Tag Archives: Hourglass

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

2014 Favourites

January 28, 2015Favourites, MiscellaneousAnastasia, Hourglass, Laura Mercier, Makeup Geek, NYC, Too FacedChelle

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I’m sure you’re so over everyone’s 2014 yearly favourites by this point. WELL TOO BAD. Cuz now you’re getting mine. 🙂

2014 was the year I discovered Too Faced‘s Melted liquid lipstick. And it was love at first sight. I first started off with just Candy and Berry (pictured above), but when I realized how much I loved them, I just started to amass them ad nauseam. I had friends giving them to me, my husband, and of course, I picked some up myself. Out of all of them though, Melted Candy and Melted Berry are my absolute favourites. Candy looks like absolute neon insanity on my lips (which makes it AMAZING in my book) and Berry has been my winter alternative to a red lip this year. In fact, I actually lost my original Melted Candy(GYAHHHHHH) and went out and repurchased it immediately. If that doesn’t say “must have”, then I don’t know what does.

I mean, they’re long lasting, insane colour payoff and it dries down matte. What’s NOT to love? By the end of 2014 I ended up with eight of them in my collection. And I still. want. more.

So it seems like 2014 is actually just the year of Too Faced lip products. While I loved their entire La Creme line (it smells like sweet lemon, isn’t that unique?), my favourite shade was Coral Fire. I was told a few times that it could be an “every day shade” for me which surprised me since there’s a lot of colour packed into that tube. I love, love, LOVE this shade. I think Too Faced qualifies it as a red, but it really is a pink coral that looks fantastic on me during the warmer months.

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I realize this palette was limited edition from the holiday 2013 season, but too dang bad. I *loved* this thing. Laura Mercier‘s 2013 Artist Palette came out of left field and smacked me upside the head like a load of bricks. I’d never, ever used anything by Laura Mercier before and I was just astounded at how soft and blendable these shades are. There isn’t a single dud in this palette. I even took it on a true test of faith and travelled with it for over a week. The number of amazing looks I came up with this palette was amazing. And thatBamboo shade? It is EVERYTHING.

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Once I got pissed off with my Physicians Formula Bronze Booster, I switched to this one by NYC. Fire Island Tan was used almost religiously for nine months straight… and that’s how little pan I’ve hit. It’s impressive for a drugstore item to have such ridiculous longevity, but as a makeup lover I’m kind of like “oh my god WHEN DOES IT END?!” The swatch photo is obviously quite a heavy application, and no one (I hope) would ever wear it that heavily on their face. While there is some orange to that shade, I never felt like I looked like a fake and bake kind of person.

My love for Makeup Geek shadows knows no bounds, but there are two shades that I went to repeatedly over the last year. Creme Brulee is a shade that finally taught me how to blend out other shades. It’s incredible how much adding a little bit of an orangey-brown in my crease works to soften up darker eyeshadow looks. I always thought it was a ridiculous step when I saw other people doing it, but when I finally tried it out myself I couldn’t believe how well it helped make eyeshadow looks look more professional.

The other shade that stole my heart was Bitten. Bitten is an incredibly reddened-purple shade. Of all of the shades in my Makeup Geek collection, this is my absolute favourite. I used this often in my crease and it worked well with lighter shades on the lid, or, my favourite, using a glitter on the lid and blending it out with Bitten. I also found that this paired beautifully with my Too Faced Melted Berry lipstick.

Alright, getting down to the wire here. A boring product, maybe, but Anastasia‘s Dipbrow Pomade in Blonde was a game changer for me. I’m quite fair and I have very little in the way of eyebrows. It’s not that I overpluck, it’s just that they’re NOT THERE. What little hairs that do grow where the tail of my eyebrow is supposed to be, well.. they’re really just pale blonde baby hairs.

So when I say I need help with my eyebrows, I mean it. If I don’t fill in and FINISH my eyebrows, I basically look ridiculous.

Here’s an example:

Like seriously… WHERE ARE MY EYEBROWS?

As you can see, if I don’t fill them in, I look like I’ve practically shaved them all off!

ANYWAY. What was my point? My point is that eyebrow pencils and eyeshadow never added enough texture. Because I don’t have much in the way of eyebrows too begin with, I needed something like the Dipbrow Pomade in order to actually create the illusion of texture to my brows. It was tricky figuring out how to use it at first, but when I did it was like a lightbulb went off. Now I too can have brows and not look like a fool!

