Berry Eyes: An Easy Makeup Look

I have been very into the look of deep, cranberry eyes recently, and was inspired by a NYX baked eyeshadow I picked up in the shade Mademoiselle to create a full eye look.  I used a few shades from my Naked 3 Palette, which has pink toned shadows to compliment the main shadow in the look.

What I used:

Step One: Prime Eyes. I primed my eyes with Elf Shadow lock eye shadow primer. I set the primer with Wet N’ Wild Eye Shadow in Brulee. When I do this, my shadow lasts all day long.

Step 2: I applied nooner from the Naked3 into my crease with a blending brush.

Step 3: Apply NYX Mademoiselle all over my lid ending just before the crease. Since this is a baked shadow, I applied it with a damp brush. Make sure to pack the color on in several layers for the best payoff.

Step 4: Allow the shadow several moments to dry. Mix Nooner and Limit from Naked 3 to blend out harsh lines from the NYX shadow. Take Nooner and Limit and smudge on the lower lashline.

Step 5: Pack Blackheart onto the outer 4th of eye, then blend so it looks more natural. Repeat this step several times to get the desired amount of pigmentation from the shadow.

Step 6: Create a thin to medium line using a black eye liner. I used Maybelline Master Precise Eye Liner. I also added a black eyeliner to the lower waterline to make my eyes pop. I then added several layers of mascara, and the look was complete!

Elf Brushes Everyone Should Own

Hi everybody! I’m back today with a post about makeup brushes. It is incredible important for any makeup lover to have a set of good brushes in their collection. However, quality makeup brushes tend to be pricey, and not everyone can afford to buy all of the brushes they need. That is why I love Elf brushes. They are incredible quality for an extremely low price, and I rely on them every day to create any makeup look that I am wearing. Here are the best Elf brushes that make it easy to build up your brush collection without breaking the bank.

Elf Complexion Brush, $3

This is my favorite of all of my Elf brushes. It is a fluffy brush that is slightly flat on each side. It is perfect for applying bronzers and blush. I love how expensive and luxurious it feels.

Powder Brush, $3

This is a unique brush, and I don’t own anything else like it. It is a densely packed brush with the bristles cut flat at the top. It is perfect because it hold a lot of powder, but then releases it when you dab it onto your face. It is the only brush I use for applying powder foundations, loose powders, and finishing powders.

Small Stipple Brush, $3

This brush is great for blending concealer, cream contour, and also for applying cream blushes.

Blush Brush $3

I don’t use this brush for blush, as is it’s purpose, because I find it is too small for that. However, the tapered, small top is perfect for setting under eye concealer, and applying highlighter to the cheekbones.

Ultimate Blending Brush, $6

This really is exactly what the name states. This has become my go to brush for applying foundation, taking the place of my beloved beauty blender. It is a really quality brush, with densely packed brushes, slightly domed. It applies foundation completely flawlessly and gives my such nice coverage.

Professional Eyeshadow Brush, $1

This is a really basic eyeshadow brush, but it gets the job done. It is a flat shader brush that packs on a lot of color. ANd it cant be beat at $1!

Small Angled Brush, $3

Don’t feel the need to spend a lot of money on something as basic as an angled brush. This is my go to brush for filling in my eyebrows, and I use it with my Anastasia Dipbrow Pomade, and it works great.

Thank you for reading! What are some of your favorite makeup brushes?

The Makeup Bag Series: What’s in My Sister’s Makeup Bag

So if I’m like anyone else, I love seeing the products that other people have in their makeup bags. So, I thought it would be fun to do a series where every now and then I peak into the makeup bags of my friends and family. The first bag is my little sister, Juliet’s. She is 15 years old, and is starting to get into makeup. She actually had some stuff I was very jealous of! Here’s what’s inside:

Bare Minerals Ready Touch up Veil in Translucent

Revlon Colorstay Moisture Stain in New York Scene

Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Flush

Covergirl Ready Set Gorgeous Concealer in Fair

E.l.f. All Over Color Stick in Pink Lemonade

Clinique Superbalm Moisturizing Lip Glosses in Currant and Raspberry

Maybelline Perfect Pastels Eyeshadow Duo in Pink Suede

Benefit Roller Lash Mascara

Sephora MicroSmooth Baked Bronzer Duo in Honey Heat

Benefit the Porefessional Mini

Rimmel London Kate Moss Lipstick in 107

Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Carnival Spirit

MAC Mineralize Blush in Gleeful

What’s in your makeup bag? Let me know in the comments!

