Oldies but Goodies - Fall Makeup

I felt like I was stuck in an August makeup rut so I rummaged through my makeup drawers for some fall colors. Here are my new addictions to old products for fall:

1. Laura Mercier Chestnut Lip Pencil. This goes with any fall neutral - it's the only lip pencil I am gravitating towards right now.

2. Nars Belize Lip Gloss. The perfect light nude to go with high drama eyes, which I love.

3. Bobbi Brown Caviar Eye Shadow + Trish McEvoy Brush 11 Precise Eye Lining. This is the perfect fall eyeliner. The color is the deepest chocolate with a hint of amethyst but looks almost black. Perfect for day to night and is striking with leather - which is everywhere!

4. Nars Orgasm Multiple mixed with Nars Laguna Multiple. My skin color is so blah as we transition from summer to fall - orgasm brightens while the depth comes from bronzy Laguna.

I feel much better with my new old colors!

Cat Eyes for All

This cover of the New York Times Fashion Magazine this past Sunday epitomizes fall to me. Dramatic cat eyes go with all of the deep, rich hues of fall. Burgundy dresses, high chic leather boots, furs and shearlings, the glamour of fall demands smoky and daring eyes. It used to be hard to get this look, requiring the perfect steady hands plus the perfect mix of water and eyeliner. No more – there are so many new, one-step, easy to use products. From Laura Mercier’s Caviar Stick Eye Colour to NARS’ Larger than Life Long-Wear Eyeliner, drama and glamour is right around the corner for all of us. This look reminds me of the trademark makeup of one of my all time favorite fashion icon,
Carine Roitfeld, the former editor of Paris Vogue.


P.S. Need help with this – the bluemercury makeup artistry team is unbelievable at teaching tips and tricks!

A Facial for My 40+ Lips

When I first started bluemercury (with my now husband!), I was 29. Our older clients used to come in and say it was bothering them that their lipstick feathered. While I knew this was a beauty problem, at 29, I just couldn’t relate. Now, at 41, I have that problem. As tiny little wrinkles have formed on the outside of my lips, my lipstick just doesn’t want to stay put. Lucky me, Bliss just sent me their brand new Fabulips Treatment Kit. A 4-step facial for your lips – I can’t decide which step is my favorite. Cleanse, scrub, plump, and hydrate – I love all of these products on their own. While the sugar lip scrub is too die for and the softening lip balm is one of the best around, I must admit, my favorite step is the peppermint tasting lip plumper. This is truly a facial for your lips. I highly recommend this post shower, pre-night-out on the town for the perfect, kissable baby lips.

U2's Bono and Skincare?

I went to the U2 concert last night in Philadelphia outside at the Lincoln Financial Field with 100,000 of my closest friends. Despite the crowd - it was unbelievable. Summer night, 65 degrees, a full moon and Bono and the Edge at their best. "One," "Pride," "It's a Beautiful Day," "Vertigo," they know how to write and perform. Needless to say, my skin felt grimy and gross after. As I rustled through my bag, I found Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare's EZ4U Facial Towelettes. I wiped the grime off right away and my skin felt fresh and glowing. They are pocket size and very mobile. I highly recommend them....and U2.

Pure Magnificence: SPF 30 No Makeup Necessary

I was fortunate enough to receive La Prairie's Anti-Aging Day Cream SPF 30 ($200) as a gift from La Prairie. I have been hoarding it and saving it for the summer. I have honestly never used a sunscreen that has been so perfect. I have been slathering it on in the morning, popping on mascara, eyeliner, a cream blush and lip gloss, and then running out the door. My skin looks hydrated, luminous and I get SPF 30 protection?! As I have been getting older (think 40+) I have been religious about using tinted moisturizer or foundation to even out my skin tone. Not necessary with this miracle cream. What a lucky discovery!

Note: I would not use this as a sport sunscreen (for tennis or beach), but it is the most perfect every day sunscreen ever!

Order from Bluemercury 2 – Westport, CT 203-222-9222 or Marlton, NJ 856-985-9226. Free shipping until July 31, 2011

Recess: Sunscreen Required

My 8 year old daughter came home sunburned yesterday from school. Recess combined with the gorgeous May weather we are having is a recipe for disaster! I promptly put Skinceuticals Sheer Physical UV Defense SPF 50 and Kiehl's Super Fluid UV Defense SPF 50+ by the back door. These are the two sunscreens that my children like and find it easy to put on themselves. From now, until the end of school, our morning routine will include sunscreen application to cheeks, noses, foreheads and bare-arms!

Oh Boy!

We were in Chanel's offices overlooking Central Park reviewing fall and holiday launches. There is a glorious staircase between the two floors which is a copy of the staircase in her Paris apartment. Carpeted in two of her favorite colors, beige and black, I felt like she was going to traipse down at any minute.


Even more glorious is Chanel's new lipstick - Rouge Coco Shine. The team gave me "Boy" to take with me, named after the love of Gabrielle Chanel's life. How romantic. And that is just what this color is - completely romantic. A soft pink, moisturizing, with a hint of glimmer. I felt so innocent and puppy love-ish when I tried it on last night. (Available at select Bluemercury and Bluemercury2 locations).

Got Laura?

I was doing a little spring cleaning of my makeup and skincare drawers and realized that I am a Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer in nude addict. I had seven tubes that were 90% used up, what is it about that last 10%? Hydrating and light, I love this tint. It evens out my skin tone, without feeling like I have caked on foundation. The proof is in the picture.

