Haute Chic

Day 13 of 365 of The Great Makeup Challenge: Pink and Lazy. In honor of October’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I am dedicating my second week of The Challenge to pink makeup!  Today’s look is all about those lazy days when we just want to relax, but still want to add a bit of glam to our look.

What you will need:

• BB Cream (Today I tried out Dr. Jart+ Water Fuse Beauty Balm SPF 25 PA++)
• Concealer (Benefit Erase Paste reigns supreme)
  
  
• Powder (Sephora’s Mineral loose powder today)
  
  
• Bronzer (Today I used Wet n Wild Ultimate Minerals Bronzer in #167, Amber Glow)
  
  
• Highlighter (I used Wet ‘n’ Wild MegaGlo Illuminating Powder in Catwalk Pink)
  
  
• Pinky-plum colored blush (I used Estee Lauder Tender Blush in #660 Plum Nuance)
  
  
• Eyeshadow quad (or separate colors) containing a matte white, metallic pink, shimmery grey, and metallic black (I used Lancome Color Design Sensational Effects Eye Shadow Quad Palette in Smooth Hold (Daylight, Makeover, Volcano, and The New Black))
  
  
• Dark purple eyeliner (I used New York Color Waterproof Eyeliner Pencil in #934A, Smoky Plum)
  
  
• Mascara (I used Benefit Cosmetics BADgal Waterproof Mascara in Black)
  
  
• Pink lip stain (I used one of my absolute favorites today, tokidoki Gelato Lip Balm Stain in Donutella)

 

Instructions:

Today’s look for me was about adding a bit of glam to my ‘bumming around’ clothes (a.k.a. yoga pants, t-shirt, sweater, hair in a braid, boring look).  It was a rainy, dreary day, and my inspiration levels were low, low, low.  So although my clothes were drab, I decided that my makeup should have a bit of interest to it. 

For my base, I gave another BB cream a try (check out this week’s Wednesday Product Review for my first round with a BB cream).  Today, I tried out Dr. Jart+ Water Fuse Beauty Balm SPF 25 PA++.  The product touts that it is customizable for all skin tones.  However, although I started with a very minimal amount of product, it was a bit too light for my skin tone.  Accordingly, I had to really work to try to warm up my skin tone a bit.  I started with applying  a bit of  concealer to my under eye area, and I didn’t really need much as the Beauty Balm did do a nice job of lightening the area.  I then dusted a light layer of powder on my entire face to set.  I worked bronzer into the hollows of my cheeks under the cheekbones from the center of my cheeks up toward my hairline, as well as under the jaw line to add definition.  I added a light swipe of bronzer across the forehead, down the bridge of the nose, and to the chin (think T-Zone) to warm up the rest of the face.  I highlighted the tops of my cheekbones and then applied my pinky-plum colored blush to the apples of my cheeks for a soft glow.  I was very pleasantly surprised at how great the Beauty Balm worked to smooth out my skin without the oily look that came about yesterday.  However, by late afternoon, I noticed my skin was starting to break out in little bumps everywhere!  I quickly washed off the whole works.  I had heard finding a Beauty Balm that works for you can be tough, and it seems it really is going to be a big challenge for me.

For the eyes, I opted to use an eyeshadow quad again.  Using quads can be especially helpful on these kinds of lazy days!  I started by applying matte white color to from the crease to the brow bone and adding a touch of same to the inner corners of the eyes.  I then applied the shimmery grey color to the entire eye lid.  I worked the metallic pink color in the eye crease, starting at the inner corner and working my way out.  Following the angle of the crease upward from the center of the eye, I extended the metallic pink color up above the crease outward to just past the outer corner of the eye, angling back in and filling in the center with the metallic pink color.  Take a look at the closed eye photo to see the arc this creates.  I followed by applying the metallic black color just along the top lashline.  I lined both the top and bottom lashes with a very pretty smoky plum colored eyeliner.  A swipe of black waterproof mascara to the top and bottom lashes finished off the eyes.  Check out the closed eye photo again, and you will see the oomph that Benefit Cosmetics BADgal Waterproof Mascara  provides to the lashes.  Fantastic!

Finally, keeping my laid back mentality for the day, I opted for a pink lip balm stain.  I highly recommend the entire tokidoki Gelato Lip Balm Stain collection (I own every color).  It moisturizes, lasts all day, and the color is buildable (i.e. you can keep adding to to bring more color to the look and stop whenever you get the perfect shade).  I used the  Donutella color today, which is a great pink color.  A few swipes in the morning, and it lasted until I washed my face in the evening without drying out my lips.

