FOTN: NYE Night... Light It Up!

I wanted to do something clean but festive for tonight. Maybe I should have let the glue on my lashes dry before I took the picture. But hubby was rushing me... so I had to do it fast! We just got back from NYE dinner and festivities (and we're headed back out for fireworks)... so I'm taking a quick moment to upload the pic:

FACE

Guerlain Parure Gold (06)

By Terry Touche Veloutee

Armani Gold Shimmer Compact

Chanel Joues Contraste in Espeigle

EYES

MAC Paint Pot in Soft Ochre (lashline to lid)

Rock & Republic Eyeshadow in Vintage (crease)

LA Splash Loose Glitter in Champagne (lid)

Smoke & Mirrors False Lashes

Armani Eyes to Kill Mascara

LIPS

Chanel Lip Pencil in Nude

Chanel Rouge Allure Gloss in Insouciance

I'm back off to see the fireworks! HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

New Year's Resolutions

In 2011, I RESOLVE TO...

-Stop cussing. I dropped an f-bomb while I was on the phone with my sister (some little ankle-biter jumped out of his father's car while it was still moving... and slammed the door into my car!). I was totally mortified. Sorry little sis. I'm going to behave more like a lady in the coming year (and the coming decade).

-Make more time to be on time. I am ALWAYS RUSHING SOMEWHERE. I'm one of those people who try to do too much in too little time. My migrane last night was due to downing a glass of cranberry juice in the morning, and forgetting to eat for the rest of the day 'cause I was too busy running around doing errands.

-Get Organized! Why am I always cleaning my brushes at 10 minutes to MIDNIGHT before a gig the next day? SMH. I will do better. There is no reason why I should take over the dining room organizing two makeup kits and about a billion brushes, when I really need to be getting some *damned* sleep. What? It's not 2011 yet. ONE MORE cuss word for the road!

-Deal with my website madness. My company website is just dated all to be damned, and my makeup website has yet to be completed (I'm looking at YOU little sister! Hmph... this is why you don't do business with family). I need to dedicate some time to getting my head out of my proverbial ass (one more cuss word! Don't judge!) and getting my online presence ship-shape.

-Spend less money on makeup. Wait... that's a lie. I'll probably spend even more in 2011.

What are your New Years Resolutions? Share 'em with the class!

FOTD: NYE Daytime Smoke

I wanted to flip my makeup looks around today. So for daytime, I went with a shimmery smoky eye:

Can you see straight up my nose? Ewwwww! That's not a booger (I checked)... it's the curve of my nostril cavity. Sorry ya'll. Just pretend it's not there. Airbrush it out of your mind.

FACE

Guerlain Parure Gold (06)
By Terry Touche Veloutee in Cream
Chanel Jouse Contrase Blush in Espiegle

Chanel Poudre Universelle Compacte

EYES

OMBRES PERLÉES DE CHANEL:

Dark Grey on lids

Olive Green above crease

Shimmer peach to browbone

Chanel Gris Scintillant Eye Definer

Clinique Gel Liner in True Black

Chanel Intimitable Intense Mascara

LIPS

Chanel Lip Liner in Peche

Chanel Rouge Allure Gloss in Genie

*This look was ABSOLUTE LUXURY! I wanted to dive into the Chanel Spring 2011 (review coming. I was supposed to do it last night, but I got into a fight with a Migrane and LOST! So I went to bed early. But it's coming soon... I promise!) collection... I absolutely love it! I think the Guerlain Gold just bumped Estee Lauder out of the top spot for my #1 foundation. Boooooooooo I'm so fickle. I'll make up my mind by tonight, when I do the 'Best of 2010' review!*

Holiday Giveaway: And The Winner Is...

Sierra1622!!!

Congratulations!

