12 Days of Christmas- Can't Believe We're Only On Day 6! :)

Daaaayyyyy 6 lol....for my pink and purple lovers. I'm not a fan of pink makeup in the winter. Idk why, but pink always reminds me of Spring and Summer. Nonetheless, I went for a frosty pink cut crease eye

Love me a good cut crease, but I must say attempting to do it on myself is a challenge sometimes. I have such creasing eyelids, and it smears easily if I don't do it right...but this turned out cool.

*Side note: For you who don't know what a cut crease is, its using a color (usually a very dark color) in the crease of the eye that drastically contrasts with the color on the lid- giving the appearance that color on the lid "cuts" off at the crease, oppose to blending/transitioning into another color. (that make sense????? ugh lol)* Like so....

and a closer look...

I am almost wearing a complete drugstore face.....with the exception of Blackout by Urban Decay in the crease (only because its by far the blackest of black eyeshadows), MAC's Graphiology (the deep purple-also in the crease); and, my Lorac Pro Eyeshadow Primer. I wish I had used a base that had a bit of color because this happened =>

As pretty as the eye turned out, it creased and smudged almost immediately. I used a frosty pink on my lid that came from a palette by my fave drugstore brand for eyeshadow- Wet n Wild of course. My motto is if you're going to use an inexpensive eyeshadow, always combine it with high quality primers. While Lorac does well with most shadows, the pink didn't adhere to if for some reason. If ever I do this eye again, I'll most likely use a paint pop by MAC, or something of that nature. 

On my lips is my fave- Wet n Wild's Vamp It Up. I paired it with a black liner to deepen the color. I repeat and recycle colors because I love what I love on myself, and I'm stuck in my ways. lol Also, this is a blog of a cheapy. I'm aware that not everybody is gonna go out and spend their life on makeup.........................like me. :) So, using the same products to achieve different looks is a must, right? 

So, I lied when I said that I didn't care for pairing a bold eye with a bold lip. I suppose I dig it when its done right...or my opinion of right lol 

I hope you all are enjoying this as much as I am. lol Please follow me via email or google+ for updates, and tell a friend! Also, I am always booking. For bookings, shoot me an email- flyyfaced@yahoo.com. The holidays are quickly approaching. We must be beat for the festivities! 

   

12 Days of Christmas-Day 4 and LA Girl's Pro Concealer

And Day 4 is simple.... Some Copper/Burnt Orange and Purple love... Good earthy colors <3 I'm digging purple lips lately

*Side bar: If you haven't jumped on the LA Girl Pro Concealer craze, you are missing out! The color, coverage and consistency (3 important Cs) of these are amaze balls! Not to mention they are under $5 on sale on cherryculture.com. I got mines from ebay; however, gotta be careful with ebay b/c I swear one of them was filled with water when I got it (smh). Anywho, they are very similar to MAC's Pro Long wear, and last just as long when set with powder. I think I am most impressed with the range of colors they come in. Undertones are important when it comes to concealers, and I think they have the best variety. I have shades Cool Tan, Warm Honey and Fawny. They appear close in color but are significant difference in undertones. Try them!* 

See ya tomorrow! 

12 Days of Christmas- Day 3

Ok, lets just jump right into it....

Day 3 of 12...I'm singing in the annual Philly Pops Christmas concert at the Kimmel Center with St. Thomas Gospel Choir (s/o to them!), so my African attire was berry purple and gold. Since I loved the white gold shadow by Black Radiance I used in the previous post, I decided to pair that on the eyes with a bronzey gold and browns from the Lorac Pro palette. The pro palette is probably my fave palette this yr...you can't go wrong with neutrals.

My foundation is Black Opal's Creme Stick foundations in Heavenly Honey and Truly Topaz of course....Love this stuff. However, it does give me a yellowy look on camera. Nevertheless, I promise it matches perfectly in person...It has an SPF of 15 I think, so that's possibly why it appears a lil off in some lighting. Plus, I just have bad lighting period lol  

These pix are all up close and personal...a lil too close for comfort at times lol....but as an artist, I feel its best to show the details of your work.... flaws and all....Although I do use it to fill in these huge pores, Photoshop paints too many perceptions of "flawlessness" that most of us cannot and DO NOT live up too... no matter how much makeup we use. We have to learn to be comfortable in our own skin....LOVE ME! HUGE PORES AND ALL! LOL ok enough of the preachin'... 

