Guest Post

The Easiest Eye Look That Complements Even the Craziest Lip Colors

April 12th, 2016 by Jen Clark 36 Comments

OCC Lip Tar in "Hoochie" — OCC Lip Tar in “Hoochie”

This is probably really weird, but as I’m laying in bed at night, I’ll close my eyes and think about what makeup I want to wear the next day. I’ll think about the specific colors, products, and techniques I want to use…

Does anyone else do this? Just me? Dang it!

Sometimes, I’ll have a really fun lip color that I’m dying to wear, but I’ll have a hard time thinking of what to wear on my eyes that won’t clash with it. Lucky for me — and maybe you — I’ve come up with the easiest eye look out there that goes with any color you can think of, like bright purple!

The other awesome thing about this trick is that you can find colors for it almost anywhere. I bet you $50 (you can email me for my Venmo name ☺ ) that you already have two colors just like these in your collection.

I used the Morphe 35O palette just because I think the mattes in the palette are the best! A mid-toned matte neutral brown and a darker matte neutral brown are all you need, and what I mean by neutral is that neither one is too warm or cool toned, so it’ll go with any shade you wear on your lips.

To start out, using a Mac 217 blending brush or something similar (almost every brand makes something similar), blend the lighter brown shade all over your lid and through the crease.

I like to pull the color outward beyond the corner of my eye to make my eye look more elongated, but feel free to create any shape that suits you.

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Look Perfect Naked With Urban Decay Naked Skin One & Done Hybrid Complexion Perfector

April 11th, 2016 by Jessica Revitte 35 Comments

Urban Decay One & Done Hybrid Complexion Perfectors (SPF 20)

In the summer I’m all about light, dewy coverage.

I know, I know, I work in an office…but when I’m not stuck sitting at my desk, and I’m out somewhere actually having fun in the sun ☀ and the warm weather, it’s nice to not feel weighed down by a heavy base product, and even though I’m a fair-skinned SPF freak, it’s always a relief knowing that my foundation, BB cream or tinted moisturizer are also there to add a little extra oomph where sun protection is concerned.

Urban Decay recently released the most beach bag-friendly base product a girl could want, an oil-free formulation with SPF20 that’s meant to even out your overall complexion and blur imperfections while keeping you looking natural and fresh, and it’s called Naked Skin One & Done Hybrid Complexion Perfector (I dare you to say that one five times fast!).

Available in 6 shades for $34 each, it’s ideal for speedy makeup application or touch-ups on the go after a day at the beach or an afternoon by the pool.

UD’s official description says it all…

“We’re not exactly what you call low-maintenance when it comes to beauty (and we’re not ashamed to admit it). But we’re more than happy to take a shortcut or two — as long as it doesn’t look like we did. THIS is one of those times. Naked Skin One & Done Hybrid Complexion Perfector combines all the benefits of skin treatment and protection with the coverage of a sheer foundation. This multitasking cream is the best of both worlds”

Urban Decay One and Done Hybrid Complexion Perfector — Wearing Urban Decay One & Done Hybrid Complexion Perfector in Light

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1 Palette, 2 Looks: Youngblood Cosmetics Perfect Pair Mineral Eyeshadow Duo

April 11th, 2016 by Adia Goss 17 Comments

I love eyeshadow duos because they get rid of the guesswork and make it easy to figure out which shadows go well together.

Youngblood Cosmetics is a new brand to me, and when I recently tried their products for the first time, I was really impressed by their eyeshadow duos, particularly the Youngblood Cosmetics Perfect Pair Mineral Eyeshadow Duos in Desire and Charismatic.

Desire has a dark royal blue shimmery eyeshadow and a lighter lavender/gray, while Charismatic has a chocolate brown eyeshadow and a shimmery peachy pink.

I think both are really pretty, but Charismatic speaks to my soul. It’s totally my kind of eyeshadow because the colors are subtle, but also a bit sparkly.

youngblood mineral eyeshadow duo — Youngblood Cosmetics Perfect Pair Mineral Eyeshadow Duo in Desire (L) and Charismatic (R)

Youngblood Cosmetics Perfect Pair Mineral Eyeshadow Duo swatches of Charismatic (first two) and Desire (second two)

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New Summer 2016 Urban Decay 24/7 Waterline Eye Pencil in Walk of Shame and 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Heartless

April 8th, 2016 by Jessica Revitte 15 Comments

Wearing Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Walk of Shame on my waterline, layered with Heartless below the waterline and in the inner corner of my eye... — Wearing Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Walk of Shame on my waterline, layered with Heartless below the waterline and in the inner corner of my eye

From day one, I have been in love with the Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencils.

