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Makeup Bag: Tips & Trends

June 22, 2007

Geniusity

Benefit D’Finer D’Liner

We’ve never been a big fan of lip liner for fear of looking like Kim Mathers or worse.

With lip liner, if you don’t stay on top of freshening up your lipstick, the dreaded “outline” is bound to rear its ugly head.

Not anymore. The genius girls at Benefit have introduced D’finer D’liner, a CLEAR lip liner that keeps lipstick from feathering by creating an invisible barrier.

We put D’finer D’liner to the test with a lipstick we love but hardly ever wear because the formula tends to bleed on us (and regular liner is too risky!). The results: IT WORKS.

We lined the outside edge of our lips with this invisible liner and our lipstick stayed put. No feathering or bleeding, and no dreaded outline. Now we can wear our favorite lipsticks with abandon—watch out boys.

June 19, 2007

Tips for Hassle Free Summer Nails

Summer Nail Tips

During the fun-filled days of summer, keeping up our fingernails is not a high priority–why be indoors getting a manicure when we could be going on a hike, enjoying a picnic at the beach or cruising around town on our bike.

Here’s how to keep your manicure looking fresh without sacrificing precious time:

  • Keep nails short—no longer than the end of your fingertip. You will be less susceptible to a crack, split or break.
  • Moisturize. Moisturize. Moisturize. Dry summer heat leaves our nails brittle and our cuticles looking horrendous. We have dozens of hand cream tubes surrounding us at all times. (Some of our favorites are listed here.) Tip: Apply hand cream while you’re on the phone, in the car at a stoplight, or standing in the kitchen (impatiently) waiting for your coffee to brew—multitasking equals more time for fun!CNY Park Chix
  • Speaking of horrendous cuticles, treat yours daily with cuticle oil to lock in moisture and look like you’ve just had a manicure. We keep a bottle by our bathroom sink for a quick application every morning and evening after pushing back our cuticles with a towel.
  • If you can’t (or won’t) keep your nails natural, choose a pale, chip-resistant polish and paint on two thin coats followed by a topcoat. Our favorite this season is Carolyn New York’s Park Chix, the sheerest, shiniest pink. (If you’ve never tried CNY polishes, you MUST! Designed by manicurist to the stars, Carolyn Cianciotto, these bottles have a soft-grip top that makes application a breeze (no slipping!) and the DPB-free polish formula is second to none.)
  • Always keep a fine emery board in your bag. We like this one from Tweezerman with a snap-shut protective case. Before finding this, we ruined countless pairs of sunglasses from loose files rubbing against them in our bag. (Yes, we know our sunglasses should be in a sunglass case, but we’re not perfect, okay?) Use the file to clean up any breaks or rough edges immediately. Don’t wait until you get home or you could end up with a painful tear–Ouch!

A minute or two of hassle-free upkeep each day will keep your nails looking salon-perfect all summer!

February 22, 2007

Spring Lipstick Tips from Shu Uemura Artistic Director

We are in for a treat today!

Shu Uemura has launched their Rouge Unlimited Spring Collection with 17 shades of ultra-smooth, moisturizing lipstick pigments inspired by springtime blooms.

Gina Brooks, Artistic Director for Shu Uemura, shares her insider tips for choosing spring lipstick shades. “I’m not one for rules!” Gina says, “Although there are certain shades that complement certain skin tones, I believe it is how you feel in a lipstick that determines the right lip color for you.”

Shu Uemura Rouge Unlimited Pink

Featured color: Rouge Unlimited Pink 355
“Pink is a beautiful color with a great shade range and can be used on pretty much any skin tone. Use the shade to soften the face and create a very innocent look, perfect for this Spring’s trends. Celebrities like Madonna, Kate Hudson and Gwyneth Paltrow work perfectly with pinks as it not only complements their skin tone but their personas as well.”

Shu Uemura Rouge Unlimited Red

Featured color: Rouge Unlimited Red 148
“Red is an amazing color that will transform any look. Whether you wear it for a party, a holiday, or even a Monday morning, red says ‘bold, beautiful and sexy.’ Celebrities such as Scarlett Johansson, Gwen Stefani, and Charlize Theron look absolutely beautiful as red complements their cool skin tones and bold femininity.”

Shu Uemura Rouge Unlimited Coral/Orange

Featured color: Rouge Unlimited Orange 538
“Coral is an amazing color perfect for those with deeper or warmer skin tones. It adds an aura of mystery and sultriness. I would use this color on celebrities such as Jennifer Lopez, Eva Longoria, Jessica Alba and Thandie Newton.”

Shu Uemura Rouge Unlimited Wine

Featured color: Rouge Unlimited Wine 249
“Wine is a shade that is perfect all year round. It expresses beauty, strength and confidence- attributes that never go out of style! Celebrities with a classic, modern beauty such as Natalie Portman, Halle Berry, Drew Barrymore and Catherine Zeta-Jones are perfect ambassadors for this shade.”

Thanks Gina!

February 14, 2007

MAC Backstage Part IV

Better late than never, right?

Autumn/Winter 2007 Mercedes Benz Fashion Week is over, but thanks to MAC Cosmetics and photos from Style.com, here is the fourth and final (also? totally late!) installment of runway beauty trends.

