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Art Tattler
the glamourai
The Non-Blonde
Perfume Shrine
Lisa Eldridge
Garance Doré
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Into The Gloss
Grain de Musc
Lacquerized
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Bois de Jasmin Glossed In Translation
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Worship at the House of Blues
I Smell Therefore I Am
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Illustrated Obscurity
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Tom & Lorenzo: Mad Style
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Beauty and the Bullshit
La Garçonne Flame Warriors Everyday Beauty
Fashion Gone Rogue
Now Smell This
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A Fevered Dictation
Nathan Branch
101 Cookbooks
FIRST NAME CassandraHAIR COLOR Ranges from dark red to titian during a dye cycle - naturally medium blonde
SKIN TYPE Normal to a teeny bit dry, blackheads at nose, chin and hairline, sensitive, very minor breakouts, touch of pigmentation on the chin
SKIN TONE Fair, pretty even. Not a flusher or a blusher.
EYE COLOR Mostly blue
MAKEUP STYLE Minimalist, which is beginning to bore me. I dye my lashes and brows so I look alive in the mornings.
SPECIFIC CONCERNS Essentially, how to go a little bigger? I have a surprising quantity of makeup for a woman who's been wearing mostly lip balm, but work is very casual and I've fallen out of the habit. It took me till my 30s to understand I could use red lipstick, and now I wear a variation on red most days. I despise Nars Orgasm—gold glitter has no place on my face, and though the underlying color is very pretty there's something banal about the whole thing—but not sure about how to choose blush in general. I find anything beyond the simplest wash of eyeshadow with eyeliner really challenging. I feel like it all gets muddied up.
Basically, except for my affection for red lipstick, I am stuck in a very boring rut.
TOP THREE FAVORITE PRODUCTS Laventine normal/dry oil cleanser, Biologique Recherche P70V, and the Le Metier de Beauté Kaleidoscope I bought last week. I haven't used the last yet, but it isn't taupe. Which is very exciting.
As Cassandra likes her skin, there's not much point in covering it up. A bit of undereye concealer, the universal savior, and a blush that brightens her face, such as Shiseido RD401 Orchid ($30), should be sufficient to bring life to the skin.
Applied sheerly, the bright blush provides the perfect backdrop for her favorite reds, which can sometimes drain the face. To round out her collection, we recommend NARS Jungle Red ($24), a highly pigmented, retro-matte, bright cherry red. If you're going to do red, it might as well be unapologetically red. For a more mundane, easy-wearing alternative, we cannot choose lipsticks that skew too warm, like peachy nudes, as Cassandra's original coloring belongs to a blonde, her skin tone considerably cooler than a natural redhead's. We think a juicy pink with a bit of gloss to it, like Lipstick Queen Fly ($20), should flatter her better.
Cassandra has not experimented much with eye makeup, but with her big blue eyes and generous lid space, her options are practically limitless. Our first recommendation is a couple of fluffy blending brushes—Paula Dorf Sheer Crease ($30) is a good one for large eyes—to keep the pigments under control. If you're going to attempt more complicated eye looks, seamless diffusion is key.
With her cool complexion, it's no wonder that she often complains that taupes go "muddy" on her. So we chose, as the central pigment in Cassandra's eye palette, the blue-tinged graphite of Benefit Strut ($19). Since it's a cream shadow, it'll form the foundation for a quick smoky eye, when anchored by the bruised black of Laura Mercier Black Violet Eye Kohl ($19), with a surprising undertone of purple that's softer than your standard black. For an extra hit of color, she might layer a brighter pigment onto the center of the lid, a plum like Le Metier de Beauté Alexandrite ($30), for an intense tonal contrast of her blue eyes, though she could just as easily substitute a green or gold or sapphire blue, as the mood suits her. For a highlight, we suggest the crystalline mauve of Laura Mercier Dusk ($22). A thread of grey in its undertones ties it neatly to Strut and Black Violet, but there's enough pink-purple to pair, very simply, as an eye-opening wash on the lid with Alexandrite in the crease.
