Stepford Alien

I feel like every year I share a new pair of sunglasses on the blog. Last year it was a badass pair of colorful, mirrored aviators and this year we have June Cleaver meets Judy Jetson.

Now these are "inspired" by the Tom Ford Nastasya sunglasses that I first saw on Dara's YouTube Channel.

Now I love Dara and her recommendations but Tom Ford and my wallet are just not on the same page these days.

I think the number of selfies on my Instagram may have grown by 5,000% since I got these.

I am in love.

The Winter Bronzer

 

I rarely reach for a bronzer. It's not a product I feel adds a lot to my makeup experience and often creates more problems for me than it creates benefits for me. 

Until now.

Essiebutton of the YouTube variety has talked at length about the Body Shop Honey Bronzer in  Light Bronze and over the Pre-Holiday sales I picked one up to test drive.

Use Protection

It's COLD.

The worst part is that here in NYC it is only going to get worse before it gets better. 

Yeah there is something warm and fuzzy about the Holiday Season but come January 2nd we'll all be counting down the days until Spring.

As it is my skin is screaming for hydration and I am slowly including things into my morning routine to help defend against the painful winter winds. 

Vampy Lips-Mirror Selfie Style

 Along my makeup journey I have come to really love myself in a vampy lip.

I think it happened around the same time I "embraced the pale".

The high contrast of my paper white complexion against a deep bloody brown red or purple shade just adds to the long list of reasons why the colder months are my favorite.

So in classic Sunday bathroom selfie style I am going to walk you through four stellar choices if you're looking to add a more goth girl options to your lip color lineup.

Stick With It

 If I had to guess which product I use most in my eye product stash I would have to say it is my ever growing assortment of retractable eyeshadow pencils. 

They are Monday morning heaven.

The formulas I've tried to date make for the perfect swipe and go shades but, the best part is that on mornings when you do have more time they can be layered with other shades to create a more dynamic effect and a longer lasting look.

The Spectrum: Olive

One of the not so neutral neutral makeup shades to reach for when the weather starts to cool (or anytime really) is an olive green. 

Hits of color mixed with a sprinkle of gold make for a sesaonlly on point shade that is so easy to wear.

The best part? I think is a shade that comes in a really nice variety of products so no matter how you want to wear it there is a way to make it work for you.

Ed Note: The Five Product Face

 

There is nothing I would love more than to have 20 well rested minutes every single morning to paint my face for the day.  For this to happen I would have to be a morning person.

I am atrocious in the morning...like really bad.

So to make-up (ha! see what I did) for my time management shortcomings I have gotten my bare makeup necessities down to a 5 product science.

To see how to achieve a 10 minute face with 5 products explore life behind the cut.

C'mon...you know you want to!

In Transition

 If there is one thing that I know about makeup it's that the products that make the biggest difference in your routine are the ones that look the least impressive in their packaging. Bronzer, eyebrows, and concealer I'm looking at you kids. 

Add to that list a nice transition shade and you have a collection of beautiful ugly products that I would be hard pressed to do without. 

Transition colors are generally light to mid-toned brown and beige shades that help to bleed color from your eyelid up into your crease. There are a few shades and tricks you can use to add this step into your routine. 

Apples of Your Cheeks

The one kind of blush color I always come back to when the weather is cool is a bright red-toned berry shade. 

When applied lightly these give a wind bitten flush on the cheeks that is really brightening and flattering on the skin. 

The added bonus of dramatic blush colors like these is that they work on every single skin tone no matter how light or dark.

Very unusually for me two of my three favorite shades for this kind of flush are creams. I think it adds to liveliness of the shade and as this is a look I go for mostly in fall and winter I don't have to worry about the product migrating.

|Weekend Bonus| About Face: Autumn High Contrast

Exciting news boys and girls! The blog was featured in print on Friday in the September 2014 issue of BORO Magazine! My lovely friend Liz photographed and interviewed me for the piece and I am really proud of how it turned out!

