Beauty Look | Swatching L'Oreal Paris Colour Riche Matte Lipsticks - Summer Friendly Lips

It's been a minute since I have shared anything on the blog. Lots has been going on personally and therefore I needed to take a much needed break. I'm happy to start sharing things on the blog again :)

So, what better way then to start my return to blogging than to share a beauty look post! In my opinion, one of the easiest ways to change your look is with Lipstick! It's easy, and you can choose how bold you go.

I picked a few of my faves from the L'Oreal Paris Colour Riche Matte Lipsticks! It's a mix of some fun shades that work well seasonally, especially for the Summer!

The lipsticks I chose are:

1. 711 - At The Drop of a Matte 
2. 712 - Matte Mandate
3. 707 - Matte-Jestic
4. 703 - Matte-Moiselle Pink
5. 402 - Devil's Matte-Vocate Red

SWATCH PICS:

711 - At The Drop of a Matte - Shade: Bright/Light Purple

712 - Matte Mandate - Shade: Bright Magenta

707 - Matte-Jestic - Shade: Deep Plum

703 - Matte-Moiselle - Shade: Soft Peachy Pink

403 - Devil's Matte-Vocate Red - Shade: Deep Red

These lipsticks are super matte, so if you want a smoother way to apply them, add a bit of Vaseline or Chapstick on your lips before you apply. This will help by making it a smoother application.

Hope you get to try these on for the summer!

Beauty Look | Soft and Natural Makeup Look via ABH Modern Renaissance Eyeshadow Palette

Here is another makeup look featuring the Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance Palette! I'm still in love with this palette!

To be honest, usually the novelty wears off for me, after a few weeks of using a new product. Then I would typically go back to my regular faves, but this one has become a great go-to for me! The shadows work beautifully together or alone and the blendability is awesome! (You don't have to be a makeup artist to get beautifully blended and smoked out eye looks)!

The makeup look I did, was more on the soft and natural side, which was perfect for a summer wedding I went to back in August. I really like how the look came together and that this was a simpler version of a smokey eye.

Product Details are below:

EYES

• Anastasia Beverley Hills - Modern Renaissance Palette
• Browbone & Base: Tempera 
• Transition: Golden Ochre & Buon Fresco
• Crease/Lash line: Antique Bronze, Cyprus Umber and Red Ochre
• Waterline: MAC Feline Eye Pencil
• Top Liner: L'Oreal Liquid Liner
• Mascara: L'Oreal Voluminous

FACE

• Foundation: Maybelline FITMe Foundation in Shade 315
• Blush: Coastal Scents Palette
• Lipstick: Giorgio Armani - Rouge D'Armani in 500
• Lip gloss: Fenty Beauty Gloss Bomb

Since this was a summer wedding that was outdoors, I opted not to do a highlight or any shimmer, since my face naturally would produce that glow. Hope you like the look, more to come!

Beauty Look | #MACCosmetics Media Lipstick Look

I shared my NEW Mac Lipsticks in my last post and today I wanted to share the look featuring Media Lipstick. This look paired beautifully with the emerald toned eyes. Take a look at the product details along with the photos below!

Products Used:

Face

• Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk 6.25
• NYX Highlight & Contour Pro Palette
• MAC Cosmetics Skinfinish in Candlelight
• Vasanti Cosmetics Blush in Rockies

Eyes

• Fluid Sheer 2
• Giorgio Armani Eye Tint 4
• Coastal Scents 28 Neutral Palette (Warm Brown)
• Laura Mercier Caviar Sticks in Copper (Which actually looks more gold)
• Maybelline Master Drama Eye Studio Eye Pencil in Black
• NYX Collection Noir Liquid Black Liner
• Giorgio Armani Black Ecstasy Mascara

Lips

• Beautique Pencil in Wine
• MAC Cosmetics Lipstick in Media

This is a great look for a night out! If you want to wear this look for the day, soften the emerald tone by mixing it with a champagne base or you can apply the emerald tone as an eyeliner instead.

