More Urban Decay…

So this past weekend I was at the Rock the Bells concert on Governor’s Island in NYC. It was an outdoor concert so there I was in the sun ALL day sweating. Thankfully though my eye makeup (and deodorant) held up in over 90 degree weather for more than 12 hours. I first applied Make Up For Ever Aqua Eyes on both my lower and upper lash lines. Then because I wanted an extra piece of flair (© Office Space), I used Urban Decay Liquid Liner on the top line to do a little cat eye.

I was amazed at how much of it still lasted! I mean, I know the awesomeness of MUFE Aqua Eyes having used it for maybe the last two years now, but it really stood the test after such an extreme situation. If I knew how to swim I’d test it after a few laps, too.

O-M-G. When I say don’t walk, but run to your drugstores and check out the new Cover Girl Liquiline Blast Eyeliner Pencils right now—I mean it, folks! Go!

With liquiline blast, you’ll get all the intensity and staying power of a liquid with the ease and blendability of a waterproof pencil. Use the liner as-is for intense definition or smoke-it-out with the built-in smudger end for a subtle, smoky look.

They come in six gorgeous shades including a shocking cobalt blue and a cool gold-green. I use them to kick up my bottom waterline area and since they’re waterproof they barely budge. Upon seeing swatches, I immediately contacted my homey Lipstick Fashion Mascara who joined in my delight and politely went and picked up three liners for herself…lol.

I picked up Green Glow (my favorite) and Silver Spark (grey sheen with shimmer), both pictured above in a pic that does NOT do them justice. Hey, I’m no photographer…lol.

I also had Blue Boom in my hand, but when the cashier at Walgreens told me they were $9.49 each, I put it back…lol. It’s not easy finding these in my local drugstores (not surprising) but I’m going to check my Walmart for them this weekend and also pick up Blue Boom and Violet Voltage. They should be at least $2 cheaper at Walmart.

They work well for all skin tones, too.

Check out more swatches at Temptalia.

Ain’t she purty?

I also picked up Jazzed lipstick, a very pretty mid-tone bright coral that looks great on most skin tones. I might need to use a lip liner or another gloss on top to wear it out, but I could pull it off on its own depending on the occasion.

I knew I needed I Like it Like That lipstick, too when I swatched it at the Pro store last week (they were sold out). It’s a cool tone lightish pink that looks almost lavender-ish on.

I also got Call My Bluff lipstick because it seemed like the perfect nude—it is! It’s just a tad too light for me, but I can make it work.

Here’s swatches of all three lipsticks. Call My Bluff is swatched at the top but can be barely seen.

I thought I was done with my little In the Groove haul, but like most limited edition makeup collections, the second I see it on someone else’s blog, I want it…lol. So then I also got By Candelight MSF, a gorgeous light peachy gold with shimmer that isn’t too warm or too cool toned so it works on most skin tones. I use it as a higlighter for my NW47 skin and it’s soooo pretty. (BTW, all the MUAs at the MAC counter I went to had on I Like it Like That lipstick with black-rimmed eyes, manicured brows and super contoured cheeks—gorgeous!).

I’m not much of an eyeshadow person these days and I never really liked mineralized eyeshadows but after seeing swatches of Togetherness (grey, purple, and lavender–pictured and swatched above) and Style Influencer (dark peach, metallic blue, and frosty white–pictured and swatched below) mineralized eyeshadows, I had to have them…lol. These aren’t super metallic and sparkly like I’ve found with other mineralized shadows–they have a hint of shimmer and the finish is sooooo pretty! What I like most is that you have three eyeshadows in one little compact—perfect for on-the-go looks.

My hands were SUPER dry…lol. My bad.

