Teals and Blues Using MAC Pigment and Shadows

Trust MAC to come up with the most vibrant and glorious shades of teal and blue. I don't wear blues very often (rarely is the word, maybe twice or thrice a year, if ever), so this was the very first time I used Sea & Sky mineralize shadow duo after having it my stash for several months. I like the combination of the colors, though. Reminds me of the waters of those pristine, beautiful Philippine beaches that to me have the finest (double meaning: "fine" as in having the best quality and "fine" as in consisting of minute particles) powdery white sand in the world. I miss them a lot!

Here are photos of the products used for this look. All MAC products unless otherwise stated.

Delft paint pot


NOTE: This vial is NOT from the recent Holiday Cool pigment set. I heard that the Teal pigment in that kit was not as vibrant as the original Teal pigment. I used the original one for this look.










Apply MAC Beige-ing shadestick all over lid, brows, and lower lashline. Smooth product on the lid with finger. Using a fluffy shader brush, apply Delft paint pot on lid. Doesn't have to be perfect.


Using a flat, stiff shader brush like the 239, apply Teal pigment on the lid dry in quick patting motions.


Using the other side of the same brush, apply Zonk Bleu! on the inner corners.


Using Sonia Kashuk's blender brush, apply the dark blue side of Sea & Sky mineralize shadow duo on the outer lid.


Apply Cloudburst on the outer V and crease using the Sonia Kashuk blending brush, blending into Teal and Zonk Bleu!. Softly blend the colors using the 224 brush.


Using a clean 224, apply Brule on the borders of the shadows above the crease to soften harsh lines. Apply more Cloudburst and the dark blue side of Sea & Sky and blend using the 224.


Using MAC 227, apply the lighter side of Sea and Sky mineralize eyeshadow duo on the browbone. Line eyes using MAC Blacktrack fluidline. Apply Urban Decay 24/7 liner in Zero on waterline and tightline. Using the Sonia Kashuk mini detail brush, apply Parrot shadow on inner lower lashline, and Stormwatch shadow on outer lower lashline. Apply Mod Lash falsies #55. Apply mascara.







Face:
Monistat gel as primer
Monave mineral foundation in Saturnina
MAC Studio Sculpt concealer in NC20
Dayna's Rested mineral undereye concealer
Aromaleigh Ultra Resolution finishing powder in Peaches & Cream
Adorned With Grace mineral shimmer blush in Fascinating
MAC Refined Golden bronzer to contour

Lips:
MAC lipliner in Whirl
MAC lipstick in Viva Glam VI Special Edition
MAC cremesheen glass in Fashion Scoop

Bright Pinks and Reds

Here is a look using pinks and reds by Aromaleigh. I used its Gothic Lolita and Elemental Lustre eyeshadow pigments. It was for a girls' night out - we had dinner at one of the finer restaurants in the city, and all fourteen of us girls saw Sex and The City the movie - some for the first time, and some for the nth. It was a fun night! The pigments didn't budge the whole night as well - I was out for seven hours and when I came home, the pinks were still as bright as they were when I first applied them. Here's a step-by-step illustration.


Apply MAC Beige-ing shadestick on lid, lower lashline and smoothed on brows, blend in with finger. Apply MAC Girl Friendly paint pot on inner lid, MAC Artifact paint pot on outer lid. Foil Aromaleigh Gothic Lolita eyeshadow in Little Craving on inner to 2/3 of the lid out.


Foil Aromaleigh Gothic Lolita shadow in Strawberry Despair on middle lid, blending with Little Craving, then apply Aromaleigh Elemental Lustre in Torment wet on outer lid.


another shot under different lighting


Before the pigments dry, blend everything in one direction in short, quick strokes.


How it should look so far.


Apply MAC eyeshadow in Baby Petals to highlight and on inner corners. Fill in brows. Apply falsies (I used Ardell #101), MAC Blacktrack fluidline to line and Brownborder technakohl liner on waterline. Apply Little Craving wet on inner to mid-lower lashline, and Torment on outer lower lashline. Apply Lumiere Veena mineral blush in Magnolia, and use MAC mineralize skinfinish in Petticoat over blush. Line lips with MAC Whirl lipliner, apply MAC Brave lipstick and MAC lustreglass in Flusterose.


