FOTD Friday-- Emphasis on the Lower Lash

 Hello!

For those of you who are confused, FOTD stands for "Face of the Day"-- I had to look this up the first time I saw it, haha. Conundrum!

On many of the Spring runways, and also celebrities, there have been a Twiggy-esque emphasis on the lower lashes. I love this look! It really opens up your eye and just looks plain adorable. Definitely weirder trends out there! ;)



















It really is Kewpie doll-ish, especially in the first two pictures with the cute collars.
(Side note: I thought about what that really means-- Kewpie dolls just have HUGE eyes and long lashes, so that's that. Here's a picture.... they're um, kind of super creepy!?!)















Let's take a look!
Make-up complete, without lower lashes coated:

Lower lashes, 1 coat:

Lower lashes, 2 coats:

See? Really emphasizes the eye!
 

What I like about it is that for people with smaller eyes, like me, lining the lower lashline can really close the eye, but with mascara on the lower lashes it really provides definition on the bottom without making the eye appear smaller. Score!


Now, here's another thing to consider-- should you use a different mascara for your bottom lashes? Three thoughts on this--

1. Some people prefer to use a mascara with a smaller diameter brush, a la Maybelline's Lash Discovery, and there are even some made just for bottom lashes, but really this is up to you. If you can use your normal mascara on your bottom lashes without too much clean-up, save your money for something else!

2. Furthermore, if your normal mascara does not smudge when you wear it on bottom lashes, then have at it! Also, technique-wise-- I know Carmindy says to hold the wand vertical, but I have personally never had luck with this. Hold it like normal, but just be uber careful not to smudge--- but don't worry... Even if you do, just grab a Q-tip!

3. However, if your normal mascara does smudge, either try a waterproof version or pick up a "tube" mascara. I have this problem, (waterproof doesn't work), and 2 mascaras that I have found to not budge at ALL are MAC's Opulash and Clinique's High Impact Curling Mascara. Note: Clinique's is easier to use because it has a curved wand and also a smaller brush than Opulash.


Do you normally wear mascara on your bottom lashes? I didn't when I first started wearing mascara, but then I had a Mary Kay lady tell me that she "didn't feel a look was complete without mascara on bottom," so I have just done it ever since, haha! Do you use the same mascara for both top and bottom? Or leave bottom lashes bare? There's definitely something to be said about a full upper-fringe and bare bottoms to really play up the eyes as well!

Happy weekend, all!

Until next time--
~Beauty Maven

Technique Thursday-- What's up with those clampless curling wands?!

Well, I hate to start this post off with letting you down, but I sadly do NOT have a clampless curling iron, (aka "curling wand"), yet.














(Look how glam she is curling her hair!)

I do, however, have a thumb that hurts from holding my curling iron open to create a similar effect!

Let's discuss:

Luckily my friend has gorgeous long Barbie hair which she lets me style(!)-- and for New Year's I decided to try NOT using the clamp on the curling iron, just wrapping the hair around, to see the effect and also to not get the perfect Annie-esque ringlets.

Results:
SO FREAKIN' GORGEOUS. And I believe they stayed pretty well throughout the night!!
(Correct me as needed, girl!)






















So here's the idea:

This method really works better if you hold the clamp open, or invest in a curling wand. I have read articles about winding the hair around the outside of the curling iron-- which still works, but if you think of the physics behind it, there is still another piece of metal (the clamp) for the heat to transfer through-- so no clamp works better because the hair is curled at a uniform temperature.

Technique:
When winding the hair, don't worry about trying to meticulously make it lay flat to the iron and winding ever-so-carefully--- the beauty of this look comes from each curl being not exactly alike. Also, be careful with the ends in that 1. You don't curl them too long, since this is a loose curl look and 2. Don't burn your fingers!! (In fact, most of the wands come with a glove for your curling hand!)

I curled her hair again the other day, and took some pictures to show the process:

Grab as much hair as you would for normal curling- about an inch square, varying by thickness~ here are the curls fresh from the iron. Leave them alone to cool-- it will help to hold the curl.





















Here is her whole head completed~ she then flipped her head over and shook her hair from the roots to provide a little separation.





















You can finger-comb to whatever degree you prefer, or even gently brush through to get nice Old Hollywood waves!

Gorgeous, huh?

In case you were wondering-- this is what the same process did with my short hair:
It provided some nice movement to my straight hair, but by no means a "curl."





















