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· Beauty Notes: NARS Winter 2005 Stargazer
· Beauty Notes: Thanksgiving's around the corner...
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· Beauty Notes: Soft, smoky eyes...
· Beauty Notes: Serge Lutens Sa Majesté La Rose
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The Lipstick Page Forums Beauty & Fashion Blog: November 2005
Makeup for a holiday in Jamaica
Posted by Colleen Shirazi, Tuesday, November 29, 2005 6:16 PM (Eastern)
Hi there, I have recently been to Jamaica on a holiday. I'm going to blog more about it in our Fashion Blog and my own Adult Acne Blog, and I'm also going to set up a Travel Blog to replace our current system of using regular HTML pages for travel-related articles.
The cosmetics angle...well...not much. You don't need that much makeup in Jamaica. The climate is hot and humid. Not as hot nor as humid as the American South in the summertime, but definitely hot and tending towards the muggy.
The first day I was there, I kicked myself for not bringing any blush. I don't normally wear it every day here (California). After that one day, I completely forget about blush altogether. Imo, you can leave your blush at home unless it is your essential cosmetic and you would feel at a loss without it.
I did bring my MAC Powerpoint eye pencil in "Permaplum." Here I would advise bringing at least one eye pencil or liner that you consider very water-resistant. For me this would be a MAC Powerpoint or a Prestige Waterproof Automatic eye pencil. The former has better colors and is somewhat easier to blend. The latter is somewhat more waterproof so it might be handy if you're going to do a lot of water activity.
I actually remembered to bring this. :)
During the day, I never felt like wearing eyeshadow. Why bother? With the heat and humidity, plus water activity, there would hardly be a point.
In the evening though it does cool off enough so that eyeshadow is possible. I brought my Nars eyeshadow duo in "Babylon" and my Urban Decay single in "Kiss." I ended up using both and was glad I'd brought them. I didn't miss any of my other shadows.
I did however neglect to bring my eyeshadow lining brush and that would have been nice (I paired the orange shade in the Nars duo with the Permaplum rather than its own purple shade).
So, my advice is to include a few of your favorite shadows but don't be surprised if you wear them more in the evening than during the day.
Likewise, make sure you bring foundation products that can stand up to heat and moisture. My regular tinted sunscreen and MAC Blot powder both worked fine.
If you're new to Blot, the colors run light.
Bring it and use it. The Jamaican sun feels nice and soft but you can't stay an hour in it without sunscreen unless you don't tend to burn.
The sun seems to concentrate on shoulders, chest and back areas so do be sure to automatically apply a good water-resistant sunscreen in the morning before you go out.
The heat softened my MAC Lustre lipstick in "Sophisto" but didn't melt it.
I advise to bring as moisturizing a lip product as you have. Not only for your stay in Jamaica, but also for the airplane trips.
How many lipsticks do you need, well again I feel that heavy, matte, highly pigmented products would have seemed out of place. Something sheer and shimmery, that you don't have to constantly touch up, is best. I was happy with Sophisto. I like the MAC Lustres anyway, that is the formula I would personally recommend.
I forgot to bring this!!! Put it on your list. I didn't miss it during the day but at night you really want something moisturizing on your lips.
The heat semi-melted my usual Heather Loraine jojoba butter but it was okay, it didn't leak or anything.
Now here is some more advice.
If you're going to do any waxing or shaving, don't forget to do it before you go. As far as I know, it is difficult to find a salon that does waxing? As far as shaving, you won't feel like doing it over there unless it is necessary.
Likewise, trim your finger- and toe-nails beforehand. Why? Again there is that factor of not feeling like doing it. Of course you can bring your manicure stuff in your checked-in bag.
Because of the climate and activities, be prepared to take two showers per day. So carry enough of your favorite shampoo, conditioner, and other bath products.
Do your haircolor and haircut fresh before you go.
Jamaica uses different voltage so double check electric shavers, hair dryers, etc. beforehand.
Here is a short list of other items you might want to bring along with the above-mentioned stuff:
I'll add more to this later if I've forgotten something.
Labels: travel
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Beauty Notes: Hauling (11.27.05)
Posted by Dain, Monday, November 28, 2005 3:38 PM (Eastern)
A few of the things I've been hankerin' after...
