A Frosty Silver Eyeliner Guide

Sometimes I get hung up on finding a product. I’m still searching for the perfect deep, matte purple full-coverage lipstick and a perfect yellow shimmer eyeshadow that doesn’t come across as gold. The other day it was silver eyeliner. Luckily, there are many options out there. I love silver eyeliner when it is used to “open” up the eyes (pencil formulas). I also love it as the “first” layer with a thinner stripe of black liquid liner applied below it. I love silver with deep, dramatic lips. Here is what I came across as I went “shopping”.

Cheaper (under $10): Avon’s mark Metalliner Hook Up Eye Glam in Quick Silver is a liquid silver eyeliner. It’s cheap and is nice if you only occasionally want a silver eyeliner like for a night out. I found that it only wore for about a work day (8 hours) and then flaked really, really bad. It retails for $5.50. NYX has a Liquid Liner in Silver that goes for $5. There is also a NYX Longwearing Eye Pencil in Silver that goes for $2. It’s a very nice pencil for the price. Sephora brand has a Nano Eyeliner in Precious Silver for $5 (not pictured). It’s a smaller pencil but not a bad formula. And Sephora Brand has a liquid, foiled silver liner, Long Lasting Metallic Eyeliner in Silver. It goes for $10 and has that classic liquid liner felt tip. Another cheaper liquid liner option is Boots Stay Perfect Eye Liner in Star for about $9 (not pictured). L’Oreal Hip Color Chrome Eyeliner in Silver Lighting is a nice Urban Decay substitute. It goes for $10. Manic Panic Metallic Eyeliner in Silver Stardust is a silver pencil liner for under $9.

More Expensive: Diane Brill Eye Jewelry Liquid Eyeliner Lace Diamonds is a shimmery, long wearing formula with a fine brush. It retails for $24. Shu Uemura has 2 great silver eyeliners in different formulas. There is the Painting Liner in Silver. This is a long wearing waterproof formula. What I like about it is that you get to use your favorite liner brush and you can use this as a shadow if you apply it with a shadow brush or fingertips. It goes for $24. If you prefer a super smooth pencil there is Drawing Pencil in ME Silver 06 that retails for $19. There is Prescriptives Moonbeam Reflective Eyeliner in Beaming Silver for $17.50 (not pictured). I love Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil formula and there just so happens to be a silver called Dime for $17 (not pictured). Another one in the same price point and similiar long-wearing formula is Make Up For Ever Aqua Eyes in Silver for $17 (not pictured). If you are looking for a more “natural” eye liner in a silver try Korres Soft Eyeliner Pencil in Silver. It’s nice for sensitive eyes and goes for $16 (not pictured). If you are looking for a silver glitter in a silver base try NARS Glitter Pencil Eyeliner in Roxbury. It retails for $24 (not pictured). And if you want the same thing but in a liquid base try Kat Von D Autograph Eyeliner in Love Metal for $16 (not pictured). If you want a silver cream liner in a spooky packaging try Manic Panic Spider Liner in Stardust. It retails for under $17 (not pictured).

 

Get The Classic Sexy Look of Veronica Lake

September 1941

Lately, I’ve been wanting Veronica Lake hair badly. This I can’t do, being that I have blunt bangs. The grass is always greener on the other side, right? And I need a “safer” look since I will be toting a sledgehammer and remodeling the new house 🙂 But, I can get this classic look. Anybody can really. It is great for all hair colors, eye colors, and most complexions.

Face: First, even out complexion by applying concealer where needed. I like Clinique All About Eyes Concealer. Apply a matte powder foundation such as Lancome Dual Finish Powder Foundation. Cheeks are super nude. Apply a faint dusting of a natural looking bronzer such as Rimmel Natural Bronzer in a shade closest to your skintone.

Eyes: Brows are perfectly brushed into place and filled in. I love Lancome Le Crayon Poudre Powder Pencil. It has a soft texture and a spoolie on one end. Apply a beige shadow closest to your skintone all over the eye area. A little shimmer is nice. For me, I would use Clinique Colour Surge Eye Shadow in Buff. Line eyes with a black gel liner such as Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner. Line top lashes only with a crisp line. Veronica has OTT false lashes and I love them. Apply false lashes for the “real deal” (something like Laura Mercier’s lashes) or just go for a lengthening mascara such as Urban Decay Skyscraper Multi-Benefit Mascara. Apply mascara to bottom lashes also.

