I have done quite a few looks for Valentine’s Day this year and wanted to do one that would be a little on the dramatic side but definitely wearable. I settled on a smokin’ red lip look with easy to achieve smoky eyes using majority of drug store products. I am happy with how the look came out and I hope you like it too. 😉
I am working on my Valentine’s Day Fashion Look book and if the rain lets up here I’ll have it up before the end of the week. With this look I wanted to be flirty but simplistic. I paired it with an off the shoulder slouchy blouse and a black maxi skirt. I decided it would be fun to keep it simple but still sexy and black tends to do very well with my very plus sized voluptuous figure. lol For my footwear I am using my Leopard print heels and gold jewelry for accessories. Since my hair is normally long and very curly, I opted for a wig (for a completely different look). I apologize as I was the only person home when I took my makeup photos and didn’t have any help to set up my camera and take my outfit photos so I do not have any to show. But I will be adding this look to my Look book if I can remember.
Check out my Makeup Tutorial on YouTube for this look. It is so easy to recreate and very quick to do as well so if you are in a rush you can certainly use this look for date night with your love.
I hope you all enjoyed this look. Please check out some of my other makeup tutorials I posted for Valentine’s Day this year.
Valentine’s Day is just a few short weeks away. Most you know – I have a huge crush on anything that has to do with “being in love” and this Holiday is no exception. Since I came up short with doing any Valentine’s Day tutorials last year (I only posted looks), I decided that it would be best to start early this year. I am also entering this look into the Ipsy January Look Challenge since I was able to utilize products from the January Ipsy Bag. This will also be the first tutorial using the Smashbox Full Exposure Palette (review coming soon).
So have you put any thought into what you are going to be doing this Valentine’s Day? My husband will be working the night shift so my sons and I will be having a nice little dinner at home. While I’ll miss my husband tremendously (I’m one of those gushy romantics), I know that everyday is Valentine’s Day for us and I’m lucky that he makes me feel special each and every day!
Check out the list of products used as well as a video tutorial embedded below. You can also watch the video directly on YouTube here.
Products used:
Face Moisturizer: Nourish Organic Moisturizer from Ipsy
Pop of color: Elizabeth Mott’s Smooth Shadow pencil in Penny (inner corners of the eye for pop of color & highlight) – Ipsy
Liner: Jordana 12 Hour Made to Last pencil in Espresso Last (waterline/tightline), Jesse’s Girl Waterproof Liquid Liner (winged liner – upper lash line), Smashbox Stay Sharp & Shimmer On 3D Liner in 3D Sparks (lower lash line)
I wanted this look to be very easy to recreate and wearable. While the liner is a bit on the bold and dramatic side, this look will offer a bit of sexy and sultry but without all the effort. You can surely add blush/bronzer if you wanted to – but I decided to opt out of that in this look. I promise to have at least one more Valentine’s Day tutorial posted in the next two weeks, so be sure to keep an eye out for that.
If you are interested in signing up for Ipsy or learning more about it – click on my link here: http://www.ipsy.com/r/1o41 For just $10 a month you get a cosmetic bag filled with 4-5 products. In the past I have gotten goodies from Urban Decay, Sexy Hair, NYX, and so much more.
Wishing you all a wonderful Valentine’s Day – whether you are Single or In-Love… make it an awesome day!
I will be straight up and honest with you… as much as I love makeup, you can catch me with a bare face most of the time. I love a clean and bare face. I feel so good – it is my preferred every day look if I am not going to be putting makeup on. Honestly, I wish that I had longer lashes – that would make me even happier. A few days ago, a friend of mine shared a contest with me. It was for Cailyn Cosmetics (a brand I may have mentioned a few times since I do use their products) and they were looking for your “Natural Makeup look”. So I decided I would rock out what I would normally do if I was looking to be natural. For me… that means mascara and lipstick or lip balm, though often it means nothing at all and just a bare face.
