Day 4: Lip Plumpers

There are many plumpers that promise bee stung lips. I have tried many but my lips barely twitch and the fullness never reaches Jolie status. The only lip plumper that ever felt like it was working was Bare Escentuals Lips Buxom. The sensation feels like you ate a York Peppermint Patty.

It feels like ice. My lips never feel this alive unless they are being kissed or eating Szechuan. My lips do seem to get more pillowy and seem to throb. The formula delivers high shine and moisturizing benefits. It contains a cocktail of antioxidant vitamins A & E to deliver smoothness. I had no issues with flaking or the top layer of my lip coming off. It retails for $18 and is available @http://www.bareescentuals.com/index.html

What is your favorite lip plumper? Let us know in the comments.

Disclaimer: A press sample of this product was provided by Bare Escentuals

Day 3: Princess Leia’s Lip Gloss or How to Make Your Lipstick Last through an Intergalactic War by Angie

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away…oh no, it was actually 1977, and I was watching Star Wars for the first time. The credits rolled, the fabulous theme song started, and suddenly a princess with strange buns in her hair was flitting across a dark passageway, delivering top secret plans to the Death Star. But, more importantly, she was displaying the most wonderful lip gloss I’d ever seen.

While guys may have loved Princess Leia’s golden bikini slave look, we ladies have always adored the original look: long white dress with funky hood, silver belt, and that crazy hair. But what has always amused me is how Princess Leia’s juicy, cherry red lip gloss apparently lasted for several days, possibly weeks! This ever-lasting gobstopper of lip products endured through endless days of interrogation and torture on the Death Star, an escape from a prison cell, a fall down a garbage chute, and even a stolen kiss with her rescuer.

My theory of how Leia’s lip gloss survived for weeks? I think she had provisions including a stash of lip gloss in those buns. Like Amy Winehouse who apparently tucks necessities in her beehive or like Pam Grier in Coffee, hiding weapons such as razor blades in her formidable hair, Leia might have had a stash of cosmetics in her crazy updo. Hey, this girl was prepared – you never know when you might be swept off your feet by a space pirate who looks like Harrison Ford.

By the way, did you know that this piece of original dialogue was cut from Star Wars after test audiences seemed perplexed: “Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi, you’re my only hope to find another tube of this fabulous, long lasting lip gloss and I only have half a tube left inside my right bun. Oh, and then there are these plans to the Death Star that you might need but first can you stop at that Duane Reade just outside Mos Isley Space Port?”

What would the great intergalactic lipstick or other beauty product of the future be able to do? Come on ladies, think like Ray Bradbury or Philip K. Dick if they were 18year old girls imagining the lip product of the year 2050. Remember in Total Recall when the receptionist could point a pen at her nails and w/a click the color changed? My lipstick of the future would be like a mood ring and change w/my whims, it would last all day and it would also retain moisture and sheen. It would be contained in the tiniest pen with a collapsible mirror that would open up like a tiny fan from one end.

Credit: Star Wars/Lucasfilm

What is your Lippie of the Day?


Mine is MAC's Dazzleglass in Love Alert.

Lipstick on Your Collar by Connie Francis


Lipstick on you collar told a tale on you
Lipstick on you collar said you were untrue
Bet your bottom dollar you and I are through
Cuz lipstick on you collar told a tale on you, yeah


Credit: Youtube via Jessica M

Day 2: She Blinded Me With Science: Lipstick Queen Big Bang Illusion Gloss
A review by Jessica M





The original Big Bang Theory is a scientific hypothesis that explains the origin of the universe. Lipstick Queen’s Big Bang, on the other hand, is a line of glosses designed to create the illusion of fuller lips. These glosses don’t include any stinging, itching “plumping” ingredients; instead, they give the impression of fullness through color and light effects.

Inside each of the Big Bang see-though containers, which look like test tubes from some very beautiful laboratory, you can see the “futuristic formula” of this gloss. It has a gleamy, iridescent finish without any detectable particles of shimmer or glitter. This is the kind of sheen you see more often in high-end nail polishes, or in nature: in mother-of-pearl, for example, or on a hummingbird’s feathers.

