Monday, November 23, 2009

120 days of shadow: Day 34

So today. Phew, I'm caught up now. Blue-toned purple today, to go with my purple cords, which I finally got to break out since it was finally got cold here in the South. I really like this kind of purple. Much more flattering than the pinky-violet shades I've been wearing. Bleh.


On my lips is my most favoritest lipgloss of all time. I know what you're thinking. What about Blushberry Shine?? Are you crazy, woman? How could you be so adulterous? To borrow from Brian Reagan, Blushberry Shine is favorite. But this one is a little more favorite. And it's surprising, too, because it's probably the cheapest lipgloss in the world. I dare you to find a cheaper one. It's Donna Michelle's Lipgloss in Cherry. I bought this on a whim one time at Dollar Tree (yeah, it doesn't sound like too reliable of a source, but I've actually found really good products at Dollar Tree.... Oooo, I feel a post coming on!). But despite its shady origins, it's fabulous! It has the prettiest sheer red color (which is great for pale blue-eyed people like myself), smells wonderful, and has a smooth texture that I love. Kind of waxy, but in a good way. Which makes sense because it's made of beeswax.... I've tried some other colors, but they're not as good. The other ones smell funky, and don't have hardly any pigment to them. But this is my go-to gloss. It matches anything and really brightens up my face.

120 days of shadow: Day 33

This is my photo from yesterday. I had my new (well not new exactly.... got them at Goodwill for 50% off haha.... that's how cheap I am) shiny cobalt flats on, so my eyeshadow served as an homage to their awesomeness.

I mixed some pewter in there too to make it smokier. Oh and blue liner (Jordana Easyliner for Eyes in Blue Devine. No, I didn't misspell that, that's what it says!):

My lips didn't photograph well, but it's CoverGirl Lipslicks in Cutie, which is like a tinted lip balm. I used to have one of these in middle school (ha!) and I loved it. When I was out shopping the other day, I saw these and was reminded of how softening they were. And right now I'm really on a tinted lip balm kick. Plus this shade is cool- it's kind of beigy, metallic, and shimmery at the same time. And I definitely need more neutrals in my collection, since I have lots of brights. (Just incase you were wondering, I still prefer brights.)Photo: Drugstore.com

120 days of shadow: Day 32

This is what I picked out for Saturday (even though it's Monday... oops). I didn't really feel like doing anything crazy because, um, it was Saturday. And I spent all day cleaning and studying. Glamorous, yes I know.

For the rest of my look, I put on lots of blush (Wet 'n Wild Ultimate Minerals in Rose Shimmer) and the lipstick I wore on my wedding day (everyone say awwwwwwww). It's CoverGirl Outlast in My Papaya. I like that it's almost my actual lip color, but a little brighter and punchier. Plus this stuff will not come off. Ever. Unless you get some kind of makeup remover, or if you're cheap like me, baby oil. Works like magic. I use it for my eye makeup too.

Friday, November 20, 2009

120 days of shadow: Day 31

Hot pink today. Not my favorite, but I guess it's OK. I put a paler pink on the inner part of my eyelids to keep it from look like I'd just had a major cry-fest.

The reason this picture looks cheesy is because I was trying to show off my nail polish. It's one of those $2 Sinful Colors bottles from Walgreens (although I have seen them at some Targets too). The shade is Midnight Blue and it's very pigmented and very shiny. I painted my nails 3 days ago, and washed a whole sink full of nastiness today, and they're still perfect! No base or top coat or anything. Sweet.

Oh yeah, did I mention they're BOGO (free!) right now at Walgreens? Tomorrow is the last day so GO!

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

120 days of shadow: Day 30

I decided to show how to do a classic look today. Anyone with any coloring can wear this, and it's good for special occasions. The elements:

1. Black liquid liner

2. Pale shimmery highlighter

3. Red lipstick.


I didn't actually put eyeshadow on my eyelids today, but just to mix things up, I put a pale shimmery sand on my brow bone and on the inside corners of my eyes.

The lipstick I'm wearing is Maybelline Forever Metallic Lip Pencil in Sleek Scarlet. I like the color, but it's kind of sticky. Good thing it's discontinued :P.

