NARS Purple Rain Nail Polish

I am loving the look of this new nail polish from NARS! What a great intense shade of purple.

From the NARS website:

This intensely gothic purple is a bright and audacious shade destined to become a modern classic.

Can't wait to get my hands on it!

Urban Decay 24/7 Waterproof Eyeliner vs. Sephora Flashy Eyeliner

First I primed both my eye lids with Urban Decay Primer Potion. Then I put Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On liner in Zero on one eye and Sephora Flashy liner in Deep Black on the other eye. I lined my both my upper lash line and my waterline on each eye.

Here is my experience:

8:30 am

Lined both upper lids and waterline…both liners glide on easily with no tugging on the eye. Both liners apply to the waterline like a dream. I do often warm these liners in my hands a little before applying, but they still both apply easily even if you don’t.

11:30 am

Both upper lids still look the same as when first applied. The Urban Decay has faded quite a bit on my waterline and is now only at the outside edges of my waterline. The Sephora liner is still holding strong on my waterline with very little fading.

12:15 pm

Only forty five minutes later, the Sephora liner has now faded out on my waterline as well. It is now showing only on the outer edges of my waterline like the Urban Decay.

4:45 pm

Both upper lids still strong and vibrant with no smudging. Some of the liner from my waterline has now migrated very slightly under my eyes on both sides. The Sephora liner is now almost completely gone from my waterline. There is only a faint trace of it on the rim of my waterline. The Urban Decay liner is still detectable, barely, on the outside rim of my waterline. What is left is still in a consistent dark line across the rim of my waterline though.

7:00 pm

The liner on both lids is still going strong. Looks pretty much the same as when I applied it this morning. The Urban Decay liner is still hanging in there very minimally on the edge of my waterline, but more of it has now migrated under my eye. The Sephora liner can be considered pretty much gone from my wateline at this point.

10:00 pm

So…thirteen and a half hours later…it’s time to wash my face for bed. At this point the waterline color on both eyes is completely gone with no trace. But both the Urban Decay liner and the Sephora Flashy liner on my upper lids are still going strong, and with very minimal fading and still no smudging.

Ok, so here are my final thoughts. I have to say, I am impressed. And I am pretty much equally impressed by both the Urban Decay 24/7 liner and by the Sephora Flashy liner. Both had nearly equal staying power on my eye lids and, even though the waterline coverage didn’t last as long as I had hoped for either liner, it lasted longer than any other liners I have tried, except for maybe MAC Fluidline, which always ends up stuck in patches to my contact lens no matter how meticulous I am with application.

Sephora Flashy liners are about half the price of the Urban Decay 24/7 liners, making them a real bargain...I just wish Sephora Flashy liners came in as many great colors as the Urban Decay 24/7 liners do!

Urban Decay 24/7 Liner vs. Sephora Flashy Liner

Today I have put Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Eye Liner on one eye and Sephora Falshy Eye Liner on the other eye...Urban Decay in Zero, a deep black and Sephora Flashy in deep black, also a deep black.

I have to keep resisting the urge to look in the mirror every fifteen minutes...somehow I don't think my boss would appreciate my dedication to beauty products reviewing during work hours. lol

Three hours in the Urban Decay liner and the Sephora Liner (applied on my upper lash line and water line on both eyes) are both hanging in there and both look about the same. Hmmm....the Sephora Flashy liners are less than half the price of the Urban Decay liners....

Stay tuned for the results!

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Eye Liner

Someone...hmmm, maybe me? lol...has become obsessed with Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Eyeliners.

I have terrible luck with eye liner staying on my waterline and Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Eyeliner is the first eye liner to actually come close perfection. It does not last 24/7 on the waterline but the waterline is a really tough place to get liner to last so this didn't surprise me at all. It did, however, last a good six hours before I could see some wear on it and that is impressive to me. On other parts of the eye lid it does last all day with no fading and very little smudging.

I started out by buying Urban Decay 24/7 in Zero, which is a nice deep black. I am so happy with this liner that I already have two more on order...Underground, a nice darker brown, and Rockstar, a really cool eggplant purple.

I am already mulling over which color to buy next...there are lots of neutral colors but also many really pretty bright colors...teals, greens, blues, purples, golds, even a silvery white...oh, the choices!

Great kohl eye liner tip!!!

I just came across the greatest tip on Make Up Alley!

For all those super soft Kohl eye liners that are nearly impossible to sharpen...stick the liner in the freezer for a bit before you sharpen and voila! You will get a pointer tip and a lot less breakage!

MAC 219 Brush

I am so excited today because I have just added another brush to my growing MAC brush collection. I ordered the MAC 219 pencil brush online and Fedex delivered it today. So far I am thrilled with it. It is so versatile. It can be used on the inner v, the outer v, the crease, and to add a little sparkle to the tear duct. It can also be used to line the eyes top and bottom and it helps make a great smokey eye as well. So many great uses! I think it will become a must have brush for me.

