Guest Post

It Cosmetics Universal Contouring Palette for Face and Body: I Sculpt, You Sculpt, We Can All Sculpt With It Cosmetics

May 20th, 2016 by Nicole Fraser-Herron 24 Comments

Sometimes the best beauty days are the ones where you don’t really try at all. Today I wanted to play with the new It Cosmetics Universal Contouring Palette for Face and Body ($40), but I didn’t want to spend more than 30 seconds on each eye. I also decided to channel my inner Pebbles Flintstone. Days like these are made for bold lips. It’s called deflecting!

Anyway, while It Cosmetics has created quite a lovely palette, I find the brand’s marketing description kind of off putting. The mention of plastic surgery and fillers sets the wrong tone for me and makes me feel like the goal with contouring should be to actually change your features instead of enhance them. Of course, there are times when the goal is to change facial features, but I think for your average cosmetic consumer (not makeup artist), that’s not what it’s about.

From It Cosmetics:

“Developed with plastic surgeons, the leading experts in contouring and aesthetics, each powder shade is formulated with proprietary Perfect Lighting™ Technology to mimic real facial contouring and provide a foolproof alternative to fillers. While the four contour shades absorb light and minimize the areas to which you apply them, the two highlighters enhance features you want to pull forward, creating the appearance of more volume. Talc-free, and perfect for all skin types and skin tones, these shades are infused with anti-aging collagen, silk and peptides to blend effortlessly and deliver smooth, natural-looking coverage that lasts all day.”

I just don’t want to be made to think that there’s something wrong with my face. I have to look at this mug every day! Makeup is heaps of fun and makes me happy, but I really try to only wear it to express myself, not cover up my insecurities. Also, I’m pretty sure that Perfect Lighting™ Technology is, like, matte vs. shimmer powders.

_MG_3176_web — It Cosmetics Universal Contouring Palette for Face and Body ($40)

Apart from my philosophical grievances with this palette, the formula is soft, pigmented, and soo easy to blend. I’ve been using it with this Contour & Highlighting Brush ($34.50 and also from It Cosmetics), and it does pretty much all the work for me. There is some dust that kicks up when loading up your brush, and the packaging is silver cardboard. It gets messy; I got contour powder in the highlighter pans more than once.

_MG_3122_web — Top: Soft Contour, Light Contour, Matte Highlight Bottom: Medium Contour, Deep Contour, Radiance Highlight

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#FOTD Starring the Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette and My New Fave Clinique Lippie

May 20th, 2016 by Jen Clark 28 Comments

Daytime Glam FOTD naked 3 — Today’s daytime glam look!

You guys are all my friends here, right?

That’s what I thought, so I can vent a little bit? I know you guys will listen to me.

Well, there’s only so much my poor husband can handle. As a mom and, honestly, I know that’s partly a cop-out excuse, an introvert, I don’t get out of the house as often as I’d like.

When I do finally peel off the sweatpants that have been plastered to my body since the day before and put on an outfit that doesn’t make me look like a hobo, I want to do something nice with my makeup too. That’s when I usually go for something in the “daytime glam” category, which is what I did today.

But first, the venting. I spent a lot of time on my makeup and hair today, and I even threw on a dress. Lookin’ hot, I was ready for a day out of the house, but my son had other plans. He’s two and a half right now, and I know it has got to be hard to be two. He’s got an amazing vocabulary, but when he’s upset or overwhelmed, he sometimes has a hard time getting his feelings out in a way that doesn’t involve screaming or crying.

We hit the town, but he was not having it. At the first store we went to he had a total meltdown, for reasons unbeknownst to me. I’m talking a screaming-thrashing-snot-flying-everywhere kind of meltdown.

Needless to say, with both of us in tears feeling so sorry for ourselves, we headed home… Just like that, our day out of the house was over.

I can’t even fathom how hard it would be to have two kids, but for those of you who don’t know, I’m having a baby girl in September! 🙂 Moms, please tell me it gets better and that having two isn’t hard at all. Lie to me if you must!

Now for the fun part of this post — the makeup! I recently did a little collaboration with Anna and Adia on how we rock pink eyeshadow, and I went with a really bright look. They did really pretty, more wearable looks, so I was feeling inspired to use some similar colors.

I decided to break out my Naked 3 Palette because it’s full of those gorgeous rosy/mauve tones I was looking to use.

I’ll tell you quickly how I got this look. I started by using ‘Limit’ (a light mauve-y rose) in the crease, then deepened it up a bit using ‘Nooner’ (mid toned mauve-y rose).

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Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara: Now Waterproof!

May 20th, 2016 by Anna Oh 19 Comments

Remember when Too Faced made a mascara that was “better than sex?” Well, this one is even better than that one because it’s waterproof!