More looks to come this week featuring the other MAC lipsticks featured in last weeks post (Click Here)!

Fun Makeup | Halloween Inspired Skull Makeup Look

I have been waiting a loooooooooooooooong time to do this type of makeup look. I wanted to do something that was a bit more realistic and artistic. This was my first attempt and I am pretty happy how this turned out. Goes to show that you can continue to learn more about the art of Makeup!

Check out the pics and the makeup products I used to create this Skull Makeup Look!

The Products I used were:

• Annabelle White Eyeliner Pencil with White Shadow - Created outline, filled in the face 
• Giorgio Armani Fluid Sheer & Vasanti Foundation #01 - Blended out the face and to blend
• QUO Liquid Liner & Maybelline Line Stiletto - Created Lines and Teeth
• Giorgio Armani Maestro Liner - Created Skull cracks and fine details for Teeth
• Coastal Scents 28 Neutral Palette - Using grey/black created shadows and dimension to the Skull

I hope you like this look and please feel free to share or comment below! This was so much fun to create and I will definitely be doing these more, at least 1 Special Look a month, so stay tuned!

Beauty Look | Fall Makeup Look featuring Laura Mercier Custom Contour Palette

I love Fall. Period. There is nothing nicer than the cooler weather to bring out the deeper tones and hues for Nature, Fashion and of course Makeup!

The Makeup look that I am sharing today is my go-to Fall look. This look can be worn on any skin tone. It's not super bold, which is why it's perfect to wear everyday. One product that I wanted to feature, that I recently got, is the Laura Mercier Custom Contour Palette. It gives a perfect yet soft contour. I have more details on the palette as well as the products used for this look below:

Eyes
Coastal Scents - 28 Neutral Palette (Warm Brown, Light Brown, Light Beige and Dark Prune)
Laura Mercier Caviar Sticks in Cocoa and Copper
Giorgio Armani Eye & Brow Maestro in Wedgewood/Dark Brown
Giorgio Armani Eyes to Kill Mascara
Maybelline Line Stiletto Liquid Liner
Maybelline Eye Drama Pencil Liner

Lips
Giorgio Armani Lip Pencil #12 (Dark Burgundy)
Rouge D'Armani Lipstick in #500
Giorgio Armani Flash Lacquer Lipgloss in #107

Face
Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation in #6.25
Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer in Warm Natural
Coastal Scents 10 Blush Palette - Warm Plum Tone
Laura Mercier Custom Contour Palette

The Laura Mercier Custom Contour palette is a great kit for anyone who wants a simple way to contour. You can use the shades to softly sculpt your cheeks and jawline. This palette can be filled with your own custom shades but is initially offered with the following tones:

1. Highlight #1 - Highlighter - Gives a glowing finish to the skin and to highlight
2. Contour Deep #2 - Deepest Contour - Sculpt into the hollows of the cheeks
3. Contour #1 - Medium Contour - Blend and use for a softer sculpted effect

For the look I did, I used the two contour shades together and paired with the blush. Be sure to check out this kit! The key to Fall makeup is using warm earthy shades on the eyes, glowing skin with a subtle contour and paired with plum/medium pink based lipstick. Try your own version of this look and you'll see why this is perfect for Fall.

Beauty Look | #FOTD/#MOTD Smouldering Purple!

Purple is one of my favourite colours to wear. It looks great on all skin tones and works beautifully for brown eyes! I put together a purple smokey eye look using the Giorgio Armani Quad #12. A mini palette of sorts that still allows you to create a beautiful makeup look.

