The Makeup Box

My 5-minute Colorful Half-Liner Eye Look

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This is a super quick eye look that I always pop on when I don’t have a lot of time to do my face, and want an eye that is subtle but still has a shot of fun color. I tend to pair this look with a strong blush and bright lips (a coral-pink mostly).

Image notes: 1st image was taken over the weekend for Instagram, with a translucent gold glitter shadow on (Chanel Illusion D’ombre in Vision). For the other images, I used a shimmery beige to demonstrate. Hence the slight difference in finishes!

You don’t need to be an expert or to have a very steady hand to do this. Plus you have tons of shade options. Any colored liner pencil will work as that accent shade, so pick a violet or a royal blue, even a lime green; whatever you like!

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Simple, Colorful Reverse-Liner with Bright Lips

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Anonymous:

I’m the kind of girl who wears tons of eye make up EVERY day, but I really want to start wearing the kinds of bright pink lip sticks you’ve been posting. What kind of toned down eye make can I wear with that, without over doing that?

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This look is so simple it’s not even a tutorial. If you are used to playing up your eyes a lot, but want to try amplifying your lips instead, the good news is that you don’t necessarily need to go with a nondescript, neutral eye.

I do often just pair bright lips with soft bronze-brown on the lids, but if you want a bit of fun, try applying a stroke of strong, colorful liner on the lower lash line. For this look, I’m demonstrating with 2 of the strongest colored products I have; Milani Liquif’ Eye Pencil 04 Aqua, and Lime Crime’s Countessa Fluorescent.

The only important thing to note is that if you are going light on the lids, make sure you add definition to your lash line. As I wanted the “un-lined” look, I applied liquid liner to the tightline, instead of above the lashes. (If you don’t have a steady hand, use a long-wearing black pencil like Milani Liquif’Eye instead of liquid liner. I love this because unless your eyes are super-watery or super-oily, it will set in 10-15 seconds and not budge for a long time.)

Then finish with mascara, apply your choice of heart-stoppingly strong lipstick, and lightly dust on the sheerest touch of a blush that matches it in shade (e.g. NYX Pinky or elf Passion). Since the lips and the eyes are so strong, I really recommend doing your blush last for this type of look, or the amount you apply before your lipstick goes on might be a bit too much later.

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Extra Tip: You can skip the colorful liner for day and then use it to transform your look for a night out!

2 Hot Drugstore Lipsticks for Spring/Summer: Review and Swatches for Milani Mango Mambo and Rose Hip

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Color Perfect Lipsticks

One of their star products are the Color Perfect Lipsticks, which are silky, richly-pigmented, and come in trendy colors (like Mango Mambo and Rose Hip). If you are interested in getting 2012’s hottest color, Tangerine, or the ever-popular Hot Pink, but find yourself on a tight budget, Milani is one of your best bets.

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Overall texture

These are a cross between MAC Lustres and Amplified Cremes. They are not as highly-pigmented as Amplified Cremes, so you will need to apply a couple of coats to build up the color, but they aren’t as slick and sheer as Lustres.

One thing I noticed was that bright shades like Mango Mambo and Rose Hip aren’t totally color-true when applied. They go on more translucent and darker, until you build it up to a few layers, so if you love strong pigmentation from the first swipe, these are not the lipsticks for that.

If your lips are very dark or pigmented, you may notice pigments settling into lines.

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Wear

This is a creamy lipstick, so you know it’s not going to stay through a greasy meal. I’d say it lasts through about 3-4 hours of normal wear (talking, drinking, etc) before you need a touch-up noticeably.

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Scent

Fruity-floral; quite strong. You might want to avoid if your skin is sensitive to fragrances in lip products.

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Shade Range: 

The line has more than 40 shades so you’re likely to find something you like. Finding a single place with all 40+ swatches is almost impossible though, so you’ll need to Google Image each shade one by one most of the time.

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Other cool products from Milani

Milani Lip Flash (lustre lipstick in a jumbo pencil form)

Milani Baked Blushes (I have 3 to swatch and review for you soon)

Milani Liquif’Eye Eye Pencils (cult favorite)

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If you’re interested in checking out Color Perfect Lipsticks and other Milani products, they’re available online for international buyers at Beautyjoint.com with a 5% discount code (MAKEUPBOX) for Makeup Box readers!

Best Tangerine, Coral, Orange… Powder Blushes

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Tangerine blush is fun, flirty, and pretty. It goes with peach, red, orange and nude lips and is also the 2012 “It” shade.

