Hello blog readers!

I don't usually post make up of the day things, though maybe I should, I don't know. In any case, I loved my make up today and I figured I would share it! =)

I'd say it's pretty low key and natural but the winged eyeliner gives it a touch of whimsy/retro-ness.

So here's the breakdown for anyone interested:
MAC Matchmaker in 3
Bobbi Brown Under Eye Corrector in Peach
Bobbi Brown Under Eye Concealer in Natural
Chanel Rose Bronze Blush
Chanel Lumiere Scultpee de Chanel - Holiday 2011 Highlighter (On cheekbones only)
MAC Boldly Bare Lipliner
MAC Cremesheen Gloss in Geopink
Clinique Cream Liner in True Black
Mac Factor Million Lashes Mascara
Stila Primer Pot in Taffy

Hope you enjoy!

MAC Styledriven eyeshadows

I decided to finally try the Styledriven eyeshadows that MAC released into their permanent collection. I have to say, these babies are not a disappointment! They say they have 8 hours of wear, but seriously, you could get more out of these than that. They don't crease or fade, especially with primer on. I prefer to use primer, it made the colors even more vivid than they already are! I didn't get all of colors they released. I got the ones noted below:

1. Legendary Black Warm almost black (Satin)
2. Carefree Pale white gold (Frost) 
3. Lie Low Dark frosted golden brown (Frost)
4. One to Watch Light warm brown (Satin)
5. Make Your Mark Dark chocolate (Satin)
6. Sweet Satisfaction Soft neutral beige (Frost)
7. Hot Paprika Mid-tone burnt red (Frost)

These are the ones I didn't purchase and the reason why:

1. Pink Frontier Soft golden pink (Frost) - Too sheer and not particularly flattering.
2. Sunny Outlook Bright golden yellow (Satin) - Was not a flattering everyday color.
3. Plush Vivid purple (Satin) - Found that it was sheerer than I had hoped.
4. Thru the Night Deep navy (Frost) - This was a toss up, it flattered, but didn't wow.
5. Fresh Flare Bright kelly green (Frost) - Was not a flattering everyday color.
6. Tease with Ease Bright fuchsia (Frost) - Too close to Woodstock from Urban Decay.
7. Keep Your Cool Dark grey brown (Satin) -  They were sold out.
8. Weathered Dirty blue grey (Frost) - This was a toss up, it flattered, but didn't wow.
9. Styledriven Pale white blue (Frost) - Was incredibly unflattering for Olive skin.

Now on to the colors I did purchase!

1) Legendary Black 2) Carefree 3)Lie low 4)One to Watch 5)Make Your Mark 6)Sweet Satisfaction 7)Hot Paprika

With Flash: Legendary Black, Carefree, Lie Low

With Flash: One to Watch, Make Your Mark, Sweet Satisfaction, Hot Paprika

No Flash: Legendary Black, Carefree, Lie Low

No Flash: One to Watch, Make Your Mark, Sweet Satisfaction, Hot Paprika

I hope this has helped some people find colors they think they can wear. I am incredibly excited about all of these colors, I can mix and match within the collection, but they can also make my existing colors wonderful as well. Overall, I definitely recommend you check it out, these eyeshadows will not be a let down for anyone.

Neutrals - will you marry me?

Man, I think I have a problem. I think I'm addicted to neutrals. I just can't help it, they're just soooo pretty. Maybe my make up routine is boring, but dag nammit is it easy. Everything goes together easily!

Caprica and I obviously have similar tastes in color.  (She always blinks, her piercing blue eyes can't handle flash.)

Just had to confess to being a neutral-aholic. However, I am trying very hard to branch out. I mean, I definitely own some super fun colors, especially in lipstick. Maybe I need to start a color challenge? 30 days of color. Hm...something to think about.

Nars Isolde - An everyday eyeshadow duo

I'm going to honest, I hate Wednesdays. But to make up for it, I get to drink a beer and make a beauty recommendation.

Ladies (and Gents), today, I'm here to tell you about Isolde the eyeshadow duo from Nars. Not Isolde from Tristan and Isolde, the incredibly depressing love story.

Nars Isolde is beautiful duo of gold and copper. These two colors are known to be very flattering for blue eyes, but guess what? They are amazing on Olive skin too (have Olive skin and blue eyes? You lucky bitch.)  My favorite part about these two colors is that they can be used together or alone. Use one of them as a wash and it's flattering. Wear the one on the left on the lid and the one of the right in crease and you have a more put together look. Want to make this night time friendly or add some depth to the look? Pop a chocolate color like MAC Swiss Chocolate or Folie in the outer corner and you have a sexy eye look.