Too Faced Better Than Sex Waterproof Mascara ($23) works magic in every department now — volume, length, and (now) curl.

Feeling upgraded in every way, it’s packaged in a heavy metal tube with a water-fleck texture like the one I fell in love with from the MAC Alluring Aquatic Collection (2014).

Waterproof mascara isn’t for everyone, though. For some, it means blinking away black flakes, dry crunchy lashes, and even losing a few eyelashes trying to take it off, but I think this is one of the better waterproof mascaras I’ve used, and it’s worth a try if you’re looking for a new one. This one’s now my favorite mascara for special occasions.

Better lashes, here I come!

too faced better than sex waterproof — Closeup of the “Better Than Sex” wand…

So, the wand on this mascara is ridiculously huge, and my first few tries with it were super messy. I’m not sure if the wand has to be THIS big, because sometimes the product can collect into clumps on the brush.

But since I love the way it makes my lashes look, I can overlook a few messy applications. The jet-black formula really sticks to my lashes, but instead of weighing them down like the original Better Than Sex Mascara does, this one holds them in place.

Multiple layers are also possible because of the slow-drying formula.

Now, even though your waterproof lashes look amazing, what do you do with them at the end of the day?

Removing waterproof mascara

You grab Too Faced Mascara Melt Off ($17), which you swipe right onto your lashes, and the oil-infused formula conditions and literally “melts off” waterproof mascaras.

The main reason I don’t wear waterproof mascara more often is because cleanup is so difficult, and even though I always use a separate waterproof eye remover, this mascara still doesn’t budge easily.

But Mascara Melt Off works great and takes less effort. I just let it sit on my lashes for a full minute before wiping off the oil and the rest of my eye makeup with a warm makeup wipe (I warm the makeup wipe by running it under hot water).

These products were made for each other, and Mascara Melt Off really works.

See you in the next!

Anna

Anna Oh

Anna is an illustrator and designer from Atlanta, GA. Her work focuses on fashion, beauty, and awesome women. A former tomboy, Anna now happily embraces all things pink, glittery, and floral scented. You can see her illustration work at www.helloannaoh.com and on Instagram.

These MAC Prep+Prime Highlighter Pens Should Really Be Called PERK+Prime! Miracle Workers

May 20th, 2016 by Jessica Revitte 12 Comments

I’m guessing that by now you’re all getting tired of hearing me bang on about how tired I am.

But really, it’s a vicious cycle. I recently read a meme on Facebook (don’t judge me) while scrolling through my feed during the wee hours of sleeplessness with a fussy baby that read, “Parenting is the constant battle between going to bed to catch up on some sleep or staying awake to finally get some alone time.”

L-O-L, is that ever true!

Hopefully for this tired mama, MAC’s new $26 Prep+Prime Highlighter click pens can help. They’re supposed to “effectively [bring] a soft, sheer wash of colour to skin.”

But first, can we briefly pause to appreciate the shimmering — dare I say sexy? — packaging? I’m in love with these boxes and tubes…

The MAC Prep + Prime Highlighters in all their glittery packaged glory!

Available in nine shades (including two correctors in peach and rose) to suit a wide range of skin tones, the Prep+Prime Highlighters are MAC’s answer to YSL’s eponymous Touche Eclat Stylo. Creamy and easy to apply thanks to the gentle brush head from which the product is dispensed, these highlighters do dry down quickly and oxidize slightly to a somewhat deeper tone than I’d expect based on the swatches.

Although the two shades on the right are just too deep for my complexion, any of the first three on the left would suit my skin tone, depending on what I want and need. The one called Light, for instance, is a classic highlighting concealer, while Medium would be better suited to cancel out the blue tones under my eyes.

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First Impressions of the (Fab) Tarte Tarteist Double Take Eyeliner and Lash Paint Mascara

May 19th, 2016 by Anna Oh 27 Comments

I’ve worn eyeliner nearly every day of my life since I started wearing makeup, and I consider myself an experienced liner lady (like, if eyeliners were cats, that’s me!). When I find a great product, I usually don’t stray from it, and I’ve been faithful to my current favorites until now.

Will the new Tarteist Double Take Eyeliner ($24) and Lash Paint Mascara ($23) from Tarte dethone my tried and trues?

Let’s find out!

By the way, in this look I’m also wearing Shiseido Synchro Skin Foundation, Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Bronzer, Makeup Geek Eyeshadows, L’Oreal Brow Stylist Definer, Tarteist Clay Blush Palette, and Ofra Cosmetics Long Lasting Liquid Lipstick in “Miami Fever” (by KathleenLights). And yes, I am forcing myself to use a different lipstick every day and have fallen in love with this color, again.

Tarteist Double Take Eyeliner

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These MAC Soft Serve Shadows Are Sooo My Cup of…Ice Cream!

