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.

What's In My Bag?

I am a snoop.  I rubberneck at car crashes, if I hear people talking loudly through the shared wall in my apartment I put my ear to it, and I love celebrity gossip.  I try to rein it in so it's appropriate, but I admit - I love "what's in my bag?" posts from anyone and anyone and I felt like I should do one myself.

This is my bag.  It's a customized Eula Messenger from Timbuk2.  Timbuk2 makes bags that you really have to work hard at destroying, and this is just the perfect purse size.  You get to pick your fabric - there's solid colors as well as a few different patterns you can choose from.  This is one of the pattern options, obviously, and the fabric is apparently limited, so it cost a bit more, but the whole bag itself set me back about 85 USD.  That's not too bad for something that will last me a couple of decades.  (I know this because I have one of their larger messenger bags that I got in 2001 that looks brand-spanking new.  It lasted me through about twenty boyfriends, and I expect it's what I'll use to tote my shit during the zombie apocalypse.)




She's roomier than she looks!

 But less about the bag, and more about her delicious innards, yes?


LtR: On the left, that purple thing you can barely see is my OG Kindle (I think it's literally the first edition, though it could be the second) with my journal on top.  The white tube to the right of those is my sample of Age Defying Hand Brightener I got from my Julep box of mystery.  To the right of that is my prescription of pharmacy strength naoproxen sodium (migraine/cramp maintenance - I take it twice daily no matter what).  To the right of that is my change purse.  Why yes, it's made from an old Sailor Moon pillowcase.  Below that are my car keys, which leaves further evidence that I love Sailor Mars way too much.  She's a bit of a role model, what can I say.  That black thing to the left of her is my iPod.  I'm still rocking an 80G last gen model, but that iPod case is also by Timbuk2, and it's also from 2001.  And it's waterproof!  That paiselyish thing is my beloved clutch wallet from Target, much beaten up but I refuse to get rid of it.  Just above that is my EpiPen, as anaphylaxis is not sexy or fun.  And in the middle is my makeup bag, and what I assume you're interested in.  The bag itself is the bag that went out with the debut month of my MyGlam.

And it's surprisingly roomy!  LtR: "Hello Flawless" powder by Benefit in "cute as a bunny" Honey, Red Velvet Cake perfume oil by BodyLuminosity, Baby Lips by Maybelline in Grape Vine, Baby Lips by Maybelline in Peach Kiss, MAC lipstick (lustre) in Marquise d', Revlon Lip Butter in Cotton Candy, Revlon Lip Butter in Creme Brulee, a crystal nail file by Julep, Julep Pout Popper in Arousal, Smashbox Hybrid 2 in 1 Color and Shine Lipgloss in Pink Lily, and Mai Coture blotting papers.  Now, onto swatches and reviews!

I didn't swatch the Hello Flawless - if you want me to, just drop a comment.  This is my go-to powder for everyday use.  I use BB cream to cover up most of my imperfections, then maybe a dollop of concealer afterward if I need to, but I always, always set everything with this powder.  It covers way more than you'd expect a powder to, and as someone with acne prone skin, it doesn't cause me to break out or look like I have acne prone skin.  This is my fourth compact of the stuff, so it's doing something right.  I've yet to find better.

Onto Baby Lips.  This is a lip balm, don't get it twisted.  The color payoff from this is not going to be huge.  But it does have some color, and it will be noticable on your mouth.  It's less waxy than Chapstick and a bit more watery than your usual balm, but I do notice when I don't wear it in a while.  After a few days, my lips get a bit cracked and grumpy and then I remember to do less lipgloss and more Baby Lips.




Grape Vine

 


Peach Kiss

 


Grape Vine on the left, Peach Kiss on the right.

  Next is the Smashbox Hybrid 2 in 1 Color and Shine Lipgloss.  This has some glitter to it, but it's fantastically fine glitter -  which really makes some nice multifaceted depth on the mouth.  It's got one of those fuzzy tip applicators that I love - it lets you blend it in like a wand, but you get the benefits of the squeezy tube.  I don't think you can get this from Sephora or Smashbox directly anymore, but there's loads of them up on eBay and Amazon now for hella cheap - I'm talking I saw some for 3.99 on eBay cheap.



Pink Lily



Fuzzy tiiiip~

 Augh, you see that shimmer?  It friggin' slays me.  I wear this on dates or whenever I want to feel Extra Special pretty.  It's goopy, like most lipglosses are, but it's a lipgloss.  Non goopy ones are confusing.

Now, onto something I'm sure you've heard about already or own a million of, that's how much hype it got.  Revlon Lip Butters.  I think the hype is deserving, if only because it filled a niche that wasn't quite out there.  What if someone wants some hydrating protection on their lips, and color?  Before, I used to wear balm on my lips, then layer on some lipgloss.  Now I don't have to.  I can just wear my lip butter.



Cotton Candy



Creme Brulee



L: Cotton Candy, R: Creme Brulee



 It's a subtle color, don't get me wrong, but it's more noticeable to me than Baby Lips, or any other colored balm I've tried.  I also love the shimmer in it.  These are my two favorites, as I've tried some of the darker ones and don't like them much.  Creme Brulee is a "my lips but better" color, and Cotton Candy is just two steps lighter.

Now, I don't wear a lot of lipstick, but when I do, it's by MAC.  I just like their formulation.  It's the least drying and annoying on my mouth, and their lustre formula is >< that close to being a gloss on its own.  However, and I say this while on my knees and crying to the gods - why must everything be LE?  Why!  We're going to buy it anyway, MAC, you know we will! 



Marquise d'



Like this adorable beauty, from the Wonder Woman collection.  Check that cute ass packaging!  You didn't have to make it LE!  I'd have bought it anyway!  I'd buy two more right now if you still made it, you selfish color overlords!  And no, knowing someone who works there doesn't help, I've tried that.  It's like adorably packaged crack.  Just knowing a guy isn't enough, unless you know someone who makes it.

Next is the Julep Pout Popper.  While unfortunately named (seriously, Julep, fucking stop that), it's a product I've really come to like.  I hate the scent - it reminds me of an elderly person who's just trying way too hard - but it fades quickly enough where I'm not too mad at it.  It does plump a little bit, but my lips are already pretty large, so it's not too noticeable.  I do like that it's thick like a gloss, but smooth on the mouth - you won't get that one random string of gloss between your lips that makes you look like a sludge mosnter.
 


Arousal (no, seriously, Julep, fucking stop it)

 



L: Marquise D', R: Arousal

So, that does it for what's in my bag.  But lastly, I want to give a shoutout to my shoes.  They're the most adorable, comfortable heels I've ever owned, and they're by friggin' Tom's.  Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not a Tom's hater.  I think their flats are adorable.  But I didn't think they'd be able to make cute heels.  I'd like to be the first to admit that I stand corrected.


Fucks to the yes houndstooth!  They're about three inches, super easy to move in, and I've already gotten loads of compliments on them.  They've sold me, and now I've got to hold myself bax when I get paid from getting the glitter wedges, just because the words 'glitter' and 'wedge' go so well together.

Got anything you have questions about?  Want new swatches?  Have questions about my cats?  Want the meaning of life?  Ask.