Hot or Not Beauty

With this year’s fall trendy being all smoky, alluring and mysterious, contour is back with a vengeance. Although it’s a technique that I prefer strictly for night-time when the lights are forgiving, however many people still wonder what products they should be wearing to create the illusion of more sculpted features. So here are a few guidelines:

Contouring creates false shades that help reshaping your face, so just because you have a darker shade of blush or a bronzer, it doesn’t mean that it’s suitable for contouring.

Here are the rules of thumb for contouring and then a few suggestions:

Whatever you purchase for contouring it has to be of a matte finish, whatever you purchase that has shimmer to it will defeat the purchase because it will attract the light and reflect it and it won’t look like a shadow at all. So blushes with shimmer, Mineralize Skinfinishes and the like are definitely a no-no, you might love them to pieces but it will defeat the purpose just by being there.

Bronzers are not a product to contour with in my opinion, reddish, orangish terracotta like pigments are not the color of any shadow on your face, so it will look too artificial and incredibly fake.

To me, the best type of product you can for contour is pressed powder in a darker shade than your own color, although some people use powder foundation I think that it gives too much coverage and if you want to be subtle, the pigment concentration can actually make your job harder.

You don’t need a contour brush and to layer the product on your face, you use the side of a blush brush pick up some powder, pat the excess away and softly smooth it on the areas that you want to contour. An advice be sure that the area that you’re going to contour has been dusted with loose powder so the pressed powder won’t smudge and end up making you look dirty.

To highlight you need a powder or highlighting product that is lighter than your skin tone and this one can have shimmer and sparkle, however if you have problems with enlarged pores, the shimmer can enhance them and end up making you look worse, so if you don’t want too much attention brought on to the areas you want to highlight, so in that case stick to a lighter shade of pressed powder and fear enlarged pores no more.

If you have a light to medium skin tone, feel free to try “Make Up For Ever“’s Compact Modeler, the darker shade has a wee bit of gray pigment that helps to further create the illusion of shadow on your face.

For an example of this Fall’s polished flawless look, take a look at my post regarding Yves Saint-Laurent’s Fall Collection

Continuing our eyeliner discussion for this season in all it’s shape and sizes.

Pencil eyeshadow is one of those iconic makeup items that we see everywhere.

Compared to eyeshadow, pencils have a broad more intense line, have bigger staying powder are more pigmented and exist in various choices in their own formulations.

Personally I prefer softer eyeliner pencils, you can draw bolder striking lines and keeping them sharp or smudge them with a brush for a less defined and smokier look.

My personal favorites are Kohl liners, I like the creamy texture and also I’m a sucker for putting eyeliner on the waterline and they’re formulated and tested for waterline use. The only disadvantage concerning Kohl (also known as Kaja) liners is that most of them tend to migrate if you have oily eyelids and some of them give you the infamous panda or raccoon eyes (basically when sexy smudge becomes messy smudge and you have liner everywhere it’s not supposed to be) and if that happens, stick to a different type of formula and do yourself a big favor.

Here’s my view on my some of the pencils that are part of my regular use:

MAC Eye Kohl - Creamy, very pigmented and safe for waterline use, I have these in multiple colors.

MAC Technakohl - It sort of reminds me of Clinique’s Quickliner for Eyes, it’s less softer than the pencil formula but has bigger staying power and is safe for waterline use.

MAC Powerpoint - This pencil is waterproof, but I think it’s incredibly coarse and harsh on my lids, also although many people put it on their waterline, I’d rather not.

Chanel’s Le Crayon Kohl - Creamy (sometimes a bit too creamy), but it’s the blackest black eye pencil I have, also safe for Waterline use.

Clinique’s Quickliner for Eyes - It’s a staple and what I love about it is the built in smudger on the other side, the only disadvantage is that you can’t take it out too much because it doesn’t retract and you can’t sharpen it. Otherwise there’s always a Real Black one in my pouch.

Jean Paul Gaultier’s - I love the fact that it looks like a regular pen and that it comes with a a stick concealer, however the concealer shade isn’t universal, and I wish the black was more black and less blue.

Pencil eyeliners are great to carry around, a darker shade in your pouch can change your daytime look to night time in a second.

For a blast from the past, check some eyeliner ramblings here.

MAC released recently a new line of eyeshadows, so matte, they’re Matte².