I tried it out today with my Sephora Flashy khol eye liner. I dabbed a bit of eye liner along my bottom lash line and then, with the MAC 219, I smudged it out along the length of my lash line and it did a really great job! Can’t wait to try it out on my outer v and crease!

Sally Hansen Insta Dri Fast Dry Nail Polish

Check it out! Sally Hansen's Insta Dri Fast Dry Nail Polish dries in sixty seconds!

It really does work. It has an extra wide brush to help coat the entire nail in only one or two quick swipes, which I initially thought would be hard to work with, but it's not to bad. One coat, even in the dark red shade I applied, seemed to give good coverage. And in literally sixty seconds, with fresh bright red polish on my nails, I was able to do up the buttons on my white coat with no problems.

The lasting power is not nearly as good as regular nail polish. The Sally Hansen Insta Dri polish generally starts chipping within twenty four hours of application, but the trade off is an instant manicure whenever you need it...when you are running short on time, when you get a last minute invite out.

There is an array of great colors. I keep a couple in my desk drawer at work for days when I am feeling blah and want an instant color pick me up. I can paint my nails at my desk and be back to paper work and answering the phones in under two minutes. Can't beat that!

MAC Sketch Eyeshadow...Grrr!

Today I want to gripe. I am generally a big fan of MAC eye shadow. Almost all my eye shadows are MAC eye shadows. I love the color choices and the staying power of MAC eye shadows. But…I have come up against one MAC eye shadow that is making me angry.

That eye shadow is Sketch. In the pan it is a burgundy purple color and on my eye it goes more of an egg plant purple. It is a beautiful color and I love it. It looks great with my dark brown eyes. I would wear it more often if it wasn’t for one thing. No matter what I try I just cannot get it to go on smoothly! It always ends up patchy and hard to blend!

I have tried different types of brushes. I have tried putting it on with a primer and base shadow underneath. I have tried it on my lid, in my crease, in my outer v, and as an eye liner. I just cannot get this shadow to blend out properly. It just insists on looking like an unblended mess!

I am somewhat new at the eye shadow thing but have a little experience behind me now. Should it really be this hard to apply an eye shadow? I think not!

NARS Gipsy Lipstick

Today I am loving my NARS lipstick in Gipsy. It is a really great and wearable daytime red. It is a pretty berry red and looks great with my pale, cool toned skin and dark hair and eyes. It is the only red that I own doesn't make me feel like I am walking around with a stop sign attached to my lips. It is just a light pretty red that is very easy to pull off.

The lipstick itself is slightly creamy and has fairly good staying power. I don't feel that it dries out my lips at all.

If you want to try red lipstick but are feeling a little faint about it, try NARS Gipsy. It makes a great beginners red and is probably flattering to most skin tones.

If you already own NARS Dolce Vita it is Dolce Vita's slightly redder sister.

Enkore Crease Brush

I received my Enkore duo fiber crease eye brush in the mail recently. After using it for the past week I have to say I am very happy with it. It is small enough to fit right into the crease of my eye and, although I find it a bit too flimsy to do a really precise outer v, it does quite a reasonable job of blending out shadows in the crease and across the eye and also seems to pick up and distribute pigments well. The bristles are light and soft and I barely feel them on my eye.

It seems to be a solid well made brush and well worth the $11.95 US I paid for it. If you don't want to put out the money for a more expensive MAC blending brush this could be a very good alternative. Koren of Enkore fame really seems to care about his fans and their opinions and I think you can see that in his products.

Enkore has a number of other brushes available on his website  as well. Check them out online at www.enkoremakeuponline.com

Brush Guards

I was watching Enkore Youtube reviews the other night and came across his review for The Brush Guard. I immediately ordered some and you guys just have to check this product out! What a brilliant idea.


www.thebrushguard.com  
Here is the official blurb on The Brush Guard website:

The Brush Guard is a stretchable, breathable tube which protects your makeup brushes:

While drying - bristles dry in perfect shape
In use - handle stays clean and grips better
In storage - no snags or squashing
On the move - perfect packing

The Brush Guards themselves really do seem to do what the company claims. I was even able to fit my MAC 182 kabuki brush into the larger Brush Guard. The only down side is that it does take brushes a little bit longer to dry than normal, but, it really does help them keep their shape so I think it is a good trade off.

I have invested so much money into quality brushes and this is an inexpensive way to protect that investment. I am very happy with this product and have already ordered more.

Sephora Flashy Liner

I have been on the hunt for an eye liner that will STAY PUT on my waterline! Aarrgghh! Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Waterproof liner seems to be the most recommended, but it costs around $22.00 in Canada and that seems really pricey to me for an eye liner.

So desperate am I to find a liner that will work that I almost broke down and bought the Urban Decay liner. Lucky for me I came across some reviews for Sephora's Flashy Eye Liner. Quite a few people have said they like it as well as, or better than, the Urban Decay version. Hmmmm, $10.00 for the Sephora liner....worth a shot right?

