Eye of the Day

Another eye of the day. At work yesterday I wore a really basic eye look. I had just a small amount of eye shadow on from my Sigma Bare Palette with a little cat eye. I wore Elope all over the lid up to the brow bone and then put a wash of Command on the lid up to the crease. I used a small amount of Act just in the crease and Approach on the inner corner. To do the cat eye I used Covergirl Liquiline Blast eyeliner in Black Fire, which I topped with Control. I used a really small Sonia Kashuk brush to do this. To make the flick of the cat eye I just made a soft line with the eyeliner out at an angle from the corner of the eye. It’s easiest to imagine the line extending up from the bottom lash line. It takes some practice, but once you get it down it's not that difficult. I'm wearing L'Oreal Power Collagen Mascara. 

Meagan

Eye of the Day

I wore some purple eye shadows the other day. I wanted to go with a soft look as usual because it feels more appropriate for work. I used two MAC eye shadows and one Bobbi Brown eye shadow. I put MAC Hypnotizing all over my lid and then used a small amount of the Bobbi Brown eye shadow in Black Plum on the outer corner of my lid. MAC Dalliance went on the inner corner (I believe this was limited edition). This look is pretty shimmery, but still a softer look that can be worn during the day. I think I used Urban Decay eyeliner in Rockstar that day to keep the purple theme going. I can’t remember what mascara I used. Sorry. 

Meagan

Oops! Self Tanner Fixes

I recently had a bit of self tanner build up issues that I needed to take care of. It gave me the idea to write this post. Whether you’re a regular user that hasn’t been keeping up with exfoliation like you should or you are new to applying self tanner and had a bit of an ‘oops’ moment during the application process, the process to fix the mistakes is the same. I have a few tips for you all depending on what exactly you’re looking for and they are all really cost effective.

1)    Scrub: Of course you knew this would be on here. I find this best if you have some small mistakes to fix, but nothing too intense. I personally like to use plain white sugar as a scrub when I’m in the shower. I like to use it as a make shift dry body scrub while my conditioner is in my hair. Obviously if you want to buy a scrub that’s fine (one I have used in the past was by KP Duty and it was a physical and chemical scrub), but making your own is far more cost effective. You can use plain white sugar like me, or something coarser like sea salt or raw sugar. The more coarse the more color it will take off. You can also put in things like lemon (the acid will help exfoliate) or some kind of oil. Oil can help get more color off in my experience, but I don’t like to use ones with oil if I’m going to be using tanner after my shower.

2)    Body Brush: I have talked about dry body brushing before and if you have some small problem areas to fix this would work well and would be a nice quick fix.

3)    Washcloth: This is my favorite way to get rid of streaking. I just take a washcloth into the shower with me and after I’ve been in for a bit, so my skin is nice and soft, I will take it and rub it all over my body focusing on the areas that I have buildup. This takes off a lot of color quickly and completely evens you out. I’ve found that the best kind of washcloth to use is one that’s really crap quite honestly. One that’s rough. This helps it to exfoliate better. I use ones that I purchased when I first went to college at Target. I got a 12 pack for $4 or $5 or something like that (I obviously can’t remember as that was about 5 years ago). But the really cheap ones actually work best.

4)    Bath: Sitting in a bath is a really great way to get off self-tanner. It helps soften your skin and you can really take advantage of being in the water for a bit of time by putting something in the water. You could put lemon or milk, as the acids would help the dead skin loosen up, or you could use Epsom salts. Obviously you would need to use a scrub or washcloth or something at the end to remove the loosened dead skin. I don’t really do this ever because I hate baths, but I have done it once in the past in a desperate moment and it worked quite well.

5)    Hot Tub: The last resort, obviously, as most of us don’t have regular access to hot tubs (or a pool). A hot tub is best because of the heat, but a regular pool can do a lot to remove tanner. The chlorine just really attacks the tanner. If you’ve ever worn self tanner and gone to the pool you will already know this, but be prepared for it to just remove everything. It won’t just even you out like the others do and you may still need to do some physical exfoliation afterwards to make sure it’s all gone. I had to mention this method though because it really does wonders.

I hope these tips can help you out the next time you’re in a bind. It can be really upsetting when your self-tanner messes up because it looks truly horrendous, so you have to remove the color, which if you’re applying self-tanner clearly being tan is what you were hoping to achieve, not being pale again. But sometimes you just have to suck it up and start over again.

Have a great day!

Meagan

Real Techniques Brushes

I bought some of the Real Techniques brushes by Samantha Chapman of Pixiwoo a while ago. I got the Core Collection because I wanted the buffing brush mainly and the powder brush. The brushes are synthetic which I wasn't sure I was going to like especially for the powder brush, but I really like these. The Core Collection costs $18.00 and includes the detailer brush, the pointed foundation brush, the buffing brush and the contour brush. It also comes with a brush case that can be used to travel with and can be used as a stand for your brushes. I think this could have been left out. I don't find it necessary and I feel like it's the only part of this kit that feels kind of cheap. 3 of the 4 brushes can balance on their end, so the stand is kind of irrelevant. The powder brush costs $10.00 and is really soft and fluffy. It also doesn't shed. I find a lot of powder brushes tend to shed.

Powder Brush

The Core Collection: Detailer, Pointed Foundation, Contour, Buffing Brush

These brushes stand on their own

Powder Brush 

I use these brushes everyday. I use the buffing brush with my foundation, the pointed foundation brush with my under eye concealer, the detailer brush to cover up acne (very precise), the contour brush when applying my Chanel bronze universal and the powder brush for...you guessed it...powder. I think these are really great quality and they are cheap which is a bonus.

Think about picking some up if you're in need of new brushes. They really are wonderful.

