I'm moving my blog!

Hi everyone,

For those of you who have bookmarked this or added this to their RSS feed I wanted to give you all a heads up about this exciting change! I'm moving the blog!

From feedback it seems that the advice I have in this blog is not just pertinent to Latinas, but to all Olive skinned women. I would like everyone to feel included in this effort so I've decided to move my blog to an aptly named link: http://makeupforoliveskin.blogspot.com/

I have exported this blog over to that link (which you'll notice when you click on the link, it looks exactly the same!) and will from now on continue to update there. So, please if you've bookmarked me or added me to your reader do so again, I'd love to have you! I will continue to update and provide what are, hopefully, good blog posts, advice and swatches.

Thanks everyone for the feedback, I've definitely been listening and creating a list. I appreciate everyone's support on this project!

Best,
Liz

MAC Cham Pale

Hola Chicas, I'll be reviewing MAC Cham Pale first as it's going to be leaving the soonest and also because I'm still waiting to get the last items from the Mickey Contractor Collection in the mail.

So, trying something out based on feedback, I'm going to be showing you not just swatches but also pictures of me wearing the make up. Get ready for uncomfortably close closeups!

I didn't pick up much from the Cham Pale collection, some of you more fairer Latinas will most likely have more luck with this line but for us more Olive skinned ladies it's definitely a little too much on the lighter side.

So, on to the loot.

Paint Pots from left to right: Let Me Pop, Vintage Selection, Chilled On Ice.

Let Me Pop

Vintage Selection
Chilled on Ice

Below I'll show you what the shades look like on skin and on my face. Just a note that this is in my bathroom with no natural lighting, but I think the pictures are pretty accurate.

From left to right: Let Me Pop, Vintage Selection, Chilled On Ice.

Let Me Pop

Vintage Selection

Chilled on Ice

Paint pots are great creme shadow and are most commonly used as bases for other shadows, but are also gorgeous on their own. As you can see Let Me Pop is the most flattering out of the three colors, it's a beautiful gold/orangey shimmer. Vintage Selection is a more neutral beige with shimmer and Chilled on Ice is a gold shimmer with orane-ish undertones. They are all pretty flattering though. The one paint pot I did not buy was Dangerous Cuvée, I tried it on in store and found it to be too gray and really unflattering on my skin tone.

Let me tell you these paint pots have some staying power. I had to use make up remover to get all the color off when changing shades. However, when it came time to wash my face to get all the make up off Cetaphil did it with ease.

Now onto the one lipstick from the collection that I deemed worthy of purchasing. The color is a nice pale shimmery pink. It's flattering, but you also have to be fond of lighter sheer colors that don't change your lip color very much. I tried to photograph this color every which way to get the most accurate color, hopefully you'll get a good idea of what it looks like.Quiet, Please

I personally really like the color but it is frosty, so definitely stay away from this if you're not a frosty lipstick gal. I usually am not a fan of frosts, but this color won me over.

The final thing I got from the collection was Special Reserve Highlight Powder in Rose Olé. Not only does it look really nifty in the packaging, it's a beautiful highlighting powder and unfortunately it's kind of hard to show that in pictures on myself, as much as I tried. You'll have have to trust me that it's a beautiful and flattering highlighter, so if you're interested in one check this out.

Rose Olé

Hope you enjoyed the swatches and pictures. I'll definitely keep doing pictures for the blog. It's a lot of work! However, I think it's way more useful to people this way.

Urban Decay - Show Pony $20 at Sephora

I found a really fun palette that I feel looks wonderful on my NC35 skin. The name of the palette is Show Pony and it's by Urban Decay and I got it from Sephora online. It's a really great value because it comes with an eye liner, their award winning 24/7 in the color zero (black), and also with their awesome eye primer potion.
The shades are gorgeous and highly pigmented. I really love all the colors in the palette. The swatches I'm about to show you are in natural day light and are without a primer.

Here's a good idea of how the palette looks on the inside,
I love the design on this, it's pretty gorgeous.

Here is a close up of the shades in the palette.

Here are the swatches on my skin from left to right in the palette.

Swatches from left to right Snatch, Mildew, and Flash.

Swatches from left to right Pain Killer, Smog and Toasted.
The black is the eyeliner in Zero.

Overall these colors are extremely flattering on my skin tone. The colors are highly pigmented, the most pigmented one being Pain Killer. For 6 Urban Decay eye shadows I say get this if you can, it's totally worth the $20 for 6 high quality AND flattering colors.

