make up for ever

April Showers Bring Make Up For Ever Flowers Like the New Uplight Face Luminizer and Aqua Liners: Coming Soon

March 16th, 2011 by Karen 64 Comments

make up for ever up light

Beauty confession: I haven’t been drinking enough water this week. I usually try to drink at least 64 oz. a day because — well, you know why. It’s good for your health, and I also think my skin looks plumper, with fewer dry patches, when I’m drinking enough.

The problem is that I’ve been extra lazy lately, and even the effort it takes to raise the bottle to my lips has been more effort than I can spare. Lame, I know.

I hope these two new product lines from Make Up For Ever encourage me to get my H2O on again and WAKE ME UP like a splash of cold water in the face. Both of them have something to do with agua.

Uplight Face Luminizer Gels ($29 each)

The new Uplight Face Luminizers are lightweight gel highlighters that contain more than 70% water. Available now at sephora.com (although they won’t arrive on shelves until April), they’re oil-free, and Make Up For Ever says the high water content enables them to melt right into the skin.

They’re supposed to be multi-talented (like Broadway stars). Apply them alone to highlight specific areas, like your eyelids, lips and cheeks, or mix them with foundation or cream blush to make your full face glow. MUFE says they even work on collar bones, yo.

make up for ever uplift cool shades

Among the colors, there are three different finishes — Dewy, Pearly and Sparkling. The Dewy and Pearly ones contain MUFE’s Star Powder for a bold, iridescent effect; the ones in Sparkling contain MUFE Diamond Powder for softer shimmer.

make up for ever uplift warm shades

Since my skin naturally looks duller than it did way back in the day, light-reflecting products have become staples in my daily routine. That means I hope these work. 🙂

Right now I’ve got my heart set on #12 Dewy Golden Warm, which looks to me like a warm version of MAC Strobe? Could it be? WANT!
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Mascara Comparison: Benefit Bad Gal Lash and Make Up For Ever Smoky Lash

January 23rd, 2011 by Karen 26 Comments

Written by Jessica

The battle for lash supremacy continues! Blogger Jessica pits two powerhouses of the beauty world together in today’s guest post. Wimpy lashes better look out!

Oh, I’ve had my share of struggles with high-end mascaras, and I’m sure you have too. Are they worth paying a premium for when there are so many more affordable options out there? It depends, but for the past few months I have been using and loving Make Up For Ever Smoky Lash mascara. As a matter of fact, I named it my Holy Grail / Must-Have Product of 2010.

But because my mom has been raving about Benefit Bad Gal Lash for months, I decided to finally pit the two mascaras together in an ultimate battle of the brands.

Benefit Bad Gal Lash — $19 (Sephora)

Make Up For Ever Smoky Lash — $22 (Sephora)

The Packaging

I like the way both products are packaged, but I give the advantage to Bad Gal for its amazing brush. Super thick and substantially longer than the brush included with Make Up For Ever Smoky Lash, it’s just plain better in my opinion. Other than that, however, the packaging for both mascaras is fairly standard (tube and wand).

The Application

As covered in the video down below, Make Up For Ever Smoky Lash applies rather clumpy, but it thickens the heck out of lashes and does so better than Bad Gal. The formula’s also much darker, but Bad Gal applies like a dream, lengthening better with greater definition. As far as application, I’d call this one a tie.

The Lasting Power

Lasting power is extremely important to me. Some might say I put all of my eggs in one basket on this one, but overall I think that if a mascara doesn’t last through the night, beautiful or not, what’s the point?

Well, Benefit Bad Gal Lash really disappointed me here. Despite applying like dream, it just didn’t last, leaving my lashes dull and lifeless well before the end of the day, while Make Up For Ever Smoky Lash, despite its clumpy formula, lasted all day and night.

