make up for ever

My Wild & Chic Face of Today with the New Wild & Chic Best of Makeup For Ever Kit

November 10th, 2011 by Karen 48 Comments

make up for ever wild & chic (7)

Today I decided to celebrate Tabs’ recent brush with lolcat fame by way of a cat eye look using the new Wild & Chic Best of Makeup For Ever kit ($55).

Part of Make Up For Ever’s Wild & Chic collection for the holidays, the six-piece kit comes with some of MUFE’s universally flattering bestsellers for eyes, lips and faces.

make up for ever wild & chic (1)

make up for ever wild & chic (2)
Products clockwise from the peach pot in the lower left: Aqua Cream in #13, Aqua Eyes LIner in #0L, Lab Shine in #S4, Smoky Lash Mascara, HD Microfinish Powder and HD Microperfecting Primer

make up for ever wild & chic (3)
Swatches from the left: Aqua Cream in #13, Aqua Eyes LIner in #0L, Lab Shine in #S4, Smoky Lash Mascara, HD Microfinish Powder and HD Microperfecting Primer

make up for ever wild & chic (6)
Also in this look: Becca Mineral Blush in Wild Honey on my cheeks
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All Eyes on the Make Up For Ever Smoky Couleur Collection

August 11th, 2011 by Karen 59 Comments

make up for ever smoky couleur

Hey, baby, what’s your sign?

No, I’m not throwing you a cheesy pickup line. 🙂 I’m just curious. I’m a Gemini, by the way, and while I probably wouldn’t make major life decisions based entirely on the stars, I like to imagine that they play a role in our lives.

I actually feel very connected to my sign; Geminis are supposed to be good communicators and are said to have dual personalities. I’m still working on the communication part as far as expressing things like frustration and anger in constructive ways (gotta stop slamming doors when I get fussy), but the dual personality thing describes me to a tee! — especially when it comes to makeup.

Some days I prefer bolder eye looks; others, like today, I prefer to take it easier with something mellow, perhaps something using products from the new Make Up For Ever Smoky Couleur collection, for example.

The new 11-piece release, available online and at Sephora stores now, lives for smokey (or smoky) eyes. It encompasses an eyeshadow palette, four mascaras and four pencil eyeliners in a mix of new and repromoted jewel-toned and neutral shades.

You know those convertible black dresses? — the ones you can wear, like, 10 different ways? These colors remind me of ’em. They put everything I need for bold green, blue, purple and classic black smokey eyes, as well as colors for mellower looks like the one I’m wearing today, right at my fingertips.

make up for ever smoky couleur fall 2011

I’ve been playing with five of the products for about a week…

Smoky Palette ($45): So, $45 does sound like a lot for an eye palette, but it breaks down to just $5.63 per pan. That’s not bad considering these lush pigments and their velveteen texture. Even though I’ve met these colors before in other smokey palettes, I think MUFE did a great job picking and choosing which ones to put together. None of them lean too far toward cool or warm and should suit a wide range of beautiful skin tones.
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: A
Kohl Pencil in #9K and #10K ($17 each): I like that both the mocha brown Kohl Pencil in #9K and matte purple #10K contain very little red, as brown and purple liners with a lot of red in them can make me look live I’ve been crying, but it’s their creamy texture that takes both of these liners to the next level for me. Skipping — what’s that? These don’t skip when I run them along my lash line, and they’re so soft and spreadable that they also work great as bases beneath the powder shadows in the Smoky Palette (or for simple, smudgy liner looks). I do wish they lasted a little longer than the five hours I get from them along my lash lines and the two to three I get from them along my water lines, but we take the good with the bad, I guess.
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: B+
Smoky Lash Couleur Mascaras in Deep Brown #3 and Plummy #6 ($22 each): These tinted mascaras are a twist on Make Up For Ever’s classic Smoky Lash, and I like how I can actually see the colors on my lashes when I wear ’em. One layer yields thick, fatty-bo-batty lashes with lots of volume at the base, and they don’t flake or smudge (yay!). They do, however, tend to relax the curl from my Shu, just a bit, as the day wears on (boo!).
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: B

make up for ever smoky couleur

make up for ever smoky couleur eye
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What Makes MAKE UP FOR EVER Full Cover Concealer an Industry Champ?

August 5th, 2011 by Karen 22 Comments

Written by Sam

The director wants us to use the rain machine again, but it shouldn’t be a problem. We’ll just pick up an extra tube of that stuff I heard about from Sam.

Concealer is one of those products that makeup artists often quarrel over. Do you use it under or over foundation, with or without a corrector, only for dark under-eye circles, or do you use it for blemishes, too? And some people even question whether you need to use it at all, proposing that perhaps some can rely on a fantastic foundation instead.

Every makeup artist has a different opinion when it comes to concealer or a different technique, but one thing most of them agree on is this: MAKE UP FOR EVER Full Cover is an industry favorite, and tonight we’re going to explore why.

