Will Blog For Eyeshadow

McKennaRishmawyCarola Gonzalez, celebrity makeup, Chanel, Chanel makeup, Elizabeth Olsen, eyeshadow, Georgie Eisdell, holiday, Jennifer Connelly, Jennifer Lawrence, Jillian Dempsey, Kay Montano, Kerry Washington, Louis Vuitton, MAC cosmetics, Makeup, Margot Robbie, Pat Mcgrath, Pati Dubroff, Place Vendome, smokey eye, smokey eye makeup, smoky eye 1 Comment

It’s been a while, but that’s okay. Busyness and work leave little time for blogging. However, my eyes are never too busy to miss the awesomeness that shows up on the red carpet in the form of seriously bonkers eyeshadow. I mean it people- this holiday season, PLEASE stay away from the neutral tones. If it’s Christmas and I see you wearing basic eyeshadow, I might get mad. ‘Tis the season to be purple. At the very least.

Let’s take a tour of possibilities, all of which have occurred within the last two months.

Dark, navy eyeshadow is my fave. I mean it. If I could do my wedding all over again, I’d wear a mermaid silhouette and do a smoky navy eye. My preference is a matte finish over a sparkly one, but who cares. You can thank Carol Gonzalez for this magnificent job well done on Kerry Washington. My guess is she used a Pat McGrath Labs palette.

I feel like the only eyeshadow color we see less than green is canary yellow. Yellow – not gold – is so under-appreciated! Pati Dubroff created this look on Margot Robbie using a couple MAC products, including Chromaline gel/cream shadow in Primary Yellow. I love that it’s applied all the way up to Margot’s brow for a really modern take.

Jennifer Connelly is another example of the wonders of blue eyeshadow. It’s not just for pageant girls, people! And it comes in an infinite variety of tones. Kay Montano used a silvery-but-vivid blue on Jennifer’s inner eyelids here, with what look like purple tones on the outer lid and around the rim. I love how her nearly blue-black hair makes the blue shadow stand out even more, especially with the dress. Coupled with the brows and everything else left bare, we’ve got perfection.

Winged eyeshadow! Nothing says, “My allegiance lies with Imperator Furiosa” quite like winged, black eyeshadow. This is one of my favorite likes to try and recreate on myself, personally. I love looks that feel strong and ferocious like this, especially when paired with sleek hair. Jillian Dempsey has consistently turned out a killer smoky eye, typically on Kristen Stewart. This turned out perfectly; the blending is smooth as a milkshake.

And because you know smoky eyes are pretty much my kryptonite … here’s another one! Georgie Eisdell managed to pull off what’s probably the most flawless version of the iconic look I’ve ever seen. I mean, ever. This is the makeup I’d die in. There’s such an incredible depth to Elizabeth’s shadow, with what could be four different shades used. Georgie used exclusively Chanel products to create this look. She doesn’t name which eyeshadow palette it is, and it might be one that hasn’t come on the market yet. Nevertheless, I’ve been searching like a crazy person.

What do you plan to do this year for holiday makeup? Any palettes or products you plan to try? Let me know in the comments! xo, MR

Photo credits by order of appearance and all are user Instagram handles: @carolagmakeup, @patidubroff, @kaymontano, @jilliandempsey, @georgieeisdell

May 28, 2016the Makeup stuff.

Current Beauty Inspo: Olivia Munn

McKennaRishmawyAcademy Awards 2016, Anastasia Beverly Hill liquid lipstick, bright lipstick, celebrity makeup, Chanel Rouge Allure Excentrique, Chanel Rouge Allure lipstick, Chanel Rouge Allure Pimpante, coral lipstick, Good Morning America, Instagram makeup, Kylie Lip Kit, L'Oreal Colour Riche Fiery Veil, L'Oreal Paris, liquid lipstick, long lasting lipstick, makeup artist, Olivia Munn, Olivia Munn lipstick, Patrick Ta, Ride Along 2, summer 2016 makeup trends, X-Men: Apocalypse Leave a comment

