MAC's Greasepaint Sticks

So I have been meaning to post because I have a lot of new things to talk about! I will start out with something new that I am excited about. MAC's Greasepaint Sticks!~I have heard many people on YouTube talk about MAC's Greasepaint Sticks and how great they are. If you aren't familar with them, MAC's website defines them as bascially, an eye crayon. They can be used as an eyeliner or all over the lid for a smoky effect. I always passed by the Greasepaint Sticks whenever I was at MAC. However, I recently decided to try them when they came out with the Art Supplies Collection.

I first purchased the color Below Ground (seen below). It really does look like this color which is from MAC's website. This link will take you right to the Greasepaint Sticks.

http://www.maccosmetics.com/product/spp.tmpl?CATEGORY_ID=CAT2205&PRODUCT_ID=6478

This actual color is true to the photo and is a light to dark brown with golden undertones. It is perfect for using as a base for your eyeshadow by putting all over the lid and into the crease. Then applying your lid color and darker eyeshadow color into the crease. Just make sure when applying this product, to apply with a light hand and blend out quickly as it will dry in and not move! I also like to apply a base before applying Below Ground to help with staying power and creasing. I like to use MAC's Paintpot in Soft Ochre. However, there are many other eyeshadow bases that you can use. I should do a blog post on that exact topic! I think I will!

I would say that Below Ground works great to enhance and make brighter any light neutral eyeshadow color. Below Ground will help to make them stand out a lot more.

What eyeshadows would I use to go over Below Ground? Sticking with my last post, I would still use MAC's All That Glitters. This is a light pink with golden undertones and to me is very sheer. Using Below Ground as a base really makes it more vibrant! You could also use MAC's Honey Lust which is a very pretty shimmery color. One of my favorite eyeshadows to put over Below Ground is another MAC eyeshadow in Grand Entrance. Now, I know this is no longer available...but a good dupe for this is MAC's Jest or Naked Lunch. Both are on the same order of q slightly sheer frosty pink/with gold undertones. You can also use any lighter more sheer eyeshadow of any brand!

In addition, you can use Below Ground to line your top and bottom lash lines. Just use it to line your eyes as you would with any pencil liner. It will create a great smoky look! Afterwards, I also use an angled brush and take a brown eyeshadow and smudge it a little bit. I like to use MAC's Tempting which has a lot of shimmer in it! I find this to make a neutral everyday look have some more excitement!

So thanks for reading! I have many more products to talk about and plan on posting more frequently.

Upcoming Posts:

MAC's Greasepaint Stick in Dirty

Eyeshadow Bases: Many Different Brands!

Eye Liner: Pencil vs. Gel Liner

Concealer: Benefit PowderFlage

Hair Products I'm loving

Vibrant Eyeshadow Look: Mac Paintpots

Mac's All That Glitters

Eyeshadow

$14

$11 Pan Form

I thought I would update since I have a new little tip for a more vibrant eye look. I was about to do my eye makeup today and wanted to use Mac's All That Glitters. For those of you that aren't familiar with this eyeshadow, it's a Veluxe Pearl finish and according to the Mac website, "Beige with gold pearl". When I look at this eyeshadow it appears to be a peach with pink tones and a hint of gold undertones. It is a really pretty color that goes great with neutrals/browns. Since it fits more into the neutral category, you really need to use a pigmented base/primer before applying. I always run into difficulty when using this color because it can be light and sheer when applied.

I started by using Mac's Soft Ochre Paint Pot and putting this on my entire eyelid up to the brow bone. Soft Ochre matches my skin tone so it blends right in. Next I used Mac's Paint Pot in Indianwood. This is a golden brown color that has a nice sheen to it. I applied this just on the lid of my eye and blended it out so it doesn't have harsh or dark edges. Next put Mac's All That Glitters over top of this. You will notice that the Indianwood Paint Pot has made All That Glitters stand out and look very vibrant. You can also use a NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in French Fry, which is similar to Indianwood.

You can just leave the lid and put on eyeliner and mascara at this point if you'd like. However, you can use a crease brush, (Mac/Sigma 226, 217 or 224). to put a darker brown color into the crease. I used Mac's tempting and Espresso to deepen the look.

Just a little tip that can be used with most lighter eyeshadow colors.!

Best Mascara Combination!

Bare Escentual's

Buxom Lash

$18

Sephora.com

So I have been using this mascara combination for a while now and am loving it!

I've found that if you use a mascara primer before applying mascara, it will make your lashes much thicker and longer. You can get a mascara primer at the drugstore, department store makeup counters, and also at Sephora (Sephora.com).

