Makeup Mondays With Mario: Bronzer How-To

Celebrity makeup artist Mario Dedivanovic is answering your burning beauty questions!!! Every Monday, he will answer a beauty/skin care question as part of a weekly column on Spoiled Pretty, Makeup Mondays with Mario.


Hello Mario!


My question is about bronzer. Actually, I have a few questions. I am so confused! First, how do you choose your perfect shade of bronzer? Second, what is the best technique for applying powder bronzer? And do you have any favorites you can recommend?

Thanks a lot!
Lizzie

Hi Lizzie,

When chosing a shade of bronzer, you should consider the following: dark skin tones look best with bronzers that have red in them. Lighter skin usually looks good with a more pale/pinkish bronzer. When applying bronzer, I like to frame the entire face. Sweep the bronzer along the hairline, on hollows of the cheeks and along your jawline. Don't forget to apply a bit to the neck as well.

Because I use bronzer pretty much on most of the face, I prefer to go with a non-shimmery, powder bronzer. My faves are Smashbox Bronze Lights Bronzer in Suntan Matte* and Dior Bronze Matte Sunshine SPF 20. If you're looking to achieve a bronze look but want to glow as well, try Eye M Glam highlighter at Giella.com*. Apply it on the cheekbones, inner corner of eyes, bridge of nose and on brow bones. It has a golden glow that looks amazing with bronzer. Thanks for visiting MMwM!

xo,
Mario

Got a question for Mario? Email your makeup and skin care queries to blogaboutsexygirlpicsquestions@gmail.com, and check back next Monday to read Mario's expert advice!

*Mario used both of these products on Kim Kardashian for the Leather & Laces Superbowl party (photo above). To get the face, visit Mario's blog!

Revlon Photo Ready Foundation: Buy Immediately!

No offense to mass market makeup, but with its new Photo Ready Foundation, Revlon just brought drugstore foundation out of the dark ages. In fact, many prestige brands could learn a lot from this particular foundation. Priced at around $13.99, Photo Ready is worth two or three times that.

For a few months, I've been hearing Revlon Photo Ready Foundation being touted as the discount version of my beloved Make Up For Ever's HD Foundation. I kinda dismissed it as hype, until I tried it last week. While there are a lot of similarities, there are some differences too – namely, the price (HD Foundation costs $40).

Photo Ready, like MUFE's HD Foundation, gives the skin an airbrushed look. It looks even more flawless when applied with a foundation brush or, my fave, the beautyblender sponge. The coverage is medium to full – and I find that when I use it, I don't really have to use concealer. It’s that good. Where Photo Ready differs from MUFE's HD Foundation is that it has a dewy finish; so if you like a more matte look, MUFE might be the way to go. My skin is on the oilier side, and I happen to love Photo Ready. It gives me perfect looking skin with a healthy glow, without it veering into oil slick territory.

Photo Ready wears well all day long, and feels very light; I often forget I'm even wearing it. I also appreciate that it doesn't oxidize and change color after a few hours – as that has happened with many foundations I've tried.

And before you ask me if gals with problem skin can tolerate this product, I'll tell you…the answer is a resounding YES. My skin is acne prone and likes to stage a mutiny every time I turn around, but Photo Ready has not caused an adverse reaction.

The only category where MUFE HD Foundation wins hands down is in the color options (Photo Ready has 12 shades and MUFE HD has 25). And it's too bad that you can't really test Photo Ready in the store (at least, there were no testers at the drugstore where I bought my bottle) - so you sort of have to take a leap of faith when you choose a shade. Personally, I spent about five minutes deliberating between Rich Ginger and Caramel. Then I noticed that the display had a photo of Halle Berry modeling the product and the caption read "Halle is wearing Rich Ginger." Halle and I have the same skin color (lucky me), so that's what I chose – and it was a perfect match. If I get some sun this summer, I may purchase Caramel and blend the two.

So, bottom line, this is one of the best foundations I've tried in a long time – on account of its performance and price. If you're in the market for new foundation, you'd be a fool not to check it out.