Lips: Veronica had an amazing and dramatic lip line. Pat concealer around the lips to give the illusion of plump lips and to keep lipstick from bleeding. If you want a dramatic lip line, apply Lipstick Queen Lip Liner in Rose. You can slightly go around your top lip line to exaggerate if you do not have a “natural” lip line like Veronica’s. Apply a full-coverage lipstick like Lipstick Queen Sinner Lipstick in Rose. Apply a dab of a hydrating lip balm such as Smith’s Minted Rose Lip Balm to the center of your bottom lip for a pouty and plump look.

I think a spritz of Badgley Mischka is appropriate for this look. It’s a modern fragrance but it definitely Old Hollywood.

 

Get The Dramatic Look Of Elizabeth Taylor As Cleopatra

So I really don’t expect for many people to go out in this. I sure wish I could but even I have limits so I am giving an “everyday” interpretation of this look. I must add that I have a bit of a Liz Taylor as Cleopatra complex. I love the makeup. I wear this much many days if you exclude the wild brows. I love the blunt bangs. And I would love to wear the braids and beads if I didn’t end up looking too much like Rick James. I love the jewelry. I collect snake jewelry and I would dare to wear a snake cuff on my flabby arm.

To get this look you need a super matte face. Apply a powder foundation like MAC Studio Fix Powder Plus Foundation in your shade. Apply concealer where needed. Try a full coverage like Beneft Boi-Ing in your shade. Brows are filled in and dark if you so desire. For black Cleopatra brows, apply Billion Dollar Brows Brow Powder in Raven, a soft black. Apply a nice shadow primer like Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion in Sin. Pat gently. I would go with an eyeshadow palette like Kat Von D True Romance Eyeshadow Palette in Ludwig available at Sephora. Apply Downtown which is a medium brown shimmer from lashline to brows. Take Baroque, a bronzey brown shimmer and apply from lashline to just above the crease and blend. Take Lucifer, the matte charcoal black, and blend into the crease and down with a very heavy hand. (I must add that these shadows are pretty nice quality and make for lots of nice smoky, Cleopatra eyes). Now to the heavy amounts of black eyeliner. I recommend a gel formula like Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Gel Liner in Black Ink. Line the top eye with line and extend as far as you feel comfortable with. This line should be pretty thick when applied above the lashline. Line the bottom lashline with the gel liner and extend until it meets the top extended line. Join the lines together for that special Egyptian inspired look. Apply false lashes or tons of mascara to complete the eye look. Cheeks are super nude. Apply a sheer nude powder like Sonia Kashuk Beautifying Blush in Nude. Lips are nude and matte. If you have a warm skin tone apply Revlon Matte Lipstick in Nude Attitude. If you have a cool skin tone apply Lipstick Queen Oxymoron Matte Lip Gloss in Defeaning Silence. You may want to apply a clear lip balm before you wear such a nude shades to keep lips from looking too splotchy. Fragrance should be luxe and exotic and that is why I would recommend L’Occitane Eau d’Iparie EDT.

 

What A Find: Revlon Matte Collection

Weekly Cheap Secret:

I am really impressed with Revlon’s Matte Collection. Matte cosmetics seem to come and go as fads. Many companies do not offer matte products at all. You have to expand out to MAC, Urban Decay, Make Up For Ever, and some actual theatrical brands. Don’t get me wrong, I love shimmer. But I think matte cosmetics really add some depth to shimmery looks. I don’t like a completely matte face, too airbrushed senior picture. But, I do like a deep, matte eggplant used in the crease with a shimmery gold shadow. Or silver glitzy eyes with really matte red lips. Revlon has offered a pretty decent selection of matte cosmetics for a good price. Since these are drugstore cosmetics I haven’t been able to play in all of them. Out of what I have tried, I like.

EYES: The Matte Eyeshadows are very nice and come in a range from super neutral to really bright. This a nice budget friendly alternative to Urban Decay Matte Eyeshadows. There are nine: Vintage Lace (soft off white), Peach Sorbet (pale peachy nude), Pink Innocence (pale pink), Luscious Lime (vivid lime), Venetian Blue (bright electric blue, move on over MAC Electric Eel!), Tempting Teal (deep blue-ish forest green, think Douglas Fir Tree needles, would be amazing mixed with silver or baby blue), Rich Sable (warm deep brown), Riveria Blue (deep midnight sea blue), and Aubergine (dusty, deep eggplant purple, so luxe). I can’t complain about any of the shades. The lighter shades are must have bases for light complexions. The bright colors are so fun. The deep ones will make great smoky eyes or liners. They retail for $4.99 and you get more than what is in a MAC pan. There are 5 Kohl Eyeliners: Pure White (eye opening white), Black Truffle (a deep and mysterious black), Rich Mink (deep chocolate), Midnight Blue (deep navy), and Very Violet (a vivid and electric medium purple). The eyeliners feel nice and soft. They create that “mysterious” eye. They are easy to blend. They go for under $10.

