Tag Archives: makeup

MAC Call Me Bubbles Makeup Tutorial

28 Feb

Thanks to all of the requests to film a tutorial on the makeup I wore in my Shop MAC, Cook MAC haul video!  It is a very simple look and I used a few items from the collection to put it together.  If you have any suggestions for similar eye shadows that can be used for when the Call Me Bubbles quad is long gone let us know in the comments below.

Product list

Face

  • tarte amazonian clay 12-hour full coverage foundation (c/o tarte) – Tan
  • Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circles Treatment Concealer – Medium
  • MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural – Medium

Cheeks

  • MAC Cremeblend Blush – Optimistic Orange (limited edition)

Eyes

  • MAC Eye Shadow quad – Call Me Bubbles (limited edition)
  • MAC Eye Shadow – Sketch
  • Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil – Perversion
  • Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner – Black
  • CoverGirl LashBlast Fusion mascara
  • Ardell Lashes – Wispies

Lips

  • MAC Kissable Lipcolour – So Vain (limited edition)

Shop MAC Cook MAC Haul & Swatches

14 Feb

MAC’s Shop MAC, Cook MAC collection is a “treat” for lovers of bright colored makeup like myself.  I was most excited about the return of their Tendertones since the one I got during their previous launch fell into a sewer one night in NYC.  I appreciate having full lips but their dryness is a plague.  Tendertones provide a slick layer of gloss to protect them from the elements that is not sticky and smells like candy.  Yum!  I was surprised that I ended up getting so many other lip products.  My picks are the coral Watch Me Simmer and the vibrant pink Quick Sizzle lipsticks.  You can’t go wrong with the Kissable Lipcolours either, I love all three colors in my stash and Woo Me has been a staple in my bag for the past few weeks.  It is like 2N lipglass sans stickyness and you better believe I bought a backup.  The eye shadow quads are nothing to write home about when you have a freakish collection of eye shadows.  I ended up getting Call Me Bubbles anyway, which is gorgeous, but I am pretty sure I could come up with similar colors somewhere in my stash (the frosty rust color called Brash was part of the Spice Chocolate quad released a few years ago).

What I hauled (or already had):

Lipstick

  • Innocence, Beware!
  • Watch Me Simmer
  • Quick Sizzle

Kissable Lipcolour

  • So Vain
  • Woo Me
  • Enchantee

Cremeblend Blush

  • Optimistic Orange
  • Florida
  • Restores Dazzle!

Eyeshadow Quad

  • Call Me Bubbles

Tendertone

  • Hush, Hush

Swatches and more pictures after the jump: (more…)

Event: The Makeup Show Announces Final 2012 Dates

13 Jan

The Makeup Show announced the final list of dates and locations for its 2012 shows.  The PRO-only (according to their website: “proof of professions, such as a business card, industry license, COMP card, etc or student status is required at the door prior to gain entry”) event is the place to be for makeup artists seeking to restock their kits since many (not all) exhibitors offer discounts and value packs, get inspired and network with your peers:

The Makeup Show sets out to feature another full year of inspiration, education and beauty.  All five shows spanning throughout the year will bring beauty and fashion pros to the largest industry event with elite and some first time ever appearances from top artists, leading brands and exclusive product offers.  Don’t forget to mark your calendar as the show crosses through your state to stay on top of the looks for the upcoming season and network with industry professionals to gain valuable tips and tricks. 

Check out when The Makeup Show will be at a city near you:

The Makeup Show LA

Saturday, March 17, 2012 & Sunday March 18, 2012

California Market Center

The Makeup Show NYC

Sunday, May 13, 2012 & Monday, May 14, 2012

Metropolitan Pavilion

The Makeup Show Chicago

Sunday, June 17, 2012 & Monday, June 18, 2012

Venue One

The Makeup Show Europe (Berlin, Germany)

Saturday, September 22, 2012 and Sunday, September 23, 2012

STATION-BERLIN

The Makeup Show Orlando (NEW)

Sunday, November 4, 2012 and Monday, November 5, 2012

The Peabody Hotel

Click here to visit The Makeup Show’s website for more information and to purchase advanced tickets.

