Kat Von D Starry Eyes Autograph Pencil Set - Review

Hello:
Today I wanted to share with you a set I picked up after Christmas!  I saw this and I loved the fact that they were minis because I have enough eyeliner as it is, and they were unique colors!


Kat Von D Starry Eyes Autograph Pencil Set

 

They are described as "Look like a star with this set of 10 gorgeous liners in wearable, trendsetting shades. The creamy, waterproof formula glides on smooth and delivers striking payoff for red-carpet-ready eyes"  They are definitely creamy - which is great, as I love to smudge my eyeliner in as I showed in this Eye Tutorial.  As for Waterproof... they don't stay on my waterline that well, but on my upper eyelid they are fine.

 

Left to Right - Napolitiano, Immortal Love, Pour Amor, Black Metal Love, Platinum
 

Same order as picture above

 

 

And the 5 more colorful pencils:

 

Left to Right - Runway, Home, Rhi-venge, Eye-gasm, Fool's Gold

 

Left to Right - Fool's Gold, Eye-gasm, Rhi-venge, Home, Runway

So now that I have the Loco Ocho set from Urban Decay AND these, I don't think I'll be needing any eyeliner soon. 

 

Do you have a favorite eyeliner pencil?

 

Jasmine





Easy Winged Eyeliner - Video!

Hello!

Today I wanted to share my video on how to do a simple winged eyeliner look. This is basically my go to look and you get to see me wearing my glasses! 

Enjoy - and please take a moment to subscribe to my YouTube Channel MakingPalePretty!

 

 

I filmed this video with my phone to see if the video quality is better - but I don't like the "black bars". 

As always feel free to leave your thoughts below on video ideas or whatever! :)

Jasmine

Ohh La La Lips - Revlon Matte in Really Red

Hello!

Today's ohh la la lips is a Matte lipstick from Revlon, which still exists but I am having an increasingly hard time finding.  I like Matte formulations especially with red lipsticks as the glossy ones have a tend to bleed on me even with lip liner. 

This lipstick is what I would consider a true red and the formula is very pigmented, I swatched it against other colors I have worn for the Oh La La Lips posts and you can see it is definitely the Red-est :)

The formula is not drying (but I do always exfoliate and balm up before wearing a matte red).  It also stains your lips a bit but in a way I like - it's just like a gradual fading.

Before RED!!  Blah

After the transforming powers of a red lipstick!

Hope your having a fabulous week!

Jasmine

Cara Box Swap Reveal

Hello!

Recently I did a cara box swap.  What is a Cara box? It is a box you send to a friend to get to know them better and provide encouragement. So...Awesome things in the mail + Meeting new women + Encouragement = Cara Box   You can check it all out at www.wifessionals.com.  This month's theme was Club Sexy!  You had to figure out what would make a great "date" night for your partner.  Here is what the lovely Jaz at SweetLionLife sent me!

I had mentioned that my boyfriend and planned to do Valentine's at home and that I am a makeup junkie. 

She sent me this wonderful smelling candle and some croissants to bake - since I told her I loved both things :)

And then she managed the impossible - a RED lipstick and nail polish I don't have!  So I could look super sexy!

I also got a lavender mask some UD Primer Potion (yea!) and two pink loofahs, plus a mini-mani kit!  How nice is that?!?

She also sent my 2 kitties some toys, and I tried to get some action shots but catnip makes them cracked out so they were zooming around the house smacking their new mice.

She also wrote me a super thoughtful note - It was such a very lovely and thoughtful package!  Thank you so much other Jazmine!

If you would like to participate in a Cara Box exchange check out this link -> Cara Box

Jasmine

MOTW - The Louboutin

Hello!

So what do a $645 pair of shoes and my manicure of the week have in common?



Source

A bit of Sass, Class and Color Scheme! Pictured above are the Prive by Christian Louboutin who's red lacquered shoe sole has become iconic from HBO's Sex and the City.  The designer also creates some serious shoe porn!

So this week I am still suffering from broken nail trauma, and I think dark colors look better on shorter manicures, but I didn't want just glossy black nails - I wanted some sass!

So I gathered up a shiny black lacquer, a classic Red (sent to me by the lovely Nat from Gl0ssy) and a shiny top coat.  I also grabbed my roll of stripping tape which I forgot to photograph but I bet you can guess what it looks like.

First I painted my thumb and ring finger with 2 coats of red, let it dry, applied the stripping tape and then painted to coats of black across each nail.  ( The Rimmel polish was a bit thick, I should have stuck to Orly's Liquid Vinyl). 

Et viola!  But the real similarity lies in the middle picture above.  I also painted the underside of my nails red, just like the shoes ;)  

What inspires your manicures?

Jasmine

The Color Whisperer

Hello!

