New Must Have Eyeliner

Physicians Formula Eye Booster 2-in-1 Lash Boosting Eyeliner + Serum

I have been trying out the Physicians Formula Eye Booster 2-in-1 Lash Boosting Eyeliner + Serum in the shade Deep Brown for the last couple months.  Prior to purchasing this eyeliner, my go-to liner was Revlon Colorstay Liquid Eye Pen; however, I had purchased a couple duds that just seemed to dry up within a couple weeks.  So, sorry Revlon, you have been replaced!  This Physicians Formula liner is awesome!  

The Physicians Formula website claims this about the liner: "High-tech formula enhances the appearance of lashes while providing the instant definition of a liquid eyeliner, in one easy step! Lash Boosting complex targets the base of lashes where it is most effective."  Essentially, the claim is that it will help your lashes grow longer over time.  I don't buy into that claim nor did I purchase the product for that reason.  But, I just love the way this liner glides smoothly and precisely onto my lids.  It has great staying power and is nicely pigmented.  This is yet another product that anyone can use; it makes applying liquid liner effortless!  This will definitely be a must have item for me for a long time to come.

Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips

Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips in Smokey Hazel Eyes

This is going to be another rave review for Physicians Formula eye shadows!  I recently picked up the Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips in Smokey Hazel Eyes in a great sale at CVS.  Once again, I am so impressed by the quality and pigmentation of these eye shadows.  The colors are true to what you see in the package once applied.  They are buttery soft and blend wonderfully.  The value is great, as well; for around $12 you get 9 shadows!  You can create endless looks with this one little palette.  I just can't say enough great things about these eye shadows.  If you don't have any of the Shimmer Strips yet, run out and get 'em!

Dupe Alert!!!

Left: Taupe shade from Shimmer Strips, Right: MAC Satin Taupe

As you can see from the swatches, the taupe shade (in the middle) from the Shimmer Strips is a very close dupe for the cult classic MAC Satin Taupe.  While Satin Taupe is slightly less frosty, the shades are very comparable in texture, pigmentation and blending.  I'm really impressed with how well the Physicians Formula eye shadows stand up to high end eye shadows like MAC shadows.

Wedding Day Makeup

 

I thought that since preparing for my wedding day was the impetus to my makeup obsession, I should give you all some ideas and tips for wedding day/special occasion makeup.

Product ideas and tips:

