NYX Baked Eyeshadow Swatches!

Sunday Swatches!

NYX Baked Eyeshadow ($6 each)

I went to a NYX store for the first time the other day and I loved it! I loved being able to swatch the products, get expert advice, and get all the benefits of buying makeup at the counter with a drugstore brand.

Check out my mini haul below! I’ll be swatching the products found on the top of the picture: NYX Baked Eyeshadow!

screenshot_2016-09-25-10-27-04-1

Picture below:  Left: Ambrosia  Right: Mademoiselle

both

Swatches!

Today’s swatches will be focused on how a shade changes depending on the application technique. I’ll be discussing how these shades look when applied with a dry eyeshadow brush, with my fingers, and with a damp brush!

A little backstory of my experience with this product: I had very high expectations of these eye shadows, and unfortunately, it took a little more effort for me to make this product work!

I got little to no product when I tried to pick up this shadow with a dry brush.  The most successful way I was able to use this product was by applying it using my fingers. I was also able to make this product more pigmented and easier to apply by using a damp eye shadow brush.

As you can see in the quick swatches I did below, the product has a very light color payout. The bottom swatch is 1-2 layers of the shade applied with my finger, and the top shade is 3-4 layers of the product.  I skipped showing how the shadows look when applied with a brush because it literally didn’t show up on my skin at all.

quick-swatches

NYX Baked Eye Shadow in Mademoiselle

Impression of the shade in the pan: Plummy, wine shade with a shiny finish and deep burgundy undertone.

plum

How the shade looks swatched on my wrist: 

In order to get this shade to look as pigmented as it does on the swatch on the left, I had to swirl my pointer finger in small circles around the pan 5-6 times and then packed about 5 layers of the on the shade on my wrist.

This shade looks like a wine red with a brown/orange undertone when applied with my finger. When applied with a damp eye shadow brush, the shade turns into a shiny, metallic red wine color. The shade was definitely less plum colored when swatched on my skin tone versus how it looks in the pan.

practice

NYX Baked Eye shadow in Ambrosia

Impression of this shade in the pan: Bright, light, sparkly gold!

gpd

How the shade looks swatched on my wrist: 

When swatched on my wrist, this shade looked like a light and pretty champagney gold shade. It’s a flatter, darker shade of brownish/gold when swatched with my finger. And metallic, shiny, light gold when applied with a damp eye shadow brush. I think this shade would work well as a subtle highlight on your cheekbones or in the corner of your eyes because the shade is so light and luminous.

gold-edited-2

Lasting Impression:

Overall, these shades were pretty, but the quality of the product was disappointing.  Even after being able to increase the pigmentation of the shadow by applying it with a damp eye shadow brush, I found that the product doesn’t last throughout the day anyway. I used these shades the other day and after checking my eyes after a few hours, the shadow was completely faded.  I also found that even though this product was buildable, the more layers you added, the easier those layers wipe or flake off throughout the day. The product was also not easy to blend which made it nearly impossible to work with.

Lesson learned though-always get creative with makeup before completely giving up on it! Try different application techniques, applying various layers of the product, mix different shades together, try different base layers such as moisturizers and primers! Sometimes you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the outcome and sometimes not, but at least you gave it your all. 🙂

Now I want to hear from you!

Have you tried this product? What do you think?

What are you favorite NYX products?

8 - Edited

Continue Reading

1 picture,12 Guilty Pleasures


0913162058-1_wm

I spy with my little eye… all of my guilty pleasures!

  • Cute notebooks and notepads – my fave are the ones from the dollar section at Target, I pick up 1-2 during every Target run
  • Pop Figures – my boyfriend and I counted 54 in our collection so far…dunno how that happened!
  • Walking Dead – is it October 23rd yet? Can’t wait for the Season 7 premiere!
  • Mean Girls – my all time favorite movie since ’04
  • Friends – my all time favorite show since… as long as I can remember!
  • Pictures of my family, friends and puppy
  • Fancy lookin books and fancy tea cups
  • Turtles! I have a pet baby tortoise and since then I’ve collected and been gifted anything with turtles on them
  • SF Niners and SF Giants
  • Hello Kitty – I’ll never outgrow this!
  • PINK – is it obvious this is my favorite color? 😉
  • And of course, your favorite and mine – MAKEUP!!

Now I want to hear from you!!

What do you like to collect?

What are some of your guilty pleasures?

8 - Edited

Continue Reading

3 Universally Flattering Drugstore Lipstick Colors!

I think any makeup lover like myself has gone through this exact situation or something incredibly similar: you see a GORGEOUS makeup shade on someone else but then when you try it on yourself, you quickly realize the shade looks completely different!  For the last few months I’ve been researching and collecting a list of make up shades that are said to be universally flattering on every skin tone. This past week I had a little swatch party with two of my friends to test 3 drug store lipsticks to see how they looked on each of our different skin tones!  (Thank you Angela and Tie for swatching with me!)

group-1

0905161058a95hdr

1) Revlon Color Stay Ultimate Suede in Muse ($9.99)

0908161637a

How the shade looks in the package: Hot, bright pink!

