Make Up For Ever

New Make Up For Ever Smoky Extravagant Mascara: For Lashes So Glossy, Full and Pitch Black You’ll Be Able To See Them in a Mirror From Across the Room

July 17th, 2013 by Karen 20 Comments

If you and I were cubicle buddies on break and only had five minutes to catch up, grab Starbucks (soy chai latte for me, no foam, please) AND talk makeup shop, I would probably 1) ask you what you were wearing on your lips, because I’m always looking for cool new combos to try, and 2) mention how much I’m digging the new $24 Make Up For Ever Smokey Extravagant Mascara, because whenever I wear it, my lashes enter a room before I do.

Two coats of this volume-growing, curl-maximizing mascara make my naturally uninspiring lashes so glossy, full and pitch black that I can see them in a mirror from across the room.

Yeah, me and Smoky Extravagant? We coo’.

All about performance and precision, it launched earlier this month with a lofty gaol at Sephora stores and Make Up For Ever Boutiques.

According to MUFE, Make Up For Ever Creator and Artistic Director Dany Sanz was trying to create the darkest, most dramatic black mascara she could for stage, backstage and real life.

What sets Smoky Extravagant Mascara apart?

MUFE used the darkest pigments they could find. They formulating them to envelop each eyelash in an opaque cocoon of light-absorbing product, making the inky blackness even more intense.
They used a smooth base of wax and Abyssinian Oil (often used in hair products) to help the formula glide on and off lashes, making it a snap to remove and apply.
They included a cone-shaped brush head with 580 bristles (!). The tapered tip latches onto even the daintiest lashes while the fuller end pumps up the volume.

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Unsung Makeup Heroes: Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Intense Lipstick in 39

February 15th, 2013 by Karen 22 Comments

Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Intense 39 1 — Here I’m wearing orangey coral Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Intense Lipstick in 39, an Unsung Makeup Hero

I’m thinking about having the words, “It’s Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Intense Lipstick in 39,” printed on a t-shirt, and I’ll tell you why.

Because whenever I wear it, I must get asked 10 times a day what I’m wearing on my lips.

It’s almost as flattering as the lipstick itself. 🙂

If I had that shirt, I could just smile, open my jacket and BAM! — point at the shirt.

Once you start wearing this satiny, orangey coral ($19, available now at Make Up For Ever Boutiques and counters, Sephora stores and also online), you’ll see what I mean.

It’s one of those colors you can’t miss when it walks into a room, so be prepared to answer questions about it as you go about your day.

I think it has something to do with the opacity, for one. The bright block of solid color really showcases your lips. That, and the orangey tones, which are just so…bright.

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New Sephora Exclusives From NARS and Make Up For Ever, One of Them in Technicolor and the Other Inspired by Eve

February 12th, 2013 by Karen 24 Comments

The new Make Up For Ever Technicolor Palette ($45), available now exclusively at Sephora

Seriously, dude, I go to Petco so often that when I see the Friskies delivery guy there restocking the gravy display, he gives me the “What’s up?” nod in the cat food aisle.

Like we’re buds. Because we see each other so often. 🙂

In my town, one of the upsides of frequenting the local Petco on behalf of my famously demanding feline employer is that there’s a Sephora right next door.

I know! It’s makeup/cat lady heaven…

So whenever Tabs sends me on a gravy run, I try to swing by Sephora (but please don’t tell Tabs, because I don’t want to hear his speech about personal errands on company time, blah, blah, blah…).

Yesterday Miss Thang (Tabs) was running low on Science Diet, Gravy and Greenies, so after restocking at Petco, I wandered next door to the Sephora to quickly look around, and check if the new Hourglass Ambients had arrived yet (nope!).

It was weird… Most of the time when I visit Sephora, I usually see a few guys either trailing their girlfriends/wives or waiting up near the front of the store with their noses buried in their phones, but yesterday, they were everywhere! — wandering the aisles like lost cattle, most of them with blank looks on their faces.

That’s when I realized: Valentine’s Day. I think there was some present shopping going on there…

Most of the dudes, bless their hearts, looked completely clueless, too. I thought, “Let me help you!” LOL! But I was under a tight schedule and had to get back to the office to give Tabs his daily full-body shiatsu massage.

If I had been able to offer assistance, I would have steered the dudes toward the new $45 Technicolor palette from Make Up For Ever first, with its eight powder shadows, four of them brights and four of them neutrals.

