Something Old, Something New

Hello Color Elated Friends!

     My series, "Something Old, Something New" allows me to share products I have had for a good while that I have rediscovered and fell in love with again, while sharing new items that I find myself falling in love with (and that may, in true Color Elated style, end up as "Something Old" one day, but I digress).

Something Old

    Some products just fit a particular niche.  Yeah, you may put them aside for a while, but when you pick them back up again, you are so glad you own them.  My highlighters are a case in point.  Highlighting and contouring are a  makeup staple for me.  I possess this round, full face that is in desperate need of angles.  It is not easy to find a contour that works so well with your complexion.  My Sleek Makeup Contour Kit is the best, but I do not use the highlighter in the kit. I have several highlighters.   Two that I love are My Dior Nude Glow and  Revlon Color Stay Mineral Finishing Powder in #030 Sunkiss.

       

     

     Dior Nude Glow is a wonderful mix of tan and coral bands.  It creates a lovely terra cotta glow.  What I love is the level of shimmer.  It is low and believable. Very wearable.  I love this when I wear earthy, golden based colors.  It is the soft swatch on the left.  Revlon Color Stay  is a baked mineral blend of ginger and browns that creates a pretty champagne glow.  It is showing up amber on the swatch above, but it is really more neutral.  Love this with cooler and neutral palettes.  And because it is baked...it lasts FOREVER!  I have had this for years and have used it lavishly.


Something New

     Okay, I have to eat some crow now.  A while ago, I mentioned being on a budget when it came to beauty.  Now, overall, I have greatly reduced impulse buys, but I must admit, I occasionally indulge in something that catches my eye.  Sigh!  Oh, the pains of being Color Elated!  Again, I digress...   I picked up the most gorgeous palette from Lancome's Summer 2014 Collection.  It is the Color Design Palette in Azur Chic.

    The top row are the neutral and cool colors, the bottom warmer.  Where these may, at first glance, appear to be lackluster shades (Remember their Summer 2013 palette? It had golds and blues and a teal that was the bomb.com!), what makes these colors amazing is the finish.  The dark blue is more matte, the first beige is a soft shimmer, but the remaining shades are the most intense metallic finish. There is fallout.  Once you guard against that, you will find the effects are beautiful!

         I wore these to work today so the pics could not be as dramatic as I would like, but I took the middle metallic beige in the inner corner and the copper on the remaining lid.  With a precision brush, I applies the dark blue to the crease.  I took a dark cinnamon matte shade ( Henna, from Color Elation Cosmetics colorelation.com ) to warm the crease.  I lined the top with Milani Wear Infinite brown liquid liner.   I used Lancome's Le Stylo Waterproof Eyeliner in Marine Chic for the bottom lash line and topped that with the light blue metallic shadow for extra color and sparkle.
     I am looking forward to using these old and new products for the season.  Please feel free to share some of your finds for Summer 2014.  I would love to hear about what you will be rocking this spring and summer.  I finally added my "subscribe" button, so please subscribe either  through Google+ or email.  As always, stay blessed and Color Elated!

                                                                                              -Tamera
  

How Do You Like Your Coffee?

Greetings to the Beautiful Color Elated!

     Like so many of you, I am a busy gal.  Sometimes the demands of work and family, and marriage, and...the list goes on, dictate the comings and goings of life.  I cannot stay away from my blog too long and it is good to find time to reconnect.  In that time away, I have found some new discoveries that I would love to share with you.
    Perhaps, in part because of my busy life, I indulge a bit more in drinking coffee than I ought.  It really is one of my few vices.  Where I love the flavor (and the effects) of  a good brew, I also love coffee colored eye shadows.  Especially, when I can find several lovely shades in one compact.  I am always looking for colors I can wear to work and that blend seamlessly into my day to day life.  Well...I think I found one.
    Clinique All About Shadow 8 pan Palette in Neutral Territory 2  is exquisite.  Eight easy to blend, richly pigmented shadows that go from rich cream to espresso.  From left to right (the lightest to the darkest) are Sugar Cane, a soft white with a satin finish.  For me, this is a good color for the inner eye corner for brightness with these or other shadows. Light Shades of Diamonds and Pearls Duo is yellow butter cream shade and the Light Shade of Neutral Territory Duo ( a tan) are both colors I would use for highlighting the brow bone.  The last four colors are the ones I use the most. Light Shade of Day Into Date Duo is peachy beige.  The Brown Shade of Polar Blue Quad is a nice taupe.  Great for neutral looks. I love Hazy. It is a shimmery light coffee.  Black Honey is a copper shimmer...love!  Especially to add warmth to the crease, and Dark Brown Shade of Morning Java Quad is dark coffee shimmer.  My only real angst with the collection, is that I wish more matte shades were included.