Most people shiver at the thought of blending a matte eyeshadow, but quite honestly it has to be my favorite finish (as I’ve probably said this in the past) since it is incredibly versatile and adds always a touch of class or subdued beauty.

If you don’t have matte eyeshadows in your palettes, I would strongly advise getting two or three neutral shades depending on your skin tone, this way you’ll always be prepared for a more demanding job interview which will allow you to look incredibly polished but not over-the-hill “LOOK AT MY HIGH FROST WHITE EYESHADOW”, that with a nice satin or matte lipstick paired with a soft matte neutral (or a complimentary) blusher can make all the difference and make you stand out.

My favorites in this collection are “Poison Pen”, “Pen ‘N’ Pink”, “Handwritten”, “Fig. 1″, “Copperplate”, “Brown Script”, “Signed, Sealed”, “Graphology”, “Tete-A-Tint” and “Typographic”. Yes, that’s a lot but I love matte and most likely will buy them all, these shades also can create this season’s glamorous smoky look and the convenience of a matte eyeshadow is that if you want to sizzle it up, you can resort to a funky MAC Pigment for that extra shazam or Make Up For Ever’s beautiful Star Powders to completely transform your look.

Along with the eyeshadows you have a nice toned-down collection of Liquid Last Liners, but quite honestly I never liked this liquid liner formula and it’s always quite “meh” on my book.

Definitely one of my favorite things so far is Shiseido’s Automatic Lip Crayon, this product is a must have for everyone that hates lip liners and think they make you look fake and too made-up.

The colors are versatile and allow you to layer them if you’d rather have a strong colorful look you can layer it without making it heavy. The formula is ultra soft, not sticky and has the sheen of a gloss if you brushed it slightly instead of layering it for that vynil look.

The crayon also allows to define your lips without the finish that is usually given by lip liners whether pencil or cream form making it a very convenient item to carry on your purse.

I purchased it in Beige and LOVE it, gives a subtle sheen to my lips helping to define them and allows for a very smooth base if I want to apply a gloss on top enhancing the gloss effect.

The gloss in Peach Melba is absolutely fabulous, making it my very favorite neutral lip gloss and dethroning my Chanel Cristal Gloss Vanilla Dream and plus the formula is a lot kinder to my lips.

If you’re a fan of neutral lips, you definitely shouldn’t miss these.

One of the things that made MAC incredibly popular were its lipsticks, Madonna’s Russian Red during her Blond Ambition Tour, so this Fall MAC introduces a new lipstick formula and finish in “Mattene”, a new type of semi-matte lipstick enriched with silicone, emolients allowing soft and smooth finish.

I for one am quite excited about it. Matte lipstick can be sometimes very unforgiving on lips that have lot of lines on ‘em, a semi-matte formula allows for a sophisticated look without a drying and flakey look. Definitely a more rich formula that impregnates the lips with pigment and moisture.

For some reason, one of my personal looks is a flawless made up face with a matte finish and rich defined lips without the moist look of gloss or a lacquered finish. It just strikes me as the ultimate luxury looking at a woman and appreciating powerful defined lips were it’s all about her lips.

Fourteen shades that go from neutral beige, pink, reds, orange and the deepest of violet. My favorites are 40’s Pink, Seriously Rich, Night Violet, Classic Dame, Power Suit, Rapturous, Tango and You Say Tomato.
This Fall season proves to be the ultimate in a sensual, slight decadent look and I’m all for it.

You’ve read it everywhere, specially here if you’ve been following it, this Fall is all about sensuality, mystery and allure.

Yves Saint-Laurent also adopted the smoky eye look, however instead of going for the neutral lip, they painted in deep red for an even more sensual look.
The sun-kissed complexion with an oriental twist is completely gone and the skin reverted to a more pale complexion to fully contrast with the dark eyes and dark lips being fully sculpted with blushing almost evoking a chiseled masculine face shape that contradicts itself with full dark red lipstick and mascara filled lashes.

Limited-edition wise we have a new multi-purpose palette with a Haute Couture gorgeous design with shadows flattering for complexion and eyes as well. I like and cringe at these multi-purpose palettes to be perfectly honest. I always have the feeling that very soon the dark pigment will mix itself with the neutral tones used for blush and complexion resulting in utter mess. Sure, one can be careful not to mix them, but having no dividing properties whatsoever, as the brushes sweep the pressed powders, the grains will migrate from one section to another. Besides, if you need surgical precision to keep the palette intact then it’s a minus if you think that these are designed for convenience and portability. If I were to get this, I’d probably leave it as a collector’s item and it would be a shame to leave such an expensive item go to waste.

