NYX Neutral Face with Little Black Dress

What's great about the Little Black Dress is that it goes with everything. A bright red lip? Check. A neutral face? Also good.

This Friday I gave the bright lip a bit of a rest in favor of a neutral face, which turned out to be done with almost all NYX products.  You know when you are in a hurry and you just grab what you know? NYX is the gift that keeps on giving.  How do they do it? Love them!

Here's what I used:

Face:

• Skyn Iceland Soothing Eye Pen
• Neutrogena On-The-Spot Acne cream along chin and near hair line
• Embryolisse Lait Creme Concentré
• Dr. Brandt BB Cream with Flexitone
• Coty Loose Powder
• Paula Dorf Concealer duo under eyes

Cheeks:

• NYX "Butt" Naked Palette—terra cotta shade, coral shade pale highlighter, and contour. Yes, you can use this one palette and layer these shades to get a really subtle and elegant look. Not that mine is so very special, I'm just sayin.'

NYX "Butt" Naked Eyes: I used: Top left, Middle Row 2nd from Left, Middle Row 2nd from Right, Bottom Right.
This palette invites endless play. To me it's a desert island product, if one had need for makeup on a desert island.

Eyes:

• Urban Decay Primer Potion Original
• NYX "Butt" Naked Palette: Pale cream shade all over lid, Fawn color in crease, gray color in V shape on outer edge of eyes and beneath eyes along outer third of lash line, deep purple shade along upper and lower lash line, shimmery pale taupe shade on brow bone and inner corner of eye near tear duct
• Salma Hayek Nuance Brow Pencil in Medium Blonde
• Stila Lash Visor Waterproof in Black

Lips:

• Too Faced Lip Insurance
• NYX Lipstick in Iced Honey 556

 
Results:

• Dr. Brandt's BB Cream may not be the best summer foundation option for me, since it's pretty darned moisturizing. The jury is still out.  I could really use some serious moisture.
• Did I mention I love the NYX "Butt" Naked palette?. Sorry to sound like a broken record. Have you bought one yet? I keep finding new ways to use these shades.
• NYX Lipstick in Iced Honey. What an interesting nude shade this is. It's got peachy tones, a touch of shimmer, a hint of rose, the shimmer seems to have a smattering of bluish green... Only thing is, it doesn't last as long as I'd like, even with the Too Faced Lip Insurance.

What are your favorite products for a neutral face?
What are your favorite makeup looks with your Little Black Dress?

Comment below and let me know!

:)BeautyJones

Dr. Brandt BB Cream with Flexitone from NewBeaty Testtube - SUCCESS!

So much better without that pilling. Now I like this BB Cream!

 I had to try this fancy BB Cream again, and this time it worked.

See more in my Results section below.

For the Epic Fail Moment I had yesterday by layering this BB Cream over a night cream...argh, pilly face...see yesterday's Epic Fail Post by scrolling down and looking on the right.

Here's what I used for these looks:

Face:

•  Skyn Iceland Soothing Eye Pen from my BeautyBar Sample Society March Box
• Neutrogena On-the-Spot Acne Cream
• Embryolisse  Lait Creme Concenté
• Dr. Brandt BB Cream
• Under Eyes and around nose: Dermablend concealer in Sand

Cheeks:

• What, no NYX? I changed it up with: La Femme Blush in Coral Spice
• No contour, because the deeper shade of the BB Cream was dark enough, I thought.

Revlon Persian Melon Moondrops Lipstick...love this color

 Unfortunately, I think adding any gloss to the Revlon Persian Melon makes it dissolve within minutes, even with the Too Faced Lip Insurance. I have yet to try just the lipstick with the primer.  Maybe today. The gloss I used to top it here is Vincent Longo in Cherros, which is a gorgeous magenta shade with a great not too sticky consistency.

See how the Persian Melon and the Cherros are almost gone later?

Not my best hair day. I blame the chlorine from the pool swim. 
I need to find some products to help with this.

Eyes:

• Urban Decay Primer Potion
• Maybelline Color Tattoo Cream Eye Shadow in Pomegranate Punk on lid to crease
• Physician's Formula Shimmer Strips Pop Green Eyes the middle purple on outer edge of lids
• Physician's Formula Shimmer Strips Pop Green Eyes the right-hand purple defining crease
• NYC Purple Eye Shadow on Lash line
• Smashbox Glitter Cream Eye Liner Palette the black shade along lash line above and one third the way from the outside on lower lash line 
• Blended the whole thing together with highlighting shade from my old Pixi palette, which I depotted into my Unii white palette. It's a soft peach pink with some multi-colored glimmer

on Left in white Unii Palette—Physician's formula Shimmer Strip Green Pop Colors. I used the light purple towards the top and the deeper purple toward the middle on my eyes. I also used that deep violet pan on the right, which is an NYC shade. And above the brightest pink in this picture is the soft peachy highlighter from my old Pixi Palette, which I used to blend the whole eye look together.

