Archive for category Make-up
Can Your Eyeliners Take the Heat?
Posted by Latoya in Eye Liner, Illamasqua, Laura Mercier, MAC, Make Up For Ever on June 17, 2013
An interesting thing happened last week after while I was preparing for my alternative bridesmaid post. I had done swatches for the color story, and afterward I jumped in the shower to get cleaned up. I noticed as I went about washing my face and conditioning my hair that the MAC Blacktrack Fluidline wasn’t coming off – at all. Surprised, I rubbed at the line, and it stayed intact. Now, while I make an effort to buy long-wearing eyeliners – as my outer corners are notorious for smudging – I didn’t really think about that when I purchased this one back in April, and I certainly wasn’t aware that it was waterproof. I just wanted a nice cream liner! Of course, when I actually washed my body, the liner came off, but it was particularly tenacious throughout the shower until that point.
Of course, being a (beauty-crazed) blogger, my brain started working, and I decided I wanted to put all the liners I own to the test…so I did >:-)
The sampling above is not all of my liners, of course (if you recall…), but all the kinds of liners I own, as I have a few different shades in several types of a brand. You may notice that almost all of these are designed to be long-wearing and/or waterproof (Chanel Waterproof, Urban Decay 24/7, Make Up For Ever Aqua Eyes, etc.), so I was quite interested to see just how well they’d hold up in the shower test. YES I swatched each of these on my arm and then hopped in the shower (though not right after the previous shower, I waited until the next day…otherwise that would be a little crazy-town).
Left to right: MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack, Chanel Waterproof Eyeliner in Noir Intense, Laura Mercier Kohl Eye Pencil in Black Violet, Illamasqua Precision Ink in Havoc, MAC Eye Kohl in Prunella, NARS Long Wear Eyeliner in Via Appia, Clinique Cream Shaper in Egyptian, Make Up For Ever Khol Pencil in 4K, Milani Liquif-EYE Eyeliner in Aqua, MAC Pearlglide Eyeliner in Petrol Blue, Make Up For Ever Aqua Eyes in 21L, Make Up For Ever Aqua Liner in #14.
So. Jumped in the shower and did my usual – conditioned my hair first, then washed my face. Looked down at my arm – all swatches still intact. Swiped a hand across the liners with medium pressure, to some very slight smudging of a few shades (which I will detail in a moment). I continued to clean everywhere else but my arm to see if the water would eventually break down the product(s), fully expecting the warm water plus the humid conditions in my bathroom to do a bit of damage. Nada. The most effect I found was that the same few liners that smudged a bit from a pass-over with my hand had faded somewhat, as if they lost some of their pigment – however, none had smeared or ran any more from the longer duration in the shower. Color me surprised!
However, the moment I took soap and shower pouf to the area, the liners washed away quite quickly, with only 2-3 clinging for dear life before finally getting overcome. These hangers-on have been consistently the longest wearing off all my liners, so I was unsurprised to see them make the best showing.
Can you guess which were the ‘losers’ of the bunch, and which came out on top???
The key is in the wording (duh!). Though I didn’t expect them to power through a shower and come out as champions, every single liner I own that is a kohl pencil failed to last (that being: MAC’s Eye Kohl, MUFE’s Kohl Eyeliner, and Laura Mercier’s Kohl Eye Pencil). This makes sense as kohl pencils are generally designed to be soft and smudgy around the eye (though some wear well on the waterline – go figure). I sort of knew this, yet without fail I’m frustrated when I wear these and by the end of the day they have migrated under my eyes. Lesson REALLY learned this time (I swear)!
On the opposite side of things, the cream of the crop were the same two liners that in my experience power through pretty much everything – Make Up For Ever’s Aqua Liners, and Illamasqua’s Precision Liner, which actually edged out MUFE by clinging just that much longer. Both of these are liquid liners and they absolutely DO NOT COME OFF until you wash them off. At times I find that Illamasqua’s requires even more elbow grease to get every last bit – though I found that because my skin had been wet for a period of time, it was much easier than usual (when washing it off my face).
Overall, it was a bit of an eye-opening experience for me, mostly to really *get* that different types of liners are designed for different things. While the majority of my liners are stellar when it comes to long-wear, especially throughout the warmer months, I must take note that kohls are NOT to be used for crisp lines or as a traditional liner – at least if I’m expecting them to stay put. I think I’ll reserve these for nights out or short trips in which I don’t need something to last hours and hours. When I need to pull out the big guns, I’ll opt for the various other liners I have in my collection.
What types of liners are your favorite?
