Touring My Various States of Makeup

Hello, dear readers,

Since I was absent for such an extended stretch of time, I thought it might be fun to show you a few pictures from recent months. Then I realized something fantastic: In each of the photos I selected, I was wearing a different degree of makeup. Even better, I unknowingly chose them in the following order: No makeup, everyday makeup, and makeup for going out. As a proud makeup aficionado, I will admit that I spring towards the cosmetics aisle of every drugstore and Target I enter. I swear each and every Ulta store exerts its own gravitational pull on me; it's not my fault! 

That being said, I've relearned to love makeup free days and letting my skin breathe. The people who matter most to me have seen me too many times to count without a drop of makeup, so it's nice to go out with my face au naturale. This does not, however, include lip products. I must have at least a tinted lip balm on before I leave the house. That's just how it is. 

And now, on to our tour: 

Me, Makeup Free!

This was taken at a house concert at the beginning of December, and I have to say I love the way my nails look here. I believe I was wearing OPI The Spy Who Loved Me from the Skyfall Collection. I have absolutely no face makeup on here. On my lips? Faded by that point was none other than NYC Applelicious Glossy Lip Balm in Big Apple Red. The very same product I reviewed a couple of days ago. [And no, I did not crop out the other people in the photos because I'm a raging narcissist. I simply didn't want to post anyone's picture without his or her permission, and not everyone in the photos knows I write this blog.]

Everyday Sort of Look

Obviously I don't wear makeup every single day, but this is the kind of thing I will wear when I feel like looking a little more put together to see friends or to go to class. In this particular instance, I was baking cupcakes with friends before we brought them to a quasi high school reunion in late December. On my face, I mixed my Olay moisturizer with Avon Ideal Flawless Invisible Coverage Liquid Foundation in Light Ivory. Believe it or not, the shade is significantly darker than I am; combining it with moisturizer is the only way I can wear it. A shame, really, because I quite enjoy the formula. I applied Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Dark Spot Corrector + Treatment in Fair under my eyes and to cover up any redness or spots I might have had that day. I finished off my face with Rimmel Stay Matte Powder in Transparent. On my lips, I had -- wait for it -- NYC Applelicious...You get the drift. Same lip product as before.

Maid of Honor Makeup

Finally we come to my version of full makeup. This was one of the professional photographs from my sister's wedding in October. I was the maid of honor, and I did my own makeup. I cannot take credit for the hair, though. I can never do my own hair for special occasions. I used the same concealer and powder as usual, but this time I wore them over my Urban Decay Naked Skin Foundation in 1.0, the palest of the yellow-toned foundations from that line. I went to Sephora with my mom to get my color match with the Color IQ system, and this was the product I decided on. It was my mom's treat for me, since she knew I'd be doing my makeup and would want to get it right. It's maybe a shade darker than I am, but it goes on beautifully anyway.

I wore Clinique Lash Doubling Mascara in Black, a rarity for me. Unlike most beauty junkies, I don't find mascara to be that life-changing a product. I don't have the world's darkest, longest, or fullest lashes by any means, but they show up just find on their own. I like this mascara because it's the only one I've found that doesn't get under my eyes and make me look like a raccoon by the end of the day. My lips were a bit tricky for me. I started with YBF Cosmetics lipstick in Fabuloso, a cooler toned cherry red, but I wasn't satisfied. It didn't pop, so I tissued off as much as I could. I then applied YBF Cosmetics lipstick in Love Affair, a vibrant, orange-y red that was exactly the shade I needed. If you've never heard of the brand, I wrote about YBF Cosmetics in this post here. My makeup lasted from pictures in the early afternoon until after the dancing ended around 9 p.m. It showed up nicely in the photos, if I do say so myself. You can't really see here, but China Glaze Ruby Pumps was adorning my nails.

Each photograph was taken during a joyful occasion, and each joyful occasion called for a different look. I hope you enjoyed the little snapshots of my past few months in life and in makeup.

xEsther

Get to Know Me: The Beauty Blogger Tag!

Hello, dear readers,

I was browsing through my favorite blogs earlier in the week and stumbled across the Beauty Blogger Tag on The Beauty Broadcast. This is the first tag I've seen specifically directed at bloggers and not vloggers, so I was excited to fill it out. I like the fact that these questions are different than the ones on the various other tags I've filled out. 

Here goes:

1. Is your hair naturally curly or straight?

I consider my hair to be curly, but I have looser curls that fall into waves as my hair grows.

2. Do you dye it yourself or go to a salon?

I have never dyed my hair, and I don't plan to do so. 

