Beauty Squared Round-Up - February 17, 2013

It's link love time! Here are the links we found for you this week. Let's dig in!

Movie makeup has come a long way since the first films. Makeup had to compensate for the limitations in the camera technology, using colours to make the actor's faces look normal onscreen. But in person, these actors would have looked very bizarre.

Check out this footage from 1922 of actresses being flirty and adorable. It was test footage shot for Kodak's new full-colour Kodachrome film.

At last weekend's BAFTAs, Helen Mirren showed off newly dyed pink hair. It's not for a role, though. She just wanted to do it after seeing Sophie, the winner of America's Next Top Model (cycle 18). Helen Mirren is awesome, that is all.

Buzzfeed has a collection of Photoshop before-and-after gifs. View it here. 

Makeup Artist Josh Collier reviews all of the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powders. Do you have these yet?

OPI Sprung Nail Polish Review and Swatches

I badly needed a pedicure recently (more the pampering than yucky foot repair) and once there went through my typical scouring and scouring and scouring of the polish choices. It's February, so no one but me and the people around me in yoga class are going to see the colour I chose so that made it more difficult to choose! I came across a colour I've never tried wearing before, a shimmery copper, and since I was taking so long, that's the one I chose. 

 

It turns out, I LOVE it. So, I went out and found a bottle to buy.

It's called Sprung and it's from the OPI Mariah Carey collection. Sprung is a copper with gold, pink and red glitter and it's so, so pretty.

Look at me, buying a nail polish that's not butter LONDON!

 

These photos don't do the polish justice. It looks red or pink in them when in reality it's definitely orange or copper. And the photos also don't do the multi-dimensional sparkle justice either. It's a polish you need to see in person.

 

I liken the shade to if you were to melt shiny, new pennies and add glitter. There's a glow to this polish and it looks a little different in different light.

These photos show Sprung with three coats. It goes on very easily and it's surprising how well it covers considering it is a glitter nail polish (they tend to be mostly clear). 

This blog has the best photo I've come across that show Sprung as close to reality as possible. Trust me, it's super-pretty and if you don't have a shimmery copper in your nail polish collection, run out and snap this one up. I'm crazy about this colour! 

I paid $8 CDN for it, but OPI polishes range in price depending on where you buy it. 

Grade: A

MAC's Archie's Girls Pearlmatte Face Powders Review, Swatches and Photos

One of the most highly anticipated products from MAC's Archie's Girls collection are the Pearlmatte powders. Housed in a white compact, this latest incarnation of the Pearlmatte powders mix a base of Beauty Powder and hearts of blusher. All photos in natural light on NC 35 skin (LE, $35.00 CA/$30.00 US).

MAC's Archie's Girls Pearlmatte Face Powders: Flatter Me and Veronica's Blush

Flatter Me: base, heart and combined colors.

Veronica's Blush: base, heart and combined colors.

Flatter Me - A combination of Shell Pearl Beauty Powder (base) and Foolish Me blush (hearts). A fairly light, soft pinky peach. On lighter skin tones this would be a lovely coral shimmery blush, but on medium to dark skin tones I see it working more as a peach tinted highlighter. Predominantly warm but wearable for all skin tones. Good pigmentation and buildable color.

Veronica's Blush - A combination of Play it Proper Beauty Powder (base) and Frankly Scarlet blush (hearts). The base shimmer of this powder is a starker and whiter, and will therefore stand out more on the skin than Flatter Me. Cool toned and more dramatic, this powder may look ashy on darker skin tones. Good pigmentation and buildable color.

The Pearlmatte formula gives a nice glow to the skin without looking too frosty or unnatural. Flatter Me is a good choice for all skin tones, while Veronica's Blush suits cooler skin tones a little more, but would still be wearable for warm skin tones. This product is an easy pick-me-up for the complexion and is buildable for more/less color and shine .

Grade: B+

Milani Intermix and Fusion Baked Eyeshadows Swatches and Review

I picked up some Milani Baked Eyeshadows when I was in New York City last March, and a year later I'm getting around to reviewing them. I clearly deserve a medal! Or not.

Milani Cosmetics are not readily available in Canada but can be purchased through the Milani website. 

