Girl, Decorated

Urban Decay design-a-look contest

2008-07-05T22:12:33Z

This is kind of interesting:

http://www.urbandecay.com/promo/contest/veganChart/

The vegan-products-only rule is a neat twist despite the fact that I routinely wear carmine-based colors on my face and yes I know it's made from bugs and anyway, even if I didn't wear bug-based makeup, I wouldn't last five minutes as a vegan. I wonder if I'd have enough UD stuff to create a full look? I don't wear their face stuff, though, so that would present a problem.

I just skimmed the list and, as it happens, I do have the following vegan products:

Eyeshadows: Acid Rain, Chains, Shattered, Stray Dog, ABC Gum, Narcotic, Yeyo, and the Deluxe palette (several of the colors are vegan)

Heavy Metal Glitter liners: Air Guitar, Baked

24/7 liners: Baked, Covet, Deviant, Dime, Electric, Lucky, Yeyo (God, I love these)

XXX Shine Lip Gloss (from my mini set): Baked, Guys Love Betsey, Ozone, Quickie, Joyride

Hmmm. Super-colorful eyes and glossy lips, but that's it. Ah well. Anyone else going to go for it?

FOTD: blues

2008-06-18T00:54:16Z

Once again, I didn't leave QUITE enough time in the a.m. to really refine this. But, yay! Brightness!

I was inspire by Temptalia's blue eyes challenge:

Used:
Prescriptives Flawless Skin
MAC Moisturecover concealer
MAC Ladyblush cream blush + Petticoat MSF (lightly)
Urban Decay Primer Potion
MAC Sea Me shadestick
MAC Parrot (lid)
MAC Deep Truth (outer lid/crease)
Urban Decay Shattered (inner lid/above crease)
MAC Vapour (inner lid/highlight)
Urban Decay Electric 24/7 pencil + Deep Truth (lower liner)
MAC Engraved powerpoint (waterline)
Cover Girl Lash Blast
NYC brow powder + Clear Great Lash (brows)
MAC Ladygentle TLC Stick (lips)

MAC Friends & Family discount, take II

2008-06-16T15:08:31Z

If you're like me and don't live near a freestanding MAC store, you can still get 15% off of any online orders placed today (EDIT: and tomorrow/Tuesday 6/17!) by entering MACFF8 at checkout. And it looks like U.S. shipping is free today as well:

Receive FREE STANDARD SHIPPING with all purchases. No offer code necessary. Offer is valid on June 16th on orders shipped to US addresses only.

I feel an actual pang for not buying from my neighborhood Macy's counter (there's a reason they like me), but how can I skip taking advantage of a significant discount AND no added shipping costs? Sorry, guys. I'll make it up to you when Electroflash comes out. *aims a kiss in the direction of Holyoke*

I'm still debating what I want, but I know I'll be getting Turquatic. I tried a spritz* at my last visit to the counter (to eyeball Cool Heat), and it's totally my kind of scent. The spouse gave it an enthusiastic nod as well. I completely fail at describing scents but it's very summery and fresh, but not as sweet as the scents I usually wear. And anything that makes me smell irresistible is irresistible to me. :)

* I mean that I pointed it away from me, sprayed the air once at chest-level, and then quickly walked through the mist. I generally only dare to apply light EDTs directly to my skin... I hate being unpleasantly surprised by the eyewatering power of some perfumes!

Office faces vs. bright eyes

2008-06-13T17:19:41Z

It's somewhat funny that I'm posting these bright-ish eye experiments today, when for the last three days I've been in back to back client meetings (wildly successful ones, thankyouverymuch) and therefore have defaulted to my staple neutral looks:

1. This is such a default look for me that I can execute it in about five minutes: Prescriptives Flawless Skin on the face; MAC Shy Beauty, Brit Wit (mostly in the fall) or Ladyblush on the cheeks. Primer Potion, MAC Naked and Chocolate Brown pigments, some brown liner (often UD Bourbon 24/7 pencil, or a MAC fluidline if I have time), and mascara. Lips are either beige-pink (usually MAC Rubia or Hug Me; if I want glossy, I'll use Saplicious gelee or VGV lipglass) or neutral-plum (MAC Syrup, Sophisto or Mon Cherry TLC Stick).

2. Same face stuff. Primer Potion, MAC Orb, Yogurt, Neutral Pink and Crimsonette (an old LE that is basically identical to Sketch) shadows on the eyes. UD Crash liquid liner, mascara. I went pink on the lips, too, and wore Sweetie. This was a bit more girly/playful but still pretty toned down.

Both are very straightforward and not overwhelmingly made-up looking, but I'm still polished and not sleepy-eyed. (One hopes.) It's funny that I've finally figured out "office" makeup, given that I used to think makeup was solely for dress up and couldn't imagine a look without glitter and brights. I went naked-faced to many job interviews because I didn't want to screw up my chances by looking "unprofessional"... since I was still very unaccustomed to wearing makeup much at all, I felt like wearing any of it was MUCH more obvious than it actually was and would therefore be self conscious outside of a party-type setting where some glamour was expected. Heh, things have changed.

(My wakeup call came during a PR agency interview for a job I was offered but didn't end up taking... anyway, the girls in that office were VERY made up. Earth tones only, but it was super noticeable. Almost cake-y at times, in fact.)

So now I have a job in a relatively creative industry. Most days I'm scrambling out the door and do something similar to the above, but when I have more time in the morning (and no client meetings are scheduled), I actually do wear the following types of looks...

...and no one seems to care. :)

The pink-y/purple eye came entirely out of the following MAC holiday gift palette from last winter (the something-or-other Cool Eyes palette):

I have similar to colors to these in my 15-pan palettes but I love this one to stash for weekends away/vacations, and I do reach for it quite often. (If you like it, you can find it in lots of CCOs these days for cheaper than I foolishly paid!) I believe I used every single color, although the blue wasn't very prominent.

(I didn't get any good face shots for either look because I was all sweaty, thanks to New England turning into a sauna earlier this week. Sorry. I think I had on a sheer pink gloss with the above eyes.)

And then I decided to break out the fabulous Ben Nye Lumiere Luxe powder samples and do something a bit more adventurous. I think it was partially successful, although I was in a rush to get to work so the blending and color placement wasn't as precise as I would have liked.

I used:
Urban Decay Primer Potion
MAC Rubenesque paint pot (lid)
Ben Nye Aztec Gold (inner lid/tearduct), Tangerine (lid), Azalea (outer lid/crease)
Makeup Forever #92 (outer lid/crease/lower liner)
MAC Vapour (browbone highlight)
MAC Violet Underground eye kohl (liner)
Cover Girl Lash Blast mascara
Jordana brown pencil + Clear Great Lash (brows - but I've been doing them with matte brown eyeshadow recently to make them a bit softer)

Oh, and:

(I'm trying to get lip swatches as often as I can so I can build up a gallery. I love people's swatch galleries and my camera's pretty good at taking them, so why not?

