STYLE BY MELI

Stila All Over Shimmer Liquid Luminizer (#3) and NARS "Albatross" highlighting powder - My everyday highlighting combo, they blend perfectly together!

I just blogged in my last post that I picked up the Stila All Over Shimmer Liquid Luminizer in shade #3 from The Makeup Show on Monday and I have to say, it’s truly as amazing as I thought it would be!

The color is a beautiful light yellow gold with a slight shimmer (not overly shiny).  I think that being that the consistency is a sheer liquid, this would look great on pretty much all skin tones.  Stila also makes this product in a shade #1, which is more of a white pearl in the bottle.  This is very pretty too and would look best on very fair skin with a pink undertone.  (I feel with the gold, it compliments more people).

I have also blogged on multiple occasions regarding NARS “Albatross” which continues to be my highlighting powder of choice.  I absolutely love the way it looks on my skin.  Even though it appears white, when you look at it closely, it actually has traces of gold and once applied to the skin, leaves a highlight with a slight gold tone.  This would also flatter most people, more so people on the fair side though!  (Darker complexions would definitely benefit more from a highlighter with more of a beige bronze undertone in it).

Directions for how to Use the Stila liquid luminizer AND NARS powder highlighter:

-  After I have applied my skincare and liquid foundation, I then take the brush tip applicator from the Stila All Over Shimmer Liquid Luminizer and dot along the top of my cheekbones and a little under the eye too (for a brightening effect).

-  I then use my fingertips and blend the liquid softly.  It leaves my skin with a slight glow and soft highlighting effect.  (A little goes a long way, I only need to use a very small amount)!

-  I set my entire face with a powder as I normally would.  As I recently mentioned, I am using Tarte’s Smooth Operator loose powder.

-  I personally use a MAC #165 brush (which unfortunately was a limited brush and I highly regret only owning one of these!  I only have one for my personal use) and apply the NARS “Albatross” along the same area, which again is the top of the cheekbones.  I usually only apply a REALLY small amount because there is already a liquid highlight in place.  However, sometimes I build it up by applying the NARS “Albatross” with a heavier hand, if I really want to enhance the cheekbones even more.  For everyday use, I like to keep it a little more subtle.

Styling Confession:  It wasn’t until recently that I became pretty obsessed with highlighting.  It was one of those things that I would do some days but not on an everyday basis.  Now I have gotten to a point where I LOVE highlighting because I have finally discovered products that really give me the look I want.

I believe a little highlighting to the cheekbones not only accentuates them (high cheekbones is always seen as an attractive facial characteristic), BUT I swear to you that it makes the face appear at least 5 years younger.  I feel it gives the skin that boost of youthfulness!  REALLY!  I think everyone can benefit from it!

[Why the need for two highlighting products?!?!]

Okay, I know it may seem a little excessive to be using two products for one job, which is to highlight the cheekbones.  However, you have to understand that I am using two COMPLETELY different mediums (a liquid and a powder).  I believe creating perfect skin is all about the way you layer your mediums to create depth and smoothness.  Kind of like a great outfit, it requires a layering process…from your accessories to your shoes to the pieces that create the final look of an outfit.  Makeup is NOT any different.

The liquid luminizer adds an initial GLOW to my skin itself and brightening effect, while the powder highlighter will actually build a little more DEPTH to the cheekbones by making them look more pronounced (visually bring them more forward).  Again, I want to emphasize that I’m only using a small amount of each product.  That’s why it still looks very natural on my skin.

*** Please Read (VERY IMPORTANT):  I find many people have a major misconception that the more makeup products a person uses, the more “cakey” and unnatural it starts to look.  It is NOT about HOW MANY products one uses that determines the naturalness of a look, it is the APPLICATION of the product (Example:  the brush a person uses to apply the product OR how much of the product a person chooses to use) that will determine how natural or unnatural a look is.  

I hope you all enjoyed reading about my absolute favorite cheek highlighting combo and that this better clarifies the steps involved on how to use these products!  And more importantly, I hope I have further enlightened you all on what “highlighting” is all about, since I feel it is a subject matter most people are not completely familiar with!

[Do you highlight your cheekbones, if so, what are your favorite products to use?]  

This entry was posted on May 19, 2011 at 11:58 PM and is filed under FACE, MAKE-UP, MAKE-UP BRUSHES, MELI'S MAKEUP BAG, POWDERS, SKINCARE with tags Nars, Stila. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.