Becca Wild Orchid Creme Blush $25
L'Occitane Shea Butter $7
Tweezerman Slant Tweezers $20
PHYTO Phyto 7 $24
NARS Gothika Lip Gloss $22
Serge Lutens Vetiver Oriental $40 (I got it off ebay)
Dior Brun Casual $25 (also ebay... why pay $49.50?)
Labels: beauty notes, becca, dior, hauling, l'occitane, nars, phyto, serge lutens, tweezerman
Happy Thanksgiving!
Posted by Dain, Thursday, November 24, 2005 6:09 PM (Eastern)
I'm in Providence (as every year), and there's a fine dusting of powder outside (rather nice, Thanksgiving in New England and the first snow to boot—almost overwhelmingly poetic). I hope you're having as pleasant a Thanksgiving as I am!
Labels: administrative
Beauty Notes: NARS Winter 2005 Stargazer
Posted by Dain, Wednesday, November 23, 2005 4:09 PM (Eastern)
Duo in Caravaggio $30: shimmery hot fuchsia, and a bright, shimmery violet with a teeny pinkishness... it's almost "orchid", or maybe right between violet and orchid
Duo in Jezebel $30: medium, grey-undertoned lilac with flecks of shimmer, and russet shimmer (like the color of a fox's fur)
Cream Shadow in Zardoz $20: black cream shadow
Cream Shadow in Paper Tiger $20: I'll have to agree with Sephora's assessment of this... this is the exact shade of... toffee.
Blush in Mounia $25: Frankly, I'm getting sick of shimmery, complex NARS blushes, but the credit-card-holding hordes can't seem to get enough of them, so they will continue to make blushes like Mounia. Mounia reminds me of Crazed, except darker and with some brown to neutralize it. It does remind me somewhat of cinnamon—the flavor, not the color of the bark. For those not familar with Crazed, Mounia could be best described as a medium-deep coral-pink shimmer with brown to keep it from being too bright, and is a color that ought to look on everyone who needs blush (reminds me of an old MAC blush that they don't make anymore, I forget the name, though).
Lip Gloss in Gothika $22: I bought this, a grogeous color. Take the classic Delux Norris stereotype of redcurrant, brown it down almost unto mauve (we're at Positano, another NARS lipgloss, here), then add some plum, so that we're looking at the most gorgeous dark rose shimmer here.
Lip Gloss Stain in Indian Red $22: A dark red, brighter, browner than Daredevil (which is a cool, dried-blood red).
Lipstick in Vera Cruz $22.50: A difficult color to describe... it's something like a mauve-brown with shimmer, with the warmth but not the depth of a "raisin". NARS calls it a "sheer cinnamon", and it very well could be a cinnamon rose, if you can imagine the color.
Lipstick in Rouge d'Enfer $22.50: Berry brown, maybe, no shimmer. NARS calls it "cranberry", and I'd say it's browner than mere cranberry, but you took a shade like Fresh Cranberry Lemonade and added a little brown to it, you might have Rouge d'Enfer.
Sparkling Loose Powder in Machu Picchu $35: it's quite light, with sparkle
Labels: beauty notes, nars
Beauty Notes: Thanksgiving's around the corner...
Posted by Dain, Tuesday, November 22, 2005 12:31 PM (Eastern)
And I know my wallet will suffer for it. The mad rush for Christmas presents, the sales, and 'sides... I haven't bought anything in a looong time.
So, what is on my wishlist?
- a warm, sweet, but dominantly aldehydic fragrance: Very much along the lines of Chanel. I rather like the smell of Chanel Coco Mademoiselle, but it's too mass-market for me. I don't like to smell like my roommate. I have a sample of Chanel Bois des Iles coming in the mail, but it does not sound like it's "sweet", per se. Balenciaga Le Dix? Like Chanel No. 5 in violets, I hear. YSL Rive Gauche, maybe, though that's clean and soft, rather than the heady fragrances I prefer. We shall see. Other perfume cravings: Lancôme 2000 et Une Rose, Serge Lutens Tubéreuse Criminelle, Serge Lutens Vetiver Oriental, Guerlain Après L'Ondée—all limited distribution, and therefore both expensive and hard to find.
- NARS Jezebel Duo: It sounds like a combination of violet and MAC Teddy to me, and that's all I've been wearing these past few months. Maybe a little redundant, I don't know. I have to get to Sephora and fiddle around to see. Perhaps NARS Blue Angel would be a better buy, and it would certainly be a shift from what I've been wearing every day.
- two fabulous face products: Poudre Peau Fine from Caron, and a Becca Creme Blush.