You can pick up one of these curling wands at Walgreens or Ulta for around $30-$40 (look for coupons!).

What do you think? Ever try this before? Leave me some thoughts!

Until next time--
~Beauty Maven

What's New/Want it! Wednesday-- Happiness in a compact, Super powered make-up, Clinique's getting attention, and a foundation that FITs!

Hello there!

Since my blog has been getting some attention lately, (omg freakin' amazing, thanks all!), I decided that we'll have a few WANT IT's for this Wednesday!!

First up:

Physicians Formula Happy Booster Mood and Glow Booster line~ powder, bronzer, and blush. $11.95 at Wal-Mart

Available colors: Translucent, Beige, Light Bronzer, Bronzer, Natural (blush), and Rose (blush).

By the way, wouldn't these Sephora brushes be ADORABLE with these?!

What the powders claim:
-Ultra-soft and blendable blushing powder features a fresh and vibrant mix of blushing tones infused with a pop of color to create a healthy glow. Multi-reflective pearls provide a soft iridescence to highlight, contour, and add radiance to cheeks.
- Infused with out Happy Boost Blend, featuring Happy Skin and Euphoryl, natural plant extracts which have been shown to promote a feeling of happiness by mimicking the effect of Endorphins and helping protect the skin from environmental stress.
- The sweet scent of Violet provides a feeling a joy each time you apply.

I actually have this blush~ I really wanted it, hahaha~ and will be posting pics/review later today! Just a hint though-- see how cute the packaging is?! This doesn't disappoint. ;)

(Btw Emily! I found the eyeliner from last week, but had to choose... and the hearts grabbed me, haha!)

Next up!:

MAC's Wonder Woman Collection:

Please check out the amazing Karen at Makeup and Beauty Blog to see the collection pics~ didn't want to overload this one too much!

Also! They have a pop-up on their site to receive an e-mail when Wonder Woman launches~

Side note while we're at it-- Peacocky is also a gorgeous collection (out now)! I basically want every eyeshadow, but specifically the Mega Metal ($19.50) ones especially Mating Call (purple) and Odalisque (green-ish).

And now!

Clinque's New Chubby Stick Moisturizing Lip Colour Balm, $15.00, available in 8 colors.

What it claims:

Super-nourishing balm is loaded with mango and shea butters. Just what dry, delicate lips need to feel comfortably soft and smooth. Eight natural-looking lip tints in all, each with a subtle sheen.

These remind me of Tarte's Lipsurgence lip stains~ I'm going out today and if Clinique has these I am SO playing! =)

Last but not least:

Maybelline's new FIT Me! Line, including coordinating foundation, blush, bronzer, and concealer.

At Ulta, $4.99-$7.99

What it claims:

(As per Maybelline.com)

It's makeup that fits you.

• No oils, no waxes, no nonsense
• Natural coverage that leaves skin the way it was meant to be…fresh, breathing, natural
• Exclusive translucent base and lightweight pigments allow skin's natural highs and lows to show through
• Non-comedogenic, dermatologist-tested

This is basically Maybelline's response to CoverGirl's TruBlend and L'Oreal's True Match-- however, this might truly be better. An Article in Allure stated that "It provides medium coverage and has a natural-looking sheen. With such small pigments, it can lie on the skin and create an even finish. It allows you to build coverage without being caked on." Keep in mind though, this formula does not yet have any shine control, so very oily skins might not like it. (I have the concealer-- review to come!)

So there we go! What are you lusting after at the moment? Any new collections caught your eye? Anything mentioned above? Tried/have anything mentioned in today's post??

Until next time--

~BeautyMaven

Tried it Tuesday-- "Gucci" Hair Products, get excited!!

Hey there!

Well, the other day, I got a lovely text message from my best friend about how she received some "Gucci" (aka, super fancy!) hair products and she wanted me to try them. As much as I wanted to joke and say something to the effect of, "UM NO I hate trying stuff, duh." I just could NOT hold in my excitement!!!!!!!!!!

Ojon and Kerastase?! Yes PLEASE.

Picture of the glorious gorgeousness:
(Click to enlarge.)















Closer up:






































Background on these brands:
Ojon--
From the remote tropical rainforests of Central America, an ancient native secret to naturally beautiful hair has been discovered. In their native language, they are called Tawira, or "the people of beautiful hair.™"
The secret to their beautiful hair and skin is Ojon®, a rich oil extracted from the tropical Ojon® tree. This unique tree is native to the Mosquitia region of Central America.
Ojon® is proud to work closely with MOPAWI – a nonprofit group dedicated to promoting sustainable development in the native Miskito and Garifuna populations in the Mosquita region of north–eastern Honduras. La Mosquitia is home to the indigenous tribes that harvest the ingredients used in Ojon® products.

