Tips & Tricks - Keeping your eyeliner in once place

Sorry it's been so long since I posted anything useful. Between baking cookies, decorating, and crafting gifts, the holidays are taking up a lot of my time! :-)
But I figured I should post a little something. So, here is a quick tip that has proven beneficial for keeping eyeliner from running amok throughout the day. On particularly hot days, or if I'm going to be out for a while and I know I won't have a chance to touch up my makeup, I like to use this trick to keep my eyeliner from running down the side of my eyelid or smudging under my eye.

First, when I'm priming my eye for shadow I'll bring a little under my eye where I plan to apply liner. I also bring some around to the outer corner of my eye. After doing all my eye makeup and liner I'll take a small brush and gently apply a dusting of silica powder (which is transparent) around the edges of my eye to seal everything in. This will absorb any excess oils and keep your liner from running or getting caught in your fine lines throughout the day. I get my silica powder from Coastal Scents which is a MUCH cheaper (and more generous) alternative to Make Up For Ever's HD Powder. I've been using the Coastal Scents silica powder for years to combat oil and shine, and I swear by it. ELF also has a similar product but I haven't tried it yet. I bought a huge jar of Coastal Scents powder about 3 years ago, gave half to my mother, and I'm still using the same jar. A little goes a long way. Using a water-proof liner in conjunction with this trick will also yield great results. 

Happy Holidays!!!

-A

Nail Polish of the Day #4

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope everyone has a wonderful day with friends and family (and food) today!

For the occasion, I thought I'd do something a little different using earth tones. This is 2 coats of Essence Colour & Go in "Walk of Fame" with polka dots in "Gold Rush" by L.A. Colors Art Deco (the nail art line with the skinny bottles). I just used a toothpick dipped in the gold polish to make the dots. Then topped everything off with a Seche Vite top coat. Super easy. 

I love Essence polishes b/c they're small, cheap, and come in a ton of great colors. They also last a good amount of time for something that's about $1. I can find them at Ulta. I actually haven't seen them sold anywhere else in my area. (added bonus - the caps match the color of polish! LOL)

Have a great holiday! Gobble gobble!

$aving$ - Wet n Wild eye shadow palettes and liquid liner

When I was younger, I used to buy Wet n Wild makeup because it was about .99 cents for nearly every item they offered. Never mind that the eyeshadow was powdery, translucent, and cracked out of the container half the time. Never mind that the lipsticks smelled like burning rubber, or the blushes only came in a few shades of unwearable pinks and browns...it was cheap, dammit! 
Lucky for me and my wallet, Wet n Wild have drastically stepped up their game in the past few years. The price has gone up just a couple bucks, and it's totally worth it. I'm a big big fan of their new eyeshadows and a new liquid liner. Keep reading for swatches and more info! 

Video Post! - Travalo Refillable Perfume for People on the Go

I just got this really great device for carrying your own perfume while you travel. I figured I should videotape how to use it. Sorry for the less than fabulous video quality - I was using my digital camera and I don't have an HD camera or anything like that. I think you can see what's going on for the most part.

This Travalo refillable travel perfume vial is PERFECT for folks who travel a lot. It's also great for your purse, or gym bag, or whatever you need to use it for. It's airline approved, too! 

Nail Polish of the Day #3 - Halloween Nails!

For some reason this year I'm feeling super festive about Halloween. Which is weird b/c I don't even have a Halloween party to go to. But I'm not going to fight it! I'm going to dress up my nails even if I can't dress myself up. Here are my Halloween nails using the Konad stamping kit. I actually purchased knock-off Konad plates and stampers from Bundle Monster on Amazon, which is much cheaper than buying directly from Konad. 

The base black color is Jesse's Girl "Blackout" which is a fabulous black. It's really opaque and dries quickly. I tried using Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics polish in "Tarred" at first, but that stuff does not dry! Anyway, I used 2 coats of "Blackout" and on the ring finger I used Wet n' Wild Fastdry in "Orange", which has a nice glitter to it. That actually took 3 coats b/c it's pretty sheer. I used my normal base coat underneath all of that, too. After stamping a pumpkin, witch hat, skull, and spiderweb, I sealed everything up with a top coat of Seche Vite. 

Have a spooktacular Halloween!