E.l.f. Baked Eye Shadow Palette Review & Tutorial

Happy father’s day everyone! It’s a dreary, rainy day here in Connecticut, so I thought it would be the perfect day for a nice review and tutorial. Today’s subject: E.l.f. Baked Eyeshadow Palette in Texas. I find that this palette is excellent considering that it only retails for $10 (!), and you get 10 beautiful neutral shadows. The shadows are baked, so they have the most intense color when used wet, but you can use them dry as well for a more subtle look. The palette is mostly brown neutrals, including some beautiful chocolaty shades and copper shades. In addition to the browns, there is a lovely baby pink, a beautiful white highlight shade, and a really striking yellow-gold. All of the colors work very well with each other making an endless variety of beautiful looks to be created. When the shadows are applied wet, there is no fall out, strong pigmentation, and it lasts all day. They are a bit crumbly when used dry, so I definitely recommend using a damp brush to apply them. This palette is defintely a home run for E.l.f. cosmetics, and can be found on their website and at Target. They have baked palettes in several different colors, and now I am very tempted to try them all.

All Colors swatched in order on palette

While playing around with this palette today, I came up with an easy look using 4 of the colors. 

Before I started with the palette, I added Urban Decay Buck to my crease. Any matte brown crease shade will work with this look.

Step 1: Using a a damp flat shader brush, pack 1 onto your eyelid, stopping at the crease. Continue dipping and applying until you have built up plenty of pigment.

Step 2: Take number 2 and press it on the center of your eyelid using a flat damp eyeshadow brush. This adds a beautiful pop to the center of your eyelid.

Step 3: Take eyeshadow number 3 on a damp pencil brush, and apply to inner corner of your eye to brighten the overall look.

Step 4: Take eyeshadow number 4 on a damp flat brush, and apply to highlight your browbone.

Step 5: Allow several moments for the eyeshadow to dry. Once it is dry, take a blending brush with no additional product and lightly go over your whole eyelid to blend all of the colors seamlessly together. I applied eye liner to my look, but that’s totally optional. Voila! You are done!

Thanks for reading guys! See you next time. Please like and comment if you enjoyed.

What’s in My Travel Makeup Bag: NYC Edition

Hi everyone! I hope you are all having a great week. So tomorrow I leave for four days to accompany the family I nanny for to New York City. I am lucky enough to live two hours away from the city, but I never actually went until December of last year, with the same family. It was a blast last time so I can hardly wait for our trip tomorrow. Here is everything I decided to bring with me on my trip!

The bag I am using is my Lisa Perry for Estee Lauder bag. I got this a couple of months ago as a free gift with purchase, and out of all of my many makeup bags, this one is my favorite. It is super cute, but also really deep and spacious so it holds a lot of products.

Speaking of Estee Lauder, I’m bringing my favorite foundation that I own, my Estee Lauder Perfectionist Youth- Infusing Makeup. I chose to bring this one because I find it truly lasts all day, something I will need on a hot summer day in the city

I like to pair my liquid foundation with a powder one because it gives me extra coverage but also keeps my foundation looking fresh longer. I chose the Maybelline Fit Me! Matte and Poreless because the matte keeps oily skin at bay.

I am also bringing my Glamglow Mud Cleanser which I received in my Ipsy bag last month. I love this cleanser and it is the perfect size to travel with.

I am only bringing one eyeshadow palette with me, which is my Smashbox Mini Full Exposure palette. It is meant to be perfect for travel, as it comes in a thin, compact case. Also, I didn’t want to lug around my Naked palettes and risk damaging them, so this one should do the trick!

For blush I am only bringing my Mac Pro Longwear blush in Blush All Day. The packaging seems to be stable, so I don’t have to worry about shattering it. Also, I find this blush to be universally flattering with everything I wear, as it is a pretty tan rose color.

I decided to bring my Maybelline Mega Plush Mascara. It is brand new and I have only used it once. It is a very natural looking mascara, and I haven’t quite formed my opinion on it yet.

