FOTN

Last night I went out with some friends and my boyfriend. Wore a black and paisley maxi dress so I wanted a dramatic smokey eye with some cool eyeliner action. I love liquid or gel eyeliner because it has the power to transform the eye shape, and therefore the look. When I wear eyeliner like the one from this look I feel like my inner Cleopatra comes out. The next step is to grow some hair on this head....

FOTN - With flash

FOTN - No flash

FOTN - No flash, florescent lighting

Close up

FOTN side view. No flash

FOTN - With flash

Products used:

Face

-Laura Mercier Foundation Primer

-Hourglass Veil Fluid Makeup Oil Free SPF 15

-Giorgio Armani Master Corrector in #1

-MAC Studio Finish Concealer SPF 15 in NW20

-Sally Hansen Natural Beauty by Carmindy Luminous Matte Pressed Powder

-Nars Laguna Bronzer

-Giorgio Armani Blushing Fabric Second Skin Blush in #1

-Urban Decay All Nighter Long Lasting Makeup Setting Spray 

Eyes

-Urban Decay Eye Primer Potion

-L'Oreal Infallible Eyeshadow in 890 Bronzed Taupe

-L'Oreal Infallible Eyeshadow in 408 Gleaming Bronze

-Chanel Ombre Essentielle in 75 Magic Night

-Urban Decay Eyeshadow in Hustle

-Clinique Brush-On Cream Eyeliner in 02 True Black

-Maybelline New York Master Eye Drama by Eye Studio in Midnight Master

-Maybelline New York Lash Discovery Mascara in Very Black

-L'Oreal Voluminous Carbon Black

Lips

-Estee Lauder Electric Intense LipCreme in #715 Fatale

Hope you liked it! I need to figure out a better way to capture FOTD photos, especially during the night when the light doesn't show the true colors of the look. As for now, these will do.

xxx

-Leetal

Mac Blush in Modern Mandarin

Modern Mandarin - No flash

When Mac announced a few months ago that it was going to release a blush-only collection I almost fainted in excitement (alright, it's a bit of an exaggeration.... but only a bit). The blush addict in me was disappointed as of late with the lack of blushes in the past few limited edition releases. Some gorgeous colors came out but there were no new colors for my sad cheeks. Lo and behold Mac released at the beginning of April a beautiful, limited-edition, 6-piece blush collection called Tres Cheek. The colors are all very modern and absolutely gorgeous. Disappointed no more! On the day of the in-store release I took the train downtown and was literally the first one to try them on! I was so tempted to get them all but I had to limit myself to two blushes. I picked up Lovecloud and Modern Mandarin, which both have a satin finish. Today I'm reviewing Modern Mandarin:

Modern Mandarin - With Flash

Modern Mandarin is a beautiful Tangerine color with a satin finish. It reads more pink in photos but it is actually a beautiful orange based blush, as the name suggests. I think the shade suits a variety of skin tones, though I would suggest that the fairer ladies use a light hand. It's one of those shades that I don't think will become ashy on dark skin tones, I think it will add a great pop of color with a heavy hand but can look rather natural with a lighter hand. It has fairly good pigmentation and is buildable but it's easy to defuse; I experienced no problems with blending. As with all satin finishes this blush has no obvious glitter or shimmer, but it's not completely matte either. It leaves a beautiful sheen on the skin that looks glowy. A glitter-bomb is the last look I want to sport this summer. Really great shade for the summer; I can see this looking really great with a tan.

Modern Mandarin swatches - With flash

This photo is a pretty accurate representation of the color. The heavy swatch on the right looks like the blush color in the pan to the naked eye. On the left is the color you'll get when blended. The color can be blended down further however for the sake of this review I wanted the color to be noticeable.

It's been a few weeks since the release of the collection. This color, among others, is already sold out online. I suspect that it's already sold out in-store as well, however you might still be in luck so I'd suggest you call or visit several stores to confirm.

What do you think of the tangerine trend we're seeing lately? Do you own any blushes from the Tres Cheek collection? Any more blush recommendations? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

xxx

-Leetal

Headshot

About a year ago I did my friend's makeup for her actor's head shot. She wanted a natural, lit from within look,  and I'm pretty pleased with the results. The makeup was meant to look as if she wasn't wearing any, yet the look still required some polish.

 The makeup is almost undetectable, actually.

Products used:

-Giorgio Armani Face Fabric Foundation SPF 12 - #1
-Neutrogena SkinClearing Blemish Concealer SPF 15 - #05 - Fair
-Giorgio Armani Sheer Blush - #10
-Wet N' Wild Eyeshadow Trio in #335 Silent Treatment
-L'Oréal Paris Extra-Intense Liquid Pencil Eyeliner in Black
-Giorgio Armani Eyes to Kill in Steel Black
-Revlon Age Defying Spa Illuminator SPF 18 - #020 Pink Light  
-Giorgio Armani Shine Lipstick #22



Chelsea had dry, flaky skin from the harsh winter last year so I skipped powder altogether.

Looking back, I would change very few things. I wish I had used a higher coverage foundation to create a completely flawless base. It's not that Chelsea has obvious blemishes or uneven skin, but I feel as if the shot would have benefited from a HD foundation. I would also even out her under eye area a bit more, perhaps used a salmon concealer to neutralize the under eye area.

Could it be that I'm too hard on myself because I didn't use Photoshop? In a world of magazine editorials with models sporting flawless computer-enhanced skin, it's hard sometimes to remember that absolute perfection is unattainable. I purposely chose to not use Photoshop; I wanted Chelsea's true beauty to shine through. A 100% real.

Photo by me.


xxx

-Leetal