I used Monave mineral foundation in Saturnina and Monave finishing powder in Angel.






Our table at the restaurant.


We couldn't all fit in one table, so here's the other one.


Over-looking the window by our table, a beautiful sunset wedding was being celebrated.




Fall-off-the-bone goodness: Braised beef short ribs with skillet roasted summer vegetables & creamed grits.


Our dinner favors from our hostesses (the ones who organized the dinner) - a pretty makeup bag (the nail file set included as favor was in the bag), you figure out what the foil-wrapped thing is...not hard to guess! ;-)


Game of "What's In Your Purse?". For every item you have on the list, you give points to yourself and add the total. I had a high score but I wasn't the winner. Bummer.

Wines, Plums and Raisin Look Using Minerals

Here's a wine-colored look using mostly mineral samples I've been keeping in my stash and neglected for quite a while. I was cleaning my makeup drawers when I came across several samples from Meow when I was still caught up in a sampling frenzy of their Feliners, Vandal Eyes and blushes and bronzers. I stumbled upon Vandal Eyes eyeshadow in Grand Larceny and I decided to use it today. I absolutely love the color! It's not a red-red hue but more of wine plum with metal pink (the site describes it as "Wine with hot pink sheen"), so it doesn't look garish or too "in-your-face". I believe this would be one of my favorite mineral shadows, but I am iffy about getting a full size because I don't know how often I would be able to use this. With so many mineral shadows I have (not to mention my MAC eyeshadow and pigment collection), it's almost impossible to finish one whole pot of minerals. I also tried my sample of My Minerals Bath and Body mineral shadow in Rum Raisin and I love the color as well, it complements the other warm plummy colors I used for this look. I love these two shadows because they really do give outstanding color pay-off even without foiling. I really like pigmented minerals because I feel I get more bang for my buck.

I am using Monave regular foundation in Saturnina and I am just in love. I've been using Teporah which is a lighter color in the olive family. I bought the foundation in Saturnina during Monave's free shipping sale, and I think this looks a lot better on me than Teporah because it doesn't give a whitish cast in photos unlike the latter. I still love Monave and will always do for the full coverage and creamy finish it gives when I crave for those.

I've been practicing wearing false lashes because I have very short and sparse lashes, and I just feel they complement most of my eye looks. I am not that adept with them though, hence the wonky application. LOL! I feel I am getting better with each try, though. I just bought a bunch of falsies from my neighborhood beauty supply store and from Madame Madeline. I do prefer Red Cherry falsies, though, so I was a little disappointed when they didn't carry that brand. I am impressed with the extensive collection of falsies from Ardell, Andrea, Gypsy, and Elise, so that's quite interesting. They also ship internationally. I will still patronize my neighborhood beauty supply store for my Red Cherry fix, though. They're a little cheaper as well.

Also, I've been using my beloved Lumiere pre-buy brushes for several weeks now, but I completely forgot that I get three samples of minerals with each order. Since I ordered twice, I have six samples of minerals, all of them blushes. I used my blush sample in Moonberry for this look and I think I have another favorite next to Valerie Beauty's Smokin' Mocha blush. Moonberry is described on the Lumiere site as "Sultry plum with a slight pink sheen". It's a little dark when I eyeball it in the little sample baggy, but when used with Lumiere's angled duo fibre optic brush, oh wow, it's gorgeous. In my humble opinion, Lumiere and Valerie Beauty offer some of the best mineral blushes out there, both color and texture-wise. I used to hate mineral blushes because they turn out splotchy on the cheeks with absolutely zero staying power, but blushes from these two companies go buttery smooth on the cheeks, have flawless finish and good staying power.









Eyes:
MAC Beige-ing shadestick as base on lid and lower lashline
MAC Dazzleray pigment foiled on lid and inner lower lashline
MAC All That Glitters eyeshadow all over lid and browbone
My Minerals Bath and Body mineral shadow in Rum Raisin on outer lid
Meow Vandal Eyes mineral shadow in Grand Larceny on crease and outer V
MAC Pandamonium eyeshadow on crease
Almay Amazing I-liner (liquid liner) on upper lashline
MAC Cranberry eyeshadow on outer lower lashline
Red Cherry #15 falsies