Seeing them in action

No Mascara

Not wearing any mascara

One coat of each

Wearing one coat of Make Up For Ever Smoky Lash on the left and one coat of Benefit Bad Gal Lash on the Right

Wearing one coat of Make Up For Ever Smoky Lash on the left and one coat of Benefit Bad Gal Lash on the Right
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Make Up For Ever Aqua Smoky Lash Waterproof Mascara Is Coming with Me to that Deserted Island

January 9th, 2011 by Karen 31 Comments

Written by Sejal

Freelance makeup artist and blogger Sejal believes she’s found your next mascara addiction. Get ready to feed your need in today’s guest post.

MAKE UP FOR EVER Aqua Smoky Lash Mascara

If you were stranded on a desert island, what three things would you want to have with you? I’m the gal who’d want one of her things to be a reliable tube o’ mascara.

Yes, it’s true. It’s because I’m addicted to mascara. Even when I find one I like, I can’t stay with it for long. I still have to try the next new one that comes along cuz….well, just cuz!!!

It’s what lead me to my recent purchase of Make Up For Ever (MUFE) Aqua Smoky Lash waterproof mascara ($22) in Extra Black.

I love the MUFE Aqua Eyes and Aqua Creams, so I figured Aqua Smoky Lash had to be great too, right?

See for yourself: 🙂

MAKE UP FOR EVER Aqua Smoky Lash Mascara: Bare Eyes
Bare Eyes

MAKE UP FOR EVER Aqua Smoky Lash Mascara: One Coat
One Coat of Aqua Smoky Lash
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35 Ways to Shine: The New Make Up For Ever Lab Shine Lip Glosses

January 6th, 2011 by Karen 37 Comments

make up for ever lab shine on karen of makeup and beauty blog

Make Up For Ever hopes to woo a lotta lips this spring with their glitzy new line of glosses, but these luminescent lippies might be a little too much like young love (meaning they fade all too soon).

For their shiniest lip gloss yet, Make Up For Ever loaded each tube of Lab Shine with highly reflective pearl pigments. The entire line encompasses three different finishes (Diamond, Star and Metal) spanning a whopping 35 colors.

The Diamond Collection’s 12 shimmery shades are formulated with Make Up For Ever Diamond Powder for transparent, natural looking color and glittery shine.

The Star Collection boasts 14 shades blended with Make Up For Ever Star Powder to give lips glamorous shine with an iridescent mother-of-pearl finish.

The Metal Collection features nine shades made with Make Up For Ever Metal Powder, giving lips an intense mirror-like finish.

My lips love how these glosses feel, smell and taste — or rather how they don’t taste like much at all. I like the faint fragrance, which reminds me of hibiscus.

Smooth and hydrating, containing camelina oil (which is rich in vitamin E) and beeswax, they have a medium-weight texture that’s not sticky, so they scoot onto my lips with ease.

Make Up For Ever Lab Shines from left: S10, S16, S24, S26, D6, D22, M14 and M10
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The New Make Up For Ever Lab Shine Lip Glosses Sparkle Like Edward Cullen

January 5th, 2011 by Karen 14 Comments

A few of shades from the new uber-sparkly Make Up For Ever Lab Shine Lip Gloss line ($18 each).

From lower left to upper right: M10, M14, S26, S24, S10, S16, D22 and D6.

Yes, no, maybe so?

What Are Your Impressions of the Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Intense Lipsticks?

December 14th, 2010 by Karen 60 Comments

Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Intense Lipsticks, front row from left: 32, 36, 39, 42 and 21; back row: Moulin Rouge, Mat 1, 17, 28 and 29

Stand tall, my little lipstick soldiers! Paint the clouds with your awesomeness, and shower your pretty pigments down upon the planet like makeup Skittles!

I’ve been meaning to swatch the 10 Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Intense Lipsticks ($19) I received for placing in the Rouge Artist Contest, but I just keep chickening out, unable to bear the thought of disturbing them in their perfect little tubes.

And then it started raining here yesterday. And raining. And raining. And I thought, “Hmm… I remember those Rouge Artist Intense Lipsticks being awfully pretty and colorful.”

I’m kinda glad I waited to swatch these, because with all the rain today today I really needed a pick-me-up.

