Quick Tip: Well-Behaved Full Brows

Save your money on that next eyebrow appointment. Perhaps you can achieve this look right at home: full and bold eyebrows are hot this season, but you don't have to embrace the monobrow to make a statement. Don't overpluck, accentuate their natural shape and fill in possible little flaws with a pencil or a matte eyeshadow.

Halston Fall 2010
Source

Eyebrow comb: separates lashes and
keeps your eyebrows disciplined!

• How to keep eyebrows disciplined all day:

No need to get all fancy with an eyebrow gel. All you need is hairspray and either a toothbrush (I like to use one of those that come in airplane vanity bags or travel-size ones) or an eyebrow comb. Very simple: mist the hairspray onto the brush side of the eyebrow comb (or toothbrush) and while it's still fresh, brush your eyebrow upwards. With the comb side, draw an imaginary line down and outwards on top part of eyebrows. If you're using the toothbrush, just tilt brush sideways, kind of using it as a ruler.

• The Bold and The Beautiful

If you must use a pencil to correct minor flaws, use feather-like strokes instead of a line to fill them in. If pencil is not too sharp, even better. Don't be afraid to go one shade lighter than your natural eyebrow color, you're just filling them in and when it's too dark, it draws too much attention to that area, in a Frida Kahlo sort of way. Clearly delineated eyeliner: classy. Clearly delineated eyebrows: not classy at all.

Brian Reyes Fall 2010
Source

Are Eye Creams Really Necessary?

We all know how important it is to apply a moisturizer to our face daily, regardless of our skin type. Moisturizers literally help lock water in and protect skin from free radicals, which are extremely damaging to our cells.

Years ago, during a trip to Saks 5th Avenue in NYC, a Lancôme sales associate approached me (at Saks, they can be just as harassing as those mall kiosk crazy ladies) and asked me what kind of eye cream I used in my skincare routine. Mind you, I was only 19 years old, so I innocently said "whatever moisturizer I use on my face, why?". She replied with a big, wide-eyed "Oh... OH! OH Nooooooo!". Sacrilege? Oops.

I was learning for the first time that, as it turns out, the skin around our eye area is more sensitive and thin than the rest of our face, therefore needs extra special attention. I instantly felt guilty for apparently neglecting that part of my body for so long.

Ironically enough - and I wonder why - very few eye cream products contain SPF protection, something which is very crucial to me. Most eye creams set their targets towards either fighting undereye puffs and dark circles or wrinkle damage and prevention. If the skin under our eyes is so sensitive and delicate (and it really is), how come they are not packing those creams with heavy duty sunscreen? That never made sense to me.

Eye Cream Guinea Pig
Traumatized by my Saks 5th Avenue lecture, I've tried a lot of eye creams since then and I confess I've yet to find the perfect one. I usually get a lot of samples from Sephora's Beauty Insider program or those gifts-with-purchase from the department stores, but I've also invested on a few "surefire creams" that didn't do much for me, as far as I could tell. Clinique All About Eyes is a classic, but was no different than a plain ol' face moisturizer. I really wanted Benefit's EyeCon to work, but my eye circles stayed right there where they were. Neutrogena Radiance Boost actually irritated my skin a little.

My biggest concern when it comes to my eye area is dark circles, something that even 8 hours or more of sleep can't fix. So whatever claims to help fight that raccoon look, I'm trying, but I'm very skeptical if not reluctant.

So do they work or they don't?
If you don't have wrinkles yet, I would say don't worry so much about a specific cream just for your eyes. If you have puffiness (whether it's chronic or you cried yourself to sleep the night before), however, you might want to try one of those rollerball gel thingies (more info below) that contain caffeine. Caffeine helps with blood circulation and is also anti-inflammatory, which is why most anti-puff creams contain some form of this ingredient.

I don't have much puffiness going on and to combat undereye darkness, the best trick is to keep it hydrated and concealed. None of these expensive creams have worked alone for me so far, so I never skip the concealer. An illuminating concealer or some kind of illuminating powder, stick or cream also helps a good deal by reflecting light into an otherwise dark area and giving you that well-rested appearance. Just be very careful not to use a concealer that's much lighter than your skin tone or you will look very goofy.

Finding a concealer that works for you:
Makeup professionals say that if you have very dark circles and you use a yellow-toned concealer, the result will be a grayish appearance. Not good. You may want to try a peach or pink-undertoned concealer (that matches your shade). The best way is to test it out on yourself and take a picture. Use flash light and then natural light as well. That will tell you the truth far better than any best friend.

As far as maintenance goes, until I find the most amazing, life-changing eye cream, I will continue to apply face moisturizer to my eye region. I'm currently using Lancôme Absolue Premium Bx, which I got as a sample. The sample size is 0.5oz (pretty much the average volume for a full-size eye cream) and it's been lasting me a while. It's a great moisturizer, feels good on my skin, dries fast, doesn't cause irritation and it contains SPF 15.  They make an eye version of this cream but if the regular-size face version is $125, I don't want to know how much the eye cream costs. Besides, eye version has no SPF! This little pattern puzzles me to no end. When I run out of this one, I will just have to hope for more samples.

Out of all the samples I've tried, the best one so far has been Dior Hydra Life Pro-Youth Protective Creme SPF 15. Yes, they have the eye version, no, it doesn't contain SPF either so yes, I was using the face cream on my eyes. It was really fantastic. It absorbed quickly, it offered great moisture without feeling sticky and worked great under makeup. This is actually a moisturizer I would buy the full-size version.

