Hot or Not Beauty

Ever since the advent of Chanel’s Le Vernis ‘Rouge Noir’ polish – as sported by Uma Thurman in ‘Pulp Fiction’ – I’ve been a Chanel girl. (Actually being something of a beauty product addict I’m also an ‘any new product I can get my hands on’ girl!) The latest range of summer colors from Chanel are as gorgeous as ever, and the fantastic ‘Flamingo Pink’ and sultry ‘Antilope’ are the new seasons must have nail polishes.

‘Flamingo Pink’ is exactly the color you would imagine it to be – a bright bubblegum pink that harks back to the candy floss shades you loved as a child. My personal recommendation is to pair this with the luscious Rouge Hydrabase lipstick in the bright ‘Rose Flamingo’ pink. If you are more a lip gloss than a lipstick girl – then my next choice would be to try the Glossimer Lip Gloss in the new shade ‘Gazelle’. This is a hot pink that comes with a little extra sparkle and goes great with a sunkissed summer complexion.

Now I don’t want to recommend a lot of time out in the sun – let’s face it wrinkles and skin cancer are NOT hot! But these colors do lend themselves to a sun kissed look and this season there are a total of 5 different types of bronzing products available in the Chanel range. I like the limited edition Collection Essentielle, which offers an all in one palette for the eyes, cheeks and lips. There are also both liquid and powder bronzers that can give you a golden glow and set off your bright pink lipstick to perfection.

If eye makeup is more your thing then you will be loving Chanel this season! There’s a fantastic range of bright and colorful eye shadows, eyeliners and mascaras. If you are keen to try out the pink and khaki green eye shadows, then my suggestion would be to pair these with the ‘Antilope’ Le Vernis nail polish. This golden brown frosted polish is more subtle than the ‘Flamingo Pink’, and goes really nicely with the nude brown ‘Curious’ Rouge Allure lipstick.

What will I be wearing? Well being a huge fan of pink lipstick, my choice for this summer will be to give the liquid eye shadow in ‘Atoll’ a go. This golden brown color is more subtle than some of the other options for the eyes, and a much more attractive option if you are going to try out the bright lipsticks. I was also really taken with the vert bronze color eyeliner that I tried. Whilst I’ve long favored a dark brown eyeliner – I received a number of compliments about how green my eyes looked, so I’m keen to continue with this product that brought out the color in my blue-green eyes.

A word to the wise for those of you who love bright colors. This season is definitely going to be the one for you to let loose, but don’t overdo it. By that I mean don’t wear everything at once – a splash of color is great, but if you are wearing green or pink eye shadow, then go for subtle lip colors. Like wise, a muted eye shadow is best with a bright lipstick. That said – go out and have fun! This summer is all about bright colors, so find the one you like and make it hot!

Sometimes I want to splurge on one makeup item that just exudes exquisiteness, so Yves Saint-Laurent’s Temps Majeur seemed like a perfect opportunity. I probably am going through a Yves Saint-Laurent phase but this rose has its thorns, and this foundation was one of them.

All of Yves Saint-Laurent’s makeup is strongly scented, the fragrance however has practically no staying power and doesn’t bother you. The perfume on this foundation is delicious however that is not my problem with it. My problem is the coverage and finish.

This is not meant for sheer application, it just sits there, whether applied with a brush or a sponge, it just doesn’t work if you’re going for a sheer look. So, OK, fine we’ll do it Medium-Full and it doesn’t look for me, it ends up looking cakey, incredibly heavy and OBVIOUS that you’re wearing foundation. In this day and age with all the advances in cosmetics this is something I wasn’t expecting for a $100 worth of foundation it just didn’t work for me at all.

Not only that, there was definitely something in the components that made me break out within a half an hour of putting it on my face.

I was so glad that I had previously asked for a sample of this to try out before I went out and bought it on impulse and left with yet another item for my “you-want-it-you-got-it” bag.
After so many hazards in my makeup shopping, I became a lot more careful about my purchases specially if it goes over $50 in price, it’s just not practical to have tons of makeup sitting because it didn’t either live up to my expectations or was just a bad product.

After falling in love with “Poudre Sur Mesure”, I wanted to love Temps Majeur as well, but definitely couldn’t and sported the war wounds for a few days until my skin cleared up.

