Beauty Rush-Casual Friday in 10 minutes!

Last week I shared my tips for a polished 5 minute makeup look.  Those are great for getting out the door and getting to work/school/etc., on time. However, I know many of us like to carry our Casual Friday makeup into a look we can wear out to dinner or to a movie after work.  One of my favorites (especially for summer) has been a slightly amped up version of my Beauty Rush-5 Minute Makeup look.  

Step 1: Prep and prime your face using your favorite moisturizer, face primer and eye primer.  On Fridays I use my normal skin care routine, but I change up my primer and foundation.  For long wearing foundation I tend to use the Hourglass Mineral Veil Primer and layer the Hourglass Illusion Tinted Moisturizer on top of that.  I use the Coco Beau Big Fatty Foundation Brush to apply this particular tinted moisturizer because it is flat and leaves fewer streaks than a normal paddle brush.  I am by no means telling anyone to go purchase a $50 brush from Europe, but a thicker paddle brush (I believe MAC used to make one) will work...or you can use your fingers.

Step 2: Prime your eyes.  My favorite primer for using matte shadows is Urban Decay's Eden.  I didn't like it at first, but after I got used to it, it quickly became one of my favorite primers.  I think it is key that you use a good eye cream before applying this product. Eden covers any discoloration and really holds my shadows on all day.  (For reference, I put my makeup on around 6:30-7am and don't take it off until about 8pm on an average work day.  On Friday’s my makeup needs to hold up all night.)  

Step 3: Take your fluffy blending brush, again I use my Sigma E35 and tap it into a light-medium, mid-tone brown such as Naked from Urban Decay or Taupe from the Lorac Pro Pallette.  

Then take a light color that is either matte or has a slight sheen.  Two of my favorites are Virgin from Urban Decay or Creme from the Lorac Pro Pallette.  Take any c-shape or eye shader brush and gently pat that light color along your brow bone and into the inner corner. (We still want to look wide awake.)  

Next, take a very dense crease brush.  I have a crease brush that I believe is by Smashbox that one of my good friends sent me.  It isn't too long and is quite dense.  (Like a thick pencil brush).  You can also use a standard pencil brush and just really work that color into the crease.  Whichever brush you prefer, pick a slightly darker brown.  I use either Buck from Urban Decay or Sable from the Lorac Pro Pallette and I work it through my crease without bringing it down into the outer v.  I just define the crease without re-creating my eye shape or making it look droopy.  

Take a clean blending brush and blend the crease and lid colors again to make the gradient look seamless.  Make sure there are no harsh lines between the crease and highlight color.  If necessary, take the brow bone color and go over that line a bit to help it look more blended without erasing your work.

Step 4: Take your favorite long wearing black or dark brown liner and tight line your upper lash line.  I prefer Zero or Perversion from Urban Decay or Mally's Starlight Liner in Black or Espresso.

Step 5:  Take your favorite blue eye liner and line your bottom water line.  I do this because by Friday my eyes are a bit tired looking and the blue really brings out the whites of my eyes and even the green and yellow shades in my hazel eyes.  The color I gravitate towards for this look is Deviant by Urban Decay.  It is bright without being neon like Electric from Urban Decay. *If you have fair skin/hair, you may choose to use a color such as Electric.

Step 6: Curl your lashes (about 30 seconds on each side) and apply 2-3 coats of your favorite mascara.  My two favorite mascaras of the moment are Mally’s Volumizing Mascara (in the white tube) and Tarte’s Light Camera Lashes.

Step 7: Since the eyes are the focal point of this look, I like to keep the rest of the face rather neutral.  I do contour slightly using my Sigma F05 Small Contour brush.  Since I am using up the products I have, I mostly use Hoola by Benefit or NARS Laguna to contour.  I do a light 3/E motion and bring a little down my neck if necessary.

Step 8: I use a light pink blush just for some color on the cheeks.  The two I switch between for this look are Dollface by Tarte and Flush by Smashbox.

Step 9: For lips, I use a neutral lip liner such as Whirl by MAC or the old Perfect Lips liner by Too Faced (one shade).  I then fill them in with a limited edition MAC lipstick Madly Creative or Tarte's Dazzled.  Both are light shimmery peachy-pink colors.  I have used MAC's Angel before as well.

This look will let you run straight from work to dinner and/or a movie with your friends, boyfriend, or husband without a lot of fuss.

