I should tell you all that I currently have quite a bit of eyeshadow in my vanity that hasn't been used. I have a nice big Too Faced palette that's only had three colors used as of yet, a handful of Nyx pigments, and some other goodies. So today, naturally, when I sat down to do my eye look, what did I use?

Blush and bronzer. Well, and a few other things.



Products used:

Too Faced Shadow Insurance
Lorac blush in Hollywood
Lorac Tantalizer bronzer
Urban Decay 24/7 Shadow Pencils in Sin (highlight), Juju (crease), and Rehab (liner)
Urban Decay Lush Lash Mascara

Okay, though. I solemnly swear to use the heck out of that Too Faced palette next week. A purple smoky eye is calling my name.

Every now and then, I run across a product I just can't live without. More often than not, it's an expensive one that I have to splurge on. But sometimes I'll find a reasonably priced beauty item that wows me.

With my job, I sanitize my hands a lot, so they get dried out quickly. I'm constantly hunting for a good lotion or hand cream, and I've tried nearly everything. Currently, I use the Hemp Hand Protector (The Body Shop, $18.50) which really moisturizes my hands-- even after handwashing and hand sanitizing-- however, it's got sort of a funky smell to it, and it is a little greasier than I'd like.

On a whim, I tried Sephora by OPI's Restorative Hand Moisturizer. First of all, it's only $5 (and it was on sale for $1.97 at the time!) It has a mild fresh, citrus-y scent, and packs a lot of moisturizing power without being greasy. This one is available in stores, but not via Sephora's website.

The Daily Hand Moisturizer is also a dream. It smells like fields full of white flowers and makes your hands feel amazing... for just $5? $9? (it's $5 in stores... Sephora's website lists the price as $9.)

I don't think I'll be able to be sans these lotions again. I'm devoted. And the price leaves me with more money to spend on eyeshadow! Ha.

Chime in: what's your most reasonably priced must-have?

Oh, my friends in the Midwest will love me or hate me for this one.

I stopped by Ulta to pick up some cleanser the other day, and couldn't resist snagging a couple of things from NYX. And, since they were shiny and new and sitting on my vanity, I had to use them all together! Which resulted in me unintentionally creating a look that would be perfect for Super Bowl Sunday... if the Vikings ever made it there.



Too Faced Shadow Insurance
NYX Ultra Pearl Mania in Oro
NYX Ultra Pearl Mania in True Purple
NYX Studio Liquid Liner in Extreme Purple
Urban Decay Lush Lash Mascara

I will now shelter my head from the cheese which will inevitably be thrown my way by the friends in my life who are rabid Packer fans. See you tomorrow!

Pretty cool, but not something I wanted to wear all day. I chalked this one up as something I might practice and use on a model someday, but it didn't translate well as something I'd wear in public. So I got to work with a Q-tip, a smudge brush, and a different eyeliner, creating this instead.


Much better. When I finished, I noticed the colors were the school colors of the high school I graduated from. Maybe I'll wear this look when I go back for the annual hockey tournament... in 2013, of course, since I'm not repeating any looks this year! ;)

Products used:
Sephora Nano Eyeliner in Pure White (under brows and to rim the eyes)
Too Faced Shadow Insurance (on the lids)
Manly Palette #43
Urban Decay 24/7 Shadow Pencil in Delinquent (to rim the eyes)
Urban Decay Lush Lash Mascara

This look was done following a tutorial by hedwyg23 (she's amazing, check out her stuff).



I used my Manly palette heavily for this, which I will be making a graphic for shortly to tell you which numbers correspond to which shadows.

Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion in Eden
Manly #23 (cyan), #49 (dark pink), #39 (purple), #43 (black), #86 (dark blue, used as a liner on bottom)
Lorac Front of the Line PRO in black
Sephora Nano Liner in Lagoon and Pure White
Make Up For Ever Aqua Eyes in 0L
Urban Decay Lush Lash Mascara

Notes to go along with her tutorial:

• Instead of using a white pencil all over my eyes, I went with Urban Decay's Primer Potion in Eden. I tremble when I think of using anything other than a primer before shadow application.
• I used a small eyeshadow brush to apply the cyan, the pink, and the purple. As she suggested, I used an eyeliner brush to do the black. To put the pink in the inner corners of my eye, and to blend, I used Sephora's Classic Rounded Smudge Brush ($15). It took a lot of blending to take away the harshness of the black (I wanted to soften that up). I used circular strokes, moving upward. 
• To apply the blue shadow on the bottom lid, I used Sephora's Classic Smudge Brush ($14) to wiggle it into my lower lashline. 
• On the lower lashes, I only applied mascara in the outer corners. I used Sarah Lucero's tip, and painted it onto the lashes with a concealer brush.

I really like the black in the crease and in the corners up to the eyeshadow. It's something I wouldn't have ordinarily thought of... clearly, I need to start thinking outside the box a bit more!

