Tag: cosmetics

MAC Joins Forces With Rihanna – would you buy?

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First, there was the brief gig with Cover Girl; then, she was dropped as the face of Nivea, as her image didn’t fit the family values of the brand.

Now Rihanna has joined forces with MAC.   What makes this MAC collaboration different is that it’s not a one-off collection: there will be four collections.  RiRi Woo lipstick will be the signature piece of the collections.

RiRi ♥ MAC collection
RiRi ♥ MAC collection

The Style Page asks:  would you buy products from the RiRi ♥ MAC collections?

Napoleon Perdis is going upscale!

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In a surprising move, Napoleon Perdis is going upscale with his self-named line (not to be confused with his NP Set line that is exclusive to Target).  The Napoleon Perdis line is carried by Ulta and Dillard’s.  More recently, Nordstrom has picked up his line.

Now comes news that Bergdorf Goodman and Neiman Marcus have picked up his line.   His first limited edition collection exclusive for BG/NM (really, one company) is the Swan Lake collection, inspired by his collaboration with the Australian Ballet:

Napoleon Perdis Swan Lake LE collection Bergdorf Goodman/Neiman Marcus exclusive
Napoleon Perdis Swan Lake limited edition collection exclusive

The Swan Lake LE collection consists of:

  • a smokey eye Prismatic Eye Quad
  • Luminous Lip Veil gloss in ballerina pink – of course!  🙂
  • two full size brushes

The Swan Lake LE collection debuts this month and retails for $80.oo through bergdorfgoodman.com and neimanmarcus.com.

NARS 413 BLKR Multiple

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NARS 413 BLKR collection is named in tribute to the NARS flagship boutique at 413 Bleecker Street in NYC’s West Village. The latest addition to this collection is the Mulitple, in a rich burgundy shade.

NARS 413 BLKR Multiple
NARS 413 BLKR Multiple

I look forward to trying the 413 BLKR Multiple. Years ago, the company sent me two samples to try: Orgasm and Tuomota bronzer. I loved how smoothly the Multiple went on, straight from the stick, and how seamlessly it blended into my skin. The girl at Sephora showed me how to tap color from the Multiple onto my cheeks.  I was so impressed that I became a paying customer, when I bought the Multiple in G Spot.  NARS could make a killer stick foundation if it wanted to.

The 413 BLKR Multiple joins the other items in the 413 BLKR collection:

  • 413 BLKR eye shadow (dove grey)
  • 413 BLKR eye shadow duo (shimmering amethyst / black with red pearl)
  • 413 BLKR Larger Than Life Lip Gloss (red)
  • 413 BLKR Velvet Matte Lip Pencil (fuchsia)
  • 413 BLKR Pure Matte Lipstick (warm rose brown)

The 413 BLKR collection is sold exclusively at the NARS 413 Bleecker Street boutique and the NARS boutique at 8412 Melrose Ave. in LA and through narscosmetics.com.

Flower by Drew Barrymore #beauty at Walmart

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I made a couple of calls to nearby Walmarts to see if they had Drew Barrymore’s highly anticipated cosmetics line Flower.  Customer service wasn’t very helpful (there was a language barrier), so I swung over to Walmart after shopping at Costco. There was a Flower display at the front of the store, but the selection was disappointingly small.  All that was there were a couple of mascaras (but not the dial-a-lash mascara),  some lip colors, and nail polishes.

I was looking for the Petite Fleurs stacking sets of 3 different “bullets,” the dial-a-lash mascara, and the “true” BB Cream.

Flower Lip Service Lip Butter, LB7 Sheer Snapdragon
Flower Lip Service Lip Butter, LB7 Sheer Snapdragon

Nonetheless, I came away with Lip Service Lip Butter ($7) in Sheer Snagdragon.  I’ve given it a single try, and it seems creamier and longer lasting than Revlon’s Lip Butters.

Twitter chat with @itsMatin @LauraMercier

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Today, 1-2 PM Eastern time @LauraMercier hosted a Twitter chat with her global artistic director Matin Maulawizada with hashtag #LMAskMatin.

I’m inept with shadowing the crease.  Matin recommended:

  • Laura Mercier Eye Canvas as a primer – of course 🙂
  • eye shadows 1-2 shades deeper than your skin tone.  Avoid dark tones.
  • a pony tail brush (?)

