Estee Lauder for Mad Men Spring 2012

As super crazy ridiculously excited I am about Mad Men's season five premiere this weekend, I'm just as excited over the TV show's collaboration with Estee Lauder.  The Cherry Lipstick and Creme Rouge Evening Rose blush in Estee Lauder's Mad Men collection for spring 2012 are perfect for recreating popular makeup looks of the Sixties.  Whether you're a Betty or a Joan, fans of vintage inspired makeup will also appreciate the vintage inspired packaging as well.  The jeweled gold blush compact and gold tubed lipstick will look even more gorgeous when extracted from a clutch purse for a discreet touch-up.  Pair with red or light pink nails, liquid eyeliner, a tumble of curls, pearl earrings, and a vodka gimlet.  Cheers!

What are your thoughts on Estee Lauder's Mad Men inspired lipstick and blush?  I'll be getting the lipstick for sure!  Like the TV show, the collection also debuts this month.  Are any readers Man Men fans?  Who else will be watching Sunday's premiere?

Daphne Guinness for MAC: Red Dwarf Lipstick & Interior Life Eyeshadow Quad Swatches

I've lost count of how many times I've mentioned Daphne Guinness on Applied Glamour.  As regular readers are aware, I hold her style and aesthetics in the highest regard.  Ever since details for her collaboration with MAC were announced, I've been plotting and scheming exactly which pieces of the collection I wanted in my hot little hands.  During a trip to the MAC counter the day after Christmas, this is what I came away with: Red Dwarf Pro Longwear lipstick and the Interior Life eyeshadow quad.  I knew I wanted Red Dwarf but Interior Life was something of an impulse decision and I'm so, so glad I bought it.

Stratus, Bruised Sky, Interior Life, Heather Belles

The cool toned colors of the Interior Life eyeshadow quad are lovely neutrals without being shades of brown.  There's a LOT of versatility in this palette.  You can use all four colors for a vampy evening look or use the three lighter shades for a dreamy, subtle daytime look.  They're extremely easy to apply and go on very well.  Apologies for Stratus being nearly invisible on my skin, I assure you it's there!

Stratus, Bruised Sky

Interior Life, Heather Belles

Day: Stratus on brow bones, Bruised Sky on lids, Interior Life in creases

Day

Night: Same as above, with Heather Belles blended into outer corners

Night

The eyeshadows pair wonderfully with the lipstick I chose, Red Dwarf.  MAC describes it as a dusty blue-pink shade, but in different lighting it can look quite dark and vampy, even more brown than blue-based.  It's the perfect color for day or evening, and I'm wearing it in both the eyeshadow looks I did above.  Red Dwarf is a Pro Longwear lipstick and while for me it didn't last the promised 12 hours, I didn't need a touch up for at least seven.  As with most long wearing lipsticks, toward the end of those seven hours my lips are feeling pretty dry and looking a bit flaky, so I keep lip balm on hand to lock in moisture before reapplying the color.  Aside from that, I adore this lipstick!  I may even get another tube of Red Dwarf for backup, I love it that much. 

Red Dwarf

 

Despite being obviously cool toned colors, I think these shades could work on any skintone, really.  Especially the lipstick, since it looks so radically different depending on the lighting (I wish I had thought to show this in the photos!).  Interior Life and Red Dwarf can be as vampy and dramatic or as light and airy as you want them to be.

The words "limited edition" strike fear in my heart but as of yet, none of the collection has sold out online.  If you really want these or anything else from the collection though, I'd act fast!

Revlon Lip Butters

These brand new beauties from Revlon boasting an incredibly moisturizing formula are nearly impossible to find.  Imagine my delight when I stumbled upon a display of Lip Butters at Target that was surprisingly not yet picked over!  I narrowed my selection down to two and came away with the shades seen above: Berry Smoothie (left) and Raspberry Pie (right).  Isn't the diamond packaging just gorgeous?  They come in a fairly wide range of shades as well.