In my opinion, this collection doesn’t offer anything radically new and unless you’re a die-hard limited edition palette junkie, you can achieve this look with tons of stuff that you probably already have.

It seems to me that Bobbi Brown is starting to become like MAC, in a sense that constantly blurts out new palettes and new looks, instead of making a solid season release to generate even more hype, in the end is just same-old with a bit of a twist.

Metallics was created to add a little “something something” special on what can be a completely casual look for that extra special sexy allure… my answer? “Meh”…

The trouble with highly metallic eyeshadow is that it is EXTREMELY unflattering in more cases than one. Anyone with less than even eyelids, whether because of age or just because they’re crepe-ish, the metallic shine enhances every single crease and fold on your eyelid turning glamorous into frightening with a sweep of a brush.

Although the Velvet Plum palette (per example) is quite pretty, most of them are just too dazzling for my taste, I like super shine when I want to create artificial light effects on the brow bone, the center of the lid or the inner corners and I’ll usually resort to Make Up For Ever’s Star Powder or Diamond Powder or Diamond Eye Shadow for OUTSTANDING shine, so I wouldn’t resort to these colors.

It seems that I am disliking all of Bobbi Brown’s latest releases, but it’s a mere coincidence, it’s just not appealing that much to me.

Shiseido decided to create its cream eyeliner in two rich colors (black and brown), in a small pot with a small portable angled brush allowing swift eyeliner application with a formula that is sweat and water resistant that can create intense graphic look or smudge it for the sexy smoky eye that is so popular this fall!

After Bobbi Brown’s gel liner, all the makeup companies are coming out with gel/cream formulas for their eyeliners, which for me is a plus since I adore this type of eyeliner formular and definitely prefer upper eyelids lined with it, hopefully in future collections Shiseido will come out with more colors.

They also created two gorgeous quads, one featuring black and three pale shimmering colors, white, pinkish and gold (Lunar Phases) inspired in the moon and the starlit sky and a neutral quad for warmer more rich tones (Desert Winds), I personally love these quads and find them timeless.

Along with the new eyeliners comes a new type of Automatic Lip Crayon that can be used as an all-over color, lip liner with a glossy finish giving your lips a moist look that is durable and comfortable. Lipwise, this Fall brings three new neutral lip glosses of which I am so getting Peach Melba when I’m out in my gloss hunts.

This collection presents itself in a sixties mod kind of a look but (coincidently), all the products can be applied in order to create the Fall’s dominant dark smoky eyes and neutral lips look, which makes it very versatile and those lip products are definitely mine.

Although the main look for the suggests suggests flushed rosy cheeks with Accentuating Color Stick, you definitely notice that the second evokes a sculpted contouring with neutral colors creating depth and luminosity. So, if at first glance they seem to be running away from the smoky trend, if you look more carefully, no they’re not.

MAC’s Smoke Signals is now in stores, yet another collection focusing on smoky eyes, sultry look, nude lips, washed out blush, yada yada bidi bam, bidi boom.

Like in my latest reviews concerning smoky eyes centered collections, it sort of gets hard to generate hype concerning the same look as interpreted by a different cosmetics brand.

First we have two different quads, one towards gray, blue and solid matte black (Gentle Fume Eyes), while the other swirls towards the smoky warm neutrals (Smoke Signals). Where taste is concerned, my eye is immediately caught by the warm/neutral quad, but it’s a matter of personal taste as I find these to be two quads that I definitely would buy (I’ll get least Smoke Signals at least).

Lips are nude and bare, moist (most in Lustre finishes) in creamy seductive beiges just waiting to be complimented by a touch of Tinted Lipglass.

The New MAC Kohls are introduced as Kohl Power Eye Pencils, this new type of pencil was created to provide a deeper color hold and still allowing blending or smudging for that gorgeous smoked effect. Both Orpheus and Raven IMMEDIATELY seduced me (as I’m an eyeliner junkie) and I’ll be getting them to add to my collection (this will promise a review on this liner later on)

The new blushes are (consistent with the overall trend) quite subdued and neutral resulting in a sculpted face that grants an even more alluring aura to the face. Definitely the cotton candy pink blush is on hiatus and the femme fatalle sharpens her claws. Emote is by far my favorite, as I tend to prefer matte blushes for smoky looks.

