NYX Swatches!!

Here are some swatches I took of some of my NYX products. Since taking these pictures I have recieved more NYX single eyeshadows, but I haven't taken any swatches of those yet. So for now, here ya go! By the way, if you want to see the swatches close up, just click on the picture for a bigger view. :)

NYX Single Eyeshadows
Top row: Root Beer, Golden, Blondie
2nd row: Platinum Pink, Sweet Pink, Nude, Apricot Moose
3rd row: Golden Poppy Hot Yellow, Chick, Lime Juice
4th row: Khaki, Sweet Lagoon, Jade, Wildfire
5th row: Lanikai, Baby Pink, Purple Charcoal


Applied over UDPP.

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Jumbo Eyeshadow Pencils:
Yogurt, Purple, Pacific, Pots & Pans, Oyster, Horse Raddish

NYX Liquid Eyeliners:
Lilac, Electric Blue, Baby Blue


NYX Jumbo Eyeshadow Pencil & Liquid Eyeliner swatches: Applied over bare skin.

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NYX Jumbo Lip Pencils:
Iris, Pink Nude, Soft Fuschia


Applied over bare skin.

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NYX Ultra Pearl Mania Loose Eyeshadows (I put up multiple pics of the swatches for these to show how sparkly they are and how the light reflects off of the colors.)
Top row: Sky Pink Pearl, Fanta Pearl, Yellowgold Pearl, Lime Pearl, Space Pearl, Lilac Pearl
2nd Row: White Pearl, Nude Pearl, Oro Pearl, Mocha Pearl, Walnut Pearl, Charcoal Pearl, Black Pearl

Applied over UDPP.

Do You Believe In Magic?

If not, you may want to think again. Having tiny to non-existent lashes can be a thing of the past. Pursebuzz did a video review of Magic Lash Eyelash Enhancer. Based off the results I'm seeing with her lashes, I may just have to give this stuff a try! Unfortunately, I'll have to wait patiently along with everyone else until January 3rd since Overall Beauty seems to be out of it until then. :(

If any of you have tried, or have even heard of this stuff, let me know what you think or have heard about it! :)

The Easiest Smokey Eye Tut Ever!!

PRODUCTS USED
--FACE--
Clinique Perfectly Real Makeup - Shade 18 (G)
Clinique Blended Face Powder - Trancparency 03
MAC Global Glow Mineralized skinfinish (contouring)
MAC Nothern Light Mineralized Skinfinish (blush)

--EYES--
UDPP
Urban Decay Chopper eyeshadow (applied to upper lid with Loew Cornell 3/8" Maxine's Mop Brush, and to lower lashline with MAC 219 brush)
MAC Ricepaper eyeshadow (applied with Face secrets Shadow blending brush)
MAC smolder Eye Kohl (smudged with MAC 219 brush)
Diorshow Mascara
MAC Espresso eyeshadow (to fill in brows, applied with MAC 266 brush)

--LIPS--
MAC Spice Lipliner
MAC Plastique Lipstick
MAC Sinnamon Lustreglass

Merry Christmas Everyone!!

MAC's Chrome Yellow & Electric Eel Tut!

Got a couple of youtubers wanting to see a look with Chrome Yellow and Electric Eel eyeshadows. I called in the help of Aquadisiac to make blending easier and here's the finished look as well as the video! Enjoy!

PRODUCTS USED
--FACE--
Clinique Perfectly Real Makeup - Shade 18 (G)
Clinique Blended Face Powder - Trancparency 03
MAC Global Glow Mineralized skinfinish (contouring)
MAC Nothern Light Mineralized Skinfinish (blush)

--EYES--
UDPP
MAC Chrome Yellow eyeshadow
MAC Electric Eel eyeshadow
MAC Aquadisiac eyeshadow
MAC Ricepaper eyeshadow
MAC Blacktrack Fluidline
MAC Espresso eyeshadow
Diorshow Mascara

--LIPS--
Stýli-Style Line & Seal lipliner in Nude
MAC Cosmo lipstick
MAC Optical 3Dglass

Yummy411 Talks Foundation

Curious about the differences between MAC's foundations and powders? Why do so many of the foundations seem to have similar descriptions, and yet there's like 9 million different foundations claiming to do different things?? Ask no more! Yummy411 shares her MAC Live Chat discussion about these questions with the rest of us!

Read her chat here.

Hairstylist Phobia??

