MAC Makeup

The 5 Lip Liners You Need in Your Makeup Stash

April 21st, 2016 by Adia Goss 18 Comments

To be honest, I’m not the biggest fan of lip liners… I don’t use them on most days because it feels like an unnecessary step, but that being said, there are a few shades that I DO wear every so often and think are absolute necessities.

Here are my five favorite must-have lip liners. What are yours?

MAC Boldly Bare. I think everyone should have a peachy-nude lip liner. We all know that nude lipstick can be tough to pull off sometimes, so having a liner that can be a nice base, or help shape the lips, is major. I like Boldly Bare because it warms up nudes that are too cool (avoiding the dreaded dead lips look). Plus, it looks really good under a sheer gloss. It’s available at MAC Cosmeticsfor $16.50 .
NYX Chocolate. This Chocolate shade is very close to my natural lip color, so I like to wear it under more pigmented glosses to make them last longer. It also works under darker lipsticks when I want to make sure the outline of my lips is neat and clean, and it’s only $3.50 at Ulta!
MAC Cork. This is like in the brown skin girl’s makeup hall of fame! I swear, every MAC makeup artist has tried to sell this to me (and I’ve caved and bought it more than once!). But, it’s popular because it just works. A darker brown liner, it’s perfect for deepening other lip colors without drastically changing their hue. It’s also perfect for the ’90s brown lip trend! It’s available at MAC Cosmetics for $16.50.
MAC Lasting Sensation. This is sort of a wildcard because it’s a bright coral color, but I actually love it as a matte lipstick. Since it’s a lip pencil, it’s easier to get a neat and precise application. And I love that it lasts all day. It’s def a summer staple for me (I featured it in my Beach Inspired Makeup Post). It’s also available at MAC Cosmetics for $16.50 .
Boots No. 7 Precision Lip Pencil in Red. Red lips are gorgeous, but for me they’re kind of tricky. I almost always use a red lip liner when I’m wearing red lipstick because it helps keep the lipstick on my lips and not all over my face. Bonus points for this being a twist-up pencil that doesn’t need a sharpener (because I can NEVER find one when I need it). You can find it at Target for $9. And for help finding something to wear it with, here are my favorite red lipsticks.

* Honorable Mention: MAC Nightmoth. Just like with red lipstick, deep vampy colors are high maintenance. This is my go-to for when I want dark and dramatic lips. Another MAC classic.

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The MAC Future MAC Collection: A Closer Look at the Mineralize Rich Lipsticks and Glasses

April 15th, 2016 by Anna Oh 16 Comments

Mineralize Rich lipsticks future mac collection — (L-R) MAC Mineralize Rich Lipsticks in Cybernaut, Supernova, Ionized, Metafabulous, Touch the Earth

Hi everyone!

I’m still unpacking from our recent move (I know…I’m ON IT), and I’ve had limited access to my art supplies and even internet. But I am reading and enjoying all of your wonderful comments, and I can’t wait to get back in the illustration groove soon!

In the meantime, I thought I’d give a closer look at the new lip products in the Future MAC collection (which is available now).

Future MAC collection Mineralize Rich Lipsticks

supernova future mac lipstick — Future MAC Mineralize Lipstick in Supernova

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My Most-Used Makeup Products at the Moment

April 14th, 2016 by Adia Goss 28 Comments

I’m always trying new products, but I thought it would be fun to share what have been my most-used makeup products lately. For me, these are the products that “just work,” and they’re the things I reach for when I want to throw something on my face without having to give it any thought. The colors are just right, and they help me achieve my signature look — glowy skin and pinky/nude lips. 🙂

Foundations

I am a sucker for glowy, lightweight bases, and I’ve been constantly reaching for PUR Minerals HydraFluid Water Serum Foundation in Tan and NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer in Annapurna, which may be a tad too light for me, but it’s sheer enough that it still works.

The PUR Minerals foundation is amazing, by the way. Here are swatches and a full review. It’s available now at PUR Minerals for $39.

