FOTD: Sultry Secretary

Hey Guys! I couldn't find any good pictures in this bunch where I'm actually smiling... Sorry in advance. Maybe that goes with today's Face of the Day theme, the Sultry Secretary! I am feeling silly today, but it seemed to fit; I was wearing my typewriter necklace (which cracked down the middle! Eep!), a white faux-wrap blouse, and a high-waisted black skirt. Unfortunately, I didn't have anyone around to take a picture of me, so no Outfit of the Day in this post.

At any rate, I wanted to do a smokey Film Noir inspired look; retro, but with a bit of a kick. That kick came in the form of some intense shimmer on the inner-crease of the eye and a punchy off-red lip color. Take a look!

My necklace! I'm going to have to try to get some heavy-duty tape on the back to fix the crack...

Here's what I used:

Face: Clinique Redness Solutions Base, MUFE Face & Body Makeup, MAC Pro Long Wear Concealer, Smashbox Luminizing Lotion in Flash, Urban Decay blush in Bang, Tarte loose powder, The Body Shop bronzer, Hard Candy Baked Blush in Pin Up, NYX blush in Taupe, NARS blush in Exhibit A.

Eyes: MUFE Aqua Cream in 13 (champagne; above crease to brow bone and in inner corner) and 15 (taupe brown; on lid), Bare Minerals loose pigment in Unforgettable (in crease), Urban Decay 24/7 pencil liner in Bourbon, Prestige My Biggest Lashes mascara, Prestige brow pencil, Anastasia brow gel in Caramel.

Lips: NARS lipstick in Joyous Red and MAC Cremesheen Lip Glass in Richly Revered.

Cheeks!

Eyes!

Lips! 

I am really pleased with the way this came out! This is my new favorite easy eye makeup; three eye colors, and it has a lot of impact without being too dark or heavy. It kind of reminds me of a silent film star's makeup; it puts the eyes into soft focus and deepens them. 

I love this lip color, too. These are two of my favorite go-to products that are easy for me to wear, but I'd never thought of combining them. When worn together, they make a really nice blood-red tint that I am loving! 

Overall, I'm really happy with this look as an alternative to a traditional darker smokey eye and bold red lip. Can we call it a hazy eye, maybe? No, never mind, that sounds like a medical condition. At any rate, I can see myself going back to this look anytime I need something neutral and polished but don't want to look overdone. 

The Body Shop: All In One Face Base

Hi Dolls!

You may have noticed this product popping up in several of my Face of the Day posts; I've been using it both as a setting powder, and as a powder foundation on days that I want light and easy makeup. I bought it after reading all of the rave reviews for it on The Body Shop's website, and I was able to pick it up during one of their 3/$30 sales. While the retail price is $22, it's possible to get it for $10 or $11 if you wait for one of their BOGO or great 3/$30 sales. That being said, I think it is worth full price; it performs much better than any other powder foundation I've tried, and is less than you'd find a comparable product selling for at your local MAC counter or Sephora.

So, what does this little compact do? What doesn't it do! I bought it hoping it would work for touch-ups throughout the day, providing a bit more coverage than a pressed powder. However, I've had problems with powder foundations in the past because of my very dry skin. Sometimes they end up just looking powdery and unnatural on me; sometimes they end up creating dry patches. And I've never found one that offered more than the most minimal coverage. This is the first powder foundation that I've tried that actually works on me as a foundation. With moisturizer underneath, it doesn't dry out my skin at all, it looks fairly natural, and it provides enough light-medium coverage to help even out my skin tone. It's not moisturizing on its own, and it does absorb any excess oils on my face, but it does not suck the moisture out of my face; I think this would work fine for those with oilier skin than I have, since it doesn't add any moisture in and of itself, however I can't speak to its performance on different skin types. When I use it with the accompanying sponge, it works great as a foundation; with a fluffy powder brush, I can use it as a setting powder over my usual liquid foundation formulas, and it does a great job at that too.

It's worth mentioning that I can use the same color for foundation and a setting powder; sometimes, what I can use as a setting powder is too dark when used as a foundation. It's also very gentle on my sensitive skin. One issue that I can foresee others having is that these shades run incredibly light, and they do not offer enough shades to cover darker skin tones. If you are so pale that you often have trouble finding foundations that match your skin tone, this might be a good range to look into, but if you have darker than medium skin, you'll probably find yourself out of luck with this range. For reference, I am wearing shade 3 (and could probably stand to move into 4 during the summer months when I get a little bit of sun) in this collection, and they only offer 6 shades. In Revlon's Color Stay formula, I am Buff, the second to lightest shade; in most collections, I am the lightest or second to lightest shade offered. Clinique does not offer a shade light enough and neutral-warm enough for my skin tone.

Here it is swatched on my skin; you can get a feel for the finish here. It's definitely matte, but not chalky.

I'm so sorry, Blogger uploaded this sideways and I can't figure out how to change the orientation... Anybody know how to do this on Blogger? 

