Lovely Glitter Eye Shadows

A request via my Facebook was sent to me a few days ago from the wonderful Cynthia. She had just picked up some glitter eye shadows from Victoria Secret and needed a little guidance. First off, thank you so much Cynthia for sending me this question, and I hope that this post is helpful!

Glitter eye shadows can come in many different forms, from regular pressed eye shadows, to loose eye shadows or pigments, to cream formulas. No matter what form of glitter eyeshadow you are using two things should always stay constant. (1) Always use an eye shadow base. My personal favorites would be Too Faced Shadow Insurance, Urban Decay's primer potion, NYX Jumbo Eye pencils, or MAC paint pots. All provide a great sticky base for the eye shadows to adhere to. (2) When using particularly powdery shadows, or loose glitter shadows, though it may seem weird, apply the eye makeup first. That way while applying the eye shadow if some falls out onto the cheeks, it can easily be brushed away with a large powder brush or with a makeup remover wipes. And then the foundation and any other face products can be applied on a clean canvas.

Now on a less serious note, glitter eye shadows are first and foremost so much fun! A light sweep of a glittery shadow with a darker matte shade in the crease, some eyeliner and mascara creates a wearable daytime work/school appropriate look. Yet on the other hand, if you pack an intensely glittery shadow all over the lid, with either a black or dark brown in the crease and some smugged on the lower lash line with of course eye liner and tons of black mascara you have a perfect night time/"going out" look.

Another way I love wearing glitter is as liner. I'll first place a matte shadow all of the lid, just as a base color and then line my eyes with a liquid eyeliner (sometimes even wing it out for a retro look) My favorite liquid liner is L'oreal Linear Intense in Carbon Black. Then while the liner is still a bit wet, I use an angled eyeliner brush dipped into the glitter shadow and press it on top of the line I had just made. I finish off by curling my lashes and applying some mascara. This look is fun to pair with a nude or light pink lip during the day and something deeper for night time.

I hope this inspired you to experiment with some glitter eye shadows. Remember to always have fun with your makeup! And to never give up while experimenting with new colors or textures of eye shadows. I hope this was helpful and if there are any questions please just leave some comments below. Thank you for taking the time to read this and I hope you're having a great day.

With Love: Nicole :)

P.S. The Too Faced Shadow Insurance, and Urban Decay Primer Potion can be found at both Ulta and Sephora, while NYX is found in Ulta and some drugstores including Harmon Discount. MAC can of course be found at MAC stores and also online at www.maccosmetics.com. L'oreal is also sold at a wide variety of drugstores ( CVS, Riteaid, Walgreens, Harmon etc.)

My Favorite Lip Color...At the Moment :)

So this post is going to be kinda like a monthly favorite post, but just lip products. I'm going to show you the colors that I've been reaching for the most lately along with some tips and tricks to keep your lips hydrated and healthy. Okay lets get started :)

First LIPSTICKS! I honestly am such a fan of MAC lipstick. I just feel that the color pay off and the texture is amazing, though I do of course love other brands of lipstick. Another perk to MAC lipsticks is that you can Back to MAC the tubes once they are all finished (as well as lipglass tubes, compacts, pigment jars and many others, to find out more info visit www.maccosmetics.com under the Giving Back Tab) Yet another MAC lipstick perk is if you purchase any of the Viva Glam lipsticks, like the Viva Glam Gaga below, 100% of the purchase price ($14) goes straight to the MAC AIDS fund to support men, women, and children living with HIV and AIDS. It makes me feel like my addiction is somehow making a difference.

Below are some of my favorite lipsticks (From left to right)
1. MAC Angel Lipstick (Frost) Described as a soft pink; This lipstick is a perfect no thought lip stick that you can where with any eye or cheek look.

2.MAC Pervette Lipstick (Glaze)Described as a soft bright pink with purple opalescent shimmer; On me this lipstick gives me the "cold" look, which I love. I love how unique it is because sometimes it looks pink or purple or blue even. I love wearing this with really any eye look but love it with a neutral almost smoky brown eye. I'm kinda partial to it because my boyfriend got it for me :)

3. MAC Viva Glam Gaga (Lustre) Described as a cool blue pink shade; I love this not only because its apart of the Viva Glam collection, but because its such a pretty shade! Usually I wear it with a muted eye look with tons of mascera, so my lashes look long and voluminous. The lipstick is a pop of color that is just enough that you don't feel like all eyes are on you.

4. MAC Dressmaker, Dressmaker (Lustre) Described as a creamy light peachy coral; I love coral lipstick! This is actually my first one, but I was sold once I tried it on in the store. Coral is also definitely one of the hottest colors for summer 2010. I love wearing this with a brown smoky eye with a super bright inner corner highlight.

5. MAC Myth (Satin) Described as a pale muted peachy beige;This color is most definitely the hardest to wear out of the bunch, but its a great layering lipstick. I use it either with Roman Holiday Dazzleglass, or as a base color that I place in the center of my lips to make my lips appear more full.

In the swatch photo, the line seen above is my favorite lip liner at the moment, which is the NYX Long Pencil Lip in Natural (I also love the one named Mauve, when I'm wearing more pinky lips)

All these lipsticks would not look great by any means without super smooth healthy lips. One huge lip treatment that saved my lips is a lip scrub, and shh you don't have to go spending $$$. I love just mixing honey with some granulated sugar into a paste, and storing it in a small plastic jar that you can find at the drugstore. About three times a week I take a small amount of the paste and massage it in a circular motion on my lips without a lot of pressure. Just kind of let the sugar do its work. Honestly the best thing about this scrub is that you can lick it off! I remove it with a warm wet washcloth and apply a heavy lip moisturizer.

I love just using some Vaseline on my lips in the morning ( I apply it right after I apply my foundation so that it can really sink into my lips while I'm doing my makeup) and applying a heavier medicated lip balm like Blistex's Lip Medex Lip Protectant at night.

I hope this blog was enjoyable for you to read and also that you learned a little something! My next post will be coming soon filled with my favorite lip glosses, a Part II of this. I hope you're all having a wonderful day! Make sure you leave a comment, thanks so much for visiting!

Love,
Nicole

My First Official Blog Post

Hello to all of my visitors :) This is my first of many posts I will be making in the future on my newly constructed blog page. I hope that those of you who are reading this share the same addiction to beauty and makeup products as I do, and are ready to all learn together. My addiction started out just about a year ago, so I'm not like those beauty gurus on youtube, or those on the top of the google hit list who have had training and years in the makeup field. Though I do know a lot about makeup from reading books, viewing other blogs and videos, and just experimenting with my growing collection, I learn something new everyday. I hope that my blog is a place where you will frequently visit for some tips and tricks on how to feel and look beautiful, ways to have fun with your makeup, while also feeding your addiction of course. I've got a lot of ideas on future posts which will be up soon!

Well that's all for now! Thank you so so much for visiting my blog, and I would greatly appreciate before you leave if you could leave a comment below this post just so I get to know who is reading it and how you feel. Eventually I would love the comments section to turn into a forum where anyone can share their own ideas. Thanks again!

Nicole