Smoky Eyes Are A Super Cinch

I love smoky eyes more than anything else. One of my greatest regrets is that I didn't spend my teenage years rocking the ridiculous amounts of eyeliner that Taylor Momsem does these days. Yes, us mature twentysomethings might think it is too much, but come on, it's being a teenager! To be fair, I was a teenager in the 90s, when it was all about "the natural look" which involved wearing varying shades of brown.

Earlier in the week I featured a teal smoky eye look which was pretty experimentational. That one required me to think a bit about what I was doing. I do have another smoky eye look in my arsenal which is my "no thought required, always works" smoky eye that a MAC MUA taught me last year.

I used:

Elf Shadow Primer

MAC Satin Taupe

MAC Smut

NYX Black

MAC Shroom

MAC Feline

Covergirl LashBlast Luxe

 

NYX Haul Part 2: Lipsticks

NYX Cosmetics are currently having a $1 bonanza sale, so now seems a good time to go through my recent NYX lipstick haul. I previously posted about my eyeshadows here.

From l-r Rose, Snow White, Louisiana, Tea Rose, Hero, Pumpkin Pie

Rose applied lovely and smoothly. However, I would definitely not call this color rose. It is closer to a fuschia pink. It is definitely a bright spark on my mouth. It took a little getting used to, but I do think I really rather like this colors.

Snow White is a dark gash or wine red. It automatically made me think of those 90s riot girl bands. Because the color is so rich and dark I made a real mess of applying it straight from the tube. This color totally did not suit me. Fail.

Louisiana is a cooler toned blue pink. Its pigmentation was not as strong as the other lipsticks. It is kind like less bright version of Rose. It is a pretty color, but a little too cool for my skin tone.

Rose, Snow White, Lousiana, Tea Rose, Hero, Pumpkin Pie

Tea Rose is a pretty nude pink. It is neutral in tone and reasonably pigmented.

Hero is a rich, dark red. It is warmer in tone than Snow White as well and not as pigmented as Snow White. The extra warmth meant that it suited my skin tone much better. I blotted this down and it became a super chic dark stain. I like it.

Pumpkin Pie is another nude pink, but this one is a lot warmer, almost with a touch of caramel. This came of almost entirely nude on my lips.

These lipsticks set me back $1.75 each, which is a good bargain for sure. NYX lipsticks feel super smooth going on and the ones I have used so far have nice pigmentation. The only thing I do have to say is woah do they taste like soap, which I do not find at all pleasant. I guess it means that I'm not likely to lick them off....

FOTD Teal Smoky Eyes

I put this FOTD together partly as a way of testing out some products, and partly because it has taken me about 5 years to actually do it! This is incredibly embarassing, but I wanted to do this eye for my graduation ball, but didn't really have the skills to do it. I was just playing around the other day and realised that I could probably do a stab at what my mind's eye had imagined. I didn't really have an idea of how to get to where I wanted, and my limited google searching didn't bring up anything I was looking for. However, I do really like the results, although the mint on one eye got a little blown out.

 

Products used:





Eyes:
ELF Eyelid Primer
NYX Jumbo Pencil in Black Bean
MAC Pigment in Mutiny
MAC Knight Divine
NYX Rock
MAC Aquadisiac
MAC Shroom
NYX Geisha
CoverGirl LashBlast Luxe Mascara
Anastasia Brow Gel
ELF Liquid Liner
MAC Fix+

Face:
Smashbox Primer
MAC Moisture Select Concealer in NW20
Bobbi Brown Moisture Rich Foundation in Sand
MAC MSF in By Candlelight
MAC Fix+

Lips
NYX Lipstick in Pumpkin Pie

I used Elf's Eyelid Primer as my base to test out the product. Then I used NYX Jumbo Eyelid Pencil in Black Bean over the whole lid. I put a couple of dabs right in the center, and used a flat brush to smoosh (do we do that with our bases - smooosh?) it over the whole lid and a little into the crease.

Next, I sprayed a brush with Fix+ and took some Mutiny and used it over the whole lid. This created a teal-gray color which I really dug. I was tempted to stop here and be done. However, it wasn't the look I was going for. I then used a dry brush and used Knight Divine on the middle lid, and Rock on the outer lid. I took a small brush and put Aquadisiac in the whole crease, and used a blender brush to blow out the color. I then highlighted with Shroom. I used the ELF's Liquid Liner to draw a line along the whole of the lid with a slight wing. I actually liked the way this applied. I put Feline on the lower waterline, and Aquadisiac on the lower lashline. I also added a touch of NYX Geisha to my tearducts.