In the following picture, I am wearing it as a foundation, applied with the accompanying sponge. I am wearing it over moisturizer and a primer. I wore it like this the entire time I was at Disneyland, and it was great for the hot days; it didn't last all day, even with a primer, but I didn't expect it to in those extreme conditions. The great thing was that I could carry the compact with me and touch up without having to be careful to blend it out, or worrying about the texture not matching my earlier foundation. While it didn't hold up to running around and sweating in the heat, it wore off in a very natural looking way and did not look patchy. 

In normal situations, this works just well over a primer all day long. While I carry the compact with me in my purse to touch up where my glasses mess up my makeup on my nose, I usually don't have to touch up other than that; maybe a little around the nose and chin on days that my skin isn't as dry. 

Worn as foundation 

In the next picture, I am wearing the All In One Face Base as a setting powder (applied with a fluffy powder brush) on top of Revlon's Color Stay liquid foundation. You can see that the finish is matte without looking as chalky or unnatural as some truly matte powders can. I would *almost* call this a satin finish, although I think it does land on the matte side of that classification. 

Used as a finishing powder

Summary: I've been using this for a few months now as both a foundation and a finishing powder, and it works great in both respects. It's compatible with my dry, sensitive skin, and the shade range is great for very pale skin tones that aren't often catered to in foundation shades. The price is great, too; it's often on sale for $10-$11, and even at its regular $22 price point, it is still less than many higher end powder foundations while still performing like one. However, anyone with darker than medium skin probably will not be able to find a match in this range; it seems very limited to very-pale to pale-medium complexions. Very strange! However, if you can find this in your shade and you want a versatile compact you can use as a setting powder or powder foundation, this just might do the trick!

Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment in Coral

Today I'm showing you a few swatches and giving you my thoughts on Fresh's Sugar Lip Treatment in Coral. I have owned and repurchased Plum, so it may come as no surprise that I am  a big fan of this formula. I know that $22 is pretty steep for something that amounts to a lip balm, but it is my favorite lip balm; I think I can say, hands down, that it's the best I've used. Does the increase in satisfaction justify the increase in price? I don't know, but I can say that they aren't necessarily directly proportional... For me, the difference is worth it, especially since I use both of my lip treatments (Coral and Plum) as cosmetic AND treatment items, rather than just one or the other. I have no problem dropping $22 on a quality lipstick, so Fresh's Sugar Lip Treatment kind of gets lumped into that category; it's a lip color that also happens to feel divine, smell amazing (like sugared lemon!), and make my lips the softest and plushest they can be.

And that's what really sets this product apart for me; it feels absolutely amazing on, very smooth and cushiony without being uncomfortably slick, greasy, waxy, or sticky, and leaves my lips free of dead skin and looking velvety soft and completely hydrated. The soft-but-noticeable tint makes it a beautiful option for keeping in a purse. And, if I put these on before bed, they'll last all night; this means that during the day, I only really need to touch up after eating or drinking, otherwise they'll go strong for a good few hours. Plus, the case is adorable; it's a brushed metal in the color of the balm. It's got some weight to it, and unscrews. I think that Fresh did a good job of upgrading the packaging to reflect the price hike; you really do feel like this is a quality product when you hold it in your hand, not just a run of the mill $2 lip balm that's got a snazzy new label.

Just how tinted are these babies? Well, Plum is a little more subtle, so I was not expecting the rush of color that's in Coral. It's definitely bright and noticeable, although not opaque. The color itself leans more pink than orange, although I think it is fair to still call this shade coral. It's perfect for summer; it brightens up my face, softens my lip, and offers sun protection (it has an SPF of 15). If you get it in your mouth, it leaves the faintest bitter taste in the back of my mouth, which I believe is from the SPF; I've had this problem with other sunblocking lip balms.

Here it is swatched heavily on the left, and lightly on the right. This is just about as dark and as light as you can get this product.

Summary: I love this product, and will continue to purchase Fresh's Sugar Lip Treatments as they release colors that appeal to me or as I run out of my current go-tos. The main criticism I have heard associated with this product is the price, but that is subjective; it is worth it to me to have a lip color that leaves my lips in great condition, but it's a personal decision. Price aside, I think this is a great product and might even be my "Holy Grail" tinted lip balm. Coral is a great color for summer; it's sheer but bright, and I think it would be flattering on a variety of skin tones as it doesn't lean too orange or too cool.

Have you guys used Fresh's Sugar Lip Treatment? Have you checked out Coral?

NOTD: OPI Royal Rajah Ruby

Hi Dolls!

I finally got Royal Rajah Ruby! Woo-hoo! I've been wanting this OPI polish for awhile, but hadn't seen it in ages... I was able to snag Black Cherry Chutney, released in the same collection, awhile ago, and it became a favorite. After seeing swatches of some of the other colors from the India collection, I decided I needed to get my hands on Royal Rajah Ruby as well. Granted, they are really similar, but Black Cherry Chutney definitely leans more purple/burgundy, while Royal Rajah Ruby is a blackened red shade with lots of shimmer that just makes it glow. They're both gorgeous colors, and I'd be hard pressed to choose between them; if you'd like to see my earlier review of Black Cherry Chutney, you can do so here. Sorry for the bad swatches; I think I may have gotten better at painting my nails in the last year or so! At least, I certainly hope so.

