NARS Christina Lipstick

This lipstick was recommended to me by a friend - I saw her wearing it in a photo and needed to know what is was - she told me it was NARS Christina and I knew it was love at first sight.  NARS Christina and Chanel Venise are now my two signature lipstick shades!  I've discovered and have contemplated for a long time how many lipsticks a woman should own, why women keep buying lipstick after lipstick after lipstick etc and the benefit of knowing your true colours (having a colour analysis done)!  Finding your best lipstick fit is like going on a spiritual journey - you are on a path and its about 'finding yourself' and coming to terms with who you are while on that path - for me, its been a crazy journey, with a lot of money spent, but I now feel like I'm 'enjoying the journey' and have found a certain inner peace with the colour palette I've been wearing.  ANyhow, without further ado, here is NARS Christina lipstick:

I took these photos in the car with a lot of natural light - I started this look with my new favourite mineral fusion foundation in 'warm', NC 30 concealer by MAC, Melba blush (also MAC).  For my eyes, I used Elizabeth Arden Sparkling shadow as a base, MAC's Soba eyeshadow with COffee eyeliner and NARS Benagli smudged into the upper lashline and finished with a few coats of MAC's Zoom Lash mascara in Lofty Brown.  To complete the look fully, a swipe of NARS Christina Lipstick!!!

Chanel Venise Lipstick - Part 2

It feels so wonderful to finally have stumbled upon that perfect lipstick - one that I can claim as my 'signature' shade!!!  I've recently decluttered my entire makeup bag and can honestly say that I've gone from being lipstick obsessed to a woman who only needs two favourite shades of lipstick - ny favourite Venise by Chanel and NARS Christina (which I will write about soon).  I recall reading a while back in a book called 'How to be Impeccably French' that all a French woman needs is two lipsticks and a lover.....well, I'm almost there!!!

I've fallen head over heels in love with 'Venise' lipstick and wanted to show how amazing and versatile this lipstick is - I've decided to use Venise with two lipliners to show how one shade can work for both day and evening.  For a classic day lipstick look, I paired Venise with MAC's Boldly Bare lipliner:

And for evening, Venise looks stunning with MAC's Burgundy Lipliner:

I used the same makeup for both photos and tried to take one photo earlier in the day and the other 'evening' photo later on in the day!  I have also stumbled upon a new favourite foundation that I now 'love' - its called Mineral Fusion foundation in 'warm'.  It makes my skin feel 'amazing' and it a flawless look.  After applying my new favourite foundation, I used MAC's NC 30 concealer.  I then applied MAC's Melba blush on the cheeks - I wanted a natural look with this makeup vs all the contouring that I've been doing lately.  I also did a very natural look for my eyes - starting with Elizabeth Arden's Sparkling eyeshadow as a base, MAC's Sable eyeshadow from lid to crease, Coffee eyeliner (also MAC) with NARS Bengali smudged into the upper lashline.  I finished with a coat of a new brown toned mascara that I got from MAC - Zoom Lash mascara in Lofty Brown!

Soft and Delicate Makeup Looks

Everyone has a different idea about the true purpose of makeup and how it should be used!  Some people use makeup to create a new and interesting look, others use makeup to cover up imperfections and go for a look that is transformative (i.e. think of the brilliant Kevin Aucoin who could transform Lisa Marie Presley into Marilyn Monroe in his book 'Making Faces' - one of my absolute favourite makeup books to this day).  Although I admire anyone who can use makeup to truely create a magnificent transformation, for me personally, I like using makeup to enhance a persons natural beauty.  Bobbi Brown has been a long-time makeup guru of mine and what I love about her looks is that they are timeless, classic, soft and elegant.  I have been taking a lot of personal style quizzes lately - I find them fun and interesting - I keep on getting results that are a combination of classic and chic - and I keep on hearing the same description of: classic, soft, urban-chic, modern flair inflused with delicate/soft lines etc - I decided to look for some makeup looks that were consistent with these descriptions and I 'loved' what I found - soft, natural colours that bring out a true timeless elegance - I adore this look above anything else - check it out:

I love the simplicity and softness of this look - when I first saw this photo, I couldn't stop staring at the look, trying to take in what makes this look such a stunning combination of natural elegance and subtle sexiness - I find that makeup looks that can achieve this balance are amazing and I'm infatuated with learning how to create that look!!!

