clinique

When I’m feeling great, I think of myself as a strong and tough girl, but my inner warrior’s been MIA for weeks. I’ve felt kinda beaten down. This morning I wanted — correction — I needed a pick-me-up, and I turned to Clinique Party Red. Every time I looked at myself in the mirror today, this red lip reminded me of the fighter I know I can be.

To get the look, a classic red lip and neutral eye, I used a few items from the Clinique Party Red holiday makeup collection (available soon).

Butter Shine Lipstick in Parisian Red, $14 (limited edition)

A warm and creamy brick red, Parisian Red belongs to Clinique’s line of Butter Shine Lipsticks. Its soft, buttery texture feels moisturizing, and it’s easy to apply (even straight from the tube).

With a glossy finish, this shade of red has visible pizazz but isn’t “too sexy” for work (although it might be too sexy for church, LOL!). Makeup and Beauty Blot Rating: A

Quick Eyes Cream Shadow in Sparkling Nude and Lucky Penny, $14.50 each

From top to bottom: Sparkling Nude, Lucky Penny

Sparkling Nude

Lucky Penny

For my look today I wore Lucky Penny (a shimmery light tan) on the lid and Sparkling Nude (a shimmery beige) on the brow bone.

Both shades applied without a hitch, blended easily and lasting all day long without noticeable creasing or fading. If you haven’t tried any of the Quick Eyes Cream Shadows, try to find one of these neutral shades, stat, because not only are they cute and long lasting, but they even work well as a base for powder eyeshadows. Makeup and Beauty Blot Rating: A+
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They’re baaaaaack. No, I’m not talking about poltergeists, Carol Anne. I’m referring to a resurgence of matte makeup products. Shine and shimmer have dominated makeup for the last several years, but more and more matte lipsticks, eye shadows and blushes appear each day.

MAC heralded the trend with last fall’s Matte2 collection, but since then a number of lines have re-embraced the look.

Just this month Clinique released the Modern Matte collection with its Colour Surge Eye Shadow Stay Matte ($17.50, available in nine different shades).

If you don’t have much experience with matte eye shadows, the Stay Matte shades may be worth a try because the colors are less intense than those in the MAC Matte2 line. I think that makes them a little easier to use.

Stay Matte’s slightly translucent colors result in sheer, soft looks that are very forgiving — fantastic for makeup newbies still working on their brush and application skills — yet the shades themselves are easily buildable if you’re looking for more intense color. I have two of the darker shades, Chocolate Chip (cool brown) and Midnight (soft black), which I like to pair with something neutral for easy work looks. Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: A

In addition to the Stay Matte eye shadows, the Clinique Modern Matte collection features a few other choice makeup pickings:

For Cheeks

Many cream blushes don’t last very long on cheeks, but Clinique’s Blushwear Cream Stick ($18.50) in Very Blush stays put for hours. This limited edition cream-to-powder shade is super easy to use and produces lovely, natural cheeks, even when I’m in a rush. I just dot the stick directly onto the apples of my cheeks, blend and voila — a natural, plum-colored flush. Oh, yeah, and it’s oil-free, to boot. Loving this! Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: A+

For Lips

Clinique consistently does one thing really well when it comes to lip products: they make ’em moisturize like a mofo. Just like their Glosswear and Superbalm formulas, their new High Impact Lip Colour lipsticks ($14) will keep your lips feeling soft and supple, and each of the available shades contains SPF 15. The shade I have, Red-y to Wear, is a shiny, highly pigmented tomato red. Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: A+

Defining Lip Liner ($14) delivers definition and color with Clinique’s trademark moisturization. It’s a creamy texture and glides without tugging. I like pairing Pomegranate (a dusty rose pink) with Clinique’s Bamboo Pink Glosswear. I also like Red-y or Not, which works perfectly with Red-y to Wear. Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: B+
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When things heat up and the weather warms, I reach for eye makeup that won’t melt away as the day wears on. Enter Clinique’s new Quick Eyes Cream Shadows ($15), part of their Long-Last Bronze collection for summer 2008. Not only do these shadows pack staying power to last throughout the day, but they’re easy to apply and come in 10 luscious colors. Here’s a quick look at three of them: Sparkling Nude, Sunlit Palm and Rock Violet.

Rock Violet

Clinique Quick Eyes Cream Shadows deliver a water resistant, crease-proof creamy powder formula able to last a full 10 hours, according to Clinique. Each works by itself, in conjunction with the other shadows in the collection, or as a base for powder shades.

Doe foot applicator

Each tube comes with a doe-foot applicator, making the shadows easy for your girl to apply when she’s in a hurry (all the time) and doesn’t have the time to whip out her brushes.

The three shades I’ve mentioned here — Rock Violet, Sunlit Palm and Sparkling Nude — all seem to look good when used in conjunction with each other, but I prefer to use each one by itself.
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