Things I'm loving...things I'm not.

I fought the urge to pick up the Too Faced palettes in Nude and Neutral for darn close to a year! But as with all things beauty-related, the battle was futile; a couple of weeks ago I finally relented and got both. I have to say (and I've said this before), I'm an old jaded makeup artist. Over the years, it has become harder for me to get really excited about "the latest product" that everyone is raving about. And although these palettes are quite basic (for me, the Neutral palette, especially, is just a smaller version of Urban Decay's Naked palette) the texture and quality of these shadows is superb. I'm particularly smitten with the Naked palette! I should also mention that these are my very first Too Faced Cosmetics purchases. TF was just not a brand that ever "drew me in" but as far as first impressions go, they hit the ball out of the park with these wonderful little palettes. Kudos to Too Faced!

Moving on to bronzer; unfortunately for my pocket, Guerlain's Terracotta Bronzing Powder in #3 is probably the best bronzer I have ever used. It really does live up to all the hype (and for $50 bucks, we should expect no less). I am a fair-skinned gal (in MAC-lingo, about an NW25 to an NC27) and although I initially worried that the bronzer in shade #3 would be too dark, it wound up being perfect; not too light, nor too dark. It is sun-kissed perfection, sans harmful UV rays!

Korres Lip Butter Glaze in Jasmine is a lovely little glaze in a tube and in my opinion, far exceeds its counterpart in pot form. The tube is just more hygenic not to mention an easier application. I would happily fork over an extra $2 for that! The formula is not sticky, softens lips and this particular shade has CHIC written all over it. For me personally, the only con is that it doesn't last at all. I had to keep reapplying over and over again. I'm not sure how I feel about being totally out of a $14 lip glaze in about 2 to 3 weeks. The jury is still out on whether or not I'll be repurchasing.

Finally, my biggest disappointment came with the purchase (and eventual return) of Illamasqua's blusher in Katie. I so wanted to love this blusher and have it love me in return. But alas, it was not meant to be. Katie is a lovely, milky pink shade that is completely matte and very pigmented. I would say that its lipgloss counterpart is NARS' Turkish Delight. On me, though, Katie did nothing. Perhaps it was because it is such a light shade on my equally light skin, but it just looked like pink chalk sitting upon my cheeks. I think this blusher is far better suited to someone with a fabulous tan (à la Kim Kardashian).

I'll attach a pic of my goodies... what products are you loving/leaving lately? Inquiring minds want to know!
xoxo

...excuses and more excuses...

So, what's it been now? Another three months? Oy vey! Twitter takes up entirely too much of my time. Today's look is simple. I began with moisturizer. Currently I'm using CeraVe Moisturizing Lotion (in the pump bottle). It's an inexpensive drugstore find that actually works beautifully. It balances my skin perfectly and gives the right amount of moisture, which is no easy feat for oily/sensitive skin like mine! Next, I applied a little bit of foundation to even everything out (La Mer The Treatment Fluid foundation with SPF 15). Concealer can be a little tricky for me some times. The one I'm loving lately is MAC's Select Cover-Up. It is both, light in texture and a good cover-up. I dusted on Cargo's Blu-Ray powder to set and followed that up with a nice bronzer (MAC's Smooth Harmony) and illuminated the high plains of my face with MSF in Shimpagne.

Moving on to eyes: MAC's Paint Pot in Layin' Low is hands down the prettiest paint pot EVER! It's a lovely tan color which was released as a limited edition with the Fafi collection. If you can score one from a CCO, jump on it!!! Over top that, I applied NARS eyeshadow duo in Kalahari (bronzey peach). Hourglass' Calligraphy liner helped me created a lovely thick cat-eye and their mascara finished off the eye look! On the lips I kept it simple; Urban Decay's Sellout lipstick topped with MAC's Wildly Lush plushglass!

I've had loads of compliments today, which confirms what I suspected: you have to work twice as hard to create the "minimal makeup-makeup look"... but the results are WAY worth it! xo

I'm back!...and hopefully on a more consistent basis too!

