Blog Awards! + Top 10 Beauty Products

Just recently (actually yesterday), my blog was given a couple of awards by some awesome people. 

I was awarded "The Versatile Blogger" award by Kayla from Sheer Beauty AND Stokely Rainbow! 

(Thank you two so much!!)

You should probably click on their blog name and go check their blogs out. :)

Azure and Phlox from one of my "Blogs I Love", EyeGraffiti, gave me the "Top Ten Award". 

(So excited.)

Thank you two so much!

If you have not checked out their blog before, they have the best and most creative eye makeup I have ever seen. It is amazing.

Here are the rules:

1. Thank the person who tagged you and link their blog within the post. 

2. Put the award logo in your blog.

3. List your top 10 products in cosmetics/beauty/health.

4. Choose 5 bloggers to do the same.

Hand and Body Cream:

Hempz body moisturizer in original

Foundation:

Make Up Forever Matte Velvet Plus. Fo sho. 

Although, I just purchased Nars Sheer Glow. So we will see how that will do. :)

Mascara:

Loreal Voluminous in Carbon Black 

Makeup Remover:

I like E.L.F Makeup Remover wipes.

 They are inexpensive and effective.

Makeup Primer:

For eye shadow I absolutly love Too Faced Eye Shadow Insurance. It works like a dream.

As far as foundation primer, I have not found one that I really love. :(

Nail Polish Brand:

My favorite brand would have to be O.P.I.

My all time favorite nail polish is "For Audrey" by China Glaze.

Lipstick:

"Cream Cup" by Bare Essentials is my favorite lip stick. 

The formula and nude color are amazing.

Body Wash:

Caress body wash in "Endless Kiss"

Perfume: 

Pink Sugar!

Lip Balm:

Yu Be Moisturinzing Skin Cream (got a sample of this from Sephora. Amazing!)
and
Bosom Buddy in Vanilla Cupcake by Pure Romance

5 Bloggers (in no order):

Lizbeth Makeup Artist

Fix Your Face

Only A Flight Away

WitchHazel's BlogSpot

Life size Barbie

These awards are always so much fun to participate in. 

Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Exposed

With a Sephora gift card that I received for Christmas, I decided to finally purchase my first Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in the color Exposed. I had heard SO many great things about these blushes and I keep hearing how they are everyone's favorite blush.  

I chose the color "Exposed" after seeing my favorite Youtube guru's using this color a lot. I also liked how versatile this color is. It is a neutral color that can be worn everyday and with a variety of different makeup looks.  The color payoff is great.  I have not worn this color enough to see if it stays true to the 12 hour wear claim.

These blushes are available in 5 shades and retail for $25. They claim to wear for 12 hours. The Amazonian Clay blushes contain special ingredients including the amazonian clay (obviously), beeswax, vitamin C, and vitamin E. They are also paraben and cruelty free! 

The Tarte website claims that this blush is great for all skin types:

Oily Skin:  Amazonian clay minimizes oil in and around pores to balance skin and keep product in place

Dry Skin: Amazonian clay hydrates skin naturally to restore moisture so your blush wears better & longer

Dull Skin:  Amazonian clay improves the appearance of skin clarity and skin texture

Combination Skin:  Amazonian clay is completely intuitive; gives skin an overall smooth & even appearance

(credit to www.tartecosmetics.com)

"Exposed" is a nude with a hint of pink. It is very similar to MAC's "Blushbaby" but it has a hint more of a darker pink/mauve color. Exposed is also a bit more pigmented in my opinion. 

So far I am really loving this blush and hope to, sometime in the near future, purchase more of the Amazonian Clay blushes. I'm thinking maybe "Tipsy" or "Blissful". :)

Does anyone have any color recommendations?

If you have done a review on one of these blushes please leave the link in a comment because I would love to see! 

Ringin' in the New Year with a Glitter Smokey Eye.

Hello Ladies! 

I hope that everyone had a fabulous New Years Eve. Now we have made our way to 2012. "Supposedly" the  year that the world is going to end. haha. So I guess lets live 2012 like it's our last!

Yesterday, I decided to be a little adventurous and wear a silver, glittery, black smokey eye. I love the way it ended up turning out, not so much how the pictures turned out though. :( The lighting wasn't the greatest due to this gloomy Michigan weather. 

Is it almost summer yet? lol.

I know it is a little too late to try this look out for New Year's Eve, but this is also a great eye makeup look for a night out to a concert, club, etc. :)

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To achieve this eye makeup..

I first applied my Too Faced Eye Shadow Insurance.

I then applied a matte white color under my eye brow. 

I used the MAC's eye shadows Cork and Swiss chocolate in and above my crease.

I used Urban Decay's Blackout from the Naked Palette 2 on my outter V area and blended into the crease.

I also took this black and ran it along my lower lash line. 

I took Urban Decay's YDK (also from Naked 2) and applied it to the inner corner of my eye.

As the base color on my lid, I used MAC's Electra. 

