September 2012 Archives

When it comes to beauty trends, what goes around always comes (back) around. In this case the trend is bold eyeliner in fun, and funky, colors. Taking a page from Leslie Mann’s beauty diary, I just know that bright purple, vivid teal and shimmery gold eyeshadows are all going to be super-hot this fall. But if you’re not trying to look like Rainbow Bright, the trick is to apply just a little of your bright liner to the upper lid and then apply a neutral shadow to blend it in. Leslie opted for Lancôme’s Design Gel Eyeliner in Dress Up Teal and paired it with their Design Inifinté 24H in Eternal Gold and Design Eye Shadow in Burnt Sand.

The aptly named Divine Cream is L’Occitane’s luxury anti-aging day cream. This rich cream melts into skin providing instant comfort and nourishment. Using a powerful combination of organic essential oils to stimulate the production of collagen, it claims to smooth wrinkles for skin that is visibly firmer, brighter and younger looking. I have extremely dry skin and was very pleased with how soothed and moisturized my skin felt when using this, without looking shiny or greasy. Fair warning, the cream does have a strong perfume scent which I think smells really nice, but may seem cloying to those who prefer non-scented products.

$98 at loccitane.com

We usually don’t really think it’s news when a celebrity changes her hair color. But in the case of Natalie Portman, it’s fairly groundbreaking! The actress has always been a brunette, so to see her step out on the red carpet with decidedly lighter tresses (on the arm of Robert Pattinson, no less, although her husband was in attendance) was definitely a shocker. And we have to say, we’re loving it! The color is rich and shimmering, more honey than platinum, and it sets off her skin tone nicely.

All in all, this is a definite win for Ms. Portman!

Photo via usmagazine.com.

Last week was New York Fashion Week Spring 2013. And, as always, many amazing looks came out of the week! We’ve rounded up some of our favorites for you.

Marc Jacobs
Francois Nars himself created the look for this show, which was inspired by the “typical New York City girl.” Intricately lined eyes (with lines going through the crease and winging out at the sides) and boldly drawn brows complemented the clean skin and punky bouffant-like hairdo. All beauty products were by NARS, of course. And stay tuned, because strong brows were a major trend on the runways.
Photo courtesy of NARS

Donna Karan
Shades of the sunrise and sunset inspired the look at this show, created by Charlotte Tilbury for M.A.C. We’re loving the bright pink liner all the way around the eye (Tilbury drew M.A.C PRO Process Magenta Chromographic Pencil through the upper and lower lashlines and then painted M.A.C PRO Process Magenta Chromaline through the lashes to achieve this). This look certainly isn’t for the faint of heart, but we can’t wait to try it.
Photo via style.com

Prabal Gurung
Nail art continues to make a strong statement, and we’re completely enamored of the dripping blood-inspired look that Sally Hansen manicurists created for Prabal Gurung. The look was done using Sally Hansen Angel Bite. Macabre? Maybe. Awesome? Definitely.
Photo via harpersbazaar.com

Jason Wu
Braiding has only gained popularity in recent months, and with the super-cool looped hairstyle created by Odile Gilbert for Kerastase, we predict its notoriety will continue to skyrocket! The look was inspired by Helmut Newton, with Gilbert using many Kerastase products including Elixir Ultime Rose Millenaire (for tons of shine) and Double Force Control Ultime Hair Spray (to hold it in place). After creating a deep part, Gilbert created front and back sections, made an African braid at the back and tucked it underneath to form a chignon. 
Photo courtesy of Kerastase

Rodarte
Nude nails are going to be huge for spring—specifically what we like to call “mannequin hands,” where the nude is flesh-toned and blends into your skin. And nowhere was this trend cooler than at Rodarte, where CND nail artist Michelle Huynh designed “Modern Medieval” nails. To do this, Huynh wove strips of custom-blended, mattified CND Colours in Desert Suede, Frosting Cream and Chocolate Milk over a base of high shine Desert Suede and Frosting Cream. Lest you think this was an easy task, each tip took 15 minutes to detail, and the 30 total sets took over 150 hours to finish!
Photo courtesy of CND

Joy Cioci
Another big beauty trend for Spring 2013? Blue eyeshadow. The color normally associated with the 80’s is back and better than ever. Uzo for NARS created a look for Joy Cioci that was “mermaid meets the 1920’s,” with eyes bathed in shades of shimmering ocean blue. We might not be waiting for spring to try this look.
Photo courtesy of NARS

Over the years, I’ve tried various anti-aging creams and serums — after all, it’s never too early to start action against the signs of aging. What I’ve never tried, however, is a complete anti-aging system that targets aging using products that work together for an even more effective regime. Enter L’Oreal Paris RevitaLift Triple Power Collection, an anti-aging system that includes three products working together to repair wrinkles, re-firm contours and replenish facial volume.

The three products included in the system are:

• Triple Power Concentrated Serum that claims to smooth skin and improve skin tone in 1 week and visibly reduce wrinkles in 4 weeks.
• Triple Power Deep-Acting Moisturizer stimulates collagen production to increase elasticity, making skin look younger, firmer and lifted.
• Triple Power Eye Treatment to reduce wrinkles and firm and lift the eye area.

In the past few years, I’ve noticed that my smile lines have become more pronounced and a loss of firmness in the skin around my eyes, so anti-aging treatments have become a priority for me. Over the next month, I will be testing out this system and sharing the results each week, so stay tuned!

L’Oréal Paris RevitaLift introduces Triple Power - three anti-aging skincare products designed to help fight the 3 dimensions of aging. When just fighting wrinkles isn’t enough, you need to go beyond a one-dimensional approach to restore skin’s youthful look. Challenge this approach with a powerful and luxurious cream (Triple Power Deep-Acting Moisturizer) that visibly addresses the three dimensions of aging skin: wrinkles, loss of facial volume and loss of firmness. The RevitaLift Triple Power collection also includes a Concentrated Serum and an Eye Treatment.