2011 Make-up Review

I showed you my favorite fashion looks of 2011, but I forgot the make-up looks I came up with! These are very late, but here they are in no particular order...

Meow. Halloween!

Plum lipstick

One crazy eye!

Bronze neutrals

Pink and purple

This was the year I perfected the "winged" eyeliner look!

My first make-up job...sister's wedding day look!

What new make-up looks did you try out last year?

Make-up to Beautify Your Budget

I'm wearing...

L'oreal Decrease Eye Shadow Base

Rimmel London Mono Eyeshadow in Glam Ice

Rimmel London Mono Eyeshadow in Night Jewel

Revlon Colorburst Lipstick in Baby Pink

At home haircuts, drugstore cosmetics? Someone is trying to save money (me! me!)

I was close to going to MAC, but I went to Target instead. As much as I love MAC, Urban Decay, Bobbi Brown and my make-up collection is a mix of many brands, I needed a basic eyeshadow primer and a highlighter eyeshadow for less. So although I could have justified a visit to MAC, the real challenge was spending less and getting something that may work also.

Here is what I bought and what inspired it...

Instead of Urban Decay Primer Potion, I used L'oreal Decrease Eyeshadow Base. I have used this primer before and it's very good. It is creamy and dries to a powdery finish on contact. Make eyelids feel "soft"!

Instead of MAC Vanilla Eyeshadow, I used Rimmel London Glam Ice. The MAC Vanilla is creamier and more nude. But I could not for the life of me find a highlight eyeshadow in Target that I liked, so I chose this one and it was more shimmery white. I had low expectations for this Rimmel since it was only about 4 dollars. But when I swatched it, I saw that it was better than I expected. And so many reviewers seem to love it on Ulta.com so I think I "done good".

So, I went back and picked up two more shadows. I like the gray one Night Jewel (used it with the white), but honestly the brown one called Spicy Bronze wasn't all that.




 When it comes to make-up, do you resist the urge to splurge and look for budget friendly alternatives?

My First Make-up Job!

I'll be doing my sister's make-up for her upcoming wedding! She was going to hire a make-up artist and I said, "Hello? Choose me!"

That's me practicing for her big day!

She requested a winged eyeliner and lots of neutral colors which I will gladly do after I give her a noogie.

 Rolling in the Deep post.
I sent her this pic and some other make-up looks I featured here
and this is what she wants.

Did you do your own make-up for your wedding or if not married, would you in the future? 

Keep or Toss?

Do you know the expiration dates on make-up? So sad that I was going through my make-up kit and had to be real with myself and part with some items I like. Including a Chanel lipstick that was celebrating yet another birthday. I loved it too.  So much that I was saving it for special occasions and didn't use it as often as I should have! Note to self: Use my make-up! I am making a habit to really use everything I have now.

Here's a quick rundown of expiration dates for make-up...


Oil-Free Foundation: 1 year
Cream or Compact Foundation: 18 months
Concealer: 12-18 months
Powder: 2 years
Blush and Bronzer: 2 years
Cream Blush: 12-18 months
Powder Eye shadow: 2 years
Cream Eye shadow: 12-18 months
Eyeliner: 2 years
Liquid eyeliner: 3-6 months
Mascara: 3 months
Lipstick: 2 years
Lip liner: 2 years
Lip gloss: 18-24 months
Nail Color: 1 year


Do you stick to these dates or are you a little lenient with expy dates?

Fuschia Lips and Smokey Eyes

I manged to build up some points at MyPoints. So I was sent a Target gift card and decided to buy some make-up.

I am wearing  Revlon Colorburst in Fuschia,

L'oreal eyeshadows in Pearl and Lush Raven. 

MAC blush in Her Blooming Cheek.

First, I picked up the ELF Eyebrow kit. This one was the darkest one available and I worried it would be a little light for me. But it looks natural and gives my brows a soft look. Then I bought two L'oreal eyeshadows in Lush Raven and Seashell. The Lush Raven wears more like a soft gray and the Seashell is a good highlighter.

I also picked up two Revlon Colorburst lipsticks in Rosy Nude and Fuchsia.  Fuchia lipstick in general is very wearable on many skin shades! Then there's my favorite HiP eyeshadow in Charged.

Lastly, I decided to try out the Jemma Kidd shadow in Dramatic (blue) since it was only 3 dollars down from 16. It is very pigmented.

Back on the Train Case

I go through phases where I want all my make-up in one place or I want stuff in smaller bags. So I decided to go back to putting everything in one place. I dug up my empty train case from the closet and decided to organize. There are so many too choose from from a million different places such as Target, Sephora, Walmart. I bought this at Kmart. Initally I was going to get a plain one, but this colorful, quirky one seemed more fun.

