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Beauty, Makeup

Tarte’s Be a Mermaid and Make Waves Palette Is Making A Splash At Sephora!

Photo via tartecosmetics.com

Tarte is ready to dive head-first into spring with a siren-inspired palette that already has makeup mavens dreaming of a sweet seaside escape.

Exclusively available at Sephora (for now), the limited-edition palette comes in the form of an iridescent clamshell-shaped compact that would be perfectly at home inside of Ariel’s underwater grotto of untold treasures. Inside, you’ll find scales featuring 14 matte and metallic shadow shades that are perfectly suited for the shore that are designed to stay put, thanks to the Amazonian clay-infused formula. The hues offer an amazing array of makeup looks ranging from soft and subtle neutrals to vibrant bolts of bold color. Some of the standout shades that the brand swatched on its Instagram page include the deep blue teal of Lagoon, the shimmering sea green of Splash, the bold bronze of Shell Yeah, and the rustic red of Beach Please.

It’s no surprise that we’re having a bit of a mermaid moment as, according to Popsugar, sirens are slated to make a big splash this year — and it’s not just because of those fishtail blankets that everyone added to their holiday wish lists last year either. In fact, there are already at least two The Little Mermaid remakes heading to theaters soon, a new tv show called Siren coming to Freeform this month, and even mermaid-inspired fitness classes popping up throughout the country designed to get you to flip and flex your fins. And I’m sure there will be more mermaid must haves to come!

And with this new pretty palette, beauty buffs won’t be able to stop themselves from Instagramming it with a cluster of clamshells as soon as they get their hands on it or whipping it out at a pool party as they channel their inner Ariel (after all, was she everyone’s favorite Disney princess when they were growing up?). I say you can totally lean into the look even further by pairing the palette with your go-to texturizing spray — John Frieda’s Beach Blonde Sea Waves Sea Salt Spray would be perfect in this instance — and a lip gloss that delivers a wet-shine finish, and consider yourself set to stun whether by land or by sea.

March 2, 2018 by
Beauty, Makeup

Tati Westbrook’s Halo Beauty Line Is Almost Here!

Photo via HaloCosmetics.com

We’re counting down the final hours until Tati Westbrook‘s recently announced Halo Cosmetics is slated to go live!

The makeup artist and YouTube phenom has spent years on the platform sharing her best beauty tips and delivering straightforward product reviews that have garnered her millions of fans across social media. And for almost as long, those fans have called on Westbrook to branch out with a line of her own, and finally, just over a week ago, the beauty guru dished on the details in two video clips.

The line is set to launch March 2nd, aka tomorrow! But while most were expecting to add a highlighter or other makeup must to their cart, Westbrook announced that her brand would first focus on delivering beauty from the inside with a hair, skin, and nail booster nutriceutical supplement. “[It] is working from the inside out, which, to me, is a more potent and better way to deal with some of your issues with dry skin and appearance issues than a moisturizer or makeup. Those are just icing on the cake,” she explained in the video clip announcing the launch. “And I promise we will get there. I do want to grow as a brand — I have a lot in mind with where I want to go, but we’re starting here.”

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March 1, 2018 by
Beauty, Makeup

Nicola Formichetti’s Nicopandas Come Out to Play With MAC

Photo: MAC Cosmetics via Teen Vogue

When I first started playing with makeup — not just swiping my mom’s lipsticks, but actually receiving play makeup to mess around with — I tended to go really wild when I dressed up. Smearing creamy blue and white shadows on my lids, applying layer after layer of thick pink gloss, and using my stash of stick-on earrings as jewels to dot all over to accent my look was all part of the prepwork before donning what I pretended was a gown before presiding over my subjects. And while I don’t play princess as often as I used to, that playful attitude has stuck around.

It’s also what drew designer Nicola Formichetti, who many might know as the former Mugler creative director who had Lady Gaga rock his first runway, to finally link up with MAC Cosmetics. The head of Nicopanda has a long histroy with the beauty, having previously paired up for a number of campaigns over the, including Gaga’s Viva Glam campaigns. “They have always been very supportive of me and my creativity,” he explained to Teen Vogue. “It was a natural progression to create product together with Nicopanda. They are like family, and we really trust each other.”

Photo: MAC Cosmetics via Teen Vogue

But this time, Formichetti wanted to bring his brand, which he says is all about “trying new things, sharing and creating new ideas,” to the beauty counter by letting his creative spirit run wild to craft a collection that is meant for everyone who loves who likes to play with pigments. “Diversity and inclusivity are part of everything I do and Nicopanda does,” Formichetti said of the collection that is slated to hit MAC’s website on April 5th and MAC stores and Macy’s on April 11th. “Working on this project, I was inspired because everyone had their own take on how they wanted to play with the color palettes — a total freedom of expression.”

