Where to buy: MAC counters/stores
Price: $20 CAD

I've always been a fan of cream eyeshadows and from the ones that I've tried, MAC is definitely on top of the game. I've spoken of my love for Paint and Paint Pots before for their colour intensity, ease of blendability and ability to extend eyeshadow life. Enter the Metal Urge collection (November 2008) and MAC's latest release of cream eyeshadows. MAC's Brushed Metal-X cream eyeshadows are available in a gorgeous array of metal-inspired colours. The colour pigment is potent and glides on the skin true to how it appears in the packaging. You have to be quick working with these, as I find they tend to set faster than MAC Paints. But once the cream eyeshadows are on, you're set for the day (no touch-ups required with the long-lasting formula!). My current faves are Metalblu (a lovely shimmery navy that's perfect for achieving the trendy blue eye make-up look) and Verdigris (an evergreen colour with silver pearl that makes a great option for that evening smoky eye look!).

For an amplified metallic effect, use Brushed Metal-X cream eyeshadows with the complementary glitters, pigments and liquid liners of the Metal Urge collection. If you're after a high-voltage look, MAC's Metal Urge is the perfect way to get your shine on this season! Enjoy!

For the next few posts, we’ll be focusing on festive looks to get you dolled up for your holiday parties. So while you’re focusing on prepping for the parties you’ll be hosting and shopping for the people on your list, we’ve got your make-up tips covered here:
Smoky eyes are a gorgeous and effective way to prep for the office holiday party or for a night out. The application doesn’t have to be complicated – the look is meant to be messy so don’t worry about making it too perfect!! The intensity of the application is totally up to you. You can opt for a softer look and use brown eyeshadows (as in the example here), or go for a more dramatic look with grays and blacks. Once you have the smoky eye technique mastered, you can use any colour (even purples, blues and greens!) and even add texture (shimmer, glitter) to get the look. Try these application tips for a smoldering look that will get you noticed!

What you’ll need:
1. neutral cream eyeshadow (for use as a base)
2. black eyeliner
3. base (neutral/medium coloured) eyeshadow
4. contour (darkest coloured) eyeshadow (i.e. gray, chocolate brown)
5. highlight (lightest coloured) eyeshadow
6. black eyeshadow
7. black mascara
8. black cream eyeshadow (*optional)

Tools:
Medium dome eyeshadow brush
Crease eyeshadow brush
Blender eyeshadow brush
Eyelash curler

How to apply:

1. Use a base to prevent creasing.
Grab your base coloured cream eyeshadow and apply all over eyelid up to the eyebrow. Using a base is an integral component of the smoky eye – you want to make sure the shadow stays where you initially apply it and not travel south to give you a raccoon eye! A base will help to keep everything in check and prevent your eyeshadow from creasing.

2. Take the neutral coloured base eyeshadow and apply all over the eyelid (see area "a" above).
This part of the application doesn’t have to be too neat. Once the cream eyeshadow layer has set, take the medium dome brush and apply the neutral eyeshadow colour all over area "a". This will smooth out the eyelid for application making other eyeshadows applied atop of it easier to blend.

3. Use the crease brush with the dark coloured eyeshadow and push the brush into the crease of the eye, swiping back and forth to deepen the hollow of the eye (see area "b" above).
Concentrate the bulk of the dark colour on the outside corner of the eye and blend gently inward towards the centre of the eye. For added drama, build up the intensity of the dark eyeshadow by applying a couple of layers. Blend well and keep this dark colour concentrated in and below the crease.

4. To up the smoke factor, take the crease brush and dip it in some black eyeshadow and build up the shadow in area b.
Tap the brush to get rid of any excess flakes and apply it close to the lashline and blend it upwards into the crease.
*optional: For a super-smoky effect, layer on black cream eyeshadow atop and blend. Creams eyeshadows appear more vivid than powder eyeshadows and are perfect for those after a strong smoky look.

5. Use your tapered blending brush to soften the dark colour into the crease blending so there are no harsh lines.

6. Highlight atop the browbone to create the illusion of more depth.
Using a highlighting eyeshadow plays up the light and dark areas of the eye. It brings the most prominent part of the eyelid forward (the area just atop the browbone), while making the hollow of the eye seem deeper by contrast. You can also use the highlighter on the inner corner of the eye for a gorgeous light-catching effect.

7. Apply your liner keeping it tight to the lashline. Line the bottom keeping the line thicker on the outer corner and gradually tapering it off as it approaches the inner corner.
You can line the inside rim of the eyes for a full-on smoky effect, but as this area of the eye is wet, be prepared to check your eyes throughout the night to make sure the eyeliner hasn’t shifted downward.

6. Curl your eyelashes and add two coats of mascara.

Balance the look:
Complete the look with a neutral coloured lipliner and some high-shine gloss. If you prefer to go deeper on the lips, try a coloured lip gloss or a lip stain. Avoid lip colours that are too dark and too matte, as pairing them with a dark eye will have a tendency to make you look aged. Add a bit of blush/bronzer to ensure the cheeks aren’t washed out and voila - you're ready to party and get noticed!
Artist tips:
I prefer using a gel liner or liquid liner for a smoky eye, as they have greater staying power. A pencil works well and is super easy to work with, but unfortunately does not last as long.

Don't forget the importance of polished brows and concealed under-eyes for a completely polished look!

Pack a mini-touch up kit with q-tips, concealer, powder and eyeliner just in case you need to touch up the look.

Remember the diagram above is just a rough guideline of where colours should be placed on the eyelid. As long as you keep the darker eyeshadow colours in areas that recede, the lighter coloured eyeshadows in areas that come forward and blend in between, you'll be fine. So experiment and have fun with it to find your hottest smoky eye yet!

For the next few posts, we’ll be focusing on festive looks to get you dolled up for your holiday parties. So while you’re focusing on prepping for the parties you’ll be hosting and shopping for the people on your list, we’ve got your make-up tips covered here:

GET THE HOLIDAY LOOK | Red Lips
If you’re donning that little black dress for your holiday party, a pair of red lips is the perfect make-up match to complete the look. Red lips make a bold statement and can be an intimidating colour to buy (and wear!). But rest assured, there is a red out there for everyone!

How to apply:
Trace the desired shape of your lips with a matching red lipliner. Lipliner will help prevent lipstick from feathering into the fine lines around the mouth. Fill the lip in completely with lipliner to act as a base for the lipstick. Blot. For a sharp finish, use a lipbrush with your red lipstick and trace around the edges of the mouth. Then apply the lipstick directly to the mouth from the tube, swiping back and forth a couple of times on the top and bottom lip.

How to make it go the distance:
Once lipstick has been applied, blot with a one-ply tissue and reapply one more coat of lipstick. You can also take a large clean powder brush and while holding a tissue to cover your mouth, dust some translucent powder atop the mouth area using a brush. These methods will help stain the lips with some colour so if you end up caught under the mistletoe, you’ll still have some colour on the lips post-kiss!

Complete the look:
Keep the look balanced by going light on the eye make-up – a stroke of black liquid liner and neutral eyeshadow on the lids looks gorgeous with red lips. Red lips also have the tendency to make the face look washed out. Add blush/bronzer for colour and definition after applying lipstick, but use just a small amount so that the lips remain the strongest element of the make-up look.

Artist tips:
If red is still too bold, blot the colour slightly and apply a clear gloss atop to soften the look. If you're not a lipstick kind of girl, there are plenty of red lip stains or cherry coloured glosses to help you achieve that festive red look!

To avoid the dreaded lipstick-on-the-teeth look, take your index finger, place it in your mouth and pull it straight out. This technique will help remove any excess lipstick and keep your pearly whites in check!

It's best to first try on a red you plan on buying and looking at it outside of department store lighting. Use this as a guideline to narrow in on reds that will work best for you:
For pale skin tones, try a cool and bright cherry red. (Think Gwen Stefani, Christina Aguilera).
For medium yellow and olive skin tones, give a warm-toned fire-engine red a go.
For dark skin tones, try a berry colour or crimson red.

For the next few posts, we’ll be focusing on festive looks to get you dolled up for your holiday parties. So while you’re focusing on prepping for the parties you’ll be hosting and shopping for the people on your list--don't worry--we’ve got your make-up tips covered here!

GET THE LOOK | ‘Tis the Season for Glitter

It’s the season for tinsel so why not add a little glittery glam to your evening look? Try out these products to add a little bit of sparkle and a whole lotta glam this holiday season:

Annabelle Silverstar Glitter Mascara
As part of their recent Space Baby collection, Annabelle released a glitter silver mascara, aptly dubbed Silverstar. I initially was a bit taken aback by the idea of glitter mascara. Whenever I hear the word "glitter", I have flashbacks to the '80s and memories of dancing to Fame & Flashdance soundtracks and rocking the ever popular legwarmer look! Needless to say, glitter has come a long way. Glitter is no longer the chunky bits that churn up my memories of the 80s. Today's glitter is finely milled with more of a subtle, but still eye-catching, sparkle.

In a mascara though? Whodathunkit?! But after giving Silverstar a test run, it turned out I was pleasantly surprised and an immediate convert!! Once applied, Annabelle's Silverstar mascara made my lashes look like they had been kissed by diamonds! The effect is actually very subtle, but catches the light brilliantly as you blink and bat away those lashes (and believe me, you'll be batting them even more!!).

I tried the mascara on its own a few times and then tried it again with a black mascara as a base. I preferred the look with the black base coat of mascara first. The black base coat helped give my lashes the necessary oomph factor to stand out (they need all the help they can get!). From there, applying the glitter mascara was like the icing on the cake!

Be warned that this mascara is highly reflective, so it takes a little bit to get used to seeing sparkles in the corner of your eye (think of when a snowflake catches your eyelash - similar to that feeling!). Either way, more excuse to flutter your sparkling lashes!

Glitter mascara is definitely a fun and super easy way to add sparkle to your evening out. So pop in it that purse, add a coat or two and bat those lashes (and the night) away!!


MAC Reflects Glitter
Similar to MAC Pigment (an artistrhi favourite!), MAC Glitter has the same staying power and potent shine, but with a larger sparkle finish. You can use this versatile product around the eyes, on the lips and on the body! Add it atop your eyeshadow, apply it over your gloss or mix in a tiny bit with your body lotion for a simply dazzling effect.

I was lucky enough to scoop up a container of Reflects Transparent Teal Glitter, which looks amazing when you add a tiny bit to your lotion for use as a highlighter. Teal Glitter also looks great atop blue eyeshadows (like we talked about yesterday), so layer it on for an extra pop!

Here are some more options for glitter around the eyes. (Note: Try only one glitter look on the face at a time…otherwise you may risk glitter overkill!):

1. Use glitter to highlight the inner corner of the eye. Layer it atop a highlighting eyeshadow for a stand-out look that makes the highlighting eyeshadow more visible from afar.
2. Use a tiny amount of glitter and place it on a tissue (you can control the amount better this way). Use the tip of your ring finger or a sponge tip eyeshadow applicator and lightly pat on the centre of the eyelid (where the eye is the most prominent). This gives a nice highlighting effect that truly makes the eye come forward.

Disclaimer: Glitter has its limits, so be sure to consult here on how to make glitter work for you!

There’s no way to better way to beat the winter blues than by adding a little pop of colour to your make-up routine. Update your look by taking a cue from the fall/winter 2008 runways where blue eye make-up was all the rage!! Now, to make sure you carry off this look without looking dated (i.e. not like mom’s baby blue make-up of yesteryear!), try one of these artist tips to get a modern version of the blue-adorned lid:

Use navy eyeliner instead of black.
Navy is still a great neutral coloured eyeliner for anytime of the day wear. It works best on brown and green eyed people and adds brightness to the eyes (versus using a black). Navy is a great way to wear blue for daytime, and yes, it’s suitable for office environments too! Just be sure to keep the application simple at work and add some drama at night by making it thicker or adding a wingtip!

Add a peep of blue eyeshadow to the outer corners.
Use black eyeliner as usual. Use blue eyeshadow just on the top and bottom outer corner of the lid (or alternate between the two corners) and smudge it into the eyeliner, not straying too far from the lashline. This technique adds depth and a nice brightening effect to the eye rather than when using just a black or gray eyeshadow.

Use light blue as a highlight and blending eyeshadow for a smoky eye.
Do your smoky eye as usual, and use a subtle blue/blue-gray colour to soften the effect and apply it to the inner corner of the eye as a highlighter.

Opt for a medley of blues, rather than black, for your evening smoky eye.
There are numerous palettes out there to help you achieve a blue evening smoky eye. Christian Dior’s five pan palettes in Myriad and in Blue Croisette have beautiful combinations of blues that make it easy to get the smoky blue look.

There’s a blue look out there for everybody. If you’re a beginner, try a navy eyeliner or some blue mascara. If you’re more advanced, try a navy liquid liner or a blue smoky eye. If blue eyeshadow freaks you out, you can still incorporate the trend into everyday wear by trying on a blue mascara (Benefit’s BADgal mascara in Blue is gorgeous) or polishing up with blue nails! The options are endless - so have fun with it - and look great while beating the winter blues!

See www.style.com for more inspiration!