Kim Kardashian Inspired Smoky Eye

I can't take credit for this one, I saw Marlena's video over at Makeup Geek and really wanted to try it out since I've been fighting the urge to use my UD Naked palette everyday. I have a bunch of neutrals, but it's so easy just to reach for this palette since it has lots of great shades all in one spot.

I only discovered Marlena a few weeks ago, but she has fast become one of my favorite gurus on YouTube. So many beauty bloggers come across as fake or even worse, push products as hard as they can because they are getting paid to do so, but Marlena just seems completely real and down to earth in all of her videos.
You can check out her video here:

I really had the urge to play in my makeup one night, so I tried this look out. (By the way, if you ever see me mention my oily hair, you have proof of it in this post. My hair gets so oily it's ridiculous, but that's a rant for another day.)

Holy blood-shot eyes, Batman!

Sorry that there are no closeups, it was late and there was no natural light to be found.

I have no clue what's going on with my eyes here. I wasn't crying, didn't poke myself in the eye, nor was I  smoking a doobie in the bathroom... yet I have bloodshot eyes. A few eye-drops would have helped I suppose.

Obviously I used the Naked Palette on my eyes, but in case you don't feel like watching an eight minute video, I'll break down the colors for you. ;)

Face:
Stila Tinted Moisturizer SPF 30 Oil free in Bare

Eyes:
Hustle- all over lid below the crease, blending up and out for a smoky look
Naked- used to blend out hustle at crease
Virgin- highlight & tearduct
UD 24/7 liner in Zero- upper lash line
UD 24/7 liner in Whiskey- smudge bottom lash lines
Smog- outer half of lower lashes
Half baked- smudged along lower lashes, inner third
Creep- smudge along upper lashes and outer third of lower lashes
Fairydrops Scandal Queen Mascara

Lips:
Sephora Ultra Shine gloss in Shiny Natural Look

Autumn Inspired FOTD

Friday was the first day of Autumn so what could be more appropriate than an orange eye? The fact that I wanted to try out my new MAC paradisco shade may have had something to do with it too. ;)
I started out with a simple eye during the day, but a few hours later decided it need a little something more before I ran into 4312765 people that I know.
Maybe I'm exaggerating... but it was Fall Festival at Adam's school that night so I saw many familiar faces, and I certainly prefer the latter look.

Day

 Evening

I'm having the worst trouble getting a nice natural light to photograph with, so my apologies while I try to figure out the best spot and time to take pics. The few places in my house where I can photograph make my skin look a bit Cullen-ish, sans sparkles. I'll figure something out. ;)

Here's a list of products used:

Face:
Clinique Dramitically Different Moisturizing Gel
Clearprep FX Matte Foundation Primer
MAC SFF NC15
Benefit Erase Paste
MUFE HD Powder
Tarte Amazonian Clay blush in dollface


Eye:
UDPP
Bare Minerals Wearable Pistachio Light- inner corner and highlight
BM Luster-  lid
MAC Paradisco- Crease & blend color
Kat Von D- Rebekah (from the true love palette) added to crease for the latter look
MAC Fluidline in backtrack
Fairydrops Scandal Queen Mascara


Lips:
MAC liner in subculture
MAC Angel lipstick on first, followed by Clinique lipstick in Berry blush



I'm new at explaining what I do, so don't hesitate to let me know if things aren't clear or if I missed something. :)

You can see the excitement on Hannah's face!

Adam on one of his many turns.

This was my kids favorite part of the Fall Festival, I swear they could have spent 2 hours in the gym just to go down the slide.

I'm so glad that Autumn is off to a good start around here, homemade pumpkin everything and unpredictable KY weather!

MAC Studio Fix Fluid Review

I have finally jumped on the MAC Cosmetics bandwagon, and I am a huge fan. Seriously, why did I not try this stuff sooner? *SMH*

I have some friends who rave about the studio sculpt foundation but I was a little afraid that it would have a too much moisture for my oily skin right now. (I might give it a try in the winter when humidity isn't such an issue.)

I ordered the Studio Fix Fluid in NC15 online after reading many, MANY reviews and swatches. (Seriously, thank God for Makeupalley and Google. Both are such handy tools when you can't just run in-store.) I'm really fair so going with the lightest shade was a no-brainier, especially after I read so many fair skinned gals complain that the SFF shades run darker than the other MAC foundation shades. According to MAC, I should be a warm shade because of the pink/rosy undertones in my skin but so many reviews talked about how the warm shades in SFF were too orange for them, and I know from previously experience that I certainly cannot do foundation with an orange tint. Oompa Loompa, anyone?

SFF applied with quickness on greasy skin

I was so excited to see that black box on my doorstep that I ran inside and applied it on top of my 6 hour old tinted moisturizer greasy skin with my fingers. If it can look good on top of THAT, there must be something special about this stuff.

Morning application

Evening results

I applied the SFF with a sponge for a couple of days and while it still looks great, neither sponge or fingers are my first choice for applying liquid foundation. It's harder to get an even look with my fingers and the sponge soaks up too much makeup. What a waste! The SFF still looks pretty great with a sponge, if I do say so myself.

