Revlon Matte Collection... Checkmate!

Hermanas!!!

First, gracias to all of you who showed me so much love and support through these past days; I really appreciate it. Things are coming back to normal slowly, and our lives go on.

A couple of weeks ago I did a post on my 1-2-3's for looking younger with makeup tricks; and one of those tips was to use matte eyeshadows. And I can tell you, it works like a charm. Not only does it make you look younger; it also makes you look oh! so much sexier.

I got a hold of Revlon's Matte Eyeshadow Collection after a weekend talking to some younger hermanas who love makeup but didn't know if they could pull a midnight blue smokey eye; so I offered to try it for them....

Checkmate!! I am in desperate and absolute love with these eye shadows chicas. From Revlon's website:

Soft, suede-like texture glides over lids smoothly and evenly.
Provides high-impact color and a soft matte finish.
Feels smooth and luxurious on the eyes.

Check, check, check. Three out of three.

These babies are highly pigmented, but you can certainly monitor how much to apply without much hassle, and hence avoid looking like a scared raccoon... which happens only too often to divas-in-training who have not mastered the smokey eye look. They feel smooth and do not go powdery like other e/s; but you do need to be subtle when you first try them. You can always add more color; but taking it off is a b.i.t.c.h....

I bought only two shades: Riviera Blue which is my first ever blue eyeshadow (before this I avoided blues like the plague, and in general I still do); and Aubergine is the most luxurious deep purple you can think of. Sexy, I tell you.

For those chicas who favor a Spring natural look; Revlon also makes pastel colors like Pink Innocence and Luscious Lime; and -oh yes!- neutrals that you can use as an all-over base like Peach Sorbet and Vintage Lace.

Now, they of course come with an itty bitty applicator. But, if you have followed the Café Beautique and other beauty blogs for a while; you know that those are made to throw away and be replaced by brushes, right???? For more info on brushes, cheack out this post. I cannot then report on the applicator because by now it is somewhere far, far away.

And, if that alone was not good enough reason to try them.... they last forever. I kid you not. I always test new e/s without primer to check out the durability; and these ones beat any other I have tried. After all, Revlon did create ColorStay....

So go matte, go misteriosa, go sexy. But, more importantly, go happy.

Siempre, Bella.

Gorgeous when late... my less-better-do routine

Hermanas!!!!

I have not been sleeping well as of lately. Hard time falling asleep; and much hardship getting up in the morning. Lots of things going around chez nous. Today, I actually overslept for one full hour. OMG - I despise being late, and I cannot stand people who are continuously late: beyond uncool. This called for an emergency less-better-do artistry moment.

With about 5 minutes to do my makeup, I had about 30 seconds to decide what was indispensable and what could be overlooked. This is what I used:



Foundation: a total must. the world might collapse around me; but I need foundation. I did not use primer today; but since my wonder of wonders, MAX FACTOR's pancake is very creamy and stays put all day; I did not suffer.


Blush: god bless MAC. I used Flirt and Tease; but I did not use bronzer or shimmer powder. MAC blushes are so pigmented that a couple of passes with my blush brush was more than enought to give me quick and nice definition.

Eyes: The gray shade in E.L.F. Drama in my lower lid, and a dash of the white shadow next to the brow bone. A dab of the darkest tone as a smudgy under-eye liner. I did not apply my usual powder or liquid eyeliner. I must say I also did not tint my eyebrows -- I just passed the eyebrow comb over them and that was that.

Mascara: 2 coats of Rimmel Glam'Eyes Mascara. Don't know about you chicas, but I LOVE my eyelashes. I was blessed with long curly babes; but I still adore wearing mascara.




Lips: a nice tap tap tap of E.L.F. candy shop tin in Berry.





Ufff!!! Five minutes and I was ready to face Seattle, and Rojo's brew of my favorite java made it a quite romantic coffee-n-dash moment. The best part was being complimented on my looks after this ordeal. SO I guess now I have my own less-better-do routine for emergencies!!!

Now now --- what are your minute-makeovers??? Do share!!!


Siempre, Bella.

Café Review: E.L.F. Brightening Eye color

Hermanas!!!

As promised earlier in the week; I have been conscientiously using my E.L.F. cosmetics shipment; and I have a lot to say about them. This will need several posts; so let's start with the Brightening Eye Color quad eye shadows.

Eye shadows are my favorite makeup item. Love playing with them to get new looks and try out stuff. So how do these ONE DOLLAR quads fare in Bella's routine? Let's see. I bought Butternut, Drama, and Luxe.

