My Kinda Pretty

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Holy Grail Alert!!: Laura Mercier's Faux Lash Mascara

I've found it. I'm serious. This is THE mascara! So, I went to Neiman's for one of the "makeover" events and was pretty sure there was nothing new they could surprise me with…until the last step when the MA put on my mascara. When I looked in the mirror, I could have SWORN she had applied fake lashes. Needless to say, I HAD to purchase it! (along with the Teal cake liner shown in the pic below--gorgeous color!).

Here's what Laura Mercier says about the mascara:

"Open your eyes to Laura’s luxurious new mascara—created specifically to give eyes the look of false lashes. As a renowned makeup artist, Laura really knows the dramatic impact of false lashes. With that in mind, she created her latest mascara to give real lashes extreme volume and length for intense exaggeration and drama. The formula is extra-smooth, glossy and good-for-lashes, created with a blend of waxes and absolutely no fibers. Build rich, exaggerated lashes that are extraordinarily thick, super-shiny and conditioned. You’ll never need to bother with false eyelashes again!

Key ingredient to getting the look is the Faux Lash Mascara Brush – the over-sized brush builds thick, beautiful lashes. The dual sided brush head has short bristles on one side that provide maximum color deposit and long bristles on the other to allow for maximum build ability."

The cost is $24 and very much worth it!

mascara only applied to the left eye

Applied to both eyes

Both lashes coated

Monday, September 17, 2012

Urban Decay- Smoked Palette

Here's my attempt at the "smoldering" look from the look book!

Ever since I started wearing makeup (about 8 years now) the ONE trick I have had trouble mastering is the "smokey eye." I always end up looking like I have a BLACK EYE instead. So, imagine my intrigue when Urban Decay came out with this palette! I'm happy to say that this is perhaps one of my TOP TEN purchases of 2012 so far. The shadows are smooth and have outstanding pigment (typical, of course, for UD) and the range of "smokey eye" looks is spectacular. The BEST thing about this palette? The "how-to" book it includes. I tried one of the looks already and think it was pretty successful:) I will post more as I give other looks a shot.

The palette comes with 10 shadows PLUS the infamous Perversion eyeliner (THE blackest black I've ever seen in pencil form) AAAAND a travel-sized tube of the UD Primer Potion (can't have too many of those!). The retail price is $49 and, considering the amount and quality of what you get, it's SO worth it!

Top: Kinky, Lifestyle, Mushroom, Backdoor, Blackout
Center: Perversion swatch
Bottom: Barlust, Rockstar, Evidence, Loaded, Asphalt
(Natural Light)

Top: Kinky, Lifestyle, Mushroom, Backdoor, Blackout

Center: Perversion swatch
Bottom: Barlust, Rockstar, Evidence, Loaded, Asphalt
(With flash)

More pics after the break

Magnetic Attraction

Face: Primer-Laura Mercier Radiance Bare Minerals (Warm Tan); MAC Blush (Coppertone); Dior Shimmer highlight (Amber Diamond)

Lips: Laura Mercier Lipstick (Fresh Brown) MAC Lipglass (Sonoran Rain)

Eyes: MAC Mineralize Shadow (Magnetic Attraction)

Liner: Urban Decay pencil (Perversion)

Brows: Anastasia pencil (Brunette), Anastasia brow powder (Ebony-the lighter side)

Lashes: curled, then Diorshow Blackout

Thursday, August 9, 2012

Eyebrow Chronicals...(Anastasia Brow Enhancing Serum Advanced)

One of the slightly bothersome traits I inherited from my Filipina grandmother is the "thin eyebrow" gene. Seriously, my eyebrows are so sparsely peppered with hair…and the hair I DO have is very fine, so it ends up being virtually invisible. I began to get frustrated even filling them in because I often felt like I had to draw in brows where where hair was especially scarce (the inner 1/4 of my brows). After an hour of scouring the web, I came upon the Anastasia Brow Enhancing Serum ($45 at Sephora). After just a week and a half, I noticed significant thickening in my brows, as well as wayyyy more hairs growing in that troublesome inner 1/4. I decided the best way to keep track of the effect of this product was to take pictures regularly.

Here is the product description from Anastasia:

"The serum for healthier, fuller-looking brows. Our advanced pentapeptide chain, comprised of 5 peptides at 10%, has been clinically proven to encourage the growth of thicker, longer- looking hair in 100% of trial subjects. With regular twice-daily use, achieve fuller, longer, and more youthful-looking brows with less breakage."

My regimen has been to put the serum on my eyebrows at night (I used to do it in the morning, too, but it would kinda flake up as I tried to do my brows with my brow powder.) One really annoying thing about the packaging, though, is that after a few uses, the cap doesn't seem to go on all the way. Super strange..,

In any case, at $45 I want to make sure this stuff TRULY works, so I will be keeping track!