31 . 10 . 2011

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Archived in: Beauty, Tutorial, Video

If you take a look at my lipstick and nail polish drawer today you might find it hard to believe, but I only began using strong shades on my lips and nails recently. I started the nail polish colors earlier, but the famous red lipstick only really came into my life in 2010, when I got the beloved Ruby Woo.

The day I purchased it, after requesting the color at MAC’s Macy’s counter, the lady answered me automatically: “you’ll need Cherry”. Cherry, my friends, is a lip pencil, and my biggest secret when applying strong shades of lipstick. In fact, not only mine! When I was in SP a few weeks ago I asked Lavoisier, Eudora’s cute and super competent makeup artist, to teach us the trick to perfect red lips… Take a look (added bonus for my beautiful face at the video’s still frame):

I really like the pencil/lipstick durability. That day, I left Proença to attend another event, then to the airport, where I had a little snack (leaving several red kisses on my napkin, lol) and arrived in BH still with red lips! A little faded, of course, but red!

Besides applying, another thing that I think influences a lot when accepting red as a usable color is the lipstick’s texture. If you take a quick look, these three Illamasqua shades look completely the same (don’t they? Am I crazy? Not even at live I can see so much difference!).

But Box is more liquid, Sangers is dry and intensely pigmented, and Tramp is less pigmented and even more dry. From all of them, Sangers is my favorite that just as Ruby Woo is a little harder to apply, but since it’s dryer it lasts a little longer… Besides the fact I that I think the mate red effect is beautiful!!! Which one is your favorite red?? Any other tricks while applying it??

31 . 10 . 2011

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Archived in: Lu`s stuff, iPhone, Rotina, Viagem

I spent the last week in Buenos Aires, taking my time to do ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. It’s such a delight to have vacation like these, without the obligation of a thousand activities, schedule and etc, you know? The idea was to take advantage of all the best that the city has to offer, and like the pictures portray, the food is exquisite! Lol! I love Argentinean desserts; they can use vanilla like no one else! And ahn, the Margarita picture is already here at BH, but I was still feeling like on vacation… Right?

The activity I liked the most in this trip was the San Telmo tour… I had already been to Argentina’s capital in 2008, but it was short and busy and I had no time to enjoy the little fair and the stores around it… I love antiques, objects and etc, I came back home with more Coke bottles for my collection and a chandelier. Yes! A CHANDELIER! LOL! But it was Just too beautiful and too cheap, it was worth the trouble to bring it back =)

Another thing I love in Buenos Aires: the cheesiness! LOL!!! I’m sorry guys, but exaggerate a lot in certain things!!! But it is so FUN! I went inside a store and came across two giant flamingos, covered in pink glitter… How not to love?? LOL!!! And what about Sanjuanino’s ( a great restaurant to eat emapanadas), viño jar, which is a penguin?? Is too bizarre not to love!

This time I could finally fulfill my promise, which I make at every trip, to not buy any makeup or cosmetics… What a shame that as soon as I got to BH I ran to L’Occitane! Lol! I came home with a hand cream and a perfume (vanilla, of course), but only because it was on sale, I swear! And two fashionista purchases from the trip: absurd glasses from the Prada baroque collection(that I have been in love with since the release, remember??) and a shiny oxford ( the store is called Sibyl Vane, at the pretty mall on Recoleta), just because if I didn’t get a pair of shoes on a trip, it wouldn’t have been me… You get me, right?

28 . 10 . 2011

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Archived in: Beauty, Design

I remember the time in college (I had just began an assessor internship!) when I was told about the existence of a very fundamental piece of communication: the press kit. The press kit, if you haven’t met, is a kit that brands use to send journalists to announce a release, and the goal is to attract said journalist’s attention so that, of course, he might spread the news.

I have designed many press kits when I worked at agencies and the challenge was to produce a piece that would at the same time call attention, communicate the product’s concept and bring all information that the journalist might need to report it at his medium. Now that I’m on the other side of the story (no longer projecting press kits, but receiving them due to Chata!), I love to see how brands solve this “problem” (we call it problem in design, which shall be “solved” in a project). And amidst the ocean of releases, it’s a joy to see the creative ways of communicating!

Which is the case with the cute Ecletic little box above, with complete summer vacation feelings: inside the box, which has wood texture printed on it, there’s a little towel to lay over the table/grass/sand and a pack of cards, everything customized, of course. This is another cool thing when thinking about a press kit: if besides everything else it is something useful, than the chances of your colleague paying attention to it are greater!

But if it’s pretty and well executed it also serves its purpose, which is the case of this Avon little suitcase, filled with the brand’s sunscreens (it Will take me several months to test it!). Did you see how cute the leather closing? Avon also always sends a CD with pictures, something that would seem obvious (not every paper/blog has a photographer available!), but many brands end up forgetting it. Sometimes a product doesn’t really relate to a medium, but you end up so seduced by how it’s presented that you find a way to show it… Here’s the tip from someone who has been in both sides of this story :D

27 . 10 . 2011

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Archived in: Beauty, Advertising

Each day I become a bigger Clinique fan. The brand has been present a lot around here, but each new product I test is a surprise and I can’t keep myself from sharing it… What makes me love it the most is that results are quite quick, usually you can notice differences after about two weeks of using a product, you know?

I’ve talked about the treatment cosmetics, but they’ve also carried the premise to their makeup line and now they have products that not only beautify but also treat the skin. You know I love 2 (or a thousand) in 1 products, right? I love everything that makes our lives easier!!

I’ve already been using the Anti-blemish line’s foundation for two months (the state of its package show’s it’s been traveling with me for a while, lol), and I really recommend this product if you have oily skin with spots and acne! My skin is ok, usually it doesn’t give me too much trouble, but sometimes it has fury attacks (who guessed PMS? Argh.) and I have to take care so the greasiness doesn’t become a major issue…

The foundation has medium to maximum coverage, in other words, you can apply just a little and it will cover a lot! And what is surprising is that despite this coverage, it’s not at all oily! Actually, I can’t use it always since, like I said, my skin only gets bad at certain times and if I use Anti-blemish too many days in a row my skin ends up a little dry. The line also has a concealer, and a few days ago I received the Even Better foundation as well, a line that I LOVE, and I’m dying to test it!

Even with more simple products, they end up taking care of your skin… I’ve had some Lip Smoothie colors for months (they have already been used in Makes of the Day!), but today I did some research and found out they also have C Vitamin and other antioxidants, therefore, besides coloring your lips, it also makes them more soft while you look beautiful! Is there any way you can’t love the brand??