Guest Post

A Closer Look at the MAC Chris Chang of Poesia Lipsticks: The Blue and Yellow Can Be Wearable??

April 29th, 2016 by Jen Clark 21 Comments

Chris Chang x MAC Lipstick in Cloud Gait — MAC Cloud Gait Lipstick from the MAC x Chris Chang collection

My favorite part of the MAC Chris Chang collection has to be the lipsticks…or maybe the eyeshadows… Wait, but I love the Cream Colour Bases too! But for now, let’s just talk about the lipsticks. Every color is unique and different in some way and, in typical MAC style, the formulas are spot on.

I started out excited by three of the colors and a little perplexed by two. How on earth am I, or anyone really, supposed to wear a sheer blue and a sheer yellow lipstick?? If they were opaque, that would be one thing, but they’re really sheer, which didn’t make sense to me. They just don’t look right on my lips!

MAC Chris Chang Cloud Gait Lipstick — MAC Cloud Gait Lipstick

Chris Chang x MAC Lipstick in Gold XIXI — MAC Gold XIXI Lipstick

Chris Chang x MAC Lipstick in Chris Chang x MAC Lipstick in Gold XIXI — MAC Gold XIXI Lipstick

I think I figured it out, though. I remember learning from someone on YouTube that most makeup artists keep a yellow lipstick in their kit, and the reason is because you can layer it on top of other lip colors to create a custom hue! Aha! That’s how you can use it. You can use Gold XIXI to add warmth to another lip color, and Cloud Gait to cool it.

Let me show you what I’m talking about…

Here’s MAC DDDevilish Lipstick from the collection:

Chris Chang x MAC Lipstick in MAC DDDevilish — MAC DDDevilish Lipstick

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Palm Beach Awaits With the Essie Spring 2016 Collection

April 29th, 2016 by Adia Goss 10 Comments

The Palm Beach-themed nail polishes in the Essie Spring 2016 nail polish collection have all the right moves for a tropical vacation, and I’m loving every shade! When I think of springtime colors, pastel shades come to mind, so I like that there are some super-saturated, unexpected colors in this six-piece release.

High Class Affair, the peachy nude, is my favorite of the collection. I love that it’s neutral but has juuust enough blush to be interesting.

I really think bright pink Lounge Lover would also be beautiful as a blush or a lipstick (Essie, are you listening?).

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You Need at Least One Thing From the MAC Brooke Candy Collection Lip Products for Summer 2016

April 28th, 2016 by Jen Clark 24 Comments

Brooke Candy has come out with her second MAC collection in less than a year (available now online and coming to stores May 5th). I think that speaks to how well her first collection did! This one’s about half lip products, and there’s something for everyone in there.

Among the lip products are a lip pencil and lipstick in MAC’s iconic Whirl shade and its twin called Pamela as a Vamplify lipgloss. There’s a trio of deep vamp-y shades in the lip pencil, lipstick, and gloss, and a couple of staple bright lipsticks that everyone needs.

Let’s start by taking a look at the lippies in the collection…

MAC Brooke Candy Lip Pencils, $17.50 each

All hail MAC lip pencils, am-I-right? I love these. They are so creamy and give you such a sharp, crisp line. TBH, I love just wearing liners on their own, and they act like a matte, long wearing lipstick! And these colors? So on trend! Whirl is one of those must-have colors that belongs in every makeup lover’s kit. It was made uber famous when Kylie Jenner mentioned that it was one of her most loved lip colors.

Night Crawler, one of the shades in the collection, is just so stunning. The pigment is dark and opaque and looks amazing on the lips.

MAC Brooke Candy Whirl Lip Liner (dirty rose)

MAC Brooke Candy Night Crawler Lip Liner (deep plum)

MAC Brooke Candy Lipsticks, $18 each

There is not a single dud in among the lipsticks in this collection. Like I said in the title, you need AT LEAST one of these in your life. The matte shades (Whirl, Doo-Wop, and Witching Hour) are some of my favorite mattes. They feel creamy but have what I would call a satin/matte finish. They aren’t the kind of mattes that suck the life out of your lips, which is oh, so nice, and the amplified shade (Mind Control) packs a punch with amazing pigmentation and a pretty shiny finish.

