Makeup
Get Newly Minted: 7 Mint Green Makeup & Beauty Products
Wearing the new LORAC Mint Edition Palette on my eyes, cheeks and lips, and Essie First Timer Nail Polish on my nails
I do declare, Mr. Beauregard…it is hotter than two dozen firemen at a Fourth of July picnic! Pass me another one of those yummy mint juleps, please. 
Mint juleps, mint chocolate chip ice cream cones and mint green makeup — mint green has been trending up lately, appearing on everything from beverages to desserts to lids, lash lines and nails.
I’ve been a mint maven for years. I fell in love with the color in the late ’80s, thanks to a mint green Sharp stereo cassette player I got as a gift.
Remember those? I was obsessed with mine and played my Debbie Gibson and Duran Duran tapes on it until they wore out.
To summarize, I’m mad about mint, and if you are, too, I’m here to help. Make room in your makeup bag for these 7 new minty makeup and beauty products.
1. LORAC Mint Edition Palette, $42
The fully loaded LORAC Mint Edition Palette, with its retro silver and mint packaging, boasts eight powder eyeshadows — seven neutrals and a refreshing burst of mint — but that’s not all.
A peachy pink blush and pearly pink cheek highlighter also reside inside, along with a tube of dainty nude pink liquid lipstick to round out your looks.
Swatches of the shimmery eyeshadows
The mattes
From the left: highlighter, blush and liquid lipstick
2. Beauty Addicts Eyeshadow in Creme De Mint, $15.50
Indie makeup line Beauty Addicts combines shimmery mint with a splash of golden pearl in this long-wearing, super soft single pan of shadow. Pair Creme De Mint with a couple of layers of mascara for a quick, easy eye look that’s totally on trend.
3. Chanel Stylo Eyeshadow in Jade Shore, $34
Shimmery mint Chanel Stylo Eyeshadow in Jade Shore contains a high concentration of water, so when you swipe the twist-up cream shadow across your lids, you’ll feel instantly refreshed! — like you just took a quick dip in the pool.
Wear this high-shine mint green by itself when you want to turn heads, or use it as a base for powder eye shadows.
4. NARS Barrow Street Larger Than Life Long-Wear Eyeliner, $24
Not quite ready to take the mint green eye shadow plunge? Try a swish of Barrow, a long-wearing mint eyeliner, along your upper or lower lash lines instead.
5. Dior Blue Peacock Palette, $60
Birds who flock to feather-soft shadows will find a minty fresh green surrounded by beige and deep greenish blue shades in Dior’s Peacock Palette.
6. Dolce & Gabbana Quad in Fabulous, $59
Although technically, as part of Dolce & Gabbana’s permanent line, Fabulous isn’t new, I still think it deserves a shout-out, not only due to its shimmer, but also because its shadows blend like butter.
It’s quite the splurge at $59, but Dolce & Gabbana’s eye shadows have rarely done me wrong. They last all day long for me and come packed with pigment to spare.
7. Essie First Timer Nail Polish, $8
I can’t help but smile seeing Essie’s creamy, bright minty First Timer Nail Polish on my fingers or toes.
Or fingers and toes.
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
5 Fake Eyelashes Worth Trying
I have four weddings this summer, including two that I’m actually in, so I need to make sure my makeup is fabulous. I plan to do my own for each of the weddings, and I’ve made it my mission to find the best beauty tips and products to make me feel as beautiful as possible for each of them.
First thing on my beauty agenda?
EYELASHES!
Over the last month I’ve bought and tried about 12 different kinds and have (literally) been playing eyelash dress-up rehearsal. I need to make sure they’re easy enough for me to apply myself, but I also need to make sure they’ll stay on throughout the wedding.
I’ve narrowed it down to five that work beautifully and I’m excited to share them with you! These babies are definitely worth trying and won’t break the bank (total bonus):
1. Sephora Collection False Eye Lashes – $10
I loved these because they are ultra full and definitely noticeable. They were also easy to apply and stayed put. Definitely worth the $10! Amazing price, right?
