Manolo for the Beauty

Given a rare 4.9 out of 5.0 rating on Sephora, these glittery temporary lip tattoos ensure that the glitter stays on your lips.  They come in five different colors and last four to eight hours.

I have to say that I adore this type of look, but for some reason, the glitter has a tendency to migrate off my lips, creating an unflattering smattering of tiny glitter particles around my mouth.   Especially if I’ve been dumb enough to eat a sandwich or bread.  Hellooo glitter chin!  And trust me when I say nobody wants to see a glitter chin.

These tattoos from Violent Lips look to be a bit high on the glittery scale, though, perhaps a bit too much for someone whose club days are long behind her.

But, that doesn’t mean I can’t like them.  And then be jealous of the people who DO wear them.  Don’t tell me ladies, I don’t want to know who you are.

Benefiting Kate’s charitable foundation for children with autism, The Golden Hat Foundation.  Look for it starting November 1, 2011 in the States.  It will be sold until December 11, 2011.

Not sure I’m digging the signature on the lipstick, but I love the red.

Based on some communications with Accidental Tangoiste and the lovely Gamma, today’s post is about video makeup tutorials.  For the visual leanrners amongst us, there is nothing quite like actually seeing how the makeup is applied, rather than reading about it.  I must admit, it can be very helpful to see the application techniques the pros use.

However, there are literally millions of makeup tutorials on YouTube.  It would take someone days and days to go through them all, just to figure out if they were even any good or not.

I do not have that kind of time.

I’m sure you don’t either.

So what is my fail-proof method for finding great tutorials on teh interwebs?

I search for beauty brands that I like or stores that I like (hello Sephora!) and find out if they have their own YouTube channel.  Most of the time, they do.

Like this smokey eye tutorial from Sephora:

Or this one from Temptalia:

How about this from makeup guru Lisa Eldridge?  I particularly like this one because homegirl knows her stuff, has a lovely accent, and has lots of extra tips!

This isn’t to say that the “amatuer” video tutorials aren’t worth anything, (some of them have millions of views!) it’s just that if I’m looking to minimize my search time, I’m going to start off with a well-known brand, store, or makeup artist.

I’m also going to add that I think for makeup newbies or someone who isn’t that into makeup, having the right tools is half the battle!

Sigh, imagine if Kevyn Aucoin was still around and had his own YouTube channel! Swoon!

While I certainly respect Cindy Sherman as an artist and applaud MAC for doing something out of the box, I have to say the campaign for Fall Colours 2011 does not actually make me want to purchase the makeup.

It was tight, but Padma Lakshmi and her tendrils won out over Heather Morris’ severe updo at the Emmys last week.  I agree with the majority.  I have never been a huge fan of hair that is tightly pulled back, I think it looks good on a very small percentage of the population.

Today’s poll is about nail art and its rising popularity.

The captivating Accidental Tangoiste emailed moi with the following:

I’m beginning to seriously wonder what I’m doing wrong in my use of eyeliner. I got home after an evening out last night to find that once again the liner on my lower lids had settled into every crease, despite the primer I’d used and what I think is a relatively light application.

I generally use a brown pencil–Maybelline, I think–to slightly dramatize the simple brown shadow that I like to use to bring out my baby blues, for evenings. My nights out mainly involve dancing, and I do tend to end up perspiring in a most unladylike manner, so I don’t know, maybe there’s nothing I can do but keep periodically checking it in the restroom.

 

Hmmm, yes, dancing and perspiring (ladylike manner or not) is always tough on eyeliner.

Here are my top tips for helping your eyeliner stay put:

1) Choose a gel or liquid eyeliner over a pencil.  This is probably the best choice to ensure no eyeliner slippage occurs.

2) Make sure your eyeliner is described as “smudge proof” or similar adjectives.

3) If you must use a pencil liner, try freezing it for about ten minutes before application.

4) Then, apply a similarly colored eyeshadow with an angled brush over the eyeliner to help keep it in place.

Anyone else have any tried and true methods that worked for you? Do tell!

And next week, the best smoky eye tutorials on teh internets!

Ok, so I apparently have a bit of a rebel streak in me in that I sort of love this packaging. Yes, I realize that it is deliberately playing a “screw that fairy princess crap” angle. But hey, I’m buying it, hook, line, and sinker.  I love the purple-black bottle, the cut-off edge, and I don’t usually like snails, but I like that one.

Freak is described thusly: a mix of poison hemlock, black davana, belladonna, opium flower, caress and kiss notes. I don’t know what caress and kiss notes are, but I like the way they sound. And of course, how could such a counterculture scent NOT have something like poison hemlock in it?

It’s available at the illamasqua website starting Oct. 20, 2011.

As I was getting ready to go out with a friend yesterday, I noticed that even though I am lucky enough to have a big bathroom counter that can hold all of my stuff, it isn’t very organized.

I have made a semi-attempt at organization with a clear lucite all-purpose storage thingy that is good for holding my brushes and eyeliner/lipliner pencils, but not too much else.

My powder foundation, palettes, mascara, blushes, and all other and sundry items are just jumbled around.

I can’t put them in my drawers because my daughter can get to them easily, and I do NOT want to know what Bare Escentuals would do to my carpet.

I’ve been looking at train cases, but it seems like they would get kind of icky inside after a while?

A bigger all-purpose holder?

Or just bide my time and wait until my toddler is old enough to actually try to use the makeup instead of dumping it on the floor.

What do you keep your stuff in?

39% of you take vitamins regularly, while 45% of you would like to, but forget. 11% aren’t big fans of vitamins, and if you haven’t read the comments for that poll yet, there is some really good information from aurumgirl.

Today, I’m all about the ladies pictured above.

One of the bigger trends coming out of the runways for spring is that of the strong eyebrow.  As I was putting together the Icon posts for Elizabeth Taylor and Sohpia Loren, I couldn’t help but notice and admire their wonderful dark eyebrows.  I think a strong brow brings out your eyes much more than thin ones.

Maybe I’m just blind or in denial, but I have never used an eyebrow pencil, and I like to think that I have fairly strong brows without them.

Not counting, of course, that time in the early 90’s when I almost plucked them into oblivion.  Thank you, hearty Italian hair-growing genes!

I suppose almost anyone could use an eyebrow pencil to further shape and define their brows, but for the most part, I’m pretty happy with just tweezing mine and letting them be in their au naturel state.

Now that I’m writing about it, though, I almost feel like going to Target and getting a cheapie one just to see what I would look like.

Hmmm, you may be hearing from me soon about that.

And if you are a big fan of eyebrows, then don’t go here!  Some of those pics are just downright freaky.

Have a great weekend!