Auraline Beauty Blush Palette Swatches

Auraline Beauty

Anne and I barely got home a few hours ago, we were stuck in traffic and on top of that we got hit from the side from some guy that wasn't paying attention so now my bumper is all messed up; it took us longer than usual to get home. I am so tired and it was so DAMN hot in Vegas we were melting even with the AC on full blast. Good to be home though, in the valley, where it's nice and cool.

I will post pics of the convention and all that good stuff later tonight, as it's already 1:25am as I write this and I have to wake up at 6am for work, so I need some sleep since we had such a long day and we woke up so early this entire weekend; so the thought of me uploading 80+ pics...let's just say it's not gonna happen right now, LOL. I saw all your questions on Cbox gals, so I will try and answer them during the day...Annika, your message is there, just click on "older messages" to view.

So instead, I leave you with some Auraline Blush Palette swatches, from the blush palette I bought at the IMATS show last weekend from AuralineBeauty.com.

Here is also a list of upcoming posts I have lined up that I am trying to catch up on!

(in no particular order):

- video and pics of using the L'Oreal Voluminous Marker Eyeliner Pen I just did a product review on
- video on how to line your waterline (as requested by a reader)
- IECSC show & Vegas pics
- Swatches of ALL the nude lippies I have
- Other swatches of other things....
- FOTD's
- Product Reviews: Beauty From The Earth, H2Pro Hot Iron....and more!



F= First Row S= Second Row


TOP ROW WITH FLASH:




SECOND ROW WITH FLASH:




My arm always looks likes this says the boyfriend...

Leaving for Sin City!

I am leaving for Las Vegas in a few hours to attend the IECSC show with Anne and my boyfriend (who will be gambling while we are at the show, lol).

I haven't even packed yet, I took a nap earlier because I had a massive headache and usually taking a snoozer gets rid of it (it did). I checked the weather for Vegas on my phone and damn is it going to be HOT TO TROT! I hope they blast the AC at the show especially since I am sure its going to be packed with people.

I am hoping to nab a few things. Ok, scratch that- a lot of things. LOL. I might as well OVER-buy on a few items because it's so much cheaper at the show AND there is no tax or shipping...Anne and I also plan to hit up the CCO over in Vegas, so I am excited! It should be a fun weekend!

I hope I can get some internet connection in the hotel room and maybe have some time to take a dive in the pool (as well as play a few spins on Wheel of Fortune!!!!). I am bringing both of my cameras so I should have some awesome pictures when I return!

Aromaleigh Haul & Swatches

I love the colors of Aromaleigh, they are so gorgeous AND their full size jars have SOOOO much product for a great price!

I bought a few samples from them awhile ago and ended up buying the full-size jars since I loved the colors so much, I bought: Severina, Isadora, Penelope, Arbor, and Awe ; and also got a bunch of other samples.

Aromaleigh's "Elemental Lustre" eyeshadows are really pretty but may be too "shiny" for some people since they are metallic colors. The "Pure Hue" series have lots of pretty colors and I love how vibrant and pigmented the colors are.

I get a lot of questions on what the difference is or to compare among the different mineral companies and the answer is: price and quantity. Most of the mineral companies carry the exact same color or similar color and give it a different name, and of course have different sizes and prices, but overall all the ones I have tried from various mineral companies have phenomenal color-payoff, some sheerer than others, while are some are more vibrant, you just have to shop around to "find" the best deal. I for one, tend to shop on sites where I can buy more products under one shipping price, rather than ordering 10 different things from 10 different sites and doubling the cost. For this reason I like Aromaleigh, Everyday Minerals, PureLuxe, MadMinerals, Silk Naturals, MMBB, and a bunch of other sites. (You can check these sites out from the links on the right or Google it)

The NYX Ultra Pearl Pigments are more finely-milled and its texture reminds me of flour, hence they don't last as long to me as the mineral eyeshadows in general or the MAC Pigments because the latter is more gritty and easier to work with as well as blend.





