MOTD and Other Stuff

Hello, beautiful!

I can't believe the first week of April is coming to a close already. I hope our summer doesn't zip by us this quickly. I wanted to share my motd (makeup of the day) with you all, I tried a new MAC quad  I received that belonged to my cousin and it didn't work for her, so I gave it a new home and have been loving it. I am not going to lie its pretty beat up, but not from use, just from being thrown in a makeup bag that hasn't been cleaned, I think ever! She loves makeup don't get me wrong, but I don't think she has ever had a vanity or something like it. Anyhoo, on to this motd.

MOTD

I wanted a natural finish with a touch of drama and the drama is always in my eyes.

I primed my eye with UD Primer Potion.
I applied Mac Luna colour base in frost to my eyes.

I went in with Brash (VP) from Mac all over the lid.
Nanogold (L) went in the outer corner.
Spiced Chocolate (M) in the crease.

I smudged some UD 24/7 in zero on the lash line.
Applied Sonia Kashuk Gel liner in Ebony to add depth on the lash line.

I blended Spiced Chocolate and ebony to the lower lash line.
I finished with a coat of Clump Crusher my favorite mascara.

Image courtesy of polyvore.

This is a limited edition Palette and is no longer on the MAC website .

For my face I did my usual.

Primer: CoverGirl & Olay simply ageless serum primer.
Base: L'oreal Magic Skin Beautifier BB cream.
Foundation: Makeup For Ever Matte Velvet +.
Highlight: CoverGirl & Olay simply ageless eye corrector.
Concealer: Maybelline Fit Me.
Setting powder: Sue Devitt triple C-weed pressed powder.
Contour: Smashbox MC2 Palette suntan bronzer.
Blush: Smashbox MC2 Palette Apricot.
Highlighter: Smashbox MC2 Palette Shimmer.
Lips: Revlon Colorstay lipstick in Front Row
Lip liner: MAC Nightmoth.

I love this look and my new, but recently loved palette.

Other Stuff!

Okay! So Later on tonight I am going to find out who won my 250 subscriber giveaway on YouTube. I am so excited I can hardly wait to announce the winner! I also won a Giveaway from Hope at Beauty&Bliss, I can't wait!! I have some interesting products being sent to me by various companies and everything sounds fabulous to try, so far everything that I have been sent has been amazing and I appreciate the companies for giving the Squid a chance :) YouTube is being evil tonight! It took 145 minuets to upload a 8 minute video! Which will be a brow routine featuring the brows I am wearing in the photo so check it out.

Chat ya later!

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Friday Flakes, Fab & Fails

Hello, Beautiful!

Friday is here again. Is it just me or is this month going by very fast? If you follow me on twitter you would have heard that last night someone tried to come into our home at 4 a.m. This person was obviously intoxicated and got really lost, after the police came and a few hours later I finally got some sleep.It's very gloomy and drizzly here, so I shall go blogging today :)

Friday Flakes, Fab & Fails

FLAKE

COTY AIRSPUN LOOSE FACE POWDER

I have heard people saying that this powder is great for setting concealer and hiding fine lines in the undereye area, but I have to say this was a complete fail and the smell reminds me of a bingo parlor ladies restroom.

FAB

COVER GIRL CLUMP CRUSHER

I  know I have been going on about this mascara, but wow. This stuff is amazing! It separates and thickens up my lashes in a way I never thought possible. I love that my lashes don't get crusty and the drama lasts until I am ready to take it off. This is a definite fab for me.

FAIL

NYC DUO 814B 

I feel that I shouldnt say what I really feel about this product because a child may be reading this. But man this sucks so bad I can't even think about it. The black comes out a soft weathered grey and the white is not even there. There are no other uses for this product except to hold up a rickety night stand. FAIL!

So there you have it my Friday Flakes, Fab & fails.

Do you have any experiences with these products?

Can you give me another reason for the NYC duo? lol.

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Urban Decay SmashBox MC2 Palette Matte Comparison

Hello, beautiful!

Today was a lazy Sunday, I didn't sleep until 7am and I was just in a blah mood, so into the shower I went.
The shower felt great and got me in a good mood, thinking about what to film and which product I wanted to blog about today.

I dried and flat ironed my hair, then it was makeup time and let me tell you, no matter how I tired I couldn't get a look going. I used the Naked Basics Palette and the Smashbox Master Class Palette, now if you can't get a look out of those two palettes combined, then something is wrong! So I literally tried three times, meaning taking it off and trying again! So I finally gave up and said not tonight.

Heart broken I began to pack my toys away and was trying to figure out why my shadows wouldn't blend or stay put on my eyes, I noticed that the Naked Basics Palette and the SmashBox MC2 Palette have the same colors and I wanted to compare the two palettes against each other.

As you can see they are very much alike besides the second color from the left.

With a touch test they both feel nice, but Naked Basics feels velvety but dryer.

They are all matte shades and as you can see The Naked basics is way more pigmented.

The MC2 Palette Blends a lot easier.

The MC2 Palette has 28 shadows, 6 blush bronzers and 2 highlighters, as well as four gel liners.

