Gold Eyes and Peachy Cheeks FOTD

This was just a nice weekend day time look I put together this weekend. I was wearing the most amazing leopard print romper, so I wanted something gold to play off that.

I love how the light is getting brighter and it makes me want to skip out on smoky eyes - can you imagine!?!? Love it.

All products MAC unless otherwise stated:

Base: Paint in Bare Canvas
Inner lid: Nanogold
Middle and outer lid: Goldmine
Crease: Amber Lights
Crease: Bronze
Browbone: Ricepaper
Waterline: Blackline liner
Lower Lid: Urban Decay El Dorado
Mascara: Maybelline Full N Soft

Face:
Primer: Tarte
Base: Tinted moisturizer using Kiehls Ultra Facial Moisturizer and MAC Studio Scult in NW25
Concealer: MAC Moisture Select in NW20
Highlight: NARS Orgasm Illuminator
Powder: ELF HD Powder
Blush: MAC Ripe Peach (Peach side)

Lips:
MAC Perennially High Style Lipglass

Spring Changes in My Make Up Bag

The change of seasons has definitely brought about a change in my beauty routine. I don’t know about you, but with having an everyday job in a corporate office, my day-to-day make up doesn’t really get any opportunities to change that much on a daily basis. I keep my experimentations to evenings and weekends. However, I thought you might be interested to know what products I’m using on an every day basis to keep me looking fresh and bright all day long at work.

 (clockwise from top left: Elf Caffeinated, Elf Natural, Benefit Nice Melons)

Eyeshadows:

In the winter, I default to combinations involving Satin Taupe or Woodwinked. Spring time is a chance to go a little lighter, and right now I’m having real crushes on a couple of colors that wake me up each morning. These are colors that I don’t need to think about and I know are going to play well with others! A couple of months ago I did a rundown of peachy-gold shadows that I love – I’m still working them on an every day basis. Benefit’s Velvet Eyeshadow in Nice Melons and ELF’s Mineral Shadow in
Natural are both default morning looks. I quite often use Nice Melons on its own. Elf’s Natural is either on its own, or with ELF Mineral Shadow in Caffeinated, which is a cool, shimmery brown taupe. I use it very lightly to darken my crease. I also love MAC’s Spring Color Forecast Quad in the Gold colors – Flip can either be combined with either of the other two colors and highlighted with Manila for an easy, no-brainer look. Let’s face it, weekday morning make up is all about being able to do while half asleep!

Elf HD Powder

Base:

Since changing up my skin routine with the Clarisonic, I’ve stopped using foundation, and instead mix up my own tinted moisturizer. This means I’m also not using primer, which, although I do not feel like I need, upsets me as I have about 4 primer samples in a drawer to test! But I’m not using any other moisturizer during the day apart from my tinted, so primer doesn’t really have a good place in my routine at the moment. I'll test it out on nights on the town (do people still say that? Or just my parents?) I’m not noticing any major lasting problems with my moisturizer, so it’s not a big deal. I use ELF’s High Definition Powder on a daily basis. It works well enough, I do not have any major problems with it, but I have a sneaking suspicion that there is something better out there. Comments please?!?

 Clockwise from top left - MAC Ripe Peach, Benefit Sugarbomb, MAC Shell Pink

Blush:

I have a rotating cast of spring blushes that I feel comfortable with throwing on in the morning and not making a mess off. Benefit Sugarbomb is gorgeous and instantly flattering. MAC’s Shell Pink form Liberty of London is a pretty pink with gold shimmer which is subtle enough to be easy to use. MAC’s Ripe Peach is so pretty and springlike that it’s hard not to use it every day. It’s a gorgeous peachy pink that can be blended to run more peach or pink depending on your taste.

L-R: MAC Creme Cup, NARS Dolce Vita, MAC Warm Me Up, NYX Tea Rose

Lips:

I'm very much in a nude pink place these days for my lips, and each morning I find myself reaching for either MAC Creme Cup or Warm Me Up (a touch more on the brown side), NARS Dolce Vita, or NYX Tea Rose.


Has your make up basics changed up with the spring weather? Do you have any suggestions for make up must haves for the warmer weather?

MAC Art Supplies Haul

L-R, Black Line, Undercurrent, Dirty, Zinc Zone, Below Ground

I don't really know what happened here. Normally I am super on the ball at scoring MAC new releases on the day they come out, swatching them all and getting it online. I've been super looking forward to this collection since I scored my first Greasepaint Stick at Style Black, but something happened (well, real life really!), and I only got a chance to pick these up last Saturday, and then it was a whole week before I was able to sit down properly and play around with them. So sorry, and I feel bad myself.

