Rocky Horror makeup! Face of the Day(Night)

I don't usually do posts like this but I was really proud of my makeup last night when I went to watch the shadow cast of Rocky Horror Picture Show. I've been going to some production of Rocky Horror every Halloween for 12 years now. I've worn a lot of different costumes but I usually opt for some sort of Columbia look. This year I did a little mixing of looks using a lot of my MAC Rocky Horror Collection. Here's what I used: 

Taken outside the theatre with streetlights. You can see the pale foundation here.

Taken in my bedroom with a standard lightbulb. Please forgive the 'not perfect' skin.
I had a couple bad spots but I think the Halloween makeup made them worse.

Hair: drugstore spray in color - Red for Columbia

Foundation: Neutrogena SkinClearing Oil-Free Foundation in Nude mixed with white cream makeup from a Halloween store for a more pale look and applied with my beautyblender. I finished with a dusting of Wet n Wild CoverAll Pressed Powder in Fair.

Eyes: (I used a lot of different things)
-Brows: Lancome Modele Sourcils Brow Groomer in Brunet
-MAC's Greasepaint Stick in B (blue) for a base over the lid
-MAC's Riff Raff Palette from the Rocky Horror Collection. Oh, Rocky! for the inner corners and browbone, then a little Crystal for the inside lid, Graphic Style for the middle of the lid, and Heavy, Black, and Pendulous for the outer corners
-MAC's Greasepaint stick in Black to line the bottom lid and blended it out a little
-Mally Starlight Waterproof eyeliner in Black for my bottom waterline
-Benefit's They're Real Liner for that great wing on the top lid
-My mascara was a combination of ELF mascara on the bottom lashes and Benefit's They're Real Mascara on the top
-Then it was time to play with the MAC Rocky Horror glitter I got. This was called 3D Black and held on with some KY Jelly, of all things :P

Cheeks: MAC Rocky Horror Collection Sculpt and Shape Powder - Bone Beige for the highlight on my cheekbones/under my eyes and Emphasize for a little contour under my cheeks. Then MAC Rocky Horror Collection Blush in Crazed Imagination applied with a heavy hand.

Lips: First I lined them with Sephora Collection's Nano Lip Liner in Real Red. Then used (again) MAC Rocky Horror Collection lipstick in Oblivion. This was the only Amplified (not matte) shade in the collection.

If you have any questions about this look, feel free to ask! This is the most makeup I've worn in a really long time and it's not likely I'll do it again soon - but it was fun to play :)

Benefit Sale Haul

Benefit had a big sale on their website a couple weeks ago (I'm a little behind on posting) where some things were 50% off and I had to take advantage! I ended up finding 3 things I really wanted, plus I tried to limit myself since I just started working again. Here's what I got!

Posiepal: Benefit took their Posietint and put it with their California Kissin' lip gloss for a nice travel duo. I've been wanting to try another one of their tints for a while, so this seemed perfect. The website also says that it's a limited edition product. I don't remember how much it was originally ($24 maybe?) but I got it for $16.

Immediately after application. You can see the blue in the lipgloss.

After wiping off the Posietint. Nice stain!

The Posietint has a nice pink finish, more than I thought I would like, but it has definitely grown on me. I don't feel like it shows up very well on my cheeks and that I need to put a few layers on to get the color I want. I do, however, really like it on my lips. I haven't worn a pink like this before. It does seem to wear away oddly in the middle of my mouth, like it gets whiter? It's hard to describe.
The California Kissin' is a slightly blue tinted lip gloss that is supposed to make your teeth look whiter. I think the blue is just in little shimmery specks and is definitely clear when you put it on. I think it also enhances the color of the Posietint a lot too. Very happy with this purchase :)


Next I got two creaseless cream shadows. I got a sample size of a brownish color and I love it and have been wanting to buy more. They retail for $20 but I got these half off! They were selling the old packaging so the colors were limited. I wish I would've had the money to buy all 5 or 6 they had but I just couldn't do it, so I went with the basic colors: gunmetal gray and white gold.

"Strut" is the gunmetal gray color I chose. You can see the old packaging was darker but had a cute card with a picture and a saying on the back. This is a nice darker color with lots of shimmer, which I love. The formula doesn't seem to be any different than the sample I got, meaning it still wears all day with no creasing!