You won the final (and biggest) prize in my Holiday Giveaway:

Dior 5-Design Quint in Navy

Dior 5-Design Quint in Pink

Dior Quint in Endless Shine

Dior Single Shadow in Gold Touch

Chanel Eyeshadow Quad in Tentations Cuivree

Guerlain Ors Imperial Shimmer Spray

HABIBI Body Balm in Vanilla & Rose

HABIBI Body Balm in Sugar Cane

Dex Lip Gloss in 5th Avenue

Dex Lip Gloss in Bond Street

MAC Lipstick in Liquid Lurex

Chanel makeup bag (with Chanel samples inside)

Guerlain makeup bag (with Guerlain samples inside)

Sierra, you have 48 hours to send your mailing address to shahada@habibibody.com and I'll mail your goodies right out to you!

If I don't hear from you in 48 hours, then I have to pick another winner.

Congratulations Again!



Contest Update and Looking Ahead

Hey Guys,

Just an update on the final gift in the Holiday Giveaway. The winner will be selected and announced tomorrow (New Year's Eve). Perfect start to the New Year (and the new decade)!

Here's the prize... you guys know the rules.

And after this ... don't worry! There are plenty of giveaways coming in 2011! There are the Cargo Lumieres Palettes, and a little Chanel, a little MAC,  some Guerlain... and that's just for starters!

I want to take this opportuinty to thank EVERYONE who follows my blog, whether you comment or not. Even if you're just hanging around to notice me slapping on makeup and taking pictures... I appreciate the support! I really do.

HERE'S TO A FABULOUS NEW YEAR FOR EVERYONE!

FOTD: Pink Frost

Someone tweeted on a new trend -- something about frosty lipstick making a comeback... not sure how I feel about that. I'm not a fan of frosted lipsticks to begin with -- not to be confused with shimmer or sparkle lippies, which are typically warm. But frost? Nah uh. Not so hot on full lips... or even thinner lips for that matter.

I say all that to say, that I tried the 'frosted lip' trend today, with one of my new Wet n' Wild alleged lipbalms. Still not sure how I feel about it...

FACE

Guerlain Paurue Aqua (Dore 25)

Chanel Soho Story Blush/Highlighter

EYES

MAC Paint Pot in Fresco Rose (lashline to brow)

YSL Eyeshadow in Heavenly Beige (lid)

YSL Eyeshadow in Astral Brown (crease)
Stila Smudgestick in Stone (waterline)

Buxom Mascara

LIPS

Wet n' Wild Natural Lip Shimmer in #107

Wet n' Wild Says: SHUT YO MOUTH!

I can't truly take credit for this. A post by Beauty and the Brown Girl sparked my interest in these alleged tinted balms.

Here's her review:
http://beautyandthebrowngirl.blogspot.com/2010/12/wet-n-wild-natrual-blend-shimmer-review.html

They claim to be a natural balm with a hint of color. A HINT? I don't think so. What they really are, are natural lipsticks. 

Hmph.

Look at this!

Harmless enough, right? Looks like a balm... so you're thinking... it's probably going to behave like a balm. And then you swatch them:

 Yeah, I don't know ANY tinted lip balm that swatches like that. Fresh (Sugar), I'm lookin' at you.

These little suckers might FEEL like balms on the lips (totally non sticky and moisturizing and even a little minty) but they wear like lipstick. Check it out:

#107

#101

#105

#102

#103

#106

I feel like Wet n' Wild just flipped everybody off... AGAIN! They did it the first tme with those Iconic Eyeshadow Palettes. These lovelies are $1.99 a pop. They look good on and (more importantly) they FEEL good on. The colors I've shown you were all I could find. There are three or four more out in makeup land eluding my grasp at the moment. Not to worry... ya'll know I am tenacious about this sort of thing...

Get 'em. Get one color, or all of them. At $1.99, how can you possibly go wrong?