Nail Polish of the Day #2

Today's polish is Revlon Top Speed in "Royal"

I bought this color over the summer at Walmart and hadn't tried it out yet. I'm pleasantly surprised. I usually enjoy Revlon polishes, and this one is no exception. In my experience, when a brand claims "fast drying" or "insta-dry" (ahem...Sally Hansen) it's usually a terrible (and messy) disappointment. But this one was super fast drying! The only down side was the formula was a bit thin (I guess that's what helps it dry so quickly), but that was nothing 3 coats couldn't fix. So this is 3 coats of Royal with a base coat and Seche Vite on top. This would be a great shade for the 4th of July since it's a true blue.  

Here's a shot of it in direct sunlight. Love that bright shade of blue!

October Birchbox

My October Birchbox came a couple days ago and it is a lot more fun than the September box, in my opinion. :-)
Before I jump into my first impressions, I want to give a quick shout-out to my buddy Sara who recently signed up with Birchbox after reading about last month's goodies. She didn't realize they gave points to the person who referred them (me) so afterwards she wrote a super sweet email to them asking them to give me my referral points and even linked my blog! So I got +50 points thanks to that email. Thank you, Sara. You rock! :-)


On to the box...!

Nail Polish of the Day #1

Today's polish of the day is "Shay" by Zoya. 

No, I don't have enormous hands! This was actually a sample polish from one of my Birchboxes a few months ago and it's part of Zoya's "Touch Collection". I looove this color. It's a perfect neutral shade for me. I was feeling neutral after going a whole week with a very dark brown on my nails. I'm a huge fan of Zoya polish. It wears so nicely, and the formula is great and easy to apply. And it doesn't hurt that it's free of lots of the yucky chemicals that nail polish usually has. This particular color has just a hint of pink in it and a very slight shimmer.
This is 2 coats of Shay with a base coat and Seche Vite top coat to seal everything.

Tarte "Lip Service Limited-Edition LipSurgence™ Collection"

Another portion of my birthday gift to myself from Sephora last month was a set of Tarte LipSurgence lip colors. It's a Limited Edition Set and for $29 you get 5 really nice lip colors in those chubby pencils that seem to be everywhere right now. I personally love the chubby pencil concept b/c it's really easy to apply accurately.  
In the set they give you 3 highly moisturizing "Natural Lip Luster" pencils plus 2 "Natural Lip Tint" pencils that are meant to act kind of like a stain and give you long-wearing color. I found the tints to be nice and moisturizing, too. And all of the colors are just sheer enough to look good on any skin tone. The color that you get will depend on the color of your actual lips b/c they are a bit sheer. But I really like that b/c it keeps it looking pretty natural.
 Keep reading after the jump for complete swatches of each color! 

They're Real! (I swear)

So, I recently gifted myself with a few fun things from Sephora for my own birthday last week (because I'm just that lame). One of those things is none other than Benefit's new They're Real! mascara. I've heard great things and had to check it out for myself. I gotta say - it was pretty much love at first swipe. Keep reading for a picture-heavy review.

September Birchbox

September's Birchbox came last week so I thought I'd go over its contents with you and do a little quick first-impressions review. For those who aren’t familiar with Birchbox, here is a little explanation: It’s essentially a “makeup of the month” club where for $10 a month, you become a member and they ship you a few sample sizes (or sometimes full sizes if you’re lucky) of high-end skincare products and cosmetics. If you like them enough to re-purchase, you can buy that item on the Birchbox website and earn points which you may later use as discounts on future purchases. You also fill out a short questionnaire about what your skin and makeup concerns are so that they can tailor your box based on your needs and likes. If you are interested, I recommend visiting the website for more information, as I’m sure I’m not covering everything there is to know about being a Birchbox-er. In short: if you like samples, you’re going to enjoy this club. Keep reading for more info and photos.

Quick Birthday Eye look

Yeah, I practice what I preach. :-) As proof, here is a easy eye look I wore to go out to my fancy birthday dinner with the hubs. I used the Balm's The Balm and the Beautiful palette and a few other items that I've previously reviewed.

No flash

It's just "The Supermodel" over the entire lid (with Too Faced Shadow Insurance as a primer underneath, of course) then a bit of "The Bad Boy" in the outer corner and into the crease. That's it! It's an easy natural eye that I thought would compliment the gold jewelry I was wearing that night with my black dress. The eyeliner on top and in the waterline is that Stila waterproof Smudge Stick I reviewed earlier. And on my face is my BB Cream. Mascara is none other than my beloved Cover Girl. 
Easy peasy!

