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Rain Cosmetics: Miss USA 2011 Makeup

Click to view full size and get a closer look at Alyssa’s makeup!

As a Californian I’m proud that Miss California, Alyssa Campanella, is now Miss USA 2011! The makeup sponsor for the Miss USA pageant this year was Rain Cosmetics, a Las Vegas-based brand. You may recall I reviewed their Gloss of Fame back in April. Well, now I have a break-down of how you can get the beautiful look Alyssa wore the night she won the Miss USA crown.

Face
Alyssa is wearing Perfect Cream Foundation applied with the Point of Perfection brush, which is a really neat pointed dome brush for liquid or cream foundations. I’m thinking Alyssa wears the shade “Bone”. Then the makeup artist set her foundation with Setting Loose Powder. 
On her cheeks, she has on Glowing Blush in Burlesque.
Eyes
To get her sultry eye look, Rain’s MUA used the Diva Eye Shadow Quad in Viva Las Vegas. The Viva Las Vegas quad is a workhorse type quad with solid basic neutrals that anyone could use to achieve a variety of looks. The shadows included in this quad are Allure (matte cream beige), La Bella (matte mocha brown), Shalimar (matte warm brown), and Canterbury (pinky peach with subtle shimmer). She also primed Alyssa’s eyes with Private Eye Primer. 
For Alyssa’s eye look, after priming apply Shalimar all over the lid up to just past the crease. Highlight the inner corners of the eyes with Canterbury. For the smokey eye, apply La Bella eye shadow. Start in the outer corner and blend inward in the crease. Rain’s makeup artist used their Hey Big Spender blender brush. Then use Allure shadow as your brow highlight. 
Alyssa’s makeup artist then lined the upper and bottom lash line with Expressive Eye Pencil in Black, smudging it out ever so slightly with the I’ll Be the Smudge of That brush – Rain Cosmetics’ products all have such cute names! For mascara, Alyssa is wearing two coats of Rain’s High Roller mascara and some false lashes. To add some polish to her brows, the makeup artist applied Shalimar shadow with an angled brush and some clear brow gel. 
Lips
Alyssa’s perfect pout starts with Expressive Lip Pencil in Cameo (a neutral nude shade). For lipstick, she has Glam Lipstick in Stretch Limo – a gorgeous peachy shade I’d wear myself!! And to top that off, Gloss of Fame in Wine Newton – the lip gloss I reviewed and loved. 

What do you think of Alyssa’s makeup look? I think she looks stunning! And I get a kick out of the fact that she was wearing the same gloss I have. :) I’m nerdy like that.
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Everyday Makeup Look

I told myself I’d share more makeup looks with you guys when I started blogging again, so here’s what I wore out on Tuesday afternoon! I was going to meet with a college counselor…how exciting! :)

I apologize for the “artsy” angle here but the light wasn’t quite right any other way lol. The other pictures made my face look really dark for some reason. You can click to enlarge if you want.
Breakdown…
Face: Tarte Smooth Operator Amazonian Clay Illuminating Serum, MAC Studio Fix Powder in N3, and Make Up For Ever Full Cover concealer in shade 2 (this shade of concealer has been discontinued)

Cheek: Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush in Blushing Bride (applied very lightly) and TheBalm Mary-Lou Manizer to highlight 

Eyes: MAC Painterly Paint Pot (just to neutralize the color of my lids) and Josie Maran GOGO Mascara. Brows were simply filled in with Billion Dollar Brows eye brow powder in Taupe.

Lips: NARS Lip Gloss in Bougainville, sheerly applied (this was limited edition and has been discontinued, but for a similar color try NYX Mega Shine Gloss in Garnet, shown here on the lovely bloggess at Rocaille Writes)
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Fun Office Makeup Look

Now that I’m working again, I have an excuse to do my makeup every day! Hooray! And this is what I came up with today. It’s a super quick, easy look that still looks pulled together and polished. All photos can be clicked to see larger. I purposefully took these photos in my office because I think we have all been in the situation where we do our face at home and it looks fabulous and then in office lighting it looks EWWW. So I wanted to show you that this look does in fact look alright under fluorescent evil lights.

