Happy Holidays!

Since all my other dance posts have been so well received, I thought I'd share my latest. This time I even have some pictures that show off my makeup!

Lash Mania Ardell Evil Queen Lashes
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Here's what I can remember that I used:
Face:
Primer: Benefit POREfessional
Foundation: Cover Girl Whipped Creme Foundation Ivory 305
Contour: MUA Bronzed Perfection
Highlight: MUA Undress Your Skin Highlighting Powder
Powder: Gurelian Meteorite Pressed Powder Teint Rose
Cheeks:
Blush: NARS Orgasm
Eyes:
Primer: Urban Decay Primer Potion Greed
Crease: Coastal Scents 88 Color Palette (bottom two greens)
Lid: MakeupGeek Gold Digger & Glamorous
Highlight: Makeup Geek Shimma Shimma
Liner: Eyeko Skinny Liner Black
Waterline: Maybelline Eye Studio Gel Liner Charcoal
Mascara: Benefit They're Real
Lashes: Ardell from the Evil Queen set.
Brows: MUA Eyebrow Kit
Lips:
Liner: MUA Lip Liner Red Drama
Lips: e.l.f Matte Lip Color Rich Red

With my dear friend & dance sister Kim before our performances.

And now for my dance... It's just a fun holiday dance. I really enjoyed performing this.

I hope ya'll enjoy and have a safe and happy holiday season!

EOTD: MUG Shadows Las Vegas Belly Dance Intensive 2013 Solo

Hello Lovelies! I always intend to take pics of my performance looks and then I get pressed for time and have to get my butt in gear. Sunday I performed my solo at the Las Vegas Belly Dance Intensive and I had plenty of time to get ready. I left my house with part of my makeup done. I didn't want to walk through the Flamingo Hotel & Casino with full on stage makeup. So I added more blush and did my lips once I got there.

Featuring Makeup Geek Eyeshadows. I didn't realize my brows needed so much work till I saw this picture. doh!

I didn't sit down and intentionally use only Makeup Geek Eyeshadows but it just happened that all of the colors I was looking for were MUG.

Eyes:

Primer: Urban Decay Primer Potion in Sin $20

Shadows: Crease MUG Eyeshadow Mocha $5.99

                 Lid MUG Eyeshadow Glamorous $5.99

                 Blending MUG Eyeshadow Shimma Shimma $5.99

                 Highlightt MUG Eyeshadow Vanilla Bean $5.99

Eyeliner: Liner Eyeko Skinny Liquid Eyeliner Black $16

                Waterline Maybelline Eye Studio Lasting Drama Charcoal  $9.99

Lashes: Ardell Wispies

Love the Ardell Wispies!

Mascara: Maybelline Falsies Flared $6.99

Brow: MUA Brow Kit  $5.48

Face:

Primer: Benefit POREfessional $30

Foundation: Revlon Color Stay Whipped Creme Ivory $13.99

Cheeks: Blush NARS Orgasm $29

               Highlight Benefit Watt's Up! $30

Concealer: Benefit Erase Paste Fair $26

Powder: Guerlain Metorite Pressed Powder Teint Rose $56

Lips (in the video): Lip Liner MUA Red Drama  $1.56

                                Lipstick e.l.f Studio Matte Lip Color Rich Red $3.00

The MUG shadows are great quality and a tremendous value. I purchased The Starter Kit ($49.99) when they first came out. It comes with nine pans neutral and some purples with both matte and shimmery shades. Three of the shadows I used came out of the Starter Kit. Vanilla Bean is the only one I purchased separately.

If you're interested in the whole look or my dance, check out the video (better in HD)! The LVBDI is the biggest event of the year for our belly dance community. Dancers come from all over the world for classes and performances. 

Small Birthday Haul

I normally buy myself something more expensive for my birthday. Last year  it was Guerlain powder. This year I just wasn't feeling like I really needed anything from the higher end of the spectrum. I've also been on a bit of a concealer kick lately. So I decided to pick up Benefit's Erase Paste ($28) from Sephora. 

