EOTD - Bright Orange with NYX!

Did you know that orange is my favorite color? It's just so sunny and bright and happy, and it looks good on me as a blondie with a warm skin tone. I've been on the hunt for the perfect orange eyeshadow, and I think I've finally found it!! 

I actually own a NYX single shadow called Hot Orange, which is a good matte bright orange, but it has bits of gold flaky glitter in it and the fallout in it drives me crazy. I have been eyeing the NYX Shangri-La palette for a while because of the amazing orange shadow in the center. I finally caved and bought it this weekend. Here's the look I did using all three shadows in the palette:

First, I primed my lid with Urban Decay Primer Potion in Original. Then, I patted the yellow shade from the trio all over the inner two-thirds of my lid. I patted the peachy shade on the outer third. Then, I blended the amazing orange shade into the crease and outer V. I lined my upper and lower lashline with Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Bourbon, a warm brown with gold sparkle. I set the liner with the brown-with-gold-sparkle shade from the Sonia Kashuk Bronzed Beauty eyeshadow quad, and smudged the brown shadow a bit onto the lower lashline. Finally, I swept my lashes with Clinique High Impact mascara in Black. 

 

I rank the quality of the shadows in the Shangri-La palette from best to worst: orange, yellow, peach. The orange is amazingly pigmented, applies smoothly and blends well. The yellow shade had pretty good pigmentation, although it could be better, and it was a bit gritty. Still, one of the best yellow shadows I've tried. The peach came out much frostier than I expected, and looked more like a light peachy-silver shade than the bright peach color of the pan. But these NYX palettes are so affordable that if you're looking for a great orange eyeshadow, buy this palette just for that one shade!

FOTD - Spring Nighttime Going-out Look

I love wearing bright lip colors in the spring and summer. In fact, I hardly own a nude lipstick - they are all bright pink or orange! I was going out this Saturday night to see my boyfriend's band play, so I wanted a smokey going-out eye, but I also wanted to wear my new favorite hot pink lipstick - Cover Girl Color Sensational lipstick in Fuchsia Fever. I love how it accentuates tanned skin, and its a great pink for day or night. I sometimes struggle with pairing a bright lip and smokey eye, and I think I successfully did it here! Here's what I did:

First I applied my new foundation, Clinique Perfectly Real Makeup in 22 (P), my new shade for my tanned skin. I then contoured a bit with NYX Matte Bronzing Powder in Medium, and added e.l.f. Healthy Glow Bronzing Powder in Sun Kissed, a shimmery golden bronzer, to the cheeks and cheekbone. I filled in my brows with the Smashbox Brow Tech kit in Blonde.

On the eyes, I smudged Maybelline Color Tattoo cream shadow in Tough as Taupe, a brownish gray, with my finger all over the lid. To set this, I patted Urban Decay Tease (which I find is the perfect shadow to set Tough as Taupe with because it's almost exactly the same color) all over the lid and lower lash line. I accentuated the outer V with NYX Nude Matte Eyeshadow in Confession, a medium-dark matte gray. For the crease and outer lower lash line, I used Ulta eyeshadow in Mesmerize, a cheaper version of Urban Decay Lounge or Mac Club. It's a reddish brown base with a teal duochrome flash. I used it wet because it wasn't showing up dark or duochrome-y enough dry. I lined my upper lashline with Urban Decay Blackout. I coated my lashes with Clinique High Impact Mascara in Black.

I moisturized my lips with a bit of Burt's Bees balm before applying Maybelline lip liner in Clear. I then applied my Cover Girl Color Sensational lipstick in Fuchsia Fever. This lipstick looks just as amazing for a day look with nothing but a bronzed face and a swipe of mascara!

Ready to go out tonight!

FOTD - quick and easy sparkle liner for a polished 5 minute face!

Hi everyone! Hope you all had a good Monday. We cozied up with some warm brown sugar chili and cornbread muffins that I made for dinner. It's one of my favorite meals that my dad always made for my brother and I when we were kids, and I think the family I nanny for enjoyed it too. Although the girl was saying she didn't like the skin on the beans - the things that kids insist they don't like just to get out of finishing their plate! ;)

Monday for me means getting a week's worth of grocery shopping done, and making dinner early in the morning in the crockpot so it's ready for us when we get home at 6:30 from basketball practice carpool. Monday is a day that I need my makeup to be quick and easy, so here is a look that I do quite often because it literally takes 5 minutes!

I start out by using a tinted moisturizer all over my face instead of a foundation, because I can quickly swipe it on with my fingers. I currently am using e.l.f. Tinted Moisturizer in Nude. I like this product because it is very pigmented, so it offers pretty decent coverage for a tinted moisturizer. It feels very hydrating, and it is also SPF 20 to protect my face from the sun's rays during the day. I pat my HG concealer - Clinique All About Eyes concealer in Light Golden - on under my eyes to cover up my dark circles. If you are blessed with thick, shapely brows, you can skip the next step. However, my brows are so thin and blonde that I simply must fill them in. Using a Mac angled brush, I fill in the brows with Smashbox Brow Tech in Blonde. I do like this product, although I find that the wax does not keep the hairs perfectly in place, so I may try a brow gel when I use up this tub. On my cheeks, I did a quick swipe of Sonia Kashuk Beautifying Blush in Sunset. I used my new favorite product of the week - Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butter - in Tutti-Frutti on my lips.

For my eyes, I used Stila Sparkle Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner in Rock Candy on the upper lash line. Rock Candy is a bronzey brown with golden sparkle in it. The formula is a bit sheer on the first pass, so I always do two coats to bring it up to opacity. Also, you must remember to shake the tube before every use or else there will be no color or glitter on the brush. I find that because of the sheerness of the liner, it is very forgiving for a liquid liner, and you do not need to worry about being extremely precise like you do with other liquid liners. Although you do need to be careful to let it dry a bit before opening your eye, or else the liner will smear onto your upper eyelid. I can't explain how much I love this eyeliner. It looks gorgeous, and it will. not. budge. Seriously. It will only come off with makeup remover. I forgot to take it off before I showered, and it was still on after my shower!

To finish the eye, I blended some Urban Decay Bootycall into the browbone and inner corner just to give a highlight. Using a flat eyeliner brush, I lined my lower lashline with Urban Decay Busted, and blended it up to join with the slight wing of the eyeliner. I did not use any other eyeshadow on my lid for this look, because the liner is so sparkly that it gives just enough pizzazz for a daytime look. The final touch was coating my lashes with CoverGirl LashBlast in Black.

And with that, I'm good to go! With a face that took me five minutes to put on, I feel fresh, polished, and ready for the day! (Now if only I could do my hair in that amount of time! I attempted a french braid to disguise my not-so-freshly washed hair, and let's just say it was a big FAIL)

What is your favorite five-minute face look?