FOTD Featuring "Dirty" Greasepaint Stick!

Though today was a pretty chill Saturday (just some errand-running!), I opted for a darker eye (more specifically a taupey/purple-toned smoky eye) with a soft, glowy cheek, and a pale pink lip. I'm really not one to post FOTD looks, but I really liked how this one turned out!

Here is the breakdown of what I used to achieve this look:

FACE:

MAC FIX+

Jan Marini Antioxidant Daily Face Protectant SPF 30

Origins GinZing Eye Cream

Make Up For Ever UV Prime SPF 50/PA+++ foundation primer

NARS Sheer Glow Foundation in "Mont Blanc"

NARS stick concealer in "Honey"

MAC Studio Sculpt concealer in NC15

CoverFx MatteFx Oil Absorbing Powder in "Light"

Benefit Powderflage

NARS bronzer in "Laguna"

MAC Cremeblend Blush in "So Sweet, So Easy"

Laura Geller blush in "Transparent Pink"

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in "By Candlelight" (for highlight)

EYES:

Urban Decay Primer Potion

MAC Greasepaint Stick in "Dirty" (on lid only)

MAC "Shale" eyeshadow (on lid over "Dirty")

MAC "Wedge" eyeshadow (in crease to soften)

MAC "Shroom" eyeshadow (highlight under brow bone)

MAC "Pink Opal" pigment (tiny bit in inner corner)

Jordana Fabu Liner in Black

Urban Decay Eyelash Primer Potion

Make Up For Ever Smokey Lash mascara (top lashes)

Maybelline Full & Soft mascara (bottom lashes)

LIPS:

CoverFx MintGlazeFx (to prime)

Revlon Super Lustrous lip gloss in "Petal Peach"

**Originally wore LORAC Cream Lipstick in "Baby Doll," a pale salmon pink/peach, underneath the gloss (LOVE!!)

A better view of the eyes

Side view of eyes and cheeks

What do you think? Let me know if it's a "yay" or a "nay!"

P.S. Ignore the messy hair and brows that are in desperate need of some grooming!

Holiday Gift Idea #5: Powder, Powder, Powderazzi

Powderazzi from Benefit is a neat little boxed compilation of three of the brand's best-selling face powders. Included are Coralista, a coral pink blush, Hoola, a bronzing powder, and Dallas, a rosy bronze blush. All are very smooth to apply and have nice pigmentation. They even have a fresh fruity scent that makes putting on these products that more enjoyable. Along with the powders you will also find a small brush applicator.

Going this route is definitely a great way to sample. All of these are permanent colors in Benefit's line, and, in my mind anyway, it makes sense to test out the shades before you commit yourself to the full-size products. I've been eyeing Coralista for a really long time, but I couldn't justify spending $28 on the individual box when I already have other peachy pink shades in my makeup collection. When I came across this set, though, it was just too hard to resist!

I'm also a huge fan of Benefit packaging (call me a sucker for cute packaging!) Pop this compact pink box into a stocking or give it to your makeup-loving girlfriend. Who wouldn't want to upwrap this little pretty?

Powderazzi can be found at Ulta stores and online at http://www.ulta.com/. It retails for $30.

NB: I purchased this product myself.

Why Go Out When You Can Stay In? Benefit Girl's Night In!!! Set Rocks The Party

When it comes to make-up kits I tend to have a "just say yes" attitude. When I spied this Benefit set at Sephora, I knew I needed it in my life. I had been pleased with all of the Benefit Cosmetics products I had previously used. In fact, R.S.V.P. Creaseless Cream Shadow/Liner, as I've mentioned before, is my go-to for a simple low maintenance eye, and I've wanted to try one of their lipsticks for quite some time. This Sephora-exclusive collection includes some of their best-selling products - great items to help you achieve a beautiful look.



Here's what you get in this cute little kit:


Creaseless Cream Shadows/Liners in Birthday Suit (brushed chrome) and Skinny Jeans (pretty pewter)


Full-Finish Lipstick in Lady's Choice (a nude shade)


Talent Brush

3 Love Your Look mannequin magnets

A lesson on how to use the products

For $38, this is a pretty sweet deal. If you purchased the brush, the shadows, and the lipstick individually, that would run you $74. The two shades of the cream shadow that you get in this set are very versatile shades - Birthday Suit would be great as a quick all-over wash on its own (the color can apply sheerly), but if worn in tandem with Skinny Jeans to deepen the crease would take the look to a more dramatic level. You can even use these as bases for other eyeshadows. They really are wonderful colors to have in your make-up stash. The lipstick included in this set, Lady's Choice, is a fairly universally flattering nude shade (I find it is more of a brown-nude on my lips). It would be a great everyday lip color. The talent brush is a synthetic bristled brush that is great to use to apply the creaseless cream shadows (or any other emollient products). With this lovely set you really do get "a bang for your buck." The case that holds the products can even be used as a makeup bag!

Here's a look at the shadows and the lipstick:

Clockwise from top: Lady's Choice Lipstick, Skinny Jeans Creaseless Cream Shadow, Birthday Suit Creaseless Cream Shadow

Lady's Choice Lipstick on my pigmented lips

You can find the Girl's Night In!! set at your nearest Sephora store or online at http://www.sephora.com./

Pucker Up With New Lip Glosses From Benefit

As a certified lip gloss junkie, I am thoroughly excited about Benefit's release of a new line of glosses. Available in eight beautiful shades, Benefit promises that you will "look like a dream" sporting your shiny lips with just the right amount of color pay-off and none of the stickiness (who wants their hair attached to their lips?!?) Each gloss has a cushioned paddle to ensure smooth application every time. Who can say no to a shimmery, glimmery pout?

