Wednesday, December 05, 2007

Bright Eyed and Beauty Tailed

Ms. New Beauty has been cooped up in the house for the past few days fighting a ridiculous stomach bug. In that time, she's learned a few things. First, she now knows that the Chinese takeout place around the corner from her is completely off limits, lets there be a repeat of this stomach bug disaster. MNB also knows that a trash can by the bed is an absolute necessity when sick. And, since she spent the greater part of her sick time in bed and watching Bravo, Ms. New Beauty's picked up a host of tips and tidbits courtesy of the fabulous Tim Gunn via countless episodes of both Project Runway and his namesake Guide to Style. The basic tenets of style are pretty much ingrained in MNB's DNA, but one rule of Tim's kept MNB firmly planted under her covers - when you dress like you don't feel like getting out of bed, don't get out of bed. So, Ms. New Beauty heeded his words and resisted venturing out into the world of the living and healthy. But tomorrow, she must get up and go to work, and though her clothes won't show any signs of sickness, her tired eyes might. So, Ms. New Beauty is digging into her bag of tricks to make sure she looks better than she feels.

Sephora Brand Eyeliner in White

White eyeliner is one of those makeup offerings that most people just pass by. If you have pale skin, it completely disappears on your upper lids and if you are darker, you risk looking like Babs from Diddy's first, ill-fated musically, yet completely riveting on television Band. (That pic might not show it, but trust me - she wore a thick band of white eyeliner all through the first and second seasons of that show that completely vexed my college sophomore/junior soul.) In seasons past, magazines told us to line the inner corners of our eyes with white. This looks great in photos, but way too editorial and "I'm ready for any paparazzi cameras" in real life. So most of the time, the poor white eyeliner just sits on the makeup shelves waiting to be snatched up and completely misused and abused by Babs wannabes.

But, I keep white eyeliner in my makeup bag for times just like these, when I need to look more fresh faced than I really am. White eyeliner is perfect on your lower lids. Just carefully line your inner lower lids. That subtle line of white blends in and makes the white of your eyes look bigger and brighter. Just be careful not to get any on your lashes. If you do, you'll have to cover it with dark mascara and dark mascara on your lower lashes just closes in your eyes and completely undoes the work of the white eyeliner. Though I normally prefer kohl liners because they smudge more easily, I always get a traditional pencil for white because smudging is the opposite of what I want it to do.

$4, only at Sephora

Benefit BADGal Blue

Benefit BADGal is one of those classic cult mascaras. The formula is thick without being clumpy and the brush has those big fat bristles that really pack on the volume for skinny lashes. (Ms. New Beauty mascara hint - big fat brush equals big fat lashes).

What's so special about this mascara is that it's Benefit's classic BADGal, but in a deep indigo blue. This is a product I've been using and loving for months and months and been meaning to blog about. Now, I know that blue mascara may immediately make you think of some reincarnation of horrible frosty blue eyeshadow, but this is nowhere close. The color is ridiculously subtle. When you put it on, the effect under normal light is quite the same as traditional black mascara. But, that subtle hint of color will make the whites of your eyes look whiter and brighter. And, no one will notice that your mascara isn't black. Using this in tandem with the white eyeliner trick will erase any signs of fatigue or flu from your eyes.

$19, available at Sephora


Cover up that cold, show up looking better and brighter than you did before, and this time, tell a friend that Ms. New Beauty told you!

0 Comments:

© New Blogger Templates | Webtalks