Childhood is calling. There’s something about the newest makeup products these days that reminds me of elementary school art class. From markers to paint brushes to finger painting, the easiest makeup this summer just requires a little dexterity.
Liu Wen gets playfully colorful backstage at Derek Lam's fall 2010 show.
Tokidoki Fantastico Lip Stain.
Tokidoki Fantastico Lip Ink
I’m not a lipstick person and I’m certainly not a lip liner person, and that goes double for the hotter months of the year. And yet nothing is worse than hair stuck in lip gloss. Ew.
But the genius that is Tokidoki Fantastico Lip Ink stains your lips with a soft marker tip and feels like you have nothing on (except for that luscious mango scent and the fact that it has moisturizing panthenol so your lips stay hydrated). It goes on sheer and light, allowing you to layer more for a deeper stain. And it lasts. Wow, does it last.
Available at Sephora, $15.
Hard Candy Powder Keg in Dagger
Hard Candy Powder Keg Loose Eye Shadow in Dagger.
Throw away the brushes and the applicators. Nothing is easier than dab, dab, dabbing with your ring finger.
Case in point. Hard Candy’s Powder Keg Loose Eye Shadow in Dagger is so easy to use, you’re liable to go a little crazy. Spill proof container and applicator deposit just the right amount on your finger, allowing you to dab silky smooth olive green shadow with just a hint of golden sheen on your lid. Dab a little for a sheer sheen. Dab more for a unique, deep smoky eye perfect for summer.
Oh, and the hue looks so good on Asian skin tones.
Available at Walmart, $6.
Sally Hansen Nail Art Pen.
Sally Hansen Nail Art Pen
I may be great at dabbing (cream eye shadow, lip gloss), but anything requiring precision application (nail polish, eye brow pencil) gets a bit tricky. I have a cousin who always has the prettiest, coolest nails — sometimes with just a swipe of blood red on the tips, sometimes with a unique design on each nail — and she always does it herself.
Nail art designs in white.
Sure, it helps if you’re an art major, like she is. But if you’re not, you can always cheat with Sally Hansen’s Nail Art Pen. A fine tip pen lets you draw precise lines and the water-based formula can be corrected with a moist cotton swab without damaging dry nail polish.
Available in eight different shades, and as always, it’s toluene, DBP and formaldehyde free.
Available at most drugstores.
Benefit Confessions of a Concealaholic
Benefit Confessions of a Concealaholic kit.
I’m not usually fan of makeup palettes and kits, especially the eye-cheek-and-lip kind. Before you know it, little bits of aubergine shadow are embedded in your nude pot gloss, and everything becomes one gritty mess.
Benefit’s concealer kit, on the other hand, is genius because now you have everything you need to touch up those blemishes on the go — even a handy mirror built right in.
With mini sizes of their best selling concealing products including That Gal primer, their hard-core Erase Paste concealer, two shades of concealer (for dark circles versus blemishes), a pink concealer for under eyes, a yellow for everything else, and two double sided brushes that get you covered!
Open up the kit and you get step-by-step instructions on how and where to cover. It doesn't get easier!
Available at Benefit, $36.