I think I need to do something in the teal or blue family next; it's been awhile.

MAC Friends & Family discount

2008-06-11T23:57:48Z

Print yer coupon here: 15% off through 6/16; online & store locations only (not applicable at department store counters, alas).

So now I just might go to the only MAC within convenient driving distance (a Macy's counter, of course), check out Cool Heat, and then decide if I want to take advantage by web ordering for a change. I'm kind of dubious about the collection, though... it looks plenty pretty but I'm already swimming in teals and blues.

I do have a few FOTDs to post - just gotta drag myself through the whole upload, crop & resize rigmarole. I've done some cute eyes lately, if I do say so myself.

Pimp my mall

2008-06-09T17:46:02Z

I live in Western Massachusetts, not Boston. It's basically another state entirely. (Given the reluctance of Boston residents to cross the 128/95 belt, the western third of the state might as well be Ohio.) I live in a very left-y college-y area surrounded by farms, and the farms are surrounded by forests. Now that it's summer, I could quite easily live off of nothing but fresh, local produce until sometime in late fall.

This is a great place to live if you like to buy farm-fresh asparagus on the side of the road. (And I do, although I'm admittedly lazy about washing vegetables and tend to lean heavily on the pre-packaged salad greens.) But until recently, it couldn't hold a candle to Boston in terms of... well, what shall we call it? Mainstream fashion consumerism? Yes, that.

(I'm seriously going somewhere with this.)

If, say, you wanted access to a department store such as Sak's or Nordstrom, you'd have to drive either to Boston or to CT. Here, you have your pick of J.C. Penney's (oh boy), but you're much better served by scouting out the thrift and consignment shops as well as a few promising indie fashion boutiques (just a personal preference, of course). But back to mainstream shopping: the main area mall is located in Holyoke, and it's a fairly sub-par mall by city standards. Now, most malls are very predictable, and you generally see the same stores no matter where you go. The Holyoke mall is indeed formulaic, but fairly spare. Not a lot of surprises, and some of the usual suspects are missing entirely.

So what about makeup? The Holyoke Macy's does have a variety of (Estee Lauder umbrella) makeup counters to explore, including a friendly but somewhat understocked MAC counter. There's also a Trade Secret for all your nail and hair "needs." I can find some EL products at a few boutiques in Northampton, but up until Friday, my only Sephora in-person browsing opportunities took place when I was well out of town.

Yep, until Friday. (Finally, I reach the point of this entry.) The ho-hum Holyoke mall at Ingleside just opened a brand-new Sephora.

I was prepared, too. Since I've ordered from Sephora.com before, I'm registered as a "Beauty Insider." As far as I can tell, being a Beauty Insider simply means you get the occasional "premium" product sample and a whole lot of marketing emails. To celebrate the new Holyoke opening, Sephora emailed a coupon for a free makeup bag. I dutifully printed it out and stashed it in my purse for my visit after work. (The Holyoke mall is an easy exit off of my daily highway trek.)

Sephoras are quite the experience. I still remember the first time I set foot in one: April 2004, at the swankier-than-thou Prudential Center in Boston. I was completely overwhelmed. I don't even think I bought anything - the decision-making process was making my head hurt (or maybe that was the perfume). Whatever; I was indecisive and yet beside myself with covetousness. There's just so fucking much makeup in there, all divvied up by brands I'd either never heard of or associated solely with haute couture. I was stoked to learn that they carry Urban Decay, my very first makeup "crush." It sounds funny now, but I seriously didn't know... up until 2004, I was a drugstore gal all the way, and I only wore makeup on special occasions, anyway. April 2004 marked my first MAC makeover (and subsequent staggering haul), and my first Sephora visit. And the start of a fairly significant addiction.

So, I went on Friday. Unsurprisingly, it was PACKED. Holyoke's fine residents had been beauty-product starved for years, and after months of gazing hungrily at the brightly colored teaser banners posted all over the mall, the kitchen was open.

What can I say? The store was sizable - much less cramped than I'd expected (or would have been if the crowd hadn't been as intense) - and seemed quite well organized, although just as overwhelming as I remembered. Colorful, summery artwork from the most recent catalog was displayed everywhere, which definitely had a hand at drawing in all that foot traffic.

Since I hadn't gone there with any particular shopping mission in mind, I found myself stymied. I puttered around at the Urban Decay display, tempted by some of the matte formula shadows (which are buttery soft) and vaguely curious about the new colorful mascaras. I spent some time at the Makeup Forever aisle, suppressing the urge to snap up a bunch of their eyeshadows and waterproof pencils. And I tested out a few of the Sephora jumbo eye pencils, which reminded me of less-greasy NYX pencils - $5 apiece, and I could tell they'd make great eyeshadow bases.

It was fun to play around with fresh product testers that had just been opened that morning... after a few minutes at Sephora or any makeup counter I feel an urgent need to douse my swatchin' hand in alcohol. However, I was slightly disturbed to see lipgloss testers sitting out with their applicators available to anyone. (At MAC, they generally cut the wands out of the tester glosses and give people disposable wands for sampling.) Folks, I don't need to remind you that anyone and everyone can rub such products against their lips before you get the opportunity, right? (Contaminating both the applicator and the entire tube of gloss.) You don't even want to know how germy those things get. Swatch applicator-in glosses on your hand, and wipe down lipsticks with alcohol before you try them out on your lips. (Beware the eyeliners, too.) It pays to be a bit of a germ-phobe sometimes. Fortunately, Sephora has multiple stations stocked with makeup remover and alcohol, so make use of them.

So. What did I buy? Get ready for it....................

NOTHING! I didn't even pick up my free makeup bag because the lines were so daunting and I had decided against purchasing anything and felt like a dweeb standing in a long line for a free plastic makeup bag when I have one just like it at home. I was content just browsing, testing and getting some ideas, with no pressure to walk away with anything because I can always go back.

And it won't require a two-hour drive, either.

Urban Decay XXX Shine lip gloss

2008-06-05T19:55:16Z

Hilarious timing: I just swapped for this exact set and received it last week! Long live Makeup Alley. I'm always in favor of acquiring snack-sized products over full-sized ones (hooray for a vast selection of adorable miniatures), so I was tempted by this one when it came out around the holidays. I resisted, and then found it, completely unopened, within the swap list of someone who had inquired about stuff I was getting rid of. Perfect! (OK, enough bragging.)

The XXX Shine glosses probably fall into the love-it-or-hate-it category. They're minty... REALLY minty... so much so that, although not marketed as lip plumpers, they are definitely reminiscent of them. My lips tingle so much when I wear this gloss that they eventually go numb... but it's temporary, and in a masochistic sort of way, I find it refreshing.

