Winter Is Coming FOTD

I'm late to the party but I have recently started watching Game of Thrones and I am obsessed! It's so good! I used one of the quotes of the series to name this Winter-inspired look. I mixed a couple of blues to create the color on my lid and kept my crease warm. I liked how the contrast looked and makes the look more wearable. Click for more photos!

Aquamarine EOTD

There's something about blue eye makeup that can be alluring yet intimidating. Maybe because blue has such a bad rep for being tacky. But I think, blue can be worn beautifully and I think it adds a certain kind of freshness to looks. I did this look because I like to do one every year since Aquamarine is my birthstone. I used an eyeliner that I had gotten a while back in an Ipsy bag and I really liked it. It's by Tini Beauty in the shade "Blue Hawaiian". It was super pigmented and smooth to apply. I can't wait to use it again.

Fresh Limeade FOTD

I had purchased the Sephora Colorful Shadow and Liner in a new shade they had available called "Fresh Limeade". I've been buying too many neutral shadows so this was a nice change. I really like the formula of this pencil. It is similar to the NYX Jumbo Pencils. It goes on thick but it is also really flexible in terms of spreading it on your eyelid. I applied it directly to the lid and used a flat synthetic brush to spread it out on my eyelid. The color payoff is amazing. Very nice and bright. This would also make a great base for an eye shadow because it does not budge at all.

NARS x Christopher Kane "Outer Limits" Eyeshadow

NARS x Christopher Kane  eye shadow "Outer Limits" 

NARS has collaborated with Christopher Kane for their Summer 2015 collection. All of the products were so gorgeous! After swatching like a maniac in Sephora, I decided to pick up the eye

shadow "Outer Limits". I am a sucker for rose gold and I immediately fell in love with this eye shadow.

Beyonce "Why Don't You Love Me" Inspired FOTD

"Why Don't You Love Me" is one of my favorite videos by Beyonce. I love the retro style and clothes and the makeup was just incredible. I also love that little cheeky short where she's dusting her Grammys.

Bright Pink Lips FOTD

but first.. let me take a selfie!

This is a great look for Valentine's Day. The bright pink lip is spunky and is very pretty paired up with this neutral eye. It also has a touch of shimmer to brighten up the eyes. This is great for a date because it's not too overwhelming. And if you're single, it's sure to get you a date!

Not Your Typical Smokey Eye

Makeup trends will come and go but in my opinion, a smokey eye is the sexiest look you can rock. Smoldering eyes paired with a neutral lip will never fail. It goes with almost any going-out outfit and it can be tweaked in so many different ways to suit your mood.

FOTD: Pop of Purple + Radiant Orchid Lips

This week was all about the Pantone Color of the Year for 2014 which is Radiant Orchid. As promised, I posted a look featuring this color. I chose to wear OCC lip tar in "Hoochie" for orchid-colored lips. I also did a pop of purple in my inner corner to complement my lip color.

Products Used

FACE

Smashbox Photo Finish Face Primer

Urban Decay Naked Foundation shade 9.0

LA Girl HD Pro Concealer in shades"Warm Honey" and "Toast" (highlight & contouring)

MAC blush "Format"

Mac Mineralize Blush "Warm Soul"

TooFaced Candlelight Glow Highlighter Duo

Ben Nye Banana Powder

LIPS

OCC Lip Tar "Hoochie"

EYES

MAC Paint Pot "Soft Ochre"

Wet n Wild palette "The Naked Truth"- "definer" shade on outer v and lower lashline

MAC "Saddle" and Coastal Scents Hot Pot in "Oktoberfest" in crease

Urban Decay Vice 2 palette- "Ambush" on lid and "Betrayal" in inner corner

Eyeko Skinny Liquid Eyeliner

Wet n Wild eyeliner "Purple" in waterline

Loreal Voluminous Mascara "Black"

My other posts on the 2014 Pantone Color of The Year:

http://www.abeautywithbrains.com/2014/01/pantone-color-of-year-radiant-orchid.html

http://www.abeautywithbrains.com/2014/01/radiant-orchid-my-beauty-picks.html

EOTD: Bright Yellow Eye Look

A few weeks ago, I took advantage of a credit I received from Beautylish and bought two eye shadows from Sugarpill Cosmetics. I was very pleased from the service from Beautylish. My order shipped SUPER fast and I got it in two days! It is a great place to buy from.

One of the eye shadows I purchased was "Buttercupcake" which is a bright yellow. I love the color, it is so cheerful! I did a dramatic look using this color. I will be doing a more everyday look and posting it. I can see myself reaching for this shadow a lot for the Spring/Summer. I'm definitely trying to wear more colorful eye shadows.

