11 posts tagged “makeup”

Many of us got addicted to this main cosmetic that we call mascara. It is used to darken and define lashes, making eyes more feminine and seductive. Here are some tips you might not know about this beauty ally of ours.

Mascaras are available in neutral shades such as black, dark brown dark gray, but it is also available in navy, blue, clear and a host of other colors.

Don't be shy using colored mascara, especially if you're a party girl or a teen. Pink, green, or electric blue will make your eyes pop.
Another thing you should pay attention to is the result you want to achieve, because you cannot get volume, curves and length at the same time, even if they try to convince you that it's possible. So decide your priority and shop the perfect mascara.
 
Waterproof mascara shouldn't be used everyday, since it's hard to remove Try using eye make-up remover or cleanser to remove your waterproof mascara. Never wipe your lashes too hard and pull at them because it can cause your lashes to fall off. You must try to be gentle when you remove your mascara.

Here's a little guide to choose the one that may work for you:
- long brushes with short bristles will get your lashes look longer
- a very thick brush will obviously make lashes more dense and thick
- short brushes with longer bristles are used for volume
- a curved brush is of course for curved lashes

If you have delicate lashes and you're using a mascara to make them even longer it's not the best idea. Try mascara for volume to make them denser.
Avoid using volume plumping mascara if you have short lashes. Making them look full makes them seem even shorter than they are. Try to use mascara for length which will give super full, false lash-look.
If you have no problems with your lashes, use a curving mascara, so you won't have to use a lash curler.

It is absolutely forbidden to introduce water, spit or any kind of substance into the mascara bottle if this becomes dry and flaky. The bacteria may grow in the cosmetic and subsequent application to the eye may cause infection and can give you pink eye or a nasty eye infection.

Don't share your mascaras. Another person's bacteria in your mascara can be hazardous to you.
If you notice the smell changes or the texture changes, throw it out.

via make-up.becomegorgeous.com

Celebs Beyonce and Fergie think pink

Couture in the City reader Shara asks:

Q:  Will hot pink lips be trendy for spring/summer of 2009?

A: Hmmm…that’s a tough one Shara. Hot pink lips were trendy in the spring of ‘07, and are making huge waves now (Rihanna is always softening her edgy look with hot pink lips), so it’s hard to say. If you are itching to try a hot pink trend, I would do it now, at the tail end of summer and before winter sets in. Check out your local pharmacy and grab a few different hot pink shades to see what works best with your skin tone. You can work a hot pink lip right now in a very fierce way with a smoky eye and a sleek but chic ensemble.

My most favorite hot pink lip gloss is no longer available (the MAC Fafi edition…so perfectly punk), but you can still snap up some great pink shades from MAC. For a very high fashion look, go for a paler hot pink like Wonderstruck or

The lighter shades of hot pink that were seen on the runway are the perfect compliment to winter florals, grays and muted shades of plum and navy. For a softer fall hot pink look, keep the rest of your color palette muted and make your lips the focal point.

My makeup trend forecast for fall calls for peachy lip glosses (just call it a hunch) so enjoy your pink lips now!

Got an insider tip on your favorite hot pink lip glosses? Leave a comment and let us know which is your favorite and why (not sticky, long lasting, tastes like strawberries, whatever…). Happy glossing!

While you may think of pumpkin only in terms of being a big orange thing that you carve on Halloween or eat in a pie at holiday dinners, pumpkin actually has therapeutic properties that make it a key ingredient in many beauty products.  Did you know that pumpkin has natural UV protectors, powerful anti-inflammatory benefits, and is the perfect exfoliant for those with sensitive skin? 

Read on to learn about various pumpkin-oriented beauty products and ways to scent yourself and your home with the lush, delicious scent of pumpkin.

Don’t be scared, because this stuff will haunt you in a good way! Philosophy’s Haunted House includes 6 oz. bottles of Black Licorice, Caramel Apple (my favorite) and Pumpkin Spice Muffin, which can be used as shampoo, shower gel and for luscious bubble baths.  The packaging is an adorable haunted house, so this would make a really fun surprise gift for Halloween!

