Depotting Bare Minerals ready eyeshadow palettes - safely depotting with heat tutorial

I have been wanting to depot my Bare Minerals ready eyeshadow quad in the Comfort Zone for awhile now, but I was apprehensive because I couldn't find many pictures of depotting Bare Minerals ready eyeshadow palettes. I have a full review of the Comfort Zone quad here - I love the Bare Minerals ready eyeshadow formula, but I have only been using two of the four shades in this quad. I don't think Solace or Tranquil are very flattering on me and that was causing me not to reach for the palette, despite loving Ahhh and Enjoy.

Depotting Supplies - What you need to get started

• A tool to help take apart the eyeshadow casing and get the pans out of the palette. Look for a sturdy tool that has a slim point. I use the Ulta professional cuticle pusher tool because I like the slim, curved tip at the end, but many people use a knife. 
• Magnetic tape & scissors to magnetize your eyeshadow pans so they can stick to a free form palette. You can also buy adhesive magnetic stickers, but I prefer tape because eyeshadow pans come in all shapes and sizes so it is easier for me to cut magnet tape to size. 
• A flat iron & heat protective pad to melt the glue. I see people just using a hair straightener on top of a surface, but I think it is much safer to put a heat protective pad underneath. I grabbed this rubber trivet from my kitchen, but you could just as well use a pot holder, oven mitt, or something like that. You can also use wax paper or parchment paper over the heated plates of your flat iron to protect them if you like.
• A free form palette to put your eyeshadow pans into once they are depotted. I like my MAC one best, but there are lots of options out there. You can also use the empty palette casing and put magnetic tape or sheets in the bottom.

Step 1: It's time to take apart the packaging!

See that little crevice between the molded plastic piece that holds the eyeshadow pans and the outer casing? Stick your tool into that gap and give it a wiggle. Be patient - there is glue under there and they are tightly fitted, but keep on wiggling until you hear a pop.

Ta-da! This is what the back of the Bare Minerals ready eyeshadow palettes looks like! Now you will have two distinct pieces - your palette casing and this molded plastic insert. I kept my original palette casing because it is sturdy and the mirror is nice. I am going to put some magnet tape inside and use it as a travel palette.

L'Oreal pro matte gloss #316 statement nude - review & lip swatches

Let's start out with what I thought I was buying - a longwear gloss formula with no shimmer. It turns out that "matte gloss" doesn't mean what I thought it meant! The L'Oreal pro matte gloss is a demi matte liquid lipstick formula and is not at all glossy and not really long wearing. I bought mine from Ulta in shade #316, statement nude.


Lip swatches and my thoughts on the formula below:

Review: Wet n Wild take on the day mattifying translucent powder compact

I was shopping at Target a few weeks ago and saw the Wet N Wild Fergie Take On The Day mattifying powder on clearance. Wet N Wild is phasing out the Fergie line and putting the products in different packaging into their regular line, so retailers are clearing out the old packaging. I was almost out of my beloved Essence All About Matt translucent mattifying powder compact, but Target doesn't sell Essence and this one was on clearance for $1.40 so I figured I would try it out instead.

BB and CC cream comparison swatches for fair skin - Purito, Skin79, Missha, It Cosmetics

It can be really hard to color match yourself to a BB or CC cream when you don't have access to to a store or counter with testers, so I have a quick comparison swatch post for you today.

A few words before we begin: I have fair netural-cool toned skin, my skin is dry and sensitive, and I intermittently struggle with eczema and acne. Also, I bought all of these myself with my own money. I got ~5 samples of the Purito BB cream free with eopenmarket orders.

The contestants: 

1. Purito Snail Cleansing BB Cream - SPF 38 / PA+++, one shade, dewy finish
2. Skin79 Super+ Beblesh Balm (BB) Hot Pink - SPF 30 / PA++, one shade, virtually identical in color to the Skin79 VIP Gold BB cream, satin-dewy finish
3. Skin79 Super+ Beblesh Balm (BB) Green - SPF30 / PA++, one shade, natural matte finish
4. Missha M Signature Real Complete BB Cream in 13 Light Milky Beige - SPF 25 / PA++, 4 shades, satin finish, full review here
5. It Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC+ in Fair - SPF 50, 5 shades, dewy finish

Missha M Signature Real Complete BB Cream No.13 review & swatches

It's easy to think from instagram, radiant ring light selfies, and flattering YouTube editing that any foundation or BB cream looks perfect on the skin and it's even easier to feel bad about your own skin for not living up to strangers' skin online. This review has up close and personal pictures of my imperfect skin and I hope it helps show if this BB cream is for you.

What I expect from a foundation or BB cream:
I expect my base product to look natural on the skin, even out my complexion, not aggravate dry patches or acne, and last all day long. I always moisturize my skin and apply sunscreen before base makeup, even if the foundation or BB cream has SPF. I also always set my base makeup with a lightweight powder, usually a loose silica based translucent powder. My skin is dry but very shiny, so I prefer a natural finish over a dewy one.