As you can see I have fallen in love with Revlon lipglosses. The four middle ones are the most used. A bright pink, gold, coral and soft pink. Very versatile colors that go with a lot of looks.

Here I have my eyeshadows,  lipsticks and mascaras. I usually don't buy eyeshadow palletes because I like to chose colors indiviudally. Although the Urban Decay NAKED pallete that is so popular was tempting me when I bought my UD Ransom shadow. Maybe next time.

On the bottom is the ELF eyeshadow pallete I do own that has a few workable shades. This train case has slots to hold brushes but to avoid a powdery mess, I decided to place a few brushes I use most often in a couple of zip-locs. Once they get messy, I can easily toss the bag.

What's your favorite way to organize your make-up?

Oh Make-up, Where are you?

Ever notice when you buy a few new things albeit make-up, shoes or clothes, you all of a sudden want to organize again? I bought a couple of lipsticks and all of a sudden I'm trying to see where it all fits! I switch between my vanity table, make-up bags and now my Sterlite container is my new best friend. They're cheap and cheerful, but totally get the job done.

A lot of make-up gurus swear by those Sterlite drawers and I don't know how I managed without them. I even put two in my bathroom to organize shower related items such as razors etc.

Before I get to those, here are a few of the bags I used to store my make-up...

 My favorite colorful MAC bag!

Marilyn bag

Another colorful trunk case

But with bags and cases, you can't always see what you have

so here's my new little Sterlite case, nothing fancy, but I like it...

These Sterlite containers make seeing what I have easier and that allows me to use it more often.

I love hearing about new ways to organize just about anything, so share your comments below!

Ruffle My Feathers

I bought these feather earrings at Target. 

And they inspired me to create a fun eye make-up look to match.

Pink and black! Two of my favorite colors.

The make-up I used:

ELF eyeshadow quad

L'oreal HIP Duo in Smokey

Revlon Colorstay black liquid liner

Maybelline lipstick in Far Out Fuschia

How to recreate:

Place a piece of tape on the outer corner of eye (at an angle) 

1. Apply eyeshadow primer to lid
2. Apply black eyeshadow to lid and extend outward over the tape (the same way as you would create a winged liner look except with eyeshadow)
3. Then add pink shadow starting from the inside corner of eye and extend above the black eyeshadow and blend
4. Line eye with liquid liner
5. Remove the tape! 

(I forget to show the mascara...I used Maybelline Great Lash BIG) 


More feathered friends...

More Forever 21...

2011 Fashion Resolutions

It's that time of year again where we resolve to start making changes for the better.

So, here's a take on traditional New Year's resolutions. With a fashionable twist!



For 2011 I resolve to stick tho these five resolutions...

1. Grow up my style a bit. I have a funky style, but I also love a more streamlined and sophisticated approach to fashion. Something like Jen Aniston's minimalist style appeals to me so I should try to go for that look more often.


2. Wear more heels. Even if the occasion calls for casual shoes, I should wear get more of my heels out of hibernation!



3. Buy only items that speak to me. I tend to be a bit of an impulse shopper. :)


4. Wear more white. As much as I love white, I save it for future use and then never wear it often. It it gets messed up who cares, I'm wearing white!


5. Wear more make-up.  I tend to go all out in the make-up department for nights out, but I should really use more of my make-up daily before it expires on me.

Brushing Up on Beauty

I have a wild assortment of make-up brushes from different companies ranging from Paula Dorf to The Body Shop to some drugstore brands. I never had one complete set. And I was just about to buy a random contour brush, when I stumbled upon this set from Marshall's. It comes with a contour, powder, eyeshadow and eyeliner brush. So I thought, why not? And I liked the box! Brush sets are such a great gift for the ladies on your Christmas list and of course, for us style and beauty mavens!

More Medusa's Make-Up...

Beauty Buzz: Contoured Cheeks and Glitter Eyes

Ooh, I remember these cheeks. They flashed themselves all over the place in the 80's on shows like Dallas. These are "power cheeks" that aren't supposed to look natural. I usually apply my blush the standard way...smiling and applying it to the apples of my cheeks. But I do like a sharp cheek like this that cuts like a karate chop! Hiyaaah! And the model is also wearing another favorite of mine...glitter eyeliner! Who says that after a certain age a woman must give up her glitter? Not me. If I have the urge to look like a fairy nymph I am not going to fight the feeling. I just reach for some glitter eyeliner to line my eyes instead of using a whole pot of glitter on my face (tempting though)

More NARS...

Sneak Peek: Make-up To Go Bags

I keep all of my make-up in my vanity, but when I need to travel, I use these make-up bags (the last one is a Caboodles box). When I fly I take one lipgloss, a powder, mascara, and sunscreen. I'm pretty low maintenance as far as make-up while on vacation. Especially if the location is hot! But if I am driving somewhere, I might take a little more in one of these bags. Below are similar cases to those shown.