Archive for February, 2010

Valentine’s Day is a great holiday…if you have a significant other.  But if you don’t, all the advertising and hype can sometimes make you feel like you’re missing out on something.  Not fun.  Not fun at all.  Which is why I subscribe to the theory that if you’re single on February 14th, the best way to deal is to go out with your other single friends for drinks and dancing.  But if you can’t manage that, you have to at least treat yourself to something special or luxurious to make the day fun for you too.  Expensive chocolates or that pair of shoes you’ve had your eye on for awhile are always good, but here’s a few other options that are guaranteed to make you smile. (more…)

Happy Monday folks!  Here’s our favorite picks from Elle Magazine and Elle.com this week.

Check out the new spring dress looks from one of TDO Editor Carolyn’s favorite designers, Versace.

Modern Love: Get a rare look at the love story of The City’s Olivia Palermo and her boyfriend model Johannes Huebl. (Favorite)

Already have your mind on warmer weather?  Check out the new swimwear collection from Gottex.

Affordable Skin Care Products – Top dermatologists share their favorite products that won’t break the bank.

Living Proof Full Thickening Cream – Big hair is back with the help of MIT scientists, who invented the molecularly advanced cream

This sponsored content is brought to you by Style Coalition.

Copyright Getty Images Elle.com

When I think of sparkly, glittery makeup, the first brand that pops into my mind is Urban Decay.  I love that their makeup can range the gamut from over the top, Studio 54 glitter to more subtle, night out with the girls sparkle.

The new Stardust Eyeshadows fall into the more subtle category, which is perfect for those of us who still want to sparkle a little without looking like a disco ball.  They come in a wide variety of colors – there are nine in all – that range from Atmosphere (a deep turquoise) to Bobby Dazzle (white) with most shades in between. (I’m partial to Retrograde and Moon Spoon myself).  The shadows go on fairly sheer, which I like because it allows you to layer the color to get it as deep as you want.  (I’ve also discovered through reading other blogs and trial and error that applying them wet helps to make the color deeper, as does applying them with your fingers, a trick I never would’ve thought of on my own).  The nice thing about the glitter in these shadows is that, for the most part, it stays where you put it.  I absolutely hate glittery shadows where the glitter starts out on your eyes and migrates all over your face.  (I’ve tried a lot of these and whenever I look in the mirror at the end of the night, I look like a demented circus clown).  Glitter is always hard to control, but I feel like the Stardust shadows do a great job of keeping it on my lids instead of, say, my cheeks.  They’re also sheer enough to layer with your other favorite shadows to add a touch of sparkle to anything that’s already in your makeup wardrobe, so the $20 per shadow goes a long way. (more…)

You know how every once in awhile, a product comes along and you’re all, “Why didn’t someone think of this before?”  That’s how I feel about Hourglass Cosmetics new Prodigy Hydrating Lip Glosses.  The glosses are shiny and somewhat sheer, so they’re perfect for daytime wear (or with a dark, smoky eye at night).  I’ve also been layering mine over a few different lipsticks I own and it looks really nice.  The glosses are moisturizing and not sticky at all (I think I’ve mentioned many times before how much sticky glosses annoy me).  I’ve tried Opium, a shimmery bronze, and Legend, a sort of plum-wine color, and I’m really liking them both.

Quite possibly the best thing about the glosses though is the fantastic packaging they come in.  The tube is just about as flat as you can possibly be and the cap pops off, letting you squeeze the bottom part of the tube to make the color come out.  Whoever designed them was a genius – they fit perfectly in the palm of your hand, but more importantly, they slip into your back pocket like they were made to be there, and they slide into a small clutch easily, taking up practically no space whatsoever.  (Perfect for those of us who have, uhm, a problem traveling light).  I kind of wish all my glosses came in this packaging now.  It’d certainly give me a lot more room in the rapidly-expanding tote bag I carry around with me every day!

There are six shades of Prodigy glosses.  You can buy them now at Barney’s stores and they will be available at Sephora starting on February 18th.  And for all of you beauty junkies – Barneys will be doing their Customer Appreciation event on Thursday, February 11th through Saturday, February 13th.  If you spend $175 on cosmetics and fragrances, you’ll receive a bag filled with goodies, including an Hourglass Extreme Sheen lip gloss in Siren.  If you spend $225, Hourglass will also throw in a Superficial Lash mascara.  Happy shopping!

