Making Over my Friends

Hi everyone! Last night, I did something I've never done before - I gave two of my friends makeovers. Now, I know I have shown some Before and Afters on this blog before, but they have always been pictures or tutorials of me doing my own makeup. My beautiful friends, Jane and Patricia, both have blonde hair and blue eyes unlike myself, so I thought this would be something different and something fun. The only person I have ever done makeup on besides myself before is my sister, so this was a fun way for me to practice doing makeup on other people, and I think the makeovers turned out pretty well! I'll be showing some pictures, and then I will list the products I used on each of them.

First, we have Jane!

 

Summer 2015 Fashion/Beauty Haul

Hello again! Today's blog post is going to be something I've never done before, and I'm not sure how it will work out in this format because, usually, hauls are done in video format. I'm hoping this won't be too boring for you all, but I've been doing some shopping over the past month or so, and I wanted to share with you everything I've been stocking up on for this summer. It is all either fashion or beauty-related, and, as I don't have access to my university's filming equipment while I'm at home, I thought I would take some pictures and put them all in a post.

There's the collective haul! Some of this I ordered online, and other things I bought in-store. The places I shopped from include Forever 21, Torrid, The Limited, Swimsuits For All, Ulta, Sephora, and Lush. Let's get started!

Treating Your Under Eyes Right

Hello! I have to start off this post by apologizing for how long it has been since I last wrote anything for you all. It's been almost three weeks, and I really am so sorry! The minute I got home from school for the summer, I started a new job, and today is actually my first day off, so I had some time to write this review. You can go ahead and scroll to the bottom of this post if you want to see an amazing video of the store I work at.

Today, I'm going to talking about a few under eye-related products that I have been loving and that leave my under eyes crease-free every time.

Iowa City Beauty Salons: Buzz and Zen

Sometimes, you just need to make a trip to the salon and pamper yourself. Buzz and Zen are two Iowa City salons that have been around for decades and offer a wide variety of services.

Click to visit the Buzz Salon and the Zen Salon and Spa websites.

Eyeliners and Lip Crayons: Drugstore vs. High End

Hi everyone! I'm so sorry it's been two weeks since I put up a new blog post, but I went home to celebrate my birthday last weekend and didn't have time to post any new content. Don't forget to follow my Instagram and my Twitter accounts (both @_magpiebeauty) for daily beauty pictures and to find out when I post something new immediately!

I've started collaborating on this niche site with my Digital and Social Media class, and I have a lot of exciting ideas for new stories coming up.

Today I wanted to talk about some new products I've been trying out lately. The first two items I'm going to be comparing are liquid eyeliners.

Winter Glam Makeup Look

Hey everybody! I hope you're all doing well. I know it hasn't been a full week since my last post, but I don't have class on Fridays, so I had some time on my hands yesterday!

Today, I'm going to be showing you the products I used to create the makeup look above, and talk you through how I used everything. Almost all of the items I used are from the drugstore, so if you feel like recreating the look, you might already have some of the makeup in your collection.

New Items from Milani Cosmetics

Hi all! I know I've been putting up a new blog post about every 4 days or so, but I'm back at school and work now, so my schedule probably won't allow for more than one blog post a week. I'll try to post pictures on Instagram (@_magpiebeauty) at least every other day though so follow me there if you want to see mini product reviews and makeup looks more often.

Onto the imporant stuff! Today I'm going to be swatching and reviewing some new products from Milani Cosmetics that I finally got my hands on! They came out with a few new collections a couple of weeks ago, and I couldn't find them anywhere when I was home, but thankfully, I found them at the CVS near where I go to school.


The items I was dying to pick up the most were the Color Statement Moisture Matte Lipsticks.

The Products from Origins that are Saving my Skin

Hello everyone! I hope your week has been going well - fear not, Friday is almost here. Since my last blog post (All About Makeup Brushes) was so ungodly long, this one is going to be a much quicker read.

I haven't been using either of these products for very long, so this isn't going to be an in-depth review, but I just wanted to let you guys know what products I've been loving lately that are really helping out my skin.

So here they are.

All About Makeup Brushes

Hi all! Today I'm going to be talking about makeup brushes - how to use them, which products they work best with, and how much they cost. This certainly won't cover every kind of makeup brush ever made, not even close, but I'm going over the majority of my personal collection. I have more brushes than I'll ever need, but what's a girl to do?

I recently washed my brushes, and I figured this was as good a time as any to photograph them. I'd also like to thank my cousin Grace for the idea to do this post. This is going to be a long one so feel free to skip ahead to the section your interested in.

The Logo and the Artist

As you might have noticed, I have a brand new logo! This painting, titled "Maggie's Magpie" was done by my amazingly talented aunt, Pam Ek, who is an artist from Champaign, IL.

I can't get over how beautiful this is, but all of her artwork is really stunning. She does a lot of water color paintings of birds, flowers, butterflies, and fish.

Tarte Amazonian Clay Full Coverage Airbrush Foundation

Hi everyone! I hope you've all been keeping warm in this crazy weather. Today I wanted to review two products from Tarte Cosmetics that I tried out yesterday and fell in love with instantly.

They are the Tarte Amazonian Clay Full Coverage Airbrush Foundation and the Tarte Airbuki Bamboo Powder Foundation Brush.

Cleansing without the Clarisonic

Today, I want to talk to you guys about a few cleansing products I invested in recently. The first is a cleanser that most of you have probably already heard of, which is the Purity Made Simple by Philosophy.

I bought this little sample size from Ulta a few weeks ago for $10. It comes in two larger sizes (8 oz. and 16 oz) that cost $23 and $35. It's a lot of money for a face wash, and I've only been using it for a short time, but I think it's worth every penny. Even on its own, my face feels so clean after every use, without being stripped dry.

Best Mascaras of 2014

Like most makeup lovers, I am an avid mascara collector.

"They're all the same," some people might say.

I'm here to prove those people wrong. 2014 was the year of some of my personal favorite mascaras, ranging from drugstore to high end. I'm going to show you the six mascaras that I cannot live without, starting with the high end products and then finishing up with the drugstore.

Without a doubt, six mascaras is a tad excessive, perhaps even obsessive. Okay, I have an addiction. It could be worse. I could be addicted to heroin or crystal meth. But no, boring old Magpie only has eyes for mascara. Ba dum tss.

About Magpie Beauty

My name is Maggie, and this is my first attempt at a beauty blog. I'm an undergraduate student at the University of Iowa, and my beauty obsession has been developing since high school. I don't have much content yet, but this is all new to me, and this blog is definitely a work in progress. 

I hope you all will enjoy what I have to offer - makeup, skin care, and hair product reviews, maybe a few tutorials along the way, swatches of new products I buy, different things like that. I'm not looking for anything other than a way to share my passion for beauty with anyone who cares to listen.

I'm open to comments and suggestions, so don't be afraid to speak your mind here. I'll be getting started with my first product reviews as soon as possible. Thanks for reading!