Top Used Products in 2015

This year, I have to admit, I haven’t used makeup as much as I usually do. I beat my face for family functions or special occasions but rarely in between. For me, this means I need to streamline my makeup routine and make it fool proof so when I DO need to make my face up, I’m using products and tools that won’t let me down. Throughout the year, I’ve watched “Monthly Favorite” videos from multiple YouTubers to get ideas but a lot of them are higher end products and I can’t always justify the price for the amount I’m actually going to use before it probably goes bad. Don’t get me wrong, I still have some mid to high end products but I think it’s a pretty even mix with cost effective options.

That being said, I’ve put together a list of makeup related items that didn’t let me down in 2015. Let’s get this list started!

Face Makeup

• Face Primer: Benefit POREfessional & MUFE Photofinish Foundation Primer
• Face Makeup: True Match Lumi Luminous Makeup in Nude Beige
• Face Powder: Rimmel Stay Matte Powder in Natural
• Bronzer: NYC Bronzing Powder in 720A Sunny
• Contour Palette: Lorac PRO Contour Palette
• Highlighter: L’Oréal True Match Lumi Powder Glow Illuminator in Rose
• Blush: MAC Peachy Keen
• Finishing Spray: NYX Matte Finish Setting Spray

Eye Makeup:

• Eyelid Primer: Lorac Behind the Scenes Eye Primer
• Mixing Medium/Glitter Glue: Inglot Duraline
• GO TO lid color: Stila Kitten & UD Snakebite (from Naked 2 palette)
• GO TO crease color(s): MAC Espresso & Stila Puppy
• GO TO transition color(s): MAC Bamboo & MAC Soft Brown
• GO TO brow Highlight: MAC Bisque mixed with MAC Gesso
• Eyebrows: Rimmel Eye Brown Pencil in Dark Brown and MAC Coquette Eyeshadow
• Gel/Liquid Eyeliner: MUFE Aqua Black
• Pencil Eyeliner: MAC Eye Kohl in Feline and Urban Decay 24/7 Liner in Perversion
• Mascara: L’Oréal Infallible in Blackest Black and Maybelline Volume Express Waterproof in Blackest Black

Favorite Makeup Brushes/Tools:

• Fluffy Crease Brushes:  MAC 217, Morphe M517 & Morphe M433
• Flat Shader Brushes: MAC 239, Morphe M204, Makeup Designery 350
• Face Powder Brush: Real Techniques Large Powder Brush
• Contour/Highlighter Brush: Stila #4
• Blush: MAC 187 & ID Flawless Face brush
• Eyeliner Brushes: Simply Simmons in 1/8 angle shader and Morphe MB32

So there you go. Seeing it in a list format makes me think it’s a lot. Let’s be honest, when it’s spread out in front of me it seems like a lot too but it gets me where I need to get and most of these are things I wouldn’t want to do my makeup without. Hope this helps you when making purchases for 2016 for your own makeup collections. If you try any of them, tag me in your photo, I’d love to see it! Hope you enjoyed and until next time, I’ll see you later!!

 

Follow me on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook: @Kristi4t3

First Impression: Inglot Duraline

Finally testing out a product I've heard about from Lustrelux and Coffee Break w Dani on YouTube... INGLOT Duraline. I've never tried anything from Inglot but this product seemed like something different. I'd seen other mixing mediums before but I had tried samples of them and nothing wowed me but for whatever reason this really caught my attention. Just got it in the mail today from Amazon and I've been testing it on all the claims these YT ladies have made. I tried it on an almost dried up eyeshadow base, a pigment, a glitter and a gel liner that is getting too thick. Here are my results!
 


Eyeshadow Base / Cream Eyeshadow:
-  Maybelline Color Tattoo Eye shadow in Gold Rush: Mine was almost dried up so I heard you could kind of revive old products so I did. One drop into the product and it was a little wetter than it was when it was new but I mixes it around and as it picked up product, it got thicker. It applied very pigmented but still a little wet so with my hooded eyes, I had to kind of look down till it dried (which took a minute or so).
 

