Category Archives: Beauty Queen

The DL on the BB

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A friend of mine asked for some info on the BB cream craze, and she knew I was her girl. Whatever the beauty trend, no matter how fleeting or how bizarre, I always take my chances. After all, we only live once. And beauty happens to be my favorite extra-curricular. So I didn’t just buy one BB cream and test it out, as you can imagine. Instead, I sunk my pores in deep and have plenty to say about the journey.

There are some skin products that I categorically will not cheap-out on. For example, face oils which have found widespread popularity in the past few years, remain a favorite. But I will only use Linda Rodin Olio Lusso, and for makeup removing purposes, MAC. However, with BB cream I have officially decided that my favorite is a drugstore find.

Maybelline Dream Fresh BB 8-in-1 cream is simply spectacular. So, let’s start with the purpose of a BB, or Beauty Balm. What’s it all about? These magical creams aim to heal your toughest skin woes, to even skintone while moisturizing and creating an airbrushed look. Many use them as a base for other makeup; those who require minimal coverage can swipe it on and skip the foundation.

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I like the Maybelline variety because it offers enough pigment that you can truly use it and hit the road. If you have a particularly bad blemish, just add concealer there. This one also offers SPF 30 (girls: if you are not already doing this, you must wear sunscreen on your face everyday. You will thank me later). Maybelline BB hydrates, smoothes, and neutralizes the color of your skin for a balmier look day to night. I recommend going one shade darker than you think you need, and blending into your neck as well so you have an all-over enhanced look.

However, I’m not done looking. I was at the Korean market recently with Josh, picking up tofu and sticky rice. Of course he found me at the makeup counter, purchasing a particularly dramatic set of false lashes and a kohl pen. As the girl slipped my items into a paper bag, she also picked up a sample offering to show me. “Would you like to try a Korean BB cream?”

Um. Did you have to ask?

Whisper’s the Word

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your lips are NOT going to look like this when you use this product. trust.

Has anyone seen those incredibly enticing commercials for the new Color Whisper lipsticks from Maybelline? As a beauty writer, I’m always ready to try the latest things and I have to admit I was pretty impressed by the glass-like sheen and subtle color that I saw in these print and TV ads. I picked up a tube at a local drug store and raced to the car to apply it. The first layer provided me with nothing more than doubt, so I went ahead and swept on another, and then another.

colorwhisperWhat can I say? The product is definitely true to its name. It’s an absolute whisper of color. I purchased “Coral Ambition,” which is a really pretty hue. But it takes about six coats to get it to my desired level of opacity. The good news? This lipstick is super-moisturizing, so it feels great when you put it on, and it smooths and conceals dryness unlike chalkier varieties. Oh, and at about $6 a tube, you’re not making any major investment here.

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here it is in action… thoughts?

I guess what I’ve learned from this experiment is that I’m not a middle-of-the-road girl. I either want a hint of gloss, or a full-on lipstick. Sheer lipstick is probably just not my thing. If you seek a similar product with a heftier dose of color, try Maybelline’s other recent lip launch, Baby Lips (I favor “Pink Punch,” natch).

tumblr_m7h67wVTru1qdetvyThat said, I definitely recommend Color Whisper for an under-$10 tube of lipstick for all girls searching for a hint of color and a good hour and a half of staying power. Just make sure you’re someone who likes to actually whisper, at least, color-wise.

Try Something New: Neon Makeup

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I know what you’re thinking. Isn’t neon sort-of, or almost- over? Isn’t neon a thing of the past two summers that we occasionally, inappropriately, spot on a scarf or rain boot in the dead of winter and cringe? Well, kind of. Neon has had major bursts of popularity over the past few seasons and while you may want to store your over-the-top neon orange or pink, gold hardware-detailed satchels for a June beach day, there are still threads of the trend that work. And they work right now. My favorite, of course, related to makeup.

If you are tired of the sorry old smoky eye that everyone has been talking about and trying to achieve since I was in high school (which was, ahem, a while ago), it’s time to open your pretty peepers to something new and bold. A thin (or thick!) line of neon on the eyes or a pop of neon shadow can bring your look to the next level, even if your outfit is head-to-toe black, a simple white dress, or an otherwise blank canvas.

