Makeup Utopia - A perfect world for makeup

NYFW Beauty Breakdown - Clinique for Karen Walker

SaraMay — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 19:00:00 +0000

One of the makeup looks at New York Fashion Week that resonated with me in it's clean elegance was Clinique for Karen Walker. I am so pleased to be able to bring you the beauty breakdown from this show.

When creating this beauty look, Clinique Global Colour Artist Jenna Menard focussed on defined eyes and sculpted bone structure, with the added femimininty of a soft matte skin, milky tones on eyelids, full lashes, and a healthy nude lip.

Here's a list of the products used by Jenna Menard and her team to create this strong, confident and feminine look with an edge (including a few sneaky peeks at some upcoming releases for 2012!).

SKIN:

Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion – used to prep the skin to help achieve a flawless makeup look.

FACE:

NEW Stay-Matte Oil-Free Makeup launching September 2012 and All About Eyes Concealer – apply foundation and concealer where needed to cover imperfections and create a soft matte finish.
Blended Face Powder in Invisible Blend – adding powder helps set the foundation and softens the look of the skin on the runway.

EYES:

Instant Lift for Brows– to create strong brows, use a powder that is slightly darker than the natural brow colour, filling any bare spots.
Touch Base for Eyes – applying a nude base on the lid from the lash line to the brow bone will soften any natural tone that is on the lid.
Colour Surge Eye Shadow Duo in Like Mink – use the darker shade in the duo. Placing a matte, taupe colour in the crease of the lid will create contour. This gives the illusion of a deeper set eye. Also, use an eye liner brush to lightly trace the bottom lash line to create an extremely thin line of definition.
Colour Surge Eye Shadow in Toasted Almond – add a lighter shadow below the brow bone and below the contour shadow on the lid to help isolate the contour colour. Also dust shadow along the bottom lash line.
Eye Defining Liquid Liner in Black – apply liquid liner on the top lash line from the inner corner to the end of the lash line. This should be applied as a straight line without a winged tip or extending past the lash line. This is a simply stated line that doesn’t portray a particular period reference, making it modern and unique.
NEW Quickliner for Eyes Intense in Intense Charcoal launching March 26th – use an eye pencil along the upper waterline where a liquid liner could not reach to hide any skin. This intense colour is deep enough to work with the black liquid liner and helps add extra definition to the overall eye look.
NEW High Impact Extreme Volume Mascara in Black launching October 2012 – applying multiple coats of mascara with this new, multi-dimensional brush builds to extreme, full lashes that stand out beyond the eye liner. With milky shadows as a backdrop, lashes really pop. Mascara helps offset the strong liner and softens the eyes, adding a feminine touch to the look.

LIPS:

NEW Chubby Stick Moisturizing Lip Colour Balm in Heaping Hazelnut launching July 2012 – to contrast the strong brow, very precise eye liner and shading on the face, adding a simple nude lip keeps the look effortless and feminine.

CHEEKS:

Colour Surge Eye Shadow Duo in Like Mink – using a taupe eye shadow to create the illusion of more structure is a great insider tip. Apply the same shadow that was applied to the lid crease just below the cheek bone to sculpt the face. Using the same colour to contour the eyes and cheeks allows the shading to appear more believable.

Makeup by Jenna Menard, Clinique Global Colour Artist. Images and information courtesy of Clinique.

Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream

Lauren — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 02:00:00 +0000

What they say:

"Give your needy nails a helping hand. Nourish and moisturise nails and cuticles with this intensive, natural treatment. A touch of lemon oil makes your nails smell incredibly clean, healthy and beautiful, naturally."

Product Breakdown:

A cream for the nourishment and strengthening of the cuticles and nails post-manicure. Or any time you need to moisturise your cuticles, really.

Packaging:

It took me a second to realise this was a cuticle cream for two reasons - 1. Because I never even knew you could get cuticle cream, just for your cuticles (I have always used body butter for everything hand moisture-related), and 2. Because this packaging makes it look like a tin of lip balm, which is what I thought this was at first glance.

Pros:

It's cute and I love the lemon graphic.
Handbag-proof. This lid will not pop off in your handbag for love nor money.

Cons:

Not hygienically packaged - you just stick your fingers right in there. I don't consider this to be a big issue for this kind of product, though - it's going to be used on your hands anyway, so if you're putting your hands in the container, well... It's just par for the course, right?
This is one of the most difficult packages to open ever. As someone who can't open her own tomato salsa, this is a big issue for me. Seriously, you could break a nail opening this, which is kind of the opposite of what we're going for here. It would do better packaged in some kind of squeezy tube with a screw-top lid, I think.

