Konnichiwa, Yachiyo!

Okay, so my b'day was last week and I decided to treat myself to something I've been eyeballing for a long time.  I was always hesitant to pull the trigger because I hadn't really had to make an investment into high-end brushes yet; the brushes I use are a collection of Sonia Kashuk, EcoTools and miscellaneous freebies that came in various palettes.  They had all worked fine for me with no problems... but I kept hearing so much about this darn brush!  And then this happened:

Umm, yeah.  My "cheapie" blush brush totally came apart.  So, I finally took the plunge and purchased NARS' Yachiyo Kabuki brush.

Yachiyo is part of NARS' Kabuki Artisan line of brushes, which is inspired by the traditional beauty rituals of Japanese Kabuki theater.  The brush comes wrapped in a plastic/cellophane sleeve that's securely tucked into a simple, black NARS box.

A diffusing dynamo by design, the tapered dome of super soft goat hairs aids in its efficacy in blending powder products.

Side view

Tail of brush is numbered "27"

Yachiyo is about the length of my hand from top to bottom.  The handle is wrapped in black wisteria.

The head is not large at all, which is perfect for applying product to the apples of the cheek.

All the positive reviews and charges of effortless application/blending of color had truly whet my appetite for this unique beauty and I can't wait to put it to use.  The NARS Yachiyo can be bought via their website or Beauty.com and retails for about $50.  Yes, the cost may be a little extravagant, but there's nothing wrong with a little luxury now and then.  Besides, the true value of a product is in its number of uses and I already KNOW this brush is going to outlast my broken "cheapie", which I had for a couple of years.  So... Sayonara, broken cheapie!  Konnichiwa, Yachiyo!

My Birthday Weekend

Hey, guys!  How was your weekend?  Mine was pretty fabu because it was my birthday this past Saturday.  (Enter loud applause here.)  LOL

I had a great time and, in fact, plan to carry out the celebration of my life for the rest of the month.  Maybe even longer, who knows?  All I know is that I am getting a lot of things lined up and really want to start enjoying the small along with the big, you know?  Also, I am working hard on shedding the old and embracing the new.  So, I'm not going to drag on and on in this post, but I did want to share at least my b'day eye look and hair.  Now be forewarned - the pics are NOT the greatest.  They were taken with my phone, but - hopefully - you'll get the gist.

I decided to go with curls this weekend instead of my normal straight style.  It looked cute, but trying to sleep in the old school, hard plastic rollers I had to wear in order to keep the curls cute was murder!

My eye look, which I like to call my "peacock" look, was created with a combo of Make Up For Ever, Inglot and MAC eyeshadows.  I used NARS' eyeshadow base underneath it all.

Oh, this is me walking away from my friend because they were trying to annoy me.  On my b'day?!  Not up in here!

Earlier, I went to see Skyfall, the new James Bond movie.  Overall, I liked it, but I understand why it's getting mixed reviews; the beginning and end were the best parts of the movie: action-packed and very Bond-like.  The middle was a little too talky.  Seemed like they were really trying to fill out the Bond character by making him almost too human.  Flaws and all.  Something the originals never bothered with.  I mean, I know this is a newer, more intense Bond, but out-of-the-world gadgets, kooky villains and straight espionage is what makes a Bond movie fun.  I don't need to be able to relate to him on a human level.  I want James Bond, the debonair secret agent, not Jimmy Bond, the everyday guy that just happens to fight bad guys.  But I digress...

Later I went out to eat and had a drink *gasp*!  Yes.  I know to most, this is not a big deal, but I don't drink.  Anywho, I felt like being a little bad for once so I ordered a Mojito.  And it was really good.  Really, really good!  Man, I'm glad I don't drink because I would be a total lush.  Seriously.  Hmm... I wonder what kind of drunk I would be?  Oh, I would def be the talkative type.  The one who would bend your ear with her whole life's story and then laugh out loud at her own jokes when everybody else is awkwardly silent.  Yep.  That would be me.

Well, on the flip side, I was extremely good concerning gifting myself.  I didn't go crazy at all.  I only bought a blush brush (which will be my next post) and a blush from MAC (which I will talk about later, as well).

Every b'day I try to do something and/or learn something new.  I'm still adding to the list as much as I'm subtracting, but I'm really trying to enjoy the process in the meantime... which, of course, I'll share in upcoming posts.

Color Series - Taupes: MAC's Shitaki

And so here we are again- another Friday, another taupelicious goody for me to share with you, albeit the last time.  At least for now.  This little baby is one of my favorite lipsticks; I fell in love with it instantly upon sight.  Let me talk to you for a moment about MAC's Shitaki.

Shitaki is a beautiful, pink taupe-y brown.  MAC categorizes its finish as a "glaze", and aptly so: it is semi-opaque to opaque and leaves the lips with a slight sheen/shine to them.  It has MAC's signature vanilla smell (most of their lip products have this scent), which some may find cloying, but doesn't bother me at all.  Needless to say, I enjoy wearing this shade.  I sometimes rock it as a darker neutral and put a mauve-type gloss over it or play it up to full capacity.  But either which way, it's lovely.

