Glowing For Days Look 4/9/16

Hi guys!  I have been told that I am quite the character, not in those exact words, and that when I express myself freely, my personality really shines through my words.  I have recently been making more of an effort to show you guys a little more of myself, my thoughts, etc. than I typically do when writing about a particular look specifically.  I am not sure if you guys have noted the slight tweaks here and there, but you will be seeing a lot of me in the future.  I was really encouraged to show more of me in hopes that you see more of my passion and love for beauty all around.  I tend to keep my posts simple to aid those who are new to the industry see that it doesn't have to be complicated and they can accomplish the same thing if they focus on the general idea of placement and blending, especially with eye makeup.  (For example, between each shade, you have to blend and soften so you don't get stuck trying to blend it all out and the transition/effect not come out like you want.)  I love hearing from you guys and I appreciate each comment left on my page.  As always, please feel free to comment below or send me a message with your thoughts or questions.

Moving on, for those that didn't know, Sephora is having it's semi-annual sale, which is my favorite time of the year.  Let's get real, I shop throughout the year regardless, BUT when I get a discount, I do make the effort to make the most of it and get things I may not have otherwise.  Plus, I do try to prepare a list of products that I'm interested in and stop by the store to pick up samples of those items.  From there, I try them as quickly as possible to see if they are something I like and whether to order or whether to pass.  This is something that does take time so I narrow down the list in-store, if possible.

All that being said, I had a few foundations I wanted to try.  I have quite a few foundations and I happen to be running low on all of them.  I do plan to re-purchase a few of them because they're fabulous.  Some I won't due to others being more preferable or being discontinued.  For example, I was really bummed to hear that Stila Cosmetics discontinued their Sheer Color Tinted Moisturizer some time back.  This was one of my favorites and I really loved the effect.  No one could tell it was a tinted moisturizer and I had even been told they "didn't know how I managed to always have my foundation on fleek."  It did the job of a foundation while being a moisturizer and it did it well.  So definitely really sad about that.  Also, Dior discontinued one of my favorite foundations, Forever, and I was pretty heartbroken about that.  Sigh...  I will have to replace those for sure but at the same time I'm always open to trying new things.  Long story, right?  Sorry, guys.

I picked up a few foundations to try out and today's look included one of them plus a primer I had been curious about, as well.  Let me tell you, these two products I don't recommend for oily skin.  They are the Becca Cosmetics Backlight Priming Filter and the Perfecting Foundation.  For normal to dry skin, and maybe even combination skin, these products could be in your line of sight.  They really make you glow, I mean really glow, like glow to the Gods.  Just the primer alone was glow city and I was completely shocked by how much the marketing photos really do reflect the way the product looks applied.  The same goes for the foundation.  I used them both together and man, it was a glowy day today, to say the least.  Together, I can't say it enough, it was glow city and not like anything I've ever had before as I tend to reach for the more natural finish.  Even after being topped with powder, the glow still came through.  I will say I did enjoy the effect and had fun trying it out.  This isn't something I would wear everyday and it's not practical for my typical work look.  However, if I want to bust out of my same ol' same ol', this is an interesting way to go.  I will be trying these out paired with different products to get a better idea of if the glow can be more subdued or if it shines through no matter what.  Although, to be honest, I like having the option of a glow and I may just pick these up based on my experience today.

Today's look is round 2 with the Too Faced Sweet Peach eye shadow palette.  My first impressions with this palette weren't too encouraging or inspiring BUT, as you know, I don't just try and review.  I take the time to really give the product a chance to work for me and I give myself the chance to learn how to best use it, if I'm genuinely interested in using it.  This palette does have beautiful colors and I was really hoping I could make it work for me without having to bend over backward to get it to be useful.  The good news is my eyes didn't go crazy, and my nose didn't either, while I used the palette.  I could still smell the scent of the palette but my body may have built a little more of an immunity to the strong scent.  I chose different brushes for the application, synthetic ones as opposed to natural like I had used before, which led to more color payoff than I had during the first run.  I, also, opted for a base for this run, as well, and I do believe this played a role in the color intensity.  I did still see the powder fly into the air like before, which I wasn't thrilled about.  Overall, this was a more positive experience than the first one and I did feel encouraged to continue using the palette.  For all the details on what I used for the complete look, keep reading.

SK-II Essential Power Moisturizing Cream - eyes (buyer beware: this product contains parabens)
Lorac Behind The Scenes Eye Primer - eyes and brows
Anastasia Beverly Hills Dark Brown Brow Wiz - eye brows
Laura Mercier Flax Eye Basics - eyes
Too Faced Sweet Peach palette:
White Peach eye shadow - under brows
Georgia eye shadow - crease, brow bone
Bellini eye shadow - eye lid
Peach Pit eye shadow - outer lid, swept upward to brow bone
Talk Derby To Me eye shadow - outer corner
Delectable - extreme eye lid corner, lower lash line
Nectar eye shadow - tear duct area for highlight
Sephora Black High Precision Eyeliner - upper lash line
Benefit They're Real Tinted Primer topped with Benefit Roller Lash Super Curling & Lifting Mascara - lashes

Algenist Firming & Lifting Cream - face
Becca Cosmetics Backlight Priming Filter - face
Becca Cosmetics Perfecting Foundation in Beige - face
Make Up For Ever Full Cover in shade 5 - under eyes
Laura Geller Beauty Double Take Baked Versatile Powder Foundation in Medium - face
MAC Cosmetics Bronze Bronzing Powder - hollows of cheeks and forehead
Becca Cosmetics Tigerlily Luminous Blush - cheeks
MAC Cosmetics Oh, Darling Extra Dimension Skinfinish - tops of cheek bones blended out
MAC Cosmetics Whirl Lip Pencil - natural lip line
Urban Decay Naked Ultra Nourishing Gloss in Streak - lips
Urban Decay All Nighter Makeup Setting Spray - spritzed all over face