Alternative Bridesmaid Makeup Look
Posted by Latoya in Eyeshadow, FOTD, Illamasqua, L'Oreal, Laura Mercier, MAC, Make-up, Too Faced on June 14, 2013
Good day to you! 
I am off today after a crazy couple weeks helping plan and coordinate our Public Service Week here at my work. I am the co-chair of our Youth Network for the Atlantic Region, so I was also organizing some events for the offices in other provinces as well. Quite the job! In any case, I think the week went pretty well, and yesterday our internal news publication came out with an article on myself and my co-chair on how we’re aspiring leaders, and basically made us sound really snazzy. It was really nice to get recognition for the work we do so I’m feeling pretty awesome right now! (despite the four glasses of wine I had last night in celebration LOL).
Anyway, enough with the recap. Today I wanted to show you a recreation of the look I did for my friend’s wedding last month. Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to capture the actual look itself, but I used everything I wore in the shots below – though I’m missing the false lashes. Use your imagination for those 
Anyone who knows me knows I always like to take what’s considered the ‘norm’ and put a little spin on it. A lot of people I know have traveled/lived in Australia, so I went to New Zealand. I once attended a formal event where everyone wore dresses, and I wore a white pant suit (see below – not a great shot, and eeks! to the fuzzy straightened hair – but damn it if I didn’t love that outfit ). So, when I started thinking about what makeup I wanted to wear for the wedding, I wanted something still appropriate but with a twist. And so: red eyeshadow.
Also – pink heels! YES.
Ok, maybe not full-on red. That would probably clash with the whole romantic theme. But a metallic cranberry? Now we’re talking.
The shade I used was L’Oreal Infallible Eyeshadow in Golden Mahogany, a shadow I’ve shown you before. I don’t wear it very often because in my mind it’s ‘red shadow,’ but since the wedding, I’ve been pulling it out a lot more – it’s like the best version of red ever, that is actually super-wearable. As it’s quite standout on it’s own, I paired it with subdued shades everywhere else to keep it the focal point – soft pink cheeks and rosy-beige lips.
Left to right: MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack, L’Oreal Golden Mahogany shadow, MAC Arena shadow, Too Faced Chocolate Soleil bronzer, Illamasqua Hussy blush, Laura Mercier Lip Glacé in Discrete.
As you can see, very few products were used for the look. At the wedding, by using false individual lashes (which I prefer because you can apply them the night before to save time), coupled with the shadow, I didn’t need to work too hard to have my eyes really stand out. False lashes are especially awesome for photos (of which you can see here). All that I did was to use a cream liner to get into any spaces in-between the lashes to make them look full, and then applied Golden Mahogany all over the lid and into the crease. I blended MAC Arena into the brow bone and inner eye corners, et voila! That was ALL I needed to do to get the look below. Simple and pretty!
Again, with the false lashes this look was made much more KAPOW!
The base used was Hourglass Immaculate Liquid Powder foundation (which I’m fairly certain I’m going to buy for the rest of my life) worn over Hourglass No.28 Primer Serum (which really is AMAZING at keeping the oilies controlled). Some contouring with bronzer, a touch of blush and highlight (I used Chanel’s Poudree Signee, not shown in the swatches), and a dab of lipgloss were the finishing touches.
I was really happy with the resulting look, and felt that I managed to continue with my habit of doing something not quite the norm, but also not so far out there either. And that shadow really has reach HG status with me (which incidentally has put me on a quest to weed out all my HG’s and get rid of anything less)!
What do you think? Would you wear red eyeshadow (to a formal event, no less)? How do you ‘break the mold’ when it comes to makeup?
Long Overdue MEGA-Praise for NARS High Voltage Blush in Boys Don’t Cry
Posted by Latoya in Blush, NARS, Summer 2013 on June 7, 2013
Yet another late post which means: Words. Few. However, you all know by now that I always say that and then still end up rambling. So…enjoy?
I am ashamed at how long its taken me to show you guys this blush. YOU GUYS. THIS BLUSH. NARS Boys Don’t Cry blush ($48CAD) from the Pierre Hardy collection is probably one of the best makeup purchases I’ve made all year, if not THE best. A total 10/10 for me! How can you go wrong with a) a NARS blush, that b) is a gorgeous bold coral red (or pink grapefruit, as it’s described)?! Answer: YOU CAN’T. It’s all sorts of WIN.
The ‘awesome’ quote above was on a card I bought for my mom for Mothers Day (which, stupidly I forgot to give her – next year maybe?), and I just had to use it as a prop. Because this blush is, in fact, AWESOME. See all my use of caps today? It’s for a reason, people.