**Bummer alert!: I learned that MAC has decided to discontinue Shitaki (of course!  Ugh!), BUT I do have a dupe for it.  MAC's Icon- a taupe brown with shimmer- is pretty close, though a bit grayer and they actually have a lipstick called Taupe now (don't remember seeing it before on their website, so it's new to me).  So either one of these may be worth checking out if you found Shitaki at all appealing.  MAC lipsticks retail for $15.

Well, I guess it's time for me to close this chapter and move on to another color.  We've spent a lot of time taupe talkin' and I really hope you enjoyed it as much as I did! 

Wonder what color I'll delve into next...  Hmm... 

A Gorgeous Sunrise

I've been pushing a lot of color over the past few weeks because, well, I really enjoy it.  I figure if you're going to wear makeup, why be plain?  But I also realize that neutral makeup can be just as exciting and pretty.  And I know that there are a lot of makeup wearers that would rather enhance with a neutral than augment and exaggerate with a bold color.  I get it.  So, besides the mention of the ubiquitous neutral palettes out there (e.g. Naked/Naked2), I would like to show you one that hasn't really gotten a lot of hype.  It's by Stila and it's called Sunrise.

Maybe Sunrise hasn't been talked up as much because the quad is made up of shadows that are already sold individually, but for anyone that has never tried Stila (such was the case with me), it is the perfect introduction to some of their products.  Sunrise is actually a set of products that, besides the four shadows, includes a waterproof eyeliner and dual-sided brush.  This is a Beauty.com exclusive.

Retractable eyeliner Koi.

Koi is a smudgeproof, beautiful gold.

Sunrise, the quad, consists of four complementary colors: Oasis, Java, Wheat and Barefoot Contessa.  The shadows are so soft and smooth, and highly pigmented.  And they can be used wet or dry.  The full-sized eyeshadows are sent as singles that can easily be housed in the simple, but sturdy, magnetic palette they provide.  The palette has small holes in the back so you can "poke" the shadows out for removal later (I, myself, just used a small magnet to remove the shadows).

Pinholes in back to pop eyeshadows out.

I genuinely love this palette.  It's neutral, but not boring.  No over-the-top frosts, just pearls and a matte.  It's highly versatile and the colors are gorgeous.  Barefoot Contessa is just so fetching, with her cranberry-brown self!  She's my fave.  And with the Sunrise set consisting of four full-sized Stila shadows (normally priced at $18/ea.), a full-sized eyeliner (normally $20), a Stila magnetic palette and a double ended brush (normally $32), you are getting a king sized bounty of treats for a pauper's price - $35.  How can you beat that?

It's truly the perfect Sunrise for any neutral lover to start their day with.

A Pearly Purple For Your Pucker

At heart, I am a lipstick girl.  I can comfortably walk out the house with absolutely nothing on the face, but I MUST have something on my lips, even if it's lip gloss.  But I prefer lipstick.  And now that the weather is changing, I am determined to wear some of my darker colors more consistently.  Especially this one, Make Up For Ever's Rouge Artist Intense #14.

Make Up For Ever describes the color as a "pearly, dark violet".  It is a beautiful, smoky purple with silver shimmer.  The shimmer is very fine and does not translate as grittiness on the lips.  It has a satin finish.  I do not find this shade to be particularly moisturizing, however, with a lip balm underneath, I am totally fine.  After a full day of wear, it barely faded and stayed true to color.  I was very impressed!

Rouge Artist Intense #14 is my first and only lippie from MUFE so far, but I am anxious to try more from the line because of the quality of the product and the shades they offer.  (There's a gorgeous 14k gold shade I just can't wait to get my hands on!)  

Anywho, until then I'll be rocking the smoky #14 along with my other darks.  It really is a wearable deep violet that doesn't O.D. on the vamp, but rather exudes a sedated sexiness.  Quite a lovely color! 

This lipstick, along with other MUFE's products, can be found at Sephora and retails for about $19.

Color Series - Taupes: Meet Ingrid from China... Glaze, That Is!

Hey, guys!  Hope you're all having a tauperrific Friday!  I know I am, courtesy of the lovely Ingrid from China Glaze.

Ingrid is a perfect mix of brown-gray with a smidgen of green and a dash of gold pearl.  It sometimes acts like it wants to lean towards army green, but it's not.  It really is a wonderful shade of taupe for your nails.  The nail polish itself goes on without clumping, bubbling or streaking and two coats will bring you up to opaque level in no time.  I happened to stumble upon this color when I was at my local Ulta and have rocked it non-stop this past summer.

Ingrid in direct sunlight

I really haven't seen another nail lacquer quite this taupe-y.  Usually they're brown, or a variation thereof, or a cement gray, but not a combo of the two.  So, China Glaze really captured my heart with this one.

You can find China Glaze at Ulta or Sally's Beauty Supply and their polishes usually retail for about $6.99.

I think next week will be the last installment of the taupe series. I mean, I could go on and on, but I know that there are other colors in the world besides taupe.  I can admit as much.  I'm still trying to decide what the final selection will be... Hmm... Oh!  I think I'll do... Naah.  Not that. 

Ok, I think I got it.  How about a little mushroom to feast your eyes and lips on?  You say you don't like mushrooms?  Well, don't worry.  It's not to eat.  Besides, if you love taupe like I do, you'll love this Shitaki.