Hope everyone had a great weekend!

You gotta love Memorial Day weekend - it's an excuse to thank the troops, get a tan, and shop! Perfect combination, no? I spent this weekend walking my tan little ass off around Manhattan:

Friday: Amy from The Beauty Chick and I managed to shop and walk our way from Bloomingdales Soho to Asiakan, a sushi place 20 minutes from my apartment. I live by Columbia University, so that's damn far. We managed not to do too much damage; my birthday is in a little more than two weeks so I'd rather save my cash for birthday haulage and activities. I bought a new Lipstick Queen Chinatown Glossy Lip Pencil in Thriller (a hot pink) and soap. I had worn one of my Inoui ID quads - a gift from Vicki J., Dick Page's sister! - and it was lovely: slate blue and browns. I will have to review it this week.

Saturday: I went, makeupless, to one of my best friend's home and played with her and her baby all night. I was makeupless because I had taken Pilates at work, haha!

Sunday: After work, I went to Central Park and tanned and read on the Great Lawn. Perfect day! Then I walked home, and ate my weight in street fair food and McDonalds. My EOTD was an old favorite from last summer: Maybelline Natural Smokes quad, which I had reviewed back on Pink Sith. I had forgotten about this quad, and it was gorgeous. Smokey taupe is always a win in my book, and the price can't be beat! I will have to give this a short review some time here also.

Today: I'm working for a bit before I have dinner and drinks with my friend Jasmine. Today's EOTD is pale, simple, and shimmery because I wanted to emphasize my newly deepened tan. I used a Clinique trio that had been in some GWP. It has Confetti (a white-pink with gold shimmer), the ever-famous Lucky Penny (a rosy copper color that's kind of hard to explain), and a dark brown shade (it's the dark side of the Rose Chocolate duo). My eyes are contoured, but wide and incredibly glowy. Win! I'll get a picture of my EOTD when I get home - I just felt as if I was neglecting my blog, and I wanted to punch out an entry quickly!

Besame mucho, Besame!

I absolutely adore Besame Cosmetics. I discovered the niche line a few years back on MakeupAlley, and it was love at first sight. The boudoir feel of the products, the intense pigmentation, the cute little compacts - how could I not love Besame? Gabriela Hernandez, the founder of the company, wanted to bring luxury and glamour into every day life, and I really do feel glamorous when I use her products.

About three years ago, there was a huge sale on the Besame website, and I (along with the rest of MUA) went crazy; well, my then-boyfriend went crazy buying me my Christmas presents, haha! I ended up with quite the Besame collection, some of which I later ended up sharing with friends.

For today, I wanted a put-together look. I was sitting on my bed staring at my eye shadow collection when I noticed my three little Besame eyeshadow compacts sitting together. I knew I had a winner, so I whipped out a good chunk of the rest of my collection and went for a Besame theme!

Besame Shimmer Beige eye shadow: Sadly no longer available on the Besame website, this is a very pretty and very pale beige. It has shimmer, but not overly so. It makes a very nice brow-bone highlight or inner eye highlight, but I feel as if it's a bit too stark white on my skin due to my tan. Imagine MAC Blanc Type eyeshadow with shimmer, and you have Besame Shimmer Beige.

Besame Plum Dandy eye shadow: Plum Dandy was the eyeshadow everyone on MUA freaked out over. It is an absolutely gorgeous gold-shot warm plum that has a hint of taupe. It makes my brown eyes glow. I'm sitting here trying to think of a dupe, and NARS Ondine is the closest I could think of. Plum Dandy is more golden, and less taupey than Ondine, however. Sadly, Plum Dandy is also no longer available on the website. If you can swap for this shadow, or find it on Ebay, I highly recommend you do so. It's that gorgeous.

Besame Socialite Brown eye shadow: Finally, a color that is still available for purchase! Socialite Brown is a great shimmery warm brown with (again) a hint of taupe. It's one of those perfect contour colors because it's dark enough to create depth, but not too dark as to be overpowering. It can be used on the lids, crease, outer V, or as liner. It's one of those workhorse shades that will take you far. I can't think of a suitable dupe for this color, either. This color retails for $14 on the website.

