November 2014 Eyeshadow Palette of the Month: MAC Leopard Lux Quad

Hi there! After my recent birthday/holiday splurges, I think it’s best if I try to focus on using one eyeshadow palette a month. I am a complete eyeshadow/blush lover (or hoarder), so I figure I would start choosing one palette to use each month to ensure that all of my eyeshadows get some love. . I think I have enough eyeshadows to last me all the way until 2016, but I’m sure that won’t stop me from getting more at the next makeup sale.

Of course, there are exceptions to every rule, one being that I will always use MAC Brown Script no matter what palette I’m using because it’s such an awesome transition color for me. Without further ado, below are swatches from MAC’s Leopard Lux Quad, ENJOY!

Top To Bottom: Furiously Fabulous (VP), Style Predator (VP), Notoriety (V), Wild By Nature (M) 

What eyeshadow palette are you using this month?

Uh Oh! Birthday Makeup Shopping….

I went overboard, or did I? I go back and forth between thinking I brought too much and then I think, well heck, it was my birthday and it’s good to have something that you love. What do you think? Below is a list of my makeup purchases. I’ll add pics of the beauties as soon as they are in my grubby, little hands.

MakeupGeek Store Buys

• Cocoa Bear
• Chickadee
• Barcelona Beach
• Cupcake
• Bitten
• Moondust
• Envy
• Mango Tango

AND a gunmetal “To Go” palette to put all of them in!

Then I happened to be browsing crystalis007.com (one of my favorite YouTube beauty bloggers) site and noticed that she had some pretty darn good items on the Blog Sale page. These items aren’t brand new, but they’re pretty dang close and they’re new to me.

Crystalis007 Blog Sale

• MAC “O” Lipstick
• Mac Eyeshadow Quad in Colour
• MAC Eyeshadow Quad in Leopard Luxe

What have you hauled lately?

Product Probe: Make Up Forever Artist Shadows

As a makeupaholic, I knew when the hype started surrounding the new, re-formulated MUFE Artist Shadows, I would have to try them out. I read a few reviews and was only a tad bit disappointed when they arrived, but we'll get to that in a minute. 

First off, these shadows are pricey. When I say pricey, I mean $21 each. I let them sit in my Sephora cart for at least a week before I decided that I would spend the money. The upside to the pricing, is that when you purchase a MUFE palette (2-pan or 3-pan) for $1, you can get 3 eyeshadows for the price of 2, so I paid $42 for the eyeshadows and $1 for a 3 pan palette.

Now on to the slight disappointment. After watching reviews of these shadows on YouTube, I expected them to be insanely pigmented. In my opinion, they aren't as pigmented as a LORAC eyeshadow, but they are easy to blend and buildable, which makes it all better. I would probably purchase these again because these are slightly larger than MAC eyeshadows and I would like to try out different colors to see if the pigmentation differs depending on the finish.

Below are swatches from left to right: Pink Brown (matte), Pink Ash (satin), Rust (Iridescent). 

Do you own any MUFE Artist Shadows? What do you think?

Randomness: Project 10 Pan Update

Morning Lovelies! I had a post all geared up and ready to go this morning, but it just didn’t feel quite right, so instead I’m posting an impromptu project pan update (yay). While I’m not going to show the actual products because I haven’t made a big dent since the weekly makeup basket (shown here), I thought I’d share with you what I’ve actually finished so far. Mind you, this is makeup only (which is pretty darn hard to do in my opinion). So here’s the list of items I’ve finished with P10P items in purple.

• Make Up Forever Mat Velvet + - This used to be really mattifying for me, but lately hasn’t seemed to hold a candle to my Revlon Colorstay. I would repurchase this again.

• NYX HD Concealer – Still not quite sure how I feel about this one. I did like the applicator and the price!

• Loreal Voluminous Carbon Black Mascara – At the price, can’t beat it with a stick. I would definitely repurchase this once I get through some of my deluxe samples of mascara.

• Clinique Stay Matte Foundation – I don’t even know why they put ‘Stay Matte’ in the name of the foundation. It may be good for normal skin, but did not work on my oily t-zone.

