August Favorites!

Hey everyone!

I missed my monthly favorites last month, because I really didn’t have any, lol. I did have one- using a shimmery blush as a highlighter also- for instance, Wet n’ Wild’s Pearlescent Pink. It’s a gorgeous peachy pink that adds some gold shimmer. Actually, that led to an obsession with cheek products which has continued into this month. Ready to see them? Here goes:

Clockwise from bottom right: MAC Plumfoolery blush, Revlon Pure Confection highlighter, Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse foundation

A closer look at the beautifulness that is Pure Confection

Swatches from top to bottom: Revlon Pure Confection highlighter, MAC Plumfoolery blush, Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse foundation

MAC Plumfoolery blush- This was my first MAC product I ever bought and I love it. It goes nicely against any skintone, like my fair-to-medium complexion. It’s got very fine shimmer sprinkled lightly throughout so it does add warm up your face a bit.

Revlon Pure Confection highlighting powder- This was limited edition from last year’s Revlon Pure Confection collection and I was lucky enough to find it on clearance at my Walgreens. I am so glad I did! It has gorgeous mint green, pink, and a hint of copper-y bronze-ish golden veining. If you wear it by itself, the pink does show up enough to be a legit blush, and it’s finely milled so it doesn’t make you look like a disco ball.

Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse foundation- Check out my review here to see what I have to say about this lovely gem!

Copper shade from Victoria Jackson palette- I ADORE this because it has “spiced up” my boring neutral-eye look. Sometimes I’ll put this in the inner corner and other times over a dark brown in the crease.
 Anyways, I’ll be posting something later this week about this little treasure :) It doesn't look metallic in the pics below bu it definitely has that look.

The copper shade is the one in the middle, to the right of the ivory one

Have you had any monthly favorites? Let me know in the comments below or, if you have a blog, leave a link and I would love to look at them!

~Gabrielle~

Review: Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse foundation

Hey everyone!

I have been testing out Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse Powder for the past two months or so, and I have come to some conclusions, chief among them: This might just be my Holy Grail foundation.

I love the texture of this- it’s a mousse, so it feels really smooth and spreads easily on my face. It’s a cream (or mousse?)-to-powder formula, so there isn’t a need to put powder on over this, unless you have a super oily skin type.  It gives my skin a smooth look while mattifying my oily spots.

Another thing I love about this is the coverage it gives. It covers minor blemishes and somewhat cancels out dark circles. For anything else, you will need to apply a concealer. (I have this in Light Nude 4, which is a perfect match for my skin.) Lasting power is also pretty formidable. I wore this for about 8 hours (a little longer than my school day) and there were very minimal oily spots on my forehead only.

Dare I say it? This is my new favorite foundation and my Holy Grail. At least until the next one comes along.

28 August- Unfortunately I deleted my pictures that I took with/without foundation. I will have those up tomorrow, so be sure to check back for those. 

Stock image from maybelline.com

Have you tried this foundation? What do you think? What’s your current favorite foundation?

~Gabrielle~

Maquilagem Masstige's Giveaways!

Hey everyone!

Jamie, or PoorCollegeStudent over at Maquilagem Masstige is having two really great giveaways!

The first is to celebrate her 100 followers, check it out here:
http://maquilagem-masstige.blogspot.com/2010/08/my-first-giveaway.html

The second is some products she got from a beauty event she went to:
http://maquilagem-masstige.blogspot.com/2010/08/huge-giveaway-urban-decay-and-jane.html

There will also be some links in the sidebar!

Hopefully, I will have a review of a foundation I have been trying lately and loving by the end of the week, as well as some mini-reviews of products I've been testing; that should be up sometime during the weekend.

Tata for now!

~Gabrielle~

Chanel Inimitable Intense Mascara

Hey everyone!

No, I don't actually own the new Chanel Inimitable Intense mascara, nor do I plan on shelling out 30 bucks for it- but how gorgeous is this promo image?!?!?!

Picture from Temptalia.com

The multi-color eyes! The softly curled, luscious shiny hair! The perfect combination of blue eyeliner, pink blush, and nudey-pink lips! Chanel has certainly done a good job with this campaign image. I've been thinking about trying to recreate this look, but there's really not much to it.

Have you seen this image before? What do you think about it? Leave a comment below and tell me what you have to say! :)

~Gabrielle~

Personalizing Your Uniform, Part Deux

Hey everyone!

Sorry once again about the absence, but I was "kidnapped" to the beach and ending up staying there the whole weekend at my friend's beach house. It was a great way to end the summer, being there with my friends and everything. Anyway, here's the second part of my series, finally!

