Category: Beauty

Simply pass it up

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CoverGirl Simply Ageless Anti-Aging Foundation
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The marketing campaign for CoverGirl Simply Ageless Anti-Aging Foundationicon features Ellen DeGeneres, whose signing as a spokesmodel has been the most hyped of anyone whom I recall recently: the first openly gay model to sign! Ellen, with her blond hair and blue eyes, is actually a throwback to the bad old days when CoverGirl promoted that beauty ideal with the likes of Cheryl Tiegs, Cybill Shepherd, and Christie Brinkley.

Enough about Ellen. What about Simply Ageless? It’s described as makeup with Olay Regenerist (was this an intended pun?) serum mixed in. Cream foundation is not my favorite type of makeup to begin with, and even though this makeup is intended for mature women, it is excessively matte and drying.

At $13.99 (Walgreen’s sells it for $15.99), it’s more expensive than other CoverGirl offerings. Simply pass up Simply Ageless.

Missing IsaDora? Found.

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Cover of February 2009 Allure

I was surprised to see a reference to IsaDora eyeshadow in the “Black and Blue” photo spread that appears in the February 2009 issue of Allure. Over a year ago, beauty advisors at Walgreen’s (which had been the exclusive distributor for IsaDora in the U.S.) told me that IsaDora decided against shipping to the U.S.

I checked the credits in the back of the magazine, which indicated that IsaDora was available through walgreens.com. A search of walgreens.com did not yield any results for IsaDora.

The good news is that IsaDora is now being sold through Cosmeticmall.com and Amazon.com!

Maybelline Dream Liquid Mousse Airbrush Finish

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Maybelline Dream Liquid Mousse Airbrush Finish
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Maybelline Dream Liquid Mousse Airbrush Finishicon foundation is a find! It does what it promises – it delivers a soft matte “airbrush” finish.

I also like the pump mechanism that dispenses a measured amount of product and the locking mechanism that prevents leaking. It’s great for travel. At $8.79, Maybelline Dream Liquid Mousse Airbrush Finishicon is a great value.

Holiday Make-Up Is A Deal – Don`t Buy

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This article Holiday Make-Up Is A Deal – Don`t Buy confirms what many of us know: that many cosmetics last long after recommended replacement dates (for example, 3 mos. for mascara).

What is stunning, however, is the admission by Estee Lauder representatives that makeup is a safe bet to apply six years after purchase.

The recommended shelf life for cosmetics sounds a lot like the received wisdom for “shampoo, rinse, repeat,” which was to encourage people to go through shampoo quicker so that they buy more often.

This article provides tips on salvaging cosmetics. In her monthly newsletter , Carmindy offered another great tip: salvage crumbled eye shadow by putting into a container. Sifter jars, sold by Sephora, or empty containers for loose mineral cosmetics, are excellent for this.

Nordstrom Holiday 2008 Cosmetics Trend Show

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Last Saturday, I attended the Holiday 2008 Cosmetics Trend Show at Nordstrom Tysons Corner outside of Washington, DC. The show began at 8 am. The first person arrived at quarter after 6.

The event was like a pep rally, and Nordstrom Midwest/Capital Beauty Director Julianne De’Chaump was head cheerleader. The show had three scenes, in which representatives from various cosmetics companies showed their latest products. While each of the scenes focused on makeup looks, attention was also given to skin care, bath & body, fragrance, nails, and hair products.

Scene One: Bright Metallic Textures was best exemplified by Bobbi Brown’s Shimmer Brick from her Copper Diamond holiday collection:


Bobbi Brown ‘Copper Diamond’ Shimmer Brick Compact

This compact features shimmering shades of candlelight, gold, copper, beige and sand that would be great for highlighting the browbone, inner corner of the eyes, and top of the cheekbone.

Scene Two: Winter Berry Lips was exemplified by lip colors from MAC’s Red She Said collection:


MAC Red She Said Collection

Scene Three: Black, Smoky Eyes was best exemplified by Laura Mercier’s Eye Colour Quad in Tuxedo:


Laura Mercier Eye Colour Quad in Tuxedo

This eye shadow quad features both shimmer and matte shades of black and white, just like its namesake. It’s from Laura Mercier’s Black Tie Collection.

Actually, all these trends are perennials for the winter holiday season.

Wode by Boudicca now at Lucky Scent

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Wode by Boudicca is certainly the most unusual fragrance I’ve seen: when you spray on the fragrance, it turns blue and then gradually loses all color. I had written that Wode was available only through Barneys (not that I patronize Barneys).


Wode by Boudicca

Barneys is clearly out of my price league, although I did spring for a set of 2 candlesticks that I saw in Domino and absolutely had to have. I wouldn’t patronize Barneys if I could afford to shop there, as it has since been bought out by the Istithmar investment firm based in Dubai. Oftentimes, Middle Eastern firms are governed by Sharia, or Islamic, law which requires that 2.5% of earnings be given to charity. Sounds good, but too often Islamic charities are fronts for terrorist activities. I do not shop companies owned by Middle Eastern firms, at least not knowingly, which is why I refuse to patronize Caribou Coffee.

Now there’s an alternative to shopping Barneys for Wode by Boudicca: you may now buy it at LuckyScent.

Black Lip Color

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LIPSTICK QUEEN Black Lips

Soon after I blogged about Obsessive Compulsive’s expanded range of coloured lip balms, including its Tarred lip balm, I discovered the Black Tie Optional lipstick and sheer lip gloss from Poppy King’s Lipstick Queen.

As with Obsessive Compulsive’s Tarred lip balm, this lip color is not intended to be goth: it’s intended to deepen your lip color.

Thanks to jamiem from ThisNext for this discovery!

Aaron de Mey is the new Makeup Artistic Director for Lancôme, after the departure of Gucci Westman for Revlon. Picture below is the limited edition lip color set that he created for Lancôme. It features ‘Le Rouge’ Color Fever lipstick in a balanced red and Piha Black Color Fever Gloss. The Piha Black Color Fever Gloss was inspired by the black volcanic sands of Piha Beach in Aaron de Mey’s native New Zealand.


Aaron de Mey for Lancôme

For reviews, see We Try It: Black Lip Gloss from the Beauty Counter blog at style.com.