5 Cool-Toned Nude Lipsticks

By popular request, here are five of my favorite cool-toned nude lipsticks!

• NARS Little Darling Lipstick
• Korres #13 Natural Pink Lipstick
• MAC Velvet Teddy Lipstick
• Guerlain Galia Rouge G Lipstick
• MAC Creme d’Nude Lipstick

What’s your favorite cool-toned nude?

Quick & Easy Natural Smoky Eye

This is a super quick, super easy smoky eye that’s not too dramatic and still natural.

You will need the following…

• Eyes: NARS Smudgeproof Eyeshadow Base (neutral eyeshadow base), MAC Satin Taupe Eyeshadow (dark brown), MAC Soft Brown Eyeshadow (medium brown), MAC Shroom Eyeshadow (highlighter), Urban Decay Zero 24/7 Liner (black), MAC Plushlash Mascara (black)
• Face: Make Up For Ever HD Foundation (140), Laura Mercier Loose Setting Powder (translucent)
• Cheeks: Korres #15 Natural Blush (natural brown)
• Lips: MAC Velvet Teddy Lipstick (nude), MAC Nymphette Lipglass (soft pink)
• 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 Smudgeproof as your eyeshadow base all over the eye area with the 249. Using the 239, apply Satin Taupe eyeshadow on the bottom third of the lid along the upper lash line. Lightly blend Soft Brown eyeshadow on the middle of the lid with the 239 and blend into and above the crease. Blend Shroom eyeshadow with the crease shade and highlight the brow bone. Bring everything together by applying Zero liner on the lower lash line. Finish by sweeping lashes with Plushlash mascara.

For cheeks, apply #15 Natural blush on the apples of the cheeks and sweep upwards towards the temple with the 116.

For lips, apply Velvet Teddy lipstick first, and then layer Nymphette lipglass for a complementing lip.

Check out more photos!

The Spring Season: Temptalia’s Favorites

After many, many months of swatching and testing, these are my favorites–a whopping eighteen of them! During the Spring Season, we featured cooler nudes (9), cooler pinks (8), soft corals (8), lipglosses (15), warmer nudes (15), and warmer pinks (17) for a total of 72 different lipsticks and lipglosses in varying shades of soft coral, nude, and pink.

Comments & Thoughts

When I picked my favorites, I went through all the different folders I had for Spring Season shades and marked the ones I loved.  At the end, I wound up with eighteen–a little much, but who says there is a limit on favorites?  I do, however, obviously gravitate towards certain shades and tones over others.

• #1 (Benefit I’m With the Band), #3 (Cle de Peau #2), and #17 (NP Set Mauritius Lipgloss) are all in the same family.  #3 is my favorite of this shade family, though.
• I also love the texture of Cle de Peau’s Extra Silky Lipsticks, which necessitated the inclusion of both #4 (Cle de Peau #103) and #5 (Cle de Peau #106).  You’re just lucky I held off on including #124, too!
• Oh, Guerlain! Similarly, Guerlain’s Rouge G lipsticks still have my heart–as evidenced by #6 (Guerlain Garance), #7 (Guerlain Gardenia), #8 (Guerlain Gemma), #9 (Guerlain Georgia), and #10 (Guerlain Guerlinade).  I haven’t found a dupe (nothing even similar enough to bother talking about!) to Garance nor Gardenia, but I feel like Gardenia may be substituted with a peachy nude and satisfy some enough.  Gemma is similar to #12 (Korres #22).  Guerlinade may be duped the best (based on my current lipstick repository) by #14 (MAC Freckletone), but Freckletone is significantly sheerer, glossier, and brighter/peachier–Guerlinade looks more muted in comparison, and obviously creamier and more opaque.
• #8 (Guerlain Gemma) is similar to #9 (Guerlain Georgia) except with that cool gold sheen and a rosier pink base, but #12 (Korres #22) is like a more muted version of #8, too.  #8 is my favorite of the three, but #12 comes close and it’s what, a third of the price?
• #11 (Korres #13) is a lighter, pinker version of #15 (MAC Velvet Teddy).

