Apologies!

Well, a series of unfortunate circumstances, let's call them school and the loss of my camera charger, have made me unable to attend to this blog. But that is all about to change! I got out of school! I can now borrow a camera charger!

Expect postings coming soon.

Experiments with Red and Purple

So, you know those free lipsticks you get with purchase sometimes? The color is never right. It's always an awkward brown-ish beige or a weird purple. Well, that's what happens to me all the time, but I rarely have the heart to throw away the lipstick. So, I get saddled with weird, unwearable colors.

Because of my ban on eye makeup due to my eye abrasion though, I decided to try out some new things with lipstick, especially the darker colors I had. I had a weird mauve-purple color from Lancome, but it was too purple to wear alone, so I got the idea to pair it with another unwearable color - a cheap Wet 'n Wild red.

I actually think it turned out rather well and was sort of fun!



The lipsticks.



The Lancome color, Mauvette in Rogue Absolut.

The Wet n' Wild Color in 526B.


The colors swatched - the mixed color, the Wet n' Wild, and the Lancome color.

The result with flash! First I applied the Lancome as a base, blotted, applied the red, and then reapplied the Lancome. I went around the lips with concealer to do a bit of cleanup work after. I don't like lip liners.

And the result without flash, though I don't think this accurately represents the saturation.

Chanel Levres Scintillantes Glossimer in 142

I woke up today to a sharp pain in my eye that would not go away. I knew something was wrong, but it was not until a visit to the eye doctor later that I found out I had an eye abrasion. Essentially, that is a tear to the eye, but, why I sharing that with you is because it means I cannot wear any eye makeup for about a week.

Now, I am definitely an eyes girl. Even on my laziest sweatpants days, I always make sure my eyes are lined and mascaraed with at least some concealer below to disguise the dark circles I am genetically prone to. Now, that is no more. After a brief existential crisis, I knew what I had to do this week - lips.

Today, I tried out Chanel's Levres Scintillantes Glossimer in 142 (Pink Teaser). It's a bright pink gloss and not something I'd usually wear. I much prefer matte lip colors, but I still enjoyed this.



The gloss looks very pretty in the tube - I really do like the packaging. Pretty standard tip applicator though, which I personally am not a fan of.



The gloss is especially shinny in the tube and you can see the sparkles very plainly.




This swatch was with only one coat! It is very thick and very highly pigmented. I love the pigmentation, but the thickness is a little bit too much for me.



Lips without flash.



And with flash. (I think this picture more accurately depicts the color).


Though I am definitely not a lip gloss person, for those who like a thicker, highly pigmented gloss, this does a good job. At $28.50 though, it is a little bit expensive.

Coconut Oil

Alright, so I was taking a bath the other day when I noticed a tub of coconut oil placed near the bath. Curious, as always, and slightly bored with my choice of bath reading (Pride and Prejudice, for my coursework next term), I decided to investigate. The label told me that coconut oil is a wonderful product for your skin and your hair. So, like any good investigator, I slathered it all over my hair and general self.

I was a doubter, but my hair, which had a severe cause of the split ends before my haircut yesterday, actually felt relatively normal, and my skin was as soft as a baby's. Guys, this stuff is wonderful and I encourage you to try it out! It's actually encouraged me to look into some more natural treatments. The kind I used was from Whole Foods and is called Barlean's Organic Oils line. It's extra virgin and cold pressed, all of which my research told me was important to look for. Make sure the kind you use is organic! Don't want any toxins on the skin.

Revlon: Just Bitten in Passion

So, I bought this a few weeks ago and have been using it pretty devotedly ever since. I don't usually buy too many drug store products, but on my Target run to pick up the Sophia Kashuk brush, I thought it looked cute and besides, I do enjoy lipstains. The premise of the product essentially seems to be a lipstain that is applied much like a marker, on one side, and a lip balm on the other to fight the typical drying effects of a lipstain. (The balm is meant to be applied after the lipstain dries.) I picked this one because it had a bright pink color and I am very partial to bright pinks!

It gives my lips a nice, healthy stain for a few hours and is extremely easy to use. Unlike the other lipstain I have, which is a deep plum red Bobbi Brown, it is easily wearable and does not require a lip brush to apply.