Naked basics has 6 shadows total, one of which is a shimmer used for a brow highlight.

I love both of these Palettes, but for some reason NB is very hard for me to work with in regards to blending. I find myself reaching for the SBMC2 Palette more.

Thanks for visiting! Please like & share this post. Leave me a comment and don't forget to leave your blog links :)

Stila in the moment eye shadow palette

Hi everyone! I hope everyone is doing well and the weather has been kind.

The Makeup Squid has gone through some changes recently and I hope you like them.

Today I will be going through a new palette I picked up recently through my adventures in makeup land.

I will admit this was a impulse buy. No thought, rhyme or reason here, just sheer madness.

This is actually my second Stila purchase, so I am pretty excited!

First of all I love the little quotes inside of these palettes cute and inspiring.

Sarah Lucero is a makeup artist you can read about her at sarahluceromakeup.com

If she had anything to do with the palette itself is unknown to me.

This palette boasts 10 colors and includes a eye liner.

The casing is card board. It has a very slim and sleek design it comes in a shimmery Lilac color.

The palette includes a full size Liner in a Purple shade called "Tetra".

The liner is a deep plum shade and had lavender glitter flecks in it.

The first swatch is with firm pressure, the second with a more light hand.

This stick applies smooth and does not tug on the skin.

It is a full sized and self sharpening.

The First Five Shadows

Instinct is a very shimmery white shade great for the inner eye area and brow bone highlight.

Impulse is a beautiful light shimmery pink, great for adding dimension to the center of the eye.

Glance is a Very fun and dramatic purple, great for a nice pop of color on any smokey eye.

Improvise is a deep plum shade with some shimmer in it, this color is a great crease color.

Catalyst is a soft black with flecks of silver here and there, great for a softer eye look.

These shadows were applied with a finger and no primer.

The Second Five Shadows

Desire is a lovely barley there color, great for blending and softening lines.

Wonder is a gorgeous peach shimmer that can be worn alone for a wash of color or as a accent color.

Spontaneous is a beautiful champagne shimmer that is perfect drawing attention to the eyes.

Whim is a brown/copper shimmer with gold flecks, worn alone or with others this is a great shadow.

Captivate is an amazing taupe shimmer color perfect for the crease or outer V.

These shadows were applied with a finger and no primer.

This palette includes a lookbook with some amazing looks. 

The Round Up

The Pros

Colors blend well

High color payoff

Good color range

Liner included

Cute case

LookBook

The Cons

No matte shades

Final Thoughts

Even though I did not have my sites set on this palette, I am glad I picked it up.

Even though I have a thing for mattes I know I will be grabbing this palette to add a touch of shimmer and sparkle to many eye looks.

This product was purchased with my own money.

All thoughts and views expressed are my own.

Thanks for visiting! Please like & share this post. Leave me a comment and don't forget to leave your blog links :)

SmashBox Pro The Master Class Palette II

The phone rings. I answer knowing its my youngest sister who lives in Manhattan. She tells me she wanted some new makeup and stops by Sephora, which is right around the corner from her. Did I tell you I hate my sister? 

She is also the most anti makeup person I know, her beauty stash consists of a bronzer, concealer, eye liner, mascara and a Sephora brush set that came out like 6 years ago. Her lipstick is that Nivea shimmer lip balm thingy and thats it, Period. She keeps all these items in a MAC makeup bag I gave her like 4 years ago, so you get the picture. 

"I didn't know what to get in there, so I got this SmashBox kit thing, is that any good"?

First I asked God why he gives people things they themselves will never understand or appreciate LOL!

Then I ask "What does it say"? She tell me its The SmashBox Pro Master Class Palette and I quote "It comes with all these things and I don't know what to do with them". 

I tell her not to return it that she holds pure gold in her hands and that I will be there in a few day to show her how to use all those things that seem to be confusing her. 

She calls me the next day and tells me that she went back to Sephora and picked up a extra palette for me!!

Did I tell you I love my sister?

So here we are, I present to you 

The SmashBox Pro Master Class Palette II

The Casing is a sturdy dull silver patent leather type finish. 

Finger prints are a problem and don't really go away even if wiped down.

The Palette Boasts a whopping 28 colors of eye shadows.

4 cream liners, 3 blushes, 3 bronzers and 2 highlights and a get the look card (not Pictured)

The color payoff is amazing, there are wonderful transition colors both dark and light.

There are beautiful sparkly colors perfect for a evening out, with the holidays right around the corner I know this will be my go to palette. Some of the and I mean just about 4 of the 28 don't show up on my skin tone, but these colors are perfect for blending out. I love that the shimmers are not overdone and the mattes are deep and rich. You can literally use this palette a million times and never have the same look twice.

The Blushes are very smooth and go on sheer for a nice wash of color, they compliment your skin rather then over it with a dusty powder, which is something I love in a good blush. The two highlighters are amazing they are truly everything a highlighter should be and will work great with any skin tone.

