Make-up Review #2

I was happier than I looked in this pic, I swear

I really don't go out very often. Now that I'm man-free I better gt back into the swing of things. Saturday night I went out for dinner and drink with one of my girl friends. I've been so down because of the man situation that I've just been feeling really ugly. Not exactly in a good place.

 Wish my pics were better...sorry for the dark shots.

I figured that if I wanted to feel good on the inside I better pretty up the outside. I wore my black jeans, a tunic-y t-shirt w/ peacock feather & paisley detailing, 4 inch black wedge sandal (don't have to worry about a short bf anymore!), this necklace, and a black motorcycle jacket. I figured dark and smokey eyes were in order but decided to break up all the black with a dark blue shadow and pale lips.

I use the following products to create this look:
* Revlon Matte Eyeshadow in Riviera Blue
* Avon Big Color Eye Pencil in Vanilla
* L'Oreal Extra-Volume Collagen mascara
* e.l.f. Brightening Eyeliner in Ash
* e.l.f. Healthy Glow Bronzing Powder in Sun Kissed
* Avon Beyond Color Plumping Lipcolor SPF 15  in Twig

Review time...

Revlon Matte Eyeshadow is a nice rich dark blue shade with a very matte finish. I layer the shadow from my lide to the crease, keeping the color more concentrated closer to the lash line. I do like this formula, especially for $4.99, but it can be a little hard to blend. I think that that may be true for most highly pigmented matte shadows. Lots 'o' blending! I really like this color though.

L'Oreal Extra-Volume Collagen Mascara is one of my favorite dramatic formulas. It thickens and lengthens dramatically. It is the only formula that I've found to date that can compare to L'Oreal Lash Architect, which I haven't been able to find in ages. According to the website it doesn't appear to be discontinued but where, oh where art thou?

I already review Avon Big Color Eye Pencil in Vanilla here. I won't bore you with the details. I used it on my brow bones, but not on the inside corners this time. I wanted to keep the effect smokey.

e.l.f. cosmetics are comparable to NYC, the cheapo drugstore brand. e.l.f. has a great selections but the quality is just mediocre. What do you expect when most of the products are $1!? I found the liner to be dry and hard to apply. I tried to warm it up a bit and then apply to upper and 3/4 of my lower lash line. The warming up seemed to have helped a bit. Though it's not the best liner.

The bronzer is really nice and subtle. It gives glow and creates radiance but doesn't look orangey and/or unnatural. I used it in place of blush and applied it to each side of my face in a number 3 motion (about 1:35 into video) to create a natural sun-kissed look.

Slicked on and blotted Avon Beyond Color Lipcolor SPF 15 in twig for an understated lip. This formula is very velvety and not the least bit drying. This shade is very neutral, which is exactly what I was going for.

I need to remember to smile.

Cozy Cowl

I knit this cozy accessory last weekend and as soon as I did, the weather warmed up. Like, to 80. Damn. Today is going to hit 76 so who knows when I'll be able to wear it!

It was knit in Lion Brand Lion Cashmere Blend in Black on US 10 needles. It took approximately 1.5 balls of yarn and it is of my own design. You don't really need a pattern for a seed stitch rectangle with YO buttonholes!

I used the left over buttons from my FLS from earlier this year. I apparently really over estimated how many I needed for that project.

And there you have it. It looks cozy and warm. I'm planning on wearing it with my motorcycle jacket to give it a feminine touch. But first it has to cool off.

My First Makeup Review!

I LOVE eye make-up. I don't always wear it but when I do I like to apply it creatively and have fun with it. I'm addicted to buying all kinds of eye make-up products-- especially when I find them on sale. I mostly buy and wear drugstore brands but do occasionally splurge on more up-scale brands. I have a weakness for Sephora, but usually just browse unless I'm specifically looking for something.



I use the following products to create this look:
* L'Oreal Carbon Black Voluminous Mascara
* L'Oreal Carbon Black Lineur Intense
* L'Oreal H.i.P. high intensity pigments Bright shadow duo in Brazen
* NARS Blush in Orgasm
* Avon Big Color Eye Pencil in Vanilla
* Mark by Avon Glossblossom Ripening Lip Tint



Review time...

