Monday, May 25, 2009

My Entry to xsparkage's Contest!

Hi everyone! I hope everyone had a great Memorial Day weekend (for those in the US). I actually just got back from Vegas this morning and it was pretty fun! I got to meet an old friend on Saturday and then compete on Sunday, fun stuff =). Anyways, I did some shopping since the tax isn't as high as in California. Oh Cali, always the odd one out. But yeah I stopped by MAC and Sephora; I finally picked up Chrome Yellow which I've been wanting for a while. I'll post the stuff I got tomorrow.

To more important things...this is my entry to Leesha's (xsparkage) contest! My inspiration is from Rogue from X-Men: The Animated Series. She's my all-time favorite X-men so I just had to base my entry off her. Personally, I hate her representation in the X-men movies (plus I'm not too big a fan of Anna Paquin) because she seems so weak, when she really isn't. Anyways, I didn't do a tutorial on this look but maybe I'll do it for halloween =)



Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Youtube Makeup Gurus, Copying looks, responding to subs, etc.

Hey everyone! I hope everyone is having a great week so far and for all of you that are stressing on finals (like me), keep pushing, you're almost done! =)

So I wanted to talk about something, well write, obviously. Today queenbmakeup (queenbchronicles.com/beautytips) said on twitter that a well-known YT makeup guru copied her look. I actually found the look that was copied and I have to admit I was a little disappointed because I do watch this guru a lot. To that guru's defense, I'm not sure if that person even knew that they were copying a subscriber's look. Either way, it doesn't look good in both sides of the situation. In my opinion, I'm pretty torn. There are the gurus that I truly love watching and totally respect (because they actually have some serious skills), but lately on twitter and on YT as well there have been some issues with the so-called "top gurus" that are pretty egoistic and ignore their subscribers.

Personally, I'm not sure how I feel about this. Considering the gurus that are YT partners have thousands and thousands of subscribers, I don't know how one can reply to every single comment/question from a viewer. I do understand though that it is rude to deliberately ignore your viewers, but how do you know if they really are ignoring you or just don't have the time? What if they really are too busy?

So I guess what I'm getting at is a disclaimer to my subscribers/followers/viewers:

I am NOT a YT partner. I am not a professional makeup artist, nor do I try to be. Like a lot of other people I'm still learning and I just have a great appreciation for makeup and I like to share what I know. I truly appreciate feedback from people and try to address any questions that I've gotten. I don't thank every single new subscriber because it's just so tedious, but it doesn't mean I'm not thankful. I really am grateful.

I will say though that I think it's ridiculous to comment on other people's videos and tell them "subscribe to me too" or "comment on my video." If I get comments like that, I most likely won't respond. I don't expect everyone to subscribe to me so that tactic to get more subscribers is just tacky. I will comment on a video or subscribe to someone if I WANT to. Spamming people's inboxes is not the way to go.

Lastly, I do have a life outside of my YT tutorials. I don't upload videos regularly, but I definitely try, even with a busy schedule (one reason why I closed the requests for the Video Game Heroines series). If I for some reason didn't reply to your comment, I apologize, because I do try to reply to all the comments I get. I always encourage my viewers to send me a message if they have any questions and it's probably the best way to get a question answered. Once again, spamming will not be tolerated.

Phew. I think that's it?

Oh. Well, does anyone know how to put a chatbox on their blog? I've been trying to find one but I keep failing miserably. I do read the comments on here too, but I wanna be able to reply to comments, so I figure a chatbox would work well =P

Sorry this post was quite long. I just felt like I had to talk about this. What do you think? Let me know =)

xoxo

Monday, May 18, 2009

Makeup For a Cream-Colored Dress

Hi everyone! I've been lagging on updating my blog, so this post is pretty late, sorry! Anyways, this was a requested look that goes with a cream-colored dress. It's very neutral, but can definitely be played up to look more dramatic. You can also use this as an everyday look as well =)

Link to video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zccd5_pyAH4





What I used:

Eyes:

UDPP in Sin
Too Faced Glamour to go Palette
CS 78 Palette (Dark brown, coral e/s)
NYX Jumbo Pencil in Milk
MAC "Satin Taupe" e/s
MAC "Ricepaper" e/s

Face:

ELF Mineral Foundation in Warm
Ben Nye "Victorian Rose" blush

Lips:

NYX "Nectar" lip liner
CS "Coral Funk" lip smack




Thursday, May 7, 2009

Jane. "Nirvana" Palette Review & Tutorial

As promised, I have a product review and a tutorial up! First, the product review. I picked up the Jane. "Nirvana" Deluxe Eye Mixer palette last week and I've been playing around with the colors. So here's what I think:
It's a good palette for what you pay for. It costs $5.95 and comes with 8 shades. My only issue with it is that the two colors (Hazelnut, Me), do not show up on my skin. Otherwise, the pigmentation is pretty good for a drugstore brand. I don't find too many drugstore brands with good pigmentation (except L'oreal HIP), and for $6?! WOW! 4/5 Here's the link to my video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQw3-sFOpbk. On to the tutorial!



