Runway-ready makeup: Fall 2010

Summer is coming to an end, and there is a buzz in the air as NY gets ready for Fashion Week. September marks the start of fall fashions hitting the runways, as well as the shelves of our favorite boutiques. I’ve been following the makeup trends that are debuting at Fashion Week 2010, and overwhelmingly, the looks are focusing on nude faces, subdued colors in earth tones, and muted lips.

To start, focus on a flawless, matte look for your face. To achieve this, I’d recommend Dior ‘Diorskin Nude’ Natural Glow Hydrating Makeup. This water-based, gel foundation is light and airy, leaving your skin its flawless best. Follow up with Trish McEvoy Translucent Finishing Powder. Don’t let this white powder fool you! It is colorless and works to create a gorgeous finish to your makeup for all skin tones.

To stick with the nude, earthly look for eyes, pick up the hot new Urban Decay Naked Palette. These 12 shades are anything but boring neutrals. Whether you want shimmer, glimmer, or matte, you will have everything you need in this palette to create beautiful looks for fall. Use some of the lighter shades on your lid, a medium brown shade on your crease, and ramp it up with a darker, glimmer shade in the outer corner and along your lash line. The palette includes both eye shadow primer potion and a double-ended pencil liner, making this the ultimate accessory to toss into your purse.

MAC has a great Leopard Luxe’ Eyeshadow Quad Palette as part of its Fabulous Felines Collection. Camel brown, muted orange, and frosted black round out this palette giving you all you need to recreate the styles showing on the runway. Muted orange added to the lower lash line or outer corners adds a great splash of color to an otherwise neutral face.

To keep your lips neutral, I recommend MAC Lipstick in Siss, a muted golden beige. To rev up your look for evening, add a more provocative lip, such as MAC Lipstick in Drive Me Wild, a warm coral with gold undertones.

Leave boring beige behind, and make a statement this fall with gorgeous neutrals!

Holiday Beauty Gift Guide 2009

It is that wonderful time of year where we are shopping for family and friends, looking for that perfect holiday gift. And what could be better than the gift of beauty?! No matter who you are shopping for, give them beauty gifts that will wow them. Here are some of my favorites for 2009.

Estee Lauder is a mainstay among classic beauty. Their products are time-honored and tailored to women of all ages. They always have a gorgeous holiday set, and this year the set really impresses. With any fragrance purchase, buy the Estee Lauder 2009 Color Spectacular for only $55. This may be one of the largest sets I’ve seen for this price. A $340 value, the set includes 15 shades of eye shadow, a deluxe face compact, 4 full-size lipsticks and much, much more! If you are unsure what fragrance to purchase, I recommend Pleasures eau de parfum spray. It is a light, sheer, fresh floral that is perfect for day and evening. Purchase Pleasures from Estee Lauder and receive free shipping when you add the Color Spectacular to your order.

Looking to wow that special someone with a gift of pure luxury? Look no further than the two new fragrances from Italian perfume house Profumi del Forte. By Night, Black and By Night, White are two luxurious scents that are even more intoxicating when layered.By Night, Black with notes of cypress, pine and incense is elegant and seductive, while By Night, White is a sensual mix of vanilla, orange blossom, jasmine absolute and white musk. Two unique and complimentary blends that make for one exciting holiday gift. I have been wearing these two scents for a few weeks now and I highly recommend them for any fragrance lovers on your holiday list. They are truly harmonious, luxurious and very worthy of compliments. Available at Takashimaya NY, 100ml $240.

The Twilight craze has taken the younger set by storm. DuWop has created lip venom in honor of the Twilight series. This dual-action lip plumper consists of a rich, (blood!) red stain layered with a cinnamon-flavored conditioning oil. It is strangely addictive and makes for the perfect stocking stuffer for your favorite Twilight addict. Buy DuWop Twilight Lip Venom.

 

 

 

For the person on your list who has gone ‘green’, give the gift of eco-friendly luxury with Soak, a premium wash for all fine delicates. Available in four clean scents, as well as unscented, Soak is a low-suds, no-rinse formula that leaves all your fine hand washables soft, fresh and most of all clean! Soak contains no harsh chemicals and is biodegradable, and in fact so pure you could even bathe in it! I’ve tried this wash, and it is so crisp, clean and delicate, leaves no soap residue, and is very quick and easy. My children’s hand-knit sweaters came out soft and fluffy and smelled wonderful. This would make a perfect holiday gift, either on its own, or as an accompaniment to a gorgeous knit sweater. Purchase Soak locally by locating a store in your area.

