Life After Lip Gloss

Life After Lip Gloss

Real Women Wear Lipstick

 

For years, it seemed that lip gloss was the lip product, the only one that got all the beauty buzz, all the cutting-edge plumping ingredients and vitamin infusions, not to mention sparkle, shine, shimmer, and that “nothin’ natural ‘bout it” glitter. (Multi-colored flecks of metal do not represent low maintenance by anyone’s beauty standards.) I’m the first to admit that I couldn’t get enough of the stuff – tube after tube of virtually identically-hued pinky-clear glosses, swimming at the bottom of every handbag and overflowing my makeup drawer – it was the irresistible impulse-buy at every cosmetic jaunt, from the drugstore to Sephora to late-night online prowls on the Bergdorf website. I’m embarrassed by the redundancy of my glosses, not to mention the amount of cash the collection represents. (Admitting you have a problem is the first step, right?)

 

But, at some point when I wasn’t looking (I was reading Voltaire that night, I’m sure of it), something replaced our collective lethargic wardrobe of flip-flops and lip gloss. It was the return of the lipstick. Flat-out glamour in a tube, impeccably-applied, high maintenance, and – dare I say it – grown up. Pop culture sociologist that I am, I blame it on Mad Men. How else to account for our current fixation on structured pencil skirts, car coats and kitten heels? Take a look at this small-screen phenomenon and you won’t find one female character – not the femme-bot office felines nor the hapless housewives – sporting a sheer or glitter-speckled coat of gloss on their lips. The latest fashion show runways followed suit as well, making lips a statement rather than a transparent afterthought.

 

I, for one, am pleased. Sure, lipstick is a heck of a lot more work in its application and upkeep (unlike clear gloss, you’re actually gonna need a mirror for this one) but the payoff is worth it. Besides the obvious benefit of more lip definition and color staying power, there’s something infinitely more glamorous about pulling a gilded cartridge of Chanel lipstick out of your purse than a squeeze tube of sticky root beer scented gloss, no? `And, with a bit of practice, the favored “cover your lips with nude liner-then-lipstick-then blot” routine becomes second nature. Not to mention that lip color, like an amazing pair of boots but waaaay cheaper, is an instant-gratification style boost: If you want a sophisticated yet sexy Bardot look, a shimmery nude or peach looks effortlessly chic. And, if you want to rock the retro look á la Betty Draper (or Dita Von Teese), painting on a coat of creamy red or wine lipstick is a whole lot easier than wearing your hair in a swirly French twist every day and changing your name to Francie.

 

Following are some of my favorite lipsticks, those that I consider to be classics though the list grows every day as beauty houses up the formulas with skincare ingredients and precious oils. Try out a few of these babies or pick a variety of textures, from sheer and moist to satin and semi-matte at your favorite makeup counter to find your own favorite.

 

In my experience, the value of a “universally flattering” lip shade claim is about equal to that of  “one size fits all” bikinis, so I’ve left off shade recommendations in hopes that you’ll consider your own skin tone (fair to dark), undertone (cool or warm) to find your own best lippies.

 

Posh Picks -- $20 and Up

 

Bobbi Brown Lip Color ($22; bobbibrowncosmetics.com), the classic lipstick that launched the Bobbi Brown line, has colors to suit every skin tone and is still considered the best of its breed for full-coverage, creamy, semi-matte color.

 

Chanel Rouge Hydrabase Lipstick ($28.50; www.saks.com) may be one of the best beauty splurges of all time, with its unforgettable soft floral scent, creamy feel, satin finish and long-lasting powder. Rumor has it that Jen Aniston uses the Fire shade to give her cheeks her famous sunkissed glow.

 

NARS Lipstick ($24; www.sephora.com) is a makeup-artist fave thanks to its coverage, superb classics-to-culty color range and texture choices of satin, sheer and semi-matte.

