My Summer Foundation Routine

It is burning up in here folks! I don't know about your neck of the woods, but mine are positively steaming. So in hot weather like this, I am completely unmotivated to go through a whole foundation face routine unless someone is actually looking at me besides my poor little lab rats (I'm a nerdy neuroscientist FYI). So these days, I have a very simple face routine:

1) Apply MAC Studio Fix Powder Foundation
2) Repeat as necessary throughout the day.

MAC Studio Fix Powder gives medium to heavy coverage, depending on how much you build on the product. On super hot days, you can even use a small amount as a blotting powder.

If MAC SF Powder was a man, he'd be steadily dating the Coastal Scents Large Synthetic Buffer Brush. Heck, he'd have proposed by now. I've been using this pair for a while now and I'm completely happy with how quickly this big soft teddy bear of a brush covers my face and lets me get out of my hot-as-heck bathroom that much faster!

 Awww look, they are cuddling!! (Why do I anthropomorphize my makeup?)

I love the big flat shape of this brush. Plus, because it is uber soft, I can stipple away to glory with no "ouch that pricks!"

So on weekdays, I heartily recommend MAC SF Powder Foundation paired with a soft stippling brush. Carry the compact with you because this makeup does not like to stay for more than 3-4 hours. 

On weekends, when I'm hanging out with homo sapiens as opposed to rodents, I go with Revlon Colorstay (applied with a sponge...sparingly!), topped off with Coastal Scents mineral veil. That puppy does not budge. 

What is your summer foundation routine? I heart product recommendations. :-)

Spring Favorites

Seeing how we are more than halfway through May, I thought might as well give you the run down of products I've been loving throughout April and May. I've been digging bright lips, neutral eyes, and glowy skin this spring.

1. Urban Decay Pocket Rocket in Timothy: Tim and I were not seeing eye to eye at first because he smelled way too much like creme brulee. But now that summer is here and coral is everywhere, I gotta say that Timothy is filling the position quite nicely, so I am putting up with the smell. I like this gloss because its bright, with no glitter, and a pure coral. It's opaque enough that I don't need any lipstick underneath.

Below, heavy swatch (left), and blended out (right):

2. MAC Studio Fix Powder Foundation: I've come back to this like you come back to that sweet guy friend who always stood by you when your heart was broken by other meanies. Yes, I still love the look of liquid foundation, but this is a must-have in my collection because it never breaks me out, and is quick and easy.

3. Origins Underwear for the eyes:  I've used this almost every single day as a base, or on its own. I hate the tube it came in though, so I have pressed it into a Mario Badescu sample pot.

4. Coastal Scents M09 Hot Pot: this is a perfect matte cream colored e/s that I have been using for my browbone and inner corner. It highlights, and yet does not draw attention to itself. (see full review of all my Hot Pots here)

Above: heavy swatch on left, blended out on right.

5. Cellnique Advanced Biorenewal Masque: For those of us dealing with acne or scarring, this is instant gratification in a jar. I love it. Check out my review here.

Ahhh with May coming to a close, summer is finally here. Cant wait to sport the dresses, the sandals, and the bronzed decolletage (I love that word).

PS. The Cellnique mask and Hot Pots were provided by the manufacturers. All other products are bought by myself (except the Origins base, which I got from a friend).

Monday Moods

Mmm, what a yummy weekend I had. I attended a lovely wedding in the White Mountains of New Hampshire!  I also recently picked up Boots Botanicals Soothing Eye Makeup Remover and MAC Cleanse Off, so pampering myself is happening quite often lately.

I'm loving both the Cleanse Off and the Boots makeup removers, but a full review on both products will be coming up a little later.  And now onto my Monday Moods:



1. Mood: Wistfully wishing I could blog full-time.

2. Hair: Flat ironed and clipped back into a half-up half-down style.

3. What are your plans this summer? 
To finish up my dissertation so I can graduate next May (which means little to no summer days off, boo). I also plan to makeover my bedroom. Luckily, my sister in law, who is something of a prodigy in decorating, is coming over to help me. How about something divine like this? It's modern, and yet reminds me of  Indian color palettes...

[image from HGTV]

4. What’s the last thing you’ve eaten?
Dunkin Donuts hashbrowns. I'm a health nut aren't I.

5. Eyes/lips/cheeks:


Eyes: 

- Kat von D Ludwig palette for a shimmery bronze look
- The usual essentials: UDPP, Fluidline Blacktrak,  Zero, and Maybelline Colossal Volum'  mascara

Lips:
- Ever so Rich Cremesheen Glass

Cheeks
- Faces cream blush
- MAC strobe liquid as highlighter


6. What’s one of the best things that’s ever happened to you?
Meeting the man of my dreams. I know that's cheesy, but it's true!


