Lippie Love Affair

I go through many phases of addiction in my never ending quest of the make up shopping. First it was eye shadows. Eye shadows are always the ones that draw you in. *sigh* After that addiction came colored eye liners. And now I am in this crazy one-sided lipstick love.

My collection of personal lippies (though I'm sure not as extensive as many MUAs out there) is ridiculous. I have over 20 in lipstick alone. Add in lip glosses and lip liners... My poor train case is nigh unto bursting. LOL. I don't even want to try and count how many lipsticks I have in my PROkit.

So I just wanted to share my lippies with you in pretty pictures. :-)

What is your current cosmetic addiction?

*pictures are mine. do not steal*

Hot Topic's "War Paint Cosmetics" Lip Gloss Review

So, I was in Hot Topic one day with a friend and I came upon their cosmetics section and I saw that they were selling a brand called "Warpaint". They have a variety of different things from eye kohl and eye shadow, lip liners, eye liners, lip glosses, dry shampoos, nail polishes, etc. They have many different colors as well and I was tempted to buy a whole bunch of stuff just to have, but I held myself back. It was hard to do, mind you. LOL.

I ended up buying two lip glosses for $5 each, but they were having a BoGo deal so I ended up spending about $8 with tax. The two colors I chose were: "Brightest Pink", which I'm sure the name can speak for itself, and "Grimace", which is an electric purple.

I did like their packaging and when I pulled off the twist cap, I saw that the lip gloss could be expelled by squeezing the lip gloss tube which would push the gloss out of tiny holes attached to the lip gloss tube. So far so good.

I swatched them on my hand just to see how opaque the lip glosses were and found that the pink showed up pretty well on my skin tone but I had to apply a substantial amount to get the opacity I was hoping for. The purple didn't show up as well as the pink and it looked more like a light sheen of purple color. They were also really thick and sticky and I'm not a big fan of thick and sticky when it comes to my lip gloss.

I tried them out on my lips and found that for them to show, I'd have to apply really thick layers of gloss on my lips, which meant lots of thick and sticky goop sitting on my mouth and once again, I'm not a big fan of thick and sticky.

So over all I would say this product is so-so. For the price of $5 a tube, I can't say it was worth it. This product seemed more like something I'd buy at Claire's for my 10 year old daughter to play with. Maybe I will wear them if I just want a light sheen of color, but I don't see myself buying any more of their lip glosses in the near future.

What Is Your Make-Up Application Regimen?

I am always fascinated with how makeup is applied to different people's faces. Mainly because every application is different. Different cosmetics are used for that individual and application is ever changing due to preference. I think my own regimen is kind of boring honestly, but it works for me and I make the best out of it, so I can't complain. But anyway, I'm curious as to what your makeup application regimen is and I'd like to share mine with you.

 (Pictures are in order to how I apply.)

Step One: Moisturize and Prime

I have combination-oily skin and so I use two different moisturizers to take care of the different areas on my face. My T-zone is where I'm more oily so I use Clean & Clear's Dual Action Moisturizing Lotion to help with whatever pimples or breakouts my skin dares to have. Then I use Estee Lauder's Day Wear Advanced Multi-Protection Anti-Oxidant Lotion (Whew! that's a mouthful) on the rest of my skin. I then prep with Milk of Magnesia, usually applying sparingly on my T-zone where I'm most likely to get oily throughout my day.

(Milk of Magnesia works great for matting down the shine that comes with oily skin as well as absorbing oil due to the magnesium hydroxide. Another nice thing about it: it's CHEAP! You can find it at any drugstore. You can check out my blog about using Milk of Magnesia as a primer at:http://chaselovemakeupartistry.blogspot.com/2010/09/facial-primers-at-dr...)

Step Two: Eye Shadow Primer and Eyeshadow

I usually apply my primer and eye shadow first due to preference, but however you choose to do it works just fine. I use Urban Decay's Primer Potion because I've found that it's the only eye primer that works well enough to keep my eye shadow on my eyes and keeps it from creasing. I have oily lids as well and it is NO BUENO seeing your eye shadow become all gunky in your crease.

The quad is a customized MAC pallet I created using my "Go-To" neutral shadows for those days I don't feel like using my brain to figure out which eye shadow to use for the day.

(Shadows in quad going clockwise are MAC's "Naked Lunch", "Embark", "Print" and "Cork".)

Step Three: Foundation

I use a concealer from Covergirl (I forget what line though) in "Light" under my eyes to hide the dark circles that I have and then using a foundation brush I apply my foundation (MAC's Studio Fix Fluid SPF 15 in NC40). Then using a duo fiber brush I blend my whole face into my hair line and under my jaw line.

Step Four: Setting My Foundation

I use my duo fiber brush to apply my powder (MAC's Mineralized Skinfinish in "Medium Deep" or "Dark" depending on the season.)

Step Five: Applying Blush

One of my favorite pallets is the customized MAC blush pallet I created in order to condense my pressed blush collection and free up some room in my train case. It has all of the colors I usually use and I also love looking at it. Something about it makes me :-)

(Blushes starting from top left to right: "Springsheen", "Sunbasque", and "Breezy"

Bottom left to right: "Fever", "Her Blooming Cheek" and "Dollymix".

The picture really doesn't do the blushes any justice. *sad face*)

Step Six: Setting My Powder

I set my powder with MAC's Studio Fix+ so I don't have that dry look that powder tends to give me sometimes. I also use the Fix+ as a mixing medium when I want to use my pigments wet.

Step Seven: Moisturize Lips

When I'm not wearing lipstick, I'm usually wearing chap stick or lip balm. I'm not really picky about what I use but the one I'm using at the moment is from an independent company I buy pigments from.

