Challenge of the Week

[officegal]

Some of us have been having a lot of fun "shopping our stash" lately in an attempt to curb our spendings, but we're starting to get the itch to buy new things again.

It'd be fun to take part in a weekly challenge where we all try one type of makeup item/look/trend per week.  For example, despite admiring many who do so, I've never successfully rocked the perfect red lips.  If red lips is on the agenda, we all try out the red lips at some point during the week.  I tend not to be very adventurous with my makeup despite my many purchases, and I think it might help people like me to break out from the ordinary routine.  Also, it's just plain fun to play with makeup.  😄  (And an excuse for those without the items to buy and test new things. ;))

SCHEDULE:

• Red lips (week of Feb 14) COMPLETED
• False lashes (week of Feb 21) COMPLETED
• Colourful eyeliner - something that's not black or brown (week of Feb 28) COMPLETED
• Bright pink blush (week of Mar 7) COMPLETED
• The perfect nude lips (week of Mar 14) COMPLETED
  
• Blue eyeshadow (week of Mar 21) COMPLETED
  
• No makeup makeup look (week of Mar 28) COMPLETED
• Something coral (week of April 4) COMPLETED
• Purple eyeshadow (week of April 11) COMPLETED
• Red nails (week of April 18) COMPLETED
• Pastels (week of April 25) COMPLETED
  
• "Golden sand" eye shadow (week of May 2) 
• Glitter/shimmer (week of May 9)
• Creative nails - e.g. moon manicure, nail art, nail stickers... go nuts! (week of May 16)
• Your perfect bronzer/self-tanner (week of May 23)
• Sunscreen! Try to wear together as many items with SPF as possible. (week of May 30)
• Monochromatic look (week of June 6) <<<<<< CURRENT
  

And so on.  What do you think?

[officegal]

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kristamarielund wrote:

@officegal. Sorry its taken me forever to respond. Ive tried to, but my internet connection has been tempermental. 

I'm using OPI's A good mandrin is hard to find. Im not sure if it has enough pink in it to be a true coral, but its close. 

My boss downgraded me to part time for the summer last year, Ive been full time again for the fall and winter and Im scared he's going to take my hours away again soon. I live in Florida which is busy half the year with tourists and seasonal residents and a ghost town in the heat of the summer. So Im not letting myself buy too much right now. But I did go in to Ulta today to play with some coral makeup. I have Benefit's Coralista blush on  and an awesome coral lipstick from Liz Arden. I want the lipstick so bad.

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Oh my goodness, you look awesome! And gah! I debated whether to get that polish when the collection came out and put it down twice. Now I wish I had it. OPI for Sephora's Caliente Coral looks similar but yours seem more vibrant somehow.

[daisy346]

@lashreece, you have my sympathy. I have huge hormonal issues at times, and I know all too well what that's like. I never used to get PMS when I was younger, and so I wasn't too sympathetic when women complained about it. I sort of thought it was just an excuse women use, and it's not really a big deal at all. Well, that changed. Once I hit my mid-to late twenties my hormones suddenly went crazy and ever since I get bad PMS. I now know that it is an actual condition that you can't control and not just something men joke about! It's crazy. People that I'm close to know before I do when it's "that time" just because I get so irritable and everything upsets me.

@officegal, re: the Hourglass TM- I also have tried Laura Mercier and like it, but there's definitely something about the Hourglass! I got a sample of it once and absolutely was crazy for it. I wanted to buy the full size, but wasn't sure if I wanted to spend that much for it. Then last summer they had it as part of a set- the full-size TM and a 1-oz Mineral Veil for the price of just the TM. I couldn't pass that up! Sadly, they don't have the set anymore. I love both products. The TM is good coverage and works well with my oily skin. I'm not quite sure if it's worth the price if it's bought by itself though. The Laura Mercier is also very good and $13 cheaper, although the Hourglass does have better ingredients, if that matters to you 🙂

I have to get busy with this week's challenge. I'm thinking I have a coral nail polish or two- I'll have to check tonight. I do have the Coralista also, but somehow it doesn't look very coral on me.