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Neon nails also do the trick but I prefer a neon flair nail against white, cream, navy, or pastel on the other fingers to keep things classy. And then, there is my new favorite… the neon lip!

geradium2__84106_zoomYes, girls, you are hearing (reading) my lips correctly. One of my personal favorite funky makeup brands, Lime Crime, has just come out with their officially brightest lip color to date. It’s called Geradium and it’s a neon coral that really pops. I swear, you need nothing else on your face if you rock this color. Plus, it’s just your lips, so your style statement won’t be so bold as to offend, even in an office environment.

What makeup trends are you most looking forward to — and mostly planning to avoid — this spring?

Day-Old Mascara: The newest lazy girl YES?

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Wow! I found this post in my old draft this morning and had to share it with y’all. A lot has changed since I wrote it… except for my appreciation for Pop Beauty’s mascara and my tendency to leave it on for two days running. Since I wrote this, I have: moved back to Brooklyn, gone on vacation, gotten engaged (!), started a second blog, moved to Dallas, reconfigured my freelance lifestyle and gone through two rounds of false lashes. And no matter what, I go back to this mascara and this method, so I thought I would share it with you even though the post is outdated. A sort of time capsule from just shy of a year ago — so much has changed, but my favorite beauty tips remain the same. Here it is:

Even sexier the next day. Trust me.

Okay, okay. Before you judge, HEAR ME OUT. It’s been a crazed month, reaching its pinnacle last Monday. Quit day job to pursue dreams. Book enough freelance work to convince family that this is a sound decision. Receive amazing opportunity from former employer and mentor to work on exceptionally cool project (more details on that later!) Learn that big brother needs help running his new wine store. Relocate to Connecticut with cat for one month. Move one third of belongings to mother’s home, one third to brother’s home, and one third to boyfriend’s home. Take a deep breath. Go to sleep. Wake up. Get to work (at liquor store, where you can do your other work downstairs in the basement). Remember that you forgot to put mascara on.

Yikes.

I recently stumbled upon an incredible mascara by Pop Beauty that I highly, highly recommend. I am absolutely meticulous about my lashes and even dabbled in faux’s for a while. I’ve always had an obsession with mascara and am literally unable to leave the home without it. In my former life as a Diorshow user, I had several tricks for creating the appearance of longer lashes. Pulling upward with the wand, casting eyes downward, building layer upon layer, adding extra coats, and so on. In my new life as a Pop Beauty user, I pay $10 less per tube for a mascara that naturally builds and expands on my lashes, creating a longer and fuller look with brilliant little fibers that blend flawlessly with the lashes I naturally have.

In the latest chapter of life, where I find myself working from home or from the basement at the Wise Old Dog, my inner lazy girl has discovered that, if not removed at night, this kick-ass mascara can last a full forty-eight hours. Should you go to bed every night without washing your face? Of course not. But if you didn’t wear anything on your skin one day and you do a quick once-over with a cleansing cloth followed by moisturizer, I am hereby giving you permission to lazily rock day-old mascara one day each week. Bonus: day-old liner is smudgy, sexy and tres 70′s glam. Your boy will love it… I know mine did!

Dreaming of beautiful second-day lashes…

At Least I Have My Nails

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I have been a busy girl. There is no denying it! Joshy and I are on a crazy wedding diet that requires all our meals to be made at home. Who’s the short order cook around here? You’re looking at her. Add to that the work, the work outside the work, the personal work, the housework and of course working on the wedding… what do you get?

A very overtired, often grumpy, hopefully thinner, Me.

Enough complaining. I will share with you my absolute favorite thing about Dallas. In this over-the-top, beauty-obsessed land of the lovely, there is always a manicure place open for business. And unlike in New York (love you, home state, but really) they are all immaculately clean and you rarely have to wait. Okay, now the best part? Chardonnay and Miller Lite are in the fridge and ready for the sipping. Or chugging, as the mood may require.

I have switched almost entirely to gel polish (AKA shellac) manicures because there is a different removal method down here that allows your nails to breathe and doesn’t require that abrasive filing that happens up North, damaging the nails. Instead, they just continue to grow longer and stronger with every passing shellaced week. And to be in and out with a gorgeous pedicure and flawless gel polish mani plus wine and a shoulder massage for $70 in under an hour? I’m sold, baby.

Here are my favorites:

Ultra-glittery gold was a hit. In the right light, it looked almost pink. This was a great choice.

It was my birthday and I was craving an old favorite — Riviera by Chanel. I had her use it in between the shellac base and top coats. Worked like a charm!

My roommate in college posted a sign on our door Day Two saying “Warning: Pink Overload Ahead.” She would be laughing now… some things never change. I like this one a lot, with a bit of sparkle on the bling finger.

