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. 

NYX Haul $60 for $30

Total Beauty is running a deal for $60 worth of NYX products for $30. This deal is running for the next two days. So snatch it while you can. I thought about hanging on to mine for a little while but I couldn't resist. If you've been curious about NYX, now's your chance to try out at a discount. NYX cosmetics are cruelty free.

I chose two big ticket items (at least by NYX standards) and a few smaller items instead of just loading up the small stuff. I had a tough time getting right below $60. So the total for this order was $62.25 with free shipping. Out of pocket I paid $32.25 for all of these goodies.

• The Curve $15 Felt tip eye liner with an ergonomic shape. I can't wait to try this out. I'm always looking for ways to get that perfect wing.
• HD Studio Photogenic Foundation $15 Nude Is a lightweight foundation that smooths and brightens. It is supposed to be a dupe for the MUFE foundation. 
• Single Eyeshadow $4.50 Frosted Ocean  I'm always on the look out for the perfect dark blue to use in my crease. I have a go to blue/gold look I use when I wear one of my costumes but I haven't found the perfect crease color yet. I hope this is it.
• Nail Polish Salon Formula $4 I've never tried any of the NYX nail polishes and usually when I do a haul like this with a big discount, I try to cover all the categories. This is described as black with red flecks of glitter. I definitely don't have something like this in my collection already.
• Rouge Cream Blush $6 Boho Chic This is hands down my favorite cream blush and definitely one of my favorite blushes overall. I've hit the pan on the one I have now. It won't be long before I crack into this one. This is also one of the prizes in My Giveaway.
• Extra Creamy Round Lipstick $4  Tea Rose  This formula is very creamy. I wanted to pick up something lighter for Spring.
• Slide on Pencil $8  Pretty Violet These are one of the more expensive items in the NYX line. They are also widely considered a dupe for the UD 24/7 liners which retail for $19. I don't have a purple liner. I'm not sure when I'll use it this but it's pretty.
• Wonder Pencil $4.50 Light  This is a new product from NYX. It's supposed to coneal, brighten, and line. Works great on the waterline.

So I decided to throw together a look using a lot of these products and as many NYX products as I could. I'm about to go meet a friend for Sunday brunch. I didn't want anything too heavy. It's definitely Spring here in Las Vegas.

Face: 

NYX HD Foundation Nude

Cover Girl Olay Concealer Balm Fair

MUA Matte Perfect Loose Powder Translucent

Cheeks:

NYX Cream Blush Boho Chic

Eyes:

NYX Wonder Pencil on the waterline.
NYX Loose Pearl Shadow Sky Pink Pearl

NYX Pin Up Tease Mascara Review

Lips:

NYX Creamy Lipstick Tea Rose

Tools:

Beauty Blender

Real Techniques Stippling Brush

e.l.f. Studio Contour Brush

December Ipsy 2012 Bag

This is my second month being resubscribed to Ipsy. Overall I liked this month but I wasn't amazed.

December 2012 Ipsy Bag

• Mirabella Be a Bombshell Lip Gloss in Hot Mess This looks more orange in the tube than it actually applies. I haven' tried to wear it yet. 
• Mai Couture Highlighting Papers I just think these are weird. I can't ever see myself really using them.
• NYX Loose Pearl Shadow in Sky Pink Pearl I love NYX products and I actually have a Loose Shadow already in a blue. I was hoping for silver. I wasn't really thrilled to see pink but this is definitely a workable pink for a neutral look. It's not like a bubblegum pink.
• Mirabella Primer for Face and Eyes I'm always up to try out a new primer. 
• Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Eye Pencil in Zero  I already have one of these from the set of mini eyeliners I bought on Hautelook a while back. So I was hoping we'd get different colors.

The bag itself is a good size and color. This would be great to put your brushes in for travel. I like that there is so much variety in the style of bag each month now. When I first subscribed they were all pretty similar. This bag was good but I wasn't blown away. I still haven't used anything from last month's bag either. I think I may finally be sampled out.