Besame Classic Masterliner Pencils - Kohl/Beige eyeliner and Gray/Taupe brow pencil: Both of these are still available on the Besame website; these are very nice double-ended mechanical pencils. I am especially fond of the Gray/Taupe brow pencil, and I'm currently on my fourth or fifth one - I need to reorder soon! I must say, though, that I don't love the Kohl/Beige eyeliner. The Kohl (black) color smudges a lot, and the Beige color isn't very pigmented (but it does make a decent enough waterliner/inner corner highlight). These pencils retail for $18, and I think that for the brow duo, that's an excellent price!

As for the rest of my face, most of the products I used are also from Besame. I used Maybelline Falsies mascara (from the UK, but it better get to the US soon!), my Everyday Minerals foundation, and Besame Loose Powder (no longer available on the website either, but I love this and it smells like vanilla!). For my blush, I used my two Besame Vintage Boudoir Rouges:Sun Kissed to contour, and Sweet Pink on the apples. Since these two colors are matte, I used a touch of Bobbi Brown Tawny Shimmerbrick on the cheekbones.

For my lips, I used Besame Classic Enchanting Lipstick in Chocolate Kiss (no longer available), and Besame Classic Glaze in Vanilla on top for shimmer and to lighten the lipstick color.

Wow, that's a lot of stuff! I love how the Besame shadows, despite all being shimmers, are not overpowering. My eyes just glow, an effect emphasized by the thin black line and my highlighted waterline. My cheeks and lips are softly colored, and also glowy. Hah, I live up to my Twitter name of @glowyjoeybunny!

I really hate when life gets in the way of blogging!

I have a post coming up soon. Due to my annoying life, I went two days without makeup and without writing - and I'm pissed about it!

However, I did manage to do quite a nice EOTD - well, my entire face is nice today - based around (mostly) one brand, Besame Cosmetics. There will be pictures of most of the items I used, but for now, here's my face. The look is actually pretty natural/work-appropriate, and it's just very neat and glowy. I like being polished, sometimes.

Oh, and it's pretty taupe-y, of course. But not entirely so; there's some plum too. Breakdown soon!

Well everyone, I'm an idiot!

Guess what Joey did today.

Joey forgot to bring her makeup bag to work with her. Joey didn't put on makeup this morning.

Sigh.

I had picked out the cutest combination of colors for today. I think I'll just go home tonight and slap it all on just to show you all, but here's what I had picked out (sans photos, of course, but I promise to take pictures tonight):

MAC Naked Pigment - Ok, I know I'm supposed to use something different every day, but what I lack in my collection are good highlight/brow bone colors. Naked is one of my go-to's for highlight. You will see it mentioned a lot here. I eventually need a full jar - I work from a generous sample of it given to me by one of my best friends.

YSL Ombre Solo eyeshadow in #02 Granite Grey - This was a gift from a very generous friend of mine. I love YSL shadows, and the Ombre Solos were the old singles - YSL has debuted new eyeshadow singles, and I think the Ombre Solos are being discontinued. Granite Grey is a gorgeous light to medium neutral-cool gray color, with a hint of taupe. It's shimmery but not overly so. I adore it with pinks, which explains my next shadow choice. These retail(ed) for $28.50, I believe.

Chanel Soft Touch eyeshadow in Fizz - This was a gift from my faux Momma Cindy over at Prime Beauty Blog, and I was extremely grateful; she knows my taste so well! I've been on a huge huge pink kick lately, and Fizz really hit the spot. Fizz was a limited edition shade, I believe, and it's just a pretty neutral-cool bright-ish pink. It really pops on my tan skintone! I wonder how I missed this shade while it was in stores.

I apologize for oversleeping and being in a rush to get to work. I promise an EOTD and pictures when I get home tonight.

I'm seeing red...and blue...and purple...

Since I'm going drinking tonight like the good little alcoholic I am, I need to plan tomorrow's eye look while I'm still at work. I'm thinking of something bright and cheery for tomorrow, but it needs to be something fast. I have no idea. I need to decide on a color theme, first. Any ideas for me?