And now for a look at the colors! (All swatch photos are from the Benefit website)

Almost Famous (copper penny)

Fresh Squeezed (pink grapefruit)

Friends in High Places (sparkling raspberry)

I'm with the Band (golden pink shimmer)

Kiss You (clear fuschia)

Life on the A List (bubble gum pink)

Who Are You Wearing? (passion fruit pink)

Zone Out (golden nude)

All of these glosses look wearable and universally flattering! I'm pretty sure it's going to be hard not to have the "collect them all" mentality. And the names are great, too, huh? These lip glosses retail for $18, and you can find them at Benefit boutiques around the country, online at the Benefit website, and at Sephora stores and http://www.sephora.com/.

Do you think you'll check them out?

Celebrate Independence Day With a Free Gift From Benefit!

Come celebrate the upcoming July 4th holiday with Benefit Cosmetics! With any $50 purchase at the Benefit website, receive a free double-ended lip gloss. To redeem this offer, enter the code JULYFOUR at checkout (and don't forget to add the item to your shopping bag before you check out!) The two shades of lip gloss you will get - the glosses are new to the Benefit line - are Air Kiss (a golden nude) and Friends in High Places (a sparkling raspberry).


So, go snag some of your Benefit faves (I love the Creaseless Cream Shadows and I've been itching to try Coralista blush!) and test-drive this new lip gloss formula. Benefit promises it will deliver "the perfect payoff, dazzling shine, and would never dream of being sticky." Sounds great to me!

Getting To Know The Beauty Chick: Cosmetics I'm loving right now

So I thought I would use this post to provide a little insight into my current beauty loves. These are products that I have been using lately on an almost daily basis. I hope you enjoy this intro!

Foundation: I have been abolutely LOVING Revlon's Colorstay Foundation. I picked this up about a month or so ago in the shade Ivory (their lightest shade....yes, I'm a pale gal!) and it has been doing a great job of covering up my redness and any blemishes. The coverage seems to be medium to full (it is nicely buildable). I'm moving through this bottle now and I'm glad I have another waiting for me!

Concealer: Lately I have been alternating between MAC Studio Sculpt Concealer in NW15 and Smashbox High Definition Concealer in Fair for my undereye area. The MAC concealer is nice and creamy. With the Smashbox concealer, a little goes a long way! I have found that the tiniest dab of product is sufficient. The great thing about this HD concealer is that it feels super light on the skin. Both are definitely great products! To cover any redness in my skin (around my nose or cheeks, for example) and blemishes I've been using the MAC Studio Sculpt Concealer in NC15. The slight yellow undertones work well to conceal any blotchiness.
Powder: My powder of choice right now is MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Light. I love the way this powder buffs easily into my skin to set my foundation and concealer. I generally apply this with either the MAC 134 (large powder brush) or the MAC 183 (flat-top kabuki brush).

Blush: There are two blushes in my collection now that I seem to be gravitating toward. The first is the Laura Geller Blush n Brighten in Roseberry. This product gives me the prettiest pink glow. It is gorgeous and just a little bit gets the job done! The other item is a recent addition to my makeup stash, a Beauty Powder Blush in On a Mission, which was released with MAC's latest collection, Style Warriors. This is such a beautiful plummy blush color that applies so smoothly and warms up my cheeks wonderfully.

Bronzer: Bronzer is an absolute must for me, especially in the summertime. The Chanel Bronze Universel Makeup Base and NARS Laguna bronzers are terrific to help me warm up my complexion. I sometimes alternate between the two products (the Chanel bronzer has a cream-type consistency and the NARS bronzer is a typical powder formula), and other times I layer the NARS powder over the Chanel bronzing base to set it.

Eyeshadow: Lately I've been keeping my eye looks clean and simple (I love using color, but my poor eyelids are still recovering from an allergic reaction to something in some of my more intense shadows). On a daily basis I have been grabbing for a neutral and slightly shimmery cream shadow to use as an all-over lid wash. The product of choice has been Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow/Liner in R.S.V.P., a light shimmery champagne color. It applies smoothly and stays put (especially when I add a little Urban Decay Primer Potion underneath.....another fave!) R.S.V.P. would also make a nice base for other shadows.

Mascara: My go-to mascara has been Clinique Long Pretty Lashes. It is great for an everyday natural look. I have also been trying some colored mascaras lately. Urban Decay Big Fatty Colored Mascaras in Flipside (teal) and Electric Blue are great for adding a pop of color to the eye area, especially when the rest of the eye is left neutral.

Lip Gloss: I have been making my way fairly quickly through the Korres Cherry Lipgloss in 23 Light Purple. This is a great pinky purple color that is a MLBB shade on my highly pigmented lips. It is natural, too (really...all of Korres' products are natural!)

So there you have it! These are the products that have truly been essentials for me as of late. Everything I've mentioned works great together for a perfect everyday look.

If you want any further information on any of the items I have mentioned, please don't hesitate to leave me a comment! I'd also like to know......what are some of your makeup favorites?