Using the Nirvana palette, I came up with this Smokey combo. It's not too dramatic, so I think it's also wearable during the day. It's all about making it work for you =)

What I used:

Eyes:

Urban Decay Primer Potion
NYX Jumbo Pencil "Black Bean"
NYX Jumbo Pencil "Milk"
"Purple Heart" from Nirvana palette
"Browny points" from Nirvana palette
NYX Ultra Pearl Mania in Purple
L'oreal HIP "Roaring" Duo (brown e/s)
Highlight color from Clinique "Black Icicle" duo
Rimmel Eyebrow Pencil

Face:

Revlon Colorstay Foundation "Toast"
MAC "Intenso" Mineralize blush
Coastal Scents Contour & Blush palette

Lips:

MUFE Camouflage Concealer
ELF "Nicely Nude" Lipstick
CS "Oasis" Lip Smack

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Coastal Scents and Ulta Haul!

Hi everyone! So my bf brought his camera over so I can start making videos again! I actually just recorded a tutorial so that will probably be up by tomorrow. For now, I just wanted to do a haul showing you what I've gotten in the past couple of weeks. Not too many stuff I think =). Let's start with Coastal Scents.
So I ordered the Brush Guard (variety pack) and I have to say that they do work wonders! After watching xsparkage's video about the brush guards, I've been putting my brushes into the brush guard after I clean them. Love it! I also got two Lip Smacks: Oasis and Coral Funk. And then I got two brushes: the pointed dome blush brush and the deluxe fan brush. Both brushes are great!Here are the swatches of the Lip Smacks. For Oasis, I think little goes a long way so you really don't need to apply too much. As for Coral Funk, I'm really loving this color! It's not too sheer and the color is just gorgeous! That's all I got from Coastal Scents (they were having a 15% sale so I had to take advantage for it). Moving on! I also went to Ulta last week to take advantage of the Mother's Day Sale (ends May 10). Coincidentally, that day was the worst day ever and I was really wanting some retail therapy. Yay!

First I got Cover Girl's Tinted Moisturizer in Light to Medium (SPF 15!). Then I bought two NYX jumbo pencils; one in Milk, the other in Black Bean. These things crease like crazy but I'm really liking Milk as a base for a brow highlight. Then I picked up Revlon's Contour Shadow Brush. Then I got an NYC loose powder for setting my liquid foundation.

I've been told that this is a good alternative to the MAC 217, especially if you feel the 217 is too big. I think it's a pretty decent brush for $7, but it sheds quite often.

And lastly, I finally got a lighted mirror! The lighted mirrors at Ulta were 20% so I definitely had to pick one up. This mirror ended up costing $15, not bad! It only has one light setting, but it works fine for me. Loving this mirror! Yay for extra lighting!
So that's all for my little haul. I should be posting a product review and a tutorial soon, so keep posted! Hope you're all having a great week =)
xoxo

Monday, May 4, 2009

I need a camera!!!!

Hey everyone!

So as the title of this post says, yeah I'm kind of in a predicament. So moving is all over now, I'm almost settled in my new place (I've got loads of stuff that need unpacking), but I'm for the most part ready to do a video or at least some FOTDs and hauls. But since I moved, I haven't been able to find my camera charger. BUMMER.

And I've gotten some new stuff too that I really wanna show you guys! I got some new stuff from Coastal Scents (brushes, lip smacks, etc.) and also some stuff from Ulta! I've been itching to take pics and tell you guys what I think, but the sans camera is not helping. I usually use my bf's camera to record vids, but he has it. As for my camera, I need the damn charger!! *sigh* I tried doing a product review today using my laptop webcam, but that was an epic fail. You couldn't see the swatches at all =(

I'm trying to get my bf to bring over his camera so I can start making vids, but that probably won't be for days considering how forgetful he is -_- Anyways, as for my hiatus from youtube (which hopefully will end soon, not so much of a hiatus then huh lol), it's been allowing me to practice and play around with my makeup. Especially because I get a little more time before school, I get to put on even just a little makeup. What bums me out though is that I can't spend any more money on makeup till next month since I have a dance competition coming up that I need to save up for. Yay for dance competition though! I'm excited!

Well I guess that's all for now. Sorry no hauls or FOTDs! I'll definitely try to get a vid up soon. Just wanted to say hi to everyone =)

xoxo