New bracelet!

Creativity continues to flow. I have a new bracelet i made ( actually had materials to make 2 of them). I call is Alma de Tierra because it has these beautiful faceted turquoise beads and these cool Capri Gold Czech glass beads to compliment them.

I just put them up in my Artfire store. Even thought he beads say they are gold in color it looks more like a high shine copper...almost like copper foil. Delicate against the strong turquoise beads which look great faceted. I hav a thing for faceted beads they just have such great dimesnion and i LOVE the way they catch light.

Still Trying to close up the necklace in progress and i need to get some suede cord for the turqouise pendant i have. If it seems like i'm a bit turqouise obsessed..yes i am. I do plan on moving on eventually out of my Turquoise Phase if you will.

The turqouise is more blue because of copper present in the vien wher eit was extracted. when turqouise is more green the more Iron is present in the rock surrounding it. I happen to love Turqouise in all it's forms and colors. which is why I create with it so much. Being inthe southwest there is a definete market for it and I just love how it looks on all skin types. Will post more jewelry when it's created. Until next time!

Buff'd Cosmetics Samples

As part of a campaign to promote the Buff'd Cosmetics products I have requested samples from Buff'd when they emailed their followers that they needed bloggers to review some products. Being a fan already I happily accepted the challenge.

Buff'd is a company out of Canada and has a high standard of product and customer care. It's why this Texas gal loves to order from them. I have blogged about them before with glowing reviews which you can read. See May and July on the right side bar for previous posts.

My package came with foundation, finishing powder, a bronzer, Illuminating Dust, blush, eyeshadow and eyeliner (10 samples in all). A little something from each department. I love the Buff'd foundations. The original Formula works great on me. I have oily skin and i have no need to go for a more intense coverage formulation. It's great at keeping oils at bay and doesn't feel heavy or cakey. Here is info straight from their Foundation portion of their website:

mineral foundation

Formulated using only the finest natural minerals and pigments, Buff'd Mineral Foundations have outstanding versatility and wear. Available in an extensive collection of shades and three outstanding formulations, a minimal amount of product will help you achieve a flawless, radiant look while natural UV protection guards your skin. As with all our products, Buff'd Mineral Foundations are free of irritating and toxic ingredients which may be damaging to some skin types.

The Kabuki, Jumbo Buffer and Jumbo Flat Top brushes are perfect for applying these loose-mineral powders.

Available in three outstanding formulations:

original: a great full-coverage foundation with fantastic oil absorption and natural UV protection. ingredients: titanium dioxide, zinc oxide, mica, iron oxides, ultramarines

light: specifically for those who prefer a lightweight foundation that still offers buildable coverage and great oil absorption. ingredients: mica, titanium dioxide, zinc oxide, iron oxides, ultramarines

concealing: made with a touch of kaolin clay offering even better coverage with greater oil absorption. Ideal for those with combination to oily skin and a great spot concealer. ingredients: titanium dioxide, zinc oxide, iron oxides, kaolin clay, mica, ultramarines

My Colors for the year are Apricot and Pecan. Pecan for when i have more of a tan going on and Apricot for the winter season. They are just wonderful and at $18, 21grams volume in a 10gram weight sifter jar is just perfect. This foundation lasts all day and i do mean all day i have worn it from 8:30 am to 2am with no problems and even forget it's on.

The finishing powder in Peony is great for those days that i really need staying power and a flawless finish without drying out. I use this more in the winter when my skin tends to get a little dry. At $15 for th full size it's a great investment powder. The generous sample baggies are also great if you are strapped for cash.

The Bronzer in Toast is fabulous. It has a wonderful shimmer to it and make me think of the beach. i use it to conture and make me look a little thinner in the cheeks. also for a pick me up if my skin is just looking blah that day. A little goes a long way. The full size is $15 and picture on the website make it look darker than it truly is so order the sample bag to test out the shades. If you are confused but know your foundation shade the staff is more than willing to help you color match for a flawless set of colors appropriate to your coloring.

On to the eyeshadows and blush...the really fun stuff:

The Blushes: Thrift and Bouquet.

Thrift is one of my faves. It is a bronzy pink and just gives the apples that just kissed look. It makes me very happy and is great a a light pink blush when doing a smokey eye. Very little is required to give you that glowing look.

