Confession time: I’ve never tried mineral makeup! In my defense, I’m just not a fan of powder foundation. It tends to make my skin look cake-y and clogs my pores. When I heard about the new Prescriptives All Skins Mineral Makeup, I was definitely ready to give it a try, since it’s not just any mineral powder. It is packed with minerals, vitamins, antioxidants, and sun protection in the form of SPF 15. This is actually healthy for your skin!

I applied using the Round Buff Brush, which was soft and easy to use. The Mineral Makeup goes on flawlessly–very smooth and undetectable. I think it basically gives your skin an instant glow and balance. My skin seemed really even in tone, and the makeup is light and controls oil/sweat pretty well. That is key for me during the summer months especially, so the Mineral Makeup is now part of my everyday morning makeup routine. Check out prescriptives.com for more information. There are 18 different shades, so you will have no trouble finding just the right one for you.

As a bonus for our readers, through August 31, 2008, click here for free standard shipping with your purchase of All Skins Mineral Makeup SPF 15. No code necessary, so enjoy!

I have tried a lot of self-tanners. A LOT. Seriously, a ridiculous amount. And while I’ve found some great ones for the body, it hasn’t been as easy to find one for the face. They’re all either too greasy or too orange or too streaky… The list goes on and on. And then I tried Dior’s Bronze Sun Powder Spray and now all is right in my self-tanning world.

Available in two shades, Light Tan and Bronze Tan, it’s also the quickest self-tanner I’ve ever used. You simply spray it all over your face, blend any areas you need to with your fingertips, wait a short minute or so for it to dry, and then go.  Seriously, it’s that easy. The spray left no streaks on my face, but I had a distinctly bronzer glow then before I used it - and it looked completely natural. I was kind of in awe, to be honest. I liked it so much that even though the product is supposed to be for your face only, I used it on my entire body this past weekend because I was at a wedding and wanted to look like I’d just flown in from Aruba. (And I totally did. Score!) The difference was noticeable enough that some of my family at the wedding commented on how I’d gone from pasty white to glowing - definitely enough of a confidence booster to make this spray a regular part of my beauty regime. (Although at $60 for 2.3 ounces, it’s not exactly cheap. Still, the fact that it gave me the perfect tan somehow makes the price tag a lot more justifiable. Who needs to eat anyway?)

Dior Bronze Sun Powder Spray is available at www.sephora.com and Dior counters everywhere.

Guess what? Today, a limited first-edition supply of Oscillation, the first vibrating mascara by Lancome, will be on sale at select locations. It will not be available again until the national launch this fall. Lancome is famed for their mascaras, and Oscillation is their newest hi-tech additional to their line. Retailing for $34, the battery-operated brush provides 7,000 micro-oscillations per minute, wrapping lashes up to 360 degrees. We’ve heard nothing but good things so far - so we strongly advise that you get yours asap! It will be available only on July 31st while supplies last at the following locations:

• Online: Lancome-usa.com and Sephora.com
• Atlanta: Macy’s at the Lenox Square Mall
• Brea: The Lancome Boutique at the Brea Mall
• Costa Mesa: Nordstrom at South Coast Plaza
• Chicago: Macy’s on State Street and Bon-Ton at the Yorktown Mall
• Dallas: Dillard’s and the Lancome Boutique at NorthPark Center
• Houston: Neiman Marcus at the Galleria
• Miami: Macy’s at the Dadeland Mall
• Manhattan: Bergdorf Goodman, Bloomingdale’s 59th Street, Lord & Taylor, Macy’s Herald Square and the Lancome boutique on Columbus Avenue
• San Francisco: Macy’s Union Square
• Santa Clara: The Lancome Boutique at the Valley Fair Mall
• Short Hills: The Lancome Boutique at the Short Hills Mall

I don’t know about everyone else, but I definitely go through stages with makeup. One week I can’t get enough of lip products, the next I’m all about blush or foundation. Recently, I’ve been coveting eye shadows like crazy. I can’t get enough of them! And if they come in a palette, all the better. The Kat Von D line at Sephora is one of my favorite recent eye palette discoveries.

There are two different palettes, Ludwig and Beethoven, both of which were designed exclusively by Kat for Sephora. Both contain a selection of eight different shadows and are meant to be used to create a smoky eye (would you expect anything less from a collection designed by a tattoo artist?) Ludwig contains slightly less edgy shades, with some lighter golds and browns, while Beethoven contains a few darker shades like Sinner, a metallic purple black shimmer that I adore. Both palettes have the Lucifer shade in them - it’s a matte charcoal black that I’ve been loving as an eyeliner. The shadows layer incredibly well and have great staying power, important when you’re creating a smoky eye that you want to last through the night. The palettes are also thin and small, so they’re perfect for travel. You could even slip one in your bag if you’re planning to go out right from work (each palette includes two double-sided applicators). Who doesn’t need a little makeup re-application before happy hour?

