Magic: The Gathering Chandra Nalaar Inspired Makeup!

For Hallowe'en (and even going past the season) I decided that an interesting series to do would be Magic: The Gathering inspired makeup! I've wanted to do this for awhile now since my husband is *really* into the game and we often go to tournaments and engage in the community. My husband has done a lot of border extensions and artwork so I figured a good way to express my artistic aptitude for the game would be using the only canvas I actually know how paint on: my face.

Here's what Chandra Nalaar looks like in Magic: The Gathering:

Credit: Magic: The Gathering, Artwork by Steve Argyle

I took a series of photos that breaks down how to achieve this look if you're interested!

Start with a bare face, apply primer to your skin and a foundation that matches your skin-tone. Conceal your eyebrows using concealer (you can also use glue and light powder but I didn't think this was necessary for this look).

Then I used a burgundy red eyeshadow to fill in my eyebrows to get a better match to Chandra's auburn fire-burned brows. She has a brown undertone in the artwork, so my natural color played well with this, if you're a blonde you may want to mix brown and red eyeshadow to create an auburn effect.

I used Urban Decay's single eyeshadow in Freelove (golden vibrant peach) in my crease and applied an orange eyeshadow from the Coastal Scents 88 Original Palette. I used this nifty trick of applying some tape extending out in a line from my lower lash line to achieve a precise edge - make sure to press the tape on the back of your hand a few times before applying it around your delicate eye area to make sure the adhesive is weak.

Near the lashline, roughly apply a matte black eyeshadow, I used the one from the LORAC PRO Palette. Then, on my lid, between the bold orange I applied in the previous step and above the Black shade, I used Garnet (or a deep, shimmery red) from the same palette.

I defined the line with my Physicians Formula liquid eyeliner in Black to get a very crisp and bold edge. Then I used the Coastal Scents palette and put the yellow-most shade all around the inner corner of my eye.

I used the liquid eyeliner to create a second "wing" going downwards in a sideways "V" shape from the original wing. The final look is achieved by further smoking out only the top of the liquid eyeliner with more Black eyeshadow. I also accented my inner corner and inside the sideways "V" with NYX Loose Pearl Eye Shadow in Yellow Gold. I also applied falsies, e.l.f. Essential Dramatic Eyelashes to be exact.

I smudged black eyeliner along the lower waterline of my eye and then smoked it out with the same Black eyeshadow. Then I used the NYX Cosmetics Loose Pearl Eyeshadow Pigment in Rust underneath to connect and transition between the yellow color accents. I wanted to add the extra yellow to represent "sparks"!

You can use any red lipstick or lip-stain as long as it isn't pink-leaning as a base for the lips. After applying that all over, I used NYX Cosmetics Loose Pearl Eyeshadow Pigment in Rust and right in the middle, I applied the pigment in Yellow Gold (the same ones I used on my eyes).

To finish off the entire face, I used the Yellow Gold pigment as a highlight on my cheekbones, down my nose, forehead, cupid's bow and chin. Then I transitioned to the Rust pigment and used that contour my cheeks and create the "hollows" that add definition and create a more overall "fiery" effect.

I hope you like the look I created!

If you create a look inspired by this series, I really hope you show it to me on Twitter or leave a comment below the post linking to it!

"Of course you should fight fire with fire. You should fight everything with fire"

- Jaya Ballard, task mage

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!).

Essence Long Lasting Lipsticks (Review & Swatches)

The Essence Long Lasting Lipsticks are something I initially tried out this past summer and now every time I see a display, I know I've got to pick up a new color. I am featuring the shades Dare To Be Nude, Natural Beauty and Wear Berries (pictured bottom to top on the photo above).

These lipsticks are comfortable to wear, moisturizing in a pinch, and easy to apply for a very flattering look no matter which color you choose. It's not a stretch for me to say that these are my most-used and most-loved lipsticks especially since they're kind of a no-brainer to apply (you don't need to use a balm or exfoliate your lips before, or even wear a liner). I find that the darker colors even have staining properties and fade off very nicely throughout the day if I don't re-touch.