Ease of application:

Once you finally get this open, it's pretty simple to apply - just dip your finger in and rub the cuticle cream on your cuticles. That's about it!

I have used this on the back of my hands when they're feeling dry, too - it's fine for this as well as cuticles.

Also, you really don't need a lot of this; a little goes a very long way.

Anything else worth mentioning?:

This stuff smells ah-may-zing! At afternoon tea discussing nails with some of the ladies at work, I whipped this out and they all dipped in and tried some of this for themselves; the first thing out of their mouths was how yummy and lemony it smelled!

Another thing to note is that this says it's a cream - but it's very much the consistency of a beeswax lip balm in a pot (not remotely buttery). This is cool with me, as I think that this makes it feel more nourishing and protective than a quickly-absorbed cream.

See? Waxy.

This is a cruelty-free product, but it does contain beeswax (something that may be important to any Vegan readers out there who don't want any animal products in their makeup). The ingredients are 100% natural.

My verdict:

I love this - it's just so yummy! I can't stop smelling my hands after I put this on, and it's gotten to the point where I leave this open on my desk next to my keyboard and smell it intermittently throughout the day, applying an unnecessary amount to my hands because after it's absorbed I miss the smell (thankfully it does hang around for a while, but not too long that you feel like everything you touch will get all greasy - make sure you're not shaking anyone's hand right after you use this, though).

But (and it's a big but), I can't enjoy this fabulous and effective stuff if I can't open the tub. It's pointless getting this if you struggle to open airtight packaging that could potentially damage your nails - the ones you're trying to repair by buying this stuff in the first place. Just use the lip balm you already own (I use Lucas Paw Paw) - this is as effective as the Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream.

Available from:

Burt's Bees stores in Australia can be located here.

Stores in the UK are listed here.

Stores for the US are here.

RRP:

$14.95 (AU price)

This is a review of a purchased product. Makeup Utopia has no affiliation with any companies mentioned and has received no remuneration for posting this review. All opinions are those of the author.

Burt's Bees

Nailcare

Maybelline Volum' Express One By One Mascara

SaraMay — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 19:00:00 +0000

What they say:

It catches and coats every lash, ONE BY ONE!

You had a major crush on Colossal Mascara which gave you 9x the volume; you gave Falsies Mascara cult status when you discovered it offered 3x more visible lashes... but now we're giving you BIG FLIRTY lashes O.N.E BY O.N.E! New Volum' Express One By One Mascara delivers a first to market innovation with and ergonomic elastomer brush to provide big, flirty, clean and soft volume.

The Lash Catcher is elliptically shaped and mimics the contour of the eye. Flexible as it is pliable, the brush detangles and coats lashes for the ultimate flirty look. And when you consider the average eye holds 100 lashes and the Lash Catcher brush has 300 bristles, you are guaranteed to capture and coat each and every lash from corner to corner. And to further guarantee that each lash is looking its best, we've combined the brilliance of haircare to help smooth the hair follicles!

With the addition of fruit derived AHAs and pro-Vitamin C, One By One Mascara helps smooth your lashes which means less clumping, better separation and better control of the overall lash look! Now you just have to decide Blackest or Brownish-Black!

Product Breakdown:

Naked Eyelashes:

Aren't they pathetic? Ok, they're actually not too bad, they are very long and reasonably thick, it's just such a shame they are so fair! If they aren't tinted or coated in mascara, they are damn near invisible.

One coat of Maybelline One-by-One Volum' Express (Blackest Black):

Ahhhhhhhh, much better.

Packaging:

Maybelline One-by-One Volum' Express comes in a blindingly bright fluorescent red tube with green printing - it's retina-scorching to look at and sent my camera on the fritz.

My one and only real criticism of the packaging is that I have 2 shades - Brownish-Black and Blackest Black. The printing on the stickers is so small that I am completely unable to read it, so I have to physically open the tubes and compare them to figure out which is which.

Ease of application:

Maybelline One-by-One Volum' Express mascara is all about the brush.

This bulbous, flexible, rubbery brush is intended to ergonomically fit the shape of your eye. I found the brush shape was more of a hindrance than a help in reaching the tiny lashes in the inner and outer corners of my eyes, as it feels a little bulky to manouvre in such a small space.