I’ll never understand how the blush on the left, in all its coral deliciousness, ends up looking straight up pink on my skin (see the swatch), but whatever, it works. Hourglass’ Diffused Heat is my “I have no idea what matches my eye look” blush. I can reach for this one and know that it’ll look good on me no matter what. I realize the swatch makes it look like nothing special, but this powder looks rather radiant on my cheeks. While I was never sold on the Ambient Lighting Powders, the blushes are a completely different story and I’d encourage you to check them out. Even if the price point is a verging on insanity.

My best loved products of 2014 are products I’m still using today and I expect to continue loving through 2015. Now I just need to pick up all the news shades that Too Faced have added to their Melted line up…

Use Up 2015

January 19, 2015MiscellaneousBoots No7, Bourjois, Hourglass, MAC, Maybelline, RevlonChelle

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I had moderate success with my Use Up 2014 collection of items, so I wanted to continue the trend this year. I have no desire to restrict myself to a proper Project Pan (and buynothing while on it!), although I really, REALLY do enjoy finishing products. Last year I tried to clear 14 items out of my collection, and I bombed out of a few of them. It was too large of a number and some of the products just frigging sucked to finish. This year, I’m keeping it to a reasonable 10 products, and I’m wayyy more enthused about using these than I was last year’s items. As with last year, these are items I want to finish up and move out of my collection, but they’re not necessarily ones I’m going to be repurchasing any time soon.

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Ethereal Light

I bought into the hype of the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powders and picked up the one I most wanted to look like. Ethereal? Hell yes I’d like to look like an otherworldly being! But this does… nothing? I don’t know what everyone else is seeing but this might as well be a mattifying translucent powder. I notice no difference on my face when I wear this, but I bought it, paid an astronomical price, so I may as well use the darn thing. Since I don’t actually use face powder anywhere in my routine, this is actually a super easy step to throw in. And it’s not like I can fuck it up really… since it looks like nothing on my skin.

Barely Beige was one of those limited edition Maybelline Color Tattoos from many, many seasons ago. Despite the mad love that everyone gives them, I’m just not much of a Color Tattoo person. They tend to go on my lids and make them look crinkly – as if I suddenly aged 20 years. Not flattering. They are, however, very easy to use, when I need something to wear without thinking about it (like when I hit the snooze button for an entire hour and suddenly have to run to work). I own about 10 shades, but this is the colour I’m most likely to use up within the next year. It’s starting to go hard on me too, so I’m not even sure it’ll make it the whole year without becoming cement.

MAC eyeshadows in (clockwise starting from top left) Club, Fade, Print and Cork

I somehow managed to finish up four eyeshadows from MAC last year, so I’m doing the same this year.

Club has been a longstanding awesome shade, but I now have dupes in my collection and this is the oldest formula I own of this shade, so it’s time to go.
Fade is sheer baby blue from my teen years that I need to just completely move away from (incorporating this one is going to be painful – this one is the most at risk for not getting used up this year).
Print is a lovely dark grey shade, but it’s almost done and it’s old, so it’s time to say goodbye.
And lastly, Cork. It’s old, I have plenty of browns like it, so it’s time to move on.

Throughout 2014 I realized that I’m just done with lipgloss. It’s too finicky for my liking, so it’s time to clear out what I have. Revlon‘s Papaya is a lovely shade, but it just needs to go. It’s hard to tell from the tube, but I think there’s a little less than 50% remaining.

Boots No7 Instant Radiance foundation in Cool Vanilla, Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum in shades 51 and 52

I managed to finish up one foundation last year. Only one! So I don’t know how the hell I’m going to finish up three… While they’re all quite lovely on the skin, I just need to move these along since they’re liquid products and they’re a few years old. These are ones I’d consider repurchasing at some point, but for now, I need to use up what I have and I have a lot more foundations that are waiting in the wings after these.

Boots No7 Instant Radiance in Cool Vanilla – I was colour matched to this at Boots in Galway, Ireland, and it’s the perfect shade as I move from spring into summer. I seem to only have a small window when I can wear this for it to match my skin, but it’s one of the best-looking foundations I own. Highly recommended. (In general, I highly recommend the No7 colour matching system. It works far better thanSephora‘s Color IQ and it has never failed to pick my right shade no matter what the season.)
Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum in shades 51 and 52 – 51 is far too pale for me, but mixed with 52 it’s fine… but only in the dead of the winter. I’ll trying to get these finished before spring hits otherwise I’ll have to wait until December to wear them again.

