Makeup Mondays: Brown Eyed Blues

Hooray for Mondays!

NOT.

Good thing you've got a little makeup post to look forward to, right?  Right.

So guess what?

It's SPRING!

You know what that means right?  Time to bust out those colors that have been hibernating since winter.

One of the biggest makeup trends that took over the SS '13 runways was BLUE eye makeup.  Yes, blue.  On your eyes.  

 Versus

 Moschino

 Anna Sui

 Stella McCartney

Okay.  So I know you're thinking, "Blue eye makeup?  Are you crazy?  I ain't putting that on my face!"  Trust me I know.  I KNOW.

When I first heard about this blue trend, I immediately thought of Mimi, from the Drew Carey Show.

 But it really isn't as bad as you think once you try it.  Start out with a darker blue if you're hesitant at first, or just jump right in and put on the brightest blue you can find!

Mary Kay Eyeliner in Bahama Blue 

So whaddaya say?  Are you ready to rock this trend, or what??

Oh, and if you follow me on Instagram (@frikkenduckie if you dare), you'd have seen this picture:

Yep, I'm officially a Julep Maven.  That means upcoming nail posts!  Yay!  I'm stoked.  Are you a Maven?  Do you want to be?  Ask me about it!

♥ Duckie.

Makeup Mondays: Yet Another "No Heat Curls" Tutorial

As if we haven't had enough of them, right?

Well anyway, this is my rendition - which is basically like the others, except done by and featuring me.

Duh.

And this tutorial is exceptionally amazing because I HATE doing hair.  Seriously.  I cannot straighten, curl, blowdry, tease, updo, etc. without giving up after 5 minutes.  That's how pathetic I am.

My hair and I are not the best of friends.  It's lucky if it gets brushed 2 times a week.  It's like that really annoying friend you have that you don't have the heart to cut from your life but you still can't chat with for more than 5 minutes before making up some excuse to leave.

Anyway, so this one is pretty easy.  I did it so I'm sure you can do it too - if you haven't already done it before.  I don't even really need to do a step-by-step tutorial, but I'll do it anyway.  You know, just because I'm awesome like that.

 1.  Part your hair in the middle, Wednesday Addams style.  Then twist one section of your hair outwards (away from your face) and roll into a low, tight bun.

2.  This one's a no-brainer, but repeat the process on the other section.

3.  Leave it bun'd up for as long as possible - the longer you keep it up, the stronger and more defined the curl will be.

I kept mine bun'd up since yesterday and took it out this morning after I got up.  Hello - two days of hairstyles!  You really can't go wrong with this one.

 4.  When you're ready, take out and shake 'em a little.  Your hair, not your ta-ta's.  Though, we all should do that every once in a while.

5.  Now this one's important!  Unless you're trying to look like Simba after he shakes out his mane in the Lion King, DO. NOT. BRUSH. YOUR. HAIR.  Instead, take a section of hair and separate it into smaller sections until you're satisfied with the look.

6.  Last step - and an optional one - is to smooth out any frizzies with whatever you normally use and spray the curls lightly with hairspray to keep it holding longer.  Don't forget to take a picture of how great you look.

And that's it - you're done.  And I'm pretty sure you've got awesome curls.

AND you don't have to walk around lookin' like a hot mess with your hair rolled into a headband like some other curl tutorials.

You're welcome.

♥ Duckie.

Makeup Mondays: ULTA Haul

Welcome to another edition of Makeup Mondays!

Today I thought I'd share some of my recent beauty purchases with you.  My B.B.F.F. (best blogging friend foreverrrrrrrr) Keena [who just celebrated her birthday recently], gave me a gift card to Ulta for Christmas so I finally get to show her how I spent it.

In my last haul, I noticed I had so many eye and face products but no lip products.  ZERO.  Then I thought, how can I do a complete look if I don't have any lip products?  So I was on a mission to add more lip products to my beauty collection.

After MUCH debate and research, here are the things I decided upon:

Clockwise from top:  EOS lip balms, Ulta lipglosses, Ulta lipsticks, Ulta lip crayon, Maybelline color tattoo eyeshadows, Revlon lipstick, and Essence mini-lipgloss sets, lipsticks, and lip pencils.

