Older Girl Beauty

oldergirlbeauty — Sun, 26 Jun 2011 13:12:06 CDT

A new series on Older Girl Beauty: "What the Pros say..."

oldergirlbeauty — Sun, 16 Jan 2011 14:58:24 CST

Guys, I am excited to tell you about a new series I am starting here on Older Girl Beauty called "What the Pros say...". I'm reaching out to Pros in the beauty industry to pick their brains, and makeup kits, for questions that I have - and I am sure that you have some of the same, too.

I going to start out by asking MUAs about makeup on lovelies 40yo+. We all know that we've changed a bit since we first started playing in the colors, but I wanted to know how these folks in the field make the older lovelies look great & see if we can learn something for our daily routines. I'm really enjoying the answers and can't wait to start bringing them to you, once a week, so look for our first post coming soon.

That said, if you are a MUA, or know a great one, I would love to get your (their) input, too. So send me an email and I will pick your brain, too! :)

Estée Lauder Holiday 2010 - What I wore at Christmas

oldergirlbeauty — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 08:52:23 CST

You guys, I keep forgetting that I wanted to show you the pretty colors I wore for the family Christmas meal. For the Holiday season, Estée Lauder introduced the Limited Edition 'Extravagant Pure Color' Eyeshadow Palette in "Extravagant Gold", along with its companion lippie, the 'Pure Color' lipstick in "Extravagant Berry".

Now, the great thing about this palette is that while it may look very neutral, it is enhanced with golden flecks that makes these colors something special. I know I always want to dress up for special occasions, but rocking a dark smokey eye just wasn't fitting for the family dinner. So, with the golden shimmers to warm up the colors, this bold neutral (oxymoron?) fit the bill. And with just a touch of the v pigmented lippie, I was set to throw down the dressing. (*What? It's my favorite dish.).

Now, I know these were part of the Holiday 2010 collection, but I checked both esteelauder.com and nordstroms.com and they both still have the palette ($42) and lipstick ($22) in stock if you want to grab them - or check your local counter as they may still have some, too.

*Disclaimer: I received these products from their PR for editorial consideration.

Going Bollywood with MAC's "Mickey Contractor"

oldergirlbeauty — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 08:56:29 CST

MAC's lastest collection is a collaboration with Bollywood makeup artist, and MAC's Director of Makeup Artistry for India, Mickey Contractor. This collection is really geared towards the darker & more olive complextions than, say, the "Cham Pale" collection.

My favorite things from this collection have definitely got to be the Fluidlines - "Ivy" - a Bright Green and "Siahi" - a Deep Turquoise Blue. These colors are good for any skintone & for anyone comfortable enough to wear such bright colored eyeliners. Of course, with most of the emphasis on the bright, colorful eyes this collection has several nudeish lippies - my fav being "Mehr" - a dirty blue pink, which went on quite matte, but didn't feel drying.

Have you got the more olive-hued skin that this collection is great for? Or are you one to favor bright colors on your eyes no matter what? Let me know what, if anything, you are going to pick up from this collection, as I'm certain I'm not the only one who likes bright colors for eyeliner.

*Disclaimer: I received these products from their PR for editorial consideration.

Draw attention with MAC's "Stylishly Yours"

oldergirlbeauty — Sun, 09 Jan 2011 16:43:18 CST

MAC recently released a bold color collection called, "Stylishly Yours". When I say "bold" I mean bright, vivid, pigmented colors. There is a product called "Cream Colour Base" that is a multi-use cream that can be used as a lip color or a blush, but tread oh so lightly in that case because the pigmentation can cause a blush "incident" that is really hard to come back from. It's true - start super light and build up, not what you think you want to begin with, because you can't take it back. (*The pigment is so true, there can be a bit of staining which makes it really last on lips, but can be an issue in a blush screw up).

