MAC Vera Collection

When the new MAC Vera collection came out, I was instantly in love! I am not one of those makeup lovers/artists/wearers/bloggers who claim certain eye colors, hair colors, face shapes, blah blah blah can't wear this color or that shade. I am more like, "HEY! If you love it, rock it!" I love the fun, metallic colors, especially the pinks as I am a total pink lovin' girl!

Like Kandee Johnson, I immediately thought Vera Wang but we were both wrong. It is actually named for the artist Vera Neumann. MAC described this collection as "Flashy florals, butterfly brights, punchy patterns, and a light-as-air spirit fuse in a collection inspired by the art of textile designer, Vera Neumann." And I'm down for anything floral and butterfly like, especially for the upcoming Spring season. Spring just makes me think of wild, colorful flowers & beautiful butterflies! I tend to wear brighter, wilder shades during the Spring than I do the Summer.

I only have some of the products in this collection so I will only review the ones I actually have, although I'll give a little bit of info on the other available products. The entire Vera collection is awesome and includes a wide variety of colors and products. Here are my fave products from the MAC Vera collection including descriptions, pics, links and why I love it included, free of charge of course. LOL

 These the four eyeshadows/pigments from the collection. From top to bottom they are:

Star Crystal: The MAC website describes this color as a pink champagne frost. On my skin tone, the color appears more of a frosty peach with hints of shimmer. Its a beautiful color and will compliment any shade well. The main uses for this shade would be as a highlight shade for under the brow bone & inner corner.

Rose Light: MAC's website describes Rose Light as a metallic yellow-pink frost. Again, it didn't appear anywhere near that on me. It was more of a coral shade with hints of pink. It was very pigmented and I loved the way it paired up with the Star Crystal.

Strawberry Patch: This is my absolute favorite eye color in the whole collection. It is pink-fection! (My word for a perfect pink lol)  MAC describes the pigment as a light blue-pink frost. It does have a blue/violet undertone but when applied it was a beautiful rose pink shimmer. Love it! I would wear this color as a all over lid pigment all by itself!

Moon Rose: MAC's website says this pigment is a bright, dark pink frost and for once, I agree with them! It was beautiful, especially combined with a Cleo's Taupe Shadow Stick as a crease darkener and Star Crystal as a highlight shade. Of course, I am partial to pinks so that could account to my love of this shade.

 

All of the colors are, of course, pigmented well. But could you expect any less when it comes to MAC? Other pigment shades included in the Vera Collection are:  Lantern Light (metallic gold/bronze), Campfire (rich copper), Shifting Sands (metallic champagne), Aloha (dirty cocoa brown), Butterfly Party (bright lilac), Desert Cloud (deep blue/purple), Rain Drop (metallic teal) and Moss Garden (metallic silver green). All color descriptions compliments of the MAC website.

The MAC Vera Collection also comes with two different Pearlmatte Face Powders: Sunday Afternoon and Flower Fantasy. Both are gorgeous powders compromised of three different colors. I purchased Sunday Afternoon. 

 It is a beautiful, pink-licious, matte face powder but not a product I would use as as all over powder. It has three different pink shades, great for adding a rosy cheek. Sunday Afternoon contains a bright pink, a darker fuchsia/pink and a soft baby pink with hints of white pearl. The baby pink has a very, very subtle hint of shimmer and is my favorite. 

Flower Fantasy also has three different shades (per the MAC website): pale coral with gold pearl, slightly blue pale pink and soft pale salmon. The coral shade is a beautiful, matte powder, perfect to combine with a nude lip and a soft eye.

The MAC Vera Collection also has several BAM, in your face Pearlglide Intense Eyeliners, which I love and had a terrible time choosing from. In the end I chose 3, out of the available 7. They are all really easy to use, heavy pigmented with some shimmer. Creates a great cat eye, too!

 Designer Purple: Described as a iridescent purple, I would have to agree. I chose this specific purple eyeliner simply because I don't owe a purple one.

            

 

Petrol Blue: Deep Navy with Pearl. Again, I looooove this deep blue shade. Easy to use and really makes my blue eye color pop! I wore just a nude all over eyeshadow shade with this eyeliner lining both my top and bottom lash lines. I got tons of compliments, including a few people asking if I had got contacts.

