Glow Like You Mean It!

The sun is out, the sky is blue and the people of Chicago are sporting flip-flops, hello spring! The first thing I do to shed the winter doldrums is bust out the bronzer. I love the look of tanned, glowing skin. Makes me feel healthier, sexier and downright vampy. I rely on two products to get my glow on - NARS Laguna Bronzer and The Multiple Multi-purpose stick in Orgasm (also by NARS). 

Laguna is the perfect bronzer, it has a subtle bronze tone that looks natural on very fair skin all the way up to dark olive skin

Sheer, sheer, sheer is the magic word when working with bronzer. As you apply, better to go too light and build the color than to sport streaks on your cheeks. Roll a short bristled blush brush in the bronzer, tap the loose product off and start at the forehead YES FOREHEAD. Sweep the brush in the shape of a C,from forehead to cheekbone, staying near the hairline, blend with fingertips if necessary and watch the hairline. If your hair is thin near the temples or you are wearing your hair pulled back don"t be afraid to push a little product down into the exposed scalp to be sure the bronzer appears natural.

Next, grab the multiple and swirl onto the apples of your cheeks. Orgasm is the perfect shade, too. It's a fleshy pink that provides the look of a perfect complexion. Use the multiple on eyelids and lips too for a phenomenal finish.
UPDATE: I have now been using this dynamic duo for 3 years and I have to say, they stand the test of time.

Upside: Doozie of a duo for glowing, summer sun skin.
Downside: Perfection comes at a price!

Cost: Laguna Bronzer-$33 and The Multiple -$39 Or you can get the duo in bronzer and blusher combo for $40, but in that form orgasm comes in a powder providing slightly less shimmering highlight.

Find It: at my favorite spot...Sephora!!! or a nice department store counter.

Taking My Lashes

Ten years ago I did something that would forever change the contents of my make-up bag, I joined Mary Kay Cosmetics, Inc..  At the time I was living in Indiana. Not the faux Indiana that I grew up in (just outside of BDPL, very urban, lots of diversity, etc), but the “real deal” with cows and cornfields.  I had a friend in town who was an urban transplant just like me who joined MK after a home party we attended. There I was, in exile from my home land, withering away when the lure of sanity saving accoutrements she was enjoying became too great for me to resist. I attended a meeting dressed to the nines, gathered with Mary Kay women who had like-minded values (like the importance of control-top pantyhose and arching your brows) to learn about make-up and hear stories of inspiration. I joined like a second later and soon discovered the biggest benefit of joining; MK gave me a reason to buy a shit-ton of make-up! 

One of the finds from this bygone era that I keep going back to is the Mary Kay Ultimate Mascara. After application of this thickening, lengthening super performer, my eyes look more wide-awake and so much bigger. Not for the faint of heart, this is a mascara lovers mascara, like Dior Show or Voluminous, only without all the gunking and in a formula that is easier to remove at night than the other two. It comes in two color options, black or black/brown (for blonds). 

Ultimately, I had a good run in MK. I learned a lot, won a couple cars, but found I am too much of a junkie to be as brand loyal as selling a specific line requires. Still, even now glancing into my bag and spying this product reminds me of the days MK gave me license to go traipsing around the great Hoosier state giving make-overs/make-unders and making the rural world more beautiful, one woman at a time!

Upside: a thickening, lengthening mascara that resists flaking and provides dramatic effects without clumping or a ton of effort.
Downside: If your lashes touch your skin there will be some smudging

Cost: $15

Find It: only from a MK beauty consultant. Find a consultant near you or e-mail mine and tell her I sent you. Maybe there will be a discount in it for me ;)

 

Baby Please Don't Go!

My dear friend, Kristine is currently jobless in Austin, TX. She moved back to TX from Chicago because her husband got a job back in TX and after living separately while she tried to change his mind, she finally had to give up and move. She is totally bummed because she recognizes that Chicago is, in fact, the best-damn-place-to-live (BDPL). So to lift her spirits after this abrupt deportation away from the BDPL, we sometimes shop together on the phone.  It was during one such excursion that she recommended I try one of her new finds: The Liquiline Blast Eye Liner . I have to tell you, I was NOT receptive at first. This is a CoverGirl product and aside from my admiration of their good sense in employing Drew Barrymore, whom I LOVE, I have not been very impressed with their products. I must admit, I am a bit of a make-up snob and vividly recall being totally grossed out by the smell of their "Clean Makeup" branded foundation back in the early nineties and have not been inclined to try new things from them since. But since my friend Kristine had inspired an urge to exert some thrifty sensibility, I purchased this ridiculously inexpensive liner on sale at Walgreens for just $6.
Results: give a big Woot! Woot! to the CoverGirl folks over in Ohio...this eye liner does what a good eye liner should; it goes on easily without a lot of pulling or tugging, it is crazy smooth and can be smudged with the little angled rubber smudger on the end piece and finally, unlike Kristine in the BDPL...It STAYS and STAYS and STAYS.

Upside: a smudgeable pencil eyeliner that stays as well as a liquid (comes in violet, green, black, brown and silver)
Downside: needs a sharpener
Cost: regularly priced around $8.50
Find It: Walgreens, Ulta, your local grocery store cosmetics aisle

Eye Love It!

My first shout out has to go to the gals over at Benefit for their kick-ass coverage. I am completely fascinated by their Erase Paste. I wear this little genius corrector everyday.
While shopping in Indiana with a friend, my internal cosmetics homing device guided  me to the Sephora inside of a JC Penney's. It was such a tiny little Sephora that I was less distracted by my desire to purchase ridiculous eye shadow shades, which I will never wear in public and found myself gazing longingly at the gogeous pink Benefit display end cap. Here I discovered Erase Paste, the answer to my unfortunate dark under eye circles.

This little pink pot contains a creamy, smooth concoction that I find best applied with a tiny concealer brush. The color has a sort of melon undertone that really counter-acts deep discoloration to hide my dark circles and brighten my skin.

I figured out right off that a teeny-tiny bit goes a very long way, so I dip my brush in, then use the inside edge of the pot to flatten it into the bristles and thin it a bit. I smooth it on with the brush and then blend with my fingers, being especially careful to keep all the blending on the discolored part of the under eye.

Upside: great coverage, no fading and fabu brightening
Downside: must be set with powder of some sort
Cost: $26 - (but lasts forever)
Find It: At Sephora, Ulta, The Benefit Bar in Macy's or at a Benefit Boutique (I'm fond of the one on Armitage, just a few blocks west of Halstead across from the LUSH store)

Just Can't Stop

Hi, my name is Fancy and I'm an addict. I have a compulsive desire to linger in the cosmetics aisle in the grocery. I am so distracted by the beauty section that upon arrival at Walgreens I forget what I came for. Sometimes I even get in the car and find myself pulling up to Sephora, Ulta or a Benefit Boutique with no recollection of even deciding to shop for cosmetics. 
Even though I gave up the title "Beauty Consultant" more than five years ago, I just can't stop the urge to try new "looks" and fix other women's make-up. I sometimes see a woman on the street or at the store and completely redo her look in my head. It has gotten so bad that my husband can now discern between "good make-up" and "train wrecks".
Since I do not plan to curb my addiction anytime soon, and I find deep satisfaction in sharing my favorites, I present to you Fascination - Diary of a Make-up Addict.