Smoke Chocolate Eye Face of the Day

Hey doll hey!!! How’s your day/night going? Great I hope. I’m having an OK day… small sinus headache and a bit more pain than yesterday but my energy is still hanging in there.

I really didn’t know what direction I wanted to go with my makeup today so I just sort of played around with the shades and this was the look I came up with. I used 6 shades from the ColourPop Grandeur palette and 4 shades from the ColourPop Nude Mood palette to create this look.

Today’s scent is YSL Parisienne. It was released 2009 and quickly became by signature “sassy girl” scent. It’s perfect for giving you the feeling of being a bad ass. It’s a great perfume to pair with that little black dress or a power suite but just playful enough to pair well with a sun dress or cargo pants and flipflops.

The scent notes are:

• At the Top: Blackberry, Vinyl and Cranberry
• In the Middle: Leather, Peony, Damask Rose and Violet
• At the Bottom: Sandalwood, Vetyver, Patchouli and Musk.

Let’s jump to the walkthrough of how I got today’s Face of the Day look….

Base:

I primed my face using HourGlass Veil Mineral Primer ($54 at Ulta).For contour today I used NYX Can’t Stop Wont Stop Contour Concealer ($8.50 at Ulta) in the shade Walnut (deep orange based tan). I highlighted the high points of my face using BECCA Ignite Liquified Light Highlighter ($38 at Ulta) in the shade Passion (pale incandescent pearl that reflects gold ). I color corrected using the BECCA Under Eye Brightening Corrector ($32 at Sephora) in the shade Light to Medium (pearlized peachy-pink). My concealer today is the JCat StaySurance Water-Sealed Zero Smudge Concealer ($7.99 at Ulta) in the shade Custard (2nd lighter shade). For my foundation I tried out the E.L.F. Camo CC Cream ($14 at Ulta and on the E.L.F. website) in the shade Light 210N . Cream bronzer today is Juvia’s Place Shade Stick Foundation ($16 on their website) in the shade Guinea (dark neutral cool). I chose Milani Cheek Kiss Blush ($9.99 at Ulta) in the shade Cheeky Coral (an orange based coral). I set my undereyes using BECCA Under Eye Brightening Corrector ($32 at Sephora) in the shade Light to Medium (pearlized peachy-pink) and set the rest of my face using ColourPop No Filter Setting Powder ($10 on their website) in Translucent. For touch ups today I am using Catrice Prime & Fine Waterproof Mattifying Powder ($8 at Ulta).

Eyes:

I started out with the brows today. I used Urban Decay Brow Beater ($21 at Ulta) in the shade Neutral Nana (neutral brown). I primed the lids using Makeup Revolution Cut Crease Canvas ($6.30 on their website) in the shade Halo (white). I started with the ColourPop Nude Mood palette ($14 on their website but currently sold out). For the transition shade I used a combo of the shadows Bear to Wear (soft light beige – matte) and Mugged Off (burnt peach with gold sparkle – sequin matte). I then highlighted my brow line using the shade Bluffin’ (pale ivory – matte). For the rest of the look I used the ColourPop Grandeur palette ($14 on their website). For the crease I chose the shade Velvet (midtone taupe matte). I then used the shade Dusk (saddle brown  – matte) on the inner and outer 1/3 of the full eye. I then used the shade Mode (warm chestnut brown – matte) on the inner and outer 1/3 of the mobile lids. To deepen the outer v and the very outer parts of the inner and outer 1/3 of the mobile lids I used the shade Jolie (sparkle blackened brown with gold pinpoints – sequin matte). On the middle 1/3 of the mobile lids I chose the shade Need (warm chocolate with a vibrant teal duochrome – metallic). For my lower lash line I used what was left on my transition brush to create a deep drop shadow and then used more of the shade Dusk (saddle brown – matte). To highlight my inner corners I used the shade Haus (pale gold – metallic). I lined my lower waterlines using Nyx  Epic Wear Liner ($8 at Ulta) in the shade Intense Teal (teal – metallic). I used 1 coat of MAC Extended Play Gigablack Lash Mascara ($21 at Ulta) and then popped on a pair of KoKo Lashes in the style Diva ($7.99 on the Lady Moss website).