Mickey Contractor and Peacocky Mac Collections Debut Today!

The new MAC collections are debuting in store today! Mickey Contractor and Peacocky are the new 2011 collections. I plan to try all the shades in store and pick and choose the shades which fit my skin tone best, and post some reviews. I'm not made of money so I'll have to limit myself on what I purchase, but hopefully it will give you all a good idea of what will be flattering on Olive skin tones!

I'm particularly excited about the Mickey Contractor collection, as mentioned before, it holds big promise of being extremely flattering on Olive chicas, so we'll see how tomorrow goes!

The Peacocky collection also has some amazing shades of shadows and lip colors that will work wonders on Latina skin tones. I'm extremely excited to try the lip colors out as I hear the formula looks like a gloss but feels like a lipstick!

I'm a little late to the game on the Cham Pale collection which debuted on December 2010, but I also plan to find the shades that work best for us medium skinned girls from this collection. From the look of it it may be slim pickings since it's meant to be frosty and pale, but you never know until you try!

Hope to have more for you soon!

Foundation - De Colores!

Amigas, I've noticed a trend that really needs to be addressed. I realize that picking a shade of foundation can be extremely difficult sometimes, however, it does not give us the permission to wear shades that don't fit. It's hard seeing women walking around with a shade of foundation on their face only see a line on their chin where their foundation ends and their natural skin begins. Foundation should match your skin color perfectly and blend seamlessly from face to neck. It should be your skin only better.

Your skin is the one make up step you cannot skimp on. It's your canvas and your best asset. If your foundation is the wrong shade or the wrong formula for your skin type it can ruin all the work your put into you make up.

Entonces, hablemos. When it comes to picking a foundation shade the best thing to do is to put it on your face, not your hand. You're going to be wearing it on your face, so try it there! The best way to do it is to try the shade you think will fit first, try a small swatch and blend it in completely, it's not meant to sit on top of the skin. Then go from there, if it looks too light try a darker shade and vice versa. If you get it right on the first shot try that shade's lighter and darker option in order to be sure you're spot on. Now, this is the important part, once you find what you think to be the correct shade go outside to ensure it looks the same in natural light.

These tips are great when you're buying a brand you can try before you buy. When buying from a drugstore the situation is a little different, however, the good news is that you can return make-up to most drugstores if it doesn't fit. I would check your local drugstore's policy as it can change from place to place, but I can definitely say I've bought make up at Walgreen's and returned it a week later because the shade nomas no me quedo.

Ahora, escogiendo la formula corecta. Just as important as picking the right shade it's important to pick the right formula. When it comes to picking the right one you have to consider your skin needs and the amount of coverage you want.

• Foundation sticks give full, even coverage and can sometimes double as concealer for spot treatment. However, it is best for Normal to Dry skin because it is rather thick and can make oily skin more oily.
• Liquid foundation can range from Full to Sheer coverage depending on the formula. Liquid is great because it's build-able, comes in a variety of formulas for different skin types and can be made sheerer if mixed with sunscreen or a moisturizer. It also can be found in matte or light reflecting formulas for your skin preferences.
  
• Tinted Moisturizers are the sheerest type of of foundation available. If you feel comfortable baring your skin then this is your best option as it moisturizes, let's your skin show through and evens out complexion. This also offers more freedom in color choice since your skin shows through very well, but still pick the shade closest your skin color.
  
• Cream to powder formulas give full coverage and a matte or natural finish. It's also the easiest of all the formulas to put on, however, is not good for all skin types as some cream to powder can be drying for dry skin and some can be too oily for oily skin.
• Powder foundations are great for oily skin as it keeps the skin matte. Dry skin should steer away from this as it will be too drying and look chalky.
  

Side notes:

• Liquid foundation looks best when applied with a foundation brush. Be sure to wash the foundation brush weekly and let it dry laying flat. Do not use a wet foundation brush to apply foundation as it will be streaky.
  
• Be sure to change your sponges often as they can harbor a lot of bacteria from continued use.
• No matter what formula you choose always opt for a foundation with sunscreen if you don't already use a moisturizer that contains SPF. However, if you do already use a moisturizer with SPF be weary of using a foundation with SPF as well if you're acne prone; too much SPF can clog pores.
• If you find yourself hard pressed to find a shade that fits, mix two and make your own!
• Most women need two shades of foundation, one for winter/spring and one for summer/fall as our skin can go from lighter to darker as we tan. So, mantenle ojo, and make sure your foundation color isn't past it's season.
  