Morning close-up

Evening close-up

I also added a comparison pics from right after application to the end of the day. (About 8 hours, I believe.) You might think I look like a hot mess by the end of the day, but with my oily skin, I promise that it's a good thing!



My new favorite application method is stippling with a MAC 187. In combination with the SFF it gives my skin an almost flawless, airbrushed finish. My skin looks great with this on and it covers fabulously. I still use a bit of undereye concealer with it but nothing on blemishes.

Applied with stippling method

Yes, I spent the whole day with my eyes closed. :P

I have combination-to-oily skin, (I occasionally get dry spots but it's very rare and only in the winter,) and this foundation is perfect for me. By the end of the day my skin has a slight sheen to it when wearing this, but that could be corrected with a dusting of powder. That is a first for me since most foundations leave me with shiny cheeks within a few hours.
The coverage is anywhere from medium to full, depending on the application. It's a very easily buildible foundation without becoming cakey or blotchy. It does take a little while to dry, which is great for adding coverage but not for when you're in a hurry. It has somewhere between a natural and matte finish when applied to my skin. I would call it one step under matte, if that makes sense. Another great thing is how little product I actually need to use to achieve this look.  One pump is plenty when using the stippling method.

There are only two things that I dislike about this product and both are related to the packaging. It comes in a glass bottle so I think that traveling with it would be an issue and I also had to buy a pump for it separately. Really MAC, you know we need that pump to get it out of the small opening. Way to make a few extra bucks. ;)

While this formula is fabulous for my oilier skin, I'm not sure that it would work well for those with really dry skin.  There really isn't a "one-size fits all" foundation, but I'm sure that there are those who will love this just as much as I do. This foundation is well on it's way to becoming a HG foundation for me!!

Project 10 Pan

I've been doing a project10 pan for a few weeks now to try and get some stuff out of here.
What is P10P? It's when you take 10 items from your stash that you rarely use and use up those items before you go buy any new product. (The "pan"means you see the pan that your powder products are cased in.)

I'm not quite doing the traditional P10P; I modified it a bit for my needs. I am one of the worlds worst for buying a replacement product before I run out of the old product and then I never finish off the old product. The I end up with almost empty containers of things but don't have the heart to throw them away since they're still useable.
I know, it doesn't make sense to me either.
I just did a haul post too, so you're thinking, "she's full of it!" but I had been planning that trip instore before I started the P10P. Honest I did. I just had to reschedule my trip to the big city a couple of times and it got pushed back.

Yes, they are sitting on my washing machine. Classy, I know.

Since I've already been doing this for a little while, some of the items are already off of the list.

Clean and Clear Deep Action Cream Cleanser - I am always buying a new face scrub or wash bc my body adapts to them quickly and after a couple months they no longer work as efficiently, so I'll end up with half full bottles or less. This bottle would be empty right now if I used it every night, but with my retinol product I can't use it that often.

Zapzyt acne spot cream- Same deal as the face wash, need to finish this one up. I have 3 or 4 half empty or less tubes of different treatment laying around. Honestly, I would be perfectly happy if I never had to touch an acne spot treatment again, but alas, I don't think that is in the cards pour moi.

Clinique Superfit Foundation: I loved this foundation for years but I get bored with the same thing for too long, so when I switched over to bare minerals a few years ago I discarded this one. I thought it was still usable, but the coverage is spotty now. One day it would look fine, the next would leave me with blotches. Hello trash-can!

Pantene Mousse- Really? Yeah, really. I threw this one into the mix bc I kept reaching for my Aussie mousse since it smells so good but this one was open first. Plus I needed a 10th item. Project 9 Pan doesn't have the same ring to it.

Prime Time, Fairy Drops Mascara, BADgal lash Mascara, Sugar sugar eyeshadow

Fairy drops mascara- This is actually my favorite mascara but it will reach it's 6 month limit at the end of September so I've been trying to use it every day up until that point. This is really close to an HG mascara for me. <3

Benefit BAD gal lash mascara- I had to admit that I've been holding onto this mascara for way too long so it's gone. C'est fini. Nothing makes my lashes look better than this though. I might rebuy it after I try out some new mascaras, but only in a sample size from here on out.

Clinique eyeshadow in sugar sugar- You can see I've already hit pan on this one. (I'm not cheating, it's my game and this is how I play. :P ) This was my go-to highlight shade for a very long time. It's one of those products that I bought another of and never finished this original.
I actually decided to turn this into a cream shadow to use on the swipe and go days. I think I may have made it too sticky, but I'm still trying to use it up.

Bare Escentuals Prime Time Eyelid primer- After I discovered UDPP, I sort of discarded this product in my drawer. It's a good primer but nowhere near as good as UDPP is for my oily lids. I have no clue how much is left in this pen-type applicator, but it seems to have a never ending supply.

Clinique moisturizer- I really wanted to use this up but I'm not sure that it still does it's job at oil control. My new Clinique dramatically different gel seems to do much better so I'm having a hard time picking this one up to use it. I'll keep trying though!

Clinique Naturally Gentle Eye-makeup remover- Again, another favorite of mine. However I found myself using some other sample products I had and this poor little almost empty tube was just sitting in the drawer. Don't let the lack of product fool you, a little bit of this stuff lasts a LONG time.