Then I got "Tattle Tale" which is a nice bright white gold. I have a color like this from a different company but that product is definitely not creaseless. I love the color but was always frustrated with it. Benefit's color leans more white than gold, but does have that warmth to it. I've been wearing a lot of plain sparkly whites and golds lately so I couldn't pass this up! It's also a perfect base for any other color you want to wear.


With any order from benefitcosmetics.com, you get 2 free samples. They only have a selection of a few different ones to choose from that change all the time. The two I chose were the Total Moisture Facial Cream because I had never tried it, and the Agent Zero Shine finishing powder because I love it so much!

Benefit Posietint and High Beam

Curse you sample section next to the registers at Ulta! This was just sitting there, taunting me. I've actually always wanted to try Benefit's Posietint and HighBeam though. I love my Benetint and was interested in what the creamier formulas would be like.

The top picture is how creamy they are when first applied. The bottom picture is the product smoothed out a bit. The Posietint really does stain if you don't work with it fast enough!

I don't really like the Posietint on my cheeks as much. It just never seems to give me the color I want, always too sheer. I didn't think I would like the pinkiness (is that a word? Is now!) of the color, but after using it, I really do. Once I do find the right amount of color, it looks pretty natural, like a just-got-in-from-10-degree-wind-chill flush (oh believe me... I know what a negative 40 degree wind chill flush looks like too, it's not fun.) On my lips though, is where I love it! It takes a couple layers to get the color I want, but it will stay on there. Very nice pink color that I'm not used to but I like a lot.

I also love the HighBeam! I've been using it every day so far on my cheekbones and under my eyebrows. It just gives a nice glow when you turn your head. Once it's sheered out, it seems to set to a powder finish. I've rubbed my cheek before and my finger comes away a bit sparkly, which I didn't think would happen with a liquid.

If you're curious about either of these products, this is the perfect package for you. The samples sizes have a lot of product in them and one full size bottle of just one of these is $30! Save yourself some money and get these two for $13.

Benefit They're Real Push Up Liner

I was able to get on the Line to Fine list for the chance to buy Benefit's They're Real Push Up Liner early. Of course I did! (I just didn't get a chance to write this review until now... a couple days after it was released worldwide).

It came in this overly large box, but it still fit in my mom's mailbox.

Lots of packing peanuts! But really... for that little box... waste of packaging.

Just like every other Benefit product, it comes with a little instruction booklet.

It also came with this little orange stopper in the top. I've heard it's a good idea to keep this, but I don't use it personally.

Here is the slanted tip with some of the product coming out. 

Very first attempt.

Second time applying.

Second time, eyes open.

Another time. Picture edited for Instagram.

One more time.

The packaging is really nice. What I mean by that is the pen is very easy to hold. It is more square near the top where you'd hold it, and rounder as you get near the base. It is a little weird trying to get the right angle on your eye, but you get used to it.

Starting out, you need to turn it a LOT. I wasn't counting, but it's way more than the 10 or 15 clicks the instructions say. Maybe 10 or 15 full turns! After that, they say you only need 1 or 2 clicks to do both eyes. I don't know about that either. I've tried, but I feel like I'm always wiping a little off the tip, then clicking again. Do whatever you need to do.

There is a learning curve to this. Know that it's not as easy and foolproof as they advertise, but don't get frustrated! I definitely am not great at eyeliner. I prefer my Ben Nye liner because it's smooth and smudgy on it's own, and super easy. I also don't do the "little flick" at the edge. But with this new liner, it's much easier. It is possible to get a very thin line, like I like. I don't think it gets right to the lash line all the time, but it's possible to go over it and get closer. It does seem to dry quickly and flake a tiny bit, especially if you layer it too thick. I have noticed it will start coming off where my eyelid moves on the edge, where I extend the line.

I had a problem with the liner not being as dark as usual and not applying very well. I figured out that it was drying out inside the tip. They suggest you always click a little extra out and wipe it off each time, but I think I hadn't used it in a long enough amount of time where it dried further down the tip. All I had to do was click more out and then it worked just fine.

If you read the reviews, they are very mixed. Some people absolutely hate it, but a lot of people love it. I've never used a gel liner in a pot with a brush, but I know I don't like using liquid liner - though it's a bit easier with a marker tip. So this new gel in a pen liner is something new and I really like it. If you're a pro at eyeliner, this would probably be amazing for you, and super quick. If you're not that experienced, like me, then this is a nice change, but will take a little longer to apply and get used to.

At the time of this posting, there is a promo code for Sephora for a deluxe sample of this liner (I think with a $25 purchase). Use PUSHUP in the promo code area to get one!

