Prom/Formal Hair and Makeup

 

The prom season is upon us! My favorite little prom test subject has graduated but this year she happened to have a formal banquet the same night as prom so we got her very glammed up.

This look could work for a variety of different events, she even made the hairstyle last until the next day for 2 bridal showers she had to attend. It's classy and fun and most importantly, very easy to do.

I started with her hair. I took a 1 inch curling wand and curled her entire head. After I removed each curl from the wand I kept it wrapped and bobby pinned it to her head for it to cool. Once her whole head was in pins we started on the makeup.

We didn't want anything to dramatic or "sexy", her event was at a religious school and "modesty" was requested. This girl has lashes for days and we thought we'd do a lighter smoky eye and focus on those lashes. I used:

• Estee Lauder matte primer
• CoverGirl 3in1 Foundation
• Maybelline Fit Me Concealer (great dupe for the NARS creamy concealer)
• Rimmel Stay Matte powder on T zone
• NYC Sunny Bronzer
• Tarte Amazonian Clay blush in Exposed
• BECCA highlighter in Moonstone 
• NYX Eyebrow pencil in Taupe
• MAC paint pot in Bare Study
• Urban Decay Naked and Naked 2 palettes on eyes
• Urban Decay Perversion mascara on top lashes
• CoverGirl Clump Crusher mascara on bottom lashes
• L'Oreal Pencil Perfect eyeliner in Carbon Black (not great for a precise line, but great for smoking out)
• NYX lip liner in Nude
• Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Precious
• Urban Decay setting spray

Then we moved onto the hair. I took all the pins out and was left with a stunning head of perfect curls. I finger brushed most of the curls loose and used Beyond the Zone texturizing powder at her roots for volume. Girl loves big hair and I was happy to oblige her :)

I then used a teasing brush for extra volume at the crown. I pulled all of her hair to one side, leaving a small section out which I fishtail braided. I worked that over to the side and began pinning sections of curls. I basically just pinned each curl to her head about half way down the length so that she had some volume but it still looked loose and "sexy messy". I finished it with John Frieda Luxurious Volume hairspray. It's very fine but SUPER STRONG HOLD without getting crispy. Kept her hair in place for 2 days but still looked soft. She has a ton of hair so this ended up being a gorgeous style on her.

Fight Like A Girl

Not sure if I have shared this before but my mom is a breast cancer survivor. She actually got breast cancer two different times and ended up having complete mastectomy's and reconstructive surgery. So this month is near and dear to my heart. My mom is a fireball. A Gypsy, Gold Dust Woman. A wild woman, fearless, individual, completely her own self and strong as a lion. I know people say that all the time, but if you know her you know that to be true. She's the honest to god definition of fierce.

Her motto during her cancer was to fight like a girl. When she finally did beat it and was in recovery, she got two pink boxing gloves tattooed on her inner wrist with the quote "TKO 2006". The year she kicked cancer's ass. Pink boxing gloves have been her muse to keep her fighting, to keep her strong and to remind her of how far she's come and how strong she truly is. One of my favorite shirts of hers says "Hell Yes They're Fake! The Real One's Tried to Kill Me!". It's just so my mom.

I actually got a Breast Cancer ribbon tattoo while she was going through chemo and to this day, faded as it is, it always reminds me how serious breast cancer is and how lucky we were with my mom's recovery and how lucky we are to still have her with us.

Her amazing plastic surgeon recently asked her to be the face of a breast cancer awareness campaign this month and her photo shoot for it was today. I was so honored when she asked me to do her makeup. I didn't even think, of course I said yes as fast as I could.

She wasn't picky, just wanted to look pretty. I decided to go for super flattering colors and warmer neutrals. As you can see in the pics, I didn't need to add any pink to the makeup, she had enough pink going on already (such a bad ass).

