Make Up For Ever

Make Up For Ever Pro Light Fusion Highlighters in 01 and 02

December 30th, 2016 by Karen 22 Comments

make up for ever pro light fusion 02 k — Wearing Make Up For Ever Pro Light Fusion Highlighter in 02 on my upper cheekbones and down the bridge of my nose (P.S. Big hair don’t care)

Serious question: How did we survive without highlighter?

Sure, it’s not as essential as oxygen, food, Nutella, Netflix or water, but 10 years ago I didn’t even own a single highlighter, and now I have a drawer filled with them (all of which are necessary, of course).

And that drawer just keeps getting fuller and fuller. The latest additions to it have been the gorgeous Make Up For Ever Pro Light Fusion powder highlighters, which are $39 each and available now.

Basically, I think they’re epic. They have the same glossy, dewy finish as the MAC Cream Colour Bases, which have a fabulously shiny highlighter finish that stops short of frosty, but they come in a super fine powder formula instead of a cream.

Seriously, run a fingertip across one of the pans, and you can’t even see the grains!

I still love me some MAC CCB (especially Hush; it’s my jam), but I have room in my heart for perfect powder highlighters like these, which have a bit more oomph on my skin than MAC’s creams.

Also, if you love the wet finish that you get with the MAC CCBs (or, really, cream highlighters in general), but, for whatever reason, creams slip right off (it happens with oily skin a lot), these MUFE Pro Fusions might be an option for you because the powder grains really stay put on the skin.

make up for ever pro light fusion swatches — Swatches of the Make Up For Ever Pro Light Fusion Highlighters in 01 (top) and 02 (bottom)

Plus, hi! — that gorgeous, glossy glow…

It may be more accurate to call them opalescent. They shimmer, but the shimmer is a step up from the Hourglass Ambient Powders, and a step down from the BECCA Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed Highlighters, which places them roughly halfway between “Wait, are you even wearing highlighter?” and “Hello, I can see your highlighter from across the Golden Gate Bridge!”

If you’re wondering why you should bother with a mid-level shimmer highlighter like this one, well, they really help with the big pore situation, I’ll tell you that much. No O.T.T. frosty highlighters for this girl. (At least, not until a beauty genius invents a permanent pore-shrinking solution… Somebody get on that, ASAP!)

make up for ever pro light fusion 01 — Make Up For Ever Pro Light Fusion Highlighter in 01

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Hello, Pigment! It’s the Make Up For Ever Acrylip Lip Paints

December 21st, 2016 by Karen 7 Comments

make up for ever acrylip review — The Make Up For Ever Acrylip Lip Paints ($24, available now)

The Make Up For Ever Acrylips. Acry-lips. That’s kind of a cute name… It sounds like acrylic, doesn’t it? Like acrylic paints?

Hopefully you don’t have to be a painter or have painting skills to use them because…

Exhibit A:

Clearly, we are not going to be seeing this up for auction at Sotheby’s anytime soon, HAHA!

The Acrylips are brand-spankin’ new liquid lipsticks with a creamy finish and a non-sticky, lightweight formula. They’re also kind of on the down-low right now because I think they’re only available online at sephora.com and makeupforever.com. But they’re coming to Sephora stores and Make Up For Ever boutiques next month.

There are 10 shades (here are pics of eight of them), $24 each, and I’m not completely sure if they’re permanent or limited edition (according to Sephora, they’re L.E.).

The idea for them is based on those concentrated, intense acrylic paints used by ar-teeests.

Yes, I just said “artists” all fancy-schmancy.

make up for ever acrylip swatches — The Make Up For Ever Acrylip Lip Paints from the left in 200, 202, 301, 400, 500, 501, 401, 600

All I have to say about these is, “Hi, pigment!” Yeah, these don’t mess around, but girl, you know Make Up For Ever. They do insanely pigmented makeup. It isn’t always easy to work with.

Just watch out for dinosaur claws! — which is what I call being tempted to squeeze the heck out of these tiny tubes, which are 0.23 ounces each, but that’s not bad because they’re extremely concentrated. Ya hardly need any.

According to Make Up For Ever, they give you flawless color thanks to synthetic mica and ultra-fine, triple ground pigments. The formula also contains castor seed oil to boost the intensity even more while nourishing lips to keep them comfortable to wear, lightweight mineral clay to keep them from feeling greasy or sticky, and silica gel to helps smooth your lips by filling in fine lines.

See the sponge tip?

make up for ever acrylip — Just give ’em a little squeeze…

When you squeeze them, a few dots of the product come out of the sponge tip. If you want a really light application, and by “light,” I mean medium coverage, because they’re VERY concentrated, dab them on your lips and scoot them around with the sponge.

You could use a separate brush instead, but the flat part of the sponge covers a nice, large area, and it’s easy to get into the corners with the slanted tip. It’s really, really easy to use.

