Soft & Romantic Valentine's Day Makeup

Hi readers!! So of course Valentine's day is around the corner! I know I will be going all out with my makeup when I go out with the hubs that night :)! Today I was playing around with makeup, trying to come up with a good look that I can share with you guys.  I'm obsessed with purples and lilacs at the moment so I decided to go with that.  Keep reading if you want to achieve this beautiful and soft look for Valentine's day (or any other day!).

1: First moisturize and prime.  I used Maybelline's Baby Skin (of course) and applied all over with a foundation brush.

2: Next comes foundation.  I used my Rimmel Stay Matte foundation and applied with my Real Techniques stippling brush.

3: Conceal and highlight under eyes with a good concealer.  I used the Rimmel Match Perfection underneath my eyes and the Physician's Formula Perfecting Concealer Duo for any blemishes.

4: Now the finish: apply a good face powder anywhere you applied concealer to seal it all in.  I used NYX's Radiant Finishing Powder (LOVE btw!).

5: Can't forget the brows people! Define your brows with anything you like to use... I used my e.l.f. eyebrow kit.

6: Prime your lids.  I used my e.l.f. eyelid primer all over lids and crease.

7: Ok now for the eyes. For this look, I used my Too Faced In Your Dreams palette.  First, I applied Pink Peacock all over my lid (or any light shimmery pink will work of course) with a flat shader brush.  Next, apply a dark purple to the crease (I used Dream On) with a fluffy crease brush.  Then, a dark grey to the outer V of your eyelid (I used Fishnet) using a small accent brush.  Keep blending! Blending is the most important step!

8: Now line the top of your lash line with a black cream liner and add a little flick at the outer corner (I used my e.l.f. cream liner).  Line your waterline with a brown pencil liner (like the NYX eyebrow and eyeliner pencil in Medium Brown) and then using an angled brush, apply a brown shimmery eyeshadow underneath your lash line (I used Rapture) to smoke it out.

9: Mascara time! I used my Makeup Forever Smoky Extravagant mascara, but of course any kind will work.  You can also apply false lashes here too (I might do that on Valentine's day).

10: Now for the cheeks.  Use a good bronzer to the hollows of your cheeks, under the jaw line, and up to the top of your forehead.  Next, apply a highlighter to the tops of your cheekbones (like NYX's Liquid Illuminator). Then, last but not least, a pink blush to the apples and blend out to your hairline (NYX's Baked Blush in Spanish Rose).

11: Now for the best part! Lipstick! I used my all-time favorite lipstick here... EM Cosmetic's lipstick in Violaceous.  It is the most beautiful lilac color and I am obsessed.

There ya go! Don't you look pretty? I'd love to know if anyone tried this look and how it worked out for you! Thanks for reading :)

<3 Miriam

Products used:

My Flawless Face Essentials!

Hello readers!!! So I thought I'd share an important part of my beauty routine -- how to get that perfect complexion! Here are my flawless face essentials:

1: First and foremost, it is always important to start with a good daily moisturizer.  There's nothing more annoying than applying makeup to a dry face.  It's just not pretty!! Every morning, I use my Genove Fluidbase moisturizer for Normal skin.  There is also a version available for dry and combo skin.  This is by far the BEST moisturizer I have ever used.... it is so delicate, which is something I look for because I have very sensitive skin.  Check out the whole Genove line here: http://www.genoveusa.com/~shop/main.html

2: Before applying foundation, it is imperative to use a good primer.  Lately, I've been using the Maybelline Baby Skin pore eraser.  Primers are great for minimizing pores, keeping your foundation in place all day, and allowing any makeup to adhere to skin more smoothly.

3: As many of you know, I am now obsessed with the Rimmel Stay Matte foundation.  Using a good foundation that will minimize any shine is important for a flawless look!

4: Next, I use my Rimmel Match Perfection concealer under the eyes.  If you read my blog, you know that this is great for accentuating the area under your eyes and getting rid of those pesky dark circles.  You also need a great concealer for any blemishes.  I get a lot of redness around my cheeks due to old pimples (mine take FOREVER to disappear) so I like to use my Physician's Formula dual tone concealer.  Any concealer that comes with that green color is great for getting rid of any redness and coloration when used UNDERNEATH the skin tone concealer.

5: Now it's time for powder.  Powder is so important to any makeup look -- it keeps everything in place!! I like to carry around a spare compact just in case I need to blot during the day!

