FOTD: Everyday Bombshell

I promised you a more wearable version of the 1950's Bombshell, Marilyn Monroe inspired look I posted last week, and here it is! I wore this the next day, taking everything down a notch for a really classic, pretty look that focused on highlighting features, rather than creating interest through color. It's a really neutral look that could transition from day to night by just changing up your lip color! 

Here are the products I used:

It reads like an abridged version of the first iteration of this look:

Face: Almay Primer, MUFE Face & Body Makeup, Bobbi Brown concealer (to cover redness on the nose), MUFE concealer (under eyes), Smashbox Artificial Light Luminizing Lotion in Flash (on tops of cheek bone and around brow bone), Maybelline Dream Bouncy Blush in Pink Frosting (concentrated on apples of cheeks, blended back on the center of the cheekbone), NYC loose powder, NARS blush in Douceur (on bottom of cheek bone), Hard Candy Blush in Pin Up (on top of cheek bones), Benefit Coralista (on apples of cheeks)

Eyes: NARS Smudgeproof Eyeshadow Base, Benefit cream eyeshadow in R.S.V.P. from lid through crease, theBalm Shady Lady eyeshadow in  Devilish Danielle (from lashline through to above the crease), Revlon Matte in Vintage Lace (to highight), Revlon Matte in  Rich Sable (in crease), UD eyeliner in Stray Dog (bottom lash shading), Prestige My Biggest Lashes mascara, Anastasia Eyebrow Gel in Caramel, Prestige Brow Pencil in Light/Medium, UD 24/7 liner in Zero (top lashes), Benefit High Beam (in a line extending from the corner of the eye, between top and bottom liner) 


Lips: Boots No.7 lip gloss in History 

The eyes

Another view of the eyes

 The entire face:

Cheeks! If you enlarge, you can see the eyeliner better, too. 

So, there you go! This is my everyday take on a retro-glam look. It's less about adding color to the face than it is about enhancing natural colors, and highlighting face shape, which is very different from how I normally approach makeup. However, I was really happy with the result; I think it is very pretty without looking over-done, or too dramatic. This with a bold red lip would be a great classic and polished evening-out look, but worn like this with some gloss, it's perfect for an elegant, versatile daytime look. 

NOTD: Zoya Pasha

Hi everyone!

When I pulled out my nail polish collection to photograph it for you guys, I unearthed a couple of hidden gems that I hadn't worn in a long time! Zoya Pasha is one of them that I wanted to show you. It's a really gorgeous silvery-grey-plum (emphasis on the silvery-grey part of the equation!) with a slightly metallic finish. Zoya's website has it listed as brown, describing it as "taupe-kissed beige nude with silver frost and the sheerest hint of silver microglitter".  I definitely think there is some warm purple in the mix that they aren't mentioning, and if there's microglitter, it's very difficult to distinguish from the frost. It might be worth mentioning that this looks very true to the color in the bottle on the nail. These retail for $8 and this shade is particularly opaque with two coats. It is a thicker formula, but not in a difficult way; it doesn't run all over the nail or settle in the edges.  If this (or any other Zoya polish) does tickle your fancy, keep an eye on their blog and website; they run promotions fairly frequently that can allow you to get two polishes for the price of one, free shipping, or polish for just the price of shipping. Unfortunately, I don't believe they ship internationally.

Without further ado, Pasha! (And again, sorry for my poor dry winter hands!) I'm wearing two coats between a Sally Hansen base coat and Seche Vite top coat; I hear that their color lock system is really great for getting phenomenal wear out of their 4-free polishes (which sometimes don't play nice with top coats such as Seche Vite), but I don't own their base or top coats, so I can't comment on that.

Zoya Pasha in direct sunlight

Zoya Pasha

Pasha!

Wearing Zoya Pasha polish 

Here's a good example of Pasha looking creamier in the shade, and very frosted in direct sunlight! 

