Thursday, December 9, 2010

Want!

Just wanted to share this beautiful photo with you all~




































Eyeshadow from Chanel's Spring 2011 Collection. BEAUTIFUL.

What do you have your eyes on?

Until next time--
~Beauty Maven

VS Fashion Show 2010 Make-Up, pt. 2!

Hellooo!!

....The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show re-aired on The CW last night, so I wanted to do another post for them. =D

So now we have a part 2 to this one~ A few days ago on Facebook my VS Fanpage had a video of THEIR how-to for the make-up of the Fashion Show. Here's what they have to say, with pics of the products~

(Click to enlarge)
































Pro Airbrush FX Face Primer SPF 20 -- $14
Soft Focus Liquid Foundation SPF 20 -- $16
Oil-free Concealer -- $12
Bronzer/Highlighter Trio -- $14
Eyeshadow Quads in Eye Contact and Sultry -- $15 each
Matte Cream Lipstick in Icon -- $12
Lipgloss in Opal -- $10
Minerals Lip Gloss in Naughty -- $10
Lip Liner in Foxy Brown -- $8
Pro Voluptuous FX Mascara -- $12
TOTAL - $138


















Directions for the VS Fashion Show 2010 Make-Up:
~Create the "Basic Face" aka become flawless with primer, foundation, and concealer.
- Using the Bronzer/Highlighter trio, apply bronzer under the eye, not in the contour of the cheek.
- Using the eyeshadow quad in Eye Contact, apply the 2 darkest colors in the crease.
- Using the eyeshadow quad in Sultry, apply the second to darkest shade on the lower lashline, smudged with loose powder in Gold Dust
- Apply Mascara
- Using lipgloss in Glow, apply to brow and browbone, and also as a highlight on the upper cheekbone to really "glow."
- Take lipliner in Foxy Brown and apply to the center of the lips-- yes, center-- to really give a pouty look.
- Use lipstick in Icon, lightly apply to rest of lip.
- Finish with lip gloss in Naughty


I was dumbfounded while watching this video. Gloss on your face?? Brown lipliner in the middle of your lips?! C'mon... really??
















But when re-watching the show, at the beginning there's a close-up of a model blowing a kiss and you can see that lips trick. So odd! And weird to me to see the angels with color on their lips-- it's normally very neutral. I can't wait to try this~
Another thing I found odd.. no eyeliner?! I know the models wore fake lashes, which you really don't need liner with, but for this look? A nice bronze would be good.

(Also on the show.. a blip of backstage where they're NOT using the VS make-up... oooo!)

What do you think? Will you try this? Thoughts on the gloss/lip tricks??

Until next time--
~Beauty Maven

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

e.l.f. Reviews, Pt. 2

Hello again!

On with more e.l.f.!!

Yesterday I wore the following:


























Elements Eyeshadow x's 2, Lip color, Blush, and Bronzer (not in compact)
Eyebrow lifter and filler
Waterproof eyeliner pen
Eyelid Primer
Mineral Eye Brightener
Under Eye Concealer and Highlighter
Lengthening and Defining mascara
Shimmering Facial Whip
Tinted Moisturizer
HD powder (not shown)

*The mascara and facial whip are from a previous but I never reviewed them!*

Let's Begin:

First of all, to show the level of coverage with the Tinted Moisturizer, here is a picture of the left with product, the right bare:








Concealer wand, the highlighter side:






With concealer over highlighter:








See how it is a bit creamy/wet? This goes away with a finishing powder. Or....

Mineral Eye Brightener:

Applied to the left side only:










It's a bit yellow, which is fine with my skin, but might look funny on other skin tones as it only comes in this one shade. (Though the yellow eyeshadow doesn't help, haha.)

Applied to both sides~ lighter application on the right:










With a dusting of the HD powder:












Cheeks:

Elements bronzer, blush, and shimmering facial whip (this one will be reviewed later):





















I feel like the blush and bronzer went together very well! And applied very smoothly~ good job!

Eyeshadow:

I thought this gold color would be very Katy Perry-esque.





















Not so much.. more yellow than metallic:










Lips:

A gross consistency. Too waxy, eek. This is a NO:










Face~ including brows "lifted and filled" (& HD applied with a brush this time):


























Face, cheeks, concealer~ after 3 hours:



















































Today I made it a point to not correct any of the creasing~ see it?

Quick HD application to control shine:






















Face, cheeks, concealer~ after 7 hours:






















Cheek color mostly gone except for shimmer~





















Concealer still there!
(If you look close you can still tell there's more on the left than right, haha!)










