Tuesday, May 24, 2011

50% off code for ELF's Studio Line

Hi everyone!
The Studio line at Eyeslipsface is my favorite line.
Use the Coupon Code at checkout to receive 50% off all studio items- up to a $50 discount.
"ECD21"

My favorite studio items?

Studio Blush in "Gotta Glow"
This shimmery powder is the perfect color for an all-over highlighter. Not too much glitter, just a pretty vanilla color with gold duochrome. I've heard it's comparable to Mac's vanilla pigment.

Studio High Definition Powder
This stuff is great to set your foundation. I love it because I don't like adding color powder over my liquid foundation, because it always looks streaky. Also, the color patches seem to cling to my dry spots. This powder goes on perfectly translucent, but keeps your makeup in place. Plus, it makes your face look and feel soft. I've heard this is comparable to Makeup Forever's HD finishing powder.

Studio Eyebrow Kit
I can't rave about this brow kit enough!

Happy shopping, loves.
P.S. I purchased Venus' new Pro Skin moisture rich razor today, so we'll see how that works!

Monday, May 23, 2011

New Covergirl Natureluxe Liquid Silk Foundation

I went to Wal Mart a few nights ago to check out the new liquid foundation from Covergirl, called Natureluxe Liquid Silk.


I've seen commercials for this, and the ad campaign features Taylor Swift.
It was also featured on Cycle 16 of  America's Next Top Model.
I couldn't wait to try this.

I found a display of it at Wal Mart for $9.74. The tube looks small, but it is the same amount as Revlon Colorstay- 1 oz. (But it had SPF 10, compared to Colorstay's SPF 15.)
In the display, there were two coupons. $1 off 1 item, or $3 off 2 items.
This foundation has had so much hype built around it; (Makeupalley's page for it is FULL of BzzAgents who received this as a free product to review) CG seems pretty eager to get this out there, since they aren't ranked very high among makeup lovers when it comes to foundation.

Along with the coupons was two samples! (Yay!)
320 Aspen and 340 Maple
I tore off the sample tab (and made a mess all over the coupon)
and the very first thing I noticed was the smell.
It was horrible.
I usually don't mind heavily scented makeup products, but ohmygosh that smell.
It says "with a touch of cucumber." I did not smell cucumber at all- more like chemicals.
So I rubbed Aspen on my left hand and Maple on my right hand. (I also put a smudge on my chin, and my forearm over a scratch to test coverage.)
...
The smell was so distracting.
Aspen was a pretty decent match, (There are 14 shades) but I couldn't get past the smell!
So I carried Aspen around with me while I looked at a few other items.
I started to get a little bit of a stomach ache and headache and soon realized it was FROM THE SMELL of the foundation.
So, disappointed, I had no choice but to put it back on the new display.
I smelled it the entire time I bought a few groceries, the ride home in the car, and was so relieved to get it off!


This was one of the worst experiences I've had with a makeup product.
The only other makeup product I had to discontinue using due to the smell wasMaybelline Last Stiletto Mascara. My boyfriend could always tell when I was wearing it because the smell was awful to him, and lasted all day. (It never bothered me.)
So this may have scarred me from ever trying another CG liquid foundation again.
:(
Very disappointed.
P.S. I later saw this foundation at Wal Greens for $12.74. (Ridiculous!)

Sunday, May 8, 2011

Fast Five!

This has nothing to do with makeup, but..
I saw Fast Five this past Friday, and it was SO AMAZINGGGG!
Seriously, if you have never seen any of the Fast and Furious movies, you need to start with the first one, and watch all five.
It was great.
I don't always like action movies-but this series is so good.

The fifth one had the least amount of car racing, but the reason it was still so good was because it included ll of the characters from the first four movies.
According to Wikipedia, as of today, FF has grossed more than $320 million dollars.
And it made $3.8 million during the first midnight showing.

Thursday, May 5, 2011

How to make SPF 70 Blush for summer.

I've read a lot of information lately about how one day without sunscreen can increase your chances of getting Melanoma. That is a risk I do not want to take.
I also read in Allure magazine that 1 in 3 people will get Melanoma in their lifetime.

But is it really feasible to put a high SPF sunscreen on every day? How can you incorporate these products into your every day routine?
-Start out by using a daily moisturizer on your face in the morning with SPF in it, if you don't plan on wearing makeup that day. These are great to use in Spring, Winter and Fall too.
-Some foundations- like my favorite- Revlon Colorstay- contains SPF 15 in it.
But- the thing is you must reapply throughout the day, especially if you're going swimming, or if you live at the beach.

I've been pretty paranoid about wanting to put sunscreen on my face this summer because I've been wanting to wear a lot of makeup.  One night, the solution came to me.
There's a product on eyeslipsface.com that has SPF 45 in it.
(SPF 45 Sunscreen face powder)
But, I have really dry skin and don't like using just powder foundation.

Misconceptions:
-I also read in Allure magazine, that the most outer layer of your makeup is the one that's SPF matters. If you put on a moisturizer with 20 SPF and then the above ELF SPF 45 powder- you have SPF protection of 45. But if you put the powder on first, and then the moisturizer, you only have 20 SPF protection.
- SPF from two products on your face does not add up. I use a moisturizer that has SPF 15 and Revlon Colorstay liquid foundation with SPF 15- that does not mean I have SPF protection of 30, I still only have SPF 15.

