Beauty Squared Round-Up for September 27, 2015

It's Beauty Squared Round-Up time! We've been delinquent. September has been a very, very busy month.

But there's lots to share with you. And good stuff too!

• Decoding makeup brushes. Here's a great article about the different types of makeup brushes and how they can be used.
  
• InStyle rounds up the best beauty looks on the 2015 Emmy red carpet.
  
• Jane Fonda (she's a spectacular 77 years old!) was in Toronto for TIFF this year, to promote her film Brenda In Youth. Beauty Geeks spoke to MUA Eddie Malter about the look Jane wears in the film, and the vastly different one he created for her for the TIFF red carpet.
  
• You've got to see the beauty looks for Marc Jacobs' Spring 2016 runway show. Think the iconic looks of Ziggy Stardust and 1940s starlights, but the morning after.
  
• In contrast, on the Gucci runway models looked bare-faced. But they weren't. In fact, as is typically the case, a "no-makeup look" requires a surprising number of products.
  
• Taking inspiration from the runways of Milan, here are some ways to wear bold colour.
  
• In Korea, a DIY (and potentially dangerous) trick to curl their eyelashes, which involves a lighter and a cotton bud. Here's how you do it if you're brave. I'll stick to my eyelash curler, thanks.
  
• The Body Shop's new Fresh Nude Foundation comes in 16 shades, and innovatively, you can also purchase lightening and darkening drops to mix into the foundation so you can match it perfectly to your skin, no matter what season it is.
  
• Do you want some Marilyn Monroe beauty tricks? Here you go.
  
• Basic beauty tips: how to contour your eyes.
  
• Dolce & Gabbana's Sophia Loren-inspired lipstick.
  
• How to:
• Get rid of every type of makeup stain. 
• Get rid of static cling.
  
• And finally, Megan Koester took a class called "Wow-Factor Makeup for Instagram" and wrote about it for Jezebel. Yes, there are classes being taught on how to do your makeup so that you can take selfies. Sigh, I guess how you look in real life doesn't matter as much as how you look on someone's smartphone. When is the next flight off the planet happening? 

Beauty Squared Round-Up - April 27, 2014

Hello lovelies! Happy Sunday to you. Here are the beauty links we've gathered for you from this week. Read on!

• Marc Jacobs' Summer 2014 collection is previewed on Allure.com. 
• The Muse reviews the Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips All-in-1 Custom Nude Palette - a skin highlighter and eyeshadow combo. 
• 11 things you should never, ever put on your face. 
• Lorde's MAC collaboration - goth glam.
• Lupita Nyong'o meets her style icon, Alek Wex.
• A review of Hourglass' Ambient Lighting Blushes in Radiant Magenta, Mood Exposure, Luminous Flush and Diffused Heat. 
• A review of Lise Watier's Creme Satin Blush in Rose Eden by Tracy of Beauty Reflections. 
• A Sephora Pantone Radiant Orchid haul - take a look at these swatches of the blush set, lip balm and brushes!
• The best vegan foundations - lots and lots to choose from!
• Lipstick sculptures. Yes, you read that correctly. 

Marc Jacobs Shameless Bold Blush in Obsessed: Review, Swatches and Photos

When Sephora had their VIB sale recently, I picked up a polish (see my review of Petra, here) and a blush from the brand new Marc Jacobs make-up collection. The Marc Jacobs collection is available only at Sephora stores and Sephora.com and consists of foundation, concealer, powder, highlighter, bronzer, blush, eyeshadow, eyeliner, lipstick, lip gloss, mascara, nail polish and brushes.

The Marc Jacobs Shameless Bold Blushes (taken from the Sephora website) are vivid, silky and deliver bold colour and unprecedented vibrancy. They're inspired by Marc's tattoo and meld with your skin enabling you to sculpt perfect contours. The formula is infused with bio-lipids and essential amino acids, which create the powder's ultra lightweight, silky texture and ensures a seamless application. The blush comes in a silk faille pouch with a portable angled blush brush. 

They are 0.15 oz each and cost $36 CDN and $30 US.

The blush shade I chose is Obsessed. It's described as warm pink. 

Silk faile pouch

Blush compact and mini angled blush brush

The pouch the blush comes in is a nice touch. I have carried it with me in my purse and it nicely protects the compact and the brush it comes with. As for the brush, these I would normally toss in order to use my regular make-up brushes, but this one is different. It is tiny, yes, which is my only issue with it. You have less control with a small brush, I find. But the bristles are luxuriously soft and rather than just a even length brush, it's angled, which makes it perfect for applying blush. You can carry the blush and the brush around with you in the pouch and touch up whenever you need to!

I actually haven't used any other brushes with this blush yet, that's how well this mini brush works.

The compact comes with a little removable plastic cover (pictured over the blush in the photo above). It helps to keep the interior of the compact clean.