For the past few months, I have been using Mac's Prep & Prime Lash and I love it! It works so well to create thicker and longer lashes. I put Prep & Prime on my top lashes and give it a few seconds to dry in a little bit. I then use one coat of Mac's Zoom Lash on my top lashes. After that, I use Bare Escentuals Buxom Lash as a second coat on my top lashes. I also put a single coat of this mascara on my bottom lashes. I find that this mascara is great for separating lashes and also lengthening. I just find that together these products work quite well for me!

Mac Prep & Prime Lash: maccosmetics.com

Retails for $14.00

Mac Zoom Lash: maccosmetics.com

Retails for $13.00

What is your favorite Mascara combination?

I'm Back!

So I'm finally back. I've been on a long hiatus. But I will be back posting new products that I am loving and recent makeup tips that I have found. Also, some new fashion finds as well!

September Favorites

I thought I would post a few of my September favorites. I can't put pictures up rite now because my camera's battery charger is hiding. So once I find it I can post pictures...but not till then! Hopefully I will find it soon!



September Favorites:
Some products that I've been using in September and loving! Some are no surprise because I blog about them all the time! But I have been using some new products as well!




1) Opi Nail by Sephora Polish in Domestic Goddess. It's a really pretty purple color and it's my favorite nail polish right now!



http://www.sephora.com/browse/product.jhtml?id=P241319&categoryId=C19281



2) Seche Vite Fast Drying Top Coat: This top coat makes my nails dry in like 3-5 minutes, which is so much quicker than just letting nails dry on their own. You can get this at a beauty supply store or look at Sephora!



3) Mac Quads: $ 3.50

I've been loving Mac Quad. I just recently bought an empty palette/quad to put my pan eyeshadows in. This way, I can choose 4 colors that go together and bring them when I travel. The quad is so small that it fits right into my travel makeup bag and goes right into my purse!



4) Mac Eyeshadows:

Amber Lights. Love this color! It's such a pretty bright bronzy color that is great for the crease. It looks great with nylon, pinks, or any brown color.


Sable: This color is a really pretty brown frost color that looks great in the outer corner or in the crease. This is a more neutral color that goes great with Amber Lights, pinks or darker colors.


All That Glitters: I bought this eyeshadow a while ago and haven't really been wearing it that much. I recently have been wearing it everyday all over the lid with Sable in the outer corner and Amber Lights in the crease. It looks so pretty as an all over lid color. You do need some kind of base with this though. I normally use a Mac Paint Pot in Soft Ochre, or an NYX pencil will work fine as well. (Rubinesque Paint Pot by Mac is on my wish list!)



5) NYX Eyeshadow Pencils:
You can get these at Ulta Stores, beauty supply stores or online. These pencils are great as a base for your eyeshadow because they bring out the color of your eyeshadows. They have all different colors that you can choose from. Also, they're only about $3.00!



6) Mac Mineralize Skinfinish Natural:
I love this powder so much! I have been using it everyday since I've gotten it this summer. I know I've blogged about it alot, but it really is such a great product. It leaves the skin looking so nice after being applied!



7) Copolla's Vanilla Deep Conditioning Treatment

This conditioner I've been using for about two weeks now and I'm liking it alot. It's a deep conditioning treatment that I leave on my hair after shampooing, for about 5 minutes. It leaves my hair really soft and it smells just like Vanilla! Love it!



8) Yankee Candle in Vanilla Frosting

I love candles! This candle smells sooo good and you can smell the scent like immediately after you light it.



9) Revlon Color Stay Eyeliner in black.
I've been using many different eyeliners for the past few months. However, I think this eyeliner is a great main stay as far as an everyday liner. I use it mostly for my waterline since it claims to be long lasting. I find that it does stay for long amounts of time and I don't have to reapply it to my water line.

They also have a liquid liner pen that works great as well!



10) And lastly...Express Jeans: Zelda Skinny Jeans Cuffed Leg
I'm loving these Jeans so much! They're really cute and also very comfortable!

http://www.express.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=20111&parentCategoryId=2&categoryId=24&subCategoryId=221



So that's about it for my September Favorites.
What are some of your favorite products of September?

Mac Upstarts/New Eyeshadow Recommendations

I have neglected on posting, I know! I have so much to talk about but I'm going to try to keep this short and post more later. I purchased the Mac Upstarts Kit for $27 a while back. It came with Nightsky eyeliner, Zoom Lash Mascara, Prep and Prime Lash Primer, and Eye makeup remover. I think that is a great deal because if you were to purchase all of this separately it would cost over $40! Below you can see what the kit looks like and what it comes with.