Don’t miss this Pumpkin Potion Leave-In Conditioner with a combination of Pumpkin Enzymes and Ginger Root, plus Safflower and Jojoba Seed Oil. It revitalizes dry, brittle, damaged and over-processed hair while giving you that fabulous smell of pumpkin and ginger.  Great if you battle frizz or unruly curls on a daily basis!

For me, Demeter Pumpkin Pie fragrance is a fall staple; I spray it on myself and all over my house.  It is a sweet yet tart fragrance and it truly conjures up visions of a perfect pie leaving a hot oven, or better yet, a fork coming toward your open mouth with a big bite of pumpkin pie on it. Get this now!
   
demeter pumpkin pie fragrance, beauty, pumpkin, beauty products, beauty tips, fall beauty, holiday beauty, benefits of pumpkin, autumn beauty, pumpkin products, pumpkin fragrance.

via divavillage.com

Eye bags are not the best beginning of a day, definitely. If you wake up with eye bags more and more often, it is necessary to start an active struggle against this unattractive cosmetic defect.

What is the reason

But before passing directly to councils, let’s understand the reasons. And this unpleasant phenomenon has enough reasons. What can lead to occurrence of eye bags?

First, bad heredity. Between skin of eyelids and hypoderm there is a thin membrane which can be both dense, and thin by nature. Membrane thinning leads to formation of small apertures through which fatty tissue passes. As a result, eye bags are formed. If as a result of heredity you have thin membrane, this means, at you have every chance to deal with eye bags in the near future.

Reasons leading to occurrence of eye bags also include, among other, lack of sleep, allergy, hormonal changes connected with a woman’s monthly cycle, superfluous quantity of water in an organism, stress, bad food and frequent use of alcoholic drinks.

What to do

Take care of skin round eyes every day. For make-up removal it is recommended to use not flavoured clearing means. It is not necessary to rub eyes unduly. If at the first use of cosmetic means you notice skin reddening, watering, you should refuse its use.

Every evening apply a humidifying cream or means for skin care in the area of eyes. It is necessary to wash face with cool water in the morning, put ice-cubes to infraorbital area. During summertime it is necessary to use sun-protection means. Also it is necessary to struggle with stress, accept polyvitamins regularly, do eye gymnastics (put hands on temples and try to shift skin by means of mimic muscles back. Exercise should be repeated several times during a day).

The most remarkable means in eye bag struggle is healthy dream, complete rest, moderated water consumption, regular and balanced food, absence of stress (or ability to cope with it!). If usual folk remedies cannot already help you getting rid of eye bags, there are also surgical ones: blepharoplasty (elimination of skin surpluses in eyelid area and removal of a fatty pillow under eyes), and also application of CO2 laser (smoothes skin round eyes, makes it more elastic).

Irreplaceable recipes

Time passes, medicine progresses, but nothing can replace old grandmother’s advice! Let’s address to them!

1. Brew a teaspoon of black tea in 1/4 glasses boiled water, leave for 30-40 minutes, filter. The compress is applied for 10 minutes. Put wadded tampons impregnated with tea for 1-2 minutes, changing them 3-4 times. After the procedure termination make a compress of cold water and put a nutritious cream on eyelids.

Daily short-term sponging with ice infusion of sage, camomile or beggar-ticks.

2. Put 1 table spoon of cornflowers in a glass with boiled water, leave for 20 minutes, filter. Put tampons moistened with warm infusion on eyes for 15-20 minutes.

3. Boil a jacket potato . When it becomes warm, knife and put on eyes for 30-40 minutes.

4. Make compresses of sage broth (cold and warm). Fill in a teaspoon of sage leaves with half of glass boiled water. Brew under a lid for 10-15 minutes, filter, half cool, other half warm up. Put wadded tampons, moistened in hot and cold infusion to eyelids by turns. Do this procedure before going to bed, then cream.