I am not that much of a lipstick person. If I wear it, it’s sort of the showpiece of my look and it doesn’t happen that often. Something about lipstick just feels like a real commitment that’s a bit tedious for everyday life (at least for me). I genuinely admire those who feel at home wearing lipstick on a daily basis. Even if it’s a nude shade or something rosy and natural, lipstick wearers always seem to have a real level up on me in terms of glamour. You can always find them wearing Chanel Coco Mademoiselle on the reg while I’m wearing, well, probably just my deodorant. When I do wear full makeup, I find myself feeling most at home with a semi-grungy, smokey eye or a very bare no-makeup makeup look. Full-time lipstick is a full-time job for me.

However, every once in a while I’ll find myself so inspired by something different than what I usually do that I can’t resist trying it. And this particular week I’ve been inspired the lipstick-happy Olivia Munn (currently featured as Psylocke in X-Men: Apocalypse).

According to a couple interviews I’ve read, Olivia feels super comfortable in and favors bold lipstick as her makeup look of choice. In X-Men, she wears an amazing shade of deep purply plum when she first appears. It helps that Olivia has a great mouth for lipstick; not everyone does. I think one of the reasons I’ve never made it my go-to is that fact that my lips are on the thinner side. All it takes is a little lining outside the lipline to give the appearance of fullness, but I get scared that things will look too exaggerated.

Ironically, Olivia is wearing a lip product brought to us by the queen of exaggerated features in the picture above- it’s a Kylie Lip Kit. Yep! Olivia is wearing a Kylie Lip Kit in Mary Jo K here for a fiery shade of red. Not great for regular use because of how drying they are (and that goes for all longwearing liquid lipsticks), but excellent for the red carpet or appearances because the color literally doesn’t budge for an eternity.

For a Good Morning America appearance to promote Ride Along 2 in January, Olivia wore another liquid lipstick, this time from the ever-popular Anastasia Beverly Hills line. Olivia’s makeup artist, Patrick Ta, has seemed to really favor liquid lipsticks for his client but he didn’t mention what specific shade this was. I’m thinking he used either Rio or Party Pink after checking out the swatches. And did I mention her hair is kind of the greatest hair on Earth, too?

This look from this past year’s Academy Awards, however, has been my very favorite of Olivia’s. The styling and the dress were impeccable, but I’m in love with the makeup. A coral lip is always the most fun thing ever. And matching your makeup to your outfit these days is a definite yes.

Patrick combined two shades of Chanel Rouge Allure lipstick- Excentrique and Pimpante. I love that her eyebrows have been kept very natural and there’s no over-the-top filling in. Just some nice contouring and highlighting, neutral eyeshadow with shimmer, and false lashes. I stepped out to purchase a coral lipstick of my own and picked up MakeUpForEver’s Rouge Artist Intense lipstick in 40, but I promptly returned it the following day because feelings of responsibility now just make me return things and feel guilty. Being an adult is great.

And there’s also the fact that I remembered that I have a coral lipstick, already. Whoops. It’s from the drugstore and it’s got a pretty glossy finish, but it works- L’Oreal Colour Riche in Fiery Veil. It’s not as long lasting as other formulas, but it feels very nice and the color payoff is pretty good.

Yeah, I don’t exactly look like Olivia Munn (and as I said, my lips are not nearly as full) and I have to work on better lighting for my selfies (no filter here), but that’s okay. For seven bucks I’m happy to at least emulate Olivia’s lip color. A bright lip sometimes feels like just the right move to cheer up a grey (and now humid) May afternoon. Let me know of your favorite picks for a bright shade of lipstick, and tag my in your pictures if you try anything! xo, MR

Photo credits to (in order of appearance): Kylie Cosmetics/Instagram, Patrick Ta/Instagram, & Jason Merritt/Getty Images.

March 27, 2013the Makeup stuff.

Easily my favorite makeup look of 2013. So far.