MAC’s Beauty Powders enjoy a great deal of popularity, it’s one of those items that accompanies a Color Collection, whether it being a Beauty Icon or something like Barbie Loves MAC and used to highlight and give a soft glow as a multi-purpose pressed powder kind of thing.

Due to its incredible rave by MAC fanatics and makeup consumers everywhere, they decided to toy with the idea of changing the formula and turning into a loose powder product.

Designed to sculpt and highlight the face for a highly sophisticated contrast look. Some of the shades can be used as a soft blush, we all know the lingo and how it works, but the question is: “Does it work?”.

MAC’s shimmered iridescent powders always had a problem for me, they weren’t daily wearable. Silver Dusk is a gorgeous iridescent loose powder but upon application leaves your skin with a sort of artificial metallic glow to it which many women shy away from and that is my concern with MAC’s Beauty Powders in Loose form, can they subtle enough for day-to-day wear? The fact that all the powders have gold or copper shimmer makes me just wonder. I prefer a pearl-like shimmer because it can become a lot more natural and flattering even if it doesn’t have that “BANG” effect but it can translate into day and night wear.

I do welcome back Studio Lights with a passion, it’s incredibly wearable and it can be subdued and the light reflecting properties can help make your dark circle less noticeable rather than tons of coverage that can crease and make you look bad.

It’s one of those collections that can translate into limited edition items becoming permanent or will they continue to be limited in order to boost sales whenever they pop-up?

While this isn’t exactly news off the press, it’s something I couldn’t just let it pass by.

A very ornamental and shining collection I must confess that didn’t exactly peak my interest, the photographs are gorgeous it’s true, but while examining the products launched my reaction was “meh”, for lack of better wording.

If you haven’t figured out by now, I’m not “Uuuuuh, shiny!” kind of person, so all frost finishes whether on eyeshadow, lipstick, lip gloss in general don’t exactly catch my attention (at least not in a good way) and while they may be used for gorgeous and creative looks, I don’t see them as something I regular consumer needs in her or his makeup collection.

The mineral eyeshadows don’t do much for me, although they can be layered for a more intense look, none of the color selections catches my eyes and says “You need this.”, actually no, you don’t need most of them unless you’re highly into silver, golds and frosted finishes. If you are, then by all means splurge on this collection because it’s definitely up your alley. If you are like me, then you’ll like the pretty pictures but will wait for something less… golden.

The Fluidline in Uppity is interesting, but it’s not a wearable color for your everyday looks. I’m not imagining someone going out everyday with golden eyeliner on their top lids, but I’m pretty much a rather conservative look regarding eyeliners. It’s a matter of personal preference but apart from blue, black, grey, brown and white there aren’t that many colors that seduce me eyeliner wise, so although Uppity sounds interesting in concept it just doesn’t cut product wise for everyday use.

One could argument that a Holiday collection is just that, something for special occasions for that special look that you want to cause an impression. Sparkle oomph and all that, I actually prefer accenting details with little bits of extravaganza that can make all the difference, a good example is Guerlain’s Golden Lash Mascara Top Coat.

I’ll be reviewing the brush sets and offers for the season in the future.

Running away from the smoky eye mania that has engulfed beauty addicts everywhere, Laura Mercier presents another option for this year’s holiday season.

Shimmering white eyeshadow, ice blue kohl eyeliner, shimmering pink glace and a body sparkling mineral powder that adds an iridescent shimmer to your body.

I’m not a fan of overly glitter on your eyes, cheeks, lips and everywhere possible will make you look like a freaking disco ball, however when it’s delicately accented it can act like a Fairy Godmother’s magic wand and turn you into the belle of the ball.

Of all the items, the one that I frowned upon was the ice blue kohl, unless you use it on your waterline to give a little pick-me-up and make you seem more rested and glamorous, shimmering nearly white eyeliner on your top lid is something that I dislike, it’s one of those makeup pet peeves for me. So, if you’re getting it only to line the inner part of your waterline, why are you getting another eyeliner that looks almost exactly like a white one and does the exact same thing.

This collection caters more to the fair-to-medium toned complexions and if overdone can make you look like the Witch from the Chronicles of Narnia, so like everything that has obvious shimmer to it go in moderation and build your way up.

The winner was the body mineral powder, which I’m considering to purchase because it’s something I’d like to put on a girls shoulder, decolletage and accenting other areas of the body because if it gives out a hint of pearlized glow it can completely give you a fairy-like mystique that looks cute for the holidays. And I must say the feather duster intrigues me as well.

