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"Fashion Is Foremost Inspiration"
Suzanna
I promised to continue my review on Illamasqua's cosmetics so here I am once again; this time their lip products. I sampled two lipsticks (in Sonnet and Scandal) and a Sheer lip gloss in Enchant.
Let's begin with Sonnet; a peachy beige color - exactly what people refer to as a nude. Ideal to wear with dramatic eye makeup, an awesome black or gunmetal smoky eye look. The finished result is between matte and satin. I’m guessing that Illamasqua wanted to make a matte lipstick; however, since matte lipsticks are so dry on your lips they decided to add more moisturizing ingredients. That, of course, results in a “hybrid” finish, not that its really noticeable once applied. This particular formula glides well over the lips and works nicely with lipgloss. Its not drying and bears a good staying power. Many of you may be asking how comparable is it to MAC and if you’re speaking quality; I’d say that they are pretty much close, except Illamasqua’s lipsticks don’t have that strong vanilla cookie smell.
Scandal is a true in-your-face hot pink. Even a more sheer application of it will result in an undeniable hot pink shade. I can’t see any undertones to it, neither cool or warm so I say that it would go well with most skin tones. Sometimes lipsticks that are super pigmented (such as this one) tend to be a bit difficult to apply and feel dry because, after all, the pigment itself is a powder. This doesn’t happen, what so ever, with this lipstick as the pigmentation is great but the overall feel is exactly that of a good lip balm. The finish is satin and the staying power is as good as Sonnet’s.
The reason I don't feature high-end lipglosses often is because they are just… lipglosses. Lipglosses are one of those things that you can get pretty much everywhere and they are all pretty much the same; however, I really have to rave about the Sheer Lipgloss Enchant. Although Enchant may be just another lipgloss, it smells sweet and what’s more, it tastes sweet. I have a ton of lipglosses that smell really good but don’t really taste like they smell. This one does and if you happen to kiss someone who has a sweet tooth while wearing it, that person will most likely be hooked. The color is a sheer peachy brick with a lot of shine minus the stickiness that bothers us all. The packaging is really awesome and original. You can carry it around in your purse and even if you happen to squeeze it accidentally, it won’t ooze out like common tube lipglosses do. Though I keep saying lipglosses are just lipglosses, I love Illamasqua’s Enchant and may purchase more colors.
I rated Illamasqua’s blush an outstanding 10 out of 10 and I will do the same regarding their lipglosses. As for the lipsticks, I’ll be giving them a 9.95 out of 10, so just that they don’t compete with the lipglosses!
"Fashion Is Foremost Inspiration"
Micky
Finding a perfume is a lot like falling in love: You let the aroma sweep you off your feet until you are happily head over heels about it, and vow to be faithful from this day forward. But sifting through hundreds of potential perfumes to find the one that suits you best can be a daunting task. No worries, because even if you're looking for the one or a wardrobe of fragrances fragrances to suit your mood, we've got these handy tips to help you sniff out a signature scent:
Concentration: The strength of the essential fragrance oils and how much they are diluted makes a difference in the type of fragrance you buy. The higher the concentration, the longer the scent will last on your skin. Perfume or parfum is the fragrance in its purest form, with 20% concentration or more; eau de parfum is next, around 15-20%, while eau de toilette has a lower amount, like 8-15%, and cologne or eau de cologne has the lowest amount, about 4-8%.
Classification: Fragrances are usually divided into two families, either traditional or modern, and identified that way. Traditional scents are based on classic perfume categories from the turn of the century, like single floral, floral bouquet, amber, wood or leather. Modern aromas are newer, and include bright floral (a combo of single floral and floral bouquet), green, ocean or marine, citrus or fruity and gourmand, scents with a sweet, dessert like aroma.
Notes: The components of the fragrance. Notes work together during the evaporation process to create a complex aroma. Top notes are lighter, middle notes are the heart of the fragrance, and the base notes provide the depth and richness to the scent.
Packaging: Fragrance packaging can be as elaborate as a cut crystal bottle and jeweled topper or as simple as a spray top and bottle. Perfume usually comes in a special flacon, with ornate detailing to put out on a dressing table. Eau de toilette and cologne are mostly packaged in spray bottles with less detail.
Aroma: Take time to become aware of scents around you before you buy, and you'll soon develop a nose for your favorite. You may be attracted to a fragrance, like gardenia or amber, because it triggers a wonderful memory. Or you might simply like the aromas you're exposed to every day, like lemon, grass, tea, vanilla, roses. Once you identify your likes, id the classification (ie, green, oriental, or citrus), then read the specific notes, to help you hone in on your perfect match.
"Fashion Is Foremost Inspiration
Lisa Cohen Lee
Don't you just love Kim?! She's like my fictitious BFF. Kim does know a thing or two about beauty and fashion so I can’t wait to see how this all turns out. Speaking of pretty Kimmy, last week she had her first eyebrow shaping with Anastasia at Anastasia Beverly Hills. The purpose of shaping your eyebrows is to enhance your face. If you’re not familiar with Anastasia – she’s the Go-to-Gal for eyebrows in the celebrity world. Kim raved about Anastasia’s new $22 Lash Lifting Mascara:
“I swear, I literally need one coat and my eyelashes have so much volume and curl. Usually I feel like I have to keep applying coats to build up volume, but this mascara is perfect!!! It has hard waxes and synthetic polymers in that help build lashes to give volume.”
Sounds interesting. I'm familiar with Anastasia's Brow Wiz Skinny Brow Pencil so I’ve got to try this out. And last but not least ladies, here’s a quick beauty tip for getting curly eye lashes: Heat your eyelash curler for a few seconds with the hairdryer. It helps curl better and hold better!
“Fashion Is Foremost Inspiration”
Celeste
Your eyes are the first spot you're likely to notice the signs of aging, such as crow's feet and crinkles at the corners, well ahead of the rest of your face. They also reveal what kind of night you had, via dark circles and puffiness (a few mojitos and not quite six hours of sleep, maybe?). That's why an eye cream
is the iphone of skincare-you can't live without it, no matter how much you've been trying to avoid it. Once you start using one and see the results (in the form of brighter, perkier, firmer skin) then you'll never, ever want to give it up. Follow this primer to finding the right eye treatment
, and pretty soon, you'll see the light.
GOAL: Look at your eyes closely, and assess what you'd like to accomplish: Are your eyes puffy? Do you have raccoon eyes even when you get a good night sleep? Do you notice crow's feet and lines underneath your eye? Or is the skin around your eye always dry? Once you determine what your eye gripe is, you can choose a formula that works to remedy it.
TYPE: Most eye creams are divided into two categories: preventative or treatment. A preventative cream will moisturize the delicate area around your eyes to stop creases from forming and will protect your skin with SPF. A treatment cream, gel or serum will work on improving the condition and look of your eye area, getting to the root of problem (lines, circles, puffiness) to make your eyes look brighter and younger. A few eye creams are one size fits all-they combine preventative ingredients with treatment, so you get the most bang for your buck.
RESULTS: It will take time to see results from an eye treatment, and they vary depending on the percentage of active ingredients and the formulas. You won't be able to solve all your eye problems with a topical cream, but you can make them less noticeable. Here's what you can expect: reduced appearance of fine lines and a well-rested look, even with less than eight hours of sleep