I wanted products that would give her a lot of coverage and color payoff and would last through hot lights and a long photo shoot. I used the following:

Rimmel Lasting Finish Foundation
Maybelline Age Rewind Concealer
CoverGirl Simply Powder Foundation
Mabelline Define-A Brow Dark Blonde
MAC Bare Study Paint Pot
L'Oreal Infallible Amber Rush
L'Oreal Infallible Iced Latte
L'Oreal Infallible Bronzed Taupe
Urban Decay Naked Basics palette (Faint and Crave)
Rimmel Scandaleyes Black Eyeliner
Rimmel Scandaleyes Nude Eyeliner
NYX Dusty Rose Blush
Milani Luminoso Blush
Maybelline The Falsies Black Mascara
Moodstruck 3D Fiber Lashes from Younique
Wet n Wild Mega Last Lipsticks in In the Flesh and Bare It All
L'Oreal Infallible Lipstick in Forever Frappe

Love You Long Time LADY.

Girls Night Out

 

This past weekend a bunch of us girls went out to celebrate the upcoming wedding of one of my girlfriends. I was feeling daring and decided to do a gold and black smokey eye.

I don't usually like a black smokey eye. If I do one, it's typically a bronzey one as I just find it to be more wearable on me and not "too much". But, if you can't do a fun eye look with your girlfriends, when can you really? I used the black more toward the outer corners of my eye to keep it looking open and not too raccoony.

I didn't use false lashes, but you definitely could if you wanted to amp the look up.

For this look I'm wearing:

Face:
L'Oreal True Match Foundation mixed with Clinique Even Better
MAC Mineralized Skin Finish Natural powder
Revlon PhotoReady Concealer
NYC Bronzer in Sunny
Revlon PhotoReady blush in Coral Reef

Lips:
Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Precious

Eyes:
Maybelline Color Tattoo in Barely Branded as a primer
Urban Decay Naked Palette:
1. Virgin on Inner corners and browbone
2. Half Baked on the middle of the eyelid and bottom lash line
3. Smog on outer 1/3 of eyelid
4. Hustle on outer V
5. Creep to intensify outer V
6. Naked to blend and on eyebrows
Maybelline black gel eyeliner on top and bottom lashes and also tightlined
Maybelline black The Falsies mascara on upper lashes
Maybelline black The Rocket mascara on bottom lashes

My hair was done using a 1 inch Hot Tools flat iron.

Pink Spring Fever

photo courtesy of weheartit.com

Oh, the weather here has been so beautiful. As a true Pacific Northwesterner, I know this is only a tease and indeed, woke up to 32 degree weather this morning. But still, the blue skies make it so hard to resist spring fever.

One of my favorite looks right now is flushed cheeks, long black lashes and a pop of bright lip color. My go-to for that look is Revlon Lip Butter in "Sweet Tart". It is the perfect girlie bright pink without going into neon territory. It's just a perfectly flattering and wearable pink. It can be sheer with only one swipe, but builds to a buttery opaque pink with a few more layers. It gives the shine of a gloss but feels like a lip balm. Best combo ever.

I've said it before, the Revlon Lip Butters are some of my favorite lip products. They feel so nice on and come in such a great assortment of colors and finishes. Sweet Tart is definitely going to be my favorite this spring.

 

 

The rest of my products for this look are:

• Revlon ColorStay Whipped Foundation
• MAC MSFN
• Urban Decay Naked for Brows
• Revlon PhotoReady Cream Blush in Coral Reef
• Maybelline "The Falsies" Mascara
• Maybelline Color Tattoo in Barely Branded on browbone and inner corner only.



Face of the Day

Thought I'd do a quick face of the day today. I've been trying a little more of a "minimalist" approach to my eye makeup and being braver about brighter lips. I had fucshia lips yesterday. For reals.

I find that if I wear my eyeglasses I don't need as much eye makeup as I normally use. It's enough to just look finished and then use a punch of bright lip color to really make your face pop behind those glasses.

Today I am wearing:

Loreal True Match mixed with Clinique Even better to get the right color.
MSFN applied to my Tzone.
NYC Bronzer in Sunny
CoverGirl blush in Soft Mink
Revlon Lip Butter in Candy Apple
Maybelline The Rocket Mascara

And...that's it folks. No eyeshadow or eyeliner. It actually feels very nice and fresh. Not something I'd do every day, but it's nice for a little break!

Lazy Smokey Eyes with Urban Decay Naked Palette

I have been in a makeup slump lately. Not so much with being bored with it, just not wanting to wear a whole awful lot of it. I'm still trying not to wear foundation unless we are going to a special event or I need it to last. This has trickled down to me not really wearing much eyeliner or wanting to do a lot of steps resulting in a pretty low maintenance look.

