I tangoed this afternoon for the first time in 20 years, and my partner was Make Up For Ever.
No, not tango in the ballroom style (“slow, slow, quick-quick, slow!”), although that always looks like so much fun. This was more just me dancing away the late afternoon with some pieces from MUFE’s new fall 2012 collection.
Ironically…my metaphorical dancing today was much more fun than the first time I tried the real tango.
It was the spring of my senior year in high school… My friend Alex and I had taken a ballroom dance class together after seeing the movie Swing Kids (5-second synopsis: a group of teenagers in Nazi Germany band together to dance to forbidden swing music from the United States).
Yup, that’s young Christian Bale in the middle
We started out hell bent on getting good enough to do the cool aerial tricks, tosses and lifts, so every Thursday after dinner Alex would pick me up in his rickety Dodge Dart, and I’d spend the 10-minute drive to the dance studio joshing him and his ride (“Dude, if this thing breaks down, you’re gonna have to flash your hairy leg on the side of the road and pray someone pulls over to help us, ’cause there’s no way I’m pushing this boat in these heels!”).
Then we’d shuffle across the dance floor for 45 minutes, with both of us spending most of the time looking down at our feet, to learn the basics of ballroom dancing with some of Union City’s sassiest seniors.
I don’t know what we were thinking, to be honest, because we were really, really terrible. Like the worst couple in class. Alex was over six-feet tall, and I barely cleared 5 feet, even when I was stepping on his toes, LOL! Seriously, if the class had given an award for crashing into other couples and stepping on feet, that’s the only award we would have won.
As bad as we were, though, the tango was sort of our specialty, and I still remember sailing across the dance floor, repeating “slow, slow, quick-quick, slow” over and over to myself.
“Slow, slow, quick-quick, slow!” I tried to get Tabs to dance with me this afternoon, but he wasn’t in the mood… Thankfully, the new Aqua Rouge Lip Colors ($24 each), Aqua Brow ($20) and new Black Tango Palette ($45) were. 🙂
Black Tango Palette
Aqua Rouge in #1 Nude Beige on the left and #8 Red on the right
Swatches from the left: Black Tango Palette Aqua Creams in Purple, Green, Blue and Ivory; Aqua Rouge in #8 Red, #1 Nude Beige and clear gloss; Aqua Brow in #25 Ash unblended and blended
From the collection…
- The Aqua Rouges — This new line of double-ended liquid lip colors (one end is a color with a doe-foot applicator, and the other has a clear gloss with a brush) comes in 12 shades ranging from soft beige to bold berry. I just started testing today so I can’t say yet how they perform, but they claim to be smudge-proof and long-lasting, able to deliver the intense, long-lasting color of a lip stain with the eye-catching shine of a gloss.
- The Aqua Brows — The longevity theme continues with MUFE’s new Aqua Brow line. Available in seven $20 shades, these waterproof brow fillers apply as a gel but dry to a powder finish that’s supposed to able to withstand inclement conditions like rain and high temps.
- The Black Tango Palette — Inspired by Make Up For Ever Founder Dany Sanz’s love for the tango, the new Black Tango Palette ($45) houses four new limited edition shades of MUFE’s high performance Aqua Cream shadow in gem-like purple, green and blue, along with a highlighting ivory.
I’ve always liked the idea of long-wearing makeup…except when it dries out my skin or starts to look funky after a few hours. I’m crossing my fingers and hoping that these pieces are able to dance the night away and then some.
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
P.S. How’s it going tonight? I can’t believe I forgot to ask if you saw the Curiosity landing? Pretty amazing, right? When someone asks one of those NASA scientists what they did this week, now they can say, “Oh, not much really. I sent a spacecraft to Mars.”
Yeah, that trumps me. 🙂
Right now I think I’m just going to eat a bowl of veggie chili and finish the movie I started late last night, Fool’s Gold with Matthew McConaughey. I wouldn’t call it great (by any means), but it’s not completely terrible…
shontay says
Hey, Karen. I have two of these lipstains and I love them. My lips are on the dry side, but it’s not a problem for these stains. They are long wearing and comfortable for me. I have a deep brown shade and a neutral brown shade and I look forward to buying more.
