The Ever-Helpful Filler Post: A FOTD, Polish, and Nail Art!

Hiiii guys!  I have been hiding out and trying to minimize the time in front of my computer zombifying…seriously, these damn electronics can suck you in and eat your brain big time.  I’ve been drafting up posts here and there but not sitting down for too long because I just need a break.  S’OK?  And plus, I want to show you some fab looks with all of my new(ish) pretties!  Here’s one look that I wore out this weekend:

Forgive me for less than stellar shots, as usual I was running late and took these in the bathroom of the party I was at while trying to remain inconspicuous lol.  And I probably had a few rum & cokes by this point… I’m a lost cause ~sigh~  Anyway, I took this look directly from this tutorial of Lisa Eldridge’s – I ADORED how it came out, another one of those looks that made me feel badass and awesome all evening (and isn’t that the point?).  I’ve been really getting into colored shadows again lately, so fun!  FYI – I’m wearing MAC’s Blue Edge (discontinued) topped with Shimmermoss on my top lid and Beautiful Iris on my lower lash lines.  Oh, and also, I used the Alterna Bamboo Smooth Kendi Oil in my hair and HOLY SMOKES.  I LOVE THIS STUFF – look at my hair!  Just look at it!!!!!

I’ve also got a spring-themed post in the works that I’ve been thinking of for ages but haven’t had all the pieces to put it together.  If I’m not too, um…under the weather after Paddy’s Day on Sunday, I plan to get it done that Monday as I’m off work.  It involves some very pretty polishes that I’m totally diggin’ – unlike this polish, which sadly did NOT do it for me:

I know, an it’s an a-England polish too!  Tess d’Urbervilles, a blackened green shimmer.  It looks nice here but I couldn’t wait to take it off.  I’m just not a fan of green hued polishes, unless they’re pale /pastel-toned or more of a teal green.  Ah well, can’t win ’em all!

I have been trying to do things that are good for my well-being as much as possible – this semi-computer break being one of them, as well as joining a yoga studio that had an awesome deal: $108 for three months of unlimited classes.  Heck YES!  I went today after work; the focus was shoulders and OMG I feel so effing great!!  My back and neck are always sore from working at a computer (and being at one at home too) and this worked it out so well.  I am feeling particularly SUPER WOMAN LIKE today because I also went for a run at lunch.  So YAY for mental & physical health! 😛  I feel all zingy – kinda like this nail art I did a few weeks ago:

This could have been SO much better – the concept and colors I totally liked, but I used french manicure strips that kept pulling up the polish beneath it, no matter if I let it dry for 5 minutes for 15.  SO irritating!  Half of this ended up being freehand and the other is just a mess of me trying to fix the peeled polish areas.  Urgh.  For reference, the shades I used there Revlon’s Sterling, Essie No More Film, and Zoya’s Wednesday.

And there you have it!  My very best attempt at giving you something to look at while simultaneously chattering away with abandon, and trying to link the two.  Successful?  Probably not, but I wasn’t sure when or how I’d post these photos, so it worked for me! 😛

I hope everyone had a great Monday!!!

From the Pages of a Magazine: FOTD Inspiration

Before the online world took over, I used to be a voracious reader of magazines.  First it was YM, which I only read for the ‘Say Anything’ section when I was about 11-12 years old.  Then it progressed to Seventeen, then Cosmo, and then Allure – the latter which firmly entrenched my love affair with makeup eternally.  Often, I would pull pages out of a magazine with pictures that evoked a certain ‘something’ – I can remember papering my walls with Calvin Klein ads for DAYS (OMG this is bringing back memories!); the models all seemed to fabulous and mysterious. As I grew up, I instead began to pull makeup looks from the pages of my favorite mags, anything that piqued my interest visually and was just begging to be attempted.

Though I don’t do this as often today (I have a subscription to only one mag now, and try to avoid buying any because – hello, internet!), I still do come across pictures in print that I clip out for future reference.  I have a big photo album full of ’em now, tied together as a collage – each page with a different theme (YES I KNOW I AM ORGANIZED/OCD/CRAZY/WHATHAVEYOU).  This morning I thought of my album and pulled it out to get some ideas for the day’s look.  What I decided on was this:

Every so often I go through the album and remove photos that I’m no longer ‘feeling.’  Amazingly, this actually doesn’t happen very often – even though the span of these photos is over probably 7+ years, I still love most of them and they don’t seem to become dated.  The photo above is one of my oldest, and yet I think it’s still as relevant today, and I still totally love it.  A flash of blue liner and a stained pout – simplicity at it’s best.

