Beauty Squared's 2014 Favourites

On this first day of the new year, we thought we'd share with you some of our favourite posts for the past year. And before we get started, we want to wish you a very, very Happy New Year and that the year ahead is full of wonderful things, especially beauty and magic.

Here are our picks for our favourite posts of 2014.

Looking back at all the collections from 2014, MAC's Alluring Aquatics has to be one of my favourites. From the formulas, to the colours, the packaging and the concept - MAC hit this one out of the park! - Jill

http://beautysquared.blogspot.ca/2014/05/mac-alluring-aquatic-extra-dimension.html

The Illamasqua Sculpting Powder Duo has turned me into a contouring fan. The contouring shade is perfect for my skintone and so easy to use. The highlight shade is gorgeous and gives the perfect amount of glow to my skin. 
- Catherine

http://beautysquared.blogspot.ca/2014/03/illamasqua-sculpting-powder-duo-review.html

Another favourite product from 2014...this past fall Tom Ford finally satisfied my inner eye shadow junkie by releasing this finely milled, buttery textured, highly pigmented smokey neutral quad. If only all the Tom Ford eye quads were like this (I would be BROKE)!

- Jill

http://beautysquared.blogspot.ca/2014/10/tom-ford-nude-dip-eye-color-quad-review.html

I've never bought any of Charlotte Tilbury's products but I've been tempted by Jill's reviews. The Fallen Angel Luxury Palette looks so beautiful...
- Catherine

http://beautysquared.blogspot.ca/2014/12/charlotte-tilbury-luxury-palette-in.html

I've found a holy grail product in these finely milled, luminous, never over-the-top highlighters from Clé de Peau Beauté. Definitely splurge worthy!

- Jill

http://beautysquared.blogspot.ca/2014/09/cle-de-peau-beaute-luminizing-face.html

MAC's Magnetic Nude collection came out in late December 2013, but I didn't get around to reviewing the items I'd purchased until January. I'm still thinking about this collection. The Extra Dimension Skinfinish in Superb is by far my favourite of those - silky, shimmery and so flattering. 

- Catherine

http://beautysquared.blogspot.ca/2014/01/mac-magnetic-nude-superb-extra.html

I love this EOTD by none other than my talented blog partner Catherine! A sophisticated, smokey look that contrasts cool blues and warm coppers and nudes. I love mixing up warm and cool tones and she does it so beautifully in this look. 

- Jill

I chose this post too, because it's a look I'm still surprised I put together. It's not a look I typically wear, but I really like it. It just shows how you should grab inspiration and run with it. 

- Catherine

http://beautysquared.blogspot.ca/2014/01/navy-smoke-eotd-with-copper-and-rose.html

2014 was the year we launched our Facebook page. It's been a fun year! You should join us. 

http://beautysquared.blogspot.ca/2014/01/our-new-facebook-page.html

Soft, Sultry Music Festival Smoky Eye

This is a quick look I did to go to day one of the Field Trip music festival at Toronto's Fort York a few weekends ago. I wanted something smoky but appropriate for an outdoor music festival in the summer. I chose bronzes and warm browns tones.

This look photographed less dramatically than it was in real life but it's still really pretty and sultry, I think.

Since I was going to be outside and it was a warm day, I applied MAC Fluidline in Rich Ground to my eyelids. It is a beautiful rich metallic bronze shade that is key to this look, even though it's not terribly visible. It acted like a primer, keeping my shadow from melting and defecting into my crease. My eyeshadow was completely intact all day. 

Next I smudged Bare Escentuals Sex Kitten eyeshadow on the inner and outer corners of my eyelid, through the crease, but leaving space in the very centre of the lid. Sex Kitten is a gorgeous warm shimmery red-brown. 

On top of that, I smudged MAC's Satin Taupe eyeshadow. Satin Taupe is one of my favourite eyeshadows, a warm purpley-silver bronze that is incredibly flattering for my eye colour. I ran it under my eye as well, fairly heavily and topped it with a bit of Sex Kitten, for sort of a reverse effect. 

In the very center of my eyelids, I tapped a touch of MAC Naked Pigment, a soft, sparkly gold-pink fleshtone, for a hint of lightness and glint.

I smudged MAC Smut eyeshadow along my lashline for some definition. Smut is grey brown with burgundy shimmer and it gives a softer definition than a black eyeshadow would. I did have to go over the line a few times to get the effect I wanted however. 