 Wet n Wild's Vamp It Up is probably my favorite lipstick of all time. It's a really deep purple that looks gorg on most complexions. I paired it with a Navy Blue liner, and popped the white gold shadow in the center...turned out cute...think I may wear this lippie more often lol

Alright....by now y'all can tell that I'm having too much fun with this....and don't you dare judge my messy background lol

See ya later on

      

12 Days of Christmas-Day 2

Here's Day 2 of 12 Days of Christmas...I never know what my inspiration is until I sit in front of the mirror.......nope that's a lie...until I actually start applying the paint is more like it lol...so I grabbed some blues and white golds and thought CHRISTMAS ORNAMENT??

Darker brow today...and tho the camera doesn't do it justice, A pretty shimmery gold lipstick on the lips with a dab of a white gold shadow in the center. Also used the white gold underneath the eye instead of a liner 

My new winter fave blush- MAC's Amber Rosing...its so red and shiny...And since I'm so 80s, I extended the color upward twd my temples. Warning tho, if you have large pores on the cheeks like I do, I'd be careful of shimmery blushes. The shimmer will attract attention to them. However, as you can see, I couldn't care less...my messy skin gives me character, as youtuber EnkoreMakeup would say. *facetious face* lol *Side note: There are products that will reduce the size of pores, but I always run out of them quick :/ We'll save that for another time*

I've been in the mood for heavy eye and subtle lips lately...or vice-versa. I think its best to keep one simple if the other is bold...unless I'm playing drag ;)

 Hope ya likey!

12 Days of Christmas-Day 1....I'm BACK!

WELL HELLO THERE!!!!! I have been so neglectful and for that I apologize!! :( I could give a whole sob story of why I've been M.I.A., but who cares really? lol So, I'll just jump right to the important stuff. I thought I'd come back and do a 12 Days of Christmas series where I will be posting 12 looks in 12 days (may not be consecutive :)). The looks will be inspired by the season and holidays. Here we go! Day 1: 

I dark shimmery green and red smokey eye seems appropriate, right? lol

I used 3 colors from various inexpensive palettes and Sable from my Lorac Pro palette on the eyes...However, I'd rather you go out and find colors that you all would like to blend with ...There's a really dark shimmery green with gold flecks color from a Wet n Wild palette all over the lid, a pop of a lighter shimmery green in the center of the lid from a LA Colors palette, Sable in the crease which can be duped with any dark brick hued brown, and Red from a Color Workshop palette (which are on sale now in Walmart I'm sure in the cheap gifts section) as the transition color.

(Pix were all taken in different lighting as you can see) I contoured with some of my usuals- MAC blush in Blunt and Black Opal's Deluxe Finishing Powder in Dark for the gradient effect. 

Highlighted a lil with a shimmery loose pigment (that would suck as an eyeshadow lol) by LA Colors, and paired dark brown liner and a reddish hued nude lipstick on the lips. Hope you like! Day 1 of my 12 Days of Christmas!  

See ya soon 

    

    

Unconventional Face Primer for Oily Skin...Shocking!

Heyyyyyyy Guyyyyyyssss!!!!! Its been like a whole 2 months right?? Ugh too long but I'm back. So, I wanna talk about another unconventional face primer for oily skin...This one is probably even more of a shocker than the Milk of Magnesia (MoM)....

Recently, my skin has been acting up again. It's been producing way more oil than normal. Not gonna get into too much detail, but I believe its from too much progesterone (Don't know what that is? Google it. lol). It's to the point where I'd rather not even wear makeup *CUE DISASTROUS MUSIC*. And we all know that is UNACCEPTABLE! So, once again...I set out to see what others are doing to control their extreme cases of oil secretion. You won't believe what I came across...apparently its been a secret weapon for quite some time now...

THIS! Now I know some of you are like "she has lost her mind". While that is most likely the case, I promise it is not due to this. I'm telling you. Monistat's Chafing Relief Powder- Gel is a game changer. Initially, it's made to prevent chaffing between the inner thigh, bikini area and underarms. However, I believe the active ingredient, Dimethicone, is what keeps sweat and even oil under control. It doesn't have an overwhelming scent. It squeezes out the tube a clear gel and dries to a light powdery, velvet- matte finish. It is not greasy, nor is overly drying. I even wore it without makeup, over top my moisturizer. I also paired it with MoM under foundation and stayed matte for hrs.