Image and info source: c/o PR

Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette Review & Swatches

2 Jan

Naked 2 Palette

Urban Decay

I am loving the Naked 2 Palette!  Although not as different as I expected, the palette has different variations on the colors contained in its predecessor:

Naked 2 Palette (top), Naked Palette (bottom)

The colors aren’t identical (except for including Half Baked in both palettes), however they both evoke the same feeling.  This means you don’t need both but if you loved the first one (or are just plain crazy like me) you will feel the same the second time around.  In terms of the eye shadow selection, I would have liked to have seen another matte brown color for the crease.  That extra matte color could have easily replaced Half-Baked.  In terms of looks, I prefer the metal packaging of the Naked2 Palette.  It is sleek and fells more secure since it snaps shut.  I didn’t have any issues with the Naked Palette’s packaging but the Naked 2 Palette feels like an upgrade.  The dual sided brush included is a lot more genius than the dual-sided 24/7 liner I got with my Naked Palette.  Again I am not trying to knock the original, which is still great, but a brush is a lot more convenient.  Especially a dual sided one with a shader brush on one side to pack on that taupey goodness on the lids and a blending brush on the opposite end to work those crease colors.  I wish they would have included a mini Primer Potion again to toss in my makeup bag since the color of the Lip Junkie gloss didn’t really do much for my highly pigmented lips.  The bottom line is you don’t need it but you know you want it.

Swatches and comparisons: (more…)

Professional Makeup Artist Kit Guides – YouTube Edition

16 Dec

I found some awesome videos on YouTube if you are looking for some guidance on what you should have in your kit if you are aspiring to become a makeup artist.  First up is the famous gossmakeupartist.  The video above covers his basics and he wrote a helpful list of his favorites in every category in the description box.  Make sure to look through his other videos for reviews on specific products.  I like that he tells it like it is and is short and to the point in his reviews.  One of the best resources I have found so far.

MakeupbyRenRen has an excellent blog and YouTube channel for those looking into this field as well.  Besides giving us a tour on what is in her kit she also does helpful product reviews on items the pros use.

Next up is InMyProOpinion, the channel of a professional makeup artist specializing in TV/Film and special effects, who shows us her kits for different kinds of jobs.  I particularly enjoyed her Professional Makeup Starter Kit series (part one above).  These videos pretty much convinced me that I need to invest in a Zuca Bag.  Her kits are large but you can pick out the bits and pieces that work for you.

Finally, I marathoned through most of TMakeupG‘s videos.  She does both hair and makeup and has a handful of videos up on specific categories/products for your kit.  There is even a video on a basic hair styling kit, which is great if you are looking into offering some hair styling along with your makeup services to bring in some extra business.

(more…)

Bobbi Brown BBU Face Palette

5 Dec

Bobbi Brown

BBU Face Palette

Price: $250

Availability: www.bobbibrowncosmetics.com

After determining that I want to take freelancing a little more seriously than just doing the makeup for my friends and family, I started researching foundations for my makeup kit (currently in its infant stage).  During my search I stumbled upon the Bobbi Brown BBU Face Palette.  While I would love to pick up some of the Foundation Sticks because of their versatility, at the price of $41.00 each, it is a little too early for me to make that kind of an investment.  Especially when, raves from pros aside, I do not have any personal experience with the product.  So you can imagine how exciting it was to see a palette where I could not only sample several shades of the Foundation Stick, but I could also try two of Bobbi Brown’s most iconic products–the Corrector and Creamy Concealer.  The palette includes:

  • 11 shades of Corrector
  • 14 shades of Creamy Concealer
  • 20 shades of Foundation Stick

The big down side for me is the price relative to the size of the palette (6.2″L x .75″W x 3.75″H).  However, if you can justify the cost the quality is sure to be superb.  And I’ll admit that I can be a bit of a snob when it comes to makeup, which makes this beauty all the more desirable.  Can you imagine creating a flawless canvas for a group of clients with that tiny palette?  Talk about swag!

To those budding and established makeup artists out there, what are the go to foundations in your kit?  Are you coveting the sexiness that is this Bobbi Brown palette as much as I am?

Image source

NARS Danmari All About Cheeks Palette Giveaway

5 Dec

I wanted to let all of you know that I am giving away one NARS Danmari All About Cheeks Palette on my YouTube channel.  The deadline to enter is tonight, December 5th, 2011 at 11:59 PM EST.  Check the video out for details (only entries in the comments section of the video’s page will be accepted) and good luck!

