FOTD Senior Portraits

 

Only one year left! At my school, seniors get a special picture day rather than in the gym at orientation. All the girls wear a black velvet drape, and the guys wear a tux. It's one of those traditions that have been around for decades and fun seeing pictures of people my age wearing the exact same thing way back in the 50's. Also, none of the other classes get to do it. So for seniors, it's sort of like..

For makeup I stayed away from eyeshadow because that's not something that I wear during the school year and didn't want to look unrecognizable. BUT I couldn't resist a pair of false eyelashes to give my eyes a little boost.  I also added diamond studs-- but those didn't really turn up in the picture. :(

Products: 

Maybelline Fit Me Concealer 25 Medium 

Rimmel London Professional Eyebrow Pencil 

Scandal Eyes Waterproof Kohl Eyeliner 

Dolly Wink Black liquid Eyeliner 

True Match Super Blendable Blush Apricot Kiss  

Chanti Eyelash 712

Revlon Just Kissable Balm Stain Honey 

Layering Orange Blush

left - Nyx Blush Cinnamon 

middle - Canmake Cheek & Cheek 08

right - both blushes layered

A few days ago my beautiful friend Rona was telling me that she had a few products that she didn't use as often as she liked and wanted to pass on. Of course this was my reaction..

She ended up giving me a vibrant orange Nyx blush that I'm not going to lie, looked a little bit intimidating. I think this blush is from the tangerine/orange phase that the beauty world went through a little while back and I was immediately excited to see if I could work with this  CRAZY popular trend.

The best description that I have for the affect of this blush is the bright orange smear on your napkin from when you eat spaghetti and wipe the corners of your mouth. It was Not a very wearable color on my skin so I decided to layer it with a equally vibrant hot pink blush. The result was a really fun and wearable coral! I probably should've seen it coming-- pink + orange = coral but WHATEVER. I'm really happy with the result and I'm glad I found a fun way to wear this blush.

Giorgio Armani Eyes to Kill Mascara

 Giorgio Armani Eyes to Kill Mascara $32

When it comes to mascara, I have two main requirements: it has to be lengthening and it has to hold a curl. Not too tall of an order, right? But for the sake of a thorough review, let's go through the usual mascara checklist.

Application
One of the first things I noticed when applying this mascara is how creamy and smooth the formula is. Because it isn't watery like some other mascaras Ive encountered in the past, I have more time to go back in with the brush and fix any lashes that have gone astray before the formula sets. The wand, which is made of natural bristles is really easy to work with and really gets into the outer corners of my eyes, which I love to accentuate.

Volume
This mascara definitely doesn't fail you in this department. It really makes each lash look two times thicker.

Lengthening / Holding a Curl
This mascara did a decent job in this department-- nothing spidery, but a very wearable, natural length which I really liked. Unfortunately, because each lash was getting completely coated, it really caused my lashes to droop and lose their curl.

Throughout the day
I've yet to have any problem with smudging! It should be noted however, that I don't usually have a problem with panda eyes when it comes to mascara.


I definitely understand the hype surrounding this product because it really is a great formula + brush combination that's easy to work with. That being said, I didn't find it holding a curl as well as I would have liked and so the search continues!

Nars Lipstick Shrinagar

 Nars Lipstick Shrinagar $26

Shrinigar is a sheer sophisticated berry tone that gives you that edgy feel but in a still classic way. The best way to describe what I mean is when you see someone wearing dark lipstick and you think, "Oh yeah I see where you're going with that and it looks good! But I don't think I'm quite there yet." This lipstick pokes at that vampy edge without completely devoting to it. The staying power for me is about 4 four hours which is quite impressive as I don't usually build up with this lipstick because I prefer it to be quite subtle.