Kerastase
Since 1964, Kérastase has been creating new haircare services developed with the most advanced formulas. Dedicated to enhancing the natural beauty of the hair, Kérastase is based on 4 essential values: Performance, Expertise, Personalization, and Beauty.

Ok, so here's the breakdown of all of the products pictured above, with prices, in case you are entranced as well!

Products by Kerastase:
Bain Oleo-Relax Smoothing Shampoo for Dry and Rebellious hair, 8.5 fl oz. $34
Oleo-Relax Ultimate Controlling Elixer for Very Rebellious, Dry hair, 1.7 fl oz. $36
Mousse Nutri-Sculpt Bodifying Hair Foundation for Dry, Sensitized hair, 5.1 fl oz. $30
Serum Nutri-Sculpt Lustrous Repair for Damaged and Sensitized ends, 1.0 fl oz. $25
Oleo-Relax Anti-Frizz Mask, 6.8 fl oz. $58
Products by Ojon:
Shine and Protect Glossing Mist, 2 fl oz. $28
Revitalizing Mist, 4.8 fl oz. $26
Leave-in Glossing Cream, 4.25 fl oz. $30
Restorative Hair Treatment, 1.5 fl oz. $21

See? Gucci! =D

Since there were so many to try, I paired them by what hair type they seemed to go with.

Round 1: Kerastase's Smoothing Shampoo, Conditioner mask, bodifying hair foundation, and Controlling Elixer.

Results?: OMG AMAZING.

Keep in mind, I have naturally straight, fine, medium-thick hair. Not what you would call "rebellious" by any means, and only slightly dry from heat styling.

This day I used just a round brush to blow-dry my hair *note NO straightener!* to test out the anti-frizziness:










































So impressed!





















I can't believe how GREAT my hair feels! I really hate how much I love this, haha!!

I also adore the bodifying foundation mousse. My hair doesn't feel like it has any product in it at all, and I feel like it gave me some good volume and staying power, (since my hair is at that awkward length where it wants to flip), while truly feeling the silkiest it has in a long time. Oh, and no static!!!! That's my big concern in the winter, and today I had NONE! =D

Round 2: Ojon Mask, Leave-in Glossing Cream, and Shine mist.

Results?: Does what it says, but nothing too impressive.

The mask was interesting in that it's almost a solid, and you scoop some out and rub it in your palms to warm it up and make it oily. You then apply it to dry hair and leave on for 20 or so minutes, then shampoo as usual. It definitely left my hair soft, but not as soft as the Kerastase.

After blow-drying with a round brush, before glossing cream:





















With glossing cream:





















The cream didn't seem to do too much in the "glossing" department, but it did help tame flyaways. Also, the shine spray didn't do a whole lot but make my hair smell kind of weird.. I can't quite place it, but it's almost herbally? But in a bad way, haha... and very strong!

In a flash~
Kerastase: If you can afford it, it's AMAZING. Really truly impressive.
Ojon: Didn't work much better than drugstore brands, and was too fragrant.

If you have any questions on specifics, leave 'em in the comments or email me at beautymaven8@gmail.com and I'll try as best as I can to answer! I didn't want to load up this post with too many pictures~

What do you think? What's the "Gucci-est" product you've owned/tried?

Until next time--
~Beauty Maven

Mascara Monday-- A Mascara wand with... no bristles?? Double review of Ulta brand Lash Icon and Lash Extension Lengthening Mascaras

Hello!

I have a treat today-- much like my Buy 2 Get 2 Free deal at Ulta, which resulted in these mascaras-- you are getting 2 reviews today. Yay!

First up: Ulta's Lash Icon Mascara, at Ulta for $10
What it promises: "Give your lashes that extra flutter with this mascara from ULTA."

I actually saw this in a little ad by the Neutrogena foundation. I saw the wand, (which reminded me of Hourglass' Film Noir wand from the Lash Stash), was intrigued, and figured it was by Neutrogena, so I went to the mascara section to find it. Lo and behold, it was Ulta brand! And they had that special deal, so I decided to let them fight the good fight.