Of course, the beautiful gold design above is an overspray, and disappears after a use or two, which is just fine with me. What you’re left with is this:
I feel like this shade of blush was honestly made for my skintone – it’s so damn flattering! Or maybe it was just made for everyone’s skintone – it’s got both a warmth and a coolness about it so that I think it would work on most people. It also buffs out beautifully so that you can wear it with a light hand, or more intense if you so desire. Below, I’m wearing it first with a more subtle touch – this was an actual look I wore (which incidentally accompanied the eye makeup in this post); in the rest of the shots I applied the shade more heavily so it would show up more strongly in photos.
In sunlight, with a light hand
Natural light, with a heavier application
Please note that the hardcore glow I’ve got going on in these photos is due to Becca’s Shimmering Skin Perfector and not from the blush – it is a matte formula, though not powdery at all so it melds with the skin beautifully. I like that I can wear it over liquid products and it doesn’t get blotchy throughout the day like some other products I own. In fact, this blush wears well throughout the entire day with very minimal fading overall, even in humidity.
I really don’t know what else I can say about this blush that you can’t see clearly with your EYEBALLS – it’s frickin’ GORGEOUS. I never really thought about a blush this shade before until suddenly there it was, and I am SO happy that I picked this up – as many of you have said, it’s A LOT of blush at 0.45oz (NARS blushes are usually 0.16oz), and I was intimidated as who really needs that much blush!? But now that I have it, I would pay for even MOAR if it meant having this shade in my possession. Of the 30+ blush I have, since it’s purchase I’ve worn this consistently more than any of my other shades. And since it’s essentially seasonless (it can go all summer-flushed or windblown with ease), I don’t see that changing any time soon.
A big YIPEEEEEEEEEE to blush, and THANK YOU to NARS for making a shade like this 
Did you pick up Boys Don’t Cry (or Rotonde)? What shade of blush gets the most love from you in your collection?
Raise Your Hand If You Love a Pretty, Glowy Blush {That Would Be: LORAC’s Pro Powder Cheek Stain in Coral Crush}
Words. I don’t got ‘em. I spent the day trying to come up with questions for the trivia challenge I’m spearheading at the office next week for our National Public Service Week (yeah…I KNOW), and my brain is a bit mushy today. Also, I really need to start writing posts earlier – a nightowl I’m not, and I do my best thinking before 8pm. Bugger.
Anyway – I’ve been meaning to show you the blush I snagged back in March, and now finally it’s time! LORAC’s Pro Powder Cheek Stains ($26CAD) are long-wearing, paraben & fragrance-free blush that are infused with skin-loving ingredients and impart a beautiful glow to the skin. I first saw these on Tracy’s blog, and of course having a blush addition like everyone else, decided I MUST own one. I had a friend pick the shade Coral Crush up for me when she was in the States – the color is a pretty coral pink with golden shimmer; a fairly standard shade across a lot of brands, but quite lovely nonetheless (I didn’t do comparison swatches but the shade is similar to theBalm’s Hot Mama (which is less pigmented) and probably shades like NARS Orgasm, which I don’t own for comparison).
The pigmentation on these is supposed to be pretty intense, and I suspect a lighter touch would be prudent for fairer skin than mine. On me, I can apply it fairly easily (though not with abandon) and it does show up beautifully on my skin. The radiant, healthy glow is nothing short of fantastic, especially in sunlight. As you’ll see below, it really is more of a luminescence versus glitter/shimmer – so you can feel comfortable wearing it in sunlight and not feeling terribly obvious. I find the length of wear very good, though not necessarily oodles better than many of the other blush I own – I get through a work day without requiring a touch up, which is fairly standard for me as a whole.
Strangely enough, though I love this shade in theory and in photos, I don’t wear it that often. However, looking at these swatches, I’m reminded of how pretty it is and how I need to start wearing it more! I used it for a couple weeks straight when I first got my hands on it, but stopped after a bit – and now my heart belongs to another (NARS BDC…I really need to stop talking about this blush and post on it already, no?). Though its nothing terribly unique, the reason this kind of shade keeps being reincarnated is because it’s so darn pretty! Certainly one that everyone should have on hand – it’s really versatile.
Do you own a shade like this? How much love does it get from you?
Brightening Up for Summer with Make Up For Ever
Posted by Latoya in Eye Liner, Lips, Make Up For Ever, Make-up, Spring 2013 on June 2, 2013
I’ve been meaning to write this post for a good month now, but with my busy schedule and the infrequent appearance of the sun, it just hasn’t come together! However, after having a string of gorgeous hot, sunny days here in Hali (and by hot I mean like August weather…SO weird), I’ve managed to simultaneously slow wayyy down for a change – spending the last three days outside from dawn till dusk - and take a few shots for the blog in all the lovely sunshine. SCORE.
