Some Things From Ulta

Ecotools Bamboo Smudge Eyeliner Brush & Essence All About Matt! Fixing Compact Powder

I was looking for cheaper alternatives to the smudge brush the makeup artist from the Make Up For Ever Makeup Bag Event used to apply the crease color on my eye lids and thought this might be a good alternative. It's too pointed and small to use in the crease, but it's great for smudging eyeliner and applying eye shadow along the bottom lash line. I find the sharpener side to be useless because most of my pencils don't fit (for example, Milani's Liquif'eye Metallic eye liner pencil). 

Another issue I have with Ecotools in general is the packaging. I know they are eco friendly and all, but I think that most people do not use the original packaging to store their brushes. I feel like it would be better for them to have recyclable packaging.

The main thing I was looking for in Ulta was this new matte powder from Essence. I wanted the loose powder, but I don't think they released it in the U.S. because it's not on the website or in the store. 

I got Rimmel's Stay Matte powder before to try to help with my oily forehead and nose, but it didn't live up to my expectations (I would get oily after only 3-4 hours and the color didn't match with my skin). I've tried this matte powder for a few days now and I like it better than Rimmel's matte powder. 

Pros:
-Smooth powder
-Natural looking finish (not that unnatural super matte finish)
-Lasted about 5 hours until I got shiny
-Translucent
-Cheap ($3.99)

Cons:
-Only available in Ulta

Ben Nye Banana Powder

Ben Nye Banana Powder

I got this recently to see if it would help out with the foundations/BB creams that weren't working for me. I bought this at a local theatrical store (Fun House Theatrical in Mountain View if any of you are from the Bay Area!) for $8.99. It contains 1.5 oz/42 g. The packaging isn't the greatest so I dumped the powder in the Etude House Princess Etoinette Crystal Powder container into a plastic bag and put the Ben Nye powder!

The main reason I purchased this was to help with the foundations/BB creams that weren't working for me because of the color (either they are too pink and/or beige). I haven't noticed a difference using this except with Skinfood's Peach Sake BB Cream. I think it worked with that because Skinfood's BB cream is more on the tan side and this powder brightened/lightened it up.

I've been using it to set my under eye concealer and I don't know if it's the powder or concealer, but after a few hours it looks dry and powdery. Overall, this powder just lightens my skin. It doesn't help with color correcting foundations/BB creams. 

Make Up For Ever Makeup Bag Remix Event in San Francisco

Yesterday I attended the Make Up Forever Make Up Bag Remix Event in San Francisco at the Stonestown Galleria. I first heard about it from Musing's of a Muse and immediately signed up!

What I wore:

Jacket: Gmarket, Shirt tunic & Bag: Zipia, Leggings: Forever 21, Shoes: thrifted

People bring their makeup bag and the makeup artists show them how to use the items. I focused on my gel eyeliner, contour powder, and the L'oreal Caresse Wet Shine Stain. The makeup artist who did my makeup helped me out with all of that and more! I learned so many new tricks and tried items from Make Up For Ever.

I took an After picture at the event!

Hours after the event when I got home. I don't know why I was posing with my hand -__-. 

I purchased their new Pro Finish powder along with the makeup bag. I posted my After picture on Facebook and got a free mascara!

Make Up For Ever Pro Finish Powder in 128

Overall it was a great event! I'm so glad I went. I learned so much about my own products as well as Make Up For Ever products. It gave me a new view of Make Up For Ever and now I appreciate it even more.

Etude House Princess Etoinette Crystal Powder

Etude House Princess Etoinette Crystal Powder

When I first saw the Princess Etoinette collection from Etude House, my first thought was "When can I get this?!". The collection is so adorable and cute! I looked on Gmarket and they had most of the items, but the one I wanted the most was the Crystal Powder which they never sold (weird : /). I was initially planning on buying it from ebay, but they bumped up their prices after a few weeks so I ended up purchasing it from kpoptown. I bought it for $21.90 and shipping was $3.90 with no tracking number. It took about 3 weeks to ship which was a bit longer than the first time I ordered from them. 

When I first saw the powder my first thought was "Holy shit, so much glitter! I don't want to look like a vampire!" From far away (like an arm's length) it looks fine. It actually gives a nice satin finish, but once you get up close you can see all the tiny glitters! I might use it as an all over powder if I'm going out to the club/bar, but most likely I'll use this as a highlighter. Other bloggers mentioned that the container can be reused by putting a different loose powder which is a great idea since it's so cute!