Hi lovely readers,
It’s that time again: I have a new article up on Jenesequa about beauty products for music festivals. I’m going to Governor’s Ball in NYC in a few weeks and I needed to do this research for myself anyway!
To further inspire you about music festivals, I’ll leave you with my favorite moment from Coachella:
My roommate just got back from Disney World with his family. He picked me up a bottle of this Cinderella inspired nail polish. The color is amazing and surprisingly I don’t have anything even similar! The best part about it is the name: Off to the Ball.
I’ve been surfing the internet a lot lately for new beauty products. Here are a few that I’m obsessing over:
Essie “Boom Boom Room”
This color is from the Spring 2013 collection, and has the best name of the bunch. Even outside of NYC, Boom Boom Room is an amazing name. And for those of us lucky enough to have been to the real Boom Boom Room well, we know how awesome it really is.
MAC RiRi Woo
Available exclusively online and on her tour, RiRi Woo is a twist on MAC favorite Ruby Woo. It’s supposedly Rihanna’s favorite shade and who better to collaborate with than the creator’s of your choice lipstick?!
Deborah Lippmann Mermaid Collection
I have an embarrassing inside joke with my friends about mermaids. Short version: I think they are cool. So the fact that DL took inspiration from the creatures is so awesome. I’ve got my eye on the blue color “Mermaid’s Eyes.”
I’m not sure what I am going to do –I’ve just read that Michael Kors is now coming out with a beauty line. Not to mention Marc Jacobs’ upcoming line hitting Sephora shelves this fall. And Lanvin x Lancome in June. My beauty bar at home is already overstocked. Despite the fact that I’m 100% sure I must own something from each collection, I am so looking forward to seeing what these designers are going to come up with. I love a good fashion/beauty crossover. It’s a great way to add an extension to a brand and increase an empire by working with an already loyal customer base.
My predictions:
Michael Kors– probably a lot of golds: tanner, bronzer, orangey-shimmery powder. Elle UK is reporting the collection will be divided into themes: sporty, sexy, and glam (that sounds like the essence of MK) and will aslo feature lip colors and after-sun creams. The collection will be available in August at Macy’s, exclusively.
Marc Jacobs– Based on the success of his perfumes, I’m sure MJ cosmetics will be a hit. We’ve already seen a glimpse of the nail polish bottles and they seem to be off to a great start packaging-wise. I hope he goes all out with a full-line of make-up: foundation, powders, palettes, blush, and of course nail polish. I’m imagining pales and darkest darks.
Lanvin x Lancome– This is more of a partnership, but it still counts in my eyes. Alber has created an amazing video for the collab so I’m hoping to see elements of his illustration in the collection. Hopefully we’ll see bright colors, pasteles and nail polish!
What other fashion houses have yet to venture into beauty? Can they successfully make the cross over? What existing houses have beauty lines, but could be doing better? Just some food for thought.
The digital magazine I write for Jenesequa is partnering with Cult Beauty for a $400 giveaway. Enter now!
Alright, I let my hair go WAY too long without a highlight touch up. When I called the salon they couldn’t get me in for a week, and my hair is looking terrible. I have chunks of color and terrible grow out. So embarrassing. On my regular surveys of Sephora I came across a couple products that are meant for concealing roots. They’re like spray on color, sort of like those crazy hair paints you used as a kid. The best reviewed product was Rita Hazan’s Root Concealer for Highlights, she also makes root concealers for grey hair. I read a bunch of reviews and figured, why not! The worst reviews complained of the color not really helping and the texture the spray leaves in your hair.
I tried the spray out at Sephora and it seemed to work really well on my roots. I bought the product, assured that this was the right decision. At the end of the day, I was still happy with the staying-power of the blonde. I knew the color would be difficult to get out but prepared myself for the task of washing my hair. I scrubbed and lathered as best as I could but once my hair dried, it was still left with the strange feeling of the product. I’ve used the concealer twice and am sort of worried it’s not going to come out in time before my hair appointment. The last thing you want to do is get highlights on top of product-laden hair. I’m planning on doing a vinegar rinse, as I’ve heard that can help cleanse build up.