Today's EOTD was a success, hooray!

I'm really thrilled I found my Bobbi Brown Pewter Chrome eyeshadow. I had forgotten how absolutely lovely the texture and color is. Bobbi Brown eyeshadows really never disappoint - pricey, but they last forever. Pewter Chrome is one of those colors that has all these bizarre tones to it that make it go with everything. I bought it for myself as a Christmas present this past December (retailed for $22), but it's been somewhat neglected.

I'm especially fond of pairing Pewter Chrome with greens, which is why I had decided on the Black Radiance duo (the name is Black Radiance Metallic Eyeshadow Duo in Island/Oasis). It retails for $2.99 in drugstores, and the pigmentation is superb; in fact, it's definitely department store quality. The white-gold color is highly pigmented, and the green color is pewtery itself - or maybe more of a golden-green. It's deep, it's dark, but easily blended.

Like I said I would, I used the white-gold color as my brow bone highlight, and applied Pewter Chrome on my lids. The dark green color I applied in my crease, outer V, and my lower lash line. I used MAC Jealousy Kohl Power as my eyeliner, because I wanted just a little more green.

I'm really happy with how this came out. I love Pewter so much! I need to use it more often. I'm thinking it'd rock with purples. I should try it later on with the other Black Radiance eyeshadow duo I have (it has a mauvey-taupe and a purple).

I'm debating tomorrow's eye look instead of sleeping.

Well, it's already tomorrow (it's 1:17am in NYC as I type this), but I think I already know what I might want to do. I was Tweeting earlier about my Bobbi Brown Pewter Chrome eye shadow and how I had forgotten about it. I was thinking it'd look good with this Black Radiance eye shadow duo I bought a month or so ago - it's a white gold color and a deep gold-green (the green is almost pewter-y on its own, and the duo itself is a decent dupe of the NARS Taiga duo).

So, I'm thinking I can do the white-gold color as a highlight/inner corner color, Pewter Chrome on the lid up past the crease, and the deep gold-green in the crease, outer V, and lower lash line. Deep green liner or black liner to finish, with nude lips and a bronzey cheek. Definitely a more dramatic eye look

That could work. Let's see how I feel in the morning; hopefully I won't totally change my mind about this. Pictures to follow once I actually do my makeup, of course.

A Survey of Sorts...

I figured that every good blog has an "About Me", so I should have one too.

• I'm 24, but I feel 85. This is not a good thing.
• When I was younger, I was all about lip gloss and eyeliner. I think it was a high school phase. Now, I'm all about eyeshadow and foundation.
• If there's one thing everyone knows about me, it's that I love (and collect) taupe eyeshadows. Surprisingly, I haven't really been into wearing my taupes lately! I've experienced a renewed love of color; all I've been wearing are pinks and purples on my lids. But not muted pinks or purples - I'm all about the brights!
• My favorite brands for eyeshadows are: NARS, Paul and Joe, MAC (but only the permanent line), Bobbi Brown, and Urban Decay. I am starting to get into MUFE (Makeup For Ever) eyeshadows. I used to really be into YSL eyeshadows, but that phase has cooled down. I have no idea why. EDIT (9/2010): I really, really love Le Metier de Beaute eyeshadows now too!
• In terms of drugstore shadows, I think that nothing beats Black Radiance. I've yet to try the new Wet 'n' Wild eyeshadows though. EDIT: As of 9/29/2010, I have tried at least one of the new Wet 'n 'Wild eyeshadows. They're quite nice!
• My perennial eyeshadow quest: to find the perfect satin-matte highlight shade. The closest I've come is Edward Bess Nude.
• The one eyeshadow shade I don't own: yellow! I should work on that.
• The one eyeshadow shade I wear but it still scares me: blue. The weird thing is that blue eyeliner has always been one of my favorite makeup products. My old signature eye used to be smokey taupe with blue liner.
• Non-eyeshadow related makeup factoids: I hate coral lipstick. I'm a sucker for a good plum blush. I am insane about brow pencils. Liquid foundation scares me. I only ever use Alcone sponges. I have products that I refuse to ever use just because they hold sentimental value to me.
• Non-makeup related factoids: I graduated from NYU's Gallatin School. I hate dark chocolate. I have lived in NYC my entire life, and my favorite place in the city is the Museum of Natural History. I love fro-yo but am not a big ice cream person. I'm allergic to cats, which makes me sad because I love cats. My two heroes in life are Michel Foucault and Albert Camus (this might give you a good indication of what I studied in college). I don't like nail polish. Oh, and if you couldn't tell by the above photo, I also really enjoy taking pictures of myself on my Macbook while I'm at work!

