Another Heat Wave Outfit

We had a solid heat wave here in the Bay Area for the last couple of weeks, so I've continued my theme of attempting to wear things that I won't be able to wear once it gets colder.

I also wore another part of my recent haul - a new shirt!

My mom actually bought this shirt a couple of months ago in orange, and I never tried it on.  I was never quite sure why, because I always liked it.  So when I saw it on sale online, I went for it in the gray color.

The best part is definitely the back detailing! It is a different fabric with a line of buttons at the top.  See Gap's pics:

This was nice a cool for a hot day! andddd with my wedges:

Another thing I won't be wearing as it gets colder :)

Works Cited:
Shirt and Shorts - Gap
Necklace - American Eagle
Wedges - Bakers? on sale a couple of years ago :)

I also gave my newest eyeshadow (Mulch by MAC) a test drive.  Loving it so far!

Did anyone else shop the end of summer sales? I'm finding myself seriously tempted by a LOT right now!

Simple OOTD Round-up

I was feeling a little uninspired in my outfit choices lately, so I have been sticking to fairly simple outfits that are comfy, but still put together.  I've also been making a semi-solid effort to incorporate some of my summer clothes that can't be remixed very well for the fall or winter.

So, here is what I wore last week:

Last monday started chilly but warmed up quite a lot pretty quickly, thus the layers :)

Works Cited:
Dress- American Eagle
Scarf- Nordy's Juniors
Sweater- Gap
Sandals- Victoria's Secret

And a FOTD with MAC Cranberry eyeshadow...

Since these were the only pictures that came out ok, no big FOTD post.  It was a nice look though!

Tuesday was hot-hot-hot (see here) so I stuck with a simple dress, a favorite that won't make it past these summery days!

Also giving minimal makeup a shot lately.  Not bad, if I do say so myself.

andddd my shoes.  They rock.  Target FTW!

The wedges have gold specks in them, can't really tell in these pictures.
Works Cited:
Dress- J. Crew Outlet
Wedges- Target

Wednesday, I realized I had yet to wear this scarf this summer, and that just seemed like a tragedy.

I thought the blue and coral seemed like a nice way to make my outfit more interesting with minimal effort haha!

Can't beat comfort and versatility with shorts, a tank and a sweater!
Works Cited:
Tank and Cami- Target
Shorts and Sweater- Gap
Scarf- Urban Outfitters (I think? From our christmas trip to Georgia one year)

I recently got a butt-load (technical term) of new stuff, so expect to see it featured coming up in my next posts!

Here is a preview:

Flats from Ruche! LOVE!

A pile of my new stuff! Still finding homes for all of it :)

xoxo

A FOTD inspired by Youtube

Just a face of the day today!  I did this look to attend a business picnic on Sunday, and it was perfect for the weather, which was much warmer than I expected.  Silly summer still holding on!

I first did this look based off of this youtube video:



My relationship with makeup people on youtube is a story for another day though (preview: it is very one sided).

Although I am not personally a fan of the Twilight series (blasphemy!) I loved this look!  I did not, however, have literally any of the products she uses, soooo I improvised.

I went with my normal base makeup, which I will list in a little more detail than I usually do below.  Tanya uses MAC Patina for the primary color, which is a color I don't have, so instead I layered MAC All That Glitters first with Sable on top of it.  According to her, the real color is more of a golden color than what my layering makes, but this is a nice color combination for me, so I go with it.

Beyond layering the colors to create the base, I find it is important for me to pull the gray and black shadow that you layer along your lash line into my outer corner and slightly in the crease as well for a little more definition.

As you can see I started in my polka dot sweater again, but luckily I brought an emergency tank top because we got to the picnic and it was hot. Yay emergency tank tops!

Since this is more focused on my makeup, I have listed the products in the order I applied them.  Hopefully that helps if you want to do this look yourself!

My Face:

Base Makeup-

• Garnier Skin Renew Anti-Dark-Circle Roller (blended with my finger under my eyes)
• Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua in 20 Beige (I use a small, flat top kabuki brush to blend it all over my face)
• MAC Studio Sculpt Concealer in NC15 (I use a small, fluffy eyeshadow brush to blend this on any spot that needs coverage, like pimples or redness around my nose.  Everywhere except under my eyes)
• Origins Plantscription Anti-aging concealer in 01 Light (Use the same brush as the last step to blend this liquid concealer under my eyes)
• Chanel Natural Finish Loose Powder in 30 Naturel (This powder can be a little on the dark side for me sometimes, but it's perfect in the summer and in the winter I just make sure to have a light hand.  I start by setting the concealer under my eyes with a small fluffy brush, then I set the spots I put concealer.  After I powder those spots separately, I use a large fluffy brush to brush a light layer over my whole face.)

