Makeup and Beauty Blog | Makeup Reviews, Swatches and How-To Makeup
A beauty blog blooming with fresh makeup reviews, swatches and beauty tips from your friendly neighborhood beauty addict
The holidays are in full effect, y’all, and red lipsticks are in the mutha’ truckin’ house! Of course, I couldn’t forget to include one of the most party-poppin’ colors in MAC’s permanent line, the bright, bold, beautiful MAC Red ($14.50).
Swatches from the left: MAC Red, Ruby Woo, Lady Danger, Russian Red and Dubonnet
“Lady Danger to Ruby Woo! Lady Danger to Ruby Woo! Come in, Ruby Woo! Do you copy? Over.”
“This is Ruby Woo. I read you loud and clear, Lady Danger. What’s your 20? Has Russian Red been neutralized? Over.”
“That’s affirmative, cap’n. Russian Red has been neutralized. I’m leaving the checkpoint now. Returning to base. Over.”
“Copy that, Lady Danger. Good work!”
Russian Red, Ruby Woo and Lady Danger may sound like secret agent codenames, but they’re actually three of MAC’s most popular red lipsticks.
If Russian Red’s too cool for you, but Ruby isn’t quite warm enough, give pinup worthy MAC Lady Danger a try ($14.50). More coral than red, it has a matte finish like both Ruby Woo and Russian Red, but it’s warmer than both of them.
I love all three colors, but I reach for Lady Danger more often when I’m in a playful mood. Like Ruby Woo, it’s on the warmer end of the spectrum, but I think it has a very faint shine that loosens it up a little. Ruby Woo seem more formal and dressier to me.
Lady Danger (left) with Ruby Woo (right) for comparison
To call MAC Tempting ($15 for a pan; $11 for the Pro-Refill Pan above) a basic brown eyeshadow would be like calling Kelly Clarkson a pretty good singer.
Lately, this bronzy coco that shimmers with microscopic flecks of golden glitter has been for me, in the words of the great Barry White (RIP), “my everything.”
Sure, some gals may not be as tempted by Tempting as I am, may call it too “blah” to its pan, but it’s shades like Tempting that made me first consider eyeshadow for everyday, workaday wear.
[Continue reading…]
A friend of mine who loves makeup but is terrified of blush emailed a few days ago looking for recommendations for a blush that wouldn’t leave her looking (and I quote) “like a lady of the night.”
As soon as I remembered how much she likes NARS, I thought about NARS Madly ($27).
It’s one of those shades that I overlooked for way too long. Based on how light and uninspiring it looked to me in the pan, I always just assumed it wouldn’t do much for my tan.
You’d think I’d know by now not to judge a blush by its cover. Thank goodness I finally decided to give it a try. In a word: amazing. AH-MAAAAY-ZING!
The holidays are a great time to go glam with vivid colors like MAC Ruby Woo ($14.50).
Heck, even the trees get all dolled up this time of year! It’s the perfect opportunity to push the envelope with your look, and nothing says “holiday party” like a pigmented red lip. 🙂
Coral red Ruby Woo is wearing warmer attire than my other go-to crimson cutie, MAC Russian Red. It has a warmer tone that I like to pair with shimmery gold shadows and looks with thick cat liner.
These days, getting the family together for the holidays is like planning a trip to the moon. There are so many machinations involved in getting everyone under one roof that I’ve considered getting NASA involved.
Things sure were easier when I was a kid… On Thanksgivings, all my brother and I had to do was open our eyes, most of the time around noon, and lumber down the hall toward the kitchen and the aroma of great food.
The hallway outside my old room in my parents’ house that leads to the kitchen
This year we couldn’t get the whole family together for the day tomorrow, and it makes me a little sad. With El Hub’s parents having just moved here to California earlier this month, we’ll be driving out to see them. It’s about a four-hour drive to a town close to the Oregon border called Redding, and I’m a little nervous because I’ll be meeting a group of the family there that I’ve never met before, some of El Hub’s cousins, aunts and uncles. I’m sure everyone will be very nice, but I’m really going to miss spending the day with my brother and parents.
You know how it is… These are the kinds of things that people deal with over the holidays when family members live far apart.
Whatev, Shauna the Wonderdog still thinks it sucks…
Since we’ll be hitting the road early tomorrow, I’ve drawn upon my vast experience as a makeup nerd/control freak to lay out a beauty plan, because the last thing I want to do on Thanksgiving is scare the relatives, BOO! 🙂
The plan involves today’s Unsung Hero, MAC Retrospeck Eyeshadow ($15 for a pan; $11 for the Pro Palette Refill at the top of this post).
Like MAC Phloof!, Restrospeck is one of my favorite get-out-the-door products. It brightens eyes in just a few quick swipes.
MAC describes it as a bleached blonde, but on my skin I see a warm and shimmery mix of silver and gold — a surefire way to look wide-eyed and bright.
Say the uber-pigmented NARS Lovejoy Blush seems a little too dark and intense for you, but you still want the same two-in-one blush/bronzer effect. Never fear, Luster Blush ($27) is here!
Like Lovejoy, Luster adds color, shimmer and warmth in a single swipe, and the way that it lights up cheeks makes it a good companion for a fading summer tan.
It’s one of those shades that I overlooked for years based on the way it looks in the pan — kinda ordinary and nondescript — but I’m glad I finally gave it a swipe and a chance. When I did, I fell instantly in 
love.
A sheer golden apricot with fine golden shimmer, it’s sheerer than both Lovejoy and Orgasm, and I think that makes it even easier to blend and apply.
NARS blush swatches for comparison from the left: Luster, Lovejoy and Orgasm
[Continue reading…]
Combined, some words are even greater than the sum of their parts. Take Nutella and doughnuts, for instance. Both tasty treats by themselves, for sure, but stick them together and BOOM!
Magic (super high-calorie magic).
I think the same principle also applies to NARS Lovejoy, a $27 powder blush from the NARS permanent line.
NARS Lovejoy does more than combine two — wait, three great words. It also combines two of my favorite products, blush and bronzer.
And seriously, with a name like Lovejoy, how could it have been anything but good?
Around this time every year, with the last vestiges of my summer tan fading from view, I start reaching for bronzers more and more often to add some extra warmth to my face. Not as a replacement for blush, but in addition to it.
But on days when I’m too rushed (or too lazy) in the morning to deal with both, NARS Lovejoy’s mix of rosy plum and bronze pigments and golden glitter totally hits the spot. Its power comes from its ability to combine a rosy flush with a natural-looking bronzy glow, so it’s kinda like getting a two-for-one, with a bronzer and blush in a single pan. I think it really sings on olive skin tones, but I’ve also heard cool-toned gals gush over it, too.
Because NARS gave Lovejoy more than enough pigment, I think it’s easy to overdo. It pays to apply it with a feather light touch, and I like the results I get when I use it with a synthetic skunk brush (for a sheer, natural-looking veil of color).
One layer is usually enough to give my cheeks a flush like they’ve just been pinched, and because I don’t have to use much, the pan should last, oh, roughly three lifetimes. 🙂
Even if you fear sparkly stuff, don’t be scurred of Lovejoy’s golden glitter. It may look intimidating in the pan, but those flecks are super fine and don’t shine a spotlight on pores or fine lines. Just enough shimmer to keep skin looking glowy and fresh.
And to top everything off, Lovejoy lasts all day long on my combination skin.
Ahh, Lovejoy… I love that you bring me so much joy.
