The Scarlet Season: Korres #55 Red Guava Lipstick

Korres’ Guava Lipstick is an amazing formula, albeit pricier than I feel it should be, and the red shade is a really fabulous starter-red. You know, like you’re not quite sure you’re ready for a full-stop red, so you need to work your way towards it… that’s what this shade is for. #55 Red is a soft, semi-opaque red with just a hint of pink. It’s not too bright, nor does it run orange or blue, so it’s very wearable. The formula itself is incredibly hydrating, so it even wears well and leaves lips feeling soft at the end of the day.

The Scarlet Season is a series of posts showcasing and featuring my favorite shades of red lips–from glosses to lipsticks that runs through December 2009. You can sure expect to see a lot of red this holiday season!

The Scarlet Season: Dolce & Gabbana Iconic Lipstick

Add D&G’s makeup range to just another luxe item I lust after. Make it completely and wholly unavailable to see in person, and you have one frustrated beauty addict! I was so excited to try out the new line earlier this fall, and I loved the feel of their lipsticks–particularly this lovely shade of orange-based red called Iconic. It’s a creamy, opaque formula with a glossy finish. I love that glossy sheen, because I’m not much of a matte-lips kind of girl, so I always end up adding gloss on top of a lipstick. However, with Iconic, I feel like it’s very wearable on its lonesome, just because it has a fantastic gloss finish.

The Scarlet Season is a series of posts showcasing and featuring my favorite shades of red lips–from glosses to lipsticks that runs through December 2009. You can sure expect to see a lot of red this holiday season!

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I did this look last night before we went out for my (early) birthday dinner at my favorite restaurant! I knew I wanted to take Chanel’s Dragon out for a night on the town, so it was all about the lips for this look ;)

I hope your Saturday has been wonderful so far! I’m feeling a bit under the weather, so I’ve been laying down for most of mine, but I figured I should at least get up and post this for you all!

You will need the following…

• Eyes: Soft Ochre paint pot (neutral beige base), Retrospeck eyeshadow (dirty champagne), Wedge eyeshadow (cool-toned medium brown), Swiss Chocolate eyeshadow (reddish brown), Blanc Type eyeshadow (whitish neutral), Feline kohl power (black liner), Plushlash mascara (black)
• Cheeks: Enough Said blush (bronzy)
• Lips: Chanel Dragon Rouge Allure Laque (red)
• Brushes: 266 (firm, angled brush), 226 (fluffy crease brush), 219 (pointed crease brush), 214 (smudge brush), 249 (flat, firm brush), 239 (fluffy shadow brush), 129 (dense blush brush)
• Substitutes: Feline = Smolder; Enough Said = bronzer

Directions: Define brows using a coordinating powder shadow applied with the 266 brush. Apply Soft Ochre paint pot all over the lid as the base with the 249. With the 239, apply Retrospeck eyeshadow on the lower lid. Darken crease with Wedge eyeshadow using the 226, then deepen with Swiss Chocolate eyeshadow with the 219. Sweep Blanc Type eyeshadow underneath the brow bone to highlight. Finish with Fline kohl power on lower lash line, and apply Plushlash mascara on lashes. Sweep apples of cheeks with Enough Said blush using the 129. Apply Chanel Rouge Allure laquie to lips for color and shine.

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MAC Style Black Look: Dark Smoky Eyes

Just a quick Style Black I through together this morning before I took a shower. I’m not sold on mineralize eyeshadows whatsoever! I applied these mineralize eyeshadows wet using water-based mixing medium (for better adhesion and to minimize fall out). Admittedly, it’s all over a significantly dark base, so maybe that’s why they just don’t pop much. I did two different lips — the first is the lip I’d actually pair with it (based on my style and preferences); the second is with black lips as requested.

Two notes:  I’m wearing Korres’ Wild Rouse Foundation in this look.  (I think the shade may be a lil’ orange on me–not sure if going a shade lighter will help or not yet.)  One eye has a stronger distinction between crease and highlight (which, to be honest, looked fine in real life) that I would recommend blending out more in practice.

