Gadabout Media » Makeup

Makeup Looks At the Oscars

Michelle Hamor — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 06:00:53 +0000

I noticed a lot of beautiful makeup looks on the red carpet, at the Oscars. Most of the eye makeup looked simple and natural, with subtle shadow, black liner and false eyelashes. You’ve got to have false eyelashes on the red carpet, right? Did you notice the bold lip colors? In photo after photo I saw what looked like a red lip, but in a close up the color was actually closer to a coral-red or pink-red.

Cameron Diaz was a good example of the coral-red. If you’d like to recreate this look for yourself, then I’d go with NARS Lipstick in Heatwave (a semi matte orange red) or Niagara(satin pinkish coral). A coral lip will go great with the turquoise clothing you are going to see this Spring and Summer.

To soften the lip for day, apply a layer of lip balm first, then the lipstick over it. This gives a sheerer look. It also helps to smooth the surface of the lip.

Image credit: Picapp.com

Sephora Launches Tarina Tarantino’s New Cosmetic Line

Michelle Hamor — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 19:13:40 +0000

Sephora recently launched the new Tarina Tarantino collection. Knows as the “Queen of Irreverent Luxury,” Tarantino is an accessory designer who likes to make things sparkle.

This fuchsia-tressed former makeup artist now shares her passion for self-expression and playfulness with a complete cosmetics collection, available only at Sephora. Inspired by her nostalgic-yet-modern jewelry line, Tarina developed innovative products with high-quality, color-rich formulas and luxurious packaging. TARINA TARANTINO will take girls of all ages on a fantastical journey, where they can express their own personal style and reveal their inner sparkle.

At first glance, the colors look heavy on the pink side, but that’s just the packaging. The Eye Dream Hypershadow comes in 24 different shades running from subtle light tones all the way to bold purples, greens, and a black for a classic smokey eye.

The shadow comes in matte, shimmer/pearl, and glitter versions and they are finely milled for a velvet-like texture. The hyper-pigment formula results in a rich color. They are made without parabens.

The lip-plumping Gem Gloss is available in 13 shades of medium-intensity pigment. The gloss has a high shine and is applied with a sponge tip applicator.

I have to admit that I’ve grown comfortable with the lip plumping type gloss. I’ve worn the red Lip Fusion gloss that I reviewed last week almost every day. After you get used to the initial stinging sensation, they are quite comfortable, and lips do look prettiest with a little plumpness to them.

Here’s the product my oldest daughter would be most interested in – a light, non-greasy, pearly primer. The Pearl Glow Primer is worn alone or underneath foundation.

A primer is prep for any makeup look. The light-reflecting properties make this a good product for people with dark circles or early signs of aging. The light bounces around and sort of fools the eye, making imperfections less noticeable. It is also made without parabens.

If you’d like a chance to win a $500 Sephora Shopping Spree, then enter the Sparkling Sweepstakes by Tarnia Tarantino here.

Image credit: Sephora.com

L’Oreal Double Extend Mascara With Lash Boosting Serum: A Review

Michelle Hamor — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 19:00:06 +0000

I’m always on the look out for the perfect mascara. My hunt continues with the new mascara from L’Oreal Double Extend with Lash Boosting Serum.

I mentioned in my previous mascara post that my favorite mascara is the L’Oreal Double Extend. I wanted to try this updated version with special lash-building serum to see if it would be an improvement over the previous (near perfect) version.

Only time will tell if it’s going to make my lashes any longer or thicker, but in terms of the mascara alone, this one cannot hold a candle to the previous version. In fact, it’s just so-so.

I did like the thick brush, it carries a good amount of product, so in theory it should make my lashes look both longer and thicker. In theory. In practice, not so much. It’s missing the whole “tubes” aspect that is present in the original. The tubes, that was the genius part of Double Extend – why skip it in this new formula?

Unless they can find a way to combine both the tube-technology and the lash serum, then I am sticking with the original Double Extend. I can put serum on my lashes as part of my regular skin care routine.