MAKE UP FOR EVER Full Cover Concealer MAKE UP FOR EVER is one of the few professional level cosmetics lines available to the general public, thanks to Sephora and a handful of boutiques in New York and across Europe, and that means that all of us, professionals and enthusiasts alike, can pick up any of their products without presenting an industry card or a list of credentials.

But this isn’t a brand overview (we’ll save that for later). Let’s focus tonight on one of the company’s most beloved products, Full Cover Concealer ($30, available in 12 shades).

Starting with the packaging — gorgeous! Black borders with a see-through section in the middle so you can tell exactly how much product you have left? I like. And it comes in a squeezable plastic tube, which I prefer to other designs because it lets me get every last bit of product out without having to hack into the package. To apply, just unscrew the black cap to reveal the near-needle nose applicator.

Fortunately, the product inside the packaging is just as gorgeous as the packaging itself. Full Cover is silicone-based, and formulated without any oils, so it’s great for all skin types. Since silicone molecules are larger than pores, they don’t gunk up the works. That’s means the product is non-comedogenic, and perfect for acne-prone skin. The silicone also creates a sort of webbing, like a primer, that shouldn’t accentuate flakey patches, which also makes it suitable for dry skin.

There’s absolutely no fragrance to aggravate sensitive skin, either, and I can attest to it being A-OK for my oily and sensitive skin.

Like other silicone-based products, Full Cover doesn’t mind oil at all. I’ve yet to see it rub off, fade, or become mottled on my oil-slicked face. And when my eczema flares up, it works wonders at covering up the redness while not drawing any unwanted attention to the irritated areas.
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Make Up For Ever Smoky Couleur Fall 2011: A Quick Look!

August 3rd, 2011 by Karen 10 Comments

Super quick look at pics and swatches of a few items from the new Make Up For Ever Smoky Couleur Fall 2011 collection, available now at Sephora stores and also online.

Reviews coming soon. 🙂

The entire Make Up For Ever Smoky Couleur Fall 2011 includes…

Smoky Palette (limited edition; $45 US, $50 CDN)
Eye Shadow #04 — a matte black
Eye Shadow #79 — a deep plum shimmer
Eye Shadow #81 — a metallic navy blue
Eye Shadow #80 — an iridescent peacock green
Eye Shadow #122 — a metallic copper
Eye Shadow #127 — a metallic taupe
Eye Shadow #126 — an iridescent yellow beige
Eye Shadow #07 — a white shimmer

Smoky Lash Couleur ($22 US, $24 CDN)
Smoky Lash #3 — a deep brown
Smoky Lash #4 — a green
Smoky Lash #5 — a dark blue
Smoky Lash #6 — a plum

Khol Pencil ($17 US, $19 CDN)
Kohl Pencil #4K — an intense pearly green
Kohl Pencil #8K — a pearly deep blue
Kohl Pencil #9K — a matte mocha brown
Kohl Pencil #10K — a pearly black purple

make up for ever smoky couleur fall 2011 khol pencil
Kohl Pencil #10K (left) and Kohl Pencil #9K (right)

make up for ever smoky couleur fall 2011 lash
Smoky Lash Couleur #6 (left) and Smoky Lash #3 (right)

Make Up For Ever Smoky Couleur Fall 2011
Smoky Palette swatches

Make Up For Ever Smoky Couleur Fall 2011
Swatches from the left: Kohl Pencil #10K, Kohl Pencil #9K, Smoky Lash Couleur #6 and Smoky Lash #3

make up for ever smoky couleur fall 2011

MAKE UP FOR EVER HD Invisible Cover Foundation Is a Hit on Camera, But How Does It Handle Oily Skin in Real Life?

July 31st, 2011 by Karen 47 Comments

Written by Sam

Lights, camera, action! Today we’re filming on location, and the show is in HD. Let’s take a closer look at a mammoth makeup all-star in today’s guest post from Sam.

MAKE UP FOR EVER HD Invisible Cover Foundation

Within every category of cosmetics are those products that almost everyone adores but yet for one reason or another I just haven’t tried. Maybe I had my nose stuck in a novel, or perhaps I was busying myself on a different bandwagon at the time.

Whatever the reason, I always seem to be hopping on some bandwagons late, like this one, which drove by me like a lumbering, metal makeup truck with the words, “MAKE UP FOR EVER HD Invisible Cover Foundation” plastered across its side.

MAKE UP FOR EVER HD Invisible Cover Foundation Actually, I’d latched onto the rear bumper of this popular foundation about three years ago, but I was just getting into makeup at the time and rarely stayed with the same products for more than a month, regardless of how good or bad they might have been. It wasn’t long before I lost interest in Invisible Cover Foundation ($40 for a 1.01-oz. bottle; exclusive to Sephora) on my endless quest to find bigger and better things.

Then, a few months ago, I decided to try it again, so I grabbed a new bottle of this four-star-rated product and gave it a whirl.