This is the look I've been sporting lately. It takes about 10 minutes and lasts really well. It's mostly flushed cheeks and a very lazy smokey eye. Fresh and easy.

 

 

To get this look I used the following products:

 

Revlon PhotoReady Concealer (around nose and on any spots)

MAC Mineralized Skin Finish Natural in Medium

Revlon PhotoReady Cream Blush in Coral Reef

Revlon ColorStay Under Eye Concealer in Light

UDNP "Naked" for eyebrows

UDNP "Halfbaked" all over eyelid

UDNP "Smog" and "Darkhorse" on outer V and lower lashline

UDNP "Virgin" on browbones and inner corners

UDNP "Naked" to blend on crease

Maybelline The Falsies Mascara in black

 

By using a dark brown on the outer V and lower lashline I get the effect of eyeliner with none of the hassle. It's a very wearable smoky eye that's even appropriate for daytime. I love this look with a pinky lipgloss, something sheer. No fuss.

 

What are your lazy day makeup tricks? 

 

January Favorites

Seriously, February already?! Wowza, that was fast.

Alright, so here are the products I used, loved and could not put down over the last month.

1. Maybelline "The Falsies" mascara. AMAZING. Full review here

2. Revlon PhotoReady Concealer. This has been an absolute must when I go without foundation. Covers what I need covered and lasts all day without getting cakey or flakey. Full review here

3. MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural. I love this so much and love it when I have a brand new one. Since I've been on a no foundation kick this has been a real bonus as far as coverage and keeping my face looking "done" without a ton of products. I do have 2 reviews on some drugstore dupes of this product if you can't get your hands on the real deal.

4. MAC "Syrup" Lipstick. So flattering, so easy to wear and I can't believe my husband picked this one out! Full review here

5. Maybelline Color Tattoo "Barely Branded". This has definitely been something I use every single day. Full review here

Face of the Day

I had all of my makeup laying out this morning and thought it might make a fun post. Here is everything I wear to work every day. Nothing super crazy and I am still on a "no foundation" kick for everyday.

Revlon PhotoReady Concealer (on any spots)
MAC Mineralized Skinfinish Natural in Medium
Revlon ColorStay Under Eye Concealer in Light
Cover Girl Soft Mink Blush
Maybelline Color Tattoo in Bad to the Bronze
Naked Palette Naked on Brows with Angled MAC Brush
Naked Palette Toasted on Lids
Naked Palette Virgin on Brownbone and Inner Corner
Maybelline The Falsies Mascara

There you have it. It's about a 5 minute face using some of my all time favorite products. Creates a very light, natural look but one that covers anything I want hidden and lasts all day. One of my go-to looks for sure.

What is your daily makeup routine?

Revlon PhotoReady Concealer

I'm so excited about this.

 

I have been having a good skin month. The first in a long time. I have been using the Clinique Even Better serum and moisturizer (full review coming soon) since my birthday and have actually been noticing results. Enough so that I haven't been wearing foundation much lately. Which, is crazy to me. I always wear foundation. But with the help of this little concealer stick, I haven't needed to cover my face up in a few weeks.

I love this concealer. SO MUCH. I love the tube, it's sturdy and clean. I love that you can click the product up and click it back down when you aren't using it. I love that it gives amazing coverage on any spots you want to cover but never looks cakey. It stays all day and really does cover so well. It's very pigmented, this is only 1 swipe.

 

 

I generally apply this to a few hyperpigmentation spots I have on my cheeks from pregnancy and around my nose. I apply MAC Mineralized Skinfinish Natural with a fluffy brush and use my ColorStay under eye concealer and instant perfect skin. AMAZING.

MAC "Syrup" Lipstick

Syrup was my very first MAC lipstick. Suprisingly, my husband actually picked it out for me without even knowing how popular this shade is. I get why it's so loved, it's an amazing color.

I'm not a massive lipstick fan, I like glosses or lip butters for every day wear but sometimes a girl needs a gorgeous lipstick.

