My Everyday Makeup Look

Hello again! I wanted to put up a look that I normally wear on a daily basis whether I'm running errands, hanging out with my boyfriend, or going to school. This look is very simple and does not take much effort in putting it together. Since school is about to start for me, this look is perfect for the first day of class. As a college student who spends a lot of time in labs, I try not to look too done up. Sometimes, I would skip the eyeshadow and go straight to eyeliner and mascara. It all depends on what kind of day it is on my schedule :) I hope you all enjoy!

What I used:
- Urban Decay Naked Skin Foundation in 6.0
- Ulta Minerals Bronzer
- NYC Colorwheel Mosaic Face Powder in Rose Glow
- e.l.f Studio Eyebrow Kit in Medium
- NYX Nude Matte Eyeshadow in Lap Dance
- Mirabella Eye Color in Semiformal
- The Balm's Meet Matt(e) Eyeshadow in Matt Batali 
- Physician's Formula Eye Booster Eyeliner
- Maybelline's Mega Plush Mascara
- Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter in Fig Jam

Hues of Blue

Here is a dramatic look using blue without looking like Mimi from the Drew Carey Show.

To achieve this look, I used:

- Too Faced Shadow Insurance Primer
- NYX Nude Matte Eyeshadow in Lap Dance
- BH Cosmetics Party Girl Palette
- Physician's Formula Eye Booster Eyeline
- Too Faced Lash Injection Mascara
- Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter in Fig Jam

The numbered colors are the shadows I've used and are numbered in sequence of when I used it

First applied highlight on my brow bone and inner corner of my eyes with NYX Nude Matte Eyeshadow in Lap Dance

Applied #1 all over my lid

#2 on the outer half of my lids

Created dimension and contour with #3 on the outermost corners

Blend, blend, blend!

Urban Decay Naked Skin Beauty Balm

This review is on Urban Decay's Naked Skin Beauty Balm. This product is recently new and retails for $34.

Urban Decay has come out with their own version of "BB Creams" called Urban Decay's Naked Skin Beauty Balm. It claims to have a multitasking formula with 5 purposes:

1. Perfects to instantly even out skin tone and minimize pores, lines, wrinkles, and redness
2. Protects with SPF 20 and contains an ingredient that helps inhibit DNA damage
3. Treats to firm skin, improve elasticity and provide measurable anti-aging benefits
4. Primes for long lasting performance under makeup application
5. Hydrates instantly and improves hydration over time

According to Urban Decay, this beauty balm will make our skin look better instantly and provides serious results in 8 weeks. You can even wear it alone like a tinted moisturizer or under foundation as a primer. 

It's been a month since I've been trying this product and although I like it as a primer, I wouldn't wear it by itself. This is because I don't feel it has the ability to cover my dark spots and blemishes. The left picture is after one layer of application and the right picture is after two layers of application. As you can see, it did not cover my blemishes which Urban Decay claimed it would do instantly which really disappointed me. However, I did notice some redness going away after I let the BB cream set onto my face and warm up a bit. Also, I'm a little hesitant to say this because it may be too early, but I haven't really seen a dramatic improvement on my skin. I have noticed a few acne scars lighten up a bit, but it seemed to have stayed the same color afterwards. 

Unfortunately, I was a little disappointed with this BB cream. I love Urban Decay's products, but I feel like they could have produced a better BB creams than the ones I see in my drug stores, especially when it's priced at more than $30. Currently, my favorite BB cream in the market is L'Oreal Paris's Magic Skin Beautifier BB Cream. I feel like this works better than Urban Decay's because I would gladly wear it on it's own without concealer because it covers up really well and also keeps my face hydrated. Also, I've noticed that this product is "Broad Spectrum" which means that there are only a few colors available... actually only ONE! I thought this was a bit odd because they came out with a beautiful line of Naked Skin Foundation in a large variety of colors to choose from, I would expect them to at least have 3 shades for their BB cream. 

On the bright side, it did hydrate and moisture my face really well, but I felt that it left me oily at the end of the day. It worked well as a primer because it kept my foundation on the whole day. Overall, I like this product, but I wouldn't purchase this for myself. I would stick to my L'Oreal BB cream.

Nothing on

(L) One layer of Beauty Balm (R) Two Layers of Beauty Balm

New Year's Resolutions.

Hi Everyone,
The new year is still young and I wanted to post a list of resolutions that I have for the year 2013. Knowing me, I am bad at keeping true to my resolutions. I would come up with great resolutions that can change my lifestyle and help me become a better person, but I would always fail!!!

For 2013, I have decided to take control and promise myself to keep my resolutions until the end of the year. Here are my resolutions....

