FOTM: Lipbalm

FAVORITES OF THE MOMENT (FOTM) in LIPBALM

'Tis the season to stock up on a good lip balm!
I'm picky about my balms. Since I apply lip balm every night before I get in bed, I want them to have fantastic ingredients in them. They can't be sticky. They must multi-task in not only hydrating my lips but must bring a little something extra as well for my dollar.  I have to be able to sleep in it (so comfort without goop). Above all, if it yields a greasy feel to my lips, forget it.

Top 3 in Lipbalm:


Korres Lip Butter in Jasmine

#1  Korres Lip Butter

Without a doubt, my absolute favorite in the category.  I've four pots of the fabulous balm on my dresser; that's how much I love it.  Korres Lip Butter offers their good-for-you balms with a tad bit of tint for wearing during the day alone or even in combination with another lipcolor of your choice (blended with a lip liner for instance). I enjoy their butters without a heavy tint even more as I'm able to wear them at night to drench my lips in healthy ingredients and hydration. They've a very subtle nutty flavor to them.  In order of fave, my picks are Jasmine, Guava, Quince and Plum.  This ultimate lip treatment has an intensely hydrating formula in shea butter. Shea Butter both nourishes and provides anti-inflammatory benefits. Rice Wax seals in moisture and smoothes.

Retails for $10 a jar and available at SkinBotanica, beauty.com, ASOS (yes, they are in the USA now, hallelujah!)  and other retailers.

LipFusion Balm Conditioning Stick in Bitten

#2 FusionBeauty LipFusion Balm Conditioning Stick

This balm stick FAST became a fave. Not only does it hydrate lips tremendsouly (claims say increase in water content of lips by 6000% in four weeks), but it actually plumps lips with that famous LipFusion technology as well.  This balm is not at all greasy so you won't feel slick-lipped in this pampering product and the ingredients assist in protecting lips along with the hydrating and plumping. A huge plus factor - it's made with nourishing oils and creamy butters that provide the perfect level of comfort along with SPF 15! The tinted varieties provide just a very slight subtle blush of color to lips and won't interfere with another lip product if you choose to wear one (like a line liner or pencil for instance).  On application, you feel a slight tingle and can instantly enjoy the moisturization the ingredients bring to lips.  There's also a light mint flavor to the stick.  The balm comes in a convenient "retractable bullet" format for on-the-go application. The casing actually "locks" with a slight turn of the cap to prevent it from coming off in your handbag, etc. Doses of AmpliFat and marine collagen filling spheres help to increase lip fullness, immediately and over time. I'm enjoying both the Butterscotch and Berry balms now having almost completely gone through the Bitten as my first trial of the product. 

LipFusion Balm Conditioning Sticks retail for $22 a stick (yes, a bit pricey for a balm but you're paying for the technology here) and they last a long, long time (months in my case on one stick). They are available at beauty.com, Nordstrom and Ulta.

Tokyo Milk Bon Bon Lip Balm in Cherry Bomb

#3  Tokyo Milk Lip Balms

This balm is a tad bit greasier in feel than the two above, however still merits a place on the fave list for its deliciousness, charm, the chic little embossed jar, and last but not least, its fantastic ingredients.  My sister gave me my little jar of Tokyo Milk balm on returning from a weekend foray of shopping.  Her selection? The Bon Bon Cherry Bomb!  My daughter (age 16) considers this one her personal fave of my collection of balms for its taste and feel on the lips and as such sneaks into my purse and/or room to savor a bit for herself here and there (read: daily! ha).  The cherry variety contains sunflower seed oil, beeswax (ok, so not thrilled about this, but ok), vitamin E, aloe vera, shea butter, crushed bing cherries and sweet spun sugar.  It's so yummy you'll want to apply layer upon layer, but don't as that increases the "slick" factor. (Unless, of course, you like or need that much - chapped lips beware.)  Honey Blossom and Opera Mint will be my next tried of this decadent balm.