Longevity:

I have a love-hate relationship with mascara.

I have scar tissue on the whites of my eyes that cause my eyes to become irritated very easily. This means that I can't wear waterproof mascara, as the removal process can give me hours of discomfort. To complicate matters, I have very deep set, hooded eyes, which means I am prone to a lot of mascara transfer on my brow if I am wearing a non-waterproof mascara.

I've been trialling this mascara for almost 2 months now, and I am so pleased to say that to date I have experienced no transfer at all, even on hot humid days, so I would class the longevity as excellent. I also find that it removes easily with an oil based makeup remover, and I experience virtually no irritation at all.

My verdict:

Since the end of December, when I received this mascara, I have worn it virtually exclusively. The formulation is gentle on my sensitive eyes, while still being transfer resistant.

This is a mascara I would repurchase in a hearbeat.

Available from:

Supermarkets, pharmacies, variety and independent stores.

RRP:

$19.25 AUD

This product was provided for editorial consideration. Makeup Utopia has no affiliation with any companies mentioned and has received no remuneration for posting this review. All opinions are those of the author.

Maybelline

Mascara

Crazy Eyeliner? There's an App for that.

SaraMay — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 02:00:00 +0000

It was somewhat serendipitous that yesterday's Graphic Eyeliner Face of the Day was done primarily with the new Maybelline Master Precise Liquid Liner pen, and last night a press release announcing Maybelline's newest facebook app landed in my email.

Funnily enough, this app allows you to design your very own wacky graphic eyeliner look, on the beautiful Ruby Rose, and submit your design into a competition. The winning design receives a personalised artwork by "famed fashion illustrator, Sarah Hankinson."

There's also a gallery of fun designs, tips and tricks, and a panel of looks on Ruby Rose with tutorials on how to achieve them.

If you're bored, head over to facebook and see what out-there designs you can create!

Eyeliner

Maybelline

Ciccone Cosmetics Lipstick - Review, Photos, Swatches

SaraMay — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 19:00:00 +0000

What they say:

A lipstick that feels the way a lipstick should feel. Australian made for women who love their lippies!

Product Breakdown:

I have three of the eight Ciccone Cosmetics lipsticks to show you:

L-R - Oceanus; Voluptas; Apollo.

L-R - Apollo; Oceanus; Voluptas.

Voluptas:

A classic, universally flattering blue-based red.

Oceanus:

A pretty, slightly milky peach. A nice alternative to a nude lip.

Apollo:

A soft strawberry chocolate colour. A very pink-based brown.

Packaging:

These lipsticks are packaged in a fairly luxurious feeling bubblegum pink casing that I would guess to be aluminium. The brand-name is engraved on the side of the tube in such a way that it looks like little crystals. I am pretty sure these would be relatively handbag-safe, because the lid slides on with a satisfying "click".

I think the packaging is very gorgeous in a super duper girly, slightly over-the-top way, and I personally would have no qualms about pulling these out in public. I have however had people compare these to pink tampons and adult toys.

Pigmentation:

All three lipsticks were opaque in a single swipe.

Ease of application:

When applying these lipsticks directly from the tube, they glide on easily and feel incredibly creamy on my lips. They do tend to dry my lips out quite badly though, with the worst culprit being Oceanus, the coral colour.

Due to the high level of pigmentation, I would recommend applying these lipsticks with a lip brush, especially the darker shades.

Longevity:

They are reasonably long wearing, the red more so than the other 2 colours, and the wear time can be improved by laying down a good base of lipliner all over your lips. Applied on naked lips I got about 4 hours out of Oceanus and browny Apollo, and about 5 hours out of Voluptas, although it started to fade slightly at 4 hours.

My verdict:

If you want to wear these lipsticks, your lips need to be in great condition. If you suffer from any dryness or flakiness, these do tend to grab at that dry skin.

If you don't suffer from dry or chapped lips, these are a wonderful lip product. There are a nice range of shades available, and they apply very well.

Available from:

MYER and Online.

RRP:

$25.00 AUD

Ciccone Cosmetics

Lipstick

Statement Eyeliner Face of the Day

SaraMay — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 19:00:00 +0000

This weeks Face of the Day was almost a happy accident. I had visions on a strong MONOCHROME editorial look, heavy on the black - black eyeshadow, black lipstick, even contouring with a black shadow.

I started by sketching out some basic shapes around my eye using a white eyeliner as a guide (a good trick if you are planning a statement eyeliner look), and I quite liked the shapes that started to appear around my eyes.