So here's a quick tip list for common undereye issues and easy (even if temporary) solutions:

• Puffiness, bags, redness and swelling: 

          Try this: Slices of cucumbers (make sure they're cold) or cotton pads soaked in cold chamomile or green tea. Squeeze excess liquid and let it rest on your eyes for 15 minutes. Follow with a moisturizer.
          Also try: An anti-puff rollerball gel like Garnier Skin Renew Anti-Puff Eye Roller or Clinique All About Eyes Serum De-Puffing Eye Massage). The rollerball gets the blood circulating and caffeine helps de-puff.

• Undereye darkness and circles:

A highlighter in reverse C shape
on the upper cheek bones
fakes an 8-hour sleep

          Try this: A good concealer. Start with a moisturizer for sensitive skin. Pat gently with your ring finger, don't rub. Let it dry. Apply concealer that doesn't make you look like you went tanning with your sunglasses on, making sure skin looks even on entire face. Use a luminizing concealer, lotion or stick (like YSL Touche Éclat or Nars The Multiple in Copacabana) just below the undereye area, on the upper cheek bones, in a reverse C shape that goes from outer corners of eyes, inwards.

Some people like to keep their eye creams in the refrigerator for added boost. Like a nice cold water rinse in the morning, the temperature really helps waken skin up and get the blood circulation going. Leaving your cream in the fridge can do you no harm.

Skip the expensive eye cream, not the SPF!
Eye creams may be an unnecessary extravagance, but a good facial moisturizer never is. Look for one that is sensitive-skin friendly since the skin around our eyes is indeed very delicate. Some ingredients, such as salicylic acid, are great for the face but a no-go for eyes.  Focus on these 3 letters: S-P-F. No matter what age you are or skin color, your face cannot afford to live without SPF. Sun damage is a fact and it's a fast-pass to early aging. Prevention pays off.

Today's Link Thingies

Enhance your eye color now with these simple tips from a Nars makeup artist for Bella Sugar:



I just watched the movie The Runaways and although I thought it was pretty meh, the makeup artist, Robin Matthews, stole every scene! To get inspired by Joan's and Cherie's fierce 70's glam rock look, Elle magazine and Makeup For Life have some great tutorials. In 3 simple words: Make Up Forever! Watch the videos here and here.

Source

Fall Beauty Cravings

Reading Temptalia's blog is extremely dangerous for my pocket. I discover new makeup stuff that I absolutely must purchase asap or my life will never be the same. My latest obsession is eyeshadow. I've been having an eyeshadow year, or perhaps an eyeliner year... Mascara... An all-things eye-related year.

Check out this palette from Urban Decay and tell me if you, like myself, are not tempted to go to Sephora's website right this freaking second, ignore the price tag and just go ahead and hit the purchase button. Add to the temptation factor the little footer note on the product that says it's extremely high demand, selling out fast, limited edition yadda yadda. Oh Sephora, why do you do this to me?

Source

Now, I've never been a MAC girl. It's a great brand, don't get me wrong, but I like to use my Beauty Insider points at Sephora and they don't have MAC at Sephora, so in order for me to get something at MAC it must be somewhat irreplaceable, like their waterproof mascara. But oh holy crap, check this thing out! Tartan: awesome. Eyeshadows: awesome. Professional makeup brushes: awesome. All combined: you cruel bastards! It won't be released until the holiday season, so Santa, if you're reading this, insert this item on my wishlist. I have been kinda nice.

Yay! My local Sephora finally has the travel-size Oscar Blandi Pronto Volumizing Shampoo Spray available. It's only $11 and although I'm not a fan of their regular dry shampoo spray (as discussed in my review), I've heard great things about this version, saying it's totally innovative and effective. So guess where I'm heading tomorrow? :)

And Fall is here, for us Northern Hemisphere folks! My favorite season! It's still hot as balls here in South Florida but who cares, I'm gonna start rocking my wellies even if I look delirious doing so and wearing gray nail polish like nobody's business. Gray has been a hot color for nails in Europe and in Brazil (not random, that's where I'm from) for a minute but for some odd reason never made a hit here in the States. Not until now! Chanel (Les Khakis, Paradoxal), Essie and even L'Oreal are coming out with some great shades for Fall. At last!

...And I still wonder where my paycheck disappears to every month...

This I Tried: How To Do The Perfect Cat Eye

The cat eye is glamorous and never goes out of style. StyleCaster has some fantastic video tutorials and this one on how to achieve the perfect cat eye is so simple to follow, I had to try for myself.

I've always struggled with the cat eye look. I think it has something to do with the shape of my eyes or the angle I was aiming with the eyeliner. To try this look on yourself, I urge you to watch the video first. It's quick and easy and will explain far better than my amateurish pictures will ever succeed at doing.

I was going for a more natural cat eye look. Forget Amy Winehouse. This is why I like how they mix just a hint of plum eyeshadow as an eyeliner base and then liquid eyeliner on top.