So I've abandoned my blog for the past few months. Life happens and unfortunately sometimes, it gets in the way of my being able to do the things I like (i.e., musing about makeup on a blog). So what has happened in the two and a half months I've been absent? Well, we're now in Autumn (my favorite season!) and I'm relishing being able to wear "Fall colors". I use this term loosely because I don't truly believe any color is specific to any one season. Unfortunately, while the rest of the country (or most of it anyways) gets to pull out heavy coats and scarves, I rarely reach for them. I live in a place with only one season; summer. So what I do to cope with the disappointment of not being able to sport lovely winter clothing, is change how I do my makeup during what should be the colder months. Today I'm loving Laura Mercier's lipstick in Quartz which is a metallic red-brown and over it, I've layered in bit of Smashbox's lipgloss in Sultry which is a rich, molten chocolate brown shimmer. Since the lips are darker than I usually wear (and it's day time) I've opted to do very little else. I dabbed on Chantecaille New Stick Foundation in Vanilla (it's a foundation and concealer in one) just to even out my skin. On the cheeks I applied my favorite Tarte Cheek Stain in Tipsy. And I finished the look off with MAC's Painterly paint pot and two coats of L'Oreal's Bare Naturale black mascara. The look is decidedly fresh and "put-together" without having to invest loads of time to achieve it. xo

What gives?!

Okay...can we talk? I am seriously wondering if maybe I'm missing something here. What the heck gives with all these folks on YouTube (who shall remain nameless!) who swear that the whole "matte or creamy NUDE-nude" (concealer-esque) shade of lipstick is fab?? That look does NOT look cute...like, on ANYONE! Maybe I'm an old jaded makeup junkie (spoiler alert: I AM) who seldom sees much that truly impresses her anymore. Maybe the beauty community is steering itself in a direction I'm not on board with (Vive la résistance!)... but I cringe, in much the same way I do when I hear someone scratch a blackboard with nails, every time I see someone trying to rock this cadaver-like look. Unless we're talking about a runway look or a some kind of an abstract photo shoot, packing some concealer (let's just call it what it is!) on your lips is not flattering in the very least. So ladies and gents, (HEY! There's nothing wrong with that!) let's stop this matte-ness (HA! Get it?!!) and let's return to the timeless classic that is the GLOSSY-nude lip... it's looks good paired with a smokey eye... it looks great on it's own...and it's amazing any month of the year. It's the ONLY way to do nude... xo

A funny thing happened today...

...I actually hit pan on an eyeshadow! I know this may seem like a small and insignificant feat for most, but for me this is a pretty big deal. I cannot recall the last time I hit pan on anything (though I suspect it may have been Laura Mercier's Coffee Ground eyeshadow in 1996). I'm not being facetious either, guys. It's actually pretty sad that I remember that far back... but, I digress. Hitting pan on a product (any product!) was something I didn't think I'd ever do again. I have a makeup studio at home. Yes, my makeup has it's own room. That's how much of it I have. So, the fact that I love a single solitary item so much that I actually wore it down, speaks not only to my ability to love something monogamously (I'm a makeup-whore, folks! I don't commit to ANYTHING!) but also to the product in question. No doubt, by now you're at the very edge of your seat (just go along with it) wondering (No! Demanding to know!) what this shadow is... it's simple, it's lovely, it's universally flattering. It's MAC's All That Glitters... and, yes. It's that good!   xoxo

Come one, come all!

My name is Maria and I'm a professional makeup artist. I'm so excited to welcome you to my blog! This has been in the works for a very long time. I am a follower of many wonderful beauty and fashion blogs and it felt natural to want to do one of my very own. I hope to write about everything; makeup (of course!), nail polish, perfumes, haircare, skincare, fashion, trends, shopping, and ALL THINGS FABULOUS!


I had a YouTube channel almost three years ago which I deleted with the intention of starting again at some point. Well..."at some point" is now... I hope to start filming reviews and tutorials this week! A lot has changed on YouTube in the 3 years I've been gone. The beauty community on YT has grown by leaps and bounds! There are SO many fabulously talented people on there now... it's a little daunting to rejoin at this point. But I'm up for the task and hope to bring a little bit my personal flair to the table. If I can be at least mildly entertaining and somewhat informative to SOMEONE I know I'll have done what I've set out to do... :)

Look for me on http://www.youtube.com/user/TheMakeupMusings
and follow me on Twitter http://twitter.com/MakeupMusings

So... I hope you join me in what is sure to be a fun time!! xoxo