Showing posts with label eyeshadow. Show all posts
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12:00 AM 4
Hi Bellas,

I'm been using the Ofra Professional Makeup Palette non-stop over the last few months.  Chances are you've seen these eyeshadows incorporate in many of my faces of the day over the last few months.  Ofra has quickly become one of my favorite brands after discovering them at the Makeup Show a few years ago.  Today I'm reviewing another awesome palette and giving you a chance to try it too!  

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10:20 AM 2
Hi Bellas,

Happy Thursday.  Today I wanted to bring you another look featuring my Alcone at Home eyeshadows.  I've been wearing these regularly ever since the New York Makeup Show.  Now that I've shared the news of this project I can start featuring looks I've created.  This is a super bright tropical look that I wore to the Chicago Makeup Show.  Check it out!
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12:00 AM 1
Hi Bellas,

Happy Tuesday!  Today is the beginning of a new series where I'm introducing you to a new project entitled Alcone at Home.  As an Alcone Blogger, I get to share some of my must-have products and Alcone's best sellers which have been streamlined into palette form and a simple easy to access web store for my viewers. Today it's all about eyeshadows and wow these are amazing.  Both MUAs and Makeup Junkies will appreciate the intense pigment and the easy palette style storage.  I've got tons of swatches of the shadows and all the pretty palettes that they come in.  Check it out!


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11:55 AM 6
Hi Bellas,
I'm back with another brand review, FOTD and a giveaway!  I recently had the chance to try out gloProfessional a skincare and makeup brand that actually really impressed me with its high quality products.  It's a really comprehensive line and I found some awesome items to share with you all.  And I'm doing a HUGE Giveaway worth over $1000 to ten lucky winners!
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2:36 AM 1
Hi Bellas,

I'm back with another review!  I've used these products for the last few months and I better get my review in considering the fact that's it's nearly fall and this is a Summer Collection.  Regardless, the products from Senna's Beauty in Bloom line definitely have staples that will last you year round.
Click here for more!
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10:12 AM 9
Hi Bellas,

Today's post was requested by Water BB on twitter.  I'll be featuring my Top 10 MAC Eyeshadows.  I'm surprised I've never done this post before.  It was pretty popular for a while on twitter.  I picked my favorite shadows - the regular ones in the pan or pot.  None of the mineralized trios, metal, fancy stuff - the good old pressed classics.


Click here to see more!
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9:30 AM 8
Hi Bellas,


I've had these products to review for a while now, but my vacation put me behind on testing them. I've also been itching to do a tutorial, but after coming back from vacation, I haven't been able to wear contacts for about a week and a half. Luckily my eyes are better so I could do a look!


Check out my video tutorial to see my look!




Onto my review! You might have already seen these double stack palettes.


Shimmer Double Stack



Matte Double Stack

My first impression, "Whoa mama these are vibrant!" Out of all the pre-filled palettes I've tried out, these are the brightest...right up my alley! You can find these for $27.95 on Stars Makeup Haven. They're called double stack palettes because the first layer has a palette filled with 32 eyeshadows, and the second layer/stack has a palette filled with 10 blushes.


Blushes
Unfortunately the blushes are the same in both palettes...it would have been cool if the Matte palette had matte blushes and the Shimmer palette had shimmer blushes, oh well! The blushes in this palette are actually different from an individual 10 pan blush palette that I have. They are a little more pigmented which is a plus for the medium to dark skin tones out there...not quite as smooth as MAC blushes but definitely wearable.


Eyeshadows
In terms of the eyeshadows, they are really fun, bright colors to work with. The consistency is harder than a lot of the other palettes out there, which I actually prefer so that way the eyeshadows don't crumble as easily. The colors are really super duper pigmented...you can do so much with these palettes. I definitely recommend them. I actually took both palettes and then put both stacks of eyeshadows in one palette and both blushes in another...most likely I won't be using the blushes as much as the eyeshadows...plus I like to have all of my eyeshadows in one place.

Stars Makeup Haven Single Eyeshadows
In addition, I've been testing out SMH's single eyeshadows. They are the exact size of MAC shadows and fit perfectly into SMH's magnetized 28 palette. The packaging of the eyeshadow is very nice...the whole pan is a shiny, heavy metal with the words printed directly on the back...IMO it looks even nice than the MAC shadow where you can see the exposed magnet on the back. At $4.95, these eyeshadows are very affordably priced. They come in a range of colors (currently 50 colors to choose from) from neutral to bright and bold.