Okay, into what I picked up. I could easily have all 8 of the Greasepaint Sticks, but even I know that that is unnecessary and there are only so many smudgy smoky eyes a girl needs. And it's not as if I have a mad crazy hectic social life that needs a smoky eye each night! So, I managed to restrain myself to just three:

(From top, Dirty, Zinc Zone, Below Ground)

• Dirty: This is a greyed taupe. It reminds me of Satin Taupe in a smudgeable form. I cannot wait to do a look with this. It's gorgeous, with a touch of silvery shimmer and yummy blendability
• Below Ground: A light-mid tone brown with a shimmered finish. Soft and easy to use. Not super overwhelming in terms of color. I can see myself using this one a lot, although maybe not coming into summer. 
• Zinc Zone: Granite gray. Think Knight Divine in smudging form. Will work for a more sophisticated smudged eye. Love. 

 Mini Grease Paint Stick Sharpener

Greengrease and Uniformly Blue looked fun as well, but I can't have everything!

I also picked two Pearlglide Intense Liners. Pearlglide Liners are really nice and soft and are nearly as good as Urban Decay 24/7s (let's face it - is there a better liner than the 24/7s?). Out of the six colors available, I picked two:

• Black Line: Supersoft black with gold shimmer. This is like a thinner, darker version of NARS Aigle Noir that came out at Christmas last year. I have that, and I never use it :(
• Undercurrent: a darkened shimmery teal. I cannot control myself when it comes to teal eyeliners. They are my all time favorite liner color. I looked through my liner stash, and I have nothing like this. Score! :)

Although I am mad crazy for lipstains, something made me not love the MAC ones - the reports of dryness, and the fact that when I buy a Covergirl stain, they dry out in months, so I decided to pass these. Strength!!

Did anyone else pick up anything from the Art Supplies collection?

Pret A Papier comes out on Thursday, and I'm going to go to the new MAC at Times Square to take a look at it. Although I love my Flatiron store, and I feel like I'm cheating on them! 

Spring and Summer Fashion Choices

I haven't bought any clothes for a couple of months. For me, this is unheard of, but I'm trying to move away from random disposable purchases to awesome pieces that will make me unbelievably happy and last years.

A couple of things I'm majorly lusting after right now:

This 3.1 Phillip Lim dress that Leighton and Alexa are both wearing is unbelievable beautiful. At $495 it is just about out of my price range, but I'm still tempted. There is only a size 10 left on the Bergdorf website, or I might wander down to the store in Soho sometime this week to try it on and see if it is worth the pain.

I've asked my husband to get me every single item in this picture, including the hair. I don't know if he'll manage that, but I think I'll be wearing this dress this summer. I'm imagining it with bright white keds for day and a chunky heel for night...

This Coach heel looks both amazing and wearable. I can myself wearing it dresses or shorts all summer long. I went to the store today, and they are all sold out until May! I'll have to contain myself until then...

To continue on my amazingly preppy vibe that I have going on right now, this Kate Spade straw clutch looks beautiful and timeless. Large enough to fit my credit cards, some lipgloss and a blackberry, I'm more than sold :)

Have you got your eye on anything for Spring / Summer this year?

Quick Spring EOTD: Bronze & Pink

Just a quick single EOTD post today. I'm still getting used to my new camera, so pictures can take a little bit of a while to work out. I bought Stars & Rockets as one of my first eye shadows when I first got into MAC about six months ago (I know, has it really only been a few short months?). The purply-pink duochrome is incredibly pretty, but I admit I do struggle with working it into a look regularly, especially since I'm not as young as I used to be! However, this is a fun, simple easy daytime look that is fresh and springy, and I like to wear on the weekend. Oh, and excuse the eyebrows - I'm debating growing them out and getting them done, or doing them myself, so they are a dreadful inbetween!

Base: MAC Paint in Bare Canvas
Lid: MAC Gleam
Crease: MAC Bronze
Highlight: MAC Manila
Lower Lid: MAC Feline Pencil and MAC Stars & Rockets
Mascara: Maybelline Full & Soft

Spring Color Forecast EOTD Gold Look

Just a simple gold and pink neutral look from Spring Color Forecast. I love how although the colors are bright, they are an easy way to introduce color into your look. Although I do have to do a big over the top look soon!

 

All MAC unless otherwise stated:

Elf Shadow Primer

Inner: Manila

Middle: Perky

Outer: Flip

Crease: Creole 

Highlight: Manila
Mascara: Maybelline Full & Soft

Brows: Anastasia Tinted Brow Gel

 

Another Spring Color Forecast Look

 

Another Spring Color Forecast look today. I wish the eyes stood out more a little in the pictures, but they were very pretty and spring like in real life. 

All MAC unless otherwise stated. 

Eyes: 

MAC Paint in Bare Canvas

Inner Lid: Flip

Middle Lid: Da Bling

Outer: La La

Crease: Creole Beauty

Highlight: Manila

Mascara: Maybelline Full & Soft

Brows: Anastasia Tinted Brow Gel

Face:

Tinted Moisterizer (my mix)

MAC Moisture Select Concealer NW20

NARS Orgasm Illuminator

Benefit Posie Tint

Lips

Fresh Salmon

Gold Dust

Gold Dust is the most gorgeous lip gloss - it's pure gold in a gloss. I wish the sparkles showed up more in the picture I took, but if you can imagine the most lovely rich golden gloss, then you're there. Creole Beauty also tones down the pinkness of Da Bling and La La, neutralising and making the look super day time pretty. Definitely a look I'm going to wear again and again.