Using "Severina" (on bottom) and "Penelope":






SAMPLE SWATCHES:

Reader Question: Outfit and Makeup I wore at IMATS

Q: Hi Vanessa, I was wondering if you had a full pic of your outfit you wore at IMATS and your makeup look? Thanks!

A: Howdy! I got this dress (pic below) at Wal-Mart believe it or not for a nice $14.88 (I love bargain shopping), and the belt I got from Old Navy last year for $16 (which oddly enough costs more than the dress!).

My makeup: I did this look before (except on this recent one I added MAC e/s in "Shadowy Lady" to give it a more smokey look), you can find the tutorial by CLICKING HERE, I used MAC e/s "Beautiful Iris" all over the lid, "MAC e/s in "Nocturnelle" on the outer-V and contour, and "Shadowy Lady" on the outer-V. Falsies are Ardell "Babies", Blush I believe was MAC "Dollymix" mixed with "Flirt & Tease", lips was MAC l/s in "Melrose Mood", topped with "Babysparks" dazzleglass....of course by the time I took that pic with Pursebuzz, everything melted since I was running around and it was ridiculously hot that day! :(

L'Oreal HIP Jelly Balm vs. MAC Tendertones

Sorry for the obstruction of the watermarking...but a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do. Someone mentioned the coding to prevent "right clicking" but a person can steal the pics from "View Source" or screenshots...so this will have to do for now.



Product: 4 out of 5
Packaging: 3 out of 5
Overall: 4 out of 5
Price: $8, Walgreens and other drugstores
Color Tested: "Plush"
Would I buy it again? Yes because the product is awesome, but No because I hate potted lipglosses. :)

The L'Oreal HIP Line is growing and is definitely catching a huge audience with their new products and pigmented colors. They recently added a new product to the line- their Jelly Balms, which I compare as a decent dupe to the MAC Tendertones.

First of all, I personally am not a fan of "balms", or potted glosses where you have to stick either a lip brush or your finger in...hence I passed on the Tendertones from MAC simply because I know that if I DID buy it, it would end up in my junk drawer because I would never use it.

But lo and behold, I walk into Walgreens (my second home, lol), and saw these new jelly lip pots from L'Oreal. They come in a wide range of sheer, yummy looking colors, I got a sheer baby pink color called "Plush". I immediately thought of the Tendertones as soon as I saw these.

So how do they compare? Well even though I don't own any of the Tendertones, I have tried them, and they are a bit sticky (just as I expected) and since I always have my hair down, me and sticky don't go together. However, it's not TOO sticky, so I can live with it for the most part, and I DO love how they have different ranges of sheer color in the Tendertones. The L'Oreal Jelly Balms are an awesome dupe of the MAC Tendertones, they feel about the same in terms of texture and consistency except they are NOT as sticky to me and of course they too feel moisturizing on the lips, so there is no noticeable difference among the two. The color is also sheer with a touch of pink, and they both come in pots and smell awesome! This jelly balm smells and tastes like cotton candy. I would say the only difference is that the MAC Tendertones seem to have a bit more product in it than the Jelly Balms BUT it could also be the jar just making it look like there is more.

Also, the Tendertones are $14.50, whereas the Jelly Balms are a reasonable $8.

Overall? Whether you are a MAC addict or not, these Jelly Balms are hard to pass up!









With MAC's "Myth" lipstick as base:


Just by itself:

Product Review- L'Oreal Voluminous Eyeliner Marker

Product: 4 out of 5
Packaging: 5 out of 5
Overall: 4 out of 5
Price: $7-$9, CVS Pharmacy, any drugstore
Color: Black

What they say: Design a soft or dramatic liner look for your eyes with L'Oreal's Voluminous eyeliner in a mistake-proof marker.

