Drawing The Line.
I recently received a few fabbo emails inquiring about lip liners and whether or not they were necessary or a thing of the past? My short answer to this is: Yes and No. The long answer, on the other hand, is: It depends… Lip liner done well is a sure fire way to create a wonderfully sculpted lip that will wear well, look great, and more than likely hold on to the colour applied a lot truer. Lip liners done, let’s say, a little less than well can leave you, if unintentional, looking like a preserved beauty from a bygone era. Lip liners are also not strictly necessary when you’re after a more relaxed, whimsical look like on your gloss days or when a more deconstructed lip is the aim. Personally, I only tend to wear lip liners when I am wearing a “tricky” lip colour, like a bold red or an uber vibrant pink or orange, perhaps. Professionally, when colouring up the lips of my clients, I will go with a liner, more often than not, to increase the longevity of my client’s lipstick wear, to even out or create their lip line or to prevent bleeding into any fine lines they may have. Even when using just gloss on clients, I will, on occasion, finish up with a matching lip liner to add definition to the lip and to act as a preventative barrier to lip colour feathering. I’m not really convinced this last step is 100% necessary, in all circumstances, but maybe a case of my “old school” ways sneaking through. Well, it can’t hurt to be sure to be sure, now, can it?
When lining lips, line and totally fill in the lip area with liner. Not only will a complete line and fill smooth the surface of the lip and fill in any fine lines, lay a moisturizing foundation for your lippie, but when your lipstick starts to head off to greener pastures, it will leave you with an even fade of colour, not a patchy one that leaves you with an exposed lip outline. Oh, the shame. *wink* When choosing a colour to line your lip with, should you decide liner is the way to go, be sure to pick a suitable liner colour. Red and other bold coloured lips are best lined with the closest matching bold coloured lip liner. When wearing nude lipsticks, a nude liner of the same colour is good or a liner that matches your natural lip colour will also work a treat. There are colourless liners also, but they are generally used in conjunction with your coloured liner and lippie and best used to line just outside of your natural lip line. Colourless liner’s forté is to act as a physical waxy barrier to prevent your lip colour from breeching the perimeter. They are handy, that’s for sure. Especially, if you have a mouth like mine, that has this uncanny knack of depositing a little bit of lippie just under my bottom lip. *throws hands in air* I don’t know how I manage it, but I do. Just lucky I guess.
The long and short of it is, really…that lined and totally filled in lips absolutely have a place in your makeup repertoire, should you wish, but unlined lips can also look pretty spesh too, if that’s what you’re feeling on the day. As always, it should be about whatever works for you.
That Is All.
To be perfectly honest, I think this colossal image and the name Pat McGrath, alone, are really all that needs posting, because I know you will instantly understand. But for the sake of not wanting to make the shortest post in blog history, I’ll add a few exciting extras. Yes! Max Factor is soon to release Masterpiece Max mascara in July 2007. *happy dance* Masterpiece Max continues to rage on, where its little sister left off, with its innovative Volume iFX brush it delivers even more volume to each and every lash. Max Factor reckons this beauty will give you a wild and wonderful volume increase to each lash of 400%! As I couldn’t locate my super duper lash volume detector/measuring thing-y-ma-bob, as you will understand, I can’t say for sure that I got exactly 400% more volume, but I, most certainly, did get a whopping great improvement in length and volume from what I started with and not a clump was to be seen. Just gorgeous. Masterpiece Max mascara comes in 2 classic shades: Rich Black and Brown Black.
International makeup artist (my Guru) and Global Creative Design Director for P&G Beauty, Pat McGrath knows choosing the right volume mascara can be crucial in avoiding stress and time wastage backstage.
“Full-volume, beautifully defined lashes is one of the most desirable looks, but one of the hardest to achieve. Most traditional volumising mascaras load the lashes with mascara to build volume but this often results in globby lashes. Masterpiece Max makes sleek and smooth volume easily accessible to everyone. Its breakthrough Volume iFX brush and volumising formula, create striking eyes and lashes with high volume, while still giving wonderful separation and definition.”
That’s my kind of mascara!
Curl Resistant Lashes.
The best tip I know for curling curl resistant eyelashes is to curl the lashes with an eyelash curler first and then show that curl who’s boss with absolute lashings of quality waterproof mascara. I know, for many of you, waterproof mascara gives you the willies, but it is, indeed, awesome at encouraging poker straight lashes to maintain its new curl. I suspect, the reason why most folks are hesitant to go the waterproof is that it has been known to make your lashes a bit, well, let’s say, crunchy. I’d wholeheartedly agree that crunch is best left for a gorgeous apple, but many of the newer formulated waterproof mascaras are far less hardcore, thankfully.
I remain a disciple of the school of thought and practice that says “curl before you coat”. Life’s too short and lashes too few, to risk loosing the odd lash by curling eyelashes after applying mascara and possibly getting one or two of those precious few stuck to the curler and accidentally removed. I know that there are a handful of you adrenalin junkies out there that curl after you coat and still have a raging row of lashes, but, I don’t reckon the majority of us would be so lucky. The big thing to remember about waterproof mascara, though, is to remove it. Bi-phaseal eye makeup remover makes light work of taking off waterproof mascara. Just ensure that once you’ve removed the mascara, to cleanse any oily residue off and splash with water as the final rinse before gently patting dry. Also, don’t forget to wipe your eyelash curler clean after each use. Any eye makeup used on your eyes prior to applying mascara can find its way onto your lashes and transfer onto your curler and can act much the same as mascara-ing your lashes before curling if the residue is sufficiently built up. A wipe with a clean tissue aught to suffice. Just remember, waterproof mascara and a quality eyelash curler are a curl’s best friend!
