* Guest Post by Divalicious Featured Member Mariel Fuchs *
I am what you might call a beauty loyalist. While I “ooh” “ahh” and “OGM” over trends galore, my daily go-to products spend their time comfortably snuggled up with one another in my makeup bag as if it were the bar from Cheers. No newcomers here.
That’s not to say I am not up for a change. I am… especially with Lauren [LDiva] guiding the transformation.
So when we decided to test the deep wine (“oxblood’) lip trend, I was excited to get on board with a look I’d been swooning over since the first Fall 2012 backstage shots emerged. Lauren pulled up the Joan Smalls pic from the Viktor and Rolf show and that served as our inspiration.
Like a hairdresser working on my life-changing and breakthrough “after” look, Lauren kept the mirror out of sight until she was finished with my makeover.
The one exception was when she gave me the hand mirror to show me how she was subtly contouring my face, a makeup artist skill I’ve tried in the past but never really captured the desired end result. This time, I learned from the pro! All I needed was one shade of MAC Cream Color Base in Mid-tone Sepia to buff into the skin to contour around the temples, hairline and jawline and beneath the cheekbone, plus lightly along the sides of the nose and in the crease of the eye. The contrasting highlighter shade was actually the shimmery white Estee Lauder Pure Color Gelee Powder Eyeshadow (Cyber Ice) she later applied to my lids. Talk about product multi-tasking.
Once I saw how much difference the contouring alone made, I got pumped for whatever was to come. Hell, she could have decided to go smurf blue-lipstick on me and I would have been beaming just the same. (Maybe next time…?)
As the dark MAC Beet Lipliner and Rimmel Lasting Finish Kate Moss #04 Lipstick were being applied, I had flashbacks of junior high and days spent in my local Genovese searching for Revlon’s Iced Mocha Lipstick to pair with my MAC Spice liner. Was I ready for this modern-day severe lip look when really at heart, I’m a neutral gloss girl?
I was still thrilled about the contouring (and how glow-y my skin looked!!). The technique Lauren showed me really seemed like something I could actually get down, with a bit of practice and a few tools. So I was able to distract myself thinking about that. However, if I said I wasn’t longing to pluck one of five sheer Juicy Tubes from its rightful home base in my purse, I’d be lying.
Then, for the second time, I was given the mirror.
When I saw the final look, I was in love.
♥
My takeaway on oxblood lips: Coming out of your comfort zone when it comes to beauty is something we should all try.
As Lauren has said forevah, there’s no commitment when you can change it up the very next day or even wash it off and start over. Did my boyfriend love the radically different (yes, it qualified as radical for me) look? No. Have I abandoned all glosses to be more current? No. But it feels good to have branched out and to surprise myself in liking what I saw. Jumping on a trend doesn’t have to mean anything more than having fun with your look and giving something a shot. Even if just for a night.
