New M.A.C. & Benefit Cosmetics products/swatches!

Hey there lovies! It's been awhile since I've made a blog post that's make up related. I was planning on taking this blog in a different direction, but now I think I'll be using it for miscellaneous things. Mostly to coincide with my YouTube channel! OK, let's get right into why we're here.. those goodies I posted above ^^.  As some of you know I do freelance make up artistry in the town I live and so far business is going pretty good! So with that being said I've been doing a little shopping for my freelance kit (and myself hehe) Pretty much everything in this post has a duplicate for my kit, it gets pretty expensive but its worth it! (or I hope it will be!) M.A.C. is my favorite brand ever! Anyone that knows me, knows how much I love them. My dream job is to be an artist for them, which hopefully happens one day soon. Fingers, toes, & eyes crossed!  Now onto the products and swatches!

This is my foundation of choice right now! I usually prefer the Pro-long wear foundation by MAC, but the colors haven't been matching me well due to my lack of sun. This is the studio fix fluid in NW15. ( yes, I'm super white! haha) I'm actually in between shades so I mix this and NW 20 for my perfect shade. They need to make an NW18 just for me! I wouldn't recommend this foundation if your taking professional pictures or for any of my brides, because it does contain an SPF which in turn will give your face that awful white cast. I do like to use this in the summer for the SPF and the fact that its a bit lighter feeling on the skin oppose to the pro long wear!

Swatch of "NC15"

OK, guys can I just rave about this product for like an hour?! Oh em gee I love this stuff. When I first received in in the mail, I  was like "oh no this is going to be way too dark for me!" Technically its a shade darker than I am, BUT this is amazing for my dark circles! Due to the fact that it is a bit dark for me, it hides my circles and eyes so good and evens out that area! I do use a separate concealer to brighten the area, but when they say industrial strength that mean it. Boi-ing is amaze! I highly, highly recommend it to all my ladies with dark circles! The one downside is it only comes in 3 or 4 shades so it might be little hard to match for some of my lovies out there!

swatch of "Boi-ing"

"Hervana" by Benefit is a very good summer blush. It's not overly bright, but gives a nice deep pink flush to the cheeks. I'm a big fan of the Benefit boxed blushes, I also love their bronzer and use it on my clients!  This blush gives an awesome natural look, so it would be perfect for someone who like the natural/minimal make up look!

This swatch doesn't do the color justice. I couldn't get a good one but trust me, it looks amazing on the cheeks. Especially if your fair skinned. If you have a dark complexion, I wouldn't recommend this. You probably won't get much color pay off from it!

M.A.C. Lipglass in "Saint Germain". I love love this color! Don't let the color intimidate you, it appears very bright in the tube and in the swatch, but on the lips its perfect. It's a nice purple/lilac pink, without looking crazy. I'm such a big fan of these glosses, they are a bit sticky I won't lie, but they stay on so well. I also have one in "Pink Lemonade" that is another favorite for summer.

Swatch of "Saint Germain" 

Benefit's "Sugarbomb" gloss is slowly becoming one of my favorites. It's a brown/nude color that is such a good color for my skin tone. I would definitely recommend this for all my fair skin ladies. Once its on your lips its more sheer, so it doesn't look as brown and scary. The warm, brown tones in this gloss makes it a very nice nude color, one that doesn't make you look dead, like your ill, or like you just put foundation all over your lips. Nudes are hard to find for pale ladies, because we're already so fair we can't wear the "true nudes" we need more of a pink/brown/warm nude!

Swatch of "Sugarbomb"

These swatches aren't the best, but its good enough to give you a good idea of the colors! I will have a video up on all of this discussing the products more in depth and showing more swatches! These are all M.A.C. shadows and one pigment! I can't say enough about these shadows. They are a bit pricey at $15 each, but they're so worth it and last so long. If you'd like to see looks using any specific colors please let me know. I can't wait to play in these!
(From Left to Right: Plum Dressing, Aquadisiac, Steamy, Humid, Soft Brown(most amazing blending color ever!) and Rose (pigment).

