Video Makeup Tutorial: MAC Dare to Wear Blues

Here’s a video tutorial of this blue look I did yesterday!   I hope you enjoy it!

I keep forgetting to mention in a video as a fun fact, so I’m at least going to write it here since I am remembering…

FUN FACT: I don’t plan the look!  I usually have an idea of what I want (e.g. I want to do a blue look, or use X product, or do green and blue or brown and gold), but I don’t have anything picked out yet.  What you see in the video is me doing the look for the first time – I don’t even do one eye before the other. I do them both simultaneously (but we edit out when I do the other eye, since I’m out of the frame anyway). This is why you’ll often see me give suggestions or modifications, based on how it turns out

You will need the following…

• Eyes: NARS Smudgeproof Eyeshadow Base (neutral eyeshadow base), MAC Aqua Eyeshadow (pale aqua-green), MAC Winkle Eyeshadow (periwinkle), MAC Atlantic Blue Eyeshadow (deep blue with violet), MAC Shroom Eyeshadow, MAC Royal Wink Fluidline (royal blue), Make Up For Ever #15L Aqua Eyes Liner (periwinkle), MAC Plushlash Mascara (black)
• Face: Make Up For Ever HD Foundation (140), Laura Mercier Loose Setting Powder (translucent)
• Cheeks: Estee Lauder Peach Nuance Blush (peachy pink)
• Lips: MAC Beachbound Lipstick (peachy-melon), Le Metier de Beaute Manhattan Lip Gloss (sheer beige), MAC Lychee Luxe Lipglass (coral)
• Brushes: 249 (flat, firm brush), 239 (fluffy shadow brush), 226 (fluffy crease brush), 219 (pointed crease brush), 116 (dense blush brush)
• Substitutes: Beachbound = Melon pigment

Natural Makeup: Quick & Easy Browns

My days are all messed up. I thought it was going to be Saturday, so I thought a neutral look would make for a good Saturday post… but no, it’s Friday. Had I known that, I would have definitely done something brighter. Boo!  And yeah, the lip combo for this look is a pricey one, so you could try MAC Kinda Sexy or Honeylove lipstick with Nymphette lipglass on top for a more affordable version!  (I am just determined to start using and finishing some of my higher-end lipsticks/glosses!)

HAPPY FRIDAY!

You will need the following…

• Eyes: MAC Soft Ochre Paint Pot (neutral eyeshadow base), MAC All That Glitters Eyeshadow (reddish champagne), MAC Soft Brown Eyeshadow (soft brown), MAC Swiss Chocolate Eyeshadow (medium chocolate brown with red undertones), MAC Grain Eyeshadow (neutral highlighter), Urban Decay Underground 24/7 Liner (reddish brown), Fresh Supernova Mascara (black)
• Face: Make Up For Ever HD Foundation (140), Laura Mercier Loose Setting Powder (translucent)
• Cheeks: Estee Lauder Peach Nuance Blush (coral-pink), Benefit Sugarbomb Blush (pinky-peach)
• Lips: Cle de Peau T2 Extra Rich Lipstick (browned nude), Cle de Peau #2 Lipgloss (champagne-peach)
• Brushes: 249 (flat, firm brush), 239 (fluffy shadow brush), 226 (fluffy crease brush), 219 (pointed crease brush), 116 (dense blush brush)

For eyes, start by applying Soft Ochre paint pot as your eyeshadow base all over the eye area with the 249. Using the 239, apply All That Glitters eyeshadow on the inner two thirds of the lid. Lightly blend Soft Brown eyeshadow on the outer third of the lid with the 239. Next, apply Swiss Chocolate eyeshadow into the crease with the 226, lightly blending onto the outer lid. Blend Grain eyeshadow with the crease shade and highlight the brow bone. Bring everything together by applying Underground eyeliner on the lower lash line. Finish by sweeping lashes with Supernova mascara.

For cheeks, apply Peach Nuance blush on the apples of the cheeks and sweep upwards towards the temple with the 116, then lightly pat Sugarbomb blush on the cheekbones for a little glow.

For lips, apply T2 lipstick first, and then layer #2 lipgloss for a complementing lip.

Check out more photos!

