FOTD with MAC Woodwinked, Urban Decay Mildew & Smog

Hey everyone! How’s your weekend so far? Today I went to Brussels to check out the MAC Shop MAC, Cook MAC collection. I realized there are still some shadows that I swatched but never showed in FOTDs for you, so I decided to incorporate Urban Decay Mildew eyeshadow into the look.

Despite the fact that Mildew is such a stunning shade, if I am not a bit more careful with it, it could darken my eyes. I started by tentatively patting it on my lids today, but was smart enough to leave the inner third free. I was right, if I had gone all the way in, it wouldn’t have been very flattering. Now, I probably could have used any gold in my collection for the inner third or even a peachy champagne shade, but since MAC Woodwinked is the only one in the same palette, I took the easy way. Some Smog and blending later, I’ve got myself some gold, green, and coppery eyes! I lined my lower lash line with Urban Decay Whiskey, and then smudged out with Darkhorse.

I used Tarte Exposed and Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick in Bronze for my cheeks, MAC Harmony to contour, and MAC Sweetie on my lips.

Some more pictures so you can see my eyes more clearly:

I took the pictures after I got home (at about 5:30. Daylight was fading fast), but I only had to blot my T-zone and reapply lipstick. Can you notice any differences in these pictures? Like the amazingly clean-looking background? I stumbled across the beauty blogging series written by the top-notch blogger Rae from theNotice. Her Tips for beauty bloggers: surfaces and backgrounds gives extremely useful pointers about picture-taking in general. So today, I hid behind the curtain of my living room for the FOTDs. What do you guys think? The images are definitely cleaner (makes me want to go back and delete all the FOTDs I’ve done so far)! Special thanks to Rae! I still have sooo much to learn!

I hope you like the look, and I’ll see you again soon!

Sunny xx

PS: I swear I’ll include NARS Mexican Rose in my FOTD very soon!

FOTD: Unabashedly Green and Gold with MAC Woodwinked, Humid, Urban Decay Mildew!

Yesterday I went to my old housemate T’s birthday party in Brussels. His whole family was here, as well as some close friends that I know but haven’t seen for a while. It was nice! Afterwards I went wedding dress shopping with his sister S. It was a bit like a real-life episode of Say Yes to the Dress with her mum having drastically different taste from her own, but at the end they managed to reach a compromise so everybody went home happy!

I received MAC Woodwinked in a swap this week and wanted to put it to use (swatch and review coming soon). To spice things up a bit more, I decided to incorporate Humid as well. And yes, I love Darkhorse, but for once I wanted to switch to something else. I ended up going for a shade in my Wet n’ Wild Comfort Zone palette, and dare I say myself that was pretty ingenious! Here are more pictures, the list of products that I used, and detailed breakdown!

Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation in 53 Light Beige
Tarte Smooth Operator finishing powder
Bobbi Brown Sable on eyebrows
I primed my eyelids with UDPP (unless otherwise stated, I systematically use UDPP) before putting MAC Woodwinked on two thirds of my lids. For the outer third, I used the crease shade on the right column of Wet n’ Wild Comfort Zone. The lightest shade of NYX Rock and Roll was used for my inner corners, and Bobbi Brown Bone for my brow bones.
I applied Maybelline Eye Studio Lasting Gel Eyeliner in Blackest Black on my upper lash line and waterline, smudged out with MAC Humid.
Urban Decay Mildew was used for my lower lash line, also smudged out with Humid.
Maybelline Magnum Volum’ Express Black (waterproof)
Cargo Rome on cheeks (swatch and review coming soon)
MAC Harmony to contour
Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess (swatch and review coming soon)
Burt’s Bees Replenishing Lip Balm with Pomegranate Oil on lips

I used not to like gold at all because I associated it with the type of accessories my mother/grandmother would wear. It is supposed to be traditional and old-fashioned, not cool. Even with my initial success with Urban Decay Half Naked, I didn’t feel the impulse to collect more gold eyeshadows. After I saw how L’Oreal HiP Metallic Shadow duo in Gilded worked for me however, the gold-digging monster awoke in me. MAC Woodwinked is my latest acquisition, but I already have MAC Goldmine, MAC Gorgeous Gold, and NARS Paramaribo (among many others haha) high on my wish list! Woodwinked is a shimmery warm gold on me. I see a bit of red in it, so it is almost coppery but not quite.

