Nothing exudes glamour like a ruby pout. Period.

Yet many women are afraid of this look, with legitimate fears that, if chosen or applied incorrectly, it may lead to a garish and tasteless look — like the joker!

No one wants this, obviously!

The first step in choosing the right red lipstick is deciding upon your skin’s undertone! Two questions will help you decide this issue:

1) Do you look better in gold or silver jewelry — or both? If you look better in gold, your skintone has a warm undertone. If better in silver, your skin is cool-toned. If you cannot decide — or you look good with both — your skin tone is neutral.

2) Do your veins appear blue or green beneath your skin?. If blue, you are definitely a cool-toned individual. If green, your skin is warm-toned. If you cannot decide, count yourself among the neutral toned group!

Here are some celebrity examples — and some recommendations for flattering lipsticks for your skin tone:

***Cool Skintone

Taylor Swift immediately comes to mind. She is wearing a cool-toned red lipstick which leans slightly pink in this photo, and such a lipstick usually makes the teeth appear whiter.

Some recommendations for cool-toned ladies include the following lipsticks:

Mac “Red”—>

NYX Round Label lipstick in Chic Red”—>

Napoleon Perdis Devine Goddess lipstick in “Xenia”—>

Lorac Alter Ego lipstick in “Pin Up”—>

***Warm Skintone

These are actresses Penelope Cruz (L) and Kat Graham (right) sporting beautiful warm red lipsticks! Notice the slight orange-y cast, which really pops against their dark/olive skin tones.

Some recommendations for warm-toned ladies include the following lipsticks:

Nars “Heat Wave”—>

Revlon Super Lustrous lipstick in “Fire and Ice”—>

Mac “Lady Danger”—>

Makeup Forever Rouge Artist Intense lipstick #42 “Vermillion Red”—>

***Neutral Skintone

The luckiest ladies of the bunch — those who can get away with wearing any lipstick color!

Here are some lipsticks which, while suitable for neutral-toned ladies, are universally flattering:

Mac “Russian Red”—>

Covergirl Lip Perfection lipstick in “Hot”—>

Napoleon Perdis Devine Goddess lipstick in “Aphrodite”—>

Revlon Super Lustrous lipstick in “Love that Red”—>

Makeup Forever Rouge Artist Intense lipstick #43 “Moulin Rouge”—>

Nars “Jungle Red”—>

Have fun shopping for your perfect red lipstick!

After the popularity of my recent post illustrating 5 eyeshadow looks using the “Naked 2” palette, I’ve decided to repeat the exercise for the other two “Naked” palettes! Below is a gallery of potential looks using the palette that started it all — the original “Naked” palette!

LOOK #1

“Toasted” — Lid
“Darkhorse” — Outer V
“Naked” — Crease
“Virgin” — Inner Corner

LOOK #2

“Sin” — Lid
“Naked” — Crease
“Buck” — Deep Crease
“Virgin” — Inner Corner

LOOK #3

“Half Baked” — Lid
“Gunmetal” — Outer V
“Creep” — Deep Crease
“Virgin” — Brow Bone

LOOK #4

“Sidecar” — Lid
“Buck” — Crease
“Sin” — Brow Bone
“Creep” — Liner

LOOK #5

“Smog” — Lid
“Hustle” — Outer V
“Half Baked” — Inner Corner
“Virgin” — Brow Bone

Hope you enjoyed these looks! See you next time! 😉

Very rarely do you come across a makeup product which has the potential to transform your look and routine — but I’ve had the good fortune to make such a discovery this week!

YouTube gurus and beauty bloggers alike have long been raving about the virtues of NYX’s Jumbo Eye Pencil in “Milk” — a pure white — as an eyeshadow base. I held off purchasing this incredibly cheap product until a few weeks ago.

Boy, did I discover a jewel!

It seems like your standard eyeshadow pencil, similar to the new Covergirl version:

But look at how this primer, with eyeshadow applied on top, transforms the pigmentation of the shadow!

Left to right (Urban Decay’s “Ransom” alone –> shadow applied over the “Milk” eye pencil –> “Milk” eye pencil alone):

The vibrancy of the shadow multiplied — exponentially — with the NYX “Milk” eye pencil underneath!

Here’s another example with Mac’s “Expensive Pink” shadow.

Left to Right (Mac’s “Expensive Pink” alone, “Expensive Pink” applied over “Milk”, and “Milk” eye pencil alone):

The white pencil provides a base to which the shadow clings, making it a stellar primer.

This will be a standard inclusion in my makeup routine from this point onward. I cannot believe how it transforms the pigmentation of shadows, even those eyeshadows with mediocre pigmentation prior! The best part is that this gem is only $4 at ULTA, nyxcosmetics.com, and more recently, CVS!

This is a Holy Grail product, such as one only encounters once a year or so.

Final Verdict: 5/5 Stars

Available at ULTA, CVS, & nyxcosmetics.com for $4

Since the Urban Decay “Naked” palettes are so iconic, I decided to create a small gallery of looks, suitable for ANY occasion, using all the eyeshadow colors composing the “Naked 2” palettes!

LOOK #1

“Foxy” — Base
“YDK” — Lid
“Busted” — Outer V
“Blackout” — Deep Crease
“Bootycall” — Browbone

LOOK #2

“Foxy” — Base
“Tease” — Crease
“Suspect” — Lid
“Blackout” — Liner & Deep Crease
“Bootycall” — Brow Bone

LOOK #3

“Foxy” — Base
“Pistol” — Lid
“Chopper” — Crease
“Bootycall” — Brow Bone & Inner Corner

LOOK #4

“Foxy” — Base
“Snakebite” — Lid
“Half Baked” — Crease
“Blackout” — Outer V & Outer Lid
“Bootycall” — Brow Bone

LOOK #5

“Chopper” — Lid
“Tease” — Crease
“Blackout” — Deep Crease
“Verve” — Inner Corner & Brow Bone

See you next time! 😉

As a longtime fan of Bare Minerals, I was certainly intrigued after hearing they had formulated the brand’s first liquid foundation!