Everything else was free! I opted for the Benefit Birthday gift from Sephora. I'm already a fan of They're Real. I'm not a big user of highlighters but I'd like to try them out more. The Shiseido lip gloss was a freebie with $25 purchase. I love the Erase Paste! I'll have to a full review of it soon. I've use Watt's Up a few times and really like it. I'm not sure I'd ever use it enough to purchase a full size. I've yet to try to the Shiseido but I love the color.

Collective Holiday Sephora & Ulta Hauls

I took advantage of some holiday sales but didn't go too crazy. I also have upcoming MUA and e.l.f. hauls to post but first my latest Sephora and Ulta hauls. I fell in love with the L'Occitane hand cream from November's Sample Society Box so I wanted to try more. L'Occitane has a holiday set featuring 1 oz tubes of five of their hand creams.  They are Lavande, Pivoine Flora, Classic Shea Butter, Fleur Cherie, and Cherry Blossom. Unfortunately it was sold out a BeautyBar.com. So I picked it up from Sephora (where it is also now sold out). These retail indiviually for $10. I picked up the set for $40 and I believe I got 8% cash back from Ebates.

L'Occitane Hand Cream Confections Set

I can't decide if I'm going to keep them all or send a couple to my mom and sister with the beauty goodie bags I'm putting together for them.

Sephora Freebies

Sephora Freebies

I got a pile of free stuff with my order.First up are my picks for the usual three free samples. Benefit So Radiant which features samples of the Triple Performing Face Emulsion, Total Moisture Facial Cream, and It's Potent Eye Cream. I've try the eye cream in the past and liked it. I wasn't amazed by it but I did like it. Clinique High Impact Mascara was my second choice because I'm always up to try a new mascara. Third choice was Lady Gaga's Fame perfume. I have to admit I was curious. The scent reminds of Liz Taylor Poison from back in the day. Sephora was also offering mystery bags of samples. Mine included two cards of Sephora foundation in Light and Medium, a foil pack of Sephora Instant Moisturizer, Clarins High Definition Body Lift, DDF Amplifying Elixir, and a mini bottle of Versace perfume. I had a sample of the DDF before but it traded it. I may keep this one and actually try it out. I'm pretty sure I'm sending the Versace to my mom though. I'll definitely try the rest.

Ulta was still doing a buy one get one 50% on Real Techniques brushes so I took advantage of that. I picked up the Expert Face Brush and the Stippling brush. I also decided to try a new moisturizer and eye cream. I'm not really loyal to any particular moisturizer and I still haven't found my HG eye cream yet. I like the Eucerin so far but haven't been impressed with the Neutrogena eye cream.

Ulta Holiday 2012 Haul

My Ulta order also contained several items for my Mom but I won't post them on the off chance that she reads this. There was a mix of makeup and skincare products for her. I also scored cash back from Ebates for my Ulta purchase.

Overall, I managed to rein myself in a bit. I'm really trying not to go crazy with my spending lately. I managed to stay mostly on budget as far as gift buying is concerned and only bought a few things for myself. YAY.

What were some of your holiday hauls?

November Rambling

First I wanted to say thank you to all of my readers! I am grateful to each of you for reading my blog. Thank you to all the other amazing bloggers out there. I've learned so much from you all and I've been inspired.

I've been trying to do some things around the house over the holiday and there was all the baking and visiting to do. So I've been neglecting my blog. I was going to post about the November Ipsy bag but you're all probably tired of seeing it this late in the month. ;)

I was subscribed to MyGlam back in the earlier months of the year when it...well. when it sucked. So I cancelled my subscription. I've kept my eye on their progress though and they've really upped their game. This month I decided to resubscribe and I'm not disappointed. Except for the nail polish but I'm just not into glitter and gold. I love They're Real! mascara it might be my HG mascara. I'm really excited to try theBalm shadow. I've never tried any of their shadows although I've been tempted to buy Nude'Tude a few times. Love the color of the lip gloss. I'm not really into the actual bag this month but that's OK. I loved the October bag and actually traded over on MUT to get one. 