Okay, so first up is the EOS lip balms in Strawberry Sorbet [pink], Summer Fruit [red], and Lemon Drop [yellow, duh] which actually has SPF 15.  This was pretty much a no-brainer for me.  I've heard so many rave reviews on these babies and have been wanting to try them out for a while now since they don't sell them on Guam.  Sad, I know.

I actually got to try one out since my sister brought hers with her when she came to Guam and I loved it.  These things really are amazing!  At first I fell in love with the unique packaging but these balms really do work wonders for me.  They keep my lips soft and supple without feeling oily or sticky.

Next up is the Ulta brand lip products.  I picked up two Super Shiny Lip Glosses in Flirtini and Sweet 19, two Lipsticks in Sweet Apricot and Wild Honey, and a Lip Crayon in Prom Night.  I've been needing a little more pink in my life and I have a feeling these products will do the trick.

Okay, so I just HAD to buy some kind of eye product so I chose the Maybelline Color Tattoo cream eyeshadows in Too Cool and Bad to the Bronze.  I've heard great reviews on these and I've been wanting to try these out as a base.  The white color really helps to make colors pop while the bronze gives it a warmer feel.  Check out my last makeup tutorial to see how I used Too Cool as a base.

I've been 'oohing' and 'aahing' over the nude lip look for quite some time now so I've been on a mission to find the perfect nude lip color.  I decided to try out Revlon's Nude Attitude to see how it would fare.  At first swatch, I didn't like it.  It's a bit too chalky looking for me but I think I'll give it a few more chances before I can give it an honest review.

And last, but not least, are the Essence lip products.  I've never heard of the Essence brand before but their products are so cheap affordable that I figured I'd give them a try.  I got two mini-lip gloss sets in New York New York and C U In London, two lipsticks in Creamy Nude and In the Nude, and two lip pencils in Honey Bun, and to match the lipstick, In the Nude.

So far the Essence products are holding their own.  The quality of these products is pretty awesome and I know I'll be purchasing this brand again.  I've used the lipsticks on more than one occasion so far and they look amazing!

Well, that's my Ulta haul for ya!  Hope you enjoyed reading my thoughts on these products and if you'd like an in-depth review on any of the products shown, feel free to let me know in the comments!

Till next time...

♥ Duckie.

Makeup Mondays: Sweet Valentine [Tutorial]

In the spirit of Valentine's Day, I've put together a look inspired by the romantic hues of the pink defender lily.

[via]

Lilies are one of my favorite flowers (my other favorite is the sunflower) and I love the pink and purple tones in the pink defender lilies - so much more fun to get than roses!

This look is so romantic and is a perfect way to stay festive whether you're swearing off love over lunch with your girlfriends or spending the evening with your special someone.

Products Used

Eyes:  Maybelline Color Tattoo Creme Eyeshadow in Too Cool, Coastal Scents 252 Ultimate Palette in Fancy Pansy, Love Spell, Purple Panic, Violetta, and Candlelight, Maybelline Eye Studio Gel Eyeliner in Blackest Black, Hard Candy Stay In Line Eyeliner, Maybelline Mega Plush Mascara.

A nude or pale lip will finish this look - a simpler lip balances out the heavier eye makeup.

Sorry it took me so long to post this - I've been having computer issues again so I'm using my sister's MacBook and iMovie is frikken CONFUSING!

Well, I hope you liked this little makeup look/tutorial!  I had a lot of fun making it (not so much fun editing it) for you!

If you want to see more makeup looks/tutorials, just let me know!

♥ Duckie.

P.S. Joey is a free man!  His case was wrapped up this morning and we're so stoked about it!  No jail time, no curfew, no restrictions!  Totally excited to be able to celebrate it with a date night!

Makeup Monday: Make Up For Ever Aqua Brow [Review]

Happy Monday friends!

For today's beauty/makeup post I'll be reviewing Make Up Forever's Aqua Brow.

Aqua Brow is part of Make Up For Ever's Aqua Collection which was originally created for the Parisian water ballet.  The products in this collection are said to be "high performance, long lasting products withstand the most extreme conditions while staying completely waterproof, crease-proof, and fade-proof".

