Change of pace today! Back to reds, but new ones I've never used before. We'll see if I get any drift/slide today. Sometimes red bothers my lids, esp when it slides.

Sometimes I wonder whether it would be easier to have no choices. It takes me longer to think about what I'd like to do than actually doing it. But last night I thought: Gothic Lolita shadows! Fyrinnae lips! so that made it easier today.

Eyes: All AL, except where noted
Base: Nude Frost, no sparkly mix after
Crease: Strawberry Despair, GL -- wow! this is really pretty -- I think I originally bought it because it looked so great on Tanya in a theme week at AL, but I'm not sure I ever wore it before -- AL describes it

Strawberry Despair: Muted strawberry red pearl with copper sparks. Despair was never so yummy!

Outer Corners and lower drylined: Burnt Roses , GL -- one of my all time fave colors, just a super color

Burnt Roses : Rich chocolatey cherry frost with tiny deep green sparks. Just plain luscious.

Inner Corners:Persephone, Luster -- first time I wore this too, very gorgeous color!

Persephone: Lush bordeaux with a cocoa lowlight and rose highlight.

Brows: Chanel pencil
Mascara: Guerlain, top; Tarte, lower
Concealer: Dior skinflash and around inner corners of eyes

I couldn't figure out what to use for liner or if I should stop where I was, then I remembered I had Black Cherry gel liner. It helps to have the right brush. Since I tried it last, I bought a small slanted eyeliner brush at Ulta. There's no identifier on it to tell you which one. I intentionally tried to smudge it out the way a pencil looks vs. having a hard edged line. Smudging just looks better on me at this stage of life. Anyway, it was perfect, and I loved it, and I might try to use my gel liners more now that I actually like the look of one of them. I did it very lightly along the waterline and tight lined both the top and lower, smudging it.

Sunscreen: Neutragena, not the La Prairie to see if my makeup is less sheer
Primer: Revlon Vital Radiance, cool, discontinued
Foundation: Chanel, discontinued, trying to use this one up
Rouge: Chanel, stick, discontinued
Powder, my sparkly mix, then Signature Club A Hyaluronic
Blush: Lancome Petticoat Pink, along my cheekbones
Lips: Fyrinnae Visual Kei Lip Luster -- my labels are getting all funky -- are your? -- such a pretty color!

Isn't this pretty!

What do you think?

Karin

Originally posted 2009-05-06 09:24:57.

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Having trouble finding the post that has your glow powder recipe. Now that I've seen how fabulous you look in full harsh sunlight, I've decided to try some, too.
--Natasha

Thanks, Natasha, that's a wonderful compliment. I appreciate it!

It's really very simple to do and there's no hard and fast rules. Remember you are just tweaking it to be right for you.

I sparkled in sunlight before it became popular from the Twilight series!

I became more conscious of doing this on a regular basis when I came across an article about Inman. She said that the beautiful glow she has is done with makeup. I had thought it was natural -- and she is certainly beautiful! So I began to experiment with highlighting my face as she does. Younger people naturally tend to have this glow because they have a T-zone. But I have never had any discernible oil in my skin.

So yes, as you commented in another post to me, it is a bit of magic.

Why I mix my own
Loose and compact facial shimmer powder has been around off and on for a long time, but in general, I find it too shimmery for an all over look. Often it is available during the holidays, so is made for more of an evening look. I wanted something I could wear daily, that would take me from day to night.

And not all illuminating powders are created equal or are the right depth or tone. So one day I just decided to mix what I had on hand together until it was the right depth and tone and amount of sparkle, because it gave me more control over the amount of shimmer, and I've been doing it ever since.

What is shimmer or illuminating powder
First, it is not a frosted look. Frost tends to accentuate negatives, whereas illuminating powder tends to obscure them.

Shimmer or illuminating powder has some degree of glitter/shimmer in it. I prefer the tiny glitter. Illuminating powder generally has less shimmer and is easier to use for the entire face vs. highlighting only some of it. But the color isn't quite right.

It comes in loose or compact forms.

Many mineral makeup lines, including Bare Escentuals and Aromaleigh, have foundations or 'powders' with various amounts of shimmer. Some are more silky than others; most offer more coverage than I'm looking for.

The original one I had was loose and silvery, from Viviane Woodard. If it were still being made, I'd still be using that in my mix.

Why use it?
It is a fresher look.

While some lines are promoting a matte look right now, it isn't a look I desire.

