October Loves and Favorites

I cannot believe another month has gone by and it is already time for my monthly favorites!  I went apple picking, baked apple and pumpkin pies, apple crisp, and drank more Pumpkin Spice Lattes from Starbucks that I will admit to.

I discovered and loved each of these products during October.  I found myself seriously changing up my beauty routine and makeup products as the days cooled and my skin became dryer.  Fall and winter are also the months I usually get really into anti-aging/cellulite/wrinkle/everything creams in anticipation of looking fab for next year's warmer weather.

NYX HD Finishing Powder in Banana

I started using this as my every day highlighting powder when I started to hit pan on my Kat Von D highlighting shades.  The NYX powder isn't as creamy as the Kat Von D and is definitely more sheer, but it sets my concealer beautifully.  I apply this with a setting brush over every place I apply concealer, including under my eyes, my chin, and right above my brows.  I usually apply a little extra and let it sit on my skin while I finish contouring, and then brush off the excess with a fan brush.  The results of this powder are flawless and creaseless and expect your makeup to stay set all day.

NYX Angel Veil Primer

I had been considering purchasing this primer for months, and when I finally did I understood what all the hype is about.  This primer erases every pore on my face and creates a beautiful canvas on which to apply my makeup.  It comes out of the tube white but turns clear when you blend it into the skin.  It leaves a silky soft and smooth finish without leaving your skin and hands feeling oily and greasy. At half the price of my regular high-end primer with the same results, this one is most definitely going to remain a staple in my makeup routine.

Milani Cosmetics Brilliant Shine Lip Gloss

I stopped by the Milani Cosmetics section of my local Walgreens about a week ago and saw that is was stocked with lip glosses in the most beautiful of fall shades.  I only picked up three but I am definitely going back for more.  I grabbed Berry Tempting, a medium berry purple, Bare Secret, a soft tan nude, and Brownberry, a dark sparkling purple.  All three colors are sheer, long lasting, and look stunning on my lips.  They do well by themselves or paired over a lipstick for extra glossiness. 

Mario Badescu Facial Spray

After hearing Carli Bybel rave about this facial spray and keeping in on my Amazon beauty wish list for a couple months, I finally decided to purchase it.  Point blank: it's amazing.  It contains aloe, herbs and rosewater for setting makeup and hydrating your skin and hair.  I have not tried it out of my hair as of yet, but damn does it work great as a facial/makeup setting spray.  It sets my makeup as well as the other high end sprays.  It is light, refreshing, moisturizing, hydrating, and smells amazing.  The scent is fresh and girly, with a just a hint of powder and rose.  At half the price of my favorite Urban Decay All Nighter makeup setting spray, it is a steal.

Oz Naturals Super Youth Eye Gel*

Since my late teens I have been trying every eye gel and cream sold on the market to decrease the appearance of my under eye bags and circles.  Some things have worked, and some things have not; I basically consider myself a product expert when it comes to this area!  I have only been using this eye gel for a couple of weeks to combat the dark circles and puffiness beneath my eyes, and I have already started to see a significant difference.  I've seen a decrease in my dark circles and a significant decrease in puffiness.  

It applies smooth and non greasy and I have been applying this once in the morning and once at night.  Made with plant stem cells, this vegan formula can be used around the eyes, forehead and cheek area, or as an all over the face treatment.  I have not yet used it anywhere else but beneath my eyes, but I am most definitely going to start testing it's anti-aging effects on the center of my brow bone, where an adorable small wrinkle has recently decided to make its presence known.  Time has come to die, little wrinkle.

CSCS Advanced Slimming Cream*

I have had a life long struggle with some small cellulite on the back of my thighs.  When I was a teenager dedicated to ballet and the performing arts, taking eight two-hour classes a week of ballet, pointe, jazz, tap, pilates, and modern dance, I still had cellulite.  Even when I was in my early twenties, going to the gym almost daily, eating healthy, and in the best shape of my life, the cellulite still remained.

