FACE OF THE DAY! Bollywood inspired colors

I haven't updated in a good while so I figured I'd share another makeup look with you guys. I absolutely adore shades of orange, purple, teals etc. Bollwood, Morraccan (or whatever you want to call them) colors allow me to use all those colors at once.

MAC MATTE VS. MONISTAT CHAFFING RELIEF GEL

Today I wanted to talk about MAC Matte. I am sooo oily so i'm always looking for another product to help control my grease-slick of a face. As a frequent MAC shopper, I was suprised that no one had recommended MATTE to me before. It's about $18 USD and comes in a little squeeze tube. I rushed home to try this and was disappointed when I realized that MATTE had the same active ingredient as MONISTAT CHAFFING RELIEF GEL (Dimenthicone) which runs about $6USD I tried both products on two different days to see if the either of the products looked any different under my makeup.

MAC MATTE

MONISTAT CHAFFING RELIEF GEL

Both controlled the oil pretty well and I still had to blot about twice during the day (pretty normal for me). Also, both products made my foundation go on smoothly, so no real difference there. I heard that Monistat gel has been discontinued but I'm not certain. I'll definitely be scouring the drugstore for something comparible with dimenthicone in it before I shell out another $18 on MATTE.

~Every Woman Is A Goddess~

More Cartoon Makeup

Hey Guys! I did this look for YouTube contest entry. The look had to have been inspired by cartoon characters. Instead of pulling something from from my archives, I decided to do something new and this is what I came up with. This look is inspired by Jem & The Holograms. Rock on!

Eyelash Adhesive Warning (for Individual lashes)

I'm almost ashamed to say that I've been hoodwinked by an Ebayer selling "medical grade" individual eyelash adhesive. I was looking for something a little stronger than the typical Ardell Lash Tite and came upon this new adhesive on Ebay. It was supposedly being shipped from a US seller (at least thats what the listing said) so I felt a little more comfortable ordering from them rather than a seller out of Asia. I spent a hefty $45 for a tiny bottle that I thought would keep my lashes on for weeks but what I got was this:

The bottle had "Made in Taiwan" on the front and the ingredients were the exact same as what is in CRAZY GLUE (or Nail Glue) and The smell is atrocious, just like crazy glue. I couldn't believe that there are Ebay Sellers who are selling this household glue and packaging it, passing it off as eyelash adhesive. It's also scary to think that SOMEONE SOMEWHERE has purchased this glue but we just haven't heard about it yet. I searched the internet for anyone else who had bought this glue but I wasn't able to find anything so I wanted to put this warning out there for anyone shopping around for a decent eyelash glue. After a lot of research I found that medical grade adhesive for individual lashes is only available to people with cosmotology licenses or aesthetic licenses so keep that in mind when you see these Ebay sellers claiming to sell medical grade adhesive. Also, all individual lash adhesive should be made in the USA. This is to ensure that it's been FDA approved!! Stick with the brands Ardell or Andrea (available in clear and black) as pictured below. Your lashes should last for at least a week with these adhesives which isnt bad.

The end result should look something like this:

I hope this helps you guys and save you from learning an expensive lesson!!

"Every woman is a Goddess"

Keeping it all in place... Lets talk about priming

A good friend asked me how to keep her eyeshadow and foundation on all day without having to reapply. There are so many options to answer this question but I'll just go into my personal product suggestions. I do NOT like to reapply during the day and I have spent a lot of money to find products that will help me not have to. As far as eyeshadow goes, I have two 'must have' bases/primers. I first swipe Too Faced Shadow Insurance (Also referred to as TFSI) all over my lids. I let that set for about a minute, then I apply MAC's Beige-ing shadestick on top of the TFSI. Some people can get away with only using one or the other, but due to my super oily skin, i need more assistance. If you find that your shadow is melting away after a few hours or building up in the crease of your eyelid, you may need to invest in some sort of base. The TFSI is like magic! Keeps your shadows put allll day AND gives the color more POP

For face priming, I have several products in my kit but I will talk about the Sephora smoothing primer because it's good for all skin types. The Sephora brand primer is amazing. You can apply it with your fingers or with a cosmetic wedge and the texture is like velvet. After applying the primer, I put on my foundation. I love this product because I can use it with my liquid, creme or airbrush foundation. My last step is to apply my finishing or setting powder and I'm done. I always carry blotting papers (Boscia Blotting Linens) in my purse for oil control but the foundation stays put pretty much all day.

OTHER NOTEWORTHY PRODUCTS:

Urban Decay Primer Potion aka UDPP- Another great eyeshadow base with ingredients similar to the TFSI

Urban Decay Complexion Primer Potion- I use this with my liquid and creme foundation only becuase it's pretty heavy and has a lavendar tint to it. It's great for minimizing pores and fine lines!

