5 Fall 2011 Beauty Trends

Fall is just around the corner and I figured this might be a good time to look at a few of the more promising makeup trends.

1.  Eyeliner Bold and Beautiful:  The focus is definitely on eyeliner this fall.  This trend, perhaps more then any other, has predominated the fashion magazines,runways and editorials.  Thanks to new eyeliner formulas from such companies as Make Up Forever, Urban Decay and Stila it's easy to recreate these bold eye looks at home.  Beautiful bright gem toned eyeliners in purples, teals and blues are brightening eyes.

If the eyeliner isn't bright then it's a bold kitten flick or a sexy wing.  Do you have an unsteady hand?  Then Dior Velvet Eyes has you covered with their new felt eyeliner stickers.  How cool is that?

Whether you choose a bright bold color or a sexy kitten flick, remember to keep the rest of the eye neutral.  This is not a look that calls for deep contouring or bright sparkly highlights. 

2.  Brows Are Back:  Finally the trend of bleached, over plucked brows has gone the way of the dodo bird .  Brows are finally back and in a beautiful way.  The trend is to a more natural brow, not the bushy brows of the 80's.  Uhmmm...guess who may of been the inspiration to this liberating trend?

3.  Blush Heads South: This has been a look I've been struggling to figure out.  Is it a editorial/runway only trend or something that works beautifully at home?  I'm not talking about contouring, but moving that luscious flush below your cheekbones.  I think this is a look that works better for those blessed with amazing cheekbones.  For those so blessed, it's a beautiful look.

4.  Bright Lips Without a Harsh Edge:  In the past when going for a bold lip it has been essential to start with a lip liner.  It's no longer important and in fact it's rather passe.  Today's  better lipstick formulas, don't bleed and offer a level of translucence we haven't seen before.  Whether glossy or matte don't fall into the trap of a harsh rigid lip line.  If you absolutely have to use lip liner, gently roll a damp Q-tip around the edges to soften them.

5.  Metallic Nails: Gold, rose gold, silver, platinum pick your poison.  Almond shaped or bejeweled it doesn't matter as long as the gorgeous gleam of precious metal is there.

Are any of these trends calling your name?  What do you think?  I, for one, am seriously jonesing for those Dior Velvet Eyes.

They're Real! Benefits Newest Mascara

Mascara is probably the last thing I need.  As you may know I'm a bit of a mascara slut.  I fall for about every new product that hits the shelves.  I have found my holy grail mascara, but that doesn't seem to be enough for me!  I want more!

So when I heard about Benefits new mascara; They're Real, I just HAD to have it!  Can you blame me?  They claim that it will give you dramatic length, volume, base to tip curl, visible lift AND long wearing results.  What really got me was the really cool wand, it's designed to be used both vertically and horizontally.  It's a traditional mascara wand with a spiky sphere on the end that allows you to get to all those little baby lashes.

I bought this months ago when Benefit had a pre-release at Ulta and it's taken me this long to decide if I like it. 

The first time I used They're Real I was almost in tears.  It clumped my lashes so badly and I was rushing to go out to meet friends.  It was weeks before I was willing to give it a second chance, but I'm glad I did.

The key to this mascara (all mascaras really) is to make sure you don't have too much product on your wand.  The mascara dries to a inky black finish with a slight sheen.  As the mascara dries it shrinks, pulling your lashes up, giving you that curled lash look.  After that first time I had minimal clumping.  I have not experienced any flaking/smearing with They're Real AND I've even been successful wearing them on my lower lashes, with no smudges.

This is a good mascara, a very good mascara.  I still love my Buxom and my Cover Girl Lash Blast.  They're Real offers a look that neither of them delivers on...drama.  I don't use They're Real  every day, but if I'm going out or looking for drama, They're Real is my go to mascara...for now.

Cindy Sherman for MAC

Here are some of the new promotional images from MAC's new fall collection.  I was excited when I first heard about this collaboration, but when I saw these images all I could say is, WTF?!  The actual collection may be to die for, but these images are just not pulling me in.  Cindy Sherman is a gifted artist and photographer, but I'm just not getting these images.  What do you guys think?

July 2011 Birchbox

What is Birchbox? Birchbox is a membership service that delivers 4-5 deluxe size beauty samples to your door monthly. The cost is $10/month and that includes the shipping and handling. If you like what they send you, you have the option of purchasing full sizes on their website, many of them with free shipping. Membership also includes access to their website, which is loaded with beauty tutorials and the latest in beauty information. 

Last month I hinted that July's Birchbox was supposed to be something special, and special it was.  For July, Birchbox partnered with iconic designer Cynthia Rowley to create a box filled with Cynthia's personal favorite things.  This months box was a special present and opening it was a delight.

The first thing different I noticed about my box, was that it was covered in a pretty water marbled over wrap, just like gift wrap!  Inside, instead of the traditional pink tissue paper, this months goodies were wrapped in pretty turquoise tissue.  The wrappings while pretty aren't really the meat of this box though.

Inside was a beautiful nude Zoya nail polish.  It's a pretty pearled nude that actually looks good on me.  I've struggled with nude nail polish and it always gives me cadaver fingers.  Zoya's Shay had enough reflective properties to help me pull the look off.

