Makeup Mondays--Creating Glamour with Pan-Cake Makeup

I think it’s fair time for another review here on Makeup Mondays, so today I’d like to talk about a very retro makeup—the cake foundation. We’ve all heard of Max Factor’s Pan-Cake Makeup, the very first of its kind and the first foundation to crossover from the film market into the real world.

It was created in 1937 as an answer to the problem the previously used makeups presented when color film came into play—though fine for black and white film, they were garish and harsh in Technicolor. In fact, these products took on whatever color the actor was wearing—green, red, blue—as the makeup reflected whatever was near it. Max Factor’s glorious invention, a dry cake applied with a moistened sponge—looked wonderful natural and realistic, both on screen and off, and was an instant hit. And so, despite a name that conjures up images of thickly applied, garish makeup (the name merely described the form the product came in—a cake in a pan), we had a foundation that provided a lovely, natural coverage, and was comfortable to wear to boot!
Sadly, Max Factor is no longer sold in the US; I had never really used their foundations, as I couldn’t find a color match, but several years ago I did test drive it for a short stint and found it to be a lovely product. Luckily, water-activated cake makeup is still made by a number of “pro” brands, including Ben Nye and Kryolan. Being that these products are designed for use by professionals, the color ranges for both are quite immense—truly, there will be a match for everyone in either line!

I use the first product, Ben Nye Color Cake, in the shade Bisque. Though appearing quite dark and yellow in the pan, when applied it is actually a soft cream shade (a cool, pink-based alternate shade would be Geisha). It provides wonderful coverage, is very long wearing, and dries to a smooth, matte finish—a very vintage look, in fact. I also find it to be a very comfortable product to wear, especially with oilier skin and on hot days—this is one product that doesn’t feel heavy and greasy (a horrid feeling, especially when you know your makeup is sliding off your face as you walk from your car to the office in the hot summer sun.) The color chart is reasonably straightforward as well—the skintone shades are arranged from lightest to darkest—though it is best if you can test this product out in person. Just remember that the shade will appear quite a bit darker in the pan than it will on your skin, so don’t go too light!


The second product in my kit is Kryolan’s Cake Make-up, a nearly identical product to Ben Nye’s. I find Kryolan’s offering to be a bit creamier and moister feeling on the skin (though again, it dries to a soft matte finish), and it also is fragranced with a very vintage, powdery scent. Though I find the fragrance to be very mild, more sensitive noses may not like it. Kryolan’s color chart leaves much to be desired as well; the numbered shades are not neatly ordered from light to dark, and it’s quite confusing to order this one online. My original choice was TV White—a perfect match for me in the TV Paintstick, but in the cake makeup the shade is exactly as the name describes: a bright, faintly pink-tinged white--not at all a natural skin tone! I then ordered the shade Natural 1, figuring it would be a yellow-toned soft beige. My guess was right on the money, though unfortunately it’s about a shade too dark for me. At any rate, it is possible to mix the shades to adjust the color (though of course, the process isn’t as convenient as it would be to mix to liquid products. Ah well, sometimes a little extra effort is worth it!)

Now, on to application: one applies cake makeup with a dampened sponge (a hydra sponge or sea sponge work well, though a foam foundation wedge or disk will do the trick too.) Simply moisten the sponge, squeeze out the excess liquid, and then swirl it in pan. Then, apply it to your face using a light stippling motion, following by buffing in the foundation with a dry sponge. This gives the skin a lovely airbrushed quality; you can also finish with a very light dusting of loose powder to further set the makeup.

Well, there you have it—a very thorough review on cake makeup! Both the Ben Nye and Kryolan makeups are under $10, and a pan will last approximately forever, so both are an excellent investment if you can find a color match and master application!

xoxo,
Amanda Lee

Tuesday Review—Kryolan Dual Finish Powder and Bobbi Brown Red Lipstick

Hedy Lamarr with makeup artist Ted Larsen
Over the past couple of months I’ve tried out several new makeup items (My name is Amanda, and I’m a makeupaholic lol). I’ve come across a couple of standout products that I think are definitely worth checking out, and so I decided to review them here for you!

The first is a powder foundation by Kryolan. I’m definitely a big fan of this German brand, which was started in the 1940s, and I include several Kryolan products in my makeup bag. Their TV Paint Stick foundation is one stellar product that I use almost daily, and as I love the color match, coverage, and finish so much, I thought I would look into their powder foundation as well. I’m very glad I did, as the Dual Finish delivers the same as the TV Paint Stick—excellent coverage, a gorgeous matte finish, and a lovely color match.

