Quick and Dirty - Work Makeup

Crap.  You just woke up, and you're running late for work.  Awesome.  You're not already late, so you could in theory do your makeup, but you only have about ten minutes - and you're not the best in the world with the makeup. Some people would say that is not enough time.

Those people are dumb.  Ten minutes is plenty of time.  Here's what I use to get my OH CRAP work makeup face on.  Roommate clocked me at eight and a half minutes, and I wouldn't say any of it is really that hard.  Ka-bam.

First thing I do is bust out the Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion (20.00 USD).  I like Sin, because it looks pretty on its own if I'm feeling super knackered, but any primer will work.  Don't have primer?  Put a bit of concealer on your lids with a finger.  HURRY UP YOU'RE RUNNING LATE.  

picture from urbandecay.com

While the primer is setting a bit (I don't ever put eye shadow directly onto just-wet primer), I put on Skin79 Hot Pink BB Cream (24.99 USD direct from Skin79, I paid 12.99 USD from a reseller on eBay).  

picture from skin79northamerica.com

I like this because it knocks out about 75% of my flaws in one go, it keeps my skin matte, and I've genuinely noticed a difference in how it helps with dark marks left by my cystic acne.  (I'll go more into BB creams in a later post, but until then, Musings of a Muse is the internet authority on them.  Go read for extra credit!)  You could also use a tinted moisturizer or face primer at this step.  A lot of it depends on how good your skin is.  Just rub that stuff on your face, focusing on your problem areas.

Hokay, we've got that spackled on.  Let's go back to the eyes.  For work in a hurry, we're not doing one of those five-shadow looks.  You've got places to be.  We're using two.  For me, I use Urban Decay Eye Shadow in Scratch (18.00 USD) all over the eye.

picture from urbandecay.com

You don't even need to use a little brush, a crease brush here will work (one of those bigger fluffy ones).  Screw it, use your finger if you wanna.

Done.  Now, for some fun and some pop, I use Sugarpill loose powder in Decora (12.00 USD).

picture from sugarpillshop.com

(Please note: I'm a pretty tan girl with big glasses.  If Decora's too much of a bright girl for you, you could also try Birthday Girl (12.00 USD) the same way.) Use the same fluffy brush and put that in the crease, going up as far as you want to toward your browbone.

You can curl your lashes, depending on how much time you have.  Slap some eyeliner on (I use Sephora's kohl liner in black because it's easy to apply in time crunches, and because it was 3.00 USD on clearance when I bought it.)  Put some mascara on - I use Tarte's Lights, Camera, Lashes! (19.00 USD) religiously because I don't have to curl my lashes when I'm in a hurry when I use it.

from tarte.com

Okay, eyes done.  Let's cover up the rest of my terribad face.  I use Benefit's Play Sticks in Tea Party (36.00 USD) since it's got good enough coverage to function as a concealer and a foundation at the same time. 

from benefitcosmetics.com

I just use this under my eyes and on any problem areas and then spackle it on with a densely packed brush.  You can use your fingers, depending on how big of a hurry you're in.  Slap on some powder to set it (any sort of translucent powder will do, but if you have awful skin like me, you can use some pressed powder with a fluffy brush - I use Hello, Flawless! by Benefit in Honey (34.00 USD)).

Okay, face done.  Blush.  When I'm in a hurry, the last thing I want to do is mess around with powder.  I use Majolica Majorca Blood On (I paid 12.00 USD on eBay), a sheer gel blush that makes me look naturally flushed.  I use it on my lips, too.

Speaking of lips - use a stain or if you're using a gel/cream blush, slap that on there.  If you're using a stain, pop some lip balm on there.  You're going to work, hooker, not the club.  Chapstick, whatever, just something to make your mouth look dewy.

BAM.  Done.  Hopefully it took you less than ten minutes.  NOW RUN.

MyGlam - December Bag

If you're into makeup and beauty, Michelle Phan has got your back.  She's an awesome resource (and quite frankly makes my old ass feel like a slacker).  In addition to her working for Lancome, doing her own tutorials, and being an aspiring filmmaker, she also started up her own sample bag company, MyGlam.  It's pretty similar to Birchbox in execution, if you're familiar with that program.  (With both programs, you go to the company's website, take a quiz about your preferences, and after signup you get a few beauty samples mailed to you every month for ten dollars.)  Birchbox allows you to purchase full size products from their website if you like what you got.  MyGlam doesn't have this (yet - this bag was their first), but they do have a community where you can talk about the produts and the girls who made the company, the "gurus", will talk about looks you can do with them. 