Syrup is a neutral, rosy shade. Not pink or tan, just a beautiful and flattering neutral. It's a lustre formulation so there is no sparkles or glitter in Syrup, which I think adds to the wearability of this color. It just comes off glossy and so pretty. It's a perfect "my lips but better" shade.

 

This is not a lipstain or anything and the staying power is honestly not that great. If you eat or drink, you will need to reapply. However, the great thing about this shade is that as it wears off, it just blends into your lip color so you don't get a strange wear off pattern.

If I could have only 1 MAC lipstick, Syrup would be it. What's your favorite MAC lipstick shade? Have you tried Syrup?

Drugstore Dupe for MAC Bare Study Paint Pot

My love for the Maybelline Color Tattoo's is no new thing. I think you all know how great I think they are. Well, when I heard they were releasing some newer colors I was out on the hunt for them.

Much to my suprise they are HARD to find where I live. Everytime I go to a drugstore I looked for them, but wasn't having much luck until I went to Walmart a few weekends ago. I saw this little Maybelline display peeking out from behind an end cap of mascaras, and VIOLA. All the new Color Tattoo's were there, hidden behind another display!

Anyway, I knew for sure I wanted Barely Branded as soon as I saw it. It's an exact dupe for Bare Study by MAC which I love the color of and use quite a lot but I'm not in love with the formulation. The color of both is a creamy, champagne with golden sheen. It works great as a highlight color on your browbone, on your inner corner of the eyes, as an all over shade on the lid with a nice neutral crease color or can also be used lightly as a highlight on top of your cheekbones. I grabbed Barely Branded and another Bad to the Bronze because I was out and use that almost every single day.

When in the pot, Barely Branded is identical to Bare Study. Texture wise, I prefer the Color Tattoo. The paint pots from MAC can feel a little "greasy" to me, or at least Bare Study does and I have a hard time getting Bare Study to apply smoothly. With Barely Branded, it applies perfectly and sets nice enough to wear on it's own or works perfectly as a primer under colors like Naked Lunch (MAC) or Sin (Urban Decay). Swatched on the hand, the golden tones come out more on Bare Study making it almost a yellowy gold and Barely Branded is a little more neutral, which I think I prefer.

Have you tried any of the new Color Tattoo shades? Any you really loved?

Best of 2012

Sorry for the lack of posts. Have been on vacation (still am) and spending time with family and away from technology which has been, lovely.

I thought I would do a little best of post to highlight some of my favorite finds from the past year. It being the first year of my blog and all ;)

1. Maybelline Color Tattoos. These have basically negated the need for me to ever purchase another paint pot. So great all around!

2. MAC Mineralized Skinfinish Natural. Not new this year but new to me. Have found super close dupes but nothing identical to this magic powder.

3. Seche Vite topcoat. Again, not new but I just discovered this stuff his year and can not live without it. Reduces drying time and leaves a salon like finish. Massively changed my manicure life.

4. Not Your Mother's hair care line. Probably the best drugstore hair products I have ever used. From shampoo and conditioner to styling products, super high quality at crazy affordable prices.

5. L'Oreal True Match foundations (Lumi and original). Hands down my favorite foundations of the year. Just amazing coverage, finish and a large range of shades. These have been my favorite discovery this year.

How about you? What were your favorite products from 2012? Happy New Year and thanks for reading my blog this year and joining me in this crazy little journey!

November Favorites

Can you believe it's December?!?! It's going to be spring again before we know it. Holy Moly this fall just flew by. It's that time again for my favorites from the previous month. Here's what I couldn't stop using for the month of November!

Clinique 7 Day Scrub Cream. I can't stop using this stuff. It's gentle but effective and leaves my face feeling super soft and glowing. LOVE love love this scrub!!

MAC Primped Out Essentials Perfectly Plush Brush Kit. I received this as a gift for my birthday and just adore it. The bag is pretty small and went into my makeup bag collection for travel, but the brushes are AMAZING. It's basically everything you need for an everyday makeup look. Foundation, powder/blush, eyeshadow, crease brush and the angled brush is what I use for powders on my eyebrows. Great little kit!

Urban Decay Naked Palette. I started using this again as fall rolled in and am pretty sure the love affair is going to last awhile. The colors are just SO perfect for this time of year and don't require much effort to get a great look. I've been using Sin and Buck together pretty consistently this last month and think with a black cat eye and red lips that would make a perfect festive makeup look!

