My favorite is this box and the set of 3 lip stains..

This palette is reduced to $30 down from $43

Makeup is so much fun.. try to use a color you never used before!!

This is for you! to all my beautiful submariners!

Filed under: video ]]> http://amymirandamakeup.wordpress.com/2012/02/22/for-you/feed/ 0 projectsparetime http://amymirandamakeup.wordpress.com/2012/02/22/what-they-will-never-tell-you-the-truth-about-airbrush-machines/ http://amymirandamakeup.wordpress.com/2012/02/22/what-they-will-never-tell-you-the-truth-about-airbrush-machines/#comments Wed, 22 Feb 2012 14:56:40 +0000 projectsparetime http://amymirandamakeup.wordpress.com/?p=1763 ]]>

The truth about airbrush machines

Sometimes I do a review on a product and I am ecstatic about it, but after a year of using that product, I am in a better position to advise about that product and my thoughts are not shielded by excitement.  When about a year and a half ago I did my initial review of the Dinair Airbrush System that I had purchased for about $200 plus another $200 spent on the foundations, I was pretty excited and happy with it. Today unfortunately I don’t stand in the same place. My opinion is different.

For the last two days, I told myself that i should use my dinair airbrush system in the morning just so that i get some use out of it. So on Monday i brought the dinair airbrush and put it near the in my bathroom so I can use it the next day.

Yesterday true to my promise, I used it. I had tested it the night before to ensure it is working. I had put a few drops of water and sprayed it and it worked. Not as good as I wanted since I had no control over the jet but I was happy it was working. After applying it yesterday, my skin looked like paper and my pores seemed accented and looked more open but my red parts on my cheeks were covered. I wanted a dewy finish but adding a drop of their oil makes your face shine like the moon.

At work I checked my face in a small mirror and noticed that there was a patch on my face with missing foundation. It was due to me putting my hand on my face. So i noted mentally: dont touch yr face in any way, shape or form when u use dinair! Makeup is not staying. I quickly added a drop of my regular foundation that i had on my desk, in a tiny tube and blended with my fingers!!

Today again I wanted to do my airbrush, and usually I am in a hurry in the morning. They tell you that you save time when using the airbrush, because it does the whole face in 2 minutes. What they forget to tell you is that it takes about 5 minutes to clean the airbrush and put it back on its stand. That is if you are lucky and the airbrush worked properly. Today after I used it again for the second day in a row, I noticed my lashes were covered by the foundation sprayed on my face, and my pores looked even bigger. Back in my mind, I am thinking: “I can’t wait till it is 12.30 pm and I am taking my shower at the gym so I can remove this from my face. Makes me look dry and plastered”. Plus remember today I cannot touch my face at any time while I am at work.

I guess this is good for models, when they do a photoshoot and after 2 hours of posing they can go and wash their face. Thinking whether other airbrush systems are any better, I remember the other one that is not water based (well yes this one at least is water based and can be removed when you wash your face) and is sold at Sephora. I had that one on my face but it makes you look totally unnatural, and shows that you have a ton of stuff on your face. Every time I saw it applied on a person, I thought ‘this is a no no” although its design is more attractive and the pods can seem to be practical but they are not. When I read reviews, I start by putting the view on ‘ratings low to high’.. I want to read all the negatives first.  So having said this, I wish I never bought my dinair system, there is no return or refund with this company and to send it back for repair or checkup is not really worth it. I satisfied my curiosity and I bought one when everyone was screaming “Airbrush”.

Overall I used it a dozen times maybe in 1.5 years and I will stick to my liquid foundations such as Dior and Bobbi Brown. But I have to say after I did all my research, of all the airbrush systems, dinair is the best. Having said that, there is room for improvement and perhaps in the next decade, there will be new machines that work better and are easier to clean.

Possible problems: the jet (air flow) goes either too fast or nothing comes out.. No matter how many times I open it and fix it, it still is not reliable. 

