Karen

MAC Makeup Tutorial: Russian Red, an Ode to Madge

January 22nd, 2008 by Karen 77 Comments

I’m not shy about my obsessions — Christian Bale (marry me!), the MAC 266 brush and the Terminator series (more on this later) — but by far the deepest of my frivolous obsessions is for our Madge-esty almighty, Madonna, an obsession I’ve harbored since the tender age of eight.

When I finally got my hands on MAC’s Russian Red lipstick from the MAC Originals collection, I had a minor Madonna fan freak-out moment. Madge rocked the Russian Red in her late-80s Blonde Ambition era. Remember the Express Yourself and Vogue videos? I taped them on MTV and replayed the sh*t out of both until my mom yelled at me to “turn it off!” Parents just don’t understand.

For Madonna’s Blonde Ambition Tour, Russian Red accompanied all the over-the-top costumes designed by Jean Paul Gaultier.

I remain 1,343,555,432,543 degrees of separation from Madonna, but at least I can wear her lipstick. So, in honor of my favorite pop star of all time, here’s a tutorial of a look I did with MAC Russian Red lipstick, along with other products from the Originals Collection (Daisychain eyeshadow, Ochre Style eyeshadow and Melon Pigment).

Here’s the finished look (complete with mole)! I call it the “Ode to Madge.” LOL!

Step-by-step tutorial: “Ode to Madge”

First, grab your brushes, your products and find a nice spot to work. [Continue reading…]

Paint it Pink, Paint it Black: Treat Yourself this Valentine’s Day

January 21st, 2008 by Karen 41 Comments

Valentine’s Day approaches, a day both loved and dreaded by millions. This February 14th, you could be…

1. sniffing the roses on your desk and chomping on candy hearts and chocolates while daydreaming about your faboo significant other (isn’t s/he the BEST?).

2. alone in your living room, dressed in your rattiest plaid pajamas and drinking a bottle of Two Buck Chuck on the couch while lip syncing Celine Dion’s All By Myself.

Girl, I know how it is because I’ve played both roles before. Sometimes on the Big V you’re in lurve (how precious), but sometimes you’re not; sometimes you’re just plain bitter (it happens to the best of us).

So, to celebrate the love and the pain of Valentine’s Day, this post kicks off Paint it Pink, Paint it Black, a series featuring pink and black themed makeup and beauty products to help you make the most of this Valentine’s Day — no matter what. If you’re ready to shout your love from the rooftops, then you may opt to paint it pink! But, if you’re ready to tell your loser ex how you never needed his/her sorry ass anyway, then paint it black, sister!

Paint it pink, Vol. 1

These hot pink beauties make me feel the love…

Lancome Color Fever Photonic Gloss in Seashell ($23). This lovely fuschia gloss applies sheer, is never sticky, and makes my lips look like they just powered through a heavy-duty hour-long makeout session. HOT!
Smashbox Lip Enhancing Gloss in Glare. A sheer, sparkly pink gloss with lots of glitter, this lipgloss is part of the awesome Light Speed Lip Gloss Set ($29). Glare is my favorite of the six glosses in the set because the glitter hits just the right sparkle without going over the top. It’s a great first date night gloss if you want your lips looking super kissable.
Pattern Black Pepper Body Wash ($20). Technically, I should probably list this body wash in the “Paint it Black” section because of its black pepper scent, but the cute hot pink bubble pattern on the bottle prevails. With its fresh, unisex herbal scent — a mix of black pepper, ylang-ylang and vetiver — it’s perfect for shower dates (*ahem*) with your significant other. The ingredients are all natural, and no animals were harmed in its testing, hooray!
Philosophy Raspberry Sorbet 3-in-1 Shampoo, Shower Gel and Bubble Bath ($16). This multi-tasking gel smells exactly like a fresh scoop of raspberry sorbet. A dollop fills the bath with bubbles and leaves my skin feeling soft and smooth and ready for date night.
Lierac Hydra-Chrono Anti-aging Balm ($45). This thick, rich balm smells like fresh picked cherries, yum! When I slather just a little of this on my hands at night, I wake up the following morning with seriously silky paws.