LIPS: The Matte Lipstick is hot. All I really need is a matte nude, matte red, and a matte milky pink. All are offered! There is Nude Attitude which is a really pale nude. It reminds me of MAC Fleshpot or MAC Freckletone. This shade looks amazing with dark eyes. There is Pink Pout which is a white-ish 60’s pink. This looks much like my all time favorite shade, MAC Snob, my wedding day shade. Wear with gray shadow and it is beautiful. There is a lovely every day mauve, Mauve It Over. Pink About It and Strawberry Suede are both bright summer pink. I love both reds. They are classic. There is Really Red which is a bright warm red and In The Red which is a cooler red. I love Really Red, it is almost orange. There is Cocoa Craving and Fabulous Fig both are pretty ho-hum neutrals. There is a beautiful gothic deep wine, Wine Not. I wish I knew about this one this past fall and winter. These go for under $7.

FACE: There are four matte powder blushes. There is a light pink, Rose Rapture. There is a medium hued berry, Blushing Berry. There is a sweet pale peach, Perfectly Peach. And there is the must needed neutral, Barely Buff. These are nice because sometimes you just don’t feel like having glittery cheeks. These go for under $10.

There are many fun colors and everyday colors in this collection. The prices are pretty nice. And since they are drusgstore cosmetics there are always coupons, deals such as BOGO, or on clearance.

 

Birds of a Feather: Get the Look of Farrah Fawcett

Every now and then I go through a 70s phase. Or at least what I thought was glamorous of the 70s, things like tans and jumpers. I guess I am feeling a bit washed out here in the Northwest. So I just want that 70s ideal of a “healthy” and “young” look. Yes, I have even considered going to the tanning salon even though I know that is horrible for you skin, etc. I’ve never done such a thing before but of course I was living in the South and there I actually saw the sun and felt the warmth of its rays every now and then. I didn’t even know I could get so pale. I mean I’m right there with Dita Von Teese. And I wore sunblock when I lived in the South. I wore that stuff daily and I still had “color”. Anyways, enough of my complaining and back to this Farrah fab look.

I look this look but Farrah looks a bit dry, maybe all that sun? I would suggest applying a tinted moisturizer for a bit of dewy complexion. One can’t look “healthy” without being a little dewy. Use something like Clarins Hydra Care Tinted Moisturizer if you are fairly dry with cool undertones. If you aren’t either or these then use something else. Follow with bronzer. My all time favorite is NARS Bronzing Powder. Apply with a large bronzing brush and apply where the sun would “naturally” hit. You guys may have to remind me of these points since I live like in the Artic Circle and seem to forget these sorts of things. Brows are pretty natural and soft. Just brush them into place with a clear brow gel such as The Body Shop Brow and Lash Gel. Apply a nude eye shadow from lash line to brows. Apply the lightest shade from Bare Escentuals Meet The Nuts kit; this shade is Pistachio Light which is a sheer nude. From the lash line to crease apply the medium shade, Pecan Medium, and blend. The eyes are dark. Apply the darkest shade, Chestnut Dark, around the lash line, smudging outward for a perfect smoky eye. I love a brown smoky eye. It really makes eyes pop and is usually OK to wear all the time. Line the eyes with a black eyeliner for extra drama (if needed), use something like Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Eye Pencil in Zero. Apply tons of mascara. You need dramatic lashes to protect your eyes from harmful UV rays 🙂 Now to the blush. Apply Cargo Beach Blush in Cable Beach to cheeks or you can apply more bronzer to cheeks. I do like a little bit of  “color”. Lips are nude and natural. Apply a balm such as Revlon Beyond Natural Protective Lip Tint in Nude. For fragrance I am thinking of Origins Ginger Essence for some reason. Maybe because it is spicy without being too heavy? Now, to hair, no, maybe not.

 

MOD: Get The Natural Look Of Jane Birkin

It is time to mod-ify your look. This look is super simple but really glam. No wonder Urban Outfitters is obsessed with this look.

