Biweekly Basket September 7-20^th

 Hello everyone! Another weekend is coming to an end. It is time for a biweekly makeup basket! If you would like to know what makeup products I will be using for the next couple weeks, keep reading!

 This is the Lorac Pro eye shadow palette (the original one). This is the latest edition into my collection and I am very excited to finally be able to play around with it!

This blush is from Tarte and it is in the shade Peaceful. I bought this one back in December (almost a year ago), but I had not used it because for some reason I thought it was identical to the ones in my Too Faced Everything Nice palette. When I was thinking about items to use for this basket, it was really bugging me that I had not used this product, so, I swatched this blush and the ones in the Too Faced Everything Nice palette and I noticed that they are different! That is very exciting because now it means that I can use this!!!

 This is the Too Faced Milk Chocolate Soleil. I do have other deluxe sample sizes of the Too Faced bronzer but I do want to get this one out of my collection so I have been solely using this one. As you can see, I have a pretty big dent (pan) showing!

 

As usual, I will be using my Inner Light Highlight from the Too Faced Everything Nice palette.

 

This is my MAC Russian Red lipstick. I have been slowly working on panning this, so I have included it for this basket.

 

Finally, this is the Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Natural in the color N9. In the last basket I had only included one lipstick color, which was very hard to use for two whole weeks, so this week I decided to pick two colors to include.

 

 

Well, that's it for this biweekly basket! Thanks for reading!

 

    ~Naty

Smoky Eye using IT Cosmetics Naturally Pretty Celebration Palette

Hello everyone! As promised, here is a tutorial using the IT Cosmetics Naturally Pretty Celebration palette. If you do not have this palette, I'm sure you have similar colors in your collection to achieve this look. If you would like to know how I did it, keep reading!

I'm starting my look differently this time. I am starting by applying my foundation. I am using my Tarte Amazonian Clay foundation in the shade Ivory and am applying it with a damp Expert Face brush by Real Techniques.

 

 

I am then using my Neutrogena Eye Perfector in Fair and am blending that out with the expert face brush.

 

 

I am then setting the concealer and the foundation with my Mary Kay Signature Loose setting powder and a big fluffy brush.

 

I applied Too Faced Shadow Insurance to my eye lids and blended that out with my ring finger.

 

 

I then used a flat shader brush and applied the color Snow Angel to set the primer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I then used a crease brush and applied the color Miracle, which is a mid tone reddish brown, to the crease.

 

 

 

I then used a fluffy shader brush and applied the color Starry Night, which is a very pretty matte navy, all over the lid.

 

I picked up the color Coal with a slimmer crease brush and applied it to the outer V.

 

I used my real techniques crease brush to blend the dark colors out, bringing the black a little into the crease.

 

 

I used an angled liner brush to apply the color coal to my upper lash line.

 

I then used that angled eye liner brush and lined my lower lash line with the color Starry Night.

 

I used a clean eye liner brush to smudge out that color and make it look a little more smoky.

 

 

I used the color champagne and a fluffy crease brush to apply the color as an inner corner and brow bone highlight.

 

I then used the Tarte Amazonian clay eye brow gel to set my brows.

 

I used my MUFE Smoky Extravagant mascara on my upper and lower lashes.

 

*If you would like an even darker look, you can also tight line your waterline with a black liner.

 

I used my Too Faced Milk Chocolate Soleil and applied it in a "3" shape (forehead connecting to hollows of cheeks and connecting to jawline).

 

I used my real techniques blush brush and my Too Faced Papa Don't Peach from the Everything Nice palette and applied that to the apples of my cheeks.

 

I used the brush that comes in the Everything Nice palette and applied the highlight Inner Light to my cheekbones, chin, nose, and forehead.

 

For my lips I used MAC Viva Glam Nicki, topped off with a coat of Tarte lip gloss in Flush.

 

To finish off the look, I set everything with my Make Up For Ever Mist & Fix.

 

 

   I hope you enjoyed this look! Thanks for reading!

 

~Naty

 

Biweekly Basket August 24- September 6

Hello everyone! I have been slacking on these basket posts but I am back! This year, against my better judgment, I have purchased two more palettes (*Cringes). Therefore, I am going back on track to doing the weekly baskets, or rather, biweekly baskets in order to rotate through my collection. I decided on making it a biweekly basket so that I have enough time to play around with my palettes but it isn't too long for me to get bored with them. If you, like I, are addicted to palettes and wished you used them more, I would suggest making a list of your palettes and using that as a basis to rotate through them and give them all some love.

These couple of weeks I will be focusing on the following products:

 This first product is my MAC Viva Glam Nicki lipstick, it is a matte hot pink shade. It is perfect for the summer so I hope to use it lots before the summer is over. I like to use this topped with a pink lip gloss.

 

 This one you have seen before, it is my one and only highlight from the Too Faced Everything Nice palette. It is in the shade Inner Light.

 

 This is my Too Faced Milk Chocolate Bronzer. I have been trying to use this up as it is not my favorite shade of bronzer...it is very orange-y.

 

 This is a sample size lip gloss from Tarte in the shade Flush. I really enjoy paring this with my Nicki lipstick from MAC.