Shoesshoesshoesshoes. I wouldn't say I'm one of those people that's obsessed with shoes, but I do love a nice pair of cute anythings. I like flats, boat shoes, tennis shoes, espadrilles, etc. Just make sure the color/type of shoe is in compliance with your dress code! 

Left to right: Sperry Bahama Topsiders, Journeys; gold flats (I don't know where they're from)

I love backpacks because everyone has to have one, but no two are exactly the same. I usually use a bright orange flowery one from L.L. Bean, with a lot of keychains on it (I used to collect them), but occasionally I use a tote bag from the Gap that's very nautical.

Backpack, L.L. Bean

Tote bag, the Gap

Sorry about the shortness, but I already have a couple of tests and quizzes by the end of the week and I need to catch up on my beauty sleep! Talk to you all as soon as I can!

~Gabrielle~

Back to School EOTD

Hey everyone!

Ok, I know I said today would be part 2 of the uniform series, but I forgot to take pictures and my camera's charging now; so I'm posting about a good EOTD I came up with for the first day of school. It's neutral, but with a twist.

Start off with the usual- primer (Almay Eye Base+Concealer), a lid shade (e.l.f. Golden Glow), contour in the crease (MAC Chocolate Brown pigment), and a highlight (shimmery cream shadow from the Wet n Wild Pride palette). Neutral? Very. Too neutral, in fact, for the first day, which as everyone knows, sets the tone for the rest of the school year. :) So how do you fix that? Elementary, my dear readers. First, add some copper (from the Victoria Jackson palette) under the crease color in the outer lid, and then some golden sparkle in the inner corner (London Calling from Too Faced Glamour Revolution palette). BAM!!! It lights up your eye and will complement any eye color. Finish off with some brown eyeliner on the top lashline, smudged under the bottom lashline (or waterline, if you like; personally I like the lashline better), and some mascara (L'Oreal Voluminous).

Some things for the rest of your face that would complement this- a peachy pink blush (think NARS Orgasm, but without the shimmer) and a frosty nude lippie (Rimmel Moisture Renew lipstick in Dreamy).

Whatcha think?

~Gabrielle~

Personalizing A Uniform- Part One

Hey everyone!

Continuing my Back To School Week here, this is the first in a two-part post about personalizing a uniform. I have been going to private school my whole life and have had to wear a uniform through all of it, so I’ve picked up a few tricks on showing my style while keeping with the dress code. (Wow, do I sound like one of those magazines, like “7 ways to go back to school in style!”, LOL!) And even if you don’t wear a uniform, hopefully you’ll see a cute accessory you like.

First, this is what I have to work with: either an oxford or polo shirt (spirit shirt on Friday!!) and either a gray or navy skirt, or navy or khaki shorts. I chose the long-sleeved blue oxford shirt and gray skirt, because this is my personal favorite combination.  

Boring blah uniform

Now, let’s start with the hair- I usually pull mine up into a ponytail or just leave it down, so I can use a hair ribbon or a pretty headband. For something extra-cool, you can use a hair band with a cute flower or something else sewn on! There are so many cute patterns and bright colors available, this should be something easy to find. 

A headband and some cute ribbons; I would show my flower hairband but I couldn't find it!!! :-(

Next, moving onto jewelry- most people have a staple necklace or ring that they put on everyday automatically. But what about switching that out for something a little more statement-making? For instance, I love long dangly earrings or large studs, and they’re so readily available at stores like Target, Forever 21, Icing, etc., the hardest part is picking which one you want to wear that day! Also, a colorful watch is really fashionable and functional, especially for someone like me who always has to know the time, plus I need it after school for cross country! 

Some bracelets in my school colors, earrings, and a cute ice cream necklace!

Now how does it look all put together?

Much better! Note hand on hip and rolled up cuffs for added "baditude"- prep-style, of course! :)

Don’t be shy about mixing a whole bunch of stuff, especially with a uniform- as long as you don’t pile on a whole lot of stuff, the accessories will balance each other out! That’s all for today, but be sure to check back tomorrow for part 2!!!

~Gabrielle~

PS Special thanks to my parents for letting me borrow their closet- unfortunately, my own is not that big, nor does it have a full length mirror.

School Makeup Bag Essentials

Hey everyone!

This will be the beginning of my "Back to School Week", with posts featuring back to school beauty tips. I'm kicking it off with some advice on what to carry in a makeup bag that you can easily stash in your backpack. This is stuff that you can use if you only have 5 minutes or less to do makeup in the morning, like if you've overslept your alarm, or pulled an all-nighter and you look like a hot mess. (I've been in both situations; trust me, not fun!!!) Here's some essentials to make you look wide awake and can easily be stored in a cute little makeup bag.

