Magic: The Gathering Nissa Revane Inspired Makeup

Up next in the Magic: The Gathering Makeup Series, we have Nissa Revane! She has seen a lot of renewed love from the card Nissa, Worldwaker from the M15 set. She is a nature-mage and of the elven race. 

This look was definitely more involved than the Chandra Nalaar look I did yesterday since it involved a lot of facial markings and it was more difficult for me to achieve the right facial proportions, seeing as her head is lean, long and her features are quite harsh (contouring ftw!). 

Here's the concept and art that I based this look of Nissa Revane on:

Magic: The Gathering, Wizards of the Coast - Artist: Jaime Jones, 2009

 As before, I'm happy to take you through all the steps involved in creating this labor of love!

Start with a completely bare face, cover up any redness (and general other color you may have) to achieve a creamy smooth complexion. I used a ton of concealer all over my face, including my eyes and eyebrows - I really caked it on my eyebrows since the reference art shows Nissa with very fine brows.

The next step was adding Taupe on my lid, Sable as my transition shade and Espresso to define a larger domed shape around my eye to create the elongated elf-eyes and change my proportions. All colors used were from the LORAC PRO Palette . I made sure to add brown eyeshadows all the way up to my eyebrows around the inner corner since she has a triangular eye look.

I used a NYX Retractable Eye Pencil Brown  to define the fake new crease I created to make the dimensions of my eyes approximately 1/3rd larger. Then I took a light green eyeshadow from my Coastal Scents 88 Original Palette to subtly create some nature elf eyebrows.

I also blended out the liner with brown eyeshadows and carried them under my eye as well to create a cohesive look. I padded Cream from the LORAC PRO Palette onto the inner to center part of my eyelid to create a brightening effect.

e.l.f. Dramatic Eyelashes were applied and topped with a black Physicians Formula eyeliner to create a more defined look.

Then my camera died for a little while so I don't have intermittent photos. I contoured my face and nose by carrying the brown from my eyeshadow down the sides of the bridge of my nose. I minimized my nostrils and the tip of my nose by also applying some contour shades from the Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Kit (a mixture of Fawn and Havana).

I applied tape to the straight lines in the makeup, which you can see above. Then I mixed brown and black eyeshadow from the Coastal Scents 88 Original Palette and colored along the edges of the tape. I also used my brown eyeliner to draw guidelines where the markings on her face begin and end so I could connect them symmetrically - however, I would suggest you use a nude eyeliner because I had to go back and conceal the brown color where I didn't apply color.

The lips were an adventure! First, I lined my lips with the NYX Retractable Eye Pencil in Brown. This created a pretty harsh look, just what I was going for! Then I created an ombre by smudging the liner out with a darker brown, then I worked up to a medium brown in the center of my lips. I think they turned out looking rather earthy.

After lots more tweaking and perfecting with concealer, make-shift post-it curved stencils, and free-handing spiky designs, we have a completed look! Phewf! I do have to say this look probably took me about 2 hours to get right, I was surprised just how long it took me to get the contour of my eyes to be slightly less human and more elvish.

Happy Hallowe'en everybody! Hope you enjoyed this look!

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!).

Sonia Kashuk 15th Anniversary Brush Set (only at Target) - Review & Photos

 

Sonia Kashuk 15th Anniversary Sets are on sale now at Target, for approximately 40-50% off, depending on the location. I picked up the Sonia Kashuk 15th Anniversary Brush Set and this is my first impression of the product as well as a review of how these brushes perform after having used them for about a week. This set normally retails for $39.99 but I picked mine up for $27 during the clearance sale.

The brush set comes with 15 brushes and features a wide array of brushes, I can't even think of any others which you may need to complete your beauty routine, this is an all-inclusive set. The purple bristles, golden ferrules, aubergine weighted handles, and golden cap bottoms make them look very elegant and high end.

Let's start by reviewing everybody's favorites: the eye brushes. From right to left, the set contains: a large blending brush, a medium crease blending brush, a small crease brush and a flat eyeshadow brush. The flat eyeshadow brush is ideal for packing color onto the lid. The medium crease blending brush is great for applying a crease transition shade and the small crease brush is wonderful for targeted application of a crease shade.The large blending brush is for feathering out your shadows after application to achieve a seamless look. All of these brushes perform as well as any higher end brushes I own.

