Hot or Not Beauty

This has to be one of the most talked about Kohl pencils out there. It’s smooth, creamy and comes in a wide variety of colors and finishes and I am bound to have at least one on me in my makeup bag and can whip up a look with just one of these and some creativity.

These are tested and meant for waterline use and here are my favorite colors:

“Smolder”, “Prunella”, “Teddy” and “Fascinating”, I like these Eye Kohls so much that I buy them all, even if I’m not pleased with the result because the color sometimes isn’t flattering (for me).

So, if you like a decent kohl for a decent price, this is your baby, Smolder is considered a staple in makeup. I wish MAC released some more colors.

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.

Take a look at will be one of my suggestions that I will be throwing around, like mini-articles of stuff I use on a regular basis, regard as my staples or things that I definitely consider you should take a look at.

MAC Blot Powder Pressed has been my favourite pressed powder for 3 years now, I go back and forth and try other brands but ultimately this is one of those products that ALWAYS reaches the pan for me. It never broke me out either.

I consider it quite affordable and use it in Light, applying it with a powder brush and gently applying it all over my skin avoiding my eye area so it won’t dry it out or crease my concealer. It also has my favourite pressed powder puff of all time that you can buy a refill for at any MAC counter. If you’re like me and prone to oilies surrender yourself to MAC Blot Powder.

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.

If you’re an eyeliner addict like myself in all shapes and formats go get Urban Decay’s 24/7 travel set.

Although it’s seems pricy at 29 bucks, you get 5 medium sized eyeliner pencils in a cute package allowing you to bring them everywhere and it’s an option if you travel a lot and don’t want to be lugging around palettes of eyeshadow and are able to make different looks with as few accessories possible. Plus the formula allows for it to not budge or crease, so if you’re careful blending them you can use the colors for a subtle look to sophisticated smoky eyes in record time without recurring to 4 different eyeshadows that you blend around, because let’s face it we don’t always have the time.

Plus, if you’re new to Urban Decay’s eyeliners here’s a chance to try out 5 different colors from black, copper, blue, green and purple, allowing you to try a multitude of looks and looking your best at the same time.

You could always follow their suggestion and make it one of those items that you can discreetly leave in your boyfriend’s cabinet for a quick touch up, but unless he never touches it, I doubt that he won’t find them.

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.

Last, but certainly not least, we’ll go over key items to take with us in order to always look fresh. Once, while looking for a friend’s cellphone at a party, I found 4 lipglosses, three eyeliners, two blushes, two mascaras, two pressed powder compacts and wondered where was the need to bring all this with her. Usually accessories like handbags for more formal situations are of limited size and therefore don’t allow you such freedom of choice.

So here’s what I think you should bring and what you definitely shouldn’t.

Bring it on
Pressed powder or blotting paper - One or the other, if you don’t like to feel as if you’re caking on powder, then opt for blotting paper, the pressed powder should preferably be in the shade of your loose powder or make sure that it doesn’t alter your complexion. I like MAC’s blotting paper, as well as their blot powder compacts.
Lipstick and/or lipgloss - With sipping, eating and so on and so forth, lipstick and gloss (specially gloss) wears off and should be reapplied. Remember to fill in your lips with your lipliner in case you use it, so you don’t distract yourself and end up with just an outline of your lips. I’m not issuing any recommendation, as you should stick to what you applied at home.
Concealer/highlighter in pen format - I prefer Yves Saint-Laurent’s Le Touche D’Éclat or La Prairie’s Light Fantastic Cellular Concealing - Brightening Eye Treatment. You can also opt for Diorskin’s Skinflash, but I’m not crazy about the texture. These allow to bring an instant highlight to a darkened area without disturbing your makeup and without caking it.
Multi-Purpose Stick - If your skin can handle it, or if you have an oil-free version of it, I’m biased towards the NARS Multiples.

Leave at home
Foundation - Leave it at home and don’t cake it on, you won’t look better, you’ll look heavy
Mascara - I don’t think mascara should be reapplied, it will cake on your lashes and make them heavy and icky.
Eyeshadow - If you prime it well and use good products, you won’t need to reapply your eyeshadow, so leave it behind.
Eyeliner - Same as eyeshadow, if it has enough staying power, no need to clutter your purse or handbag

When touching up, always remember that less is more, it’s not a matter of how much you apply, it’s how you apply.

