Happy New Year!

Wishing you all a great New Year!

xx

Alicia 

Experimental Makeup: New Years Eve Look #2

Hey Everyone, 


I had so much fun creating the first New Years Eve look on my sister, Krista, yesterday, I decided to do another look today. For this look I decided to go a little more 'glam', creating a glittery gold eye and a bold red lip. After receiving one of Pari Beauty's holiday palettes (The Black Tie Palette) for review last month, I decided to use five of the eyeshadows in the palette to create Krista's look. While the shadows were nicely pigmented, they did create a lot of fallout, making them somewhat difficult to work with. Here is Krista's second New Years Eve look: 

FACE:

To create a nice even base for Krista's makeup, I used Face Atelier's Pro Ultra Foundation in #2. This foundation is silicone based, making it great for those who want to hide larger pores or blemishes, because it sits on top of the skin, rather than soaking into it. Next, I used Bobbi Brown's Creamy Concealer in 'Warm Ivory' to cover a few of the blemishes on Krista's face. To hide the dark circles under Krista's eyes I used Eve Pearl's Salmon concealer in 'Light', followed by Benefit's 'Powderflage', both of which work to lighten and brighten the under eye area. Finally to set her foundation and concealer, I used MAC's Mineralized Skinfinish in 'Light Plus' (a light, powder foundation). 

EYES:

Wanting to experiment with the 'Black Tie' palette sent to me by Pari Beauty (more info on the palette here), I decided to do Krista's eyes using the gold, bronze and brown toned shadows from the kit. To begin, I used shadow #2 a light creamy gold all over Krista's lids. I then took shadow #3 a gorgeous golden bronze and applied to the outer 2/3 of her lid. Wanting to create a bit of a smoky eye look, I took shadow #4, a deep brown-toned bronze and applied it to Krista's crease as well as the outer 1/3 of her lid. To line Krista's eyes, and give her eyes a more 'night time' feel, I used shadow #5 a deep, cool-toned brown. Of course no New Years Eve look is complete without a little glitter. To add glitter to Krista's eyes I used Annabelle's Glitterama Eyeliner in ' Solar Flare', a light gold glitter eyeliner, all over her Krista's lid. Using Annabelle's Glitterama Eyeliner as a sticky base, I then patted on MAC's '3D Gold Glitter', a chunky gold glitter with green and red iridescent sparkles onto the lower half of Krista's lid. To complete the eye look I used Maybelline's 'One by One' Mascara and Revlon's Beyond Natural False Eyelashes in 'Luscious Flare'. 

CHEEKS:

For Krista's cheeks I started with NARS 'Cactus Flower' Cream Blush, a bright red blush packed full of gold glitter. Unfortunately, the blush didn't give the cheeks enough colour, so I added NARS's 'Dolce Vita' powder blush, a dusty brown toned red,  to the apples of her cheeks. Wanting to branch away from my favourite and most used highlighter (MAC's Emphasize), I decided to try Benefit's 'Watt's Up' a champagne-toned cream highlighter with tons of iridescent shimmer. 

LIPS:

I decided to go all out for this New Years Eve look, and, although I had already given Krista a fairly bold eye, I wanted to give her a bold lip as well. I started by applying MAC's Lady Danger Lipstick, a matte orange-toned red, to Krista's lips, followed by NYX's Black Label Lipstick in 'Jaipur' a burgundy lipstick packed full of finely milled red shimmer. I love the combination of the two lipsticks together and will definitely be using this combo in the future. 

I really loved how this look turned out. While it's not something I would wear everyday, I think it would be perfect for a 'night out on the town', especially on New Years Eve. 

Do you have any big plans for New Years Eve? Have you planned your outfit and/or makeup look already? Let me know in the comment section below. 

xx

Alicia

Experimental Makeup: New Years Eve Look

Hey Everyone, 


I hope you all had a great Christmas. Mine was quiet, but nice. My family usually spends Christmas at our cottage, but because it is currently under renovation, we stayed home this year. We wore our pyjamas all day (including at the dinner table), opened gifts, played board games, and did some baking. Overall, it was a good day. 