To go along with the palettes, Sephora is also offering an Eye Brush Set designed by Kat as well. The kit contains five brushes - an angled eye shadow brush, an eye shadow blending brush, an angled brow brush, a smudge brush and a flat eyeliner brush. It’s all the brushes you could possibly need to make your eyes look fantastic, and it all comes in an adorable little black pouch that’s also easy to transport. (Both the pouch and the brushes are decorated with silver stenciled roses - a design that’s inspired by Kat’s favorite tattoo). I love knowing that the next time I have to pack for a trip, I can just throw this kit into my bag and not worry that I’m forgetting any of my important eye brushes.

The eye shadow palettes retail for $34 each (well worth it for the color selection you get), while the brush set is $48. Both are available exclusively at Sephora stores or at Sephora.com.

I know all of the fall collections are already hitting the counters, but I’m still drooling over some of the summer ones. (It’s like when you go to the mall on October 30th and they have Christmas decorations up. It’s not even Halloween yet!) Lise Watier’s summer collection, La Toscana, has been a permanent fixture in my bag since I first saw it.

The colors are all inspired by the Tuscan countryside and will make you immediately want to hop on a plane and take a vacation to Italy. The look starts with tan and glowing skin, which you can get by using either the Havana Sun Dust Bronzing Powder or the Havana Precious Bronzing Pearls. Eyes are bright and colorful, with Eyeshadow Quartets in Terre and Mer made up of gorgeous greens, blues and browns. (I can’t get enough of the greens in the Terre Quartet - I can already tell this is going to be one of those palettes I use until it’s all gone). Eyes can also be accented with the Glitter Pencils, which give the collection an edgier feel. (I’m most in love with Vert, a smoky green that goes perfectly with the green shadows). Lips are more subtle, with Gloss Sticks in Ambré, Sable, Rose and Orangé. The glosses are made with an olive oil base, so they’re incredibly moisturizing and shiny, and the sheer colors perfectly balance out the darker eyes. Cheeks are swept with Pink Marble blush - it’s a swirl of pink and copper in the container that goes on with a golden tint. The look is perfect for a summer night, cruising around the coast of Italy on a private yacht… (Or, in my reality, happy hour with my friends in Los Angeles!)

For more information about the collection, visit LiseWatier.com.

Hi everyone, I’m in London right now and will be for the remainder of the week until I jet to Prague for a mini weekend vacation. Even though I’m a product junkie, I consider myself a fantastic packer. A few years ago I spent a month in Europe with only one backpack. Lest you think I was ghetto-ing it out, I came home with a Marni dress, Fendi shoes, a Balenciaga bag, a Prada bag and many other things - all cleverly tucked into that one backpack. Mmm…memories of when the dollar actually meant something.

As for my 10 day excursion this time, I managed to pack similarly light. In my one small suitcase, I packed everything from gym wear (planning on early morning runs along the Thames - ha!) to clubbing wear to work gear - and even a trench coat and a book. Along with my 4 pairs of shoes, I also brought along a little bag of makeup.

I don’t actually like travel sized items; I find that they clutter up my already cluttered apartment so I only have full-sized products. That’s why I need to be clever about what I’m bringing and I need my products to do double or triple-duty. What’s getting me through this week is Chanel Hydramax + Active Teinte. This is truly the crème de la crème of tinted moisturizers. It acts as my moisturizer, my sunblock (SPF 15), my foundation, my coverup, and my bronzer (since I got a slightly warmer shade than my skintone). Hope you don’t think that multi-functioning products suck because this is truly one of my all time favorite products…ever.

Chanel Hydramax + Active Teinte is the perfect consistency. It is heavier than many tinted moisturizers I’ve tried, but it is not greasy at all. I love that it’s a slightly thicker formula because I feel like the foundation part of the product is actually working. Plus it doesn’t run off my face. The product also has a lovely peach bellini scent. It’s a pleasure for me to put on in the morning. I rarely have irritation problems with fragrances so my skin didn’t react to this at all. If your skin is more sensitive, you might want to spot check first.

The product is $55 for 1.4oz. Yeah, it’s a little steeper than your average tinted moisturizer but it’s seriously my most favorite thing of the moment. If you are going on any trips this summer, you must get this! Just think of all the extra room you’ll save in your bag for your foreign fashion purchases!

When it’s hot and sticky outside, my biggest complaint is makeup that instantly sweats off or disappears. It’s hard enough for me to look cute when I’m sweating, I need my makeup to help me! Make Up For Ever’s new Aqua Eyes Bronze Collection has been my eye makeup savior this past month.