Coastal Scents Mystery Box

Awhile back Coastal Scents was offering these mystery boxes. I believe they originally sold for $50. I picked mine up when they were on sale for $19.99. I had seen a few other people post about them and the contents looked decent and I love a good mystery box. This seems like a mixture of discontinued, slightly irregular factory faults, and sale items.  Here's what was in my box.

Mini Contour Brush & Mini Lip Brush

I tried to use the Mini Contour Brush for cleaning up my cuticles after painting my nails but it didn't work very well. You could possibly use it for really targeted blending. The lip brush would be good for travelling or throwing in your purse for touch ups.

Classic Stippling Brush, Classic Shadow Large Natural & Medium Natural, Natural Fan Brush, and Classic Blender

I like that I received a mixture of synthetic and natural brushes. I always love trying new brushes. I've been using the Stippling Brush for apply cream blush. I'm going to do a comparison with the e.l.f Stipple brush soon. I haven't decided what to do with the Large Natural or the Natural Fan brush yet. I gave the other two to my sister who had no brushes.

Mineral Shadows: Balara, Ignite, Figi Twist, Lace Sparkle, Lagoon Mist, & Emerald Sapphire (sample)

Five full sized mineral shadows! I actually don't use a lot of mineral makeup though. These colors were all recently discontinued. Balara is a dark brown color unlike the orange tint it has in the photo.  Ignite is a light brownish pink. Fiji Twist is a bright sunshine yellow. Lace Sparkle is a light mauve. Lagoon Mist is periwinkle. Emerald Sapphire is a cool toned sparkley green. These can be applied wet or dry. If you're interested in swatches let me know. I may just put most of these in my trade pile.

Mineral Bronzer

I was all set to send this straight to the trade pile but this seems light enough that it won't just make my complexion look muddy. I'm going to give it a shot.

Quad Eyeshadow Palette: ??, Peach, Deep Grape, New Penny

This quad was being sold as a dramatic look for green eyes. I'm a blue eyed girl and I don't think I can pulll off this combination. The mystery shade and Deep Grape are matte colors. The mystery shade is very sheer. Peach has a satin finish. New Penny has a more metallic finish. You could easily pop these out and put different colors in. I have a medium and small Z palette though. If I need to travel, I just put my selected colors in the smaller Z palette.

Whimsical Lashes

I love lashes. I don't have a pair with this crisscross pattern so I'm pretty excited about these. I usually only wear lashes for dance performances though. Not sure when I'll get around to trying these out.

I also received a bottle of facial cleanser with grapefruit and green tea extract. It foams up out of the bottle and has a very fresh and clean scent. I haven't tried the African Black Soap yet.

For what I paid, I definitely think I got my money's worth. There are some products I definitely wouldn't have picked up on my own. What are your favorite Coastal Scents products?

September Sample Society

It's been box mania around here. Normally I try to post these earlier but I've been too busy to really use most of my samples. I like to at least try things once before putting in my 2 cents. So on to this month's Sample Society.

• CellCeuticals Extremely Gentle Cleanser Deluxe Sample 2 oz  (Full Size Retail $35) Ideal for even the most sensitive skin, CellCeuticals Extremely Gentle Cleanser removes impurities and makeup without drying out the skin. This daily cleanser hydrates the skin and leaves it feeling supple as it removes facial and eye makeup. I wasn't expecting this to have such a thin texture so I got more out than I had bargained for. This is a very gentle cleanser. I like it so far. I have tons of sample cleansers to work through though.
• Borghese B Gloss Deluxe Sample .16 oz in Fiore (Full Size Retail .21 oz $18.50) Borghese B Gloss Lip Gloss is a lush, glossy color that accentuates lips and provides high-shine looks. Moisturizers deliver a soothing treat while high style pigments add luminosity. Has a long-wearing formula. Vitamins A and E deliver moisture. Avocado oil, jojoba oil and aloe vera soothe lips. The color I received is very close to my natural lip color with just a little shine. It's nice and subtle. Wear time was pretty good but it comes at a cost. This lip gloss is very sticky feeling. I really don't care for glosses that are really sticky. I'd rather reapply more often.

