EOTD: Neutrals, Shimmer, Winged Liner

I absolutely love playing around with makeup to find new neutral combinations, and this was one I particularly liked so I thought I'd share!

primer
MAC Painterly Paint Pot

shadow
lid + inner corner: Physicians Formula Sunset Strip - 2nd shade down, a frosted pink/beige
crease/lower lash line: Urban Decay Smog - bronzey brown with satin finish
outer v: MAC Satin Taupe - grey/plum/brown with satin finish
blending out the crease: Clinique "No Show Taupes" Duo - darker, a matte medium neutral brown

liner
upper lash line and wing: Stila "stay all day" Waterproof Liquid Liner
tightline, between upper lashes: elf Cream Eyeliner - black

mascara

Revlon Grow Luscious - black

All for now! Would you like more EOTD posts?
Love, Val

June Faves ✼

This has been a month of dewy skin, glossy lips, thick lashes and a touch o' bronzer. Read on for my faves!

FACE
Stila Sheer Color Tinted Moisturizer is a lovely, illuminating base. It's very sheer, but I love how lightweight it feels. Perfect for summer.
On top, I apply Revlon ColorStay Blemish Concealer. It contains salicylic acid (great for treating acne), making it perfect to cover blemishes. On lazy days this is fine for an undereye concealer as well. (I apply it with my MAC 217 brush - great for a seamless, no-makeup look.)


CHEEK
Urban Decay Afterglow Cheek Tint in Crush is a beautiful, bright cheek color. I love the brightening, youthful effect this gives to the cheek.
Benefit Hoola Bronzer is my trusty matte bronzer! Read back on my old (embarrassing) Sephora Haul for more.


EYES
I like to define my eyes with Estee Lauder Artist's Eye Pencil in Softsmudge Brown. It's a great warm brown color that I pencil in across my upper lash line, then wing at the end to mimic flirty outer lashes.
Sephora Nano Eyeliner in Pearl Beige goes in the inner corner and the waterline for sparkly, bright eyes.
Revlon Grow Luscious Mascara adds great volume and nice length to the lashes, all while conditioning them! I noticed a difference after the first use - my lashes felt stronger and thicker.


LIPS
Nars Lipstick in Barbarella is THE coral color I have been looking for! It's gorgeous, sheer and it matches my walls. Love.


I hope you enjoyed these faves!! Would you like a review on any of these products?

Love, Val

P.S. I'm going away for Fourth of July weekend, but I have a post pre-scheduled and I'll be back soon!

I want! Makeup Palettes.

Makeup palettes are so tempting - yet, they tend to be quite expensive. For this reason, I'll try and limit myself to just obsessing over them.

Bobbi Brown Beauty Rules Palette

Picture from Fete A Fete

Urban Decay Rollergirl Palette

Picture from Fruity Lashes

Too Faced Natural Eye Palette

Picture from The Daily Cookie

Sigma Bare Palette (not yet released)

Picture from Beauty Moments

What palettes are you longing for??
Love, Val

DIY: Colored Eyeliner

Today, I'm going to show you how to use a black liquid liner and colored eyeshadow to make.. colored eyeliner! We all love playing around with purple, blue, and green eyeliner, right? Well, now you don't have to go out and buy colors you'll rarely use! Just follow these steps...

You'll Need
- a black liquid eyeliner
- eyeshadows in fun colors
- an angled eyeshadow brush

1) Apply black liquid liner as you normally do. Be sure your eyes are bare (no primer). The black will help the eyeshadow "stick"and also provide an undertone. (Stila Stay All Day Liquid Liner in Black)

2) Apply an eyeshadow over the liner, using an angled shadow brush. Don't worry about "going outside the lines"- the excess eyeshadow will easily brush off, because we didn't use a primer.

3) Play around with color!!

Urban Decay "Flash" makes for a beautiful purple liner!

Estee Lauder "Safari Green" makes a subtle hint of green.

I hope this helps some of you! Have you tried this trick before??
Love, Val

February Faves!

It is once again time for my monthly favorites post!

Makeup

1. Revlon Berry Haute Lipstick: I love it so much! See my review here.
2. Stila Perfecting Concealer (in 'C'): It's a great full-coverage liquid concealer. I use tiny dots on my under eyes and any blemishes for a beautiful flawless look!
3. gloMinerals loose base (in 'Natural Light'): This I use over the concealer. It sets my makeup, mattifies, and adds some coverage. I love how natural it looks.
4. Benefit Coralista Blush: It's such a beautiful, flattering color! This is definitely my Holy Grail/go-to blush.
5. Urban Decay 24/7 liner (in 'Bourbon'): This rich brown with shimmer starts out super creamy and blendable, but within 30 seconds sets and stays all day! I love the fabulous pigmentation as well. (This is a mini that I got with my Summer of Love set.)

