Ask Temptalia Session #018
Thursday, October 29th, 2009
Got a question? Now’s the time to ask it!
I’m taking your questions and answering them today. You can feel free to ask any question you’d like, beauty-related or unrelated. Feel free to answer other readers’ questions, too 
The more the merrier!
Go ahead, ask!
Hi Christine!! you were right about aquavert, i did get and i cannot believe i hadnt gotten it before. It looks so pretty with stars n rockets. You are always right. You were also right about getting well dressed over pink swoon, again, i cannot believe i was missing out on such a beautiful blush ! Thank you so much Christine!
My pleasure, Abby!!
Hi, am I blind and didn't see it/seeing things, or did the US MAC website just barely put up palettes?
They've had it up for a few months now :)
Hey Christine!! :) sorry if im a little late with this but i've been looking everywhere for a dupe for the mac hello kitty lipglass in sweet strawberry but haven't found one so far.. do you know of any or anything really similar? thanks so much!
Star Nova lustreglass might work!
Hello Christine!!!! I just noticed Aquavert is going to be discontinued. So i am not sure whether to purchase or not. Would you say it is similar to juxt? I had juxt and i got so bored of it:( do you think its worth getting it? Thanx so much in advanced!!!
Nope, not Juxt. It has a lot more aqua to it - I would get it :)
Hi Christine! :) I only recently have been introduced to your website, and very soon after to the wonderful worlds of makeup! (In my local area that means Sephora, MAC, and Ulta stores.) I'm a model and two of my best friends are professional makeup artists, or at the least very creative and good at what they do.... blame them for my recent conversion. ;) Anyways, I have a couple of questions.. Being fairly new to makeup, I noticed that when I try to apply liner to the waterline of my eyes, they start watering uncontrollably, and it makes it a real pain to NOT mess my makeup up. I don’t know if they are just sensitive or what- pulling my hair too sharply into a ponytail and plucking my eyebrows makes my eyes water too! (I also have a problem I call “the phantom onion” but that’s another story entirely.) Is there any way of applying the liners to the waterline in a gentler way, or any way in particular to avoid a waterfall? Also, when I went to prom it was back in 2007. I still have all my makeup from then as well- I believe the brand is Clinique? The lipsticks, eyeshadow, pencils and nail polish seem to work fine, I haven’t tested the mascara, but what I’m REALLY concerned about is the foundation and concealer… all liquid, and some of them had “separated”. I’ve been told they will have an odor if they have gone rancid but it still has that almost-sweet scent of new foundation. I haven’t touched them since that night in summer of ’07, and they’ve been tightly capped and (for the most part) kept in a really cool spot out of the sun, and hopefully the Louisiana humidity as well. I’ve heard mixed things about using makeup this old; from “it’s fine if you capped it and kept it out of the heat”, and “you might break out”, to “Don’t do it ever ever EVER.” What do you suggest? Is it work the risk of a breakout to give it a shot? Lastly, the aforementioned makeup artist friends have introduced me to mixing eyeshadows and blushes to create the shades I want. (I got a really good one on accident when my sparkly white and satin black mixed at the bottom of a bag… I now have a new shade of gunmetal!) I was wondering how this might apply to, say, lipsticks and glosses? Can I use pigments (such as the MAC Christmas pigments coming out) to change the colors? Thank you so much in advance! :)
Hey Samantha! Welcome to Temptalia & the beauty world! :D You may have a sensitivity to product there, period, or it could be the liner you use. You might just try lining on your lower lash line instead of the waterline, so it might not cause your eyes to tear up! Foundation lasts about 1-2 years, but it's just over the two year mark now, and I'd probably recommend tossing it and purchasing something new in case the formula has changed as its separated. You can definitely add pigments to glosses or on top of lipsticks to alter the colors - I do it all the time!
Hi Christine! I just bought the she zam dazzleglass and i am in love with it. I had no idea dazzleglasses were that gorgeous. So i was looking at via veneto and funtabulous...which one would you recommend? I am an NC30. I wear mostly purples. Thank you so much!!
I prefer Funtabulous :D
1. What is a really good combo for an easy neutral eye suitable for school and work? 2. What is your favorite pink, red, coral, and golden mac lipgloss (can be dazzleglasses or lipglasses or whatever) 3. What are some good blushes for really fair skin? (a pink and a coral maybe?) 4. What is a good Mac lipstick color for someone with really pale skin but pigmented lips that will be natural looking and not too bright?
If you could keep most of the products to mac that would be great. But a few other brands thrown in is totally fine.