After I drew in the shapes with a liquid eyeliner, I felt quite satisfied that all I needed were some eyebrows and I would be good to go.

In keeping with the MONOCHROME theme, I used a black eyeshadow to fill in my brows, and VOILA! The finished look! I hope you like it - please let me know in the comments below.

Products Used:

Skin:

Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum in #51
B Collection by Bloom Quick Fix Kit Concealer Kit in Medium - Dark*. I used the lightest concealer to cover blemishes, and the highlighter to highlight my cheekbones, nose and browbones.
MAC Mineralize Concealer in NW35* to contour my cheeks and temples.

Eyes:

NYX Eyeliner Pencil in White (not pictured) to sketch out the shapes.
Maybelline Master Precise Liquid Liner* to draw in the shapes.
Sugarpill Pressed Eyeshadow in Bulletproof for my lower lashine and to fill in my brows.
Maybelline One by One Volum' Express Mascara*.
Duo lash glue.
Random false lashes from my stash.

Lips:

MAC Innocence, Beware! Lipstick*.

Products marked with a * were provided for editorial consideration.

Remember to upload your own interpretation of this theme into the Makeup Utopia Challenge Forum. You'll receive 50 points in the Makeup Utopia competition for each look you upload, and your look will be featured in the Makeup Utopia Magazine!

Challenge

Makeup Utopia

Beauty Breakdown - Napoleon Perdis for David Jones "Antipodean Winter"

SaraMay — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 02:00:00 +0000

David Jones held their AW12 Fashion Launch in Sydney this week, and once again Napoleon Perdis was the Director of Makeup for the show. He created three key looks, and today I'm very happy to be able to share with you the beauty breakdown for one of the signature looks - "Antipodean Winter"

"Antipodean Winter" Beauty Look modelled by Montana Cox (Australia's Next Top Model winner 2011)

"Fresh-faced, perfectly prepped skin punctuated by a bold but beautiful lip. If a makeup look can reflect a culture then this is Australia to me. It speaks to that freshness and vitality for which Australian women are so admired. This look works for all occasions really: it's pretty for day, perfectly appropriate for the office while adding the edge of the orange lip, and gorgeous for evening. It's all about skin prep and a sheer veil of a semimatte base. Brows and lashes are understated yet groomed enough to balance the lip that is the pop of colour and focus. I also love the clash of the minty green nail colour here - so modern.

This look has an enviable ease to it; it's minimal effort, maximum impact. - Napoleon Perdis

Here's how the Napoleon Perdis team created this look:

Start with Napoleon Complex Skin Renewal Serum.
Prep with Auto Pilot Pre Foundation Primer.
Apply Peep Show Mascara Madame Curl Curl.
Spritz on Boudoir Mist Spray Foundation.
Add Barely Blushing Barely Buff blush.
Comb brows and hold in place with Peep Show Mascara Madame Crystal.
Apply a wash of Color Disc Skinny Dip over the entire eye lid.
Line lips in Lip Pencil Rococo Red for a crisp finish.9. Coat lips in DeVine Goddess Lipstick Niki.
Press Color Disc in Tequila Sunrise into the lips for an on-trend matte finish

Images and information courtesy of Napoleon Perdis.

Beauty Breakdown

The Weekly Roundup - Posts you might have missed.

SaraMay — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 19:00:00 +0000

Been busy all week and haven't had time to catch up on the latest news from Makeup Utopia? Here's the weekly round-up of posts you might have missed!

We started off the week with the announcement of the newest Makeup Utopia Challenge theme, MONOCHROME, and a Face of the Day channeling the MAC SS12 NEO-N trend.

We delivered some straight-from-the-runway Beauty Breakdowns, Napoleon Perdis for David Jones from Sydney and Estee Lauder for Derek Lam from New York.

We reviewed a luxe foundation, some pocket friendly makeup brushes, an easily accessible contouring kit and some long-wearing lip products.

What did we miss on your website this week? Feel free to share your links in the comments below.

Have you entered for your chance to win a share (or all) of over $800 worth of makeup? Don't miss out, these prizes are amazing!

