Urban Decay Book of Shadows IV Review

For Christmas I asked my parents for the Book of Shadows IV by Urban Decay. It was the only thing I asked for and I was extremely excited when I got it. I would like to start off by saying that I really REALLY enjoy this palette. If you have never used it or seen it, I definitly suggest checking it out.

The first thing I want to talk about is the packaging of it all. It comes in a protecting box with a great eye catching design on it. It's very creative and colourful and of course it's extremely cute. I think it's very girly and very different from any other palette I have seen. This palette goes above and beyond any other I've seen.

So when you open up the palette, this is what it looks like. ^^^ It has a mirror and pop up butterflies which I think is adorable. Again very different from other palettes. Then beside the mirror there is a little pouch for your phone and a little card with get the look codes on it. This whole palette has this kind of magical feel about it so it makes doing your makeup fun rather than just a chore.

So this is the card that comes with the palette. What you would do is scan these codes using your smart phone and it will bring up a video showing you how to get that particular look using the colours in this palette. They give you five different looks to choose from and they are all very different looks so it gives you a nice variety to choose from. I mean how many other palettes that you've seen have had this feature?

After opening the palette, you will see a purple flap on the front to pull on which pulls out the actually palette itself. It comes with 16 different coloured eyeshadows, a black 24/7 liquid liner, a mini mascara, a primer potion, a speaker to plug into your phone and of course the cords to go along with it. The colours this palette comes with are relly great because it comes with your nice every day kind of colours but it comes with your really fun bold colours as well. The only bad thing I would say is that a few of the colours have glitter in it and I found that I ended up getting it all over my face. Other than that I really like ALL of the colours. I also really enjoyed the liner, it's an amazing liner and when I run out I will definitly be buying another one. It stays on extremely well and I found it easy to apply. The mascara was a pretty good one but I still prefer my falsies by  Maybelline.

This is the speaker that comes with the palette. This was one of the features about the palette that really made me want to try this palette because it was so unique. I thought it was a really great idea because you can use it to listen to the videos aloud or even just listen to music while your getting ready. Which I'm pretty sure most girls do. It even has a key chain on it so you can bring it around with you instead of keeping it with the palette itself.

Overall I really love this palette and I have found a few more products using this palette that I will definitly buy again. Like the liner, certain colours in the palette and the primer potion. Its extremely unique and fun. It's just something different to try and have fun with.

Thanks for reading!

Cover FX Total Coverage Cream Foundation

This week I have finally returned to school after a 3 week Christmas Break. I was really glad to be back at school to keep me busy. As I was getting ready for school I noticed I was going to need a new foundation soon. I stopped at a shoppers drug to look around for something new to try.

 

I usually use MAC's studio sculpt foundation but I really wanted to try something different. I probably looked at a dozen different foundations until I finally asked the lady at the counter for a recommendation. She suggested a cream foundation since I have dry skin. She pointed a few out that are most popular.

I was really intrigued by the cover fx cream foundation because I always hear very good things about that company. The lady tested it on my skin and showed me the look it gives. I decided to give it a try. It cost $38 but I also bought a brush with it. The brush that was suggested to use when applying the product is a somewhat fluffy brush but still dense which is supposed to help buff the product into your skin better.

 

I'm gonna break this down into the positives about it and the negatives.

 

Positives:

 

• great coverage
• doesn't make skin look flaky
• don't feel the need for concealer as much
• it's almost impossible to make a mess with the foundation (like spill it or getting crusty in lid)
• comes in a nice container which is easy to carry around
• doesn't look too cakey on skin

 

Negatives:

 

• doesn't wear as long as I thought it would
• I found it hard to layer with other products like bronzer and blush
• the product transfers (comes off when I touch my face)
• takes longer to apply than other foundations

 

 

Overall I liked the product. I wouldn't say I love it though. I don't think I would buy it again, I think I would go back to MAC. For people who need that extra coverage then this is a great product for you but I just don't feel like it worked great for me. But I could be wrong, I could learn a new way of using it and fall back in love with it.

 

Thanks for reading!

Gwen Stefani's makeup looks

GWEN STEFANI

I would like to first start off by saying that I am a HUGE fan of Gwen Stefani. I have always loved her music, her bold style, and her makeup looks. Gwen Stefani is so original and creative, she definitly stands out from other celebrities to me. That's what I love most about her, she isn't afraid to be herself!

So these are some of my favourite Gwen Stefani looks!