• Face primers:  Face primer is essential to a great wedding day makeup look.  Primer will help make your makeup last all day, and allow for better blending when applying your foundation.  Some great primers are Avon Magix Face Perfector, Hard Candy Sheer Envy Primer, Palladio Herbal Foundation Primer, and Too Faced Primed & Poreless Skin Smoothing Face Primer.
• Foundation:  Make Up Forever HD Invisible Coverage Foundation (HD foundations are great because you will be having a lot of pictures taken of you), Rimmel Lasting Finish Foundation (this is a great long-lasting foundation that will stay put, though the shade selection is limited).  If you have trouble finding the right foundation shade to match your complexion, go someplace like Sephora or a beauty counter to have a professional choose the right shade for you.
• Bronzer:  It's nice to have a healthy glow on your wedding day without tanning, so a good bronzer can do wonders.  I would recommend NYC Sunny bronzer because it is a matte bronzer rather than a shimmery bronzer.  Just a light dusting across the forehead, along the contours of the cheeks and down the nose is all you need.
• Blush: Choose a classic rosy color and apply it just a bit heavier than normal so it shows up well in those wedding pics.  For some good blush choices check out my Favorite Blushes blog entry.
• Highlighter:  Highlighter will reflect light from darker areas of the face and draw attention to areas you wish to "highlight".  I recommend Benefit Cosmetics' Highbeam luminizer or Physicians Formula Happy Booster Face Powder in Translucent.  Sweep a little highlighter across the tops of your cheek bones for a radiant look.  You can also dab a little at the inner corner of your eyes to add a little shimmer and make your eyes pop!
• Eye primer:  Using an eye primer underneath your eye shadow will help keep it in place all day long, as well as improve the depth of the color of your eyeshadow.  I use Too Faced Shadow Insurance as my go-to eye primer.  However, you could grab a drugstore primer or try Palladio's Herbal Eyeshadow Primer which is available at Sally Beauty Supply stores or from the Palladio website.
• Eyeshadow:  Use neutral colors that are timeless...you don't want to look back at your wedding pics one day and think "Oh my God, what was I thinking wearing blue eyeshadow!".  Find colors that compliment your eye color and are good for everyday looks.  I used an eyeshadow trio that I had been using everyday for years on my wedding day, the Physicians Formula eyeshadow trio in Baked Oatmeal.  I really love this trio because is it neutral but has a lot of shimmer to make your eyes really standout.  Another shade I would particularly recommend is Stila's Kitten; this is the perfect shimmery, nude-pink shade for anyone.  Just put that all over your lid, add a mid-tone brown shade to your crease and you have a simple, beautiful eye look.
• Eyeliner:  Eyeliners are so subjective; everyone has their favorite type.  So, I would say use what you are most comfortable with in terms of staying power and the type of look you are trying to achieve.  Personally, I like the look of liquid eyeliner for an occasion like this.  I used the Revlon Colorstay Liquid Eye Pen in blackened brown for my wedding day look.
• Mascara:  Waterproof mascara is a must for this day; even if you aren't a crier, you just never know.  I wore false lashes to give eyes a little extra wow; so, it didn't matter too much what mascara I used other than that it was waterproof.  I would really recommend false lashes for a special occasion like this.  Once they are on, you get used to them pretty quickly.  If you are totally opposed to false lashes, I would highly recommend using L'Oreal Voluminous Carbon Black mascara because gives great volume and length to lashes. 
• Setting powder:  As a final step, lightly dust your face with setting powder using a big, fluffy brush.  Cover FX Translucent Setting Powder is great; and e.l.f.'s Translucent Matifying Powder is essential to keep on hand to blot out any shine on your face.
• Lips:  Again, this is something you want to look timeless.  I chose to keep it simple and wore a long-wearing lip gloss for a natural look.  Also, I didn't want to be constantly reapplying lipstick all night.  Bare Escentuals makes a great long-wearing lip gloss.  You may even want to try a lip stain for lasting lip color, and top it with some gloss.  I strongly recommend experimenting with a few different lip products before the big day.
• Extras:  Be sure to keep some blotting papers, tissue, Q-tips, and your lip products on hand through out the day for little touch-ups.

If you have decided to do your own wedding day makeup, experiment, experiment, experiment...I can't stress that enough.  Find out what works best for you and practice applying your makeup.  I found online makeup tutorials to be extremely helpful in honing my makeup application skills.  For really great makeup tutorials check out the Beauty Broadcast.  Emily does a fantastic job illustrating how to apply makeup.

Please leave a comment if you have any questions.

Physicians Formula Happy Booster Makeup

Physicians Formula Happy Booster Blush and Face Powder

Ok, I know the idea of  makeup that makes you feel happy sounds like a ridiculous gimmick, but I had to try these simply because of how cute they are.  And, they do make me happy to look at them.  On their website, Physicians Formula claims this about these products:

"Infused with our Happy Boost Blend, featuring Happy Skin and Euphoryl, natural plant extracts which have been shown to promote a feeling of happiness by mimicking the effect of Endorphins and helping protect the skin from environmental stress.  The sweet scent of Violet provides a feeling of joy each time you apply."

I don't know about all that...but, I really do like the products.  They smell nice, and the packaging is soooo pretty.  I have had very good luck with nearly every Physicians Formula product I have tried.  While they tend to be a little pricey, you can often find them buy one, get one half-off at the drugstore.

Physicians Formula Happy Booster Blush in Natural

I really like this blush for everyday; it is rosy with a hint of shimmer.  It has a nice, light floral scent to it and the hearts are just precious.  What's not to love?

Physicians Formula Happy Booster Face Powder in Translucent

This powder is a light champagne shimmer and has the same light floral scent as the blush.  I have only used this as a highlighter on my cheekbones, but I suppose it could be used lightly all over the face for a nice glow.  This is another winner for me; it's a great product and super cute too!

Physicians Formula Baked Eyeshadows

Physicians Formula Baked Collection eye shadows in Baked Oatmeal

 

This Physicians Formula eye shadow trio in Baked Oatmeal is my favorite for a quick and easy eye look.  I have repurchased this item several times.  Every time I use it, I remember why I love it so much.  The colors are very shimmery and blend nicely to create an everyday wearable eye look.  I highly recommend this trio for the girl on the go!

Eye look using Physicians Formula Baked Oatmeal trio