THe Chanel makeup line creates some of the most amazing and alluring makeup looks I've ever seen.  Their makeup collections and ads always seem to be so classic and delicate.  I think that Chanel lipsticks feel so soft and luxurious and the whole image behind who Coco Chanel was just oozes with sophistication, its hard not to want to copy the makeup looks or wish you could talk to the makeup artists behind these looks.  I would love to spend the day talking to the creative mind behind Chanel's makeup looks!!!

I have to admit that although the classic red lip and black liner are a classic combination, I often find a more soft and delicate look alluring for the evening.  I find that I get the best makeup ideas when I'm watching movies and I always find the evening, romantic dinner scenes so inspirational.  Some of the sexiest looks I've seen created are not overly dramatic, but subtle and soft.  I realize that lighting and all the other elements used in the movies business plays a role in the end result, but I think that the effect of the look is whats really important.  To me a subtle smokey eye with a natural toned lip, perhaps infused with a soft berry stain can be more timeless and classic than anything!

When I think of makeup essentials, especially for a softer, more natural look, I always think of products that will have an enhancing effect: a natural spice or delicate rose toned lipliner is a must (esp in a shade that mimics your natural lip colour), a great mascara (MAC's Zoom Lash is current favourite and going for a darker brown shade isn't a bad thing - yes, the look of dark, false lashes is great, but remember that the key word is 'false' and for an everyday look, subtle is often times sexier).  A blush is a shade that mimics the colour of your cheeks when your naturally blush is also key (Bobbi Browns trick is to pinch your cheeks for a few seconds and see what shade naturally appears - I wouldn't be putting on a warm peach blush if you naturally blush in a rose-pink shade - work with whats natural and then enhance those shades).  Finally, choosing a delicate eyeshadow shade is key.  MAC makes some of the best eyeshadow shades - I personally love: Era, Soba, Cork, Coquette, Sable and Embark to create a natural look on the eyes.  NARS also makes some great eyeshadow duos: All about Eve and Portabello are my two favourites!

I wanted to write this post to show that everyones idea of makeup is different - to one person, high drama, lashes, hot pink or bright red lips is the ideal sexy look and it definitely can be!!!  To others, creating a soft delicate look is what makes someone look truely alluring.  I don't think there is any one right or wrong answer.  I say wear what you love and know that different occasions call for different makeup looks!  My personal opinion after studying makeup, watching countless movies to get makeup ideas and talking to numerous people (esp men), there is something unique and alluring about a woman who can acheive that tom-boyish flair as I like to call it - a true mix of a subtle smokey eye with a delicate 'red' or natural lip.  I think that its important to note that there are many shades that fall under the red umbrella, not just the fire engine red that we are used to hearing about - reds can lean pinkier, brownish, deep/more burgundy like, subtle berry toned etc etc.  My advice is to find your perfect 'day' red - a shade that is subtle and wearable for day - here are some options: Chanel Venise and Sexy, NARS Christina, MAC Retro, Sophisto and Charismatic.  These shades are not true reds, but will definitely give you that elegant look that is both soft and sexy!!! 

 

Bohemian Decor - My Inner Gypsy Coming Home!!!

My interest in bohemian style has been increasing and I have to say that currently I am totally in love with bohemian inspired decor.  I have to be honest and say that I'm not up to date with interior design 'terminology' and very often I have a look in mind that I love, but just can't find the words to describe the look I'm after.  So instead of me sounding ridiculous, I've decided to post some pics of bohemian decor that I've fallen in love with:

I guess that if I had to descibe in words, what comes to mind is Moroccan flair, Gypsy Elegance, Ethnic Inspiration, Spiritual Universality!  All I know for sure is that when I see this decor, I feel a sense of being 'home', isn't that the perfect word for how you should feel in your surroundings - home!!!  Right now my apartment is very city-chic, so I think I will have to incorperate some bohemian elements one at a time, but this is the look I truely love and its truely 'me'!  I guess I must be a gypsy at heart!!!