I find that once the sun comes out, I get so tempted to play even more with makeup, trying out bold colors for eyes, lips and cheeks. However, when you’re spending entire days outside, I don’t feel comfortable wearing such noticeable makeup, as it somehow feels like I’m resisting the natural, easy-going vibe that comes with warm weather. Due to this little mini-war I have in my head, I tend to compromise by opting instead for shimmering, golden tones that allow me to feel ‘summery’ while staying relatively low-key. Two products that work well toward that end are Make Up For Ever’s Aqua Eyes eyeliner in Gold 9L ($23CAD), a metallic yellow, and Lab Shine Star Collection lipgloss in S0 ($22CAD), a pearly nude.
In the heat of summer, one of the first things to drop off my makeup routine is eyeshadow. Though I generally don’t tend to experience excessive creasing, I find that opting for liner only is a quick, easy, and long-lasting way to ensure I look good without looking like I tried too hard. Gold 9L is a bright metallic true yellow – it doesn’t contain any orange leanings, so it would be a great shade for cooler skintones or for a warmer skintone looking for contrast. Its the perfect kind of shade to wear on the inner corners of your eyes to brighten them up – if I’m in a rush, or looking for a seriously minimalist look, I’ll opt to wear it this way with very little else.
However, if I want to go full-on with this shade, with my neutral skintone it can look a bit stark. To remedy this, I first apply black liner to my top lashes to define, before tracing the gold above the liner and into my inner corners – then finally add a touch of a sheer, satiny yellow shadow to blend out the gold liner. Oh, and lots of mascara
As you can see, it’s great for adding a little lightness and brightness to the eye without being too dance-y (aka that inner highlight thing we do when we’re going out on the town) so it’s ideal for day.
Make Up For Ever’s Lab Shine Star Collection lipgloss in S0 is another excellent product that gives a little something extra without being too much under the bright rays of summer sun. I’ve had another shade in this gloss before and I really like it – its a bit thick so it has good longevity, but it’s not sticky at all and is very smooth and comfortable to wear.
S0 is a shimmering pale sheer beige that mutes the lipcolor only slightly, which makes it very wearable with a variety of looks. The non-glittery finish makes it great for day, but it has enough glimmer that it can hold its own against flashier night looks – and it’s translucency makes it ideal for layering.
Though my natural inclination is to go big and bold in my makeup choices for the most part, I do like to have more subtle, toned down items in my arsenal to turn to if I’m spending the day outside or looking to go low-key – or to compliment a more in-your-face eye or lip look! While at first glance, these two products might seem too tame for some, I have found myself reaching for them more often than I expected to polish off my summer beauty routine and keep things as fuss-free as possible – all the better to spend every moment I can out in that (rare) sunshine!
Do you lighten up in the warmer months?
*Products were provided by the PR company/brand for my unbiased consideration.
…On Becoming More Well-Rounded (?)
If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you know that it’s rare that I’m at a loss for words. Even those posts in which I say I’m going to keep it short and sweet, usually end up longer than planned – what can I say? I’m a chatty kind of gal.
Lately though, my capacity for wordiness has really left me, which poses a problem when you’re try to say, oh I don’t know, WRITE SOMETHING. May has clearly been a slow month on Beauty Obsessed, which is largely due to getting a new roommate, standing in my friend’s wedding and all it’s required prep, training for the Ottawa Half Marathon which I ran this past Sunday (which, if you’re interested – I ROCKED Finish time was 1:40:16, and since my goal was around 1 hour 40 mins., I was SUPER STOKED!), and then – my 31st birthday, which was yesterday (which included lots of long-lost sun, meals out with friends and family, and a ton of lovely birthday wishes)! Yea, that all happened in one month. It’s been a tad bit busy.
NARS Boys Don’t Cry blush
However, it’s not just my lack of time that’s been keeping me from posting, but a shift in thought process that is screwing with my makeup mojo. The past month has seen me only purchase two makeup items: the NARS Boys Don’t Cry blush, pictured above (which I am terribly delinquent on posting about, my bad) and a little birthday treat I picked up yesterday – another L’Oreal Caresse Wet Shine Stain, which was on sale and was inspired by this photo:
I needed to have that lip color badly, and I couldn’t wait. I know Doutzen Kroes is one of the faces of L’Oreal so I took my chances and picked up Endless Red, which is a juicy cranberry red. It turned out to be exactly what I was looking for shade-wise, as well as formula-wise as I knew the qualities of the stain were what I needed – you can see above its not a fully saturated look but more like she was sucking on a popsicle. SUCCESS! I’m not head over heels for the packaging of these, but nor am I for the 3 times as expensive YSL Glossy Stains, so I’ll take my grumbling on this front and shove it.
