Tutorial: My "signature" eye look for school

I do switch up my makeup a lot, but this is my most worn look because it's not across so many big palettes. This is my favorite one for school that really brings out shine.

 From top to bottom, left to right, there's Covergirl Lashblast Mascara, Tweezerman Classic Lash curler, MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack, Clinique Pink Chocolate eyeshadow (a light pearly pink, I can't find it on Clinique's site), Urban Decay Primer Potion, Ecotools Angled liner brush, Urban Decay Shadow brush, MAC 217, Smashbox Brazilian Bronze, and Clinique Lucky Penny. I forgot to add the Urban Decay 24/7 liner in Underground.

 Bare eye, as always.

 Apply and spread the primer across the lid and up to the brow.

And now use your flat shader brush on one of my favorite eyeshadows - Clinique Lucky Penny 

 And pat it right across the lid.

 Now swipe your fluffy brush/217 into Brazilian Bronze

 And sweep it into the crease

 Here's what it looks like so far.

 Now swipe the same fluffy brush into Pink Chocolate,

 And sweep it right under the brow bone.

 Here's the look so far.

 Now take the angled liner brush and swipe it in the gel eyeliner.

 Use it in the outer top half of the upper eyelid, and if you wish use Underground in the lower lash line.

 Now curl your lashes and go!

Dupes: Wet n Wild Walking on Eggshells vs Urban Decay Naked

Wet n Wild is well known for high quality shadows at dirt cheap prices, but do they match up to the big boys?

Under natural light, they look very, very close. The texture, however, is much finer on Urban Decay's side.

The highlighter shade is more of a base color with glitter than the frosty effect Virgin has, and Urban Decay has the more soft texture here.

The crease shade closely resembles Smog, but Smog has a gold sheen to it. Besides that, the base color is very similar, but Smog has genuine sheen while WnW has more of a microglitter finish.

Sin and the lid color are the closest out of the bunch. Lid is the ittiest bit darker, but they are very similar until closer examination, but almost identical.

The most obvious difference between the two equal houses is the price. Wet n Wild charges 3$ for the trio, while single Urban Decay shadows cost 17$... each. That would be 51$ for all three, but they are all contained in the 12-shadow Naked Palette (50$). So unless you're shooting for the brand name, Wet n Wild wouldn't be a bad try for duping Virgin, Smog, and Sin!

Warning: Do NOT melt Urban Decay Shadow pencils!

 So I got this shadow pencil in delinquent (an absolutely gorgeous medium sparkly purple) as a GWP, and I decided that the pencil is too thick to use as a regular eyeliner. Assuming it was the same as a NYX Jumbo shadow pencil, I melted it with a blowdryer aaaand... this happened. 

 The pigment (sparkle part) separated from the binder (the grey part), so whenever I swipe my eyeliner brush in here nothing gets in the brush. I literally have to scrape the pigment off, ugh.

It may have to do with this synthetic wax...

Review: Smashbox Brazilian Bronze Eyeshadow

Smashbox describes it's eyeshadows as "Gorgeous shades of velvety-smooth, superbly blendable cashmere eye shadow." Brazilian Bronze is described as "shimmery golden brown."

I picked this up at a CCO/S (Cosmetic Company Outlet/Store, maybe a post on that later) while searching for a medium/dark brown shade to use in the crease for a school look. They didn't have one in MAC, but suggested one in Smashbox. Smashbox is Estee Lauder's "camera" themed brand, and I hadn't tried anything from it at that point. However, it was only 11$, so I was wondering "why not"? This is a beautiful golden bronze color (no dip, Sherlock) with LOTS of shimmer. I mean enough shimmer to girl a Twilight vampire a run for it's money. It reminds me of a warmer, glittery-er Urban Decay Smog. The texture isn't as buttery as a UD shadow though, it's drier and stiffer.

I CANNOT find this shadow online! Apparently it was part of Smashbox's "perfectly polished lids" set, but not to be found as a single! So I'm sorry to anyone who is out looking for it at the moment. As said before, look at Urban Decay Smog as a less glittery dupe. I'm giving this a B, for the texture and glitter fallout.

Review: Urban Decay 24/7 Liquid eyeliner in Perversion

Company Description: Draw liquid lines so sharp they could cut glass. Our slender brush lays down long-lasting matte, slick and shimmery shades sure to satisfy your color lust.

