Face of the Day (FOTD)

This is my navy smokey eye look. 

For face:

*bareVitamins skin rev-er upper by bareMinerals as a moisturizer

*bareMinerals' Purely Nourishing Moisturizer around my eyes

*Olay total effects 7-in-one tone correcting moisturizer with sunscreen (SPF 15) in fair to light

*bareMinerals Original in fairly medium applied using Eco Tools retractable kabuki brush

*Too Faced Chocolate Soleil in Chocolate applied using the e.l.f. complexion brush

*Maybelline Dream Bouncy blush in Pink Frosting applied using the e.l.f. small stipple brush

*e.l.f. blush in Berry Merry applied using the e.l.f. bronzing brush

*e.l.f.'s HD finishing powder

*Urban Decay's De-Slick oil-control makeup setting spray

For eyes:

*I curled my eyelashes using CoverGirl eyelash curler heated with my blow dryer

*Sephora Full action Extreme effect mascara in black

*curl eyelashes again using Revlon eyelash curler also heated with my blow dryer

*Urban Decay's Eyeshadow Primer Potion applied with fingers all over eyelid to eyebrow

*Urban Decay's eyeshadow in Verve (found in the Naked 2 palette) applied from lashes to crease using the Ulta Professional wide eye shadow brush

*Urban Decay's eyeshadows Gunmetal and Creep mixed and applied to outer V or eyelid and into crease using the Ulta Professional crease brush

*Urban Decay's eyeshadow Virgin applied as a highlight just under eyebrows and near corner of eyelids

*Ulta Professional Automatic Eyeliner in Black/Brown applied in waterline and upper lid. I started in my inner corner and thickened the line towards the outer lid.

*Almay One Coat Get Up & Grow mascara in black applied over and over until desired fullness is achieved and then I usually curl my eyelashes again

*e.l.f. long-lasting lustrous eyeshadow in Party applied using the e.l.f. shadow brush where navy eye shadow is applied to add a bright, glittery blue that makes my blue eyes pop even more

For lips:

*I applied eos chapstick first

*Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter in Berry Smoothie

Lastly:

*Urban Decay's All-Nighter long-lasting makeup setting spray

This is my go-to look when ever I wear navy. I thought this was a perfect look for Memorial Day weekend. Thanks to all those who have served this country, especially my grandfather who served in WWII. Stay safe and thanks for reading!

Finished product:

Beauty No-Buy

In January, I knew I needed to take some sort of preemptive measure so as to protect my bank account. You see, I love to buy make up! I am always willing to try something out and I love to browse Ulta, Target, and Sephora--which are the recipients of a good portion of my pay checks! In 2012, I attained the status of V.I.B. at Sephora and spent roughly $400 there. As far as Ulta goes, I received many Ultamate reward points in the mail, but I'm unsure of the exact amount I spent. All I knew was I was living within my means, but once I had crunched the numbers I was intrigued to see how much money I could save by not purchasing make up for 5 months, so I made my resolution Facebook-official and enlisted the help of my best friend and family to keep me in-check.

One of my most-purchased items is eye shadow palettes. The bigger, the more pigmented, and more diverse the palette is the better! I decided that after already having made an e.l.f. purchase by January 7th, it was time to put the kibosh on my spending habits. Like I said earlier, it wasn't "necessary" but I felt that there were people out there who had far greater concerns than me wondering if I'd be getting my Urban Decay palette by the end of the day. I had a busy semester ahead, so I opted to not fall into past habits of stress-purchasing beauty products online when really the best option for alleviating my stress would be to hunker down and study.

I have to say that I'm pretty impressed with the fact that I did not cave to go get a pedicure with friends when asked, or snatch up a small lip gloss while accompanying a friend on a trip to the mall during a sashay through Sephora. The goal was to "shop my stash" and use, review, and critique the many items I had accumulated. Despite my greatest efforts to use less-used products, there are still those go-to-fall-back-on items that are priceless! Because they work! (I will post about those soon!) In the end, I was able to gain from my self-imposed intervention in more ways than just financially. This semester was a time for me to truly dig deep and reevaluate what's really important in life and it is my hope to share my experience with you. Thanks for reading! :)

Welcome to my blog!

I intend on posting mostly about make up, but also my other interests and likes! I hope you'll enjoy my two cents!