bittersweet symphony that's life...

Hello All,

Sorry I have been so quiet for the past week and half, but at this time I must end my short lived blog! I want to be sad about it and I am, a little. However, the reason to end it is something I have only dreamed off: I got a job at my local Bare Escentuals Boutique!!! This has been months in the making and I am so excited to finally start this new career! I feel that having this blog and working at BE would be a conflict of interest and let's be honest, i'd rather have my Dream Job than my Blog! So with this i bid you good-bye, but if you want any makeup tips/advice please feel free to email me!

Thanks for your love and Support!
janine :)

flyin' purple people eater...

Lately I have been on a purple kick. I love the freshness that I think it brings, especially in the Winter Months, even though here in New Jersey where it has hardly felt like winter at all. For this look I used one of my favorite purple shades, Angel. Yet another one of those colors that look "scary" in the pot but amazing on. I love it's vibrancy.

What colors you will need:

- Delight

- Stardust

- Halo

- Angel
- Black liner of your choice.

Any 4 tones of purple will work for this look, so really it's a preference thing on your part.

I started by sweeping Delight under my brow with the Full Tapered Shadow Brush. I did that a couple of times because it's a pretty fair toned color.

For my lid I used the Tapered Shadow Brush to apply Stardust in the outer most part, working it's way inwards about half way. Then used my Heavenly Shadow Brush to apply Halo. Halo is also on the fair side, so I used more of that than the Stardust. After I had both colors on my eye I took my Blending Brush and moved it back & forth, lightly, over the "line" where the 2 colors met, until it looked like Halo was melting into Stardust.

Crease time! I used the Soft Focus Shadow Brush with Angel lightly on the tip of the brush, with the crease I will always start out with the color barely on the brush and build it to the vibrancy I want. You can always add more, taking away is a little harder. (However, sometimes I have gone too heavy with the crease and I generally just find a white shade to layer over it to play it down.) With my brush I just swept the color directly in the crease, above the lid, below the brow, using tiny circular motions. I did that more than a couple of times, each time adding more color to the brush, until Angel looked like I wanted it to.

The first liner used was Round the Clock Eyeliner in Midnight. I took the eyeliner and lightly brushed it on the lash line starting from the inner corner to the outer. Once that was done I took my Full Edged Liner brush to make sure the line was blended and as neat as I wanted it.

For under the eye, I used the Prime Time Primer Shadow in Gunmetal. I love these, the colors are amazing, are water and smudge proof, the Perfect combination for under your eyes. With the Primer Shadows though, it takes a little longer to do them as a liner. I start by putting a small dab of it on the top of my left hand and then dab my Soft Focus Liner brush into it a couple of times to get the color on, then I apply it starting from the outside working my way in. With the Primer Shadows, they dry FAST, so you may have to keep repeating the steps above until you are happy with the pigment. BUT once it is on, it's not going anywhere. (PS: they are great eye shadows, hmmm, maybe next entry will be about them).

When I was done with under the eye, I went back to the Round the Clock Eyeliner in Midnight for my water line, starting from the outermost corner working my way in. Top it all off with mascara and you are good to go!

Until next time,

Janine :)

red, red wine....

Up until a few months ago, I never thought I could pull off a red lip. That's what happens when you are too scared to try something, you never know. Then I "womaned up" and tried it... and I'm in love! It makes me feel amazing, I can't describe it, it's just a really happy, confident feeling, AND it makes my teeth look whiter, so it's a win win! I learned that the key to a Red Lip is to down play everything else, let's be honest, unless you are a hooker you don't want to be walking around with like a heavy black smoky eye and a bright red lip, even then I don't think it's ok. To create the look you see below I used part of the Bare Escentuals Drop Red Gorgeous kit, the only thing I changed was the lip color itself. This kit came with Pretty Amazing Lipcolor in Strength, the first time I tried it I used it. The problem I had with it was since my hair is so long, 9 times out of 10 it ends up stuck to whatever gloss I have, with this one once I removed the hair it slightly rubbed up against my face and left tiny little red marks, like little cuts. Don't get me wrong, I like the Pretty Amazings, they are incredibly long lasting, hence my problem, I could not get the little red stains off my face. So I moved on to Red Zin Lip Stick, which has proven to be a winner. I also believe that if you are rockin' a Red Lip it should have a lot of shine to it, it's just a personal choice. Lipsticks don't usually have a lot of gloss to them, so I put 100% Natural Lip Gloss in Sprinkles over it, and wow, instant shine!

