Anna Oh

The MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural Extension Collection: The Power of a Powder Without Looking or Feeling Too Dry

April 7th, 2016 by Anna Oh 12 Comments

mac mineralize skinfinish natural 2016 — MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural Extension Collection (L-R) in Nuanced, Faintly Fabulous, Perfectly Lit, Sunny Side, Enhanced

anna oh ao illustration beauty mac mineralize skinfinish — Illustration by Anna Oh

One of my favorite ways to dupe great-looking skin is to layer dewy, light foundations over pigmented concealers.

My least favorite thing about these dewy foundations? Applying powder afterward…for sure! I can’t count the number of days I’ve gone from hero to zero because of a cakey setting powder. When I saw that MAC was bringing a limited-edition extension to the Mineralize Skinfinish range, commonly referred to as the MSFs, I was more than excited to run my fingers across those velvety domes.

Available in a range of textures, the new Mineralize Skinfinish Naturals ($32) separate their pigments into quadrants so you can mix your own intensity. These powders have the ability to be a powder without looking or feeling too dry. I appreciate having a powder option that wants to works with, and not against, the luminescence of skin.

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MAC Future MAC Collection for Spring 2016: Reinventing the Rules of Color and Shine

April 5th, 2016 by Anna Oh 23 Comments

Hi everyone!

Guess what? I learned a new Photoshop trick! Just in case you didn’t notice, but I have gained the power of artificial lens flares. Beware, photography! Yep, it’s totally cheesy/fabulous, but this new MAC collection practically asked for it.

This is the MAC Future MAC collection, and it’s available online right now and coming to stores April 7th.

The collection is all about the next generation of hyper-luminous Mineralize products and new horizons of colour, and true to their description, the lip and skin products have amazingly unique textures and sparkle.

Keep reading to sneak a peek at the future of beauty…for April at least!

Future MAC: The Pout of the Future

future mac mineralize glass — Mineralize Glass (L-R) The Zone, Antireality, Telegenius, Interspatial

swatches future mac mineralize glass — Swatches (L-R) of MAC Mineralize Glass in Antireality, Interspatial, Telegenius, The Zone

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A Bronzed Babe Face of the Day With Too Faced, Estee Lauder, Hourglass and More

April 4th, 2016 by Anna Oh 25 Comments

Inspired by DVF SS16's beauty look — Inspired by DVF SS16’s beauty look

I’m in shorts right now! So let’s chat about bronzers!

I recently created a look inspired by Diane Von Furstenberg’s Spring-Summer 2016 makeup because I wanted to challenge myself to finally use some colorful eyeshadow. And…I loved it! I can’t wait to experiment with more colors now, and I would love your suggestions for eyeshadow looks!

Too Faced Chocolate Bronzers — Too Faced Bronzers (L-R) Milk Chocolate, Chocolate Soleil, Dark Chocolate

Anyways, besides the bright color on the lids, the focus of my look was all on the tanned skin. I used two different bronzers to get a multi-dimensional effect. I grabbed the Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess Bronzer in 02 Medium ($37 for .74oz!!!) and dusted this all over the perimeter of my face and the tops of my cheeks. This is my favorite bronzer, and I use it all-year! It’s not completely matte, so it blends into skin perfectly.

Finally, I finished with the Too Faced Bronzer in Chocolate Soleil ($30 for .35oz) right in the hollows of my cheeks.

Swatches Too Faced Chocolate Bronzer Estee Lauder Bronzer Goddess — Swatches (L-R) Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess Medium, Too Faced Milk Chocolate, Chocolate Soleil, Dark Chocolate

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Sweet Scrubs: Clinique Sweet Pots and the Pixi Nourishing Lip Polish

March 30th, 2016 by Anna Oh 17 Comments

anna oh illustration beauty clinique pixi — A beauty illustration of a pamper session, by Anna Oh

Pixi Nourishing Lip Polish Clinique Sweet Pots — Pamper time with Pixi Nourishing Lip Polish and the Clinique Sweet Pots

Hi everyone!