That's all for now lovelies! Thanks for reading!! Leave a comment and let me know what you think :)

<3 Miriam

Rimmel Match Perfection Concealer & Stay Matte Foundation Review

Hey guys I'm back!!! After a long and tedious revamping of my blog I finally like how it looks!! Anyways.... on to the review:

So I recently picked up two products that I have been dying to try: the Rimmel Stay Matte Foundation and the Rimmel Match Perfection concealer.  I figured that since I am obsessed with the Stay Matte powder I should give the foundation a try.  Let's just say it is PERFECT.  Right when you start applying, you can tell that it is going to give you full coverage and keep any shininess away.  My only problem is that I think I bought it in the wrong shade (stupid of me lol), it was a bit too light but not too much since it still worked.  I recently did a lookbook photoshoot (which will be up soon after editing... I'm really excited!) and I used this foundation because I knew I wanted good coverage.  So basically, I give it a 10/10.

Next is the Rimmel Match Perfection concealer.  I love this product.  The shade is perfect and it gave my eyes a bit of a glow.  I really only used it under my eyes to brighten the area (because I love my Physician's Formula color correction concealer duo for hiding blemishes). It was super easy to apply - it has one of those brush tips that load the concealer and then you just apply to your face.  I also give this a 10/10.

Ok random thought. Are any of you guys Ipsy subscribers? For my January bag, I received the Elizabeth Mott Smooth Shadow pencil and I'm pretty sure it gave me a rash around my eyelids and crease.  Did anyone experience this??? It was kind of scary lol and I don't know, it may not have even been because of this product (maybe something else??). Ah well!

Thanks for reading <3
Miriam

MOTD

Tonight's makeup look brought to you by:

A Slice of my Makeup Bag

Heya :) So I thought I’d do a “what’s in my makeup bag?” kind of thing to start off my blog. Here goes:

1. Primer: e.l.f. Mineral Face Primer, which is AMAZING by the way and I’ve tried A LOT of primers. And for some reason I have two eyeshadow primers: my e.l.f. shadow primer and NYX eyeshadow base. Both are great, but the e.l.f. one is much better, plus I’ve noticed that many people rave about it.

2. Foundations: I have two for some reason. My trusted Rimmel BB Cream in “light” because it’s amazing and then my new Almay Wake up liquid makeup in “ivory” because I just got it and to be honest I’m not sure how I feel about it yet.

3. Concealer: Right now I toting around my Physician’s Formula Perfecting Concealer duo that I got for literally like $2 at CVS.  It has a green tone that you apply below the actual concealer that hides redness and blemishes.  Then on top of that you just add the normal skin tone concealer to cover any minor flaws.  When I apply this, I usually use a concealer brush and then blend it out with my beautyblender makeup sponge. IT IS SUCH A GOOD PRODUCT.

4. Powder: the amazing Rimmel Stay Matte powder - seriously one of the best that I have ever used.
5. Blush/bronzer/highlighter: My favorite product has to be my new Ultimate Glow Face trio by Victoria’s Secret that I just bought at the Semi Annual Sale.  It has a bronzer, blush, and highlighter shade (that I apply at the top of my cheekbones and down my nose) and it gives such a pretty glow and color to my face.  Also have NYC Cheek Glow in Central Park Pink and NYC Color Wheel Mosaic Face Powder in Pink Cheek Glow (these are ok, they’re inexpensive so what do you expect?).  Not to mention my Covergirl blush (I think the color is “pink”?) that I have literally had for years and it still has not run out. It is a beautiful color and very pigmented - one of my faves for sure.  Almost forgot my new NYX Liquid Illuminator in the color “sunbeam.” Not sure how I feel about this yet, but I will definitely let you guys know.

6. Eyebrows: e.l.f. Eyebrow kit which I am obsessed with.  I don’t feel like my makeup look is complete without a good defined brow. Basically I take an angled brush into the waxy part, apply it to my brows creating the shape.  Then, I take the powder to set it and it stays all day I love it! I also have a new product: the NYX “pushup bra for your eyebrows” yeah that’s literally what it’s called.  Basically it’s a two sided pencil, one side to fill in your brows then the other is a highlighter that I like to apply underneath the arch to give a lifted effect and not to mention a nice highlight (I don’t like filling in my brows with a pencil so I only use the highlighter).

7. Eyeliner:  I have a few for some reason: my Sephora kohl expert and my Hard Candy Take Me Out Liner.  Both are good, but what I mainly use is my e.l.f. Cream Eyeliner which I definitely recommend if you have trouble applying any type of liquid eyeliner it’s a life saver.

8. Eyes: I always use my Revlon eyelash curler before applying mascara, it creates a more dramatic curling effect to any mascara.  Right now I’m using the Loreal Telescopic Shocking Extensions mascara which is amazing.  I used the Maybelline Cat Eyes mascara for a long time which is also AMAZING.  I decided to try out a new one because I have this thing where I always need to try a different mascara and I really don’t know why….

Ok so that’s my makeup bag :) And I realized that maybe I keep too many things in there lol.  Hope I maybe gave you guys some inspiration…. ask me any questions you might have!! <3