You will need the following…

• Eyes: Soft Ochre paint pot (neutral beige base), Dark Soul pigment (dark black-gray), Gilt By Association mineralize eyeshadow (black-bronze), Young Punk mineralize eyeshadow (black-purple), Blue Flame eyeshadow (dark blue), Femme-fi eyeshadow (neutral highlighter), Black Greasepaint Stick (black with purple shimmer), Stila Purple Pumps Smudge Pot (purple shimmer), Plushlash mascara (black)
• Cheeks: Plum Foolery blush (pinky-purple)
• Lips: Brave New Bronze lipstick (pinky nude), Bling Black glimmerglass (dirty antique gold)
• Brushes: 266 (firm, angled brush), 226 (fluffy crease brush), 219 (pointed crease brush), 214 (smudge brush), 249 (flat, firm brush), 239 (fluffy shadow brush), 129 (dense blush brush)
• Substitutes: Gilt By Association = Tempting; Young Punk = Contrast; Blue Flame = Deep Truth; Femme-fi = Shroom; Black Greasepaint = Smolder; Brave New Bronze = Velvet Teddy; Bling Black = Reflects Antique Gold + Black Lip Mix + Clear gloss

Directions: Define brows using a coordinating powder shadow applied with the 266 brush. Apply Soft Ochre paint pot all over the lid as the base with the 249. With the 239, apply Dark Soul pigment with water-based mixing medium on the lower lid. On the inner lid, pack Gilt by Association eyeshadow on using the 239. Apply Young Punk eyeshadow to the middle and outer portions of the lid. Darken crease with Blue Flame eyeshadow using the 226. Sweep Femme-fi eyeshadow underneath the brow bone to highlight. Finish with Black Greasepaint stick on lower lash line, and Stila Purple Pumps smudge pot on lower lash line with 209. Apply Plushlash mascara on lashes. Sweep apples of cheeks with Plum Foolery blush using the 129. Apply Brave New Bronze lipstick to lips, and then top with Bling Black glimmerglass for color and shine.

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MAC Midnight Media Mattene + MAC Blackfire Glimmerglass

Pucker Up: Glitzy Midnight Media

Again, applying MAC’s Midnight Media Mattene does yield better results when used with a lip brush than straight outta the tube. (To reiterate:  it’s important to know that distinction–you want to know just how much work you have to put in to get what you want out of a product.) Like Black Knight, this color took about five minutes to layer on to my satisfaction, but it never quite gave the color opaqueness I was after.  It always looked a little faded.

Everything that can be said about Midnight Media, I already said in my Black as Knight post (which is right below this one, so I don’t want to just regurgitate it).  It is necessary to point out that Midnight Media isn’t a true black lip color; it is near-black, but there is burgundy in it, which is noticeable.

I liked this combination better, because I felt like both products worked well together.  The burgundy-ish tone from the mattene was emphasized and played up by the red shimmer in Blackfire.  The glossiness of Blackfire helped to minimize some of the imperfections of the mattene alone.  (Seriously, totally exfoliated my lips right before putting it on — why so clumpy?)

Bottom Line: Apply a thin layer of concealer or foundation (or MAC Lip Erase, which serves the same purpose) to lips. This helps to neutralize your natural lip color and make whatever you’re applying much more pigmented, but it also evens out the surface a little more and adds a dry layer.  Midnight Media isn’t totally opaque, so the concealer base will help the color pop more. Use either a very dark or a clear lip liner all around the edges of the lips to help prevent the intense color from bleeding. Then, apply Midnight Media using a lip brush. Layer until satisfied. Be cautious when applying gloss, because the gloss tends to shift the color around in a slip-slide fashion.

See progression… Continue reading »

MAC Black Knight Lipstick + MAC Bling Black Glimmerglass

Pucker Up:  Black as Knight

As I expected, applying MAC’s Black Knight lipstick does yield better results when used with a lip brush than straight outta the tube. (But it’s important to know that distinction–you want to know just how much work you have to put in to get what you want out of a product.)  It took me a solid five minutes to layer the color on, and I felt like I had to use a fair amount of product.  I mean, honestly, not particularly dismaying as this isn’t a shade I’ll be reaching for constantly, so I don’t run a high risk of using it up in the next week.

Black Knight will eventually layer and look opaque enough to satisfy most.  I do want to note that in my bathroom’s light, unevenness and flaws are very, very minimized.  When I stood in the mirror, it looked pretty opaque–even when I shoved my face all up in my mirror’s business.  The camera’s flash does accentuate every little flaw!

Black lips are very, very high maintenance.  The color bleeds, and it is easy for you to smudge and pull at the color and make it uneven.  Just pressing your lips together will create some unevenness, which is a little frustrating!  A drier black lipstick would be easier to work with, to be honest.  I’d probably recommend MAC’s Black Lip Mix over Black Knight lipstick.

