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

Dior Twin Set Eyeshadow Duo in 090 Fishnet Black

Dior Twin Set Eyeshadow Duo in Fishnet Black ($30) is a new, I wanna say, thingamajig the brand introduced for spring. It is a double-sided eye pen housing two eyeshadows of different textures intended for layering. One side is basically a cream stick, while the other is a sponge that dispenses a sheer wash of color.

L-R: spongey side, creamy side

both layered

While the creamy side can stand alone (apply onto lid, then use finger to gently smudge out for a simple smokey eye), the sheer spongey end of the stick barely shows up on the skin. I had to pack on the pigment for it to show up in the photo above.

The duo makes for a beautiful smokey eye, but it takes much effort to achieve. In my mind, the main uses for a product like this is: 1) to simplify things for beginners or 2) as a one-stick-fits-all for travel/easy touch ups throughout the day. However, this duo is not particularly easy to work with. It actually takes me less time to do a smokey eye with eyeshadow compared to using the duo, because I have to carefully apply and blend out the cream, then rigorously pat down the eyeshadow to smoke it out. The only good thing is since so little pigment comes out of the spongey side, you create a natural smoked out gradient.

Also, while I believe most of us already wear primer as a necessary step in our routine, I think it's worth mentioning that this eyeshadow will not last on oily lids without a primer. By the end of the night, my right lid was completely mangled.

That said, with some patience and practice it could be a really good traveling companion. You won't achieve terribly sophisticated looks, but it is decent for a quick smokey eye, especially when you won't need a brush!

I received my Fishnet Black Twin Set from my internship and a quick search online suggests it's not for sale at the usual department stores, so I'm not entirely sure where you can go to purchase it. When I swatched the collection at Saks, I only saw the pink and gray duos. Perhaps this is an as yet released Sephora exclusive?

Products Used:
Tarte Maracuja Creaseless Concealer in Light
Dr. Jart+ Black Label Detox BB Beauty Balm
Guerlain Météorites Perles du Paradis
Shu Uemura Retractable Eyebrow Pencil in Seal Brown
Dior Twin Set Eyeshadow Duo in 090 Fishnet Black
Giorgio Armani Eyes To Kill Waterproof Eye Pencil in Black #1
Eyeko Black Magic Mascara
Korres Lip Butter in Quince

Lipstick Bandits: Secret Santa Look Swap

We have perhaps the most elaborate Lipstick Bandit collaboration ever today! If you follow any of us on Twitter you'll know we've been very excited about this, largely because none of us knows what the other person is going to do. We're as clueless as you may be, dear readers, and for some reason this makes us giddy.

But what is this we're actually doing, you ask? The idea is based on Secret Santa and our "gift" to each other is a signature makeup look. Rae emailed each of us our assignments and we weren't allowed to reveal who we got until, well, now. I wasn't surprised to find out who she picked for me, but let's see if you can guess by looking at this picture below.

If that doesn't give it away, this would totally do it.

I was assigned Arianne of Glitter Geek because I proposed "dimple contouring" and Rae was amused. I actually attempted it in earnest for this look, but it's kind of impossible to contour something that only appears when your face moves in a certain way. I was thrilled to (re)discover that I actually have a dimple though.

If you didn't already know, Arianne is a huge fan of cats. Naturally, I chose to emulate this look she featured on her blog because recently that's how I've been thinking of her - all sexy and feline-like. I made sure to emphasize my lashes (by layering two mascaras) because hers are long, luscious, and completely envy-inducing. To complete the look, I even tried posing like her.

But of course, I reverted to my own style later.

Merry Christmas, Arianne (and everyone else)! I hope I did you justice.

We have a new bandit again! Please join us in welcoming Lily from ChloeAsh to our little masked tribe. We can't wait till you're all caught up in our shenanigans!

• Call It Beauty
• Eye Heart It
• Getting Cheeky
• Glitter Geek
• Makeup Morsels
• Musing on Beauty
• My Funny Valentine
• Rocaille Writes
• theNotice: a beauty blog‎

New Bandit:

• ChloeAsh‎

Products Used:
Rouge Bunny Rouge Time Defying Foundation in Wheat Cream
Guerlain Perles D'Azur Meteorites
Suqqu Balancing Eyebrow in Moss Green 01
Suqqu Eyebrow Liquid Pen in Moss Green 01
Giorgio Armani Waterproof Smooth Silk Eye Pencil #1
Shu Uemura 5R Pure Kolinsky Brush
Burberry No.3 Porcelain Eyeshadow
Pop Beauty Peak Performance Mascara in Billiant Black
Annabelle Le Big Show Mascara
Chanel Tempting Beige Blush
Le Métier de Beauté Dualistic Lip Pencil in Rose
Guerlain Rouge Automatique #125 Vega

Full disclosure: This entry contains sample product(s) sent by PR or the manufacturer for editorial consideration.

