My Fall/Winter Berry Lips

With full lips and pale white skin, I've never felt comfortable wearing the deep, vampy berries and burgundies that debut each fall. They look fabulous in magazines and on the runway, but walk into a staff meeting with black cherry lips and all of a sudden you'll feel a bit out of place. Or at least I do. With Chantecaille Ceylon Lip Chic ($30), I've finally found a deep berry color I can embrace wearing, whether it's work or play time. Chantecaille describes Lip Chics as a hybrid between a gloss and a lipstick. Packaged in slim, gunmetal lipstick tubes, the product glides on semi-sheerly and feels moisturizing and smooth. Ceylon is a warm browned berry that would flatter many skintones.

Some Products I'm NOT Loving Right Now

With all of the products I buy, of course I come across a product now and then that turns out to be a dud. Often I'll return them, but sometimes I end up stuck with them, either because they were not returnable or I kept them in a desperate attempt to make them work for me. Here are a few products I'm current not liking:

• Chantecaille Luminous Eye Liner in Pianissimo- this liquid eye liner is a stunning blue gray shimmer with a hint of violet. I'm a huge liquid liner fan and this color is extraordinary, but the formula is so thing that you have to draw over the line repeatedly to make the color show up uniformly and opaque. It's thin and streaky looking otherwise, and the line never looks sharp and precise when you have to draw over it so many times.
• Paul and Joe Pain D'Epice 27 Lipstick- this one breaks my heart. I adore this color. It's the most perfect shimmery beige pink and just looks so lovely on the lips. The problem is the smell! It smells like old crayons! I initially assumed that I purchased an old tube so I returned it and went through all of the remaining stock, only to find that all of them smelled this way. I've never heard commentary about the scent of Paul and Joe lipsticks before, I can only surmise that either this color has the horrible scent, or I encountered a bad batch. I keep trying to wear the lipstick despite the smell because I love the color so much, but after a while I can't take it anymore!
• Alba Mango Vanilla Moistuizing Shave Cream- I picked this up at Whole Foods recently because my goodness does this smell heavenly! Tropical and fruity with a mango vanilla coconut scent. This shave cream feels thick and rich when you spread it on, but it clogs the razor terribly and is difficult to rinse off.
• John Masters Organics SPF 30 Natural Mineral Sunscreen- this is an all-physical block that claims to be very light. I found it to be just the opposite--it sat on top of my skin, made me greasy, and clogged my pores. This is definitely a product when the description makes the product sound much better than it is!
• Laura Mercier Evolution of Color Lip Palettes in Pink Suede and Brown Suede-I spotted these on display in Bergdorfs last year and thought they were so lovely, I couldn't decide which to get. So I ended up with both. I have no idea why I decided to buy two since I never use lip palettes, as evidenced by the fact that these are virtually untouched over a year later. Now I have two lovely, albeit expensive, objet d'art taking up precious space among my makeup that will probably never be used.

What duds have you tried lately?

Using It All Up

Every now and then, I look at my vast makeup collection and suddenly have the urge to start using products up! It generally stems from either being all-of-a-sudden overwhelmed by the sheer number of products that I have, or realizing that I've been using a product so frequently I'm making a dent in it. So far this year I've managed to use up 2 lipsticks (Clinique Buttershine in Adore U and Lorac Stylin), thanks to concentrated effort, and currently have a few products on my "use up" list. Since I'm convinced that product quantities multiply in my sleep :) using a product up can take a very long time (even forcing myself to use the product near daily) and I usually only manage to achieve the feat with cream products and pressed powder. I've never used up an eye shadow and can't imagine doing so! I'm currently trying to use up:

• Laura Mercier Praline Creme Cheek Color
  
• Lancome Rouge Attraction in Seismic, a color I've previously purchased (and subsequently sold) back ups of. This is why I no longer buy back ups! I ultimately get sick of a color or move on to a new favorite!
• Chantecaille Pegasus Super Lip Sheer
• Besame Champagne Lipstick

I'm slowly making progress! Granted I'll still have too many products after these are gone, but at least it's a temporary sense of accomplishment! Are you trying to use anything up?

Face of the Day

I haven't posted a Face of the Day in a while, but I received so many compliments on my look today that I thought it was worth sharing, especially given how simple it was.

I used Bobbi Brown Champagne Quartz Metallic Shadow lash to brow, Rock and Republic Diffused Shadow in the crease and lined with Sephora Nano Liner in Glitter Brown. Cheeks were MAC Lilicent topped with the last dregs of the Chantecaille Lumiere de Rose Highligher I dropped and destroyed a few weeks ago and I wore Bobbi Brown Berry Shimmer (decidedly not berry colored) and MAC Gingerroot to line. Usual underpinnings of Jouer concealer, True Cosmetics mineral pressed powder, Laura Mercier Eye Basics in Linen and Korres black mascara.