I would really appreciate it if you took the time to vote for me. This type of contest is a little odd as you are allowed to vote once an hour, but I would be so happy to get just one vote and would truly appreciate it. You can vote by clicking on this link: http://bit.ly/1mjfU3D. The link will ask you to LIKE Cailyn Cosmetics Facebook Page and then you can vote.
When I think of natural makeup or bringing out the natural beauty in someone – I think about playing up your best features. For me – my best features are my lips and my eyes. My every day natural makeup consists of mascara and a nice lip balm or gloss. In this look I am using the following products: Eyes: Jordana 12 Hour Gel Liner Pencil in Black, Benefit’s They’re Real Mascara layered with Elizabeth Mott’s It’s So Big Mascara and Kiss False Lashes in 03 (Natural). On my lips I am using Cailyn’s Lip Balm in Apple Pink topped with NYX Butter Lipgloss in Angel Food Cake. For my brows I am using Cailyn’s Gelux Eyebrow in Cocoa.
Thank you so much! I hope you like my interpretation of my natural look. I contemplated entering a bare face, I may just have to do that later. 😉 Have a wonderful weekend!
Released in December, the Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette sold out the day it was released. When I spotted the sneak peaks in early November, I wondered if this was a “have to have” palette for me, but decided later that it would be a part of my ever growing collection. After waiting till Christmas to finally open my presents and my palette, I have to say – considering I was on the fence, I am pretty happy and glad I decided I wanted it.
Currently sold out online at Sephora.com but available for purchase through Urbandecay.com, Ulta.com and Sephora stores – Naked 3 is another addition to the Naked family. Including 12 Rosy Neutrals for show stopping looks. I currently own the Naked 1, Naked Basics and now Naked 3 (still not sure about Naked 2 – swatched it and was not quite impressed) and I have to say that I’m very impressed with the color range this palette offers. Retailing for just $52.00 (the same cost as the other Nakeds), this palette offers a gorgeous collection of shades that I believe will offer great compliments to a wide variety of skin tones.
The palette sports a duo ended brush and includes 4 samples of the Urban Decay Eye Shadow Primer Potions in Original, Eden, Sin and Anti-Aging. I haven’t used any of the primer potions besides my regular (original) but I have heard many awesome things about the Anti-aging primer and Eden. I will do a review on those separately once I have the opportunity to test out the samples. Each sample should include enough product for you to get about a week’s worth of use – so once I find a way to store it while testing, I’ll be sure to have my ideas posted.
Now – packaging… ooh la la! The Naked 3, like it’s Naked 2 counterpart comes in a metal tin, very different from the original Naked 1 palette. The case is sturdy and sleek and has a gorgeous rose gold finish. Since I love traveling with my Naked 1 Palette, I can imagine that this palette (Naked 3) would be equally travel friendly – offering support and protection to your eye shadows and your brush (included). The palette sports a large full sized mirror and a little compartment for the included brush. And, the palette itself – while it feels sturdy, is still pretty light weight. What I love so much about this palette is how it’s labeled. Just like the other Naked palettes (and UD palettes in general), there is no guessing – the names are all printed below each shadow which make it easy to use.
As mentioned, there are a total of 12 shades, all of which are brand new rose hued colors. Each shade has 0.05 oz of product (the same amount as Naked 1 and 2). The shadows come in a range of matte/satin and shimmer shades allowing you to create a complete eye look by just using one palette.
Swatches
All swatches are done dry without primer or base
Strange – a creamy pale pink shade (matte / satin finish)
Dust – a pale metallic pink with micro glitter (shimmer)
Burn out – a pinky peach (satin)
Limit – a dusty rose (matte)
Buzz – a metallic rose shimmer with micro glitters (shimmer)
Trick (my favorite shade) – a copper pink (rose gold) shimmer. This shade is my favorite but did give me difficulty when I first started using it. The first few uses it did not offer me the color pay off I had expected, but after wiping it a bit with a paper towel (dry) and removing the first layer, I realized that it truly is pigmented and an awesome shade.
