Lately I’ve been trying out some of the makeup that sits unused in my bathroom. When it comes to cosmetics, I’m a pretty simple girl—my main concern is covering my uneven skin tone. My last experiment was with a bright red shade of Chanel lipstick, which went shockingly well and Coco has made a few more appearances since that evening. But red lips are pretty standard, so for my next challenge I took on something a bit more bold—electric blue eyeshadow.

Last week, we asked you to tell us about your first time wearing red lipstick in exchange for some Jemma Kidd cosmetics from Market for Drama. And, unsurprisingly, many of you made it into an older relative’s makeup bag when you were young, and the results were hilarious, defiant, and heartwarming. But, astrolatry won for her story that brought tears to our eyes ...

I’d been wanting a new blush for the past few weeks because I’d outgrown the pink hue of the one I was wearing. Since a recent trip to Sephora didn’t yield any rewards, I decided to try the Jemma Kidd Make Up School Stain, Flush & Gloss in “Ruby Tuesday.” It’s a multipurpose product for cheeks and lips, which means I didn’t have to schlep my complete makeup bag around. Double bonus! The cheek stain looks like a dark red lipstick, but gives the apples of the cheeks a natural-looking flush. Seriously, even my brown skin looked as if I were blushing, which doesn’t happen often because I’m one of those people that never gets embarrassed. (Just kidding. Did you read this post? Those were some of my stories too.) Anyway, a little of the stain goes a long way, especially on the cheeks, but you can also use it on the lips.

Who doesn’t like a good deal on cosmetics without pressure from a salesperson? Market for Drama, a private online beauty site, offers up to 70 percent off high-end beauty products during its weekly shopping events. Shop online for brands like Jemma Kidd Professional Beauty, which offers multi-tasking cosmetics for busy beauty hounds. From March 2 to 5, Market for Drama will have Jemma Kidd products on sale, so you’ve got just enough time to join Market for Drama before this super opportunity passes you by. [Market for Drama]

WIN THIS! We’re giving away enough Jemma Kidd makeup to create the perfect classic face—a Define Stay-put Eye Liner in Mahogany, a Stardust Créme Shadow in Galaxy, an Ultimate Lipstick Duo in Scarlett, and a Lasting Tint: Semi Permanent, Waterproof Lash Colour in Brown—but you have to work if you want it! Leave a comment before 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, March 4, telling us about the first time you wore red lipstick. We’ll pick our favorite response and announce the winner on Friday, March 5. You must live in the U.S. or Canada to win. Good luck!

When we wake up in the morning and the coffee is still brewing, everything about our ritual needs to be bright and cheery. Hence, our love for these yellow Harajuku Lovers, covered with Gwen Stefani’s little girls in adorable bikinis. The design will make the terrifying sound of your alarm that much less shocking, not to mention add a bit of color to the tiles in your bathroom. The cases come in three different sizes for all your beauty needs: a pencil case for brushes and eye pencils, a clutch to take on the go, and an organizer for the mass makeup holding. [$18-38, Sephora]

We’re slightly obsessed with the statement lips Chloe Sevigny rocked at Interview magazine’s 40th anniversary party. And we’ve always loved pink hues, but we’ve never gone quite so bold. Chloe’s shade seems to be a magenta-fuchsia that’s almost purple. If you do want to try it out, here are some suggestions for purpley-pink products to get the look!

• Top: Sephora Brand “Fuchsia Vamp #10” Lipstick, $6, Sephora.com
• Bottom: Urban Decay “Jilted” Lipstick, $22, UrbanDecay.com

What do you think—hot or not? [Refinery29]

“I usually get up at 3 am. I don’t require a lot of sleep and if I get tired, I’ll take a power nap during the day. When my [husband] Carl is awake, I’ll put on my makeup and roll my hair a little, because I don’t want to look bad for him, do I?”

— Dolly Parton, who makes the rest of us lazy girls look more sane [Contact Music]

We’ve already covered Dr. Oz’s finding on how lip gloss ain’t exactly your friend when it comes to your health (petroleum jelly is a byproduct of oil drilling, and when you spread it on your lips, you end up eating it, which is essentially the same as drinking gasoline, or so he claims), but what he also mentioned yesterday on his show were two more secret killers you probably use everyday as a part of your makeup routine ...

Here’s a scary clip for lip gloss lovers: Oprah‘s pal Dr. Mehmet Oz freaks out some poor lady by showing her a tub filled with seven pounds of petroleum jelly, the amount a woman licks off her lips in a decade. The new quote of the day is: “[Lip gloss] makes you shiny — but it’s dangerous!”

Happy almost-Valentine’s Day! Whether you’re single or taken, The Frisky wants to be your Valentine. Look for a contest each day leading up to Feb. 14. Prizes will include makeup, books, lingerie, jewelry, and more, but each one only lasts a day—enter now!

