Let Love Rule

Love can kick rocks in my bitter opinion. Please realize that this is my "inner spinster" speaking. I do appreciate love in all it's wonderful and cruel glory. I would like to drive the love bandwagon instead of plotting it's fiery crash. All these press releases of Valentine gift suggestions just makes me want to pout.
This blogger is not in the throes of true love or participating in any romantic endeavors. However, this blogger does appreciate a great red lippie and pretty smelling things.

Estee Lauder's Kissable Lip Gloss in Cherry Kiss is very fetching. A pop of red with pink shimmer fire. The gloss has a brush applicator and the tube is stamped with the word "love". There are three other shades and the gloss is scented heavily with fig.

Lauder also released 12 Hydra Lustre Lipsticks in the Love Your Lips collection. I received a press sample of Coral Kiss.

Corals are a huge trend this spring and summer. I am starting to lose count of the new Coral themed collections and lippies. Coral Kiss is a more sheer, less oomph version of Lancome's Chris Benz. Lauder's limited edition lippie has the word Love embossed on the actual lipstick. This is an adorable touch.

The lipstick retails for $19.50 while the gloss retails for $18.
Visit your local Estee Lauder counter or the website at www.esteelauder.com

Disclosure: A press sample of this product was provided by Estee Lauder

Your kiss is on my list: review of Lancôme Rouge Absolu Lipstick in Chris & Tell

By Jessica M and Angie W

Back in September, we were invited (as Blogdorf representatives!) to attend the backstage preparations for Chris Benz’s Spring 2010 ready-to-wear show during New York Fashion Week. We were able to watch makeup artist Daniel Martin at work, and we even met the designer himself. Since Lancôme will be releasing its newest “Pout-a-Porter” lipstick in February, and 2010’s shade is a collaboration with Chris Benz, this seemed like a good time to recap our visit to the Benz show.

Chris Benz’s spring collection was inspired by Cheryl Tiegs in the 1970s and by the Memphis architectural design group of the 1980s, and these influences were translated into exuberant colors and playful patterns of dots and stripes in a line of youthful, uptown-goes-downtown designs.

The makeup for the show was also lively but easygoing; Daniel Martin said that he always tries to achieve a “do-it-yourself” effect in his work with Chris Benz. He used Lancôme’s Génifique Youth Activating Concentrate on the models' skin, Color Design eye shadow in Honeymoon crushed and pressed onto the eyelid, Hypnôse Drama mascara in Black, and the new Pop‘N Cheeks blush mosaic in Coral Flirt. (We also spied a row of Shu Uemura Nobara stick foundations!)

However, the overall makeup look revolved around the lipstick: all the models wore the new Pout-a-Porter Rouge Absolu lippie, whose name – Chris & Tell – had just been chosen through a contest on Chris Benz’s Facebook page. The color was developed by Chris and Daniel, with input from their friend Elettra Wiedemann, who is also a model and a Lancôme muse. Chris recalled that they kept gravitating towards orange-y shades, and they ended up with a pinkish coral that looks slightly different on everybody who wears it.

Daniel applied Chris & Tell directly from the tube or dabbed it on with a fingertip for this show; no lip brushes were used. As he said, "What makes it modern is keeping the face fresh.” The result was a soft and effortless style, a natural look that did remind us a little bit of Cheryl Tiegs in her heyday, with the lipstick as the finishing touch.

Coral lipsticks were definitely popular in the 70s, but Chris & Tell doesn’t have that outdated frosty or chalky look: it’s matte, but just creamy enough to look clean and young. And, as Daniel suggested, if you want to give the color more dimension, just add a balm underneath or a clear gloss over it.

Annie has a sample of Chris & Tell, and she’ll be reviewing it here in the near future. In the meantime, if you’re hoping to own a Chris & Tell lipstick of your own, contact your local Saks Fifth Avenue or Lancôme boutique to put your name on the waiting list!

Photos credit: Jessica M and Angie W
Disclosure: A press sample of this product was provided by Lancome.

He Never Said He Had a Girlfriend

Whitney Port had a fashion show during NYC Fashion week. It was for her new clothing line called Whitney Eve.
The makeup duties was performed by Tina Turnbow for NYX Professional makeup.

The beauty look was inspired by Alice in Wonderland. There were coral lips and flushed cheeks. It looked appropriate and lovely for spring.

The beauty rundown:

Doll Play: Big lashes are the look for Spring. Tina used Nyx Professional Makeup’s Doll Eye Mascara in Volume to create, big open eyes. For extra definition, the model’s eyes were lined with Nyx Professional Makeup’s Felt Tip Eyeliner in Black, with a sexy cat-eye swoop.

Candy-Colored Eyes: For eyes that popped on the runway, Tina created a colorful, fresh look using Nyx Professional Makeup’s Single Eyeshadows in three steps:
1) Eyelid – Sweep the White Pearl shadow up to the crease to make eyes pop
2) Crease – Use the Golden shade to highlight and add shimmer
3) Contour – Add definition above the crease to the brow bone with shadow in Burgundy Pearl

Get Cheeky: For a youthful, flushed pink cheek, Tina mixed Nyx Professional Makeup’s Rouge Cream Blush in Glow and Hot Pink to apples and contours of the cheek.

Bright Lips: To set off the playful look, Tina selected Nyx Professional Makeup’s Black Label Lipstick in Volcano – a bright, sunny coral shade.

NYX can be found at http://www.nyxcosmetics.com/
and Ulta stores.

Credits: NYX and the title is from the MTV series, The City.