Not the greatest photo, but I had to include. This is the man-approved one. OPI’s “Big Apple Red” makes men weak in the knees. Just try it. You’ll see.

One week after getting your gel mani, soak a cotton ball in rubbing alcohol (the purest you can get, 95% is good) and wipe each nail. This will keep the color from dulling and give it that ultra-shiny finish it had on Day One.

The moral? It is always a good time to treat yourself. Work can be crushing and relationships can be hard. Friendships can suffer and diets totally suck. But even on your darkest day, there is nothing so pleasant at glancing down at your lovely nails and knowing that one thing is always intact. I may not have it all, all the time, but at least I have my nails.

Makeup Looks: Rock Red Lips Right

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Thank you, ELLE, for the photo.

Ah, red lipstick. How I love thee. How I question your ability to stay put, and flatter my pout, without being too much…

Red lips are classic, bold, feisty, and fun, but they can be a hassle. To pull them off well, you must remember the rest of your face; red lips with crazy eye makeup is just too much. That said, if you have blemishes or undereye circles, you need to wear some makeup aside from your lips or the red will just bring out the imperfections. Sigh!

I have a Revlon hue that I really love, so I set to work building a makeup look around it that would make my eyes pop and conceal any skin problem areas while still letting the lips do the talking. We were headed to a Fashion’s Night Out in Dallas, a somewhat glam but not over-the-top event. I wanted the lips to look good, but not to overpower the dress, of course.

I was having a particularly bad skin day, so I prepped my face by applying a light oil-free moisturizer first and letting it dry. Then I applied Clinique Acne Solutions liquid foundation to my entire face, a bit heavier on the trouble spots. For maximum coverage of the blemishes, I used Diorskin powder foundation in place of concealer. I finished off with this great MAC blush to warm up the cheeks. I personally find that bronzer + red lips is a bit much.

Then I used a mix of brown, gold and cream eye shadows to brighten up my eyes without a seriously smoky effect. To make them pop, I added a narrow line of black liquid liner to the tops and a surprising punch of blue liner to the lower lids for something extra. I finished off with two coats on top and bottom lashes of this high-gloss mascara from Maybelline.

The finishing touch, of course, was the lipstick. Apply red lipstick from the center of the top lip out, making sure not to go outside of your natural lip area. If you create an uneven line or go outside your lips, clean up with a Q-tip dipped in makeup remover. Easy! I like a creamy lipstick like this one with plenty of pigment; it is not drying like a matte stick, but it has serious staying power for kissable red lips that last all night.

The look:

The toolkit:

From top: Eyes by Design shadow palette in Bronze, it Cosmetics powder brush, Revlon Super Lustrous Creme lipstick in Fire & Ice, Christian Dior’s Diorskin powder foundation (used as concealer), CVS brand shadow brush, Essence metallic eye liner #5, MegaEyes liquid liner in black, Maybelline Turbo Volum’ Express in black, Chanel soft touch eye shadow in Blazing Gold, MAC Office Hours blush in Rosy Outlook, Clinique Acne Solutions liquid makeup.

The on-the-go kit:

Who has room in her purse for a million products? Streamline a look by bringing just the essentials– in this case, the same blak liner, red lipstick, and mascara I’d used prior in case anything rubs off. Also, the Clinique foundation to use on spots as they emerge throughout the night, and I toted an Estee Lauder cream shadow for easy application on-the-go.

The late-night shot:

I was pleased that the look held up for a good three hours with no need to touch up. Even after a few of those delightful complimentary champagnes :)

Makeup Looks: A soft approach to 80′s color

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I was meeting the little bro for margaritas and business (yes, we find it easier to assist each other with our respective work challenges over a frozen cocktail. So shoot me). In the stifling early evening heat, I threw on a black eyelet mini dress and my Frye boots. My hair was straight and flowing loosely from having been bound in a topknot all afternoon. My GOD, did I look like the 70′s! So, I decided to skip the obvious (brown shadow, pale lipgloss, and go) and try a fun take on an 80′s inspired makeup look to vamp up the outfit for night.

I wanted to keep the look soft and pretty but with an unexpected punch, so I decided on bold purple eye shadow and pink lips. First, I prepped my combination skin with Clinique acne solutions makeup, which is a Godsend for anyone who gets the occasional tough pimple. Then I colored in and brushed my brows with the Brow Power (I LOVE this product… it looks so natural). In order to define the arch even more, I applied the mally shadow primer all the way up to the base of my brows. This product helps to keep your shadow in place all night.