At this point, very few drugstore lipstick formulas blow me away, but Revlon is almost always an exception and the Lip Butters don't disappoint.  The texture is smooth and feels exactly like a slightly heavier lip balm, but has the pigment and color payoff of a lipstick, plus a bit of shine like a gloss.  Hello, miracle formula!  Revlon has nailed the best of all three worlds with these Lip Butters!  They'll be especially great for chapped lips in winter.  No wonder they're so hard to track down!  If you spot these, take advantage!  I'm sure I'll be back for more. 

Berry Smoothie

Berry Smoothie

Raspberry Pie

Raspberry Pie

 Berry Smoothie is subtle and is a perfect everyday lip color, or useful for when you're playing up your eyes.  It's definitely not a nude, but doesn't quite pack the visual punch that Raspberry Pie does, either.  It's my opinion that every lady needs a fuchsia lipstick shade in her beauty arsenal, so if yours is lacking, Raspberry Pie is a great one! 

Perhaps the best part of all, though, is the price.  These were just over $6 each at my local Target, practically a pittance for such a great product!  Lip Butters would make a lovely present for anybody who likes color on their lips, whether it's balm or gloss or lipstick.  Seriously, they're too amazing too pass up!  I've also seen them for sale at Walgreens but have yet to find them anywhere online.

Anyone else tried the Lip Butters yet?  Thoughts?

NARS Mayflower

 
This is probably the closest I'll ever get to actually owning a nude lipstick.  I tried, I really did, but my lips just look WEIRD without a teeny bit of color.  NARS Mayflower is unmistakably pink-y mauve and a bit shimmery, but it looks enough like my natural lip color that for me it feels almost like a nude lipstick.  Like my lips, only better.  It's juuust pink enough that I don't feel washed out!  The very sheer formula makes a great difference, too.  If you're like me and want the look of a nude with a little bit of color, Mayflower is perfect!

It's more pink than this swatch shows. One day I'll get this picture-taking thing down, I swear!

Do you wear nude lipsticks?  What are your favorites?

Fall Inspiration: Smashing Pumpkins "Tonight, Tonight" / '90s Red Lipstick

This video for "Tonight, Tonight" by The Smashing Pumpkins is definitely one of my all time favorites.  It's epic and magical with sweeping orchestrals and Edwardian era sci-fi themes.  The video concept is lifted almost entirely from Georges Méliès's 1902 silent film A Trip to the Moon, the first ever sci-fi movie (you can also find it on YouTube, it was pretty incredible for its time).  While the music and visuals in "Tonight, Tonight" are amazing, what I really love are the details.  And I've been patiently waiting all summer to finally rock some ethereal '90s makeup like bassist D'arcy Wretzky.

Okay, so up close her makeup is a little more Goth and ghostly than I realized. What I initially interpreted as brick red lipstick appears black in this screenshot I took, but no matter.  Here are some gorgeous products to get her look of luminous, otherworldly glamour, absolutely perfect for fall! 

The brick red lipstick that was so trendy during the '90s always seems to make a comeback, and fall is the best time to wear it!  MAC launched their first Viva Glam lipstick in 1994, and the brick red matte shade is still available today as Viva Glam I.  With every Viva Glam lipstick sold, MAC donates 100% of the price to their AIDS Fund, which supports men, women, and children living with HIV/AIDS.  It goes without saying that this is a wonderful cause to support, right?

In keeping with the celestial themes in "Tonight, Tonight", Benefit's Moonbeam shimmer liquid highlighter that adds a romantic golden sheen to your skin.  It looks especially gorgeous on your cheekbones, browbones, right above your upper lip in the cupid's bow, or all over your eyelids.  This will make your skin look glowing and lit from within!

This Summer Time cream eyeshadow duo from NARS has two beautiful shades in champagne and sunset gold to create a subtle, light reflecting look.  The darker shade would be lovely as an understated liner to slightly define eyes, and the lighter shade would be beautiful layered with Moonbeam all over eyelids.

What are your favorite '90s looks and inspirations?  Another of mine will always be Clueless, which really deserves its own inspiration post! 

