Rhythmofliving's Blog

Sorry honey! My poor husband is so wonderful about my makeup fetish. I am so thankful he understands that it is more of a hobby and not me spending money just to spend it. Makeup truly does make me happy.

No matter how bad of a hair day I am having or how I feel about my life or body, I can always put on a fresh face of makeup and have a whole new outlook. That is yet another invaluable piece of advice I got from my Momma. Whenever I was down in the dumps or not feeling well, she would always tell me to go take a shower and slap on some makeup and I would feel 100x better. She hasn’t steered me wrong yet! It works like a charm every time. It has become kind of a hobby. I love my Youtube beauty gurus and trying new things and techniques. One of these days I might just get a wild hair and make a living at it!

I’ll start with Clinique because of my renewed love of the brand. It is the more expensive of the department store brands with quality I can actually count on.

Plum Nude from High Impact collection from Clinique

There are simply TOO many to list from Clinque and I just haven’t had the chance to try them. Once I am able to head up there to try them, I will hopefully have some swatches to report back with.  I really really really want to try Twilight Nude, Baby Baby, Berry Freeze, Creamy Nude, Tenderheart, Rose Aglow, Pink Beach, Nude Beach, OH HELL, ALL of them!!

I didn’t have a great experience with my last trip to the Clinique counter. Sales staff was less than knowledgeable and not that helpful….Boo…Oh well.  I was still able to pick up a pretty nice gloss, despite the crappy service.

I got Air Kiss- soo pretty! It is a very light pink gloss with a fairly thick formula since it is in their long last gloss line. I can’t wait to pair it with an eye look from Urban Decay’s Naked Palette I am hoping to score this Christmas! *fingers crossed*

NOW about the Naked Palette! I have been debating for months now on whether it was worth paying $44 on or if I should try to duplicate the colors with the Coastal Scents 88 Warm palette. I have finally decided on just splurging! For a few reasons. One, I will get the dual UD 24/7 eyeliner (which I have wanted to try anyway). Two, a trial size Primer Potion. Three, you really can’t beat the quality of the actual shadows.  I LOVE a neutral eye and I think I will get a TON of use out of this one. So money well spent.

Swatches:

How am I going to store it all?

I have seen several “makeup collection and storage” videos on YT. I have also come up with a few ideas of my own.

Almost all my makeup storage issues can be solved with office/desk storage items like you would find at Office Depot or Staples. You can even find some really good solutions in the kitchen organization section of say Wal Mart or Target.

A desktop file organizer can be used to hold larger makeup palettes like the ones from Coastal Scents.

Standard glass votives can be filled with craft fillers or my favorite- whole coffee beans!

Standard small Rubbermaid drawers are pretty darn handy to fit lip products, foundations, and powders. You can even insert these (below) to help keep things within the drawers organized and handy:

Storage, I have covered. Lighting on the other hand…..I’m still working on that. First things first- I need a desk or vanity to store all this. My current set up just blows. I have it all on my mirrored dresser that I have to stand and lean in to see myself with the worst lighting ever.  One of these days I will be able to sit and actually see what I am doing!

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I am on a mission! (not sure of brand or shade)

I WANT a berry toned lipstick that has a burgandy look with slight purple undertones.  Searching for an image that is close to what I have pictured in my mind….MAYBE even a plummy color…..GEESH I wish I could think straight. There was a fair complexioned lady in the grocery store a few weeks ago that I thought- I have to have that color! I am remembering a shade from lord knows what brand I liked a long time ago….it was Raisin something or other….no shimmer. More of a matte finish. Best way to describe the color, deep plum that fades into a more of a red….

Loreal is the most likely culprit. Their Endless lipsticks have the skinny tube and matte finish i remember. Also the Color Riche which is creamier.The Invincible lipstick is another matte long wearing one from Loreal. I need to get in a store!

If the lipsticks aren’t what I am hoping for then maybe a plum lip liner would work? I think maybe! I can even fade it out a little for a fuller effect.

Possible colors:

Endless- 720 Real Raisin, 700 Perfect Plum

Color Riche- 746 Pure Burgandy, 762 Divine Wine, 706 Robust Raisin, Mica, Raspberries, Classic Wine, Plum Brulee, Au Currant,

Maybelline: Colorsensational in Berry Beautiful, Wine on Ice, Silver Plum, Roseberry.

Cover Girl: Trushine  in Plum Shine

I would LOVE to pair it with the megan fox eyeliner I did for my Runnin’ Around set I did on Polyvore recently! AH! Perfection!

Oh la la!

The eye tutorial! Via Makeupbytiffanyd from youtube. This is by FAR and AWAY my all time favorite smokey/black look!! LOVE it.

*Just so you know you can easily recreate the look Tiffany does here with WAY less expensive brands.  I would use:

• NYX jumbo eye pencil in Black Bean
• Any highly pigmented black shadow you have
• A good dark black liquid liner with a fine tip
• Brushes: Angled liner brush, flat eyeliner brush, “pencil” tip brush or smudge brush, small crease brush (like the sigma ss 219, regular blending brush.
• Your fav black mascara

SORT of :

Yes, I know how dorky it is to use an avatar image...

