YO! Happy thursday dear kittens! I hope your weeks are all going well. I've got a little photo spam for you rounding up my favorite looks from the #2011MUC (2011 make challenge) from the past couple of weeks. Sorry for the inconsistent lighting/color. I've been messing with my camera's manual modes trying to push its limits a little more.

We're planning on going to the end of the month with this challenge. If you want to join just upload your images to twitter and use the hashtag #2011MUC. Check out all the other contributer's posts at the offish tumblr blog.

Here we go! Hint: Click the pictiures to view them full size and hit the link underneath for product lists.

11.15.11 Green Screen

11.17.11 Vintage french

11.29.11 Teal cat eye

look from 11.30.11, A lesson in bright liner

12.1.11 Smokey duochrome red-green

Green is one of those colors that looks good on just about every eye and skin color. It pops on brown eyes and looks rich on deep dark eyes. It compliments blue eyes and looks amazing on violet eyes. It even looks nice on green eyes.

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-on Eye Pencil in Covet is a blue-toned medium-dark green with hints of silver glitter. The glitter isn't super apparent but it's there. In no way would I consider this liner a glitter liner. It has a semi-metallic finish with catches light and has a great effect. Since it is on the cool side it would be easier for someone with cool tones to wear but I think all will be able to make it work.

Available at Sephora $18

For more photos and swatches...

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Last week I grabbed a few things at Sephora's VIB sale and redeemed a 500-point perk. After I was burned by a bad 500-point perk a couple years back I have been hoarding my points for only super great perks. (It was a Kat Von D eye shadow palette and it was terrible!) The current perk is a fantastic set of Laura Mercier's Flawless Favorites.

Set includes:

Mini Full Blown Volume Lash Building Mascara in Black
Mini size: 0.2oz
(Full Size: 0.4oz $24)

Mini Eye Basics in Wheat
Mini size 0.1oz
(Full Size: 0.25oz $24)

Mini Face Polish
Mini Size: 0.4oz
(Full Size: 3.4oz $30)

Mini Tinted Moistureizer SPF 20 in Nude
Mini size: 0.5oz
(Full size: 1.5oz $42)

Mini Foundation Primer
Mini size: 0.5oz
(Full Size: 1.7 oz $30, 3.4oz $40)

Guess how much these mini's would retail for? To find out...

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Travel Tips For Product Junkies is a 3-part series helping all the product junkies out there to better prepare for type away from the collection.

First up was skincare. This second installment is all about makeup. Bringing too much makeup weighs you down and you run the risk of having it damaged during travel. I always carry on my makeup when I fly. If you can't do that then be sure to get a padded travel case and pack it in the middle of your suitecase. Protect it with clothes. They're natural shock barriers. I usually don't have a problem getting my makeup, including foundation, through security but to be safe, don't take a bunch of full size foundations. God forbid they do give you trouble and make you throw it out. Avoid the heartbreak and follow my tips below.

Keep reading to see my picks for paring it all down.

Try to settle on a few makeup looks you can do quickly and easily. Bring only your most used colors and be sure to take into account your clothing. If you're packing sweats and Ugg boots, you probably don't want to do a full on smokey eye so keep it simple. If you plan on dressing up everyday then by all means, go for the drama! But since you can't bring all your shadows with you, the best bet is bring a palette of your most used colors. Many brands make palettes with coordinating colors. However, I'm a custom palette kind of gal.
Lesleykat's Pick: Z Palette, holds shadows and blushes of all shapes and sizes with a stong magnet closure to ensure nothing falls out. Available at zpalette.com (and some professional makeup stores) $20 for large $14 for small

As a product junkie, leaving my assortment of foundations at home is like leaving behind my children. (Until I actually have children, my makeups are my babies.) By choosing the most effective and easy to use foundation, you do yourself a favor. Pick one that's easy to apply and doesn't use too many peripherals like primers, brushes, etc... One that can apply with your fingers or one single brush is best.
Lesleykat's Pick: MAC Studio Sculpt Foundation, this gel-based, buildable, medium-coverage foundation can be applied with fingers and has a built in SPF. Remember what I said about bringing SPF? Can also be sheered out with water/fix+/moisturizer. Does NOT need a primer to stay put. A little powder in your oily areas keeps this stuff on all day. Available in a wide range of shades at MAC counters and Stores $29.50

A good concealer palette can help you forgo foundation completely (or just make your skin look even better). A green-yellow based concealer will help conceal acne spots while a pink-peach concealer banishes under-eye circles in a flash. A concealer with your matching skintone can help reduce uneven tone or redness around the nose and chin.
Lesleykat's Pick(s): Kryloan Dermacolor Concealer Palette, this product is not easy to find so another great palette I suggest is the Makeup Forever 5 Camouflage Cream palette. Available at Sephora $36

Oh and you kids with the airbrush machines, LEAVE THEM HOME! Bringing them is just silly. If you do you'll have room to pack another pair of shoes!