My inner film buff likes the inspiration behind it — the era in cinema when movies were transitioning from black and white to color, circa the 1930s — while my practical side loves that MUFE included classic black, brown, beige and white shades to go with the electric yellow, green, blue and purple.

So flexible! Plus, it comes with a step-by-step tutorial and two eye brushes.

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With 14 Full-Size Pencil Liners, the $160 Make Up For Ever Ultimate Eye Liner Collection Draws Beauty Lovers Into Its Pigmented Embrace

November 19th, 2012 by Karen 29 Comments

Ouch! I know I asked you to pinch me to see if I was dreaming, but dagnabbit! — did you have to pinch so hard?!

That’s alright… I forgive you. I’m sure you’re probably just excited about the new $160 Make Up For Ever Ultimate Eye Liner Collection like I am and couldn’t control yourself. Heck, I might have done the same thing.

make up for ever ultimate eye liner collection box open — Wowza! That’s a lotta liner…

The new limited edition release of pencil eye liners comes fully equipped with 14 full-size eyeliners in three different formulas to make holiday dreams come true (and to cover all of your liner bases). With seven long-wearing Aqua Eyes pencils, three smudgy Crayon Kohls and four vibrant liquid Aqua Liners, it really does try to live up to its name as the Ultimate Eye Liner Collection.

And the price also represents a hefty savings (even though $160 is still a ton of tacos).

If you were to buy all 14 of these liners separately, it would set you back $269, but in the kit, the liners work out to $11 each, which is a lot less than the $17-23 MUFE usually charges.

The colors in the kit should flatter a wide range of skin tones. MUFE thoughtfully covered most of the major color bases, sprinkling some fun greens, purples and a shimmery champagne into a mix of everyday basic black, brown and gray shades.

I would’ve loved to also see a bronze or a gold here, but that’s probably just my warm skin tone talking. 🙂

make up for ever ultimate eye liner collection crayon khol product shot — Khol Pencils from the left: #1K Deep Black, #9K Matte Mocha Brown and #4 Intense Green

make up for ever ultimate eye liner collection aqua liner — Aqua Liners from the left: #4 Diamond Lagoon Green, #7 Diamond Black Purple, #15 Iridescent Anthracite and #13 Mat Black

make up for ever ultimate eye liner collection aqua eyes liners — Aqua Eyes from the left: #23L Champagne, #11L Purple, #3L Iridescent Navy, #5L Bronze Green, #2L Pearly Brown and #0L Mat Black

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The Make Up For Ever Aqua Eyes Collection Delights Eyes With Three Layers of Long-Lasting Liner

November 14th, 2012 by Karen 29 Comments

Like tiramisu, onions and intricate and nefarious plots, there are many layers to the pencil liners in the new $36 Make Up For Ever Aqua Eyes Collection.

Three, to be exact. 🙂

That’s the number of layers MUFE suggests you apply along your water lines with each of the six silky smooth, waterproof liners that come with the set.

(Oh, they also work pretty well on lash lines, in case you were wondering.)

Just slick on a layer, wait for it dry (takes about a minute), and repeat two more times.

When I follow MUFE’s suggestion and apply three layers, these liners last 6-8 hours on my water lines, sans smudging, and they resist water every step of the way.

That’s not bad.

When I wear ’em on my lash lines, I feel like I can get away with fewer layers; one or two does the trick.

Like the All Eyes On You set we looked at earlier today, this one’s also a good value. Buying the two full-size liners separately would cost $36, but with the set, you also get four additional travel-sized colors for the same price.

MUFE was kind to include a nice mix of practical and fun colors here, and the kit even has a couple of MUFE shades I’ve previously worn down to stubs.

The shimmery, pearly peach, codenamed #23L Champagne, works almost as well as caffeine. When I wear it on my lower water lines, I don’t look half as tired, LOL! And on days when I just want a little soft definition, #21L Metallic Grey hits the spot.

make up for ever aqua eyes collection swatches — From the left: #0L Mat Black, #2L Pearly Brown, #21L Metallic Grey, #23L Champagne, #6L Black Purple and #12L Turquoise

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All Eyes on You? No Sweat, With Make Up For Ever’s $59 Five-Piece All Eyes On You Set

November 14th, 2012 by Karen 47 Comments

In one direction, I see cat butt…

In the other, I see a kick-@ss holiday makeup set — in this case, the new $59 five-piece Make Up For Ever All Eyes On You, which caught my attention when it screamed, “stellar value!”