Labels: benefit, color me in, laura mercier, le metier de beaute, lipstick queen, nars, paula dorf, shiseido
10/12/2011 [3]
FIRST NAME
Lindsay
HAIR COLOR
Light ash brown to dark blonde
SKIN TYPE
Acne-prone
SKIN TONE
Light olive rose brown
EYE COLOR
Light hazel
MAKEUP STYLE
Natural as possible, I don't wear makeup all the time
TOP THREE FAVORITE PRODUCTS
Jojoba oil, any brand (perfectly balances my skin), Thayers Alcohol-Free Unscented Witch Hazel with Organic Aloe Vera, and my most favorite lipstick of all time, Clinique Different Lipstick in Shy.
SPECIFIC CONCERNS
I would like to find very natural, barely-there shades for day, along with a spot-concealer that can cover my blemishes and another one for my under-eye circles. When I use jojoba oil on a regular basis, my skin doesn't get too oily, so I'm not sure if I should use powder or minerals or liquid foundation. I would like a little more color for evening, something to make my eyes pop.
As Lindsay has already discovered that jojoba oil balances her skin, we would suggest adding a gentle exfoliant to the mix. When you consider that acne is an immune response, it should be classified as a type of sensitivity, instead of being prescribed aggressive cleansers and scrubs. Consequently, we think an alpha-hydroxy solution, like Silk Naturals 8% AHA Toner ($8.95), should help clear the excess skin that leads to congestion without damaging Lindsay's skin. As the mildest of the alpha hydroxies, lactic acid is a good place to start; she can supplement glycolic or salicylic acids if her skin responds well and something stronger feels appropriate. One note of caution: alpha-hydroxies not only increases sensitivity to the sun but also should be left on the skin for twenty minutes at least for full activity. It's best for nighttime use.
Most people require more than one concealer. It would be hard to beat Laura Mercier Secret Concealer ($28) for acne—the customizable match, yellow undertones to counteract ruddiness, and a high-pigment, dry texture that sticks to spots—but a creamy texture and peachy tone is more appropriate for the sallow-mauve discoloration around the eyes. We also think a sheer base, with a hint of yellow to minimize ruddiness, might make a nice addition to Lindsay's routine when she feels like taking an extra step. Mineral makeup won't aggravate her acne, and it's not too fussy, easy to incorporate into her minimalist approach to makeup.
Since "peach tends to skew orange" on her, we've chosen Giorgio Armani Sheer Blush #5 ($43), a dusty rose that won't overwhelm but add a hale and sunkissed glow.
We've no intention of dissuading Lindsay from her favorite lipstick, Clinique Shy, but a richer, intensified variation on this plummy theme might be fun to play around with, the gold-touched raspberry of NARS Gothika Lipgloss ($24) perhaps, or Revlon Blackberry ($8) sheered down to a berry-red stain. A well considered palette of neutrals like the Dior Rosy Tan quint ($59) will reward investment with versatility. They may resemble a million other neutrals, but the exquisite Dior finishes elevate the satiny malt and lustrous taupe (bottom corners) from your everyday browntones. Against feathery lashes, the subtle pink and the sparkle of the cream highlight will create a bright, wide-awake look. And that deep brown, with a hint of plum smoke lurking in its depths, will form a sultry haze against Lindsay's hazel eyes.
Labels: christian dior, color me in, giorgio armani, laura mercier, nars, revlon, silk naturals
9/03/2011 [3]
FIRST NAME
Diana (Li Wen)
HAIR COLOR
Brown/black - coloured dark brown with tan/auburn highlights
SKIN TYPE
Combination
SKIN TONE
Light/medium beige, with yellow and olive undertones
EYE COLOR
Dark brown
SPECIFIC CONCERNS
Dark circles under my eyes and acne-prone skin, which breaks out whenever I eat dairy products. I like to wear bold, bright lips so getting as flawless and immaculate a base as possible always is my main task. I also have unruly eyebrows - sparse, straight hairs that stick out in all directions - which require a combination of brow setter, pencil, and powder to tame. Unless I am at home, or spending hours on an airplane, I usually wear one-day contacts, so having eye makeup that does not run or smear is important to me.
