Top 15 MAC eyeshadows! :)

So I've been gone for a bit...but I'm back! Lol. Finally done with finals and all that jazz and now I'm free, free, free at last! :)

Here I have my MAC pro palette of 15 eyeshadows that I chose individually. Please keep in mind that I filled this palette over the course of many months as it would be farrrr too expensive to buy all of these at once. Lol.

I have the new pro palette which retails for $8 and then the eyeshadow insert was an additional $2 and then every little eyeshadow pan was $10 so let's just not do the math for how much money I've used on this palette. Lol. But I honestly handpicked every single shade knowing that I would definitely use it. As you can tell, I don't really venture very far from neutral colors but there's enough range here so I can go from a really natural look to an intense/dark smokey eye ;)

Top row (L-R):

1. Brulee. The perfect matte highlight. I'm not a fan of just white because I find it to be a little too harsh for everyday wear so this beige/cream color is perfect.

2. Phloof!

3. Nylon this and Phloof! are the ultimate inner-corner highlight shades.

4. Naked Lunch

5. All That Glitters

Middle row (L-R):

1. Patina. Probably my most-used shade in the entire palette. It's perfect for all over the lid. I literally wear this almost everyday.

2. Wood Winked. Another shade I use all the time. I have yet to find a dupe of this.

3. Shale

4. Satin Taupe. My favorite for when I'm doing a very blended out smokey eye. 

5. Sketch. The first eyeshadow to ever teach me the power of purple eye makeup paired with brown eyes (it's great).

Bottom row (L-R):

1. Cork. My go-to shade for blending out a smokey look.

2. Concrete. My current favorite for deepening the outer corner of my eyes.

3. Folie

4. Embark. The perrrrrfect chocolate brown.

5. Carbon. The classic matte black that everyone needs in their collection. I actually love the fact that it's not a super pigmented shade, but that's just me because I'm all about subtlety.

Hope this helped you if you're in the market for some MAC eyeshadows. I truly believe that they have some of the best quality ones available that aren't super expensive (well they're kind of expensive if you're buying a lot but you know what I mean) They also offer 2 & 4 pan palettes and individual eyeshadows as well! 

Thanks for putting up with me :)

-Ashley

Giving Thanks: Complete fall look!

Happy belated Thanksgiving everyone! Hope you all had amazing holiday with your loved ones. Here's the makeup and outfit I wore yesterday to my family gathering. I hope this can give you some inspiration for the rest of fall! :)

*beware of the picture of me with no makeup

Step 1: Makeup

Before (shield your eyes everyone):

After:

I went for very natural looking skin, a neutral smokey eye, and a slightly bolder lip. Perfect for a casual night with friends or family :)

Products used:

-Urban Decay Naked Skin Foundation

-Maybelline Dream-Lumi Touch concealer

-NARS translucent pressed powder

-MAC blush in Harmony (as a contour)

-ELF blush in Berry Merry

-Revlon lip butter in Sugar Plum

Eye focus:

-Rimmel brow pencil in Black Brown

-Urban decay eyeshadows: Sidecar (across the lid), Smog + Darkhorse (in the outer corner)

-MAC eyeshadows: Brulee (on the brow bone), Woodwinked (lower lash line), and Carbon (outer 1/3 of the lower lash line)

-Maybelline gel eyeliner in Blackest Black

-Clinique bottom lash mascara

-Urban Decay Cannonball mascara

Step 2: Outfit

*my deepest apologies because I'm awful at mirror selfies

Clothes/accessories:

-Sweater: Forever 21

-Black cami: Tilly's

-Skater skirt: Target

-Shoes: Urban Outfitters

-Watch: Nordstrom

-Infinity scarf: American Apparel

Also, please keep in mind that I live in Southern California so this outfit is definitely fall appropriate around here. Haha. If you live in a colder climate I would suggest adding some tights, warmer boots, and maybe layer denim jacket over the sweater :)

Step 3: Nails

Sephora by OPI: Chestnuts About You

I am obsessed with this nail polish! I love it at all times of the year but especially in the fall/winter time. It's a really nice metallic rose gold that I feel compliments all different skin tones. 

Step 4: Enjoy the fun!

I am thankful for so much this year. A lot has changed in my life and a lot of big decisions were made so I would just like to thank anyone and everyone who has supported me in my endeavors. I have the most amazing family and friends. 

Thanks for putting up with me <3

-Ashley

Wanderlust? Makeup travel essentials.

Sooooo I just went to Vegas last weekend and as I was unpacking my stuff, I decided that I wanted to show you guys my travel makeup essentials! These are all items I use to keep my baggage at a minimum while traveling :)

This cosmetic bag is pretty much my lifesaver! It holds everything I need while still looking sleek! My sister got this for me from Tory Burch.

It might be hard to believe, but all of these items fit into this bag perfectly!