(I'll let you come up with your own creative uses for the tingle... this ain't that kind of blog. But, uh, tread lightly if you're thinking what I'm thinking you're thinking... or maybe that's just what I'M thinking... uh, never mind.)

They're on the sticky side, so if the MAC lipglasses, L'Oreal Color Juices and Lancome Juicy Tubes of the world make you run for the hills, you can probably give the XXX Shines a miss as well. As for color payoff, they offer a definite boost but are not opaque. There's a good mix of shimmers and sheer creams in the set, mostly cooler-leaning shades (with the exception of Baked, which has gold sparkles in it). I haven't tried them all yet but I loved Quickie on me, and I have high hopes for Guys Love Betsey for the days I want to wear a toned-down, "summery" red lip.

The tip of the minis is slightly angled and there's no applicator - again, that's a personal taste thing. (I prefer applicators for neatness but it's not a deal breaker for sheer/semisheer glosses. And I'll take a squeeze tube over a pot any day!)

Overall, I'm totally seduced by the cuteness factor and plan to slip these into my extensive summer gloss rotation!

(This review would be tons better with a bunch of lip swatches, wouldn't it? Stay tuned...)

Extreme spousal makeover!

2008-06-03T16:12:06Z

Putting makeup on people who never wear makeup = fun! And though the look was pretty over-the-top, I think it came out pretty nice. (And yes, I did give her a color choice, and she DID say "blue and purple," so frankly, she deserved what she got!)

How her eyes look when she smiles:

:) :) :)

It was much, much brighter in person.

She has fucking amazing eyelashes:

I loves it!

Lips (she begged me to keep them neutral, so I obliged):

Outdoor light (which never comes out right on my camera, sigh):

What I used (just eyes and lips - I left her face and brows alone):

Urban Decay Primer Potion, lid to brow
MAC Vapour e/s, lid to brow + lots as a browbone highlight
MAC Sea Me shadestick, lid
MAC Clear Sky Blue PRO pigment (inner eye/above crease), applied w/Mixing Medium
MAC Mutiny pigment (lid), applied w/Mixing Medium
MAC Clarity e/s, outer lid
Makeup Forever #92 (matte purple), outer lid/crease/eyeliner
Urban Decay 24/7 pencil in Electric, lower liner
Urban Decay Heavy Metal glitter liquid eyeliner in Air Guitar, lower liner (I was worried about getting glitter in her eye so it's a bit south of her lashline)
MAC Feline kohl pencil, waterline
Lancôme Définicils mascara
MAC 3N l/s, lips

That was most diverting. I've really only ever done goth-boy smoky kinds of looks on Laurie before, so this was a departure. And it was good practice for me. She said it was really relaxing (at least it was until I put black liner all over her inner rims - she doesn't tolerate that well). I used brushes and went as gently as I could. FUN!

The siren song of the nail salon...

2008-05-30T19:04:33Z

Despite the sparkling sunshine outside, my office is cold today. My feet are numb. And my toenail polish is chipped.

Also, my boss is gone for the rest of the afternoon.

Likelihood that I'll leave early for a pro pedicure? Getting higher by the minute.

Hell, maybe I'll get a mani too while I'm at it. I've already trimmed and filed my nails (tragically short - they were too peel-y to keep longer), but the silvery holographic polish I slapped on this a.m. isn't working for me. (There aren't many polishes that dry fast enough for a morning application, but China Glaze OMG is one of them.)

I rarely indulge in professional nail treatments. I've spoiled myself with a whole wall rack of polishes to choose from, so 95% of the time, I do my own toes. (My toes are almost always painted. My hands? Not so much - see below.) Unfortunately I have yet to duplicate the overall bliss of the professional pedicure at home. I rarely exfoliate enough, and I can never make my cuticles look as neat as a pedicurist. After years of toenail painting I can ALMOST paint them as smoothly and evenly as a pro, but even then it's a gamble.

As for my nails, they're thin and scrappy and prone to peeling and I hate the way they're shaped. *grumble/whine* So although I try to wear them just over the tips of my fingers (maybe 1/8th inch of white tip showing), they often break or split. And then I have to cut them all so they're even. Right now they're stubby, but at least I finally smoothed them out. The color choice was a poor one, though. A nude-y sheer or a smooth, opaque cream finish is about the only thing that looks good when they're in this condition; iridescence or frost just looks sloppy.

Does anyone have any color recommendations for stubby fingernails? I've heard "dark shades make short nails look shorter - wear nudes and sheers only" but also "dark colors look better on shorter nails." Eh, who knows. I'm tempted to get a fuchsia on the toes and a deep navy on the tips, but I may be better off with a sheer tip and a bright toe.

Hmmmm. I have to be somewhere at 5:30; it will take me 30 mins to get there. The office manager already assured us we can leave at 4. I wonder if I can bump that even further back? The salon I generally go to takes their time with pedicures, so doing both would be at least a 1.5 hour commitment. Meaning I should leave within the half hour if I want to get pampered. And as I've said before, I rarely go to salons, so it's like a special treat when I do.

Augh, so tempting! Why do I let myself think of these things, I ask you??

Product Review: NARS Glitter Pencil

2008-05-28T18:43:31Z

I acquired "Mudd Club" (gee, great name) recently in a Makeup Alley swap. A NARS Glitter Pencil seemed like a worthy thing to try out.

It wasn't.

(Haha, world's shortest product review FTW! Oh, OK I'll explain...)

I should have recalled my general dislike for glitter in pencils. Pencils are dry, and glitter is... well, usually kinda gritty. Generally speaking, dry + gritty = ouch. I had this very problem with the MAC glitter pencils that came out in a couple of collections over the last few years. The only exception I've found are the Urban Decay 24/7 liners, some of which have subtle microglitter in them - but they are still creamy to apply and the color payoff is very strong. Big ups to those pencils, as always!

NARS was no such exception. Predictably, the pencil applied very unevenly (both the bronze-y base shade and the actual gold glitter itself). I found the pencil VERY dry, and it dragged mercilessly across my lids. I tried using it all over the lid rather than just as a liner (the pencil seemed too fat to make a particularly good, accurate eyeliner)... and it just wasn't rocking my world. All I saw were a few specks of glitter here and there with very little noticeable color left behind. To their credit, I suppose NARS is being fairly honest on the website, describing the glitter pencils as Chunky crayons infused with transparent color and subtle glitter. That's pretty accurate; I guess I just don't see the POINT. Does it need a base? Does it ACT as a base? And why would I pay $24.00 for that kind of annoyance?

So, rough application and minimal payoff. For a $24 PENCIL with GLITTER in it. You know, the kind of product every teenybopper makeup line sells. But hey, it has the NARS logo on it. Chichi!

Mudd Club is now gone... I included it as a swap extra. I couldn't even justify including it in my swap list. Thumbs DOWN.