Whether you spend this particular Valentine’s Day in agony or ecstasy, just remember that you’re not alone, girl. Good or bad, we’ve all been there before.

Check back for more “Paint it Pink, Paint it Black.” I’ll be doing a new one every few days until the Big V drops next month. Now, hand me that heart-shaped box of truffles, homie!

More Paint it Pink, Paint it Black…

Paint it Black, Vol. 1: Going Black to the Gym
Paint it Pink, Vol. 2: Prepping for Date Night
Paint it Pink and Black, Vol. 3: When Love Leaves You Twisted

One more thing…

The poem below is my favorite love poem of ALL FRICKIN’ TIME! What’s yours?

When You are Old
by William Butler Yeats

When you are old and grey and full of sleep,
And nodding by the fire, take down this book,
And slowly read, and dream of the soft look
Your eyes had once, and of their shadows deep;

How many loved your moments of glad grace,
And loved your beauty with love false or true,
But one man loved the pilgrim Soul in you,
And loved the sorrows of your changing face;

And bending down beside the glowing bars,
Murmur, a little sadly, how Love fled
And paced upon the mountains overhead
And hid his face amid a crowd of stars.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Specktra for Beginners: What It Is, and How It Can Help You Be Beautiful

January 20th, 2008 by Karen 61 Comments

Women (and men) are flocking to Specktra’s makeup and beauty forum, but for makeup newbies, sifting through the sheer volume of information on the site can be overwhelming.

Specktra is one of my favorite beauty resources. Its members are generally nice, and on the site you’ll find lots of useful makeup application and product information, much of which appears on Specktra before it appears anywhere else. Founded in June 2003, it’s now one of the most active beauty communities online, receiving about 9,000 vistors a day, many of them very knowledgeable about cosmetics. The amount of MAC information and the number of excellent MAC tutorials on Specktra really sets it apart, but the site contains a wealth of information on other cosmetics lines as well. Each time you visit Specktra, you’ll learn something new, like breaking news about upcoming color collections or a new way to use a product in your favorite makeup line. And like the beauty forums over at Makeupalley.com, Craigslist and Sugar, Specktra is much more than a simple user forum.

So, if you’re new to Specktra, where do you start? I recently sat down with Janice, Specktra’s founder, and got a few great tips that Specktra makeup newbies can use to get the most out of the site.

Tutorials

How to get there – From the homepage, click on Forum, then scroll down to Cosmetics Tutorials, and click to enter the board called Makeup Tutorials.

What it is – Janice suggests that makeup newcomers begin their journey with a visit to the Makeup Tutorials section, where Specktra members post step-by-step photo, video (cool!) and text tutorials detailing how to achieve different makeup looks and styles. “That’s where you’re going to start seeing what people are doing,” says Janice. “You’re going to see products that interest you, and from there you can kind of track down your individual interests on the forum by using the search function or by exploring other areas of the site.”

I love the Tutorials board because I can find out how other women apply their own makeup and which products and techniques work best for them. I also appreciate the perspectives of the different members who post in the Tutorials board. Each has a unique style. You’ll find a wide range of looks — colorful, neutral, smokey eyes — everything! Even if I know I’ll never try a bright magenta eyeshadow with rhinestones and glitter accents, I can still learn something new just by viewing the process someone else took with the look from start to finish. Get ready to be inspired.

Member FOTD’s (faces of the day)

How to get there – From the homepage, click on Forum. Scroll down to the Sharing Your Obsession section, and then Member FOTD’s.

What it is – For starters, to access the Member FOTD’s, you’ll have to create a free Specktra member account (all you need is an email address). Registration means that unkind or non-constructive criticism isn’t tolerated, so the atmosphere is supportive. “The face of the day forum is another active and extremely popular feature on the site,” says Janice, “and is another good place for people to start.” In the Member FOTD’s section, members ask for feedback on finished makeup looks. Or, if you just want to floss a fierce look you did that day, you can do that too!