MAC Dare to Wear Look:  Aqua, Winkle, & Atlantic Blue

MAC Dare to Wear may be eons away (okay, a couple of months), but given the amount of repromotes/permanent shades in the collection, I got a little inspired to create a look out of the ones I do already own. I went with a shimmery highlighter, rather than a matte one, because matte highlighters have a tendency to photograph poorly (they always look chalky, even if you can barely see them in real life). Well, it’s probably I just haven’t mastered the art of photographing matte brow highlighters… Anyway!

You will need the following…

• Eyes: NARS Smudgeproof Eyeshadow Base (neutral eyeshadow base), MAC Aqua Eyeshadow (pale aqua-green), MAC Winkle Eyeshadow (periwinkle), MAC Atlantic Blue Eyeshadow (deep blue with violet), MAC Shroom Eyeshadow, MAC Royal Wink Fluidline (royal blue), Make Up For Ever #15L Aqua Eyes Liner (periwinkle), MAC Plushlash Mascara (black)
• Face: Make Up For Ever HD Foundation (140), Laura Mercier Loose Setting Powder (translucent)
• Cheeks: Estee Lauder Peach Nuance Blush (peachy pink)
• Lips: MAC Beachbound Lipstick (peachy-melon), Le Metier de Beaute Manhattan Lip Gloss (sheer beige), MAC Lychee Luxe Lipglass (coral)
• Brushes: 249 (flat, firm brush), 239 (fluffy shadow brush), 226 (fluffy crease brush), 219 (pointed crease brush), 116 (dense blush brush)
• Substitutes: Beachbound = Melon pigment

For eyes, start by applying Smudgeproof as your eyeshadow base all over the eye area with the 249. Using the 239, apply Aqua eyeshadow on the inner third of the lid and pull upwards along the inner crease. Lightly blend Winkle eyeshadow on the outer two-thirds of the lid with the 239. Next, apply Atlantic Blue eyeshadow into the crease with the 226, lightly blending onto the outer lid. Blend Shroom eyeshadow with the crease shade and highlight the brow bone. Bring everything together by applying #15L aqua eyes dipped in Royal Wink fluidline on the lower lash line, and then lightly dust Aqua eyeshadow underneath with the 219. Finish by sweeping lashes with Plushlash mascara.

For cheeks, apply Peach Nuance blush very lightly on the apples of the cheeks and sweep upwards towards the temple with the 116.

For lips, apply Beachbound lipstick first, and then layer Manhattan lipgloss to lighten, and the finally add just a touch of Lychee Luxe lipglass for a complementing lip.

Check out more photos!

Estee Lauder Peach Nuance vs. MAC Ripe Peach Blush Ombre — Dupes?

Estee Lauder Peach Nuance Blush ($26.00 for 0.25 oz.) may have escaped your notice, but it is now highly touted as a perfect dupe for MAC’s Ripe Peach. I was quite confused at the hype over Ripe Peach after it came out, to be honest. It’s pretty, but I am completely surprised at how collectible it has become. When murmurings began comparing Estee Lauder’s Peach Nuance, I knew I had to find out for myself.

Peach Nuance is incredibly close, but I found it was a little lighter and a smidgen pinker–it also doesn’t have the shimmer-sheen of Ripe Peach. It’s close, truly, but it’s not a perfect dupe to me. When worn on the cheeks, the difference is much, much subtler, but when swatched, the difference is more noticeable. Peach Nuance is a lightened coral-pink with a very silky, nearly matte finish. If you want to get closer to Ripe Peach, stay more on the coral side of the blush and avoid the lighter side, which does most of the lightening.

This is all to say that Peach Nuance is a lovely color, worth getting if you missed out on Ripe Peach and would love a gradated coral blusher. (Estee Lauder also carries several other Nuance shades, which seem to all have the gradated look.) It’s smooth and easily blended, though the color is soft and sheer and needs to be built up for a more intense look. It’s a great coral for both cool and warm skin tones, though, so it’s a very universal shade.  It could be a little more pigmented, but it’s on par with the pigmentation of Ripe Peach.

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• Product: 27/30
• Value: 8/10
• Ease of Use: 4/5
• Packaging: 4/5

Recommendation: Completely worth picking up if you’ve been trying to find your own Ripe Peach or refuse to pay $70 for one on eBay. Worth picking up if you’re a coral fiend, period!

Availability: Nordstrom

See more photos & swatches!

Estee Lauder Peach Nuance vs. MAC Ripe Peach Blush Ombre