Women in Uniforms

 Another Living History event at the Nimitz Museum was dedicated to WW2 servicewomen.

Do you know that women's uniforms at that time were designed and made by an American fashion house?  A curious detail: red lipstick was part of the uniform and was provided by the Army/Navy. How cool was that? Two lipstick shades were in use: Victory Red and another one which was manufactured by Elisabeth Arden.

To learn more - visit the museum on a Saturday and participate in Living History presentations.

 

I've checked on the Internet - Victory Red is still available.

Nude Makeup And A Bit More

I have got this eyeshadow palette because of two reasons. First of all I wanted a set of bronzes for a nude makeup look. Since the tones of this Trio are quite nice, and I had never had any eye shadows by Maybelline, I decided to purchase them. They (and the nude eye makeup) were actually my choice for the Valentine's Day + weekend. The bronze shades are neutral so they match any outfit/lipstick color.
The pigmentation of the  eye shadows is OK (could be a bit better) but when I apply them after putting some eye shadow base on the lid, they last all day. The 'prompts', provided both on the box and eye shadows (1. Base, 2. Lid, 3. Crease - see below), help if someone does not know how the shades should be applied. I really like the colors. They create an effortless and elegant look. It is also easy to transform the nude day makeup into its evening/date version.

ExpertWear Eyehadow Trio - Chocolate Mousse (delicately shimmery) - by Maybelline

Day makeup:
a) to open the eye - I put some shimmery champagne eye shadow in the inner eye corner;

b) Chocolate Mousse Trio by Maybelline applied to the eyelids + a thin line along 1/3 lower eyelid line with shade No.3;
c) brown eye pencil - a thin line along the upper eyelashes line.

Luminelle Duo Crayon Kohl: Vert d'eau pailette and Brun nacre by Yves Rocher - soft, creamy tips and interesting shades

Every now and then, Yves Rocher offer a different version of the Kohl Duo eye pencil, meaning different colors matched together. Currently it has been Smokey Grey and Mandarine (regular price $5) - love the latter shade. Anyway, the two colors presented in the above picture go nicely with the nude bronzes of the eye shadows. The brown pencil can be used to enhance the upper eyelashes line  with the frosty green on the lower eyelid line or the opposite. The Vert d'eau pailette (I call it 'frosty green') line looks really interesting on the upper eyelid too. Anyway, on Valentine's Day, I used the brown eye pencil only.

Lips - what I used (as it matched the color of my outfit):

• Soft Precision lipliner No. 60 by Inglot
• lipstick: Raspberry No.14 by Yves Rocher.

I received the lipstick as a free gift, when I ordered something else from Yves Rocher. The lipstick smells nice, like a raspberry cake . It provides adaptable coverage and looks good on the lips. The shade reminds me fuchsia but it is a bit less intense.

Evening makeup version:
a) and b) the same as in the Day Look;
c) if you have no time to wash off the Day Look, it is enough to draw a line with a black eyeliner (on the brown eye pencil line - upper eyelid) - it changes the look dramatically.

Lips
I changed my outfit so I colored the lips red.

And a bit more

COVERGIRL Queen Collection - Peacock

It has also been my first ever eye shadow by COVERGIRL. I purchased it because I found the Peacock shadow interesting. Besides, I also wanted to try a product by this brand. I am neither disappointed nor surprised with the quality of the eyshadow (it tends to fade on the eyelid)
but I still like the green tone. It matches the Chocolate Mousse Palette and when used to crease (with no.1 and 2. from the Maybelline Trio), it gives a new dimension to the nude makeup look.

Makeup for Cooler Weather And Valentine's Day

This is my makeup suggestion for any bigger winter outing including Valentines' Day celebrations. The luminous elements: foundation, concealer and face powder make the complexion look fresh and radiant without unnecessary excess or mask effect.

1. Face
Teint Miracle by Lancome
I love this hydrating foundation which reflects light and makes the skin face look flawless and great. It is light like a delicate veil but covers red marks really well. The foundation contains Sun Protection Factor No.15 and is a long lasting Miracle too - no need to correct it even if worn for many hours.
I bought it in Europe where the shades of the Lancome foundations are marked in a totally different way than in the US (do not know why). If I wanted to repurchase it here, I would need to compare my item with the samples available at a store and then decide what my tone is called here. A bit complicated but the product is worth doing that research for sure.

Teint Miracle Concealer by Lancome
It moisturizes my dry under eye area, brightens the dark circles and smooths fine lines. On top of this, it is also very good for sensitive eyes. The concealer contains micro-fluorescent particles which give the radiant (and younger :) ) look. Its tone harmoniously matches the shade of the foundation. Long lasting. Who would want more?

