If you were like us, this past weekend you were enjoying some time off. But the rest of nail art loving ladies, were celebrating International Nail Art Day. It was a great day for nail art on Instagram — lots of photos of fun manicures. The GIOGO girls also got in on the action and created an episode of Nailway to commemorate the occasion. Check it out below…
To say I love eyeliner is an understatement. I collect eyeliner like some people collect postage stamps…wait is that still a thing? At any rate, I’m thinking about finding a storage unit just for my eyeliner pencils.
I have a sickness, I know. So you can understand why I couldn’t walk away from the latest eyeliner pencil by L’Oreal.
L’Oreal Smoldering Eyeliner, available in 3 shades: Black, Grey and Brown. I went with grey for the days I want a charcoal smoky look.
Here it is swatched on my arm.
On the left, I drew a thick line with the pencil. It’s a great sooty, charcoal color. It’s as if I took the lead of my favorite Ticonderoga #2 pencil and rubbed in on my arm. On the right, I drew another line and then smudged with my finger - it takes on a pretty gray, mushroom taupe shade. What I love about this grey is that it’s a charcoal grey because I have been let down by grey in the past. Sometimes it’s just too light for my skin tone.
If you are in a pinch and would like smoky eyes in an easy 5 minutes this is your pencil.
I would finish with either a black liner on the top lash line and water line or use this same gray pencil and line both areas I just mentioned. Don’t forget to add mascara.
If you have a little more time, you can build upon this look with shadows, lining and a heavier application of mascara. Here’s a smoky navy grey look I’ve been rocking lately.
I used Kamatchka (NARS, navy smoke) on top of the grey pencil, Soba (MAC, gold brown with golden shimmer) in the crease and Foxy (Urban Decay, matte bisque) on the brow bone.
When used on top of good eye primer, expect about 6-7 hours of wear time. I noticed a bit of fading of the liner on my top and bottom lash lines but the good news - no creasing when I used this as a base on my lids. Also, application is easy - the pencil has just enough give. The pencil did not drag but it wasn’t too soft that it smudged and migrated on it’s own within two minutes on my eyes.
I’m very happy with this purchase and even happier that it freshened up my liner collection for less than $10. It also comes with it’s own sharpener - how cool and convenient is that?
L’Oreal Voluminous Smoldering Eyeliner, $8.99. I purchased this at my local Ulta. This pencil is available at all stores that offer the L’Oreal brand.
About two weeks ago, I previewed the Fall 2013 NARS color collection. I’m back to report on the few items that I graciously received from the good folks at NARS.
Top to Bottom: Kamchatka eye shadow ($24/USD), Peloponnese Pure Matte Lipstick ($25/USD), Mystery Red Velvet Matte Lip pencil ($25/USD).
Here’s a swatch lineup on my forearm, NC 44 for shade reference:
Kamchatka, named after the peninsula in the far Russian east that lies between the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Okhotsk. This gray navy smoke shade seems to describe the area pretty well - cool summers and stormy winters. It almost sounds like the city where I am from - Daly City, CA.
This is all you really need to achieve a smoky eye in just five minutes - pair with a great black liner and you’re done!
Use a very dense brush or a brush that is small and thin, (one of my favorites - UD Good Karma multi-tasking, vegan brush). This is a matte powder and it can look a bit patchy if you don’t pack it on. Don’t forget to blend any harsh lines with a fluffy brush. This shade will stay on the entire day when applied over a good eye primer. This is definitely a one pan wonder!
Peloponnese, the Greek southern peninsula. It is rich with ancient historical landmarks and culture while providing relaxing beaches that also encourages exploration. The shimmering ginger pink of this lipstick is very fitting of location. It’s a great transitional shade to take you from late summer into early fall. It also pairs well with a smoky eye, especially if you are using the Kamchatka shade.
For example:
It’s pretty light shade for tanned girls like me. But it will not compete with smoky or bright eye looks. It’s a soft golden pink with silver shimmer. To amplify the shade, I would layer a nude pink all over my lips then layer this lipstick over it. I am not a fan of matte finishes, unless it’s the NARS Pure Matte Lipstick. Other matte formulas I have tried were very drying and left me raw peeling lips the next morning. I can get four hours of wear time before I feel the need to freshen up the color.
I love the Pure Matte Lipsticks but I really, REALLY LOVE the Velvet Matte Lip Pencils. When I was younger, I would fill my lips in with my favorite lip liner and add a touch of lip balm or gloss and go. This pencil is just a bigger version of a lip liner. This settles on the lips nicely and doesn’t settle in cracks of my lips or feather around my natural lip line. I can wear this on it’s own or in conjunction with a lipstick and/or gloss to create my very own shade. Also, they are portable - you can just slip this in a wristlet with your money, id, and phone. Just don’t forget to sharpen before leaving the house.