Exude Lipstick

It's safe to say that although I've tried nearly every sort of lipstick available these days, I've never tried one like Exude.  Everything about it from the formula to the applicator is a brand new innovation.  Rather than a traditional molded lipstick, Exude is a cream-liquid hybrid formula encased in a plastic tube applicator that resembles a classic lipstick.  This means no more melted lipsticks, no more messy breakages, and the angled tip never wears down!

There was a bit of a learning curve to use it, though.  At first I couldn't figure out which way to twist the tube to make the lipstick come out of the applicator.  And the formula took a little getting used to; it's way more glossy than what I normally wear, and it can get a little smeary if you apply too much.  But...

Once I overcame these minor hurdles (it didn't take long!), I fell in love with Exude.  It's available in nine different shades, but of course I tried Red, and I adore the color.  It's a perfect true red that flatters almost any skintone, and it's slightly mint flavored!  The color payoff is amazing.  And the glossiness is a great change that will be especially appreciated when lips start chapping this winter.  The white tube packaging is another elegant plus.  If you're a fan of lip gloss, definitely try this!  If you love lipstick, try it too!  It's become one of my go-to lipsticks for sure.

 

Full disclosure: Although this lipstick was sent to me gratis by Exude's very nice PR department, the opinions are, of course, my own.  And I'd never recommend a product I wouldn't pay for myself.

This Lipstick is My New Favorite Thing: NARS Jungle Red

Move over, MAC Russian Red.  Sorry, Chanel Passion.  Step away, Revlon Certainly Red.  I've got a brand new lipstick that puts you all to shame!  (Well, almost, anyway.)  Is it weird to wax rhapsodic over a lipstick?  If it's wrong, I don't want to be right.  After a month of experimenting with drugstore lipsticks, lots of smeary, bleeding formulas, and shades that allowed me to fit right in at a nineties Goth club or MTV video circa 1983, I decided it was time to step up my game.  Red lipstick is my thing, you guys; such inferiority is unacceptable.  A brand new Sephora store just opened in my area, and with it came a 6 x 3 ft. space dedicated to what is quickly becoming one of my all-time favorite brands: NARS.

Oh NARS, with your sleek matte black packaging, naughtily-named blushes, and display of endless lipsticks to test!  I am powerless to resist.  After swatching every single red available on my hand, one shade stood out among the rest: Jungle Red.  It's the perfect bright, true red with a perfect semi-matte formula.  Non-drying and not a hint of glossiness, just the way I like it.  Jungle Red is smooth, flat color like you've been eating cherry flavored popsicles all day long.  It's neither Goth nor 80s.  It has a very polished, slightly retro feel, and Jungle Red fits with my red hair and pale skin like no other red lipstick I've tried lately.  And I have tried a LOT.

Drugstore lipsticks are mostly so/so.  A few are pretty good, some are even exceptional, but none of them can touch NARS when it comes to formula and color.  The unfortunate thing about NARS, though, is that the lipsticks are tiny.  It sucks, but I'm willing to overlook that because everything else about their lipstick is just too good.  They come in satin and sheer formulas as well as semi-matte and in an incredible variety of shades to suit anybody's taste and preferences.  I will definitely be purchasing more!

What are your favorite NARS products?  Do you love the lipstick as much as I do?

L'Oreal Infallible Le Rouge Lipstick

I don't really watch TV except for a few shows online, on DVD, and a standing date with my BFF Lori Anne to see what happens on The Voice (exciting!!!).  I learned to live without it during college and never looked back.  This leaves me exempt from just about any TV commercial reference; you quote it and I'll smile and nod along, but I won't really get it.  Several consecutive nights of TV viewing recently affirmed how little I'm missing by not watching regularly (whew!), but I also realized just how susceptible I am to commercials and the shiny happy clever things they promise...

...which is how I found myself in Wal-Mart's health & beauty department at 11:17 PM trying to find this lipstick.



I've never cared much for L'Oreal lipsticks (they smell funny) but this, THIS!  Shiny beautiful long lasting Gwen Stefani red lips for less than $10?!  I couldn't get to the store fast enough. 

I purchased Refined Ruby, a gorgeous blue based red.  First impressions: it doesn't smell at all!  Yay!  The shiny clear and silver tube is very glam but a little unwieldy.  No matter; the color goes on rich and smooth.

