Contour/highlight, smokey eye, easy glam daytime makeup-- all in two new beauty videos, featuring my Filipina cousin!

Do you want to learn some face contouring tricks, a simple smokey eye, plus an easy daytime glam makeup look? This is for you! I posted a couple of new videos on my CruzTube channel, and I would love for you to check them out! They feature my Filipina cousin, Mary Anne, who visited me last week from San Francisco. She is naturally beautiful, and it was so much fun to get to feature her "guest face."

She requested a video doing an easy daytime glam look, as well as a smokey eye look for evening.

Watch the smokey eye look, featuring the Naked 2 palette by Urban Decay and contouring using the Anastasia contour/highlight kit:


Watch the easy daytime glam makeup look, featuring The Nudes eyeshadow palette by Maybelline:

I'll be coming out soon with a video featuring her teenage daughter, Leanna, who also happens to be my goddaughter! Stay tuned and subscribe to my channel so you don't miss it.  :)  Thanks for watching, see you in the next video!

Dupe or Dud? Maybelline The Blushed Nudes vs. Urban Decay Naked 3 - swatches/comparison/review/demo

Just how much does Maybelline's new eyeshadow palette, The Blushed Nudes, compare to Urban Decay's Naked 3 palette? Watch my comparison review to find out!

Click HERE to watch the CruzTube video!

I did my right eye with Naked 3 and my left eye with The Blushed Nudes, so you be the judge of how well they compare. I show swatches of both palettes near the end.

The Blushed Nudes:

Pros--
*Super-affordable!!!
*Pretty range of colors
*Pinks and rose-toned shadows are stylish right now

Cons--
*Way more powdery, so there was more fallout than the Naked 3 palette
*You have to use more pressure when digging in to these shadows and applying them to achieve a similar look as Naked 3

Naked 3:

Pros--
*Legendary for the texture and consistency of the shadows-- creamy and highly blendable
*Excellent color payoff
*Will last a long time (I suspect, based on my experience with my Naked 2 palette-- still haven't hit pan although I use it regularly)

Cons--
*High-end price tag may not be worth it for some people
*Many of the shades are remarkably similar, like, why even bother having two of these shadows? I would have preferred a wider range of colors

Wrap-up:
My preference is for Naked 3 for the quality, but The Blushed Nudes for the price. My wallet just can't justify the higher price tag, even for the better Naked 3 shadows. I personally think my eyes looked nearly identical at the end, so what's the point of paying more?! Save the extra $44, people!!! Just go with The Blushed Nudes, LOL. :)

CruzTube video of a smokey eye makeup tutorial featuring the Urban Decay Naked Basics palette

Check out my newest CruzTube video of a smokey eye makeup tutorial, featuring the Urban Decay Naked Basics palette!

CLICK HERE TO WATCH!!!

I wish I had blended better, but I'm always so impatient that I don't sit there and work the shadow brushes back and forth like I should. Next time I'll try to do better! :) Meantime, just a quick line to say that I am aware that "smokey" in this usage should really be spelled "smoky," but nobody on YouTube seems to realize that, LOL! #NerdAlert

I simply CANNOT WAIT for the Naked 2 Basics palette to come out! It's supposed to go on sale August 19, 2014. I adore this first Basics palette for traveling since it's so versatile. I also have the Naked 2 palette that my bestie Rachael gave me as a Matron of Honor gift when I was in her wedding (love ya, Raych!) and I use it all the time.

Products used in this CruzTube tutorial, which are all part of my travel makeup kit:
--L'Oreal Voluminous Smoldering Eyeliner in Black Noir
--Clinique High Impact Mascara in Black
--Cheap plastic travel eyelash curler
--POSH mini brush set

Get Ready With Me "CruzTube" video

Click HERE to watch my latest CruzTube video, "Get Ready With Me!"

This is the look I have in my profile photo! It was my job's fundraising gala, a black tie event, so I went all-out with hair and makeup.

My husband, Nathan, and me at the gala

Here are the products I used in the video:

Urban Decay DeSlick Oil-Control Makeup Setting Spray
Murad Oil-Control Mattifier SPF 15
Smashbox Hybrid 2-in-1 Luminizing Primer 
Neutrogena Skin-Clearing Oil-Free Makeup in Natural Tan and Fresh Beige
Becca The One Perfecting Brush
Mary Kay Medium Coverage Foundation in Bronze 607
MAC Contouring Brush
ELF HD Lifting Concealer in Light
Bare Escentuals Max Coverage Concealer Brush
Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion
Mary Kay Eye Primer
Mary Kay Loose Powder in Ivory 2
Kabuki Brush
Benefit "Gimme Brow" in Medium/Dark
Coastal Scents 88 Color Original Eyeshadow Palette
ELF Eyeshadow Brush
Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette
ELF Essentials Eye Crease Brush
Fluffy blending brush
ELF Liquid Liner in Black
Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Blackout
ELF Contouring Blush and Bronzing Powder in Antigua
ELF Studio Stipple Brush, one regular and one pink
Cover Girl Eye Enhancers Shadow in Champagne
Mary Kay Mineral Shimmer Powder in Canary Diamond
Maybelline The Falsies Volum Express Mascara in Very Black
ELF Small Angled Brush
Lancôme L'Absolu Rouge in Coquette
ELF Pout Perfector in Glow
Big Sexy Hair Root Pump Plus
Suave Keratin Infusion Smooth and Shine Serum
Velecta Paramount Professional Super Lightweight Hair Dryer
2 Round brushes
MAC Eyeshadow in Carbon
Fluffy shadow brush
MAC Eyeshadow in Shroom
Hot Tools 1 1/4 inch curling iron
Big Sexy Hair Spray and Play Harder hairspray
Sally's Beauty Supply clip-in extensions
Teaze brush
Ambiance Volumizing Dry Shampoo in Black
Salon Perfect Self-Adhesive lashes