Do I think this is the greatest holiday collection known to man? No. Do I find it’s refreshing and gets away from the smoky eye mania that’s on almost every other single collection, yes.

So make a trip to a Laura Mercier counter near you and try these out.

The overall image of beautiful lashes is those glamorous thick voluminous lashes that evoke an overall image of glamor and seduction, celebrities like Gwen Stefani are never seen without it. That however doesn’t mean automatically that bigger is better all the time, there are those who already have a set of gorgeous lush lashes and don’t need to coat them in a volume creating product and only would like a slight hint of color and a bit of shine so that you’ll look far more groomed without any added drama.

I have light brown hair and although I have a generous amount of long lashes but they are quite light and therefore rather invisible so I decided to shop around for something that would just add color.

I was a consumer in the past of Jean Paul Gaultier’s Tout Beau Tinted Brow and Lash Groomer but it became clumpy quite quickly and I wasn’t happy with the overall shade selection.

While the results with Chanel seemed too artificial and Helena Rubinstein’s most subdued mascara proved to be beyond dramatic, I was happy to hang the gloves when I decided to browse the Clinique counter. That’s when I saw “Naturally Glossy” and decided to give it a go and I must say it immediately achieved Holy Grail status.

I consider this rather just a tinted lash groomer, it gives your lashes a nice curl, doesn’t clump and they remain perfectly natural and if by any chance a couple of lashes stick together give hit a whisk of a lash brush to separate them.

This mascara also gives a slightly glossy finish (available in Jet Brown or Jet Black) to your lashes making them look groomed and lustrous, remaining soft throughout the day without flaking or drying. This is a makeup item that will be remaining in my makeup bag for the next months.

For the completely opposite effect, check out my review on Helena Rubinstein’s Lash Queen Mascara.

Clinique and I have a love-hate relationship. Somethings I really love, some I really hate (yes, Turnaround cream, I hate you), however I like to give credit where credit is due and here’s one of my favorite products that was revamped.

A few years ago when my poor lips were so dry due to medication, I constantly had to change lip balms because they would stop working after a month and I came across Clinique’s Super Lip Balm and loved it, a few months later I bought the tinted version in Mango and loved it even more.

My only gripe was that the color selection was not satisfying enough. Raspberry was too Pink and Grape was too purple for my lips, have no fear fellow gloss addicts because Superbalm got revamped in a new selection of colors (I’m in love with “Grapefruit”) and in a longer tube. The formula also seems less thick and more comfortable to wear on your lips. So “Grapefruit” is already inside my makeup bag and quite possible it will have new friends in the future. For the upcoming Winter, try Superbalm to keep your lips soft, glossy and gorgeous.

Although sometimes I fear these revamps, Superbalm was a change for the best.

Mineral Makeup has been one of the biggest hypes in makeup appearing in practically all brands and a very popular infomercial.

But what is it that makes mineral makeup so incredibly popular and is it truly for every skin type?

Mineral makeup has been around since the seventies, but only recently has it stepped into the spotlight.

Part of mineral makeup’s ever growing popularity is that it claims to be made from all natural ingredients which are actually beneficial to the skin due to their lack of fillers, preservatives, chemicals, artificial coloring and so on and so forth. Mineral makeup also “revolutionized” makeup application with its uncomplicated buffing application with soft stippling movements allowing you to control the desired amount of coverage from sheer to full and always remaining natural and soft-looking.

Also, mineral makeup gives a glowy/dewy finish to the skin with its pearl finish and brings radiance to your face, however as with all makeup that have this finish it’s not advisable for those with oily skin. As your sebaceous glands work throughout the day, the oil will turn glow into greasy making you shine like never before in the worst possible way.

Also part of its popularity is the fact that most of these products have SPF, although most of them have 15SPF which I don’t believe it’s enough, specially if you’re exposed to the sun all day. So do yourself a favor and wear sun protection underneath, even though bareMinerals having the Cancer’s Foundation seal of recommendation, dermatologists advise you to wear additional protection.

Mineral makeup’s claims to being therapeutic to the skin are, in my opinion, more a marketing tool than anything else, while it’s true that titanium dioxide and zinc dioxide (used for SPF) have anti-inflammatory properties, they’re common to most products of makeup with SPF, specially in powder form.