The Verdict: I may take this product back. I like the color it gives me, but it may not be worth it for the amount of effort it’s going to take to get this out of my hair.
Hi Lovely Readers,
I just wanted to let you all know I write for a digital magazine called Jenesequa and I’m so proud to work with them. This month I wrote an article about fashion illustration (sneak peek below) and it’s rise in popularity. It’s a free digital magazine you can download for iPad/iPhone in the App store. I would describe it as a cross between Nylon and Elle, so if either of those interest you, Jenesequa is what you need! Add it to your reading material, you won’t regret it!
Download in the app store here: http://bit.ly/JNSQmagazine
One of my best friend’s works at a magazine that featured the new Bobbi Brown lilac palettes. As a token of appreciation, the lovely people at BB let them keep the samples. So my friend, knowing my obsession with beauty, grabbed me the lilac shimmer brick and the lilac rose lip gloss. I was thrilled. I love Bobbi Brown. I use their powder foundation, which in my opinion, is a miracle worker.
As for the lilac-love:
I used the lipgloss today, and although it looks very purple, it comes out practically sheer. (Read “pinky”)
I haven’t tried the shimmer brick yet, but I feel like it’s a cult favorite. I have a few friends that swear by it as a blush/bronze/highlighter trifecta for the summer. Confession: I actually want to buy a proper brush for this product. I have a blush brush but I swear it permanently paints NARS “Orgasm” on everything.
As I’ve gotten older my hair texture has changed significantly. I went from having unruly thick hair, to the finest of fine strands. My hair isn’t thinning by any means, but I feel like it’s extremely fine for having so much, and therefore FLAT. One of my friends at work recommended that I try volumizing powder. I didn’t quite understand the concept –how could powder lift my hair?
She let me borrow hers, (she briefly lived in Germany, hence why the bottle is in German) so I’ve been trying the product for the past few days. It’s the strangest thing, once you rub the powder between your fingers the consistency immediately changes to a tacky/almost wet feeling. You’re supposed to ruffle (is that an applicable word) tousle your hands through your hair, mainly at the root. The powder creates a tacky-sort-of-stiff texture in your hair, ultimately creating the volume. It’s an interesting product to say the least. I’ve read other people can get it to work all day, but it doesn’t quite do that for me. Maybe it’s because my hair is long and therefore weighty. Overall I really like the powder, even for just added texture. But I think I’ll be purchasing my own soon!
My friend’s volumizing powder, you can purchase it at drugstores or beauty supply stores.
I was walking on Centre st. Saturday night and needed to stop at a Duane Reade for a few things. Somewhere between Spring and Broome was where I found thins Duane, it’s a lovely old building that’s been converted into New York’s favorite convenience store. Now here’s the thing with Duane: some are good, and some are not so good. A “good” Duane has all theses amazing new make up lines in what they call a “Look Boutique”. They carry POP beauty, Cargo, Gosh, Demeter fragrances and more. To my surprise I walked into the pharmacy and see a beauty stand for the brand The Balm. I couldn’t believe it. This brand is practically exclusive to online sales. Sephora carries a few of their products but not the entire line. As I stood gawking in front of The Balm display, I still could not believe the products were just sitting there, right before my eyes.
Here’s what I know about The Balm. Their packaging is amazing, think benefit but less modern and more 50’s kitschy-type names. People swear by their products, it’s totally a cult favorite. It’s also a higher end brand, more like something that would be sold in Sephora rather than a drugstore. I’m really glad Duane is trying to change drugstore beauty as we know it and aim for a more boutique-like feel. I think it’s a smart decision to bring in higher-end beauty brands into pharmacies, as it should be a mutually beneficial relationship.
♡ Pretty Well Dressed ♡ 