Beauty Blog

Here are some great tips on choosing a lipstick color and how to apply it like a pro. I could have used these at age 13 when I first ventured into the world of make-up. I bought orange lipstick and applied it all around my mouth, even in the corners. I probably looked like the Joker!

Light Skin Tones

Consider these colors:

* Light-brown beiges with pink or orange undertones.
* Medium brown with pink undertones or beige lipsticks with a pink undertone.
* Browns like Mocha browns, and darker brown/pink lipsticks for an evening lip look.
* Deep plum reds like soft berry and wine reds with a blue undertone.
* Pinks such as light shiny pink lipsticks with blue undertones work well.
* Pink with a slight gold shimmer also enhances this skin tone very nicely.

Be careful of these colors:

* Extra pale browns with yellow undertones make fair skin look washed out.
* Reds with an orange undertone.
* Hot pink lipstick as it overpowers fair skins

Medium Skin Tones

Consider these colors:

* Deep reds and the blue-reds brighten medium skin with a yellow undertone.
* Brown and warm reds will soften and look warm on medium skin.
* Rich caramel shades, medium brown with yellow or pink undertones, and creamy coffee color browns
* Pinks like rich and deep pinks. Also pinks with brown undertones enhance and flatter medium skins very well.
* Sheers, creams, and mattes can also be tried using these shades of pink.
* Olive skin looks good with brownish reds, light browns and raisin shades of lipstick.

Be careful of these colors:

* Browns that are very pale can make medium skins look ashy and washed out.

Yellowish Skin Tones

Consider these colors:

* Rich, deep brown reds and deep, dark berry shades.
* Browns with a red or auburn or mahogany undertone and rich browns that resemble coffee, toffee, and chocolate colors work well with this skin tone.
* Pinks like deep berries, rich rose, and soft to medium plums with strong yellow undertones are flattering to this skin tone.

Be careful of these colors:

* Stay away from orange or reds and pink or red shades.
* Avoid pinks that are to cool and too light as these pinks can make complexion look draining.

Dark Skin Tones

* Plums, wines and deep reds and reds with a blue undertone.
* Mahogany
* Almost any shade of brown color such as light browns to a rich, dark, coffee brown suits black skin tone.
* Pinks like medium and soft sheer pinks, pink in glosses and sheers with a touch of beige.
* Berries and deep roses

Be careful of these colors:

* Avoid orange and pink reds on this skin tone.

Application

* Prevent lipstick from seeping into cracks by coating the mouth with lip balm, letting it sit for five full minutes, then blotting the excess with a tissue before applying color. (For really chapped lips, gently slough off dead skin with a soft toothbrush or a damp washcloth before wiping off the balm).

* To keep lipstick from bleeding, dip a cotton swab in translucent powder and roll it just outside the lip line before putting on any color.

* Consider using a lip brush when filling in the mouth (it can give more control than using the tube itself).

* Line the lips using lip liner, keeping to the natural lip line. Consider lining lips with a neutral pencil, even if the lip color over that is a bright shade. This way the finished mouth looks more natural and if the color fades or is “chewed” off, the layer underneath is not a bright orange or red.

* Proceed to fill in the entire mouth with the lip liner pencil. This will also help the lipstick color last longer. Use the side of the pencil, not the point, for filling in the rest of the mouth.

* Use a lip brush and fill in the entire mouth up to the same edge as the lip pencil.

* Blot with a tissue.

* You can optionally put powder over the top of the first coat of lipstick to help it last longer.

* Reapply lip stick with the lip brush and blot again.

* You can alternatively try staining the lipstick onto your lips: apply three coats of a deep shade, leaving it on for a few minutes, and blotting it with a tissue so only the pigment remains.

* Blotting with a tissue will also help lip gloss last longer. The wetter the mouth, the less likely the gloss will stick.

* To take off long-lasting lipstick, cover the mouth with Vaseline and wait a minute before wiping it off. Waterproof eye-makeup remover works quickly, too.

Thanks to tokyostargirl for the tips!

image: dailygreen

At last…new makeup! After suffering for months with no new product I was finally treated to some good product thanks to good old Mom. During a much needed ‘girls day’ together, she caught wind of the products I recently broke down to buy. “I’m tired of looking dumpy at work!” I told her. She was in shock that I had purchased products of such poor quality. I won’t start blasting any cosmetic label in particular, but I will say most of it was bought on sale, and boy did I get what I paid for…the mascara was probably the worst of it all. A formula that was claiming to be “natural ingredients” only ended up flaking off on my skin after going on completely clumpy.