If you want to more coverage — opaque coverage — do the same thing, but do a few more dabs of product.

Oh, and once you get these on your lips, they stay creamy. They don’t dry down or set like a matte liquid lipstick.

make up for ever acrylip 200 — Make Up For Ever Acrylip Lip Paint in 200

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Make Up For Ever Artist Rouge Lipstick Lip Swatches

August 1st, 2016 by Karen 45 Comments

make up for ever artist rouge m100 — Make Up For Ever Artist Rouge Lipstick in M100

This is what happens sometimes when you can’t figure out what lipstick to wear with your eye makeup. It starts out with you trying to find one of the new Make up For Ever Rouge Artist Lipsticks that won’t clash with your eye makeup but turns into a full-on swatch fest.

make up for ever artist rouge c601 — Make Up For Ever Artist Rouge Lipstick in C601

I did figure out that M100 and M202 make me want to drop down to my knees and thank the universe for lipstick. ?

I LOVE those two.

Oh, by the way, I’m also wearing quite a few new products in these pics that were released for fall this year. The eyeliner is bright blue Urban Decay Razor Sharp Liquid Eyeliner in Chaos, which I layered on top of Too Faced Sketch Marker in Mermaids Don’t Cry (a matte medium blue) and Too Glam to Give a Damn (a matte navy).

And that’s Tarte Naughty Nude Blush in Seduce on my cheeks, and the foundation I’m wearing is the new Hourglass Vanish Seamless Finish Foundation Stick in Beige.

make up for ever artist rouge c503 — Make Up For Ever Artist Rouge Lipstick in C503

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Make Up For Ever Redid The Artist Rouge Lipsticks, AND THEY’RE FABULOUS

July 29th, 2016 by Karen 14 Comments

make up for ever artist rouge lipstick — The Make Up For Ever Artist Rouge Lipsticks are getting a sequel next month

First things first, my friend — happy National Lipstick Day! 🙂

(As if we needed another reason to love lipstick.)

Second, that mint green, though…

We live in extraordinary times. Not only can we roll up to a Sephora and buy a magnificent mint green lipstick like the one in the newly reformulated, repackaged (but still extensive at 45 shades) Make Up For Ever Artist Rouge Lipstick line, but today’s lipsticks just keep getting better and better.

Shout-out to the cosmetics chemists out there doing the damn thing to bring beauty lovers like you and me lipsticks that, not only last longer on our lips, but also pack more pigment into a creamier, more comfortable formula than their predecessors.

That’s the case with the Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Lipstick line, which relaunched online this month (and arrives at Sephora stores in August) with a new formula and a new outfit.

The line of 14 mattes (not including a couple of limited edition shades) and 31 creams encompases a rainbow of colors — 45 shades in all — from reds, pinks, berries and nudes to edgier offerings like blue, lilac, black and, yes, cray-cray green.

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The New Make Up For Ever Aqua XL Eye Pencils Are THE Eyeliners of all Eyeliners

May 16th, 2016 by Jen Clark 17 Comments

Where are my watery-eyed ladies at? (*frantically waves arms above head*)

If you’re raising your hands, listen up!

And even if you aren’t raising your hands, still listen up.

If you’re in need of an uber-pigmented, budge-proof eyeliner, look no further. The Make Up For Ever Aqua XL Waterproof Eye Pencils have arrived, and they are the *BLEEEEEP!*

Make Up For Ever teamed up with Charli XCX to create these 20 amazing $21 shades, and let me tell you about the formula, because I’ve never met another eyeliner that does what these do — and I’ve met a lot of eyeliners.

First, I’m so impressed by how smooth and pigmented they are. When first swatching them, I couldn’t believe how lightly I had to press to get a smooth, opaque line. There is no tugging or skipping here!

I did a look using shade M-26 (a matte pastel blue) on my upper lash lines, and I was able to get a wing with a pencil eyeliner.

I have never been able to do that before!

Because they are so smooth and blend-able, I was able to use a tiny angled brush to pull out the color to get that sharp wing I was looking for, and you do have some time to play and smudge if you’d like. But once they set, giiiirl, they are not moving around!

The new Makeup Forever Aqua XL Eye Pencil Waterproof Eyeliners

Now back to why I think watery-eyed girls will love these: wear time. It is usually so pointless for me to line my waterline and tightline because my eyes just wash away the color within minutes, sometimes seconds, so after hearing about these pencils and their reputation, I had to give them a go.

You guys, this liner stays on my waterline THE. ENTIRE. DAY. I kid you not. I did my makeup and used ME-42 (a metallic bronze), and when I looked in the mirror to take off my makeup that night, ME-42 was still where I put it. That has never happened to me before.

I have found a few of them that only last a couple of hours, which is still great in my book, but many of them, including ME-42, last well over six hours.

Makeup Forever Aqua XL Waterproof Eye Pencil — ME-42 on my waterline; probably my favorite shade!