Congratulations janna_b on winning my Holiday Giveaway! I will be in touch to get your shipping information.

Everyone else, thank you so much for entering! I hope you stay with the blog... I'm planning more giveaways as we speak, and I've got lots to share. I'm so happy to have you all with me.

Happy New Year everyone!

Happy New Year!

First off, you've still got a little while to get your entries in for my contest; it will be closed at 12:00 CST. I'm overwhelmed at the response and I am so happy to see you all here! (Also, it IS an international contest; thanks to those of you who asked and I'm sorry I didn't make that clear.)

Since you ARE here, I would really like to make it worth your while. So let me ask you, my followers, what would you like to see most of on this blog? Let me know in the comments!

-Tutorials
-Reviews/Swatches
-Looks
-Other

And now, on to my New Year's resolution. Sure, I'm hoping to set down the chocolate (yeah right) and run a 5K (a little more likely), but my big resolution is a beauty challenge for myself. Ready?

In 2012, I resolve to wear a different eye look for every day of the year. No repeats. I'm going to take a picture daily, and post each one here, along with my regular reviews, swatches, tutorials, etc. As a matter of fact, let's start right now:

Shadow: Manly Palette, Colorevolution 8-Stack Eyeshadow in Starry Night Liner: Sephora Nano Liner in 03 Pure White, Make Up For Ever Aqua Eyes in 0L Mascara: Urban Decay Lush Lash

Lots of green, I know! I woke up this morning and, for some odd reason, had komodo dragons on the brain. My thought process: komodo dragons... fire breathing dragons... green... voila. :)

Chime in: what's your New Year's beauty resolution?

I love dramatic eyes, but when it comes to my complexion, I want to look natural. And in the winter, I want that perfect just-came-in-from-the-cold look.

Liv Tyler does it so well!

The secret? Ditch your powder blush and snag a cheek stain instead. Try Benefit's Benetint (Sephora, $29). At first, it looks a little intimidating; when you unscrew the cap, it looks like a nail polish applicator, and the stain appears quite dark in the bottle. Don't be scared; it goes on lightly and the application technique is a snap. To apply, dab a little on the apples of your cheeks with the included applicator (I usually make three lines on the apple of my cheek) and blend back toward your temples with a sponge. Use over foundation (if you're a full-coverage girl) or under (if you're using sheer-to-medium foundation or tinted moisturizer).

Top it off with a dab of highlighter, blending just along the cheekbone to give you a dewy, natural look (I'm a fan of Stila's multi-tasking Smudge Pot in Kitten (Sephora, $20), then polish your look with your favorite setting powder (I like BareMinerals Mineral Veil, SPF 25 (Sephora, $20).

Ever tried a cream or stain blush? What do you think?

Hello all!

In the spirit of the holidays, I'm doing a giveaway!

The winner will receive:



Benefit Watt's Up Soft Focus Highlighter
NARS Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base
Smashbox Photo Finish Primer
Buxom Lip Tarnish in "Caught on Tape"
Ulta Eyeshadow Single in "Bayou"
Make Up For Ever HD Powder
Josie Maran Argan Oil
Bare Minerals Pretty Amazing Lipcolor in "Confidence"
Ojon Damage Reverse Restorative Hair Serum

How to enter:

1.) Follow my blog (required to enter)
2.) Follow my Twitter (+1 entry)
3.) Tweet about the giveaway with a link back to this post (+1 entry)
4.) Post about the giveaway on Tumblr with a link back to this post (+1 entry)
5.) Post about the giveaway on your own blog with a link back to this post (+2 entries)

Once you've entered, comment on this post. I'll need your first name, the username you used to follow my blog, your e-mail address, and links to anything you followed/promoted me on. If you don't want to post your e-mail address publicly, send the information in an e-mail to me.

Winner will be selected via random.org on New Year's Day.

Good luck & tell your friends!

It's no secret to those who know me that I adore television from across the pond. If you ever catch me in front of the TV and there's not a hockey game on the screen, you can bet it will be something British. Enter my latest addiction: Merlin! My husband and I were recently introduced to it and we marathoned the whole thing until we caught up.

While trying to think of a theme for my latest nails, I immediately thought of doing something Camelot-inspired. Here they are:

Top L-R: Excalibur, knight's helmet, Morgana's Fomorroh, chainmail, the Pendragon crest Bottom L-R: Fleur-de-lis, shield, crown, Holy Grail, Fisher King's trident

I used a single tool for the whole thing though, in hindsight, I wish I'd have used a fine paintbrush for the Fisher King's trident and maybe the crown and Grail. Here's the tool, which I got in my brush set:


I picked mine up at a local craft store... you should be able to find a similar brush set at any decent-sized craft store.

Chime in: what cool nail designs have you seen lately... or what British show should I watch next? ;)