The main focus is on the lip color. Dramatic eyeliner is ok but the only real pop of color would be on the lips.

Other lipsticks that I am going to test out for this look are from Clinique. Since I will be at the counter anyway for my basic face makeup, I wanted to test out and at least swatch some of their plum/violet hued shades that might work.

From their Long Last Lipstick collection: Vintage Wine (“tawnie” color group), and Merlot (“violet” color group)

Different Lipstick collection: A Different Grape (“violet” color group), and Plum Brandy (“violet” color group)

I am so excited to try out and wear this look for the holiday season!!

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I’m pretty well stocked with all my staples at the moment, but there are a few things I want to try and will need to repurchase in the next few months! Again, this is just a shopping list of sorts for me so it may not be particularly helpful or interesting to most

Another great thing about a blog? It’s not something you wrote down on paper and lost shortly there after and I can add links and pictures! Ever wrote something down abbreviated thinking you would remember what you were talking about and look back at it later and think “What on earth was I talking about??” HA! Well, I might be the only goober but it sure does happen to me often and the worst part is sometimes, I will list something specifically and can’t remember why I even wanted it!

Face:

On days where I may not want to spend a lot of time/wear a lot of makeup (AND if I am not having a breakout) I have been toying with the idea of a powder foundation or mineral makeup. I don’t really care for a lot of the mineral makeups because of the way they feel on. My skin feels sort of stiff. Weird….BUT after having watched a review that Nic from Pixiwoo did of Clinique Superbalanced Powder Makeup- I gotta try it! (the review that I am referring to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHF_T5McKQE) One step and you’re done! I’ll be asking my Beauty Broadcast ladies what concealer would work best with this.

The next two are liquids that I am just going to have to try at the counter.  I have been using higher end makeup for a while now (Smashbox and Merle Norman) but they are just not in the budget for the holiday season! Hellboy (my nickname for my 2yo) needs toys and we are trying to take a family vacation to a lodge when the snow starts falling! ANYWAY… I chose these two because they are more readily available to me. Shipping is expensive to APOs and it takes forever and a day to get here. I can find Clinique at the BX. I am pretty sure I will need the lightest shades of these, just not sure which coverage I would want.

OR  

Superbalanced is a moderate coverage for combo skin that evens out skin tones. Even Better is a moderate to full coverage with an SPF (YAY!) that claimes to de-age and treat uneven skin tones.

Two more I am interested in sampling from Clinique: Repairwear Anti-Aging & Dewy Smooth Anti-Aging. I will at least test these two out so I can give an honest opinion of them.

Since I am not a fan of trying to mix and match (I just don’t have the money for trial and error) I will be sticking with Clinique for finishing powder as well. The only decision I am left with now is matte or luminescent finish??

OR 

Gentle Light Powder claims to give you a glow that detracts attention away from flaws. CLAIMS to. We will see which one looks better on!

EYES:

I have been debating for MONTHS between these two palettes. It is such a good deal maybe I can swindle both of out my husband for Christmas

Coastal Scents 88 Warm Palette $24.95

OR

Coastal Scents Metal Mania $24.95

I want to try this look with the 88 warm palette. (the three purple hues were used I think)

http://www.barbiepop.com

NYX Jumbo Eye Pencils. These things are a steal! Under $5 and they make a fantastic base or liners. Hopefully Ulta will ship to an APO!

NYX Iced Mocha

NYX Black Bean

NYX Milk

That’s pretty much it for now. Hopefully I will be having a VERY Merry Christmas if I am able to snag these!

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“Doesn’t mean you should!!” If only some women would heed this warning!

In today’s world it is just SHOVED down our throats how we should look: thin, tan, stacked, smooth, nipped, tucked…..well you get the point. To quote one of my favorite movies that is in fact a comedy (and a hilarious one) but with a pretty good message- “Take care of your body. You and your body are going to be together a long long time”- Death Becomes Her 1992. (if only Goldie had paid attention….girl needs to stop nipping and tucking!)

The point of all this rambling is to say one thing. LOVE yourself. No matter how you look on the outside, you will never be happy until you love who you are on the inside!! How we treat our bodies now, will affect us for the rest of our lives.

I am in no way against plastic surgery. I love a good makeover! I would also LOVE to shed a few pounds. If it makes you feel better about yourself then by all means! I will even admit there are a few little things I wouldn’t mind having “done”…….The women I am going to show you in this cautionary tale have gone past extreme, on into alarming……

These are just some celebrity examples of “bad choices”.

Recently spoofed in a Halloween Snickers commercial: Jocelyn Wildenstien

What are the chances in twenty years, she is going to still feel good about those decisions??

These next few had me in tears…..

My heart literally hurts for these women.

More images that make you think:

Don’t turn yourself into a victim!!

While a fake bake is better than cancer, you can go TOO FAR!

