Thursday, January 31, 2008

MAC Announces 2008 Spring/Summer Trends


I'm not usually a big follower of clothing fashion, but I love reading about the new trends in makeup...especially when it's something out of the box, that's not your average everyday look. In this year's Spring & Summer Trends report, MAC is bringing together color and texture, combined through artistry and inspired by backstage (not my quote...it's what MAC sent me in the email, lol). They have a bunch more look predictions and tips on the site, but here'a few of the looks and tips that caught my eye. I don't see me wearing some of them just for poopies and giggles (sorry, this is a G-rated blog), but I thought they looked pretty cool!



While I don't see myself walking out of the house with a huge white spot under my eye, I thought the dewey affect that was created was rather neat!



I'm always a sucker for red, red lips! :D



I really don't know why I'm attracted to this look, but for some reason it draws me in like a moth to a flame.


My favorite of them all!! Just look at the picture! Enough said. This look just kicks ass (ok, it's a PG-blog)!! I'd soooo wear this out and about! The effect is effin' awesome!!


Not really sure what attracts me to this look either, but who wouldn't want a platinum eyelid?! :D


I love the subtle smokiness of this look. It adds mystery and intrigue as a touch of light brushes against the dark side! Mwuuuahahahahahahaaaa.



This look just brought me back to middle school with the chola look...but reversed. Love it! :D



I'm a sucker for iridescent lips that aren't your everyday color too. :P :)

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Lauren's "Back In Black"...

After a short absence, youtube's very own Panacea81, a.k.a. Lauren comes back strong and beautiful as ever with a great tutorial on acheiving the exagerrated winged liner look made famous by Amy Winehouse! Hottie alert! Check it out!!

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Montell Willams Gets It Right

Ok, Ok! I know! Three posts in one day?!?! Dayyyuuummm! Well, a friend on mine posted this on her myspace. And being a military wife, it was too good for me to not post it here to spread the word! So here it is.

Thanks to my friend Heather for sharing this in her bulletin post!!! :) Montell just became one of my new favorite people! I espceially love how the news people kept trying to "shut him up" and "stay on topic." @$$holes!

This is why I hate the news. They only show you what THEY think you should know rather than telling you about everything.

I feel for Heath Ledger's family. Trust me, I really do. I was absolutely heart-broken to hear about his untimely death and believe that no one should have to go through losing a family member so unexpectedly and in such a manner...but Montell has a extremely good point with what he's saying.


----------------- Bulletin Message -----------------
From: Heather
Date: Jan 29, 2008 2:14 AM


Finally...someone said it. My heart goes out to Heath Ledger's family also, but how many babies have been left behind without daddys, because their daddys have gone off to war? too many to name...its a tragedy yes, that he died so young. But we have many friends who were MUCH younger when they gave their lives for our freedom.


Montel turns the Table on a Fox Morning TV Show WATCH!

Ten Thoughts for 2008

I know we're already a month into 2008 but my husband shared this with me today and I got such a tickle out of some of it, that I thought I'd share them with all of you!


Ten Thoughts to Ponder for 2008

Number 10
Life is sexually transmitted.

Number 9
Good health is merely the slowest possible rate at which one can die.

Number 8
Some men have two emotions:
Hungry and Horny. If he's not in the mood , make him a sandwich ..

Number 7
Give a person a fish and you feed them for a day,
teach a person to use the internet
and they won't bother you for weeks.

Number 6
Some people are like a Slinky ..
Not really good for anything, but you still can't help but smile
when you shove them down the stairs.

Number 5
Health nuts are going to feel stupid someday,
lying in hospitals dying of nothing.

Number 4
All of us could take a lesson from the weather.
It pays no attention to Criticism.

Number 3
Why does a slight tax increase cost you $200.00
and a substantial tax cut saves you $30.00?

Number 2
In the 60's, people took acid to make the world weird.
Now the world is Weird and people take Prozac to make it normal.

And The Number 1 Thought For 2008 :
We know exactly where one cow with Mad-cow-disease is located among millions and millions of cows in America but we haven't got a clue as to where millions of illegal immigrants and terrorists are located. Maybe we should put the Department of Agriculture in charge of Immigration?



