LOTD: Gray Smokey Eye

Today, I wore a new, black paisley dress to church and accessorized with a red bag, so I decided to do a silver/gray smokey eye. I applied Urban Decay's Primer Potion and then used Urban Decay's Verve as a base on my lids. Next, I used Urban Decay's Pistol in the outer portion of my eyes and then used Too Faced's duo palette of Erotica and Silk Teddy. I used Erotica in my crease to create higher contrast and Silk Teddy as my highlight below my eyebrows and in my tear duct area. I LOVE Silk Teddy as a highlight! It's one of my favorites. It has great dimension and lasts longer than any other highlight I've used. I fell in love with it in the Too Faced Natural Palette that I got from two close friends one year for my birthday. I definitely recommend trying that palette!

To finish the look I used Rimmel Scandaleyes 24 Hour Waterproof Eyeliner in Black to line my waterline and then used Ulta's Automatic Eyeliner in Black to build the line up since it's more creamy and doesn't dry as fast as the Rimmel does. I used Sephora's Full Action mascara and Buxom mascara since they both separate lashes really well and yet are very build-able.

I also wore the Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butter in Berry Smoothie--not visualized below.

Here's the final look:

Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed this look!

FOTD: LORAC Unzipped Palette

I typically plan my outfit for the day and then apply my eyeshadow congruently. Today was no different! I knew I needed to play with my newly purchased LORAC Unzipped Palette, so I did just that! I applied my face makeup like I normally would have but decided to switch a few things up with how I did my eyeshadow. What was different about my execution today was my technique. I think it's important to realize/recognize monotony and make a conscious effort to do something different. Usually, I use three eye shadows. I put a medium shade all over my eyelid, then take a light, shimmery shade and apply it from my crease to my eyebrows and then take a darker shade and apply it to the outer portion of my lid and into my crease. Don't get me wrong, it's a classic go-to look! For today's look I used seven different shades and had the shadows slowly progress in pigment into the dark shade which was applied to the outer corner and crease of my eye. I also used different brushes than I usually would. Instead of using the Ulta Professional wide eye shadow brush, I used my e.l.f. shadow brush so I could really pack on the color and easily overlap the colors so the transition between shades was smooth.

To do this I first primed my lids using the LORAC primer. Second, I pat Undiscovered on the inner one-third of my lids. Next, I pat Unbelievable in a brush-wide vertical stroke in the middle just above my iris. Then, I packed Unattainable in the outer third of my eyelid. I also flipped my brush and "pulled" the color up into my crease a little. I then layered Uncensored right over Unattainable. I took a fluffy crease brush and blended Unconditional above my crease shadow but was careful not to get it too close to my brow so I could highlight using Undercover. I also applied Undercover from my tear duct up to where I started using it as a highlight. This helped to ensure the other shadows hadn't muddied up that area. Lastly, I applied Untamed in a concentrated way to the outer corner of my eye and slightly into my crease to make the look more bold. By doing so, it makes my blues eye pop! I finished my eyes off with Ulta Automatic Eyeliner in Black/Brown, curled my eyelashes, applied Almay Get Up & Grow mascara, and curled my eyelashes after the mascara was dry. I'm wearing Buxom Lip Gloss in Dolly. Love this color! It is great for any season!

Here's the final look:

What's in my Makeup Bag: Travel Edition

I packed super light and more compact for this trip. The trip is for 8 days, so I didn't think it was worth bringing more than two eyeshadow palettes. I brought my NAKED and LORAC Unzipped palettes, with a few individual Urban Decay and e.l.f. shadows, lip gloss and chapstick in the side pouch.

Next, I filled this dark purple pouch with all of my brushes, eyeliners, concealer, and and other tools like tweezers and eyelash curlers. This pouch fit perfectly into the top of my light purple travel bag.

I received this cute and oh, so handy bag from my best friend for Christmas one year. I reciprocated the gift because I loved it so much! Here's the website where you can purchase many different varieties. 

http://www.shopglitzyglam.com/index.php/make-up-bags.html

Review: LORAC Unzipped Palette

Today I was able to try out my newly purchased eye shadow palette...The LORAC Unzipped palette.

This was my first time using a LORAC product. I have heard that their shadows are highly pigmented, so I started out gently in my application and built the colors up gradually. I primed my lids with the provided LORAC Behind the Scenes Eye Primer. I then put the shade Unbelievable from my eyelashes to crease and Undercover from the crease to eyebrows. I also dabbed Undercover in my tear duct area to brighten up my eyes. Next, I took Unconditional and applied it on my brow bone. I then mixed Unbridled and Untamed and applied the mixture to the outer one-third of my lid and brought it to my crease. Undercover really didn't act as much of a highlight as I would have liked, so I applied Unreal over it. I don't mind using a matte shade under my brows but this one was a bit of a dud. Overall, I would say the shadows are great quality, with very little fallout, and were true to color. I loved the primer! To finish this look I used Ulta's automatic eyeliner in Black/Brown and my Sephora Full Action mascara and Almay's Get Up & Grow mascara--both in Black. For my face I used Olay's CC Cream in Fair to Light, bareMinerals in Medium, Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Bronzer all over, Revlon Photo Ready Bronzer as a contour, and e.l.f. blush in Merry Bery. I used L'Oreal's Infallible Lip Color in Hibiscus on my lips.

Here's the final look: 

I look forward to trying different looks with this palette! Thanks for reading!

Review: L'Oréal Infallible Lip Color

A vlogger I watch on YouTube raves about the L'Oréal Infallible Lip Colors and I wanted to see what the hype was all about. On  L'Oréal's website it claims the colors will hold up to 16 hours! That's crazy long to me, so I put it to the test over an 8 hour period.

What color I used:

My lips before:

Freshly applied:

After 2 hours:

I reapplied the clear coat again and it looked almost like new.

8 hours later:

Freshly applied and 8 hours later:

As you can see, it didn't last even half the time that it claimed that it would. I would say my lips are slightly tinted at this point, but not nearly enough to be seen as colored. Right now my lips look more sunburned than anything. With that being said, the fact that it did hold up through me eating, drinking, talking and napping for as long as it did, I'd say it's worth it. I can never keep any lip color on for very long, so I was impressed it looked almost new after two hours and with only the thin clear layer reapplied. Granted, that is only an eighth of the time it claimed it would last, so you can take it or leave it! And as always, thanks for reading! :D