Besides concealer and blush, a good neutral eyeshadow is right up there in terms of my desert-island, can’t-live-without-’em, must-have beauty products. Here is why. You know how I always say that the number one place we all should apply concealer is at the inner corners of the eyes? Well, ever since I started using Latisse, which discolours your lids a bit (ugh), I’ve extended that tip to applying concealer (or a hybrid concealing/priming product like this) all the way across the lid and at the outer corners, too. (And if I’m looking REALLY tired, I’ll do the upside-down triangle thing as well.)
But you know what happens when you get all that concealer on your eyelids? It creases. Badly. And so I’ve found that the best way to prevent that is by applying a neutral, waterproof, cream eyeshadow on top. It works like magic! And you just slap it on with your fingers—no technique required! Now, I would love to recommend to you the product I favour, but as reader Kate recently discovered—after I got her hooked—it has been discontinued. This makes me want to cry because I’ve been loyal to this shadow for something like five years now, which is unheard of for a beauty ed, and my supply is quickly dwindling. BOO.
However, there ARE quite a few other options out there. So let’s dig in… Keep reading »
I’ve always been anti-foundation and pro-concealer. For the most part, I didn’t like the way foundations smelled, the way they could smear off on your clothes and (most importantly) how they just looked so obviously THERE on your skin. Concealers, on the other hand, I couldn’t live without. (I do have a concealer wardrobe, after all.) Subtle, stealthy, they did their job but only where you needed them.
So this was my makeup philosophy: If you could get away with JUST applying concealer, and skipping the icky foundation, it was ideal. In fact I believe I’ve written that sentiment on this very website right here.
But now I have some breaking news. I might have changed my mind on all of this. And that’s thanks to a recent sesh (during TIFF) with Lynne Ryan, the lead makeup artist for So You Think You Can Dance Canada and national makeup artist for Murale. In a nutshell, here is the paradigm shift. (I’m going to bold it so you really pay attention.) Whereas I once believed that the right concealer would allow you to skip foundation… now, I’m of the mind that the right foundation will allow you to skip concealer. Come and let me explain my Aha! Moment. Keep reading »
Like I always say—when Chanel speaks, we listen. And I am definitely ready to hear what the brand has to say about beauty for spring ’12; namely, that the metallic trend that we swooned over for fall is going to stick around for a while, except with a pearly twist.
That’s right: it’s all about Girls with Pearls. Not the Mad Men retro necklace kind. And definitely not those pearly finishes that were popular for lipsticks in the ’80s. (C’mon. You know what I’m talking about.) Nope, this is an all-new, “2012 pearl” that features glimmering finishes on the lids and nails; mermaid-esque hair; and an all-around “underwater” feeling. Oh, and faux pearl “piercings” too, if you really want to go crazy.
Now, if you’ve been following all the Fashion Week coverage, you might have had an inkling that designers were on to some kind of deep-sea theme. It was happening at Armani, and Givenchy (which we didn’t cover here beauty-wise but had a surfer girl narrative), and who could forget all of the wet-look hair? (Prada, Alexander Wang….) But Chanel—as per usual—was the one brand to tie it all together and present us with a very aspirational, modern and yet highly wearable interpretation. Get ready, because this is makeup and nail polish that you’ll be drooling after for spring. Keep reading »
