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

Tired of sticky yucky sunscreen that makes you look like an oil slick? Your foundation doesn’t have SPF and you definitely need the protection?

Shiseido’s Very High Sun Protection Cream SPF 50 PA++ is something I love because it leaves a soft matte finish and although pricey a little cream goes a long way. This sunscreen acts beautifully as my primer for my foundation or tinted moisturizer.

Things to look out for? First, apply a very little amount or you might get that white cast feeling and you need a powerful make up remover to take this completely off and I would recommend an oil-based cleanser because it really adheres to your skin, so you have to make sure that everything goes off at night.

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.

For the utmost dazzle, glitter has been (ab)used since God knows when, it’s extremely reflective particles allow for spectacular light effects, however wearing glitter around your eye area could prove hazardous to your eye health, so allow me to give you another option with endless possibilities.

Make Up For Ever fused glitter and their ever so addictive Star Powders to create Diamond Powder, a intense reflective and multi-purpose powder that brings your wildest dreams into fruition.

You can mix Diamond Powder with lip balm, lipstick, lip gloss, cream eyeshadow, foundation, body cream, eyeliner medium to create incredible effects on any part of your body.

If you want to funk it up this Halloween, give Diamond Powder a try. Available at Sephora.

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.

Clinique and I have a love-hate relationship. Somethings I really love, some I really hate (yes, Turnaround cream, I hate you), however I like to give credit where credit is due and here’s one of my favorite products that was revamped.

A few years ago when my poor lips were so dry due to medication, I constantly had to change lip balms because they would stop working after a month and I came across Clinique’s Super Lip Balm and loved it, a few months later I bought the tinted version in Mango and loved it even more.

My only gripe was that the color selection was not satisfying enough. Raspberry was too Pink and Grape was too purple for my lips, have no fear fellow gloss addicts because Superbalm got revamped in a new selection of colors (I’m in love with “Grapefruit”) and in a longer tube. The formula also seems less thick and more comfortable to wear on your lips. So “Grapefruit” is already inside my makeup bag and quite possible it will have new friends in the future. For the upcoming Winter, try Superbalm to keep your lips soft, glossy and gorgeous.

Although sometimes I fear these revamps, Superbalm was a change for the best.

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.

This season glamorizes one of my personal makeup obsessions which is eyeliner, so I decided to focus a bit on it regarding the types available, techniques and best options available on the market.

Eyeliner helps to create a stylized look to your eye that can range from a subtle allure around the eye to a full-fledged graphic black in a winged/cat eye shape for the ultimate sexy look.

Here’s the type of formulas available and product recommendations for desired look:

Eyeliner with eyeshadow:

Eyeshadow - Eyeshadow allows to create an eyeliner effect (with the help of a flat, small eyeliner brush like Make Up For Ever’s #2S) and can create a line without making it too harsh or obvious which can be practical for everyday look or if you work at a more conservative place but like to define your eyes. There are no color limits and you have the advantage of coordinating it with whatever eyeshadow you are wearing without aditional purchase:

Pros - Soft undefined line that are only limited by your selection of eyeshadows

Cons - Is not as long wearing as other formulas, highly stylized graphic designs are harder or impossible to attain.

Recommendations - Definitely an eyeshadow whose formula is high on pigment, shimmery light colors will prove almost invisible, less resistance to sweat and oil throughout the day. Personally I prefer a matte finish, but you can chose iridescent or pearly finishes if you decide to line with eyeshadow. I recommend Shu Uemura, MAC, NARS and Make Up For Ever eyeshadows for this effect.

Next we’ll explore other types of formulas, so sit tight.

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…

As you might have noticed from my many ramblings, I am obsessed about concealers and constantly try new ones, ones however perform their functions better than other, specially considering that I have very dark circles.

Having worn glasses for many years and being a contact lens user, I have a few fine lines in my under-eye that are barely visible. However, the wrong type of formula equals disaster and ends up adding 15 more years that I don’t have.

So, although I am constantly trying new things (specially to separate good products from bad that I can later on apply on a customer) because I’m quite the consumer and am never satisfied for long with the same thing. I do have, however, those personal favorites that I always keep in backup and usually the ones that I will go back to, after my affair with a new product.

My favorite concealer is, without a doubt, Dior’s Anticernes Perfecteur: it combines several key factors that I find essential in my day-to-day wear and that make it (so far) my HG concealer of the moment.

Anticernes Perfecteur is a fluid concealer that comes conveniently in tube format and can be applied with your ring finger quite easily while still maintaining control, therefore it is ideal to transport and carry around on vacation, business travels or or for the occasional touch up if the day goes over the normal routine and a dinner pops up unexpectedly.