Cleaning: too time consuming. You need cutips, you need their solution, you need this and that. 

Application: You have to be calm, and if the machine is working good, then you are fine. You don’t know when it stops working. How many times I took it on location with me, and was embarrassed by it not working properly. I stopped taking it with me to do my brides faces, because it was not reliable and would not work when I needed it and when time is limited. 

So what about all these youtube tutorials done whereby the person is saying how good this is? they have been sent a free airbrush system, and cannot say something bad about it. 

 These are the accessories: click here

All the good things you hear/read. For example, this is what the company says on their website:

WHY IS DINAIR BETTER?
Dinair’s foundation formula is water resistant, silicone free, paraben free, and not tested on animals. A small amount of Dinair’s specially formulated makeup is sprayed into super-fine mist onto the face, giving the coverage you desire( from sheer to opaque).The result is a flawless, lightweight, natural, and undetectable coverage that will last all day with no need for touch ups! Now you too can get the look of the stars!

QUICKER
Most people can apply with foundation in just 2 or 3 tries, or 2-3 days of practice if they don’t follow the DVD Getting comfortable with the foundation will open the way to beautiful blush, eyes shadows, and much more.

LONGER LASTING
Dinair air applied makeup is a specially formulated to feel light, be water and rub resistant and last all day. For best results apply to fresh clean skin, free of oils and other moisturizers. Allow the sun block to set before applying Dinair. We also have skin care and moisturizers that help our makeup last longer.

MIX CUSTOM COLORS
Blend colors easily in the airbrush makeup cup, a few drops at a time, to match your favorite shades. With over 100 shades to choose from, there are endless possibilities when it comes to creating custom colors! You can mix foundation shades to match any skin tone, find your perfect lip color, or even create your own custom eye shadow color!

Add a few drops of each color into the airbrush cup and air mix the colors. Just stop the airflow with a tissue and at the same time gently pull back on the lever to “air mix” the colors. Watch the marbling effect as the 2 colors blend to become an entirely new shade.

MATCHING MY COLORS
Please visit our Color Match page and upload your photo, or use our Live Chat feature to speak directly to one of our makeup artists and receive a free color match. You may also call our toll-free line at 800-785-4770, or make an appointment for a Skype lesson with one of our makeup professionals.

MORE HELP WITH MY MAKEUP
We have How to videos on our site and on YouTube with step by step directions for different Dinair application techniques.

I MIGHT HAVE MORE QUESTIONS
Give us a call at 800-785-4700 seven days a week, use our Live Chat feature to speak to one of our makeup artists, or send an email to help@dinair.com. We are here for you every step of the way!

Click to view slideshow.

Welcome to this blog.. I don’t write as often as I should but now and then I get something I want to say about makeup so here we are. Today I will be talking about cheap blushes, made by a company called LA FEMME. Each pan costs about $2.50 and apparently the pigment is really good according to makeup artists on youtube. Let’s go to makeupmania.com and check the shades out.. I spent a few hours checking the shades, and since they were not showing well on that site, I went online and did some more research.. here are the photos below that might come in handy. Most of the colors seem to be pretty powerful though, and I think they are well suited to African American women but I do note also some shades that can be worn by caucasian women.

See if you are interested and may wish to place an order at makeupmania.com go ahead check this out, you might like it.. I am very tempted myself and making a mental list.

Popular Lipsticks Contain Dangerous Levels of Lead

excerpt:

On Tuesday, EWG signed a letter from the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics to the government’s top cosmetics regulator, Linda Katz, M.D., M.P.H., director of FDA’s Office of Cosmetics and Colors. A copy of the Feb. 7, 2012 letter can be found here:

The letter to FDA’s Katz said:

“Your new analysis found lead levels in lipstick more than twice as high as your previous report. As in previous studies, certain manufacturers consistently have higher lead levels than other brands. The most-contaminated brand, Maybelline Color Sensation made by L’Oreal USA, had lead levels more than 275 times the level found in the least contaminated brands, and more than seven times higher than the average found in all the lipsticks. Clearly, some manufacturers could be doing more to protect women from unnecessary lead exposure.”

check this link!

