M·A·C Giambattista Valli Collection

Greeting Show Off's 

I just had to share this beauty Giambattista Valli Collection from MAC that came out yesterday (July 9th). The lipsticks are sold out on the website however I they may be still available at specific department stores (in store) that sale MAC. You never know. I wouldn't get my hopes up though (sad face).  

Product Description: 

Couture fashion designer Giambattista Valli brings his effortless elegance and celebration of the female form to a collection of timeless lipsticks. Lips take on an air of sophistication in the coral of Tats, pale pink of Bianca B, pure peach of Margherita, regal red of Charlotte, and dark cherry of Eugenie. Each bullet features specially designed packaging that's custom matched to its lipstick shade. 

From Left to Right: Margherita, Bianca B, Tats, Charlotte, Eugenie 

It also comes with a Crystal Glaze Gloss which of course is not sold out. It actually looks really pretty if you were to wear alone or over top of one of the above lip colors in order to add a little shine.

Let me know what you think!!! If these lipsticks are restocked would you purchase one/all of them? I would love to own Eugenie. 

Thanks for Reading!!!

Photo Credit Here

Translucent Powder

Greetings Show Off's!!!

After a bad experience with setting my under eye area with a Nyx setting powder for deep skin tones (which was yellow), I decided to try a translucent powder, which I have really grown to love. I use them for setting my under eye area after applying concealer. Translucent powders are great because their finish is sheer and it makes it appear as if you don’t have on too much makeup, which is what I feel like happens when I wear a yellow powder to set my under eye area.

Today we will be comparing low and higher end translucent powders. One is from elf and the other from MAC.

So, when comparing the e.l.f. Studio High Definition Powder and the MAC Prep +Prime Transparent Finishing Powder the first thing that comes to mind is the huge price difference. The price difference is $20.00, where the elf costs $6.00 and the MAC will run you $26.00.

The other differences are the ingredients contained in each: 

Elf: Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Silica, Sodium Dehydroacetate. 

MAC: Zea Mays Starch, Silica, Mica, Zinc Stearate, Caprylyl Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol

The common ingredient shared between the two are Silica, which is a chemical compound that is an oxide of silicon with the chemical formula SiO2. It is basically a powder. 

The major difference in the ingredients between the two are that MAC’s powder contains an actual skin conditioner and emollient in the form of Caprylyl Glycol. MAC’s powder also contains Mica, which is a shimmer component to the formula. However elf’s shimmer version of this powder does have Mica in it. Elf’s powder does contain a preservative it in (Sodium Dehydroacetate). This preservative is used in cosmetics products because of its antimicrobial properties. Elf’s powder also contains Dimethicone which can also be used for medical purposes for the skin because it protects the skin against irritation and wetness. My guess is that this ingredient keeps the skin from getting oily. 

A sigh of relief came over me when I noticed that none of the ingredients of these products used Talc which is merely baby powder. I would definitely feel sick to my stomach if I paid $26.00 or even $6.00 for baby powder. 

None of the ingredients appear to be harmful except for maybe the preservative within elf’s formula, however, I did not find any bad reviews on this ingredient. 

All in all both provide the same results. Therefore, both work well. However, I think I will go with the elf next time (when these run out) because it comes with a pretty puff for application. The MAC does not.   

That is all. Let me know if you have any questions. 

Thanks for Reading!!!

Disclaimer: This post does contain affiliate links

Wedding Makeup

Greetings Show Off's, 

Today I would like to share with you all the makeup products I used on myself for my wedding day. Yes, I did my own makeup (trying to save money) :) So, here is what I used:

Wedding Makeup by courtney-palmer-i featuring mac cosmetics

Beauty product
nyxcosmetics.com

Mac cosmetics makeup
maccosmetics.com

Mac cosmetics makeup
maccosmetics.com

Mac cosmetic
maccosmetics.com

Estée Lauder foundation
sephora.com

Mineral face powder
nyxcosmetics.com

MAC Cosmetics long false eyelash
$16 - selfridges.com

Estée Lauder estee lauder blush
sephora.com

MAC Cosmetics matte foundation
$33 - selfridges.com

MAC Cosmetics black face makeup
$26 - selfridges.com

Maybelline kohl eyeliner
amazon.com

Pink lips makeup
nyxcosmetics.com

I am happy that my makeup was the first thing I did before anything else the morning of my wedding, so that my makeup could set and all I had to do was minor touch ups right before the ceremony. 

One of the things I struggled to keep up with was my lip stick, which was MAC's Viva Glam II lipstick.  I left it in the dressing room before I left to go walk down the aisle.
I should have taken my lipstick with me down the aisle (since I did not have a make up artist to tend to my beckoned call). I should have held the lipstick in the same hand as my bouquet, where I could have hid it. Or I should have hid it in an unmentionable place :)

My other mistakes: I did received some photos back where the camera gave me a lot of white under eye circles where I believe this is called make up flash back. I believe the NYX Mineral Face Powder along with the MAC Pro Longwear concealer did this. 

I didn't get many close up's that I would care to share, however, I think that a lot of my looks in these pics came out really natural and not as dramatic as I thought :)

I received a lot of compliments and people asked me who did my makeup, where I would humbly reply "I did" :)

My husband and I have been married for almost 7 months now and have been having a great time thus far. I pray we have many more months/years. 

Special Thanks to Corey from Raw Aperture Photography (https://www.facebook.com/RawAperturePhotography?pnref=lhc) for taking such beautiful photos. All photo credit goes to him.  

Let me know if you have any questions as it pertains to my wedding makeup!

Hopefully, the mistakes I mentioned will help you at your future weddings or special occasions where you will be taking a lot of pictures.

If you receive a chance please follow me on IG @beautyshowoff  and Twitter @CrutieOnDuty. 

And I would also love if you would Like me on Facebook at Beauty Show Off   :) My other social media buttons are located on the side panel of this page.

Thanks for Reading!!!

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Smokey Eye Products & Techniques

Greetings!!!

Completing a Smokey eye look is something that I have always been a little leery of, because it is really easy to go overboard with the black shadow and look crazy.  So, the number one technique to follow when trying to obtain a dark Smokey eye is to build up the shadows from the lightest shade to the darkest. 

First, you will need a combination of at least four shadow shades that complement one another.  In a recent Instagram photo:

I used MAC's Paradisco, Saddlewood, and Embark, along with Nior from the Anastasia Beverly Hills Tammana Palette for a Smokey eye look.

I personally prefer combining a shimmery shade with this Smokey eye look within the crease of the eye lid, and then follow up with a matte brown, then a darker matte brown, and finish up with the black shadow, in order to transition from light to dark on the eye lid. 

Let me know what you think and if you have any other Smokey eye techniques that you live by or if you prefer lighter Smokey eye looks instead.  Also, let me know if you have any questions. 

Thanks for Reading!!!