You also receive, from left to right, an eyebrow spoolie, a flat lipliner/eyebrow/small shadow brush, an angled liner/eyebrow brush, and a pointed shadow liner brush. I like to use the flat lipliner/eyebrow/small shadow brush (not its technical name) to apply powder to my eyebrows, and the angled brush is ideal for applying gel eyeliner. The pointed shadow liner brush is great for getting color just under the lower lashline, this has been my primary use for it. 

These are two very conventional brushes, one is a larger powder brush and the other is a blush brush, I use them as the names suggest and am very pleased with the results. The blush brush is the ideal size to cover the apples of my cheeks and up to my temples.

The dense brushes in this set are a an angled foundation/powder brush and a buffing brush. I use the angled brush to apply my foundation, but it does not provide the smoothest of finishes, so I go back over my liquid foundation with the buffing brush to make it seamlessly blend into my skin. Both of these brushes also perform very well with powders.

This contour brush is worth the purchase of this whole set, it is a dupe of the NARS Ita brush (which is a single brush that costs $55!) - I can tell you that it is varied from it in the sense that it is more densely packed, has a larger thickness and has slightly shorter bristles. I use this brush to deepen my contour after using a larger brush to apply a contour transition shade.

These are the liquid/cream brushes which are best used as a foundation brush and small concealer brush. I like using these with thick products because they provide a very precise application while not letting product drip all over my face. Ideally I find that these apply concealer well under my eyes and on spots. 

Overall, I think this purchase is a great buy, the brushes don't bleed when you wash them although I do suspect that they will start to fade a little bit after multiple washes. There is also no hair fall-out from these brushes, they are dense and stay that way through continued usage - so they are nice quality overall, especially for their value (they were less than $2 each for what I paid!).

Essence Cosmetics - All About Candies & All About Nude Eyeshadows (Review & Swatches)

Continuing on with my Essence haul, I'll share with you the All About Candies Eyeshadow palette, which is a collection of soft pastels, creamy to the touch and featuring a rainbow assortment of shades.

 I also picked up the All About Nude Eyeshadow palette which is a nice dupe for the Wet N Wild Melrose at Night palette that was a very coveted Fall 2014 Limited Edition product (you can see my post about that collection here).

Essence All About Candies Eyeshadows

Essence All About Candies Eyeshadows - Swatches (no primer)

The All About Candies Eyeshadow Palette swatches very beautifully, except the peach, pink and purple shade seem to swatch exactly the same. I'm most impressed with the yellow, blue and green shades, which are very unique and really do wear well over primer for 6-8 hours without fading. These palettes are only $4.99 so I wasn't expecting anything amazing out of the shadows, but I was very pleasantly surprised! I wouldn't recommend this palette if you're looking for 6 unique pastels, but you will receive 4 different identifiable shades, in my opinion. 

Essence All About Nude Eyeshadows

Essence All About Nude Eyeshadows - Swatches (no primer)

The All About Nude Eyeshadow Palette was extremely impressive, out of the whole bunch I only found one dud, and that is the 2nd shade in the top row - this color is poorly pigmented (probably due to its matte nature) and basically just won't show up on my skin at all. The shimmers are all very distinct colors, I especially love the dupe for MAC's Sketch which is the final swatch and the rightmost shadow in the bottom row of the palette. This palette can give you either a romantic look or a vampy look, depending on which colors you apply and the level of intensity you apply them with.  I highly recommend this palette.

Overall, I think these palettes are very good quality, in terms of their value for the price. They are soft and buttery and easy to apply on the eye, as well as having good lasting power (especially if you use them over a primer). I think your happiness with these palettes is probably going to be related to the color selection - you will definitely enjoy these palettes if you wear the one you choose!

