Swell Makeup: Mineral Eye Shadow

I've mentioned before that I'm teaching my youngest daughter, Sarah, about makeup. She's been allowed to wear a bit ever since she turned 12. I did her eye makeup before school yesterday. I want to show her colors that work well with her hazel eyes.

A year or so ago, I purchased two sets of mineral eye shadow from Pink Quartz. One was a shimmery dress-up kit and the other was a matte set. I'm not sure if she still sells them this way, but you can see the colors used in the brighter set here. To do Sarah's look, I used a matte peach and I lined with an olive color. She loved how it turned out. If you want a more dramatic look, simple use more shadow or wet your brush before applying.

When you use a mineral shadow to line your eyes, use an angled liner brush, and instead of "drawing" along the lash line "push" the color in. If you try to draw it, the powder tends to spread and land on your cheeks.

I recently had the opportunity to try the Cowgirl Dirt* line of mineral shadows. You could do a similar look with their Copper and Cactus shades. If you prefer a smoky eye, try the Midnight. It's a deep navy color that also makes a great liner.

Tomorrow, I've got a new mineral makeup to share with you. It's a line designed my a teenage girl. How cool is that?

*Product sample furnished to reviewer.

Image credit: Chase Your Bliss Photography

Swell Makeup: Get The Look

I'm back! This morning, I went to the Dr where I received a boat-load of antibiotics, a breathing treatment, and a shot in the butt. By this afternoon, I started to feel a bit human again. Finally. Life is so much better when you can actually breath. Bronchitis sucks.


So, lets get to it....

Have you seen some of the latest It Looks at Sephora? They have a whole section called Get The Look where they give you the product info and the instructions to recreate looks that are sure to be hot this Summer.

Some of the looks are on the avant-garde side, (see Icy Blues), but with a slight bit of tweaking (as in, apply with a lighter hand), they all can be worn fairly easily, by a wide range of ages and skin tones.

For example, the Turquoise Liner look is a fresh Summer look that consists of bright, turquoise blue lined eyes and an orange lip.

It's perfect for a women in her 20s-30s, but a gal in her (early!) 40s, like me, would maybe remove or shorten the long tail of liner at the corners and thin out the bottom liner for a cleaner, more subtle pop of turquoise. (With knowledge and maturity comes the acceptance of that adage - Less Is More).

Now, on the other hand, Dinner in Paris, I'd leave it completely as-is. Smokey steel-gray eye, bold brow, sculpted cheek, barely pink lip - gorgeous!


You can find these Get The Look, looks here,  plus a whole lot more.


Image credit: Sephora

Swell Style: A Girl's First Makeup

Friday was my youngest daughter, Sarah's 12th birthday. At 12, I let my girls wear makeup - it's the same age I was allowed to start wearing it. It's important to me that my girls understand how to apply makeup well and how to take it off. I do not want my girl to be that middle school kid who walks around with way too much black eyeliner on because she has no clue how to apply it.

For her birthday, I chose a few simple starter-type cosmetics. Her skin is healthy, so she doesn't need a foundation or base. I started in the Bonne Bell section, because their cosmetics have light, sheer shades, that are perfect for young girls to learn with. I picked up a 4-color eye shadow in Girlie Pinks, a Plum eyeliner, and black mascara. I showed Sarah how to apply the colors and gave her some tips on how to keep things looking fresh and pretty, but not too heavy. If you know a young girl who is ready to start wearing makeup, here are a few things to keep in mind.

*Chose light, fun shades that can be layered for deeper color. Young girls love shimmer, so a quad like the Bonne Bell pinks that I picked out for Sarah is perfect.

*Black eyeliner is too harsh. Chose something in a brown, plum, or light blue, if your girl wants some extra pop. A pencil or crayon-type eye liner is the easiest to use.

*Shadow and a damp eyeliner brush is also a good way to apply a subtle liner and the technique is not hard for a young girl to pick up.

*Stress the importance of keeping things clean. Wash hands before touching makeup, make sure the face is clean, don't share mascara, and keep cosmetics in a clean, dry container. Sarah is using a tackle box that used to hold her Polly Pockets. (Oh that makes me a little sad, she's so grown-up.)

*Provide a spot with plenty of light so that your girl can see what she's doing.

*Blend, blend, blend. Women of all ages need to remember that rule. *Have fun!

Image credit: Michelle Hamor Smith

Swell Makeup: Erika Christensen's Mercy Red Carpet Look

I am a fan of simple, classic,  glamour. That's just the sort of look that Erika Christensen was wearing at the Los Angele premiere of Mercy. You can easily recreate this look with products from mark. Here are the details straight from Jamie Greenberg, the celebrity makeup artist who created Erika's lovely look...