That sense of spirit transformed into a collection chock with pretty pastels and other unconventional color combos in the form of three Full Face Kits called Stay Cute, Preppy Panda and Primapanda as well as six matte lipsticks that the glossy notes range from seafoam green (Galactic Mint) to deep plum (Toung ’N’ Chic). Not to mention, there’s a plethora of Formichetti’s signature pandas dotted all over the packagaing and even topping some of the makeup brushes in the collection. “I spent a lot of time really perfecting the packaging. I wanted to bring together the beauty of MAC design with the Nicopanda motif, and I am really happy with the results. It’s pretty incredible because packaging for this collection is unlike anything previously done by MAC.”

But the most unique (and most likely to sell out the fastest) is the face stickers that come in the shape of flowers, hearts, bows, as well as punctuation marks and Nicopanda heads — all decked out in glitter. Stick-on face accessories have been a staple in the industry, but in recent years, they’ve been remixed to appear more delicate and darling, like Milk’s series of tattoo stamps and Flirt Cosmetics Chicers, than these daring ones from MAC. That’s not to say you can’t lean into the look with a face full of them. In fact, Formichetti fully encourages makeup mavens to come up with with their own cool combinations, something he admits he’s spent hours doing. After all, what’s the point of playing with makeup if you’re not having fun? “Beauty can be the most simple and natural look or something totally over-the-top and crazy because it’s an opportunity to both empower and express,” he said. “It’s our differences that make us unique and beautiful.”

If you want to get up close and personal with some of the products int heupcoming collection, I suggest you head over to Teen Vogue to get a gander at some of them before marking your calendars for April 5th if you’re planning to shop online or April 11th when it hits stores. Either way, let me know what you’re planning to pick up in the commenst below!

February 27, 2018 by
Beauty, Makeup

Soap & Glory Offers #MoreThanLips Service By Helping Women Run for Office

While nothing can make you look perfectly polished in an instant like a bold lip, Soap & Glory is putting its money where its mouth is by doanting $20,000 to help others around the country raise their voices for change and help level the playing field when it comes to public policy. And the best thing is that you can lend a hand pout too!

The brand known for its fresh and fun bath and body buys (all wrapped in pretty pink and vintage beauty photos, of course) wants you to lift others up with a little bit of lip service. All you have to do is share a post on Instagram or Twitter using the hashtag #MoreThanLips, and Soap & Glory will donate $5 on your behalf (up to $20,000) to She Should Run, a national organization working to increase the number of women running for elected office to 250,000 by 2030.

The campaign is meant to remind women everywhere that whatever their shade of gloss, they can, and should, always share their voice, especially during a time when there is a dire need for the varied perspectives and experiences that women — across many different backgrounds — can bring to leadership. According to the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University, women only make up about 19.8% of the seats in Congress, including 22.0% of the Senate and 19.3% in the House of representatives. As for local state legislatures, women currently hold 22.6% of state senate seats and 26.3% state house or assembly seats, making up 25.3% of the 7,383 state legislators in the United States. But there’s still plenty of work to do in order to create a more effective and representative government.

To really get the conversation going, the brand created a private video booth during the LA Women’s March where participants could share what makes them feel powerful, releasing the clip on Thursday. Women from all walks of life, including those who have experienced homelessness, addiction, domestic abuse, chronic illness, and more, shared their stories of triumph over tribulation with one concluding, “I am pretty badass.”  Because those that have something powerful to say are pretty badass.

And check out the full video below:

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February 23, 2018 by
Beauty, Makeup

Rihanna Celebrates Her “Dirty Thirty” With A New Killawatt Highlighter

Rihanna might’ve lamented the end of her 20s on the eve of her birthday (honestly I am too!), but the beauty mogul is celebrating the start of her new decade by helping everyone else shine bright — like a Trophy Wife, not a diamond.

Fenty Beauty has just released a hyper-limited edition version of the cult favorite Killawatt Highlighter in Trophy Wife, which comes embossed with a triple X in homage to the bad gal’s big birthday. But don’t worry; the 3D hyper-metallic gold shade still features the same cream-powder hybrid formulation that melts into skin for that glow-from-within effect anywhere.

“You can use this on any part of your face — your eyes, your cheeks, your nose bridge, your collarbone,” she said of the beauty buy. “I like to use it on my body as well because it’s such a high sheen.”

The idea for the limited edition luxury first formed after brand gifted Riri with a custom blinged-out version of the cosmetic compact that the brand shared on Instagram, instantly inspiring some serious FOMO. Though I wish the Swarovski-encrusted version was available for everyone — maybe it’ll appear as part of an upcoming holiday collection — I still might have to get my hands on it before I hit the big 3-0 myself.

Are you planning to pick up this covetable cosmetic? It’s expected to fly off of FentyBeauty.com’s shelves soon. So if you, let me know what you think in the comments below!

February 21, 2018 by
Beauty, Makeup

Amy Deanna Becomes The First CoverGirl Model With Vitiligo

A post shared by COVERGIRL (@covergirl) on

You might not know Amy Deanna yet, but she’s bound to become a household name after this! The Texas native was just named the new face of CoverGirl‘s #IAmWhatIMakeUp campaign for its TruBlend foundations, making her the brand’s first spokesperson with vitiligo.

Though you might have seen her featured in spreads for Atlas Magazine, it’s a huge opportunity for the up-and-coming model to help make the beauty industry more inclusive, starting with the first video ad which was unveiled Tuesday morning. In the clip, Deanna is featured not covering up her spots but instead using two of the brand’s foundations to make both of her skin’s hues look absolutely flawless.

“Inclusivity is important—not just for people of different backgrounds and ethnicities, but also people of all sizes,” she told People. “That’s why I was so excited to partner with CoverGirl on this project. Beauty comes in all shapes, sizes, colors, etc. Let’s face it, together we are a mosaic—that in itself is beautiful. We should celebrate that.”

Though the mega model in the making is helping to further break down beauty barriers, she notes that the industry still has a ways to go when it comes to diversity. “I believe that inclusiveness will challenge unrealistic beauty standards within the beauty industry and in humanity,” she told the glossy. “I remember seeing Queen Latifah on TV as a CoverGirl when I was young. That was so inspiring.”

In fact, many of CoverGirl’s famous faces, including Queen Latifah, Rihanna, Issa Rae, and Zendaya, are stars she looked up to as she began her modeling career and is now following in their footsteps. Not to mention joining the likes of fellow model Winnie Harlow and the legendary Michel Jackson who have shared their struggles with vitiligo, a disease that causes the loss of skin color in blotches that can occur all over the body as well as the hair and the inside of the mouth, according to The Mayo Clinic.

“At the end of the day I am just like everyone else, I just happen to have spots. It’s a part of my identity, but it doesn’t define who I am … For there to be so many of us and so little representation, it’s truly disheartening,” Deanna said. “I work with CoverGirl; I’m a black woman; I have vitiligo. That is empowering.” And that is a badass way to put it — congrats Amy!

February 20, 2018 by
Beauty, Makeup

#OnMyVanity: 7 Mascaras That Will Make You Forget About Falsies

A post shared by Val’s Vanity (@valsvanity) on

I receive a slew of samples, and when I find something I like, I can’t wait to tell you all about it!

When it comes to the pursuit of long, lush lashes, most of us can’t leave home without applying a little bit of mascara or even applying a pair of false lashes before leaving the house. While they’re great for dramatic effect and a slew of selfies, faux lashes aren’t a fit for everyone’s daily routine whether it’s due to waiting for the glue to dry, getting the strip to sit close to your lashline, handling the heavier load on your lashes, or just having your lengthier lashes pressed against your glasses all day (like me). So finding a formula that mimics the look of false lashes without the extra steps (and the aggravation that can come with it) has become a big priority for me in order for my lashes to be visible behind my frames.

And with National Lash Day here, I decided to dig through the drawers of my vanity to share some of my favorite formulas that get me the lust-worthy lashes without transforming them into spider legs or sticking to my glasses. These mascara not only fatten up your lashes but ensures that they reach new heights — no falsies necessary.

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February 19, 2018 by
Beauty, Makeup

Bite Beauty’s Latest Astrology Lipstick Offers a Pretty Neutral Pout for Pisces

Courtesy of Bite Beauty.

It’s almost Pisces season, and according to Bite Beauty, it’s time to pucker up!

The brand is expanding its limited edition Horoscope collection of its popular Amouse Bouche lipstick with inventive takes on each horoscope’s attributes. While the first lipstick in the line offered a deep a rich take on the airy and inventive Aquarius, Pisces is a fresh and juicy take on a neutral in the form of what the brand calls a “pitch-perfect peach.”

Some astrology afficoinados might scratch their heads wondering why a pretty pastel like a lavender or mint green wasn’t picked to represent the romantic and whimsical aspects of a Pisces, but the neutral hue makes a lot of sense! Pisces is the sign of “artists, visionaries, and dreamy creative types,” like Nina Simone, Steve Jobs, Chelsea Handler, Elizabeth Taylor, and the bad gal of beauty herself, Rihanna (just to name a few), according to astrologer Tara Greene, who was tapped by the brand to help select the shades. While they’re considered the most spiritual and compassionate sign of the zodiac, Pisces are also known for working their magic behind the scenes, swimming from social circle to social circle seamlessly to help bring their visions to life — just like a good neutral goes well with anything in your wardrobe or on your vanity.

Or as Greene put in in a press release about the hue, “Pisces are soulful, and like water they ‘go with the flow,’ blending in and out of different environments. Find them painting a masterpiece, writing an original song, or volunteering at an animal rescue organization.”

So don’t sleep on this shade — snap it up ASAP before it sells out! Besides, as a Pisces myself, I would be remiss to miss out on snagging this shade! As much as I love the idea of owning a shade associated with my sign, the fresh hue could also be a great way to transition my makeup from winter to spring without skipping a beat. Plus it could be fun to mix with some of the other shades in the astrology-inspired collection — I’m an Aries rising, after all.

February 19, 2018 by
Beauty, Makeup

Erdem and NARS’s Collaboration Redefines “Garden Variety”

Photo via Women’s Wear Daily.

Erdem Maralioglu is bringing his siganture romance from the runway to the beauty counter in its first color collaboration with NARS.

But the London-based designer wasn’t satisfied with simply selecting a few shades from one of his previous collections and calling it a day. Rather, he used the team-up opportunity to explore his aesthetic and develop a sercret garden of fresh pigments and palettes that “push different elements through color and product,” as he explained to Women’s Wear Daily.

“You can tell a story as much with what you’re wearing on your face as what you’re wearing on your body,” Maralioglu told Vogue.

The result is Strange Flowers, a 13-picece capsule collection wrapped in “weird” floral motifs of spiky dahlia and lilys, which made its debut backstage at his Fall 2018 show Monday morning after two years of development. The collaboration really plays up the pout with not only six lipsticks and balms in varying hues of red, plum, and mauve but also a powder lip palette inspired by the saturated pigments used to mattify the models’ mouths at one of his early runway shows. “There was a lot of time spent talking about the idea of using products or textures that you normally would associate with certain parts of the face, in different ways,” he said.

Other standouts of from the upcoming collection include an icy, pink-toned highlighting pencil to add irridesnce to the inner corners of the eye or anywhere else on your face, even when you’re on to the go. Plus there’s a batch of blotting papers, an unexpected but delightful addition that’s a major must-have for those (like me) who battle against serious shine during the spring and summer.

I’m already head over heels for Erdem’s aesthetic thanks to his penchant for contrast and contradiction, which he says he played with for the cosmetic collaboration, but the idea of using darker hues during a season when brights and neons tend to take center stage. Not to mention, I’m dying to get my hands on that lip powder palette — a surprising beauty buy that I have a feeling we’ll see more of as makeup mavens, novice and pro alike, continue to toy with textures on their lips, lids, and anywhere else.

While there’s no word yet on how much it will cost stateside, you can mark your calendars for May 1st when the capsule collection is slated to hit shelves nationwide. In the meatime, you can head over to Vogue.com if you want to get a closer look at the pretty products.

What are you planning to add to cart? Let me know in the comments below!

February 19, 2018 by
Beauty, Makeup

You Can Now Score Pat McGrath’s Latest Eye Palettes For Less!

A post shared by Pat McGrath (@patmcgrathreal) on

We’ve all ooohed and ahhed over the sultry and shimmering shadow swatches of Pat McGrath’s eponymous Mothership Eye Shadow Palettes. But as much as we’ve lusted after the precious pigments, most of us balked at the $125 price tag for 10 shades, choosing to love the line from afar.

But the Mother of Makeup announced via Instagram on Thursday that she is making things easier for those who can’t always treat ourselves to her little luxuries by unleashing a new plethora of moderately priced palettes that will be availble exclusively on McGrath’s site starting March 7th. The three palettes, aptly called MTHRSHP, will feature six all-new shades each (but the same ultra-pigmented formula) in three color schemes named Sublime, Subversive, and Subliminal. Each will come housed in a small mirrored compacts, making them easy to toss into your carry on or your work tote. But best of all: each of the brand new palettes will be priced at $55 each — less than half the price of the originals — or about the same price as the latest Naked palette.

Also coming to shelves soon: a new fine-tipped liquid eye liner with a thin, tapered brush for “exquisite control for elegant contours and pristine definition,” McGrath told Fashionista, noting that it will include a more intense and opaque formula. Sounds like it might be perfect for getting those thin Lana del Rey type of feline flicks or super sharp lines for a more decadent and detailed makeup look.

Needless to say, I’m already saving up my pennies for at least one palette (maaaaaaybe two if I can swing it). Would you put down the dough for these new Pat McGrath palettes? (I don’t blame you, the formulas are fantastic!) Let me know in the comments below!

February 16, 2018 by