Share your lazy day makeup photos and experiences, and show me your best pink makeup for Breast Cancer Awareness Month!  Post your photos, ask any questions you may have, or share any ideas you want me to try our via my  Submit page above or Email Me!

See you tomorrow for Day 14 of The Great Makeup Challenge!

Note: All products I recommended above are available from Sephora, Ulta, your local department store, your local drug store, or through Amazon.com.

Day 12 of 365 of The Great Makeup Challenge: Pink and Multifunctional. In honor of October’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I am dedicating my second week of The Challenge to pink makeup!  We are all busy.  We all have days when we have need to go, go go.  With these days in mind, I challenged myself to create a look that could see me through the day.  I needed something multifunctional, and this is what I came up with.  So here are my tips on how to start your day and make modifications in five minutes to go from running errands to going out on the town.

Also, today is the inaugural day of my Wednesday Product Reviews!  From this point forward, every Wednesday I will review a different product. I’ll score it on a standard school grading system: “A+” for utter perfection and “F” for utter failure.  Today, I’m trying out and reviewing a BB Cream.  Have something you want me to try out and review?  Send me your ideas via my Submit page above or Email Me!

What you will need:

• BB Cream (Today I tried out Boscia B.B Cream SPF 27 PA++)
• Concealer (If you haven’t figured it out by now, I HIGHLY recommend Benefit Erase Paste!)
• Powder (Sephora’s Mineral loose powder today)
  
• Bronzer (Today I used Lancome Star Bronzer Poudre Soleil Sun-Kissed Bronzing Oil-free Powder in Bronze Solaire)
• Highlighter (I used Wet ‘n’ Wild MegaGlo Illuminating Powder in Catwalk Pink)
• Shimmery, pink blush (I used Benefit Cosmetics Boxed Powders Collection Coralista blush)
• Shimmery pink eyeshadow (I used NYX Cosmetics Loose Pearl Eye Shadow in Very Pink Pearl)
• Dark matte brown, medium pink-brown, and neutral shimmer eyeshadows (I used Chanel Les 4 Ombres quad eyeshadow palette in No. 85 Demure)
• Brown inner rim eyeliner (I used Tarte emphasEYES High Definition Inner Rim Eye Pencil in Brown) 
• Dark brown eyeliner (I used Wet n Wild Brow & Eye Liner in #652 Dark Brown)
• Mascara (I used Benefit Cosmetics BADgal Waterproof Mascara in Black)
• Pink tinted lip balm (Pulled out my new favorite Hello Kitty Apple Balm for today)
• Shimmery, medium or dark pink lipstick (I used Estee Lauder Pure Color Crystal Lipstick in Passion Fruit #354)

Instructions:

For my base, I thought I’d try out something new to me that definitely takes the multifunctional approach: BB Cream.  What is BB Cream?  I had never heard of it until a few months ago, but internationally it has been a go-to beauty product for decades, especially in Asian countries.  Wikipedia has a quick overview of what exactly it is, but it boils down to this: “BB Cream is an all-in-one cosmetic beauty and skincare product. Depending on the brand you choose, this cream can act as foundation, concealer, sunblock, and moisturizer all in one go.” (Courtesy of Squidoo)  It seemed to fit my multifunctional challenge just fine, so I gave Boscia’s B.B Cream SPF 27 PA++ a try in place of my regular base.  It did give a nice coverage, but it wasn’t concealing enough for my under eye circles (I expected this), so I added some Benefit Erase Paste.  Even though I applied a thin layer of this BB Cream, it left my skin a bit tacky to the touch.  In a way, this acted as a plus as a primer for the rest of my makeup, but my skin felt off all day.  Additionally, as you will note in the photo set from today, it left my skin a bit TOO shiny, although it did control oil all day long.  To try to counteract the shine and the tackiness, I swept a light layer of Sephora’s Mineral loose powder over my entire face.  Even so, I was not overly enthused with my skin’s texture and sheen for the day.  I am still willing to try other BB Creams, but this one just wasn’t a great fit for me.  Wednesday Product Review: I’m giving the Boscia BB Cream a “B-.”  It had some benefits, but left me wanting more.

No matter what base you choose, here’s my guide from today’s challenge on how to take your look from daytime errands to nighttime glam:

For Running Errands:

After applying my base, I contoured my cheeks by working bronzer into the hollows of my cheeks under the cheekbones from the center of my cheeks up toward my hairline.  I then also applied the bronzer under the jaw line to add definition.  I highlighted the tops of my cheekbones and then applied a shimmery pink blush to the apples of my cheeks for a soft glow.

