Caught in the whirlwind…

It’s happened to all of us. We watch a youtube video or see a swatch of a product on Instagram and instantly we are CONSUMED. We need it. Whatever IT is. A highlighter. An eyeshadow palette. Lipstick. But, we have to think of our realities. Rent needs to be paid and groceries bought. So we try to push that Natasha Denona eyeshadow palette out of our minds.

However, sometimes. We lose. We lose the battle and run to Sephora’s website, put whatever our obsession is in our cart, checkout, and impatiently wait for those two business days to pass…because you know we got that Flash Shipping.

I am saying all of this, only to say that I lost. I was caught up in the whirlwind and bought Kevyn Aucoin’s Sensual Skin Enhancer. I was patiently obsessed. Meaning, I repeatedly checked Sephora’s site just to look at it but I didn’t buy it for months! I was proud of myself, but once I was overwhelmed by the desire there was no fighting it. One last chat with my friend Kristin did me in. She truly is the worst and best influence in terms of my makeup purchases.

On to the actual product review. The Sensual Skin Enhancer is definitely the most pigmented and heavy duty concealer I own. But it blends beautifully. I chose the color SX11 because I like a super highlighted look but I definitely could have gone up a shade. SX11 is a tad golden for my taste I prefer more of a neutral undertoned concealer. But that just gives me another reason to buy more makeup, right?!?! I dot the concealer on with my Morphe concealer brush. I use the E10 brush to place it, which has since been discontinued. A comparable one is an E10 brush from the Elite 2 collection.  I have used both my G2 brush from Morphe and a Beauty Blender to apply. I liked the brush best for the application. The BB seemed to just move the product around and not buff it into the skin. I did, however, use the BB to blend out the edges of the concealer after I blended it out with the brush. And I set it with Sacha Buttercup Powder.

This is a thin layer of the concealer.

This is that same concealer blended out.

The Morphe E10.

This is the tip of the G2 brush. Excuse the messy tip, I just used it today. We all know what a Beauty Blender looks like.

Sunset Mama Glitter!

Y’all. I always have like two back up posts written, because that’s the kind of bomb ass blogger I am. But sometimes I have to take pictures and that’s where I get lazy. Oop. But anyway, I am here to talk about a look I did and introduce you to a product that I am super proud of.

I love this blog and my beauty Instagram, I even dedicated a whole post to it. But I wanted to do more, sink my hands a little further in the beauty world. So, I decided the best way for me to do that was to make cosmetic glitters. I am not manufacturing the glitters in my home, but I am mixing crazy cool colors at my makeup table like a mad scientist.

I have three shades so far, but I am planning to do many more. They are up on my etsy store, GlamWizard, for 6.25 a piece and they are made to order. I am super excited, and will keep my blog family updated as I add more colors.

Now, on to the look I created. I used my glitter, Sunset Mama, named for a close friend of mine that loves sunsets and her son deeply. I am a vane person, not selfish…but vane. ANYWAY. My vanity causes me to be my toughest critic but I also acknowledge when I slay. And boy did I slayyyyy this look. The warm tones of the glitter were absolutely perfect for a fun summer look. I wore a nude lip because I rocked it in the day time, but I am sure you could vamp it up with a bolder lip for evening. I would do a ombre red lip. Correction. I WILL do an ombre red lip. All of the orange tones are from the Morphe 35O Palette. I have been drooling over the Anastasia Beverly Hills, Modern Renissance Palette and Sunset Mama would go with so many looks from that palette. (Sidenote: Isn’t it funny how the makeup obsessed will do anything to justify a purchase.)

Alright, I suppose we all want some evidence of the slay. Here goes…

Fun.Silly.Glamourous. My tagline. Hehe.

I was tryna be sultry. Did I do it?

This is an actual swatch of the glitter, Sunset Mama.

Oh also! Go check out my beauty Facebook page, InconspicuousGlamour. Thanks for reading! Until next time!

