Category: eyes

Paint Me Gorgeous: Green eyeshadow with nude lips

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I’m fascinated with “ethnic” beauty. Some might accuse me of being a patronizing, romanticizing “orientalist.” When I had the makeup application at the BellaPierre kiosk, the girl who did my makeup was of eastern Asian origin. She had a very pretty wash of green eye shadow.

Paint Me Gorgeous is a blog from Malaysia. Here’s a picture of the blogger with green eyeshadow and nude lips, which reminded me of the BellaPierre girl’s makeup:

So perfect. The look was created with Shu Uemura products – Shu Uemura eye shadows are the silkiest I’ve tried.

Terracotta Tajine Eye Shadow from Guerlain

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‘Terracotta’ Tajine Eyeshadow from Guerlain

This ‘Terracotta’ Tajine Eyeshadow from Guerlain was featured in the April 2008 issue of Lucky. While Lucky said that it was available through Sephora.com, I couldn’t find it there. However, it’s now available through Nordstrom. I also found it at Dillards in St. Louis.

While the packaging is great, I wouldn’t pay $35.00 for this eye shadow. Don’t be misled by the shade names: Blonde Metal is pinkish, Brown Metal is golden, and Dark Metal is purplish.

Three from Laura Mercier

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I’ve always had a soft touch for Laura Mercier. When other cosmetics brands were going for gimmicky products, she’s remained true to making women look beautiful. More to the point, I had a very positive experience at a Laura Mercier counter, when the makeup artist commented that I must be very diligent about sunscreen, as my face didn’t have any lines. Then I told her about my upcoming birthday, and she was amazed!

Anyway, here are product reviews for three of her recent introductions:


Laura Mercier Brow Definer Soft – I get my brows tinted when I go to the salon to get my hair done. However, the brows are resistant to taking color. I’m always on the lookout for products that tint the brows. I’ve become dissatisfied with LORAC’s Brow Wax, as it’s too hard, so I was interested in this product. The Brow Definer is described as an “innovative wax/gel formula,” but I couldn’t find anything innovative about it. It looks and feels like a gel eyeliner, which is no longer a new innovative product.

I purchased this product at bluemercury. I thought that I should use the Warm (brunette) shade, but the saleswoman was adamant that Soft (deep blonde/soft brunette) was right for me. Regardless, the best solution I’ve found to date is taking a cue from the guys: I use moustache wax to define the brows (use a brow brush to brush them into place first); then I apply a brown-black eyeshadow with a stiff angled brush to color the brows.

Laura Mercier Lip Stain Mulberry – This lip stain is a red-plum. When I tried it at bluemercury, I swiped it over my lips. It was bright! The saleswoman told me that the best application is by patting the color onto the lips: in that way, you can build color to your desired intensity.

As with other lip stains I’ve reviewed (Underground by Rimmel, Revlon), well-conditioned lips are necessary to making lip stain feel comfortable on the lips.


Laura Mercier Kohl Eye Pencil Black Gold (not pictured) – I was intrigued by the color. I love metallics, but not pure silver or gold shades. Instead, I prefer pewter shades to silver or bronzy shades to gold. This pencil seemed right up my line.

However, I find eyeliner pencils (except for retractable ones) a nuisance. Is the pencil too hard to use? Then run hot air from a blow dryer over it. Too soft to sharpen? Put in it the fridge or freezer. Then there’s the mess of keeping your sharpeners clean (I used cotton swabs soaked in rubbing alcohol). This pencil is no different, and at $19.00, it’s no bargain, either.

Underground by Rimmel

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Underground by Rimmel is more daring than Rimmel’s regular line, and invites comparison to L’Oreal HIP. While Underground is geared toward teens and twenties, there are some great products that woman of all ages can use.