The range of colors isn’t as broad as in some of their cream foundation options, but I selected the shade Alabaster, which turned out to be a pale beige that complemented my very fair, neutral skin tone quite nicely. It’s a tad darker in the pan than the TV White I wear in the stick foundation, so I was a bit disappointed when I first opened the package, but it somehow blends seamlessly into my skin—it’s not too dark, and it doesn’t turn the dreaded orange that so many other foundations do. I apply it a couple of ways—I sometimes use it as a setting powder with a bit of extra coverage over the TV Paintstick, and I also wear it alone. It can be applied wet or dry—applying with a damp sponge gives it a bit more coverage than applying it with a dry sponge or kabuki brush. Both methods are fast, easy, and pretty goof proof. Regardless of the application method, I find it maintains a satiny matte finish all day long, with minimal oil breakthrough (I have combination skin that can sometimes be rather oily). I also find that it lasts very well under summer conditions too—we all know how horrid it is when the heat and humidity cause your foundation to slide around your face, and this foundation holds strong under the worst weather conditions!

So, if you are looking for a new foundation to try, I highly recommend this one!



I'm wearing both the Kryolan Dual Finish and Bobbi Brown Red lipstick here
The next product I’d like to review is Bobbi Brown Red lipstick. Now, I am a pretty big fan of Lip Ink’s long wearing lipstick, and generally reach for it every day. But sometimes I dabble in ‘traditional’ lipsticks, and as I am obsessed with red shades, I like to try out new ones from time to time. I’d heard that Bobbi Brown makes a nice cream lipstick, and the Red shade is described as a “fire engine red” shade on the Web site. I decided it would be worth trying out when I found an inexpensively priced tube on eBay. Initially, I wasn’t so sure about this lipstick—I like my red lipstick to be shockingly bright, and when I first tried this one out it seemed a little too muted for my taste. I decided to try wearing it over a basecoat of Lip Ink Red (Lip Ink also works very well under regular lipsticks, as it grabs the color and makes it nice and long wearing) and ended up loving the look I achieved—a rich red shade with a beautiful satin finish. It photographs very well (I’m wearing it in my Jungle Girl set), and I find it to wear comfortably too—creamy without being smeary (I love lipsticks with a creamy finish, but hate it when they slide off your lips!)

Well, that's all for now! I do have a few other products to review, so I'll be posting those soon :-)

xoxo,

Amanda Lee

Makeup Mondays—Kryolan Cream Liner

I’ve been a long-time user of Joe Blasco Ultamattes, as these liners work very well for me—both Midnight Brown and Eddie Leonard are excellent rich brown shades well suited for fair blonde complexions, and the formula is wonderfully water resistant and non-irritating to my sensitive eyes. However, when I bought a new tube of my favorite foundation, Kryolan TV Paint Stick, I couldn’t resist trying out a pot of the cream liner (I was almost out of my current liner, so it was a justifiable impulse buy.) I’m glad I did—the color Cacao is a lovely chocolate brown (a wonderful shade for pale blondes and redheads), and the formula has proven to be just as budgeproof, if not more so, than my favorite Ultamattes. I’ve been wearing this liner for the past several days, and it wears like iron—no smudging or fading, and best of all, no irritation (I have very sensitive eyes, and many products cause them to water like mad.) The texture is that of a firm gel/cream, and as it is highly pigmented, you only need a little to create that sought-after vintage cat eye. I apply it with a small sable filbert brush (Cinema Secrets #2)—the formula is creamy enough to apply smoothly, but not so creamy as to smear about as you apply it (like the formula of Clinique and Bobbi Brown’s cream liner options—I found both of these to be a royal pain to apply.) I have to say that Kryolan’s cream liner may be edging out my standby! So, if you are in the market for a new eyeliner, or looking to try a product that delivers what it promises, I highly recommend checking this one out!

xoxo,
Amanda Lee

Ruby Red Lips

I'm wearing Lip Ink Energy Red in this photo

I’ve mentioned before that I’ve been a long-time fan of Lip Ink liquid lipstick, and Riika’s comment on another post inspired me to write a full-fledged review about it.

I’ve been a loyal user of Lip Ink for three years, and it is pretty much the only lipstick I wear anymore. Though I do adore Besame’s lipstick (Red Hot Red is my fave shade), and though I admit to the occasional impulse purchase tubes of ‘regular’ lipstick (just bought Revlon’s vintage-style tube of Fire n’Ice), I almost always reach for my Lip Ink! I love not worrying about my lipstick smearing, bleeding, or transferring to my coffee cup (and of course my Sweetie appreciates the fact that he can kiss me and not end up wearing lipstick too!) Over the years I had tried a number of indelible lipsticks—Cover Girl Outlast, MAC Pro Longwear, Revlon Colorstay—and was never very pleased with any of them. For one thing, they felt like I’d just applied a thick layer of lacquer to my lips. They also cracked, peeled, and dried to a lighter shade (and for someone who is addicted to bright red lipstick, having your color fade to a dull shade of red just won’t do.) On a whim I tried Lip Ink, and found it to be a true stain—but one that was comfortable to wear. The color stays true, it doesn’t crack or fade, and it’s non-drying as well (I find it actually heals dry lips.) I also find that it photographs like regular lipstick (instead of looking like you’ve applied a coat of paint to your lips), and so I wear it for nearly all of my photo shoots and fashion shows (it’s fantastic to not have to worry about smearing your lipstick on your clothing.) My favorite shade is Energy Red, a rich 1940s shade that I think of as very “Hedy Lamarr”, though I am also fond of Red (a bright pink-based red), Hot Pink (a shocking pink shade), Fuchsia (a deep raspberry shade), and Coral (a bright, true coral shade).