I knew that Darkhorse would be a no-brainer to pair with it, but just because it’s a great shade doesn’t mean I have to prove it to my dear readers in each and every one of my FOTDs. Instead, I grabbed my Wet n’ Wild Comfort Zone and used the crease shade of the right column for the outer third of my lids. I had not previously used this shade before, but it’s a charcoal brown with gold shimmer, so what could possibly go wrong? It turned out that I basically hit the jackpot! Not only did the gold shimmer play very nicely with Woodwinked, two things that I had not foreseen happened. First of all, when paired with gold, this crease shade shows an interesting green tinge. It’s almost as if it were rusted brass or something. I’m sorry I can’t come up with a more romantic/accurate comparison, but that was the first thing that popped up in my head when I was applying this eyeshadow, and I was mesmerized. Second, this makes a killer crease shade for me personally, because it is so natural yet effective that it is as if I had a real crease! I don’t know what makes this so special. I have seen a lot of good crease shades, but not all of them make it look like I have a real crease.

For my lower lash line, I opted for Urban Decay Mildew, and I smudged both my upper and lower lash line out with MAC Humid. Humid is a bold green that is actually pretty versatile, and pairing it with gold is one of my favorite ways to wear it! The effect is not very much in-your-face, but it is definitely there.

Before I can blabber on and on, let’s see some more pictures!

Behold the pop of green:

At a certain angle you see the greenish tinge of the crease shade:

With my downcast eyes, you can see the shimmery gold in MAC Woodwinked better:

All in all I was pretty happy about it! On my cheeks I tested out Cargo Rome and Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess. I’ll have the swatches and reviews up soon!

The only part that I couldn’t quite “make it work” was still the lip color, so I just went with my lip balm instead. I would love for example a peachy and a coral lip product, but picking lip products is usually very difficult for me. My lips are naturally pretty pigmented, so a lot of lipsticks/glosses that look great in the tube don’t change anything at all for me. I am not too comfortable wearing very bold lip colors yet (and I don’t want my lip color to compete with my eyes), so I am a bit stuck. Does anyone have any recommendations? I would really appreciate it!

That’s my green and gold FOTD for ya! If you like it, please “like” this post, follow me with Bloglovin’, or leave a comment (especially if you have recommendations for good coral/peachy lip colors)! Thanks guys! I hope you’re enjoying your weekend, please stay tuned and stick around!

Sunny xx

FOTD: Glittery Darkhorse and (Accidental) Dramatic Liner with Urban Decay Naked Palette

If you get to know me a little better, you’ll know that I am always running late. Doesn’t matter where I have to be or when I have to be there, I am most probably running late.

The same thing happened when I was supposed to meet HM in Brussels yesterday. She was estimated to get there at 9, so I was supposed to be out of my door at around 8:20. However, it was almost 8 when I was out of the shower with my hair blown dry, so I knew I was going to be late… In that case, all the new things I planned to try on my face had to wait. Instead, I opted for a look I have done a couple of times before but one that I dearly love.

For the list of products I used and more photos, please keep reading!

Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation in 53 Light Beige
Tarte Smooth Operator finishing powder
Bobbi Brown Sable on eyebrows
I primed my eyelids with UDPP (unless otherwise stated, I systematically use UDPP) before putting Sidecar from the Naked Palette on the inner half of my lids, and Darkhorse on the outer half. I used Virgin to highlight my inner corners, and Bobbi Brown Bone to highlight my brow bones.
For my lower lash line, I used Urban Decay Bourbon and Urban Decay Darkhorse to smudge it out a bit.
Maybelline Eye Studio Lasting Gel Eyeliner in Blackest Black for my upper lash line
Maybelline Magnum Volum’ Express Black (waterproof)
Tarte Exposed on cheek
MAC Harmony to contour my cheekbones
Burt’s Bees Replenishing Lip Balm with Pomegranate Oil on lips

I know I am this close to pronouncing my everlasting love for Darkhorse, because I incorporate it in a ton of looks that I do. Nevertheless, I have to bring your attention to the fact that it looks particularly hot with Sidecar. There are a lot of different looks that I like on myself, but a combination like Sidecar and Darkhorse is nothing short of mind-blowing and I am not even capable of telling you why! Admittedly Sidecar is not a standout shade from the Naked Palette. Compared with a lot of other shades it is not as insanely pigmented (don’t get me wrong because it IS pigmented. It’s just that I need maybe an extra swipe or two with my MAC 239), and it is the only one that has glittery fallout. Naturally, in my state of haste I completely forgot to hold a tissue over my face while I was using this shade, so by the time I was done there was a bit of glitter everywhere (I found a grain of glitter under my nose, if you can believe it). It was mostly cleared up after foundation and setting powder, but you can still see a bit around my eyes in the close-up pictures. I would suggest you use a patting motion with a shading brush when it comes to this shadow, hold a tissue under your eyes during application, and do your foundation afterwards. I would more than love to find a dupe for Sidecar sans glitter, but before that can happen I am willing to live with it.