Anyway, moral of the story – I’ve been downgrading my cosmetics purchases big-time, which means I have a lot less NEW stuff to talk about. That’s not a terrible thing, as I could stand to spend more time using what I have rather than expanding the collection, and I hope once I start getting on track again that I’ll be bringing forth some original and interesting posts for your reading pleasure. However, what its translated to this month and probably into part of the next is that I cannot think of a single thing to write about! Which is frustrating because it’s not as if I’ve not been wearing makeup and experimenting all this time – today, for example, I wore Endless Red with bad-ass black liner, flicked out on both top and bottom lashes, to compliment my faux leather skirt and ankle-strap peep-toe croc leather heels. It was GREAT. Obviously I still love to create a whole ‘theme’ from head to toe, and playing with makeup is always a huge part of that process!
Also part of the process is using good makeup tools – like this nice brush from Sephora that I just purchased! It follows the contours of my cheekbones so easily
But lately, not the main part. Before, I used to decide on my makeup look the night before, and then choose my clothing accordingly. In the past two months however, I have been more engaged in my fashion choices, and creating a look now seems to lean more toward the clothing first and then the makeup. Somewhere along the line, my focus shifted from makeup to clothes, and now I’m spending all my free cash beefing up my wardrobe instead of adding another lippie/blush/eyeshadow to my typically burgeoning stash. I feel good about the change – great, even, as I feel more confident than ever in my fashion choices – but (SUPER long story short) it leaves this blog confused about where it wants and needs to go.
Another area I’ve been focusing more on is fragrance – I finally caved and purchased the Comptoir Sud Pacifique rollerball in Vanille Coco that I have been eyeing trying on over and over for ages. SO my kind of scent!
I still adore and obsessed over any and all cosmetics, don’t you worry. It’s just that you might see some other topics creep in here and there as I grow and expand my horizons of interest (which was long overdue). I’m off work on Friday, and it’s supposed to be sunny, so I’m hoping to pump out a massive number of posts to make up for my frequent absences over the past month or so. Expect a variety of images of things I’m head over heels for these days, both in beauty and fashion (as well as one monster empties post that is long overdue!). Hopefully you’ll still stick around!
Straggler near-finished products…once these are gone, there will be an epic empties post forthcoming!
These Are A Few of My Favorite Things
Posted by Latoya in BITE Beauty, Boscia, Burberry, butter London, Chanel, Clinique, Just for Fun, Lancome, Make-up, Nail Polish, Other, Prada, Tarte on May 12, 2013
I’m just sitting here reading my online copy of this month’s Allure via Zinio (thanks Amy!!!!) and there’s a feature on a pair of GAP shorts and how 5 women wear them. Each have a small side bar which notes what lipstick, jewelry, shoes, etc. they would pick as their “favorite things“, which I always find interesting to read. Every time I come across these types of stories, I note how it pulls you in and makes you want to ‘have what they’re having’ so to speak – the psychology of it is kind of amazing, and I always think that if I were being interviewed, even plain old non-celebrity me and my choices would sound kind of intriguing. Takes me back to my Honours Psych thesis days
So, I decided to interview myself, share my favorite things, and see if everyone runs off to buy them.
HA.
In seriousness though, we fickle beauty-fiends find ‘favorites’ every month, but it’s the shades and items we wear over and over, standing the test of time, that are a better indicator of a great product, and also hint at our beauty and style personalities!
Favorite Lip Color:
This may not be a fully-formed favorite just yet, but since it’s purchase last month its been in heavy rotation over all other lippies, and I don’t see that changing any time soon. You probably guessed it – it’s BITE Beauty’s High Pigment Pencil in Quince. DAMN, this pencil is fine! Fuchsia is definitely my new jam. Long-wearing, non-drying, bold color that works for all seasons. SOLD.