 

Shu Uemura Rouge Unlimited ($23; www.sephora.com) is highly-pigmented and stays color true for up to eight hours, yet feels silky and moisturizing rather than heavy.

 

Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Volupte Lipstick ($34; www.saks.com) offers highly-pigmented, silky color that feels almost liquidy when applied yet true for up to eight hours. A sheer version of this luxurious texture is Rouge Pur ($30; www.saks.com), which looks richer and shinier than most sheers and has a subtle mango scent.

 

 

 

Practical Picks – Lipsticks for Less $ Than Two Lattes

 

Clinique Colour Surge Butter Shine Lipstick ($14; www.sephora.com) has a luscious, gel-based cushiony feel and shine that rivals brands of triple its price.

 

L’Oreal Colour Riche Lipstick ($8.95; drugstores) has an intense-color and comfort formula that is suspiciously close to the lipsticks of its sister brand, Lancome.

 

Revlon Super Lustrous Crème Lipstick ($8.00; drugstores) is an icon unto itself; I’d bet that both your mother and grandmother wore “Cherries In The Snow” at some point.

 

 

Stains: Low Maintenance Lips

For all of you non-believers and commitment-phobes (You know who you are.), a great lip stain packs the pigment punch of a lip stick but in a weightless, long-lasting pat-on formula that makes upkeep effort much lower than lipstick. I’m not a fan of most liquid lip stains, since they tend to go on unevenly and can dry out lips and exaggerate any dryness and lines you already have, But I’m in love with two cream formulas that feel like nothing on and leave your lips with creamy, layerable color so that you can adjust the pigment intensity. Ignore the unappealing name, Giorgio Armani Lip Wax ($26; www.saks.com) is a definitely un-waxy, sublime product that meshes a stain with the texture of silk. Laura Mercier Lip Stain ($20; www.sephora.com) is equally smooth and weightless with a very subtle shine. Both products come in a range of natural-inspired hues from nude beiges and pinks to deep berries.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Perfect 10: Beauty Must-Haves

Perfect 10

 

I love those forced moments of downtime in the dentist’s office waiting room, when I can breeze through the latest selection of trashy celebrity magazines. I don’t really care who is the alleged cellulite-plagued, alcoholic husband stealer of the week, but I adore the old tabloid journalist stand-by question: “If you were stuck on a deserted island, what’s the item you couldn’t live without?” The answers inevitably range from practical (I agree that an IPod would be indispensable) to impractical (Just who are these women who wander deserted islands flicking a 450-degree flat iron through their hair?) to just plain weird (“My green algae colon cleanser”), and I’m equally intrigued by each category.  Equally guilty pleasures are the “What’s In Your Handbag?” features, but the best of the breed are the celebutante Beauty Must-Have Lists. Whether I’m a fan of the woman’s look or not, I must know which self-tanner Jennifer Lopez marinates herself in and what blush gives Mandy Moore those glowy cheekbones.

 

As a beauty writer, friends often ask me what beauty item I can’t live without, and it’s impossible for me to narrow it down to just one product. What good is the perfect nude lip if your skin is a blotchy mess or your under-eye baggage needs its own luggage cart? It’s the complete look that counts, right? Besides, if I ever was stranded on a deserted island, my reasoning is that if I had one magic beautifier clenched in my hand when I washed up on shore, I could just as easily have held my whole waterproof, disaster-proof makeup clutch with the following prized primpers:

 

The Beauty Must-Haves You’d Have to Pry Out Of My Limp, Prune-Wrinkled Fist:

1.     Benefit Erase Paste brightening concealer in Fair, $26; www.benefitcosmetics.com.

2.     Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation, $58; www.giorgioarmanibeauty.com.