Picture of the tube:










Wand (tell me you're not interested..):










Bare Lashes:










After a few quick brush through's:















Not much volume... =\

After a couple more coats:

















More volume, but still not anything to write home about.

I decided to grab the BRISTLE-LESS mascara, ooooo!, to try and add some more length.

Ulta's Lash Extension Lengthening Mascara, at Ulta for $10
What it promises: "Create sexy lashes using Lash Extension Lengthening Mascara by ULTA."

Picture of the tube:








Wand:

























Say What? Close up:











Yes, it just has little ridges to help coat the lashes. Fascinating!

Lengthening added to the Lash Icon:

















Much better!

Side by side with bare lashes:





















I'm diggin' this combo! Nice!


So how did the Lengthening do on it's on? Let's look!





















Well, it definitely puts the product on! I then took a lash comb to it~

Combo on left, just Lengthening on right:








I honestly planned on doing the reverse on the right eye-- lengthening and then volume-- but I really didn't feel it needed it!

This picture is a little fuzzy, but I thought it showed the right eye a little better:







Overall, I wasn't blown away by Lash Icon, but the Lash Extension is definitely worth it if only to try the cool brush! I've been playing with it for over a week now, and it's ok on its own, but I actually like using it as a little extra "oomph" for other mascaras. It works really well to just swipe it on the ends to add a smidge more length and also to bulk up the ends (in a good, non-spidery way!) to make your lashes more noticeable.

In a flash~
Lash Icon: No go!
Lash Extension Lengthening: Go get it!

What do you think? Ever used any Ulta brand products? What mascara are you loving now? Any you're lusting for?

Until next time--
~Beauty Maven

Katy Perry for OPI!!

Hello all!!

Well, if you follow my twitter or are friends with me on Facebook then you know that I have been super stoked for the new Katy Perry OPI collection! Here is a promo pic:





















The collection feature 4 new colors:
Last Friday Night: a blue sparkle
Teenage Dream: a pink sparkle
The One That Got Away: a berry shimmer
Not Like the Movies: a gray/purple duo-chrome
And also:
Black Shatter: a new polish introduced in the Serena Williams collection which creates a "Shattered" effect on the nails (see pic ab0ve.) So cool!!

I went to Ulta today to pick up the Shatter, definitely, but also to scope out the other colors. I picked up Teenage Dream because who doesn't love a pink glitter?! And they also had a mini set of the 4 colors for $12, so I couldn't resist picking that up, too.

SWATCHES!!

Teenage Dream





















Shatter:





















Minis, in box:














Minis, freed:















(TheOneThatGotAway, TeenageDream, LastFriNight, NotLikeTheMovies)

Coats- shown in same order:

1 coat:





















2 coats:





















3 coats:





















Another shot of 3 coats:





















As you can see, they all did pretty well at 3 coats, (The One That Got Away, far left, was fine after 2), EXCEPT for Last Friday Night (blue)!!!!! Sad day! By 3 coats it was definitely blue, but more of a pastel blue instead of the deeper electric blue. =( It had such potential to be a beautiful color! I'll add some more coats and see what that does...

Also, Not Like the Movies is such an interesting shade-- it comes off as purple at times, light green at others, and in the whole is more silvery. The pictures show it pretty true to life.

SHATTER!!!!!!!!
The Shatter comes with a little directions sheet:
"Apply one coat of Black Shatter over any completely dry Katy shade for an irresistable "shattered" look.

Great instructions, haha. So basically, don't do more than one coat. Check.

Swatches:
(Note, flip the order of base colors~)

















The Shatter definitely shows up better over a lighter, sparkly color.













The first 2 had a thicker coat, the next had thinner. Notice how the cracks are larger with the thicker coat, and there are many more cracks with the thinner coat?

Also, it does NOTHING on bare nails:





















BUT it works over a clear coat:



















Interesting! I'll have to check into exactly how this Shatter works... =)

The Black Shatter is a little weird to deal with~ figuring out just how much to put on, doing it quickly, etc. The beauty of it is it's supposed to be imperfect, so no worries!

In a flash~
-Go get the Black Shatter. Trust me, you'll want this.
-The other colors rock, except for the BLUE one.

What do you think? Are you lusting after any of these shades? Pick them up quick, the Ulta salesperson said many people have been asking about them, especially the Black Shatter!!

Until next time--
~Beauty Maven

**Edit**

After adding about 6 coats of Last Friday Night, I finally got an obvious blue, though not the same as the bottle..