For blush I used MAC MSF in By Candlelight on my apples of my cheeks and up to my temples in a kind of C shape. Lips were NYX Pumpkin Pie from my recent NYX haul. It looks like, but smells like soap. I know they are cheap, but I'm not sure if I can get over that!

Oh, and please excuse the hair. I have been testing out a leave-in conditioner and it seems to have made my hair a horribble mess!

NYX Haul Part 1: Eye Shadows

Now that NYX are having a HUUGE sale right now (lots of things just $1!!!), it seems right that I post about my recent haul from Cherry Culture. I'm doing this haul in two parts: eyes and lips.  I used a 20% off discount code which cut down on NYX's already low prices. For me, NYX quality is completely hit and miss. Their Jumbo Eye Pencil in Black Bean makes a great black base, but their Glitter Mania Jumbo Pencils are horrible. I kind of treat the bad products as the price you pay for the awesome cheap good products, although the fact that I have no local place to check products out and rely on online swatches and reviews means that I can't check to avoid the rubbish. And hello! I live in Manhattan, the shopping center of the world. Surely there should be a place I can store that stuff somewhere!?

Anyway, I did a major haul just after Christmas, and here are the results.

Eye Shadows

Top, l-r: Black, Rock, Blue Marine, Pine Nut

Bottom, l-r: Dust Sparkle, My Favorite Color, Geisha

All of these colors felt great to touch - smooth, reasonable pigment, and no chalkiness based on my first impressions. They are also big - 2.7g compared to a MAC shadow pan which is 1.5g. I've done some research and apparently they are reasonably easy to depot which is good, because if a shadow isn't in a palette with me, it languishes forgotten in my drawers. All shades are compared to MAC shades.

Black: I got this to be a dupe for Carbon, which I strangely don't own. I have Nehru, which is almost black but not as strong. It is matte, smooth, and lovely and dark. I'm super pleased with this color. Highly recommended

Rock: This looks to be a super dark grey shimmer shade. The shimmer is almost big enough to be considered a lustre, but it doesn't appear to be giving any fallout issues yet. It is much darker than Knight Divine, and really closer to Black Tied. I liked this color a lot, but I thought that it would be lighter than it is. 

Blue Marine: I picked this to be a Deep Truth Dupe, but it isn't. Instead, it is a gorgeously rich, smooth deep matte navy blue. I've been thinking about putting together a deep navy smoky eye together for a while, in a kind of rocky 80s way - this is going to definitely work in that look. 

Pine Nut: I'm collecting browns right now, simple as that, so I thought I'd try this one. This actually reminds me of all the swatches I've seen for Cross-Cultural from the All Races collection that is currently in store. I didn't pick it up as I thought it was dupable, little did I know I would do it by accident! It's a mid-tone warm brown. This one didn't swatch as well as the others - the color wasn't as smooth, and although I can see shimmer in the pan, it swatched matte. 

Dust Sparkle: Okay, I have to admit, that I picked this entirely on the name. I just liked the sound of it. How lame am I? This is pretty much an exact dupe for Sweet Lust, right down to the uneven lustre finish. It's a very pale, cool pink with silver sparkles through it. I have Sweet Lust, and I think it's very pretty to look at but never use it; this is exactly the same. It kind of disappears on my skin and leaves behind annoyingly large glitter pieces. Not a winner. Lesson? Don't pick eye shadows based on their pretty names. But I bet you all have done it. 

My Favorite Color: Again, guilty as charged. I figured that if it was someone's favorite color, I might like it too. Logic? Not my strong point. This is another lustre finish. I'd describe is as a very light peach. I don't have anything to compare it to in my collection. The closest thing I can see in the MAC collection is either Jest or Retrospeck. Ooh, this shadow needs base. I left it alone for 10 minutes on my hand while look for a dupe swatch and when I came back to it, it had GONE! It leaves behind large chunks of glitter fallout as well. 

Geisha: I got this as I heard it was a perfect white shimmer highlight color, and it is. It is simple, straightforward white, with a decent amount of shimmer. It is very pretty, and I can see myself using this a lot on the insides of my eyes. Right now I use Filament for this, but I get fall out. 

 l-r Black, Rock, Blue Marine, Pine Nut, Dust Sparkle, My Favorite Color, Geisha

 So, all in all, I like the quality of these colors, and some make decent MAC dupes. Some of course, are pretty colors in their own right. With a lot (but not all) colors being only $1 at the moment, it's definitely worth taking a look at the sale and seeing if you pick up any gems.

EOTD Smoky Pinks

Right now I've been going through a real neutrals phase, hence my love for the Warm & Cozy collection. But, every so often, a girl wants to have fun, and what better way to do that than play with pink? As a bonus, I get to tick off a couple of my never used items like MAC Stars and Rockets eye shadow, NYX Black Bean Jumbo Pencil and NYX Candy Pink Glitter Liner.

