Meow!

Some makeup rules are meant to be broken, but when it comes to the cat eye, you’ll want to play it by the book. The golden rule of makeup is to have one feature (eyes, lips or cheeks) be the focus. The cat eye look plays up the eyes, and everything else is secondary. I prefer this makeup look the classic way, with black liner and black mascara, but feel free to push the envelope with bright blue, green or tangerine liner, shown on the catwalk in more than one recent runway show.

To do:

  • Start with a near-flawless complexion. Depending on you, it might mean applying concealer alone, a beauty balm or primer and foundation. Add very little blush, just enough to give your skin a healthy glow without looking like you have anything on and swipe a nude-toned shadow on your upper lids. You can also apply a tinted lip balm or gloss for moisture and just a bit of color on your lips.
  • Though liquid liner will give you a beautiful look, if you don’t have surgeon-steady hands I recommend you use an extra-creamy pencil or my favorite pen liner, Smashbox Love Me Paint Pen Eye Liner, $24 at smashbox.com. You’ll find the paint pen so easy to use, it will look like a makeup artist did it for you!
  • Look straight in the mirror, and starting at the inner corner of your eye, gently drag it across your upper lash line, making the line just slightly thicker as your get to the end. As soon as your reach the end of your eye, stop. Then, slightly past where you just ended, draw in the opposite direction to make the little tail and connect it to the liner.
  • On upper lashes only, add two coats of black mascara followed by a third coat on the outer upper lashes only.

 

Tarte Glamazon Lipstick

 

Product Review: Tarte Glamazon 12-Hour Lipstick

I was at a beauty event recently when I bumped into a friend of mine whom I hadn’t seen in a while. She’s always been pretty, but, she looked better than ever…it was her smile! She was wearing Tarte Glamazon Lipstick in Playful. She said she’d applied it that morning and still…it lingered. Her plummy-pink lips were the perfect shade for her Zooey Deschanel coloring–they actually look a lot alike!–so I didn’t know if it would quite work for my warmer-toned skin and hair but I had to give it a try!

I ran right to Sephora and tested it in the store. Since I don’t normally wear lipstick–clear or tinted balms are usually my thing–I used my fingertip to rub it in and create a stain, a look I prefer on myself. It goes on as a wonderful plum shade, not too dark, not too light, not too bright. After six hours which included a cup of tea, an apple and even dinner,  it was still on!  The color had changed a bit, going from that original plum to a raspberry-ish tone, one I loved just as much.

This is one lipstick destined to have a cult following!

Tarte Glamazon 12-Hour Lipstick in Playful, $26 at www.sephora.com

Lemon Love!

Product Review: Korres Basil Lemon Showergel and Body Butter

I’ve always had a thing for lemons! It might have started when I was little and given the big responsibility of being allowed to dust with lemon fresh Pledge. As a tween, when my friends were all over Love’s Baby Soft I was taken with Love’s Fresh Lemon fragrance, which morphed into Annick Goutal’s Eau de Hadrien as I got older. But, without a doubt, my lemon-love was cemented on my honeymoon when my husband and I traveled throughout Italy. While on the island of Capri we discovered Ristorante Paolino (www.paolinocapri.com) where we got drunk on limoncello and dined under a thick canopy of lemon trees, the air filled with their citrusy scent. Pure magic!

Fast forward to this week when I received a package of products to review. Inside was Korres Shower Gel in Basil Lemon along with its’ complementary Basil Lemon Body Butter. Chances were high that the scent alone would have me at hello, but these products proved to be so much more than that! Both the shower gel and the body butter contain healing aloe vera, protective shea butter and anti-inflammatory quince extract, along with other natural ingredients.

In the shower I was enveloped in a fresh, lemony scent and my skin felt silky soft after toweling off. It was hydrated enough that I didn’t need to use a body cream afterwards but because I love the light, fresh scent so much I did use the butter on my extra-dry areas, knees, elbows, heels and hands.

True, it’s not Italy…but if I close my eyes and breathe deeply, it could be!

Korres Basil Lemon Showergel, $19.50

Korres Basil Lemon Body Butter, $29.00

Oscar Watch: Thumbs Up

The Oscars were all-out glamour last night. Here, a few of my favorite looks:

  1. Oscar Winner, Jennifer Lawrence looked beautiful (the hair, the dress, the makeup), but what I’ll be thinking of again and again and again is the diamond necklace by Chopard, worn draped down her back. A long piece like this has so much versatility. You can wear it as she did, long in front, doubled around the neck or even wrapped around the wrist. Click to see, here.  
  2. Anne Hathaway got my attention, less for her Prada gown’s nipple-y darts, and more for its blush shade which complemented her fair skin to perfection. I loved her subtle cat-eye makeup which was reminiscent of Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Click to see, here.
  3. The always striking, Charlize Theron delivered once again. Her cropped, blonde ‘do combined with her perfect face and strong, lean body made her unforgettable! Click to see, here.
  4. I liked the “idea” of Helen Hunt wearing a bargain H&M gown, but I could have done without the actual execution of it. From the moment she walked the red carpet, the gown was creased, wrinkly and looked every bit the budget gown that it was. Even $700,000 worth of jewels couldn’t save her from this mess! Click to see, here.
  5. The second I saw Kerry Washington, I was smitten. She stuck with subtle makeup and understated jewels to better show off her embellished-above-the-waist, coral Miu Miu gown. Smart move. Click to see, here.

