it’s been quite some time since my last genuine beauty post. truth is: i was feeling uninspired…

but last december, i met up with my friend Michele (aka the fabulous Sis On Strings of the Misnomer(s)) and she had on the most striking electric neon pink lipcolor. she told me it was STILA.

i nearly choked on my spit.

granted, i’ve been out of the beauty loop for a while, but my impression of Stila had always been of demure “white girl colors” of pinks, roses, nudes and plums…and those messy pump-lipgloss brush pens.  but BOY, was i wrong!

after reading some initial reviews on Makeup Alley, and considering a “B-” review from my homie Karen at Makeup and Beauty Blog, I was skeptical. but i popped over to Sephora to check out these so-called Long Wearing Lip Colors...and OMG – it was love at first swatch.

from top to bottom: Exhilarating, Outrageous and Intriguing.

naturally, the 3 shades that interested me were all in a Matte finish. but we all know the Cardinal Rule of Lippees: Long Wear + Matte Finish = Sahara Desert on the lips.

but i was stupified: this product ACTUALLY lived up to it’s claim that it doesn’t feel drying on the lips!  BUT, I think there are a few things that need to be clarified.  for example, the Stila site says this is: A lipstick and lip gloss all in one that boasts extended wear while keeping lips feeling soft and smooth – never dry. The secret is a blend of patent-pending polymers that provide long-lasting wear with rich pigment that glides on like your favorite gloss.

let’s keep it real here:

• the product should be renamed Stila Long-ER Wear Lip Color:  as beauty consumers, we’ve been trained to think the words “long wear” means “it will stay on through food, drink and 8+ hours of rough & tumble”.  this product: not so much.  if anything, its staying power is LONGER than a regular lipstick…but it’s definitely no typical Long Wear product
• “Patent-Pending Polymers”:  i chuckle to myself every time i see the “P” word — Polymers. after years and years of working in the beauty industry, i know that “Polymers” is a Product Development buzz word for “magic”.  if you asked me specifically what it was, i couldn’t tell you.
• “Gloss”….maybe it’s because i opted for the more matte finishes, but even the “creme” finishes I swatched…not so much gloss. if anything, it’s a “satin” finish at best.
• you could use it as a lipliner…but a helluva unprecise one.

(holy crap, please excuse the horrible lip-drawing!)

despite these slightly misleading things….it’s official: I’M OBSESSED WITH THESE LIPEES.  why?

• i love that it’s a Long-ER wearing vs. a true Long-Wear lipee.  i mean, do you REALLY want something to be on your lips for 8+ hours? don’t you wonder if that’s toxic in the LEAST?
• the wear is SO incredibly comfortable – i was SHOCKED.  it felt smooth, glided on effortlessly, and felt silky once on. did my lips feel HYDRATED? no — nor did i expect them to. it’s a MATTE lipstick, for crissake. (let’s be real) but they were by far, one of the most comfortable wears i’ve experienced for a matte shade in a while.
• the colors were SO vivid and bright.  honestly, i was really surprised to see these types of shades from Stila.  (granted, i chose the 3 brightest shades in the line — the others were the typical “white girl” shades of nudes & pinks…)

VERDICT:  Seouldiva Says MOS DEF.

STILA LONG WEAR LIP COLOR $20

Through all the backstages that I’ve seen in the past few seasons, there has been a lot of color: reds, fuchsias, pinks, blues, greys, browns, golds, metallics…but there is one color glaringly missing: GREEN!
I dunno why, but I can’t tell you the last time I saw a true GREEN being used to create a beauty look.  I wonder what we have against green. It’s the color of life! Hell, it’s the color of money.
So I thought I’d do something today to celebrate GREEN:

• MAC Studio Sculpt + Strobe Cream
• MAC Paint Pot in Soft Ochre on eyelid as a base/anchor
• MAC PRO Reflects Gold patted on top of eyelid (paint pot will keep it from falling out)
• MAC Eye Pencil in Minted on lower lash line
• MAC Eye Shadow in Swimming (yay!) brushed over the lower lash line with #219 brush
• MAC MSF in By Candlelight on cheeks (they should honestly rename it “heather”)

As the week progresses, I think I’m getting lazier & lazier.  Today was exceptionally lazy.
My look was UBER simple:

• MAC Studio Sculpt mixed with Strobe Cream
• MAC Paint Pot in Soft Ochre on lids (applied with fingers)
• lashes curled with MAC Plushlash
• MAC MSF in By Candlelight on cheeks (as if you’d even have to ask!)
• MAC Lip Liner in Fucshia
• MAC Lipstick in Violetta

One of the reasons I love Violetta is because the formula is soft and has a satin sheen to it, but it also has an opalescence, so it’s very alluring to the eye.
Unfortunately, I forgot my makeup bag AGAIN at home (after painstakingly packing it for touch-ups), so keeping this look up after I eat lunch will be…interesting.  I’m hoping that we have a Violetta lying around in the office so I can at least keep this up!