Monday, November 16, 2009

120 days of shadow: Day 29

It was kind of gray outside, so I felt like wearing muted colors. I applied a pale green with a light hand:

and lined my eyes with Rimmel Exaggerate Eyeliner in Pine. I also did something I've never done before- I put concealer on my lips to cancel out their pink color, and put gold gloss on top. I read one time that Victoria Beckham doesn't actually wear lip color- she fills in her lips with a nude pencil, and then mixes it with clear gloss. Weird. It's a cool idea and a cool look, but I'm very partial to my colors. But it was fun for a day.

Friday, November 13, 2009

120 days of shadow: Day 28

My eyeshadow was boring today. Just champagne. My lipstick? Just plain awesome.


I'm wearing Maybelline Superstay Lipcolor in Cherry. Boy do I love lipstick. So why am I stuck doing different eyeshadow looks??

Thursday, November 12, 2009

120 days of shadow: Day 27

Sapphire liner today. But for some reason it doesn't really look sapphire in the pics. But it is, OK? Get off my back.

All I did was take my angle brush (EcoTools, in case you were wondering. They're great!), get it wet, and line my entire eye with the damp shadow.

Oh, Blushberry Shine again for the lips. It's just my favorite of all time.

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

120 days of shadow: Day 26

I think I either saw this eyeshadow look on a friend of mine from high school, or out of a magazine, or I just made it up out of sheer awesomeness. I picked this strange blue color that looks like one of the crayons in a 12-pack.... indigo, maybe?

I only applied the indigo to the inner half of my eye. I shaded the rest of my lid and the crease in with brown, and then blended them together really well in the middle. The effect is kind of metallic, which is cool. I imagine it'd be even more believable if you used two colors that are similar in hue- like gold on the inside and bronze on the outside. Hmmm, maybe I'll try that.

I didn't want my lips to compete with my eye makeup, but I'm sick of nude lip gloss. Boring. So I picked one that
almost nude- shimmery gold! Love. It's Maybelline Wet Shine Diamonds Liquid in Gold Gleam. If you love it, sorry, because it's discontinued. Which is really too bad because I liked Maybelline's "Wet Shine Diamonds" line (gloss and lipstick) a lot. But I got it at Dollar Tree after it was discontinued, which is cool. It really is a good way to try out new looks. You can try a color that's out of character for you, and if you love love love it, you can find a product that looks very similar. Well that's what I do, anyway.

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

120 days of shadow: Day 25

Purple again. It's a nice color for fall, I think. This time I smudged the shadow on my inner corners.

This is that other lip product from the Y100 store. I usually don't go for candy pink lip gloss, because it blends into my lips and looks clear (the picture above is case in point...), but I had to buy it because it said "jewelry lip gloss" on the tube! Wow, I'm a sucker for advertising....

Monday, November 9, 2009

120 days of shadow: Day 24

Only 24 days so far?? Geez, this is killing me. I wanna go back to my sands and taupes.... Waaah.

Now that I've got that out of my system, today's look was anything but neutral. It's this cool-looking color of green that I never know how to describe. I have a hoodie that color that I love. It's kind of like the offspring of emerald, teal, and aquamarine.


On my lids I'm just wearing brown, with that green color on my lower lids:


On my lips I have... nothing! Haha, bet you weren't expecting that. I may have put clear Carmex on one time... or maybe not, I don't know. It was a weird day. With weird eye makeup to match.

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Wow.... How can I look like this??

This model from Elise Bergman has the best makeup in the whole world...!

Bless my poor little heart. I need that peachy glow right now!

120 days of shadow: Day 23

Let me just say, I am not a Twilight fan. Phew, that felt good to get off my chest. The reason I say that is because I copied Kristen Stewart's makeup today. I don't even like her (just her eye makeup).

This is my best Kristen Stewart pissed off face haha. Fail. I'm no good at looking pissed off. I still look like a Precious Moments doll. And I think the flash washed out the color because it looked smokier in the mirror. Maybe I need a new mirror.

The key to this look is the brown shadow in a weird place around your eyes, kind of like a halo.

And the pewter smudged in your crease and under your eyes.

And yes, I'm wearing Blushberry Shine (by CoverGirl Trushine) on my lips.

Today's post is brought to you by the color silver. In the inner corners at least.

