A Plethora of Pinks

It's funny how tastes change. A year and a half ago, I wrote this Lipstick Bandit post about fearing pink, and this summer it seems to be all I wear. Now that I know I look better in cool pinks, I'm much less inclined to dabble with coral (that color is a whole 'nother headache). The pinks shown in this post are mostly old favorites that have become staples in my lip wardrobe.

Also, the whole time I was taking pictures, this scene was running through my head:

Sherlock Season 1 Episode 1: A Study in Pink. A glorious introduction to a fantastic TV series

Cle de Peau Enriched Lip Luminizer 206 Sweet Watermelon

First, a light watermelon pink! I associate the finish that Cle de Peau Enriched Lip Luminizer 206 Sweet Watermelon ($35 for the refill, $25 for the holder) imparts with "Asian girl" lips (sorry, stereotypes) – soft and balm-like with a hint of color. It's really great for when you just want to look a little more presentable. "Naturally pretty," if you will.

Dior Addict Extreme Lipstick in 476 Plaza

Dior Addict Extreme Lipstick in 476 Plaza ($32), reviewed here, is a step up from the Cle de Peau in terms of pigment. As you can see, the texture is also balm-like and it's very easy to wear. All these lipsticks make my peeling, wrinkled lips look happy and well moisturized.

I sense a trend in my selections. What can I say? I love comfort.

NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Never Say Never

And to the matte selection! Do I detect a slight hint of purple? NARS' lip pencils (Velvet Gloss, Velvet Matte, Satin) are my favorite products from the brand. From packaging to texture to color selection, I don't think you'll find too many from other brands that can rival NARS. The one pictured above is Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Never Say Never ($25), reviewed here two (!) years ago. I'm so grateful that it's part of the permanent collection.

I used a heavier hand when applying the blush, so my lips wouldn't wash out the rest of my face (balance is important!). Pictured above is Chanel Joues Contraste in Rose Initiale.

Paul & Joe Manège + Le Metiér de Beauté Clearly Brilliant Lip Gloss

While the texture of Paul & Joe Manège is perfectly fine (full coverage, balmy finish), for some reason I enjoy slicking a clear gloss over it. I also just realized that the Le Metiér de Beauté Clearly Brilliant Lip Gloss ($36) is a great alternative to purchasing more Dior Fluid Sticks. It's a jelly gloss that produces high, watery shine. It completely transforms my lips!

Manège, a limited edition shade from spring 2013, is unfortunately no longer available. The good thing is I've tried on a few magenta shades since and found possible substitutes, so if you're interested, try Paul & Joe La Vie En Rose 305 or NARS Satin Lip Pencil in Yu.

What lip shades are you loving this summer?

Made Up Thoughts

Originally, I took pictures of myself sans makeup (except drawn-on eyebrows) to write about the new skincare I've been using. See, I thought I had pretty good skin. And then I saw the pictures I took later with a full face of makeup applied, and started having doubts. There's discoloration on my cheeks and shadows under my eyes, and a scar (where did that even come from?!) on my chin, and enlarged pores on my nose. Can I tout how amazing the skincare I've been using when my skin is, while relatively unblemished, not extraordinary?

And then I paused. Wait, what? It's disturbing, this automatic train of thought. I wasn't even comparing myself to the impossibles (that are heavily photo manipulated) in the glossies. I was just looking at myself with some foundation on. What has the act of wearing makeup done to my own self image?

For me, the meaning of makeup has transformed from something I desperately needed to master to satisfy someone else's definition of "pretty" (age 19), to a consumerist obsession (age 21), to occasional artistic expression (age 22-present, when I create looks to post on Messy Wands). In "real life," I am very aware of what makeup does for me. I know that without fail, if I put on my eyebrows, redden my cheeks and lips, and paint on some lashes, I will receive more and better attention from the strangers I interact with, and I use this knowledge to my advantage. Is it sad that this is just how it is?

Sans makeup (with drawn-on eyebrows)

With foundation (which will be reviewed. For the curious, it's by Le Metiér de Beauté)

I'm not really sure what I'm trying to get at. I guess I was hit by the fact that I thought I had a firm grasp on how I look and how I perceive myself, and was a little shaken by my knee-jerk reaction to censor my thoughts because my natural looks didn't reach a certain (impossible) standard. The longer I stare at the unmade-up picture, the more I think I was overthinking it. I'll have to work on that skincare post.

*PS: After reading some of the comments, I feel like I should clarify that I'm actually very happy with my skin. This is why I was surprised that I had the instinctive reaction above even while being pleased, and just wanted to observe how that happened.