Care of yourself, love and feel sorry for yourself - and nothing in your appearance will show signs of weariness.

womanspassions.com

We’ve all seen the new Fall Palettes. They’re full of super dark, seductive colors, which look stunning on models and celebrities but can the average Beauty Maven pull the look off? Here are some tips to getting the dark, vampy lip look without looking like Marilyn Manson.

Add shine to update the look from the dark, matte lips of the 90’s. Define your lips with a deep black cherry shade like Wicked Lovely Lip Pencil in Tempt. Loosely line your lips and fill them in with the pencil to create a long lasting base color. Top it with a sheer black cherry glossy shade like Wicked Lovely Lip Gloss in Sultry to complete the whole lip look nicely. Finish with bronzer on your cheeks - the last thing you want with dark lips is pale skin. Try YSL Rouge Pur Lipstick in Purple Velvet and Dior Creme de Gloss in Delicious Plum for a more wine stained look.

If you’re more adventurous try going super goth-glam with a black lip. A good way to try on the trend is with a lower-pigment black lipgloss, such as Lancome’s Color Fever Gloss in Piha Black, which will be debuting in November. Part of the luxe lip set is Color Fever Lipstick in Piha Red, inspired by the red of a Christian Louboutin sole. Mix the two colors together for a dark, sultry look.

What do you think? Hot new look for the fall or should we keep it on the runway where it belongs?

Berry, wine stained lips are the colour du jour for pouts this season. From vibrant pinks at Moschino Cheap and Chic to dark blackberry lips seen at Chloe, on the catwalks there was a rainbow of berry shades to choose from. As ever, the A-list have been fast in adopting the trend. Leighton, Liv and Jessica have all been spotted recently wearing a classic 1940s inspired look, opting for easy-to-wear mid-tones with a slightly glossy finish. This look is perfect with black linered eyes or give it a modern twist like Leighton by keeping your base dewy not powdered. Kirsten and Heidi have ramped up the trend. Kirsten's dark lips channel winters gothic trend, while Heidi's bright, raspberry lips exude a more playful vibe (this shade works well if your eeking out the last days of your tan).

To give vibrant shades like these staying power, Shu Uemura make-up artist Caroline Simms says,

'lips must be well hydrated using a balm or cream. Blot off any excess cream with a tissue and then apply pencil all over the lip evenly (for extra staying power), followed by your choice of lip colour which should be applied with a brush (for precision) to the whole lip area. Blot the lips with a tissue and re-apply lip colour for a beautiful long lasting berry lip.'

In the spotlight

Thierry Mugler’s five Miroir, Miroir! fragrances ($150 each, at select Bay stores). Given that the designer has been known to attach side-view mirrors to his creations, it’s no surprise that each of these delicious juices is a collectible, captured in crystalline within a mirrored box.

Stila cosmetics. Unable to find all of our favourites since the cult brand went into limited rotation last February, devotees can now rejoice: Stila’s entire line, including the über-coveted Convertible Color ($28), is available at beautymark.ca.

At left, the perfect 1960s face. Dramatic eyes, featuring mascara used heavily, producing spiked lashes. Shadow is colored or dark. Skin is pale, often from foundation or powder called "translucent." Lips are pale or glittering, rarely showing dark shades.

Below, a very dramatic evening make up. Again, the focus is the eyes.

Now you might well ask, did real people wear this much make up? At night, maybe. By day, it was unlikely that anyone would take the time involved to get that dolled up. Although in general, a 1960s look required more woman hours than you would care to devote today. You probably wouldn't wear false eyelashes but yes, the blue and green eye shadow would be among your make up tools.
The make up on the girl at left is more reflective of an everyday look.
From an ad for lipsticks (below), the girl has the pale lips and colorful eyes of the time.

From Revlon 1969

Un-noucing 'Un-Lipstick" by Natural Wonder.  It's pale but the shine won't fail. Bare, but the color's there (and never, never changes on your lips.)
In gleamy little mouth colors like Ivory Blizzord, Frozen Peaches, Sheer Shaver Pink and Nothing Frosted. 24 shades in all.