I wore this look today for the first time, and I’m pretty pleased with how it came out:

I did tone it down a bit by not bringing the blue all the way to the far inner corners; I was after all, at work today and my office isn’t terribly ‘creative’ (I know, totally not what you expect for the GOVERNMENT, right? Ha).  But otherwise, I actually think I captured the look fairly well.  The liner shade is exceptionally close (though I suspect she’s wearing liquid – while I used MAC’s Petrol Blue Pearlglide liner).  I think I even almost got the lip stain right (MAC’s Bing Mattene lipstick), though it looks a little worn here because I reapplied and then forgot and ate some chocolate.  Oops.

And an even more up-close shot:

I chose to bring the liner around to just the edge of my upper lash line, though I don’t think she has that in the photo.  I liked the effect though.  Overall, I liked the look – I don’t think I’ve ever worn anything like it, and it was a great way to use the MAC eye pencil as I’m trying to get rid of it (great shade, terrible wear on my eyes which tend to get smudgy at the corners).  I wore an eyelid primer (NARS Smudgeproof) to prevent this from sliding down my face.  I must admit, similar to my other blue look, I felt kinda badass wearing this, which is always a good thing in my books because if it gives you a little bit of a swagger, all the better 😉

So what do you think of the look?  Where do you get your inspiration from?  Do you get any benefit from these kinds of posts?  Let me know your thoughts in the comments!

How to Avoid a Lemming (Successfully!) – And a FOTD

Today is my day off, and I’m very fortunate as the weather is LOVELY – the week/weekend was rainy for the most part, so I’m quite pleased that I get to spend my day frolicking in the sunshine.

Our cat Vegas sunbathing.  I’m normally not one for pet pictures, but this pretty much sums the day up 🙂

Sometimes on these days, I make a point to get over to the mall (aka Sephora) as it’s often the only opportunity I have.  I originally planned to head over and check out the new wares at the store as well as take a gander at MAC’s Casual Color collection.  I had my eye on ‘Keep It Casual’ which is a deep berry tone and not something I gravitate toward often (hence, I may have a place (justification) for it in my ever-growing stash!).  However, the sun is shining and calling me to come out and play, rather than spend any time indoors – and my budget is pleading with me to hold off until we move in case I need that cash for other, more *ahem* important things (like places to sit).  So, I stomped into the bathroom and started weeding through my blushes to see if I had anything like ‘Keep It Casual.’  Of course, I have nothing to compare it to, but I remembered my much looked-over Turkish Red Cream Blush from NARS just kickin’ around and going generally unloved.  After swatching it, it seemed close enough in tone that I figured I could leave ‘Keep It Casual’ where it belongs – back in the store for some other beauty junkie – and decided it was time to get creative.

(Whoa, sorry for that long opening paragraph!)

Anyway, I slapped on a few things and actually came away with a look I ADORE – it’s a touch Fall-ish, but actually looks warm and inviting in the sunshine, so I thought I’d share it with you.  I actually managed to use two products that don’t get a lot of use in my stash (which I’m still trying to make a point of doing) – the other is MAC’s Mattene lipstick in Bing, a deep, dark, blackened cherry shade from the Cult of Cherry collection from 2008, when goth lips first came into fashion.  I love the dark lip look but it doesn’t quite suit my coloring for the most part; for the first time, I think I found a way to wear it that’s quite pretty, so I’m pretty stoked!

Enough rambling (must get back outside!) – here we go:

Urban Decay Perversion, Burberry Trench, MAC Amber Lights, NARS Turkish Red, NARS South Beach, MAC Bing

Since the blush was the main point of the exercise, I stippled Turkish Red on my cheeks (focusing closer to cheekbones) and blended out.  As it’s quite pigmented, I applied my base second, MUFE’s Face & Body foundation in #18 (review to come), to my entire face and just lightly over the blush to diffuse it out. I added a touch of NARS’ South Beach Multiple to the tops of my cheekbones for some extra gleam.

I patted on MAC’s Amber Lights eyeshadow, a rich, shimmery orangey-gold, to lids and just above the crease.  I blended out the edges and highlighted the brow with Burberry’s Trench shadow, which is a pale bone shade with a slight satin finish rather than chalky matte (looks so natural! Review to come).  I defined my eye with UD’s Perversion liquid liner, and then topped it off with mascara.