For the Lip this is what I did.

After I had all my makeup on & was dressed and ready to go, I did my lip. Let's face it, Red Lipstick/gloss/what have you can stain, so my best bet was to be ready to go and then move on to my lip. I outlined my lip using 100% Natural Lip Liner in Twig, Just to make sure I stayed "inside the lines", who wants to look like a little girl who just discovered her moms makeup, that was my theory anyways. Then I took the Red Zin Lipstick and lightly dabbed it somewhere in those lines, just to get the color going, then I spread it around using a lip brush that I also had dabbed in the color, taking a lot of time to make sure I wasn't making myself look like a clown. I just repeated those steps until my lips were entirely filled in and I had the desired amount of Red. Then I just took the Sprinkles gloss and threw it right over.

The rest of my look was just down playing my eyes with the 3 products from the Kit:

- virtue eye color

- strength eye color

- Big and Bright eyeliner in Charcoal.

I started by using the virtue eye color from lash to brow, then going back over the lid to make it a little darker than my brow. Then I took a small amount of the Strength eye color and worked it into the outer corner of each eye, that is something I do so the crease doesn't look totally detached from the lid, I usually only do this when I'm working with 2 colors. I then took my Tapered Crease Defining brush and worked Strength right into the crease, just moving back and forth, following the curve of the crease. I took the eyeliner and lightly brushed it on the lash line starting from the inner corner to the outer. Once that was done I took my Full Edged Liner brush to make sure the line was blended and as neat as I wanted it, I did the same process for underneath the eye as well. I finished off the look using the Light Show Eyeliner in Galaxy for my waterline. Toped it off with 2 coats of the volumizing mascara and done!

(I apologize the pictures are not the best quality, my iPhone was being difficult and I was in the tad bit of a rush to get out the door!)

and that my loves is the trick to the Red Lip, down play everything else then BAM right in the kisser ;)

until next time,

janine :)

it's not what it seems...

I know there are some eye shadow colors out there that seem "scary" to some. Usually, its blues, greens, and yellows. I'm about to rock your world about that, those colors might not be what they seem in the jar. In my experience  9 times out of 10, the color in the jar is not what you get when you initially put it on your eye. Really, you have complete control over how dark (or how light) a color goes on by the amount you put on the brush, if you buff it out on your hand before you apply it (sometimes I do that when putting colors that are "liner" colors on my crease),  and how many or little times you go over the color and reapply it. 

A great example of this is one of the colors from the Bare Escentuals "Year of Beauty" Kit. The color is called July, love this kit, 12 colors one for each month. At first glance it looks like a moderately dark blue:

I have swatched a little bit out on my hand, using my ring finger and gently rubbing it back and forth on my hand, this took about 3 small dips in the mineral color:

As you can see, it really isn't as dark as in the jar. This is with any color, not just what you may deem as "scary", so my advice, before you say "no, that's too whatever..." about a color, try a little bit on your hand to get a feel of it and I grantee you will be able to control how much pigment you actually get. If you happen to make it too dark for your liking just throw any whitish eye shadow over it, blend it in and voila! it's lighter!

Now here's the look I created using July and some other colors in the Year of Beauty Kit.

I started by sweeping December under my brow with the Eye Defying Brush. This I was more "heavy handed" with because it's a very light white.

With the lid I used the Heavenly Liner Blending brush to apply January in the outer most part of my lid, working in inwards about half way. Then I moved on to using my Tapered Eyeshadow Brush to apply April. (I used the same techniques used in creating the Brown look that's a few posts below)

Now, time for July, applying it with the Tapered Crease Defining, this time I started in the inside and worked my way out, in small sweeping motions. Basically following above the line created by my lid colors. As you can see, on my lid it is still not as dark as in the jar, and this was after a few reapplications!

