The Makeup Box

Psychedelic Cyclamen Ombre Lips: Rimmel Color Show-off in 220 Shocking Pink and Lime Crime D’Lilac (plus tips)

—-

When you combine 2 shades that look really vibrant and saturated on camera, you get day-glo Cyclamen lips like the above. 

Instead of going for a typical dark shade to contrast against the pale creamy lilac, I went for a strong red-fuchsia in a matte texture.

Tips for perfect ombre lips:

• Pick opaque lip colors because anything slippery or sheer is not going to give you that saturated gradient effect
• Apply one shade on each lip, leaving the inner rims bare first, then swop the lipsticks for each lip, and very lightly run the second shade along the inner bit of your lips before pressing with your fingers to blend the edges into the first shade better.
• Press just the center of the lips together to even out the “mixed” shade, and smooth in with your finger again if the color gets uneven.
• If the outer rims of your lips are no longer as vibrant looking due to all the blending and pressing, touch up just the top and bottoms of lips lightly to replace the color.

Looks good with:

Dramatic black winged liner. It actually looks very “cyber-geisha” in real life.

(This is fun and dramatic, but not exactly something you should wear to your next meal. It will take you too much time to touch up.)

Ode to Ruby Woo (MAC)

—-

[Pic source http://birdsandshoes.com/]

This is one of those obsessions where maybe once a week, I’ll find myself making plans to stop by a MAC counter. I haven’t given in because every time I do drop by and pick up a tube of Ruby Woo to swatch on the back of my hand, the uber-hard, “drying-clay” texture shocks me all over again.

I find myself asking the same question that I’ve asked a dozen times before. “How can a lipstick made in this century be this dry and hard to apply?”

Well the answer is simply that Ruby Woo is what MAC classifies as a Retro Matte. (Meaning, they intentionally made it a pain in the wazoo to apply, so that you remember it’s not “just another red”.) Gimicky? Maybe. But it’s also completely matte, even compared to other mattes.

But it’s an undeniably rich, beautiful, true pin-up red. If you can actually get it on to full intensity properly without rubbing your lips off.

[Pic source: http://becauselondon.com]

I’d liken it to the hot guy who just won’t look your way. It just makes you want him more.

Well, I have a staple red lip. It’s called (what else?) Russian Red. It’s actually a smoother, richer texture, and a heck of a lot more comfortable to wear than Ruby Woo. But then I know the next time I pass by a MAC counter, I’ll find myself going up to the lipstick rack and picking up a tube of that most gloriously-red and unbelievably-stubborn lipstick named Ruby Woo to scrape across the back of my hand.

Holiday Glam: Smoky Blackened-Gold with Crimson lips

—-

Most of the time, we pair dark smoky eyes with muted lips, but that does not mean you can’t pair it with a strong lip for the holiday season. 

To keep the eyes sultry but not overly heavy and severe, I adapted the traditional black eye with 2 shades:

• A pale gold on the lid (I mixed a blend of translucent silver and gold mica to get that specific “cold-gold” shade, but any gold pigment would work as long as it’s very metallic (e.g. MAC Gold Metal Pigment) or applied with a dampened brush for a foiled finish.
• Pigmented matte black shadow (you can get this from inexpensive brands with strong pigments such as Wet n Wild, Sleek, etc. as they work just as well as MAC or other high-end brands)

—-

Step 1:  Using a firm, pointed pencil brush or a flat angled brush, apply a stroke of black along the lower lash line, starting ALMOST from the inner corner (leave the inner-most corner clean so you don’t close off your eye totally) and pull out past the outer corners slightly.  You’ll likely need to re-dip your brush to get an even stroke of color as firm brushes give precision but do not pick up a lot of product.

—-

Step 2: With the same brush, draw another line along the socket, but don’t touch the inner corners of your eyes. (If your eyes are very close set, you might want to start the line nearer the middle of your eye,)

The outer corner of the upper line should meet the lower line in a rough wing shape. Do not worry about getting neat lines. 

Draw a third stroke along the outer half of the upper lashes as well.

The finished look will be something like the below. Look straight ahead into the mirror or take a picture to check that the top line looks more or less symmetrical on both eyes.

—-

Step 3: Smoke it all out! Dip a soft blending brush lightly into the black shadow so there is just a bit of color, and then run it briskly along the top socket line to smoke everything out. This is where you add more black to even out the amount of color on both eyes until they are roughly equal.

—-

Step 4: The fun part. Use a flat brush to pack gold pigment onto the lids. Any shade of gold, bronze or deeper silvers would work for this, but I do recommend loose metallic pigments for the most dramatic effect against the black. Fill in all the bare areas from the inner corners of the lids outwards.

A less shiny shade will give less contrast so if you’re worried about looking too dramatic, by all means choose a softer finish.

—-

Step 5: Add definition back. 

• I applied black liquid liner along the top lashes and then use the pointed or flat brush to run black shadow along the line. This smokes it out and keeps it from looking too precise and harsh.
• pale yellow pencil to the waterline (my trusty Make Up Store Vanilla Matt pencil), and then 
• went back in with the soft blending brush dipped in black. Start to buff inot and intensify the black and gently blend into the edges of the gold so there are no obvious lines. Remember the overall look is predominantly smoky black, with a flash of gold.

Step 6: Finish by curling lashes and applying mascara (Bourjois Volume Glamour Max in Black). You can wear lashes with this look, but I chose not to as it might obscure the trace of gold but if you have very big lid space, it would totally work.

—-

Step 7: On the cheeks, I applied a bit of MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Dark as subtle warm contour just under the cheekbones, and skipped blusher as it would just compete with the lips and eyes.

Step 8: On the lips, I applied a full-on deep-red matte lip using MAC Russian Red lipstick (this is actually not a blue-based red despite what some say; it’s more of a dark true-red). I don’t have a dark, cooler-toned black cherry shade or that would look even more dramatic with this eye.

—-

Other Products Used:

• Foundation: Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation #52 for a velvety matte glow
• Concealer: Amazing Cosmetics Amazing Concealer in Fair for a slightly brighter under-eye since the makeup is so smoky and dark
•  Setting Powder: MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Medium

Recommended nail shade: Black creme, to keep things edgy but refined!

Leighton Meester with Classic Matte Red Lips and Super-full Lashes

—-

[Source: http://celebrity-photos.elliottback.com]

Clean, fresh, and reminiscent of old Hollywood glamour. Pair glowing skin and outward-flairing lashes (try Eylure Girls Aloud Nicola lashes) with a light dusting of red blush and matte red lips.

The cheeks and the lips hold a hint of cinnamon warmth, so don’t use anything too pink-based or dark. For cheeks, try NYX Cinnamon blush.

For the lips, try Revlon Ravish Me Red if you’re as pale as Leighton, and NYX Matte Lipstick in Pure Red if you are more tan. It’s about making your skin glow, but not sacrificing too much “redness” on the lips and cheeks.