Headphones and lipstick, who knew?

I was pleasantly surprised to receive this in the mail. Unexpected packages, after all, is no longer the norm. That said, since beauty products remain on short supply (actually, I still have an unmanageable amount, but I'm pretty sure you've seen everything), I thought I'd switch things up a little.

This is the Monster Ncredible Ntunes On-Ear Headphones. It comes in five different colors, and I chuckled to see that I was sent "Candy Apple Red." The people responsible obviously intuited my love for red lips.

Knowing that Monster was the company responsible for Beats by Dr. Dre, I went in with certain expectations (the sound will be bass-heavy, only good for rap, classical music will sound terrible etc.). Instead, here are my findings:

• The sound is indeed bass-heavy, but not as much as I thought it would be. Basically, if you're listening to a song, the bass comes through a little more prominently and can sometimes dampen the vocals a little. 
• To my surprise, it performed well with classical music. Crisp sound even on the higher registers. 
• In fact, I would say for headphones that I would expect the bass to be the prominent feature, the bass sounds aren't as crisp as it could be. The image that came to my mind is if you struck a glass with a fork and it just didn't ring as crystal clear as you expected it to.
• Though it doesn't claim to be totally noise-cancelling, the sponge-y thing (never knew what this was called) does help significantly reduce noise. I tried it on the subway and it drowned out the sound of human movement, which made me bump into a few people since I couldn't feel them. You can still hear louder sounds, like car honks and shouty conversations, so wearing it on the street shouldn't be too dangerous.

The sponge-y thing makes the headphones quite comfortable. I managed to wear it for two hours (with intermittent removal when I had to talk to people) without my ears protesting. Since receiving it, I've also twisted it, tossed it into my cavernous bag o' stuff that I lug around on a daily basis, slung it around my neck, bumped it around, and it proves to be quite durable.

And the most relevant bit of information: the headphones match perfectly with my Le Metier de Beaute In The Know Bordeaux Lip Creme! If I had a favorite niece, I would gift it to her with the matching lip product (so start currying your favors, nieces!).

To win your very own pair of N-Tune headphones (valued at $150), read all about the Monster headphones here and let me know in the comments of this post which color you prefer. The comments on this post will be aggregated with the comments on the posts from the other bloggers participating in this review, and 25 pairs will be given away. This giveaway will close on Nov 1.

Sweepstakes Rules:

No duplicate comments.

You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:

• Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post
  Tweet (public message) about this promotion; including exactly the following unique term in your tweet message: “#SweepstakesEntry”; and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post.
• Blog about this promotion, including a disclosure that you are receiving a sweepstakes entry in exchange for writing the blog post, and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post.
• For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.
• This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winner will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

BlogHer will pool entries from participating blogs and select a sweepstakes winner at random and will contact the winner with details about fulfilling the prize.

The Official Rules are available here. This sweepstakes runs from 10/2/13 – 11/1/13.

Larger Than Life 20s Makeup

I went to a Gatsby-inspired party some time ago! Makeup was the only thing I didn't have to scramble for to fit into the theme (the headband was generously lent to me by a co-worker, earrings are by Dannijo). Since I've been on a minimalistic binge, I actually wasn't used to the look – there was so much makeup on my face! My lazy self sometimes looks back at this picture and sighs, this is how you look when you try, Xiao.



The 20s was about being over the top: huge smokey eyes, red/wine heart-shaped lips, pale but flawless skin. As usual, a complete list of what I used to create the look is at the end of the post, but here are the highlights - I used LMdB Nouvelle Vague on my eyes, layering from top to bottom. With a flat eyeshadow brush, I dipped into the soot black shade and ran the tip along my bottom lash line, blending furiously.

For the lips, I used a combination of lip pencil and lip brush to achieve the pointed edges. Just carefully outline the shape you want – I over-lined mine on the cupid's bow just a tad to get it nice and sharp. The color is Chanel Rouge Allure Rouge Noir.

Though truth be told, while I prepped and primed liberally, the makeup didn't last super long on the dance floor. I suppose that's what dark rooms (and drinks) are for though, right?

