white hot

If you read the beauty section of magazines religiously (as I do), you tend to pick up some of the universal tricks of the trade.  Applying eyeliner with a flat brush or a dab of highlighter on the cupid's bow of the lip, for example.  But the one I find a bit frustrating is the perpetual suggestion, often from celebrities, to use shimmery white eyeliner on the inner corner of the eye for an instant well-rested look, without a product recommendation to back it up (Glamour, I'm looking at you.)  So off to the mall I went yesterday, to find the easiest to use eye-opening liner and MAC Shadestick in Overcast was the clear choice in both categories.

This stick of cream shadow (shown above in Sea Me) is the perfect diameter to swipe over the tear duct (with eye closed) and across the inner half of the top lashes in one smooth motion.  Pat with a finger to blend and you're good to go.  And a bit of pearliness reflects the perfect amount of light so it never looks chalky or disco ball.  Available online and at MAC counters for $16.50, this product is a must if your eyes perpetually betray your exhaustion in the morning.

glow, baby, glow

I've become a bit obsessed with figuring out how to nail the glowy ethereal eyes of the spring runway- it's the perfect and foolproof look to rock when you've stayed up to all hours and have something/someone you need to look devastatingly fabulous for the next day.

It seemed to me that some sort of white pearly highlighter would be just the thing to reflect light without looking sparkly, so I combed through the July, August, and September Allure for answers. July's "Makeup Artists' Secret Weapons: Their 5 Favorite Products" confirmed to me that a white highlighter is definitely missing from my stash.

I browsed the counters for options, but I almost immediately knew that I would be going home with MAC Cream Color Base (shown at left in Virgin Isle) in Luna. These are all-over highlighter creams that give skin a brilliantly subtle light-reflecting sheen, they're lovely used anywhere on the body including the center of the lips. The Cream Color Bases are often marketed by MAC sales associates/makeup artists as an eyeshadow base, which is just bizarre- this stuff will crease in a matter of seconds if you don't prep your eye first. Luna in particular is a sheer pure white with icy shimmer, and with skin underneath it looks a little golden. The point of this look is achieving a subtle pale light reflection, so if Luna shows up too white on your skin try Pearl or Fawntastic or one of the bronze shades on dark skin (although Luna or a comparable icy shade is worth owning for highlighting the inner corner of the eye and the center of the lips).

To get the look- If you're going to wear mascara (and you don't have to, this look is gorgeous with bare lashes unless you have extremely fair hair) put it on first or you risk muddying the eyelid. I recommend saving your blackest black mascara for other days, and use brownblack, brown, or even clear if at all possible. Prep the eyelid, undereye, and inner corner around the tear duct with Urban Decay Primer Potion. Let it set for a minute, then go over it with foundation or concealer if you need to cover any darkness or veins. Either way finish with a dusting of finishing powder like MAC Blot. Use your finger to lightly dab on the cream color base until your eye is covered just up past the crease. Don't frost the brow bone, but blend the cream upwards so it fades subtly. Dab some on your inner corner (best achieved by closing your eye and gently pull the outer corner to get your lashes out of the way of your tear duct and using the tip of your finger to apply the cream). If you have a little time, or aren't completely out of it, you can use a clean small eyeliner brush to trace some cream along the top roots of your bottom lashes. Dust over the whole thing with more setting powder.

You can also use cream color base on cheeks in the absence of blush, blended on the upper part of the apple of your cheek. It's also lovely traced along the top of the bow of the upper lip, topped with a little clear shiny balm or sheer nude lipcolor.

What rocks about this look is that afterwards you look utterly fresh and awake, even if you feel like garbage. And it really only takes one trial to nail the application technique, which means you can do this in complete zombie mode first thing in the morning- especially if you skip tinted mascara and lining the lower lashes- and it only takes about 3 minutes, so you can be done within 5 if you spend time with foundation and concealer.

Got Shine?

Don't get me wrong, I love glossy lips and dewy cheeks. But the oil slick known as my forehead? Yeah, not so much. Since puberty I've tried a number of powders and primers to keep the oilies at bay, but MAC Blot is definitely the standout.

But before getting into the merits of Blot, there isn't enough powder in the world if you don't have a good skincare routine to begin with. I can't tell you how many women I know think they have a serious oil problem but don't use any moisturizer or don't wash their faces on a regular basis. Beauty magazines tend to run regular articles about basic skincare, so if you don't have a routine established yet I suggest going to the library and flipping through some old issues of Allure. Personally, my oiliness has greatly imroved since I've simplified my routine down to a gentle cream cleanser twice a day, a light moisturizer with seaweed extract- The Body Shop's Seaweed Mattifying Day Cream is beloved by myself and my BFF, the Olay at home microderm kit once a week, and the occasional mud mask or serum application when I'm stressed. I've found that consistent daily face washing and moisturizing and a weekly gentle but deep exfoliation goes a long way in improving oiliness.

Although this regimen has drastically improved my skin, I do rely on MAC Blot powder to keep my face looking polished throughout the day. I usually apply with a fluffy brush in the morning, and once again before going out at night and my face stays shine free without looking cakey or ashy. I've used it with and without foundation and it seems to work equally well, although I would recommend gently pressing your face with a tissue after foundation and before Blot; this is a great trick to gently lift excess moisture out of the foundation while leaving the pigment behind so the face stays matte longer throughout the day. If you use powder foundation but still get oily, using Blot underneath other powders is also pretty effective at controlling oil. One piece advice on shade selection- unless you're gothic white, pale ladies should go for Medium, Light is a little too chalky.

If you're not too oily and find Blot a bit on the dry side, Stila Sheer Pressed Powder is great for achieving a polished look but couldn't quite stand up to my oily skin. If you love powder but have normal to dry skin, Laura Mercier Loose Setting Powder gives an amazing soft focus glow- I love it, but my oily skin eats through it in a couple hours.