Thanks to Isis for the great question!

Small Weekend Haul @ Ulta and FOTD for 4/11/10

Hey Goddesses, Just thought I would share some of my goodies that I scored at Ulta over the weekend. I spent about $22 bucks and got some great stuff! Revlon Brushes on CLEARANCE so this is a great way for a newbie to start or add to their brush collection without spending a grip. I also discovered Essence cosmetics which I had never heard of prior to last weekend and I was really impressed with the quality although it's like a German drugstore brand. I find that here lately, I'm not the makeup snob that I used to be so I'm all for beauty on a budget. Here's my FOTD using only bargain cosmetics with the exception of foundation(Essence and NYX)

Face of the Day- Going Greeeeeen

Decided to rock out with my favorite color today! Hope you enjoy. Have a good weekend!!

Product Review: Graftobian HD Creme Foundation Palette

I recently ordered the Graftobian 18 shade creme foundation palette to add to my makeup kit (so that I can alternate from the airbrush) and I can't say enough about it! This foundation is AMAZING: glides on like butter, works great with a cosmetic wedge or brush AND you don't need concealer. I did a photoshoot last weekend with a young lady who had deep acne scars and large pores. I applied Urban Decays complexion primer to her face with a sponge wedge and the Graftobian foundation over it and in one swoop, she got concealing of the scars and full foundation coverage. I couldn't believe it! (I will post pics when the photographer sends them to me). This foundation is also great because after you apply it, you can just leave it for a "dewy" look or buff some loose finishing powder on top for a very matte finish. Here is a photo of myself with the foundation and no finishing powder:

CONS: The only "bad" thing I can say about this foundation is that the palette is much smaller than I thought it was going to be and you can't purchase individual palette refills for it.

PROS: Eliminates the need for conceals and covers all in one. Provides medium to full coverage, compact carrying in your makeup kit. So easy to blend and easy to mix with other shades or moisturizer.

I purchased my palette from CameraReadyCosmetics.com for about $65 and got express shipping for $8. Graftobian.com sells this palette but I believe their shipping is more expensive. Instead of the 18 shade palette, you can get a 5 shade palette for about $22. All palettes come in Cool, Neutral and Warm. I have the warm palette.

Definitely gets 5 stars in my book!

Hard Candy is Back!

Hey Goddesses! So maybe I'm late with this, but last week when I was perusing the Walmart cosmetics aisles (as I always do) my cart came to a screeching halt when I spyed this wonderfully, loud and colorful display:

Some of you may remember Hard Candy when it was sold at Sephora a couple years back. Well, a few months ago, I was shopping in my neighborhood 5 Below store and they had an entire display of discontinued Hard Candy cosmetics for $1!!! I cleaned up on eyeshadow palettes and lip glosses. When I got home, I did some research to see what happened to the brand and thats when I discovered that it was being redesigned and would be sold in WalMart stores in 2010. I had been checking WalMart for months to no avail and now it's here! The packaging is sooo cute and all the items have a catchy name. The price point is from $5-$10 so it won't hurt your pocketbook! So, if you were wondering what happened to Hard Candy, it's been revived and is back for a fraction of the price! Stay tuned for some looks with the new and improved Hard Candy!

Foundations 101

Over the past week or so, I've gotten several questions related to foundation: how to select shades, which formulas to pick, how to keep it on all day etc. I wanted to try to address those questions in this post.

Selecting the right shade: Picking the right shade is CRUCIAL and really isn't as hard as some think. Swatch a little of the foundation right along your jawline. The foundation should disappear into your skin. There shouldn't be any visible lines where the makeup stops. It's really as easy as that. If you are shopping for a department store brand, there will be advisors to assist you with getting it right on the first go, but if you're shopping for drugstore brands, this can be a little more tricky. Most drugstores have great return policies on their cosmetics (Rite Aid and CVS to name a few. I think Walmart allows returns on cosmetics also). I would suggest purchasing a few shades at once if you can afford it and just return the ones that don't work. This would save you from running back to the store and exchanging one at a time.

Choosing the correct formula is definitely a matter of preference! There are so many to choose from so if you know your skin type, this will help you arrive at a decision more quickly. I will give my opinion on just a few of the formulas:

POWDER (PRESSED)- Powder foundation can be used for sheer to medium coverage. I don't like powder foundations because with my oily skin, it just tends to oxidize and turn orange on me. YUCK. If you only need light coverage, this may be a good way to go. I probably wouldn't use pressed powder foundation on dry skin as it can end up looking flaky in spots. Pressed powder foundation may be ideal for aging skin as it doesn't settle into fine lines as easily as liquid or creme formulas. Brands I like: Clinique