2. Shu Uemura Soft Cross Falso Eyelashes – $23
These are fabulous because they are very natural-looking. The criss-cross design creates the appearance of thicker, more voluminous eyelashes.
3. Maybelline’s Expert Lashes – $7
My mother recommended I try these out and I LOVED them! Not only do I love the price, but they are soft and very natural-looking. You can definitely tell there’s a pop to your eyes, but it’s not overpowering.
4. MAC 30 Lash – $16
I was ga-ga over MAC because each package includes three lengths, so I was able to completely customize and try both dramatic and subtle looks. I LOVED these because with the different kind of weddings I’ll be at, I don’t need the same dramatic look for each of them.
5. Benefit Cosmetics Starlet Lash – $15.00
Super easy to apply, which I LOVE. These are much more of a dramatic look for me, but they are absolutely perfect if that is what you are going for. I love the price and I loved the feel. They weren’t too heavy and really stayed perfectly put.
Best Budge-Proof Cream Eyeshadows
Hi everyone! Looking for a great low-maintenance shadow that’ll last all day? Cream eyeshadows are wonderful because they can be quickly applied to the lid or smudged on the lower lashline and blended with your finger tip. Unfortunately, there are many cream shadows on the market that need a disclaimer… some really won’t last unless you make sure to use a primer first or set them with a powder shadow. I’m thrilled to have found several great lines of cream shadow that require no extra work… and they’ll wear all day (crease-free). As an added bonus, if you do decide to layer powder shadows on top of these to create different looks, these cream shadows can serve as fantastic long-wearing bases. Let’s take a look!
Maybelline Color Tattoo Cream Shadows ($6, Drug/Discount Stores)
After trying so many drugstore cream shadows that either fade or settle into the crease within minutes, the Maybelline Color Tattoos are a breath of fresh air! As with all of the cream shadows I’m going to be mentioning, when you first apply them, you have about 30 seconds to blend them out and get them looking just how you want them- and then they’ll set and go into “smudge-free” mode. You can dab them on the lid with your finger or apply them with a brush. The shades I especially love (shown above) are Tough as Taupe, Bad to the Bronze, and Inked in Pink (from the Metal collection). Lately I’ve loved using the pink on the inner part of the lid, and blending the bronze or taupe shades on the outer half and into the crease.
Mally Beauty Evercolor Shadow Sticks ($25, QVC.com)
These shadow sticks are probably my ideal format for a cream shadow. The twist up stick (no sharpening needed) is slightly larger than a typical eyeliner, and allows you to easily use the cream shadows as a smudgy eyeliner. They apply with such ease. I love Mally’s shade selection, and some of my favorites (shown above) are Champagne, Bronze, and Nautical. Champagne is the perfect shade to brighten the inner corners of the eyes, and it gives the most beautiful sheen to any powder shadows you want to layer over it. Bronze looks good on all eye colors, but especially makes blue eyes pop. Using Nautical on the lashline and smudging it out with your finger or Q-tip makes for a wonderfully quick smokey eye. Best of all, once you apply them, they DO NOT MOVE!
Milani Shadow Eyez Sticks ($7, Drug/Discount Stores)
Another fabulous smooth and creamy line of shadows from the drugstore is Milani Shadow Eyez. While I don’t love having to sharpen large, ultra creamy sticks like this, the shades are beautiful and you don’t have to worry about them migrating around your eye throughout the day. A couple of my favorites form the line are pictured above- Aquatic Style and Champagne Toast. Champagne Toast is a great basic and I love its rose gold tone. Aquatic Style is lovely for an unexpected pop of color on the lower lashline. A limited edition selection of more neutral shades recently launched, so keep an eye out for those in your local drugstores.
What’s your favorite way to achieve a low maintenance eye look? Let me know in the comments section! Have a great day!
Celeb Makeup Artist Shares DIY Wedding Makeup Secrets
When I got engaged last year I knew immediately that I’d do my own makeup for the big day. I’m very particular about my makeup — some might call it product obsessed. So my mission was to put together a list of products I’d need to create my ideal look.