FOTD: Black N' Berries

You'll just have to trust me on this... it was a LOT darker in person. I wanted something a little goth... not too over the top, but dark enough to make a statement. That's why I colored my eyebrows in black. This was the result:

FACE

Estee Lauder Doublewear Light (5.0)

Chanel Soho Story Blush/Highlighter

EYES

MAC Paint Pot in Artifact

Wet n' Wild Iconic Palette in Lust

(darkest shimmer berry on the lids)

Sugarpill Eyeshadow in Bulletproof (brows)

MAC Eyeliner in Smolder

Clinique Gel Liner in Black

Estee Lauder Sumptuous Extreme Mascara

LIPS

Chanel Lip Pencil in Cognac

NARS Pure Matte Lipstick in Volga

FOTD: YSL & Dior Sparkle

I saw a picture of Angelina Jolie with the most AWESOME brown smokey eye and plush lip, and was inspired to do something similar...
I pulled some of my favorites for this look: YSL eyeshadow duo in #1 and Dior 5 Golds Quint:

FACE

Guerlain Paurue Extreme (Dore 25)

Sleek Highlight Powder in Medium (top of the cheekbones)

EYES

YSL Eyeshadow in Astral Brown (lid)

Lightest Gold from Dior 5-Golds Quint (browbone)

YSL Eyeshadow in Heavenly Beige (inner corner)

NARS Eyeshadow in Mekong (under waterline)

Urban Decay 24/7 Eyeliner in Zero (waterline)
MUFE Lash Fibers

Chanel Intimitable Mascara

LIPS

MAC Lip Pencil in Mouth Off

NARS Lipstick in Petit Monstre

*You see what happens when you forget to cover the lash fibers with mascara... you end up with white lashes! Note the left eye. Boo!*

Cargo Lumieres: Lavender

I used just the lavender color from the Cargo Lumieres Palette. I boosted the color on my lids with Make Up For Ever's Aqua Cream in #19...

Ugh, I need to clean up my eyebrows. Anyway, here's what I used:

FACE

Guerlain Parure Aqua (Dore 25)

Chanel Blush in Rose Temptation

EYES

Make Up For Ever Aqua Cream (#19)

Cargo Lumieres Palette (Lavender)

MAC Eye Pencil in Smolder

Chanel Intimitable Mascara

LIPS

Shiseido Lipstick in BE333

A Little More Shopping...

I've been eyeing a pair of earrings from 'The Moptop Mavens' new company: Frank & Myrrh. Now is the PERFECT time to try them out, because she's offering HALF OFF her jewelry until the 28th! This is what I want...

The Cairo Ashanti Earrings. 

Aren't they FABULOUS? And they are SO me... 

At 50% off, who can say no?

This has nothing to do with makeup...

... but I just got these FANTASTIC shoes at DSW and I had to share:

They were $59.94... plus an additional 40% off. A steal! I plopped down my $35 and happily danced out of the store with those beauties. I don't have a single pair in that color or texture, so that's my justification for 'em... as if at that price I'd need one! lol

FOTD: Dinner with the In Laws

Don't ask me why I was channeling Joan Jett today... but a dark gray smokey eye seemed to be appropriate for holiday food and drinks with the in laws...

FACE

Guerlain Paurue Extreme (06)

MAC Studio Sculpt Concealer (NC35)

EYES

NARS Eyeshadow in Thunderball

Guerlain Kohl in 01

Estee Lauder Sumptuous Extreme Mascara

LIPS

Chanel Rouge Allure Gloss in Insouciance

Holiday Giveaway: The Final Prize

Hey Everyone!
This is the final prize in this year's Holiday Giveaway. It consists of a few of my favorite things, some definite covet-worthy items, one totally sold out item, and a bunch of samples to keep you busy until the new year... and beyond!

All together, this is what it looks like. I've also broken the items up to give each item it's chance to shine...

Dior 5-Design Quint in Navy Design

Dior Quint in Endless Shine

Dior 5-Design Quint in Pink Design

Chanel Quad in Tentations Cuivree

Chanel Makeup Pouch (with Chanel Samples Inside)

Guerlain Satin Pouch (with Guerlain Samples Inside)

HABIBI Body Balm in Vanilla & Rose

HABIBI Body Balm in Sugar Cane

MAC Lipstick in Liquid Lurex

Dior Single Eyeshadow in Gold Touch

Guerlain Or Imperiale

Dex Lip Gloss in 5th Avenue (merlot)

Dex Lip Gloss in Bond Street (red)

*You guys know the rules... in order to qualify, you must be a public subscriber. You can amp your chances to win by following me on Twitter @shahadakarim, by liking Adventures In Makeup on Facebook, linking this giveaway to your blog, and actually blogging about the giveaway.*

THE WINNER WILL BE ANNOUNCED 
NEW YEAR'S EVE

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!