Here's that pic of Dior Silver Look...

Not the greatest picture of me ever, but like I said, I am at work and I'm trying (note the towels behind me, ha)! You can see that this is a decently natural look. I'm really itching to reapply the matte grey-brown color so that I have a smokier eye. That's what I get for using a fluffy brush this morning, sigh! Diffuse color, no bueno! I want dark and sultry, damnit.

I seriously am in love with Silver Look, though. It's one of those eyeshadow palettes that, if you lost all of your other shadows, you'd still be able to create a myriad of looks.

Gorgeous, no?

Dior Silver Look + MAC Naked Pigment = my 5 minute eye look

I need to remember to post a picture of my eyes today when I get the chance to actually take a picture. It was suggested I post EOTD (eye of the day) pictures along with my descriptions of the eyeshadow, and I think that's a good idea. Hopefully I can take some quality pics!

I actually need to redo my eyes a bit. They look fine now, but the look is a little too...natural. I like drama. I like oomph. Considering I only had five minutes to do my eye makeup, it still came out quite nice. I did a dark-ish berry lip to add more strength to my face (Clinique Raspberry Glace) and did a nude matte blush with shimmery highlighter on my apples and cheekbones (some Estee Lauder nude blush with MAC Shimpagne Mineralized Skinfinish). Oh, and I ended up choosing black liquid liner (Jordana Fabuliner in black, an excellent felt-tip liquid eyeliner pen that costs $2).

All in all, a very pretty look. I'll post pictures of everything once class starts (for those that don't know, I manage a yoga studio - there's a class starting in 30 minutes, so I'm going to be pretty busy until it starts).

Planning tomorrow's (taupey) eye...

I have to be up for work at 6:30 am tomorrow. I generally try to leave by 8am, which really doesn't give me much time to get ready (Have you seen my hair? Do you know how bloody long it takes to do my hair?!). Usually I end up doing my makeup at work on Saturdays and Sundays, but I find that this really throws me off; I always feel better if I leave my apartment with my face already done.

For this reason, I decided to set out tomorrow's eyeshadow look. I'm going to go with Dior Silver Look eyeshadow duo with MAC Naked pigment to highlight. This will be a simple taupey eye, which we all know I love. I'm going to probably smoke it out, and either add a plum liner, or black liquid liner. We'll see.

For an awesome review of Silver Look, check out Pink Sith's review here - her write-up is what made me want this duo in the first place. I remember when I purchased it (with a gift card, at Macy's Herald Square): I was absolutely thrilled, and literally made a mad dash home so I could play with it. Elvira uses the dark side of the Force to create lemmings that seriously never, ever dissipate until you just cave on the damn product. I have Dior Pop Look too, somewhere in my massive stash, and I am hoping to add Purple Look to my mini Dior collection soon too. Hey, my birthday is in three weeks...

Woo, first post! NARS Habanera duo

This blog is an attempt to rediscover the myriad of eyeshadows I own. My collection is huge, almost embarrassingly so. I'm going to try to remember to use a different shadow (or more than one) every day and blog about it. This way, I get to share my stash and I get to remember what I have.

Today's inaugural post is NARS Habanera. I bought this the day I met Nars himself. The colors are strange (that icy green-blue!) but they make my eyes glow. The possibilities with this duo are endless.

Icy green-blue all over lids and lining lower lids. Sparkly plum with green and blue shimmer in crease.