Update and things
I should really keep up with this blog a lot more than I do. Procrastination is an illness I am fighting... So anyway, Christmas is almost here and quite frankly this time of year is my favorite. Even with a tight budget or strapped for cash I still love the end of year holidays. It's simply "the most wonderful time of the year!" In celebration of this time I've done two makeup looks and one more crazy drastic one on the way. 
For this look I used "Ruby Slippers" from Heavenly Naturals. I have been itching to use this products for years and have finally done so! Tutorial below.
The second looks utilizes the same colors but reversed essentially.
Labels: christmas makeup glitter bold eyes
Dabbling in Curacoa
After waiting weeks for my Sleek palettes and having them sit around for about a week, I delved into them knocking out looks for a few days. This look was initially supposed to be a video but I was out of frame for a lot of it, so here we are. I used the Curacoa palette.
Labels: sleek cosmetics curacoa palette
Princess Tiana
I've not done a lot of Halloween looks this year but of the few I really wanted to get this done and loved the outcome. Tiana from Disney's The Princess and the Frog was charming and a lovely character, so doing a look from her was a given for me.
Labels: halloween princess tiana disney urban decay naked palette sleek sunset
Urban Decay NAKED Palette
I finally got my hands on the ever illusive NAKED palette. Sephora happened to receive a shipment with extra palettes and instead of returning them, they stocked them onto the shelves. Thank You! So my cousin grabbed it and said we're sharing it, lol! Yes, sharing! That palette cost $48! Man that's a lot of money! (wilsontech1 voice)
So far it's a great palette that is ideal for neutral looks. I myself, am not one for neutral eyes but when I do wear them, I want something that is not going to come off ashy, which typically happens with light colors on my skin. This palette does the trick beautifully. The palette has awesome color payoff and a nice array of neutral tones.
Labels: urban decay naked palette neutral makeup
Project "Hit Pan"
I recall a few years back, many vloggers [on Youtube] were practicing using what they had in their collection. Rather than purchasing more and more items, it was a goal to use what we had until the pan was hit, hence the term "hit pan" which meant seeing the metal bottom of eyeshadow, blush, powder or what have you. This also included foundations and lip products. Since I am on this newfound budget of mine, I decided to do just that, hit pan. Wish me luck.
Beauty From the Earth
Mineral pigments/shadows are one of the best ways to get amazing pops of color onto the lid. They are highly pigmented and offer some really beautiful shades. A company providing this is Beauty from the Earth. I love their earth tones and neutral shades. They have bsolutely gorgeous color payoff and shimmer.
I opted to sample their products a few years ago and trust me, they last a while (as you can see). Below I have some swatches with them stand-alone as well as on a primer. These minerals are wonderful for women of color and all skin types.
The colors are in the order of the sample bag images. The top row is without base, the bottom row has Too Faced Shadow Insurance.
Copper, Chocolate, Amber, Rockstar
Antique, Marigold, Bronze, Harvest
With flash
Without flash
Dejavu, Sugar Plum, Seduction, Sedona, Rome
W/o flash
With flash
Arizona, Beaudeaux, Isis, Addicted
w/o flash
with flash
Read more »Labels: beauty from the earth, black beauty, makeup for women of color
Budget Haul
So I have been on a tight, stretched out budget and it's been annoying. But at the same time I have learned to restrain myself from pulling out the ATM card and swiping like a mad woman. It's been a good lesson. But even diva's on a budget need to splurge [wisely] from time to time. This week has been my time. Since I needed a few things from the pharmacy anyway, while I was there I decided to try drugstore products and with all the rave reviews on Youtube, I gave Wet n Wild a go.
I had actually gone to Walgreens for some lotion and creams since I was in dire need of skin moisturizers. I actually had Cetaphil in mind but found that the store brands were BOGO 50% off. After reading the ingredient labels side by side, I opted for the better deal which was the store brand. For good measure I also grabbed the travel size lotions to try out and use as hand lotions.
Read more »
Labels: walgreens wetnwild
Name: Emmy Vargas
This blog is as it is titled. A lifestyle page with all encompassing facets of myself.