I’ve found that if you really want to step up your makeup game, taking pictures of yourself really helps. Seeing your work in photos gives you a different perspective than seeing your reflection in the bathroom mirror. It wasn’t until I started taking pictures of finished makeup looks that I caught bad habits that I’d never noticed before (I have a tendency to line my lower lip unevenly) and correct them.

Recommendations

How to get there – Scroll down to Cosmetic Topics and then down to Recommendations.

What it is – If you’re new to Specktra, one of the best places to make the jump from forum lurker to active participant is the Recommendations board, where you can ask others for product recommendations or makeup ideas. Be as detailed as possible when you ask for feedback. Describe the products you’re using, how you’re using them, your hair color (if you’re asking for hair help), skin type — provide as much information as possible.

The Recommendation board’s top members really know their stuff, and who doesn’t love sharing great product tips and helping others at the same time? Who knows – your holy grail red lippie could become another member’s new favorite lip color.

What if you’re too shy to post?

In real life I’m not shy at all (seriously, I’ll talk to anybody, ’tis both a blessing and a curse), but some close knit forums can be cliquish and intimidating.

If you’re too shy to start your own thread or to participate, one gentle way to get your feet wet is by saying “Hi” in the Welcome forum, located at the top of the Forum section. You can introduce yourself and get a nice, warm welcome from some of the members.

If even that’s too much for you to handle (hey, I totally understand), try interacting in the board by saying “thanks” to members who post something you like. There’s a Thank You button in the lower right-hand corner of every post. Sure, it’s a little thing, but it shows that you’re trying to put yourself out there. “Dont be afraid to send a message to a staff member,” says Janice. “Just ask, ‘How do I do this?’ We’re very friendly and we’re there to help.”

Last, but not least, pay attention to the information in the navigation bar at the top of the page.

There’s a wealth of MAC background information at the top of the main page, like links to the history of MAC Cosmetics, foundation help, a complete list of MAC’s various pigments, and much, much more. Don’t miss the fantastic Specktra blog, either, an excellent source of makeup and beauty news, product reviews and articles.

If you’re serious about makeup, or just looking for feedback or suggestions, Specktra should be in your resource rotation, and when you hit the site, say hi to Janice (tell her you’re a friend of mine!) and give me a shout — my handle is “surfdiva.” The members are cool, and the atmosphere is open-minded and welcoming.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

What’s in Your Purse?

January 18th, 2008 by Karen 89 Comments

The other day Lilan over at the Daily Cookie asked me what was in my purse, so I pulled out my bag, took out one item at a time and wrote everything down in a list.

When I finished, I felt cleansed and pure, like the pocketbook gods had absolved me of all my purse-stuffing sins.

Not only was writing out this list strangely cathartic, it was also slightly alarming. Does one (relatively sane) woman really need to lug around all this crap?

Let me preface my list by saying that I AM NOT A HOBO. I just happened to get a big, slouchy purse a few months ago, thinking it would look chic. Sure, it’s cute, but it’s also heavier than a stuffed Thanksgiving turkey.

Right now my purse contains…

one Blackberry smartphone
one wallet
one Goody stretchy headband (grey) for workouts
two black ponytail holder thingies
three bobby pins
…and a partridge in a pair tree (just kidding!)
one ticket stub for the movie Atonement
one half-eaten box of Orbit Maui Melon Mint gum. Unfortunately, I haven’t felt like chewing this gum since the minty poo experience with Poof! drops a few weeks ago.
two packages of DHC Vitamin C Powders (thanks Jessy)
two black Pentel RSVP fine tipped pens. These pens are the SH*T!
house and car keys
a pair of dangly black freshwater pearl earrings
a sheet of white Apple stickers (the computers, that is, not the makeup!)
pepper spray
two pieces of coral from the beach directly in front of where El Hub and I got married in Hawaii
a W-9
a Post-it with the phone number for Skates on the Bay, a restaurant in Berkeley
one Lemon Zest Luna Bar
one dark chocolate Ghirardelli chocolate square
a tube of Elizabeth Arden 8-Hour hand cream
a box of Elizabeth Arden Flawless Finish Maximum Coverage Concealer (unopened)
one pearl necklace
MAC Lychee Luxe Lipglass
Vincent Longo Illumina Concealer Stick #3
CHANEL Rouge Allure in Exquise
CHANEL Glossimer in Galactic
CHANEL Gloss Creme Lumiere in Petite Four
MAC Pink Treat Cremestick Liner
MAC Blot pressed powder in medium dark
last week’s pay stub
a Christmas card from my Grandma
one bag of Cherry Honey Ricola cough drops
MAC Lipglass in Nico Now
one binder clip
one 2008 Monet day calendar
one “To Do” list with 34 frickin’ tasks on it!

