Clinique Foundation

I feel like I am always on the search for the perfect foundation. Different times of the year call for different foundations. My coloring changes constantly it seems, as well as my skin needs. I thought I had "normal" skin, come to find out it is actually dry, with oil in the T-zone, and acne prone on my chin. It's a hot mess.

I went on the hunt this morning for a new foundation. One that is medium coverage, allowing my freckles to show through, I don't like the muskiness that the EL Double Wear gave me. (Double Wear sucks for dry skin, by the way). I found myself at the Clinique counter in Nordstrom's, after telling an employee I would not spend more than $40 on a foundation when she was trying to talk me into Givenchy. Uhm, no thank you. It's foundation. I wash it off every night.

Below is a picture of what I purchased:

Clinique Superbalanced Makeup in 04 cream chamois, Blended Face Powder in 03 transparency, Cheek Pop in 04 plum pop, Chubby Stick in 20 jumbo jasmine, All About Eyes eye cream.

My first impressions of the Clinique Superbalanced Makeup are good. It is not too thick and came out of the pump easily. I only needed 2 pumps to cover my whole face, using Sephora Pro Airbrush #55 (I forgot how much I love this brush!) It blended well, and surprisingly concealed the redness from blemishes and helped hide my under-eye circles.



No makeup at all. Fresh faced, dark circles, blemishes, & all!

Superbalanced makeup, one coat, no concealer.

Blended face powder, Cheek Pop in 04 plum pop, & Chubby Stick in 20 jumbo jasmine (that's it! NO concealer or anything at all. I would be comfortable walking out of the house in JUST this makeup)

I have high hopes for this foundation/powder combo. I think we all just want to be comfortable in our skin, so please don't fail me Clinique! For me, the best part is the price point. Nothing was over-the-top $$$, which enabled me to be willing to buy more than just the foundation. I'm happy.

Side note: The Cheek Pop is to die for. The formula went on so smooth and settled into a nice, natural flush...I'm hooked! After being disappointed in Revlon's Kissable lip balms (too drying), I now know why Clinique had the first chubby lippies. They are GOOD! Creamy and pigmented, does not crack or make my lips feel dry.

Mossy Green Subtle Smokey Eye

I had gotten a Lancôme Color Design quint in the color "507 Metallic Moss" last month, but never used it. My reasoning for buying it was that I didn't have any green shadows, and this would be the last palette I get before going on a no-buy. Today I cracked that baby open:



Lancôme Color Design - 507 Metallic Moss (flash/natural light)


If you've never used a Lancôme quint before, the colors all  mesh together beautifully, taking the guesswork out of what colors to pair with one another. It even tells you where to place the separate shadows on the eye. Easy peasy. The formula is a dream to blend, but there is a lot of shimmer (which I don't mind, but others may). The highlight shade (middle row, all the way to the right) is to die for. I don't know how else to describe it, except: light wash of beige with micro multi-colored shimmer...it is so pretty and is ultimately what drew me into this palette in the first place. The bottom pan (dark shade) can be used wet/dry as eyeliner...it's pretty much the best formula I have ever used for "shadow as liner".

 

These shadows are not overpoweringly bright, and the effects of the shadows are hard to see unless you are right up on someone. I personally like the subtleness of Lancôme products in general, especially on normal days. Again, I know my pictures aren't the greatest, but this blog is more for myself, a diary and a place to keep my favorite looks/products/thoughts. Have a good day!

New Nars "Dual-Intensity" Eyeshadows

Nars came out with some new "Dual-Intensity" eyeshadows that can be used dry for a light wash of color, or wet for intense color, and oh are they pretty!



Cassiopeia, Europa, & Phoebe
Real Techniques Shading Brush

Cassiopeia is an iridescent pink that has a slight purple/pink duo-chrome. This one is my favorite and is the most unique color I have ever seen. Europa is a peachy-pink, and Phoebe is an amethyst (purple). These three shadows together are perfection for me. Although I own purple shadows, I have been scared to use them, as I always wind up looking like I have a black eye. That, and the fallout from other brands is bad. I am blown away with the Nars. They are velvet in texture, are easy to blend (even when wet), and last ALL day long. I did my makeup at 11:00 this morning and it is now just past 9 p.m. and my eye makeup still looks as good as it did when I first applied it. I used the Real Techniques Shading Brush and am happy with the results. Nars does sell a "wet/dry" brush, but at a $28 price tag, I shied away from it. This RT one for $6 works well. To wet the shadows I spritzed my brush with MAC's fix +, then dipped into the shadow. No hard pan formed, which made me happy.



Mascara is Too Faced's "Better Than Sex"

I put Phoebe on the outer 1/3 and Europa all over the rest of my eye area. Europa is really light, almost fleshy peach-pink. Then, because of the glitter from Cassiopeia, I put that on the upper part of Phoebe and up to my outer brow bone. Finished with a line of Revolver liquid liner from Urban Decay and some mascara. Simple & fast. I took these pictures at night, so they aren't the greatest, and the color doesn't pick up all that well, but in real life, it's pretty, but not intense. These shadows are quickly becoming my favorite, what are your favorite shadows?