Products Used:
Le Métier de Beauté Peau Vierge #2
Burberry Fresh Glow Fluid Base
Le Métier de Beauté Peau Vierge Correcteur in Light/Medium
Le Métier de Beauté Eye Brightening and Setting Powder in Revive
Le Métier de Beauté Creme Fresh Tint in Mystique
Le Métier de Beauté Nouvelle Vague
Guerlain Meteorites Perles d'azur
Benefit Dandelion
NARS Pro Prime Smudgeproof Eyeshadow Base
Guerlain Noir G Mascara
Make Up For Ever Aqua Lip Waterproof Lipliner #13C
Chanel Rouge Allure Rouge Noir

Beauty PSA: Le Métier de Beauté on Hautelook

By some technical web error, I saw a preview of all the items that will be available for sale tomorrow. While the majority of the listings seem to be nail polish, the Sydney lipstick, the powder and the mascara pictured above are on sale, as well as two eyeshadows. I was also excited to see the Champagne Dualistic Eye Pencil listed – I frequently use it as a base for eyeshadow application. If I didn't already have a backup, I would jump on this chance immediately.

The sale begins 8am Pacific on May 14.

If you're not already a Hautelook member, you can sign up through this link.

*Disclosure: If you do end up purchasing an item after signing up through that link, I will receive $10 referral credit.

Lipstick Bandits: The Coral Conundrum

HOW TO BLAHG? My response to the empty draft that was this post. I'm out of shape even though my day job requires me to write for ten hours (or maybe it's precisely because of that?). I miss blogging but I have to say I've been enjoying my hiatus. It's been the first time in years that I didn't have to do anything on weekends.

Moving on, what brought me back today is a new installment of Lipstick Bandits, and this time we're tackling coral. As many of the troop will tell you, we don't know what color coral is supposed to be. I've been told it's something between pink and red, but I've definitely seen "corals" that lean orange. I feel like it's one of those colors (like taupe) that have no real meaning anymore because everyone just uses the word to describe a broad range of color.

But it's true we've never tackled the hue before, so here we are. The one I'm wearing in the picture is Le Métier de Beauté Riviera. A makeup artist once told me that Riviera is a "true coral," and I can definitely see the pink peeking out from the red. Maybe this is it?

*Swatches and product photos are absent because I took these a long time ago (look at that winter-dry skin!) and I'm a rusty blogger. Sorry.

Other fun things in this photo: Shiseido Luminizing Eye Color Trio in Pink Sands and JINsoon Nail Polish in French Lilac and Poppy Blue. Catbird Rings.

Other Bandits:

• Beauty Reflections
• BellaChique‎
• ChloeAsh‎
• Eye Heart It
• Getting Cheeky
• Glitter Geek
• Makeup Morsels
• Messy Wands
• Mostly Sunny‎
• Musing on Beauty
• My Funny Valentine
• My Women Stuff
• theNotice: a beauty blog‎

Products Used:
Rouge Bunny Rouge Time Defying Foundation in Wheat Cream
Tarte Maracuja Creaseless Concealer in Light
Guerlain Perles du Paradis Meteorites
Benefit Dandelion Blush
RMS Living Luminizer
Suqqu Balancing Eyebrow Palette in Moss Green
Shiseido Luminizing Eye Color Trio in Pink Sands
Pop Beauty Peak Performance Mascara in Blackest Black
Le Métier de Beauté Riviera Lipstick
JINsoon Nail Polish in French Lilac and Poppy Blue

Le Métier de Beauté Spring 2013: Pink Berry, Coral Rose, Pink-e Promise

By a stroke of good fortune (or what my editor at Lifestyle Mirror calls "suffering from brand loyalty"),  I acquired three of the five new lip products Le Métier de Beauté has in store for spring. My Muji drawer, previously fitting just the right amount of lip cremes, is now overfloweth. While I recognize that this isn't really a problem, it's kind of still a problem (to my organizational self).

Ah, petty complaints. On to the swatches!

L-R: Pink Berry Lip Creme, Coral Rose and Pink-e Promise Sheer Brilliance Lip Glosses

Pink Berry Lip Crème

In general, this spring's lip products are well named in that there's no guesswork involved on what color you're putting on your lips. There is no exact dupe of Pink Berry in the Le Métier de Beauté core line, but if you want me to make a comparison, I'd say it's the berry version of Fraise Creme.

According to The Ultimate Makeup, Pink Berry is the exact same shade as Cebu, which was previously exclusive to Neiman Marcus Tysons Galleria (and sold out really quickly).

Coral Rose Sheer Brilliant Lip Gloss

This is me, suffering from deer in headlights face lethargy

Now this is a coral I can get behind! Just slightly pinked down and not overly warm. Great color for a nude summer look.