Saturday, November 7, 2009

How to pack light and still look beautiful

Before I flew to Japan last week, I knew I didn't wanna be bogged down by lots and lots of beauty products while I was traveling or while I was away. At the same time, I hate it when you scrimp on items in your suitcase, and then realize too late that you desperately needed it just to function on a basic level. So here are all the beauty products (not makeup, but like toiletries) I took with me on a very very long international flight, all of which fit into a fairly small cosmetic bag:

1) Dove Beauty Bar- for my face. Planes tend to dry your skin out, so a moisturizing wash is important!
2) Detangler & wide-tooth comb. Because I have the world's tangliest hair.
3) Perfume strips from my vast collection of magazines. They turned out to be very useful, and are spill-proof! No worrying about a smashed perfume bottle in your suitcase. Plus I got to try out a bunch of new perfumes.
4) A Ziploc bag filled with several wet wipes. These are great for keeping your face clean on a long plane ride, and also for taking the easy way out on skincare when you're severely jet-lagged.
5) A container of bobby pins (they're in an old CVS prescription bottle. It's not pretty, but it works).
6) A small bottle of tea tree oil. I love this stuff. It tingles and disinfects your pores. I like it better than benzoyl peroxide treatments.
7) The world's smallest squeeze bottle filled with contact solution (in the pic, it has a blue lid). It holds enough for 2-3 days, which you won't need more than in your carry-on. I had a regular-sized bottle in my checked bag.
8) Olay Total Effects Eye Transforming Cream. It's in a tiny pot that's perfect for traveling, and brights up the nastiness underneath my eyes.
9) Toothbrush & travel-sized toothpaste. My toothbrush is lime green (surprise!).
10) Contact case & an extra pair of contacts. Because there's nothing worse than losing a contact away from home. Trust me, I've done it. Several times. And finally by the age of 21, I've learned something.
11) Deodorant. Um, no explanation necessary. Almost all deodorants are less than 3 oz, so don't buy a travel-sized one! There's almost nothing in there. You'll end up wasting your money.
12) A travel bottle that I filled with Suave Kids 2-1 shampoo & conditioner in Fairy Berry Strawberry. I love this stuff. I use it for my hair, body wash, and shaving gel when I'm traveling. It's just so easy, so cheap, and so wonderful smelling!
13) A travel bottle that I filled with my Lubriderm lotion with AHA's. It's the only thing that helps the "chicken skin" on my arms. Oh, and since it has AHA's in it, you can also use it on your face when it's dull.
14) Lime green disposable razor.
15) A tiny bottle of hand sanitizer from Bath & Body Works in White Citrus. Mmmm, that's my favorite scent from B&BW. But I'm very partial to citrusy smells. I think this tiny airplane-perfect bottle is $2.
16) An empty lip gloss pot that I filled with my moisturizer- St. Ives Collagen Elastin Facial Moisturizer. This is a great product. And also a great idea. Definitely save your leftover lip gloss (or eye cream) pots for travel uses. You'll end up saving money.
17) A ponytail holder. Actually I think I had several of these, because I have a weird habit of stuffing a few into the pockets of every pair of pants I own. I'm paranoid about being stranded somewhere with really really bad hair and no ponytail holder. What a nightmare.

The only thing I wish I'd had? Some kind of face scrub. My skin got kinda dull during the trip, and I really wished I had something to correct that. Oh, well. I'll remember that for the next time I unexpectedly get to fly halfway across the world.

What about lip products?? How do you pare those down?? This is nothing new, but I really love lipstick and feel weirdly insecure without about 7 in my purse at all times (because you never know hen you'll need lavender or cherry or nude!). That was until I had a brilliant idea:

A small lipstick palette! I got this one at Dollar Tree and it has really great colors! I used nothing else all week. Each pan has enough product for 3-4 uses, so this would last you for a longer trip too. Not bad, huh? I was really proud of myself for how light my purse felt :).

120 days of shadow: Day 22

I attempted to look like a glowing sunset today. I have a very very pale lilac on my lids, golden peach under my lower lashes, Wet 'n Wild Ultimate Minerals Blush in Rose Shimmer (I blogged about this yesterday) on my cheeks, and Jordana InColor Pretty Shine Luxury Gloss in Dazzling (it looks bright tangerine in the tube) on my lips. Just a little bit. I hate looking goopy.

I love the pretty shimmer and glow that this ($3!) blush gives to my cheeks. They have at least 3 other colors, too- mauve, peach, and pink, I think.