In general, E.L.F. e/s are a bit powdery and certainly do not have tons of pigment. If you are going for a precise look or want a really deep coloring; I suggest you use your MAC or Maybelline goodies.

They look shimmery in the itty-bitty packaging; but when applied they turn a bit matte, which I totally adore: us mujeres who are a bit over 30 benefit way more from matte eyeshadows. Though they are not perfectly matte, either. Some of the colors reminded me a bit of MAC's Lustre finish.

They blend quite easily, and I found that they actually transform when combined- they do not look like one color on top of another one; but have some serious mixing power. That means with 4 swatches you can get as much as say, 7 colors with mixing!!! I know, coolness.

I think these little ones can be used day or night (unless, again, you are going for a punch and hyper accentuated eye look); and they stay in place: but they do need a primer for all day haul, no question. Without a primer, they tend to not disappear completely, but do loosen up after a while.

Here are my quick comments on the ones I bought:

Butternut

Butternut could just be the perfect weekend set, or the one to carry in your makeup bag for when you don't have time to get ready and need a quick pick me up. The peachy color is fantastic as either an all over base or a lower eyelid color. The lightest one works wonders as a highlighter for the inner part of the eye (yup, right next to your nose) or as a brow bone enhancer; and the other two are a delight to blend for accent.

Luxe

I must say, this one looked a bit off-putting when I opened it. I mean, RED eyeshadow? Oh my, I could not have been more wrong. The reddish swatch is the perfect burnt rose when I brush it on top of the pink one (which I use as all over base), and makes my eyes pop like you would not believe.

The brown and coppery tones are becoming my faves. The darker one sets in like a nice smokey touch and adds mystery to the eyes; and the other one helps it not look too strong for a day at the office. Love it, mucho love it.

Drama

I know I told you before that silver eye shadow is just not for me; but I risked it with this one and was pleased. Last Sunday I did my first ever attempt at a smokey eye look. While Rojo was a bit surprised at the change in my usual palette and style, he confessed to like it. Fetching, he said.

Not only is this a great set to make baby steps in smokey eye craft; but it is replacing (yes, you heard right) my MAC carbon as my eyelining choice. Combining the darkest tones, I get the perfect blend for lining my eyes and not look like Morticia Adams (who is a belle, but I bet she did not have office hours).

All in all hermanas, I will absolutely recommend E.L.F. Brightening Eye Color. Both to the make up newbies who are beginning to try out which colors agree with them; to more experienced chicas who like to expand their stash and save money at the same time.

I will continue the E.L.F. reviews tomorrow and next week. Right now, E.L.F. sent me a coupon code to get a free lip gloss with any order. Check them out and use the code ECHYPAY when you check out.

Siempre, Bella.

No longer an ELF virgin... but a convert???

Hermanas!!!


My adorable hermana Mel (also known in the underworld as DairyFarmer) kept singing the praises for ELF cosmetics; and sexy Toma from Makeup Masala confided that her ultimate favorite tweezers were the ELFish ones. They had me honestly intrigued.

I must say I was a bit suspicious. You know I am all about the bargain, that I never pay retail (well, not usually); and that I enjoy saving the pennies. But, all products for ONE DOLLAR???? Come on!!! There had to be a catch. So I went, Paypal account in hand, to their website. I browsed around every category and ended up ordering quite a bit of goodies.

• Eyeshadows in Drama, Butternut and Luxe
• 2 sets of slanted tweezers
• Clarifying pressed powder in Tone 3
• Smudge brush
• Lip primer+plumper
• Liquid eyeliner
• Candy Shop lip tins (the cutest little lip glosses ever)
• Travel mirror
• Powder puffs

...and god knows what else. Using all sorts of codes and coupons; I ended paying something like 12 dollars. Yup, sí, oui. My cosmetics were delivered 7 days later in perfect condition. The wrapping is very nice: I was expecting something cheapie and was pleasantly surprised.

I plan on going ELFish all week to see what I like and what I don't; and then come back and report on it for your delight hermanas. So far, I adore their liquid eyeliner that stayed put all day (and night since I forgot to take my makeup off on saturday, chica mala) without primer; and I also luvz the slanted tweezers.

Today I am wearing the Luxe eyeshadow quad (see below), the black liquid eyeliner and the tone 3 pressed powder. I am wearing of course my primers, but I will check again after lunch andthen after dinner to see how it stays- or not- put.