Then because Sally Hansen’s No Chip Age Correct makes my manicures last a week, I’m loving nail polish again. I ordered China Glaze nail polish in Four Leaf Clover described on many sites as a Kelly Green but also many sites have said this color cannot be photographed in its true glory. I’m on board then! I actually wanted to order more shades from China Glaze’s Up and Away Collection (Peachy Keen, Sugar High, and High Hopes) that came out earlier this year, but my Sally’s doesn’t have it anymore and I did find it on Amazon via a seller’s store, but for 4 nail polishes, my total came up to $32. No bueno. I’ll just stick to one for now and cross my fingers I’ll find the rest in a random store one day…lol. Check out the collection swatches here.

P.S. The Style and Beauty Doctor reader (and my play cousin) Ebony asked me for a complete breakdown including skin care products I used for a look I twitpic’d on my way to the Lady Gaga concert Friday night in NYC. Check it out:

Please know that I take horrible pics…lol. And the heat got to my hair. Anyway, here’s the breakdown:

1. Since it was SUPER hot on Friday and I had been running around all day and had sat under the dryer at my salon, my face was HOT, greasy, and sweaty. So when I got home, I cleansed with both Perricone MD Nutritive Cleanser and LUSH Coalface Cleanser to remove my previous makeup and to get my skin back to clean. After that, I toned with Perricone MD Firming Facial Toner and moisturized with Clinique Even Better Moisturizer. After moisturizing, I took a paper towel and blotted my skin to remove any excess oils (a cool trick I picked up from Sam Fine’s makeup DVD).

2. Then I applied Laura Mercier Oil Free Tinted Moisturizer in Mocha using MAC #190 brush. Mocha is a new shade and I’m sooo glad they added it because Walnut was just a smidgen too light for me. BUT if you’re NW47 like me, make sure you get the Oil-Free Mocha TM. For some reason the regular Laura Mercier TM have the same shade name but the colors are different. The regular TM in Mocha is too light for me. I might buy a full bottle of this pretty soon as the sample I got from Sephora is about to run out…lol. I also blotted my face down with a paper towel after applying the TM to remove excess oils. I set with Make Up For Ever Super Matte Loose Powder in Caramel using MAC #187 brush. I normally set with Becca Loose Finishing Powder in Nutmeg, but my face gets too oily for it on super hot and humid days. I blotted again with a paper towel.

3. My brows had been freshly threaded earlier that day by Rajni at Aveda Natural Look in Queens Center mall I just brushed them up with MAC #204 brush. Rajni’s been doing my brows for the last 5 years and she’s the bomb! For my eyes, I used Make Up For Ever Aqua Eyes in Mat Black 01 on my upper and bottom waterline. I love MUFE Aqua Eyes because it’s waterproof and lasts all day with only a tad bit of fading on the lash line on me. I went over the MUFE liner with Sephora Nano Eye Liner Pencil in Glitter Black on the top line and underneath the bottom waterline for a slight silver glittery look. I highlighted the inner corners of my eyes with Sephora Nano Eye Liner Pencil in Iced Brown. Finished with a coat and a half of Rimmel Glam’Eyes Lash Flirt.

4. For my cheeks, I broke out my new Illamasqua Blush in Tweak using MAC #168 brush. You can’t see it in the pics, but it’s a beautiful bright coral-pink. I applied it heavy and then set it with loose powder (using MAC #187 again) for a glowing from within look (plus I really love blush…lol). I added MAC By Candelight Mineralize Skinfinish on the tops of my cheekbones to highlight using Crown Brush Studio Series Flat Bronzer Brush C108 (it’s only $4!).

5. And on my lips is the shocking, glossy fire engine red Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Lip Tar in NSFW. And it sure ain’t safe for work! It’s a much brighter red than what you see in the pic and you have to be super careful because this stuff transfers on everything…lol. I used my fingers to apply it, but I seriously suggested using a brush like MAC #242 because this stuff stains like crazy). I had to woof down a taco on my way into Madison Square Garden for the Gaga concert since they don’t allow food in and got lip tar EVERYWHERE…lol. I didn’t care much about looking crazy because everybody looked crazy at the concert…lol.