At one time, a few years ago, a matte look was promoted as the only look. Now, it is one of several choices, and I'm not sure how many will take it up. Someone with a lot of oil in their skin will not stay matte, even if they start out that way. Someone whose skin is not oily should set matte finish with a damp sea sponge -- which, of course, takes some of the harsh matte away.

But there is a difference between a shimmer look and having a T-zone.

How do I use it?
I use this as the last step of my makeup, before blush, over cream or liquid foundation, in place of non-illuminating loose powder to set my makeup, but this could be the last step after mineral foundations too. With minerals, if you are wearing mineral foundation, I would only use this as the last step at the top, not for the entire foundation.

I apply very little. I use a powder brush sparingly, but a fiber optic brush would work as well.

Recipe for the mix
Container
I use a jar that had loose powder in it, once upon a time, and it has a little screen to filter how much your brush picks up, but any container would work that has an opening easy to use a brush with -- or that you could sprinkle some out onto a jar lid, for example, then use it.

How much do I make at a time?
I might mix up the whole container (like I did the last time) or a smaller amount. When it's gone, I make more.

If you are unsure of what look you are going for, make up a smaller amount, enough for a week or two. You can always throw more color or plain powder in to tweak it.

It's kind of like making frosting, if I add too much shimmer, I have to add more plain powder, so the batch gets bigger.

This batch could have had a little less glitter in it, but I tossed in too much of one kind and had to add more base powder -- and I was going to overflow the container!

Gold or silver shimmer?
You would determine for your own skin tone, if you prefer gold or silver shimmer and use it with any loose facial powder or mineral powder/foundation that is the right color for your skin tone.

Mine has some gold, because I had it sitting around, but I balance it more toward silver.

What kind of shimmer?
You can use any dry shimmer you have on hand, so long as the shimmer/glitter particles are small.

It's a good way to use up things that are just sitting around.

Some body glitter (which tends to be bigger glitter)...some of those glimmer powders for the body either in a shaker or in a wand with a brush (these are sometimes less money than ones made for the face)...minerals...even some eye shadows (white or off white with glitter)...toss it into the mix.

Why mix it with a powder/mineral?
Facial powders are generally very finely milled and silky, which allows for ease of application.

Using this as a base, you can control the amount of glimmer.

What shade of powder as the base?
Use what works for your skin tone. I mix what I have on hand from various gwp and etc.

Light beige, beiges, pinks or peach, all work fine. I think there is even some green correcting powder out there, which could be thrown in the mix. Guerlain Meteorites Powders, with the little pearl balls, have all different hues in the balls.

If you are very deep complected, you can work with a bronzing powder to start with. One of the bronzers I have is the exact color of one of my daughter's complexions. Many bronzers are illuminating anyway.

My current mix includes These are all loose powders.
Laura Mercier's Star Dust powder -- this is very pretty, but too shimmery and a bit too golden dark for me to use alone.
JLo's shimmer powder which is white and quite sparkly. The sparkles are a nice size (small), but it is very light.
Stilo's sparkly body powder in the pink color.
Clinique illuminating powder again, too dark alone.

How much glimmer do you use?
It doesn't take much!

Start with the base powder, about half the amount you'd like to finish with, in case you have to keep adding more. Add a bit of glimmer. If you add too much, add some loose powder. Test it on the back of your hand until it looks like the right mix.

What I like about mine
It is very silky to the touch. Some minerals or powders are rough or dry feeling if you rub them between your fingers. Go for silky.

Other ways

Sometimes you can get this look by using one of the shimmer compacts lightly over plain loose powder. Today I double dipped in Elizabeth Arden's shimmer powder compact, which is really lovely, after I used my own mix. A single dip would have been better.

For a fast look that is really excellent, Mary Kay offers highlighting and bronzers with a separate compact. These can be used as eye shadows also. My compact is filled with both highlighting powders (one pan has 2 matte; the other pan has 2 illuminating). I sweep my brush over all four and apply it up the center of my face. The lighter shades of bronzers would be my color. You could make a compact with a highlighter and a bronzer. The brush with this compact is good too. (Sold separately.)

Have fun!
Use it in place of loose powder -- either over your entire face or to highlight the edges or the middle. I use my mix all over. Then if I want, I re-highlight up the middle as the last step with the Mary Kay or some other one I have. I contour or bronze only occasionally.

Karin

Originally posted 2009-03-11 09:54:17.