PRODUCTS USED

UDPP "Eden"

NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil "Milk" (eyelid)

NYX Bronze Smokey Eye Palette (second shade in crease)

TooFaced eye shadow "In the Buff" (highlight and brow bone)

Ruby Kisses Gel Liner "Rich Black) (upper and lower lashline)

NYX eyeliner "White" (waterline and extended past lower lashline)

Salon Perfect lashes

Milani EasyBrow eyebrow pencil "Dark Brown"

EOTD: Aqua Pop Part 2

As promised, here is another look using the beautiful eye shadow I got from Inglot. This time, the Aquamarine is the base color. I love this color, it's so bright and fresh. And it is also the color of my birthstone :). A little treat, for my fellow March babies.

Products Used

ELF Eyelid Primer

NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil "Milk"

Inglot eye shadow no. 372 (lid and lower lashline)

Wet n Wild eye pencil "Deep Blue" (crease)

Too Faced eye shadow "Unmentionables" (blend in crease)

Too Faced eye shadow "In The Buff" (highlight)

Too Faced eye shadow "Pillow Talk" (brow bone)

NYX Super Fat Eye Marker "Black"

Maybelline Colossal Mascara "Glam Black"

Wet n Wild "Blue Had Me At Hello" palette (light blue for middle of lid and inner corner)

Pantone Edgy Emerald FOTD

I did another look inspired by the color emerald green. This time, the color was more of the focal point instead of just an accent color. I love how wonderful this look makes my brown eyes look. I paired it with a peachy-nude lip once again. This is perfect for a night out.

Products Used

FACE

Black Opal True Color Stick Foundation "Truly Topaz"

Bare Minerals Bronzer

Milani blush "Luminous"

Maybelline stick concealer "Beige"

MAC Pro Longwear concealer "NW35"

LIPS

Loreal lipstick "Fairest Nude"

Sephora lipgloss "Flushed"

EYES

UDPP

Loreal Voluminous Smoldering eyeliner "Black" (crease and lower waterline)

NYX eye shadow "Black" (blend in crease and lower lash line)

Maybelline Color Tattoo Eye Shadow "Edgy Emerald" (lid)

MAC eyeshadow "Humid" (lid and lower lash line)

Urban Decay eyeshadow "Foxy" (highlight)

Revlon lash adhesive

Red Cherry lashes #510

Milani Easybrow brow pencil "Dark Brown"

Maybelline Colossal Mascara "Black

KKCenterHK Review + Discount Code!

I was contacted by KKCenterHK to review some of their products. KKCenterHK is a website that sells makeup, eyelashes and wigs at great prices. I was sent three items, next to the items listed below are the links where they can be found. For this post, I am doing reviews for the CUICO eyeshadow and the JOJO eyeshadow quad.

CUICU Diamond Powder Eye Shadow "Stone Green": 

http://www.kkcenterhk.com/1-10-colour-palette/c101/p3125/CUICU-Flashing-Diamond-Single-EyeShadow-Stone-Green/product_info.html

JOJO Eye Shadow Quad:

 http://www.kkcenterhk.com/1-10-colour-palette/c101/p3141/JOJO-Make-Up-Colors-EyeShadow-NO.J08-03%23/product_info.html

mimididi Flashing Diamond Powder No 5:

 http://www.kkcenterhk.com/m78/mimididi/p3153/mimididi-3D-Diamond-Powder-EyeShadow-No.05/product_info.html

I really liked the CUICO eye shadow, it was really pigmented and it blended smoothly with my other shadow. It has a matte finish and I just loved how rich and silky it felt on my finger when I swatched it.  I didn't have to layer it on that much in order to get a rich hue. Also, no fallout!

 I swatched the shadow with and without primer and as you can see it showed up very well even without the primer.

I would recommend this shadow for bold eye looks and it could serve other purposes such as being applied as an eyeliner with a wet eyeliner brush. And the price is great, less than five dollars and it contains 4.2 grams of product. Pretty good deal.

 I used this color to do a colorful nighttime look with a strong cat eye. I really liked how it came out, minus the ghost face.

PROS

-VERY pigmented

-Texture of shadow is really smooth and easy to blend

-Inexpensive

-Great selection of colors

-matte finish 

CONS

-Delivery wait (website is based in Korea)

My face came out super light, this foundation does not go well with flash.

