Recently I attended the launch of Make Up For Ever’s new lipstick line, Rouge Artist Natural.
Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Natural lipsticks
A few years ago, they brought out Rouge Artist Intense, a 50+ collection of amazing, heavily pigmented lipsticks. This time around, for Spring 2012, they are releasing another 50 lipsticks, which are supposed to provide a softer effect on the lips. These lipsticks are more moisturizing, and have a glossy sheen to them, as if they were mixed with a little lip gloss.
So I decided to pick up one colour for starters, N28.
One of the hardest things to do is to find the perfect red. A lot of women of colour avoid the most coveted lip colour of all time. Red is the colour of the season and sultry glamour is back! Various textures and finishes, it doesn’t matter. Red is it!!! Truth be told, I had to make a conscious decision to start buying reds. It is really a matter of trial and error to find reds that work with your skintone and personality and the engineer in me loves this!!!
So here are some the reds that I have collected recently. And for the record, I don’t know where I have been but M.A.C.’s Ruby Woo bessssssss!!!!! I don’t know what they sprinkle on that lipstick, and it’s a matte too!! It is a gorgeous, stunning true red and the finish/texture of the lipstick also makes it unique! No one looks bad in this one. I think this is as close to a sure bet as you can get! If you would like more detailed swatches/info on a particular colour, let me know. I will be doing a review on the NARS items. Check out my review on the NYX Lip Cremes here. I’m NW45 with red undertones but my arm is a little lighter.
Swatches (L to R): Succubus, Strutter, Chaos, Amsterdam, Monte Carlo, Fiery, Russian Red, Ruby Woo, Moulin Rouge, Vesuvio, Dragon Girl
So I had the opportunity to purchase a few items from Sephora at the end of last year and decided to step out of my zone and start building my Make Up For Ever collection. I also was doing kinda poorly on my red lips beauty resolution and wanted to check out the recently released Rouge Artist Intense lipsticks.
First of all, these are amazing lipsticks! Believe the hype! There are 50 colours, and 3 finishes – matte, satin and pearl. Really wide array of colours to choose from. These lipsticks are highly pigmented, long-wearing, and could provide full coverage in one swipe.
I made a beeline to the reds in the collection and tried a few of them and settled for #43 Moulin Rouge. It’s a limited edition colour that is described by Sephora as “a vibrant red’. It has a satin finish which is not matte but not high gloss either. Yes this is a bright, bold red but not too blue-toned or orange-toned, pretty neutral. This is surprisingly, actually a really great red! A red for women of colour! I think that this would work on a wide variety of skin tones, from pale, light, tan, olive to dark. Black, Latina, Middle Eastern, Indian and any other combination!
This is my first look of the day for 2011 and it’s a stunning one!!
Last week, my Middle Eastern dance instructor, Jannelle, was invited to perform at the surprise 40th birthday party for Mary J. Blige!!!!!!!!!
I was trilled and privileged at the opportunity to do her makeup at the event! I immediately started thinking about the look. An event like that, with all the movers and shakers in the music industry, requires more than just a smoky eye. You have to bring it!!!
The theme of the event was Arabic-inspired and I wanted more than just kohl-lined, winged liner. I drew inspiration from Eman and Scandalous Beauty and decided on a glittery look. Jannelle also wore a gold, sparkly costume and I wanted something to match. This is a great look for performance especially in situations where there is not a lot of bright lighting so that you are drawn to the dancers eyes. Could also be used for a Carnival look. I also paired it with a red lip and a hit of shimmer. Btw, I have found an amazing red that everyone can wear – Make Up For Ever’s Rouge Artist Intense lipstick in Moulin Rouge (#43)! Separate post on that coming soon! Using glitters was stepping out of my zone, but makeup is all about not being afraid to try something new. One note: If you are going to use glitters, especially on the eyes, make sure it is cosmetic-grade, which is milled fine enough and won’t scratch your eyes.
Another year has come and soon to be gone and it’s time to recap!
This has been somewhat of an up and down year but here are the products that got two thumbs up and that I rocked any chance that I got!!!
In no particular order:
Urban Decay Naked Palette: Review on this really soon, but this was well worth all the hype. 12 gorgeous neutral shades that work well for day and night. I totally see why people went completely crazy for this one!! Love it!!