Products used (all MAC unless stated)

• Paint in Bare Canvas
• NYX Jumbo Pencil in Black Bean
  
• Stars and Rockets Eye Shadow
• Dark Blue shade from Mystic Cool Palette
• NYX Candy Glitter in Pink
• Highlight shade from Mystic Cool Palette
• Feline Pencil
• Covergirl Lashblast mascara
  

I used Bare Canvas as as base, then used Stars and Rockets all over the eye. I took the dark blue from Mystic Cool and used it in the outer third and the crease, blending with the pink to smoke it out. I then highlighted with the cool shimmery white shade in the Mystic Cool Palette. I then used the NYX Pink Glitter liner all over the lid for a glittery sheen. This was something I'd seen A Brilliant Brunette do in a gorgeous dark blue look I lined the waterline with Feline and the lower lashline with Stars and Rockets.

I think I'm slowly getting better at the whole picture taking malarkey, but it's a learning experience!

My Ohmigod I Have Too Much Stuff This is Embarassing Post

You know, this blog isn't just about rampant consumerism. I mean, everyone knows that in these hard times, making do with what you have is where it's at. And let's face it, a lot of us have too much and no idea what to do with it, and I am definitely included in that. Looking through my closet and in my makeup drawers, I can spot more than a few things that deserve more love that I have given them in the past. But maybe, just maybe, this blog can help me reconnect with hidden treasures and introduce some new favorites into my current rotation. And you know I can always use a little help in this, so here's a quick view of some of the purchased and never used stuff I have in my makeup drawer:

NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk

NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Black Bean

NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Gold

NYX Glitter Liner in Silver

NYX Glitter Liner in Blue
NYX Glitter Liner in Candy

MAC E/S in Swimming

MAC E/S in Mythology

MAC E/S in Expensive Pink

MAC E/S in Off the Page

MAC E/S in Crest the Wave

MAC L/S in Creme De Nude

MAC L/S in Myth

MAC Pigment in Cocomotion

MAC Pigment in Brash and Bold

MAC Pigment in Mutiny

MAC E/S in Samoa

MAC E/S in Shale

NYX Jumbo Glitter Pencil in Gold

NYX Jumbo Glitter Pencil in Blue

MAC E/S in Sweet Lust

MAC E/S in Copperplate

MAC E/S in Passionate

U/D Book of Shadows Vol II

MAC E/S in Twinks

MAC E/S in Freshwater

MAC E/S in Strike a Pose

MAC Eye Palette in Sorceress

MAC Eye Palette in Mystic Cool

U/D 24/7 Pencil in Lust

U/D 24/7 Pencil in Ransom

U/D 24/7 Pencil in Electric

U/D 24/7 Pencil in Binge

U/D 24/7 Pencil in Rockstar

U/D 24/7 Pencil in Stash

U/D 24/7 Pencil in Covet

U/D 24/7 Pencil in Graffiti

MAC Paint Pot in Artifact

Stila Smudge Pot in Kitten

Stila Smudge Pot in Violet

Stila Smudget Pot in Starry Night

NYX Glitter in Silver

NYX Glitter in Gold

NYX Glitter in Apple

NYX Glitter in Hot Pink

NYX Pigment in Nude Pearl

NYX Pigment in Pearl

NYX Glitter in Blue

Rimmel L/S Coral in Gold

MAC L/S Impassioned

NARS Matte Lip Velvet Pencil in Belle De Jour

MAC Dazzleglass Creme in Creme Allure

MAC Dazzleglass Creme in Totally Fab

MAC Dazzleglass Creme in Perfectly Unordinary

Stila Lip Glaze in Apricot

Stila Lip Glaze in Starfruit

Stila Lip Glaze in Apricot

MAC Lipglass in Elle

MAC Lustreglass in Wonderstruck

MAC Lipglass in Beaute

MAC Lipglass in Totally It

MAC Lustreglass in Morning Glory

MAC Lustreglass in Pinkerat

MAC Lipglass in Silly Girl

MAC Lustreglass in Ensign

MAC Lipglass in Cruise Control

MAC E/S in Cranberry

Okay, that is officially the most embarassing list of stuff I've ever seen. I'm mortified. I cannot believe I'm going to post this. I would like to clarify that the majority of the lipglosses from MAC are from the holiday sets which are smaller in size. So are the Stila Lip Glazes and Smudge Pots. 

So, I'm going to try and make sure that I include at least a couple of these items in a look or someway in the coming months, and post about it here. I'm sure I can do the same for my wardrobe too. 


Does anyone else have this problem too? Please admit embarassing stash problems here!