Mystery Red, a crimson red shade. I’m pretty sure it’s what the model is wearing in the ad campaign. This is an all out, glamorous red. Be prepared to get lots of attention - especially if this is on your pout in the office at 8 AM. It takes courage to pull this off - make it a personal challenge!
I would reserve this for date night/girls night out or my sister’s upcoming Bachelorette Party in Las Vegas. If I do wear this to the office, I would save it for Friday - it would be my version of Hawaiian shirt Friday.
I am very pleased with three shades, if anything I want to check out the rest of the shades of this collection.
FALL 2013 collection is currently available on www.narscosmetics.com. It will arrive on the beauty counters where the NARS brand is sold soon.
MAC latest Summer offering, The Tropical Taboo collection pulsates with sensuality. Its dynamic tempo dazzles in vivid, pearlized pigments of mineralized eye shadow and mineralize blush. Lips are nourished with mineralize rich lipstick and sexy with a top layer or cremesheen glass. The collection also consists of the popular mineralize skinfinsh powders and blush.
So you can imagine the difficulty I faced while trying to pick just one item at my local MAC counter. I do think I made a pretty solid choice when I just walked away with a cremesheen gloss. This is my favorite gloss formula from the MAC brand. It’s hydrating while packing a decent amount of pigment. When the color settles, it leaves a nice stain, especially if you are wearing a deep color. Out of the four shades offered, I chose Narcissus, a dirty eggplant.
But when swatched on my dark skin, it’s more of a bluish plum.
This is really pretty on it’s own but to really turn up the volume of this gloss, I paired it with MAC’s Magenta lip pencil, a vivid pinkish purple.
This is great shade to wear to the office with a nude eye look, soft bronzed smoky eye or can be really dramatic when paired with a charcoal smoky eye. I am very happy with my purchase. I can always count on the cremesheen glosses to keep my lips comfortable all day. If you are tired of red, coral or hot pink but bored with nude pinks, check this color out. I like wearing this shade without a gloss - it’s not as high maintenance but can be a challenge to apply without a mirror.
Narcissus Cremegloss is still available at your nearest MAC counter or free standing boutique. It retails for $20/USD. This tube was bought by yours truly.
Hey NARS fans - I wanted to pique your curiosity on what’s going down at NARS this Fall collection.
I find it interesting that the eye shadows are single pan instead of the usual duo or trio palettes. Also there’s a strong push for lip service - two matte lip lipsticks and two velvet matte lip pencils followed by two Larger than Life Long-Wear Eyeliners and two nail polishes. The colors are dark yet vibrant and the texture is matte - a glamorous and sultry statement for Fall, 2013.
Products include:
Eyeshadows: Kamchatka Single Eyeshadow, navy smoke; Namibia Single Eyeshadow, grey moon; Yamal Single Eyeshadow, maple sugar (limited edition); Bavaria Single Eyeshadow, deep sea blue
**all Single Eyeshadows, $24/USD**
Eyeliner:
Via De’Martelli Larger than Life Long-Wear Eyeliner, chocolate; Las Ramblas Larger than Life Long-Wear Eyeliner, yellow gold (limited edition).
**all Larger than Life Long-Wear Eyeliners - $24/USD**
Lipstick:
La Paz Pure Matte Lipstick, orchid (limited edition); Peloponnese Pure Matte Lipstick, ginger pink.
**all Matte Lipsticks - $25/USD**
Lip Pencil:
Mysterious Red Velvet Matte Lip Pencil, crimson red (limited edition);Paimpol Velvet Matte Lip Pencil, pink chiffon.
**all Velvet Matte Lip Pencils - $25/USD**
Nail Polish:
Galathee Nail Polish, dove grey (limited edition); Fury Nail Polish, regal purple (limited edition)
**all Nail Polishes - $19/USD**
Absolutely loving this Fall ad campaign — that choker/chest plate is the business, right?
And if this wasn’t enough excitement, allow me to introduce Fall gifting items to you:
Fairy’s Kiss - smoky plums, $45/USD
Ride Up to the Moon, sultry browns - $45/USD
And this adorable makeup pouch but seriously wouldn’t you want to carry this around as a clutch just so you could show off these fierce purple sequin lips?
Makeup pouch - $55/USD
I don’t know about you but I’m really looking forward to Fall - then again I live in the very cool and mostly foggy Bay Area where it’s pretty much sweater weather year round.