The aqua brow is all I use for my brows for the past 3 years or so. A little goes a long way and it’s incredible. Can’t say I’m terribly interested in that palette, though. Dark eyes aren’t usually my thing.
Becca @ The Beauty Sample says
YAY–you got Ash. That’s the shade I’m very curious about. I’m scared that it will look a bit unnatural (I suck at filling in my brows and find the powder is the easiest and most natural looking), but I’m still willing to give it a shot. After all, my sister’s wedding is in Sept. in the hot sun and I need something to stay put without fail all day long
Rae // theNotice says
^ this exactly! I keep reading reviews for the other shades, but (as someone who consistently fills her brows with a neutral grey eyeshadow) I’m incredibly curious about Ash.
And, well, everything else now, too. Those Aqua Creams! //flails
Tracy says
Those Aqua Creams! Oh. My. I think that’s going on my fall to get list!
Laura says
Do you know if the Aqua Creams detach from the palette? It’d be nice to take out one or two to put in a tiny makeup bag for a quick trip.
Dovey says
The MUFE Aqua Rouge in Nude Beige is gorgeous and so up my alley! I’ve also been eyeing the Aqua Brow in Ash—- so much to love here 🙂
musical says
How cute is that palette! Love the design and the colors! It’s good that the lip lacquers come with clear gloss, that would tone ’em down or bring ’em up (depending on which shade we are looking at). Neat!
Happy Tuesday, chica! And belly rubs to Tabs!
gio says
Those Aqua Creams are so gorgeous! Love the packaging of the palette too.
Nadege says
I just ordered this palette at Sephora! So gorgeous! This Black Tango Palette has my name written all over it!
Kiss & Make-up says
What a sexy-looking palette. Want! I like all the cream eyeshadows. And I even like the messy lip glosses 😉
BooBooNinja says
Swing Kids is one of my favourite movies. You’ve gotten infinitely cooler in my eyes by referencng it. 🙂
peach_ says
That’s a gorgeous looking palette! I’m not too crazy about having to open individual lids after opening the main compact, though I suppose it’s a necessity to keep them clean and in one place!
Crystal says
I really love the way this looks and the colors. I have to put it in my Sephora basket!
Nina says
Oh wow. I am drooling at how hawt the stuff in this collection are!
Last night was quiet — the Hubs bought Indian food home, and I watched the Beach Volleyball Semis. 🙂
Kim says
This is a cool looking palette – I especially like the little covers on the Aqua Cream Shadows. 🙂 I remember really liking Swing Kids in the day and did not remember at all that Christian Bale was in it; I think I even have the soundtrack. Now I’ll have to check.
I loved the slow-slow-quick-quick-slow. The Hubs and I took ballroom dancing for a year so we could do a choreographed wedding dance. He HATED every minute. He’s 6’4″ and doesn’t care for dancing or being the center of attention and was visibly relieved when the dance was over. He actually did really well and I was the one who made a mistake. We never thought to video tape it and I’ve never been able to get him to do it again, even in the living room. HAHA!
Lulle says
Wow, the packaging of the palette looks really stunning! But I’m not sure what I’d do with 3 deep yet colorful shades and a white?? Especially since they’re cream shadows.
Marissa Rhoades says
I wasn’t sure if I wanted this until I saw your swatches. I just ordered the palette! I’m so excited!
Brigette says
That Black Tango Palette…I want it. I’ve never tried MUFE Aqua creams before but I would most definitely purchase that palette. 🙂
Angel says
Ok, so this is what makeup pron is about. I wanted that palette without even knowing what was inside!!! It’s gorgeous, can’t wait to hear how you like the liners.
And on another note, now I have “Dancing In Heaven” going through my head because of your “slow, slow, quick quick, slow”. I’m dating myself once again. I imagined you and Tabs dancing to that and I LOL’d!
Karen says
I LOVE THAT SONG. I kid you not — I’ve watched Girls Just Want to Have Fun probably hundreds of times!
Lisa S. says
The glosses look yummy. It all does. Wrap it up!
Aracely says
Wait, Union City, as in Union City, New Jersey?