Evening Look

I'm always on the search for a perfect evening look - I love 'taking it up a notch' from day, wearing shades a tone or two deeper, going a little bit more dramatic with eyeshadow shades and going for a deeper lip.  I think Catherine Zeta Jones always did such a great job at creating this type of look - she always seemed to have the perfect balance of a smokey eye with a deep lip:

I wanted to try and create my own evening look with elegant eyemakeup and a deeper lip.  Its easy to get carried away in the process of applying your makeup - overdoing the eyes just a tad too much or going too dark on the lips.  I personally really like this look that I created.  Its perfect for that glam evening out - I'm not wearing any earings or accessories in this photo, but with the right diamond studs, pendant and little black dress, this is the 'perfect' makeup:

For this look I started with my usual base - corrector/concealer by Bobbi brown and HD Foundation in #125 by Make Up For Ever.  I then applied DolceVita blush by NARS.  For the lips I used Burgundy lipliner (MAC) with Baroque lipstick (Chanel). For a dramatic eye, I started with Aspen Summit shadow as a base and the applied Ashes to ashes eyeshadow (NARS) from the lid into crease.  I lined my eyes with smolder eyeliner (MAC) and used Night Breed by NARS which I smudged into the upper lash line.

Having a 'go to' evening look is important because its always nice to go a little bit more dramatic and use deeper shades at night.  It gives off that vixen-seductress allure!  What are some of your favourite evening looks?  I'd love to hear from you!

Bois Des Iles - Chanel

How would you describe 'Bois Des Iles'?  Well, how would you descibe any Chanel lipstick for that matter??? Complex, unique, original definitely fit the list.  Not to mention, that smooth application of the lipstick itself.  Getting back to Bois Des Iles - its a red-brown with a little bit of a pink undertone, but not enough to categorize it as a pink.  Red and Brown are the dominant undertones and I would say its a neutral shade - not too cool, not too warm.  To me, its the perfect colour and as much as I adore lipsticks, if I had to pick only one colour to wear forever, I think this would be it, but who wants to wear just one colour forever?  I think what I'm really trying to say is that this shade is perfect for me - its perfect for my skintone, my hair colour and I feel uber european chic when I wear it (which many of you know - is the look I'm 'eternally' searching for).  Since this lipcolour is neutral, I decided to keep the rest of my makeup in the neutral family as well, taupey-browns on the eyes, and a touch of rose of the cheeks:

I started this look with my Bobbi Brown corrector/concealer in Bisque and Warm Beige.  I then used my new favourite Make Up For Ever HD High Definition Foundation in the shade 125.  I used aspen summit as a base colour on my eyes and blended Copperplate and Concrete, which I applied from my lid into my crease.  I used smolder eyeliner and blended concrete into my upper lashline before applying mascara.  I then used 'Ambering Rose' blush my MAC and Sienna lipliner by Chanel before applying my 'Bois Des Iles'.  I have to say that I really, really adore this look - it fits my personality and style!!!  I'd love to hear your feedback and comments!

Top 5 Lipsticks

So I keep on returning to the topic of lipstick decluttering - I've realized that I have a real addiction to buying lipsticks and its not helping me (or my pocket book for that matter).  I've decided that instead of limiting myself to 2 lipsticks (which would be impossible for me) - I'm going to stick to my tried, tested and true colours - these are the shades that I adore and although I play around with various colours, for some reason I keep on returning to these shades when I go to my makeup bag.  Some of the colours are great for my cool winter look, but others are more neutral (a red or pink with a hint of brown) and I'm okay with that, because like I mentioned in my testimonial to Lora Alexander's recent analysis of me as a 'cool winter' - its not about limiting yourself - these are shades I feel comfortable in!  So here we go again (let's see how long this lasts - lol):

1) One shade that I actually recently came across and purchased is a beautiful neutral pink-red-brown shade (very difficult to describe) by Chanel called 'Bois Des Iles'  - I find Chanel's lipshades very complex and unique - it was hard to choose between Bois Des Iles and my other favourite Chanel shades (Amusing and Baroque) - I'm still keeping these as my stand-by's and in my makeup bag, but for some reason, Bois Des Iles really works for me (I have to blog about this shade soon):