I don’t wear darker shades of lips very often at all, and as you know and just venturing out into wearing lipstick and more opaque colors as a whole, so I was pleasantly surprized that I actually REALLY liked this look.  I started with a base of Turkish Red on my lips, which actually looked quite nice on it’s own.  Then I applied Bing on top, and lightened up it’s super-dark tones with a touch of Sephora’s She Sparkles gloss, a fine glittery gold.

And voila!  Easiest look ever, and I kinda want to wear it all the time now.  It definitely makes me want to give berry lips a chance now, though since Bing is probably the only berry shade I own, that might mean buying other lippies – uh oh.  I’ll hold off till the cooler weather returns before going down THAT road.

What do you think of this look?  Can I get away with it in the Summer, or should I hold off till Fall?  What tactics do you use to avoid a lemming?

Previously Untitled: A FOTD With Some of My Favorite Products!

It is RIDICULOUS how many awesome things I have to show you, I can’t even deal with it.  Unfortunately, the past two weeks I’ve been working multiple nights at Clinique for the Sears GWP, so it makes chances of writing a post after working a 13hour day pretty much nil.  However, it’s my day off Monday, which I usually tend to spend doing blog related things ALL day – so expect to see all of this fun stuff after that 🙂  In the meantime, here’s a FOTD of the look I wore today to meet Make Up For Ever Canada’s PR rep (an awesome event that I plan on detailing in full very soon!).  It was fairly simple, but I used some of my favorite products and therefore I loved it 🙂  Check it!

It was sunny today for the first time all week, and it was so lovely!!  These shots were taken around 8am and it was warm enough to stand outside with just my little thin dress on – c’mon warm weather!

I’m wearing NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer in Seychelles, which I find I only need a touch of to make my skin look fab.

I have a swipe of NARS South Beach Multiple (pinky-champagne) on my cheekbones, and then my new Illamasqua Powder Blusher in Lover, a pale peach.  It’s quite subtle on my now-tanned skin, but I actually loved the look – it’s exactly what I want my blush to look like when I’m doing a low-key look.  Though I think it’ll be particularly striking when my tans faded next Fall/Winter.

On my eyes I wore Smashbox Cream Liner in On Trend, a blackened khaki green, smudged at the lash line (top & bottom).  Then I applied Make Up For Ever’s Star Powder in #940, a white-orange/gold, all over the lid just past the crease, concentrating extra color in the inner corners to capture that color-changing highlight.

I added a touch of Giorgio Armani’s Eyes to Kill Intense Eyeshadow in #6 Khaki Pulse (golden deep khaki) to the outer corners and a touch in the crease to add a bit of depth.  I doubled-up on my mascaras, and first applied Clinique’s High Lengths to stretch out my lashes, and then added Laura Mercier’s Full-Blown Volume to amp it up a bit.

I hadn’t done my lips when I took this photo, but I was wearing Make Up For Ever’s Rouge Artist Natural in N36 (pinky-coral), which is soft and complimented the blush very well.

This was an easy look, but allowed me to incorporate shades that I don’t always use – partly because they’re some of my favorites and it’s one of those ‘save for a special day’ kind of things, which is admittedly ridiculous.  But, today was kind of a special day, and these products did NOT let me down – I felt polished, and current, without going overboard.  And they were still going strong by the time I got home tonight, well over 12 hours. That’s what I’m talkin’ ’bout!!  (Forgive me, it’s been a long day :P)

What do you think of this look?  What products do you save for a ‘special day’? 

It’s Over For Another Year…Lent 2012 Conclusion and Considerations

Well another year has passed, and that means another Lent and a challenge to embark on.  Six weeks ago, I revealed my plan to you for this year’s Lent, which was MUCH tamer than last year (giving up buying cosmetics cold turkey – gah!  What was I thinking!?):

1) Write a blog post every single day, with the exception of Sundays
2) Wear every single makeup item in my stash at least once
3) Post regular FOTD pictures with the evidence

It was a pretty easy year, I have to say, which is why you didn’t get many updates from me as the weeks passed. I started strong with the FOTD pics (though failed at making them look good!), but as time wore on I found myself still mostly wearing the same old looks and products I always do.  It was an unsuccessful Lent in that respect, but not entirely a waste – I did learn a few lessons!First, I came to some conclusions about blogging and how I plan to proceed with writing posts.  While I almost always have a plethora of things I’d like to write about, near the end of the 6 weeks I found that I was feeling less enthused about blogging – working on a computer all day to come home to work for another few hours, every single day, started to get to me. Could have been year-end as well, but in order for me to maintain my blogging integrity and the quality of posts I want to produce, I think every second day or so is more reasonable for where I’m at right now. I really want to engage with more people, either our in the community making myself present, or through my own posts, and I’m barely finding the time to write a post, take good quality (as I’m able) photos, respond to comments, read others blogs and comment….it’s a lot of time and as I’m no night-owl…it gets pretty strained.  So while I tried and mostly succeeded to write every day, it’s just not feasible for me if I want to still enjoy blogging as much as I do.  I hope you all understand! 🙂