Would you believe me if I told you I recently tried a new product that “lifts” my eyes without any sort of surgery? Hard to believe, but very true! Ultra Correction Lift Total Eye Lift is Chanel’s solution to help your eye area look younger, by smoothing and lifting the skin. The formula contains key ingredients which aim to lift the skin, while reducing puffiness and darkness under the eyes. While it didn’t completely eliminate puffiness, my undereye area seemed much less dark and my eyes looked so much more alert than usual. Chanel has done testing that shows that the Total Eye Lift can lift your eye area upwards of 3 mm.

Ultra Correction Lift Total Eye Lift will set you back a cool $100, but it’s a fraction of the cost of any injection or procedure and still produces results. There’s even a version of Ultra Correction Lift available for your lips and lip contour area! Definitely give it a shot if you have the right budget for some great anti-aging solutions.

I have to admit, when I think of coral colors, I think of outdated, chalky, bright orange makeup. Not too pretty, right? Well, Bobbi Brown is out to change that misconception of corals with her new Cabana Corals collection. “This spring, there is a beautiful selection of coral shades perfect for lips and cheeks. The shade range spans from fresh new Pink Corals to universal Nude Corals to true Coral shades–every woman can find the coral shade that’s right for her,” Bobbi says. BB sent over some samples of the new shades, and after previewing these, I think Bobbi is absolutely right. The collection presents a wide range of juicy, fresh colors that offer a new spin on coral. (more…)

With spring almost here, I’m definitely lusting after a new bag! Unfortunately, I can’t splurge on a gorgeous Prada…but J.Crew has some great new styles for spring that would be a great option.

The Parlour Hobo and the Grommet Parlour Hobo are both great basic picks that work for everyday. The leather is buttery soft and has a ton of pockets in the interior to keep you organized. I’m leaning more toward the grommet version because it makes it just a little bit different and edgy.

I also adore this Beacon Hobo, which is made from nubuck leather. It has a generous and classic hobo shape with a flap turnlock closure on top. Perfect for work, you can tote around work files and that pair of heels you want to slip on at work – all while looking sleek and pulled together. I also love that you can throw this on with jeans and flats on the weekend and look equally chic and relaxed. Which one is your favorite?

I’m a big fan of Givenchy’s shadows.  They always seem to look good on me, so when I first heard about their new Le Prisme Mono Eyeshadows a few months ago, I couldn’t wait to try them.  I finally got my hands on a few of the shades and they’ve totally won me over.

Each palette comes with four different shades in it, but the twist on these is that the shades are all variations on the same color.  You get the shade in a light pearly finish, an intense pearly finish, a matte finish, and a sequined finish.  Genius, right?  It’s perfect for those of us who find ourselves gravitating towards certain shades (in my case, browns and greys) and want to wear them both during the day and at night.  For instance, I’ve been using the Hip Grey palette matte shadow to line my eyes during the day, but the sequined shadow is the perfect sparkly silvery-grey to create a smoky eye with at night.  I’ve also been playing around with the Fancy Coffee and Dressy Indigo palettes and they’re equally as pretty.  (I especially love the Dressy Indigo just because it’s different than my usual boring shades).  The shadows do go on kind of sheer, so you might want to apply them wet for a more dramatic look.

Check them out now at Sephora.com. Retails for $29.

Over the weekend, yours truly had the fortune of visiting Make Up For Ever’s station at the 2010 Grammy Style Studio in Hollywood, where Kesha, Adam Lambert, Keri Hilson and Colbie Caillat all stopped by for a little celebrity pampering (see below). Make Up For Ever makeup artist and regional educator David Hernandez went to town on my bare face, going for a bold red lip with a bright poppy orange center (created with Make Up For Ever Aqua Lip Waterproof Lipliner Pencils,$17 each). To compliment them, he did a clean eye with black Make Up For Ever Aqua Eyes waterproof liner (also $17) on the bottom rim only. The finishing touch: false lashes, specifically Make Up For Ever Strip Lashes #14 ($15/pair), which were long and glamorous yet not too feathery or Cirque du Soleil-ish. (Tip: Snip off the outer edges for a wide-eyed look, and to save the “tips” for later use!)  I happily fluttered these babies all day long.

In other news, Make Up For Ever was busy promoting their bang-up makeup jobs on Kristen Stewart, Dakota Fanning and the rest of “The Runaways” cast. Unbelievably gorgeous colors transformed both famous faces to the point where I could barely recognize them! Check out the trailer for a quick preview.

Photos above courtesy of Jana Williams and Make Up For Ever.