I am a sucker for eyeliners, I know when it comes to us Asian gals, many say eyeliner makes our eyes appear smaller, but for me it's the opposite, eyeliner makes my eyes look bigger (I will show you a pic oneday haha), without eyeliner I think I look sleepy...so when it comes to buying eyeliners, I like trying them all. I went into CVS and picked up the L'Oreal Voluminous Eyeliner, I was intrigued because it was like a marker and reminded me of the eyeliner pens like Physician's Formula Eyeliner Pens which also worked great but dried up fast.

PROS: It's pretty neat, it has a chiseled felt-tip, just like a marker, making it easy to line the eyes from the inner corner out. The flat part can be used to line, and the pointed part can be used to wing out your eyeliner. The fluid itself is like regular liquid eyeliners and stays on all day. I love it because it's my "makeup bag eyeliner" that stays with me in my purse for any touch-ups, and since it's like a marker, it's a good space saver.

CONS: None!

Overall: It's pretty neat, if you are looking for a cheap but good eyeliner that will last, give this a try!

Weekly Beauty Bytes!

See what's happening around the makeup world and show these bloggers some love!

Alison of the Advice Sisters Guide to Life, Success & Happiness Blog has discovered Skin Glow Salt Scrub by Tanzotic and a beautiful side to the ugly but amazing, emu!

The Muse reviews Vincent Longo's new Liquid Eye Shadow from the Vincent Longo Beautiful Dream Summer Collection!!

Frappelattes raves about her favorite pink Estee Lauder firming eye cream!

Toya of The Life of A Ladybug continues her "Bronzers for Brown Girls" series with a review of the fabulous NARS Blush/Bronzer Duo in Sin/Casino!

Daily Dose of Coffee reviews L'Oreal's Sublime Bronze Spray Bronzer. Another spray bronzer that doesn't make a huge mess.

The girls over at Beauty in Real Life, give you the secret to applying eyeliner like a pro.

Monique at Beauty Girl Musings shares another reason why she is falling in love with Redpoint Cosmetics.

Talking Makeup's Top 10 Celebrity Beauty Secrets!

Imposters.

I just wanna say thank you to those readers (Ringo, Leila, and Silveh) who are vigilant in catching those who steal some of the pictures on this site and claiming it to be theirs and letting me know about it. Whether it be a look, swatches, a collection, etc, it's really annoying (and pathetic) that people take the hard work of other people to claim it as their own, take the time to cover MY LOGO/NAME with their own little tacky looking banner, yet they CHOOSE NOT to utilize that the time they spend trying to hide my website name or to steal other people's pics, they could have taken their own pictures, swatches or whatever and have it be their own. But nooooo, to stoop so low, to check this site EVERY SINGLE day only for the sole intention of stealing work and claiming it to be your own then getting praise for it on forums and such? Unbelievable. She even stole pics from OTHER BLOG SITES such as Temptalia.

I wasn't going to post about it, but figured I NEED to so that people who are familiar with this forum don't fall for all the fake nonsense she writes and posts, as well as to reiterate that I DO NOT POST ANYWHERE ELSE regarding makeup other than here, Specktra, and Vox, and because of this incident, the way my pictures are stamped will change to where it's ALL OVER the picture, just so morons like this can't "edit" it.

You should really be ashamed of yourself snow_fairy4ever, and when she was finally confronted about it (thanks to Silveh)you LIE and say that you always have credited people when using their pictures?! But not on ONE picture does it ever say MY name, and yet still writes "these are the swatches I took last night..", but not the swatches Vanessa took, and coincidentally, in the background of one of the swatch pictures of a photo of me and my boyfriend. I smell a loser that is choking on her own words.

You my dear, get the "Delusional Pathetic Loser of the Day" award.

How can you spot a faker? (click pic to enlarge)

Nice quality, clear picture....but really tacky 1980 banner with font made from Microsoft Paint? Doesn't make ANY sense....