• Diptyque Vetyverio Eau de Toilette Sample Vial .06(Full Size Retail 1.7 oz $88) Made for both women and men, the Diptyque Eaux de Toilette use the finest raw materials. Vetyverio is in Diptyque's Woody Family. Has the essence of forest vegetation. I normally like the more uni-sex fragrances since I'm not really into girly florals. I don't care for this one. I may give it another try though. My first experiment with it made it smell really strong.
• Stila Cosmetics Smudge Crayon Waterproof Primer + Shadow + Liner in Umber Deluxe Sample (Full Size Retail $22) Stila Smudge Crayon Waterproof Eye Primer + Shadow + Liner Dazzle is a 3-in-1 gel-based product that glides on with ease and stays in place until you say when. This creamy, multi-pearl formula is infused with emollients for a smooth, comfortable application. Stila Smudge Crayon Waterproof Eye Primer + Shadow + Line Dazzle also provides rich, bold color for more than 6 hours of continuous wear that won't crease over time. The best part: There's a pull-out sharpener conveniently hidden in the base so your product can be ôon pointo no matter where you are. I haven't had a chance to use this yet either except to try to swatch it. I love this color and think it can go well with some of the colors from MUA's Heaven & Earth palette.

• Ahava Purifying Mud Mask Deluxe Sample .9 oz (Full Size Retail 4.4 oz $30) Apply this unique mineral mud mask once or twice a week. It contains purifying and softening qualities, clears skin of excess oils, roots out the grime and blackheads, and prevents the formation of blemishes. This is the only product I haven't had a chance to use yet. I'm hoping to get to it this week. I don't do a lot of masks other than my weekly Ren mask. So this will be a nice change of pace.

Sample Society continues to be my favorite box. I like that it's balanced and sends out brands I wouldn't normally try on my own.

My First MUA Haul!!

I always thought that MUA products were something that I would just have to admire on the pages of the UK beauty bloggers. Late in July when I was deep into my No-Buy, I told myself it wouldn't hurt to see if they shipped internationally. They do! I put a ton of stuff in my cart but didn't checkout. A few weeks later (and in August after my No-Buy was over), MUA hit 25,000 likes on Facebook and released a 25% off coupon with free international shipping. I was all over it!

Heaven & Earth Palette, Starry Night Palette, Nail Polish #1, Lipstick #13, LipBoom LMK, Liquid Liner in Black, 3 in 1 Contour in Smoked Plum, Blush in #4

Everything arrived safely from across the pond! I am so excited I had to make a quick haul post. Full reviews will be upcoming. I got the Heaven & Earth and Starry Night palettes, Nail Polish in Shade #1 which is a dark sparkly blue, Lipstick #13 red!, LipBoom LMK Deep Vampy and sparkly pink gloss, Liquid Liner in Black, 3 in 1 Contour Pen in Smoked Plum, and finally Blush in #4. All of this was a little over £12 with the exchange rate it was a little over $19.

I did this swatches really quickly while I was sitting in my chair catching up on episodes of What Not to Wear.

Liquid Liner, Smoked Plum, LipBoom LMK Pink Gloss, LipBoom LMK Lipstick Side, Lipstick #13

I really can't decide which of these products to try out first! I'm so excited. I plan on doing full reviews with better swatches and all that soon. I have a back log of reviews but these might move to the front of the line.

What are your favorite MUA products? It's never too early to start putting together my next shopping list.

