Well Hello Baby! I found this Buxom by Bare Escentuals lipstick at Sephora yesterday. Of Course I was instantly attracted to the name, being somewhat big and healthy myself. What I found was a wonderful multi-tasker. This lipstick does triple duty as a lip liner to shape, a super luxurious cream lipstick to color, and a plumper to maximize your pout to perfection.

After trying on four out of the ten colors, I chose Marrakech, a sexy nude color. It made me feel so Brigid Bardot!

Bare Escentuals Buxom Big And Healthy Lipsticks are available at Sephora stores and Sephora.com

Hello my little Glossers!

I am so sorry I have been away. Couldn’t help it, between writing a book and working and oh yes, having a baby! I just did not have time to write on my blog. But I am sooo totally back and ready to rock! Literally.

I was really inspired by the makeup in the movie, The Runaways (staring Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning), that I have become obsessed with the Joan Jett Look. Keeping that in mind, I bring to you my first product review for 2010. Make Forever Aqua Cremes for eyes. Oh my goodness are these fantastic! Aqua Cremes are highly pigmented, water proof pearlized cremes which can be used on cheeks, lips, eyes, and I dare say just about anywhere. What is amazing is how easily they go on and blend together and how incredibly resistant they are once you have placed them. I tried two colors on my eyes, #16 which I used all over the lid and then I gave myself a rocker chic, smudged out liner around my entire eye! These suckers stayed on throughout a hideously hot and humid day and an hour long session through some freezing cold sprinklers! My eyes remained fantabulous until I removed my makeup when I got home. In this artists humble opinion, these Aqua Cremes are nothing short of magical.

So as an ode to those “cremes” and a big nod to Rock Icon Joan Jett, here is my City Chick Makeup look. Enjoy

1) With a slanted eye lining brush, apply a thick line of Make Up Forever Aqua Creme In #1 Anthracite all around the eye sticking close to the lash lines.

2) Smudge the line really well with your finger creating a messy smokey effect.

3) Using a small lining brush, apply a thin coat of Aqua Creme in #18 purple on the top and bottom inside rim of the eyes. Blink a couple of time to smudge.

4) Curl lashes well and apply two or three coats of black mascara on top and bottom lashes. Blink your eyes a couple of times when the mascara is still damp, just after you’ve applied the last coat.

5) Apply a tinted moisturizer and some concealer as neccessary. (Do not add powder as you want to look dewy, almost sweaty).

6) Apply sheer matte pink blush to the apples of your cheeks for a hint of color.

7)Add a dash of flesh tone lipstick to lips (no liner).

Tousle your hair and your ready to hit the bricks and rock out in the city!

Make Up Forever Aqua Cremes are available online at Sephora.com

Rarely do I find a product so amazing that it causes people in my office to fight over who will take it home, especially if it’s not a great lip gloss or makeup item. Surprisingly, I received a wonderful care package from the people over at Clean & Clear which included one of the best new products I’ve used in years called Clean & Clear Oil-free Makeup Dissolving Facial Wipes.

Now all you faithful readers know, I don’t play when it comes to taking care of the skin. Afterall, it’s the most important component in great looking makeup. However, I know most of us mere mortals can occasionally have a slip up and fall asleep with our makeup on. This is especially true of some of my clients (you all know who you are). So if you suffer from the” lazy bug” these wipes have definitely come to the rescue.  Packaged in a cute and tres convenient little white brick which can easily fit in any drawer (I’m keeping mine in my nightstand drawer for easy access) or carry-on suitcase for travel, these Clean & Clear Wipes make it virtually impossible to laze out. Take one cloth (already damp and ready to be used) and easily wipe away all makeup (including waterproof mascara), dirt, grime, and all else that has clung to your face during the day. That’s it, you are done baby. No muss, no fuss, no guilt! the best part is the fresh fragrance that lingers just a bit to remind you how clean your face is. I do declare that an office fight almost broke out over these little doosies and I was forced to ration them out in plastic bags to over 5 people. But at  just $5.99 no need to tousle over em either, at least until they inevitably sell out at the store.

Clean & Clear Oil-Free Makeup Dissolving Cleansing Wipes are available at www.drugstore.com.

It is certainly no secret that when I find a good bargain, I tend to go…….well…overboard. Surprise! This is no exception. So when I was taking a gander around my favorite neighborhood pharmacy, I became completely excited by these tantalizing goodies by Jordana, called Lip Shine Shimmer Glaze. Now I don’t how they do it but these guys are really amazing. First of all they cost $3.00 for two so ya know I had to get all five colors (Pina Colada, Candy, Strawberry, Sugar Cookie, and vanilla bean) and an extra for my friend Rachel. I mean why make a decision if you don’t have to? Anyway, I decided to put on the Sugar Cookie color which smelled like actual cookies……mmm cookies my second obsession….. but I digress. The color is kind of caramelly/beige with a ton of shimmer in it which is very fab if you’re going for the bronzed out look this summer. In fact, it made me feel so great that I decided to park myself in the middle of Starbucks for a vanilla latte just so people could see the fabulosity of my lips! The only draw back was that I had to reapply it after drinking my coffee so I can’t say it stays on as long as some other glosses. But ya know what? For 3 bucks who cares? And being that it is my tendency to go overboard when the price is right, I just couldn’t stop myself from going back to buy five more for my makeup kit. I can definitely say I heart these glosses. Try them out and let me know what you think!