Maybelline Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner. I've been on a gel eyeliner kick lately and this is the one I always grab. It just lasts all day and is so precise, but something about gel is a little bit softer than a liquid black eyeliner. I really like this formulation and think it's a great drugstore alternative!

Covergirl Fresh Concealer. This was my go-to under eye concealer before I found the Maybelline Dream Lumi. I recently ran out of Maybelline and had a backup of this so started using it again. I just really love the look this gives and I think it does a great job of brightening my under eye area. It's a little bit less creamy than the Maybelline so I don't need to set this with anything.

Clinique Cupid Blush. What a gorgeous little pop of color. I am really impressed with this blush and haven't used anything else since I got it. It's a pretty neutral rosy pink and it just perks my face right up. It's so pretty! It's also very pigmented, which hasn't always been my experience with Clinique Blushes, but Cupid is exceptional!

all photos courtesy of amazon.com

100th Post!! My Dream Makeup Kit

It's my 100th post here on Lovely Dalliances. YAY!

I thought it would be fitting to do a fun post. I love a lot of things, but if I had to pick only one kind of each item, these are the ones I would absolutely HAVE to have. Holy Grail, money is no obstacle kind of "Dream Makeup Kit".

1. Foundation- Make Up For Ever Mat Velvet +

 

 

 

2. Concealer for blemishes- MAC Studio Finish Concealer

 

 

 

3. Concealer for under eyes- Maybelline Dream Lumi

 

 

4. Powder- MAC Mineralize Skin Finish Natural

 

 

 

5. Bronzer- NARS Laguna

 

 

 

6. Blush- Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Glisten

7. Highlighter- Too Faced Candlelight 

 

 

 

8. Eye Primer- MAC Paint Pot in Bare Study

 

 

9. Eyeshadow- Urban Decay Naked Palette

10. Eyeliner- Lancome Art Liner

 

 

 

11. Mascara- Lancome Hypnose (original version)

 

 

 

12. Lipgloss- BareMinerals in Cupcake

 

 

 

13. Lipstick- Tarte Glamazon in Inspired

 

 

 

14. Brow- Anastasia Brow Wiz in Medium Ash

 

 

 

15. Brush Kit- Real Techniques (every single brush!)

 

 What's in your dream makeup kit?

August Favorites

Summer is officially over. Little man started first grade today and I'm wearing jeans so with that, here's my list of favorite items for the month of August!

1. Ion Smooth Solutions Keratin Shampoo and Conditioner. I got these with a BOGO coupon from Sally's and kind of fell in love. They are sulfate free, no sodium chloride and feel so nice in the hair. Usually sulfate free shampoos leave my hair a tangly mess, but not this one. The conditioner is a bit thinner than I'm used to but works really well!


photo courtesy of sallybeauty.com


2. Earthly Body Marrakesh X High Tide leave in conditioner. My girlfriend gets this for me at a real beauty supply store and I can't live without it. There are 3 different scents, I prefer the High Tide one. This spray contains hemp and argan oils and detangles, controls frizzies, seals in hair color, protects hair from the sun, prevents split ends, all the good happy things you want for your hair.


photo courtesy of amazon.com

 3. Revlon ColorStay Liquid Eye Pen in Blackened Brown. I was on a no eyeliner kick for most of the summer but started using this again lately and remembered why it's so awesome. It's just the easiest eyeliner ever and it stays PUT.



photo courtesy of revlon.com





4. MAC Paint Pot in Bare Study. I seriously think I abandoned all other paint pots when I fell for Maybelline Color Tattoo in Bad to the Bronze, but changed it up in August and started using Bare Study again. I still think that the Color Tattoo's are more bang for your buck, but I just love the color of Bare Study. It's a peachy champagne that is so pretty under lighter eyeshadow colors.

photo courtesy of amazon.com


5. Hair Stylers Mesh Chignon. I've been pretty obsessed with sockbuns this summer and especially in August. I've made my own at home and also use this one I got at Sally's. It is the perfect shape, weight and texture. It holds your hair in the bun without getting heavy and doesn't move. LOVE this thing!



photo courtesy of sallybeauty.com