Here's a picture from Stars Makeup Haven with the shadows in her 15 pan palette. You can buy the pans and palette individually, or you can build your own 15 pan palette for $49.95. That's an amazing deal since if you bought all 15 pans individually you'd be spending $74.25 already, and that's without the empty palette. Great Deal! Or you can buy the 28 pan palette and fill it for $79.95...saving you $58.65 in eyeshadow alone! Just for comparison sake, if you bought 15 MAC pan eyeshadows, it would be already over $150...these are half the price.



As you can see, it's better to do the "build your own palette" option...and they're not pre-filled, you can choose your own colors. Let me also mention that SMH's magnetized palettes are amazing! You really don't need to buy MAC empty palettes anymore...and no more adding magnets to anything, love love love!




In terms of the consistency, the shadows are super smooth. Watch out though, because they're a little soft, my fingernail accidentally hit them a few times, leaving a nick on the surface. I tried some of these out in the Philippines and they were really nice. The color is vibrant and blends easily. They can be a little dusty, but just shake off the excess on your brush before applying and you should be fine. I paired this with my eyeshadow base from Steelo Cosmetics and they lasted all day. This is such a great alternative to MAC eyeshadows...I love how you can actually choose your own colors as opposed to the larger pre-filled palettes (88...96...120) where you end up not using a lot of the colors in the palette.



Check out the look I created with the double stack palettes and single eyeshadows!








Check these out at http://www.starsmakeuphaven.com/ !



Stay tuned for my next video on Monday where I announce my Red Cherry Lashes contest!


Atlanta Makeup Artist
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9:02 AM 15
Hi Bellas!

I finally had a chance to show off my new Eve Pearl products. If you follow me on twitter you probably have heard me talking about this line for months. After watching Eve's videos on her youtube page as well as her Be-You-Ti-Fied series with Koren from Enkore Makeup, I was sold!

She makes makeup look so easy and her products are so multi-purpose and travel/kit friendly that I definitely wanted to get my hands on her line.

I started off with the essentials. As you may know, Eve breaks her products down into light, medium, tan and dark. I mainly chose products in the medium range since I thought they would be a good match for me. Unfortunately, the medium HD Dual foundation was a little light so I think I might go up to tan. However, all of the other medium products, including the concealer worked great!

I used my good friend Melissa as my model since the HD Medium foundation matched her perfectly! I actually had to film this video 3 times! The first two either didn't save or were corrupted...talk about frustrating.

The first video was a two parter showing me doing her foundation and then the second half showing off a smokey green eye tutorial. At least I have the pictures. I used mostly Eve Pearl products.

The second time around I said "Okay let's just do a foundation video and see how that turns out." Too bad the file was corrupted! Luckily the pictures saved and I can show you a before and after. No re-touching has been done...I used all Eve Pearl products.

Third times the charm! My third attempt was a sultry summer eyes look that went with Melissa's yellow shirt she was wearing to dinner. This is also a great everyday school/work look.

Check out the video tutorial!


Here's What I Used (All Eve Pearl Products unless otherwise specified):

FACE
-Priming Moisturizer
-Anti-shine in Light/Medium
-HD Dual Foundation in Medium
-Salmon Concealer in Medium
-Sassy Cheeks Blush Trio in Medium
EYES
-HD Dual foundation as base
-Steelo Translucent Powder
-Au Natural Palette
-Liquid Liner in Black Pearl
-Black Mascara
-Red Cherry Lashes
-MAC Kohl pencil in smolder

LIPS
-Cosmo lip pencil
-Honey Bunny/Baby Doll lipgloss duo

Check out my review on the products I used:

Salmon Concealer in Medium
The medium was a perfect match for both Melissa and myself. Crazy huh? The texture is super creamy...almost like Bobbi Brown concealers. I love how the color has the salmon tint but blends in well enough that I don't have to pair another concealer on top like I do with my Bobbi Brown corrector. You only need a tiny bit too because it is super pigmented. Melissa has really dark undereye circles and this covered it right up. Definitely a good investment if you have issues with this. I'll be looking into her Salmon Concealer trio for my kit.
HD Dual Foundation in Medium
I wish every company split their foundations into two tones like Eve - lighter side and a darker side. We all change colors year round from pale in the Winter to tanner in the Summer and the HD Dual Foundation cuts out the problem of having to run and buy multiple foundation shades year round. Like the concealer, it's super creamy. You can definitely mix them to get your perfect shade and also use both shades to contour and highlight. Extremely pigmented, this will last you forever. I'm a big fan of cream foundations because they're so versatile: wear them in cream state as a concealer, or thin them out with moisturizer for lighter coverage.