Nooner – pink brown (matte)
Liar – a metallic mauve shade. This shade has grayish undertones so it can lend for an almost taupe color depending on what it is paired with.
Factory – Dark brown with rose hues and gold shimmer
Mugshot – Metallic taupe brown with a light pink shift
Darkside – Gray taupe with a satin sheen
Blackheart – smoky black with rose hued red micro glitters
In the look above I am using the Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette – Buzz (all over the lid), Nooner (transition shade), Limit (transition into highlight), Strange (highlight), Blackheart (outer v), Factory (crease color) and Trick (pop of color applied on the middle of the lid and lower lash line). I only used Urban Decay Naked 3 palette shadows to create this eye look and they were all put on over my Urban Decay Primer Potion.
I have always liked the brushes that Urban Decay includes in their palettes. This particular duo sided brush was no exception. The angled blending side worked well for applying color all over for a wash of shadow on the lid or to blend colors effortlessly and the domed shadow side worked well for packing color on the lid. While I am not going to go out and buy similar brushes, this is a great brush to have with your palette – especially for travel.
Now I know you are asking me… “Is it Worth it? What are my overall thoughts?” Hmmm… considering I did spend the money on the palette (or the hubby did), I do think it is worth it. The quality is much like what you would expect from Urban Decay, pigmented, buttery shadows in gorgeous hues that are meant for a showstopping eye look each and every time. I was a bit worried that the shades would not work well with my skin tone, but I am very happy to say that it not only paired well for me but it also makes my brown eyes pop. As mentioned previously, I did have a little difficulty with using Trick at first, but having had similar issues with shadows from other brands in the past, I found that I just needed to remove the top layer to find its greatness. What I love so much about this palette is that it’s not just a “Pink” or “Rose shade” palette, it’s quite universal, allowing me to create a plethora of looks from smoky to neutral with just one palette. $52 for 12 shades… is it worth the price and the hype? Yes, I think so! Makeup like any other object is an investment and this investment has enough product to allow you to create a ton of looks and the product will last. Each shadow proved to me to be long lasting and over a base or primer, it was showstopping. I definitely think this will be a great investment for anyone looking to pick up their first Urban Decay product or just adding to their makeup arsenal.
Check out my video below for a quick run down of what I thought. 😉
Early last month (November) I decided I would take advantage of Sephora and splurge on the Urban Decay Vice 2 Palette ($59 US – available on Urbandecay.com). I didn’t pick up the original Vice Palette that came out last year because I just wasn’t interested in spending the money on it and the colors were not those I would use often. I’m glad I took advantage of the opportunity to pick up Vice 2 because it is no longer available online at Sephora.com and I was able to cash in on some points by shopping there instead of through UD’s website.
I have seen the original Vice palette in person and was very impressed, but not nearly as impressed as when I received the Vice 2 in the mail and opened up the box. The palette itself is breathtaking… sporting purples and marbleized looks that are totally showstopping. I’m glad I decided to get it because packaging alone has won me over. The palette has 20 ALL NEW eye shadow shades. If you are one that loves color, this palette is definitely a great one to add to your makeup arsenal. What I love most about it is that it offers a few neutral shades and mattes so that you can create a vast variety of looks without having to turn to other palettes for a transition shade, highlight or black.
You have a variety of shades in this palette that you can create a bright bold look with (Madness, Coax, Betrayal) and colors to do a nice brown smoky eye (Smokeout, Rewind, Ambush and Habit). The palette sports the awesome pigmentation of Urban Decay shadows and have that buttery feel we are all used to when using UD. Some of the shimmery shades do offer some fall out – but considering the size of the glitter/shimmer in those colors – that is definitely expected. If you are looking for an even bolder look in some of the shades, use them foiled or over a sticky base to keep that bright color and shimmery effects.
If I had to choose one shade I absolutely love… it would be Prank. This shade is gorgeous when used wet, as an eyeliner or even to smoke out a look. Definitely a shade that goes well in this palette and it’s great that they included something along those lines because I absolutely love it.
