Quick and simple works for most days, especially if I wanted to layer up to something more dramatic by the end of the day. It would be easy to do that with this, or even just to change the lipstick for more drama. The longest part of this was tweaking the foundation, trying to use an expensive foundation that isn't the right color, but it is the lightest that they have.

5 parts makeup again: face; cheek color; eyes; lips; brows.

Eyes: my usual base, including Queen Phyllis (BE); then 1 shade of Ulta shadow (a green) and a bit of Ulta shadow with more sparkle (a light silvery gray) because I needed the sparkle; Chanel greenblack pencil to line; Clinique mascara.

Concealer: I used Maybelline Matte Mousse foundation for concealer again (not the concealer.) I find it is a the perfect color, not too light, not too dark, and much simpler than using two products. Also the texture works well and it doesn't crease.

Brows: La Prairie pencil

Face:
Foundation: I have an expensive Guerlain foundation, but I think it is too dark/yellow so I don't reach for it very often. Today I thought I'd mix it with Chanel illuminator, but it still looked too yellow. It doesn't pick that up, though, once my makeup is complete. But it takes the fun out of using it. Additionally I used more of the illuminator to highlight the center of my face.

Cheeks: rouge under my sparkly mix and over the mix, both Lancome, different colors, but both in the pink and plummy range.

Lips: Sephora 10, a sort of grape color (and tastes grape) with quite a bit of micro glitter in it. I generally don't wear it alone, but I really liked how it looked today. I've reapplied it several times, staying with the same color. I just didn't feel like changing it.

What are you doing with your makeup lately? Is the heat getting to you?

Karin
www.savvythinker.com

Originally posted 2010-08-10 15:35:50.

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It's been hot, hot, hot here for a couple of weeks. Record breaking hot. But we are beginning to get some serious rains every day, so that is breaking the heat somewhat.

I'm not sure why, but red was calling to me, and I usually only wear red lipsticks in December. I even wore a matching red T. These pictures were taken a couple of days ago, and I don't remember precise colors any more. So I'm going to go with easy and post what I can and leave the rest to summer.

Eyes
I used my usual base. These colors are Bare Escentuals, which I really like a lot. They go on easy and don't bother my eyes. Clinique Mascara. La Prairie brows.

Red Lippie
No, I don't remember what shades I used, but I know I topped it with a MAC gloss. I've been wearing those a lot lately.

Face
This was Revlon ageless cream foundation. The rest as usual: cream rouge under my sparkly powder mix; Arbonne blush over the top of the powder.

I hope you are having a great summer and that you are staying cool.

Do you wear red year round?

Karin
www.savvythinker.com

Originally posted 2010-08-09 11:43:19.

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BE Rocker Star is one of my favorite sets. I had some trouble applying it this morning, working around everyone that was getting in and out of the bathroom, then I realized I forgot to start with the sparkly beige powder base I usually begin with. Hello! It looks more even than the photos show, and I accidentally deleted one photo, but these give you an idea.

Eyes:
BE Rocker Star -- great colors and a wonderful brush, the one end does narrow lining
Medium Shade in crease; Darker sparklier shade in outer corners; Dry Lined with darkest black on top.
Inner eyes: flash of bright color from NYX Purple Shadow
Lined bottom: MAC graphblack in waterline; earthline just below it
Lined top NYX Jet Black pen liner -- probably should have bought extreme black.
Mascara: NYX Glitter Wand in midnight Hard to get this to show up on my eye, but it is a gorgeous shade. I might use it as liner.
Brows: Clinique Blond pencil

Cheeks: NARS The Multiple in Riviera

Lips: NYX Chandelier This is really a gorgeous color and very nice formula. The pictures don't do it justice. A really great light-medium orchid pink with a lot of sparkle. Every bit as nice as Too Faced; maybe not quite as sparkly.

I love the way the Purple NYX shadow pops the smokey eye look (though they don't call it their Smokey Eye set.)

What do you think?

Karin

Originally posted 2009-03-07 10:23:27.

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As I said in my earlier post today, I wanted to try the NYX colors I had not tried before. Once in a while a color combo blows you out of the water. This color combo is gorgeous and one of my faves!

Eyes:
Base: Nude Frost on lids, not under brows; then BE Queen Phyllis
Lids: NYX Luxor, square individual shadow with a clear lid, an exact match to my T
Drylined: NYX Red, square loose shadow with micro shimmer
Lined: Chanel blue duo pencil, lightest color
Tightlined: NYX Jet Black Felt Tip liner
Inner corners: Arbonne Illume (white matte)
Mascara: Clinique
Concealer: Guerlain
Brows: La Prairie pencil

Primer: Avon Magix
Foundation: Revlon Age Defying cream
Rouge under my sparkly powder mix: Chanel stick
Blush: Arbonne Promise
Highlight: Arbonne Bashful

Lips: AL Balm + MAC pencil -- see my LOTD for more.