 In said interview I mentioned one of my favorite fall looks and I wanted to recreate it for you on the blog today!
There have been many incarnations of this look for me. Each done with a variety of similar but different shades on the eyes but, the very first version of it happened with Urban Decay's Naked Original Palette and the shade Smog.

Multi Product Effect: Highlighting Blush

I feel like a pretty constant theme here on my blog is my weekday morning laziness when it comes to makeup. 

Now I am by far not alone in my desire to sleep as late as possible but still look good in the morning and, as a result I have accumulated quite a few products that create a multi-product effect on the skin.

For this edition I'm going to focus on the blushes in my stash that give a fresh glow to the face without the need of an additional highlight.

About Face: Simply Complicated

It never eases to amaze me how many products can be employed in the achievement of the "no make up" made up face. Now clearly I am wearing lipstick in the above shots but I am loving all my new bits and really wanted to give them a test run.

I decided for a Sunday running errands in the neighborhood a plain, contoured face a naked eye and a bold lip and brow were the way to go.

I am LOVING my new foundation routine. I think a video might be in order on that account. This is a very face heavy face of the day and I started, as you do, by priming. First the eyes with Lorac Behind the Scenes and then the face with Becca's Ever-Matte formula.

 I tend to prime my whole eye area because I find eye primer products to be as helpful with concealers as they are with shadows. The Becca face primer is really in a class of itself. It leaves me smooth and matte looking for hours and I have never really encountered anything else like it.

I have been really reveling in the good skin since I finally invited Chanel's Vitalumiere Aqua into my life for good. This foundation produces a finish on the skin that is so lovely you might need to see it to believe it. On top of the beautiful finish, when paired with the Becca primer, it feels like you have nothing on your skin.

The concealers are a bit of a classic duo, the Clinique Airbrush (RIP this one kicked the bucket this morning.) and the Nars Radiant Creamy. Layered together they make for a bright under eye that doesn't look over highlighted or caked on. This and the foundation went on with the aid of my trusty Real Techniques Buffing Brush.

After, I set all of the face products with my Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Dim Light. If I sing the praises of this stuff anymore you are all going to get sick of the tune and change the station. (It's still powder perfection though)

On the cheeks I just contoured with some of Illamasqua's Cream Pigment in Hollow and the Real Techniques Contour Brush. I skipped the blush to keep the color focus on the lip and opted for a strong highlight from theBalm's Mary Lou-Manizer instead. The cheek products from theBalm really are worth checking out if you ever find yourself near a counter. I find myself reaching for this or the Cindy Lou-Manizer almost every day. 

So the eyes. Almost nothing but just enough.

I used a push liner brush to get some of MAC's Typographic right up into the lashline for some added definition and volume. I popped some of my highlighter in the inner corner, curled my lashes (Japonesque...meh) and loaded up with YSL'a Faux Cils Shocking Mascara. The mascara is kind of to die for. It's nice to know that when a brand asks you to shell out $30 for a product you will have to ditch in 3 months anyway they really make it worth your while.

As a last minute addition to they eyes I popped some of Rimmel's Scandal Eyes Eyeliner in Nude on my lower waterline for an extra bit of the wide awake effect.

For brows I stuck with my day to day and ran a bit of the Hourglass Arch Sculpting Pencil in Medium Brunette through the brows and then set them with the Essence Clear Lash and Brow Gel. It's 3$ and I have never encountered a better brow gel.

And now...for the centerpiece we have Marc Jacobs Kiss Pop Lipcolor Stick in Headliner on the lips.

Not only is this a stellar matter lipstick formula but this product wears and faces like a champ. Through bao and some serious french fries I still had a damn near perfect pout. It didn't even transfer anywhere else on my face when I opened my huge mouth.

If you're in the market and you have the budget I highly recommend giving the Kiss Pop sticks a try.

So how did you paint your face today?

The Spectrum: Sunset Orange

With summer on it's last legs I thought it was time to feature a shade that worked well as a transition into fall. Being inherently warm and pumpkin-y all at the same time orange works perfectly going from August to September and, with this autumnal weather we've been having in New York lately it seems very appropriately timed. 

Let's start at the top.