Holidays have us all busy, so we often look for beauty short-cuts. Here comes Trish McEvoy to the rescue with the Voyager Collection Beauty Emergency Set! A cute quilted purse-size case unzips to reveal a thin compact and 4 mini brushes which gives you all you need to touch-up on the go. The highlight of this set is Trish’s new Instant-Pick-Me-Up quad of four complimentary, all-over face colors that enhance all skin tones. In addition, eye shadow, definer and lip colors round out the compact. I have been using this set to create my basic look for a few weeks now. The colors are so neutral and fresh, this is a must-have for every woman. Perfect gift for the woman on-the-go, also makes a great stocking stuffer. Buy through Trish McEvoy.

I hope this holiday buying guide has given you some great gift ideas. It is a lot of fun shopping for beauty products, so I hope you enjoy picking out the gifts almost as much as you enjoy giving them. Happy Holidays!

Shopping Alert: Nordstrom’s Anniversary Sale Beauty Exclusives!

I love July, and not only because it’s summer and my birthday month. I love July because it’s the month when Nordstrom holds their Anniversary Sale! If you haven’t shopped the sale before, then I’m glad you are reading this. You need to check out the amazing beauty deals that over 100 brands create especially for this sale.

On June 22^nd, NORDSTROM.com, as well as cosmetics counters at all the Nordstrom locations, began ‘pre-sale’. Don’t feel out of the loop if you don’t know what that is. Until last year, I didn’t know either. Basically it means that you reserve the products you want now, and when the sale starts on July 17^th, they are ready to be picked up or shipped to you. The deals this year are amazing. A few of my favorites are the Philosophy ‘amazing grace’ gift set, the Clinique ‘Best of Clinique’ Lip Gloss Set (Nordstrom Exclusive), and the Trish McEvoy ‘Simplicity - Little Black Card’ Collection (Nordstrom Exclusive).

Whether you are looking for skincare, new cosmetics, fall looks, fragrance, bath and body care or something for your man, you can find it at Nordstrom’s Anniversary Sale! Many of these items are exclusively made for this event, so if you see something you love, you should place your pre-order before the mad-dash on July 17^th. Happy Shopping!

The Power Of Make-Up: Trish McEvoy Cosmetics Master Class

Last month I reserved a spot at a Master Class taught by Trish McEvoy Cosmetics. The class was aptly called ‘The Power of Make-Up’ and it was a very appropriate title for such a wonderful class. It was a very small, informal group of women of all ages, led by Connie Lewis of Trish McEvoy Cosmetics. There was a lot of personal attention, with one make-up artist for every two women. I eagerly volunteered to be the demo, so I got to sit at the front of the room and Connie personally worked with me.

To start, we learned what our make-up levels were. For those new to Trish McEvoy, the make-up levels are 1, 2, or 3, and correspond to how in-depth you want to go with your make-up. I am proud to be a level 3! I love to use multiple products for each area of my face.

Next we started on eyes, and learned a great tip for summer. Use Trish McEvoy’s Eye Base Essentials, follow with a darker shadow in the crease, a little liner, and you’re set! It is a very neutral look, and really easy to do. For us level 3’s that love to try new products, there is this amazing gunmetal liquid liner that really takes your eyes up a notch. Follow with mascara and you have a day-into-night look that will let you stand out from the crowd.

Connie taught us to do our eyes first, and then concentrate on the rest of our face. While this is so foreign to me, it does make total sense. If you do your face first, you can have particles from shadow or mascara falling onto your face. Avoid having to do any touch-ups by switching up your make-up routine. Something so simple can really help you achieve the perfect look!

All of these tips and more are available to you at your local Trish McEvoy make-up counter. And very often there will be classes available at the different department stores. I thoroughly enjoyed this class, learned a lot, and had fun and walked away looking like a million bucks. If you get the chance to sign up, I know you’ll love it too. In the meantime, purchase Trish’s new Limited Edition ‘The Power of Makeup’ page (for your planner!) in petal pink at Neiman Marcus.