Karin
www.savvythinker.com
don't steal my posts -- you know who you are

Originally posted 2009-09-04 15:29:17.

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Wow, this sure photographed well! This is my new gauze top. I love the style with cut away sleeves.

Eyes:
Base: Beauticontrol Pink, then my sparkly shadow mix
Crease: AL Grape pure eyes matte -- I forgot about this one and how much I liked it until I spotted it again -- I didn't think it went on as easily as the first time, but I was happy when I finished
Lids: AL Dandelion Satin Petals Frost -- a very soft yellow
Lined top and lower: Clinique Blacker Violet pencil
Mascara upper: Lancome Fatale; Lower: Tarte

Primer:
Foundation: Lancome Minerals and Powder; my sparkly facial mix
Blush: BE Beauty
Highlight: M*A*D Alter Ego -- looks beige but pulls iridescent pink on the skin

Lips: all Beauté
Paramour/Heroine 1/2 and 1/2, rimmed with Allure

What do you think?

Karin

Originally posted 2009-04-26 22:50:46.

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I received AL's Spring Solstice colors a couple of days ago. They are really beautiful shades, and even better, they are 25% off until March 18, 2009. I love that it is affordable to try the colors as samples before ordering full sizes.

Because I was wearing gray today, I wanted to go bright and cheery, like the feathers of a bird. That is generally the look I go for, anyway, instead of a lot of extra blending. I try to blend as I go, but with bright definitions. I wanted my eyes to flash color when I blinked, the way a birds feathers would show in flight.

After all, it is spring! The birds have been singing here like crazy lately, even in the middle of the night.

I love all the AL reds that they have for eyes.
Before AL, I had never worn any red shadows, and in fact, had never even seen any. Yes, pinks and mauves and lilacs and purples and burgundies, but never red.

This shows you how I laid out the colors, but in RL the edges are not sharply defined as it shows with the flash.

All Aromaleigh Spring Solstice, applied dry:
Crease: Lupine, a soft grayed blue
Outer Corners: Nasturtium, brilliant beautiful red
Drylined upper and below my usual MAC in lower waterline: Forget-me-not, bright teal
Lined outer top: E.L.F. waterproof pen in navy
Mascara: Jillian Dempsey for Avon, dual
Brows: Clinique pencil

Cheeks: AL femmefatale rocks sonic rouge
This is a beautiful peachy pink, that I thought would go well with the lippie.
Lip gloss: Milani Glitzy Puttin on the Ritz 07
This takes on all different hues depending on the light. You can see it illustrated at my review post. Gorgeous color; almost like the 70s, but updated to be new and fresh.

Today I'm comparing two serums. Everything else is the same.

One fun thing is E.L.F. Shimmering Facial Whip in a pink tone that I used to highlight up the center of my face before my usual glimmer powder mix. I bought this on a whim. Plus the price. Every E.L.F. item I bought was only $1, except for two which were $3 each. I figured I couldn't go wrong.

I'll talk more about E.L.F. in another post after I try more of the products.

Karin

Originally posted 2009-03-15 13:59:10.

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I'm running behind, as you can see, but here is my look for Tuesday.

Eyes:
Lids: Meow IdealEyes Cat got your tongue? light pink
Crease: AL Spring Solstice Bellflower purple orchid
Pencil Lined top: Clarins Midnight Flash, great purple, now discontinued
Pencil lined lower: Fyrinnae Iimmortalitythen more Bellflower below that
Brows: Clinique pencil
Mascara Upper: BE Buxom; lower: Stiletto

Primer AL
Foundation 2 Chanels to compare
Rouge under powder: Nars The Multiple Riviera
Powder: my sparkly mix, then BE mineral veil as bronzer
Blush: Meow
Lips: NYX Round Gloss Ballerina Pink 36

This was such a pretty, soft look. I felt like spring even though winter is giving us a last hurrah! It's going to be in the low 40s here tomorrow morning! What do you think?

What are you doing with your makeup to feel more spring-like?
Karin

Originally posted 2009-04-07 23:51:16.

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Trying out Meow eyes again today, but different colors.

Used my new fiber optic AL brush again. Love this brush. Get one! I will do a review in the next few days. I used it for everything except the outer corners. It makes application a snap!

