Professional Grade: Pinup

One of the twins popped by today for a vintage 'pinup' look. I'm actually glad that's what she wanted... because I'm plotting out looks for an upcoming fashion show, and I think I want to do pinup on the models. Anyway, here's what happened:

FACE

Chanel Blanc Iluminating Primer

Dior Forever Foundation in 040

MAC Prep & Prime Loose Powder

Sleek Contour Kit in Light (contour only)

Illamasqua Blush in Nymph

EYES

MAC Eyeshadow in Brule (all over)

MAC Eyeshadow in Soft Brown (crease/under waterline)

Chanel Eye Pencil in Clair (waterline)

YSL Gel Liner in Deep Black (lashline)

Tarte Mascara

Starlet False Lashes

LIPS

Besame Lip Liner in Red Velvet

MAC Lipstick in Russian Red

Tarte for True Blood: The Winner Is...

BRIA BUNNY!

Congratulations!

You won:

Tarte for True Blood:

Eyeshadow Palette

Cheek Stain

Lip Pencil/Stain

Bria, I've sent you an email. You have 48 hours to respond with your mailing address, and I'll get your prize right out to you! Congratulations again!

FOTD: Dior Couture Golds

I wanted to see how the Dior 5 Couture Golds would perform in practical application, so they took center stage in this FOTD:

FACE

Armani Face Fabric (#5)

Kevyn Aucoin Radiant Diaphonous Powder

Armani Blush in #6

EYES
Suqqu Eyebrow Pen in Brown

Dior 5 Couture Golds:

Peach on the lids

Darkest Brown in the crease

Medium Brown under waterline

Urban Decay 24/7 Eye Pencil in Zero on lashline and waterline

Armani Eyes To Kill Stretch Mascara

LIPS 

Chanel Rouge Allure Lipstick in Enviree

Professional Grade? My first Sugar Skull

A friend wanted to know if I could do a Sugar Skull makeup on her... she wanted teal and gold, with a little purple thrown in there for good measure.

I have NEVER done a Sugar Skull before, so this was quite a challenge. I did okay. It's not great, but it was my first time. What I found out was, it's a lot harder to do than it looks. My hands REFUSED to stay steady. Anyway, here it is:

That took me about an hour and some minutes. I imagine this is one of those 'practice makes perfect' things. I'm going to need a LOT more practice.

Dior Holiday 2011: 5 Couture Golds

Dior continues its 'warming trend' for the Holidays, with a palette shot through with a healthy dose of gold:

The palette features five 'gold-inspired' colors: a pale beige, a true golden peach, a golden taupe, a golden brown, and a shimmer gold in the center.

My swatches truly do not do these colors justice... each shade is rich and warm and very flattering.

I love this better than the Endless Shine palette, but not as much as the 5 Golds Palette. Overall though, it's a decent effort from Dior.

Kit Essentials from YSL

I'll be honest: Yves Saint Laurent is not the first brand that comes to mind when I'm looking for unusual additions to my kit. I'll browse the brand for luxurious lipsticks or the occasional eyeshadow palette. But tools? Not so much.

Imagine my surprise when I came upon two items that simply had to be added to my personal collection:

This eyeliner brush is DIVINE. Look at that head! And I'm happy to report that with good care, the head maintains that shape. It's a perfect companion to the YSL Shocking Gel Liners. I'm totally impressed.

YSL Rouge Pur in #12
(Blanc Manifesto)

This lipstick is meant to add 'light' to any existing lip color, or change the color completely by bringing it an entire shade up. Now, when I first saw it, I thought it was sheer. It's NOT.

It blends out a bit, but still leaves a distinct shimmer. I totally fell in love with it. It reminds me of Chanel's Fantasme, but for the lips. They also have one that 'darkens' lip color... alone, it swatched like Tom Ford's Black Orchid. It was a pass for me.

Eye Adore: Armani Eyes to Kill Stretch Mascara

Oh... this is GOOD.

I got to try the Armani Eyes To Kill Stretch mascara, and let me tell you, it's EXCELLENT. Like... right up there with the original formula, except this may even be a bit more shiny.

Now, as you guys know (or not), I tend to keep a lot of mascaras in rotation. So I'd never go through one tube at a time. I use mascara brands and formulas as my mood, and the look, calls for it.

Love this tube. It's a brushed cool gold color... really nice. Like the other mascara formulas from Armani, this tube has the logo 'etched' in. I love the packaging. It really makes the product stand out.

The brush on this particular mascara is small... smaller than any of the others, I think. It's long and thin, and the bristles change in density and shape as you rotate the wand. It's designed to help you get maximum length and separation with the least amount of product. Amanda showed me how to use it (I think you use the flat side first or something), but I think I was only half paying attention because I didn't remember a thing by the time I got home. Smh. But I think I got the hang of it when I put it on...

That's two coats people... TWO COATS! Total length and separation, NO CLUMPS. I love it. It's not a 'volumizing' mascara... not like the YSL shocking version. This is very lengthening. Armani was sure to keep the formula very clean.

This mascara... I highly recommend. I completely love it.

Professional Grade: Fleurings Photo Shoot -- Final Pictures

You guys remember the shoot I did with Samantha Lockwood for Fleurings Jewelry...

Well, she sent me two of the final pictures! Here they are:

Since the focus was on the jewelry, the idea was to keep the makeup polished and 'complementary' -- not competitive.

She seemed really happy with the results. And if the client is happy, then I'm happy.

FOTD: Gold n' Neutral

I broke out my Chanel Topkapi eyeshadow palette again... goodness I LOVE this thing. The pigmentation and the texture of these colors is simply amazing.

FACE

Guerlain Parure Gold Foundation (Beige 06)

Kevyn Aucoin Radiant Diaphonous Powder

Armani Blushing Fabric in Sienna

EYES

Sleek Storm Palette (brown) on brows

Chanel Topkapi Quad:

Gold on the lids

Meduim brown in the crease

Dark brown on outer crease, on lashline and under waterline

By Terry Crayon Kohl Terrybly in Brown Stellar

Armani Eyes to Kill Mascara

LIPS

Dolce & Gabbana Lipstick in Gold

Lip Service: Chanel Rouge Allure (Enviree)

I really didn't think that I was going to like this lipstick. Everyone was hooting and hollering about it, and I was like... meh. Pink with pink sparkles... really? I don't think so. Plus Chanel Lipsticks in pink colors typically don't do well for me. But I was mistaken with Enviree:

It's a lot warmer than I thought. It's really flattering! And it turns out, it looks different on every skin tone. Little Sis Amanda tried it on, and it came out coral on her. She loved it too. So... I'm glad I gave Enviree a shot. It's a keeper.

MAC Glitter & Ice (Paint Pots)

So...

My Glitter & Ice stuff came from MAC. Much of the collection was a pass for me. I did order the Paint Pots though, because I feel that's something that MAC does really well.

For Effect    Morning Frost   Let's Skate!

For Effect

Morning Frost

Let's Skate!

As expected, I LOVE For Effect. It's a dark grey with a deeply imbedded shimmer... I really love the way it looks. Morning Frost turned out to be a bit of a dud. It's functional, and it's okay, but the color isn't much to write about. The surprise was Let's Skate! I thought it was a flat pink. But it's not. It's a multi-shimmer pink base, with both pink and gold sparkles (neither of which you can see in the pictures... BOO!). It's interesting, and not too juvenile. I really like it.

I also got the Dazzleglass in Glitter & Ice...

...and I'm pretty sure it's going back.