Just being silly. ;)

Breakdown of the look…
FACE: MAC Studio Fix Powder Plus Foundation in shade N3, applied with an ELF Studio Powder Brush. My skin’s behaving and I was in a hurry, so I skipped concealer. I have heard some people complain that this powder foundation is cakey, but I haven’t found that to be the case. Nor do I find that it oxidizes on me. 
CHEEKS: No bronzer or fancy contouring necessary. I just tapped on some Rock ‘n Republic blush in Spank with a duo fibre brush. This blush is the perfect pink. And I’ve tried a lot of them! 
EYES: Brows are filled in with my trusty Billion Dollar Brows powder (and really need some grooming… oops). I applied MUFE Aqua Cream in shade #2 to my lids. It’s the most beautiful taupey pewter. I love Aqua Creams because they can be applied with your fingers and they do not crease. Pretty enough to wear alone but great bases as well. Finally, my favorite mascara lately is Hourglass Film Noir mascara in Onyx. I neglected to curl my lashes this time.
LIPS: Okay, you’ll be wowed. This lip is a tinted lip balm. Seriously. It’s Vasanti Cosmetics‘ Tinted Lip Balm in Tahiti. It may just be one of my favorite lip products ever. Not only does it really pack a punch in the color department, the color doesn’t fade right away like other tinted balms (-ahem- Labello), and it’s so moisturizing. 
By the way, do you like my glasses? I got them from Zenni Optical, which is a site I’ve also run ads for on my Twitter account. I just wanted to let you guys know that I run ads by Zenni because I really do like them! Not only am I a happy customer, so is my mom! :) We both paid for our glasses, and nobody asked me to post this on my blog.
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Make Up For Ever Face & Body First Impressions

When I went to see the MUFE boutique opening last month, Cat, my adorable makeup artist for the day told me I have just got to try the Face & Body foundation. “It’s sick!” she said, saying it feels just like nothing on your skin and gives a very natural look. Well, today I finally tried it! And I must say, it’s everything Cat promised it would be.

First of all, here’s how it looks on me:

(Don’t believe the “lie”. I may look like I have nothing to cover but I have all sorts of little tiny red marks and stuff. Blah!)
I have shade 38, and if you remember, I wear 110 in the HD foundation. These two shades are very similar. MUFE HD #110 might be slightly more pink. However, 38 is a great match for me too.
I applied it with my Sigma duo fibre brush. I didn’t like how that brush applied the HD foundation, but I think it works really well for Face & Body. The texture of this foundation is very liquidy. I did shake it before using as directed on the bottle, but it’s almost runny. However, the wetter formula is nice because it’s not one of those foundations where you have to blend super fast or it will set in blotches on your face *cough, Colorstay*. 
The coverage is light at first, but buildable. When I applied this I purposefully went over some areas several times to see if it would cake up and it did not. You’re still going to only build this to about medium coverage, in my opinion. However, I really don’t like those “full coverage” foundations most of the time. They’re usually too thick and mask-like anyway. I ascribe to the same school of thought as makeup artist Lisa Eldridge when it comes to covering spots on the face: limit the heavy duty concealer/high coverage foundation to only the spots that need it, and use a sheerer more natural foundation everywhere else. I have yet to see someone who really does need full coverage foundation on their entire visage. ;) In the photo above I used a tiny (we’re talking smaller than a grain of rice) amount of MUFE Full Cover concealer to hit those spots that needed a little extra help.
First impression of the finish is definitely natural, and pretty. It’s luminous but not shiny or oily-looking. Kind of a healthy, alive glow– like skin. Just like Cat said!
But of course there’s also the wear! I have pretty much normal skin. I get a tiny bit oily during the day but right now, it’s just normal. Not particularly dry or oily. I set this foundation with my beloved Purely Cosmetics Diamond Perfect Finish powder. I did not use any primer. The foundation wore like a champ! I got over 12 hours of wear without it melting off of me or anything.
So! So far, so good. I’m going to continue using this in regular rotation with my other foundations. If my feelings change, I’ll definitely let you guys know!
Want to know what else I used on my face in that picture?