First apply a tinted moisturizer to even out the complexion. I really like Lancome Bienfait Multi-Vital Teinte Tinted Moisturizer with SPF 30. Use a concealer where needed, if you are like me you can not live without it under the eye area. I love Prescriptives Site Unseen Concecelear. Illuminate skin with Guerlain Meteorites for the Face in Mythic. Love this stuff. Brows are simple and pretty much clean but undefined. Brush brows with Dior Brow Gel in Clear. Use a nude shadow from lashline to brow, something like Urban Decay Eyeshadow in Maui Wowie. Line eyes with a matte cake liner such as NVEY ECO Organic Cake Eyeliner in Black. Wet a thin liner brush and dip in the eyeliner. Line and it won’t budge once it is dry. Coat lashes with a black mascara of your choice. Make sure to coat bottom lashes for this mod eyed look. Dab Lipstick Queen Oxymoron Matte Gloss in Deafening Silence onto cheeks with fingertips. Also use this on lips for a simple and polished look. Fragrance should be simple and “tonic-ish”. I say go for something like Hermes (how appropriate for Jane!) Us Jardin Apres Le Mousson, it’s lovely and unisex.

 

Glam Rock: Urban Decay Heavy Metal Glitter Liner Review

Urban Decay Heavy Metal Glitter Liquid Eyeliner isn’t your everyday eyeliner unless you are stripper (or me, just an over the top girl with lots of personality), but it is good stuff. This liner has a thin liner brush and the glitter doesn’t flake which is a big plus. Nobody wants to lose an eye to glitter. It comes in seven glam shades, all with rocker inspired names. I don’t know if it is quite heavy metal. I take that personally. This stuff is more Bowie or Edgar Winter. Not very heavy…

There is no hardcore here, just glam.

Anyways, there is Air Guitar (bright blue glitter), Baked (gilded bronze glitter), Distortion (multi glitter in a clear base), Glam Rock (super silver glitter), Metalhead (dark royal purple glitter), Mullet (jade green glitter), and Spandex (gun metal glitter). These can be worn in a thin line or swipped all over the lid for mega glitter. It goes for $18 and you can pick them up at sephora.com or ulta.com. I like a thin sweep personally. Too much makes me feel like it is Halloween. I like this product better than MAC’s but I think I like NYX better than Urban Decay. Now who was not liked?

 

The Stain Attraction: A Guide To Lip Stains

I love lip stains. They look fresh natural and just like you’ve had a glass wine sans the headache. I like to wear them alone or with gloss or under my deeper lipstick shades to make them last longer. They are very easy to wear. You just fill in your lips and go. They are meant to be you lip shade but better. Just remember to wash your fingers if you use them with finger tips. You don’t want those berry stained. There are a ton on the market and I am going to review a few that I have used or use.

Benefit Benetint: This is the rose scented and rose colored liquid that I use on my cheeks frequently. I have used it as a lip stain many times before. Let me just say I do not love it as a lip stain. It is too liquidy and will run into fine lines around the lips. I am 24 years old and this should be the least of my worries when applying makeup. I can’t get this stain to apply evenly and it will appear darker in lines on the lips. Plus it is too rosy tasting for my liking. The Benetint Lip Balm is not much better. It is a balm/gloss infused with Benetint. I find it messy and runny too. Benetint sells for $28.

Vincent Longo Lip & Cheek Gel Stain: This stuff comes in a lip gloss like container with a sponge doe foot applicator making it easier to apply to the lips. It has a thicker texture (gel) and doesn’t run like Benetint. It stays put and comes in numerous shades from deep burgundy to brown. Personally, I like Apollonia which is a deep plum that really adds a wonderful berry stain and I like My Sunshine which is  a deep warm red. I find that this stuff works great as a lip and cheek stain. Sells for $22.50.

NARS Lip Stain Gloss: I love the shades in these because they are more red and more my speed. This has a sponge tip applicator and looks like the other tubes of NARS lip gloss. Some of these have shimmer. These are pretty moisturizing and take a bit longer to dry but they are easy to use. I love the shades Indian Red (bright classic red), Daredevil ( a deeper classic red) and Victoire ( a plum brown). These sell for $24. There are also duo sets available where one end is the stain and the other is a gloss.

Urban Decay Lip Envy: This stuff comes in a cute container with a sponge applicator. It has a vanilla scent which is yummy and dries fairly quickly which I think is a plus in this case. I like Greedy the best which is a deep wine stained merlot.These sell for $17.