The best part is that these lipsticks are very affordable, retailing for only $2.99 each.

Essence Long Lasting Lipstick in Dare To Be Nude

The Dare to Be Nude shade is a neutral nude shade which doesn't lean cool or warm. I really like the creamy smooth application of this lipstick as I've had other nudes which apply much more patchy and I just can't seem to convince myself to wear them. After having worn this lipstick on multiple occasions, this is my go-to nude and this is coming from a girl that really tends to be scared of them.

I've inserted a photo of a lip swatch from the other day so you can see what Dare To Be Nude looks like on my lips. I found it to be very creamy and comfortable to wear and it lasted 6 hours through eating and drinking.

Essence Long Lasting Lipstick in Natural Beauty

 The first shade I picked up from this range is Natural Beauty and I think this is the perfect every day shade, especially for more fair-skinned girls, it gives me a "my lips but better" appearance. It's a medium blue-toned peachy red. I am really a huge fan of this shade, and if you don't pick any other color up from this product line, I highly recommend that you get this one. The consistency is buttery, the lasting power is great and I'm highly addicted to this shade, so much so that it is always in my purse!

Essence Long Lasting Lipstick in Wear Berries

The shade Wear Berries is a little more bold and perfect for the fall - I always lean more towards mauves/plums/berries and terracotta shades for the fall. Wear Berries is a light fuchsia violet shade, equally as comfortable to wear as the previous colors. 

Here's a lip swatch of me wearing Wear Berries recently and you can see how beautifully it reflects light and applies smoothly, looking almost like a second-skin rather than a layer of makeup. 

Swatches of Essence Long Lasting Lipsticks

Here are swatches of all of the shades in Natural and Ambient Light, the coverage is fully opaque with just one swipe and becomes even more intense in color with further swipes.

Colors of Essence Long Lasting Lipsticks

Here are all of the colors offered by Essence in the Long Lasting Lipstick product line. In Canada, you can purchase these at Shoppers Drug Mart in the dedicated Essence display. In the US, you can purchase these from ULTA.

Urban Decay Naked Vault for Holiday 2014 (Limited Edition, Online only)

Urban Decay just announced on its blog that the Urban Decay Naked Vault will launch on their website on October 30th, 2014 for a limited time (presumably until stock runs out) for the US release. This set will be released in the UK at Selfridges on November 1st. The Urban Decay Naked Vault will retail for $280

But you're probably wondering what all of the goodies in the Vault are, it includes 12 products from the Urban Decay Naked line-up.

• UD Naked 1 Palette
• UD Naked 2 Palette
• UD Naked 3 Palette
• 3 matching 24/7 Glide-On Double Ended Eye Pencils (including colors: Zero/Whiskey, Perversion/Pistol, Black Heart/Darkside)
• UD Naked Flushed Cheek Palette
• UD Native Naked Flushed Cheek Palette
• UD Streak Naked Flushed Cheek Palette
• 3 UD Nourishin Lipgloses (including colors: Nooner, Rule34, and Streak)

I'm not really sure why Urban Decay decided to include the Naked Flushed Palettes over the Naked Basics palettes, but I have heard many complaints on forums from UD fans not being pleased about this since the Naked Flushed Palettes are meant to be for different skin-tones. It doesn't make sense that one person, who isn't a makeup artist, would want all 3, does it? 

I haven't heard any rave reviews about the Urban Decay Naked Lipglosses, so I think this is one of their least popular items - the inclusion of the Revolution Lipsticks would have made this set far more valuable, in my opinion. This set doesn't seem as lust-worthy as the Urban Decay Pencil Vault from last year or the Mother Lode Eyeshadow Vault which included every shade in their permanent range (oh my god that one was glorious)!

Will you be purchasing this set and do you think it's worth $280?

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!