The insane color selection (last time I counted, there were upwards of 40 shades!), the “glide-on” texture, the creamy and blendable formula and that everlasting finish have consistently made the 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencils my #1 go-to’s where liner is concerned.

And because Urban Decay is Urban Decay and exceptional when it comes to keepin’ things fresh and releasing new and exciting products, they’ve launched some totally awesome eye pencils with their Summer 2016 collection. A new formula designed with your waterline in mind — quite logically named 24/7 Waterline Eye Pencil — and a fierce shade in the classic range, Heartless, both of which are available for $20 each.

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#UDforWomen: Urban Decay Primer Potion in Enigma Is Mysteriously Good

April 8th, 2016 by Anna Oh 14 Comments

anna oh ao illustration urban decay beauty — Illustration of the Urban Decay #UDforWomen Enigma Primer by Anna Oh

Hi everyone!

Urban Decay has released a limited edition shade of their Eyeshadow Primer Potion ($20) as a part of The Ultraviolet Edge — their global initiative to empower women.

Last year, Urban Decay donated $528,000 to global organizations that made possible literacy programs, microloans, and business training for women in need, and 100% of the purchase price of the new eyeshadow primer will be donated to fund more of these awesome programs.

The new primer potion, Enigma, is a pinky beige matte that blends out like a dream. If you’re familiar with the Original and Eden primer potions, Enigma has a very similar texture; it feels slick until patted down into the skin. The pink tone helps to conceal my eyelid pigmentation, and I especially love using it as a base for my purple eyeshadows.

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The MAC All The Right Angles Contour Palettes Are Très (or Tres) Dimensional

April 8th, 2016 by Nicole Fraser-Herron 20 Comments

*** THIS IS A PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT ***

TO: My fair beauts

SUBJECT: I found a highlighter that shows up on us!

Allow me to introduce you to the MAC All The Right Angles Contour Palettes.

Now let’s get acquainted! ✨

There are four of them, which are like little trios, ranging in shade family from Light to Dark, and each one comes with a cream color base, a shaping powder, and a sculpting powder. The cream product is on the lower part of the compact, and the powder tray slides snugly over it so you don’t have to worry about ruining your day by getting schmutz in the cream color base. And they also come with a mirror.

What I’m getting at here is that these little black boxes are great for traveling!

In the photo above, I’m not wearing any blush or bronzer, just All The Right Angles in Light to showcase its full effect uninterrupted.

Right off the bat, the shade of the sculpting powder (called Bone Beige) seemed off to me. MAC describes the sculpting shade in this kit as a warm brown, but compared to my beloved Too Faced Milk Chocolate Bronzer, Bone Beige is a couple shades darker and less warm.

On my skin (my undertone is usually pretty neutral), it appears more…fleshy. It doesn’t look off at all, and I don’t feel the need to wear blush when I’m wearing Bone Beige. It just threw me off upon first glance because it wasn’t what I generally expect from a lighter contour shade… I usually expect a corpse grey.

MAC All the Right Angles — MAC All The Right Angles in Light

The cream colour base in Luna is aptly named. It’s white and sparkly (not glittery), so your cheekbones can shine like a crescent moon in the night sky. The shaping powder shade is called Emphasize (accurately named, though not as cute), which is a nice subtle glow — great for daytime or no-makeup makeup. I like wearing it in my inner corners on light makeup days. It’s subtle but effective in brightening up the area and making me look like I actually slept last night.

My faaavorite way to wear Emphasize is on top of Luna, which is how I’m wearing it today! Every time I pass by a mirror and catch a glimpse, I stop, do a double-take, and then go “damn girl, you’re glowing.” I’m not sparkling; I’m glowing. It’s not very often that I find a highlighter that can actually highlight my skin tone, so I am very impressed.

