Everyday Makeup Routine

Despite some of the bright and crazy looks I do here,

I rarely do them in real life :P

Though i've pretty much always stuck with neutrals for my everyday eye look,

I change the combo often.

I've gone over that some before,

but I want to take it a step further & show you all the products I use for a basic,

fresh, day look!

Here's my current routine:

1. Apply eyeshadow primer on a fresh face.

I use either Too Faced's Shadow Insurance or this one by UD.

2. Apply eyeshadow (all from UD's Vice Palette) with brushes. 

I've listed the order in which I use each brush:

Brush 1 applies 'Anonymous' (third from left on bottom) on brow bone.

Brush 2, 3, & 4 apply 'Nevermind' (first one on left of bottom row) to crease, blending as I go.

Brush 5 applies 'Echo Beach' (to the left of 'Nevermind') to lid.

3. Apply eyeliner to waterline.

Unless I'm doing a look for the blog or a fancier look,

I don't apply eyeliner anywhere other than my waterline.

Just because of the larger almond shape of my eyes,

I feel it looks best fresh above the lashes!

4. Apply mascara/curl lashes with curler.

This is my current go-to mascara :)

5. Apply foundation with brush.

I've posted about UD's foundation & their Optical Blurring Brush before.

Both are fantastic!

I wait to apply foundation until this point so that I may more easily sweep up any fall out from eyeshadow or mascara :)

6. Apply blush.

This baby has been used a ton, thus the faded label.

This is Tarte's Cheek Stain.

It's the ONLY blush I use because it applies easily and stays on throughout my day :)

Though pricey at prestige cosmetic stores,

you can find it the exact same and MUCH cheaper on Amazon and/or Ebay!

I finish off with a setting spray.

This is the routine i've used for my everyday look for at least a month or two (maybe longer) now. It takes me less than 15 minutes and is a great daytime neutral.

The shadows are just barely noticeable, and the mascara/blush give me a young, fresh feeling.

What do you guys think of my routine?

What's yours?? 

Let me know!

UD Pore Perfecting Primer *review* & Xmas pics

Helloooooo!

Hope everyone had a GREAT Christmas!

I'll post a few pics from our xmas at the end of this post ;)

Today I have a review of Urban Decay's Pore Perfecting Complexion Primer.

*0.94 fl oz

Some if it's claims:

- Helps conceal/minimize pores and fine lines

- Paraben-free formula

- Matte- finish

- Great for oily skin

- Makes skin look airbrushed

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I apply this before using my foundation. I have much larger pores on my nose than on the rest of my face, and i also have laugh lines, so I was keen to try a sample of this awhile back to see what it could do. 

Pros:

- As it claims, it dries matte so there's no oily or greasy residue! :)

- Is a shade that blends right in easily with my skin tone

- Greatly decreased the appearance of my pores and laugh lines

- Has great staying power

Cons:

- Has a hefty price tag on UD's website and at beauty stores- $30

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Verdict:

This is an AWESOME product. I initially tried a little sample of this a few months ago,

and i had such great success with it that I wanted a full size, which I received for Christmas :D

Just a teeeeeeny bit of this stuff easily helps conceal my pores and laugh lines, and after applying my foundation, i DO feel my skin looks almost airbrushed. It lasts for hours and never gets oily. For people with oily skin, I definitely recommend this product. I tend to only have oily skin in the T-zone, but this product is really great. Though a full size IS a quite expensive, it will last for a lonnnnnng time & is totally worth the price! :)

RATING (out of 10): 9

Have any of you tried this?

What are your thoughts?

NOW, here's a few pictures from our Christmas :)

I don't often share much on here about my family or life other than beauty,

but here's a snapshot.

^ before Christmas Eve service

first things first

alright so for starters, i need to go ahead and make readers aware- my first love in the beauty world is eye shadow, and primarily, ud cosmetics.

<3333333

However, my love affair with eye shadow is certainly not limited to UD, and i'm really hoping as this whole blogging thing continues that i'll discover other fantastic brands.

That being said, the first product up for discussion/review is the newest addition to my palette collection: 

Urban Decay's 15th Anniversary Palette

I've found that I use Midnight 15, Midnight Rodeo,  M.I.A., Ace, and Blackout the most. Like allllll urban decay eyeshadows, the staying quality is awesome. They have a famous Primer Potion, though i've never found I even needed to use it- no creasing, here!

Midnight 15, Midnight Rodeo, & M.I.A. are my personal favorites that I wear almost daily. They provide a great day look that's fresh and light. Midnight Rodeo has chunkier glitter than the rest of the palette, so really just a dab is necessary.

Vanilla & Flow i've used occasionally on my brow with the above mentioned trio, just to give the look a little more umph.

I love purple shadows as well (UD has many fantastic ones to choose from!), and Half Truth & Omen are both great. Omen has an iridescent quality that makes it quite different from any other shadow i've tried. Half Truth, to be honest, is reminiscent of another one of UD's purples (which i'll discuss in a later post!) :/ But I still love to wear it for a quick, dramatic effect.

I know they say (apparently?) that light pink goes well with brown eyes, but for the life of me, i do NOT like how it looks with mine. However, when i got this palette I saw Tainted & figured i'd give it a go anyhow.

... to no avail. If I knew some better techniques i'm sure it would look good, but all the ways I've ever tried faint pink eye shadows just makes my eyes look swollen :/ Not exactly the look i'm going for... BUT, Tainted is a great, shimmery, delicate pink that I'M SURE looks good on most :) The corresponding Junkshow is awesome, though. I've only worn it a few times when I was feeling particularly bold, but it mixed with Midnight 15 on the inside corners of the eye is awesome.

Oddly enough, I haven't tried Evidence or Deep End yet. I say' oddly enough' because of all the bold eye shadows, usually blues/greens are my favorite to play with. So I need to get on that :)

I've already briefly mentioned Blackout, and it's probably my favorite black ever (from UB or otherwise). It's a true, pitch black. I personally usually only use a dab in the outermost part of my eye to add a little dramatic effect to a color combo already on there. And, obviously, I usually use it for a nighttime look.

WELL, that's it for my first beauty review. I really, really love this palette. It's filled with a lot of my favorites shades and, of course, is totally durable and worth the price :DD

Hope you enjoyed, and ANY feedback is welcome!!!