Then I applied a heavy dose of the MAC shadow with my finger tip. After lining the eyes and before applying mascara to top and bottom lashes, I took a wet q-tip to clean up wherever this opaque shadow was uneven or too bold. I finished off the look using all three colors (warm brown, shimmery bronze, and cool pink) in the it Cosmetics bronzing palette, and smeared on a healthy few layers of the Cover Girl bright pink lipstick. Ta-da!

The tool kit:

Clockwise from bottom left: MAC eye shadow in Shock – a – Holic, it Cosmetics Brow Power pencil, Rimmel London Scandaleyes mascara, Cover Girl lipstick in Temptress, Clinique acne solutions makeup in shade 2, Wet n’ Wild Mega Eyes liquid liner, it Cosmetics makeup brush, mally for QVC shadow primer, it Cosmetics bronzing palette.

The look:

Notice how the purple shadow is soft and not super-dramatic like true 80′s makeup? There is a time and a place for intense color, but I thought that a more subtle application worked well for this look. The bright pink lips certainly helped too– when you’re wearing black, you need a little color on the face. I also really suggest taking your time to apply mascara evenly while extending the lash length. My lower lashes pop here, making the eyes appear bigger and eliminating the need to line the lower lids.

The late night shot:

Okay, I am not even kidding but this photo was taken four hours and two drinks after I left the apartment… and the lipstick was left over from the initial application. $7.99 on soap.com, girls. Get yourself a stick today!

Try Something New: Coral lips

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Pinks and reds and nudes are lovely, but donning a coral lip is sure to turn heads and up your swagger factor instantly. I love playing with all different lipstick colors; this season I’m finding that coral is a fun, trendy color that works on all skintones and with a multitude of outfits.

Daytime darling:

Try a matte coral lipstick by day with basically bare eyes–just a coat or two of mascara will do! This look is daytime casual but super-pretty and can easily work with jeans and a T or a sweet sundress.

Dressy date night:

Wanna wow on your first (or hundredth) date with Mr. Right? Keep his eyes glued to your face (and his mind on kissing you) with a glossy neon-coral pout like Leona Lewis’s.

Full-on glamour:

Attending a wedding or other glammed-up summer soiree? Make like January Jones with an eye-catching, vintage-esque creamy coral lipstick and winged black eyeliner. Gorgeous!

Summer (skin) Lovin’

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It’s almost that time of year, and this Lawn Gisland girl has to admit to being VERY torn on the sunscreen front. Now, if we’re being honest, it’s been drilled into our heads for years that tanning is unsafe. More and more articles and TV news pieces are surfacing constantly to caution us about safe skin practices. (This morning, on the Today show, I learned that we should be using a SHOTGLASSFULL of sunscreen on our bodies every two hours every day?? Wild. And expensive, no?) But, the reality is, it’s time to smarten up about our skin. That said, as much as I don’t want to wind up leathery one day, and I certainly don’t want skin cancer, I am obsessed with looking tan. It’s in my DNA. Just part of Long Island’s regional charm, I guess. What’s a tanorexic to do?

SPRAY TAN! Okay, I know what you’re thinking. Smelly, messy, and yellow (orange?) in the wrong places. But, no, the new spray tans, while pricey, can actually be JUST what the doctor, and the tanorexic, ordered. I was lucky enough to receive my first local spray tan (I had one in LA last year that didn’t go so great) at one of Manhattan’s finest spots–the Spa at Trump SoHo. Danielle, one of their aestheticians, delivered a customized spray tan in a comfortable, beautiful environment. Now, I might have been a little cold at times, but there was practically no dry time, and absolutely no smudging. I have never had a prettier tan in all my life, and my skin was glad to know that it wasn’t being affected in the slightest (except, maybe with some moisturizers!).

Do I, or do I not, look like I just spent a few days in Cabo (as opposed to where I really have been spending my time–which is in a dark room, in Brooklyn, writing)?

The spray tan will only last you about a week, but I drew mine out a little longer by using Clarins and Mystic home products on my face, arms, and legs afterward. My natural-looking glow was complimented by friends, coworkers, and (duh) my boyfriend. Look, I understand the desire to be tan, but this is one of those public service warnings we should really heed. Within my immediate family alone, there are two people who survived melanoma. They were lucky, but not everyone is. With one in five American adults contracting skin cancer these days, wouldn’t you rather pay a little more to look tan the safe way?

PS. If you go to the Spa at Trump SoHo during the week, spray tans are only $95!