Check out the pics and details below:

EYES
Primer: Giorgio Armani Fluid Sheer #10
Lower Lash line/Waterline: MAC Smoulder Eye Pencil/Mixed with Dark Purple Shade from Quad
Lids: Lilac Shade
Transition: Earthy Brown Shade
Crease: Dark Purple
Brow Bone: Lightest Shade
Mascara: Giorgio Armani Eyes To Kill Mascara
Liquid Liner: Vasanti Cosmetics Liquid Liner Cleopatra
Accent Colour: Applied on the middle of the lids - Lightest Shade from Quad
Foiled Purple: Giorgio Armani Eyes to Kill (Fall Collection 2013) Scarab Violetta #33

FACE
Foundation: Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk #7
Mixed with: Giorgio Armani Fluid Sheer #10
Cheeks: Giorgio Armani Blush #506 + Bronzer #100

LIPS
Beautique Liner in Soft Brown
MAC Lipstick in Angel
MAC Lipglass in Perky

BROWS
Giorgio Armani Eye & Brow Maestro in #02
Giorgio Armani Brow Pencil in #02
YSL Touch Eclat to Define Browns underneath and on top

The reason I use Fluid Sheer as a base for my shadow is it makes for a great primer. Fluid Sheer is a liquid based highlighting product that can is used for, of course, highlighting, but it works beautifully as an Eye shadow primer. The "sticky" texture allows the powder shadow to adhere which results in a longer wear as well as NO creasing! I have worn this look for 12 hours now and it has NOT creased!

I also like to mix Fluid Sheer with my foundation for a glowing finish to the skin!

Such a beautiful look to do for a night out, a reception look paired with a darker lip or Date/Girls Night! Try it out and feel free to comment, share or post your version of this look!

Beauty Look | #FOTD/#MOTD - Green Eye Makeup with Pink Lips :)

Green shadow looks are making it everywhere on the #NYFW (New York Fashion Week) runways. I wanted to try out this fun shade by using products I already had on hand. You can always buy new makeup for new trends but if you are a bonafide makeup junkie (aka Makeup addict) like me, than you will always have the products that you need in your makeup bag or drawer :)

This is a perfect FALL makeup look. Here is my look de-constructed below:

EYES
Primer: Giorgio Armani Fluid Sheer #10
Lower Lash line/Waterline: Annabelle Black & Blue Eye Pencil
Base: Vasanti Kajal Extreme Eye Pencil in Black on 2/3 of the Eye and Crease
Transition: Giorgio Armani Bronzer #400 into the crease
Lids: Giorgio Armani Eyes To Kill (Fall Collection 2013) #32 Gold Hercule (Mixed with Fluid Sheer #10)
Crease: Coastal Scents Ultra Shimmer 88 Palette  - Rich Emerald
Mascara: Giorgio Armani Eyes to Kill Mascara

BROWS
Giorgio Armani Eye & Brow Maestro in #02
Giorgio Armani Brow Pencil in #03
YSL Touche Eclat to Highlight Underneath and on top

FACE
Foundation: Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Liquid Foundation #7
Highlight: Giorgio Armani Fluid Sheer #10
Cheeks: Giorgio Armani Bronzer #400

LIPS
Beautique Liner in Wine
Giorgio Armani Rouge D'Armani Sheers Lipstick (Summer 2014 Collection) #603 Plum

I love this look and will be wearing it a lot for the Fall months! Try this look out and share your comments below! If you wanted to neutralize this look, use a brown shade for the crease to blend. :)

FOTD: Instagram Love - Pretty in Pink

Recently I posted a photo on Instagram that showcased a fun and bright look for Spring! I wanted to share the details of the look below including the products used:

Courtesy of: www.instagram.com/makeupbysand

Products Used

1. Face: Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation in #6.5
2. Highlight: Giorgio Armani Fluid Sheer in #10
3. Eyes: MAC Retrospeck Eyeshadow + Vasanti Cosmetics Brow Powder in the Crease & Brows
4. Lashes: Giorgio Armani Eyes To Kill Mascara
5. Inner Liner: Giorgio Armani Eye Pencil in Black 
6. Lower Lash line: Giorgio Armani Fall 2013 Eye Shadow Palette
7. Liquid Liner: Vasanti Cosmetics Cleopatra 
8. Blush: MAC blushes in Dainty & Passionately Tempted
9. Lipstick: Covergirl Lipstick in Enchantress
10. Lipgloss: MAC Lipglass in Perky

The pop of blue shadow right underneath the lash line really completed the look and worked so well with the bright lip. We have had a tough winter and we were reminded of that today, (here in Toronto, we actually got snow!), therefore be brave and bold this spring!