FOTD: Cargo Lumieres

I went safe with the first look... like a dark neutral. And remember what I said about a possible dupe for NARS Orgasm with the blush/bronzer combo? Totally doable! When I used the blush, I noticed that it's more pink on me than coral... so take note. The lighter the skin tone, the more coral that blush will likely come out. The darker... the more pink.

FACE

Estee Lauder Double Wear Light (5.0)

Cargo Lumieres Blush/Bronzer

EYES

Cargo Lumieres Palette:

Dark Brown Shimmer (lid and under waterline)

Green/Gold Shimmer (inner corner)

Taupe Matte (browbone)

MUFE Lash Fibers

Estee Lauder Sumptuous Mascara

LIPS

Rock & Republic Lip Gloss in Train Wreck

*I had to blend these shadows all the way out.. they're pretty pigmented! Also, notice that the taupe has gone a little 'pink' on me, which makes me think that it's more of a pinky beige on darker skin tones. A fair skinned beauty might get away with it actually showing up 'taupe.' Something to keep in mind. I got some shadow fallout on my lashes... boo! That's what I get for not checking before taking the picture. Eh... I'm a work in progress...*

Holiday Giveaway: And the Winner is...

Simple Beauty!

Congratulations!

You won...

1-NARS Nail Polish in Zulu

1-Rock & Republic Blush in Call Me

1-NARS Nail Polish in Purple Rain

1-NARS Lipstick in Petit Monstre

1-HABIBI Body Balm in Sugar Cane

1-Dior Nail Polish in Czarina Gold

1-Dior Eyeshadow in Gold Touch

1-Dior Nail Polish in Timeless Gold

You have 48 hours to send your mailing address to shahada@habibibody.com

If I don't hear from you in 48 hours, I have to pick a new winner. Congratulations again!

The Grasshopper Treasure Says: JUST ONE!

Okay, so I got tagged to do a post choosing JUST one of a particular product from a list of beauty categories.

Here are my choices:

Face Primer: RMK Mat Primer (translucent)

Foundation: Estee Lauder Double Wear Light

Concelaer: YSL Concealer in #4

Tanslucent powder: Make Up For Ever HD Powder

Powder: MAC Loose Blot Powder

Blush: Rock & Republic Blush in Call Me

Highlighter: Jemma Kidd Makeup School Dual Illuminator in Champagne

Eye Primer: MAC Paint Pot in Soft Ochre

Eyeshadow: MAC Pigment in Lithe

Eye pencil: Guerlain Kohl in Black Fakhir

Mascara: Armani Eyes To Kill

Lipstick: Shiseido Rouge Parfait in BE333

Gloss: Rock & Republic Lipgloss in Train Wreck


So Beauties... if you could pick just ONE of of your products from each category, what brands would you choose? Tag, you're it!

Cargo Lumieres Palette: SWATCHES and a GIVEAWAY!

Hey guys...

I finally dug into the palette and swatched the shadows. I don't know WHY I was so stressed about messing up the shadow patterns... they're etched in there pretty deep. After I swatched them, you could hardly tell that I'd used it at all...

These are all of the shimmers except the gold (that's all I could comfortably fit on my arm).

This is the gold and the two mattes.

I had the hardest time trying to photograph the bronzer and blush, so you'll just have to trust me on the description. The bronzer has a shimmer (which is not detectable at first glance at the palette) and goes on a true bronze on me. I'd use it with other blush colors to add shimmer, or by itself. It shows up on my NC43 skin pretty solid. Any skintones darker than that would likely get a good shimmer or a highlight. Any skintones lighter than that could likely use it as a true bronzer.