I need to go through my collection and update my trade list. I'm also thinking of doing a blog sale. I have a few Inglot shadows and some other stuff I may want to part with. 

I'm doing OK on my low buy for the month. I had to take advantage of the MUA 35% off sale. I'll probably hit up some Cyber Monday deals. My Mom wants some makeup/skincare items for Christmas and I still want to pick up a few of the Real Techniques brushes but I don't intend to go crazy buying palettes or holiday sets or even that bottle of Balenciaga perfume I've been wanting for ages.

Hope you're having a great holiday weekend!

October Favorites

I didn't get around to doing a September favorites so this is more of an September/October favorites post. I haven't been wearing a lot of different makeup the last few months. I did perform with my troupe a few times though. We danced a 1940s Golden Era Bellydance piece so I've been doing a retro look a lot which is where most of my favorite products come from.

If anyone is interested in a tutorial for this look let me know. It's pretty easy and always looks glamorous. Anyhoo, on to the October favorites!

Eyeko Skinny Liner, Ardell Wispies, Besame Crimson Rouge, e.l.f. Tinted Lip Moisturizer, & Benefit They're Real! Mascara

• Eyeko Skinny Eyeliner in Black I got this back in my July Birchbox it was one of the few items I got from Birchbox that I absolutely loved and one of the very few full sized items I ever got. Anyhoo, this is a felt tipped liner that glides on smoothly and is long lasting. It makes it really easy to achieve that winged liner look. It comes in several different colors. There's a purple I keep talking myself out of buying. It's gorgeous but I don't know when I'd ever wear it. You can buy it at Sephora or Birchbox for $15.
• Ardell Wispies Love love love these falsies. They're big and dramatic but still give that soft wide-eyed look. You can find Ardells in most drugstores and Target for around $4.
• Besame Crimson Rouge I got this is as a sample in my August Beauty Army kit. Besame Cosmetics is all about the vintage retro look with their products and their packaging. This cream blush is much drier than other cream blushes I've tried. It works great though. Just dab a little bit on and blend it out and you have the perfect vintage looking flush. The full size of this is $22 and you can find it at Besame Cosmetics or Beauty Army.
• e.l.f. Moisturizing Lip Tint SPF8 in Rose I usually carry around a ridiculous amount of lippies in my purse. So I've been trying to use up some products and cull the herd. I rediscovered this and have been wearing it a lot. Rose is a darker pink color. I find it much more pigmented than other tinted lip moisturizers/lip balms that I've tried. Fairly well moisturizing and the color is long lasting. These are $3 on the e.l.f. website and I think you can find these in Target.
• Benefit They're Real! Mascara I got this sample in my September Little Black Bag. I really didn't want to love it because the full size is $23. I have a hard time finding a mascara that doesn't give me panada eyes even though I only wear mascara on my top lashes. This mascara delivers length and stays put all day. Love it! I have about $10 worth of Birchbox points to cash in so I'll probably buy this. You can also find it pretty much everywhere... Benefit, Sephora, and Ulta.

I don't normally talk about music but the eagerly awaited new album from The 69 Eyes is finally out! The 69 Eyes are a Finnish Goth rock/metal band. The new album is so good. I've been listening to it two or three times a day. Here's the video for the single "Red."  My favorite track is actually "Black." You can buy this on Amazon as a CD or download. The Itunes version features a bonus track which is a duet with Kat Von D.

September Little Black Bag

I had been doing so well resisting the temptation of Little Black Bag for the last two months but I saw a purse I liked and gave in. LBB had also teamed up with Benefit Cosmetics and there were bonus Benefit goodies to be had. Win Win. Over the course of my trading, I fell out of love with my purse and wound up trading it for a two item trade. I ended up with five items plus two Benefit samples.