I'm not going to mince words, I love me some gold eye looks. I feel like they're an understated way to make brown eyes pop and always look effortlessly sexy on Olive skin tones no matter the eye color. If you want to give an eye look like this a try, this is a good starting point. The colors are nicely pigmented (though probably a little light for anyone above NC40), a dream to apply and last a good 8-10 hours.

So, what do you say gorgeous, would you try something similar to this?

MAC Motif - Highlighter?

Ladies. I found a cheat.

I think I put it this way because I'm a nerd, but I just feel like I'm gaming the system somehow!

I own MAC Motif, generally I use it as a highlight for my brow bone. It's such a beautiful almost duo-chrome color. MAC describes it as a gold/peach with pink pearl. That's a fairly accurate description, the pink pearl is the key here. If you look at Motif in the pan depending on the lighting it can look gold or it can look pink. In better lighting you can really see the pearl and it's really beautiful.

This brings me to my cheat. One day I thought, why not use Motif on my cheeks as a highlighter? I did it over Warm Soul and the result was remarkable! The shadow didn't look weird or out of place, in fact it looked amazing! The pink pearl really melded well with my blush and brought this truly amazing highlight into my cheeks.

I firmly believe this will come down to preference, however, I very much encourage Olive skinned Divas to try this trick. You can make it toned down and natural or super packed on and dramatic!

Unfortunately, the pictures just cannot capture the exact beauty of Motif on the skin. However, I really recommend people try it out. It works wonderfully as an eyeshadow, is buttery and a dream to put on. For those reasons, I believe it lends itself so easily to being used as a highlighter on the cheeks! Motif does not look out of place on the eye nor on the cheeks and can be quite a little multi-tasker! Talk about saving some cash, at $11.50 USD for a pan it's a pretty great option.

Mac Margin - Made for Olive Skin!

I know that I need to branch out, but I've got to say that I really love MAC blushes. I also really love the fact that there are so many of them I can keep discovering ones that work well on Olive skin tones. MAC Margin is a defined as a Frost finish. I don't find it to be frosty, I do however find it to be Goh-geous!

I think I've really come to realize what a difference a good blush can make to someone's complexion. This is probably why I'm always excited to find a blush that compliments Olive skin, as they can be few and far between. MAC Margin is described as a peach with golden shimmer. I think that is a very accurate description of this blush. In the pan and in the swatch it looks exactly like the description. Because it is a frost finish you may have to use more than your usual blush amount, however, it builds beautifully and leaves a finish like a dream. Margin has a slight sheen to it that I love. I honestly wouldn't call it "shimmer" I believe "sheen" is actually more accurate!

If you take a look at the above swatches you can see that it's not a "BAM!" color. It's not super in your face, but it's beautiful once applied to the cheeks. This blush warms Olive skin right up, and gives me a wonderful healthy and natural look. It is understated enough to wear with little make up and also be worn with a strong eye or face. I find it to be truly versatile, so much so it can be worn year round! I get a good amount of wear from this blush as I usually do with MAC blushes, about 6-8 hours.

If you haven't tried this blush I really believe this calls for a visit to the MAC counter!

An Everyday Blush for Olive Skin

There is one blush that I find myself going to most everyday. It's very versatile, incredibly flattering and very natural looking. This blush is the one you could call my  "HG" or my "Holy Grail" of a blush. I remember not thinking much of it when I first purchased it but it has blossomed into being the blush that I would bring with me to a deserted island. (Okay maybe not, but I reaaaally love it.)

This blush is part of the permanent MAC collection and it is called Warm Soul. It is a mineralize blush and very nicely pigmented. I also find that it lasts on my skin all day, which is always a wonderful thing to encounter. I always feel pretty with this blush on, hence, why on bad mornings when I can't decide what to wear I just go right for this one.

I firmly believe that this is a color that would look wonderful on a wide variety of skin tones, so I urge you to give it a try, it will be worth it to find a blush that fits you perfectly. I'd describe it as a peachy-pinky-bronzey color. There is no one word for it, except of course, beautiful.

There you have it ladies, the most beautiful blush ever. Okay, maybe not to everyone, but it is to me! I can wear this blush year round and I always look good. So, I figured I should share my secret, many people don't give this blush a second glance. So what do you say? Will you be giving this a try?