Tag Archives: best red lipstick

the Hair stuff., the Makeup stuff., the Skin stuff.

Drugstore Cowgirl Part 3

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I recently realized that I’ve lost my NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Cruella.  I have no idea where it is.  It doesn’t help that I’ve moved across the country within the past month by car.  That lip crayon could be anywhere.  For all I know some lucky corn farmer in Nebraska discovered the greatest shade of red lying in his field just off the highway a couple weeks ago, and is now wearing it proudly as he drives his John Deere.  Bless him.

The real bummer is that normally, I would take a jaunt down to my nearest Sephora this weekend and pick up a brand new lip crayon to replace my lost one.  However, I am currently searching for jobs and waiting for many application responses.  And while our bank account isn’t in dangerous territory by most standards, something about purchasing a … *gulps with guilt* … thirty dollar lipstick these days feels slightly out of responsible boundaries right now.

And now that I think about it, maybe the real, REAL bummer is the fact that I thought I needed a NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Cruella when I also have a NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Dragon Girl, MAC’s matte lipstick in Ruby Woo, and MAC’s lipstick in Russian Red.  Just silly.  Maybe one shade of red can be good enough for now.  After all, where did fifty shades of grey get us?  It got us nowhere.  In relationships, in literature, in filmmaking, as women- nowhere.  And I don’t want to be ignorant of history and repeat humankind’s same mortal mistakes.

Anyways, now that you’re done being angry with me, we can move on to the main subject- drugstore finds!  And I’m talking drugstore finds that I have purchased and then used multiple times, much more than once.  With a renewed mindfulness toward money, I’m seeing that finding value in a great drugstore find is something to be relished.  Finding something that really works well for under ten dollars is just the best.  Sure, you’re lacking the “name”, or the pretty compact, or the lovely fragrance emitting from your mascara (I’m looking at you, DiorShow), but seriously- who cares?

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Speaking of shades of red, Revlon’s Ultra HD Lipstick in Gladiolus is an amazing drugstore choice.  I purchased it when I got the run-down of Emma Stone’s makeup at this year’s SAG awards, which I was obsessed with.  Her makeup artist, Rachel Goodwin, has done a brilliant job at incorporating new Revlon products into Emma’s looks.  What I really like about this formula is that it’s very comfortable.  This is not a matte shade at all, which is what I typically go for, but after wearing so many matte shades you tend to forget that lipstick actually can be creamy and comfortable (and as much as I love Ruby Woo, it makes my lips dry as a desert).  Such is the case with the Ultra HD; it’s very easy to wear.  I find that this shade is not brick or orange-y, and not too blue-based either.  It’s really beautiful on Emma with fair skin, but I also found it to be flattering on my skin tone which is more of an olive at times.  If you’re looking for a cheap red to try, I recommend this to you.

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I sometimes feel bad advocating for drugstore hair products because I know that salons rely heavily on their retail sales and I’m very much about supporting local salons.  However, hairspray is one product that I have never purchased from a salon because I don’t use it very often, and I honestly haven’t seen much of a difference in quality between salon hairspray or drugstore brands.  Moreover, some drugstore hairspray fragrances are so nostalgic to me.  Aussie, anyone?  And I will always associate Tresseme’s hairspray scent with my mom, who uses it every morning.

There was one occasion though when I needed a heavy duty hairspray that would hold an updo and help with teasing (which I hate to do).  I was going to a Halloween party as Holly Golightly, and I needed to recreate her French twist with all the volume at the crown.  L’Oreal’s Boost It High Lift Creation Spray is like the monster glue of hairspray, in my opinion.  You know when a hairspray isn’t so much a mist as it is a web?  That’s this stuff.  It has a backcombing, mattifying effect that was perfect for my updo on Halloween.  You can spray it and then tease a section of hair into Dolly Parton oblivion, or just mist it all over your hair and then watch it not move for the next 24 hours.  And the scent is very addicting but very strong, so, it’s basically smack as hairspray.  Proceed with caution.

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I used CeraVe’s Hydrating Cleanser Bar for the first time one month ago when I was staying at my mom-in-law’s house after we’d moved out of our apartment.  The scent is very clinical and soapy to me, but the soft texture it left behind on my skin was unmistakable.  I couldn’t wait for showers when using this bar, and I’ve continued to purchase it out here in Illinois.  I’ve always used body washes dispensed from bottles, and I have a tendency to probably use too much as a time and a lot more than is needed.  You have that advantage with a soap bar in that you’re not squeezing too much out, but the disadvantage is that the bar gets wet over time and can dissolve when you’re not using it, causing you to lose soap that way.  Regardless, I’ve been keeping CeraVe in rotation in our shower and will probably continue to do so when things get really windy in the winter.

