Summer Makeup Trend: Bright Red Lips

I'm a huge sucker for a bright lip, and nothing gets me quite as excited as a perfect, warm-toned red. Bold red lips are chic and classic, but they do require confidence to pull off. I've been really loving this Rihanna look recently. She paired her orange-y red lipstick (which looks an awful lot like NARS Heatwave lipstick- my HG red) with a bright orange blush. The blush looks like a mixture of NARS Taj Mahal and Exhibit A, and it compliments the lip well. Rihanna's looks are always edgy, and I love that she's daring with her makeup choices.



For a more subdued (but still bright!) look, one could pair a red lip with minimal makeup elsewhere (mascara, filled in brows, and polished skin), as seen here on the J. Crew models in the Spring 2011 lookbook. (NARS Heat Wave lipstick was actually used here.)



Bright reds are an easy way to make a simple look pop, and they're perfect for the summer if you want to wear minimal makeup but still make a statement.

Milani Infinite Liquid Eye Liner Review

For my first post, I have decided to review one of my favorite products, Milani's Infinite Liquid Eye Liner.



Top: "Endless"; Bottom: "Everlast"


One of the main selling points of these liners is Milani's claim that they can wear for up to 24 hours. Big claim, right?! I put these liners to a test to see if they could hold up to it. Here's what happened....

I applied the liner in "Everlast" at 8 am before heading to San Francisco for a day in the city with some friends. We were out all day and a good portion of the night. I was so tired by the time we got back home that I didn't even bother to remove my makeup (shock! horror!). Surprisingly, when I woke up around 6 am the next day, the liner looked just as good as it had when I first put it on. The wear-time of these liners is really impressive! Another great thing about these it that they're highly pigmented. The picture below is of the liners freshly swatched on my hand.




The consistency of the liner is thicker than the average liquid liner, and it also takes a few seconds longer to dry. A good eye-makeup remover is needed to remove these, because they definitely won't budge until you want them to. I like the Neutrogena Oil-Free Eye Makeup Remover.

When dry, these liners never look completely matte. The finish is a bit difficult to describe, so please see the below picture to get an idea of what it looks like on.





The only complaint I have about this product is the brush, which isn't very good. It's a little bit too big, and applying the liner with it can be tricky. If you don't want to apply it with the included brush, you can always just apply the product with your favorite liner brush.




These liners will run you about $6.50 anywhere Milani is sold (I purchase mine at Walgreens). Overall, I think they're fantastic! They're inexpensive, highly pigmented, and super long-lasting. Grade: A-