*She prepped skin with mark Mist Opportunity Muliti-Tasking Refresher and See Things Clearly Brightening Moisturizer. Erika has great skin, so she only required a bit of Get A Tint Tinted Moisturizer Lotion SPF 15 in Buff/Natural.

*Cheeks were dusted with Glowdacious Illuminating Powder in Prettied Up, then Good Glowing Custom Pick Powder in Cameo Glo was applied to the apples of cheeks.

*Jamie prepped Christensen's lids with Please Hold Eye Primer. She used Get Bright Hook Up Highlighter in the Natural shade to get rid of any under-eye shadows.

*The lids were shaded with I-mark Custom Pick Shadow in Latte, with Espresso in the crease. To "make her eyes pop," Greenberg lined the lower lids in the Gold Opal shade of Mini Mark It Hook Up Sticks for Eyes. Upper lids were lined with Get In Line Hook Up Liquid Waterproof Eyeliner in Cocoa Coquette. Lashes were treated to two coats of mark Scanda-Lash Hook Up Mascara in Blacklash.

*Lips were slicked with Kiss Dry Goodbye Lip Smoother, then a combo of the Juicy and the Mist shades of Dew Drenched Moisturlicious Lip Color. To give a matte effect, she patted Erika's lips with a tissue after application.

If you'd like to see what Erika Christensen's dress looked like, here's a full length shot. I love the way she accessorized with the blue shoes. Fun choice.


Hey, ladies, don't forget to enter my Lubriderm skin care giveaway.


Image credit: PicApp.com

Swell Makeup: Bronzer & Highlighter

I've had sick kids home with me the last couple of days. Yesterday I had an almost completely computer-free day while we hung out and watched TV. They both seem better today, but neither kid is even close to 100%. It's too pretty outside to be sick!


The people at Mark sent me one of their new Glowdacious Illuminating Powders in the Shimmied Up colors. The product contains 3 colors of highlighter/bronzer with just a touch of shimmer to it. The compact comes with a built in mirror and there's a place to store your makeup brush under the makeup. You can find it at MeetMark.com where it retails for $12.

The product can be used without or without foundation and it's formulated without oils or fragrance, so it's safe for sensitive skin. They recommend the Prettied Up for fair skin, the Shimmied Up for medium, and the Amped Up for dark skin tones.

Bailey, my 18 year old, has been using the Shimmied Up regularly since it arrived. She said she likes to swirl the brush through all three colors for bronzing her face. She uses the darkest color (outer rim) to deepen her eye makeup at the crease. She likes that the product is so easy to use, that it fits easily in her purse-size makeup kit, and that you can use the colors however you want - all at once, or individually. Everything you need in one little kit for the perfect Summery glow, without the sun.

Don't forget to enter my giveaway!!

Image credit: Michelle Hamor Smith

Swell Makeup & Smell: Kim Kardashian Gift Set From Sephora

My youngest daughter loves to watch Keeping Up With the Kardashians. Me, not so much, but I have to admit that I love Kim Kardashian's style and makeup. She is a gorgeous lady and she really knows how to create the perfect smoky eye look.





Not that long ago, I got a chance to sample her Kim Kardashian Eau de Parfum for review. It's nice and not at all what I expected. I expected sexy, because that's what her image projects, but it's more of a feminine Floral with a strong note of Gardenia. My daughter, Bailey, uses it every day and the last time we were in 7-11, the clerk said, "Oh, your smell is good." I said, "It's Kim Kardashian," and he answered, "No. It is her." Ha!

Sephora has a new Kim Kardashian Gift Set available at Sephora. For a limited time, you can get all you need to create her "signature look" for only $55.

Wear luscious nude lips, sultry smoky eyes, flushed cheeks, and a voluptuous scent to channel Kim Kardashian's coveted sexiness. A chic, mirrored compact holds your must-have eye, lip, and cheek colors, plus applicators for on-the-go glamour. A set of simple instructions walk you through Kim's tips: "How I create my signature look!" Add a touch of fragrance and get ready to be downright irresistible.

The kit includes a 1 oz Eau de Parfum, 2 shades of lip gloss, 1 cheek color, and 3 shades of eyeshadow.



Kim Kardashian fragrance notes: Mandarin, Honey Suckle, Orange Blossom, Pink Jasmine, Tuberose, Sensual Spice, Lush Gardenia, Jacaranda Wood, Tonka Bean, Vanilla Orchid, Sexy Musk, Creamy Sandalwood



Image credits: Sephora and Picapp.com