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

Swatched: Tarte Holiday 2012 Collection Sets

Unless you've been living under a beauty rock, you must have heard of these fantastic Tarte Holiday Sets. From what I've seen and heard, they've been flying off Sephora shelves so fast it's like UD Naked all over again. Looking at them and how little they cost, I totally understand the frenzy. With most of these sets, you're essentially paying a little over the price of one item for multiple products. The best part? Aside from the blush set, they aren't even mini-sized. 

A portion of my face has been rather odd lately so I haven't been able to take photos of myself wearing makeup. For now, here are swatches of the three sets I have, in case you were hesitating on your purchase (but seriously, why are you?).

Fantastic Foursome 4-Piece Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush Enthusiast Set ($35 for $60 value)

L-R; Angelic, Fantastic, Magic, Stellar

L-R: Stellar, Magic, Fantastic, Angelic

The colors are all exclusive to this set! Angelic is an ivory highlight, Fantastic is a matte cool pink, Magic is a pink-leaning coral, and Stellar is a shimmery light bronzer. Out of the four, Fantastic was slightly chalky (since it's matte) while Stellar required some packing to show up, but I think that's a good thing in a bronzer shade. 

5-Piece LipSurgence™ Collector's Set ($34 for $120 value)

L-R: Escape, Enchanted, Exposed, Sweet, Elite

Tarte included three different formulas in this 5-piece set. Escape and Sweet are Lip Lusters (sheerer, more shimmer), Enchanted and Elite are Lip Tints (more pigmented), while Exposed is a Matte Lip Tint. It's fantastic if you've been hankering to try out a variety of Tarte lip offerings without breaking the bank. My only caveat is it's mostly comprised of warm pinks. I would have liked to see a wider color selection, maybe switch two out for a red and a nude.

Eye Catchers 6-Piece SmolderEYES™ And Skinny SmolderEYES™ Collector's Set ($39 for $144 value)

L-R: Ash Violet, Rainforest Black, Champagne, Gunmetal, Gold, Onyx

Again, the colors are exclusive to this set and not available in their regular line. I can't even begin to explain how awesome swatching these liners felt. Gliding butter! Yet they won't budge! Look at those colors! And that black! I mean, that's what I call a black! 

I guess it felt like a lot of exclamation points. I think the colors are pretty self-explanatory from the swatches and accompanying names, except Gunmetal, which is a taupey brown and not a steely gray as the name would suggest.

From swatching and some light testing, all the items in these sets hold up to the usual Tarte standard. I've been a longtime fan of their blushes, Exposed being my go-to browned rose, and am happy to rediscover their lip pencils and eye liners. I was once a staunch devotee of SmolderEYES in brown and only put it away because I went back to wearing black liners. 

These Tarte sets are available at Sephora and Tarte.com, and I say they're all worth it. Even if you only like one color out of the entire set, you can split them up and give them as Thanksgiving/Hannukah/Christmas/I-Don't-Need-A-Special-Reason gifts. After all, what girl doesn't like receiving makeup?

The products in this post were provided by the company for editorial consideration

Sneak Peek: Guerlain Holiday 2012 Swatches

Liu Eye & Lip Calligraphy Palette

I was very tempted by the Liu Eye & Lip Calligraphy Palette, which surprised me because I don't like palettes that houses both lip and eye products. The three lighter eyeshadow shades are what I've come to expect from Guerlain - smooth, pigmented, exquisitely shimmery. The black shade is more on the matte side and thus didn't swatch as well, but eyeliner shades are usually that way.

The standout, in my opinion, is the texture of the two reds in the palette. When I touched it it was actually smooth, as in it didn't feel like usual cream-type lipsticks. I imagine this would be how all those lip velvet formulas would feel if they were in pot form. The swatches were made using one finger swipe, and I know I said I shouldn't get any more reds, but just look at that.

Ecrin 4 Couleurs Eye Shadow in 500 Les Ombres Turandot 

The Ecrin 4 Couleurs Eye Shadow in 500 Les Ombres Turandot is so, so beautiful, except I know I definitely won't be able to pull off such warm colors. 

L-R: Meteorites Wulong, Shine Automatique #700 Altoum, #760 Lou-Ling

I hope you can see the very layered swatch of the Meteorites Wulong on the left. When swirled together, the powder is a pale, faintly shimmering pink. The two Shine Automatiques are quite sheer but can be layered for more intensity (do remember that Shine Automatiques are not made to be uber pigmented). Altoum is the perennial holiday gold, while Lou-Ling is a bright berry.

Edit: I took down my swatch picture for the nail lacquers because of the ugly horrid smudge on Lou-Ling, as I personally would hate to see it on any blog myself. You can proceed to Temptalia's site for her review of both Altoum and Lou-Ling.

