MAC BLACKTRACK FLUIDLINE : BEAUTY REVIEW

I have been a MAC Blacktrack loyalist for years now. I cant even imagine the  years before I knew what gel eyeliner was . It has become a part of my signature look and a Beauty item which is always in stock in my make up storage, if ever I run out of it . I had earlier done a detailed Post on 'How to apply Gel Eye Liner(Read about it Here),' I realized that I had not done a detailed Beauty Review of the product in question. Since I always get requested as to how my eye liner is always smudge proof and such long lasting, I thought, why not do the long delayed post. Recently a famous celebrity make up artist, who also has her own Youtube channel, misspelt this iconic product in her video. For those of you confused, its called BLACKTRACK and not Blacktrax !

To begin with, Blacktrack is the Black gel eye liner from the Fluidline range of MAC. I have owned and used Fluidline, in a few shades, but for me, Blacktrack is the biggest winner. If you have never used gel liners, then its a waxy eye liner,which needs to be used with a fine liner brush, or an angled brush. It comes in a glass pot with a plastic lid. Make sure that the lid is tightly closed when you are not using it, as it prevents the product from drying out. Blacktrack retails at $17 without taxes. Its worth every penny that you will spend on it.

MAC describes it as,"Solid Flat Black." Its a Matte black eye liner . Every stroke of a fine liner brush with this product, always yields an intense black line every time. Black liquid eyeliners can sometimes dry to a shiny finish, which looks pretty tacky. While every make up brand has its version of gel eyeliners, MAC Blacktrack is one of the smoothest and silkiest in the market. Its won numerous Beauty Awards over the years, and has been on the list of favorites of far too many people Its not patchy and does not flake off. There's a reason why its called Best of the Best Eye Liner .

Its Smudgeproof. I have used this eye liner and worked out in a gym. Been to a sea beach and spent the day frolicking in the waves. But this eye liner does not smudge. Its Long Wearing.When you are putting this eye liner on, its not runny like a liquid eye liner and dries fast. I remember hating putting on liquid eye liner only having it transfer to my eye lids, as it used to take so long to dry.

When you want to remove Blacktrack from your eyelids, I suggest you use a gentle eye make up remover on a cotton pad. Use gentle circular motions to remove the product. Then wash your face with your face wash of choice.

The Cons about this product, is that it has a tendency to dry out. Be very careful when you are using it , to prevent it from drying out.

If you feel you have some leftover Blacktack which is on the drier side, let me share a Beauty Hack. Remove the lid, and microwave it for 10 secs. Use a toothpick to mix in the product and close the lid again. Adjust the timings according to the capacity of your microwave.

If you want to learn How to Use MAC Blacktrack Fluidline , then read about it Here. The post includes details on which Brushes to use, how to apply and master the application process.

SHOP IT :

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MASTERING GEL LINER : STEP BY STEP GUIDE : BEAUTY

If you are like, then you are an eye-liner junkie. I can leave the house in PJs,but I will not leave the house without my eye liner and  mascara. Its a signature part of my look,and I can never do away with it. And my choice of Eye Liner, is clearly the GEL EYE LINERS. Liquid eyeliners are too harsh for me, and pencil eye liners often smudge. I need something which I can put on my eyes, and forget for the rest of the day. I know it might sound a bit intimidating to quite a few whenever they hear of Gel Liners.So many of my friends have told me so many times,as to how do I do my eyes so perfectly every time. Well, the answer is gel eye liner. Recently, I was having a similar conversation with my old school buddy Payel,who wanted details of my eye liner and how I use it. So I thought of penning down this post for her and so many others, who are yet to cross the bridge to Gel Liners. 

I was introduced to Gel Liners when they were first launched in India by MAC Cosmetics. At that time, Kolkata, my hometown, did not even have a MAC Counter or Pro-store of its own. We had to make a trip to Mumbai to pick up all that we loved. And since then MAC FLUIDLINE in BLACKTRACK became a staple of my Make up collection. 