What are some of your best travel beauty tips?

I'm not going to lie. I have a ridiculous makeup collection by normal girl standards. When I do shop for makeup I really try to find unique products that I haven't seen other places. In fact, its better if I don't browse to much because I fall in love with sparkly things pretty quickly. When I saw the Tarina Tarantino Sparklicity Pure Opal I new it was unique enough to be welcomed into my collection.

So here's the deal. I tried a ton of different methods trying to capture this amazing stuff's essence and I simply could not. It's a magical opalescent super sparkly loose powder that would closly resemble crushed fairy wings, if such thing existed. I swatched it below on top of Two Faced Glitter Glue (do you all want a review on that as well?)

Available at Sephora, $17

Overall thoughts, a ton more photos including swatch photo...

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One of the most sought after beauty goodies amongst the beauty world are the Sleek iDivine Palettes. These palettes include 12 mineral colors at a super inexpensive price. Even more coveted than the original (more on that later) is the Acid Palette. It's popularity with the makeup junkies stems from the 4 neon colors in this palette. They are outrageously bright, true neon/day-glo shades.

The "Beauty on a shoestring" series is designed to highlight the very best of affordable makeup. I'm excited to be able to test out some beauty from abroad.

Availability: Superdrug
Cost: £6.49 (depending on the conversion rate, that's around $10.41)

Since the individual colors do not have their own names I will refer to them as I've numbered them above.

1. Bright magenta with a high-shimmer frosty finish.

2. Matte white

3. Neon yellow with matte finish

4. Neon orange with matte finish

5. Cool periwinkle blue with silvery frost finish

6.  Baby blue with silvery frost finish

7. Bright purple with matte finish

8. Olive green with satin finish with tiny bits of micro shimmer

9. Neon pink with matte finish

10. Neon light green with matte finish

11. Frosty dark silver

12. Charcoal black with satin finish

For swatches and overall thoughts,

KEEP READING...

I LOVE a twitter makeup challenge. So when I saw that a few cool girls I know were starting one up I jumped on board. Here's the deal: Post a photo every day of either your makeup look or the actual makeup you used that day. Get it? Face or product shots, or both, with a little detail about what you used. Tweet your photo with the hashtag #2011MUC.

Tonight I have a little party I am attending so I am wearing this awesome blue and gold dress and I chose makeup colors that would be homogeneous but not matchy-matchy exactly. I used touches of gold and blue tones but not exact color matches. The pictures aren't my best since I'm not using my regular camera, but they'll have to do for now. For some reason my look today is a little MAC heavy and some of the products are discontinued but most are permanent.

Products used:

MAC Studio Sculpt foundation, NC20 (usually I am a NW20, but for some reason with the sculpt foundation the NC suited me better than the NW.)
Kryolan Dermacolor Concealer
Makeup Forever HD setting powder
Kevyn Aucoin Pure Powder Glow cheek color, Dolline
MAC Blush, Harmony
MAC Mineralized Sheersheen Loose Pigment, Silver Aura (discontinued)

Two Faced Shadow Insurance
MAC Pigments, Vanilla and Golden Olive (both PERM)
MAC Eyeshadow, Soft Brown, Brun and Blanc Type (seriously, my most used colors and thankfully all are PERM)
Makeup Forever Aqua Liner, #6 (Deep navy with shimmer)
Lancome Definicils Precious Cells Mascara, Black

Kryolan Lipstick, LC006 (Creamy pinky-peach nude)

Won't you join me in the #2011MUC?!

Superdrug just might be a beauty-obsessed girl's mecca. They carry so many awesome brands including Barry M. I picked up 6 Dazzle Dusts and 1 Fine Glitter Dust in London. Whenever I shop now I try to find products that aren't similar to any other products in my collection. Barry M boasts 76 different color of Dazzle Dusts but obviously it would be ridiculous for me to buy all of them. Many colors overlap other brands I own. Additionally, there are many colors that don't suite my coloring. I settled on 6 dazzle dust unique colors and 1 fine glitter dust and hoped that I made the right choice.

The "Beauty on a shoestring" series is designed to highlight the very best of affordable makeup. This post kicks off a special UK beauty series. I'm excited to be able to test out some beauty from abroad.

In the pot, these dusts are so beautiful and exciting. While I was swatching them I was actually squealing with glee. They have dimension and shine. A couple of them even have a duochrome quality. HOWEVER, when applied they need a bit of help to find their full potential. This is common for most eye products. As we know, everything always looks better over a base/primer.