Add caption

Obsessed is a gorgeous, glowy pink with a hint of peach to it. It's got some shimmer to it, but it's just a beautiful shimmery shade. I couldn't resist it. 

Pigmentation-wise, it's on the low side. I have fair skin, so that doesn't bother me too much. It shows up pretty well on me, and with blush, a little goes a long way on me. 

It looks so pretty on the skin, not powdery or chalky. It blends beautifully and is buildable if you want more pigmentation. 

Here it is swatched on the inside of my forearm (NW15 skintone). 

As you can see, the shimmer is visible, but not heavy. It looks quite natural. The swatch above was done using the accompanying brush.

And here is it on my cheeks. 

Pretty, right? It's the perfect, barely-there cheek colour for pairing with a bold lip colour which is my make-up look these days. 

I used the side of the brush to gently dust it across my cheekbone and then used the top of the blush to blend it up and across my temple. I've been wearing it every day since I got it and I absolutely love it. It lasts on my combination (oily/normal) skin for approximately 10 hours before it fades away. 

I haven't tried the other blushes in the collection, but I suspect these would work best on fairer skintones as Obsessed does on my skintone. 

Grade: B (I love it, but it is low on pigmentation)

C.

Marc Jacobs Enamored Hi-Shine Nail Lacquer in Petra: Review, Swatches and Photos

Marc Jacobs recently launched his makeup line at Sephora and it's lovely stuff. During the recent Sephora VIB 20% off sale I picked up a few items. This post will look at one of his nail lacquers, Petra. 

The Marc Jacobs nail lacquers (according to the Sephora website) are superior polishes with an unprecedented finish and the shine of 30 coats of lacquer (presumably they mean non-fingernail polish lacquer here). Marc was inspired by his highly lacquered coffee table when he created the Enamored Hi-Shine Lacquer. It's formulated with patented bonding agents that deliver a plasticized, wet look, while the colour-rich creams and fine glitters ensure vivid, chip-resistant wear. Marc was also inspired by his favourite movies when he created the shades. The custom, curve-hugging brush optimizes application and the curvature of the bottle resembles a smile. Each shade is 3-Free: formulated without toulene, formaldehyde and DBP.

They are 0.43 oz and cost $18 US and $22 CDN. Available exclusively on Sephora.com or in Sephora stores. 

Petra is described as a dirty bronze metallic shimmer.

The first thing of note is the bottle. They look unlike any other polishes on the market (that I'm aware of). Wider and curved from the front and back, it's narrow on the sides. It feels good to hold onto. 

Here it is in my hand to show size. 

The colour of Petra is purpley-taupe with silver and bronze shimmer. It's a very changeable colour, sometimes looking dark and purple-grey and other times flashing with coppery-silver. I don't know of a similar shade out there like it. 

The photos below show the shade's variation.

The coverage of Petra is very good with only two coats (pictured below). I had trouble photographing my manicure, so I did some research and found this review on The Beauty Look Book which has some great photos of it.

The consistency of Petra is a little thick, so it takes some focus to apply. But it goes on smoothly and consistently and you probably won't need more than one coat. It takes a bit longer than usual to dry and you definitely don't want to rush the second coat. 

This is a gorgeous, gorgeous polish. It's changeability makes it suited for both warm (copper) and cool (purple, silver) skintones. I found myself admiring it frequently while I was wearing it, seeing how it caught and changed with different lighting. 

It is pricey, yes. But the quality is excellent and this shade is unique. 

Grade: A

C.

Beauty Squared Round-Up - August 11, 2013

Hello lovelies! Happy Sunday!

• Downtown Abbey fans! You'll soon be able to buy beauty products that Mary, Sybill and Edith would probably use. If, you know, they were real people and these products were available back then, and ah hell, it's fun, just click through. 

• A preview of OPI's San Francisco's nail collection. 

• Makeup artist Vadim Andreev claims that he works with only makeup (and hair) to transform these men and women. No Photoshop. I suspect lighting plays a role as well, but I can believe it. What do you think?

• DIY full coverage foundation. Click through to see the recipe. 

• Take a look around Carisa Jones' office. She's the founder of Hourglass Cosmetics.
  
• Marc Jacobs' beauty line is available at Sephora!

Beauty Squared Round-Up - September 16, 2012

It's Sunday! That means you're waiting for the Beauty Squared Round-Up, right!

Let's go...

Strong, full, dark brows are in for Spring/Summer 2013. You've got time to let yours grow and/or perfect the look. 

Francois Nars created an updated 60s mod look on the models in Marc Jacobs S/S 2013 runway show. Here's a closer look at those softer, but no less dramatic eyes. 

Do you know what this gadget is? Click through to find out and to read a review.

Check out this great shimmery rock & roll eye look using a 2011 eye shadow palette from Estee Lauder that's pretty easy to adapt to whatever colours you might own.