Favorite Mascara:
It may not come as a surprise that my favorite mascara brand is Clinique’s – yes, I work for the brand, but I love the mascaras because of all the different options we have (natural, fluttery, mega-volume, etc.) as well as the fact that they don’t dry up in a month, and for the most part are terribly easy to remove but don’t smudge throughout the day. I’ve always been a huge fan of the High Impact mascara, but more recently I’ve become majorly enamoured with our new High Impact Waterproof mascara, which gives some major oomph to the lashes without being crispy or unnatural-looking like some other waterproof versions I’ve tried. You can be sure I’ll be using this at the wedding next weekend!! Also notable is the Lash Power mascara, which is like a waterproof in that it won’t smudge or budge through heat, sweat, swimming, etc., but removes with warm water. It doesn’t give the same POW! as the waterproof, but it gets to each individual lash due to the teeny tiny brush, and is great for separation.
Favorite Nail Polish:
Ugh, how do I pick just one!? C’est impossible. But I *think* I can pick two. And they would be butter London Snog and Chanel Orange Fizz. I know both are summery tones which could be swaying my opinion this time of year, but I don’t think so. I seriously could wear Snog every day – put me on a desert island with this shade and I’d be happy as a clam (though… the clams on the island probably wouldn’t be that happy as I’d be eating them for survival).
Favorite Skincare:
It’s safe to say that I’m still madly in love with Tarte’s Pure Maracuja Oil – nothing has made more of a difference in my skin than this product! Stupidly, I bought a bottle of Bosica’s Tsubaki Facial Oil during the Sephora sale last month to try something new – I hope it can live up to Tarte’s! My bottle is almost finished so I’ll be trying the Boscia soon, and I’ll be sure to fill you all in on it’s efficacy.
Favorite Fragrance:
I tend to be a scent jumper (are you seeing a trend here? Hello, fickle!) so I’ve never repurchased a bottle, but there was one fragrance that really stood out to me in the past that I actually finished and of which I get tempted to re-buy – namely, Burberry The Beat. It’s categorized as a woody floral which doesn’t sound like my taste, but damn it if I didn’t love that scent – it was so fresh and alluring at the same time. I went through that bottle within a year, which is unheard of for me. It has middle notes of Iris, which seems to be a recurring theme in a lot of fragrances I’ve sampled and enjoyed (Prada Infusion d’Iris; Lancome La Vie Est Belle), as well as top notes of Mandarin and base notes of Cedarwood, both of which are also found in Prada’s scent. I’ve considered buying Infusion d’Iris many times but never could commit, surprise surprise. 
Favorite Shoes:
Ok, shoes are kind of the bane of my existence, as I have a bunion on my right foot that makes buying them incredibly tricky, so I make sure to always buy quality. In the past few months I’ve had tremendous success in two pairs – black platform pumps from Rockport, and a pair of nude almond-toe pumps from Banana Republic. SO. EFFING. COMFORTABLE. YOU GUYS. It’s crazy. The BR ones are no longer available, but the Rockport ones are still around (though not in the lizard skin finish anymore) so I’d grab ‘em fast if you’re interested! Now all I need is a fun pair in a color and I’m set
Favorite Jewelry:
So apparently this has been a list of my two favorite things in each category lol – and I’m going to get even crazier here and show you 5 of my fave jewelry pieces, because they are equally loved by me on the regular.
LOVE my Michael Kors rose-gold watch, obviously (which I bought due to this Lent challenge), and I picked up a pair of Stella & Dot rose gold earrings to complement the watch last year and love ‘em too.
I wear the gold large-link bracelet from Banana Republic quite a bit, and it’s actually shifted me into wearing gold a lot more now. This gold ring from Aldo gets a lot of love – its tough to wear rings a lot when you always wear crazy-colored polishes, but this manages to hold it’s own. Lastly, this awesome funky giraffe bracelet my Mom bought me from Aldo ages and ages and ages ago is one of the few real statement pieces in my collection, and though initially I thought it was bizarre, I quickly became to love it.
Just for the heck of it (because I’m clearly out of control now), here’s two more well-loved pieces: my Tiffany key I got a few Christmases ago – I totally cried when I opened it, best gift ever! – and an eclectic owl necklace that I sort of inherited from my great-grandmother. Can you imagine her wearing something like this? And it just goes to show you how everything comes around and is new again eventually
And there you have it – all my fave things, are you feeling like you want to go buy it all now since I’m clearly SOOOO fabulous!? *crickets* …Yea, I didn’t think so, lol. But, since I didn’t do a favorites post for the end of 2012, I figure this is still original content on the blog, and a good way to get to know a bit more about me – which is sort of the real point of blogs, right? Hope you enjoyed!
What are some of your favorite things?
Huzzah! MAC Morange Has Finally Been Conquered
I almost gave up. For months I tried and tried to make it work, without success. But this past weekend, my friends, I finally managed to wear my nemesis down and make her bend to my will. I AM VICTORIOUS!!
