I started a little project swatching all the blushes in my collection on white paper.  It’s hard to remember sometimes exactly what they all look like and I figure this way I’ll have a reference if I want to quickly see how a blush looks, without having to dip my finger back into the blush and make a mess.  These swatches were done over UDPP, to make them adhere to the weird paper I used – for some reason it did NOT want to cooperate with the makeup.  I swatched heavily on the left side, and lightly on the right side.  This first set of swatches are all the pink powder blushes in my collection (mineralize blushes will be separate).  All but the first picture were taken in natural lighting, unfortunately on a somewhat gloomy day!

Top to Bottom: Dollymix, Blooming BPB, Fleur Power, Coygirl, Dame, Cubic, Plum Foolery, Tippy, Azalea Blossom Blush Ombre, Alpha Girl BP, Instant Chic

OMG a post!

Face: Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer Benefit Erase Paste in Fair MAC MSFN in Light Medium Benefit Dallas as contour MAC Instant Chic blush (TY to the lovely lady who CPed this for me!!) MAC So Ceylon MSF

Eyes: TFSI Painterly p/p NYX Jumbo eye pencil Soft Brown e/s Saddle e/s Mulch e/s Night Maneouvers e/s Espresso e/s Carbon e/s Blanc Type e/s Ricepaper e/s Beautiful Iris e/s Omega e/s on brows Molasses pearlglide e/l Zoomlash Black

Lips: Korres l/g in Naked Beige

With the spring/summer season upon us, I thought it was time to write a post about my favorite, number one beauty product of all time… Sunscreen! No groaning ladies – sunscreen is the best investment you can make for your skin, and by far the cheapest anti-aging product you can buy. As a girl with very fair skin (NC15) that cannot spend 15 minutes in the sun without getting a sunburn, I’ve had plenty of experience trying out different products to protect my skin. I’d like to share with you some of my favorite products that contain SPF – not just greasy, thick sunscreen that leaves you with a gross white-cast! Shiseido has some really amazing suncare products. Shiseido Sun Protection Cream N I use the Ultimate Sun Protection Cream N daily over my moisturizer. It is rated SPF 55 PA+++. Before I used Shiseido products, I was unaware of the PA rating system, which measures the effectiveness of a sunscreen against UVA rays; SPF measures the effectiveness against mainly UVB rays. UVB rays are more damaging and cause cancer; however UVA rays cause the more unsightly side of the sun – wrinkles and age spots. :\ Ew. PA+++ Is the highest rating possible, making this a very potent sunscreen for your face. Also, because it’s formulated for the face, it’s not sticky, pore-clogging, and doesn’t leave a ghostly white-cast like some other high-SPF sunscreens I’ve used. All-in-all, I would highly recommend this as a daily SPF for those of you that need a higher one! (It also comes in a SPF 38 version!) Shiseido Sun Protection Eye Cream This eye cream is rated SPF 32 PA+++. I apply it daily over my eye cream. I never used to really consider using protection around my eyes, but if you stop to think about it, since the area around your eyes is the first to show the signs of aging, it really is the area that needs it the most. Unfortunately, most eye creams don’t create SPF, and the skin is far too delicate to use regular sunscreen, so I was over the moon when I found this particular product. This eye cream is moisturizing and disappears into your skin right away. It won’t make your concealer crease, and it won’t sting your eyes. It’s great for daily use, and I really felt protected when I was in Mexico under the sun for hours! Peter Thomas Roth Oily Problem Skin Instant Mineral Powder SPF 30 This is by far one of my favorite products… This mineral powder releases when you sweep the brush applicator over your face, and the minerals provide a SPF 30 physical (not chemical like most sunscreens) barrier against the sun. The product is transparent, so it won’t change the color of your makeup, and since this particular one is for oily skin, it gives an instant mattifying effect. The self-contained applicator is extremely convenient – I always have this in my purse so it’s easy to quickly dust it over my face before I step outside. There are other versions of this product in SPF 45 and even a SPF 30 bronzing powder. Primers, primers, primers… Primers are another great way to add some extra sun protection to your daily makeup routine. Here are two of my favorites. NARS Makeup Primer SPF 20 is probably one of the best primers I’ve ever used and the consistency doesn’t have the feel of a product with heavy sunscreen. It’s not greasy and really does help your makeup stay all day long. MAC Prep and Prime Protect SPF 50 packs a lot of protection for fairer skins, but it is definitely a thicker product, likely because of the higher SPF. Aveeno Essential Moisture Lip Condition with SPF 15 When gearing up for the sun, don’t forget your lips! They’re extremely sensitive and susceptible to the sun’s rays, and if you’ve ever experienced burned lips or cold sores after exposure, you know how painful neglecting this area can be… I, for one, HATE how SPF feels on my lips. It tends to make my lips feel MORE chapped than if I put nothing on at all and also dries them out very quickly. However, I love this Aveeno lip conditioner because it feels deeply moisturizing unlike the other products I’ve tried, and the feeling lasts. Like most of Aveeno’s products, it smells good as well. People that know me think I’m a little obsessed with my fear of the sun. Personally, I think they’re all crazy for laying in tanning beds and baking for hours in the sun! I spent far too much time in my younger years wishing I was tan, trying quite unsuccessfully to “lay out”, and buying foundations that were several shades too dark for me. I’m trying to do my best to protect my skin now and hopefully, in years to come, it will thank me for my diligence. No matter how fair or dark you are, TAKE CARE of your skin – both with a good skincare routine and by protecting it from the elements, and hopefully one day, you can look back at your hard work and think ‘that was so worth it’ instead of looking back with regrets.