• Model in a Bottle – I really like this setting spray, but would like to try the Skindinavia setting spray for comparison.

• Anastasia Brow Wiz – I need this in my life. ‘Nuff said

• Hourglass Mineral Veil Primer – Same as the Anastasia Brow Wiz, it’s a must have.
• Lorac Behind the Scenes Primer – I can’t really tell the difference between the staying power of this and the Urban Decay Primer Potion, I’ll buy whichever is on sale.

Weekly Makeup Basket – October 13th, 2014

So.....this week's makeup basket is pretty much unchanged from last week, that's why there are no new pictures :(. I have been having the worse breakouts lately and in order to figure out what the heck is the cause, I decided to go back to some of the basics. I stopped using the Tarte Clean Slate primer this week because of the small bumps that I've noticed in the areas where it is applied, and I also switched out my Lancome foundation for the tried and true Revlon Colorstay. I don't know if anyone else feels like this, but I'm somewhat bummed out with the high end foundations I've tried so far. Not 1 holds a candle to the Revlon Colorstay for oily/combination skin, does anyone else feel this way? I also noticed that my skin is clearer when I used the Revlon even though the product doesn't claim to have any acne fighting ingredients. *Sigh*, what is a girl to do. I'm thinking of stopping with the high end foundations for a while, until I decide if they are really worth the price (I haven't found one yet that is really worth the higher price tag). 

What's in your makeup rotation this week?

Lorac Mega Pro Palette (Limited Edition) -_-

Seriously Lorac? Couldn’t make a few hundred thousand more Mega palettes so that everyone could get one? Unfortunately, the Lorac Mega Pro palette is selling out everywhere, but Amazon is due to have 1 more shipment coming in, so if you are interested sign up now to get an e-mail notification when the palette becomes available, I promise you won’t regret it. 

Weekly Makeup Basket – October 6th, 2014

In an effort to consciously use more of my makeup products (and feel less guilty about all the 2014 holiday collections I’m going to purchase), I plan to start doing weekly makeup baskets. This will help me focus on specific products in the mornings and not get distracted because I literally have the attention span of a 2-year old when it comes to makeup. So without further ado, let’s get into what’s in this week’s makeup ‘basket’.

(Items in purple are part of my project pan)

•  Tarte Clean Slate Poreless Primer
• No. 7 Shine Free Face Primer
• Covergirl & Olay Simply Ageless Eye Corrector (I hate this - wrong color and too heavy)
• NYX Matte Bronzer

• NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Cashmere
• Revlon Brow Fantasy (Dark Brown) 
• Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes Mascara (deluxe sample size)
• Urban Decay Primer Potion (sample)

• Lancome Teint Idole Ultra 24-hour Foundation 
• Kat Von D Lock It Tattoo Powder Foundation

• Urban Decay Ammo Palette - I recently depotted this into a z-palette. Not sure how I feel about depotting other products to save space, seems like a hellish, messy process.
• Jordana Easyliner Retractable Pencil (not shown)
• MAC Brown Script (shown between the blush and UD Ammo Palette)
• Laura Geller Baked Blush (not sure what color - purchased this on HauteLook

What do you use on a weekly basis? 

Product Probe: Make Up For Ever Mat Velvet + Matifying Foundation

As I am nearing the end of my bottle of Mat Velvet + foundation, I figure it would be a great time to provide a review.  I ordered this online from Sephora in June 2013 for $36.00, which isn’t bad for a ‘high-end’ foundation. It is now October 2014, which seems like a long time to finish this foundation, but during the past year, I also focused on finishing a Clinique foundation that I hated but forced myself to use until the very last drop.

Would I repurchase this foundation? Heck yeah! I have oily/combination skin and I love a matte finish. This foundation wears well for a 10-hr workday with minimal touch ups. I apply this foundation with my brush / real techniques sponge (depending on my mood) and then set with a powder. While I won’t purchase this immediately, because I have 3 or 4 other foundations that I would like to use first, this is definitely one of my top 3 foundations.