Way way back when I was but a little speck of a girl, I used to be obsessed with two things, Candy and Cartoons. While some things have not changed (I’m still a compulsive candy fiend), others are all but forgotten. At least that’s what I thought until I saw this amazing gloss from The Too Faced’ Smurf Collection called Mood Swing Emotionally Activated Lip gloss. Seeing Smurfette on my favorite type of product (makeup), stirred up all kinds of nostalgic emotions and I immediately applied a thick, rich coat to my lips.

The wonderful thing about this gloss is that it actually changes colors according to your your mood. Since I was in an upbeat state of mind, it left my lips a beautiful soft pink and lasted for a while. The bonus is the Smurfberry taste which was light and refreshing.

Being a total cosmetic compulsive I felt compelled to buy three, one for me, one for my bag and one for my mom’s Christmas stocking. Guess some things never change.

Too Faced Limited Edition collection is available exclusively at Sephora and Sephora.com.

Glossettes! Did you tune in and watch the Victoria Secret Fashion show???? If not, don’t worry I don’t watch it for the underwear. I watch it for the what??? The makeup of course. It was nothing less than spectacularrrrr darlings. I was just mesmerized.

This year one of my all time favorite makeup guru’s Charlotte Tilbury (think makeup for Louis Vuitton amongst other campaigns) sent the Victoria Secret Angels down the runway swathed in shimmer, shimmer, and more shimmer. She put shimmer on cheeks, all over lids, on the temples, and on the bridge of the nose. To keep the angels from looking like disco balls she paired them down with bronze sun kissed skin and pale nude or peach glossed lips. My favorite part of this look was the cheek color skillfully applied to the apples of the cheeks in a gorgeous peachy/brown tone. So simple and chic. I loved the fact that she kept things very mono-toned on the eyes using one color of either light lemony gold or creme colored ultra shimmer shadow. The effect was so fresh.

Here is a list of must haves if you want to rock this look:

White or creme shimmer loose pigment:

Wet ‘n’ wild White Icing Confetti Pigment Shadow.

Peach Blush:

Victoria Secret Mosaic Blush in Love Life.

Bronzer:

Rimmel Natural Bronzer

Peach lip gloss:

Stila Peach Lip Glaze

Now go dazzle them with this hot look!

Lucia Peroni’s Makeup For Missoni “The Ice Queen”

Hey glossettes! I cannot believe I’m saying this but, the holidays are rapidly approaching. As you all know amongst the list of things to do for the holidays including gifts to buy, and exams to study for, the most important decision you will make (well in my world anyway)  is putting together your holiday look. I have studied all the fabulous makeup trends for fall and really come up with the best trend for Christmas, that is “the Ice Queen”. One of the all time best makeup artist on the planet, Lucia Pieroni created the Ice Queen look for Missoni and I thought it was brilliant!

Here is my recipe for achieving this fantabulous look:

1. Start with your basic face makeup (skip any bronzer or self tanner as this look is pale and frosty).
2. Fill in eye brows with a color that exactly matches your brow hair. Brows should be perfectly filled in and neat.
3. With a shadow brush, apply a matte vanilla colored eyeshadow to the entire  lid from underneath the brow to the upper-lash line.
4. With a crease brush apply a matte gray shadow in the crease of the eye.
5. With a smaller shadow brush apply a shimmering white eye shadow to the bottom half of the lid and the area just right underneath the eyebrow (this give a truly shimmering effect)
6. Take the same small shadow brush and brush a line of shimmering white shadow just underneath the bottom lash line. Make sure this line is neat and clean.
7. With a light brown eye lining pencil, line the inner rim of the bottom lid. this will make your eyes pop!
8. Apply jet black mascara to the upper lashes and brown mascara to the lower lashes.
9. with a small blush brush apply very soft and light brownish pink blush from under the cheekbone all the way to just under the apples of the cheeks. Blend in with a soft face puff to make sure you see just an essence of color.
10. With a flesh colored lip lining pencil, line and fill in the entire lip.
11. Apply soft frosted beigey/pink lipstick to the lips (no gloss here).
12. Apply a white shimmery (not glittery) luminizer just underneath the eyes. Tap this into skin with your forefinger right on-top of your under-eye concealer all the way up to your temples. Do not powder over it.

*Note do not over-use the luminizer on the rest of the face. For this look there should be just a halo of frost around the eyes.