3.     Make Up For Ever MD Microfinish Powder, $30; and Hourglass Finishing Brush, $65; www.sephora.com.

4.     Bobbi Brown Blush in Apricot, $22; www.bobbibrown.com and Hourglass Blush Brush, $58; www.sephora.com.

5.     Givenchy Prisme Eyeshadow Quartet in Brown Caress, $50; www.sephora.com.

6.     Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner in Espresso Ink, $21, and Ultra Fine Eyeliner Brush, $26; www.bobbibrowncosmetics.com.

7.     Rimmel Glam Eyes Mascara in Extreme Black, $7.99; drugstores.

8.     Urban Decay Brow Box in Brown Sugar, $29; www.sephora.com.

9.     Stila Sheer Lipstick in Miranda, $17; www.stilacosmetics.com.

10.  Chanel Glossimer in Seashell, $27; www.nordstrom.com.

 

 

So there you have it: the ten magnificent beauty-makers that combine for my favorite makeup look, the best-of-the-best in my unwieldy and overflowing makeup arsenal that I would fish out of the depths of the ocean, if necessary, to prepare for my slew of “Woman Lost At Sea Found Alive and Perfectly Groomed!” tabloid cover stories.

 

           

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hair Color Chameleon

Hair Color Chameleon

The Drama-Free, Trauma-Free Fast Track to Your Ideal Hair Color

 

 

I’m stunned that no psychoanalyst has developed a 12-step program for hair color addiction. Seriously, Lindsay Lohan and I can’t be the only obsessive-compulsive hair processors, not when every girl on the planet is suffering from some sort of mental malaise, whether an addiction to shopping, tanning, men, or other quirk of the moment.

 

And yes, this obsession, this unquenchable thirst for my perfect hair color, is a disease, and a conspicuous one at that. I sulk around for days after a friend walks by my table at a restaurant without stopping to chat. Until I realize that she simply didn’t recognize me as a redhead (or blonde, or brunette or whatever) that day. Even my own kids don’t recognize me in our family photos. Comments like “Wow, who’s that blonde getting married to Daddy?” aren’t that funny anymore.

 

Like all true addicts, my hair’s chemical-dependency was years in the making, first dabbling in Sun-In in the eighth grade, then an unfortunate experiment involving henna and a photo of Molly Ringwald, leading up to the hard stuff with the help of my enablers – er, trained salon professionals. Today, my ever-patient colorist knows to take no offense when I request that she un-do all of last summer’s painstakingly precise blonde highlights by covering them with deep chocolate brown this month, nor will she roll her eyes when I fling a photo of Julianne Moore in her face and demand “Match these gingery locks!” at my next appointment.

 

Despite this dangerous habit, I have been extremely lucky. True, some of the colors weren’t the most flattering– some made me look pasty, others ruddy, and a few were better suited for clear platform sandals and ankle bracelets than for my usual wardrobe -- but my hair has never suffered chemical burns, has never turned green or fallen out. I’ve been blessed with outrageously generous beauty karma that has inspired me to share some inside info with you, so that your journey to your ideal, most magnificent hair color can be a few decades shorter than mine.

 

Home colorists can skip years of trial-and-error (and tragic mistakes) by reading The Hair Color Mix Book, by famed colorist Lorri Goddard-Clark, (www.lorrigoddardclark.com), who does Reese Witherspoon’s hair. Like a cookbook for hair, Goddard-Clark shares secret recipes, mixes of drugstore color kits, giving everyone equal access to celeb-quality color. And, they work.  I’ve been known to whip up a batch of Lorri’s “Deep Caramel” sauce for my hair when it’s gotten too blonde.

 

Even if you’re not a do-it-yourselfer, the book is useful pre-salon visit as well, to help you find your best base and highlight colors. The first step is determining your eye color (this is not just a simple brown, blue or green answer) to find the hue that will bring out their highlights, then on to a color chart to determine your true starting hair color so that you can find the best range of lighter and darker shades. (Standard colorist-conspiracy advice is that you should only go one to two shades lighter or darker than your natural color for best results, but the book has instructions for those thrill-seekers after a more dramatic change; They’re probably willing to buy all new clothing and makeup colors anyway.)