Yep… That’s about it. Oh, and yesterday there was also one Fuji apple in there but I ate it.

What can I say? I like to make lists, and I’m also a bit of a voyeur (but not in a pervy way, dirty birdies). Now it’s your turn!

What’s in your purse?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Origins Spring Makeup Colors – Leafy, Lush and Natural

January 17th, 2008 by Karen 26 Comments

Origins’ new spring makeup colors remind me of the time I hiked through a thick bamboo jungle on the island of Kauai in Hawaii. Each nature-inspired shade harkens back to the tall stalks of bamboo that surrounded me, reaching high into the sky above, and the rich, brown earth beneath my feet.

The release contains four lush eyeshadows ($13.50 each) and one juicy blush ($17.50).

Coral Reef Brush-on Color blush – pink-orange with a touch of gold sparkle
Brazil Nut Origins Eyeshadow – gold-brown matte
Sun Tan Origins Eyeshadow – warm beige matte
Palm Tree Origins Eyeshadow – light khaki green matte
Lemonade Origins Eyeshadow – cool beige-yellow shimmer

What to buy, and what to skip…

Girrrrl, I *hate* matte shadows, but I loved the mattes in this release. Brazil Nut, Sun Tan and Palm Tree are the best matte shadows I’ve ever used, hands down. I used to think I was missing a special makeup gene because for the life of me I could never blend matte shadows properly, but the creamy formula and smooth application of these shadows makes it very easy for even a klutz like yours truly to transition colors seamlessly into each other. No harsh lines, hooray!

Be warned: if you like intense eye color, then with these bad boys you’ll have to apply multiple layers. Brazil Nut reminds me of a slightly darker matte version of my holy grail MAC Soba eyeshadow, and Sun Tan is a perfect neutral shade for browbones. My favorite one, though, is Palm Tree, a rich khaki green that really made my brown eyes pop.

The color I expected to fall in love with, Lemonade, actually ended up being my least favorite eyeshadow of the bunch! Its grainy texture left me uninspired.

Last, but not least, there’s Coral Reef, a worthy addition to my blush collection. I know in the swatch above it looks a little sheer, but after a couple layers it produced that “I’m hiking through a bamboo jungle” flush.

Here’s a shot of me wearing Coral Reef…

On the eyes in this look I used Sun Tan on the browbone, Brazil Nut in the crease, Palm Tree on the lid and Lemonade in the inner corner of the eye. On my lips I used MAC Lychee Luxe lipglass.

I’m totally enamored with these shadows and think this natural look is going into heavy makeup rotation for the next few weeks. It might be winter outside, but at least I can feel like spring on the inside, yes?

The Origins spring colors will be available at Origins Retail stores, select department stores and online at Origins.com next month.

Are you ready for Friday? I sure am. Tomorrow night, El Hub and I are going to watch Cloverfield, the new monster movie. That should be … interesting. And hopefully this weekend, if it’s sunny and not too cold, I’m going hiking through the thick, bamboo jungles of Marin. Okay, just kidding about the bamboo jungle part, but I will look for a few nice waterfalls to admire (there are a few in Marin, who knew?) ’cause they’re the closest I can get to Hawaii right now.