Makeup palettes are often a waste of money because you end up using one shade more often than the others. But we guarantee you’ll be happy with everything the glominerals gloLip Maven Kit has to offer. Not only does it include three universally flattering lip shades—“rupture,” a sultry burgundy; “beloved,” a rosy pink; and “darling,” a shimmery peach—but it also contains gloLip primer for filling in fine lines and gloHigh shine glaze for adding gloss on its own or over one of the colors. Plus, you can mix the versatile colors to create your own signature shade. So get ready to pucker up for Valentine’s Day. [$32, gloskincare]

WIN THIS! We’re giving away one gloLip Maven Kit, but you have to work if you want it. Tell us your best kissing tip in the comments by 3:39 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 2 (that’s tomorrow!). We’ll pick our favorite response and announce the winner. You must live in the U.S. or Canada to win. Good luck!

UPDATE: The winner of the GloMinerals GloLip Maven Kit is chicle, for this comment:

“Make every kiss a little bit different. Whether it be the intensity, the length, the pressure, the noises you make … whatever inspires you. They say that doing new and different things with your partner keeps the same parts of your brain firing as when you experienced that first crush … why not make every kiss a part of that?”

Thank you for all your comments and tips.

Michelle Phan videos are oddly mesmerizing. But combine her soothing voice with ultra-scary Lady Gaga googly eyes à la “Bad Romance,” and you’ve got viral gold, baby. At around the point where she’s talking about her boiled wig and the circle contacts—and you’re still watching—you know the trance has fully set in. Happy Friday. [BuzzFeed]

The easiest way to give yourself an “Avatar” makeover is to paint your entire face blue or make out with a member of the Blue Man Group. Unfortunately, going that route does nothing for your complexion. Soon, however, you’ll be able to get “Avatar” pretty without looking like you left a sci-fi convention.

Makeup company Milani is about to release a line inspired by the film that will include a nail polish, lip gloss, and eye shadow. The cool thing about the products is that they’ll produce “3D” effects through holographic and light-reflecting properties. We’re not sure what 3D makeup is supposed to look like, but sounds intriguing. And oh yeah, the makeup will all be blue. If you haven’t already guessed. [Vogue.fr]

Blake Lively and her gorge eyes—thanks to her perfectly lined inner rims—hit the town last night, above. We’ve talked about lining the inner rim of your eyes before, and I’m all about it, but, there’s one problemo: My eyes tear up something crazy and I can’t keep my eyeliner in place. To solve that rather irritating (literally and figuratively) issue, I got to testing out possible solutions and I think I’ve discovered the secret!

Loads of great brows were on display last night at the Fox All-Star Party—check out Olivia Wilde and Aisha Tyler, above, rocking pretty, natural (but definitely filled-in) eyebrows. I was never a brow filler-in-er, but as I recently learned, a polished, full, neat set of eyebrows really does transform your entire face. (A rule of thumb with brow shape: Thin, highly arched brows can make you look older, and fuller, darker, more natural-looking brows are easier to pull off and usually much more flattering.) When brows are filled-in and full, your makeup looks better and if you aren’t wearing any, your face just looks more pulled together. And even women with the thickest brows benefit greatly from a little filling in. A few tricks for getting it right…

I had to laugh when I read about a recent ad for Johnson & Johnson’s Clean and Clear Spot Control Kit getting pulled from British television recently. When consumers complained that their skin didn’t look the actress’s in the commercial, Johnson & Johnson admitted that, get this, the actress was wearing makeup in the “after” photo!! I know, shocking, right? The U.K.‘s Advertising Standards Authority pulled the ad and released this statement:

“We considered that, in order to make the before and after comparison fair, both shots should have been taken under the same conditions (both without makeup) to ensure that any visible improvement was an accurate representation of what could be achieved with the product.”

What I’m wondering is: do these people (the consumers and the ADA) seriously believe skin care companies don’t normally use makeup on models to give the illusion of clearer skin (or, in the case of “before” pictures, bad skin)?! I think that’s the real crime here. [via Huffington Post and The Guardian]

A new study focusing on men’s feelings towards makeup just made some amazing new discoveries that’ll blow your mind. Like, men don’t like layers of caked-on foundation! Or gloopy mascara left on overnight! Or lipstick on teeth! Or clown blush! And according to the study, one in 10 men wish their partners wouldn’t wear any makeup at all, which, you know, makes total sense if these men are equating all makeup with the sins mentioned above. My guess is a lot of men don’t even know makeup when they see it and don’t realize that the “natural look” they say they like so much is often enhanced with a swipe of mascara, a touch of gloss, a brush of blush on the apples of the cheeks. In their minds “makeup” is something noticeable, often in a distasteful way. But we women know better, don’t we? Which is why I’m much more interested in the way women feel about makeup.

The usual New Year’s Eve conundrum—you go out looking hot, hair and makeup fixed just so, and by the time midnight rolls around your ‘do is a frizz-ball mess (or a flat mess, depending) and your eye shadow is half-way down your face. Rather than constantly running to the bathroom for touch-ups and carrying a whole case of makeup and hair sprays/clips/etc. in your purse, why not make things easier on yourself this year with a bit of pre-party prep? A few stay-put tips, after the jump!