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What’s the best beauty secret you were told? Who passed it on to you?
Beauty comes from the inside, which is something my mom told me over and over again. I think it can be easy to get lost in cosmetics, makeup, etc. and lose sight of our real beauty, so it’s a helpful reminder.
Thanks to Emily for today’s question!
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NARS Makeup Removing Water
NARS Makeup Removing Water ($28.00 for 6.7 fl. oz.) is touted as a “soap-free, oil-free, and alcohol-free water that removes face makeup and tones the skin.” It’s designed as a gentle formula that will remove makeup without requiring rubbing while hydrating skin.
This is a makeup remover that is best described as gentle, because that’s exactly what it is, but it’s gentle in every way–it’s not at all stinging, burning, or irritating against the skin, even around the eyes, but it doesn’t effectively remove all your makeup, though it specifically says “face makeup” and not “eye makeup.” Just so we’re clear: if you wear eye makeup, don’t expect this to do much in the way of removal. All it ever seems to accomplish is smudging everything around so I end up looking like a mutant. I absolutely would not use this for anything that says “long-wearing” on the label, including face products.
If you want it to remove light eye makeup, I recommend gently pressing the soaked cotton pad against the eye for 15-20 seconds before gently swiping the product away. You’ll get some, perhaps not all, of it removed this way. Since NARS only mentions face makeup, it seems like you would use something else for your eye makeup. It’s packaged in a clear plastic bottle with a flip-top that has a small hole so only a little comes out as you need it.
I’d like to think of this as a remover for gentle makeup; lightweight, natural, soft makeup. However you want to term it, it’s good for lighter makeup days. For me, it seems to remove face makeup as well as most facial cleansers are able to. It is very lightweight, doesn’t feel greasy or oily against the skin, and it leaves no trace of residue once it’s wiped away with a cotton pad. It really does have the consistency and feel of water. There’s no stickiness, dried, or tightened skin after use either. I need at least two cotton rounds in order to remove about 90% of face makeup.
It doesn’t remove makeup completely, so I feel like I need to use a cleanser afterward or yet another cotton pad. Instead, the way I found this product to be most useful was after using a facial cleanser, so it was only responsible for removing the last bits of makeup the cleanser missed. You can definitely use it before your cleanser of choice as well–I just like the visual of seeing the cotton pad just picking up stray makeup and knowing that my face is clean. It also means that I can better control how much product or how many cotton pads I use since this doesn’t eliminate a cleanser.
It’s a superfluous product in my night time regimen; it seems to be an extra step rather than a time-saver. It’s more like a toner in my routine–I don’t trust it to remove all my makeup, but I do trust it to remove the last vestiges of makeup my cleanser may have left behind (especially around my hairline and the edges, which I don’t push the cleanser around as much so it doesn’t get into my hair!). And if I’m going to use NARS as my toner, I’d rather use their Hydrating Freshening Toner, which is one of my favorites, and for me, hydrates a little better than the remover does. You can use this like you would a toner, however, so if you do include one in your regular routine, this could take its place.
If you’re a fan of micellar water removers, then you may enjoy this recently launched remover by NARS, which has all the earmarks of one (though I didn’t see NARS officially billing it as such). There are quite a few on the market internationally and a couple in the U.S., but this year has shown major progress with more U.S. brands launching their own versions. Bottom line: this will remove some but not every type of makeup, particularly longer-wearing products and heavier textured products, but it’s not designed to do much more than it does do, so it’s pretty good from that standpoint.
Ingredients
Water, Butylene Glycol, Peg/Ppg-35/40 Dimethyl Ether, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Trisodium Edta, Cucumis Sativus [Cucumis Sativus (Cucumber) Fruit Extract], Chamomilla Recutita [Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract], Sodium Hyaluronate.
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Check out these ten creative entries from our past makeup challenge, which was all about looks inspired by the flowers of spring! If you’re game to participate in the next one (Disney Villain-inspired looks), you can check it out and send in your submission here–you have until May 1st to submit!
