Breaking away from the amethysts from yesterday, I wanted to go for something a little different today. I do love all the GL colors from Aromaleigh.

Eyes all shadow AL Gothic Lolita which is 25% off this week.
Base: Lancome Cosmos cream shadow, a light pinky lilac; then a custom mix of sparkly beige powder
Crease: AL Verdant Wisp (green)
Outer corner: AL Elegant reverie (blue)
Dry lined top and bottom (outside the edge of the pencil liner) AL Aqua nightmare
Pencil bottom: MAC graphblack in waterline; MAC brownline outside that
Pencil top: Sephora Flashy Blue 08, bright aqua, just above the outer waterline
Mascara: Lancome Fatale in black
Brows: Chanel Blond-Taupe

Lips: NYX Jumbo Lip Pencil in 721 Soft Fuchsia, very pretty color!
Cheeks: no idea, will add later

Originally posted 2009-03-06 15:44:16.

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Updated to include Natural look.

The lighter of the two colors, with her Sheer gloss on top:
This is a beautiful rosy color, sort of a soft mid-red.

Full face:


The deeper of the two colors with gloss

Full face:
This was going dramatic in the look.

You can see other pictures of this set:
My Smokey Classics
My Smokey Classics -- Dramatic

Natural Look
Sheer gloss on bottom lip; lightest color on top; smooshed; rimmed and up the center with Beauté Allure, a technique that makes the lips look fuller

Full Face:

Karin
www.savvythinker.com

LAUREN LUKE - MY LUSCIOUS GREENS - PALETTE FOR EYES/CHEEK/LIPS - NEW BOXED

US $22.95

5d 5h 16m

Originally posted 2009-11-07 07:36:11.

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I always like a good beauty quote, and Andrea Claire had a few good ones in her interview with Makeup Junkie. You can read the full interview and learn more about Claire's makeup, hair and style career here at MJ's blog. You can also see some of Claire's print work. I'm glad MJ is back online posting again.

Here are some highlights:

Fall 2009 Beauty Trends
Claire feels smokey eyes, matte red lips, and 80s revival will be the top trends this fall. This was confirmed in the MAC videos I posted earlier.

Advice to women of a certain age
Avoid trends such as 80s revival, if you already lived it once. Makes sense to me.

...if you had been there done that and bought the lime green shadow you cannot do that again! Besides, it is very much a 'must have young skin' to pull it off. Bold colour blocking with eye shadows can age you and have you looking like you are stuck in a time warp. This look is only carried off if you are an adolescent so if you are 21 and under I say rock it, over 21 opt for another trend of the season.

Claire gives the following makeup tricks:
Smokey Eyes

*layer carbon/charcoal shadows with metallic colour. [You notice that I have done this, as it works better for my eyes.]
*If you find shadows are difficult to blend with your dark base then layer MAC's Smolder pencil with a Lise Watier's Metallic Eye shine pencil, smudge together with a Q-Tip. [Or use the MAC smudger brush as I have done. And use a lighter base. MAC's Smolder moved on me and made a mess. Blackgraph stays put. They are two different formulas. Smolder would likely smudge better.]

Matte Red lips

*apply the lip liner after the lipstick so it doesn't appear to[o] geometric.
*dot a smidge of vitamin e on top - not to add gloss but just a little moisture -- if matte is too drying for you.

What I really loved is her beauty mantra:

Be realistic. Be real... Beauty is not serious - beauty is a moment in your day that can convey confidence, flirtiness, calm. What I mean is, all women 'take 5' in their day by touching up here and there ... Beauty is a moment in time that is forever changing. Embrace those little moments but don't be those moments just live in them.... HA! Life is short - enjoy it - have fun with it. That's what beauty and fashion is all about; ... A form of expression that can change day to day, season to season - enjoy the trends but remember to enjoy life too. Andrea Claire at Makeup Junkie

Be sure to look at Makeup Junkie's blog.

Karin --I do wear the lime shadow, just judiciously.
www.savvythinker.com
don't steal my posts -- you know who you are!

Originally posted 2009-08-27 19:21:47.

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I felt like bright turquoise today, and that made me think immediately of the colors that Aromaleigh has.