 Black Swan: a black with pearl is how it is described. A girl can never have too any black eyeliners. When applied, it is more of a dark charcoal color than black, though. Still beautiful. When dealing with eyeliners, I like an easy application without requiring too many coats/layers to make the color pop. All of the MAC eyeliners are easily applied and one coat was enough to stand true to the marketed color.

Other MAC Vera Pearlglide Intense Eyeliners include: Lord it Up (bronze with pearl), Industrial (periwinkle gray), Undercurrent (teal with pearl) and Black Line (black with gold pearl).

The last things I purchased from this collection were yummy lip goodies: Plushglass sheer lip colors. I only have two. All of the colors were beautiful but I already own so many similar colors that it seemed a waste of money to get them all. 

On a Holiday: The MAC website says it is a bright pink with blue pearl. These were described as sheer but they really have some color to them, especially this darker pink. I tried it alone, over a similar color lip liner used to completely fill in my lips and over a pale pink lipstick. Alone, it is light and glossy but over the lip liner and lipstick is is beautiful and shiny. It probably my new favorite, as I have wore it every day this week. I also added it on top of CoverGirl Nude Lip Shine and over a taupe/honey brown e.l.f. shade and it was gorgeous!

Pretty Plush: Described as an extra-soft pink with white pearl. This specific lip blush really is sheer. I have naturally dark red lips and wearing Pretty Plush alone only added no color but lots of gloss. I loved this shade as a topper for a nude lip. Because my lips are so deep colored anyways, I will prob keep this lip product in my purse for a quick go to gloss.

Other Plushglasses in the Vera Collection include: Fashion Fanatic (creamy pale pink), Confetti (bright orange coral with soft pearl) and Butterfly Dream (midtone violet with blue pearl).

This collection also has several nail polishes including Midsummer's Dream (pale pink lilac) and Play Day (pale milky coral).

Ah Ha! Did you notice the color trend MAC is rocking with this new collection? It is all about the vibrant colors! Need an example? Butterfly Party, Designer Purple and Butterfly Dream are all similar purples. So if you are feeling a total purple makeup style, you have all you need in one collection to rock out purple eyes and lips! There are several combos like this within the Vera Collection. Definitely some makeup tutorials to come!

Of course, I love bright, vibrant colors. But if my eyes are rocking purple, my lips will be nude. Or vice versa. This collection also covers girls who think like me! Have you got any of the Vera products yet? What are your favorites?

Spring Nail Polishes 2012

I am an avid nail polish collector and own somewhere around 250 different shades at last count. Spring is my favorite season...flip flops and sandals are back in business and with that comes painted toes! Here are my favorite nail polishes for Spring 2012.

Glitter Lips Tutorial

Hi guys! Glitter is the new lip craze & there are several ways to create this look. They are super sexy & go really well with any makeup look, all though I think they compliment a neutral look much better because they are sort of dramatic.

Many women are using the lip tattoos, which I don't like at all. One, they are really dry and even topping them with lip balm or gloss still leaves my lips feeling like sandpaper. Two, they flaked in small pieces without knowing it so I walked around with holes in my glitter lips. LOL
Another method I've tried is to pat craft or makeup glitter directly atop my lip gloss but this never lasted long. So I got the idea to try it another way.

Many different makeup brands have lipstick lines that are continue wear, meaning the lipstick won't fade or wear off anytime during the day. I used Covergirl Smoothwear All Day Lip Color in Soft Pink Satin. But whatever all-day lip product you have will work. Here's how to create a long lasting glitter lip!

1- Line and fill in your lips with a lip liner in a similar color to your lipstick. This will help adhere the color and make it last longer. I used Cleo lip liner in Rosey Dew.

2- On a mixing palette or clean CD, use a small lip brush to add a dime sized amount of long lasting lipstick. The glitter will absorb some of the product and make it thicker so you need a little more than you normally use. Work quickly when completing the rest of these steps because the lip product will dry quickly.