Quote of the Day

'Life is like eating a jar of Jalapeno peppers
What you do today, might Burn Your Ass Tomorrow'

Grey, White, Yellow & Hunter Green Look

Check out this awesome look by SarahVictor on youtube! It's a super hot yellow and black smokey eye with a touch of grey and green! If you haven't checked out her videos, you need to! She has some great tips and some looks that you can add to your "I've gotta try this look!" list. The lovely Sarah also shows off her gorgeous hair in some hair styling tuts! Enjoy! :)

Monday, January 28, 2008

L'ORÉAL H.I.P. Pigment Swatches

Here are some swatches of L'oréal's H.I.P. Shocking Shadow Pigments. They are applied over Urban Decay Primer Potion and applied with a Maxine's Mop brush (like a MAC 239). I tried to take pictures at different angles and lighting because a couple of the colors looked a little bit different depending on how the light hit them. One of them though, was a completely different color in a different angle and lighting (Intrepid).

Can I just say this much? They're color payoff/intensity is AMAZING! I'm super glad that I bought these to play with! Enjoy the swatches! FOTD's coming soon! Woohoo!! :)

If you want to see a larger view, just click on the image! :)





Friday, January 25, 2008

Major Drugstore Store Haulage

WARNING!! Not for the faint of heart.

So I got my loan money this week and after paying some bills, I had more money left over than I expected. Naturally, rather than put it into savings, I spent it. I honestly didn't mean to spend it...honest!!

But yesterday, when my friend needed to stop at CVS on the way home from the mall to pick up her prescription, I decided I'd get a couple of the L'oréal HIP prodcuts to try (finally). Well, I wasn't expecting CVS to be having a BOGO Free sale with your CVS card...especially on a lot of the HIP items. Needless to say, my "Oh my!! Two for the price of one means I can buy MOOOORRREE!" mentality kicked in and here's what I got. Swatches coming soon!




  • L'ORÉAL H.I.P. Shocking Shadow Pigments
    • 1ST ROW: Fiery, Tenacious, Rebel, Striving, Intrepid, Beckoning
    • 2ND ROW: Valiant, Visionary, Progressive, Unashamed, Restless, Exciting


BUT WAIT!! There's moorrrree!!!


  • L'ORÉAL H.I.P. Bright Shadow Duo

    • 1ST ROW: Roaring, Wicked, Reckless
    • 2ND ROW: Showy, Riotous, Flamboyant
    • 3RD ROW: Forgiving, Sassy, Flashy
    • 4TH ROW: Flare


Don't go anywhere yet!! There's still more!! (I told you that mentality kicked in! My husband hates it cause even though it claims to save you money, it never really saves him or me any money cause then I just buy more. lol)


  • L'ORÉAL H.I.P. Color Truth Cream Eyeliner Teal, Midnight Blue, Eggplant, Brown



I also got some Stýli-Style Line & Seal Eyeliners since a couple of them were 50% off.

  • TOP TO BOTTOM: Jade, Forest, Green/Black, Awuamarine, Turq, Twilight, Tanzanite, Bronze, Black/Brown

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Beauty From The Earth Swatches

Here are swatches of some of the Multipurpose Minerals that I have from Beauty From The Earth. I have quite a few more BFTE minerals, but I haven't had a chance to swatch them yet. As soo as I do, though, I'll put them up for you guys!

With flash.

Top Row: Midnight Blue, Purple Irises, Steel, Black.
2nd Row: Peacock, Ocean Mist, Sage, Green Apple
3rd Row: 24K Gold, Sunkissed, Coral, Amaryllis
Bottom: Dusty Rose

In Direct Sunlight.


Applied over Urban Decay Primer Potion, all in natural lighting.


I've received a lot of questions in my youtube mail and comments about what I think of BFTE products and if I think they are really worth it.

First of all, I must say this. I have never used mineral products before. When I first started using BFTE, it was the first mineral makeup that I had ever had the chance to try. That being said, let's move on to my thoughts on BFTE.