Other varieties include: Let Them Eat Cake, Honey Blossom, Iced Green Tea, Rosewater, Petit Four, Opera Mint, Sweet Cream and Candied Violet. They retail for about $10 a jar and are available at  b-glowing (my love), ASOS, Beautyhabit and other fab and trendy retailers.

Will LipFusion's Balm Conditioning Stick w/ SPF 15 Surpass Their Other Lip Prods?

LipFusion Balm Conditioning Stick in Butterscotch

So I shared with you not long ago that LipFusion was geared up to launch all kinds of brand new products, and they are now rolling out one after the other.  One I'm particularly stoked about is this product - LipFusion Balm Conditioning Stick with SPF 15.  Here's why.

The nourishing balm contains all the lip plumping technology and benefits of LipFusion's already famous plumping gloss, plus a lip conditioning formula and SPF 15. Love it!  What's more, these soothing sticks have a fresh minty scent/flavor and provide a sheer, feminine blush of color or opt for the clear, colorless stick.  The clear stick yields all kinds of choices as it can be worn alone for a natural lip but ultra-conditioned and plumped, or it can be worn layered over any lipstick for numerous color options.

These are made with nourishing oils and creamy butters that provide the perfect level of comforting hydration, along with UVA/UVB protection in an SPF 15. Fantastic! It works to soothe cracked or chapped lips without being sticky or tacky, and comes in a convenient retractable lipstick bullet for on-the-go application. The casing "locks" with a twist on, twist off top so the tube won't separate from its top and get product all over the contents of your bag.

Shades (L-R): Clear, Butterscotch, Bitten, Buff and Berry

Here's the extra goodness of these SPF 15 balms. Each contains doses of AmpliFat™ and marine collagen filling spheres, which help to increase lip fullness, immediately and over time.  They're formulated without parabens, an extra plus, and are clinically proven to increase water content of the skin by 6000% in four weeks. It is dermatologist tested and not tested on animals.

I've yet to try these, but I want to.

Now, as with LipFusion's other products, you're gonna pay a pretty penny for this balm (why do they charge so much for their lip products? Come on, LF, you know $38 for a gloss - even a plumping treatment gloss - is just too much).  Retailing for $22 a tube (or $18 at event price on HSN), they do pack a powerful punch in quality and lip benefit.  Visit Sephora or HSN for more information or to purchase.

New! Korres Raspberry Antioxidant Liquid Lipstick

New from Korres, Raspberry Antioxidant Liquid Lipstick has a cooling, water-based formula that contains natural raspberry and pomegranate extracts to protect against free-radical damage and smooth lip lines for softer, more youthful-looking lips. It glides on with the creamy texture of a lip gloss and has the long-lasting, vibrant finish of a lipstick.

Everything I've tried from Korres I've been extremely pleased with.  My favorite lip balm, in fact, is their Lip Butter (have it in Quince, Jasmine and Pomegranate) for its buttery soft texture, soothing properties, rich hydration, and the fact that I can wear it to bed without getting it all over my pillow or have hair sticking to my lips.  It's the best balm I have by a longshot!

This new lip product promises to  be just as satisfying and I'm liking that it contains the fantastic for you ingredient of pomegranate.  Both the raspberry and pomegranate extracts provide antioxidant, line-smoothing benefits. These extracts are rich in antioxidant polyphenols that protect against free-radical damage and aging. The formula is also rich in certified organic acai palm pulp oil, which moisturizes and soothes lips creating a long-lasting, creamy texture. It comes available in five delicious shades. I really can't wait to try this new product.

As an eco-friendly and good-for-you brand, Korres creates the liquid lipstick without parabens, sulfates, synthetic fragrances and other yucky stuff. Raspberry Antioxidant Liquid Lipstick is exclusive to Sephora as this time and retails for $22. 

Lancome's Juicy Tubes Turns 10!