Teint Miracle Concealer: Rose Lumiere by Lancome

Lucidity Translucent Loose Powder by Estee Lauder
This light and luminous powder is great - it very much adds to the radiant look and what is more important, it does not dry out my skin. Unfortunately, it has been discontinued but it is still available in some online stores.

Lucidity Translucent Loose Powder No. 01 Light

2. Eyes
Pure Color 14 Enchanted Berries by Estee Lauder - great pigmentation, long lasting, anti crease and very efficient. More and less shimmery shades create quite a few dimensional, non-flat makeup.
How I use them:
#1 inner eye corner + under eyebrow arch;
#2 eyelid;
#3 crease - at first I used #4 to crease but I decided the result was not very interesting so I changed it to #3;
#4 sculpt;
#5 a thin line along the upper eyelashes line + 1/2 of lower eyelashes line (I draw the lines using a moistened/wet brush).

1. Satin, 2. Shimmer, 3. Shimmer, 4. Metallic 5. Matte

The little sponge applicators are good and work well but I prefer using eye shadow brushes, especially to draw lines on the eyelids.

Brushes: Elite Professional & by Sephora - both are good and very useful

 Kohl Eye pencil Luminelle by Yves Rocher
I moisten the tip with water and use the pencil to enhance the purple line (#5) on the upper lid - simply draw another line on the purple eye shadow line. In real, the shade of the eye pencil is a bit darker than in the picture.

Kohl pencil Bleu pacifique by Yves Rocher

Black-Brown Waterproof Mascara by Max Factor

 

I have always liked this brand, maybe because the very first foundation (which I used for some time) was by Max Factor too and it was great in every way. Anyway, the mascara has quite an interesting shade - a mix of two colors but still more black than brown. The rubber brush is flexible and allows to apply the mascara evenly, without any problems. It is waterproof which helps to avoid any makeup mishaps.

3. Lips

#310 Rose Anemone lip pencil by Lancome
Yes, I have had it quite long and have been enjoying using it. Its color goes well with most pink lipstick tones.

Michael Kors True Hollywood Lipstick by Estee Lauder 
The lipstick was part of a limited edition - a vivid and long lasting color, covers the lips with an even and moisturizing layer. Love this fuchsia shade - it looks gorgeous when, after applying the lipstick, you also add some touch of a transparent lip gloss to the lips.

4. Nails
Extreme Wear Nail Color # 320 Fuchsia Power by Sally Hansen
This long lasting and shiny polish finishes the Valentine's Day makeup.

Have a great and enjoyable Valentine's Day!

Anna Sui Cosmetics from Dave Lackie

In January I was the lucky winner of one of the Luxury Giveaways by Dave Lackie, beauty editor and Cityline expert. I came across his Beauty The Guide a few months ago and since then, I have been enjoying reading his articles on the news from the makeup and beauty world. I am really glad I found Dave's website, not only because I won, but also because I had missed that kind of good reading/magazine after moving to this part of the world.
I learnt about Anna Sui from Dave Lackie and his online posts. Having spent most of my life in Europe, I am more familiar with all the bigger and some smaller European brands/names. That is why - when I won this set - I thought I would look for Anna Sui cosmetics in local stores, to see what they looked like. Well, I did not succeed as they simply did not have any items by her.
Now, when I have already received my lucky set, I am glad I was not able to see the products before. It made the happiness of winning them even greater. When the package arrived, I was so amazed (and happy of course) how cute the little things are! And the shades are so pretty too! They are the cutest cosmetics I have ever had and each of them is special in its own way.
Thank you Dave! Thank you Beth!

1. Nail Polish No.305 - shimmery and lovely - and the little bottle! Of course I am going to use it soon.

 

2. Rose Cheek Color No. 602 - more and less shimmery (which I love) and wonderful shades. And the box - so girly...

3. Lipstick V 303 - the shape of the little container and the lipstick itself are truly original.  Shall I start using it and destroy the cute star or keep it as it is, to look at it and enjoy the art? :)

4. Glittery Lip Gloss No. 601 - I love glittery shades/cosmetics. The lip gloss looks great on the lips and smooths them nicely.

In Red

Despite many trends in makeup, which come and go, change so often - almost every season, red lipstick and red nail polish have always been in. An intense red shade adds a touch of glamor to an evening image and enchantingly complements an elegant outfit. That is why it is good to have 'something in red' in our beauty/makeup collection.
My current choice is a Grand Rouge moisturizing lipstick by Yves Rocher which contains camellia oil, vitamin E and organic sesame oil. Thanks to the creamy texture, it is really smooth and covers the lips evenly. Another positive feature: the red lipstick stays on the lips long, I do not need to reapply it again and again. I got this lipstick as a free gift when I ordered some other cosmetics from the Yves Rocher store - a great and very useful present (regular price = $16)!