However, there are a few downsides to the product. I've found it is drying and I do not really care for the balm that they have attacked - it is waxy and has a weird smell to it. Additionally, the balm is odd because it is simply a short, non-retractable stick. I really don't like that as I'm always afraid it'll break off mid-use! Also, after a few uses, the tip of the lip stain seems to have gotten a bit discolored. I'm not sure what's causing it or if it'll affect the product, but it still seems to be applying dutifully. I'll keep you posted. Overall, for the price, $8.99 at most drugstores, it was a pretty good product and fun!

The product in its resting state.

A swatch of the color.


The tip of the product. (See, it is a little oddly dark!)

Both ends of the product off - you can see that the balm protrudes quite a bit.

My lips with the stain on! Quite a nice color.


Let me know if you have any questions. Cheers!

Ill & Some Resolutions

Sorry for the lack of posts - I've been pretty sick and haven't been up to writing or photographing anything! I literally slept for 24 hours straight after New Years Eve. However, I am starting to feel a bit better now and even managed to venture out of the house for the first time. I looked ghastly, but my friends said I looked decent for a sick person. Little did they know that I had heaped large amount of concealer on myself (green concealer does wonders for a red nose) and bronzer to fake healthy.

But, I do have some beauty resolutions I want to share for the new year.

1. Take off my makeup, every night, no questions asked.
2. Wash my face every night and moisturize!
3. Find a better skin care routine that works for me - try out a lot of different products.
4. Try out new makeup looks and don't stick to the same thing.
5. Try new brands that I haven't heard about.

I'll keep you guys updated.

Cheers and a happy new year!

Morning Routine

So, I'll admit it. I am in a makeup rut, and not the good kind.

Typically, in the mornings, I am so tired after waking up that I put on the same few products halfheartedly and sometimes (gasp!) even over the last night's makeup. Embarrassing, really.

It goes like this: MUFE concealer, Ebony MAC pencil, sometimes mascara in the first tube I can get. Occasionally, I'll put on NARS Roman Holiday, but only occasionally. Now that vacation has begun and finals are done though, I am trying to break out of this as much as I can. I love putting on makeup and it's a shame I haven't been doing so.

So today I tried a few new things: NARS Étrusque shadow (a beautiful antique gold), Revlon Bitten lipstain, MAC Ebony, and the lovely Sonia Kashuk liquid blush. Very fun with a strong check! I would post a picture, but again, camera issues. I will return home tomorrow and I promise pictures then!

Cheers!

Makeup for Newbies

So, today, my sister and I were out with my grandparents and we stumbled upon this cute makeup boutique called bluemercury. We came back later and I was tasked with helping her find the perfect makeup for her. Now, she's 15, but she's not very into makeup and prefers to go much more "natural," but she wanted to branch out a bit. After much trying out then, we stumbled upon a Bobbi Brown Metallic Long-Wear Cream Shadow in Pink Oyster. Very cute on her! I will be adding photos here of it later this week when we return (I couldn't bear the horrid photo quality of my grandparent's camera)!

Overall though, the product wore well very and did last a very long time. Even with excessive rubbing, it barely budged. My one complaint (though my sister liked this) was that it was not highly pigmented and the color was not terribly buildable. I would recommend the line in general though - easy to apply and just right for beginners.

Cheers!

Target Haul!

So, I'm in vacation in Arizona now and there are targets galore here as opposed to the schlep I'd have to make from Morningside to get to one. I've been hearing great things about the Sonia Kashuk brushes, so I thought to finally pick some up and ending up getting a few other things too.

I haven't fully explored anything yet to give you a detailed review, but I will soon, so stay posted.


Pictured: Sonia Kashuk flat top multipurpose brush, smudge brush, bent eyeliner brush, and shaped blending brush, FIT me! foundation in 115 Ivory by Maybelline, Revlon Illuminance Creme Shadow in Black Magic, Revlon Just Bitten Lipstain + Balm in Passion, Sonia Kashuk super sheer liquid tint in Poppy, Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Pearl (631), and OPI nail lacquer in Coney Island Cotton Candy.

I just put on the OPI polish and it came out quite nicely! A lovely light pinkish beige.


Isn't it pretty?



Apologies for the horrible photo quality - I left my camera back at home and am working with another! I will be putting reviews up of the brushes/other products in the coming days! Happy holidays all.

Hello, hello!

I've wanted to start a blog for some time, but I just never really got around to it. Hopefully it won't take me too long to get my footing.

A bit about me:

I'm a student at Columbia University.

I love makeup and work for the student magazine, Hoot, as a makeup artist.

I want to have a career in publishing/journalism.

I work for the school paper/weekly magazine as an editor/writer. I also intern at Vanity Fair.