Face of the Day- Mock Winging It

Makeup Used:

Face:

Half Rimmer Fix and Pro Perfect Primer 002 and Half Monistat Anti Chafing Gel (experiment)
Holika Holika Peach Girl BB Cream
Milani Baked Blush in Rose D' Oro
E.L.F Studio HD powder and NYC Loose Powder in Translucent mixed together equally

Eyes:
E.L.F Studio 3-in-1 Mascara
theBalm What's your type Body Builder Mascara
Etude House Proof 10 Primer
Urban Decay 24/7 Liner in Zero

Mica Beauty Cream Eyeliner
Wet n' Wild Color Icon Palette Silent Treatment
Wet n' Wild Color Icon Single in Creme Brulee
L'Oreal Infallible Eyeshadows in Iced Latte

Lips:
Revlon Lip Butter in Creme Brulee

Chanel LÈVRES-SCINTILLANTES Glossimer in Seashell
E.L.F Studio Lip liner and Lip brush in Natural




Tools Used:

Real Techniques Multi Tasking Brush (medium pink)
Sigma E45 Small Tapered Crease Brush
Sigma E25 Blending Brush
Sigma Travel Eyeliner brush
Velour Powder Pouf

Gourd Style Blending Sponge
Large Real Techniques Powder Brush (to brush away excess powder)
Crimp style lash curler (I use one from an old Color workshop palette)

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Face of the Day: Cerise Snow

Makeup Used:

Face:

Etude House Baby Choux Cream in Mint

Skin79 Vital Orange BB Cream

Mirabella Perfecting Powder

E.L.F Studio Blush in Fuchsia Fusion (with the microglitter knocked off)

Eyes:

E.L.F Studio 3-in-1  Mascara

theBalm What's your type Body Builder Mascara

Etude House Proof 10 Primer

Urban Decay 24/7 Liner in Zero

Wet n' Wild Color Icon Palette in Comfort (Colors 4 and 5)

Wet n' Wild Color Icon Single in Creme Brulee

L'Oreal Infallible Eyeshadows in Amber Rush and Eternal Sunshine

Lips:

Maybelline ColorSensational in Vivid Rose and On Fire Red (mixed)

E.L.F Studio Lip liner and Lip brush in Natural

Tools Used:

Real Techniques Blush Brush (large)

E.L.F Essentials Push Brush

Sigma E45 Small Tapered Crease Brush

Sigma E25 Blending Brush

Velour Powder Pouf
Large Real Techniques Powder Brush (to brush away excess powder)

Crimp style lash curler (I use one from an old Color workshop palette)

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DIY: Brush Cleaning

One of the things I see a LOT is people not washing their brushes. Unclean applicators and brushes are one of the biggest culprits for promoting acne. The bacterium Propionibacterium acnes (aka P. acnes) and Staphylococcus aureus (Staph A) are the resilient bacteria that cause acne and whiteheads and often times what we are trying to cover it up with is what is aggravating it!  That's why it's important to clean our pillowcases and phone often, but I digress. Cleaning our applicators helps reduce one of the ways that acne persists.

And washing your brushes isn't all that complicated.


First you need to see if your brushes are natural or synthetic. Natural brushes are made with animal hair/fur and should be treated as such. You want to shampoo them and condition them. Properly cared for brushes will last a very long time, and will continue to perform well. If you aren't sure if your brushes are natural or synthetic, treat them as natural brushes.

Synthetic brushes can take things like antibacterial soap. Natural brushes get stripped too much, and need to be reconditioned. I prefer to wash my natural brushes and synthetic brushes in Garnier Fructis 2-in-1 Shampoo and Conditioner and then spray them afterwards with a conditioning spot cleanser and reshape the bristles.

Weekly:
Rinse your brush heads in warm water, taking care not to get water down the 'ferrule' (metal part) because you don't want to weaken the glue that is holding the brush head on. Putting a bit of your liquid cleanser in your hand *a tiny amount* you'll want to swirl them gently in your hand and rinse them until the water runs clear. Place your brushes on a towel and 'roll' them trying to get as much water as possible from them. Let dry either upside down or on a ledge, so that water doesn't run back in to the ferrule causing damage. After they are dry, spray them gently with the conditioning cleanser and reshaping and smoothing the bristles, bringing them back to original form. You can use brush guards for this or you can use your hands. Either way works well.

Daily:
I spray them with this conditioning cleanser and wipe clean with either a microfiber or paper towel until no more product comes off of the brush.

*adding a few drops of Tea Tree Oil is optional but very helpful in the cases of persistent acne.

If you want to make up your own conditioning cleanser, I made up a little instructional card to print out and cut out to keep with your bottle so you don't forget what it is!

Conditioning Cleanser printable cards

Hope this helps!

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Review -Maybelline - Color Sensational Vivids Lipstick

I wish the packaging was a little more secure. No plastic wrapping makes me frown a bit.

I snagged the On Fire red a few weeks ago. I am always on the look out for a blue based red that goes with my pale visage. It's the goth in me, I can't help it. I finally started wearing red lipstick last year and I haven't looked back, but I digress.