A lipstick shade looks better on the lips when they are defined by a lip pencil. It enhances the color of the lips/lipstick. More over, a good lip liner is also supposed to prevent  a lipstick layer from bleeding.
I like the color of the Red Love lip pencil by Oriflame. The deep red looks gorgeous on the lips, and the tip of the pencil is very soft. It is easy to 'paint' all the lips red. However, a disadvantage is that during eating/drinking, the lip liner smears beyond the lip line and messes up the look. It is not a perfect lip defining tool but I like its shade, that is why I have kept it.
A better, and not that totally soft lip liner, is Long Wear Lip Definer (4240 Berry) by Oriflame also. This self-sharpening liner matches matches my red lipstick well, is soft enough to define the lips and does not bleed at all.

A red nail polish complements our evening chic appearance.

Revlon Sheer Nail Enamel

The Red (Revlon Sheer Nail Enamel) by Revlon, in my opinion,  is truly great. An intense red tone, the nail polish smooth application is nice and easy. It gets dry on the nails quite quickly, does not chip and lasts long (usually about a week time, at least five/six days), even when I do all the regular everyday washing and cleaning at home.

In Red in practice. Happy New Year!

Eye Makeup: Everyday Look

Eye makeup and makeup, in general, has always been to me what painting on canvas may be to others. A way of expressing myself, yes, but also the fun of playing with colors. Although I appreciate the 'nude look', I have always been more on the 'luminous look' side: bright shades and colorful liners. Why should I wear dull and one-tone eyeshadows only if the world (and the world of makeup) is full of colors! Which does not mean looking ridiculous as I do adjust (at least I try) the makeup style to everyday life circumstances and occasions. Another thing is, that due to my complexion and beauty type, dark shades on my face make me look sick and sad. It all results in quite a delicate but still bright eye makeup.

Here is one of its options:

1. Eyeshadows:
a) white - in the inner eye corner and in the eyebrow arch;
b) shimmery golden-beige - on the eyelid;

Eye shadow from Eyeshadow Palette by Yves Rocher

c) light pink - crease;
d) light blue - outer eye corner and more or less 2/3 line along the lower eyelashes line;

Both eye shadows from Profusion Cosmetics Eyeshadow Palette

 e) eye pencil - a line along upper eyelashes line

Waterproof eye pencil by Miss Claire - the liner is quite well pigmented, smooth and creamy and does not smear

g) black mascara

The light shades create a soft, bright look.

2. Lips
a) for 'bolder' look: a pink lip pencil eg: the one by Estee Lauder described here + a vivid pink lipstick ( Vivid Impact Lipcolor, 08 Sweet Tart by Max Factor - intense and saturated color) ;

b) for softer look: a nude beige lip liner by Oriflame (self-sharpening liner, really soft, shapes lips nicely) + Luminelle Lipstick (Chestnut) by Yves Rocher.
The Chestnut lipstick's texture is creamy and moisturizing. It makes the lips look smooth and gives a sheer glossy coverage.

Here - you can see 'me' in this bright makeup :). I do not color my eyebrows - they are naturally black.

Another option for the pink and blue look is quite simple (below) and I used to wear it more often in the past.

Pink and blue eye shadows, eye liner and mascara option.

Makeup - Natural Look Option

Although a black eyeliner was my very first eye makeup item, I have always enjoyed various, rather bright, colors in eye makeup. Here is one of my options (usually, the colors of my clothing influence the colors of the makeup) for a natural look - it involves more shades than a typical natural image but it is still quite soft, and I enjoy wearing it.

1. Eyes

• eye pencil - white by Lumene

to apply to the inner eye corner and below the eyebrow arch;

• eye shadows: a) sparkling champagne, b) beige + light brown, c) 2 shades of green, d) gold

 a)

Wet & Dry Double Effect Eyeshadow by Collistar

to apply to the white eye pencil spots;

b) light beige - apply to the upper lid, crease with the light brown shade;

Eye shadows of Yria collection by Yves Rocher

c) mix the two green shades and color the outer eye corner area, including drawing a line along the 1/3 of the lower eyelashes line;
 The pearl green shades come from 77 Color Eyeshadow Pallette by Profusion

d) gold - to apply to the center of the upper eyelid - for a less pale look;

This eyeshadow by Yves Rocher contains soothing virgin organic sweet almond (rich in vitamin E). It enhaces hte eye and adds a luminous and sparkling touch to a rather pale look.

• waterproof eye pencil by Bourjois - to define the upper eye lashes line

More or less it all looks like this (scary? Well, hadn't drawn since the end of the 80s :) ).

2. Lips

a) lip liner - orange or natural

I wrote more on this lip liner here.

b) lipstick

This moisturizing cream lipstick by Yves Rocher contains sesame oil. It stays on the lips long, hydrates them and gives rather sheer, satiny and delicately luminous coverage.

Have a wonderful holidaytime!