6. Then I blotted my face again with a paper towel and set my makeup with a few spritzes of Urban Decay De Slick Makeup Setting Spray.

Tools of the Trade:

More M·A·C…

And that’s that!

So what did you do/buy this weekend?

So far the weekend has been great. I decided to take a trip to MAC Pro to get In the Groove stuff early, but joke was on me because out of everything I wanted (Stereo Rose MSF, I Like it Like That Lipstick, Band of Roses Blush, and Jazzed Lipstick) I only wound up with Band of Roses Blush! Everything else was sold out already! If you want anything from this collection, I suggest you either camp out in front of your MAC store or counter early on Thursday when the collection officially releases or stand by your computer all day Tuesday when it comes out online.

Band of Roses Blush is a beautiful pink and burgundy duo blush. You can wear the burgundy part on your cheeks with the pink part as a highlight or mix them together for a beautiful pink sheen.

I also stopped at Sephora and picked up some more of their eyeliner pencils. I’m surprised I haven’t realized the awesomeness of Sephora liners before—I now own about 5 of them. This trip I picked up Nano Pencil in Iced Brown (great for highlighting and only $5) and Liner Electro in Electro Night (only $8).

Then I hit up the Duane Reade on 34th Street for some drugstore finds. I wound up with Black Opal True Color Liquid Foundation in Carob and Patent Lips in Red Intensity. The True Color Liquid Foundation in Carob was a perfect match for my NW47 skin and I also loved the coverage—lightweight and a bit matte, perfect for summer. And it was only $8.75. BUT I think it makes me break out (*sad face*). I didn’t get pimples, but little bumps on my skin that are now gone, but I cannot play games with my skin…lol. I’m taking it back and will try again in colder months when my skin isn’t so reactive.

Patent Lips in Red Intensity is liquid fire! It’s such a gorgeous lip color—gives you the look of wearing lipstick with gloss on top with one single swipe. It was only $6.75 at Duane Reade (which means it’s much cheaper elsewhere if you can find it). I just don’t love the smell. It smells very “drugstore-y” but is a good find if you don’t mind the smell.

Then on Sunday I grabbed some food at Cafeteria and went makeup shopping with my homey Lipstick Fashion. We hit up Times Square (which I normally do not like to do because of the crowds) but she showed me a plethora of beauty finds I even as native New Yorker knew nothing about! Who knew they put a second Sephora in Times Square? Or a MAC store? Or Inglot? And they’re all open until at least midnight!!! O-M-G! Well, the first Sephora I knew was open until midnight but can you imagine having ALL that beauty at your disposal until midnight every night? *faints*

Despite all of the great things we saw, I only got Illamasqua Blush in Tweak—a gorgeous coral pink that looks great on all skin tones but especially on darker ones.

And that’s that! What do you do/get this weekend?

Every now and then I wind up neglecting an entire section of my makeup kit because I’m all gung-ho for something else. My latest love affair is with eye liner pencils. Sure I’ve used them a gazillion times before—Make Up For Ever Aqua Eyes in Mat Black being my favorite for a black pencil look, but now I’m all obsessed with any long lasting colored pencil I can find.

I could actually just use one of my existing eye shadows and an eyeliner brush to get the look I desire, but lately I’ve been doing my makeup in the car on my way to my day job (at red lights of course) so I like the quick and easy application I get from a pencil. I can add a pop of color, create multi-color looks, smudge it in for a smoky eye, or even use eye liner pencil as eyeshadow.

Check out my faves–love them because they last pretty much all day without fading:
Sephora Nano Eye Liner Pencil in Kaki Green (gorgeous green gold) & Glitter Black (black with silver glitter)
Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-on Eye Liner Pencil in Ransom (bright irridescent purple) & Underground (metallic taupe)
Make Up For Ever Aqua Eyes in 0L (matte black) & 3L (navy blue sheen)–Aqua Eyes is waterproof making them by liner of choice.

More Make Up For Ever…