…I’m talking about the illustrious MAC lipstick shade, Morange, of course! No world domination yet!
Who hasn’t heard of Morange before? The ‘Loudmouth Orange‘ shade with an amplified creme finish is nearly if not as popular as MAC’s other iconic classic, Russian Red. While orange isn’t your standard classic color, nevertheless somehow this has become a well-known staple for the runway and real-life beautistas alike. I managed to snag it for my very own in a swap several months ago, and I have since spent several agonizing months trying to make it work without running screaming in terror from the mirror. Ladies, this shade has SERIOUS attitude.
In swatches, it doesn’t look that daunting to me. It’s bright, yes, but surely no more so than my new fave Quince. However, getting it to look at once eye-catching yet without it taking over my whole face was a major beauty challenge – probably one of the most difficult to date.
Eeks! I just find this plain scary.
Perhaps I should have known how challenging this shade would be, given how retina-searing it is, but I have several other shades in my stash that come very close to this (albeit at a significantly decrease saturation):
Left to right: MAC Morange, Dior Delice Addict Extreme, NARS Wonder Lipgloss
Through this months-long experiment is how I’ve confirmed that I do not have a warm skintone, as I’ve always generally thought, but rather a more neutral tone with a slightly cool leaning. To say it plainly – orange just ain’t my shade. While more recent trends have leaned toward wearing colors that clash against your natural skintone, and for the most part I love this effect – I have to admit, though I’d love to say I embrace that kind of boldness, but I’m just not there yet.
However. I am nothing if not persistent, and after trying various different application techniques and various makeup looks, I finally figured out the mystery of Morange. It all comes down to: a light touch and A HECK OF A LOT OF BRONZER.
It is absolutely imperative to warm up your face when wearing Morange, if you don’t already have that kind of skintone to begin with – though I have read that shades like these look great on more olive-toned skin. I found when I bronzed the shit outta my skin and added a touch to my eye area, it managed to pull it together much more seamlessless. In addition, instead of going for a full-on opaque pout, which is normally how I wear a bold, bright lippie, I applied one thin coat and blended for a more muted look. It’s not necessarily my preference, but in order to get the POW! from the orange without blinding people, its just the way it’s got to be.
The result of this mega-effort I think is well worth the hassle. It was a beautiful sunny, warm spring day here Sunday, and the orange lip looked so season-appropriate and fun! Morange overall is a nice lipstick, and goes on smoothly, if a bit thicker, and doesn’t dry out my lips. I’m super-stoked to have figured this conundrum out and to incorporate this happy, summery shade into my repertoire this year!
What recent beauty challenge have you faced? How did you handle it?
Another Rave Review for YSL’s Rouge Volupte Shine in #8 Pink in Confidence
Posted by Latoya in Lips, Spring 2013, YSL on April 21, 2013
Hallo everyone! I hope you all had a great weekend Mine was good but effing busy – I helped my friend clean and move into her newly built house (gorgeous!), who’s wedding I also happen to be standing in next month (my first time [since I was a kid] – I’M SO EXCITED!!!!!!) – so I also spent some time preparing for her bachelorette/wedding. It’s such a fantastic experience, all of it, but its quite involved! On top of all that, I’m also training for that half marathon I’m doing in Ottawa at the end of May, so every weekend I have to find time to do a long run – this weekend was 15k so at this point it starts to take up a fair chunk of time. But, running is honestly the best thing I have EVER done for myself, so it’s well worth it. *Just as an aside – if you even have a remote inkling that you might like to run, or if you run at all – casually or more routinely – I highly recommend signing up to do a half (or, if you’re super-ambitious, a full) marathon, it is an amazing experience and I love it so damn much. This will be my third half, and every long run is better than the last – this is the best training I’ve had yet and I really think I’m gonna rock the shit out of the race!! Fingers crossed for me
Ok, moving on. As many of you know, I went on a bit of a lippie binge in the past couple weeks, and I’m still working through the reviews of each. Today I’m going to show you a shade that’s been pretty talked up in the blogosphere – YSL’s Rouge Volupte Shine #8 Pink in Confidence. Since I’m certain many of you have read reviews on both the RVS formula (ultra-hydrating, antioxidant-full, sheer to medium coverage glossy lipstick) as well as this shade, I’m going to keep the chatter to a minimum and let the pictures do the talking.
Pink in Confidence is described as a dusty pale pink, and I think that’s pretty accurate. Somehow, I didn’t own a nice soft pink shade, so this has been a much needed addition to my collection. As you can see in the lipstick bullet itself (picture below shows it better), there is a very fine micro-shimmer present, but I find it shows up on the lip very minimally.
