Dressy Fall Makeup

Hey guys! It's been too long since my last post, but I'm finally posting a tutorial for you guys. It's a dressed-up fall look, with matte neutrals and hints of plum. I kept everything soft and blended to keep it pretty. :) Enjoy!

1) Start off with your usual foundation routine. I added powder here because I like matte finishes for fall, but it's up to you! (Revlon Colorstay foundation in Nude, Maybelline Dream Matte powder in Medium Sand)

2) Let's start off with eyes. Use a primer, then select a bronze color and place it in the crease. Add a matte brown to the outer corner, and fill in the lid with a gray. Blend everything well; keep it soft and smoky. I used sponge tip applicators to help with a sheer application. (Urban Decay Primer Potion, Revlon Colorstay quad in Coffee Bean)

3) Finish the eyes with smudged pencil liner on the upper lash line and inner rims, curled lashes and mascara! (Wet n Wild eyeliner in black, Stila Major Major lash mascara)

4) Add a blush with a rose or plum tone to the cheekbones for a pretty flush. (Nars Dolce Vita blush)

5) Complete the look with a lip color in the plum family! I used a more red tone. (Neutrogena Plum Kiss lipstick)

Done! Get your hair ready and you're ready to go!

Hope you liked it! Have a great Sunday and enjoy the rest of fall!

Love, Val

Review: Maybelline Dream Matte Powder

  Happy Saturday everyone! Today I have for you a review of the Maybelline Dream Matte Powder, as requested by the lovely Rakhshanda. I am absolutely in love with this powder, and was thinking about reviewing it anyway. So let's begin!

Coverage: I wouldn't buy this for the coverage - it's quite sheer and just blends into the skin. That's a plus though, color-wise, as they only carry four colors (I have Medium Sand).

Finish: Completely matte. This is definitely not a "satin" or "natural finish" powder, so don't expect that.

Texture: Silky smooth! Doesn't feel drying on my skin.

Application: For sheer application, apply with a kabuki brush or powder brush; for more product (read: if you're getting oily) use the provided powder puff.

Formula: The powder is oil-free, so it won't clog pores. No SPF. Dermatologist tested.

Packaging: This might be the most fun part - the bottom swivels out to reveal a mirror and powder puff!

Overall: This is a great powder to stick in your bag for midday touchups. It's easy to use, completely mattifying, and could be a real lifesaver for those of us with oily skin. Buy it at any drugstore; I got mine at CVS for $9.

Hope you enjoyed! Leave any questions in the comments below. What's your favorite powder?


Love, Val

October Favorites

Hello all!
Just a few things I've been loving this month - I've been doing simple looks every day (no eyeshadow, same thing every day...) But I'm going to start switching it up again soon :)

Makeup:

• Maybelline Concealer Stick (medium beige) & Maybelline Dream Matte Powder (medium sand) - I've been using these two as a "foundation" everyday, for a light-coverage matte look. Yes, I'm back into matte! I think I go through phases...
• Benefit Coralista blush & Nars Dolce Vita blush - These two go together because I've been pretty much switching off between them every day! Coralista is a fresh, pretty light pink with hints of orange and Dolce Vita is a beautiful dusty rose.
• Stila Major Major Lash Mascara - I love it because it provides curled, volumized, fanned-out lashes without any clumps so it looks completely natural. Great for quick, no-time-to curl lashes!
• Nars Dolce Vita lipstick - I wear this with the corresponding blush :) It's the same color, but sheer and glossy. So gorgeous.
• Clinique Superbalm Moisturizing gloss in Raspberry - And this one, I wear with Coralista blush! Just enough raspberry color with a nice moisturizing effect.

Hair:
  I've been wearing my hair up (bun, ponytail, braid...) and unstyled for the majority of the month *guilty smile*. Good for the hair, but to be honest it's just out of laziness. November, I feel, will be a straight-hair month...

  That's all I've been loving this month! What are your October favorites?
  Love, Val

Happy Halloween! ♥

Hello girls!
  Halloween has always been one of my favorite holidays... I love the candy, the costumes, and the all-around silliness that comes with it!

My sister carved this pumpkin a week ago... as you can see it didn't hold up well!

  So... what am I being for Halloween?! I decided to go for something easy, and went as three-hole-punch Jim from the TV show The Office (fellow viewers will know that the character Jim went as a three-hole-punch version of himself in one of the Halloween episodes by gluing three black circles to his white shirt). Silly, I know, but that's how I am!