 

Regarding skin tone, though going too dark can wash you out, the white-blonde route can be just as criminal. Amanda George, co-owner of the Neil George Salon in Beverly Hills, says, “It’s really important to take your skin tone into consideration when determining how blonde and light you can go,” and steers her blonde-ambitious clients away from a too-pale look. “You want your blonde to brighten the features on your face, so if the shade washes you out when you aren’t wearing any makeup, then the color is probably not right for your skin tone. You want people to compliment your color, not think it ages you 10 years!”

 

For die-hard color aficionados, professional color analysis can be a life-altering shortcut to your ideal palette, for hair color and clothing, makeup, jewelry, even your home. Along my perfect color quest, I had the Color Edge service by Rochele Hirsch, a fascinating color expert (www.rochelehirsch.com). Hirsch methodically mixed watercolor paints together until she had exact matches of my skin tone, eye color and hair, color replicas so exact that I can actually test foundation shades against my skin color swatch cards when buying makeup. From there, Hirsch formulated a palette of all the complementary colors that make me look and feel energized and truly alive, the colors that should fill my home, closet and makeup arsenal, ensuring that as long as I have my swatches in hand, I’ll never buy the wrong (potentially energy-draining!) color of anything ever again. Back to the hair: a spectrum of shades comprises your ideal hair color, usually four hues ranging from darkest, for your base color, to lightest, for the multi-tonal highlights that would render your hair magazine-cover worthy. And, though I so very often veer from Hirsch’s dictate of light-brown-to-honey-to-beige hair color, I cannot deny the fact that whenever I have it, it is, by far, the most flattering look for me.

 

And now, an earnest plug for the natural look: I truly admire women who embrace their natural hair color and never give in to the latest trends, the ultra-fake and homogenized celebutante look du jour or the potentially hair-ravaging chemicals they require. I wish I could be that authentic, that self-assured, that young Ali MacGraw, embracing my espresso-hued hair and thick brows. It’d be a relief to be free from that constant craving for new color, free from the ever-changing, unpredictable bi-weekly makeover. Then again, that’d be rather boring, wouldn’t it?

 

 

Oxygen Facials

Oxygen Treatments: Can It Breathe Life Into Your Skin?

 

 

Oxygen’s got to be a good thing, right?  After all, we all need it to live and doesn’t it make sense that a blast of oxygen would revive our lazy skin? Oxygen facials have been in the press for several years, ever since Madonna announced that she was so hooked on them that she invested in an oxygen treatment machine for each of her homes. The public figured that if oxygen is good enough for Her Madge-esty’s skin, then it was certainly worth checking out. And boy has the beauty industry responded – countless home machines, spa facials and skin care products claim to infuse your skin with oxygen and rave about its impressive anti-aging, brightening and anti-acne benefits. But what’s the real story behind this trend?

 

Proponents of the use of oxygen on the skin believe that pollution/carbon-dioxide accumulation, sun exposure and other environmental and chemical toxins are robbing our skin of the oxygen – or “fresh air” – that it needs to rejuvenate itself, making the skin thinner, weaker and more prone to wrinkles and other signs of premature aging. They believe that blasts of oxygen will boost skin cells, akin to “waking them up” from their suffocation. It sounds pretty reasonable so far, doesn’t it?

 

Oxygen Skin Care

Let’s look at oxygen’s most popular use in this wave of the trend: oxygen-infused skin care products such as serums, creams and masks. Many skin care companies bank on oxygen’s reputation as a healer and tissue-repairing accelerator and use it as an ingredient in their latest products, claiming that it brightens, detoxifies, lessens wrinkles and beats blemishes. However, the question of whether or not our skin can absorb any (or enough) of a topical oxygen-containing product is up for debate.