Confession Time: I Don't Love the Naked Palettes

I have a confession to make. I don't love the Naked palettes from Urban Decay. I bought the first palette and found it to be too warm for my complexion. So I sold it and bought the Naked2 because it looked better suited to a cool skin tone. I find myself skipping over this palette in my drawer and reaching for my Inglot palettes instead. Most of the shades are too shimmery for me. Personally, I have a hard time putting together a look that works for me with this palette. I really struggle with it and find that I have to mix in an Inglot or MUG shadow.  There was also more fallout than I anticipated. The flat end of the brush is alright but the blending end sucks. I do like the lip gloss that came with it though.

Urban Decay Naked2 Palette

I just sat down and tried to work with this again. I tried two different looks. Unfortunately, I haven't yet mastered the skill of taking a picture of my own eye yet. So no pics sorry. For the first I used Busted (holy fallout Batman) in the crease, Tease across the lid, and BootyCall under the browbone and the inner corner. It came out way too dark and I felt like I had a black eye. Maybe I was just too heavy handed with it.  For the second look I used Pistol in the crease, Verve across the lid, and BootyCall for the browbone and highlight again. I liked this look and found Pistol and Verve easier to work with than Busted. It came out a light silvery smokey look. I liked it though. I didn't love it.

If I'm doing my everyday neutral or for a quick smokey eye, I reach for one of my Inglot palettes. To be fair though, I did hand select all the colors.

Inglot Palettes

I also started using my Inglot palette long before I bought either of the Naked palettes. Maybe I'm just a creature of habit but I think it has more to do with me preferring matte eyeshadows.

So this is palette did not live up to the hype for me. I love UD lipglosses and eyeliners. I have a cheek highlighter that I don't use often but I do like. Maybe UD eyeshadows just aren't for me or I just haven't found the right ones yet. For those of you that love this palette, what are your go to looks? I'd love to hear from you.  I'd especially love to hear from any other really fair cool toned ladies.

April Beauty Box 5 Review

I know we're halfway through May and I still have April subs to review. In all fairness, I got this box so late in April that I thought it had been lost in the mail like my first Beauty Box 5. Since I used a code when I signed up, this box was free so I wasn't too concerned if it showed up or not. Beauty Box 5 is a monthly subscription service for $12. You get five samples of varying sizes.

April Beauty Box 5

There seems to be quite a range of products and sample sizes people are receiving. My five items this month were:

• Lavera Eye Liner in #2 Brown (full size)
• Pur-lisse Gentle Soy Milk Cleanser and Makeup Remover
• Lavera Mango Milk Hair Mask
• Freeman Dead Sea Minerals Anti-Stress Mask
• Becca Eye Tint in Pewter (full size)

I've been using the UD 24/7 liners for so long now that I forgot eye liner used to be hard. The Lavera is definitely a hard eye liner and I experienced some smudging and fading.  I tried the Pur-lisse a few times and I don't care for the texture or the fragrance. Something about it is a bit too menthol for my liking.  The Lavera hair mask interested me because I've never tried a hair mask before but I didn't see any real difference in my hair. My hair is generally healthy and shiny anyway. *shrug*  The Freeman mask was OK. I liked it better than the Freeman Mask I had in my February MyGlam bag but still I wouldn't go out and buy a Freeman mask. The Becca Eye Tint in Pewter is the only product I haven't had a chance to try out yet. Becca describes it as a rich gray black. We'll see what I think when I finally get around to giving it a test drive.

I had decided to cancel BB5 even before I got this box and I don't regret it. For $3 more I get Sample Society which came with a year subscription to Allure and offers $15 off coupons at Beauty Bar. For $2 less I get Birchbox which has an extensive online store and rewards points system. I don't dislike Beauty Box 5 but there's nothing about it that wows me or that sets it apart from any of the other beauty subscription services out there. 

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.

e.l.f Haul and Leap Year Mystery Bag

e.l.f. was offering a Mystery Bag on Leap day valued at $20 with any purchase of $20 or more. Even though I was technically cut off for the rest of the month of February I let this one slide.  I mean it was Leap Day so really it was more like March anyway. Besides $20 of e.l.f products goes a long way! Some e.l.f products are really great finds and others are pretty much worth the $1-$3.

