Bold crimson lids!
Are you tuning into The Voice these days? Honestly, I’ve had the show running on a near-constant loop for weeks, for two main reasons: first, it feels like they roll out a fresh season roughly every fifteen minutes, and second, I’m completely hooked on the usual formula of Adam and Blake roasting each other, Jennifer Hudson launching footwear across the set, and Kelly Clarkson rattling off a rapid-fire monologue that ends with the rest of the panel cracking jokes at her expense.
Even though (yes, I’m still annoyed about this…) the program almost always winds down with America crowning some young, attractive pop vocalist at the finale, it ranks as my top trashy TV ritual at the moment, right alongside Midsomer Murders.
Every so often I catch myself shouting at the screen, like “I swear my heart would stop if Mariah Carey walked through that door,” or “I’m putting five bucks on Kelly Clarkson rocking Urban Decay Naked Heat right now.”
On that note, let’s discuss THE COSMETICS. They’re excellent. Kelly’s looks in particular catch me off guard, because she genuinely appears drawn to vibrant shades and bold choices.
Mariah Carey has dropped in as a guest mentor during the recent knockout episodes, and her aesthetic stands in stark contrast to Kelly’s.
Don’t get me wrong, Mariah’s glam is consistently flawless too (Kristopher Buckle serves as her trusted MUA), yet I honestly cannot recall the last occasion she stepped out without either a bronzed lid or a gentle smoky effect, applied in the identical pattern, capped off with a pink or bare-nude pout.
Wait… something just clicked. Notice the outline of Kelly’s mouth in the snapshots featuring the nude lipstick? She’s got a deep, sharply drawn lip pencil that hasn’t been smudged out. Very 1997 vibes! I’m curious whether this is a deliberate stage technique (possibly to outline the contour and create the illusion of plumper lips?), because the line stays fairly understated and only becomes obvious once you lean in for a closer look.
Or perhaps she’s simply a fan of late-nineties lip aesthetics?
(We’re entering deep analysis territory now, haha!)
I could probably just message her, since I’ve been casually creeping Gloria’s Instagram feed. I adore how she oscillates between timeless, elegant cosmetics and more avant-garde creations. She’s a solid follow if makeup ideas are your thing like they are mine. ?
Your ever-devoted beauty-obsessed neighbor,
Karen
