periwinkle_sky’s blog

Neutral Eyes and Not-So-Neutral Lips

nobody@vox.com(periwinkle_sky) — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 11:58:22 -0700

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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LaurEss Soft Yellow and Valerie Beauty Shadows

nobody@vox.com(periwinkle_sky) — Wed, 07 May 2008 22:49:28 -0700

I had a little dilemma with LaurEss because after hearing all the raves about the Minimalist formula of the foundation, I really wanted to try it but I only know my shade in the Original. Lauren (the owner) and I have been e-mailing back and forth and she told me that if I have a match with Elemental, then I should stick to it because the Elemental shades are dead-on matches of their Minimalist counterpart. That was the problem, though: I have not nailed my shades in Elemental, although I know my Original formula shades (are all these making your head spin by now?). So I asked Lauren for the color/shade conversion chart that was posted up on her website a few months ago when people were still trying to convert their shades from the Original to the Elemental. She immediately sent me these charts and I was very grateful because I thought I had narrowed down my choices to two shades. Check them out: Shade Conversion Chart and Color Progression Chart. My choices for the Minimalist colors would be Soft Yellow or Pure Yellow. As I was cleaning my makeup stash, though, I was surprised to find a sample of Soft Yellow in the Elemental formula. I wore it for this look and I can say that my shade is most probably a mix of Soft Yellow and Pure Yellow in both the Elemental and the Minimalist, mainly because I feel that Soft Yellow is a tad too light, while Pure Yellow may be a bit dark.

Since I was wearing khaki that day, I decided to wear Valerie Beauty mineral shadow in Classy, a pretty khaki color that is a gorgeous neutral shadow as well.

Lastly, just want to share a cute little project hubby did for me. I asked him if he can do something so my damp brushes that I'd just washed can stand upside down while drying, and this is what he came up with:

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The Last of A Dying Breed

nobody@vox.com(periwinkle_sky) — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 10:58:14 -0700

Some of you may probably know how much I am a fan of Valerie Beauty's minerals. I even showcased some of her beautiful colors from her last sale HERE. Some of Val's awesome colors are also in THIS ENTRY. She had her last sale last February 16th, and after that had to close indefinitely because she had to concentrate on her skin care studio, and we had been patiently waiting for her opening. A month ago she announced that she would no longer be selling minerals online (but she is still selling the Clarisonic line, skincare products and traditional cosmetics). Val simply doesn't have the time anymore since she is now a Reiki Master Teacher, and is finishing her studies to become a Certified Hypnotherapist, on top of being a certified aesthetician. I perfectly understand why she had to give up selling her awesome minerals online (they are available for purchase at her studio), and I wish Val the best, but I am just a little sad that these ones I have are the last of a dying breed. I have scored this latest Val loot from a lady on a makeup board, sealed and intact, and I just love the colors. I rarely see this kind of top-notch mineral quality, so I am really sad to see the minerals go, but still happy for Val nonetheless.

Let's hear it one more time from her awesome minerals!

(Click for swatches and color description)

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DreamWorld Minerals and Peppermint Patties

nobody@vox.com(periwinkle_sky) — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 23:08:35 -0700

I just received some samples of new darker yellow-toned foundations that DreamWorld owner Ellie had just concocted for her avid fans (me included). She was so nice to offer them to me for free, and her generous samples are just SO beautiful. I do have my own custom mix of DreamWorld foundation in Theia and Tethys, but sunny days are here again and I am bound to get darker as the days go by. In fact, I feel that I am already darker and my previous mix of Theia and Tethys no longer cuts it. She sent me original Amenti, her new versions of Amenti (Amenti IV and Amenti V), plus a new version of Theia (Theia IV) and Hebe. Today I used my original Theia foundation mixed with original Amenti, and I thought it was a bit dark in person (I may have to change the recipe a bit, but more or less using the same shades). However, miracle of miracles, it still looks so luminous in pictures - not white, mind you, but just luminous and as the day wore on, it looked more and more natural on my face. I just love Ellie's foundations, they are just right up there, creme de la creme, I should say. I can't wait to try my other DreamWorld minerals, everything is just so gorgeous and softly similar to each other in shade that I think I can wear any of them. That's what I love about DreamWorld foundation, the shades are so forgiving and you look great either way.

I also wanted to have an iridescent blue/green eye look so I wore my favorite Lumiere eyeshadow on the lid, Peppermint Patti (a gorgeous iridescent green/blue/grey that changes colors at the slightest movement), coupled with Valerie Beauty's Papillon (a beautiful light teal shade) on the inner to mid-lid. I used a little of Valerie Beauty's Ancient and Bootcut eyeshadows on the crease and outer V. I applied MAC eyeshadows in Ricepaper and Nylon on the browbone to highlight. Of course, I prepped my eyes by using MAC Beige-ing shadestick as base. I also used Indelible gel liner in Black Out to line and Rimmel and MAC mascaras.

I used one of my favorite mineral blushes, Lumiere Cherry Blossom (I love all of Lumiere's silk and veena blushes, as in there are no duds; every one of them is beautiful IMO).