All the Big Bang shades are tempting to the eye, but I limited myself to purchasing two. Cosmos (third from the left in the photo) is a “glittering cherry red.” It’s a true red that reminds me of Chinese lacquer or ruby slippers. It looks sheerer on the lips, without losing its luster or its depth. I’ve been using it alone, and sometimes over a swipe of Lipstick Queen’s Medieval, and I’m working up to trying it over a more opaque red or berry lipstick for a more dramatic look.

Creation (sixth from the left) is defined as a “sparkling rose.” It’s a slightly cool-toned, medium pink with a dreamy pearly cast. This is my newest favorite lip color for everyday use. I’ve been wearing it on its own, for a soft, springtime glow, or as a second layer to give my Minor Crisis Oxymoron or Saint Rose lipstick some extra brilliance and intensity.


When I was shopping for these glosses, I was also intrigued by the Space shade (at the far left in the photo). The Lipstick Queen website describes Space as a “sparkling lilac,” although it struck me as more of a silvery taupe. It’s reportedly created by mixing black and pink pigments. (Annie definitely needs to try this one!)

On the lips, Big Bang Illusion Gloss feels satiny, without any stickiness or slipperiness, and it gives a luminous tint without an overly “wet” appearance. This is a sophisticated way to wear color and shine; you could even say it takes lip gloss into a new dimension.

Lipstick Queen Big Bang Illusion Glosses are sold for $20 each at Barneys New York and through the Lipstick Queen website, http://www.lipstickqueen.com/.

Product photo courtesy of Lipstick Queen. Photo of a student nurse by H. Armstrong Roberts (1947), via Corbis.

Lipstick Lectures

What was your favorite lipstick in college?

Mine were MAC's Russian Red and Revlon's Rum Raisin. I discovered MAC's Spice lip liner during my senior year.
I wore this with just a smidge of lip gloss.
Those were my grunge years.

Credit: Life February 1960
Photographer: Yale Joel
via Jessica M

40 Days and 40 Nights of Lip Service

This is the fourth annual 40 days and 40 Nights series on Blogdorf Goodman. The gang will focus on lip products for the next 40 days.

Patti and I have been discussing a lipstick series since the beginning of this blog. I think we put it off because it would be difficult to accomplish. The subject matter is so broad and vast. We could do reviews on lip glosses for 365 days and still not make a dent in our collections. This year with the struggling economy and the Lipstick Index, we decided to go for it. The Lipstick Index was coined by Leonard Lauder in 2001. During that recession, lipstick sales increased by 11%. It is widely believed that during difficult economic times, cosmetic sales increase. Lippies are generally considered an affordable luxury. This economic crisis is putting the lipstick index theory to the test. Current cosmetic sales are not a shining beacon of hope. However, we see glimpses of future lippie love. Lavender Whip from MAC sold out quickly at the counters. Dick Page produced a much buzzed about 20 piece lipstick collection for Shiseido. Armani released new Sheer and Shine lipsticks. There is growing excitement over the Dior lipstick collection(rumored to be 20 pieces) along with Dolce & Gabbana's Dahlia lipstick.

During these next 40 days there will be reviews, polls, blurbs and general trivia about lippies. We plan to discuss everything from lipsticks to lip plumpers. There will also be gushing over MAC Dazzleglasses and Poppy King. I most likely will mention Lancome's Behnaz Red lipstick at least once during the series. That is a given.

To start the series we will begin with a poll to test the Lipstick Index.

Have you found yourself purchasing more lipsticks or lip glosses these last few months?

I have purchased more lipsticks this last month than any other beauty product or article of clothing. The last lippies I purchased was another Lavender Whip from MAC along with Hello Kitty's Big Bow. I also purchased Guerlin's KissKiss Liplift primer.
I blamed this purchase on "blog research".

