Tuesday, 01/14/2014 - Make Up Storage/Collection!

Hi Everyone!

I have gotten a request to share how I store my makeup, and show you guys my collection. Now, this isn't me showing off about how much makeup I have. I'm actually a little embarrased about how LITTLE I have -_- But, nevertheless, I shall show you all!

(Please excuse the mess. I am a VERY messy person.)
This is my set up. I use this table to apply my makeup, and to use my laptop!

I keep this mini 3 drawer set on my table! This is where I keep the makeup I use on the daily. And I also keep my brush holders on top. The brush holders are from Ikea! And the drawers are from The Container Store.

The first drawer is full of my eyes/brows/lashes essentials. I keep the UD Naked Basics palette there because I use 2 colors, "Venus" and "Naked 2" ALOT. I just added the Anastasia DipBrow Pomade in there. It is seriously the best thing to fill in my brows!

The second drawer I use for my cheeks. The Kat Von D Lock it Pressed Powder is what Ive been using to bronze my face. I got it as a sample when I had 100 points avaliable on my VIB card at Sephora! But, unfortunately, its 2 shades too dark for my skin. But, lucky for me, I decided to just use it as a bronzer! My Hoola bronzer by Benefit is my holy grail bronzer. My current favorite blush is the Milani Baked Blush in Luminoso. It has such a sheer, peachy finish! It looks great on skin tones who are Fair to Medium with Warm undtertones. And finally my FAVORITE highlight shade, theBalm's Mary - Loumanizer. Super pigmented, and has a beige-shimmer finish that compliments everyone!!

The last drawer is my "Face" drawer. I have 2 current favorite foundations. My MAC Studio Sculpt Foundation in NC37. It has a nice dewey finish to it, which I really like for the winter. And my new favorite foundation I just recently purchased, The MAKEUP FOREVER HD Foundation in N127. Great semi matte finish, feels light on the skin, but also great coverage. The beauty blender is an AMAZING product to have. Makes applying my foundation and concealor so much easier. I have my favorite concealors I use. I'm a big concealor person! I have my MAC Pro Long Wear concealor in NW25 that I also use as a eyelid primer. The Wake Me Up concealor in light by Rimmel. You can't really find this concealor anywhere, I think they only have them in California and (obviously) in the UK. I ordered mine off BeautyJoint. The NYX Photogenic HD concealor I use to highlight. ELF Maximum Coverage concealor is absolutely incredible. I use it spot conceal. And my MAC Prep and Prime Highlight in Radiant Rose. My finishing powder I use is the Laura Mercier Mineral Powder in Sand Beige. I use a duo fiber stippling brush to lightly dust my entire face because I do NOT like to feel like I have a ton of foundation on my face. Makes me look and feel cakey :(

Here's where I keep the rest of my makeup. This drawer is the "Alex" 9 Drawer set from Ikea. Everyone and their mother has this drawer. But, I don't blame them! This is an amazing drawer.

On the top of my drawer, I have a nicely display of my perfumes, and my finishing sprays. I've been wearing my Daisy by Marc Jacobs purfume a lot lately! My finishing sprays is what I CANNOT live without. My MAC Fix+ is great for spraying after I apply my foundation, and after I finish my entire face. It helps everything blend together well, and helps your makeup not look super cakey. My Model in a Bottle finishing spray is the bomb! It will help your makeup stay all day, and you dont every have to touch up your blush!

The First drawer is where I keep all of my eyeshadow palettes. My three current favorites are the three that are chilling on top there. The Few of my Favorite Things palette by Too Faced, the Naked 3 palette by Urban Decay, and the Nude'tude palette by theBalm. I got these all as gifts :)

The 2nd drawer is where I keep small quad palettes (All from the drugstore), my cream eyeshadows, single eyeshadows, glitter, and eyelid primers. All the quad palettes are all I first started off with when I was first getting into makeup! #throwback

The 3rd drawer is where I have my blushes/bronzers/highlights. The Sedona lace blush palette is what I use for when I do freelance work.

4th drawer is nail polishes/nail care. Not much to say about this drawer! LOL. I'm not a nail polish person :/

The 5th drawer. This is where I have all of my cleaning needs, moisturizers, and other essentials. This is the drawer I use the most. I absolutely LOVELOVELOVE my Soap and Glory "The Righteous Butter" Body cream. It smells amazing, and my skin has never been so smooth,

The 6th drawer!! My favorite drawer :)  This has all of my foundations, setting powders, and concealors. I like to switch different foundations around alot. I like to use all of my foundations just so they don't go to waste. The only ones I can't use is the Revlon Color Stay Whipped foundation, and the Cover Girl 3n1 Foundation because they are both a wrong color :/ In the back, I have my other beauty blender (Yes, I have two... I love them so much!), my concealor palette for freelance work, and where I keep the concelors I dont really use. I also have some primers, and BB Creams!

The 7th drawer is where I keep the rest of my eye stuff. Many mascaras, eyeliners, and false eyelashes. Red Cherry lashes are currently my favorite to wear for a night out. I use Eylure or Adell Lashes for natural looking lashes.

This drawer is kind of random. I keep my hair stuff in here, as well as my makeup brush belt and some random makeup bags.

The VERY LAST drawer! I keep all of my lipsticks and lipglosses/lip balms in here. I got the lipstick rack from the Container Store, and it holds about 24 lipsticks. I have mainly drug store lipsticks, but I have MAC lipsticks all in the first row and my LimeCrime Lipsticks!

Well, I hope you all enjoyed this post. Took me a bit, but I hope you guys got some ideas on what to buy if you didn't already have these products. 

I hope you guys have a wonderful day! Until next time...