My skin is pale (think Elmer’s Glue), with yellow undertones, which few cosmetic companies seem to recognize as an actual skin tone, as if they think that if you’re pale, you’ve gotta be pink. Color me surprised and excited to learn that Invisible Cover comes in 26 shades!

That’s pretty impressive for a consumer line, and the colors run the gamut from pale, to pale pink, to deep ebony, meaning that most people, including me, should be able to find a match. In my case it’s Marble 117, for “light skin with yellow undertones.”

The product comes in some of the most stunning foundation packaging I’ve ever seen. A completely transparent outer plastic bottle has the information and product name printed on it in MAKE UP FOR EVER’s signature font, and the actual product is housed within an inner vial inside the outer shell.

Under the glossy black cap sits a pump (thank god, a pump!). I’ve really come to despise bottles of foundations designed to be poured because no matter how hard I try, they always make a mess. And I can never get that last bit of product out that sticks to the sides of the bottle without getting Medieval on the packaging.
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This Diamond Is a Girl’s Best Friend: Make Up For Ever Aqua Liner in Diamond Black

May 2nd, 2011 by Karen 61 Comments

make up for ever aqua liner top

Freakin’ epic! I can’t remember ever getting this fired up about a black eyeliner before (maybe MAC Feline? — aka one of the most purrrfect black pencils evah), because, c’mon, it’s black eyeliner. Are they useful? Absolutely, but sometimes it’s hard to get stoked about a staple when there are so many fun, distracting colors around.

That is, unless that staple is Make Up For Ever’s new Aqua Liner in Diamond Multicolor Black ($23). When it reached out and grabbed my attention, it almost knocked me down! If you’re able to try just one thing from this new line of waterproof liquid eyeliners, please make it Multicolor Black. No kidding — this shade is the bidness in a glittery jet black.

So what are the Aqua Liners? They’re a new range recently added to the Make Up For Ever permanent line. Available in a mix of bright and neutral shades in matte, iridescent and diamond finishes, they’re a lot like the other pigmented, long-wearing, quick-drying waterproof liners that’ve been popping up over the past year. Like the MAC Superslick Liners and Stila Sparkle Waterproof Eyeliners, they sport long, skinny applicators with pointy tips, and they last a really long time, withstanding sweat, running water and occasional (hella weird) eyelid kisses from husky tabby cats (SIDE NOTE: Yes, it feels strange to have your eyelids licked by a cat).

make up for ever aqua liner ps

MUFE’s Aqua Liners have a shorter, stiffer tip applicator (very precise) than those other liners and a formula that’s less determined to settle into my fine lines.
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The Glitter in Make Up For Ever’s New Highlighters Makes Me Want to Stay Uplight

March 22nd, 2011 by Karen 29 Comments

make up for ever uplight review

Rarely does my bizarre memory for cheesy pop music lyrics come in as handy as it did today. While marveling at the explosion of pigment and glitter on my cheeks from two of the eight new Make Up For Ever Uplight ($28) highlighters, I sang along to a MUFE version of Billy Joel’s Uptown Girl.

“Uplight girl! She’s been living in her uplight world!”

Okay, so I’m way too easily amused. 🙂 But I do think these multitasking, oil-free illuminators are well worth singing about.

Make Up For Ever Uplight in #12 Dewy Golden Warm (left) and #32 Sparkling Golden Pink (right)

Maybe because they’re mostly water (70%), these gel highlighters feel almost weightless, and it’s like they melt right into my skin (I previously talked about them here).

How do they compare to the NARS Illuminators?

NARS released a similar product earlier this spring called the Illuminators. While I think both those and these are great, MUFE gave the Uplights a fluffier, airier texture that I find easier to blend. And from the colors I’ve seen so far, the Uplights also appear to pack much more pigment. For a subtle tint, I might opt for a NARS Illuminator, but I’d reach for an Uplight if I wanted bolder colors with intense glitter and shine.

The eight Uplights span a range of warm and cool shades. I tried #12 Dewy Golden Warm (a pearly, warm gold) and #32 Sparkling Golden Pink (a shimmery, peachy pink with golden glitter).

#32 Sparkling Golden Pink

What a fun shade! This bold baddie has HELLA golden glitter. With it on, I feel like 1,000 angels just left sweet, sparkly kisses on my cheeks.

Um, did I mention this has a lot of glitter?? Seriously, it packs enough to build two discos. I love it! — although I’m afraid I might be a little too ~~old~~ experienced 🙂 to wear it during the day. I think I may actually like it more on my lips and lids, but if you’re a little younger than I am or work in a creative environment, I bet you could rock this blush at noon. I have no qualms, however, about wearing it at night, and I’m definitely wearing it the next time I go clubbing or hit the Vegas strip.
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Make Up For Ever Uplight Face Luminizer Gel

March 21st, 2011 by Karen 5 Comments

The new Make Up For Ever Uplight Face Luminizer Gels in #12 Dewy Golden Warm (left) and #32 Sparkling Golden Pink (right), $29 each. Available now at select Sephora stores and online.