Lancome Juicy Tubes is turning 10 this year and to celebrate, Lancôme invited Teen Vogue to create their very own shade of the iconic gloss. After a visit to their labs, Beauty Director Eva Chen concocted a vibrant raspberry shade that’s one of Lancôme’s most pigmented Juicy Tubes yet. The limited edition shade is called So Teen Vogue and it’s featured in the July issue.

Lancôme’s video makeup artist Michelle Phan is applying the shade, above, and now your readers can try it out, too. Here’s how it works:

1. Visit the Juicy Tubes page on lancome.com.
2. Pick out any Juicy Tubes for purchase.
3. Enter the code TEENVOGUE at checkout.
4. Voilá! Juicy Tubes in So Teen Vogue is now in your cart.

You’re getting two Juicy Tubes for the price of one. Sweet deal indeed.

THREE CUSTOM COLOR SPECIALISTS: The Getaway Collection

So we always want to check out the new collection when it comes from Three Custom Color Specialists. We do.  Because it's always going to be beautiful, with fantastic color selection, high quality, and created by true artists who know what we're going to like - from teen girls, moms with small children, high exec corporate types, beauty editors, beauty bloggers, makeup artists - we're all going to be happy with a 3CCS product.


But if you don't want to take my word for it or care to know more about their new collection, here ya' go. Released this summer, Three Custom Color Specialists debuted their new lipstick formulation that brings together color, coverage, hydration, and nourishment. This creamy, moisturizing formula features rich coverage with a high volume of stain pigments for bold, saturated color. The new lipstick formula is fortified with Vitamin E, Grapeseed Oil, Jojoba Oil, Shea Butter, and Avocado Oil – ingredients with proven moisturizing properties moisturizing properties that help improve elasticity and softness. And the lippies are said to provide color-lasting results to boot. Gone are the days when applying long-wearing lipsticks meant suffering from dry, cracked lips!

To introduce this new formula, Three Custom Color Specialists created five new lipstick shades inspired by favorite summer destinations. These vibrant, of-the-moment shades each have a touch of shimmer for dimension, and the collection flatters a range of skin tones, from cool to warm and fair to dark:

BORA BORA ($21.50) - Cool, vivid fuchsia with a subtle blue opalescence *As Seen in Marie Claire Magazine*

SANTORINI ($21.50) - Rich raspberry with silver shimmer

COPACABANA ($21.50) - Bold coral with gold shimmer

MAJORCA ($21.50) - Warm paprika with a soft bronze shimmer

ST. TROPEZ ($21.50) - Sandy peach-beige with champagne shimmer

  

Another reason that I love this company is they are always helping support other brands and companies they love and believe in.  You'll often find 3CCS throwing in a free sample (beauty product, sweet confection, or something altogether different) from one of their fave places with your purchase, just so you can try things they like and enjoy a little happiness. 

 
And as luck would have it, they're giving us just such a little goody opportunity right now.  Seems, like most of us, the folks at Three Custom Color Specialists adore Mario Badescu skincare, and in particular their Cellufirm Drops. Now, I've happened to try this little gem myself and can agree whole-heartedly, it's a lovely product. The serum has a high concentration of collagen and elastin to stimulate, revitalize, soften, nourish, and plump your skin, and hyaluronic acid to hydrate while protecting against dryness, heat and pollution.  3CCS will toss in a free sample of Mario Badescu's Cellufirm Drops with any Three Custom Color Specialists online purchase while supplies last! Enjoy xo

Shiseido's Dick Page Glowing Matte Lipsticks

Yep, no doubt about it, when Dick Page puts his creative genius into something, it's gonna be a winner! Literally.  And this isn't the first time Page has created a lippie ... each gorgeous in its own right.

This time, it's Shiseido's Perfect Rouge Glowing Matte in RS798 (Damson), a shade he created exclusively for Macy's.  The votes are in - 15 international Marie Claire beauty editors named Glowing Matte as one of their April must-have beauty products.  The lipstick has a velvety, matte texture that envelops lips in a natural, semi-transparent color; is very moisturizing as well.