3- Add your chosen color of glitter, in the same dime sized amount. Because my lip color was a baby pink shade, I chose a white glitter.

4- Use the lipstick brush to mix the two together. If it isn't glittery enough for you, continue to add glitter but work as quickly as possible.

5- Apply the glitter long wear lipstick to your lips and allow to dry before adding any balm or gloss.

There you go! A beautiful, colored glitter lip that will last all day. The first time I tried this method, the glitter lips stayed in place for about 8 hours before it started to wear off and the color fade. Even when eating and drinking, my glitter lips still looked amazing!

Today, I did a nude lip liner and long lasting lipstick shade by Cleo with gold glitter! Fabulous!

Rocking a sexy gold glitter lip until next time... <3 Missie <3

New Years Eve Makeup Tutorial: Urban Decay Naked Palette 2

Hiya guys! Happy New Years Eve! For me, New Years Eve is my birthday so I have two reasons to celebrate.

This New Years Eve I chose a Victoria Secrets striped, wide neck black and gray striped sweater dress with gray tights and my Ugg Classic Tall black boots. Because my outfit was what I consider casual cute, I went with dramatic eyes and dark glossy lips. Here's my makeup tutorial for 2011 New Years Eve/my birthday.

All of my eyeshadow shades come from the Urban Decay Naked Palette 2 (valued at $50 on the UD website) that I received as Christmas present from my hubby. As always, I list the products I used but also give descriptions of each product so you can find the same colors and products in different brands so you can create this makeup look with whatever makeup you have. Remember, these makeup tutorials are just guidelines for creating specific makeup looks so anyone can recreate the look using similar colors. Use what you have!

Eyes Products

• Urban Decay Naked Palette 2 (Foxy, Half Baked and Verve): I used this palette for every eyeshadow shade I used. If you aren't using this palette, you will need a basic beige highlight shade, a glittery gold and a shimmer, pale taupe eyeshadow. 
• MAC Eye Kohl in Smolder: Again, any black eyeliner pencil will work. But because we are using this as our base today, a pencil works best. 
• Loreal Carbon Black Liner Intense: My absolute favorite liquid liner (for more of my favorite beauty products click here)! But any eyeliner will work so use your favorite basic black eyeliner!
• e.l.f. False Eyelash Adhesive: Any eyelash adhesive will do!
• Gold Glitter: I used just a cheap, very small grained craft glitter. Another alternative is to use a gold eyeshadow pigment Both work great! Some stores sell glitter specifically for the eyes but craft glitter works perfect, too.
• Maybelline Falsies in Very Black

Lip Products

• MAC Pro Long-wear Lip Pencil in Kiss Me: This is a deep red shade so any red lip liner is perfect for this makeup tutorial. I used this MAC Lip Pencil because I love how long this product lasts. It really stays true to its shade and doesn't wear off easily or quickly.
• Covergirl Wetslicks Amazemint Lip Gloss in Red Riot: Any red, shimmer lip gloss will work. 

First, apply your normal foundation, concealer and powder. I used the Maybelline Dream Liquid Foundation in Nude Beige,  Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Erase Dark Circles and e.l.f. Translucent Powder. I also used Sleek Face Contour Kit to contour my face and add a hint of color to my cheeks. I used an e.l.f. light brown eye shadow to fill in my brows and added a little eyebrow gel to hold them in place. Now, let's jump into these sexy, dramatic eyes and lips to rock in 2012.