2) I got my first Armani lipstick about 8 months ago - its the #504 lip shade and part of the pink family.  I always reach for this colour when I want that natural, sophisticated my lips by better look.  I usually wear it with Whirl lipliner and I always feel very 'chic' in this colour.  Although it looks more neutral in the tube, its a true cool based pink on the lips and works perfectly when I wear colours from my cool winter palette.  This is definitely a keeper - I hope they never discontinue this shade:

3) Napoli  by NARS is probably the lipstick that I keep coming back to time and time again - I don't wear it often, but for some reason I'm always gravitating towards this colour.  On the NARS website its desribed as a cool beige with pink undertones, but its actually more of a neutral beige with peachy-pink undertones on me.  In my opinion, its such a fantastic and versatile colour - I can only describe it as 'Pretty' in a tube!!!:

4) My other favourite NARS shade that I'm totally obsessed with is a shade called 'Beautiful Liar' - its described as a sheer spicy coral.  The thing I 'LOVE' about this shade is that its such a unique shade - its not that bright, orange based coral that most people are used to - its more of a neutral coral shade that looks fantastic with various lipliners and blushes.  It was hard to pick my favourite coral shade and it was a toss up between this and 'Coral Goddess' by Lancome (a lighter, almost peachy coral shade), but like I said, this shade just draws me in like a moth to a flame - lol:

5) Finally, no collection is complete without a red lipstick and to me, its not red, unless its RED - its got to be that perfect true red shade and to me, nothing says that more than the Moulin Rouge lipstick by Make Up For Ever - this colour is amazing and it lasts 'forever' on the lips - I love, love, love this red lipstick:

So this is it - here are my top 5 favourite lipsticks.  I have to say that I have quite a few lipsticks in my collection (too many to count actually) and I really want to be able to channel that minimal, sophisticated, Chic, european style where a woman has just a few signature shades.  I love to play around with colour and I probably always will, but in the end, these are my favourite go-to shades!!!

Roman Holiday - NARS

NARS Roman Holiday may just be my new favourite pink - its sheer, pretty and very wearable for day.  I've been wearing a lot of NARS pinks lately - I'm loving Funny Face and Schiap, but these are my 'evening/going out' looks - Roman Holiday is the perfect 'everyday' pink:

For my 'pretty in pink' look, I used my usual corrector/concealer and tinted moisturizer.  I then used 'aspen summit' as a base, Cement and Lavender (by Bobbi Brown) mixed with a fluffy brush and applied to my lid into my crease,  I lined my eyes with Charbon liner by Marcelle and used Concrete by MAC to smudge into my upper lash line.  I stayed within the pink family for my cheeks my using Gentle by MAC and then ANgelika by NARS as a pop of colour.  I then lined by lips with Whirl lipliner by MAC and applied Roman Holiday - I think this look is so pretty for everyday:

Avant-Garde

'Life in Color' is a fantastic book by Jesse Garza and Joe Lupo.  They provide great advice for how to find your best colours and then they take it one step further - they teach you how to work with your colours!  In their book you will find a style quiz to help you figure out what your style type is, so you can later apply it to your palette and have a custom, signature look that works for you.  I remember taking the quiz when I first got the book, but then forgot about it, not giving the style aspect of it much thought.  Since re-discovering my best palette, I've been doing 'a lot' of thinking about creating a personalized look for myself with my palette so that I buy peices that will compliment my makeup look and clothes and not work against them.  So I took the quiz, with very interesting results.  I seem to be a true mix between Chic and Avant-Garde.  At first, I thought the results of the quiz were a bit off, but then the more I read about what it means to be a combination of Chic and Avant-Garde, the more it made perfect sense to me.  You see, Chic is all about the monochromatic, sensual look with 'European sensibility', as the book describes it.  Style icons for the Chic look are Jackie Kennedy Onassis, Katie Holmes, Audrey Hepburn, Catherine Deneuve just to name a few.  The Avant-Garde look is described as including a little bit of art into fashion.  Its about making a creative statement, sparking conversation, owning peices that are original and a little but un-usual.  The style icons for the Avant-Garde women include: Marlene Dietrich, Cate Blanchett, Diane Keaton, Annie Lennox and Tilda Swinton.  I had to take a step back and look at the whole picture (since the book explains that often women don't fall into one style type - you are usually a mix of a few style types).  When I stood back and really considered what it means to be Chic and what it means to be Avant-Garde, the more I really say 'myself' coming out of the woodwork.  I have always loved that 'European Sensibility' of the Chic look and the icons mentioned have always been my icons.  I just seemed to always like these looks with something just a little bit 'extra' - a unique detail, a bold colour, a top thats a bit off the shoulder, a jacket that has an uber-creative feel to it.  Avant-Garde is about buying 'pieces' vs outfits and then putting them together in a creative way.  I really saw the two styles in one with me.  Its like I have that chic look, but with an artsy, bold edge!  I think this shows through in how I do my makeup.  I like a very chic look, but I'm not afraid of that pop of colour or doing something creative or innovative.  Anyhow - I decided to do a little bit of a tribue to the avant-garde look and I hope to study it in a little more detail, perhaps really play around with my style and let that creative, inner risk-taker out!!!

