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Velvet Rose: Intense Matte-Pink Cheeks and Lips (feat La Femme Rose Blush)
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For a bit of a change, I’m playing with different textures by wearing blusher as lip color.
Technically speaking, powder blushers will not cling to your lips very well without a base, so I’m actually using a rosy fuchsia pencil as a base on the lips, and dusting a brighter true-pink bush over just so the color echoes that of my cheeks.
Everything is kept VERY simple and it’s more the intensity of the cheeks and lips that are the focus of the look.
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Eyes:
- Apply a deep brown base (Laura Mercier Metallic Creme Eye Colour in Burnished Copper) and then layer a shimmery beige (MAC Snow Season is limited edition but you can always try MAC Retrospeck) over for a soft neutral wash with depth.
- Apply black liquid liner (Bourjois Liner Pinceau) to the upper lashes and lots of mascara (Maybelline Great Lash).
Cheeks: Strong pink blush
- La Femme blushes, if you haven’t heard, are extremely pigmented which is they work for both cheeks and lips. In fact, they are as intense as eye shadows. (Plus they are super-cheap at US$2.50 each; I’ll do a post tomorrow with swatches of my entire collection!)
- You want your cheeks to be intensely colored but you don’t want to look like a clown. Because the color is so strong, you want to make sure you use a very fluffy/soft brush and that you cheeks are completely dry before application. Then dust off excess powder on the back of your hand before touching your brush to your face. Any moisture or grease and extra pigments will cause the blush to grab in areas and look very patchy and streaky.
Lips:
- To get that very long-lasting, velvety (but lightweight) texture, first apply a pencil lightly over your entire lip area, blending lightly so you aren’t literally coloring in an opaque mouth. I used a deep fuchsia (NYX Fuchsia pencil) and paid special attention to defining the cupid’s bow.
- For that matte rose-petal finish, use a synthetic eye shadow brush to dust a coat of the blush you used earlier, this time all over the lips until you get a dry, transfer proof finish.
![Beautiful Winter Flush
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Unlike Spring with its soft, beautiful pastels, Summer with its bright technicolor pops, and Autumn with its rich, velvety hues, Winter makes me think more of flushed cheeks and soft eyes.
There was a period of time in my teens when I was mad for an exaggerated Winter flush, where hot pink was applied across the front of the face, from cheekbone to cheekbone, passing over the bridge of the nose. I hope to goodness that I did manage to pull it off and that it looked cute, but if it didn’t, at least I did not leave any photographic evidence around.
This look works best on those with medium to pale skins obviously, and to mimic the natural look of slightly wind-burnt cheeks, go for an intense matte hot pink shade rather than something with shimmer. (Skin is not dewy in cold, dry air.) Of course, if your skin is very dry, go for a cream or gel formula as matte powder will fall right off in an hour or two.
If in doubt, apply lightly first, and then dab more onto the peaks of your cheeks, and the middle of the nose (not too low if you don’t want to look like Rudolph) to intensify. If you want to look ultra-natural, tap your brush a few times so only the faintest bits of blush remain, and then sweep very lightly downwards from the cheeks toward the jaws.
The eye makeup should be kept fairly light, but lips should also look flushed for best effect. (Pairing intense blush with a nude lip doesn’t often work that nicely in real life.)
[Picture source: Self.com]](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lvdjtzPyTt1qh70jmo1_500.jpg)