What you will need:

• A concealer
• A setting powder of any kind (translucent is best)
• A neutral creamy eyeshadow close to your skintone or even a tinted eyeshadow primer.
• An all-purpose eyeshadow brush.
• A shimmery neutral powder eyeshadow, also close to your skintone.
• A plum eyeshadow, creamy, powder, whatever. Plum is hot, invest on it!
• An angled eyeliner brush. Very important. Just get one. 
• A liquid fine tip eyeliner. For this look I used black, but why not plum if you feel like it?
• A q-tip and a tiny dollop of moisturizer, vaseline or even water.
• Mascara.

1. I started by prepping my entire eye area with Maybelline Mineral Power concealer and Maybelline Mineral Power Finishing Veil in translucent. Don't forget the lids, this is how your makeup will stay on.

2. Using my fingertips, I applied Revlon Vital Radiance Mousse Shadow in Pearl Light (which I bought at the Dollar store!), but any creamy neutral eyeshadow will do. You're basically creating a background for the other good stuff.

3. With an eyeshadow brush, I followed with Urban Decay Eyeshadow in Sin, which is a great multi-tasking, all-purpose nude color. It has just enough shimmer to make your eyes pop and totally suitable for daytime. I use it as a base for pretty much any look.

Powder eyeshadow over creamy one makes color
stand out more and offers better lasting power

4. Next, I dipped an angled eyeliner brush on some plum eyeshadow. I chose L'Oreal HIP Eyeshadow Duo in Sculpted, which is a deep plum, so it doesn't scream "purple".

5. For the liquid eyeliner, I chose Revlon Colorstay Liquid Eye Pen in Blackest Black. It's a felt tip pen rather than a regular liquid eyeliner. It makes drawing extremely easy for the uncoordinated because you never have excess ink all over the place. Bonus: it's waterproof. 

 

6. Using a q-tip dabbed in just a bit of moisturizer, I drew the eyeliner upwards, kind of making a smiley face on my lash line. The video explains this step better. If you're using a waterproof liquid liner, act fast because it dries very quickly, making it difficult to blend.

7. Finally, I patted some concealer in the outer corners of my eyes, just where q-tip traced before, making sure my face looked even. Finish with some translucent powder (but not over eyeliner!) and then you can use the same powder eyeshadow from before to highlight the inner corners of your eyes and the lower lashline.

8. I used Benefit Bad Gal Mascara on upper and lower lashes and that's it.

 

Success! \o/

Today's Link Thingies: Labor Day

Happy Labor day, everyone! And if you're in Brazil (where I'm from), happy Independence Day holiday weekend!

I've added some new blogs and websites to my "Beauty Insiders" list (sidebar menu on the left), and in order to de-clutter my Google Chrome browser a bit by not having one gazillion (yet awesome) tabs open, here's a list of some of beautiful things I've been obsessing over the last 24 hours.

Let's call this:
  "Labor Day Weekend Best Of" List:

• 22 Best Facial Cleansers at Total Beauty. 

My favorites: Philosophy Purity Made Simple and Garnier The Brusher Gel Cleanser.

• 13 Best Face Concealers at Productaddicted.net. 

My all-time favorite: Lâncome Effacernes.

• How To Create The Perfect Cat Eye at StyleCaster . 

Very useful. For some reason, I always have a hard time trying to ace this technique.

Source: BecomeGorgeous

• Top 10 Makeup Brushes to complete your collection at Daily Makeover. 

The right tools really do make all the difference.

• 11 Best Drugstore Mascaras also at Total Beauty.

Maybelline Define-A-Lash Hydrofuge in Brownish Black didn't make the cut, but it's my pick.

• Cosmopolitan's very own list of Life-Changing Beauty Products. 

Impressive list. Do people still read Cosmo?

Today's Link Thingies

• Claire Danes was the shining surprise at the Emmys in 2010, but this is an older look from her I totally covet. Now I secretly want to convert to a blonde. 

• Let's say goodbye to this year's Emmys once and for all, but before, you can still grab some celebrity hair and makeup tutorials at Bella Sugar. Wanna go to that Labor Day pool party rocking the Mindy Kaling updo? ;)

• Love Cat Marnell's blog at Lemondrop and her latest post about her favorite drugstore brand skincare products. 

Kristen Stewart

• The side braid is very hot this summer. Can you rock the look? This video makes it seem effortless. 

Products That Changed My Life: Dry Shampoo

When I was a little girl, my mom taught me the precious trick of dusting baby powder to the roots of your hair when you didn't have time to wash it. The powder absorbs the oil, you can pull the hair into a nice ponytail and you're set for the day. Sounds great in theory but whenever I put baby powder in my hair, I always felt like I looked like this:

Baby powder never disappears completely into the hair, or at least, not mine.

Fast forward to the 2000's and we're granted with the gift of dry shampoos. These days there are several brands to choose from - Oscar Blandi Pronto Dry Shampoo being the most popular - but basically they come in two varieties: powder and spray.

I've tried both and I didn't have a great experience with the spray form. It still dries as a powder on your hair, but you have to wait a few seconds after application. Biggest issue with the aerosol can is that the nozzle gets clogged up with the powder very often. They recommend you clean the nozzle with a cotton swab or run it under warm water, but if you don't have time to wash your hair in the first place, you probably don't have time to waste cleaning the stupid nozzle. Purpose defeated.