So first the stuff I bought:

Lip Tint in Berry $3
Contouring Blush & Bronzer Powder I don't contour or use bronzer but it's something I'm curious about. For $3 I can afford to experiment.
Makeup Mist and Set  $3 Can this live up to the standard set by my MAC Fix +?
Nourishing Cuticle Pen My cuticles aren't as bad now that I don't work with my hands everyday but they still need some lovin'. $1
Eyebrow Lifter & Filler in Ivory/Medium  I really don't pay as much attention to my brows as I should other than keeping a basic shape.$3
Studio Stipple Brush I don't have a stipple brush. $3
Mineral Angled Blush Brush No angled blush brush either. This is the big ticket item in my order...$5

Now the free stuff! So much stuff I wasn't quite sure how to arrange it to get it all in the picture.

Shimmer Palette These are all creams so you can use them on the eyes, lips or face. Retail value $3
Silver Box Duo Eyeshadow Collection  Four duo eyeshadows plus a brush. These look like some good color combos.Greenish Silver/Purple. Matte brown/bronze. Shimmer Pink/Matte Light Gray. Sparkly Black/Matte Silver Gray. Retail value $5
Minty Lip Gloss In Miami. This definitely smells minty. Retail value $3
Single Eyeshadow  in Butter Cream  This reminds me of a color I have but I can't quite put my finger on it right now.  Retail value $3
Mineral Concealer Brush  Feels soft Retail value $5
Hypershine Lip Gloss  in Sugar Plum Looks like a nice plum color. I'm not really into brush applicator lip glosses. Retail Value $1

So quite the mountain of stuff. I'm not even really sure where to start! e.l.f. usually has some good deals. It's worth it to sign up for their emails.

FOTD: March 10, 2012

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.

Eyes:

Primer: Palladio Eyeshadow Primer Palladio

Eyeshadows: 

MUG Mocha MUG

Inglot # 337 Inglot
MUG Shimma Shimma MUG
MAC Pigment Naked MAC

Eyeliner: 
Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Peversion Urban Decay
Maybelline Eye Studio Charcoal

Mascara: Maybelline Falsies

Face:
Primer: Too Faced Primed and Poreless Too Faced
Foundation: Revlon ColorStay Foundation Ivory #110
Concealer: Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch Highlighting Concealer Ivory
Powder: e.l.f  High Definition Powder e.l.f.
MAC Fix+

Cheeks:
Blush: Milani Baked Blush Luminoso Milani
Highlight: Cover Girl Powder Natural Ivory


Lips: Inglot Cream Lipstick# 121 Inglot

Inglot Mini Haul

I bought an Inglot five slot palette on sale during Black Friday and then I was sick most of the winter so I never made it over to Town Square to pick out my shadows.  As much as I love Inglot products, their website sucks. So I'd much rather shop in person...even if it means going to Town Square.  It beats having to go the the Forum Shops or Fashion Show though.  Not that local Las Vegans don't like tourists. We appreciate your support of our economy. We just don't want to be anywhere near you or have to drive on the Strip more than absolutely necessary.

From Left to Right:

#324 M  Very light gray matte finish
AMC Shine #36 Medium gray sparkly
#387M Medium gray matte finish
#348M Dark gray matte finish
#391 black matte finish

These are 2.3g and retail for $5 each. You heard me right. $5 for a richly pigmented, great quality shadow. I'll try to swatch these at some point.

I love how the Inglot palette lids click on magnetically. They hold together tightly. I've traveled with my smaller three slot palette a lot and it has never shifted around.  I can't wait to use these shadows.  It was difficult but I managed not to buy anything else while I was in the store. It is dangerously close to my office though and there's a Sephora right around the corner!