Here are some close-up photos so you can see my eye makeup properly:

I call my more dramatic liner an accident because it really was an accident. You know what they say about haste making waste, and in my frantic hurry I drew the liner a bit farther out than I intended to. To balance it out, I had to repeat the same mistake on my other eye. I thought my eyes looked a bit rounder this way, which I was not so used to. However, HM really loved it, and by the end of the day I was convinced it isn’t a bad way to line my eyes at all!

Because my eyes were sparkly enough, I opted for a matte blush Exposed, and I contoured my face with MAC Harmony instead of bronzing it up with Bali Brown. I didn’t use any lipstick/gloss all day, so when I finally got around to taking pictures I just slathered some lip balm on. The Burt’s Bees Replenishing Lip Balm with Pomegranate Oil is definitely not my favorite lip balm because it disappears from my lips so fast, but since I bought it in a discount pack at Walgreens I’ll finish it. It is very slightly tinted but I doubt very much it changes the color of my lips in a detectable way, so what you see in these pictures are pretty much my natural lip color.

One more picture so you can see how much thicker my eyeliner was. You can also see my cheekbones are more sculpted with MAC Harmony. By the way, Tarte Exposed was faded after 12 hours when these pictures were finally taken, but it was definitely still there!

Last but not least, the Beautybay goodies that are supposed to be my Christmas present from Dr. D finally arrived last night! After I opened the packaging, Tango and Muffin swiftly proceeded to proclaiming their territory on the packaging material. In the picture below, Tango is sitting on the plastic wrapper while Muffin occupies the box. Tango’s tail is a blur because he was annoyed with Dr. D, who was trying to direct their attention to the camera by making some noise.

I will for sure review what I got soon! I just have to wait for better natural light to take my swatch pictures… Stay tuned and stay around folks!

Until then, I hope everybody is alive and kicking!

Sunny xx

FOTD: What I Wore for Christmas and Beautybay Sale!

Hey everyone!

How was your Christmas? Did you have a good one with a lot of nice presents and food overdose? My Christmas Eve was quiet, but I did see quite some friends over Christmas Day and Boxing Day, so I would like to share the looks I did with you.

First and foremost is my Christmas manicure. I very seldom wear nail polish nowadays, but since D cooked on Christmas Eve and we were going over to some friends’ on Christmas Day, I thought I’d seize the chance. The polish is OPI Merry Midnight. It is from the 2009 Christmas collection, so it is rather difficult to find one now. I only found out about it this summer when I picked this shade for my pedicure back home, and I was lucky enough to find a bottle on Yahoo Auction in Taiwan (it’s the equivalent of EBay in Taiwan because it has been there for much longer). I don’t like to tease you with limited edition or hard-to-find items, so I am not going to write a separate review about it. As you will be able to see in the following picture, the polish is a jelly purple with multi-color shimmer and flakes. The first coat is stunningly uneven, un-sparkling, and uninspiring in general. I remember being so taken aback during my pedicure when the lady put on the first coat. I almost said:” you must have made a mistake! This is NOT the shade I picked out!” But after the second coat things get dramatically better. You do need more skills and experience to work with this nail polish, and I find it difficult to avoid some unevenness altogether (though nothing too concerning). Something else I don’t like so much about it is the fact that it doesn’t last as well on me as a typical OPI nail polish. I’m getting tip wear and some chips after just a couple of days, while normally OPI polishes last 3-4 days with minimal tip wear on me! I do hope OPI will bring the shade back with a better formula.

Now moving on to my Christmas Day makeup. I did a “classic” look with the Naked Palette. I used Sin on the inner half, Buck on the outer half, the lightest shade of NYX Rock and Roll on the inner corner, and smudged my lower lash line out with Gunmetal. I was also testing Tarte Exposed out and was pretty happy with it! On my lips it’s Chanel Rouge Coco Mademoiselle.

For Boxing Day I did something a bit more dramatic. I used my L’Oreal HiP duo in 106 Sculpted. The lighter shade all over my lid, and the darker shade on the outer corner, brought into my crease, and on my lower lash line. On the inner corner is Sin from the Naked Palette, Tarte Exposed on cheek, a bit of Bali Brown to add some dimension to my face, and MAC Sweetie on lips.