Essence How To Make Your Face WOW Make-Up Box

Hello from Canada! I'm visiting my family for awhile and have found some goodies at a local Shoppers Drug Mart. I'm very impressed with their Essence collection as I have a hard time finding the products in the US sometimes (although Ulta carries them, the displays are usually ravaged and picked through). To my surprise, everything was in pristine condition and I was able to grab a couple of items!

Essence - How To Make Your Face Wow Make-Up Box

The first product I want to review for you is the How to Make Your face WOW Make-Up Box, which contains 4 face products: a bronzer, a highlighter and 2 blushes (one peach and one pink). This make-up box retails for $9.99 and I find it to be a drugstore version of the Benefit Cosmetics Cheeky Sweet Spot Box O' Blushes or the Tarte Pin Up Girl Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush Palette released for the Holiday 2014 season. I love what a great deal this set is, you're receiving 4 generously-sized face products, each priced at $2.50.

Essence - How To Make Your Face Wow Make-Up Box

With the exception of the pink blush featured in this make-up box, all other face products are shimmery - most of the shimmer is an overspray but there is still a noticeable amount when the products are swatched. I am very pleased with the texture and overall smoothness of application of these Essence products. I admit that I knew I would love these blushes before I purchased them because I'm a huge fan of the Essence Silky Touch Blush singles. The pink color is extremely pigmented and can be a little scary in the pan, but I promise that if it is applied gently and with a light hand, it has a nice, naturally flushed look on the face.

I took some close-up swatches in natural lighting without any primer or foundation underneath so you can get a sense of just how pigmented and smooth these colors are. There isn't any noticeable chalkiness or chunkiness to the products. I like the attention to detail and all of the kits offered in this line really remind me of the much more expensive Benefit boxed sets. Most of all, I think this is a wonderful set because of its travel-ability - you can easily carry this small set and have a good variety of products to complete your entire on the go.

What are your favorite products from Essence and do you have any product recommendations for me from this brand? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

Product Review: NYX Haul

Ulta had a 40% off sale on all NYX cosmetics last week and I indulged in getting some of the products I had been eyeing. If you've seen my previous review, you'll know that I really enjoyed the NYX Hot Singles. I have heard other bloggers and vloggers rave about the HD concealer and the Baked Blush, the color lip balm and roll on shimmer actually arrived in my Total Beauty Favorites Sampler Box (use code 2FER to get 2 boxes for the price of one)

I purchased 2 eyeshadow hot singles in the colors Money Maker and Dare. The pigmentation of these is on par with the other colors I have reviewed in the past. They are similar to MAC eyeshadows in terms of color, wear and staying power. I also got the NYX Baked Blush, which appears in the pan to be quite shimmery, in the color Wanderlust. To my surprise, this was very lightly pigmented and is probably better used as a highlight or cheek topper rather than a blush - or you can use it as a blush for a bronze-y more blended look. The shimmer really doesn't show up as much as I thought it would, but that isn't necessarily a negative.

Here are my swatches of the products.

I received the NYX Color Lip Balm in the color Merci and the NYX roll on Shimmer in Taupe from my Total Beauty Collection box. I was pleasantly surprised with the lip balm! It has a sweet taste to it, takes only 1 swipe for a sheer wash of color and can easily be built up into a bold, vibrant color on your lips. This is a great item for on-the-go application where you don't want to worry too much about getting perfect edges, it's very forgiving.  The shimmer in Taupe is very pigmented and has extremely good color payoff, but is very prone to glitter fall-out, so I don't know if I could use this all over my lid, as I would probably fear the glitter falling into my eye. If you're going to use this on your eyes, I highly recommend using a setting product or some cosmetic glitter glue. 

The NYX HD Concealer in Fair was my "gut instinct" purchase, because from all of the swatches I saw online, this looked like it had good opacity and would be a great brightening concealer. My gut was right, it is! You can tell by my swatches, it even retains the majority of its opacity when blended out. I think the color is a good match for me and it does act brightening because it doesn't have as yellow of undertones as my skin, so it makes certain areas appear slightly more highlighted. This concealer has good staying power but I did set it with my Tarte Maracuja powder, as with all under-eye correctors.

Hope you found this catch-all review helpful!