Beauties in Bloom

I hope I'm not a terribly boring blogger showing repetitive looks but...here's a second FOTD using Nars Nouveau Monde duo eyeshadow. I wanted to intensify the smokiness of this duo, so I added a bit of Mac Humid to the outer-v to make it more nighttime appropriate! I think it definitely enhanced the combo even more! Also, I decided to search through my camera's manual and actually read it so I would know how to properly use it (only 8 months later hehe)...I changed some settings and I think the colors are much more true to life in the close up photos now. Nars Nouveau Monde: lilac side on lid, olive side in crease, Mac Humid in outer v, Mac universal mix to highlight browbone Products... Face: Laura Mercier Primer Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer & Mineral SPF 15 powder over top Laura Mercier Undercover Pot Mac Universal Mix pigment on cheekbones Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Amused Nars Laguna Bronzer Anastasia Brow Powder in brunette Eyes: Mac Painterly Paint Pot as a...

Wanted to do a dark look using R&R Snakeskin! I wish the photos could have captured the complexity of this shade: its a mix of brown,grey,gold,green. Love it! R&R Snakeskin all over lid, Nouveau Monde (green) in crease, Nars Mekong in Outer V, Mac Wedge to blend The liner is a little uneven in this picture,my bad! I fixed it after taking photos! Products... Face: Laura Mercier Primer Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer & Mineral powder over top Laura Mercier Undercover Pot Mac Hush on cheekbones Mac Springsheen blush Nars Laguna Bronzer Anastasia Brow Powder in brunette Eyes: Mac Painterly Paint pot and Stila Smudgepot in Bronze over that Rock and Republic Snakeskin & Skintight Nars Nouveau Monde (green side) & Nars Mekong Mac Wedge & Universal Mix pigment on inner highlight Covergirl Lashblast Bobbi Brown Gel Liner in black ink Lips: Revlon Superlustrous Lipstick in Demure

I've been wanting to do a post to show you one of my favorite lipsticks at the moment (well, of the last few months really): Revlon ColorBurst Lipsticks. I've always thought Revlon lip products are really wonderful and the quality is really amazing for such a low price tag. Here's some pictures and swatches... Left to Right, True Red, Carnation, Peach, Petal, Soft Nude, Blus h True Red: a very vibrant red with a bit of pink undertone. Carnation: a medium blue based, leaning cool toned pink. probably not the most original pink, but it's nice! Peach very flattering peach (a perfect mixture of nude, pink, orange, and coral!) Petal: the perfect pale pink nude. Soft Nude: i never thought i'd be able to pull of a "nude" lipstick, but this one is VERY flattering and does not give me the nude "corpse" look. It's a creamy fleshy-peachy-pink nude. love! Blush: one of my favorite neutral, MLBB shades. It's a w...

Meet one of my favorite blushes ever, Nars Oasis... Nars describes it as a "sparkling pink champagne" Oasis is a gorgeous rosy/mauvey/raspberry with gold shimmer/glitter. Not quite pink champagne in my opinion ;) The color is sooo flattering and I can see it working on a variety of skin tones. It looks wonderful on pale tones (I'm about NC20-25 right now) but when my skin gets darker in the summer, it looks just as lovely. I tried capturing the gold shimmer in the photos, if you close up on them you'll probably be able to see them. Matte blush lovers probably want to stay away, but if you like a bit of shimmer and sheen on your cheeks Oasis is perfect. For the daytime, I just tap my brush off realllly well and have no issue with the glitter, it just disappears when you blend it into your cheeks. On a side note, I thought in person Nars Sin and Oasis looked quite similar in the pan, but on me, Sin made me look a bit bruised--I think it had too much purple in it for me...

Decided to play with some brighter colors today! I wish it photographed as vibrant as it was in person! The lid was a much deeper turquoise. Mac Shimmermoss on Lid, Mac Birds and Berries on outer lid, Mac Signed Sealed in Crease and Outer V, Mac Wedge to blend Products... Face: Laura Mercier tinted moisturizer in Nude mixed with Revlon skin illuminator in bare light Laura Mercier secret camoflauge & secret concealer Mac MSFN Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Amused Mac Hush on cheekbones Anastasis brow powder in brunette Eyes: Mac Painterly Paint Pot Benefit Skinny Jeans Mac Shimmermoss, Birds and Berries, Signed Sealed, Wedge R&R Skintight (highlight) Bobbi Brown Gel Eyeliner in Black Ink Covergirl Lashblast Lips: Revlon Colorburst in Petal (this is kind of a default when I don't know what lippie to wear!) Beigy-Pink Gloss by Kiko (makeup in Milan Italy) Looking back I wish I picked a brighter li...