Dior Rosy Tan (754) Eyeshadow Palette

Dior Rosy Tan (754) Eyeshadow Palette $60

The first thing that I noticed about the DIOR 5-Color Rosy Tan palette is that all of the shades in this palette are incredibly silky and easy to blend. If you're going for a smooth smokey eye, this is your one stop shop. I especially love the upper right hand shade which is a rich burgundy with gold shimmer as it easily intensifies any eye look and gives a really luxurious shimmer. And because the colors are all neutral, the look created with these shadows won't compete with whatever cheek/lip duo you plan on sporting.

Of course, spending $60 on a palette creates some pretty high expectations so before you think that this palette is or is not for you, I'd like to mention two things that I'm not too impressed with. First of all, I have absolutely no use for the pink shade. Sure, its very pretty and looks like it fits well with the overall color scheme, but Im really not a pink eyeshadow kind of girl and I haven't touched it except to swatch. Second, the bottom right shadow is relatively cool toned. If you have a tan or are on the darker/warmer side of the spectrum, you may have some trouble working with this cool, taupe. For that reason, I love blending a little bit of Naked 1's Buck around the edges of wherever I place this shadow to avoid a gray cast. Lastly, the consistency of these shadows isn't super pigmented, which makes it easier to do a even sweep across the lid but harder to shape or sculpt. An example of this would be using the darkest shadow as an eyeliner; the shade just isn't pigmented enough for you to draw a wing.

Dior Rosy Tan (754) Eyeshadow Palette

FOTD: Asia Beauty Products

Hello hello! It's about time for a FOTD featuring a handful of summer appropriate asian beauty products. Lets get into it. Hi Rona if you're seeing this <3


Canmake Eyebrow Liquid 
I'd never used a liquid brow product before but decided to branch out with an eyebrow marker. It's a felt tip so that you can draw in specific hairs here and there. Caution: you need a pretty light hand to apply this product because its pretty pigmented and difficult to blend once its had a few seconds to try.

Baby Lips Color Poppy Red
Unfortunately this product is only available in Asia and I couldn't find it online in the US. It's a pretty red tinted lip balm with a peppermint tingle which I LOVE :) This is super easy for to apply and very summer appropriate.

Lovedrops Impact Eyeliner - Black
I was probably the most surprised by this product because it doesn't look like much from the packaging, but this eyeliner has got have the darkest blackest formula I have ever tried! It doesn't have as much precision as the dolly wink eyeliner, but is definitely more opaque.

Sweets Sweets Velvet Souffle Cheeks 03
This is a super fun cream cheek stain that looks really nice on all skin tones. In the pot it's quite a dark berry shade but on the skin it just barely comes across as a subtle flush which is so perfect for summer.

Hyper Curl Volum' Express Spiky Comb Waterproof Mascara (FULL REVIEW)
Can't forget about mascara! You can click the link to read my full review :)

Mac Prolongwear Concealer
This seriously covers up EVERYTHING. It worked out because I needed to get rid of a few spots around my nose and this concealer did the job quite beautifully.

brighten up, buttercup!

Summer. Shimmer. Summer. Shimmer....... Shimmersummer. Same thing right? I always find myself using summer as an excuse for a little extra sparkle so without further to do, heres a handful of my favorite eye-catching products!

Benefit Wat's Up
This is a super easy to blend, champagne cream highlighter. I love using this on my cheekbones, down my nose, on my brow bone, and on the inner corner of my eyes alongside a natural fresh face.

VS Pro Light FX Eye Brightener
I love dabbing this product on the high points of my cheeks and then blending into my blush with my real techniques stippling brush. Its a shear shimmer that works especially well with matte and subtle blushers.

3-in-1 Concealer for Eyes
Though its made for covering up dark circles, I've found that this concealer just isn't opaque enough for my eyes so I've started using it as a contouring highlighter. This is good for a dramatic eye look or already shimmery blush when you don't want to overwhelm your face. If you hate scented products I would NOT recommend this product as it has a pretty strong perfume scent.

Stila Eye Shimmer Pen
This is the product I go for when I want to pack a punch. Its not shimmer, its not subtle, its liquid, gritty, GLITTER. I love using this as a glitter base as its a little bit tacky on the lids and gives a really glamorous, disco ball-esque copper base.