Pat McGrath Metalmorphosis 005

November 29, 2016 in Makeup

A couple months ago, I spotted Pat McGrath teasing her latest product on her Instagram - models during fashion week were strutting around with the most BEAUTIFUL silver inner corner highlight. At the time, she wasn't explicit about what the new product would be, but I knew I would need it. Show me anything sparkly and I'm going to need it, regardless of my penchant for "barely there" makeup. The latest addition to the Pat McGrath Labs family is Metalmorphosis 005, a selection of four metallic creams and pigments, a mixing medium, and a double-ended black liquid liner with a precise felt tip and a bold chisel tip.

The products come in single-color kits, where you get the cream and powder pigments in Gold (her original product, Gold 001), Silver, Copper, or Bronze, the Mehron Mixing Liquid, and the double-ended liner. You can also get the Everything Kit (which is what I opted for because I couldn't pick just one color to get), and you can also get the liner on its own. I like that they've been coming out with more options on how to get the products (even though I went for the whole hog this time).

Like I said, my go-to look leans more on the natural side, so these products don't exactly seem like something I'd get a lot of use out of. But all I could think of were different looks I could do with them, and I was getting so inspired by Pat McGrath's Instagram photos and videos promoting the latest set that I knew I needed it - while I may not use it when I do my makeup for work, I know I'll still get lots of use out of it and it'll really help me get creative. That makes the set more than worth it to me.

As for the products themselves, they're simply stunning. My favorites are the cream pigments - they're SO smooth and are almost powder-to-cream if that makes sense. They're incredibly pigmented, but they're not crazily metallic - I can get away with wearing one of the creams on its own to work. The powder pigments are magical. They don't feel as smooth as the creams, but they're a pressed glitter pigment, so they're really not supposed to be. These are also insanely pigmented and give a gorgeous metallic finish even when used dry. They become even more stunning when you apply them with a brush wet with the included mixing liquid. The result looks almost molten. For a quick yet dramatic look, I've been smudging on some of the cream and patting the matching powder on top. The result is stunning. And I've been practicing my winged eyeliner skills because I've got a vision in my mind for a killer metallic copper wing using the powder pigment mixed with the liquid - I will definitely be doing a post on that look if I can get it to look good!

I haven't tried the liner on my eyes yet (because I'm pretty terrible at liquid liner), but when swatched this applies ultra-smoothly and is super black, and it was really hard to wash off. I have high hopes for it lasting on my oily eyelids once I get around to wearing it. I do apologize I didn't get to properly test it, but I wanted to get this review up before the kits sold out!

I'm so glad I jumped at the chance to get this set, because it's got me feeling so inspired and motivated to play with makeup more. I am still kicking myself for missing out on the lip kits, so this was definitely a necessity for me.

Are you going to try to get any of these kits? What's your favorite of the pigment colors included?

Make Your Lipstick Outlast Your Thanksgiving Dinner

November 24, 2016 in Makeup

Happy Thanksgiving, if you celebrate it! My favorite thing about Thanksgiving is getting to spend time with my family, as well as eating my weight in delicious food (isn't that everyone's favorite thing, though?). But I've been wracking my brain all week about how to make sure my lipstick doesn't end up all over my mashed potatoes or something, and I've come up with a few tips for making sure it stays put.

STICK WITH NUDES & NEUTRALS

This isn't really a tip for longevity per se, but nudes are not as high maintenance as a bold lip color. When a nude shade close to your natural lip color starts to fade, it's not super noticeable. But if you're wearing a bolder color, it might smudge outside your lip line or fade unevenly. Using a color closer to your natural lip color ensures you won't need to run to the bathroom to touch up your lipstick after every bite of turkey.

USE A LIP LINER

Lip liners are meant to make your lipstick last longer, so I'd highly recommend taking advantage of that. Drier/waxier formulas like the MAC Lip Pencils or the Charlotte Tilbury Lip Cheats last forever, so keep an eye out for those. I like to pick a shade that matches the lipstick I'm going to be using, and I'll not only line the outer edges of my lips, but I'll also fill in my entire lip with the liner. This ensures that if the lipstick does begin to fade, you still have an even color underneath, so the fading won't be noticeable. But the liner gives the lipstick something to grab and hold onto, so fading should be minimal.

USE YOUR FAVORITE MATTES

It's pretty much a universally-known fact that matte formulas last much longer on the lips than creamier options. They can be a little more drying, but as long as you prep your lips with a scrub and a good balm, you should be fine. I'm starting to feel like lipstick formula longevity is kind of a personal thing, like mascara - something that works well on me may not on you. But one of my favorite matte, long-lasting options is the Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lipsticks (the little disclaimer was specifically for these, as I've heard people say these don't last on them, but they stick around for ages on me) for a traditional bullet lipstick. I'd also really recommend a liquid lipstick - these typically stick around forever until you remove them with an oil-based remover/cleanser (so definitely not a good choice if you're eating anything really oily). Some of my favorite long lasting formulas are the Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipsticks (review), the Jouer Lip Cremes (review), and the OFRA Long Lasting Liquid Lipsticks (review).

SET WITH TRANSLUCENT POWDER

If you don't want to take my advice and want to use a creamy lipstick rather than a matte one, you can always set it with a little bit of translucent powder. This will mattify it, but it doesn't feel as drying as a typical matte lipstick. I use a small brush like the Real Techniques Setting Brush lightly loaded with a loose powder, lay a tissue over my freshly-lipstick-ed lips, and lightly tap the brush over the tissue to filter a tiny amount onto my lips. This seems like a super old school tip, but it really does work.

What are your favorite long-lasting lipsticks, and what are your tips for making your lipstick last longer? What's your favorite Thanksgiving food?

Dior Fusion Mono Eyeshadows

November 23, 2016 in Makeup

I tend not to be a huge eyeshadow-wearer actually, but there's a new (to me) formula I've fallen head over heels for. I tried out a Dior Fusion Mono Eyeshadow on a whim a few months ago and it became my go-to for everyday. Recently I just had to pick up two more shades, so I figured it was time to write up a more complete review.

Although they're housed in glass pots like a cream eyeshadow typically would be, these are not creams. They're powder eyeshadows, but the product has a bit of give/bounce to it - almost spongey or mousse-y, but not quite. They're quite shimmery, but it's that chic shimmer if you know what I mean - it's not chunky, but finely-milled and perfect for drawing light to the eyes. If you love super pigmented eyeshadow and bold eye looks, these probably won't be for you. They give more of a sheer wash of color - you'd have to build up a few layers to get a really pigmented punch. I really love that in an eyeshadow though, especially one that I'm reaching for on a daily basis. Even the darker shade pictured works for an everyday office environment without looking too smokey or dramatic.

Since they're that spongey, sheer texture, they feel so lightweight on the eyelids. Does anyone else have an issue that sometimes eyeshadows can feel too heavy, or is that just me? You can't feel these on the lids, and when I use a primer underneath, they last all day long. I always just pat them in with my finger too, so they're easy and blend well.

The shades I have are Meteore, the most perfect everyday bronze, Chimere, a beautiful pale pink champagne that's great as an inner corner highlight or all over the lid to add brightness, and Fahrenheit, a new shade that's a deeper brown with plum and pink shimmer. It's a perfect fall shade that adds just the right amount of definition to the eyes, again without being too dramatic.

Have you tried the Dior Fusion Mono Eyeshadows? I don't hear much about them, but they really are quite lovely, and they're quickly becoming my go-tos for a quick and easy single eyeshadow look.