Read my 3-part interview with Matin at thestylepage.blogspot.com.  He has an amazing life story!  And you’ll want to read all 3 parts to learn about his charity Afghan Hands.  Matin had the distinction of being named a finalist for CNN Heroes in 2007.

LuMESH #beauty from Costco

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The Style Page is all about finding beauty in unexpected places: see my past features on Beauty from Aldi and Bed Bath and Beauty. Costco, the members-only warehouse club that can literally take care of you from cradle to grave, has teamed up with makeup artist Lu Camarena Meshulam of LuMESH Cosmetics to market two sets of lip glosses.

Coming from a Latin background, Lu found that finding colors that flattered her skin tone was next to impossible. She had clients of many different ethnicities with the same complaint. Thus, her lip glosses are designed to flatter a variety of skin tones.

LuMESH lip gloss 3-fer set
LuMESH lip gloss 3-fer set

The Style Page purchased the blister pack containing the following LuMESH lip glosses:

  • Kathlene – Peachy pink that flatters women with fair to medium skin tones. Works on women with Latin, Mediterranean, and light African American skin tones.
  • Kim- this looks scary-bright pink in the container, but it’s a light pink. It would lift the complexions of South Asian and Hispanic women.
  • Taffi is a universal shade. When light/dark African American women wear it, it appears to look like a beige nude color. I’m of western European heritage, with a light complexion, and Taffi gave me a “like my lips, but only deeper” (and glossier and better) look. It was my favorite shade of the three lip glosses, while Kathlene was my second favorite and Kim was my least favorite. I agree with Bobbi Brown’s advice that the best lip color is about 2 shades deeper than your natural lip color.

There is another blister pack, which contains the following LuMESH lip glosses:

  • Min – baby doll frosty pink that suits Fair, and Medium skin tones, particularly Asian skin tones.
  • Trischa – shimmery sunset radiance that suits fair and medium skin tones.
  • Magaly – shimmery universal shade that suits Fair, Medium, and light African American complexions.

I liked the LuMESH lip glosses. After the initial glossy finish fades, the color remains. Vitamin E makes the lip gloss emollient, and there is a mild non-irritating cooling lip plumper. LuMESH lip glosses are free of parabens, phthalates, sulfates, and synthetic fragrance. Plus, each lip gloss tube has a mirror on it – very convenient. Just don’t forget to remove the protective film!

A list of Costco locations that carry LuMESH lip glosses is available on request; however, I found my set at a Costco that wasn’t listed. LuMESH is not available on Costco.com.

Favorite #beauty stories of 2012

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Here are my favorite beauty stories from 2012:

Sulwhasoo ShineClassic compacts
One story was the invitation to introduce Sulwhasoo ShineClassic compacts to the U.S.  I love Asian aesthetics, and the compacts were inspired by traditional Korean symbols and artistry.  They are truly works of art.

Sulwhasoo commemorated 10 years of limited edition compacts in an elegant cloth bound coffee table book featuring traditional Korean artistry, complete with slip cover.  Flip the book over, unfold the pages, and lo! it features all LE compacts!

2003 Sulwhasoo ShineClassic Compact - lattice design
2003 Sulwhasoo ShineClassic Compact – lattice design


The invitation also had extra meaning for me, as I admire Korea for the way it has lifted itself up and I have fond memories of my trip to Korea ten years ago.

Softlips giveaway
Another event was the LE Softlips giveaway.  I have to say that I didn’t think that this would be a successful giveaway; however, it exceeded my wildest expectations.  I had record visits to The Style Page blog at thestylepage.blogspot.com and a spike in new followers on Twitter.

BTW I still have one prize to claim.  The first person to write to me at thestylepage[at]ymail[dot]com and respond with his/her mailing address will win the prize.

LuMESH beauty from Costco
I enjoy bringing stories about beauty in unexpected places to readers.  Beauty is truly where you find it.  I’ve been in touch with Lu Camerena Meshulam, and I hope that I played a small role in moving product at Costco.

Karen Murrell lipsticks
I love the demi-matte finish of Karen’s lipsticks, and I am proud to have played a role in introducing her lipsticks to the U.S.  Karen introduced 4 lipstick shades in 2012, and plans to introduce more in 2013. I’m anxiously anticipating the new introductions. I’ve seen previews of Karen’s new Rumba Red lipstick.