Cosmetics Company Store Mini Haul!

I went to a Cosmetics Company Store for the first time ever and I was beyond excited.  I tried to keep it under control because I could have easily walked away with half of the store and an empty bank account...  I let myself buy three things and here they are!

The first think I picked up was the Estee Lauder Raisins eyeshadow duo.  I have been wanting this for a while now thanks to Tanya Burr and Zoella... Every time they used it I was so intrigued by it and I had to have it.  Luckily I came across it in the store because I have heard that it is difficult to find recently.  Anyway, I absolutely love it.  The lighter color is a shimmery light pink champagne color and the darker color is a slightly shimmery deep burgundy color.  Until the Naked 3 palette I would have been nervous to use these colors myself, but I am loving this palette so far.  Not to mention the packaging is amazing!

This is a light swatch of each color.  The shadows are very pigmented and blend nicely.

Next is also thanks to Tanya Burr... She has spoken about the Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation and when I saw it in the store at a discounted price, I had to have it.  They had quite a few shades so I was really able to play around with them to find my perfect match.  I chose 1W1 Bone 17.  I'm not sure what the numbers correspond to but I thought I would include them anyway just in case.  I am very happy with this foundation.  It is nice to apply, and of course I use my beloved beauty blender.  It does not look too cakey on my skin and it really does stay in place.  I have noticed that it can feel a bit tacky on the skin, but as it sets, most of the stickiness goes away.  The color works very well for me and I am very impressed with the formulation of the product.  If only I had tried this sooner!

It is more of a yellow based shade, and it blends nicely to match my skin.  It is not too think but it does have a consistency that goes along with a long wearing foundation.

The last item that I picked up was definitely an impulse buy.  It is a MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Centre of Attention.  I have never owned a MAC Mineralize Skinfinish and this one just caught my eye.  This product is highly pigmented and very shimmery.  I do use a very light hand with it, and for me there are no chunks of glitter or anything crazy, but there is a lot of shimmer.  I find myself straying away from the gold portion on its own because it is a very true gold.  However, the gold and the pink can be mixed for a nice highlight, and the gold can come in handy with certain looks.  The pink is much easier to wear, and it transfers onto the skin as a very light pearly pale pink.  When blended out I do not see the pink shade, but the shimmer does stay.

The top swatch is the pink on its own, the middle is the gold and pink together, and the bottom is the gold on its own.

I am very excited to have finally made it to a Cosmetics Company Store, and I know that I will need to visit one again in the near future...  It is definitely Disneyland for makeup addicts!

My Most Used Eye Makeup Brushes

I have several makeup brushes that I love, and my eye brushes are definitely used more than any of my face brushes.  I always like to have different brushes that I can use for different things, and I am all about using what works for you.  You can use any brush anywhere, they do not have a set purpose.  I am going to go over the brushes that I use on my entire eye area, from the eyebrow to the dark circle zone.

Starting from the top, the eyebrows.  I think that I have a pretty good natural shape to my brows, but some of the hairs grow in very bright blonde, which makes them appear to be sparse.  I like to fill in my brows just to help define my face.  I think that defined brows really help to finish a look.  First I use the angled brush shown in the middle.  It came from a Sonia Kashuk brush set that I received as a gift YEARS ago, so I am sorry to say that I don't know where to find it anymore.  The handles are made to look like coral, which explains the weird porous look.  I like this brush because it has stayed in great condition, and the shape is perfect for my brows.  I'm sorry that it is kind of difficult to see, but it is a simple angled brush.  After I fill them in, I like to set my brows with clear mascara.  That's where these other two come in.  Depending on the day, I will either use the spoolie brush (also by Sonia Kashuk) or the brow brush (from Sephora).  The spoolie is easy to use and gets the job done, but if I want my brows to be a little more precise or if I just want to put in more effort, I use the brow brush on the left.  The bristles are pretty tough, which gives you nice control.