I hope you had a faboo day and that you’re smiling.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Makeup Brush Lust – Billy B Paint Brushes Rawk!

January 16th, 2008 by Karen 44 Comments

For years, the only brushes in my life were toothbrushes, hairbrushes and random brushes with destiny. I was content using the sad lil’ sponge applicators and teeny standard issue brushes that came with eyeshadows and blush. When I look back at my pictures from high school and college (aka, “the brush drought years”) my makeup didn’t look bad … but it definitely didn’t look good, either. My application was splotchy, and there was no blending to be had within a three-mile radius. *Cringes*

Fast forward a few years: it was 2002; I bought a few basic MAC brushes (252, 266, 217, 224, 129, 190) on a whim and my makeup life changed forever. ‘Twas a whole new world for your girl. Now, I love brushes so much that I’ve looked beyond MAC into other brush lines as well, and there are a lot of great brushes out there!

Product: Billy B’s Master Paint Brush Collection
Price: $249
Use: To apply makeup on eyes, face and lips
Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: A-

Makeup artist Billy B’s Master Paint Brush Collection is one such line of fantastic brushes. It offers excellent quality at an affordable price. With all the brushes you need for eyes, face and lips, at $249, Billy’s set of 13 brushes is one of the best values around. I know that $249 seems like a lot of duckets, but it breaks down to about $20 per brush, comparable to MAC eye brushes averaging $25 dollars each.

I know it; you know it too. Yes, brushes can get expensive, but the right makeup brush can mean the difference between looking hella broke or looking super hot.

Why a new line of brushes?

Billy created the set when he got tired of tweaking brushes to suit his needs. “I would find them [brushes] in the oddest places,” says Billy, “like a drugstore in Paris or some out-of-the-way beauty supply in Mississippi. I’d modify them with little cuticle scissors and stuff. And when I lost them I’d be so frustrated.” So he decided to make his own brushes from scratch.

What makes Billy’s brushes different?

The quality of the brush heads (the actual brush part of the brush) is what make this set outstanding. The bristles are so soft to the touch, not scratchy at all. The eye brushes feel great against my lids, and they’re actually softer than some of the MAC eye brushes that I own.

Billy gave a lot of thought to the design of each brush, and it shows in their performance. Take the eye brushes, for example. They are the standout performers in the set. With their domed shape and full brush heads, each applies color smoothly and evenly, making it so easy for me to layer and blend eyeshadows. Whether I’m doing a simple eye look with two eye shadows, or a complicated one with five, I find myself constantly reaching for numbers six, eight, 12 and 13.

I love number 12 for smudging eye liner at the lash line (a job previously given to my MAC 219 pencil brush). Number 12 and the MAC 219 look nothing alike. The 12 is angled and thin, and the MAC 219 is stubby and pointed, but Billy’s number 12 does the job better. When I use the MAC 219 to smudge liner, the brush head feels rough and scratchy and so big and bulky that I often just end up smudging the liner completely away. Billy’s number 12 is smaller, thinner and softer than the 219, giving me more control and making it easier to create subtle fades and transitions of color, even with thin lines.

One last eye brush side note: Ya’ll know I’ve got a borderline scary obsession with the MAC flat angled 266 brush (BOW DOWN!). Billy’s equivalent to MAC’s 266 is his 11. While it does a decent job of filling in my brows, I am not giving up my 266 any time soon. Score one for MAC.

A unique brush head design…

What I appreciate most about Billy’s brushes are their smaller brush heads, a concept quite different than most of the brushes currently on the market. Billy believes that many of the brushes out there are just too big for a woman’s small face. He’s well known in the industry for being a master of fine detail, and he wanted to create smaller brush heads that would be able to handle finer detail work, especially around the nose and eyes. “If you’re really doing beautiful makeup,” says Billy, “then obviously detail is important. A gigantic brush isn’t going to fit into the corners by your nostrils. It’s getting powder into your hairline and on your hair and on your clothes and on your lashes.”