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As I continue to grow out my hair in my endless quest for whatever it is I think I’m looking for, I’m starting to refocus my efforts on maintaining healthy and full ends.  This task used to be my number one priority when it came hair, but my recent chop has granted me some freedom in not having to think of split or broken ends so much.  Though my hair hasn’t reached my collar bone yet, I’m trying to become conscious again about heat protectants, being careful with aggressive hair ties, and using products that help to at least give the illusion of fuller ends.  I don’t think Garnier Fructis’ Full and Plush Ends Plumper Amplifying Leave-In Serum does a ton in the way of split end prevention, but it does at least temporarily seal ends to give them a healthier look.  This is also a good thing for volume as my hair starts to grow out and loses its natural volume that came from such a short cut.  I sampled Bumble and bumble’s new Full Potential line the other day and rubbed some of the Garner into my ends before hitting my hair with a blow-dryer for about three minutes, and wowie- my hair got huge, and not just from the scalp but all over.

Maybe one of these days I’ll suddenly find my lost Cruella in a box or jean pocket, but for now, I’m sticking with what I already have or learning to love the cheap stuff.  I want to grow out my hair anyhow (so no frequent cuts), and sometimes I think all you need for good skin is water and sleep anyhow.  I know I can afford that.  xo, MR

the Friends stuff., the Makeup stuff.

Holy Blake Lively Batman! Or, my gorgeous friend Katie!

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Katie is a friend that I seriously admire.  She works with my husband as a high school ministry director, and I have to say that if there’s one word to describe her it’s energy.  Katie’s got an unparelled talent for being able to speak in public on a moment’s notice, get a crowd going under any circumstances, and put a positive spin on nearly anything.  Katie is a classic extrovert, and she’s the first to organize game nights, community dinners, New Year’s Eve champagne parties, and she’s always the first one to raise a glass for a toast.  She loves to have a good time.

So when Katie let me know that she’d be going to a fancy Christmas soiree (that may or may not have been hosted by a vocal trainer on a certain little show called Glee), and that she wanted me to do her makeup for said soiree, I admittedly got a bit nervous.  I mean, what kind of makeup do you go with to reflect such a great personality?  And seeings that it was a pretty swank party Katie was headed to, how do I take things up a notch without going overboard?  And on top of that, Katie sticks to a consistent routine of bronzer and mascara (and she doesn’t need more, anyhow).  What’s a little more without being a bit too much?

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Let me tell you this: If you have good teeth (which Katie has in spades), and if you’re not typically seen with bright makeup on, the absolute easiest and most high-impact answer to the above questions is a red lip.  Or pink or orange or plum, quite honestly.  A statement lip– we’ll just call it that.  Katie was a tad worried about going with this at first because her teeth and lips are such stand-out features of hers; she didn’t want to feel like she was all lip!  The best solution for this is not found in adding heavy eyeshadow or eyeliner (which can look overdone on top of a bright lip), but rather by adding some great false eyelashes.  Don’t overspend on these; Ardell’s from the drugstore are amazing! I used the Glamour Demi Wispies in Black on Katie, as this is my go-to pair for myself and for brides.  I dusted a champagne shadow on Katie’s lids (I believe I used Dior’s 5-Couleurs palette in Earth Reflection, or it could’ve been MAC’s eyeshadow in All That Glitters) and then lined just the outer corners of her eyes in deep brown shade for extra definition.  Lining the lids in powder shadow helps soften any harsh false lash lines, too.  I used the shimmery ivory shade in my Dior palette to highlight the inner corners of Katie’s eyes as a tribute to Blake Lively (whom I think Katie looks like!).  I dotted the same shadow on a blush brush and tapped a bit onto Katie’s cheeks, and used her MAC bronzer for some light contouring.  With a red lip, I don’t typically add blush because it competes too much with the lipcolor, so we left it at just highlighting and contouring.

I had Katie moisturize her lips while I worked on her face and eyes.  A good way to prep your lips for lipstick is by exfoliating them is gently with a toothbrush, but we skipped that and just had her saturate them in balm.  I used MakeUpForEver’s lipliner in Red 8C, and filled in her lips first with MAC’s Russian Red by using a lip brush (from SkinMarket … DOES ANYONE REMEMBER THAT PLACE?!).  I then had Katie blot, and filled her lips in again by using NARS’ Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Dragon Girl (a real fire engine red).  I then placed just a touch of Kevyn Aucoin’s Sensual Skin Enhancer on the cupid’s bow and on the inner corners of the lips.  Creating the perfectly-shaped statement lip is still something I’m working on; it’s harder for me than the most complicated eyeshadow.  Many professional makeup artists like to use a primer under lipstick (yes, an eyeshadow primer) and additionally like to dust translucent powder on top for extra staying powder.  However, in Katie’s case, I didn’t want things to get unbearably dry.  It was her first time doing a red lip, and matte lipstick can feel like cement if you aren’t used to it.  I’ll save the primer and powder for when I do Lupita Nyong’O’s makeup for the Academy Awards.  Right.