When All Else Fails

I went skiing with our family out to Colorado last week for spring break. We spent all day for five days on the mountain - through 60 degree sun and blizzards. Needless to say, I completely destroyed my skin. Between too much sun reflecting off the snow and 60 mph windburn, I came home with red, peeling, wrinkled skin. There was only one solution - Darphin Aromatic Care Oils. They were made for this sort of damage. I had prepared and brought Darphin Orange Blossom Aromatic Care with me and used it every night. But when I got home, the soothing, healing Darphin Chamomile Aromatic Care oil fixed my skin in two days. The difference is that oils are just pure moisture and protection. Creams and any sort of treatment would leave a burning sensation. A couple times a year, when I feel like nothing will help the aging, crepy, damaged look of my skin - I transition to the Darphin oils. I even got my husband using them - and he didn't even wear sunscreen on the mountain (I know, unimaginable). So when all else fails, apply oil.

Skiing Face

Yes, I have a face for everything. Skiing is no exception. I couldn't go on the slopes bare faced. I was in layering mode. 1) Darphin Vitalprotection Age-Defying Protective Lotion SPF 50 for hydration and moisture. 2) Skinceuticals Sport UV Defense SPF 45. It is thicker than the Darphin SPF 50 and puts a stronger skin barrier against the elements. And, whether proven or not, I feel like it stays on my skin longer. 3) Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare All-In-One Tinted Moisturizer SPF 15 in light/medium to even out my skin tone. While layering SPF does not provide extra protection - these steps made my skin look hydrated and protected - and that was the most important to me. After a little eyeliner, mascara, and a nude lipstick, I was ready to take the family on the mountain. P.S. the kids had on Skinceuticals SPF 45 every day. They got a little wind burned, but no sunburn.

Quick Pick Me Up: Eye Energizer

Between 3 kids and 30 stores, I often have extra wrinkles or bags under my eyes even after I put on my makeup in the morning. Enter Darphin Anti-Fatigue Smoothing Eye Gel. I just tap this soothing, cooling gel on over my makeup and voila – my wrinkles disappear. I even resorted to carrying this convenient tube in my purse for a quick after lunch pick-me-up. Packed with caffeine, it is truly an under eye energizer that takes away my sleep shortage (or the appearance of it)!

A Wow Package from Fresh

I came into the office this morning to a beautifully wrapped package from Fresh with 4 things in it:

1. The new, delicious Brown Sugar Shower Gel. Fresh’s signature scent – a lemony, sweet sugar escape – now in my shower? I can’t wait.

2. The hydrating heavenly, Brown Sugar Body Cream. Perfect for bare legs this spring.

3. Brown Sugar Candle. This is going straight into my bedroom

4. The magnificent Black Tea Age Delay Serum. Rich and full of antioxidants. I love this for under makeup.


I really do have the best job in the world!

What’s in My Purse: NARS Spring Lipglosses

Francois NARS is the master at creating great color. I picked up two new lipglosses – Super Orgasm and Angelika. These are my go to for spring. Super orgasm is a sheer pink with a hint of coral and glitter. Angelika looks scary in the tube – bubble gum pink – but is the perfect daytime sheer happy pink. I bought two sets. One for home, one for my purse. You can never have enough lipgloss!

Soothing and Builds Collagen?

Remede sent me their 360° Cellular Concentre Serum to try. A clear, cooling serum with firming brown algae, healing nymphae flower extract, and soothing vitamin E, it is perfect for those days where your skin needs a little TLC. I love it after a hot shower and before moisturizer.

Lips: New, Notable, and Lasting

I popped into Bluemercury at Wildwood in Bethesda last weekend. One of my friends happened to be there and had just purchased two of Bobbi Brown's Rich Lip Color SPF 12. She picked up one in Crimson - a deep reddish brown - and another in Rose Blossom - a vibrant, bright rose. She is a brunette with skin that looks gorgeous golden-brown and tanned yearround, so of course, these colors were absolutely striking on her.

I, urgently, had to try these. Since I am on a nude kick, I picked up Bare Pink - a matte, hydrating, very light pinky/brown. I wore it all day - through my son's 4th birthday party - and did not have to reapply for 4 hours. This certainly is the most lasting, hydrating lipstick I own. I love this lipstick!

Perfect Valentine’s Treat

I can’t help but love this Diptyque Roses Mini Candle. The scent – a delicate, sophisticated tender French rose – takes you to the start of spring. (Don’t we wish we were there – enough freezing cold weather already!). This is the perfect thank you gift for a best friend, sister, or mom.

Yearround Lip: The Perfect Nude

Our Marlton team showed me a lip combo that I just can’t seem to stop wearing. Laura Mercier Lip Pencil in Chestnut with Bobbi Brown Creamy Lip Color in Baby. A warm, light-brown nude – this goes with every outfit from summer through winter. It’s just a hint of color so I don’t look dead, without being a color. At night, I can put any sort of mauve lipgloss over this to pop up the glamour. (Laura Mercier Lip Glace in Blush is perfect) With all of the nude lips showing on the runways for spring – this one is tailor-made and easy. (By the way – I keep this combo at home and a separate set in my purse – that’ s how much I love it!)

Secret Cure for Winter Time Skin Blahs

My skin definitely has the winter time blahs: pale, pigmented, dull. The team at our Wildwood, Bethesda location (5 min from my house) recommended that I try Laura Mercier’s new Crème Smooth Foundation in Warm Ivory. It is a beautiful whipped foundation that comes in a jar and gives the most amazing coverage and moisture without looking pasty. It is so easy to put on – I use my fingers, just like putting on a moisturizer. My skin looks perfectly even and flawless – who doesn’t want that? This is my new secret weapon pre-work and pre-going out at night. With the dreary weather we all need a pick me up like this!