If you're like me, you are petrified of going to see someone to do your hair. Up until November of 2006, only three people had ever cut my hair, and two of which only trimmed my ends. Those three people were my mom, a friend of mine in Hawaii, and myself. I was the only one who ever did the massive cutting. I have this phobia about going to see a stylist and having my hair butchered or mutilated into something I didn't want. When I was younger, my mom would go to a stylist and come home unhappy because her hair was styled and cut wrong. She soon began cutting her own hair and then putting me to work with trimming the areas she couldn't see as well (she has really short hair). Well, I learned this from my mom and soon began cutting (and dying) my own hair.
Then highlights became a big thing but I didn't want to do highlights on myself. One, because I didn't know how, and two, because, well, I didn't know how. Anyhoo, while living in Tennessee, I went with a friend to her hair appointment and fell in love with the stylist. She is the only person other than myself, my friend, and my mom, to run a pair of scissors and some dye through my hair. Unfortunately, because my husband is in the military, I've had a relapse in my phobia and I am now back to cutting and dying my own hair, unless I happen to be out in Tennessee for a visit.
Now that I've written a novel, let me get on with why I originally posted this. If you have a hairtsylist phobia like I do, Pursebuzz has put up a two-part video with great tips on finding the right stylist for you! Have a look see at her helpful advice and be sure to remember those tips the next time you're out and about looking for a stlist!

A Soft Winter Look!

Or you could consider it for Spring since it's kind of pastel-ly. :D Anyhoo, did a video tut using a couple of colors from Urban Decay's Urban Ammo Eye Palette. Hope you guys like it!

And just for the heck of it...

This Look Brought to You by Urban Decay.

Yesterday was my birthday, but since my husband's unit was having their Christmas Ball last night, we didn't really get to celebrate it. So tonight, we met up with some friends to go out for dinner and a few drinks. This was the look I did using the Deluxe eyeshadow palette that I just bought over Thanksgiving. Yay! And OMG! I am so in love with it! Granted I only used 4 colors of the 9, but all the same, I wish I had branched out from MAC earlier. Don't get me wrong. I love me some MAC and I always will. But these eyeshadows by UD are just gorgeous!! Anyhoo, here's the look I did for tonight...and I will definitely be doing a video of this look! :)

My husband thought he would be cute and funny on his debut appearance on my blog. Ha ha John. Ha ha.

He's so silly.





PRODUCTS USED
-----------------FACE-----------------
Clinique Perfectly Real Makeup - Shade 18 (G)
Aziza II Concealer
Clinique Blended Face Powder - Transparency 03
MAC Northern Light Mineralize Skinfinish (blush)
MAC Global Glow Mineralize Skinfinish (contouring)
MAC Gold Spill Mineralize Skinfinish (highlighting and to add a "glow")
-----------------EYES-----------------
UDPP (primer)
MAC Corn Shadestick (base--inner third upper & lower lids)
UD Honey Deluxe eyeshadow (over Corn)
UD Graffiti Deluxe eyeshadow (middle third of upper & lower lids)
UD Fishnet Deluxe eyeshadow (outer third of upper & lower lids)
UD Zero Deluxe eyeshadow (lightly applied in crease for depth)
UD Sin eyeshadow (brow highlight)
MAC Ricepaper eyeshadow (over Sin)
MAC Blacktrack Fluidline
Random false eyelashes from Sally Beauty Supply (demi wispies)
Diorshow mascara in black
MAC Espresso eyeshadow (filling in brows)
-----------------LIPS-----------------
Stýli-Style Plumster Line & Seal lipliner
MAC Craving lipstick

Later I added MAC Lull lipglass but didn't remember to take a picture of it. But it looked great over the lipstick/liner combo!! :)

I've Been Tagged!!!!

So yeah, didn't know things like this existed for blogs! But anyhoo, I love doing these things on Myspace bulletins so of course I'm going to love doing them for a blog too!! Ok, here goes...I was tagged by Tina

PEOPLE I TAGGED --- i only tagged 6 cause everyone else like NecessaryMakeup, Stephienese, Shawnta, and Clumps of Mascara had already been tagged...dang it.
Askmemakeup with Amy B.
Beauty Addict
DivaShop
EmsyJay
Julie (aka clifjewlz)


Rules
Each player starts with 7 random facts/habits about themselves. People who are tagged need to then report this on their own blog with their 7 things as well as these rules. They then need to tag 7 others and list their names on their blog. They are also asked to leave a comment for each of the tagged, to let them know that they have been tagged and to read the blog.

