So since I just bought a bajillion pigments from Aromaleigh, it's just right that I use them, correct? =D Here are a few looks using some of the pigments. All eye products are Aromaleigh unless otherwise specified.
Fox foiled on lid, Copper on outer V, and just a tiny bit of Rock Bottom on crease and outer V. I used MAC Maid of Honor shadow to highlight, MAC Ostentatious fluidline to line, MAC Graphblack technakohl to tightline and on waterline.
EDIT: Check out the link again; the FOTDs didn't appear the first time! All fixed. IGothic Lolita
Elemental Lustre
Organizing samples is easy using my magnetic photo album.
I got all samples of Aromaleigh Gothic Lolita and Elemental Lustre mineral shadows and I LOVE the vibrancy of the colors and the beautiful pigments. If I were to choose though, I'd prefer the Gothic Lolita over Elemental Lustres because the latter are just a little too foil-like for my taste. They are still very workable and blendable, though, and I will still use my samples because they are admittedly very pretty and I don't want to waste money and product. Gothic Lolita is a winner collection, however. The pigments are just beautiful and very vibrant. I created two looks using these two collections. I also used Pure Hue and Eye Lustre collection eyeshadows. The following look is a lot brighter in real life.
I don't want to say bold lips because they're not really "bold" in the true sense of the word. They're just a little darker than what I usually wear. In the first look, I used Silk Naturals' lipstick in Bliss. I love this lippie so much that I think I have 3 tubes of this. It really brightens my face, and I also use this to touch up during the day, along with Jaybird or Birthday Suit lipglosses (which are actually colored lipbalms) from the same company. Let me say that I love all my lipglosses and lipsticks from Silk Naturals. They are never icky on the lips, have a pleasant smell/taste, and the colors really flatter my skintone. Best of all, the pricing is very reasonable. I have several of the lipsticks and glosses, but my favorite shades are the ones I mentioned above. I am actually on my third tube of Birthday Suit!
I used Buff'd mineral foundation in a 70-30 mix of Chamois and Almond. It turned a little dark because I am really straight Chamois, but tried to infuse some Almond into my look for summer. It turned pretty okay in the photos, though. Buff'd is one of the more underrated mineral makeup companies in my opinion. This is probably due to the fact that it's a Canadian brand and so people from the US get turned off from buying products that entail more shipping fees and longer turnaround times. I can vouch that the fee and waiting time are not as high/long, and the wait is well worth the products. I love the silky feel and smooth finish of this foundation. I also love the fact that they have so many shades to choose from, so much so that you can most probably find your perfect shade without need of mixing.
For the eyes, I used Valerie Beauty mineral shadows in Classy, Bootcut and Gala, and MAC White Wheat eyeshadow - fun, neutral colors that are perfect for day/office use.
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I have amassed quite a bit of FOTDs lately as I have been either too lazy or too tired to post them. As a result, I think (I hope not) I have forgotten some of the products I used for these. I remember vividly though the foundations I used for these looks: Joppa, DreamWorld, and Meow (with a layer of Oceanmist underneath). I love these brands as they control my oilies and yet do not make my skin super dry. I am always amazed by the ultra-smooth finish these foundations give.
For this first look, I used my limited edition and rare MAC eyeshadow in Sunplosion for the first time. Yes, the first time. I'd wanted to really pack it on so that the beautiful vividness of the coppery orange could be seen, but I didn't have the time. Also, I didn't want to wear a very bright eye look for work, so this would have to do. I did commit a cosmetic mortal sin, though - I totally forgot to put on (the horror!) - mascara! I was such in a hurry that it completely slipped my mind. I know, eye makeup without mascara looks funky to say the least - but hey, nobody's perfect!