1. Don't be late for anything!

2. Get more sleep.

3. Run at least 5x a week!!!

4. Get organized

5. I control what I eat, NOT my body (aka: eat healthier)

I know these are a lot, but I am willing to complete these goals by the end of the year :)
I will keep an update on my progress throughout the year.

Happy New Year! And I hope you all accomplish your resolutions too. Together, we can do this!

Stay beautiful!
<3 arlynangel

New Year's Eve Makeup

Happy New Year, Everyone! I hope everyone was able to celebrate the coming of another new year with families and friends. I want to share with you a makeup look that will sure to stop the clock once you enter the room.

Products Used:
- Too Faced Shadow Insurance - Primer
- NYX Nude Matte Eyeshadow in Lap Dance
- Smashbox Photo Op Eyeshadow in Sky 
- Smashbox Photo Op Eyeshadow in Granite

- NYX Single Eyeshadow in Black

-The Balm Meet Matt(e) in Matt Batali

- Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-on Eye Pencil in Zero

- Physician's Formula Eye Booster Eyeline

- Maybelline Mega Plush Mascara

- Too Faced Lash Injection Mascara

Urban Decay Naked Skin Foundation

When it comes to makeup, the most difficult product for me to purchase is foundation. Finding the perfect color for your skin tone requires at least 30 mins of swatching and multiple trips to the makeup mirror. Tip: Bring your own mirror!!! It's so much easier and very convenient. It wasn't until the summer of last year that I was pulled to the side by Urban Decay employees at Macy's to give them 10 mins of my time to try out some products. The makeup artist wanted to give me a free makeup trial, and being a lover of free stuff, especially when it comes to makeup, I accepted the offer. And thus, my long search for the perfect foundation has ended. Long story short, they introduced me to  Urban Decay's Surreal Skin Mineral Powder in Hallucination which matched my skin perfectly. Ever since, I've been a fan of Urban Decay's products. 

Now, Urban Decay has came out with a new foundation product from their Naked line which consisted of 18 different shades that accommodated both rosy and warm undertones. My sister was the first to purchase the foundation and after a few weeks of trying it out, she really recommended the product to me. So, I purchased a bottle of my own in the shade of 6.0. I tried to choose a color that closely resembled Hallucination and 6.0 was the closest. This foundation would have to be the priciest I've paid for at $38 a tube before tax. The mineral powder only retailed for $31 which I though was pricey. However, I felt that me finding a foundation that really accommodated to my skin color and was something I really enjoy and use everyday, it would be worth it. 

Urban Decay has done a great job with their packaging for this product. The foundation was held in a very sleek tube with a pump which made dispensing the foundation very easy. Not only was the pump useful, but the mechanics was awesome as well. The pump is very sensitive to pressure so that you can dispense the right amount you need without wasting product. Along with the handy dandy pump, the tube also had it's own "mixer" inside the tube for an easy and convenient way to mix the foundation before using. 

In regards to the foundation itself, the consistency is a little runny, but it was good that the foundation was not thick to prevent that caked on effect. At first, I thought that this foundation may end up being streaky, but it glided onto my skin with ease and streak free. The foundation did not give a dewy finish which was a plus for me because my face is usually oily anyway. Instead, it settled on my face with a matte finish. The coverage on the foundation was about medium. It was able to cover up blemishes, but not thoroughly. However, you can add a second coat which will give a good full coverage. It all depends on how much foundation you prefer wearing. For me, I settled with a single coating which did the trick for my blemishes. The picture below shows me without foundation on the left, and me after a single coating of UD's Naked Skin Foundation on the right.

About my Skin: 
- oily combination
- usually leaves my face oily at the end of the day
- a lot of acne scars on my forehead, chin, and temples
- redness on the nose

For me, when it comes to wearing liquid foundation, I like to set it with a powder. I decided to set the foundation with the Surreal Skin Mineral Powder in Hallucination. This allowed the foundation to set and to buff out my skin. With this, I found that the two worked well together and I highly recommend using the mineral powder to set your liquid foundation. As you can see in the picture below, Hallucination matched well with 6.0 as well as providing more coverage to the liquid foundation.  Lastly, when it came to performance, the foundation stayed on the whole day. I was a little oily at the end of the day, but I noticed that it wasn't as oily as I usually get with just the powder foundation. Taking pictures was not a problem and it did not give me a bright face. Also, being from a Filipino family who serves a lot of greasy food, I usually end up with the foundation on my chin disappearing by noon. However, this did not happen with UD's Naked Skin. I really enjoyed this product from Urban Decay and I definitely recommend this foundation. 

A few things I did not like about this foundation:
- Felt that you need to work fast. I usually blot a few areas of my face with the foundations before blending. I noticed that by the time I reach blending my forehead, the foundation would set and I have to replenish with a few more drops of foundation to finish.