I do like NARS blush, though.

The wrong tool for the job

2008-05-28T02:43:52Z

I forgot to put on eyeliner in my rush to get out the door this morning. I'm pretty dependent on eyeliner - even just a thin, lash-building, nearly imperceptible swipe - to make my eyes look bigger and less sleepy. So my lack of liner annoyed me all day. I finally grabbed the black NYC pencil that I keep in my desk. But it was kind of on the blunt side.

Naturally, I didn't have an eyeliner pencil sharpener at work. But hey - there's an automatic pencil sharpener on top of the office filing cabinets! My NYC liner is about the same diameter as a regular pencil, so that should do the trick!

.........

Uh, not so much. I chewed my poor (and blessedly cheap) eyeliner in half trying to sharpen the tip - the auto sharpener just ripped it up in a not-pretty way. I eventually gave up and made do with a still-blunt tip that was all pointy splinters on one side. (I broke those off before using, naturally.)

I did manage to line my lids with it. Sort of.

So, uh, today's tip: use a cosmetic sharpener for your pencils.

Captain Obvious, signing off.

Two looks using the Urban Decay Deluxe Shadow Box

2008-05-26T22:39:26Z

Happy I'm-not-at-work day! I've been glamming it up in a soft, summery sort of way all weekend. (When I wasn't busy getting groceries, scrubbing the bathroom and balancing my checkbook, that is. I always feel an intense need to feel *productive* during holiday weekends.)

I felt the need to show the Urban Decay Deluxe Shadow Box (which I reviewed here) some love.

Here are the previews...

MAC Strobe Cream (face)
Prescriptives Flawless Skin foundation, B/R Camelia
MAC Moisturecover concealer, NC15
MAC Shy Beauty blush
Urban Decay Primer Potion (lid to brow)
MAC Rubenesque paint pot (lid)
UD Scratch (lid), with MAC Naked pigment on top to tone down the frost
UD Shag (outer lid)
UD Zero (outer lid/crease)
MAC Naked pigment (highlight)
MAC Graphic Brown fluidline
Jordana brown pencil + Clear Great Lash (brows)
Maybelline Full N' Soft mascara
MAC Pucker Tendertone (lips)

MAC Strobe Cream (face)
Prescriptives Flawless Skin, B/R Camelia
MAC Moisturecover concealer, NC15
MAC Petticoat MSF (cheeks)
Urban Decay Primer Potion (lid to brow)
UD Fishnet (center lid)
UD Ransom (outer lid/crease)
UD Crash liquid liner
MAC Circularity (highlight)
Jordana brown pencil + Clear Great Lash (brows)
Maybelline Full N' Soft mascara
MAC Pucker Tendertone (lips - haha, again. I love this stuff! But can you blame me?)

And not really a "face of the day," but here's what I wore to the Paradise City Arts Festival today (where I managed to NOT compulsively buy expensive handmade jewelry for myself, and instead bought a Father's Day present - hooray!):

Same face stuff as before, plus MAC Violet Underground and UD Deviant liner on the lids and MAC Kissable slimshine on the lips. You know, to match my purse. :-D

Makeoffing!

2008-05-20T20:44:19Z

How you take it off is just as important as how you put it on. (I'm talking about makeup, not clothes, although... tee hee.) I'm saying this from experience. Bad, bad experience.

See, I've mentioned my dry skin before. Turns out, my skin is sensitive to a lot of the usual makeoffing (aka, makeup removal) methods and products. For example: the oh-so-innocent Baby Wipes, and their overpriced counterparts. Makeup wipes in any form seem so convenient and so easy to use, and yet, they FUCK ME UP!

OK, your mileage may well vary - most people have no problem using wipes. But, augh. AUGH! Basically, what happened is I started noticing rough, patchy, alligator-like skin on my eyelids. Words cannot convey the yuck. I actually did a fancy green look around that time that CLEARLY showed the weird eyelid skin texture I had going on:

(Don't mind the eyebrows. This was all pre-brow enlightenment.)

I became convinced I had eczema. Yikes! While I panicked, someone on the MAC LJ community suggested what should have been obvious: to try something gentler than what I'd been using to makeoff. (Baby Wipes - for sensitive skin, no less! - plus a squirt of some Clean & Clear foaming cleanser. Yeah, I know. Ouch.)

Finally, a savvy friend sent me the DHC catalog, and I dutifully tried out their Deep Cleansing Oil sample. (I know many people are squicked at the thought of using oil as a cleanser, but I am so dry that I knew it probably wouldn't present a problem.) Anyway, whoa. It works GREAT. Eyeliner begone! I promptly ordered the travel cleansing kit and became instantly addicted to the combination of Cleansing Oil and Mild Soap. I'd found my makeoff routine!

I love the DHC Deep Cleansing Oil and have been through at least four bottles already - in fact, I'm due for a fifth. It removes everything, even the notoriously resilient MAC Liquidlast liners. For tougher cleansing jobs like liquidlast I just grab a few Q-Tips and gently stroke the oily tip against my lashline. GENTLY. It works amazingly well and you don't even have to scrub and scrape! The oil rinses away sans residue (unlike regular olive oil or baby oil - this is MUCH lighter) and, as long as I moisturize afterward, I'm not left feeling hideously tight and dry. Olive oil-based cleansers are just so nice and gentle and crazy-effective and NATURAL... I may experiment with other (hopefully less pricey) oil-based removers, but I'll never touch a chemical-choked drugstore cleanser again.

And yes... once I started using it, the eczema-like skin flakiness went away. I haven't seen it since. *tremendous sigh of relief*

Product review: NYX Jumbo Pencils

2008-05-19T19:42:00Z

I recently swapped for a number of these pencils. (I have no idea why my green pencil is called "Lemon" and my brownish one "Yogurt," but whatever.) They crease like crazy on their own but work well over UDPP. They're VERY VERY creamy, so if products like MAC Shadesticks are too rough or gritty for you these might be worth a try.

I find them to be most useful as a supplemental base to make colors really stand out. Different colors will have different effects, naturally, but the white one is particularly useful to make shadows look like they do in the pan (see below).

+++:
Inexpensive! ($4 apiece on the site)
Bright and true to color
Smooth application
Blendable
Great as a supplemental base
I haven't had problems with creasing if I use them over Urban Decay Primer Potion

---:
Crease like crazy; not to be used solo (YMMV, but I can't use them without UDPP)
Downright greasy and easy to overapply
Require a larger/nonstandard sharpener (I haven't gotten one yet)

Re: their use as a base, I used MAC's Parfait Amour as an example, because it's one of those shadows that a lot of people hate because the payoff isn't that intense:

See the duochrome? In some light, Parfait Amour looks nearly black over Black Bean; in others it looks very purple:

I also used Black Bean as a base under greens in this look.