On my waterline, I applied a charcoal grey Tarte EmphasEYES inner rim eye pencil. I don't know the name since it's not on the pencil - grrrrrrr. But I like to use this pencil for my waterline because A) it tends to last longer than others on my waterline; and B) it's a dark grey, not a black so it adds definition without being really dramatic. I opted for dark grey rather than a brown in my waterline because I wanted to pick up the purples and greys in the eyeshadows I'd applied so the look wasn't too warm and brown.

I finished the look with curled lashes and heavy coats of my new favourite mascara - Smashbox Full Exposure Mascara - on my top lashes and Clinique's Bottom Lash Mascara on my lower lashes. 

I kept the rest of my makeup light and natural with an eye on longevity since I was going to be outside for quite a while on a warm day. My blush is Benefit's Coralista, a beautiful soft and glowy coral blush. In these photos my lips are actually bare save for some clear lip balm, but I did end up wearing a tinted lip balm (Burt's Bees) during the day. 

I liked this simple, sultry look and it was perfect for an outdoor music festival. It's not a clean or crisp look so even when I got sweaty and dusty, and my eyes watered, it looked good. It also didn't need touching up, because to be frank, that's not going to happen when I'm out in a field listening to music. 

What do you think? Would you wear this look?

C.

Navy Smoke EOTD with Copper and Rose Compliments

This look was inspired by a look I've seen a number of times, typically on women with dark skin. Gayle King was a guest judge on the season finale of Project Runway Allstars which aired last week and had a deep blue matte smoky eye and it inspired me to take a look to see if I had the colours in order to try it out on myself. 

Turns out I don't have a matte deep blue/navy blue to work with but I have some shimmery deep blues and I tried them out. 

This is what I came up with and I like it! It's a great take on the smoky eye and this look would work well on most skintones, particularly on darker skintones and with brown eyes (the navy is a perfect contrast for brown eyes). 

This look looks a lot darker and less shimmery in person than it photographs. The flash obviously picks up the shimmer in the eyeshadow. I'd love to try this using matte eyeshadows. 

I used this Lisa Eldridge video as inspiration, though I didn't use the same products. 

The products I did use are:

• Calvin Klein Tempting Glance Intense Eyeshadow in Midnight Blue (shimmery navy blue)
• Sleek Makeup Ultra Matte Eyeshadow in Ink (matte deep sapphire blue)
• MAC Frost Eyeshadow in Deep Truth (shimmery true dark blue)
• Bloom Eye Definer in Black 
• L'Oreal Voluminous Mascara in Black

1. I started by pressing Midnight Blue onto my eyelid with an eyeshadow brush. Since I wasn't getting good pigmentation from it so I added some Ink to it, focusing on my eyelid. I wanted a dark blue, as dark as I could get so I layered and layered. I'll try this look again but using Ink instead of Midnight Blue, which I think is too old and dried out to use, though the shimmer of it nice for this look.

2. With a clean eyeshadow brush, I blended out the edges, making sure I had some shadow slightly above my eye crease. Blending is the key to wearing dark colours and for doing a smoky eye. You have to make sure there are no harsh edges. So blend and add and blend some more until you get the look you want - darker on the lid and towards the lashline and softening at the crease and above. 

3. Once I had the shape and effect I wanted, I used black eyeliner to line my waterline, working it into my lashline and smudging it slightly above. This step is key to a smoky eye look. If your eyes are particularly sensitive or tend to water, look for a pencil designed for sensitive eyes or a water-resistant version. 

4. To add a touch of brightness, I used an eyeshadow brush to apply a bit of Deep Truth to my crease about 1/3 from the inside corner of my eye. I also dabbed it to my lower inner eye. It's subtle but adds a brightness to the look.

5. I curled my lashes using my Shu Uemera eyelash curler and applied three coats of L'Oreal Voluminous Mascara in Black.

6. To compliment it, I filled in my brows with a bit of MAC Wedge (muted matte beige taupe) and Embark (matte reddish brown) eyeshadows and because blue and orange compliment each other, swept MAC Mineralize Blush in Warmth of Coral (coral-peach) along my cheekbones using an angled blush brush. On top of my cheekbones, to highlight, I swirled a little bit of MAC Extra Dimension Skinfinish in Superb (soft peach nude with multidimensional shimmer).