Here goes...
1. I played the flute when I was growing up, from elementary school through a little bit of college (and yes, before you ask, I have been to band camp).
2. I was in the women's chorus while attending college down in Hawaii and majored in music education for a short spell.
3. I have this insatiable love of all kinds of music...I'd say this love compares with makeup, and you all know how much I love makeup!
4. My husband and I eloped when we got married and none of our friends OR family knew about us getting married until after the fact.
5. I am a Sagittarius (today is my birhtday!!) and if you can ever get your hands on the book "Linda Goodman's Sun Signs", and read the description about Sagittarians, you'd swear that she was writing about me.
6. I am half Samoan, a quarter German, and a quarter English, but I am a 100% All-American made girl. :)
7. Once I get over my initial nervousnes, I LOVE to karaoke!! :)

Woohoo! This was fun!! People, tag me more often!! Hahaha!

New Youtube Makeup Group!! Spread the Word!

Well I'd explain here, but the video is pretty self-explanatory.

http://www.youtube.com/group/LoveOfMakeup

Kat Von D Setting A New World Record!!

Ok, I know this is a makeup blog, but it's also a beauty blog, and something that I consider to be beautiful are tattoos. Especially ones done by any of the guys and gals from L.A. Ink and Miami Ink. That being said, let's get on with this post.

Wanna be a part of history simply by getting a tattoo?? Here's the scoop. I signed into my myspace today, and was looking over my bulletins and noticed one by Kat Von D and a world Record. Apparently, she is going to attempt to break the world record for most tattoos done in a 24 hour period. Want more info? Look below. I copied and pasted her bulletin. So for all those who live near the L.A. area or for all those who wanna take a trek out there for this, here's the info.

Photo by Lionel Deluy

"So, we have been talking about setting the record for the most tattoos done in a 24 hour period by one person, since the Miami Ink days, and FINALLY we are gonna do it, here, in Los Angeles, at my tattoo shop!

I know it's short notice, but here's your chance to help me out AND be part of history! I'm gonna be tattooing for 24 HOURS STRAIGHT, and I'm aiming at doing 400 tattoos! I'm pretty sure with the help of everyone, this can be an amazing and fun success!

HERE ARE THE RULES Guinness sent us:

1. Each tattoo is to measure a minimum of 1.25 x 3 inches.
2. Each tattoo must have a minimum of 2 colors.
3. The attempt must be overseen by 2 independent persons, with experience in tattoo techniques. Only tattoos satisfying these 2 judges count towards the total.
4. The event is continuos. Rest breaks may be taken at will, but THE CLOCK DOES NOT STOP.
5. The record is not limited to 1 tattoo per person. (so you can get more than 1 tattoo)
6. Theres is no restriction on the location of each tattoo.
7. The total should not include any tattoo not completed at the end of the time period.
8. All people getting tattooed must be 18 with ID.

So with that in mind, I'm gonna be doing an "LA" tattoo logo that was approved by Guinness, on anyone who wants to be a part of this!!

I'M INVITING ALL OF YOU WHO ARE DOWN TO GET THIS TATTOO, TO COME HELP ME SET THIS WORLD RECORD!

I'm gonna be doing the tattoos for $20, just to cover costs of material, and its gonna be on a first come first serve basis! (No appointments, JUST SHOW UP!)

HERE'S ALL THE SERIOUS STUFF:
You gotta be 18 WITH ID to come to this event. Normally, all ages are welcome, but due to Guinness rules, no one under the age of 18 will be able to come into the shop during the event.
I'm hoping a lot of people will be able to show up!! As you guys already know, I'll need at least 400! So there may be a line, but considering how small the "LA" tattoo is, (each one is estimated to only take about 2 to 3 minutes), the wait should not be long!
Because I'll only have 24 hours to attempt this, it's important to fill the time slots from the hours of 3am to 10am! Im pretty sure those will be the prime hours with the less waiting time, and would TOTALLY HELP ME OUT if there's any night owls out there that are down to get tattooed at that time as well!

HERE'S ALL THE INFO YOU NEED!

WHEN:
Friday, December 14th, 2008
Begins NOON (Sharp!)
and goes straight through,
FOR 24 HOURS,
until NOON the next day!

WHERE:
High Voltage Tattoo/LA Ink
1259 N. La Brea Ave.
W. Hollywood, CA 90038

Obviously, during that 24 hour period, we will be closed to regular walk ins, but will go back to our daily schedule the next day!

If everything goes smoothly and I can set this record, it'll be so awesome to share this moment with the 400 of you who helped me out!! This episode will air in the second season of LA INK!

PLEASE HELP GET THE WORD OUT and REPOST THIS!

I LOVE YOU ALL!