[officegal]

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daisy346 wrote:

@officegal, re: the Hourglass TM- I also have tried Laura Mercier and like it, but there's definitely something about the Hourglass! I got a sample of it once and absolutely was crazy for it. I wanted to buy the full size, but wasn't sure if I wanted to spend that much for it. Then last summer they had it as part of a set- the full-size TM and a 1-oz Mineral Veil for the price of just the TM. I couldn't pass that up! Sadly, they don't have the set anymore. I love both products. The TM is good coverage and works well with my oily skin. I'm not quite sure if it's worth the price if it's bought by itself though. The Laura Mercier is also very good and $13 cheaper, although the Hourglass does have better ingredients, if that matters to you 🙂

I have to get busy with this week's challenge. I'm thinking I have a coral nail polish or two- I'll have to check tonight. I do have the Coralista also, but somehow it doesn't look very coral on me.

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If I could afford it, I'd buy all Hourglass. I like that they don't carry a tonne of things but what they do have are such great quality! Thanks for the info on the TM! 🙂 I happen to think the primer is worth every penny and will repurchase.

And I agree with you re: Coralista! I tend to apply blush with a heavy hand and I have to put on about 3 layers of Coralista before it starts to look anywhere near coral. Do you notice the shimmer when you apply? It's not discernable in the box but actually shows up a lot more than I expected on the cheeks. It's a nice blush, but not exactly the kind of coral I wanted.

[tenngal]

@mermadelove & sarithor:  You all sound so sweet talking about being happy newlyweds!  I guess you'd call me and my hubby happy oldie-weds cause we've been married 25-1/2 years.  (We got married when I was a baby--ha, ha! )

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

OK, so I looked through my stash and had no coral nail polish for this week's challenge.  I made a quick stop in Ulta on my way to a doctor appointment so I literally had 5 minutes to shop for coral polish.  I found two coral polishes that I'm going to wear together as a moonicure.  I've not been in the greatest of moods today, so I don't know when I'll get around to painting my nails, but I'll try to post a pic when I do. 🙂

[prettyinpa]

@mermadelove- Great no-makeup look!  Cute that hubby noticed your look, too.

[mermadelove]

I can't get the color intensity from the pic, but the layering looks great! Thanks for sharing!

[lashreece]

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mermadelove wrote:

I can't get the color intensity from the pic, but the layering looks great! Thanks for sharing!

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Yeah, I tried several times and just couldn't get it.  I made it pretty dark and I have very fair skin.  So it was kind of bold.     Here is the palette, maybe it will give you an idea....it was fun anyways.

[waterbaby1981]

pale pink eyeshadow combined with virgin from the naked palette today for eyes today...probably going to wear Clinique glosswear "Bonfire" with it.

[officegal]

How many of you like the no makeup makeup look? Personally I love it and always strive for it. I think doing it wrong is making yourself look tired, ill or dead. Doing it right means accentuating your features without looking like you're wearing makeup.

WRONG:

RIGHT:

[runy]

Oh I like this weeks challenge, I need to work on the no-makeup makeup look.  My biggest challenge is looking awake without putting on too much eyeshadow or blush!

A big thing in getting the NMML (sorry had to shorthand it, I cant keep writing it out all week!) is faking good skin.  What foundation/routine are you guys using right now?

For me- I've got a few breakouts, previous acne scars, and uneven skin.  Although right now my skin is managable, its actually better than some times in the past.  My foundation routine:

-MAC Prolongwear Foundation, buffed with flat top brush

-Tarte Concealer, spot treat areas

-Benefit Hello Flawless, lightly brushed over with Kabuki brush

-Benefit Eyecon Eyecream

-MAC Prolongwear Concealer for undereye

The only problem with Prolongwear is that it dries out the skin a bit, and its a thin foundation (so it doesn't cover up unevenness too well).  I liked MAC Studio Fix- but I'm afraid it might have been causing some breakouts.  Anyways else have that experience with Studio Fix?

What foundation or face coverage are you guys using to obtain the NMML?

[officegal]

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runy wrote:

A big thing in getting the NMML (sorry had to shorthand it, I cant keep writing it out all week!) is faking good skin.  What foundation/routine are you guys using right now?

For me- I've got a few breakouts, previous acne scars, and uneven skin.  Although right now my skin is managable, its actually better than some times in the past.  My foundation routine:

-MAC Prolongwear Foundation, buffed with flat top brush

-Tarte Concealer, spot treat areas

-Benefit Hello Flawless, lightly brushed over with Kabuki brush

-Benefit Eyecon Eyecream

-MAC Prolongwear Concealer for undereye

The only problem with Prolongwear is that it dries out the skin a bit, and its a thin foundation (so it doesn't cover up unevenness too well).  I liked MAC Studio Fix- but I'm afraid it might have been causing some breakouts.  Anyways else have that experience with Studio Fix?