Notice how "Black Ore" is the original font, and yet my website name is magically covered by a tacky font...wouldn't "Solar Bits" also be the same font as "Black Ore"?!!

IECSC- International Esthetics, Cosmetics & Spa Conference

I have some breaking news ladies!!!!

For those of you who missed out on IMATS, there is a show (IECSC- International Esthetics, Cosmetics & Spa Conference- WHEW!) THIS WEEKEND June 28-30 in Las Vegas at the Las Vegas Convention Center!!! I took a look at the exhibitor list and ALL my favorite companies that exhibited at this past IMATS will be there as well! Admission for exhibit hall only for one day is $45.

I called the BF and we are making a trip to Las Vegas this weekend to attend the show! I am so excited because now I can go back and get all the stuff I didn't get a chance to get! (And maybe i'll win again on my Wheel of Fortune game, LOL).

If any of you 702 ladies are attending, let me know! I would love to meet you!

Here are the classes for both Saturday and Sunday, I might sit in on a few of them, esp. the mineral makeup one!

Saturday June 28
9:00am - 9:05am Welcome & Introduction
9:05am - 10:05am Behind the Scenes
10:15am - 11:15am The Power of Eye Makeup
11:30am - 12:30pm Mineral Makeup: What’s the Buzz All About and How to Use It
12:45pm - 1:45pm Choosing a Makeup Collection for Your Business

Sunday June 29
1:00pm - 1:05pm Welcome & Introduction
1:05pm - 2:05pm 25 Beauty Solutions to Beauty Dilemmas
2:15pm - 3:15pm Secrets to Film and Television Makeup
3:30pm - 4:30pm Choosing a Skin Care Collection
4:45pm - 5:45pm Healthy Aging Makeup Application for the 45+

Reader Question: About IMATS

Find more info here: www.makeupartistshow.com and www.makeupmag.com

Edit: Also there is a Face & Body Convention happening August 16-18th at the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco(the shows are on the 17th and 18th which is a Sunday and Monday), I am going to that one too, so if any of you are attending, let's meet up!

Many of you asked me about IMATS and how to get in, admission varies depending on whether you want just the Expo Hall or to see the keynote speakers, and of course the days you want to go. For example two days at the show including keynote speakers is $70, just for the Expo Hall (to walk around) for one day is around $15-20. ANYONE can attend IMATS conventions, but it's mainly for the makeup artists and industry professionals in mind as some of the products they showcase at these shows are for industry work and not really "everyday wear" (ex: body paints, special effects makeup, etc), as well as to avoid the image of it being a "makeup swap meet".

Most convention shows aren't widely advertised to the general public (I know this because I DO convention shows for work and my company also sets up a booth at conventions) and we only advertise generally to people IN our industry, although anyone can attend (except kids). There's no invitation at times, you just have to know when the show dates and locations are (I don't know any for the rest of the year as of yet), but they have one every year in the same location, which is the reason why EVERY SINGLE year I travel to the same places : New York, San Francisco, and San Jose. I knew about IMATS from a few friends already in the industry (my hair and makeup artists)who mentioned it to me and since this past one was near me, I thought it would be perfect to check it out.

But the locations as of right now are in Los Angeles(Pasadena), Miami, and London.

So all the gals that live around those areas, there's another one next year in case any of you missed it this year. Since this was my first IMATS show, I got a good feel of the show and what to expect, and of course when I find out when the next show is, I will let you all know! Most likely it will be around the same time of year. For some reason the sites don't show you future dates (other than the Miami and London show next year), I know for internet conventions they show you a full list of the dates and locations for show as far as next year...

IMATS Makeup Show Pasadena Convention Center 2008

Sorry I was absent this weekend, that's because I attended the IMATS (International Makeup Artist Trade Show) at the Pasadena Convention Center. The show was both days, Saturday June 21 and Sunday June 22. I went with family- Erica and Tatiana, I also have to upload a video on my review of the show.

