January Favorites

This month has gone by so fast. I can't believe the first month of the year is gone. I will be sharing my favorite products for the month of January.

Chocolate Bar Palette $49.00 USD

To start off, for those who follow my instagram page @muastephnicole, you may have noticed how often I use my Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette. I got this for Christmas and started using it this month. What do I love about it? For starters this is a warm and neutral palette. It has 16 eyeshadows both matte and shimmer ones. I love how creamy and pigmented these eyeshadows are. They're so easy to blend and the combinations are endless. You can create anything from a natural to a dramatic look. My favorite thing about this palette is how delicious it smells. I can't seem to put it down. Go get yours today! Promise you'll love it as much as I do.

Makeup Forever Glitter $15.00 USD

If you love glitter you'll love Makeup Forever's Glitters. I picked 2 up on new year's day and I love creating looks with them. I love the fact that they're not chunky glitters. I hate glitters that are too chunky because I feel they're a little more difficult to work with. Makeup Forever's glitters are very fine and the ones the I have been using are #12 & #13. #12 is a multi colored pink and #13 is a multi colored silver. They're very easy to apply. I used Too Faced Glitter Glue to apply my glitter. Check out my instagram to see the looks I've created with these products.

Inglot Pure Pigment $14.00 USD

Have you ever walked by a makeup counter and not noticed any of the makeup products? I have. It so happened that on the day I was at IMATS I stopped by the Inglot booth and started looking at all the pigments, glitters, eyeshadows...EVERYTHING! I was pretty upset at myself for not purchasing these products sooner. After all, I do have a pro card with them. I was in Vegas for the new year and I must have passed this store like 3 times. I knew it was calling my name. I can't narrow down my one favorite product because I just love everything I got. With that said, make sure you check out their pigments and body sparkles. They're AMAZING!!!



Boscia Luminizing Black Mask $34.00 USD

Now to a skin care product. I think all of my January favorites were discovered on a shopping trip in Vegas. I walked into the Sephora store and picked up a few things while my friend was looking at some skin care products. We wanted to save ourselves $150 on a facial so she found this luminizing black mask by Boscia. We tried it and fell in love. According to the Sephora website, this mask detoxifies, purifies and brightens. It has deep cleansing properties that draw out dirt and oil. I love this mask because it peels right off when it's dry. I normally use it 2 times a week. I wash my face first and then I apply this mask. Make sure your face is dry before applying. Wait about 15-25 min before peeling it off. It works best if you apply a thicker layer because it's easier to peel off when it dries.

Dior Addict Lip Glow $32.00 USD

On to my last January favorite. I also got this product right after Christmas and use it almost every day. This is the Dior Addict Lip Glow. This is a lip balm that enhances your natural lip color while it moisturizes and protects the skin. I have those days where I feel like wearing a very natural dewy and fresh look and I love throwing on this lip balm. This lip balm will look different on everyone as the color reacts directly with the unique chemistry of the lips. It looks pink on me since my lips are naturally a light shade of pink. It looks very natural. It is a little on the expensive side so I recommend you try it on before you purchase it just to make sure you like it.

Makeup Geek Eyeshadows Review & Swatches

Some of you have asked me to do a review on Makeup Geek Eyeshadows and to suggest some to start off with.

Let me start off by saying that I've been loyal to MAC since I started wearing makeup. This is the first brand I started wearing all thanks to my mom for getting me hooked. I was so close minded about trying other brands. When I started watching youtube videos, makeupgeektv was the first makeup channel I started watching. Marlena inspired me so much and when I saw that she had launched her own makeup line I told myself I had to try her products.

I got around to placing my order and of course just like most people I wanted neutral colors so I ordered a lot of warm and neutral eyeshadows. My first impression was "Wow, these resemble MAC eyeshadows". I love the fact that you have the option of ordering them in the pan. They already come magnetized which is awesome because you can create your own custom palette.

The next thing I was impressed with was the pigmentation of the eyeshadows. Yes, they're very pigmented and so creamy in texture. I'm not joking when I say these eyeshadows are equally or even better than MAC's. Also, the price on the Makeup Geek eyeshadow pans are only $5.99 USD.

Now, since Makeup Geek products can only be purchased online at www.makeupgeek.com it's hard to pick what you want without being able to swatch anything. I will be recommending my favorite Makeup Geek eyeshadows and what I suggest for starters.

These are some of my favorite Makeup Geek Eyeshadows:
1. Cocoa Bear
2. Latte
3. Mocha
4. Pretentious
5. Frappe
6. Peach Smoothie

You may have seen me use most of these in some of my looks. Like I said, these are very pigmented and I have swatched them for you without any primer or eyeshadow base.

Just imagine how much more beautiful these look over an eyeshadow base. You can find more swatches of these eyeshadows on the Makeup Geek website at www.makeupgeek.com. I hope you found this blog useful. I promise you wont regret your Makeup Geek purchases.

My Favorite Eyeshadow Brushes & Brush Care

I get asked a lot what brushes I use to get flawless blending on my eyes. My favorite brushes and the one's I'm currently using are from MAC. Why MAC? Well I started off buying MAC makeup and those were the first brushes I was introduced to. With proper care these can last you a very long time. I know there are dupes out there which I will list but since I am a MAC pro member I get them for a good price.