This has been a crazy month, and I haven’t really taken care of myself (there is such a thing as too much pizza) or addressed that pile of laundry that somehow doubles in size every night.

Whenever I feel like this, like I’m always behind, I look forward to treating myself with an extra-long nighttime beauty routine, and one product I’ve recently added to my regimen is a moisturizing lip scrub.

In fact, here’s a look at two new lip scrubs I’ve recently tried.

Pixi Nourishing Lip Polish ($12)

The first new one I tried was Pixi Nourishing Lip Polish ($12, available at Pixi and Target stores), which is new for spring.

OK…this one is great, and I’ve never really tried anything like it! The plastic tip, which feels like a firm-but-squishy silicone, feels AMAZING when I scrub my lips with it, and since I’m able to control the pressure and placement, I feel like I’m massaging areas of my lips that I’ve never massaged before!

The moisturizing oils feel luxurious, too, although I do wipe them off after I’m done exfoliating. The instructions recommend keeping the formula on after the scrub, but it feels really weird with dead skin sitting there… I love how mess-free this product is as an exfoliator, but only as an exfoliator.

Ingredients
Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Shorea Robusta Resin, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Silica, Octyldodecanol, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Peel Oil, Yellow Beeswax, Apricot (Prunus Armeniaca) Kernel Oil, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Xylitol, Caprylyl Glycol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Citrus Paradisi (Grapefruit) Seed Oil, Oenothera Biennis (Evening Primrose) Oil, Borago Officinalis Seed Oil, Vaccinium Macrocarpon (Cranberry) Seed Oil, Camellia Japonica Seed oil, Linoleic Acid, Linolenic Acid, Tocopherol.

Clinique Sweet Pots Sugar Scrub & Lip Balm ($19.50)

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The Natasha Denona Eyeshadow Palette 28 in Purple Blue: The Guiltiest Pleasure!

March 28th, 2016 by Anna Oh 25 Comments

alexa chung illustration anna oh ao beauty — Illustration of Alexa Chung and her signature smokey eye, by Anna Oh

Yes.

That’s right.

I’ll give you a minute…

If your body is ready now, this is THE Natasha Denona 28 Eyeshadow Palette in Purple Blue ($239), and it’s about to sell out on Beautylish as we speak!

The hype around this product is very real for many reasons, the first one being the price (!), the second being the colors, and the third being the formula.

First…

The price

For $239, this single item is one of the most expensive eyeshadow palettes on the market. The pans work out to roughly $8.50, and you’re getting 28 of them. If you only collect Natasha Denona eyeshadows, this is a great value.

But if you’re like me and collect eyeshadows from almost every brand, this is a question mark (?) for sure. Buying 28 Makeup Geek or MAC eyeshadows (like the $6 refill pans) would actually save you money!

These are presented as “pro-quality” and “ultra-pigmented,” and they’re packaged in a VERY smartly designed, sleek, and surprisingly small palette. I really appreciate the wide variety of different colors and finishes.

The colors

The colors speak for themselves. Beautiful and subtle, but loud and incredibly nuanced at the same time. As the “Purple-Blue” palette, you get an incredible range with some added pinks, silvers, and taupes. I would say that I’m a neutral lover with an appreciation for color, and I find that this palette is very wearable, save for three or four of the colors. I think the range of colors rounds out the palette for color lovers and neutral lovers alike.

natasha denona 28 eye palette purple blue swatches — Swatches: all 28 eyeshadows of the Natasha Denona Purple Blue Palette

The Purple Blue palette contains:
28V electric violet, 82V nina’s orchid, 51M rosewood, 80M piggy, 40M lavender gray, 11M metallic steel blue, 11V steel blue, 38M gray-brown, 24V aubergine, 22M maroon, 60M golden rose, 63M oxide, 84V powder blue, 09M quick silver, 32P deep slate gray, 75P satin skin, 52M golden beige, 70P cool plum, 92M petroleum blue, 89V koh tao, 03V deep pacific, 12M glaze, 23P smoky plum, 49M vintage, 05M calypso blue, 65V smoke, 04M chromatic, 01V navy

Paraben-free.