7. What’s a quality you like about yourself?
I don't stress out and worry about things. Whatever happens, I can brush it off, think of a solution, and start to overcome it. I think problems become problems partly because your mind tends to exaggerate the size of the problem.

8. Something you’re looking forward to this week:
Going to visit my folks in Florida. I think I'll treat my tootsies to a pedicure whilst I'm there. :)

9. Outfit:

White cable knit sweater (Old Navy)
Rock and Republic jeans

10. Weekly goals: Get a few important posts out (i.e. a VERY belated April favorites!) 

Feel free to pick up this Monday Moods post for your own blog. I totally did not invent these questions; just forgetting where I got them from!

Coastal Scents HD foundation review

I've been trying out the Coastal Scents Undercover HD Foundation ($16.95) for awhile now and thought I'd share my thoughts.

image from here

Paraphrased from the Coastal Scents website, this foundation is perfect for creating a soft focus, and a flawless natural finish. UnderCover HD is not oil or water based and it is non comedogenic. HD foundations use silicones, which creates a protective shield on the skin, allowing it to breathe and retain it's natural moisture.

I picked 4 samples so I could get an exact shade match. I am NC42-NC45 in MAC, so I selected shades 6, 7, 8 and 9. Since each 3 gram sample is only $.49 each, its well worth it to pick up several shades.

As soon as I placed the foundation on my hand, I noticed that the consistency of the foundation was thin. It's thinner than my Shu Uemura Face Architect, and much thinner than Revlon Colorstay.

I thought there would be no coverage given the thin texture, but here, you can see that my hand has that "soft focus and flawless finish" when blended out with my fingers.

 Let's cut to the chase...

After a bit of trial and error with getting the right application technique, I have concluded that this is an awesome foundation. At $16.95, it is a total bargain HD foundation, compared to MUFE HD Foundation, which is $40. Also, it hasn't broken me out, and I love how the thin consistency makes me forget that I'm wearing anything on my face. The finish is a sheen (neither matte nor dewy), which makes my skin look flat out gorgeous. I set the foundation with a light swipe of Studio Fix Powder.

Technique is everything with this foundation. Brushes made this foundation look cakey, and fingers made it look like a tinted moisturizer. Believe me, a week ago, this puppy was gonna get a terrible review! But that was, until I tried applying this with a damp sponge. I've been using a damp non-latex sponge (like $1.99 from Target for a whole bunch), and it gives the most breath-taking finish.

The dreaded Buts:

1. This foundation is not full coverage. If you have any imperfections to cover up, you'll need a concealer. I mean, that's fair enough. After all, this is a foundation, not a concealer.

2. I would not use this on days when my skin was miserably flaky and dry. Because this foundation is so light weight, it actually accentuates flaky dry skin. So if you're going through a huge acne treatment and its Flake City (haha lovely mental image), then stay away. But a few minor dry patches should be no big deal. In fact, applying the foundation with a damp sponge will moisturize away minor patchiness.

Final Thoughts: Pros are shade selection, price, staying power, finish, and non-comedogenic. Cons are: not full coverage, tricky application technique, and does not work on dry skin.

PS. I am currently a mix of shades ST 07 and ST 09.

PPS. Foundation samples were provided courtesy of a voucher from Coastal Scents. I was not even asked to review these products. This is my honest opinion, and I am unaffiliated with Coastal Scents. 

Putting Hot Pots into a MAC Palette

This is a super simple DIY tutorial for putting Coastal Scents Hot Pots into a MAC eyeshadow palette (see review and swatches here). The reason why Hot Pots don't automatically go into a MAC palette is because of a switcharoo in magnatizing techniques. The Coastal Scents palette is magnetized, and the pans are simply metallic. MAC is the other way around. The pallete is metallic, and the pans are magnetic. So you gotta game the system, but it is very simple.

First, gather all your Hot Pots, and place them on a paper towel.

Next, buy some small magnets that have an adhesive backing. I found these square ProMAG magnets at my local Michael's for around $3. Also, have a scissor handy.

Take one magnet and one Hot Pot (this one is S09).

Cut the square in such a way so that you cover most of the backside of the Hot Pot except the part that shows the name of the hot pot. I made 2 cuts and stuck them on so that the name peeped through. Peel away the sticker backing and stick onto the pan's back, as shown below. Crafty, eh?