Pigment / Loose Eyeshadow:
-  Sugarpill Chromalist Loose Eyeshadow in Stella: I mixed one drop into the lid,hoping it would pick up the amazing flecks of multi colored glitter but I didn't really. It turned it into a liner and the blackness of it over powers the sparkle. I think that has  more to do with the shadow than the Duraline, though. However, it IS something you want to take into consideration when using a multicolored pigment with glitter. I had to top it with the pigment, dry, to get the color pay off I wanted. That being said, the liner it created was pigmented, applied easily and wore nicely.
 
  Face Glitter:

-  LA Girl Mineral Face and Body Glitter in Bliss: Again, one drop into the lid, mixed with the glitter and it didn't seem like it was gonna work too well just looking at the brush but it applied really nice and packed on pretty well. After a while, I ran my fingers over it and very little came off.

 

Gel Liner:
-  MUFE Aqua Black WaterProof Liner: Lastly, one drop and this made this gel liner into almost a liquid liner. SUPER black, super smooth and made my wing so sharp I could cut someone! I even tried the double wing and drew designs on my face (for research purposes) and it stayed just as black. I was worried it would dilude the color but it didn't.
 

Overall review: I like it a lot. Love will come later when I'm actually doing my makeup and not testing it late at night. You use VERY little and it goes a long way. I will say tho, it doesn't dry very fast, which may be good for some but for me and my hooded lids? I had transfer issues with my liner. Also, while testing to see if the glitter would come off and rubbing my "wing", it began to smudge. I do consider that when I'm wearing liner, I don't typically rub my eyes but it happens and that is something to note. I love that it really helps prolong the life of some of my favorite makeup, being that I don't wear makeup everyday and sometimes things dry up before I really get to experiment with them. For 13.00? Well worth it.

Hope you liked this review and I'm also hoping to be able to bring a lot more reviews this coming 2016. If you try it, tag me in your photo, I’d love to see it! Hope you enjoyed and until next time, I’ll see you later!!

Follow me on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook: @Kristi4t3

Halloween Makeup Look: Witchy Woman

Hey Guys!! So many Halloween tutorials coming out and while I love the looks and pick up techniques, they aren’t practical for your average “once a year” Halloween wearers. As I’ve said before, I’m not a costume kind of person, Halloween is more about passing out candy than dressing up. I gotten a few people asking for makeup that doesn’t just look good but isn’t super time consuming or expensive. Here’s what I came up with. Side note: I did half my face because I like the automatic before and after it provides… and takes half the time. 

For this look, I took inspiration for this look from pictures I had seen on Pinterest and Google Images, when searching “Green Witch Makeup”. I guess the REAL inspiration would have been the fact that I found green cream Halloween makeup at Target for $1. I could have gone more zombie but I went witchy. My references were honestly pretty obvious; A little Maleficent with a little pin-up vibe and added some contouring to give the look dimension. 

How I did the Face:

I primed my face with Benefit POREfessional. For the overall face color, I mixed my Urban Decay NAKED skin foundation with equal parts of the green and applied with a makeup sponge to half of my face, excluding my eye area. After I got it where I wanted it, I mixed in a bit of white and sponged that on my under eye, my jaw line and down my nose, just to give a subtle highlight. I set it with translucent powder and moved on to contouring. I used Wet ‘n Wild eyeshadows in black (for contour) and a frosty olive green (for highlighting). To blend it out, I used a little bronzer but JUST to blend, not so much to deposit color. I contoured the cheeks, around the hair line, under the jawline and my nose. Next were eyes. I primed my lids with Too Faced Shadow insurance and applied NYX Jumbo Pencil in Black Bean, blending out into a winged shape. I used a vibrant grape color from my 120 palette on the lid and the same Wet ‘n Wild Black for the outer “V” and crease, extending out. For eyebrows, I lined JUST inside my natural shape and created a curved "flick" on the inner corner to give me a more wicked look. I lined by eyes in an extreme wing using a gel liner and used a black pencil liner on the inner rim of my eyes, smoking it out slightly with black eyeshadow. Lips, I outlined with a black pencil and filled in with a red lipstick. JUST because I felt my forehead looked lonely and I had NO desire to draw a “witches wart”, I used the same black pencil to draw a widow’s peak. 

