The Makeup Box

Primrose Pink: Bright Summer Lipsticks from MAC, Shu Uemura, and Barry M)

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Not everyone loves a blue-based true pink. If you want to start wearing brighter, happier shades, a warm coral-toned primrose pink is a nice place to start. 

This type of bright medium-pink has a lovely dash of salmon/red thrown in, which warms it up and makes it flattering for many skin tones. There are several options on the market right now, and I know of 4.

Barry M Pink Ribbon is the sheerest and glossiest, so if you don’t want anything to strong or bright, this is a good one to start out with.

MAC Chatterbox is probably the most accessible shade in terms of availability (though I don’t own it). It’s got a similar sheen to Pink Ribbon. 

MAC Force of Love is the brightest of the lot. Still a primrose pink, but matte and a lot more vivid and slightly more salmon-toned.

Shu Uemura Evil Pink has the cutest name. It’s part of the Rouge Unlimited Supreme Matte line, so it’s very similar to Force of Love in texture and tone, but deeper and less neon though the difference is not so apparent on camera. It’s a touch deeper and more pink, and also wears a little more evenly than Force of Love and feels just as comfortable, so I actually recommend this more than the MAC, though it’s more expensive. 

(I got my Shu Uemura at a Cosmetic outlet store for about $10SGD (approx USD8) less than retail, which is the only reason I discovered the shade at all!)

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Shown in full-face image:

Nails: Revlon Top Speed Nail Enamel in 130 Candy

Eyes: Coastal Scents Doe Tail Mineral Shadow (inner half of lids), MAC Shale Shadow (outer half)

Cheeks: I Nuovi Thumbelina blush

Smoky Brown with Electric-Blue Liner (Bourjois Intense Extrait 08 and Regard Effet Metallise 54 Bleu Clinquant)

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This is a super-simple way to dress up browns without piling on a whole lot of color. If you enjoy wearing color along your lash line, this is also a way to get it to to stay longer and more intense along the waterline. 

I used a lot of Bourjois in this look (uninentionally, but aside from the electric blue pencil, it’s easy to find lots of alternatives and many makeup wearer should already have similar shades in their collection).

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Step 1: Apply a brown or nude base to the entire lid, thinning out towards the brow bones. I used MAC Cream Color Base in Take Root.

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Step 2: Run a metallic chocolate pencil along the upper and lower lash lines, drawing it thick  on the bottom lashes. I used Boujois Regard Effet Metallise Pencil in Brun Inoxydable.

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Step 3: Pack a rich russet brown (Bourjois Intense Extrait Shadow #08) over the entire lid, blending above the socket  and  upwards toward the brow at the inner corners for a slightly more doe-eyed effect.

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Step 4: Run a metallic cyan blue (Bourjois Regard Effet Metalise in 54 Bleu Clinquant is one of the most gorgeous I’ve seen) along the water line. You will need to go over your waterline about twice to even out and pack on the color.

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Step 5: To intensify, set and stop the blue liner from fading due to the moisture from your eyes, use a flat brush to carefully pack a translucent aqua-blue shimmer or micro-glitter (try MAC Reflects Transparent Teal) onto the water line, over the blue pencil. This gives a very intense sparkle.

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Step 6: Apply black along the tide line (upper lashes) and apply black mascara to finish.

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Step 7: For the cheeks I applied pink blush, and then on the lips, I layered a pale nude lipstick (Barry M 154 Pale Nude - or any concealer-nude shade you have) and a bright peachy-pink (Barry M 153 Pink Ribbon - this is almost an exact dupe for MAC’s Amplified Lipstick in Chatterbox so use that if you don’t have access to Barry M).

You can also just apply a pink gloss over a nude lipstick if you want something with more sheen.