Badgley Mischka:

Badgley Mischka Fall 2007 Badgley Mischka Fall 2007

This season marks the first ready-to-wear collection for the Boys of Bling. And the duo proved that they were just as masterful with suiting as they are with sequins. Because they were showing both groupings, makeup artist Tom Pecheux created a neutral daytime face that easily transitions into evening. “There’s nothing aggressive about this look,” he said. “It’s soft and elegant.” Pecheux started with matte skin on the pale side. No contour. No blush. He defined the brows, but didn’t go overboard. Next, he worked with nudes and shapers in hues of ivory, dark brown, taupe and tobacco to smoke out the eyes. He finished them with MAC Loud Lash Mascara in Noisy Black and white pencil on the inner rim. Lips stayed rather nude with a swipe of High Tea Lipstick. The finishing touches: black liquid liner and hair swept casually into a soft, looped bun. “It’s very classic. Very Audrey Hepburn,” Pecheux said.
Zac Posen:

Zac Posen Fall 2007 Zac Posen Fall 2007

“This season, I balanced femininity with structure,” said Zac Posen, “This collection is for a woman who’s real and who’s smart. She’s an eyebrow!” Charlotte Tilbury got the message. She created groomed arches filled in with MAC Lingering Eye Brows eye pencil. The eyes she kept neutral, applying Taupe Eye Shadow all around, curling lashes and coating them with Zoom Lash in Zoomblack. Lips were a bigger focus. Tilbury layered three hues: Laid Back Blushcreme, Ruby Woo Lipstick and Media Lipstick to effect a berry stain, which she also patted into cheeks. A swipe of Matte Bronze Bronzing Powder across the cheeks and then models were ready to jump into the Baltic ballgowns. “They look healthy,” Posen said, “I’m not interested in women looking like droids.”

Y & Kei:

Y & Kei Fall 2007 Y & Kei Fall 2007

For Max Delorme, the Y & Kei woman this season is “not cute.” But the French makeup artist did not mean anything negative by his comment. Au contraire. To counterbalance the tight ponytails and geometric collection at Y & Kei, he designed a face that was “dreamy but strong, not cute.” “The most important thing is the skin,” Delorme continued, “It needs to be somewhat matte, but also satiny and transparent.” To achieve these qualities, he took his time working in a dot of liquid foundation and melting it into the skin with the heat of his fingers. That was the hard part. The rest, as he put it, was “kid stuff.” With a large brush, Delorme swirled together three shades of Powder Blush- Harmony, Deep Plum and Dame- which he swept liberally across the mouth before concentrating it on the inner and outer corners of the eyes. He accented the outer corners of the eyes next with a black pencil. Finally, Delorme swiped a bit of black and gold powder on the center of the mouth before adding gloss to give the lips a sense of dimension and volume. “That’s it. It is just a soft wash of makeup,” he said. Definitely not cute.

Anne Klein:

Anne Klein Fall 2007 Anne Klein Fall 2007

Echoing the “couture haberdashery” in soft wood, blonde and camel tones that Isabel Toledo turned out for Anne Klein, makeup artist James Kaliardos went for “an exaggerated version of no-makeup makeup” by using beige tones to accentuate the natural architecture of the face. “It’s a neutral face,” he said, “but it’s a built face. It’s graphic, but minimal.” Kaliardos started with a base of foundation and then “carved out” the eye socket by brushing on Taupe Eye Shadow all around the eyes. Next, he lightly traced top lash lines with Fluidline in Blacktrack and applied Zoom Lash Mascara. A dash of Brow Set on arches, a touch of Medium Dark Blot Powder/Pressed on cheekbones, and a dab of Uncommon Blushcreme on the lips and models were good to go.

Daryl K:

Daryl K Fall 2007 Daryl K Fall 2007

At Daryl K, MAC makeup artist Bianca Alexander was channeling Bond girls. “She has to be ultra sexy, but not overly done-up. The Daryl K woman doesn’t try too hard.” To give eyes that downtown edge, Alexander lined the underside with Taupe Eye Pencil and Patina Eye Shadow. She dabbed Copper Sparkle Pigment on the lids and then also glossed them with Clear Lipglass. Strobe Cream, a sheer, iridescent moisturizer, was dabbed on to bring out cheekbones, and then this little rock chick was ready to roll.

Costello Tagliapietra:

Costello Tagliapietra Fall 2007 Costello Tagliapietra Fall 2007

Makeup artist Polly Osmond was in a Roxy Music mode. “There was a lot of deep metallic green in the clothes, and I started to think about a modern-day Jerry Hall type,” she said, “a glamorous girl who could grace Bryan Ferry’s albums today.” Again, eyes were the focus here. Osmond began by working Sumptuous Olive eye Shadow into the lids, highlighting the brow bones with Nylon Eye Shadow and working that into the inner corners. Next, she blended Deep Blue Green Pigment, a darker hue, into the center of the lids. She traced Smolder Eye Kohl along top lash lines and then blended Green Smoke Eye Shadow along the bottom. The rest of the face remained quite matte, but lips did get a boost of color. Osmond chose a shell-pink lipstick, which she layered with a peachy gloss for a mouthwatering effect.