Makeup and Beauty Blog | Makeup Reviews, Swatches and How-To Makeup
A beauty blog blooming with fresh makeup reviews, swatches and beauty tips from your friendly neighborhood beauty addict
I took a detour through nirvana this afternoon, also known as the San Francisco Union Square Saks Fifth Avenue shoe department, after my interview with D&G’s Christian McCulloch.
So much joy… So much beauty…
Yeah, now I have an answer for the question, “If you were locked in a store overnight, which store would you want it be?”
Um, Saks. 🙂
I like Christian McCulloch, Dolce & Gabbana’s new National Makeup Artist, and not just because he’s charming and tall, or has a really cool Australian accent, or because he complimented me on my brows.
CHRISTIAN MCCULLOCH: Did you do these yourself? — or do you go somewhere to get them done?
ME: I do them myself because I have weird control issues… [SIDE NOTE: I really need to stop telling this to strangers.]
CM: They’re perfect!
ME: For real??
When a fun, handsome guy who clearly loves makeup and (is also kind of a ham) whom celebrities like Kate Winslet, Cameron Diaz, Emma Stone and Jessica Biel have on speed dial tells you that your brows aren’t a total train wreck, yeah, it tends to make your day. 🙂
While we talked about summer and summer makeup trends today at the Dolce & Gabbana makeup counter at Saks Fifth Avenue in San Francisco, Christian often stopped mid-sentence to grab a quad, lipstick or pencil, swatch it on the back of his hand, and start talking so fast about it that I almost couldn’t keep up!
A few of Christian’s top summer trends…
This summer, Christian loves the look of nude, shimmery shadows on lids — shades like champagne, and shimmery pinks like the pale pink from the Fabulous Smooth Colour Quad ($59).
Then, to balance the nude eye and round out the look, he likes to add mascara, liquid liner, bronzer, blush and a bright lip. “It’s easy and fresh,” he says.
If you’re considering bold colors this year but want something other than the usual summer suspects like coral and pink, try plum lips.
“Plum lips pump up your look,” says Christian, “and when the color wears off, it looks like a stain.”
His go-to plum from the Dolce & Gabbana line? Shine Lipstick in Precious ($32).
“I love to use color, and I see it as an accessory. It’s like wearing a great pair of earrings or a great scarf. It depends on what you’re wearing and how you put it all together.”
— Christian McCulloch
Flawless-looking skin is in this summer, and to get the look without a lot of work, Christian recommends Dolce & Gabbana’s new Perfect Matte Liquid Foundation ($66), an oil-control liquid formula with a velvety finish that’s neither too shiny nor matte.
“I don’t necessarily feel like the makeup needs to be the first thing you notice about a woman. It’s just one element of the whole package.”
— Christian McCulloch
“It’s a one-step product,” Christian says of Perfect Matte, “and you don’t need to layer powder on top of it.” He only applies it where you need a little extra coverage.
And because it contains SPF 20, it’s great for this time of year.
What does Christian recommend every woman have in her makeup bag?
- Dolce & Gabbana’s Secret Eyes Mascara ($30): “This is what I use on photo shoots because I can fan out each lash from root to tip. It’s a detail mascara.”
- Dolce & Gabbana’s Smokey and Contrast Quads ($59 each): “These are look-good-on-everyone colors and my go-to’s for neutral, defined eyes.”
- Dolce & Gabbana Crayon Intense Eyeliner in Chocolate ($30): “It’s halfway between brown and black. Great for smokey eyes.”
- Dolce & Gabbana Luminous Cheek Color in Peach ($45): “The perfect peachy pink blush.”
“Mo’ coco, mo’ coco, mo’ coco!”
Those are either the lyrics to Ice-T’s comeback song/ode to his voluptuous wife (is that woman’s butt for real!?), or what goes through my head when I open the new $12 Pacifica Radiant Shimmer Coconut Multiples. 🙂
Pacifica infused this palette’s multitasking bronze, pink and beige shimmers with coconut extract, and if you put a little on the back of your hand and sniff, they even smell like it.
The colors feel kinda wet and creamy in their pans but dry down to a powdery finish as you work them into your skin.
Neato.
Wear ’em on your cheeks, eyes, lips — heck, your entire body — for sheer color and a soft glow.
And if you want more pigment, you can always layer.
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You can track down the new $12 Tarte Prime, Shine & Define Tarte-To-Go Kit at Sephora and also online.
Per the management, please do not disturb the tabby resting in the sock drawer. He needs his beauty sleep.
Sometimes…
Sometimes it’s not about words (because it’s all about orange).
The vibrant MAC All About Orange collection sizzles on counters June 6, but it’s already heating up maccosmetics.com.
Reviews and orange-flavored looks coming soon. For now, eye candy. 🙂
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Words of advice: only get your nails done at the Terranea resort and spa in sunny Rancho Palos Verdes, California if you’re sure you can refrain from making ecstasy faces the entire time.
During my mani/pedi yesterday, I felt like my bones were made of soft cheese. I was so relaxed that I could barely hold my head up (I actually did that head tipping thing a few times).
Now that’s relaxed…
The Terranea spa is where you go when you want a beauty experience.
It’s definitely not something I’d do every day (or week or month), or when I just wanted a professional to slap some paint on my paws in an efficient manner.
It’s more of a special occasion thing, because along with the usual spa shaping and polishing, you also get an exfoliating scrub, a brightening mask, a massage and several minutes with your hands and feet hugged in these heavenly heated mitts that I wish I could wear all the time.
All. The. Time.
But my favorite part was the pedicure chair.
OMG! If I were an eccentric heiress (as opposed to just being eccentric), I’d want an entire room of my estate/cat sanctuary dedicated to relaxation, with one of those chairs in the middle and a huge TV, upon which I would watch Bravo while eating veggie pizza. 🙂
The Jacuzzi action on my feet? So good. I could have fallen asleep right there.
The only things keeping me awake were the tickling cheese grater on my heels and Janine, the manicurist who did my nails.
I learned many interesting things from Janine that day. Things like…
The fee is $75 for a 45-minute Pacific Breeze mani and $95 for a 60-minute Pacific Breeze Pedi (see the complete price list here).
Yes, that’s high. But wow.
Wow.
If you book a 60-minute nail treatment (or the mani/pedi combo), you’ll also get all-day access to the spa’s other facilities, which include saunas, an indoor/outdoor lounge with snacks and drinks, a Jacuzzi and a kick-@ss pool with a breathtaking ocean view.
Talk about a recipe for a great day. 🙂
How many bronzers belong in your wardrobe?
Wait — wardrobe?
Yup, a bronzer wardrobe, because it can be nice to have a selection of different bronzers to choose from for different events.
Like a bronzer for date nights, maybe one for brunch, one for big meetings at work, and another one for epic events and fantastical days, like winning the lottery and collecting one of those gigantic checks, or visiting a Petco on kitten adoption day, sweeping your arms wide open and roaring, “OPEN ALL THE CAGES! I’LL TAKE THEM ALL!”
Too Faced Cosmetics is determined to change the way beauty babes look at bronzer.
They’re hoping that instead of relying on just one bronzer to wear year round, bronzer-loving babes (and guys) will see the benefits of wearing different bronzers on different days — much like how we think of lipsticks.
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