Do you have any plans for a Use Up 2015? Or a Project Pan for the year? I have a ridiculous fascination with used up products, so let me know what your plans are!

What’s On My Face – Volume 30

January 14, 2015Makeup, TutorialsBenefit, Bite Beauty, Bourjois, Cailyn, CoverGirl, essence, Hourglass, INGLOT, Joe Fresh, Kat Von D, Laura Mercier, MAC, Make Up For Ever, Makeup Geek, Morphe, Naked Cosmetics, NYC, Tarte, Too Faced, Urban DecayChelle

A lot more bright looks in this lot which I’m super happy about. If you notice an increase in quality of some of the pictures, it’s because I picked up an actual DSLR in December instead of using my old point and shoot camera. The reason I say “some of the pictures” is that on some days I unfortunately only have the opportunity to use my phone’s camera at work in the bathroom and the lighting is really, really unfortunate on those. Ah well.

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My New Year’s Eve makeup look. Surprisingly, I didn’t go all out of with glitter, but I’ve really been enjoying the look of a bit of the rainbow silver glitter on the lower lash line.

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Eyes

Inglot Matte 334 all over the lid.
Inglot Matte 325 on the outer third.
Urban Decay Blackout in the outer v.
Makeup Geek Creme Brule through the crease.
Too Faced White Chocolate on the browbone.
Naked Cosmetics Ivory stack in the purple/blue reflected pigment on the inner tearduct.

I applied Make Up For Ever‘s Glitter 13 to the lower lash line, then tightlined my upper and lower waterlines with Urban Decay‘s Black Velvet liner. For the upper lash line, I used Kat Von D’s Tattoo Liner in Trooper. On my lashes is Benefit‘s They’re Real mascara.

Rest of the Face

Bronzer: NYC Fire Island Tan
Blush: Hourglass Diffused Heat
Lips: Too Faced Melted Violet with Cailyn lipgloss in Basic Instinct on top

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Holy crap. Why do I even hesitate on ordering Makeup Geek products? I held off getting one of the foiled shadows because I’ve kind of been going off shiny eyeshadow. But then I bought Flamethrower on a whim and… I’m in love. And I’ve now placed an order for the entire MUG foiled line. This stuff is insane. Pictures and telling you about how wonderful it is just won’t do the product justice – you need to buy this for yourself to experience the amazingness.

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Eyes

Makeup Geek Flamethrower all over the lid.
Makeup Geek Bitten on the outer half of the lid.
Too Faced White Chocolate on the browbone.

I used Tarte‘s black gel liner to create the wing and applied Benefit They’re Real mascara to my lashes.

Rest of the Face

Foundation: Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum in shades 51 and 52
Bronzer: Joe Fresh Sand
Blush: MAC Warm Soul
Lips: MAC Mystical

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I did this for a guest posting on Writing Whimsy, but wanted it on here for my own records. I used the Morphe 36 Glam palette and I had a beast of a time applying these shades. While they do look lovely, they would blend away to nothing at all so I would highly recommend using several primers, particularly one with a sticky base to help get these shadows to adhere to the lids.

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Since the Morphe shades aren’t named, please use the guide below to figure out which colours go where:

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Eyes

Teal on the inner half of the lid.
Blue on the outer half of the lid.
Purple through the crease and used to line the lower lashline.
Light pink at the top of the crease to lightly blend out the purple.
Pale peach to highlight the brow.
Naked Cosmetics Ivory stack in the green reflect shade on the inner tearduct.

I used Kat Von D’s Tattoo Liner in Trooper to create the winged liner and applied Benefit’sThey’re Real mascara to my lashes.

Rest of the Face

Foundation: CoverGirl Tone Rehab 2-in-1 (CC Cream) in 110 Classic Ivory
Bronzer: Tarte Park Avenue Princess
Blush: Tarte Dollface
Highlighter: MAC Soft & Gentle Mineralize Skinfinish
Lips: essence Wear Berries!

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I picked up the Laura Mercier Artist palette for Eyes and Cheeks during the Sephora November VIB sale, but I haven’t played around with it much. I love the quality of the shadows, but they’re pretty bizarre colours (for me) so I don’t find myself reaching for it that often.

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Eyes
(all Laura Mercier)

Crystal Beige on the lid.
Cashmere in the crease.
Stone Taupe in the outer corner.
Morning Dew 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.

