FOTD: Smokey Greens

Hi Darlings,

I do live in New York (not too far away from the city) and from time to time I try to get into the city whether I'm meeting a few girlfriends for dinner and cocktails or catching some of the night life.  A few weeknights ago, hubby and I took our son and a girlfriend of mine to see the Radio City Christmas Spectacular show.  It was a great show and definitely worth seeing.  I've seen the show a number of times over the years and this was the best I've ever seen (thanks to 3D effects and visual enhancements).  My favorite part is the gradual falling of the wooden toy soldiers (a.k.a. "The Rockettes").  If you are ever in town around Christmas, you should definitely check this out.

We also went to see the famous Indian comic, Russell Peters since it was the comedy festival in town, at Carolines on Broadway a few weeks ago.  We met a few friends in the city for dinner first at Arianna Afghan Kabob Restaurant (on 9th Avenue).  This is a narrow, tiny hole in the wall restaurant, but as I've come to know over the years, the hole in the wall restaurants are ususally the ones where the food is so authentic and seriously that good.  When we got there the owner/cook/seating hostess/waiter (basically a one man show!) promised to kick out other patrons to accommodate us.  Mind you, the restaurant only had maybe 10 tables (if even!).  Not only was the food stellar, but the service was entertaining, thanks to our waiter/seating hostess/owner/cook! After dinner we headed over to see Russell Peters and it was an awesome show.  I saw him a few years back and was glad that he didn't recycle any of his old material.  In fact, his whole routine was basically all improv, making jokes out of people in the audience and such.  We had a really great time and basically laughed our pants off the entire night.

Whenever I go into the city, I do like to get all dolled up...its part of the glamour of city life!  I was planning to wear a green/black halter blouse and black skirt.  I kept thinking that the blouse was green, but looking back it is actually more light teal than green.  Anyway, since I do love smokey eyes, I decided to go with a smokey green eye paired with nude lips and this is what I came up with:

Here's the full breakdown...

FACE:
Forgot to put moisturizer!
Smashbox Primer Light (for oil-control)
MAC Prolongwear Foundation - NC42, applied with MAC 109 brush
MAC Loose Mineral Powder - Medium Dark, applied with the same brush

EYES:
Urban Decay Primer Potion
MAC Paint Pot - Rubenesque
MAC eyeshadow in Humid - all over the lid with the 239 brush as well as smudged under the lower lashline
MAC eyeshadow in Swiss Chocolate - to blend in the crease with the 217 brush
MAC eyeshadow in Retrospeck- on top of Humid with the 239 brush
MAC Pigment in Forest Green - to give that smokey effect in the crease area, with the same 217
MAC eyeshadow in Femme Fi - to highlight with the 227 brush
Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliner in Zero - on the upper and lower lashlines as well as to tightline
MAC eyeshadow in Carbon - to soften the upper lash line, smudged out a bit
Ardell False Lashes - Demi Wispies
Maybeline Mascara - Clear (to attach my real lashes to the fake ones, also makes it easier to take off)

CHEEKS:
MAC Blush - Blunt, to contour with the 168 brush
Elf Blush/Bronzer duo - the blush side (supposedly the dupe for the famous NARS Orgasm blush, and very close I might add!)

LIPS:
NYX Lipliner - Coffee
MAC Lipstick - Velvet Teddy
MAC Lustreglass - Love Nectar

Hope you guys enjoyed reading this post as much as I enjoyed creating this look.  Please let me know your thoughts and feedback and your way of creating a Smokey Green eye.

Sending positive thoughts your way...

CC

Review: Salma Hayek Nuance Tinted Moisturizer (Medium)

Hi Darlings,

I happen to be shopping at a CVS in the neighborhood for a few essentials, and of course I have to checkout the drugstore makeup aisle.  Now, up until 2 years ago I only shopped for makeup products at drugstores.  What brought me to MAC, NARS, Bobbi Brown, and others is when I stumbled upon a few YouTube videos showcasing these makeup lines, how they were being used, and I immediately fell in love!  I no longer purchased drugstore beauty products after that.  They have a wide variety of colors and selection for people of all skintones.  I was officially a convert and no longer a makeup virgin.  I guess you can say that MAC took my virginity :) And like Madonna says, "Like a virgin...Ahh...touched for the very first time!" (sidenote: I am a huge Madonna fan!)

Ok, so back to my point, I was looking through the beauty aisle and stumbled upon Salma Hayek's beauty line called Nuance.  I don't care too much for the name, so that didn't really catch my attention.  I wanted to see what she had to offer and from my quick scan of the line she offered foundation, concealers, eyeshadow compacts, lip quads, and tinted moisturizers.  I have been looking for a good tinted moisturizer to add to my routine for a while now.  I know plenty of people have reviewed and glorified Laura Mercier's tinted moisturizer, but I cannot justify the $42 price tag for just a tinted moisturizer.  Foundation - I can understand that, but for an everyday tinted moisturizer I couldn't open my wallet.  My expectations for a tinted moisturizer was to even out my complexion, so you can see, my expectation wasn't too high.

Salma Hayek offered her flawless wear tinted moisturizer at $14.99.  The product advertises, "Oil-free, sheer coverage delivers a healthy, radiant glow for all skin types."  Now, me personally I consider my facial skin to be more on the combination/oily side.  I was skeptical to think that a drugstore line can prove to be a great product, but the price tag convinced me to give it a go.  What could I lose right? I could always return it as a dissatisfied customer :)  I purchased the shade medium as it seemed like it would be just enough tint to even out my skin.  There is a medium/deep shade that I considered purchasing but my one qualm with purchasing the darker shade is that it may oxidize later on, making you look darker than you already are (and that would definitely be an issue for me!)

Now, I realize that I should have taken before pics as well (I promise to update this post with a "before" pic at some point). 

Here's the full breakdown of what I wore when the pics below were taken...(after a few hours of wear)

FACE:
MAC Matte Primer
Nuance - Tinted Moisturizer (medium)
Makeup Forever HD Microfinish Powder - dusted all over with a fluffy powder brush

EYES:
Sephora - Kohl liner on the upper and lower lashlines
L'Oreal Million Lashes Mascara - Carbon Black

LIPS:
MAC Lipstick - Fluid, pressed onto lips for a stained look

Here is how I looked approximately 12 hours after I applied the tinted moisturizer.

I don't have any concealer on and I am very happy with the result of how this tinted moisturizer performed.  I didn't blot or touch up my face with powder at all the whole day.  This one stop shop is definitely all I need to make my morning routine that much easier.  Thanks Salma!

Since I am still in this beginning, honeymoon phase of testing this product, I will try it out fully for at least 2-3 weeks before I really make up my mind, but so far I think I will repurchase this product when I run out!

Have you tried out this tinted moisturizer or any of the other products from this line?  If so, share and tell me about your experiences with Nuance.

Hope this inspired you to try and see for yourself.

Sending positive thoughts your way...

CC