The one good thing is that it did wash off with soap and water–something that has seemed to be impossible lately. I picked up an inexpensive blush only to see that once on, the color was much too pale for my skin tone. So we took a trip to one of those nice MAC stores (on a side note: MAC is not my favorite brand, but I do love their lipstick. I just settled for a one stop shop this time, it was better than nothing.) I picked up a sheer peachy lipcolor, Sumptuous Olive eyeshadow, a black tube of ZoomLash, and a blush called Notable, a color that’s part of their current marketing project with painter Richard Phillips and other artists. What did I notice while browsing the new shades…deep plum lips are definitely in this fall. Darker lipstick has always followed seasonal trends. Once fall rolls around, the girls lips’ get a little darker, vampier.

I love it. Bordeaux lips are what the beauty editors are calling it. If you arrive at the beauty counter and can’t describe, just try to remember that last glass of red wine you had, and she’ll know just how to fix you up.

The look from the Rodarte runway show at this month’s NY Fashion Week.

There are tons of wine colored lipsticks to choose from, most of them going with the alias: Berry. Berry this, berry that. You’ll know it when you see it. My mom is really into the berries and plum shades, she picked up a tube of MAC’s London Life–a lovely semi-sheer wine color. If you decide to go bordeaux, stick with pale pink cheeks and a soft shimmery eyecolor so you don’t look overdone.

image source: Allure.com, glamour.com

Shop through a variety of lipstick at Smarter.com.

Bold colors will be big for the remainder of spring…usually summer palettes fade into lighter, shimmery shades to compliment the suntan you’ve gotten on your face.  I like bold colors for the face, its fun to do a little risk taking when it comes to makeup and current trends.   You’ll make yourself the freshest in the bunch. I will admit that I’m not one usually drawn to blue eyeshadow, at all, but blue eyeshadow and nude lips are a new look meant to go together.

The secret to this look is to not coat your eyelid with blue shadow, but instead smudge on some navy eyeliner, and then top that with a bright blue shadow like Revlon’s Venetian Blue ($4.99), keeping it on the center of the lids, not the entire lid.  This will keep it from looking like a bad 80’s makeover.

Revlon Matte Eyeshadow in Venetian Blue: $4.99

MAC’s Eye Kohl in Blooz would be good to start with, it will go on smoothly. Don’t spend a lot on the shadow, Revlon will do the trick with its matte formula. If you accidentally over-do it on the eyeshadow, pat lightly with your ring finger to even it out…this usually works for me.

MAC Eye Kohl in Blooz: $13.55

Now for the lips…a good shade of nude or light pink will do for this.  Benefit Cosmetics has created a new line of Full-Finish lipstick for Spring ‘09. Try the “Ladies Choice” shade.

Benefit Full Finish Lipstick in Ladies Choice: $18

Combining the bright blue eyes with neutral lips is perfect.  The lipstick balances out the boldness of the eyes and will actually have you looking quite chic.  I don’t know if I would wear this look in the daytime, but it would certainly make for an excellent “night out” look when you want to be a bit more adventuresome with your beauty regiment.

Find at Smarter.com:  Shop for more blue eyeshadow and blue eyeliner.
Discounts on MAC cosmetics and Benefit cosmetics.

For all of you vintage Hollywood glamour junkies like myself, I ask…who on earth wouldn’t want to look like the stunning Veronica Lake?!

Her skin! Her eyes! Her fabulous hair!  Kate Bosworth recently took inspiration from the glamorous Lake, and copied this look for the Costume Institute Gala.  Bosworth doesn’t need much to look beautiful, her different colored eyes are captivating, and she already had great hair for this style. Also take note of the red lips!

To achieve this style, there are a few steps in the actual styling process.  First you must start with a good blow dry, apply a good styling creme. I’m going to highly recommend the Jonathan Silky Dirt Shine & Define Creme $16

This stuff is awesome because it can be used on damp or dry hair, and it can be used as a grooming creme and a shine treatment.  This will be all you need for the styling process!  The convenience is unbeatable, how annoying and un-ecofriendly is it to have to buy and use multiple hair products for one type of style?  Plus, this Jonathan Product is 100 percent vegan, and contains no animal, wheat-gluten or gluten-derived ingredients.  After you’ve applied this and blow dried smooth with a round brush, take small pieces of the hair and curl with a curling iron, then pin up with bobby pins.  After letting set for about ten minutes, remove bobby pins and brush out curls gently.  After you’ve done this, apply a bit more of the shine creme to your hair with the your fingertips.  This hairstyle is meant to have a severe side part like Lake’s and Bosworth’s, plus side parts make the nose look more delicate.