Hand me my purse, darling, will you.
A girl can't read this sort of thing without her lipstick....(Holly Golightly)

Clip from Breakfast at Tiffanys
Credit: Youtube link via Storybookheroine

Have a Merry Fat Tuesday!

Today is Fat Tuesday. For people who practice the catholic faith, this is the last day of being a wanton libertine before Lent begins. Tomorrow also is the first day of the 40 Days and 40 Nights project on this blog. This series was started by Patti aka Cavewoman on Makeupalley. She wrote 40 reviews of makeup primers. This was during the early days of primer production. Not all companies were creating primer products. Patti searched high and low for anything to review. This was a hard and expensive feat.

The next year we both tackled an ambitious project of 40 days of Brands. This project was easier because between the two of us we have a lot of products from various brands. We covered high end to drugstore.

Last year we went a different route with the theme of Cult Classics. We had our various online friends join us for the fun. We complained about Maybelline's Great Lash and gushed over Lancome Erika F's eyeshadow.

This year we decided to do the one project we have wanted to do since the beginning. We have always worried that it would be too broad and vast to tackle.
But we are up to the challenge and hope you will come along for the ride.

Credit: Warhol via Jessica M

Little J in Nars

I'm glad you're not wearing that raccoon makeup anymore, because you looked like one of the Incredibles. (Quote from Dan Humphrey on Gossip Girl)

Taylor Momsen wanted a smoky, strong eye - her signature look,” said NARS Makeup Artist Sharon Brown. “I used Black Moon Eyeliner Pencil to rim her eyes and smudge over the entire lid.” Blue shadow was layered for a pop of color. Finally, Cyprus, a bronze shadow with shimmer, was added for a flawless transition into her next outfit. “She was wearing a beautiful dress with copper accents later that night so I wanted the look to work well into the evening.” With the eyes as the focus, the cheeks were kept soft and highlighted, and the lips were delicately glossed with a new sheer pink grapefruit shade for spring.

Skin

Mix NARS Firming Foundation in Deauville and NARSskin brightening serum to create an even base with a subtle glow
Apply NARS Duo Concealer in Custard/Ginger as needed Blend NARS Cream Blush in Penny Lane into cheeks
Highlight cheekbones with a soft blend of NARS Blush Duo in Hungry Heart

Eyes

Line the top and bottom lashes with NARS Eyeliner Pencil in Black Moon
Smudge Black Moon over entire lid [“For Taylor’s eye makeup, the darker the better,” said Sharon.]
Apply slate blue side of NARS Duo Eyeshadow in Underworld for a pop of color
Layer NARS Single Eyeshadow in Night Flight, using cobalt blue pearls to accentuate Underworld
Top with a light dusting of NARS Single Eyeshadow in Cyprus
Highlight brow bone with NARS Single Eyeshadow in Aybssinia

Lips

Line lips with NARS Lip Liner Pencil in Tonga (Summer 2009)
Apply NARS Lip Gloss in Sweet Revenge for sheer color (Spring 2009)


Credit: Nars and Style.com

Jessica Biel at the Oscars

Celebrity makeup artist Pati Dubroff created a "soft and romantic" look for
presenter Jessica Biel. "Jessica wore a very structured white gown with a
40's vibe so I wanted the makeup to not be hard or structured," said Dubroff.

Eyes
I kept them super soft-no liner at all and only one coat of mascara.
Benefit Creaseless Shadow in Gossip, Dior 5-Colour Eyeshadow in Petal Shine
#809

Lips
Dior Addict Lipcolor in Infamous Pink #623

Cheeks
Kevyn Aucoin The Creamy Moist Glow in Nuelle.

Skin
The skin on face and body is glowing with the help of Sensai Brightening Creme

Credit: Dior and Celebutopia

Evan Rachel Wood is wearing Elie Saab HC Spring 09

Credit: Style.com and Celebutopia/fashionspot

Freida Pinto Beauty Recap at the Oscars




The Oscar beauty rundown for Freida Pinto is from Dior. Makeup artist Jeffrey Paul's inspiration was the colors of a "morning sunrise".