I found the collection at Saks Fifth Avenue New York, which means it should reach Guerlain counters nationwide soon, if not already.

RMS Beauty Swatches

I know the pain of blind online purchases and the inevitable regret when the color doesn't match the product images online, so here are swatches of the complete RMS Beauty color collection.

L-R: Lip Shine in Sublime, Bloom, Moment

The Lip Shines are shiny lip balms. Sublime is a light hot pink, Bloom is a peach pink, while Moment is a honey brown shade.

L-R: "Un" Cover-Up #11, #22, #33, #44

The "Un" Cover-Ups are what we usually call concealers. #11 is ivory yellow, #22 peach yellow, #33 ochre yellow, while #44 is bronze yellow. (I'm definitely straining my color vocabulary here.)

L-R: Lip2Cheek in Muse, Promise, Modest, Smile, Illusive, Rapture 

The Lip2Cheeks are lip and cheek colors that can be sheered out or layered for intensity. Muse is a pale pink cream, Promise is.. orange/brown/red with slight gold shimmer? I don't know, but it's very pretty. Modest is coral, Smile is peach, Illusive is a brown-based red, and Rapture is a rich brick red. I actually tried on every single one of the Lip2Cheek and was surprised to find only Promise and Illusive worked on me. Muse was concealer lips (in a bad way), while Modest and Smile were too warm for me.

L-R: Cream Eye Shadow in Lunar, Solar, Seduce, Magnetic, Spark, Myth, Karma

I trust the Cream Eye Shadows need no external description. Lunar is actually a shimmery ivory nude (I layered the swatch heavily to show the color), Solar is a complex antique gold, Seduce is a khaki-leaning brown, Magnetic is a taupe. Spark and Myth looked really similar in the pot – I feel like Spark is a neutral brown with slight gold shimmer, while Myth is a brown cream that leans red. Karma is a dark brown-black.

I didn't swatch the Living Luminizer because I've already shown it in this post, which you can also head over to see "Un" Cover-Up #22 and Rapture in action.

RMS Beauty is available nationwide at rmsbeauty.com. If you live in (or are visiting) New York City, you can view and try out the entire collection at Bloom Beauty Lounge, located at 140 West 19th St.

PS: Just received word from @rmsbeauty that Spark and Myth have been discontinued.

Looking Like Fall: Recreating Armani's Fall Beauty Campaign Look

Fall is upon us, and nothing signals its arrival more than the welcome sight of smokier eyes. The Glitter Geek Arianne and I decided it would be fun to celebrate its arrival by recreating a fall beauty look. She took inspiration from the runways, while I have been enamored by Armani's fall beauty campaign ever since I saw it two months ago.

It was an easy choice, though complete recreation was somewhat hindered by the lack of a comparable hat.

Giorgio Armani Beauty Fall Campaign 2012

Products Used:
· Face: Le Métier de Beauté Peau Vierge Tinted Treatment #2 mixed with Burberry Fresh Glow Luminous Fluid Base, RMS Beauty "Un" Cover-Up #22
· Eyes: Le Métier de Beauté Nouvelle Vague* (black shade)
· Cheeks: Le Métier de Beauté Creme Fresh Tint in Tenne
· Lips: Burberry Nude Peach Lipstick

There really isn't much to the look – I just wanted a chance to tackle an exaggerated black smokey eye. I colored my lids with black eyeshadow and shaped them into oversized cat eyes, blending out the edges. The model's cheeks had just a hint of color, which I emulated with a few pats of Tenne. Burberry Nude Peach Lipstick might not be pink enough compared to what the model had on, but remains a good companion to over-smoked eyes.

Arianne is doing Derek Lam's Fall 2012 runway makeup and I can't wait to see what she's conjured up. Mosy on over here to take a look!

The product(s) marked with * was sent by the company for editorial consideration

Clean Lines and Cat Eyes

Yes, I have to put that much for it to show up so little.

Lips: Le Métier de Beauté Dualistic Lip Pencil in Nudité; Contouring: Mistura 6-in-1 Beauty Solution*

I wish I could do a tutorial on this, but I'm really a beginner myself when it comes to drawing cat eyes. This one leans more toward the editorial spectrum rather than the more palatable everyday flick, but I really like it and would love to wear it out one day soon. 

I did finally learn how to find my favorite angle for the cat eye, which I've always struggled with. I just imagine an upward extension of my bottom lash line and stop at the invisible line where the tail of my eyebrow ends. I used Le Métier de Beauté Precision Liner in Noir to sketch out the line, then went over it with the black shade from Nouvelle Vague* for intensity. I couldn't find a nude lip color I liked from my drawer so I used their Nudité lip pencil, and was pleasantly surprised that the texture was creamy enough to hold its own. 

Products marked with * were provided by the company for editorial consideration