For the look above I am using the following colors from the Vice 2: Rewind – Transition above the crease, Habit – Brow highlight, Ambush – Lid Color, Betrayal – lower lash line pop of color, Strike – pop of gold in the middle of the lid. Like I mentioned previously – this palette can be used for a wide variety of looks. If you are someone that tends to lend more towards neutral makeup – then this palette may not necessarily be the right fit for you. However, if you love neutral colors but love a “pop of color” from time to time, this palette offers a wide range of color options for you to use.
Now – let’s talk swatches. I have been trying to take photos of swatches several times over the course of the last couple of weeks. I’m not sure if it’s because some of the shades have color shifts or because our lighting here has shifted due to the Winter season – but some of the shades in the swatches are a tad bit different then how they look in the palette. Please be sure to look at the palette photos for shades… though I’ll be honest and say that the swatches are very much still true to color. I swatched them on bare skin (no base or primer) and all photos were taken in natural light without flash.
Row 1: Smoke Out (metallic/shimmer grayish black with pinkish red reflects), Love Sick (Matte Black with silver micro glitter), Shell shock (shimmery frosty silver), Coax (shimmer/metallic rose pink with light gold sparkles), X-Rated (a shimmery baby pink)
Row 2:Prank (a black/blue with teal sparkle), Madness (rich metallic blue), Strike (shimmery yellow gold), Stash (Olive Green with Gold Sparkle), Poison (charcoal gray with micro sparkles – check out the “whole” palette photo for an accurate photo)
Row 3: these swatches varied from what they look like in the palette. Again, I tried several times to get an accurate color swatch but it just didn’t photograph well for me. If these colors are used with certain bases, it can definitely lend to similar shades pictured here due to the fact that some of these have awesome reflects and shimmer as well as color shifts.
Radar (a gorgeous metallic bronze with gold micro glitter), Damaged (metallic / shimmer emerald green), Voodoo (a beautiful plum metallic purple with iridescent micro glitters), Betrayal (a lavender purple with a blue shift / duo chrome), Derailed ( a shimmery metallic taupe brown)
Row 4:Dope (a light peach champagne satin), Toxic (a copper metallic pink with pink micro glitter), Habit (a matte nude cream brown), Ambush (metallic brown satin), Rewind (a deep matte brown – it looks like a taupe in the swatch – but it lends for more of a brown shade)
The palette also came with a double ended (dual-ended) brush that I like. I love that there is a shader brush and a blender in one so I don’t have to worry much about which brushes to use. The brushes are soft and like any UD brush – it works well and does the job right.
All of the shades in this palette are awesome, I didn’t come across any of them that didn’t work to par or didn’t have enough color payoff. I overall think this palette is a great buy and investment because you can use the colors in so many different looks – the options are endless. You get a total of 20 shades at 0.03 oz each for a total of 0.6 oz of product. You also get a large full sized mirror in the palette (which is awesome for creating your looks). The palette is very sturdy (trust me – I’ve dropped it at least 10 times) and like I mentioned above… it’s gorgeous – definitely one for display.
Overall – if I had to rate it on my Sparkle Scale I would definitely give it 5 Sparkles… which I never do. I believe this palette is well worth the investment, is highly pigmented, offers a pretty nice color range and like most Urban Decay shadows, they feel buttery and awesome on the skin. Staying power is average and long lasting when used on a good primer or base. I didn’t experience any creasing after testing them out on their own – however, I did do a wash of color to create the look so I did not pack color onto my lids. If you are looking to invest in a palette that you will love for years, then this is definitely a good buy.
For my YouTube friends – I’ll be showcasing this palette in a “Quick Review” in the next week or two so stay tuned for that. Subscribe to my new channel here
Every year I get asked what Winter is like here in Hawaii… honestly, we don’t truly experience a change in seasons so it’s very different from other parts…