Spring Color Forecast Haul Part 2

As I posted last week, I knew I was going to have to take MAC's Spring Color Forecast in stages as it is such an overwhelming collection. This week I headed back to my MAC counter without the puppy and came away with a few more pieces.

 

One of the products I was most excited about was the Stacked 2! Pigments ($32.50). These are a different texture from normal pigments, and closer to Solar Bits from Style Warriors last summer (the first MAC collection I got excited about, incidentally). For those who are not familiar with those, they are much lumpier feel almost wet when touched. They are incredibly rich and soft. 

As you can see, the colors are a true gold, an antique or green tinged gold, a copper tinged gold, and a more pink or melon gold. They have a very high shine quotient, so I can see these being fun to add as a base, or smudging on the crease to add some drama, but not using all over, apart from something over the top. Not that there's anything wrong with being over the top sometimes!

I am a real sucker for golds - they are probably my biggest weakness when it comes to make up. And really, anything gold - highlighter, bronzer, lip colors - anything with gold just sings to me! So this palette ($36) was always going to come home with me. The palette is in the new packaging which apparently all palettes will be in from now on. I much prefer it - it looks like an upgrade to me - a little more put together and durable. 

L-R Manila Paper, Flip, Aztec Brick, Creole Beauty

Manila Paper is a smooth light gold with a touch of shimmer

Flip is a light red or peach gold. Again it has a hint of shimmer. It reminds me of all my other peachy golds that I posted about it, so I'm bound to like it. It did swatch the worst out of the four though. 

Aztec Brick is a rich copper. This swatched super rich and will be gorgeous and versatile. 

Creole Beauty is a rich bronze color. Again, it swatched well. It really reminds me of Bronze actually. 

You might already have a bunch of these colors in your collection already, in which case you can skip this palette. If you are just getting into this color family, then you should definitely check these out. 

 

I thought I was going to get a lot more lip glosses from this collection, but when I saw them in person, I actually ended up not loving a lot of them, mainly because I thought that they were very dupable. 

I did pick up Gold Dust which is a perfect gold shimmery gloss - warm in tone, and awesome to wear alone or over another color. I am imagining this on tropical beaches in the evening - gorgeous sultriness. 

Kumquat is a great rich coral - super bright and fun. 

Hush Hush Rose is an amazingly pretty raspberry gloss with some shimmer.

L-R Gold Dust, Ember, Hush Hush Rose, Pink Burst

Prior to seeing the collection in real life, I was excited about Cha Cha, Electric Fuchsia, Almondine, and Culture Clash. Cha Cha is a milky coral that ended up making me look a little weird and dead. Electric Fuchsia is a great bright color but I was put off by the blue shimmer. However I do think it's a great and exciting color, just not for me. Culture Clash reminded me of a gazillion other similiar milky pink glosses with shimmer that MAC puts out with every collection and I am sick of accidentally buying and finding a gazillion other shades of in my collection. Almondine looks very scary in the tube, but actually sheers out very nicely, but it reminded me of Elle, which came in one of the Holiday 09 collections as a mini, and I really think a mini is enough of this shade that I need. 

One final purchase was Pink Burst Lipstick, which is oh-so aptly named. It is a gorgeous rich bright shock of pink, sheer enough to be wearable but buildable. A gorgeous spring color, or wear it now to brighten up your day!

I really loved this collection - it was bright, fun, dynamic, and exciting. I've used almost everything since purchasing in some way despite the cold weather, and even though the colors are bright, they are wearable and flexible. I know it's a big collection, and in some ways very overwhelming, but it's definitely worth taking a look at, and there is bound to be something for everyone in it.

Urban Decay Pink Lipsticks

I was inspired last week by Temptalia's Spring Season to get some new spring pink lipsticks. After much thought, I decided on two from Urban Decay - Rush and Naked.

Naked is a pretty dusty rose pink with the slightest hint of gold shimmer.

Rush is ever so slightly darker, again with a hint of shimmer. It is ever so slightly warmer than Naked.

 

Urban Decay lipsticks apply gorgeously rich and creamy, and are a real pleasure to wear. They have a slightly sweet scent which I actually really like. They come in interesting packaging. The lid is clear plastic with purple and cream swirls, and the bottom of the lipstick has a dagger on it. The only drawback I found was that the Naked lid didn't stay tight on the tube, although the Rush one did. 

 

L-R Rush and Naked

Both of these were gorgeous on - a kind of my lips but better color. have quite pigmented dark pink lips, so when I applied these, there was absolutely no difference in the shades. Or at least, not enough of one to warrant having both colors, so I'm returning Rush. Having said, I would highly recommend at least one of these colors for perking you up on a cold winter's day to remind you that Spring really is around the corner.