Soft Lily
submitted by: Naomi
inspiration: “There is this beautiful orange and yellow lily growing in my front yard with straight green leaves. It’s so beautiful that I had create a look incorporating these colours and of course the brown lips represent the colour of the earth.”
products used: For eyes: Ambrosia Cosmetics Serene Sunset (matte orange), Canary Gem (matte yellow), Havana Cream (matte peachy brown) NYX Cucumber Jumbo eye pencil, NYX Slim eye pencil in Yellow MAC False Lashes Extreme black mascara. For lips: L.A.Colours Moisturizing Lipgloss in Romance NYX pencil in Café.
Spring in Bloom
submitted by: Melinda M.
inspiration: “My inspiration came from a field of Daffodils, bluebells, and violets. The mixture of colors is so fun and definitely suitable for the spring season!”
products used: MAC Paint Pot – Treasure Hunt, MAC Paint Pot – Half-Wild, MAC Paint Pot – Pure Creation, NARS Eyeshadow – Night Sun, Sigma Flare Palette – Publicize, Allure, Oversee, L’Oreal Lineur Intense Liquid Liner – Carbon Black, Stila Smudge Stick – Peacock, Maybelline The Falsies mascara, Paperself Lashes – Peacock
Tu-Lips
submitted by: Emi
inspiration: “My inspiration was the vibrant pinks and oranges of tulips. Thus, I blended pink and orange lipsticks for my lipcolor. I did a green look for my eyes to reflect the stems.”
products used: MUFE HD Foundation 117, Guerlain Pressed Meteorites Teint Beige powder, TheBalm Frat Boy blush, Contour-MUFE Sculpting Kit #2, Lips-Revlon Colorburst in Coral and Sleek Pout Paint in Pinkini, Eyeshadow-Wet n Wild Comfort Zone Palette (pale yellow as base, grassy green on lid), Sleek Original Palette (darker green in outer V), Upper liner-Urban Decay Whiskey, Lower liner-Smashbox Bronze (from Softbox Palette), Mascara-Hourglass Film Noir Full Spectrum, Eyebrows-Anastasia Brow Duo in Brunette
Colourful Purples
submitted by: Kris K.
inspiration: “The image posted as inspiration on Temptalia, because I love purple but I almost never use it. I thought I would incorporate light purple, dark purple, yellow and dark green and see if I could get something wearable outside.”
products used: Eyes: NARS Smudgeproof primer, inner corner: MAC Golden Lemon, lid:
MAC Boycrazy, outer corner & crease: UD Half Truth, browbone: Burberry Trench, upper lashline: UD Zero smudged with MAC Azuki Bean. Lower. Lashline: Rimmel Jungle Green khol set with UD Loaded and UD Kush. Face: La Roche Posay Anthelios XL susncreen, Kat Von D concealer (light), Kiehl’s tinted moisturiser (medium), MAC MSF Natural (medium plus). Cheeks: MAC Tenderling, highlight: MAC Superb. Lips: Sorgel balm (no colour).
Spring Garden
submitted by: Anjum
inspiration: “Essentially, I was inspired to do this look when I was walking my dog a few weeks ago, and I saw a tree with these beautiful flowers on it and no leaves. Then I started talking to my dog (yes, that’s normal) saying that I should do a tutorial in which my eyes were flowers. That’s how it came about, all though the flowers I saw were different colors than what I used, just because the flowers were white and pink; kind of hard to do on the eye. So I brightened the colors, and there you go!”
products used: MAC Soft Ochre Paint Pot, Urban Decay Woodstock Eyeliner, Bh Cosmetics 88 Matte Palette, Urban Decay Corrupt Eyeliner, Lancome Hypnose Drama Mascara, Maybelline Greatlash Mascara in Teal Appeal
Azaleas
submitted by: Daena
inspiration: “Azaleas are my favorite flower and when they bloom in early spring, it seems like everywhere you look is a burst of neon magenta framed by green leaves.”
products used: Too Faced Shadow Insurance, Fyrinnae Kitten in Heels, Merman, Elven Dagger; Too Faced Boy Toy, Steel Magnolias; Aromaleigh Snapdragon, Milani LIQUID EYE Metallic Eye Liner Pencil, Urban Decay 27/4 Pencil in Mildew, Tarte Gifted Amazonian Clay Smart Mascara, Vapour Organic Beauty Atmosphere Luminous Foundation in 100 Nyc blush in Peach Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter in Sweet Tart
Pansysmansy
submitted by: Tuny
inspiration: “I see pansies outside of my work building and they come to mind when I think of spring, so I decided to base this look off the purple pansy image used for the contest post. Initially I was going to do a flower on each eye, but I thought that would be too distracting and stuck with one. In order to get the colors to look vibrant and last, I used cream-based products of the respective color and then pat eye shadow of the same color on top of it.”
products used: Sugarpill-Tako (matte white), Skinfood-Lipstick OR02(creamy pink-orange), Eyebrow Pencil #2 (black brown, Dior-AirFlash 301 (matte medium beige), Garden Pastels Palette (frost yellow green, Tarte-Bronzer-Park Ave Princess (shimmery gold), Tokidoki-Tulipano (matte pink purple), Urban Decay – 24/7 Eye Pencil El Dorado (warm sparkly gold), Mildew (deep green), Ransom (shimmer blue purple), MUFE-Aqua Liner 13 (matte black), BE-Buxom Lash Mascara (matte black), Sephora-Eyeliner 03 (pure white)
Purple Crocus
submitted by: Sunny
inspiration: “This look is inspired by purple crocus, which is a purple flower with yellow center. I combined purple and gold on my lids, and used green for my lower lash line to represent the stem/leaves!”
products used: Eyes: L’Oreal Infallible Eyeshadow in Perpetual Purple, Urban Decay Purple Haze, the gold side of L’Oreal Metallic HiP duo in Gilded, Eyeko Skinny Liquid Eyeliner, Eyeko Skinny Eyeliner in Emerald Green, MAC Humid. Cheeks: Tarte Exposed. Contour: MAC Harmony. Lips: Chanel Rouge Coco Mademoiselle + Dior Addict Extreme in Incognito
Hyacinth
submitted by: Phyrra
inspiration: “I was inspired by hyacinth flowers, particularly this variety.
products used: NARS Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Primer. MAC Imaginary, MUFE Aqua Cream 21, Fyrinnae Blue Whale & Javan Rhino, UD Frigid & Perversion, Illamasqua Vow & Debonair & Static, Tarina Tarantino Pure Opal, MAC Petrol Blue
Feeling Springy!
submitted by: Kim H.
inspiration: “I thought of the green, yellow and purple pansies! I love green and find that green and yellow blend so well together.”
products used: Face: Benefit Hello Flawless Powder – Petal. Blush: tarte Amazonian Clay – Natural Beauty, Lancome Maison Lancome, Highligher – mark. all the highlights. Eyes: UDPP Primer, MAC Sunny Outlook all over lid, NYX Mellow Yellow on upper lid, UD Chronic in crease (both on bottom), UD Virgin to highlight. UD 24/7 Eyeliners Ransom and Eldorado on lower lashline. Revlon Colorstay liquid eyeliner on upper lashline – black. NYX false eyelashes – EL101 Nirvana. Mascara: Lancome Definicils – Black
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Press the reset button on your beauty and wellness regimen with these little changes that’ll give you big payoffs. Most of us don’t have the time, inclination, or cash to design a rigid, 19-step beauty regimen to follow every day. But don’t worry — it doesn’t have to be so complicated. We tapped top skin, hair, spa, and makeup experts for their best tips to streamline your routine while keeping skin clear and glowing, hair healthy and shiny, nails looking nice, and the rest of you feeling pampered, pretty, and relaxed.
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Welcome to Fab Over Forty: Dior Diva Rewards Program
Some of the most frequent comments or questions I receive are regarding the Dior Diva program. If you buy any Dior beauty products, you MUST be a part of their Dior Diva program. It’s free beauty and other goodies in your pocket! Why wouldn’t you participate? So I thought I would give a refresher on [...]
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