Stranded Island Essentials

What Five Items Would You Take?

If you were stranded on a remote island and could only take five makeup products with you, what would you take? I am going to tell you the five products that I would choose as far as makeup products. This is not including skincare or tools to apply the makeup products that are chosen. This is just the five holy grail products that I would bring with me to create a basic but beautiful look.

MAC Cosmetics Pro Longwear Concealer
Price: $21.00
Where you can buy this: MAC Cosmetics, Macy's, Nordstrom

I would chose the MAC Cosmetics Pro Longwear Concealer because you can use this product as a foundation and a concealer if you want to. The Pro Longwear Concealer comes in a small glass bottle so it is super easy to carry around if you need to. This concealer can be worn with heavy coverage if it is applied with a sponge or a brush and it can be worn with more sheer coverage if it is applied with the fingers or mixed with a moisturizer. The Pro Longwear Concealer has amazing staying power and does not have to be set with a powder.

Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Definer
Price: $23.00
Where you can buy this: Sephora, Ulta, Macy's, Nordstrom

 

The second item that I would chose to bring with me is the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Definer. This is one of my holy grail products, and is by far one of my favorite brow products of all time (besides the Anastasia Beverly Hills Clear Brow Gel!) I love the Brow Definer because it has a spoolie on one end so that you can maintain and groom your brows and the other end has an angled brow pencil that you can create flawless brows with. The actual brow products has a beautiful range of colors for every hair color and tone, and the longevity of the product is amazing. Your brows aren't going anywhere with this brow pencil! Plus, if you are in a pinch, you can also use this as an eyeliner for along the lash line to create a smoky eye.

L'Oreal Voluminous Carbon Black Mascara
Price: $8.29
Where you can buy this: Ulta, drugstores, etc.

 

The third product that I would pick would have to be the L'Oreal Voluminous Carbon Black Mascara. This is my ride or die mascara. I have not found another mascara (drugstore nor high end) that compares to the length and volume that the L'Oreal Voluminous provides. If you love the look of false lashes but do not know how to apply them or just plain hate to wear them, then this the mascara for you. It gives you the illusion of much thicker and fuller lashes. Not to mention that the carbon black color is as black as they come. I have been using the L'Oreal Voluminous Mascara for many years now and I have never had a problem with it running or smudging no matter what the weather was or what activities I was participating in that day. Plus, it is not a waterproof mascara so it is easy to remove without ripping out your real lashes.

Make Up For Ever Pro Sculpting Duo
Price: $39.00
Where you can buy this: Sephora, Make Up For Ever stores

 

 

The next product that I would chose would be the Make Up For Ever Pro Sculpting Duo. This is a highlight and contour duo. Half of the product is a highlighter and the other half of the product is a contour/bronzer and the two halves are made into a petite black compact. The Pro Sculpting Duo comes in two colors: one is a more golden tone and the other is a more pink tone. I personally have the pinker toned set because I think that this color in particular is best on a wider range of skin tones. I think the highlight looks nice on my skin when I am on the fair side and when I am self tanning and have a bit of color. This product is great because it is a compact two in one product that is easy to carry around and is great for multi-purpose situations. You can not only use this duo as a highlight and contour kit, but you can also use them as eye shadows. I have used them as eye shadows many times and I have been complimented on how beautiful it looks, so its a win win!

MAC Cosmetics Boldly Bare Lip Pencil
Price: $16.50
Where you can buy this: MAC Cosmetics, Macy's, Nordstrom

 

 

The last product that I would chose would be the MAC Cosmetics Boldly Bare Lip Pencil. MAC's lip pencils have to be some of my favorite lip pencil formulas on the market. They are an amazing formula that lasts and is not uncomfortable to wear at all. Not to mention that MAC has a ton of colors in their lip pencil line! In particular, I love the color Boldly Bare. Boldly Bare is a neutral pinky-brown color. It is almost like your lip color but better. I like to line my lips with the pencil then fill the rest of it in to create a great long lasting base for my lipstick, or even rock it by itself since the color is amazing on its own. This is a must-have color in any makeup lover's collection!