Tools

1. Sigma F80 Brush: (not pictured) So multi-purpose! I use it to blend out my concealer, to apply foundation when I need it, for powder.... The list goes on! See my review here.

All for now! What are you loving??
Love, Val

P.S. Results from my most recent poll!
"I like to play up..."
75% said "my eyes"
37% said "my clear skin"
25% said "my lips"
12% said "my cheeks"

Dramatic Purple Eyes

It's finally here... my first makeup tutorial! This eye is shimmery, dramatic, and vibrant - it'd be gorgeous for a night out.
(Sorry I don't have step-by-step pictures - my computer deleted them - I will have them next time!)

All shadows are Urban Decay, all Urban Decay is from their Summer of Love kit.

1) First I primed my eyes with Urban Decay primer potion in Sin to intensify shadows and prevent creasing.
2) Next, with my lid brush, I put Maui Wowie (shimmery gold/silver) all over my lid, packing it on for a vibrant color.
3) I then took a crease brush and applied Smog (velvet chocolate brown, my favorite!) into the crease, creating a rounded shape.
4) Next I created an outer V with Flash (vibrant matte purple), adding a beautiful pop of color. I also took an angled brush and applied Flash two-thirds of the way in the lower lash line.
5) Lastly I put Chopper (shimmery copper) in my inner corner to brighten the look.
6) I thinly lined my upper lash line with MAC PenUltimate liner in RapidBlack, my waterline with Urban Decay glide-on liner in Bourbon, and applied two coats of CoverGirl LashBlast Volume mascara for dramatic lashes.

Here's one last picture-

I've made that one my Blogger profile pic! What do you think?

So, that's all for my first tutorial! Let me know what you think of it in a comment, and I'll have more soon!

Love, Val

P.S. The liner is my first MAC product ever! A gift from my generous grandma :)

Sephora Haul!

Hi girls! Oh, my, goodness, I LOVE SEPHORA!! The last time I went I was 10 and only interested in their nail polish. I went Saturday, and I had to restrict myself to three things. I probably spent a half hour in there trying out everything, and I mean everything! So without further ado, here it all is. (And I am 110% satisfied with my purchases!)

First, I'll talk about the Urban Decay Summer of Love kit. I knew I wanted something from Urban Decay, as I'd never tried the brand before, and I was about to buy the single eyeshadow in 'Chopper' for $17. However, then I saw the Summer of Love kit! For $24, it includes four eyeshadows, an eyeliner, and their famous primer potion in Sin. The pigmentation of everything is AMAZING! The eyeshows are fabulous, the eyeliner glides on beautifully, and the primer potion intensifies any eyeshadow times ten.... needless to say, I love it all. :) And FYI, none are full sized, but hey I can repurchase if I run out!

Eyeshadows in Flash, Maui Wowie, Chopper, and Smog; 24/7 Glide On Eyeliner in Bourbon; Primer Potion in Sin.

Next, a bronzer! It's almost summer, and bronzer is definitely a must. I've heard great things about this Hoola bronzer by Benefit. First, let me just say the packaging is adorable, and it comes with a cute little brush... which I will probably not use, and it sheds, but it's convenient if I'm going to throw this into my purse. I tried it out, and I love it! Not orange, not muddy, but the perfect matte brown that will make you look beautifully sunkissed. It applied wonderfully, and this bronzer will become a part of my daily routine.

Finally, my first Nars purchase ever! It's their blush in... you guessed it, Orgasm. It's probably the most highly acclaimed blush ever, though I've heard all of the Nars  blushes are great. The reviews are correct, this peachy pink blush gives me the perfect flush, that 'I just woke up like this' glow. Finely milled gold shimmer adds a subtle sheen. This is also a new part of my daily routine! :)

The color is actually a bit darker than it appears in this picture.

  Can you tell I'm super excited?? Anyways, I've learned that Sephora is my new heaven, and now I know what to ask for for my birthday... Sephora gift card! Next time I will have to get Benefit's primer and High Beam, as well as more Nars blushes, a multiple, and a lip gloss. *Guilty smile*
  Anyways, I'll stop rambling now! Talk to you all later!
  Love, Val
  P.S. You want it, I'll do it! Help me out and comment me with requests!