Cute Makeup Tips

We at Makeup Junkie love quality products for a steal and we know our readers do too! Canadian cosmetic giant, Annabelle Cosmetics, will be launching the line's new Studio Pigments ($8.50 CDN) August 16 exclusively at Shoppers Drug Mart! If you love to express yourself using bright bold shades then you'll love these pigments. Recommended by the Makeup Artists in the Annabelle Studio, these pro performance loose powders are highly concentrated and super pigmented. Their incredibly ultra fine texture make these powders easy to blend together.

Available in 6 shades: Karma, Cobalt, Dragonette, Greed, LOL, and Magentini

Top Row L-R: Magentini, Karma, LOL
Bottom Row L-R: Dragonette, Greed, and Cobalt
The above image is a swatch of the powders dry. You can see they are still highly pigmented when used dry. The colours are beautiful and bold and all compliment each other nicely. You can create many different looks or use one shadow for a sheer wash of colour and use another shade wet as a liner! Use Annabelle's A-8 small shading brush and press onto the lid rather than back and forth. This will prevent any fall-off onto your cheek and help the colour go on a little bit heavier. Wet the A-14 angled liner brush, mix with the powder and line your lash.
Top Row L-R: Magentini, Karma, LOL
Bottom Row L-R: Dragonette, Greed, and Cobalt
The above image is a swatch of the powders used wet. The colours have double the intensity and are very long-wearing when used wet. The packaging is an excellent design. The powders are enclosed in a snap closure container that makes these pigments mess-free and transportable. When you open the container there is a small hole the size of a pea where the colour comes out of. These pigments definitely stand up to the quality of M.A.C.'s Pigment Powders but at a fraction of the cost! Hopefully Annabelle will add more shades to the line!

Now that we've gushed all about Annabelle's fabulous Studio Pigments, Makeup Junkie will give one lucky reader (Canadian residents only - sorry!) all 6 Studio Pigments plus A-8 and A-14 brushes! All you have to do is email us telling us you absolutely have to have this prize! Click on "Contact Us and Product Submissions" for our email address. Winner will be announced next Monday, August 17th, at 12 pm!

Annabelle Cosmetics available in stores all across Canada. If you are a US resident and would like to purchase Annabelle products you can purchase over the phone at 1 800 387-7710.

www.annabellecosmetics.com

It’s the season for tinsel so why not add a little glittery glam to your evening look? Try out these products to add a little bit of sparkle and a whole lotta glam this holiday season:

Annabelle Silverstar Glitter Mascara
As part of their recent Space Baby collection, Annabelle released a glitter silver mascara, aptly dubbed Silverstar. I initially was a bit taken aback by the idea of glitter mascara. Whenever I hear the word "glitter", I have flashbacks to the '80s and memories of dancing to Fame & Flashdance soundtracks and rocking the ever popular legwarmer look! Needless to say, glitter has come a long way. Glitter is no longer the chunky bits that churn up my memories of the 80s. Today's glitter is finely milled with more of a subtle, but still eye-catching, sparkle.

In a mascara though? Whodathunkit?! But after giving Silverstar a test run, it turned out I was pleasantly surprised and an immediate convert!! Once applied, Annabelle's Silverstar mascara made my lashes look like they had been kissed by diamonds! The effect is actually very subtle, but catches the light brilliantly as you blink and bat away those lashes (and believe me, you'll be batting them even more!!).

I tried the mascara on its own a few times and then tried it again with a black mascara as a base. I preferred the look with the black base coat of mascara first. The black base coat helped give my lashes the necessary oomph factor to stand out (they need all the help they can get!). From there, applying the glitter mascara was like the icing on the cake! Be warned that this mascara is highly reflective, so it takes a little bit to get used to seeing sparkles in the corner of your eye (think of when a snowflake catches your eyelash - similar to that feeling!).

Glitter mascara is definitely a fun and super easy way to add sparkle to your evening out. So pop in it that purse, add a coat or two and bat those lashes (and the night) away!!


MAC Reflects Glitter
Similar to MAC Pigment, MAC Glitter has the same staying power and potent shine, but with a larger sparkle finish. You can use this versatile product around the eyes, on the lips and on the body! Add it atop your eyeshadow, apply it over your gloss or mix in a tiny bit with your body lotion for a simply dazzling effect.

I was lucky enough to scoop up a container of Reflects Transparent Teal Glitter, which looks amazing when you add a tiny bit to your lotion for use as a highlighter. Teal Glitter also looks great atop blue eyeshadows so layer it on for an extra pop!

Here are some more options for glitter around the eyes (Note: Try only one glitter look on the face at a time…otherwise you may risk glitter overkill!):

1. Use glitter to highlight the inner corner of the eye. Layer it atop a highlighting eyeshadow for a stand-out look that makes the highlighting eyeshadow more visible from afar.
2. Use a tiny amount of glitter and place it on a tissue (you can control the amount better this way). Use the tip of your ring finger or a sponge tip eyeshadow applicator and lightly pat on the centre of the eyelid (where the eye is the most prominent). This gives a nice highlighting effect that truly makes the eye come forward.

Disclaimer: Glitter has its limits, so be sure to consult here on how to make glitter work for you!