Stir It Up Cream Eyeshadow in Wassup? by Underground by Rimmel

The cream eyeshadow features different shades that are mixed together when you apply it with your fingers. There’s some glitter in this, but if that’s not the effect that you’re seeking, just remove it by flicking a cotton swab or Q-Tip over it.


Cheeky! Blush Duo in Cheer Up by Underground by Rimmel

This blush duo features pale apricot and deep rose shades. Nowadays, most of the shades of blush from mass-market brands are subtle (to be foolproof), so this blush duo stands out. It can look natural by applying the deep rose shade on the apple of the cheeks – don’t blend out to the temples. If it’s too bright, the pale apricot shade will tone it down. There are several other shades of Cheeky! Blush Duo available, and all are wearable.


Loud Mouth Lipgloss in Pucker Up from Underground by Rimmel

Don’t be fooled by the name. This is more lip stain than lip gloss. In addition to Pucker Up, there are other wearable shades of Loud Mouth Lipgloss that will appeal to women of all ages. To prevent the stain from going beyond your mouth, consider lining your lips with clear lipliner first.

Because Loud Mouth Lipgloss is a lip stain, it can be drying. Now since the weather is getting colder, you need to keep your lips conditioned. I use Aquaphor icon, essentially a goo of petroleum jelly and mineral oil, at night to condition my lips (for more, see Treating Chapped Lips). I also like Sally Hansen Healing Butter for Lips (not available through drugstore.com, alas). It boasts of having shea, mango, cocoa and murumuru butters, but if you’re seeking a plant-based product, this isn’t it: petroleum jelly tops the list of ingredients and these butters are way down the list. Still, it’s very emollient.

Underground by Rimmel may be found at Target, and Ulta in the U.S.

Big MAC Attack

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I hate crests and emblems. It’s probably because I dislike Juicy Couture. I don’t like its gaudy accessories with their insignia, and frankly, its velour tracksuits with the word “Juicy” emblazoned on the butt are tacky. Who wants to see (as I did) someone’s muffin top above a waistband with the word “Juicy” on it?


MAC Royal Assets holiday collection
6 Warm Eyes eye shadow palette

Still, I couldn’t resist buying this eye shadow palette 6 Warm Eyes from MAC’s Royal Assets limited edition holiday collection. The packaging features a white cover accented in gold with a crest in relief. The casing is made of metal, which provides some heft to the package, and has an authentic vintage look.

Makeup artist and blogger Elke von Freudenburg describes the shades in 6 Warm Eyes as “Golden leaf gold, pale shimmer peach, rich forest green, deep burgundy and rich earth brown.” There is also a matte tan with some pink undertones. The description on MAC’s web site has no relation to what’s in the palette.

Still, Elke didn’t describe the finishes. The shade that she describes as “rich forest green” has shimmer and looks like greenish gunmetal when applied. The deep burgundy is shiny. The rich earth brown shade (bottom row, right), which is matte, coordinates easily with the with the pale peach shimmer (top row, L), the matte tan (top row, R), and golden leaft gold (middle row, L). Coordinating the burgundy (middle row, R) and forest green (bottom row, R) shades with the other shades is more challenging (I prefer tonal shades). The burgundy and forest green shades probably would best used for the crease or outer corner of the eye.

I’ll defer judgment on this palette until I’m able to experiment with all shades, including the burgundy and forest green shades.

Removing Eye Makeup: More Important than You Think!

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Soon after I publshed a criticism on the fallacy of keeping mascara and eyeliner on overnight, Paula Begoun noted, “a basic remedy for puffy, irritated, crepey skin around the eyes was being sure to remove every last trace of eye makeup before you go to bed” and recommended using an eye makeup remover in addition to a water-soluble cleanser.

iconicon
Artificial tears – a must in your makeup kit

On a related issue, I recently had some inflammation along the lower eyelid. I quit wearing eye makeup on the lower lid, applied artificial tears
icon(not eye drops formulated with steroids) and an eye ointment
icon, and began washing my hands more thoroughly. I use hand sanitizers like Purell
icononly sparingly, as I take seriously the fact that bacteria and microbes will mutate into more resistant strains in response to antiseptics.