Moving on to eyeshadow brushes, these two are simple, but definitely get the job done.  The one on the left is a Sigma E55 shading brush.  This one is great because it is flat, so you can pat color all over your lid or in a more precise area.  It is also nice because you can use each side for a different color shadow.  It picks up product nicely, and it is more gentle to just pat the shadow on.  The brush on the right is also from the corally Sonia Kashuk collection, and I use it to apply color to the crease.  I will probably upgrade this one at some point because I am finding it to be a bit rough on the skin.  However, the shape and density is perfect for the crease.  It is a slight dome shape so it fits nicely in that area and distributes color well.  

These are the brushes that I use for liner or for more precise placement of color.  I am all about using eyeshadow as eyeliner and for smudging eyeliner pencil.  These brushes are perfect for that.  Starting on the left, this is a Sigma E30 pencil brush, which I use when I want to apply shadow in a very specific way, like to define the outer corner or the lash line.  I had just washed it, so it is a little fluffier than usual, but it typically has a slightly pointed shape that makes it perfect for small areas.  The next one is also from the coral Sonia Kashuk collection, but it is SO GOOD for smudging pencil liner.  It is rounded on the top but it is flat like a paddle brush, which gives it a good shape for smudging.  It is not too dense, so you don't lose too much product.  The next brush shown here is a wonderful multi-purpose brush.  It is a Sigma E20 short shader brush, and it is so great for cleaning up the lower lash line or for applying a highlight below the brow bone.  I also use this for concealer occasionally, because its size makes it perfect for small areas.  Finally, the brush on the far right is by far one of my favorites.  It came in a MAC brush set years ago, it is a MAC 212 flat definer brush.  I love it because it is super thin and precise, but it is flat, which makes it super easy to press eyeshadow into the upper and lower lash line.  I like to keep my liner pretty close to the lashes, and this really helps to achieve that.  It is wonderful quality, and no matter how much I use it, it always keeps its flat and defined shape.

Last but not least, these are my blending brushes.  The one on the left is a Sigma E40 tapered blending brush.  This brush is great for blending lines, but I usually use it to set my undereye concealer.  It is fluffy and not too dense, so it is great for lightly dusting fine powder under my eyes or across my brow bone.  The one on the right is also from the long lost coral Sonia Kashuk collection, and is essentially a larger and flatter version of the brush I use for my crease.  It is great for blending out eyeshadow.

I hope this post was helpful if any of you are looking for new eye area brushes.  I did not mention a brush for undereye concealer, because I definitely have a love/hate relationship with concealer and I have found that my fingers work the best for making sure it blends in.  Otherwise, I would recommend all of these brushes and I use them on a daily basis.  As I said, I do not believe that each brush should have a set use, and you should always find what works best for you.  

My Favorite Shadows in Naked 1, 2, & 3

There are countless reviews about the Urban Decay Naked palettes, and I thought that instead of doing another one, I would just go through my top favorite shades in each of the three palettes.  I love the Naked palettes and I do not find myself wanting to reach for anything else.  Sit back and let's take a little journey through the wonderful neutrals of Urban Decay...

Naked

The original Urban Decay Naked palette is what really started my love for high end make-up.  I received it as a gift and I never looked back.  My most used colors in this palette are Virgin, Sin, Naked, Buck, Smog, and Darkhorse.  Virgin is a very pale shimmery highlight.  I love to dab this lightly to the center of my eyelid for brightness and dimension.  It is also a great highlight for under the brows.  Sin is one of my all time favorite Urban Decay eyeshadows and I also own it outside of the palette.  It is perfect for an all over lid color or as a base color.  Naked is a matte skin tone like color, and it is perfect for blending or as a base color.  Also pictured here is Sidecar, which I will admit that I do not care for much.  It is a beautiful color, but there is soooo much fall out with this shade that no matter how careful I am, I end up with glitter everywhere.  Buck is also matte and is a few shades darker than Naked.  It is great for a crease color or to add a little bit of dimension to the outer corner.

Smog and Darkhorse are probably my absolute most reached for shadows in this palette.  Smog is a beautiful metallic-looking bronze color with a hint of copper tone in the sunlight.  This color is great as a more intense all over lid color.  Darkhorse is a slightly shimmery dark brown.  It is a great alternative to using black for a less dramatic smoky look.  Honorable mentions:  Toasted and Hustle.  Toasted is a beautiful coppery brick brown color, and Hustle is a more red based version of Darkhorse with less shimmer.

