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· July 17, 2007 8:40 PM by
Colleen Shirazi
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Posted by Dain, Tuesday, July 17, 2007 3:21 AM (Eastern)
Above: Three products I am never without, Kevyn Aucoin The Precision Brow Pencil, L'Oréal Carbon Black Voluminous Mascara, and MAC Teddy Eye Kohl.
BROW
With its ultrafine lead, one-color-suits-all greyed taupe, and the spoolie brush on the other end (surprisingly useful) Kevyn Aucoin The Precision Brow Pencil has the market cornered on brow makeup.
MASCARA
I have gone through at least thirty tubes L'Oréal Voluminous, and I'm not even interested in trying anything else, and I'm always interested in trying something new. The Carbon Black shade is fantastic, combined with black liner on the inner rim, the effect is the closest I get to false lashes without the fuss.
EYELINER
As yet, I have not found the perfect eye pencil for inner-rim lining: it must be creamy (so that it doesn't tug at delicate skin) but longlasting (though smears are inevitable on the inner rim). Jordana Color XTend seems ideal, and it has all three necessary shades (intense black, rich brown, and a pale pearl to add light), but I hear it has been discontinued. When it comes to regular lining, I've yet to find pencils that match MAC's Powersurge and Teddy Eye Kohls in smudgeable texture and complexity of color: two bronzes, one golden with an olive undertone, the other like shimmering violet-tinged earth. They are extremely versatile, not only to give subtle, smoky definition, but also as a creamy base for powder liner, and to add balance to colorful eyeshadows. I also like MAC Fluidlines for dramatic effects (they can even be applied as cream shadows, but they are very longlasting): Blacktrack mimics liquid liner but is easier to apply, Sweet Sage is not your ordinary olive green with its leafy shimmer, Macroviolet is your black violet shimmer with a hint of red, just to name a few standouts.
Above: A good image of Chanel Shimmering Dunes is lacking, but the others I was able to find. All of them, I think, anyone and everyone might comfortably own and use. Shu Uemura ME Silver 945 & NARS Bombshell, MAC Yogurt & NARS All About Eve, CHANEL Lavande & NARS Ondine, Urban Decay Urb & NARS Cleo. By some coincidence, it is all NARS along the bottom.
EYESHADOW
brown: For a neutral eye, I think Chanel makes an excellent quad called Shimmering Dunes. The shades are simple enough: a cream shimmer highlight, a fleshy wash in peachy-pink shimmer, a fawn shimmer with a touch of mauve, and a rich deep brown shimmer with slight plum undertones. The intrusion of subtle purple tones to the browns make them infinitely more wearable, and peach makes the ideal counterpoint but is no less neutral on the skin.
grey: Shu Uemura ME Silver 945 (now called ME Brown 850) is a wonderfully complex and sophisticated mixture of pewter and brown with a touch of plum. It can be worn alone, as crease or liner, but what is particularly marvelous about this shade is that it works as a "buffer" with darker shades like black. For a softer effect, NARS Bombshell is highly underrated, a dove grey shimmer that is incredibly soft and wearable—a touch of taupe keeps it from being harsh like most silvers.
flesh: MAC makes this milky pink called Yogurt that has been and still is the perfect matte base shade. It doesn't look like much; it evens out the lid as a base ought, but the hint of pink adds light and cancels out tiredness in a very subtle way. For a shimmery iteration, NARS All About Eve is a most wonderful champagne, like candlelight on the skin. I once described this as "lingerie, satiny and important", and that description I still uphold.
purple: Purples are unique among colorful shades in that they are universally flattering without scaring people away; 'twas a most difficult task narrowing down just two. The pastel of lilac is kept away from "easter egg" by a hint of grey with CHANEL Lavande Soft Touch (for going out, this is my go-to shade with rosy cheeks and lips). For more depth, may I recommend the marvelous complexity of NARS Ondine? Just a little more special than your usual brown, especially if you've green or blue eyes, it's a muted sugarplum flecked with gold.
green & blue: Celadon makes a suprisingly versatile wash, and Urban Decay's Urb dresses up and down equally well. With plum or rose, it's like a garden in bloom, with a deep chocolately bronze, it's got forest nymph written all over it, and with greys, it's channeling the sea, moss-covered rocks on a stormy day. NARS Cleo is a miraculous blue, so soft soft soft, not harsh like most blues. I really like the flash of a golden bronze liner next to its sheer aqua shimmer and teal-flecked charcoal, the perfect Atlantean mermaid vibe.
When it comes to big color, I like Clé de Peau for sheer, halo-like color and MUFE's Star and Color Powders for a painterly, pigment-like array.
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July 17, 2007 8:40 PM,
That, is an awesome list...from someone who seldoms calls anything "awesome." :D
Ondine sounds like something I could use...although I suppose the road to hell, for cosmetic junkies, is paved with that very phrase. It sounds useful.
I never did get around to trying Yogurt. I should. I had Vapour, so I never bothered with it.
The lilac in the Nars Jezebel duo is just right for me...not too blue, too grey, nor even too purple. It has a scant hint of pink in it. I've been wearing it for days now.
The deep coppery shade it's paired with, is too light to line with imo. You could actually wear it on your lids (I don't, having small lids), blend it with the lilac, or use it as a crease/outer corner/wedge/accent thing.
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