Au Natural Eyeshadow Palette
If you need a basic, everyday palette this is the one for you. It's super sleek and compact which is a blessing to people like me who are running out of space in their makeup kit/makeup drawer. There are six shades...top row shimmery, bottom matte. This is definitely a good thing so you can mix and match. You can even use the bottom row as eyebrow fillers. I used this palette on Melissa and I love how it came out...and I'm not usually a neutral makeup kind of girl.

Tips for Using this Palette: The colors blend really easily. You may want to build the layers of color since they blend into each other so easily and tend to disappear a bit...that will maintain the pigmentation and make sure it lasts. Also, make sure to tap the excess off your eyeshadow brush before you apply the shadows because they tend to have a bit of crumbling.
Lipliner in Cosmo
What a versatile liner. The pinky/neutral shade is a perfect match for most skin tones. She has one other shade in Caramel for darker skin tones. This is part of Eve Pearl's philosophy...simplifying the makeup process down to the necessities. She's been doing it for years and knows what works. If you have read Kevyn Aucoin's Faces Forward, he pretty much sticks to two lip liners: a lighter neutral and a darker neutral...that's all you need! Eve's lipliners are super creamy which make them very easy to apply. They also come with a lipbrush on the other end to help blend out the line.

Anti-Shine in Light/Medium
I've never really used anti-shines before but it seems like a staple in many kits out there. I was excited to try this tinted anti-shine in light/medium. I don't really have oily skin so I'm still in the process of testing it out on clients. The consistency is not as siliconey as I would think...it's a mix between silicone and gel. I recommend placing this after the priming moisturizer in the oily areas like the nose, middle of forehead and the cheeks.


Blush Trio Sassy Cheeks - Medium
Eve Pearl does it again with super convenient packaging. This trio contains a peach shade, a pink shade, and a shimmery bronzer. Mix all three and you're wearing a blush, bronzer, and shimmer powder all at the same time! The medium trio is a beautiful mix of colors that looks like a natural flush. I definitely recommend using a fan brush with these...it fits so nicely in between the blush wells. This versatile palette would work on light to tan skin tones. If you're a makeup artist, get all three trios which would take up hardly any room (stacked...maybe the size of a regular MAC foundation compact) in your kit...and then you'd be set with blush!


Kisses of Pearl Lipgloss Combo in Baby Doll/Honey Bunny
Out of the the 5 duos, I picked this one because anybody could wear it. One side is peachy and the other pinky gold. I like to use the peachy shade all over the lips and the pinky gold in the center for a full lip look. I wish all companies had lipglosses that have the tubes pop off to be mixed and matched. What a space saver! Also a plus, the glosses aren't sticky at all.


Priming Moisturizer
Another great dual use product. The fact that this product primes and moisturizes really cuts down on a lot of time. This past weekend I used this product at a wedding and it really saved some time when my makeup time got cut short. The product spreads easily but is extremely liquidy...on more than one occasion I held the tube too tightly without the cap and a whole bunch of product got squeezed out...so sad to waste so much product...maybe a different dispenser would make this better. Also, the primer isn't as siliconey as I'm used too...but it doesn't make it any less effective. I'm definitely keeping this in my kit for the fact that it cuts out an extra few minutes in a makeup routine.


Eve Pearl Mascara
This mascara isn't waterproof but when I applied it to Melissa using the pinky behind the lashes trick...I noticed that stuff really stays! I had to kind of work to get it off my finger, lol. The formula is a nice mix between creamy and liquidy so it goes on really easy.

Eve Pearl Liquid Liner in Black Pearl
I wanted to try this product because I'm a huge liquid liner fan. That's the only thing I use to line my top lashline. At first, I thought this product would be very similar to MAC's penultimate liner which I love...but upon testing they're very different. Unlike MAC's felt tip applicator, Eve Pearl's liquid liner has a very thin applicator which is actually an eyeliner brush made of separate bristles. This made precise lining easier because the shape of the bristles doesn't flatten and expand like a felt tip liner. The color is a rich black that doesn't face.

Definitely check out this line of products at http://www.evepearl.com/ especially if you're a makeup artist or looking to simplify your own personal traincase. These products are definitely an investment...the price point is similar to other high end department store brands, but these products are often two in one (lipglosses, lipliner pencil/brush, dual foundation), three in one (blush trios), or 6 in one (eyeshadow palettes). That's definitely something to consider if you're thinking twice of purchasing because of the price alone.

I definitely plan on making more videos using her products. Stay tuned for more!

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10:07 AM 5
Hi Bellas!

So I gave you a sneak peak into Steelo products in my sultry smokey look here. But I couldn't let it stop there.