I hope you enjoy this look!  Leave your Casual Friday look's below or email them to me!

xoxo

Dani

P.S. As stated in previous blogs, I do believe in purchasing cruelty free makeup.  I encourage everyone to look at the Leaping Bunny list to find their cruelty free brands.  I have quite a large makeup collection and have received non-cruelty free items as gifts.  Since I am not a wasteful person, I will say again, that I will replace my makeup as I run out of it.  However, I refuse to throw away perfectly good makeup or gifts from people who did not know I was trying to go cruelty free.

Manic Monday Makeup

So...my Monday started off sluggish!  What can I say...some mornings just aren't as full of sunshine and glitter as they should be!

I was moving a bit slowly this morning and picked out an outfit that was very "beige."  Wearing beige on a Monday is an instant way to make your blah mood even more blah!  :)

In my hurry to get ready, I thought to myself..."Why not try a little pop of color on the eyes?"  I also realized that my brushes were still not dry from yesterday.  So I did my entire face using only my fingers.  That was a first for me!

Hourglass Illusion Tinted Moisturizer

Step 1: Prepped and primed my face with Hourglass Mineral Veil.  Used the Hourglass Illusion Tinted Moisturizer in Light Beige, and concealed with the Hourglass Hidden Corrector in Pearl.

Promises Blush (lighter in person)

Step 2:  I added some flush to my face.  I had two cream blushes to choose...from pink or red.  I chose pink.  I used my fingers to apply Illamasqua cream blusher in Promises to my cheeks and blended it very well.  It added enough color without appearing doll-like.

Step 3: I grabbed my Tarte cream eyeshadow in Shimmering Bronze and with my ring finger I gently patted it onto my mobile lid and blended it slightly into the crease.

Step 4: Applied Urban Decay's 24/7 Eye Liner in Graffiti (a vivid grassy green with some silver shimmer) on my lower lash line (not the waterline)...just beneath.  I slightly blended out the liner with the tip of my pinky finger.  I also tight lined my upper water line with Zero.

Step 5:  Applied two coats of Mally's Volumizing Mascara.

Step 6:  In the car, I applied my Rosebud Salve on the way to work.

HAPPY MANIC MONDAY!

xoxo
Dani

Quick Update-100% Pure Coffee Bean Caffeine Eye Cream

I have been using this product since July.  After two full months of using the 100% Pure Organic Caffeine Coffee Bean Eye Cream, I am only 1/4 of the way through the tube!  This is in no way a sponsored blog.  I just really LOVE this product.  Besides the lotion samples I have tried 100% Pure, this is the only other product I have tried from the company.  I don't think I would want to go without it.

This product has become my HG morning eye cream and I plan on trying more skin care by 100% Pure in the future.  I personally want to thank Grace (CosmeticCouturier) for telling me about this company and product.  I know TibiTaylor loves this product as well!  She has said that she can also can tell a difference between this eye cream and others.

The 100% Pure Coffee Bean Caffeine Eye Cream literally wakes up my eyes in the morning.  On the weekends, when I get lazy or forget to put it on; I notice a major difference.  My eyes just don't look as bright or awake and to be honest, I don't feel as awake.

The one downside to this product is that the pump will dispense a little too much product.  I know one of my friends uses hers as if it were a tube of toothpaste.  I happen to like the sanitary pump, so I tend to take the excess that comes out and really work it all around the eyes and then bring any additional product to my upper lip area.

Sign up for the 100% Pure newsletters, as I have noticed that they have weekly specials.  You can also purchase a smaller size on whiterabbitbeauty.com.

xoxo
Dani

New look! New Logo!

I would like to thank Lacey from laceysmiles84.blogspot.com for creating yet another really cool image for me!  I love this new logo.  Lacey has a natural talent for blogging and blog design.  Check out Lacey's blog!

Thank you my sweet friend!

xoxo
Dani

Tag-This or That!

I was tagged by the sweet Lacey from LaceySmiles84.blogspot.com to answer these questions.  I love blog tags, so here it goes!

Blush or Bronzer?

I am a blush fiend.  I never was until I met my friend Heidi (Jalapena2007) but she turned me on to some great blushes and my collection has grown to somewhere around 20 blushes.  Crazy, I know!  With that said, I rely on bronzers to warm up my complexion and contour.  If I had to choose one, I would choose blush or bronzer that could double as both.

Lipgloss or Lipstick?

I am definitely a lipstick girl.  I don’t like the sticky texture of gloss, however, I do love the look of fuller and pouty lips.  I tend to layer a luster or frost lipstick in the center of my bottom lips, or use a lipsurgence that has a lot of shine for those occasions.

Matte or Sparkle Eye Shadow?

I love both, but if I could only pick one, I would say matte.  Mattes can look very natural.  With the new Lorac Pro Pallette, there are a myriad of matte looks you can create.  However, I do like mixing eyeshadows with a sheen with mattes most days.

