Tips on How to Wear a Berry Lip this Fall!

Berry Colored Lips for the Fall

Now that it's Fall, it's time to pull out your darker lipstick shades from hibernation. Wearing a dark lipstick could be very intimidating. I know it took me a long time to feel comfortable with wearing darker colored lipsticks, but now I can't get enough of them!  In this post, I've written out some tips to keep in mind when wearing a berry lip. I've included a slideshow at the end of this post for inspiration.

Your Lips should be the Focal Point

Simplicity is key whenever you're wearing a bold lip because you want your lips to be the star of the show. When wearing a bold lip, keep the eyes clean by adding a matte nude shade to the lids (I like using MAC Brule eyeshadow) to even out the color of the lids and hide any redness or veins. Apply a black liquid liner the upper lash line and wing it out if you'd like sort of the pin-up look. For something a little more natural, line your lid with a soft black pencil eyeliner and use a small brush to smudge/soften the line. If you're fair skinned, you might want to use a dark brown instead of black as sometimes black can look too harsh with this look. I love voluminous lashes with this look, so apply lots of mascara to the upper and lower lash line. To add a glamorous girly touch, apply false lashes snipped in half to the outer end of your eyes. Anything more might look too dramatic.

Pick Neutral Eyeshadows

I you want a little something extra on your eyes, opt for neutral shades. Neutral shadows pair great with plum, wine and cranberry lipstick shades. Think ivory, champagne, silver, taupe, ashy browns, charcoal, plum, etc. If your lipstick has red tones to it, gold and warm brown work great.

Here's a little example of shades I'd pair with a berry lip. I'd pick two colors at the most - one shade all over my lid in a sheer layer and a second shade in the crease, or as a highlight.

Swatches from left to right: Urban Decay Half Baked, MAC Electra, Highlight from Dior 5 Golds Quint, MAC Retrospeck, Urban Decay Sidecar, MAC Jardin Aires Pigment, MAC Patina Eyeshadow, MAC Gold Stroke Pigment, L'Oreal Bronzed Taupe Infallible Eyeshadow, MAC Soba Eyeshadow, MAC Satin Taupe, MAC Maroon Pigment, Nars Galapagos, Urban Decay Gunmetal, MAC Silver Ring, Generic Purple Eyeshadow.

For a Quick Fix, Try Mixing your MAC Pro Longwear Concealer with your Favorite Moisturizer!

Some days when I'm in a rush or just need to run a couple of errands and don't feel like putting on my full-face, I always look to my concealers for a quick fix. Concealing my under eyes is always a must, and then sometimes I dab a little concealer on each area of my face and blend with a large brush. Then pop a little blush or bronzer on my cheeks and I'm out the door.

So, a couple days ago when I was on my way out the door and didn't want to scare the general public, I decided to try out a recommendation from LoveMelisaMichelle (thanks, girl!) in her recent Flawless Face video. She mixed her favorite moisturizer with MAC Pro Longwear Concealer ($18) for a great lightweight light-medium coverage foundation.

I would have never thought of it before because MAC Pro Longwear Concealer isn't really what I'd call full coverage (although it does provide a very good medium), but somehow, it morphs into a (much better) second skin once combined with a moisturizer.

I like to take one pump and mix it with equal parts moisturizer and then apply it to my face with my fingers, working it into the skin as I would a moisturizer. MAC Pro Longwear Concealer sets very quick, and doesn't go too far when you try spreading it alone, so it really needs the combination of the moisturizer to be able to smooth it out all over your face and give you the extra time to blend. I like adding in a drop of illuminator too to make my skin glow.

It feels like I have nothing on my face, yet my skin looks naturally perfected. It's the perfect "no-foundation" foundation. Depending on your moisturizer, it may make your skin shine after several hours, so make sure to set with a little powder.

I absolutely love this combo, and highly recommend trying it if you own MAC Pro Longwear Concealer. After all, if you already own it, you have nothing to lose. I've tried this with other concealers, but I like this combo the best.

Hope your Monday is a little brighter than mine! What's up with this rain?!

Last Chance for 40% Off at Drugstore.com!

40% Off All Makeup @ Drugstore.com

The 40% Off sale on all makeup at Drugstore.com is wrapping up, so if you have any drugstore staples or favorites, now is the time to buy! I'm heading over there right now to take a look. Also, shipping is free on orders over $25! Sale ends tonight! Use code: MAKEUP40.

*Apparently, the 40% doesn't work on everything in the makeup department as advertised. I was going to pick up a few Real Techiques Brushes, but the code didn't work. I thought maybe it only works on actual makeup, but it did work for instance on makeup remover wipes. I wasn't able to locate the fine print on the website.

Also, if you need to grab any goodies from Tarte Cosmetics, make sure to place your orders before Oct. 21 @ 11:59 ET for 20% with code: TREAT.

Unfortunately, I just noticed that there are exclusions, one of which is the Fantastic Foursome set pictured above. *sigh* See the website for the fine print. (In the top left hand corner of the page where it mentions the sale, click "*click for details")

Chanel Pink Explosion Joues Contraste Blush Review, Photos and Swatches!

Chanel Pink Explosion Joues Contraste Blush

Chanel Pink Explosion Joues Contraste Blush ($43) is a medium-toned cool pink with fine shimmer. It's not overly cool, so thankfully it works really well on my warm skin. It provides that dolly pink cheek that pairs well with neutral and cool eyeshadows (purples, taupe, etc).

Mine is the Euro (original 2010) version, which is a baked powder as opposed to the version you'd get from the Chanel counters in the US, which is the standard pressed-powder version. There are slight differences - in general, the baked version isn't as pigmented with one swipe and isn't as soft. I prefer the US version. (You can view a comparison on Cafe Makeup.)

If you know me by now, I find any form of pink color cosmetics hard to resist and I love, love, love Joues Contraste Blushes. Pink Explosion has been on my wishlist for a while now, so when I spotted it in a blog sale, I jumped on it! (Hi Risa!) Anyways, who wouldn't love a product named Pink Explosion?

The pigmentation is good - it's light, but buildable and what you'd want from a blush that's so pink. I'm actually less inclined to use some of my really pigmented blushes (Nars for instance) because I tend to use too heavy of a hand. With my Joues Contraste Blushes, I never go overboard - but if I do, the color blends so well into my skin that it never looks unnatural.

Swatched heavily on the left and lightly on the right.