To me, this is a classic Gwen Stefani look. She has the bold red lip, with just the perfect amount of shine, not too shimmery, not too matte. She has black eyeliner along her top lashline and just a touch of black eyeliner on the bottom lashline. Then there is a shimmery white eyeshadow around her tear ducts. Her eyebrows look perfectly shaped and filled in with a light brown to go along with her white blonde hair. She doesn't wear to much colour on her cheeks. But I love her porcelain skin, it really works for her look. She has a bit of a rosy pink colour on her cheeks. This is a great evening look in my opinion, and it is an easy look to do. It's a five minute look that looks like you spent a lot of time doing.

This makeup look is almost the same as the one above (like I said "signature Gwen Stefani look"). The only thing that is really different in this look is she has more eyeliner on her bottom lash line than in the other picture. Her cheeks also look a bit more bronzy here. What I really liked about this look was her hair and her statement necklace. I love how she can pull anything off. Her hair is so unique and quorky but it really does work. If it was any other celebrity with their hair like this I would be like "What the heck were they thinking!" But for Gwen I make an exception. Like how do you get a bun to sit that perfectly on the top of your head?

I think this is a gorgeous look on Gwen. It's different than what she would usually do with her makeup, but it's nice to see her switch it up every once in a while. She has heavy eyeliner on her bottom lashline as well as her top lashline. The thing that really sticks out to me in this picture is her nude lips, since she is known for her red lip. She has a bit of gloss on her lips and maybe a hint of lip liner. Her cheek bone is very defined in this picture which looks very flattering. Her hair has been teased and kind of combed over a bit then flowers added to it makes it look so pretty.

This look is so different from her usual look because first of all, she has no red lip, and second of all, she doesn't always wear her eyeliner that thick. I think she looks more toned down here than she normally looks, which is kind of nice for a change. She has very thick black eyeliner on her top lashline then white eyeliner along the bottom lashline and of course mascara. Then she has a pale pink lip with a touch of gloss to finish the look. Again looks beautiful but doesn't take much time.

This is a very flattering look on Gwen and would also be flattering on anyone really. She has lovely dewy skin here and a nice bronzy, pink glow. The lip colour is very different from what we have seen before which is either red lip or pale lip. This is a more pinky natural colour. She has the eyeliner along her tp lashline again and a touch along the bottom but not too much. She has long eyelashes and almost no eyeshadow. Maybe a pale peach or white, it's kind of hard to tell. She looks so glowy in this picture, its stunning.

Over all, when looking through pictures of Gwen, I noticed she doesn't really play too much with coloured eyeshadows. I might like to see more colour on her eyes in the future but still, anything she does, she always pulls it off really well.

Thanks for reading!

p.s. none of these photos were taken by myself, they were all found online.

Beauty photography

Hey everyone,

So I've been thinking about expanding my blogger acount with an additional blog for beauty photography. It would be less writing, and more photos. I've been thinking about starting this up for a little while now because I do love photography as well as beauty so I figured why not put the two together. It wouldn't be just regular beauty shots, it would be more intricate makeup. I'm going to try to record us doing the makeup and post those on youtube for those of you who would like to see how we created the looks. I want to go to extremes with makeup and really have fun with it. I have so many wild, fun colours that I have been dying to try but haven't found a place to wear them yet so this is my chance to really utilize all of my products and tools. I'm super excited about this project and I hope everyone else is too.

Please let me know what you think of this idea! If you have any suggestions or if you think it's a bad/good idea, PLEASE let me know!

Thanks for reading!

The stippling brush



One of my latest favourite tools has been the stippling brush. I had heard a lot about the brush on YouTube and other blogs. So I decided to buy one off of eBay for around $4.00. Since I have started using the brush, it has been the only thing I have used to apply my foundation because it gets into every little crease and crevice on your face and gives you a flawless airbrushed look. On days where I'm just going to school or work, I don't like to wear heavy foundation so I will use a tinted moisterizer and use the stippling brush to apply it to my face. On weekends when I'm going out and I do want the extra coverage I use a high coverage foundation. Either way, the stippling brush does the job.

Now you might be thinking, "okay this brush sounds great, but how do you use it?"

So here's how you use the brush.....

1. I apply foundation to the back of my hand. You could use a plate or something else if you like, me personally, I like to use my hand.

2. I take the brush and dab it into the foundation, you don't need to press it hard into the foundation, just lightly so it picks it up on the tips of the bristles of the brush.

3. Then you dab it all over your face. It will look kinda funny at this point but in the end it looks nice. Again, DO NOT press hard just lightly dab it onto your skin.