 

  

And this look from Avon, 1968

Wear Avon's Ultra Sheer make up...shimmering, translucent. expressive. In today's beautiful new pink tones, these Ultra Sheer accents and basics are all subtly color controlled by you

 

  

Learning how to use a foundation brush can mean the difference between a completely flawless face and an unpolished look. Avoid blotchy application and ensure an even finish with this handy tool.

Makeup artists understand the importance of owning a great set of makeup brushes. These don't necessarily run cheap. A decent set containing all of the essential brushes can often be quite an expensive investment. On the other hand, less costly kits boasting the same qualities as their high-end counterparts aren't impossible to find. Knowing exactly how much you want to spend can save you time in finding the right set for you.

Brushes are a necessity for flawless makeup application. They enable eye shadows to blend with each other, eyeliner to glide on smoothly, lipstick to fill every inch of the mouth and blush to hit just the right areas. They also make applying foundation a snap! Let's take a look at different types of foundation brushes and how to use them.

Foundation application can be tricky for everyone from novices to seasoned makeup aficionados. Blending it into dry spots, sliding it over oily skin and trying to cover those nooks and crannies can be quite a difficult task. There are plenty of tools available on the market to help you get the job done, though. From sponges to wedges to brushes, the selection of makeup application tools can be confusing if you aren't familiar with their pros and cons.

Contrary to popular belief, there are several different types of sponges available for makeup application. Some are designed to stipple the makeup to give it a dramatic effect and are especially useful for actors. Some are silky and light, while others are hardier and promise not to soak up the foundation. Despite these great products, there is one application tool that is even more universal and versatile than the rest: the foundation brush.

Foundation brushes are advantageous for a number of reasons.

   1. They work well with all types of foundation, including creams, liquids and even solids.
   2. They create a more flawless finish by allowing the makeup to cover each area of the face equally.
   3. They make spot application and total coverage easy because of their unique flat, tapered shape.
   4. They are easy to maintain and will last a number of years if you take care of them.

If you haven't used a foundation brush before, it's important to know the basics so that your makeup applies easily and flawlessly. Even if you're a beginner, you'll be able to follow these simple tips and create a smooth, even canvas.

   1. Pour a small amount of foundation (assuming you are using a liquid) onto the back of your hand.
   2. Pick up some foundation with the brush. If you prefer light coverage, dip only one side of the brush in the makeup. If you want fuller coverage, use both sides of the brush to pick up the makeup.
   3. Use broad, downward strokes to sweep and blend the makeup onto the nose, forehead, cheeks and chin.
   4. Use the tapered edges of the brush to blend the makeup into those hard-to-reach areas, like the corners of the nose, hairline and around the eyes and mouth.

If you're using a cream or powder foundation, simply run the brush over the product in its container. Several companies now offer brushes designed specifically for use with cream foundation, such as this CoverFX version available at Sephora. Its soft texture and short bristles allow for perfect application without streaking.

Once you know how to use a foundation brush, you'll also want to take note of how to keep it clean. Cleaning all of your makeup brushes is imperative in order to keep them bacteria-free. Lingering bacteria not only poses the risk of causing acne breakouts, it also generally suggests that there is excess makeup building up on the brush.

Most high-end lines offer their own foundation brush cleaners, such as Trish McEvoy's Brush Bath and Bare Escentuals' Brush Conditioning Shampoo. If you're a frequent traveler, consider a handy spray, like ULTA's Brush Cleaner. A great low-cost alternative to these products is plain and simple baby shampoo. Simply swirl the brush's head through the shampoo and rinse. Pat dry.

Makeup.lovetoknow.com

The eyes were the focal point of the 1960s face. Great long heavily mascared eyelashes, often supplemented with false lashes. Eye shadows in the blues, greens and browns. A dark crease. Eye liner was dark, often black, and thick.

If you have a party to go to, I have provided several closeups of Sixties eye make up so you can replicate the look.
Believe it on not, the bottom look was specifically advertised for day. "City Day. Take two tones of smoke shadow and drift the lighter gray around the inner corner of your eye, under lower lashes and straight up and out to your hairline. Swirl the darker dusky smoke on your upper lid, just up to the crease."