My Swanky, Swell, Puttin on the Ritz 1940's Look

OK maybe it's not all that swanky, but the makeup and costumes from Captain America inspired me to take a stab at a 40's look of my own. I tried putting my own twist on it - using pink lips instead of brick red, and using a bit of gold eyeshadow. Enjoy!

My lovely vintage earrings from one of my bests - thanks Mel!

A simple eye - a touch of liquid liner, Bobbi Brown gold shadow

and lots of mascara on the outer corners to make the eyes look bigger

The key is to start the liquid liner in the middle of the eye lid -

start off with a thin line and make it thicker at the corner

The shadow makes it look polished, but you don't need it

Sometimes I like the liner and mascara alone

MAC's Haute & Naughty mascara is still my go-to mascara

It's nice and thick - really makes the eyes pop

I used MAC's Chatterbox lipstick for this look

I've had this lipstick forever and still go back to it

Aaaaand the finished product!

I wore a flowery dress,

moussed some waves into my hair,

and put the front pieces of my hair back with a little clip

The end! You can swap out the pink lips for a dark red for a more retro look,

I just think pink works better for me =)

You guys like it?

Boring Shadows Need Not Apply

Remember when you used to buy eye shadows that were just one color? Not anymore. How boring, right? Ever since the baked eye shadow craze hit a few years back, tons of companies have been coming out with their own creations of wild shadows - swirled, baked, silk-screened, patterned, multi-colored, you name it. Here are some of my favorites - some new, some a bit older:

Vincent Longo

Milani

Rimmel

Maybelline

Milani

MAC's Quite Cute

Burberry

MAC's Semi Precious

MAC's Tartan Tale (Holiday collection)

Laura Mercier Baked Shadows

MAC in Lillyland

Too Faced Baked Shadows

Favorites? I am lusting over the Vincent Longo shade!!!

Captain America - Retro 1940's Loveliness

I saw Captain America over the weekend and loved it! Aside from it being an entertaining movie, the retro 1940's makeup, hair and costumes were so awesome!

Steve Rogers and Peggy Carter. I love how her uniform includes a pencil skirt.

Dancers on stage with Captain America ha! The hats make the outfit for me...

Classic 40's look - bold lip and brows, a bit of mascara. Hair parted to the side.

Sexy, but not overdone

Another shot - that red lipstick didn't leave her face the entire movie haha

Love it

Peggy's look in the movie reminded me a bit of Rita Hayworth from that era.

Glamorous and beautiful!

For a bit "modernized" 40's look, Dita kills it.

The brows & winged eye liner don't have to be as severe as hers,

but it's a good place to start if you're trying to recreate the look

What do you guys think, anyone else see the movie over the weekend? =)

MAC's New Viva Glam Spokespeople Are...

Ricky Martin and Nicki Minaj! I love this pairing! The campaign is set to launch in February 2012. Ricky is only the 3rd male model used in MAC's Viva Glam campaign (the others were Elton John and Boy George).

I cannot wait to see this photoshoot! Nicki's career is on fire right now, and Ricky has made a major comeback lately, especially after coming out of the closet and adopting his twins!

To see my favorite MAC Viva Glam campaigns over the years, click here

Lipstick Inspired Accessories

Geeking out over these lipstick inspired accessories. I will probably be trolling ebay to find some of them haha.

Lipstick clock aww

Chanel lipstick earrings

Lipstick mug, love this!!

::swoon:: lipstick clutch

Lipstick coin purse

Lipstick desk lamp LOL!

Lipstick belt

Lipstick necklace

Lipstick shoes ha! I know Gaga wore heels like this once, so funny

Prada lipstick print skirt

Lipstick t shirt

Chanel-inspired lipstick brooches

Lipstick tote bag

Beauty Quote of the Day

"Beauty is worse than wine, it intoxicates both the holder and beholder" - Aldous Huxley

My love and I

Ombre Manicure...Yay or Nay?