I received it yesterday and have applied it to my waterline this morning. It has been on for about an hour and still going strong. Yay! That is better than any other liner I have tried so far.

Let me get back to you once I have had it on all day.

Update:
So, twelve and a half hours since I put it on....

Surprisingly there is still a fair amount of color on my waterline! It has worn away at the edges but enough of it has stayed put, making it appear that my eyes are still lined. A small amount of has migrated underneath my eyes unfortunately, but after twelve and a half hours of wear (and a bit of light eye rubbing on my part) I am willing to forgive that. It is only a recent development. It was fine all day while I was at work.

I would have to say that, overall, I am very happy with Sephora's Flashy liner in Deep Black. I think I might consider buying some of the other colors. There are so many pretty ones.

My face costs how much?!

My thoughts were wandering this morning as I was standing in front of the mirror getting ready for work. I started adding up in my head how much it costs for me to do my face every morning...can you say heart attack?! Good thing I have a sense of humor! I find it funny that I have gotten myself into a position where I require this much product just to get out the door in the morning, sad though that may be. LOL. It's good to have a hobby and a passion for something in life, even if that passion is eye shadow and lipstick, right? That's what I am telling myself anyway!

Oil of Olay moisturizer         $13.00
Garnier Eye cream             $17.00
Rimmel Face Primer             $8.00
MAC conclealer            $20.00
MAC Select SPF foundation         $31.00
Marcelle translucent powder         $12.00
NARS Orgasm blush             $29.00
Benefit Georgia Peach face Powder    $36.00
Physicians Formula Bronzer         $17.00
Rimmel lip liner in Addiction        $6.00
MAC Cosmo lipstick             $16.00
Urban Decay Primer Potion         $22.00
MAC Brule Eye Shadow         $13.00
MAC Amber Lights eye shadow     $13.00
MAC Electra eye shadow         $13.00
MAC Naked Lunch eye shadow     $13.00
MAC Black Tied eye shadow        $13.00
MAC Vanilla pigment         $23.50
MAC 187 brush            $52.00
MAC 182 brush            $55.00
MAC 217 brush            $27.00
Enkore blending brush        $18.00
Coastal Scents Kabuki brush        $6.00
Coastal Scents stippling brush    $8.00

      Total: $481.50!!!

MAC 217 Shader/Blender Brush

I am just learning the basics of eye shadow application and so I have been doing a lot of research on blending brushes. The ones that seem to have popped up over and over again were the MAC 217, 222, and 224. After A LOT of reading, thanks to all you wonderful people who post your reviews and opinions, I settled on the MAC 217 shader/blender brush. Everyone seems to be of the opinion that it is a good “first” blending brush when you are starting to build a brush collection.

I have been using it on a daily basis for about a week now. At first I didn’t think it was making much difference and I felt a bit awkward with it in my hand, but, after playing around with it and getting comfortable with it this last week I am really beginning to see how it is starting to improve my blending abilities. I think at first I was using it with too heavy a hand, which is probably typical of newbies. Now, I keep my touch light and just keep blending, blending, blending, blending, and voila, much less splotchy, nicely blended shadows.

The MAC 217 is also great for patting on shadow if you use the flat part of the bristles. Kind of a two in one deal, fluffy and flat all at the same time! I am finding I can do almost an entire eye look (minus liner of course) with this brush. It really seems versatile.

Anyway, I have decided I love it lots, and I think I might branch out and get the MAC 222 blender brush next. I think the MAC 224 might be a bit big for my eye space.

MAC Sable eye shadow

I hit my local MAC counter yesterday with my sister, who had some birthday money to spend. I have recently gotten into MAC eye shadows and so it took all my will power to keep from spending money in there. I am trying to build a good staple collection of eye shadows to start, since I have basically none, and I did end up walking out with a MAC shadow in Sable. It is a beautiful plummy brown shade and I  just love it. I am wearing it today. I put MAC Naked Lunch on my lid, MAC Sable in the crease, and MAC Sketch as an eye liner for a simple work day look, and I love it! MAC Sable is such a pretty eye brightening brown and I think it is going to be very versitile. I can already tell  it will go great with purples, greens, and pinks. I have pale, cool toned skin (MAC NW20), dark brown eyes, and dark brown hair and I think it suits me well. I have a feeling I am going to hit pan fast on this one.

Hello!

Hi everyone!

I am so excited! This is my first blog, and my first post in this blog. I am a complete beginner when it comes to cosmetics and application and I definitely don't claim to be any type of expert. Far from it. I am slowly but surely learning, trial by error, how to improve my make up choices and my application techniques, and as I have learned so much, and continue to learn, from all of the wonderful people who take the time to post their advice, reviews, and tutorials, I just want to give a little back into this great community I have found and share all the fun and interesting things I am learning along the way.

Thanks for reading my blog and I look forward to getting a chance to interact with all of you.