The powder form, on the other hand, is very easy to use. Unlike the classic baby powder, it disappears into your hair with little effort. I stick to the Oscar Blandi version - I buy the 1 oz (28g) travel size bottle and it lasts me at least 6 months. The same size spray bottle only lasted me a couple of weeks. I don't wash my hair every day anymore, not even in the summer. I noticed that with age (which doesn't mean I'm old, just older), my scalp is less oily than in my teens; add to that all the damage I do with blow drying, flat ironing, hair dyes, styling products... I don't have to nor should I wash it daily.

Dry shampooing helps me skip at least one day - two or more in the winter - of regular shampooing (without looking like this) and saves me a lot of time in the morning.

Application:

I usually dust the powder on my hand first (although Oscar Blandi powder comes with a nice precision application tip), then apply it with my fingertips to my roots, behind my ears, along the hairline on my face, where oil concentrates the most. I massage a little bit into my scalp, letting the excess powder blend along the strands of my hair. I finish with the blow dryer for just a few seconds to discipate any remaining residue of powder. Pronto.

Alternatives to Dry Shampoo:

If you don't have any dry shampoo available, you can always do the baby powder trick but hairspray also helps an awful lot. Hairspray dries out some of the oil in the scalp and can help lift roots up combined with a blow dryer and a large round brush. But make sure you use an aerosol spray, not a spray-gel or mist, since it's the alcohol (I know, oh well) in the aerosol that dries the oil out of your scalp.

Spray first and then blow dry and comb through so your hair is not sticky. I like to focus on the front sections of my hair (or bangs if you have them) and sometimes the roots in the crown of my head for extra lift.

Craveables:

Oscar Blandi now has a new product called Pronto Invisible Volumizing Shampoo Spray which I'm dying to try. They say this one is the best so far because it acts as a volumizer AND a dry shampoo without any powder residue, nozzle doesn't get clogged... Sounds perfect. I'm being cheap and I refuse to spend $23 on something like that, so I've been doing the poor man's version of it: I combine my Oscar Blandi original powder and a Pantene Pro-V hairspray for fine hair, but any volumizing spray will do. So far it works alright, but the amazing reviews on Oscar Blandi's product are seriously tempting me to just click the "add to basket" button on the website.

Also want to give Beyond The Zone Rock On Dry Shampoo a go and see if it's any good. It's only 7 bucks. You can get this at Sally Beauty, which is a kind of like Office Depot for salon professionals (not my case, but I don't work in an office either yet I love me some stationery!).

At Hot Beauty Health you can find a little break down of the "Top 6 best dry shampoos".

Today's Link Thingies

• New and creative uses for bathroom items at Shine Yahoo!.
• While on the same topic, I must add that you can use stick deodorant on your ankles before wearing sandals or shoes to avoid blisters.
• Another use for Vaseline: just a dab can transform your powder or compact eyeshadow into a creamy one.

• What is HD makeup? Is it for us, mere mortals? Web MD has some answers.

• While doing some image research for my last post, I came across this very useful foundation application tutorial at Wellsphere.

This I Tried: Revlon Colorstay Mineral Mousse

I'm one of those people who swear by Bare Escentuals mineral makeup. That being said, I will avoid what could be a 5-page rant about how amazing and life-changing this makeup line is and (try to) go straight to my product review.

Besides my tendency to accumulate cosmetic clutter, it seemed reasonable enough to find a drugstore brand - more affordable - that I could wear to work and then save the BE for outings and such.

I'm reluctant to change because one of the amazing benefits of authentic mineral makeup is that it keeps my acne-prone skin from further breakout. There are a lot of brands these days that market themselves as "mineral" but when you read the ingredients, you find out they're still adding talc, alcohol etc. So, when you choose a so-called mineral makeup that is not Bare Escentuals, keep that in mind.

Revlon Colorstay foundations (mineral or not) are very good. I used to wear the Colorstay Active, which I believe is now discontinued and replaced with the Colorstay for Combo/Oily Skin with SoftFlex, and I loved it. It was high-pigmented so provided full coverage and it lasted all day. But then I abandoned liquid foundations altogether and that's another long story.

Never tried Revlon's line of mineral makeup (they first came up with the loose powder form) and I was about to buy their Photo Ready Foundation to see what the High Definition makeup brouhaha is all about but changed my mind last minute. I picked the mousse version so I could try something different from powder, in order to achieve a perhaps more "dewy" finish, while maintaining 4 properties I look for in a foundation:

• Full coverage
• Lasting power
• No pore-clogging
• SPF

Revlon Colorstay Mineral Mousse has one gazillion ingredients, including alcohol, while still writing "mineral" on the bottle. I'm no scientist so I don't really know what ingredients define a makeup as mineral, but let's just say this one is not "pure". Whatever. If it clogs my pores I can always return it.

So onto the test:

Texture:

Texture is soft and indeed mousse-like. First ingredient on the list is dimethicone, which is a silicone that gives you that smooth sensation on skin. This foundation feels a lot like Philosophy The Supernatural primer, which is the primer I use under foundation. That's a good thing.

Shade:

There aren't a lot of shades to choose from - be warned - but the one I picked, 020 Fair/Light seems to match my skin tone without issue. When it comes to everyday makeup, always choose a shade that disappears on your skin. Now for pictures (say, if you have a wedding to go to), I would say pick a shade slightly darker than your skin tone, since the flash lights are never very kind on us, especially the pale faces like moi.

Application:

This mousse dries out fast without feeling too cakey. Another rule of thumb: when you use powder foundation, put concealer (liquid, powder or otherwise) on first. When you use liquid foundation, apply it first all over face and then concealer over it, only where you feel the need for more coverage.

