Winter Frost look using BFTE (lotta pics!)

 Tonight I was playing around with my BFTE shadows and created this frosty Wintery-themed look :)

The shimmer all over is supposed to be there, lol. It's meant to give a very frosted appearance, like I've been out in the snow for so long I've become frozen. ;P

 Products I used:

-UDPP

-mark. Please Hold Eye Primer

-NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk (white base, on lid and eyebrow)

-BFTE Shades:

-Prissy (light pink, on lid)

-Spring Fever (light mauve pink with gold sheen, inner corner)

-Grace (blue/purple, outer corner)

-Cornflower (light blue, lower lashline)

-Whisper (bright shimmery violet, all over/around eye)

-Peacock (shimmery teal, upper lashline over black liner)

-Sephora white eyeliner pencil (waterline, inner/outer corner)

-Almay black liquid liner (upper tightline)

-Loreal Carbon Black liquid liner pen (upper lashline only)

-Maybelline Colossal black washable mascara (upper lashes only)

-Red Cherry lashes #207

-small silver rhinestones from craft store

-Duo lash glue (lashes and stones)

I gave this one a cool cast to look more frozen ;)

I would have loved to do a full look with frosty skin and lips and everything, but I had to cut it short for dinner lol. Anyway, this look was SO MUCH FUN to do! I haven't done such a fun look in a really long time. It was fairly simple, though it did take me a few hours just because I was playing and kept making minor changes. It looked really neat in person, though the camera captured it a little differently. I also feel like the makeup looks slightly different in each pic, go figure. x3

Thanks for reading, ENJOY YOUR WEEKEND!!! <3

Beauty Trends 2011: Baby, it's cold outside! Warm up with M.A.C. Spring trends!

I know, we've all said it - we're so over you Winter! Spring cannot come fast enough! Thankfully, the buzz of Spring beauty trends and sneak peeks of Spring makeup collections have been keeping me warm. Back in December, I was invited to the M.A.C. Master Class featuring Spring trends. What a great way to forget the cold even if just for a few hours! 

M.A.C. Senior Artist, Jane McKay (left), and M.A.C. Trainer, Ricky Boudreau (Right), taught us makeup artists and bloggers a thing or two about Spring trends straight from the runways. 

L-R: Pop-Classic, Terra-Copper, Ice Dream, Raw-Fined

Four major trends ruled the runways: 

• Pop-Classic: Classic Shapes, Uber Saturated Colour
• Ice-Dream: Pastel Shades, Avante-Garde Application
• Raw-Fined: Nude, Minimal Makeup, Contrasting Textures
• Terra-Copper: Modern Bronze, Precise Application

Pictured above, Jane is demonstrating the Pop-Classic look. I loved this look and loved the technique. I would never think of using a brown base (Fluidline) under a bright blue shadow like Freshwater. It gave the eyes beautiful depth. 

The look consisted of complimentary colours - blue on the eyes and orange lips. 

Jane winged out the shadow to the temples which gave this bold look an edgier finish. She used Typographic on the bottom lash line mixed with Freshwater shadow for more depth. She sculpted the cheekbones with Bronzer in Golden and brought it up to the temples. This would be perfect for a night out, but if having bold eyes and lips seems too much for you try lining the eyes with a vibrant blue liner with a glossy orange lip!

Ricky demonstrated the Terra-Copper trend which was equally as gorgeous. It's all about dewy skin in monochromatic shades of bronze. To give the skin a dewy sheen, Strobe Cream and Care Blends Essential Oil is a must. When I got home, I did a little happy dance when I found that I did have the Care Blends! Love using this at night - in the morning my skin is baby soft. 

To enhance the model's glow even more, Gold Setting Powder was used as well. A certain blogger went absolutely ga-ga over this powder (she goes by the name GlitterGeek). 

Spring and summer are looking bold! And although Raw-Fined seems innocent and natural, it's actually a bold trend for someone that can't leave the house without makeup. If you're someone that loves to play with colour then you will adore all the Spring launches this season! 