FLUID LINE is MAC's range of Gel Liners and comes in a variety of colors. Currently I have them in BLACK TRACK(Black) and WAVELENGTH(Blue). They usually last for a long time for me, but if you are not careful when you use this product, it might dry out on you. So make sure that you have the lid tightly closed when you are not using the product. 

I have also used Gel Liners from other brands like BOBBI BROWN to WET'N'WILD, but nothing comes close to FLUID LINE. I have put FLUID LINE to a lot of tests over the years and every time, it has come out with flying colors. It has survived the humidity of Kolkattan(Indian) Summers and waves of the Caribbeans Sea(in Puerto Rico, Mexico and Virgin Islands). This color will not fade on you, or will not smudge on you, till you remove it with an eye make up remover. It dries to a matte color and doesn't have that disgusting shinny look which some liquid eye liners might have. 

STEP BY STEP GUIDE HOW TO USE GEL EYE LINER: 

First you need to pick up a Gel Eye Liner of your choice. Then you need to select the BRUSH of your choice.

There are three options when it comes to brushes:
 FINE LINER BRUSH
BENT FINE LINER BRUSH
ANGLED FINE LINER BRUSH 

If you are staring out, you might want to start with an angled brush. Once you feel comfortable of your strokes, then venture off to a fine liner brush. I personally prefer the MAC 266 Angled Liner Brush for starters as its just the right size. The Real  Techniques Angled Liner Brush, which you can see in my picture below, is slightly bigger and broader. The Fine Liner Brush from Real Techniques is pretty good and so is the BENT FINE LINER BRUSH from SONIA KASHUK. I have listed the links of all the products the end of the post, if you wanted to pick up any for yourself.

Dip the brush in the product and pick up product with it. Scrape off the excess on the sides of the container.

If you do not feel confident of drawing a straight line on your eye lids, then with your other hand, gently pull the eye lid towards the side. This will help you to draw a straight line following the curve of the eye. Start from the base of the lashes and then thicken as you go up.

Then open the eye  and adjust the line you have just drawn. It should be thinner on the inner corner and thicken as you go towards the outer corner to give it that almond like shape.

Here, I am holding forth the Fine Liner Brush and angled Brush from Real Techniques. Its one of the best drug store brush brands available.

If you are using the ANGLED LINER BRUSH, then pick up product in the same way and scrape off excess along the sides of the container.

Here is the trick.

While doing the upper eyes, make sure that higher part of the angle is at the inner corner and then use the brush to follow the shape of the eye.

For the lower eyes, or water line, just turn the brush around. Use the lower end of angle, of the brush, to the inner corner and use it to follow the shape of the eye.

For doing the LOWER EYES, with a FINE LINER BRUSH, begin at the outer corner and then go inwards.

Adjust the thickness on both eyes . Make sure there is no  gap between the eye liner you have drawn and the lash line. That bit of skin show is a almost a make up sacrilege. Spend that extra minute to see and inspect properly what you have drawn on both eyes and fill in any gaps.

If you want to do a CAT EYE FLICK then do not do the lower line or water line, but extend the upper line in the form of an imaginary line extending from the eyes to reach the eye brows. Make it as small or big as you feel comfortable.

So go ahead, pick up your gel liner and get practicing. Once you start getting comfortable with this product, you will never get back to any other form of eye liners.

LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS POST: 

  

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BRONZE EYE MAKE UP: PLAYING WITH METALLICS AND NUDES

I had always considered myself to be more of a Silver person in my growing up years. i gravitated towards Silver jewelry and so on and so forth. But as I aged, I felt I had not been kind to Golds or Bronze tones. While my jewelry tastes still remained the same more or less, I decided to branch out in terms of Make -Up.

The NAKED 1 palette form URBAN DECAy was pretty helpful in this endeavor. So I began playing more and more with combination of Bronzes and Golds and the experimentations carried on. It was then that I discovered how well a Bronzy Smokey Eye is.

