February 2008 Archives

At first glance I was completely frightened by MAC's Fafi collection (from the photos of the models with brightly painted faces). I was just discussing my junior high school horror stories in the 80's with you guys and then this showed up at my door. Visions of my Souxie and the Banshees eyeliner with blue eyeshadow and sometimes red lipstick flashed before my eyes as I flipped through the look book. As I inspected the eyeshadow quad, lip glosses, blush and lipsticks I received I realized this was not my 80's rainbow bright make up. The colors are actually very sheer and used with a gentle hand, you can create a lot of fun looks for a night on the town! Okay, so the model in the ad campaign resembles Bozo but click to the jump page and you'll see different ways of putting together dramatic looks without scaring anyone. Eyeshadow Quad above is $36, when blended well, the colors will brighten and lighten your eyes.

I am a serious serious snob when it comes to brushes. I only use Shu Uemura natural hair, nothing else compares and nothing else will do. So this is huge for me to recommend another kind of brush and not only that, synthetic ones! Yikes!!! But that's how good these are. I tried these because I have an open mind but I will admit, I was very skeptical. But they just wouldn't allow me to hate them, the brushes felt like real animal hair and the application was as if they were real. They are so soft and felt so good on my skin. I got the 3 which are the essentials, Cheek ($42), Eye Shadow ($25) and the most important of any brushes, the Eye Blender ($28). This comes to $95 which make me getting the Kolinsky big eye blender for $270 hard to justify. Of course these Paula Dorf brushes will not last a lifetime the way Shu Uemura's will, but at $28 you can buy them as needed. These are a great alternative for those who want luxurious brushes but not ready to make a hefty investment to have them. Or for those that do not use animal products, you can still all the benefits without the guilt. At Paula Dorf online store.

I have one of those paraffin vats that you need to melt paraffin wax in before using. Total mess! And I only do it once in a while so it's not like I need a constant vat of hot wax going at all times so when I do want to use it, I have to turn it on and wait....hours!!! Ask me how often I've use it? Exactly once. My dream of having perfectly moist soft hands, shot down. So when I got a facial a few weeks ago and had the glove paraffin treatment I was so excited and had to know where I could get myself some, but again I was shot down with a reply of, "sorry, this is for professional use only". Well, luckily you can find anything online and although it is only for professional use, there is no qualifications needed to buy from this place that I found. The heating chamber is $132 and heats individual gloves to the perfect temperature in 5 minutes (comes in different finishes to match your bathroom!). It also gives off aromatherapy scents during heating so your treatment starts before your treatment starts. The gloves come in a pack of 4 for $39. This is perfect for in between manicure visits, or when you are having a masking night, put this on after your mask and have a relaxing few minutes to enjoy, rejuvenate and hydrate.

My friend Ginger went nuts over the new Chloe fragrance, she saw it in one of my magazines and smeared it all over her arm one night (I always wondered who'd actually open those flaps and rub it all over themselves- now I know. I never do this because who knows if some pyscho added poison to it when no one was looking- but that's just me, Ms. Neurotic). She was visiting me from LA and could not stop talking about the scent the next day, asking me every other minute if we were close to Saks or Neiman Marcus. After hearing her go on about it all weekend, I got a sample at Saks to test out and was surprised that I liked it as well. I am a scent snob and am all about Creed (I have one custom blended at the Creed Boutique in Paris and I use Millesime) which my husband replenishes for me once or twice a year. I think he finally got the hint because the Creed bottles are the only ones I leave out and use regularly. I have dozens of bottles from various brands he bought for me through the years but they remain full, in a drawer, out of sight. But if he were to buy the Chloe for me, I may dab it on every so often. It is not too sweet nor too musky, I like my scents to be subtle and warm, which this is. If you are looking for a new scent, you must try this out. Chloe by Chloe Parfum At Saks- $85.