For the eyes, I decided to do a pink and brown smokey eye.  Before you give up on me here, I want to break through some mental barriers that people have when they hear ‘smokey eye’: (1) EVERYONE, yes, EVERYONE can do a smokey eye; (2) a smokey eye does NOT have to be relegated to shades of black; and (3) a smokey eye can be worn during the DAY.  I’m serious.  Forget everything you thought you knew about a smokey eye, and let me show you how it’s done.  First, smokey eyes are not as complicated as they sound.  You can do a smokey eye, but start simple and practice until you find what works best for you.  Second, try a smokey eye in any color you want, and even try out mixing colors!  A colored smokey eye can be ten times sexier, and more surprising, than the go-to black smokey eye that has become so prevalent.  Finally, a subtle smokey eye can work wonders during the day, without making you look like you were out all night and went straight to work. 

That’s the point of the eyes today.  In sticking with our pink theme for Breast Cancer Awareness, I knew I had to work pink into my smokey eye, and I’ve always been a fan of using pink and brown together.  First, I lined my inner eyes with a brown inner rim eyeliner inner rim eyeliner à la Moody Makeup.  For my eyeshadow, I picked a quad eyeshadow palette quad eyeshadow palette that covered the varying shades of brown I needed for the challenge and to stick with our multitasking theme.  I started by applying a neutral shimmer eyeshadow from the crease to the brow bone and adding a touch of same to the inner corners of the eyes.  I then applied my shimmery pink eyeshadow to the eyelid from the inner corner the center of the eye.  I followed the pink eyeshadow along the bottom lashline from the inner corner to the center of the eye as well.  Moving on to my dark matte brown shade, I applied same to the eyelid from center of the eye to just past the outer corner, as well as along the bottom lashline from the center of the eye to just past the outer corner, meeting up with my top line.  I finished the eyeshadow by working a shimmery, medium-pink brown eyeshadow in the crease of the eye.  To soften the shadow and lend to the smokey look, I gently blended any sharp lines on the entire eye with my finger tip.  I then lined the top lashes with a dark brown eyeliner, smudging same to eradicate any sharp lines.  I finished the daytime eye look with a coat of black waterproof (to carry me through sweat, rain, and anything else that could ruin my makeup during the day!) mascara to my top lashes. 

To finish my daytime errands look, I applied pink tinted lip balm to my lips for a subtle touch of color that mutitasked by moisturizing my lips throughout the day.

On a style note, I let my hair run a bit wild by simply pulling it back in a soft fabric headband.  The weather was not on my side for stick-straight hair (hello, rainy day!), and there was no point in fighting my hair all day.  I threw on simple earrings, a couple of bangles and comfortable rings.  My style was all about comfort and function, but as you’ll see momentarily, it was strategically planned to easily guide me into my night look.

The Five Minute Change-Up for a Night on the Town:

Okay, so let’s say you’ve followed the steps above, run around all day doing errands, going work, etc., and now you find you only have about five minutes to get ready for a night out, whether it be for happy hour, an event, or even a date night.  What’s a girl to do?  Here’s what:

(1)  Add a little more ‘smoke’ to your eyeshadow: add more of the dark matte brown eyeshadow to the outer corner of your eyes, softening with your finger tip.  Up the vamp by swiping another coat of  mascara to the top lashes and one coat to the bottom.  (Total time, depending on experience: 1 - 2 minutes)

(2)  Add another swipe of your shimmery pink blush to the apples of the cheeks, and work it up the cheekbone.  (Total time: 30 seconds)

(3)  Add a quick coat of a shimmery, medium or dark pink lipstick to finish your makeup.  (Total time: 15 seconds)

(4)  Do a quick change, ditching your day clothes for a quick slip-on dress and heels.  Change out your simple earrings for something more dramatic. (Total time: approximately 2 minutes, depending on how fast you move!)

(5)  Pull out that soft fabric headband, flip your head over, fluff your hair a bit at the roots for volume, and flip it back.  The bonus of the fabric headband all day?  It trains your hair to stay back from your face without the need for hair products.  (Total time: 15 seconds)

(6)  Run out the door and enjoy! 

Try it out, and let me know how it works for you!  Share your photos and experiences, show me your best pink makeup for Breast Cancer Awareness Month!  Post your photos, ask any questions you may have, or share any ideas you want me to try our via my  Submit page above or Email Me!

See you tomorrow for Day 13 of The Great Makeup Challenge!

Note: All products I recommended above are available from Sephora, Ulta, your local department store, your local drug store, or through Amazon.com.