- An

01/01/2014 - Happy New Years!

Hello everyone! I am so sorry I have not posted in so long. Life had gotten in the way, and I barely had time to make posts/new makeup looks.

I did a makeup look inspired from a YouTube Beauty Guru, and did this look for one of my best friends. Both of us, and a few of our friends went out to Adams Morgan last night for a New Year's Eve celebration! Everyone know for New Year's Eve, you HAVE to do a sparkley, dramatic smokey eye. So, that's exactly what I did for her!

Products used:

Stay, not Stray by Benefit eyelid primer

NYX jumbo eye pencil in "Black Bean"

Lorac Pro Palette in "Black" and "Taupe"

Makeup Geek loose pigment in "Utopia"

Wet n Wild liquid eyeliner in "Black Sparkle"

Her mascara of choice :)

Here's mine! Sorry I couldn't get a greater close up on the eyes.

Products Used:

EYES:

Stick em by Sedona Lace eyelid primer 

UD Naked 3 Palette in "Limit"

Makeup Geek loose pigment in "Insomnia"

theBalm's Nuditude palette in "Serious"

NYX roll on shimmer in "Platinum"

UD Naked 3 Palette in "Strange"

Wet n Wild liquid eyeliner in "Black"

Rimmel's Lash Accelorator mascara

Red Cherry lashes in #83

FACE:

Laura Mercier foundation primer

MAC Studio Sculpt foundation in NC37

Rimmel's Wake me Up concealor in "Light"

MAC Prep and Prime highlighter in "Radiant Rose"

Clinique Redness Solution loose finishing powder

MAC Fix+

Anastasia Brow Wiz in "Soft Brown"

ELF Brow and Lash gel

Benefit Hoola Bronzer

Milani Baked Blush in "Luminoso"

theBalm's Mary Loumanizer highlight

Model in a bottle finishing spray

I hope everyone had a safe, fun New Year's Eve! And I'm looking forward to what 2014 brings!

With love,

An.

 

Sunday, 9/29/2013: sparkly natural eye

Hey all! Here's another pictorial!

Step 1: Prime your eyes with any eyelid primer or concealer.

Step 2: Place light rose shimmer color in the inner part of your lid (I used the color Sin from the UD Naked Palette) and a darker champagne color on the outer part of lid (Sidecar from same palette).

Step 3: Take any fluffy blending brush and work a brown matte color in the crease to get rid of hard lines and define crease (Buck from UD Naked palette).

Step 4: place same lid colors on the bottom lids, and buff the brown crease color into bottom lids.

Step 5: Highlight brow bones and inner tear duct with any shimmery white color (Virgin from UD Naked palette).

Step 6: Apply eyeliner and mascara! Also, line your bottom waterline with a white color to make the eyes bigger and pop better.

I hope you guys enjoyed this. I like making pictorials!

Until next time,

- An

Wednesday, 9/25/2013: Current Favorite smokey eyes!

Finally made a pictorial for you all!

Step 1: Prime your eyelids.

Step 2: Apply matte dark brown color on the lid (I used "Espresso" from the LORAC Pro Palette).

Step 3: Blend with a matte light brown color ("Naked" by Urban Decay's Naked palette).

Step 4: Blend in orange and red brown color into crease ("Sable" by Lorac PP)

Step 5: Apply same dark brown color to bottom lids and blend out with red brown color.

Step 6: Apply winged eye liner and mascara!

I hope you all enjoyed this, and I hope to be making more pictorials!

Much love, An <3

Wednesday 08/07/2013: Pink and Golden GRWM!

Hey all!

Here's another Get Ready video.

I hope you all enjoy it!

Stay Classy :)

- An

Tuesday 08/06/2013: A "Get Ready with Me" video!!

Hey all!

I finally shot and edited a "Get Ready with Me" video.

Click here for the video!

(Note: This video won't work on a mobile platform because of the music. Sorry :( )

I hope you guys enjoy! I'm hoping to make more in the future :)

- An

Friday 07/19/2013: Grateful.

Hello there :)

This post isn't anything beauty related, or is it? I wanted to share this photo with you.

I was looking through all of my photos on Facebook and I was looking at all the memories I've had. And I stumbled upon how much I've grown. And by grown, I also mean how much weight I had gained. The picture of me in 2006 was when I was 15/16 years old. I was 155lbs. Probably the lowest weight I have ever been. But at the time, I didn't feel like I was ever skinny enough. 2010 was probably my breaking point when I was 240 lbs! I had gained so much weight after starting college... And I didn't have a care in the world because who was I impressing? I was in a relationship and I had all of my friends. But after losing those friends, and my relationship became difficult, I was lonely. It didn't hit me until December 2011, when I finally decided to do something about it. So, I made it a goal to she's off the weight and become a better An. 

To this day now, I am 50lbs lighter. I realized that when I have a reason to reach a goal, I won't stop til I get there. I found my love for fitness, and helping others get motivated!

So, I have always been asked why I love to get made up so much. And that if I use makeup to "mask" my confidence. And obviously, the answer is HELL NO. Makeup is something a girl should wear, even if its just mascara. To me, it just tells me, "I love my eyes, so here's me enhancing that." I don't wear makeup 24/7, because I don't feel like I need to wear it. But when I do, I get creative. My point is that beauty isn't something we need or use to hide anything from anyone. It's just a way of us telling everyone we feel great about ourselves, so why not show it?

I think fitness and beauty will always be be a part of my life. And I'm happier this way. I look back and I think about the times I was so ungrateful for the things I have and the things I've accomplished because I didn't think I did we'll enough. But, now I do. I have so many positive people in my life who do nothing but up my spirits. And I am thankful for that.

- An