Happy September!!!

Long time no see!  I've been sooooo busy with work and very little time to blog.  :(   My blog has always been for my own relaxation and pleasure though, so though I may post a little few and far between it's ok.

I decided to break out some of my MAC stuff today and do a LOTD.  It was fun!  I have a few pics for you.

All products are MAC unless otherwise stated.
EYES:

UDPP in Original
Delft paint pot on lid
Partylicious pigment applied wet to lid with Fix +
Vapour on browbone
Smoulder on upper lashline and lower waterline
Desert Cloud Crushed Metallic Pigment from the Butterfly Party Pigment Stack in crease
Undercurrent Pearlglide at lower lashline topped with Partylicious pigment dry
UD Supercurl Mascara

FACE:

ELF Undereye concealer in light
UD Pore Perfecting Complexion Primer
Studio Fix Powder Foundation in NC25
UD 24/7 Concealer Pencil in NSA
Blot Powder
ELF Studio Blush in Blushing Rose
Blonde MSF to highlight
Fix + to set

LIPS:

Oak Liner
Blankety Lipstick
Like Venus Dazzleglass

I've recently gone back to Weight Watchers.  I had some minor illnesses that got me off track and I got pretty much back to square one.  In just over 2 months I've lost nearly 20 lbs!  This time I'm sticking with it.  If you are tired of starting over, then STOP QUITTING!!!! That's my mantra!

Hope everyone had a wonderful Labor Day!

A Comparison....ELF vs. MAC.....

Hey all, Happy 4th of July!!!!

So I've been wanting to do this comparison for some time now.  As large of an ELF fan as I am, I've seen several comparisons of the Studio Pressed Powders that have stated that they're very similar to MAC's Studio Fix Powder Foundation.  As I'm not going to be purchasing any MAC in the future due to their selling in China, I've been on the lookout for a good substitute for one of my favorite powder foundations.  I do love my minerals still, but there's nothing like grabbing a pressed powder and slapping it on my face very quickly if I'm running behind in my busy mornings.  So I compared my MAC NC25 Studio Fix to my ELF Studio Pressed Powder in Porcelaine.  MAC retails for $27 for 15 g or 0.52 ounces, and ELF is $3 for 0.317 oz or 9 g.  So it's a little smaller than the MAC but.....$24 cheaper!  I can buy two ELF for $6 and get more than MAC for $21 less.  :D

First of all, color wise, Porcelaine is pretty much DEAD ON NC25.  Porcelaine is the palest shade ELF carries, so if you're lighter than NC25 then it wouldn't be an option.  I can actually use either Porcelaine or Sand, which is one shade deeper, with no oxidation.  I prefer Porcelaine though.

As for coverage.....they're EXACT.  Not kidding.  Who knew a pressed powder meant to set your liquid foundation would give full coverage like that but it does.  If we're 100% honest, I actually PREFER the coverage I get from my ELF!  It made my pores look smaller and I didn't use any concealer.   The ELF is a little more powdery when applying, but I would expect that with a more inexpensive product.  It's NOT however, more powdery on the skin.

Today I did a test.  First of all I apologize for the quality of the pics.  My camera phone was acting up and it's the only camera I have atm.  On one side I applied my ELF Porcelaine, and on the other my MAC Studio Fix NC25.

This is an all ELF face, except for the MAC Studio Fix.  As I hope you can see, the color is exact as is the coverage, with the exception of my pores on the MAC side appearing larger.  I also feel that the MAC side, while not as powdery when applying, looked more powdery while worn.

Here's a closer pic.....I'm DEFINITELY going to have to invest in a good camera soon.

At the end of the day my feelings were the same.....I preferred the ELF side.  It wore better throughout the day with less sliding and wear down from my oily skin.  I don't feel that my fine lines were made worse either.

So there you have it.....ELF is a winner in my book!  Think I found a good replacement for the MAC Studio Fix Powder Plus Foundation!!!

A teal look with MAC and new hair....

Long time no post!

I decided recently that the damage at the ends of my hair was too much.  It was left over from when I went blonde and as my hair grew out the older blonde parts started to get very weak and break.  So I decided to bite the bullet and cut it off.  I'll let it grow from this point because to me, it's not worth having longer hair if I'm not satisfied with how it looks.