Summary:  This is a beautiful, unique take on the muddied beige, griege, and cement nail trend that is so popular right now; if you like versions of those shades that lean lavender, I bet you'd like this shade as well! Zoya polishes in general wear about average on me, with a finish like this doing a little bit better than average. They're also a 4-free, family own, environmentally conscious company with a vegan formula, which is always a plus.

Have you guys tried Zoya before? What do you think of these taupe/beige/griege/ purple shades that are hard to describe? I think they're a neat spin on neutrals and really pretty, but I know some people don't go for them.

Haul and: Bangs or no Bangs? Please help me decide!

Hello, all!

I went out this evening to run a couple of errands with my Very Patient Boyfriend, and of course we ended up at a few makeup hot spots; Bed Bath & Beyond, Target, CVS, and Walgreens! I needed conditioner and toner, and there were a few goodies I was keeping my eyes open for, as well. I was good and didn't shop off my list, but I still managed to come home excited to break into my new goodies. I don't know about you guys, but I love opening up new products and poking at them as soon as I get home; I decided to take pictures as I went, and let you all enjoy this process vicariously along with me!

So, here's my little haul, (minus the hair products!):

I ended up with Boots' Damask Rose Skin Tonic (on clearance for $5.58) , Sinful nailpolish in Bare (on sale for $.99), Wet n Wild Bronzer in Reserve Your Cabana ($4.49), and Wet n Wild lipstick in Black Orchid ($.99). This is actually my fourth or fifth bottle of the Damask Rose Skin Tonic. I am almost almost out of my current bottle, and I am so glad I didn't wait to pick up my next bottle. When I got to its aisle, it was the last one left on the shelf, and it had a clearance sticker slapped onto it! Believe me, I would gladly pay the extra $2.50 for the comfort of mind that I'd be able to continue purchasing this toner for the rest of my days. I feel like it really does cleanse my skin and get any residual oil, cleanser, and makeup off, it smells amazing, and it doesn't make my dry, sensitive skin sting, tingle, or feel stretched tight. I am so sad!

The Wet n Wild Color Icon bronzer I bought after hearing it is the same shade as the old Acapulco Glow. I never used Acapulco Glow, but I know a lot of people thought it was a great highlighter, and I've been on a highlighter kick lately. I figured it would be worth taking a look at, since so many people loved it, and it's only $4.49. The Wet n Wild lipstick I ended up with because a lot of people had been finding my blog with the search term "wet n wild black orchid." Of course I was curious; I'd never heard of this lipstick before! Well, people on Make Up Alley were pretty enthusiastic about this shade, claiming that it was gorgeous when blotted, and looked a lot like Clinique's Black Honey when worn this way with a little bit of balm. For $.99... I was curious. Finally, the nail polish was one I had seen swatched at some point in time and put on a list of drugstore lemmings, and when I saw they were on sale for $1 off at Walgreens, I made sure to keep my eyes peeled! What I didn't find that I wanted were some of the new Milani spring releases.

Here's Sinful's Bare; I had one finger that my nail polish had completely peeled off of, so I painted it quickly to see what the color looks like. Not surprisingly, this was my jankiest finger and nail; ignore the ugly, and just pay attention to the pretty nail polish!

Sinful Colors "Bare" 

Sinful Colors "Bare" 

Here's Black Orchid:

Wet n Wild Black Orchid

Wet n Wild Black Orchid

Here's the product twisted up a bit:

Wet n Wild Black Orchid

And here's a swatch of the lipstick; I haven't put it on yet, so I can't tell you much about the wear or what it feels like on the lips. I dabbed on the swatch on the left, the right is just one swipe of the lipstick. It is fairly glossy already, and seems very pigmented. A dupe for Clinique's Black Honey? I don't think so. I don't own Black Honey, but I've swatched it and tried it on many times; this looks more pink, less brown to me. However, I haven't tried it on my lips yet, and maybe it changes a lot once it's on? Who knows; either way, it looks like a gorgeous deep berry wine color that can stand on its own, whether it's a dupe of a higher end product or not.