3. Do you wear the same style everyday, or do you change it?

It's generally the same style, because I prefer to wear my hair down. The only creativity, if you can call it that, comes from my love of experimenting with products, but the look is always nearly the same. The extent of excitement is when I throw it in a low bun, but the bun always looks tiny and I appear not to have much hair. That's my opinion, anyway.  

4. Do you do your own mani/pedi or go to a salon?

I do my own manicure. I find it relaxing and enjoyable, and I don't love having other people mess with my hands. I'm weird that way. I have gotten a manicure with a friend once, which was a fun experience, but besides that I prefer doing it myself.

5. How often do you change your nail polish?

 I've worn nail polish anywhere from one or two days to three weeks. It depends on how the polish wears and how bored I am in my classes. I tend to peel off all my nail polish during my three hour night class and repaint it later, even if it's not chipping. Yes, I throw the peeled polish in the garbage. Not to worry.

6. Do you polish your toes in the winter or just the summer?

I never paint my toenails. I don't like dealing with feet, but it's cute on other people. 

7. How long does it take for you to put on makeup?

No more than 10 minutes on average. I use foundation or my own self-mixed tinted moisturizer, concealer, powder and lipstick at most. Only if my face is really red or has stubborn breakouts or flakiness does it take longer.

8. What do you do first? Face or eyes?

I like to focus attention on lips, so I don't really do eyes. The most I'll do is a light champagne shade if I'm looking extra tired that day. So, it's face by default.

9. Do you collect makeup or just buy what you need when you need it?

I buy foundation, powder, and concealer on an as-needed basis, but I collect lipsticks.

10. How often do you wear false eyelashes?

Never.

11. Do you do a full face of makeup everyday?

No. I almost always have at least concealer, powder, and lipstick on. I don't wear foundation every day, especially because my skin has been annoyingly flakey; I have yet to find a foundation that doesn't exaggerate flakes. 

12. Do you wear makeup when you're home alone or with family?

I answered that above. The only time I'll wear makeup home alone or with family is if I'm bored and want to play with my makeup.

13. Will you leave the house without makeup?

If I'm running errands or taking a walk with a family member, I don't wear makeup. If I'm hanging out with friends and having a good skin day, which seems to be a rare occasion lately, I'll go makeup-free.

14. How many high-end products do you have?

I have one Estée Lauder lip product, and the rest of my higher-end products are from Clinique. I have Clinique foundation and several lip products, many of which were gifts with purchase. I don't know how high-end Clinique is considered to be, but it's department store makeup in any case.

15. Do you plan your OOTD every night or decide when you're getting dressed?

I tend to decide when I'm getting dressed. I generally check weather.com in the morning and then pick out clothes based on the weather. If I know I'm going somewhere the next day, or if someone is visiting me at college, I often have an outfit planned the night before. I take forever to get ready [I blame you, problem skin and all your products!], so it helps me save time and not keep people waiting too long.

16. How often do you change your handbag?

I used to change it seasonally, but I've used the same Charming Charlie's cross-body bag since last summer. I suppose I change it based on how much I need to carry with me that day and what size purse that requires. Or I switch them out on a whim.

17. What time do you wake up and go to sleep?

I truly do not have a set schedule. It's almost the end of the school year, so my sleep times are all over the place.

18. How often or when do you workout?

Again, because the year is ending and the work is piled on, my schedule is irregular. Right now I work out a few times a week, but ideally it would be 4-6 days a week.

19. Left handed or right handed?

Right.

20. How tall are you?

5'3" 

21. Do you speak any foreign languages?

I've taken Spanish every year since I was 11, besides last year, so I can read, write, and understand it pretty fluently, but my speech is a bit rusty. I'm a bit shy about speaking Spanish, too, since the classes I've taken in college haven't involved too much conversation. Fun fact: I signed up for free subscriptions to Siempre Mujer and Latina through some rewards website, and I read them cover to cover, if that gives you an idea.

22. How many pets do you have?

None.

23. How often are you on Blogger?

My posting is quite sporadic, but I'm on Blogger every day to catch up on the many blogs I read.

24. Do you read comments posted on blogs?

I hardly ever get comments, so of course I gladly read every single one. I occasionally read comments on other people's blogs, usually only if I'm checking to see if the blogger responded to my comment.

25. Do you keep a list of products to try as you see other posts?

I definitely notice the products that keep popping up on various blogs, and I tend to do my research on them. I particularly like to use Beautypedia, a website I wrote about here. I keep track of products, but I don't write down the names.

26. How did you come up with your blog name?

I wanted it to have something to do with lipstick, my favorite cosmetic item, and I wanted it to be a cute phrase or a play on words. For some reason, the quote "When life hands you lemons, make lemonade" popped into my head and refused to budge, hence "When Life Hands You Lipstick." I'm sure I was subconsciously thing of "Live, Laugh, Love" when I came up with the URL lovelipstickandlaughter.