This question has been bugging me!?

I am thinking ok I would like to get a few NARS lipsticks. I am going to check the colors of these lipsticks online and compare a few photos and get a good idea of how that color would look on me. Of course, I can read reviews regarding the texture and longevity of a lipstick, but I want to see clear photos.. Not everyone spends a fortune on a nikon, takes great photos and put them online, like I do when I have free time!

Unfortunately, photos of the same shade of lipstick can look totally different when photographed by another person with another camera and under different lighting.. So how do I figure out?

What looks very nice on the computer may be a total disaster for me, and if I think yes this color looks gorgeous on this photo and may be a great shade for me, then when I get it and it is different, I would have wasted my money. Here are some examples. I saw this photo of this NARS lipstick in a shade called “Bilbao”. I was intrigued! This color on NARScosmetics.com website is described as a shimmering topaze.. As I don’t normally wear topaz, I would not consider this except that I saw pretty gorgeous photos of this lipstick.. and of course I am on the hunt for something different. Reds, bright pinks and Oranges, I have tons of those.. so now and then I want to get something a little different that can give me a different look, but at the same token I want to proceed with caution. Dark browns, or plums are not for me. Topaz?? eeeh.. let’s see these photos and you will understand what I am trying to tell you. Bottom line, I think it is a great idea if you can, check the shade of the lipstick in a store like sephora or at nortstrom before ordering it online.

as shown on narscosmetics.com website

Filed under: Cosmetics photos ]]> http://amymirandamakeup.wordpress.com/2012/02/02/have-you-bought-a-bottle-of-shampoo-lately/feed/ 2 projectsparetime http://amymirandamakeup.wordpress.com/2012/02/02/video-bobbi-brown-makeup-and-skincare-i-bought/ http://amymirandamakeup.wordpress.com/2012/02/02/video-bobbi-brown-makeup-and-skincare-i-bought/#comments Thu, 02 Feb 2012 11:19:35 +0000 projectsparetime http://amymirandamakeup.wordpress.com/?p=1696 ]]>

First I wanted to try her new lip gloss, the one that is not sticky unlike all the mac lipsticks that feel like glue on your lips, this one is more like a lip balm with a bit of color. Below is Bobbi’s description from her site, explaining in detail what this lip gloss is. I bought one in a color called Melon 2. On her website, the color appears (on my mac monitor) a bit more peachy than what I got, but still I like it. The actual color has a bit more brown in it than what you see on her website.

Bobbi Brown Rich Color Gloss

Bobbi has sized up all her glosses to give you an extra dose of shine. Rich Color Gloss has the full color coverage of a lipstick, the soft shine of a gloss, and the luxurious feel of a balm. It moisturizes, conditions, and lasts throughout the day without feathering, plus the new tapered applicator lets you apply it like a pro.

Price: $23 plus tax if you live in USA.

So now let’s see how the shade appears in ‘person’.

Filed under: Cosmetics photos, Cosmetics world ]]> http://amymirandamakeup.wordpress.com/2012/02/01/bobbi-browns-latest-rich-color-gloss-melon-2/feed/ 3 projectsparetime PastedGraphic-1 _DSC4314 _DSC4307 _DSC4311 http://amymirandamakeup.wordpress.com/2012/01/31/staying-in-touch-with-bobbi-brown/ http://amymirandamakeup.wordpress.com/2012/01/31/staying-in-touch-with-bobbi-brown/#comments Tue, 31 Jan 2012 20:41:20 +0000 projectsparetime http://amymirandamakeup.wordpress.com/?p=1637 ]]> What I do online these days? I mainly browse beauty products, makeup artists, skincare, whatever I can read about beauty. Today, as I was browsing Bobbi Brown’s website trying to absorb as much as I can, since I love her style and how she creates beautiful faces, I took snapshots of some of her makeup looks (of her models) which I am posting here. Observe how her style is simple, yet so rich.