This is a jacket I would totally pick out for myself - it doesn't have the strait lines or an uber classic look - its a little bit different - and that's 'me' - chic, but a little bit different.  I actually have a few jackets in my closet similar to this.  I seem to be drawn to avant-garde type jackets and sweaters with more chic inspired black dress pants, pencil skirts etc

I abolutely 'love' and 'adore' this look - its incredible and I am so drawn to interesting necklines, off the shoulder looks, belts etc - the best thing is, this light/medium grey works with my palette!  I could completely see myself wearing this!!!

When I see looks like these, I get immediately inspired - I love the belt in the centre photo with the dress and those longer sleeves with the rouched details are amazing (a little bit out of my comfort zone, I would prefer if it I could wear one sleeve off the shoulder, but I would definitely give this look a try).  I also adore everything about the first photo - that jacket is amazing and I love it with a sleek black pant!

I love this red/black combination outfit - this red poncho inspired sweater is so intersting - I would love to have a piece like this is my wardrobe to put over a pair of black pants or a black dress - for me, its about taking something thats chic and classic and taking it up a notch!

I had to end with an evening gown-look.  This dress is stunning - I believe its an Yves Saint Laurent (who interestingly enough is sited in the 'Life in Color' book as an Avant-Garde designer.  The details on the dress are stunning - any woman who walks into a room and a work this dress is one powerful, magnetic woman!!!

I hope you enjoyed my little tribute to the avant-garde look - I kept it quite minimal, there are some very edge avant-garde looks, but i'm not that extreme in my taste!  I hope to write about this topic again - its very inspirational and I can't wait to go out there and pick up some more avant-guard pieces to add to my wardrobe!

Steel-Grey Eyes

I recently tried a look where various shades of grey and black were used to create a 'steel grey' toned eye.  I wanted it to be smokey, but not 'over the top', so I used 'print', a medium grey shade on the lid and into the crease and deepened the look by using a black liner and then smudging a grey shade into the top lash line.  I wanted to keep the look 'cool' and balance the rest of the makeup, so I used shades in the magenta family, but kept the application light and low key vs in your face magenta:

For this look, this is what I used:

Here is my steel-grey smokey eye look with a magenta inspired lip:

Eyes - aspen summit as base, print eyeshadow (MAC) lid to crease with a sheer silver shadow on the lid (loreal), smolder eyeliner (MAC) with print smudged into the upper lashline).

Blush - Make Up For Ever #89

Lips: Subculture lipliner with a touch of Magenta lipliner blended in as well (MAC) with pervette lipstick (also MAC) sealed with Make Up For Ever blush #89

I think this look is very pretty and it can be worn day into night!  The eyes are a perfect balance of smokey and defined, as like I mentioned, the look isn't over the top, so it would work nicely for a day event or to the office.  If you find that the cool shades don't suit you (I know I've been blogging about these shades a lot lately) you can try the same look but instead use a bronze shade from lid to crease, add a shade like 'amber lights' to the lid and define the eye with teddy or coffee eyeliner, blending woodwinked or bronze into the upper lash line.  I would then go for a warm blush like Copperplate and use spice or hover lipliner with 'strength' or 'see sheer' lipstick.  For evening, deepen the look with Fresh moroccan lipstick and Auburn lipliner - this is perfect for all the warmer skintoned gals out there!!!
Since I'm creating a lot of looks for my cool winter colouring, I will try my best to offer a warmer alternative for you to follow - this way you can acheive the same 'look' but using your beautiful, warm colours!!!  Also, please feel free to e-mail me anytime if you want or need any colour suggestions for your colouring or season - i'd be happy to help!!!