7. I wanted to keep my lips muted but softly enhanced, so I applied MAC Lipglass in Full For You. It's a MLBB gloss for me and one of the few lipglosses I wear (I'm much more a lipstick girl than a gloss girl). It adds a subtle rosy colour and of course, shine.

8. My base is my usual Sleek BB Cream with OCC concealer under my eyes and on red spots, but I used a dusting of MAC Studio Fix on my t-zone to give me a mattified look rather than my usual loose powder.

Overall, I quite liked this look. It wasn't quite what I was aiming for, but without a deep matte navy blue in my makeup collection, I wasn't going to achieve it. Still, this is a very wearable, fun, flattering, edgy blue-purple smoky eye that reminds me of the makeup looks I used to wear when I was younger. I never used to go out at night without a smoky eye. 

You could do this look with shades of brown or grey if you wanted a more traditional smoky eye. Or try it with purple or green or burgundy. 

Blues on the eyes are fantastic for making brown eyes pop. So take note, brown-eyed guys and gals!

Black liner in the waterline makes all eye colours pop. Without it, this look on me might not be so flattering. The blue of the shadow would overpower the blue of my eyes without the black liner. 

It's a very simple look. I used three different eyeshadow colours, but could've gotten away with just two - the dark blue and the brighter blue as highlight. And a black eyeliner pencil, that's it. This look is all about the blending. It should look soft, with no harsh lines. 

What's your favourite colour to do a smoky eye with?

C.

A Golden Brown EOTD

Golden brown texture like sun,

Lays me down with my mind she runs,

No need to fight,

Never a frown with golden brown. 

Those are lyrics from The Stranglers song 'Golden Brown'. It's actually about heroin but it's the first thing I thought of when I titled this tutorial. So let's look at those lyrics very superficially for this purpose. It's a great tune too, so check it out!

I've been on the hunt for simple eye looks for day that use colours that make my eye colour pop. I'm specifically looking for a copper shade that's somewhat subtle that I can wear on my eyes. It occurred to me that I don't really have anything like that in my makeup kit. So I thought I'd play with some of the shades I do have - in shades that do enhance blue eyes. I chose MAC's Satin Taupe (a long time favourite), Bare Escentuals Sex Kitten (another favourite) and the coppery-gold shade from MAC's Stacked 2!.

MAC's Satin Taupe is a classic MAC eyeshadow, a shimmery taupe. This shade is neutral enough for all eye colours and the warm tones in it enhances blue (and green) eyes. 

Bare Escentuals Sex Kitten is a sparkly nutmeg shade. The warmth in it makes it a good shade for blue (also hazel and green) eyes. 

The coppery-gold shade in the MAC's Stacked 2! is a basic, glowy cool-gold shade with a slight copper tone to it that warms it up.

I don't know how successful this eye look was. It didn't make my blue eyes pop as much as I was hoping, but also certainly didn't overpower them or dull them down. I'll keep looking for that perfect daytime eye look that makes my eyes really pop, but this is a simple, subtle, basic look that would work well for day. And not just for those of you with blue eyes. 

Here is what I did:

1. I applied a primer (Urban Decay's Primer Potion) to my eyelids.

2. With an eyeshadow brush I pressed the Stacked 2! shade gently into my lid, focusing on the inner half. Note: this shade looks warmer in its container than it did on my skin. I continued to layer it until I got the effect I wanted. 

3. With another eyeshadow brush, I applied Satin Taupe to the outer corners of my eyes, focusing mostly on a > shape (horizontal V), along my lashline and up and across my crease, ending about halfway across my eyelid. One of my favourite things about this look is how the Stacked 2! shade and Satin Taupe intermingle in the middle of my eyelid. 

4. With an angle brush, I smudged Sex Kitten along my upper lashline. On the outer corner I turned the brush sideways and pulled Sex Kitten up into the Satin Taupe, blending the two together. 

5. With the same angle brush, I smudged Sex Kitten softly along my lower lashline. 

6. I left my browbone bare, as I tend to do these days (I have heavy bangs). Also, this look has a fair amount of shimmer so while a brow colour with a soft bit of shimmer would be effective, anything more might be too much for daytime. If you recreate this look, try it!

7. I curled my eyelashes using my Shu Uemera eyelash curler (BEST eyelash curler I've ever used) and applied L'Oreal Voluminous Mascara in Black to my upper eyelashes only.

