Currently Obsessed: Teal Under-eye Liner

Hi Loves! 

I have been so slammed with work and activities that I haven't gotten a chance to share much on this blog lately!  My past weekend was spent in San Jose with the lovely BF.  It was short but sweet and filled with lots of yummy food and drinks (BonChon Chicken & Fantasia, anyone?).

Clients oftentimes ask me what colors (shadows, liners, etc.) would work best for their eye color.  Because I work 9-5 (actually, 7-7...) at a corporate beauty company, I stick to a standard smokey brown eyeshadow look.  Lately, however, I've been obsessed with using jewel-toned eyeliners to line my bottom waterline, like this:

via Pinterest

Obviously, my look is a little more muted for work (sadly, no gold glitter), but the fun thing about this is that you can do your eyeshadow any way you like, really, depending on the day & occasion.  This can work with a subtle brown smokey eye for work or amped up with a dark smokey or glittery shadow for a more dramatic, fun look for a date or girls' night.  

Here's a set of jewel-toned, versatile eyeliners that I'm currently obsessing over: 

Urban Decay, Ocho Loco 2 Set, $59 for a set of 8 full-sized liners - greens, teals, blues, purples, browns & the blackest black eyeliner I've ever used! 

What makeup looks do you guys find that you're doing more often now that Fall is here? 

Which Eyelash Curler is Right for You?

Did you know that not all eyelash curlers are created equal? 

I will FOREVER remember that one fateful day when I got to school one morning in 9th grade and my best friend (at the time) told me that she had literally "cut off" half of her eyelashes while using her older sister's Revlon eyelash curler the night before. 

First of all, I had never used an eyelash curler in my entire life at the time.  Secondly, I was horrified to see that her lashes were, in fact, half the length that they were the day before.  I quickly made a mental note to NEVER buy that eyelash curler for use and later on that night relayed the story to my older sister.  My sister scoffed and gave me one piece of advice that I live by to this very day: 

Shu Ueumura eyelash curlers are your best friend -- that is, if you've got relatively large, double-eyelid, long-ish eyes like me.  

Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler, $20 

Lucky for me, I have a sister who believes in splurging for a good product as long as the product is effective - and believe me, as a 14 year old high schooler, $20 was a huge amount to spend on a contraption that was meant to "open up my eyes" and make me look "more awake."  Ten years later, I am a believer and this is my go-to lash curler of choice.  Imagine my horror when Shu Uermura counters were all shut down in the US - thankfully, Amazon and my lovely best friend who travels to Japan often have kept me well-stocked.

For those of you who have monolid, short, or relatively small eyes, this Shiseido eyelash curler will be your best friend: 

Shiseido Eyelash Curler, $19

 What's so different about this eyelash curler, you ask?  The length of the eyelash pad is shorter, which ensures that all lashes will be curled.  The curve is also slightly flatter, which fits smaller eyes better.  This will prevent the seemingly inevitable "pinch" that eyelash curlers give when you're using an eyelash curler that is wrong for your eye shape, so beware, my lovelies!  When in doubt, keep experimenting with different eyelash curlers, but in my experience, these seem to be the best two in the market! 

Halloween Makeup Idea: Dia de Los Muertos

You guys! I'm totally obsessed with this makeup look for Halloween:

Photo credit: Juxtapost.com

This is a Dia de Los Muertos look for Halloween.  Dia de Los Muertos is a Mexican holiday where they honor their loved ones who have passed.  All I can say is, the Mexicans sure know how to party and celebrate in style!  I'm absolutely loving this look - glitz and glamour, finished off with a scary vibe... probably the most beautiful "dead & scary" look that one can achieve, if you ask me.

Break out those gems, glue, glitter, Kryolan face paints, Make Up For Ever Flash Palettes, waterproof liquid liners and bright eyeshadows!  It's time for some face decorating ; )  

Make-up Monday

I was so happy to be able to share my love for makeup with my fellow coworkers last Friday!  It's fascinating how much control you have over a makeup look, simply by using lighter vs. darker colors, smoking the eyes out, or even contouring the face.

Joy opted for a natural, office-appropriate look.

Claudia's dramatic, Friday-night-out smokey eye.  I contoured her face with NARS Laguna Bronzer & highlighted with Benefit's High Beam Liquid Highlighter.

2014 Pantone Colors

via Pantone.com

Behold, the 2014 Pantone colors!  I'm sure we all enjoyed having Emerald Green as our 2013 Pantone color of the year, but it's time for us to be on the lookout for these beautiful 2014 colors.  Whether it's makeup or fashion, these colors will be sure to dominate every store, brand, and beauty item.  I can already picture myself rocking a Dazzling Blue-hued eyeliner, paired with a Cayenne-colored lipstick.  Hemlock is my nail polish color of choice.  

Color Ideas:

1. Dazzling Blue: Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-on Pencil, "Abyss" - $19 

2. Cayenne: MAC Mineralize Lipstick, "Style Surge" - $22

Photo credits: NotSoFrivolous.com

3.  Hemlock: Essie, "Turqoise & Caicos" - $8

via TheDailyVarnish.com

Wayne Goss Brush Collection - Pics & Prices

Hello Lovelies!

The Collection from Wayne Goss is finally revealed via Beautylish!  Here's a photo of the full collection:

As stated above, the full collection is $210.  I love the black handles and how sleek the collection looks, but I don't know if I will be able to allow myself to splurge $210 on this entire set of brushes.  As Goss mentioned in his promotional Youtube video, these brushes are handmade in Japan and are of exceptional quality.  A quick breakdown on the prices: 

1. Brush 01 - Foundation Brush, $45

2.  Brush 02 - Powder Brush, $35

3. Brush 03 ($32), Brush 04 ($28), Brush 05 ($25)

4. Brush 06 ($25), Brush 07 ($17), Brush 08 ($17)

All of these brushes are multi-functional and can be used pretty much all around the face.  I am extremely intrigued by his foundation brush and eyeshadow brushes.  Decisions, decisions ... 

Will you be biting the bullet for this brush collection?  We've only got less than 2 weeks left to decide - The collection hits September 12th!

Is the Ombre Trend on Its Way Out?

I was pretty shocked when my best friend texted me the photo below two days ago: 

via Style Network

My first thought:  What is going on with this girl's hair? My second thought: Byebye, Ombre..?

Throughout college and even to this very day, my girlfriends all hopped onto the dyed ombre hair bandwagon (I am a self-proclaimed Hair Virgin - no dye will be touching my hair until I get some lovely white hairs sprouting from my head).  I remember that the ombre look used to seem bizarre, and too extreme.  Fast forward a couple years later, and almost every other person seems to be dying their hair ombre - so what's to say that this Splash Lighting trend won't be the next "big" thing in hair?  Creator Aura Friedman states, "I wanted to create the effect that a laser beam is hitting your hair at a certain spot."  The hair is bleached in a horizontal streak around the head, creating a "halo" effect, if you will.  I think it's pretty neat- and I am sure that a more toned-down, wearable version could be flattering.  

I, for one, think that this splash lighting trend could very well be the next "it" trend in haircare.  What are your thoughts?