Hit Pan #3

February 18, 2015Hit Pan, MiscellaneousAnastasia, MAC, Maybelline, NYC, TarteChelle

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Pan porn time! This is my third instalment of products I’ve hit that oh-so-magical pan on.

Let’s take a moment here and just stare at this one in awe. That blush right there? That’s the first blush I have ever hit pan on and I’m more than a little excited about it. (It’s the little things in life…) Tarte‘s Amazonian Clay blush in Exposed has been my default blush throughout the cooler months.

I don’t know what it is with bronzers lately, but I have no luck finishing them up! I used this bronzer for almost 70% of 2014 and I *only* hit pan on it because I finally snapped and stuck a pin in the middle of the product to see how far I had to go. And now I can safely say that I am nowhere NEAR finishing this damn thing up. While I love the shade, I would also love to have some variety in my life! With a price tag around $5, NYC‘s Fire Island Tan is definitely a compelling option since it seems to last FOREVER! Lovely shade too, particularly if you want a bit of a bronzy-shimmer in the summer.

Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade in Blonde

Oooo this one’s neat. Halfway through 2014 I switched to using Anastasia‘s Dipbrow Pomade in Blonde (I was using an eyeshadow before). And man oh man – this stuff is magical. It makes my non-existent brows finally look like I’ve got hair where hair is supposed to be! The only downside is that using a pomade is a lot more time consuming because you need to be a lot more precise. So although my new brow game has tacked on an additional five minutes, it’s soooo worth it!

Now this isn’t something you see often… I mean, how often do you get to claim that you hit pan on a lipstick? Tragically, I’m a chronic lipstick murderer so I had to depot (de-bullet) this one and throw it into a sample pot from MAC. This was a limited edition shade called Hibiscus from the 2011 summer collection. It’s a *beautiful* shade, but I don’t reach for it often because it now requires that I have a lip brush with me.

Maybelline‘s Color Tattoo in Barely Beige is in my Use Up 2015 bin, but I haven’t been using it much lately since I think it’s starting to dry up. This is the easiest shade to reach for when you haven’t got any time in the morning. Throw this shade all over the lid, blend a brown into the crease, whack on some mascara and you’re good to go!

It really surprises me how long it takes to use up a gel liner. I picked up Tarte‘s black gel liner in March of last year and I’ve been using it non-stop ever since. I mean, if you look at my Makeup Looks you know that I do winged liner at least 4 out of 5 times, so it’s surprising to me how long it’s taken me to hit pan. I’ve been super impressed though, it’s just as creamy and smooth to use as the first day I bought it and it’s almost 12 months old now!

And, of course, I had Kolme helping me out while I took photos!

Challenge Week: Too Faced Semi-Sweet Chocolate Bar

February 16, 2015Makeup, TutorialsToo FacedChelle

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Let’s cut right to it: I *love* this palette. I loved the first Chocolate Bar palette, but I love this one just that slight bit more. It’s currently knocked out my other favourite neutral palettes and is firmly sitting in numero uno place as my most beloved. For me, it’s the combination of shades that this palette includes. From the super orangeness of Peanut Butter, to the deep darkness of Hot Fudge, to the intense glitteryness of Pink Sugar (which, by the way, I’m well aware that Pink Sugar is a seriously unloved shade by others, but I *love* it. It’s pressed glitter and you can use it however you want, which is something that is usually restricted to loose pigments.).

I created five looks with this palette. (If you’re looking for swatches, please see my previous Swatch Sunday post.) Let’s take a look!

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Although this is a very warm palette, the first look I did was quite cool-toned.

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Eyes

Rum Raisin all over the lid.
Puddin’ in the crease.
Licorice to deepen the crease.
Coconut Creme on the brow bone.
Pink Sugar on the inner tear duct.

I lined the outer corner of my lower lash line with MAC‘s eye kohl in Phone Number and then tapped Puddin’ on top. On my lashes is Too Faced Better Than Sex mascara.

Rest of the Face

Foundation: Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum in shades 51 Light Vanilla and 52 Vanillamixed together
Bronzer: Joe Fresh Sand
Blush: Wet n Wild Pearlescent Pink
Lips: Too Faced Melted Violet

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This is where the Semi-Sweet palette really shines for me. I love the orangey-brown shades and how they all work together.

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Eyes

Bon Bon all over the lid.
Peanut Butter through the top of the crease.
Hot Fudge on the outer corner.
Butter Pecan on the brow bone.

I used Hot Fudge to line my upper and lower lash lines. On my lashes is Too Faced Better Than Sex mascara.

Rest of the Face

Foundation: Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum in shades 51 Light Vanilla and 52 Vanillamixed together
Bronzer: Joe Fresh Sand
Blush: MAC Gingerly
Highlighter: Too Faced Candlelight
Lips: Make Up For Ever 9N

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As a side note, after I took these pictures, I decided that lightshade was just too bright for what I wanted to wear that day and I ended up swapping it for a matte red shade instead (MAC – Kinky).