Suggested products

Vanilla eyeshadow:

Clinique Colour Surge eye shadow in stay Matte French Vanilla

Matte Gray eyeshadow:

Urban Decay Matte Eyeshadow in Revolver

Pink/brown blush:

MAC Cosmetics Blush in Strada

White Luminizer:

Benefit Cosmetics in Miss Popularity

Soft beigey/pink Frost Lipstick:

Wet ‘N’ Wild Silk Finish Lipstick in #510A

 

Now that the clock has been moved back an hour and we are forced to wave an official goodbye to the warm weather, we must pay special attention to taking care of our skin. Most of us (myself included) concentrate on our face. But neglect not the skin on your body! Remember your ole aunt Buella’s turkey neck that you made so much fun off as a child? Or the ripply legs of grandma Sadie? Prevention can do a world of good when it comes to the biggest organ on the human body (yes that’s the skin). Now you probably think just using a great moisturizer is enough. No, no my little chickadees, it is not. Understand that there are dead skin cells which linger upon the top layer of your skin. These suckers must be removed so that when you do apply that fabu moisturizer, it can really do it’s job. “How”, you ask? You have to slough it off! My absolute favorite way to do this is to use C.O. Bigelow Lemon Sugar Body Scrub. This wonderful grainy concoction “exfoliates and moisturizes skin with a blend of pure white and brown sugars, skin-brightening lemon extracts and finely crushed, natural lotus flower and fruit seeds, leaving the skin looking radiant, smooth and renewed”. After I rub this sweet smelling (and you know I love me some sweet stuff) goop all over -paying special attention to my driest spots the legs and arms- I rinse it off with warm water. Then when i’m done bathing, I apply my body moisturizer and self tanner. This three minute process is so worth it as I’m left with silky smooth skin all winter long!

Now you’ll really be prepared to wear your cheer-leading uniform with pride!

Mineralize Blush

 Oooooh baby do I lerv this product. I have a real problem with blush. Because I am super duper pale, the stuff is either too strong and makes me look like someone took a paint brush to my cheeks or it comes right off within ten minutes. So what’s a girl to do? Hmm turns out there is an amazing cheek color that our friends at Mac Cosmetics have created called Mineralize Blush in Merrily.

At first glance, this gilded rust color looks really intimidating and dark. I actually grabbed it thinking it would be the perfect blush for my friend Shareeka (she has a darker complexion) and as luck would have it, it did look stunning on her skin. However, it also happened to look phenomenal on yours truly. I know, miracles do happen. You can apply it just once and get an essence of color on your cheeks but layer this sucker and boom! You control it’s depth easily and flawlessly. The bonus is the sheer veil of gold shimmer it leaves on the skin. So gorgeous.

My favorite  way to wear Merrily is to pair it with a sheer, nude lip-gloss and just a touch of jet black mascara.The look is so chic and fresh for fall!

Greetings my lovely glossers! If you are like me (and shouldn’t everyone be?) you are probably overwhelmed by everything that’s going on in the political arena today. Elections can be both exciting and boring. If you are in a political jumble fear not, I come baring makeup!

I have compiled a list of the most fabulous and totally necessary makeup “must- haves” for fall 2008.

Here they are (in order of my absolute favies):

1. Nude gloss: This is such a must have for the season and the wonderful cosmetic companies have not disappointed me offering up amazing variations of nude to suit every complexion.

My Favorites are:

Stila Lip Polish in Gleam

Maybelline Shine Seduction Glossy LipColor in Nude Glow

2. White/Off White Shadow: Whit shadows are wonderful to give you the”ice princess look” which was all over the runways for fall ‘08. Use a white shimmer all around the eyes, then pair it with amazing cranberry lips, and a touch of red blush on the apples of the cheeks. So chic!

Wet ‘n’Wild MegaSparkle Confetti in white Icing

CoverGirl  CG Eyeslicks Gel in Cream Soda

3. Cranberry Lipstick:Usually I hate any harsh color on the lips but a cranberry stained pout just looked so incredibly fresh on dewy skin with shimmering eyes. I just couldn’t resist.

JK Jemma Kidd Classic Couture Lip Color - Siren

Sonia Kashuk Sheer Lip Color in Paradise

4.  Bright Colored Eyeshadow (I love Green or purple for a splash of color): So many artist sent models down the runway with huge splashes of color on their lids. Shocking and delicious in hues of grape and turquoise. But beware, you run the risk of looking like a Ringling Brothers outcast so keep the rest of the face fresh and virtually color free with soft natural lips.

Urban Decay Eyeshadow in Flash

L’oreal HIP Pure Pigment shadow Stick in Exhilarating

5. Gilded lids: Bronze and gold lids ruled this season. Pat McGrath started this by coated lids with a rich gold that looked like molten metals. So ultra glam and looks great on everyone. This look is perfect for a school dance or hot date.

Tarte Lock & Roll Creaseless Eyeshadow Duo

CG Eye Enhancers 1 kit Eyeshadow in Gold Sizzle

Now you are armed and ready for fall!