Coverage with this foundation is good, I used the dot method, applying with my fingertips, blending in all the way to my neck to avoid the mask look. Had to go back a few times to cover some stubborn redness and zits but I forgot I can always use my concealer for it. With Bare Escentuals, it's all one product, you just switch brushes. So is it buildable coverage? Yes, but you don't want to stuff your face with the product, so don't skip concealer if you need.

I followed with Maybelline Mineral Power Concealer (which is really good, comparable to Lancôme Effacernes, but one slice of the price) and Maybelline Mineral Power Finishing Veil in Translucent, which are both products I use even with my BE foundation.

Quick Tip:

The good thing about liquid or mousse foundation is that you can play with cream blushes and highlighters without streaking. It's easier to blend. If you're gonna use a cream blush, leave the setting powder for last. If you choose a powder or compact blush (or bronzer), apply a setting powder first.

Everything seemed to blend in okay.

The Look:

Please excuse the low-quality of these pics. My camera broke, my cell phone camera is a joke and so is the lighting in my house.

From top left: bathroom lighting, bathroom lighting close-up,

natural light and natural light profile.

You can notice in the pics that there are still some minor visible (acne) scars on my cheeks. I try not to go overboard with foundation for daytime, but you can always build more coverage whether with this foundation or a concealer, or both.

Performance:

I picked a very interesting day to test this makeup out. Ironically, I locked myself out of my house and had to walk to work. Granted, it's only a mile away, but it was a sunny Florida Hurricane Season summer day. In other words: hot, humid and windy. Add to that the greasy kitchen environment I usually work in and Revlon was in for quite the test.

I noticed no makeup meltdown as I sweat through the 90F+ weather. One thing I also like to use as a test for a new makeup is people's comments at work. If someone says something about my makeup at work (positive or not), I know it's not looking natural. When I go to work, I try my best to keep it looking like I have no makeup on, even though I spend about 20 minutes putting it all on before I leave the house. No comments that day. Second test passed.

Later that night when I came home, I noticed my makeup still looked reasonably okay, despite the usual oily spots that just happen no matter what I do. Nose, chin and forehead, nose being the first one to go. I'm too lazy to use oil blotting sheets at work, but I'm sure that would help and I recommend them, especially for touch ups. Other areas in my face could use a little concealer touch up as well, but overall, it looked decent.

Verdict:

Pretty satisfied with the product. Was my mind blown? No. Is it life changing? Meh. Is it better than Bare Escentuals? No way.

Like most liquid foundations, you still get that strange feel that you're wearing something on your face. A feel you only know exists once you try Bare Escentuals on. It's a fact. I'm very spoiled now and I love wearing makeup that doesn't feel like I'm wearing makeup. It's like switching from pads to tampons. Just being honest.

Is it worth the buy? Sure. For $12 for a 1 FL Oz/30 ml tube, it's a competent everyday makeup that will look natural on your skin (if you find a shade that matches). I Probably would not wear it to go out or for a big event because you can certainly find better (I will still give the Photo Ready foundation a shot someday). Also, don't expect the dewy "red carpet" look, because this will give you a more matte finish than anything else. Can you wear to the gym, for instance, or a beach barbecue? Absolutely. I noticed no makeup meltdown and it contains SPF 20.

Will I buy this product again? Hmmm, not sure. I'll keep shopping around. It's a maybe.

* ~*~ *

"My Makeup Reviews", in Australia, has a detailed review on this product, with swatches and comparisons.

This video can be pretty helpful too.

Today's Link Thingies

• I heart NY and I'm CRAVING Urban Decay Book of Shadows Volume 3. Temptalia has a video on it.
• Beauty Junkies Unite also has the full breakdown of colors. Early Christmas wishlist alert.

• Get Jenna Fischer's easy Emmy look at Beauty Addict. So natural you can try it before your next trip to the grocery store.

• Why blueberries are the body's anti-aging best kept secret - at Daily Perricone.

• 5 Makeup Looks for Redheads in Red Dresses at Bella Sugar.

• Olivia Wilde's smoky champagne eye makeup at Cee Me.

• Also from Cee Me, a very, very useful post on face contouring. Life changing.

• Remember Clementine's hair from Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind? That and other 88 wild hair colors at Bella Sugar.

The Boyfriend Razor

Hey, you should steal your boyfriend's razor. Because Mach 3 is waaaay better than any Venus out there.

There's something about the grip in women's razors that I'm just not entirely happy about. Crazy as it may sound, they make the handles much bigger than any guy's razor. I mean, really! Google search "women's razors". That's right. WTF! It's not like guys' hands are smaller! That just always bothered me.

Schick Intuition. You're too big to fit in here.

Then one fine day I was in the shower and who knows where my Venus Vibrance was but I had to shave my legs anyway and there I saw it... Nice and silver and black and all manly looking: my then-boyfriend's Mach 3. Now that thing looks like a serious razor for some serious shaving. None of that plastic, anatomically weird and pink BS that honestly, just looks cheap imho. I don't care how many blades you put on that thing - I've seen razors with 5 blades, FIVE FREAKING BLADES! - but once you try a man's razor, you will know what I'm talking about.

