Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Just Your Average Daily Routine


 Hello, my name is Erin and I have a makeup problem.  Hey, at least it's not coke.  I'd like to introduce you to my "everyday" makeup kit.  This doesn't include my back stock...Junkie/Hoarder/Lover of Makeup...call it what you will (just please don't call that hoarders show, that would be embarrassing).  I anticipate another post on that later.  I know you will be waiting for that one with bated breath...get excited.  My go-to's live in the giant train case and I have a side bag of Bare Minerals, I only use this to put over light foundations to achieve greater coverage or when I'm going to the Dr. with snot running down my face...pretty much my Bare usage.

I'll deconstruct the train case of makeup madness as we merrily roll along but I'll be hitting my faves and most-used loves RIGHT NOW!
  • Primer: Too Faced Primed and Poreless Pure - this one really does what primers are supposed to do: even out skin tone, give a smooth surface to work on, help makeup last longer, mattify, reduce the look of fine lines and pores...all without making my skin look greasy (I'm looking at YOU POREfessional!)
  • Foundation:  Good grief, this is embarassing.  The ones that are in my case at the moment are: Urban Decay Naked Skin, Smashbox BB Cream, Benefit Some-Kind-A-Gorgeous, Palladio Wet/Dry Foundation, Palladio Herbal Foundation (um, haven't taken this out of the package yet) and Bare Minerals Original.  Also Clinique translucent setting powder and about three different Bare Mineral Veils.  Honestly, apart from the Palladio, none of these give me the coverage I want so I always wear two because that makes sense.  I will probably go for Smashbox Studio Skin and Halo Powder when I run out of these and go through the back stock, which will be in ten years.  Because I clearly wait until I need something to buy more.  I should work on that.
  • I LOVE eye makeup!!!  I always start with Urban Decay Primer.  I have the Original in my case now but I prefer Sin...guess where that is, yep, in the back stock.  I use Urban and Smashbox sticks A LOT and my Naked II Palette the most, but occasionally I make myself use my Stila Palette.  Honestly, I'm generally to lazy to work with my UD Black Palette but when I'm not being a bum I'll bust out with my more fun colors.  
  • Cheeks - I have been totally obsessed with TARTE Gel Blushes for years.  They are the best and rock my world.  You should love them too.  I wear them under every powder blush, every day.  Word of warning: despite appearances, they WILL flush down the toilet and you will have to pay a plumber $250 to get your $30 gel blush out of the toilet.  Just keep an eye on that.  I am also obsessed with the Benefit Box O' Powders.  Bella Bomba and Sugar Bomb are my faves.  Devastated when they discontinued It's A 10.  How could you Benefit, how could you?  I also love to use Smashbox Softlights for highlight and definition.  Cheeks are so yummy to me.  
  • If I'm not feeling lips I'll use my Korres Lip Butters.  They are the only tinted balms I have found that make my lips happy AND give me color.
My real lips, liners, brows, and mascaras live on my magnetic (with other cheeks and eyes) board so that's why they aren't in the case, I know you were wondering.  Yes, I know I'm ridiculous and, yes, I love it.   

Monday, November 19, 2012

Falalala la la la Retraction

The enthusiasm from my last post has waned, majorly.  I feel like I have let my readers down and must now issue a retraction, I apologize.
Boo on The POREfessional.  I applied it as I would any primer, small pea-sized amount all over my face prior to my foundation...big mistake on several fronts.  Initially it felt very similar to my other go-to primers and was consistent with my use  of it on clients so I didn't think twice.  Problem number one, within the hour I was literally wiping grease off my face.  This was not just oil, I could have fried a Twinkie with this stuff, very disgusting.  I will try this again, using maybe a half-pea size and see the results but I'm not optimistic...we'll see.  Problem number two, my pores are not noticeably large so the alternate use of this (only applying it to problem areas) really doesn't apply and/or help me much.  I wanted this to be a great mattifying primer, and it still might be, in tiny doses, like doses for babies, but should not be used as you would most other primers.