But does it really last ten hours?  Can you really swipe your finger over your lips like Gwen does in the commercial with minimal need for touch ups?

Yes!  It does, and you can.  My Infallible Le Rouge lipstick lasted through cheeseburger and milkshake consumption with only the tiniest touch up required, just like a stain.  I was super impressed!  For the sake of experimentation I swiped my finger over my lips a la Gwen; a little color came off on my finger but the color also somehow magically stayed on my lips.

What's in this silver tube packs an amazing pigmented punch.  The vitamin E formula prevents dehydration, so my lips never felt dry.  They didn't shine like the commercial seems to promise, but I'm okay with that.  Overall, this is one of the most glamorous drugstore products I've ever purchased!

Have you ever bought anything after being sucked in by a television or print ad?  Did it deliver what you expected or were you disappointed?

Living Just as Free as My Hair! Or: The Something New Summer Challenge!

I've had red hair for a week now and I still couldn't be more thrilled with it!  Understand: my hair has never been dyed before.  I've had highlights for years, but I've been blonde my whole life and going red was a HUGE change.  The new hair color has made me change other things, too, like my lipstick.

Turns out most of the shades that looked amazing on me as a blonde don't work so well now that I'm a ginger.  I realized I was wearing lots of bright red and pink lipsticks to make a bold statement and stand out.  Now my red hair makes a bold statement, so I'm comfortable experimenting with nude lipstick, more natural blushes, and even green eyeshadow.  I never dreamed I'd ever wear any of these colors, but it's also a nice change and it's definitely been fun to experiment.  Imagine this post soundtracked to Lady Gaga's "Hair" and check out my new discoveries!

From top to bottom: Ulta Shimmer Lipstick in Buff Shimmer, Ulta Lipstick in Moroccan Red, Revlon Super Lustrous Creme Lipstick in Rosewine, Rimmel Lasting Finish Lipstick in Drop of Sherry, Rimmel Lasting Finish Lipstick in Kasbah

Buff Shimmer is a perfect nude lipstick that looks good over my natural lip color and is just enough so that I don't look washed out.  Moroccan Red is a gorgeous deep blood red that's definitely a statement and is great for nights out.  Rosewine and Drop of Sherry are brilliant every day lipsticks and are my new go-to colors.  I can still wear pink(ish) lipstick!  Finally, Kasbah is a tawny brown and the best name for a lipstick ever.  I still can't believe these colors look good on me, but I asked my toughest critics for honest answers to be absolutely sure and they applauded my choices.

Just like I've never bought brown lipstick before, I've also never purchased blush that wasn't some variation of bright rosy pink.  Turns out they don't look so good with red hair either, so I frantically searched for something more neutral and came away with Physician's Formula Mood Booster blush in Natural.  There's the slightest hint of pink, but mostly it makes my cheeks look naturally luminous and glowing rather than blushed.  It's a very pretty, unexpected effect!   

I want to challenge all you lovely readers to try something new with your makeup!  Has your signature look become more of a rut?  Switch it up!  Try a color you wouldn't normally buy and ask your most trusted friend if it flatters you, just to be sure.  Break out some colored or liquid eyeliner, try matte lipstick or nude gloss, paint your nails navy or crimson or bright yellow!  Just try something different!  Even if it doesn't suit you after all (my green eyeshadow is going back to the store, for example), at least you tried and had fun!

What new makeup shade or product will you rock this summer?  Let me know!  And share pictures, if you've got them!

Sharpening Up Your Look with Pencils! For Your Eyebows, Lips, & Everything in Between

Lately I can't get enough of pencils! From my eyebrows to my lips, pencils are my new favorite way to apply my makeup. I've never been a big fan of them before, but these four products have completely changed my mind. 

Urban Decay 24/7 Concealer Pencil in DEA ($18): The pencil that started it all!  This concealer is creamy, blendable, and gives thick full coverage without that gunky "Ugh I have a ton of makeup on my face" feeling you sometimes get with other full coverage products.  It's my favorite formula by far, and even though I'll occasionally obsess over another concealer, I always come back to this one.  I wore my old Urban Decay concealer pencil down to a nub and recently acquired this shiny new pencil!  When someone buys a product twice, you know it's gotta be good.  