Use the paper backing as a template for cutting the rest of your magnets. I suggest going one by one instead of cutting all magnets at once. Place the stickers onto the Hot Pots and place them into the MAC palette. The pans will fit perfectly and the magnets should hold the pans securely in place, even if you turn the palette upside down.

Et voila! You have a head start on filling up a 15 pan MAC palette!

Because I'm a bit of a neutral queen, I don't like to buy tons of eye shadows. For that reason alone, I couldn't justify starting a 15 pan MAC palette when I would probably only use 5-6 eyeshadows from MAC. But every now and then I do get a lemming for gorgeous shades that only MAC can come up with such as Black Tied, and Smoke & Diamonds. This is a great compromise for me because I can create a palette that is half CS and half MAC. I already love the matte white (top left) as a perfect brow highlight. As for the MAC eyeshadows, I'm delighted that now I only have to pay $11 for the pan rather than $14.50 for the packaged ones. A haul may be coming up sometime this summer!

Note: Hot Pots were provided courtesy of Coastal Scents. The MAC palette and craft supplies were purchased by myself. 

Coastal Scents Hot Pots Swatches and Review

As mentioned in my recent haul post, I recently got some Coastal Scents hot pots. If you're not aware of what these are, they are basically single-pan eye shadows. Except for one matte shade, all other shades that I selected were shimmery. Here is how they look in the pan:

Below are swatches of these colors, with Origins Underwear for the Eyes as a base. I strongly recommend using a base for these shadows--whether it be UDPP, paint pots or whatever floats your boat. I actually selected these shades based on some really helpful videos by Enkore on YouTube, where he said these shades are dupes for some MAC eyeshadows. I don't have any MAC e/s right now, so I can't verify whether that is true. However, below, you'll see the color shade by Coastal Scents, and in parenthesis, the MAC e/s that it is a dupe for. 

Top row, left to right: M09 (Vanilla), S09 (Paradisco); S35 (Satin Taupe); S13 (Trax)

Bottom Row: S01 (Juxt or Lusterleaf); S26 (Electra); S36 (Amber Lights)

So far, I am loving these hot pots. Compared to Coastal Scents e/s palettes, these are of higher quality, and have no fall-out issues. However, I feel that the shimmer is a bit overboard one some of the lighter colors, such as S09 (Paradisco), S01 (Lusterleaf) and S26 (Electra). When I apply these 3 shades to my lids, they just look silvery. 

The shades I am loving are, predictably, the neutral ones. I recommend M09 (Vanilla) as a great matte highlight for the browbone. S35 (Satin Taupe) looks gorgeous as a crease color or all over the lid as a soft daytime brown. S36 (Amber lights) is best applied to the center of the lid as a bronzey pop of color.

Which of these hot pots do you guys like? Are they really dupes for MAC? Would you be interested in seeing a tutorial using only these colors? Do leave me some feedback in the comments below. :)

Disclaimer: The Hot Pots were provided courtesy of Coastal Scents. The MAC palette and craft supplies were bought by me.

Coastal Scents Haul

I hauled a few items from Coastal Scents last month and thought I'd share my purchases with you. Although I am currently on Project 10 Pan (which is going excruciatingly slowly; I don't know how you people do this!!), this was a haul that was sponsored by the lovely people at Coastal Scents, so that didn't interfere with my no-buy rule. Thanks Coastal Scents for helping me game the P10P! Before I get on with this haul, I just wanted to say kudos to CS. They simply allowed me to purchase up to $75 worth of items from their website for my blog. They did not make it mandatory for me to review any of these products, much less sing their praises. So I feel really happy that they have not put any pressure on this little blogger. What you'll see in the coming weeks will be, as always, ruthlessly honest reviews. 

Onto the haul: 

I picked up 5 eye brushes, below:

Left to right: black large pointed crease ($3.95), Italian badger doefoot stippler ($3.89), Blending brush ($2.99), Chisel fluff large shadow brush ($2.75), chisel detail mini brush ($1.99)


Next, I got some face brushes for applying foundation, setting powder, and concealer:

Left to right: synthetic buffer brush large ($13.95); Italian badger kabuki brush ($8.45); oval camouflage brush ($3.49)

I wanted to try the individual Hot Pots, which fit right into MAC palettes and several have been suggested to be MAC dupes (how could I pass up?!). I will soon post a DIY tutorial in how to put these pans into a MAC palette, and swatches will be included. Till then, enjoy the colors in the pan.