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These are oldie but goodie colors from MF. Originally I saw these on a woman with brown eyes and the colors were so striking on her that I wanted them for me. But her skintone was darker. On me the colors always are a bit dark. Today I popped them with AL Masquerade glam glitter, drylined top and lower. I really liked that!

Crease: MF Sable, followed by a small amount of MF Black Velvet
Lids: MF 18 Karat
It helps to have the small FO brushes from AL -- they don't grab too much of these deep colors. This is the best it's ever looked on me.
Tightlined top and wetlined lower: MAC blackgraph; added MAC earthline to the lower outside the waterline.
Guerlain Le2 mascara.
Concealer: YSL Touch eclat

Primer: Guerlain with the gold flecks
Back to my Chanel -- I thought this would be used up by now! -- and sparkly powder mix.
Revlon cream blush under powder.

Lips:
Revlon Cream gloss: Sassy Mauve + Play-up Pink, rimmed with Beauté Allure
I really liked this color!

Arbonne update: I think my skin is looking luminescent. My order came in today, so I don't have to hope my samples hold out! Tomorrow I'll use some Arbonne colors too.

What do you think?

To buy Arbonne from Bookgirl, if you don't have a representative, just ask me to put you in touch with her.

Karin

Originally posted 2009-05-26 23:06:28.

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I already received one compliment on this look today. Yippee!

I wanted to try the Arbonne looks, while not having the Arbonne colors. You know how that goes! And this picture shows you how important it is to have colors that don't smudge. One or both of either of these products smudged: Smolder MAC pencil liner or BE graphite. Neither one of these was applied wet, but they migrated instantly. Fortunately when I blink my eyes, you can't see it. I did blend it out a bit after this picture, but it is not perfect. And I want it to be perfect.

I was working with a BE set Renegade Chic that I like that came with two shadows, a blush, 2 brushes, and a gloss. As you can see, it's a very nice neutral set, which I thought I could play with to get a combo of the two Arbonne looks.

Eyes:
What's surprising is that these colors are definitely gray, but they pull blue-teal when seen with my shirt and photographed.
Base: Nude Frost
Lids: BE Dove + Graphite
Tight Lined top and lower: see above --
Smolder Blended out with: MAC brush # 219 which is how the MUA had blended out the pencil liner
Sparkle lined over other liner, top AL Prettyplease (charcoal golden shimmer)
and lower: AL Shakeitup (golden copper) -- love, love, love these two colors -- couldn't decided which to use so I used both...
Mascara: Lancome oscillating
Brows: Chanel blond-taupe pencil
Concealer: Dior skinflash
Nose: MAC Concealer, blended out with triangle sponge

Primer: Arbonne
Foundation: Arbonne FYI Light tinted moisturizer
Rouge: MK stick
Powder: Guerlain meteorites
Blush: BE Rose Radiance (from set) real pretty color!

Lips: Arbonne Tickled + Bikini + rimmed with BE rose radiance gloss (from set) -- see more info at lotd post.

What are you wearing today?
I just love it when a set is as pretty as this one, and as the Arbonne. I can't wait to get my order in!

To buy Arbonne from Bookgirl, if you don't have a representative, just ask.

Karin

Originally posted 2009-07-27 12:57:48.

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Eyes:
To blend or not
It really is not necessary to blend if you apply in a blending way to begin with, see below. OTOH, if your skin is less fair and you can blend because it doesn't hurt, do what works for you.

Because I am so fair skinned, it's hard to get eye colors that go on me easily. Once they blotch, if they do, they are impossible to fix -- as many MUAs have found out -- no amount of blending will fix it. I have to start from scratch, and I'm not willing to do that most days.

So I've learned how to get around needing to start over. Sometimes if they are blending and blending and blending and over-blending, it actually hurts my skin and I have to tell them to stop! Plus, when they are doing all that blending it is because it isn't blending. They have been known to start over.

What works
With the right brushes and the right techniques I generally can apply shadows nicely with very little blending -- or rather, perhaps I blend as I go when I layer in the colors.

Base
Use a cream shadow base, especially if your eyelids are oily, or if you are using mineral colors. You can use a color that matches what you will be applying, a neutral, or one that is darker if you want to intensify the shade you will be applying.

Use a mineral or powder base on your lids, approximately the depth of your skin tone. This can be a neutral, skin toned, or the color family you will be using, or both. I often use my own sparkly neutral mix here.