Once you’ve achieved the hair, the rest is easy.  Bosworth looks as though she has naturally long lashes, but if you weren’t born with such a gift, it doesn’t hurt to fake it once in a while. Going with some cheap fake eyelashes is fine, you’re not going to keep them forever right? If you go with falsies that have a finer texture, they are going to look more real.  These MAC 21 Lashes are only $12, and you could probably wear them again since they are decent quality.

MAC 21 Lash: $12

And here’s a tip: fake eyelashes always go on better and look better if applied over a thin black eyeline done with some liquid eyeliner.

Now for the lips, I’ve already suggested one of my favorites which would be MAC’s Ruby Woo–the truest of true ruby red’s.  But I am curious to see how the Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Volupte is, $34 sephora.com.  The smooth and creamy lipstick not only comes in this fabulous gold tube (very old Hollywood glam), but it is chock full of pigmented color and has an SPF of 15. Perfect!  Try the Red Muse shade.

Find at Smarter.com:  Shop for more red lipstick and flake eyelashes.
Discounts on styling creme.

This season’s beauty trends are definitely very corresponding with the looks I’ve seen on the streets lately: red lips, natural skin with little to no make-up, darkly lined “bedroom” eyes, and slightly messy long waves for hair.  I’m thinking that “low maintenance” is going to be the theme this year.  Casual up-do’s are making a little comeback as well ranging from a twisted crown style to a very wispy twist on the traditional french twists.  These trends make me happy because a lot of them are beauty styles that I feel remain classic through time.

Let’s start with the lips: I’ve heard more women tell me that they can’t pull off red lipstick, or they wish they could wear red lipstick, but just can’t or don’t know how.  Ladies!  There is never any reason to be intimidated by a small tube of color for the lips.  I have always remained very loyal to my red lipstick, the trick is finding the proper shade and applying properly.  Tried and true, MAC lipsticks are definitely my favorites.  This is because the range of colors is always fantastic, and no one does a matte lipstick better than MAC.  I’ve tried to stray, but always come back to their matte formula.  Ruby Woo is the truest cherry red you can find out there probably, and should look nice with most skin tones.  A lot of women think they need lip liner with lipstick, but these two don’t always need to go hand in hand. If you are going red for the first time, a little lip liner probably won’t hurt…it will aid in case the lipstick bleeds out of the lip line a bit.  MAC’s Cherry lip liner is a good one, just make sure it’s sharpened properly and don’t apply it with a heavy hand. Fill in with the color and blot.

Skin: Not everyone is blessed with glowing, clear skin.  It’s true.  What you can do though is make your best efforts to take care of the skin you do have.  If you work with it, it shall work with you.  Cleansing, toning, and moisturizing is key of course, making sure to wash your face before bed and in the morning when you wake…ALWAYS!  Applying any sort of face makeup, liquid in particularly is best to do immediately after moisturizing.  The result will keep your complexion looking smooth and fresh. I try my best not to use face makeup, but when I do, my top choice is Loreal True Match.  It has an SPF 17 in it, which is important and super affordable.  A little dab (blending with fingertips) on each cheek or on any reddish or trouble spots and leave it at that…that’s what I call bang for your buck.

Loreal True Match Super Blendable Makeup: $10.35

If you decide to go with the darkly lined bedroom eyes, keep it simple and use a well sharpened black eye pencil.  A medium sized line on top of the eye, and on the bottom inner rim of the eye is all you need…just be sure to smudge gently with your ring finger.  Top with a lengthening mascara.  A tip for removing stubborn eyeliner: a little dab of Vaseline underneath the eyes with a Q-tip will gently banish raccoon eyes.

Time for hair:  The secret to this season’s low-maintenance do’s are leaving it slightly messy.  Using a big barrel curling iron–1 1/2 barrels are best, take thicker pieces of the hair and rather than clamping them into the curling iron like you normally would, wrap the hair around the entire iron to create a larger, more natural looking wave. Apply a light styling cream after your done–like the Frederic Fekkai Glossing Cream, then tousle with your fingers at the base of your scalp.

Frederic Fekkai Glossing Cream with Pure Olive Oil 4 oz: $19.50

Find at Smarter.com:  Shop through a variety of MAC makeup, L’Oreal makeup, and Frederic Fekkai products.
Discounts on red lipstick, foundation and hair styling cream.

I was watching this Biography on Elvis on television and the funny part is what stood out to me most was how pretty Priscilla was, in the beginning.

Now she looks like a puffy- flesh- eating- wax- clown… *Sighs* life sure is a crap shoot huh?

While in the world of Smarter Beauty:

• Green Beauty - Can you dig it? Check out these Momma Earth Friendly Beauty Eco-Tools
• Red Hair- Too fade or NOT to fade, that is the eternal question….
• Red Lipstick - Learn what red shade works for you with Stila
• Detox by Gwyneth Paltrow - So that’s how she stays trim….
• Colored Contacts - I wonder who believes those are yours?!
• Confessions of a Sunglasses Junkie!

