Victorias Secret Angel Makeup Tutorial - VS Fashion Show 2011

It's that time again! The annual Victoria's Secret Fashion Show airs tonight! (November 29th on CBS)

Because it was filmed weeks ago, I've gotten the opportunity to see some backstage footage and get the inside scoop on all the makeup worn in the show.
The makeup for the show usually has a theme that carries on year after year: bronze, glowy skin, defined and ultra-sexy eyes done in natural shades, and glossy lips. This year was no different. However, each year there's always something that they do on each model that makes that year unique. This year the eye shadow was toned down and the eyes were centered around a heavier (but soft and smudged) application of liner. The skin was really the focus of the look. Bronzed and glowy. But the glow was very golden. I actually used the same highlight color on my eyes as my face which pulled the whole look together.

To see a step-by-step tutorial of the look so you can re-create the look yourself, check out my video at the bottom of the post.

xoxo, Tiffany

Products Used:
Eyes:
Urban Decay Primer Potion
MAC Cream Colour Base in Pearl
NARS eye shadow duo in All About Eve
NARS eye shadow duo in Cordura
MAC Pro Longwear eye shadow in Carefree (LOVE)
Tarte Emphaseyes pencil liner (LOVE LOVE LOVE)
Giorgio Armani Eyes To Kill Mascara
MAC False Lashes in #36

Skin:
Maybelline Age Rewind Eraser Foundation and Under Eye Concealer
NARS Laguna powder bronzer
MAC Pro Longwear eye shadow in Carefree (as highlighter)
Tarina Tarantino Sparklicity shimmer powder

Lips:
MAC Subculture lipliner
MAC Politely Pink lipstick
MAC Pink Lemonade Lipglass

Pink Aura: Smoky fuchsia, purple and grey look (Urban Decay 15 Year Anniversary Look #3)

This is a 3rd look created with the Urban Decay 15 Year Anniversary Eye Shadow Collection (I've getting my money's worth, dang it). I'm doing the "MAC Smoky Eye" with deeper shades at either corners, and the lightest color in the center of the lid. The overall look is colorful but soft and blended with no hard lines or edges.
The 3 shades used for this look are:Junkshow: duo-chrome satin fuchsia

Gift Idea #2: MAC Smoky Plum Crushed Metallic Pigment Dazzlesphere (Swatches and Review)

MAC Smoky Plum Dazzlesphere
My second suggestion as a cool gift this holiday season for any makeup lover who loves dramatic color. MAC's Dazzlespheres look like oversized tree ornaments, but what wowed me were the actual pigments contained within. Out of the 3 available Dazzlespheres (Temptalia has a good run-down of all 3), my choice was the Smoky Plum stack. 
I actually like all 3, but I

Sephora Friends & Family Haul (Again...) and New Skincare Items!

First of all, Happy Thanksgiving to all my readers! I hope you all have a great holiday with your loved ones! :)
I'm so excited about the stuff I got during the latest Sephora Friends & Family sale. Seriously, it seems like the past month has been a non-stop F&F sale at Sephora. Well, it pretty much has.

This time, the sale was for "VIB" Beauty Insiders only, and gave me 20% off. Perfect timing because I was very much regretting not taking advantage of the last F&F sale to the fullest. This time around, not only did I get lots of stuff I had my eye on, but I scored a few Christmas presents for a few people on my list as well.
I also scored a great deal on some expensive skincare items I've had my eye on for months now. I'll be sure to update you guys with all the details on how it works out.
To see all my new goodies, check out my video below.

Urban Decay 15 Year Anniversary Look #2: Duo-color Purple and Brown Smoky Eye

This look was done using the below 2 shades, but feel free to use other shades that might be similar as these shades should be generally easy to substitute:M.I.A.: Deep chocolate pearl (medium sheen)
Half Truth: Deep purple pearl (medium sheen)

The trick to choosing 2 shades for this type of look is to swatch them side by side on the back of your hand. If you can't easily tell which shade is

Holiday Look: Molten Metal

What happens when you layer gloss over a high-sheen metallic? I decided to find out.For this look, I picked one of the creamiest and densest metallic shadows around, The Body Shop's single eye shadow in #45, which is to this day one of the most intense deep-silver shadows I've ever come across, considering that it is not a cream formula.
Step 1: To prep the lids, I lined my upper lash line with a