I can use Mary Kay older shadows, wet or dry for this step, no matter if I am applying dry shadow or minerals. I use MK mineral powders dry, though my rep uses hers wet and mixes shades to get new shades. Perhaps I'll try that tomorrow.

Apply shadows
Do your lids first, crease second or vice versa, it hardly matters, but layer one into the other at the edges.

If the crease color is very deep soften it at the upper edges with a lighter color, which could even be the lid color so long as you don't bring a color-color up to your brows. Light yellow, for example, could go to your brows; purple could not unless it is fairly light or the depth of your skin tone. Soften the crease color at the lower edge with the color(s) you use on your lids.

Dedicate brushes
Use specific brushes for crease/dark colors. Use other brushes (even if the same type) for lid/under brows. That way you don't muddy colors and you don't need to wash brushes daily, unless you are very oily.

Karin

Originally posted 2009-04-29 13:30:13.

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I wanted to talk a bit about AL FO brushes.

Why a Fiber Optic Brush?
FO brushes are made to lay down less product, which is important with highly pigmented colors. They easily give a softer look, with less need to blend. They are indispensable for use with loose minerals. I had them for blush and foundation. I had not seen them for eyes until AL.

I have two of each of the shadow brushes.
I use one for lighter colors, the other for darker colors. That way I can use them for more than one day without a need to clean them.

I have two of these.
This brush is good for wider swathes. I also love that this brush comes with a heavy duty plastic cover. It doesn't slip down, but you can pull it down or up, which means you can put it back on the brush from the bottom, push it up, and the brush stays perfect.

I have two of these.
This brush is good for doing the crease or applying smaller washes of colors. This has a hard plastic tube, as the above does, but it will not go down the brush (or up it.) Trying to put it on messes the brush, so it is pretty well worthless. I wish it were made like the above.

I have yet to use this one, the all over face brush, but I'm sure it will be excellent.

How do they compare to other FO brushes that you have?
I have BE FO bronzer and blush brushes. I did not have any FO brushes for eyes.

The AL brushes are softer. They both accomplish the same purpose.

My take:
I love the shadow brushes, and I especially love the covers on the larger size. If you don't have these or something like them, try one, you'll like it!

Do you have these?
Do you use a FO brush for applying your eye shadow? Do you have anything similar to these from another company? How do they compare?

Karin
5 I give the shadow brushes a 5; I've not tried the face brush yet. Maybe tomorrow.

Originally posted 2009-04-15 17:56:35.

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If you've been reading my blog for a while, you know that I like to show lip techniques. Find more at SavvyThinker Quick Find from this page.

For the most part now, since I've found it, I use what I call the Beauté technique. Basically it uses two glosses (or I will use a lipstick and a gloss). Fill in your lips with the darker shade; rim them with the second. You can read my in depth here.

What I like about this technique It's easy.
Subtle
It gives a softer and fresher take on lippies than a lip pencil does.
Camouflages
It camouflages the little outer edge lip lines better than a pencil does.
Volumizes
It actually works to make the lips look more voluminous.
Youthens
Isn't this a great word! I saw this somewhere online and thought I'd start using it.

Have you tried it?
If not, you need to, especially if you are no longer in your 20s. Seriously! And the Beauté glosses are some of the nicest out there. Karla Sugar has a complete set of swatches at her blog.

My short cut
Dedicated lip brushes
This really makes it faster.

Because I use this technique so often now, I have dedicated two lip brushes to it. I had the brushes already, but they might as well have been in storage for how little I used them, until I started using this technique on a regular basis.

One brush is for darker colors or any lippie or gloss I might use, if I needed a brush. I also use this brush to blend my lips if I am smooshing two shades together with my lips, but they aren't blended well enough without a brush. I also use this to rim if I am using a deeper color, for example, a magenta rim with a red lippie or gloss.

The second brush is used only for doing light rims.

There's no need to clean the brushes or wipe them down as you do your lips; you won't accidentally get a darker color on the rim. And you can use them until your normal day to clean brushes. (For the most part, I don't clean my lip brushes, not as often as I clean my eye brushes.)

Karin

Originally posted 2009-04-29 13:58:32.

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I wanted to try some of the new Lancome products, so I asked a SA to do a makeover on me.

She used the new Lancome minerals in the lightest shade, Natural Ivory 10. She tried the next deepest on one side (she says they get lighter on the face) but she felt it looked too dark, so she used the 10 on the other side. I told her to just put some 10 on the other side, so one side is a bit more made up than the other. I'd prefer it a bit sheerer.