Somehow I found myself spending hours (seriously hours) researching foundation in search of the perfect formula. I’m a tinted moisturizer type of woman, you see, and I hadn’t worn a real foundation in years.
I zeroed in on Giorgio Armani’s Luminous Silk Foundation as my top contender. It’s a gorgeous formula that’s won several awards. When I mentioned it to LHJ’s beauty director (one of the perks of our office is that shop talk includes discussing the perfect foundation), she suggested that I meet with Armani’s national director of creative artistry, Tim Quinn, and get a little wedding makeup tutorial. Have my makeup done by the man who makes Gwen Stefani and Kate Bosworth even more gorgeous? Um, yes please!
I met Quinn at the Giorgio Armani flagship store on 5th Avenue in New York City. We discussed how I wanted to look on my wedding day — natural, like myself but better. We also talked about the feature I love to highlight the most (my eyes) and then the lesson began. Lucky me — and lucky you because I’m sharing Quinn’s amazing pro tips so that you can DIY a gorgeous wedding makeup look too!
To see the step-by-step instructions to get my wedding day look, head to LHJ.com!
Tim’s Top Ten Wedding Day Makeup Tips
1. You don’t necessarily need a full-coverage foundation; let your complexion decide!If you have clear skin let a little show through with medium or lighter coverage. This was new information for me: I assumed he’d recommend full-coverage for such a special occasion but in reality, you have to make the makeup work for your skin!
2. Moisturize. Dehydrated, super-dry skin is the biggest problem Quinn sees with brides. Even if you’re a pro using the highest-quality makeup, dry skin makes your makeup look bad! Stay hydrated (drink lots of water) and moisturized (twice a day) the week before the wedding and especially on the day.
3. Quinn’s favorite product for a wedding look is a concealer. A luminizing, liquid concealer (not a heavy one you’d use to cover blemishes) can be used to brighten under your eyes, even out the skin on your eyelids, and bring light to the eye area. He loves Armani’s Maestro Eraser. Another popular formula is YSL’s Touche Eclat.
4. Do your eye makeup first. That way you can clean up under the eye before you apply foundation. This seems so obvious but I have always done my face before my eyes. I’ll be switching it up from now on!
5. Eye shadow with light shimmer looks good on camera but avoid a white, shimmery highlighter on the brow bone. A light-reflecting concealer works better and looks more natural. This is such a fabulous tip: I’d actually planned to use a highlighting pencil on my brow bone but Quinn’s advice changed my mind — the concealer he used made my skin glow in a good way.
6. If you plan to use self-tanner for your wedding day, make sure you self-tan before your makeup trial. Being two different colors from the trial to the wedding will completely change the what shades you or your makeup artist uses.
7. If you have imperfections you’d like to cover on your chest or arms, use a special formula like MAC Face and Body to cover them instead of regular concealer. It’s waterproof so it will make your skin look perfect without rubbing off on your white dress. Quinn uses it on all his celebrity clients and brides.
8. Pack a kit for touch-ups on the big day. Quinn recommends including your lip color, a little bronzer in case you get nervous and lose your color (so smart!), oil absorbing sheets, facial mist like Caudelie’s Organic Grape Water for hydration and setting makeup, and a rescue kit like Miniemergency for any unexpected emergencies.
9. Give yourself at least an hour to do your bridal makeup. It may seem like a lot of time but on this day you want to look your best and you definitely don’t want to rush. And skip the mimosa until after your look is perfect!
10. I asked Quinn which brushes every DIY bride needs in her makeup kit. He recommends a foundation brush, an eye shadow brush, a flat, basic brush also for eyes, a contour brush, a little angled brush (which you can use to put on false lashes instead of a scary tweezer), a big, fluffy powder brush, and a blush brush.
10 Quick Beauty Tips for Busy Moms
As a mom of 4 with one on the way, I’ve become very good throughout the years in applying quick makeup. My beauty routine went from a relaxing experience in my pre-mom days to trying to get it done as fast as possible in 5-10 minutes.
