Pastels & purple: A springtime look

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So they say that purple really brings out blue eyes.  I have to say that I agree with this logic, but for some reason I hardly wear the colour.  Maybe it’s because I like browns better, or maybe it’s due to the fact that I find purple not suitable for everyday wear, but although I have many purples in my collection, I hardly reach for the shade.

Until now.

With spring coming up, I want to freshen up the look, so I chose to wear this light look out last Saturday night for sangria on a patio.  I doubled up a hot baby pink with MAC’s Myth on the lips for a pretty pink nude shade and added a subtle purple liner that kept it neutral, but with enough colour to make my eyes pop.

Final 2 Steps 1. With an orange shadow and a fluffy crease brush, lightly dust this into your crease. I used Make Up For Ever Artist Shadow in S-74).

2. With a frosty pink (like Make Up For Ever Artist Shadow in ME-612), apply this all over the lids.

3. Using a cream (like MAC Naked Lunch), apply this in the inner corner, sweeping it towards the centre of the lid.

4. Next, with a fluffy crease brush and a matte grey, lightly apply this in the crease.  Make sure you don’t go too heavy with it. I used Make Up For Ever Artist Shadow in M-110.

5. To add a pop of colour, grab an opaque purple liner and apply it to the lower lash line.  You can really use any colour for this look (blue would look super pretty), but I chose purple because I have blue eyes and I wanted to keep it springy. I used Revlon Color Stay Eyeliner in Amethyst. After, line your waterline with a nude to open up the eye area.  I used Rimmel London ScandalEyes Eyeliner in Nude.

6. Line your upper lash line with a brown eyeliner and then apply a couple coats of mascara.  I chose to use a brown liner to keep the look more subtle, black can look a bit harsh sometimes.

7. For the lips, I used Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Intense in 51 with MAC Myth over top.

Final 1

As for the skin, I used Glo Minerals Luxe Liquid Foundation, with the Make Up For Ever 5-Color Concealer palette under the eyes.  For the rest of the face, I bronzed a bit with Radiant Glow from the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder palette, then defined the contour with the bronzer from the Make Up For Ever Pro Sculpting Duo.  For the cheeks, I used Revlon’s Cream Blush in Flushed.  For that spring glow, I first laid down Benefit High Beam on the tops of my cheekbones then went over top with the highlight from the Make Up For Ever Pro Sculpting Duo. To set it all I used Make Up For Ever Mist & Fix.

Slap on some sunnies and you are good to go!  My shades are from Free People, cool enough to wear in the sun, and then when you take them off you’ll be looking fresh with that purple liner.

Happy spring!

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All lacquered up: OPI Infinite Shine nail lacquers and system

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First there was CND, then Sally Hansen, then Revlon, and now, OPI has their own version.  I’m talking about at-home gel polishes with no curing needed, of course.

OPI’s Infinite Shine line is available in 30 different shades, with a base coat (Infinite Shine 1 Primer) and a topcoat (Infinite Shine 2 Gloss).  This three step system (primer, lacquer, gloss) promises high-definition gel shine that wears up to 10 days.  Best of all, it’s a soak-off polish, meaning none of that tinfoil stuff to remove it, like a normal gel mani.

I’ve tried many different “at-home” gel polishes. This one is different because it has that third step, the primer, which for all the other lines I’ve tried, the base coat is usually built into the lacquer. I’ve also been a bit skeptical about these, as I find that depending on the line they are hit or miss.  I don’t find that Sally Hansen’s OMGel lasts long on me, neither does CND’s Vinyluxe. I’ve had the most luck with Revlon’s so far, and I actually use their topcoat often with my normal polishes for some longevity on my nails.

I received the Gloss, Primer and three creme shades, Relentlessly Ruby, Steel Waters Run Deep, and Never Give Up!.

Relentless Ruby Steel Waters Run Deep Never give up Okay, so I had mixed thoughts about this line.  I originally put on Steel Waters Run Deep, which literally had some major chips the next day.  Naturally I took that off after a day’s wear, instead reaching for Relentlessly Ruby, which held up for five days before I took it off (it could have gone longer but I like changing my polish).  I’ve also tried the Primer and Gloss with some of their regular polishes from the Hawaii collection and those colours also held up longer than a normal polish would typically would with a regular topcoat.

I definitely think this is the best at-home no-cure gel system available in the salon world, but with that being said, I think all you need are the Primer and Gloss and basically use whatever polish you want. I didn’t find a huge difference between the regular line and the Infinite Shine polishes.  In fact, the Infinite Shine polishes retail for five dollars more than the standard polishes, so unless you see a shade that you are absolutely dying to have, save your money and just pick up a similar one from the normal OPI line (I believe the Infinite Shine line are dupes for colours from the original line anyways.

Have you tried OPI’s Infinite Shine gel polishes? What were your thoughts?

Please note, I was sent these products from PR. All opinions are my own.

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Lips & pearls: A Breakfast at Tiffany’s inspired look, feat. New York Color

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I have a confession to make. I have never seen the movie Breakfast at Tiffany’s. I seriously think I’m the only girly-girl out there who hasn’t seen this classic film that made Audrey Hepburn famous.  You would think this movie would be my fave, but no, I’m more interested in horror (some of my absolute favourite films are Edward Scissorhands and The Ring).

So this brings me to today’s post.  This month’s #NYCBeautyPro challenge was to recreate a look from a movie in preparation for the Tribeca Film Festival that takes place April 15-26. Everyone knows the iconic Audrey Hepburn black dress, pearls, cigarette stick (that’s what they’re called right?) look, and since we were sent some pretty awesome products this month, I decided to channel my inner Holly Golightly.

In addition to two City Proof 24Hr Eyeshadow Sticks (which I love by the way), we were sent the NYC Color Wheel Mosaic Face Powder in Pink Cheek Glow, as well as all six of the new Smooth Proof Liquid Lip Stains. These little guys give lips a fresh tint of colour and last up to four hours.  I’ll be doing a full review on them soon, so I’m going to keep my thoughts out of this post, but they do have a pretty thin consistency.  If you are looking for something more full coverage, I would try something else.

Final 1

Steps

1. With NYC’s City Proof Long Lasting Eyeshadow in Wall Street Bronze, apply this all over your lids.

2. With a brown eyeshadow (I used a taupey-brown from a NYC trio) apply this lightly in your crease.  We don’t want to go overboard, just add dimension, so go light.

3. Fill in your brows (Audrey Hepburn had some defined brows) and then line your upper lash line with black liner, winging it out.  I used  the NYC City Proof Eyeshadow in New York Night, then went over top with their Show Time Velvet Eyeliner in black. Add some coats of mascara, and if you want (I didn’t), some falsies.

4. Contour your cheeks (I used their Sunny Bronzer) and then with a pink blush, like the Colour Wheel Mosaic Face Powder in Pink Cheek Glow, dust this lightly on your cheeks.

5. For the lips, use a nude lipstick (like the Expert Last Matte Lip Colour in Smooth Beige), then with the Smooch Proof Liquid Lip Stain in In the Spotlight, paint that over top to add a subtle pink shade.

This particular look is super easy to do.  All you basically need is a black winged liner and a nude gloss. Slap on some pearls and diamonds, and if you want to get really fancy, grab a faux cigarette and that fancy stick thing and gloves and you’ll be transformed into Holly in no time!

Who’s your favourite movie character?

Please note, I am part of New York Color’s #NYCBeautyPro program.  All opinions are my own.

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