Hey! 1.) Ricepaper/Shroom (any highlighter really) all over the lid, a medium brown like Soft Brown on the outer corner, and a darker matte brown like Espresso or Brun in the crease, and then use Ricepaper/Shroom on the brow. 2.) Pink - Pinkarat lustreglass; red - Russian Red lipglass; coral - Lychee Luxe lipglass; gold - Instant Gold lustreglass 3.) Try Well Dressed and Peachykeen OR Peaches! 4.) Sweetie :D I think it may tone some of your natural pigment. You could also try Hug Me or Hue for something much paler!
I have a few questions for you. Which do you think is best: 1. as a base : prep + prime eye or painterly paint pot? 2. for blush : 109, 116 or 182 brush? 3. prep + prime powder or mac pro invisible set powder? Also have you tried prep + prime skin or studio sculpt concealer? Thank you.
Hey Anna, 1.) Painterly. I don't love the P+P Eye - it just feels like concealer to me. 2.) 116!! hands down! I prefer the 182 for buffing rather than application. 3.) I actually like the Prep + Prime Transparent Finishing powder better. I've tried both. P+P Skin was fine, but it didn't feel like it did anything TOO special to me. I don't like the Studio Sculpt concealer - it's very thick and heavy, and it creased quite a bit on me.
You are so good to do this. Love the site! My Q's this for session #018: 1) Blush. From MAC I have Dame, Buff, Warm Soul and from NARS I have Orgasim. I am afraid to try other colours. I'm NW15 with brown eyes and light brown freckles that sometimes fade with makeup on (not on purpose though). What would you recommend? MAC or NARS welcome. 2) Top 5 shades for NW15/brown eyes in the brown/earth tones category and neutrals/nudes/highlighters category. And 1 random colour I should try. 3) How is your doggie doing? 4) I'm going to Santa Monica, Cali in March to visit my bff. Is there a MAC Pro store near by? 5) What brush do you use to apply pigments? They scare me as I feel outta control with too much colour. lol THANK YOU a million times over :)
Hey Cherie! :) 1.) Have you thought of trying Plum Foolery by MAC? Or perhaps Breath of Plum? Not quite as dark as Plum Foolery! :) 2.) 1 random color: Sumptuous Olive. 5 brown/earth tones: Woodwinked, Cork, Tempting, Arena, and Soft Brown. 5 neutrals/highlighters: Shroom, Phloof, Naked Lunch, Jest, Gleam 3.) He is good! He's going to be Superman (dog?) tomorrow for Halloween! :) 4.) The nearest PRO store is in Los Angeles on Robertson! HTH! 5.) 239! My pleasure, Cherie! Have a great weekend!
Thank you so much lady!!!! You are so super nice to do this for your blog community :) I can't wait to try the products you suggested!!! Thanks again and have a fab all hallows eve! BTW, I hope you post pics of Superdoggie.... OMG, you should be Louis Lane and your bf Lex Luthor (sp?)!!!!!! heheh
No problem, Cherie! Good luck! I definitely will! :) Haha, that's a good idea!
I really love this look http://www.temptalia.com/tutorial-black-smokey-eye but I don't have malt or performance. I have NW15 skin, what two permanent colors should I use in place of malt and performance? Thanks!
You could really use a shade like Bisque and Blanc Type. In fact, on you, Blanc Type would be perfect :)
Hey Christine, This was a lot of fun when are you doing it again?? I had a few more questions but my boyfriend was hogging up the laptop...anyways hope you do this soon again!
Hey Mary! I try to do it at least once a month, but I always am happy to answer questions whenever you may have them, so feel free if you have any! :)
Hi Christine, I wear a lot of nude colored lipsticks. Such as Creme Cup, Viva Glam II, Blankety, Creme D'Nude etc. What would be a good lipgloss from Mac to give my nude lips a little something extra?
Nymphette! I really like that over nudes! For a cooler touch, Luminary lustreglass as well.
hey christine! your website has always been my go-to place for beauty news and reviews!! thanks a lot for doing this! my question, or i guess i'd like to hear your opinion on this "issue" that i am having... all MAC MA's have always matched me to a NC25-NC30, but the foundations always end up looking a bit pink/peach on my face. i'm asian and every other part of my body has a yellow undertone, but my face itself is actually pink. i'm not sure if this is a result of a product i am using or what, but i don't believe my face is yellow at all. does that mean i should look into getting a foundation that has VERY yellow undertones or that i should get a foundation with pink undertones? i really dislike that "masked" look but i can never seem to find a foundation that evens out my neck and face - what should i do? thanks in advance!
Thanks, Sooji! I'd look into perhaps a foundation with SLIGHT pink undertones OR a neutral foundation. I wouldn't go too pin, because I think you may end up getting a mask look with that, too. You may even have to end up mixing NC and NW together! Nonetheless, I'd definitely ask a MA for a sample of NW25 or NW30. Just go in and ask, don't even worry about them matching you :)
but i thought the NC foundations were supposed to be neutrals? then i should go for a foundation with a more peach undertone? sorry this is all kind of confusing to me because i thought yellow undertones were supposed to help with covering the pink/redness a bit - i guess more so than a foundation that exactly matches my face i'd like a foundation that makes my face color similar to my neck's so it doesn't look so off :T
The best way to understand MAC foundation is: Not Cool and Not Warm. I think they're actually "Neutral Cool" and "Neutral Warm," which doesn't make much sense to me. I know that those with pink undertones tend to find NW matches them better, while those with yellow/warmer tones go for NC!
Hi Christine, I'm a little late getting in on this Q&A. First I want to say that I love your site. Your knowledge is so impressive! Your intelligence and kindness shows through in all of your posts. My question is about CCOs. I've never been to one but I've heard them mentioned in many beauty blogs. Do you feel that the quality of the products offered there is any less than what you would find at the regular makeup counter?
Hey Anja, Thanks so much! Happy to hear you're enjuoying the site! CCOs are owned by Estee Lauder. They're an official part of Estee Lauder (as far as I know), so it's, quite literally, the same products you're buying in-store. Often it's limited edition products that didn't sell out but aren't relevant to keep on-counter OR discontinued products. You may find some products are a little old or in old-style packaging, but shelf-life tends to start ticking once you've opened/used a product anyway.
Thanks Christine! That was a quick answer. One more question, what would you pair with Style Snob?
Any neutral, any gold-toned shadow for sure. Teals work well with browns, as do coppers and oranges, too!
Hi Christine, I love your website I check it out everyday. Thanks for all your helpful information. My question is how did you come up with the name Temptalia? Does it have significant meaning?
I came up with the word Temptalia back when I was fourteen or fifteen, I believe. I wanted something that would embody the perfect woman - smart, sexy, compassionate, kind, etc. So Temptalia is kind of like everything I strive towards!
Thanks Christine! Have a Happy Halloween!
No problem, Heather! Happy Halloween!
Besides blot powder or a paper towel, what else can I oil off with? Can you list any MAC or high-end products for me to try out? Please! Thanks Christine!
Loose powder, blotting sheets. Personally, I'd be more apt to try to use skincare to help reduce it - like making sure to use a lightweight moisturizer and mattifying cream/gel.
I use oil-free, matte everything...I have a great dermatologist...I am just an oily beauty by nature. *shrugs*
Hey Christine. :) i know im a bit late on this.. sorry :( im new to the whole blogging youtube-ing makeup world but absolutely love it. Lol.. especially temptalia :D at the minute i only have a few things from mac but i would like to get more as i love what i have so far. :) i have quite dry skin and mild acne. i was thinking about getting face and body foundation as ive heard it has a dewy, natural looking finish which is what im looking for but i dont know if it would have enough coverage.. what do you think? also i love nude lips and i love the look of myth but i have heard it can be drying.. is there any alternatives? thankyou so much :) xxx
Face & Body is light to medium, and I find it enough for me on most days. I think it'd be worth getting a sample of, though, and seeing for yourself :) Face & Body is somewhat buildable, so you could layer it on for more coverage. I haven't heard about Myth being drying! I've always found it to wear quite well. You might try Hug Me or Hue instead!
Hi again, Not sure if you're still answering questins, but wanted to ask if you will be reviewing the new Dior holiday collection. I've just seen the new quints and single eyeshadows and they're so lovely, also the lipsticks, would love to hear your opinion on them. Also, have you seen pictures of the Guerlain spring collection yet? OMG, it's to die for, lol. :) Thanks, Anita
Hi Anita, I'm not sure yet. I'll probably try and nab some swatches, but we'll see! They weren't in last I checked at my Nordstrom, though. :( Guerlain spring looks lovely, but I want to see more information (pictures are nice, but I like words, too!)!
HI Christine! I just bought the Kate Somerville oil-free moisturizer and was wondering what you'd recommend in terms of product order application -- should it be primer, then the Kate Somerville, and finally SPF? So many layers :(. Thanks so much!
Moisturize first - let it sink in for 10-15 minutes, then apply primer. I usually go on and do my makeup at this point! Now, when it comes to moisturizer and SPF, you can either shoot for Kate Somerville first, then SPF, then primer, and then your regular makeup. For me, since most SPFs are moisturizers, too, I just mix it in with my moisturizer and go for one step of moisturizer, them primer, and so on.
Thank you Christine! Your site is the best :).
Thanks, Carolyn!
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