cream blush in Glow

1. Eyeshadow in Dune: This is a dupe for Urban Decay Naked Palette 2's Pistol. I'm happy to get this, so now I have all of my dupes for the Naked 2 Palette.

2. Bronzer & Blusher Combo in Ibiza: Youtube's Pursebuzz recently made a video of her favorite blushes. This was one of them. She said the bronzer was really good for people with light skin. I've been searching for a bronzer that looks good on me.

3. Jumbo Eye Pencil in Cottage Cheese: A lot of people use Milk in their tutorials. I wanted that one, but it was all sold out. Cottage Cheese looked very similar to Milk.

4. Cream Blush in Orange: This is another blush Pursebuzz really loves. I wanted to try it.

5. Cream Blush in Natural: This is supposed to be a dupe for Mac's Lady Blush, which is a very popular blush.

6. Cream Blush in Glow: This is supposed to be a dupe for Mac's Posey Blush, which is also very popular.

Here are the swatches on my arm:

from left to right: Glow, Natural, Orange, Cottage Cheese, Ibiza, and Dune

My First Mac!

I'm very happy today because I got my first ever Mac product! It was at my doorstep, arrived by UPS when I came home from work. I got Quarry eyeshadow. I decided to get it because it is supposedly a dupe for Urban Decay's Tease. This is in the Naked 2 Palette. I'm trying to have all the dupes for it. I have everything except for Tease and Pistol. I ordered Nyx's Dune which is supposed to be a dupe for Mac's Smoke and Diamonds which is supposed to be a dupe of Urban Decay Pistol.

I was surprised at how small the eyeshadow is. For a $20 eyeshadow I was expecting something bigger I guess. When first swatched it was very light. It has a nice texture to it. I had to build up the color in order for the swatch to be seen. Even so, I'm excited to have my first Mac product.

Too Faced Natural At Night Dupes

I love this trend of natural palettes. I think I like neutral looks the best on my eyes. There is a new palette by Too Faced that I've had my eyes on. It is a darker version of their neutral palettes. It is supposed to be for night time, but you can wear it whenever you want. Too Faced has the cutest packaging. I don't own this palette, but I found a blog where a girl swatched the shades and described them: http://www.beautyops.net/2012/01/too-faced-natural-at-night-eyeshadow.html I think I've found similar shades to the ones described. I will list the dupes and the descriptions and then I'll list the face charts which I found on Too Faced's website: http://www.toofaced.com/c-103-get-the-look.aspx

1. Full Moon: glitter, gold, Wet 'n Wild Vanity 5th color
2. Nightcap: Wet 'n Wild Vanity 2nd color
3. Cocoa Star: matte dark brown, Wet 'n Wild Vanity 3rd color
4. Night Light: really glittery with a lot of fall out, champagne like Too Faced Nude Beach, Mac Naked Lunch, Stila Kitten, Wet 'n Wild Sand Castle 1st shade or 3rd shade in Prestige Earthling Beauty Bar
5. After Hours: metallic taupe color with silver specks of glitter, L'Oreal HIP Duo in Electrified left side
6. Eclipse: metallic dark brown with bronzed colored specks, Wet 'n Wild Vanity 6th color
7. Spotlight: blend into skin, Urban Decay Foxy from Naked 2 Palette, soft nude color, Wet 'n Wild Vanity 1st shade
8. Moon Stone: metallic golden olive color, L'Oreal HIP Duo in Dynamic right side, this isn't a very good dupe for this color, I'm not sure I own anything like this.
9. Night Fever: black brown, last color in Wet 'n Wild Baked Not Fried Palette

Natural at Night - Night Look
1. Sweep Full Moon from lashes to brow.
2. Apply Nightcap onto lid.
3. Blend Cocoa Star into upper and lower lash lines and outer lid.
My Thoughts: This is my favorite look. It just looks really pretty and natural.

Natural at Night - Classic Look
1. Sweep Night Light from lashes to brow.
2. Contour crease with After Hours.
3. Line eyes with Eclipse. Extend out and up.
My Thoughts: I don't like the Night Light because it's too shimmery and the After Hours is also too shimmery for the contour. It might look pretty at night time. These are the colors I used, that doesn't mean the Too Faced palette shadows look bad or are the same as my dupes. The Eclipse is a really cool liner shade.

Natural at Night - Fashion Look
1. Dust Spotlight from brow to lashes.
2. Blend Moon Stone into crease.
3. Smoke upper and lower lash line with Night Fever.
My Thoughts: My dupe for Moonstone isn't correct. It looks good in the crease though. It is more of an olive color, while Moonstone is supposed to be a brown color. Night Fever is a really good liner shade. It's hard for me to judge this look because I feel like I don't have the right crease color.

The only shade I'm not very confident about is Moon Stone. That is a hard color for me to match. It's a metallic, golden, olive color. I'm not sure if I own a color like that. The Dynamic color is quite dark and might not be a true dupe.

You can dupe a lot of the colors by just getting the Wet 'n Wild Vanity palette. It would be a cheaper alternative. 5/9 colors I duped using the Wet 'n Wild palette!

Essie Nail Polish in Mamba

I recently went on a Walgreens hunt and found some nail polishes. One of them has really stood out to me. I'm wearing it now and I was admiring my nails thinking I should do a blog post about this! The photographs aren't that great. I tried to do them so there would be a white background. I hope you can see how pretty this nail color is. It really looks pretty with my skin color. I wouldn't say it was a pink or a peach, it's more of a nude color.