I have to say, I’ve gotten pretty good at creating quick, doable looks in the morning, even with little kids competing for my attention. It’s all about getting to know the exact kind of makeup that works for you (colors, brands, etc.) and the exact kind of look you want to create.
I’m excited to share with other moms some quick beauty tips that will make your beauty life easier. Oh, yes… easier!
1. Dry Shampoo is a hair life-saver. It buys you an extra day without washing your hair, so you don’t have to worry about waking up late and not having time to shower. Best invention for your hair!
2. Have your 3-5 beauty products all lined up and ready to go in the morning. Mine are foundation, bronzer, eye makeup and gloss. They’re right on my bathroom counter and always ready to be applied and used at a moment’s notice!
3. To keep a consistent sun-kissed look throughout the spring and summer, spray tanning and/or self-tanners are your best bet. You’ll wake up looking refreshed and not have to worry about sitting in the sun.
4. Got a zit you don’t have time for in the morning? Dab a bit of toothpaste on the zit to help reduce swelling/redness.
5. Going to bed with perfect hair? Try using a satin pillowcase instead of anything else. Your hair won’t get all full of knots after a night’s sleep. Satin helps strands stay smooth.
6. When completely pressed for time, always reach for mascara and gloss. Your eyes will pop and your lips will shine.
7. Looking for an easy up-do for your hair? A sock bun or a high ponytail is your best hair bet. Easy to do and absolutely the quickest to pop up in a flash!
8. Puffy eyes in the morning after an all-nighter with the kids? Find an easy roll-on de-puffing eye serum. It will work miracles on the days you REALLY need your eyes to look their very best.
9. The 3-5 products you have at home in your bathroom ready to be applied in the morning? Well… make sure you pick up a duplicate set and toss into your handbag. It’s always amazing to have these with you throughout the day for touch-ups.
10. Moisturize at night—always. Your skin will always wake up looking refreshed and polished.
The 5 Best Brow Helpers
Between Cara Delevingne’s massive popularity, services like Browhaus’ Brow Resurrection (P.S. I had it done and it changed my life) and bold brows ruling the runway for a couple seasons now, I have to declare 2013 is the year of the brow. Full, robust brows rebalance your features, make you look more youthful and give your look that extra allure, just like they do for a young Brooke Shields in “The Blue Lagoon,” above. Not born with Brooke brows? Not to worry; I’ve compiled a list of the brow helpers you need now to fake them.
Make Up For Ever Aqua Brow ($20)
The very best, longest lasting arch enhancer there is. Paint a little on your hand and dip with a stiff, angled brush to simulate real-looking brow hairs yourself that will stay on until you physically remove it with lots of face wash and water. You can even skip a brow gel with this one.
Sephora Collection The Shape Shifter ($12,)
An adorably tiny case houses a stainless steel tweezer, mascara wand, and brow brush for grooming on the go. You’ll never get stuck without your tweezers when you’re in desperate need of a short stop in Tweezertown again. The best part? It all comes in a mirrored compact for easy fixes.
Maybelline Eye Studio Master Shape Brow Pencil ($7)
This inexpensive iteration from Maybelline barely costs more than a latte and comes in natural hues for a customizable, perfect brow look. It even boasts its own spooly brush on the other end to help soften the simulated hairs for a natural effect.
Benefit High Brow Pencil ($20)
Draw on a little matte pink pencil under the arch and on the brow bone for a little lift to be your own archeologist. I love the brow brightening effect it has, especially for an evening look.
Anastasia Clear Brow Gel ($22)
As Tina Turner once sang, this one is “simply the best, better than all the rest.” I’ve repurchased this one again and again because it’s the most phenomenal brow groomer in all the land. It keeps my brows in place without making them stiff or “dandruffy” like some brow gels can.
5 More Tips to Step Up Your Eye Makeup Game
Getting fired up and ready to face the day would probably be a lot tougher for me without makeup. It cheers me up and keeps me entertained, especially eye makeup. Doing my eye makeup in the morning sets the stage for my entire day, and next to treating my cheeks to blush and bronzer, it’s probably my favorite morning ritual.