Sephora Ultra Vinyl Lip Pencil in Strawberry Delish ($12): I adore patent/vinyl anything, but I despise stickiness on my lips.  This incredible lip pencil gives my lips all the vinyl shine of a gloss I could ever want without the gross stickiness.  The glossiness does eventually wear off, but unlike lip gloss, this pencil leaves color behind so my lips aren't completely pale within two hours.  It's also fabulously moisturizing.  I definitely want more of these!

Rimmel Soft Kohl Kajal Eyeliner Pencil in Jet Black ($4): I've been devoted to my cheapie liquid eyeliner for so long, I forgot how glorious eyeliner pencils can be!  This one is perfect for smudgy sexy eyes and looks great on my waterline and lower lash line in a way that no liquid liner ever has.  And because it's super black kohl, it makes me feel like an Egyptian princess.  Bonus!

NYX Eye/Eyebrow Pencil in Velvet ($4): I initially purchased this as beige eyeliner, but quickly discovered it looks way better on my eyebrows!  I never thought an eyebrow pencil could be such a perfect match, but this is almost exactly the color of my hair and looks so natural.  For a while I considered having my pale-to-the-point-of-non-existent brows tinted, but changed my mind after using this pencil!  I swear, it's that good, and NYX has such a ridiculous variety of shades available, there's something to suit anyone.

L to R: Urban Decay Concealer, Sephora Lip Pencil, Rimmel Eyeliner, NYX Eyebrow Pencil

Summer's Best Lips & Cheeks

Whether you prefer lipstick or lip balm, blush or bronzer, there's something on this list of summer's best lips and cheeks that's sure to please anyone!  From the latest lip balm/lipstick combo innovation to a mood-elevating violet scented blush, Applied Glamour's guide has got you covered.

Top row:
Bare Minerals Blush in Fruit Cocktail is the brightest, most vivid pink blush you'll find.  A little goes a long way, so this will last forever!  Orange is a hot color for lips this summer, so you'll be perfectly in style with Topshop's new Lips in Ohh La La.  For a softer, more subtle blush, try Almay's Smart Shade Blush in Pink Rose.  It has great buildable color and magically transforms to your ideal shade of pink!  Too Faced's Leopard Love palette has everything you could possibly want for your cheeks.  Blush, light bronzer, and a deeper bronzer all packed to look like leopard print! 

Middle row:
NARS Velvet Gloss lip pencil in New Lover is golden strawberry shade with amazing texture that's great all over your lips.  Since it's a pencil format, it won't melt in your bag when temperatures heat up!  New this season is MAC's Surf, Baby! collection of summery, beachy shades with lovely surf-inspired packaging.  Naturally Eccentric lustre lipstick is a great nude that will look perfect with a tan.  The latest and greatest lip product this summer is Pixi's Succulent Lip Twin in Pink Peony.  Inside the tube is a pigmented glossy lip balm, while the cap contains a mini lipstick for extra color.  Genius!  For a true gloss, try Korres Cherry Full Color lip gloss.  It's shiny without being sticky and formulated with vitamins C and E for extra moisture and protection. 

Bottom row:
Physician's Formula Happy Glow and Mood Boosting blush does exactly what the name describes.  Use this violet scented, heart bedecked, perfectly pink blush to brighten your complexion and your morning routine!  Sometimes in summer, tinted lip balm is the only sort of lip product that will do.  Burt's Bees just released a new tinted version of their cult favorite lip balm to keep your lips hydrated and smooth without weighing them down with too much product.  Finally, Bella Bamba is the latest to join Benefit's family of gorgeous cheek powders.  It's perfect for contouring sculpted cheekbones (or faking it!).

The Best Red Lipsticks (and how to wear them!)

No makeup item is more glamorous and show-stopping than red lipstick!  This is not for those who are shy; red is guaranteed to get you noticed (in a good way, of course!).  If you want to change up your look, wear something bold, and bring a little glamour into your life, red lipstick is the easiest and quickest way to do it!

