Mariposa Palette Tutorial

Hey, everyone.  I thought I'd give you a quick tutorial for the Mariposa Palette that I just finished blogging about.  It's a great palette, and you can do a ton of different looks with it.  This one is fun and uses most of the colors in the palette.  I'll walk you through the steps, but I don't have photos of the process...sorry :(  One day I'm going to invest in some camera equipment so I can do video tutorials.  For now, I hope this will do!

This is the look we are creating.  Once again, sorry for the poor quality photos.  I've tried every camera I own, and I still cannot figure out how to get a decent shot of my eyeshadow :(  BTW, I posted a pic of this look on Instagram, and the editor of an award-winning beauty blog in Los Angeles liked it!  Show her some love by checking out her blog: www.mybeautybunny.com!

And this is the palette we're going to be using:

When you do this on your own eyes, you will notice a lot more color differentiation than is in my horrible picture.  The look fades from a gold in the inner corner to pink to purple.  Trust me, it's so pretty!

Step 1:  Using a fluffy brush, apply Skimp (top, middle) near your brows to act as a highlight.
Step 2:  Using the same brush, apply Spotlight (bottom, 2nd from right) a little below where you placed Skimp.  Don't use a whole lot and be sure to blend it.  This color will help you transition into your crease color.
Step 3:  Using the same brush, apply Wreckage (top, right) below Spotlight.  This will be your crease color.  It needs to be dark in the outer corner, but lighten up on your brush when moving towards the inner corner.  The whole eye needs to darken as it approaches the outer corner.
Step 4:  Using a flat brush, apply Limelight (bottom, right) to the inner half of your eye.  Be careful though, because I experienced some fallout with this step.  If you prefer, you can substitute a color such as Half Baked and get the same effect.
Step 5:  Using the same brush, apply Infamous (top, 2nd from right) to the middle and towards the outer corner of your eye.  You are *overlapping* Limelight some, and that is ok!  Blending these colors a bit will help create a seamless gradation from light to dark on your eye.
Step 6:  Using a precision or contour brush, apply Rockstar (top, left) to the outer corner of your eye.  Once again, overlap this color with the previous color to ensure a good blend.
Step 7:  Lastly, use a precision brush to add Skimp to the inner corner of your eye, right along your tear duct.  This will really brighten up that area and make your eyes pop!

I finished the look off with Urban Decay 24/7 liner in Zero and Urban Decay's Big Fatty mascara, but you can use whatever you prefer.  I hope you like this look!  If you try it out, let me know; I'd love to hear from you in the comment section below!  Peace & love!

Urban Decay Haul...Part II

Here it is, folks!  The long awaited second part of my Urban Decay haul.  I'm sure you've all been wondering which mystery item I purposefully left out of the first part of this blog, so I will no longer keep you in suspense.  It's no secret that I love Urban Decay eyeshadow.  I mean, seriously, I think I have a problem.  Take a look...

So now do you believe me when I say that I'm addicted to this stuff?  I'm the proud owner of 60 different UD eyeshadow colors.  I think that they are the best eyeshadows out there.  Except for their glitter shadows, but I'll talk more about that later.

The last item from my haul is pictured above, and it's a palette I've had my eye on for a while.  I hate paying full price for any palette (with the exception of my Naked palette, but that was $50 well spent).  The palette in question caught my eye when it first came out.  I waited for it to go on sale.  It finally did, but I still was hesitant about paying $15.  I mean, I did have all these other palettes, you know?  Well, when I was browsing the site the other day, marveling at all the other great deals I was getting, I noticed that my palette had been marked down to $12.  That extra $3 off made all the difference!  Why?  I'm not sure, but it did! :)  So now I am the proud owner of...the Mariposa Palette!!!

I am sooooooooooooooo excited about this palette!  It's beautifully made, and the colors are outstanding.  Here are some shots of the front and back before I opened it:

I get pumped just looking at the pictures!  Now opening this palette is a little tricky; it tends to stick, but I've found that this gets better the more I open it.  Are you ready for a look at the inside? :)

Simply gorgeous, right?  Every single color in this palette is a winner!  I've tried all of them so far, and the only one I'm a little (and I mean *very* little) disappointed with is Limelight (bottom right).  It's a great gold color (similar to Half Baked in the Naked palette), but I got some fallout from this color.  It's probably because it has way more glitter than Half Baked.  Once again, I do not like the UD glitter shadows; the glitter tends to be on the huge side, and the fallout is horrible.  If you apply it with a light hand, then you can get ok results.  I'm just not crazy about having huge chunks of glitter on my face.  The glitter in Limelight is on the small side, so I can live with it; I just have to be careful!

