Guest Post

A Spring 2016 Diane Von Furstenberg-Inspired Face of the Day Feat. the Urban Decay Electric Palette

May 3rd, 2016 by Carolina Braina 24 Comments

Every day is a good day for a turquoise and green eyeshadow look! 😉

Raise your hand if you’re a proud owner of the Urban Decay Electric palette or a similar bright eyeshadow palette!

OK, now, raise your hand if you don’t use it as much as you wish you did!

HA, I see quite a lot of you have raised your hands both times, just like I have…

But frankly, the UD Electric is too beautiful a palette to just gather dust in my makeup drawer, and I’ve decided I want to change that!

So I’m thinking this is the perfect time to finally try the turquoise and green color combination I fell in love with last fall, when I saw the gorgeous look Pat McGrath had created for Diane Von Furstenberg at NYFW Spring 2016.

And if you, too, want to show your brights some much-deserved love, why don’t you get ready with me today? 😉

After applying primer all over the lids, pack a vibrant green shadow on the mobile lids with a firm brush, and blend it out just above the crease using a tiny bit of the same shadow on a fluffier brush, creating an elongated shape in the outer corners. Then prime your lower lash lines, apply the same green, and blend out the edges really well – we don’t want any harsh lines.

Now, wet a shader brush and use it to line the upper lashes with a turquoise shadow. Then blend the edge between green and turquoise so that the two colors merge together.

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Are the MAC Brooke Candy Eye Glosses Your Cup o’ Tea?

May 3rd, 2016 by Jen Clark 17 Comments

Eye look using MAC Brooke Candy White-Yin Eye Gloss ($23)

The lion’s share of the MAC Brooke Candy collection are definitely the amazing lippies, but the other items that sparked my interest were the eye glosses. I’d never used an eye gloss before, but I’d seen them floating around the YouTube-o-sphere, and they always looked so interesting to me.

There are two in this collection — White-Yin and Black-Yang.

Brooke Candy MAC Eye Gloss — White-Yin MAC Eye Gloss ($23; a clear gloss with multicolored micro-shimmer)

MAC Brooke Candy Eye Gloss in Black Yang — Black-Yang MAC Eye Gloss ($23; a black/blue gloss with red and blue micro-shimmer)

Not gonna lie, I’m not quite sure what to think of these… I think they’re made for a very specific kind of look and a very specific kind of person.

I love what Jessica did with some of the other MAC Eye Glosses to create a cool, editiorial, grunge-y look, but no matter what you do, you’ll end up with creased, oily-looking eye makeup, which, obviously, isn’t everyone’s cup o’ tea.

They are also crazy sticky, which I guess makes sense for what they are, but they feel so weird on my eyelids. I just can’t deal with it. As you open your eyes and blink, things just stick together.

White-Yin MAC Eye Gloss (a clear gloss with multi colored micro-shimmer) — White-Yin MAC Eye Gloss ($23; a clear gloss with multicolored micro-shimmer)

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Brush Up on Bright With the New Sonia Kashuk Brush Couture Brush Set

May 3rd, 2016 by Adia Goss 13 Comments

Now, I thought the Zoeva Complete Brush Set brushes were/are gorgeous, but I was floored by the brushes in the Sonia Kashuk Brush Couture Brush Set ($21.99)!

The brushes in this four-piece set all have colorful floral-print handles and coordinating bristles, and they’re a sight to behold, but looks are nothing when it comes to brushes. What I want to know is how do they work? Do they make it easier to apply my makeup? Does my makeup look better when I use them? Let’s see…

The Sonia Kashuk Brush Couture Brush Set comes with a domed powder/blush brush (purple), synthetic contour/buffing brush (orange), tapered powder/highlight brush (pink) and a duo fiber foundation/concealer brush (yellow), and I think we can all agree that these are some super cute brushes.

Are they as good as they look?

Well, the domed powder/blush brush works nicely as a blush brush. It’s a little smaller and more dense than what I typically reach for, but it picks up pigment nicely and is very, very smooth.

Here’s a comparison of it to other blush brushes in my collection:

The Sonia Kashuk domed powder/blush brush is larger than the Zoeva Luxe Highlight Brush but smaller than the Zoeva Luxe Cheek Finish Brush, so it’s on the small size for a blush brush. That being said, it does a fine job of applying my blush.

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Look Fresh and Organically Juicy With Juice Beauty Spring 2016

May 2nd, 2016 by Jessica Revitte 11 Comments

juice-beauty-spring-2016-liquid-lip--gwyneth — Rocking the organic look with Juice Beauty Cream Shadow Stick in Cove, and Satin Lip Cream in Cabernet as a base topped with Liquid Lip in Gwyneth

Although the day will have long since passed by the time you read this post, I started writing it on Earth Day (long story), and while I’m not exactly the world’s foremost expert on green beauty, I love it, and I love seeing what the brands that specialize in organic beauty products have to offer.

Juice Beauty is a well-respected brand in the world of organic, earth-friendly makeup, and they call themselves “the organic solution.” They incorporate a host of plant based ingredients into their products and make it clear that they want you to look at the list of common cosmetic industry ingredients that their products are formulated without.

Juice Beauty Spring 2016 — New juicy treats from Juice Beauty!

