Foudation Musings of a Non-Foundation Girl

I have never really found a base product that I have ever liked. I always feel like you can see the product on the skin and that applying foundation in the morning simply takes too long. That said I have found myself revisiting foundation products a lot in the past few weeks. I got a Beauty Blender sponge in a recent Birchbox and decided that I wanted to try it. I reached for my old Make Up Forever HD foundation ran the Beauty Blender under the tap and went to town. When I was done I was pretty pleased that my skin looked even and didn't look caked in cosmetic. 

That said, it took FOREVER...(which in reality is only like 5 minutes). It's just not something I can see myself taking the time to do on a daily basis. Special occasions, sure, at 5 am, not a freakin' chance. 

In that very same Birchbox was a baby sample of this puppy

Photo Allure.com

I love this stuff. It is a bit shimmery, but glowy shimmery not glittery.  It subtly evens out your skintone and creates a really lovely awake and toned appearance on the face. I also almost have enough Birchbox points to get it for cheap. It retails from Jouer for $38.

This discovery also had me thinking about another Make Up Forever product that I had wanted quite badly last summer but never got.

 

Photo Sephora.com

Since Make Up Forever is supposed to be a IMATS I think I might go ahead and pick this up. It sounds like my dream foundation product. Light weight, sheer coverage, natural looking once applied. Another bonus is 50ml for $38 versus HD which is 30ml for $40. Who doesn't love a little value in life.

If any of you have thoughts on either of these products, good or bad, please let me know. Who knows one (or both) could make a real appearance here pretty soon.

xoxo

Molly

Gettin Cheeky

I am obsessed with cheek products lately. Coincidentally I have also come across come exceptionally good items lately. The first being a tried and true makeup favorite of many people Benefit's Hoola Bronzer. I was lucky enough to be gifted it by a friend who already had one and wanted to rid herself of a duplicate.

 It has the prettiest natural tan color that comes across very naturally on my skin tone. I was always so uninspired by bronzers in the past because I always thought they made my face look dirty and I was also never all that upset to be pale. As it is I've only been contouring with it and I love the definition it gives my face.

The next product is a very recent addition that has single handedly taken over my makeup life. It's the Joe Fresh Cream Blush in Flush.

It looks really really red in the pan and is in fact a very very pigmented cream product. The way this applies to the skin is so flawless. It looks like a lovely winter wind-blown flush. (thus the name) It isn't a cream to powder formula, (which seems to be very popular lately) but a true creamy almost gel finish. It sinks into the skin so beautifully and lasts FOREVER.

Joe Fresh is a Canadian brand that has only recently launched in the U.S. and I got this at one of their stores in Manhattan. The best part is that this is $8 and the most expensive item in the whole makeup range. I could easily see this brand becoming a go to for me when I need an inexpensive makeup fix.

What have you been obsessing over lately?

xoxo

Molly

Early Morning FOTD

 

I did a bit of smokey eye for work the other day because I felt like I was in a bit of a makeup rut. I kept falling back on like shimmery nude shadow and winged liner. Sometimes in winter I get so lazy that I have no interest in putting a lot of thought into my eye makeup and rely on a dramatic lip to do my talking for me.  As it is I have a whole drawer of individual eyeshadows that have been completely neglected since well before Christmas. This look consisted of a Barry M Dazzle Dust in Oyster (89) the Bare Minerals pressed duo in The Scenic Route, and a bit of MAC's My Dark Magic mineralize duo from the Venemous Villains collection last year.

So far stepping out of my comfort zone has not made shimmery nude and liquid liner any less appealing or easy but it is nice to shake things up every once and a while.
xoxo
Molly

Nicki Minaj Haulage!

This is a bit late coming but I figured since I'm awfully bad at this I would post about it anyway :)

I picked up two bits from the Nicki Minaj collection from OPI. The collection featured three bright creme colors (which I have as of now passed on) and two BANGIN' glitter polishes. I have had such a a soft spot for glitter recently. I swear by the tin foil removal method so removal is no longer an issue and I have gone glitter bananas. The two colors I got were Metallic 4 Life and Save Me.