Swatch of Wet n Wild Black Orchid

And here is Reserve Your Cabana! It's a very soft, very pigmented champagne-gold color. It's really close to my skin tone, except a little more golden and shimmery. The shimmer in it seems very finely milled; it's not glittery at all. In fact, I had a hard time getting this product to show up once I blended it onto my wrist. It's night time, and I just took these pictures (lazily) at my coffee table, so the light isn't the best. That being said, this looks like it will be a great subtle highlighter, which I've been looking for; I'm trying not to get my hopes up, in case it's less subtle in daylight. This might even work well as an all-over subtle brightener, if you want something with a bit of a glow to it. I'll report back later, after I've had a chance to wear it on my face!

Wet n Wild Reserve Your Cabana

Reserve Your Cabana

You can see how soft this powder is; I pressed my finger into it and realized it was a much softer, more pigmented powder than I'd assumed it would be. You can get an idea of the texture in the photograph below.

Wet n Wild Reserve Your Cabana

And here's the swatch. Sorry it's so hard to see where the product is; it's kind of on the top right quarter of this picture, for reference! I'm hoping this will add a subtle glow on the face.

Swatch of Wet n Wild Reserve Your Cabana

Finally, here is my precious toner; isn't the old fashioned bottle so cute? I spotted one on a dressing room table in "The Artist" (great film, by the way)! 

Boots Damask Rose Skin Tonic

So there you have it, my excitement for the evening! 

Finally, I wanted to ask your guys' opinion on bangs! As you may have noticed, I haven't trimmed mine in awhile and they're in the awkward stage. I haven't decided if I want to keep them or not, so I've been avoiding trimming them so I can try to see how they look brushed to the side. I hate bangs! They are so annoying; I have to blow dry them every day, and even then they don't always look nice, and they get nasty looking before the rest of my hair. I know these are common bang-maintenance complaints, but I also hate having hair in my eyes, maybe more than most people. On top of all that, I have wavy hair, and so my bangs often flip up at the bottom! Not cute. And I hate feeling like I have to go in and get them trimmed every couple of weeks, or trim them myself that often and risk looking like a doofus. Believe me, I don't get it right every time... Oh, and I almost forgot, they always want to part where my hair part is, and it looks dumb to have to comb the hair on either side towards the center right there and hide the part in my bangs. 

Now, with all these complaints, you might be asking why I would get bangs in the first place! I didn't do this by choice. I had bangs as a kid and growing them out was traumatic; I swore never again! Fast forward ten years, when I went in to get my long hair cut to a shoulder-sweeping bob. I walked out with a pixie cut; my hair wasn't longer than two inches ANYWHERE on my head. I cried for days; when my mom saw me, she burst into tears. And as my hair grew out, the front of my hair kind of evolved into bangs. I have a small forehead, so I really don't *need* bangs to look proportional, but a lot of my friends seem to think the bangs really suit me. I think bangs are cute on other people-- hell, I think they're cute on me-- I'm just not convinced they're worth the upkeep, or that I look better with them than without them. What do you guys think? You are my impartial beauty advisers!  

For reference, I've included a couple of old pictures of me without bangs. Yes, I'm younger, but you get the general idea: 

*poutpoutpout*

Awww, this picture is coming up on... 7 years old? That's scary. 

And here I am with my bangs at a length that I prefer them at: 

She bangs, she bangs! 

This might be a really dumb concern, but eventually I AM going to make a Tudor gown (I am! Hopefully soon!) and bangs won't mix well with a Tudor hood. 

Valentine's Day Makeup!

I know everyone and their mother (including me!)  posted some sort of Valentine's day inspired look in anticipation of the holiday, but I thought I'd show you all what I actually decided to wear on Valentine's day! My boyfriend and I aren't big on the holiday and didn't do much to celebrate (hah, I actually dragged him out to Sephora to take advantage of their VIB NARS bag gift with purchase!), but I wanted to get a little dressed up anyway. So, when push comes to shove, what feels like Valentine's day to me?