The first liner used was Round the Clock Eyeliner in Noon. I took the eyeliner and lightly brushed it on the lash line starting from the inner corner to the outer. Once that was done I took my Full Edged Liner brush to make sure the line was blended and as neat as I wanted it. I used Light Show Eyeliner in Galaxy as my bottom liner, sometimes I love having the contrast of 2 (or even 3) liner colors. The light shows are lighter liners (as if you couldn't tell by them name), and i just lightly swept it right on my lower lash line until I was happy with the pigment. Then I threw the Round the Clock eyeliner on my waterline, added mascara and that's all she wrote :)

until next time,

janine :)

have confidence in this skin...

To me the foundation to any good MakeUp application is good skin. I will be the first to admit that my skin and I have a love/hate relationship. Sometimes it works with me and sometimes it rebels against me, I'd be lying if I didn't say I suffer from breakouts from time to time. This past Christmas, Santa brought me something to help with that... The Clarisonic. I cannot say enough good things about this. A Clarisonic is a facial cleaning system developed by the company that brought you the Sonicare Toothbrush, so the best way to describe it is: imagine what the Sonicare does to your teeth, the Clarisonic does to your skin. The Clarisonic works with your skin’s natural elasticity to gently remove the impurities that washing with your facial cleanser and hands just doesn't do.  The one is have is the Mia, it runs about $119, and comes in a variety of colors, mine is Pink, go figure ;)

What I love the most about it, aside from how my skin feels after I use it, is that it runs on a timer, you push the button to start it, work it all over you face with your facial cleanser, and then after 60 seconds it turns off. I think before that I was taking too long in washing my face, if that is even possible. There are also different "Brush Heads" you can purchase if you so needed. The Mia that I have came with the "Sensitive" Brush Head, which is perfect for me, it feels soft and doesn't irritate my skin with the circular movement. 

The other brush heads are:

Normal: Perfect for Normal skin types

Delicate: for someone who needs something less than Sensitive

Deep Pore: which is mostly for someone with Oily Skin and/or Large Pores

Body: which only works on the Clarisonic Plus and PRO Models, and that is for your body (obviously).

Storing and Re-Charging the Clarisonic is so easy. Once I am done washing my face I simply give the Clarisonic a good rinse, working all product out of the brush, I will use a smidge of anti-bacterial soap if needed, like if I used it to remove my makeup (which I do) is when I use the soap.  Dry off everything the best I can with a towel, put the lid back on and leave it in the Bathroom. I've had the device since Christmas, have used it 2x a day ever since I got it and have only had to charge it twice, so the battery life is completely amazing!

Also, the Mia I have came with a "Gentle Hydro Cleanser", I used it once just to see how I liked it, as I am a girl who is very much stuck in her skin care routine, because the one I have for myself works, if it ain't broke don't fix it! BUT I did try this one. It was OK. My skin felt soft and smooth afterwards, but it was hard to tell if it was from the cleanser or the brush itself. I noticed the next day that I have a couple of little pimples on my forehead, so it wasn't anything major, but the way I look at it is, the cleanser I already use doesn't do that after I use it with the device, so I'm just going to keep things they way they are, for the sake of my own skin.

This is my one recommendation to all of you out there, if you are able to get the Clarisonic I sad DO IT! my skin has never felt this soft in the 28 years I've been around. So if it is in your means, try it out, you will not be sorry.

Clarisonic can be purchased on the following sites:

Clarisonic 

Sephora 

QVC

you're the one that made my blue eyes blue...

Ladies with blue eyes (like myself!), this is for you.  I think one of the best things about makeup is being able to play up the features you like most about your face. Mine is the eyes and if I want them to stand out I know that anything in the brown family is going to do that for me (deep plums have a similar effect for me, just not as BAM as brown!).

This is actually one of my favorite color combinations just for that reason. The 3 main colors in the look were Passion, Bone, & Sex Kitten:

This is what I did:

I started by sweeping a little bit of Butterfly under my brow with the Eye Defying Brush. Not a lot, just a little to give it some sheen.