Hollywood Waves at The Academy Awards 2013

If you watched the Oscars last night, you might have noticed a trend emerging, a return to Hollywood glamour. Jessica Chastain, Reese Witherspoon and Catherine Zeta Jones (among many others) sported Hollywood Waves hair, characterized by a side part, super-shiny waves beginning below ear level and not a hair out of place. It’s a style that pays tribute to screen legends, Veronica Lake and Rita Hayworth.

If you love this look as much as I do and your hair is at least a few inches longer than your shoulders it’s very easy to duplicate.

To do:

  1. Work mousse through damp hair (to add hold) and blow-dry using a round brush. I like Kerastase Mousse Substantive.
  2. Starting on one side, midway down hair shaft (slightly below the ears) wrap 2-3 inch sections around a hot curling iron (try the Bio Ionic Style Winder), held vertically. Work your way around entire head until all your hair is done.
  3. Let hair cool completely, then gently finger-comb to break up the waves for a slightly softer, looser look.
  4. Add a styling cream such as Bumble and bumble Grooming Creme  for added shine.
  5. Lock it in with a finishing spray like Paul Mitchell’s Awapuhi Finishing Spray.

Is a Pedicure the Answer to a Healthier You?

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I came across an interesting article on a natural health website about the practice of “earthing” or “grounding”, which is basically walking barefoot and feeling the Earth beneath your feet. Supposedly, when walking barefoot, free electrons transfer into your body via the soles of your feet and can have incredible health benefits like improved sleep, a stronger immune system and even helping to fight cardiovascular disease.  Though it sounds a bit new-age-y, there’s science to back up this claim. (For more information on grounding, click here.)

Whether you believe in this practice or not, there’s no denying that it feels great and it certainly couldn’t hurt to take some time each day, slip off your shoes and feel the grass or some sand beneath your feet. A walk or some outdoor stretching will help clear your mind and boost your mood.

A pedi in a pastel or bright color is just right for Spring and it’s the added incentive you might need to shed those shoes!

Check out my new, favorite polish for toes. butterLONDON in Molly-Coddled is a gorgeous shade of lilac (aka my favorite flower!). This color looks great on all skin tones–from the fairest to the darkest–for a pretty pop of color. I know you’ll love it as much as I do!

Statement Piece

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I have one piece of jewelry that stands head and shoulders above all my others. It’s a gorgeous gold pendant necklace designed by Elsa Peretti in the early 70’s, before she was making jewelry for Tiffany & Co. My uncle knew her from the modeling biz and commissioned her to make it for my aunt and he passed it on to me after she died. I wear it often—it pairs just as easily with jeans and a t-shirt as it does with a little black dress—and it never fails to bring my outfit up a notch. For a similar piece see Tiffany’s bottle necklace.

When I saw The Constellation Cuff I knew I’d found something very, very special. Patterned after a Swiss calendar from the 1900’s, designer Julie Nolan crafted this brushed brass line by using a series of small holes to represent the brightest stars in the constellation for each sign of the zodiac. This one is Aquarius!

The Constellation Cuff Bracelet, $50 at www.bespokecustomgifts.com .

Mane Event

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Product Review: Agave Healing Oil Treatment

At Mizu New York salon on Park Avenue and 59th I met up with world-renowned stylist, Fernando Romero, to test his latest breakthrough product, Agave Healing Oil Treatment. As he was working a few drops of it through my hair he explained the healing properties of the blend and how the gentle, non-greasy formula can even be used to rehydrate the skin. Not one to take anyone at their word I rubbed it into my arms and hands and he was right, it’s perfect! When he was done with the blow-dryer and flat iron my hair  was transformed. It was so incredibly silky-smooth and shiny I couldn’t stop touching it.

Agave Healing Oil Treatment works on all hair types to smooth, hydrate and de-frizz, plus it keeps hair color from fading and even moisturizes skin!

Agave Healing Oil Treatment,  $24 for 2oz., $48 for 4oz., available Spring 2013 at Sephora.  www.sephora.com

And So It Begins…

On the eve of December 31st, 2012, I sat on the couch waiting for my husband to finish getting ready for a party. I was feeling run down. The busy, day-to-day stress that all parents experience plus working at a job that left me creatively unfulfilled was taking its toll. I don’t know when I started just “going-through-the-motions” and not enthusiastically embracing life. My dad’s recent and unexpected passing showed me how quickly it can all be taken away. Something had to change! Then and there I decided to launch this blog.

I’m excited by the beauty world–hey, I was a beauty editor for 15+ years in my previous life–and I’m inspired by all things beautiful (a great meal, the feel of the sun on my skin, a faceted stone, a loyal dog…I could go on and on and on).

With the launch of this blog, I’m feeling energized and focused. I’m looking forward to sharing, learning and exploring. I hope you’ll join me on this journey…

-nancy