Town Square Las Vegas

Inglot USA

Bat An Eyelash is now on Bloglovin' and Twitter!

Ulta and CVS Haul

So I told myself I was just going into Ulta to get my points from my last purchase and pickup UD 24/7 in Perversion and one or two things from they NYX section. I also needed to the nail polish I bought last time but my Mom liked it so much I gave it to her. I just needed to go in CVS to return some blush (Maybelline FitMe blush sucks btw). What is it they say about the best laid plans of mice and men?

The Haul:

• Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Eyeliner Perversion
• NYX Mechanical Lip Pencil  Plum 
• NYX Mechanical Lip Pencil  Nude
• NYX Hi Def Photo Concealer Green
• NYX Xtreme Lip Cream Buttery Nude
• NYX Xtreme Lip Cream Natural
• Lancome Bienfait Multi-Vital Teinte Natural
• Ulta Nail Lacquer Steppin' Out  
• Ulta Nail Lacquer Goddess
• Ulta Nail Lacquer Freshwater Pearl
• Ulta Nail Lacquer Dance Teal Dawn
• Maybelline DreamLumi Touch Concealer Ivory
• Maybelline Color Tattoo 24hr Cream Gel Eye Shadow Tough as Taupe
• Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Top Coat
• Sample of Lancome Teint Miracle Foundation Buff 4C

Ulta products are still buy two get two free. My CVS still has a good selection of the Color Tattoo shadows. Most everywhere else is sold out or only has purple. Word has really gotten around about that one being the dud in the batch. 

FOTD: Using Maybelline Color Tattoo In Pomegranate Punk

I wanted to play around with my Maybelline Color Tattoo in Pomegranate Punk today.

Eyes:

Primer: Palladio Eyeshadow Primer Palladio

Eyeshadows: 

Maybelline Color Tattoo Pomegranate Punk

MUG Unexpected MUG

Inglot # 341 Inglot

Inglot # 353

Eyeliner: Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On  Whiskey Urban Decay

Mascara: Maybelline Define-a-Lash

Face:
Foundation: Revlon ColorStay Foundation Ivory #110
Concealer: Sonia Kashuk Concealer Palette & e.l.f. Radiance Enhancer Spotlight e.l.f.
Powder: Mac Minearalize Skin Finish Light MAC


Cheeks:
Blush: Milani Baked Blush Luminoso Milani
Highlight: Cover Girl Powder Natural Ivory


Lips: Inglot Cream Lipstick# 121 Inglot

Brush Cleaners

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

MAC Brush Cleaner, e.l.f Daily Brush Cleaner, & Sonia Kashuk Brush & Sponge Cleaner

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

Introduction

My career as an Entertainment Lighting Technician is not the most feminine.  On a typical work day, I wear black cargo pants, a black t-shirt, and black steel toed boots. I don't wear makeup and my hair is straight back in a ponytail. Over the years, I've started to become more girly in my off time. I suppose I've been trying to find a natural balance. In the last year especially, I've developed a strong interest in makeup and more specifically eyeshadow.

In my younger days, I was very much goth. So I'm no stranger to dramatic eye makeup. Now bellydance is my passion in life and once again dramatic eye makeup is a much needed skill. I needed to learn how to apply makeup like..well.. like a normal person. I've learned so much about different products and techniques over the last year that I'd like to share.

It is my goal to use this blog to review different products and produce technique videos. I hope it will be informative and educational.  I know that I still have much to learn. I hope through this blog, I will push myself further. My weakness is blush. In my formative teenage makeup years, I was goth. If I had known about contouring back then, I might have worn gray blush. Blush still sort of baffles me.

Makeup has come a long way since I first started wearing it way back in when.  There are so many great products out now no matter what your price range. My makeup drawer is a mixture of drugstore and designer products.  There are some really great finds at your local drugstore and some really great designer products that are worth the investment.

I'd  love to hear what you are interested or what you may have questions about.

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