Products Used:

FACE

NYX Stay Matte Not Flat Foundation "Tan"

Maybelline FitMe Concealer in 30

Forever21 blush "Pink"

NARS bronzer "Laguna"

EYES

ELF Eyelid Primer

NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil "Milk"

CUICO Diamond Eyeshadow "Stone Green" (eyelid)

TooFaced eyeshadow "Stiletto" (blended into crease)

Loreal Voluminous Smoldering Eyeliner "Black" (lower lashline & waterline, crease)

Tan and Ivory Eyeshadows from Wet n Wild "Vanity" palette (browbone and higlight)

Shimmery cream shadow from "Vanity" palette (inner corner)

NYX Big Fat Eye Marker "Black"

Wet n Wild Eyebrow Kit

Maybelline Colossal Mascara "Glam Black"

LIPS

Wet n Wild MegaLast lipstick "Bare It All"

Sephora lipgloss "Flushed"

I wasn't as satisfied with the JOJO eyeshadow quad . I didn't find that it had great color payoff. The lightest color in the quad barely swatched on me. The photos I took testing the colors with and without primer almost looked the same.

swatched without primer

swatched with primer

I did a simple neutral look using the colors in the eyeshadow quad. Pretty good for everyday or you can glam it up by adding a deep red color to your lips.

PROS

-Good selection of colors

-Not too shimmery

-Inexpensive

CONS

-Packaging is annoying

-Colors in this quad aren't that pigmented

Products Used:

FACE

Clinique Even Better Foundation "Toffee"

MAC Select Moisture Cover Concealer NW35

Maybelline FitMe Powder 310

MAC blush "Stubborn"

EYES

TFSI

Wet n Wild brow kit

JOJO Makeup Color Eyeshadow No J08-03

NYX Big Fat Eye Marker "Black"

Maybelline Colossal Mascara "Glam Black"

LIPS

Loreal Colour Riche lipstick "Fairest Nude"

H&Msoft vanilla flavored  lipgloss

KKCENTERHK also has a great variety of other items to shop. And if you enter the code beautywithbrains at checkout, you get 10% off! Shop till you drop!

Disclaimer: This post contains products that were sent to me for free for review consideration.

Aquamarine Eyes EOTD

This was a look inspired by the birthstone for the month of March which is the Aquamarine. I got the idea from a prize package that I received from Jafra Cosmetics (post coming soon!). It included an eyeshadow trio wth the Aquamarine color and thought it would be a great idea for March. It's my favorite month because it's my birthday month of course. I made a video tutorial for this look BUT I was having a hard time trying to edit it because my camera films in mp4 format and the program in my computer refused to reognize it. I'm using a temp computer but hopefully by this weekend, I'll be able to get a new one so I can have videos up again by next week.

Products Used

Too Faced Shadow Insurance

Aquamarine e/s from Jafra Blue Jewels eyeshadow trio (eyelid)

Aqua color e/s from CS 88 palette (layered over Aquamarine)

Sapphire e/s from Jafra Blue Jewels trio (crease and lower lashline)

Blue Steel e/s from Jafra Blue Jewels trio (blended over Sapphire in crease)

NYX e/s in Highlight (highlight)

Physician's Formula Gel Liner in Black (upper lasline)

NYX eyeliner in Black (lower waterline)

E.L.F eyelash curler

Maybelline The Falsies Mascara

MAC l/g in Naked Space

EOTD & Tutorial: Gold Rush

So this is my second attempt at doing a tutorial, this time with gold. I have better lighting here and I hope you enjoy it. As always, I am open to all types of comments and suggestions.



Subscribe to my YouTube channel here.

Happy Valentine's Day!

I'm not a big fan of the holiday but I would still like to wish everyone a Happy V-Day and may you enjoy it with your lovers and/or families and friends. Here are two V-Day inspired looks, both with pink:

I did this eye look on my best friend, Kathy. The pink and brown looks very pretty and soft.

Products Used:

Too Faced Shadow Insurance (TFSI)

NYX Pearl Mania Loose Pigments in Pearl (review coming soon!)

LA Colors Eye Palette in EP23 Serenade

Wet n Wild Creme Liner in Black

Maybelline Lash Stiletto Mascara in Brown

I did this one on myself, I think the eyeliner with the bold lips looks very sexy and sultry. Also, I really liked how it went with my new, dark, hair. Remember ladies, when doing a bold lip, it's best to keep the rest of your makeup minimal, I just added a little bronzer to liven up my face a bit.

Produts Used:

Revlon Colorstay Foundation for Oily/Combination skin in Rich Ginger (review coming soon!)

MAC Select MoistureCover Concealer in NW35

Revlon Colorstay Mineral Finishing Powder in Suntan Matte (review coming soon!)

Bonnebell Powder Bronzer in Golden Tan

Wet n Wild Creme Liner in Black

CoverGirl LashBlast Volumuzing Mascara in Very Black

N.Y.C New York Color Lipstick in 405B Blue Rose

EOTD: Green Leaves

Eyes

Inner Corner: Jane e/s in "Copper"

Lid: Wet n Wild Mega Eyes e/s in "Sensual Sage" and NYX e/s in "Black"

Crease and Lower Lashine: dark green e/s in ELF "Ivy" Quad

Browline: "Brown" in NYX trio TS14

Lashes: CoverGirl LashBlast Mascara in Black