Counterclockwise from top left:

Concealer: You should have a concealer with you that can cover both blemishes and under eye circles. I like MAC Studio Sculpt concealer because it's thick and creamy, but easily blended out.

Powder: After you applied concealer, use powder to set it and also apply powder to any oily areas, no foundation needed! I use CoverGirl Clean Oil Control Powder.

Blush: A slightly shimmery blush will act as both highlighter and blush, warming up your face. This is MAC Plumfoolery, but a good drugstore one is Wet n Wild Pearlescence Pink.

Brush: A kabuki or buffing brush will work well for both your powder products so you can save space in your bag. This was in a Sephora Professionel brush set.

Mascara: This is essential to open up your eyes! It will make them look wider with just a few coats. This is my current favorite, CoverGirl Lash Blast Fusion. You can also use a lash curler to help your eyes look even more awake, but I don't have one so I can't picture it :(

Eyeshadow: I use the shimmery white eyeshadow in this palette and apply it on the center of my eye, on the inner corner, and under the brow bone which highlights your eyes and helps you look more awake. For application, you can use the brush included which saves space! This is one of the best trick I know; it really works!

That's it, but what school makeup essentials do you use? Leave me a comment below and let me know!

~Gabrielle~

PS Sorry for the quality of pictures, but I can't find my camera charger so I had to use my webcam. Hopefully after I finish cleaning my room tomorrow I will have been able to find it!!!

Random Nonsense- A question and a plea for help!!

Hey everyone!

I'm on a mini vacation, my last before school starts, :(. As such, I had an idea to do a couple of school-themed posts next week such as how to personalize a uniform, an easy back-to-school look, organization tips, etc. What do you thing?

Another thing, I really need all of your help! I have tried using my Wet n Wild eyeshadow palette, but alas, no cigar! I cannot make those shadows stay on my lid. Seeing as how I used primer and don't have particularly oily lids, what do you think I should do? Did I simply get a bad batch, or am I not using it correctly (I've used it with Almay eye base, Too Faced Shadow Insurance, and without anything; and I'm just using it normally!)? Any and all tips would be appreciated, thank you!

~Gabrielle~

I Give Up.

Hey everyone!

I am talking about Rimmel Sexy Curves mascara, which I purchased about two weeks ago and have been using since then. I had never heard anything about it, but decided to try it anyways, and besides I had a $2.00 off coupon. Well, let me tell you, I am now wishing I had gotten the Max Flash mascara because quite frankly this mascara just does not cut it. I normally would spend a little more time with it before reviewing it but I just don’t like it that much. However, if this changes, you guys will be the first to know!

Oh yes, the packaging is so cute, with a shiny purple tube and an embossed crown on top (sound familiar? What other Rimmel product looks like that? Answer below!). The brush… well, I can’t really describe it so let me just show you:

This is a “triple plump” brush for “fuller curvier lashes.” To me this just seems like a gimmick because it really doesn’t seem to help.

Nekkid lashes!

How about the formula? I think this is an ok formula. Sexy Curves is a little on the thin side, but most mascaras tend to thicken after a month or so, so I’m not too hung up on that. But it does dry quickly, and once it does you can’t go back and add some without forming unilash. That’s a little inconvenient for me, because I usually do one coat on one eye, then go to the other eye, and repeat until I get the desired effect. But now I do one eye at a time, which throws me off in the morning.

And the lengthening and volumizing? It gives just a little extra something, very natural looking and nothing dramatic. This isn’t what I was looking for; I like a lot of length and volume. It does better in the latter category, but even that isn’t saying much. It's just not impressive.

3 coats of Rimmel Sexy Curves

Now that all that is over, I have to go over my #1 complaint- smudging. Even after it has dried (and formed unilash) if you blink this mascara will usually leave little smudges on your eyelid. This is quite annoying, especially if you’ve already got your eyeshadow on. But the weirdest thing is that I noticed smudging right above my lashline after applying Sexy Curves. I think this is due to the bulbous parts of the brush hitting there while putting the mascara on, but I could be wrong. It’s really annoying though because it’s hard to wash off, and especially annoying if you’ve already applied the rest of your eye makeup.

All things considered, this not a good mascara and definitely not worth repurchasing. It only gives minimal length and volume, smudges easily, doesn’t give curvier lashes, and is just plain annoying. I think the only good thing it does is help your lashes grow, because of added proteins. But let’s face it, I can just use L’Oreal’s lash serum for that and not have to deal with it. My advice? Stay far away from this mascara.

Have you tried this mascara, and if so, what are your thoughts? Any mascaras you think I should try? Comment!

~Gabrielle~

PS The packaging is very reminiscent of their own Moisture Renew lipsticks!

 PPS Is anyone else really excited for Shark Week on Discovery Channel?