Category: cosmetics

Funny … but not surprising

Cold Cream 'n' Roses1 Comment

Here’s this intriguing snippet from WWD: Droll Dame Edna Creates Mac Color Collection:

There’s a new dame in MAC Cosmetics’ arsenal: the irrepressible Dame Edna Everage, who has created an eponymous limited edition color collection for the company.

“I’m doing this out of love — I’m a giver,” said Dame Edna, the lavender-haired alter ego of Australian comedian Barry Humphries. “The audience’s applause was a little louder when I was wearing MAC on stage, so I was a convert. They didn’t have to coerce me.”

To compose the line, Edna holed up in a conference room with James Gager, senior vice president and creative director of MAC Worldwide, and Jennifer Balbier, senior vice president of product…


Dame Edna (Barry Humphries) channels Christine Keeler

TotalBeauty.com members rate foundations

Cold Cream 'n' Roses3 Comments

TotalBeauty.com
Top-Rated Foundations

One of these 14 crowd pleasers from Revlon, Prescriptives, MAC and more could give your skin a flawless finish — sans airbrush experts

We’ve heard complaints about foundation ranging from too heavy and drying to too light and oily, not to mention “too few shades” and “too expensive.” So we made a list of the foundations that garnered praise from TotalBeauty.com members.

See reviews

Obsessive Compulsive Colour Lip Balms

Cold Cream 'n' Roses2 Comments

OCC Colour Lip Balms

Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics started its lip balms with its Tarred (black) and Feathered (White) shades. These lip balms weren’t goth: Tarred darkened lip color and Feathered lightened lip color.

Now OCC has expanded its range to include Latte (deep beige to neutralize reds), Melange (warm neutral), Plum, and Vintage (sheer deep purplish-wine).

OCC has also changed its formula since I first blogged on Tarred and Feathered over two years ago. The original Tarred and Feathered were waxy in consistency; today, all OCC’s lip balms are creamy in consistency and formulated with coconut oil, with a touch of peppermint oil. OCC’s also changed its packaging. The original Tarred and Feathered were packaged in tins; today, OCC’s lip balm collection come in pots.

I loved the original Tarred and Feathered, but I like the new formula even better. I was so smitten with the beautiful new shades that I bought the entire collection.

You may shop for Obsessive Compulsive color lip balms at the OCC website.

Deals and steals

Cold Cream 'n' Roses

TotalBeauty.com content:

New! Discount Deals of the Week

Check out more free samples, beauty product steals and contests from top brands like Clinique. Hurry, they won’t last long!

Everyone loves a good bargain, which is why we’ve rounded up some of the best deals, sample offers and contest opportunities from favorite beauty brands like Estee Lauder, Clinique, Smashbox, Bare Escentuals and more. Take advantage — they’ll only be around for another few weeks!

Shop deals

Other deals include:

Stila – 20% discount and free shipping on any order of $30 or until Dec. 16th. Use coupon code ECYX12 at checkout.

Julie Hewett – Julie Hewett is known for her red lip colors. 20% discount until November 30. Enter code NOV20 at checkout.

Elke notes that tarte is offering a free cheek stain in Blissful (sheer soft warm pink) with any purchase of a tarte complexion product. Shop tarte and enter code BLISS. This special ends November 14, 2008 at 11:59pm EST.

Beauty411 notes that Lancome is having a Friends & Family Event through November 12th. Shop Lancome and enter code HOLIDAYJOY to receive 20% off of your purchases.

And (shameless plug) promotions being run through More than a pretty face:

Spell Cosmetics – 20% off through Wednesday, November 26. Also giveaway of customized “I’m a Spell Girl” set.

Vosges Haut-Chocolat – 10% through November 30.

Specials and a giveaway from Spell Cosmetics

Cold Cream 'n' Roses

More than a pretty face is pleased to present an offer for 20% off all purchases from Spell Cosmetics. To take advantage of this offer, use the coupon code stylepage.


I’m a Spell Girl Kit

In addition, the lovely Gemma of Spell Cosmetics has set up a giveaway of its I’m a Spell Girl kit. The I’m a Spell Girl Kit contains the following: Spell (Harmony) mineral foundation, one lipstick, one mineral Blush, three mineral eyeshadows, one mineral Eyeliner, one Spell Wet n Set eye shadow sealer, one Lip Gloss, and one “Spell Girls” membership card for 25% off all future orders. The best part is that you can choose your own colors!

http://contestmachine.com/embed/survey_js/H1WT6DIPVI

The 20% discount and giveaway end on Wednesday, November 26, 2008.

Christopher Drummond Beauty

Cold Cream 'n' Roses

Veludo Velvet Foundation

Makeup artist Christopher Drummond began his eponymous line with SAÚDE PELE Radiance Booster. SAÚDE PELE (which means “Healthy Skin” in Portuguese) is a soft gold loose powder which can be used to highlight the cheekbones, brighten the inner corners of the eyes (my favorite use), or as an all-over luminizer. Christopher is a purist when it comes to cosmetics, and he formulated SAÚDE PELE with only organic and vegan ingredients.