All Photos By Becky Schutten

Makeup of the Day

Sunday Funday

This past Sunday I decided to go all out and do a full-on glam look to spicy up my laid back Sunday with the family. I went for a deep smoky eye with lots of lashes paired with a neutral lip. Below are all of the products that I used to achieve this glam look.

Primer: Chanel Le Blanc De Chanel Sheer Illuminating Base

Foundation: Clinique Beyond Perfecting Foundation and Concealer in 0.5 (Breeze)

Concealer: MAC Cosmetics Pro Longwear Concealer in NW20

Setting Powder: Laura Mercier Secret Brightening Powder

Bronzer: Kat Von D Shade and Light Palette in Shadowplay

Contour: Kat Von D Shade and Light Palette in Subconscious

Blush: MAC Cosmetics Mineralize Blush in Warm Soul

Highlighter: MAC Cosmetics Eye Shadow in Shroom

Eye Shadow Base: MAC Cosmetics Paint Pot in Blackground

Eye Shadow: MAC Cosmetics Eye Shadows in Carbon (eyelid), Bamboo (crease), Swiss Chocolate (deep crease, under eye), and Shroom (inner corner highlight, brow highlight)

Eyeliner: Maybelline Eye Studio Gel Eyeliner in Blackest Black

Mascara: L'Oreal Voluminous Carbon Black and Rimmel Lash Accelerator in Extreme Black

False Lashes: MAC Cosmetics Lashes in #43

Lash Glue: Andrea Brush-On Striplash Eyelash Adhesive

Eyebrow Pencil: Anastasia Beverly Hills Brown Definer in Medium Brown

Eyebrow Gel: Anastasia Beverly Hills Clear Brow Gel

Lip Liner: MAC Cosmetics Lip Pencil in Boldly Bare

Lipstick: Sephora Color Lip Last in 02 (Cinnamon Crush)

Lip Gloss: Nars Chelsea Girl

Setting Spray: Sephora Beauty Amplifier Set and Refresh Spray

 

 

All Photos By Becky Schutten

Makeup of the Day

Dinner/Date Makeup

Last night I went out with some family to celebrate my man's 28th birthday, and this is the makeup look that I created for dinner at a local Mexican restaurant. Below are the makeup products that I used to create this look:

Prime: None

Foundation: L'Oreal True Match in W2 Light Ivory

Concealer: MAC Pro Longwear Concealer in NW20 and Sephora Bright Future Concealer in 03

Setting Powder: Laura Mercier Secret Brightening Powder

Bronzer: Benefit Hoola Bronzer

Contour: Inglot HD Sculpting Powder in 505

Blush: Nars Orgasm

Highlighter: Anastasia Beverly Hills Glow Kit in Gleam (Crushed Pearl)

Eye Shadows: Too Faced Natural Matte in Nude/Cashmere Bunny (crease/under eye) and Risqué (lash line/under eye), and Make Up Forever Artist Shadow Palette 9 in D-562 (eyelid) and I-514 (brow highlight and inner corner highlight)

Eye Liner: Maybelline Eye Studio Gel Liner in Blackest Black

Mascara: L'Oreal Voluminous Carbon Black and Rimmel Lash Accelerator Extreme Black

False Lashes: None

Brows: Anastasia Beverly Hills Clear Brow Gel and Brow Definer in Medium Brown

Lip Liner: MAC Lip Pencil in Whirl

Lipstick: Too Faced Melted Matte in Queen B

Setting Spray: Sephora Beauty Amplifier Set and Refresh Spray

All Photos by Becky Schutten

Benefit Cheekathon Review

Benefit Cheekathon Review

Benefit Cheekathon Palette
Price: $58.00
You can buy this at: Sephora, Ulta, Benefit

I recently purchased the Benefit Cheekathon palette from Sephora and I absolutely love it! If you are considering buying one or two of the Benefit blushes or bronzers, or you are just a makeup junkie like I am, you need this palette. I already owned the Rockateur blush in the individual container, but I wanted to purchase the Cheekathon palette anyway because I have considered buying the Hoola bronzer and Coralista blush for quite some time now, but never took the plunge. After the Cheekathon palette came out, I realized this was the perfect opportunity to try out all of the blushes and bronzers that Benefit is known for but only for the cost of two individuals blushes.