McKennaRishmawyAvon Glimmersticks, Avon makeup, best Avon makeup products, best cheap makeup, blue eyeliner, celebrity makeup, celebrity makeup artist, cheap red carpet makeup, Cle de Peau concealer, Jessica Alba, Jessica Alba makeup, Jessica Alba makeup 2013 Kids Choice Awards, Lauren Anderson, People StyleWatch, spring 2013 makeup, teal eye makeup 4 Comments

So, by now most of you know how I’m often bothered by how difficult it is to find out what products celebrity makeup artists actually use on their clients. I don’t want to know how to “get the look”, or what I could “try” to “achieve so-and-so’s look” (all these phrases typically code for “This ain’t the real deal, but buy this stuff anyway cuz yer dumb”). I want a run-down of the actual goods.

Well, I scored big-time when it came to this stunning look on Jessica Alba at the 2013 Kids Choice Awards. Leave it to the awesome folks at People StyleWatch to get back to me immediately when I asked them if they could locate the items used on her. People StyleWatch also credits this gorgeous look to the talents of fabulous Avon Global celebrity makeup artist Lauren Anderson.

I’ve loved a couple things about Jessica’s makeup these days, with the number one thing being her flawless under-eye area (and yes, I get how obscure that is but you begin to appreciate these things after years of obsessing). The area fanning out from the inner corners of her eyes always looks luminous and even, as also seen here at the 2013 Golden Globes. I love that her skin doesn’t just look corrected of whatever flaws there may be; it looks beyond corrected. Her face is highlighted and contoured in all the right places to the point where she looks lit from within or part of a Renaissance painting. I also love a dewy, glowing finish much more than a matte finish (which I need to get over though, because I’ve learned that some brides don’t want to look glowy; they’d rather look matte and shine-less, which I can respect). And that teal eyeliner is so fresh and it makes her eyes sparkle! The nude lip color looks clean and beautiful too, making this my favorite makeup look so far for 2013.

So what exactly did Lauren use to achieve this perfect look for spring? All of the following, as reported to me by PSW, are the exact products used:

Avon Ideal Flawless Foundation

Lorac Baked Bronzer

Chanel blush in Tumulte

Cle de Peau concealer

Votre Vu Brow Wax

Avon Glimmersticks in Aqua Flash

Ardell Individual Lashes (in short black)

Avon SuperExtend Infinitize Mascara

Avon Totally Kissable Lipstick in Lovey Dovey

Of course it’s the seventy-dollar Cle de Peau concealer- of cooouuurrrrrrse! I mean, it had to be, right? It couldn’t have been my dang L’Oreal True Match! But then again, Cle de Peau’s concealer does have the top-of-the-line reputation for being the absolute best you can get in concealer, bar none. So, I suppose I should’ve expected a product of that caliber to be responsible for Jessica’s holy undereyes. But the real good news to me is the fact that the wicked awesome teal eyeliner is Avon! Seriously?! Not, like, ten thousand dollar Dior eyeliner?! Woohoo! Those Avon Glimmerstick things cost just seven bucks a pop! Even the foundation costs just eleven bucks, and the lipstick goes for eight (though currently on sale for five).

My order is currently in for the eyeliner and lipstick. Let me know if you’ve ever tried any Avon products that you love, OR if you’re an Avon lady! I’ve always wanted my very own Avon lady ~~to feed and keep in a cage all for myself~~! xo, MR

December 28, 2012the Hair stuff., the Makeup stuff., the Me stuff.

On January, drugstore makeup, and why Olivia Wilde may hate me after reading this.

McKennaRishmawycelebrity advertisement, celebrity makeup, celebrity photoshop ads, celebrity skincare, celebrity spokesmodel, drugstore makeup, Emma Stone, Emma Stone Nearly Naked makeup, Emma Stone Revlon, Gwen Stefani, Gwen Stefani hair color, Gwen Stefani L'Oreal, Halle Berry makeup, Halle Berry skincare routine, Kate Hudson, Kate Hudson Almay, L'Oreal Advanced Haircare, Lea Michele, Lea Michele L'Oreal, new makeup 2013, Olivia Wilde, Olivia Wilde Revlon, Olivia Wilde vegan, Revlon Nearly Naked makeup, Walgreens beauty department Leave a comment

January is a funny month. The huge climax of the holiday season has worn off, it’s consistently cold out, and things go back into their typically mundane routines. You’ve got all your new gifts (and might be over them already), have probably returned from your vacations, and are perhaps well on your way to ~~breaking~~ keeping any resolutions you’ve made for the new year. You work out, you go the movies, you shop around for yourself … nothing particularly special. Nothing particularly new.