Meagan

Since I just posted about an exciting shipment I received, I thought I would just tell you all about a rather crap shipment I also got recently. I purchased the Beautisol Dark Self-Tanning Lotion in Summer Glow from a vendor on Amazon. The vendor had a 100% rating and to be fair they were absolutely willing to return my product. The product was $39.00. I just think I got a bad egg. My tanner was green. No, not bronze with a hint of green. I have used plenty of those. This was legit green in the bottle and green on my leg. It was disappointing when I received it, but it all worked out. After all the hassle I decided just to go get SunLabs tanner from Ulta because I have used it in the past and liked it. Even though it really was the hassle of it all that ultimately kept me from having them send me another one, I really don't think I would purchase this now that I have used it. The reason is the smell. They pride themselves on their "Pure Scent" odor eliminating technology and I think it's awful. This product smells like fabric softener. It's so intense. To be fair that is a smell that I hate to begin with, but when putting it all over your body, it's just awful. And I only put it on one leg before washing it off. I actually do own the face tanner also (it came through a different vendor) and it was not messed up, but it still smells the same. I will use it up, but I don't like it. It is nice that it's more lightweight for your face, but between the smell and the fact that the color doesn't last at all it's not really worth it to me.

It was really hard to capture the green color. Look at the rim of the bottle though. 

with flash to try and show green color. 

This isn't necessarily meant to deter you from this product all together. Anyone can get a bad product randomly, but I still don't think this product is the best tanner I have used based on my experience with the face tanner. I can't say for sure though, but the smell is enough to deter me from these products forever.

Meagan

Eye of the Day

Here’s the eye look I wore to work today. I decided to change it up a little and put down the Sigma Bare Palette. I used an old eye shadow quad from Smashbox, but any shades that look like these would work. I put the light pink color all over my lid first. Then I put the copper shade all over and up in my crease. To add a little dimension I very lightly put the dark brown shade on the outer portion of my lid and slightly into the crease. Lastly, I finished off the look by putting a little bit of the yellow shade on my inner corner. I have a tiny amount of UD eyeliner in Zero just right along the lash line. The mascara I'm wearing is the L'Oreal Power Collagen. Here are some pics of the quad (sorry it’s so dirty, but it’s quite old and the texture of the packaging attracts everything).  

Meagan

Sephora Haul

 I recently bought some stuff from Sephora. This was an online shopping spree. There were some samples I wanted to get at the time, so I bought some items to replace others I am about to run out of. There was a 500-point perk that I wanted and a free sample when using a code online. So enough explaining…on to the products.

That's one of my cats. I just had to include this photo.

First, I got the Tarte Clean Slate Primer Trio. It’s a little sampler of three of their primers for only $9.00. I have used up a sample of the clean slate primer previously, so this was a steal. They last forever even thought they’re small. The only one I have tried is the Clean Slate Poreless 12hr Perfecting Primer. I like it a lot. It does have a silicone feel to it, so don’t get this if you don’t like silicone products.

Then, I purchase the Too Faced Beach Bunny Deep Bronzing Powder for $29.00. I bought this because I broke my Neutrogena bronzer, so it’s going pretty fast. I was going to buy a drugstore one, but I wanted the extras I talked about earlier, so I bought this one. It’s a little dark and slightly too orange toned for my skin, but it can work. What bothers me the most is that is has some serious sheen to it (it doesn’t have actual pieces of shimmer though). I would not recommend this for contouring at all. I have liked using it to bronze my face, but it’s not my absolute favorite. I feel like I might like this more as I continue to use it though.

I also got the Shiseido The Makeup Corrector Pencil in Light for $18.00. I bought this because I’m getting close to using up my Laura Mercier Pencil that was in a recent post of mine. Since I can’t find that one anymore, I needed to try another brand. This one is also good, though it is a little more moisturizing, which may make it slightly less long lasting, though I haven’t noticed any problems. I like products like this for covering up acne spots. It could also be great to use as a neutral eyeliner for your waterline instead of a bright white.  

And finally the samples. 

There was a Murad sample I got by using a code when I checked out. It included a small Clarifying Mask and a small Post-Acne Spot Lightening Gel. I have tried both, but it’s only been a week, so I can’t fully review them. Skincare generally needs a little longer to test. The Clarifying Mask really deep cleaned my pores and I think I might like it better than the other clay masks I own actually. The serum has been really nice. Not enough time to see spots go away, but I have noticed definite changes in hyperpigmentation in the week I have been using it. It has 2% hydroquinone in it. The full size is pretty expensive, but if things keep going the same way they are now I would absolutely recommend it.

I also got a small sample of the Origins GinZing eye cream. This was one of the samples you can get just for ordering online. I always look at those, but I don’t always get any. I only do it if there’s one I’m actually interested in. I like this eye cream. It’s got a little bit of pink tint to it as well as a tiny bit of shimmer, so it helps lighten your under eye from the beginning. The texture is also nice and light and absorbs quickly.

And lastly, the 500-point perk. This is what I was most excited for. As soon as I saw the Caudalie 500-point perk I knew I had to have it. The kit includes the Cleansing Water, the SOS Thirst Quenching Serum, and the Day Perfecting Fluid. I am absolutely in love with the cleansing water. It removes my makeup so easily. It was love at first use and I will absolutely be buying the full size when I run out. I also love the serum. It really sinks in and hydrates your skin without weighing it down. The Day Perfecting Fluid is nice, but it’s not my favorite. I probably won’t purchase this when I run out, but you never know. It has an SPF of 15 in it, which is always nice for day creams.

Just wanted to let y’all know what products I got recently. Some are new and some aren’t, but maybe you haven’t seen them before. I was so excited to get this package and I was just excited after using the products.

Meagan