I was initially nervous to try this product when I received it and read on the back of the bottle that it may cause a 10-15 minute warming sensation.  I tested a small spot on my arm and didn't have any kind of reaction, so I continued and applied it to the back of my thighs.  The warming sensation lasted at least 20 minutes, but wasn't uncomfortable.  I understood what the warming sensation was doing: decreasing water retention and firming my skin.  I have been using this product for about a week and a half and have already noticed a difference.  My cellulite is much less noticeable, which I fully expect to become less and less as I continue to apply the product. Of course, like every cellulite cream I have ever used, after discontinuing you can fully expect those little dimples to become more noticeable.  However, at least for now with this cream, they are on hiatus.

The Time Garden*

 When one of my friends showed me her "adult" coloring book that she uses for de-stressing, meditation and creativity, I knew I had to get one for myself.

The Time Garden is a beautiful and fanciful coloring book befitting for many ages.  The intricate pen and ink drawings take you on a magical journey through a young girl's dream of detailed night skies, midsummer night trees, clock gears, chocolate factories, fairies and owls.  Each page is filled with fascinating detail and captivating design, able to be customized through each reader's imagination through their own vision of color.

Coloring books are no longer just for children.  More frequently adults have been picking up coloring books as a form of relaxation and meditation.  Gel pens and soft pencils can breathe color into this journey and stimulate creativity.  Each page reveals illustrations that allow for the expansion of the imagination into unique and magical worlds filled with decadent chocolate and fairy tale trees.

Read my full review here.

Let Me Know!

What were some of your most loved products from last month?

 

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Egyptian Goddess Glam Halloween Makeup Tutorial

This Egyptian Glam Halloween makeup tutorial is beautiful, sleek, and is a great option for any last minute costume ideas.  You can style this look with a simple headband and statement necklace like I did, or go all-out with a full Egyptian Goddess inspired costume!  Whether you chose to keep tit simple or take it Queen of the Nile style, this look is sure to make an impression.

This is my final look for this year's Halloween season.  I loved creating every single one of them, including Wicked Witch, Glam Vampire, and Vampy Ombre Lips. Sunday starts a new month, and with it a new set of tutorials!  You can expect holiday glam makeup tutorials, monthly favorites, and my new DIY Beauty Series every Sunday in November.

Let's get started!

The Face

Prep, Foundation and Concealer

I moisturize my face with Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion and my under eye area with ELF Eye Illuminating Cream.  I prime my skin with Laura Mercier Foundation Primer in Radiance and prime my under eye area with ELF Hydrating Under Eye Primer.  Using a Beauty Blender, I apply a mixture of Maybelline Fit Me Matte and Poreless Foundation in Soft Tan and Kat Von D Lock-It Tattoo Foundation in Light 29 to my entire face.  To highlight and conceal I use Urban Decay Naked Skin Weightless Concealer in Light Warm in a V-shape beneath my eyes, in the middle of my forehead, down the bridge of my nose, on my chin, and on my eye lids.

Highlight and Set

To set everything I take the Real Techniques Setting Brush and place a mixture of the highlight shades Lucid and Lyric from the Kat Von D Shade and Light Contour Palette and place a generous amount over the areas that I highlighted with concealer.  I also add a generous amount to my jaw directly below my contour line.  I allow the extra powder to sit on my skin for a few minutes to "bake" before brushing off with a Morphe Brushes G23 Soft Fan Brush.

Contour

With the Real Techniques Sculpting Brush I take the contour shade Sombre from the Kat Von D palette and contour beneath my cheekbones, underneath my jaw bone, along the hairline on my forehead, down my temples, and alone the parallel sides of the bridge of my nose.  After blending I apply the fourth blush color from the Morphe Brushes 9B Palette, a pale nude pink, using the blush brush from the BH Cosmetics Party Girl Brush Set.  

Highlight

Using the same fan brush as earlier, I then apply the pale pink highlight shade from the Lorac Tantalizer Highlighter and Matte Bronzer Duo to the tops of my cheekbones, my forehead just above my brows, and the bridge of my nose.

Brows

I shape my brows with the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz in Ebony, fill it in with the ABH Brow Powder in Medium Brown, and set it into place with the ABH Clear Brow Gel.