But, my favorite of this collection is the Fluidline "Dark Diversion" that they describe it as a "blackened plum". I'm telling you, I am constantly on the hunt for the HG plum eyeliner and this one is definitely in the running. (*I'm of a mind that plums really make my blue eyes stand out.). There is also a new Zoom Lash in "Blackened Burgundy" that should be pretty complementary to the Fluidline, so, we'll see how that works together.

Have you checked out this collection? Have you gotten any of the Cream Colour Bases & rocked'em? I'd love to hear how you make them work, so def let me know!

*Disclaimer: I received these products from their PR for editorial consideration.

Shake your tailfeathers - MAC "Peacocky"

oldergirlbeauty — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 12:49:59 CST

MAC has just released a new collection inspired by the extreme beauty of the lovely peacock, called "Peacocky" (*yes, not so creative with the name, right?). While it may be considered 'small' by only having two products - a new lipstick/lipgloss combo called "Kissable Lipcolour"and new shadows called "Mega Metal Shadow" - the number of colors in each of them is big and varied - there are 12 lippies and 15 shadows.

I gotta say I like the feel of the lipcolours, but I was more drawn to the shadows. I like the kind of irridescent quality they have, and they feel very silky, imo.

What do you think about the colors? Anything pop out to you? Lemme know what, if anything you pick up - I wanna know if any of you are adventureous enough to get the blue lippie & make it work!

*Disclaimer: I received these products from their PR for editorial consideration.

Pop the bubbly! MAC "Cham Pale" collection

oldergirlbeauty — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 13:51:41 CST

Just after Christmas 2010 MAC released its winter collection "Cham Pale". This collection is a fairly neutral collection, but warmed up with gold accenting. Plus, they have some new skincare products in it, like the Complete Comfort Cream that I am trying out to help redness.

Take a look at what I have to say about it and let me know what you think. Have you picked up any of the pieces yet?

*Disclaimer: I received these products from their PR for editorial consideration.

TAGGED! The Proactiv 12 Days of Christmas

oldergirlbeauty — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 09:00:13 CST

Yesterday I got a tweet from Jeannine at BeautySweetSpot.com that said: "Oh yea and @oldergirlbeauty I tagged you in this campaign! Create a video and @proactiv will donate $100 to your fave charity too!". Well, of course I was intrigued to find out what was up, esp if it involved charity.

Turns out that she had been chosen to participate in Proactiv's "12 Days of Christmas" program where she made a video about her favority Proactiv product & they donated $200 to the charity of her choice. As you can see in her video here that she is donating to NYC based charity "Women in Need". She was also allowed to pick another person to donate $100 to their favority charity & I was lucky enough be "tagged". Check out my video about being tagged:

As you see, I wanted to continue the spirit of the BeautyBloggers.org charity auction I participated in during the holidays and am donating my $100 to Doctors Without Borders, so they can continue the great work they are doing.

I want to give a big thanks to Proactiv for the contribution in my name and to Jeannine for tagging me in the first place! :)

In the Grid - The makeup from "TRON: Legacy"

oldergirlbeauty — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 11:18:24 CST

You guys know that I am an 80's baby. Well, I'm also an 80's baby that loves her some geek stuff - including the original "TRON" movie. So, when the sequel, "TRON: Legacy" opened this past weekend, you *know* I was one of the first in line.

Now, this movie was great, esp in 3D - however, I kept getting distracted by the amazing eye makeup on the Sirens & Quorra (*played by my girlcrush - Olivia Wilde). Seriously - they were just that good. Reminiscent of the futuristic vibe of the iconic eye from "A Clockwork Orange" the Sirens in T:L had some serious lashes going on:

So, literally, as soon as I walked out of the movie, I put out the word that I *HAD* to know what was what with the makeup and the makeup Gods answered. Here is a Q&A about TRON: Legacy's makeup and how to get Quorra's look for yourself:

Q&A with Rosalina da Silva - TRON Legacy, Makeup Department Head

Q: How does a makeup artist prepare to work on a film? Do you receive guidance from the director or collaborate with the costume designer/art director/key hair stylist on the makeup look?
A: In my particular case, I was hired by the producer, Jeffrey Silver. He gave me a synopsis of the movie, and from there, I created a vision in my head. Next, I gathered magazines, tear sheets, and graphics, through which I could show an example of my thoughts and ideas. In a meeting with Joseph Kosinski, the director, we talked through everything and even explored other ideas. Given his background in architecture, I thought that incorporating strong lines and shapes into the makeup designs would be appropriate in keeping not only with the sets and costumes, but also with his vision. The costume design was definitely a point of inspiration, as well. I then began working with the hair stylist to design and create looks for Joseph’s approval. It was a team effort and it all had to look seamless.