It cam be toned down with a Nude Lip. Or dressed up for the Night with a  Bold Lip. The same eye color combo can look so different and yet always so put together. It became such a favorite that I kept going back to it, every now and then.

The key to any eye make up is a great EyeShadow base. I love EYE SHADOW PRIMER by URBAN DECAY .A good drug store alternative is the L'OREAL DE-CREASE. 

 I started off playing with HALF BAKED eyeshadow from NAKED 1 palette from URBAN DECAY in the inner corner and half of the eye lid. Its a brilliant Golden Bronzey Shade. Very metallic. Yet very Chic I paired that with DARK HORSE  or HUSTLE from the same platte in the outer corner. Buffed the Crease with my favorite NAKED eye shadow from the same palette.

Then I ventured off to include something which had been lying in my Make -Up drawer for quite some time. I had picked up some Maybelline Eyeshadow Trios some time back. But somehow never used them much. There's one particular Trio called GOLDEN TREASURE . I am smitten by it. Being a drug store eye shadow, its nowhere Chalky. Great Pigmentation and when paired with a good eye shadow base, lasts for hours, even if you're out dancing. Why had I not explored it, when I had first picked it up?! I used it on the inner half of the eyelid and used the similar colors on the outer corner and the crease as above.

Finished of the eyes with some BLACKTRACK FLUIDLINE gel liner from MAC Cosmetics and loads of black water proof Mascara. You can never have too much of Mascara.

For my face, I followed by FOUNDATION,CONCEALER,POWDER ROUTINE. In keeping with the Bronzy glow theme, I used COPPERTONE blush from MAC Cosmetics.

The beauty of this look, is that you can tweak it to suit the occasion. You can use it with a Black Eyeshadow like CARBON from MAC  in the outer corner to make it more vampy. You can use the Bronzey shade all over the lids and skip eyeliner and just use loads of Black Mascara and finish off with some Red Lips. It would look subtle for an at home party. So go ahead start your play with Broney colors on your eyes and don't forget to let me know how your paired it.

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DEEP PURPLE AND UBER VIOLET: FALL FESTIVE MAKE-UP

 What's not to love about Fall ? The leaves all round are changing colors, and we get an excuse to change up our make up routine. Hello Vibrant Berries, Posh Purples and Ravishing Reds. I love it all.

MAC PURE HEROINE by LORDE !!! Its sheer Purple-Violet magic on the lips. I had been waiting all Summer to rock it in Fall. I was holidaying in India, when MAC had launched this collection. So the Husband was directed to pick it from our local MAC Pro-Store at the Country Club Plaza, before it ran out.

It was Durga Puja a few weeks back. Unlike in India, we Probaashis do not have the luxury of week long celebrations. We have to squeeze in as much of worship, fun and fashion in a single weekend. So everything amps up to a zillion degrees. Its one of those annual events, which have me planning all year round. Which sarees to wear? What accessories to pair them with? and most importantly what Make-Up do I team it all with ?

When you have a Diva for a mom, it makes life a lot easier. Maa handpicked my Pujo Sarees and all of them are bang on. Each one of them was extra special. Thank you Maa !! If I can learn half your style tricks,and can master some of your make-up tricks, I will surely become a Super Diva.

A Purple-Indigo  Mangalgiri Saree with a broad gold border, was my choice to kick start the celebrations.  It had come with its customary blouse piece, which I had even gotten tailored to my current size, during my visit to India in summer. But back home, when I was admiring the sarees for the Nth time, I decided to go for something different. The blouse was doing no justice to the wonderful weave of the saree. So out came the big guns. A hot pink Brocade Blouse, which I had also picked up. It was the perfect contrast.

The sheer amount of compliments which came my way, when I walked into the Pujo, was proof enough the choices were more than perfect. 

For my accessories, I had picked up a purple and pink Statement necklace, which came to the rescue. It had the touch of gold, to tie it all in. A big bright blue Bindi seemed to be the perfect companion.  