When MAC Cosmetics made their Natural Mineralize Skinfinish collection permanent items, fans throughout the world were ecstatic and I joined the club purchasing it in Light and trying it out to see what all the hype was about. I was less than satisfied with the results, while it gave me a natural glowy sort of looked it took little more than an hour to turn me into greasevile and today I use on glowing brides as a highliter (as long as they don’t have really oily skin) and am quite pleased with the results.

Also, I’ve noticed that with most mineral makeup when applied to ethnic skin tones makes them either ashy or muddy, so I don’t think there’s all that choice or that the shades are THAT universal.

Sadly, mineral makeup hasn’t reached Holy Grail status for me and the only item that leaves me curious is Laura Mercier’s and I’ll probably be disappointed with it too.

One cannot deny the growing popularity and the constant growth of its legion of fans, I stay however on the nay sayer side waiting for further development or is this a trend that will slowly die in the coming years?

One of the biggest industry stables where blush is concerned is Nars pressed powder blush in “Orgasm”, and it is supposed to be the exact shade of a woman’s natural flush after… *ahem* cardio.

But is it, true? Can a shade of blush compliment every skin tone? In my modest opinion… well no. Don’t get me wrong I love Nars‘ blushes, I particularly appreciate the fact that they’re highly pigmented and still possess a sort of transparency that makes them look natural, but “Orgasm” doesn’t flatter everyone. Personally I think it’s only good for fair, light and light/medium skin tones and will select some other shade like “Exhibit A” for a deeper skin tone or for a more dramatic look.

Honestly, although it is a gorgeous pink/peach with gold shimmer there was a rather media hype around, considering the provocative name and the attributes given to the color. Deeper skin tones will just seem that they’re not wearing any blush at all.

I repeatedly see people making the same mistake: they will be excited with the hype of a particular color that they will completely ignore if that particular color is flattering or not, sometimes they are misled by the person behind the counter, sometimes not. So, the next time you’re considering a trendy color, try it out on yourself and think twice and explore all colors and shades.

Every now and then MAC completely revolutionizes one of their product lineups to introduce a new formulation to the market.

For years, MAC’s Paint tubes were a cult favourite, viewed as one of the best bases to apply eyeshadow on to ensure a more vibrant color and long lasting makeup without creasing or excess weight on the eyelid. MAC’s Paints popularity is only surpassed by Urban Decay’s Primer Potion.

One of the many complaints was that although the tube was quite portable, it would become damaged quite easily leading to the product drying out and becoming unusable.

Using the same type of packaging as their Fluidline eyeliner, the new paints now not only have become re-formulated but visually revamped.

Quite honestly, I prefer the new pot package, for me it’s a lot more convenient to store and a lot less prone to accidents. The whole paint collection includes a considerable amount of colors in both matte and frost finishes.

Paints are fairly easy to apply and since they it has a high pigment content, not only can you apply it with your fingertips, you don’t need a lot of product for great results.

Along with the new colors, MAC has created a new pair of feathered lashes for the most extravagant look possible.

I am a huge eyeliner addict, specially in kohl variety being a sort of collection that I have, buying all brands kohl eyeliners. I like the texture and feel and specially the finish.

So far, my personal favorites were Chanel’s Le Crayon Kohl and MAC’s Eye Kohl, the former for it’s creamy texture and color intensity and the later for it’s wide array of color selection.

However, in one of my recent shopping sprees, I decided that it was about time I tried Guerlain’s Terracotta Loose Powder Kohl, yes I admit that the fact that it comes in a pretty package was the first thing that caught my attention, but I guess they need to catch our attention with something and they catch a lot more flies with honey than vinegar.

I was skeptic though, the packaging (albeit gorgeous) didn’t seem at all practical, while I wondered whether you applied the kohl powder with a brush and what sort of consistency it would have, how well it would adhere, etc etc etc.

However, the lid of the package comes equipped with an ultra-fine tip applicator that picks up the necessary amount of powder to swiftly smoke your eye giving a sexy and luxurious finish. Terracotta Loose Powder Kohl has a slightly iridescent shimmer to it that enhances the pupil even more without making it look too glittery and the color remains intense.

In 4 different colors, blue, teal, black, brown and pearly white, Terracotta Loose Powder Kohl is guaranteed to revolutionize the way you apply your kohl eyeliner, specially on the waterline and due to its incredible pigment concentration and formula allows it to last far more that other kohl eyeliners.