Video: Dick Page backstage artistry Shiseido Perfect Rouge campaign

Perfect Rouge Glowing Matte is a matte lipstick unlike any before that provides exquisite smoothness while maintaining the gentle luster of bare lips.  Intense moisture and a soft luminosity allow color to glide on with a luxurious feel.  Its lightweight formula feels like you're not wearing anything at all yet provides a chic finish that lasts long past what we've come to expect in a sheer, silky lipstick. Other shades besides the one Page created for Macy's are: RD722 Whisper, BR323 Wink, PK224 Sugar Babe and RD325 Coral Glow.

Shiseido Perfect Rouge Glowing Matte in RS798 retails for $25 and is available exclusively at Macy's. The other Perfect Rouge Glowing Matte shades are available at Shiseido beauty counters and online at us.shiseido.com.

Another Dior Giveaway: Dior Addict Lip Glow from Glamour

Want luscious lips? Enter for a chance to score a Dior Addict Lip Glow--a hint of color is all you need to get gorgeous! Glamour will be giving fifty of us (think positively) the lip sheen, worth $28 each. Promotion began June 4, 2010, and ends July 6, 2010, at 11:59 P.M. EST, when all entries must be received.

Click HERE to enter!

Fresh's New Lip Treatment Is a Sugar Plum

On the heels of the release of the wildly popular Sugar Rose Tinted Lip Treatment comes Sugar Plum by Fresh.  Be still my heart. Here is another shade I can definitely get juiced about!

Fresh Sugar Plum Tinted Lip Treatment SPF 15 offers sheer coverage or buildable color and is the perfect partner to the best-selling Sugar Lip Treatment SPF 15. It's formulated with sugar, a natural humectant that prevents moisture loss, and a superior blend of nourishing oils and protective waxes to soften and smooth dry lips. Antioxidant-rich vitamins also work to defend against wrinkle-causing free radicals. It also provides essential year-round protection from damaging UV rays with SPF 15.

Here's the story behind Sugar Plum.  Be warned, it will have you licking your lips and ripe for plummy, juicy fruit.

"On a recent summer vacation, we spent time on a farm in France where there was a magnificent plum orchard that stretched to the horizon—plum trees as far as the eye could see. At first light, the sun would stream through the orchard, warming the irresistible, juicy plums. Ripe for the picking, I tasted one and was surprised at how the deep, dark skin of the plum gave way to a translucent burgundy pulp. Inspired by this unveiling, I created Sugar Plum Lip Treatment SPF 15, a dark bullet that delivers a mysteriously sheer and utterly sensuous tint."

—Alina Roytberg, Fresh Co-founder

Both the original and the rose tinted version have won Allure Best of Beauty Awards. Their plummy sibling is sure to set heart's on fire as well.  Fresh Sugar Plum Tinted Lip Treatment is available currently only at Sephora.  All the Fresh Sugar LipTreatments (tinted or original) retail for $22.50 each.

Stila Limited Edition Travel Palettes ONLY $10!

Oh, you're not going to believe this one, Stila Girls.  A Stila palette of colors for $10, are you kidding?  

Stila Girl Travel Palettes! Follow the five Stila girls as they travel across the world and get five complete looks (launching each month June through December). Now, these aren't huge, they're more like the size of an index card, but each contains plenty of product for many looks of fun. As a green-eyed girl, I truly adore the colors in this one - those purples, mauves, plummy shimmers. All destined to make a green eye pop!

The first of the series is Road to Radiance Across the USA inspired by Kylie's road trip across the US!