He created her eye look with Dior 1-Colour Eyeshadow in Blooming Pink, Dior 5-Colour Eyeshadow in Beige Messai (soft brown shade), Dior 5-Colour Eyeshadow in Night Dust
(deep brown shade) and DiorShow Mascara in Brown.

Frieda's lips were so pretty. It was a dusty rose shade that was so flattering and subtle. Mr Paul used Dior Addict High Shine Lipstick in Sheer Rose.
He used DiorSkin Nude Powder in Deep and the blush was Dior Amber Diamond.

(Credit: Daylife and Dior)

Best Bling at the Oscars....

Amanda Seyfried wore a Fred Leighton diamond flower necklace along with a 19th Century diamond bracelet, old mine cut diamond earrings, and 19th Century diamond ring.

Taraji P. Henson wore a Fred Leighton 19th Century Diamond Flower Necklace with Diamond Pendant Earrings with 6 carat Cushion-Cut Drop.

Angelina Jolie wore a 65-carat Colombia emerald ring with 115-carat(Hot Damn!) emerald earrings from Lorraine Schwartz. I have never seen emeralds look that intense. They literally glowed like Kryptonite.

Credits: Yahoo

Pretty Padme: Natalie Portman in Rodarte

“My inspiration for Natalie on Oscar night was her dress... The colour was
a fantastic orchid, and being Rodarte, I wanted to do cool punk rock sexy
fairy make up.” (Quote from Jeanine Lobell)

Jeanine was going for a smoky eye, and used CHANEL Silky Eye Shadow Duo in
Orient Express. She used the pale pink as a base and the dark purple smoked
around the eye on the lid and smudged in lower lash line. She added CHANEL
Intense Eye Pencil in Noir inside the eye, and lots of CHANEL Inimitable
Mascara in Noir-Black for thick sexy lashes. She used CHANEL Perfect Brows
in Brun, using the two colours to make a strong brow, but keeping it soft.
Jeanine then used CHANEL Powder Blush in Narcisse, a flattering, bright
pink shade, high on the cheek bones. She then added CHANEL Glossimer in
Galactic for a more pale lavender lip. Finally, for a sexy, bronze sheen,
Jeanine applied CHANEL Sheer Brilliance in Sunkissed on Natalie’s arms,
shoulders, and décolleté.



Credit: Chanel, Yahoo and Style.com

Gray Gardens

Gray Nails at Forever 21
I became obsessed with gray nails after seeing a picture of Lauren Conrad from The Hills at some premiere. Her nails were a metallic blue gray with shimmer. I promptly lost my mind. To this day I have not found out any information on her nail polish. In the meantime I have discovered a blue gray polish that will fill in the void. I spotted this shade on a Forever 21 sales clerk. It was chipped and looked a hot mess but I was intrigued with it's slight blue tone. I did not expect much in quality due to it's price and how it wore on the clerk. So it is to my surprise, that I am delivering a gush-filled review. This $3 polish is beyond fabulous. The quality of the pigment and texture is extraordinary. One coat of this polish looks like three. My nail technician tested the polish with and without a base coat. The results were the same. The color payoff can not be beat by any low or high end polish.
The polish formula is slightly thicker than most nail lacquers. However it is not hard to work with. The brush is perfectly designed to cover the entire nail. My nail technician was able to polish in my nails in record time. This polish has survived a solid week with no wear and tear.
The brand is called L.A. Girl Flare.
It retails for $2.80 and there appears to be a variety of shades.

Disclaimer: I purchased this nail polish at Forever 21.

Credit: Blogdorf Goodman

Angelina Jolie at the Oscars!

Celebrity makeup artist Mary Burton created Angelina’s flawless look. Mary applied Le Crayon Khôl in Black Ebony to the upper and lower lash lines. She emphasized the shape of Angelina’s eyes by applying more liner to the outer corners of the eye. Several coats of Ôscillation Mascara were applied to the upper lashes for added volume and length. Mary put a touch of pink to the cheeks using Shu Uemura Blush in M Pink 31 and applied it to her cheekbones near the temple. To create ultra-shiny and luminous lips, Mary used Juicy Tubes in Spring Fling.

