Category Archives: Chanel

Welcome the Year of the Dragon with MAKE UP FOR EVER HD Complexion Starter Kit and Chanel Dragon Rouge Allure Laque.

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MAKE UP FOR EVER HD Complexion Starter Kit in #128 Almond

We’ve all heard about the MAKE UP FOR EVER HD foundation from beauty junkies all over the world. It has made a permanent home in many a girl’s foundation arsenal. Many makeup artists have it in their professional kit. Now I am here to tell you that, well, I believe in the hype. I adore this foundation.

I guessed my shade to be #128 Almond using MAKE UP FOR EVER’s Shade Finder, and I am glad to say that it is a great match. For reference, NARS Sheer Glow Foundation in Barcelona is also a good match for my skin at the moment.


MAKE UP FOR EVER HD Complexion Starter Kit in #128 Almond — Swatches

The MAKE UP FOR EVER HD Complexion Starter Kit ($89) really does make a difference with the performance of this foundation. The HD primer smooths out fine lines and big pores to prep the skin. I like that it doesn’t have that heavy silicone-y feel of other primers I’ve tried in the past. The foundation itself has a beautiful skin-like, semi-matte finish. It does an amazing job covering up any redness and evening out my skin tone, allowing me to walk around with really good looking skin. It doesn’t cover up everything; I have dark bumps on my upper lip area that I have developed from waxing (!!!) and they are still visible in my after photo. To finish off the base, the powder creates an angelic soft-focus effect to the skin. What’s not to like, eh? By the way, I took a photo with flash and the white powder was nowhere to be seen.

Here’s a before and after shot. In the before I wore brow powder, mascara and lipstick (absolute necessities for this kind of thing). That’s it. I did not wear under-eye concealer in either photos, which to be honest, I am really regretting. Anywho.


MAKE UP FOR EVER HD Complexion Starter Kit in #128 Almond — Before and After (click to enlarge)

On its own, I like the foundation applied with a brush instead of my fingers. With the latter method, I find myself using more product. I do have one problem with the foundation though: who the heck came out with the numbering system? It is totally all over the place and definitely needs work. May I suggest breaking them up into undertones, i.e., pink #1, #2, #3, yellows, olives, and so on?

Oh yeah, for those who are celebrating, Happy Lunar New Year! Of course, I had to use the new year — the Year of the Dragon — as an excuse to pull out the amazing Chanel Rouge Allure Laque in Dragon ($42). In my opinion, it’s totally worth the kidney I sold to buy it. Why do I always get in some sort of trouble when I buy Chanel?


Chanel Rouge Allure Laque in Dragon — Swatch


Wearing Chanel Rouge Allure Laque in Dragon

Along with a little kitten eye flick (YSL Shocking liquid liner) and a little blush (Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Exposed), my Year of the Dragon look is complete! Oh, and the rumours are true: the size of my smile is directly proportional to how much I love a lipstick. :) Can you tell I love Dragon?

Have a great week, pretties!

P.S. If you fancy being a model, don’t forget to enter the MAKE UP FOR EVER open casting call.

Disclosure: Product was provided by manufacturer for editorial consideration only. For more information, see my Editorial and Advertising Policy.

Lipstick Bandits Holiday Edition: We Do Sparkles. MOAR SPARKLEZ!

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The Lipstick Bandits Holiday Edition is near and dear to my heart because I get to play with glitter. :) This time around we are layering products over a red lipstick to create a sparkly red lip.

When we came up with this challenge, I thought I was doomed.  None of my five lipglosses (yeah… only five) were sparkly enough for the job.  I had to be more creative and pulled out Sonia Kashuk Eye Quad in Bronzed Beauty from a swap from fellow Lipstick Bandit Danielle.  The gold glitter was chunky and sparkly enough for me. :)


Giorgio Armani Rouge 406, Chanel Fatale, Sonia Kashuk Bronzed Beauty


Giorgio Armani Rouge 406, Chanel Fatale, glitter from Sonia Kashuk Bronzed Beauty

To get my sparkly holiday lips, I started with Giorgio Armani Rouge d’Armani in Rouge 406 as a base.  I added a small amount of Chanel Rouge Allure Extrait de Gloss in Fatale to create a sticky base, then patted the glitter all over for… well, pure awesomeness.

Not the lowest maintenance of lip looks, but holy crap; seeing my lips like this make me want to kick myself and yell out expletives.

If sparkly lips are your thing — and if not, why are we friends? :P — you definitely have to check out the rest of the Lipstick Bandits’ red and sparkly lips:

See You in 2012, Beauties!

What are your New Year’s Eve plans?  As for me, I’m going on a brief hiatus for the rest of my holiday break. Once again thank you for reading Glitter Geek! I appreciate your continued support for Glitter Geek. :)  Have a safe and fantastic New Year!

Fool-proof Smokey Eye Using Lise Watier Fall 2011 Quatuor Wet & Dry Eyeshadows in Équinoxe.

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I can’t show you swatches of Lise Watier Équinoxe quad without showing you a look, can I? That would be so mean of me. :P When I first saw this palette, it instantly screamed smokey eye to me. Unfortunately I wore this look before I found my bottle of Métamorfix liquid transformer, so these shadows as shown here were applied dry. Just for kicks here’s a reminder of how the palette looks like:

Lise Watier Quatuor Wet & Dry Eyeshadows in Ḗquinoxe

Get the Look

For the eyes, start with a grey cream eyeshadow base (Mary Kay Glacier Gray Creme Eye Color) all over the lid past the crease. Go over the same area with the grey from the Lise Watier palette, and blend out the edges. Next, pat on the muted blue all over the lid. Take the chocolate brown with a pointed crease brush and map out a slight wing shape on the outer corners. Fill in the outer third of the lid with the chocolate brown. Then, using a pencil/smudge brush, smudge the chocolate brown into the top and bottom lash lines. Clean up the shape with a Q-tip, if necessary. Just above the chocolate brown, apply a matte warm brown (MAC Soft Brown) to warm up the brow bone. Highlight the brow bone and inner corners with the icy white eyeshadow.

Line the top and bottom waterlines with a black liner (Annabelle Ohmygoth! Smudgeliner). Finish with a couple coats of volumizing mascara (Annabelle Le Big Show Mascara).

For the cheeks, keep it natural with a matte pinky brown blush (NARS Douceur Blush) and sweep up and out towards your ears.

For the lips, apply a glossy nude pink lipstick (Chanel Ming Rouge Allure Laque).

Keep reading to see more pictures!

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