Makeup Geek - Daytime Mattes

So this is the first of a three part series of looks using my new Makeup Geek Eyeshadows. This particular look is all matte, and very daytime appropriate, atleast I think it is.

Products Used.
Bourjois Happy Light Illuminating Primer
Chanel Vitalumier Aqua in B60
MUFE Full Cover Concealer in 10 (used as a highlight)
Inglot 357 Matte eyeshadow to contour.
Makeup Geek Eyeshadows in Creme Brule (Lid), Cocoa Bear (outer third), Mocha (Outer V) and Vanilla Bean (brow highlight and tear duct)
Maybelline Gel Liner
Nivea Lip Butter in Caramel Cream

So thats that! Let me know what you think? :)

NEW IN! Makeup Geek Eyeshadows!

 

I know, I know, I've been buying a LOT of stuff offlate - but blame the fact that I'm finally earning my money and not depending on my parents for my beauty indulgence.
I've been contemplating buying Makeup Geek eyeshadows/pigments for well over three months, but once I saw Parita's order and then Ki placed hers, I knew the Universe was sending me the green signal.
This post won't have swatches or reviews, but more of a first impression/ show and tell kinda' post. I will be featuring these eyeshadows in future eyelooks etc. So stay tuned.
Now, I got 9 shadows plus a Z palette! The ones I got are (according to picture)
Mocha - Deep matte brown
Cocoa Bear - Matte reddish brown
Creme Brule - A medium sand colour with a soft matte finish. (this is such a brilliant all over lid colour)
Burlesque - Deep Metallic Burgandy
Sensuous - Shimmery Purple with flecks of silver (this pulls an almost duochrome purple-gold on me)
Pretentious - Metallic Bronze
Corrupt - Intense matte black with slight sparkle
Galaxy - Mettalic Gunmetal
Vanilla Bean - the site doesn't have a description, but I'd say its a warm cream colour with a slight sheen

A few facts for you - Firstly, Makeup Geek shadows are cruelty free and they have vegan shadows, for those in need of it. Each pan is ever so slightly bigger than the MAC shadow pans, but they fit into the palettes. The pans cost $5.99 each and contain 1.8grams of product as opposed to MAC's $10 each and contains 1.5grams of product. (you do the math)
Not only do these have more product in them, but they're cheaper and quality wise equally good, if not better.
Mocha, Cocoa Bear, Creme Brule, Corrupt (almost) and Vanilla Bean are matte shades and are buttery soft and beautiful. I don't have too many matte shadows, which is odd considering its one of my favorite eyeshadow finishes. The others are shimmery and a little out of my comfort zone. I don't usually venture out from my warm bronzes/golds and the occasional red brown, but these colours are still wearable without being too.. jhatang. Of the bunch, I feel Burlesque comes across a little too pink on me, but nothing that I can't work with - I'll probably layer it.

So these are my new MUG Shadows. After this I'm on a self-imposed Makeup buying ban. (HAH, lets see how long that lasts)
Over and out.

Glow - givers.

Okay, lets all be honest here - we all want to look like we have healthy glowing skin. And I don't just mean highlighted cheekbones of cupids bows, I mean the whole glowing-from-within look. I don't like the matte look, at all. I like my T-zone to be relatively matte, but the rest of my face - I want it to look natural. And natural skin often emits a pretty glow. So here are my top glow-givers.

MAC Strobe Cream
This is a relatively new purchase for me. Its supposed to be "The ultimate quick fix for the skin. Super-powdered with potent botanicals; de-snoozes, de-stresses, moistens, freshes and bossts the look of dull, flat or..." I bought it after watching a video by my perpetual crush - Wayne Goss; where he talked about how its filled with anti-oxidants and is a great skincare product as well. This can be used as a moisturizer, but with my skin and its ample dry patches, I use it over moisturizer and under my foundation. It really does give me a brighter and healthier looking skin. The only thing I could do without is the smell, but it doesn't exactly bother me. Just FYI, its INR 1950, which is steeeeep, but for the quantity and what it does to my skin, I'd buy it, over and over again.