4. Then you are going to take your brush and swirl the bristels into your skin to blend it in really well. I find that this gives an amazing finish, I like it a lot better than using my fingers or a brush. But that's my opinion, not everyone will feel the same way.

It seems like it seems like it will take a long time to apply your foundation this way, but once you get used to doing it, it doesn't take all that long. It's the results that count!

If anyone has any questions about the stippling brush just ask!!

Thanks for reading!

Celebrity Makeup

I was reading some stories about celebrities online today when I decided to look at the makeup some celebrities have been wearing this year to get some inspiration. I found three looks that I think are absolutely beautiful.

I think the look that Gwen Stefani is wearing here is absolutely gorgeous, and unique!! I have to admit I am a HUGE fan of Gwen Stefani! She is a beautiful lady! Now I really like this look because it's really quite simple, its just a dark smokey eye with a bright pink lip. I am in love with bright pink lipstick lately so I am loving this look here. The dark eye makup really makes her eyes stand out on her face but the bright pink lip also stands out too. This is a very sexy look and definitly something I would wear on a night downtown to the clubs or a party.

I chose this picture because again, this is a simple look. Now normally Taylor Swift keeps her makeup looks pretty innocent looking and pretty. But, with this look, she went a bit more on the sexy side with the dark lined eyes. It is a very pretty look with a light coloured lip. She doesn't wear a stand out lip colour in this picture so her eyes are really the main focus. Her skin is absolutely flawless and dewy which is absolutely gorgeous!

I LOVE this makeup look because she kept it extremely simple. It seems like they kept her makeup pretty natural looking so her dress would be the main focus. It really shows how beautiful Amy Adams is naturally. This look is great for daytime and work. It is simple but elegant, not overdone. She has a natural coloured lip, lightly lined eyes, and a lovely rosey cheek. Perfect. It's simple and looks effortless. The main idea here is to work at creating perfect skin, then add a touch of blush, lip gloss, mascara and maybe a bit of liner.



My Top Three Favourite Youtube Makeup Gurus

I would like to first start off by saying that all three of these girls are amazingly talented! They are all really positive and I feel that they are really genuine people. Rather than some youtube gurus I see who seem snobbish and stuck up.


So my number one favourite makeup guru on youtube is......


KANDEE JOHNSON!!!!!!


If you have never heard of Kandee Johnson before, you need to go to youtube search Kandee Johnson and watch her videos then come back and finish reading this blog.
She has so much talent and I have seen such a wide variety of different makeup videos that any girl could wear. Kandee is so pretty it hurts sometimes. She is very in with the latest trends in makeup and is always creating new, amazing looks. She has been on youtube for quite some time now and I'm pretty sure I have watched all of her videos. EVERY SINGLE ONE!! She has such a positive personality and she is also a very original person. Her videos always make me smile and laugh. They always leaving me feeling very positive because that's the type of person she is. i can't even describe to you how much of a fan i am of hers. So if you haven't checked her out yet, you better go do so.


My second favourite makeup guru on youtube is........


MICHELLE PHAN!!!!!!!


Michelle is a beautiful BEAUTIFUL woman. She is so incredibly talented when it comes to makeup it's unbelievable. She makes everything look so effortless and perfect. Doing makeup is something this girl was born to do. She is extremely creative and quorky. Like Kandee, Michelle has been around on youtube for a very long time as well. I watch almost all of her videos. They are very original and not something you are going to find everyday on youtube. You can always count on Michelle when you want to find a creative one of a kind makeup look.


My third favourite makeup guru on youtube is......


PROMISE PHAN!!!!!


I think Michelle and Promise are probably pretty much tied. Promise is married to Michelles brother which is why they have the same last name. No they aren't sisters. Just sister in laws I guess. ANYWAYS, Promise is an extremely sweet girl and like Michelle, makeup comes to her very easily. And the girl can wear any makeup and it will look good one her!! The thing I love most about Promise is how she makes a lot of videos called "transformations" where she makes herself look like different celebrities or cartoons. It's really amazing how she can actually transform herself to look like someone else. Her youtube channel is definitely one I would suggest to people to look up. She is extremely amazing and its absolutely incredible how she transforms herself. She has so many transformation videos from taylor swift, to kim kardashian, and even bellatrix lestrange from Harry Potter. I always keep my eye out for new videos from her because I know it will be very entertaining and original. You can really see how much work she puts into her videos which tells me that she loves what she does.