Easy Glam Purple Smoke

So I realized I never did the "Part 2" segment to the April MyGlam review!  Whoops!  Therefore I'm going to make up for it by giving you guys another tutorial on how to do a simple smokey purple look using the UD 24/7 eyeliner pencil that I received via MyGlam as well as including the false lashes that came in my goodie bag this month.

Usually, when the word smoke comes to mind, one envisions a sultry, dark diva-esque look.  In this instance, however, I wanted to create a light, wearable smoke that's transitional from summer-y daytime to dramatic evening.  This is me before heading out to work yesterday:

Cheeks: ELF Studio Blush in Pink Passion  Lips: ELF Luscious Liquid Lipstick in Perfect Pink

Want the look?  It's easy. :)  As usual, we start with primed eyelids:

Next, using my MyGlam fluffy eyeshadow brush, I'm going to choose a light, lavender shade of shadow to apply all over my top eyelid.  For convenience sake, I chose to go with my Coastal Scents Original 88 palette for all my shadow colors in this tutorial.

Then, using the UD 24/7 pencil eyeliner in Ransom, which I received in my April MyGlam bag, I'm going to trace the outer corners of my upper and lower lash lines:

Now, using a deep purple shade, I'm going to smudge and blend the pencil eyeliner to smoke out the outer corners of my eyes.  I found that the petite shadow brush included in this month's MyGlam bag was perfect for the job!

In order to soften my lower lash line, I'm going to apply some more of that pale lavender shade along the bottom edge of my lower eyelid:

Then I'm going to add a little matte ivory right under my brow arch as a highlight:

With black gel eyeliner, I'm going to draw a modest wing along my upper lash line:

To finish, I'm going to curl my lashes and apply mascara:

So here, I'm pretty much finished with my soft, smokey daytime look:

If you're going out for the evening, the quickest way to amp up this look is to add a pair of false eyelashes.  Here is the pair I received from MyGlam, appropriately themed for a "Girl's Night Out":

Bam!  Instant glam!  Talk about doll-eyes...  These lashes are pretty cool in that the band is very soft, flexible, and comfortable, unlike some others that can be hard and rigid.  They're easy to trim to the correct size and are very lightweight to wear.  They're definitely a lot of fun and aren't for the faint-of-heart.  Don't like double-takes?  Then these aren't the lashes for you!  Lol!

Alrighty then, friends!  Hope you're all having a lovely Saturday evening and that you enjoyed this little lesson and review.  Until next time!

Hugs,
Cat

Simple Soft Smokey Eye

TGIF everyone!  I must apologize for being so intermittent lately.  I've got more of a workload this quarter at school.  Boo!  But I've also been making more jewelry sales.  Yay!  This does mean less blogging, however, but I promise things will pick up in June while I'm on summer holiday. :D  Anyways, I thought I'd do a simple tutorial on how to achieve a soft, smokey eye today.  99% of the time, I just can't seem to go without my definitive, black winged eyeliner.  I guess it stems from my previous self-consciousness with having small, almond-shaped eyes...I try most of the time to make them look bigger, to stand out more.  I thought it would be a mini challenge to find a complimentary way to apply eye-makeup without a hard, black line.  This is what I came up with:

It's great for a daytime smokey look because of the softness, but can easily be amped up in the evening by adding winged liner and false lashes.  So let's get started!  As usual, I begin with primed eyelids:

For the sake of convenience, I'm going to use my Coastal Scents Original 88 Palette.  You can use any other palette you prefer, all you need are similar colors with the same shade values. :)  I'm going to start by applying a slightly shimmery, pale sandy shade to my entire upper lid:

Next, I'm going to highlight my brow arch with a soft ivory shade:

Then I'm going to take black pencil eyeliner and apply it to the outer corners of my top and bottom lash lines:

With a deep, espresso brown shade, I'm going to smudge and blend out the eyeliner to create a smokey look along the outer corners of my eyes:

Then I'm going to use a medium-brown shade to soften the dark corner shadow:

Curl lashes and apply mascara to finish:

All set!  This is a quick, easy method for impressive-looking eyes without the hard black liner.  I used neutrals because they're versatile, but you can really achieve this look with a variety of colors, as long as you have a light, medium, dark, and highlight shade.  It's also really simple to transform from day to night if you don't have the time to redo your makeup before going out for the evening.