This cute, collectable palette includes:

FOUR EYE SHADOWS

• 
  
  Snow Bunny (shimmery pink-champagne)
• 
  
  Southern Belle (mauve)
• 
  
  Valley Girl (pink)
• 
  
  City Chick (alloy)

CONVERTIBLE COLOR

• 
  
  Hibiscus

Each palette is ONLY $10, a $65 VALUE! Collect all five (check back next month for the new palette!) Absolutely gorgeous.  I've already ordered mine. Click here to learn more about the travel palettes and Kylie's trip!

For more information or to purchase this fab little limited edition palette, visit Stila online today! There is one downer, shipping is $7.95. Whew ... come on, Stila, you gotta fix that!

Maybelline New York, CVS Pharmacy Be Sensational and Win Contest

Hot off the press! The "Cell Block Six" finalists of the Maybelline New York, CVS Pharmacy Be Sensational and Win contest have been announced. The finalists are from NY, FL, CA, NJ, MI and TN.

After an exciting, nationwide search Maybelline New York and CVS/pharmacy have announced the “Cell Block Six” finalists in the Be Sensational And Win Contest. The contest, created by Maybelline New York in partnership with CVS/pharmacy will land the grand prize winner in a performance of Broadway’s Chicago the musical.

Maybelline New York Color Sensational Lipcolor

The Six finalists’ audition videos can be viewed by visiting BeSensationalAndWin.com. Fans are asked to vote for their favorite contestant before May 7th. Each voter will automatically be entered into a sweepstakes for a chance to win their own trip for them and a guest to New York City, including air, hotel, and tickets to Chicago, the musical.

Ultimately it’s the voters who decide the Grand Prize winner. The votes for each performer will be tallied and the contestant receiving the most votes will be Broadway bound. I've viewed all six audition videos (they are very brief) and I've got a favorite!  These ladies are all very talented; very fun to watch. Tell me who you vote for and I'll tell you who won my vote.

To cast your vote, visit BeSensationalAndWin.com and help decide who will razzle dazzle the audience in an upcoming performance of Broadway’s Chicago the musical.

REVIEW: 100% Pure Fruit Pigmented Naked Berry Lip Pencil

Proving once again that green beauty can please on so many levels, 100% Pure's Naked Berry Lip Pencil gives us a creamy lip pencil, in gorgeous shades excentuating the lips with pure fruit pigments and none of the stuff that leaves us asking, "I put what on my mouth?"

We've heard the horror stories about cosmetic companies using crushed beetle shells to color lipsticks, glosses and pencils (yes, the insect beetle), coal tars and more.  Oh yes, my loves, they do. Google it. You'll see.  Some question whether or not the coal tars used may be carcinogenic, others are put off by the possibility of lead being used in lip products, and still others of us simply just don't want to paint our precious puckers with anything even potentially questionable.

If you fall into one of those categories, or if, like me, you just prefer the thought of using a lip product with 100% pure ingredients - antioxidant rich natural fruit and vegetable pigments, no lead, no synthetic chemicals, no artificial fragrances or chemical preservatives - then this is a product you'll want to know more about. And what better time to celebrate a brand like 100% Pure and a product like Naked Berry Lip Pencil then during Earth month.

Ok, so here's my experience. The first thing I noticed upon removing the cap from the pencil was the fatness of the tip.  This shouldn't be construed to mean it's too broad for use as a lip liner; it's easily used as such.  However, the pencil is versatile enough to also be applied to the whole lip as a lipstick would be.  The color of the berry pencil (more of a mauve-y berry than a plummy berry) is pleasing enough to the eye (as are all the shades the pencil comes in), but what do you think of when one says, "lip pencil"?  I think of a dry coloring utensil one must almost drag across the lips, catching and "tripping" as it makes its way across a lip line, requiring the user to go back and fill in little areas where the pencil skipped.  However, this is a pencil, this is a product actually of a different kind.  These are very creamy and effortlessly glide across the lip, whether you're lining only the edge or coloring in the whole lip area.  When used as a whole-lip color, the result is a matte appearance, yet hydrated in feel.  Used as a lip liner, I can apply any of my favorite lipsticks (yes, even the ones with crushed beetle shells) or swipe a gloss and enjoy how easily the liner blends and fuses with my other favorites. What's more, as a liner it keeps other colors and products from feathering and bleeding outside the lip.