Thank you, Makeup

This is my thank you to makeup. If I was a poet, it would be my Ode to Glamour. If I were a songwriter, it would be a love song. If I were a playwright, it would be some long drawn out musical where the entire cast wore fuchsia lipstick. But anyway, on to the point of the post…

I sit at my cluttered table, light a candle, and start a video of my favorite youtuber (Jackie Aina, Alissa Ashley)  for inspiration or play some loud music. There is no dearth of goofiness ‘round here, so often times there is talking to myself, dancing, or lip syncing that goes down. A lot of this is chronicled on snapchat (taevans18). All of these extra nonsenses that have been added to my routine usually extend my makeup application to about an hour. Now, to some this may seem like an unnecessary amount of time, however; if you are me its perfect. The ritual of putting on my makeup gets me through the day. I don’t wear makeup everyday, but its like my little bit of therapy when I do. Its basically for me what yoga is to yogis. If I am having a particularly rough day or week I place makeup on like its my armor.

Makeup has done so many things for me in the past year. It has given me a true outlet for self expression and my creativity. And it has given me a skill to grow with and feel confident in. The power and confidence I feel in myself has reached a level that I didn’t expect or think was possible for me. And its not a superficial thing. Yes, it feels good to look in the mirror and like what you see-I do. But the beauty world has given me focus and determination. I had become complacent in who I was and I wasn’t trying to constantly learn or develop. But in the beauty world there is so much to know. So much that is new and things that are already established. Sometimes, I can get discouraged because there are plenty of people out there that don’t believe this is a valid hobby or even career. But I am happy. Posting on this blog and on my Instagram (Inconspicuousglamour) makes me happy. I love sharing my journey and all my fun discoveries with fellow beauty lovers. Thank you all for reading my blog and being a part of this fun for me.

These photos are just a small sample of my silliness and vanity!

Thanks for reading! Comment below with what your makeup routine looks like! Until next time!

Is it really a DUPE??? Part 1.

I have been all over blogs and youtube searching and searching for dupes for two of my most coveted beauty products. I am doing this for a couple of reasons. Firstly, I want to find cheaper options that work just as well. Secondly, I need to expand my makeup repertoire. I am the queen of grabbing the same products day after day. AND THATS NOT HOW YOU LEARN AND DEVELOP SKILL.

I know. I know. I am ranting and I haven’t even mentioned the products. The first one is NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Biscuit and Amande and the second is Kat Von D’s Tattoo Liner in Trooper. Those two products are almost always involved in my glamour. If I am going to rock a wing, you better believe I am grabbing Trooper. That applicator makes it so so easy for me to get a precise wing. On days where I haven’t gotten enough sleep and my dark circles are as deep as the night sky and as sunken in as the grand canyon, I reach for the NARS. This happens fairly often, because there is always something to marathon on Netflix OR I got caught up watching Youtube videos. The concealer is so hydrating and it is as equally full coverage.

Now for the Dupes, I am trying the Maybelline Fit Me Concealer and the Maybelline Master Precise. I learned about the NARS dupe from Jennie Jenkins on Youtube. And I am not sure where I saw the Master Precise, but I won’t claim it as an original thought. Both of these products “claim” to work the same as my holy grails. I am not really that skeptical, I just don’t like changing up my routine. (I am writing this before I try it, I will check in after)

Ok guys, I tried it. Verdict is in. I really enjoy the Maybelline Concealer. It isn’t as full coverage as the NARS, but I don’t mind that on my more chill makeup days. It’s really really creamy. And it hydrates and lifts my under eye. I wouldn’t call it a dupe but I am a fan and will continue to use it.

For the Master Precise. I am not such a fan. I don’t mind it, but I definitely won’t ever pick it up before my Kat Von D. Its really black and pigmented so thats a plus. BUT its stiff and not as easy to use as the Tattoo Liner. And it skipped a little for me as I was creating the wing, KVD Tattoo Liner’s tip is always saturated.

NARS is on the left and Maybelline on the right. KVD on the left and Master Precise on the right. The doe foot applicator on the Maybelline is a bit smaller but that didn’t really matter in application. The applicators on the liners were very similar. But like I previously mentioned, the tip of the drugstore liner was way more hard to work with.

ANDDDDD here’s a selfie for good measure.

Alright, guys! Thanks for reading! Comment below with any good dupes you have found. Until next time!