On to the look!

I recently got some new MAC stuff.  There's an outlet called Cosmetics Company Outlet or CCO that carries discontinued MAC products and I found a number of things I'd missed out on in the last year or so!  So I did a teal look with some of my new goodies.

All products are MAC unless otherwise noted.

EYES:

UDPP in Eden
Painterly paint pot on browbone

Pure Creation paint pot on lid

Odalisque on inner 2/3 of lid applied wet with Fix +

Deep Truth on outer 1/3 of lid applied wet with Fix +

Vapour on browbone

Spiked Eyebrow pencil

Siahi Fluidline

Fascinating Eye Kohl on waterline

Tilt in crease

Shimmermoss in crease

Maybelline Great Lash Mascara

FACE:

Prep + Prime Skin

Studio Fix Fluid in NC20

Select Moisturecover in NW20

Prep + Prime pressed translucent powder

Dame Blush

LIPS:

Boldly Bare Liner

Untitled Paint

Bloomin' Lovely from Liberty of London collection

Gone Romancin' Dazzleglass Creme

I LOVE Siahi and Odalisque!!!! 

I've got an appointment a week from Saturday for the event at my local MAC for the release of the new LE collections!  I can't wait!

Yesterday's MAC look....New Pigments!

So yesterday I decided to do a deep taupe eye.  Yep, again, neutrals!  WOW I've been wearing them a lot recently!  I got a lot of complements on it and loved the way it turned out!

One of my favorite MAC pigments is Blue/Brown.  It's a duochrome and it changes in SO MANY ways depending on what bases you use with it!  I used it in my crease and over my lower liner, and I used the new Daphne Guinness pigment in Nebula on my lid.  Here it is!

All products are MAC except where indicated.

Eyes:

UDPP in Eden
Bare Study Paint Pot all over
Nebula pigment on lid
Vapour on browbone
Spiked on brows
Blacktrack to line
Blue/Brown pigment in crease and over lower liner
Mary Kay Ultimate Mascara

FACE:

Hourglass mineral primer
Mary Kay mattifier on T zone
Studio Fix Fluid in NC20
Studio Fix Powder in NC25
Mineralized Skin Finish Natural in Medium
Buff Blush

Lips:

Oak liner
Honeylove matte lipstick
Lusterwhite Lustreglass

Sorry about the picture quality, my cameraphone is hit or miss and I still don't have a new digital camera.  Sigh....

Happy New Year Look.....

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

I did a look today for New Years even though We're just staying home as a family.  It was fun; a glittery look and I found some more of my MAC that I thought was long gone that I used too!

ALL MAC unless otherwise noted
Eyes:
UDPP in Eden
Painterly on browbone
Blackground on lid
Retrospeck on inner 1/2 of lid and dry over lower liner
Vex on outer 1/2 of lid blended
Too Faced Glitter Glue on lid
Morgana Dragon Glitter on lid
Vapour on browbone
Black Tied in crease
Mary Kay Black eyeliner at lower lashline
Blacktrack at upper lashline
Mary Kay ultimate mascara in black

Face:

Fix + as moisturizer
Clinique Tzone Shine Control as primer
Studio Fix Fluid NC20
Painterly under eye area
Select Moisturecover NW20 to conceal everywhere needed
Studio Fix Powder Foundation NC25
Mineralized Skin Finish Natural in Light/Medium
Dame Blush

Lips:

Painterly
Oak Liner
High Tea Lipstick
Runway Fave Lipglass

And just so you can see the length my hair has gotten recently better....even though the lighting SUCKED....

It's getting there!

I hope everyone has a wonderful New Year!

Back into MAC....

Hello all!!! I hope everyone had a WONDERFUL holiday with their family and are gearing up for New Years Eve tomorrow (can't believe it!)  I thought I'd post a little update and a few quick pics for ya.

So I'm still selling Mary Kay but only for fun for myself and a few family members and friends.  I have however, renewed my obsession with MAC recently.  I've also recently been wearing neutrals and taupes more often which is TOTALLY not normal but I am loving the different looks!  So here's a few things I've done over the last day or so.