As stated earlier, Royal Rajah Ruby is a glowing blackened deep red, although it does not look black on the nails, even in poor indoor lighting. It's a gorgeously rich color. I found mine on sale for $6.00 (down from $8.50), and word on the street is this shade is being discontinued! If you've been thinking about picking up this color, now is the time to act!

Check out how gorgeous this vampy, dramatic color is! It's the sort of shade that looks great on short or long nails, and is really flattering to my skintone; it doesn't make my fingers look dirty or red. I can see this going into regular rotation come fall and winter. I love shades like this, they instantly make me feel more put together, elegant, and mysterious... Should a nail polish have this much of an impact on my perception of myself? Probably not, but I don't care!

Natural light

 I wanted to show you guys this bottle shop so you can get an idea of all the gorgeous golden shimmer that goes into this shade; I think this is what really sets it apart from other blackened reds with shimmer. Click to enlarge, and you'll see how fiery this can look in the right light!

Royal Rajah Ruby

And I got a slightly-burry shot so you can see how that shimmer really does translate to the nail. This is in natural light during a cloudy sunset, so imagine what this looks like in really bright sunlight!

*drools* 

Summary: This polish is such a beautiful color, the formula was a dream to work with, and it lasts on my nails for about 3-4 days without chips, which is on the better side of average. I know some people have even better luck with OPI wear-wise; maybe it's the poor condition of my nails, maybe it's body chemistry, but it lasts about an average amount of time on me. This just means it's not my go-to nail polish, but the colors they put out seem to be really classic and beautiful... Seriously, if you are drawn to this at all, pick it up before it is discontinued!

Do any of you have this color? What do you think of it, too "boring"? I love deep reds, plums, and burgundies... They are my favorite, even if they're not especially daring or edgy!

LOTD: French and Fabulous, plus a remix!

Hi everybody! I decided to take a break from my pin-up looks and give an old palette some new attention. I recently re-discovered my Too Faced "French & Fabulous" palette, which looks like it debuted as a limited edition palette for Holiday 2009. I honestly can't remember much about it; I believe my mom gave it to me as  a Christmas gift. I don't think I gave it the love it deserved at the time, and when I unpacked all of my makeup after my most recent move, I stumbled upon it. It's actually a really nice little set, with six eyeshadows that range from neutral to bright, and two bronzers. It seems to have a bronzed pink color scheme, and a lot more bright pink than I usually wear! However, I was in a girly mood, and wanted to do a bolder look than I have been lately. The powders and eyeshadows are very pigmented and very finely milled, although a couple of the eyeshadows have relatively gritty glitter in them. Not a problem, in and of itself, but I know that's not some people's cup of tea, and I thought it was worth mentioning. I actually own a compact of Pink Leopard Bronzer all on its lonesome, but I can't find it, which is originally why I pulled out this palette; I was excited to at least be able to use the mini in here!

I should mention before we move forward that after I took all of these pictures and had been wearing the look for awhile, I decided to tweak it a bit, which is why I've got a remix in here to show you all as well! This is what I ended up with on my first try:

And here's what I used:

Face: Clinique Redness Solutions Face Base, MAC Pro-Longwear concealer, MUFE Face & Body makeup, Smashbox luminizing lotion in Flash, The Body Shop Bronzer in 01, Guerlain Meteorites Perles D'azur, NYX blush in taupe, Too Faced Pink Leopard Bronzer, Too Faced Snow Bunny Bronzer, Too Faced eyeshadow in Mess in a Dress.

Eyes: NARS Smudgeproof Eyeshadow Base, Too Faced eyeshadows in Totally Toasted Brown, Totally Toasted Beige, Poodle Puff Raisin, Poodle Puff Pink, Mess in a Dress, and Ooh and Aah Black, Urban Decay 24/7 pencil liner in Ransom and Midnight Cowboy, Urban Decay 24/7 Liquid liner in Revolver, Prestige My Biggest Lashes mascara, Prestige brow pencil, Anastasia brow gel in Caramel.

Lips: Cover Girl NaturLuxe gloss balm in Peony topped with BareMinerals gloss in Wild Honey.

Here are some more pictures of the palette, in case you're curious:

And here are some more shots of the look:

But wait! I told you I promised you a remix. I wasn't happy with the lip color, it felt too warm for the pinks that were on my eyes, so I changed it to Revlon's Lip Butter in Berry Smoothie. I also went back and added a bit more definition to the cat-eye shape that I did with the black eyeshadow, and pulled out the purple eyeliner (Ransom) on the bottom lash line. 

Looking at them now, I don't think the first lip color "didn't match" like I originally thought, but the different pinks do give a very different "feel" to the overall look.

Which version do you prefer? Do you guys ever go back and revise a look after wearing it for a couple of hours? Does anyone else have the French and Fabulous palette? I'm glad I rediscovered it, I like it even more now than I did when I first got it!