LORAC Sheer Wash Travel Size Sheer Wash: This formula comes in a gloss container with a roller ball tip. It is very liquidy and I think hard to use on the lips. Plus, I remember it smelling metallic or perfumey or something that I didn’t like. I could be wrong. It was a while back. Since it is so liquidy it has all the problems of the Benetint that I described above. These go for $19.

Estee Lauder Double Wear Lip Stain Duo: This is a duo lip stain where one end is a stain and the other is a clear gloss. I like the fragrance and the texture of these. Cherry Stain is a bright sheer red that looks really fresh. It sells for $20.

Victoria’s Secret Very Sexy Makeup Lip Stain: OK I hate Victoria’s Secret for a multitude of reasons. Mainly because one of their bras was so poorly constructed that on the initial wear the underwire poked through and stabbed my boob viciously, but anyways… This stuff comes in a felt tip marker package like the Stila and the shades range from brown to red, all with names that are trying to be sexy but come across as cheap. The formula is pretty nice and wears a long time. The packaging is portable and easy to use. I like the shades Unzipped which is a berry plum and Muse which is a soft rose. Retails for $12 and may or may not stab your boob viciously.

I’ve tried a few more and I don’t think they exist anymore. I had one from L’Oreal, Lancôme, and Borghese and those were nice. And Avon had one that was tasted like metal. I know they are plenty more on the market to try: ModelCo, TheBalm, Sephora Brand, Revlon, heck even American Eagle have one. Definitely try one but if you plan on using them on the lips I’d stick to a gel or a formula that is in a “pen”.

 

More of the Martin Denny Babe: Get the Look of Afro-Desia

Here’s another cover of the blonde Sandy Warner, looking as beautiful as always. This 1959 release was “exotic” with the sounds and instruments of Cuba and Africa all played by the comforting face of Martin Denny. In a time where the sounds of Asia or the Pacific Ocean or Africa were all labeled “exotic” and could only be played by one man willing to go there. Anyways, I love the records, don’t get me wrong. But, that is so funny to me. I mean World Market still does the same hokey thing as saying all non-whitey places are “exotic” with their hokey keyboard generic “ethnic” music playing while you buy wicker crap and rustic wind chimes.

Anyways, to get this lovely Afro-Desia look. Use your favorite foundation (the face is matte) such as Make Up For Ever Mat Velvet Mattifying Foundation if you are oily. You can use a powder foundation like Lancôme Dual Finish Powder Foundation for normal skin. Pat concealer where needed and dust lightly with a loose powder such as NARS Loose Powder. Sandy is all about the brows, fill brows in with Benefit Instant Brow Pencil in your shade. Use the spoolie on the end to blend and brush brows into place. Use a nude eyeshadow all over the eyelid such as L’Oreal Eyeshadow Single in Sandy Shores. Use a gray powder in the crease all the way down to the lashline. Use something such as Urban Decay Matte Eyeshadow in Pervesion and blend well. This look is all about the liner. Line eyes thickly with Smashbox Jet Set Waterproof Eyeliner in Black. Make sure to wing it out for a cateye look. Smudge a little of the gel liner onto the lower lashline to make the bottom lashes appear thicker. Apply false eyelashes or coat lashes heavily with Urban Decay Big Fatty Mascara in Black. Lightly dust cheeks with Jane Mineral Blush in Outspoken Pink. Now to the lovely lips. Line lips with Sephora Brand Lip Pencil in Boysenberry or any rich magenta lip pencil. Fill in lips with the classic Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Cherries In The Snow. One of my favorite lipstick shades. Your done!

 

Urban Decay 24/7 Concealer Stick: Write Over the Blemishes

Urban Decay has launched four shades of their new 24/7 Concealer stick. It comes in light to medium/dark shades such as CIA, DEA, FBI, and NSA. The concealer comes in a pencil like form and can be used anywhere even under the eyes. One thing I like about this product is that you don’t have to contaminate your concealer by sticking your fingers in it all of the time and there is no messy brushes to deal with either. It dries to a clean matte finish. It has Vitamin E and a “microsponge” which means it absorbs oils. The thing that I do not like about this product is that I use alot of concealer and I feel since I have to sharpen this I will waste alot of product. I hate sharpening things. Plus, I am scared of the “microsponge” drying out my undereye area. It retails for $16. You can buy it at beauty.com or urbandecay.com.