Availability: Superdrug
Cost: £4.59 (depending on the conversion rate, that's around $7.40 per item)

102 - Burgundy Noir is a duochrome, blackened-red with flashes of purple and orange. While in the pot the duochrome is highly visible, the effect dulls when applied on the eye. With its black base it's really only good for smokey looks or creating a custom eyeliner using a bit of mixing medium. I was truly disappointed that the duochrome effect wasn't as present when applied.

51 - Mushroom is a purple-toned dirty taupe that with multi-colored shimmering particles. Its base color is cool but has elements of warmth with the shimmer finish. For a day look, works best over a white or neutral base. Can easily be used for a smokey night look by applying over a black base.

91 - Silvery Black much like mushroom, this color can be applied over different base colors for different effects. It makes a super sparkly smokey look when applied over black. When applied over a neutral or white base it can easily be a soft-smoke day look. While it has the word "black" in the name It doesn't have the black base like Burgundy Noir so it is more flexible. Can be used as a soft wash of color.

98 - Petrol Black is a blackened teal with duochrome flashes of purple. As with Burgundy Noir, the douchrome effect doesn't translate to the eye as much as I'd like. However, if you're looking to mix up your smokey looks this color is great. Mix with a little bit of mixing medium or water to create your own custom eyeliner.

75 - Lime has a super sparkly finish. While not neon, this bold light-green color will pop on all eyes and skintones. For best results, use over a white or neautral base. Doesn't work as well over a black base, tends to look muddy. It's warm-tone shimmers create an attention-grabbing look.

95 - Parrot Green is a rich, bold green that works for both cool and warm skintone. It contains cool-toned fine shimmering particles for a multi-dimensional finish. Works best over a white or black cream base.

21 - Opal is actually not a Dazzle Dust, but a Fine Glitter Dust. It has a black base with fine shimmering emerald green glitter. It must be applied over a sticky base to adhere properly. I suggest a cream product or a touch of glitter glue. Do not attempt to use this on bare skin. It will not work.

For more photos, swatches and final thoughts,

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Sleek is a common brand in the UK and is sold in Superdrug. It has quickly become a darling of the internet makeup world because of it's high quality and relatively low price point. Obviously Sleek was on the top of my list when I visited London. I even took special time out to make sure I wasn't rushed when I purchased my drug store purchases. (ie: No bored boyfriend to deal with.)

The "Beauty on a shoestring" series is designed to highlight the very best of affordable makeup. This post kicks off a special UK beauty series. I'm excited to be able to test out some beauty from abroad.

PROS:

• Super moisturizing and feels great on my lips. When I came back from holiday my lips were super duper chapped. This stuff immediately soothed my lips and replenished them From sad chappy existence.
• Super shiny with out any stick factor.
• Contains nurishing ingredients: Avocado Oil, Shea Butter, Sweet Almond Oil and Wheat Germ Oil.
• SPF 15 because even your lips need sun protection.
• Large amount of product in package. Each package contains 10g. To compare that to Korres Lip butter that retails in the US for $12 (around £7.53) contains .21oz (around 5.95g). The Pout paint contains more product and costs a hair over half the price. 
• Attractive packaging. It's not revolutionary but its cute and simple. Wide opening makes it easy to get product out without taking a chunk out with your fingernail.

CONS:
• The colors I bought weren't pigmented at all. From a quick spin around the internet, it's clear that some of the other color do have more of a tint to them. I probably should have got a bright one for range of testing but at the time I didn't see it necessary. whoops. Oh well. 
• The scent is a little overwhelming. It reminds me of a vanilla scented candle which some may like but I could really do without. It's very artificial smelling however, there isn't a taste so that's a plus.
• Pot packing can be unsanitary. I'm not a total germaphobe but I'd rather not dip my fingers in a pot of product. (I also listed this as a PRO as well)
• The claims are that it contains Sweet Almond Oil, Shea Butter, Avocado Oil and Wheat Germ Oil, but when you read the packaging there are about 10 ingredients that come before these ingredients that are 10-plus letters themselves. I did a bit of research on packaging requirements in the UK and learned that they are similar to those in the US in fact that they have to list them by weight/volume. This means that the first item listed is most present in the product. Everything that follows makes up less than that. If ingredients make up less that 1% then they can be listed in any order.**

Availability: Superdrug £4.30

For more photos, swatches and final thoughts,

Keep Reading...

Since I don't believe in day/night specific I obviously wore this all day. This is probably a little MUCH for your average girl; not to mention if you have a corporate job this look will not fly! haha! Luckly I work in a creative environment that gets a kick out of all my product testing.

I've been testing some of the makeup I got in London and I was freaking out over the Barry M dazzle dusts, specificly Burgundy Noir. I planned a whole look around it. I created a super smokey eye and topped it with the shimmery dazzle dust. Instructions on eyes and full list of products used after the jump.

Keep Reading...