Eyes – MUFE Aqua Creme #15, Wet ‘n Wild single eye shadow in Nutty (crease), and MUFE Aqua Eyes #3L. Maybelline The Falsies mascara. Brow powder from Billion Dollar Brows. Under-eye brightener: Milani HD concealer #01.

Contour/Cheek – TooFaced Chocolate Soleil Bronzer, Pout Pearly Queen blush (discontinued) – these were a bit washed out in the photo

Lip – Bare




Sample provided for editorial purposes.
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Light & Bright Eye Look with Urban Decay

This is a look I created with my Urban Decay Book of Shadows III palette. Since some of the shadows are exclusive only to that palette, if you know of any dupes for the colors, please feel free to pipe up in the comments! 
Since this was just a running around day look, I skipped mascara on the bottom lashes, and also did not add any eyeliner. I have large eyes, so I can get away with doing this often and not risk losing definition of my eyes. However if you are not so lucky, you may find adding a little liner to the look will help. I’d suggest a plum (like Urban Decay 24/7 pencil in 1999) or taupe (Urban Decay 24/7 pencil in Underground) to keep the look light and bright. :)
To get the look:

“Base Shade”: First I took a fluffy eyeshadow brush (I used the MAC 217, but the Sigma E35 or any similar brush would be fine) and used Urban Decay shadow in Midnight Cowboy Rides Again. I made sure to tap the excess off of the brush. This helps greatly in reducing the glitteryness of the shadow, which is the one complaint I ever hear about it. I applied that with a sweeping, almost buffing motion all over the lid all the way up to the brow. I took my time to really buff the shadow and work with the color. This also helped reduce chunky glitteryness. I did experience some fallout, but it was minimal compared to past times I’ve used this particular shadow.
Note: If you are not quite as pale as I am, and MCRA is quite a bit lighter than your skin tone, you probably want to limit the color to the lid, crease, and maybe slightly above the crease.
“Lid Shade”: Using eyeshadow brush #7 from Stila (any small shader will do, such as the Sigma E55) I applied Urban Decay shadow in Bordello to just the middle of my lid. I just wanted to create a little interest/depth to the color that was already on there. Bordello is a pinky mauve shade. For the purposes of the look I was trying to create, any sort of mauve shade will do. I didn’t use very much and used a light hand. Something tells me there’s a Fyrinnae color that is a good substitute for Bordello, but I don’t remember which one. Help me out guys which is it?
“Contour Shade”: After wiping off my Stila #7 brush I took a small amount of Urban Decay shadow in Rockstar just on the tip of the brush and applied it to my outer V/crease. Now here’s where I’ve switched up my technique lately and I want to be clear to share that with you. Most of us learn to blend with a back and forth or windshield wiper motion. When I had my makeup lesson with MUFE, MUA Cat taught me to just place the color where I wanted it and blend in one direction only. If any of you have ever sketched something, it’s kinda like how you shade. In fact, it’s pretty much exactly like shading a sketch. This small tip was like a total “a-ha” moment for me. It really saves your color saturation from being blended to oblivion, and if you’ve ever had trouble with colors getting too muddied when blending, try it this way. See if maybe it will help. 
Would anyone be interested in a quick little video demo of this technique? Please leave a comment!

