New Mac Collections!

even though MAC comes out with a new collection every 5 minutes, i don't usually post about them because every other beauty blogger in the world covers them and i try to give my readers something new to digest when they visit my blog. regardless of the fact that i usually don't cover them, this new Cremesheen collection has really caught my attention (and now yours, too)! it consits of 14 new shades of lipstick and one new nail lacquer (shown in above picture). i think my excitement has something to do with the fact that A. i've never been a big lipstick person but B. MAC is the only makeup company that has ever been able to get me really, truly excited about buying lipstick. it's their colors, textures, finishes, and just general 'MAC-appeal' that have hooked me many times before and from looking at the swatches online, unfortunately may hook me again soon!

also exciting on the new MAC front is their upcoming Suite Array collection which consits of 8 new eye shadow duos and 8 new Pearlglide Eyeliners which are creamy, kohl-like liners in pearly, metallic finishes! how perfect will those be for the holiday season when you want something sparkly to glam it up without looking like a trashy disco-ball? i am extremely anxious to get my salivating self to the nearest counter and swatch these eyeliners on my hand to see what they truly look like. since MAC's online color swatches can never be trusted, seeing the colors in person is the only way to really know if you'll be head-over-heels for any of them, but if you want to get an idea what they'll look like, check them out here.

Wing It

lately i have been very fixated on colorful winged eyeliner, and instead of buying a thousand different colors of liquid or gel liner to get this look, i've been using my eye shadows! i already have a bathroom full of eye shadows, and this way i can wear a different color everyday if i want without spending a ton of money. now, there are a few different ways to do this, the better way being to use a liquid specifically designed for this purpose that helps the shadow to go on smoothly and stay on all day! some good options for this are products like MAC's Mixing Medium, a liquid that you add to shadows or pigments to get a liquid color, but unfortunately you can only buy this from the MAC Pro line, which you need a membership to (if interested, go here to join). for those of us who aren't MAC Pro members, i know of a very simple recipe to make a homemade version of the Mixing Medium that works just as well! check out this post from Pursebuzz for the ingredients needed and directions, and start lining! if you're not interested in making your own version, Too Faced has a product called Liquif-Eye, $17.50, which is a clear liquid housed in a little well with a felt-tipped applicator that turns any shadow into a waterproof eyeliner! and if you're me, you just use tap water for the job, LOL!

once you've secured your mixing liquid, you'll need an area to moisten your shadow and make it into a liner! a little tip i've learned is that the easiest thing to use for this is a clean contact lens case! just think about it, it has two perfect little wells where you can mix whatever you'd like, and is inexpensive and easy to clean. perfect! now choose your shadow; i personally like dark, shimmery colors, my current favorite being MAC's Deep Truth eye shadow, $14, a jewel-toned blue color. eye shadow pigments work perfectly for this job, and whether you use one from MAC or one of Bare Escentuals loose shadows, you'll need a brush to apply. my favorite for the job? MAC's 209 Eyeliner brush, $17. if you aren't using a loose shadow, my recommendation is to only moisten your brush slightly and use one small corner of your eye shadow pan to pull color from, so you aren't adding moisture to your whole pan of shadow. do a few practice strokes on your hand to make sure the color saturation is right, and line away!

i think that a bright pop of winged liner looks so modern and fresh, especially for the summer. my favorite way to wear it? without any other eye shadow to complicate things on a slightly bronzed face with sharp, groomed brows and neutral, glossy lips (might i recommend MAC's Bonus Beat lipglass from the Heatherette Collection?). you'll love this look, so don't be afraid to experiment and try it out! and when you get countless compliments, don't forget to thank the Kitty! ;D

Pop Tarte

i think everyone who reads my blog knows i'm helplessly addicted to QVC, right? i mean i TiVo every single show that has anything beauty-related on and watch them numerous times! (more on my QVC obsession here) well Maureen Kelly, creater of Tarte Cosmetics, is a regular fixture on the Q and i always enjoy watching her presentations because A. she's gorgeous and always has the most perfect dark manicures and fabulous long red hair and B. she's sweet and very 'every woman' and C. i always want to buy her products! the only times i've dabbled in Tarte makeup were when i bought their Lights, Camera, Lashes mascara (which i felt was very mediocre) and a single eyeshadow pan (color: Luuucy I'm Home, a very beautiful shimmery grey which i would highly rec!), but lately i've been getting lulled into wanting to try out one of their famous cheek stains, $28.

the cheek stains are what Tarte is best known for, and they've won several Allure Best Of Beauty awards and many other awards from other beauty mags, too. what's different about them is that they're a water-based gel cheek color, and they're oil-free and alcohol-free, and contain super fruits which are very beneficial for your skin. since they're not a dry dusty powder or a greasy cream, they are undetectable on your skin and you actually look like your glow is coming from within. they were the first of their kind, and people went craaaazy for them, but i've never tried one, so i'm wondering if you all could tell me what you think about them if you've tried them before. they're available in nine shades at Sephora and i think i'm leaning towards Sunkissed and Tipsy...