M.A.C. Fluidline in Siahi ($18 CAD): Excuse my dry hands! Grrr, winter! A coloured liner is a great way to transition into the bold brights of Spring! Siahi is from M.A.C.'s Mickey Contractor collection. This deep turquoise teal is a must this season and because the shade is deeper, it's perfect for a day look. Just sweep on a neutral shadow and line the eyes with this liner for a subtle pop of colour. I forgot how much I miss Fluidline! The gel formula just glides smoothly onto the eye. I also love using this as a shadow base. For a bold smokey eye, apply this shade all over the lid, line the eyes with a black liner, and add a few coats of mascara. 

M.A.C. Lipstick in Style Curve ($17.50 CAD): I've been on the bright pink lip bandwagon for a while now but one shade I'm starting to love are violets and purples on the lips. This swatch is of Style Curve which is from the Stylishly Yours collection. My review is a few launches too late, but it was this lipstick that got me loving violets on the lips. It is a bright clean violet that I love on my skin tone. Looking ahead to Spring, M.A.C. is launching a line of Sheen Supreme Lipsticks due out March 3rd and they have a purple pictured above that looks amazing called Quite The Thing! I'd say so!

What Spring trends and makeup collections are you looking forward to?

www.maccosmetics.com

Products were sent for editorial consideration and I really do love them.

EotD: BFTE and Shiro

A few nights ago while on a weekend trip, my sisters and I played with makeup in our hotel room. :3 I wanted to play with my BFTE and Shiro eyeshadows I'd ordered, so I did one brand on each eye. Scroll down for pics and details!

Flash

Flash

No flash

This was my BFTE eye. I used BFTE colors in:

-Tickle Me (bright deep low shimmer teal on lid, middle lower lashline)

-Illusion (deep high shimmer teal in crease, outer corner)

-Autumn (bright metallic gold above crease, inner corner, inner third lower lashline)

-Black (matte black in crease, outer corner)

-Way Up High (mostly matte white w/ light gold sheen in inner corner and highlight)

Flash

Flash

Flash

This was my Shiro eye. I was so happy to get my hands on Rattata, this bright gorgeous purple. I love it already, it's the perfect purple; mostly matte with some fun shimmery little sparkles, and a slight blue duotone that you can see coming out under my lower lashline. <3

I used Shiro colors in:

-Rattata (bright purple on lid and lower lashline)

-S.S. Anne (Shimmery golden taupe with multicolored sparkles all over my inner corner, crease, outer corner, and browbone)

On both eyes I used:

-UDPP

-mark. Please Hold eye primer

-NYX Jumbo Pencil in Milk as base (only on Shiro eye)

-Loreal Carbon Black liquid liner pen (upper lashline)
-Almay black liquid liner (upper tightline)

-Black Radiance kohl pencil liner (lower lashline)

-Shu Uemura lash curler

-Maybelline Colossal mascara in Classic Black (washable formula)

-Wet N Wild kohl eye and brow pencil in Taupe (on brows)

This was just a casual play session lol. I'm still really awkward with loose mineral shadows, but I'm going to try and practice more so I can get the hang of it. ;)

My sisters also did some fun looks, you can see Abby's BFTE look here!

Thanks for reading, hope you're all having a good Wednesday! <3

Top 5 Cult Beauty Buys That Don't Deserve The Hype

These are my opinions. This means they are not fact =). Just a disclaimer before I say something not flattering about something you may be using. I just hope to save some fabulous ladies out there money. I am going to be starting a series for YOU to send me a review on a product and we'll post it. You either rate it or hate it and it will be called Reader Review. Do you already have a product in mind? Write a review and send it to dollcosmetics@gmail.com.

Like I said in previous posts. This mascara is TeRrIbLe. I know there are a lot of lovers out there of this product but I don't see it! There are SO many others out there that are better, that don't clump and that lengthen. It is the most natural mascara out there, I'll give it that...but that is ALL. For some odd reason, beauty editors and makeup artists alike love to put this down as the best mascara ever created, when it’s one of the worsts that I’ve ever tried. Keep in mind that all of those celebrities are being paid a nice sum to say it's great. That's my two cents, try it for yourself and come to your own conclusion. I recommend Lash Blast as a good budget buy.