Here’s the finished face and the complete breakdown…

My brows are sort of haggard and in dire need of some clean-up on the outer edges, so please forgive me if you click these to view full size and are aghast. :P Here’s some pictures taken in brighter light:
Complete breakdown…
Eyes:
– Urban Decay Primer Potion
– Urban Decay Eye Shadows in Midnight Cowboy Rides Again, Bordello, and Rockstar
– Billion Dollar Brows brow powder in Taupe
– Shu Uemura eyelash curler
– Maybelline The Falsies mascara (top lashes only)
Face:
– Make Up For Ever HD foundation in shade #110
– Purely Cosmetics Diamond Perfect Finish Powder
– TooFaced Chocolate Soleil Bronzer
– Rock & Republic blush in Spank 
Note… the camera makes it look like my blush is way brighter than it really was in the last 2 photos. It’s much more like the first one. The light in my house is odd. When the blush looks true to life the eye shadow looks dark and murky, but when the eye shadow looks true to life my blush looks neon. <3 Cameras.
Lips:
– MAC Dazzleglass in Date Night
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MAC Leopard Luxe Without the Luxe

I was inspired to do this look by the colors in the MAC Leopard Luxe quad from the Fabulous Felines collection. Except, I don’t own the LL quad. It looks really pretty, but I wanted to try to dupe the look with stuff I already have. If you aren’t familiar with the Leopard Luxe quad, check it out on Temptalia.

Here’s the look I came up with! Pictures can be clicked to view larger for more detail.


Side note: Check out the length from that mascara!

Breakdown:


Face: MAC Studio Fix Powder in N3

Eye Shadow: Wet ‘n Wild Color Icon Palette in Vanity, ELF Quad in Brownstone (just used the charcoal grey shade to add depth to the colors in the outer corner)

Eye Liner: Physicians Formula Gel Liner (the black w/ green shimmer in the Green Eyes stack)

Mascara: Maybelline The Falsies on the top lashes. Bottom lashes are Maybelline Lash Discovery

Brow: Billion Dollar Brows brow powder in Taupe

Cheek: TooFaced Chocolate Soleil Bronzer, MAC Mineralized Skin Finishes in Northern Light and Cheeky Bronze

Lips: MAC Cherish lipstick with Perennial High Style lipglass dabbed on top (my lips are a little dry right now and Satin formula lipsticks can emphasize dryness, so the lipglass helped tone that down).

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Smoky Eye with Urban Decay Naked Palette

I went and saw Rush tonight (and yes they were freaking AWESOME), and this is what I wore. I apologize for the hair in my face casting awkward shadows– makes one eye look like the color is way darker than on the other. I promise they were even in real life.

Picture is clickable to see full size.

EYES
(All shadows from the Urban Decay Naked Palette) Virgin on the inner eye/tear duct, Sidecar on the lid (patted on), Hustle lightly in the crease/outer V, and Creep in the outer V. Hustle was also used as a liner on the upper and lower lash line. To finish off the eyes I used Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliner in Zero on my waterline and Revlon Grow Luscious mascara on my upper and lower lashes.
FACE
I’m kind of frustrated with how this picture turned out for one reason. My cheeks look…bumpy? It didn’t look that way in real life. I’m not even breaking out there. That’s annoying, isn’t it? Anyway! I was in a huge hurry so I just buffed on some MAC Mineralize Skin Finish Natural and swiped a very light application of Rock & Republic blush Kinky on my cheeks. 
LIPS
I started off with Urban Decay lipstick in Rush (how appropriate, right?) but that wore off and I was a dingbat and forgot to put it in my purse. What I did have in my purse was MAC Cult Fave lipglass (which also happens to be one of my faves).
As always, please let me know if you want any more info, or a review of any of the products used. I am planning on doing an in-depth post about the UD Naked palette soon when I can get some good pics taken of it– the ones I took the other night didn’t come out very well and I want to re-do them.
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Business Meeting Makeup Look

I had an early business morning today, and decided to share with you what I wore on my face! Sorry for the quality, it was just kind of a spur of the moment shot-with-my-phone kind of thing.