Today I wanted to share the 2 Color Whisper "lipsticks" I bought recently.  Calling these lipsticks, is kind of like calling the Revlon Lip Butters lipsticks.  Some are more pigmented, but they feel much more like a balm.  So let's see what I got:

Berry Ready on the left and Bare to be Bold on right

The colors I choose were Berry Ready and Bare to be Bold.  I really wasn't sure what either was going to look like.  Maybelline describes this product as: "Get truly translucent gel color. Sexy, soft, see through color.  No heavy waxes or oils.  Just a kiss of shine."

I am always on the hunt for a good "nude" lipstick so that's why I grabbed Bare to be Bold, and I thought the Berry Ready would actually be lighter than what it turned out to be, as they said "soft see through color".  The colors are very comfortable to wear and you can easily put a little balm underneath if you are feeling chapped (as I was when I wore Bare to be Bold). 

Berry Ready
 

Berry Ready appears much lighter in this photo, I was quite surprised how pigmented this color was.  You can get a better sense of the color from the swatch above on my arm.  But I still like the color.

Bare to be Bold

Bare to be Bold on the other hand is lighter than I thought it would be it is just a tinge more color than clear.  It gives your natural lip color a bit of beige. 

These are comfortable to wear so that's a plus but I'm not totally in love with the colors.

Jasmine

Urban Outfitters Nail polish - who knew?

Hello!

Today I wanted to share some polishes I found at Urban Outfitters.  They have a fairly big selection of colors, a lot of bright, bold colors AND they are usually 2 for $8!  So here's the ones I picked out:

I was super excited to find the silver Holo polish as I have yet to see one at a store.  And Of Course I had to have the glitter called Unicorn!

Unicorn

I couldn't quite catch it clearly - but you can see it makes a great glittery top coat and the flakies are smooth!

Silver Holo

And the silver holo - ohhhh so pretty!  This is 3 coats.  I was going to wear this to the Lady Gaga concert last Thursday, but if you didn't hear she announced on the 13th the rest of her tour is cancelled due to torn ligaments.  So I guess I need to find another fabulous event - or just make any day fabulous!

Five Minutes to Fabulous - Video

Hello!

Usually on Friday's I link up for book club.  But I am stuck in the middle of a slightly boring book and so I have no book to report on!  Instead I have something I think you will like even better - a video!  This is a SUPER easy way to throw on shadow, eyeliner and mascara and look like you put in a lot more effort. 
Enjoy!

 In fact it's so easy I will let you in on a little secret - I have really bad vision, but wanted to test to see if this was easy enough you hadn't done it before could do it. So I did it in one take without my contacts in - I couldn't even see where I was putting the eyeliner! You can kind of tell because I keep poking myselif in the eye to hard with the brush, and sniffling because my eyes are filled with eyeshadow. So if I can do it half blind, anyone can do it!  And over at Small Budget Beauty she tried it today after watching the video, and I'll say it was a major success! 


Have a wonderful weekend all!

Jasmine

Some mini pretties!

Hello!

Today I wanted to share some mini polishes I picked up recently.  I actually like polishes in smaller bottles as I rarely (as in never) finish an actually bottle of polish - but I can make it through a mini. 

 

 

This set is from Kleancolor and there are basically 5 sparkly top coats and two light pink polishes.  And it was only $4.99!

 

 

This group I got at Sally Beauty Supply.  They always have a lot of minis in many different colors and they are usually 99 cents or less.  I Love the neon pink on the end - spring pedicure for sure!

 

 

I ordered this polish off of Amazon - for $3.99 and it is a full size!  They have lots of holo-like colors this one is called Chunky Holo Bluebell.  I really don't get the Chunky part.

 

 

 

From left to right - One coat, 2 coats, & 3 coats.  It doesn't quite look like it does in the bottle but it is very pretty and over a light purple it probably gets more intense.

 

 

 



It should be noted that Kleancolor has a very strong nailpolish smell - I'm guessing it's not 3-free.  The bottle says made in China.  My Sally ones are made in the USA. 

Have you ever tried Kleancolor?

Jasmine

My blogging station and routine

Hello!

Today I am linking up with:
 

To talk about HOW I actually blog!


Where do you blog? Do you have a space dedicated to your blogging work? An office, a table, a corner of your room... I most often blog sitting in bed late at night.  I do all the prep work elsewhere, but when I actually "sit"down to write it's in my room at night.

What do you blog on? Computer, laptop, tablet... what do you recommend? I use a Dell laptop - and I say use what ever works for you!  I feel most comfortable on this laptop, and I know where all my info is stored.

Do you have any blogging rituals? Drinks, music, movie, candles... No rituals per se.  I usually have a Diet Coke on ice next to me, and while I'm editing photos I usually watch my "shows" on Netflix or Hulu Plus (Project Runway, Revenge, The Office, The Mindy Project etc..)

