Makeup

Face of the Day With the Zoeva Warm Spectrum Eyeshadow Palette

April 7th, 2016 by Adia Goss 18 Comments

As promised, I’m back with a face of the day using those Zoeva goodies we talked about.

I did one of my favorite makeup looks — softly, sparkly eyes, glowy skin and pink lips. This is pretty much my go-to makeup look, so I like to keep it interesting by trying out and incorporating new products and formulas.

For my eyes, I used two shades from the Zoeva Warm Spectrum eyeshadow palette (indicated below):

face of the day zoeva — The two shades from the Zoeva Warm Spectrum eyeshadow palette.

Whenever I try new eyeshadows, I don’t use primer for the first time because I like to get a feel for how they blend and wear without any help. I loved how pigmented and easy to blend these shadows were, but they could have used the boost of a primer, because I noticed some fading as the day wore on.

The rest of my eye makeup was pretty simple. I just used my favorite Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara and Dior Diorshow Brow Styler Gel (This is one of my current favorite brow products! You can see it in action in this Date Night Makeup Tutorial).

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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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The Best in Beauty From the Boot, Vol. 4: NABLA

April 6th, 2016 by Carolina Braina 19 Comments

NABLA Italian Makeup — Wearing NABLA’s grey eyeshadows on my eyes and NABLA Brow Divine in Uranus on my brows

Surprises are one of those things you either love or hate, and I definitely love them.

Well, provided they’re good surprises – obvs!

And you know when the last time I was pleasantly surprised was? When I recently placed my first NABLA order.

NABLA is a young independent Italian brand that was first launched in December 2013. Their mission is to create cruelty-free (and for the most part vegan) makeup products using the best ingredients and formulations, while keeping the retail price as low as possible.

Sounds interesting, don’t you think?

24 hours after placing my order for 12 eyeshadow pans, 1 magnetic palette (which I got as a free gift for purchasing the shadows), 2 lipsticks and 1 brow pencil, I got the smallest box I had ever seen — so small that at first I thought they hadn’t sent me everything.

But no, everything was there, perfectly packaged and intact. I really appreciated that they didn’t waste any unnecessary packaging material and space.

Let’s have a closer look at the products that stole my heart! 🙂

NABLA Eyeshadow Pans (€6.50/$7.40) + Liberty Palette (complementary)

NABLA Eyeshadows — I got this pretty magnetic palette as a free gift for purchasing 12 NABLA eyeshadow pans on nablacosmetics.com. If you buy 6 pans, you’ll get a smaller palette.

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My Honest First Impressions of Honest Beauty

April 5th, 2016 by Jen Clark 27 Comments

I think Jessica Alba is one of the most gorgeous women ON EARTH, and I’ve been wanting to try her Honest Beauty makeup line.

“Honest Beauty is doing beauty differently. We’re proud to create a comprehensive line of skincare and makeup that celebrates diverse beauty and brings out your best.

“Every product has been years in the making and reflects the passion, expertise and standards of The Honest Company. With the advice and insights of top makeup artists, cosmetic scientists and beauty industry professionals worldwide, we’ve developed a collection that’s as effective as it is safe.

You’ll love the fresh, radiant look of your skin and the high-impact, flawless finish of our cosmetics. We’re here to make you look as good as you feel. And that’s honestly beautiful.”

— honestbeauty.com

Honest Beauty is geared toward natural products that are made without parabens, sulfates, mineral oil, synthetic fragrances and all of that other gross stuff that everyone seems to be wary of these days.

I picked out a few things from the line to try, and here are my first impressions.

Honest Beauty Everything Primer Luminous Base ($27)

I haven’t always been a big primer user, but lately I’ve noticed that they do make a difference in how my makeup looks.

I love me a good glowy primer that’s going to shine through my foundation to make it look like I just have this naturally glowing skin, which I don’t. 🙁 Sad day.

Honest Beauty has this Everything Primer Luminous Base that I was particularly excited to try. Sadly, though, it doesn’t work well for me. While I think the glow is pretty, it seems to exaggerate the bumpy texture of my skin and cling to areas that are a little dry.

If you’re looking for a great luminizing primer, I wouldn’t splash out $27 on this number. I would go the more affordable route with something like L’oreal True Match Lumi Liquid Glow Illuminator.

Honest Beauty Luminizing Powder in Midnight Reflection ($25)

The Luminizing Powder in Midnight Reflection has been living in my Travel Makeup Bag ever since the first time I used it several weeks ago. It’s gorgeous when used as a subtle highlight, or when I use it all over my face when I want to resemble a disco ball (in a pretty way). It just makes the skin look glowing and perfect. That’s all I have to say about it. I love it; try it.

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8 Pink Lipsticks for Spring: A Roundup of My Latest Lip Loves

April 5th, 2016 by Adia Goss 28 Comments

pink lipstick spring — Wearing ColourPop Cosmetics Ultra Matte Lip in Clueless

It’s officially, finally spring — and for me that means pink lippies!

To be honest, I wear some of these lipsticks year round (especially ColourPop Clueless)…but I am somewhat seasonal with my makeup. I do think it’s fun to change my look with the seasons, and here are my current top pink spring lippies this year.

I went with lots of different finishes and colors this time (here were my pink spring picks last year). Whatever your style, I hope this list gives you some ideas.

pink lipstick swatches — L to R: ColourPop Cosmetics Ultra Matte Lip in *Clueless*, Kevyn Aucoin Lipgloss in *Peonine*; Glo Minerals Cream Glaze Crayon in *Heirloom*; Glo Minerals Suede Matte Crayon in *Demure*; Glo Minerals Cream Glaze Crayon in *Dahlia*; MAC Cosmetics Lipstick in *Plum* *Dandy*; Glo Minerals Cream Glaze Crayon in *Bloom*; MAC Cosmetics Lipstick in *Chatterbox*

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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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The Urban Decay Summer 2016 Beached Bronzers and Highlighters Are All That and a Bag of Banana Chips

April 4th, 2016 by Jessica Revitte 19 Comments

urban-decay-summer-2016-beached-bronzer-face — Wearing Urban Decay Sun-Kissed Beached Bronzer on my face (and on my eyes in the crease), Urban Decay 8-Hour Afterglow Highlighter in Sin on my cheekbones (and in the inner corners of my eyes) and Urban Decay 8-Hour Afterglow Highlighter in Fireball as a blush

When the fab, fashionable seven-year-old in my life (who recently made an editorial appearance in this important discussion about unicorns) saw the packaging for the Urban Decay Summer 2016 Beached Bronzer and Afterglow 8-Hour Powder Highlighter, she announced, “It reminds me of the Barbie clothes!”

And you know what?

She was totally right!

Urban Decay has an awesome early ’90s 90210/Baywatch vibe going on with these that makes me think of the hours and hours I spent playing with those oh, so early ’90s Barbie clothes — the same ones that my little lady now enjoys (although she says they’re “retro,” *cringe*).

I have such happy memories of my summers from that time that I’m all about this packaging, but as exciting as it is…the powders inside these terrifically tropical compacts are all that and a bag of banana chips!

Urban Decay Beached Bronzers and Afterglow Highlighters — Urban Decay Beached Bronzers and 8-Hour Afterglow Highlighters

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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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