Public Service Announcement

Migraines and makeup do not mix! I took out my beautiful Chantecaille Lumiere de Rose Highlighter to use on Saturday night (I had to go out despite the migraine) and prompty dropped it on the floor, shattering it into a million pieces. It's one of the prettiest highlighters I've found, a slightly pink champagne shimmer with a fabulous texture. It just made you look ethereal and wasn't too over the top for day time. Sadly it's not nearly as much fun to replace makeup as it is to purchase something new, so I tracked down what I'm told is the the last Bobbi Brown Nude Shimmer Brick in the city and am going to give that a try. I have it's a decent substitute!

Chantecaille Centifolia Lip Sheer

I've had this lipstick on my wishlist for ages now. I hadn't purchased it mainly because it looks just like all of my other lipsticks--a sheerish peachy pink with a hint of shimmer--but caved on a recent trip to Bergdorf's. Centifolia is very sheer, more so than my other Chantecaille Lip Sheers. It provides just a hint of color along with a moisturizing shine. Is it remarkable? No. Worth $28? Probably not. But it's the kind of lipstick that can live in your purse and work with any look on days you forget to bring your lipstick of the day or want to switch things up. I also prefer this newer formula in the skinny tube. It's paraben-free, unless the prior incarnation.

Here are swatches in different lights:

A Mini Binge

So there are good binges (a makeup or shoe haul) and bad binges (eating half a dozen William Greenberg Black & White cookies) and because I was on the verge of the latter thanks to a cornucopia of stress, I decided to effectuate the former. Thus, I found myself on the poorly lit beauty floor of Bergdorf Goodman, telling the Edward Bess Sales Associate that yet another coworker had just commented on how tired I looked and pleading with her for some help.

I walked away with Edward Bess Ultra Luminous Bronzer in Daydream (a favorite of Sabrina over at the Beauty Look Book) and a few Chantecaille goodies that I'll post about tomorrow. I was debating between this bronzer and Chantecaille Capri, but fate intervened when the store was out of the Chantecaille. Daydream is a cocoa-brown shade with no orange or pink tones. It's sheer enough to be used all over the face, but can be built up to be used on the planes of the cheeks, nose and forehead that would naturally be toasted by the sun. I'm using my Bobbi Brown Face Blender brush with it, but the makeup artist applied it with Edward's lovely, though super pricey ($65) version. At $48 this isn't an inexpensive item, but not having a colleague ask when the last time you slept? Priceless.
P.S. I ended up eating 2 mini size of the aforementioned cookies. They really are exceptional. My top 5 favorite cookies in NYC:

1. William Greenberg Bakery Black and Whites
2. Financier Patisserie Macarons
3. Levain Bakery Chocolate Chip Walnut and Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip cookies
4. Not Just Rugelach Zaleti
5. Crumbs Bake Shop Snickers Cookies
   

Chantecaille Raffia Lips of the Day

So the weather today in NYC was just beyond abhorrent. Beyond. It was the worst of all worlds--snowflakes the size of golf balls combined with sleet, slush, and rain to ensure that the sidewalks were slick, the subways flooded, and I spent the majority of my day wet from the knees down with matted hair. Add in wind gusting strongly enough to turn an umbrella inside out and prevent any sort of lip gloss from being worn and all you want to do is crawl under the covers and watch Dirty Dancing with a cup of hot chocolate. Unfortunately for those of us who have to do the whole work thing to support ourselves (read: makeup addiction) this was not an option, and so I resorted to "cozy" makeup--warm cheeks, soft eyes, warm nude brown lips, courtesy of Chantecaille Raffia. I've only worn Raffia once previously, generally finding it a bit too warm and too brown (Space NK lighting is quite deceptive and I'm convinced the tester had a pink shimmer in the store), but today it was just right. Not so brown that it evoked the Revlon Coffee Bean of my teen years, but enough to read spicy winter lips.

Chantecaille Wind Blush

If you've noticed that many of my posts lately have been about blush, well...you're right. I go through phases--sometimes I'm obsessed with lipsticks or eyeliners or nail polish--and now it's blush. To me, nothing makes a winter weary face look better than a swipe of cheek color, but I'd been feeling as though my summer pop-of-color blushes were a bit bright on my ghostly pallor. Enter Chantecaille Wind. This blush is pale but pigmented, if that makes any sense. You don't need to apply much or layer for the color to show, but the shade itself is subtle. Just enough to add a peachy neutral warmth without screaming makeup. Chantecaille blushes are expensive at $28, but the formula is lovely. In fact, the only blush I've ever actually finished completely was another Chantecaille in the shade Silk.

