Manolo for the Beauty

Many women I know would rather eat this than go out wearing red, red lipstick.

I wonder why that is?  It is, after all, just lipstick.  It’s not a political statement, it’s technically something that is going to wear off in a few hours. 

Perhaps they are afraid of the dreaded Ronald McDonald mouth.  I swear, Ronald has just ruined the  lipstick thing for way too many women.  Curse you, Ronald! I always liked Hamburglar better anyway!

Ahem.

I just want you to know that you CAN INDEED wear a bold red lip WITHOUT people thinking you will shortly begin a juggling/walking on stilts routine.

According to NARS makeup artist Uzo, this is the best way to wear a matte red lip.  Here’s a synopsis:

1) Apply bronzer to cheeks, then foundation over that to even out skin tone.  Concealer as needed. A satin finish to skin is the desired look.

2) Apply lip color in the center of lips, moving outward toward the corners.  This avoids the color getting cakey in the corners of the mouth.  Haven’t we all at one point seen our mouths in the mirror and been horrified at the caking?  Or, maybe that’s just me.

3) Choose a lip liner that is the same color as the lip color.  Smile and then line the lips to avoid feathering.

4) If you like, apply a gloss several shades deeper than the lip color to create dimension.

5) And you’re pretty much done!

The current way to wear matte red lips is with little to no other makeup so that the emphasis is pretty much solely on the lips.  Sounds easy to me!

Go on, wear red lips to pick up your dry cleaning, or on a trip to the grocery store.  Live dangerously, my friends!

I’ll never forget the first time I spent waaaay too much money on cosmetics.

I had just gotten a promotion at work.  I was all of nineteen, and I became the supervisor of other nineteen year olds, so I thought it was about time I gave myself the luxury beauty products I had always longed for.  Those luxury beauty products belonging specifically to Chanel. 

I walked up to the counter of my local Nordstrom’s and was promptly ignored.  I’m sure I didn’t look like someone who would actually purchase a lipstick that cost over twenty dollars, but they were oh-so-wrong.  I was going to prove it.

Looking back on it, I probably should have just walked out when the saleswoman ignored me and then acted like I was wasting her time.  But nothing short of a fire in the building was going to stop me, not even condescension.  Didn’t she realize that a beauty addict has no age limit?  There also may have been a bit of “I’ll show you, bitchy saleslady” in the decision-making process. 

I wound up walking out with over two hundred dollar’s worth of beauty fixin’s, from lipstick (natch) to facial cleanser.  I almost felt sick to my stomach as she rang up the items, and I could feel myself blanching when she informed me of the final price.  It was almost an out of body experience to watch my hand reaching into my wallet and handing her that much cash.  For makeup!

But when I got home, I felt all better as I dumped out my bag of goodies on the bathroom counter.  I deserved this stuff, dammit!  It was hard work supervising those mouthy nineteen year olds!  Nevermind that I, too, was nineteen years old!  If I didn’t pamper myself, nobody else was going to do it for me. I told myself that every time I applied the lipstick and foundation, used the mascara, and washed and toned my face.  Sometimes I believed it more than others.

The facial cleanser was actually really, really good, but I couldn’t afford to keep buying it on a regular basis.  The foundation was so-so, the lipstick and the mascara wonderful.  I still love Chanel lipstick, and there is always at least one in my rotation.

What was your first “ohmigod I can’t believe I spent that much” moment?

I know you’ve got one.

I’m not loving it.

I don’t know if it’s because it looks Photoshopped to hell and back. Or because of those weird pixelated squares framing her head and body.  Perhaps it’s because she looks horrifically bored.  Or maybe the fact that on my screen, she looks like she has no separate teeth, they are all one big, white tooth. And even though Jessica Biel is a pretty, pretty girl, nobody looks good with a uni-tooth.

I much prefer the orginal photo, of which the Biel shoot is an homage:

All right, so maybe the original model also looks to have a uni-tooth, but girlfriend is working it.

Images shamelessly stolen from the fabulous here.

I’m going to make this a regular feature here on the ole’ Manolo Beauty blog, and for my inaugural icon, I thought we’d have some fun.

I will never forget the first time I saw Boy George.  It was, of course, on television, in a music video for his band Culture Club.  The voice! The dreads! And oh, the makeup!

The year was 1982, I was in sixth grade.

Now, were there men in music who had put on makeup before?  Of course! There was Bowie in the Ziggy days, Lou Reed dabbled in some eyeliner at one time, not to mention KISS and their full-on facepaint.  I’m sure there are others, but it’s late and I’m too lazy to do a bunch of research.

On all of those men, though, it seemed like the makeup was a definite affectation, a persona.  But Boy George was just born to wear tons of eyeliner and outrageous eyeshadow combinations  He was a natural.  Notice I didn’t say he looked natural, but he was by far the most comfortable man in makeup I’d ever seen.

He had some fantastic eyebrows, didn’t he?

This was in the days long before hi-def and spray-on makeup, yet somehow he always managed to have a flawless complexion.  I know many women who could learn a lesson or two in makeup application from Mr. George.