While the Rouge Volupte Shines have a translucency to them that allows your natural lip color to show through, they’re actually more opaque than I thought, and this shade can mute my natural lip tone quite a bit if I layer it on (above, it was swatched first with one swipe, then several, to show how it can be built up). I’m a touch concerned that it may be a bit too light for my skintone once I get tanned – or perhaps it just might be a great nude. Time will tell.
The uber-long list of ingredients makes me somewhat nervous; however, I did not notice any irritation or roughness over the course of wearing this a few days in a row, even with the inclusion of fragrance (which, by the way, smells totally delicious. It makes me think of the lip balms I used to wear as a young teen ). I did find the formula mildly hydrating, though by no means as moisturizing as the claims made by the brand (which was to ‘seal in moisture for up to 8 hours’). The wear time is minimal – perhaps an hour or two at best, though I knew going into the purchase that these would likely require continuous application, which I’m OK with. I have never tried the Chanel Rouge Coco Shines so I can’t compare, but from reading reviews it sounds like these might be superior in terms of hydration and longevity. But – don’t quote me on that.
Overall, I’ve found this lipstick exceptionally wearable and notice myself reaching for it quite often. It filled a much needed gap in my lippie arsenal, and while it’s not perfect (could be a touch deeper in tone and wear a bit longer), it will definitely get a lot of use. I’m not sold on the $39CAD price tag, and if I didn’t have the 15% VIB discount I may not have gone for it, but I don’t feel any guilt in the purchase either so obviously it’s doing something right
Have you tried the Rouge Volupte Shine’ formula yet? Do you plan to? Have you tried both these and the Chanel Rouge Coco Shines? How do they compare?
Ka-POW Lips: BITE Beauty’s High Pigment Lip Pencil in Quince
Posted by Latoya in BITE Beauty, Lips on April 18, 2013
Apparently, this spring I’m bringin’ my A-Game. That’s right – I’m rockin’ the SHIZ outta this season. Its been sunny and kinda sorta warmish this week, so I pulled out my AMAZING printed pants that I bought down in NZ – I did show you a picture – and wore them yesterday with pride. Even though they’re so loud and crazy and some people actually looked at my pants first before looking at my face (LOL), I didn’t care if they loved or hated ‘em because I felt KICKASS. Good times.
Over the past month, I decided I absolutely NEEDED a bright pink lippie. It would give me mega-spunk times 10, right!? So, last week I finally took the plunge and picked up BITE Beauty High Pigment Lip Pencil in Quince, $28CAD (which also happens to be a Sephora ‘hot pick’ or whatever, but I LIKED IT BEFORE IT WAS COOL *just sayin’*), a matte bold fuchsia lipstick.
BITE Beauty lip colors are known for their exclusion of baddie chemicals, and make the claim that the ingredients they do use are ‘healthy enough to eat.’ …cool? I mean, it’s great that they’re kind of like a ‘clean’ beauty brand, for sure. Just…yeah. ANYWAY, the High Pigment Pencils are designed to be long-wearing, paraben-free, and contain ‘super’ antioxidant resveratrol – each pencil contains enough of it to amount to five glasses of red wine (does that mean if I eat it then I’ll get drunk??????? ). So there’s a whole whack of good reasons to get on board, and it was high time I did it.
Aside from all the great ingredients in the pencil, there’s also the fact that THIS COLOR IS AMAZING. This is the EXACT color I wanted in a bright pink lippie. I find the shade uber-flattering on my skintone and super-wearable (also due to the fact that the finish is more of a demi-matte than totally flat) while still being totally stand out.
I wore this shade last Wednesday, and found it relatively long-lasting – it survived fairly intact through a meal, but began to fade shortly thereafter. Despite being sick and dried up like an old prune, it was comfortable to wear, for a matte, though it was not hydrating. However, note that BITE Beauty does not make claims that it should be, which is a key point. It actually states that you should prep your lips first with [their] balm and then apply the lip color. Since they don’t make a claim they can’t live up to, plus the fact that I actually didn’t find this problematic to wear on my drier lips, they get a gold star from me 100%.
I am madly in love with this lip pencil – I love the color, I love the formula, and I love the ease of application with the pencil. I am most definitely picking up a couple more of these – I’ve seen pics of Pomegranate that look stunning, and Zinfandel (electric coral) and Corvina (bright coral pink) are totally up my alley!
Have you tried any BITE Beauty products? What is putting some pep in your step this spring?
-
You are currently browsing the archives for the Make-up category.
Must Reads
-
SERIES
I WANT!!
