Makeup and Beauty Blog | Makeup Reviews, Swatches and How-To Makeup

Makeup and Beauty Blog | Makeup Reviews, Swatches and How-To Makeup

A beauty blog blooming with fresh makeup reviews, swatches and beauty tips from your friendly neighborhood beauty addict

TGIF and Two Tips to Get a Flawless Foundation Look

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Where’s Elliott, and can I get some Reese’s Pieces??

Um…I only just realized it, but in that picture up there, don’t I look like I’m trying to phone home with my foundation brush?

E.T. phone home! E.T. phone home! 🙂

All part of the process of getting close to that fetching flawless foundation look I like so much.

Speaking of E.T., poor little guy couldn’t take advantage of one of my favorite foundation tips for even skin tone — running a foundation brush over my ears (because he didn’t have much in the ear department).

It can really help if, say, your ears are a little sunburned or tan, like if you’ve been wearing your hair up and exposing your ears. Dusting them with a small amount of foundation can even things out a little more (just remember to remove your makeup from your ears at the end of the day).
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My Cheeks Are Loving Tarte’s Latest Natural-Looking Cheek Stain

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tarte loving cheekstain

Things I encountered this afternoon…

1. A piece of chocolate cake.


Portion control is lame

2. A pinkish coral blush that smells like a mixed berry smoothie (more on this in a minute!).

tarte loving cheekstain

3. Jeremy Renner doing push-ups in my living room… He texted this morning to ask if he could come over on my lunch break (“Hey, girl, I’m in Novato!”).

Alright, so maybe that third thing didn’t happen. Truth is, Jeremy and I went makeup shopping at Sephora this afternoon…

Okay, okay, I’ll stop! 🙂

But seriously, I can’t wait to see Jeremy in the new Bourne movie. Maybe I’ll wear Tarte’s new Cheek Stain in Loving ($30) to the show.

If I do, one thing’s for sure — I know my cheeks will smell good, LOL!
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A Foundation Makeup Tutorial With NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer and Hourglass Oxygen Foundation Powder

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how to apply foundation tutorial 0

Sir, Mr. Tabs? I think I have an answer for the riddle you gave me.

“Meow?”

Yes, well, it’s obvious, really. I mean, not at first, but I’ve given it some thought, and well…What do good houses and faces have in common?

“Mrrrow?”

It’s foundation, sir. Houses and faces should start with a good foundation.

“Meow! Meow!”

Thank you, sir. It was a good riddle. You’re a very clever cat.

Yup, today we’re talking faces! — namely face makeup, like the combination I’ve been lovely lately, NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer and Hourglass Oxygen Foundation Powder.

Together, they deliver medium-to-full coverage in a lightweight blend that looks like real skin, and so far, knock on wood, it hasn’t given me breakouts.

In this tutorial, I’ll describe how I apply ’em for pictures, and/or whenever I have a good chunk of time to get ready.

Just a quick reminder, though — this is just one of many ways to apply foundation, and that includes techniques and brushes. As always, it’s all about what works for you. 🙂

Before we get started, let’s gather the products we’ll need…

how to apply foundation tutorial products
From the left: Hourglass Oxyen Foundation Powder in No. 4, Tarte Foundation Brush, Hourglass No. 2 Foundation/Blush Brush, Laura Mercier Finishing Brush, NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer in St. Moritz and Cuba

how to apply foundation tutorial swatches
Swatches from the left: NARS St. Moritz, NARS Cuba and Hourglass Oxygen Foundation Powder No. 4

And because there’s nothing else you really can do but smile when posting bare-faced pictures of yourself on the Internet…

how to apply foundation tutorial 0a

Yep, that’s me without makeup. 🙂 Not a drop!

As you can see, I have a few dark spots around my chin and mouth left over from a gnarly breakout last spring and some darkening beneath my eyes… Hopefully, after we’re done here, most of it will be covered.
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It’s a Pleasure to Kiss These Bold Brights: The Dolce & Gabbana Passion Duos Summer Pleasures Collection

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dolce gabbana passion duo summer pleasures

Should you ever find yourself under doctor’s orders to refrain from wearing eye makeup “for a day or two” while your allergies subside, and you’re kind of a beauty nerd, you may also find yourself debating whether filling in your brows constitutes “eye makeup.”

I came to the conclusion that it does not… 🙂

I KNOW! But I couldn’t resist doing at least a little something.

My eyes don’t seem to mind, and they’re certainly enjoying gazing at three of the bright, shiny lipsticks from the new Dolce & Gabbana Summer Pleasures collection.

These $34 beauties, three of 10 new Passion Duo Gloss Fusion Lipsticks, are available now at Saks stores and saksfifthavenue.com (there are also five Nail Lacquers in the collection priced at $20 each).

The 10 new shades range from summery, soft nudes to bold, glamorous brights.

Dolce & Gabbana Passion Duo Summer Pleasures 3
Clockwise from the dark shade in the lower left: Royal 110, Exotic 50 and Tropical 140

Dolce & Gabbana’s Gloss Fusion Lipsticks are among my favorite products in the entire line. Each has a shiny, moisture-filled core of gloss wrapped in a rich coat of pigmented lipstick.

I remember when they first made a splash on Dolce & Gabbana counters… Oh, the intense colors, the high-gloss finish, the texture so smooth it would give Ryan Gosling a run for his money.

As for the three new colors I’ve been ogling this morning? Just as fab. 🙂

Dolce & Gabbana Passion Duo Summer Pleasures 4
Royal 110

Dolce & Gabbana Passion Duo Summer Pleasures 5
Tropical 140
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