100% Pure confidently lists the ingredient content of their products in entirety.  Their lip pencils contain these ingredients, and only these ingredients: Jojoba Oil, Cocoa Butter, Shea Butter, Beeswax, Coconut Stearic Acid, Vitamin E (Tocopherol), Rosehip Oil, May contain all or some of the following fruit pigments : Cherry, Cocoa, Strawberry, Plum, Blueberry, Blackberry, Peach, Apricot, Tomato, Pomegranate, Acai, Raspberry, Chokeberry and Cranberry, Rice Strach Powder.

You got a problem using any of those on your lips? I didn't think so.

So, how would I rate 100% Pure Naked Berry Lip Pencil, five stars being the highest rating?

+   +   +

The color payoff is fantastic, the application is smooth and creamy, the size is substantial, at $15 each they are very reasonably priced and the ingredients used are, well, appreciated. What more do we need to share? Oh, how about where to purchase them.  Allow me to introduce you to Green 4 Your Soul.  If you're new to them, though enjoy a shopping experience where all the product offerings are eco-friendly, green, and cruelty-free, you'll adore this niche little store. 

Green 4 Your Soul shoppers benefit from their staff’s exhaustive research and testing of every product they carry. They are committed to providing their clients with the safest and highest quality organic and natural products on the market. Shoppers will find a full disclosure policy shown on their site, which lists all ingredients for each product carried in order that we might make informed purchasing decisions. Add to that excellent, personalized customer service as this is an operation intent on pleasing their clients.  Check 'em out.

Lancome Launches Iconic Matte Lipstick Collection Just in Time for Spring

Lancome gets ready to play along with one of the top trends for Spring - the matte lip - and their Color Design Matte Lipstick creations are definitely to be envied and adored.

What's the one drawback many beauty lovers identify as the reason they turn their noses up at the matte lipstick? Dry texture. 

Problem solved!  To say that Lancome reinvented this iconic texture isn’t mere exaggeration. The new formula is described as soft and creamy, glides effortlessly and comes in eight dreamy colors. The credit goes to the new formula; its mattifying agent isn’t a dull powder but a light-diffusing gel. I can hear makeup divas everywhere cheering on this one element alone, much less the fantastic shade options available.  Look at them ... they are drool worthy! High pigment levels ensure that it wears for hours, while soft waxes and emollients deliver modern slip.

Makeup artist Daniel Martin used the Bronze Show shade at the Chris Benz Fall 2010 presentation for the perfect update on the 90’s lipstick. Celebrity makeup artists are already in love with the formula, too. Read what makeup artist Fiona Stiles had to say to Teen Vogue about the Corset shade!

Available in eight shades - $22 USD

* Red Haute * Posh Pink * Lucky Kiss * Corset * Plum Show * Pink Preview * Bronze Show * Stylista

Color Design Matte is a Macy’s exclusive and will be on both the Macy’s website this week and on lancome-usa next week.  I cannot wait to try this one!

Rouge Coco: Mademoiselle's Favorite Lipstick

Gabrielle Chanel was fascinated by lipstick to such an extent that she created a creamy stick of lip colour in 1954 that she inserted in a rectangular tube, the exact replica of the No 5 spray bottle.  She even reserved the famous leather compartment inside each 2.55 quilted handbag.  This historic lipstick has continuously adapted to new technological innovations.

Coco Rouge

The Anatomy of Chic ~ A Timeless Classic
CHANEL brings the iconic packaging of the historic lipstick by Coco Chanel into the Rouge Coco era.  A black case with a gold ring in smooth, luxurious metal with a fresh feel that is instantly recognizable each time that you plunge your hand into your handbag to find your lipstick.

Comfort and Sensory Pleasure
Its creamy texture dresses the lips in luxury for a satiny, luminous result. 