I Hope You Are Sitting Down For This

29 Nov

Urban Decay is coming out with a new Naked Palette!!!  My friend cutiegingerbread did a blog post on the upcoming Naked 2 Palette and it pretty much made my day.  Can you tell that we are excited? There are already pictures floating around the internet and some of the colors look similar to the original palette but that is not stopping me.

If you visit the Urban Decay site there is a picture that says NAKED Something NEW is coming…  Click the link to sign up for their mailing list and the page that comes up says that the big news is coming on December 1st, 2011.  Could this be the launch date?  If so, Merry Christmas to me!

P.S. If you cannot wait, Urban Decay has been posting teasers today on Twitter.

Model Mirror Coupon Code

21 Nov

Les Tai Tai is offering my subscribers 25% off any purchase on www.lestaitai.com (make sure you are shopping on the correct site for your region by looking at the top right of the page) with the coupon code Mirror Mirror now through December 24th, 2011.  They say that their Model Mirror is the perfect stocking stuffer and I agree.

The mirror is genius!  It comes in a a variety of designs and has a regular mirror on one side and a mirror with 2x magnification on the opposite side.  The genius part about it are the 8 led lights on one side of the mirror that are saviors if you are always running late and end up applying half (or all) of your makeup in a car on the way to an event (guilty! lol).  Lighting is not an issue for me with this mirror and I consider it a must have.

Tip:  The led lights turn on by pressing a button on the side.  Make sure you turn it off when you are done or your battery will die (guilty again!).

The Starlet Limited-Edition Makeup Vanity by Tarte

16 Nov

The Starlet Limited-Edition Makeup Vanity

Price: $52 USD/ $68 CAN ($505 retail value per tarte)

This holiday season, tarte is launching The Starlet Limited-Edition Makeup Vanity.  The mirrored vanity contains six eye shadow quads, a sample of their mascara and lash primer, bronzer, two blushes and a highlighter.  The contents have me covered for a range of looks from natural to smoky and dramatic:

Top tier:

  • Traditional Smoky Eye
  • Celebrity (deep shimmering gray)
  • Superstar (deep shimmering silver)
  • Luminary (silver frost)
  • Opening night (sparkling black)
  • Earthy
    • Talent (shimmering peach)
    • Idol (matte taupe)
    • Cameo (matte beige)
    • Virtuoso (sparkling forest green)
  • Plum Smokey Eye
    • Stardom (blackened plum)
    • Icon (warm lilac)
    • Major (shimmering plum)
    • Siren (shimmering deep mauve)
  • Blues
    • Fame (shimmering cobalt)
    • Big Break (shimmering ice blue)
    • V.I.P. (shimmering blue-silver)
    • Toast (shimmering toasted beige)

    Second tier:

    • Browns
    • Popular (shimmering golden beige)
    • Timeless (shimmering cocoa)
    • Prestige (matte ochre)
    • Trophy (shimmering golden brown)
  • Pinks
    • Ingénue (matte baby pink)
    • Prima Donna (shimmering cinnamon)
    • Leading Lady (shimmering nude pink)
    • Diva (shimmering dusty rose)
  • Sample of the multiplEYE™ Natural Lash Enhancing Primer
  • Sample of the Lights, Camera, Lashes! Clinically-proven Natural Mascara

    • Bottom tier:

    • Park Avenue Princess Mineral Powder Bronzer
    • Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush
    • Glory (shimmering peach)
    • Starlet (shimmering rose)
  • Amazonian Clay Shimmering Powder in Rose (soft petal pink)

    • As a fan of frost/shine/shimmer on the lids but preference for matte shadows for the crease the kit’s eye shadows cover all of those bases.  My favorite “quads” from the vanity are the Traditional Smoky Eyes and Blues and now that I think of it, the Blues set of shadows could be used to recreate the look in my Holiday Blues makeup tutorial.  A small number of the shadows blend right into my skin color but I could use those as a highlight color or to blend out a dark crease.  The vanity also gets bonus points for including tarte’s very popular amazonian clay blushes and park avenue princess bronzer that gives a pretty bronze glow to the cheeks.  Once you are done with the makeup, you can remove the inlays and convert the vanity into a jewelery box.  I loved mirrored furniture in bedrooms but it is so expensive.  A mirrored vanity/jewelry box is like a baby step towards my dream mirrored dresser.  Overall I think this vanity is a great deal for the price and would be a great gift for the makeup lover on your holiday gift list.

    Availability

    Sephora stores and sephora.com

    Swatches and pictures after the jump.   (more…)

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