And since one can never have too many eye makeup tips, here are five more to add to your repertoire.
1. Dear brows, can I give you a lift?
Sometimes, it’s the subtlest things that make the biggest differences, ya know? Like this little trick to try when you have a few extra minutes to get ready. It appears to lift your brows, and helps to define your arch.
When you’re finished applying your eye shadow, apply a thin line of under-eye concealer a few shades lighter than your natural skin tone along the bottom of your brows using a skinny concealer brush. If you see any harsh lines, gently blend them away with a finger.
For extra pizazz, like for bold brow looks, I might even go a step further by running the concealer along the top of my brows.
En lieu of concealer, some brands make pencils designed to lift brows in a similar way. Benefit makes one for $20 called Highbrow Lifting Pencil, and NYX has one they call their Eyebrow Push-Up Bra, which sells for $10.
Another option? MAC’s $16 Chromographic Pencils, which come in three shades — NC15/NW20, NC42/NW35 and NW25/NC30. Like concealers in pencil clothing, they’re creamy, flesh-toned and matte. I really like how precise I can get with the thin pencil tip, and I think the shades look quite natural on skin tones from light to dark. I use the one in NW25/NC30 (which is lighter than my usual NC42 skin) on my brows almost every day.
Being MAC Pro products, the pencils are exclusive to MAC Pro Stores and also online.
Benefit Highbrow on the top and MAC Chromographic Pencil in NW25/NC30 on the bottom
2. Lock in that lash curl
As a daily lash curler, I’ve found that when I apply several layers of mascara quickly without waiting for the first layer to dry, my mascara weighs down on my lashes, relaxing the curl.
Not good. To avoid this, I’ll give my first coat several minutes to dry before applying a second, and so on, for as many coats as I want.
It really helps to lock that curl — even more so when I only use a minuscule amount of mascara for that first layer, so I’ll remove most of it from the wand before applying.
The timing is also crucial; otherwise, I’m just sitting around waiting for coats of mascara to dry, so I’ll usually apply my first layer when I’m about halfway done with my eye shadow. Then, I’ll finish the rest of my look, and top off my mascara with a second layer (and maybe even a third after that one dries).
A couple of great mascaras that work well with this trick — MAC Extended Play Gigablack Lash ($16) and Maybelline Full ‘N Soft Waterproof ($7).
Maybelline Full ‘N Soft Waterproof on the top and MAC Extended Play Gigablack Lash on the bottom
3. Defeat disappearing liner along your water line
This trick’s actually similar to the previous one, and it’s all about drying. If you like to line your water lines for extra definition but don’t like having to touch up during the day, try this one on for size.
Apply a layer of your favorite water line eyeliner, and wait for it to completely dry before applying a second layer of liner on top. It helps set your liner and hold it there all day long.
I have a long list of liners I like, but my favorites for water lines are Bobbi Brown’s soft and smooth Long-Wear Eye Pencils ($24 each).
Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Eye Pencil in Jet
4. Bringing new life to brights you almost never wear
Too bright to wear. What a shame, but I bet you probably have at least a few shadows in your makeup collection — maybe in palettes, or as colors that came as gifts with other purchases — that you just feel are too bright to wear.
Well, next time you feel adventurous, try layering one of ‘em on top of a dark base, like a black liner.
Et voilà! That crazy bright shadow gets a lot more wearable when it has a dark base toning it down.
This one’s really easy to do, too. Just apply your favorite black or brown smudgy liner on your lids first, blend out the edges with a finger or a domed shadow brush, and pat your bright eye shadow right on top.
Urban Decay Eyeshadows clockwise from pink pan in the lower left: Woodstock, Peace and Fishnet
5. Better together: layer black and brown liner
As much as I adore black liner, it can look a little harsh at times, and when I think it does, I’ll temper the look with a layer of a dark brown liner on top. That way, I still get the strong dark liner definition I like, but with a little less impact.
The “Secrets of the Eye Makeup Mavens!” series features simple tips, makeup tools and product recommendations to master popular eye looks, like smokey eyes, pastel peepers and cat liner looks.
