Trends Archives - Page 2 of 2

5
Sep

Posted by Beauty Bugle / in BLOG, Product Reviews, Trends

Click on Radiance! MAC Prep and Prime Highlighter Pens

Make up pens are flooding the market both high-end, budget-friendly, it’s like the Sardine Rush in Durbs.

You can get pens for eyeliner, eyebrows and even lip liners

These pens are popular for beginners because they are easy to use.

Highlighting is a wonderful technique to bring out your best features and while using sculpting creams does, in my opinion, give the greatest airbrushed effect, the process, especially if you are new to the application technique, can be time consuming. It can be difficult to achieve and easily goes wrong pretty fast.

Now, I’m like any other working women and don’t have time in the morning to sculpt my face to look like a Greek Goddess so MAC’s Preps and Prime highlighter pens are my go-to on week days and when I’want to highlight my under eyes. Brighter under eyes make me look alive, fresh and younger.

The pens are highly pigmented dries to a matte finish. It’s pigmented enough to be a concealer but I use it only as a highlighter under the eyes after concealer. These pens come with a brush applicator so it glides on, protecting the delicate skin under the eye because there’s no, pulling or tugging. You turn the bottom of the pen and ‘click, click’ it goes. Then I apply it and blend it out using a tapered kabuki, a damp BeautyBlender. You can even use your fingers

The MAC Prep and Prime Highlighter pens come in four different shades. Bright Forecast (peachy colour), Radiant rose (light pink colour, Peach lustre (slightly orange shade, but perfect for highlighting darker skin) and Light Boost (soft yellow colour).

While I am dark skinned, I have both and use Bright Forecast for a more natural look and Light Boost, when I want to create the’ Kim K’ effect. Note, a little goes a long way and product overload will look cakey.

But you don’t have to limit its use for highlighting the under-eye area, use these pens anywhere you want to bring out your features. Draw a line above the outer end of the eyebrows to get an instant face-lift! Draw a line down the bridge of your nose or highlight your cupid’s bow for fuller lips. Play around with the shades and you may find it transform into a contour pen.

There are many alternatives to the MAC highlighter pens such as the YSL Touché Éclat, Bobbi Brown under eye brightener and on the budget friendly side, the L’Oreal Magic Lumi concealer and Physicians Formula Nude Wear Touch of Glow.

Where to buy: MAC FSS or counters across the country

Price: R255 for 3,6ml

13
Aug

Posted by Beauty Bugle / in BLOG, Product Reviews, Trends

Maybelline Diamond Glow quad of drama

Diamonds are a girl’s best friend and when I saw the glimmer of the Maybelline Diamond Glow Eye Studio Quad, my heart skipped a beat. This season purple reigns supreme, with Radiant Orchid being chosen as the Panetone colour of the year. It’s popping up everywhere!

The Purple Drama (01) quad caught my eye. Purples and its cousins like violet and lilac suit every one, but especially those with brown eyes like mine. Ok, my eyes are so dark brown, they look black. But, enough about me.

The lighting in the store when on display didn’t do this quad justice. But once I got home and opened it, I saw the true shimmer of the eye shadows. In the purple drama quad, there is an iridescent pearl white a soft pink, a lilac and a deep violet. The colour combinations are complementary so you can get great looks with just this quad. I would have liked one matte shadow at the very least just to define the crease, but I guess that’s why it’s called the Diamond Glow collection, no mattes allowed!

The shadows are lightweight with a smooth, velvety texture, something I’ve come to expect from Maybelline, who are becoming known more for their other make up products rather than their iconic Great Lengths mascara.

The packaging is basic but the eye shadows are packed in a prism formation and this looks very cool. The picture tutorial on the back of the palette creates a beautiful and colourful spring look and is great for beginners. It also comes with a double-ended sponge applicator.

Swatched, the quad reveals very pretty shimmery shades.

While the shadows are shimmery, they are not gritty with chunks of sparkles falling all over. However, I found that there was some fallout, especially with the darkest shade.

A major plus is that they are not chalky. The eye shadows go on smooth and are easily blendable. However, when blending, they sheer out so much that the colour fades away and you’re left with a wash of shimmer with a hint of colour. You have to really pack it on or use a good primer to get a decent colour pay-off. That said, because they are so sheer, the eye shadows are very wearable for the day. I’d apply the shadows foiled for an evening look. This palette impressed me for the price of R135 at Clicks.

These eye shadow quads come in Coral Drama (02), Blue Drama (03) Grey Pink Drama (04) and Forest Drama (05).

Get your drama on divas!

3
Aug

Posted by Beauty Bugle / in BLOG, Picture Tutorials, TELL ME, Trends, Tutorials

How to wear the bold orange lip

This spring and summer trends are all about bold orange lips.