Since my sister Krista is staying at my parents house over the holidays, I decided to take advantage of having her here, and practice my makeup skills by creating a simple a New Years Eve look. 

While in the US last week, I grabbed one of Elf's six pan eyeshadow palettes that was on clearance for $2.55 USD at Target. 'The Smoky Eyeshadow Palette' comes with six, well-pigmented, grey and purple toned shadows. Wanting to test out my new shadows (and do a more affordable makeup look), I decided to use the Elf palette to create Krista's look.

FACE:

To create a nice even base for Krista's makeup, I used Face Atelier's Pro Ultra Foundation in #2. This foundation is silicone based, making it great for those who want to hide larger pores or blemishes, because it sits on top of the skin, rather than soaking into it. Next, I used Bobbi Brown's Creamy Concealer in 'Warm Ivory' to cover a few of the blemishes on Krista's face. To hide the dark circles under Krista's eyes I used Eve Pearl's Salmon concealer in 'Light', followed by Benefit's 'Powderflage', both of which work to lighten and brighten the under eye area. Finally to set her foundation and concealer, I used MAC's Mineralized Skinfinish in 'Light Plus' (a light, powder foundation). 

CHEEKS:

Wanting to keep Krista's cheeks fairly simple, I started by lightly contouring her cheekbones with Bourjois 'Delice de Poudre'  (my all time favourite bronzer). Next I used MAC's 'Emphasize Powder' (a matte cream toned powder with a hint of white shimmer) to highlight the tops of her cheekbones. To add some colour to Krista's cheeks, I used Face Atelier's 'Facade' in 'Livid' (a berry toned, gel-like cheek and lip tint I have fallen in love with) followed by Yaby's 'Powder Blush' in 'BL020' (a dusty mauve-pink). 

EYES:

As I mentioned above, I used Elf's Smoky Eye Palette to create the  eye look. To begin, I used shadow #4 (a creamy taupe shadow with a hint of purple) all over Krista's lid. Next I blended shadow #5 (a charcoal grey with silver glitter) into Krista's crease. To add a hint of colour, I used both shadow #2 (a light purple with silver glitter) and #3 (a darker blue toned purple) on the outer 1/3 of her lids. To help blend all of the shadows out, and add a bit of light to Krista's browbone, I used shadow #1 (a matte white with silver shimmer. Finally, I used shadow #6 to line Krista's upper lash line. To complete the eye look I used Clinique's 'Brush on Cream Liner in True Black', L'Oreal's Voluminous False Lash Mascara and MAC's '#32' False Lashes. 

 LIPS:

I wanted to give Krista 'simple but fun' lips, so I started by using a light layer of MAC's Longwear Lipcreme in 'Red Dwarf' (a dusty berry-red lipstick). To add a little sparkle to the lips, I applied a light coat of MAC's Dazzleglass in 'Funtabulous' (a bright purple lipgloss filled with pink and blue iridescent glitter.)

I'm not going to lie, I was pretty proud of myself for this look. A year ago, I had no idea how to apply gel liner or apply false lashes. While I still struggle with both, I definitely think I am improving. 

I love the overall look. It is 'fancy' enough for New Years Eve without being too over the top. I was really impressed by the Elf palette and would definitely recommend picking one up if you happen to find one at your local Target. 

Krista will be staying at my parents place for the next week, so please let me know if you would like to see another New Years Eve (or other occasion) makeup. 

xx

Alicia

Monday Q&A #9

 

Hey Everyone, 

One of my favourite bloggers, Karen of Makeup and Beauty Blog, does a weekly poll on her blog encouraging readers to take part. Every Monday, I will be posting my answers to her questions on my blog, and hope that you will join me by making your own post, or leaving your answers to the following questions in the comment section below.
 