Cheeks and Lips:

I didn’t need much touch up for the bronzer and highlighter but I did need to punch up the color on my cheeks after powdering my face. I used just a touch of ColourPop Pressed Powder Bronzer ($8 on their website but currently out of stock) in the shade Talk to the Palm (neutral warm bronze) and my highlighter using E.L.F. Metallic Flare Highlighter ($6 on their website and at Ulta) in the shade White Gold (the name says it all). I touched up my blush using The Balm Blush ($21 on their website) in the shade Frat Boy (coral). I lined my lips with ColourPop Lippie Pencil ($6 on their website) in the shade Another Round (rosey nude) and filled in my lips with ColourPop Ultra Matte Lip ($7 on their website but no longer in circulation) in the shade Speed Dial (terra cotta) and then topped off the middle of my lips with ColourPop Lux Gloss ($8 on their website) in the shade Ticklish (pale peach). I set my face today using Pixi Skintreats Makeup Fixing Mist ($15 at Ulta) in the scent Rose Water and Green Tea.

Finally Thoughts:

I give this brow pencil a grade of a solid B+:

It’s billed as a waterproof, teardrop-shaped pencil that glides on smoothly to fill in sparse brows for a finish that stays put.

I don’t know this one just simply didn’t wow me. It’s an OK pencil… there isn’t anything really to write home about with this one. I also realize it’s not the right shade for me but even so… It went on just fine but I ended up having to touch my brows up 2 times before I was done my makeup. I’ll finish using the pencil I have but I wont be repurchasing this one at all.

I give this foundation a solid grade of A+++!!!

This foundation is billed as a medium-to-full coverage color correcting foundation with SPF 30 protection and a natural finish. It comes in 16 shades with 3 undertone selections … with 10 of the 16 shade being deep enough for our Ebony beauties! WAY TO GO E.L.F.!!!!

OK so I know everyone is gushing because there is finally a dupe for the IT Cosmetics CC cream… but I think the Camo CC Cream is worlds better than the higher priced counterpart. This one has no bad smell (like the IT one does), it doesn’t feel heavy or oily (with the IT one my face always felt like it was suffocating and greasy). The shade range is way better and it wears throughout the day beautifully. I did leave powdering my face until the end because I wanted to see if it would set down. It did set down a bit but not all the way so I did end up applying a light layer of powder.

I give this palette a solid grade of A+++:

It’s billed as an antique gold and bronze palette creates the most elevated looks. Warm, versatile neutrals paired with rich metallics.

This is such a sultry palette. I didn’t grade it higher because this palette lacks a brow bone highlight. I would rather they take out that pressed glitter shade in the middle and add a bone shade instead. That would give us a brow bone shade and give us the ability to lighten the brown shades for a first transition shade. Other than that it’s a great palette. There was moderate kickback in the pans and slight fallout on the face. The shades blended out beautifully and buffed into each other without getting patchy. With out a bone shade there really isn’t anyway to get multiple looks… with this one you will get smokey looks only.

I grade this liner formula a solid A+++!!!

The Epic Wear liners are billed as  intensely pigmented eyeliner pencils with a smooth formula glides on effortlessly, and dries to a long lasting and waterproof finish that won’t smudge, fade or transfer for up to 36 hours. 

This formula is so creamy, so pigmented and truly long wear. I find that long wear liners tend to give me cloudy vision after a while… I don’t get that with this formula. There is no smear, no glob of color in the inner corners, no bleeding and so far 7 hours of wear time …. I do believe that this one could go 36 hours (not that I want to be wearing makeup for that long but it’s good to know that this liner will last through a full day).

I grade this cream blush a solid A+++!!:

This cream blush is billed as the perfect kiss of color with an ultra-blendable & buildable, lightweight creamy liquid formula. Infused with skin-loving ingredients like pomegranate, rose extract and watermelon, this easy to apply, multi-use formula leaves just the right amount of color on cheeks or lips.

I didn’t give this one the highest grade only because the pigment isn’t as strong once you powder your face… the blush still shows through but it dulls when powder is applied. Other than that this is a beautiful product! It’s dewy and melts into the cheeks so seamlessly that, if not for the shade I chose, it looks like a natural flush of color. This one doesn’t set down so, unfortunately, you do need to set it… I may try add more the next time I use it to see if I can build up the shade. It did not move the products underneath and it did not dry so fast that it allowed me to work slowly.

I grade this lip gloss a solid A+++!!!:

It’s billed as a cushiony soft lip gloss delivers obsession worthy shine and hydrates lips with the best feel-good antioxidants for your best looking lips.

This gloss is  super hydrating, barely any pigmentation (I could have just chose one since there really isn’t any color to speak of) and the scent is different for this shade … it smells like orange creamsicles. This one is thin and not sticky or gloopy at all.

Well, that’s all for now dolls. I hope and pray you are in good spirits and health and that you enjoy the rest of your day/night.

XOXO, Nita