This is just an EOTD.

Mary Kay eye primer
MAC Painterly on browbone
Essense gel liner in London Baby (GORGEOUS deep taupe) on lid
Ulta Eyeshadow in Mystique on lid
MAC Aurora Pigment on browbone (from the Daphne Guinness collection)
MAC Nebula Pigment in crease (also from the Daphen Guinness collection)
MAC Blacktrack Fluidline
Urban Decay Perversion to tightline
Mary Kay Ultimate Mascara

Here is today's FOTD.

This is an all MAC look.

Eyes:

Painterly paint pot
Blue Brown pigment on lid
Vapour on browbone
Aurora pigment in crease
Pentultimate pen liner in Rapidblack to line
No mascara...OOOPS.....

Face:

Studio Fix Plus Powder foundation in NC25
Painterly to conceal under eye area (works like a CHARM)
Buff Blush

Lips:

Painterly
Boldly Bare liner
Oyster Girl Lipglass

I am getting my Christmas pressie from my hubby this weekend...money to go to MAC on Thursday when the newest collection releases...It's called NATURALLY and it's full of nude lip products and gorgeous neutral eyeshadows and things!

Have a HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!

Thursday's UD Look....Dramatic PINKS and a new Foundation.....

This was my FAVE look of this week!

My foundation is different too.  I bought a small Sephora haul this week, but this was prior to that.  I had a sample of Too Faced Amazing Face SPF 15 Powder foundation that I hadn't tried yet, and used it on this day.  I'm planning a comparison post to compare it to NARS powder foundation.

Eyes:

UDPP in Eden
Indelible Cream Shadow in Bare Necessity on browbone
Indelible Cream Shadow in Carbon on lid
UD Blackout on lid
UD Vanilla on browbone
UD 24/7 liquid liner in Perversion
UD Junkshow in crease
ELF Volumizing/Lengthening Mascara

Face:

Hourglass Mineral Infused Primer
Meow Equilibrium Powder
Too Faced Amazing Face Powder foundation in Warm Vanilla
MAC Dame Blush

Lips:

Shiseido Lipstick in Almond Pink
Shiseido Gloss in Cafe Creme

I got lots of complements this day on my makeup and my hair which was funny...I've been debating on going a little darker again, and asked about 10 people if I should and to a person they said "NO STAY BLONDE!!"  I even got some extra complements from people who I didn't ask that volunteered that I should remain blonde.  SO Blonde it is for awhile I guess!!! LOL.....

Be sure to look for my haul post from Sephora as well as my foundation comparisons!  I'm going to try to get them up by tomorrow but it may have to wait for next week.  Have a FABULOUS SATURDAY!!!

Last Look this week!!! :D

Friday felt like a purple day....so I did a bit of a mix of some of my fave colors/brands.

Eyes:

TFSI
ELF Cream liner in black on lid
ELF cream liner in ivory on browbone
Shiseido Blossom Trio....Darkest color on lid, Medium color in inner crease, lightest in outer crease
NARS Abyssinia on browbone
ELF Black cream liner
Maybelline Great Lash Big Blackest Black

Face:

Smashbox Photo Finish Light
NARS Powder foundation in Fiji
MAC Dame Blush

Lips:

Shiseido Perfect Rouge Glowing Matte in Whisper
Shiseido Luminizing gloss in Cool

Cool is an awesome purple toned wash of color that works really well for layering.  I'm looking forward to trying it in other looks too!

That's it for now....hope to catch up on comments tomorrow!

And for Thursday's look....a quite dramatic mostly NARS look....

This was probably the most dramatic look I did this week.  LOVED it though!  I'm all for drama in the makeup department.

Eyes:

TFSI
TFSI Glitter Glue on lid
ELF Cream liner in black on lid
ELF Cream liner in ivory on browbone
NARS Eurydice Black on lid
NARS Tropic in mid crease
NARS Abyssinia on browbone
UD Shattered in upper crease and dry over lower liner
ELF Cream liner in black
Maybelline Great Lash Big Blackest Black

Face:

ELF HD powder
NARS Sheer Glow in Fiji (the last of my sample...I think I'm going to eventually invest in a full size)
NARS Powder foundation in Fiji
MAC Dame Blush

Lips:

Shiseido Perfect Rouge in Almond Pink
Shiseido Luminizing lip gloss in Sunlight

I loved the little bit of golden shimmer in the gloss paired with the lipstick!  I got a lot of complements for this look this week, it made my day!

