Pastel Eyes of the Day Featuring Essence Cosmetics

Recent purchases from Essence Cosmetics have persuaded me to do a one-brand Eyes of the Day look with Essence products. I created this fairy-esque Candy look, just in time for Hallowe'en, using some palettes and Essence eyeliner. It is my experience that the products I used wore all day without any noticeable fading until the 8-9 hour mark.

In my crease, I used the very pigmented orange blush shade called Peach Babe from the Essence "How To Make Your Face Wow" Palette.

On the lid, I applied the violet/purple shade from the Essence All About Candies Eyeshadow Palette.

The jet black eyeliner I used was the Essence Eyeliner Pen in 01 Black

Under the black eyeliner I applied the Essence Effect Eyeliner Pencil in Steel Smurf (intense aqua blue)

The mascara used is the Jordana Best Lash Extreme Mascara in Black

I think this look is quite appropriate for the weekend, a regular day (assuming you don't work anywhere very formal), and even a Hallowe'en girly look (maybe even Easter!).

Mariposa - Glinda Eyes of the Day

My eyes of the day were inspired by the butterflies in the Mariposa palette and the ethereal look of the Glinda the Good Witch from the Wizard of Oz (and Urban Decay palette infamy). I'm excited that spring is here and the weather is finally starting to warm up, so bright colors and pastels will be the norm!

Here are the products I used for this look (as always I'll let you know exactly how to achieve this on your own):

I really wanted to do something with purples and pinks, but rather than sticking with just the violet color family, I wanted to incorporate the end of frost on my lower lash line. I did this by creating an icy blue on the inner corner that gently melds into the purple. I kept the eyeliner absolutely minimal because I didn't want it to overpower these beautiful colors, as a bold cat-eye can usually make an overwhelming statement and clash with very multicolored eyeshadow.

Primarily I used the Urban Decay Mariposa Palette, which is not part of their permanent collection, but you can still purchase it on eBay or Amazon. I also used some accent colors from the Glinda eyeshadow palette (these pop out of the palette and are full sized shadows, they are very convenient to work with). I finished the look with some bold colored purple and icy blue eyeliners, which I set with powder foundation for long-lasting wear.

1. Skimp (from the UD Mariposa Palette) all over the brow-bone up to eyebrows
2. Limelight (from the UD Mariposa Palette) on the inner 1/3rd of the lid
3. Money (from the UD Mariposa Palette) on the middle 1/3rd of the lid, blend with Limelight at border
4. Rockstar (from the UD Mariposa Palette) on the outer 1/3rd of the lid, blend with Money at border and apply all over crease generously, making sure the color is as deep as you want it
5. Infamous (from the UD Mariposa Palette) used to blend out top border of Rockstar into the brow-bone
6. Apply a creamy black eyeliner to the upper lash line (I used Sumita Beauty's Kala Black Color Intense Pencil)
7. Line the outer 2/3rds of the lower waterline and lash line with a deep purple (I used Urban Decay's 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Ransom)
1. "Set" this eyeliner with Rockstar, same eyeshadow used in step 4 above
8. Line the inner 1/3rd of the lower waterline and lash line with an icy blue (I used Rimmel Scandaleyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal 008 Light Blue)
1. "Set" this eyeliner with a light blue eyeshadow (I used the blue half of the shade Aura from the UD Glinda Palette)
9. Feather out any parts of the makeup that are too harsh, for me this was the inner corner transition, so I went in with a very light peach to fade the pink eyeshadow I used into my browbone color (UD Glinda Palette "Illusion")
10. To finish off the look, I used the black mascara Jordana Best Lash Extreme!

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Product Review & Look: Chella Eyeliner Pen in Indigo Blue

Today's look was inspired by the Chella Eyeliner Pen in Indigo Blue, which I received in March's IPSY Glam Bag! Initially, I received a sample that was dried out and I contacted Chella's customer support, they were *extremely* helpful and immediately sent me a replacement (I didn't even ask for one). I was so thrilled when it came in the mail 2 days later (wow, so fast, right?!). It's a beautiful, sponge-tip applicator eyeliner pen in a vibrant and very wearable blue shade. Best of all, the color glides on like a dream, it's water-resistant, smudge proof, quick drying, paraben and NANO-free! This is definitely my new go-to colored eyeliner: I much prefer the pen-tip application over a brush, I think you have much more control.You can just lay it down flush against your eyelashes and drag it along, letting the pen applicator do the work for you of creating a straight line.