I have to admit, I started this look not really knowing what it would end up looking like and I’m kind of liking it. Styling a witch costume is pretty easy, I’ve seen witches hats at drugstores and Dollar Trees. All you’d have to do after is wear black, which can be casual or sexy depending on your mood. The possibilities are endless. 

If you try it, tag me in your photo, I’d love to see it! Hope you enjoyed and until next time, I’ll see you later!!

Follow me on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook: @Kristi4t3

Halloween Makeup Look: Skeleton Half-Mask

Hey Guys!! Halloween is upon us so I wanted to do some makeup. Just by nature, I’m not a costume kind of person so Halloween in my world is more about passing out candy than dressing up. I do, however, love me some makeup and have been to a few festivities where I’ve needed to be in “done up”. 

I’ve seen a couple different versions of the makeup I did from Instagram and YouTube but my problem was that they used professional face paints (like Kryolan, Graphtobian or Mehron) and I’m doing these on a budget. I found white cream face paint at Target for $1 and I also used the NYX Jumbo eyeshadow pencils (for $1.99 each) in Milk and Black Bean. Other than those 3 cream bases, I used Wet N Wild eyeshadows in black and grey/silver. 

How I did the mask:

I primed my face with Benefits POREfessional (personal preference). For the mask, I started with mapping out where I wanted to paint and filled the whole area in with the white cream face paint. I used a thin coat and then went for a second one (which I wish I would’ve done one thick coat because I had to do a lot of touch ups because the second coat would lift part of the first coat). I set it with a translucent powder I had on hand by Makeup Forever but you could get the ELF one for $1. Then I went in with a black eyeshadow on a thin angled brush and drew the outline of the skull part, the nose and the mouth line. Starting at the middle, I drew lines for the teeth. Then with the grey/silver, I capped off the teeth with half circles and began shading. Then taking the black bean NYX pencil, I colored in the negative space using a flat stiff eyeshadow brush to blend it out so I didn’t use TOO much product. I achieved the cracks on the outer portions using the flat angled brush with a tiny bit of black eyeshadow, but mainly pulling the black cream base into the white. 

For the eyes:

I used the same NYX Jumbo eyeshadow Pencil in Milk to prime. On the lid, I used the Silver Wet N Wild eyeshadow. With a fluffy brush, I blended MAC Soft Brown into the crease as a transition color to help me blend. Then, taking a pencil brush, I applied MAC Carbon to the outer half of the lid, blending into my crease and slightly above for a dramatic effect. I used gel liner on the lid to achieve the wing and Urban Decay Perversion 24/7 liner on the water line, blending it out with a pencil brush and MAC Soft Brown. A couple coats of mascara and some brows and that’s it.

I love this look because it’s a costume without the costume. The whole thing took me about 45 minutes while I was watching Dance Mom’s (don’t judge me). You could do up the hair pinup style and make it more girly with an edge, you could play it up with colors and use white and blue instead of white and black, you could use this on a man or woman… it’s just really versatile. 

If you try it, tag me in your photo, I’d love to see it! Hope you enjoyed and until next time, I’ll see you later!!

Follow me on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook: @Kristi4t3

Makeup Look: COMPLETELY water proof makeup

This isn’t the kind of blog post I would usually write about but I have to admit, I was really impressed and wanted to share. My grandfather recently passed away and it was really hard on me, which it would be for anyone who’s lost someone dear to them. When it came time for his memorial service, I wanted to be dressed up, made up and super cute for him, but I knew I would cry so I needed some waterproofing.

I tested a couple looks, Snapchatting them to my baby sister who approved or rejected the looks. Then, I used Visine, put a couple drops in my peepers to simulate tears to see how it would react. EPIC FAIL! I used primers and shade sticks, water proof pencils and gel liners but the effect was BAD, black all over my eyes and running down my face with the black tears. It occurred to me, after all the trial and error, that I didn’t have water proof mascara on. In a panic and with no time, I ended up borrowing my mom’s mascara and started my look again. Here’s what my “day of” makeup looked like AFTER the service. Mind you, I went pretty light on the makeup JUST in case my look didn’t work.  Sorry for the sad face, but I don’t have to explain that one.