 

 This is one of the blushes that comes in the Too Faced Everything Nice palette in the shade Papa Don't Peach. It is a very nice peachy- toned blush.

 

Finally, this is one of the newer additions to my collection and it is the IT Cosmetics Naturally Pretty Celebration Palette. All these shades are a matte finish. The bigger pan is a transforming ombre radiance pearl, you are supposed to be able to apply this to any shade and transform it from a matte shade to a more shimmery shade, however, I've found it only dulls down the colors so I tend not to use it for its intended purpose. I am really enjoying this palette, the shadows are wonderful and they blend like a dream! This was a limited edition palette, so sorry! But I believe a lot of the shades in here are pretty close in color to the ones in the other palette that is permanent (IT Cosmetics Naturally Pretty Vol. 1).

 

 

Thanks for reading! I hope to have a couple of looks with these products posted in the next coming week.

 

 

~Naty

Finish Five by Fall Update/Finale

Hello everyone! It has been two weeks since my last seasonal project pan update. I am kind of happy and also sad to report that I am ending my challenge now. I am happy because I finished 4 out of my 5 products, but I'm sad because I didn't make it last to the end of the challenge, which is still another few weeks. I think this challenge helped me see what products I have, what types of products I should be choosing for these challenges, as well as giving me a sort of time frame for finishing up certain products. I think this was a very good initial seasonal project that has definitely given me perspective as well as teaching me some things that I can take into further project pans. Anyways, here are the products:

This body spray from Bath and Body Works I completely finished up. I actually thought this product went by quicker than I had initially thought. I am glad to be done with it. I do enjoy the smell but I find that it does not last as long on the skin. I applied it in the morning and if I was going out at night, I would have to reapply. I don't think I will be repurchasing this one, I am not even sure if they still have this smell or if it was one of the seasonal ones.

This eyeliner I mostly finished it off. I got to this point and every time I would sharpen it, the liner would crumble. I feel pretty good about finishing this one up as I had it in my collection for a really long time. If I had to, I would repurchase this, but only for use on the upper lash line as it does not work well for me in the waterline (it crumbles and goes all over in my eye plus it gets on my contacts!).

 This is the only product I didn't finish. It is MAC Russian Red. I think I was too focused on using Up the Amp that I did not give this enough love. I might put this in a future project pan though!

 

Finally, this is MAC Up the Amp. This is completely gone. Yay! This is the first lipstick that I have ever used up. I did notice that there is some product left in the plastic part of the tube but I don't have anything to dig it out with, and I do not like applying lipstick with a brush. All in all, I'm happy with how much of it I did use up.

 

All in all, I am very happy with the results of this project. I wish though that I would've thought of adding other products as I finished some just to extend the time of the project, kind of like a rolling project. I am definitely going to have that in mind for my next project, whenever that is. If you'd like to see my previous update, you can check that out here:  http://delightfulbalanceoflife.blogspot.com/2015/08/finish-five-by-fall-update-1-hello.html

 

I hope you enjoyed reading, and if you are doing project pans, I wish you good luck!

 

~Naty

Finish Five by Fall Update #1

Hello everyone! This is my first update for the Project Pan Finish Five by Fall challenge! I am happy to say that I have finished one product!!! YAAAAY! The downside is I do not believe I will be finishing two of my products but that's what I get for giving myself two lipsticks to use up. I am sharing pictures of 4 of the 5 products. My MAC lipstick in Russian Red has not even been touched since I started this project so I won't bother to update you with a picture. If you are interested in seeing the baseline/intro for this project, view it here: http://delightfulbalanceoflife.blogspot.com/2015/07/finish-five-by-fall-hello-everyone-i.html .

 First up is Bath and Body Works body spray in Venice Dolce Berry. I love this smell but as with most body sprays, the scent doesn't last long on the skin. That is how I have been able to do such a dent in this product; If I go out at night, I usually tend to have to reapply it. I believe I will be finishing this up way before the challenge ends.

 

 This is my Bare Minerals black eyeliner. I have been using this during this challenge at least 5 times a week. I have been applying it messily to my lash line and then smudging it out into a wing. I really have been liking that look. I believe I will be able to use this up, the product is super creamy so it tends to break off easily. I also have to sharpen it after every use. I will definitely use this up.

 

 This is the product I have completely used up! Yes, it was just a sample, but it is a product, and definitely a motivating factor on my first official challenge! This is the Tarte maracuja C-brightener eye treatment. I must say, I don't think this product did much for me so I do not believe I will be purchasing the full size.

 

 

Finally, this is my MAC Up the Amp lipstick. I have made a decent amount of progress. I started off with this challenge on the top pink line, and am now on the bottom pink line, just above of the MAC logo. Even though I am not certain that I can finish this product, seeing as I have another lipstick to work on, making this dent has been very good! If I have to, I will just bump this and my MAC Russian Red lipsticks to the next challenge, but it is nice to see some progress.

 

 

Alright everyone, that's it for this first challenge update, I hope you enjoyed it! I will be back with an updated in a couple weeks!

 

Thanks for reading!

 

~Naty