Make Up For Ever ("MUFE") is generally known for its high quality makeup products and tools and this product does not disappoint.  This is actually my first MUFE product and was given to me by my sister for Christmas.  Being that Guam does not have a Sephora, nor does Sephora ship to Guam (what's up with that?), I was really stoked to get to try a MUFE product for the first time.

This is what it looks like when you get it.  Since I have dark hair, I use the color Ash - it also comes in light blonde and blonde.  It runs for about $20.00 at Sephora and though it may seem pretty expensive for 0.23 oz, a little goes a LONG way with this, trust me.

To apply this product, I squeeze the tube a little - just enough to get some on the brush - then I swipe an angled brush on the tip of the tube to pick up some of the product.  I use the brush to shape from the arc to the tip of my brow first and then go over the rest of my brow in short strokes to fill it in.

Now, let me just tell you that I have very weird eyebrows.  They are thick in the inside (near my nose) and sparse at the ends (see the first picture).  This, my friends, is the result of years of over plucking, trimming, and shaving them.

Before using MUFE's Aqua Brow I was just using a dark brown eyeshadow and my angled brush to shape and fill my brows.  Never again!

Since using Aqua Brow, I feel like a new person!  Okay, you may be rolling your eyes and thinking that I'm over exaggerating but I'm totally serious - if you have brow problems, you'd know what I'm talking about.

This product is absolutely amazeballs.  It seriously lasts all day without fading or smudging.  I no longer have to keep checking to see if my eyebrows need to be touched up.  And one of the best things about it - it's waterproof!  That means I can swim all I want and still have eyebrows when I emerge from the ocean!!!!!

I give this product 5 out of 5 quacks and I definitely recommend this product to all my over-plucked and under-shaped brow sisters out there!

*The views and opinions expressed in this review are solely my own.  I have not been endorsed to review this product - though I would like to be.

♥ Duckie.

Makeup Mondays: Holiday Haul + A [Giveaway]!

I was planning on doing a review on a super amazing product that I got for Christmas today but then I thought, 'why not show you all the awesome makeup that I got over the holidays first?'

And because I don't wanna be one of those "Look at me!  Look what I got!" kinda girls, I'm giving away one super awesome prize to one super lucky reader!

So let's get started, shall we?

This first batch of goodies was given to me by my sister Jaxx (who's blog I'm in the process of designing - check out my madd skills so far) for Christmas.

Sorry for the ugly pictures.  I was a little lazy to take better pictures.

L-R: Maybelline Mega Plush Volum' Express Mascara, Make Up Forever Aqua Brow, Hard Candy Stroke of Gorgeous Eyeliner, Maybelline Eye Studio Gel Liner in Blackest Black, and Hard Candy Stay In Line Eyeliner in Black Pearl.

The second batch of stuff was part of my Christmas present from my mom, who allowed me a shopping spree on Coastal Scents.

Coastal Scents 252 Ultimate Palette, 10 Blush Palette, Liquid HD Foundation in ST-07, 22 Piece Brush Set, and the Eclipse Palette.

 Coastal Scents 22 Piece Brush Set

Blush, Eclipse, and 252 Palettes


Now that you've seen what I got, here's the part I know you've been waiting for:

Coastal Scents 88 Original Palette

Yep, this baby could be yours soon so enter below!  Like, uh, NOW!


a Rafflecopter giveaway


Good luck!!!

♥ Duckie.

Makeup Monday: MAC Crew High-light Powder (Hey, Sailor! Collection)

So I went a little crazy this weekend and bought a bunch of new stuff that I don't really need.  If you follow me on Instagram and Twitter (@frikkenduckie) you'd have gotten a peek at some of the things I splurged on over the weekend.

Anyway, it had been a while since I stopped by my local MAC counter and I know it had been feeling neglected lately so I figured I might as well show it a little love while I was in the area.  I stocked up on some of my faves and ended up splurging on the "Crew" High-light Powder which is part of their Hey, Sailor! collection.

I had been looking for a highlighter for quite some time and this one was just too cute not to buy.  I loved the colors and the shimmer of the beige so I figured it would work well as a highlight.  Well gals, I was WRONG.