LIQUID: Liquid foundations are great for all types of coverage! Just be careful because if you have oily skin, you want to make sure you get an oil-free formula and if you're really dry, you will want to find a moisturizing formula. Liquid is versatile because it can be mixed in with moisturizer or sunscreen for a more sheer coverage, or you can mix multiple colors together for a custom shade! Make sure you purchase a setting/finishing powder if you go with liquid (see some information on finishing powders below) Brands I like: Make Up For Ever

CREME: Creme foundations are mostly used for professional applications (for theater, film and photography) because it offers really full and matte coverage. You can certainly buy creme foundation for everyday use but for some people it tends to be too heavy. A great benefit of creme foundation is you don't have to use a seperate concealer because the creme covers blemishes really well. Brands I like: Graftobian, Kryolan




My skin type is oily with large pores so when I buy foundation, I'm looking for something with medium to full coverage. To achieve that, my go-to foundation is Make Up For Ever's high def foundation in #170 (I guess that would be comparible to MAC NW35).

This foundation runs about $40USD at Sephora...expensive but worth every penny. I set this foundation with a very inexpensive loose powder in Translucent Honey by Cover Girl (about $6 at Walmart or Target) It only comes in about 4 or 5 shades so it's really easy to pick the correct color. To keep your foundation in place and reduce the amount of times you need to blot during the day, I highly recommend this finishing powder. Also, if you're oily, I recommend investing in a foundation primer to put on BEFORE your foundation goes on. This will help reduce the appearance of fine lines and large pores. It will also help your foundation to go on smoother.

In your purse, you should keep some blotting paper (I use Boscia Lavender Blotting Linens $10) and/or some blot powder to keep your foundation fresh all day. I have yet to find a foundation to keep me matte all day, but the primer and the loose powder allows me to go for hours before I need to touch up.

Hope this helps!

INSPIRED BY...Female Comic Book Characters

Good Morning Goddesses! So a lot of times, the eye looks that I do are inspired by various things I see everyday. I saw the old comic book character, Poison Ivy (Batman) and was inspired to do female comic book character eyes. These are the looks I came up with for Poison Ivy, Wonder Woman and Silk Spectre (Watchmen) Stay tuned for the next "inspired by" looks!

Products used:

WONDER WOMAN: MAC Chrome Yellow, MAC Pigments Basic Red, Accent Red and Naval Blue, MAC glitter in Blue

SILK SPECTRE: MAC Chrome Yellow, MAC Pigments Dark Soul and Black Black, Mark On The Edge eyeliner in Cleo

POISON IVY: MAC Pigment in Landscape Green and Blondes Gold, MAC eyeshadow in Humid and Swimming

How did I get here?

Hello Goddesses!

I just wanted to give you all some background on me and how I've arrived at this here blog...

The first time I ever put makeup on my face was in 10th grade. I was my neighbors date to his senior prom. I didn't have any makeup of my own and I lived with my grandmother at the time, so I had to make due with what she used (be afaid!).
In her medicine cabinet were all her makeup 'staples'
Lipstick- three tubes of the Fashion Fair variety in very similar shades of red
Eyebrow Powder that she HAD to have had for about 10 years, and in BLACK no less! (YIKES!!)
Eyeshadow- can't remember the brand for the life of me, but it was a duo palette with a lavender color and a darker purple color
Pressed Face Powder with one of those red face sponges- I'm pretty sure it was Cover Girl
Powder Blush- also Cover Girl and very pink!

With those limited choices, I went to work on my face and even though I had never had any lessons or any real idea of how to apply any of those things, there was something in me that knew: don't use that black eyebrow powder on my medium brown brows, choose the shade of lipstick that wasn't too orange and don't over apply, don't overdo the blush, use the lavender eyeshadow on my lids only and the darker purple in the crease and finally, use the pressed powder liberally as I knew it would be very important for the photos.

That was the day I fell in love with cosmetics. Every day after that prom night, I would reach for my Nana's lavender eyeshadow because I loved how it made my brown eyes pop. I even remember my grandmother shaking her head and rolling her eyes saying that she regretted that I went to that prom because after that, all I wanted to do was make my face up! It wasn't long before I got a part time job at a sneaker store and was able to earn my own money to buy my own cosmetics! Of course I didn't know about MAC back then, but I would take my money and walk to the neighborhood Rite Aid and clean up buying tubes of Wet N' Wild lipstick and some Maybelline eyeshadow!

I had created my own beauty monster!

I've come a long way from sponge applicators and Wet N' Wild (nothing wrong with drugstore brands, I still purchase some myself), but I also have a long way to go. As a freelance makeup artist, I get all kinds of questions from everyday women who want to enhance their look. So as an 'everyday' kinda girl myself, I hope to answer some of those questions and also keep you divas abreast of new products and trends.

There's a goddess inside all of us.

Peace