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Unsung Makeup Heroes: Makeup Forever Smoky Extravagant Mascara and Rimmel Stay Matte Long Lasting Pressed Powder

May 13th, 2016 by Marcella Yakalis 10 Comments

Makeup Forever Smoky Extravagant Mascara in Black — Make Up For Ever Smoky Extravagant Mascara in Black ($12)

The long-running Unsung Heroes series here on Makeup and Beauty Blog features some of our all-time favorite permanent collection products.

Price and ease of use: two of the main, biggest things I factor into my makeup buying decisions. If something is way too complicated or doesn’t apply well, I’m not going to use it. And if it’s overly pricey or not worth investing in, I’m not going to buy it, which is why I love both of the two products I’m showing you here.

I first encountered Make Up For Ever Smoky Extravagant Mascara a year (maybe two?) ago when it was the birthday gift at Sephora. It came in a mini version with a nude lipstick, the shade of which I can’t remember now, unfortunately. I’ve since finished the lipstick, and I’m almost done with that particular mascara, but I also have a second one that I keep in my purse.

This mascara has served me SO well. The mini one has been perfect for my purse (and, let’s be honest, I kind of love the mini versions of most things). It’s great daytime and nighttime looks.

The wand is also a perfect shape, in my opinion. Wider at one end, it tapers down to a really nice point that gives me lovely, fanned out lashes every time. It also deposits just the right amount of product.

And the color is another factor for me. It’s a gorgeous inky black. If you like brown mascaras, you’re out of luck, because this one only comes in black, but I wouldn’t mind seeing it released some other colors.

Bonus: It doesn't make my lashes push up against my glasses! — Bonus: It doesn’t make my lashes push up against my glasses!

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Minimal Modern Sculpting With the Make Up For Ever Pro Sculpting Collection

March 10th, 2016 by Jessica Revitte 16 Comments

Call me crazy, but for some reason contouring makes me think of classical sculpture.

Trust me, I know I’m a little weird, but there’s something oddly sculptural about watching makeup artists apply deep shades in the hollows of the face and brightening hues on the high points to blend and create a contoured face. And honestly, although I love watching how everything comes together extensive contouring just isn’t for me on a day-to-day basis.

Make Up For Ever has created a range of products ideal for the expert and the contour novice alike: the Pro Sculpting Collection. Each easy-to-blend, easy-to-use product has been made with convenience in mind to subtly accentuate without overdoing it.

The stars of the collection are the Pro Sculpting Face Palettes ($45 each) available in four color combos fully thought out in terms of depth for varying skin tones.

From left to right, each palette offers a matte highlighting shade, a matte contouring shade, an iridescent highlighting shade and a pop of color for the apples of the cheeks. Rather than opting for a challenging powdery formula, each of Make Up For Ever’s four shades are creamy and buildable, meaning that the user is able to control their own destiny. The contour shade buffs to add natural shadows, while the others are equally subtle on the skin. Ideal for fresh-faced fans of light contouring, the Pro Sculpting Palettes give you everything you need in one place.

Make Up For Ever has also included rather untraditional sculpting products in the collection to offer subtle shaping for both lips and brows.

The Pro Sculpting Lip pencils ($27 each) are one part satiny lipstick, one part pearly cream-to-powder highlighter, and are meant to add volume to specific areas of your lips.

Although the combination may seem like a one-trick pony, the highlighter can be applied either over, or under, the lipstick, which creates a different effect, and allows for buildable intensity based on your own preference. And more on that later.

Make Up For Ever has also cleverly paired a brow pencil with a similarly light highlighting powder (and a spoolie!) to create sculpted brows in one three-in-one tool. As far as I’m concerned, the Pro Sculpting Brow pencils ($27 each) are incredibly travel and on-the-go friendly, as everything you need to create the perfect arch is at your fingertips in a single compact tube.

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The $44 Make Up For Ever Artist Palette Volume 3 – Florals

February 3rd, 2016 by Karen 25 Comments

make-up-for-ever-artist-palette-vol-3-florals — The $44 Make Up For Ever Artist Palette Volume 3 – Florals

I know that April showers are supposed to bring May flowers, but what about the January showers? What do we get for all of those? LOL!

Hurry up with the flowers already please! Perhaps just an early spring bloom?

And might I suggest tulips and freesia? I think they’d go well with the new $44 Make Up For Ever Artist Palette Volume 3 – Florals.

make up for ever artist palette vol 3 florals 2 — Make Up For Ever Artist Palette Volume 3 – Florals

make up for ever artist palette vol 3 florals 3 — Make Up For Ever Artist Palette Volume 3 – Florals

How pretty is that first row? I wanna smear that blue, purple and taupe all over my… I was gonna say lids, but heck, I want it all over my body! Then I’d put it on Tabs, too, so we could be all matchy-matchy.

Yes…I’m a crazy cat lady. 🙂
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