Primed to Perfection: Primer 101

Primer: a first coat or layer of paint, size, etc., given to any surface as a base, sealer, or the like.

If you ask most girls about eyeshadow primer or foundation primer, you'll probably get a puzzled look and "Like paint primer?" or "What's that?". Somewhat similar to paint primer, makeup primer smooths, amplifies, and makes longer lasting what is placed on it.

From the list of the cult classic Smashbox Photo Finish Primer derivitives, face primer can be anti-aging, luminizing, hydrating, color correcting (by balancing, blending and/or adjusting), mattifying, and pore-and-line-filling. Personally, I use foundation about once a year but did pick up the original formula in a value kit. The main selling points of face primer are longevity and pore filling, but here I'll concentrate on pore filling. The titles are respective to the sides, not pictures.

Eye primer, on the other hand, is one of my absolute daily essentials when wearing eyeshadow (and let's be honest; when do I not wear eyeshadow?). According to this list from Too Faced's site, eye primer can prevent creasing and fading, intensify color, banish discoloration, illuminate, lock down glitter, prevent fall out, reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, and reduce puffiness. I own 3 primers/bases (not the same thing; but I'm counting them the same for now). Since I don't have discoloration, fine lines and/or wrinkles, I'll concentrate on amplification of color. This eyeshadow is from Wet n Wild's Blue Had Me At Hello palette.

Lash primer is regularly seen as optional, but is essential for a few. In essence, a lash primer exaggerates what a normal mascara does - lengthen, volumize, curl, and multiply lashes. Most people only experience lash primer when using a double ended mascara. Same as foundation primer, I only own one, and really only use it for enhancing my blue mascara (and it doesn't really work). Here's a picture of Maybelline Great Lash in Royal Blue normally vs. primed:

Lip primer is usually substituted with lip balm or lip pencil, with good reason. According to MAC, lip primer "Adds light moisture, smoothes and refines the lips." In comparison, EOS "keeps your lips moist, soft and sensationally smooth" (It's also 12$ cheaper). I don't own any lip primers, but I find on the (rare) occasions I wear lipstick, lip balm is a great base that stays put and moisturizes.


All in all, people may see primer as just another waste of money. It all depends on your mindset, but you can choose yourself whether primer suits you for everyday life or not.

EOTD: Contrasting Black and White

Eyeshadow:
Urban Decay Smog blended into the crease

Eyeliner:
Urban Decay 24/7 Liquid Liner in Perversion on the top, outer half
Sephora Nano Liner in Pure White in the waterline (faded away in 6 hours)
Urban Decay 24/7 Pencil Liner in Bourbon in the lashline (faded away as well)

Mascara:
Covergirl Lashblast Waterproof Volume Mascara in Black, top and lower lashes

Urban Decay: Y U NO SEPERATE BAG?!?!

DAT BAG!

So today I got my Ulta catalog and was browsing thorough, until I get to this page

PROS:

1. DAT BAG

2. My birthday's coming up

3. It's a good value

4. I love Urban Decay!

CONS:

1. I already have Zero

2. I have some UDPP already

3. I have enough mascara for 5 faces daily

4. I already have a birthday set in mind

5. I have enough bags, I think (but not so sparkly and gold!)

Unfortunately, I think I'll sit out on this one. Sorry UD! But even a gorgeous sparkly gold bag isn't enough to drop 40$ on... If it was seperate, I'd track down where my wallet has run away screaming to and tranquilize it, but unfortunanately (I so spelled that wrong) Too Faced wins this battle.

Middle School Makeup 101: Products

(Courtesy of Geogirl)

Time to time, I'll be doing "101" posts with some tips and tricks for the new and the old in the makeup world. I'm not going to claim seniority; I've been using makeup for only 15 months or so. These products will all be drugstore. But it can't hurt to give some advice - so!