Eyes

1.  Use an eye primer, like Urban Decay Primer Potion, or a thick concealer or cream eyeshadow to prime your eyelids.
2. With the black eyeliner pencil, fill in your eye from the inner corner to the outer corner, up to the crease. Make sure you follow the natural shape of your eyelid. 
3. Use a small, clean eyeshadow blending brush to slightly blend out the harshness of the black eyeliner base. Be very careful in the crease area because you do not need the color to rise above the crease line.
4. With a flat eyeshadow brush, apply the pale taupe (Urban Decay's Verve) all over the lid, from inner to outer corner. The black base will really make the shimmer stand out while holding true to the deep, dramatic base. The eye will really be sexy and dramatic by remaining true to the natural shape of the eyelid. It will compliment your eyes while making the shimmer, gold and glitter pop!
5. With another blending brush, apply the gold sparkle shade (Urban Decay's Half Baked) to the outer 1/3 of your eyelid and blend the color gently across the crease.
6. With a flat eyeshadow brush, sweep on the highlight shade (Urban Decay Foxy) from the crease to the brow bone.
7. Line your top last line with a very thin line of liquid eyeliner and wing it out about a fourth of an inch upwards toward the brow. Use the eye pencil to line the lower water line.
8. Now for the fun part. With a small angled eyeliner brush, dip it into the eyelash adhesive and sweep it across the upper eyeliner line, including the winged end. Dip the same brush in the gold glitter and pat it onto the adhesive line. You may need to redip the brush in the gold glitter several times to get the bold, disco ball glitter effect which is what we are going for. Let the adhesive dry for several minutes before moving on to the rest of the tutorial so the glitter will stay in place.
9. Dip the brush in the eyelash adhesive again and create a line underneath your lower lash line. Never apply glitter to your water line as this might damage your eye. Repeat step 8, continuing until the same bold glitter line is in place. Make sure you connect this line to the upper line at the winged corner.
10. Curl your upper and lower lashes with an eyelash curler. Add several layers of a black mascara. The Falsies mascara I used is terrific! It gives volume and length, resembling mild fake lashes.

Lips

1. Use a lip conditioner or chapstick to avoid a caked on or dry lip color.
3. After the liner is dry, apply a coat of a shiny, glittery red lip gloss. I did have to reapply the Covergirl Wetslicks lip gloss several times throughout the night to keep the color in check.

Now, you are all done! I loved this look. The black base really gave my almond shaped eyes definition while increasing the shimmer and glitter of the eyeshadow color. I got tons of comments on my eyes, especially on using the glitter as a winged eyeliner. 

Here are my thoughts on the Urban Decay Naked Palette 2. I love this palette much more than the original, The second Naked palette contains all new shades, with the exception of Half Baked which is in both palettes. You can see below how much more vibrant and noticeable the Half Baked shade is in Naked 2, compared the the same color in Naked 1. The eyeshadow shades in the Naked Palette 2 are all much more vibrant and pigmented than the first palette. The shimmer is more apparent, the deep colors are more dramatic. Here is a quick run down of the shades in the Urban Decay Naked Palettes and a quick comparison of both.

Urban Decay Naked Palette 2 (top)                                    Urban Decay Naked Palette 1 (bottom)

Color List (left to right)                                                           Color List (left to right)

• Foxy                                                                            * Virgin
• Half Baked                                                                   * Sin
• Bootycall                                                                      * Naked
• Chopper                                                                       * Sidecar
• Tease                                                                            * Buck
• Snakebite                                                                      * Half Baked
• Suspect                                                                         * Smog
• Pistol                                                                             * Dark Horse
• Verve                                                                             * Toasted
• YDK                                                                             * Hustle
• Busted                                                                           * Creep
• Blackout                                                                        * Gun Metal

I provided the link above a few times in case any of you want to purchase it. However, it is currently listed as out of stock on the Urban Decay website. I hope you enjoyed this New Years Eve makeup tutorial and mini review on the new Naked Palette.

With fond memories of New Years Eve 2011 and my birthday til next time.... <3 Missie <3

The Color Workshop Makeup Kits

Hi guys! I wanted to give you a quick review of the makeup line The Color Workshop by Markins. This makeup line is more prominent during the Christmas season, found in stores like Wal-Mart. These kits come in a large variety from $3 to $30 and include, depending upon which kit you purchase, eyeshadow, bronzing & contouring kits, lipstick & gloss, face powders, makeup brushes, lip liners, mascaras, eye liners, blushes, etc.

In my opinion, the best deal for 2011 includes a full train case kits full of a huge variety of eyeshadows, blushes, lipsticks, lip glosses, mascaras, eyeliners, lip liners, a pro makeup brush set, bronzing/contouring powders, face powders and more for about $30.

