FREE Mineral Makeup Kit!

Thanks to Miss Christiana for the heads up on this awesome deal!

I am pretty sure most of you have heard or are avid users of Bare Minerals Makeup, or some of you are skeptics and haven't had a chance to really experience "mineral makeup", well here is your chance!

This is a FREE customizable makeup kit (you can choose your shades/colors), you just pay for shipping! (I went through USPS, so shipping for me was ONLY $3.97!)

http://www.everydayminerals.com



The makeup kit includes:
- 3 foundations (they have matte, semi-matte, intensive (for more coverage), and Original Glo for a dewey look)
-1 face color/blush color
-1 concealer

Once I try it out I will let you gals know how it goes! :) If any of you know or found any AWESOME DEALS on makeup, clothes, anything at all, feel free to let me know and I will be more than happy to share!

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Updates

I have been getting some more requests for more tutorials, and I promise i'll post some soon, I apologize as I have been incredibly busy with some new projects, and it's been taking up most of my time. I realize how hard it is to balance everything I love to do, and yet meet the demands and deadlines of things that depend solely on me.

Here is the link of an AUDIO tutorial on how to do the "smoky-eye" look: CLICK HERE

My co-workers all chipped in and got me a Sephora gift card for my birthday, I haven't really bought anything special other than a few items, I bought more of the Sephora Makeup Base, I just love the smell, and I bought Stila Eyeshadow with the Refill Pan in Chinois($16), and some travel brushes to put in my purse.



The magnetic refill pan for Stila eyeshadows ($2)


I love this blending brush by Stila ($24)


Avon has this new palette by MARK, and they are cool pop-up pots, you can choose from eyeliner, lipgloss, and eyeshadows and it's fully customizable!



I also like their 'Glossblossom Ripening Lip Tint' ($6), it is clear in the tube, but once it's on your lips turns a shade of pink that works with your body chemistry.


Here is a pic of my new makeup bag from LeSportsSac:


And my travel brushes:

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Sexy Eyes and Baggy Eyes

Ingredients for powerfully sexy eye makeup:

* Black eyeliner - pencil. Ensure that it is sharp.
* Black eyeliner - brush. The thinner the liquid eyeliner is the better.
* Eye shadow brush. Thin stumpy bristles are best to maintain control.
* Dark eye shadow. Irridescent rather than flat matt (too hard), or shiny (too messy).
* Highlight shimmer for under the eyebrow. Avoid garish looking ‘high glitter’.
* A good eyebrow pencil. Try to select the most natural shade for you as possible.
* Eyelash curlers
* Black mascara. Obviously choose a quality brand to avoid clumping and ‘spider eyes’.

Step-by-step instructions for smoky cat eyes:

Apply your foundation, under eye concealer and powder.
Using your black eyeliner pencil, start from the front corner of your eyelid. Draw a soft smudge line to the end of your lash line.
Use your eyeshadow brush to apply the dark eye shadow over the top of the smudged line for a soft smoky look. Ensure that the edges are neatly blended.
Then take the brush eyeliner and apply as close to your lashes as you can on the top lid only. Make the line as thick and pronounced as you wish, but make sure that the line is thickest at the outer corner, and thinner as you go inward.
Apply another smoky coat of eye shadow with the brush to blend the harsh edges.
Subtly blend your darker eye shadow up from your lashes to your eye crease. Then apply a shimmery highlight in white or cream under the outside corner of your eyebrow.
Use your eyebrow pencil to make your eyebrow curve more pronounced.
Curl your eyelashes, then apply thin coats of mascara, building the layers up gradually to avoid clumping.

I use:

Sephora's Eyeliner Quad in "Earthly Tones"


Revlon's Bedroom Eyes Powder Eyeshadow in "Sultry Sapphire"


Revlon's Colorstay Eyeliner (always a must have! stays on for 16 hours!)


Revlon's Liquid Eyeliner in "Blackest Black"


For baggy eyes:

* Take a metal spoon and run it under cold water. Place the metal on the puffy area for at least 60 seconds.

* Apply hemorrhoid cream (look for brands that contain ingredients of yeast and shark's liver oil) to the puffy area. Insiders have known for years that in just the way it gets the swelling out of that other area, it works the same way for the face.

* Thin cucumber slices used as compresses over closed eyes will relieve sore, puffy eyes.

* A black tea bag soaked in cold water on each eye for ten minutes will reduce swelling caused by fluid retention. Gently press from inner to outer corners to hasten drainage.

* Avoid salty foods, which cause the under eye area (and the rest of your body) to hold fluid.

* Elevate your head when you sleep, to keep fluid from settling around your eyes.

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Makeup Meltdown

EDIT! Thanks Jellyn for the tip!

"I read somewhere that if you don't have blotting paper on hand, you can also use tiolet seat covers. It sounds weird but I tried it myself and it does work!"

Summer temperatures are great for swimming and dining al fresco, but not so great for maintaining a polished makeup look. Hot weather not only makes you sweat, which literally dissolves makeup, but it increases your skin's oil production, which allows the shine to show through. To make matters worse, touch-ups can be a problem if makeup has turned to mush in your bag, AND adding more makeup to your face which can overclog pores and cause zits.