Since red lipstick is so bold, it usually looks best if you keep the rest of your makeup relatively simple.  Black eyeliner and lots of mascara is all you really need!  False eyelashes work wonders if you know how to apply them (tutorial coming soon!).  If you want a little extra glam for evening, sweep a shimmery neutral eyeshadow all over your eyelid, and lightly blend a dark brown shadow into your crease.   

L to R: Revlon, MAC, Chanel, Dior, Urban Decay

Best Drugstore Red:  Revlon Super Lustrous Certainly Red
Revlon has the best red lipsticks of any other drugstore brand; all of them are great, but my favorite is Certainly Red.  It's a fantastic bargain and almost as good as MAC.  Almost.

Best Matte Red: MAC Russian Red
There's a reason this shade is a top five favorite of makeup artists, celebrities, and just about every lady who wears lipstick, period.  Gwen Stefani adores it.  Dita Von Teese swears by it.  Russian Red is just that good.  It's a color as legendary and flattering as NARS's Orgasm blush and definitely a red lipstick staple!  It stays put for ages, hardly fades, and delivers the most saturated color of any lipstick I've used.

Best Red Lipgloss:  Urban Decay Pocket Rocket
The packaging is kind of gimmicky (holographic boys! pheromones molded into the plastic tube!), but once you get past it, there are two amazing red lipgloss shades in this collection.  Eric is a true red, while Colin is a brilliant orange red (yes, the shades are named after boys as well).  The gloss is thick but not gloopy and the colors look amazing alone or layered over lipstick.  It's especially perfect if you want to try red lips but still keep the color sheer.

Best Red Lipstick Formula: Dior Addict Red Carpet
AKA the most hydrating lipstick you will ever wear.  It feels like lip balm and shines a little like gloss but lasts like a lipstick!  The light formula is fabulous for summer.

Best Red Ever: Chanel Rouge Allure Passion
Though all the lipsticks on this list are the best of the best, this is the one I wear most often!  It's not the first red lipstick I ever bought, but it's the first I fell in love with.  It's absolutely perfect.  The formula is a little waxy so the color stays forever, but isn't drying like matte lipsticks can be.  I like to dab and blot it on my lips rather than drag the lipstick across.  The packaging is unique and glamorous.  It's pricey but unbelievably chic and the color is marvelous!  It's like a little tube of elegance, I love it.  


Red Lipstick Essentials: Primer, pretty compact mirror, black eyeliner, false eyelashes!

Bonus!  Super cool outfit ideas for rocking red lips.

Lilly fancied herself a "goth" in high school and even though she abandoned the combat boots and stark white face powder years ago, she never got over her penchant for black clothing and serious footwear.

Julia's secret once-in-a-while weekend activity was to dress up, head to a coffee shop on the other side of town, and flirt in a faux-French accent with the cute guy behind the counter who made her caramel macchiato and thought her name was Angelique.

Carmen was named after the heroine of the famous opera, had an encyclopedic knowledge of British rock bands, and loved prowling for hidden treasures in record stores more than anything in the world.

Think Pink!

Just like Kay Thompson (who wrote the Eloise books!) in this amazing and ridiculously over-the-top clip from Funny Face, I'm thinking pink these days. And mostly I want pink nails and pink lips.




I kicked off my obsession by purchasing OPI's Do You Think I'm Tex-y? from the 2011 Texas-inspired line of spring and summer nail polishes.  This polish features a brand new effect OPI just launched called "sorbet".  It's glossy and more opaque than jelly nail polishes, but still has a faint translucent sheen even with two or three coats.  This shade is gorgeous!  It looks deep fuschia in the bottle but is brighter and more sheer on my nails.  Five other polishes from the Texas collection feature the sorbet effect if pink isn't your thing.  Again, my sad camera doesn't do the color justice, so I'm borrowing this lovely perfect picture from Nailstah.