27. What kind of camera do you use for your photographs?

Lately I've been lazy, and I've used my MacBook webcam. The camera I own is a Nikon Coolpix, which I received before I went to Peru. It comes in handy when I put effort into my pictures. It's not the number one best quality camera in the world, but it works fine for me. I've recently figured out how to use all the different settings. 

28. How often do you clean your house?

Since I live at home, I'm not responsible for cleaning the entire house. Besides my desk, which my mom says is going to fall into the basement because of how many magazines perch atop it, I try to keep my room fairly clean so I don't have to do an overhaul on a regular basis. At school, I do the same thing in my dorm room. My desk tends to suffer slightly from clutter, much less so than my desk at home, but the rest of my room stays pretty neat and organized.

29. What's your favorite color?

Aqua 

30. Do you swear?

If I'm really frustrated with or angry about something, yes, but that's not extremely often. More often, the cause is that I'll walk into a chair or drop something. I'm a klutz, so most of my cursing happens because of clumsiness.

31. What are you doing with the rest of your day?

I have three essays due this coming Monday and Tuesday, so that's going to take up most of it. 

There's my Beauty Blogger tag. I hope you enjoyed.

xEsther

Lazy Day Face and OPI Mermaid's Tears

Hello, dear readers,

Today has been a rather lazy day in the sense that I haven't been able to go out and about. I've mostly been inside doing homework or on the phone. Yesterday was much more fun, as I had two of my friends come to visit me at college. I plan to hula hoop this evening, so that should make me feel better about being so static today. Fingers crossed.

For no particular reason, and despite barely leaving the room, I felt the need to slap on some makeup and attempt to look more awake. After that was done, I thought, Why not take some photos of questionable quality on my MacBook and post them on my blog? So that's what I'm doing. I shall also share a couple of photos of my current nail polish, OPI Mermaid Tears.

An aside: I didn't buy Mermaid Tears when it came out as part of the Pirates of the Caribbean collection, because I was being noble and refraining from purchasing nail polish. However, that meant that by the time I got around to looking for it, it was discontinued. A journey to a nail polish/beauty supply store was to no avail, and all the bottles I found online were ridiculously expensive. Somehow, my mom managed to find one for a reasonable price and sent it to me at college. [Thanks, Mom!] I'm a little bit in love with it, and now I know not to pass up a limited edition nail polish if I'm obsessing over it. 

I tried to adjust the lighting and contrast of some of the photos, but they're honestly still pretty washed out and poor quality.  No color changes or any other sort of editing has been done besides that. Without further ado, here is my face of the day:

Products used:

1. Cover Girl Aqua Smoothers Tinted Moisturizer SPF 15 in 805 Fair/Light
2. Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch Highlighting Concealer in Ivory                                                                              (under my eyes and down the bridge of my nose)
3. Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder in Transparent
4. Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipstick in 300 Rose Blush

As you can see, this isn't a flawless face. This is what I use when I want to get my makeup done quickly and efficiently, making myself look much more awake while letting some imperfections peek through. I always alternate the lipsticks, often layering more than one to create the perfect color, but Rimmel's Rose Blush is one of my go-tos for a natural, fresh-faced look. I'm almost out of the tinted moisturizer, so I'll need to bring my back-up to college next time I go home. Apparently, this is now being marketed as a BB Cream. Total sales gimmick, in my opinion.

On to the nail polish:

Despite the grainy quality of the photographs, these are pretty accurate depictions of the color. In the second, the nail polish in the bottle itself appears more blue than in real life.

What nail polish shades have you been loving lately? Are you transitioning to darker fall shades, or do you still play around with all sorts of colors?

I hope you've had a lovely weekend and have more great things in store for you during the coming week!

xEsther

YBF Lipsticks, College Again, and Where Did August Go?

Hello, dear readers,

I somehow managed to skip an entire month of blogging, and it's made me realize how much I miss it. Of course, now that I'm ready to get back in the swing of things, I've been bombarded with reading assignments from just the first two days of class. If you aren't already aware, I am a transfer student coming in as a junior to my new college. I'll go ahead and be honest and admit that so far I don't love it here. 

The academics seem great, but it's such a small school that it's hard to break into cliques. Yes, cliques exist on a campus of 1500 or so students [my high school had somewhere between 2000 and 2500!]. Granted, they're bigger than in high school and without any actual drama among groups, but that doesn't make it any easier to come in as an upperclassman and feel right at home. It seems like I'm the only one who feels that way, though. Maybe it's because I just came from a campus of over 40,000 students. I'm used to enjoying a certain anonymity among the masses and a social life among my own friends.