Benefit ThatGal Primer MUFE HD Foundation 110 & 117 Benefit Boi-ing Concealer & Erase Paste Concealer – Fair Silicon Spheres MSFN in Light Medium Emote Blush to contour Espresso or Coquette e/s on brows and MUFE Smokey Lash – always!

Eyes: TFSI Painterly p/p NYX Jumbo Pencil – Milk Soft Brown e/s Indian Ink e/s Phloof! Molasses Pearlglide e/l Omega e/s on brows

Lips: Nude Pink l/s

Eyes: TFSI Painterly p/p Ben Nye Green Aquacolor NYX Jumbo Pencil – Milk Photorealism quad – all e/s Bottle Green e/s Brule e/s NYX Jumbo Pencil – Horseradish (lower lashline) Molasses Pearlglide e/l #45 lashes

Cheeks: Emote blush Illamasqua Unrequited blush Warmed MSF Naked Lunch e/s for highlight

Lips: Hot Gossip l/s

Eyes: Bold and Brazen e/s Tilt e/s Prussian e/s Brule e/s Phloof! e/s Dipdown f/l Espresso e/s

Cheeks: Emote Blush Illamasqua Beg blush So Ceylon MSF Soft and Gentle MSF

If you can’t tell, these next photos were taken in a, uh, slightly inebriated state…

Eyes: TFSI Violet pigment applied wet (this is seriously one of my fav things ever!) Parfait Amour e/s Mulch e/s Blanc Type e/s Shroom e/s Phloof! e/s Blacktrack f/l Rave Pearlglide e/l

Whatever was on my lips, I left on my last drink

Here I am trying to SMIZE, ROFL!!!

Face:

Nars Makeup Primer with SPF 20 Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer in Nude UD 24/7 Concealer Pencil MSFN in Light Medium Blot Powder in Medium

Cheeks: (I LOVED this combo!)

Eversun BPB as contour Melba Blush Nuance Mineralize Blush Moonriver Blush Duo

Eyes:

TFSI Constructivist p/p Fascinating Eye Kohl Bare Minerals Drama e/s UD Lounge e/s Typographic e/s Soft Brown e/s Vanilla e/s UD Liquid e/l in Roach Fascinating Eye Kohl on waterline Benefit BadGal Mascara Espresso e/s on brows

Lips:

Sephora l/l in #136 NYX Round l/s in Perfect