Achieve clean, sharp WATERPROOF lines with shocking ease. The newest addition to our 24/7 franchise is available in a veritable rainbow of long-lasting, highly-pigmented, WATERPROOF color options – shades ranging from matte to glossy to shimmery! (And why would you only buy one? Try them all!) Use the ultra-fine brush tip to create lines that are razor-thin or thick, even and bold. The brush is also short and easy to control, making it ideal for liquid liner newbies. The slim pens are convenient – go ahead and pack ‘em all into your makeup bag – and are color-matched to each shade. 

IMO: When they say waterproof, they mean WATERPROOF. WARNING: Phone cam alert! (0.058 oz for $19)


I love liquid eyeliner. Gel is okay, pencil is meh, but liquid POPS! Nothing stands out more than a sharp winged eye "so sharp they could cut glass." Now for the breakdown...

Achieve clean, sharp WATERPROOF lines with shocking ease. - This liner has a brush tip, not a felt tip. I've never used a felt tip, so I'm accustomed to liquid. It's pretty easy to me, but more on brushes later.

The newest addition to our 24/7 franchise is available in a veritable rainbow of long-lasting, highly-pigmented, WATERPROOF color options – shades ranging from matte to glossy to shimmery! (And why would you only buy one? Try them all!) - I have the color Perversion, a matte dark black. If you though the Zero pencil liner was black, you've seen nothing! It's darker than every other makeup item I've ever seen. My only quip is that this liner takes too long to dry, so I have to do my lashes before my liner.

Use the ultra-fine brush tip to create lines that are razor-thin or thick, even and bold. The brush is also short and easy to control, making it ideal for liquid liner newbies. This brush is actually a bit long, but it does make for fexilibility. Maybe a bit too much for some.

The slim pens are convenient – go ahead and pack ‘em all into your makeup bag – and are color-matched to each shade. - This is another hell yes. Unlike a traditional bulb (ex. Urban Decay's old liquid liner), this can fit into a makeup brush slot in a bag (see my vacation bag).

In conclusion? A all the way (+ if it dried just a HINT quicker)

High School Makeup 102: Wants, not Needs

(Picture courtesy of Seventeen.com)

Note: This post contains high end products I have used and loved for months! You can always find a dupe in the drugstore, but I'm sticking with my classics. I'm suggesting these more towards the high school students than the previous "school makeup" post.

My #1 must have (I've gone through 3 bottles) makeup remover is Clinique Take the Day Off. Just check out my review on why I love it so much!

One must have that you've probably heard of a few quadrillion times is the all famous Urban Decay Naked Palette. I know, I know. You've heard plenty of raves about it already (and if you haven't, where were you when makeup gurus were in an uproar over it?). Well, in short, they're all correct! I know, I know, 50$ is a big thing to drop when you've just escaped middle school. I slowly saved up and got it as a "welcome to high school!" gift for myself (or I made up an excuse, either way). And yes, I like the original better.

Another one of my essentials is eye primer! I use the cult classic Urban Decay Primer Potion -it really amplifies the color and prevents it from sliding around. This is another doozy at 20$ a pop, but a free travel size comes with the aforementioned Naked palette, plus I bought a tube in December, and it's still going strong. I've probably only used up 20% of it, and it's been my daily essential! It also comes in 4 colors variations - I've only used original, but heard great thing about the others.

A good product to have in your arsenal is blush. In pictures, you may notice that your face looks very washed out and pale under flash or other strong light. This can be reversed by using blush, which imitates the rosiness in flushed cheeks. Personally, I never get red or even pink, even when my eyebrows are waxed. My everyday blush is Wet n Wild mineral blush in Purely Mauve (I think it's discontinued). I'll admit the sole reason I bought it is because is was in the sale bucket at CVS. It's extremely pigmented, but a bit of a hassle to get out because it's loose. It's always good to pick up a blush brush too.

Along with acne, comes oiliness. I don't have oily skin, but my dry skin still casts shininess. When shopping around for a powder, I came across Clinique's Almost Powder. It provides a light coverage for minor imperfections, but is still sheer and best of all, hypo allergenic! However, I warn you that it has SPF 15 and is 13% titanium dioxide, which reflects badly in camera flash. I suggest finding another, non-SPF powder for picture
occasions. I use a kabuki brush by Essence of Beauty with this powder.