The SA said the foundation doesn't look good on everyone, but she loved it on me, that it gave me a glow.

Since I don't normally wear mineral foundation, I think I'd like to go in to see if I can apply it correctly before I buy it. The brush is super scrumptuous! It feels like velvet, just like their claims. I am going to have to get this, at least.

*The Lancôme innovation: skin-renewing White Sapphire Complex* helps fight visible signs of aging. Skin looks brighter, revived and feels softer for hours.
* Experience the velvety brush for a blissful, effortless, controlled application.
*11 luxurious, long-wearing natural shades – free of talc, oil and fragrance
*Aloe, Vitamin E, Mica, Alumina, Bismuth Oxychloride

Blush: I'll have to ask her. She started off thinking browner, but was glad she chose this. [Update: Sheer Amarose]
Lipstick: Groupie, a gorgeous color. I wanted her to do it by itself, with no pencil. After cataloguing my pencils, I'm simply not going to get another one. (Maybe, LOL!) Lippies will have to stand on their own.

Eyes:
Eyeshadows were a duo, I think Emerald, Green on one side, a sort of sandy taupe on the other. She started thinking apricot and pink, but wasn't sure. I said try the green -- you're sure??!! Yes, I knew I could wear the green. Loved this color.

After applying a base, she applied the taupy shade up to my brows, then the green. She used a green pencil on the lower lid, then topped it with more of the green shadow.

Mascara: Extreme Black -- I don't own this one, but I'm going to. Talk about lash power! I don't know how I missed this mascara.

BookGirl said
She loved the lippie; prefers the way I do my eyes.

My take
Very pretty minerals, if they work for you, color and all. Loved, loved, loved the brush!! Loved the lippie and the eyeshadows.

How about you?
Do you own these shadow or lip colors? Do you wear the foundation? How do you like it on me?

Karin

Originally posted 2009-04-14 19:49:38.

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I said yesterday that I wanted to go to the Lancome counter and see if I could apply the mineral foundation and have it turn out well. I didn't want to go sans all makeup, so I did my eyes with some of the new colors in my Fyrinnae haul.

Don't laugh! I look like death warmed over. I hoped that the final product would be balanced. You've seen me now with practically no eye makeup (the Beauté post) and now with no foundation. Trust me, you likely will not see me minus both!

I'm still playing with the Fyrinnae eye colors to get the technique down pat (pun intended -- you pat these, not swipe them) -- and if you can't have fun with makeup, why bother! I have a place on my eyes that always needs a touch more color. When I did it today, tapping in the brush, unknown to me, what was left on the brush was basically black, not the blue or green -- yikes! I won't make that mistake again. Before I did that and after, I used a damp brush to soften the top edges.

Fyrinnae Created Lippie: Ryunome + Visual Kei, lightly

Eyes, all Fyrinnae, unless noted
Base: Too Faced
Lid, lightly: Nijiro, light beige
Outer corners: Fujiro, bright blue, applying it lightly, it looks semi-matte, not bright and glistening, as I expected -- but looking at these pictures, the color no longer looks matte at all
Inner corners: Dark Fantasy, deep green -- free sample with order -- this shows up well in a picture toward the bottom
Dry lined lower: Javan Rhino, bright light turquoise
Tightlined upper: Avon cosmic brown pencil
Mascara: Too Faced bright blue, first time I used it, the brush felt awkward

Then I went to the Lancome counter and applied the mineral foundation myself, with a little coaching. The technique is the same as for BE. The SA told me that you can use any translucent powder, but we used the mineral as she did yesterday.

I didn't do anything else, except apply Groupie lighter than she did yesterday. We used the same blush, which has a touch of apricot in it. I forgot the color again, but I know where it is in the tester unit. [Update: Sheer Amarose]I didn't touch my eyes again. Amazing how it all goes together, once it's finished! I can't remember a time when I did my complete eyes first -- it's really strange looking at it that way instead of knowing how it will complete the rest of the face.

I think Nude Frost offers a better base. You can see it has drifted a bit. OTOH, I applied eye cream over the Too Faced base, then more base, as I wanted to use the cream on my upper lids too.

My take:
I think the foundation is terrific! It was easy to apply. In the future, I need more on my outer face. The SA told me to apply from the outer lower face into the middle so there would be less foundation in the middle. I wanted a sheer look, but with coverage.

The brush is a dream.

What do you think?

Karin

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