Of Monsters and Men - Little Talks Inspiration + Makeup

I'm going to try posting weekly music videos that have inspired me. I've always loved music videos and how beautiful and artistic they can be and have taken a lot of that inspiration and applied it to the work that I do.

Today, I'm going with Of Monsters and Men - Little Talks. They're a relatively new band from Iceland, but are getting big fast! I'm a huge fan of their first album and looove the music video for this song. I love the makeup for all the members but especially for the girl (duh!) it's beautiful! A little alien and super out there but I love what they did with the feather lashes and the gold lips are gorgeous!

Update; 07/31/12

I liked the makeup so much I did a tutorial :) It's not that fantastic, and I suck at theatre makeup but I had a really fun time making it.

Enjoy!

xoxoxo

Eyeliner Review from Best to Worst

I've gone through more eyeliners than I can count and tend to use liquid/felt tip liners most often. I decided to make a list of my personal favorite/least favorite liquid/felt tip liners. I have them listed from best to worst.

Below is a picture with the swatches in the same order of the list, best to worst, from left to right. (the last swatch is in green because I hated the black I used so much I'd already thrown it away, but I still had the product in green...)

#1. BEST - L'oreal Lineur Intense Felt Tip Liquid Eyeliner - Black Mica

I LOVE this felt tip liner. I use it nearly every day and have re-purchased it several times. The felt tip is the perfect size, not TOO skinny and definitely not too thick. The line comes out precise and smooth, and I can get sharp points whenever I decide to go with a cat-eye/winged liner look. The formula is long-lasting, but not waterproof (which I prefer). It CAN smudge slightly througout the day right at the area where your outer eyelid creases/wrinkles when you close your eye, but it's typically not until late in the day and I normally don't wear my liner that low.

All in all, the pros way outway the cons and I can't say enough how much I love this liner!

#2 - NYX Collection Noir Liquid Black Liner

This is my go-to liner whenever I want that classic pin-up flawless eyeliner look. The formula is great and super pigmented, and I've had no trouble with it smudging or wearing off throughout the day. The line it makes is extremely precise and I get the sharpest point with this liner. Love it!

#3 - Urban Decay 24/7 Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner - Perversion

I've never been a huge fan of waterproof eyeliners or mascaras, but in the situations that I know I'm going to need it, I use this liner every time. I've used this liner at waterparks, funerals and when I've been out and sweaty and it's never budged. The color comes off pretty good, though I occasionally need to apply 2 coats to get it as dark as I want it. The formula comes out smooth and again, once it's on, it's not coming off until you wash it with makeup remover.

#4 - e.l.f Liquid Eyeliner

For the ridiculously low price, this liquid liner is amazing! I love this stuff! I believe this only costs $1 per liner in stores, and I've had nothing but good results with it. I use the liquid liner in brown most often which gives super natural results. The pigmentation is slighly light, so I normally use 2 coats, and it CAN smudge/wear off a bit throughout the day, but again, for the price, I love love love this liner. I haven't been able to find a brown liquid liner I like more than this one :)

#5 - NYX Super Skinny Eye Marker

I'm not a huge fan of this felt tip liner. The formula isn't as wet as the L'Oreal brand and I've had trouble getting it to apply smooth over eyeshadow. The line is gives IS extremely fine and detailed, but I've just never been able to get it to apply to the eye fluidly. It doesn't roll over the lid smoothly and it seems like it dries out halfway through and need to be wiped off/shaked to get it to work.

#6 - L'Oreal Telescopic Precision Liquid Eyeliner

I have no complaints with the formula, as it's extremely pigmented but I'm awful using the blunt rubber tip. It's no good for precision lines and the product tends to go everywhere. This may just be a user error since I'm not used to using this kind of applicator, but it's definitely not a user friendly product.

#7 - Milani Infinite Liquid Eye Liner - Everlast

Ok... normally I'm a Milani lover, but I HATE this product! The formula is too thick, the brush is too big and it's a pain to get off. The only plus I can give this product is that it calls itself 24 hour, and I don't doubt it is. I took it off immediatly after using it, but for how hard it was to remove, I don't doubt it would last all day and night. The formula itself is extremely thick and tends to clump, and the brush itself is too wide and makes fine lines impossible. I couldn't see myself ever using this liner in black and I ended up tossing it, but I do have the product in green which I honestly can say I do like. I do use the green as an accent color and it works great for that because it won't wear off, but I will never buy the black again.