Mind you, all products are $1 -- exception made of their "Studio ELF" and mineral makeup lines (those are 3 bucks, puhleaze!). Right now I am going to their website again to order some beauty bags that are on sale for like 50% off. Can't go wrong with that. Besides, I have to employ my hard earned survey Paypal cash on something, right?????

Siempre, Bella.

To sparkle or not to sparkle...

Hermanas!!!

I was looking at my eye shadows this morning and came to the realization that I have way too many shimmery ones and less matte eye shadows. It did not come as a surprise though was the fact that the shimmery ones I use way less than the matte ones. This got me wondering on how to choose the right finishes and colors for eye shadows.

I *think* as we age, shimmery eye shadowsdo us a dis-service; although some hermanas get away with it with more ease. I also believe it depends on your skin's condition and skin tone. I read somewhere that brunettes can get away with more color combinations than blondies, but I have my reservations. I just cannot wear silver e/s. I look awful.

When talking about finishes, the folks at MAC have categorized them like no one else. MAC has seven finishes to seriously fit every taste and need; and the swatch samples on their website are fabulous. I have tried five of them (matte, frost, lustre, satin and veluxed pearl) and love them all. MAC eyeshadows are amongst the most blendable, and the variety is amazing.

• FROST - An iridescent shine that adds a highlight quality to any colour.

• LUSTRE - Smoothly pearlized; intensely frosted with a deluxe ultra-fine finish.

• MATTE - High-color pay-off in a no-shine matte finish.

• SATIN - Pure color in a satin-style finish. Provides a soft subtle non-frost, light-refractive sheen.

• VELUXE - Superfine texture. Pigment rich, silky smooth matte finish.

• VELUXE PEARL - Vibrantly tones and velvety soft with a metallic shimmer. Overlaid with high-shine pearl.

• VELVET - Soft look finish with high-color intensity. Has a velvety look and feel.

My palette is mostly neutral and towards the bronze/golds. My favorite tones are:

Embark (matte)
Carbon (matte)
Rice Paper (frost)
Saddle (matte)
Honesty (lustre)
Antiqued (veluxed pearl)

I wear the matte finish both as an accent shadow and also as an upper lid eyeliner. My veluxed ones I use sometimes as a lower lid all over shadow and also as an under-eye-liner (more fun than the usual blahness of either maroon or black, and more subtle). Frosts and lustres I olnly use for under my brow bone, or for an all-over highlight.

What are your favorite finishes? Do you shimmer away or are you from the matte-est-mysterious clan? Do tell.

Siempre, Bella.


p.s. Don't forget your primer and clean brushes!!!!

Prestige Non-Creasing Eyeshadows

Hermanas, es viernes!

Fridays are cool. Very cool. I usually go for coffee with la suegra, my mamma in law who is as sweet as they come; but today shall be different since el suegro, Rojo's dad, is turning one year dolder. Happy B-Day, G!!!

I am always on the hunt for drugstore cosmetics that do the job the spendy brands do, without hurting either my skin or my wallet. One day, back in Deadmonton; I stumbled across Prestige Cosmetics. They were on sale so well... you know the story; got Self a couple of lip liners; which worked wonders in the Canadian winter that did nasty things to my lips.

We moved to C-@-TL and I sincerely forgot about Prestige until about 2 months ago when my MAC e/s in SwissChocolate went ciao ciao and I was not going to splurge on MAC. Again, Prestige was on sale so I got the single Ebony and was just amazed. As in W-O-W. It goes on smoothly; blends like a charm (who likes e/s that does not blend well???) and lasts forever (even without my not-so-secret weapon Urban Decay Potion Primer). They honor their name and do not crease, ever. Not even the frosted ones.

They have a nice selection of tones. Singles duos, quads. The duos are fab because you can mix them right there in the pot (today I am dolled up with Cinnamon Stick Duo plus their Flushed as a browbone highlighter). Packaging closes nicely and is clean. Some hermanas have told me they are sad these babies do not come with an applicator, to which I always reply: "Appli-whats????Get yourself decent brushes!" Seriously. Applicators are the best way to cultivate icky life-forms in your products or, like Legally Smart told me once, a "primordial soup" (and mind you, she uses Sephora applicators but swears she throws them away often).

You can find them in most drugstores and supermarkets. Sad to say, Sephora does not carry them.Singles go for about $3.99 USD and quads for $5.99, if you are wondering where to get them; check out their store locator feature. Their website is not very nice to look at (swatches are poor), but the retail locator makes it worth it.

After finding this brand, I bid adieu to all but one shade of Revlon ColorStay; and to my Maybeline singles.

Now hermanas... go get prestigious !!!

Siempre, Bella.