Call me irrational, perhaps I'm just loving it because there's some sort of "sneaky" freudian fetish about me using a man's razor (like wearing a guy's t-shirt, perhaps? Wearing men's cologne?), but maybe I'm right and there really is scientific explanation to why Mach 3 kicks the Barbie version's ass.

The handle is heavier - and I like that! -, the grip is oh so nice and the blades... They glide so smoothly! I love how they adapt to your curves so well, sliding easily, with more precision and even the blue little lubricating strip thingy feels nicer! I also notice less irritation after shaving with Mach 3. It really is better quality overall. My favorite so far is the Mach 3 Turbo. I have felt no need to upgrade it to the newer versions.

If you think about it, men's facial hair is pretty thick, correct? So those NASA engineers or whoever designs those things must know what they're doing. They also must know nothing about women because they keep on designing crap that looks more like a sex toy than anything else and it doesn't work that great. Not even as a sex toy. Not that I have ever tried. We don't need one gazillion aloe strips or a freaking coating of solidified shaving gel. Just give us a very effing sharp set of blades (and 3 is more than enough, by the way) and a nice heavy grip and we're good! Make it pink, I don't care! But until then, I'm sticking to the Boyfriend Razor.

Boyfriend jeans may be in style (are they still? Who knows), but here's one thing you should definitely, ahem, borrow from your significant other and it's guaranteed to look good on you: his razor.

Best. Screwvenir. Ever.

2010 Emmy's - Favorite Makeup Looks

I'm gonna keep this post semi-short and focusing on my favorite looks from last night's Emmy Awards. Also, some trend spotting on the red carpet and some real-life interpretation and how-to's. :)

Let's start with Claire Danes:

source

Notice the Summer glow going on here!

Claire Danes is usually very pale, but opted for a natural-looking end-of-summer glow. I'm kind of digging it and wondering what bottle it came from. The color on her hair may be washing her out a bit and contrasting in the wrong way, but overall, I think this is one of her best looks to date.

The eye makeup she's sporting was also a common trend on the red carpet last night: a combination of bronze, golden and reddish browns. Those are shades that flatter pretty much any eye color, yet looking more natural than the classic smoky look that goes better in the colder seasons.

To achieve this look, start with a shimmery beige or gold all over lids and under the brow bones for highlight. Focus the darker colors on the outer corner of upper lids and lighter in the inner corner. For dramatic effect, you may apply black or brown eyeliner in the waterline and plenty of mascara.

On her cheeks, we see a soft rose blush, probably creamy or solid stick, to achieve a more natural glow that "comes from within". Try Nars - The Multiple in Orgasm , applying the color with your fingertips. To make the look even more natural and seemingly effortless, apply blush under foundation and finish with a highlighter.

Sweet Surprise: Kim Kardashian

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I'm flabbergasted by Kim's perfect, flawless skin. You can tell she's wearing (a lot of) foundation, but man, that is one fantastic airbrush job right there. She's naturally tan and one common mistake people sometimes make on the red carpet or otherwise is mismatch the shade of their foundation with the rest of their bodies. Not her case over here. Her makeup looks like a million bucks and it probably is.

The most interesting thing about her look besides her irritatingly perfect skin was her nude lips (a recurring trend), which can be achieved in the real world with Revlon Super Lustrous Lipgloss in Peach Petal (#150).

Also notice the white in her waterline. That was achieved with white eyeliner right in the inner rim of her lower lashes. That's a little technique I've been using ever since high school (with the good ol' Wet N' Wild white eyeliner pencil), in order to fake an 8 hour sleep. It pops open your eyes, giving a fresh yet dramatic effect.

For her lashes, oh boy, they better be falsies. The rest of us mortals can attempt that effect by curling the living crap out of our lashes with a good eyelash curler and amazing mascara. I swear by MAC Splashproof Mascara (thank you @Lietchka!). Makes your lashes seem impossibly long and voluminous. Like, tranny long.

Kim's makeup artist also used a highlighter shade in the inner corner of her eyes, making her "well-rested" glow even more enviable. To achieve that, choose a pearly eyeshadow or highlighter (not a bronzer) at least one tone lighter than your skin color. Don't be afraid, it's supposed to accentuate.

Now onto Mrs. Seal:

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Do I love that hair? Probably not. But moving on:

Heidi followed pretty much the same guidelines as Kim Kardashian. Flawless, even foundation application, nude lips (lighter than your natural lip color), white in the waterline, highlighted inner corner of upper lids and gallons of mascara.

REAL WORLD HOW-TO:

She completed the look with black eyeliner on the upper lids. This dramatic effect can be achieved by using both liquid and kohl eyeliner. I love combining Make Up Forever Aqua Eyes in Mat Black with Revlon Colorstay Liquid Eye Pen in Black (gives you perfect precision and easy to draw). Aqua Eyes is creamy and easy to blend or smudge, not to mention it's waterproof*. After applying the eyeshadow that will highlight entire lid area, use the kohl pencil along lash line, thinner on the inner corner and thicker on the outer. Smudge slightly and on the very outer corner, draw the smudger (or q-tip) upwards. Once that's done, you can apply a taupe shadow over that black, so the smoky effect is not dramatic but just a touch of mystery. Finish off with the liquid eyeliner for definition. Liquid eyeliners are especially great for the cat eye effect.

To achieve Heidi's highlighted cheek bones, use something like Nars The Multiple in Copacabana or even E.LF All Over Stick (which I own and it's really good and it's $1!). Using your finger tips, blend color starting just below outer corner of eyes, drawing a "C" inwards above cheekbones. This is a technique I learned from Lauren Luke in this video.