Phew! So those are my favorite/least favorite liquid and felt tip liners. I've tried most of them (minus the last one) several times and hope this review can help out anyone looking for a good black liner!

Till next time!

xoxoxo

Summer Protection for Fair Skin

I make it my mission every summer to protect and maintain my pale complexion. In past years I've sabotaged myself by being lazy with my skincare and been branded with awful tan lines as a result. I've given sunless tanners a shot before also, but at the end of the day, I prefer to embrace my pastey skin :)

 If I know I'm going to be out in the sun for an extended period of time, I lather up with SPF. Here's a few skin care products that have been working for me so far this summer.

Olay Complete Lotion for Combination Skin with SPF 15 ($9.49) I start off with this product every morning as a daily moisturizer before applying any other makeup. I swear by this stuff! It's light, not greasy and sinks in to the skin really well. Don't forget to apply it to the neck and upper chest!

 

Clear Face Liquid Lotion Sunblock SPF 30 ($10.97) After moisturizer, I apply this sunblock to my face whenever I know I'm going to be spending time in the sun. I love it because it's advertized as being break-out free, and so far it's lived up to that claim. I have very sensitive skin and it's very prone to break outs, so after using this several times without any negative reactions, it's a favorite!

Neutrogena - Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunblock - SPF 55 ($7.04) For the rest of my skin, I've stuck with this sunblock for years. It does what it says and is non-greasy and has done an amazing job protecting my skin throughout the day. It can be a little deceiving at first, as when it's first applied it does seem oily, but once it's smoothed on to the skin and left to dry for about 1-2 minutes, you can't even tell it's there.  

Those are my 3 must have products to preserve my lack of color in the summer! Other steps I take to avoid burning and tanning in the summer is wearing sunglasses whenever I can to keep harmful rays away from the tender skin under my eyes, wearing large hats to further shade my face and I stick to the shade when possible. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE the summer and I love spending time outside, but to keep a porcelain complexion, you have to put a lot of effort in to it!

Until next time!

xoxoxoxo

 

New Direction!

So I'm pretty aware that I'm awful at updating this blog with hair/makeup/fashion updates. To be honest, I just forget half the time and am a bit lazy. (BIG surprise...)

BUT! I have no intention of giving up. I've decided that to keep me interested/excited about blogging, I'm going to open this thing up as more of an all around interest diary. I suck at writing about my day and I hate blogs that complain and moan and groan, so I just intend to post a bigger variety of my likes/dislikes in fashion, film, games, TV, music,  makeup, etc.

Love it or hate it, I think it'll be a lot of fun!

To start off my new direction with a dance party, I've posted my favorite clip from Girls that has been making me smile today :)

Ciaté Caviar Manicure

Sooo I caved and bought Ciaté Caviar Manicure from Sephora. I won't lie, I did my best to avoid it and went to 3 different craft stores looking for micro beads w/out thread holes, but came up unsuccessful. Being me, when I want something I go on a mission so I finallly resigned myself to dropping the $25 and buying the kit.

 I decided to go with the Black Pearls kit. I figured it would be the most versatile for the colors I typically use.

 And here are the results! I painted 2 coats of the black nail polish that came with the kit. Instead of applying the beads after the 2nd coat, I waited for it to dry and added nail glue then worked in the beads. For the money, I'm making sure these things last the longest they possibly can!

So far so good, I think the end result is super pretty, unique and fresh. Definitely something I'll most likely use primarily for special occasions, but I'd definitely consider buying other colors. (Or online search for regular micro beads >>;;;)

Until next time!

XOXOXO <3

Jessica Inspired True Blood Makeup Tutorial

As promised, my 2nd post of the night is to showcase my True Blood Jessica inspired look! I've always loved Jessica's makeup on the show. It's simple, clean but very eye catching. The teeth for this look were ridiculous! I couldn't get them to stay in so I apologize for the goofy pictures :D

Enjoy!

Joan Mad Men Season 5 Inspired Makeup Tutorial

Woah! Sorry for the long hiatus! I've been a super slacker with updates, so I'll catch up with 2 tonight!

I decided to do a revamp of my Mad Men Joan makeup tutorial. I did one last year when I was first getting in to doing makeup tutorials. I really thought I could do one with a lot better quality now than I had then, AND with season 5 in full swing, I wanted to give my take on how Joan's makeup has evolved since my last video.

Enjoy!