MAC Brooke Candy Whirl Lipstick (matte dirty rose)

MAC Brooke Candy Doo-Wop (matte blue toned pink) — MAC Brooke Candy Doo-Wop (matte blue-toned pink)

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Getting Gritty, Glossy and Grunge With MAC Studio Eye Gloss

April 27th, 2016 by Jessica Revitte 21 Comments

Do you ever want to pull out all of your makeup and do an eye look that you would otherwise never wear? This grownup “play time” — I constantly crave it. Constantly. And lately I’ve been toying with the idea of a 100% black smoky eye.

This neutral-loving girl has almost always approached smoke safely, rarely venturing out into the deeper end of her Urban Decay Naked palettes…

Aaand then the MAC Studio Eye Glosses happened, and I could no longer resist my desire to experiment.

I mean, indulging in makeup play time is a hard job, but someone’s gotta do it, right? 🙂 In the interest of makeup experimentation, I think I’m up to the task.

I can’t help but notice that the MAC Studio Eye Glosses don’t always get the best reviews…but I think they’re a runway makeup artist’s dream. They’re also temperamental and require some patience, just like an expensive sports car. The eye gloss trend definitely falls more into the editorial/runway makeup category than the everyday makeup lover category that most makeup lovers are comfortable with.

They come in a carefully curated range of colors ($22 each) intended to really amplify your eye looks with a new texture, rather than a new shadow finish.

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From One Artist to Another: An Overview of the Kiko SS16 “The Artist” Collection

April 27th, 2016 by Anna Oh 15 Comments

kiko face chart — Kiko “The Artist” Collection Face. (I made a download available of a full face chart below.)

Kiko Milano is one of my favorite beauty brands because they create such superb products at nominal prices. I first heard about them through a friend who had traveled to Italy, and I’m excited to see their stores popping up stateside! Now I don’t see a Kiko store coming to my neck of the woods in Atlanta anytime soon, but ordering online makes it just as easy.

For spring 2016, Kiko presents “The Artist” — a limited edition collection to inspire you to become a canvas of your own. The packaging is minimal and clean and was inspired by an artists’s tools. I’m pleasantly surprised by the attention to detail.

kiko artist foundation brush — The Artist Foundation Brush ($15)

kiko artist glacial light soft sifter foundation — Kiko Artist Glacial Light Soft Sifter Foundation ($15)

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MAC Chris Chang of Poesia Collection: Look at it! JUST LOOK AT IT!!

April 27th, 2016 by Jen Clark 30 Comments

The Chris Chang x MAC collection — The MAC x Chris Chang collection

If you’re a color lover, you NEED to indulge in the MAC x Chris Chang collection! Everything about this collection is perfect, stunning, amazing, and any other similarly descriptive word you can think of. While you may glance at the collection and think, “WOAH, NELLY!! No way, Jose!” there really are quite a few things that are extremely wearable. But, it’s also a goldmine for those who like to get creative with their makeup.

#FOTD using the Chris Chang x MAC collection

The collection arrives online May 5th (in stores May 12th) and sells through June 9th, so act fast if you want to get your hands on anything!

Chris Chang, the fashion designer for Poesia, says that his inspiration “…comes from the traditional aesthetics of ethnic tribes and costumes from various countries, as well as the transformative world of art. My designs are for women who are eccentric and confident. Color is the integral fuel of my imagination and the spirit MAC and I share. This collaboration is a dream come true for the maximalists of the world.”

I need to get a little bit OTT for just a second about this packaging. Excuse me while I get emotional… Everybody, this is the most delicious, make-my-heart-skip-a-beat, give-me-an-eyegasm packaging I have ever seen in my entire existence. I literally *gasped* when I opened these for the first time, and my jaw sat on the floor for a good 5 minutes. The colors and patterns are just so aesthetically pleasing, as are the actual products.

Here’s a quick look and swatches, and I’ll have more thoughts and pics of the products in action over the coming days (here’s a closer look at the lipsticks)…

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Music Festival Inspired Makeup Tutorial With a Pop of Blue

April 27th, 2016 by Jen Clark 26 Comments

Warm bronze eye shadow with a pop of blue

My social media feeds have been blowing up with cute photos and snapchats of really cool, trendy people at music festivals, so I decided I would (try to) channel my inner cool person and came up with this makeup look I’d wear if I were to go to said festivals.

