Makeup

6 Makeup Rules That May Not Work for You

April 1st, 2016 by Carolina Braina 23 Comments

When it comes to rules, I think that most people fall into one of three categories…

Those who follow the rules religiously, without questioning.
Those who never follow the rules, just because they’re rules — you know, the rebels.
And those who follow the rules only when they think it’s the right thing to do.

Personally, I belong to the third group, but sometimes, especially makeup-wise, after hearing countless times that I should or shouldn’t do something a certain way, I feel like I temporarily lose my ability to judge for myself what works and what doesn’t work for me. And I’m pretty sure I’m not alone in this!

So today I’d like to remind you (and myself) that some makeup rules don’t always apply to everyone. You can follow, or ignore, any rules that you want.

Let’s see what some of these rules are, shall we?

1. Curling your lashes

After hearing dozens of makeup artists and beauty gurus say that I had to curl my lashes, a few years ago I got a Shu Uemura curler and started using it without objection until, one day, I decided to skip the curling step and go straight to mascara.

I realized that my lashes actually looked better! I have short lashes, and if I curl them, they look even shorter! I don’t know if it’s because my particular eye shape doesn’t allow me to get as close to the lid as I’d like, but all I can tell you is that it just doesn’t work for me.

2. Using very light under-eye concealer

Deborah Milano Radiance Creator Highlighting Concealer in 01 Light

These days, it’s pretty common to use a very light concealer to highlight the under-eye area, and I think it does look good on some people, but if you’re as dark under your eyes as I am, chances are your dark circles will just end up looking grey and stand out more.

Not cool!

3. Contouring with cool-toned products

We hear all the time that we should contour using cool-toned powders or creams because it’s the best way to mimic natural shadows on the face. As a general rule, I completely agree with that, but sometimes cool-toned products can look ashy and muddy on very warm skin tones. In those cases, it might be better to use a product with neutral or even slightly warm undertones. Only experimenting will tell you what’s best for you.

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I’m Finally Trying Zoeva! Here Are My First Impressions…

April 1st, 2016 by Adia Goss 34 Comments

So, I have been wanting to try Zoeva makeup brushes and cosmetics for the longest time. I’ve seen so many bloggers and YouTubers rave about them — the pigmented eyeshadows and gorgeous brushes — and the day has finally come. I’m finally trying Zoeva!

I wanted to share my excitement with you guys, so I filmed my first impressions in this video:

I also have photos and swatches of everything I talk about in the video (down below), so that hopefully you guys can get a good idea of what Zoeva has to offer.

ZOEVA History

“ZOEVA is a German brand, founded in 2008 by Zoe Boikou. The brand name ZOEVA is composed of ZOE, the Greek word for ‘life’ and EVA, the very first woman. From a basic range of only 10 makeup brushes, ZOEVA now offers a professional portfolio of over 50 makeup tools and 100 colors for a full face makeup routine. Our products are designed to make a real difference in the way women experience their beauty rituals.”

— www.zoeva-shop.de

Zoeva Warm Spectrum Eyeshadow Palette

Zoeva Warm Spectrum Eyeshadow Palette swatches from top to bottom:

zoeva first impressions — L to R: WR 130, WR 100, WR 070, WR 040 and WR 010

“ZOEVA is dedicated to the self-confidence and unique beauty of all women. Every ZOEVA product is made with love and designed with conviction and passion for makeup. Our ultimate goal is to offer luxurious, high quality products. Helping every woman to discover her individual beauty is our highest ambition. ZOEVA means celebrating yourself and being aware of your individual beauty.”

— www.zoeva-shop.de

Zoeva Luxe Color Blushes in Burning Up and He Loves Me, Maybe

For size comparison, here are the Zoeva blushes compared to NARS and MAC blushes:

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I Put on Makeup Today!

March 31st, 2016 by Karen 67 Comments

Ya know what occurred to me the other day at 2 in the morning while I was in tears and feeding Connor?

Babies have no need for concealer, even if they’re up all night.

Amazing!

If I look a little tired…that’s because I am. Connor Claire’s been really colicky and, thus, we’ve been spending some long nights together. Plus, hello hormones running amuck (hence the flood of tears at 2 in the morning)!

I needed a little pick-me-up, so I managed to put on makeup today.

I’ve worn this Tarte Classic Courage Palette ($28; limited edition from the new Double Duty Beauty collection) a few times over the last couple of weeks, and what I like most about it is 1) how easily the eyeshadows blend together, 2) how long the eye and cheek products last on my combination skin (a full nine hours!) and 3) how I can do this entire look from start to finish in 20 minutes.

I bet I could even get it down to 15 minutes with some practice. I’m learning that in new Mommy Land, 20 uninteruped minutes to do anything is a blissful eternity!

Classic Courage is one of two limited edition palettes from the Double Duty Beauty collection, and it’s the one with warm colors. The other palette, Sultry Star Power, has cooler tones. I’m hoping to give that one a try soon (you know I love me some cool shades).