Face:
Camellia Rose skin smoothing primer
Monave regular mineral foundation in Saturnina
Mary Kay undereye concealer in Ivory topped with
Bare Escentuals Well Rested
Monave Angel finishing powder
Lumiere silk blush in Moonberry
MAC Sculpt powder to contour

Lips:
Rimmel 1000 Kisses stay-on lipliner in Tiramisu
MAC lipstick in Twig-twig
MAC lipglass in Nico Now

On Monave Lip Glazes

One of my readers requested that I make a review on Monave's lip glazes, and of course, her wish is my command. I've stated in a previous review that I've fallen in love with Monave's lip glazes and that these are some of the best glosses I've tried. That statement still holds true to this day. I don't like very sheer lip glosses; I want a marriage of color and shine - I am partial to opaque glosses. Having said that, Monave's glazes are right up my alley. I prefer the sheer lip glazes over the regular ones, though, because the consistency of the regular lip glazes is a little hard to spread and apply evenly. It's rather puzzling though why Monave refers to the sheer lip glazes as "sheer", when these are really substantially pigmented. They really glide like butter on the lips, impart a luscious shine and have a pretty over-all finish, almost like liquid lipsticks.



As I stated in my review, I love, love, love Honey sheer lip glaze. This is my favorite among all the ones I have, but Maple, Jellybean and Petticoat are close runner-ups (okay, throw in Butterscotch and Antique Brick!). I have a couple of Honeys though and I keep one in my purse all the time for touch-ups. I really love the formula, and to think that Debbie of Monave once told me that her friend who formulated the lip glazes almost threw away the first batch of lip glazes, deeming them a failure. Little did her friend know that the consistency and finish of the glazes were exactly what Deb (and Monave fans) were looking for. The rest is history.

I've heard a lot of great things about the lip glosses as well, and I want to try them pretty soon. In the meantime, I'll just sit back, kick my heels, and sip a pinacolada with my puckered not-so-sheer Monave sheer lip glaze-painted lips.

Yellows, Neutrals, and Revisiting Monave

Don't you hate it when you find a mineral foundation so flawless and beautiful on your skin, only for it to slide off your face a few hours later? Many of you mineral makeup enthusiasts have read my review that Monave has reproduced on its website. Let me say that I still stand by those statements to this day. Monave for me is still the king of all mineral makeup when it comes to staying power. It stays on a whopping 12 to 14 hours on me without retouching with anything but blotting sheets, and without using any moisture spray to set the minerals. I love the medium to heavy coverage, the natural look, and the amazing staying power. I laid low on Monave for a while because I was just enjoying sampling from other mineral makeup companies, and because I thought it would feel too heavy during the intense summer heat. I was wrong because it felt very natural, without any itchies and without feeling like I was wearing a mask. Over-all, Monave is still in my top 3 mineral foundations. I also adore Monave's sheer lipglazes. The texture is smooth and even, with just the right balance of pigment and shine. Monave has absolutely amazing products.









Camellia Rose Skin Smoothing primer
Monave regular mineral foundation in Teporah
Mary Kay undereye concealer in Ivory topped with
Bare Escentuals Well Rested
Bare Escentuals mineral veil
MAC blush in Petalpoint

Lips:
Rimmel 1000 Kisses stay-on lipliner in Wild Clover
Lumiere Lumi Lips lipgloss in Full of Grace

Eyes:
MAC Beige-ing shadestick as base
MAC pigment in Goldenaire foiled with MAC mixing medium on lid
Valerie Beauty Dolce Vita mineral pan eyeshadow on crease/outer V
MAC eyeshadow in Firespot on crease
MAC eyeshadow in Almond Icing to highlight browbone
Almay Amazing I-liner (liquid liner)
Maybelline XXL mascara

Here is another EOTD using MAC's shadows in Going Bananas and Firespot from the two consecutive MAC collections of Moonbathe and C-Shock. I'd like to believe they go well together.


I used MAC Corn shadestick as base, MAC shadows in Going Bananas on lid, Amber Lights in crease, Firespot on outer V, Shroom to highlight, Graphic Brown fluidline, Maybeline XXL mascara.