What I love about the fashion and beauty spheres, however, is that everything is always new. Everything is always forward. You are more than welcome to enjoy the present moment with all its current trends and styles and happenings, but you also have every right to anticipate the coming season with all the excitement and future-minded thinking in your being. In fact, it’s the only way to operate in such a world. In fashion and beauty, it’s never too early. The magazine issues you are seeing on stands today are the January issues (and they’ve been there for at least a week now), and they will all have some kind of spring preview in them. The spring previews will only continue to grow bigger in the February issues, until the March issue comes out and there you’ve got the second biggest month for fashion and beauty publications of the year next to September. And I love that things work this way. There’s always something to look forward to. In fashion and beauty, today is pretty much yesterday, and tomorrow can be seen everywhere today, and yesterday will probably serve as the inspiration for tomorrow so be sure to hold on to yesterday’s stuff today just in case for tomorrow. Yes, fashion just got meta, Looper style.

So, where in the beauty world can we see tomorrow, today? Well, if you keep up with any beauty blogs or magazines, you may have noticed articles or features over the past month beginning to drop the names of products that you’ve never heard of. Like, you’ll see a feature on some makeup guru’s “must-haves” and they’ll mention some kind of lipstick or whatever that you’ve never found in a drugstore. For all you know, it doesn’t even exist. That’s because us low-life plebeians can’t get our hands on such things yet because the product hasn’t been launched to retailers, but January is usually the time that you’ll see them making their first appearances! Now, the new products have all been sent in advance to important folks in the beauty world (celebrity makeup artists, etc.) to get the word out early, and of course, part of getting the word out is mentioning them in magazines and interviews to ramp up public anticipation. January is also a common time to release advertising campaigns featuring a new spokesmodel. My best example I can think of for this year would be Lea Michele for L’Oreal Paris. Next time you see Lea in a magazine, you can bet your butt that she’ll be either in a L’Oreal ad, pictured alongside some kind of L’Oreal product, or she’ll speak about it in any kind of interview for the next couple months. Last year around this time, it was Emma Stone and Olivia Wilde for Revlon.

I admit that I get a bit cynical about spokesmodel campaigns because I feel those kajillion-dollar contracts seem to discourage these women from being truthful about what products they really use and really enjoy. I mean, prior to being paid enough money to support all of Indonesia for a year by Almay for her current spokesmodel campaign, did Kate Hudson really love and use their products? Somehow, I think being paid what I’ll probably make in thirty years of work for a single two-to-three-year contract makes that drugstore makeup and box-dye haircolor a lot more effective to you- yeah, I’m looking at you, Gwen Stefani. You will literally never convince me that the QUEEN of platinum blonde hair regularly uses L’Oreal Preference box dye for those icy perfect locks of hers. Never. And isn’t Olivia Wilde some kind of proud vegan? Why, oh why, would you agree to be a spokesmodel for Revlon, a brand that (like most drugstore cosmetic brands) is notorious for animal testing and nowhere near natural in it’s ingredients, if you’ve claimed to adopt such a lifestyle? Oh, they’re paying you my dad’s salary times a thousand to do it? Yep. Sounds like a good time for looser vegan standards to me, too.

Anyhow, for as much as I bash on drugstore products and all the advertisements they come with, it still is exciting to see them make their debut. A junkie is a junkie is a junkie, and I’ll come clean and say if I were extended a whopper of a contract to grin and bear it for Maybelline, I’d take it (or at least, with what I’m currently earning I would). I was wandering through a Walgreens earlier today and it looks like January came early (which is no surprise, since, again, everything is early in these spheres)!

