The Makeup Box

Starry, Starry Night: Navy and Silver Glitter Ombre Nails

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(For the fabulous Yina of The Velvet Dolls.)

Super simple, and pretty darned quick to do. I did this nail look for a themed dinner; it requires no ready-made glitter polish and isn’t much hassle at all. All you need is:

• A dark blue nail polish (I used L.A. Girl Dance Club)
• Repositionable glue (below) or nail foil adhesive
• A silver glitter (fine-grained)
• A soft blue eyeshadow (I used MAC Shimmermint)
• Basecoat and topcoat

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[Requested] 5 Favorite: Neutral Shadows, Liners, and Mascaras

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Now my favorites do change ALL the time, so I didn’t want to list items that are “current favorites” until they really stand the test of time.

Here are things I’ve used mostly for years, and prefer over alternatives for various reasons.

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[Requested] Reinterpretation of a Sparkly Gold Smoky Lid

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This is not an exact recreation because my eyes are shaped a little differently and I wanted to blend the edges out more, but I’ll run through the type of products you need tocreate this look.

I can’t be 100% sure with the yellow lighting and difference in skintones, but the item I find can create this type of sparkly effect is a loose golden-brown sparkle like MAC’s Reflects pigment in Antique Gold, used wet.

Reflects pigments are not glitter, and not regular shadows either. They are shiny mica particles larger than regular loose shadows so they sort of combine pigmentation with sparkle. Like glitters, they don’t “stick” to the skin well and will fall out all over your cheeks, so you might want to do your eye makeup first, then clean up and do your foundation and concealer after.

To get them to go on like dramatic foiled metal, you want to use either a good creamy base or apply them wet (do use eye drops or a liquid sealant instead of pure water as they will rub off easily once dry if there is no ingredient that provides some tackiness).

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[Requested] Simple Bronze-y Wedding Makeup for keeganmae

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Keegan (if this isn’t your real name, sorry!) requested for a wedding look suggestion with perfect liquid liner, a glowy, bronze cheek/face, and nude/peach lips. I’m not fair and platinum-blonde like she is, but this is a pretty classic look that should work on most skin-tones with minor adjustments that I will mention below!

One key item that ties the whole look together is a shimmery beige/tan shade that is going to go on both your lids and cheekbones to create a dewy glow. I used MAC’s Tan pigment, which is a peachy-bronze. 

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Super-quick Update! The cheaper MAC Omega dupe!

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I was browsing through The Body Shop just a couple of hours ago and saw the new display rack with the range of Colour Crush shadows which replaced the old line (I will miss those gorgeous creamy metallics; they had a molten silver to die for…)

The Colour Crush line is slightly larger than the old range (they are now 1.5g, same as a MAC pan) and meant to be usable both wet or dry. But I have to say the shimmer shades in the new line aren’t anything to write home about. The colors are pretty, but there’s very little pigmentation when used dry. The mattes however, are F-A-B.

They are very silky-smooth and incredibly pigmented, so you won’t have to use a lot to get color. I was in the market for some matte neutrals so I immediately pounced on the above 3 once I swatched them, especially since we were just talking about a MAC Omega dupe earlier today.

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MAC Viva Glam Nicki 2 Amplified Lipstick: Swatches and Mini-Review

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Color:

This is a chalky, dusty lavender-toned creme lipstick that’s little more cool and grey than Saint Germain.

As you can see in the comparative swatches above, it’s not as much of a true-purple as the 2 Lime Crime purples, but it’s also not a true pink either.
On the lip, it has a tendency to look much chalkier and more lavender than it does in the tube, so this is not a color for the faint-hearted. There is nothing natural looking about it. It’s much lighter than my lips, even on my light NC25 skin.

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