1) Mood: Tired. It has been a busy couple of days and I am definitely feeling it. My sisters, Dad and I went to Detroit for a football game on Christmas Eve, and all of the walking and the shopping tuckered me out. Yesterday was a pretty relaxed day (I wore pyjamas all day), but today my sister and I got up at 6:30am to go Boxing Day sale shopping. 


2) If you celebrated Christmas, what were a couple of gifts you gave or received?: I gave my sister Gillian a new purse and wallet from Aldo; my sister Krista, some jewelry, perfume and an infinity scarf; my mom some perfume and a clutch; and my dad leather gloves, a wine preserver and some DVDs. I received a couple of books (one about makeup, one about Audrey Hepburn), Justin Bieber perfume, some DVDs, and a Michael Kors watch. 


3) What have you been up to today?: As I mentioned above, this morning, my sister and I decided to venture the mall for some boxing day sale shopping. I got some soap and holiday items at Lush (they were buy one get one free), and my sister got a few shirts. I don't think I will go next year. I can't stand big crowds and standing in line for 30 minutes is not my idea of a good time.


4) Three things you feel you are quite good at: 1) Writing 2) Event Planning and 3) Decorating. 


5) Any plans for New Years Eve?: The people I sometimes nanny for are going to Las Vegas for a few days, so my friend Kerri and I will be watching the kids on New Years Eve. I am actually looking forward to it. I have never been a person who goes out on New Years Eve and usually just stay home with friends, eat good food and play board games. I'm still planning what to do with the kids. They are only one and three years old, so they won't be staying up until Midnight.


6) When was the last time you went ice skating?: I think the last time I went ice skating was when I was in grade 8. That would be a good 16+ years ago. I am a horrible skater, and find the whole thing really scary because I am afraid of falling and hurting myself. I want to take the kids skating next weekend, but I will be watching from the sidelines if we end up going. 


7) Weekly Goals: I'd like to get all of my "2011 favourites" posts finished. I have a lot of photos to take, and I would like to get everything written before New Years Eve. 



If you decide to answer the questions, leave your responses or the link to your responses in the comment section below. 

Hope you all have a great week. 

xx
Alicia

Beauty Quote of the Week #52 (Christmas Style)

Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful.  

~Norman Vincent Peale

Holiday Giveaway #3: A Big Thank You!

Hey Everyone, 


I wanted to make my third and final holiday giveaway a big one, to thank all of my subscribers for another great year. I appreciate everyone's support throughout the last year, and can't even begin to explain how much blogging has changed my life for the better. So, THANK YOU!!

THE PRIZES

1) Buxom Mix & Mingle Lip Collection

2) Too Faced Smoky Eye Shadow Collection

3) The Muppets Mini Nail Laquer Set

4) Violent Lips Temporary Lip Tattoos

5) MAC Eyeshadow in 'Golden Crown'

6) MAC Loose Pigment in 'White Gold' 

7) MAC Mineralized Eyeshadow in 'Sea & Sky'

8) MAC Eyeshadow Pan in 'Romantique' 

9) MAC Eyeshadow in 'Lustreleaf'

10) MAC Eyeshadow Pan in 'Chill Blue' 

11) MAC Lipglass in 'Lovechild'

12) MAC Lipglass in 'Nymphette'

13) MAC Lipglass in 'Lustre-White'

14) MAC Mini Lipglass in 'Pink Grapefruit'

15) MAC Cremesheen Glass in 'Boy Bait'

16) MAC Mini Lipglass in 'Splendid!'

17) MAC False Eyelashes in '#41'

18) MAC Impeccable Brow Pencil in 'Taupe'

19) The Balm Shadow/Blush in 'Down Boy'

20) OCC Lip Tar in 'NSFW'

21) OCC Lip Tar in 'Trollop'

THE ENTIRES
** Please use the rafflecopter form below to enter the giveaway**

Mandatory Entry #1: You must be a subscriber. Leave your username in the rafflecopter form below. No anonymous entries please (worth 1 entry).

Mandatory Entry #2: Let me know what your New Years resolution for 2012 is. Leave your answers in the comment section below (worth 1 entry).