Lips:

• Too Faced Lip Insurance
• Revlon Moon Drops Lipstick in Persian Melon
• Vincent Longo Gloss in Cherros

Results:

•  The Dr. Brandt BB Cream did start to have those weird red and brown streaks in it as I applied it, but when I buffed it in, it smoothed out.  This has to be that Flexitone stuff in action, and the final tone was a bit darker than my skin, which you can see in the blue-tinged office shots above, if you compare my pale pale chest with my face. This will be great by summer.
• Seems like the Revlon Moon Drops formula dissolves slowly if you apply a gloss over the top, so not doing that no more.
• Need a real conditioning treatment to help me deal with that evil chlorinated pool water. Any suggestions?  Comment below.
• All that purple manages to look neutral on me. But I think it also brings out the dark circles under my eyes.  But I love purple! Boo!

Cheers, and Happy Friday to all!

:)BeautyJones

Epic Fail: Night Cream under BB Cream!

Don't do what I did, unless you want to have to take off your base and start again! Do this only if you like being about 15 minutes late to work!

In my NewBeauty Testtube is Neostrata Skin Active Cell Savior. It is indeed active, so don't put it on under any makeup, like I did. It made the pigment in the Dr. Brandt Signature BB Cream with Flexitone precipitate out into brown pills and red streaks! That is some powerful cream!

I'm giving Dr. Brandt a break and trying him again today, over my staple Embryolisse Cream. And going to give my face an extra wash before I put him on.

Also I knew I was going swimming, so I thought I'd test the waterproofiness of my Make Up For Ever Aqua eyes and Sephora and Stila eye stuff.  You be the judge...

Turquoise under eye with palest peachy lip

Really like this OCC Lip Tar in Hush

NYX Stick blush in Tea Rose is so easy to blend, perfect for my neutral skin tone

Post-Swimming--A bit of Texas Chainsaw Mascara

It's not total Tammy Faye, but it could be better. What do you think?

Chlorine is hell on your skin! Wash it off, Baby!  But my shoulders feel fantastic! I love swimming!

Here's what I did, partially cautionary, this time:

Face:

• One Love Organic Face Balm from BeautyBar Sample Society
• Neoskin Active NIGHT (duh!) moisturizer
• Skyn Iceland eye pen
• Dr. Brandt BB Cream, which pilled into dark weird streaky pigment—brown gobbets, red streaks — the Horror! Removed with Simple Eye Makeup Remover.
• Then, back to the tried and true: Skin79 Hot Pink Super+ Beblesh Balm Triple Functions (could this name be longer?)
• Coty loose powder rolled on with my gigundo crown brush

Cheeks:

• NYX stick blush in Tea Rose
• Aveda Contour, later at work

Eyes:

• MUFE Aqua Eyes in Bronze on Lid
• Maybelline Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner Black
• Sephora waterpoof eye pencil under eye in Turquoise.
• Anastasia Brow Wiz pencil in Ashe Blonde

Lip:

• Too Faced Lip Insurance
• OCC Lip Tar in Hush

Do you wear makeup to go swimming?

Have you ever had to reapply your foundation/base/BB Cream because it reacted badly with a moisturizer and pilled all to heck?

Comment below!

Cheers and Cheers!

:)BeautyJones

Salma Hayek Nuance Eye Quad Look and Review

Cool Packaging. Natural tie-in with Prometheus? Me? Scifi geek? Yup!

 This packaging is cool looking on the outside, but it snaps together with a bit of wobble when it closes. Wonder how it will wear?

Toasted Almond

Clockwise from Bottom Right: Toasted Almond, Shimmering Bronze, Frosted Blush, Champagne Gold.

Clockwise from Bottom Right: Toasted Almond, Shimmering Bronze, Frosted Blush, Champagne Gold.

 That's the applicator in the middle. The shape is not all that usable. I say, replace it with a brush, maybe. I won't be using it.

The pic doesn't look at all like the shades, either in the pan or on the eye. Please can I help you name your shadows?

 The color payoff isn't near what is suggested by the eye illustration. The shades blend pretty well. I especially like the burgundy shade, aka Frosted Blush. Blush? This is a pretty dark color to call "blush."

Forgot to do my eyebrows--Argh!

12 Seasons of Top Model, so yes, I'm trying the Smize, not so successfully!

The Revlon Blasé Apricot and the Anastasia Bellini gloss...me likee!

Subtle Neutrals in this Quad

Skin:

• Neutrogena On-The-Spot Acne Cream
• Embryolisse Lait-Creme Concentré
• Skin79 Hot Pink Super+ Beblesh Balm Triple Functions
• Dermablend Concealer in Sand
• Bare Escentuals Concealer in Bisque

Cheeks:

• NYX Butt Naked Palette Coral Shade on apples
• NYX Butt Naked Contour beneath cheekbones and around perimeter of face

Eyes:

• Urban Decay Primer Potion Original
• Salma Hayek Nuance Neutral Eye Quad used according to package instructions
• L'Oreal HIP Gel Liner in Black
• Stila Lash Visor Waterproof Mascara in Black
• Maybelline Brow Pencil in Blonde (applied later at work upon my shock that I'd entirely forgotten my brows)

Lips:

• Too Faced Lip Insurance - its maiden voyage with me!
• Revlon Blasé Apricot Super Lustrous Lipstick patted on
• Anastasia Lip Gloss in Bellini

Results:

Nuance Neutral Eye Quad:

Not sure any of these shadows are better than my beloved NYX Butt Naked Palette colors. The only one that's different is the burgundy one, and it needed lots of applications to build up enough color for me. There is one matte shade, and I'd have made two out of the four matte.  It's just a good practice to make half of a neutral quad matte shades, so you can use two for day, if you are shy of frost or shimmer. The bronze and champagne shades are not different enough from each other to create enough contrast for me. The coolest thing about this quad is the packaging. Sorry, Salma.  I think you are awesome and gorgeous, brave and deservedly a fashion icon. I love your brow pencil, but this needs, I don't know, a bit more love.  How about some subtle blue duochrome in one of the frosts?

BeautyJones Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Pretty gold flecks in the Anastasia Bellini gloss

The Two Faced Lip Insurance: This didn't make my lipstick/gloss combo last any longer than it might otherwise have, I don't think. But I have more testing to do. I think the gloss made the whole thing dissolve pretty quickly, which is too bad, because I loved the way it looked at first application. The full red lip will be the big litmus test.

Cheers and Cheers, Beauty Fans!

--:)BeautyJones

March Birchbox - My First!

My First Birchbox

I know, I'm late. It's almost May and I still haven't reviewed this March Birchbox! Well, I did take some time to think about the products and test them, so there you go!

Annick Goutal is a truly fine perfumer, and this scent is her flagship one. I love it!

First tried this in the French pavillion at EPCOT. This smells expensive and floral, but Chanel #5 Classic, and yet exotic. Great balance of florals, citrus, wood and spice notes. It's what you want to wear to Cap Ferrat or Cap d'Antibes or some Cap type Cote d'Azur-type spot. Somewhere along the Mediterranean. Wear it with espadrilles.

Did I mention I love perfume? It makes me see pretty things in my mind's eye. Which I really really like. Especially when it's good stuff like this.

Color Club Age of Aquarius

I'm a sucker for green and blue polishes, and this one lasted a long time on me, and looked awesome. It's so much fun. I'd never tried this company before, but I would recommend it.

One Love Organics Skin Savior Waterless Beauty Balm

Yummy Smelling Balm

 One Love Organics Skin Savior Waterless Beauty Balm: You can see that by the time I'd photographed this cleansing balm/moisturizer I'd used up a significant amount of it! It feels natural, and smells like oranges. Yummy. It's really soothing on your skin, although it takes some time to sink in. When I run out, I will be buying more.

Jouer Luminizing Moisture Tint

 Lovely consistency.  I will test this further when it gets sunnier and warmer in poor overcast little L.A.

Here's my nails wearing the Age of Aquarius, and a blob of the Jouer Moisture Tint.

 The Jouer is too dark for normal wear on me, so I'll be checking out its worth as a bronzer. See how nice the Age of Aquarius Polish is on me? Love that! Looks like Mint Chip ice cream without the chips!





About the Orofluido Hair Elixir that came in the Birch box. Love, love, love the smell. I wore this to an early morning meeting and people thought someone had been eating cinnamon toast. That delicious smell means I'm going to strongly recommend it. As far as helping me style my wavy locks, not sure this one tops my friend Kiehl's Silk Groom, which is a bit of a Holy Grail hair product for me, but the smell, kids, the smell! Cinnabon is a supposed to be an aphrodisiac for guys. Now you want to buy some Orofluido, dontcha? Do it!

Wasn't there tea in this Birchbox, too?  Well I don't subscribe to beauty sample subscriptions for tea. Yes, the tea was yummy. But sorry, I can't really say I care too much. I think it was Tea Forte, which I've had before.  Very nice packaging, delicious, meh.

So that's it! So far Birchbox is lots and lots of fun! The April one rocks, but I'm taking my time mulling it over, and later you'll see what I think!

Cheers!

--BeautyJones