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Eyes

Butter Pecan all over the lid.
Mousse top of the crease
Cocoa Chili in the outer corner.
Butter Pecan on the brow bone.

To create the wing I used Tarte‘s Black gel liner and applied Too Faced Better Than Sexmascara to my lashes.

Rest of the Face

Bronzer: Joe Fresh Sand
Blush: Tarte Exposed
Highlighter: Too Faced Candlelight
Lips: Rimmel Apocalips in Stellar

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Never in my life would I think to pair bright red lips with blue eyeshadow, but I think it works! It was Valentine’s Day after all, so I had an excuse! 😉 I also really, really love howPeanut Butter looks in my crease. The orange tinge really changes up what would traditionally be a blue smoky-ish eye.

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Eyes

I first applied NYX‘s Jumbo Eye Pencil in Black Bean all over the lid and patted it in. Then:

Peanut Butter through the top of the crease.
Blueberry Swirl all over the lid.
Hot Fudge in the outer corner and through the crease.
Coconut Creme on the brow bone.
Pink Sugar on the inner tear duct.

To line the lower lash line, I used Urban Decay‘s Black Velvet liner and then pattedBlueberry Swirl on the inner half and Hot Fudge on the outer half (on top of the liner).

Rest of the Face

Foundation: Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum in shades 51 Light Vanilla and 52 Vanillamixed together
Bronzer: Joe Fresh Sand
Blush: MAC Warm Soul
Highlighter: Too Faced Candlelight
Lips: Too Faced Melted Ruby

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This palette make it so easy to bust out a bright lip! And I really do like Pink Sugar – it’s subtle, but has a really nice way of sparkling up your eye look. AND the glitter won’t budge once it’s on your lids!

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Eyes

Coconut Creme all over the lid and brow bone.
Truffled on the outer third of the lid.
Pink Sugar all over the lid and on the inner tear duct.

Rest of the Face

Foundation: Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum in shades 51 Light Vanilla and 52 Vanilla mixed together.
Bronzer: Joe Fresh Sand
Blush: Hourglass Diffused Heat
Highlighter: MAC Soft & Gentle
Lips: MAC Relentlessly Red

The Too Faced Semi-Sweet Chocolate Bar palette can be purchased from Sephora.ca for $59 CAD or TooFaced.com for $49 USD.

Swatch Sunday: Too Faced Semi-Sweet Chocolate Bar Palette

February 15, 2015Makeup, SwatchesToo FacedChelle

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In addition to my regular schedule of posts on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, I’m starting a new series on the blog called “Swatch Sunday”. These aren’t meant to be reviews, but rather just flat out photos and swatches of products I own. I’ll be starting off with my palettes, and then probably add in lip products and whatever else suits my fancy as time goes on. I hope someone will find the swatches useful at some point or another!

To kick start the series, I’ve photographed and swatched the Too Faced Semi-Sweet Chocolate Bar Palette. Enjoy!

The Too Faced Semi-Sweet Chocolate Bar palette can be purchased from Sephora.ca for $59 CAD or TooFaced.com for $49 USD.

Social Media Blitz

February 11, 2015MiscellaneousSocial MediaChelle

It’s very odd to me that running a blog these days seems to require a lot more self promotion in the social media world. Back in MY day (when I was in high school and throughout university in the late 90s/early 00s) Facebook didn’t exist, Twitter wasn’t anywhere on anyone’s radar and Instagram wasn’t even possible since data plans didn’t truly exist for cell phones. Back then it seemed to be about getting known for your content and posting on message boards was a great way to make people aware of your site. (Hell, my Buffy the Vampire Slayer fan site is still online for anyone interested.)

Now, the world seems to revolve around hash tags and self promotion via social media. I’m not opposed to it really, but it sure did take me a long while to hop on the bandwagon! (Probably due to my outright stubbornness to be perfectly honest.)

So where can you find me? Here’s the list!

If you’re looking to keep up with me or what I’m wearing on my face on a day to day basis, you can see me posting near daily on Instagram as @mu_your_mind. Instagram has become my latest and greatest obsession and I’m surprised I held off as long as I did to join it. I’ll typically post my eyeshadow look of the day using my lower quality camera on my phone (before it makes it live to this site in a collection of looks) and some shots from my life as random things happen. For instance, I went snowboarding at Blue Mountain this past weekend and the trees were covered in a beautifully thick dusting of snow. I love Instagram for this – getting to take a picture and share it with people immediately – it’s actually quite a gratifying experience. Oh and instant hauls? Hell yes!

Next up is Facebook. I’ve created a Facebook page for this site, which helps get my posts out to the general public a bit more. It’s neat how a few hash tags will increase my viewership exponentially (my New Year’s Resolution post had something ridiculous like 306 audience reach when my average is usually around 40-50). I was originally linking to my blog posts on my own personal Facebook page, but I felt more than a little ridiculous telling my friends and family what was in my garbage or what makeup I was buying that month, so I’ve created that separate page for my site so I feel less like I’m spamming my friends and more like I’m spamming people who actually care about the makeup side of my life.