Bold? Orange? Yes, not apricot, orange.

Many women are afraid of wearing bright lipstick but often changing your lip colour can lift your mood, make your skin glow and keep your look current.

Finding the right shade of orange that works with your skin tone is key, just like finding the right nude heel.

My rule is thumb is simple: if the shade makes your skin glow and your eyes bright up, you have chosen the perfect colour.

Wearing the trend

How you wear an orange lip depends on the rest of your make up and playing with the intensity of the orange to flatter you.

For spring, I like to keep the look fresh, with dewy, luminous skin.

The best way to wear the trend is to buy the most pigmented lipstick that suits your skin tone and a matching lip liner. There really is no need to buy 10 shades of lipsticks with different finishes, and 3 lip-glosses and five lip stains.

Having a lipstick with a strong colour pay-off will allow you to sheer it out or amp it up!

The most important step is to neutralize the skin by covering up flaws with a light-to-medium-coverage foundation as orange lipstick can draw attention to redness and blemishes.

Look 1: For a fresh look, sweep a light wash of eye shadow about two shades darker than your eye base colour with a slight shimmer all over the eye. For cheeks , skip the bronzer and wear a peach/coral cream blusher .You can also dust a coral or peachy powder blush if you don’t like cream. Team with a brown mascara to soften the look. Go easy on the mascara, one coat will do. The less is more approach is the way to go to keep this look fresh and modern. Now, dab the lipstick on your lips with your fingers to get just a hint of colour – no need to line your lips.

Look 2: This look is office friendly and is great for both day and night, Like in look 1, dust a highlight all over the eye and sweep some bronze or copper shadow on the lid. Then take the same darker shadow and line the bottom lash line. Take it up a notch buy using a rich chocolate brown eye pencil to line the upper and lower lashes and smudge. Define the lips and apply the orange lipstick from the tube. You can then add another layer of lipstick to intensify the colour, if you a bit more daring. Sweep a peachy coral blusher on the cheeks,( a little bit more than a dusting)and finish off with 2 coats of mascara.

Look 3. For full out glam use the same highlight and lid shadows as in look 2. Add a silver (cool tones) or gold (warm tones) shimmer to the centre of the lids. Line the upper and lower lash line with an intense black and apply your lipstick. Make sure you define your lips well and use a lip brush to apply your lipstick to get a defined pout that pops. Add lashings of mascara and you’re red carpet ready.

Keep nails nude or bare. Wear hair tousled or in a messy braid. Alternatively try a super slick low ponytail or a shiny French twist.

The statement orange lip is a very beautiful looks that all women can carry off. Age, skin tone, it doesn’t matter, wear what makes you feel fabulous and stay true to your hue and you.

I’ve always believed that one should wear a trend and not let the trend wear you!

1
Aug

Posted by Beauty Bugle / in BLOG, Product Reviews, TELL ME, Trends

Bold Orange Lip, what’s your shade?

My orange shade, MAC's BOOYAH! is a pro longwer lip cream — My orange shade, MAC’s BOOYAH! is a pro longwer lip cream

Orange Lippies

Today is kicks off Women’s month. It’s a month we take to appreciate and celebrate the strong, fearless, women of Mzansi. I can think of no better way to kick off the month with one of Spring’s hottest trends, the statement orange lip.

Yes, I know, orange is bright and this can be daunting for women who are afraid of wearing bold colours, but believe me

They key is to choose an orange shade that flatters your skin tone. Get that right and you’re sure to bloom, get it wrong and you could look like a throwback from the 1980s.

True orange shades look flattering women with cool under tones and those with caramel or darker skin while red-orange looks good on most skin tones.

If you have a neutral undertone (not extremely yellow or pink), you’re a lucky belle, any shade will suit you.

If you have a very red or very pink undertones – avoid yellow-toned orange lip shades as the colour will jar against your skin and appear artificial, sickly and odd. This is because it clashes harshly with your under tone, like the polar opposite of your skin tone.

you have yellow or olive toned skin, hot tomato shades will make your skin glow.

Once you have the colour sorted, out choose the finish you want. Glossy? Sheer? Matte?

I always wear a matte lip with bold and bright shades because with these colours, feathering and fading are more noticeable, so I skip glossy formulas that can slip and slide off your lips. My go to shade is MAC Pro long wear lip cream in Booyah!, which tends to stay put and has amazing colour pay-off.

That said most MAC lipsticks are clay-based so they tend to wear well regardless of finish. Lip liner is a must when wearing an orange lip. Make sure to define your lips and fill them in with a colour that matches your lipstick.

MAC’s cult classic Morange and So Chaud suit all skin tones.