Have you noticed how long my hair is gettting?  I'm growing it out a bit and it's brushing my shoulders now.  We'll see how long I can go without cutting again LOL....

Wednesday....One of my Faves this week....

I LOVED how this one turned out on Wednesday, it was one of my faves this week!  :D

Eyes:

TFSI
TFSI Glitter Glue on lid
ELF Gunmetal Cream Liner on lid
ELF Ivory Cream liner on browbone
NARS Underworld...Silver on inner 1/2 of lid
NARS Demon Lover...Blue on outer 1/2 of lid
NARS Abyssinia on browbone
NARS Underworld...deeper blue/gray in crease and later dry over liner
ELF Black cream liner
Maybelline Great Lash Big Blackest Black

Face:

ELF HD powder
NARS Sheer Matte Foundation in Fiji
NARS Powder foundation in Fiji
MAC Dame Blush

Lips:

NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Sex Machine
NARS gloss in Belize

I'm quickly becoming a lover of all things NARS.  However, due to the price points, it's going to take some time to get a bit of a collection going.  Slowly but surely, I suppose.  I can say their lip products are definitely in my top 5 list!!!!

Sunday's Look and New Hair Again...

Here's my look from yesterday.  I had planned on posting it last night but time got away from me, then I was tired and had to get up early for work so it didn't happen.  This is done mostly with NARS with some NYX thrown in.

Inside with flash

Outside Natural lighting

Eyes:

NYX HD Eye Primer
NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil (I recently depotted them all) in cottage cheese on browbone
NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Purple on outer 1/2 of lid
NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Purple Velvet on inner 1/2 of lid
NARS Eyeshadow Duo in Demon Lover...the lighter blue on the left patted over inner 2/3 of lid
NARS Eyeshadow Duo in Demon Lover...the darker purple on the right patted over outer 1/3 of lid and in crease
NYX Studio Liquid Liner in Extreme Purple on upper lashline
NYX Slim Eye Pencil in Lavendar Glitter on lower lashline
NYX Slim Eye Pencil in White Pearl on inner 1/3 of waterline
NYX Slim Eye Pencil in Black on outer 2/3 of waterline
NARS Duo in Demon Lover...lighter blue dry at lower 1/3 of lashline and darker purple dry at outer 2/3
NYX Liquid Crystal Liner in Crystal Onyx over the Extreme Purple on the upper lashline and over the other liners on the bottom
Maybelline Great Lash Mascara in Blackest Black

Inside with Flash

Outside in Natural Light

Face:

ELF Mineral Primer
ELF Under Eye Concealer
NARS Powder Foundation in Fiji
MAC Blush in Dame

LIPS:
NYX Slimline liner in Nude Pink
NYX Round Lipstick in Darling
ELF Glossy Gloss in Berry Blush

The pairing of those particular lippies made for a great nude lip!  Also I loved the Demon Lover shadows, and the liners from NYX Didn't bother my eyes at all, even the liquid ones, which is saying something because I have very sensitive skin and eyes!

The lighting both inside and outside really doesn't show my blonde the way it is naturally....for some reason everything was turning out more yellow/gold yesterday in pics.  So I took a few with my phone to show you...these are much closer to what the color looks like irl.

 While the tones of the blonde in these are pretty bad too, it gives you an idea of what the top of my hair looks like.  I think next week while I'm on vacay and after I can buy some more of my Paul Mitchell Keratin Treatment at my local beauty supply house I'm going to pull some of the very dark I still have left on the bottom and back out and color it lighter like the rest.

Well that's it for now....have a great day!!!

Monday's look....

This was a look I did on Monday.  I got a little extra money so I did a little Wet N Wild and ELF hauling, and I plan on posting that haul soon.  I also placed a small Silk Naturals order online so I could get my Hemp moisturizer (It works well!) and a few more things.  Then I placed a small order on the ELF website too, which is coming on Friday since I splurged for faster shipping as I've heard their shipping can be slow.  Most of the things I got in that order are only available online and not at the stores.