Kat Von D" -- Credit - Kat Von D's Myspace Bulletin

Happy Early Birthday To Me!! :) (:

Sparkly stuff makes me happy!! I love glitter and all things sparkly. No seriously. Instead of having ADD, I have SAD - Sparkly Attention Disorder. I see sparkly, and you've lost my attention until that sparkly thing is out of my sight. It's SAD, I know. (Get it?? Haha...ok, bad joke, I know, I know. You're all probably shaking you heads at me thinking "Just stick with makeup and leave the funny stuff to the real comedians, Francine." Ok, I can take a hint....moving on...)

So, I went shopping around for NYX stuff, and found all these great glitter liners from NYX. And considering how MAC only seems to offer glitter liners during the holidays (from what I've noticed), I thought I'd bring these to everyone's attention. They were about $3.00 USD at the beauty store I got them in. Cherryculture.com has them online for $2.99 and NYXcosmetics.com has them online for $4.00. There's three more colors offered in addition to what I just got--Hot Yellow, Baby Pink, and Hot Candy.



(l-r): Hot Pink, Red, Tangerine, Hot Orange, Lime, Hot Green, Green, Jade, Blue, Lavender, Disco Queen, Crystal, Disco Ball, Silver, Gold.



(l-r): Hot Pink, Red, Tangerine, Hot Orange, Lime, Hot Green, Green, Jade, Blue, Lavender, Disco Queen, Crystal, Disco Ball, Silver, Gold.



(l-r): Hot Pink, Red, Tangerine, Hot Orange, Lime, Hot Green, Green, Jade, Blue, Lavender, Disco Queen, Crystal, Disco Ball, Silver, Gold.

A New Video Brought to you by www.beautyfromtheearth.com!!

I want to give a special thank you to Crystal from www.beautyfromtheearth.com. She sent me a lot of lovely eyeshadows and some foundation samples to try out. To show my gratitude for her generosity, I made a video showcasing a couple of the eyeshadows (multipurpose minerals) and I will do a couple more videos using some of the other eyeshadows as well. But until then, have a look-see at my newest video---Green, Blue & Purple---featuring multipurpose minerals from www.beautyfromtheearth.com!



I was really impressed with the coverage of the foundation she sent me. I'll be honest...at first I was a bit skeptical cause it looked rather yellow for me. But after buffing it on and putting on the finishing veil, it was practically perfect! Fine lines were almost non-existent (as opposed to becoming more porminent) and the coverage was really even!! It didn't really feel as if I was wearing makeup either! Double bonus!!

The multipurpose minerals (which I interchange with eyeshadows) are B-E-A-Utiful!! Because they go on slightly sheer (and I do mean "slightly"), you can still wear a fun and funky look without attracting too much attention. Apply them with a mixing medium (which you can learn to make at home thanks to EnKoreMakeup), and TADOW!! Instant vibrance!! So you get the best of both worlds! If you love mineral makeup, be sure to check out her site!

New Videos Are Here!! YAY!

I recently uploaded a couple of new videos to youtube. One is a Gold & Black Smokey look, which would be very suitable for a night out on the town. The other one is a Red & Gold look that I think suits the holidays quite well! It's very Christmas-sy. :) They are both youtuber requests. Stop by my channel and have a look-see! Leave me some love and spread the word!

Here's the Gold & Black Smokey eye:





And here's the Red & Gold look:

A Healthy Way To Curl Your Hair!

Ever wanted curly hair, but hate doing the damage that's caused by using hot rollers or curling irons? Well, problem solved! Iris, a.k.a. Ilovegerardo, has solved all your curling damaging troubles! She's put up a great video showing you how you can acheive and fabulous head of curly hair using only bobby pins, a bandana, and some pomade!

New Videos Coming Soon!!

Hey everyone!

I know I've been slacking for a little bit in the video (and blogging) department, but I promise that I have a good reason. You see, I'm in the middle of classes right now. And with the holidays coming up and my husband's family coming to visit for Thanksgiving, it's been a little hectic between keeping up with school work and getting the house ready. I've managed to get ahead (way ahead) in my Calculus homework, and the cleaning around the house is just about done. So, ahead in homework plus a clean house equals more time for videos and blogging!! Woohoo!! Anyhoo, I thank you all for being so patient with me (especially as I am still getting used to this whole blogging thing)!

Here's a sneak peak list at some of the videos coming up...by the way, the videos are all youtuber requests since I have gotten so far behind in them...

Red & Gold
50s Glam (think Christina Aguilera in her "Candyman" video)
Yellow & Black
Yellow & Navy Blue
Red & Green (Christmas colors!! YAY!!)
More videos feautring NYX eyeshadows
and many, many more youtuber requests!!

Thanks for stopping by!!