I love Cetaphil. I know when you hear about Cetaphil, you probably think "grandmother", but I swear it is the best lotion I have ever used. I learned about Cetaphil from my Aunt Nannette who has always been one of my premier role models. She has this impeccable way of always getting what she wants while making those around her feel as if they are royalty. When she divorced her second husband, she took her three girls and moved to Italy and started a bed-and-breakfast. She later got remarried to her current husband who is the kindest, most well-mannered man I have ever met. He also was one of the first plastic surgeons in Atlanta. Needless to say, Nannette has tried every kind of expensive cream and still swears by Cetaphil. After hearing her rave on about it for hours, I figured it was worth a try and have been hooked ever since. It makes my skin soft without feeling greasy and it also makes it glow due to the emollients in the cream. It also cleared up my eczema that I used to suffer from in the winter time. If you’re in need of a non-greasy miracle cream, you must try Cetaphil. Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream, $14.99, cvs.com.

Bag Snob has the fabulous Lanvin Odette Python in the hottest shade for spring!
Jewel Snob loves the Spirit of Cindy Chao!
Tot Snob has the most adorable baby cashmere baby poncho from Agnona.
Purse Blog gives you the Leyla Bag by True Religion, a great compliment to -gasp- Jeans!
Bella Sugar has a showdown between Zeno vs Thermaclear zit zappers!

UPDATE: Congrats to Kim- our chicken cutlet wearing Beauty Snob! We discussed amongst ourselves for days and none of our beauty editors can imagine dropping a silicone filled chicken cutlet on the dance floor. YIKES!

I am young enough to remember the '80s with fondness (how much did I love Madonna and Culture Club?) but old enough to know that somethings are best left to memory (bright blue eyeshadow with pale pink lipstick anyone?). I love the resurgence of bold color in eye make up this season but this time around, I will proceed with caution. Meaning I will blend, blend, blend.
There is nothing wrong with going for electrified color with YSL's eyeshadow quads inspired by the "Mondrian's Collection" as long as you use a light hand and invest in a good blending brush (I use the natural squirrel hair brush in 13G from Shu Uemura). And a clear coat of lip gloss will suffice because the neon clown look is not flattering in any era (trust me, I learned the hard way- if you saw photos of me at 14 years old you'd get a headache).

Just for fun, tell me your worst beauty faux pas in comments by 11:59pm tonight (please keep it as short as possible- 50 words or less). We will go through all of them and vote on the biggest loser, I mean winner tonight. We'll send the winner the ultra popular Premium cleansing oil from Shu Uemura because we all need a good cleanser for our moments of beauty madness.

UPDATE: Congrats to Chiara! This is Eva Longoria (Parker)! Please check your junk mail folder because the last winner missed out as our notification email was sent there.

Our beauty of the day has gorgeous olive skin that she keeps lightly bronzed throughout the year. Do you know who she is?

Leave your answer in comments! We will randomly select one winner from all the correct answers that are left in comments by 11:59 PM EST today. Good luck! Winner will receive Elizabeth Arden's Color Intrigue Bronzing Powder Duo.

Rules here.

My favorite cover girl of the month is Drew Barrymore for Vogue. I actually did not recognize her at first glance but her high cheekbones and bedroom eyes gave her away even though the impossibly toned arms and long tresses are not her usual. She looked like she stepped out of a Bottecelli painting! The barely there wash of gold/bronze eyeshadow paired with shimmering rouge lip gloss is pure glamour. Try the look at home with the Cover Girl products Pat McGrath used on her- TruCheeks blush in No. 5, Eye Enhancers in Cafe au Lait, Outlast All-day Lipcolor in Ever Red-dy.

We have another pop quiz coming up today at Noon EST- check back!

How gorgeous did Marion Cotillard, Best Actress Winner, look on Sunday night? Robert Vetica of Frederick Fekkai tended to her cascading wave of tresses.

THE LOOK: To get Marion ’s modern day Veronica Lake look, Robert first blew out her hair smooth in the desired direction to create the deep left part. The left side was blown away from her face, while the right side was blown out from side to front so hair falls naturally on her shoulder. Robert then curled large sections starting from left, behind the ear to the around the back, using a 3/4 inch barrel curling iron. The hair was kept in place around the perimeter of her head. For the front, Robert curled the hair sideways towards the back to give the hair a not so uniform look. The trick to achieve this loose wave look is to curl big sections.

All PRODUCTS BY FEKKAI: Coiff Shape and Set Mist, Coiff Magnifique Finishing Cream, Coiff Fini Sheer Hold Hairspray.