The Eyes

This eye look takes some time to accomplish but the payoff is well worthwhile.  Take your time creating clean and well defined lines, there isn't a lot of blending involved with this one.

Transition Shade

I take the color Deep Skin by Morphe Brushes, a soft gold peach, with a fluffy blending brush into the crease of my eye and start blending upward.  This is going to be our transition shade.  I make sure to place this transition shade from the very inner corner and across the top of my crease.  I bring this shade all the way past the end of my outer corner almost to the end point of my eyebrow line.  We want to create the appearance an extra elongated eye lid.

Crease Line

I take the color Naughty Girl by Morphe Brushes, a velvety blue purple, and carefully begin to trace a line starting just below the transition color and in the middle of my crease and working outward.   I follow this line all the way past the end of my outer corner and finish where I did my transition shade.

I go back in with Naught Girl again and again carefully begin to trace a line from the middle of the crease down to my inner corner.  Make sure this line always remains below the transition shade.  I end this part of the line well past my inner corner and bring it up about one centimeter onto the crest of my nose.

Now that the structure of the line has been drawn, I go back in with more Naughty Girl and darken and thicken up the entire line from corner to corner.  Remember to keep your lines clean and defined while doing this, and only place this color within the crease.

Lid, Liner and Wing

Using a flat shadow brush I take the shade Gold from the Lorac Pro palette and place this all over my entire lid, from inner corner to outer corner, building up the color.

I take the NARS Larger Than Life Long-wear Eyeliner in Via Vento (black) and begin to trace a thick line from my inner corner, below my lower lash line, and to the very outer corner of my eyelid.  I go back to my inner corner with this liner and trace a slim line up to meet the line I drew onto the crest of my nose with Naughty Girl.  This is to make the eye look super sharp and defined.

I take a small angled brush to draw on my eye liner using the NYX Gel Liner in Jet Black.  After creating the wing and allowing it to dry, I take the ELF Liquid Eyeliner in Copper and place this the bottom half of my lid over top the Gold to add some shine and sparkle.

Mascara and Falsies

I apply Benefit Roller Lash mascara to my lashes.  For my falsies I choose Eylure London Lengthening Lashes No. 35 and apply them using the Vegas Nay by Eylure Lash Glue.  In order go give the eyes a more feline-like appearance, I stack Morphe Brushes Black Lashes #307 over the outer corner of the Eyelure lashes.

The Lips

For this look I wanted my lips to be ultra glam and bronzed.

I line my lips with the NYX Slim Lip Pencil in Nude Truffle and then fill in my lips with NYX High Voltage Lipstick in Stone.  I finish everything off I apply a thick coat of Lorac Tantalizer Lip Gloss in Marco.

I set the entire look with Urban Decay De-slick Makeup Setting Spray.

Let Me Know!

 What are your costume or makeup ideas for Halloween this year?  Are you planning on spending a lot of time on your makeup?

Products Mentioned

Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Cream

 ELF Illuminating Eye Cream
Laura Mercier Foundation Primer Radiance 
ELF Studio Hydrating Under Eye Primer
Beauty Blender
 Maybelline Fit Me Matte and Poreless Foundation Soft Tan
Kat Von D Lock-It Tattoo Foundation Light 49
Urban Decay Naked Skin Weightless Concealer Light Warm
Kat Von D Shade and Light Contour Palette
Real Techniques Setting Brush
Real Techniques Sculpting Brush
Morphe Brushes G23 Soft Fan Brush
Morphe Brushes 9B Blush Palette
Lorac Tantalizer Highlight and Matte Bronzer Duo
Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz Ebony
Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Powder Duo Medium Brown
Anastasia Beverly Hills Clear Brow Gel
Mophe Brushes Deep Skin

Morphe Brushes Naughty Girl

Lorac Pro Palette

NARS Larger Than Life Long-wear Eyeliner Via Vento

ELF Liquid Eyeliner Copper  
Nyx Gel Liner Jet Black
BH Cosmetics Party Girl Brush Set
Benefit Cosmetics Roller Lash Mascara
Eylure London Lashes No. 126
Eyelure London Lengthening Lashes No. 35
Morphe Brushes Black #307 Lashes