This lotion was ALL the rage when it came out and couldn't stay on the shelf to save it's life. Let's be honest, a lotion that could double as a tanner? That's HUGE!!! But alas things have evolved and this lotion hasn't. It isn't water or sweat resistant and drips down your body as if trying to flee back to the bottle from whence it came. The smell is altogether not great and there are just better options now a days...aren't we LuCkY??? I for SURE recommend Sally Hansen's Airbrushed Legs!

Bare Escentuals/Minerals is clearly the "rage" with a lot of people that want something that is better for their skin. First of all, YES, I am all for that...but I am also wanting more. I want something great for my skin that actually gives me good coverage. I was not personally impressed with this line and hope that something better will come along in the future.  I will be trying the Matte foundation formula here soon and am hoping it will work for me. Let me be clear, I do NOT hate this line, I just think it is over-hyped.

I would NEVER buy another foundation from MAC and if they came out with something new, I would have my guard up like CrAzY. I used to love it until I tried other things and found out that this foundation is just not all it's cracked up to be. I still have SO many of them though and will use them all up in tutorials. I have found Makeup Forever is great, Cinema Secrets is amazing, and Chanel hold its own as well. Like the post title says....doesn't deserve the hype.

MAC started out as a great product founded by two men from Canada that saw the need in the industry for a stellar product for MUAs. With any line, however, when it gets bigger or is just there for a long time, management switches around, ownership changes and product quality, as a result, can also change. Estee Lauder acquired controlling interest in '94 and completed "the deed" in '98. Some higher up artists didn't like what was going to happen to the quality, jumped ship and headed over to Makeup Forever (singing voice) which is amaaaaazing!!!!!! So, once my "rose-colored glasses" came off I saw MAC for what it was and is. They have some great shadows, I can get that LOTS of other places, all of their creamy things, Paint pots, blushes, color bases are terrible. The application is awful and FAR superior products used for the same thing can be found ALL over Sephora. I still like their lipsticks, I'm a sucker for a good palette and I love most of their brushes. I won't stop buying MAC but I am no longer a slave to them.

Golden Globe Darlings

How many of you caught the red carpet coverage of the Golden Globes last night? How many of you actually watched the awards show? For most award shows, the only thing I look forward to is the red carpet coverage but since Ricky Gervais was hosting I just had to watch the whole show! Again ,he was hilarious with his unforgiving digs at the celebrities and was just true to himself through and through.

I think overall all the ladies looked beautiful with the exception of a few wacky styles (Helena Bonham Carter - gotta love her!). The colour trends of the night fell into the emerald greens and blush pinks. Did their stylists tell them these were the "it" colours of the moment? Last year it was all about bold lips and smokey eyes but this year makeup was really soft and pretty. Here are some of my favourite Golden Globe darlings of the night!

Photo Credit: Lancome & JustJared.com

Miss Mila Kunis has sure come a long way from her "That '70's Show" days. I really loved her in Black Swan and thought she did a phenomenal job embracing her character as a talented ballet dancer. I have to say, her and Angelina Jolie were tied for my top favourites of the night. I just fell in love with the emerald green and thought this colour and style of her Vera Wang dress just looked stunning on Mila. The makeup done by Tracey Levy for Lancome and hair was the right dose of glamour to let this dress shine through. 

 Photo Credit: JustJared.com

Whether you love her or are just plain over her, Angelina Jolie is always a stunner on the red carpet. She looks amazing in just about anything. I really loved her dress by Atelier Versace because it was a nice change from all the gowns. It was just effortless. The pronounced shoulders, low back, and the Swarovski crystals that encrusted her dress made it red carpet perfection. Her makeup - black smudgy liner and nude lips - was typical Ange and her hair? Meh. She still looked gorgeous but could have looked a bit more polished. 

 Photo Credit: Lancome & JustJared.com

Lea Michele looked young and radiant last night in the other popular colour - blushed pink. Her Oscar de la Renta dress was girly and feminine. She was one of the few starlets that didn't looked washed out in this shade of pink. I loved the softness of her hair and makeup and thought it went beautifully with her gown. Loved the flirty lashes and soft pink lips. Makeup done by Melanie Inglessis for Lancome. 