I hope this was helpful for some of you and that you enjoyed seeing some of my new products. There will be an accompanying video on my YouTube channel for all the products mentioned! As always, if there's any looks you'd like to see with these products please let me know! Just a little FYI: I'm not bragging about these products nor was  sponsored to write all of this. These are my own opinions and I just wanted to share some awesome products with you. I hope you enjoyed! Follow this blog, subscribe to my channel and stay tuned for more videos and blogs! Until next time, stay pretty my make up junkies<33

www.youtube.com/prettyrissy0925  

Something A Little Different! Skirts & Dresses, My Spring/Summer Essentials!

Hey there lovies! Way too long no blog! My schedule has been a bit hectic. As some of you know, I've started freelancing in make up artistry where I live to work towards my goal of being an artist for MAC when we relocate in the next few years! (Fingers Crossed!) With that being said, I haven't been blogging much because all of my make up is now focused on my Facebook page & my YouTube channel, so I've decided to try out something a little different on my blog. FASHION! I am a very avid lover of clothing :) I'm not a fashion expert by no means, but I do love clothes! So let's just get right into what I want to talk about today!


So, just like most girls I have certain parts of my body that I am not a fan of. For me, its my legs. I do not like to wear shorts above the knee, I try to stick to Bermuda's or crops if I'm looking for denim. The main things I stick to in the spring/summer is flowy skirts & dresses! They're so versatile and can be dressed up or down just by the accessories you put with them! Let's take a peek inside my closet ;)

 

 

 

 

 

"Hi-Lo" Dress are all the rage right now. I started seeing this a lot last summer, which is when I purchased them from "Tillys".  If your like me and don't like super long or short dressed this is the perfect in between. These dresses are very versatile and can be dressed up or dressed down. I personally like to buy more classic looking pieces that can be paired with anything. I'll show you some pictures of how I would style this other than as is! (I'm not showing accessories in this post! I can make another post on that if you like!)

 

 

 

One of my favorite ways to style these dress, or any dress as you will see, is with a classic denim jacket. It pulls an outfit together and adds some layers, without being too overdone. This can look more dressy or casual depending on how accessorize it. Denim to me is classic and I am never without a denim jacket (or 3) in my closet!

 

 

If you want to go super casual, I love adding over sized boyfriend cardigans to dresses or skirts. It makes the outfit have a very laid back, almost cosy feel to it! I feel so comfy when I wear an outfit like this. Perfect for grocery shopping, so you still look put together, without looking like a lazy mess!

 

 

 

 

This dress is one of my absolute favs that I've purchased this year. Its from Old Navy and I paid around $25 for it! One thing you will learn about me, I am not someone who purchases clothes that I won't be wearing 5 years from now. I like classic items and the cheaper I can get it the better! The thought of paying $45 for some neon sandals that will be out of style by the next year is not how I choose to fill my closet. Back to the outfit! I paired this dress with another boyfriend cardigan, I also added my own belt to this dress. Belts are almost essential with dresses to me. It creates a nice shape but hugging the waist line :) You can also pair this dress with a denim jacket or a chambray shirt and that will create a nice laid back look.

 

 

 

Now this Hi-Lo dress is probably not going to be every ones cup of tea, and some may find it down right tacky! I just find this very FUN! Surprisingly, this can be dressed up or down as well! You can add a denim jacket to dress it down or add a black cardigan and some nice heels and BAM! I wore this on our cruise for dinner and got many compliments! I got this from "Tillys" last year and I think it was around $30. The belt is from Rue 21. I got it on sale for $4! I just find this dress funky & fun, not something for everyday wear though!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now this is probably my most favorite skirt I own right now. I love the neutral colors, and the hi-lo cut of this skirt just makes it all that much more gorg! I got this at Rue 21 for about $20. I've yet to wear this, but when I do I plan to style it with either a white or bright colored tshirt with my denim vest I got.. or if I want it to be a little more dressy I won't add the denim and will add a more dressy shirt! There's so many ways you can style this! Possibilities are endless!