Optional Entry: Follow me on twitter here. There is no need to tweet about the giveaway unless you want to. Leave your twitter handle in the rafflecopter form (worth 1 entry).

Optional Entry: Post my giveaway on the sidebar of your blog/ Leave the link to your blog in the rafflecopter form (worth 2 entries)

Optional Entry: Write a blog post about my giveaway. Leave the link to your blog post in the rafflecopter form (worth 3 entries). 

THE RULES

1) This giveaway is international

2) The giveaway will run until December 31st, 2011

3) You must be a subscriber to enter the giveaway. 

xx

Alicia

Stocking Stuffers Under $10

Hey Everyone, 

With only two days left to shop before Christmas, I thought I would share with you some of my favourite stocking stuffer ideas. All of the items listed below are under $10, and will probably make their way into my mom, my sisters or my stockings (yes, I buy myself stocking stuffers...you don't?!). Here are my picks: 

1) Wet n' Wild 8 Pan Eyeshadow Palettes: Not only are these eight pan palettes super cheap, they all contain great quality shadows. Unlike a lot of the cheaper palettes on the market, these shadows are amazingly pigmented and super buttery making them great for blending. Many of the shadows in these palettes have been compared to some of the most popular MAC eyeshadows which sell for $17 CND each. With a variety of light, neutral and smoky shadows, I think these palettes would make the perfect stocking stuffer for any beauty newbie. My personal favourite palettes is 'Comfort Zone' which contains 8 gorgeous green, brown and cream toned shadows. 


2) Wet n' Wild Blush: To be honest, I had never tried any of Wet n' Wild's blushes until 5 minutes ago when I opened up the pan of blush pictured above to test it out for this post. Well, I can definitely say I am impressed. Not only are these blushes easy to blend, they are not at all chalky and have great pigmentation. The colour I swatched is called 'Pearlescent Pink' and would make a great dupe for NARS' famous 'Orgasm' blush. 


3) Wet n' Wild Lipstick: While I can't say I am a fan of their packaging (hello, super cheap tube that breaks right away), there is no denying that Wet n' Wild's lipsticks are highly pigmented, super creamy and come in a variety of fashionable shades. My current favourite colour is 908C, a gorgeous deep plum shade, perfect for winter. 

4) Annabelle Glitterama Eyeliners: With all of the holiday and new years parties going on right now, Annabelle's Glitterama glitter eyeliners make the perfect stocking stuffers. With over 10 ten colours ranging from bright orange to deep blue, these liners look amazing over a thick line of black liquid, gel or pencil liner. My personal favourite colour is Annabelle's 'Solar Flare' a gorgeous, blonde-gold colour glitter liner. 


5) Annabelle Smoothie Eyeshadow Pencils: I have nothing but great things to say about these super creamy eyeshadow pencils. Not only do they have amazing pigmentation, once set they truly and honestly last for hours and hours without smudging or creasing. My current favourite is 'Blubomb', a deep metallic blue that looks amazing all over the lid or just along the lash line. 

6) Hard Candy Just Nails Polish: While shopping for toys at Walmart the other day, these super cute bottles of nail polish just happened to catch my eye as I walked past the beauty section. Not only are these bottles of polish ridiculously cheap ($1 each), they are come in a variety of great colours and include a little plastic ring on each bottle. My favourite? The gorgeous gold colour which reminds me somewhat of Essie's 'As Gold As It Gets' from their new top coat collection. 

7) Essence Lipsticks: At only $2.49 each, I can't rave enough about Essence's line of lipsticks. Not only are they crazy cheap, they are actually really creamy, super moisturizing, smell amazing and give the lips a gorgeous sheen. With so many colours to choose from, I think these make the perfect stocking stuffer and definitely plan to get some for my sisters. My all time favourite shade? Definitely 'Creamy Nude', a gorgeous glossy brown nude, very similar to MAC's 'Blankety'. 


