Luminous, Flawless Makeup

Let's talk a bit about this luminous, gorgeous makeup. I know there is a considerable amount of photoshop and lighting involved, but it would be interesting to try to copy this. Making the face luminous this way is not impossible. It involves clean, exfoliated, and well moisturized skin. The idea is to keep the skin looking dewy - not greasy.

So, you have to know your skin well and work with it. If your skin tends to be a bit more oily, work with a bit of translucent powder to control danger areas and stay away from cream illuminators and things. Opt instead for powders. They'll keep your face fresh and bright, but not oily. I've found this is helpful for humid climates as well.

You will need:

Moisturizer/Primer (depending on your skin type)
Translucent powder - if you have oily skin
Copper and pink eye shadow
Dark brown eye liner
Smudge brush or pencil brush to work the eye shadow and eye liner
Warm brown blush/bronzer for that sunkissed look
Illuminator in cream or powder
Warm nude pink gloss

Now, I went on to the Revlon website and was a bit surprised that they suggest using black eye shadow for this look. I don't see it. This look is about being beautiful, luminous, and sunkissed. It's about browns and pinks, and if you keep it that way you will look fresh and super gorgeous. This is a perfect Saturday afternoon with the girls look, or Sunday sun-dress at a bbq. Try it out and let me know how it came out.

How To:

• Prep your skin (clean, moisturize/prime)
• If you have all over illuminator like this Revlon one, use it, if not, lightly dust illuminating powder on the high points of your face (stay away from the tip of the nose as it tends to look shiny in a bad way, not glowing in a good way - so, bridge only), don't forget the brow bone
  
• Take your bronzer and apply on the contour and cheekbone, apply a bit on the bridge of the nose and do that 3 stroke application where you contour in a 3: temples, cheekbones and jaw. Concentrate more on the cheekbones
• Take some light pink shadow and dust the whole eyelid
  
• Take your brown eye liner and line the water line and lash line, top and bottom, then smudge like you're trying to prove something
• Your copper eye shadow is going to go over the smudged brown eyeliner to help it stay put and to add another layer of color and beautifulness (that's a word)
• Take your powder illuminator or light champagne eye shadow and highlight the inner corner of your eyes (where the tear ducts are)
• Apply mascara (you can use burgundy or brown mascara if you have fair hair, or you happen to love those colors)
• Cover your lips with a good amount of luscious pink gloss (with a bit of shimmer) and you're good to go!
  
  

One Shade to Rule Them All

I know I'm a bit late to the game, but how awesome is Laura Mercier's Shimmer Brick? I am blown away at how beautiful it is and the magazine style glow it adds to my skin. I've been using illuminators for years, but this is really the best! I have my dear sister Brunie to thank for this. She's been a huge fan for years and in order to convince me that it's better than the rest, she sent me one.


Her care package (I love, love, love receiving care packages - it's so "brown paper packages tied up with string...") also included Chanel Coco Rouge 01 lipstick called Beige Félin. It is the perfect caramel color. It reminds me of one of my favorite movies of all times, The Thomas Crown Affair with Rene Russo and Pierce Brosnan. She is so elegant and glamorous and amazingly beautiful. There is an air of serious chic surrounding her and she rocks a perfect caramel lip almost the whole movie long. Her hair is crazy gorgeous, too. The movie is pure glamour. I think I'm going to watch it again.

It's been my life's dream, along with winning a Pulitzer for the book I have yet to write, to own that perfect caramel lipstick. A lipstick to rival all other lipsticks. One lipstick to rule them all. A lipstick that has the power to inspire envy from suckers who are too busy planning out their lives and careers to concern themselves with something as "trivial" as the perfect lipstick. A lipstick that says: grace, elegance, class, glamour, "I am Rene Russo in Thomas Crown Affair", power, and "look what I got" all in one impossibly chic tube. Well, the search is over. It has been found. It is Chanel Coco Rouge 01 Beige Félin - just in case I hadn't made that clear.

On an unrelated/related note, I just bought (because it was too good to pass up) the May issue of In Style magazine with Scarlet Johansson on the cover. It is amazing! Please go to your newsstand and take a gander. There is a list of 150 beauty must-haves from makeup, to skincare, to hair products and brushes. There are gorgeous fashion pics and styles, finds and extravegances. Very fun.

Let's Talk TV

I was reading some comments (the only 3 ever posted) and someone asked me if I watched Spartacus: Blood and Sand - by "someone" I mean Jamie, bless her for commenting. I hadn't actually heard about the series until that moment (yes, I do feel stupid). I immediately looked it up and I saw a picture of Spartacus - uh...yes, please. This was not the odd looking Kirk Douglas Spartacus of old reborn, thank Jesus, this was a Spartacus I could really get behind.