After evening out and perfecting your complexion, you have created the canvas for the next stages of makeup application.

Before applying your eyeshadow, apply a primer (like Urban Decay’s Primer Potion) and after it’s completely dry, use a large brush and apply a neutral eyeshadow the color of your skin tone to ensure that whatever colors you use afterwards will not stain.

Favorite eyeshadows:

MAC - Eyeshadow
Chanel - Le Quatre Ombres de Chanel
Shu Uemura

There are no rules regarding whatever eye-makeup should be for these types of occasions. You should consider the time of day and what kind of outfit you will be wearing and leave the more heavy and dramatic looks for evening rather than daytime. However there are no set rules, if you want to wear smoky black and deep red lips by all means do so.

Prefer a more holding eyeliner like a gel eyeliner rather than pencil (if you prefer pencil, then opt for a waterproof one) to assure that it will hold throughout the day.

Bobbi Brown’s Gel Liner
MAC’s Fluidline
MAC’s Powerpoint
Guerlain’s Loose Eye Kohl
Make Up For Ever’s Aqua Cream Liner
Make Up For Ever’s Cake Liner

I prefer waterproof mascara for these occasions, even if you’re not emotional you never know when an unexpected tear might appear, so be ready and bullet-proof.

I recommend one of Helena Rubinstein’s mascaras, they’re my personal favorites and allow all type of desired effects, my Holy Grail is Lash Queen. For a mascara primer, use the Shiseido one without a doubt. If you’re more daring then opt for false lashes.

Do your eyebrows with a dark pigmented matte powder, using brow brush that has hard bristles making sure that you don’t overdue the application to avoid the eyebrows ending up too dark and artificial.

Only consider contouring if it’s an afternoon/evening wedding, contouring in the daytime looks extremely artificial and you’ll be drawing attention to areas that you would prefer to keep minimized. You can add a touch of bronzer to the areas where the sun naturally hits your face, but avoid orange pigmented ones or those with too much glitter.

Unless your skin is dry/normal (allowing the use of a cream blush), opt for pressed or loose powder blush, applying it with a light hand to ensure a careful and controlled application (invest in a good blush brush as well) and while a bit of shimmer is perfectly acceptable avoid colors with too much glittery look to them, a softer, more formal look is quite often preferred and photographs a lot better.

Where blushes are concerned, my preferences go to MAC, Chanel and NARS.

There are no definite rules where lips are concerned, try to keep lip-lining as natural as possible and fill in your lips with your liner so you won’t end up with lined lips and nothing else underneath, keep your liner as closest to your lipstick color as possible and usually a creamier lip liner is easier to apply and blend. To avoid harsh lines, blend the liner with your lip brush.

My favorites are Chanel’s Le Crayon Levres and MAC’s Cremestick liner.

Add a touch of gloss for a pouty lip or lay it on for a more lacquered vinyl-ish look with:

Lancome’s Juicy Tubes
MAC’s Tinted Lipglass
Chanel’s Glossimer
Yves Saint-Laurent’s Le Touche de Brilliance
Dior’s Gloss Show
NARS‘ Lip Lacquer

After looking your most gorgeous, the next article will focus on what to bring in your purse to always look your freshest.

Welcome back to part two of makeup for weddings (when I say weddings, it can apply to any sort of special event or cerimony that demands that you look your best and usually will have you photographed or videotaped for posterity), when we review the best type of makeup products to use.

First and foremost, a primer is mandatory! You want to ensure that your makeup holds all day long with the least bit of touching up necessary that will make you look always fabulous and prevent the “Oh dear, is it six AM already?” look.