This look started out as a simple way to showcase the eyeliner, but I just couldn't stop myself, it was so beautiful, I wanted to accentuate it with contrasting and complementary colors (so maybe this turned out a little bit Arabian Nights-esque, is anyone else's favorite Disney princess Jasmine?).

• Urban Decay's Sin all over the moving part of the eyelid 
• Urban Decay's Zephyr as the browbone highlight 
• (these colors were taken from the Urban Decay Book of Shadows IV - the original, not the redux). Feel free to use any similar shades, I know there are many dupes in the Wet 'n Wild Color Icon trios.  

• MAC's Brown Script in the crease applied in a sweeping motion, making sure to blend it out 
• Urban Decay's Freelove on top of that to warm up the crease and transition into browbone color 

• Chella Eyeliner Pen in Indigo Blue to line the eyes
• Annabella pigment in Solar mixed with water to line uppermost part of the Chella eyeliner
• Line outer 2/3rd's of bottom lash line with Urban Decay 24/7 Shadow Pencil in Rehab (bronze-brown)\
• Line inner 1/3rd of bottom lash line with Pixi Catching Shadows Crayon in Beaming Reflection (golden nude)
• Jordana Best Lash Extreme Volumizing Mascara in Black applied to upper lashes - I would avoid the lower lashes as this will take away from the drama of the upper lash line with your beautiful blue eyeliner!

 I hope you guys like the look and please let me know if any of you have tried something similar before!

PS. I don't know what I like better, the Chella Eyeliner Pen in Indigo Blue or Chella's customer support! They're definitely both awesome and you should give their products a try.

Product Review: Lorac 3D Liquid Lustre Set

I recently purchased the Lorac 3D Liquid Lustre set from the Rockin' Red Hot Collection (this came out for the holidays). I got it for $16 on Hautelook, which I thought was definitely a steal compared to the $28 it retailed for originally. These are sort of a strange formula which originally looks like 2 layers, one is a bunch of dense glitter that settles to the bottom of the glass container and the top is a more clear tinted liquid. Before usage, these should be shaken well to mix the glitter and the medium.

The color choice gives a nice variety of looks which can be achieved, but the one thing I believe they all have in common is that they shine in the evening, which I think is the ideal time to pop these on top of your muted daytime look to achieve a glittery party look! This product feels luxurious and high end and is not associated by a particularly high price tag - considering I only paid $4 per each of these, they definitely feel worth it! I love rocking glitter (even during daytime) and these can be used on your eyes, face, and anywhere else on your body you want to sparkle!

Here's a look I spruced up with a little bit of the Amethyst sparkle! It gives a nice subtle finely milled glitter which easily applies with a brush (or your finger) and you can make it more or less dramatic depending on how much of the product you layer on.

Look created with Wet n Wild palette "Flirting at the After Party", Lorac 3D liquid luster in Amethyst, Jordana Best Lash Extreme Volumizing Mascara, Jesse's Girl liquid eyeliner, Rimmel Scandaleyes waterproof kohl in Nude, Starlooks Gem Pencil in Topaz, and Milani Liquif'Eye metallic eye liner pencil in Black 

Without further ado, here are some swatches:

Lorac 3D Liquid Lustre Set - Indoor Light

 You can create a look with less or more sparkle, depending on how you concentrate the formula on your eyes, it will dry and completely set - this is much more mess-free than applying a medium and then glitter on top with a brush. These definitely take the guesswork out of which medium you should use and which glitter is eye-friendly. I do not recommend using these on your waterline, however, as no glitter is ever safe to use that close to your eye (it can be quite painful and even scratch your cornea if it goes inside your eye).

Lorac 3D Liquid Lustre Set - Flash

 As you can tell, with flash photography, these look absolutely metallic and stunning. The diamond shade veers a little pink even though it is meant to be colorless.

Lorac 3D Liquid Lustre Set - Day Light