Bottom Line: Apply a thin layer of concealer or foundation (or MAC Lip Erase, which serves the same purpose) to lips.  This helps to neutralize your natural lip color and make whatever you’re applying much more pigmented, but it also evens out the surface a little more and adds a dry layer.  Black Knight has a lot of natural glossiness to it, which makes it easy for the color to slip and glide, creating that uneven look.  Use either a very dark or a clear lip liner all around the edges of the lips to help prevent the intense color from bleeding.  Then, apply Black Knight using a lip brush.  Layer until satisfied.  Be cautious when applying gloss, because the gloss tends to shift the color around in a slip-slide fashion.

See progression… Continue reading »

Pucker Up: Shimmery Purple Lips

I wanted to use Night Violet mattene, which is an up and coming shade MAC Style Black, slated for release on September 24th. Night Violet has come out previously (which is why/how I have it). I then wanted to see if Violetta lipstick would give it a cool, brighter purple sheen (not really–the camera shows more of this effect than is visible in person, to be certain). Since Violetta didn’t quite kick it up a notch, I added Pink Opal pigment to the center of the lip (just patted on), which gave it a funky iridescence. I’m about a glossy lip, so I couldn’t resist adding Nice Kitty lipglass on top (which is mostly shimmer on me, not a lot of color).

In real life, the lips looked rather solid-colored, no real demarcation between colors, but there was just an extra sheen towards the center of the upper and lower lips and where they met. I liked it, but I’d probably recommend omitting Violetta or Night Violet — either will work great as a base; Violetta for a very bright look, Night Violet for a deeper, darker look (more like this one).

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Pucker Up: Glossy Raspberry Red

Today’s lip look is simple and yet elegant–a play on the timeless red lip.

Starting with the epitome of luxe lips, begin by layering Guerlain Giovanna Rouge G Lipstick on lips with a stiff lip brush to ensure well-defined, clean color. Finish by adding a glossy sheen using Borghese Chianti B Gloss. The Chianti gloss plays down the copper shimmer and frost finish of Giovanna lipstick by adding a more raspberry color, but it doesn’t add so much darkness that it nullifies the red color of Giovanna.

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Pucker Up: Warmed-Up Fall Lips

One of my favorite things to do, beauty-wise, is to create lip combinations. I love playing with lip colors, and I love mixing and matching to find different ways to achieve traditional shades, but also discovering fun shades I haven’t tried before! You’d be amazed at just how much you can create with only a few products. You really don’t need a lip army arsenal a la Temptalia! But since I am a fervent lip product fanatic, every Tuesday, I’m going to show you different ways of layering and mixing lip products to create custom shades for every occasion.

Today, I wanted to do a twist on the dark, vampy lip that we’re seeing pop up for the fall and winter seasons. I, myself, don’t always feel comfortable in something as dark as the more traditional vampy lip (often very deep burgundy/wine). I’ve often found vampy lips to run a bit cool, which complicates things for me as a warm-toned gal. I also wanted to play with MAC Reflects Glitter to show how to incorporate it into a lip look as well.

Products Used

• Benefit No Competition Lipstick
• Givenchy Velvet Plum Gloss Interdit
• MAC Reflects Bronze Glitter

Methodology

First, apply Benefit No Competition Lipstick with a flat lip brush to create a defined pout. Whenever I use darker lipsticks, I use a lip brush (and sometimes a lip liner — definitely use one if lip products bleed on you!) to make sure I stay “inside the lines.” Brush on Givenchy Velvet Plum Gloss Interdit over the lipstick layer. With your finger (best method, to be honest!), dab on MAC Reflects Bronze Glitter onto the center of the top and bottom lips. Use your lip brush to blend the glitter into your lip color. Voila!

Change It Up

You can see how much each product can really change up the look, yeah? Using a dark, plummy gloss intensified our lipstick base color and made it much in-your-face. The addition of the Reflects Bronze Glitter added a lot of warmth and made it more of a reddish-toned color. You can always stop at just a gloss (which turned out to be a very gorgeous color–no Reflects needed!), or you could use a different shade of glitter, which would still give you the shimmering-water effect with a different tone/shade.

Oh, and p.s.? It only takes a few minutes from start to finish–really! :)

See the progression… Continue reading »