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Beauty and Mental Health: A Quick Look at How the Two Intertwine

April 8th, 2016 by Marcella Yakalis 40 Comments

Wouldn't you rather stay in bed with this? — Wouldn’t you rather stay in bed with this?

As someone without steady employment, and not a lot of other responsibilities, I often find myself in bed well past noon on a weekday. I don’t do this on purpose, and it’s not even because I want to be there. But while texting my boyfriend (from our bed) one late morning, I found myself saying, “I don’t want to get up, because my problems are out there.”

Simple reasoning, right?

But I can’t avoid my problems forever. I have to get up. I have to eat. I have to continue to look for a job. I have to consolidate my loans and make doctors appointments.

For most of my adult life, I have dealt with chronic depression and anxiety. I’ve used many methods to combat these things, but lately, I’ve found that getting myself into a routine has been one of the best things for me. The main part of my routine that has been the most enjoyable and given me the best feeling?

Doing my makeup and/or pampering myself.

It’s common knowledge that you feel good when you take care of yourself. But for a lot of people, and for many women, it’s often seen as vain and unnecessary to do our makeup, or to spend a lot of time on ourselves. At the same time, we’re being told that if we don’t look a certain way, we’re not trying hard enough. If we look tired, or pale, or sick, then there is something wrong with us. If we don’t smile at every stranger that passes us, we are mean, unfriendly, cold. This was something I ran into often when I worked retail, and a reason I got into makeup in the first place. I figured if people were going to think I was awful, I might as well look fabulous while they did it, right?

After I quit that job and went to graduate school, I stopped wearing makeup as much, mainly because I didn’t have the time. I reserved it for special occasions only. Then I stopped wearing it because I felt tired, my skin was awful, I didn’t want to be noticed. A million and one reasons to not take care of myself hung over my head every day.

The past few weeks, while I’ve been writing and reviewing for you guys, I’ve been looking forward to getting up and doing my makeup. I’ve been excited about taking care of my skin, of my body, and of my mind. I haven’t felt that in a very long time. Because of these changes in my routine, my other habits have changed as well. Instead of not eating most of the day, I actually got up all of last week, ate breakfast every day, drank a cup of coffee, and did my makeup. I was proud of myself for actually finishing a quart of milk without it spoiling in the fridge!

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The Best in Beauty From the Boot, Vol. 5: WYCON Cosmetics

April 7th, 2016 by Carolina Braina 20 Comments

WYCON Cosmetics Liquid Lipstick — WYCON Soft Mousse Eyeshadow in 16 and WYCON Long-Lasting Eyeliner in 16 Strong Coffee on my eyes, and WYCON Long-Lasting Liquid Lipstick in 20 Fragola on my lips

Are you satisfied with your name?

Isn’t it funny that the one thing that represents us the most is not for us to decide? Parents have a such a huge responsibility, I think!

Personally, I’m quite satisfied with Carolina. I especially like the fact that it’s pretty uncommon (at least among people of my generation, in the Bologna area).

Did you know that I’m the only Carolina Braina in the world? Well, obviously you didn’t… But yeah, Braina is a last name only my family have, and I’m the only one named Carolina.

It would be so weird if there were someone else with the same name as I… How do the people out there with very common names feel about that?

But anyways, what I meant to say before going off on a major tangent here was that, apparently, WYCON Cosmetics wasn’t satisfied with their previous name, “WJCON”, and last year decided to substitute J with Y. That’s why you’ll see two different spellings in the pictures.

You may remember from my Insider’s Guide to Makeup Shopping in Italy that WYCON is a KIKO-style brand that, just like KIKO, is only sold in the brand’s own standalone stores. It’s a younger company than their more famous competitor, and definitely not as omnipresent, but I think the quality of their products (at least those I’ve tried) is comparable.

Let’s have a look at my favorite picks!

WYCON Cosmetics Swatches — L-R: WYCON Liquid Lipsticks in 20 Fragola and 03 Rosa Antico, WYCON Matt Sublime Lipsticks in 629 and 618, WYCON Long-Lasting Eyeliner in 16 Strong Coffee, and WYCON Soft Mousse Eyeshadows in 11 and 16

WYCON Long-Lasting Liquid Lipsticks in 03 Rosa Antico & 20 Fragola

WYCON Long-Lasting Liquid Lipstick in 03 Rosa Antico

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