Hooded Eye Tips

Hooded eyes, a blessing or curse? On the one hand, people often compliment my "bedroom eyes". And on the other hand, if I'm not conscious about opening my eyes wider I tend to look high in photographs.

But for me the biggest downside is eyeliner transfer. If you have hooded eyes you know what's up. You applied your eyeliner in the morning and it looked fab, but you use the restroom midday and have black smudges all over your brow bone. So the last time I went to Ulta I was on a mission to buy an eyeliner that promised wonderful, no transfer, no smudge results. Enter ...

Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner

The Pros:
-This stuff does not move once dry, and dry time is under a minute.
-The black is really BLACK and gives you a very sultry look
-It has a precision tip that makes application easy

The Cons:
-It applies a little thin for my taste, so I have to apply a layer, let it dry, apply again, etc. until I get the desired line thickness I like.
-I don't know how waterproof it is, it does come off in the shower so don't expect to wear this in the water and have it stay looking flawless

Overall this is the best eyeliner I've found so far for hooded eyes. I'm not constantly checking the mirror anymore to see where on my face the eyeliner may have gone!

Some other tips for eyeliner transfer:

-Use an eye shadow primer (even if you don't plan to use eye shadow) on your lids and brow bone
-Additionally, apply your foundation or concealer over the primer
-Carry Q-tips! They are great erasers should your eyeliner continue to leave black transfer smudges

I hope you found this helpful!

Michelle

This is a non-sponsored post and all products shown were bought by me

To Bronze or Not to Bronze?

Bronzer: a cosmetic item used to give skin a sun kissed glow. Or if you're extremely fair skinned, a cosmetic item to avoid like the plague. 

At least, that used to be my feeling toward any powder/liquid/cream toting to give you the appearance of tanned skin. My face has never tanned in the sun and never will, so I've spent many mornings slapping on an SPF, foundation, blush, and calling it a day. And honestly it wasn't until pictures of Kim Kardashian's makeup regime was blasted on the internet that I gave defining my face a thought.

Photo source: reveal.co.uk

I didn't quite attempt this in my top photo (do I dare!?) but I have been defining my cheekbones lately and really like the results. Bronzers can be misleading can't they? I'm not trying to "look tan" or get a "sun-kissed glow" but, oh, I can use bronzer to define my face and look slimmer? That I can get on board with, because I'm honestly never going to look like I just got back from Hawaii. 

So I implore any fair skinned ladies who have never tried bronzer to broaden your makeup horizons. I am currently using Physicians Formula Season-to-Season Bronzer in light-medium. It's more expensive than your typical drug store product but I like that it includes four different shades so you can always get your desired color. 

Whatever you choose, good luck!

Michelle

February Faves & Fails

I never cease to read another person's product recommendations, hoping to discover a holy grail, so I thought I'd do my own monthly favorites roundup. Since I haven't quite created a niche here the products will probably vary from beauty to home goods. I am also including "fail" items, because who doesn't want to know what sucks?

Starting with the good and probably most impressive of the month

1. Wen Cleansing Conditioner
A co-worker was bugging me to try this and finally gave me a couple samples to try. I was always a skeptic of Wen, being part of the "if it sounds too good to be true it probably is" school of thinking. But having tried it, bought my own bottle, and used for a few weeks, now I can't imagine going back. I can't speak to long term results and whether it really repairs heavily damaged hair but mine has never been so soft.

2. L'oreal Magic Nude Liquid Powder
This foundation helps keep my oily skin under control and is super easy to apply. Very light and smooth. I find this to be an especially nice travel staple since you can apply with your fingers and practically don't even need a mirror. Warning: dry skin beware with this one!

3. Em Matte Lipstick in Just Fab

In February I tried to wear as many bold, dark lipsticks as possible before the inevitability of spring and found myself coming to this one the most. It lives up to the matte description and has good longevity.

4. Lust Perfume from Lush
Appropriately named. This jasmine scented solid perfume always gets compliments when I wear it. Not a scent for the meek! But I do want to switch to something lighter for spring.

5. MidSummer's Night Fragrance Spheres from Yankee Candle
I must love strong scents; this fragrance is very musky and masculine but I love it. I prefer using the fragrance beads as opposed to candles, no muss no fuss!

FAIL

Em Cosmetics Waterliner

Em Cosmetic's had a product on my fave list, and now on my fail list. But fair is fair. The problem isn't so much the actual content of the product but the packaging. I bought two waterliners, one arrived broken and the other broke within a few uses. Thumbs down.

Coming up later this week ... birthday haul!

Michelle