They showcased a lot of special FX/movie makeup, and it was really fun to see it from start to finish (as we were there early). There were a lot of people there from different aspects of the makeup and Hollywood industry, cinematic prosthetics, and even high fashion hair and makeup. They brought in corpse dummies from popular movies and shows such as CSI that looked INCREDIBLY REAL! They even had sessions on different areas of makeup such as eyebrow threading, specialFX, the movie Hellboy makeup, trends, and tons of other stuff!

There were many well-known as well as up and coming companies who exhibited, such as: MAC PRO, Kryolan, Graftobian, Cinema Secrets, Makeup Forever, Mehron, Naked Cosmetics, Senna Cosmetics, and much much more! MAC PRO was giving out MAC PRO membership to anyone WITHOUT the required documents as a show special AND they gave you a temporary one to use at the show, so my girlfriends got their membership on! Yup! You heard right, that means even if you NEVER touched a makeup product in your life, you were eligible for MAC Pro membership at the show. Many of the booths were selling their own products at a show special price as well as giving out samples left and right! They were selling makeup brushes of all kinds, and I mean ALL kinds, even brushes you probably never knew existed at $2 EACH! You know I had to nab a few! I also bought an 10-PAN Blush Palette from Auraline Cosmetics for ONLY $20 and Kryolan's "Invisible Matte" cream to prevent shine for only $6! It's $50+ in other places and the colors are gorgeous! (I will swatch them later). Tatiana bought a brush apron for only $15! And Erica enjoyed an airbrush session with Luminess.

We also got some FREE makeup from Senna Cosmetics.com, and they are so pigmented and really pretty for summer!

I also saw the gorgeous Elessa (a.k.a. Pursebuzz) and Koren (Enkore on YouTube). She is just so sweet and beautiful in person like she is in her YouTube videos! It was really nice meeting them at such a phenomenal show. It was by far, an AWESOME show!

And here are the pics to prove it! ***WARNING: SOME PICS ARE GRAPHIC*** Including an image depicted by a US soldier.





Our goodie bags:


The Makeup Contest:


Me & Pursebuzz! I look like crap since I woke up so early, LOL. And there's Enkore in the back!




In action!


I love Senna!


Our free loot:




The MAC PRO booth (look at everyone scrambling to get their MAC PRO cards!):






Makeup Forever Booth:






I want this!


They even had cotton candy!


Look how cute Tatiana is with her cotton candy, this girl is awesome at doing hair, she graduated from Cosmetology school and has her license, so watch out for her!


Erica with the Makeup Artist from Luminess Airbrush Cosmetics, trying on the airbrush foundation:




Result? She likes it! She really likes it! Look she even has pink cotton candy to match her shirt! LOL


And I got a cool shirt with a butterfly on it!


Look at all those brushes! Only $2-6 a pop!






Brush Sets WITH a brush roll??! For $15-$20!?? SOLD!


What I bought from that brush bin madness (angled fluff brush, eyelash fan brush, large concealer brush, maxi mop brush, and an eyelash definer comb):




Look how cute! To comb out clumps left from mascara!


Maxi Mob brush, a flat-top sponge to apply liquids such as foundation:










Now the FUN STUFF!






BEFORE:


Getting there!


Gross isn't it????














She is putting on a real-looking tattoo on the model....


Reminds me of Johnny Depp...


Nice acrylics!




Edward Scissor Hands!


Looks SO REAL!


Corpses used in CSI, aren't they scary??? Looks real!


It's a DUMMY!












This boy's BEFORE pic:


Slowly starting...


AFTER:


Where I might want to go to school...

MUD (Makeup Designory)


Or Joe Blasco...


I bought Kryolan's Invisible Mattifying Cream to take out shine!




The Auraline Blush Palette I bought for only $20! (Swatches and review coming soon!)




Natural light:


All the reading material I got...I have tons of reading to do! Ta-ta!