Hello!

Closed eye with flash.

the Balm and the Beautiful palette

the Balm has recently released a new limited edition palette with a Muppets theme called "Cast Your Shadow" that is not only limited edition, but also limited number! They only made 1,000 palettes. Luckily, they are also releasing an identical palette with a different theme and therefore different packaging based on soap operas called the Balm and the Beautiful. Supposedly the Balm and the Beautiful is their holiday 2011 palette to be released later this fall. However! It is bizarrely available for more than half the price currently at T.J.Maxx. Craziness! Once I learned this, I immediately went to my nearest T.J.Maxx and grabbed one of the 2 that were left on the shelf and bought it. Original price on the tag is marked $44.50, but the price I paid at T.J. Maxx was a steal at $19.99. Keep reading for swatches and photos!

Eve Pearl products

So I recently purchased two Eve Pearl products via Haute Look that I'm really enjoying: the Dual Salmon Concealer & Treatment and a Glamour Lash Mascara. 
For ages I've heard makeup gurus sing the praises of salmon concealer, but I just never got around to trying one out. The idea behind it is that the salmon hue cancels out any blue undertones in your under eye circles, and it really does work. I was kind of skeptical because it was such an overhyped phenomenon, but I was really impressed with the Eve Pearl concealer. 

I chose the Light/Medium (I'm an NC30-NC35 in MAC foundation) and it's a really good match. I put the medium shade on first and pat it in to cancel out most of my dark circles and then pat on a thin layer of the lighter shade to blend everything into my skin tone. It's super creamy and very pigmented, too, so a light application is sufficient. Once it's topped off with a powder it should last all day.


The Glamour Lash Mascara builds lots of length due to the micro-fibers in the formula. It also claims to build volume, but I didn't notice as much of that compared to the length. Honestly, my favorite volume building mascaras usually come from Cover Girl (like Lash Blast in the orange tube). But what really impressed me was the fact that after a day's worth of wear and sweating, there was no transfer to my lower lids or under eye area. That's always a pet peeve of mine. By the end of the day when it was time to remove my makeup I realized why there was no transfer. It comes off in little tubes! It literally surrounds each lash in a little tube of mascara and washes off with warm water and a little pressure. I had NO idea that was part of the deal, so I was pleasantly surprised. If you're at all familiar with Loreal's Double Extend Beauty Tubes, it's exactly the same idea. I'll probably always be loyal to Cover Girl, but on days when I know I'll sweat, or if I want to apply mascara to my bottom lashes, I'll probably turn to Eve Pearl.
:-)
-A

Welcome! and August Favorites

Welcome to All Tarted Up! 
I thought it might be a good idea to just jump right in with a list of some products that I've used and loved pretty extensively within the past month of August.

First up is an amazing nail polish remover by Karma Organics. This is an organic soy remover with a lavender scent, and it works like a charm. It comes in a cute brown glass bottle, and you don't need to use a lot at once so it will probably last a really long time. It removes polish faster and cleaner than any non-acetone remover I've ever tried. And the the most important part (in my opinion) is that it doesn't strip your actual nail! I have suffered from dry, peeling, flaky nails for a long time due to using pure acetone and even non-acetone removers. But Karma Organics has kind of an oily formula that doesn't strip my nail, and I feel like it's actually nourishing them. I've been using this stuff like crazy and my nails have really improved. And it really does a great job removing polish. I was able to use just one cotton pad to obliterate 2 coats of dark red polish (plus base coat and top coat) on one hand and it still had enough juice to move on to a couple fingers on my other hand! It doesn't "carry" the polish around to stain your fingertips either, which is a pet peeve I always had with non-acetone removers. I think it's some properties in the oil that trap the color in (yes, that's my scientific opinion). The only downside I can think of with this one is the price. You can find it on Amazon for $11.99, which is where I purchased it. You're not limited to the lavender scent; it's also available in unscented and Tea Tree. But even at nearly $12 for a 4oz bottle, I think it's completely worth it for how powerful it is and how well it treats your nails.

Keep reading for more goodies!