Blushes

Highlighters

                  

The 4 cream liners are great for bases and liners as well. The colors are Black, Navy, Purple and Gold. The black isn't as dark as I would like but as a base it's perfect. These are very pigmented however they will come off quickly if not set, So I only use them as a base and not a liner. 

A little goes a long way with them and I liked that they applied smooth and easy.

These are some of the looks I have created using this amazing palette.

Special Thanks to my sister for purchasing this wonderful Palette for me :)

This Palette Retails for $59.00 ($275 value) at SEPHORA.COM

Have you tried this Palette yet?

Thanks for reading and have a great day!

Things I bought today

Today I decided I was going to treat myself to some stuff I have been seeing around online and wanted to get my hands on. The girls at 20/30Glam told me about a BH cosmetics deal that was going on so I hopped on over and picked up a few things and here what I bought. Enjoy!

Pop Art Steal
I have used BH cosmetics brushes before and I liked them a lot so I picked up these guys.

This set comes with 10 brushes and this awesome holder that reminds me a lot of Sephora.
I picked these up for $12.
I will do a review on them once I have used them for a little while.

BH San Francisco Eyeshadow & Blush Palette
This guy I picked up for $6.

Yes $6 if your order is over $25. My friend from YouTube Lifeasamy1 Got these when they first hit the site and she recommended I try them so, here I am. I will do a review when they arrive.

28 Neutral Color Eyeshadow Palette
I love this palette and think its perfect for this time of year. I got this guy for only $10 so I am forced to love him :). Will do a review on him when he gets here.








I have used BH Cosmetics before and still use their older palettes.
I am looking for other things to purchase online within this price range so if you have any suggestions please let me know.

Thanks for listening and have a great day :)

Links are fun :)
Blogs/Vlogs I mentioned 20/30Glam, Lifeasamy1
Products and Companies mentioned above BHcosmetics, Sephora

Eye Primer Eggsperiment!

Eye Primers. We use them to enhance the color of our shadows and give us a smooth surface to work on.

The three eye primers I have used are the three pictured here.

they all claim to do the same thing, but do they all do as they claim?




I decided to do my own experiment on these three primers using an egg, yes an egg.
I let the egg get to room temperature before I started.

In this eggsperiment I was looking for three things. Color payoff, Smoothing effect and Staying power.
In the video you will see my results enjoy!
Oh, and if you like what you see please subscribe to my YouTube channel here.

Please watch and let me know what you think. I plan on doing other experiments like this is the future Please let me know if there is any other product I should test.

Not just a pretty face!

I don't want this blog to be just about a pretty face. I want this blog to be about smart intelligent women who know whats up and how to back it up with the knowledge of with what they are doing. its not enough for me to know what to apply. I want to know how to apply it to my face.

So I am going to start with color. Color can be scary or fun depending on where you want to go. It can be used as an all over shade or just as a liner the choice is yours, but, what colors to choose is just as important.

I am going to explain to you color theory. Color theory isn't just for decorating or painting a canvas.

This is a color wheel.
The color wheel or color circle is the basic tool for combining colors. The first circular color diagram was designed by Sir Isaac Newton in 1666. A color wheel is used to show us what colors compliment each other as well as what colors blend well with each other. We will be using him a lot in this post so say hi to Mr.Wheel :)

As you see to your right and above Mr.Wheel has Red on top and Green on the bottom. What does that mean? It means Red and Green Oppose each other Offering the highest amount of contrast. Now I am not saying if you are wearing Red, add some Green. No, what I am saying is that they contrast each other in the highest way. Look at the Blue in this image, now look over to that yellow on the opposite side. They oppose each other in the color scheme offering the highest contrast. 

Now, if your still reading, we will move on :)

This Image shows us three colors at the bottom of Mr.Wheel.

This is called Analogous color scheme. Analogous color schemes use colors that are next to each other on the color wheel. They usually match well and Blend wonderfully together. This is what most eye shadow trios use to take the guess work out and make it easier on us.This is best for beginners as it is hard to mess up. But, what if I bought the BH cosmetics 88 color palette? Oh, No!

Still here? Good :)

Now, here we have what they call a Triadic color scheme.

A triadic color scheme uses colors that are evenly spaced around the color wheel. Using the form of a even spaced triangle over Mr.Wheel will allow you to see which three colors will work best together providing you choose your main color first. This is what most eye shadow trios use to take the guess work out and make it easier on us.With this method you will never know where you will end up in any eye look. Just make sure to let one color dominate and use the two as accent colors.

Mr.Wheel Can be divided by his warm and cool side

Warm = Open 

Cool = Closed

Thats the best way I can explain it. All of the colors will look great against a white base. But using other colors, this should help give you a better idea of where your going with your look.

If you are still confused? I apologize! I found this nifty little tool online. So you can have your own Color wheel any time! It is originally used for website design, but it uses color theory!  And I love it you can check that out here. colorschemedesigner

Well, I hope this has helped. I am not an expert but this is a theory I use when applying eye shadow.

Let me know what you think and if I went to far out there let me know hehe:)

Thanks for reading and have a great day!

Images source colortiger.com