Also included is a 1 fl oz sample of my favorite cleanser Purity.  For more on this fabulous cleanser check out my post here.  Needless to say I was quite happy to receive this travel size of my favorite cleanser.

I have been on a seemingly endless search for the perfect hand cream.  I almost found it in this months Birchbox.  It's the Ahava Mineral Hand Cream.  It absorbs nicely into my hands with a nice soft non-greasy finish.  Unfortunately it has a rather strong fragrance (not unpleasant) and due to my "real" job I have to try and stay "fragrance free".  There's also some political stuff brewing around this Israeli based company and I prefer my cosmetics to be a "political free zone".

My favorite addition to this months Birchbox is the the Redken Shine Flash 02.  This is a hair shine product that leaves an almost glossy finish to my hair.  Cynthia Rowley uses this on her models before they march down the catwalk.  I love the finish it gives my hair, it even tames those pesky baby hairs.  I do not love the stinky smell.  It quickly evaporates though and is undetectable in my hair.

Last but not least was this months "treat".  Tucked away in the box was a KIND Almond & Apricot bar.  I have seen these before at Starbucks and have hesitated to try them.  Not any more, they are yummy! This snack is loaded with nuts and fruits, but no preservatives or "hard-to-pronounce" ingredients.  Since trying this, I have purchased several of the other flavors and Almond & Apricot is my favorite.

Have any of you subscribed to Birchbox or are you thinking about it? The last two months have been great, can't wait till August's box comes!

L'Oreal Le Gloss

Le Gloss is L'Oreals most recent introduction into the world of tube lip glosses.  I'll be honest, I've never really been a fan of tube lip glosses; they just seem messy, not that pigmented and quite frankly the colors have never really wowed me.

After seeing these pretty tubes in just about every drugstore I've been in over the last few weeks, I decided to break down and give them a try.  I took the plunge and picked up 4 tubes in Golden Splash (shimmering coral), Really Rose (creamy mauve), Watermelon (shimmering pink) and Blushing Berry (creamy berry). 

The gloss has an artificial vanilla cookie scent to it, but no flavor.  No flavor is a good thing, otherwise I find myself licking it off.  Unlike most tube glosses these are not particularly sheer,and the colors themselves are really quite pretty.  On their own they are not opaque like a lip cream, but neither are they sheer. I get about 2-3 hours of wear with these glosses.  The color wears off quickly, but they remain moisturizing for another hour or so.

The moisturizing properties of these lip glosses are probably their best attribute. Infused with omega 3, argan oil and vitamin E these glosses provide not only shine but a nice dose of moisture for your lips. I did not find these drying in anyway and most impressive of all...they are not sticky! My hair didn't get stuck to my lips once.

I like these best over lipstick. They do a nice job of giving your lip a subtle shine and dimension without breaking down the lipstick below it. 

The packaging is pretty much a miss for me.  The tubes and dispenser are your typical tube lip gloss, nothing special, but nothing bad.  The gold labeling on the package is a big fail though.  After just a few uses I found the gold rubbing off.  Not a terrible thing, but it does end up leaving you with a rather shabby looking product.

Currently there are 16 different shades available including clear. Each tube retails for around $8, less if you can find a sale. I bought mine on a BOGO 50% off.

  Would I buy again? Yes.  While they are expensive for a drugstore lipgloss they are a bargain compared to high end brands.  What about you?  Have you tried these?  Are you planning on trying these?

Maison Lancome-Fall 2011 Blush

I should be ashamed, but I bought this based on the image alone.  How gorgeous is this?!  It won't be shipping till August, but it will be mine!  The whole Fall 2011 collection from Lancome is gorgeous, but the blush was a must have for me!  What do you guys think?

Milani Color Streaks

I LOVE Milani!  Their blushes are to die for.  The Liqiuif'eye liner is simply the best liner I've found (sorry Urban Decay).  The lip glosses put MAC to shame.  I really, really wanted to love or at least like the newest product in the Milani collection; Color Streaks.

  For a limited time only they have released Color Streaks, which is basically a mascara like product that temporarily colors your hair. You may remember similar products that either made your hair stiff and crunchy, oily, waxy or just didn't  work.  In fact, I remember Miss S getting some with a Barbie one year for Christmas. I wasn't hyped when I first heard about them, but hey it's Milani, it's got to be good!  They even have keratin in them and that's good, right?

No.  No. AND NO!  These suck worse then those Barbie wands Miss S got that Christmas.  They don't show up in my brunette hair, which wouldn't be to surprising, but the promo images show it on beautiful BLACK hair!  They dry stiff and clumpy. AND they stained my hand!

In the tubes the colors are gorgeous.  The multi colored glitter one had me so excited.  It had those beautiful hexagonal glitters I love so much mixed with a smaller glitter.  Unfortunately it's mixed in a black base so it's hard to see and the mascara applicator barely picks up any of the glitter.

Buy or Bust?  What do you think? I bought the pink, purple and black glitter and ALL 3 are going back to CVS.  Have you tried these yet?  I'd love to hear about your experiances!