Smoke signals repromotes also two gorgeous pigments and the creamy nocturnelle nail lacquer, so if you want to get your hands on Dark Soul pigment, now is your chance.

Indeed, the smoke gets in your eyes.

Being still in August, one thinks that it’s still time to look shimmery, bronzed and glistening with sun, the Fall look is looming in fashion magazines everywhere, so, here go a few tips for this years overall Fall options.

Superb polished skin finished with powder, matte is in.

Defined eyeliner application, preferably liquid eyeliner.

Bold, well defined lips as well as full and bold brows.

Highlighters continue highly popular, applied along the nose bridge, over cheekbones and everywhere you would like to enhance areas of your face.

Softer cheek colors in shades that slightly evoke a healthy flush, pinks, peaches and light tones for a hint of healthy glow, but never emulating a Summer complexion or exaggeration.

Smoky eyes and bewitching gazes are also a part of the season (considering by my recent reviews, well duh) and one of MAC’s Fall lineups will include the ever so classic contrast dark eyes/soft lips or vice versa.

Frankly, I am more of a Fall/Winter person than a Summer one, I like the look of polished skin, well groomed lips and most choices that are in this season’s look. One thing is for sure, sweet and girly as well as “just-woke-up-with-makeup-on-from-last-night” are definite no-nos, this season calls for being polished and picture perfect, no matter how casual you are.

Enjoy the Fall, I know I will.

Bold eyes and bold brows are in for this season like I have commented in earlier postings as well as bolder eyeliner with a definite wing to it.

Loved it or hated it, no one stayed indifferent to McQueen’s Egyptian themed collection inspired by Elizabeth Taylor’s “Cleopatra” and done with MAC products, one thing led to another and MAC and McQueen are collaborating to launch MAC’s Fall extravaganza.

Although the runway makeup theme was done with MAC Pro like paint sticks for those intense colors in shades of teal, soft blue, and lime green and now feature three limited edition eyeshadows (Haunting, Nile and Pagan) all with Veluxe Pearl finish and three matching paint pots (Otherworldly, Electro Sky and Pharaoh), contrasting with the bold eye color choices, the lipsticks and lip glosses are neutral and subdued, matching a nearly blush free face and a matte foundation finish.

The biggest novelty in this collection are the new Kohl Power, rich eyeliners with pearly finishes of gold and green were designed to enhance what was already an industry staple (I love MAC Eye Kohl pencils) and prolong wear and color intensity.

For me, it’s a collection that I wait for anxiously for i love McQueen’s bold dramatic style and am quite fond of daring eyeliner design. Also, I really enjoy kohl products so I’m wondering if MAC will present us with a cheaper alternative to Guerlain’s, even without the added glamor of the small amulet like vial.

This collection will be presented in retro style black packaging featuring the MAC logo and Alexander McQueen’s signature in gold.

YES! It seems that the non-smoky eye wearers will have more than one option for this fall’s collection with Armani Beauty.

Inspired by Armani leather accessories and clothes rich in feel and texture, this collection once again is synonymous with luxury.

Eyeshadows tend to go for pink, violet and ashwood tones for lid, crease and browbone with a beige shimmery highlighter that if applied to the inner corner of your eyes adds a pop that makes you look awake (for lack of a better expression).

Armani also released an eyeliner in calligraphy pen format, resembling YSL’s eyeliner pen, whose brush allows you to dot line your lash area for subtle enhancement or a very dramatic and bolder eyeliner in this water based formula (which ensures a less aggressive makeup removal).

Lips are also bold and dramatically, highly defined with lipliner with strong, darker colors and with a pinch of gloss for the usual sexy pout.

Honestly, I love this look. It’s sexy without resorting to smoky eyes (again) and adds a sense of luxury and almost decadence to the overall look. I also love pink eyeshadow and the hues selected for this eye mania palette and the fact that it has a faux snakeskin finish makes it even more glamorous.

There isn’t a big emphasis on blush and cheek definition whereas a paler softer canvas is preferred to emphasize eyes and lips.