Nightsky Eyeliner

The Nightsky eyeliner is the reason I bought this kit because it was limited edition and came back only with this collection. It's a black with sparkle built in. It's very similar to Mac's Pearglide Eyeliner in Black Russian. Nightsky was my favorite eyeliner so I'm very excited to have it back!

Zoom Lash Mascara

I think this mascara works very well and does create thicker lashes. My only complaint with this is that it clumps my lashes together in places. However, I find that if I wipe the wand off on the top of the bottle this doesn't happen. I still think my favorite Mac mascara is Plush Lash because it doesn't clump and creates thicker lashes....I have to stick with my old favorite!

Prep & Prime Lash Primer

I had always wanted to try this product because I'd never tried a lash primer before. It's a white consistancy that you put on your lashes before applying mascara. It will help the mascara cling to your lashes and make them appear thicker. I like this alot because it does work well....just be careful not to put too much on your lashes otherwise you will experience clumping.

Eye Makeup Remover

This kit comes with a sample size of the Eye Makeup Remover. Mac's larger bottle costs $18.00. This works amazingly! I am loving this product so much! This remover works so well and you only need a small amount! I just put a small amount on a tissue and wipe it over my eyes and all my eye makeup comes right off! I will definately re-purchase!

Mac Eyeshadows:

I recently went to Mac to get a few more eyeshadows. I was trying not to spend too much money so I decided to buy two. I got Expensive Pink and Sable. Expensive Pink is a bronzy pink and Sable in a frost brown color. Very pretty!

I am really liking these colors, but they are very light so you will need a primer such as Indianwood Paint Pot or Rubinesque. Or...an NYX pencil in brown which is what I used when working with these shadows.

I did not buy anything from Mac's Style Black collection because I'm not a fan of darker makeup...but I might get something the next time I go to Mac.

I will be posting some swatches of Expensive Pink and Sable later on.

I will update again later and include some pictures of these shadows.

Review/Pictures of Mac Blush, Paint Pot, Studio Sculpt.

Recent Mac Haul Product Reviews

I finally took pictures of the items from my last post. I'm going to quickly review and talk about the Mac Well Dressed Blush and Paint Pot in Soft Ochre. I also just purchased some new Mac lip products which I am loving!

Mac Blush Well Dressed (Satin)

This blush is a light pink color that appears sort of matte, but it's actually a satin finish. It goes on smooth since it is a satin finish and it's really a pretty baby pink color. It's very pretty and appropriate for an everyday more polished look, which is exactly what I bought it for! For going out/or out to dinner, I'd still wear my Mac Mineralize Skin Finish blush in Gentle that has some shimmer. But for an everyday work look, this Well Dressed Blush is great!

Mac Paint Pot in Soft Ochre

$16.50

I've been hearing alot about all different eyeshadow primers and am SO happy with this paint pot. I have been using this product as an eyeshadow primer everyday since I bought it. I first used L'oreal Decrease eyeshadow primer which caused me to get alot of creasing when wearing my eyeshadow. But this Mac paint pot is amazing! I put it on before I apply my eyeshadow and then apply my eyeshadow on top. It works soo well to make the eyeshadow colors brighter and stay on longer. The paint pot is a creamy but light product that goes on the lid smooth and is easily blended in to the skin. The Soft Ochre color is similar to the color of my skin so it blends in nicely. They also have other colors that have shimmer or are darker that can be worn as an eyeshadow color. But I am loving this paint pot! It works brillantly as an eyeshadow primer!

Mac Lipstick in Hue

I am loving this lipstick! It is a perfect neutral pink color that is great for an everyday work, offic or even school look. I think this color is great for someone just starting out with Mac and wants just a neutral everyday color. This color is also great if you've created a very dramatic eye look and need something to soften your look. ALSO, you can wear Hue under a lipgloss and it would look great as well.

Mac Dazzleglass in Baby Sparks

I bought this with Hue because I thought the two would go great together. This Dazzleglass is a gorgeous light pink color that compliments Hue perfectly! It has only slight sparkles in it and isn't too bright of a color. I think that you could wear this as an everyday look since it is very light. The office would definately welcome this look!

I swatched Hue and then put Baby Sparks on top of it. The two look really pretty together! You can also adapt this look to whatever lipstick and lipgloss you have if they are similar colors. You can use any drugstore lip product and pair lipstick with a lipgloss for a brighter, more exciting look! Next time you're in the drugstore and want to try this look, find a lipstick and then choose a lipgloss that is a similar color to go over it!

I hope you enjoyed these reviews!

Next up:

Mac Upstarts Kit Review
Blue/Green Eyeshadow look.