Here’s what I used:

• Face: 

Benefit POREfessional Pore Minimizing Primer (on tzone )

Makeup Forever Photo Finish Light Primer (on outer portions of my face and neck)

Loreal True Match Lumi in N3 Natural Buff

Revlon Age Defying Concealer in 02 Light Medium

Rimmel Stay Matte Powder in 004 - Sandstorm

MAC blush in Pinch O’ Peach

• Eyes:

Lorac Behind The Scenes Eye Primer

Maybelline Color Tattoo in 35 Tough as Taupe

MAC eyeshadows (Wedge all over, Shadowy Lady in the crease and outer “V”, Satin Taupe on lid, Blanc Type as brow highlight, Coquette for brows)

Makeup Forever Aqua Black Waterproof Cream Eyeshadow (as eyeliner)

Maybelline THE TURBO Volume Express Waterproof mascara in Very Black

• Lips:  (for some reason they look kind of grey in the picture but they're not)

MAC Lip Pencil in Stripdown

MAC Lipstick in VIVA GLAM V
MAC PlushGlass in Ample Pink

Overall, this makeup look was pretty simple but still looked done up. I cried, as expected. I had  no major (or even minor for that fact) malfunctions with my makeup. About 2 hours after the service, I checked my makeup and everything was in place, no creasing, no blank spots and no touch ups needed (other than lips).  Of all the products that I used, the stand out “STAR” would have to be the Mascara. I’ve never been a fan of waterproof mascaras, but this one? I love! Now I have to go buy my own.

Hope this helped anyone who’s looking to go to a party or wedding where they need their look to be SUPER waterproof. Until next time, I’ll see you later!

Nail Candy: REVIEW - Fing’rs Nail Polishes

Those who know me know I have far too many nail polishes for someone who doesn’t do nail that often, but I always feel like I’m just one or two polishes away from having every color. My mom and sisters are always tapping into the stash, which is conveniently displayed on my wall, for colors but my mom recently had been complaining I had no “Neon” polishes. I had never really thought of that.

When it comes to how I paint my own nails, I prefer a nude colors or darker jewel tones. I do however like to do nail art, quite a bit actually and that’s where all the other colors come into play. Point is, Neon’s never really called my attention but now with this knowledge that my collection was “MISSING” them, you know I had to go out and buy some. Luckily, it didn’t break the bank. 

I found Fing’rs Heart 2 Art collection. I usually associate Fing’rs brand with decals and nail art but not polish. This made me shy away from them at first but no other brand in the Walmart nail section had all the colors I wanted, so I caved. I did tiny swatches on my nails and WOW. For the most part, they’re pretty opaque and fast drying. I bought 5 of the 8 colors available (picture below). There wasn’t a purple I liked (the one that was called “Grape” was more magenta/fuchsia than purple) so I veered to Sally Hansen and the blues were really similar to shades I already had. There was also a glitter coat in the line but it was sold out in the store. The only one that I did purchase that I feel could be better is the green called “Meet Me in the Green Room”. It takes about 3 coats to get the color you want but if you have the time, then you can get the color. Another thing I didn’t expect is they all dry to a pretty matte finish. I don’t mind that so much but I feel like it should say it somewhere on the bottle.

Overall, I like these nail polishes. They’re super summer appropriate and fun, they’re available at drugstores so they’re easy to come by and the price is right around $2.00 each. I would totally recommend these to anyone looking for bright colors on a budget.Just incase, here's the link where you can find them online:

http://www.fingrs.com/c/heart2art

Hope you enjoyed the review and let me know if you end up getting them! Maybe I’ll show some summer themed nail art in a future blog using these. Until next time, thanx for stopping by and see you soon!

Blushes: How to choose one for you, how to apply and anything you want to know!

I asked on my friends on my personal Facebook if they had any questions or problem areas that they would like to see a blog or video on. Choosing blushes was the first one. Here are some of the things I’ve learned about blush from my own trial and error, and a little research.

My first memory of blush was back in elementary school. There was this mom who would  pick up her kids. She had short vibrant red hair and her makeup was intense. She used a dark, shimmery, reddish-brown eyeshadow that winged out and went all the way up to her eyebrows and what seemed like the same color on her cheeks in a line from about her mouth to her ears. She blended everything so I don’t remember harsh lines, more of an intense color that blended at the edges. None the less, with the hair and the eyeshadow and contour all being the same color, she had the appearance of a Disney villain. 