No brand matches my skin as well as NARS, and I love that NARS Pure Radiant has SPF 30. This was one of my first high-end foundations, and I’ve repurchased it time and again and will probably continue to do so because it’s a great everyday foundation. It’s available now at NARS Cosmetics for $44.

And, just to make sure my face is seriously glowy, I also like to use Pixi by Petra Glow Mist. It adds glow and helps my makeup last a bit longer. It’s definitely one of my favorite facial mists, and it’s available now at Target for $15.

most used makeup — L to R: Swatches of PUR Minerals HydraFluid Water Serum Foundation in Tan and NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer in Annapurna

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Use Double-Duty Products to Get Your Busy Booty out the Door Faster

April 14th, 2016 by Jen Clark 16 Comments

If you’re at all like me, most days you don’t even have time to find matching socks and brush your hair, let alone put on makeup, before rushing out the door. Luckily, I have a trick that may help out a little. Several of the products that you probably use when you DO have time to wear makeup can be used for more than one purpose, so they can help you cut down on the time it takes to get ready. Let me show ya!

Concealer/Eye Primer

Concealer is one of those magic products that I always keep close by because it can be used for so many different things. In this case, I’m using it to conceal underneath my eyes and to prime my eyelids for eyeshadow. To cut down on time even further, you can even use it to conceal problem areas instead of using foundation.

One of my favorites at the moment is Revlon Colorstay Concealer.

When using concealer as an eye primer, make sure you only use a tiny amount, and blend it in really well. If you glob it on, that’ll make your shadows crease and move around, and that’s not what you want! Not only is the concealer going to make your shadows look more vibrant and last longer, but it will help to even out any little veins that you have peeking through your lids.

Contour Kit/Eyeshadow

This is a trick I like to use even when I’m not in a hurry, and it’s also great for travel.

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Beauty on the Go: My Minimal 7-Product Face

April 13th, 2016 by Anna Oh 36 Comments

My Minimal Face Beauty Bag — My “Minimal Face” Beauty Bag

When it comes to beauty…and really anything…there’s nothing very “minimal” about me. I either go all the way, or not at all! When I’m shopping with my girlfriends, I’ll usually only leave the store with an iced coffee. But, I’m also that same person who will use my entire budget for one amazing jacket or shoe that “represents everything I believe in.” (Yes, I do say this every time I buy something, haha! I’m a very passionate shopper.)

So when I had to pack up my home and move within the week, you can bet I used the least amount of products possible. I grabbed my glasses and a few old and new favorites before getting to work! I even opted out of foundation because I knew I’d be sweating and wearing glasses, and nothing good comes out of that!

A little glow

Pixi Book of Beauty "Minimal Makeup" No-Makeup Makeup — Pixi Book of Beauty in Minimal Makeup

The main face product I grabbed, was the Pixi Book of Beauty in Minimal Makeup ($24), new for spring 2016. The size was perfect, and since I wasn’t adding much else to my face, I only needed a few colors that I could dust on quickly with a large brush.

Lately, I have been all about Pixi, and these Beauty Books have come in very handy.

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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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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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The MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural Extension Collection: The Power of a Powder Without Looking or Feeling Too Dry

April 7th, 2016 by Anna Oh 12 Comments

mac mineralize skinfinish natural 2016 — MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural Extension Collection (L-R) in Nuanced, Faintly Fabulous, Perfectly Lit, Sunny Side, Enhanced

anna oh ao illustration beauty mac mineralize skinfinish — Illustration by Anna Oh

One of my favorite ways to dupe great-looking skin is to layer dewy, light foundations over pigmented concealers.

My least favorite thing about these dewy foundations? Applying powder afterward…for sure! I can’t count the number of days I’ve gone from hero to zero because of a cakey setting powder. When I saw that MAC was bringing a limited-edition extension to the Mineralize Skinfinish range, commonly referred to as the MSFs, I was more than excited to run my fingers across those velvety domes.

Available in a range of textures, the new Mineralize Skinfinish Naturals ($32) separate their pigments into quadrants so you can mix your own intensity. These powders have the ability to be a powder without looking or feeling too dry. I appreciate having a powder option that wants to works with, and not against, the luminescence of skin.

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