Eyes: all Aromaleigh, except where noted:
Crease: caribe, pure hue
Outer corners: aqua nightmare, gothic lolita
Inner corners: endless sea, rocks! sonic eyes
Drylined upper and lower: moonagedaydream, rocks! sonic eyes
Tight Lined upper and wet lined lower: Jordana Sterling Blue
Brows: Clinique soft blonde pencil
Mascara: Guerlain Le2 (double sided with small brush for lower lashes)

Foundation: Lancome minerals -- still trying to figure out how -- and how much -- to use; see how funky my nose looks here? I saw it in sunlight and took care of it. Generally I leave everything off my nose for this reason.
Powder: Lancome minerals
Highlight: AL magnolia blossom
Blush: AL english rose (a powder, not a blush, that didn't show up, so used it across my face, lightly)
Blush: Meow Masterpiece Water Lilies

Lips:
NYX Lips Hebe -- this one doesn't migrate. It's got a lovely sheen to it, doesn't feel slippery -- and it doesn't move into liplines around the mouth.

Karin

Originally posted 2009-05-02 16:27:29.

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OK, seriously, Lauren Luke's palettes are terrific. I had worked with this palette before, decided to do it again, then didn't have time to post it and thought, gee, I've already done this, but looking at it today, I think it is quite spectacular.

You can buy this set at Sephora for $37.

Here is Lauren Luke applying My Fierce Violets:

The kit includes:

- 2 blendable primers - Nude Slip Dark & Nude Slip Light [the same shades in each kit]
- 3 flattering eye colors - Crushed Lilac, Turkish Night & Porcelain Dust
- 1 defining eyeliner - Raven Black [the same in each kit]
- 1 contouring blush - Sepia Rose
- 2 luscious lip shades - Sheer Berry & Cherry Whip
- 1 My Glossy Lips lip gloss in Sheer [the same with each kit -- I like it a lot; one is now in my purse.]

This was my look Sunday November 8, 2009:

Full Face:

Lips:
The lighter of the two shades, rimmed and up the center with Beauté Allure gloss. Topped with the gloss from the palette.

The only problem I have
Sometimes I get some creasing of the shadows by day's end. It is worth working with the palette until I figure out the right combo for my lids because the colors are so beautiful.

Do you have this set?
Do you have a favorite of her sets?

Karin
www.savvythinker.com

You can see my earlier posts:
My Smokey Classics
LOTD My Smokey Classics
My Smokey Classics -- Dramatic Look
My Smokey Classics -- Natural Look
My Sultry Blues Look 1
Look 2
Look 3
LOTD
My Fierce Violets
General information about her palettes can be found here.

LAUREN LUKE - MY LUSCIOUS GREENS - PALETTE FOR EYES/CHEEK/LIPS - NEW BOXED

US $22.95

5d 5h 16m

Originally posted 2009-11-11 18:23:59.

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I've had a couple of palettes hanging around that I basically never used. It helps sometimes to analyze why something isn't working. I bought this one (Crystal Ball Color Kit) because it has a really cool sparkly gloss in it (Starshine.) I figured I could use the other colors. Shadows: Pink Charm -- light pink; Illusion -- light brown, Shadow -- charcoal-black. Powder/Blush: Fairy Dust (peachy -- not quite enough for blush, a little too dark for me for powder or highlighting.) Lippies: Dream (peachy), Flirt (medium pink), Max (deeper red/burgundy.)

Eyes:
Lids: pink; Crease: brown, then the charcoal; Outer corners: brown.

Basically the reason the shadows don't work really well for me is that they are too light or too dark. The pink hardly shows up against my skin. The brown isn't dramatic enough, and the black is too harsh with these colors.

I got the idea to add
Drylined top and lower: AL heartofglass -- great color that pops it
Tightlined top, wetlined bottom with Venomous gel liner -- the one that BookGirl likes so well on me -- and I do too, now that I know to apply it with the back end of the liner brush! Who knew...but it makes it more smudgy and covers the waterline well.

Then my eyes were OK.

Powder: my sparkly, then from the palette. As I said, the color isn't strong enough for blush or is too much for highlighting. I added too much fooling with it.
Blush: MAC Dollymix

Lips Loved the lips today! It helps to know how to rim.
Flirt on one lip; Starshine on the other; smooshed; rimmed with MAC Dazzlepuss and a little up the middle.

All the rest is the same as yesterday.

What do you think?
Karin

Originally posted 2009-05-23 09:43:39.