Here are a few tips:

* Carry blotting paper with you at all time. You can get them at any drug store. Press them onto your t-zone area over makeup to help maintain your finished look. Or, on days you don't wear makeup, use them to keep the shine off your face.

* Apply powder first. A light dusting of powder before applying makeup is a makeup artist trick used on models who have to stay fresh under heavy lights.

* Use lighter makeup colors. Neutral-toned eye shadows aren't as visible when they melt. Darker shades will show if they dissolve and gather in your eyelid creases.

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Primers

Above are some of my "initial" primers which I use before doing anything else. They are in order, from L to R: Sephora Makeup Base ($12), Laura Geller's Spackle Trio ($30), Rimmel's Dare to Bare Luminizer ($7), and Revlon's Skinlights in "Buff/Chamoise" ($7-10).

I have used the Smashbox Photo Finish Primer, and I like it, I mean most primers do the same thing, it's like moisturizer so you can't go wrong with which one you choose. I also tried the Laura Mercier's Makeup Primer and it worked well too. The only reason I really like Laura Geller's Spackle Trio is because it's a trio, it has the primer, lip, AND eye primer. But she also carries the FULL SIZE makeup primer.

I really like the Sephora Makeup Base, not only because the price can't be beat (at $12), but because it smells really nice and has pink pearlescent beads to brighten your skin.

EDIT!!!

I forgot to mention that I also bought Sonia Kushuk's "blending brush", which belnds different colored eyeshadows (since I wear more than one shade), and I love it, it has loose bristles to give a nice effect.

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Blushes and Luminizers

So I bought this Rimmel face and body skin luminizer in "Keep it Real" for $7, and I cannot even begin to tell you how much I LOVE IT! I mix it in with my liquid foundation (after the primer of course), and it adds a little shimmer to my face and actually brightens it so I look alive! I think the luminizer alone will be TOO much sparkle for everyday use, but perfect for the club! Test it out first by putting a drop on your hand and see how sparkly it is for you.



I also use Revlon's Skinlights sometimes, at first I hated the smell, but i've been using it for a year, so im used to it already. :)



A lot of people ask me what blush I use, and I use Revlon's Powder Blush in "Blushed".



For lipgloss I use Loreal's Colour Riche in "Soft Mauve". I used to use Neutrogena's MoistureShine lipgloss in "Coy" (famously worn by Smallville's Kristin Kreuk), but it has since been discontinued. :(





I also have yet to get Vincent Longo's Canvas-to-Powder foundation, however it's close to $60, but I heard GREAT reviews about it.

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Fushia #26.

So I played with my newest eyeshadow from makeup forever, and I love the way it came out. At first I was scared it would be too bold, but since I love bright colors, it's perfect! I am really happy I found the perfect pink I was looking for, even though ONE eyeshadow costs $18.00, I have no other brand that can deliver this highly pigmented eyeshadow, not even MAC! And what's awesome about it, is that it STAYS on, and stays put. No creasing, no rub off, no melting, nada- it truly is MAKEUP FOREVER.

Of course putting ALL pink on my lid would be too much pink for me, so I toned it down with a black shimmery eyeshadow, white shimmery eyeshadow, AND my NYX loose powder in purple. (all mixed together)

I still have yet to try my "chrome yellow" from MAC, but I am sure it will come out as cool as this one did.

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I got my camera!

My loving, wonderful boyfriend/soon-to-be fiance bought me the camera I wanted for my birthday, so now I can do photography AND makeup! haha, well im learning anyway. The one thing about gemini's, at least for me anyway, is that we are so versatile and we get bored easily, hence we are always itching to get out there and try everything.

I am at that peak in my life where I want to see how far I can go in all aspects of my hobbies. The photography definitely can play up the makeup shots I got planned, allowing you gals to see more detail,etc.

I can't even tell you how excited I am to get things started! The battery is charging right now and im so antsy because I just want to start shooting already!

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My New "TOYS"

I recently bought MAC's "Chrome Yellow", "Parfait", and Makeup Forever (MUFE)'s eyeshadow #26 (fushia).

I have yet to try them all out, and when I do, I will take pics and post em, so far I LOVE the YELLOW and PINK because they are highly pigmented so they come on nice and bright the way I want them to. Why yellow and pink? Well I love yellow, it's my favorite color, and I actually have tons of yellow shirts that would go with it, and pink too. So we'll see how good they come out.

The pink one I fell in love with because it's the EXACT pink I have been looking for and couldn't find. I tried MAC's "Sushi Flower" and didn't like it because it had red tones in it. I wanted PURE PINK, and this was it!



The total for everything was about $50, which is a lot if you ask me...simply because anything over $10 for an eyeshadow is a little steep, especially considering how often I will actually wear yellow and/or pink. But hey, those were the colors I was looking for, so I guess it's worth it. Let's hope it looks okay!

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Sickly sick...

Sorry I have been unable to post as much as I want to, I just came back from Washington and brought back a cold with me, so gimme a couple days to recuperate and I shall be back on my feet!

Sucks to be sick on your birthday!

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