Dupes of the 24/7 Urban Decay Eyeliner Pencil in Perversion

When they said that the best eyeliner pencil out there was this one, (whoever 'they' may be), they weren't kidding. All other pencils are compared to this pencil, it is the set standard to which any new eyeliner pencil out there is matched against.

Until recently, I did not posses this eyeliner, so I was clueless. I did have some very good eyeliner pencils though, one of which I imagined would be close to the 24/7 pencils, from what I heard of it. Turns out I was not that wrong, in fact I stumbled upon another very close product.

There is no denying that the 24/7 pencil in the shade perversion is the blackest of blacks, has the smoothest of applications, and is very long lasting.

Loreal Studio Secrets Professional Smoothing Resurfacing Primer

I'm always excited to try out new face products, and face primer has become quite an obsession in the makeup department. Indeed, if used right, and if you can find one right for you, it gives several advantages. This particular one, which I am not going to take the liberty of typing down again (just look at the length of the name of the product), was so hyped up about, and since I was in the market for a good primer, I bought it.

This appealed to me for several reasons: the packaging, the marketing, the product being in cream form. 

So how did it fare, what was my impression...

Favorite Liquid Eyeliner - The Body Shop Liquid Eyeliner

I love my gel eye liners, I do. But some days its such a task to get my brush from my brush case and dig out the pot, struggle with the right amount and all that. On such days, my favorite thing to use is The Body Shop Eyeliner. I have experimented with many eyeliners, and though most fare well enough, nothing has quite yet beat this particular one. I find myself inevitably reaching for it again and again. And I'll tell you why.

The Body Shop Liquid Eyeliner

Which Brushes are on my Vanity?

So over time, my most loved and most convenient to use brushes have crept from the recesses of my drawer to the top of my vanity in a sleek little Real Techniques case. It has been touch and go with some being tossed back in, others making the rounds, but now, these are the ones that have been stuck for the past couple of months. I don't have them in a pretty mug or anything because I find that keeping them in this case is more convenient and they don't pick up as much dust or lint. Now I know this little case itself can be made into a stand like thing, but for the life of me I can not figure it out. No worries, I am happy with it as it is.
So which brushes am I really liking and using...

My Go To Makeup Brushes

Avon Color Trend Lipsticks

I've always enjoyed Avon Lipsticks. I've never has an issue with hydration, primarily speaking and they have a whole array of finishes in an affordable price range. The only issue is, picking out a shade from their catalog or online swatches is not 100% reliable. I've had quite a few surprises too.

These color trend lipsticks caught my eye one day, especially so since they were on sale. I was soon to travel, I thought having a few new lippys in my arsenal would definitely be a plus. I was looking though to see which shades would be different from the ones i already owned and finally picked out two, but me being me, threw in a neutral pink for good measure.

Avon Color Trend Lipsticks

Sigma Smoke Screen Palette

After the much hyped about Warm Neutrals Palette, Sigma brings out another beauty, the much coveted and talked about Spring palette: The Smoke Screen Palette which is a more cool toned palette.

This was on my wish list, to be honest I did want the Warm Palette but in the end I went with the flow of the season and took a leap (not much of a leap because everyone was going crazy about it). I could go on and on so I'll just move on.

Different Types of Face Powders and their Applications

Ever thought about the increasing variety in face powders? Ever wonder what the difference was anyway, aren't they all supposed to set makeup? This is true for all powders, since they all absorb excess oil and fill in fine lines to make skin look more smooth and even and they do make foundation settle into the skin better increasing its longevity.

 

In this post I'll touch on the different types of powders and what they all do...

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Crush

2013 was the year of the giant chubby pencils....all products were taking this convenient, cutely packaged form....eyeshadows, lip products, concealers, contouring and highlighting products and who knows what else. So having heard about the hype about these Revlon Balms, I thought I should also dip into the pool of the jumbo pencils. And it wasn't difficult to do, let me tell you that.

The marketing was intense, the blogosphere was rampant with positive reviews and everyone was clambering to get one. And the colors...oh the colors!!!

Does that seriously not want you to reach out and grab a few?

Concealer Tips, Tricks, Alternative Uses and Some of my Picks

Today's post will be slightly different and concentrate more on the tips parts than the review parts, but fret not, at the end I'll be telling some of my higher and drugstore favs.

Now it’s common knowledge that concealer is used to cover up blemishes, marks or pigmentation and a warm toned one will do wonders for your eye circles. But we’ll discuss how we can use concealer in other ways to chisel the effect of you makeup.

Urban Decay Smoked Palette- Guest Post

I am so jealous of my friend AZ who is always flaunting this gorgeous palette in front of me...it's on my wish list of course..(let me just take a deep breath to gain some self-control...okay..... that's better), I'll come around to it some day. Any how, I asked her to review it for you all and since she's had it for a while now she can give you an accurate summation.

Prestige Baked Eyeshadow Trios

Lately, have you noticed the tonnes of eyeshadows being thrown our way, no mall is safe...seriously. I'm not even talking about the giants like MAC or Urban Decay, but the little guys, like the this particular one make it hard to resist not picking up the entire range. It's amazing how the brain can process what shade to pick from the colossal range within the budget you have allocated yourself...