Vegas Nay by Eylure London Lash Glue
NYX Slim Lip Pencil Nude Truffle

NYX High Voltage Lipstick Stone

Lorac Tantalizer Lip Gloss Marco 

Urban Decay De-Slick Makeup Setting Spray
Kenneth Cole Three Layer Bead Necklace
Double Braided Headwrap 

 

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Wicked Witch Halloween Makeup Tutorial

This Wicked Witch Halloween makeup tutorial is easy and is a great option for any last minute costume ideas.  Throw on a pointed witches hat, add some black nail polish, grab a wooden broom and you are ready to go out!  The ways you can accessorize this look are endless.

I wanted to create a Halloween makeup tutorial that didn't require painting or covering the entire face.  Slight green and yellow around the eyes and upper cheek bones paired with black lips will give all the emphasis of an entire Halloween look without spending a couple hours on face and body paint.

This weeks posts will be all about great last minute ideas for Halloween.  Then next week get ready as we transition into the warm and cozy holiday season.

Let's get started!

 
The Face

Prep, Foundation and Concealer

I moisturize my face with Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion and my under eye area with ELF Eye Illuminating Cream.  I prime my skin with Laura Mercier Foundation Primer in Radiance and prime my under eye area with ELF Hydrating Under Eye Primer.  Using a Beauty Blender, I apply a mixture of Maybelline Fit Me Matte and Poreless Foundation in Soft Tan and Kat Von D Lock-It Tattoo Foundation in Light 29 to my entire face.  To highlight and conceal I use Urban Decay Naked Skin Weightless Concealer in Light Warm in a V-shape beneath my eyes, in the middle of my forehead, down the bridge of my nose, on my chin, and on my eye lids.

Highlight and Set

To set everything I take the Real Techniques Setting Brush and place a mixture of the highlight shades Lucid and Lyric from the Kat Von D Shade and Light Contour Palette and place a generous amount over the areas that I highlighted with concealer.  I also add a generous amount to my jaw directly below my contour line.  I allow the extra powder to sit on my skin for a few minutes to "bake" before brushing off with a Morphe Brushes G23 Soft Fan Brush.

Contour

With the Real Techniques Sculpting Brush I take the contour shade Sombre from the Kat Von D palette and contour beneath my cheekbones, underneath my jaw bone, along the hairline on my forehead, down my temples, and alone the parallel sides of the bridge of my nose.  After blending I apply the fourth blush color from the Morphe Brushes 9B Palette, a pale nude pink, using the blush brush from the BH Cosmetics Party Girl Brush Set.  

Highlight

Using the same fan brush as earlier, I then apply the pale pink highlight shade from the Lorac Tantalizer Highlighter and Matte Bronzer Duo to the tops of my cheekbones, my forehead just above my brows, and the bridge of my nose.

Brows

I shape my brows with the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz in Ebony, fill it in with the ABH Brow Powder in Medium Brown, and set it into place with the ABH Clear Brow Gel.

The Eyes

This eye look is actually very easy to pull off.  Spending some time blending is the key to achieving this partial face look.  There are no clean lines that you have to make, such as cut creases, so it is ok to get a little sloppy!

Base and Highlight

First, I take the shade Green Haze, a pearlized bright green with gold, from Morphe Brushes and start applying this with a fluffy blending brush over and above my crease, up to the bottom of my brow line.  I continue to take this in a "C" shape around the outside of my eye, staying just above my cheekbone, and tapering the color off on my cheekbone at about the halfway point of my eye.

With the same fluffy blending brush, I take the shade Pixie Dust by Makeup Geek, a shimmery lime green, and use this as the  highlight color for my inner tear duct.  I also take this to where I ended Green Haze and carefully blend the two colors together.  The goal is to create a gradient from Green Haze into Pixie Dust at the bottom end of the "C."

Next, I take the shade Tokyo Tea by Morphe Brushes, an iridescent green, with a tapered crease brush and highlight my brow bone.  I make sure that this shade evenly blends into Green Haze, which we placed all above the crease line.