Then I moved on to the lid, when I do multiple colors on my lid I always start with the darkest color on the outermost part of my lid and work my way in, that way when I use the lighter color on the inner part and work my way out it blends together really well.  I used the Heavenly Liner Blending brush (side note: just because a brush has a specific name doesn't mean you can't use it in other ways), to apply Passion in the outer most part of my lid, working in inwards about half way. Then when I was happy with the pigment of the color I moved on to using the Tapered Eyeshadow Brush to apply Bone. I started from the inner most corner working outwards to where Passion ended, making sure this lighter color overlapped the darker color, I did this until the 2 colors were blended enough to look like they just fade into each other.

I used Sex Kitten on my crease, applying it with the Tapered Crease Defining always starting at the outermost part of the crease and working its way in, using a tiny circular motion. I have found with the crease you really have to get a handle on the wrist movement to find your "perfect style", it's taken me many a mess up to realize to do a small circular movement back and forth. I concentrated on the outside more, as that is where I personally like the volume and the color to be at its highest.  

The liner I did the exact same way I did in my previous look, using Round the Clock Eyeliner in 7pm, a really nice deep brown color, the line everything top, bottom and waterline. I took the eyeliner and lightly brushed it on the lash line starting from the inner corner to the outer. Once that was done I took my Full Edged Liner brush to make sure the line was blended and as neat as I wanted it. For the bottom I actually took my Soft Focus Liner Brush and swept it back & forth on the pencil itself to get the color on the brush, then I slowly applied it right underneath my waterline starting from the outside working my way in. If I needed more color, I simply re-ran my brush over the pencil and traced the line I had already made.  After that all that was left was to apply the liner directly on to my waterline & finish it all off with mascara.

and Voila!

and to show you the full effect of brown colors surrounding blue eyes, this is a picture of me after I have finished putting on the rest of my makeup. 

Now for those of you with eye colors other than blue, I don't want you to feel left out so here's a list of colors that great for each eye color:

Green:  try purples

Brown: try greens and pinks

Hazel: try golds!

until next time,
janine

start simple or with a bang?

Hello, to all those out in internet land! I hope you are doing well and please bare with me as I get the hang of this whole blogging thing :)

I have been thinking about starting a blog for a few months now and for some reason today I was like "I'm just going to do it". Then I spent about 12 hours trying to figure out if I wanted to start with a BANG or just keep it simple for my first time. Well, I went simple. For one main reason, I had about 20 minutes today to be ready and out the door and wanted an eye look that looked put together, but quick and easy.

This was the final product:

This literally took all about 5 minutes today. Which is why I am so IN LOVE with the Bare Minerals High Shine Eye Color. They are quick, super blend-able, and have the right amount of shine.

I started by putting some primer on my ring finger (I don't know why I use that finger, it eels natural to me, I guess) and just rubbing it over both eye lids. Then under my brow I took my Maximum Coverage Face Brush, that had a little of my foundation still on it and just blended that in there. After that I grabbed the High Shine Eye Color in Frost and lightly swiped it over my lid, not with any precision what so ever. Then I grabbed my go-to eye brush, Tapered Shadow Brush and blended the color all over my lid and then with the excess left on the brush I blended it up into my crease until I got the look I was going for. For the top liner I used Round the Clock Eyeliner in Midnight, which is actually part of the Away We Glow Collection, I love this liner, the staying power of it is fantastic, lasts for hours, even on your waterline! I took the eyeliner and lightly brushed it on the lash line starting from the inner corner to the outer. Once that was done I took my Full Edged Liner brush to make sure the line was blended and as neat as I wanted it. For the bottom liner I used the Light Show eyeliner in Galaxy (another obsession of mine, I love the staying power!). First I did right under the waterline the same way I did my upper lash line, except I started from the outer most corner and worked towards the inside and then blended it out with the Soft Focus Liner Brush. Then applied the liner directly to my water line. I finished off the look with one coat of Flawless Definition Mascara and then one coat of Flawless Definition Volumizing Mascara, what can I say I love long lashes and that's how I get them :)

I hope you enjoyed my first post and I am hoping for many more to come. Aside from just "looks" I'm hoping to do product reviews of kits I have as well as share some organizing techniques as well! Please feel free to let me know if there's something you want to see or know and I'll do my best to make it happen!

See you soon :)