MAC's Holiday Eye Brush Set

With the holiday season in full gear and gaining full speed before December when all engines will hit light speed, I thought it'd be a good time to do a quick review of the MAC Holiday Eye Brush Set from the Heirlooms Collection - especially since I get a lot of questions about eye brushes. I'm only reviewing the eye brushes since they are the ones I use the most (I've only recently started using my 190 brush again).

Personally I don't really like getting the holiday brush sets mainly because of the length of the handles and because the handles are made of plastic. I find that the shortened length does not give you as much control of the brush as the regular length brushes do. Becuase of this lack of control, you lose control of where the color gets placed. Also, I feel that because the handles are made of plastic, this gives the brushes a lighter feel, with there being less weight in your hand to balance the brush with, which once again leads to control. BUT if it's the first time you're using brushes, these two disadvantages could lead to an advantage for you in the future. You could buy these brushes and get used to the way they handle, and you could become familiar with how they work and also get used to how to control the brushes with the length and weight. With this in mind, say later on down the road, you decide you want to upgrade to the full-size brushes. In my opinion, you'd already be better at using the full-size brushes. Why? Because it should (in my world anyways) be easier for you to control the full-size brushes compared to the travel-size brushes. But that's just my mentality.

If you want to try the Holiday brush sets to see how you like the brushes, and to get familiar with what each of the brushes do, the holiday brush sets would be an affordable and convenient way to go. If you already have the regular brushes, the Holiday Brush set is also a convenient and easy way to carry brushes with you when you want to touch up your makeup throughout the day. Rather than carrying your full-size brushes, and risk damaging/breaking them, you can carry these handy-dandy little travel size ones with you.

Now, here's my break-down of what the eye brushes are and how I would/do use them (I don't have all of them). Something to keep in mind: Even though it seems like a lot of brushes have the same uses (lining/applying/blending), each of them creates a different effect. The same description plus the product does not always equal the same look.

	209SE - Eyeliner Brush A lot of people who have liquid eyeliners, or the fluidline eyeliners, prefer to use this brush to apply the liner with rather than the brush that comes on the cap with the product. It's relatively the same idea as what's on the cap, but some people prefer the longer bristles on this brush (which also seem stiffer, yet soft) than what comes on the cap of the product.
	212SE - Flat Definer Brush One of the main things to use this brush for is lining your eyes. A lot of people like to use MAC 266 brush when lining their eyes with powders or creams (think fluidline), however there are a lot of other people that don't like the look gained with using the 266, or can't get as close to the lashline while using the 209, so instead, they use a flat brush like the 212.
	217SE - Blending Brush This brush is, well, it is what it's called - a blending brush! This is a great brush to use for softening harsh lines and blending between colors, and shading. Even though there are other brushes that would be better suited, this is also a great brush to use for defining your crease and for adding depth to it as well. I wouldn't use this brush for applying eyeshadows, however.
	252SE - Large Shader Brush This was the first brush I purchased from MAC and has proven its worth. The 252 is a great brush to use for packing on that eyeshadow and getting a lot of color payback! It also comes in pretty handy when applying cream products like the paints or fluidlines all over your lid. The only reason this brush has fallen from the #1 spot is because it's little sister, the 242 (which is the same brush, just smaller, which makes it more functional) took over as #1.
	275SE - Medium Angle Shading Brush The medium angle brush is another great brush for blending. Because of its angular shape, it's useful for getting into corners for blending! If you're wanting to go for a more sheer look, this is the brush you'll want to use to apply your eyeshadow with.

If you're tight on cash, I have a couple of recommendations for you.

1. You may want to check out www.crownbrush.com - especially the badger series. Crown Industries Inc. is a brush wholesaler BUT they do conduct business for personal needs. The badger series brushes are MAC quality without the MAC price. Brushes range anywhere from $1.49 to $15.95 USD. They accept all major credit cards as well as checks. Just email them at crownbrushes@hotmail.com, request to be sent a catalog, and you can look over the entire array of brushes that they sell (or you can simply view their catalog online). They also have a discount policy based upon the total amount that you purchase. The only drawback is that because they are a wholesaler company, they have an order minimum of $25.00.


2. You may also want to check out your local craft store for good quality paint brushes. That's right. I said paint brushes! EnKoreMakeup has made a video comparing paint brushes to MAC brushes and also gives recommendations for what sort of paint brushes to look for. If you click on his name above, it will take you to his youtube channel, but if you click here, it will take you directly to the video I'm talking about.

I hope this helps you all in your debates of holiday brush sets or not! And as always with the holiday season, be safe and happy shopping!! :)