I'm a big fan of high-pigment eyeshadows. It's tough to find this at the drugstore but there's the occasional exception. L'Oreal H.I.P high intensity pigments Bright Shadows are pretty decent for the money. I purchased Brazen-- a duo of bright pink and chocolate brown, which is what I am wearing in these pictures.

These shadows are true to the hues in the pot and are pretty blendable. Not as blendable as my Urban Decay singles are but considering that they are half the price at $7.99, these shadows are well worth their cost.

Avon Big Color pencil in Vanilla is a great shade to use as a highlighter. I applied it to my brow bones and the inner corners of my eyes to brighten my look. It's a nice blendable formula and a great shade. Just wish it didn't have little flecks of glitter. Shimmer is fine but glitter isn't really my thing, though it's not terribly noticeable with this product.

Last week CVS had a special on L'Oreal Carbon Black Voluminous mascara Carbon Black Lineur Intense. $4.99 each sounded good to me so I brought them home. I'm not a huge fan of L'Oreal Voluminous mascara usually because I find that it's too natural, but I wanted to see if Carbon Black was more dramatic. In my opinion, there's nothing worse than putting on makeup and not being able to tell that it's there. I guess if I wanted "natural" I forgo the makeup!

Let me just say that I really like the long, thin shape of the felt applicator that the Carbon Black Lineur Intense has. It makes it much easier to apply the liquid liner with precision and creates a thin line that you can gradually build up by adding a little liner at a time without it becoming caked on and flaky.

The Carbon Black Voluminous mascara needed a couple of coats and wasn't as dramatic as the L'Oreal Extra-Volume Collagen mascara but the formula applies very evenly and NO CLUMPS! This, I like.

NARS Blush in Orgasm is totally not something I would normally buy just by seeing the shade. This shade has gotten a lot of hype from people saying that it is a universal shade that is flattering on everyone. When I first saw it as Sephora I thought that there was no way that this peachy-goldy tone could look good on me until I tested it. And...I loved it. It's now my go-to blush.

Mark's Glossblossom ripening lip tint is a nice thinner-consistency gloss that "ripens" to a rosy pink shade once applied to the lips. It's actually a knock-off of Smashbox's O-gloss Intuitive Lip Gloss, but I think that it is actually a superior product comparatively. I like the consistency of this product better-- O-gloss is a bit sticky-- and I like the Glossblossom's shade is slightly more intense.

So there ya have it.

Any suggestions for what I should review next?

Ishbel for Michele!

My Ishbel is finito! I wet blocked it last night and it was dry by this morning! So of course, I'm wearing it now. Couldn't resist.
On a seperate note, I got and drank this last night:
It is delicious blood orange flavored soda inspired by HBO's True Blood series! Love it.

The 9th Anniversary of My 21st Birthday!

Well it happened today...I turned 30. My entire family came up from NY and surprised me at Douzo yesterday afternoon. My Dad and Ilise came to visit and Jorge coordinated a family surprise party for me. My Mom and Ed, Jonny and Sam, Kristin and Gram. I've never been surprised before but I was totally shocked (and confused at first!) when I saw them all at the table.

Not only did everyone travel up to Boston from Long Island but they brought me fabulous gifts.





I can't believe that I'm no longer in my 20's. I feel like I was just celebrating my 21st birthday and here I am checking the 30-35 box. How time flies.

In knitting news, I'm almost finished with Ishbel. Just have charts C, D, and E left. Then to the blocking board.

I'm scrapbooking everything we do!

A little something for my crafty ladies to bust a move to!

Back in the game

I actually want to knit. I cast on for Ishbel the other night. I'm using 1 hank of Handmaiden Sea Silk in Marine.

I'm on the first lace section right now. I decided to make a size medium-- the stockinette section in the small size and the lace section in the large size-- since I only have 437 yards to work with here.

I'm using un-waxed dental floss for my life line. I figured that I would place a life line after each lace section. Just in case...

On another note, I was contemplating reviewing make-up and other beauty products here. Would anyone be interested in this? I love to buy and play with makeup and thought that it might be fun to share. I know you're saying, "but isn't this a crafting blog?" I do feel like make-up is an artistic medium and that techniques used to apply it can be very creative. We'll see. I have been test driving several different eye makeup looks as of late. I'd like to start photographing my work. I know that it's tough to take pics of yourself but think I'm gonna give it a shot.