patina and snakeskin :) Mac Patina on Lid, R&R Snakeskin on outer lid, R&R diffused in Crease, Nars Mekong in Outer V, R&R Skintight to highlight Products ... Face: Laura Mercier tinted moisturizer in Nude mixed with Revlon skin illuminator in bare light Laura Mercier secret camoflauge & secret concealer Mac MSFN Nars Laguna Rock and Republic Bedroom Blush Mac Hush on cheekbones Anastasis brow powder in brunette Eyes: Mac Painterly Paint Pot Mac Patina, R&R Skintight, Snakeskin, Diffused, Nars Mekong Bobbi Brown Gel Eyeliner in Black Ink Covergirl Lashblast Lips: Revlon Colorburst lipstick in Peach Revlon Colorburst lipgloss in Strawberry

So I know I've made this mainly into a makeup blog, but today I made two shoe purchases that I am very much in love with and want to share with you! Andd it's my blog so I can technically do what I want, right? I'm just going to assume and hope many of you are shoe lovers as well ;) I had a $10 off coupon for DSW (Designer Shoe Warehouse) and it's expiring this month so I went to see if they had anything. If you have one close to you, definitely check it out! It's a huge store with rows and rows of both women and men's designer shoes, boots, sneakers, sandals, etc. What's even better are the price tags! Everything is discounted off the original price. I always go straight to the back where the clearance racks are for even better deals. Today I came across two pairs of heels by Seychelles that I fell in love with... Seychelles Countdown T-Strap Pump I am honestly not the heel wearing type of girl. I wear them once in a while or for special occasion...

Normally I am the girl that tends to shy away from brighter lipsticks. I love my pinks, pinky nudes, mlbb ("my lips but better"), even peachy ones...I wear bright ones only once in a while. Lately though I've been trying to wear lips that are a little more bold. I had some extracare bucks at CVS the other day and picked up Revlon Cherries in the Snow. It's a beautiful bright reddish pink and I'm kind of surprised that I really love it and I don't feel self conscious wearing it! Yay! Today I did a very, very neutral look to go with it...here's how it turned out... R&R Skintight on lid & highlight, R&R Diffused in crease & outer lid, Mac handwritten in outer-v and Mac Wedge to blend Awkard non-smiley pic! lol Products Face: Laura Mercier tinted moisturizer in Nude mixed with Revlon skin illuminator in bare light Laura Mercier secret camoflauge Mac MSFN MUFE HD powder Nars Laguna Nars Madly Mac Hush on cheek...

Yesterday I went on the hunt for a cool toned pink blush. I realized I am very much lacking in that department as most of my blushes lean warm. At Sephora I came across the new Tarte amazonian clay long wear blushes and decided to try one out! I picked up "Amused." oooh prettyyyy I simply love this blush! The packaging is sturdy (and cute!), pigmentation is wonderful and it blends smoothly. Tarte claims 12 hours of wear and although I didn't test this out for 12 hours yet, it did last at least 7 hours on me (I took my makeup off after that time lol). That works for me! I also love that it is formulated without parabens, sulfates, petrochemicals, etc... It's without a doubt a very high quality and natural product. I do think that you have to be careful with the application--use a light hand or it can look too obvious on the cheeks. I bought it at Sephora for $25. I would definitely say the Tarte quality is on par with my beloved Nars blushes ($27 at Sepho...

Here's a purple look I came up with today. I really wanted to play around with my new R&R tempting eyeshadow! I'm pretty happy with how it came out and I'm glad I was able to incorporate my new nars shadows as well from the habanera duo and nouveau monde duo. i love purples ;) Nars Nouveau Monde lilac on inner lid, R&R tempting on lid, Nars Habanera plum on outer lid, R&R skintight as highlight Products... Face: Laura Mercier tinted moisturizer in Nude mixed with Revlon skin illuminator in bare light Laura Mercier secret camoflauge and secret concealer pot Mac MSFN Nars Laguna Nars Deep Throat Mac Hush on cheekbones Anastasis brow powder in brunette Eyes: Nars Nouveau Monde lilac, Nars Habanera, Plum, Rock and Republic Tempting & Skintight Mac Wedge to blend edges Bobbi Brown gel eyeliner in black ink Covergirl lashblast Lips: NYX nude pink lip liner Revlon colorburst lipstick in petal Revlon ...

I ordered some R&R eyeshadows and their blending blush off of Hautelook last month and it finally came today! I had such a hard time choosing colors since EVERYTHING was on sale, but here's what I ended up picking... Blending brush! It's very very soft and a perfect size for blending the crease! - Tempting is a really pretty shimmery medium toned lavender purple with a touch of gray in it. It's a very, very unique taupey purple! - Diffused is medium/light taupe brown (i love all shades of taupe as you can see haha!) It's a perfect everyday brown, I think this will be perfect on the lid or in the crease. It also has a very subtle gold shimmer in it. Beautiful! - Skintight is a very shimmery cream color with a touch of gold. Lovely highlight or lid color! - Snakeskin is a really complex color. it's the perfect mixture of grey, green, brown, and gold. I can't even tell if it's warm or cool, but this color will be gorgeous for a smokey e...

