Bat an Eyelash is a lifestyle blog about jewelry, makeup, belly dance, or anything else that my catch my interest.
I am a merchandiser for Chloe + Isabel. Please check out my boutique or share it with someone who may enjoy it. www.chloeandisabel.com/boutique/loriannlv
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.
Powder: Guerlain Metorite Pressed PowderTeint 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.
I'm a huge fan of the Makeup Geek eyeshadows and brushes so I just had to try out one of the new lipsticks. Since I'm more of a gloss kind of girl, I limited myself to just one lipstick. I chose Delightful.
Makeup Geek Delightful Lipstick
They describe it as a warm pink with peach undertone. On me it seems more like an orange undertone than peach. The shade is also a bit brighter than I would normally choose for myself.
Natural Lip color
Makeup Geek Delightful
There's something about this color that I'm just not sure that it suits me. I may have to wear it a few more times before making a final decision. Maybe it would work better with a warmer skin tone?
The formula for these lipsticks is creamy and applies easily. They also have a rich color payoff. Although I'm not quite sure this particular color is for me, Long lasting and neither drying or super moisturizing. I'd like to pick up Adorable (soft creamy pink) and Elegant (deep rosy red). Makeup Geek Lipsticks are available at the Makeup Geek online store. These sale for $7.99 each. MUG lipsticks are cruelty free.
Bat's Rating 7.5: I love the formula and the price. Not sure about this particular shade.
So I've been spending a lot of time at the office lately. Before spending another gorgeous Saturday in the office I decided to do something to make me feel better. If I'm going to work on Saturday, I'm going to look fabulous doing it. This is based off of Marlena at MakeUp Geek's Sexy Christmas Makeup look. It's a bit more involved than I would usually wear to the office during the week but a girl has to make herself up sometimes to feel better.
It's important to clean and condition your brushes for hygienic reasons and also to extend the life of your brushes.You should get in the habit of deep cleaning your brushes every two weeks or so to remove product build up and disinfect. I've been experimenting with a couple of different brush cleaners to find out which one is my favorite.
The brush cleaner I've been using the longest is the Mac Brush Cleaner. It comes in 7.9 oz bottle for $13.00. This cleaner works really well as a disinfectant and for deep cleaning. It cleans powder and liquid based products out of your brushes well. There is no obvious scent to it either. The only problem I have with it is that my bottle leaks. So I typically pour some product in the cap and dip my brushes in it. Instead of trying to pour it out onto my brushes. Bat's Rating: 9
The Sonia Kashuk Brush and Sponge Cleanser comes in a 5.1 oz bottle. You can find it at Target for $6.99. I've found this the cleaner works alright on brushes with powder based products on them but not so much for brushes used for lipstick or concealer. I can't really detect a smell from it. The spray bottle makes application very easy. Bat's Rating: 7.5
As a daily brush cleaner, I've been using the e.l.f. Daily Brush Cleaner. This comes in 8.5 oz spray bottle. It retails for $3.00. You may be able to find this at Target. They do carry the Brush Shampoo. This product is mostly designed to be used as a daily disinfectant. It does removes some product from the brush but does not fully clean. It works equally well on powder and liquid based products. There is a very pronounced scent to this product. It's a bit flowery and tropical with an underlying chemical hint. It reminds me of a beauty salon. I don't mind it too much but the scent does linger a bit. I wished it cleaned a little bit more and smelled a little bit less. Bat's Rating: 8
In my many years as a technician, one of the most valuable lessons I've learned is that the proper tools make the job go a lot easier. This is just as true when applying makeup. You may think that makeup brushes are confusing, expensive, and only for professionals but there are many good brushes out there that won't break the bank. If you try to use those little foam wands that come with some eye shadows, you won't be able to blend or precisely apply. Invest in a set of brushes to make your life easier.