My staple products (in the order in which I apply makeup):

-NYX Pore Filler face primer

-Urban Decay Naked foundation. I usually pack a fairly lightweight foundation so I can wear it day or night. Just be sure to pack a great concealer! :)

-Sheer-cover concealer duo (do not let the name fool you. You get great coverage out of this!

-NARS Light-Reflecting Pressed Powder. A translucent powder is a must especially if you plan to go out for a long time and have oily skin like me. Glowy is cute, greasy is not.

-Benefit brow kit

-MAC eyeshadow palette (not pictured here but this is the point in which I put on eyeshadow. Also, side-note, I normally wouldn't travel with this much eyeshadow for only 3 days but I planned to do a lot of my friend's makeup and also it's Vegas so I thought, go hard or go home.

-Urban Decay 24/7 glide-on eye pencil in Zero. I honestly think you can get a great effect with a great pencil and some black eyeshadow so I don't even bother bringing liquid and/or gel liners.

-Urban Decay Cannonball mascara (it's definitely not as hard to remove as everyone says it is. I use the Almay makeup removing pads and they work perfectly fine and I never thought they were anything special or heavy-duty)

-Clinique bottom-lash mascara. This stuff is amazing! It has the tiniest brush to get all of your lower lashes and I don't know what they put into this formula but it doesn't smudge through oil, sweat, or tears and it's easy to remove as well.

-NARS Danmari blush palette. This palette is amazing as it is pretty much all inclusive. It has 4 blushes and a bronzer that I use for contouring and a highlight. Though this was limited edition last Christmas, they came out with another one this year with gorgeous shades as well and the same layout. This is so much more convenient than bringing 3 separate products.

-Smith's Strawberry lip balm. Because girl, crusty lips are not your friend! Especially as it gets colder we have to pay even more attention to our lips and skin in general.

I personally always take 3 lip colors: 1 nude, 1 red, and 1 berry. That way I can drastically change up my took depending on what I'm feeling.

(From L-R: Loreal; Fairest Nude, Revlon JBKBS; Crush, and Revlon; Mauvy Night all of which were featured on my Top 10 fall lip colors!)

Hope you guys enjoyed seeing some of my makeup travel essentials! I plan to do another post on all of the tools and brushes I take with me as well! If you have any further questions feel free to ask :)

Thanks for putting up with me <3

-Ashley

Photoshoot Phrenzy!

Here are some pictures from the photo shoot where I did the makeup for the Jazzmin online store :) (Click the name of the store to see more and you can also purchase all of the outfits shown on the website as well)

*all photos are screenshots taken from the site

I can't believe this is real life :)

Please also check out the online store as well because I honestly really love the clothes. 

Thanks for putting up with me <3

-Ashley

October Favorites!

I literally cannot believe that October is over and the holidays are just around the corner! Here's everything I've been loving over the last month.

HAIR:

Kenra Styling Creme

I honestly don't really spend a lot of time on my hair and I don't use many products on it but this styling cream is seriously amazing. After washing my hair at night I let it air-dry until it's about 90% dry and then run a bit of this through it and throw it in a bun and I have really nice waves the next day. I have very straight hair so this thing works miracles! 

SKINCARE:

Aveeno Positively Radiant Moisturizer

I how this is super lightweight and also has SPF so it's great for daily wear! It smells a bit like sunscreen which I actually like but if you're not into that then you might not enjoy it as much. Lol.

Almay Longwear & Waterproof eye makeup removing pads

I don't really know if this is technically skincare but I didn't know what other category to put it in. Haha. But this stuff is AMAZING. It takes off my waterproof mascara super easily which is something I have always struggled with. And the fact that they're in little pads makes it extremely travel friendly. It does leave a slightly oily residue on the skin but that comes off easily when washing your face.

MAKEUP:

Sonia Kashuk Perfecting/Mattifying Primer

This is probably one of the best face primers I have ever tried. I have extremely oily skin and this stuff really helps to keep my face matte. It has that smooth silicone-ish feel without being greasy at all! It helps my makeup go on smoothly and last longer.

Covergirl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3 in 1 Foundation

This foundation claims to have the lasting power of primer, coverage of concealer, and blendability of foundation, all well being shine-free. I believe that most of these are actually true! It has great coverage and blendability but I do find that it does not last as long when I don't use a separate primer. If you have normal/dry skin you can probably skip out on a primer but if you have combo/oily skin like I do I would definitely use a primer and set it with some translucent powder.

Sonia Kashuk Undetectable Cream Bronzer

I had never used a cream bronzer before so it took some getting used to but now I love it. It looks extremely dark in the pan and could get really intense but it blends beautifully. After foundation but before powdering I use this to contour my cheeks/jawline and the results are so natural! I'm obsessed. Also, apparently this is very similar to the Chanel Soleil tan de Chanel and it's like 1/10th of the price.

