MAC Sun Rush Lustre Drops ($21)

Why wait for summer to wear MAC’s $21 Sun Rush Lustre Drops? The petite 0.60-ounce bottle, which fits in the palm of my hand and snugly into my teeniest makeup bag, is ready to go places NOW (spring break girls’ trip, anyone?).

And with the sun beaming down on the Bay Area today on this, the first official day of spring (See ya, winter! It’s been real!), I was in the mood for warm-weather makeup — tinted moisturizer, lots o’ lashes, lip gloss and Sun Rush’s peachy golden bronze shimmer.

Sometimes referred to as a water-based liquid bronzer, other times as a pearly highlighter, I call Sun Rush a reason to fall to my knees and humbly pay tribute to the Makeup Goddess of Faux Tans…whom you may refer to in whispers as Bronzeta.

Liquid gold, yo! Err…more like a peachy bronzed gold, yo!

Whenever I dot a couple drops of Sun Rush on my upper cheekbones and swirl them in with a MAC 224 or 217 brush, usually on top of whatever tinted moisturizer or light foundation I may be wearing (and possibly blush tint if I’m feeling extra ambitious), I’m transformed into one of those impossibly chic beach gals who wears Pucci print caftans, calls strangers dahhling and resort hops between the poshest places in the South of France.

I guess what I’m trying to say is, Duuuuude, I look relaxed.
(more…)

Wearing Hourglass Muse Opaque Liquid Lipstick ($28) on my lips

Ever dig into your makeup bag and rediscover something you absolutely love but kindasorta just forgot about for a month or two or 12?

I feel ya, dawg. I do it all the time.

This week I made a point of rutting around through my makeup stash to look for buried treasure, and woo-hoo! — I’ve been finding quite a few things, like Hourglass Opaque Rouge Liquid Lipstick in Muse. Or “Musey” as I like to call her.

A vibrant matte coral red — one of those “stop you in the street” shades like Make Up For Ever’s Rouge Artist Intense Lipstick in 39 — Muse glows brighter than a neon sign.

You might remember its launch last fall as part of the long-wearing Opaque Rouge Liquid Lipstick line.

With Muse, absolutely, I love the wow factor, but I also like the wear. Seriously, this shade DOES WORK! It decorates my pout for up to 10 hours (!) without weighing down or drying out my lips — traits not easy to find in such a long-wearing lipstick.

(more…)

Wearing BECCA Papaya Beach Tint ($25) on my cheeks and lips, available now at BECCA counters, Sephora stores and online

Just added to my list of “Things I’d Like to Do Someday”: eat a papaya (one of my favorite fruits) at the beach (one of my favorite places).

I got the idea from BECCA’s $25 Beach Tint in Papaya, which of course I’ll be wearing when I eat said papaya at said beach.

This water-resistant lip and cheek tint is one of the newer batch of Beach Tints launched last fall. Described as a “hot red” by BECCA, I call it a “hot reddish, orangey/coral.” With bad-@ss pigment. Can’t forget that.

I’ve been loving it lately, and not just because of the pigment. It’s also a cinch to apply on cheeks and lips, and all it takes are fingers.

With spring approaching, I’ve been crushing harder than usual on corals in general, and I think Papaya worn as a blush on cheeks pairs purrfectly with bold coral lip colors like Tom Ford’s True Coral and Hourglass Muse.

(more…)

Wearing the Hourglass Visionaire Duo in Exhibition ($38) on my eyes; available now online, and at Hourglass counters and Sephora

I’m beginning to realize that despite falling in love with a new purple eye shadow single/duo/quad/palette approximately every 6.14 seconds (a side effect of undiagnosed makeup deficit disorder), I could probably function for days, weeks or maybe even months wearing the Hourglass Visionaire Duo in Exhibition.

It’s easily one of my favorite purple duos of all time, and I always feel at least a little better when I get it on my lids.

One side is a shimmery mauve, like a lighter, shinier MAC Shale; the other, a shimmery eggplant with subtle magenta undertones (I notice them more when I apply with a wet brush), which I think give the shade more depth.

Both sides are packed with pigment — enough to please even the most discriminating mulberry mavens, and perhaps hard-core MAC-aholics, too.

The silky, almost creamy rose petal formula makes it easy to build beautiful gradients, and best of the all, the powders completely refuse fallout, creasing and fading.

Wondering how close Exhibition comes to the NARS 413 BLKR duo?

Hmm… I’d say close, but they’re not exactly dupes. The Exhibition shades appear a little brighter and shinier to me, with a corresponding chipper effect on my mood.

I still heart 413 to bits, but I think of it as having a harder edge and more tough-girl zeal.

Hourglass Exhibition on the left and NARS 413 BLKR on the right

Hourglass Exhibition

Here I’m wearing orangey coral Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Intense Lipstick in 39, an Unsung Makeup Hero

I’m thinking about having the words, “It’s Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Intense Lipstick in 39,” printed on a t-shirt, and I’ll tell you why.

Because whenever I wear it, I must get asked 10 times a day what I’m wearing on my lips.

It’s almost as flattering as the lipstick itself.

If I had that shirt, I could just smile, open my jacket and BAM! — point at the shirt.

Once you start wearing this satiny, orangey coral ($19, available now at Make Up For Ever Boutiques and counters, Sephora stores and also online), you’ll see what I mean.

It’s one of those colors you can’t miss when it walks into a room, so be prepared to answer questions about it as you go about your day.

I think it has something to do with the opacity, for one. The bright block of solid color really showcases your lips. That, and the orangey tones, which are just so…bright.

(more…)