The Cheekathon palette comes with three blushes, one bronzer, and a face powder along with a small flat topped brush. The products that are inside of the palette are as follows from left to right and top to bottom: Dandelion, Hoola, Rockateur, Dallas, and Coralista. I have tried every color in the palette and all are super pigmented and easy to blend on the skin. Everything in the Cheekathon palette is full size products so it is truly a bang for your buck. I have more fair skin so all of the colors show up nicely on my skin tone, however, I think that Dandelion might be a light on medium to dark skin tones.

I would definitely recommend this palette to anyone who is interested in buying a Benefit blush or bronzer. It really is a great deal for the price verse the amount of product that you get!

                     In order from left to right: Dandelion, Hoola, Rockateur, Dallas, Coralista

All Photos by Becky Schutten.

L'Oreal Collection Exclusive Review

L'Oreal's Eva Longoria Lipstick and Nail Polish

L'Oreal's exclusive collection with a handful of famous celebrities helps give everyone a look into what these ladies favorite colors are when it comes to lipsticks and nail polish. A few of these women include Eva Longoria, Juliana Moore, and Jennifer Lopez. This exclusive collection comes with a signature lipstick and nail polish that was picked to represent each of the women that they are named after. The lipstick and the nail polish come separately for purchase, but they are made to compliment each other beautifully.

After looking at all of the colors from the collection, I decided to go with the lipstick and nail polish that was designed for Eva Longoria. I felt that both of these products suited my taste the best of all the choices that were available. I have previously purchased the Jennifer Lopez lipstick in the nude collection, and I love the formula and scent of the lipstick. Also, I have bought many of the L'Oreal nail polishes and I have always loved the formula and lasting power.

Eva's Pink Lipstick
Price: $8.99
Where you can find it: Walgreens, Walmart, Target, Ulta, etc.

This current exclusive collection that was released by L'Oreal is a group of pinker toned lipsticks and nail polishes. I'm not a huge fan of a super pink lip on my skin tone on a day to day basis, but the Eva Longoria pink lipstick is a beautiful balance between a statement pink and a pink that you can wear on a daily basis. The lipstick itself is called Eva's Pink. It is a gorgeous medium-deep rose toned pink. The formula is opaque and creamy, so it is very easy to apply on the lips. Also, the longevity of these L'Oreal lipsticks is great! They last for a couple of hours without crusting on the lips or bleeding outside of your lip line. Eva's Pink is a neutral enough pink that you can pair pretty much any lip liner with it and it would blend easily. I would suggest using something like Dervish from MAC Cosmetics. I think that Dervish is he perfect color to define the lips without taking away from the lipsticks stunning color.

Eva's Pink Nail Polish
Price: $7.99
Where you can find it: Walgreens, Walmart, Target, Ulta, etc.

The nail polish that goes along with the lipstick is also called Eva's Pink. The nail polish color is a beautifully muted rosy color. This color can be worn with any look because it is more on the neutral side of the pink and rose tones. This nail polish formula is super opaque and gives a great color payoff with one stroke. I like to use two coats of nail polish to make sure that there is no streaking, but you could absolutely get away with one coat and be fine. I usually don't even use a top coat to make sure that the nail polish lasts because I think that the formula is good enough that it doesn't need it. I would say that this formula of nail polish lasts about a week to two weeks without chipping depending on the color.

I would definitely recommend purchasing the L'Oreal Collection Exclusive lipsticks and nail polish if you are drawn to any of the colors. I loved some of the other colors as well, and I am strongly considering running back to the store to buy more. Let me know if you would like to see any of the other colors or reviews on the other lipsticks and nail polish colors.

All photos by  Becky Schutten.