Eyes-

• MAC Eyebrow Pencil in Lingering (I use this pencil to define and fill in patchy spots in my brows.  I always brush through them before and after using it, first to place my brows about where I want them, and I feel like it helps it look more natural to brush them through again afterwards)
• NARS Pro-Prime smudge proof eyeshadow base (Literally the best eyeshadow base EVER! I just blend it over my lids with my fingers)
• MAC All That Glitters (all over my lids and up through your crease)
• MAC Sable (same as with All that Glitters, but I try to keep the inner third of my lids only lightly layered, and focus the Sable more on the middle and outside of my lid)
• MAC Hocus Pocus (any gray shadow will do, this happened to be a limited edition color from the blogger collection.  I use a slanted eyeliner brush to layer it on the outer half of my lash line.  Just like she does, I blend it out with each addition)
• MAC Carbon (same as with Hocus Pocus, just much less needed.  The whole thing should stay soft)
• MAC Brule (as a highlight. I sweep it over my brow bone right at the end and blend out any hard edges of the shadow with a clean fluffy brush)
• Lancome Eyelash curler and Makeup Forever Smokey Lash mascara (self explanatory)
• Maybelline Great Lash Clear mascara (I use this as eyebrow gel)

Cheeks-

• Dior Bronze Matte Sunshine shade 002 Honey Matte (brushed along my cheekbones, temples, and jaw line)
• MAC Margin Blush (brushed onto the apples of the cheeks)
• Dior Shimmer Powder in 002 Amber Diamond (brushed along the tops of my cheekbones)

If any of the lines from my cheek makeup seem harsh, I keep a clean kabuki brush to use to blend it out.

And one last picture... Daniel tried to photobomb me and I caught him lol :)

And that is all I have to say about that.

Extra points if you can name that movie.

S&N's Wedding Rehearsal Pics

Part 1 of 2 of wedding pictures!

Just as a recap for anyone who missed it, Stacy and Nick were our roommates for the last year (we actually moved into new places the week after their wedding!) and they just got married Sept. 24th!  Daniel was Nick's best man, and I was one of Stacy's bridesmaids.

We started the day before the wedding with a group nail appointment with all the bridesmaids, Stacy and the two moms.  I knew we were going to have little to no time to get ready in between our nail appointments, so I planned my makeup to be a look easily transformed for an evening look.  I stuck with a neutral, defined crease and planned to just switch from chapstick to red lipstick for the evening.

Phone pic running out the door!  Do you love the heels in hand and moving boxes in the background?

We headed to their church to get decorations set up and rehearse the ceremony.  Since we ran from appointments, home to change, then to the church, my only makeup pics are car pics!

Sporting my favorite red, Revlon Colorburst Lipstick in Rasberry.  I would love to find a better quality version of this!  It lasts ok with several rounds of blotting and reapplying, but I'd love to have something that is a little easier to throw on.  It did help me realize that despite having very warm tones in my skin and hair, the bluer based reds look MUCH better on me!

A nice car pic of Me and Daniel (clearly my favorite kinds of pictures haha!)

Rehearsing!

And to finish this post off, one of us before we headed to dinner from the church!

Look out for S&N wedding post part 2 with pics from the wedding day!

xoxo

Melanie

Journey FOTD

Hello all!

So I know I owe you some reviews, and as a preview I will say that I am LOVING my Chanel Perfection Lumiere foundation!  I've been wearing it almost everyday since I bought it.  More on that and my other new stuff later.  For now, I wanted to share my face of the day (night?) from the Journey concert!

We have had this concert planned for a while now as an early birthday celebration for one of my good friends Jessica.  We went to an awesome Spanish restaurant first for tapas and Sangria pitchers, then headed to Shoreline for the concert!  We had a fantastic time singing along and jumping around on the lawn.  When we first talked about going to the concert I wasn't feeling particularly enthusiastic because I didn't think I really knew many songs, but I realized when we were there I knew more than I thought, and it ended up being a really great night.  Of course they ended the show with 'Don't Stop Believin' which was our SF Giants anthem last year on our way to the World Series and now a sort of anthem with our group of friends, so it was a fun way to end the night.