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

The Best in Beauty From the Boot, Vol. 3: Deborah Milano

March 31st, 2016 by Carolina Braina 16 Comments

Deborah Milano Atomic Red Mat Lipstick 01 — Wearing Deborah Atomic Red Mat Lipstick in shade 01 on my lips and Deborah 24ORE Waterproof Eyeliner in Black on my eyes

Deborah Milano is an Italian drugstore makeup brand, but today I’ll pretend she’s just a friend, because I’m pretty exhausted from working long hours at Cosmoprof, which is a huge beauty expo here in Bologna, for the past four days, and I could really use a friendly face.

Or a masseuse!

But anyways, let’s talk about Deborah. Born in Milan in 1962, she’s since made good friends with hundreds of thousands of Italian women by making beauty accessible to all of them, rather than just the élite, as it had been before.

Deborah is a really great girl. If you give her a chance, she’ll bring out and highlight your best qualities. She may embarrass you and make you blush sometimes…but I’m sure you’ll forgive her because of how she colors your life. Not to mention that you can count on her 24/7.

Today, I’m letting you in on a few of her secret weapons!

Deborah Milano Natural Effect Blush in 06 (€11.50/$12.90)

Deborah Natural Effect Blush in 06 — You thought sponge-tip applicators were useless…?

Don’t be fooled by the cheap-looking plastic packaging. This blush is a real gem. The mauvy pink shade here, 06, is one of those that looks much better applied than it does in the pan. I think it looks really natural on my complexion, and it blends effortlessly and lasts a pretty long time for a powder blush. What more could you want?

Deborah Milano Radiance Creator Highlighting Concealer in 01 Light (€12.50/$14)

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Maybelline Color Sensational Vivid Matte Liquid Lip Color: Review & Swatches, Part 2

March 30th, 2016 by Adia Goss 16 Comments

Here are swatches of the second group of $6.99 Maybelline Color Sensational Vivid Matte Liquid Lip Colors. (Click here to see pics and swatches of the first batch.)

Just as a recap, here are my thoughts on the formula overall…

First, these are incredibly vibrant, and almost all of the 10 available colors are completely opaque, even after a single layer. Unlike the name suggests, though, I didn’t find them to be particularly matte. I’d describe them more as satin, with some appearing a bit glossy. Also, they don’t ever completely dry down, and they aren’t nearly as transfer resistant as the liquid lipsticks by Kat Von D, ColourPop or Sephora, for example.

That being said, they aren’t as drying either, so there’s the big trade-off with this formula.

I love the color range and how comfortable these are. But, I don’t love the incredibly strong scent or how easily they smudge and transfer.

If you’re sensitive to fragrances, be very careful about these. Upon application, there’s a strong floral/powder scent (maybe freesia?) that I can still notice after 20 minutes (though it’s weakened by then).

I also feel a bit of a tingle on my lips after I apply them. I’m not sure if it’s a reaction to the scent or an ingredient in the lipsticks, but it isn’t painful and doesn’t make my lips red or swollen or anything like that. Just something I thought I should note.

Overall, if you’re looking for intense pigmentation in a comfortable and affordable liquid lipstick, these are worth checking out; however, if you’re looking for long-lasting lipsticks, you may be disappointed. And be careful if you’re sensitive to fragrances!

Here are swatches and details of the last five shades (the reds and purples) — Fuschia Ecstacy, Orange Shot, Rebel Red, Vivid Violet and Possessed Plum.

maybelline color sensational vivid matte liquid lip color — L to R: Fuschia Ecstasy, Orange Shot, Rebel Red, Vivid Violet and Possessed Plum

Fuschia Ecstacy.

Swatched on my arm, this looks like a pink/red, but on my lips it looks much redder.

I really like this color.

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Sweet Scrubs: Clinique Sweet Pots and the Pixi Nourishing Lip Polish

March 30th, 2016 by Anna Oh 17 Comments

anna oh illustration beauty clinique pixi — A beauty illustration of a pamper session, by Anna Oh

Pixi Nourishing Lip Polish Clinique Sweet Pots — Pamper time with Pixi Nourishing Lip Polish and the Clinique Sweet Pots

Hi everyone!

This has been a crazy month, and I haven’t really taken care of myself (there is such a thing as too much pizza) or addressed that pile of laundry that somehow doubles in size every night.

Whenever I feel like this, like I’m always behind, I look forward to treating myself with an extra-long nighttime beauty routine, and one product I’ve recently added to my regimen is a moisturizing lip scrub.

In fact, here’s a look at two new lip scrubs I’ve recently tried.

Pixi Nourishing Lip Polish ($12)

The first new one I tried was Pixi Nourishing Lip Polish ($12, available at Pixi and Target stores), which is new for spring.

OK…this one is great, and I’ve never really tried anything like it! The plastic tip, which feels like a firm-but-squishy silicone, feels AMAZING when I scrub my lips with it, and since I’m able to control the pressure and placement, I feel like I’m massaging areas of my lips that I’ve never massaged before!

The moisturizing oils feel luxurious, too, although I do wipe them off after I’m done exfoliating. The instructions recommend keeping the formula on after the scrub, but it feels really weird with dead skin sitting there… I love how mess-free this product is as an exfoliator, but only as an exfoliator.