anyways, the other Tarte product that i'm craving is their EmphasEYES High Definition Eye Pencil, $18. lately i've been rocking the black-liner-on-the-inner-rims look, and this is exactly what EmphasEYES (it's so annoying to write it that way each time!) was created for, being that it's super thin with no sharp wood surrounding it's tip and it's formula
includes palm oil for a smooth glide and silicon for long-wear that your eye's natural moisture won't wash away. i think it's a little bit gimmicky but as of right now i don't own a pencil that will stay put on my waterline and using my MAC Blacktrack Fluidline is too much fuss; a pencil is just so much more convenient (and i'm lazy). it comes in four colors, black, brown, green, and plum, and only QVC has it in navy.

so what's the verdict, readers? have you tried either one of these products? if so, please let me know what you think of them! and also, if you have a favorite black eyeliner that stays put on the waterline, i'd love to hear about it!

private (smoky) eyes, are watching youuuu.....

hey all! a post tonight on an obsession/phobia i've cured once and for all...the simple smoky eye! this is a look i've coveted since i was about 10 years old when i hurriedly paged, wide-eyed and breathless, through Sassy magazine (which i loved and MISS so much, oh why can't Sassy please come back?!). however, i was born with a cruel affliction known to the general public as BLONDE EYELASHES! eeeeeek! if you're familiar with this curse or suffer from it yourself, you know you look like hermit crab without mascara and that it is virtually IMPOSSIBLE to wear black eyeliner because you can always see your blonde lash roots peeking forth and it completely ruins the look! try and try again as you might, you'll never conquer this annoying lash-root-visibility until you have the proper tools...


1. a flat, STIFF, eyeliner brush! my personal favorite (pictured here, the Japonesque Travel Sized Flat Eyeliner Brush, around $8) is the most IMPORTANT tool i can urge you to purchase for this mission, ladies! sometimes referred to as a 'push' brush, this badboy will take those blonde eyelashes and make them wish they were born dark! the way you'll use this wonderful little brush is by taking some dark pigment (such as powder, cake, pencil or gel eyeliner) and actually 'pushing' it into your lashline, right between your eyelash roots. this masks fair eyelash roots and makes your lashline blend into your eyeliner line just like it's supposed to! also i should mention along with this first tool is how essential an eyelash curler is to helping this look come together. if you curl your lashes sky-high before you attempt to use the push brush, it will help to open up the area and give you easy access to those between-the-lashes spots. next up in order of essentialness...


2. your choice of black eyeliner! i come from the 'black is best' side of the fence, whether it comes to mascara or eyeliner, i feel that EVERYONE looks best in black. that's not to say that you might not want to rock a rich brown or shimmery purple (as i sometimes do, also) but since we're discussing the simple smoky eye, i figure we'll stick with basic black. my pick for eyeliner for this task is MAC's Fluidline in Blacktrack, $15. this, my friends, is perfection and LIFESAVER in a pot! Blacktrack is a soft gel eyeliner with the blackest black pigment and the BEST staying power, EVER! it applies smoothly and evenly in the first stroke of your brush, no retracing needed, and the economically priced pot will last you AGES. what i like to do when going for the simple smoky eye is first trace a line of this on my top lashline with MAC's 209 Eyeliner Brush, $17, and after letting it dry for a minute or so, i curl my lashes and then whip out my handy Japonesque push brush and get to darkening those lash roots! i do this by gently tapping the tips of the bristles into the Blacktrack and then wiggling them into my lashline. easy as 1,2,3 and works like a charm!

3. personalize your look! this is where you get to flex your creative muscles. you can add some black eyeliner to your bottom lashline and waterline or just go for the dark look on your top eyelid. you can smudge or leave your lines sharp! for a softer looking, pencil eyeliner for your bottom lashline, i am LOVING Rimmel's Soft Kohl Kajal Eye Pencil in Jet Black, $3.19 (at Drugstore.com), which is so soft and sooty and black! it goes on without a bit of tugging and lasts fairly well for a pencil so soft and smudge-able. i wore this the other night on my bottom waterline and it did need a few touch-ups but for the look it gives you at the cut-rate price it comes at, no problem for me! when i'm doing a smoky eye, i like my lashes to be as over the top as i can get them, and Too Faced Lash Injection Mascara, $19.50, is my personal FAVORITE PICK for ultra lush volume and length. this mascara, another in the tube variety like Imju's Fiberwig, gives you amazing volume, holds a curl like CEMENT and never flakes or smudges. this is the mascara you will want to use for your best look at me lashes!

well i hope i've helped just one of the lash challenged girls who i used to belong to. rock your smoky eyes with all the gusto you can muster up, ladies! it doesn't have to be hard, as long as you get the basic elements of the look down pat, you can run with it! meow!