I then went on the hunt for a new pink lip color to match my new pink nails.  After swatching what seemed like every single pink lipstick in the entire Sephora store, I finally settled on Dior Addict Lipcolor in Hollywood Rose.  The formula is what really sold me.  It's incredible.  I am so sick of matte lipstick right now; Dior Addict feels like glossy lip balm but somehow has the lasting power of a matte lipstick!  It's saturated color while still remaining translucent, like OPI's sorbet concept in a lipstick.  Hollywood Rose is a beautiful berry pink shade that pairs perfectly with my nails (and Daphne eyeshadow!).      

Runner-up pink lip colors were Dior Addict Lipcolor in Show, Korres Mango Butter Lipstick in Natural Pink, and Make Up For Ever #34. 

No More Discontinued Lipsticks!

Is there ever a more frustrating moment when you hear that one of your favorite lipstick shades has been (or will be) discontinued?  Sure, you could buy several tubes and stock up, but lipsticks have an expiration date of about a year.  Beyond that, the pigments and binders and other ingredients begin to degrade and just don't look or apply quite like they used to.  Not to mention the bacteria that can accumulate if the tube is opened.

Enter Three Custom Color Specialists, a company that specializes in customizing and recreating discontinued lipsticks!  In addition to an extensive searchable database of lipstick shades they've previously duplicated for other customers, the company allows you to send in the remnants of your old lipstick favorite for them to copy exactly.  Genius!   At $55 for two tubes it's kind of pricey, but I'm tempted to purchase them as a happy birthday present to myself.  I'm looking at MAC's Isabella Blow lipstick for sure!  It's the amazing fuschia shade seen in the accompanying picture and hasn't been available for a few years now. 

In addition to lipsticks, Three Custom Color Specialists will also recreate or custom blend eyeshadows, blush, eyebrow powders, concealer, and loose and pressed powders for the face. 

New Obsession: Lip Primers

The word of my week has most certainly been "primer".  I've primed the walls to paint my bathroom and I also tested out all the fancy lip primers Ulta has to offer.  I was previously of the opinion that lip primers were grossly unnecessary, nothing more than lip balm, and an all-around waste of money.  I'm here to tell you, my friends, that this is simply not so.  Lip primers are nothing like lip balm and some of them even work magic. 

After trying several primers under my super matte MAC Russian Red lipstick, Too Faced's Lip Insurance won out.  At first the product goes on slick and clear, like lip gloss, but then quickly dries to a flat finish.  Until now I've been wearing Russian Red over my lip balm, but wearing it over this primer is completely and entirely different.  My lipstick is matte, exactly as is intended.  Also at first my lips felt a little sticky, but in a good "my lipstick is not going to budge!" sort of way.  And it stays on FOREVER without any fading or feathering to speak of.  My lipstick suddenly has the long-lasting properties of a lip stain!  It even works under lip gloss too, making the color last much longer than usual.  I have no idea how that's possible, but I'm enamored and have been trying it under every single lip color I own.

Lip Insurance will definitely be one of a my makeup staples for a long, long time.  I wish I had found this product sooner!  The verdict is in: lip primers are definitely worth your time and money.

Lipstick 101: What to Do About Stains? Part Three

Another reason lipstick can be intimidating is that eventually, despite your best efforts, it will likely rub off somewhere.  Little lipstick stains all over the place are certainly annoying, but really not that big of a deal once you know the best ways to remove them.  You probably have all these products in your home already!

Here's a quick list of what to do if you find a lipstick stain on your...


Shirts
Apply hairspray to the stain and let it sit for a few minutes.  Yes, hairspray!  Wipe the hairspray off and the stain should come off with it.  Your shirt can now be washed as usual.


Glassware
Stains on glassware can be particularly hard to remove.  The ingredients designed to keep lipstick in place on your lips are fairly resilient on glass as well.  You can erase any marks easily by rubbing salt on the stains before you wash the glass.


Cloth Napkins
I don't think I personally know anyone who uses cloth napkins, but blotting lipstick stains with a little bit of petroleum jelly before laundering is another useful trick to remove stains from cloth.


Silk (Or Other Fabric)
You can also take a piece of clear tape (masking tape will do as well), place it over the stain, and yank it off.  Sounds odd, but the stain should also come with it.  If you're dealing with a more stubborn stain, sprinkle a little bit of talcum powder and blot until the powder and the stain are gone.