Teporah Meets Green Brown

Anybody who knows me well knows I love green. I think that is why I have more green eye colors than any other non-neutral color (of course, I have more neutrals because these go with everything). I tried a combination I saw on a MAC makeup artist last summer: she was wearing Gold Dusk pigment on her lids with MAC Summer Neutral eyeshadow, a Sundressing collection limited edition item. I have both so I tried them today. I did not want a very bold look because it is a casual Saturday morning, after all, so I blended both to make everything soft, added Vanilla pigment to highlight the browbone, threw in a tiny bit of Green Brown pigment (which I tried for the first time), lined my eyes with Teddy eye kohl (MAC made another winner with this eyeliner, I LOVE IT!), then applied mascara. I liked the effect - very casual, soft, but definitely polished. I used my favorite Monave mineral foundation in Teporah, Monave Angel finishing powder (the best finishing powder I've tried!), then MAC's blush duo in Tigerlily/Bloomsberry. I so, so love this blush. It gives a very nice glow and the color is not screaming at all - perfect during the day (and even night). I finished the look with MAC cremestick lipliner in Beurre, Monave sheer lip glaze in Petticoat, and a coat of MAC lipglass in Corps de Ballet (from the current Danse collection) on top.

A Mineral Makeup Review

As much as I love MAC's eyeshadows, pigments, fluidlines and lip products, MAC's foundation is notoriously comedogenic. That is why I am staying far away from Studiofix, Studiotech, and Hyperreal, which made me break out in a record-breaking span of only 3 hours. Hence, my new addiction is mineral makeup. What is mineral makeup? This article puts it succinctly:

If putting ground-up rocks on your skin seems a little unappealing, we're right there with you. Switching from your trusted face powder to one made of minerals extracted from the earth sounds like one of those crunchy trends (crystal deodorant, anyone?) that can't possibly work as well as tried-and-true drugstore staples.Except that when we talked to women who have tried the stuff — now being sold by everyone from L'Oréal to Neutrogena — lots of them raved. Fans (some of them so un-hippie they'd never heard of quinoa) repeatedly volunteered praise: It feels incredibly light. It won't melt off your face when you're out for a jog. It contains natural sun protection. Add in cosmetic companies' claims that the products can actually calm irritable skin and it all sounds too good to be true. xxx

A mineral is a naturally occurring, inorganic solid. Graphite in pencils is a mineral. So is a diamond. Humans have used minerals to paint their skin for ages: Traces of the pigment red ocher, an iron oxide, have been found in Neanderthal burial sites. Of course, the concept has evolved dramatically since those cave ladies were getting dolled up. Today's products contain a range of minerals, including aluminum, gold, iron oxide, kaolin, magnesium, malachite, mica, silica, titanium dioxide, and zinc oxide — all ground up and processed into fine, silky powders. Okay, slapping on makeup that came from the earth may sound like wearing asphalt, but the powders are lightweight, breathable, and often undetectable — much more comfortable on a hot day than any blacktop highway. "Mineral makeup offers more coverage than
alternative commercial options, yet feels light and looks natural," says Ava
Shamban, M.D., a dermatologist in Santa Monica, California."

So there you have it; the benefits of using mineral makeup are infinitely more than using traditional makeup that has chemicals, additives, fillers and preservatives that clog pores and irritate skin. Mineral makeup is slowly but surely making its presence felt and invading cosmetic stores, beauty and fashion magazines and even makeup message boards online. The most popular and the trailblazer in mineral makeup which successfully entered the mainstream beauty industry is Bare Escentuals ("BE"). This brand is most women's first foray into mineral cosmetics, myself included. I really fell in love with BE because of the amazing coverage, the flawless finish, and most of all, it acted as a catalyst in healing my acne-prone skin. I have a very oily t-zone and I used to have a zit farm on my chin. After using BE, the zit farm had miraculously disappeared. I have been hooked on minerals ever since. I had been using BE for a year when I started to experiment with small, women-owned mineral makeup companies that offer the same high quality of minerals as BE but without the bismuth ingredient (a known irritant). These companies are also owned by incredible, gifted women, who have been nothing but angels in my quest for my holy grail mineral products. These women also offer top-notch customer service, women who bend over backwards to please their customers, who answer questions via e-mail in a heartbeat, who are always pleasant, helpful and accommodating. I've found these qualities in the women who own and operate Monave Cosmetics, Valerie Beauty, and Lumiere Cosmetics. These are great mineral makeup companies that have outstanding customer service, with equally outstanding products that I will patronize again and again. I plan to write a review for each one of these, but so far I've only written one for Monave. Here it is:

My love affair with Monave began a little less than a couple of months ago when I excitedly ran over to our mailbox in the hope of receiving a couple of discontinued mineralized skin finishes from a popular makeup brand that I’d ordered online. I was disappointed when what was waiting for me instead was a hefty Priority Mail box that piqued my curiosity. I then remembered that my friend Sophie told me to expect some samples from Monave Cosmetics, and I let out a silent groan. I really didn’t want to test another mineral makeup brand as I was happy with the three brands I’ve been interchangeably using.