The two eyeshadows I picked up are Milani's Marble Baked Eyeshadows. They cost me about $6 USD each. I'd read a fair bit about Milani Cosmetics over the last few years and had been wanting to try something but I'm hesitant to buy something without being able to try it first. Milani's Baked Eyeshadows have been highly praised by Temptalia, so even though I couldn't test these in the store, I grabbed some. 

The Milani Baked Eyeshadows are described by the company as: 
Captivating eyeshadow powder that features multiple infusion of colors baked on Italian terracotta tiles. Complimentary shades swirled together to create one unique color dimension. All of these gorgeous combinations are designed to be used Wet or Dry.

*Baked makeup products differ from regular (typically made by pressing the product into a pan or container) product because they're liquid makeup baked to solid on terracotta tiles. This results in a marbled finish and a texture that is creamier and smoother than regular makeup products. Baked makeup products tend to have less talc and more pigment.

Milani Intermix Baked Eyeshadow

Intermix is marbled blend of rose, rust, cream, and gold in the pan. It's got a frosted finish. When applied, it's a warm golden-brown with a touch of rose. When applied wet, it's a touch more brown.

Milani Intermix Baked Eyeshadow

You've got to love how pretty baked makeup looks. They make me think of planets, swirled with cloud cover. It's a shame that it often doesn't translate as nuanced once applied. That's the case of these Milani eyeshadows. Not that they're not super-pretty once applied, just that they don't quite match up.

Milani Intermix Baked Eyeshadow

Oh, I should note that the dual-ended brush-sponge applicator that they come with is scratchy and awkward to use. I just toss these.

Milani Intermix Baked Eyeshadow swatched, dry. 

Application-wise, these go on smoothly and creamily. There is quite a bit of powder kicked up when I worked my brush across the pan. In the photos above, the powder around the outside of the container is simply just product that had shaken free, pre-application. So you can imagine how much came loose when I dragged a brush across it.

Dry

Wet

You can see the slight difference between the colour when it was applied dry and when it was applied wet. The colour is soft and shimmery and very, very wearable. You can see all the colours, the rose, the  rust, the cream and the gold blended into one. It's a warm brown, with a tinge of pink and a layer of gold shimmer. 

Milani Fusion Baked Eyeshadow

Fusion, in the pan, is a mix of orange, purple, plum, and gold and when applied dry it's a light, warm bronze. Applied wet, it's a little bit richer in tone. 

Milani Fusion Baked Eyeshadow

Milani Fusion Baked Eyeshadow

Fusion looks like it'd be cooler-toned than Intermix, with its lavender and purple and golden-orange but once applied, it's a warm bronze. It's actually quite similar to Intermix (I had trouble telling the photos apart!).

Milani Fusion Baked Eyeshadow swatched, dry.

Fusion is less shimmery than Intermix. It's also very pretty, very creamy and very wearable.

Milani Fusion Baked Eyeshadow - applied dry

Milani Fusion Baked Eyeshadow - applied wet

Fusion applied wet has a touch more shimmer than it does applied dry. Wet, they both lasted all day, and dry, there was some creasing after about 7 hours, so thumbs up for both.

Both of these shades are so pretty and so bronzy that they make me think of summertime. I just wish they were as exciting once applied as they are in the pans. But for a drugstore brand, they're excellent quality and very reasonably priced.

Grade: A

Beauty Squared Round-Up - February 10, 2013

Lots to share with you in this week's Beauty Squared Round-Up, so let's dig in.

Textured pussywillow nails at the Creatures of Comfort S/S 2013 runway show. 

I feel like I might pick at them if I wore this.

BB creams - what is a BB cream? Much ado about BB creams.

Never mind BB creams, what the heck are CC creams and DD creams?

If you like to suntan, you may not want to click on this link. On the other hand, you probably should. 14 years of sunbed use revealed by a UV skin scan.

Moisturize, moisturize, exfoliate and moisturize! 

Samantha Chapman of Pixiwoo and Real Techniques offers her cold weather must-haves.

Sephora is now carrying butter LONDON! Not all of the shades, sadly, but it's a start.

butter LONDON's Sweetie Shop Spring 2013 collection is all about the candy-coloured pastels.

Beauty tips for when you're sick. Trust me, at least some of these will be useful to you.

Historical films struggle to get the details right, but increasingly the physical perfection of today's actors (perfect teeth, facial symmetry, gym bodies) are subverting the accuracy of historical characters.

Benefit Cosmetics has new packaging for its Creaseless Cream Eyeshadows (photo from Temptalia).