So, with this, I've come up with a way to be able to reapply face makeup and still have a high SPF. I've "experimented" with this as a blush first, but I will also be making a foundation and possibly a bronzer.

Materials:
-An empty travel size squeeze tube bottle for lotion, etc. (I purchased at Dollar Tree for a set of three different travel bottles for $1)
-SPF sunscreen lotion of your choice, preferably OVER 50 since it's for your face. (I purchased a rather large bottle of SPF 70 at Walgreens on clearance for $2.78 about three weeks ago.)
-Any loose powder blush in the color of your choice. (I used Wet and Wild Ultimate Minerals loose blush in Pinched Pink. You can also use a pressed powder blush and scrape it out of the pan, if you have an old one lying around.)
-Toothpick (optional)
-Piece of paper to use as a funnel.

-Pour a good amount of the loose powder blush into the empty travel size bottle, using a piece of paper rolled into a paper funnel. To help get it out of the pan and down the funnel, you may need a toothpick.
-Add about 1/3 amount of sunscreen lotion straight to the bottle.
-Shake vigorously to mix. Test the color. Add as much pigment as you want to get the color darker if needed. I ended up just adding the entire container of blush to mine.
-Then add more sunscreen. You can fill the bottle, or not. I only filled mine about 3/4 of the way so I wouldn't waste any, since you only use blush on part of your face. Shake vigorously until mixed well.
And voila, now you can reapply sunscreen to your face throughout the day and not mess up your makeup. The best part is, it's SPF 70! Since the pigment is mixed with the lotion, it's sheer enough to where you can reapply it as often as needed and not look like a clown. And since you're only using a small amount on your cheeks at once, it's going to last a very long time.

I will be doing this with foundation sometime in the future, but, you can also do this with a light shimmery powder for a highlight, or a darker powder to make a bronzer, or multiple shades of blush.

I have pictures coming! I just can't find my camera cord. :(

I do not condone tanning, but if you insist, please, at least put sunscreen protection on your face. It's what will age the most, and the damage is irreversible.


UPDATE: This looked and worked great for the first two days, and then it separated! And because too nasty to use! :( I thought I had a great idea on my hands here!
So for so added Sun protection in the form of makeup, try a face powder with added SPF.
Physician's Formula makes one: Healthy Wear SPF 50 Powder Retails for around $12 in drugstores.
Eyes Lips Face also makes one: Studio SPF 45 Sunscreen UVA/UVB Protection Powder retails for $6 on eyeslipsface.com

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Why I use Q-Tips instead of Eyeshadow brushes.

I've bought more than one set of makeup brushes in the past, but I always seems to abandon the eyeshadow brushes. I just prefer Q-Tips.
Why?
-Better color pay off. You don't have to use as much product to get the color pay off you're looking for.
-Waste less product. You don't waste a bunch of product, lost in between the brush bristles.
-Less washing time. You don't have to wash your eyeshadow brushes as often. I like to use different colors daily, and more than one color at a time. This means I can just throw away the Q-Tip and I'm on to the next color instantly.
-Switching colors is a breeze. No weird purples thrown into your whites. You have a clean canvas every time to start applying color.
-They're cheap! You can buy a box of 150 Q-Tips at any dollar store for $1.  Recently, I've been buying some offbrand Q-Tips from Wal Mart that come in a plastic container, so they're kept clean and in one place.
-They're versatile. You can also use them to remove excess nail polish from your cuticles; clean your ears (duh!), get the yucky "sleepies" out of your eyes when you wake up; use them to stop a small cut from bleeding, etc, etc.

Some tips you may not know:
-Use the Q-tip to blend your eyeshadows like you would with a brush. The fluffliness mimics a brush and is great for blending.  Since it is a small shape, you can even use it to blend in your crease.
-Wet the Q-Tip to intensify your eyeshadow shades.
-Peel off all the cotton to leave a small stick covered in cotton. You can use this small cotton-coated point to line your eyes, top and bottom, with shadow. The thin point left is thin enough to make lines.
-If you make any mistakes in your eyeshadow, use a wet Q-Tip to remove the mistakes.
-You can also use a wet Q-Tip to erase any mascara you might accidentally smudge in your lash line.
-You can use a dry Q-Tip to smudge eyeliner into your lash line to make the line less harsh.
-Use the Q-Tip (wet or dry) to erase any eyeshadow that may have falled onto your lower eyelids on accident.

Have you ever tried any of these methods before? Feel free to share your favorite use for Q-Tips in the comment section. They're a lot cheaper than eyeshadow brushes and you can get many uses out of them.
Enjoy! <3
P.S. Shout out to my newest follower- Amanda. :)

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

5 Free Studio pieces from eyeslipsface.com!!

Eyeslipsface.com is offering a Cinco De Mayo coupon!
Use the code "CDM" at checkout for FIVE FREE Studio Collection Lips and/or Eyes pieces.
Purchases have to be over $20 and placed before May 9th!

My favorite ELF Studio Eyes or lip piece?
ELF Studio Eyebrow Kit

I bought this in dark.
It's amazing!
The gel side darkens your brows to make them look filled in and the powder side sets it to last all day.
I have never had any problems with this wearing off before the day is over, and it doesn't smudge off as easily as a pencil or powder might.
Love!
-Posh
P.S. Shout out to my first two followers, Mary Alice and Elin! <3