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Here's a wine-colored look using mostly mineral samples I've been keeping in my stash and neglected for quite a while. I was cleaning my makeup drawers when I came across several samples from Meow when I was still caught up in a sampling frenzy of their Feliners, Vandal Eyes and blushes and bronzers. I stumbled upon Vandal Eyes eyeshadow in Grand Larceny and I decided to use it today. I absolutely love the color! It's not a red-red hue but more of wine plum with metal pink (the site describes it as "Wine with hot pink sheen"), so it doesn't look garish or too "in-your-face". I believe this would be one of my favorite mineral shadows, but I am iffy about getting a full size because I don't know how often I would be able to use this. With so many mineral shadows I have (not to mention my MAC eyeshadow and pigment collection), it's almost impossible to finish one whole pot of minerals. I also tried my sample of My Minerals Bath and Body mineral shadow in Rum Raisin and I love the color as well, it complements the other warm plummy colors I used for this look. I love these two shadows because they really do give outstanding color pay-off even without foiling. I really like pigmented minerals because I feel I get more bang for my buck.
I am using Monave regular foundation in Saturnina and I am just in love. I've been using Teporah which is a lighter color in the olive family. I bought the foundation in Saturnina during Monave's free shipping sale, and I think this looks a lot better on me than Teporah because it doesn't give a whitish cast in photos unlike the latter. I still love Monave and will always do for the full coverage and creamy finish it gives when I crave for those.
Tried some lavenders using Quietly pigment from MAC. It's an asian exclusive limited edition pigment so it's really hard to acquire such especially here in North America, so I slightly panicked when I only had less than 1/4 of a teaspoon sample and it's the perfect light purple. Good thing I was able to scrounge online for a 1/2 teaspoon sample from this girl I always get pigments from. I just recently fell in love with it, now it has to be a staple in all my lavender/purple looks.
Last night, I got two packages in the mail (as usual, getting packages in the mail gives me a natural high). I got a BNIB full size MAC water-based mixing medium from a girl in the MAC livejournal community (I just LOVE this product), and my munchkin jar of Meow Fierce Abyssinian in the Pampered Puss formula. To give you an idea of what I'm talking about, here are some images depicting the munchkin jars vs the full-size tubs (a whopping 1/4 cup of product as opposed to the usual two-three teaspoons of mineral makeup in the regular jars).
thought Fierce Abyssinian is my color because I developed a slight tan. I should have known that my skin is lightening again and slowly returning to my winter shade. Hence, even if I mix Fierce Abyssinian with Naughty Abyssinian, the result still a tad too dark, as you can see in the photos below. That's okay because I can always tweak the formula or simply go back to straight Naughty Abyssinian. I just love this mineral makeup brand, the finish is just flawless.
Getting confused with all those cat names? Check out their website for a description of their different foundations' depths, formulas and undertones. Here is a picture of different swatches that suit my skin, depending on the season. Please note that these were applied rather heavily using a damp brush in order that the shades can be easily seen. They are not cakey when applied, in fact these feel so light it seems like you have nothing on your skin!
The description in parentheses indicate the formulas
Having said that, I used my new Fierce Abyssinian mixed with Naughty Abyssinian for my look today. It looked okay indoors and in pictures, but I was horrified when I looked in the rearview mirror as I was driving - when natural sunlight hit my face, it looked so much darker than my neck, and it turned slightly orange. Ewww. Back to Naughty Abyssinian for me!
(Click for the rest of the FOTDs, product images and list of products used)
The title sums up the main ingredients of this look. First of all, I used a new mix of Meow foundation for the first time today. I applied a combination of the Purrfect Puss foundation in Naughty Chartreux and Pampered Puss in Fierce Manx. I think this mix is a perfect match for my summer tan. The combination of the peach undertones in Chartreux and the strong yellow undertones in Manx complemented my strong yellow-olive undertones.