I love this look so much! I can’t wait to wear it this summer. I think it makes a huge impact, but it’s totally easy to do. And you can customize it if you want to. You could switch out the bronze-y shades for taupes and the blues for some lavender.

Mmm, that would be gorgeous!

I’m using the Too Faced Semi Sweet Chocolate Bar Palette and the Pixi Mesmerizing Mineral Palette in Aquamarine Dream.

Yes, I know the Too Faced Palette has a blue shade in it, but I’ve been dying to try out the Pixi palette. The colors make my heart pitter patter.

The Too Faced Semi Sweet Chocolate Bar Palette, $49

Pixi Mesmerizing Mineral Palette in Aquamarine Dream, $12

I wanted a really warm crease, so I put “peanut butter” (an almost orange matte brown) from the Too Faced palette in the crease and just above it. By using a really soft, fluffy brush and taking your sweet time blending, you’ll get that diffused look we all aim for.

Too Faced "peanut butter" in the crease — Too Faced “peanut butter” in the crease

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Charlotte Tilbury Magic Foundation: Hallelujah for This Hocus Pocus!

April 26th, 2016 by Jessica Revitte 31 Comments

I’ve long been enamored with Charlotte Tilbury. The UK-based makeup artist exudes old Hollywood glamour, and her personally designed makeup collection is to die for.

Burgundy and rose gold packaging, names that evoked cosmetic legends and breathtaking hues… For months I agonized over what to buy. Did I want to test a shadow palette first? What about a lipstick? And why was the gorgeous Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds gloss already sold out? Each time I thought I’d made a decision, my mind was promptly changed by another more beautiful item.

But, as I’ve mentioned several times, my head can always be turned by a good foundation, and turned, it was, when a buzz built into a roar over the new Charlotte Tilbury Magic Foundation.

The care a brand takes in formulating and marketing a base product says a lot to me. Foundations and concealers are often overlooked in favor of more exciting, colorful products like eye shadow, blush and lipstick, so when a foundation, of all things, generates this kind of fuss, I knew I had to have it.

Charlotte Tilbury Magic Foundation in Shade 2 Fair ($44)

While not quite as costly as some high-end foundations, Magic Foundation is no less luxurious at $44 per fluid ounce, but despite the price, it’s hard to resist the allure when this is how Charlotte describes this bewitchment in a bottle…

“My Magic Foundation is a miracle in a bottle that transforms skin for all ages, skin tones and skin types. I have worked with laboratories for five years to create a “hyper-intelligent” formula that gives full-coverage yet feels completely weightless, with all the anti-aging and protective benefits of a luxury skin cream. It conceals imperfections, glides on like a dream, and literally feels like a second skin. Whether your skin needs just a bit of perfecting, or you struggle with a frustrating issue like acne, melasma or rosacea, my Magic Foundation will give you a perfect looking skin day, every day!”

— charlottetilbury.com

Given the buzz, I bet you’re wondering what to expect.

Magic Foundation promises a laundry list of beauty advantages, like universality (regardless of age, skin type, or condition), weightlessness, anti-aging benefits, imperfection concealment, glide-on texture — the list goes on!

And if those weren’t enough, Charlotte’s YouTube page also features several tutorials of the makeup artist concealing a variety of skin concerns with Magic Foundation alone. It’s hard not to feel like a moth to a flame with that promise and potential!

I’ve said before that I’m a tinted moisturizer girl, but even though Magic Foundation provides full coverage…it doesn’t feel like full coverage, so I’m going to say what many makeup lovers have already said before: this literally feels like my skin alone.

I have some dry areas on my face, and Magic Foundation doesn’t cling. Even after a long day, Magic Foundation doesn’t need to be touched up. I often wear several concealers, but when applied and set right, Magic Foundation conceals everything for me. It’s like an eerily perfect boyfriend… You keep searching for something wrong, but he’s always bringing you flowers and grande lattes!

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