I loved it so much that I went back for Vivid Rose and Brazen Berry! My next purchase will be Neon Red or Mandarin Orange... or possibly Electric Orange. I can't decide!

These lipsticks are fantastic. Because they are so bright, lip exfoliation is a must but other than that, they wear well, leaving a stain before disappearing at the end of the day. Easy to reapply, and absolutely fun to wear out paired with a neutral eye.

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Review- Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Black Cherry

Absolutely love this lip color on. The formula is lovely, not a huge fan of the fragrance for some reason, but it wears for about 4 hours. It's definitely something that needs reapplied often because it's so creamy. It doesn't leave my lips dry at ALL.I depotted (de tubed?) this into a palette and find that the patchiness that plagued me when I would apply it with the tube is gone now that I apply it with a brush. Absolutely love it.

The internet says it's a exact dupe for Tom Ford's Black Orchid. I can deal with that. 

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Tapered Blending Brush

For brushes, I have collected quite a few but today I am just talking about the Sigma E45. I recently acquired the Sigma E45 because I lost my favorite crease brush from Target that was discontinued. In a panic I searched Amazon.com because the Sigma site was temporarily sold out of the E45. It took a bit but I  just fell in love. 

The E45 is a smaller tapered crease brush than the others I have collected. I have to admit I was a bit nonplussed at first.  It was a bit scratchy, shedding a bit and it was bleeding black dye. Remembering that it's natural hair, not synthetic I decided to treat it how I treat my hair. I washed it a few times with Garnier Fructis Daily 2 in 1 shampoo/conditioner and now it is perfect. It is fantastic for targeting the crease and perfectly blending my midtone color. It's perfect for my deep set eyes. 

I still spot clean with 91% alcohol, but I remember to wash it in 2 in 1 shampoo when I feel it's getting scratchy again. 

I'll show pictures later of my eyeshadow for now, here's a picture of the actual brush.

I had lost my brush after this picture, btw. I wound up buying a second one. It's still missing in the aether. 

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Nighttime Natural Look

Base: Etude House Baby Choux Base in Mint (SPF and to reduce redness)
Foundation: Skin79 Vital BB Cream (Orange Bottle)
Cheeks: Cream Blush from Holika Holika Peach Girl BB Cream
Eyeshadow: Claire's Boutique- Gold Rush (discontinued)
Eye primer: Etude House Proof 10 eye primer
Mascara: E.L.F HD Powder mixed with NYC'S Loose Powder
Lips: E.L.F Matte Lip Color in Nearly Nude, Revlon Lustrous Lip Gloss in Foiled, E.L.F LipGloss in Honey
Brows: Anastasia Brow Gel in Clear

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Stupid lust...

'Rouge G de Guerlain' Lipcolor in Garconne or Chanel Dragon.
I want them, I can't find them and they've been discontinued.
They are beautiful blue based reds, that just look absolutely smashing swatched.
I need to find something like this... grr...

Cue EBAY!

I just bought 2 new NYX red lipsticks, one in Chaos, and one in Hero. Let's see if they quell the lust for beautiful bright blue red lipcolor.

One can only hope, right?

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Blush Crazy Series- E.L.F Studio Blushes (Updated)

Doing a quick inventory of my blushes, looking for my elusive Small tapered brush that has gone missing. I took a picture of it, for the blog...at a very late hour... and have misplaced it. Bummer. I found it. And I bought a second one, right before it turned up. Because that's how I roll.

So I have a thing for E.L.F Studio Blushes. I know they are dupes for high end blushes, All of the Studio line have a high end counterpart. Part of the fun is finding out which high end cosmetic they are duping! I've gleaned these dupes from the internet, and I don't have any real comparison, I am posting it for informational purposes. I have compared image swatches but I am no where near a Sephora or Ulta, so I cannot compare them myself.

My current blushes are:

*NARS Dolce Vita

*NARS Deep Throat

*NARS Orgasm

*NARS Orgasm/Laguna Duo 

*NARS Angelika

*Tarte Exposed

*NARS Desire

*NARS Luster

+ Just added *NARS Super Orgasm

I am missing:

• Berry Merry (NARS - Sin)
• Gotta Glow (NARS- Albatross)
• Giddy Gold (NARS -Taj Mahal)
• Twinkle Pink (NARS - Deep Throat)
• Contouring Blush and Bronzer in Antiqua, and Turks & Caicos

I could have sworn I've bought the Twinkle Pink but it's probably lost in the same abyss that my brush is, and most of my left socks are.Edit- Got it! Found it at Hy-vee over an hour away a few days ago! Searching for Studio items I don't have IRL is kind of a hobby, now. 

These are ones I reach for a bit less frequently than my Milani Blushes but I do reach for them. I really like the versatility, though a few of them i need to get the microglitter off the brush/blush before I use it. I find I have to do that with Milani blushes at first too, so it's not just an E.L.F thing. And for $3 dollars a piece, they are a great deal! I have found them at Target and Hy-Vee (grocery). They are also on Amazon, eBay and the E.L.F website.

Updated to add pictures and update the amount of blushes I have.

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Hello, Avatar!

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