They also have a variety of nail kits too. These kits, ranging between $5-$30, contain nail polishes, stencils, nail dryers, manicure kits, etc, depending on which kit you choose.

The Color Workshop kits are worth every single penny. I get a lot of these kits each year because my family is well aware of my makeup obsession. I would recommend these kits to anyone who is on a tighter makeup budget because you get so many colors and products that it is easy to recreate any makeup look. These colors are heavily pigmented and work great. Here are a few swatches of this years $15 kit below. 

I will say the face powders are probably the worst part of the kit because the large train case kit contains only 2 shades, which will not match skin tones as well. But the rest of the products are great for the price. 

The next 7 days I will be posting one makeup tutorial each day using only The Color Workshop makeup kit products, with the exception of foundation, concealer and setting powder. Make sure you come back and check them out; I will include everything from the traditional black smoky eye to a bright colorful look. This next week will focus on how these inexpensive products really are worth every cent. 

Run out to your local Wal-Mart or visit the Markwins website and pick up a set! Or better yet, add your favorite kit to your Christmas wishlist. These products don't have the power of MAC but this deal can't be beat when you are receiving a nice silver makeup train case full of at least 100 different makeup products for $30! 

Makeup doesn't have to break the bank; use what you have & buy what you can afford. Makeup looks, styles and tutorial can be recreated using any makeup product or brand, as long as the colors are similar. Stay true to YOU!

Til next time....<3 Missie <3

Foundation Routine: Winter

Hi guys! I was doing my makeup this morning and realized I had not shared my day to day winter foundation routine. I decided to write this tutorial and share it with you guys, listing every stop & every product I used for my face routine now that my summer tan is fading.

Products

• NYX Concealer in a Jar: Yellow &  Beige, mixed together on the back of my hand
• Maybelline Instant Age Rewind foundation in classic ivory
• e.l.f. Translucent Loose Powder
•  NYX Phi Phi Blush & Bronzer combo, I use the Blush side
• Tools: flat powder/face brush, large powder brush, angled blush/bronzing brush & my fingers (clean, of course)

Here is my winter foundation routine. It takes about 10 minutes at most, excluding moisturizing. Have fun!

1. Moisturize! This is most important. I have been using a very, very, very small amount of vitamin E oil and massage it into my entire face and neck. I let it set for just a few minutes to give my skin a chance to absorb some of it. Besides being an awesome natural replacement for the skin's natural oil -sebum-, I love how smoothly it helps my foundation blend in. Plus, it is said to improve the skin's elasticity to prevent the signs of aging & reduce the appearance of acne scarring and large pores.
2. I add my foundation to the back of my hand so I can measure how much I wish to use and it makes it easier to add to the brush evenly. First, I use the flat powder brush to stipple the foundation all over my face. Then, using the same brush, I work the foundation in making small circles around my face and working the foundation down into my neck so I have one color tone.
3. I blend the two concealers to the back of my hand. Using my finger, I pat the concealer into my under eye area and over any imperfections.
4. With the large powder brush, I lightly dust the translucent powder onto my face & neck, starting at my T-Zone and working out toward the hair line.
5. With the angled brush, I work the blush into my cheekbones & the apples of my cheeks. 

This is my every day foundation routine. If I have extra time, I use a small, round face brush to contour my cheeks and use my fingers to add highlight to the tops of my cheekbones, down the bridge of my nose and right above the indention in my top lip.


It's pretty quick & simple. For a more complete coverage foundation, I switch it up and use the Revlon Photo Ready Foundation. It's pretty heavy but gives even, flawless coverage.

Til next time.... <3 Missie <3

Jennifer Lopez Makeup Tutorial: Sexy Silver

Hi guys! Today, I decided to go for a seriously dramatic eye but steering clear of traditional blacks and browns. I stumbled across this photo of the beautiful Jennifer Lopez a few months back and tucked it away for a future tutorial. JLo's eyes are rocking top to bottom silver, with just a hint of bluish purple, bronzed skin, a nude/slightly pink lip and barely there mascara. Because her eyes are so bold, no lashes were used and just a layer or two of black mascara is used instead. Jennifer Lopez's look is incredibly beautiful!