Nars Pro-prime Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base

THIS IS THE BEST EYESHADOW PRIMER I HAVE EVER USED (I'M SHOUTING BECAUSE I'M EXCITED) No but seriously, I've tried all type of primers both high-end and drugstore and no matter what by the end of the day my eyeshadow ended up creased. This is literally the only primer that works on my ridiculously oily eyelids. $24 is probably far too much to pay for eyeshadow let alone what goes on underneath it, but I don't even care. It's worth every penny.

Urban Decay Naked Palette

This is a re-discovered favorite. When I first got this palette a few years ago I literally used it everyday but as I got more and more products I kind of forgot how great this eyeshadow palette actually is. It has the perfect set of neutrals. The only downfall is that it doesn't have a matte highlight or many matte colors at all but these shades are beautiful and seriously pigmented.

My favorite shades are: (L-R) Sidecar, Smog, and Darkhorse.

MAC luster lipstick in Syrup

I love this shade.  It's a nice mauvy-plum that's not too harsh. I like that it can get pretty deep in color but if you blend it a bit with your fingers you can give it more of a natural look. (I didn't have this when I did my top 10 lip colors or it definitely would have been featured there)

NAIL POLISH:

Moon Over Mumbai by OPI

I don't usually wear the same nail polish more than once (in a row) but I've painted my nails this color about 3 times in a row. I got this color a while back but for some reason I didn't love it the first time I tried it but I decided to give it another try and it's amazing. It's a pale gray with a slightly lilac-ish undertone. I think it's understated and beautiful!

Another look at the polish :) Also these rings are kind of another monthly favorite also as I have been wearing them nonstop! Above-knuckle rings from forever 21 and Brandy Melville, and infinity ring from Tiffany's.

FRAGRANCE:

Daisy Eau So Fresh by Marc Jacobs

I hardly ever buy new perfumes for myself but I just had to make an exception. I didn't make a full commitment since I only bought the rollerball but the second I run out of this I will definitely be purchasing a full size. I'm the absolute worst at describing scents so here are the notes listed on the website: natural raspberry, grapefruit, pear, violet, wild rose, apple blossoms, musks, cedarwood, and plum. It's basically very light and somewhat fruity while still being fall-ish? (told you I'm bad)

So I hope you guys enjoyed my first monthly favorites ever! These are my favorite posts to read and my favorite videos to watch so I hope this brought you some sort of entertainment or knowledge. Hope you're all having an amazing week and Happy November!

Thanks for putting up with me <3

-Ashley

How to: De-pot MAC eyeshadows

This is the easiest way I've come across to de-pot eyeshadows. No fancy tools, just things you can find around your house! And they don't necessarily have to be MAC eyeshadows either, it can be anything with similar packaging.

Here's what you will need: the eyeshadow (obviously. lol), a candle, tweezers, scissors (or you can you a knife but that's more dangerous), something to poke through a small hole (I used a chopstick), something you can put hot metal on (I just used the lid of the candle), and lastly a palette to put the eyeshadow in (I used a MAC pro-palette [$10 at MAC store + $2 for insert])

The example I used shows the eyeshadows going into a MAC pro palette in which you don't need separate magnets but if you're putting them into a Z- palette or something like that you will need magnets as well!

You're going to start off using your scissors and with one side of the scissors you're going to wedge it just above where that prominent line is in the middle.

Put pressure pushing in while twisting it back and forth and you should see the top layer of the black plastic start to come loose.

It will pop out like this! (Some come out more easily than others)

Congrats! You're half way done :)

I forgot to mention that you need a lighter but I'm sure you already figured that out when I mentioned that you needed a candle but I don't know I'm just trying to be thorough. Haha. But also, if you use a candle with multiple wicks like I did, make sure to only light one because you do have to put your hand relatively close to the candle and you don't want to burn yourself.

Using your tweezers, hold the eyeshadow above the flame a couple of inches. Do this for about 30 seconds or so (it varies) so check back every so often because you don't want to over-burn the plastic.

Once the plastic forms a little hole like this, it's done! Sometimes the hole doesn't always form but when the plastic is indented, it's usually ready.

Then use your poking tool to push through the plastic to get the little metal pan out. Make sure to do this over something that can handle heat and make sure not to touch the metal pan for a minute or two because it will be veryyyy hot. 

Then you're basically done! WHOO HOO! :)

Pop the shadow into your palette and you're good to go!

You can also put the plastic you took out back into their original packaging and return it to MAC for their "back to MAC" program. You can exchange 6 empty products for 1 brand new lipstick or lip gloss. Check with your location to make sure that they will except the eyeshadow packages without the metal pan as not all locations do.

I hope you found this somewhat helpful! It's kind of hard to explain via blog so feel free to ask questions! Hope you're all having an amazing weekend :)

Thanks for putting up with me <3

-Ashley