Head to Head: Long Wearing Liner Pens

When you hear people in the beauty community talk about the best long wearing liner pens they usually fall into one of two camps.

Either they love the Stila Stay All Day Liquid Liner or the Kat Von D Tattoo Liner.

After finally getting the chance to test drive both I think I know which one I will be re purchasing when the time comes.

They are both really great liners but their respective weaknesses will be deal breakers for some.

Autumn/Winter Skincare Edit | TheUnanimousMolly

So a couple weeks back I talked about my Autumn beauty edit and all of the color cosmetics that I would be reaching for as the weather starts to cool but, today we're going to dive into skin.

My cold weather foundation routine may not change but my skincare definitely does. Especially now as my mid-late twenties are approaching I am noticing pretty different textures in my skin than in previous winters.

(read:Alligator face)

So with my hydration in mind I raided my stash, made one teeny little Sephora order and have reached a verdict on my winter skin.

The Unconventional Statement Lip

Now when I say statement lip I don't mean red. Red is a whole post unto itself. I practically have a library of red lipsticks.

When I say statement lip I mean maybe a color that isn't quite commonplace just yet. Maybe some of them are getting there *cough* Orange *cough* but maybe some of them are still shades you wouldn't try in a million years.

Well you should and, I'm going to tell you why and some of my favorite ways to do it!

First up we'll tackle the orange. As this is the closest to the red family I think the orange lip is the most easily worn of the three shades I have here. 

My orange of choice is the Make Up Forever Rouge Artist Intense in shade 40. It is a true Crayola orange with a comfortable satin finish.  I love to pair warm shades with warm shades and layer up matte bronze-y tones with an orange lip. I take a matte warm brown (MAC Kid or Soft Brown are good here) and sweep it over the lid. Heavily at the lash line and more blown out near the crease. Then I layer on mascara and that's it for the eyes.

Seriously. 

Then I apply a bit of bronzer to the cheeks whack on my orange lip and call it a day. I think this is both a quick and easy way to sell the orange lip.

Next is our neon pink. This one is fun!

You have to reach for MAC's Candy Yum Yum for this. It's the perfect white based matte neon pink.

 

This is the out there shade that I treat most like a red. I like to do a twist on a classic pin up look basically by substituting a neon lip in for the red. 

I do like to stick to a nice strong winged liner and no shadow on the eyes for this though; I think it makes the look seem more effortless. 

I also like to stick with just some bronzer on the cheeks here as well. I think it's a good idea for all three lip colors because it won't compete with the statement. 

...but it's your America and you can put whatever you want on your cheeks. This is just my method.

Finally is the violet lip. This one is maybe a little more out there but once you get the hang of it you won't want to give it up! I think the blue tones wake up the face but the presence of the pink tones make it very user friendly. 

I like this with a rose gold or amber-esque shade on the lid to balance things out. I usually reach for L'Oreal's Infailliable in Amber Rush with Bite Beauty's Violet Pastille on the lips. (This is discontinued but this is a nice alternative.) Then I layer on mascara to define the eyes and add a few sweeps of bronzer to the cheeks.

I think the pairing brings the right amount of drama and balance while still making the look interesting. 

I hope this gave you some ideas about how to test out some shades you hadn't thought to try before. 

Let me know if you give this one a go!

Ed Note: The Luxury Sampler

One of the very best things about the holiday season kicking off earlier and earlier every year is the abundance of amazing luxury product gift sets coming at you left right and center. 

There seem  to be endless options between skincare and color cosmetics to keep any beauty junkie coming back for more. 

The first one that caught my eye (and it won't be the last) was the Tata Harper Purely Powerful Skincare set. Four sample sized versions of their best sellers for you to test drive for under 50$.

Swoon.

The two standout products are easily our potted friends the Rejuvenating Cleanser, a lovely creamy exfoliating wash and, the Resurfacing Mask, a rose jam looking and smelling enzyme mask. 

The Regenerating Cleanser is a nice manual scrub for the days where your acidic products are simply not getting the job done the way you want them to. It is a little more substantial than my typical cleansing oil but it doesn't feel harsh or drying. I would not likely reach for this every night but a few times a week is comes in very handy. 

The Resurfacing Mask is the best product in the mix by far. Slathered over the face and left for a few minutes this creates almost instant radiance and clarity to dull dehydrated skin. It offers a nice gentle chemical exfoliation through acids and enzymes to remove excess cells. It recommends you use every day but at 55$ a pop this will definitely be a once a week treat.

The Rejuvenating Serum and the Repairative Moisturizer are both OK but nothing to write home about and nothing to shell out the luxury price for. 

In my humble opinion.

But that is what makes these little samplers such a great value. For less than the cost of one product you can try four and only commit to the full sizes of the formulas you love.

Get them while the getting is good. This baby is limited edition and all the best kits will be gone long before the January Sales.

On A Budget: The 90's Mouth

Leave it to a Kardashian (or in this case technically a Jenner but hey, guilty by association.) to bestow upon us the next big trend in makeup. 

Well if you're me it's the next big old trend. I was alive in the 90's, albeit a bit young for makeup. 

But... you better believe my introductory lipstick was a brown toned rose mauve shade.

This time around though I'm going a little pinker an a little darker to make the 90's lip a little more user friendly.

It's Not Easy Havig a Good TIme

I have been dying to write this post for months. 

If you haven't noticed I've been dropping hints. 

Now here it is.

Fore warning. This is going to be a picture heavy post. 

September Favorites | TheUnanimousMolly

A quick (kind of) rundown of all my monthly favorites in video form. From candles to bathmats and football September was a very quick and eclectic month. What have you been loving??