The bare bones of any brush collection should be a blending or crease brush, a flat brush, and a small brush for more precise application. If you wear a lot of gel liner, you should also add a bent liner brush to your arsenal. Last but not least don't forget your brows and lashes! Add a double sided brow and lash comb and you'll be all set to really start experimenting with eye shadow.
I highly recommend the brushes from Makeup Geek. I use the Outer V ($5.99) everyday for applying shadow to the crease. I recently picked up the Crease Brush ($4.89) and it's quickly becoming a go to brush. It works well for blending the crease. It is very similar to the MAC 217 but is a little smaller (which I like) and is about a quarter of the price. These are natural fiber brushes and have held up well for me.
Bottom to Top: MUG Outer V, MUG Crease Brush
I do have a collection of MAC brushes. I only use about three of them regularly. The aforementioned MAC 217 ($22.50) is a great brush for applying color or blending. It's soft and feathery. Next is the MAC 219 ($24.50). I have a smaller holiday special edition set from a few years ago. This brush is used for a more precise application of color or blending. I use it under the brow and in the inside corner of the eye. The brush I use the most after the Outer V is the MAC 239. This is used for applying color to larger areas of the lid. It has flat rounded bristles. I've had my 219SE & 239SE for at least three years now and they are still in excellent condition. These are also natural fiber brushes.
Bottom to Top: MAC 217, MAC 219SE, MAC 239SE
Perhaps the most bang for your buck can be found in the e.l.f. Studio 11 Piece Brush Collection ($30). I just recently purchased this set and I'm in love. It's a nice mix of eye and face brushes and it comes in in a soft case for storage or travel. I'm really impressed with the Eye shadow "C" Brush. It blends like a dream. The Contour Brush is similar to the Outer V and the MAC 217 but is probably the most stiff of the three. I use the Small Precision Brush and the Small Smudge Brush frequently. They are a great size for applying or smudging eyeliner. The face brushes are super soft. I've really started to use the Fan brush quite a bit. I need to explore using the other face brushes a bit more. If you forget what a brush is for or how to use it, there's also a cheat sheet. e.l.f. products can also be found at Target. These brushes are fully synthethic so that means they are vegan friendly. If you shop soon, you can use the code: SAVE50 to get $7.50 off. That's like $2 a brush. Go do it now. Open a new tab. ;)
e.l.f. 11 Piece Studio Brush Set
Finally, if you use a lot of gel liner or are thinking about buying some gel liners, pick up the Sonia Kashuk Bent Eyeliner Brush ($5.79 at Target). The angle makes it a lot easier to apply eyeliner comfortably and precisely.
Don't forget to pick up a brush cleaner to clean and condition your brushes. I will post a review of different brush cleaners soon.
This is a nice neutral look for wearing during the day.
You want to choose shades similar to skin tone so there will be a lot of variance from one person to the next. If you're ultra fair, feel free to use my suggestions. You need three shades one two shades darker than your skin tone, the next one shade darker, and the final one close to your skin tone.
Use the darkest shade in the corner and crease of the eye sweeping inwards. Go back over that with your medium shade and blend the two. Sweep the medium shade along the rest of the lower lid. Use your lightest shade just beneath the brow and in the inside corner of the eye. Blending this into the medium shade.
Use a brown eyeliner for a softer look. Only line three quarters of the way in on both lids. Finish off with mascara.
Use a light peach or pink on the cheeks. For your lips use any shade ranging from soft pink to nude.
Face: Foundation: Revlon ColorStay Foundation Ivory #110 Concealer: Sally Hansen All Over Brightener & Sonia Kashuk Concealer Palette Powder: Mac Minearalize Skin Finish Light MAC
Eyes: Primer: Urban Decay Primer Potion Original Urban Decay Medium Brown: Inglot #337 Inglot Lighter Rose Brown: Inglot # 341 Highlight: Inglot # 353 Eyeliner: Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Whiskey Urban Decay Mascara: Maybelline Define-a-Lash