 

Though some physicians and dermatologists say that these products are no more effective than their non-oxygenized counterparts in terms of anti-aging benefits, my personal experience with oxygen is that it has worked wonders as a brightener and acne-fighter for me. Because oxygen is an anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial, it’s a potent weapon against acne-causing bacteria. During a nasty battle against hormonal breakouts, I was quite impressed with the effectiveness of oxygen masks (and facials as well, but we’ll get to that in a moment). 

 

Whether or not you believe in the power of oxygen to penetrate the skin, following are several stellar must-try products if you’re curious about O2.

 

Biologique Recherche L’Eauxygenante contains an oxygen delivery system, antioxidant extracts and vitamin C for a refreshing pick-me-up for tired skin, $37; www.biologiquerecherche.com.

 

Upon recommendation from a skin guru from Bliss Spa, I tried out the one-two punch of Bliss Labs Triple Oxygen Instant Energizing Mask 
($52), which froths up to (as the company claims) release oxygen into the skin, so your complexion is instantly brighter and clearer, and Remede Intensive Double Serum ($130), a dual-chambered bottle of

oxygen and vitamin C potions, which you combine at the moment of use for maximum stability and effectiveness; both at www.blissworld.com. I use this dynamic duo whenever I’m plagued by blemishes, and it truly leaves my skin clearer than any anti-zit cream or mud mask ever has.

 

Skyn Iceland Oxygen Infusion Night Cream with Biospheric Complex 
($75; www.sephora.com) uses microencapsulated oxygen energize skin depleted from stress. The mild warming sensation gives my skin the effect of an energizing work out, which makes me look less stressed even if I’m not.

 

Oxygen Facials

Many spas offer oxygen treatments and facials, and their service menu likely raves about their benefits, such as acne reduction, instant skin plumping and wrinkle lessening, fading hyperpigmentation and giving a glow to dull, oxygen-deprived skin.

 

Unlike some types of facials that can cause discomfort, oxygen facials usually feel soothing. During the treatment, a cool, pure oxygen mist is sprayed onto the skin, and may be “sealed in” afterwards by a serum or mask. The results are immediately noticeable, usually ranging from a healthy glow to real wrinkle-diminishing plumping effects around the eyes and mouth. Typically, results continue over the next several days.

However, many dermatologists argue that any visible effects or only temporary and merely a reaction to the blasting of pressurized air.

 

I recently had the pleasure of an oxygen facial by Nina Curtis of The Nile Institute in West Hollywood, California. Because I know Nina and believe that she is the ultimate skin guru, I knew she’d give me the straight story on the oxygen phenomenon, and that she did. Nina never falls prey to fads or trends and only uses the products and treatments that she knows will improve your skin. Every product in her seemingly-endless arsenal is hand-selected and tried and tested on herself before she agrees to retail it, and she is constantly sourcing the most cutting-edge products in her dedication to staying giant steps ahead of the industry. Thus, it’s significant that Nina not only prescribes oxygen treatments for many of her clients but also exclusively uses O2Vive Isobaric Oxygen Therapy, created by respiratory expert John Gardner, who pioneered the use of oxygen in skin care. According to Nina, “Not all oxygen treatments are equal,” and she stressed that the type of oxygen system that a spa uses in its facials is vitally important.

 

O2Vive is the first organic oxygen gas skin care system designed for professional skincare specialist use in spas, and Nina considers it to be superior to the systems utilized by some spas, and the amount of oxygen that it provides is merely one reason. She explained that without the knowledge of precisely the correct amount of oxygen concentration, there is the risk of flooding the skin with free radicals and damaging the skin. Since free radicals are the very things that we use sunscreens, antioxidants and antiaging creams to combat, this point is a significant one.

 

My experience with the O2Vive facial was superb, and the results quite impressive. It was, interestingly enough, calming yet invigorating, probably due to the deep breathing stage that Nina coaxed me into, as well as the accompanying Skin Sip, a potent cocktail that allows her clients to literally feel energized and “oxygenized” from the inside out.