I also used my amazing Lumiere long-handled synthetic kabuki brush, and I love how evenly it applies mineral makeup, and how heavenly the synthetic hairs feel on my face; I'd like to think this is made of angel's hair. SO freakin' soft. Lumiere also has a fabulous pre-buy opportunity for you ladies out there who are looking for the perfect kabuki, flat-top, and all kinds of makeup brushes. Kim of Lumiere is selling these at a very steep discount for a limited time. The downside is that you have to wait a couple of months or more for these to arrive at your doorstep, but these are so worth the wait, and the dirt-cheap price can't be beat. Remember to read Lumiere's terms and conditions on the pre-buy brushes before placing an order. I just placed mine for two additional long-handled kabukis (I already have three of their short-handled ones; they're fab) and a large flat-top buffer brush. I wanted to get the set, but I just have WAY too many cheek and eye brushes by now.
Lastly, I used MAC pigments for this look, and I am loving MAC's pigments more and more everyday. I am always on the lookout for good online buys of MAC's limited edition pigments. They are so versatile and the amazing colors and beautiful texture allow me to squeeze my creative juices and think of a myriad of combinations of colors for my eye look. Again, I am sporting a subtle office look. That's the beauty of MAC pigments - you can go as conservative and as wild as you want in the color and application. Your imagination is your only limit.
Sorry for the delay, but here are some FOTDs featuring Dayna's Minerals. This time I used her PN shade, and though it looks a tad too light in the pics, it's my perfect shade when it is viewed in person. So I think I'd wear P3 when I take my pics and PN when I don't. Heh.
In my green look, I used Dayna's Tealy to line my upper and lower lashlines. It is one of the prettiest mineral teals I've seen, and wow was it pigmented! It looks great with and without foiling. I also used a green-brown mineral shadow that Dayna included in the package she sent me, but it doesn't have a name...I love it! I used it as a wash together with my MAC pigments and shadows.
I used the Blue Storm eyeshadows today and I was impressed. I thought it would be too dark for a morning look but it turned out pretty good. I added my favorite platinum liner, Meow Cosmetics' Sweaty Paws mineral liner, mixed with MAC mixing medium to make the eyes look a little on the lighter side of things and to open up my eyes a bit. I used Storm Watch on my lid and was a little baffled when I had a difficult time blending it over my Beige-ing shadestick, until I realized that its formula is matte. I then used Delft paint pot under it and it spread a lot better after that (I just love paint pots!). I went to Sephora today to pick up a couple of things, and the first thing the resident makeup artist did when she saw me was to compliment my eyes, although I had to admit I used MAC shadows when she asked me what brand I used. Turned out she uses MAC occasionally, as well.
I love MAC's Guacamole eyeshadow! It's just THE perfect green. I love my greens so much so having a really gorgeous shade in my palette is just a treat. It's not a grass-colored green but a little bit deeper, a little less vibrant and less lime-y than Wondergrass but, as the name implies, is kinda similar to avocado green but prettier. I did a mix of greens in my look so it the Guacamole failed to stand out, hence its true color is not reflected in my EOTD. Nonetheless, I believe it brought some depth to the hues I used.
I also used my LaurEss mineral foundation today and I absolutely LOVE the velvety feeling it gives. I wore a mix of Pure Gold and Radiant Gold in the original formula. As much as I love LaurEss, I still prefer the original formula over the new elemental formula as the staying power is a lot better on my oily skin. I just love my mineral foundations, they can withstand the triple-digit heat and don't melt into a greasy mess at the end of the day. The feeling is uber-light despite the scorching temperature. Best of all, the feeling is so light that you don't feel you have makeup on, without the goopy gunk.
Speaking of mineral makeup, I gave my friend some Meow samples (naturally, she'd never heard of the company before). She's a makeup artist and does freelance work. She just called me today to tell me that she's fallen in love with Meow and just bought munchkin sizes of Naughty and Frisky Korat. I'm just amazed at how people can just drop their old foundations and convert to minerals without looking back. I guess there is truth to old adage that "the proof of the pudding is in the eating". You just have to try it (and try different brands not just the most popular ones before judging) to believe it.
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