BLENDED Beauté

As a makeup artist, it’s rare that I’m on the receiving end of an artist’s brushes. I don’t often get to sit down, kick my feet up, close my eyes and have someone else “beat” my face! Well, yours truly enjoyed all of the above recently when I stopped by Sephora while vacationing in San Diego. I walked in the store with no particular products in mind, but ended up playing and staying at the MAKE UP FOR EVER display the entire time.

I’ve always been a fan of MUFE. It has amazing shades and high-performance formulations. I tried to pull myself away but there were sooo many products I wanted to try. I’ve heard nothing but rave reviews about their HD foundation, matte velvet liquid foundation, duo matte powders, primers, eye shadows, eye liners, lip colors. The list goes on…

I was lost in MUFE world when a young woman, Justine, asked if I needed help. I told her I was just looking but that I really loved the line. We instantly connected. Turns out she was one of the store’s managers. We had a lot in common—both MUAs, beauty junkies, liked a lot of the same products—and ended up talking about all things makeup for over an hour. Before I knew it, she grabbed her brushes and started doing my makeup with her favorite MUFE products and a few goodies from some other lines.

I purposely wore only my ARTISTRY Tinted Moisturizer (Tint 7) so I’d have a mostly bare canvas to play on. Her foundation of choice for me was Duo Matte Powder Foundation #214 which I loved, loved, loved. It’s a long-lasting, oil-free mattifying powder foundation perfect for my combination skin. When I say long-lasting, I’m not exaggerating. It lasted me well into the night, and I never had to touch up. It gave me a shine-free finish and evened out my skin tone. And if you need to cover blemishes or other imperfections? Duo Matte won’t disappoint.

Flash Palette was another fave. This is a makeup artist must-have. You can create an array of looks with it, and it’s great for traveling. Use it on the eyes, cheeks and lips. Endless possibilities! Justine mixed a little of the coral and white to use as a base/primer on my eyes. This gave the eye shadows more staying power and made the color pop. She used Espresso 17 (matte chocolate brown) on my lid; Chocolate Matte 29 (matte warm dark brown) to accent my crease; and Champagne 11 (champagne beige shimmer) as a highlight under my brows. For added glitz and glam, she dabbed Star Powder#940 (white/orange) on the inner half of my eyes.

I was ga-ga over this shimmering, silky powder. It catches the light and gives skin a unique glow. Its texture is very fine yet dense. And only a small amount is necessary for a visible, faaaabulous result. You can also use it on areas of the face that need highlighting: around the eyes, on the cheekbones, and over lipstick.

Next, she lined my eyes (top and bottom) with Aqua Eyes in Mat Black then reached for Smoky Lash mascara which gave my lashes curl, volume, length and intense pigment. She looked to NARS’ Lovejoy (shimmering bronzed rose) for my cheeks and swore I’d love her all-time favorite glosses, Buxom Lips by Bare Escentuals. She dolled them up with Eva Buxom (warm rose).

I have to admit I was sold on this lip gloss after trying it. It gave a luminous shine with no sticky or tacky feeling. My lips felt smooth and soft all day thanks to a deep infusion of antioxidant vitamins A and E. And the tingly and cooling sensation gave my lips a rush and immediate increase in fullness. I loved my overall look and will definitely add these items to my personal makeup bag. Thanks Justine!

Justine and I make face for the camera after gabbing and glamming in Sephora.