Bouquet is a light pink that i love to use as well. It's that color that reminds me of a soft pink rose and that is what you get on the cheek. Very classic looking but with enough shimmer to be modern.

The blushes cost: $15
full size jar: 14 grams volume / 3 grams weight
sample size: 1/4 teaspoon sample bag

Illuminating dust:

Think of this as an allover product that gives you that extra glow with your look. Canvas has high shimmer but is extremely subtle when used with a light hand. The site says it's a soft and luminous off white and that it is. Another make you happy on a cloudy day product.

The full size Illuminating dust costs: $15

full size jar: 14 grams volume / 3 grams weight
sample size: 1/4 teaspoon sample bag

Eyeshadows:

Scribe: Blue Base in the Smoky Eye Kits - Slate Blues Collection.

Great base color, goes on light and opens the eye nicely.
very soft and easy to put on.

Denim: Cool medium blue with silver shimmer. Blue Crease in our Smoky Eye Kits - Slate Blues Collection. This one looks more grey than blue in the baggie but on the brush you can see the blue properties of the shadow. it was great for the smokey eye look i was building.

Nova: a Mineral Eyeliner. Midnight slate blue with silver blue shimmer. Blue Liner in our Smoky Eye Kits - Slate Blues Collection.

I used it as a crease color and it worked wonderfully. I love how it looks like my dark jeans that i wear all the time. The look was very pretty and soft for a smokey eye.

I am in love with this company and shipping for samples is free. Shipping to Texas takes about 2 weeks but i am very happy with service and all the products i have purchased so far. I hope to see more from this growing company in the future as they have me with their uber fabulous foundation and now going into blush and eyeshadow.

Check them out at: http://www.buffd.com

New items for Fundraiser and store

Having my beads come in from the mail is always exciting it gets the design jucies and creativity flowing. I just get inspired.

I was able to create quite a bit of jewelry. some going to a silent auction fundraiser for the school attached to my church, and from that i have new items to put in my store as well because they are reproducible.

First up: Cherries in the Snow
This set of earrings has Czech glass in clear aurora borealis and a dark cherry red. I've always loved the idea of red on snow or when you get shaved ice and the first drops of cherry red syrup hit the serene white canvas of ice. and that is what inspired me for this set of earrings. what i love is youcan give them a shake and the "Cherries" end up in different spots so you never have the same look twice. Set on silver chain it's just a fun set of earrings.

Icicles
This is a simple and elegant pair of earrings. The silver wire was hand shaped and there is just a bit of lovely sparkle with the Swarovski bicone at the end of the wire. I love this because it reminds me of wavy hair. It also reminds me of what an icicle looks like when the sunlight hits it for the first time. Shiny, delicate and serene. The great thing about these is that they are easy to customize. so going to be a staple at A Different Shade of Me.

Got a few bracelets done. I seem to be on a natural gemstone thing as well, because a lot of these pieces have natural stones. They are truly lovely.











This bracelet is called Calming Copper.
I really like the chocolate button pearls used in this bracelet. The copper freshwater pearls are warming to the skin and great for any skintone. The Turquoise nuggets are a calming shade of green turquoise with brown in there that is just earthy and soothing to look at. I often find myself staring and looking at the crevasess and the patterns on each nugget and marvel at how time and pressure created this beautiful component to my bracelet.


This Bracelet I made for the fundraiser and it's called Cool Moss.

The green jasper is dark and moody. Been experimenting with chain and i love the delicate look it has with the beads and that it's asymmetrical. It even has a lime green pearl that is just bright and delicate looking against the earthy green of the Jasper. It's just lovely.

Industrial Waves Earrings

These earrings are just so neat. I'm sorry the pic isn't more clear. I forgot to take them out while i was outside. I was in a rush to drop off the fundraiser items (of which this is one). The hand forged copper teardrops are from England and the pearls are a gorgeous blue. You see the rocky texture of the back but the other side has this very smooth side that is just like blue steel. The contrast is just wonderful.

I do have one more bracelet t that i completed but the sun went down before i could move it due to the glue. Can't wait to post about it tomorrow.

Also making a birthday present for a friend and she wants something in fuchsia and black. This great that I'm getting so inspired and creative. I look forward to making more and sharing more with you all.