Q: The film was shot in 3D – what key products do you use when films are shot this way and how do the products and technique differ from that which you use in 2D.
A: Shooting in 3D was a totally unknown technique for me, so it was a process of trial and error for the first month of makeup tests. However, I knew that the work had to be extremely refined and that the skin tone colors were going to be an additional challenge. Because of this, I made the decision to block out the natural skin tones and give the faces very reflective finishes by creating and designing foundations and powders that would help create that type of look. Although some makeup brands have HD specific products, I didn’t use them because I needed extremely heavy coverage.

Q: TRON Legacy was filmed using intricate lighting methods and characters were lit from below - how did that effect the makeup designs?
A: The lighting was very broad and soft, almost shadow-less. My intention in creating these designs and keeping the palette monochromatic was to make sure that the actors totally fit into the set and became a part of it… assuming and reflecting the ambiance.

Q: How do the lighted costumes and digital elements of the film affect the makeup design?
A: By keeping the designs neutral and reflective, the makeup embraces the lighting elements of the sets and works with them to complement the costumes.

Q: What research did you do to come up with the bold, geometric looks for the "Sirens"?
A: Creating the Sirens’ makeup look was a long process with loads of tests and changes. The original idea for these characters had to be simplified in order to become production friendly. Originally, the Siren characters were all supposed to have been created equal and identical, but that wasn’t possible because actresses with different skin shades were cast. I decided to exaggerate their skin tones and take this contrast to the extreme by making some sirens many shades darker and others much lighter than their natural skin colors.

Q: How does a makeup design contribute to building a movie character?
A: The characters are built by an entire creative team, and my job is to use makeup as one of the most visual elements to bring the director’s ultimate vision to the screen.

Q: The makeup looks for the female leads, Quorra and Siren Jem, reference the heavily lined eyes at Giambattista Valli’s FW’10 fashion show. What inspired these fashion forward looks?
A: I looked at so many fashion runways shows! Makeup artist Kabuki’s runway work was a great inspiration for me. The director wanted the Sirens to be ‘sexy goddesses’, so I made sure to emphasize the eyes by adding three sets of lashes and out of this world contact lenses! (*emphasis mine!)

Q: Quorra’s look is very wearable for evening. Can you provide step-by-step instructions on how to create Quorra’s look?

M·A·C Strobe Liquid
A full coverage foundation, applied full strength with a foundation brush
A mixture of very light colours
A shimmery highlight powder (also brushed along side nose into the inner eyebrow area)
M·A·C Paint in Bare Canvas as a base, M·A·C Paint Pot in Quite Natural in
the eye crease, and M·A·C Paint Pot in Bare Study to create highlights.
M·A·C Eye Kohl in Smolder, blended and smudged to create the eyeliner
M·A·C Eye Pencil in Ebony
M·A·C Fluidline in Blacktrack
Mascara: Black, volume enhancing, waterproof mascara
Eye Brows: Brow gel to shape the hairs, darkened with M·A·C Fluidline in Blacktrack
Lips: M·A·C Lipstick in Fresh Brew
For the finishing touches, I made my own loose powder with a base of M·A·C Iridescent
Powder/Loose in Silver Dusk and M·A·C Set Powder in Invisible with a dash of other
pigments and powders. I put them all into a blender and crushed them to create an
extra fine reflective powder. This was a staple throughout the movie on most characters.
Other staple products included M·A·C Fluidline in Blacktrack, which I used in excess of
hundreds of pots, and M·A·C Paint Pots in Background.