Hope you guys found this useful and have a fabulous Friday!

Hugs,
Cat

Hot Pink Dollipop Wings Video Tutorial

Hello hello!  I made this video a few weeks ago, but I've been having some problems editing it on YouTube.  Well, I've finally gotten it (almost) right so I guess it's good enough to share now. :D

Here you go!

Hope some of you find this helpful.  Happy Monday and enjoy!

Hugs,

Cat

Etude House Drawing Eye Brow Pencil

Guess what?  I just discovered my new favorite thing: the Drawing Eye Brow Pencil by Etude House.  I found out about it through my other new favorite thing, CosmeticLove, an amazing web boutique dedicated to Asian-brand makeup products!

This amazing little pencil comes in 6 colors: dark brown, gray brown, brown, gray, dark gray, and black.  One problem that I've always found with American-brand brow products is that they tend to be on the reddish side.  I have very dark brown hair, nearly black with very little red, therefore it looks somewhat awkward when my brows have a red-brown tinge.  I was particularly interested in the gray brown shade, I felt like an ashy, dark brown would suit my coloring perfectly.  Unfortunately, that's the only color that isn't stocked at CosmeticLove, so I ended up buying it from eBay for about $7 and it arrived in 7-10 business days from the time it was ordered, not bad.  It also came with some bb cream samples:

The pencil itself is a twist-up design and has a flat, angled shape that reminds me of an angled brow/liner brush:

On the other end is a conveniently placed spoolie:

It's not news that I have painfully sparse brows that need filling in on a daily basis.  Some have suggested that I get my brows tattooed, but that's just too much of a commitment for me.  I'm also a big wuss when it comes to pain, lol!  I found, upon first use of the Drawing Eye Brow Pencil, that it's a very simple and precise tool that makes defining brows a cinch!  I start with bare brows:

Then, using the flat, angled pencil, I gently fill in my brows to the desired shape and fullness with light, short strokes:

Next, I use the spoolie end to evenly distribute color and groom my brow hairs:

That's pretty much it...an easy, 2-step process.  It's a subtle, but noticeable difference:

I am sooooooooo loving this pencil!  I don't think I can go back to my old pencil and powder routine!  Hope some of you found this review useful and that you're enjoying this lovely Sunday afternoon! :D

Hugs,

Cat

April MyGlam Review Part 1

Hey all!  I got a chance to try most of the items from this month's MyGlam bag, so I thought I'd just share my findings with you. :D

Being a total color addict, of course the first item I'd try would be Urban Decay's 24/7 pencil eyeliner in Ransom!

Such a gorgeous, vibrant shade of indigo-violet!  It glided on smooth, creamy, and pigmented like a dream!

Since I always set my pencil eyeliner with matching shadow, I took this opportunity to try out my new MyGlam shadow brush, which I found to be soft, precise, and perfect for the job!

I wanted to Ransom to really stand out, so I kept everything else around the eye fairly neutral to finish:

I'm generally not a huge fan of purple hues because I've always thought they look a little off with my skin tone, but I really love this shade.  I can totally see myself doing a sexy, purple smoke with this that would perfect with the faux lashes, which I'll be reviewing next time! :)

Next up is the DermStore Lip Quench:

It's supposed to a hydrating balm which gives your lips a fuller appearance.  The product itself is a pale, peachy-pink hue with a pearlescent sheen.  It goes on sheer to colorless and, while I expected it to have a tingly sensation associated with plumping lip products, it applied sensation-free.  I think the "plumping" element, is more of the illusion of full lips due to subtle shimmer and shine.  The formula itself is slightly tacky, which I prefer because I find that a little bit of stickiness constitutes longer wear.  It has a very light tropical fragrance that isn't unpleasant.  Here's a before and after image of my lips with Lip Quench:

I received fairly long-wearing hydration...about 6 hours before I reapplied.  My only gripe is that I wish it offered sun protection, otherwise, I'm fairly happy with it.