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My Favorite Nude Lipsticks for Every Occasion and Budget

May 2nd, 2016 by Anna Oh 22 Comments

ysl rouge volupte 3 beige ultimate maybelline nude lust — An old favorite nude lipstick, and a new favorite nude lipstick: YSL Rouge Volupte, and Maybelline Color Sensational

I’m going to guess that you’re like me and LOVE peeking into someone else’s makeup bag. Well, no need to ask, because today I’m going to share my go-to nude lipsticks. I always have these on hand. They’re my good luck charms, like my Tide to Go (because I’m too lazy to reapply dark lip colors after eating), and these will work for beauty lovers of every budget, yay!

Marcella will also be sharing her nude lipstick favorites in another post, and I can’t wait to see what she picks for hers.

For work: YSL Rouge Volupte “3 Beige Ultimate”

So this one is actually a good luck charm for me. I’ve worn this to every job interview, and so far I’ve had a 100% success rate with it!

I’m half-kidding because I haven’t had THAT many full-time job interviews, but I usually wear a long fitted black blazer with some smart pleated pants with this beauty of a lipstick in my pocket. It’s the YSL Rouge Volupte Silky Sensual Radiant Lipstick in Beige Ultimate ($37). Even at that price point, I don’t think this lipstick disappoints. Heavy golden metal, not-too-sweet-watermelon scent, and amazing pigmentation in one swipe.

Infused with oils, it sits comfortably on my lips, and I barely notice I’m wearing it while talking to friends and interviewers alike. YSL wins the award for my top luxury lip choice.

For play: Maybelline The Buffs “Nude Lust”

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Laura Geller The Truffles Collection: Now THAT’S a Sweet Gift

April 30th, 2016 by Jessica Revitte 14 Comments

Chocolate.

Just let that word sink in for a minute… Meditate on it. Close your eyes, and think of every scent and thought and feeling you get when you open a big box of chocolates.

Laura Geller The Truffles Collection — Clockwise from the top: The Laura Geller “The Truffles Collection” palettes in Chocolate Plum Cordial, Chocolate Toffee, Chocolate Pistachio and Chocolate Truffle

That’s the feeling Laura Geller wants chocolate-loving makeup aficionados to feel when they feast their eyes on the generously sized “The Truffles Collection,” currently available for $45 (a $168 value!). You could treat Mom to a chocolate shadow extravaganza for Mother’s Day (It’s Sunday May 8th, ladies and gentlemen. Do not forget your mama!), or snag this delicious box of coco-inspired baked shadows for yourself.

Laura Gellar The Truffles Collection — Laura Gellar, The Truffles Collection

The Truffles Collection comes with four separate palettes, each based around a different coco treat, and all are packaged in a big box that opens much like a classic box of chocolates. The individual palettes are housed in colorful metallic cardboard that matches the “flavor” therein.

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The Best in Beauty From the Boot, Vol. 8: PUPA Milano

April 29th, 2016 by Carolina Braina 22 Comments

PUPA I'M Lipstick 405 Electric Fuchsia PUPA Vamp! Mascara — Wearing PUPA I’M Lipstick in 405 Electric Fuchsia on my lips, and PUPA Vamp! Mascara on my lashes

Hi everyone, I’m back with a new installment of the one where I show you my favorite makeup brands from this boot-shaped country of mine, AKA Italy. I have to admit that I’m really enjoying playing the Virgil to your Dante while we travel through the Italian beauty heaven! 😉

Today we’re talking about PUPA Milano, a mid-range brand that can be found in lots of beauty and department stores across Italy.

One of my earliest memories about PUPA is this makeup set that one Christmas, many moons ago, made me a very happy middle school girl. The Milan-based cosmetic company used to be very famous for that type of sets. Well, it actually might still be, but I’m too old to know! #soontobe30 ?

These days, it’s their more ordinary creations, like the ones I’m showing you today, that make me one very happy girl!

PUPA I’M Lipsticks in 301 Poppy & 405 Electric Fuchsia

Pupa Milano I'M Lipstick 301 Poppy Swatch — PUPA I’M Lipstick in 301 Poppy

Pupa Milano I'M Lipstick 405 Electric Fuchsia Swatch — PUPA I’M Lipstick in 405 Electric Fuchsia

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My Friday FOTD With the NARS Under Cover Summer 2016 Collection

April 29th, 2016 by Adia Goss 33 Comments

I think everything from the NARS Summer 2016 Under Cover Collection — from the Lip Covers to the Dual-Intensity Blushes and the Dual-Intensity Eyeshadows — is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! I love how cohesive the overall collection is and how they included shades for neutral looks and bold looks, too. The makeup look I was wearing in my review of the eyeshadows was something closer to my normal neutral makeup looks, so I thought I’d try a bolder look outside my comfort zone today.

This look was actually really easy, but I think it definitely makes a statement.

First I dampened my brush before applying Deep End all over my lids to intensify the color, and I also used a damp brush to apply Deep End all along my lower lash line. Then, to blend this out, I used a fluffy crease brush to lightly dust Tan Lines into my crease. If I’d wanted to do a smokey look, I could have applied this damp as well, but I just wanted to blend out Deep End, so I applied it dry.

For my blush, I used the right side of the Liberation Dual-Intensity Blush, a really pretty terra-cotta shade. It’s a great everyday blush for me, and I love how there’s a slight sheen it.

I didn’t use any highlighter (which is sooo rare for me because I LOVE, LOVE highlighter), but I still had a soft glow from the blush. I was super impressed that this didn’t look flat on me at all.

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