I personally really enjoy using their products. I have a jar of their foundations, quite a few multipurpose minerals, a mineral veil, and their Ultimate kabuki brush. Overall, I am really impressed with their products. On some makeup forums, I had seen some FOTD's where mineral makeup was used, and I just wasn't impressed. I'm very big on eyeshadow colors (if you couldn't tell from some of my videos), so color selection, product quality, and color payoff are very, very important factors for me when it comes to makeup. In my honest opinion, I feel that BFTE has met my standards. The color selection and payoff are what sold me on these products. The colors are bright and playful. There can be some fall-out when applying them, but using the right brush can also minimize the amount of fall-out. I find that the Loew Cornell 3/8" Maxine's Mop brush (which is comparable to the MAC 239) is great for applying these wonderful pigments and also isn't a bad brush to use for blending lightly.

As for their foundation, I think it's wonderful! It gives me the coverage I desire, but feels light at the same time! I'd more than likely opt to where this foundation when summertime comes and the humidity rises. I've actually opted to wear my BFTE foundation in my recent videos, just cause it does the trick and is much quicker to put on compared to my Clinique foundation. Their kabuki brush (which is the first kabuki brush I've owned) is super soft and feels nice against my skin as I'm buffing out my foundation.

Overall, if you're interested in mineral makeup, it could definitely be worth your while to check them out. If nothing else, you can get some really pretty colors that I don't have any MAC dupes for (i.e., Green Apple, Ocean Mist...)

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

R.I.P. Heath Ledger 1979-2008

My heart is truly saddened today as one of Hollywood's hottest and most talented actors was taken from this earth too soon at the age of 28. Heath Ledger has been one of my favorite actors from the first time I saw "10 Things I Hate About You" and my appreciation for his talent only increased after seeing "A Knight's Tale" and "The Patriot". Hearing of his death has definitely put a damper on my spirits today.

You will be missed Heath!


Video montage by bsbtori

Monday, January 21, 2008

Woohoo!! I've Been Tagged!

Am I one of the very few that loves getting tagged? Or am I just crazy?

Anyhoo, I was tagged by the very delicious Yummy411 and must now share with all of you the different little doodads and gadgets I carry with me in my purse.

I force myself to carry a small purse. If I carry anything any bigger, or with more compartments, then I end up carrying the kitchen sink with me. Using a smaller purse also forces me to keep it clean of trash and anything else since there's not a lot of room. So for starters, here's my purse all zipped up and ready for a trip to the grocery store...or to class, which I have the pleasure of starting soon (that's sarcasm you're sensing by the way).

Yes, I know! It's so adorable! :P :)

Now here's everything after it's been dissected and it's innards have been gutted...

Let's start the list, shall we? Cleaning cloth for my glasses, my Palm Pilot (which I typically only carry with me and use when I am in school), C.O. Bigelow Mentha Lip Balm Stick, my iPod, bluetooth head piece that goes to my Razr conveniently located above it, my keys to the car/truck/storage area/and somewhere else that I don't where that key goes, the remote control for the stereo in the truck (I have to keep it hidden in a place I know my husband won't go in cause if he finds it and gets control of it, or finds out that it still exists, the radio station will never stop changing in the truck!), 2 pens, a sharpee with a chewed up cap (I have no idea why the sharpee was in my purse, let alone why it was chewed up), and the keyless remote entry for the truck with my house key. I keep the last two separate from my other keys so I can lock the truck while it's warming up in the winter time, and still lock the house when I leave and get into the truck! :)

I keep my credit cards and discount cards in two handy dandy little carrier thingies that were used for birth control. When I used up the BC, I decided to keep the little pouches cause I figured they could come in handy for something, and lo and behold, they did!



Here's my sad little purse feeling all empty inside.



If you're wondering why there's no makeup in there, well, it's because it's 5 in the morning where I'm at and I haven't been to bed yet, and therefore I haven't put any makeup on which leaves me with no lipstick/gloss/liner or compact powder to put in my purse since I'm heading off to bed as soon as I publish this. Wow! Was that a run-on sentence or what?!?! My favorite English teacher would seriously be shaking his head at me right now! Night everyone...or morning, if you're just getting up!