 

Photo Credit: JustJared.com

A cheating ex-husband ain't gonna hold Eva Longoria down! I've never really been a fan of Eva on the red carpet but being one of the few in a black gown, she looked gorgeous. She's a petite person and her Zac Posen dress hugged her in all the right places. I loved her elegant Bardot up do and her makeup was just lovely. I always find her smokey eyes, false lashes, and bronzer can be a little overboard but last night her eyes sparkled with minimal shadow and feathery lashes and her skin was glowing. 

 Photo Credit: JustJared.com

Natalie Portman is one of my all-time favourite actresses. I always thought she was an underrated actress so I was ecstatic when she won Best Actress for Black Swan! It was the role of a lifetime and her hard work definitely paid off. Her Lanvin dress wasn't necessarily a favourite of mine but she is a true winner in every form! I loved how the dress accentuated her baby bump and adored her rosy pink cheeks and lips. I thought the colours of the dress were too Valentine-esque for me, but she was the look of love. You could tell last night how excited she is to be a mother and how in love she is with her fiance (who was her dance partner in Black Swan). 

 Photo Credit: JustJared.com

Hot damn Halle! Can you believe she's 45??! I was kind of on the fence with this racy Nini Ricci design, but there's no denying that Halle looked sexy. It was definitely a favourite with the husband! As if she needs to remind us of how drop-dead gorgeous she is - like really. I'm glad she went back to her signature pixie cut. It just suits her and her striking features can carry it off. Her flawless skin, smokey eyes and nude lips finished off her racy look perfectly. 

 Photo Credit: JustJared.com

This dress could look all wrong if the breast size were any bigger than B cup! Wow, I've never seen January Jones in something so provocative. She is a fan of unique fashion pieces but this one was a shocker. Definitely another favourite of the husband! This red Versace number wouldn't be a dress I'd wear (maybe if I had the body for it!), but it looks phenomenal on her! The cut-outs and deep V accentuated all the right places. She was definitely the sex-kitten of the night. Even Ryan Seacrest said he was going to try really hard to look directly at her eyes! I'm getting a little over the Old Hollywood glamour look (I know shocker!) but her hair and makeup looked stunning. 

Photo Credit: JustJared.com

Are we over Megan Fox yet? Her Armani dress was pretty but what I loved more was her hair and makeup. I loved her flowing waves off to the side. As the face of Giorgio Armani Cosmetics, her baby blues just popped with her kohl rimmed eyes and her soft pink lips were so pretty and fresh. 

What did you think of the red carpet fashion and beauty looks at the Golden Globes? Who were your favourites? 

 

Kohl's Makeup Set

Thanks Melissa I fixed the numbers an the voting can continue =D. The light brown used to be #1 but now it is #3. Vote ON ladies!!!

 Here is the Kohl's Palette that I have been promising to label for you for over a year now. Sad, I know. Here is the review on the palette that I made if you haven't seen it. I think that since I de-potted them it was just such a daunting task to try and figure out where they all went. First to look online to see what one in fact I had purchased then looking back over old tutorials to piece together which colors went where. With the help of a friend (thanks Stef!), it took a good hour. Kids start acting up, I left for a second and came back to the shadows jumbled all over the floor. What happened after can only be explained in a 5 step process:

- Denial: No, that didn't just happen right? It impossible. That much WoRk!!! All that TIME!!!
- Anger: ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!? GRRRRRR AAAARGH!!!!!
- Bargaining: Okay, I'll leave the room and Father in Heaven can you put it all back how it was?   Please?
- Depression: Can I just crawl in a hole right now?
- Acceptance: (sigh) Okaaaay, but this is the LAST time!!! Believe it or not, I had to do it 2 more times!!!

I finally got them all back in order and took a picture as quickly as humanly possible and labeled them. I decided against naming them names that MAC has because not all of them were comparable. I have cute and individual names for them now =). My hubby may have helped with a few too...can you guess which ones? 

*QUESTION*
 
If you'll notice, I have a few shadows without names. They are numbered and I can't come up with any names so I need your help! What do you think their names should be? Leave a comment and I'll pick my favs =).

Inquiring Minds Want To Know...

Check out the poll on the left side of the blog. I have a post coming up and want to know how many people are troubled with this condition. Shelly brought up a good point that there is not an option for "I have no CLUE"!!! So, if you don't, leave a comment and your vote WILL be counted =D. Thanks, you guys are truly the BeSt!!!
Jen