What foundation or face coverage are you guys using to obtain the NMML?

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Shortening it is an excellent idea. I'll call it "NMML" as well.

Right now I use:

- Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer (excellent excellent primer - I can't rave enough about it)

- Laura Mercier Oil Free Foundation OR my own custom-made tinted moisturizer (Cetaphil + L'Oreal True Match)

- MUFE Invisible Cover Concealer for both undereye and blemishes

Sometimes I set with powder and mist, sometimes I don't.  I rarely need to powder now that I'm using the Hourglass primer!

I think key to the look is finding the exact shade of foundation/concealer for your skin type & colour and the most natural and complimentary blush and lippies.  Mine are NARS The Multiple in "Maui" for blush and Clinique "Tenderheart" lipstick.

[mermadelove]

For today's look I used:

UD Naked pallet shadow in Buck

Too Faced e/s in Peach Fuzz

Too Faced Bronzer in Snow Bunny

Buxom Lip gloss in Diamonique

UD 24/7 eyeliner in bronxe ( I can't remember the actual color name).

I didn't use foundation. My skin is having a good week!

Oh, and Buxom mascara. Will post a pic later!

[waterbaby1981]

for my skin, I usually use tinted moisturizer and the Dior Nude concealer with the Laura Mercier Brightener and set with LM translucent setting powder.

[lashreece]

Suggestion for week of April 25th - pastels in honor of spring!i

[runy]

I did 2 blue eye combos this week (since I can't wear blue eyeshadow to work everyday!), but the weeks not over!  I found the key to wearing blue is to pair it with a neutral/lighter complimentary color and blend in the blue (I like it on the crease).

So I pulled out all my blues from my stash, and took a pic!  The only blue's I'm missing is from the UD BOS III (Haight, Radium) and UD Naked Palette (Creep, Gunmetal).  I'm pretty comfy with the NP, so I left that out.  The BOS III shadows I need to work on, but that palette is too large to fit into the pic!

So yes, I've got quite a few blues!  Here's a pic of some I've mastered in the past:

Now here are the trouble childs... I love the colors but have a hard time working them in!

So the 2 looks I wore, I played it safe with the BE Masquerade on my crease (pic 2), and a bit of gray from the estee lauder palette (pic 3), and some other blues from the estee lauder palette.  But the last 3 pics contain mostly items I have a hard time with, so it's what I'll be working on. 

[beebrunet]

Count me in too! I LOVE blue eyeshadow and coral lips!

[mermadelove]

Hi beebrunet! 🙂 Welcome!

[officegal]

@katimae - Take a look at the first post of this thread and just follow the schedule as posted.  🙂  It's all just for fun, of course, so feel free to jump in and out of participating.

@mermadelove - I see you're getting a head start on the blue eyeshadow!  Love it!  What are you using on your eyes, woman?

[mermadelove]

@officegal: I LOVE blue eyeshadow! In this case, it was a defintie combo challenge with Shop Your Own Stash!

Two of the blues I used had been in my stash forever. Loose pigments that I bought at CVS a million years ago. I have working with loose pigments due to fall out, etc. So I pressed them into regular pressed eye shadow and that's what I'm wearing. Along with a Fyrinnae loose pigment that's an electric dark periwinkle blue called Faerie Glamour as eye liner. The lid shadows were: True Blue loose pigment and an cream beige duochrome that flashes light violet. I also used a white eyeshadow with pink sparkles that I made. It was a mix of diamond mineral veil with TDK trading Red Sparks eye shadow. It came out a light shimmering white with a light pink shimmer duo chrome. More later!

[runy]

....sneaks in...

Are we up to blush?  I love blush so much, ever since I learned how to properly put it on not too long ago.  I've got quite a few pink blushes.  My everyday go-to is LORAC Peach (contrary to the name, it's more pink) because it's soft and easy to wear and matches with practically everything.  A more pigmented one I like is Bare Escentuals Hot Shot- which looks like hot pink in the pan but is a beautiful rosy on the cheecks.  I actually switched off to coral colored blushes today, but I'll dig further into my pink stash for the rest of the week.  I've got plenty!

[daisy346]

There's just something pretty about blush! I never used to wear it, but now that I do I want so many different ones.