As you can see here, we’ve got all kinds of newness coming from the folks at L’Oreal. New hair products for the EverCare line, new shadow palettes, all sorts of stuff. And there’s Lea, peeking out from behind the Telescopic Shocking mascara!

Here’s what’s new from Revlon. I think they’re trying to make a pretty big deal out of that Nearly Naked makeup line, as Revlon threw a giant launch party for it complete with an appearance by Emma as its spokemodel.

Additionally from L’Oreal- A huge new line of hair care products (and not just in addition to the sulfate-free EverCare line). This line is simply called L’Oreal Advanced Haircare, but there are five types of product families within it to suit all kinds of needs (like dryness, color treated, etc.). And there’s Lea’s face again! I doubt these items will match up to salon quality or beat more natural care for your hair, but time will tell if any of these products give effective results and become household staples.

I took a shot of all the five families in this line except for the kind tailored toward “dry” hair (and it’s minty-green packaging).

So as 2012 winds down and 2013 begins to take the stage, be anticipating all these items to appear in your local drugstores very soon. And just learn to deal with the lies of Halle Berry saying that Revlon has made her “photo ready”, while failing to credit her skincare routine that costs the price of Brazil with tax and consists of a moisturizer made with one drop of blood from every endangered species on the planet and hand-crushed tea leaves from the top of Mount Kilimanjaro. And something called “Adobe Photoshop”. xo, MR

October 3, 2012the Makeup stuff., the Me stuff.

Who gets my vote for best eye makeup EVER?

McKennaRishmawyBobbi Brown, celebrity beauty, celebrity makeup, Kate Lee, Keira Knightley, Keira Knightley makeup, Keira Knightley premiere makeup, Keira Knightley smokey eye 5 Comments

So, I kind of forgot to mention one particular muse of mine when I posted about celebrity beauty last time. I’m not exactly sure how that happened, because she actually is the first one that comes to mind when I think of incredible eye makeup. Honestly. One of her looks even served as the inspiration for my own wedding makeup! I don’t know how I managed to forget her. Perhaps I had hair on the brain more than makeup that day I posted, but frankly, she deserves a post all her own.

Oh, Keira Knightley. What can I say about Keira? I admit that I relate to her brown hair, brown eyes, medium-toned skin and boyish figure, but her red carpet makeup for the past couple years has been out of this world and I’d kill to relate to that. Her main go-to when it comes to makeup for big appearances is a smokey eye, which happens to be my favorite as well. What makes her smokey eye looks so special is the beautiful blending of different shades of deep brown and gunmetal shadows, along with pearly shimmer on her inner and outer corner eyelids. Top it off with some black eyeliner on the inner rims, and then just sit there for two hours applying fifty million coats of mascara.

Add a little flush to the cheeks and a light shade of whatever to the lips, and you’ve got something pretty close to perfection. I just love how her warm, chestnut hair color complements the dramatic eyes, too. I know she typically uses Kate Lee for her makeup, and lately I’ve been seeing a lot of Bobbi Brown references when searching for the products used on her. It’s never a surprise to hear about Chanel products being used on her too, considering Keira’s been the long-time face of Chanel Mademoiselle. Below is the exact makeup look I used as a reference for my wedding day. It’s from one of Knightley’s premieres for her 2010 film Never Let Me Go.

The focus is obviously on the lashes here, and the shadow isn’t quite as dark. There’s more of a mauve, metallic feel to it as opposed to sooty. My own wedding makeup ended up consisting of a smokey eye using a deep eggplant shade and a rich espresso, along with Keira’s trademark shimmer in the corners of the eyes and on the places where light hits her face. And of course, I can’t ever resist a full, well-groomed set of eyebrows.

I cannot wait to see how Knightley turns out on the red carpet for her upcoming premieres and press junkets for Anna Karenina. And if she snags some nods during awards season, my (smokey) eyes will be glued to the telly! xo, MR