Tutorial: Nearly Naked

 Today's tutorial uses a model! I thought I would throw some new blood into the mix. I enjoy sharpening my artistry skills by practicing on others. The model has gorgeous skin and cute little freckles, but she never wears makeup. Since she's not accustomed to a full dramatic face, we decided to do a natural, pretty look. Click through for full tutorial.

Products Used:

Alima Pure Satin Matte Blush in Tulip, Tarte Smooth Operator Powder, L'oreal True Match Concealer in Neutral Fair/Light, Fyrinnae eyeshadow in Te Amo, Too Faced eyeshadow in Shooting Star, Urban Decay 24/7 Liner Pencil in Zero, Maybelline The Colossal mascara in Glam Black, Urban Decay Primer Potion in Eden

MAC Dupe... Frankengloss?

There has been a huge buzz about the process of making "Frankenpolishes", which is where you add your own pigments, eyeshadows, glitter, and different polishes to make a custom polish. It's so much fun!
MAC is known for releasing limited edition collections, and then ripping your beloved products from your very grasp! So is the story with my favorite lipglass, Dare to Dare. It is a blue-toned fuchsia with blue microglitter. I recently began running low on my only tube, and I decided to come up with my own version of the gloss for when I run out. So begins the tale of the Franken... gloss?

 Rummaging around my makeup case, I found MAC pigment in Pink Pearl. It is a similar blue toned fuschia, so I thought it would be worthwhile to try. Next, I picked up Tarte's Vitamin Enriched lipgloss, which is supposed to be pink, but is really more clear than anything.

MAC Dare to Dare lipglass and MAC Pink Pearl pigment

Tutorial: Electric Ombre

Ombre has been all the rage this summer, and I thought I would use it in today's tutorial, with a little twist. The colors are electric blues and greens, vibrant water colors. They remind me of the beach, rivers, teeming with sound and life!

Tutorial: Glitter in the Air

I recently bought some new NYX glitter and I am in love with it. I would love to glitter everything, but that isn't exactly practical. Reality can bite it.
Sorry for the tangent! Anyways, today's look is all about the sparkle. I used makeup grade glitter in this look, but remember to be careful when using anything with glitter near the eye! If used incorrectly, it can really irritate your eye. Click through for a full tutorial! Here's a sneak peek:

NYX glitter and HiP eyeliner

 

NARS Fashion Night Out Dupe

Hi everyone! As some of you may know, NARS will be hosting a Fashion Night Out Celebration this Thursday night. (Fashion Night Out is a global after-hours event for the hottest fashion cities in the world, including New York, and my hometown Savannah. There is a full list of participating cities on their website.) NARS has created a exclusive-for-the-night liner and polish for their event.

Via Crispi Larger Than Life Long-Wear Eyeliner ($23)
Space Odyssey Nail Polish ($17)

click through to see the more affordable dupes!

Tag: Would You Rather?

Cami recently did a blog post tagging her readers to do a "Would You Rather" survey. I normally don't do this much, but I thought I would switch things up a bit! I have new readers, so hopefully, this lets you get to know me better. :) If you read this, I tag you! I would love to read your responses. Comment here and let me know if you do.
Also, I'm gonna put a plug in here really quickly! If you have twitter, feel free to follow me @mixtape_bandit. I normally update my status constantly, and I'd love to talk to you guys.

~

E.L.F. Waterproof Eyeliner Pen Review

The E.L.F. waterproof eyeliner pen in Plum has legitimately changed my mind about the company. I tried one of their old liquid liners a long time ago and ended up looking like a drunk raccoon within two hours. This new waterproof formula is amazing. I swatched it on my arm, nothing underneath it:

 I left it on my arm for 24 hours. Within this time I sweated, took a shower, and wore perfume. This is what the swatche looked like at the end of the testing period:

It definitely faded a bit, but it stayed on for a whole day! It did not smudge off, and I did not notice any flaking off like some liquid liners do. The color is matte deep purple, nothing super unique. But I'll probably get their other colors in the future to try them out! What are some of your favorite liquid liners?

Inspiration: Confident

 "I love food and hate exercise. I don't have time to work out... I'd rather weigh a ton and make an amazing album then look like Nicole Richie and do a sh*t album. My aim in life is to never be skinny." -Adele

Today's topic is a little more serious. I just wanted to share with you all that you are beautiful. Your bodies are amazing and you should love everything you are. I have curves that I am just now learning to embrace! Love yourself for everything that makes you unique, and you will be happier than you ever have before. For those of you who need more inspiration to love what ya got, check out http://stophatingyourbody.tumblr.com/ for awesome stories and encouragement. 

Be Brave. Join the Revolution.

Inspiration: Iconic

 Today's page is an homage to the looks that have been famous for years, and still are today. They are iconic because they are universally flattering. Click through for close ups!

E.L.F. Studio Line Pigment Review and Swatches

 

     Hello dolls! Today's review is on the E.L.F. Studio Line Pigments. Let me say right off that these are not pigments in the traditional MAC sense. MAC makes pigments that are literally that. pigment. They can be used on the eyes, lips, anything, because they are pure color! 

     However, E.L.F. is a little misleading with this product. These are pigment eyeshadows, not actual pigments. These really should only go on the eye area. They work well as shadows, but I wanted to say that right up front. Eyeshadows have extra bases added to them that pigments do not.