 

My skin was even brighter and clearer than my home oxygen regimen had accomplished, and, as promised, the effects continued to improve for the next several days. Per usual, Nina had been meticulous in blending numerous ingredients for my customized serum to complement the oxygen’s benefits, and my skin definitely drank it up. Despite what some members of the medical community may say, I’m a believer in the oxygen facial and will turn to it the next time my skin needs a wake-up call.

 

For more information on The Nile Institute, please visit www.thenileinstitute.com.

 

 

 

 

Beautynomics: Tom Ford Neroli Portofino

Beautynomics

 

Oh, how I didn’t need to sniff those tantalizinge little vessels of the Tom Ford Private Blend collection lined up at the fragrance counter, each housing its own über-glam, über-pricey juice. I suppose I have a love-hate relationship with Tom Ford, and, in light of our ever-escalating economic crisis, I’ve almost convinced myself that all things ultra-luxe and exclusive (oh what coveted words in the beauty industry) are just simply in bad taste in today’s climate. I declare myself immune to Mr. Ford’s siren song. I tell myself that I already own enough collectibles to represent his contribution to style: the bronze handbag festooned with his iconic gold panther, from his 1990’s revival of the Gucci brand; consignment store and EBay finds from his post at Yves Saint Laurent; those ubiquitous Whitney sunglasses from his own line.

And yet, I cannot bear to walk by that row of testers, the sleek apothecary bottles lined up like chessmen on a board. I take a whiff of each elixir, each one presumed to be a vision of everything that is sexy, womanly, sensuous and supremely chic, and I think to myself “Yes, I need to get me some of that.” But, somehow, none of them is speaking to me, nor moving my hand towards my wallet. At $180 a bottle, I was expecting to be swept away.  I keep moving along down the row of thirteen scents, each time letting out a sigh of financial relief. On the whole, they are lovely, some weirdly hip and some even inspirational, all mostly single notes enveloped with complex secondary notes, and all with a faint warm, amber-y thread running through. Each one great for a sample vial, maybe something to tuck into my bronze handbag on a night out, but not bottle-worthy. And then, I reach the final bottle, Neroli Portofino.

Harmless enough, I think, as I already own an embarrassingly large number of orange-blossomy-Neroli scents, and surely this one is just a variation on the theme.  Not so. This Neroli is unlike anything I’ve encountered, with a luminous floral quality that seems full and round, heady without being at all cloying. It’s got no place in the usual safe floral-citrus lineup, of that I am convinced. But, the $180 price tag? Seriously. Then I am reminded of the real power of perfumery: it has the ability to transport you out of your element and into another world entirely, whatever world emanates happiness for you at that time. I know that this year, with all things considered, my husband and I will not be going on an extravagant overseas vacation. We won’t be strolling on the Seine, we won’t be on a gourmand tour of Normandy, and we most definitely won’t be frollicking in the Neroli blossoms in Portofino. But, with the heavy decanter in my hand, it just doesn’t matter. I am allowed a little bit of fantasy as I carry my glossy Tom Ford Beauty bag out of the store, smelling my wrist every thirteen seconds to prolong the experience. I’m going to spray it with abandon, any time that I need to channel Italy.

I know that historically, economic downturns inspire people to look inward, take on more lofty, humanitarian, intellectual or spiritual pursuits. I’m not oblivious – I fully realize that there is nothing remotely lofty or cerebral about collecting fragrances.  But…I put it not into the world’s “Big Picture “ per se, but in the big picture of my own life, and tell myself that this may not be the year for the eighteen-thousand-dollar jaunt across Europe, but, with some creative budgeting and leftovers for dinner, I can swing the bottle of perfume.

Tom Ford Beauty Neroli Portofino Eau de Parfum from the Private Blend Collection; $180 for 1.7 ounces, neimanmarcus.com.