Q: The makeup in TRON Legacy is monochromatic, using a lot of black and white. What effect did you hope to achieve by designing the makeup this way?
A: I simply didn’t want any color makeup. I thought that color would compete with the sets and costumes, and I wanted the characters to be part of the set, with the exception of Sam. For his character, I wrestled with designing a makeup for a human living in a virtual world. I wanted his makeup to be different and dramatic.

Q: What challenges did you face when designing and applying the makeup?
A: Perhaps the biggest challenge was to maintain the makeup perfectly all day long. With so many elements working against us, a major issue involved trying to keep the actors cool and dry so that they wouldn’t sweat off the makeup.

Q: What other films have you worked on?
A: Most Recently I wrapped Sucker Punch. During the last few years, I worked on Watchmen, X-Men 3, Fantastic 4, and Tooth Fairy.

See what I mean? Are you going to go see TRON: Legacy and see what I am talking about for yourself? (*Or just because you are as big of a geek as I am?) Lemme know if you do!

Beauty bloggers helping "Doctors Without Borders"

oldergirlbeauty — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 08:52:06 CST

This past Friday, the lovely Karla, from KarlaSugar.net, and I were interviewed by the local OKC Fox Affliate, KOKH Fox 25, about Karla's charity brainchild - BeautyBloggers.org

(*You can check out our video HERE. As they uploaded it as a flash file, I can't embed it here.)

Here is the official "About" info on the auction/idea:

BeautyBloggers.org is the collaboration of almost 50 different beauty bloggers and brands. In the spirit of the holidays, we wanted to make a meaningful contribution to charity - knowing that the most effective donation to any charity is cash.

So we’re putting our makeup on the auction block. Winning bids will be donated directly to Doctors Without Borders.

We’re raising money for Doctors Without Borders because women are always disproportionately affected in any disaster. This organization is committed to bringing quality medical care to people in crisis, regardless of race, religion, or political affiliation. They treat rape victims in Papua New Guinea; they make sure women don’t die in childbirth in Pakistan; they helped flood victims in Mexico and earthquake victims in Haiti. They work in 65 countries around the world, and your donation will make an immediate impact. Click here to learn more about MSF

I'll just say that I am excited to be a part of this auction & that I was able to be interviewed, along with Karla, to help bring awareness to this great idea. So you know, I donated a Mally Beauty "Rise and Shine 9-piece Long Wear Brightening Collection" that I paid for myself. It's no longer available on QVC, so this would be a great way to get started with Mally products, if I haven't already convinced you before now. ;)

BUT!! *TODAY* is the LAST day of the auction - it ends at *5PM CST*. Now, I know most of you are auction snipers, waiting till the last bit to snatch up that great deal, so this post comes at the right time for you. Get over there and get to bidding! Seriously - you won't believe the hard to find/cult/LE/Europe only pieces that are available in this thing! And, after you win - come back and tell me what you got!! :)

*I also want to make sure you know who else I am lucky enough to be a part of this with, too:

Afrobella, A Girl's Gotta Spa!, AlyWalansky.com, Armani Beauty, Bay Area Style File, Beauté Cosmetics, Beauty Alchemist, The Beauty Look Book, Bobbi Brown, Cafe Makeup, Cargo, China Glaze, EnKore, Estee Lauder, For the Love of Beauty, Givenchy, Gloss Menagerie, Gouldylox Reviews, Grace Gold for AOL StyleList, KarlaSugar, KraseyBeauty, Lancome, Leonor Greyl, The Makeup Girl, Miss Whoever You Are, Musings of a Muse, My Lips But Better, Nadine Jolie, The Non-Blonde, Older Girl Beauty, OPI, Out in a Pout, Pink Sith, Prime Beauty, Product Girl, Pursebuzz, Renee Rouleau, Sasquatch Swatch, Sicka Than Average, Spoiled Pretty, Talika, Three Custom Color Specialists, and Votre Vu