0908161634

20160901_173826_wm

20160901_173831_wm

20160901_173836_wm

Overall impression: The swatches of this shade looked completely different on all 3 skin tones! The shade was bright wine purple with a hot pink undertone when applied on the lighter skin tone. On a tan skin tone, this shade looked more purple/fuchsia.  The shade looked the most like it does in the package when swatched on a darker skin tone-bright pink!  All these shades were different, but all beautiful! Definitely recommend this lipstick. It’s creamy, pigmented and the color is buildable.  Click here to see pictures of this lip color applied on women of different skin tones on Revlon’s website!

20160901_173907_wm

20160901_173938_wm

2)Maybelline Color Sensational Lipcolor in Red Revival ($7.49) 

0908161637

How the shade looks in the package: Deep, true red.

0908161634b

20160901_174330_wm

20160901_174338_wm

20160901_174347_wm

Overall impression: This lipstick is extremely pigmented and took on different variations of deep red on all of our skin tones. The shade was a bright red on the lightest skin tone compared to the darker skin tones. The shade takes on a more maroon shade when applied on the darker skin tones. Overall, I was very impressed with this lipstick! Definitely a high quality drug store product.

20160901_174411_wm

20160901_174445_wm

3) L’Oréal Infallible 8 Hour Pro Gloss in Sangria ($9.99)

0908161636

How the shade looks in the package: Orangey-brown with hint of mauvey red with glitter

0908161635

20160901_174838_wm

20160901_174842_wm

20160901_174902_wm

Overall impression: There is a huge difference between how this shade looks in the tube as it does swatched. The shade looks more orangey-brown with a red/mauve undertone in the tube, and it surprisingly transformed to a pink/mauve shade when swatched. Overall, this shade is lightly pigmented and applies on very sheer. The shade would serve more as a tint for your lips instead of a solid color. This lipgloss comes with a soft bristled, triangle shaped brush.

20160901_174928_wm 20160901_174940_wm

In conclusion!: There is an endless amount of different skin tones in the world- every single one of them beautiful!  It’s amazing to think about how a make up shade can completely transform when applied on different skin tones. Overall, I think that sometimes it’s good to have some guidance on what shades look flattering on your skin tone, but overall- there shouldn’t be any rules on what shades you should wear! If you try on a shade that makes you feel confident, beautiful, and HAPPY, that’s all that matters.

Now I want to hear from you! :

Have you tried any of these shades? Send me your swatches!

Are there any shades that you believe are universally flattering?

What are your favorite shades to wear?

8 - Edited

Continue Reading

Top 7 things you need to take pictures for your Makeup Blog and Instagram!

Hi everyone! I hope you all had a great weekend!!

Where will you find me on a typical Saturday or Sunday morning?? Sitting on the sidewalk & grass area outside my apartment in my PJ’s, with a bag full of makeup, ready to spend the next couple hours under the gorgeous California morning sunshine, swatching makeup and taking pictures for my blog and Instagram! 😉

0813160830b_wm - Edited

This post is for anyone who is interested in starting a beauty blog or Instagram account! Keep reading below for a list of the top 7 items I use to take flatlays and pictures of swatches!

1) Simple Background

I’ve researched all the different backgrounds that bloggers use for their pictures & flatlays and they all have one common piece of advice: keep it simple! 

I’ve tried a few different backgrounds and I found that a plain white foamboard works really well when taking pictures in natural light, which is my preferred choice of light to take pictures in! The board I use is Elmer’s White Foamboard from Michael’s.

0813160826b_HDR_wm - Edited

Other backgrounds I’ve used for flatlays include bedsheets, rugs or fabric with interesting textures (I use small swatches of fabric from the craft store), scrapbook paper, decorative boxes, or anything in nature such as grass, flowers, trees etc!

IMG_20160531_073441_wm

IMG_20160804_122912

2) Camera of choice

I’m currently using an LG G4 phone for my camera and I LOVE the quality of phots I get.  I tried using a point & shoot camera to take pictures of swatches but I personally found that the camera on my phone most accurately captures the way shade of makeup looks and it makes it easy for me to upload directly on IG or my blog. I suggest trying out different cameras to see what your favorite one to use and what works best for your blog and purpose 🙂

3) Tape!

It’s amazing how good ol’ Scotch tape makes such a big difference when taking pictures of makeup swatches on your arm/hand! There are a lot of times that I spontaneously swatch makeup on my arm and in these cases, I won’t take the time to use tape to frame the swatches. But, I find that using tape when swatching makeup makes the edges much cleaner and helps space the swatches evenly on your arm. See the difference below between swatches done freehand and swatches done using tape.

0813160828c_wm

(makeup swatches done freehand)

IMG_20160730_123809

(using tape to frame the makeup swatches)

IMG_20160612_124110_wm

4) Makeup Wipes.