Favorite Bronzers and Highlighters Part 2

Clockwise from top: Becca Mermaid Loose Shimmer Powder, Bare Escentuals A Little Sun, Chantecaille Lumiere de Rose Highlighter, Bare Escentuals Bare Radiance. Click on the picture to enlarge and really see the detail.

Becca Mermaid Loose Shimmer Powder ($20)- This loose powder comes in a small eye shadow pigment sized container. I was attracted to it because it's such an unusual shade--a grayish green with heavy gold shimmer. It sounds like it would be hideous on the skin but surprisingly it's not! It looks neutral adding a silvery gold 'flash' on the cheek bones. It also looks great on the eyes, but it's light pigmentation requires it to be packed on.

Bare Escentuals A Little Sun ($18)- this looks orange in the pot but has a healthy dose of pink on the skin. It gives a true 'sunburnt' coppery rose color. I like to wear it not only on my cheeks, but applied with a fan brush across the bridge of my nose and along my hairline--the spots the sun would naturally hit and bronze.

Chantecaille Lumiere de Rose Highlighter ($36)- This is a pearly shell colored highlighter that I've been wearing frequently lately. The texture is very soft and the glow it gives is subtle but definitely apparent. I've been wearing it on top of matte blushes in addition to using as a highlighter. In the picture above, the pinky overspray has been rubbed away. This is how it looks brand new:
Bare Escentuals Bare Radiance ($18)- I generally wear this iridescent nude shimmer powder over blushes and love the soft-focus look it imparts. Your skin just looks softly luminous and the shade and shimmer level are appropriate for daytime wear.

From left to right: Becca Mermaid, Bare Escentuals Bare Radiance, Bare Escentuals A Little Sun, Chantecaille Lumiere de Rose

Chantecaille Sample Sale!

Chantecaille Lumiere de Rose Highlighter Update

After initially posting intact product pictures and swatches, I thought it was time for an update after actually using it for a few days. I'm wearing it here on my cheeks over Rock & Republic Rumor mousse blush, no foundation or powder. It gives an ethereal pretty glow and I find that while it adds a smudge of pink beige pigment, it's fair enough for skin as light as mine. A heavier hand would be lovely for evening application. Excuse my tired looking eyes and lack of lipstick--it's been a long day (er, week).

And I'm Back!

I wasn't exactly on vacation--I had sinus surgery and silly me thought that recovery would be just a few days and I'd using the remainder of the two weeks of vacation time I took from work to shop, visit old friends and relax. Wrong. Very wrong. At first I felt liked I'd been hit by a Mack truck; now 12 days later I feel as though I've been run over by a Prius, and while this is a huge improvement, I now need a vacation from my vacation. I did muster some strength on Black Friday to do a little bit of shopping as a reward/exercise of self-pity, and I have seven orders on their way to me! Vicodin+cabin fever+internet access=a whole lot of spending! I also plan on tracking down the new By Terry Ombre Blackstar Eye Shadow Stick London Makeup Girl mentions on her blog. Space NK had the testers but couldn't find the actual products to sell. Hopefully tomorrow.

I did purchase the Chantecaille Holiday Lumiere de Rose Highlighter at Neiman Marcus ($36). I've heard mixed reviews of this product---some saying it's too dark to be a highlighter and some saying it's a very pale shade. Turns out they're both right. The product has a shimmery overspray akin to a darker version of Stila Kitten with more pink in it. Once you get past this layer you'll discover a pearly light shell colored powder perfect for accenting brow and cheek bones. The pictures below capture the overspray--once I get past it I'll follow up with more on the product underneath. Several swatches and brush swipes later and I still have the darker color though the well-used tester revealed true hue of the bulk of the product

This offering is considerably less expensive than Chantecaille's usual fare, but I have to say you'll understand why as soon as you pick up the compact (of this or of their other Holiday powder). They're very small (eye shadow sized) and made of very lighweight cheapy plastic. I have Clinique compacts with more heft. Sometimes you just want to treat your self to a small luxe goody and Chantecaille usually fits the bill, though in this case the item just doesn't feel as special. It's still a nice highlighter and if you're a Chantecaille collector, this season should prove easier on your wallet.

More information on new purchases to come as I feel better and my packages start arriving! I'm hoping to also be up for a Manicure of the Week tomorrow!