Honestly, not everyone can pull off rockstar red lips. It’s sad but true, you need to exude a certain amount of moxy to do the look justice. For example the following celebrities showcase perfect examples of “Bangin’ Red Lip Action”. 

Plus another key detail with red lips is that not all shades of red works for all girls. For example the orange based ones that look awesome on a Beyonce girl look horrible on me. I lean towards deeper shades like the one on Charlize Theron.  However I am careful not to crash the chola line, going too dark on the red lipstick starts to classify you as goth or gangsta!

Well I think Stila has come up with a nifty little invention. Their “Paint your Pout Red” palette features a lip smoother, three shades of red lip color and lip brush. Pretty much providing you the tools you need to create your perfect red lip—but if you’re still at a loss, simply push a button and a Stila makeup artist will talk you through the application steps for the look you’re craving.

Price - $60

I think it would be an awesome beginner’s introduction to the realm of red lips! You can mix the provided shades into the perfect shade for your skin tone.

If you want to shop for low priced Stila cosmetics, click here.

What shade or brand of red lipstick do you LOVE - love!? 

Hello gals, and Happy Holidays!

Perhaps you’ve already picked out your holiday outfit, and if you have, then you are way ahead of the game than I am. Usually I have a dress in mind and then the night of, I mysteriously will change my mind. Again. And then again. And then again. My boyfriend will attest to this agonizing ritual.

The dress I have in mind is babydoll black with gauzy overlay and silver threads. It’s short, it’s rocking and I wore it last year but it’s coming out again. I had so much fun at New Year’s in it and it was so comfortable, I have no qualms about it appearing again this year.

Ok, so I bring this up only because I think that Rihanna’s eye (above, done with Nars Duo Shadow, color Joulee Poupee) is such a refreshing look. It does have an 80’s bent but I think the look will look wonderful with a vibrant red dress (as long as the rest of the face is nude). This is to avoid the spangled glitterball one might become once we go crazy on silver and gold eyeshadow. Why not do something a bit unexpected and try a fresh strong color on the eye?

Also I totally dig Jessica Biel’s strong pink lip. It’s an alternative to the classic red lip. It looks so pretty, don’t you think?

Nars lipstick in Funny Face is a good pick. My personal favorite is Nars in Niagra (coral peach).

A good example of glitter overload versus glitter chic is the photo below: Same dress, two different looks.
Mary Kate keeps it simple and understated with loose hippie hair and no accessories while Carrie (though I love her) turns it up a wee bit too loud with fussy hair and dark tights and accessories galore).

Hope your holidays are sparkly!!!

So here Brad is looking “Oh so Grisly”, believe it or not I still find him attractive! Even though he looks like he just killed a bear and ate it raw…Grrrr!

(Source of Picture: The Cutting Chair)

In the land of Smarter Beauty …

1. Dry Shampoo - Is it clean or are you just masking the funk with more junk? 
2. Back Massagers - To help ease that end of the year tension! 
3. Sunscreen - Not just for the Sun, also for the Snow 
4. Beauty Make-Up Teams - What are you? Team Lipstick or Team Lipgloss 

VS. 

It recently occurred to me that most women can be seperated into two very distinct cosmetic groups. That would be …

Team Lip Gloss versus Team Liptstick

1. Team Lip Gloss - tends to be your general no fuss, no muss lady.

Generally I feel like lip gloss plumps up otherwise thinner lips and has the benefit of being quick to apply. I think the only drawbacks are when the wind blows and your hair gets stuck in your gloss! I hate that. Also, so many of my friends have recommend “non sticky” glosses but I feel that is a contradiction in terms. Lip gloss in my opinion is sticky/tacky by nature, you either are comfortable with that prospect on your lips, or you are not. It’s not a bad thing, just a preference.

2. Team Lipstick - tends to be more controlled and polished chicks

Personally if you play for team lipstick than odds are you are a frequent lip liner user as well. I think habitual lip stick users tend to spend more time in general on their make-up face and like a more dramatic look. I have always gravitated towards lipstick myself because like I said I absolutely hate it when my hair gets stuck in my lip gloss and I have pretty full lips already and I feel like it’s overkill whenever I wear lip gloss. It’s the facial equivalent of wearing a push up bra when you already have big boobs. But again, it’s just a preference.

So what do you prefer and why? It’s a topic that me and friends recently discussed and the conversation turned into a full blown debate so I figured it would be interesting to pose the question to the general public.  - Michelle