Pink-e Promise Sheer Brilliant Lip Gloss

I find the formula for this a little inconsistent to the name. Pink-e Promise is supposed to be a Sheer Brilliant Lip Gloss, which means it should be pigmented when swatched but barely show up when on the lips (hence "sheer"). I would have called it a lip crème based on the texture. Nevertheless, it's Barbie pink goodness in a tube.

Other Products Used:
Le Métier de Beauté Peau Vierge #2
Tarte Maracuja Creaseless Concealer in Light
Le Métier de Beauté Eye Brightening and Setting Powder in Revive
Shu Uemura Retractable Eyebrow Pencil in Seal Brown
Le Métier de Beauté Penelope Kaleidoscope
Lancome Khol in Love in Jade Crush
Annabelle Le Big Show Mascara
Tom Ford Narcissist Blush
Guerlain Meteorites Perles d'Azur

Jennifer Zeuner Mini Bar with Diamond Necklace

Giorgio Armani Lip Maestro #200 & Le Métier de Beauté Cocoa Me Crazy Nail Lacquer

We are talking about these two very different things in one post because I happened to photograph them together. Before we dive in, let's have moment to appreciate that nail color. Isn't that such a magnificent nude?

Giorgio Armani Lip Maestro #200 Terra

Giorgio Armani Lip Maestro #200 Terra ($32) is a browned-red, but what's more interesting is the formula. As you probably know, this year's beauty market has seen an onslaught of liquid lips (I predict cream sticks to be next year's thing... again) but each are markedly different from the next. I've tried virtually every one of those new formulas and Armani's is my favorite by far. It applies wet and dries down to a velvet matte. It is incredibly pigmented and long-lasting, though it has a lot of slip. I use that to my advantage especially after some of the color has disappeared after meals, as all I have to do is press my lips together; the pigment from the top lip will transfer and lips will be fully painted again.

For swatches of the entire Giorgio Armani Lip Maestro line, visit here.

Le Métier de Beauté Cocoa Me Crazy Nail Lacquer

The beautiful nude is courtesy of Le Métier de Beauté Cocoa Me Crazy ($18). I couldn't figure out how to describe this, but Nordstrom saved me. The polish is a "vanilla bean creme with cocoa flecks." It's not apparent in the picture (much more evident in the bottle), but after application you'll see little specks of brown on your nails. It is reminiscent of cement and I mean that in the best possible way. It's beautiful, and possibly already inched toward the top of my favorite nudes list.

The Look

Eyes: Suqqu EX-08 Hanamari Blend Colour Eyeshadow

What Works For Others May Not Work For You

Case in point: I attempted to re-enact what I think of as the typical Asian smokey eye, where basically you rim your top lash line and 1/3 of your bottom waterline with black liner, add a ton of highlight in the inner corner and extend it to the edge of that 1/3 of black line. Color on lids optional. I used Le Métier de Beauté Nouvelle Vague, which has basically become my to-go eye palette for anything that involves black shadow. I swear that shade alone may be worth the $95 for the entire kit. On a side note, I love how frequent use changes my perception of a product. For reference, see my previous thoughts on the palette here.

Two things happened:
1. The tear duct-ish area of my right eye decided it refused to accept black liner of any form (when powder failed I tried liquid and cream. Nope) and I'm hoping it's a freak protest or my right eye and I will have words
2. I realized that even though this makeup is eye-widening and flattering on most Asian eyes, it's somehow just ill-suited to my face. I'm not saying it's ugly, it's just not the best thing I've seen on me.

The moral of the story, which I have already given away in my catchy post titling (!), is what works for a lot of other people may not work for you, but that's alright. You can figure out what does instead. After all, sometimes it's equally important to know what doesn't work.

The bonus I got out of this experiment is the really pretty lip that basically reaffirmed my love for Suqqu Creamy Glow Lipsticks and Le Métier de Beauté Creme de la Creme. Not that they needed any, of course.

Products Used:
Shu Uemura Retractable Eyebrow Pencil in Seal Brown
Le Métier de Beauté Nouvelle Vague Eye Kit
Annabelle Le Big Show Mascara
RMS Beauty "Un" Cover-Up #22
RMS Beauty Living Luminizer
Benefit Dandelion
Suqqu Creamy Glow Lipstick 05 Suzumecha
Le Métier de Beauté Creme de la Creme Lip Creme

Editorial: Copper+Blue

The title of this post could have been a lot of things. I briefly entertained:

How To Make Your Lips Look Three Times Larger Than Usual
I Didn't Know They Make Foundations Like This Now
The Tale of Two Clavicles
Erghfghgfgh Make Up!