Alright, enough blabber and on to the makeup!  I've been feeling slightly cooler toned makeup with the change (ish) in weather, so I played with my new Satin Taupe and LOVED the results!

FACE:

Garnier Skin Renew Anti-Dark-Circle Roller (tinted)

YSL Teint Resist #4

Sonia Kashuk Concealer Palette

Origins Quick, Hide! concealer in 01 Light (for under eyes)

MAC Prep and Prime transparent powder (only to set under eye concealer)

Chanel Natural Finish Loose Powder in 30 (LOVE this powder!)

BROWS:

Lingering Eyebrow Pencil

Maybelline Great Lash in Clear

EYES:

Nars eyeshadow primer

MAC Satin Taupe

MAC Carbon

MAC Moleskin

MAC Brule

(A touch of Urban Decay Sin on the inner corner)

Guerlain Terracotta Loose Powder Kohl Liner in Black (my FAVORITE for waterline!)

Clinique brush on gel liner in Black

Dior Diorshow Waterproof mascara in Black

CHEEKS:

Chanel Powder Blush in Rose Bronze

Dior Amber Diamond

LIPS:

nothing in the pictures, but I threw on MAC Evolution Revolution lipglass later

I was really happy with how it turned out, it was the perfect smokey-but-not eye, great for the transition from day to night!

Pictures from Cascal!

None from the concert itself unfortunately, we got there too close to the start of the show and had to grab a seat way at the edge of the lawn.  

Yay for Journey (and Sangria!)  Look out for more posts :)

xoxo

Melanie

Some New MAC Products- small haul, swatches, fotd

Hello everyone!

I went to my local MAC counter the other day to gift myself with some new makeup for my birthday, and even though I went there planning on just buying Well Dressed blush and maybe an eyeshadow, I left instead with 3 eyeshadows (All That Glitters, Moleskin, and Sketch), a brow pencil (Lingering), and two new brushes (226 and 211... note well dressed's absence in that list haha).

Lingering Brow Pencil
Despite not buying what I planned on, I have been thoroughly enjoying all my new products.  I was swatching away at the eyeshadows when the MAC artist came by to see if I needed help.  On a whim I asked if she could recommend anything for my brows.  Lately I'd been feeling like they looked a little patchy, and just not a very nice shape, she came over and applied Lingering brow pencil (which I've read a lot about) and despite being nervous when she first suggested a brow pencil I loved the results!  I've been trying my hand at it about every other day, and I havent decided if it is going to be a new daily part of my beauty routine or not.

Me wearing all my new products (wish I could take credit for this look, but the MAC artist applied the eye makeup)

All That Glitters, Moleskin (LE) and Sketch Eyeshadows
All I can say is LOVE.  I've been reaching for All That Glitters and Moleskin for an easy soft look practically every day since I bought these shadows, and I love how easy it is to make it more dramatic with some Sketch blended into the outer corner and crease.

All That Glitters (left) and Moleskin (right, and limited edition with the new MAC me over collection)

swatches in opposite order :) Moleskin on the left and All That Glitters on the right.

Moleskin is just the perfect matte blending color, and it looks so nice in the crease to break up how shimmery All That Glitters is on the lid.

A little shiny after cooking dinner, but with that eyeshadow combination on the lids (and some brown liner).

226 and 211 Brushes
I'm a HUGE fan of gel eyeliner, so when I first saw pictures of the 211 brush on Temptalia I couldn't wait to try it out.  I often find eyeliner brushes are way too thick for me, since I usually prefer a very thin line of eyeliner.  Thicker eyeliner can take over my lid, which is fine is that's what im going for, but usually im not haha.  The 211 is kind of thick, actually, but makes a surprisingly thin line when I turn it sideways, and the brush shape makes the perfect flick with almost not effort.

I'm also REALLY loving the 226.  My eyes are a little on the hooded side, and a lot of the popular brushes are just way too big for my eyelid.  The 226 fits so perfectly into my crease, and it is soooo soft.  I'm thinking about grabbing another one because I've been using it that often!