Complaining aside, I do look forward to joining some activities and hopefully getting my life together in a way that allows me to blog more often than I have been. That doesn't mean that I won't ever get lazy and skip weeks, but I'd rather not skip months anymore! I will be posting an updated skincare routine at some point, but I have yet to take the pictures. I don't really have a set foundation routine right now; it varies by day/time of day/the condition of my skin. I can, however, do a post about some of the products that make regular appearances in my makeup routine. There are some new additions to my face makeup family, so I'll eventually be sharing those.

Now onto current news: I'll wager that most of you have heard of HauteLook , but I'll explain it anyway for those of you who haven't. It's a flash sale site for beauty, clothing, and home goods brands for men, women, and children. It will have a sale on, say, Stila Cosmetics starting at 8 a.m. EST on a Wednesday, and ending Friday at 8 a.m. Right now, there are sales on brands ranging from Sibu Beauty to Minnetonka; Lucky Brand Men to Skechers Backpacks for kids.

A little over a week ago, HauteLook had a sale on a relatively new beauty line called ybf cosmetics, which stands for your best friend. There was a set of six lipsticks for $12.50, and I thought that was a pretty good deal. The shipping was not the greatest, because it tacked on an extra $6.00 or so, but my mom was kind enough to order it for me as a back to college [here goes nothingl "surprise." [Side note: I realize the term "college" is like high school for some countries outside of the U.S., but I mean it in terms of university. You've probably guessed that by now.]

Apologies for not taking my own pictures, but here is what I received:

Source

Source

Rather than take all the pictures from other websites, I'm going to direct you to this wonderful post that pretty much nails everything there is to say about these lipsticks. I can add that they are paraben free; if that's a concern of yours, you may be interested. They really are very versatile shades, and you can layer them any way you please. You can layer any lipstick, actually, but these happen to come in a cute and convenient set. I love the heart-shaped packaging and the fact that there are essentially four variations of red. I would say that there's a cool-toned red, an orangey red, and a cherry red.

The other three colors are a sheer, shimmery nude meant to top the other lipsticks, a deep wine color, and a brownish burgundy. The only discrepancy between my post and the one I've linked above is the color of the shade "Scandalous." Mine are exactly as pictured above in the company's photo, and I'm  not sure why. If you'd like to see a review with my own photos and swatches, I can do that, too.

That's all I've got for you today. Congratulations to those of you who made it through this post, and thank you to my readers for sticking with me while I sort out my life!

I hope your August was marvelous and your September is even better!

xEsther

40 Beauty Questions: Reloaded

Source

Hello, dear readers,

I have a new night time skincare routine [morning hasn't changed] and foundation routine coming up soon, and I'm also long overdue for a review on the Fusion of Color powder products. Because I want to take pictures for my foundation routine, I have to do it when I'm actually wearing makeup for a "Before" and "After." I literally just started my new skincare routine last night, so I'm in no position to share it with you. I can't exactly tell you anything until I get some results, positive or negative. For today, then, I'm doing a tag that I did back in September 2011, so we can both see how different the answers are. Considering September was less than a year ago, they'll be extremely similar, but I want to do it anyway!

Here we go:

SKINCARE -
How many times do you wash your face daily?
Twice. I'll use Olay Cleansing Cloths Sensitive to take off makeup after walking home from school, but I'm not counting that as fully washing my face.

What skin type do you have? (dry,oily,combo) 
Combination and somewhat sensitive [oily nose and chin, normal to dry forehead and cheeks]. Fun fact: I tend to be allergic to products like salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxide, while retinoids don't really bother me at all. It's the opposite to most people's reactions. 

What is your current facial wash?
Olay Foaming Face Wash Sensitive Skin

Do you exfoliate? 
Yes, weekly.

What brand do you use?
I just use my regular face wash with baking soda. It's a great, gentle exfoliant.

What moisturizer do you use?
In the morning I use Olay Complete Daily UV Moisturizer SPF 30 Sensitive Skin; I use SPF 15 in the winter. At night, I use Neutrogena Oil Free Moisture Sensitive Skin. This has remained the same! Told you it wouldn't be that different.

Do you have freckles? 
I have a few very faint freckles on my face, and a smattering on my arms. They tend to only be visible in the summer.

Do you use eye cream? 
No. I do have a sample size of the Clinique Eye Roller serum, because it came as a gift with purchase. I use it when I'm particularly exhausted in the morning.