Have you ever tried the Make Up For Ever Mat Velvet +? What’s your favorite mattifying foundation?

Project 10 Pan (P10P) Pitfalls

In yesterday’s post, I briefly mentioned how disillusioned I was when starting my project pan. I was WAYYYYY off track and over ambitious with the products that I chose, but I’m way too stubborn to just give up. So after 4 months of project pan, I am modifying the rules a bit.

I am allowing myself to purchase makeup after I finish any 10 products or if I haven’t reached my goal by October 16^th (my birthday), I am allowed birthday splurges.

Yep, I said it. I am determined to finish and even if I don’t finish before my b-day, I plan to continue my project pan. While I do plan on purchasing for my birthday, if my project pan items are not finished, I will not be opening any new products. I am freakishly scared about makeup expiration dates, so I don’t want to open anything new until I can commit the time to thoroughly enjoy it.

Now on to the mistakes I’ve made when undertaking my Project Pan:

#1  Not giving myself a timeframe. Shoot, if I would’ve given myself a 2-month timeframe I probably would’ve been more serious in this undertaking and would’ve have gotten bored with my makeup (hence the lack of blog posts).

#2  Not picking items that were close to being finished. My bad. I should have chosen products that were on the brink of being finished that way I could have a sense of accomplishment, especially when I started with the Kat Von D powder foundation, it was practically brand new. I am all about the small wins.

#3  Not giving myself any wiggle room. In retrospect, I should have picked more than 10 items so that if one product was taking too long, I could still finish at least 10 things. Adding a few ‘extra’ products would’ve also given me some variation and change to stop the boredom of a constant project pan.

Are you currently on a project pan or focusing on using some of your products up? Any advice on how I can improve my next P10P?

Project 10 Pan…Is it time to call it quits?

In June, I posted the details of my project 10 pan here and to be honest, it’s been a long one. I must admit that I was completely disillusioned about the amount of time it takes to finish makeup products, but I did learn some valuable lessons along the way, which I will share later this week. Until then, here is a peek at what’s been going on with my project 10 pan items.

 1.   Anastasia Brow Wiz - finished 5/21/14

 2.   Model In A Bottle Setting Spray – finished 5/23/14

 3.   NYX HD Concealer – finished 5/12/14

 4.   Tarte Clean Slate Primer -> This one is taking forever to finish because I HATE  it.

 5.   Kat Von D Lock It Tattoo Powder Foundation -> I like this for setting my liquid foundation, but by the end of a long work day it seems to slide off. I like the MAC Mineralize Skin Finish (MSF) better, but maybe it's the primer that I'm using.

 6.   Lorac Behind the Scenes Primer – 8/1/14?? 

 7.   Too Faced Primed & Poreless Face Primer – I haven’t use this in a while because I’m trying to focus on finishing that dreaded Tarte primer first.

 8.   Clinique Stay Matte Oil Free Foundation – finished 8/20/14

 9.   Hourglass Mineral Veil Primer – finished 6/24/14

 10. NYX Matte Bronzer – I use this for a slight contour so a little goes a long way, I can see a dip in the pan so this is a good deal for the money.

A Little Fall Fun!!

So after my very sad post about my project pan (which I’ll do an update on later this week), I decided to write today about happier times. We are officially entering Fall, yay! Is anyone else excited? Fall and Winter are my favorite times of year, not only because of the weather, but also because of all of the holidays and family time that comes along with the season. One of my favorite things about this time of year are the HOLIDAY COLLECTIONS! I am already eyeing the Tarte collections and I plan on getting my grubby little hands on it as soon as it is available online or in-store. Am I the only make up lover out there that WANTS ALL THE MAKEUP? Lol! I can never have enough or too much.

Do you plan to purchase any of the 2014 Holiday Collections?

Project 10 Pan Update!!!!

It has been a long two months and it’s been a really long, boring project 10 pan. I’ve been really struggling to stay focused and find myself frequently getting bored with my project 10 pan items. In any case, here’s a quick update.  Oh and I’m thinking of holding off on ‘panning’ the Kat Von D Lock It Tattoo Powder Foundation. I have hit pan on it and would like to continue to use it up, but it’s a little heavy for the summer weather….so I may remove it…hadn’t made up my mind quite yet.