 

 

 

Now, we're going to get into my ridiculous collection of cotton skirts. I love a good flowy skirt! It's flattering on everyone and theres so many color possibilities it will fit into any style!

 

 

This is the one "Maxi" skirt I own. Only because its on the shorter side and hits me right above the ankle. I personally don't like maxi skirts or dresses for my body type. It's not flattering at all. I always add a thick belt to this to cover the elastic waistband. I usually pair this with white or black, mainly because the print is so bold you don't want it to clash with other prints or bold colors. I got this at Old Navy as well for around $25.

 

 

 

This is a white eyelet skirt that I also got from Old Navy for about $30. ( Most of my skirts are from old navy because they're the only ones that tend to be that happy medium in length for me!) With a white bottom like this, you can pair it with any color you like. I tend to like to pair it with a bright color shirt. I wore this with a neon yellow shirt for my husbands homecoming from Afghanistan. I always pair this with a belt as well :)

 

 

 Coral is essential for summer to me! So bright & fun, not to mention looks amaze with a tan! I will usually pair this with a belt (shocker) and a white, black or a teal/mint shirt! I know your thinking "teal or mint?!" but to keep up with the current "trends" I like to add a bright color with a bright color and the teal/mint colors compliment the coral very nicely! There's many ways to keep up with the trends by using separate pieces that can be paired together & be trendy, and paired separately and be classic! 

I just love this skirt! The patter and the way it fits is so girly & dainty! I usually pair this with black or a dark chambray. With this pattern I find it a bit hard to find things that compliment it other than neutrals. That could just be my taste! You be the judge :)

If you know me, you know I love patterns like this. It's a paisley pattern mixed with a bit of floral which I find adorable! I don't like to pair this with a belt surprisingly. I usually wear it with the shirt over it instead of tucked in with a belt. I've paired this with a neon yellow, coral & white! This pattern and its color gives a lot of leeway when it comes to the colors you pair it with! :)

This purple skirt is a very silky fabric. It's very flowy and comfortable. Especially when its super hot in the summer! I usually pair this with white or navy (usually navy).

I love the Bohemian feel to this skirt. The only downfall, is because of the red detailing its harder to pair. Your best bet is to pair it with red (of course), navy or a chambray. I love the feel of this skirt, the fabric is so nice and it flows awesomely!

 

 

 

Well there you have it! My skirt/dress summer essentials and my very first fashion post! I hope you enjoyed it :) As always if there's anything you would like to see feel free to let me know. I know I don't have a lot of "name brand" clothes, but that's mainly because I'm a bargain shopper! I'm not going to pay $40 for a tshirt when I can get one for $10! Who does that? lol I like to splurge just like everyone else but not all the time! Hopefully I can give my lovies some insight on fashionable clothes without the giant price tag. I'm all about a deal and a bargain, hope you are too! :) Until next time, Stay Pretty (& Fashionable) my lovelies!

 

 

YouTube Channel!

Hello out there my lovely make up junkies! I know my posts have been seriously slacking but its all about to change! I finally got things squared away and even though my schedule is getting hectic (which is great!), I have decided to start a YouTube channel! I'll be attaching my first video to this post! So look for it down below! With that being said, I won't to warn everyone this video is not the greatest, as I'm sure most first videos are. I will be working with my light, angles and all that good stuff. I want to ask all of you to please subscribe and give me feedback on what to change and improve, but most of all what videos you want to see! I hope you all enjoy this blog and my new channel. As always, Stay Pretty Make Up Junkies! :)

 

 

Smokey Eye Tutorial!

Classic Black Smokey Eye!