Also, this formula is highly moisturizing and doesn’t enhance the fine lines in the eye area and also doesn’t migrate and is water resistant. One of the few flaws of this product is that is very limited where color selection is concerned, which is a shame.

Although the price can be a bit disappointing, with this concealer a little goes a long way, so whenever you have the chance and if you have a skin tone in this makeup brand’s range do try it out.

I’ll buy lipstick or lip balm like I’m buying a pack of gum even if I’m happy with the one I’m using keeps me happy, it’s a bad consuming habit but it could be worse.

The other day, while browsing the Bobbi Brown counter, the sleek black packaging caught my eyes and I decided to try, no sooner I already had two colors selected and went home with a new item for my collection.

The first thing that attracted me was the fact that this particular lip balm was in tube format, which I prefer to pot packaging. I don’t find using your fingers all that hygienic and no matter how clean your fingers are, they’ll end up sticky with lip balm and depending on the situation, a lip brush isn’t always available. Besides, since lip balms are sheer, you don’t need the precise application that the brush provides since you’re only giving your lips a hint of color to prevent them from looking washed out, which is what usually happens with other lip balms that have no color.

Bobbi Brown’s tinted lip balm offers a wide choice of colors perfect for every occasion and skin tone. My two favorites are Baby Pink and Champagne, the first matches my lip color perfectly and the second gives it a very subtle hint of shimmer without making me look like an Oscar statue.

So, for something subtle and extremely comfortable to wear during the summer or on weekends, when you just don’t need that much makeup, opt for Bobbi Brown’s Tinted Lip Balm.

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.

Another house releases their collection, Chanel brings you to their Autumn gardens in vibrant colors.

So far, it’s my favorite collection, as usual Chanel releases one of their limited edition palettes with the “Orchidees” trio of satin finished lip glosses, one of them being a deep plum shade allowing you to customize colors for this fall.

Along with the releases are two new eyeshadow quads with “Les 4 Ombres Chanel” in Garden Party and Sequoia, a blend of neutrals and pink or pink and wearable green shades which I oddly find quite appealing considering my dislike for verdigris. A new pink/green (Lotus Cactus) duo eyeshadow is also released along with a green single “Ombre Essentielle” in Jungle.

My personal favorite are two new shades of “Le Crayon Khol” in Ambre and Black Jade, Chanel’s creamy eye pencil and one of my favorite khol eyeliners ever has two new colors that can be as glamorous or exotic as you want them to be for the perfect smoky eye..

A new blush in the Joues contrast collection in a light pink shade for the perfect slightly flushed cheeks.

Rouge Hydrabase gets four new colors in pink, plum and beige neutral tones, Aqualumiere has a plum and coral tone to its collection while Rouge Intensite and Glossimer win two new tones each.

Definitely my favourite fall collection so far, so give it a try.

While SK-II’s Air Touch Foundation might be a bit too “rich” for some pockets, I would like to dedicate this posting to another great spray foundation.

After a disastrous reaction with MAC’s Studio Mist foundation I decided to look for a similar product because I enjoyed the sheerness of the MAC formulation and fresh and non made up it resulted and I decided to give a try to Dior.

Diorskin Airflash gives an even finish to your skin with a matte/velvet feel to your skin. You can apply it directly onto to your skin or if you want more coverage spray it onto a dish and apply it with a foundation brush or a sponge to build up the coverage.

This foundation allows you to create a very 40s Hollywood look of perfect skin without making it look cakey or as if you were wearing a pan cake foundation mask.

For a fresher look I will pass on applying loose powder to let even more of the skin shine through unless it’s a very oily complexion, on the other hand it doesn’t oxidize easily even on oily complexions so that should be a plus.

The only downside is that it’s slightly scented so it might cause irritation on those of more sensitive skin and as usual it doesn’t caterer to darker toned skins which really bums me out.

All of us that have oily skin suffer from extra-sebum secretion during the Summer months and no matter how much we touch up and blot, our glistening foreheads, noses and chins give us away instantly.

A shinier, oilier complexion will instantly give a very sleazy look that gives out the message that we don’t care care of ourselves, no matter how flawless your makeup looks, how incredible your hair is or how hot the clothes air, it also makes us look more dull and tired.

With that in mind, Benefit has another solution that the wide well known pressed powder with its incredible Dr. Feelgood balm. Its silky texture will help minimize the look of those with enlarged pores and soaks up excess oil keeping you matte and glamorous and not greasy.

This balm comes with its own sponge for on the spot application and touch-ups throughout the day before a meeting or lunch/dinner date to make sure you look absolutely flawless.

An alternative for those of you who’d rather not powder to exhaustion during these extremely hot and humid Summer days to make sure you always look your best.

A favorite of many make-up artists, Dr. Feelgood will make sure that excess-oil will no longer prevent you from being at the top of your game.