*For night time events, I always recommend waterproof makeup in the eyes. You don't have to worry about sweating, reapplying, smudging or even the walk of shame the next morning!

Gorgeous Emily Deschanel:

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Everything about this look is fabulosity! From the beautiful jewel toned purple gown - a color I'm kind of obsessed about - to her hair and makeup, the girl was dazzling.

Emily kept it simple, her complexion was even (notice the pattern!) and her lips, very natural. According to Temptalia, she might have used a plum liner on the lower lash line. And oh, how I love to hear that! For that effect, I would use ELF Eyeliner in Plum, which is light and discreet. You can smudge it for a more toned-down effect while still playing with color. She also lined her waterline with black and I notice a bit of smoke on the outer corners of her upper lash line.

To achieve this, try L'Oreal HIP Shadow Duo in Sculpted. The darker color will give you a smoky touch that's not quite purple, not quite black, but something in between. She used a very light pearly-peachy-cream color on her inner corners. Try Buxom Stay-There Shadow in Mutt or Poodle.

For the lips, I recommend starting with plain ol' cherry Chapstick - it gives you a very light hint of color while smoothing out surface of lips. Skip the lipstick and go for a lip gloss. I like Sephora Collection Super Shimmer Lip Gloss in Rusted Rose (a rose-tan-nude). Use your fingertips to blend and keep it from looking too glassy.

Overall Makeup Roundup:

Bronze, taupe, champagne and reddish browns ruled the red carpet for this year's Emmy Awards. I spot a trend I've been observing for a while, and a color that hits that nail in the head is Nars Eyeshadow in Lola Lola. Do I want to spend $23 on a single eye shadow? No. Will I probably do it anyway? Yes. In the meantime, I've adapted my budget restrictions to ELF Custom Eyes in Mocha (it's ONE freaking Dollar!) for the same effect. Worth the money: Urban Decay in Sin (an amazing all-over color!). Probably worth the money: Buxom Stay-There Shadow in Mutt.

Pair up with black eyeliner and plenty of mascara. Favorites are Diorshow Mascara, MAC Splashproof Mascara and Maybelline's The Falsies.

Naturally glowing cheeks. Nars Orgasm is always a winner, or Bare Escentuals All-Over Face Color in Faux Tan or in Bare Radiance (or both paired up). Just go with an all-over, even glow (streaks and obvious blushes are so not the way to go), perhaps a discreet little tan-in-a-bottle (not you, Nancy Juvonen) and some nice cheek highlighters.

Nude and rusty-rosy lips are the perfect complement. I did spot some coral and red (Maria Menounos, Jewel, Christina Hendricks) but my favorites were the nudes. Dianna Agron's look summarizes the idea.

Kudos to the purples worn by Jane Lynch, Emily Deschanel and Kyra Sedwick. January Jones was almost there: loved her dress (guilty pleasure!), but the hair was a walk-of-shame hot mess and makeup did not do the look justice. So close.

For the fashion hits and misses on the Emmy's red carpet, visit the Trend Menu blog, written by my dear friends @Querouaquino and @Lietchka.

Search For The Perfect Primer

A few years ago, I had never heard of a makeup primer. But then again, I wasn't too concerned about visible lines, creases, mattifying power, that sort of thing. Once upon a time, wearing foundation and some setting powder sufficed, maybe a little moisturizer beforehand, if you were the type of girl who took extra time and care with your skin. Those days are long gone.

I used to think makeup primers were an unnecessary, superfluous item. That was until I tried one on. First makeup primer I ever got my hands on was the classic Smashbox Photo Finish Primer. Oh, and what a milestone! It's one of those things that once you try, you can never go back to being your old self without it. That stupid thing starts at $38 for a 1 oz. container but somehow it finds its way to the top of your grocery list.

Smashbox Photo Finish line now comes in a huge array of primers, with different formulas, shades, all designed for specific needs you never knew you had. They feel like heaven on your skin. Like your cheeks are made out of baby's butt. So velvety smooth, poreless, creaseless, flawless.

A good makeup primer works as a sort of canvas for your foundation, evening out your skin tone, texture, minimizing pores, lines and enhancing the staying power of your makeup. Although the premise for these primers is silicone (to smooth out texture and create that wonderful "velvety" effect), a lot of them are oil free and claim to be non comedogenic and won't clog pores. Still takes me some guts to buy and endorse a product which main ingredient is silicone, but for 38 bucks or more, it must be freaking good.

Which is why after my first Photo Finish trial - despite loving it to death - I couldn't stay faithful. I assumed there could be another makeup primer out there just as good or even better. These days, there are a lot of fish in the primer sea, especially at the place where I like to drop off my paycheck every other week, otherwise known as Sephora. Drugstore brands are still a couple of light years away in the primer department. So far, I think I've only seen L'Oreal market such product, but don't quote me on that. Without that option, one has to be prepared to cash at least $18 on such beauty marvel.

Here are a few primers that I've tried so far:

Make Up Forever HD Microperfecting Primer in Blue

What it Claims: "Adds radiance to fair skin/ reduces minor imperfections."