Lastly, I wanted to try the Undercover foundations. Since I was ordering online, I picked up 4 sample sizes with 4 different shades ($.49 each)

I also went for a sample of the Veil effect mineral powder in Medium ($2.00 for a sample)

Because I had ordered just over $75 worth of stuff, I got free ground shipping on these products. The package came 3 days later on my front door, and everything was packaged well (I think only 1 hot pot was a little chipped at the edge). I've ordered about 3 times from Coastal Scents before with my own money, and have always been satisfied with how speedy their delivery is. 

Over the next few weeks, I'll review these items in digestable installments. Initial thoughts are that some products are truly fabulous bargains, while other products remind me of the old adage: you get what you pay for. Stay tuned while I compose a series of "hits and misses" posts for you guys. :-)

Now over to you: have you tried any of these products? What did you think of them? Are there any other Coastal Scents products you love? Please share in the comments below!

FTC disclosure: Coastal Scents sponsored the purchase of all items shown. I am not affiliated with Coastal Scents and wasn't compensated for reviewing these products. 

A depotting rampage!

I recently got 2 lovely products from a friend. They are Origins Underwear for the Eyes. The two colors are shimmery beige and a shimmery gray and are basically shade sticks:

Lovely, neutral and wearable, but the container they came in was rubbish and the sticks were actually falling out of them! So a simple depotting was in order! Here's the How-To:

Grab 2 sample size jars, a bit of 70% isopropyl alcohol, a piece of tissue paper, and a dime:

Make sure the sample size pots are clean and dry. Wet the tissue in a bit of water, wring out, and place the dime inside it so that you create a little stamp.

Next break the shade sticks so they side inside the jars. I used the shade stick containers to initially press the sticks into the jar. Since they have a clay-like consistency, it was very easy to press them down so that there were no air bubbles (left)!

Put a few drops of alcohol on the shade stick and cover the whole surface. Use the dime in the tissue paper to gently but evenly press the shade sticks into the jars. You will actually end up with a very pretty rosette design on the colors!

That's all! Because this was super easy, I also applied the technique to a Coastal Scents contouring palette. I only use the blushers, and not the rest of the colors.

Because these pans are glued in tightly, removing the 2 pans of blushes was not possible. So, I just grabbed two more sample size jars. I scraped out the blushes with a scissor, and filled them inside the jars. I pressed in the blushes with my fingers and the plastic end of the scissor. Then, alcohol drops were placed on the blushes, I used the tissue-and coin method to press them in evenly. This time I used a quarter since the jars were bigger. Here's the final result:

I put stickers on the lids of the sample jars with a light pink heart and one dark pink heart. That corresponded to the light and dark pink blushes. This way I could tell what I was grabbing for. :)

I loved doing these projects. They were both super easy and saved me some space in my Caboodle!

March Favorites

It's been a wonderful month of new purchases and rediscovering gems I already had. Here are the products I've loved all month long:

Maybelline Dream Mousse Bronzer: I have been LOVING this as an all over lid color for my eyes! It's a perfect shimmering bronze and the mousse consistency is a dream to blend. I think the mousse line needs to launch eyeshadows too! Click here for my full post on it.

MAC Cremesheen Glass in Ever So Rich: This is my go-to gloss for a swipe of sheer baby pink. It complements any lip color you have underneath. No really. Any. Repurchase is very likely. Here's how it looks over a bronze lip.

Maybelline Color Sensational in Warm me up: a perfect dusty rose color. Not sure why this is categorized in the brown section of the lipsticks, but who cares. It's an amazing color. Pair this with Ever So Rich, and you'll have Victoria Secret lips! Here is the full post on it!

Shu Uemura Face Architect: What I love about this foundation is how easily it goes on, blends, and stays put. It also doesn't break me out. What I still don't like is that it is pricey as heck, therefore repurchase is unlikely. Anyway here's the full review.

Prime Time Foundation Primer: This was a pretty affordable primer I purchased from Sephora a year ago. It stayed dormant in my drawers because a lot of makeup gurus skip primers, but I recently tried it again and fell in love. I only use it on my T-zone, which is never prone to acne. It controls oil very well, and a little goes a long way!

Maybelline Colossal Volum' Express Turbo Mascara in Blackest Black: Repurchase is 100% guaranteed, and this is a Holy Grail for me. Enough said. :)

My DIY 188 brush: My Coastal Scents stippler brush has made a comeback into my life as a MAC 188 dupe! A simple rubberband reunited me with this little gem. Here's my full post on it. I love applying blush with this brush. It's small and precise enough to fit right on my cheek bones, but blending very highly pigmented blushes can be an issue, so be careful how much you pick up in the first place.