How do you keep your blogging ideas organized? Notepad, planner, post-its... It's all in my head!  Sunday is Sunday Social, Monday is the Manicure of the week, Tuesday is oh la la Lips, Wednesday and Thursday are a video or what I think of as an "education" post (like info about skincare or make up application, or a review).  Friday is Book club, and Saturday is for whatever :)

Do you have a blogging schedule for the week?  Or the month?  See above. If so, how do you stay on top of it all? I just make sure I am taking the right photos and that I am keeping up with make up trends and new products.  Also I pre-schedule a lot of my easier posts (book club, oh la la lips & Sunday Social)

How do you keep up with your publishing schedule and what you have already posted? I guess I haven't posted enough to have to worry about what I already posted.  I am able to keep up by sheer force of will!  I know in order to make my blog be what I want it to be, I need to be taking pictures constantly, I need to keep making videos, I need to just think out of the box!  I also LOVE beauty products and if you have ever watched any of my videos you know I have a lot to say, and I am OPINIONATED so it is pretty easy for me to put it out there.

If you review products, how do you keep track of what needs to be reviewed in your collection? So in our living room I have a thin desk that sits behind the couch and has a lamp (so it looks like part of the living room and I keep a drawer full of products underneath with the most important ones on top in a basket.  I also built my own light box which I hide in the hallway closet and then when I need it I put it on the desk in the living room and take my pics.

 

The star and arrow in the pic above point to the lamp on the other side of the living room where I take my "indoor" manicure photos.

Here is where I shoot my videos.  The yellow arrow points to my mini tripod.  As you can see I have one of the jewelry organizers with pockets hanging on the wall but I re-purposed it to hold make-up!  And if you watch my videos (hint, hint) you also know on the other side of the wall is my magnetic eyeshadow wall frame.  (you can see it reflected in the table mirror).

What do you do with all your "old" data? Photos, videos, extra drives, online storage..? I put it on an external hard drive.

For fun, what beauty/non-beauty products do you need to have on hand near your blogging station?  Always hand lotion,cuticle oil and lip balm near my bedside when I'm writing.   And my 16 pound cat is almost always laying on my right arm so I have to re-type a lot.

So that's my "system" and it works for me!  Thanks for reading!

Jasmine

Oh la la Lips ... Milani Flamingo Pose

Hello!

Today I wanted to share one of the new Color Statement Lipsticks from Milani. 

Their website describes them as : "Make a statement without saying a word! True Instant Color. One stroke, full coverage application. This next generation lipstick gives the ultimate in color, texture and finish. The lightweight creamy formula contains Vitamins A, C, & E to moisturize and nourish lips. Paraben-free." 

It feels very smooth on, but it does settle into lip lines and dry spots (which is only really noticeable close up).  It also has a very distinct smell (like some sort of candy) it's actually quite strong, and I don't usually notice the scent people say lipsticks have.  So heads up!

As you can see below after the lipstick wears away (about 3 hours depending on if you eat or drink) it leaves the lips lightly stained which I like:

You could also just apply a very light layer of the lipstick and blot to get this look which is almost like a matte version.

I really like this color and want to try more, but I still have two more red lipsticks I haven't even posted about yet! :0

So have you tried any of the new Milani colors?

Jasmine

MOTW - Manicure of the Week Bleu Violet

Hello!

Happy Monday (It's my Friday - woot)  And here is my new manicure for the week!  It's the polish I received from Christine at Little Red Bow which you can read about Here!  It's a Bourjois polish from their ultra shine collection and the pictures do it NO justice, it is such a deep violet blue and way shinier then it appears in the pics!

In the pictures below the one on the left is daylight and the right is "indoor" light with the flash.

It's my right hand in the picture - I was trying to see if I could actually take pictures with my left (it was uncofortable but do-able).  I alsotook these shots the day after I had painted them and I didn't notice that I had a bit of a chip on my middle finger which I touched up and the manicure has now been chip free for 3 days!

And please check out my YouTube channel - MakingPalePretty!

Jasmine

Sunday Social

Hello!

It is Sunday once again, and I am linking up for the Sunday Social!

1. Best Valentines Day you’ve ever had:
I don't usually do a big Valentine's day date so all I can think of was when I was in high school and we could send roses to our friends as a school fundraiser and I got like 1/2 a dozen from my (then) boyfriend and some from my friends and I had the MOST and felt really special! 

2. Worst Valentines Day you’ve ever had:
Honestly I don't put a lot of stock in it, so I've never had a BAD one.

3. What did you do for Valentines this year?
 We got Pizza from one of the best places in all Chicago (Pequod's) and gave each other cards and then watched some True Blood.  Not exciting but just right for us!

