Base Nature

I have tried a fair few eye primers in my tenure with makeup. Time and time again I found myself going back to the same product...Urban Decay Primer Potion. All the others that I seem to experiment with left me creased and dissapointed. That said I have recently fallen out of love with my once holy grail eye primer. I know this next statement might be controversial but...I HATE the new packaging! For reference...

 

 

 

Original Packaging



New Packaging

 

Now I realize that this change took place quite a long time ago but there is one important shortcoming with this change that took some time for me to appreciate. It is too much product! What? Yes it is too much. It's a great value, but a year later (exp date for this item is listed at 6 months) when only half the tube left the product is seperated and unusable. So not only am I not saving money with the added value but I am wasting 50% of the product that I've paid for. Long story short I've decided that it makes more sense to pay the same amount (or a few dollars more UD 20$ vs MUFE 22$) and get less product just to ensure they I can use it all before it goes bad. On to my next point.

 

 

 

This is the new love of my life. It reminds me of the original Urban Decay formula. It applies smoothly and my makeup lasts for hours without creasing. The normal shape of the tube means I should be able to use it all without having to cut it open and even though it will take me more than the 6 month shelf life to finish I should be able to get through the item before it actually stops working.

 

If you are a pro and use primer all day everyday get the Urban Decay, its still an amazing prduct, but if you are just you opt for another brand and don't waste half the tube when the primer stops working 9-12 months later.

Instagram Nails #17

Forever and Always

 

 

I should never wear any other makeup combo on my eyes as far as I'm concerned. Do you ever have that morning where you put on your makeup and then look in the mirror and think "why didn't I do this sooner?". I just threw these products on to run out on Saturday and wound up falling in love with the combination. The combo is as follows...

 

MAC Paint Pot in  Dangerous Cuvee

L'Oreal Infalliable Eyeshadow in  Liquid Diamond

MAC Quarry Eyeshadow

Inglot AMC Gel Liner in #77 (Black)

NYX Slide On Eyeliner in Silver (lower lash line)

 

I have used and enjoyed a combination of these things on the eyes before but in this order I just fell in love.

Honorable mention goes to the lipstick. NYX Matte Lipstick in Euro Trash, the nicest, strangest, gray mauve and my favorite fall nude lip.

Instagram Nails #16

Instagram Nails #15

Olive You

Just a quick look I did last week using the Bare Minerals Ready Eyshadow duo in The Scenic Route. If you have brown eyes I highly reccomend looking into this duo. The quality of these shadows is fantastic and the olive color in this particular palette is a nice way to integrate color into a look even if you are a neutral lover. I used a little NYC Sunny Bronzer on the cheeks and some Revlon Colorburst Lipstick in Soft Nude on my lips.

Hairy Adventures

Tresemme Split Remedy Leave in Treatment|Not Your Mother's Clean Freak Dry Shampoo|Redken Extreme Shampoo

Blogger has been 100% not working for me for the last week and a half. It has been so so frustrating but today it has finally gotten back on track for me. I thought I would introduce some of my new happy place hair care products for the impending cold weather.

Tresseme Split Remedy Leave In- I have been so impressed by the results I've gotten from this product. Not only does it leave my hair looking and feeling super smooth it costs less than 5$. It claims to restore split ends by 80% after three uses and I think this claim has some truth to it. I don't think it does much to repair your ends permenantly, but from what I've heard about the technology behind this product I can repair split ends with continued use. Check out The Beauty Brains (link!) for more info on how this product works!

Not Your Mother's Clean Freak Dry Shampoo- I have mixed feelings about the product in it's entirety. I don't have any complaints about its preformance as much as I do about the spray. As a dry shampoo it soaks up oils beautifully with minimal product and leaves no white cast on my dark brown hair. When the product is in the air though, it creates this cloud that gets stuck in your nose and throat and just creates this really fleeting choking feeling. Maybe its just me but the product works so well I was so dissapointed that using it was so uncomfortable.

Redken Exreme Shampoo- This is a real departure for me. I cannot remember the last time I ventured into salon hair products. I have never been dissapointed by the ones I have tried but just never repurchased. This is a protien building shampoo so it is not designed to be used daily because too much protien can actually make your hair brittle. For someone who only washes their hair about twice a week (like me) this is ideal. It prevents over use and adds much needed strength to my locks.

I have a feeling that this is the begining of some new hair adventures for me. I was using a routine that I thought was working really well but after trying thes I think there are, for sure, some better things out there.