Reviews:
Elements Eyeshadow x's 2
-Nice shimmer, and pretty good staying power. But that gold is made me look diseased. Lip color
- NO. Waxy and only stayed on a little over an hour. Blush and Bronzer
- Easy too apply, unlike the other blush which was super-pigmented. The other bronzer has better staying power, but both apply nicely and have good color. Good job! Eyebrow lifter and filler
- Touchy to apply since it is so chunky. The formula is great though- a little waxy, so it took a minute to get used to it, but that makes your eyebrows really stay in place. The Lifter side was odd.. the same formula but applied under the brow. Had me looking a little gray-brow Blake Lively-ish, and not in a good way. Waterproof eyeliner pen
- Did not budge. Even with me accidentally rubbing my eye. And so easy to apply! A+! Mineral Eye Brightener
- I'm liking it~ just apply lightly and if it looks too yellow be sure to add some of your color powder over it. It really stayed all day, though. Under Eye Concealer and Highlighter
- YES. Done. Limited colors, but I was lucky enough to order the right one! Lengthening and Defining mascara
-
Okay in a pinch, but I give it a thumbs down. Shimmering Facial Whip
-
I'll say more in a future review, but just know that I like it. =) Tinted Moisturizer:
- HD powder:

Also! Just for you Terrica, the Fire Coral nail polish:

1 coat:





















2 coats:





















I have to say, sadly.. not impressed with this polish. =\ It tried so incredibly hard to be a thick, pigmented polish, but it just fell through. After two coats it still had the brush mark at the top (where it's lighter where your brush firsts hits). I couldn't capture that in the picture, but it really looked rather cheap. Also, it wasn't very glossy, even with a topcoat. Still, only $1, so not a huge loss at least!

As far as "budget" polish, I'd go with the Forever21 polish I tried a couple of weeks back~ it was truly as good as the drugstore brands!!

I will say, one thing I LOVE about these past two days of using the e.l.f. products is how luminous my face looks! If you already have an oily face this might border on greasy, but occasionally dabbing oily spots (twice today) really left my skin looking healthy and fresh. Always a plus!

What do you think? I still have a few more lip products to post for you~ sorry for the LONG posts; I was so curious about these budget-friendly products and I figured a few of you out there would be as well. ;)

Leave me some thoughts!! Want more detail? Just ask! Or email BeautyMaven8@gmail.com

Until next time--
~Beauty Maven

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

e.l.f. Reviews, Pt. 1

Hello!

Hope everyone had a nice Monday and that your computer didn't freeze up from all of the pictures in the last post. I sure hope not, because we have a lot again for this post! =)
*To save room in this post, please reference the swatches in the previous post*
**REMEMBER click to enlarge! =)**

Yesterday I tried to maximize the amount of e.l.f. products I could wear on my face. Here is a pic of what all I piled on:

























Corrective Concealer Palette
Eyelid Primer
Plumping Lip Glaze
Nail Polish
Tinted Moisturizer
Natural Radiance Blusher
Studio Under Eye Concealer and Highlighter
Essentials Brightening Eye Color
Healthy Glow Bronzing Powder
High Definition Powder (not pictured)
Liquid Liner in Plum (not pictured)

Full face:

Face~ without HD powder

























Face~ with HD powder























First of all, let's discuss the high definition powder.
On the second picture, your eye probably went immediately to the right side where you can obviously see the powder. This wasn't noticeable in the mirror, but for some reason the flash really showed it. Eek! After a quick once-over with my fluffy face brush to collect any extra powder, this went away. (Mostly.)

This comes with a fluffy poof applicator, (which I LOVE!) but I'm wondering if a brush application would be better than with the poof.. hmm..

Poor Nicole Kidman though.. she had to figure this out the hard way. =(


























You know, you'd think that celebrity make-up artists would take a flash-picture as their final step in the make-up routine... just to make sure. Aww.

Anyhow~ this powder has the same effect at Make Up For Ever's HD powder, with one big exception: MUFE's stays put all friggin' day. When you apply it, or even just test it on your hand, it almost leaves a silky film that really lasts, in a good way! e.l.f.'s didn't have this feeling and faded after a few hours.

Also, both HD powders promise to be invisible and not change the color of the make-up underneath it. In real life it is undetectable, but as you can see in my picture, it lightens your face. So odd to me!


Tinted Moisturizer!

(See pictures above~)

I was pleased with this tinted moisturizer. I wanted to test it out as a true tinted moisturizer, so I didn't apply any lotion/primer/anything before putting this on. It was very hydrating- possibly too much for oily skin- but for my combo/oily skin it quenched any dry spots. Though, it did feel a bit heavy at first.. it almost oxidizes some after a few minutes and then that feeling is pretty much gone. Like magic! For a tinted moisturizer, it really has a lot of color to it! At first I was a bit shocked, but, as I said before, it settled in after a few minutes. My mother even commented that my "skin looked really nice," not, "Oh your make-up looks nice." Score!

I normally use a moisturizer specifically for combo/oily skin which helps control the oil around my nose, so I didn't expect too much in that department from this. Good move, since I had that oily feeling after a couple of hours. So, I blotted and went on my merry way, haha!


Concealer time!

To make the most of today (in terms of reviews), I used the double-ended want on the left, and the palette (using the pink+concealer) on the right.

Pre-HD powder:










With HD powder:












Pretty nice, huh?

So how did they wear?
My first complaint with both of these products is that they are so creamy that they immediately gathered in that little crease below my eyes. Boo. So I was kind of checking for that all day.
That being said-- the creaminess also made it look so natural! The concealer and highlighter wand (left side) has the most natural finish of any concealer I've used. It was truly impressive. I'm thinking this + the mineral eye brightener might be a power duo... hmm!! I will try this tomorrow! =D


After 3 hours:





















Still some powder around my "beauty mark"-- what??
































