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| Clockwise, starting at top left: Illamasqua Libido, Stila Pearl Palette, Fyrinnae Lip Lustre in Romantique, Hourglass Aura Sheer Lip Stain in Flush, Silk Naturals cream blushes in Entice, Cheery Bomb, Stila Natural Beauty palette. |
To honor St. Valentine's day, here are some things that I have been completely loving lately. These aren't really heart/pink/red themed, but I figured it was a good day to showcase current loves, right?
- Matte eye shadows. I don't have a lot of them, but I've been really digging their subtlety lately. The ones I have are in the Tarte Jewelry box I ranted about before, and the Stila Natural Beauty palette that showed up in January's favorites. I have noticed that while I still find Tarte's shadows chalky (they kick up a lot of excess powder when used), they are easier to blend over a non-UD base; I've been using Silk Naturals Stick 'Em Eye Shadow Enhancer*.
- Eye shadow palettes. While I do have a lot of love for my indie loose shadow pots, you really can't beat the convenience and ease of pressed shadow palettes. In addition to the two I talked about above, I've been using the Stila Pearl Palette. The last coppery shade is gone because I traveled with it quite often; Stila shadows, crumbly as they are, can't take a lot travel.
- Cream blushes. They have such a lovely, sheer, natural quality to them, and they are actually quite easy to use. Illamasqua Libido and the Silk Naturals cream blushes have been my go-to blushes recently.
- Doing my brows. This one leaves me kind of torn, because I'm lazy and I hate adding things to the routine. However, I can't deny that well-groomed, shaded in brows definitely add oomph to my look, and leave me looking more polished and put together. I do still skip it sometimes, when I'm in a rush or if my eye makeup is particularly heavy, but otherwise, I feel it is becoming a necessary step for me.
- Lip stains. Like Hourglass Aura Sheer Lip Stains and Fyrinnae Lip Lustres. They take a little bit of work, it's true, but the payoff is totally worth it - long lasting color that's easy to wear. For the Hourglass, throw a bit of balm on top, and you're done. It also layers well under glosses. The Fyrinnae (review coming soon!) takes a bit of warming up before use, but it applies nicely and leaves a nice stain, as well. This one is not nearly as long-lasting as Hourglass, but the formula is almost like a gloss, so re-application is no issue.
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| One of my favorite lip combos lately: Hourglass Aura Sheer Lip Stain in Flush, under NARS Albatross lip gloss. Wintery and perfect! |
That's it for me.
What kind of things have you been crazy about lately? Any special plans for the day? We're not really big into Valentine's, but don't have the energy to hate, either. It's kind of just another night, although we did exchange gifts and I'm making dessert. We'll prolly open a bottle of wine, too - any excuse, right?
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| This is what I came home to yesterday! :) I'm not that girly, I don't think, but I will admit to a fondness for receiving flowers. Especially lilies. They smell nice. |
And here: a shot of two of my other loves:
*Items marked with a star were sent by the company for evaluation.