Now I don't know about you but I prefer highlighters to be shimmery yet natural looking.  The purpose of it is to highlight the areas of your face that the light would normally hit.  It helps to enhance your cheekbones and your facial structure, giving it a more defined look.

MAC was wrong in categorizing Crew as a high-light powder.  This product should definitely be defined as a blush and not a highlight powder.  The coral pink color in this product is very pigmented and stands out the most among the other three colors.  The color of the product when mixed together on a brush is a chalky pink.

Overall:  I would definitely NOT recommend purchasing this product for two reasons:  (1) It is more of a blush than a high-light powder and (2) it is still wayyyyyy too expensive for blush ($29.00)!!

Well I hoped you appreciated this review since I just saved you $29.00!  You're welcome.

And I still haven't edited the tutorial video I did.  I'm having trouble converting my .mov file into an editable file on Windows Movie Maker.  If anyone can help me out, I'd really appreciate it!

Oh, and by the way, I think we can all agree that I've got pretty rad photography skills, right?  Okay, well I guess my new camera helps a little...but still.  I'm pretty proud of myself.

Please comment below and let me know if you've tried the MAC Crew High-light Powder and what YOU thought of it.  And if you've regretted any beauty purchases lately, please feel free to share with us!

♥ Duckie.

P.S.  I may or may not post tomorrow due to my midterms!  I'm extremely behind with my schoolwork and I need all the time I can get to catch up!

Makeup Monday: Requests?

I know I've been sucking at these Makeup Monday posts lately, so in an attempt to do more with it and to engage more with you wonderful readers/watchers, I've decided to open the request lines!  Now, I'm no makeup pro, but I do know a thing or two about it so if you've got any questions, please comment/email your beauty questions to me and I will answer them in a future post (you know, first come, first serve).

This is a great way to get your feet wet if you're a beginner or to brush up on the basics for the more advanced.  You can ask/request as many times as you need and I will do whatever it takes to help you out.  Makeup looks, skin care, basic tutorials, reviews, hair care, etc.  I'll be your "Dear Abby" of beauty.  Lol.  And if I don't know the answer to your question right away, I will do my best to find that answer for you!  We'll learn together!

So come on, I know you've got some questions!  Let me hear them!


♥ Duckie.

Makeup Monday: What's in my makeup bag?

Another weekend has come and gone.  So yup, that means its Monday again!  Boo.

So because I was busy relaxing and cleaning all weekend, I didn't have time to do KLee's tag videos yet (I know, you can scold me!) but I thought I'd do a tag of my own today.

Everyone does the "What's In My Bag?" tag but since I'm a purse hoarder, I change bags every week so it's not all that interesting to go through a bag that doesn't really have much in it, right?  Anyway, so I thought I'd do a "What's In My Makeup Bag?" tag because I literally stuff as much as I can into that little thing just in case I have a face emergency.  Lol.

So yup, that's my makeup bag right there along with all the junk I cram into it.  It's a pretty standard sized makeup bag I think.  I actually permanently borrowed it from Joey's niece a while back because my old makeup bag was getting to be too small.

Always gotta  have a pair of tweezers on me at all times.  That should be a standard item in everyone's makeup bag.  Mineral powder, blush, and random eye shadows also clutter my makeup bag.  The little cylinder with the black cover?  That's my MAC Fluidline: Blacktrack.  You should know by now that I use it every day.  See, here and here.  Also carrying my MAC See Sheer, Viva Glam Gaga, and Viva Glam VI along with my MAC eyelash curler.

Of course, my Maybelline Falsies Flared is carried with me at all times.  And I basically throw every single eye/lip liner I have into this little bag of mine even though I don't really use any of them at all.  Oh, and can't forget about my makeup brushes.  I keep the foundation/concealer brushes at home and only carry my powder and eyeshadow brushes with me.  And I know I've never posted about this product before, but I have been using this thing for years now and it is awesome:  Too Faced Shadow Insurance.  It's basically an eye shadow primer.  It has a nude tint to it so it blends well with every color.  Clear Eyes?  No, I'm not a pot head.  I use eye drops when I foil my eye shadows.  And don't ask me why there's an Oriental Tradings gift card in my makeup bag - I don't have an answer for you.

