LOTD: LORAC PRO Palette

I have resisted buying eyeshadow for nearly a year—and it's kind of a miracle! In an attempt to shop my stash and use the many palettes I already have, I put a new look together using a palette I've had for a while, the original LORAC PRO palette. I applied Mauve in my crease and on my brow bone in a windshield wiper fashion as a transition shade. Next I pat Gold on my lids and then blended Pewter over it to get the shade I wanted. In the outer third of my eye and in the crease, I applied Deep Purple. It's so important to blend, so I do that with a fluffy brush in between each step. For a highlight I used Nude below my brows and in the inner corner of my eye. Then I used MAC's Pro Longwear Eyeliner in Rich Experience on my top lash line and Ulta's Automatic Eyeliner in Black to my lower waterline. I curled my eyelashes and then used Sephora's Full Action Mascara to separate my lashes, Too Faced's Better Than Sex Mascara to get my lashes really thick and luscious, Benefit's Roller Lash Mascara over to keep my lashes curled up, and Blinc Mascara to keep my mascaras from flaking. After that, I pat Champagne above my iris to add dimension to my eyeshadow look. On my lips I have Too Faced's Melted Melon Liquified Long Wear Lipstick. For my face I used Makeup Forever foundation in 135 and bareMinerals foundation in Medium, since I've gotten a little sun. I used Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Bronzer as a contour, Maybelline Dream Bouncy Blush (in Fresh Pink I think, but it's worn off!), Milani Baked Blush in Dolce Pink over that, and filled my brows in with MAC's Lingering.

I hope you're having a great summer! Thanks for reading! :)

Haley Awards: 2014

I don't know about you, but 2014 was a pretty epic year for me! I graduated from college (finally!!!) and have had lots of fun with my time when I would normally be worrying about class, homework, studying, books, commuting, etc. so that has been nice and I'd say I've adjusted well! :) The year 2014 brought more make up my way to review as well and yet I've relied heavily on no-brainer products when in a rush. I thought it would be fun to start doing Haley Awards for products I think stood out in the crowd and became no-brainer-go-to products. So to you, I present these products...

Best Facial Exfoliator
PMD Personal Microderm Pro: I had used exfoliants and scrubs on my face for years but nothing has improved my skin like this has. I purchased this in September and since I started using it as instructed, my skin is looking revitalized, healthy, and now has a nice glow. I still have breakouts, but not as extreme or for as long.

Best Facial Moisturizer
dōTERRA Essential Skin Care Hydrating Cream: This has helped my skin stay nourished this winter and has helped my skin rebound from the microdermabrasion treatments quicker than anything I've previously been using.

Best Face Primer
Smashbox Oil Free Photo Finish Foundation Primer: Even though the PMD has greatly helped my skin, it is still exfoliating and causing abrasions to promote healthy skin renewal and with that comes some flaking and uneven skin at times, so this primer became necessary to create a smooth canvas for my foundation.

Best Cream Foundation
Make Up Forever HD Foundation (N115): It was certainly a splurge but I have found a foundation that doesn't feel cakey, look cakey, provides excellent coverage, photographs well, and yet doesn't feel like I'm wearing it. It pairs perfectly with the Smashbox primer as well!

Best Powder Foundation
bareMinerals Original SPF 15 Foundation (medium): I have been wearing this for years but have started wearing it over my cream foundation and it it warms up my skin a little while setting my foundation.

Best Concealers
bareMinerals Original SPF 15 Foundation (fairly medium): For slight acne or red areas, this works perfect. Stick concealers wear oddly on my skin and later on in the day they tend to emphasize the blemishes and even appear flakey, which is even more disgusting than a little red area, so I've started patting this foundation on the area and because it's lighter in pigment than my bareMinerals foundation and it's covering an area darker than my normal skin, it blends a lot better. With that said, for blemishes more intense, I use benefit Fake Up (01 Light). It has a clear product surrounding the concealer and although I haven't researched it, I have gathered that it aids in blending the concealer and making in last longer.

Best Bronzer
The Body Shop Honey Bronze Bronzing Powder (Light Matte): This is truly perfect for winter! I am more fair but still need to warm up my skin and this does the trick! I think I'll try a darker shade for summer because the formula is that great!

Best Blush
e.l.f. Blush in Berry Merry: This blush goes well with any look and is what I tend to use day after day because it's a no-brainer!

Best Mascara
blinc Mascara Amplified: This mascara's unique technology of "tubing" lashes is revolutionary! I would reach for this on the many mornings that I was in a hurry or didn't want to have to think about which mascara to use. I stare at computer screens all day and my tired eyes would inevitably cause flakes of mascara to fall onto my cheeks and either unattractively stay or get smeared. After long shifts, I would walk away not realizing I had looked like that for who knows how long UNTIL I started using this fabulous mascara. I have even more recently started putting it over Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara because it provides great volume but flakes like cray! Ain't nobody got time fo' dat! It has helped, but I still get some flaking if I don't cover all of the Too Faced Mascara with it.

Best Setting Product
Make Up Forever HD Pressed Powder: This truly does set not only the foundation, but also the blush and highlighters I have on.

Best Enhancer
MAC Fix +: This makes any blush or eyeshadow last longer, photograph better, or give a foiled appearance for a different look. (BTW, did they change the name of it?!)

Best Brow Pencil
MAC Automatic Eyebrow Pencil (Lingering): It's not only the fact that the color that was suggested to me is on point (so important!), but the formula is as well. This lasts all day and I don't worry about it running, clumping, or fading.

Best Eye Primer
Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion (Original): This formula leaves me never wanting to try another primer! It blends well (never looks weird on my fair skin), keeps my eyeshadow in place, makes the eyeshadow more true to color, and never causes creasing.

Most Used Eyeshadow Palette
Urban Decay NAKED 3 Palette: This is still my favorite go-to because it makes my blue eyes pop, creates a natural look, and just always looks good no matter what I'm wearing!

Favorite Eyeshadow Palette Released in 2014
LORAC PRO 2 Palette: Although the NAKED 3 Palette is a no-brainer, this palette is one that also creates a number of looks that can be used everyday! LORAC's eyeshadows are so fragile and need to be used gently, but they are highly pigmented and this particular palette is very diverse and wearable!

Best Lip Exfoliator
e.l.f. Lip Exfoliator: Winter time comes and my lips get rough! This scrub works great and I have made it part of my lipstick application routine!

Best Lipsticks
Bite Beauty Luminous Crème Lipstick: These are so creamy and yet stay on! The pigmentation is to die for!

Best Lip Primer
Lush Honey Trap Lip Balm: I haven't ever used a legitimate lip primer, but after I exfoliate, I put this on and it's perfect to create a smooth canvas for my lipstick. It is great to put on by itself too!

Best Body Moisturizer
The Body Shop Body Butter: I received this as a gift from the BFF, and oy! It sure prevented my skin from getting so dry and having to play catch up most of spring!

Best Tools
2X Sigma Spa Brush Cleaning Glove: This made brush cleaning fun, much easier and more effective for me! I just use dish soap and follow the steps on the glove. So simple!

Benjabelle Daisy Brush Tree: After cleaning my brushes, I put them in this tree and it helps dry them so much quicker! Gravity is working in your favor with this product!

Best Brush
Sigma F80 Flat Kabuki: I use this to blend my foundation after I have applied it. It makes a big difference in ensuring that the foundation is smooth and evenly applied on my skin and it's super obvious on my fair skin when it's not blended well!

As you may have noticed, Haley Awards 2014 was mostly high-end products. I think sometimes quality is more important than quantity. I guess it was a year of "treat yoself!" If you read this far, you're a trooper! Thank you!! I would love to hear which products were your favorites during 2014!

LORAC PRO Palette 2

I'm all about navy smokey eyes, and I loved the Navy this palette had, so I gave it a shot today. I used Silver, Beige, Charcoal, Nectar and Navy. I like it! What looks have you come up with using the LORAC PRO Palette 2?

LORAC PRO Palette 2

I used Rosé all over my lid, then Mocha from the middle of my lid out and then used Cocoa in the outer V. I blended it out with Nectar and used Snow as a highlight. Simple, but oh, so summery! To keep with the summery, shimmery look I sprayed my blush brush with Fix+ and used my Milani Baked Blush in Dolce Pink and put Bare Escentuals' Buxom Lip  Gloss in Kanani lightly on my lips. I just used Ulta's automatic liner in Black/Brown and Blinc mascara to finish my eyes.

For my face I used Urban Decay's NAKED Skin foundation in 3.5 and bareMinerals foundation in Medium to set it. Before my blush I used Too Faced's Chocolate Soleil Bronzer to warm up my skin.

I hope you're all enjoying this beautiful and time of the year! Thanks for reading! Now go out and get some fresh air! :)

LORAC PRO Palette 2

I bought the LORAC PRO 2 Palette and it came the other day. Here's a look I created using it:

I used LORAC's Behind The Scenes eyeshadow primer first. Always use a primer!! It makes a huge difference! First shadow that caught my eye was Chrome, so I set out to use it. I pat it on my lids and brought it into my crease. Next I pat Plum in the outer part of my eye and also brought that into my crease. I then took a clean, fluffy brush and buffed it out. Then I used Nectar and softened the line even more. For a highlight I used Snow. Who would have thought I would have snow on my face in July?! I thought this created a nice look that is very casual and everyday, yet looks put together. I look forward to created and experimenting more with this palette.