Second, and much more entertaining, I did experiment with makeup more than normal, working with shades that I had deemed unwearable and pairing them with different products to ‘figure them out.’  With the exception of a handful of shades, I’m pleased to say I did wear everything in my stash at least once.  I had some particular successes:

– Wore MUFE Aqua Liner #5 (an aqua), a bold shade I was hesitant to wear, on the top lash line with minimal other makeup, and actually ADORED how it looked – and how wearable it turned out to be!  A perfect look for Summer!

– Paired MAC’s Shimmermoss, another aqua shade, with MAC’s Petrol Blue liner (smudged at the lash line) to create a deeper, more intense teal shade which looked much better on my darker skin tone.

– Wore UD’s Kush (kelly green) from the BoSIII palette on Saint Paddy’s Day, along with Lise Watier’s Folie de Pomme loose shadow (golden green), and it looks absolutely amazing!

As to be expected, I also had some failures:

– I struggled to find ways to wear MAC’s Madly Magenta Cream Color Base, a deeply saturated violet pink (tried it on lips as well as cheeks, and I’m not too sure…*see below*).

– Several shades from the UD BoSIII palette continued to be completely unworn: Perversion (matte black), Uzi (glittering white), Midnight Cowboy Rides Again (glittering champagne), and Money (pale aqua-blue with a touch of glitter)…can you see a trend here?  The shades with glitter (hello, fall-out!) are just so tough to pull off!

– Still haven’t taken the time to figure out NARS Habanera…I feel like the lack of effort I’m putting into it might be indicative of it’s fate.

Overall, while there were some shades I discovered new uses for, or learned how to wear them properly, there were also shades that just aren’t going to and won’t work for me.  A lot of the more cool-toned, blue-based shades I own I think will have to go – I just don’t feel comfortable wearing them.  The UD palette also is a bit of a thorn in my side, because while half the shades I love, the other half are essentially useless to me.  It’s a bit frustrating!  However, there are still some items that are a work in progress, and I’m going to continue to investigate whether or not I should hang on to them, such as Tarte’s Blushing Bride Cheek Stain (I think I’m too dark to make this work, as it’s quite sheer); Smashbox On Trend Cream Eye Liner, a deep khaki (I’m bringing it to Jamaica to try smudging it out a ton, as that feels like the just right look for the trip); and Clinique’s Salt & Pepper Lid Smoothie (a shimmering silver-grey that would be a great base for certain looks).

Lastly, I did improve my photography skills a bit when it comes to taking FOTD’s, though I still have a LONG way to go!!  Here are a couple looks I shot over the last few weeks:

Wearing: Lise Watier Folie de Pomme loose shadow, theBalm Down Boy blush, MAC Madly Magenta CCB on lips

Wearing: MUFE #2 Yellow Eyeshadow, MUFE #0L Aqua Eyes, Benefit Bella Bamba blush, and MUFE S4 Star Gloss

So.  While Lent this year wasn’t much of a big hoopla as it has always been for me in years past, nonetheless I still took something away from the experience, and it wasn’t for naught!  I plan to continue to go through my stash regularly to weed out products that just aren’t right for me and could use a better home, and I’m definitely going to keep trying to experiment – with both products and photos.  Blogging as a whole is a constant learning experience for me, and one that I relish and take great pleasure in.  There will never be a shortage of things to discover and write about!

Oh, one last thing before I go – here was my Easter mani for the week:

Wearing (thumb to pinky): Zoya Cho, MAC Mischievous Mint, China Glaze Sea Spray, Zoya Marley, RBL Poco a Poco

(Tee hee!!)  Happy Easter/Long Weekend everyone!! 😀

FOTD Trial and Errors!

Happy Hump Day everyone!!  Heyyy, February is pretty much over – doesn’t that make you feel like Spring is REALLY on it’s way?  Even though it doesn’t officially start for another three weeks or so, I always feel like March marks the end of Winter and the beginning of good (re: warm) things 🙂

For the past week, since Lent began, I have been steadfastly putting in an effort to take FOTD shots of my makeup looks every day, but unfortunately for all of us – I have been failing spectacularly.  I just can’t seem to get it right, and it’s frustrating me to no end.  However, fortunately for everyone, I don’t give up easy, and I am going to keep on trying until I am successful!  Embarrassingly, here are some of the shots I’ve taken over the past week:

MUFE Aqua Liner #14 with the purple shade of NARS Habarnera in the crease and along the lower lash line.  I swear in person the shadow was actually noticeable, more than just the hint of shimmer showing here!

This was my getaway look this past weekend – Urban Decay’s Bourbon liner on the upper and lower lashes, Benefit’s Bella Bamba on cheeks, and MUFE’s Star Collection Lab Shine in S4.

I snuck this photo at work while in fear of someone finding me taking pictures of myself lol – I’m wearing Urban Decay’s Bordello eyeshadow (from the BoSIII palette), with UD’s Smog in the crease, theBalm Down Boy blush, and MUFE Lab Shine S4 again.

Tonight, I managed to get a couple shots I was fairly happy with, though I still wish I could get close-ups of eye makeup so that you can see what I’ve done.  But – beggers can’t be chosers, I guess!  Below, I’m not wearing too much – just a touch of the pale shade of Hourglass’ Exhibition shadow duo on the lid, UD’s Crash liner, Benefit’s Bella Bamba on cheeks, and the star of the look – Chanel’s Rouge Allure Laque in Empire.My goal with all of these FOTD shots are to showcase the products that I haven’t been giving enough love to, and figuring out how to make them work on a regular basis.  Chanel’s Empire perplexed me from the start – it was such a gorgeous shade, but I just didn’t see it working on my skintone.  However, now that I’m easing into wearing pretty Spring hues, I find this lippie works PERFECTLY.  It’s just not a Fall/Winter shade on me, AT ALL.  Now that I’ve figured that out, I’m gonna have some serious fun with this color!!  It’s absolutely perfect for pretty much any Spring look I’ll be wearing.

What makes me cringe chuckle when I go back through these pictures, is that my makeup looks almost identical in each – this is one of the frustrating parts, because each look was different, honest!  ~sigh~  Anyway, as I said, I’m going to continue to press on, and *one day* I’ll get it.  At the very least, I’m having a great time wearing different products every day and giving all the neglected items I own a little attention.  Talk about shopping your own stash! 😀

Have you rediscovered a product that you weren’t sure about, only to find that you’ve changed your mind and have now fallen in love?

It’s Shrove (aka Pancake) Tuesday…You Know What That Means!

The day has come.  The moment of truth.  In the words of the illustrious Kevin McCallister: ‘This is it.  Don’t get scared now.’  I just had a hearty dinner of pancakes so I can stomach it all.  Today I’m going to reveal my Lenten plan for 2012!!
…Well, OK, so I’m building it up a bit, and unneccesarily so, because – I’ve had some time to think.  And in that time, I’ve realized a few things: 1) I’m a touch masochistic (as Liz duly noted), and 2) contrary to popular belief, I actually do LOVE makeup, not hate it!  I feel like I’ve been imposing so many bans and rules and the link upon myself and my interaction with cosmetics, that I’m giving an entirely inaccurate portrayal of how I really feel about beauty as a whole.  I don’t want you to think that I’ve got this strange relationship going on where I love makeup so much that I abhor it at the same time – no, no, no.

Here’s something you need to learn about me: I tend to make little things, whatever they are, seem much bigger than they are.  As I’ve mentioned before, I’m a highly excitable person, which can be fun at times, but which can lead to some misperceptions about how I’m really feeling.  Just because I make LOUD PROCLAIMATIONS about things doesn’t mean I’m worked up or upset; and just because I make mountains out of molehills doesn’t mean that I actually feel that strongly about the situation in the first place.  I just tend to inject a good dose of emotion into most aspects of my every day life to spice things up!  There’s gotta be some way that I can get rid of all this extra energy!
So, that being said, I’m going to try and tone it down a bit on the blog and make sure the messages I want to come through are being related accurately – at least until you get to know me a bit better 😉  If I slip and you notice I’m starting to go off the rails a bit though, please take most of what I say with a grain of salt.  I’m just having a little bit of fun!