Sephora Trip in ND

I stopped by Sephora while I was home in North Dakota just to see what they had. I ended up finding a few things (as I always do). 

I heard about Anastasia Lash Genius Waterproof Topcoat from one of Birchbox's Limited Edition boxes and thought it was a great idea. It's a clear waterproof topcoat to put over your favorite mascara. I hate wearing waterproof mascara, and my eye doctor actually told me not to with my contacts, but every once and a while it would be nice to have. I used it at the lake before I rode on the jet ski (already had makeup on, then decided to go on it), also when I was flying back to LA (tears all around), and when I went to Disneyland for the day (82 degrees and sunny). It worked beautifully every time! I love that I can wear whatever mascara I want, then choose to make it waterproof if I need it. 

Then I remembered I had wanted to look for a new eyelash curler, since the one I was using was still from high school, and this would be perfect time to get one. I looked at a few different kinds but decided the Sephora brand would be just fine. I didn't need anything fancy. The thing I really liked about this is that it came with 2 extra rubber pads. It definitely curls better than my old one. 

The travel size section near the register always gets me. Though, this was probably one of the best things I've found in that section. I needed a new makeup remover for waterproof makeup, especially since I was buying the Anastasia Top Coat. I found this Make Up For Ever Sens'eyes Waterproof Makeup Remover. I'm not even sure what the full size looks like because I've never thought of looking for it, but I think I will have to buy it when this runs out. This stuff is great! It pumps out a creamy blue liquid that I smear over a cotton pad, then rub over my eyes. It's very gentle and doesn't sting. It even takes off my Benefit They're Real Liner!

Then I got a 100 point reward item. I love Benefit so when I saw they had this Stay Flawless 15-Hour Primer, I had to get it. It didn't seem to work that great for my oily skin, but I've heard different reviews say there is a trick to applying this. I guess you have to do it in sections because it dries so quickly and it needs to still be a little tacky (not sure if that's the right word) for your foundation to stick and last. I haven't tried it again, but I will eventually.

It came with this nice cap over the top. So cute for the small size.

Comes with a decent amount of product.

Benefit Big Easy

I think I'm in love. 

I got a very small sample of this in one of my Birchboxes (I think February) but I wanted to pick a day to wear it because it was only enough for one use, maybe. I also went to the Benefit and Birchbox event and had them try it on me there. The girls told me it would be very good for my oily skin, but I wasn't convinced because it was 7pm when they put it on, and I washed it off about 9:30pm so I couldn't really tell. I also felt like they put too much on. I finally decided to try the sample on one of the days it was 100 degrees here in LA. And it held up! So I went to Sephora and bought it. 

"BIGGER than BB! Why? Two reasons. First, big easy balances moisture & controls oil. Second, the cushiony liquid-to- powder formula melts in like a cream, yet finishes lightweight & velvety like a powder.

This multi-balancing complexion perfector gives light-to-medium natural coverage to even out skintone and conceal imperfections. Even better, it contains ingredients known to soothe & comfort the skin and help fight free radicals. One & done…big easy saves the day! Non-comedogenic. Oil-free."

I had to make sure I was getting the right shade. I was sent 02-Light as my sample and it seemed to work well. The woman helping me agreed this would be the best since it says it's "self adjusting".

It's actually pretty thick right away. But it smooths out easily.

And it turns into a powder.

I decided to put it through a real test. I helped my friend move at noon, so I put on my makeup about 10:30am. I helped her move in Hollywood, which wasn't too hot but it was sunny and moving furniture still made me sweat a little bit. Then we went to lunch, went shopping, I helped her put her bed together, and finally went home about 8:30pm. This is what my face looked like when I got home: (note, I did NOT put any powder on over. That was a huge thing! With my oily face, I've never not put powder on)

Ok, so it's probably hard to tell from the photos, but my face was not greasy. It was a tiny bit shiny, but only slightly "dewy", not like it usually is. Yes, you can see all my fine lines around my eyes (still working on that) and it settled a tiny bit around my nose and on my laugh lines, but only if you looked closely. Even my friend said my face looked great! I love this so much!

I also got a sample when I was at the checkout. The woman just put this in my bag after I was all done paying. Funny thing is, I already own this powder and I love it. But I'm always happy to get a sample! This is great for oily skin! I've used it in the middle of the day for touch ups. The powder is very sheer but absorbs all your oil. My original review of the Porefessional Agent Zero Shine is right here.

I love that this sample comes with a brush!