FOTD: NAKED 2 Palette

I love this eye look! I consider it my go-to!  I like this because: it makes my blue eyes pop, it goes with anything, and it is so easy! I prepped my face like I did in the previous post and then curled my eyelashes with a heated eyelash curler, applied the Sephora Full Action Mascara, curled them again and then used Urban Decay Primer Potion all over my lid--from lash line to brow bone. I used Ulta and Target brand shadow brushes for application. These are cheap and I actually like them better than the Urban Decay brushes that come with the NAKED palettes.

All the shadows I used for this look are all found in the Urban Decay NAKED 2 palette which helps make things go a little quicker for me at 4:30 a.m. I love all of Urban Decay's palettes. I bought the original one after the second one came out because it seemed to have a broader range of colors, which it does so I bought it after much debate. After falling in love with the quality of Urban Decay's shadows I bought the NAKED 2 palette. I hesitated because there were a lot of "repeat" shadows and I didn't want to pay another $50 if I already had most of the palettes. I decided that I would save money if I were to buy the NAKED 2 palette because if I were to buy the shadows for $18 each it would quickly add up. So I bought the NAKED 2 palette. I didn't love it at first but now that I've had time to experiment with it I use one or both of them almost daily!

To start I applied the Urban Decay shadow YDK from my lash line to my crease and then applied Bootycall from the crease to my brow bone and in the inner corner of my eye. I have noticed dabbing just a little in the corner of my eye really brightens and wakes my eyes up, which is important when doing makeup so early. Lastly, I applied quite a bit of Busted into a crease brush and lightly ran it through Blackout to intensify the color.

I always apply my eyeliner last so as to not over-do it, which I'm sure I would do otherwise. Also, the liner would also lose its intensity if shadows were brushed over it. Today I also applied Almay Get Up & Grow Mascara which really thickens my lashes. I normally would have re-curled my lashed after applying, but I got distracted and ran out the door before remembering this morning.

I hope this look will give you new ideas and please feel free to share with me your go-to shadow routines. And as always, thanks for reading! :)

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!