The beautiful bouquet of roses my boyfriend got me because "the ivory and peach tones remind me of your beautiful skin" awwww :)  he knows I'm vain about my skin and am a sucker for that kind of nonsense talk :)

4. Best Valentines Idea if you’re single:
Don't worry about it!  Just Love YOURSELF!  It is not worth stressing over, so treat it as a normal day and do something to improve yourself!

5. Favorite Valentines Candy?
Pretty much anytime!


6. Favorite Valentines Memory from your childhood:
I think it was 4th grade when we got to decorate Valentine mail boxes and run around the room and pass out Valentines that we had made.  Silly but I remember I has a Barbie on my box and I really liked it!


Until next Sunday...

Jasmine

Le Perfume Collection

Hello!

Today I wanted to share my perfume collection and find out what fragrances you love!  I love, love, love perfume.  My friend and have always joked (but we are actually serious) that we want to be the woman who always leaves her scent in a room.  I find it a huge compliment if someone asks "what are you wearing?"  My favorite Perfume of all time is:

Boucheron is a Floral Semi-Oriental
Top Notes: Sicilian tangerine, Calabrian bitter orange, apricot, Persian galbanum, African tegetes, Spanish basilica
Heart Notes: Morrocan orange blossom, Grasse tuberose, Madagascar ylang-ylang, Moroccan jasmine, Auvergne narcissus, British broom
Base Notes: Mysore sandalwood, amber, Indian Ocean vanilla, South American tonka bean

I Seem to gravitate towards perfume with Jasmine as the Heart or "middle" notes, and most of my favorites are "florentals" (Floral Orientals)  I linked a description of the perfumes next to the names in the pictures below!

The first 4 perfumes are the ones I am currently wearing this month in an effort to "trim" my collection which you can read about Here!

The Body Shop - White Musk
Sarah Jessica Parker - Lovely
Victoria's Secret - Breathless
Ellen Tracy - Ellen Tracy

DKNY - Delicious Nights
Jessica Simpson - Fancy Nights
Graham Webb - Bodacious
Ralph Lauren - Glamourous

Faconnable - Faconnable pour Elle
Estee Lauder - Tuscany per Donna
Sarah Jessica Parker - Covet
Chanel - Allure

Ralph Lauren - Romance
Mark - Citrus Bloom
Gwen Stefani - L L.A.M.B.
Ann - Ann Taylor

Elizabeth Taylor - Forever Elizabeth
Oscar de la Renta - Intrusion
Lancome - Oui
Chanel - Coco Mademoiselle

Victoria's Secret - Pink
Escada - Sexy Grafitti
Lancome - Poeme
Lancome - Tresor in Love


So are any of these perfumes on your shelf?  What's on your perfume wish list?

Jasmine

Easy Eye bascis - Video!

Hello!

I hope you all are enjoying a wonderful weekend!  I made another video to go along with my make up basics series.  You can view the first one HERE! to learn about foundation and concealing.  This new video focuses on little tips to help you achieve great looking brows and lush lashes!  If you want to have access to my videos as they come out Subscribe to my Channel - MakingPalePretty!

Enjoy!

YouTube, seriously could I get access to custom thumbnails soon?  Please?

As always I would love to hear your comments and even some criticisms! :)

Jasmine

Gifts from the Great White North

Hello!

Today I wanted to share some wonderful items Christine from Little Red Bow sent me.  We did a bit of a international swap, she's on a beauty spending ban so I said I would send her some hard to get (in Canada) American goodies, and she kindly offered to send me back some Canadian fun!  Here's the loot:

First and foremost - there WAS more candy but I ate it before I took these pictures (there was a ChurlyWurly which was like the best thing ever, and some other gummy candies too)
The Red Mittens are so cute and they are lined - soooo nice and warm and I look stylin' with my red lips black pea coat and red mittens, just sayin'
I haven't tried the Balea Body scrub yet, I'm saving it for a good soak and scrub night :)
She also sent a LouLou magazine - Love it! It's so fun to read a beauty/fashion magazine from another country

Now here are the 2 amazing beauty items:

They are both from Bourjois (can some one tell me how to pronounce it correctly?)  The blush is A-mazing (it's Rose d'Or)  It is the perfect pink gold and goes on like a dream.  I also think all blushes should come in this size so I can hoard more and finish of more :)

The Nail polish is called "Bleu Violet"  In the picture it's pulling more blue, but it is the most vibrant, deep purple I have ever seen!  I can't wait to do my nails with this!

I can't thank you enough Christine for the thoughtful gifts!  If you want to see the lipstick I sent her and bought the same for me so we could do a duo review check it out Here!

Now if I can just get to the UK to visit a Boots!

Any products from far away you want to get your hands on?

Jasmine