- I've my skincare routine down: Lancôme Bi-Facil Eye Makeup Remover (I decided I need a separate eye makeup remover), Mario Badescu Enzyme Cleansing Gel (like Cetaphil, but cooler), Dr. Hauschka Cleansing Cream, Dr. Hauschka Facial Toner, Better Botanicals Dandelion Moisturizer, Biotherm Biosensitive Anti-Redness Soothing Concentrate, Biotherm Hydra-Deto2x Masque.
- a signature lipstick: So many options, but which one is perfect? MAC Red Haute is discontinued, but YSL Rouge Pure Shine No. 8 is very similar (though I think the texture is a little too slippery). Or, what about Chanel Spark Glossimer? Or Biotherm Smile Shine Duochrome #129? And Chantecaille Nougat Lip Gloss? NARS Positano? Dior Addict A Feast of Plums Ultra Gloss? Whatever shall I do?
- Origins A Spice Odyssey Foaming Body Scrub: Mmm... I like spicy, and I need a body scrub.
Labels: beauty notes, wishlist
Long time no see!
Posted by Dain, Monday, November 21, 2005 3:30 PM (Eastern)
It's always a bit weird getting back into the stride of things. But an update: I've been busy with life. School, friends, plain ole day-to-day existence. I've had a lot of stuff to deal with. Hopefully, I'll be able to publish a few back articles for October for your perusal while I'm doing a great deal of nothing during vacation. Afterwards, it's a lot of academic pressure, so I'm sure I'll be absent for the earlier half of December. Winter break is coming soon, too, so we'll catch up then.
Labels: administrative
Beauty Notes: Soft, smoky eyes...
Posted by Dain, Thursday, November 17, 2005 2:21 PM (Eastern)
This is my favorite eye look, in my limited arsenal. The trick is to layer, and to use shimmery, complex colors. Pure, basic colors (like NARS Pandora) are best left for strong looks.
There are two ways to do soft, smoky eyes. One, a dark, metallic shade combined with a light tone to soften any hard edges. Two, a slick, dark eyeliner (preferably without shimmer), and a smoky, medium-tone shimmer. Add a third element, and you've got a more complicated eye—you want to keep it "soft".
ONE What I like to do is use a little soft eyeliner, nothing as harsh as black, like MAC Teddy, for a little definition. I make a thick, smudgy line, and layer a deep shimmery shade over it: like Shu Uemura ME 985 (a cult item, and will forever be so), Vincent Longo Sweet Dreams (Kevyn Aucoin's personal fave), NARS Ashes to Ashes, Stila Diamond Lil. Wait a minute, are these all essentially the same color? Gunmetal brown shimmer shadowed by violet tones? To varying degrees, yes. I use a little bit of shadow, with a soft brush, and apply a "wedge" (concentrated color on the outer third of the lid, more intense closer to the lashes, diffuse as it approaches the brows and the inner corner of the eye). I then take a soft, pastel shade, usually a lilac (but you can use a soft sueded blue, a celadon, a gilded rose, a champagne, as you see fit) on the inner half of the lid, and at the edges of the "wedge" to soften it. Sounds complicated. Well, it is, until you get the hang of it, but it's really quite simple in execution. Be sparing with pigment, light with the brush, and use the light shade to blend and soften, and you'll be fine.
This is, of course, the neutral option. You can also try, instead of a brown-based metallic wedge, a soft olive with a peach, or a dusky violet with soft gold, a quiet slate with a silky ivory, and so on... just be aware that colors "pop out", rather than "recede", so the look may be bolder than "soft and smoky" if you're not careful. The trick, I think, whether you work with brown or some other color, is to choose an accent color that is soft and smooth, and above all, no harsh shimmer. The moment you add frost into the equation, it's tacky. (Three NARS eyeshadows, Nepal, Cyprus, and Bombshell, are great for this purpose.)
TWO Here, I suggest you begin with a dark, dark shade of eyeliner, fairly plain. I like MAC Fluidlines for this, like Blacktrack (black) or Dipdown (expresso). You can try a more colorful version, like navy or violet or forest green or olive (MAC does have all of these colors, Waveline, Macroviolet, Shade, and Sweet Sage, respectively), but I think that tends to wander away from "soft and smoky"—you'd have to pair very neutral colors with them to tone down the color. You can use pencils, of course. The trick with this look is to be sparing with liner. While in Look One you made a dark shade soft by making it diffuse (the purpose of the "wedge"), here, the liner is only meant to give definition to the shape of the eye, and the appearance of thick, lush lashes. Use a teeny bit of product, and blend it to death into the lashes (I'd recommend a flat synthetic eyeliner brush for this).