I've done Birchbox in the past, but cancelled when I didn't really get anything I liked.  When I saw that Michelle was doing something similar, I jumped onboard, and I'm glad I did!  They sold out really fast, so I was lucky to get one at all.  So, yes!  Here's pictures of what I got for my first bag!

It came in a really adorable bag.  It was shipped out standard USPS, so it took about the same amount of time to get out to me as Birchbox ever did (which is way too long, but I suspect that has more to do with the postal service being run by constipated gremlins than anything else).



One of the advantages to the MyGlam monthly subscription is that every month you get a little makeup bag.  This thing isn't super huge, but it's big enough where right now in my purse it's holding a pressed powder compact, blotting papers, a roll-on perfume, and five lip products (WHAT I HAVE A PROBLEM SHUT UP YOU'RE NOT MY MOM!). 



The bag even has a derpy mirror!

The products inside didn't come individually tissue wrapped or anything, which I prefer, as it's not a waste of paper.  Those of you who are Birchbox packaging addicts will be disappointed by this, but those of us who like trees or dislike garbage bags will enjoy it.

Same card, front and back.

The first thing I got was Mai Coture Salicylic Acid Blemish Control Blotting Papers.  I suspect this is because on my quiz thing I indicated my skin is a general plague area (which it is).  I've heard some people got blush papers (which is basically a blotting paper with blush and shimmer on it).  Thus far, these are ... blotting papers.  I don't know if the salicylic acid is helping yet, but I'll never kick blotting papers out of bed.  Plus, the package is thin, and I like that they're tear out, not pull out, as they don't explode into my purse this way.

Next was a sample of Tarte's Lights, Camera, Lashes! mascara.  This is a pretty generous sized sample; I've used it three times, and it still has plenty left.  (I'm not going to put down the milligrams, because I'm not a fucking wizard and don't know how many applications per milligram are in a mascara tube.) Tarte says this stuff is supposed to be "lengthening, curling, volumizing and conditioning".  I don't know about all of that, but I do know that it's really nice and not clumpy.  It's noticable, gives me some decent doll-eye, and it's less 'oh hay thick how you doin'' than the Cover Girl Lash Blast I usually use.

Yay, a sample of a thing I already have a lot of!  Which isn't a complaint at all, I am a primer potion slut.  This is Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion in original, and if you don't have a bottle of this in any of their colors and wear eyeshadow, go get some.  Now.  It will make your eyeshadow stay on so much longer and look so much prettier throughout the day.  I still come home sometimes from work and think about how pretty my eyes are before I take it off.  It's a decent size sample as well - I think it's the same size that came in the Naked palate.  I am using this with the same glee that I use my others, if not a bit more, because I was running low anyway.

Why yes, that's an Urban Decay eyeshadow.  Why yes, it's fullsize!  I got Sin, which I speculate everyone did, because it's the most gorgeous taupey-pinky color that looks great on everyone.  (I already had one of these too, but I don't even care, I was running low.  Yet again.)  I saw this and literally gaped and squeed and made a general fool of myself in front of my roommates and cats.

This is NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in  Addis Ababa.  This pink is erm.  Bright.  Very not me.  I tried it on to see if this would look good on me, shrieked, and rubbed it off.  But the formula is pretty neato.  It does feel a bit like a lip gloss and goes on with a wand.  It's not sticky, though, and on the mouth, looks a bit like a matte pop of color.  It doesn't settle into the lips the same way lipstick todes.  It's one of those things you just have to try, and I'm sure I will - the full sizes retail for 6.00 USD each.  (Just not in this color.  If this color looks good on you, let me know, I want to shake your hand.)

The NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream is on the right, and the Urban Decay eyeshadow is the pretty bit of shimmer on the left.

Lastly, I got some discount cards, which is pretty awesome.  Mama does like saving money.



Why yes, that is 15.00 off of the new Book of Shadows from UD.  The bottom is 25% off of the Mai Coture blotting papers or blush papers.  I gave the blush paper to my roommate, as she's fair where I'm not, so hopefully she'll get some use out of it.

So, that's what I got in my first Glam Bag.  Did any of you guys get in on this?  Do you guys have any questions?  I'll also take cheesecake recipes, I have some cream cheese in my fridge and nothing to do with it.  I feel like this post was kinda boring since I liked almost everything.