Electric Blue Liner Eyes of the Day

Electric blue eyeshadow is something I always gravitate towards, especially if it's more of a cerulean blue or turquoise shade... however, I always struggle to find ways to incorporate pops of color (especially for spring) without looking clownish. I think this overall understated elegant look (on the lid & crease) with a classic eyeliner is perfect for that extra pop on the lower lash line.

I will tell you that I am not crazy about jamming too much product in my waterline (especially along the inner and outer corners) because I find that my eyes will tear more throughout the day and my makeup will get ruined! So I use a minimal amount of makeup in the waterline for extreme comfort and all day wear (but you could always put more product in your waterline if you prefer).

Here are the products I used for this look (it seems like a lot but it really isn't, I just like to mix and match products from various companies!):

• Eyes primed with E.L.F. HD Lifting Concealer (I've been experimenting with new eye bases and this one works very well and also eliminates staining from highly pigmented minerals such as in the UD Electric Palette!)
• Urban Decay eyeshadow in Hustle (mine is depotted and put into an old MAC palette, pictured above)
• MAC eyeshadow in Retrospeck genereously applied all over the crease
• STILA stay all day liquid wateproof eyeliner in Black (not pictured) - this is my staple eyeliner - to create that cat-eye winged look
• Urban Decay's Chaos eyeshadow from the Electric Palette on the outer 2/3rd's of my waterline
• Beneath Chaos, I used Urban Decay's Gonzo also from the Electric Palette to smoke it out and smudge the harsh line
• On the inner corner of lower lash line - Stila's Smudge Stick Waterproof Eye Liner in Empress to draw the light in and make me appear more awake (see swatch below)

• Upper lash mascara - Tarte's Lights Camera Lashes (only 1 coat)
• Lower lash mascara - Max Factor Vivid Impact Mascara in 910 (bought these off eBay and they're AWESOME - but more of a dry formula and they have a synthetic brush) - the blue really didn't compete with the blue shadow I was using and this was ideal for my look

Close-up of the completed look:

I hope you're all doing well and having a wonderful beginning of Spring!

Great Steals on Eyeshadow Palettes

If you're more a neutral lover, you may want to consider the It Cosmetics Naturally Pretty palette. There's a Friends and Family Sale going on for 25% off their entire site with the code "CELEBRATE" (until 4/8/2104) but it can only be used on purchases over $30. The regular price of this palette is $42 but with the 25% discount you can get it for $31.50 and free shipping (over $25 on their website). This palette is special because you can use the "transforming pearl" shade to make the matte eyeshadows (which are all of the shadows in this palette) have a more shimmery finish - it really seems you can customize your look! The website also boasts that the eyeshadow formula is infused with "ultra-hydrating age reserve and preventative complex"... I would take those claims with a grain of salt - though having an age-reversing palette would be epic!

For a limited time only, you can purchase (and you bet that I did!) the Anastasia Lavish Palette without the holiday set (this came out in the fall of 2013 for $38 originally) and you get 10 amazing eyeshadows for $24. I think this is an absolute steal, especially since shipping in the US is free from the Anastasia website and there's no tax! The gem shades in this palette are super buttery and pigmented (according to swatches I've seen online) and have awesome color payoff. I absolutely can't wait to get mine in the mail to do some looks and swatches for you guys!

Thanks for the heads up to these sales due to one of my favorite blogs Nouveau Cheap

Lorac Pro Palette - Eyes of the Day

The Lorac Pro Palette has long been a cult favorite and beauty bloggers/vloggers rave about it day in and out. This is for good reason, the palette features 16 different shades in 2 finishes - half of the shades are a shimmery pearl finish and the rest are matte finish. You can get so many different neutral looks from this palette, it's definitely a no-brainer for a working girl on the go.

Here's a look at what I used to achieve this mauve-garnet eye look. I tend to be inspired more by the darker colors of the palette which remind me of autumn leaves (they're not so offensively dark that they can't be worn during the day).

• Eyelids primed with 70 Barely Branded Maybelline Color Tattoo (part of permanent Metal collection)
• Browbone highlight is the matte Cream shade
• Mauve applied all over crease in sweeping motion
• Deep Purple applied all over lid
• Inner corner accentuated with Gold to draw the light in and make eye appear bigger
• Middle 1/3rd of the eyelid warmed up with Garnet and blended out

• liquid eyeliner applied to moving part of the eyelid and flicked out into a small wing - Kat Von D saint eye liner in Trooper
• Inner 1/3rd of waterline highlighted with Chella Ivory Lace Highlighter
• Urban Decay 24/7 Eye Pencil in Empire used on outer 2/3rd's of waterline
• Eyebrows filled in with elf Eyebrow Kit in medium
• Mascara applied: Tarte Lights Camera Flashes

New Product Alert - Too Faced A La Mode Eyes

Too Faced is fast becoming one of my favorite makeup brands with their creativity, color selection and shadow pigmentation. A new eye palette is out for their summer collection, it's called the A La Mode Eyes palette.  This palette is available at Ulta for $36 (this is the standard price for Too Faced's 9-shadow sets).

