Monda Studio

I've discovered a great resource through On Makeup Magazine & that's Monda Studio. They have a whole slew of stuff that any makeup artist/enthusiast would want! Tools, palettes, cases, you name it. There's several things I'd love to get, but, for this post, I've narrowed it down to a few.

• Lash Comb: I've heard these metal types are more effective than a regular lash comb.
• Mixing Spatula: Perfect for mixing my mineral foundation w/my mousturizer, yes?
• 5 well palette: Perfect for mixing in & creating custom colors & etc.

Cool, huh!

Bursting Artery & Liquid Eyeliner

Boy, it never rains, but it pours! Over the past month I've been having a recurring nose bleed. It kept coming back, several times a week. As if that wasn't weird enough, it would gush like a river all over the place. It seemed like forever before it would stop. I was starting to get worried because this didn't seem like an average nose bleed. Turns out I was right. I wound up in the ER because an artery high up in my right nasal passage had burst. YIKES! A burst artery certainly explains the gushing everywhere. Anyway, they had to stick a wand up there w/a cauterizing chemical (ARGH!). So far, I haven't had anymore problems, thank goodness!

On a happier note, either I've been so out of it lately that I didn't know that e.l.f. had a new liquid eyeliner or I've been so out of it that I completely forgot. Has anyone tried this? I'm curious. How 'bout my post title, HAR!

Darkest Mahogany Brown

Hi All! Sorry for being MIA. I've been out of town for a few days, helping a friend. Actually, I was hoping that you, my lovely readers, can help me out with my dilemma. You see, I used to love dying my hair with Ultress' Darkest Mahogany Brown haircolor, but since developing allergies I've found that I have trouble with this. What I'm trying to do is find a natural alternative while matching, or at least coming very close to it, the mahogany brown haircolor made by Ultress. Any suggestions?

What Am I Wearing?

No, not what clothing am I wearing, but what makeup am I wearing. Well, I have to say, I tried something new. What, you ask? I don't remember where I read this tip, but it's very likely that I got it from a blog post by one of my fellow BBN members. (If the one who wrote the tip is reading this, please leave a comment stating the fact. Thank You!) The tip is this: If you use mineral foundation, but you sometimes want the look & feel of a liquid foundation, mix your mineral foundation powder w/your fave moisturizer.

What a concept! I'm always wanting to wear a cream blush (I've heard cream & liquid blushes work best on dry skin, like mine), but you can't put creams on top of powders. It just doesn't work. So, needless to say, I was very excited to come across this tip! I tried it, along w/my cream blush, & loved the results! Anyhoo, below I shall give you a breakdown of the makeup I'm wearing, in order of application.

• bareMinerals Foundation mixed w/beFine Food Skincare moisturizer, applied w/Foundation brush from billyb beauty (Thank You Billy B!)
• Burt's Bees Lip Shimmer in Merlot as cheek color
• Setting Powder
• L'Oreal Lineur Intense Felt Tip Black Liquid Eyeliner
• Rimmel LYCRA Lash Extender Mascara in Black

And that's it, I'm very happy w/the results!

Mailbox Delights!

I've received 2 really cool things in my mailbox over the past few days! One awesome thing I got a few days ago was a complimentary brush set & eyelash curler for review from billyb beauty! (Thank You!) For a better photo of this lovely set, click here. I love it, especially the foundation brush. The brushes are so silky-soft & apply so nicely. I've never had a really, really nice foundation brush, so I'm absolutely thrilled with this! I also love the retractable lip brush. I love how it closes up completely. Most brushes I've come across just slide the brush inside w/o closing off the end. Shoot, I love the whole set, but as I said before I'm really loving the foundation brush!



What was the 2nd cool thing I received? Well, today I received my copy of the 1st issue of On Makeup Magazine & I'm loving it! To top that off, on the Industry News page the BBN is mentioned, how cool is that!

MAD Minerals: Loose Mineral Pigments

I've come upon another makeup brand that I'd never heard of before: MAD Minerals Makeup. They have a whole collection of loose mineral pigments in a variety of beautiful shades. Below are just some of the colors I'd love to get. I'd especially like to try Speed & Pizzazz. Aren't they pretty!

Gosh Shimmering Waterproof Eyeshadow Stick

I would love to get this stick from Gosh Cosmetics. It seems reminiscent of Mac's Shadestick, I'd love to try this!

Sally Girl: Eyeshadow Connecting Compacts

I was in Sally Beauty Supply w/my Mom & picked up 3 eyeshadows, 2 in vibrant colors & 1 shimmery dark gray. These Sally Girl eyeshadows come in small connecting compacts, so you can make your own color palettes. In the photo below you can see the 3 colors I got, along with the swatches I did below. As you can see, of the 2 bright colors, the turquoise color retains its intensity the best, once applied. The colors are pretty, but I think the turquoise is my favorite color. The downside? These are kinda hard to wash off, especially the turquoise & that I don't like.