 Although it did not break me out (and I have extremely sensitive skin) , I can not speak for others. So, be cautious before you try it!!!!!!!!    

Contouring for the Summer: A "How To"

    So if you're currently in Philly or on the East Coast, you know it's hot. Like too hot! Like too hot for makeup............Now, you know I'm lying. Ain't no weather gonna make me part from my products! However, I will admit that this weather has me sporting a more toned down look; but, I still have to have a good contour. Here's a "how to" for what I call my Plain Jane face. I think this technique is great for everyday wear in the summer.

    Applying foundation is for the most part easy, If you have an issue with foundation application, we'll have to talk another time. I can't seem to stray from my cream foundation, but its totally optional. You may choose to skip the all over cream foundation and just focus on the highlighting and contouring.With doing so, you may want to use an all over powder with color to tie everything together. Totally up to you. What I am rocking as foundation this summer is Black Opal's Concealing Foundation (in the clear circular jar).What's great about this foundation is that it doubles as a concealer and a lil goes a long way. Because I want my skin to breathe in this heat, I only buff a tiny bit onto my skin to even out my tone. The only thing I care to conceal is my birth curse- the bags and dark circles under my eyes. So, I go a lil heavier in that area. I use a combination of shades, Heavenly Honey in my tzone and Truly Topez on the outer part of my face.

Aaaaaahhh scary!!! lol! Nah just a lil contour. For me, the key to saying matte is powder. After I apply my foundation...oh and paint my brows, I apply Ben Nye's Luxury Powder in Banana (seen in the yellow bottle in first pic) as a highlight under my eyes, down the bridge of my nose, above my lip (not done in this pic), on the center of my chin....

and beneath my cheek contour. For a defined contour, I sometimes use my all time fave, Black Opal's Creme Stick foundation in Beautiful Bronze (not pictured) just in the dark areas seen above and down the sides of my big nose to make it appear smaller. However, its ok to only use a powder 2-3 shades darker than your complexion.

I set the contour with MAC blush in Blunt (round container with MAC on it, duh lol)

I also blend a lil slightly upward onto my temple area

and below my chin fading onto my neck to hide my double chins. lol. 

Don't I look crazy? don't judge me....lol

Next, I blend like my life depends on it. Sweeping the banana powder upward into the Blunt to fade out the harsh lines.

 You can see it coming together.. 

 

Once I've thoroughly blended everything, I then apply Black Opal's Translucent Powder all over my face. This colorless powder feels weightless, brings everything together and sets the face. It may seem like a lot, but given how naturally oily I am, I promise its needed. 

Add a lil liner, mascara, a lip and wah lah! My Plain Jane Face.

Hope you likey! lol



     

  

    

Product Review: Elf's Lock & Seal & Moisture Stick

  Heeeeeeeyyyy! Long time no speak! My brushes & I have been a lil busy with prom & wedding season. I've also painted for a few shoots that I'll post a link to later. For now, in light of ELF turning 9 & the huge 50% off sale they had today, I'm gonna briefly talk about a few new products that I love.

  The first, is ELF's Lock & Seal. It can be used simply to set eyeshadow or, as a mixing medium for pigments & loose eyeshadows. Using it as the latter turns powders somewhat creamy, helps pigments spread easier with minimal fall out (when pigments falls anywhere but the on the eyelid in which its intended lol), gives that foil appearance & sets them in place. At $3 in Target, it's a pretty good alternative to using Mehron or MAC's Fix+ as a medium. 

  The second is ELF's Moisture Stick. I looooove this! It's a clear stick that hydrates the skin with natural ingredients like grape, avocado & shea. It can be worn alone as a moisturizer or underneath your makeup as a primer for a dewy look. It's very light, doesn't clog pores & is great for all skin types. It's also $3, & since it's in stick form, its mess- proof. Simply roll it on & proceed with your face routine. Or, wear or with no product at all. 

