You spend years and a good chunk of change searching for the perfect lipstick -- the one that complements your skin tone, stays on and doesn't run -- and you find it. Two tubes in, it vanishes, and you discover the brand discontinued that particular shade. It's my nightmare. I buy in bulk and hoard my favorite beauty products in fear of my violet eyeliner or date night perfume being discontinued. And apparently, I'm not alone. When brands discontinued these beauty products, fans and loyal customers lost it. They launched e-mail campaigns, begged and threatened boycotts. They did everything in their power to let the cosmetic company know just how much they loved these beauty products. And their efforts paid off. These discontinued beauty products saw so much love the brands brought 'em back.
Move over, dewy skin. Matte makeup has been all over the runways and red carpet, leaving the shimmery look popular in years past in, well, the past. But this isn't your '80s pancake makeup or the kind of spackle that you'd see on a Broadway performer. This season, the matte look is all about getting a velvety-smooth finish that doesn't look heavy. Sound like a tall order? We got the scoop from Rimmel London makeup artist Kirstin Piggott about just how to master the matte finish.
Smoky eye makeup is a standard look for a night out, a special occasion, or hey, just because you're feeling sexy. However there's a fine line between a masterfully smudged and blurred smoky eye and an eye makeup look that's simply a mess.
Illamasqua has a rep for producing vibrant, theatrical makeup looks, and believe it or not, they actually toned things down a bit for the new Glamore collection. But you wouldn't know it by looking at these bright, color-saturated lipsticks and grownup-glittery polishes. Not only are the colors brand-spanking-new, the formulas have been changed up, too. Instead of the signature matte lipstick, the new shades come in a satin finish that is creamier and less drying, but still highly pigmented. And those glimmer-packed polishes? Well, see for yourself.
We see our fair share of makeup at Total Beauty headquarters, and truth be told, it takes a lot to get all of us excited about a single product. But when the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powders, $45, were passed around for TotalBeauty.com Award nominations, we spent a little too much time oohing and aahing about the way they made us glow. And not a disco shimmer kind of glow. The powders are made with "photoluminescent technology" designed to mimic your skin's best qualities in the most flattering light (think diffused light, candlelight and dim light). We loved the silky texture and perfect amount of shimmer in these finishing powders.
The Oscars are always filled with glamorous celebrity moments, and this year was no exception. The designer gowns, tear-jerking acceptance speeches and host Ellen DeGeneres's celeb selfie that broke the record for number of retweets (and briefly broke Twitter!) were just a few highlights. But as always, it was the beauty looks we couldn't get enough of -- and we'll be turning to them for inspiration for months to come. Since we could never pick just one, we gathered our celeb favorites in hair, makeup and nails at the 2014 Academy Awards, and included expert tips and get-the-look details.
We're suckers for pretty palettes with hints of shimmer and bright lipsticks that practically beg to be worn poolside with oversized sunglasses and wide-brimmed hats. But what makes these new spring makeup picks really special is packaging that's just as stunning as the makeup inside. These prestige products look just as glamorous in your makeup bag as they do on your skin, and they're all launching right now. Buying one (or all) is a no-brainer. The hard part will be deciding which sun-kissed bronzer or creamy pastel shadow to wear first.
Along with scouting what's vogue in shoes and scoping out "it" new hairstyles, we turn to fashion week runways and celebrities to wrap our head around new makeup trends and color palettes. And nothing gets us going like a hot new lip color trend. This spring's most daring color of choice is orange (and we love it!), but if you're too pragmatic to be an early adopter, we've got the next best thing: berry.
We patiently sat through Spring/Summer 2014 fashion week months ago, just barely made it through the brutal winter months and now ... we can't wait one more second to get our hands on the new makeup launching in Spring 2014. Take a sneak peek at this pure makeup product porn: the new spring 2014 makeup in gorgeous color swatches from a few of our favorite bloggers.
If you've been following the "alphabet cream" trend, you know all about BB creams and CC creams, and you've probably been waiting patiently for DD creams to surface. (A few brands have tried to make DDs happen, without much success.)
Maybe it reminds you of that bout of conjunctivitis you had as a kid. Or the villain in pretty much every horror movie. Suffice it to say that red eyes aren't traditionally considered sexy. That might have changed with Rodarte's presentation at New York Fashion Week, in which models strutted down the runway wearing shimmery, mauve-y red eye shadow and lip colors -- a look that was slightly gothic, slightly ethereal and super daring. The red eye makeup trend also appeared at the fall shows of Trina Turk, Helmut Lang and Suno, among others. Naturally, we had to try out this runway look in real life, using TotalBeauty.com staffer Sarah Czuleger as our model. Here's how we did it.
Ask any makeup-obsessed beauty junkie the skill they're most confused about and most will agree: contouring is a bit of a mystery. (At least according to an informal poll in our office.) Contouring and highlighting, for the uninitiated, is the process of using bronzers, light and dark foundations and highlighters to accentuate the contours of your face. Contouring brings out your cheekbones, slims your nose, makes your eyes pop, and gives you an overall 3D, sculpted face that typically requires great lighting or highly paid professionals.
Ask any makeup-obsessed beauty junkie the skill they're most confused about and most will agree: contouring is a bit of a mystery. (At least according to an informal poll in our office.) Contouring and highlighting, for the uninitiated, is the process of using bronzers, light and dark foundations and highlighters to accentuate the contours of your face. Contouring brings out your cheekbones, slims your nose, makes your eyes pop, and gives you an overall 3D, sculpted face that typically requires great lighting or highly paid professionals.
We may not be flying down the steep mountaintops of Sochi or cheering "USA! USA!" at the top of our lungs in those icy bleachers, but that doesn't mean we can't participate in the Olympics in our own way -- with makeup and beauty. (Bonus: no 12-hour training days or risk of a broken femur.) Because wearing red, white and blue in a month that isn't July, we're sending our athletes good vibes with gold, silver and bronze beauty.
Lancôme's spring color collection, French Ballerine, is finally here and it's gorgeous! Lipsticks and eye shadow palettes in blushing pinks and pale lavender shades have us dreaming of tulle and toe shoes. (Lily Collins is the dreamy ballerina in the new Lancôme ads.) The new Lancôme 2014 spring color makeup collection is available in stores now.
Ever wonder what goes on before celebs pose for the paparazzi? We rounded up our favorite Instagram snaps to get a behind-the-scenes look at how they prep for music's biggest night.
It's official: We can't get enough of MAC. And neither can you -- after all, your reviews put MAC's Mineralize Eye Shadow Duo at the top of our Best Mineral Makeup list.
Sure, fashionistas are anxiously waiting for Autumn/Winter '15 trends to hit the runways at New York Fashion Week, but the rest of us are kinda eager to start wearing the spring makeup trends we saw on the runway last fall. Some trends were utterly predictable (I get it -- slick ponytails and smoky eyes are here to stay), but there were a few showstoppers, like the bold new lip colors, canvas-worthy eye makeup and modern takes on vintage favorites. Take a look at how these beauty bloggers transformed those new runway trends into totally wearable, everyday makeup looks.
The SAG awards gave us three different takes on the 60s bouffant that we can't wait to try: Abigail Breslin did Bridgette proud in a retro half-updo, "New Girl" actress Hannah Simone highlighted her bangs with an voluminous updo and Julie Bowen paired her bouffant with a flirty ponytail.