I'm not so sure if i'm feeling this new multi-colored nail trend. What do you guys think? Are we going to look back on this in a year or two and laugh? Will this be the modern day equivalent of the perm from the eighties? Or worse, bright blue eye shadow?

It might be cute to do once, just to see how it looked. But celebrities have been wearing this trend on the reg and it's kinda making me cringe.

So the question remains - Yay or Nay?

Dior Addict Lippy UPDATE

For those of you who haven't read my Dior Addict Lipstick review, click here.

I am very proud (and surprised, actually) to announce that ever since I purchased this lipstick (July 1st) I've been wearing it EVERY DAY. Yes, every day for almost one month. Like I haven't used anything else. I love the texture, the color, everything. Even in this sweltering heat, it stands its ground. When it does fade after a few hours, it fades gracefully - no cracking, smudging, lines, etc.

All in all, this product was worth the hefty $28 price tag!

Benefit Packaging Fail

Do you guys know what this is? No? Well that's OK, because it WAS my Benefit Bella Bamba blush. After using it daily, this is what the outside looks like now - all chipping and gross. It annoys me, because I really do love the product, but when it looks like THIS i'm less than excited to pull it out of my makeup bag and use it.

UGH.

August 2011 Magazine Covers - The Best & Worst

It's that time again! I feel like I just did all of the July covers (I was a bit behind) but here are some of the August 2011 magazine covers! Hope you enjoy...

Tilda Swinton for W Magazine

Oh.My.God.Love.

Tilda is known for being "outside the box" when it comes to fashion/beauty,

but I love this look! Very David Bowie-esque which is always a good thing.

Claudia Shiffer for Vogue Germany

This cover is so gorgeous! I wish I could pull off an eye mask like this on the regular.

Just show up at work like - hey guys, like my eye mask? I wish.

Model (?) for Shape

Who is this? If it's a model, that's interesting considering celebrities have

seemingly taken over magazine covers as of late.

SJP for Vogue

Hmmm I find it funny that it's the "age" issue, yet SJP is photoshopped to hell.

Mixed messages for sure.

Olivia Wilde for Marie Claire

Oh this is just lovely. She is so gorgeous, and just kills it in this photo.

I love the minimal makeup, it lets her beauty speak for itself.

Love the red on her, and the side swept bangs are great. Well done!

Mila and Justin for Elle

Not so sure about this one guys. Mila rules, but she doesn't look great here.

Looks like her hair needs a serious comb through it...

Justin is rocking a seriously weird expression on his face too

Kim Kardashian for Cosmo

Again??? Think Cosmo needs to get some new cover girls in their rotation

She looks good, even though I kinda hate the dress

Katie Holmes for In Style

Wow! This is a pleasant surprise. Mrs. Tom Cruise is looking awesome

on the this cover! I like the dress, natural but pretty makeup, hair is flowy and pretty.

Jessica Alba for Allure

Eh. Two months in a row, Allure has underwhelmed me with their cover.

I wanted a crazy, creative, high-drama makeup cover!

Better luck next month I guess...

Heidi Klum for Glamour

Cute! I feel like she always looks great though. She is a model after all =)

Anne Hathaway for Bazaar

Don't hate it but don't love it either.

She has such a pretty smile, that would have made this cover better!

Michelle Williams for Glamour Germany

I love this! Colorful, fun, a little weird!

The lashes and lips are perfect for her, brava.

Emma Stone for Vanity Fair

God I love her. But her red lips are STARING at me. And not in a good way.

Love her hair, the bathing suit, the fact that she isn't overly bronzed.

But the lips. Why so harsh? Wahhhh

Drew Barrymore for Nylon

Oh. Wow.

I get Nylon's urge to be "unique" but this is just a freakin mess.

Miranda Kerr for Vogue Australia

Gorge! What a pretty dress, and pretty girl!

Ms. Orlando Bloom kills it on this cover

Christina Hendricks for Lucky

Whoa, curves! I think she looks great!

On the red carpet she usually has a bold color on

so this is a nice change up, especially with her hair color.

What's your favorite August cover?! Share!