Beauty: Urban Decay Naked 2

Dear Vancity Girlfriends,

This week I've been struggling with my drugstore eye shadow that I bought on a whim to replace my old Naked 2 palette that crumbled to powder when one of the eye shadows broke and I didn't realize that if I didn't throw it out, it would powder all over the other colours.  Such bad luck!  

I thought that drugstore brand eye shadows would do the same job at a cheaper price.  Nope!  The eye shadows turned to powder after a short period of time and without a eye shadow primer the eye shadow smudged during the day.  Help!  I had to ask for advice.  

What was my Vancity Girlfriends recommendation?  1)  Use a eye shadow primer  2)  Buy eye shadow pallettes from Sephora

So that brings me back to Urban Decay's Naked 2 palette.  They have neutral colors that blend well and as long as you get rid of the broken ones, the palette lasts a long time and it has a velvety touch.  This makes neutrals exciting with the variety.  

They also have Naked Basics, Naked 2, and Naked 3 palettes to choose from.  My big question is if I am going to invest the $64 at Sephora on cosmetics.  Hmmm....I may just make do with what's in my make up drawer until the holidays.  In the meantime I can write about it and long that I had it back in my life.  Word of advice, take care of your cosmetics and pay for quality.  

How to Get a Makeover with Merle Norman

Hello Vancity Girlfriends,
A friend of mine recommended Merle Norman in Metrown Mall in Burnaby, BC as an affordable and place to get my eyebrows waxed for $15.  I was impressed after the eyebrow waxing that I decided to have a special event makeover.  
So how to get a makeover with Merle Norman?  It's easy!  All I did was make an appointment and show up.  The makeover is $40 which you spend on product so essentially the makeover is free.
The make up artist was sweet and knowledgeable especially since she had to deal with someone like me who doesn't know the difference between smoky eyes and dramatic eyes.  Regardless of my lack of knowledge (Yes, Carolyn needs to teach me more!), she was able to get the idea of what I wanted for the wedding that night. 
Even though I spent more than the make application, it was worth it!  And I get these wonderful products to take home and try:

1.  Anti-Redness Cream - moisturizer for day or night.   $65
2.  Aqua Balance Foundation - for normal to oily skin.  $45
3.  Contour Make up Brush - for eye shadow in the crease. $24
4.  Free sample lipstick for touch up for my make up application.  

Lucky for me it's GIFT time (started on August 1st while supplies last) so if you buy 2 products you get the following:
5.  Eyeshadow
6.  Sample Gyclolic Rejuvenating Pad
7.  Sample Anti-Aging Emulsion
8.  Sample Energizing Concentrate
9.  Cosmetic Bag

Practice makes perfect so I'll be experimenting more with my day to day and weekend make up application!  And watching Merle Norman YouTube How-To Videos.

See you next time,
Vancity Girlfriend Maria