Makeup

Picture this: you’re in a dimly lit cab, bar, or restaurant, trying in vain to subtly reapply your lip gloss. Not very easy, right? For me, the result is often unintentional smearing or worse. If only there was a lip gloss out there… with light.

The good news is that I’ve recently discovered ModelCo Lip Lights, a lip gloss that comes with LED lights and a mirror, for a finally easy, convenient application! The lights automatically turn on when you uncap the gloss, so just make sure that you close it securely when you’re finished to conserve the battery. Plus, the gloss itself is great–shiny and available in 3 neutral and flattering shades on dermstore.com.

ModelCo sent me a sample which I promptly tried using just last weekend. It was perfect for a quick touch-up while I was out to dinner… and everyone thought it was pretty cool, too.

If I ever change careers, I totally want to be one of the people who helps come up with Benefit’s product ideas and packaging.  Doesn’t that seem like it would be a cool job?  Benefit always has the best presentation; when I walk past their display at Sephora, I just want to scoop it all up in my arms and run.  (That wouldn’t get me in trouble at all, would it?)  They recently released the adorably-named Confessions of a Concealaholic and I can’t stop playing around with mine.

The box is designed to look like a diary, complete with a heart-shaped lock.  (We all had them in junior high, didn’t we?)  Inside, you’ll find everything you could possibly ever need to make it look like you have perfect skin.  There’s smaller sizes of “that gal” brightening face primer, boi-ing industrial strength concealer in two different shades, erase paste brightening camouflage for  eyes & face, eye bright instant eye brightener, lemon aid color correcting eyelid primer, 4 brushes, and a step-by-step lesson in how to use it all.  Basically, if you’re carrying this around with you, there’s nothing on your face that you can’t conceal.  It’s also nice for traveling – it might not be super small, but if you throw it in your luggage, you don’t even have to think about bringing any other full-sized products.  It’s one stop shopping!

Available at Sephora.com and BenefitCosmetics.com.

After a fun-filled week of Oscar events like the 7th Annual Global Green Pre-Oscar Party (attended by Jessica Alba, James Cameron, Benji and Joel Madden, Nicole Scherzinger, Serena Williams, and more celebs), I finally get to pick the brain of makeup artist to the stars Bruce Grayson, whose work we’ll be seeing all over our TV screens tomorrow at the Academy Awards.

As head makeup artist for the Oscars, Bruce is responsible for touching up every A-list mug in town before he or she goes onstage to present or backstage to accept an award. He has worked on Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes, Brooke Shields, Rosario Dawson, Kate Walsh, Denzel Washington, Sarah Silverman, Hayden Panettiere, Sarah Rue, the Clintons … the list goes on! (Fun fact: Bruce’s father, David Grayson, perfected the faces of Hollywood legends like Lauren Bacall and John Wayne.) Here, Bruce shares his red carpet predictions and his favorite get-glam-quick tips for special events:

The Daily Obsession: So, Bruce, what are the big trends we’ll be seeing on the red carpet this year?

Bruce Grayson: It’s always about picking the best feature, eyes or lips, and creating a glowing complexion, which makes up most of the face. Getting your skin in shape does the work for you. We’re going to see a more transparent smoky, sultry eye, not too much darkness around the eye, and more shades like slate gray, beige and brown … with a soft, pinky-coral lip, which makes lips look bigger. For red lips, we may see bright, matte, unique colors like the coral shade that January Jones wore to the Emmys.

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Every time I go to my dentist Dr. Jennifer Jablow (which is often…and whom I love), I always notice two things- her perfectly white teeth (of course) and her super pretty lip gloss.  Of course I just had to have whatever gloss she was using so one day before she shot me up with novocaine for my cavity fillings, she handed me two tubes of her miracle product: Pout N Polish and they haven’t left my  handbag since! (more…)

Who else is suffering from pasty, pale winter skin? I don’t think I’ve seen the sun for days in Chicago, and my awesome tan from the summer is now non-existent. Julie Hewett has come to the rescue with her new Ora Mineral Bronzer in Aphrodite.

What’s different about this particular bronzer is that it’s packed with a subtle gold shimmer. It doesn’t have any pink tones, so all you get is a warm, sun-kissed look. Aphrodite’s light-reflecting minerals create a soft look combined with the gold shimmer, yet still defines your cheeks and face nicely. In short? It’s a lifesaver this winter.

Whenever I get to check out a new Chanel collection, I get a little giddy because they’re always so gorgeous and luxurious.  I always remember being a little girl and passing the Chanel counter at the mall and looking forward to the day I could wear it myself.  Their new spring collection is exactly the sort of thing I was dreaming about back then.  Chanel calls Les Impressions De Chanel “a collection of clean, classic neutrals that are infinitely wearable and effortlessly chic.  Quintessential shades, ranging from pink and beige to warm brown and khaki, enhance the complexion and illuminate the face, highlighting a woman’s natural beauty.”  I’ve gotten to try a few of the products and so far, I’ve loved them all. (more…)

I’ve been on a major gloss kick lately (although really, when am I not?). LORAC’s Multiplex 3D Lip Glosses are new for spring and they’ve already found their way into my bag so I can carry them around on a daily basis.

The glosses come in six different shades ranging from bright pink to dark nude and they go on super, super shiny (like, reflecting the light off your lips when you look in the mirror shiny).  The glosses are made with a formula that is supposed to visually retexture the lips, which smoothes away imperfections and lets the true color of the gloss come through.  It’s also paraben-free and full of antioxidants, so unlike some lipsticks, wearing it keeps your lips smooth and moisturized.  The texture is a combo between a liquid lipstick and a lip lacquer; it seems thicker than regular glosses to me so it lasts longer on my lips.  I also love the scent of it – my friend and I have been sniffing it for days, trying to figure out exactly what it is (we lead very boring lives) and I think we’ve narrowed it down to pomegranate.  It’s really fresh and fruity and perfect for the warmer weather.  Bring on the pool parties!

I rarely write about makeup that I haven’t at least personally tested or bought for myself–but the Dior Poudrier Dentelle has already become an obsession in my mind. It’s just so… pretty! The Poudrier Dentelle (dentelle is French for “lace”) is a shimmery powder that illuminates your face with a soft, pretty glow. I love the sleek silver packaging and of course, the gorgeous, delicate lace effect on the powder. Recently, it was seen on Emily Blunt at the Golden Globes, and I can definitely see how it complemented her soft, romantic look.

Have you tried Dior’s Poudrier Dentelle yet? And is it absolutely gorgeous in real life as well? Let me know your thoughts! In the meantime, it’s available at Sephora.

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!