On to the look!

Eyes:
Monistat Gel
ELF cream liner in ivory on browbone
Wet N Wild cream liner in black on lid
Wet N Wild 8 shadow palette in Petal Pusher:  left browbone color on browbone and in corner, left definer on lid, left eyelid color in crease, right definer color in crease and dry over liner
Wet N Wild Mega Liner liquid liner in plum
Maybelline Define A line in black
ELF Mineral Infused Mascara in black

This stayed this way ALL DAY LONG....

Face:

Monistat gel as primer
ELF Eye concealer/brightener
NARS Sheer Matte foundation in Fiji
ELF Translucent Mattifying powder
MAC Dame blush

Lips:

Wet N Wild Mega Last Lipcolor in Smokin' Hot Pink
ELF Glossy Gloss in Sweet Salmon

The mattifying powder did fairly well over my sheer matte.  I only had to reapply once over my nose area.  It definitely works better if I press the powder with a sponge first then blend with a brush.

The Wet N Wild liquid liner BURNED when I accidentally got it in my eye...note to self:  DONT DO THAT!  LOL....but it was ok after that.  The Wet N Wild cream liner seems like it will last all day, it was actually a bit difficult to remove with the only eye makeup remover I have on hand right now as I need to replenish that too.  But I don't mind too much when that happens.

I have another look and a haul post coming very soon!

Mystic Rollick and Romping....SN....and a MAC to SN Clone Comparison

This is my first full Silk Naturals look!  I'm very excited.  This was yesterday.

Oh, btw, still having those goofy Blogger Commenting issues.  I'll catch up once they fix the dang thing.  GAH!

Eyes:

Monistat powder gel as primer
Silk Naturals Clear cream liner on browbone
Silk Naturals Amethyst cream liner on lid
Silk Naturals Mystic GWP (gift with purchase) on inner 1/2 of lid
Silk Naturals Romp on outer 1/2 of lid
NARS Abyssinia on browbone
Silk Naturals Amethyst cream liner upper lashline
Maybelline Define-A-Line ebony black liner lower lashline and waterline
Silk Naturals Rollick in crease and dry over lower liner
Maybelline Great Lash Big Washable Mascara in Blackest Black

Face:

Monistat Chafing Powder Gel as primer
Silk Naturals Tinted Oil control Blur
Silk Naturals Medium Coverage Ivory Foundation in my mix
Silk Naturals Tinted Oil Control Blur
Silk Naturals Lady Blush

Lips:

Silk Naturals Kisser Slickers gloss stick in Fig Leaf


A few observations:

1.  My first foundation mix was just a hair on the dark side for me.  I've since added one more scoop of the white which is PERFECT.  I mixed up a whole jar of it.  And the nice thing is I'll be able to use the Buttery Gold undertone powder to darken up a jar of Meow Sleek Abyssinian that I haven't been able to use (I was accidentally sent it instead of Frisky Abyssinian) so I can use it now too!

2.  The foundation covered well and stayed all day with VERY LITTLE oily breakthrough...I didn't have to repowder at all and one oil blotting paper took care of it!  That's a first for me.  I think we may have a winner!

3.  The monistat as primer both for my eyes and face are looking pretty good so far!  The shadows stayed all day long and my pores were much less noticable!

4.  The kisser slicker gloss stick is more pigmented than I thought, but that's a good thing in my book!  It's closer to a lipstick in consistancy than a gloss. 

I also thought I'd do a swatch of the two MAC products that I bought Silk naturals dupes of.

Top Left:  MAC Idol Eyes Eyeshadow; Top Right:  Silk Naturals Idolize Eyeshadow
Bottom Left:  MAC Dame Blush; Bottom Right:  Silk Naturals Lady Matte Blush

Idolize isn't an exact dupe in my book, but close enough to get the same type of effect in your looks.  Lady is much closer to Dame, but Dame is a bit more strongly pigmented.  Not a bad thing for me, as I tend to be heavy handed with blushes. 

Have you bought any Silk Naturals Dupes recently?