In my personal opinion, a girl is old enough to start wearing makeup when she hits middle school. I will never recommend jumping into blue eyeshadow and orange lipstick, and my policy stays the same here. Mascara and lipgloss are totally appropriate for the sixth grade.

A personal favorite mascara is Covergirl lashblast - you've seen it a few times already! It gives good volume, a very easy to use brush, and most imporantly (for me) holds a curl!

In addition to the mascara, I highly reccomend a lash curler to everyone, especially to people like me with arrow straight Asian lashes. My absolute favorite is the Tweezerman Lash Curler - a perfect curl, no crimp at all! And it comes with 4 pads for replacements!

I don't personally use much lip gloss - EOS Sweet Mint lip balm is my main lip products. However, the NYX Mega Shine glosses have gotten many rave reviews. A lightly tinted, slightly glossy lip finish is what we're looking for, so anything in the sheer range is good to go.

Once a girl has learned the ropes of middle school and is no longer the bottom of the totem pole (AKA 7th grade), some new makeup signifies the maturity. 7th grade is also the year where American children turn into teenagers.

Blemishes start popping up around this age (or earlier for the less fortunate) and spot concealing (instead of foundation) is less harsh to the skin. My favorite concealer, not even high end, is Rimmel London Match Perfection concealer. I personally cut off the brush on mine as it wasn't helping anything (I use my fingers to apply concealer). I use this for both under eye circles when I'm concerned about them, and the occasional pimple.

Now, many parents are wary of handing eyeliner to their budding teens in fear of making a mini Taylor Momsen or Avril Lavigne. But who said eyeliner only has to be raccoon black? ELF offers a very nice cream eyeliner for only 3$, and it comes in a rainbow of colors, including a non-offending brown. It also includes a free brush that doesn't suck!

Once you reach 8th grade, you're the top of the pyramid. And nothing shows more about being the oldest and more mature in the school than a classy champagne across the lids. My favorite afforable palette is NYX Champagne and Caviar - 10 neutral shadows for 10$! 7 of the shades are perfect light lid shades for school, whiles the 3 mattes can be used to make some killer formal makeup for graduation dance, banquet, and the ceremony (see my drugstore smokey eye tutorial).
                                                     
I strongly believe every girl should own at least 2 eye brushes - a flat shader and a blending brush. And more if possible. I'm an eyeshadow addict- I'll admit that. Ecotools offers a great eye kit with my 2 necessaries and more!

Society has a stereotype of middle school girls smacking on orange foundation, bright blue eyeshadow, and orange lipstick on to go to school. You don't have to be a clown. You can prove to your parents that you are responsible for your face, that you know moderation, and that you are ready to grow up in the right way.

Goldieyes: 3 Gold Eyeshadow Comparisons

Gold

: 

a precious yellow metallic element, highly malleable and ductile, and not subject to oxidation or corrosion. (by Dictionary.com)

In this post I compare makeup's most famous 3 golds - MAC Melon pigment, MAC Goldmine eyeshadow, and Urban Decay Half Baked eyeshadow. These were all swatched by one swipe of the finger.

MAC Melon pigment description: Soft bright golden peach

MAC Goldmine eyeshadow description: Intense gold with shimmer (Frost finish)

Urban Decay Half Baked eyeshadow description: Golden bronze (Shimmer finish)

All three together:

In the individual photos, they all look extremely gold. However, compared together, the real undertones really shine though. Melon takes on it's description, as leaning towards cooler tones too. Half baked also fits it's description, taking on brown tones but more gold than Melon. Goldmine has a yellow base, making it the most golden of all 3. It also has a frost finish, making it different from the the two other shimmery ones. Goldmine has the worse pigmentation by far, but is the truest gold. If you want the coolest gold, go with Melon. If you want a more neutral gold, try Half Baked. And lastly, if you want a warm, true yellow-gold, Goldmine fits the bill.