I opened the box and out came 6 different foundation shades in two finishes - the Original Formula and the Concealer Formula, 2 kinds of blushes, 2 or 3 kinds of eye shadows and a sheer lip glaze in Honey. Despite the foregoing, I was impressed with the package and the amount and variety of makeup it contained, and it made me determined to try out the products.

Not only did they not disappoint, but I was floored with the results. Their foundation was the creamiest-looking mineral makeup I’ve ever tried and has absolutely the longest staying power ever. I used to spritz my kabuki brush with a moisture spray like MAC’s Fix+ after swirling my brush in the minerals because it makes the makeup last much longer, but I didn’t have the need to do that with Monave. All I do is tap a really small amount of foundation onto the lid, swirl my fluffy powder brush into it, then apply on my face. I then repeat the process if necessary. Voila! Creamy, flawless, beautiful finish that stays put until you wash it off at the end of the day. What also amazes me is the fact that I don’t have to use as much minerals with Monave as I did with other mineral foundations to achieve the coverage and staying power that I want; thus it turns out that Monave is much more economical than the rest of the brands I’ve tried. I also fell in love with Honey lip glaze. This is one of the best lipglosses that I’ve ever tried. Consistency is not super sticky and goopy, but is slick enough to provide a luscious, juicy lip look. I love Honey lip glaze because it is the perfect My Lips But Better (MLBB) shade – berry-ish but ultra-wearable sheer gloss that is perfect for everyday use. It is my staple lipgloss at work and even on weekends. I really do need a backup of this! Their eye shadows and blushes are beautiful, as well. I was pleasantly surprised when the blush they sent me was an almost dupe of the effect of the mineralized skinfinish I was waiting to arrive in the mail

Sampling the products spawned an outrageous buying spree on the Monave website. I was thrilled when the foundations and a few other items were on sale, and I was even more enticed to purchase the products after I exchanged a few friendly e-mails with Monave owner, Deb. She was so nice and helpful with my questions and very appreciative of compliments thrown her way. I’ve never encountered a CEO as laidback and friendly as Deb. In a span of a month I had bought full-size foundations in Hyeyeon, Caroline, Teporah and Paula (just to ensure I got the right shade – and no, I wouldn’t settle for samples in order to take advantage of the on-going sale), mini lipglazes in Pinkberry, Antique Brick, Silver Rose, full-size lipglazes in Mango, Petticoat, Maple, Pinkberry and Butterscotch . I virtually have a mineral makeup mine in my house, and I can’t seem to stop! I was even more thrilled when I read on the Monave makeup board that the lipglazes and foundations do not technically have an expiration date – but with the way I’m hoarding, I am more likely to expire before the products ever will

What made me turn into an absolute Monave fan is the amazing staying power of the foundation. I liked my previous mineral makeup brands but they seem to slide off my face by mid-day unless I use a trick like spritzing moisture spray on my kabuki before buffing. Monave totally lets me skip that tedious process. A little goes a long way, as well, and a full-size pot of the foundation is very economical and will last you ages. Coverage is buildable and can range from sheer to full. It must be noted that a fluffy brush and a really miniscule amount are all you need to have great coverage with Monave. If you have been using mineral makeup, apply only half the amount of minerals you would normally use with other makeup brands when you try Monave; using too much can lead to disastrous results. Once you master it, though, application is a cinch, and finish is creamy, beautiful, flawless. I am so happy to have stumbled across this brand, and I will continue to recommend Monave to women looking for mineral makeup that is truly worth their money.

I am wearing Monave foundation in Teporah and sheer lip glaze in Honey:

This review has also been featured in the Monave website (still there!) and the mineral makeup queen Sophie's blog.