Liz Taylor inspired look.

In the effort to save time, I will start this post with a couple of pictures of the finished look. I used mostly drugstore products and some items that I picked up at the local discount beauty supply store. The emphasis should not be on the brand of products, but rather their color, texture, and finish.

 Here is a picture of the inspiration:

 

 Elizabeth was a great beauty indeed. She definitely didn't require as much artifice, as I do, to enhance her famously violet eyes. As I studied several images from the fifties, I noticed that the finish of the products was quite matte and lips an orange toned red. This is consistent with the products available at the time. Remember, this is when Max Factor Pan Cake makeup was still in it's heyday. If you look closely at Liz's eyes you will also notice the old studio trick of applying white eyeliner on her lower waterline. This helps give her a sparkling wide eyed gaze.

 

Let's discuss the face products first, shall we? The base as I mentioned was matte and with a porcelain finish. I used Revlon Colorstay Whipped crème makeup Nude 220- I love this for a retro lady-like finish. I applies like a creamy soufflé and dries to a powdery finish. It also wears like iron and is especially suited to normal to oily skins. If your skin is on the dry side, make sure to moisturize heavily before applying. I used my favorite concealer ever-the Maybelline Dark circle eraser, to brighten the under eye area. I also added a tiny bit of inner tear duct highlight with the Physician's Formula highlighting pen. I set everything with a light dusting of sheer finishing powder. I am using a mineral powder from L'Oreal lately, but you can use your favorite as long as it's matte. I felt like I needed a little extra coverage throughout the middle of my face so I pressed in a little MAC Studio Fix NC15. I added a little dimension to the face with this cool toned brown contour powder. I also added a tiny bit of a matte muted rose blush to the apples of my cheeks.

 

 

 

 

On to the eyes, which are essential to the trademark Liz look. I used Bobbi Brown Rich Brown matte eye shadow to fill my brows in heavily. I picked up a super cheapo eyeshadow palette in purple, and violet tones, along with some fluttery falsies at the beauty supply. Now, this palette was quite thin and chalky, but that is not an obstacle when you layer the shadows over a sticky cream base. I used a little lavender cream from a Wet n' Wild corrector palette. I tightlined my upper lash line with a long wearing Cover Girl Ink It liner in Black. I love this eye liner, as it is bullet proof, very thin, and precise. Next, I applied the false lashes over curled and lightly mascaraed lashes. Curling and applying a preliminary layer of mascara gives the false lashes a better base to grab on to. I then add some more mascara to blend my lashes with the falsies. Last, I carefully rimmed my lower waterline in white pencil, taking care not to smear it on the lower lashes. Almost forgot, the violet eyes! I popped in a pair of colored contacts for effect-no comparison to Elizabeth's glorious eyes.

 

 

 

 

Last, but certainly not least, is the glam red lip. I used a matte lipstick from NYX. The color is called Pure Red, but it definitely leans orange. I used a lip liner from Maybelline in Red to build up my own lips and give them some more oomph. I actually really loved this lipstick as the saturation was intense and the texture smooth and silky. I will be stocking up on these lipsticks in the near future-they are that awesome!

 

Here is a close up of the makeup:

Kiss Lashes tickle my fancy.

Tomorrow a detailed discussion on these fabulously easy to apply false eyelashes. These Kiss lashes come in an assortment of styles, look natural, and feel absolutely weightless on....LOVE!

Think Pink.

I naturally adore color. I feel it, live it, breathe it. Each and every color to me has a vibration and a mood associated with it. I believe that no color is as evocative as the color pink. Pink has a tremendous range, from the palest porcelain pink to the richest saturated hue of a bouganvillea. There are many expressions associated with the color pink; e.g. to be "In the pink of health," "Tickled pink," "Seeing pink elephants," or " Seeing the world through rose-colored glasses." All of these catch phrases have distinct meanings, just as the color pink has vastly different shades and moods.


One of the easiest ways to incorporate color into your life is through lipstick. The right lipstick can brighten your face, and pull your whole look together. If you follow me on my blog you probably already know how I feel about the Maybelline Color Sensational lipstick line. I am especially loving the Vivids line they put out, both for the the purity of color and

their excellent lip smoothing texture. These perform as well as many high end lipsticks. They also have a fairly tenacious formula, and without eating wear easily for 4-5 hrs. The shade Fuschia Flash is the star of the line up. It's just gorgeous and classy looking, provided you keep the rest of the face fresh and neutral. I personally like to pair cool-toned pinks like this with light bronzey cheeks and soft tans on the eyes. It keeps everything from looking too artificially icy and Barbie-like. This is my opinion, but if you like the

 sugar-dolly look then go ahead and paint away!

I will leave with some words from the empress of fashion herself Diana Vreeland. The late Vogue editor is most often quoted as having said- when presented with a swatch of bright pink silk of Eastern influence  " I ADORE that pink." she exclaimed " It's the the navy blue of India." In her later years she spoke:

"Actually, pale-pink salmon is the only color I cannot abide.
Although, naturally, I adore PINK. I love the pale Persian pinks of the little carnations of Provence, and Schiaparelli's pink, the pink of the Incas.
And, though it's so vieux jeu I can hardly bear to repeat it, pink is the navy blue of India.

 Near the end of her life, she seemed quite bored with her famous catchphrase, considering it so vieux jeu (lit. 'old game') that she could barely stand repeating it.

The quote had, in fact, been traveling with Vreeland ever since she burst into the public eye as the editor of Vogue in early 1962."

I hope you all try to add a little pink into your lives. I promise that pink, in one of its many incarnations,will enhance your beauty repertoire and lift your spirits.

Carnitas made simple.

Carnitas are a traditional celebratory food in Mexico, often served at baptismal parties, anniversary celebrations, and birthdays. These occasions can be seen as the excuse to partake in these salty, savory, tender morsels of porcine goodness. They traditionally hail from the state of Michoacán and are cooked in enormous copper cauldrons.  The carnitas are literally boiled in lard, a technique the French refer to as a confit. This technique renders the meat meltingly tender on the inside and savory and crisp on the outside.

I know what you are thinking. 'Zilla, how am I going to confit a whole hog in my modern and tidy kitchen? Well, the answer is baby steps.... Let's begin.

1. You need a large and heavy cast iron pot. I used my trusty jade green Le Creuset bouillabaisse pot.

2. I used approximately 3 lbs of tender boneless Country-Style pork ribs. I cut these into 3 inch chunks and seasoned generously with Lawry's Seasoned Salt.

3. I heat pot on medium high and add 3 TBSP of grapeseed oil into pan and add meat. Don't stir it or move it around much for the first 5-10 minutes. It will begin to render its own fat and juices. At this point, I add half of a head of garlic sliced as above... a coronal slice. The reason for this is so that the garlic is exposed to flavor the meat, but not loose so that it scorches and sticks to the bottom of the pan. That would be a very bad thing. I also add a bay leaf, and a sour orange or in this case a Meyer lemon- sliced in half.

4 Cook over low heat until meat is tender and begins to brown. At this point, I add a couple of ounces of milk to the pot. The milk serves to finish tenderizing the meat, and it also deglazes the pan and coats the meat with all the brown goodness and bits.

5. Uncover the carnitas for the last 5 minutes to completely coat and brown all pieces. Adjust seasoning by adding additional salt to taste.

6. Serve on corn or flour tortillas with assorted salsas and garnish. Please try and resist the urge to eat these pieces as if they were popcorn. Good luck!

Penelope Cruz for Lancome inspired look.

I have been meaning to recreate Penelope's doe-eyed look for Lancôme for some time now. I honestly had not had the chance to pick up the right pair of false lashes to create the look. I suppose Lancôme would like us to believe that those are Penelope's natural albeit mascaraed lashes. Quite doubtful, nevertheless, it is a beautiful elegant makeup suitable for an evening wedding, the opera, or any black tie event.

Below are pictures of the products used to create this look;

As you can see it is mostly drugstore product with the exception of the MAC palette and the Clinique Superfit foundation which has sadly been discontinued. I chose the Superfit formula because it photographs so beautifully. I believe the replacement product is called Even Better by Clinique-Oh Clinique you are so witty! The lipsticks Blushing Beige and Born With It are by Maybelline, who in my honest opinion are putting out some fantastic drugstore lipsticks in a gorgeous array of shades. In this look, I tried to recreate a muted rosewood lip color. I used a Rimmel lipliner in Mauve Shimmer. I wanted a soft elegant lip look not an ultra light beige nude which can be hard to wear and is unflattering for the most part.


The eyes are the star of the show, and I used the cool ashy browns in the L'Oreal La Palette Nude 2 along with MAC Sable on the lid and MAC Vanilla on the browbone. I have a heavier more prominent lid than Penelope's deep set eye, so I carved out depth with the matte charcoal brown shade from L'Oreal. What I'm trying to say, is that one adapts the look according to one's coloring, needs, and facial structure. I used the Kohl pencil as a base for the Rimmel gel eyeliner. This Rimmel gel liner has just the right fluid-gel formula for my liking and doesn't skip or drag, this makes lining a cat-eye a breeze. I applied a set of uber glam Kiss lashes over curled lashes with a light coat of Cover Girl Super Sizer mascara. I haven't decided if I love this mascara yet, I will discuss it in the future. My bottom lashes are heavily defined with Maybelline Lash Stiletto. Please, don't skip this step, as it adds to the doe-eyed shape in this look.

I kept the cheeks very soft with a Mocha pink blush from MAC and just a tiny bit of contour with the ashy tan shadow from the L'Oreal palette. This look is for the most part matte, but in a velvety way. Too much shimmer or gloss and it will quickly start to look Jersey Shore or South Texas at the grocery store.

Here are some pictures of the inspiration for the look;

Here are a few more pictures of the look I created at home;

 

Better than Chipotle at home with just a little planning.

Tomorrow will begin my discussion on easy ways to have quick Mexican inspired rice bowls or burritos, at home and on the fly. Let's have a peak shall we? I will share with you the items to stock, and the short cuts to take. We will also discuss making fool proof beans, and rice recipe so yummy- you'll wanna slap your mama!

Foundation series part 3...summer foundation.

I love glowy skin. A powdery, dry-matte look can be so dated and aging. I personally have normal to dry combination skin, and my skin loves the foundation I am featuring today. Oily ladies, this one may not be the best choice as it may surpass glowiness and crossover into all out shine territory for you. Not surprisingly, this little marvel is a Chanel product. I find lately that if I'm going to splurge on a cosmetic product, it's going to be foundation or skin care.

 

 

This product has a rather interesting texture in that it contains little balls inside the container like a nail polish. It must be shaken vigorously prior to each application, otherwise it separates into a thin liquid and thicker pigment phase. When agitated the texture becomes pudding-like and melts onto the skin-resulting in a second-skin finish. This fragrance is lightly floral and oh so Chanel. I will mention the shade I have is a bit pink for me as I have already gotten some color this spring through my sunscreen. I remedy this with a little bronzer. I might also add that this is not a long-wearing product and the intense humidity here does compromise it's finish. I did powder lightly to set it-something I would never do in a drier climate. I get about 6 to 8 hours of longevity with this product in my suboptimal conditions.  I give this foundation a 9/10 if used on the correct skin type and a natural glowy finish is desired.

 

Below picture taken with normal lighting no flash

Below taken in front of sunny window no flash




Below taken with flash and a bright lip...you can see a little flash back.