With Love and Lipstick

 Happy Valentine's Day!

I hope you all have a lovely day!

xEsther

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

Now on my Nails: Estee Lauder's Purple Passion

Hello, dear readers,

On Wednesday this week, I decided to change my nail color from Avon's Ballerina to Estee Lauder's Purple Passion. This came as part of a set of four miniatures that I received as a gift from my mom for Valentine's Day. I've noticed that even though I don't particularly enjoy wearing purple clothing, I like purple accents such as nail polish or shoes. 

I love that this color isn't a traditional, true purple, but rather a vibrant shade with some pink tones to it. That's the best way I can [poorly] describe it. It's been on for four days so far, and I have yet to see any chipping. It doesn't go on 100 percent evenly, but any unevenness is unnoticeable. It's fairly bright and opaque in one coat, but I believe this was two coats. I hardly ever leave nail polish with one layer of color; it seems wrong.

I used to wear nail polish for two weeks straight before changing colors, but I find myself with so many nail polishes that I want to switch up the color often. How else will I get to use all these beautiful hues? The photograph is true to color but somewhat duller and less shiny than the actual shade. I'd say it's a fairly accurate representation, though.

I hope your weekend is off to a great start!

Now on my Nails: Avon's On the Go Pink

Hello, dear readers,

I'm doing a very quick post today. I have my mom to thank for this, because she asked me to email her a picture of my nails after I painted them. I thought, Hey, now I have a decent shot of nail polish on my computer; why not show it on my blog? Because I don't paint my nails daily, I can't call this my "Nails of the Day," so "Now on my Nails" it is.

UPDATE: This is actually called On the Go Pink. I don't know where I got Ballerina from!

Here is Avon Speed Dry Nail Enamel in Ballerina:

Please excuse my gross veins. I can't really get rid of them. And I
promise my pinky nail isn't chipped; I accidentally got polish on the cuticle.

This is the pastel perfect polish for an understated but chic look. I once tried a Sinful Colors polish in a similar shade, but found it showed up chalky and almost white on me for some reason. I gave it to one of my friends, and I don't believe she had that problem. This polish, however, stands out enough from my super pale skin to give some contrast. My fingers are for some reason the darkest part of my hands [yes, I know. You're thinking, That's dark?], and this polish makes my hands look slightly tanned. That is a feat all on its own. This is one of those colors you can wear year round: sophisticated, pale pink that can masquerade as a neutral. I think I'm definitely going to love wearing it as the weather gets warmer.

What's on your nails now?

xEsther