A Beauty How-to: The Flawless Face

In my quest to achieve ‘the flawless face’ I’ve been sampling a lot of new products; and I think I’ve come across some winners! It is important to get your face primed for make-up. What that means is to utilize your skin care to get your skin even and hydrated to facilitate flawless make-up application. There are a lot of products that can help you achieve this.

Flawless make-up starts with good skincare habits, and I was very impressed with Patricia Wexler’s MMPi.20 Skin Regenerating Serum. Use this serum after cleansing your skin to diminish the signs of aging, combat the damaging effects of 20 different enzymes that cause skin to wrinkle, and visibly tighten your skin. The serum is a very appealing smooth pink gel, with a matte texture to it. It glides on the skin like silk, and almost immediately gave a smooth, even texture to my skin. I wore it overnight, and by morning my skin was soft as silk, and blemishes were visibly diminished. I was very pleased with this serum and I continue to use it nightly. Purchase it at Bath and Body Works.

I was surprised to learn there are actually products aimed at mattifying your face. You apply it as a pre-make-up base, and it leaves a matte, smooth finish to your skin. I tried Clarins Instant Smooth Perfecting Touch. This product is really great! You apply it to your face and it fills in any large pores, wrinkles, lines, etc, leaving your skin smooth and ready for flawless make-up application. This make-up base leaves your skin very matte and soft as silk. I’ve been incorporating it into my make-up routine more regularly. While I don’t think this step is a must, it is a nice product to have on hand when you really want to ‘go all out’ with your make-up. You can even mix it into your foundation. Purchase at Sephora.

Moving onto foundation, I think I have found my holy grail of foundations! I received a sample of Dior Diorskin Nude Foundation, and I am absolutely in love with this product. It is water based, glides on like a light gel, and yet provides incredible coverage. It’s rare I find a foundation that doesn’t need powder to set it, but I think I found it in this product. This is a must-have for summer. It is so light, but with exceptional coverage and it has a mineral base that is designed to improve your complexion the more you use it. Oh, and did I mention it has SPF? I highly recommend going over to a Dior counter to try this. Or take my word for it and order it from Sephora.

If you’ve followed my steps so far, then you very likely have a flawless face right now, however, if you are looking for that final touch, look no further than Trish McEvoy Mineral Powder Foundation with SPF 15. Very light, and perfect for sensitive skin, this product is a sunscreen, powder, and foundation all in one. I have used it on its own, or over foundation and it left my skin gorgeous, matte, and vibrant. The ingredients are soothing, natural, and long-lasting. One application will last you throughout the day and night. If you’re using the Trish McEvoy make-up planner I previously reviewed, then you’ll love this powder foundation, as you can just place it onto one of your pages for easy portability. Purchase at Saks Fifth Avenue.

Beauty, Organized! Trish McEvoy Makeup Planners

As a self-proclaimed makeup addict, I probably have more cosmetics than I need. I currently store it all in a large train case, which is wonderful for organization, but not the easiest to access every time I need a touch-up. I recently went looking for a more portable solution, and I came upon the Trish McEvoy Deluxe Planner Makeup System. It is exactly what I have been searching for, and I wanted to pass on the info to fellow make-up lovers.

With Trish McEvoy’s planner system, you buy the planner, which come in a few different sizes, depending on your needs, and then you create makeup ‘pages’. I chose the petite-sized planner, as it is not too small, but still able to fit nicely in my handbag. There are a variety of colors to choose from, and they all have a two-ring binder inside, as well as cute pockets for brushes and sundries. I felt so excited just purchasing the planner, as I now had portable makeup within my reach.

I went to Nordstrom to create my first makeup page. Trish has these really cool black cases, that have holes to accommodate being set into the binder in the planner. You then choose all your own colors and all the make-up is magnetic and sticks right into the page. It is totally refillable too! You can create a page of powder and bronzer, another page with eye shadows and definer, and yet another with lip colors. The combinations you can create on a page are endless, and it was a lot of fun to get started.

If you are interested in this makeup planner (which you should be!), you can check them out at Nordstrom. Seasonal, petite refillable makeup pages are available often, which affords you all the colors to make a particular look. The planner system is so ingenious, I keep wondering why I didn’t get one sooner!