After 7 hours:


























































Plumping Lipglaze!




















With this gloss, you first apply the clear end to plump, then the other end for color. I felt like I did get some plumping action from this gloss, though it really only lasted about an hour. I don't know if this is good/bad for plumping glosses, but hey for a chemical reaction I'd say it's alright, haha! The color was nice, the gloss a great consistency, and the color stayed for a good 3 hours! I'm not certain on the amount of pigmentation because the color I chose is a lighter pink.

The only downside was that it had a weird smell.. I honestly can't even really place it.. just.. unappealing. So if you're a "smell" person, I'd steer clear.


Healthy Glow Bronzer and Natural Radiance Blush!

Now, the time-lapse pictures above can be used to see ALL of the products, but I want you to notice the cheek color, specifically. Notice how they did. not. budge. I mean, I was super impressed by how well these colors stayed! I figured the bronzer would be the first to go, but it really held in there!

The bronzer is shimmery rather than matte~ matte produces a more natural sunkissed color, and is great for contouring, while shimmery is well, eye-catching and less natural but still pretty! Matte vs. shimmery to me is really a personal preference-- either look great. In the compact this looked like a gross color, but on it was quite lovely!

The blush, on the other hand, was quite scary. The consistency of this blush is like that of eyeshadow, and thus highly pigmented. I had to use an extremely light hand to apply~ which can be a plus in that a little goes a long way, but also a downer because it is so so easy to overdo it and look like a clown. Eek! It also looked very powder-y, and with the advances in blush looking so incredibly natural, this was a bit of a let-down. Staying power: yes. Prettiness? Not too much.


Overall Staying Power:

Eyelid Primer/Eyeshadow/Liquid Liner:
- My eyeshadow did not crease, which I credit to the primer. Good job!
- However, it did fade over the day. Fail, shadow.
- Liner did not move or fade. At all. Good job! (Even though I applied it horribly, bleh.)
Blush/Bronzer:
- Both stayed exactly where I put them, even with changing shirts three times and taking a hoodie on and off. Good job!
HD Powder:
- Was gone after only a few hours, and I felt oily after 2. Fail, powder.
Tinted Moisturizer:
- Stayed all day, and looked better as the day progressed! Though I did feel oily around my nose.. 50/50.
Concealers
- Stayed for at least 8 hours. (Though- I did not wear sunglasses, and had to wipe carefully to smooth where it gathered in creases.) Good job!
Lip Glaze
- Color was still on after 3 hours and a Fruit Roll-up. Good job!


What do you think?! Leave me some thoughts, I'm so interested in what you think!!
Also, if you can't/don't want to comment on here, please email me at BeautyMaven8@gmail.com =)

Until next time--
~Beauty Maven

PS Terrica~ nail polish tomorrow! Wanted to give it a couple of days of wear. =)

Monday, December 6, 2010

e.l.f. HAUL!!!!

Hope you all had a lovely weekend!!

This is going to be PICTURE HEAVY-- so just be warned! ;)

Thanksgiving week, eyelipsface.com had an amazing BOGO-50% off sale AND free shipping, so I jumped on it! I got 25 items for just #31.50!!!!

Here are some pictures~ I tried to consolidate by product~ and, for now, am posting just the names/colors and full-price cost... we'll delve into specifics later. ;) As always, remember you can click on the pictures to enlarge them!!

Mineral Eye Brightener, one shade. $3


























High Definition Powder, $6


















Custom compact, $1 --
(shown filled, comes empty)





















e.l.f. Elements to fill compact, $1 each
Bronzer, Lip gloss in Icing, Eyeshadows in Golden Glow, Pink Ice, and Blush in Glow


















Liquid liner set, $3.
Black, Silver, Plum
















Tinted Moisturizer in Light Beige, $1





















Nail Polish in Fire Coral, $1















Plumping Lip Glaze in Oasis , $1

















Essentials Brightening Eye Color in Glam, $1













Studio Corrective Concealer, $3














Studio Under Eye Concealer and Highlighter, $3













Essentials Waterproof Eyeliner Pen in Black, $1


















Eyelid Primer, $1





















Hypershine Lipgloss in Vixen, $1


















Studio Eyebrow Lifter and Filler in ivory/light, $3













Luscious Liquid Lipstick in Raspberry, $1





















Lipstick in Gypsy, $1



















Natural Radiance Blusher in Flushed, $1

















All Over Cover Stick in Honey (too dark for me), $1





















Healthy Glow Bronzing Powder in Warm Tan, $1

















Studio Lip Stain in ,$3















PHEW! Still with me?! Also good to know-- right now e.l.f. has a special Free Shipping on orders over $15 until tomorrow!! Anything you like here? More curious about? Can you believe most of these were just $1??! Incredible!

Leave me some thoughts!! Items you ask about will likely be reviewed sooner, haha! =D

Until next time--
~Beauty Maven