And while he wasn’t the first male spokesman for Viva Glam for M.A.C. (that was Elton John) he was certainly first to rock the makeup. Viva Boy George!

Estelle has gorgeous eyes, and the feature she normally chooses to emphasize. And rightly so. I love the effect of the peachy gold on her, it’s different and (ahem) eye-catching without being too much.

This is at the Glamour Woman of the Year event, where many a woman played it so very safe.

Elizabeth Moss, I’m talking to you! The color is lovely, and because it’s so strong, I understand the temptation to go neutral. But not so neutral that you don’t look like you’re wearing anything.  It’s a red carpet, for goodness sakes, not a quick trip to Target!

And in the sea of nuetral lips that was this event, Kate Hudson stands out with her bold, red lips and bombshell hair.

As a beauty blogger, I would like to think I am open minded in covering all aspects of beauty and body care products.

And that would include, um, not using them at all.

The no shampoo movement has been growing for a while, and I will be honest in saying that it intrigues me. I certainly do at times feel like a huge hypocrite using beauty products that I know contain dicey chemicals, all the while thinking to myself that I am a fairly “green” person.

There are many ways in which one can experiment with no shampoo, from using baking soda or cider vinegar rinses instead of shampoo, or using all-natural shampoos that don’t contain nasties like sodium laureth sulfate. My biggest hurdle is wondering what will happen to my color if use cider vinegar, and with the prices I pay my colorist, I’m not exactly chomping at the bit to find out. I suppose I could try products from Burt’s Bees or a similar company, but something is holding me back.

Probably fear of having horrible-looking hair.

Word on the street is that no ‘poo works best on people with curly/wavy hair. My hair is stick-straight and prone to oiliness. I will also admit that my hair is one of my better features, and even though my stay-at-home mom status means I don’t necessarily have to impress people on a daily basis, my vanity is getting the better of me.

Would you consider going without shampoo?

The beautiful KESW asks:

I really, really want to love lipstick, but I have a large mouth and full lips (as well as big eyes) so when I do lipstick I tend to look like Ronald McDonald. Thus I haven’t experimented a lot and don’t know what type of lipstick I should be looking for. Any ideas?

Do you hear that sound? That is the sound of thousands of women hurling their Lip Venom against the wall and cursing you for your luscious, lovely pout.

However, it is all about perception, isn’t it? And if you feel your lips need some toning down rather than amping up, then who am I to tell you otherwise? I’m here to help, not lecture.

First of all, you want to look for matte or cream lipstick.  Shine is not your friend when you are looking to minimize, well, anything.  Also, avoid any kind of lip gloss, use a balm to keep lips hydrated.

Next, you should try to stick to neutral shades that look good with your skin tone.  You should be looking for nudes, peaches, and pinks.

Use a bit of a brighter blush to help draw the attention away from your mouth.  You could also play up your eyes, but pick only one feature, not both, or for sure you will be going the Ronald McDonald route.

I’ve gone through and looked for some pretty neutrals that might work for you. Good luck, and whatever you choose, rock your fabulous lips, my friend!

Illamasqua Sonnet

M.A.C Honeylove

Laura Mercier Tea Rose or Rose

And last but not least, MAKE UP FOR EVER has some lovely shades as well.

Have I mentioned that I am a total lipstick whore?

Lipstick is my go-to cosmetic, the one where if I’m not wearing any other makeup, I will still insist on applying some to at least show that I’m trying.

I am notoriously fickle in my lipstick loyalties, flitting about from one brand to the next, looking for that something better around the corner.  I have a few brands I wind up going back to, but I’m always looking for a new fix.

My current new fix is Guerlain’s KissKiss Maxi Shine Lipstick in Cherry Shine.

It’s almost perfect.

First of all, I love the packaging.  I always appreciate when the company makes at least part of the tube with mirroring capabilities, because a girl is not necessarily always mirror-adjacent when she needs to look good.

Second, it’s got exactly the right balance of shine, color, and transparency.  It’s not matte at all, and has super-fine flecks which give a beautiful glow to your lips without making it look like you stuck your mouth in a glitter pot. For me, the cherry color is totally complementary to my skin tone and hair, and my husband actually said, “Wow,” when I first put it on in front of him.  And trust me, the man has seen more than his fair share of liptsticks.

Guerlain had been out of the lipstick market for a while, but being acquired by cosmetics giant LVMH gave it a bit of new life, and almost all of their products look lovely.

I highly recommend the KissKiss line and look forward to trying the other lines of lipstick from Guerlain.

Because I’m a lipstick whore like that.

Limited edition. 

So very purty. I’m sort of in love with those shadow colors.

Me want.

Although I do have to admit I tend to be on the fence about palettes.  I always feel like there are going to be one or two (at least, depending on how large the palette is) that I don’t like, thus forcing me to buy something I won’t use in the long run. 

I have a palette that has only one set of colors I actually use and the rest are untouched, which bugs me every time I pull it out.  Granted, it was a gift from someone, but it still feels like a waste.

What are your feelings on palettes?

Are they a fun way to experiment or just a gimmick?

In the words from the great Madeline Kahn:

Willkommen. Bienvenue. Welcome. C’mon in.