Makeup wipes are a must-have to clean in between swatching different makeup products and can also be used to clean your products so that they’re photo ready. I typically use Target’s Up&Up make up wipes to erase makeup swatches on my arm. These wipes work well, smell great, and are super affordable at 50 wipes for $3.59! I save my Neutrogena makeup remover wipes to use on my face or for harder to remove makeup swatches. Other good items to have around for cleaning your makeup/swatches are paper towels, water, and hand sanitizer!

0813160826_HDR_wm - Edited

0813160825_wm

5) Notebook

One big piece of advice: take notes to keep track of what pictures you’re taking! It can be really difficult to distinguish the brand and shade of the makeup you took pictures of unless you take note of it.  The notebook also comes in handy to take down your thoughts on how the color looks, consistency, texture, your first impression of the product, and anything else that may be hard to remember after the fact.

0813160829_wm

6) Props

I like to keep my pictures very minimal and simple but a few props are always good to have at hand. Some of my favorite props I recommend are: flowers (both real or fake), jewelry, ceramic bowls or plates, anything from the scrapbook section in a craftstore, and any little trinkets you have.

Screenshot_2016-08-21-19-26-02-1_wm

Be sure to use all the beautiful and natural items you find outside! Flowers, trees, lakes, mountains, beaches, the sky, etc all make amazing backgrounds!

IMG_20160726_132958

7) Makeup!

And last but not least, makeup!! Old makeup, new makeup, anything you have! Just grab a handful from your stash and go swatch crazy! 🙂

0813160828a_HDR_wm - Edited

Someday I hope to have a beautiful makeup room to take pictures of my makeup and swatches, but for now, I love my little spot on the sidewalk outside my apartment.  🙂

Now I want to hear from you!

What are your favorite items to use when taking pictures for your blog?

8 - Edited

Continue Reading

One of my biggest supporters has no interest in makeup!

This post is going to be a little different than my previous posts… it’ll give you a peak into my life outside of makeup and swatching!

Did you know that one of the biggest supporters of Beyond the Swatch has absolutely zero interest in makeup??

This person is none other than my wonderful and ever supportive boyfriend, Chris!! In honor of his birthday this past week, I wanted to take a second to recognize and thank him for everything he’s done to support my blog! 🙂

13879459_10207104531873728_8928041369244248697_n

Some of the many ways Chris has supported Beyond the Swatch!

  • When I first told him I wanted to start a makeup blog, he spent hours listening to my ideas, asking me questions, helping me map out my thoughts, and come up with ways to make my ideas better
  • He helped me research what type of camera and laptop is most recommended for an inspiring blogger
  • He researched how to build a photobox and built one for me to use
  • He is behind the scenes of almost every photo I take, helping me frame the picture, hold up a lamp so I can get the lighting just right, or by taking the pictures himself (here’s his hand, helping organize my makeup products for an instagram post!)

0525162249

  • He lets me talk endlessly about makeup and actively shows interest even though I know most of what I’m saying goes right over his handsome head 🙂
  • Anytime I doubt myself and have a million reasons why my ideas won’t work or that my dreams are stupid, he reassures me and counters my fears and encourages me to keep going
  • A blog post doesn’t get published until he’s proofread what I’ve written or listened to me read it outloud. Nothing makes my day more than when I’m reading one of my posts to him and I see him smile out of the corner of my eye or laugh at certain parts of the post
  • He is completely supportive/understanding when I randomly get the urge to swatch makeup i.e. at a baseball game, date night, vacation, literally anywhere
  • He patiently waits for me when I spend “just a couple minutes” in the makeup department 😉

In these ways, and so many more, Chris has been a huge motivation to starting this blog and to keep it going!

Chris and I have a lot of similar hobbies/obsessions (for example: Walking Dead, Pop Figures, Bob’s Burgers, puppies, turtles, and football).

It’s important to share some of the same interests with your partner, but to find someone who takes interest in something you love simply because they know how much it means to you, is pretty amazing. I feel so lucky every day that Chris invests and supports my dreams, no matter how big or small. 

So I challenge all of you today to take some interest in your loved one’s hobbies and passions, whether it’s blogging, makeup, starting their own business, football, knitting, reading, dancing, collecting spoons, art, traveling, music and even Pokemon Go! 

  • Ask them a question to learn about whatever it is that they are passionate about and actively listen to what they say
  • Spend time with them doing their hobby and trying it out for yourself
  • Do a little research on whatever topic they’re interested in, and spark a conversation based on what you’ve learned
  • Compliment something they’ve created or worked on lately
  • Get them a simple gift that shows your support
  • Speak highly of their dreams/ideas/hobbies with other people
  • Just show up! (to their games, performances, etc)
  • Know that you don’t have to fully understand or grasp why they enjoy what they’re doing, but just let them enjoy what they love!

8 - Edited

 

Continue Reading