That's 2 products off of the list so far, and they both went to the trash. Good progress, eh? Don't worry, I'll keep at it. ;)


The reason why I'm up late to actually get this posted? My DS is sick so I can't sleep. I never can when it comes to my babies. Little brats may drive me crazy most of the time but it's never any fun to be sick. :(

Haul Time!

ETA: I went in to edit this post, and somehow it got moved to a new post? Apparently I'm not smart enough to work out all the blogger kinks yet. :/ I'll work on it, promise.


I was finally able to head in-store to Sephora and the MAC counter last Friday, so I'm still running on a new product high. This will be a collective haul from the past month or so, don't hate.

MAC-
MAC Studio Fix Fluid in NC15- I ordered this online and I already love it. What took me so long? I'll try to get a review on this one up soon.
MAC Ruby Woo Matte Lipstick- Finally decided to look at this cult favorite in-store and just like the rest of the world, I think I might be a fan!
MAC Lip Pencil in Brick-to match Ruby Woo, of course!
MAC Frost Eyeshadow in Paradisco- I realized that I do not own a a single orange shadow and needed to change that, so I went with this shade.


Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel- the BIG bottle! Hah!
Tarte Amazonian Clay blush in Dollface- I can already tell you that I'm going to need this blush in more shades. It gives off a nice color and lasts all day! Bonus points for being cruelty free!
NARS blush in Orgasm- another cult favorite that I did not own. The color is fab, but I'm loving everything about the Tarte blush a tad bit more.
NARS Lipstick in Niagara- I actually wanted to buy Barberella, but this color was more appealing with my skin tone.
NARS Lipgloss in Giza- a nice peachy gloss
MUFE HD Powder- This was my one impulse buy in-store; it's the small size that they keep in the bins up by the counter.
Cover FX Clearprep FX Matte Foundation Primer- I went in planning to try out a new primer, the MUFE All MAT in particular, but my store no longer carries it. :( Two SAs suggested this one for oily skin, so I'll give it a try.
Philosophy 3-in-1s in Caramel Apple and Candy Corn- I love Fall scents, so yummy! I'm going to have to hide these from the hubs!
Philosophy Lip gloss in I love candy corn- After I smelled the body wash I *had* to have the gloss! It really does taste yummy, I informed Hannah that this one was all mommy's!
Sephora VIB gift- I had over 500 points on my beauty bank and this since skincare kit had a lot of good samples in it, I went for it.

Urban Decay Primer Potion Duo- 2 for the price of one! They switched from the genie bottle to a squeeze tube but I still like the bottle so I took advantage!
UD Matte eyeshadow in ABC Gum- I know a lot of people use this as a brow bone highlight but I'm so pale it's more like a natural shade on me. :/
UD Cream eye-shadows in Midnight Rodeo and Whipped- $3 each, heckuva good deal!
UD 24/7 eyeliners in Dime & Baked- I love the 24/7 liners and want them in every. single. color. I think these were about $8 or $9 each! :O
UD Liquid Liner in Roach- It looks brown but has a purple tint when applied.

Other randoms:
L'oreal Carbon Black Lineur Intense felt tip liquid eyeliner- Extremely easy to use! This is a great liner for when you want the look of a liquid liner but don't quite have the precision down yet. It's a little hard to get a thin line though.
Essie Nailpolish- Power Clutch and Lady Like
Neutrogena Ageless Intensives Anti-Wrinkle Deep Wrinkle Night Moisturizer - I finally decided to try a face product with Retinol so after reading many reviews, this is the one I went with. I'll give my review and results in a month or two.
Ponds Cold Cream- After starting the Neutrogena cream I needed something very gentle on my face for removing makeup, so what's better than good old cold cream?
Desert Essence Organics Hair Care Shampoo- This was recommended to me for oily hair so I'm trying it out. So far I'm just ehhh about it. Review in a few weeks.

Target "mini" haul: While everyone else is going Missoni crazy, I bought some brushes. :P
Sonia Kashuk Highlighter brush- a reasonably priced MAC 187 dupe.
Sonia Kashuk concealer brush- a bit obvious, no?
Sonia Kashuk bent liner brush- The tip of this liner brush is bent to the side. *doh* It supposedly makes it easy to apply eyeliner.

Phew! That took forever just to write out. That will be the biggest haul for a very long while, I tend to go in 6 months spurts of no makeup shopping and then buy a whole bunch at one time. I should really get a handle on that, haha!

Coming soon!

I can think of several posts I need to do, I just need to set down at the computer to set them up with pics.
I need to do a haul post from my most recent beauty binge; I've got a modified Project 10 pan going on right now; I've started using a retinol cream for my face; creating fake play makeup for little girls; dyeing old jeans and more!
Now I just need to find the time to write it all out. THAT's the problem, hah!

What the... ?

What am I doing here? To be honest, I'm not quite sure yet myself. I feel like I need to place to share my randomness with the world whether it be crafts, makeup, clothes, venting, etc.
Feel free to follow along and enjoy the ride with me, hell if I know where it will lead.