I wanted to wake up early this morning, thinking my body wanted yoga.  Turns out, my body wanted SLEEP! LOL.
After a very strong lip yesterday, I felt I needed to tone it down today.  I was a little inspired by the look that Gordon Espinet did at Behnaz– very beautiful and alluring without being too “in your face”.

Today I used:

• MAC Studio Sculpt w/ Strobe Cream on face
• MAC Soft Ochre Paint Pot on lids for base
• MAC Charcoal Brown eyeshadow swept across lid with #222 brush
• MAC Pigment in Gold Mode (old one!) on lower lash line, using #219 brush
• MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Comfort as a contour
• MAC Plushlash Mascara on top lashes only

The result was a very relaxed, refreshed look with no harsh lines — no eyeliner!

Woke up this morning, exhausted, confused and slightly hungover.
But I was determined to try and recreate the look that Val Garland created for the Cynthia Rowley show yesterday. It looked very doll-like and fascinating.
It was a very strong lip using MAC Lipmix in Crimson, but the eyes were key. She used HEAVY coats of mascara on the lower lash line only.
I did mine with about 5 coats of mascara. Halfway through the day, however, I’m realizing that maybe this particular runway look doesn’t translate too well to “realway”. I think people think my mascara application went awry.
Oh well, you live & learn!

I’m a little late posting this one, but yesterday got away from me!
One of my all-time fave classic makeup looks is a simple black-rimmed eye, where it’s literally like tracing a black line outside the shape of the eye.
This look was pretty simple:
-face & body in C3
-PowerPoint pencil in Engraved
-MSF in By Candlelight
But the one thing about this look is the precision. I like keeping the line precise otherwise it just looks smoky. So I carried the MAC Cleansing Tips to clean up the “leaks”.

I was fortunate enough to accompany MAC Sr. Artist Romero Jennings to the Carmen Marc Valvo makeup test on Wednesday.  Romero is keying the show, and he came up with the most beautiful spring look — I was inspired this morning!!
So here is my attempt at re-creating the look Romero created for Carmen Marc Valvo…you’ll see it on the models at his runway show THIS Sunday!  (sneak peek!)

• MAC Pro Longwear  Foundation
• MAC Shimmermoss Eyeshadow & Teal Pigment applied with #219 Brush to outer corners of eye and blended out
• MAC Pigment in Your Ladyship (from Antiquitease Collection!) on the inner lid and carried underneath
• no liner
• MAC Haute & Naughty Mascara on top lashes
• no brow (because honestly, I forgot!!)
• MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in By Candlelight on cheeks (again)

Confession: I was REALLY not going to do the New York Fashion Week Makeup Challenge (#NYFWMUC) this season.  It’s been a very challenging and stressful summer and work has been particularly excruciating, so I didn’t think I had the creative gumption to do it this season.
But I woke up this morning, and it was like the Fashion Week Fairy had sprinkled her magic on me overnight.  I was filled with the spirit of Fashion Week!  Yes, it’s a full week of exhaustion, running around in painful heels, long days & nights of being super smiley and “on”….but at the end of the day, it’s a full week of CREATIVITY and being around the most incredible makeup talent in the world.
SO, bishes…#NYFWMUC is ON (like popcorn!)!!!!!!

DAY 1: Fabulous Feline!

Today’s suddenly cool weather puzzled me. So I pulled out my sleeveless turtleneck shirt…which lead to the hair being slicked up in a “femme fatale” sorta way…which lead to a cat-eye…NATURALLY.

• MAC Face & Body in C3
• Strobe Cream (obsessed)
• Superslick Eyeliner in On The Hunt (from Fabulous Felines)
• MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in By Candlelight (on the cheeks)

Let #NYFWMUC begin!