Review: Clinique Take the Day Off

Company description: Totally tugless, two-way makeup remover speeds the departure of hard-to-remove eye and lip makeups. Dissolves and "lifts away" long-wearing makeup, even waterproof mascara. Non-irritating, non-stinging. Ophthalmologist Tested. Appropriate for contact lens wearers. (4.2 oz for 18$)

IMO: Judging by the 3 empty bottles and a spankin' new one, you can probably assume my opinion on Take The Day Off. I think it's almost flawless. Almost perfect. Just almost. Why? Figure out!

I'll break the description into the individual promises and judge the product on those single claims.

Totally tugless: This is a promise that TtDO fulfills! I just leave a soasked cotton ball on my lid for a few seconds, and swipe it off. Whatever eye makeup I'm wearing just melts off onto the cotton ball!

Two-way makeup remover speeds the departure of hard-to-remove eye and lip makeups: Here on my hand I've used foundation, concealer, blush, bronzer, powder, eyeshadow, eyeliner, mascara, lipstick, and gloss. You can see how well the remover cleans off my hand, and the swipe wasn't even a second long! Compared to TtDo, hand washing doesn't make a dent in makeup.

Dissolves and "life away" long-wearing makeup, even waterproof mascara: Mascara, no doubt, is a pain to get off.   To remove my mascara, I use a Q-tip soaked in TtDO and swipe it in between my lashes. To determine if the product is really off, I feel my eyelashes until it's just my lashes, no product. And it works! Soap and water can't compare to how this washes off mascara!

Non-irritating, non-stinging: This is also true. The only annoying part of this remover is the oily residue that it leaves, but it goes away easily.

Ophthamologist tested. Approprate for contact lens wearers: I wear contacts daily, and while taking off my makeup. No irritation detected!

Well none of these point cover my main gripe with the product: The packaging! The cap has one of those "childproof" caps going on, which frequently gets soaked and therefore isn't the easiest thing to open. And due to my own clumsiness, I have spilled TtDO many times. It's a pain, since the oiliness that gets makeup off so easily is also slippery.


Overall, I'll keep repurchasing this excellent remover! I've learned to deal with the packaging and, ahem, close it when not in use. A-

Makeup Tag: This or That?

Blush or Bronzer? Blush! Although I'm not really into either, blush really gives my face some life.

Lipgloss or Lipstick?  Gloss! Lipstick is one of those "only for formal occasions" makeup items, like foundation (I know, I know. I'm a beauty blogger who doesn't wear foundation. I'm a rebel).

Eyeliner or Mascara?  Eyeliner! I think my lashes are perfectly fine, but my eyes are so plain without a swipe of liner, no matter pencil, gel, or liquid.

Foundation or Concealer? Concealer! I find foundation too heavy.

Neutral or Coloured Eyeshadow?  Neutral! I know it's boring, but I find it more comfortable.

Pressed or Loose Eyeshadow? Pressed, cause it's the only one I own.

Brushes or Sponges? Brushes! I'm very anti-sponge.

Drugstore Products: Simple Brown Smokey Eye

I felt creative yesterday, so I gathered a few products together and created this! It's perfect for a date, or maybe daily if you're into that. You can always find a substitute for the high end brushes in your local drugstore.

Products used, left to right, top to bottom: Covergirl Lashblast Fusion in Black, Ecotools Lash Comb/Brow brush, Urban Decay Shadow brush, MAC 217, MAC 219, NYX 10 Color Eyeshadow palette in Champagne and Caviar, NYX eyeshadow base in white, Tweezerman Classic Eyelash curler, and Wet n Wild creme eyeliner in black. I forgot to add the eyeliner brush, an angled eyeliner brush from Ecotools.

 Start off with a primed lid. Here I used NYX Eyeshadow Base in White.

Swipe the middle color of the bottom row, a matte dark brown, onto a flat brush.

 Apply the dark brown onto the lid. Eeep, it looks really bad here!

 Diffuse it with a fluffy brush. Ah, much better.

 Next use the same fluffy brush on the last color on the top row, a light-medium cool frosty brown.

 Apply the latest color into the crease.

Use the same fluffy brush (again) and LIGHTLY tap it into the first color on the bottom row - a matte white. 

 And diffuse it into the browbone enough so that it's not blatantly obvious.

 Use the same fluffy brush again (you can tell how much I love this brush) and swipe it again into the original matte dark brown.

 Again, swipe it on the lid to make up for what was blended away.

 Take a pencil brush into the same matte dark brown.

Lightly blend it into the outer V. 

 And use it to line the outer half of your lower lashline to bring drama to the otherwise neutral look.

 Now take your favorite black eyeliner,

 and swipe it onto your top lashline and your bottom, if you prefer.

Here's what it looks like, eyes closed. 

 Finally, curl your lashes and apply your favorite black mascara!

If I was a makeup artist...

I'm certain many girls dream of being a MUA, and some even go out to live that dream. Well, I'm not an artist, but I compiled some of my makeup together for an isty bitsy "makeup artist kit." I know I don't even have foundation or concealer in here, but keep in mind, this is only pretend.

The blue bag is by Soho, and the black and white one is from Modella. I bought them both from Wal-mart.

 The two bags held together. The blue one contains makeup and brushes, the black and white one holds odd shaped tools and supplies.

 The blue bag while open.

 From left to right: a randon pair of tweezers, POSH foundation brush, Ecotools concealer brush, Ecotools angled blush brush, Urban Decay Shadow brush, MAC 217, MAC 219, Ecotools angeled eyeliner brush, Ecotools lip brush, Paris Presents large eye brush, Paris Presents small eye brush, Paris Presents angled crease brush, and finally Ecotools lash comb/brow brush.

 Here's the eyeshadow! From left to right, top to bottom: Random Clinique Quad, Clinique Trio in Come Heather, Urban Decay Naked Palette, MAC pigment in Melon, MAC Goldmine, Wet n Wild Don't Steal My Thunder trio, Random Estee Lauder Deluxe Signature palette, and NYX 10 Color Eyeshadow palette in Champagne and Caviar. 

 Here's the face products! In clockwise order starting from the top left: Estee Lauder Blush is Radiant Kiss, Covergirl Bronzer and Blush I made, Clinique All Over Color in Peony, Wet n Wild Mineral Blush in Purely Mauve, travel Size Smashbox Photo Finish primer, and a Covergirl Pressed Powder (this stuff is so sheer I use it as a translucent powder).

 Now here are the eyeliners. Left to right: ELF cream eyeliner in Plum Purple, Urban Decay 24/7 liquid liner in Perversion, Maybelline Expertwear eyeliner in slate gray, the Urban Decay 24/7 liner Naked set (Zero, Demolition, Bourbon, Underground, and Stray Dog), Sephora Nano liners in Pure White and Pure Beige, Wet n Wild creme liner in 866 (Black).

 The lash of the makeup in the Soho bag is primers, mascaras, and lipsticks. Left to right, there's the NYX eyeshadow base in white, Urban Decay Primer Potion in Original, travel size Smashbox Layer Lash primer, Covergirl Waterproof Lashblast Volume in Black, Covergirl Lashblast Fusion in Black, Maybelline Great Lash in Clear (makes great brow gel!) and Estee Lauder lipsticks in Pink Parfait and Bois De Rose.

Now here's the Modella bag with weird shaped tools and such.  

On the way left is a random gray headband. The far right is some baby wipes, Q-tips, and a small bottle of Clinique Take the Day Off makeup remover. Top row, left to right: ELF Setting Spray, Tweezerman Classic Lash Curler, Body Shop vitamin E moisturizer, and two sticks of 5 gum. The bottom row is an Essence of Beauty kabuki, a random mascara brush I cleaned off, bath and Body works hand sanitizer in the scent Dancing Waters, a tube of original Carmex, and Urban Decay's Grindhous pencil sharpener!