So moral of the story, loving all my new products!  Of course, I'm still lusting after Well Dressed (and light pink blushes in general) and now Club eyeshadow as well (what is under my eyes in the very first picture... wasn't sure if I loved it when she first put it on, but by the time I took it off I was sold), so I'm thinking another trip to the mall is in my future!  Maybe as a "Congrats your lease ended" gift? haha I'll come up with something :)

Anyone else get anything from the MAC me over collection?  I'm still eyeing Carbonized eyeshadow and Equilibrium blush, but haven't decided if I should go for it or not

xoxo

Melanie

Birthday FOTD Double Feature :)

Hello again everyone!

As I mentioned in my last post, Wednesday was my birthday! Yay! So I figured for my second post I would show you my birthday makeup.

I started the day working for a few hours, so I went for a simple but defined look that I could build on later for my night out (click to enlarge!).

FACE:

Garnier Renew Anti-Dark-Circle Roller

YSL Teint Resist #4

Origins Quick, Hide! Concealer in 01 Light

Sonia Kashuk Concealer Palette (the two concealer shades mixed together)

MAC Prep and Prime powder (just under my eyes)

CHEEKS:

Dior Bronze Matte Sunshine Honey Matte

Korres Blush in Peach

MAC MSF Stereo Rose (over the Korres blush)

EYES:
UDPP in Sin

MAC Ricepaper

UD Naked

MAC Soft Brown

MAC Haux

UD Buck

MAC Shroom

Clinique gel liner in Black

MAC Carbon (patted over the liner)

Clear brow gel

LIPS:

MAC Strange Potion Lipglass

After work Daniel and I went by my friend's bar for a quick birthday drink before going home to get ready for dinner at La Fondue (SO GOOD!). I just built on the makeup I was already wearing to make it more of a night time look :)

(excuse the car pictures, we were running late!)

FACE:

Blotted my face with a tissue and touched up my concealer with the Sonia Kashuk concealer palette

CHEEKS:

Nars Madly (clearly a night time fav of mine!)

Hoola Bronzer (the contour)

More Dior Bronzer

More Stereo Rose

Dior Amber Diamond

EYES:

More Ricepaper

MAC Center Stage

MAC Hocus Pocus

MAC Carbon

MAC Shroom

Guerlain Loose Khol eyeliner (Black)

and a little more Clinique gel liner in black

UD Naked on brows with some brow gel

And a few bonus pictures :)

On our way to La Fondue!

Happy birthday to me! After we met some friends at Applebee's (our former place of employment) then our favorite dive bar. Overall I had a really great night! It has been a while since I had such a nice birthday.

I hope you enjoyed this post! The next day I went to the mall and bought myself some birthday makeup, so maybe some reviews or more FOTDs coming soon!

xoxo Melanie

My first blog post!

Hello empty internet land!

I am 1 hour and 43 minutes into my birthday, and instead of sleeping like normal people would be right now, I decided to try something I've wanted to do for a while... write my first blog post! After stalking various beauty and fashion blogs for the last two years, I'm finally taking the plunge. So here it is, my first attempt!

The boyfriend and I just attended our second wedding of the summer (of 4!) in LA, one of Daniel's friends from middle and high school. So from that I give you my first ever FOTD!

We flew straight from our Hawaiian vacation to LA before flying home to Nor Cal, so all I had with me was the makeup I had decided to travel with.

(Click to enlarge!)

FACE:

YSL Teint Resist in #4

Garnier Skin Renew Anti-Dark-Circle Roller (the tinted one)

Origins Quick, Hide! Concealer in 01 Light

Sonia Kashuk Concealer Palette (the two concealer shades mixed together)

MAC Prep and Prime Transparent Finishing Powder

CHEEKS:

Hoola Bronzer (just a touch to contour)

Dior Bronze Matte Sunshine Honey Matte

Nars Madly Blush

MAC Prism blush (just barely over Madly)

Dior Amber Diamond to highlight

EYES:

UD Primer Potion in Sin

(Everything from the UD Naked Palette, since that was what I was traveling with)

Smog

Darkhorse

Virgin

(And and intsy bit of half baked on the inner corners)

Clinique Gel Liner in Black

Diorshow Waterproof Mascara

Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara

Clear Brow Gel

LIPS:

Chanel Rouge Coco Shine in Evasion

Whew! So many products! Didn't seem like as many when I was putting my face on :)

Hope you enjoy this brief first post, and hopefully I will be back soon with another!

xoxo,

Melanie