The series is a kind of 300-ish style drama action complete with excessive amounts of comic book blood, greish filter over the camera lens, and guys in olden day thongs fighting it out in the snow. It's also got the gratuitous extra long sex scenes. The sex scene I saw in the first episode was not unlike the kind you see on Cinemax with at least 5 different unlikely and Cirque du Soleil acrobats only positions. So, awesome. If you're not watching it you should give it a try, it's fun.

Some other shows I have been enjoying are Cougar Town (so funny), The Good Wife (good writers, story and acting), Castle (basic cop show but it has a good cast that work well together, there is a light-hearted element to it not unlike NCIS which I find important in procedural shows, unlike SVU which makes you feel like shooting yourself after you finish the episode).

Reviews of the Latest Additions

MAC's new Cremesheen Glass glosses are awesome! When I first saw them I wanted the really light one (Boy Bait, or something like that). By the time I made it to the MAC counter it was sold out. I bought my second choice, Deelight. It's a good thing I did too because it is a joy to wear. It's a very light pinky plum that is warm enough to make you look happy, but cool enough to make you look en vogue. I love it. The consistency is very different from MAC's super gloss, lipglass. It's less sticky but looks fresh for a long time. It has a sponge tip applicator, which is not my fave, but other than that I have no complaints. For cool picks and swatches of all the colors go here.

Rimmel Sexy Curves Mascara is great. When I first put it on I thought it was good, but not as great as Lash Blast when it comes to under $10 mascaras. I was wrong. It's just as good and depending on the mood, better. I love the wand, very cool and easy to use without making a mess. The formula is long lasting although not waterproof. The packaging is cool and the price is spectacular! Basically, it's a winner.

I borrowed a Revlon nail polish from my friend that's a color I would never use, burgundy with shimmer. I have a strict no red nails with shimmer policy but the color intrigued me. When I put it on one nail as a test I was speachless. It is a very good match to MAC O lipstick, one of my all time favorites - ever. Burgundy with subtle gold shimmer. Needless to say that's the color I've been using since last Wednesday. I'm getting compliments too, it's crazy. The color, in case you're wondering, is Autumn Berry. A beautiful, classy color I urge you all to try. Take a look at these pics so you can get an idea of what I'm talking about.

I Can't Wait

Doesn't it look super fun?

Shampoo Gold

Most of you are unaware of this but, I have white hair. Not like those idiot girls who yank out the individual white strands. No, my hair is white, well, grey. It's about 50%+ grey at this point. Yes, very sad, but thankfully some genius somewhere invented hair dye so I can walk around just like anyone else.

The thing is though, I have to dye my hair every 3-4 weeks. If I get lazy or give my hair a bit of a longer break, it looks so bad I can't leave the house. Because I am constantly dumping harsh ingredients all over my auburn locks, I am in an eternal search for the best shampoo, the best treatment, the best styling cream. It's exhausting, but if I want decent hair I can never, ever give up. Not for the rest of my prematurely greying life.

This search has lead me to two interesting discoveries. First is a very different type of cleanser - Nia Helio Hydrating Shampoo and Conditioner. It's like magic. The shampoo doesn't really lather a whole lot because it doesn't contain detergent like substances. The abscence of this detergent makes it gentler and less aggressive. The consistency is thick, but easy to spread. It rinses off very easily and doesn't leave any residue. There is a refreshing feeling to the shampoo that's not quite menthol, and not quite anything else. It's unique. The shampoo is also bright red.
The conditioner in turn is a light beige color and very moisturizing. It doesn't weigh your hair down and doesn't leave unwanted residue. It's refreshing but not mentholated. It washes out easily and what you're left with is perfectly hydrated hair. Long term use is supposed to improve the overall condition of your hair, and surprisingly, it does. I've been using it for some time now and my hair is very grateful. I love this stuff and to me it's worth every penny (it's not cheap). The coolest thing about it is that it is made for every hair type. If you have dry hair, your hair will thank you, oily hair will be thoroughly cleansed and not stripped or weighed down, color treated hair will be shinier and the color will last longer. So cool!

The other find is a Brazilian product from a cosmetic pharmeceutical company called Bio-Medicin. It's a restorative shampoo and conditioner filled with natural ingredients and plant extracts. The shampoo has 11% active ingredients and the conditioner 15%. Some ingredients included are aloe vera extract, coconut extract(s), keratin, pilocarpus leaf extract (jaborandi), rice protein, etc. The list goes on. I've been using it for a week, and so far it's a godsend. Not sure about the longterm benefits, but it'll be interesting to see. A major plus with this one is that it smells like a tropical cocktail - how fun is that?

Important Idol Update & Retraction

I hate Siobhan.
Tim surprised me.
Still love Casey.
Aaron needs to go home now!
Crystal is still cool.
Lee's shyness is endearing - and he's great!
Mike is cool, not my fave, but totally cool.

(The Siobhan thing was the retraction - used to love her, now I hate her old lady voice and stupid screeching)