Image credit: Michelle Hamor Smith

Win A Trip To New York City

Michelle Hamor — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 01:46:31 +0000

I got a notice about a contest going on with Broadway Nails. To celebrate the new nail styles that they are launching this month, they are holding The Broadway Nails Sweepstakes. There is no purchase necessary and the contest runs from March 1, 2010 until June 30, 2010. You can find the complete lists of rules at Broadway Nails.com.

The Broadway Sweepstakes Grand Prize includes the following:

*Airfare (roundtrip) for two to New York City
*Limo service to and from the airport
*2 nights in one of New York’s “premier” hotels
*Fabulous makeovers for both of you
*An American Express gift card worth $1000

To enter the contest, click here.

Image credit: Broadway Nails

Pleasingly Plump: Do Lip Plumpers Really Work

Michelle Hamor — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 02:03:42 +0000

I was blessed with fairly full lips. I’m no Angelina Jolie, although a little boy at the school where I used to work part time once said to me, “Mrs. Smith, you look like Mrs. Smith from ‘Mr. Smith and Mrs. Smith’.” Did you get that? An actual Angelina reference. I was thrilled.

Well, now I’m 43 and I’ve noticed that my lips do not look as full as they used to. Seriously? Aging messes with the lips, too? Is nothing safe? Apparently not….

I decided to try a couple of lip plumping glosses to see if they’d make a difference. Lip plumpers work by both hydrating and irritating the lips. I did not find the plumping effect to be a huge difference, but my lips did look softer, fuller, and the little lines around the edges of my lips smoothed out. (Asking for more than that just feels greedy).

Here’s what I don’t like – they sting. What happens when someone wants to kiss you? Does it sting them, too? I wish I was not currently single so that I could give you an accurate accounting of what happens when you kiss someone with lip plumper on, but I can’t. When that changes, I’ll update.

I tried AVON Perfect Wear Plump & Stay Lip Color in Pink For Life, LipFusion in Sexy, and LipFusion InFATuation in Angelic.

*AVON Perfect Wear: This is a two-step lip color. The color is a long-wear, transfer-resistant product – paired with the clear “plumping” gloss, your lips stay full and fancy for up to 8 hours. I was sent the Pink for Life as a sample for review, but I think I’d prefer the Berry Enduring or the Rosy Resistance, because they are closer to my usual lip look. I go for a nude or sheer berry lip for every day. You can wear the clear gloss on it’s own and still get the plumping effect.

You apply the color and gloss from seperate ends of the product, with a sponge-tip aplicator. The color side has a makeup-y scent, but the clear gloss is minty. I liked that. The color, shine, and plump last for a long time. Right now if you buy one Perfect Wear Plump & Stay, you can get a second one for 1/2 price. It retails for $9.

*Micro-Injected Collagen LipFusion Lip Plump: This gloss uses “..dehydrated, marine collagen micro spheres are instantly absorbed by the lips, and seek out the body’s natural moisture.” Upon rehydration, the lips plump and hold onto the moisture. The plumped effect can last for up to 48 hours.

This one was my favorite. You apply it with a sponge-tip applicator and the color is a sheer, very wearable red gloss. When I first looked at it, I thought, “I dunno, it’s very…RED…” but when applied it’s really only a glossy tint with little sparkles. Very pretty. I’d recommend this one first. It retails for $36.

*LipFusion LipFATuation: This gloss uses your own body fat to plump the lips. Using an igredient called Amplifat, which is derived from sea fern, lips are plumped when key proteins – ADFP and FABP5 – are triggered.

The gloss is applied with a brush and the color is opaque – pink color gives you pink lips. This product does what it claims, it does plump the lips, but I didn’t like actual color as much as I liked the other LipFusion product. On the plus side, it is irritant-free, Paraben-free, and Silicone-free. It retails for $29.

Image credit: Michelle Hamor Smith

NYC Fashion Week: Dashing Diva Nails

Michelle Hamor — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 01:11:23 +0000

New York City is abuzz with Fashion Week events. Dashing Diva was on hand at the Magalis Garcia, Fashion for Relief, Georges Chakra, Andy & Debb, LORICK, and Caroline Seikaly shows. Each show had their signature manicure look chosen to best set off the clothing. I’ve got some behind the scenes photos to show you of a few of the manicure looks.