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Some More Neutral Looks

nobody@vox.com(periwinkle_sky) — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 23:04:27 -0700

Here are some more neutral looks featuring some of my mineral shadows from Valerie Beauty, She Space and DreamWorld. Not much drama here because these looks were mainly for work and I didn't want to spend too much time in the morning. I am loving these neutral shadows that I've been using lately, though. There were a couple that I used for the first or second time with this look, specifically Wasted Intrigue and Atlantean Treasure, and I really am loving the shades.

I also used a heavier hand in applying my MAC beauty powder blush so the gorgeous shade can really register on the screen. There is some slight sheen to it that is not obvious in my pics but are subtly noticeable in real life. I really love these new blushes!

(Click for FOTDs and list of products used)

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Valerie Beauty and MAD Minerals Haul

nobody@vox.com(periwinkle_sky) — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 17:26:08 -0800

Here are some more gorgeous multi-purpose shadows from Valerie Beauty and MAD Minerals. I swear I can't get over how pretty these are. Both were ordered during their respective companies' sales, and I sometimes can't believe I got these minerals at an amazing price. I got Val's Blue Jeans Baby collection and these came with a gorgeous denim tote bag that is just right for laid back, carefree weekends. It's just a pretty tote and I use it to place all my books, magazines, and my son's juice when I bring him to the park to play. The minerals are pretty as well. Regular readers would know how I love Val's shadows because the amazing pigmentation and great staying power, and these new arrivals didn't disappoint. My favorites are Skintight, Stonewashed and Bell Bottom as beautiful washes, and the gorgeous Boot Cut as crease color or liner.

(Click for swatches and product photos)

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Tutorial Using Green Mineral Shadows

nobody@vox.com(periwinkle_sky) — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 16:37:07 -0800

I haven't used green minerals in quite a while (in fact, I think I used Lumiere's Cat's Eye here for the first time), but I love how pigmented these eyeshadows turned out. I also love My Minerals Bath and Body's (MMBB) Smokey Green. The name may be simple but it really gave this look a smokified dimension.

Apply MAC Beige-ing shadestick all over lid, brows and browbone, blend everything using middle finger. Apply shadestick on lower lashline as well. Using a shader brush, foil Lumiere Cat's Eye using MAC mixing medium on lid.

(Click to see rest of tutorial)

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Tutorial Using Valerie Beauty Eyeshadows

nobody@vox.com(periwinkle_sky) — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 21:48:48 -0800

I am crazy about Valerie Beauty eyeshadows, so it's only apt that I make a tutorial using some of my favorite mineral eyeshadows. Valerie has some of the most pigmented minerals available, so I only foiled the lid color and applied the rest dry, because the colors stay vibrant even without using a mixing medium. These colors are also versatile enough to be used any time of the day and night. I only used four eyeshadows for this look, so it's not complicated at all. All products from Valerie Beauty unless otherwise noted.

(Click to see the rest of tutorial)

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Valerie Beauty Eye Look

nobody@vox.com(periwinkle_sky) — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 21:14:02 -0800

Here is a look using my Valerie Beauty eyeshadows. I love the fact that I just basically foiled the wash color and applied the rest dry. These are highly-pigmented minerals and they last the entire day on the lids even when applied dry, and color pay-off is just outstanding. The colors are also gorgeous and vibrant. I've made a detailed review of these shadows in my entry a couple of days ago.

I also wore my Aromaleigh lipstick and lipgloss. I like Aromaleigh's lip stuff, especially the yummy chocolate citrus scent. In the first picture, I was wearing Buzz lipgloss, but I applied Zen lipgloss in the last few photos.

I am also wearing my Dreamworld foundation in Minerva and Theia. I just received a shipping confirmation e-mail from Ellie of Dreamworld, and I can't wait to get my full-sizes of these.

(Click for FOTDs and list of products used)

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Quick Look Using Valerie Beauty's New Shadows

nobody@vox.com(periwinkle_sky) — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 21:42:51 -0800

Here's a quick, no-fuss look featuring Val's new shadows. I'd wanted to play more with the colors but I was running late for work. The greatest discovery I had when I wore Val's shadows was that I was able to find a beautiful non-shimmery mineral highlighter from her new collection. If you remember this post, I was asking for recommendations for a nice, non-shimmery mineral highlighter that I could use for my eye looks. Well I tried Val's Delicate Sweetness and I was so in love with the result. It looked understated, clean, and it effectively highlighted my browbone without garish shimmer all over. If you want non-shimmery, beautiful mineral highlighters, check out Val's Delicate shadows. All in all, I really like the new colors because they can be bright but can still be toned down for work, are very versatile, easy to apply and the shades are really pretty.

I am wearing the last of my Buff'd mineral foundation samples (Ginger), and in person the yellow undertones were just too heavy and dark on my face. I asked Jen of Buff'd what the next shade lighter than Almond in the same color family would be, and she recommended Chamois. I ordered full sizes of Almond and Chamois and I am excited to get these. I really like the coverage and finish so hopefully Chamois is a match; if not I can always mix it with Almond to get my desired shade.

(Click for FOTD and list of products used)

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