FOTD - Halloween Inspired - Lady Darkness

Halloween is just around the corner and if you are strapped for time or not sure what to do for a costume, here is an easy look that takes no time. To complete this look, I used my regular beauty products that I would use for any of the glam or everyday looks that I do.

The white face makeup that was used was the only product that was purchased, but the rest of the products I already had had at home to create this look.

Check out the products that I used:

• White Face Makeup - Base 
• Grey Ghoulish Shadows - Grey & Black Waterproof Eye Pencil
• Ghoulish Accents - Grey & Black eyeshadows
• Lips - Grey Waterproof Eye Pencil
• Blood - Burgundy Lipstick, Vaseline and Black Liquid Eyeliner.
• Black Hood - Black Shawl

Pretty straightforward, I used the white makeup to cover the face, then I used the makeup to create the shadows and the creepiness to the face.  Any of the natural angles of my face, I added the grey and blended out with my fingers.  Once the lips were greyed out, it totally completed the face.  The last touch was the blood on the lips and eyes, which I used the end of the eyeshadow to apply.  The products were mixed on the back of my hand.

Total Time: 15 mins.

Hope you enjoy this ghoulish look!

Always Smile :)  - Sand

FOTD - Fall Inspired - Perfect Look for the Weekend!

We relish for our weekends or our days off.  Mostly to finish off errands, relax, visit with family or friends, go shopping or to eat out.  

For the weekend, I usually like to keep my makeup really natural with a natural lip but I also like playing with bold colours, especially in the Fall! The season inspires fresh cheeks, bold lips and darker hues for eyes which looks great on everyone! It's also a great change from the neutral look. 

Here is my weekend look inspired by Navy's and Plums,  for whatever your weekend may hold!

Products Used:



1. Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation in 6.5
2. Giorgio Armani Fluid Sheer in 10 (Adds an amazing glow to the skin)
3. Vasanti Cosmetics Kajal Extreme Eye Pencil in Electric Navy 
4. Giorgio Armani Eyes to Kill Silk Eye Shadow (LE) Fall Collection in 30
5. Giorgio Armani Eyes To Kill Excess Mascara
6. Vasanti Cosmetics Liquid Liner in Cleopatra
7. MAC Blushes in Dainty (Soft Pink) and Passionately Tempted (Mid-Tone Magenta)
8. Giorgio Armani Rouge D'Armani in Plum 610




Always Smile :)  - Sand

EOTD - Blue Jays Inspired Look - Dramatic

This was such a fun look to put together!! I finally took some time to do an extension to my sports-themed related eye shadow looks (Originally I started out with a few NFL related looks).

After these NFL posts were published, a lot of people have requested looks that were from other sports teams, specifically Toronto teams.

So here is my tribute to the Toronto Blue Jays! This is a fun yet dramatic look that you can wear at home or at the bar watching the game, check out the details below:

1. Line the eyes with a Navy Liner that is waterproof. On the top, line half way.

2. Use a medium light blue shade and apply all over the lid and into the crease.

3. Use a deeper blue shade and apply at the corner of the eye and blend inwards.

4. For added intensity, use the same eye liner from step one and create a small triangle.

5. Blend out with either your fingers and then buff inwards with a fluffy brush.

6. Use a champagne sparkly shade to highlight the inner corner and into the inner lid.

7. Line the top lash line with a thin liquid liner in black and do a subtle wing upwards.

8. Finish with two coats of Mascara.

For the final look you can add a pop of blue by lining underneath the lash line with the same blue liner and then adding the medium blue shade right on top.

Because this look is so fun and dramatic, it's a great look for any Blue Jay fan! For additional drama, you can pair it with a sexy Red Lipstick to complete the look!

Always Smile :)  - Sand