Here’s a couple of options that (to me) have always been bullet proof:

Make Up For Ever’s Corrective Make Up Base - Available in several shades to correct skin discoloration/rosacea
Make Up For Ever’s All-Mat - Formulated for oily Skin and to ensure a matte look throughout the day.
Smashbox’s Photo Finish Foundation Primer - Also available in light, color corrector and anti-aging versions to suit your skin’s needs.
Laura Mercier’s Foundation Primer - Regular or Oil-Free

Blot the skin with a soft tissue to remove excess product (if needed) and follow with your usual makeup to even out the complexion. As always, regarding dark circle concealers opt for moisturizing formulas that avoid creasing and don’t enhance whatever lines you might have in that area like:

Estee Lauder’s Re-Nutriv Duo Concealer
Chanel’s Vitalumiere Creme Concealer
Dior’s Anticerne Perfecteur Concealer
Laura Mercier’s Secret Concealer

Where foundation is concerned, although we like to appear as natural as possible, more damaged skin (either sun damage or scarring) will require foundation with deeper coverage, also if you have oily skin avoid shimmery/dewy types of foundations, as the day progresses it will make you look greasy and that’s a definite no-no. Also, avoid shimmery powder and highlighters if you have uneven skin in terms of texture, the shimmer will atract light and make painfully obvious whatever you’re trying to conceal.

If it’s a afternoon/evening wedding, prefer matte or semi-matte foundation formulas so that the flash won’t reflect and wash out your complexion and avoid foundations with SPF, specially Titanium Dioxide. Opt for SPF in your primer or day cream.

Laura Mercier’s Tinted Moisturizer (sheer coverage with a fresh glowy finish) - For those who need sheer coverage and slight adjustment to their complexion, this is a consumer and artist favourite.
Make Up For Ever’s Face & Body Foundation (gel type, all skin types, dewy) - Sheer to Medium Coverage, water resistant and can be used on body
Make Up For Ever’s Lift Foundation (fluid, with powder for deeper in formula for deeper coverage, semi-matte) - Formulated for mature/dry skin with medium to full coverage.
Make Up For Ever’s Mat-Velvet + (Fluid, combination/oily skin) - Photographs gorgeously and medium to full.
Dior’s Diorskin Air Flash - (Spray Formula, matte finish) - Velvet finish with a lightweight formula

Use loose powder to set your foundation and to ensure a flawless application of other products that will follow, apply with a velvet puff for more coverage or a brush for a more natural finish.

MAC’s Loose Blot Powder - For oil-control and makeup hold, specially for combination/oily skin.
Make Up For Ever’s Super Matte Loose Powder - Impecable hold and extraordinary finish
Chanel’s Le Poudre Universel Libre - A gentle loose powder for more sensitive skin
Dior’s Diorskin Poudre Libre - Gentle loose powder completely oil-free

If your under-eye area has a lot of fine lines, avoid using loose powder in that area so you won’t accentuate them even further, also avoid heavy pigmented powders in that area it won’t darken the area that you’re trying to lighten.

Next follows the application of color products to the face…

First, let me apologize for my lack of posting, unfortunately my modem decided to die on me and I was unable to post for most of last week. Hopefully everything will be taken care of this week.

And now back to beauty!

This Saturday I attended a small intimate wedding and although I enjoyed the food, my clinical eye didn’t have a moment’s rest while I analyzed everyone’s makeup.

With mental notes enough to last me for the rest of the month, I’ll use this experience to give some tips on how to prepare for a wedding and how to shine your most while enjoying it.

Skincare:

If you want to do a more aggressive facial to make sure your skin looks its best, be sure to do it at least 2 weeks prior to the Cerimony. Some facial treatments will make skin purify itself from inside out and you might experience some skin irregularities.

Make sure you drink a lot of water to allow your body to get rid of toxins, it would be nice if you didn’t smoke but at least drink at least 2 liters of water per day, that will help your skin to look its best.

Before applying makeup:

Treat yourself to a booster (not to be confused with a primer), a booster will infuse your skin with a yummy cocktail of skin nutrients and make it look more radiant. Here are a couple of my favorites.

Chanel’s Instant d’Eclat - Conveniently packed in individual packs, not only boosts your radiance, it helps make skin firmer, transforming dull skin into an “awake state”, use it after your daily cleanse/tone/moisturize routine.

Clinique’s Moisture Surge Facial Sheet Mask - Apply this the night before to fully treat your skin to pure moisture (if you have combination/oily skin) or in the morning (if you have dry/normal skin), to pamper and cushion your skin.

Estee Lauder’s Perfectionist Power Correcting Patch for Deeper Eye Lines/Wrinkles - To give your eye area that extra lift that will make all the difference.

Before going to bed, also coat your lips in vaseline, this super moisturizing balm will heal your lips and help to plump them. The morning before, generously coat your lips in vaseline, let it sit for a couple of minutes and then use a soft toothbrush to exfoliate and remove dry and dead skin cells to ensure maximum lipstick hold.