OPI Save Me (L) Metallic 4 Life (R)

These are both really unique shades. I'm proud that the bar glitter in Save Me is showing up so so well in this photo. Metallic 4 Life is like a hex and regular glitter in a semi sheer black base. The one draw back to both of these is that they are SO thick. They eat topcoat like nobody's business to boot. That said I am a glitter junkie and I can't wait until the sun becomes more of a daily fixture so I can wear Save Me and watch it shine.

Hope you guys enjoyed

xoxo

Molly

Whimsical

New nail polish time. I spent quite a few days hunting down this baby. I kept finding the smaller Revlon displays and no Whimsical in sight.  Finally in one of the larger Duane Reade locations I spotted a bigger set up and the last bottle of this gem.

Now this is a really lovely color. I'm not normally one for sparse glitter, just because I think it looks kind of ...unfinished.  That said I have really been enjoying this. The only thing I've been enjoying is how it wears, because the application was pretty atrocious. I had heard that the original was awful too and so I was prepared. Ultimately I had to layer it over one coat of Essie's Absolutely Shore so that I didn't loose my mind doing 345678908765432 coats of this color to get it to look opaque. 

Ah the things were willing to do for nail polish...lol.

Until Next Time...

xoxo

Meet the Yeti...

My first outfit post of 2012. YAY!!! The purpose of this post, apart from showing you what I wore to work the other day, is to introduce you to my new winter coat. His name is Yeti and I LOVE HIM.

Sweater: TJMAXX Skirt: Forever 21 Boots: Target

Yeti: ASOS Tights: SPANX Scarf: Street Vendor

Rings: Found Item, Street Vendor Nail Polish: Models Own Lilac Dream

Earrings: Topshop

First things first, it was frigid when I took these photos and you can totally tell from the look on my face. I was so relieved when I had a picture I liked of the outfit so I could put my coat on.

The TJMAXX sweater was such a good find. I'm pretty fortunate in that I can wear mostly whatever I want to work (within reason) but unfortunate in that all of it must be black or white. This knit is the perfect example of a neutral piece that adds interest to an outfit without feeling like filler. The texture takes this from flat all black to something that looks more together.

So now about the Yeti. I will admit it was something of an impulse purchase. I needed a new winter coat, saw this one and thought, "Gee that would be fun". I was correct. It's unexpected, rich looking, and the warmest damn coat I could have hoped for. 5 stars.

Best of all....now it's on sale   Check it Out!

Hope You Guys Enjoyed

Until Next Time....xoxo

Beauty Resolutions 2012!

Seeing as how it's been such a long time since I've posted I thought it would be a nice idea to share some of my beauty-related resolutions for the coming year. 

1.Get Organized!!

Most importantly in this category is my nail polish situation. Ok, I'll come clean. I have A LOT of nail polish. My collection is rapidly approaching 200 bottles and for the last couple of months I have been toying with several storage options. Right now they're all sort of lined up like soldiers on some of the shelves in my room. While this is sort of working for the time being I would prefer to be able to look at all of the colors when I go to paint my nails. 

Now my other makeup is not immune to disorganization. I do have more of a system for my basic collection but since my collection is starting to outgrow its storage so...its never too early to start thinking of a way to rearrange.

2. Get Cleaning!!

I am shamefully negligent about cleaning my brushes. I will spot clean regularly but I have often gone and bought an inexpensive duplicate brush to avoid washing them all. This must stop.

3. My Eyebrows...

I've been good about shaping but it might be time to invest in some brow products that give me a nice, natural, defined look. 

So that's it for me. We'll see how well these turn out over the next couple of months, I'm not normally one for resolutions but I'm thinking these might have a fighting chance.

Happy New Year Guys!!!

Til Next Time!

xoxo