LOTD: LORAC Unzipped Palette

Quick and natural everyday look! First, LORAC primer, then Unattainable on my lids, Undercover from crease to brow and in tear duct, then Unreal over Undercover, and lastly I used Unbridled in my crease. For my lips I used Mary Kay's Satin Lips Lip Balm. Viola!

LOTD: LORAC PRO Cream & Brown

You know me, I have to prime my lids! I used LORAC's Behind the Scenes Eye Primer, then Lt. Bronze on my lids and into the crease slightly, Nude from my crease to my brows. I also put Nude in my tear duct area. I like to put my highlight down before the crease color because I think it helps it to blend better. I then pat Pewter on the outer half of my lid and brought it up into my crease. Lastly, I took Espresso and blended that into my crease. I used Ulta's Automatic black/brown liner and Benefit's They're Real mascara over my Sephora Full Action mascara. To add some color to my look I used Revlon's Lip Butter in Red Velvet. On my cheeks I have be a bombshell's The One Stick in Sunset with Tarte's blush in Dollface dusted over it. Here's the end result:

LOTD: Plum & Navy

Simple fall look using the LORAC PRO & Too Faced Sweet Dreams Palettes.

I used LORAC's Lt. Bronze on my lid & Deep Purple in the outer half with Too Faced's First Dance over that & Party Girl blended on top and into highlight. I then used Too Faced's Silk Teddy as a highlight. The lip gloss I have on is Neutrogena's MoistureShine Gloss in Wine Wellness. I just voted and it's simply a beautiful day to be alive! Thanks for reading!

LOTD: LORAC PRO Palette

Here's my makeup mess today:

I specifically used: Pewter (on eyelid to crease), Lt. Bronze (in inner one-third of eyelid and tear duct region), Champagne (as highlight just below brow), Garnet (outer one-third of eyelid and into crease). Here's what I got:

It's especially sunny and warm here today. A typical, transitional, October day!

Thanks for reading!

FOTD: Peacock Inspired

Here's my makeup mess for the day:

And this is what I came up with:

My inspiration:

I picked this peacock clip up at ShopCo a few years ago mostly because it was brown and turquoise-two of my favorite colors! It's raining here today, so the lighting is off, but I hope you can try out this look! :)

I used LORAC's Pewter as a base and Too Faced's Peacock in the outer half. I used Too Faced's Silk Teddy as a highlight. Another good look for fall since I'll be wearing these colors more.

Thanks for reading! :)

LOTD: Fall look using the LORAC PRO Palette

Yes, I used the f word! Fall is here once again! I am definitely a summer-loving gal, but I can appreciate fall, especially here in the southwest! It's absolutely beautiful and cooler temperatures are nice as well! Today I decided I was ready to make the transition into fall and wanted to use my new palette. It just so happens that a YouTube Beauty Guru I like to watch, TiffanyD, did a fall look tutorial on the LORAC PRO palette-and you can watch it here: http://youtu.be/V2z79ZtxckU. She used a Sigma eyeshadow base in the color Strike, but I used a Maybelline Color Tattoo in Pomegranate Punk instead. I really liked it! Also, where she used Espresso, I used Black because I knew I was going to be wearing a black dress. I finished the look with Too Faced Papa Don't Peach blush and Bobbi Brown Shimmer Lip Gloss in Ruby Sugar.

Here's what I came up with:

Thanks for reading! :)

FOTD: LORAC PRO Palette

I ended up returning the Tarte neutralEYES palette and purchased this instead. I tried it out this morning and so far I'm loving the difference in quality! I used the following shadows: Mauve, Garnet, Lt. Bronze, and Sable on my eyelids and Lt. Pink and Nude as highlights. I used Rimmel's Scandaleyes Waterproof Kohl eyeliner in black on my waterline and Ulta's Automatic eyeliner in Black/Brown above my lashes for more definition. I used Sephora's Full Action Mascara and topped off my lashes with Almay's Get Up & Grow-both in black. For my face I used my Olay CC Cream in Fair/Light and bareMinerals in Medium. I warmed up my face by contouring with what's left of my Tarte Amazonian Clay Park Ave. Princess Bronzer sample and a little Amazonian Clay 12-hr. blush in Dollface-over my Maybelline Dream Bouncy blush in Pink Frosting of course! A look isn't finished without some lip product, so I used Buxom Lip Gloss in Clair.

Here's the look:

Thanks for reading! :)

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: