Eyes and Lips of the Day!

I used two of my fvorite brands today--Rock & Republic and Hourglass. R&R makes some of the best eyeshadows I've tried and Hourglass makes my favorite lip glosses.

Eyes are Rock & Republic Exile last to crease and on the lower lash line, with Hourglass Calligraphy Liquid Eye Liner in Indigo ($32) to line on the top. The liner is a deep blue with a hint of green in it.

Lips are Hourglass Gloss in Ignite, a gorgeous pinky beige. Click to read more about my love affair with Hourglass glosses.

RIP Rock & Republic Cosmetics. A Rock & Republic Eye of the Day

I've made my love for Rock & Republic Cosmetics well known in my previous entries and unfortunately it turns out that the line is closing down. The good news is that several Neiman Marcus stores have the brand marked down between 40-50% (the sale has not hit the website yet). The bad news is that these superbly pigmented eye shadows and smooth glowy blushes are not long for this world. I strongly disagreed with the company's marketing strategy from the get-go: virtually ignore the rest of the line while promoting a mediocre $225 bronzer in a crystal-studded case. Whenever I spoke to someone about the line, their first comment was inevitably "oh, that line is so expensive." In truth, the line was priced along the lines of brands like Guerlain and YSL, and was cheaper than Chanel. And when you consider that the shadows and blushes contain 2-3 times the amount of product found in comparable lines, R&R is, gram-for-gram, a pretty good deal for outstanding quality. That message never came across and unfortunately the line did not succeed.

In honor of my beloved R&R, here is my eye of the day:
* Rock & Republic Veil Eye Shadow lash to brown (a soft pale ecru)
* Rock & Republic Snakeskin in the crease and smoked out (a murkey shimmery olivine)
* Bobbi Brown Forest Shimmer Ink Eye Liner
* Prescriptives (another brand that will soon but shuttering it's doors) False Eyelashes Mascara
* MAC Browning (from the Porcelain/Browning duo) powder for brows

Here is a link to my prior posts about Rock & Republic in the hope that they can help you with color selection should you choose to take advantage of the sale or try the line!

Face of the Day!

I unearthed an old(er) MAC Quad today and wanted to use it!

Eyes:
MAC Blanc Type lash to brow (over Laura Mercier Eye Basics in Linen)
MAC Naked lunch in and above the crease
MAC Copperplate in the outer corner
Urban Decay 24/7 liner in Bourbon
Korres Mascara
(The other MAC shadow in the Quad is Sensualize)

Cheeks:
Rock & Republic Rumor
Bobbi Brown Illuminating Bronzer in Maui
Julie Hewett Goldie Shimmy to highlight the tops of my cheekbones

Lips:
Laura Mercier Tiger Lily Stickgloss

Face of the Day

It was rainy and gloomy when I woke up this morning so I opted for brighter pink cheeks and lips. They were just as appropriate in the afternoon when it had turned sunny and cheerful (though I was too chained to my desk at work to enjoy it).

Eyes:
Lancome Erika F
Jane Iredale Eye Highlighter on brow bone (I use this all the time)
Laura Geller Baked Cake Eye Liner in Key Lime/Dark Green Apple (I usually use the dark wet to line the top and inner rim and the lighter dry to line the bottom)

Cheeks:
By Terry Blush Veloute in Apple, topped with a mix of
Trish McEvoy Sunkissed All Over Face Color and Perfect 1 blushes (the 2 colors in the middle. The others are Jolie and Weekend)

Lips:
Sephora Nano Liner in Queen Quartz
YSL Rouge Veloupte #2
Hourglass gloss in Origami

Close up of the eyes:
Close up of the cheeks:
Close up of the lips:

Face of the Day

I haven't posted a Face of the Day in a while, but I received so many compliments on my look today that I thought it was worth sharing, especially given how simple it was.

I used Bobbi Brown Champagne Quartz Metallic Shadow lash to brow, Rock and Republic Diffused Shadow in the crease and lined with Sephora Nano Liner in Glitter Brown. Cheeks were MAC Lilicent topped with the last dregs of the Chantecaille Lumiere de Rose Highligher I dropped and destroyed a few weeks ago and I wore Bobbi Brown Berry Shimmer (decidedly not berry colored) and MAC Gingerroot to line. Usual underpinnings of Jouer concealer, True Cosmetics mineral pressed powder, Laura Mercier Eye Basics in Linen and Korres black mascara.

Tres Simple Face of the Day

Oh, insomnia. How I wish I could quit you. I've slept about 4 hours over the last few dates which necessitated a simple face today that would make me look alive! I find it easiest to put together a look in a hurry if I stick mainly to one brand, and since I wanted to retry an Origins blush I had previously put in the 'discard' pile (I love to set aside items that I think I no longer want and revisit them down the line, sort of like shopping in my own collection), I went with that line.

My eyes are Laura Mercier Metallic Cream Shadow in Gold, a taupey gold metallic cream that lasts all day, even through copious eye rubbing (thank goodness), with Laura Geller Key Lime/Dark Green Apple Baked Cake liner. I used Origins Sugar Cookie blush, a healthy sunburned kind of color, atop my new Jouer Tint in Whisper. Origins Rose Gold Creamy Lip Color and Caramel Candy Liquid Lip Gloss. (Fragrance was the delicious Ginestet Botrytis with hints of honey, candied fruit, quince and gingerbread for comfort).

With my Senna powder peeking out, and having forgot the lip gloss (it's that kind of day):

Sugar Cookie and Key Lime/Dark Green Apple:
Jouer and Laura Mercier:
Lips:

Trying to Wish Away the Weather Face of the Day

It's been bitter cold in NYC this week and what was once the pretty snow (for all of 5 minutes) has turned into black piles of slush and puddles of murky water. I am so ready for spring weather and so I decided to do a springy face in the hopes of changing the seasons through sheer will and makeup alone! I wore my beloved Rock & Republic eye shadows along with pinky-peachy-bronzey cheeks and lips.

Eye Shadows:
Rock & Republic Diffused, Affair and Veil

Cheeks:
Paul and Joe 16 Canyon

Lips:
Chanel Aqualumiere in Como (this was limited edition but if you can find it, grab it! It's gorgeous) with Hourglass gloss in Lush. The gloss sheers out very nicely and both adds depth to the lipstick and moisture (without stickiness) to my lips.
Swatches from lef tot right:
Rock & Republic Veil, Affair, Diffused, Paul and Joe 16 Canyon, Chanel Como, Hourglass Lush

Staple Eye of the Day

I dusted off some old favorites for today's look: Rock & Republic shadows in Veil, Affair and Diffusion, Lancome Le Crayon Kohl in Black Coffee and Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes mascara. This picture was taken after about 10 hours of wear. My mascara has wilted a bit but the shadows and liner are still going strong. I wish Rock & Republic had stuck around--I would have loved to see new shades and products from the line given how high quality I found nearly every product I tried from them.

Face of the Day (well, er, yesterday)

Today is a snow day here in New York City so no makeup! Yesterday I was determined to dig up some items I hadn't worn in a while, and I opted for Chanel eyes, Lancome cheeks and Paul and Joe for lips.

Eyes were Chanel Ombre Essentielle Ivory lash to brow, Cinnamon in crease (with my beloved Chanel Brush #3), and Le Crayon Kohl in Graphite. Ivory has a beautiful golden shimmer, and Cinnamon is warm without being so red that it gives that "rabbit eyed" look. Graphite may seem like an odd choice with the shadows but the color is subtle and it works beautifully. I love this liner formula and am sad that it has been discontinued. If your local store still carries them, I recommend picking up a few!

I adore my Lancome Blush Magique Cream Blushes and frequently layer Cinnamon Glaze and Subtle Fluff for a pink-tinged bronze with shimmer.

The lips are the first Paul and Joe lipstick I purchased and one of my overall favorite lip shades, 40 Pomme Au Four. I'd wear it more often if it didn't have that (in my opinion) horrible Paul and Joe signature scent associated with it. Every time I do wear it I fall in love with the color all over again.

With Flash (Ivory, Cinnamon, Graphite, 40 Pomme Au Four, Cinnamon Glaze, Subtle Fluff):
Without Flash (Ivory, Cinnamon, Graphite, 40 Pomme Au Four, Cinnamon Glaze, Subtle Fluff):

Favorites Face of the Day

Today's face for this painfully cold day featured many of my tried-and-true favorite products. This is a look that's quick and easy for me to put together on days when I'm running late or can't figure decide what to wear.

• Rock and Republic shadows in Veil and Snakeskin
• Rock and Republic mousse blush in Rumor (this seems to be the only Rock and Republic product that doesn't show up for sale anymore which is a shame since it's a true holy grail. When it's finally done I'll be having it duped by Three Custom Color Specialists)
• Origins Multigrain Bronzer
• Scott Barnes Creme Color in Luster
• Bobbi Brown Forest Shimmer Ink
• True Cosmetics Lip Definer 1
• Bobbi Brown Creamy Lip Color in Baby (this is my second one and you can see it's nearly done. I have a backup waiting in the wings)
  

Finishing off the look were BE Matte in Porcelain on my T-Zone, It Cosmetics Bye Bye Undereye and tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes (which smears more than my beloved Korres mascara). Fragrance was Kiehls Vanilla perfume oil.