Lid and Crease

I then take the duochrome color Typhoon by Makeup Geek, a duochrome shadow with a deep teal base and green and gold reflects, with a flat shadow brush and place it onto my lid from inner to outer corner, ending at the crease line.  I go over this color a couple of times, making sure it is as vibrant as I want it to be.

 Using a small tapered crease brush I apply the shade Dirty Martini by Makeup Geek, a matte olive green, into my crease using windshield wiper motions, taking time to really darken the color and blend this into Typhoon on the lid and Green Haze above the crease.

Outer Corner and Wing

Taking a tapered blending brush I use Wilderness by Morphe Brushes, a shimmer army green, to define my outer corner.  I apply this directly to the outer third of my eye lid in the shape of a sideways "V"

I take a small angled brush to draw on my eye liner using the NYX Gel Liner in Jet Black.  I make sure to create a very small "V" with the gel liner on the inner corner of my eye to give make the entire look more sharp and defined.  After creating the wing and allowing it to dry, I take the ELF Liquid Eyeliner in Copper and place this over the outer corner of my wing.

Bottom Lash, Mascara and Falsies 

Finally, taking the shade Dirty Martini by Morphe Brushes, an intense shimmer green (a different Dirty Martini from earlier, this one is by Morphe and the earlier one is by Makeup Geek) I glide it below my bottom lash line using a small eye defining brush, making sure to blend into the outer corner.

I apply Benefit Roller Lash mascara to my lashes.  For my falsies I choose Eylure London Definition Lashes No. 126 and apply them using the Vegas Nay by Eylure Lash Glue.

The Lips

If you're going to a Halloween party and don't want to worry about fixing your lips all night, I would suggest a nude or soft pink lip gloss.

However, for those willing to go the extra mile (like I did in this look) a black and purple look will bring everything together.  I line my lips with the NYX Slim Lip Pencil in Black Berry and then fill in my lips with NYX Soft Matte Lip Crease in Transylvania up until the inner pout.  For the inner pout I apply the NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Copenhagen and then blend the two lip creams together using a patting motion with my pinky finger.  I finish everything off I apply a coat of Fantasy Makers by Wet 'N Wild Sparkling Lip Gloss in Wicked over everything.

I set the entire look with Urban Decay De-slick Makeup Setting Spray.

Let Me Know!

What have been some of your favorite Halloween makeup looks this year?  What are your plans for Halloween this year?

Products Mentioned

Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Cream

 ELF Illuminating Eye Cream
Laura Mercier Foundation Primer Radiance 
ELF Studio Hydrating Under Eye Primer
Beauty Blender
 Maybelline Fit Me Matte and Poreless Foundation Soft Tan
Kat Von D Lock-It Tattoo Foundation Light 49
Urban Decay Naked Skin Weightless Concealer Light Warm
Kat Von D Shade and Light Contour Palette
Real Techniques Setting Brush
Real Techniques Sculpting Brush
Morphe Brushes G23 Soft Fan Brush
Morphe Brushes 9B Blush Palette
Lorac Tantalizer Highlight and Matte Bronzer Duo
Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz Ebony
Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Powder Duo Medium Brown
Anastasia Beverly Hills Clear Brow Gel
Morphe Brushes Green Haze

Makeup Geek Pixie Dust

Morphe Brushes Tokyo Tea

Makeup Geek Typhoon

Makeup Geek Dirty Martini

Morphe Brushes Wilderness

Morphe Brushes Dirty Martini

ELF Liquid Eyeliner Copper  
Nyx Gel Liner Jet Black
BH Cosmetics Party Girl Brush Set
Benefit Cosmetics Roller Lash Mascara
Eylure London Lashes No. 126

Vegas Nay by Eylure London Lash Glue
Nyx Slim Lip Pencil Black Berry
Nyx Soft Matte Lip Cream Transylvania
Nyx Soft Matte Lip Cream Copenhagen
Fantasy Makers Wet 'N Wild Sparkling Lip Gloss Wicked 

Urban Decay De-Slick Makeup Setting Spray

 

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