Now, let’s get to the ‘good’ stuff: what am I giving up / taking up for Lent?  Regardless of my personality ~quirks~ I’m still determined to devise a plan that encourages me to step out of my comfort zone and challenge myself in some way.  My grandmother and I always participated in Lent together, and I will continue to carry on that legacy well after her death (to be clear – I am not doing this for any religious reasons, merely personal ones; for those of you who are religious, I hope that this does not offend you).  After pondering this matter for some time, I think I have come up with a few ideas that are fun, that benefit you as a reader, and that push me to give more as a person.  Rather than giving up some sort of pleasure I have in the beauty world (I did enough of that last year), I’m going to take on an activity that will test my ability to discipline myself.  Without further ado, here’s the official scoop:

From Wednesday, February 22nd, until April 5th, I am dedicating myself to the following tasks:
1) Write a blog post every single day, with the exception of Sundays
2) Wear every single makeup item in my stash at least once
3) Post regular FOTD pictures with the evidence

Note that I said ‘regular’ FOTD shots, and not daily, because as I’ve said before, getting a good face shot in the morning while I’m already rushing to get to work on time is pretty much impossible.  Also, for some shots it is absolutely necessary to have proper lighting, which just isn’t always available.  But, nonetheless I’m going to try my best to show you as many looks as I can during the next 6 weeks or so!  Also, bear with me if some of my posts are less rambling as usual (which I’m sure some of you will LOVE), as posting every day is going to be a challenge in and of itself.  I do have a lot to write about though, so I’m sure it’ll be just fine 🙂

So there you have it.  A beauty-loving challenge with nary a restriction nor deprivation in sight.  Hallelujah!  Now I can be free to continue to dedicate that kind of effort towards eliminating all the ‘meh’ products from my stash.  And actually, these two endeavors will work together in order to achieve that goal, so – BONUS!  I’m planning on making a few big time splurges in the next few months so I’ve got to make way for those 🙂

I hope you all approve of my final plan for Lent?  Let me know your feedback in the comments!  The big day starts tomorrow!

Fun Color Friday, Using MAC Russian Red Lipstick

I’m sorry I haven’t been very good as posting these regularly – it’s not that it’s not on my mind, but I am having a hard time getting good FOTD shots, particularly during the Winter when natural light, nevermind sunlight, is scarce to come by.  I’ve tried getting shots in the morning before work, but as I’m always running late, they’re hurried and unreflective of the look.  Once I get home from work, I have about 30 minutes to redo my makeup and get photos taken in the fading light, which is pretty much an impossible task.  However, I may have found a way that works for the time being – sticking my face directly in the bright light of my bathroom (lol!).  It’s the best I can do for now!

After being inspired by a few other bloggers, I decided to try out a bold red lip, which I absolutely adore but never seem to be able to pull off correctly.  After a bit of playing around, I think I found a way to rock a bright lip that doesn’t look too overdone or garish.  While I’ve always known that the key is to keep the rest of your makeup simple, I never seemed to get it right.  The reason, I’ve realized, is that ‘keeping it simple’ doesn’t mean wearing less makeup necessarily, it just means making it look flawless and subtle.  Check it out and let me know if I managed to be successful!Yikes, my brows are really crazy right now!  I need a maintenance wax, and I also need a new brow color – I’m too cheap to buy one at the moment so I’m using MAC’s Dark Edge as a filler, but I really prefer a pencil.  My apologies!

Without getting too detailed, what I’m wearing here for color is:

Urban Decay’s Perversion liquid liner
theBalm Mary Lou-Manizer (corner of eyes and under brow bone)
NARS The Multiple in South Beach (highlight)
theBalm’s Hot Mama shadow/blush
NYC Color Wheel Mosaic Face Powder in All-Over Bronze Glow (contour)
MAC Russian Red lipstick

Afterward, for fun I applied MAC’s Venetian Lustreglass on top of Russian Red (which is actually the original combo I bought) – I’d probably wear this if I were looking for an amped up look for going out:I actually really dislike Venetian on it’s own, but somehow have managed to use almost the entire tube by forcing myself to mix it with other shades.  THESE are the kinds of items I want to steer clear of from now on!

I hope these pictures properly showcase the look I was going for.  At least, from my perspective the colors are true to life, which is the best I can ask for at this point!  I’ll continue to work on my photography skills, and try to utilize good lighting when I can, to your benefit 🙂

Now – enjoy your weekends, my dears!  I hope it’s wonderfully relaxing, or awesomely spectacular – whatever you need!

Have you tried MAC’s iconic Russian Red?  How do you make it work?

You might also like…

– A Blush Smackdown: Nars Torrid vs Benefit Bella Bamba vs theBalm Hot Mama
– An Inside Look: My Nars Collection
– “Fun” Color Friday – 1st Attempt
– Review: Buxom Big & Healthy Lip Stick