  Last but not least is Elf's small Stippling brush. Besides my crease brushes for eyeshadow, this is probably one if my favorite brushes. It can be used for multiple purposes. I use it for applying/buffing cream & wax base foundations onto the skin. It's small enough to reach areas in which foundation tends to settle & crease if not blended thoroughly, such as around the nose & under the eye. Best $3 I've ever spent!

  Check these out!!            

Product Review: Black Opal- My Favorite Drugstore Brand

Hola! So I'm going to talk a lil about some products from my favorite drugstore brand for women of color, Black Opal! I've been mortifying lately that some of my fave well known makeup artists are using Black Opal products. Am I shocked? No, because the products are absolutely amazeballs, & are only getting better.
Lets start with my absolute fave, the True Color Creme Stick Foundation (the black tube). I have yet to find a foundation that I love more than this here baby lol. Usually, I am a MAC girl when it comes to foundation. Although I still prefer it in terms of foundation/concealer shades, Black Opal gives me better coverage. Not to mention, more bang for my buck. Retailing @ under $10, the creme stick is medium to full coverage, & is extremely buildable. It is a hypoallergenic foundation that glides & buffs onto the skin very evenly & smooth when used with a stippling brush. While it gives a more velvety finish on it's own, it mattifies when paired with a powder. Now the down side for me is the SPF. The original formula had an SPF of 8. The new True Color formula has SPF 15. It's not that big of a deal, & is technically a good thing to protect from sun rays. However, I love to take pix & the higher the SPF, the more the light reflects off of the product, causing that ashy look on camera. Nonetheless, it's not enough SPF to make a fuss or panic when someone snaps a photo. I'm just overly cautious lol.
The next item is Black Opal's Invisible Oil-Blocking Powder (all black container). While this powder has a tint to it, its shows up translucent on the face. It is very lightweight, gives a matte finish without the ashy look, & does exactly what it says it does- blocks oil. It's great for is who seep buckets of oil. I love it especially on my fat nose. Lol It's also under $10
Last, but not least is the Deluxe Finish Powder. This powder adds color & warmth while setting foundation. It gives a pretty velvet finish, but still mattifies. Although I've never tried it, I'm sure It would probably look gorg by itself to even out the skintone & give a more natural appearance. Price? Under $10!
Try these out!!!        

Product Review: Too Faced Products & Urban Decay's Eyeshadow Primer Potion

:( Oh...Em....Gee..... lol So I'm so sad to say that this review is not about cheap/low priced products. Sad because I'd rather not pay the amount of $ they cost and, some were a waste; but, happy because others are really good, incomparable products that are worth the $ :/. So we've got an on the fence situation here.

Forgive the unfocused pictures but, I got this lil thing of goodies from Sephora for $19. It has 5 beauty editor faves of Too Faced products.The first one is Too Face's Lashgasm Mascara. I absolutely love this mascara. It is the blackest of blacks, and makes my natural lashes look like falsies. Also, the brush is thin and flexible, which helps to coat the entire lash. Here's the kicker, it retails at $28 :/. Nevertheless, if you grab the kit for under $20 you can try the other 4 products as well, right? Whomp Whomp lol. Which leads me to the next, Too Face's Lip Insurance Lip Primer. It retails at $27 and is a complete waste of money and time! It made my matte lipstick satiny and my lips still feathered/smeared after while. The third, is Too Faced's Glamour Gloss Volumizing Lip Gloss in Sex Pot. Retailing at $19, it does slightly plump the lip and gives a pretty pout. However, not $19 worth in my opinion lol. The fourth is Too Faced's Shadow Insurance Eyeshadow primer. Now I'm not sure how well this stands alone, because I've been using it in combination with another primer we'll discuss in a min. Shadow insurance retails at $24. The final Too Faced product is the popular Primed and Poreless Skin Smoothing Face Primer. Retailing at $38, it was just ok, slightly masked the appearance of my pores but, not enough to pay nearly $40 for. :/

*Sigh* This here is Urban Decay's Eyeshadow Primer Potion in the shade Eden. It retails at $24 on Sephora.com but, cost $20 in store. Either way, its too pricey for my liking. However, after getting a sample, I've determined that this is a must have. This baby will make any eyeshadow color standout, prevents creasing and prolongs wear. The upside to the price is that it will last a long time when used correctly. You only need less than a dab to cover the eye. Literally, a dab of this stuff would be too much! lol I only got a sample of Eden, which is a matte tan. However, when my pockets permit, I'm going to invest in all four of these potions!    