Gel, Liquid, Cream, or Pencil Eyeliner?

Hands down, pencil are my preferred method of lining my eyes.  This is because they are quick to apply, the formulas I use are long wearing with little to NO smudging, and since I mostly stick to Urban Decay…I have a vast array off colors at my disposal.  I am really hoping to get the Ocho set from Urban Decay this fall.

Foundation or Concealer?

I see this as a loaded question lol.  My first response would be both.  My second answer would be Hourglass Tinted Moisturizer or Josie Maran Tinted Moisturizer with a bit of concealing.

Liquid or Powder Foundation?

Liquid foundation, hands down.  I have dry skin and while I may use Laura Gellar’s Balance N’Brighten, I still much prefer the moisturized and luminous finish of my liquid foundations and tinted moisturizers.

Neutral or Statement Eyes?

Both have a time and a place.  I think neutral eyes are best for work environments (perhaps with a pop of color using eyeliner on casual Fridays.)  However, when going out, I prefer a statement eye.  Whether that statement be used with bold shadow work, fun liners, or a lot of lashes…I think it is important to play with your looks and have fun.  Especially while we are young.

Pressed or Loose Eye Shadows?

I do like both, but for my purposes and schedule, I would say that pressed shadows are better suited to me.  There are so many wonderful brands of loose shadows I would like to try.  However, when I am getting ready in the morning, I am afraid of tipping something over and making a mess.  I have a ton of Bare Essentials shadows that I adore the shades of that get no love, simply because I don’t have time to be careful with the jars.  There are also a lot of Pumpkin & Poppy and Glamourdoll Eyes shades I would love to try since their colors are so unique and inspired.

Waterproof or Non-Waterproof Mascara

While I should probably use waterproof mascara at least on my bottom lashes, I tend to steer clear of those mascaras as I have personally found that they tend to make my lashes brittle and eventually make them break off.  I don’t particularly subscribe to the “bottom mascara” trend that is currently all the rage, but if there were a cruelty free brand of “bottom lash mascara,” I would try it.

Brushes, Sponges or Fingers?

Brushes! Brushes! Brushes!  There are very few products I would apply with my fingers for sanitary purposes.  I would say that I really only use my fingers to apply eye shadow primers and facial moisturizers.  I never use sponges; however, I would not mind trying a beauty blender or a version of a beauty blender if I had a foundation that they would work with.

Powder, Cream, or Liquid Highlighter?

I went through a highlighter phase where I loved them all.  I have found there are good powder, crème and liquid highlighters.  For pressed highlighters I tend to like Lorac Perfectly Lit highlighters.  I really enjoyed the Josie Maran Illuminator that Heidi sent me a sample of.  The Josie Maran is thinner than a cream but thicker than the liquid I will discuss.  The cream highlighter on my wish-list is called Lies by Illamasqua.  Tanya Burr has used it several times and I just love the way it looks on her skin.  Finally, I like the look of Benefit’s High Beam highlighter.  If you know of a cruelty free version of a liquid highlighter that works really well, leave it in the comments below!

Now this is a tag.  You can blog it or vlog it.

I tag:

Jalapena2007-Heidi

ImaCraftyNurse-Cindy

ThisisRachael-Rachael

CosmeticCouturier-Grace

LetitiaLaura-Lela

Plus, I tag anyone else who would like to do it!  Leave your post or vlog link in the comments below!

xoxo,
Dani

Beauty Rush-5 Minute Makeup

Have you ever had one of those mornings where you need to look polished but still get out of the door quickly?  Ever stressed about how to achieve the "polished" look with a very small amount of time?  I have.  So I came up with a go-to 5 minute simple makeup look.

Step 1: Prep and Prime.  I put on my 100% Pure Caffeine Coffee Bean Eye Cream, followed by my NuSkin moisturizer.  While the moisturizer is soaking into the skin, I move on to some other task. I then apply the Laura Gellar Spackle in Champagne (which immediately provides some luminosity to the skin).  This primer makes all the difference when you are just going to wear a tinted moisturizer or something like Balance N' Brighten.

Step 2: The face.  I first apply the Josie Maran, Tinted Moisturizer in Medium using my finger tips.  Then I spot conceal using the Josie Maran concealer in the shade Medium. (Under eyes, to cover blemishes, or any other discoloration.) Rather than taking the time to contour and apply blush, I will either use my favorite bronzer or a dusty rose blush (like Exposed by Tarte) and sweep it lightly across the cheekbones.  This creates a subtle contour and warms up the face at the same time.