• Spring Street - Snake Print Cosmetic Bag (Retail Value $25) This is a cute shiny snakeskin print makeup bag. I'm not exactly sure why I was drawn to it. Shiny? It's a good size but will still fit comfortably in purse. 
• 'ZAD - Cheveron Cut Out Cuff in Silver (Retail Value $26) If you've looked at my past LBB videos and posts, you know I love a good bracelet. This bracelet isn't really my usual style but the good thing about LBB is that it let's you try things you wouldn't normally try while minimizing the financial risk. I've actually worn this bracelet a few times since I got my bag and I love it!
• Kenneth Cole New York - Beaded Y Necklace (Retail Value $42)  This wound up being the most expensive single item in my bag and I wouldn't have paid $42 for it on it's own. I like that's not a symmetrical design. The beads are light and clear. I know if I decide that I don't love it my Mom will.
• Lydell NYC - 2 Row Chain & Circle Necklace (Retail Value $28) Oddly enough this is my favorite item from this bag. The necklace has a good length to it The simple circle design will go with just about any outfit. My only complaint was that it was a pretty big knot when I took it out of the box. 
• Kenneth Cole New York - Cherry Orbital Earrings (Retail $26) I'm not really amazed by the earrings. I kept trying to trade them and couldn't seem to shake them unless I went with something well under this value and I wasn't really willing to do that. Not to mention there hasn't been much on LBB lately that I've actually liked. These earrings are bad earrings. They just don't WOW me. Again, I can always gift these to my Mom.
• Benefit Cosmetics - They’re Real Mascara (Full Size Retail $23) If you've been reading my posts for awhile you are also aware that I've been on a mascara hunt. This was one of the mascaras that was recommended to me. Now I'm not going to spend $23 on a mascara unless I know I'm going to love it. So I jumped at the chance to get a sample in my bag. Preliminary testing is going well. I'm definitely impressed with the length and curl.
• Benefit Cosmetics - It's Potent! Eye Cream (Full Size Retail $32) Despite my best efforts, I still haven't found anything that really makes my dark circles go away. Sometimes they aren't as bad but they never go away completely. I haven't had a chance to try this yet but I'm always up for eye creams.

There was also a card with a sample of Benefit's Porefessional Primer. This is my absolute favorite primer so I'm excited to get a little extra. The retail value of my bag this month minus the samples is $122 which is pretty modest for LBB. I place more value on getting several items I really love.

What was in your LBB?

Question Wednesday: Holy Grail Products

Thanks to Nykki for Question Wednesday. Check out her blog Nykki's Mane Blog

Today's Question Wednesday comes from Aly over at Wonderland Beauty!!

Today's Topic from Aly over at Wonderland Beauty is: Holy-grail products


What is your go-to eye makeup look? What products do you use to achieve this look?
Neutral Eyes. Using my Inglot palette. #337, #341 & #353

What are your top 3 favorite lip products for summer?
EOS Lip Balm in Sweet Mint, Revlon Lip Butter in Berry Smoothie, and Guerlain Extrait de Rose

What is your favorite liquid face product?
Holika Holika Shimmering BB (the pink one)

What is your favorite eyebrow product?
MAC eyebrow pencil

Lastly, what are some of your holy grail makeup items?
My Inglot palettes, Milani Luminoso Blush, Benefit Porefessional Primer

March Favorites

I mixed up my usual makeup quite a bit in March. I've been really trying out some new products this month.

• Inglot Eye Shadows In love with the smokey eye palette I put together from my Inglot Mini Haul. Cool toned grays look great with my blue eyes and cool toned fair skin.
• e.l.f. Stipple Brush I've been using this for applying cream blush and I love the amount of control I have. I can go subtle or really build up layers for a bolder look. Soft synthetic bristles.
• Benefit POREfessional Primer My new favorite primer. It really minimizes the appearance of pores and is long lasting. If only it were unscented it would be the best primer ever.
• NYX Extreme Lip Cream in Bonfire I'm a big fan of this formula. This is a nice bright fuchsia for Spring.
• NYX Cream Blush in Boho Chic Applied lightly is a nice pink glow. Builds up nicely. Smooth and creamy. It lasts about eight hours before it starts to fade.