The layout of the palette features the lightest 3 shades (which can also be used as highlighters) in much larger quantity than the rest of the shadows. I'm a little disappointed with the color selection because the colors St. Tropez and La Croisette appear very similar - they could have added another shade, such as a gold. 

I don't physically have this palette yet but I wanted to show you some swatches:

Credit: http://daniellecaliforniaa.blogspot.com/2014/03/too-faced-la-mode-eyes-summer-eye.html

I wouldn't call this palette a must-buy but I would suggest it if you couldn't get your hands on any of their holiday eyeshadow sets (a lot of the colors are very similar there, even the fuschia) and you like to experiment with color during the spring/summer. I like that this palette features 2 nice transition browns, I do think it's lacking some sort of a grayish shade but the theme of this palette is definitely warm-toned.

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.

E.L.F. Mineral Lipstick Swatches & Review

This review and swatches have been a long time coming, just because I wanted to make sure each of these lipsticks was consistent with what I've come to expect from the line-up. I first purchased one and then got my hands on 3 more. After putting them through the ringer and wearing these lipsticks quite a lot, I wanted to do a review. 

I would never recommend a product I don't personally love. And I've got to say, I *love* these lipsticks. They feel moisturizing and hydrating on the lips, the color is not too intense, in that it does not overwhelm the natural color of my lips. You can build them up to look as intense as in the tube, but you can also achieve a sheer wash of color with a light application. 

The shades I have purchased seem to have microglitter in them, this gives a beautiful sheen to the lips and isn't chunky or even really noticeable to the naked eye. With 16 shades with choose from, the mineral lipsticks only cost $5 each and I usually purchase mine during one of E.L.F.'s many 50% off sales. 

• Nicely Nude is a peach-toned nude lipstick with golden flecks of microglitter, I think it's extremely wearable and can easily be pulled off in any season, any time of the day. 
• Cool Coral reminds me of spring, it's a coral with fewer flecks of golden microglitter that blend in beautifully to the shade - I think this is a wonderful daytime spring/summer shade. 
• Barely Bitten is a "your lips but better" shade that gives just a nice flush of bright redness to your lips, almost like when you're out in the cold - again, I think this is a universal color. 
• Rich Raspberry is for red lipstick lovers, it's a deeper shade of red which borders on a berry, I love this for nights out and rock it readily throughout all seasons. 

And of course, I decided to show you what these shades look like on my lips (which are fairly light red pigmented). 

My personal favorites are Barely Bitten and Rich Raspberry as I think they suit a fair skin tone so well. I'm not a huge fan of nudes because I feel that they wash me out, but seeing as this one has some pink to it, it's one I can more easily get away with than a cooler-toned shade. 

Next time I place an order, I'll definitely be picking up some more of these tried, tested and true favorites.

Urban Decay Electric Palette Eyes of The Day

Since the latest craze is the Urban Decay Electric pressed pigment palette (which is now available for purchase), I love that everyone's getting into springtime pops of color! I decided to use it for my look of the day, which is a green/blue mermaid-like combination.

Here's a quick guide of the colors I used to achieve this look from the Urban Decay Electric Palette:

I started by working from the inner corner out on my eyelid. In the inner corner, I placed Revolt and patted that on gently to get a saturated color. I find that this palette works best in patting motions and gentle blending rather than swiping back and forth to get a concentrated pop of color where you want it. I then went in with Thrash on the middle third of the eyelid. I put Gonzo on the outer 2/3rd's of the lid, layering it over Thrash for a nice transition color. I used Freak and blended the colors up into my crease, making sure to go in with a clean brush to clean the top of the shade up to the browbone. Then I used Slowburn at the very top edge of my crease where I placed Freak and I made sure to blend it out so that it looks close to my skintone for a very natural warmth to the look.

On the lower lash line, I simply used Freak to line the outer 2/3rd's of the eye and carried Revolt to the inner corner of my eye.  For mascara, I used Benefit's They're Real and to line my eyes, I used Stila's sparkle waterproof liquid eye liner in Starry. The colors ended up overwhelming my eyes and they were starting to get lost in all of the color, so I decided to place some half-lashes to finish up the look (I think this makes my eyes look bigger, especially since it draws out the outer corners).

If you haven't seen my review of this palette complete with swatches, make sure to check that out if you're interested in purchasing it (since it is quite pricey at $49 for this medium-sized palette). You may, or you may not know, that there is a disclaimer/warning on the palette which states that the colors Slowburn, Savage, Jilted and Urban are not FDA approved for immediate eye usage. I interpret this as meaning that you probably shouldn't be using them on your eyelid if you have sensitive eyes but you could use them in your crease and upwards. I wouldn't recommend putting these colors on your waterline but I have used them on my eyelid and I didn't have any adverse reaction.