Do you or did you have acne prone skin?
Yes. Oh, the joys of adult acne. Instead of just breaking out on my chin from hormones, I now break out there as well as on my cheeks and nose. I occasionally break out on my forehead, too! Thankfully, the breakouts aren't that noticeable, but that doesn't make them any less annoying.

Did you ever have to use Pro-activ? 
No, and I don't think I would.

MAKE-UP
What foundation do you use? 
Clinique Perfectly Real Makeup in the shade 01.

How about concealer? 
Hard Candy Glamoflauge Concealer in Light. You may have noticed that I'm always the lightest shade, unless the lightest shade is too dark. Then I try a different line!

Do you know your undertone color?
I've been told by some people that my skin looks peachy. My undertone is mostly pink, with a little bit of yellow thrown in. However, yellow-toned foundations tend to look orange on me. I'm probably one of the few people that actually wants peach or pink-toned makeup. 

What do you think of fake eyelashes?
No. The only way they're acceptable is when they're natural enough that I can't tell you're wearing them. Sorry. 

Did you know that you are supposed to change your mascara every 3 months? 
Yes.

What brand of mascara do you use?
When I do amuse myself by wearing mascara, I've used one of the Organic Physician's Formula mascaras, or a Clinique mascara. I can't remember the name, but it is not the High Impact Mascara. I'm the worst person for that particular makeup item, because it either bleeds below my eyes, or I rub my eyes right after putting it on. Am I the only one that feels weighed down by mascara?Sephora or MAC?

I shop at Ulta, because they have drugstore and higher-end brands. If I didn't, it would definitely be Sephora.

Do you have a MAC Pro-card? 
No.

What makeup tools do you use in make up application? 
A brush for powder; flat foundation brush or my fingers for foundation; just my fingers for concealer.

Do you use make-up base/primer for the eyes? 
No because I don't wear eye makeup. I tend to put concealer on my eyelids, though, to neutralize the darkness and brighten the eye area. This is still true.

For the face? 
Nope.

What is your favorite eyeshadow (color or shade)?
Like I said, I don't wear eyeshadow. I do, however, like neutral colors on other people, or a lighter wash of any color. Bright eyeshadow is great on people who know how to use it. This probably doesn't answer the question. 

Do you use pencil or liquid eyeliner? 
I don't wear eyeliner, but I own both pencil and felt tip. Still true!

How often do you poke your eyes with an eyeliner pencil? 
The few times I have used it, I think I poked my eyes maybe once.

What do you think of pigment eyeshadows? 
They look harder to work with, and I imagine I would make a mess.

Do you use mineral makeup? 
I do own makeup that considers itself mineral makeup. I say "considers," because pretty much all makeup contains minerals. You know those powders you buy? Plenty of them contain talc, which is, indeed, a mineral.

What is your favorite lipstick?
I've been loving my Revlon lipsticks lately, especially ColorBurst lipstick in Carnation for spring.

How about lipgloss? 
I haven't worn it in a very long time, but Avon Glazewear lip glosses are probably my all-time favorites.

What is your favorite blush to use? 
I own a couple of blushes, but 1) I'm rubbish at using it, and 2) I don't feel like I need it. I don't have a favorite

Do you buy your makeup on ebay? 
No.

Do you like drugstore makeup? 
Yes. Every brand in any price range always has good and lousy products. There's always something to like.

Do you go to CCO's? (cosmetic company outlets) 
No. 

Did you ever consider taking make-up classes? 
No. 

Are you clumsy in putting on makeup?

No, but I can occasionally put on too much if my lighting is dim. Then I leave my room and look in natural lighting and brush off as much as possible!

Name a makeup crime that you hate? 
Corpse lips, spider lashes, orange tans, and unblended eye shadow. 

Do you like colorful shades of makeup (lipstick,eyeshadow) or neutral ones? 
I generally prefer bright lipstick and neutral eyes.

Which celebrity always has great make up?
Anne Hathaway, Kate Winslet, Rachel McAdams.

If you could leave the house using just ONE make up item, what would you use?

Concealer.

Could you ever leave the house without any makeup on?
Yes, and I often do when I'm walking to school and I know it will sweat off anyway.

Do you think you look good even without any makeup on? 
Everyone has good and bad days, but generally yes.

In your opinion, what is the BEST makeup line?
Like I said, every brand has fantastic products and terrible products. I can't choose a single brand that's great all around.

What do you think of makseup?? 
I think it's a fantastic way to minimize the appearance of imperfections so the focus is on your features. It's a nice confidence booster, too.

I guess that wasn't much of an update, was it? At least that didn't make it any less entertaining to fill out.

If you've done this tag, let me know so I can read it!

Have a splendid Saturday and Sunday!

xEsther