First I want to talk about brush care. Taking care of your brushes is very essential. If you have good quality brushes they will last you a long time. Brushes carry a lot of bacteria especially after using them on your skin. I wash my brushes about once every 2 weeks. By washing I mean I shampoo them and let them air dry. It's natural for brushes to shed but washing them properly will help them shed less. I also have about 3 or 4 of the same brush style so I alternate them so that they don't wear out fast. You want to make sure that you don't submerge your brushes under water or let them float in a sink full of water. This can cause the glue of the brush to dissolve and it can ruin your brushes. I accidentally left one of my brushes wet and the handle started breaking apart. For in between use, I clean my brushes with MAC's brush cleanser. I spray my brush with the MAC cleanser and I gently wipe my brush on a soft tissue. You want to use clean brushes before every eyeshadow application. This will help the brush grab the true color of the eyeshadow. Don't use dirty brushes that have yesterday's eyeshadow. That can tend to give your eyeshadow application a muddy look.

So what brushes do I use on my eyes? I have a few favorites.



MAC 224 Blending Brush

MAC Brush 224- $32.00 USD
Dupe: Sigma E40- $14.00 USD

I use this brush on a daily basis. I apply my crease color with this and it blends nicely. This brush works for people who have a large crease area. I like to use my lightest shades with this brush since I use my lightest shades as my transition colors. Since this brush is fluffier than the other ones I use, it evenly blends the eyeshadows on my crease.



MAC 217 Blending Brush

MAC Brush 217- $24.00 USDDupe: Sigma E25- $12.00 USD
 
I love this brush. I also use it in my crease. Since this brush is more tapered than the MAC 224, I have more control of my eyeshadow placement. For this reason I like to pick up my darker crease eyeshadows and apply them with this brush. Brushes with white bristles tend to pick up the eyeshadow better. This brush is also great because you can go back in and blend out any harsh lines.

 MAC Brush 242- $25.00 USD
Dupe: Sigma E60- $14.00 USD

This is one of a few brushes that I like to use for my brow bone highlight and lid color. I like that it's very flat and the eyeshadows grab on pretty good. If I want the eyeshadow to look more pigmented or opaque I wet this brush with MAC's Fix + and then I dip it into my eyeshadow. This is the only brush i'll ever use to apply my glitter glue and glitter.

MAC Brush 219- $25.00 USD
Dupe: Sigma E30- $12.00 USD

This is what I call the pencil brush because it reminds me of a pencil's tip. So what is this brush good for? Well several things. I love using dark eyeshadows especially black with this brush. It picks up the right amount and places it directly where you want. It is a very precise brush and creates the shape that you want. I also like using this one to smudge out the lower lash line. It's a good brush for creating a smoky effect.

I use a variety of different brushes but I think the ones mentioned above are great for those of you who are starting and want to know what brushes are good to start with. I think the brushes make all the difference in makeup. You can use drug store makeup or department store makeup and they can both look equally just as good with the right brushes. This blog is not to persuade you to purchase MAC or Sigma brushes. I think you can purchase anything similar of good quality that will give you the same results.

 

Hope this blog was useful to some of you. Thank you for stopping by!!!

Cocoa & Glitter- Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette

Wow...what can I say? This palette is not just beautiful but it smells delicious! Just like cocoa. Well it should, it's made from natural cocoa powder. I have this habit of sniffing my palette all the time now. I get tempted to bite it but I know it's probably not a good idea.

I got this palette for Christmas and I've created a few looks with it already but I wanted to share this one with you because it is my favorite so far. I love purple and glitter!!! If you have a chance to pick this palette up I suggest you do. You get a total of 16 eyeshadows for only $49.00 (USD). Purchase it on www.toofaced.com or at www.sephora.com.

Follow these exact steps to get this look:

1. Start by taking the color Salted Caramel and a fluffy blending brush (MAC 224). Blend this color into the crease and make sure you keep blending until there are no harsh lines.

2. To deepen the crease, take Semi-Sweet and place it in the crease but don't take it too far up. We want that Salted Caramel to be our background color. For this step you can use MAC's 217 brush.

3. Let's highlight the brow bone. Take White Chocolate and pat it all over your brow bone. For a bit of shine, take just a bit of Champagne Truffle and place it only below the arch of your brow. You can go back in with Salted Caramel and blend it into the highlight color. Pop some of that Champagne Truffle on the tear ducts.

4. Now to darken up the outer lid and crease, take MAC's 217 blending brush and the color Triple Fudge. Don't take too much because this color is intense and too much of it will be hard to blend. Keep this color on the outer lid and crease and bring whatever product you have left over towards your inner crease.

5. Take a flat shader brush (MAC's 242) and spray it with some Fix + and dip it into Candied Violet. Pat it all over your lid. Once it dries, take Too Faced Glitter Glue (if you don't have this you can use any other adhesive or eyelash glue) and pat it on your lid. Quickly pick up the glitter. Here I used Makeup Forever's Glitter in #12. Pat it on the lid over the glue. Make sure the glue is not dry or the glitter will not stick too well.

6. Whenever I used glitter on my lids, I like to use a liquid liner to line my eyes with. The liquid liner covers up the grains of the glitter easier than any other form of liner. You can use a black eye kohl pencil to line the bottom lash line.

7. Apply your favorite lashes. Here I'm using House of Lashes in the style Pixie Luxe. Apply mascara to the top and bottom lashes.

8. On my lips I'm wearing Boldly Bare Lipliner with Yash Lipstick both by MAC.

I hope these steps were easy to follow. I will try to post pictorials for you so that it's easier to understand the steps. Don't forget to comment with any questions. Thank you.