I am not sure if I am going to want to fuss with eyeliner, but if I do, I have my Maybelline Master Precise eyeliner, which is hard for even me to mess up. It has the most precise tip I have ever seen on eyeliner, so it makes doing a nice line on the go very easy.

I would be completely lost without my Elf Eyebrow Kit, so I am lucky that it is the perfect little compact to travel with. I have to keep my brows on fleek in case I run into Bradley Cooper again 😉

I would never consider going anywhere without Bronzer, so I am happy that I bought the Too Faced Bronzer Wardrobe, which came with 4 travel size deluxe bronzer samples. I chose to bring my sample of Endless Bronze, because it is a long lasting formula, and I definitely won’t have time to retouch my bronzer because I will be crazy busy all day. Each Bronzer sample comes in a little paper and plastic case, and it’s super tiny so it doesn’t take up much space. I wanted to bring my Pink Leopard Bronzer, but couldn’t risk it getting shattered on the train.

The only highlighting product I am bringing is my Elf Baked Highlighter in the shade Moonlight Pearls. It is a gorgeous champagne highlight that I reach for all of the time, so I knew that it would be a safe bet to bring along.

Next, I am using my Nyx HD Concealer, which is a creamy concealer that is perfect for covering up dark circles, as well as highlighting the under eye area. I probably won’t be getting too much sleep, so I am going to count on this bad boy to make me look human in the morning.

I’m not only bringing one lip color (obviously), but the rest that I have are in my purse. For my makeup bag, I am just going to bring my trusted Ulta Brilliant Color Lip Gloss in the shade 06. It is a flattering berry color that has very buildable color, so you can go light or heavy, depending on the occasion.

Last but not least, I am bringing my mini Cetaphil Moisturizing Lotion. This is great for your face and body, so it is a perfect 2-in-1 travel product.

So I am going to be away from my computer for the next few days, so please don’t be offended if I don’t respond to your comments right away. I hope you all have a good week, and I can’t wait to tell you all about my trip when I get back. Bye for now!

5 Under $5: Beauty Products I Love for Under $5

If you are like me, you can’t always afford to buy all of the expensive makeup that you desire. So, it’s always great when you find an amazing product for an affordable price. I put together a list of five exceptional beauty products that you can get for under $5. What’s better than that?

1.) Nivea Creme- $0.99

This all over body creme is a must. The formula has been around since 1911, and I can see why it is so popular. It is crazy-thick, nourishing, and smells like roses. It is great to use on your cuticles, too. Also, it’s only 99 cents! You can find little tins of this creme in the travel section of Target.           
 

2.) Rimmel Lasting Finish by Kate Moss Lipsticks, $4.43

For such a huge Kate Moss fan, it sure took me a while to finally pick up one of her lipsticks, part of a collection for Rimmel. I’m glad I finally did. There is a nice selection of beautiful colors, all in creamy, long-wearing formulas. I particularly like the shade I purchased, 80, which is a “your lips but better” type of mauve. It has now become one of my go to lip colors.  You can buy this at Target.

80, Swatched

3.) E.L.F. All Over Color Stick in Spotlight, $1.00

This is a great stick cream highlighter. It is a beautiful pearlescent white shade with just a hint of champagne shimmer. It looks great on cheekbones or to highlight the brow bone, but also works as an all over cream eyeshadow when you are in a hurry. You can get this on eyeslipsface.com or at Target.

Spotlight, swatched

4.) Rimmel Stay Matte Liquid Mousse Foundation. $4.94

A great foundation under $5 is truly hard to find, but this one is definitely it! Instead of spending $12 on another drugstore foundation, I recommend giving this one a try. The formula is a thick mousse that is easily blended, and gives medium to full coverage. And, the finish is very matte, so it is perfect for people who tend to get shiny sink partway through the day. The only complaint I have is that the color selection is minimal, so it might be hard for some people to find their perfect shade.

5.) Wet n’ Wild Mega Liner Liquid Eyeliner, $2.99

I keep going back to this liquid eye-liner. It might just be because I have been using it for years, but I find this one is easy to apply, as far as liquid eye liners go. The line is always dark, and has a lacquer finish. You can purchase this at any drugstore.