That does it for March. Now that it's April I'm roaming out and about in skirts and light jackets! Spring is here! I now leave you with my current mood:

How to make a MAC 188 brush

This DIY was so simple to do that I simply had to share it with my bargain-loving readers. Compared to the MAC 187 duo fiber face brush, the MAC 188 has a smaller diameter, and is great for blush since it's small enough to precisely apply it on the apples of your cheeks. Before I shelled out $34 for one, I had to see if it was worth buying, or if I could make do with what I have. The two duo fiber brushes I have are from Coastal Scents and can be found here and here. Of the two, I find the silver duo brush to be of higher quality. 

Materials needed: a duo fiber brush of your choice and a small rubber band:

Place the rubber band like so around the back end of the brush, and gently push it forward.

 

Stop pushing it forward about 1/3 way up the bristles. This location resembles the diameter of the MAC 188. It ain't that pretty to look at, but who cares? I can use that money for a certain ombre blush I've been lemming instead!

Now for the review: the smaller diameter of this brush is absolutely ideal for precise placement of blush and for those with smaller cheekbones. This brush is also ideal if you use multiple blushes at different points of your face. However, since this brush is extremely soft, you will have to build up color with multiple layers, especially when working with mineralized blushes. This brush would also work perfectly with highly-pigmented cream blushes. 

Please note: If you take off the rubber band, you will see a dent in the brush similar to when you have a dent in your hair from a scrunchie. So make sure you are okay with that before you proceed! I have 2 stippler brushes, so I keep one in its original condition, and the second one has this rubber band on it at all times.

I hope this DIY inspires you to turn your spare stipplers into a MAC 188 dupe. After I started using dense flat-top brushes for applying foundations, my poor duo fiber stippler brushes fell by the wayside, so I'm very happy that they've been given a new purpose. :)

My first EOTD feat. Sleek Graphite!

After writing up my previous post called "Can Sleek Graphite work for tan skin?", a lot of you guys requested for me to do a look using this palette. Without further ado, here's what I came up with for my first EOTD:

#1 used all over lid and just below the lower lashline

#2 used on outer corner to create the V

#3 used to set my pencil liner on waterline using the sponge tip applicator

 The basics:

Base: Urban Decay Primer Potion

Waterline: MAC Powerpoint Engraved

Gel Liner: MAC Fluidline in Blacktrak 

On browbone: a random Coastal Scents nude matte blush

Mascara: Maybelline Define-A-Lash Lengthen

I hope you guys liked my very first EOTD. I don't consider myself an expert with eye makeup, but blogging about it is going to make me practice more!

November Favorites +1 Regret

Part of why I'm so late on posting my November favorites was because I felt like I'd be harping on and on about products I'd already raved about. But honestly, I do love these products, and they have stood the test of time and have been favorites month after month:

Revlon Colorstay Foundation. I don't think I'll bother paying for MUFE HD or Nars. Why should I when I have this drugstore gem? Although it does break me out if I use it daily, so I save it for weekends.

Merle Norman Super Lube: I've had this one jar of lip balm for nearly 10 years. I've hit pan recently, but there's still plenty left on the sides, which I take out with a lip brush. It's like vaseline, but a little richer. My next purchase will probably be the MAC Honey lip balm tin (I'm hoping Ebay will come to the rescue!).

Kat von D Ludwig Pallete--middle two highlight colors (Clay and Tequila). I use the more nude color all over my browbone, and then dot the really bright white right under my brow's arch.

Maybelline Define-a-Lash: This mascara is perfect if you already have nice lashes, but need a little more length and definition. You get that sun-ray effect where each lash is separated. It also holds a mean curl all day long.


Coastal Scents Blending Fluff: perfect for an all over color on the lid.

MAC 252 (from a holiday set from CCO): perfect for crease work and putting a dot of highlighter under the arch of my brow.

1 Regret: Burt's Bees Day Cream: although raved about this earlier, as I hit pan on the sample, the moisturizer separated into oil and lotion. When I put it on, my skin looked so oily that I couldn't wait to get home and scrape the greasy feeling off my skin. What the heck? Overall, I regret buying the Burt's Bees Radiance Face Sample Kit. It has so not been worth it. Yes, I did like some of the products, but none of them won me over to the point that I'd purchase a full size, and that was the whole point of buying the samples. Do you guys have any BB products you really really love? I don't want to turn my back on it just yet...

 What are your favorites and regrets for this month?