Lip Ink is a two-product lipstick—you apply a layer of color, let it dry for a few moments, and then top with a coat of their Lip Shine gloss. If you decide to try Lip Ink, I do recommend picking up a tube of Lip Shine as well—I love the LemonMint flavor—but unlike the other type of long-wearing lipsticks, you don’t need to reply it multiple times over the day to keep the color from cracking off. It just moisturizes and adds a nice shine to the lips. Lip Ink also sells a remover for their product, as most cleansers won’t take it off—but I discovered that plain ol’ rubbing alcohol removes it with ease. I realize that this sounds very unglamorous and drying to boot, but as I said above, there is something in the color that keeps my lips nice and soft (and my lips definitely are on the dry side to begin with), and I’d rather save my pennies for another tube of color or shine.

Lipsense Blu-Red
Now, I will say that it appears as though Lip Ink has changed their formula slightly, as the lipstick isn’t quite as indelible as it was when I first started wearing it. I still prefer it to regular lipstick hands down, but I do wish they would go back to the old formula! This led me to another product though, a similar liquid lip color made by Lipsense. I ordered a tube of Blu-Red over the holidays to compare (I read that this is Christina Aguilera’s favorite), and I find that in terms of staying power, Lipsense beats Lip Ink soundly. Applied once in the morning, I don’t need to touch it up all day, though I do refresh the gloss after lunch. There are two things that I don’t like as well though—the smell/taste (a horrid fakey rose scent that unfortunately lingers), and the finish (it dries to a very tacky finish, though the gloss remedies this fairly easily.) But on the whole I’ve been very pleased and will most likely purchase this again (I’d like to try the Cranberry shade next, I think.)

Lip Ink Red
So, that’s my two cents on this subject—I’d highly recommend either of these products to anyone on the hunt for a long-wearing red lipstick!


xoxo,
Amanda Lee

What's Your Scent Style?

Do you remember your first perfume? I do; I vividly remember receiving a bottle of Malibu Sun and Old Navy for my 13th Christmas (hope I haven’t dated myself too badly *tee hee*). It felt so grown up to have my very own perfume—even though it was one that wasn’t at all “grown up!” (But what did I know, right?) A few years later, when my middle sister moved out, she gave me her bottle of Lady Stetson and Charlie, and even though I don’t recall ever wearing either of these, just having them on my dresser made me feel ever so mature *smirk*.

Now my tastes have developed quite a bit, and I find myself drawn to floral and oriental scents. I particularly enjoy trying out vintage perfumes, and generally seek them out over modern creations. Chanel and Guerlain’s famous creations don’t agree with my chemistry (sadly, as I adore Shalimar on others—on me it smells of acrid powder), but as I’ve learned what scents suit me (both in style and chemistry), I’ve found a few that I love. One of my favorites is Tabu; this one was created in 1932, and though it has a negative rep these days (it is not a perfume that can be applied heavy-handed), I enjoy its spiciness. It’s a “man-magnet” too; whenever I wear it men seem to go crazy!


For something a little sweeter, I adore violet fragrances, particularly those of the candied variety. Two favorites are Violetta di Parma (created for Napoleon Bonaparte’s second wife) and Violettes de Toulouse (created in 1932); both are delicately sweet and perfect for spring and summer. My only complaint is that neither is very long lasting, but one can’t always have it all ;-)


I do wear a couple of modern perfumes as well—I’ve recently discovered two that I enjoy very much: Kenzo Flower and Caron Aimez Moi. Kenzo Flower is a delightful bouquet with a soft powdery tone; it has a definite vintage feel and I think that is one of the reasons I am drawn to it. It is a fragrance that people—both men and women—always comment on, and it’s fairly unique as well. Caron’s Aimez Moi was inspired by one of their famed scents, N’Aimez Que Moi, a perfume created in 1916 for soldiers to give to their sweethearts before they went off to war (. The latter is no longer readily available, and is said to be a more complex version of the Aimez Moi. However, I am quite taken with the warm, sweet rose and violet bouquet of the new version. The original is on my “someday” list though!