Revlon Photo Ready Foundation is my Recessionista's Fabuless Pick of the Week.

My New Glasses: Kate Spade Liesel Frames

After a million years of wearing cheap eyeglasses (you know...that 2 pair for $99 deal you get with an eye exam?), I decided to invest some more pesos in my peepers. A few weeks ago, I visited Eyeglasses Etc. in Flourtown, PA - where the Spoiled Pretty family are regulars. My mom brought me along to pick up a new pair of prescription sunglasses, and looking at their selection of fab frames made my discount frames seem, well, bargain basement. So I asked Harriet, the owner, to pick out some styles to flatter my face (she's like an expert eyeglass matchmaker).

All of her choices were right-on, but this pair of Kate Spade Liesel frames are my perfect match; I'm one of those people who believes that leopard print makes everything better.

I am so pleased with my choice, and the price (my insurance covered a good chunk of the bill). If you're in the Philadelphia area and are visually challenged, I encourage you to pop by Eyeglasses Etc. and tell them Spoiled Pretty sent you.

ORLY Sweet Collection

Yesterday, I got the itch to change up my mani. Last week, I wore Chanel Le Vernis in Particuliere. But the recent wave of warm weather had me craving a punchier polish. After sifting through my nail polish cache of about 125+ bottles, I still couldn't find a shade to get excited about. So I decided to postpone my polish change. But then the funniest thing happened. A sample of ORLY’s new spring 2010 Sweet Collection showed up in my mailbox and Pixy Stix had me at hello.


This collection of vibrant, candy-inspired pastels includes:

Gumdrop: pastel turquoise crème
Cotton Candy: baby pink crème
Lollipop: pastel purple crème
Pixy Stix: salmon crème
Snowcone: baby blue crème
Lemonade: pastel yellow crème

And each polish in this collection comes with a free matching flavored mini lip gloss key chain.

To achieve my manicure, I used Essie First Base base coat, followed by two coats of ORLY Pixy Stix then a coat of Seche Vite.

All ORLY nail lacquers, including the Sweet Collection, are free of DBP, Toluene, Formaldehyde and Formaldehyde resin. Oh…and you got a love the rubberized ‘Gripper Cap.’

The Sweet Collection ($7.50 per bottle) is available now at orlybeauty.com, Sally Beauty, and Ulta.

Chinese Laundry Sweet Revenge Jelly Ballet Flats

I am so enamored with my Chinese Laundry Sweet Revenge jelly ballet flats. Last week, when I was tired and ready to conclude my shopping excursion to DSW, my mom spotted these rhinestoned lovelies and it was love at first sight. They come in clear and smoke (I purchased the latter)- and when I wore them yesterday, two women actually stopped me on the street and asked where I got my kicks.

Aveda Shampure Soy Wax Candle: Simply the Best

I am way past due on my spring cleaning - and, as a result, my apartment looks like an episode of Hoarders: Buried Alive. But despite the clutter, it smells and feels like Clean House up in here, thanks to my Aveda Shampure Soy Wax Candle. Seriously, light the wick and you'll be amazed at how the fragrance instantly transforms a stifled space into a peaceful retreat.

I'm a connoisseur of candles and the Shampure Candle is one of my absolute favorites. Its calming aroma of 25 pure flower and plant essences - including certified organic lavender, petitgrain and ylang ylang - relaxes and soothes me at the end of a particularly hectic day. Even Mr. Spoiled Pretty raves about the scent.

At $30 for a 9.7 oz candle (which burns for 50 hours), this one is kinda pricey...but it smells so fantastic that I gladly buck up. On the upside, the Shampure Candle is refillable and refills will only set you back $19.

The only way I can see improving upon this candle is if Aveda were to sell it in bulk. Aveda, are you listening? I want to buy in bulk. One Shampure Candle is just not enough.

April F-hoot-l

Found on a 'worst tattoos in the world' Facebook group. I'm quite fond of it!