I like this look a lot. One thing I didn't like was that the Stacked 2! shade irritated my eyes badly. Even after I washed my face and removed my contacts, I had a headache and fuzzy head that lasted for the rest of the day. So I won't be wearing this look again using that shade. I'll have to use a different but similar shade. 

What do you think of this look? Will you try it? Do you have any favourite shades or eye looks for making blue eyes pop? Do you have a deep, pure love for Satin Taupe too?

C.

My First MAC Eyeshadow: MAC Tilt Eyeshadow Swatches, Photos and EOTD

I would suspect that a good number of women would say that the first eyeshadow colour they bought was a blue-green frosty colour. Mine was. Well, at least, the first MAC eyeshadow I ever bought was. 

I still have the very first MAC eyeshadow I ever bought and thought I might show you. I would have bought this in 1998 or 1999. It's Tilt eyeshadow, which MAC still makes, amazingly. Tilt is violet with blue-green frost, according to the MAC website and this surprises me, I actually have never noticed any purple in it at all. Now I can see it. 

To compare the old MAC packaging with the new MAC packaging, I photographed my Tilt next to a recent purchase (Wedge). 

The newer MAC packaging has the flip-top while the Tilt packaging has a screw-off lid.

White wording on a black sticker on the bottom. Note also, the raised MAC lettering along the edge of the eyeshadow. The newer MAC packaging has the fainter writing on a not-so-black sticker on the bottom. I can see aesthetically why they made the switch, but I've noted that it doesn't take very long for my eyeshadow labels to become very, very difficult to read. They get coated with product or get worn from rubbing against other eyeshadows. I wish the black on the stickers was darker and the writing was brighter. 

And here's that 12-14 year old Tilt. As you can see I didn't use much of it. I grew out of the frosty blue-green phase, I suppose, or perhaps I just never figured out how to wear it. 

Tilt's got a lot of shimmer, and depending on the angle, it can look green-blue, or blue-lavender.

I don't remember how I used to wear it at all. Probably as an all over the lid shade or as a simple eyeliner shade. Since it's still in pretty good shape, still creamy and not dried out, I thought I'd see if i could still do an EOTD with it.

Here's what I came up with!

I applied Tilt all over my lid (look how lavender it looks now!) with my Real Techniques Base Shadow brush. Along my upper lashline, I smudged MAC Contrast (purplish-blue with blue pearl) using an angle brush. Using my Real Techniques Deluxe Crease brush, I applied a small amount of Contrast up along my crease, very lightly. On top of that, and using the same angle brush, I applied MAC Mega Metal Shadow in Unflappable (frosted black with purple pearl) more heavily in the outer crease and lighter towards the inside. Blending, blending, blending and adding a little more and blending again. Using the angle brush I used what was left of the Contrast on it to smoke my lower lashline a little and pulling it up towards the crease in the outer corner of my eye. I wasn't sure if I wanted to use a purple or a blue to line my eyes and I only had one blue and one purple eyeliner to chose from so I opted for the blue. It's Philosophy eyeliner in Creativity, a bright navy-teal blue. I think a dark purple would've worked well, or a navy blue. Or even black depending on how fun or chic you wanted to go. 

I'm kind of amazed how different Tilt look on my eye. It looks like a completely different eyeshadow colour! I might be bringing it out more often now....

If you like the look of Tilt, MAC still makes it. 

Hope you've enjoyed taking a look at my first MAC eyeshadow! Do you remember what your first MAC product was? 

C.

Beauty Squared Round-Up - October 14, 2012

Time for some link love!

Buzzfeed has gathered 25 salon tips for doing a manicure at home.

Red lips are in for fall. Some tips from Plaid Magazine!

Face lace!

Check out the OPI Skyfall (James Bond) collection.

Bond girls throughout the years.

A collection of some of Paris Fashion Week's best beauty looks.

Inside CHANEL.

Women in Hong Kong are dying after receiving an extreme beauty treatment that is typically used on cancer patients. 

Do you recognize the celebrity in the photo above? He takes on a bunch of different personas in a photoshoot for Interview magazine.

A really pretty purple and copper EOTD.

What does your appearance say about you when you're at a job interview? The Daily Mail claims to know, but take EVERYTHING in this article with a grain of salt. Make-up is a personal choice. Yes, you should look put-together for a job interview and pay attention to your appearance, but don't be nit-picky like this article suggests you should be.