However, it is a bit pricey so for those who don’t like to spend over $16 on an eyeliner, Guerlain usually retails for double that amount, however, if you’re an eyeliner addict like me and enjoy a glamorous smoky eye, give it a chance.

While SK-II’s Air Touch Foundation might be a bit too “rich” for some pockets, I would like to dedicate this posting to another great spray foundation.

After a disastrous reaction with MAC’s Studio Mist foundation I decided to look for a similar product because I enjoyed the sheerness of the MAC formulation and fresh and non made up it resulted and I decided to give a try to Dior.

Diorskin Airflash gives an even finish to your skin with a matte/velvet feel to your skin. You can apply it directly onto to your skin or if you want more coverage spray it onto a dish and apply it with a foundation brush or a sponge to build up the coverage.

This foundation allows you to create a very 40s Hollywood look of perfect skin without making it look cakey or as if you were wearing a pan cake foundation mask.

For a fresher look I will pass on applying loose powder to let even more of the skin shine through unless it’s a very oily complexion, on the other hand it doesn’t oxidize easily even on oily complexions so that should be a plus.

The only downside is that it’s slightly scented so it might cause irritation on those of more sensitive skin and as usual it doesn’t caterer to darker toned skins which really bums me out.

Today I decided to start reviewing all sorts of foundations, I will range from all kinds of formulations and finishes so you can have a wide range of choices to go from.

My first choice is Make Up For Ever’s Face & Body foundation, this gel based foundation is sheer coverage (you can layer it a bit for greater coverage, but it’s hardly medium coverage even after layering) and helps you even out your complexion without a mask feel or an obvious look that you might as well wear a button that said “Yes, I’m wearing foundation.”, it has a dewy finish and you can set it with a nice dusting of loose powder and still keep the “skin” shining through from behind.

Like its name implies, this foundation is suitable to apply in other areas besides your face and is water resistant and transfer resistant, so you can apply it to your legs, shoulders and other areas with a slightly darker shade for a sun kissed look without looking overy exaggerated.

Because it is gel-formulated and very sheer I have obtained good results applying it on mature skin that only needs a little evening and doesn’t leave a mask-like finish or creases doing more harm than good.

It’s also a good option for bridal makeup when the bride doesn’t want (or need) a lot of coverage but wants a bit of sophistication.

What’s also great about this foundation is that Make Up For Ever offer a huge selection of shades so I’m pretty sure you can easily find your match.

Back soon with more choices of foundation soon.

Amongst this Summer’s collections, Giorgio Armani Beauty launched their bronze collection with a new palette and a few new products to turn you into a Mediterranean beauty.

Amongst the products is their new summer foundation to warm up your complexion and give a sun kissed look with a sheer lightweight formula and if you just don’t have the time to hit the beach, you can add a nice all-over glow to your body with the Bronze Mania Gel.

It also features a new bronzing duo with two complimentary shades of cream/powder to contour and illuminate your face. The gold mediterranean palette features four shades in beige, orange, gold and brown plus a bronzer for the perfect compact to take with you on vacation.

The look itself is quite simple, focusing on a bronzed shimmery complexion that is very well defined with simple eye combinations that can be turned easily from daytime look to nighttime.
The lips are kept nude but slightly shimmery for a seemingly bare look.

In all sincerity this isn’t a collection that thrilled me by any means and most likely something I’ll steer away from since the products themselves don’t bring anything new. Unless you are a huge Armani fan and feel that you must have this collection I wouldn’t take my credit card for a walk if I were you.

I have to confess that sometimes I’m a sucker for punishment.

For years now I have tried all sorts of Clinique moisturizers and always give up on them. For some reason they just don’t work and end up breaking me out, so I’ve stayed away from them for quite a while until I was dreadfully tempted by a sample.

Hopping on the anti-oxidant bandwagon, Clinique released its “Continuous Rescue Antioxidant Moisturizer” that not only moisturizes but has time-released anti-oxidants to fight free radical actions and act on fines lines and signs of aging.

Having less than gracious experiences with Clinique moisturizers, although I was curious, I managed to keep myself at bay. When given a sample, I thought to myself “Why not?” if it works it would be a lot cheaper than the line I’m currently using.

The result? The next morning my poor forehead was an abuse victim of my experimentation and I ended up covering up the damage and returning to my regular skincare routine.
At least I gave myself a pat in the back for not buying it.

Sorry Clinique, I guess I’ll keep eating fruits and veggies.