 1.      Anastasia Brow Wiz - finished 5/21/14

 2.      Model In A Bottle Setting Spray – finished 5/23/14

 3.      NYX HD Concealer

 4.      Tarte Clean Slate Primer

 5.      Kat Von D Lock It Tattoo Powder Foundation

 6.      Lorac Behind the Scenes Primer – 8/1/14 ?? 

 7.      Too Faced Primed & Poreless Face Primer

 8.      Clinique Stay Matte Oil Free Foundation – finished 8/20/14

 9.   Hourglass Mineral Veil Primer – finished 6/24/14

 10. NYX Matte Bronzer

Beauty Wish Lists

Am I the only one that maintains a list of future beauty purchases? There are so many great products on the market and in order to remain some semblance of self control, I create lists of products that I would like to try (one for MAC and one for Sephora/everywhere else). I also frequent Sephora.com and love items that I want to try in the future. By keeping products on my radar, it helps me control my makeup spending and it allows me to fine tune the list and separate things by the items that I REALLY, REALLY, REALLY want.  Here are a few of the products I want to try in the future, but will NOT purchase until I use some up some of my current goodies.

Here are my top 5 Wish List items:

1.       Inglot Eyeshadows and Blushes – Freedom System Items so that I can put them in a z-palette.

2.       NARS blushes – I own seduction and I love it more than any of my other blushes

3.       MUG (MakeupGeek) eyeshadows, pigments,  and eye brushes (specifically the liner , pencil, and outer v brushes)

4.       Estee Lauder DoubleWear Foundation – This is supposed to be great for oily skin, but I haven’t purchased it yet because I have 3 foundations that I want to use prior to getting a new one. (Currently rotating: MAC StudioFix Fluid, Clinique Stay Matte Foundation, and Lancome Teint Idole)

5.       MAC blushes – I plan to finish filling my MAC blush palette that only has 1 item in it to date. I specifically want to purchase Coppertone, Blunt (for contouring), and a shaping powder as well.

What’s on your makeup wish list?

Product Probe: Bite Beauty High Pigment Lip Pencils

On a recent trip to Sephora to pick up some ‘wish list’ items, I happened to notice these little beauties and was a little curious to see what all the YouTube hype was about. Recently, it seems like everyone has been in love with the agave lip mask; for some reason the lip mask just didn't pique my interest, but these lip pencils caught my attention. If you are not familiar with the Bite brand, it is a brand of all natural beauty products. At first, when you hear all natural you may assume that the products aren't that great, but these lips pencils are bomb.com. Not only are they vibrant and pigments, but they come in several versatile shades from bold to nude. They are a ‘matte’ formula, but go on smooth without drying your lips or causing any type of patchiness or peeling, not to mention the slim packaging makes storing these a breeze. I prefer these to the drugstore lip balms and creams, which are super drying and are transparent on darker skin tones. I highly recommend trying these if you’re in the market for a new lip product or just want to branch out from your current favorite. 

What's your favorite lippie?

SEPHORA Sale (March 30- April 11, 2014)

Hi Beauties!

Just wanted to drop in and leave the information for the current Sephora Sale.

SEPHORA 15% OFF SALE: Click to shop the sale HERE:  www.sephora.com

Enter code   "ROUGETICKET " March 30- April 11, 2014 (for VIB Rouge members)

Enter code   "VIBTICKET"        April 3-11                           (for VIB members)

For the love of.......

For the past few years, I've been obsessed with my love and passion for all things makeup. This artistic hobby has come out of seemingly nowhere. I was never a 'girly girl' or someone who considered herself extremely fashionable, but for some reason I absolutely cannot resist playing in blushes, bronzers, and shadows. At the core of it all, I really love how makeup can transform someone and be used in such an artistic way. This can be a subtle change to an overpowering one that can easily be displayed. Really, the first thing most people notice is the face, so what can be better than transforming it into something great or even better, something completely unexpected?

How did you discover your love for makeup?