Seriously, I love this brand. I'll be using these new products way past this review. Usually I don't get too excited about new brands because a lot of them seem the same...especially the millions of mineral makeup companies emerging out there (a lot of time I get requests to review them but I turn a lot of them down because a lot of them seem the same)...but this one far exceeded my expectations. The packaging is sleek and cute...even the lipsticks have a little weight to them with their metal containers...I like that! I hate when packaging looks cheap...it usually means the makeup is cheaply made too.

It's also a brand specifically tailoring to women of color...if you check out their website they have pictures of a wide range of ethnicities...Black, Asian, Latino, Southeast Asian...so many! There foundation shade process is amazing...you can choose shades with undertones in yellow, copper, red, orange and even blue! Say goodbye to not being able to match your shade!

In this video I did a makeover on my Bestie Sai. You've probably seen her in a few of my other posts and my Lauren Conrad hair tutorial. Well I brought her back for another one! Saiesha is a great model because she's really honest about whether or not she likes a product (product junkie!) and she's naturally gorgeous so makeup just looks great on her.
I let her pick out the colors beforehand and she did a great job! She chose a smokey, plum look with nude lips. Extremely wearable for you guys out there!
Check out the video tutorial!



Here's What I Used:

EYES
-Urban Decay Primer Potion
-Steelo e/s in cotton candy (lid)
-Steelo e/s in bella (outer v)
-Steelo e/s in damage (crease)
-Steelo e/s in matte beige (highlight)
-Eve Pearl liquid liner
-MAC kohl pencil in smolder
-Red Cherry Lashes
-Steelo black mascara

FACE
-airbrush foundation - Kett and Graftobian
-Steelo blush in Terracotta Spice

LIPS
-Steelo sand lipliner
-Steelo angelique lipstick
-Steelo pink pearl lipgloss (love!)

Here's a quick review on the products I've tried so far:

Single Eyeshadows
Please don't shoot me when I say this, but these are equal to, if not better than MAC eyeshadows. The pigmentation is amazing. One swipe of the finger yields great color payoff without a base. Also, they're not like the cheap eyeshadows out there that are super pigmented but once you blend them a bit disappear (think a lot of those large e/s palettes out there). Also, they're not all loose and crumbly like the "high pigmented" cheap eyeshadows...they apply like a dream. The colors are so pretty...bright enough for people like me, but subtle enough for neutral makeup lovers. The eyeshadows are $12 per single pot...cheaper than MAC but same quality! You...must...check...it....out...or else you're missing out!


Blush
Same as the eyeshadows, these are very pigmented and the texture is super smooth. You can tell the company really paid attention to picking out shades that really complemented women of color. For example, the red tones in Terracotta Spice blush really complemented Saiesha's yellow red undertones in the video (she usually has problems finding blushes that don't make her look ashy). There are only 6 shades right now, but I hope they do more! I want all of the shades...honestly, they look so good on ethnic women. They're bigger than the single eyeshadows put are at the same price of $12...good deal!


Lipliner
Another winner...they chose extremely wearable shades like Sand, Mocha, Chesnut, Burgundy...all staples for any makeup kit for a woman of color. This makes my job as a makeup artist so much easier! I want all 7 shades in my kit. The liner is super smooth and easy to apply. I used the shade Sand on 3 different women...completely different skin tones and it looked great on each person. Again, they're priced at the magic number...$12!

Lipstick
They have ten shades to choose from in very wearable shades just like the lipliner. They are very moisturizing, no funky smell, and the pigmentation is amazing. It goes on smooth like a MAC lustre lipstick but with more pigmentation. My swatches blew me away! If you're searching for a deep berry shade that has the perfect mix of berry and brown....they've got it! The only thing is that I found a lot of their shades in this berry family to be super similar. So when picking shades keep this in mind...you don't want two lipsticks that look nearly the same. Guess how much? Yup, $12, lol.


Lipgloss
Pink Pearl is officially my new favorite lipgloss. The colors of these glosses are super pigmented...they're only sheer if they're a sheer nude color...that's how it should be in my opinion! If I wanted sheer, I would throw some tendertones on clear gloss on. The colors are super smooth and rich and guess what? Not sticky! The bestie Sai loves how they smell too. The fact that they're not sticky makes them so much more enjoyable to wear...and the color stays bright and lasts for a pretty good amount of time (not through eating, but hey I'll reapply with no problem). These are $1 more at $13...well worth it.


Eyebrow Pencil
Steelo only offers two colors...Taupe and Earth Brown. I think most people could get away with Earth Brown (I used it on myself and on Saiesha). Taupe would be for the blondies out there. The pencil is firm/dry enough to give you the light strokes needed for filling in eyebrows. It also comes with a brush at the end to blend the pencil in after you're done. Again, they're priced at $12...they actually remind me a lot of Anastasia Brow Pencils which is considerably more. Honestly though, I'll always love my Rimmel Professional brow pencil in hazel...I especially love the price of $4, lol. If you're looking for a higher end brow pencil for a pretty decent price though, this one is for you.


