smashbox Photo Op Mega Palette Look: Hyperfocal

So I ordered this smashbox Photo Op Mega Palette from QVC, which is the only place you can get it, and after my iPad, it's my favorite thing. Obsessed! Seriously. I may need to start a 12-step program just for this.

smashbox Photo Op Mega Palette

smashbox Photo Op Mega Palette

smashbox Photo Op Mega Palette

I'm working my way through the Photo Op eye shadow trios. Today's look is Hyperfocal, which is made up of Mist, a blue-gray silver, Rose, a silver-gray shimmery pink, and Obsidian, a deep charcoal gray with pale blue shimmer. Mist went on my lid, browbone and tear duct area. Rose covered the lid. Obsidian went down by the lash line, beneath my eyes in the outer third, and blended up into the crease.

Oh, this stuff is so nice!

The texture of this is fantastic--smooth, buttery, only a touch of fallout, and it blends like a dream.  You almost don't have to blend it at all, which really does save time. Pigmented, check. Subtle shades with nice color nuances, yes!

The palette contains all of their Photo Op shadows, a complete suite of eight eye liners, an eyebrow wax and all of the brow shades anyone will ever need, two blushes, four lip glosses, and three highlighters, aka "Soft Lights," all within a sleek red patent leather binding that closes firmly with small magnets.

I used the eye liner in Picasso, a teal-navy blue.

This almost contains all the makeup you need for travel, except for foundation, concealer, mascara, bronzer and finishing powder.

I used it with the small sample of their Photo Finish Lid primer, which works at least as well as the Urban Decay Primer Potion.

The brow powders and wax are now my favorite way to do my brows. The blushes are pretty much all you need. I usually alternate between a bright magenta pink and a terracotta shade anyway. These are lovely. I especially like the magenta one. (See tomorrow's post.)

 Lips: OCC Lip Tar in Kava Kava topped with Anastasia Lip Gloss in Bellini. This is my favorite kind of nude lip—one with a touch of peachy orange.

I hope you enjoy taking this journey with my and smashbox. I'm loving it!

Cheers!

What's your favorite eye shadow? Which formula is your favorite? Which colors?

As always, drop your thoughts into a comment below!

:)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

FOTD: Stormy Weather Eyes

Maybelline Color Tattoo Image from their site

Stormy Weather Eyes

Woke up and it was raining here in Southern California, and I reached for my brand new Audacious Asphault Maybelline Eye Studio Color Tattoo cream shadow. It took only two coats to make a really cool smokey lid that I think works pretty well for daytime.

Since the eye was so strong, I went neutral on the lip, with OCC Lip Tar in Hush - a new shade I bought at Nigel's Beauty Emporium in North Hollywood, which has all of the OCC stuff, and all Inglot. Wow! Go there if you are in the neighborhood.  Plus they have a studio discount!

In this light, Audacious Asphault has a touch of blue, which I love!

Here's what I used:

Face:

Embryolise Lait-Creme Concentre
Skin79 Super+ Beblesh Balm

Eyes:

Urban Decay Primer Potion Original
Maybelline Eye Studio Color Tattoo in Audacious Asphault on lids up to the crease
NYX Butt Naked Palette - white shade on brow bone, and fawn color blended at edge of Asphault in crease to smooth out the edges
Make Up For Ever Aqua Eyes waterproof pencil tight-lined and above lash line, and on lower lash line one third of the way in
Stila Lash Visor waterproof in black

Cheeks:

NYX Butt Naked Palette, terra cotta shade on apple of cheek, and contour shade beneath cheekbones and around perimeter of face

Lips:

OCC Lip Tar in Hush, applied with finger

And later....

No fade, no raccoon eye crawl! Hey!

Obviously, about 3 hours my crazy day has left my hair all cray-cray.  But has the eye look moved? Nope! This is the best lasting eye look I've done yet!

The Lip Tar didn't last as well as I'd liked and it kind of dried out my lips. Midday I switched to one of my permanent faves: Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter in Peach Parfait. Great all-purpose shade for me, and it makes my lips feel softer.

No raccoon crawl--Seriously, Wow!

I'll be using this combo again for sure!

Cheers! Now go have some fun!

--BeautyJones

The Makeup Show LA - Fab Photos!

Cute Crown Brush Kabuki given away by @pursebuzz

Let's face it, one of the reasons we love makeup is that it's just pretty. So here are my photos from The Makeup Show LA, which was, have I mentioned it enough times, a wonderland!

Ogle away! Enjoy!

Inglot's Rainbow Hues. Out of focus--I must have been shaking with excitement!

More Inglot.  The cubes are so cool!

Inglot shadows

Inglot Lips

OCC Pigments

Makeup artist at Mehron

Michael Marcus display. Fun polish bottles!

Mehron palette

Hakunobo Brushes - Who can afford these? I want to be able to!

More hand-painted camisole at Mehron

Make Up For Ever Glosses

More Make Up For Ever Glosses - Holy Grail stuff. This counter was mobbed.

Make Up Forever Lippies. Gorgeousness

MUFE Shadows. Unconventional color order.  Hmmm.

Fun Face Makeup at MUFE

bdellian brushes I bought. Especially love the crease brush.

Crown Brushes I bought

My Anastasia mini-haul. Still have to try Lash Genius. Love the others!

These were the only Inglot shadows I bought. Don't I have self-control?

OCC Lip Tars in Kava Kava and Memento.

My first Embryolisse Moisturizers

Micheal Marcus concealer wheel. This thing is really great for concealing my dark circles!

Well there you go--a feast for the eyes!

Now go have fun!

--BeautyJones