8) Essence Stay With Me Long Lasting Lipgloss: Although I personally haven't found that these 'Stay with Me' glosses really last longer than any of the regular glosses I own, at $2.29 a piece, who cares! These glosses have a high sheen, a great fruity smell, are not at all sticky and feel great on the lips. I definitely picked up one of these glosses in Berry Me (a deep berry plum) for my own stocking! 


9) Essence XXXL Shine Lipgloss: Similar to their Stay With Me' glosses, Essence's XXXL glosses are super shiny, very moisturizing and not at all sticky. These glosses feel smooth like butter on the lips and help give the lips a more plumped appearance. I bought one of these glosses in 'True Love', a deep berry with iridescent pink and blue shimmer, for my sister's stocking this year. 


10) Essence Eyeshadow: Last year my sister Gillian bought me one of essence's gorgeous shadows for my stocking and this year I am returning the favour. For only $1.99 each, it's insane just how pigmented and smooth these eyeshadows are. My favourite colour is definitely 'Party all Night', a stunning metallic taupe that looks amazing all over the lid with a thick line of liquid or gel liner. 


11) Essence Colour & Go Nail Polishes: At only .99 cents a bottle, these mini nail polishes make the perfect little stocking stuffer. These polishes have a nice wide brush making for easy application, and in my experience, last on the nails with no chips for at least a week. While in the US last week, I bought myself a bottle of this polish in 'Irreplaceable', a stunning camel brown with tons of gold and silver shimmer. Do any of you buy yourself stocking stuffers? 

12) Elf 32 Warm Eyeshadows Palette: I have used elf products for a while now and know how inexpensive they are, but even I was shocked when I saw this gorgeous eyeshadow palette for only $5 USD at Target. With 35 warm brown, beige, pink, white and burgundy shades, this palette makes the perfect stocking stuffer for someone just starting to get interested in makeup. I will be giving this palette to my sister Gillian who, to be honest, really doesn't like or care about makeup. Unfortunately for her, she has a sister who loves makeup and will continue to hound her until she falls in love with it too.

13) Elf Eyeliner and Shadow Stick: With a gorgeous cream shadow on one side, and an even more gorgeous eyeliner on the other, I was so happy to see these elf pencils at Target for only $3 USD. I have yet to try these pencils myself, so I can't comment on their quality, but if they are like any of the other elf products I have tried, I think they will quickly become a favourite. I bought a plum and purple stick for my sister Krista, who is into makeup and likes wearing colourful shadows on her lids. 

14) Elf Natural Lash Kit: I love the look of false lashes, but never seem to be able to apply them properly, so when I saw these Elf lashes for only $1 USD, I figured they would be great for practicing, as it's really not a big deal if I happen to ruin them. These lashes come with their own little bottle of adhesive although I would probably recommend using a better quality glue.

15) Elf Luscious Liquid Lipstick: I have never tried a liquid lipstick before, but when I saw these on sale for only a $1 at Target, I decided to grab one for my mom's stocking. According to elf, these lipsticks are long lasting, hydrating, gentle and help soothe chapped lips. I grabbed the colour 'Cherry Tart' a dusty burgundy colour, similar to all of the other lip products my mom wears. 

I am 92.7% finished my Christmas shopping. I have a few more stocking stuffers and part of my mom's present to buy, but I will be doing that on Christmas Eve when I go to the US for a Detroit Lions football game (don't ask...). 

Have you finished your Christmas shopping? What sorts of items did you buy as stocking stuffers? 

xx

Alicia

Holiday Giveaway #2: Annabelle and Marcelle Cosmetics

Hey Everyone, 


Last month I had the opportunity to go to the Annabelle and Marcelle Spring 2012 beauty premier. The event was amazing! Not only did I get the chance to make three of my own lipglosses and check out a lot of the great new products for 2012, I also managed to grab a lot of loot from the waiters who were carrying around trays of makeup! As I wrote in my original post: 

"Fulfilling the dreams of any beauty blogger and/or makeup addict, Annabelle and Marcelle had waiters carrying around silver trays full of makeup. At first, us bloggers tried to act somewhat polite and only took a couple of pieces, but by the end of the night, we couldn't hold back and started grabbing handfuls of makeup and cramming them into our bags. My clutch that folded over at the beginning of the night couldn't even close and some of the girls had their pockets so full they kept dropping products every few steps." 