Missha M Signature Real Complete details:

• I bought my 20 gram tube from eopenmarket for $9.43 (20g is about .7 ounces, which makes the price broadly comparable to many western drugstore foundations, tinted moisturizers, and BB creams)
• SPF 25 / PA++ sun protection
• 4 shades available (13, 21, 23, and 27 for those of you familiar with Missha shades)
• Advertised as a BB cream for sensitive skin - Missha says this BB cream is hypoallergenic, noncomedogenic, and free of parabens, mineral oil, alcohol, GMOs, triclosan, and benzophenone. Most of that sends up a mental red flag for science fear mongering, but alcohols do irritate my skin and cause me to break out in itchy eczema patches so I am very interested to see if this irritates my sensitive skin.
• Supposed to offer light coverage, be moisturizing, feel lightweight and last for 12 hours
• Cruelty free

5 natural shades of pink makeup for Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day! In the spirit of the holiday, I have 5 shades of pink makeup to share. Many people are hesitant about pink makeup - no one wants to look like they have pink eye and sometimes bright pink shades can look immature and juvenile on a grown ass adult. The shades I have chosen are each pretty pinks, but are wearable shades for real life.

As a Valentine's bonus, do your makeup with pink brushes! No one will know but you, but I think it's fun. I love the Real Techniques Multi Tasking brush for blush, bronzer, and powder and the Setting Brush for an all over eyelid wash of color and highlight.

2015 makeup, brush & beauty favorites

I am really excited to share my 2015 makeup, brush, and beauty favorites with you! These were my most used products of 2015 and ones I would confidently travel with. Most of the products shown below will likely be familiar to longtime blog readers - I tend to stick with products I love using. If I have a post about a product listed, I included a link for you.

A note about the type of of products I like - I use quite a few makeup products on a daily basis, but I like my makeup to look invisible on the skin and give a natural, healthy, flattering effect. This group of products are the ones I lean on to consistently give me the impact I'm looking for without looking too much like makeup. I have dry, sensitive skin, so I'm always on the hunt for moisturizing and non irritating formulas.

In addition to specific product favorites, I have a few bigger picture makeup favorites. My top makeup favorite of the year is my getting ready time every morning. Sometimes its only 15 minutes, but I love taking the time to make a cup of coffee and do my makeup in the morning. It helps me wake up, plan for the day, and I appreciate the luxury of quiet morning time. Another 2015 favorite is Japanese brushes, particularly Koyudo and Chikuhodo. I fell in love with Hakuhodo brushes in 2014 which encouraged me to try Koyudo and Chikuhodo. I think Japanese brushes are highly underrated in the beauty community, especially considering that many brushes are cheaper or price competitive to mid range brands like MAC or NARS but much higher quality. My last big picture favorite is a favorite technique - applying powder with a damp beauty sponge. Applying loose setting powder or pressed powder foundation with a damp sponge gives a beautiful natural matte finish and I highly recommend trying it!

Face

• Favorite foundation/bb cream: It Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC cream in Fair. I love applying this with my fingers for a quick, easy base. The It Cosmetics CC cream is not full coverage as advertised, but the medium coverage and dewy finish works well to hide my persistent redness and even out my skin. I also appreciate the SPF 50!
• Favorite sunscreen: Paula's Choice Barely There Sheer Matte Tint in 1.  I am a big believer in wearing sunscreen everyday, and the Paula's Choice tinted sunscreen blends into the skin easily and sits under makeup well. I have a full review here if you want more details. 
• Favorite powder foundation: L'Oreal True Match powder in N1. Finding dry skin friendly powder foundations can be tricky, but the L'Oreal True Match powder gives me light coverage with a natural finish. I love applying this powder with a damp Real Techniques sponge. This powder also works well as a setting powder or for mid day touch-ups.
• Favorite touch-up powder: Essence All About Matt!. This is an underrated Essence gem. For less than $4, All About Matt is the perfect invisible mattifying touch-up and setting powder. I think I went through 3 of them in 2015!
• Favorite face brushes: Real Techniques Buffing Brush & Miracle Complexion Sponge. The Real Techniques Core Collection is worth the price for the Buffing Brush alone - the shape and density work so well together to blend foundation. I have many expensive brushes, and the Buffing Brush is my absolute favorite for liquid base products. I also adore the Miracle Complexion Sponge from Real Techniques and prefer it to the Beauty Blender for its density and shape. I love it for applying liquid foundation and powder.  
• Honorable mentions:  The Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage concealer is a champ for covering up break outs, but the dense, waxy texture doesn't work under the eyes. I love it as a specialty product, but I don't use it daily. I chose not to include the Skin79 hot pink BB cream as a favorite intentionally - I love everything about the formula, coverage, and finish on the skin, but the color is a bit dark and pink for me. In the correct shade, the Skin79 BB cream would be a definite favorite.