'Cool' Hair Colour

I've been thinking a lot lately about hair colour for those with cool complexions and undertones.  The more I read on-line, the more I notice that 'ash' is usually the only choice/recommendation provided as an option for cool skintones vs the warm skintones who seem to have a variety of options (golden tones, mahogany, auburn, honey and caramel highlights, copper etc etc).  I decided to do a little more research and found out that there actually are quite a few options, which are completely 'unique' for a cool toned.  In fact, if you aren't cool toned, these looks simply won't work.  For many years, especially when I first started dying my hair, I was always told to add golden blonde/caramel highlights.  Then I started playing around with darker shades.  However, I have to say that I am now uber-excited to try some of these new looks - I think women with a true cool undertone need to celebrate it, not try to 'warm' up their hair, but be unique and try something uniquely theirs.  Here are some options if you're a cool toned gal:

 
Well, I started off mentioning 'ash' toned hair and I decided to include it since it is a great option and perhaps one of the most natural looking option for a true cool toned women.  If you are a lighter cool toned woman, ash blonde shades mixed with champagne/neutral beige toned highlights would be stunning.  For women with naturally darker hair, anything from medium to darkest ash brown would look amazing! 

If you are a brunette and want to add life to your hair, there are options, ash is not the only hair-colour you need to be limited too.  There are a variety of plum, burgundy, blue, purple tones that you can add to a darker brown base which adds coolness and that unique look that I mentioned is actually natural looking only on a cool skined woman.  If you're of a darker complexion, I particularily think a burgundy brown is such a sexy option!

Who ever said that red is only for the warm toned woman?  There are actually some amazing options for a cool toned woman when it comes to red - Rich burgundy, cool toned true reds mixed with a more purple/blue base, even plummy-pink reds.  These reds are uber unique and not for the faint of heart, but if you're looking for something striking and you're not afraid of colour, give some of their 'cool red' options a try!!!  If you are a true cool toned woman, these shades will bring you to life - they won't look overpowering on you, they will make you look unique and vibrant!!!

I love this look - Its so unique and original and not everyone can pull it off, but I think its soooo 'cool' (no pun intended - ha ha).  Here you see a really dark ash brown base, even black with the palest ash/leaning on silver highlights mixed with blue tones,  I think if your natural grey is starting to come in and you're not afraid of doing something funky, this is a look you can try - or simply go with the darkest ash/black with a slight blue tinge - I think this is uber funky and there is no way a warm toned women could rock this cool, so if you are cool toned, celebrate it and don't be afraid to try something a little 'cool' (okay - the pun was intended here - lol)!!!

Here is another example of how the blue-black haircolour is stunning.  If you're naturally a very dark brunette or if you have natural black hair - try going a blue-black.  Its so original and you can pull it off without looking clownish - I paricularily like this photo because the model has a light blonde ash highlight sweeping across the front, which is really 'cool' (sorry, I can't help it with the these puns).  Also, if you pay attention to the makeup in this photo - the cool toned pink lip and blush shade, you will see how well it looks with the hair colour.  Again, if I had naturally black toned hair, I'd be running to get it dyed a blue-black - I think its such an amazing look!!!

As you can see, ash is not the only option for a cool toned woman - it may be a more natural option (and thats totally fine, there is nothing wrong with having a natural look, especially if its a look that works with your personality and lifestyle).  However, if you're looking for some options and are tired of being limited to ash toned shades or you feel these shades just don't bring you to life - why not try a cool-toned red or adding some plummy-purple highlights or even adding a bluish tinge?  Have fun with your hair-colour and CELEBRATE your unique skin-tone - don't be pulled into whats 'in' at the moment - be your own person, create your own look that is unique to you and be confident working that look - people will start to notice and respect you and who knows - you may become a trend setter instead of the one following the trends - now that's COOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!