Chanel Rose Cuivre Lip Liner

I have to admit that lately, I've been steering away from the nude and spice toned lipliners.  For the longest time I've always wanted those nude shades to work, but instead, they wash me out, so I've decided to embrace a lipliner that is still natural, but that gives me the colour and warmth that I need.  Rose Cuivre by Chanel is such a pretty neutral berry-rose-brown shade.  It can be used with any shade in the warm-neutral family: warm berry rose, rose-brown, salmon pink, brownish-red etc etc.  In my previous post (http://renata-beautyandelegance.blogspot.ca/2012/07/chanel-venise-lipstick.html) I used this liner with another lipstick by Chanel - I wanted to show how versatile this lip pencil is, so here is the same makeup look, but with a more rose based lipstick shade - Jersey Rose by Chanel.  I love versatility in makeup shades - its makes your look harmonious and gives it a ceratin consistency and allure:

Chanel Venise Lipstick

Bois Des Iles used to be my all time go-to Chanel lipstick, but sadly, it has been discontinued.  However, today I had the opportunity to go to the Chanel counter at a local department store.  The Chanel makeup artist there was amazing and spent some time with me trying to find a suitable alternate to Bois Des Iles - at first it seemed that there wasn't a comparible shade, until we both stumbled upon 'Venise' - Venise is such an amazing and interesting shade, because in the tube, it looks like a slightly deeper version of Bois Des Iles without the pearl/shimmer.  Interestingly enough, it is quite close as a colour shade, but its also one of those amazing lipsticks that is buildable - a quick, sheer swipe and you have the most delicate berry stain, a swipe or two more and all of a sudden, you have a rich, deep brownish-red - I was so impressed with Venise as a lipstick, that I have to admit that I may even like it 'better' than Bois Des Iles!!!  I wanted to create a look using Venise and Chanel's Rose Cuivre Lip Liner - I decided to do a soft, natural eye to play up the magnificence of this lipstick shade:

To create this look, I used very soft, delicate shades on my face - I started with NARS St. Moritz tinted moisturizer, used MAC NC 30 concealer, and a light dusting of translucent powder.  I then applied Tawny blush by Bobbi Brown as a contour shade (this is my absolute favourite contour shade in the world), Elizabeth Arden Sparkling eyeshadow as a highlight and Melba blush by MAC.  For my eyes, I used EA sparking as a highlight/base shade, MAC Coquette shadow from the lid into the crease, lined my eyes with Coffee eyeliner by MAC and smudged the upper lashline with NARS Bengali before applying mascara.  I then did a quick swipe of Rose Cuivre lip pencil and applied Venise lipstick by Chanel.

I have to say that I've never felt so connected to a lipstick after applying this shade - its an interesting feeling and I almost feel as if I have found the 'one' - that signature shade that every woman dreams to have in her makeup bag!  Could it be???  Is my search for the perfect lipstick shade finally over???

Coffee Eyeliner by MAC

For the longest time Teddy eyeliner by MAC was my go-to stand-by eyeliner.  I still love it, but if you're looking for an eyeliner that is more intense and slightly deeper than Teddy, please check out Coffee eyeliner the next time you're at MAC.  Just like the name suggests, this eyeliner is a deep espresso-like brown.  It blends very well with other shadows, which I love, since I very often smudge an eyeshadow shade into the liner on my upper lash-line.  I wanted to create a softer-look, but using Coffee to add depth and drama to the eyes, here is the look I came up with:

I started with my 'go-to' basic face, which is St. Moritz tinted moisturizer by NARS, MAC NC 30 concealer, a touch of translusent powder, Bobbi Brown Tawny Blush to contour.  I then mixed Make Up For Ever #10 and #133 shadows to create a unique golden-salmon highlight shade.  I decided to apply MAC's Blushbaby blush to finish my basic face.  For the eyes, I used #133 - Make Up For Ever shadow as a base shade, Soba by MAC mixed with Coquette on the lid into the crease, Coffee eyeliner (top/bottom lashliner) and NARS Bengali to smudge into the liner of the upper lashline.  I decided to for-go the lipstick in this photo as I wanted to show how naturally pigmented they are - the natural shade actually matches the salmon-pink colour of the scarf I'm wearing - how cool is that?

I love how this look has both a very natural quality and sultry depth - I love a classic defined eye and Coffee eyeliner is the perfect way to achieve this look!