Urban Decay Smoked Palette Smokey Eye Detailed Pictorial!

Hello Angels,

A smokey eye is a very versatile tool to have in your makeup repertoire.  It is very easy to wear during the day, in a professional setting, provided the right shades in the correct amounts are used.  As promised, here for your viewing pleasure is a detailed pictorial of everything I did to achieve this look:

 I used MAC Constructivist as as base and the following UD Smoked Palette colors:

Barlust, Backdoor, Blackout and Mushroom
















Consttructivist as a base/primer










Barlust on lid fro lashes to just above crease


Backdoor over eyelid from lashline to just below crease, or the mobile lid (to create a gradient of color)


 Blackout layered over backdoor, and this time cover even slightly less of the mobile lid

 

Blend, blend blend!!!!
Next Feline pencil to tightline the lower eyelid, and smudged along the lower lashline.  Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliner in Perversion for the upper eyelid

  And......  Mascara (Benefit "They're Real!" is my current fave)

HAPPY PAINTING!!!!!

OCC Lip Tar Review Day 2, Kava

Hello Angels,

As promised, I am continuing my review of the OCC pro picks set I got from Sephora.
We already went over "Hoochie" in a previous post for those of you just joining us.
Today I'm going to review "Kava".

Everything I said before about the ease of application and the smooth feeling it has throughout the day as it wears (no stickiness, no parched lips!) in my last post remains true.  I lined my lips with MAC chestnut lip pencil because for my NC50 skintone, this shade is very light and needed something to tie it in.
All those positives mentioned, I don't think this will be my favorite in the collection.  For those MACnistas out there, this shade is a lot like Peachstock lipstick.  Beautiful, but for someone with a skin tone similar to mine, be sure to blend blend bend.  Other possibilities might include MAC chickory, or cork pencil.  I will also try it with Nars Kenya lip pencil and if I like it better, will post.
For now, you be the judge...

 I experminted by adding a little MAC Boy Bait over it and it looked really nice, but definitely made it wear off faster so I recommend sticking with their "Clear" shade if you want some shine.

And be sure to check back for the remaining two colors in the Pro Picks pack!

Polka dot passion at The Gap!

Hello Angels!

Just in time for my latest obsession with polka dots, The Gap has recently showcased their latest refresher to the summer 2013 collection:

I for one already have the black shorts, and have my beady little eye on that blue dress.  To die for! 

Happy Shopping!

Sales! Sales!! Sales!!!

Hello Angels,

Thought we might drop a quick note to let you know what we're snagging in our local stores at great bargains!


J. Crew Factory Necklace, a gold link staple for a summer and fall wardrobe:  Orginally $56, got this baby for 40% off

And.... while I was at it, I grabbed this little eye-catching mini clutch at BCBG for $34.80, which is 40% off the original price as well.

Sales are ongoing at both stores so.....Happy Shopping!!!

Hermes Cuff Fake Out!!

Hi Angels!!

I spotted this "H" cuff at C Wonder- isn't is reminiscent of the Hermes cuff with an "H"?  This one goes for $58, and of course you can get it in your initial, or any letter that is dear to you.  Happy Shopping!!

The Perfect Summer Wedge

Hi Angels!

I spotted these wedges at Vince Camuto, when I flipped them over I couldn't believe they were on sale for $54.99!  Now that is a sale!  I will be picking up a pair in silver because it goes with everything. They come in a tan/gold tone as well.  Can't go wrong with wedges!  Happy shopping!  

Birthday Makeup look and tutorial!

Hi Angels,

I am  posting  my last Birthday look. This post will be long, but I'll be concise. LOL.

Face:Primer - MUFE HD #6
Foundation - MUFE MATTE VELVET # 75
Under eye Concealer-MUFE Full Coverage Concealer # 14 and MUFE #4 Concealer palette #21
concealer.
Cheek Highlight- MAC PRO Sculpting Cream in Pure Sculpture
Cheek Contour Black Opal Black Walnut Foundation
Powder to set under eye concealer - Ben Nye Banana Powder
Inner Part of the face set with Rock and Republic Pressed Powder in Chenille
Outer Perimeter set in Rock and Republic Pressed powder in Angora
After blending everything is set with MAC Studio Fix Powder in NC50
Brows- Filled in with Strut Pencil and MAC Dressed Eyebrow Wax


Eyes:
Eyeshadows-MUFE #88 on lid
MUFE -#75 on outer lid
MUFE -# 92 on outer and crease
Brow bone- white highlight on MUFE contour
Eyeliner- Urban Decay eyeliner in Perversion. L'OREAL Liquid liner intense in Carbon
Lips- MAC Cork lip pencil
MAC Angel lipstick
MAC Angel lipglass

Here's the finished look.
Hope you like it!

OCC Lip Tar review-- day 1!!!

Hello Angels,

SO excited to have received my new Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Lip Tar yesterday from Sephora!
I am going to review one lip tar per day (4 total from the Pro Picks set I got from Sephora) here to let you know how I feel about it.
Here is my day one photo, for Hoochie (lol at the name-- and I lined my lips with MAC Heroine lip liner):

This lip color glides on with the help of a lip brush-- if you're going to use your finger BEWARE only a drop is needed!  If you're considering value, I can definitely say for the amount of product in the tube, this is going to last you a looooong time.  They recommend applying a coat of their Clear tar as a base,  starting from the center (pout) of your lip and spreading the product out towards the corners of the mouth for the most even distribution.  Then you can add the shade you want (Hoochie in my case) and play with the color by adding a metallic shade on top if desired.  And to "rehydrate" they recommend applying their Clear shade of lip tar as needed.  

Added bonus:  All of OCC's products are 100% vegan and animal cruelty-free.  

As for the wear?  Applied in the morning and after a healthy lunch at Panera Bread it stayed in place better than any long-wearing lipstick I've tried.  And it wore like a matte lipstick from MAC such as Quick Sizzle, but not drying and not sticky like a gloss might be.  

I am quite pleased with my day 1 color.   Any color that I have to wipe off at the end of the day is tops in my book!

Check back for the next few days to see my reviews for the remaining 3 shades in the Pro Picks pack:

Happy Haulin'!

Shopping run in SoHo!!

Hi Angels!

I did a quick run through some of my go to stores in SoHo this weekend, and found a couple of cute summer finds as well as a preview of fall.  Here are some of my picks:

Maxi dress at Mango, $110. I love this dress, it looks so airy, perfect for this heat wave on the East Coast.  The blue hue seems so serene to me.

Front of dress:

Back of dress:

It has a few slits in the back would which be great for some ventilation ;). 

Next up,  I thought this display at Mango was hot- a little preview of things to come!  Oh how I have missed wearing black to avoid the heat.  

On display at Mango, SoHo:

I kept going down the block and popped into Armani Exchange to check out their sale.  I was impressed with a dress going for only $30, that would look great at a summer party.  The fabric was relatively light and very fitted. 

Front of dress:

Back of dress:

Last, but certainly not least is a preview of what's in store for fall at Zara- Animal print is back again!!  I love the combo of simple whites with animal print, effortlessly chic!  Looking forward to wearing a blazer again!

Let me know what you think!  Happy shopping!

RiRi Hearts MAC Summer

Hello Angels,

I am back with my purchase from Rihanna's MAC summer collection.  I reviewed RiRi Woo earlier.  These are the other two lipsticks in the full collection.  They are named Heaux (that's French lol) and RiRi boy.  

Both lipsticks are in the retro matte formula.  If you have dry lips like mine make sure you exfoliate before applying.  Heaux is a red/berry color and RiRi boy (gasp) is a matte dupe for up the amp.  

These lipsticks were in HIGH demand.  I will spare you the details about my MAC online order horror story on June 18th.  Just know that I got them on backorder and they just arrived last Tuesday.

Anywho!  Can you find dupes? Yes!  Are they worth selling your first born?  It depends on how hard you go for lipsticks.  I love them.  My favorite is RiRi Boy.  I always wished Up the Amp was matte.  Thank you Rihanna.  RiRi Woo is on back order so you can still try and get it.  The others are sold out.  You can try blog sales and giveaways to see about scoring the other lippies.

Check out my pics and swatches below on NW43 skin.

Left to Right: RiRi Roo, Heaux and RiRi Boy