So, the final product: How amazeballs does Katie look?!  I was so, so pleased with the whole package.  With just a few curls in her hair (at her own hand), Katie was pure holiday magic.  I know I’ve been slow to crank out a post yet this year, but I sort of like that this first post of 2014 is a throwback to party season.  Everyone likes a fresh start with a new year, but at the same time I’m convinced that we still wish party season could continue well past January (minus the party planning).  And, I mean, party season sort of does continue past January with AWAAAAAAAAAAAAARDS SEASON.  Consider this makeup I’ve done for Katie my own teeny tiny contribution to the 2014 Awards Season, and just a little something to hold you over while I work on my Golden Globes post!  Thanks, Katie!  You look phenomenal!  xo, MR

the Friends stuff., the Makeup stuff., the Me stuff.

Thank God it’s Friday! NOW PUT ON THE EYESHADOW.

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It’s official:  I have become one of those “working for the weekend” types.  I landed myself a job that consists of a solid eight hours a day, five days a week.  I start my day early in the morning and by 4:30 in the afternoon, I’m bushed.  Each day feels like an accomplishment, but let me tell you: Monday seems awfully far from Friday, and Friday seems SO CLOSE to Monday.  I’m not sure how that happens, but regardless of the fatigue, the regular schedule is all turning out to be great for me.  I’m eating regularly and all day long, and I get panicky if I don’t wear comfortable shoes or have enough water.  I can’t help but respond to these messages that my body is sending me, and so as a consequence I’ve ended up building healthier habits, little by little.  I can even take a nap now and it doesn’t have to be two hours long!

However, another consequence of having such a job is MAY-JER weekend anticipation.  Like, I am literally playing this in my head over and over come Thursday afternoon.  I officially get the point of happy hour.  I officially get “TGIF”.  I officially feel bad for all the times I sort of rolled my eyes at the folks who would enthusiastically update their statuses as they awaited their Friday night sushi or tapas or whatever.  So, what’s more exciting than actually making some concrete plans for a Friday night so I can do nothing but clinch my keyboard in anticipation at my desk all day (and stay on task, of course)?!

But naturally, the real pleasure of “going out” for me is not the actual “going out”.  It’s the “getting ready” part that hits my sweet spot.  Give me an hour or two to just zen out with my makeup brushes and trust me- I’ll be a happy camper that evening whether I end up at the Chateau Marmont or if I decide to just hang out in a dumpster with some Cheetos as I wave a flashlight around my head.  That’s some hoodrat clubbin’.

So what kind of makeup do you wear for a night out?  Well, during my two nights out in Vegas in which I stepped out of my room to escape the Circus Circus nightmare that I’d paid for, I’ve typically noticed the unfortunate combination of too-much-bronzer and too-much-eyeliner and too-much-lipgloss.  Rule of thumb:  You get one of those, okay?  YOU. GET. ONE.  Unless it’s opening night of Hairpsray AND YOU’RE THE STAR … you get one.  Unless you’re walking the runways at Paris Fashion Week and you’ve got the pancake face of Karl Lagerfeld HIMSELF to compete with … you get one.  But sometimes … sometimes … there’s a case in which you maybe get two.  For your consideration, a you-pick-two look brought to you by yours truly:

IMG_6645Now, I’d been wanting to put golden eyeshadow on Laura’s eyes for months but I’d just never had the chance to snatch those little blue eyeballs!  I used MAC’s Gorgeous Gold on Laura’s lids to bring out major contrast in her eyecolor, and that’s MAC’s Russian Red on her lips.  The lip color has got to be one of the most universally flattering shades of red, and what’s unique about gold is that it also works with eyecolor and skintone of all shades.  This particular shade from MAC does different things on different eyes, and I can’t recommend it enough.  I didn’t do a thing to Laura’s cheeks, and I only evened out her skin with a light wash of foundation and a good dusting of powder- I didn’t want her skin to be too shiny.  I love that the look is a little more of a Disney Princess look, and yet it still has the potential to be somewhat editorial.  It is in this case that I would submit that you can do both statement eyeshadow and statement lips.  It doesn’t happen often, folks.

So what will I do tomorrow night as far as makeup’s concerned?  I haven’t the faintest.  But I can assure that I’ll be thinking about allllllllll day long tomorrow as I sit at my desk.  xo, MR