Do you know how she started?

Even as a young girl, Bobbi was enthralled by makeup. “I remember watching my mother apply her white eye shadow and black liner in her blue gilded bathroom—she was glamorous, but fresh-looking.” And as soon as she was able to work, Bobbi raced to the small cosmetics store in town, where she got her first taste of formal training.

These are the first lipsticks that Bobbi created

Bobbi’s education continued at Boston’s Emerson College, where she earned a B.F.A. in theatrical makeup. Upon graduation, she moved to New York City to make it as a professional makeup artist. She showed her ever-growing portfolio to anyone who would look at it, slowly built up contacts, and experienced the challenges typical of most freelance makeup artists trying to make it in Manhattan.

But despite the ups and downs, her talent and drive earned her coveted gigs with top magazines, photographers, and models. Bobbi began her collaboration with photographers Bruce Weber, and Arthur Elgort for American Vogue, as well as with the late Francesco Scavullo for Cosmopolitan and Self. A seven-page spread of full-face beauty shots of supermodel Tatiana Patitz—shot by Wayne Maser—also put Bobbi’s work front and center.

Bobbi’s big breakthrough was her first American Vogue cover. The image was shot by famed photographer Patrick Demarchelier and featured the soon-to-be-supermodel Naomi Campbell, made up by Bobbi Brown. Seven years after arriving to New York City knowing no one, Bobbi was part of the club. The industry took notice.

Bobbi’s Big Idea: As a successful makeup artist with access to everything in the market, Bobbi found nearly all products looked too artificial, making it impossible to create a gorgeous, no-makeup look.

Ten years into her freelance career, a chance meeting with a chemist at a magazine photo shoot changed everything. “I had the idea to create a lipstick that didn’t smell, wasn’t dry or greasy, and looked like lips, only better—and I told the chemist about it,” she says.

The chemist made the lipstick following Bobbi’s unprecedented specifications and the result was Brown Lip Color, a pinky-brown shade. Nine other brown-based lipstick shades followed soon after, and Bobbi’s set of lipsticks was complete.

In 1991, her 10 lipsticks debuted at the Bergdorf Goodman under the name of Bobbi Brown essentials. Bobbi was expecting to sell 100 in a month. She sold 100 within the first day.

The message was clear: Women wanted makeup that was simple, flattering, and wearable.

Click to view slideshow.

Filed under: Cosmetics photos, Cosmetics world ]]> http://amymirandamakeup.wordpress.com/2012/01/31/staying-in-touch-with-bobbi-brown/feed/ 0 projectsparetime 14 d_200907_lipsticks http://amymirandamakeup.wordpress.com/2012/01/30/video-my-weekend-makeup-look/ http://amymirandamakeup.wordpress.com/2012/01/30/video-my-weekend-makeup-look/#comments Tue, 31 Jan 2012 03:07:53 +0000 projectsparetime http://amymirandamakeup.wordpress.com/?p=1633 ]]>

I bought another foundation primer, and I am still trying it out.. I hear that Laura Mercier created the first foundation primer, before everyone else followed her. This one is for all skin types. My other primer is by Paula Dorf, for oily skin. There is now a selection of oily skin, dry skin, radiance primer, mineral makeup primer.. so many to select from. Do you know what would work best for you?

What is a primer supposed to do?

Foundation Primer is a lightweight, creamy gel meant to be used prior to foundation, creating an invisible layer that acts as a buffer to outside elements. This colorless gel leaves makeup looking fresh and colour-true the entire day.

• Ideal for all skin types.
• Featured in the Bridal collection.
• 1.7 oz.
• By Laura Mercier; made in the USA.