Yeah, this isn't really a part of my makeup bag, but I do carry it around with me all the time - just in case.  This is just one of the three MAC palettes I have.  I went on a de-potting frenzy one night a few years ago and de-potted all the eye shadows I had at that time.  My palettes used to be organized and labeled, but I switched the colors a lot and the girls got into them so they're all kind of a mess right now.

So there you have it.  The contents of my makeup bag all laid out on my desk for you.  Maybe one day (you know, when I actually get around to organizing it) I'll show you my entire makeup collection.  Maybe.


Hope you enjoyed digging through my makeup bag!  And before I forget, I'm tagging ALL of you to do this.  Most especially (because I'm dying to see what they've got) KLee, Jen, Eden, Steph, Sarah, Megs, Val, and Nicole.  Can't wait to see what you ladies got stashed in those makeup bags!

Have a marvelous Monday and yeah I know I'm late on posting this...but oh well.  Tasty Tuesday's post will be up in a few!


♥ Duckie

Makeup Monday: To the beach!

In all honesty, I had nothing for you guys today.  I forgot about "Makeup Monday" and I was totally drawing a blank on what to post.  I didn't do a tutorial this weekend, didn't have a review ready, nothing.  I did pick up a new beauty product over the weekend (Neutrogena Ageless Restoratives Anti-Oxidant Booster Serum) but haven't used it enough to give you a review.

So as I was figuring out what to post, I started going over the things we did this weekend in my head and realized the perfect thing to post about:  Salt water.

In high school I was considered by some as a beach bum.  I went to the beach almost every single day.  I wore slippers (or flip flops if you prefer) all the time, made and wore shell/beach glass jewelry, had permanent tan lines, and always wore a bikini under my clothes.

Before my beach bum phase, I suffered from moderate acne.  I would break out on my forehead and chin all the time and it sucked.  Once I started going to the beach more and swimming in the ocean, my acne slowly started to clear up.

I'm not going to go into the research on how beneficial salt can be for your skin, but let's just say that salt is good.  It dries out your pimples and cleans up those oily areas of your skin. 

Another great thing about going to the beach is the sand.  Yeah, the stuff that gets into everything.  It can be good for your skin too.  Next time you're at the beach, go sit in the sand near the water (be careful not to get knocked over by the waves!) and use your feet to dig a hole in the sand. 

Okay, you may get a few strange looks but the good part is that you're exfoliating your feet!  And you know what?  While you're at it, just rub it all over your elbows, knees, hands, etc.  Might as well get a full body exfoliation for free, right?

Hope you all have a marvelous Monday!  Sorry for the half-ass beauty post.  Lol.  I'll do better tomorrow!  And don't forget to enter the giveaway!

Makeup Monday: DIY Ice Cucumber Pads

Happy Mother's Day!  Hope everyone had a wonderful day with their mothers and/or kids!  Mother's Day was yesterday for me and it was awesome!  It felt so good to sleep in for a bit!  But then Joey informed me that even though it was Mother's Day, I still had to get up and get dressed so we could go and eat.  Buzz kill.

Anyway, I also got a super awesome dress from Joey!  I had been wanting this dress for the past 2 weeks now so I was so happy that I got it and was able to wear it all day long!  Yeah, I even wore it to the park and flew kites in it.  It's just so darn amazing that I didn't want to take it off!  You can bet that I'll be wearing it again on Wednesday just to post it for you guys!

I'm gonna keep today's post a little short because I'm still pretty tired from our whole day of fun yesterday, my workout last night KILLED me, and I have a boatload of homework to finish by Wednesday that I haven't even started on yet!

So because I'm so tired I've decided to share a little DIY/Homemade recipe with you that will help you with those puffy eyes in the mornings!  I never get enough sleep (c'mon what human really does these days) and battling those dark circles and puffy eyes every morning can be a pain.  Luckily, I stumbled across this little DIY from Michelle Phan and my eyes love it.


Ice Cucumber Pads

All you need is cucumber juice - this can be made in a juicer or a blender, cotton pads, and a ziploc bag. 