Here is Nars Luster blush! Another one, like madly, that looks a little lackluster (heh heh) in the pan. But don't be fooled! Luster is a warm, frosty golden peachy apricot with subtle golden shimmer. There's no glitter in this blush, but it does give off a nice sheen. If you don't like shimmery blushes, stay away! For me, Luster is THE perfect golden goddess summer cheek, I always reach for it in the summer months. I especially love it when my skin is more tan; the golden shimmer is just stunning. It would be lovely on pale skin tones but with a lighter hand so it doesn't get too orange! Nars description: "Sheer Golden Apricot." Pretty accurate description in my opinion. Swatched on the left and blended on the right. The swatches above are more true to color! Many makeup lovers online have said that if Orgasm didn't work for them, Luster definitely did. They both have a similar effect on the cheek as both are quite shimmery, but I find Luster to be much s...

Today I had a few coupons that were set to expire soon, so I stopped by Ulta and Target to use them! I was pleasantly surprised to see that the Ulta near me expanded their NYX section. I've only tried a few of their lipsticks before and I really love them--they're affordable and great quality. So i was really excited when I saw they had a few blushes and various other products in stock. I also had a $2 off a Rimmel product coupon at Target that I used. Here's what I picked up... -NYX Nude Pink Lip Liner: I usually don't use lip liners, but I decided to try this one out! It's a nice medium mixture of brown/peach/pink. Sort of a "my lips but better" color! -NYX Thalia Round Lipstick: This is a dusty brown-pink nude color! It is a nice mixture of pink, mauve, and beige. The pigmentation is wonderful and the texture is quite comfortable and creamy on my lips. I really love the formula. I still need to play around with it and see how I like it on my skinto...

I just wanted to post a video that I found extremely helpful! I'm sure many of you all know about the Pixiwoo channel on youtube. If you don't, go on youtube now!! They are really wonderful makeup artists and their videos are great--everything is explained well and to the point. I discovered this video (along with the whole world of makeup tutorials) on youtube about a year ago, and this video is one of my favorites. In terms of eyeshadow placement, this tutorial is one that I like to base a lot of my looks off of (with different colors!). I just love the shape the shadow creates and how simple the process is (only 3 colors!). I'm not wild about the mac zoom lash mascara, and my personal application (with brushes, etc.) isn't the same but overall i think the look is beautiful! I hope you find it as helpful as I did!

I decided to do a look using the green/olive side of Nars Nouveau Monde! I used mac humid in the outer-v to bring out the green tones in the nars shadow--the camera didn't pick up all the color, but it turned out much more green in person! A year ago I never would have touched green eyeshadow, but I really love doing looks with it now! I also used my bobbi brown chocolate shimmer ink--it's gorgeous but I always tend to use black eyeliner in my looks over any other color. Hope you like! :) Mac Creme de miel on lid, Nars nouveau monde in crease and outer lid, Mac humid in outer v Products used: Mac Painterly Paint Pot Mac creme de miel on inner lid and humid in outer-v (I got creme de miel at a CCO a few months ago but i think it is similar to something like ricepaper or nylon!) Nars nouveau monde in crease and outer lid Bobbi brown gel eyeliner in chocolate shimmer ink Covergirl lashblast (orange tube!) Anastasia brow powder in brunette Thanks for looking!

This is the look I wore out for my birthday night with some friends! I definitely wanted to go for a sultry, smokey eye using my new nars mekong! Hope you enjoy! Mac Femme Fi as highlight and inner corner, Satin taupe on lid, Nars Mekong in outer-v Products Used: Face: Laura Mercier tinted moisturizer in nude Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage and Concealer pot Mac Mineralized Skin Finish Mac Hush to highlight Nars Laguna Nars Orgasm Eyes: Mac Painterly Paint Pot Stila Smudgepot in bronze Mac Femme Fi, Satin Taupe, Wedge (to blend crease) Nars Mekong Anastasia Brow Powder Lips: Revlon colorburst lipgloss in Hot Pink Thank you so much for looking!

Here's a quick eye look I did today! I normally don't think pinks or reds are very flattering on my eyes (they can make me look tired or bloodshot very easily), but Star Violet is one of the few colors that I really love wearing. Unlike it's name, it is not really violet at all. It's more of a warm metallic burgundy with a touch of brown and pink. To be honest, it is probably a color one should try in person because on certain skin tones it could look like a bruise--I think by applying it lightly on the outer lid and crease with a bright inner lid color (I used Mac jest here), it softens the eye so as to avoid looking too harsh! Mac jest on the inner lid, star violet on lid, crease, and outer v, beauty marked in outer v Products Used: Mac Painterly Paint Pot Mac Jest, Star Violet, Beauty Marked, Wedge (to blend), Shroom (highlight) Bobbi Brown Gel Eyeliner in black ink Covergirl lashblast (orange tube) Anastasia brow powder in brunette