As I got older, my mom tried to explain to me the concept of blush and contouring; use a brown shade to make your face look thinner and put the pink over the top to make you look pretty. When it was finally my time to start wearing makeup, I completely abandoned the idea of blush all together. I naturally have rosy cheeks so it seemed like a waste of time. Then I started using foundations and powders that evened out my complexion and all of a sudden, my rosy cheeks were gone. Blush became a good idea. When I started working, I went to the MAC counter and asked for help. She explained a general rule; "Any blush can work on any skin tone, it just depends on your application. You should look at your skin color. If you have cool undertones (more pink/fair skin), you want to use a rosy pink shade. If you have warm undertones (more yellow/olive/tan skin) you want to use a coral color. For neutral tones (where you face is neither too pink or too yellow) you can use either". So, I bought a coral blush (MAC Peachy Keen, which is described on their website as a very baby peach). Since that first blush, I’ve realized that the same color doesn’t always go with whatever makeup look I’m wearing. I later bought a pink toned blush and went home to research. I found on a blush palette on the BH Cosmetics website that had 10 blushes for under the price of one MAC blush. I bought it and experimented. I now had options. My adventures in blush let me to these few conclusions:

- Different kinds of blushes: There aren’t just colors, there are finishes and types. Colors range from pinks to purples, oranges and vanilla shimmer, reds and corals to browns and mauves. Powder blushes are most popular and readily available in any brand of makeup. The selection of finishes run from matte for a more natural wash to shimmers and glitters for that extra sparkle for a night out. Because of their dry nature, these tend to set and work with the oils of your skin as the day goes on. Then there are cream blushes which usually come in either a stick form (like a large lipstick) or a pan. These are good because you just dab a little on the cheeks and blend in with your fingers. They can also give a natural finish and are easily buildable based on your application. I wouldn't recommend these for oily skin as they may tend to move as the day goes on and the product reacts with your body heat. They can be set with powder to ensure staying power (but essencially that would mean you're double blushing). Another option is cheek stains, which run along the lines of the cream blushes but are meant to literally stain your cheek, much like if you used a lip stain. These provide a wash of color that stays put. They're usually better for bare skin or light/sheer makeup. Using these with a full coverage makeup doesn't seem to make sense (at least to me) as it wouldn't lay directly on the skin and the "stain" aspect wouldn't make so much sense. 

- Your blush brush makes a difference! Most drugstore brand blushes come with a small brush. I’m not a fan. My suggestion? A larger blush brush. For a defined look, use an angled blush brush. I would recommend for this application to use a synthetic brush (this info can be found on the package or can be provided by a sales clerk). The bristles of these brushes don’t hold product (since the material is non-porous) so whatever you put on the brush, goes on your face. For a softer wash of color, use a fluffy powder brush. I recommend using a softer brush for this, maybe natural hair or dual fibered. This way, you’re picking up color and the bristles are both depositing and defusing the color on your cheeks, giving you a wash of color. This technique is what I would suggest for a natural every day look. 

- Lastly, for a natural look, my best suggestions would depend on the foundation or face makeup you use. If you use just a face powder to even out skin tone or eliminate shine, I’d go with a powdered blush in a matte to satin finish with a fluffy powder brush in a shade suited for your face based on your undertones. If you use a BB/CC cream, I would go with either the same technique as the first suggestion or a cream blush. Use the tiniest bit on your finger, apply in a circular motion without over working the product and then blend back. This will give you that youthful rosy cheek look and blending it back will eliminate the circular doll look. Key to natural looking blush? Blend blend blend!

All in all, it’s a lot of information but hopefully it helped. I'm putting some suggestions that I personally love when it comes to blush and the links to find them at. Thanks so much for your time and I’ll catch you later!

BH Cosmetics 10 Color Professional Blush Palette 

http://ELF St Lucia Blush Duo (also available at Target Stores)

MAC Cosmetics - Cheek section of their website 
I like Melba, Peachy Keen, Desert Rose, Peaches

(Go to an Ulta or Sephora store, have them try the blushes on you... ask for a sample and try before you buy. Then you're not blindly making any choices, you can come back and purchase what you like)