I can not for the life of me remember why I thought this was my second favorite foundation.  Maybe it's been reformulated since I last used it?  Perhaps it went all over the place because of the load of POREfessional underneath?  Whatever the reason, I just had to quit my face today and cover that hot mess up with LORAC Porefection powder foundation.  I like at least a medium coverage and this was less than light coverage.  I remember this having a gorgeous buildable powder finish, um, no.  Not buildable, not powder.  After I had this on over the POREfessional, my skin tone still looked uneven and my skin looked almost wet...not luminescent or illuminated from within...just greasy.  I'm incredibly sad, my heart hurts.  I am going to keep playing with this, I am determined to make it work.  On a side note, the sponge applicator that comes with this is pretty much equivalent to a wadded up tissue...oh, the sad.

Eeeehhh on the BAD Gal Waterproof.  I won't judge the non-waterproof off of this but, just, ehhh.  This mascara didn't give me 1950's starlet lashes like I was hoping for, it didn't even give me lashes comparable at all to They're Real or Voluminous Lashes.  My lashes were a little darker, maybe a little longer but that's about it.  I'll use this because I have it now but definitely won't buy it again.  I generally don't choose waterproof mascara anyway, but if I need it for outside work when it's boiling outside I'll stick with my Voluminous Lashes Million Lashes Waterproof.  Yes it flakes, but at least my lashes look fab while I'm sweating like a pig (it's HOT in Alabama!).

In other news, I'm growing out my bangs!!!!!



Sunday, November 18, 2012

Falalala Flawless!

So, this amazing gem came home with me today.  Merry early Christmas to me!  Benefit's falalala Flawless kit!  Check it: Some-Kind-A-Gorgeous Foundation in LIGHT (that's capitalized for a reason I'll get to in a minute) $30, Bad Gal Lash Waterproof $19, POREfessional Primer $30.  You might be saying to yourself, "Erin, that's $79 you spent on makeup."  WELL, being that this is a holiday kit and is the best value EVER, I did get $79 worth of makeup for, get ready for it, $25.  Yes, twenty-five dollars, $25, twenty and five buckaroos.  There might be a few more of these for stockpiling/hoarding purposes in my future.

You might also be asking yourself why I felt it necessary to capitalize the word LIGHT in the description of this super amazing incredible kit.  Well, here's why.  I love, love, love Benefit but they apparently think everyone, and I do mean everyone, wears the foundation color MEDIUM.  Every kit they come out with is medium this and medium that.  Medium, medium, medium!  This is the first kit I can remember in months and months that actually has a color in it that won't make my white as paper skin look like I have a serious illness.  Plus, this is my second favorite foundation in the world (behind MAC Studio Skin compact, N5 BTW) so my overwhelming joy of finding this one foundation that is not usually available in my immediate area cannot be contained!

My cache of primers is insanely large but I just couldn't not buy this.  That just wouldn't make sense.  The POREfessional is already on my list of favorite primers so I'll throw this in the bag with my extra Urban Decay Pore Tightening, Smashbox, and Too Faced Primed and Poreless Pure.  One benefit (haha, see what I did there?) of the POREfessional is that it can be used throughout the day to mattify (suck up the oil) without messing up your makeup too terribly.  But personally I would rather touch up with powder...something about tapping primer on my face to absorb oil just grosses me out.  No, there is absolutely no rational reason for this and it's fantastic for some people, just not for this chick.

I have been so completely obsessed with They're Real Mascara since it came out that I honestly haven't given Bad Gal a chance, so I'm excited to try it.  Bummed that it's waterproof, but I'll live.  I'll have to update later after I've given it a test wear.  I am VERY partial to short plastic bristles on my wands like those in They're Real (also in L'oreal Voluminous Lashes Million Lashes) but I know that, in theory, big fluffy brushes give big fluffy lashes so, we'll see.  Update to follow...I know you're waiting with bated breath. 

Saturday, November 17, 2012

Ab Fab in AL Strikes Again!

Hi friends!  I just have TOO much to say to not keep my beauty/lifestyle blog afloat.  Of course, we will discuss mucho amounts of skincare and beauty fun but there might be an occasional craft or, gasp, recipe.  I'm far from a chef, or a cook, or even too skilled with the microwave, but occasionally I whip up something edible and I get REALLY excited when that happens.  It's also funny when I burn things and have to feed it to the dogs so we'll have fun with that, too.  I am a makeup artist, a wife, a Christian, a Democrat, a loud-mouth, a singer, a reader.  I obsess over pop culture, movies, comedy, and Broadway.