Now for the make-up !!!

A sultry Purple-Violet smokey eye might be a no-no for some, but it seemed to be the ideal choice for me. Pujo comes once a year,so its alright to go for the big guns.

When it comes to Foundation, everyone has their favorites. I, for many reasons, stick to my favorite brand, MAC Cosmetics. As my skin is parched dry with changing weather, I opted for MAC Face and Body Foundation. Its  a medium coverage, water based foundation. And you can build it up for increased coverage. The best part is part, it has absolutely no flashback. I knew I would be photographed a lot during these days,so could not take any chances. I used a Flat foundation brush to apply the foundation. Then used a damp Beauty Blender, to smooth it all out.

When you have a baby in the house, you will have dark circles undoubtedly. But the world doesn't need to know that on special days, do they ! So that's where your trusted Concealer comes to the rescue. Not only does it cover dark circles,and blemishes, but also gives that woken up appearance. A concealer in your exact shade match is great for concealing blemishes and spots. For under eyes, and in your cupid's bow, its best to go with concealer, which is two shades lighter than your skin. That just works wonders. The trick is to blend blend and blend. While applying concealer, I used the Deluxe Crease Brush from Real Techniques to apply it,and then used the same damp Beauty Blender to blend it all in. Did I just forget to mention which Concealer I used ? Well, I had used MAC Cosmetics Pro LongWear Concealer, in NW20, which is in two shades lighter than mine. While I am of a warmer undertone, and fall into NCs of Foundations, for the concealer, a different undertone, will work as a color corrector.  Just a single pump, will dispense enough product for covering both under eyes,

Now Concealer is a tricky product. It will slip out on you in a few hours, if you do not take the necessary precautions. So its always best to set it with powder. While any translucent powder works, I am partial to a particular Pressed powder . With Translucent powders, there's always the risk, that they might have silica, which gives off a white flashback in photos. So I opted for MAC Mineralize Skin Finish in Natural in Medium, with a large powder brush to set my foundation. I am the shade Medium. That locks in your base, so that you can party harder and harder.

And now for the Fun part ! The Eyes !! The Purple Eyes !!
For those of you who might be thinking that this post could have been a sponsored post by MAC Cosmetics, for all the products used so far, now here comes a change in the line up. For the Eyes, I used Urban Decay Primer Potion all over my lids. Let it settle down for a minute, before you start loading up your eye shadows. Since I was working with darker colors on the yes, and my base was already done, I used some loose translucent powder below the yes, to catch any fallouts. And this loose powder can be brushed away with a fan brush, once the eyes are done.

I used 'Blue Bus', Eye Shadow from Urban Decay with a flat shader brush from the inner corner of the eyes, to the middle. Then with a fluffy crease brush, I used'Gravity', from the middle to the outer corner. These colors were from a limited edition palette, so feel free to use violets of your choice.

With another fluffy crease brush, I used 'Naked' from Naked 1 palette of Urban Decay, in a windscreen wiper motion, in the crease, to buff out the harsh lines. Alternately, you can also use 'Soft Brown', from MAC as a transition color.

Blend blend so that there are no harsh lines.

I used MAC Black Track in Fluidline, which is gel liner, with a fine liner brush from Sonia Kashuk to line my eyes, and finished it off, with Maybelline Falsies Mascara. Always stick to waterproof mascara.

Nars Orgasm Blush is a wonder blush, as it is known to suit and flatter every skin tone and undertone across the g;lobe. So if you're starting your make -up collection, make sure you pick up one. That's a blush on which you can bank on any occasion. Diffuse it for a lighter look, or go heavy when you want to. Its a beautiful Peachy Pink with light gold specks in it. Its not a splurge,its an investment !

Last but not the least, the piece de resistance: MAC Pure Heroine Lipstick by Lorde. I lined the lips with MAC Nightmoth lipliner and then filled in with the lipstick.

The result as they say, is magic !!!

Whats not to love about looking good ! And Make Up can be your Best Friend !!

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