 Naked 2

Until Naked 3 came out, I was exclusively using Naked 2.  I definitely found myself reaching for it more often than the original.  I absolutely love Foxy, a matte, yellow-based pale highlighter.  I actually use it to set concealer under my eyes (yes, that is how fair I am).  The color is the perfect shade for under my eyes and the finely milled consistency of an eyeshadow looks so much more natural and soft in such a delicate area than an average face powder.  I did not want to hit pan in the palette for this purpose, so I also purchased Foxy separately.  

I DO NOT understand why they put Half-Baked in the original and the second Naked palettes... I want to like it but it is too orange-toned to be a flattering gold on my skin tone.  I love Bootycall as a highlight, it is more white than Virgin in my opinion, and I find it to be more pigmented.  I also love Chopper, a shimmery copper, and Tease, a matte "greige" taupe color that is great for a light contour in the crease.  My top color in the Naked 2 palette would have to be Snakebite.  It is a dark shimmery metallic-looking brown with extremely subtle hints of gold.  It is beautiful in the outer corner or the crease.

Next to Snakebite are Suspect and Pistol.  Suspect is a light shimmery gold-bronze color that is much more flattering than Half-Baked and is perfect for the lids (especially with Snakebite).  Honorable mention goes to Pistol, a great shimmery light gunmetal/graphite shade that I do not find myself using often enough.

Busted is Naked 2's versions of the Darkhorse and Hustle shades of the original Naked.  It is a very dark brown that can almost appear to be a warm black when used heavily.  It has a slight shimmer.  Blackout is an amazing matte true black.  It definitely scared me at first, but it really opened my eyes to the versatility of black eyeshadow.  I love to use it as an eyeliner and a tiny dab of it looks amazing when blended into the outer corner.

Naked 3 

We have finally arrived at my current favorite of the three palettes, the Naked 3.  I will admit that I was nervous about this palette at the beginning with all of the pink tones.  Boy, was I wrong.  They are all gorgeous!  I was afraid that they would look like cheap costume makeup tones, but I find myself using EVERY shade in this palette!  The original and the second palette have a few shades that I do not use often, but that is not the case here.  Strange is a beautiful matte pinky white highlight shade.  I LOVE a matte highlight in this shade.  Dust is a glittery pale pink that translates a little more silver toned when used.  I like to dab a little bit of it on my lid to add dimension to other colors.  Burnout is a slightly shimmery blush pink, my go-to lid color of the moment.  Limit is a matte mauve pink that is perfect to use with Nooner, shown below.   

Trick is so unique in my opinion.  In the pan it appears to be a shimmery rose gold like color, but when used, it is the most beautiful pink toned champagne.  Nooner is a matte darker mauve tone that is perfect in the crease.  Liar, Factory, and Mugshot are equally wonderful in my opinion.  They are all essentially slightly different shades of the same metallic pink brown loveliness, and all three are beautiful alone all over the lid or as a crease color.  Factory is the most dramatic of the three, and Mugshot is the most gray toned.  I truly have trouble choosing which one to use.

Darkside and Blackheart are both amazing dark tones.  Darkside is a slightly shimmery super dark brown with a slight greyish purple tone to it.  It is wonderful as an eyeliner or smudged below the lower lashes.  Blackheart is probably my favorite of all of the Naked palette attempts to create a black tone.  It is the most unique color.  It is a deep black with red/pink/burgundy shimmer.  This really helps it to be a warmer toned black that makes a GORGEOUS eyeliner.  I love that this color is so deep and dramatic, but the pink shimmer makes it appear to be soft.

As I wrote this, I realized that I listed every color of the Naked 3 palette except for Buzz.  This was actually completely unintentional.  I am a big Disney fan and Buzz is definitely a Disney princess pink.  I also find it funny that the name is also the name of a Disney character... Bottom line, this is just slightly too pink for me.  I have not found a way to wear it well, but I will have to keep playing with it.

I hope this was an informative and interesting post.  I always like to know which colors people use the most in these three palettes, and I wanted to share my personal favorites.  These palettes are so versatile, and I recommend that everyone who wears makeup should have at least one of them as a staple in their collection.