Rest of the Face

Foundation: CoverGirl CC Cream in 110 Classic Ivory
Bronzer: NYC Fire Island Tan
Blush: Laura Mercier Rosegold Shimmer
Lips: Too Faced Melted Ruby

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Playing around with some of my older limited edition MAC products.

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Eyes

MAC Blue Sorcery (applied damp) all over the lid.
MAC Moonlight Night pigment on the outer half of the lid.
Makeup Geek Creme Brulee through the crease.
Too Faced White Chocolate on the brow bone.
The silver glitter from the MAC Blue Sorcery duo was applied to my inner corner.

On my lashes is Benefit They’re Real mascara.

Rest of the Face

Bronzer: Joe Fresh Sand
Cheeks: Tarte Exposed
Lips: Bite Beauty Retsina

What’s On My Face – Volume 29

December 29, 2014Makeup, TutorialsBenefit, Bite Beauty, Boots No7, Bourjois, Cailyn, Estee Lauder, Hourglass, Laura Mercier, MAC, Makeup Geek, NYC, NYX, Revlon, Tarte, Too FacedChelle

A few looks from November I had kicking around (!) on my harddrive, and a few from my recent vacation in Ottawa over the holidays. Enjoy!

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Hnnnnnnnng. I will never tire of Too Faced’s Melted Berry lipstick. I even like matching my eyeshadows to it!

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Eyes
(all Makeup Geek)

Bleached Blonde all over the lid.
Bitten on the outer half and through the crease.
Vanilla Bean on the browbone.

Mascara: Benefit They’re Real
Liner: Tarte black gel liner

Rest of the Face

Foundation: Boots No7 Instant Radiance in Cool Vanilla mixed with Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum in 51 Light Vanilla
Powder: Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Ethereal
Bronzer: Tarte Park Avenue Princess
Blush: Tarte Dazzled
Lips: Too Faced Melted Berry

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Anything cat-related on the internet and I’m all over it. And when I have an internet cat on my t-shirt? It just gets even better. I grabbed some inspiration from Nyan Cat here and went with it.

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I stuck to the blue and the red since that’s what stands out to me the most in that shirt. Plus I was doing brunch… it certainly didn’t call for a full rainbow!

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Eyes

NYX Asphyxiation all over the lid.
Makeup Geek Razzleberry in the outer corner and through the crease.
Makeup Geek Creme Brule through the top of the crease.
Too Faced White Chocolate on the brow bone.

Liner: Tarte black gel liner
Mascara: Estee Lauder Sumptuous Infinite Daring Length + Volume

Rest of the Face

Bronzer: NYC Fire Island Tan
Blush: MAC Gingerly
Highlighter: Too Faced Candlelight

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Playing around with the Laura Mercier Artist Palette for Eyes and Cheeks (2014). I will never not be astounded with the texture of her eyeshadows!

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Eyes
(all Laura Mercier)

Pewter all over the lid.
Deep Night in the outer corner and through the crease.
Cashmere through the top of the crease.
Vanilla Nuts on the brow bone.

Liner: Tarte black gel liner
Mascara: Benefit They’re Real

Rest of the Face

Bronzer: Revlon Bronzed & Chic
Blush: Laura Mercier Rosegold Shimmer
Lips: Bite Fig

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20141229_look5-2 No real theme for this one, I was just playing around with Makeup Geek eyeshadows I rarely used and came up with this look.

Eyes
(all Makeup Geek)

Shimma Shimma all over the lid.
Goddess on the outer half of the lid and lightly through the crease.
Cocoa Bear in the outer corner.
Vanilla Bean on the brow bone.

Liner: Tarte black gel liner
Mascara: Benefit They’re Real

Rest of the Face

Foundation: Boots No7 Instant Radiance in Cool Vanilla mixed with Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum in 51 Light Vanilla
Powder: Hourglass Ambient Lighting in Ethereal
Bronzer: Tarte Park Avenue Princess
Blush: Tarte Darling

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A quick look that was mostly done just to try out Benefit‘s Push Up Liner (no review forthcoming on it, but my impression of it is pretty much “meh”. It’s okay, but it’s not better than a potted gel liner with a brush.).

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Eyes
(all Too Faced)

Coquet on the inner half of the lid.
Soiree on the outer half.
Cream Colored Ponies on the brow bone.

Liner: Benefit Push Up
Mascara: Urban Decay Perversion

Rest of the Face

Bronzer: NYC Fire Island Tan
Blush: Hourglass Luminous Flush