(You can check out her awesome products at: http://www.artfire.com/ext/shop/studio/MaddStyle/0/0/173914)

Step Eight/Nine (Optional): Eyeliner and Mascara

These steps are optional for me. Sometimes I don't really want to wear eyeliner or mascara but on the days that I do, I usually wear MAC's Fluidline in "Blacktrack" and for mascara I usually apply two separate coats of two different mascaras, just to give me some length and volume. I've tried many different mascaras but I really, REALLY love Benefit's BADgal Lash. I don't really like Maybelline's Falsies Mascara by itself since it tends to clump but using it as a second coat over the BADgal lash works well.

So yes, this is what I wear on any given day that I've decided to actually do my makeup. It seems like a lot when I look at it in writing but I've done this so many times, I've gotten it down to 30 minutes.

As I said, my makeup application may be different from many others, but again, it's all preference. Hope you enjoyed this post. :-)

What are your favorite products? How do you apply your makeup? I want to know!!!!

Here are some links to different companies that I shop with.

• www.maccosmetics.com
• www.urbandecay.com
• www.artfire.com/ext/shop/studio/MaddStyle
• www.maybelline.com
• www.esteelauder.com
• www.cleanandclear.com   

*pictures are mine. please do not steal*

Curlformers Review

(I've cut my hair since this review but I wanted to share it anyway.)

I saw these while shopping at Sally's Beauty Supply and I thought I'd give them a try. I usually don't like curling my hair that often because of all the heat damage and the time consumption, so I decided to try these out. They're called "Curlformers" and if you buy the kit you get a little hook that comes with it as opposed to buying it separately.

They're fairly easy to use once you get the hang of it and can be done fairly quickly. They're not the worst thing to sleep in either.

The price on the Sally's Beauty Supply webiste (www.sallybeauty.com) is $69.99, or $63.99 with a Sally's club card. In the kit you get two sets of medium sized curlers and set of short small curlers as well and even if you have A TON of hair, there will be more than enough curlers leftover.

The only thing I did not like about this product is that when I take the curlers out of my hair in the morning, the curls are so tight and springy that I feel more like Shirley Temple than 27 year old woman. But with some de-frizzing serum and a little bit of spray in conditioner, I'm able to tame and style it into a nice updo or side ponytail with lots of curls.

The curls hold well throughout the next day if you don't plan on washing them out right away and I had pretty "waterfall curls" after some of the springiness had fallen out.

My hair is coarse usually has a hard time maintaining a curl, but these worked rather well.

Unfortunately I didn't get a good picture of my hair the day after but the two pictures I did take of my hair are from two days after using the Curlformers.

These are a great alternative to curling your hair without a curling iron or flat iron and I would suggest them to anyone who is looking for a healthier, less damaging way to curl their hair.

You can also buy Curlformers from www.curlformers.com. I just happened to get mine from Sally's.

Hope you enjoyed this review!

 *pictures are mine. please do not steal. picture of model using Curlformers are from the Curlformers website where you can also buy pieces separately if needed.*

Almay's Purple Amethyst Mascara Review

So I bought a mascara made by Almay, called "Purple Amethyst". It's part of their line that's supposed to enhance the color of your eyes.

I tried it and I have to say that it's only so-so for me. I'm not extremely impressed by it. I have short lashes and the description on the packaging says it's supposed to volumize and lengthen. My lashes still look short, just with mascara on. And I don't know if it's my make up and the colors I used, but you can hardly tell I have purple mascara on.

Also, the little thing on the inside of the opening of the mascara tube that pulls off the excess mascara (sorry, don't know the name of it, LOL) ends up pulling off too much so you're only left with the mascara brush rather than the actual mascara.

So this product might okay for those lovely women with the long lashes, and not looking for too much color (although that was the point in buying this mascara), but if you're looking for something to brighten and lengthen and volumize as promised, you're better off sticking with Benefit or Urban Decay which are the mascaras I use when I want to thicken and lengthen my lashes.

Halloween/Day of the Dead

Okay, so I know this is a little late, but in honor of Dia de Los Muertos and All Hallow's Eve...

I wanted to share a look I created for my friend. She approached me with the idea of doing a Sugar Skull look for Halloween and as we talked and went more into detail, we decided on doing half of her face in the Sugar Skull/Day of the Dead look, and the other we'd an almost pinup girl like look.

I used a combo of Halloween store cream makeup and my Sugarpill loose shadows with a mixing medium and this is what we came up with.

and also a quick photo op for both of us. ;-)

Hope you like this quick look. :-)

you can buy Sugarpill cosmetics at: www.sugarpill.net

*pictures are mine. please do not steal*

Sugarpill Overdose

So I decided to do a colorful look with a gradient brow. I saw it done by this chick called Nymphette (who I think is total eye candy/rockstar and you can check out her website atwww.iamnymphette.com) and I thought, "Wow! What a fun look!" So I tried it out.

I used my Sugarpill pallets and I used Poison Plum (purple) Afterparty (blue) and Dollipop (pink).

It was definitely a fun look and much brighter than what I would usually do.

On my lips I wore MAC's "Pink Nouveaux" because I was feeling kinda Nicki Minaj-like with all the brightness I had going on.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the look. Definitely one I'll try again.

You can check out my review on Sugarpill here:

http://chaselovemakeupartistry.blogspot.com/2011/07/sugarpill-cosmetics-swatchreview.html

And you can also buy Sugarpill Cosmetics at: www.sugarpill.net

*pictures are mine. do not steal*