My personal favorite color, Astor Place, a a light gray color was chosen to accent the clothing featured in designer Magalis Garcia’s collection.

This gray has been a hot color all Winter. Look for the gray or matte nail trend to continue on through Spring accompanying the selection of soft neutrals (khaki, champagne pinks, etc) you are going to see everywhere.

My teens love a white nail. Stylist Rachel Zoe chose Diamond District, a bright white with shimmer for Naomi Campbell’s Fashion For Relief show. This show was a benefit for Haiti.

A white nail will also look great with the turquoise you are going to see this Summer. Cool and tropical in feel, like white sandy beaches and the clear blue ocean.

Also great with turquoise would be Williamsburg. Orange is the perfect accent to blue, plus it’s a fun, bold choice. The designer Abigail Lorick chose this shade for the models wearing her collection.

Look for these colors at the Dashing Diva salon near you.

Image credits:
Grey (Magalis Garcia) – Alexei Nemchenko
White (Fashion for Relief) – Ann Lawlor
Orange (LORICK) – Dashing Diva

Juiced Up Color For Spring

Michelle Hamor — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 19:01:25 +0000

Have you seen the new limited edition Clinique makeup collection for Spring? They call it Juiced Up Color, “New and Sheerly Sublime.” The colors are lovely – soft, light neutrals – perfect for young and old alike.

The collection includes color products for eyes, cheeks, and lips:

*NEW High Lengths Mascara in Black and Black/Brown. This lengthening mascara is applied with a curved comb. It’s safe for sensitive eyes.

*Vitamin C Lip Smoothie Antioxidant Lip Color in Goodness Grapelicious, Pink Me Up, Mango-thon, and Nude-tritious. These are sheer lipcolors with a hint of color and an anti-aging, antioxidant formula.

*Limited Edition Fresh Picked Eye Shadow in Fresh Pear and Fresh Picked Berry. Two eye shadow colors duos fashioned in an artistic design. Pretty. The shadows have a shimmer to them.

I’ve got a trio of Clinique shadows that are similar in color to these. They were part of a Sephora Black Cherry Set that was only available for a limited time. I love the colors, they can be used in a variety of ways.

Try brushing the light color over the lid, deepen the crease with the darker shade, then dip a moist eyeliner brush into the deep shade to line the eyes. Great look for day.

*Limited Edition Fresh Picked Allover Face Color in Fresh Berries. This is my favorite product in the line.

Swirl your brush over all three shades at once to highlight your face and impart a glow. The colors can be used on separately, as well. The compact if formed into a pretty picture of berries.

This week only, get free shipping and handling, a Dramatically Moisturizing Different Lotion, and a Long Last Shine Lipstick in Twilight Nude free with a $30 Clinique purchase. Use the code COLOUR at check out.

Image credit: Clinique.com

ULTA’s Super-De-Duper Gift With Purchase

Michelle Hamor — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 00:18:18 +0000

Makeup lovers, are you interested in scoring big at ULTA? They are offering 3 different 15-piece gifts with purchase for a limited time. The purchase isn’t a huge expense either, only a $17.50 purchase from the ULTA brand Implements, Beauty Tools, Mineral Makeup, and Cosmetics collections.

The 3 collections are………

*Tiger Lily, a warm collection (shown above)
*Exotic Orchid, a collection of brights
*Luscious Peonies, a cool color collection

Each contains small-size tools, shadows, polishes, lip color, and I think a bronzer. They are each packed into a cute makeup bag. Click here to see each collection.

Do you need a makeup suggestion? I’d start with the ULTA All About Eyes Mineral Eyeshadow kit. The kit includes 4 eye shadows, 2 makeup brushes, and an eyeliner. The shadows are meant to be used either wet or dry (a wet liner brush turns any color shadow into a liner). Three of the colors are handy neutrals and one is in the 2010 Color of the Year – Turquoise. Add some eye makeup remover pads and you are good to go.

Image credit: ULTA

The Search For the Perfect Mascara

Michelle Hamor — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 22:53:00 +0000

In the past year, I’ve tried a lot of different “drugstore brand” mascaras. I’m always on the look out, the hunt, the search for the Perfect Mascara. My judging criteria includes lengthening ability, non-clump factor, ease in application, and ease of removal. I’m not a fan of mascaras that promise volume, because in my experience that is just another word for “clumpy.”