I own 3 currently; 

I Nuovi Thumbelina: Pale peachy-orange. This came with one of those fluffy velour puffs but I threw them out and just apply with a brush. I love light blushes because I can layer and layer to slowly build up a soft, pretty pastel flush, and it doesn’t look streaky. 

NYX Cinnamon: Acidic, unapologetic matte true-orange. Worn on the cheeks, it almost looks coral-red. Not for the faint of heart but great if you want your blush to be noticeable. Can be dusted on lightly for a softer reddish cheek as well.

Milani Baked Blush in Corallina: Sparkly coral. This cult favorite has a bit more shine and a bit more pink in it than NYX Cinnamon, but is still a true coral/orange. If you have pink undertines, this tangerine will look nicer than something like NYX Cinnamon, which has a lot more yellow.

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I wouldn’t say I have a favorite, because I use them all on different occasions.

Thumbelina: I use this when I want my cheeks to be very soft and subtle, and the color to match an orange based lip, but not be obvious at all.

NYX Cinnamon: I wear this when I have loads of sparkle on my eyes and lips and want to keep my chheks matte, or need a blush that comes off as almost red/brick on the face. This is the best blush to go with coral-red lips like MAC Lady Danger.

Milani Corallina: This is probably the most versatile because if you are light-handed, it can be just a wisp of peach, but if you really pack it on, it can get really intense and vibrant.  Great if you want a nice glow to your cheeks.

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P.S. Milani and NYX blushes are available at beautyjoint.com with a 5% discount if you enter MAKEUPBOX in the coupon box during checkout!

Milani Haute Flash Full Coverage Shimmer Lipglosses (lip swatches and review)

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I might be a little late to the Haute Flash game, but I found out not too long ago that Milani has come up with a line of full coverage Shimmery Glosses which remind me suspiciously of MAC and Lime Crime ones. 

Of course, I was curious if a drugstore brand could really match up to the high-end ones, so here’s the run-down.

There are 6 shades I believe, but I only got 4; 

102 Flashy: Neon sparkly blue-pink (below)

103 In a Flash: Deep sparky plum-purple (below)

106 Quick Flash:  Soft sparkly baby-pink

101 Hot Flash: Red on red sparkle (below)

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Smell: 

Not discernible

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Texture/Feel: 

Medium-thickness, like a Plushglass, but a lot less sticky. Not as thick as Lime Crime Carousel Glosses, and only moderately buildable in coverage.

Slight minty tingle on the lips, which is quite pleasant and inoffensive even if you dislike minty feeling products.

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Opacity:

If MAC Dazzleglasses are a 3 and Lime Crime Carousels an 8, these are about 6. I wouldn’t say they are really full-coverage, but you definitely get pretty good color payoff. All lip swatches shown above were done with just gloss over bare lips, without base or liner. 

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Application:

I really like the flat doe-foot paddle. The wide surface picks up more product than the typical doe-foot applicator shape, and allows you to apply a thicker layer of product without sacrificing control.

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Wear/Tenacity:

These wear like the typical gloss. They aren’t sticky, which is a plus for those who hate a gummy texture on the lips, but this also means it does not stay on as long as stickier glosses do. I’d say you can go 3-4 hours without touch-ups. 

It also goes on fairly evenly and does not gunk up in the center of your lips or in cracks. 

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Colors:

The colors are really pretty of course. My initial favorite shade was 102 Flashy, the hot pink, but then this particular gloss also has the poorest texture, as it is slightly gritty and lumpy.

The one I reach for most is Quick Flash because it’s so pretty and wearable for everyone. My least-favorite shade is 103 In a Flash, because it’s a deep prune-purple which does not wear as evenly as the other shades, although it does make a statement. You will need to apply a thick layer and keep touching up to keep it looking its best.

If you like really strong color, these are probably not going to have enough of a kick for you. If you want more color than regular glosses but don’t want anything too high-maintenance or dramatic, then you should try these.

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Finish:

These are not very glossy compared to other tube glosses. The texture is more like that of stick products like Revlon Lip Butters or MAC Sheen Supremes but in a tube, so you get sparkle but not dramatic shine. 

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Price:

At $7.25 per tube from Beautyjoint.com, these are not cheap compared to some drugstore glosses but definitely way cheaper than similar department store equivalents. (Use coupon code: MAKEUPBOX for an additional 5% off.)

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Verdict?

If can’t bear to shell out for MAC Sheen Supreme lipsticks but find Revlon Lip Butter shades a little too “tame” (which I do) then these are great for giving color, sparkle and some shine. I wouldn’t put these in the same category as other full-cover glosses and lacquers.