While not technically social media, Bloglovin’ is for anyone out there who has a plethora of bookmarks on their browser bar and is loathe to click the “open all in new tabs” button. Through Bloglovin’ you can input any URL and add it to your feed. I follow about 80 or so blogs and keeping that in a bookmarks folder was a living nightmare until I discoveredBloglovin’. Now, Bloglovin’ gives me a feed and alerts me whenever there’s a new post on any particular blog I’m subscribed to. This site is INVALUABLE for anyone and everyone who is an avid blog reader. If you’re so inclined, you can add my site to your feed!

And last, and certainly the least, there’s Twitter. Dear jesus I do not like Twitter. It’s one way to get noticed (hell, I was tickled pink when Marlena of Makeup Geek re-tweeted my swatches and review of her Foiled Shadows) but it feels like a sandbox where the cool kids hang out to get noticed. I dislike trying to condense my thoughts into 140 characters, so I really only use Twitter for blog promotion/connecting with others when necessary. It’s also helpful for getting up to date information (like when the MUG eyeshadows are back in stock… squeeeeee). If, however, Twitter is your thang, you can find me on there as@mu_your_mind.

That’s my social media round up du jour. I’d love to connect with you via any of these platforms! I realize not everyone likes to leave blog post comments, so please connect with me via your social media of choice. 🙂

As a side note, since most of my handles have been forced to be condensed to “mu_your_mind”, I do end up referring to my site as “Moo Your Mind”. And then all I can think about are cows…

What’s On My Face – Volume 31

February 9, 2015Makeup, TutorialsBobbi Brown, Bourjois, essence, Estee Lauder, Hard Candy, Hourglass, Illamasqua, INGLOT, Joe Fresh, Lit Cosmetics, MAC, Makeup Geek, NYC, NYX, Revlon, Tarte, Too FacedChelle

This should mostly be labelled a Makeup Geek look week, but there’s one Inglot look in the mix as well!

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This is the look I wore on my birthday this past month. I usually opt for orange and red as they’re my favourite eyeshadow shades, but this year I added some orange glitter I got from Lit Cosmetics.

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Eyes

Inglot AMC Shine 15 all over the lid.
Inglot Matte 382 on the outer corner.
Makeup Geek Creme Brule through the top of the crease.
Makeup Geek Bada Bing in the outer corner.
Makeup Geek Vanilla Bean on the brow bone.

I used Tarte‘s Black gel liner to create the wing and applied Benefit They’re Real mascara to my lashes. On my lower lash line, I applied some Too Faced Glitter Glue and then taped on California Soul glitter from Lit Cosmetics.

Rest of the Face

Bronzer: Joe Fresh Sand
Blush: Bobbi Brown Apricot

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Once I got my hands on the Makeup Geek foiled shadows I just couldn’t stop playing with them!

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Eyes
(all Makeup Geek)

Envy through the crease.
Magic Act all over the lid.
Houdini on the outer half of the lid.
Vanilla Bean on the brow bone.

Tarte‘s Black gel liner to create the wing and Too Faced Better Than Sex mascara on my lashes. On my lower lash line I first applied MAC Phone Number eye pencil to the outer corner, then layered Houdini on top.

Rest of the Face

Bronzer: Joe Fresh Sand
Blush: Illamasqua Hussy
Lips: NYX Fortune Cookie

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More Makeup Geek foiled shadows!

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Eyes
(all Makeup Geek)

Creme Brulee through the top of the crease.
Center Stage all over the lid. Also used to line the lower outer lash line.
Flamethrower heavily through the crease.

Too Faced Better Than Sex mascara is on my lashes.

Rest of the Face

Foundation: Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum in shades 51 Light Vanilla and 52 Vanillamixed together
Bronzer: Joe Fresh Sand
Blush: Tarte Charisma

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I’m really loving playing with reds even moreso lately! Someone at work called this a Valentine’s Day look and I suppose it kind of is… Although I kind of see this as more red than pink, but to each their own!

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Eyes
(all Makeup Geek)

Purely Naked through the top of the crease.
In The Spotlight on the inner half of the lid.
Razzleberry on the outer half of the lid.
Vanilla Bean on the brow bone.

Tarte‘s Black gel liner to create the wing and Too Faced Better Than Sex mascara on my lashes.

Rest of the Face

Bronzer: Joe Fresh Sand
Blush: essence Autumn Peach
Highlighter: Too Faced Candlelight
Lips: Revlon Papaya gloss

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This is a look from November that I had kicking around on my harddrive.

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Eyes
(all Makeup Geek)

Glass Slipper all over the lid.
Shark Bait on the outer half.
Creme Brulee through the top of the crease.
Vanilla Bean on the brow bone.
Shimma Shimma on the inner tearduct.

Tarte Black gel liner to create the wing and Estee Lauder Sumptuous Infinite Daring Length + Volume on my lashes.

Rest of the Face

Bronzer: NYC Fire Island Tan
Blush: Hourglass Incandescent Electra
Highlighter: Hard Candy Tiki
Lips: MAC Brave with Shy Girl on top