Oh yeah! Almost forgot! I'm tagging EmsyJay, Julie, Stephie, and Tina.

Friday, January 18, 2008

Light Teal Soft Smokey Eye

A youtuber request for GothidgeAngel18







PRODUCTS USED
--FACE--
Beauty From the Earth Foundation in Dark
Beauty From the Earth Mineral Veil
MAC Mineralized Skin Finish in Nothern Light (blush)
MAC Mineralized Skin Finish in Global Glow (contouring)

--EYES--
Urban Decay Primer Potion
MAC Ricepaper Eyeshadow
MAC Teal Pigment
MAC Espresso Eyeshadow (also used it for brows)
MAC Stubborn Brown Powerpoint Eye Pencil
Diorshow Mascara in Black

--LIPS--
Stýli-Style Line & Seal Lipliner in Sand
MAC Plastique Lipstick
MAc Pretty Plush Plushglass

SONGS HEARD
"Linger" by The Cranberries
"Kiss Me" by Six Pence None The Richer
"Lovefool" by The Cardigans

Thursday, January 17, 2008

Pigmentation Organization!

With a title like that, I feel like I'm on Schoolhouse Rock or something. LOL

Anyhoo, today I got a lovely little message from one of my youtube subscribers about spotlighting me in a post. Woohoo!! Cool beans! But as exciting as that was, it wasn't nearly as exciting as what I read toward the end of the post.

Do you own a lot of pigments and travel a lot? Do you wish you had a handy dandy way of keeping your loose MAC pigments with you, but without losing space from the size of the jars, and not mention the inefficiency of having all those individual jars with you??

Stress no more! Cody Jefferies has solved all your pigment problems! Check out this great site that Cody goes to to buy some storage tins for pigments! Cute? It's not bad looking...but when it comes to storage, I want efficiency, not cutesy. Efficient? Absolutely! You can store up to 20 different pigments in one little case, and still see the color of the pigment through the clear lids. Affordable? At $5.97 for the whole set-20 aluminum jars and 1 hinged storage box-how could you refuse??

Here's a picture of the pigments that Cody has put into the jars. If you read the rest of the post as well, there's some great tips for train cases and a great spotlight on EnKoreMakeup for his wonderful tips on makeup storage and organization!

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

What Would You Like To See More Of?


This is officially the first blog I've ever had or tried to update in my entire life and I'm really getting a kick out doing it! Yet, even with this feeling that I'm doing an okay job, I feel like there's more that I should be posting about. So with that being said, I figured I'd get suggestions and tips from all you lovely ladies and gentlemen out there that make your daily trek to my little ol' blog here. What would you like to see more of on Francine's Makeup Mania? Or what would you like to see posted more frequently? Any tips or suggestions? I managed to come up with a little survey to the right and you can click on as many answers as you like. Feel free to leave me some comments too! I'd love to hear what you all have to say!

In the meantime, check out MovingMakeup.com, ahd this handy dandy little article I came across on the net a while ago. It's a nifty little site that shows you where to apply contouring powder and highlighting powder as it pertains to your face shape! "Francine, OMG, that's like so totally cool!" I know, right?! (Sorry, my inner Californian was wanting to come out from hiding.) Anyway, I can't remember for sure where I spotted the link at, but it was more than likely something that I saw in a Specktra forum! Gotta love me some specktra!!

Saturday, January 12, 2008

Feeling a Bit Ripped Off!

Brittany, a.k.a., DivineBlackness, You are an absolute God-send! I posted a new video tutorial showing her steps to get the most out of your Urban Decay Primer Potion! I couldn't believe the amount that came out of that little tube...especially that little bottom piece! It was unbelievable!

Hopefully, with getting the word out, Urban Decay will finally realize how pissed their customers are getting at their wasteful ways and finally change their packaging for this amazing product! Maybe when sales decrease because more and more people won't need to buy it as often, they'll rethink their strategies for trying to get money out of us UDPP lovers! Ha!