Finally, every girl should own a natural lipstick for dances when rocking a smokey eye (courtesy of that Naked palette up nya). I'm not a lipstick person, so I just use my Estee Lauder Pink Parfait that was in a GWP. However, some famous/popular ones by MAC are Angel and Blankety, the former being  more pink and and latter more peach. You'd be best off going to a counter though.

You don't need hot pink eyeshadow, or lipstick that stops cars. You don't need to wake up an hour earlier or skip breakfast to meticulously spackle on foundation you DON'T NEED. Makeup may be expensive, but it's fun!

Review: Clinique Lucky Penny eyeshadow

Clinique Lucky Penny eyeshadow is "A pearlized soft muted bronze with a hint of pink." Clinique is known to be a "safe" makeup brand, with sheer pigmentation and focus on soft, natural skin. (15$ for 0.07 oz)

This is my nirvana. This is my muse. This is my reason I even try to wear eyeshadow today. I got a quad last summer that featured this and KNEW it was my holy grail shade and snapped up another one. I'd grab 10 if I had to. If I want my personal look, I grab this, Smashbox Brazilian Bronze in the crease, Urban Decay 24/7 liquid liner in Perversion on top, and Covergirl Lashblast to finish in an immediate school look. I recommend this gorgeous, sorta shimmer goldy-champagne-with-a-hint-of-pink shadow to each and every person out there. If you haven't found your holy grail lid shade yet, I would like to introduce you to Clinique lucky penny. You'll be best friends for quite a while.

What's in my purse (makeup edition)?

 To continue the bad phone photo posts, here's a What's in my Purse makeup edition. The bag is by Clinique in a GWP a few months back, and it's a little bigger than a credit card and 2 or so centimeters wide, very portable. And as you can see in the next picture, can hold a lot!

It may seem like a bit -much- but I can do a quick formal or everyday look with this in a flash! Clockwise, from top left, is a mini Benefit Some Kind-a Gorgeous (foundation), random Clinique quad in neutral tones, sample size Clinique lash doubling mascara, random Sephora eyeliner, Wet n Wild liquid eyeliner, travel size  Smashbox photo finish lid primer, sample size Urban Decay glide-on cheek tint, a random brush head I use for blending, and Hard Candy glamoflauge concealer pencil.

Eye Brushes 101

I believe every girl should own, at the very very least, one eye brush. The one brush should be fluffy and dense, to both apply and blend. My one brush for this purpose is the MAC 217, made out of white goat hair. MAC's description of the 217 is "For shading or blending of colour or creamy products. This brush has fine, densely packed fibers that are arranged in an oval shape." I use this for blending in the crease, applying lighter colors to the crease to blend, and dusting my MAC Melon pigment on my lids in the  lazy days. It's super soft, but if you want to preserve the white goat hair you need to clean frequently. After washing, you might want to put the original plastic covering on so the hair don't get splayed around.

My second essential eye brush is a flat shader - the Urban Decay Shadow Makeup Brush that I got in my makeup palette. The company's description is "Get an all-over sweep of color with the flat side of the brush, or use the fine, rounded tip for more precise shading. Thanks to the tight bristles, this multi-purpose brush picks up a little or a lot of shadow, so you can shade, blend and define." Trusted, this brush is very smooth in a bad way. It's synthetic and plastic, and don't hold color well. However, it does what I need it to do and pats shadow on the lid more or less. The MAC equivalent is the 239.

My third essential is the pencil brush - an essential for smokey eyes. MAC's pencil brush is the 219, and fit to the name, is shaped like a pencil. According to MAC, the brush is, "For precision shading on lid, in eye crease or along lash line. The soft, smooth fibers of this brush are gathered into a pencil-shaped tip. It is ideal for blending eyeliner into eye shadow to create a smoky looking eye." My 219 is slightly pokey, but at an angle it's doable. I'd say it's too stiff, but I'll do with what I have.

My last need-to-have brush is an angled eye brush. MAC's would be either 266 or 263. The 266 description is "For creating sharp, precise lines. This brush has fibres which are carefully arranged to form a perfect angle." I use the Ecotools angled eyeliner brush, which is probably the second softest brush in the list after the 217, and by far the cheapest (3$!). I use this for gel/cream eyeliner, and either this or the 219 for my brows. Not too many purposes, but does the job well.

Now you may be thinking, "why not use the free applicators?" Well,

1. You can't wash them

2. You can't blend with them

3. They spread lots of germs as they cannot be washed

4. You'll just end up spending more on applicators

I hope you enjoy my take on brushes for beginners!

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.