That's what I've got for today!  Stay updated for Part 2 with an alternate Ransom look as well as faux lashes and a review of the MyGlam slanted liner/brow brush.  Hope everyone's having a happy Tuesday so far!

Hugs,
Cat

Spring Shoesies!

I was at the mall helping my mom shop for an outfit to wear to an event when I came across these:

Aren't they darling?  They're linen and cotton floral print platform cork slingbacks by Rampage called Grayson.  I thought they would be perfect for ringing in spring.  The rain has finally given way and it's been all sunshine today.  I imagine these would go so well with dresses, skirts, shorts, crops, etc.  They were also on sale for only $34 and y'all know I can't resist a good bargain! :D  Can't wait to turn heads in these...love 'em!  Happy Sunday everyone!

Hugs,
Cat

April MyGlam!

Hey, guess what I got in the mail yesterday? :D

So this month's bag is "Girls Night Out" themed.  I must say, it's probably the most fun edition I've received so far!

In addition to the snazzy metallic pink makeup bag, I also got a generous sample-sized 24/7 Glide On Eye Pencil from Urban Decay in Ransom:

Uniquely shaped falsies from a Japanese brand called All-Belle:

What appears to be a lip-plumping balm from Dermstore:

And two pink MyGlam makeup brushes, an angled eyeliner/eyebrow brush and a small fluffy eyeshadow brush which are soft and decent in quality:

At a glance, I'm pretty happy with April's bag.  I'm well overdue for a Girls Night Out, and this was a fantastic reminder!  I can't wait to give each item a try and will definitely update you guys with a thorough review real soon!  Hope you're all enjoying your weekend so far!

Hugs,
Cat

YesStyle Fleece and Dior Romantique

It's been awhile, but there was no rain this weekend and my favorite photographer had some time off so we were able to complete a style shoot!

Outfit Details

Dress: YesStyle

Sunglasses: Sunglass Warehouse

Belt: googled

Bag: Dior

Boots: Zappos

I like shopping YesStyle because I enjoy Asian-inspired fashion, a lot of these styles come from Japan, Korea, and Hong Kong.  They kind of stand out among the American fashion that I'm so accustomed to and, sometimes, I like looking a little unique. :)  This was a really great dress because it came with accessories as well!  A cozy, fleece, hanky-hemmed dress, a tulle underskirt, and brushed fleece tights!  The bow belt was my own, however.  I found it for $7 on some random site I googled online.

I'm going to have to gush about these tights!  They're the most amazing thing since sliced bread!  I only wish I discovered them earlier.  They're very opaque with a warm, plush interior all while keeping your legs slim-looking.  My gams are just as toasty in the cold weather wearing these tights as they are when I am wearing pants.  In fact, on very cold days, I wear them INSIDE my jeans.  I was so excited when I received these that I ordered 3 more pairs in different colors!

Somewhere along the way, Daisy decided to participate in the shoot, as she sometimes does, lol.  As you can see, she's happy, healthy, and doing just fine! :D  In fact, she's been getting herself into all sorts of mischief lately!

This is an oldie but goodie!  I love the cutesy bags that Dior used to make years ago.  I don't know if any of you remember the Girly and the Romantique collections.  Super sugary-sweet stuff!  Their bags are still nice, but are more sophisticated now, and much more expensive...I suppose that's to be expected with the kind of clientele that can afford their merchandise these days.

I'm a huge fan of knee-high boots.  They're sexy, in a way.  But even better, these are super-comfy!  I can wear them for miles.  I especially like the button details.  They give the entire look a slight military feel.

I felt like accenting the outfit with a bow belt, but even without the belt, the dress has a really cute detail in the back: corset-style laces!  Reminds me of the medieval or renaissance era, but with a modern twist!

Anyways, I know this post was a little photo-heavy, but I really wanted to share all the details with you all.  Hope you enjoyed and have a great rest of your Monday! :D

Hugs,
Cat