In the order of application:
Base: Avon light purple cream; my golden beige sparkle
Crease: IdealEyes Anti-Social Purrl
Outer corners: VandalEyes Pole Dancing
Inner corners: ScandalEyes Nicole S (I used this yesterday too).
Mascara top: compared two Guerlains; the one is the dual ended one.

This is a pretty container:

Lined bottom MAC: graphblack in waterline; earthline below it.
Mascara lower: the tiny brush for lower lashes from the dual ended.
Drylined: ScandalEyes Feral
Brows: Clinique pencil

Cheeks:
AL Breathless rocks sonic rouge (great color)
Using a fiber optic brush -- I took about 3 grains; 2 would have been enough.

Later I updated my lips with Cover Girl Incredifull lipstick (see my review tomorrow.)

Primer(s)
Today I used Guerlain Meteorites Perles Light Diffusing Perfecting Primer

over a bit of Smashbox primer, under Chanel foundation. The Guerlain is wonderful for correcting a foundation that needs a little help. The Chanel alone is a bit yellow. I wish I could still get the foundation that they discontinued. That color was perfect!

And, of course, my mix of glimmer powder over the foundation. You can find the recipe under Savvy Thinker quick find or here.

Karin

Originally posted 2009-03-14 16:16:16.

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I wanted to do a Take 2 yesterday with darker greys, but everything still looked so good, it didn't need refreshing. I'm not tired of the look yet, so today I re-did it using deeper greys.

Eyes:
Base: Dior light pink cream in wand; then my sparkly mix
Lid: Cat got your tongue? Meow IdealEyes Purrl -- light pink
Outer corners: Lancome Platinum Couture (darker grey in set)
Crease: Vincent Longo Concerto, glittery black-grey wet-dry – love these colors
Brows: La Prairie pencil

Lined upper: Clinique Granite 10 Quick Eyes pencil (med grey)
Then used the powder with it to go over the line.
Lined lower: MAC graphblack in waterline, then earthline outside it -- This time it didn’t look too strong, not like yesterday.
Lined just outside the lower Sephora Flashy Mauve waterproof pencil
Mascara top: Guerlain Maxi-Lash Black
Mascara lower: Stiletto I wanted a spiky look – love this and might start using it everyday.

Primer: I forgot! And it really does make a difference
Foundation: Revlon Vital Radiance Color 10 discontinued, can find on Internet
Concealer: Mary Kay Highlighting Pen Color 2
Color under my sparkly powder mix: Mary Kay cream rouge
Blush over the powder: Meow Lush Blush Hugs and Kitties -- I really like this!

Using Beau Nelson of Beauté's technique highlighting my lips
Too Faced Mermaid for lips, rimmed with Pink Bling
You can read about this technique here.

Don't you just love the lips with this technique!
I hope you try it!

How do you like this look?

Have a great day!

Karin

Originally posted 2009-03-26 08:58:17.

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There are a number of brushes you need in your arsenal in order to apply your colors in the best possible and easiest way. In general, I like real hair brushes, except for ones that are meant to be synthetic (foundation and concealer.)

Keep them clean
Clean them whenever you see residue in the brush. If you are oily or prone to acne, this will be more often (even daily) to keep the brushes clean. And you won't contaminate any of your product.

Some people use a conditioning shampoo.

I use a cleanser made for brushes by Merle Norman. I do not use a whole capful. I use 1/4 of the cap, filled with 3/4 water (that is the percentage). Put it in the sink. Swirl my brush(es). Add more water to it. Swirl some more. Empty basin. Squeeze excess out of brush. Fill basin with water and swirl brushes. Empty and repeat until brush is clean and water is clear.

Why do you need so many brushes?
Because using the right brush makes application easier.

Much less blending is required. In general, I believe if you lay it down right, you don't need to do much blending.

And you won't look like a clown with too much blush, for example, unless that is the look you are going for.

And if you have sensitive skin, where blending can actually feel hurtful, the better the brush, the softer or less pull on the skin.

Do I have to have them all?
No, but these work. Use what you have, but begin to collect others as you need them. If you buy good brushes (consider buying them when there is a gwp offered), they will last nearly forever.

Several of these brushes have hit the market only in more recent years, so it is possible that a brush we can't live without will be offered in the foreseeable future that meets a need we didn't know we had.

BE gives their brushes as part of many of their sets for face or eye. They are really good, and many are only offered in their sets, they cannot be bought separately. That's an added perk for buying their sets.