The Beauty Stone.
I bet you didn’t know that there was a stone that promotes and enhances beauty. Yep, there certainly is and that stone is rose quartz crystal. You can’t go past a beaut bit of rose quartz to give you a beauty boost. Rose quartz crystal is amongst the most highly valued and prized for its gorgeously delicate pink tone. Rose quartz is said to be fantastic for the complexion, giving a youthful appearance and promoting feminine energies and qualities. Rose quartz is also known as the love stone that is able to dispel inadequacies and create romance. No wonder it is renowned for all things beauty. It’s rose quartz ’s wonderfully supportive abilities that encourages us to freely explore the abundance of beauty around us and that’s infinitely within us all. You’ve got to get a bit of this beauty!
Beauty Marked! highly recommends That Crystal Site for extraordinary crystals and service!
Slow Baked Beauty.
For a little while now, the word has been out on the street about Flashtronic, MAC’s latest collection featuring Mineralized Eye Shadows and Skinfinishes due to hit the counters on August 6th, 2007. Flashtronic is a LE collection full of soft, illuminating, ambient colour found in Lipglasses, Mineralized Eyeshadows, and Mineralized Skinfinishes. Just to ensure that you have the right tools to apply the mineralized gorgeousness found in this collection, MAC is making available the large powder #134 brush and the large #227 fluff eyeshadow brush.
I had the pleasure of meeting a couple of the Mineralized Eyeshadows and they are ridiculously gorgeous. The eyeshadows in this collection are quite special and unlike the ones previously released. They are much like baby Skinfinishes, with distinct colours swirled together in its intriguing veining. Lovestone, in particular, is indeed divine. This raspberry baked shadow with wine and copper veining is pretty personified. Not only does it work well as a stellar eyeshadow, but also as a demi-frosted ethereal blush. The image of Lovestone pictured below is true as it sits in the pan from my vantage point. Quarry is written up as a sky blue with olive, coral and beige veining and does look as such, but wore more reminiscent of shimmering fields of wheat. Not at all what I expected, but lovely all the same. Quarry makes a fabulous all over wash, brow highlight and cheek highlight as well.
As I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting the 4 Lipglasses or 3 Mineralized Skinfinishes as of yet, I will just have to try and manage my excitement for now. but I tell ya, it ain’t easy!
Ol’ Blue Eyes…
A bit sketchy I know. *Boom. Tish.* What? My eyes are old and it is a sketch. Sorry, I couldn’t help myself. The other day, I sported an absurdly blue eye that won me tons of complements. I thought I’d share the gorgeous bits and bobs I used to create this crazy blue eye. I felt a million bucks and I’m pretty sure these blue eyes are why.
Shu Uemura Drawing Pencil 03 ME Blue to water and tight lines top and bottom.
Stila Smudge Pot in Cobalt Shimmer as base to top lid.
Stila Powder Eyeshadow in Azur to set Smudge Pot on top lid.
The Body Shop Eye Shimmer 07 in Indigo to crease, outer V and inner V.
Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler to top lashes.
Diorshow Unlimited 090 mascara (black) to top and bottom lashes.
BECCA Brow Powder in Medium to eyebrows.
*sings* (badly)
I did it… myyyyyyyyyyy wayyyyyyyyyy!
Being Body Focused.
This month, The Body Shop has released a wonderful range of products that are absolutely chockers with natural active ingredients that are sourced from The Body Shop Community Trade Program. The Body Shop’s New Body Focus Range allows you to have spa calibre body treatments at home.
I’ve had the pleasure of having the Body Focus products applied to me in a swish spa and I have trialled them in my home. I am pleased to say that with the exception of having a gorgeous spa technician apply the products for me (I really did try hard to talk her home with me to apply, but no dice.) the products were just as effective, stimulating, and rejuvenating as when applied amidst the glories of a fabulous spa.
The Body Focus Range is compiled of 6 products that are powered by natural active ingredients and one incredible spa-like tool. The products are:
Cellulite Serum- A lightweight gel that contains an active complex with amino acids, caffeine, forskolin, Makandi mint, and vitamins B and C.
Cellulite Massager- A salon-style treatment accessory to enhance the performance of the Body Focus products (my fave).
Firming Lotion- A lightweight moisturiser with sustained release technology. Two of the key active ingredients in the Firming Lotion are seaweed extract and alginic acid (a protective film that forms on the skin’s surface to act as a protective barrier from damaging environmental elements).
Sculpting Body Mask- An effective all over body mask that delivers the ultimate salon treatment feeling while effectively improving the appearance of the skin.
Stretch Mark Improver- A light moisturising cream that includes rosehip seed oil, pumpkin seed oil, and Community Trade shea butter from Ghana.
Toning Soap Scrub- An intensive exfoliating soap which cleanses and stimulates the circulation and improves skin tone. Lemon and grapefruit essential oils are used along with finely cut lemon peel, ground apricot stones and Community Trade shea butter in this knobbly textured bar.
Toning Massage Oil- A fragrant body oil that contains six essential oils to boost circulation, improve the skin’s texture and appearance, whilst uplifting the senses.
Now you’re talking! Visit The Body Shop for this and other delectable goodies. You’ll be wrapped if you do.