A gold take on a classic cat-eye, and red lipstick, of course! I kept it simple; I wanted to feel polished and just a little bit dramatic, not over-done or flashy. I used my "lightest" red lipstick (NARS Jungle Red), to keep the lips a bit more subdued.

Here are the products I used:

Face: Almay primer, MUFE Face & Body Makeup, Hard Candy Glamoflage concealer, Maybelline Dream Bouncy Blush in  Pink Frosting, Smashbox Artificial Light in Flash, NYX loose powder, Benefit Hoola, Boots Botanics blush in Chicory. 


Eyes: NARS Smudgeproof Eye Primer (not pictured), theBalm Shady Lady eyeshadow in  Devilish Danielle (from lashline to brow), Tarina Tarantino eyeshadow in Bibarucci (on lid), Fresh eyeshadow in Faux Sable (in crease), Urban Decay Half Baked (in inner corner and on center of lid), Revlon Luxurious Color eyeliner in Antiqued Gold (on bottom lashline), Urban Decay 24/7 liner in Stray Dog (on outer half of bottom lash line), Sephora Doe-eyed felt tip liner in black (top lash line wing), Urban Decay 24/7 liner in Zero (across top lash line), Prestige My Biggest Lashes mascara, Anastasia Eyebrow Gel in Caramel, Prestige Brow Pencil in Light/Medium. 


Lips: NARS lipstick in Jungle Red.  

Valentine's Day Makeup!

Valentine's Day eye look

Gold shadow and thin cat-eye liner

My cheeks!

NARS Jungle Red Lipstick

This was a relatively simple face, but I was really pleased with the result! It's a great, classic look that is fun and elegant, and would work for a variety of outfits and occasions.  Did you guys do anything special makeup-wise for Valentine's Day? Or was it just another makeup day?

NOTD: Zoya, Rimmel, & OPI

That's right. I'm mixing my nail polishes.

Well, layering, to be more exact. I dove into my extensive nail polish collection the other day, rather than just dragging a favorite out of my most-used drawer. I was on the look-out for an opaque pearly, pale nail polish color that would look a little bit subdued and demure, but still a little bit unique. I found not one, but three polishes that I thought might fit the bill once I layered them! I'm not sure how widely available these shades are anymore, but I thought I'd share my experiment with you guys anyway, not as a review, but just for fun.

Polish Number One is Zoya's Anne, a very pale, milky peachy pink color. Over that, I used Rimmel Underground in Out There, a sheer white polish packed with itsy bitsy iridescent glitter that flashes all sorts of rainbowy colors, but mostly bright white. Finally, I added a layer of OPI's I'm A Princess, You're Not!, an awesome iridescent sheer pearl that leans golden, pink, and grean, depending on which way the light hits it. Everytime I look at this bottle, I can't help but think this is what liquid nacre would look like. As per usual, I started with a base coat and finished with a top coat. I apologize in advance for the condition of my nails and cuticles; I try to take good care of them, but they are some of my many "problem children".  I'm also including more pictures than I probably should, just because I love how this combination looked from different angles and with different types of light hitting it; the combination of glitter and the iridescent finish were really interesting to look at. I'm going to be really honest here: it kind of reminds me of Sarah's dress from Labyrinth.  Anyone? Eh? Kind of? (Ok, I really secretly want that dress. Every year around Halloween, I briefly toss around the idea of buying yards and yards of acetate and making some unholy reproduction of it. And then I'll make everyone call me Sarah... Oh, uh, they already do. Back to reality, now.)

The Trio:

Zoya "Anne"

Rimmel "Out There" 

OPI "I'm A Princess, You're Not!" 

And here are some shots of the final product in different light and at different angles. I strongly urge you to view at least a couple of these larger; the sparkle and dimension is really pretty!

Ok, ok, you've all convinced me! I'll run out and buy sparkly fabric and make the dress! There. Are you happy?