The blush is a corally pink. Alone it's a pretty standard color. Good color payoff, but I can see it going ashy on darker skintones. I think it looks best blended with the bronzer. I almost want to say you can get a result much like NARS Orgasm ... or even Super Orgasm if you add more bronzer -- but don't hold me to that.

That's it for the swatches. Now for the Giveaway:

When the regular Holiday Giveaway is done, I'm going to pay 4 of these palettes forward. I made a bunch of phone calls, did some extensive driving, and even whined a bit to get my hands on them! I really wanted you guys to share in the joy of this palette because I feel that it's really awesome. 

So....

Four winners will be chosen at random in the months of January and February -- to win the palettes! I'll do a more extensive post about it as the time gets closer.

In the meantime, the winner of the Golden Opportunity Prize (Part 1) will be announced tomorrow.

Good Luck Everyone! 

Hey Sugar Sugar...

I wasn't kidding. I put a comment in the blog review:

http://shahadakarim.blogspot.com/2010/12/miss-sleek-glitter-palette.html

So, maybe you can make it work. If you want it...

The Sleek Glitter Palette is yours.

Send me your addy (shahada@habibibody.com) and I'll put it in the mail. If you can make the shadow stay... glitter and all with your shadow base... then KUDOS.

Enjoy it!

You've got 48 hours to respond to me with the addy. After that, I gotta pick someone else.

20% off at ULTA!

I may be the last person to know about this..  but I noticed that everyone had these coupons last night and I was SO SALTY! LOL

Not to worry... you can apparently print this out... or use it online. Good until Friday!

Happy Shopping Beautiful People!

In Search of the Perfect Gel Liner...

Dear Beautiful People,

I need your help. I'm in search of the perfect gel liner. Here's what I DON'T like: Stila Smudge Pots (dry out within a couple of months... no matter how well you care for them), Pop Beauty Hot Pot Gel Liner (worked like a dream for about 2 weeks... then dried out) and MAC cream and gel liners.

I need a new... GOOD liner! I prefer a good slip; I don't like the drier gel versions. Here's what I'm starting out with, in my quest to find the perfect liner:

This thing cost me $25 bucks! Boo!!!! It better work like a damned charm, 'cause it's small as HELL!

Next to Stila...

Next to MAC...

I got it because there was EXCELLENT slip on the tester. And I figure, if folks have been in and out of it... accidentally leaving the top off... and messing around with it and it STILL has excellent slip, it might just be worth the 25 smackers. But the thing is so small that I may personally cuss out the person behind this brand if it turns out to be bogus.

Meanwhile... can you guys suggest some good gel liners? What are your favorites?

FOTD: Semi-Matte & Terre De Feu

I defied the weather today and went sort of matte. I wanted to use my NARS Pure Matte Lipstick in 'Terre De Feu'...

FACE

Guerlain Paurue Gold (06)

EYES

Bobbi Brown Eyeshadow in Toast (lid)

Rock & Republic Eyeshadow in Vintage (crease)

Shu Uemura Eyeshadow in M820 (browbone)

Napoleon Perdis China Doll Eyeliner (lashline)

Make Up For Ever Concealer Pencil (waterline)

Buxom Mascara

LIPS

Chanel Lipliner in Cognac

NARS Pure Matte Lipstick in Terre De Feu

Pretty Nifty & Pretty Gifty: Cargo Lumieres Palette

A quick stop at ULTA before heading home yielded this (not so) little treasure:

The Cargo Lumieres Palette has eight eyeshadows, a blush and a bronzer. Highly pigmented (I tried them all). The colors are pretty universal. Looks like six shimmers and two mattes, and the shadow pots are big. Like Make Up For Ever big...

Like all Cargo palettes, the packaging is just gorgeous... and the price point is perfect: $29.00. And like all Cargo palettes, this one is going... FAST. There was one more at ULTA when I left (and I go to the out of the way one in Burbank). I may go back and get the other as a gift later this week. But I'm not holding my breath about it being there. Like the Dior 5-Golds quint (which I went back for another the following day), it'll get snapped up by some lucky makeup maven and be gone... just like that.