Kate Hudson was on the red carpet for TIFF 2012 recently looking polished and glam. Here's a breakdown of her drugstore make-up (!) look. 

Photo by The Notice.net

Check out this review of Lush Handmade Cosmetics Emotional Brilliance eyeliner in Fantasy.

A pair of pants that might change your life, according to xojane.com.

Eating disorders affect men as well as women, so why do we not talk about it?

Beauty Squared Round-Up - April 8, 2012

Here are our weekly fun beauty finds from the wonderful world wide web. 

Gold and diamond encrusted contact lenses.

Burger-inspired eye make-up.

Writing about how people hate you because you're beautiful is a great way to make people hate you.  

This Samantha Brick YouTube makeup tutorial is hilarious.

Videos by Sue de Beer, Deborah Tuberville and Ellen von Unwerth to celebrate the opening of Joe Fresh's brand new 5th Avenue store in Manhattan.

Marc Jacobs will collaborate with Sephora on a makeup line.

Would you wear a dress that became transparent when your heartbeat quickened (a.k.a. became excited/aroused)? 

LUSTING: Marc Jacobs Lola Perfume Cocktail Ring

A few months ago I lusted after Marc Jacobs' new fragrance, Lola and particularly after the bottle! No more lusting for me as now I can get a Lola cocktail ring with that same gorgeous bold, sculptural and ribbony blossom from the top of the perfume bottle.

Lusting!

C.

A Sale Sephora Sale!

By that I mean, items already on sale at www.sephora.com are an additional 20% off until the end of the year!

Sale items can be found here. Wondering what's worth your while? Here are Beauty Squared's picks:

Bare Escentuals Eye Looks on the Go: Another innovative product from Bare Escentuals. This isn't a must-have on my list but it's on sale for $12 US (plus 20% off) and it comes with 30 cards (10 cards of 3 looks) - each with two Bare Escentuals eye colours (on the cards) and instructions on how to apply them. If you're unfamiliar with Bare Escentuals this is a great way to try it for a very low price!

Benefit Bright Lights, Big City: I'm a big fan of many of Benefit's products and this kit (on sale for $35 US plus 20% off) has two of my favourites - their Eye Bright pencil and their BADGal Blue mascara. It's a kit meant for gals on the go and includes a primer, a concealing/highlighting pencil and an eye-brightening mascara as well as a travel mirror and a see-through plastic pouch.

Philosophy The Winter Escape: Mmmm, delicious Philosophy body treats. A mini version of their Peppermint Hot Cocoa 3-in-1 (bubble bath, shower gel, shampoo), a Melting Marshmallow Lip Shine and their Melting Marshmallow Cream Body Souffle. Those of you who are familiar with Philosophy's 3-in-1s, you'll know these are a real treat and I have to tout the unbelievable scent of the Melting Marshmallow Body Souffle - it smells like warm, slightly toasted melty marshmallows. I must admit though that I am wary of Philosophy lip products - years ago when I used to sell them, they looked and smelled fantastic but tasted awful. So awful that I couldn't wear them. Of course this may have changed, and if so, gloss away!

Marc Jacobs Daisy Gift Set: I am a sucker for Marc Jacobs fragrances and although I tend to stay away from any scents that are "green-smelling" I love Daisy. This gift set comes with a 1.7 oz bottle of the fragrance, a coin purse and a mini rollerball and it's on sale for $45 US (plus 20% off).

It looks like Sephora might be clearing out of Laura Geller, Vincent Longo and Kevyn Aucoin products (based on the number of products in their sale section). I do recommend the Kevyn Aucoin products, if only because they were created by the man himself. Two of these sales items I'm eyeing are the Sensual Skin Enhancer and the mini brush kit.

While I'd skip most of the Sephora brand make-up, there are a tonne of bags on sale that I'd suggest checking out. Many of these would double as clutches for an evening out!

Happy Shopping!

C.

LUSTING: Marc Jacobs Lola

Oh I'm drooling...

I own Marc Jacobs first fragrance Daisy in solid form in one of those delightful limited edition cocktail rings and now look at the gorgeousness that is this perfume bottle? It contains Marc Jacobs' new fragrance Lola, which I've tried a sample of and love, but what I want to know is can I wear that gorgeous blossom on top of the bottle?

Here's what Sephora has to say about Lola:

This warm floral bouquet conveys the free spirit of today's sexy, modern girl - she is playful, cool, and flirtatious. The long-lasting, day-and-night scent opens with pink peppercorn, pear, and ruby red grapefruit. Blooming midnotes of rose, fuschia peony, and geranium make a feminine statement. Layers of vanilla, warm tonka bean, and creamy musk create a sensous drydown.

This is the type of lively feminine fragrance that nearly anyone can pull off. Sultry, citrusy and feminine but without being in your face.

LUSTLUSTLUSTLUSTLUST...

Lusting.

C.