Disclosure: OCC and Milani items sent by PR for review. All opinions expressed are my own.View From our Table, Mumm Napa

Hi Guys & Dolls!

Last week I took a little holiday, did a little shopping and I wanted to share my haul with you! On Friday my friend Jamie and I were fortunate to be invited to the Makeup Geek open house where we got to swatch all the products and check out the new Pigments which are AMAZING! I wanted to go nuts and buy them all but I was “good” and just got 5 and a Gel Liner! Shout-out to Elle and Darcy!

On Saturday we went wine tasting & shopping in beautiful Napa California, and I have to say how lovely it was. I really need to start taking advantage of living in Northern California! You know how when you see something all the time you stop really seeing it? I want to try stopping to smell the roses so to speak. Wine tasting at Mumm Napa was delightful and I even ran into a subscriber!

But back on track, we went to the Outlet Mall in Napa and hit up the Cosmetic Company store, otherwise known as a CCO. It’s an outlet store of Estee Lauder Brands like MAC, Clinque, Bobbi Brown, Tom Ford, etc. I picked out a few staple MAC items though I was tempted by all the pretties there, like the Tom Ford Perfume that was “on sale” for $196!!! HOLY NO-WAY BATMAN!  We also stopped into a beauty supply where we tracked down the OPI Bond Girls Collection and some of the Color Club Hologrpahic polishes. On Sunday I came home to packages from OCC & Milani, so I decided to include them in this Swatch & Tell session. I hope you find my swatches & insight into the products helpful!

Makeup Geek: Utopia, NewYears Eve, Sweet Dreams, Birthday Wish,& Liquid Gold Pigments, and Poison Gel Liner.

MAC: Beet & Cherry Lipliners, Mineralize Loose Foundation

Nail Polish: OPI Save Me, Jinx, and Pussy Galore, Color Club Beyond & Cosmic Fate.

OCC Stained Gloss: Meta, Jealous, Rhythm Box, Androgyne, Voyeur, & New Wave

Milani Shadow Eyez Shade Expansion: Black Ink, Espresso Line, Cafe Au Lait, Almond Cream, Sand Dunes, & Golden Bronz

May this weekend be As Lovely, Happy Mother’s Day!

Love, 

Cora

Hi Guys & Dolls!

When I sat down to film my Urban Decay eyeliner  review Swatchfest I decided to film the makeup application. I was so pleased with the result I knew this had to be a tutorial, so I did something different: Rather than recording a voice over after I’d edited the video footage, I recorded me talking about everything I just did, with the makeup on! Then I spliced them together in a split screen. This was so much easier for me to film, and surprisingly easier to edit. I know some of you don’t like voice overs, so I think this is a perfect compromise! It helps me to focus on the makeup while I’m doing it, and gives me time to fully explain something. I also added in the text for the products I used, not sure if i’m going to keep doing that because adding in all the text it takes FOREVER, and I always list everything here on the blog anyway. Also I bought new bedding and night lamps, and I think I finally got the lighting right!!! YAY!!! I would really appreciate your feedback on this new format!

I’ve wanted to so a Monochrome look for a while and since Orange is so hot right now it seems like the perfect one to do. A few weeks ago Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics sent me some items to review and I’m so impressed with them and I used several in this tutorial. I’ve really fallen in love with both the Loose Color Concentrates and especially the new Cream Color Concentrates. “Grandma” is a bright Coral that has just enough of a coolness to it that it works on my red-based complexion. Today I used it on my eyes, cheeks and lips to create a harmonious monochrome makeup look. ” Trick” is the other I used, and it’s my new go-to for contouring; I’ve heard John Doe is also quite good for contouring , so I’m going to have to check that one out as well. Sadly, my new favorite eyeshadow, the incredible duochrome one I used for the the lid, “Hum” has been discontinued. You can still get it while it lasts on the Sephora website, but it’s going going, gone. In the event that you can’t get Hum, Twirl might be a good alternative.

http://www.occmakeup.com/
http://www.sephora.com/obsessive-compulsive-cosmetics

The secret to making a bold color like Orange to not just look fun, but also beautiful is to create a neutral base, and blend, blend blend. I this having fresh but perfected skin keeps the look clean and stops it from looking tacky.Each color and texture was carefully selected to create a look that looks effortless ^_^

oki-doki, Please leave me feedback about the new video format, and enjoy the look!

 List of Products
EYES
NARS Smudgeproof Primer
MAC “Soft Brown” Eyeshadow
Makeup Geek “Cocoa Brown” Eyeshadow
MAC “Handwritten” Eyeshadow
OCC “Grandma” Cream Color Concentrate
OCC “Hum” Loose Color Concentrate
Urban Decay “Yeyo” 247 Glide on Pencil
NYX “Milk” Jumbo Pencil
OCC “Oberon” Loose Color Concentrate
Physician’s Formula “Ultra Black” Eye Booster/Liner
Anastasia “Noir” Covet Waterproof Liner
Urban Decay “Roach” 24/7 Glide on Pencil
Blinc Amplified Mascara
FACE
Urban Decay Brightening Primer
Illamasqua Skinbase White & 3.5 Mixed
Make Up For Ever HD Powder
tarte Maracuja Creaseless Concealer ”Light”
Laura Mercier Secret Brightening Powder
OCC Cream Color Concentrate “Grandma”
LIPS
Jack Black Shea Butter Lip Balm
OCC Cream Color Concentrate “Grandma”
Milani Lipstick ” Nude Creme”