Where to find: MAC counters
Price: $16
What It Claims: "Shades for a smooth, creamy, cushiony life, jet-milled with an eye for ultimate luxury, beyond-Tinseltown-chic."
Review: love it
Anyone who has had their make-up done by me knows my technique of how I love to do things in layers for more staying power, particularly the use of cream eyeshadow coupled with powder eyeshadow on the eyes.

MAC Starflash eyeshadows have enough stick like a powder eyeshadow, but still leave a smooth and shiny finish on the eyelids. The product formula lives up to its "Starflash " name, with a camera-ready sparkle that lasts. I've tried and tested these at my everyday 9-5 work, and they withstood the crease-proof test of 8 hours, which is amazing for eyeshadows, especially ones that are more creamy in texture.

Starflash is perfect to use when trying to achieve the metal eyes look that's been hot for summer. Keep in mind that the Starflash collection is limited edition, so stock up while they still have them and/or before I buy them out!!

On June 26th , I had the opportunity to work with Arlene for her big day. The day started off a bit rainy, but by the time the ceremony was set to roll around, the sky had cleared and the sun and Arlene were shining.

Here are some wonderful pics courtesy of Arlene's close friend, Carleah Phoenix Goodard.

Most women prefer not to bother with eyeshadow as they find it tends to fade away and/or gravitate towards the crease of the eye by the end of a typical work day's length. Hopefully, the following 4 steps will help you find ways to make your eyeshadow last you through your 9-5. You don't have to do all the steps, I've put an asterisk by the ones I do daily.

• Prep the eyelid with eye primer or a mattifying gel. Similar to foundation primer, eye shadow primer acts as a base for eyeshadow to cling to and absorbs excess oils of bare skin.
• Dot some concealer all over your eye lids, blend and finish by patting some powder on top to seal it, blend and smooth it out with a sponge to prep for eyeshadow application.
• On top of the concealer and powder layer, apply a layer of cream eyeshadow (see picture 1), then finish with a powder eyeshadow layer. When applying both these products, use a stiple motion to apply and blend. (see picture 2)
  Using a stipling/patting motion, rather than a wiping back and forth motion, helps to build up the product in a controlled manner and prevent what you have already applied from being wiped away.
• *Use an eyeshadow brush to apply powder eyeshadow and blend, blend, blend. Add layers to desired intensity (see picture 3).
  Why use an eyeshadow brush? It's a lighter touch than your fingers and unlike your fingers, it is clean of oil residue that can make applications look blotchy when applied directly from the fingers. A brush is way easier to apply eyeshadow with, and it helps to give you control in that small eyelid area!
  

Unfortunately, there's no way to prevent the natural oil process that leads to creasy make-up from happening on the eyes. Keep in mind that oily lids are not necessarily a bad thing - we need a basic amount of those natural oils to keep the skin around the eyes moisturized and young-looking. It does take a little more time, but applying eyeshadow with the tricks above will help to reduce migration of eye make-up towards the crease...and any midday frustration that usually derives from the need to re-apply!

Still no luck with the suggestions above?
If none of the tips mentioned above works for you or your schedule, stick to light 'base' colours (champagne, taupe, peach, cream colours) for your eyeshadow. These will help to brighten and highlight the eyelid area, but 'creasing' will not be as apparent, as the lighter colours are less obvious when they gather in the crease.

Good luck everyone and let me know if you find any success (or struggles) with these tips!
Recommended products:
i). cream eyeshadows: MAC Paints, MAC Paint Pots, NARS Cream Eyeshadow
ii). powder eyeshadows: INGLOT, MAC, Christian Dior, most luxury brands

Where to find: www.yazmo.com
Price: $150 and up (depending on size)
Review: love it
If anyone is in the market for make-up cases, try Yazmo for some unbeatable prices:

A couple of months back, I did some damage and bought a full-size rolling make-up case at $250 CDN and a set bag with removable trays for about $150 CDN. For the full-size rolling case, the comparable price range at a Canadian retailer was $400 to $600 CDN (see Industry Cosmetics to compare).

You need to only walk into your local Sephora or check out www.industrycosmetics.com to see how inflated/ridiculous some Canadian pricing is, especially when our dollar has been doing relatively better than past years!

Aside from the reasonable prices, what I love about the cases from Yazmo is that they both contain removable trays that are standard size. I can easily transfer trays back and forth between the large case and the set bag without the constant need to reorganize everything! The trays also come with dividers that allow you to resize its compartments (see picture at right).

If anyone has any other deals and/or steals, please do share!

What better to accentuate tanned summer skin tones than some metal eyeshadows that are all the rage this season?

To get the look:
1. Use a neutral cream eyeshadow as a base to help give eyeshadow more staying power, especially in the heat of summer. Spread from lash line to eyebrow using your finger. Try MAC Paint Pot in Soft Ochre or MAC Paint in Bare Canvas.

2. Take a medium tone neutral eyeshadow and apply all over eyelid using a flat sponge tip applicator.

3. Take a dark tone eyeshadow and use a crease brush to concentrate the colour where the eye folds. Then, using a blender brush, blend and get rid of any harsh lines. The look should be soft and diffused.

4. Use a flat sponge tip applicator with a metallic pigment (loose powder shadow) to get an intense metal look.

5. Use a highlighting tone of eyeshadow in a matte finish (off-white on fair skin tones, cream colour on medium tones and peach for darker skin tones.) Based on personal preference, you can opt to also use a shimmery finish for the highlighting eyeshadow. I like to keep the shimmer in one area (i.e. just on the eye lid), just so the eye doesn't look so 'busy' and detract away from the main focus around the eyes.

6. Apply eyeliner to add emphasis to the eyes and lash line.

7. Pump up the volume with an eyelash curler and two coats of a black thickening mascara.

8. Keep the cheeks and lips soft with peachy-pink tones so the attention is kept on the eyes.

Metallic shades that work best:
Fair Skin Tones - pale gold, silvers
Medium Skin Tones - gold, copper, bronze
Dark Skin Tones - silver, gold, deep bronze