And so when I was looking at the color range, I was surprised to see how well put together the color schemes were. I already knew I wanted at least one trio from this brand, but hey, self control...not my strong suit...ended up getting 2....don't judge me...I know what you're thinking :-)

Trio in 01 Desert 

Trio in 02 Forest

They had a pink and purple and blue also.

3 Drugstore Foundation Purchase Regrets

I like a good foundation, who doesn't..but it happens more than often that when you buy a foundation and test it and you're ecstatic that it looks brilliant....you get home and put it to the real test, only to find out that it did not meet your expectations. Some aspect of the foundation did not work for you, whether it was the wear, or the oxidation on it was crazy or that it broke you out or it was simply not your shade. The shade issue is most common because when we buy it, we test it in the glare of the shop lights. Here's a tip, apply it and then check it out in the natural light, away from the shop's bright orange lights.

Since I do a lot of research and deliberate quite a bit before making any purchase, I usually do not get misses, but still, nobody is perfect.

So I'm going to reveal 3 foundations that did not work for me, why and how I am trying to somehow make them work so that they don't go to total waste.

Colors to Flatter Brown Eyes

In a post I did few days back, I mentioned that brown and black eyes girls are lucky because their eye color is neutral (with maybe some warm or cool flecks) and hence they are able to make most colors work to enhance it.

Which got me to thinking about some colors that would look amazing, and suggestions for you.

Some shades might push you out of your comfort zone, but you could always use the brighter or bolder colors as a liner shade under your eyes rather than a full on lid color. Once again I want to remind you that the swatches that will come later are without primer so obviously with primer they come off as more intense.

So here we go...

What colors? From L to R: Navy/deep blue, burgundy, slate/dark/gunmetal gray, deep purples, moss/olive green, gold, bronze and in the middle champagne, and glittery black....

My Best Coral Blushes- Drugstore Edition

Come spring, its time to break out the coral blushes. I'm not kidding when I say the drugstore brands have been killing it with innovative new products, blushes being the foremost product that are just as good as the higher end versions. So for you reading pleasure I present to you my all time favorite blushes in the coral color family from your local drugstore brands.

And the unveiling....

Top L to R: Flormar Blush in no. 90, Rimmel 111 Coral, NYX Mosaic Powder in 12 Dare

Bottom L to R: Max Factor Blush in 235 Chestnut, Maybelline 45 Apricot Flush

Benefit Girl Meets Pearl Highlighter

A nicely highlighted face gives a fresh youthful glow but of course the type of highlighter and how it is applied matter to achieve this effect.

Today I want to talk about what I think is the best highlighter I have had the chance to use. Applied very delicately to the high points of the cheek bones, the bridge of the nose, on the brow bone and cupids bow, it will give you the best highlighting effect.

Benefit Girl Meets Pearl

Why do I think this product is brilliant? Read on to find out.

MAC Lipstick in Mocha

Do you ever feel irritated by the sales ladies at these department stores that eye you, sum you up, and hover over you sending a telepathic message "lady buy something or get out"? I just wish they'd let you at least take a couple of breaths and browse around, and then when you want to buy something or require assistance we will call you immediately. So one day when I saw a MAC store relatively empty, and only two ladies, both of whom were bust doing something behind the counter, I saw an opportune moment to walk around the shop and see if there was anything new. I even thought I'd treat myself to something if it takes my fancy. Armed with these thoughts I entered. Sadly, nothing really struck me as being outstanding. As I turned to walk out of the shop, one of the sales ladies came up (yes I was shocked that one of them did not approach me earlier) and asked me if I saw anything I liked and if she might help me with something. Since I had mostly decided I'd be hitting the road something struck me about her. It was her lip color. I had to ask...and she said it was her no fuss yet something with a punch, favorite Satin finish MAC lipstick. Really I thought, it was suiting her and as her complexion was close to mine I was baited and predicted that I'd soon be reeled in.

And so it was that I became the proud owner of MAC lipstick in Mocha.

Prestige Primed and Ready Eye Primer

Eye Primers have become so popular everywhere. It's true how they increase longevity and make the eyeshadows more intense. Some also do a little color correction and some prevent creasing. So it just makes sense that a primer that can do all of those things is a real gem, and with so many drugstore brands bringing on their A game, more expensive primers like Urban Decay Primer Potion and Too Faced Shadow Insurance are not longer your only options. Here's an eye primer that I have actually never really heard anybody talk about in the cyber world.

Love the Packaging

It's funny how I'm always on watch for a good eye primer especially since the homemade version is just as good as any I have tried...pretty crazy...I know. Regardless, let's move on...

Max Factor Masterpiece Precision Eyeshadow

Max Factor has been a favorite drugstore brand of mine for a while now. Here's an interesting tidbit about Max Factor- Cover Girl is its twin brand, meaning both are owned by Proctor and Gamble and their products though packed differently and named differently are actually mostly the same thing. For e.g Cover Girl's Lash Blast Mascara is the same as Max Factor's False Lash Effect Mascara...but I digress, back on topic...

I wanted to try out a couple, but in the end I only went for one, which for me was most distinct and most worth it for me,