Soak the cotton pads in the cucumber juice, squeeze out the excess, lay them flat in a ziploc bag, and freeze!  Simple, easy, and so refreshing for your eyes. 

So when you get up in the morning, take 2 pads out and let them thaw for a little bit (maybe while you shower), pop them on your eyes for about 10 minutes, and voila!  Your eyes will feel much more awake and hydrated!

Now go on and start juicing those cucumbers tonight for a refreshing start in the morning!  I'm going to finish my work and then get started on my homework!

Makeup Monday: The Girl Behind the Blog

Okay, I'm a day behind so bear with me!  For this post I linked up with Jenna over at The Life of the Wife for "The Girl Behind the Blog" vlog series.






I was super nervous to do this because I've never vlogged before so I'm sorry in advance for not being better prepared.  I recorded this right before I left for work this morning and I didn't have a script or anything so don't mind all the "Umm"s and me not looking at the camera.





Well that's it, hope you enjoyed it or at least got a laugh out of it!  Hope you had a marvelous Monday!  I'll be posting today's Tasty Tuesday in just a few hours so be sure to come back and check it out!

Makeup Monday: Grey smokey eye

Hooray for finally doing another tutorial.  My tutorial skills are improving.  Lol.  Today I actually laid out most (not all, obviously) of what I used in this look before I pressed record.  Hahaha.  I did have to grab the mirror and put it next to me while recording though.  Sorry!

I usually just do my makeup depending on how I feel.  I never really have a set look in mind when I put on my makeup in the morning.  I guess if I plan on doing more tutorials, I really should plan it out, huh?  Oh well.

So for this look I basically used one palette:  Tokidoki Adios Cromatico.  I don't know if these are even available anymore so here's the break down (in order of application):

Crease:  Grey shimmer

Lid:  Glittery silver

Outer corners:  Matte black

Highlight:  Neutral color close to your skin tone

This look is simple and easy.  I like to think of it as more of a Klassic Kardashian look.  You know how they love their grey smokey eyes.  Lol.  Oh well, enjoy!

Btw, the music cuts off towards the end.  Lol.  Still working on my editing skills.  Slowly...

Hope you had a mellow Monday and didn't get too stressed out!  And don't forget to email me about guest posting here on Frikken Duckie!  You know you want to!

Makeup Monday: Garnier BB Cream

So one of my fabulous blogging buddies, Nicole, did a post about the Garnier Skin Renew Miracle Skin Perfector BB Cream a few weeks back over at her blog. So since its a widely known fact that I'm obsessed with any and all beauty products, I decided to give it a try too!

Now I've never tried any sort of BB cream before so I didn't really know what to expect. My skin can get pretty oily throughout the day so I never used to like putting moisturizers or creams on my face especially with the brutal humidity here on Guam.

Anyway, so Garnier says that this product instantly renews, brightens, evens, and hydrates your skin. Also, it has SPF in it so it protects some harmful effects of the sun. Okay, so let's try this sucker out, shall we?

My first impression: Goopy. Yes, goopy. Definitely not as creamy as I thought it would be. Its very thin and I would consider it to be a bit runny. I guess I was thinking it would be more like a foundation because it is pigmented. Guess not. Lol.

Okay, so here's my bare face

Now half of my face (my right, your left)

Now the whole face

And in even worse light

I really can't say that there was a dramatic difference, but I did notice that my skin tone was a bit more even and the cream did conceal some of the redness in my cheeks as well as lighten a few of my pimples a bit. But since I wear makeup almost every day and it covers my face anyway, I can't say that this product was really worth it. (I bought this for $16.49 at Kmart, by the way.) Oh, and don't mind my tan, we went to the water park this weekend again. Lol.

I guess this could be a great product for those who don't wear makeup all the time, or for the weekends when I usually give my face some breathing time. Other than that I'm not sure how often I'll use this. I'm going to try using it under my makeup and see how that works out. Hopefully it doesn't make my face even more oily. But if it does, I also picked up these babies:

So there you have it. That's my review of Garnier's BB Cream! Hope you found this helpful in some way. And if you've got any products you'd like me to try out, I'd love to hear about them!

Also, if you'd like to do a guest post for May, let me know and email me with your post!