Available in a monstrously huge selection of 50 unscented, unflavored colors in matte, pearl and satin finishes, the pigmented, full-coverage Rouge Artist Intense Lipsticks are designed to drench puckers in pure, unadulterated color — opaque after just one swipe. They joined the Make Up For Ever permanent line last fall.

Seriously, 50 colors? With so many to choose from, Make Up For Ever created an an online tool to help you find colors that’ll work with your skin tone and hair color.

To promote the tool, MUFE’s giving away 10 lipsticks each and every day through December 22. See their Facebook page for full details.

Sometimes, like when you’re a lipstick, it’s good to be dense, and these are really, really dense, although the ones with satin and pearly finishes feel a little thinner on my lips than the mattes.

Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Intense Swatch 36
36

Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Intense Swatch 42
42
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Would Metallica Rock the Metallic Shades in the $36 Make Up For Ever Rock For Ever Aqua Eyes Kit?

October 28th, 2010 by Karen 43 Comments

Make Up For Ever Rock For Ever Aqua Eyes Holiday Kit

According to my very un-scientific research, which involved one sidewalk James Hetfield sighting and 10 minutes of Googling, it’s hard to say. James might not, but Kirk Hammett has been known to sport the guy-liner.

Perhaps the limited edition Make Up For Ever Rock For Ever Aqua Eyes Holiday Kit ($36), with its five mini-sticks of Make Up For Ever’s famous Aqua Eyes liner in mostly metallic finishes (there’s one lonely matte), would be worthy of the stage.

Once dry, the vibrant colors should have the wherewithal to stay put through even the longest, sweatiest, most epic guitar solos.

Make up For Ever Rock For Aqua Eyes Liners from top to bottom: Gold 9L (a metallic yellow), Bronze 10L (a metallic bronze), Dark Grey 21L (a metallic gunmetal gray), Mat Black 0L (a black matte), Silver 8L (a metallic silver)

make up for ever rock for-ever aqua eyes
From left to right: Gold 9L, Bronze 10L, Dark Grey 21L, Mat Black 0L, Silver 8L
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A Sexy [INSERT PROFESSION HERE] Halloween Makeup Look

October 27th, 2010 by Karen 86 Comments

karen from makeup and beauty blog wearing mac a tartan tale moonlight night pigment 3

So is your sweet tooth ready for Halloween? I’ve been working mine out with caramels this week to get it in shape for Sunday.

For the first time in ages I actually have Halloween plans that don’t involve stuffing my pie hole with mini-Snickers at home. El Hub and I are going to a party on a big @ss boat! — well, technically, it’s a decommissioned aircraft carrier called the USS Hornet, and the party’s called the Monster Bash.

Now I just have to decide on a costume, and I did some brainstorming today…sexy brainstorming. 🙂

As a fallback, if I haven’t come up with something better, I may swing by the Halloween store to pick up one of those sexy [INSERT PROFESSION HERE] outfits — sexy nurse, sexy librarian, sexy devil or sexy dental hygienist (sexy bee keeper?).

And if that’s the case, I’ll need makeup to fit the part, makeup like this smoldering, shimmery green smokey eye with glossy hot pink lips.

karen from makeup and beauty blog wearing mac a tartan tale moonlight night pigment

It says, “Hey! I’m in costume! Pay attention to me!” But it’s not too complicated to throw together in a ~~sexy~~ rush.

I used products from the new MAC A Tartan Tale and Chanel Les Tentations holiday collections, with a dusting of makeup from Make Up For Ever, NARS and Fred Farrugia. If you have any similar colors haunting the corridors of your makeup stash, now’s your chance to put them to work!

mac a tartan tale swatches moonlight night teal undercurrent black swan pearlglide liner chanel tweed fuschia nars easy lover fred farrugia
Clockwise from left: Chanel Les Tissages de Chanel in Tweed Fuchsia, MAC Pigment in Moonlight Night, MAC Pigment in Teal, Fred Farrugia Matte Lip Duo in 06, NARS Lipgloss in Easy Lover, Make Up For Ever Aqua Eyes Waterproof Eye Liner in Mat Black 0L, MAC Pearglide Liner in Black Swan, MAC Pearlglide Liner in Undercurrent
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