MAC Extra Dimension Skinfinish in Magnetic Appeal
I know, I know, this is a limited edition product which is already sold out everywhere (except MAC at Ramee Mall, Chennai). Its my first ever powder highlighter, and I haven't stopped using it since I got it. Its definitely the darkest of the lot, and the most obvious of highlighters - but not disco ball obvious. Its a nice bronzey shade that I realize I can use even as a blush because it does have a pair bit of pigment. It's more of a nighttime highlight - if you know what I mean? It was INR 1650, which I believe is the same cost as the other Mineralize Skinfinishes. After using this, I'm on board the MAC MSF bandwagon. Stereo Rose, I'm coming for you...

MAC Luster Drops in Sun Rush
This is an oldie, but a goodie. It was my first venture into the highlighters; and if it wasn't for this badboy, I might have never gone near them again. Its like my beloved Face and Body in many ways, just as runny, in a mini bottle and just as glowy, only with golden shimmer running through it. It can be mixed in with foundation or used on its own - more about it here.

Bourjois Happy Light Illuminating Primer
The newest of the bunch. After reading tons of rave reviews and seeing that it was Goss Certified, I had to get it. (also, ASOS sale, 8 GBP = INR 816 = WIN) Now, my first foray into primers being the MUFE did not leave me impressed (post on that coming soon). But this.. is a different story. It does a lot of the things the strobe cream does.. but its a pink shade, which helps with my hyperpigmentation. It smells divine and really does "illuminate" while prepping the skin for foundation. Does it make my makeup last longer? Still not entirely sure, but it does make everything seem more natural, and brighter and awake.

While I was writting this I realized most of these products are MAC, something that didn't register. So now I have to try other brands too, don't I? Its the correct thing to do...
D'you like being glowy? What are your favorite products?

Favorite Face Brushes

Makeup brushes are a necessity, don't you think? Having several foundations or highlighters, not something you need, but just want. Brushes, you need. Always. Atleast thats what I tell myself.
You can never have too many brushes, and even if you do, you always find yourself reaching for the a few particular brushes, right? These are the ones I use regularly - almost daily, and I only change them around when I feel they need a break. I love them THAT much.

The Foundation Brush
No surprises here, it had to be the Real Techniques Buffing Brush, it manages to buff in everything from my very liquid face and body to my concealer perfectly. It never leaves my face looking cakey or too heavy, and it just blends everything seamlessly. If these were sold separately...

The Concealer Brush
I always used my fingers for concealing, but once I began using Real Techniques Deluxe Crease Brush, I've never looked back. It picks up just the right amount of product and buffs it in just like my beloved buffing brush. Actually, this is almost like a mini version of the buffing brush.

The Setting Brush
This may come as a surprise, but the Real Techniques Contour Brush is my setting brush of choice, I prefer it to the RT Setting Brush actually. Since I mostly powder under my eyes and my T-zone, this brush is perfect. Its slightly stiff so it sets the under eye concealer beautifully and without any effort. It also seems to pick up just the right amount of powder - almost like it knows its use.

The Contour Brush
The MAC 167 is probably my all time favorite brush for powder products - but it bronzer, blush, highlighter or even powder. The angle really does make a huge difference - especially around the cheekbones. I use this mainly for contour/bronzer, and it never seems to pick up too much product, it also blends it in effortlessly. aaah, I feel I'm using those words too much - but honestly, what other words can you use while describing brushes?

The Multi-Tasker
Ah, my beloved 187. MAC's 187 was the first foundation brush I bought, and used it religiously with my Studio Fix Fluid, but once I stopped using that, this brush was forgotten. Recently, when I had washed all my usual brushes, I reached for this one for Bronzer - and I was skeptical. But it did the most beautiful job. I actually use this more often than all the other brushes put together, because it buffs in foundation well, it gives me that very natural bronze and works wonderfully with both powder and liquid highlighters - it really is a gem of a brush.

So there you have it, my favorite face brushes, what are yours?

Birthday Weekend!

Birthday weekend post coming your way in 5.. 4.. 3.. 2.. 1. Note: Picture Heavy.

So, the 9th of February was my 22nd Birthday (yay, oldage) and it turned out into more of a weekend bonanza than just a Sunday celebration becauseeee.. my best friend Nikhil's (See picture above, with the birthday boy) Birthday is on the 8th. So it turned into a fun filled weekend! (Though, sadly, I ended up working on both days, ugh)
On Saturday, we drove out to Moonrakers in Mahabalipuram, where you get the tastiest fresh seafood, though we didn't take too many pictures (we aren't picture people) we managed a few here and there.