This concludes the first part of wedding makeup, always remember that beautiful makeup starts with beautiful skin.

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.

One of the biggest industry stables where blush is concerned is Nars pressed powder blush in “Orgasm”, and it is supposed to be the exact shade of a woman’s natural flush after… *ahem* cardio.

But is it, true? Can a shade of blush compliment every skin tone? In my modest opinion… well no. Don’t get me wrong I love Nars‘ blushes, I particularly appreciate the fact that they’re highly pigmented and still possess a sort of transparency that makes them look natural, but “Orgasm” doesn’t flatter everyone. Personally I think it’s only good for fair, light and light/medium skin tones and will select some other shade like “Exhibit A” for a deeper skin tone or for a more dramatic look.

Honestly, although it is a gorgeous pink/peach with gold shimmer there was a rather media hype around, considering the provocative name and the attributes given to the color. Deeper skin tones will just seem that they’re not wearing any blush at all.

I repeatedly see people making the same mistake: they will be excited with the hype of a particular color that they will completely ignore if that particular color is flattering or not, sometimes they are misled by the person behind the counter, sometimes not. So, the next time you’re considering a trendy color, try it out on yourself and think twice and explore all colors and shades.

I am a huge eyeliner addict, specially in kohl variety being a sort of collection that I have, buying all brands kohl eyeliners. I like the texture and feel and specially the finish.

So far, my personal favorites were Chanel’s Le Crayon Kohl and MAC’s Eye Kohl, the former for it’s creamy texture and color intensity and the later for it’s wide array of color selection.

However, in one of my recent shopping sprees, I decided that it was about time I tried Guerlain’s Terracotta Loose Powder Kohl, yes I admit that the fact that it comes in a pretty package was the first thing that caught my attention, but I guess they need to catch our attention with something and they catch a lot more flies with honey than vinegar.

I was skeptic though, the packaging (albeit gorgeous) didn’t seem at all practical, while I wondered whether you applied the kohl powder with a brush and what sort of consistency it would have, how well it would adhere, etc etc etc.

However, the lid of the package comes equipped with an ultra-fine tip applicator that picks up the necessary amount of powder to swiftly smoke your eye giving a sexy and luxurious finish. Terracotta Loose Powder Kohl has a slightly iridescent shimmer to it that enhances the pupil even more without making it look too glittery and the color remains intense.

In 4 different colors, blue, teal, black, brown and pearly white, Terracotta Loose Powder Kohl is guaranteed to revolutionize the way you apply your kohl eyeliner, specially on the waterline and due to its incredible pigment concentration and formula allows it to last far more that other kohl eyeliners.

However, it is a bit pricey so for those who don’t like to spend over $16 on an eyeliner, Guerlain usually retails for double that amount, however, if you’re an eyeliner addict like me and enjoy a glamorous smoky eye, give it a chance.

For a couple of years I tried many tinted moisturizers in search of one that would even out my skin tone without the obvious look of a foundation.

After a lot of (painful) trial and error with many brands along the way, I finally decided to try Laura Mercier’s Oil-Free Tinted Moisturizer. Originally since it isn’t available in my own country I was trying to find another suitable brand that would be more convenient to purchase without too much hassle.

During a trip to the US, I finally decided to try it out and was amazed by the results. At first I was a bit skeptical since I found the texture slightly denser than all the other brands I tried, however that same texture allowed it not only to even out my skin with a decent amount of coverage that remains sheer. It also has buildable coverage (with its own limitations of course) for those harder to cover spots.

The finish is slightly dewy without making it look overly shimmery or unnatural, it just gives you a healthy glow all over and your own skin shines through making you look perfectly flawless.

This tinted moisturizer is perfect for everyone who wants a more even complexion without the look of a foundation and I certainly advise it for all ages, from teens to more mature skin. My own mother has been using it as well and loves the way it sets on her skin.

My skin is prone to break-outs however I didn’t experience any problems with it and have been using it for almost a year now. Lasts a lot as well and it’s definitely my Holy Grail Tinted Moisturizer, as well as one of the products that I will definitely repurchase.

Laura Mercier’s Oil-Free Tinted Moisturizer offers SPF20 and a quite decent selection of shades for most skin tones.