You can also look in places that sell brushes for arts and painting. These may work just as well and cost less than something you find at a cosmetic counter. For the most part, I have shown shapes so you know what you are looking for.

Brands I like
Bare Escentuals -- every brush I've used has been top notch -- often included in sets

Clinique -- the two I have are great; one type I've only seen at Clinique, a large fluffy eye brush (will add the name later, if it is on the brush) (works great for laying down strong color without being too much)(which is how the SA used it on me and therefore sold me on it -- I don't have anything like it)
CVS -- nice quality; not so easy to use as they are dual ended (they won't stand upright in a container -- they have to be flat)
Estee Lauder -- I'm still using a 20 year old set.
Lancome -- nice quality, I especially like the L'angle brush for eyes and use it daily.
Update: Lancome's mineral foundation brush is superb! It feels like velvet -- you are transported to a spa. If you use mineral foundation, do yourself a favor, go to a Lancome counter and try this brush. Let me know if you do! Do you know if there is anything out there that is identical to this brush in a different price range?
Mary Kay -- nice quality for the price.
Sephora -- every one I've tried has been top notch; they have great travel sets.
Trish McAvoy I have a couple of hers. They are good. Hers was the first brush similar to the Lancome L'Angle that I bought, but it is bigger and fuller than the Lancome.
Ulta -- I just bought a very small angle eye liner brush (I wanted something similar to a drugstore one that I can no longer find -- this is smaller, but it works for what I want to use it for. I used it to line my FOTD today)

Brands that are said to be good, but I have not tried
Aromaleigh edit: I love their fiber optic brushes.
MAC -- edit: I use a fiber optic brush of theirs for blush.

Types of brushes that you should have at a minimum
Anything else you have is just a plus. These should be in your staples.

Eyes
Angle eye brush to lay down the crease
Medium fluffy eye brush to lay down a base color
Short almost semi-circular eye brush to lay down the outer corner color
Sephora makes one called a Smudge Brush. It's perfect.

Denser round eye brush to use with Chanel type colors, if possible.

Fiber Optic eye brush as much for fun as anything. I have a BE one. Aromaleigh's are supposed to be very good. I really like their fiber optic eye shadow brushes.

Brush you could use for blending, if necessary
Angled or flat eyeliner brush for laying down shadow as eyeliners, usually dry, but works with gel also.

Regular shaped eyeliner brush for doing a wet or gel liner or
Regular shaped eyeliner brush with bent handle This is surprisingly easy to use.

Brow Brush if you use a powder form. Often these brushes come with a comb on one side. I rarely use the comb.

Face
Use any soft good sized fluffy brush for blending away any mistakes, if necessary.
Concealer brush(es), synthetic (or use your clean fingers)
Some concealers feed through a brush, in which case you might not need one.
Small thin one, for spot concealing.

Medium one for under eyes.

Fluffy dense brush to apply mineral makeup with, if you use it. BEs is very good.
Take your pick:

Fluffy brush, not so dense angled or not, to apply powder or BE Mineral Veil. Just like the above only a bit smaller in diameter.

Medium sized fluffy angled brush, to apply blush

Dense, flat round brush to apply blush, for certain colors

Fiber Optic Brush to apply blush or bronzer, when the color is strong and you only want a bit. It looks similar to this. I have one by BE and by Prescriptives. I have a smaller one by MAC. Aromaleigh's are supposed to be very good. I really like their fiber optic eye shadow brushes.

Specialty
This is a nice brush. The one end applies dry liner nicely.

Optional
Lips, only if you use one
Or, use the brush on the end of a lip pencil, if you have one, rather than buying an extra brush.
Lip brush, only if you use one.
Lip brush with a cover for your purse.

Makeup foundation brush
Synthetic brush to apply liquid or cream makeup, if you desire. Using your fingers is just as good and there is no product waste. You could also use a sponge.

Eyes
Dense round eye brush Sephora makes one, for laying down intense colors, such as Chanels. See above. (You can use the half round flat brush above just as easily, maybe more so)
Brush suitable for applying shadows wet -- I sometimes use an older brush that gives it new life.

Travel Set if you travel a lot or if you should need one for your purse.
Sephora has some good sets. Check for the one that has the type of brushes you like the most. Chanel often has one, but expensive.
Aromaleigh carries a set too, see link above.

This is a quick run down, and I might have forgotten one or two.

Which brand of brushes do you know and love?
It looks as though ELF and NYX have brushes reasonably priced, but I have not tried them. I have used several from CVS that are good.

Karin

Originally posted 2009-03-06 16:54:13.

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