For you blue eyed girls out there, this silver and blue eye makeup will make your eyes pop and increase the blueness. Remember, as long as you are using similar colors, brand & cost doesn't matter. Use what you have! Finding similar colors will create the same look. Let's get started!

Beauty Supplies

• Foundation and concealer: whatever you normally use, applied in your normal fashion. For complete coverage, some foundations require two coats.
• Bronzer: Any bronzer will work; however, Jennifer used a more honey bronze color.
• Eye primer: If you don't have a eyelid primer on hand, cream eyeshadows work great to really enhance the eyeshadow's vibrancy and give longer lasting wear time without creasing. Of course, you can use a concealer as a substitute as well.
• Deep blue/purple eyeshadow: For an example of this color, click here to see MAC's Contrast, which is what I used for this tutorial. Of course, any similar color with work, so don't think you must purchase this exact eyeshadow. It is just an example of what the color should resemble.
• Matte medium silver or gray eyeshadow: this color is going to be used vary sparingly to add a little depth to the eye. Click here to see the color I used called MAC's Silver Ring. Again, I cannot stress enough that you can use any brand as long as the color is similar.
• Shimmer silver eyeshadow: This is the main color for the eyes. Any shimmery silver will work. 
• Black eyeliner
• Black mascara
• Nude lip liner
• Baby/pale pink matte lip gloss
• Eyeshadow blending brush, flat eyeshadow brush, pencil eyeshadow brush, small blush brush and large powder brush

Let's become JLo fab!

1. Apply your foundation and concealer normally. Because Jennifer's skin is smooth and flawless, I used Revlon PhotoReady Natural Beige-005 and applied it with a flat powder brush. Then, I patted on a little NYX Concealer in a Jar under my eyes and on any other perfect imperfections (like this giant zit  on my chin!) I mix Yellow (CJ10) and Beige (CJ04) together on the back of my hand because I have a slight yellow undertone.
2. Time to capture Jennifer's bronzy glow! I used the small rounded blush brush to apply Solar Riche Bronzing Powder by MAC to my cheekbones and temples. Then, I used the large powder brush to blend the bronzer out, so that you have that nice JLo glow but without packing on too much bronzing shimmer or letting it darken your face too much.
3. Now, time for the eyes! The eyes are my favorite part of any makeup tutorial because the eyes can be completed with so many different colors, techniques and styles that it changes up any look. With your finger, apply your eyelid primer of choice to your eye. To really maximize the silvers for this look, I used Cleo Silver Desire cream eyeshadow (no link available) & applied it from lash line to eyebrow. 
4. With a flat eyeshadow brush, pat on the silver shimmer eyeshadow from lash line to eyebrow. I used NYX Silver Pearl. If your eyeshadow is prone to loose fallout, you may want to skip your concealer in the beginning and add it after you complete the eye portion.
5. With a very light amount of the darker gray/silver eyeshadow and the blending brush, work this color into your crease and 1/3 of the outer corner of your eyelid gently. You are not aiming for a deep tint of color but to simply add depth to the shimmer silver shade. Continue blending in small circles until the colors are well blended. 
6. Use the pencil eyeshadow brush to add the blue/purple shade to your crease. This color should go from the outer corner across the crease, about 2/3 of the way across. Blend the color back and forth until their is a hint of color here, without overpowering the silver base shade.
7. Use what color is left on the pencil brush to line your lower lashes, from corner to corner.
8. Line your water line with black eyeliner. Add a thin line of black eyeliner across the top lash line. Any eyeliner will work; I used e.l.f.'s Cream Eyeliner in black with an angled eyeliner brush.
9. Add a little more of the blue/purple shade to the pencil brush and work it across the black line you previously created across the top lash line.
10. Put on a coat of black mascara to your top and bottom lashes.
11. Fill in your lips entirely with the nude lip liner. Cover it with a pale pink matte lip gloss.

Now, you are rocking one of my favorite Jennifer Lopez looks. It looks like a lot of work but actually it's pretty simple, once you get started. Remember, use what you have and rock a beautiful YOU!

Singing Jenny From the Block til next time..... <3 Missie <3