     My favorite look with this collection?  I love to take Hazy in the inner corner and around the inner tear duct.  Then, I take the darkest color and pat it on the remainder of the lid, extending just over the crease.  This makes for a somewhat smoky eye.  With a fluffy blender brush, I take Black Honey and graze it over the dark color, from the crease, up.  I graze this shade with peachy Day Into Date to soften the line.  I highlight with Shade of Diamonds and Pearls Duo.  I had to blend, blend here to lessen some of the shimmer. I prefer a more matte highlight.  With a pointed crease brush, I took Color Elation Shadow Single in Bombshell to deepen the crease.  Another good option would be MAC Embark, but I love the reddish undertone of Bombshell.  (colorelation.com)
    To finish the look, I used Clinique Blush Pop in Ginger Pop.  Lining lips with MAC Nightmoth (another addictive vice), I filled in with Maybelline Color Elixir in Nude Illusion and topped it with Revlon's Color Stay Mineral Glaze in Raisin.

       I wanted to show these shadows in different lights so you can see how "liveable" these shadows are. Perfect for day or evening.   And, truth be told, hubby was rushing me out the door, hence the selfie in the car.  Could not be helped. Everyone, thank you so much and again for joining me.  Please feel free to share with me your favorite coffee colored shadows. I would love to hear about them!  As always,  stay blessed and Color Elated!

Color Elation Destination: Las Vegas!

Hello My Dear Color Elated Friends,

     Tell me, who could not look at this iconic sign and not get excited?  Las Vegas is a magic!  People from all over the world flock to this spreading metropolis in the desert just to get a taste of the magic.  Whether it is to become a star or to unwind on a much deserved vacation, Las Vegas is a place where dreams can come true.  Like New York, it is a city that does not sleep.  And I love how it offers something for everyone.  Whether you travel with a significant other, or with the girls (or guys), or whether you come as a family, there is no shortage of fun and interesting things to do.  Truth be told, I am a gambling chicken.  But I love the shows, the shopping, the amazing restaurants, and the people watching.  I mean, where else on earth can you travel to Italy, Paris, New York, and an MGM lot in the same day?
 

         When creating a Las Vegas inspired look, I had to seriously think of one source of inspiration.  Not easy to do.  One thing I knew:  the look would not be color shy, it had to be fun and have a touch of drama, and contain...GLITTER!  Next, I wanted to draw inspiration from an iconic image.  Again, not easy to do, because there are tons.  Once upon a time, I had a Paint Wheel from Lady Burd Cosmetics, named Roulette.  It was a four colored compact of green, blue, burgundy red, and black.  Though this compact was made for body paint and not for eye use, I loved the colors and wondered how comparable shades would work in an eye look.  So, I searched my vast collection for colors with enough "oomph" to do what I wanted.  Using this image of the wheel, I settled on a bright green, bright red, black, and a blue, and since Nevada is The Silver State, silver glitter lined the bottom.

     So, the look went like this:  First I based the look with my Sephora + Pantone Universe Color Code Prismatic Shadow Block (lower center)  in Emerald in the inner corners then my Sleek Mineral Based Eyeshadow Palette (left bottom), using that incredible ocean blue cream on the remainder of the lid.  I then topped each base with a matching powder shade.  Sephora + Pantone Universe Bionic Color Grid Shadow Block in Emerald (upper center) was applied to the inner corner, and in my BH Party Girl Palette (top), I applied the ocean blue shadow, bottom row, first color on the left.  I took the black from the BH palette (third row down from the top, eighth one from the left) to create a cut crease with MAC Fix + and an angled brush. When I achieved the desired intensity, I took a vibrant red (from the left, third row down, first shadow) and applied that to the crease.  Blend, blend, blend. Black pen liner created a bold line on top, kohl pencil on the bottom waterline added more definition.  Under the bottom lash line, I applied a silver pencil and topped it with plenty of NYX Liquid Crystal Liner in Crystal Gun Metal.  To finish the look, I did not shy away from a dramatic lip.  Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Lip Tar in Black Metal Dahlia added intense color with amazing flicks of glitter.  Like a showgirl.  Black Radiance Artisan color Baked Blush in Warm Berry complimented the lip color.  And, because this is an homage to Las Vegas, I had to add sweeping, fantasy lashes like these from Monda.

     This look for me so embodies the spark and energy of Las Vegas.  It is uninhibited, colorful, glitzy, and each portion of it was something out of the ordinary.  I had a great deal of fun with this look.  Please feel free to comment.  Also, join me on my YouTube channel, Color Elated.  My latest video, "Spring Finds" was filmed after my Sephora visit  near the Venetian Hotel (my current favorite stay)  and highlights a few of my favorite new finds.  Thanks so much for joining me.  Stay blessed and Color Elated!