Step 3:  The eyes have it.  The best way to open your eyes is curling your lashes.  I use my Shu Umera lash curler and curl the lashes on each eye for approximately 30 seconds while my Urban Decay Primer Potion in Eden is drying.  Then I take the original Naked pallette and my E35 tapered blending brush from Sigma and dust Naked all over my mobile lid and into the crease.  I clean off the E35 on a towel and take a tiny amount of Virgin on the tip of my brush and starting at the arch of my brow, I sweep the lighter color outwards.  Taking a bit more of Virgin, I apply the color to the inner corners of my eye.  Then I apply 2 coats of Tarte's Lights, Camera, Lashes.

Step 4:  For lips, I usually keep it very subdued.  I either use my Rosebud Salve or Blankety by MAC. If I want more color I will take a brighter color, usually Frisky or True Blood by Tarte.

Now I am polished, put together and ready to leave!  I hope the next time you are in a rush, you remember this simple look and get out the door in time.

xoxo,

Dani

GIRLS THAT GLITTER PARTY

Hey everyone!

My BFF Erica and I have celebrated GIRLS THAT GLITTER in August for the past several years.  This year we began our celebration on time but decided to extend the celebration until the end of September for a few reasons!!

Erica and I on set while filming a commericial

The first reason is....IT IS ERICA'S BIRTHDAY MONTH!  WOOHOO!  Happy Birthday BFF!  I love you sooooo incredibly much!

Erica and I during a Girls Night Out

The second reason is we just simply love celebrating GIRLS THAT GLITTER.

Some of the things we do to celebrate girls that glitter are; buying new makeup, getting makeovers, getting our fall wardrobes together, buying new accessories, and having a fabulous "GNO" or "Girl's Night Out".  We officially named this tradition in 2009, but have been doing this since the mid 90's.

Erica and I met as teens working in retail at a small town mall.  It was one of those situations where you just meet someone and know you will be life-long friends.  We had so much in common!  We had similar hobbies, a love of makeup and fashion, a great deal of respect and love for family, and we could pretty much finish each other's sentences. :)

We spent our work breaks getting "mud slide" coffee drinks in the mall, shopping for Christian Dior perfumes (Dune), going into Victoria's Secret, and our favorite "lunch" was a pretzel from Pretzel Time. Of course after work we hit the tanning salon before going home. On our days off, we could usually be found at the local amusement park with my little sister and her little brother.

Erica is kind hearted, a free spirit, has a contagious laugh, gives off uber amounts of positive energy, a fitness fanatic, magnificent cook and is always there to help any of her friends out.

Some fun facts about Erica:

• Licensed Esthetician and Make Up Artist
• Worked for several prestigious makeup companies as an independent MUA
• Currently works as a Freelance MUA, Spray Tan and Airbrush Specialist, and Esthetician 
• A top Cookie Lee Sales Representative
• Is a fabulous Wife and Mommy
• Most of all is the greatest Best Friend that anyone could ever ask for!

We would like all of you to celebrate GIRLS THAT GLITTER with us!  Call your best friend and schedule some girl time!  Celebrate beauty, health and wellness!  Celebrate friendship!

One way Erica and I are going to celebrate is by shopping, of course!  About a month ago, Cookie Lee released their new Fall/Winter catalog.  I must say that their new collection is EXQUISITE!  Fashion jewelry should never break the bank, but you also want to spend your money wisely.  Cookie Lee offers a variety of different styles of jewelry to fit everyone's taste and budget. The quality of Cookie Lee jewelry has increased so much since I went to my first party over 10 years ago.  Cookie Lee is currently celebrating their 20th anniversary!  How are they celebrating? They have several items for only $20!

Some of my favorite items are:

1) Victorian Doorknob Medallion ($20) and very Bohemian

2) Blushing Copper Earrings ($18) kind of Boho-chic

3) Starry Night Ring ($28) A statement ring

4) Cascading Crystals Necklace ($42) made of genuine crystal paired with the Opalescent Heirloom Pendant ($36) and Earrings ($26)

There are so many other items I adore that if I sat here listing them all, I would have retyped nearly the entire catalog!

If you are interested in shopping the GIRLS THAT GLITTER online party go to Erica's Cookie Lee Page and type the word "GLITTER" in the box at checkout. 

The most important thing about celebrating GIRLS THAT GLITTER is showing your best friends that you love, appreciate and admire them!  So regardless of whether or not you are interested in my story about Erica, or Cookie Lee's new collection....make sure you show your BFF some extra love this month!

xoxo

Dani

P.S. If you have a favorite piece of jewelry, leave it in the comments below!