I have to report that the darker shade of the duo is really rather hard to blend, and there is some fallout. The fallout isn’t too concerning at all, but the lack of blendability is a pain. The lighter shade doesn’t pull orange on me though, so I’m happy about that. I wore makeup for 11-12 hours that day, and by the end of the day I could see some fading, but it was still OK. Man, you can see the print my glasses leave on my nose SO clearly in this picture (for some reason it is worse on the left side)! I might have to start looking for a decent concealer now.

Also, I’m still looking for a way to take clearer pictures of my FOTD. As what I have told you, we haven’t had a lot of natural light in Belgium, and the flashlight doesn’t always allow colors to be captured on photos as they are. I will work on this issue, but in the meantime I hope you at least get an idea!

Last but not least, Muffin the new kitten wants to wish everyone a merry Christmas and a 2012 with a punch!

She has been with us for a bit more than two weeks now, and she is a total sweetheart! I’ll for sure introduce her properly in the blog soon. She plays go fetch just like what Brownie used to do. Can you believe that?

Lots of Christmas love,

Sunny

Oh, and pssst I almost forgot to tell you about this! Beautybay.com is having a 10% off sale till midnight Wednesday (UK time, so it might be earlier/later depending on where you live. For example, in continental Europe, it would be 1AM on Thursday). I am a registered customer, so I received an e-mail with 15% off. The promotion code is the same though (XMAS), so I guess the system just checks if you are already in it. If you have been lemming for Cargo blushes for example, this would be a great opportunity to get some! What I LOVE about Beautybay is the fact that it doesn’t rip you off. A 25-dollar Cargo blush would cost about 18.60 euros, but the rate does change a little from time to time (or even every day?). Beautybay also carries Too Faced, Urban Decay, Bedhead, Bare Escentuals, and so on. I got some stuff myself, and will show you soon!

FOTD: Purposefully Pink with Urban Decay Naked Palette

If you have read a bit about my blog, you probably know my best friend HM (for example, she was there during my makeover at Bobbi Brown this summer, and she picked out a bunch of products that I ended up purchasing). We’ve been partners in crime for 9 years now (jeez, how time flies). I’ve been very excited because she has recently relocated to Belgium with her husband, and they came to see me today!

To celebrate the occasion and make up for my lack of a FOTD last week, I did a look with the Naked Palette today. When I was swatching it for you guys earlier, I realized there are colors that are under-loved because I tend to stick to certain tried-and-true combinations. In the future, I would like to challenge myself to explore different ways of working with this beautiful palette.

Here’s a list of the products I used:

Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation in 53 Light Beige (I got it about a week ago and will do a review soon)
Bobbi Brown Sable on eyebrows
Bobbi Brown Bone to hightlight browbones
Naked Palette: Toasted on lid, Hustle in crease, Sin to highlight the inner corner
Maybelline Eye Studio Lasting Gel Eyeliner in Blackest Black
Urban Decay 24/7 in Zero on my lower lash line, smudged out with Hustle
Maybelline Volum’ Express The Falsies Waterproof Mascara in Very Black
MAC Cremeblend Blush in Tea Petal on cheeks
MAC Harmony for contouring
Tarte Smooth Operator finishing powder lightly dusted over my face
(I got lazy and just used a lip balm on my lips)

Here is a close-up photo of my eye so you can see the shadows better:

I actually seldom use Toasted, and it is certainly the first time I use it as a lid color. I like how it is a rosy pink that doesn’t pull orange on me (because that’s unflattering). I’ve never highlighted my inner corners with Sin either (it’s usually Virgin that takes on the job), but it plays well with Toasted. For my crease, I first used my 239 to shade Hustle into my crease. I then blended out with my 217, but thought I could use a bit more intensity. Instead of going back with my 239 and blending everything out again, I barely dabbed my 217 in Hustle and intensified my crease a little more like that. The result is very natural (one of my pet peeves is seeing the border between eyeshadow and skin on monolidded girls. I don’t normally blend the edges with a different shadow, but I do make sure I blur them with 217), and I think I’ll try this again in the future!

Just another picture to entertain you some more. I goofed around with my camera after getting home (hence the scarf and coat), and I was trying to capture the shape of my eyeshadow better. That’s why my eyes are half-closed. I remind myself of Tango my Tomcat when he looks bored/superior! Also, please ignore the bump on my chin. It’s actually part of the remainer of my recent allergy attack!

OK, that’s enough goofing around for today! I didn’t have time to swatch the HIP duos today, because by the time I got home at 4:30 it was already getting dark (so happy the winter solstice is coming in a couple of days. I’m holding up OK so far, but would really love more light). I promise I’ll have the swatches up before Christmas though!

Stay tuned and stick around, folks!