Holiday Gift Idea #1: Urban Decay 15 Year Anniversary Eyeshadow Collection Swatches and Review

Am going to randomly post about products that I think make really fabulous gifts for makeup fanatics.The first of these is the Urban Decay 15 Year Anniversary Eyeshadow Collection.
The great thing about this collection of 15 intense shades is that they are all completely original. These are not a compilation of "best-selling" shades from the regular lines. The bad thing of course, is that they

Butterfly: Strong purple and blue winged smoky eye (88 matte palette)

This isn't a butterfly makeup look. It's just that the blue reminds me of butterflies' wings. The makeup itself is a standard smoky cat-eye that is flattering on most eye shapes, and the lips and cheeks are kept a pale luminous pink to stand up to the strong, matte eyes.
Step 1: Apply a good base on your lids, and then pack on a strong matte blue shadow on the inner half of upper lids, and along

Metallic Blue Double-Winged Liner

Double-winged liner simply refers to a look where the top and bottom lines split apart at the outer corners instead of coming together, following the eye shape. It's not hard to do if you've learned how to do a wing.Use gel/pot liner and a very small, flat, firm brush. Liquid liner is a good deal harder to control if you're not well-practised at it, ESPECIALLY on the lower lash line.
As you draw

Our Lil' Mountain Vacation Story. Through Pictures. ...and a Video.

A few weeks back, Brad and I planned this little last-minute weekend getaway to the Great Smoky Mountains.
Talk about a much-needed vacation... We had such a great time. We rented the cutest cabin in Pigeon Forge with the most AMAZING view ever, ate at some great restaurants there and in Gatlinburg, and just had the best couple of days spending lots of time with each other.
We had such an amazing time that I wanted to share a little vlog we filmed as well as some of our pictures. Mainly because I want to show-off the amazing pictures my new Canon S95 takes. It's seriously amazing. Since the focus is rather loud, I don't film with it, so the vlog was filmed with my same camera I've used for years (for photos and videos), my Sony Cybershot DSC W290. Which I don't recommend for photos. But I'm planning on getting a new video camera soon so wooohooooo!
Anyway, back to the Canon S95... it's awesome.
Here's a little look at our trip!

A few shots of the view from our cabin... Looks like a painting.

We went to the Apple Barn. I hadn't been there in years and Brad had never been. The Applewood Farmhouse restaurant there was delicious.

Oh what a makeshift tripod (sunken river bank and a few rocks) and a camera self-timer can do...

getting cheesy...

aaand even cheesier.


The river there was gorgeous...

We took a drive through the mountains... The next four were taken from the actual car, out the window...lol



Awesome Bear hat.



We brought a picnic up the mountain to this quiet (and very cold) spot...
...which also happened to be labeled as a "bear habitat". Seriously. A bear habitat picnic area.
Awesome.


Brad got creative with the picture-taking.
After taking this, I realized I was standing in poison ivy.
Note: Burn boots.
...next he says "Lets do one on the log."
When I tried to mount the log, things got awkward...
He meant the camera goes on the log.
Obviously... I knew that. :/

"hmmmm.... How to make this small stream slightly dangerous...."

"...stand on a rock." Not super dangerous, but seriously... What is it about guys that makes them want to jump on every rock they see near water?

Yep. More rock standin'. "Which rock to stand on next...hmmm..."

Here is a little vlog filmed during the trip for my second YT channel (my random channel), TiffanyDtv

I guess we'll just go ahead and end on this ridiculousness.
Because Gatlinburg is nothing if but a town that is never short of photo-ops...

How I Clean and Dry Makeup Brushes

Cleaning my makeup brushes used to be (well, and still is) one of my least favorite things to do.

For several reasons...

First of all, it just takes too long. Between cleaning them and waiting for them to dry, it's a process. If I leave them on the counter to dry overnight, they're usually still damp the next morning. Ever tried to use a damp makeup brush in blush or face powder? Not cute.

Another reason is that no matter how careful and gentle you are while cleaning them, or how carefully you lay them out to dry and reshape them, they'll always look a bit different. Especially natural hair brushes. Makes sense since they're, well, natural hair. Imagine letting your hair naturally dry overnight. Hey, sometimes it can be cute, but it sure doesn't look the same as it did before you washed it (that is, if you had it straightened before washing it, as makeup bristles are always straight).