I think that Black Bean and Milk are the two most useful, although the Hot Pink one has come in handy, too. Try your eyeshadows over an emollient white base to make them look like they do in the pan, or over black to change them entirely! Fun for the whole family...

Reorg project #3: Lipsticks and glosses

2008-05-17T20:00:18Z

I've always appreciated elegance and simplicity in packaging. The trouble is that everything. looks. exactly. the. same. in my drawer. For the most part, lipsticks and glosses are labeled on the bottom of the tube. If I wanted a specific color, I'd have to grab handfuls at a time and flip them over. It was maddening... especially considering that lips are the last bit of makeup I do before bolting out the door. I needed them to be able to stand upside down, labels up. And I really needed to use my space more effectively, because I couldn't find any particular colors without having to root endlessly through this lovely mess:

Since I am so fond of my brush holder, I thought I'd check out EnKore's tutorial on lipstick organization:

Yep. I actually went through that tedium. It took under an hour, but the measuring and cutting is kind of annoying after awhile. Here are my materials:

And the results! Guess what kind of cereal I eat?

I gave it a test stuffing with various lippie brands:

My little compartments came out on the snug side, so if you do this, try to err on the side of slightly too big for each segment. I can stuff all 24 compartments if I vary lipsticks with glosses (for the most part, lipstick containers are fatter).

And that works out well, because I wanted this first one to just hold my neutral/day/whatever colors:

The Sterlite container I'd been using is much too shallow to hold lipsticks upended like this. I didn't want to eat up valuable counter (or, in my case, antique bedroom vanity) space, so I purchased a deeper container. I'll be able to line up 6 to 8 of these compartments within the box I selected (although I only need 4 total to organize all of my lippie tubes - uh, still, that's a lot).

So here's how it looks in the new container. I have a lot more cutting and folding ahead of me to tame the pile, but it's a start!

EDIT: I finished! Look how organized I am!

They're a little floppy but they serve my purposes quite well. And now I have one less pile of cardboard to drag out to the recycling bin. :)

Regarding that "OMG NEW MAC COLLEKSHUN!!!!111" hysteria...

2008-05-15T15:05:54Z

Since I've pretty thoroughly combed through the offerings of the permanent collection by this point (I know, scary), I like checking out new MAC collections now and then. It has become an occasional Thursday* evening ritual, a reward of sorts for a good week at work or for sticking to my exercise regimen or whatever. I probably drop by the somewhat understocked but pleasantly staffed Holyoke mall** Macy's counter on my way home from work about once a month. I eyeball and swatch to my heart's content, and if I see something I like that I can see myself actually using (and something that I figure I couldn't easily duplicate with what I already have at home), I buy it. I've left empty handed more often than you'd think, and fortunately the MAC artists don't give me any static about my sporadic spending. They've seen me often enough to know that I'm pretty reliable.

(Lest I make myself sound as though I have some kind of Spartan restraint, let me remind you that I've been doing this for more than three years. And buying from LJ users, AND swapping. I have... a lot.)

So I like to check out the new collections in person, but also online. In particular, I always enjoy Temptalia's updates, teaser photos and, especially, her swatches. They're fab, and they help me kill lemmings more often than not - I'll see something and see "yep, I've got something just like that already." But once in awhile, she'll post something and I'll be initially dismissive but then start thinking about it and... uh oh. An unintended craving is sparked.

This time, it's the Electroflash collection. Pretty, right? I was very enamored of those little planet-looking multicolored mineralized eyeshadow pots last year - how hot-looking was the blue one?? - but my common sense intervened and said something like Come now... they're delicate, super-shimmery, flakey eyeshadows. They could be easily duplicated with those kajillions of pigment samples you already have. Need I say more? So I passed, and haven't regretted it one bit.

I also passed on previous incarnations of the mineralized eyeshadows (MES), which came in both solid-shade and duo-shade pots in previous years (Jesus, I've been around for awhile). I prefer my eyeshadows in palettes, and these would NOT take well to being depotted unless I ground them up into a dust and applied them as pigments. They're also on the sheer side. MES lovers recommend applying them wet, which makes sense (works well for loose pigments, too - try MAC Mixing Medium or Visine!), and/or over an emollient base, to really bring out their potential. So, ultimately, they're extra work. And WHOA shimmery. I'm getting old and crepey, here!

Still, I can't help but be tempted by Electroflash. It's like MAC finally decided to combine all previous incarnations of the MES genre: solids plus multicolored in duo form. It's a whole bunch of colors in one pot. It's like, hey, don't regret missing out on the prior releases, because here they all are again! (That's one positive side to the absurd number of new collections MAC releases... if you miss one and regret it, just sit tight: something just like it, often the exact same product, will come back around again eventually.) And... well, they're damn pretty-looking. And I can't believe I'm tempted by them, given my years of dismissing MES. Sigh.

(The lesson, of course? DON'T READ MAKEUP BLOGS if you're trying to limit yourself. Well, read me, but don't read anyone else. Ha!)

Oh, and then there's Cult of Cherry. If you haven't yet found the perfect red lip, looks like you'll be able to with that collection. I know it's redundant, but I'm still psyched to see it (new Mattenes! I have Rougette from last year and I love the formula), and the name is pretty cute. I've been wearing red lips all week because I can't wear much eye makeup until my latest stye*** goes away. And I usually go for bold lips with nearly-bare eyes.

I'm kind of embarrassed to admit that I still get gleeful and covetous about new collections. I generally approach them skeptically and choose selectively, but I've been won over enough in the past to know that, yep, I still like my MAC.

* Because most collections are set out on Thursdays at counter locations... launches are earlier in the week at at Pro and freestanding locations, but there aren't any such stores near me. Which, let's face it, is probably just as well.

**This habit of mine will become doubly dangerous this month, when the brand-new Sephora opens at this very mall. MAC, Sephora and Trade Secret... plus the shoe stores... it's a problem.

*** Augh, I know. Fucking styes. That's a whole 'nother post. Fortunately it's not bad, just puffy and pink around my right tear duct. I get them maybe once or twice per year. A tiny dot of concealer - not on the duct itself, mind, just on the skin underneath my lower lashes - and gently-applied mascara, and I look almost human again.

Very neutral pink look

2008-05-12T16:51:21Z

I had on a pink ombred skirt yesterday and since the weather was nice and I was going to a BBQ, I wanted to look "spring-y." I went with VERY soft matte pink/purples. Kinda yawn, but I thought I'd share.