Ingredients
Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Shorea Robusta Resin, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Silica, Octyldodecanol, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Peel Oil, Yellow Beeswax, Apricot (Prunus Armeniaca) Kernel Oil, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Xylitol, Caprylyl Glycol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Citrus Paradisi (Grapefruit) Seed Oil, Oenothera Biennis (Evening Primrose) Oil, Borago Officinalis Seed Oil, Vaccinium Macrocarpon (Cranberry) Seed Oil, Camellia Japonica Seed oil, Linoleic Acid, Linolenic Acid, Tocopherol.

Clinique Sweet Pots Sugar Scrub & Lip Balm ($19.50)

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Maybelline Color Sensational Vivid Matte Liquid Lip Color: Review & Swatches, Part 1

March 29th, 2016 by Adia Goss 27 Comments

The $6.99 Maybelline Color Sensational Vivid Matte Liquid Lip Colors are, in a word, VIBRANT, and almost all of the colors go on fully opaque with a single layer, but despite what their name suggests, I didn’t find them to be particularly matte. I’d describe them as more satin, with some of them even appearing a bit glossy.

Also, they never quite completely dry down, and they aren’t nearly as transfer resistant as the liquid lipsticks by Kat Von D, ColourPop or Sephora.

That being said, they aren’t as drying either, so that’s a tradeoff.

I do love the color range and how comfortable they are, but I don’t love the incredibly strong scent or how easily they smudge and transfer. If you’re sensitive to fragrances, be very careful about these. Upon application, there’s a strong powdery floral scent (possibly freesia?) that’s still noticeable after 20 minutes (though less so). I also feel a bit of a tingle on my lips right after I apply them, but I’m not sure if it’s just a reaction to the scent or due to an actual ingredient.

It’s not painful, and it doesn’t make my lips red or swollen or anything like that, but it’s something I feel I should note.

Overall, if you’re looking for intense pigmentation in a comfortable, affordable liquid lipstick, these are worth checking out; however, if you’re looking for something long lasting (or you’re sensitive to fragrances!), you may be disappointed.

Here are first impressions and swatches of the first five shades (the nudes and pinks) — Nude Thrill, Nude Flesh, Pink Charge, Electric Pink and Berry Boost.

Nude Thrill.

This one is very much my kind of nude lipstick. It goes on smoothly and opaque, even with one layer. The color really reminds me of Maybelline’s Truffle Tease.

Nude Flesh.

As you can see from the swatches, Nude Flesh looks similar to Nude Thrill, only with more pink. On my lips, the difference is more noticeable.

I think they’re both great nudes, and I can see myself wearing either one daily.

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With the MAC Versicolour Stain Collection for Spring 2016, It’s About Popsicle Pouts!

March 28th, 2016 by Nicole Fraser-Herron 45 Comments

MAC Versicolour Stain Collection Spring 2016 — The MAC Versicolour Stain Collection for Spring 2016 ($24 each)

It’s officially spring! And it seems like El Niño (and Karl the Fog) got the memo here in the Bay, because we’ve had nothing but sunshine for the past few days.

Also, now that it’s warming up, I’m busting out the lip stains, which might be my favorite beauty items for the spring/summer months.

They’re crucial! They’re great for naked face days, no-makeup-makeup days, and basically all days that ends in “-day.” I like them because they’re low maintenance, and they last. One of my all-time favorite lip stains is the one I get from a cherry Popsicle.

But today I’m bringing you one of the latest launches from MAC, the MAC Versicolour Stain Collection, which is a gloss/stain fusion formula available in 16 shades ranging from nudes to peaches, oranges to fiery reds, and magentas to deep purples. There’s a shade (if not, like, three of them) for everyone, and they’re going to be permanent!

The formula is smooth and feels quite nourishing. These are also hella pigmented, with the exception of Long Live the Night, which is a nude. I wore Preserving Passion (a deep wine) one day last weekend, and it lasted all. day. long.

I started the day wearing it as a gloss, and the shine started to wear down about an hour or so later, but my lips retained a satin finish for most of the day after, progressively fading to a matte stain over the course of many hours.

Lip stains can be intimidating because if you mess up, well…you’re done for, but the Versicolour tube and applicator makes application a lot easier than usual. The applicator is a pointy doe foot that doesn’t pick up too much product (for me, anyway). The stopper is also a lot lower than the lip of the actual tube, which makes wiping excess product off of the applicator a breeze.

While I love the convenience of doe-foot applicators, they sure do load on the product sometimes, and that always gets me into trouble, so, needless to say, I’m a fan of lip stain reservoirs.

The collection has a flirty, summer-lovin’ color story that is only enhanced by the shade names. I wouldn’t call the collection groundbreaking…but I do think that these really are quite exquisite lip stains.

First, they’re very pigmented. Every swatch below is just one coat, and I blotted all of the excess away in the bottom rows to give you an idea of how each shade looks as a stain. I have a good feeling that these will perform well on a wide variety of skin tones.

Long Live the Night – Pale warm nude
Constant Craving – Mid-tone blue pink
Tattoo My Heart – Bright pinky coral
Let’s Stay Together – Mid-tone warm pink
Ceaseless Energy – Bright raspberry pink

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