Top Row Swatches: Rockstar, Gunmetal, Skimp, Infamous, and Wreckage

Bottom Row Swatches: Haight, Money, Mushroom, Spotlight, Limelight

Now, let's talk about two things I did not understand about this palette.  First, why is the box it was packaged in prettier than the actual palette?  Don't get me wrong, because I love the butterfly (or mariposa) stamped into the metal of the palette cover, but the butterfly detailing on the packaging is gorgeous!  Secondly, why did they include such a teeny-tiny brush?  What am I supposed to do with that?

It would have been much better to include a small 24/7 eyeliner in Zero, in my opinion.  Either way, the palette itself is great, and it's well worth $12.  I think that, overall, this is probably the best beauty buy that I've ever made!  What about you guys?  Let me know what great beauty deals you've gotten by leaving a comment below!  I'll be back shortly with a tutorial using this palette, so stay tuned.  Peace & love!

Urban Decay Haul!!!

Hello everyone!  I know it's been a while since my last blog, but things have been a little crazy here.  I'm taking two classes this summer, my boyfriend came in for a visit, my bff needed help moving and reorganizing her classroom, and we've been doing a lot of cleaning at home.  So, I've been pretty busy!

One of my favorite things to do during my down time is to browse makeup websites, and nothing makes me happier than a sale at Urban Decay!  Today my order came in, and of course I wanted to share it with you all.

Here are all my goodies, just waiting to be unwrapped!  Christmas in June! :)  Upon opening the package the first thing I noticed was a sample card for Urban Decay's newly formulated Moondust Eyeshadow in Moonspun (medium gray with bright silver sparkles). 

The UD website describes the shadow saying "Sparkly shadow goes ultra-sophisticated—with intense hues, microfine sparkle and lush, 3-D metallics."  Now, I love UD shadows, but what I don't like is their glitter shadows.  Usually their sparkly colors have a lot of fallout, so I'm not sure how this product will work.  I'll let you know once I give it a try!

The first item I unwrapped was actually a gift for my mom.  I purchased a single eyeshadow for her in the color Ransom.  Out of the 60 UD eyeshadow colors I have, this is the only color she likes!  It's a beautiful purple, plus I was able to get it on sale for $4! Check out the cute packaging; mom was very happy with this gift.

Next was an item that I've been wanting to try for a long time: Big Fatty Mascara!  Normally this mascara costs $20 a tube, which is a bit too expensive for me.  However, I found a double pack for $22!  Double the product for only $2 more? I added it to my cart too quick to talk about!

The tubes are huge, so this was a great buy.  I was very happy with the brush, which has rubber bristles. I've loved rubber bristles ever since I got my first Mary Kay Lash Love, so I am super excited to try this product!

The last item that I'm going to be talking about in this post is the 24/7 Double-Ended Pencil Duo Set.  I adore the 24/7 liners, and whenever I buy palettes from UD, I'm always pumped if they come with one of these liners.  This set is a great deal; you get four different 24/7 shades plus the UD Grind House pencil sharpener--for $19!  Normally one liner costs that much.  While these are not full size, it was still too good to pass up.

I swatched all of them, and each went on so smoothly.  The formula is creamy and long-lasting.  If you've not tried them, you really need to--SOON!

Colors: Uzi (dark gunmetal shimmer with silver micro-sparkle); Empire (dark eggplant matte); Corrupt (dark metallic reddish brown shimmer with silver micro-sparkle); and Zero (my personal favorite black eyeliner).

Also, check out the detail on this sharpener!  So, so pretty!

The last item I purchased in this haul is one that I have been eyeing for a while...but you're going to have to wait until my next blog post to see it!  Trust me, it'll be worth the wait.  Until then, feel free to leave me a comment or ask a question below.  Peace & love! <3

What Happened to the Compacts?

I know that you all have been DYING to find out what I did with those cute little e.l.f. compacts that I snagged for $1 each! Right?!?!?!  Well, just in case you don't remember them, here's a pic to refresh your memory.

Now, as I said before, these compacts are made to be filled with e.l.f. custom refill pans which fit perfectly into the little circular openings.  However, I did not intend to do that. I had other plans for these babies!!!

My plan started with a problem: my out-of-control Mary Kay palette!!!  I mean seriously, take a look at this:

I think we can agree that this is officially a hot mess.  There are three magnetic sections at the top, which are filled with eye shadows, but I've got eye shadows, blushes, and a highlighter stuck in places where it's not even magnetic.  Not to mention that this palette is pretty huge.  In fact, I've not been using my Mary Kay makeup simply because I didn't have the time to pull everything out of my cabinet in order to get this big thing out.  Then I got an idea!  But Natalie, you say, you can't put these square eye shadows into the round holes of the amazing $1 compact!

But I can!!!!  One great feature about these compacts that I didn't mention earlier is the fact that the divider for the eye shadow refills can be popped out, leaving you with a nice metal place in the bottom of an otherwise open compact.  Do you see where I'm going here?