Light, short handles…

While I’m not crazy about the short birchwood handles, I do appreciate the reason behind their design. Billy spends a lot of time flying between New York and LA (celeb clients he services include Mary J. Blige — Holla! — and Paula Abdul), so he needed brushes that wouldn’t add extra weight to his makeup kit.

Billy’s Paint Brushes are available online at www.billybbeauty.com.

Do you have a brush obsession? What can’t you live without?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Be Brown, Not Boring, with MAC Originals

January 15th, 2008 by Karen 55 Comments

What can brown do for you?

If I had a nickel for every time I rocked the brown eye shadow back in the day I’d be a rich woman. Even though I’ve recently ventured into brighter colors like blues and greens, I’ll always have a place in my heart for my first eye shadow love — beautiful, basic brown.

Brown may be neutral, but it doesn’t have to be boring. Brown doesn’t mean you can get away with yawn-worthy makeup, young lady. The face of the day below, inspired by the Avarice face chart from MAC’s Originals collection, shows that brown can still be fun.

Get the look…

Eyes

Brows – MAC Concrete eyeshadow
Browbone – MAC Bare Canvas Paint and MAC Daisychain eyeshadow
Lid – MAC Groundwork Paint Pot
Outer corners – MAC Clue eyeshadow
Crease – MAC Ochre Style eyeshadow and MAC A Little Folie eyeshadow
Upper lashline – MAC Coffee eye pencil
Lower lashline – MAC Clue eyeshadow
Lashes – MAC Plushlash in Black

When I wear different shades of brown at the same time, I choose browns in the same tonal family (cool browns with cool browns, warm browns with warm browns) that don’t have a lot of contrast between them. This makes them easier for me to blend.

The only semi-difficult part about this eye look was getting the darkest brown, A Little Folie, into the crease with a MAC 219 brush, a brush I have a love/hate relationship with. Used to apply a fine line of color in the crease or underneath the eye, the 219’s pencil tip-shaped brush head doesn’t always distribute color evenly. It could be faulty design, but more than likely it’s because I haven’t discovered the brush’s sweet spot yet. Using the 219 well takes a lot of practice.

Despite the range of products I used for this look, the whole thing took about 10 minutes because there wasn’t any complicated layering or lining of the waterline (which for me can take SO MUCH TIME).

Cheeks

Cheeks – Shu Uemura Glow on Blushes in M Brown 73 and P Gold 93D.

The original Avarice face chart called for Raizin blush (a gold reddish-brown matte) and Reflects Blackened Red Glitter, but I don’t own Raizin, and Reflects Blackened Red looks terrible on me, so I opted for two Shu Uemura Glow On blushes instead.

Lips

Lipstick – MAC Rozz Revival
Lipgloss – MAC Avarice Lipglass

I’m a total klutz, so it took me forever and a day to get this red lippy going. My biggest issue? I couldn’t get the Rozz Revival to apply evenly, and because I didn’t use a lip liner the Rozz was revival-ing all over the place. I resorted to applying two layers of it and one layer of Avarice Lipglass with a MAC 316 covered lip brush. Next time I’m going to use a lip-colored pencil, like MAC Pink Treat Cremestick Liner, to make it easier!

Don’t miss…

Clue eyeshadow. When I first swatched this I wasn’t moved, but after I got it on my eye I totes fell in love. A mid-tone dirty grey with silver pearl, this eyeshadow has a pretty finish, soft texture and is very easy to work with. For a simple, subtle grey eye, I use Groundwork Paint Pot over the entire lid and then swipe Clue from the lashline into the crease. I give my lashes a quick curl, add two coats of mascara and I’m done!

Rozz Revival lipstick.When I think of red lipstick I usually think of sophisticated and serious looks, but Rozz Revival is a fresh, young and fun twist on red. With a high shine, lustre finish, this watermelon reddish pink lippie would look great with a tan! I can’t wait for summer!

Coffee eye pencil. This pencil is a fantastic deep brown with no red or orange tones. Even though it isn’t a Technakohl, I love it because it’s soft and easy to blend.