But I suppose Copper+Blue will suffice. I have to thank Larie for assigning me homework yesterday and breaking me out of my makeup rut. I've been doing the simple brows/lashes/blush routine for the past two weeks and almost forgot what a good amount of color could do to my face.

Sung Hee in Elle Vietnam, September 2012 (source)

For the record, the above picture was the inspiration. Below is what I cobbled up.

I took one hour to recreate what seemed like a really simple look. There was a lot of prep and tweaking involved on my part. I wanted the lips to look like hers and I underestimated the amount of gloss needed. I also needed my skin to be absolutely smooth sans Photoshop. Those things take time, yo.

Anyway, first I applied a thin layer of Dolce & Gabbana Perfect Luminous Liquid Foundation in 78 Beige all over my face, blending it into the neck (my lines are deep and permanent, can't mask that). I've only used this foundation twice and so far I'm still in shock. I didn't know foundation could do this to skin! When I first had it on I wasn't used to it because I looked airbrushed. Best of all, the texture is so liquid-y and lightweight that I can't even feel it on my skin. It covered redness and evened out my skintone. I only had to add a dab of RMS "Un" Cover-Up #22 around my under eye area for, dare I say, flawless skin.

To sculpt the cheeks, I swept on Chanel Brume d'Or in a sideways triangle.

After prepping the skin, I sketched in thick eyebrows with a pronounced arch with my Shu Uemura Eyebrow Pencil. I used Le Métier de Beauté Champagne Dualistic Eye Pencil as an eye base, then layered True Color Eyeshadow in Jojo, Spicy, and Tuscan Sunset respectively over it. To emulate the gleam on Sung Hee's lids, I applied Sugar to the center of my eyelid. I highlighted under my brows with Revive Eye Brightening and Setting Powder.

I didn't have that beautiful green in my arsenal (of course, now I have to find one just like it) so I substituted it with the blue in the Oscar de la Renta Kaleidoscope Eye Kit. I applied Noir Precision Liquid Liner closely on the lash line and waterline, and finished with a big swipe of Annabelle Le Big Show Mascara.

For lips, I swiped on Guerlain Rouge G Guerlinade and topped it with Le Métier de Beauté Vanilla Rose then a thick layer of Creme de la Creme applied with a lip brush. It doesn't look much in the close-ups (in fact, shudder at those lip lines!), but my lips looked three times plumper from afar.

I really should do this when I go out sometime. It's sort of a pity (and a waste of perfectly good makeup) that I wear almost nothing when I step out of my house.

At any rate, happy weekend to all!

Products Used:
Face -
Dolce & Gabbana Perfect Luminous Liquid Foundation in 78 Beige
RMS "Un" Cover-Up #22
Chanel Brume d'Or

Eyes -
Shu Uemura Mechanical Brow Pencil in Seal Brown
Le Métier de Beauté Champagne Dualistic Eye Pencil
Le Métier de Beauté True Color Eyeshadow in Jojo, Spicy, Tuscan Sunset, and Sugar
Le Métier de Beauté Oscar de la Renta Kaleidoscope Eye Kit
Le Métier de Beauté Revive Eye Brightening and Setting Powder
Le Métier de Beauté Precision Liner in Noir
Annabelle Le Big Show Mascara

Lips -
Guerlain Rouge G Guerlinade
Le Métier de Beauté Lip Crème in Vanilla Rose and Creme de la Creme

Le Métier de Beauté Barrett Beauty Lip Crème, A John Barrett Salon Exclusive

A few days ago I visited Dustin, who's currently holding fort at the John Barrett Salon. Along with the Marchesa illuminator (which I have been lemming since I found and swatched an old tester in March), he introduced me to a couple of salon exclusives. I didn't swatch the kaleidoscope kit, which consists of two light neutral eyeshadows, Echo blush, and a nude pink crème, because frankly, it's really staid and not what I believe any of us would pay $95 for. I did, however, snap a picture of the Barrett Beauty Lip Crème.

At first glance I believed it similar to Ginger Snap and in many ways it is. Barrett Beauty features a sheer peachy-pink base with multidimensional shimmer (the picture above is a heavy swatch), and the only difference I could discern is that Ginger Snap leans warmer and its shimmer less various. This one didn't blow my mind, but nonetheless it looks very pretty on, and sometimes that's all you need from a lip gloss.

If you would like to order one, you can contact Dustin at 212.872.2714.