Some other colors to consider: NARS Thunderball, any dark shade by Dior, Trish Deep Aubergine, Laura Mercier Deep Night, Stila Diamond Lil—just make sure the color is sufficiently pigmented not to look spotty. Then, a wash of a smoky, dusky, sueded color, your choice. If you've used a fairly neutral color for liner, you can choose any color you want: NARS Earth Angel (two beautiful dusky shades, one a mauve, the other an olive), Stila Viola or Stila Grace (lavenders, one grey-based, the other taupey), Revlon Spring Moss (soft beautiful greens... all of the Revlon Quads are great for this), Urban Decay Urb (celadon shimmer with gold), NARS Bombshell (dove grey), NARS Key Largo (sugary bronze), Dior Mauve Chic (exactly as the name implies... soft, chic mauves), Dior Urbanity (delicious sueded colors, mauve, lavender, slate, etc.), NARS Cairo/Barbuda/Ondine (NARS' versions of sueded colors, in complex variations of chmpagne, rose, mauve, and plum), MAC Trax (a complex color to describe... let's say it's rose-mauve-plum and flecked with shimmer), MAC Shale (lavender-grey with shimmer).
Choose a color of about medium depth, unless you're a great deal darker or paler. Soft shimmer is a good idea. The more complex, again, the better. If it's a shade that you can't really define, you know you've done a good job picking—umm... is Stila Viola lavender or mauve or taupe or grey or what? All! Oh, ok. Then what's Grace? Is it really a brown or is it really a lavender? Right in between. Again, I'd avoid frost—frost draws attention, and the purpose of this exercise is soft and smoky. And finally, choose a color with a brown or grey base... you want something "dusky", "sueded", "smoky"... But soft.
What about color combinations? Navy looks good with taupe or bronze, white or ivory, peach or pink, and sometimes a little gold (or you can just try NARS Blue Angel, the colors come already chosen for you). Dark green looks good with white, peach, bronze, silver, and mauve. Olive looks good with... peach, bronze, copper, grey, mauves and lavenders. Plum looks good with gold, peach, yellow, spring green, taupe, copper, pink. Violet looks good with... everything. Just imagine a color like MAC Prunella, for a moment, will you, with a icy little silver. Cool. Like frost on spring violas. Or, take a celadon: now you've got a Monet painting, viewed a mess, up close. Or the heat of orange (NARS Babylon) or bronze, and you've got sunset in Arizona. Or switch a peach in, and it's a saccharine vision of girlishness. Add a grey, and you've got the absolute opposite: spare, sophisticated, and cool. Try gold, and you've got something festive and peacock-y. Just don't pair it with a blue.
Labels: beauty notes, eyes
Beauty Notes: Serge Lutens Sa Majesté La Rose
Posted by Dain, Tuesday, November 08, 2005 1:52 PM (Eastern)
I enjoy this—though I am not really a rose girl, and Serge Lutens not much a line for roses. It's a beautiful fragrance, fresh, sparkling, and pretty, like sunlight and dew-laden pink roses, cut with crisp, tart peach (lychee, apparently) and an underlayer of white musk. It is what I'd call a "pink and green rose", but without any sharp edges, just a lucid, sparkling, fresh quality.
Here is the official copy: "This fragrance, just like the rose whose petals have a soft and dreamy texture, is refined and delicate. It opens on a note of moroccan rose absolute, pure, rich and honeyed where the scent's smoky allusion mingles with gaiac wood. The perfume's aroma is sharpened by clove and white honey and underlines a musk base that perfectly compliments the rose."
To be honest, I don't really smell woody or spicy notes at all. Maybe just a little, to lend a little depth to the effervescence of the rose. As for the white honey... maybe it's a little sweet, and maybe there is some sweetness that emphasizes the fruity touch to Sa Majesté La Rose, but I don't actually smell the honey itself.
In fact, though this is a gorgeous scent, I don't really see why you should go out of your way—$89 out of your way—to buy Serge Lutens when you can nip over to your nearest department store and get... YSL Paris. They smell essentially the same. I expect more innovation from Serge Lutens, frankly.
Labels: beauty notes, perfume, serge lutens
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