Have a good weekend everyone!

Loving Peachy-Pinks

I keep finding myself drawn to peachy/pinks' lately. I don't know if it is because it is summer and the colors scream "let me out I want to play", or if they just look decent on me, or what....but I have fallen in love with MAC's pigment in 'Melon' paired with their eyeshadow 'Expensive Pink'. This particular combo is super easy to use for a quick, yet pulled together look.

Steps:

1. Pack Melon pigment all over lid and just above crease. I use a stiff/flatter shadow brush that acts almost like a spatula for this. To make the color pop even more, wet the brush (with water or a fixing spray)
2. Apply Expensive Pink eyeshadow in crease and make a slight "v" shape on outer corner of eye. I use elf's contour brush because it is cheap and the perfect size for my crease.
3. On browbone sweep a highlighting shade. (I cannot remember what I used, but any vanilla/champagne color will work).
4. Brush on pigment under bottom lash line to "pull" the look together & apply mascara. I have been using Loreal's Miss Manga Voluminous Mascara and I LOVE it!!!

For blush I just patted Becca's Beach Tint Shimmer Souffle in 'Watermelon/Moonstone' (it is a highlighting & waterproof crème blush that smells like jolly rancher watermelon!!!) Lips are MAC's Mineralize Lipstick in 'Dreaminess' (baby pink).

Falling in Love with Pigments

I had forgotten how much I love pigments. Pigments are color at its finest. A loose powder that can be used dry (as is), or wet (mixed with a medium such as water, or MAC's Fix Plus). When used dry, pigments are a softer wash of color. But when used wet, oh my goodness: The color is intensified and the shadow stays put for a very long time. 

I had gotten a set of four pigments from MAC a few years ago, and they sat in a forgotten makeup bag ever since. Today I 'found' that bag and happiness ensued. A color called "Mauvement" inspired today's look, following are pictures and steps on what I did.



Excuse the hair, it's not working with me today...

I like the shadow from the eyelashes...

Spraying a brush with Fix Plus, I dipped it into the pigment and patted (not swept) the shadow all over my lid up into and just over my crease. Then I used Naked [from Urban Decay's Naked palette] (a light nude brown) and blended the pigment up into my brow bone. Next I used Virgin (a light champagne color) and swept that as a highlight near my eyebrows and inner corner of the eye. Since blending the light brown took away some of the pigment on my brow bone, I added a little more Mauvement pigment onto the brow bone. The eye needed a little more definition, so I took a dark brown with gold glitter eyeliner (Twice Baked from Urban Decay) and lined my upper and lower lash lines, making a slight wing. Topped it off with a coat of Too Faced's "Better Than Sex" mascara and the eyes are done! Super easy, with a ton of shimmer/color payoff.  Below is a better picture of just how pigmented the pigment is (haha).

Do you see that shimmer/glimmer?!? I took these pictures with just the close up & flash on my camera.

I'm happy with the result, very simple but with a surprise of flash when I blink I guess you could say.

Because of the neutralness of the eyes, I wanted to do a soft cheek and bold lip. I used Shiseido's Face Color Enhancing Trio in the shade RD1, and a Lancôme La Laque Fever in the shade 384. The Shiseido Trio is basically just a blush that is swirled around to combine all 3 colors, it creates a soft peachy color with a soft highlight. The lippie is an intense pink. The texture of this isn't the greatest, it's extremely sticky at first and takes two coats to build up the color, but once it wears off a little bit, a very nice pretty stain is left behind that lasts a long time. I don't suggest eating directly after applying it.

I got hairs on my upper lip!



Shiseido Trio & Lancôme La Laque Fever

MAC Pigment in Mauvement, Urban Decay 24/7 Eyeliner in Twice Baked, & sample size Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara.

Side note: Pigment is a little pricier than a 'normal' eyeshadow but a little goes a long way and a small tub of it will last a very long time. If you haven't ever tried it, I suggest giving it a go and find out for yourself just how easy they are to use. Have a good day and remember to smile pretty!

Makeup Basics - The Eyes

"The eyes are the windows to the soul." I have no idea who said that or what exactly it means. I may have to do a Google search...

I was lucky enough to have a mother who taught me the art of makeup from an early enough age. I used to makeover my younger sister, Emily, and do photo shoots with her. Makeup has been in my life for what seems like a very long time, and I will never give that up.

I had the pleasure of doing my friend's makeup for her husband's homecoming, but sadly did not get a picture. She has told me on several occasions that she does not know how to do her makeup, let alone apply eye shadow properly. I decided to do a "basics" series, that will hopefully give some hints & tips on what tools are needed that will help achieve any eye shadow look you want.

 

First, brushes. I cannot put enough emphasis on using brushes to apply eye shadow. Brushes will make your life a million times easier. Brushes range anywhere from $1 to $50 and up. The most I have spent on a brush is $34, my very first foundation brush from MAC. It is still in perfect shape even though it is close to 8 years old. My cheapest brushes were $3 from Target by e.l.f. Don't you know my $3 brushes are the most amazing concealer & contour brushes ever!?! I suggest starting off with four types of brushes (pictured below):

Pencil brush. Good for lining top and bottom lash line. The "pencil" will put color exactly where you want it to go, hence perfect for lining. The one I have is by Sonia Kashuk from Target and costs about $7.