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All Arbonne, except La Prairie brow pencil.

Lips are Arbonne Bubblegum 1/2 and 1/2 with Razzberry, smooshed.
Razzberry looks like it would be a deep red in the tube, but it goes on a wonderful bright, deep blued pink.

Thanks for looking!

To buy Arbonne from Bookgirl, if you don't have a representative, go here.

Karin

Originally posted 2009-06-22 15:50:31.

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I asked Book Girl, my resident artist daughter, to go through my lip pencils today and draw them out, categorizing them by shades. Then I asked her what I should wear with MAC S&P. Here, she said, and she handed me Clinique Plummy lip pencil. I'm not sure if it was because it works or because it was in her hand.

Here's the result:

It's getting closer. It's more rose and plummy here.

Same color, different angle. It looks glossy here!

Here are the other combos on other days:

Mary Kay Metallic lip liner MAC Sweetie, topped with Pinkarat gloss, rimmed with a lighter gloss and used up the center too. This is a true brown liner.

I think it is pretty, but now it is almost a red look and definitely deeper colored than hers was.

Compare it to the day I wore it with no lip liner:

MAC Sweetie, topped with Pinkarat gloss, topped in the middle with Beauté IF to make it a little less pink, rimmed with NYX Chandelier.

You can see how it changes with lip pencils. Which one do you like the best?

~~~~~~~~~~
Later in the day today I updated to straight MAC Plum Dandy with Lovechild lipglass -- 1/2 and 1/2 -- I still can't get it to be as dramatic as it was in the makeover. PD is a rich, interesting shimmery metallic plum.

Do you have any of these?

Karin

Originally posted 2009-04-13 17:10:18.

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Mary Kay Look Book
I got the new Look Book which features new shades and so many pretty looks. I'll say this for Mary Kay -- their models and makeup looks are really fashionable. This time they had a page which could be cut in 1/4s with the picture on one side and the products on the other.

That inspired me to do one (or more) of the looks, but loosely interpreted, because while some of the looks looked as if they had used cool colors, they were really using warm colors as the base and crease which I knew would not look the same on me. And one where only Lilac was used, I know would not be defined enough for my eyes. That model was dark complected so it showed up on her skin.

I ended up combining three looks. And it was very fast once I got the idea.

Eyes:
Base: Beauticontrol Pink
Crease: MK Lilac -- this is the one that didn't show up the last time I used it -- today I kept applying until I could see it.
Outer Corners and a bit in crease: Blue Metal I can wear these slate colors well.
Drylined top and bottom: combination of Iris and Sweet Plum
Mascara: Stiletto
Concealer: Dior Skinflash + Arbonne
Brows: Merle Norman powder

Primer: Guerlain Meteorites
Foundation: Arbonne
My usual rouge and sparkly powder + Guerlains Meteorites powder for bronzer.
Blush: MK Petals (frosted) and Strawberry Cream (no frost) mixed together -- I accidentally ordered SC -- I was going to go back and forth from Petals and Shy Blush (both frosted) but it has worked well to mix. Sometimes it is serendipity -- and not a mistake!
Highlight: Arbonne Promise mixed with Bashful along cheeks and across whole face lightly

Lips: AL Karma
such a pretty color!

Thanks for looking! Be sure to leave a comment.

To buy Arbonne from Bookgirl, if you don't have a representative, go here.

Karin

Originally posted 2009-06-26 11:49:49.

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I looked all over to find this online. Finally, I gave up, went to CVS and wrote it down. In case you want to know.

Even though I have very light skin, I bought 863 Naturals. I think you can buy by the depth of color in your skin, but also what tones work best for you.

Milla Jovovich Nude 748 Plum 861 Naturals
Doutzen Kroes 862 Naturals
Laetitia Casta Pink 115 Champagne 854 Naturals
Linda Evangelista 809 Beige 863 Naturals
Andie MacDowell 203 Rose Carmine 864 Naturals
Eva Longoria Brown 836 Star 852 Naturals
Penelope Cruz Rose-Mauve 320 Red 875 Naturals
Kerry Washington Plum or wine 225 Rosewood 868 Naturals (869?)
Beyonce 350 Red (in ad) 869 Naturals
Diane Keaton 208 Tuberose

Karin

Originally posted 2009-03-24 08:33:01.

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