Well hellooo there my fellow Make Up junkies! I'm so sorry that my posts have been few and far between, but ever since I decided to start freelancing as a make up artist things have been rather hectic. Now, let's get down to business! The Classic Smokey eye, is a very popular request here lately with Valentine's Day approaching. This look, however, is quite intimidating. Let me reassure you though, with some practice and the right set of tools, this is one of the easiest looks to accomplish. Here we go!

With any dark look, you really want to use an eye primer of some sort. This will make the colors brighter and in place. You don't want a dark black shadow drifting around on your lid. That would not be pretty. I also am waiting until my eyeshadow is finished before doing the rest of my face. You can have fallout from the black and it will mess up your foundation.

You want to take a light brown shade and buff it all over your lid and into your crease. This is going to warm up the look so that its not dull.

Now, take a medium brown matte shade and blend it into your crease and slightly above but not all the way to your brown bone!

I'm going to use "Soft & Gentle" to highlight my brown bone.

I decided to take a darker brown into my crease, this step is optional.

Here comes the scary part.. the BLACK! lol! Now you want to pick this up on a flat shader brush, and pat it onto your lid and slightly into your crease. Don't swipe the color on the lid, you want to pat/press the color all over to prevent fall out and to get the color to its truest shade of black.

Go above the black with a clean brush and blend the black into the matte brown we used earlier. The key to this is to go slowly. Don't try to rush it, you want to go slow until you get the desired look/shape.

Take a smudger brush and the matte brown and put the color on the bottom lash line.

Then, take the black and  press it as close to your lash line as you can get.

Line your water line with any black eyeliner.

I'm lining my top lid with "Blacktrack" by MAC, but this is optional. It just makes the top lash line look darker.

I decided to use these lashes by Ardell.

And here is the Classic Smokey eye!

 

 

I was very please with how this turned out! This isn't a look I do often at all, I usually stick with browns. When you do a dramatic look like this, you really want to use a bronzer to warm up your face. I also used a warm toned blush so that my face didn't end up looking pale. Well there ya have it! The most requested look I've received! Hope you all enjoyed! As always if you have any questions, please feel free to ask! Stay Pretty Make Up Junkies! <3



Playing With Purple!

Hey there my fellow make up junkies!, so I know I do a lot of looks with purple (I mean come on purple is pretty awesome) but the reason I lean more towards that color when I'm going for something bright and not so neutral, is it looks good on EVERY single eye color. Purple will make any eye color pop! So here's a little run down of how I got this look! =)

To begin, you'll want to start with a white, matte base like the NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in "Milk". These are super inexpensive.

Place this all over your entire lid, but keep it out of the crease! you just want this color on the lid. Blend it out a bit with either your finger or a flat brush.

Take a shimmery, silver color and tap it on the lid;

Take a matte cream color and also apply it to the lid. You want to keep your lid as light as possible to really make the white stand out!

Next, take a medium shade of purple and blend it all into the crease. You can be as simple or dramatic as you choose!

blend, blend, blendddd.

Take a BRIGHT purple and you also want to blend this into the crease, just not as high as the previous purple.

Take a dark purple and place it into your outer corner to darken it up just a bit. The more dimension the better!

Use a light brown matte shade to blend above everything just to soften any harsh lines you might have and of course, to make the look more gradient.

With the same bright purple from before, your going to run this along the lower lash line like eyeliner. Don't place it along the entire lash line, only go about half way.l

Use this dark purple on the lower lash line as well.

Take a black eyeliner of your choice, I'm using MAC's Fluid line in "BlackTrack"

I have to use a spatula to get the product out to avoid contamination so I can use this on clients =) Line your top lash line as you wish, with this look I wanted to do a winged eyeliner.

I wanted the lower lash line just a bit more purple, so I lined it with a purple eyeliner. This step is completely optional.

After this, just curl your lashes, apply your favorite mascara and you're done!

 

 

 

Super easy to do! I really love how this turned out. Lots of compliments today! =) I hope you guys enjoyed! Until next time, Stay Pretty Make Up Junkies!