USED:

MAC Strobe Cream
Stila Tinted Moisturizer (lightest shade, can't remember what it's called)
NARS Desire blush
NARS The Multiple, Cocacabana (cheekbones)
Jordana brown pencil + Clear Great Lash (brows)
Urban Decay Primer Potion
MAC Yogurt (all over lid)
MAC Neutral Pink (outer lid/crease)
MAC Sushi Flower (outer lid)
MAC Passionate (TINY TINY bit in outer lid; totally not visible in the pix, consider it's a crazy-bright matte red-pink)
MAC Vapour (inner eye + browbone highlight)
Makeup Forever #91 (liner)
Maybelline Full N' Soft mascara
MAC Strobeblossom TLC + Love Knot lustreglass (lips) - yes, again!

I didn't go out of my way to perfect my skin, but sometimes I prefer that. Then again, it's kind of iffy to sport pink skin/blemishes when you're wearing a lot of pink. Shrug.

She's Bad (at blending)

2008-05-06T21:52:50Z

I was super dissatisfied with the way this rainbow-y eye came out (boy was that purple explosion on my temples ever a bad idea), but this pic does show the She's Bad lashes well:

I'm amazed to see that those lashes are one of the few things still available from the Heatherette collection. I thought they were wild and not-to-be-missed (whereas most of the lipsticks were HIDEOUS), but hey, that's me. I bought the She's Good lashes, too.

Not that you'd really want to duplicate this hot mess, but I used:

Diorskin Pure Light, Ivory 100 (I'm totally burning through the sample I snagged from Sephora)
MAC Moisturecover concealer, NC15
MAC Shy Beauty blush
NARS The Multiple, Copacabana (as a cheekbone highlight)
Jordana brown pencil + Clear Great Lash (brows)
Urban Decay Primer Potion
Ben Nye Lumiere Luxe pigments in Cherry Red, Sun Yellow, Cosmic Blue, and Chartreuse
MAC Firespot, MAC Goldenrod, Urban Decay Snow... uh, probably something else...
Makeup Forever matte eyeshadow #91 (which, by the way, will NOT blend out if you apply it over a big smeared blob of liquid glitter liner)
MAC Shimmerline & Divine Lime glitterliners, plus an Urban Decay Heavy Metal liner in a light blue shade
Some (discontinued) Tony & Tina eyesafe glitter in red and purple - yeah, I had on a LOT of glitter.
MAC Blacktrack fluidliner
Maybelline mascara + She's Bad lashes from Heatherette
MAC Strobeblossom tinted lip conditioner + Love Knot lustreglass on the lips

(Love Knot and Port Red were the standouts from Naughty Nauticals, in my opinion... I knew I had too many shades similar to the other stuff. I did order pigment samples from an LJer, though, because when can I ever say no to pigment samples?)

Why I don't wear mineral foundation

2008-04-28T14:18:20Z

labellelle commented in my previous entry, asking whether I'd yet written about mineral makeup.

I never have! The closest I've come is using MAC's Mineralized Skinfinish Natural, which is a pressed mineral powder - and a very nice, finely milled powder at that. But I use very little of it, and generally not as an all-over foundation... like, sometimes I'll use it to take the shine out of the sunscreen I wear.

The reason I'm sort of wary of mineralized makeup is that I'm SO dry that the thought of buffing powder all over my face freaks me out, and I'm not fond of very matte finished faces (at least not on me). I have the kind of face that feels tight and dry and sometimes even itchy within minutes after cleansing (and I use very specific types of cleansers as a result), making me want to dive into a bottle of moisturizer. I avoid toner like the plague and seek out the richest face creams possible.

Unsurprisingly, powder/matte finishes accentuate the dryness in my skin (especially when my skin flakes, which is, unfortunately, often) and seem to age me a LOT, so I usually go the opposite route: liquid or lightweight cream (NOT cream-to-powder) products, over a nice layer of SPF moisturizer, in a satin-y finish. My skin generates very little oil - sweat yes, oil no - so I don't find myself "blotting away the shine." I don't usually go full-on dewy, but I generally prefer dewier skin to matte. I think mineral foundations are excellent for people with oilier skin, but I don't think it's for me.

I hope I don't seem as though I'm bragging about my non-oily skin... to be honest, I wish my skin was a bit more middle-of-the-road, because the dryness can be really awful, what with the flakiness and peeling nose and potential for load o' wrinkles as I age. (And though they aren't particularly leaky, I didn't escape having visible pores - I have a bunch of sizable pores on my nose and cheeks.) I'll be writing about the scaly-eyelid trauma I went through a few years' back, before finding less drying ways to remove makeup. (Ugh!)

Overall I'm reasonably content with my skin type, because I've learned how to keep it more-or-less hydrated and what products are best. (Although, ultimately, I'd like to figure out how to convince my skin to generate its own hydration - I'm really dependent upon moisturizers, and I wonder if that just increases my natural dryness. You know, like lip balm dependency or something. Hmm.) But because of that, I probably won't be reviewing the mineral powders any time soon.

Fortunately, lots of other people have done so! I've heard EXCELLENT reviews for Everyday Minerals, which apparently beats out Bare Escentuals in terms of quality and color choices.

The blog topic to-do list from hell!

2008-04-25T16:11:55Z

I've been terribly truant! There's a disconnect between the photo-upload process and the complexity of embedding links and, mostly, just deciding what to write about in the first place. But goodness knows there are plenty of post topics I'd still like to write (and summer's a good time to do it, considering how things tend to slow down) - so here's what I came up with in a short brainstorm:

Product reviews:
* L'Oreal gloss review
* NARS glitter eye pencil review
* Stila TM review/TMs revisited
* Aveeno sunscreen + moisturizer review
* anything else I've tried recently

How to/tips/tutorials:
* cateye liner YouTube tutorial + my attempt
* brow how-to
* my skincare routine
* NYX Jumbo Pencils as bases - other cheap bases
* makeoffing (and DHC recs)
* Sanitizing makeup
* Fyrinnae pigment how-to (mixing medium tutorial)

Makeup looks/photo posts:
* MOAR FOTDs when I leave enough time to shoot them!
* FOTD slideshow

Essays/recommendations/rants:
* my beauty goals + progress reports (hairstyling, esp. waves and blowouts; cateye liner, falsies, matte/satin finishes on eyes, contouring, salon-worthy manis/pedis, getting less lazy about lip liner)
* brushes vs. fingers for makeup application
* drugstore/low-cost eyeshadow recs (building a rainbow of colors on the cheap)
* swapping tips and cautions
* breaking out of a beauty rut/trying new looks
* color matching vs. coordination (debunking/confronting beauty myths)

Makeup collecting/organization/assorted nerdishness:
* full collection picture porn
* makeup organization update
* MAC collection reviews
* new Holyoke Sephora store visit
* makeup book reviews (Kevyn Aucoin, Bobbi Brown, etc.)

So, now I have a fairly lengthy list. I'll try to keep this post updated and embed links once I've written on a given topic.

Most importantly, what would YOU like to add? Give me an assignment! I can't guarantee follow-through, but I'll see what I can come up with.

YouTube(s) of the Day

2008-04-15T20:51:43Z

Embedding's disabled, but if you have 10 minutes to spare, check out this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LniJXYVxvoU

This is one of the best demonstrations of blending and crease-contouring I've seen yet on YouTube. Plus, she's unfairly gorgeous, has a great voice and an excellent teaching style. I'm a loyal subscriber!

Here's my favorite FOTD slideshow thinger... this girl's work is just breathtaking. It definitely leans toward the avant garde, but even though I rarely emulate it (and couldn't if I wanted to, frankly), I love how inspiring dramatic looks can be - and how well they illustrate different techniques. You'd think she was using an airbrush on her eyes, but she's not! And she actually makes the dreaded concealer-lip look kind of cool:

Speaking of airbrush-like blending...

Anyone looking to build up their own library of inspiring videos is more than welcome to steal from my channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/lizsybarite

Gosh, what DID I do with 3:30am insomnia before YouTube? I probably, like, read books or something.

UD eyeliner swatches

2008-04-14T20:36:50Z

Because I'm such a product whore, the "desert island" scenario is somewhat painful to contemplate. If I could only have one X, what would it be? One lipstick? One eyeshadow?!?

Um... are you KIDDING me? I've always had a thirst for variety. If I have the time to go even just slightly beyond the very basics, I do my makeup a little bit differently every chance I get. I have my standby looks for those 3-minute mornings, but that's not how I prefer things to be. Of COURSE I don't NEED all of it, but I like to be spoiled by choice. So, picking THE ONE AND ONLY? Not my strength. Here's hoping I never get shipwrecked, yes?

But, OK, fine: if I absolutely HAD to choose only one type of eyeliner, it would have to be the Urban Decay 24/7 pencil liners. (Don't make me pick just one color, though - that's downright cruel.) Although I'm sure they exist, I have not found another pencil eyeliner that compares, nor have I really strayed since I love these so much. The 24/7s glide on smooth, [most of] the colors are fab, they stay put, and they can be used as bases and even applied with an angled brush for a liquid liner look if that's the way you roll. Some have UD's ubiquitous silver glitter, but it's not nearly as obtrusive, scratchy and fall-out-y as some of the glitter pencils I've tried before.

(MAC, I'm looking at you - oh man, and NARS too! Someone swapped me a NARS glitter pencil recently, and it was an untold horror: dry, rough, clumsy to apply, poor color payoff, glitter everywhere BUT where I had placed it. And for what NARS charges, no effin' thanks! I promptly sent it off as an extra in another swap. I could have made it work, but why bother?)

I'm also a huge gel liner fan, but on my 3-minute mornings, I don't reach for anything that requires a brush. Pencils it is! My 3-minute morning eye look is, almost invariably, Bourbon + Baked 24/7 liner plus mascara. FIN.

Urban Decay also does liquid liner exceptionally well. I'm not the world's biggest liquid liner fan - the margin for error is just intimidating - but I really like the ones Urban Decay makes. Er, MADE - they went and repackaged them and I'm pretty sure I already ranted about the giant space-hogging product-wasting bottles. So I stocked up on the vintage liners, which are currently clearing out for $7 a pop on the UD website. (I know I said I'd resist. I *did* resist... for about 48 hours. What?!? - they were $7 apiece and they're not making them anymore!! Pffff.)

So, I come bearing swatches:

TOP ROW, left to right: 24/7 liners in Bourbon, Lucky, Baked, Electric, Covet, Deviant, Dime, Yeyo.
CENTER, left to right: Vintage liquid liners in Crash, Roach, Thames, Shattered, Speed, Smog, Chains, Spare Change
BOTTOM: Heavy Metal glitter liners in Air Guitar and Baked. (They're not nearly as dark IRL - they're much brighter, comparable to the bright blues and Baked swatches above!)

Some of the colors were a weird surprise. Shattered in liquid form is nothing like the oceanic teal eyeshadow - it's more of a medium leafy green. Hmm, I think I like Thames better. I feared the dark olive-y Smog would look horrible on me, but once applied it's not all that distinguishable from a brown shade - it was really wearable, and a nice change from the very red-brown Roach. Not so sure about Chains... I don't break out the yellow golds that often, but we shall see. And this collection is by no means complete, although I have no real determination to make it so. UD has released and DC'd a lot of colors over the years. (I do wish I had vintage bottles of Acid Rain or Gash, though.)

Anyway, check this out - this is what my arm looked like after soaking it in running water and rubbing my arm vigorously, sans soap:

I use a light olive oil-based cleanser to wash my face at night, which removes these nicely.

Oh, and back to the annoying desert island question: if I could only have ONE item of makeup (not counting skin care - lord knows my pasty self would need high SPF on a desert island!), it would have to be mascara. I'd still feel pretty bare and blah, but that's the essential element. How about you?

Holographic FX

2008-04-10T20:51:42Z

What on earth could this be, I wonder?

I saw a glowing review of the China Glaze OMG! 2BKEWL collection on All Lacquered Up and couldn't say no. Here it is:

Holos are so mesmerizing; I can't help it. And China Glaze is even cheaper than OPI!

My first attempt at applying them was a sad, sad thing, though. I put down a clear base coat and went to apply OMG, the silvery one on the right in the above pic. It went on soooo streaky and horribly that I gave up for the day, and consulted the Makeup Alley forums for advice.

Turns out, this is a notoriously tricky collection to apply smoothly. The MUA beauty geniuses came back with the following tips, which I'll paraphrase here:

1. Skip the base, or if you must use one, let it dry REALLY thoroughly before applying these polishes.

2. Apply in as few strokes as possible with sufficient polish loaded on the brush. Don't overcorrect; it will smooth out on its own.

3. Mix in some thinner to make the polish less gloppy. (I haven't tried this since the above tips turned out to work just fine, but was instructed to use polish thinner specifically, not, like, nail polish remover or anything.)

So I skipped the base, applied as instructed, and the results were vastly improved!

Here are my nails with OMG and an OPI gloss top coat:

And my toes with DV8 + gloss:

Holos are fun, and having this collection might save me from hoarding the OPI Designer Series polishes that achieve the same look yet cost a few bucks more.

Er, have I mentioned that my polish collection is slightly out of control? It's looking like a nail salon up in here!

The nice thing about having them on display is a. they're pretty, b. they're no longer hogging my traincase, and, most importantly, c. I actually USE them more when I can see them on the wall. A lot more. Even my not-girly spouse has taken to sporting polished thumbnails only ("I'm trying out a new affectation.") Awesome.

Lip(s) of the Day

2008-04-04T15:05:10Z

sparkle_shortz is entirely at fault for turning me on to this color: MAC Hot Tahiti.

(Note to self: time for WhiteStrips.)