Contour brush. Use this brush to add color into your crease line. It is domed, almost like a pencil eraser in shape. I have tried using other types of brushes for my crease, but color gets all over the place or not enough is distributed evenly. The one I have is also from Target by e.l.f.brand. It is literally called "contour brush" and only costs $3!!! (There has been absolutely no shedding of the bristles and the brush stays in shape through multiple washings.)

Flat brush. My all time most favorite brush in the world is the MAC 239 shader brush. It has a tapered, rounded edge with firmer bristles. I cannot remember when I got this brush, but it has passed the test of time. I use it to pack color on my lids, get in the inner corner or brow bone for a high light. It picks up color very well and applies it smoothly. This brush costs $25 and is the one brush that I recommend most.

Fluffy brush. Good for distributing color all over the eye, (lid and brow bone). This one is the Sephora Classic Collection Crease Shadow Brush. But I hate it for in my crease, it is too big, so I use it mainly for my brow bone or to blend shadows. The cost is $16.

After you have your brushes ready, the first step is primer. Without primer, eye shadow does not stick to the lid, the colors are muted, and won't last all day. Loreal, Urban Decay, Nars, (most brands) carry an eye primer. I have currently been using Too Faced's Shadow Insurance. I squeeze some onto my pointer finger and blend it all over my eye. Let it dry for a minute or two and you're ready.

Cream, powder, long lasting, chalky, bright, nude. Eye shadow can be scary. There are so many colors from so many brands to choose from. Where to start?  First do you want to wear bright colors? Or is a more natural eye your style? Shadow preferences are different depending on the person. I personally am not afraid of color, but have learned to tone it down so I don't wind up looking like a clown. For beginners I suggest picking up a natural palette. Wet 'n' Wild has great pigmentation for very cheap. I am not a fan of Cover Girl shadows, they are chalky and don't last long. MAC has the most amazing pigmentation I have ever had in a shadow. My favorite natural eye shadow palette though, is Urban Decay's Naked 1. All of the shades can be mixed and matched together for a flawless look. There are matte shadows as well as shimmers, 12 colors in all for $52. It seems pricey, but the breakdown is just over $4 a shade.

Mascara can be scary as well. There are so many to choose from!!! I suggest CoverGirl's Clump Crusher as a basic overall amazing mascara. Not only is it around $7, the wand is amazing...I have yet to get any clumps from it and it lasts longer than and works better than most of my high end $20 - $30 mascaras. Again, mascara is a personal preference thing that you have to shop around for to find the one that you like.

Whew, that was lengthy, but I hope you found it useful. For me, makeup is trial and error. Sometimes something I had high hopes for failed for me miserably, but thank goodness for good return policies! If you don't like something you bought, don't be afraid to return it, even if it is used. Look around, read reviews if ordering from Sephora or Ulta, or watch You Tube videos on products you are interested in.

I cried...

I cried today. I have been on the hunt for the perfect foundation for a long time. Because of the redness in my skin, I get matched for colors too orange, or get matched for someone who is porcelain...My dry spots soak up the foundation leaving creases, or it all rubs away with a light touch. I got a foundation from MAC, but I looked fake and all of the above. I exchanged it for another that rubbed away instantly and showed every single of my pores.

I went to the mall this morning to return a lippie and the first foundation. Walked out with another foundation and didn't like how it oxidized on my skin. I'm one of those customers when I don't like something, I'm returning it. Makeup is $$$. I wandered aimlessly into Macy's found a woman who looked nice and told her my dilemma. Don't you know I started to cry?!? Tears. Big ones. There went the rest of my foundation, leaving patches of red skin and freckles poking through in the most conspicuous spots! She ever so gently guided me to the Estee Lauder counter and wished me luck.

I had heard great things about Estee Lauder's Double Wear Foundation...come to find out it's numero uno. Out I walk with shade 2N1 Desert Beige. And a free gift! I have only had this on my face for about an hour now, and you are probably wondering what the point of this post is....I'm getting to that.

When the lady I first encountered asked if I was only crying because of foundation, I could honestly say "yes, only because of foundation". Thankfully she was a woman and understood. Sometimes we do cry because of something that seems so trivial and silly later on, but in that exact moment in time, it is the biggest thing in the world. You're probably saying "Buck up Stephanie, it's only makeup". My answer to that: I don't like to look at myself in the mirror with a naked face. And finding the perfect foundation that does its job  helps me to go about my day, easing my low self-confidence so I can go out and do what I need to get done with my head held high.

On a happy note, there was a gift with $35 purchase!!! I completely forgot that Estee Lauder does these gifts and they are AMAZING!!!

 

 

Have a good day everybody! Remember to do what makes you happy and full of confidence. That may be working out, doing your makeup, cleaning, or playing with your children, and if you cry over the "little things" it's okay. Tears eventually dry up and then you can see the good things that are hiding, waiting for their chance to make you smile.