 

Now, this metal piece is normally held in place by the divider; however, a little superglue ensured that the metal plate is not going to be going anywhere any time soon.  After getting both of these compacts fixed up, I then went through my Mary Kay collection, sorting and arranging.  I picked out the colors I wanted to include in my new palettes, and then used superglue to attach magnets to each shadow. (For those of you who know me personally, I used the state of Kentucky magnets that you used to fling so lovingly at my whiteboard at school.)

I made my "blush" palette first, but I found out that I had room for some eye shadows as well.  This is the finished product:

 

Products in the palette are as follows: Sparkling Cider blush (top), Sunny Spice blush (bottom), Pink Porcelain highlighter (vertical), Sterling eye shadow, Midnight Star eye shadow, and Granite eye shadow.

Next, I filled the second compact with eye shadow only, and I was amazed that it would hold 12 Mary Kay shadows!!!!  I was beyond thrilled with the results.

Column #1 Colors: Crystalline, Moonstone, Gold Coast, and Silky Caramel

Column #2 Colors: Precious Pink, Amber Blaze, Copper Glow, and Chocolate Kiss

Column #3 Colors: Sienna, Emerald, Peacock Blue, and Sweet Plum

I cannot begin to tell you how great it is to be able to use all of these products again!  The compacts fit beautifully into my cabinet, they've reduced my clutter, and they blend beautifully with all the other palettes I have.  Overall, if you have a lot of loose eye shadow, these e.l.f. compacts could be a great investment for you!

Oh, there were also a few colors that didn't make it into my palettes.  Just in case you were wondering, here they are:

Colors: Spun Silk, Honey Spice, Hazelnut, Chocolate Kiss (duplicate in palette), and Ivy Garden.

These are great colors, but I tried to include only colors that I hadn't hit pan on in my new palettes.  But don't worry, because I'm still using these colors.  I would NEVER toss out good makeup! :)

So what do you think about my little DIY project?  Questions?  Comments?  Drop me a line below.  Until next time, peace & love! <3

e.l.f. Haul

One of my favorite makeup companies is e.l.f. cosmetics (the cute little acronym stands for eyes, lips, face).  So just what is so great about e.l.f?  The prices!!!!!  I'm talking $1 to $6 for most items.  I've researched other blogs and found that some of their products can be hit or miss.  However, everything that I have ordered from them so far has been a great value.  So, let's look at what I got in the mail TODAY! :)

                        Salem just loves it when I get packages! :)

The major reason for my e.l.f. order was that I needed some more of their High Definition Powder.  This stuff is just amazing!  It's a loose translucent powder that gives your skin a very soft look.  I use it to set my foundation every day.  It is super soft on your skin, and it just takes a little bit of the product.  Similar products from high end retailers (Smashbox, NARS, MUFE) can cost around $30, so at $6 each, this powder is a steal!

 I only ordered two more makeup products this time: the Studio Bronzer in Cool ($3) and the Essential Liquid Eyeliner in Silver ($1).  I wanted the eyeliner to do some fancy eye looks, but I'm not too sure how it will work.  It looks great in the bottle, but when I swatched it, it came off a little more transparent that I had hoped.  What do you think?

 I think the bronzer is going to be amazing.  The concept is that you have four matte cool colors that you can swirl together to get a great color to contour with.  The colors are very pigmented (although you can't really tell from my horrible pictures), and you could actually use these as eyeshadows as well!  Take a look; the swatches begin with the top right color and then continue counterclockwise:

The rest of my order consisted of tools.  I got a cute Essential Nail Block, a Studio Stipple Brush, and two Essential Custom Compacts, all for only $6!!!

These compacts have been my favorite item from this haul.  They are made to be filled with single eyeshadows from e.l.f. which fit right into the little round openings.  However, I have other plans for these cuties...but you have to wait until my next blog to find out just what I've done with them! ;)

One last thing.  I ordered an Angled Blush Brush, but e.l.f. was out of stock.  Instead of just refunding my credit card for the amount of the brush, they sent me a bottle of Studio Daily Brush Cleaner.  I love their brush cleaner, but I already had a bottle that I've just barely used.  I'm not crazy that they sent me another one, but I'll use it eventually.

I hope you've found this blog helpful.  If you're on a budget, give the e.l.f. website a try.  If you have any questions or comments, leave me a note below.  See you next time! Peace & love!!! <3

Hey Everyone!

Welcome to my new blog!

I want to use this blog as a way of sharing with you my love of all things makeup and beauty related.  I'm just getting everything together, but I can't wait to do product reviews for you all, as well as create some makeup tutorials!  I also plan to do nail art and nail polish reviews from time to time.  I hope this is the beginning of a beautiful relationship!

Peace and love,

Natalie