1. Benefit I’m With the Band Lipgloss
2. Chanel Santal Rouge Allure Laque
3. Cle de Peau #2 Gloss
4. Cle de Peau #103 Extra Silky Lipstick
5. Cle de Peau #106 Extra Silky Lipstick
6. Guerlain Garance Rouge G Lipstick
7. Guerlain Gardenia Rouge G Lipstick
8. Guerlain Gemma Rouge G Lipstick
9. Guerlain Georgia Rouge G Lipstick
10. Guerlain Guerlinade Rouge G Lipstick
11. Korres #13 Natural Pink Guava Lipstick
12. Korres #22 Rose Guava Lipstick
13. Lancome Voile de Rose Lipstick
14. MAC Freckletone Lipstick
15. MAC Velvet Teddy Lipstick
16. NP Set Mauritius Lipgloss
17. Smashbox Splendid Lipstick
18. Urban Decay Naked Lipstick

The Spring Season: Cooler Nude Lipstick Wrap-up

We’re winding down the Spring Season, and the best way to do that is by giving you a visual summary of all of the colors we’ve taken a look at in the past three months!  This post features cooler nude lipstick shades.

• MAC may have a lot of nudes, but it definitely looks like you don’t need to own every single one to have your nude lips covered.  #5 (MAC Creme d’Nude), #6 (MAC Fleshpot), and #7 (MAC Myth) are all quite similar–Creme d’Nude is sheerer and glossier, while Fleshpot and Myth have similar textures, Fleshpot is pinker, Myth is peachier.
• #1 (Benefit Lady’s Choice) and #4 (Korres #13 Natural Pink) seem to be similar, except Lady’s Choice has a glossier finish; #8 (MAC Velvet Teddy) is also similar to these two, but seems a little darker and cooler.

1. Benefit Lady’s Choice Lipstick
2. Guerlain Beige Mousseline Lipstick
3. Guerlain Galia Rouge G Lipstick
4. Korres #13 Natural Pink Guava Lipstick
5. MAC Creme d’Nude Lipstick
6. MAC Fleshpot Lipstick
7. MAC Myth Lipstick
8. MAC Velvet Teddy Lipstick
9. Smashbox Charming Lipstick

The Spring Season: MAC Velvet Teddy Lipstick

MAC Velvet Teddy Lipstick ($14.00) is a creamy, full color coverage shade of pinked beige. It’s one of my favorite nude shades to pair with a smoky eye, because it has this natural pinkness to it that keeps it from making me look like I’m sporting corpse-lips (which aren’t usually so flattering on me). It has a very soft sheen, but there is no shimmer in it. I’d have to say that Velvet Teddy may be one of my favorite lipsticks from MAC (at least, from the permanent range)–the texture is just phenomenal.

Is this the right nude lipstick for you? Would you wear it?

The Spring Season is a series of posts featuring my favorite soft beige, coral, and pink lipsticks and lipglosses — all perfect for the first blossom of spring — that runs through March 2010.

See photos and swatches…

MAC Velvet Teddy Lipstick

You will need the following…

• Eyes: Teal pigment (teal base), Goldmine eyeshadow (true gold), Shimmermoss eyeshadow (teal), Electric Eel eyeshadow (bright blue), Deep Truth eyeshadow (dark blue), Climate Blue eyeshadow (dark indigo), Gorgeous Gold eyeshadow (green-toned gold), Prescriptives’ Grotto Kohl Liner (green-teal), Lancome Oscillation mascara (black)
• Cheeks: Enough Said blush (soft peach), NARS Super Orgasm blush (pink with peach)
• Lips: Velvet Teddy lipstick (semi-matte nude), Vital Spark lipglass (orange-gold)
• Brushes: 266 (firm, angled brush), 249 (flat, firm brush), 239 (fluffy shadow brush), 129 (dense blush brush)
• Substitutes: Climate Blue = Parfait Amour + Contrast; Enough Said = bronzer; Vital Spark = Instant Gold

Directions: Define brows using a coordinating powder shadow applied with the 266 brush. Apply Teal pigment all over the lid as the base with the 249. On the inner lid, apply Goldmine eyeshadow using the 239. Apply Shimmermoss to the middle of the lid, overlaying it with Goldmine. Overlay the middle lid using Electric Eel eyeshadow, leaving about 1/4th of the lid left. Darken outer fourth of lid with Deep Truth eyeshadow, then gently sweep into crease. Deepen crease by gently patting Climate Blue eyeshadow into the crease with the 239 brush. Sweep Gorgeous Gold underneath the brow bone to highlight. Pat lower lash line with Gorgeous Gold eyeshadow using the 219. Finish with Prescriptives’ Grotto kohl liner on lower lash line, and Lancome Oscillation mascara on lashes. Sweep apples of cheeks with Enough Said & NARS Super Orgasm using the 129. Apply Velvet Teddy lipstick to lips, and then top with Vital Spark lipglass for color and shine.

Check out more photos!

Mellan pleading with me to finish my makeup already & get to walking him.