Another FOTD - because I'm a busy / lazy blogger

I hope everyone is loving this beautiful weather as much as me... of course I would love it way more if I didn't have to spend most of my time working in an office and missing the sunshine. But regardless, just knowing it's out there is enough sometimes.

I haven't been purchasing makeup much at all lately, just refills of essentials like foundation, setting powder and black liner. This wasn't really a conscious choice I've just been super busy. But the lack of new, has forced me to dig back into my collection and start using things I've neglected... which isn't a bad thing at all. So without further rambling... here's my Thursday/Workday - makeup.

The Face.....

Covergirl CG Smoothers Tinted Moisturizer, Covergirl Professional loose powder, the HG ELF bronzer, and just a light sweep of a super shimmery pink blush.

The Eyes....

(in order of application) Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow - RSVP, MAC Shadow - Digit (lid and inner corners), Mac Shadow - Trax (crease), Too Faced - Magenta Moon (outer corner), Covergirl - Champagne (brow bone). As always i use NYX cake powder on my brows, almay liquid liner on top and Revlon Colorstay (black) in the waterline.... plus two coats of Maybelline Falsies Flared Mascara.

And Just Because I am soooo in the Spring Spirit...... (total sarcasm - this was an accident).........

My nails match my shadow today.... I finally gave up my black nail polish last night and opted for my favorite lilac shade... this is "Nice is Nice" by Essie.

Til we meet again...............

Bargain Beauty: A Surprising Find

One of my favorite things to do is wander around my local dollar stores beauty department. Although I love the products found exclusively behind the pretty glass displays at the department store... nothing is quite as exhilarating as a good value :). The dollar store I frequent has a wonderful range of cosmetics... from loreal to ELF and everything in between. They carry discontinued items as well as overstock, and I can literally spend hours combing through.

One of my most recent purchases, which looked quite uninteresting was a double sided eyeliner (truthfully I bought it because it came with a jumbo sharpener!!!) It's LA Colors brand, which I've never tried.... but the pigmentation of this pencil rivals my favorite Tarte pencil. It's creamy... the color is rich.... and it stays put on the waterline.... this is a stand out product!

The Black Side:

The Brown Side:

Both Smudged Out:

I don't believe this exact product is still available, but if it's any representation of how LA Colors is as a brand... run don't walk!

Blue on the eyes.... Tacky?

I was never one for blue cosmetics… even blue nail polish only recently crept into my collection. But this morning (after a long and quite relaxing - makeup free weekend) I woke up uninspired about what to do with my face! Golds… purples… silver - I do it ALLLLL the time, even green is overdone for me. So I dug around in my "eye drawer" and found some pretty blues.

I really love the way it came out, and even though there's a bit of my "signature smokiness" it still feels springy and fresh. Like crisp denim shorts :)

Sometimes a step outside the box is exactly what your Monday needs!

Fab trend or Fail trend - BRIGHT cheeks

I'm kind of a blush freak, it's certainly one of my all time favorite makeup items to play with and buy in excess! It's ironic too, because I used to never ever use it (I was a bronzer ONLY type of girl). Personally, I always pack on quite a bit of  blush, because for me and my tastes... it doesn't have to look super natural!

The trend of super pigmented super bright blushes is NOT for everyone, but it is for me :). Even worn in a toned down way.... (just a few dabs, blended extremely well) bright cheek colors really wake up your entire face, this a look that's certainly bold but not clown like if done right!

Here's one of my favorites - a HOT pink color, that has a lovely sheen but no shimmer (if the color is this intense, you should probably avoid the glitter!)

And here it is on my cheeks today... please note that this is just me on a dreary Monday morning... I don't reserve these looks just for the night time - I love a "pop" for work!

Happy blushing!