MAKEUP STYLE
Sophisticated, by turns fresh and bold
TOP THREE FAVORITE PRODUCTS
Shu Uemura Hard 9 Brow Pencil - Acorn
Guerlain Eye Liner & Khol - Khol Me 03 (brown)
Red lipstick - cannot pick just one!
WHAT BLUSHES IN YOUR COLLECTION MAKE YOU LOOK MOST ALIVE?
NARS Zen for a neutral with a hint of red, Cargo The Big Easy for a summery peach, and Becca Amaryllis for the perfect winter flush.
Asian brows are indeed tricky to tame. The black is emphatic and the hairs are pin straight, so an unruly hair refuses to behave, even with lashings of brow gel. Within minutes, it comes undone. One option might be to use a good hairspray, one with excellent hold, onto a toothbrush. A more frustrating, but ultimately more satisfying, alternative would be grow your brows in thicker. It'll get worse before it gets better, but resist the urge to pluck those messy, minute hairs for a few months until they've reached their full length. Then you can zero in—carefully! ever so carefully—on individual hairs so they lie more or less in the proper direction.
A peachy tone to your undereye concealer (Laura Mercier, Bobbi Brown, or professional brands like Ben Nye and Graftobian) will counteract sallowness. You can always layer a highlighting pen on top, if you need extra brightening.
Li Wen already owns a formidable collection of red lipsticks and well-edited neutrals (from her Livejournal, Fire of Spring). It's clear she's driven by a spirit of adventure, "I think there are areas that I have missed, colour blindspots that I would like to explore a bit more", as well as a fascination with a conceptual approach to makeup. In response, we've adjusted our recommendations accordingly, slightly more saturated twists on her reliable stable of neutrals.
On the premise that flattering lipcolors should pick up on undertones in a well chosen blush, Lipstick Queen Saint Berry (top center) is a richer, slightly warmer color, a hybrid between brown and warm red known as clove, but not so far removed you cannot detect the relationship with Amaryllis. Sheered down so it doesn't become draining, it's soft and naturalistic without resorting to a nude. For excitement, it doesn't get much bolder than Shiseido OR418 Day Lily Perfect Rouge (top right), a heartstoppingly chic shade of vibrant orange. Day Lily takes the thread of warmth lurking in Saint Berry, isolates it from the neutralizing brown, then saturates it to high intensity. On Li Wen's olive+/yellow undertones, it illuminates her face entire*.
For eyes, we've chosen shades that should integrate beautifully together. For neutrals, a greyed khaki, Shiseido Kombu (far left), and a blackened plum, Laura Mercier Black Plum (bottom left). Though they seem more colorful, they'll wear as easily as Li Wen's favorite ashy browns, like off-browns. Her perfect contrast, aligned exactly opposite Amaryllis on the color wheel, would be a periwinkle. At full strength, Stila Mambo (bottom, second from right) would serve as a bright wash, but it'll contrast nicely against greens and play a more tonal game with darker purples and blues. Alternatively, we might recommend Chanel Bambou (not pictured), a very fresh spring green. Finally, we've included an accent color, to provide a touch of highlight against Black Plum, Kombu, and Mambo, Stila Cloud (bottom, far right). Li Wen notes she doesn't wear silver very comfortably, but Cloud is sufficiently softened by a hint of rosy taupe to take the bite out of the harsh metallic.
* N.B. Since we've been talking to Li Wen over an extended period of time, it's been possible to check various suggestions for their affinity to her coloring.
Labels: becca, color me in, laura mercier, lipstick queen, shiseido, stila
8/09/2011 [2]
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