Let’s take a look, shall we?

It comes in a cylindrical plastic container, with a hygienic dropper to dispense:

(Note: I was granted a sample at my local Sephora, thus the “tester” label!)

This foundation comes in 20 shades, from the fairest of the fair to ebony. (My shade, entitled “Bare Porcelain 01”, is the lightest.) Finding the right shade should not be a problem — for anyone!

This foundation, which must be shaken vigorously prior to application, goes on like a second skin. It provides a deliciously “clean” and gentle sensation, with a natural finish which does not look or feel as if you are even wearing foundation, all the while completely evening out skin tone. It initially leans more dewy than matte or even semi-matte, which adds to the authentic look. The coverage, which feels sheer, is actually medium, concealing most blemishes but insufficient for “problem” skin.

Upon first applying the foundation, I suspected that its dewy finish would turn oily as the day progressed. Yet I was wrong! The finish truly looked like my own skin (The name “BareSkin” is appropriate!) but remained slightly dewy and quite natural.

I just cannot say enough good things about this foundation. It is truly magical, suitable for most skin tones! Since it does not offer full coverage, however, it cannot conceal severe acne. It contains SPF 20, thus providing a healthy dose of sunscreen.

This product reminds me of L’Oreal “Magic Nude Liquid Powder” foundation, which I reviewed here — only better since the latter led to major oil in the T-zone later in the day.

“BareSkin” foundation is fantastic makeup — I’m definitely a fan! 🙂

Final Verdict: 4.5/5 Stars

Available at Sephora, ULTA, and bareescentuals.com for $29

In the world of makeup, Mac eyeshadow has achieved cult status. In fact, from YouTube gurus to fashion runway makeup artists, Mac rules the cosmetic industry.

Not immune to this praise, I’ve collected 10 of the most iconic Mac eyeshadows and would like to review each one for you.

1) “Nylon” — Described on the company website as “pale gold with icy shimmer.” This frost eyeshadow is legendary as a highlight color, providing a strong white-gold sheen on the brow bone and inner corner. Truly beautiful shade, but it must be applied with a gentle hand since the swatch below doesn’t do justice to its high pigment.

2) “Satin Taupe” — Described as “taupe with silver shimmer.” It’s definitely a cool-toned taupe, with subtle grey and plum undertones. A nice neutral eyelid color for every day, although I was a bit disappointed in the pigment. The swatch you see below is the result of multiple applications.

3) “Mythology” — Described as “copper.” The brief description is apt — “Mythology” is the color of a penny, with warm rust undertones. The pigment is decent. Beautiful as a lid or crease color, and especially flattering for blue eyes!

4) “Quarry” — Described as “soft muted plum-brown.” The label is right — this shade is muted to the point of near-invisibility! The pigmentation is very poor, as you can see below. On initial observation, it seems perfect as a natural cool-toned crease shade. Unfortunately, it shows up no better on the eyes. You should definitely skip this shadow!

5) “Expensive Pink” — Described on the website as “pink with duochrome.” It is a classically gorgeous rose-gold shade, flattering on all eye colors due to its warm (gold) and cool (pink) undertones. This is a unique color, which sometimes appears pink and, other times, gold, depending on the angle and lighting. An incredible lid or crease color. Also, it’s stunning for a one-shadow eye look.

6) “Idol Eyes” — Described as “silvered violet with gold.” Sounds dazzling, right? Wrong. The pigmentation is quite poor — almost as bad as “Quarry.” In addition, it translates as a simple silver. The supposed violet and gold undertones are nowhere to be seen. This shade was another disappointment!

7) “Soft Brown” — Described as “soft golden peachy brown.” It’s a matte shade which is beautiful in the crease and/or as a transition shade (blended out to soften the edges of a darker shadow). Beautiful pigmentation and a terrific neutral color which I now use often!

8) “Sable” — Described as “gold-plum with bronze pearl.” This is a strong neutral shade, an everyday sort of color which can be worn on the lids for every occasion. Decent pigmentation — better than “Satin Taupe” in this regard.

9) “Twinks” — Described as “deep plum with pearl.” Unique, sophisticated shade for everyday. Great as a lid or outer V color. Looks similar to “Sable” in the swatch, but, in reality, deeper and more plum-toned. A more accurate label may be “plum brown.” Wonderful autumn color!

10) “Cranberry” — Described as “red-plum with pink shimmer.” My favorite of the bunch! This is fantastic as a lid color or outer V deepening shade. Everything about this shade reminds me of autumn and Thanksgiving — even the name! Extremely flattering on green and hazel eyes.

All in all, I found Mac eyeshadow to be hit-or-miss. I discovered some beautiful shades, including “Expensive Pink,” “Cranberry,” “Twinks,” and “Soft Brown.” Nevertheless, I was very disappointed with others, including “Quarry,” “Idol Eyes,” and even the famous “Satin Taupe.” The texture and pigmentation of these, even some of my favorites, were difficult to work with and inferior to the buttery texture of other high- end brands, such as Lorac and Urban Decay.

In addition, at $15 apiece, these shadows are not a good value. For example, the Urban Decay “Naked” palettes contain 12 shadows for $50 — that’s charging approximately $4 for each eyeshadow, which is a superb deal!

In short, I will probably not purchase Mac eyeshadow again unless I swatch it in the store — and am subsequently blown away.

It’s overhyped — in my opinion.

Final Verdict: 3.5/5 Stars

Available at Mac counters and maccosmetics.com for $15 per eyeshadow