(click to view larger if you wish!)
My skin’s been doing some weird dry stuff lately (normally I have normal-to-oily skin), probably due to the ridiculous weather patterns in so-cal these days. Aand, as long as I’m making excuses for my appearance, gotta love how shadows make me look like I have a mustache! I assure you, I do not. ;)
ANYWAY. 
On my face I just slapped on some MAC Studio Fix powder and sprayed the hell out of it with mark. Mist Opportunity on any dry spots to avoid it looking patchy. I did not bother with concealer because I was in a hurry and I could not find the concealer I wanted (which is why you can see the spot on my chin, oof!) but the one I would have used is Neutrogena 3-in-1 under eye concealer. I use that for blemishes that are healing (dry) because this concealer is very moisturizing but also gives good coverage. It never exacerbates (that’s a fancy word) dryness on my face.
For my cheeks I dotted on a little bit of MAC Pink Swoon, which is a sheer matte pale pink. It’s kind of a go-to blush color for me as it gives me a little bit of color (enough so that my cheek freckles don’t look weird) but isn’t like a neon sign across my face that I’m wearing blush. However, I’m kind of a fan of heavily applied blush in general haha. I played it safe for the meeting today. 
When I’m in a hurry and wanting to make a good impression I feel it’s best to keep it simple on the eyes, because invariably when I’m rushing and I try to paint the Mona Lisa on my eyes, I f it up and it looks all wonky. I lined my top lashline with MAC Sense of Style kohl, which is a gorgeous navy blue. Not wanting it to look so stark, I also took a fluffy brush and blended some MAC Kid eyeshadow in the crease for some definition. I finished off the eyes with a generous helping of Makeup Forever Smoky Lash mascara, which I’m really liking– stay tuned for a review coming soon!
And finally– lips. Try as I might to wear tons of different lip colors, my fall-back is always a good pinky nude. Makeup artists always put me in this color lip as well, so it must really work for me. It’s a safe color, and goes with pretty much everything. Plus, my lips are naturally a similar pinky tone, so it looks very natural with my coloring. The pinky nude lip today is MAC Patisserie.
If you want to recreate the look with bargain-friendly alternatives, here are some suggestions!
Physician’s Formula Healthy Wear SPF 50 powder
Prestige Total Intensity eyeliner
L’Oreal Voluminous mascara in Carbon Black
Maybelline Expert Wear blush in Gentle Rose
Maybelline Colorsensational lipstick in Nearly There
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The No Mascara Look

I keep hearing about this no mascara trend. My reaction is pretty much universally “ugh, why?”. I mean, mascara is awesome. Some trends are really weird, I guess. 

But in a fit of adventurousness and I suppose also laziness, I decided to give it a whirl.
My opinion hasn’t changed. This sucks. I have nice lashes naturally, but I really miss the impact that mascara gives. My eyes look tired and blah. No thank you. 
How do you feel about the no mascara look?
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Look: Green Cat Eye

Here’s a quick eye look I threw together. Mr. Boyfriend helped me take pics of it. :) I usually don’t even do makeup this dramatic, lol. But Linda of My Pretty Pink Box asked me to create a look with these to showcase their quality and pigment.

 
Not sure why the color looks faded in this picture…I was just happy to get a color accurate photo. Btw that’s not a giant zit, it’s a little mole thing I have always had on the side of my nose near my eye, lol.
Breakdown…
Lid – Glamour Doll Eyes ‘Immature’ eyeshadow, which is a really pretty shimmery green-teal. It’s not a color I’d normally gravitate towards, but it’s very pretty and intensely pigmented. Lovely to work with too. Not a lot of fallout.
Outer V and some Lid – Glamour Doll Eyes ‘Grease Lightning’ eyeshadow, an olive/khaki green with gold shimmer. LOVE this color. It’s beautiful. Unfortunately you can’t see it very much in this look because I just used it to make the transition from green to black less harsh.
Liner/Cat Wing – Glamour Doll Eyes ‘Graffiti’ eyeshadow, which is black but has emerald green sparkle. I think the sparkle would show better if I had used the shadow wet. Oops.
Highlight – NARS Bellissima I
Eyelashes have an extra crispy coating (lol) of NYX Doll Eyes mascara.
Brows are filled in with Billion Dollar Brows powder in Taupe, which always photographs much redder than it actually is. It’s truly a seal brown with NO redtones in it whatsoever, but tell that to my camera…
Like these shadows? My Pretty Pink Box has a special holiday deal on them!
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