Weekly Roundup

Makeup Utopia

Beauty Breakdown - Napoleon Perdis for David Jones "Metalika"

SaraMay — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 02:00:00 +0000

"Metalika" Beauty Look modelled by Samantha Harris

"Confession: This makeup look is my favourite of the three. It's based around my current colour collection, Metalika, which is a play of both heavy and soft metal hues.This girl is just a gorgeous glamazon; strong yet soft, glamorous but not intimidating, slightly intense but not overwhelming. It's really all about the eyes - and some stunning but still soft metallic accents which is totally on trend right now. Skin is radiant, as though the girl has been lit from within. Eyes are accentuated with black liquid liner and a smoky, espresso shadow and then played up a little by mixing metallic shades of Loose Dust and cream eyeshadow to highlight the inner corners of the eye. A dense false lash helps to anchor all that detail. A shimmery nude nail and a totally natural, barely-there glossy lip completes the story.

It's a look that's definitely rock inspired but we've really worked on that element of softness so it's still super pretty." - Napoleon Perdis.

Here's how the Napoleon Perdis team created the look:

Start with Napoleon Skin Renewal Serum.
Follow with Auto Pilot Pre-Foundation Skin Primer.
Apply Mesmer-Eyes Mascara.
Apply Advanced Mineral Makeup and set with Camera Finish Powder Foundation.
Work a slight contour through the cheekbones with The Ultimate Contour Palette.
Define and tame your brows with Peep Show Madame Crystal.
Smudge China Doll Eyeliner Equinox along the upper and lower lash line. Continue to smudge over the lid and through the socket.
Sweep Color Disc Espresso To Go along the lower lash line and through the socket.
Mix Loose Eye Dust Copper Element with Crème De La Crème Quicksilver and sweep along the inner corner of the top lash line and around the inner corner of the eye.
Apply Lashes Hoya.
Keep lips natural with Auto Pilot Lip Service.

Images and information courtesy of Napoleon Perdis.

Beauty Breakdown

What we've been loving this week.

SaraMay — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 19:00:00 +0000

Saturday is the day we share all the "stuff" we've been loving online this week. Kick back, relax and take some time to catch up on the latest from around the internet.

Makeup Inspiration of the week:

Source
Adele has been all over the blogosphere this week with her stunning winged eyeliner and red lip. Me? I just cant get this slightly low-key image of her out of my head.

Source
This is one of the more stunning beauty looks I have seen for NYFW. It's Gucci Westman/Revlon for Osca De La Renta.

Nail Inspiration of the week:

Source

Product we're lusting after:

Source
Why must Australia be so far behind the rest of the world for product launches?

Embrace your inner Voyeur:

Check out all the behind the scenes action from Sugarpill's first IMATS. Fingers crossed they make it out here in September!

Take a peek inside a Fashion Editors handbag at NYFW

That's what we've been loving this week. What have you been loving this week? Feel free to share your links in the comments below.

Have you entered for your chance to win a share (or all) of over $800 worth of makeup? Don't miss out, these prizes are amazing!

Link Love

Makeup Utopia

Makeup Utopia - A perfect world for makeup

NYFW Beauty Breakdown - Clinique for Karen Walker

SKIN:

FACE:

EYES:

LIPS:

CHEEKS:

Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream

What they say:

Product Breakdown:

Packaging:

Ease of application:

Anything else worth mentioning?:

My verdict:

Available from:

RRP:

Maybelline Volum' Express One By One Mascara

What they say:

Product Breakdown:

​Naked Eyelashes:

​One coat of Maybelline One-by-One Volum' Express (Blackest Black):

Packaging:

Ease of application:

Longevity:

My verdict:

Available from:

RRP:

Crazy Eyeliner? There's an App for that.

Ciccone Cosmetics Lipstick - Review, Photos, Swatches

What they say:

Product Breakdown:

Voluptas:

Oceanus:

Apollo:

Packaging:

Pigmentation:

Ease of application:

Longevity:

My verdict:

Available from:

RRP:

Statement Eyeliner Face of the Day

Products Used:

Skin:

Eyes:

Lips:

Beauty Breakdown - Napoleon Perdis for David Jones "Antipodean Winter"

The Weekly Roundup - Posts you might have missed.

Beauty Breakdown - Napoleon Perdis for David Jones "Metalika"

What we've been loving this week.

​Makeup Inspiration of the week:

​Nail Inspiration of the week:

​Product we're lusting after:

​Embrace your inner Voyeur:

Naked Eyelashes:

One coat of Maybelline One-by-One Volum' Express (Blackest Black):

Makeup Inspiration of the week:

Nail Inspiration of the week:

Product we're lusting after:

Embrace your inner Voyeur: