Gold vs Goldilux...

I've made my recent love affair with SugarPill cosmetics no secret. My recent additions include two loose shadows: Goldilux and Tiara.

Goldilux is a multi faceted gold that will blend out to the most muted shimmer. Close inspection shows it's not truly 'gold' at all, but a combination of reflective pigments that give off the appearance of gold when mixed together. The result is 'layered' -- not flat:

Compare that to MAC Gold pigment, which sort of lies flat. Is it a true gold? Probably. But it lacks the imagination and versatility of Goldilux:

SugarPill continues to impress me. I have yet to run across a product in this line that disappoints me. I've picked only brightest colors from this line. I'm not interested in anything 'muted'. It's a rather LOUD brand, so I'm interested in the most obnoxious items that it has to offer.

I can assure you that Goldilux will be well used, both within and beyond my kit. Once again, viva la sugarpill!

Fix it or Forget It

I recently picked up Urban Decay's ALL NIGHTER makeup fixative. It claims to hold makeup for 16 hours, even through temperature changes:

First day I try it... with Kevyn Aucoin SK Foundation. My foundation is 'gummy' within about an hour. I'm an oil slick after 4 hours. The Aucoin foundation IS rather heavy, so I switch it up.

Second day I try it with Chanel MAT Lumiere Foundation. It holds well for about an hour.... then my temperature rises (I thought I'd left my wallet an a restaurant during lunch) and my makeup nearly SLIDES off of my face! I'm not exaggerating. It was gross. I ended up washing it off and going barefaced for the rest of the day.

I honestly need Urban Decay to go back to the drawing board on this one. It does NOT work for oily skin, and since it didn't pass the test on my own skin, I would never use it on or recommend it to clients.

Instead, I've gone back to an oldie (okay not that old) but goodie...

MUFE Mist & Fix. At least I know this one works. Sometimes, you have to stick with what you know.

Beauty Breakdown: Playing with Color

I recently did a fashion shoot and was lucky enough to get a model and a photographer who were all about COLOR. They weren't afraid of anything, and pretty much let me do what I wanted. My last Sugarpill order came with a fabulous picture (no doubt done by Shrinkle) that I absolutely loved. I decided to pay homage... with the notion that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery:

Here's the technical breakdown...


Foundation: Dior Forever & Mac Studio Stick 

Brows: MUFE Aqua Black 

Eyes: MUFE #75 
Sugarpill Flamepoint 
Sugarpill Buttercupcake 
MUFE Lashes 

Cheeks: MAC Bright Fuschia 

Lips: MAC Lip Pencil in Temperature Rising 
OCC Lip Tar in NSFW (edges) and ANIME (center)


Here's the reality...


Meradi's skin is tricky; It's VERY oily in some places and simply parched in others. It's like extreme combination skin. Even a drop of powder would make her foundation crack. So I had to do a little mixing. I put Dior and MAC together with loads of Fix + and a little Habibi unscented hair and body oil. It kept the foundation soft enough to move around, but matte enough to hold.


She has two lovely arches for eyebrows, but they tended to disappear with all the color around them. So I took a stiff brush and dipped it into a little MUFE Aqua Black and literally 'colored' in the hairs. The shape belongs to her, as does the thickness. The color is just enhanced a bit.


The blusher is on the BACK of her cheekbones. If she's facing forward there is  no color in the center of face at all. We did that purposely to offset the intense color on her eyes and lips.


The rest is self explanatory. We wanted the hair off her face... the hairstylist on set was lovely about interpreting my wishes.


It was the photographer's idea to put her on a red background.


In all... I'm pleased. Sometimes I have no control over what a concept will be, and how it will be executed. Here... I was happy to have a little freedom to do something fun!

Sugar High!!!!

More goodies from Sugarpill!

Sweetheart Palette (top)

Cold Heart Palette (bottom)

From left:

Bulletproof

Dollipop

Midori

Afterparty

Toko

Loose Eyeshadows:

Royal Sugar (top)

Lumi (middle)

Magpie (bottom)

From left: 

Royal Sugar

Lumi

Magpie (black based teal)

Royal Sugar

Magpie

Just Pop a SugarPill!

In a world of perfectly matched, neutral, heavily blended formulas... a colorful woman by the internet name of 'Shrinkle' has found the cure for the common makeup rut.

Her advice: Just pop a SUGARPILL. That's the name of her new makeup line. I learned about it from the bloggers at specktra.net (thanks ladies!) and decided to do a little research of my own.

Enough talking... enjoy the sugar high!