70 g / 2.5 oz.

natasha denona 28 eye palette purple blue — My favorite row in the palette!

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Clinique Lid Pop Long-Wearing Eyeshadow: Clinique’s Latest “Pop” Sensation

March 25th, 2016 by Anna Oh 16 Comments

clinique spring 2016 lid pops — The Clinique Lid Pop long-wearing eyeshadows for spring 2016 ($17 each, available now)

Hi everyone!

Clinique is back for spring with eyeshadows based on their uber-popular long-wearing, buildable Cheek Pop line.

Also known as “the prettiest eyeshadows ever!” the new Clinique Lid Pops ($17 each) come in eight satiny and shimmery shades, and here’s a look at four of them.

This powder gelee formula is downright PRETTY on the skin. Petal Pop and Cream Pop reflect nicely on the lids, and the matte color — Cocoa Pop — has a beautiful satin sheen.

Unfortunately, Surf Pop doesn’t fare so well in swatches or on the lids. Blue is an unforgiving color to start with, and this one needs better pigmentation to prevent patchy application.

I wonder what Clinique plans to release next into their “Pop” product line!

The Clinique Lid Pops

Vanilla Pop
Cream Pop
Petal Pop
Grape Pop
Surf Pop
Aqua Pop
Willow Pop (I really want to get this one!)
Cocoa Pop

Clinique Lid Pops (L-R) Petal Pop, Surf Pop, Cocoa Pop, Cream Pop

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The Benefit Dandelion Collection for Spring 2016: Pretty in Pink

March 24th, 2016 by Anna Oh 27 Comments

Hi, everyone!

As one of the prettiest (in my opinion) collections of spring 2016, the Benefit Dandelion Collection is an expansion of Benefit’s bestselling Dandelion Brightening Finishing Powder ($29), with the new Dandelion Shy Beam Liquid Highlighter ($26) and Dandelion Dew Liquid Blush ($28).

This is a small and concise collection with every product layering on top of each other to create a beautiful and brightening flush.

benefit dandelion collection shy beam dandelion dew — Benefit Spring 2016 Dandelion Collection

benefit dandelion collection dandelion box powder — Benefit Dandelion Powder

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Cheeky New Products From Chosungah 22: So Tiny Lip & Cheek, C&T Blend Fresh Mix Liquid Foundation and Bounce Up Pact Powder Foundation

March 23rd, 2016 by Anna Oh 14 Comments

Chosunga 22 — Wearing Chosungah 22 c&t Fresh Blend Foundation and SO TINY in Orange on cheeks and lip (mixed with MAC Pure Fiction gloss)

Hi, everyone! It’s time for another K-beauty break with a new brand available at Sephora. Chosungah 22, a beauty line by Korean makeup artist Sungah Cho, is based on the principal that makeup is a platform for play and self-expression. The packaging is usually brightly colored with lots of polka dots and plenty of bold graphics.

Now, I am one of the biggest suckers when it comes to awesome packaging…but I’m happy to report that these products aren’t all fluff!

Here are some neat things the brand has to offer…

beauty illustration anna oh chosungah so tiny — Illustration of the Chosungah 22 So Tiny Lip & Cheek

These cute little bottles are the So Tiny Lip & Cheek Face Colors ($14 each at Sephora), and they are, indeed, tiny! They’re long-lasting lip and cheek colors that dry down without any tacky residue. The matte, dry texture means that you’ll probably want to mix them with a balm or gloss to make them easier to use on your lips.

chosungah 22 so tiny lip & cheek swatches — Swatches of the Chosungah 22 So Tiny Lip & Cheek (L-R) Peach, Orange, Pink, Purple, Dark Red

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