Conclusion: Why did I waste my money? For $32 for a 1 oz pump-jar, I'm still wondering why I didn't return the product and exchanged for something else. I'm a huge fan of Make Up Forever, their eyeshadows are amazing, they have the best eye makeup remover in the Universe, but I still don't get the hype with their HD line. The blue color in the primer does help even out a little bit of redness, but not enough. The texture of the liquid is so not what I expect from a primer - it's no different from a lightweight moisturizer and this is not why I wear a primer. I still have a little bit left in my bottle; I'm an eternal optimist when it comes to certain products and I want to get the most out of every penny spent on that thing. Would I buy this primer again? Oh noes.

Bare Escentuals Prime Trime

What it claims: "Prepares your skin for the most amazing foundation with this preservative-free foundation primer that's great for all skin types."

Conclusion: It's true, Bare Escentuals is the most amazing foundation out there. It should - and probably will - get its own 5 page post some time in the near future. But as far as makeup primers go, BE is just okay. If you're on (sort of) a budget, this is a good option (21 George Washingtons for a 1 oz container), but whatever you do, don't get the oil control version. It's terrible! Texture is just awful. Looks messy and sticky on the skin. Stick to the original flavor.

Smashbox Photo Finish Targeted Pore and Line Primer:

What it claims: "An ultra-concentrated primer that works to erase fine lines, stubborn pores, and other complexion imperfections—all while absorbing shine for a flawless finish."

Conclusion: Now this is a very specific primer. It's sort of a Photoshop for your face, once you're finished with all the makeup and everything. Texture is uber velvety, silicone concentration probably higher than Pamela Anderson's implants. They instruct you to use only around undereye creases, fine lines along the lip area, nose etc. I used it as an undereye primer before my concealer and what a big mistake! I had to remove all my makeup and start over. You're supposed to just pat over the fine lines (not rub), but even so, it didn't do it for me. You can wear OVER makeup, and that might work as a finishing "airbrush" touch for minor flaws, but I don't think it's worth the investment. I'm not a professional makeup artist and perhaps this product was designed for people who know what the heck they're doing, which is probably not my case. After two trials and repeated error, I returned the cute and pricey little tube to Sephora.

Smashbox Photo Finish Primer in Color Adjust (Green):

What it Claims: "The silky blend of vitamins and antioxidants smoothes and perfects skin, while the unique formula helps to inhibit the destruction of collagen, and fills in fine lines and pores for a flawless finish."

Conclusion: Worth every penny. Get it in the supersized or even travel sized squeezable tube instead of the pump because you will want to use every last drop of it. And then some. The texture is what a perfect primer should deliver: feels lightweight on the skin, makes pores way less noticeable, prepares a smooth canvas for foundation, dries out quickly, never cakes. Once you give this makeup primer a try you will know why this kind of cosmetic gimmick was invented in the first place.

Philosophy The Supernatural:

What it Claims: "An oil-free, tinted foundation primer that multitasks as a skin perfector and an SPF."

Conclusion: This is the one I keep coming back to. Texture is very similar to Smashbox Photo Finish color adjust primer but with one added bonus: SPF 15! This primer has a hint of tint but goes on clear in the skin - believe me: I'm very pale. For $30 you get 1.6 oz, almost double the amount of most other brands market. Philosophy makes great products and so far I'm a fan. My pores become less visible, the fine lines smoother and it feels really good on the skin. My foundation already comes with SPF but I like multi-tasking products and this is definitely one of them.

I hear Boscia Skin Perfecting Primer is also very good and I might give it a try when I run out of my Philosophy primer. Boscia products are all natural, so if you have sensitive skin, it might be a good option.

A lot of cosmetic brands now have eyelid/eyeshadow primers as well - most popular one being Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion and most recently, Benefit's Stay Don't Stray. They claim to increase staying staying power of your eye makeup, making it creaseless, smudgless and all. Personally I think it's a little too much. If you prep your entire face with a primer, add a good concealer and finish off with some translucent powder, you should be more than fine. I work in a hot and greasy kitchen all day and my eyeshadow still stays put after a long shift. If you wear good eyeshadow and eyeliner, there's no reason why it should crease. I don't recommend wearing eyeshadow paste alone but under a powder or solid shadow, since the creamy texture is not made to stay on for a long time.

When it comes to primers, you should always wear over a moisturizer, whether primer will be worn alone or under a foundation. Primers are not made to substitute moisturizers, they are supposed to lay over your skin and not be absorbed by it. Even if you have oily skin, it's important to not skip the moisturizer step, since it literally helps balance the moisture levels on your skin, keeping water in and protecting your cells from free radicals, loss of collagen etc. I like Murad Oil Control Mattifier SPF 15. It acts as a moisturizer while seriously controlling excess oil and delivering SPF protection. I've used this product alone for a long time before adding a primer to it and it still helped my makeup stay put for hours while preventing my acne prone skin from further breakout. When I go out and want my makeup to look more "red carpet" ready, that's when I add the primer step.

I currently only wear powder mineral foundation, which is very primer-friendly. I've tried with liquid foundation before and felt like it just melted in with the primer and desired effect was not achieved. If you wear liquid foundation, I recommend you choose a primer that is designed to go along with said foundation, so they don't "clash". My concealer is still liquid and a lightweight primer such as Photo Finish (not the Targeted Pore one) and The Supernatural work very well with it.

I wouldn't go as far as saying primers are crucial to beauty routines, but once you find one that suits you, it can really make a difference.