On they eyes I don't have anything pure orange per se but, I do have some amazing shades that really warm up the eyes. First up is MAC's Tete-a-Tint. (apparently discontinued now? Check your CCO) This is the perfect peach-orange transition color. It creates a halo of warmth as you blend toward the browbone that I think flatters warm and cool shades alike. For a nice warm all over smokey look I have really been loving Milani's new Bella Eyes Eyeshadows in the shade Bella Copper. It is hugely metallic and a beautifully simple warm smokey eye. Copper shades tend to be up my alley anyway and this is a really nice option especially if you are on a budget. Apparently there is also a shade called Bella Mandarin which would also be beautiful but I currently do not have. (It's on the list).

My blush pick, while it's was limited edition shade has been made permanent. by MAC since it's initial release. Modern Mandarin is a true deep, slightly muted, orange blush. It mimics a freshly sunswept face and is suprisingly easy to wear.

On the lips are two very favorite shades of mine. The one that gets the most rotation is by far Make Up Forever's Rouge Artist Intense in number 40. It is a true tangerine orange shade and is surprisingly user friendly. The Rouge Artist Intense formula is pretty stellar satin to matte formula that lasts about 6 hours on the lips. A budget contender is Maybelline's Color Sensational Vivid in Vibrant Mandarin. This is slightly more red (read: slightly less intimidating) and a little bit more moisturizing and glossy on the lip. 

Now on to the tips. My favorite and by far the most flattering orange polish I have ever tried. Butter London's Silly Billy. It's a beautiful orange lollipop colored crelly finish that looks so dense and full on the nails. It is damn near orange perfection. If you feel like something a bit more peachy (and less than $15) look no further than OPI's Where did Suzi's Man-Go? A pale orange-peach shade makes this a more wearable and "office appropriate" shade for day to day wear.

Phew...that was a lot of stuff. I love incorporating warm orange tones into my looks and I think they are so much more flattering than most people give them credit for. If you're feeling a little more adventurous I would whole heartedly recommend you give them a try.

The Best of the Basics

I am not generally a three product face girl but, some mornings sleep sounds way better than anything my vanity could ever give. 

I don't mind leaving the house bare faced at all but for work I like to at least look alive. 

The products I turn to on those days, the pinch hitters if you will, are the kinds of product worth spending money on.

Today we're taking a tour of the three things I need to make the most impact in my morning.

Summer Skin Savers

This Summer my skin has been in full on rebellion mode. No matter what I do I can't seem to get it under control.

Between the horrendous NYC air, makeup, the heat and a busier social life now that the Polar Vortex is a distant memory there has been a lot more skin TLC to go around.

I seem to have cobbled together a few items from my stash that have really cleared things up.

Hostile Takeover

I have never had a brand weasel it's way into my collection the way Hourglass has. Considering the financial impact of that I feel like that really says something about the quality of the product. Not only have I amassed a  lot from the brand but they are products that I reach for every day without fail. 

Tools of the Trade

Eyelashes are arguably one of the most impactful features we apply makeup on everyday IMHO... I have days where I go out without a stitch on my face, lips wherever but when I skip mascara I really feel different. 

Is this weird?

I'm not sure but I'm inclined to believe I am not alone. 

So after months of suffering through lackluster curlers and mediocre mascara I've found a combo I can't get enough of.

It's Just Makeup!

I have been DYING to try this product. Not only has it been hyped to hell but the name (and price tag) just seems to claim so much perfection that it's impossible not to be a little curious. 

Now that I have FINALLY tried the Chantecaille Just Skin Tinted Moisturizer I have some thoughts...

The Repurchase | Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder-Dim Light

I initially bought the then limited edition and now permenant Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder Palette around the holidays and it took me less than six months to use up Dim Light completely. Completely.

Makeup's Real Magic

On my recent Sephora jaunt this weekend I popped a lippy in my bag that was small town famous for me a few years back. When I was working in retail about 5 years ago almost every girl I worked with had a tube of the Sephora Collection Cream Lip Stain in 03 Strawberry Kissed.

All these years later and I finally have a tube to call my own.