Then there is just the actual task of cleaning them. Unless someone invents an automatic brush cleaner (which I don't forsee happening), this will always be a chore to me.

Ok, we get it. Cleaning brushes is no fun.

Considering I've found some ways around these little problems above, I figured it was time to update you guys with how I currently clean and dry them. Especially since I've found a way to dry them even faster. Over the past several months, I've been using a new product that actually dries them in 4-6 hours. No joke. It also keeps the brushes in their original shape which is exciting. Another exciting extra- If you click here for the Dry n' Shape and enter the coupon code TIFFANY5 at checkout, you'll save $5 on it. Which makes it even more affordable. That is pretty exciting as well.

Some of you may not find this all as exciting as I do. But I really dislike cleaning brushes. Did I mention that already? ...or that I think this is exciting? ;)

Here's a video demonstration of how I clean my brushes. Yep, I take you guys to my sink. Now that is exciting.

Tips and Tricks: How I clear clogged pores

If you've ever stood for a full 15 minutes, your face an inch from the mirror, furiously squeezing out oil plugs from your congested pores, and felt some masochistic satisfaction despite ending up with red, inflamed skin, you're just one of the millions of us who struggle to remove or at least reduce the appearance of black heads.
Oil plugs (what black heads really are) are simply a mixture of

Simple, neutral kitten-eye with soft pink lips and cheeks

I've been into glowing, barely-there cheeks recently, and you can pair it with both dark makeup, as well as softer ones. 
This time around I'm matching it with a simple, soft neutral eye and soft, cool-pink lips.
Step 1: Pack a shimmery ivory-beige shade to the inner 3/4 of the lid, leaving the outermost corner empty.
Step 2: With a taupe brown (e.g. MAC Satin Taupe) and a small pointed brush,

Deep Purple Tutorial: Dior "Mystic Smokys" Palette

I LOVE a sophisticated purple look. Whenever I want to do a more colorful look, purple is always my favorite choice. Something else I love? A good eye shadow palette that can produce a full look without reaching for much else. So glad I picked up the Dior Mystic Smokys palette during the Sephora Friends and Family sale a few weeks back! I even got away with not reaching for a separate eye liner. Which is crazy. The dark purple in the palette made the most perfect liner. To make the look a little brighter, I used a few bright pencil eye shadows underneath, which made the look a little more fun. Hope you guys enjoy :)


Products Used:
Urban Decay 24/7 Eye Shadow Pencils in Morphine and Delinquent
Dior Mystic Smokys eye shadow palette
Lancome Doll Lashes Mascara
Dior Coral Riviera blush (bronzer & blush)
NARS Multiple in Orgasm
MAC Cream Color Base in Pearl
MAC Plushglass in Nice Buzz

Easy Bronze-Liner Look: Feat. MAC Snow Season (Glitter and Ice Collection)

I didn't go crazy over MAC's Snow Season collection. I do think there are some really nice products (the Paint Pots and the shadows are all beautiful, but I don't think they are spectacular or particularly unique unless you don't have anything similar to those.)
I have to say I think Shimmermint is a gorgeous shadow, but I can mix up something similar with some pigments and micas, so I didn't get

October Favorites! Beauty Products

So this month's edition of "favorites" is kind of all about quality, not quantity. Totally didn't realize how few I had until I was almost done filming the video.
But no worries. They're especially good. I'm probably jumping the gun here, but a couple products might even make my annual "Best Products" video for 2011 which I post at the end of December in place of that month's favorites. Can you believe how fast this year has gone by? Insane.

Hope you all had a wonderful month of October!
xoxo,
Tiffany

Emerald-Encrusted: Dramatic Green Glitter Eye

I wanted to do more dramatic glitter eyes, so this time round, I went for a deep forest green micro-glitter. 
The effect you want is a really "gem-encrusted" finish over the lids, and I'm not going to lie; it's not exactly comfortable to wear once the sealant dries. It will be a bit hard to open your eyes wide, which is the reason I shaped the eye to look a little "lazy".---Step 1: Using a

Review and Snapshot: Maybelline Pure BB Mineral BBMousse (SPF30)

I had to pick up a cannister of the new Maybelline Pure BB Mineral BBMousse the other day. I'm not certain if this is generally available around the world or if it's an Asian exclusive.

For the complete post, visit my Tumblr here!