Good and bad advice from Allure

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Here are Beauty tips of the month from Allure:

  1. For a little drama, try not washing your mascara and eyeliner off completely—it will be smudgy and sexy the next day, says Charlotte Tilbury.
  2. Try a lipstain instead of gloss—the look is more inviting, say makeup artists. Dab color on the middle of lips, blending outward. It should look as if you’ve polished off a Popsicle.
  3. Work a new version of smoky eyes with bronze colored shadow. Line eyes with a soft chocolate pencil and sweep eye shadow over the lids and a little underneath, blending so there are no hard lines.

Regarding the first tip, going to bed without removing your makeup is a no-no! It will not be sexy in the morning!

Facial cleanser is usually not enough to remove eye makeup, so be sure to use an eye makeup remover (I prefer oil-freeicon or two-phaseicon liquid eye makeup removers that don’t leave an oily residue) and pat clean with a cotton ball or pad. Eye makeup removers formulated with mineral oil causes smearing. Use a second cotton ball or pad to make sure all eye makeup has been removed.

I won’t comment on the second tip – I tried to take advantage of Allure’s giveaway for Laura Mercier‘s Mulberry Lip Stain, but the server for her web site was probably overwhelmed with visitors taking advantage of the same offer.


Isadora Eye Shadow Quartet in Antique Gold

However, the third tip is great – I like the Isadora Eye Shadow Quartet in Antique Gold (I use the darkest shade as a liner), but the Eye Shadow Quartet in Bronzing Plum also looks tempting.

Demystifying eye makeup

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Perhaps I was a bit critical of Stila’s Smoky Eye Palette – I’m not adverse to pricey brands (particularly if they provide something I can’t find in less pricier brands) and some folks seem to like the palette. Still, I think it was nervy to insert an audio commercial advertising other Stila products on a $40 item.

That said, eye makeup is the trickiest part of makeup application, and it’s to a makeup company’s advntage to provide guidance on applying makeup to sell product. Here’s a rundown on products with accompanying guidance:


Bare Escentuals Get Started Eyes

Bare Escentuals Get Started Eyes and Bare Escentuals Tutorials – Lesson 1: Smoky Eye provide guidance with the set. I think that the lid and eyeliner shades on the model are great, but I’m not smitten with the pale pink highlighter, especially with deep-set eyes like mine (and the model’s). I wish the Chocolate Raisin liner was sold individually – it sounds like the dark-dark brown-plum I love (see also Constant Color Gel Eyeliner)

Jemma Kid Eye Wardrobe Eye Shadow Quartet
Jemma Kidd is a London-based makeup artist. She’s also the sister of model, champion polo player, and race car driver Jodie Kidd; great-granddaughter of press magnate Lord Beaverbrook; and wife of the grandson of the current Duke of Wellington – whew! Advice on application may be downloaded from Jemma Kidd’s website, as well as her columns for The Mail on Sunday (UK).


Mally Beauty City Chick Smokey Eye Kit

Mally Beauty is a makeup line from celebrity makeup artist Mally Roncal (she’s the one who makes Beyoncé always look fabulous). Originally available through QVC, Mally Beauty is available at Amazon.com. Mally Beauty City Chick Smokey Eye Kit comes in five different color themes: Brownstone (browns), Skyscraper (slate/gray), Central Park (greens), Nolita Navy (blues), and Plum Chelsea (guess). Each palette comes with eye shadow base and eye liner pencil.

Pop Beauty Eye Class – Smokey Eyes is the most diversified palette of the lot, and features these shades: jet black, smokey steel gray, sapphire blue, silver, deep plum, deep violet, burnished bronze, emerald green, olive gold, nude glow, opal gold, and sparkling white. Examples of application are provided with the palette.