Rimmel’s Sexy Curves Full Volume & Curve Mascara – This mascara has a sort of waved rubber brush. It worked pretty well at curling my lashes without using an eyelash curler first. I was able to make the most of the brush shape to get into corners and really make those outer lashes look longer. I did find the formula thick and easy to clump. My 17-year-old daughter loves this mascara, but that kid has incredible lashes without mascara.

L’Oreal Telescopic Explosion Mascara – This mascara was hard to get the hang of – it has a very different kind of brush. It looks like a prickly round-ball made of rubber. The brush works well at getting into the corners. With practice this mascara could work very well, but it was not one of my favorites.

L’Oreal Double Extend- Double Extend is a two-step masacara. You apply a white extender which makes “tubes” that extend the length of each lash, then a mascara is applied over that. It gave me the longest lashes out of all the mascaras and it did not flake. It was very easy to remove, too. You take warm water and sort of roll it through your lashes, which loosens the tubes and mascara. No smeary dark smudges left behind, like you’d find with traditional mascara.

Covergirl Lash Blast – This is similar to the Define-A-Lash, but the brush is a bit thicker. The bristles are longer at the base, shorter at the tip. It was fine. Nothing exciting, although Drew Barrymore is adorable in the commercials.

Covergirl Lash Blast Luxe – I tried this mascara in a burgundy color, I can’t remember exactly what the color was called. It was fun, but I prefer a black mascara. The brush is the same as the regular Lash Blast.

Covergirl Lash Blast Length – The Length version is my favorite of the Blast mascaras. I like the thin, longer brush. I was able to apply it easily and my lashes were longer and not clumpy.

Maybelline Define-A-Lash – This was the first mascara that I used with the rubber brush. It is very gentle on application, slides through, doesn’t pull. I really like this mascara and will purchase it again. It does a good job of making lashes look long and full for every day. The brush has a slight curve to it.

Maybelline Great Lash – A classic. I pick up a couple of these a year. It works fine and is very inexpensive. I sometimes have a problem with clumping on the brush.

Maybelline Lash Stilleto- I was excited to try this one, for some reason. The heel-like container, maybe? It has traditional bristle brush. It is supposed to give you long stilletto-like lashes. I think it’s fine, but I didn’t feel that my lashes were longer than with any other brand and the mascara really clumps up thick on the brush.

My favorite mascara would be the L’Oreal Double Extend. Iit’s as close to perfect as I got this year in terms of volume, length, and non-clump, plus easy removal. It’s followed by the Define-A-Lash, and Lash Blast Length.

Do you have a great mascara recommendation? Let me know and I’ll pass the word on to other readers.

Image credit: Michelle Hamor

Beauty Clearance Sale At Victoria’s Secret

Michelle Hamor — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 02:06:18 +0000

Victoria’s Secret is having one of their big blow-out clearance sales. You can save on clothing items like their famous lingerie or sweater, jeans, tees – there’s a lot covered in the sale. In addition, they have a lot of their Beauty items included. Makeup, skin care, and fragrances from Victoria’s Secret, as well as from other designers like Michael Kors.

You can see the beginning of the Beauty Clearance here. I’ll show you a few of the highlights…

Loose Shimmer Shadow Set
On sale for $4.99, was $15

This little tube contains four shades of sparkly loose shadow in Gold Dust, Angelic, Winter Lights, and Precious Metal. Use them dry to shadow or with a moist shadow or liner brush for a more dramatic look.

Gilded Ginger Creme Shimmering Powder Puff
On sale for $4.99, was $8

This little container holds shimmery powder to dust across your shoulders or décolleté. It leaves a fragrant sparkle behind with it’s blend of Gingerbread, Latte, and Musk fragrance notes.

My daughter, Bailey’s favorite Love Spell fragrance spray is available in a 4.8 ounce room spray. It has notes of Peach, Cherry Blossom, and White Jasmine and it’s only $1.99, it was originally $9.

Image credit: Victoria’s Secret