So, now that I’ve told you my scent style and history, do tell me about yours! What perfumes do you love, and what was your first perfume?

xoxo,
Amanda Lee

Lana's Look

Yesterday I posted the next installment of my Makeup Mondays vintage face series over at AlleyKatsStore --this week's look is all about Lana. I hope you enjoy it; I'm looking forward to reading your comments and suggestions for stars to feature!

xoxo,

Amanda

The Icing on the Cake

Today's installment of vintage makeup how-tos is on our favorite topic--lipstick! Check it out here, and let me know what you think!

xoxo,
Amanda Lee

Makeup Mondays—The Eyes Have It - Part II

The next installment of Makeup Mondays, which discusses period perfect eyeliner and brows, is up at Alley Kats--I hope you enjoy it!

xoxo,

Amanda Lee

Blush and Contouring 101

The next installment of "Makeup Mondays" is up at Alley Kat Vintage--this week's topic is blush and contouring. Check it out and let me know what you think--questions and comments always welcomed!

Vintage Makeup -- A Few of My Favorite Things

Picture borrowed from the lovely Miss Matilda

I’ve been a makeup junkie for as long as I can remember. I think my slight obsession with cosmetics is due in part to the fact that I was not allowed to wear much makeup as a young teen—and when you are a pale blonde, makeup is a bit of must to prevent one from disappearing into the woodwork! Neither my mother nor my sisters ever wore much makeup either, so I am glad I discovered the wonders of brow pencil and mascara through trial and error, tee hee.

Over the years I have refined my tastes, and as I delved farther into the vintage lifestyle, I worked very hard at perfecting the styles of the 1940s-50s. There is something so elegant about perfectly sculpted brows and shockingly red lips, and the nuances to be found in the different looks are quite fun to explore.
The first red lipstick I bought was Revlon’s Cherries in the Snow, a color released in the 1950s and still available today. I was 19 and had recently discovered Marilyn Monroe when I came across a book of photos in a used bookstore. I thought she was so pretty, and something about her curled hair and innocent wide eyes sparked a new interest in style in me (I was not a fashion plate by any means as a teen, being more obsessed with horses and not in the least a follower of the crowd.) Since that fateful purchase, I have bought many a tube of red lipstick, and amassed a large collection of other products as well!

Anyway, I’ve rambled on a bit, so let me give you a list of my top ten makeup favorites :-)

1. Lip Ink in Red
Not a traditional lippie, this liquid lipstick is more of stain that lasts for ages without smearing, pulling a disappearing act, or transferring to your glass or beau! The Red shade is like MAC’s Ruby Woo (my favorite traditional lipstick.)

2. Maybelline Expert Eyes Brow Pencil in Blonde
I have used this brow pencil for many years—it’s an excellent product that has stood the test of time!

3. La Femme Blush-on Rouge in Pink Velvet
La Femme is a pro brand that is highly pigmented, and comes in a wide range of colors, many of them perfect for vintage looks. The best part is—it’ll only set you back about $3!

4. Joe Blasco Ultamatte Liner in Eddie Leonard
A fantastic cream cake liner that is nearly budge-proof. Eddie Leonard is a warm dark brown shade named after a shade of Max Factor Pan-cake used in the 1960s as eye shadow. An excellent color for fair blondes and redheads.

5. Cinema Secrets Kolinsky Brush in #2 Filbert
The perfect brush to apply liner, especially the Ultamattes. Allows you to apply the line as thin or thick as you like, with perfect definition. Can be used to smudge the line, too.

6. Shu Uemura Eye Shadow in M Beige 820
The perfect pale, neutral beige brow shade for platinum blonde. Makes a great contouring shade for the ultra pale too!

7. Clinique Champagne, Lucky Penny, and Rum Spice Shadows
I reach for these on a regular basis, and use them often in photo shoots.

8. Clinique Lash Power Mascara in Dark Chocolate
I have very sensitive eyes, and many mascaras make them water terribly. Lash Power is one of the few that doesn’t bother them, and because it is a tubing mascara, it doesn’t smudge or flake either. And, it comes in a great dark brown shade!

9. Graftobian High-Def Cream Foundation
Another pro product that comes in a huge range of shades at a very inexpensive price ($11 for a full-sized pot.) provides excellent coverage (can be built up or sheered out to your liking) and it photographs well too.

10. MAC Eye Shadow
I like MAC’s shadows a great deal as well—some of my favorite shades are Vapour, Malt, Naked Lunch, Haux, and Woodwinked. They have a great recycling program too—return six empty cases and receive a free lippie (or shadow or gloss at freestanding stores) of your choice!

Well, that’s all for now; I do hope you enjoy this entry and I welcome your comments and questions!