A limited edition, this collection of five travel-sized eyeliners will get you through any occasion - from pool party to black tie event, there’s a color that’s just right for anywhere you need to go. (The Copper and Silver shades are my personal favorites). The eyeliners are highly pigmented, so they last forever, and go on smoothly, so they only smudge when you do it yourself (not from just walking around, like some liners). The colors are completely waterproof, so they’ll stay on even at the beach or when you’re swimming, and the fact that they’re travel-sized makes them even more portable than usual. (It does, however, also make them easier to lose, so be careful. The Gold shade got wedged into a corner of my purse and I had to say a sad goodbye to it until I stumbled upon it a few days later. Don’t you hate it when that happens?)

The Aqua Eyes Bronze collection retails for $35 and is available at Sephora stores and online at Sephora.com.

Fall colors from NARS Cosmetics are some of the prettiest that I’ve seen in a long time. I have been exclusively wearing it for the last week - for no other reason than that I just naturally pick up the colors because they are so nice. The collection centers around rosy pinks and bold bronzes. I imagine it’s what 1940’s film noir actresses would be wearing…very feminine and sophisticated, but mixed with mystery and intrigue.

Blush: Dolce Vita, NARS’ fall blush, makes all the difference in this collection for me. This is the color that adds the old fashioned glamour to the entire look. I’ve been using Orgasm for years - a color that is easy, buildable, and sweet. When I first tried Dolce Vita, I thought it was too dark and too rosy. But I came back to it a couple days later and now can’t put it down. Unlike Orgasm, you have to be careful how much you put on or the color is incredibly noticeable. With a light hand, however, Dolce Vita is a very, very pretty rose flush - at once, coy and sexy.

Eyeshadow: The Cordura duet is my favorite of the eyeshadows this season. This shimmering set of cocoa and dark brown creates adds sparkle to the brown smoky eye. Like all NARS’ eyeshadows, this duo is rich in pigment and staying power. I love it for the night, but sometimes I mix the lighter brown shade with a cream shadow for the day as well. This set goes together very nicely with the blush.

Lipstick & Lipgloss: NARS’ Senorita lipstick has made me believe in lipstick again. Prior to getting this, I almost never reached into my bag for lipstick; it was always tinted balm or lipgloss. But this lipstick has converted me. It is just as moisturizing as any tinted balm I’ve used - plus twice the pigment. The texture is feather light, and it lasts and lasts. The cool dusty pink is the most amazing color for my skintone and completely brings the whole look together. I finish with the gloss in Female Trouble, which I find to be almost the same color as Senorita. Nars’ lipglosses seem to be hit or miss- some are really thick and some are really sticky. Female Trouble is neither - instead a nice, light, liquidly texture.

This collection from NARS just really worked for me. It is a very grown up set of colors - very old-fashioned beautiful.  I almost can’t wait for the season to turn so I can rock the look with my fall wardrobe.

We came across this photo of Keira Knightley at the premiere of her latest film, The Edge of Love, and wanted to know how to get her earthy, yet romantic look.

We asked Carissa Paserella, a professional makeup artist who has over 12 years of experience, to tell us more about Keira’s look. (Make sure to check out her blog called Hooked On Beauty, where she dishes out a ton of useful advice!) Carissa is also a natural beauty, so she’s absolutely the perfect person to break down this look. “Keira Knightley embodies the best in what I call ‘Natural Chic,’ which is basically using neutral, brown and earthy tones with just a kick of liner for a beautifully natural and not overdone evening look,” says Carissa. Below, she elaborates further with step-by-step directions and product recommendations: (more…)

Make Up For Ever’s new HD Powder is the perfect way to get yourself camera ready. Previously available only in Europe, this powder was created to give you flawless skin, even when you’re faced with seeing yourself in high definition (which is such a scary thought!) The powder, which is a bright white in the jar, goes on translucent and is a great finishing powder for all skin tones. (I’m fair and it blended into my skin perfectly, leaving no traces of color behind). It’s meant to give skin a “soft focus” effect and uses ultra-fine, spherical micro-particles that are made of 100% Mineral Silica Powder to reflect light off your face, giving you a more even complexion.

I thought it worked great - I usually don’t wear powder, but after using this, my skin definitely appeared brighter all around and even had a little bit of a (dare I say it?) glow to it. And for powder that is so fine and light on the skin, it really hid imperfections well. It retails for $30 and comes in a cute little shaker jar, which cuts down on the waste factor, too. You can bet I’ll be wearing this the next time I have to get ready for my close-up! Head over to Sephora to pick it up.