I skipped the eyeliner today. It's too heavy for a sunset. But I will admit that I felt kinda naked today without it.

Friday, November 6, 2009

120 days of shadow: Day 21

Happy Rory Gilmore Day! In honor of this (self-concocted) holiday, everyone should break out their navy blue sweaters, a bowl of coffee, and the awesome makeup I'll be posting about. Here's the picture on the cover of Season 7 that I've probably stared at since it was released on DVD, which was like... 3 years ago. Awesome.

I think I finally found the winning combination for Rory's makeup:

1) On the show she usually wears a shimmery peachy shadow. I tried this one:


2) An awesome shimmery blush.
3) Coral lips.
I'm wearing Maybelline Superstay Lipcolor in Coral (I wore the Wine one on Tuesday). Love this stuff! But for some reason, in this picture above it looks a lot brighter than in real life. The other picture is more accurate. Trust me, it's pretty.

What's on my cheeks, you may ask. Well I'll tell you!! I just bought a new blush and thought I'd test it out. It's Wet 'n Wild Ultimate Minerals in Rose Shimmer. I'm not a huge Wet 'n Wild fan, but all of these blushes looked so pretty that I had to try one (um, they're $3 so I don't feel that bad). This one is beautiful. It has some shimmer to it, and it's one of those colors that I feel like would bring out a natural rosiness in every complexion. It looks coral since I'm wearing a coral lipstick, but I tried it with baby pink too, and it looks more rosy pink.

Well, my face kind of looks like Rory. Too bad my hair doesn't.

Thursday, November 5, 2009

120 days of shadow: Day 20

I wore an outfit of drab colors today (channeling my inner Ashley Olsen) so I decided I needed at least two eyelids worth of color. Violet! Um, I'm pretty sure it looked more vibrant in the mirror than it does on camera. Oh well. Just believe me when I say it was vibrant violet (that's kind of hard to say). I blended that gilded shade from yesterday into my crease just.... because.

On my lips I'm wearing this beautiful shade (the lipstick above) I got on my trip to Japan last week. It's actually from the 100 yen store! (kind of like Dollar Tree here, only much much better). I used to shop there all the time for makeup when I lived in Japan, but alas, I'm stuck in the US, at least for now. So if you're luckier than me and are in Japan, you can usually find really nice products at the Y100 store! The lipstick looks sort of pink in the picture, but it's more champagne-y. And pearly. Yay.

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

120 days of shadow: Day 19

Wore an earthy scarf today, ergo the earthy eyeshadow. This kind of feels like cheating, though, because I would've worn a color like this anyway, eyeshadow challenge or not! That's because it's a neutral. I think at the end of this "120 days" thing, I'm gonna look through all of the looks and pick some favorites. I can already tell I'm liking the orange/pinky/peachy ones a lot. Big surprise. The cool-toned ones? Not so much.



On my lips I have L'Oreal's Color Riche Lipstick in Laetitia's Blush, that shade I blogged about a couple of months ago. I don't know who Laetitia is, or why she's blushing, but I like the color. Unfortunately, it was a limited time only shade. Boo. It's the one I got (for free!) at Walgreens, just by asking! That's how bad the economy is, folks.

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

120 days of shadow: Day 18

Ok.... so it's not technically Day 18, but it's the 18th day of my eyeshadow craziness! Sorry there's been a massive break. I was on an unexpected, whirlwind trip to Japan (!) and just got back. Did I wear crazy eyeshadow on my trip? Nope, not at all. Actually I don't even think I wore eyeshadow, just liquid liner, which was a fun change. And you'll definitely be amazed by how little lip products I packed, especially for a lipstick junkie like me. I'll write more about that later :P. I'll do a special travel post or something.

ANYWAY, onto the important stuff. Like superficial cosmetics. Today I wore a kind of pink-toned sand. I kept it neutral because I really wanted to wear my awesome Wine lipstick again. I love love love bright lipstick.


I wore this lipstick a couple weeks ago when I went to the symphony. It's Maybelline's Superstay in Wine. I also have Coral and Cherry, both of which are really nice. I love how they give your lips that whole "lit from within" thing, whatever that means. I get what they're saying, but I hate that phrase. My point is, I like how lipstick with a nice finish emphasizes your lips instead of draws attention to goopy, shiny crap on them.