For more in the series, check out…
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
My Spring Essentials
1) Dr.Jart+ Premium BB Beauty Balm
2) Too Faced Sweethearts blush
3) Make Up For Ever Uplight Luminizer
When Spring and Summer roll around, I employ the “less is more” makeup philosophy a little more often. I give myself a natural looking, healthy glow with luminizer (I use it to highlight my cheek bones), beauty balm, and a rosy blush – then swipe on a subtle lip color to amp up their natural hue. Lately, the four products listed have been my absolute essentials. What products have you been gravitating toward this Spring?
Bargain Bronzers for Every Need
Hi everyone! It’s that time of year where I want to turn into a golden goddess… but I don’t want to deal with the dangers of laying out in the sun. There are lots of great self-tanners for the body, but my favorite way to give my face a believable bronze glow is with my trusty bronzers! The drugstore can be very hit and miss with bronzers… some make you look greasy instead of glowy, or orange instead of sun-kissed tan. But through my bronzer trial and error, I’ve found some diamonds in the rough that can cater to a variety of skintones and preferences. As you’ll see in the pictures below- these are products in my makeup collection that truly get a LOT of use!
The Subtle Bronzer: N.Y.C Smooth Skin Bronzer in Sunny ($2.99, drug/discount stores)
I’ve mentioned this bronzer before, and it’s probably one of my most recommended drugstore products. This is a totally matte bronzer, and it’s great for those with fair or light skin who just can’t find a bronzer that looks natural. With a powder brush or blush brush, you can apply this as a contour just under the cheekbones, around the nose, and forehead. For a quick all-over glow, lightly dust this all over the face. It’s hard to go overboard with this product. It’s such a natural color!
The Sculpting Bronzer: Revlon PhotoReady Bronzer in Bronzed & Chic ($11, drug/discount stores)
If you want to really contour and sculpt your face, matte bronzers are the way to go. You don’t want to see lots of sparkle as you try to create those natural-looking shadows that slim the face. For those with medium to tan skintones, this bronzer from Revlon is fantastic. It can go quite a bit deeper than NYC Sunny (mentioned above). This one is totally matte, and incorporates four different tones. Swirling your brush in all four shades give you a nice medium-toned bronzer, but you can go deeper by using the bottom 2 shades, or lighter by sticking with the top two. I love using an angled blush brush with this bronzer to sculpt my cheekbones. While this bronzer comes with a small brush, I don’t recommend using it. It’s not full enough to give you a blended look.
The Sun-kissed Glow Bronzer: ELF Studio Warm Bronzer ($3, Target or eyeslipsface.com)
So I’ve mentioned two options for matte bronzers that can be great for contouring and shaping the face. Once you choose one of those, you also want to get a glow! This bronzer from ELF can do just that. It’s very hard to find a bronzer that gives you the subtle glow you’re after, without making your skin look oily. When you swirl your brush in all of these shades, you get the perfect sheer, light bronze glow that can look great on any skintone. You won’t end up with flecks of glitter all over your face with this, but to keep the application sheer, I like to use a duo fibre style blush brush to apply this bronzer. Lightly dust it where the sun would naturally hit for a sun-kissed look! Added bonus- these shades make beautiful eyeshadows!
Hopefully this post takes the fear out of finding the right bronzer! Do you have any must-haves? Make sure to check my YouTube Channel, Beauty Broadcast, for more makeup recommendations and step-by-step tutorials! Have a great day!
<3 Emily
How to Wear it: Bright Yellow
I have been seeing yellow everywhere. Dresses, shoes and shockingly enough all over makeup counters.
I always just thought the yellow shadows placed into cosmetics collections were just there to catch your eye, not for everyday wear. Now, gold has me thinking again. I have seen the bright mustard color on runways, in magazines and even on the lids of the employees at our local Sephora! I’m not sure that I could pull this trend off so I thought I’d ask: what are your thoughts on the golden lid?
Would you dare to try this trend?
{ make up forever }
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