Christopher has brought that same ethos to his new products Veludo Velvet Foundation and Finale Finishing Powder. He has also introduced a cream concealer. Veludo Velvet Foundation is a loose powder makeup that comes in six skintone true shades, from Luz/Light (lightest) to Marron/Brown (deepest). It is infused with botanicals such as açai and green tea. Finale Finishing Powder comes in two shades: Neutro/Neutral and Amarelo/Yellow. Christopher recommends Neutro/Neutral for Caucasian skin and Amarelo/Yellow for ethnic skin tones, but I see no reason why Caucasian skin shouldn’t use Amarelo/Yellow.

Before writing this review, I tested Veludo/Velvet Foundation in Justo/Fair and Finale Finishing Powder in Neutro/Neutral for a week. I used the kabuki brush from the Bare Escentuals Get Started kit to apply the Veludo Velvet Foundation and the powder brush from the same kit to apply Finale Finishing Powder. I cleaned the brushes thoroughly beforehand to make sure that the shades were true. Here are a few things I’ve learned to make loose powder makeup work:

– Prepped skin is a must! Apply a moisturizer or primer before applying loose powder.

– Powder makeup is usually not enough to cover redness, despite what you see in those fake before-and-afters from Bare Escentuals. I use liquid or cream makup to cover redness on the cheekbone.

– If you use cream or gel blush, apply these before you apply loose powder makeup. Flawless even toned bare skin is a must! Otherwise, apply a pressed or loose powder blush after you apply loose powder makeup. Given the redness in my skin, I use powder blush to take advantage of the light-diffusing characteristics of loose powder foundation.

SAÚDE PELE, Veludo Velvet Foundation, and Finale Finishing Powder are great for a sheer, soft-focused look. I also recommend these products to those who find ingredients such as parabens and bismuth oxychloride (which is used in Bare Escentuals) problematic and want organic and vegan ingredients. Christopher’s products, as a rule, do not contain these ingredients.

LaurEss Neutralize Mineral Corrector

Cold Cream 'n' Roses1 Comment

LaurEss Neutralize Mineral Corrector

I’ve been experimenting with powder concealers as an alternative to cream or stick concealers.

This lurid yellow-green loose powder corrector covers red and purplish areas, especially around the eye. It’s very opaque, so tap off the excess on your lay-down concealer brush and use a light hand.

You may shop for LaurEss Neutralize Mineral Corrector through LaurEss or Time for Me.

Kashuk to Enter Space NK

Cold Cream 'n' Roses

From WWD’s public web site came this intriguing snippet (to read the full article, you need to subscribe):
>
Nicky Kinnaird spotted Sonia Kashuk and saw a bull’s-eye.

Kinnaird, founder of the high-end apothecary Space NK, has plucked Kashuk’s namesake cosmetics line from Target, which has incubated the brand for the last decade.

Kinnaird plans to add the Sonia Kashuk brand to her U.K. shops and U.S. doors, including Space NK’s in-store boutique concept with Bloomingdale’s, which is slated for nine units. Space NK will trumpet is partnership with Sonia Kashuk by including the mass-market born products in its shop at Bloomingdale’s 59th Street flagship in Manhattan, which will be unveiled on Thursday. Target will continue to carry the line, and has…
>
Good for Kashuk. Since her cosmetics line debuted at Target, it has suffered from erratic stock. Compare that to the recent introduction of JK Jemma Strand, pixi by Petra, and Napoleon Perdis NP Set: certainly, at my nearby Target store, these three brands were fully stocked. Kashuk should have been PO’ed.

I hope that the new venture with Space NK will give Kashuk the display and stock she deserves.

The end of mascara, as we know it?

Cold Cream 'n' Roses2 Comments

The market is full of mascara innovations; in fact, the November 2008 issue of Allure has an entire article devoted to mascara innovations. I have yet to blog on Exceptionnel de Chanel Intense Volume and Curl Mascara and L’Oreal Double Extend Beauty Tubes Mascara, the first mass-market tube mascara.

Now from Beauty Counter, a blog from Style.com “The Online Home of Vogue” (both Vogue and Allure are Condé Nast publications), comes this article Mascara, Going The Way Of Betamax?
>
Ever since news broke last year that Lumigan, a glaucoma treatment that can prevent blindness, can also make your eyelashes grow two millimeters in six weeks, beauty seekers with 20/20 vision have been desperately trying to get their hands on a prescription. For those of you who have taken to faking your eye exams, some good news: Allergan, the pharmaceutical company behind the drug, is making plans to apply for a cosmetic license in the U.S., which could mean an end to mascara as early as next year. (RIP, Great Lash. We’ve had a good run.)
>
Amazing. Botox was initially licensed for treating people with muscle spasms and tics. Then its use for cosmetic purposes was discovered. Lumigan might go the same path, from use for medical purposes to use for cosmetic purposes.

Check out this photo of Twiggy used to illustrate the article:


Twiggy

Wow. Talk about a swan’s neck. Twiggy’s look was created by layering four strips of false eyelashes.

Retro 60s eye makeup

Cold Cream 'n' Roses
Total Beauty (of which I’m a member) has had a series on makeup and costumes for Halloween.

This feature on Retro ’60s Girl struck a chord with me: “Channel Twiggy with extreme false lashes and a pale pout.”

Be sure to visit Jamie’s excellent profile of Twiggy on her The Beauty of Life blog.

The eye makeup also reminds me of Penelope Tree, another top model of the sixties.

Penelope Tree