Review - Maybelline Color Tattoo Pure Pigments

Recently, Maybelline released pigments as part of their Color Tattoo line. As a huge fan of their Color Tattoo Cream Shadows, I knew I definitely wanted to give these a try. I picked these up from Ulta a couple of weeks ago. Luckily, they actually had one of every color at the Ulta I visited. But, by one of every color, I literally mean just one of each color. Only a few shades had multiples left! My first instinct was to buy all the neutral shades, but I decided to venture out and picked up an assortment of colors. They're priced around $6-$7 depending on where you buy. Maybelline was on sale that day so I got mine for around five bucks. Woohoo!

OK, onto what you're really wanting to know. How does the quality compare? I have to say that I have mixed feelings about these. Below are dry swatches of the colors I picked up. My first thought upon opening was that the powder is very very fine. These are quite messy and you have to be careful when working with them. The second thing I noticed is that the pigmentation varies from shade to shade.

Summer Night Out Look

My favorite part of going out is getting ready to go out. I swear that's half the fun! I put together a look for a summer night with shimmery gold eyes, peach flushed cheeks and a fun bold coral lip. I've walked through everything step by step below if anyone wants to recreate it.

Face

I started out with applying the Laura Mercier Foundation Primer. A primer is really helpful when going out so that your foundation with last longer (through walking, dancing or whatever else you get yourself into!). Second, I applied NARS Sheer Glow Foundation using clean fingertips. I find this foundation gives excellent medium to full coverage, but has a very thin, light consistency so it doesn't look or feel heavy. It has a beautiful satin finish to keep you looking glowing and gorgeous. If you need any concealer, now is the time to apply whichever one works best for you. And lastly, I dusted on a small amount of the Laura Mercier Loose Setting Powder in Translucent. I think this is essential for oily/combination skin, but also helpful to powder at least the T-zone for anyone when you're going to be out. It'll make your skin appear velvety in photographs!

What's in my Make up Bag - Current Favorites

One of my favorite things is seeing what people keep in their makeup bags (so nosey!). But, if it's in your makeup bag, it more than likely means you're truly enjoying the product. Mine is constantly changing, but this is a snapshot of what I'm loving at the moment. I'm always in a rush to get to work on time so for everyday I need products that work great and are super fast/easy to apply. With the exception of bronzer, I can pretty much get everything on without having to ever pull out a makeup brush (yay for fingers). Here's everything I've been using lately to create a simple, pretty, everyday summer look.

M.A.C Mineralize Skinfinish Natural - Medium: I'm not the biggest fan of M.A.C face products, but I have to say they really got it right here. I've been using this powder off and on for about 8 years. It's the most natural looking powder. Doesn't look cakey and is great for touch ups.

Garnier BB Cream - Light/Medium: This BB Cream honestly rivals higher end ones. It has a light coverage and blends into the skin effortlessly. Also helps you look radiant and the hyaluronic acid in it is great for keeping you hydrated all day long. 

Diorskin Nude Tan Healthy Glow Enhancing Powder - Sunlight: This is my favorite bronzing powder ever and it has gorgeous packaging! I held off buying this because I kept telling myself "you don't need another bronzer". I'm so glad I didn't listen because this one is different. It does as the name says, it gives a 'Healthy Glow'. I use it in the shade 'Sunlight', but they also have a darker option in 'Sunset'.

YSL Volupte Sheer Candy - 09 Cool Guava: This is a sheer tinted lip balm. I've been using the Cool Guava shade which is a light baby pink with a slight hint of shimmer running through it. To be honest, my favorite thing about this is the packaging. The silver and gold casing with the YSL logo around the center band. Beautiful. I love whipping this out of my bag for touch ups. I feel so fancy! (If you don't want to splurge, the L'Oreal Colour Riche Lip Balms or Maybelline Color Sensational Color Whispers are similar in concept and feel.)

Bangs and so on and on

I guess this is all really about changes. What I've always enjoyed about makeup is being able to play around and change things up without having to commit. Hot pink lips today, smokey eyes tomorrow, bronzer for the beach. I'm so indecisive that I love it when I can change things up without a care. But, I've been trying to make a few more lifestyle changes. If you can't let go and just take a plunge into new things, who knows what you will be missing out on!

A couple of months ago, I had a stroke of boldness and got bangs! What?! My hair stylist sectioned them off, opened her scissors, looked at me and said "are you sure?". I can't believe I said "yes"! Since getting them, I've been through every emotion in the book. I hate them, I love them, they're so cool, I look like I'm 5, they look so edgy, I don't have time for this! I'm now in the weird phase of growing them out. So, I'll wear them to the side or center part them for that french girl look. I have to say though, that after all of that, I have no regrets about cutting bangs. Yes, I'm growing them out, but it's challenged me to try new hairstyles (which I never do) and figure out different ways to work with my hair. I've also realized how much I love having hair to frame my face when I pull it back into a bun or ponytail. It looks so cool. So, I've decided to keep bangs, but long. I'm waiting to grow them where they're about nose/top lip length. This way, they'll blend into the rest of my hair, but if I want to pull them down when the rest of my hair is back, I'll still be able to do that too.

Long story short? Don't be afraid to try new things. What's the worst that can happen? I've had some ups and downs, but I've learned a lot and found out things I like that I'd have never known if I hadn't tried this out. It's all about being versatile, creative, not taking yourself too seriously and not being afraid to make a change. Be bold!

Starting to blog is part of my "being bold". Trying something new and seeing what happens. It's really fun to start something different that you know has potential, but don't know where it will take you. I'm looking forward to continuing drawing, photographing and writing more for next week. I have a lot of ideas in store (a forever long list, actually).

Until then.

p.s. I recently picked up the new Maybelline Baby Lips Lip Balms and I'm thoroughly enjoying them. They're affordable, moisturizing, have a perfect tint of color and best of all is that every single one smells amazing! The Limited Edition Electro collection is out now and they're in black tubes which is cool. They are fun brighter colors than those in the permanent line. If you're around a drugstore, you should check them out! And if you've never tried Baby Lips, what are you waiting for?!