Of course, I couldn't keep all of the goodies to myself, and wanted to share them with you, my subscribers, for my second of three holiday giveaways. Here are today's prizes: 

THE PRIZES

1) Marcelle Lux Eye Dust in 'Bronze Millionaire'

2) Annabelle Eyeshadow in '101'

3) Marcelle Lux Eye Dust in 'Fantasia'

4) Annabelle Glitterama Liquid Eyeliner in 'Celestial Sky'

5) Annabelle Smudge Paint in 'Muddy'

6) Annabelle Glitterama Liquid Eyeliner in 'Blast Off' 

7) Marcelle Multi-Colour Face Powder in 'Luminous Veil'

8) Annabelle Volume Lip in 'Vivid Volume'

9) Annabelle Smoothie Eyeshadow Pencil in 'Absinthe-Minded'

10) Annabelle Smoothie Eyeshadow Pencil in 'Melonade'

11) Marcelle Waterproof Eyeliner in ' Blue Lagoon'

12) Marcelle Waterproof Eyeliner in 'Deep Charcoal' 

13) Annabelle Kohl Eyeliner in 'Violet' 

14) Annabelle Kohl Eyeliner in 'Black Pearl'

ENTRIES

**Please use the rafflecopter form below to enter the giveaway**

Mandatory Entry# 1: Let me know which of the products in this giveaway you would be most excited to try. Leave your answers in the comment section below. 

Mandatory Entry# 2: You must be a subscriber. Leave your username in the rafflecopter form below. No anonymous entries please. 

Optional Entry: Tweet about my giveaway and leave the tweet url in the rafflecopter form below. 

RULES

1) You must be a subscriber to enter the giveaway

2) The giveaway is international

3) The giveaway runs for one week and will end December 29th, 2011.

Goodluck!

xx

Alicia

Holiday Giveaway #1: L'Oreal Spring 2012 Products

Hey Everyone,


In the spirit of the holidays, I will be hosting three giveaways in the next three days. Here is the first giveaway: 


As I mentioned in my post yesterday, the people at L'oreal were nice enough to include some giveaway prizes in the gift bag I received at the spring 2012 preview event I attended last week. Included in the L'Oreal makeup bag were several of their soon-to-be released products. The majority of these products don't come out until February, so this is your chance to get a sneak preview at what L'Oreal has to offer in 2012.

THE PRIZES

* L'Oreal Extra-Intense Liquid Eye Pencil in 'Carbon Black'

*L'Oreal Voluminous False Fiber Lashes Mascara

*L'Oreal Voluminous Smoldering Eyeliner

* L'Oreal Colour Riche Le Balm Lip Balm in 'Rose Elixir'

* L'Oreal Colour Riche Lipstick in 'Raisin'

*L'Oreal Colour Riche Lipliner in 'All About Pink'

*L'Oreal Visible Lift Advanced Age Reversing Powder in 'Light' 

* L'Oreal Visible Lift Concealer in 'Light'

* L'Oreal Infalliable Eyeshadow in 'Bronze Divine' 

ENTRIES

**Please use the rafflecopter form below to enter the giveaway**

Mandatory Entry# 1: Check out my blog post about the L'Oreal Spring 2012 preview event (HERE), and let me know which product you are most excited to try. Leave your answers in the comment section below. 

Mandatory Entry# 2: You must be a subscriber. Leave your username in the rafflecopter form below. No anonymous entries please. 

Optional Entry: Tweet about my giveaway and leave the tweet url in the rafflecopter form below. 

RULES

1) You must be a subscriber to enter the giveaway

2) The giveaway is international

3) The giveaway runs for one week and will end December 28th, 2011.

xx

Alicia