My lovely shipping box is filled with bright fuschia paper! So girlie!!!

She sends a bunch of freebies with the order. I ordered the Burning Heart palette and Asylum loose eyeshadow. The rest is extra!

Behold, the colorful yumminess!

Look at how PIGMENTED these colors are! One swipe with a fat smudge brush... that's it.

Asylum loose eyeshadow:

It actually has a lovely sheen to it... a bit of a sparkle. 

That's it! So far, I LOVE this line. I plan to return for more colorful yumminess. You can go for your own sugar high, at www.sugarpillshop.com

Enjoy!

For Your Eyes Only

I've never made this claim before:

Giorgio Armani 'EYES TO KILL' Mascara is the best product in its class on the market right now. Period. Take it from a mascara fiend... I've tried them all. I've used everything from Great Lash (garbage) to MAC Studio Fix Lash (good) Lancome Hypnose (really good), Dior Blackout Mascara (excellent), to YSL False Effects (fabulous). 

This stuff beats them ALL. 

First of all, it comes in a tube that looks like something out of a James Bond movie: pewter colored, with the feel and weight of lead. Just gorgeous. And no stickers on this little baby... the name of the company and product is literally BRANDED into the tube. 

As a girly girl who likes fabulous (and expensive looking) things, this tube takes the cake.

To the test...

This is my eye with no mascara or curling:

This is my eye with two coats of 'Eyes To Kill'. No curling.

If I had a complaint (because really, I don't have one), it would be that this mascara carries no fragrance. One of the perks of YSL mascaras is that they reek of rose oil. It's just divine, and makes it a joy to use the mascara. When that smell is gone, it's time to toss the tube. 'Eyes To Kill' has no scent, which I'm told makes many people very happy. I like for things to smell good.. it's my thing. But for someone who doesn't want any fragrance in their products, this is the mascara for you.

I love this stuff. Seriously. Until someone comes up with something better... and I mean MUCH BETTER...  Giorgio Armani 'Eyes To Kill' is my mascara of choice.

Lip Service

So...

I thought I'd pay a little 'lip service' to some of my recent favorites. I'm just getting the hang of this swatch thing... so bear with me.

First things first:

The rest of my OCC Lip Tars came! Yayyy!!! They are all just STUNNING. And when I tell you that a little goes a long way, believe it!

From the top right: 

Tarred

Feathered 

Vintage

Traffic

Petty Beige

Bottom Row:

Hoochie

Melange

Anime

Demure

Demure   Anime   Melange   Hoochie

Traffic   Petty Beige   Vintage   Feathered

VINTAGE

ANIME

MELANGE

SAFETY ORANGE 

(from the IMATS haul)

Chanel Taffeta Rose

Chanel Coral Love

That's it! The last two are from Chanel's fall 2010 collection. Taffeta Rose is actually more pigmented in person, as is Coral Love. I think the flash kind of washed it out. As I said, I'm learning.

Note: The lip tar swatches were achieved with just a swipe of product... about the size of a pinhead. I purposely did not use a lip pencil, so you can see how truly pigmented the tars are. I didn't swatch TARRED because it separated during shipping; I was told to let it rest for 24 hours (NY - from whence they shipped - is currently going through one hell of a heatwave), and call them if nothing changes.

That's all for now. Ciao!

Purple Reign

In makeup, purple (or plum) is likely my second favorite color (falling closely behind black based red). Variations of this lovely hue are scattered throughout my kit and personal makeup collection. The invention of several new versions of purples and plums are what prompted this entry.

Some of my favorites:

Right to Left:

Dior Addition Gloss in Black Tie Plum

MUFE Aqua Cream in #19

MAC Greasepaint Stick in Charred Mauve

MAC Pigment in Deep Purple

Urban Decay 24/7 Eyeliner Pencil in Rockstar

TOP: Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment in Plum

Up Close:

MAC Pigment in Deep Purple:

Make Up For Ever Aqua Cream in #19:

Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment in Plum:

Dior Addict Lip Gloss in Black Tie Plum:

Mac Greasepaint Stick in Charred Mauve:

Urban Decay 24/7 Eyeliner Pencil in RockStar:

Some Old Favorites...

Shu Uemura Rouge Unlimited in 050:

 

 

Giorgio Armani Lip Gloss in #48:

All of these products stay in heavy rotation, no matter the season. I understand that Plum will be the color du jour in makeup come the Fall. Regardless, trend or no... I will likely ever keep these products and hues in stock. Purples and plums are awesome when done right. Paired with unexpected hues like orange or yellow... they pop even more.

Viva La Purple Reign!