(These are just for fun)

Taking ANYTHING to extremes is bad. Learn to love yourself for who you are, so you’ll have a better chance of being what you were meant to be…..

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I have been so immersed in the trend for so long, I forget that there are those that may not be familiar with what I am referring to. There are a lot of bad things that can be said about today’s media and how it is EVERYWHERE.

On the flip side, with todays mass media via the internet- more specifically Youtube- you can find a how-to/tutorial on virtually everything! I wish I could remember what initially drew me to my first beauty related search on Youtube…..alas, I’ve seen so many now I cannot keep track! Since then I have stumbled across a few gems[gurus] in the beauty how-to front!! Some of these ladies(and even gents!) have thousands of faithful followers/subscribers, some not as many. (Let’s see if you can help me change that)

While my favorite gurus are those that are “unsponsored” by any makeup brand or specific company, I will still follow or watch those that tend to use only the products they are sponsored by. Most of the gurus I will mention use a wide variety of very affordable and easy to find products AND make ANY look attainable!

This is just a list (with links) of a few of my favorite Youtubers!

1. Emily Eddington! Aka emilynoel83

She is so professional about her tutorials and hauls (a youtube term used to refer to a list of products with their reviews/opinions of them) but at the same time so personable. I love watching her videos for that reason. She is to the point, but does so in an informative and very pleasant way. Her actual profession is in the journalism field so go figure!

I can’t say enough good things about her! She uses mainly drugstore brands or those that are still affordable and attainable. She has a very clear, easy to follow way of explaining her take on their application.

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/beautybroadcast

Her blog: http://www.beautybroadcast.net/

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/emilynoel83

2. Carly aka Glitterdollz7

I have been following this lovely lady for a while now as well. She is from the UK and probably has the most pleasant speaking voice I have ever heard! Some of beauty gurus tend to talk AT you and are very hard to listen to. She uses a mixture of high end products and some inexpensive ones as well.

Something that makes her stand out to me, besides her general sweetness, is the fact that she will do some “editorial” (high fashion) looks and even some more theatrical makeup looks! Her hair tutorials are equally as easy to recreate and to follow. I don’t know how many of her vids I have saved as favorites on my account!

Her blog: http://glitterdollz7beauty.blogspot.com/

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/Glitterdollz7

3. Tiffany aka Makeupbytiffanyd

LOVE her eye makeup tutorials! Good thing about her- the trick is ALL in the application process. On the downside she uses almost exclusively high end makeup, which is NOT in my budget. Luckily with the way she explains things, you can easily recreate her looks with brands of makeup that are actually in your budget!! Yes, she does have a lot to say but I find it entertaining.

Her blog: http://makeupbytiffanyd.blogspot.com/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MakeupByTiffanyD

Youtube:http://www.youtube.com/user/MakeupByTiffanyD

4. Pixiwoo!! Aka Sam and Nic

These English girls are GORGEOUS and hilarious. I find their tutorials both informative and entertaining! Again, they like higher end makeup but also do easy to duplicate looks. Both are professional makeup artists by trade. At one point I believe they were both employed by MAC. So, a lot of their videos will feature MAC products.

Their blog: http://pixiwoo.blogspot.com/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/OfficialPixiwoo

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/pixiwoo

5. Kandee Johnson

Bubbly, fun, and a genuine sweetheart. Also a professional makeup artist (which also means higher end makeup), her tutorials are always fun to watch and sooo informative. She covers everything from grooming, to hair, to makeup, and even some encouraging words if the mood strikes her.

Her blog: http://www.kandeej.com/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/kandeethemakeupartist

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/kandeejohnson

6. Cora aka Vintageortacky

Self-proclaimed “beauty goober”, this girl is a hoot! Her looks are bold, vibrant and just plain cool! Her sense of humor is awesome and so is the makeup. If I were a braver person, I would try more of her looks. I will still watch every single one just because of how fun they are.

Her blog: http://vintageortacky.com/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/vintageortacky

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/vintageortacky

7. Marlena aka MakeupgeekTV

This girl could seriously do voice over work for Disney! So pleasant and so sweet! She uses lots of different brands (which I love!) Her looks are very wearable. I also love that she draws inspiration from celebs and some very random places. (Dr. Pepper and Sprite to name a few!)

Her blog: http://www.makeupgeek.com/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/makeupgeek

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/MakeupGeekTV

There are many more I could list and this post would go on and on and on, so I will at least a few a shout out.

Honorable Mention:

TheMakeupChair(youtube) aka Sineadycady Beyoutiful(facebook)

http://www.youtube.com/user/TheMakeupChair

Superbeautynerd(youtube) aka Jess

http://www.youtube.com/user/SuperBeautyNerd

Pertilude(youtube) Aka Joshua- his theatrical makeup is AMAZING!

http://www.youtube.com/user/petrilude

Lolamarie7(youtube) aka Jess

http://www.youtube.com/user/LolaMarie7

Hollywoodnoirmakeup(youtube) aka Ashley

http://www.youtube.com/user/HollywoodNoirMakeup

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