True, I have been doing a LOT of Fall Collections for the past weeks, but ’tis the season when they’re being released and I would like to present as many options before you make your choice.

When most of them are going crazy for smoky eyes, Laura Mercier decided to go into the opposite direction towards a more natural and subtle type of beauty, evoking a rather relaxed look that she (appropriately) named Indian Summer.

Indian Summer describes the warm days that late October/November bring to us, as if it was a magical period where Summer comes back just to visit for a few days before turning into Autumn again.

OK, granted that it isn’t a collection with 20 or so different items to purchase, but what I find refreshing is that you can easily purchase this one without going bankrupt.

With three matte eyeshadows (Black Plum, Khaki and Nutmeg) and two shimmer ones (Patina and Gold Dust you can create soft, natural looks and easily transition them from day wear to evening wear.

The real novelty are the promised Lip Stains, for a natural non-defined lip shape with a less intense sheen than a gloss and the durability of a stain with a see-through color that keeps your lips colored but still natural and soft.

So embrace pure relaxation and the comfort feel of Autumn with Laura Mercier if you need an alternative from the smoky eye bandwagon that so many other brands are releasing this Fall.

Smashbox has put up its Fall collection online and presents what seems to be the consensual trend for the coming season, smoky eyes.

It’s kind of hard to sound extremely excited about yet another makeup line that pumps the smoky eyes look after reviewing it a few times now and (although I’m one of it’s fervent enthusiasts) it’s very hard to remain excited as if it was fresh and new.

However, there are a few differences in the Smashbox line and I’d rather emphasize those to give you some other options before you decide what shall be your look for the upcoming Fall.

Complexion wise, all bets are on extremely polished complexions with an obvious foundation feel to them. That’s right girls, Summer is over and falls brings out glamor and sophistication to a highly polished, contoured complexion. Smashbox opts on the other hand for a glamorous bronzy look with a new shade of blush that can be used to warm up your complexion, contour or make your cheeks pop in “Ecstasy” (Limited edition), they also opted for less full eyebrows like most makeup lines.

My personal favorite is the lipstick, the limited edition Decadence Photo Finish Lip Luxe offers a tube of nude lipstick on one side and scrumptious nude gloss on the other for the most exquisite sexy lips. If you don’t like nude lippies, opt for their new Decadence Lip Enhancing Gloss in “Vixen” in a deep berry shade. However, this set brings nothing extraordinary if you think of Yves Saint-Laurent’s beautiful lip twins that offers a multitude of satin lipstick/gloss choices.

Eyeshadow wise, there’s nothing new, the trios offer a graphite/slate or copper/brown choice to smoke up your gaze complementing it with Smashbox’s gel liner.

Last, but certainly not least is a set of seven brushes that offers two limited edition brushes (one buffer brush for perfectly blended face powders, foundations, bronzers and mineral products and an angled blush brush for an expert contouring and face definition) which is slightly pricey, but a wonderful way to start your brush collection, including eyeliner, foundation, brow and two eyeshadow brushes that will start you on the best way for exquisite makeup.

So, if you’re still not picturing a smoky decadent you, Smashbox decides to join in the peer pressure.

Yet another fall collection that hops on the smoky eye bandwagon, although it’s an incredible popular eye makeup technique that never truly goes out of style since it’s worshiped by many followers, Clinique left its squeaky clean look for a sultry, sexier, apparently sexy will be this Thanksgiving look.

Although Clinique suggest a slightly dramatic change of overall look there isn’t a dramatically different (pardon the pun) change to its makeup product lineup.

They have however launched the color surge trios, a three-colored eyeshadow palette of coordinating colors to create the looks suggested with this season overall look and two of them are limited edition.

While glancing at the look in question I wasn’t too thrilled. There’s something about the eye makeup that doesn’t thrill me at all, maybe it’s all that contrast or the colors or finish, or maybe I’m just being picky, but I don’t like it all that much.

The skin appears luminous with a matte finish, with a sophisticated medium coverage foundation with definite emphasis on contouring and cheek definition. The lips are layered with creamy lipstick and topped off with luscious gloss. Also, notice on how the brows are defined but full and intense.

This year is a splurge fest for all of us addicted to smoky eyes and intense colors and while they may take the Sun’s happy rays for the upcoming season it’s as if we are changed from daytime to evening wear as the seasons shift.