The glitter that I used is a Mary Kate and Ashley loose silver glitter that I had from back in the day. 

To apply this and make it stick, I sprayed my Make Up Forever Mist and Fix on the back of my hand.

I dipped a synthetic concealer brush in the liquid and then dipped that brush into the glitter and applied it to my lid.

I kept doing this and packing the glitter on until I reached the desired amount of glitter.

I lined my upper lash line with Sephora's waterproof smokey cream liner in black.

Applied Mascara.

I then applied Red Cherry false lashes in #43. 

After applying the false lashes, I went over my lash line again with the cream liner.

For the rest of the face..

For blush I used Tarte's Exposed.

I then contoured a little using Benefit's Hoola bronzer.

I added a bit of highlight on my cheek bones and bridge of my nose using Benefit's High Beam.

I kept my lips nude using Bare Mineral's Cream Puff lipstick. 

Here is one picture taken from last night.

Me and my non-related twin!

Yep. Another Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette Review.

Yes. After much restocking of the Naked 2 Palette by Urban Decay's website, I finally was able to order the palette. I am so glad that I did. Being the neutral loving girl that I am, the first Naked Palette is one of my most used eye shadow palettes that I own. I am sure that I will get as much or more use out of this second palette.

The palette contains a total of 12 Urban Decay eye shadows.The Urban Decay website says that this palette contains 5 exclusive new shades. I am not sure exactly which ones are "exclusively new" because all of them seem to be new to me with the exception of 3 shades.  One of these shades, "Half Baked", is also in the first Naked Palette. I know that the shade "Chopper" is a permanent eye shadow. This color has been featured in other palettes. The color "YDK" is also a permanent shadow. All of the eye shadows contain the expected Urban Decay eye shadow quality: creamy and great color payoff. The exception to this would be the colors "Foxy" and "Tease". These two colors are matte and are a little bit on the chalky side. I love that with this palette they went for more neutral and taupe colors rather than warmer colors. Great for those cool skin toned girls out there. :)

The packaging of this palette is pretty different than the first. The actual palette is in a hard tin-ish case that snaps shut. When you open the palette, on the top lid part, there is a full length mirror that takes up the entire inner lid. 

The extras that come with this palette include a double ended eye shadow brush and a mini lip gloss. I love that they included the double ended brush. One side is for packing color onto the lid. The other side is for blending. This will be very convenient to have if you're planning on taking the palette with you to do your makeup on the go. The Lip Junkie lip gloss in the shade "Naked" is awesome. It claims to "cool and plump" the lips and contains a minty taste. It feels so good on the lips and it's not too minty.

The price of this palette is $50. This is a phenomenal value given that one Urban Decay eye shadow alone costs $17. 

You can do the math.

 I have been using this palette ever since I got it in the mail. I would have to say that my favorite colors are "YDK" and "Pistol". When I was deciding if I wanted to purchase this palette, I was wondering if I needed this palette if I already own the first one. Yes, there are a lot of similar colors. I would say if you love neutral eye shadows and you did get a lot of use out of the first Naked Palette than you might want to consider purchasing this. If you're not a big fan of neutrals or you already own a lot of neutral eye shadows, than I would say skip it. 

If you're still not sure about whether you should purchase this palette or have any questions about it, be sure to leave me a comment. :)

And now for some pics..

Love the name "Booty Call" hahaha Oh Urban Decay.

Double Ended Brush

Lip Junkie Lip Gloss

One of the looks that I did. 

"YDK" on the lid

"Tease" in the crease

"Busted" in the outter V area

"Booty Call" as highlight

Beauty Products from Santa :)

Okay, so not really from Santa but my friends and family must know how much I love beauty products. 

Too Faced Naked Eye Palette 

Katy Perry "Purr" Perfume 

Brittany Spears "Fantasy" Perfume

Pink Sugar Spray (my fav.)

Seche Vite Top Coat

And A Sephora gift card :)

I hope that everyone had a great Christmas!

December Birchbox

I also received a Jouer bright pink lip gloss but forgot to include it! 

My Christmas inspired nails using the green nail polish I received in last month's Birchbox.

Leopard Booties OOTN

Yet another Shoedazzle purchase!

 I have pretty much fallen in love with this website. They have very fashionable shoes at a price that I can afford. When I saw these leopard booties come up on their website, I knew that they had to be mine.  

 Leopard booties look great paired with dark skinny jeans or black leggings for the winter. It is a great way to add a fun pattern to spice up your outfit.  These shoes also come in all black which looks great with black leggings. 

"Myla" from Shoedazzle.com

Click here to check them out!

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They have almost a 6 inch heel and a 1 1/2 inch platform but surprisingly,

 out of all of my heels, they are the easiest to walk in. 

OOTN

(You can see my cat lurking in the background)

Blazer : Forever 21

Keith Richards Tank : etsy.com

Jeans: American Eagle

Snakeskin Purse : Was a gift

Shoes: Shoedazzle