It's one of those deceptive, sheerer-than-it-looks colors. In the tube, it looks like a fairly deep brownish red. But then it goes on all smooth and natural. No shimmer, no glitter, just warm midtone red with a hint of coral (and coral is NOT an easy color for me to wear). This is a lipstick you could easily whip out for friends who profess a desire to try, but also have a terror of, red lipstick. I actually made two of my officemates try it on and they were both deeply skeptical but they both loved the way it looked.

As do I. Although I'm always in favor of bright, true-blue reds, you've got to appreciate a "day" red. When I want something more sparkly, I always grab MAC's Fresh Moroccan, but I also love Clinique's Berry Freeze. (Talk about an inaccurately named lipstick... it sounds like it should be a frosty raspberry color or something. And the swatch online makes it look brown. But it's a deep, warm red cream on me. Shrug. I wore it to the mall yesterday and the gay boy working at Torrid totally complimented me.)

On the other end of the color spectrum, I've been a bit of a slut for pink lipglasses lately:

^ MAC Cultured

^ MAC Starlet Kiss (from the Heatherette collection) - applied lightly. It's a bright, sparkly baby pink.

And finally, here's my ACTUAL lip of the day: good ol' MAC Ample Pink plushglass, which I'm nearly out of.

Complexion Perfection - the motherlode

2008-04-03T18:21:00Z

Remember when I said I intended to test out some new tinted moisturizers for summer? Well, I just happened to be in CT last weekend and managed to snag several samples at the Westfarms' Sephora - hooray for their generous sampling program! (Like, FULL TO THE BRIM fat plastic jars. I could almost get through the summer without buying a full bottle of any one of these. The lesson? Never be shy about asking, and if you get static from one staffer, just try another. Foundation should not be a snap decision - you need to see it in daylight!)

My needs are pretty straightforward - SPF, moisturizing properties for my oh-so-dry skin, and enough tint to cover the redness (but no need for full coverage, at least not every day). Here's a surely sexy close-up of what my naked cheek looks like:

No, I don't hate my skin. There is some genetic redness, some (mercifully small) pores and unevenness, but... not too bad. Still, I like to look a BIT more polished and have an even surface for blush, and don't like the redness contrasting with whatever other colors I wear. It's all about balance, right? So...

DAY ONE: BeneFit You Rebel Lite.

A year or so ago, I inherited a half-used bottle of the original You Rebel from a coworker, which I cut with moisturizer in attempt to tone down the, uh, overwhelming orange-ness of it. It did glide on surprisingly sheer but photographed horribly, and in certain light I could swear I still saw that orange tint. It was, sadly, a no go on my pale skin. But BeneFit must have been listening, because they recently released the new, lighter take on You Rebel, and I snagged a sample.

So, here's my face before, naked as can be (LOL, I always look so glum in the no-makeup shots):

And here's me with a faceful of You Rebel Lite (and no other makeup, thus still resembling a mental patient):

See the difference? I certainly do. However, something about the color was STILL bothering me. It's subtle, but... I dunno, I wasn't quite feeling it. I tried going outside (proving to my neighbors what an eccentric, vain creature I am) and taking some shots in what remained of the day's sunlight:

And here's me with the rest of my face on (just some blush, mascara, lipgloss and brow definition, I think):

(By the way, the blush is my new love: MAC Shy Beauty - it's pink-y peach-y perfection on me, don't you agree? These blushes are VERY pigmented and have a nice light, summery shimmer. Shy Beauty was really the only one I could wear without looking ridiculous... well, I was tempted by the super-bright hot pink one, too, but... I digress.)

Well hello there, solar glare:

So, I think You Rebel Light needs a bit more scrutiny. It did the job but I'm still paranoid about looking TOO yellowish, even though I always select yellow-based foundations to counteract my natural redness.

DAY TWO: Laura Mercier tinted moisturizer.

This stuff gets rave reviews on Makeup Alley and is consistently voted "Best of Sephora," and how can I resist those ads that say, simply, "Flawless"? I also have a swap-acquired moisturizing mask that has served me well, so I definitely wanted to try LM's tinted moisturizer.

So, here's before, again:

And here's after - I'm wearing the Porcelain shade (as light as it gets, per usual):

Yeah, holy crap. That's pretty much exactly what I want a tinted moisturizer to do for me. No, it's not "flawless" - the coverage is very light - but there's definitely coverage happening, and the tint doesn't sit visibly in my pores (like MAC Select Tint and Prescriptives Traceless unfortunately did) or look streaky, obvious or anything else. This is the kind of product I can use to ease out of fuller coverage when I'm going to be outdoors and don't want to look overly made up. Note: I got a sample of the regular formula, not the "oil free" one - the Sephora staffer said I'd probably like the finish better because it's more satin than matte. She's right; I hate matte foundations on my dry skin. Your mileage may vary. But I've been wearing this for a few days now and liking it very much, so I give it an enthusiastic thumbs up.

Holy price, though. You Rebel Lite comes in at $28; this baby is $42. Bit of a serious, long-term commitment. Damn. Maybe I should check out Stila's version after all (it's $32).

Here are two looks I did with LM as my base - first we have some MAC greens (and a little too much yellow on the inside of my eye, IMO, but whatever):

(It was a daytime look so I didn't line the bottom, but some of the yellow-green got under my inner eye - annoyingly incongruous!)

And here are some Ben Nye Lumiere Luxe powder purples (damn are these ever the best loose pigments on planet earth!):

(I know; I take too many pictures. And on a work morning, no less!)

DAY THREE: Christian Dior DiorSkin Pure Light.

OK, this is more of a lightweight foundation than a tinted moisturizer (although I may dilute it with moisturizer and see how it performs - always a worthy experiment if you already have a medium-to-full coverage liquid foundation in your arsenal!) But people rave about this foundation, and the pale girls swear it's one of the few that actually matches, so I decided to sample it as well. I won't repeat the whole CHECK OUT MAH NEKKID FACE THING... whatever; here's me with DiorSkin Pure Light (Ivory 100) plus blush plus not nearly enough eye makeup plus lipstick:

The eye - I figured, hey, why not make it two-for-two and wear Diorshow Azure? MAN is that shit ever bright!

I'm still on the fence about this foundation, honestly... perhaps because I'm already quite fond of Prescriptives Flawless Skin and don't think I need to venture into the designer label makeup realm for my foundation. Also, DiorSkin Pure Light is water-based and not as moisturizing as the others I tried - I felt it was distinctly closer to a matte finish than I normally venture. But, hey, since I have the giant sample I'm definitely going to play around with it a bit. If you're not already bored senseless, I could do a mix-your-own-tinted-moisturizer comparison and pit Prescriptives against Dior. I'm sure that would be absolutely scintillating.

Oh, and P.S. - lots of you recommended trying the Stila tinted moisturizer, but I didn't see a color that looked like me on display, so I skipped it. Maybe once that new Holyoke Sephora opens up...