Credits: Lancome and Yahoo

“The look is inspired by 1930’s photographs – sepia tone shading but with a slick gloss on the eyes to make it modern.”
Charlotte Tilbury

Eyes: Dusk cream colour base- blended through crease, over lids and along lower lash line to create shading and depth.
Copper Walnut PRO Gloss mixed with a bit of Reflects Gold – applied from lid to brow for a wet look on the eyes.

Face: Fast Play lipstick – blended onto the apples of the cheeks.
Pearl cream colour base – swept over cheek bone, bridge of nose, and bow of lips to highlight.

Lips: Half and half lipstick – lightly patted onto the lips

Credits: MAC and Elle

Penelope Cruz Wins!



She was in vintage Balmain.

Cruz fell in love with the gown eight years ago in a shop. Tim Gunn mentioned that the gown was over 60 years old and was of museum quality.


Let us know your picks for the best and worst dressed in the comments.

Credits: www.vam.ac.uk, wikipedia and wireimage

Sarah Jessica Parker in Christian Dior Fall Couture 2008

I would call this...barely MINT."(SJP)

Credits: Wireimage and style.com

Amanda Seyfried in Valentino Couture Spring 2009

She is carrying a Kotur Silver Basket Weave Creel handbag.

Credits:Celebutopia and style.com

Freida Pinto in Christian Dior


Credits: Yahoo and Style.com

Vanessa in Marchesa Spring RTW 2009

Credits: Style.com and celebutopia

Miley Cyrus in Zuhair Murad




She arrived first.
The gown has a vintage Dior feel to it.
What do you think of the gown? Let us know in the comments.

Credits: celebutopia, zuhairmurad

Don't Call It a Comeback: Francois Nars returns to fashion week with Marc Jacobs...

Dont call it a comeback
I been here for years
Rockin my peers and puttin suckas in fear (LL Cool J)

Marc Jacobs went in a very new direction with his collection and show. The beauty inspiration was far from the days of Dick Page. This year Jacobs managed to charm Francois Nars back to the tents.
This is fairly gasp worthy.
He has not done runway in ten years.

Mr Nars worked with 65 models creating individual looks for each girl. It was wild, crazy and familiar. It was the 80's all over again.

Show: Marc Jacobs

Lead Artist: François Nars, Founder and Creative Director of NARS Cosmetics

Trend: Night clubbing – theatrical makeup – strong eyes, porcelain skin


Inspiration: The Marc Jacobs Fall 2009 collection paid homage to the New York night club scene of the 1970s and ‘80s. Drawing inspiration from these decades and the works of Sprouse, St. Laurent, and Halston, François Nars took into consideration each model’s individual beauty before creating a separate edgy look, reminiscent of the past but still very modern. "We are doing quite an eclectic look," he said. The inspiration for diversity came from Nars’ book XRAY. “[Marc] wanted to keep that feeling,” said Nars, “the variety of looks, the same way we do the campaigns for NARS.” Overall, it was important that each girl look beautiful, even with strong theatrical looks. Much like the fashion, Nars emphasized having fun with makeup for the coming year, despite the times we live in- “It’s a good antidote.”

Look: Focusing on an edgy, night clubbing look, strong eyes and bold color were a major theme. Black shadow laid the foundation for creating the dramatic eye, to which the artists added cobalt blues, deep greens, bright purples, reds, fuchsias, and glitter. “There is a wide variety of color,” said Nars, “it’s whatever looks good on the girl.” For many of the models, porcelain skin was a key component, allowing the black eyes and bright colors to pop. “You want to play with makeup,” says Nars, “makeup is a great accessory - that is the message.”

Credits: Nars,Wikipedia and lyrics from LL Cool J's Mama Said Knock You Out