Are ya rocking the browns today, or did you go crazy with color?

I’m in the middle of my first cup of coffee and the caffeine is starting to work its magic – wheeeee! I hope you’re Tuesday is off to a fantastic start!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Glow in Style with Shu Uemura Glow On Blush

January 14th, 2008 by Karen 73 Comments

I was vegetating on the couch the other day, watching my upmteenth hour of the America’s Next Top Model marathon on MTV, when El Hub walked by and said, “Did you do something different today? Your face looks so bright and glowy.”

At the time, I was wearing something new, a mix of two Shu Uemura Glow On blushes, M Brown 73 and P Gold 93D.

Now, El Hub knows jack diddly squat about makeup, so the fact that he noticed was enough for me to conclude that Glow On blush lives up to its name. The products are so finely milled that that they’re absorbed into the skin, never leaving an obvious or painted look, to a degree rarely seen in a powder like this. They give me a just-pinched-your-cheeks flush, like I’m not wearing any makeup at all. I am in love with these blushes!

How to get the glow…

Getting a natural but subtle glow with these bad boys is really easy once you get the hang of the application. For the look that got El Hub’s attention, I used two blushes: M Brown 73 (a warm, peachy-brown matte) and P Gold 93 D (a pearl gold shimmer).

First, I applied three layers of M Brown 73 on the apples of my cheeks and blended them upward into the hairline with a blush brush, like the Shu Uemura Natural Brush 20 cheek brush.

Then, using a cheek brush with a smaller brush head like the Shu Uemura Natural Brush 14, I applied two layers of P Gold 93 D to my upper cheeks (underneath the outer corner of each eye) with a smaller cheek brush to create a subtle highlight.

Glow On matte blushes like M Brown 73 are highly pigmented, so every stroke of your brush across the pan will leave lots of color. To achieve a subtle look, I tapped excess color out of the brush before each application and used multiple layers to avoid overly dark, crazy clown cheeks.

To dilute the brown, I swiped the brush across the blush pan once and tapped it against the side of the sink (or brush a piece of tissue). Then, I carefully applied the blush to my cheeks with a light touch and blended out the edges. I did this two more times (you might have to do it less if you’re lighter than I am) until I got the flushed, natural color I was shooting for.

Glow On blushes with a shimmer finish, like P Gold 93 D, are slightly less pigmented than the mattes. They still have a lot of color, though, so remember to tap out the excess from your brush if you still want your cheeks to look natural.

Side note: I know that when I first started using blush I had the tendency to use a heavy hand. I’d always end up with too much color on my brush and on my cheeks, so if you’re a blush newbie, take extra care to apply the color lightly.

Packaging woes…

Although Shu Uemura blushes are superior for color, their packaging is another story. While the clear lids are handy (I never have to flip the blush over to read what color is on the label) and the blushes are compact and great for travel, the overall packaging is flimsy. I accidentally dropped Brown 73 once and the hinge broke. Now the jar doesn’t close properly, and I can’t travel with it unless I secure it wish a rubber band.

If more hinges break on more of Shu’s blushes (which is likely because I’m always dropping stuff), I’m going to transfer the blush pans to a palette. The process of removing a blush pan from its clear casing is easy. If you remove the sticker on the back of the blush jar, you’ll see two small holes, each located on opposite sides of the back of the blush pan. Working on one hole at a time, insert a push pin carefully and push until you release the pan from the package. Voila! Your blush is ready for repotting in its new home.

Fun facts about blush…

In the 1920s blush was called rouge, and the style of the day was to wear rouge on the apples of one’s cheeks in distinctive, cartoony circles clearly visible to the naked eye.
During the Victorian Age in Britain, makeup was associated with low morals (LOL!), so instead of wearing makeup, women of virtue would pinch their cheeks.
Thousands of years ago, the ancient Greeks used ingredients like crushed mulberries, red beet juice and crushed strawberries to make blush.
Both men and women wore blush during the English Regency period in the early-1800s.

What blush are you wearing today? Whatever it is, I hope you’re working it!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen