Saturday Sessions: How I Deal With Disappointment

     Hello my dears, and happy October!  So, I have made myself quite scarce on this blog for some time now, and I have absolutely no good reasons for that (at least reasons that anyone would really care to know; no exciting, groundbreaking discoveries or anything like that), but I have recently quit my day job and now have two weeks to go until I am officially out. The scary part about it is, I'm in a situation where I don't know where I will be employed in three weeks' time (or whether I will be, apart from my seasonal part-time job I just got; more on that later!) before I go back to college in January. I was in a situation where I had something lined up to start after I ended ties with my current job, but that new opportunity somehow fell through the cracks. In this case, I didn't have a Plan C in effect, and am now dealing with the consequences, and the disappointment that goes along with it.

My Eyeshadow Collection | Loose Pigments & Glitters

     Hello loves!  I thought it was in due time to create a post on the inventory of my relatively moderate collection of eyeshadow pigments, as well as the few glitters I own. It was originally in the works to declutter some of them, but ultimately, I decided not to part with any of them just yet. :) I like to pull them out occasionally, when I want a bit of added pizazz, and some depth and dimension to a look. I have no qualms with the quality of any of the ones I currently own, and don't think I will be purchasing any more, as I much prefer the look of pressed powder shadows, as well as the ease of application, y'know? Hmmm, I have noticed, though, that I may have just one too many purple shades here, so yep, I may have to rectify that somehow in the future. 😆

Anyway, please let me know if you would like a video of swatches, and I will upload one! For the time being, they will be sorted by brand in a list below. Here we go!

Nail of the Day: Revlon Nail Enamel in 'Wildflower'

     I had to jump on here quickly to show one tiny way I've been embracing the soon-coming closure of summer. Bright pink nails!  It's a rare occurrence that I wear anything on my nails, to be quite honest. I can just never find the time, and, much like how I feel about jewelry, I look at the constant maintaining of well-manicured nails in my case as, firstly, hard to obtain, and secondly, rather superfluous for me, personally. Eeek now awaiting for the pitchforks... 😅

This bright pink beauty from Revlon is from their original formulation of nail polishes, which I've never found to be the longest lasting line of nail polish in the drugstore at any rate, however as long as I get at least a full day of wear out of a nail polish, I'm a happy camper. And with prior times of wearing this color, I have actually gotten a couple days out of it with a top coat before the chipping became noticeable. So, not really high maintenance where that's concerned. It's quite a lovely color, and this is just two thin coats, so it is nicely opaque. Wildflower is a glossy, creamy bright mid-toned cool pink that I like to wear because I know for a fact I could never pull off a bubblegum pink color like this on my lips. In these pics, I am not wearing any top coat. The base coat I used is Orly Ridgefiller.

Ladies, let me know! What's on your nails at the moment? 

💋xoxo-Cailee

Fall Vibes 2015: Smokey Emerald Eyes & Deep Mauve Lips

     For this upcoming fall season, there is a multitude of application techniques, colors, and overall experimentation with hair and and makeup that I would like to dip my toes into, and work with a lot more very soon. This morning, I happened to pull out my powder pigments with the idea of soon gathering more products together and compiling a couple of decluttering posts for my blog (as well as for my personal well-being). I want to include pigments, despite already having quite a small range of them to begin with, because I'm moving very soon, and there are some things I have in my apartment that I know I just can't be bothered with keeping, so am taking small steps in that direction by cleaning out a few things where beauty products are concerned. As far as that, I digress....it will be a future post. 😄

Back to pigments, yes? As I was perusing an indie brand of shadow pigments that I have not touched in a long time, brand in question being none other than Fyrinnae, my eyes zeroed in on this forest-emerald green pigment sample, and thought it would be an absolutely perfect shade to steal the spotlight in the fall smokey eye look I did today. Feast your eyes upon Fyrinnae 'Dressed To Kill' eyeshadow! (Product breakdown will be at the end of the post)

Vibrant Violet | 'Mardi Gras' Inspired Makeup

     Good day, everyone!  This is the point where I'm trying to cram some summer tutorials/looks in at the tail-end of the season, before the fall season makes its presence official! The makeup look being featured in this post is a predominantly pink and violet-toned Mardi Gras inspired look that I just sort of winged, and while I'm not all that ecstatic about the end result of this first test run with it, I had a blast creating it! I am wanting to post a tutorial for this look on my YouTube channel, but first wanted to post it as a non-pictorial on my blog to get an idea if a video tutorial would be something you all would like to see!

     I will still do a breakdown in this post of not just the products that were used, but of the placement as well. Yeah.... the lines and overall shape of the eye makeup are a tad bit sloppy and uneven, and my asymmetrical eyes don't really help the cause. 😊 Nonetheless, I decided I want to document as I learn the art, and I am still in the beginning stages, and in the end, it's only makeup, and it's supposed to be fun! Although I know I'll tweak some things with it if I do  make a tutorial.

Making a Dent in My Summer Reading List....

     A bit of an off-topic post here (haha forgive me 😜), but literature is indeed another passion of mine, and is just as close to my heart, so it's inevitable that I'll be including bits and bobs here on this blog of books I've read, books I'm currently reading, or books I've even just perused. As much of a hectic summer it's been, a reading list just had to be placed somewhere on the schedule. I chose a few classic novels for this season, two of them I have started, which are Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, and Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. I also chose a biography on the Russian imperial family, which was a pretty random choice, but I must say I'm really enjoying it! These are going to be quite brief, watered-down comments on each book, as I haven't finished any of them yet. I don't know if writing future book reviews will really be my forte, but I will certainly try my hand at it, and, upon receiving feedback, ultimately see if it helps anyone!

Tutorial: Nighttime Smokey Eyes Using UD Naked 2 Palette

     Hello there!  It has been almost a month since I last uploaded a makeup look of any sort (boo-hiss, hehe just kidding 😉), and I wanted to upload a post showing the eye makeup I wore today, and figured, why not make it a pictorial? So, I have to say that the eyes are quite dramatic for me, and I had to tone it down for daytime with a soft mauve lip and light pink cheeks, because I had Saturday morning errands to run, and.... well, my eyeballs still looked as though they were about to pop out of my skull in natural light, with this 'sandwich' method of eyeshadow placement. I unfortunately could not capture the true contrast of the shadows very accurately in these photos, as it has a much higher contrast in real life. All eyeshadows used for this look are from the Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette.

New Beauties from Coastal Scents! | Palettes & Brushes

     Back in 2009 was the year I was introduced to the "makeup utility" brand Coastal Scents. I heard all these accounts from seemingly everyone, their mother, and their mother's brother, about how economical of a brand it was (and still is!) for freelance makeup artists and makeup enthusiasts alike. At the time, I was still an enthusiast and hobbyist who just wanted some affordable, decent quality color palettes to play with, to possibly hone my skills with in the future, and yep, times have changed since then! :) In the recent years, the brand has exploded in popularity.

Favorites: Skincare & Haircare

     Hello!  When I decided to write a post dedicated to my skincare and haircare favorites (but mostly skincare) which spans over a non-specific time period (from the past three months or so, in this case), it was brought to my attention that I haven't created a single post regarding my monthly or weekly makeup  favorites. And I have come to the conclusion that featuring those type of posts on my blog will probably be few and far between, if any at all. I know, I know....Never say never.  So, it could  happen occasionally!

Got Textured, Thick, Curly Hair? Meet the Best Shampoo Ever! Shea Moisture Review

     If you haven't heard of Shea Moisture by now, I have to pose the question: Oh my goodness, where on God's green earth have you been??? And a disclaimer:  it's only in my wildest dreams that this would be a sponsored or affiliated post with this company, and it is not; I did in fact buy this product with my own money, loves. 😉

     The Tahitian Noni & Monoi Smooth & Repair  haircare line is made up of all natural and organic ingredients, as well as all the other lines that Shea Moisture has to offer. This particular line is meant to make hair more manageable and healthier over time, and doesn't really claim to lend itself as a line of styling products, so much so as regular maintenance hair products. This Conditioning Shampoo  is the only product I have tried from the Noni & Monoi  line thus far, and from my experience with this shampoo, I can say that I definitely see myself trying out more products that this line has to offer!

Wet 'n' Wild Spring 2015 Silver Lake Collection: My Picks + Swatches

     Honestly, these Wet 'n' Wild collections appear and disappear like little Houdinis....there's now a new Venice Beach Eyeshadow Collection  that came out right after this one that I'm now on the hunt for, and I was contemplating whether or not to even create a post for this Silver Lake collection, since it was released back in the spring, and may be a bit difficult to find now. 

     Then I realized that geographic location is quite different across the board when it comes to the availability of drugstore limited edition collections in general, and I didn't even see this collection anywhere near me until about two months after it was released, so.....ladies, there's still a chance you may find it! If you do, I think it's highly worth checking out, as the textures, formula, and overall quality of these products is really quite lovely. Read on for more pictures and my thoughts/first impressions on these beautiful products!

FOTD: A Recreation of KathleenLights Chocolate Bar Palette Tutorial!

     Hello everyone!  I don't think I've expressed my undying love for the gorgeous, amazing Kathleen from KathleenLights on my blog. And I decided, what better way to do that than to recreate one of my favorite looks of hers, which is her Neutral Holiday Glam Tutorial (watch it here).

Acquisitions | MAC, Sephora, & Drugstore + Mini Reviews!

     Hello dolls!  After the course of some thorough research, I have been experimenting with different products, not to mention a few different brands that are completely  new to me, trying to get a better idea of what to incorporate into my freelance kit. As you can see, a good majority of my findings were drugstore, or at least drugstore price (post disclaimer: these were all purchased by me).

Drugstore Makeup: Soft Pink Eyes & Lips

     Hello there!  Well, this is definitely a Wet 'n' Wild kick I've been on lately, especially here on my blog. Wet 'n' Wild released their well-rounded Spring 2015 Silver Lake Limited Edition Color Collection a couple months ago, which features quite a hefty collection of brand new 6-pan eyeshadow palettes (with the most punchy, vibrant and aesthetically pleasing color schemes, I might add), and a few blush/bronzer/highlight trio disks.

40 Beauty Questions Tag | Barcelonista's Beauty Blog

     Today, I was skimming through some of the blogs that I follow, and remembered this tag from a while back when reading other people's beauty and skincare routines, and then realized: I haven't done a tag post yet! So hey, why not....this will be my tiny contribution to the already popular 40 Beauty Questions Tag! I already know....this post is going to be quite lengthy. I'll try not to get too wordy in my responses. If you haven't done this tag yet, definitely do so! If you like, you can also leave me a link to your responses so I can check it out! Let's get to it, shall we?

Glowy Everyday 'Naked' Makeup | Coral & Pink

I've been going through a huge coral phase as of late. As well as crazy color pairings to go along with it (coral and lavender? coral and chartreuse green? Eh??). However, I think that my skintone much prefers coral as an accent in itself to an otherwise clean, understated all-purpose neutral look, which is what I was going for here when I decided to utilize the always-beautiful Urban Decay Naked Palette. It has been a few weeks since I took these pics, and for some reason I completely forgot to write down what I used for base makeup.....eeek. So I don't remember what I used. Sowwy. **Proceeds to droop head in blogger's shame.**
     But as for the color products, I definitely have that covered. :) Including the base makeup, this look was super simple, and could seriously take only 10 minutes to put together! Here we go! Continue reading for the products I used!

Tutorial: Cranberry Eye Makeup Featuring L'Oreal Infallible Eyeshadows

     Good day, lovelies!  Here is my second attempt at an eyeshadow pictorial. 😄 When I think way back to the beginning of my journey with makeup, I remember the L'Oreal Infallibles being the first big girl shadows I ever got into. For some people, the brand that started that journey was MAC. For others, it was Wet 'n' Wild. Urban Decay. Ben Nye.

     These shadows from L'Oreal are unique in that their texture makes it that much easier for a 2-second application with no brush, just the phalanges on my hand are the only tools necessary, if I'm just using one color. However, there were a couple Infallibles used in this eye tutorial, so I find a good blending brush to be essential.

L'Oreal Infallible Eyeshadows in 'Strawberry Blonde' (LE) and 'Glistening Garnet' (Permanent)

A Review: NYX Powder Blush in 'Peach'

     Hello lovelies!  I had initially planned to post one, roundup compilation review of the shades of NYX powder blushes that I currently own, however this one is special enough that I feel it deserves its own post. Of all the blushes I own from different companies and price points, there are only two  blushes that I can say with certainty are the most loved and most used in my collection. Ladies and gents, NYX Peach is one of those blushes.

     For whatever reason this is called peach, is a mystery to me. It is definitely a matte soft pale pink that leans slightly warm. 

NYX Powder Blush in Peach, in pan and swatched, natural lighting

Springtime 'Beat': Lavender & Coral Eye Makeup

     Hello lovelies!  Hmmm....this lavender and coral combo that I was working with on the eyes, really puts an image to mind of blossoming hydrangeas, don't you think? I know I'm getting a little ahead of myself with the springtime pastels, especially when I'm reminded of the foot of snow that showed up completely uninvited on my driveway over the weekend. Oh, and the freezing wind chill temperatures that my city hasn't seen on record for the month since the late 1800s. 'Tis spring fever.....Need I say more?

     The eyes are a recreation and my take on the beautiful celebrity makeup artist Tamanna Roashan's Lavender & Coral Smokey Eyes. The woman has amazing talent and is such an inspiration. Just in case you don't know who she is, her name should at the very least sound familiar, because of her collaboration with Anastasia Beverly Hills this past holiday season, where she had a hand in the design and creation of the beautifully exotic (and unfortunately, limited edition, so, yours truly missed out) Tamanna Eyeshadow Palette. 

Scroll down for a list of products that were used on the eyes and face!