3D-printed jewellery made an appearance on the runway during the Kimberly Ovitz Fall/Winter 2013 runway show. 

Check out this GORGEOUS smoky eye tutorial from the Glitter Geek.

Are you practicing good fragrance behaviour?

Great advice on how to buy make-up brushes.

Another great video from MAC on contouring and highlighting.

Real Techniques Your Eyes/Enhanced Starter Set Review and Photos

If you're a regular reader of Beauty Squared you know I'm a big fan of make-up artist sisters Sam and Nicola Chapman of Pixiwoo. Sam has her own line of brushes called Real Techniques and as far as I know, they're only available online if you live in Canada.

So when I stopped by this new store (Designer Cosmetics Warehouse) in the underground shopping area along Bloor Street between Church Street and Bay Street in Toronto, to find a nail polish I wanted, I was so excited and so surprised to see the Real Techniques Starter Sets on display! Designer Cosmetics Warehouse is a great spot to get OPI, China Glaze, Essie and Colour Club nailpolishes (among others), they've got tonnes and tonnes and tonnes. They've also got what looks like it might be the full NYX line, and Scottish Fine Soaps among a lot of other stuff. It's worth checking out.

The Real Techniques sets were $29.95 CDN each at Designer Cosmetics Warehouse. They had the Travel Essentials set, the Core Essentials set and the Starter Set only, not the individual brushes. If I like the Starter Set brushes, I'll be back to get the Core Essentials set.

Packaging - front.

Packaging - back.

There are five brushes in the Starter Set - a base shadow brush, a deluxe crease brush, an accent brush, a pixel-point eyeliner brush and a brow bush. They come in a fabric-covered, black, velcro-closed case.

Closed case - front.

Closed case - side view.

The case can be collapsed into a stand for the brushes, if you want to keep them on display or while you're using them. Pretty perfect for travelling, in fact.

Instructions for creating the stand.

Opened case - inside.

The stand is created by opening the case and pulling the cord so the top half bends back. Tighten the toggle and voila, there's your brush stand! 

Opened case - outside.

Stand from the front.

Stand from the back.

Stand from the top.

Let's take a look at the brushes. The Real Techniques brushes are made of Taklon, a synthetic fiber used in high quality art and make-up brushes, so they're cruelty-free. The handles are aluminum, so they're light and they're colour coded so you know that all the purple ones are the enhanced eyes brushes, all the gold ones are meant for achieving a flawless face and the pink one are for a perfect finish.

Brow brush

Brow brush

The brow brush is meant for use on the brow, but it could also be used for apply eyeshadow. I like to use an angled brush for applying eyeshadow along the lashline. It seemed like it'd be a little too bushy for application to my brows but it did a good job, not picking up too much product and it was very easy to manipulate in application. 

Pixel-point eyeliner brush

Pixel-point eyeliner brush

The pixel-point eyeliner brush has a tapered cut and is meant for eyeliner application. It can be used for lining the eye with a gel/liquid liner or with powder.  I'm a little skeptical about how well you can use these with a liquid eyeliner. It seems pretty bushy for such a finely detailed technique. It does work pretty well with powder though. It smudges so beautifully.

Accent brush

Accent brush

The accent brush is a good all-around brush and can be used for precise application such as highlighting, spotlighting and smudging. I've only tried this to apply a highlight shade to the inside of my eye and it does a gorgeous job. The way it picks up and deposits product is fantastic.

Deluxe crease brush

Deluxe crease brush

The deluxe crease brush is meant for use in the crease. It's softly tapered so the deepest part of the crease receives the most intense application while the outsides of the brush blend it out. This and the base shadow brush can be used interchangably, 

Base shadow brush

Base shadow brush

The base shadow brush is the largest of the five and works well for blending and applying an all-over colour. I really like the base shadow brush and the deluxe crease brush. They apply product so beautifully. 

These brushes are great. They're super-soft and pick up product beautifully. I'm so happy! And the Core Essentials set will soon be mine. 

The cost ($29.95 CDN for five brushes) is great for the quality of these. It works out to $6 a brush. The case is great too, it'd be perfect for travelling or carrying in your purse.
You can watch Sam use the Enhanced Eyes brushes in a tutorial at the bottom of the page here. And definitely check out the Pixiwoo videos on YouTube.

Grade: A