It’s one of the new makeup sets now available at Sephora (doesn’t it seem like there’s a new one every other day?).

Four of the five pieces in the set are discounted and full-size. Purchased separately, the shimmery pinkish beige Aqua Cream #16, the two Aqua Eyes liners in #0L Mat Black and #21L Dark Gray and the tube of jet black Smoky Lash mascara would cost $82, so $59 represents a pretty good savings there.

And the cherry on top? — the fifth piece, a souped-up, sample-sized HD Microfinish Powder. That, and the surprisingly useful “Get The Look” tutorials on the back of the box, take this already good set to the next level.

make up for ever all eyes on you product — Clockwise from the white jar at the top: HD Microfinish Powder, Aqua Cream #16 Pink Beige, Aqua Eyes #21L Dark Grey, Aqua Eyes #0L Mat Black and Smoky Lash Mascara

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For Statement Lips That Last (and Last): The Make Up For Ever Aqua Rouge Liquid Lip Colors

August 20th, 2012 by Karen 51 Comments

make up for ever aqua rouge review

In a way, Make Up For Ever’s 12 new Aqua Rouge liquid lip colors are like Terminators.

Perhaps Kyle Reese said it best: “It [the lip colors] can’t be bargained with. It can’t be reasoned with. It doesn’t feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And it absolutely will not stop…”

But unlike those metal monsters from the future, these $24 lip colors just want to hang out with you…for a really, really long time.

make up for ever aqua rouge product shot
From the left: #1 Nude Beige, #8 Red, #7 Pink Brown, #10 Raspberry and #15 Pink

make up for ever aqua rouge swatches
Swatches from the left: #1 Nude Beige, #15 Pink, #10 Raspberry, #8 Red, #7 Pink Brown and the clear gloss

They have a creamy liquid lip color with a doe-foot applicator on one end and a clear, non-sticky gloss with a brush on the other. Layered beneath the glosses, the lip colors, which pack full-tilt pigment, maximum opacity and a mirror-like shine, last on me from 4-6 hours, assuming I sip or nibble on something during that time, and a whopping 6-7 hours if I don’t.

make up for ever aqua rouge 8 red
#8 Red
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Not Even Michael Phelps Handles Water As Well As New Make Up For Ever Aqua Brow

August 14th, 2012 by Karen 34 Comments

make up for ever aqua brow

Where’s home base? For my eyebrows, most of the time it’s at the corner of MAC Concrete Eyeshadow and the 266 Small Angle Brush, but over the past couple of weeks, the new Make Up For Ever Aqua Brow ($20 and available in seven shades) and I have stamped some pretty impressive locations in our makeup passport, from a series of treadmill sessions in a sweltering room, to a blisteringly hot blacktop parking lot where a pack of food trucks roam, to a humid East Bay afternoon.

No matter how hot, sticky or overheated I got, Aqua Brow didn’t budge, even when I was bathed in sweat from head to toe after ~~daydreaming about Jeremy Renner~~ a rough 6-mile run.

make up for ever aqua brow product shot
From the left: #25 Ash, #35 Taupe and #40 Brown Black

Make Up For Ever made this brow-filling gel for makeup artists, but you and I can use it, too. 🙂 Designed to fill, define and intensify brows with a concentrated waterproof formula able withstand hot summer days and sudden thunderstorms, it comes in a tube and dries to a powder with a satiny finish.

A tip for the three dudes who read MBB (bless your hearts!), you can use Aqua Brow to fill in mustaches and sideburns, too.

MUFE claims the essential oils and carnauba wax (palm wax) they used render Aqua Brow virtually melt-proof.

All seven shades join MUFE’s permanent line next month, with #10 Light Blonde, #15 Blonde and #25 Ash heading to Sephora stores (but they’re available now online) and Make Up For Ever Boutiques; and #20 Light Brown, #30 Dark Brown, #35 Taupe and #40 Brown Black coming exclusively to Make Up For Ever Boutiques.

So far my brows and I have tried #25 Ash, #35 Taupe and #40 Brown Black. I think that Ash, while a tad lighter than my natural brow color, matches my dyed hair pretty well, and if you’re a brunette, it should work well for you, too.

make up for ever aqua brow swatches
From the left: #25 Ash, #35 Taupe and #40 Brown Black

make up for ever aqua brow before and after
Before (left) and after application of #25 Ash (right)
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