Mascara
I've tried this mascara on myself a few times. It's more of an everyday mascara...average lengthening and volumizing. The kind of thing you wear to work or class...no complaints but if you're looking for big time volume or length you'd probably need to turn to something like Lash Blast or DiorShow.


Final Thoughts
In all, you know what this brand reminds me of? If you combined Bobbi Brown and MAC together they'd have a Steelo baby. And believe me...that's a compliment. It has the rich colors and pigmenation of MAC glosses, blushes, and eyeshadows and the beautiful color matching

I'll have more reviews when I do a video making myself over with these fab products. Check them out! Steelo Cosmetics

Check out my YouTube video uploaded today, my Eve Pearl makeover on Melissa!

Atlanta Makeup Artist
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9:34 AM 16
Hi Bellas!

Yesterday I posted a video showing some of the most popular products on the makeup scene. Many refer to them as the Coastal Scents palettes, but they are actually mass produced makeup palettes made overseas. Companies like Coastal Scents buy them and bulk and distribute them at a discounted rate.

Until now I had never tried these palettes. To be honest, I was a little skeptical. I know that oftentimes, large no-name palettes suffer in terms of quality. I have several MAC palettes and two Yaby palettes which were awesome. I didn't want to fall into the hype and be disappointed.

However, one of my new initiatives in terms of my beauty blog and YouTube channel is to do tutorials and looks that most of my audience can recreate. I realize that many of you have these palettes.

The point of my video is to show you that there are other sources for these palettes besides Coastal Scents. I've found them cheaper on Stars Makeup Haven. On top of this, they're not always sold out like Coastal Scents! I've heard you can also find them on Ebay...but if you want it from a reputable seller, I'd go with the former.

Check out my video!


Hopefully I don't get any backlash from Coastal Scents...I've heard that sometimes they get a little crunk with people who offer less than positive feedback.

Here are the items I tested:

Blush Palette: Coastal Scents Price $16.95 ; Stars Makeup Haven Price $15.95
Overall, this is a decent blush palette. Most of the colors are on the sheer side except the bride orange and pink. I was able to get most of them show by layering them on, but you may want to skip this if you're skin tone is darker than mine.


96 E/S palette: This is not on the Coastal Scents site. It retails for $24.95 on Stars Makeup Haven. This is my favorite palette of them all. The colors are super bright and there are so many to choose from. I wasn't disappointed with the pigmentation. However, you do need a base with these. I noticed that if you don't, the shadows start to disappear when you blend. However, I wear a base with all eyeshadows regardless. I'd definitely recommend. I compared this side by side with the 88 palette and this one is far better. I also wore the shadows in this palette in my Naughty Valentines Day look video.


28 Pan Neutral Palette: Coastal Scents $21.95, Stars Makeup Haven $19.95
I was a little iffy on this palette at first. A lot of colors are cool toned and have a tendency to give you that ashy effect. The key is to use a base again, and to pick the colors in the palette that work for you...mix and match. After a while, I found out which ones work for me. For the size of the eyeshadows and the price though, it's a great deal.


15 pan palette: $6.95 on Stars Makeup Haven. They don't offer the empty palette on Coastal Scents, just the one with pans. I like this one more since I'm a depotter...and I don't usually need extra pans since I don't do much pigment pressing. I actually just ripped out the foam insert and lined the bottom with an adhesive magnet sheet. Stars Makeup Haven sells the adhesive sheet. Then you can fit a few more eyeshadows in. This palette is smaller than the MAC 15 palette and also great for traveling. I'm going to probably bring this with me to the Philippines since it's small enough to fit in my makeup bag.


28 Pan Palette: They only offer this at Stars Makeup Haven for $10.95. With both empty palettes, you have the option of getting it with pans for about $1-$2 more. Talk about a lot of room for an eyeshadow palette! This is great for a large gig where you don't want to have a million palettes floating around. I'll probably do the same with this one and rip out the foam so I can just have a freeform palette to put in my MAC blush and eyeshadow pans.


So I hope my review helped some of you out. The bottom line is that both companies offer similar goods...but one company offers it cheaper. You can also get rare MAC and other high end goods from Stars Makeup Haven while you're there...i've gotten MAC pigment samples from them before and have been very pleased!

Stay tuned for tomorrow's video, my Rihanna Celebrity Makeup Tutorial.

Till next time, Ciao Bellas!

Atlanta Makeup Artist
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