May 19th, 2016 by Adia Goss 27 Comments

Seriously, sparkly cream eyeshadows are my go-to shadows most mornings (if I’m wearing eyeshadow at all), and I LOVE this cushiony cream-to-powder formula. I am 100% completely onboard with these creamy new MAC Soft Serve Shadows. There are 11 of them in the new Soft Serve collection with lots of pretty shimmer!

I think you’ll love these if you also like the Dior Fusion Mono or Chanel Illusion D’Ombre cream eyeshadows because the formulas are very similar. I like applying them with my fingers because they’re easy to build up and blend, but once they set, they stay put.

Basically, these are my dream eyeshadows.

The 11 shades

Bounce Around (Light, cool taupey silver)
Cushy Life (Light warm golden beige)
Best Make Up (Light golden highlighter)
Plead Gilty (Vibrant sparkling gold)
Quite Yummy! (Light pink)
So So Saucy (Mid-tone peach)
Put Me to Shame (Mid-tone dirty taupe)
Softened Up (Mid-tone warm brown)
Girls, Girls! (Soft pastel purple)
Big Bad Blue (Soft pastel blue)
Jealous Girl (Mint green)

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The Best in Beauty From the Boot, Vol. 11: MADINA Milano

May 19th, 2016 by Carolina Braina 17 Comments

MADINA Milano Italian Makeup — Wearing MADINA Exact Color Bronzer all over my face and neck, MADINA Crystal Glass Powder on my forehead and sides of the nose, MADINA Crystal Glass Bronzer in the classic 3 shape, MADINA Chic & Shine Highlighting Stick on my cheekbones, and MADINA Exact Color Lipstick on my lips

You know that feeling when you fall so madly in love with someone that you wonder how you survived for so long without them? Well, it’s the exact same feeling I had when I recently tried MADINA Milano’s makeup for the first time!

The products that have stolen my heart include Pat McGrath’s favorite highlighter and a lipstick that looks good enough to eat…

Are you intrigued?

Just keep reading, then! 😉

MADINA Exact Color Bronzer (€10/$11.37)

OK, I don’t know how it does it, but the MADINA Exact Color Bronzer makes my complexion look so much better without having any actual coverage. When I apply it all over my face and neck, it gives me the most gorgeous sunkissed glow that doesn’t pull orange AT ALL, while it makes my skin look smoother and keeps it shine-free longer.

As if that weren’t enough, it also acts as some sort of tinted primer by making my foundation go on so much more easily.

I’m telling you, gurl, this is Holy Grail status.

MADINA Crystal Glass Powder (€16/$18.20)

The MADINA Crystal Glass Powder is actually not a powder, but I guess it’s called that because you can use it on top of your makeup like you would a finishing powder.

It’s basically just pure silicone that you can either use as a primer or on top of your base to minimize the look of pores and fine lines. I personally like to pat it on after foundation using the flat side of my dry Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge. I don’t use it on a daily basis, but for special occasions it really works wonders!

MADINA Crystal Glass Bronzer (€16/$18.20)

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Making Memorably Relaxing Moments With the New CND SPA Collection Scrubs, Masques and Lotions

May 19th, 2016 by Marcella Yakalis 20 Comments

CND Spa Collection Bright Citron and Gardenia Woods Scrubs and Masques — CND Spa Collection Bright Citron and Gardenia Woods Scrubs, Masques and Lotions

There aren’t many luxuries I long for at my age. As a millennial living in New York City, there are only a few things I really, really want. Mostly, I’d like a steady income, lower rent, an endless supply of Trader Joe’s Turbinado & Sea Salt Dark Chocolate Covered Almonds and Spindrift Seltzer…

I digress.

When it comes to trying spa and luxury skin care treatments, however, I have many big dreams that have yet to be fulfilled. I have super sensitive skin, as you may have heard me talk about in my previous posts here on Makeup and Beauty Blog, so I am VERY hesitant to get any sort of commercial facial, but one thing I would love to do is have a sensory deprivation session. Unfortunately, they’re rather pricey, especially in this city.

Until the day comes when I can afford fancy spa visits and other amenities, I make due with things I can do at home.

These are some of my recent favorite products, the new CND SPA collection, available at Select Ulta stores. I’ve tried the Bright Citron Lotion, and the Masque, as well as the Gardenia Woods Scrub, and the Soak.

I’d never used any CND products before trying these. I don’t believe there are any of their salons in NYC yet (correct me if I’m wrong!), but these, which are part of a new line, have been satisfying in every respect.

You may have read about my addiction to lotion and how my lotion kingdom has overtaken my nightstand. Well, these new products have mostly stayed in my bathroom, but they’ve already worked their way into my regular bath-time routine.

CND Spa Collection Bright Citron Scrub and Masque — The CND Spa Collection Bright Citron Masque and Lotion are my favorites

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