On Saturday night, my lovely parents surprised me with my favorite red velvet and cream cheese cupcakes from the Cupcake Company.
On Sunday, we went out for lunch with the grandmother, followed by some shopping (LOTS of new things, yay!) and went to the Great Kebab Factory for dinner. (so good, so full)
Oh and for your viewing pleasure, I took a bunch of Birthday pictures with my cats - Qoco (black) and Snowman (White).

Now, onto my favorite part - throughout the weekend I wore pretty much the same makeup, featuring some new products from Bobbi Brown and a highlighter from MAC!
For my base, I have found the most beautiful combination of Chanels' Vita Lumier Aqua mixed with Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk, the coverage that the two combined gives me kills the need for concealer - at the same time it looks bloody natural and so - I'm glowing-from-within. I used my new Bobbi Brown Dark Peach Corrector under my eye (I was matched to Dark Bisque for god knows what reason, and have used up 3 of those - but I feel peach does a better job of eradicating the darkness). For my eyes, a new shadow acquisition, which is Bobbi Brown's Shimmer Shadow in Cognac - Its a burgundy plum, and my first venture into the BB shadows, I have to say, its LOVE. Buttery goodness and the pigmentation - sweet baby jesus.
I blended that out with my Inglot 357 Matte, and used my Maybelline gel liner. For brows, Anastasia Beverly Hills DipBrow in Ebony. For ze lashes, I used the very hyped Benefit's They're Real! And I have to say, I'm underwhelmed. Yes it can hold a curl, but no, it doesn't make the dramatic difference that people claim it does, but then again, it could just be me.
Okay, we're almost there - two more new products that I used this weekend was the Bobbi Brown Matte Bronzer in Dark (Better than my beloved NARS Casino? Jury is still out!) and the MAC's Extra Dimension Skin Finish in Magnetic Appeal as a highlighter (I've never tried these before, but I've got to say, I'm hooked). Highlighter seems to be my new addiction - but more on that later.
I finished everything off with MAC's Rebel which just.. aaah, look at it!

Ze new beauty stuff!

Haulage - Boyfriend jeans - Marks & Spencers, Layered necklace - Accessorize, Houndstooth Snood - Aldo, Black Wedges - Aldo, Bag - Oasap.com

So, that was my birthday weekend, with a little Face of the Weekend thrown in.. what did you think? :)

All about the Brows.

Ahh brows. my favorite part of my makeup routine.. the most important part of a face - if you ask me. Yes, eyes are a passage to your soul and all that jazz, but your eyebrows shape your face. You can pluck 'em, thread 'em or wax 'em that is totally upto you, but I'd say - never ignore 'em brows.
(On a side note, has anyone been noticing a huggggee eyebrow threading trend develop in the West, which I guess is a bit odd if you happen to be Indian, considering we've only ever threaded our eyebrows?)

Okay, back to the point of this post - eyebrow products (digressing as much as I do has got to be considered a talent) If you had asked me about 2 weeks ago what my all time favorite eyebrow product was.. I'd have said NARS Eyeshadow in Coconut Grove - its the perfect dark blackish brown - giving my very dark eyebrows a very natural tint while shaping them.
However, now, I have discovered the Anastasia Beverly Hills DipBrow Pomade in Ebony (sheesh, thats a mouthful) which, incase you've been living under a rock is a new launch from the brand and frankly, my first venture with them. The second I saw it I knew I had to give it whirl, so into my CultBeauty basket it went, and a week later, I was staring at this creamy-gel goodness. What is it? A creamy gel in various colours, that coats your brows and sets, without budging. To test this out, I've slept with it on (cheeky and a big no no, I know, I know), I've worn it for over 12 hours in sweaty weather as well as indoors and nada, it did not move. No fading, nothing. It sort of combines the idea of a powder and a brow gel, tints and sets - really, this is the perfect brow product. I never thought I'd say this, but coconut grove - you're going back to being a crease colour/ eyebrow powder for lazy days.
As far as tools, I don't think anything beats an angled brush, I use the Real Techniques one from the Starter Set with powder and a smaller more precise angled brush from Kryolan for the DipBrow. And ofcourse, with any eyebrow routine, a spoolie is a must, as it brings back texture and generally keeps thing a bit more natural. Also, lets take a minute and appreciate the world spoolie. Spoolie. SPOOLIE. I want to keep saying Spoolie. Okay. I'll stop now.

Over and out.