MAC and Mickey Contractor

Latinas rejoice!

Mickey Contractor is a known Bollywood make up artist and now he has collaborated with MAC to create shades that fit Indian skin tones. The good news is that this also means it will fit many Latina shades as well, the collection is meant to fit Olive skin tones in general. The line includes some new and some re-released items.

The collection hits stores and online January 6th in the U.S. It includes foundation, concealer, lipstick, Lipglass, eye shadows, blush, Fluidline some brushes and Prep + Prime finishing powder.

MAC Cosmetics & Mickey Contractor Collection for Spring 2011

Lipstick - $14.50

• Yash Deep neutral (Matte) – Limited Edition
• Gulabi Bright fuchsia (Amplified) – Limited Edition
• Mehr Mid-tone blue pink (Matte) – Limited Edition
• Mocha Peachy yellow-brown (Satin) – Permanent

Lipglass – $14.50

• Flesh Mid-tone nude brown (Frost) – Limited Edition
• Lust Soft muted pink (Frost) – Permanent

Eyeshadow – $14.50

• Athma (Description unknown) – Limited Edition
• Jaan Light neutral with soft gold pearl (Lustre) – Limited Edition
• Vivah Brown with gold pearl (Lustre) – Limited Edition
• Folie Reddish-plum brown (Satin) – Permanent
• Carbon Matte black (Matte) – Permanent
• Oomph Forest green with soft gold pearl (Veluxe Pearl) – Limited Edition
• Marvel Deep purple with soft pink pearl (Frost) – Limited Edition
• Rani Bright fuchsia with soft pink pearl (Frost) – Limited Edition
• Saffron Deep coral caramel (Satin) – Limited Edition

Fluidline – $15.00 – Limited Edition

• Siahi Deep turquoise blue
• Ivy Bright green

Blush – $18.50 – Limited Edition

• Gana Bright white gold (Frost)
• Sur Mid-tone rose brown (Satin)

Studio Fix Fluid Foundation – $26.00 – Limited Edition

• NC41
• NC43.5
• NC44.5

Moisture cover Concealer – $16.50 – Limited Edition

• NC23
• NC43
• NC44
• NC45.5

Moisture cover Double-End Concealer – $21.00 – Limited Edition

• Coral Corrector/Yellow Corrector

Prep and Prime Transparent Finishing Powder – $22.00
Brushes

• 116
• 219
• 239

Looks like there will be more reasons this year to look into MAC for flattering colors! This line will only be available at the top 22 MAC stores, but you can call and make a phone order to any MAC who carries it and have it shipped.

Misadventures With Bobbi Brown

Today I went to a Bobbi Brown event at Bloomingdale's where they'd do my make up and teach me about their products. I was super excited and jumped at the idea because I've just started getting into their products and I've read all of Bobbi's books on make up, so I know she's the foremost advocate of making make up to fit a wide range of skin tones. Not to mention the event was free.

I went in with high hopes that I'd be made to look naturally beautiful, since that is what I got from Bobbi's book. Your make up isn't supposed to change you, it should still be your skin, just a little better.

Well, when I got there I met up with my make up artist and was really excited because she was a Latina and has a very similar skin tone to me. However, all I can say now is that it all went down hill from there. I was hoping to get fitted for shades that would look great on an everyday basis. What ended up happening was the make up artist not listening to what it was that I wanted and instead doing whatever she pleased. It all started out alright, with concealer and foundation but those are easy since I already knew my shade. Once we got into blush and eye shadows it was evident that this make up artist was either bored and wanted to try something new or really had no idea what she was doing.

In any case, by the end of it my skin looked ashy, the blush looked too dark and she used a dark moss eyeshadow paired with a lilac shimmer that was, to put it lightly, extremely unflattering on my skin tone. I hated everything she'd done. When she was done she looked super proud and asked if I wanted to purchase any of the products she'd used on me. The only response I could muster was that I had to think about it.

All in all that visit was a bust, but I wont let that stop me from discovering more about the brand. From me looking around after my "make over" I could see that there were many shades that I knew would look great on me, even lipsticks shades. So, I'll be back, because I honestly do believe that the brand is versatile for different skin tones, I just need to either find someone who is better at selecting shades for my olive skin or just root around the counter until I find what is right for me. So, for now I will stick to what I know; their corrector (pictured left). Their corrector in "peach" is a godsend for my never ending under eye circles.

More updates on the brand once I get some more products to write about it.