     

 

Skincare: All Natural Soap & Exfoliator

I'll say it a billion times, your makeup is only as good as the skin beneath it. It's so important for makeup wearers to have a great skincare regimen. Especially when you have oily, acne prone, sensitive skin & enlarged pores like moi. I have to be careful of irritants in both makeup & skincare products. & Let me tell you..... it's annoying & costly.

With all the crap they bottle, package & sell, it's hard to decide on face cleaners & moisturizers. You find a product that claims to soothe all your skin issues, you use it & it leaves you with more problems than what you started with. That, or it claims to be hypoallergenic, yet it smells like a bed of roses. NOBODY GOT TIME FOR THAT! lol I prefer my face products to be free of alcohol, fragrances & ingredients I can't pronounce. Sounds simple right? Hell naw! It's hard to find all natural stuff without alcohol or some crap to preserve self life. So, imagine how excited I was to learn that a good friend, Dani Stephens, makes all natural skincare products, including soap. When she gave me a bar, it was love at first wash.

As you can see in the pic, there's no fancy dyes or anything like that. It's made out of honey & oatmeal, & has no overwhelming scent. In fact, it doesn't really smell like anything at all. While I prefer a generous amount of lather for a deeper cleansing, this bar is more creamy than sudsy. However, I didn't mind because I used it in combination with ground apricot seeds (the brown dust in the pic) she gave me to exfoliate, clean & tighten my huge pores. The seeds are slightly scratchy. Not too rough as to cause any irritation, just enough to remove excess oil, dirt & makeup that cleansers alone would not. After rinsing & wiping everything away, my pores appeared smaller, my skin was left feeling smooth &, most importantly, I didn't feel dried out or stripped. I then slightly dabbed on wheat germ oil & went to bed pleased ;). The next day, I woke her up trying to place orders for more bars with different ingredients.

*Sidebar: Over washing & exfoliating the face may cause it to dry out, even if your skin is oily. Over washed &/or under moisturized skin may increase oil production. It's happening to me right now, since I've been using a sucky moisturizer :(. Don't make my mistake!*

Anywho, I'm hoping Dani gets her life soon, & starts putting product on the market.You all need to try this stuff is.   

              

Product Review: ELF's Day and Night 80 Eyeshadow Palette...Only $10 @ Target

   Hola! Soooo if I've never made it known before, I am in love with E.L.F. products. For those of you who aren't familiar with ELF, you all need to get with the program! ELF- Eyes Lips Face, is an EXTREMELY affordable cosmetic brand. I dare not call them cheap because the quality of their products are great considering how..well cheap they are. lol When I say cheap, I'm talking as low as $1-3 for quality products like brushes (which they are probably most popular for) , primers, blushes, anything you need to beat your face. So, as a cheapy, I adore the brand. However, I must say that I wasn't a fan of their eyeshadows.

   Around Christmas of last yr, I purchased ELF's 144 bright eyeshadow palette.While the colors were very pretty, some of the shadows didn't have very good pigmentation. I'd usually have to pack on an eyeshadow base/primer & the shadow very heavily before it appeared opaque enough for my liking. Don't get me wrong, sheer color can be beautiful, but I like my color to pop and stand out; and, this palette didn't do it for me. So, I stopped buying ELF's shadows

.

   Wandering around the cosmetic section in Target a few does ago, I came across this- ELF's 80 Day and Night eyeshadow palette in a very cute and sheek black case. Leary, but noticing the pretty browns and this gorgeous teal, for $10, I couldn't resist grabbing it. When I got home, I immediately started swatching (testing colors on the back of my hand and fingertips). To my surprise, this palette had great pigmentation. I'm thinking some colors are intended to be more sheer than others for blending, which they do pretty well. As you can see, half the palette consists of neutral colors and browns, both matte and shimmers. The other half, some soft and rich pinks, blues, green & purples. And, of course my fave color teal (which I'm wearing below). Overall, for &10 this palette is the bomb dot com! lol

Hey you! if your reading, please take a sec to comment, I've been told my comment box wasn't working previously. I believe I've fixed the problem. So talk to me!! You DON'T have to have a gmail account to do so!