Makeup: Simple, of course, as I am going as a guy... haha :) Just some concealer, powder, and blush (I couldn't resist!) on the cheeks, temples, and tip of the chin.
Hair: Pulled back. I wouldn't dream of cutting it!
Costume: White shirt, "Hello my name is... Jim" nametag, tie, three black construction paper circles down the side (to look like hole punches!). Paired with jeans and sneakers.

That's all I did for my costume! Later tonight I'm going to hand out candy and trick-or-treat with a couple friends.

What are you going as for Halloween? What's your makeup like?

Have a safe and happy Halloween!
Love, Val

P.S. I have a Twitter account! Follow me for random <140 character ramblings @vals_tweets.

Megan Fox Inspired Makeup

  Hey girls! I figured it's been too long since my last makeup tutorial, so here's one for you all. It's inspired by a look Megan Fox wore to the Armani Show at Milan Fashion week: hot pink glossy lips with dramatic, black winged eyeliner. It's perfect for nights out, or (if you're daring!) a spiced-up everyday look.

Megan, as always, looks amazing in the makeup!

1.) As usual, start off with foundation. Then, add a light layer of powder to set for a semi-matte finish. Conceal, and define your brows, if you need to (I didn't). Try to keep the foundation looking light, as we don't want to distract from the eyes and lips! (Revlon PhotoReady foundation in Nude, Maybelline Dream Matte powder in Medium Sand)

2) Now, for the winged liner! Use your liner of choice (powder, gel, pencil...); I like liquid for a dramatic line. Create a line across the upper lash line, getting gradually thicker towards the end. Then, finish it off with a thick wing angling towards the brow, and a little liner on the lower lash line. Don't forget to heap on the mascara! (Stila Stay All Day waterproof liquid liner, Stila Major Major lash mascara)

3) Add a light dusting of bronzer, taking it from the temple across the cheekbone. (Benefit Hoola bronzer)

4) Wrap things up with a fuchsia lip! Carefully outline the shape of your lips, fill in, then blend with a finger for even coverage. Coat with clear gloss. (Revlon Just Bitten lip stain in Passion, CoverGirl clear gloss)

5) Done!

  Hope you liked the tutorial! I absolutely love the look... considering wearing it to my next school dance! Have a great weekend and thank you so much for all the support. :)

  Love, Val

OPI: Just A Little Dangerous

  Hey all! So I've heard so many great things about OPI nail polishes... and now that it's fall, I've been looking for a good dark nail color. I was beginning to feel like I was the last person on earth to try OPI, so I picked up OPI for Sephora's "Just A Little Dangerous" yesterday and I love it!

Color - Vampy deep plum! Not too dark (I avoid black nail colors), and not too serious because of the glossy finish and blue shimmer. Beautiful color, and I love the name. :)
Packaging - Typical nail polish bottle, but with a larger cap that's easy to unwind (even with wet nails!). The brush (though you can't tell in the picture) is actually quite wide, and with the right amount of pressure you could color a whole nail in one stroke. I stick to the 3-stroke method, though.
Formulation - Very pigmented! You can easily get away with just one coat of this stuff. It also makes things a lot easier for me, as I tend to mess up second coats, hee hee. Glossy finish.
Price - $9 - a little more than drugstore, but not awful.
Overall - I love it! I feel trendy (plum is a fall nail/eye/lip/everything trend) but not emo with this color, it's gorgeous and I can't wait to try more OPI.

 All for now! What's your favorite OPI color?
 Love, Val

How To: Another curly ponytail!

Hey everyone!
  Recently I posted about a fun party hairstyle, the slicked-back curly ponytail. For a lunch out today, I did a softer, everyday variant. Here's how you can, too!

1) As usual, prep hair with heat protectant, brushing in to distribute. Part your hair where you like.
2) Pull your hair into a low ponytail at the nape of your neck. Now pull out a 1" section from the bottom, and tie off the rest into a ponytail as you would normally.
3) Wrap the section around your hair tie, concealing it, then tuck it into the hair tie so it becomes part of the ponytail. Doing this adds some fanciness to the look.
4) Heat up a flat iron (or curling iron, if you like). Select 2" sections and curl them loosely (read up on how to curl hair with a straightener here). Leave about half your hair uncurled.
5) Style some face-framing pieces as desired. Done!

  Hope you enjoyed! This is a great everyday school look for "instant pretty"! I paired it with light blush, mascara, and gloss for a fresh look. Let me know if you try this, and I'll talk to you all later!
Love, Val