Hydration:  The HYDRATENDER complex guarantees 8-hour hydration
Colour:  Thanks to extremely fine pigments, the radiance of the colour preserves lip comfort
Fragrance:  A bouquet of fresh roses enhanced with a fruity raspberry accord over a powdery, iridescent base with a hint of vanilla

Two looks specially created for CHANEL by Creative Makeup Director Peter Philips.  More looks may be viewed online at Chanel.com.

Please visit CHANEL online for more information about Rouge Coco and to experience the making of the Rouge Coco film and learn more about the legendary Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel and current muse Vanessa Paradis.

Love Your Korres Kissed Lips

Recreate your favorite fashion and beauty trends with Korres antioxidant-rich, long-wearing formulas for brilliant color and a radiant finish to your complexion.

LOVE YOUR LIPS COLLECTION
The perfect way to achieve healthy, luscious lips with a hint of color! Prepare the lips with Lip Scrub, play your way to the perfect, naked pout with Cherry Oil Lip glosses in universally flattering shades and put the finishing touches on your pout with Jasmine Lip Butter that melts onto the lips, leaving a shiny, tinted finish. The limited edition collection includes:

• NEW! Organic Lemon Lip Treatment Scrub a gentle yet effective lip treatment that prepares the lips for long-lasting lip color.
• Cherry Oil Lip Gloss in New Naked Shades Rose 22 and Beige 30; high-shine, long-wearing glosses in flattering natural shades enriched with Cherry Oil and Vitamins to deeply hydrate and repair the lips.
• Best-selling Jasmine Lip Butter, an intensely hydrating lip treatment with a soft, sheer hint of color.

Retails for $34.50 (a $64 value)

CHERRY OIL LIP GLOSS

Long-lasting, creamy, semi-sheer formulas in wearable and vibrant shades. Go natural with NEW naked shades!

• Cherry Oil moisturizes lips, prolonging the wear and giving a high-shine, non-sticky finish
• The natural active Jojoba Oil smoothes fine lines and deeply hydrates the lips
• Potent antioxidant Vitamin C and E prevent free radical damage and repair the lips
 
Retails for $17
 

SPECIAL BEAUTY OFFER


For more information and to shop the sweet special offer going on now, visit Korres online.

NYFW Fall RTW 2010: Tomato Red Lips Rule the Runway

Receiving lots of attention, oooh's and ahhhh's at NYFW is the makeup look created for Costello Tagliapietra Fall RTW 2010. Easy to see why!



Jeffrey Costello and Robert Tagliapietra gave the backstage beauty department a clear vision of what they wanted to bring out their collection: Coutney Love with a 70's vibe and a tad bit of Japanese influence (inspired by a trip to Japan the designers took recently).

Makeup artist Lisa Butler for MAC contrasted the beige and plum colors of the designers' clothing collection with a strong tomatoe-y red lip. Butler created a unique shade by blending MAC Russian Red lipstick with MAC Luna Cream Colour Base. Skin was left pale, fresh and clean, to give focus to the lips. Brows were left au naturel and were combed upward for an animalistic feel.

The asian influence was apparent in the hair. Stylist Nelson Vercher created an airy updo with lots of wispy volume, finished with a high knot. "It was all about a girl traveling from Russia to Asia but with some form of togetherness-she went on that journey but still came out looking lovely," explained Vercher. "There's a Geisha influence but it's not too literal-it's modern and young, but still elegant."




(L-R) Vena Cava, Richard Chai Love, L.A.M.B., Prabal Gurung

Other collections rocking a fab carrot, tomato red included Vena Cava, Richard Chai Love, L.A.M.B., Prabal Gurung and sure there will be more. Contrastly, many designers showed collections with makeup-less beauty looks. Another color showing all over faces of the runway? Shades or purple - no surprise there, right ladies.

source and images: getty, imaxtree, nymag, stylist, elle