Shakeup Your Makeup

As promised, I have swatched the NYX Eyeshadow Singles that I received in the mail on Friday - now I definitely have a lot of colors to choose from! I have to admit, the texture, pigmentation, and staying power of these shadows are in a league of their own, especially for the price! I would put these up against any high end eyeshadows.


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I got all my lipsticks and the eyeshadows from the NYX lot sale!  Pictures coming soon....

You know when you look through your makeup and "re"discover something you haven't used in a while? Well that happened to me the other day when I came across Nars Earth Angel eyeshadow duo. I received this a few years ago as a gift for my birthday and used it religiously, and then it fell to the bottom of my collection, only to be lost for years!


I decided I needed a neutral look, so I used these eyeshadows, along with MAC's Vanilla pigment.

Most of you know that although I love my high end brands like MAC, but there is no denying that there are some really good brands you can find at your local drug store as well. One of these is Jesse's Girl, which unfortunately is not in any drug store around me, but has a great website with great deals and fantastic customer service!

I just received an email from them yesterday about some new products, one of which is their new Stardust Powder eyeshadows, which remind me of some of the really pretty Smashbox colors for spring. These retail for $4.49 each, but on the website you can order the whole collection for $24.00!

There are several new shades in their Eye Dusts, which a lot of people compare to the same quality of MAC pigments, and the color variety is second to none! I have a whole set of sample baggies of all the colors (with the exception to the new ones that just came out on their website this week) and the colors are vibrant, staying power is exceptional, and the price is phenomenal at $3.99 a piece!

Give Jesse's Girl a try, you won't be disappointed!

I was very anxious to get home and try my new MAC items from yesterday, so this is what I decided to do as a simple look.

I needed a break at work yesterday, so I decided it was time for a treat from MAC. I went to the local Nordstrom's because I had wanted to see the Grand Duo collection, as well as the newer Sugar Sweet - nothing says spring like sugary pastels!

After much deliberation, I decided on the following blush, Grand Duo. A beautiful color, one half is a swirl of pink, peach and bronze, while the solid is a beautiful frosty/shimmery raspberry color. These colors are not for the shimmer-shy, that's for sure! No wonder I love them so much - tons of color and sparkle!


Below the Grand Duo is swatched out: Swirled side, Raspberry Side, and together.

While I was at the counter, I decided to splurge and buy the MAC paint pot in Bare Study, as I have been eyeing this item for quite some time and am almost out of my UDPP. I love the color - a perfect base or quick and easy eye brightener.

Last, but definitely not least, is MAC's Sugar Shot, from the Sugar Sweet collection. What a beautiful, bright and shimmery high light or base. This color is a cool champagne with lots of silver shimmer in it. I used it today with taupes, and it was the perfect match!

I also bought my mom one of the duo blushes, this one in Love Rock, which I will take pictures of shortly.

I love spring! I looked outside the other day and noticed that all my spring bulbs are coming up, and some are even in bloom - the beautiful purple crocus and bright yellow daffodils! With the warm weather we have been graced with, I decided to reflect the onset of spring in a pretty pale green look, using Ulta's Eyeshadow "Lustre" and Milani's Runway Fashion Eyeshadow in "Glamorous Gems".



For the look below I used Carmindy by Sally Hansen's foundation in Ecru Beige. The blush I used was Fyrinnae's Spellbound. For the eyes I used the lightest green strip in the Milani shadow and applied on the inner corners and lower lash line. I then applied the next color, the bright green, to the outer corners and into the crease, blending together. Ulta's Eyeshadow in Lustre was used along the brow bone. Finish up with 2 coats of Yves St Laurent Faux Clis #1 Mascara, and you're set! The lip gloss I used was Bare Escentuals Buxom Gloss in "Amber".

For those of you who haven't heard, NYX Cosmetics is having an absolutely fantastic lot sale on their website.  Talk about value!  All 30 of their lipsticks (retail value $120.00) for $24.00!  Or, get 43 of their highly pigmented eyeshadows (retail value $215.00) for $43.00 - now that's a steal!  I personally ordered both the eyshadows and the lipsticks, so I'll definitely take some pictures and upload them when it arrives.

TotalBeauty.com has a list of 12 at home ways to create a spa at home without breaking the budget. The best part is, about 90% of the items you probably already have in your pantry or refrigerator at home. Take some time to try out a few of these items below when you need a little "me time" to pamper yourself!


I picked two of the twelve recipes below to put on my "to do" list for my spa day, which I will be having sooner rather than later after reading the article! The first is a Papaya Face Mask and the second is a Relaxing Foot Soak. I can already feel the stress easing away!

Being the Bare Escentuals makeup fiend that I am, I thought I would share another little bargain I bought a while back from the Bare Escentuals boutique here in Indianapolis. I thought these colors would be perfect for spring, especially as an eyeliner or bright smokey look. The two colors that came in this kit are Masquarade - a deep turquoise blue, and Mystery, a very warm mauve/lilac color with hints of fuscia and gold sparkles.

The swatches below give you a good idea - but I would almost put these as a "duochrome" type color because as you move, the colors adapt to the lighting and change. I swatched these dry, and you can see how dramatic the coloring is - as a liner, the shimmer comes out a bit more.

I will try and use these as an eyeshadow and liner in some upcoming EOTD's to give you an idea of each's versatility.