Although my blog focuses on beauty items, I’m still an avid reader of fashion blogs. I’m honored to be featured this week on the Feather Factor’s interview series! She is one of my favorite daily reads and if you haven’t already check out Katherine’s blog, I highly recommend you click over to browse through. You can read more about her here. She’s a mix master – always coordinating a unique set of items to create some of the most chic outfits I’ve seen. Her style is inspirational and her blog a joy to read. I adore her purse and shoe collection (to die for)! She was kind enough to ask me to participate in a 2 part interview. Here is Part 1. I hope you enjoy!
I have been featured as a guest writer on Andi’s blog Saltwater Dreams. She was kind enough to ask me contribute to her wishlist series. I am a huge fan of her blog – she features a great mix of beauty and fashion posts. I love her polished style which is also modern and chic. I wish I could have her as my fashion stylist! Check out her blog if you haven’t already and you’ll see what my holiday must-haves are this year.
* Must clarify, these items were on my wishlist at some point but have become holiday must-haves for me as I’ve acquired them all by now!
I’m thrilled that one of my favorite brands Le Metier de Beaute has really taken off in the past year. When I first discovered the brand there were virtually no reviews or photos of the line except from a few lucky New Yorkers. The line was very exclusive to a few select locations around the US. Everyone else (myself included) had to order products over the phone or online sight unseen. For me it was a bit of a risk spending so much on lipglosses and eyeshadows that I had never seen or tested – but I was pleasantly surprised by the beautiful colors and high quality. I’m glad the brand is expanding and making itself more accessible. It’s definitely a splurge but the items are indeed lovely.
Today, I have a lovely guest post from a NYer who goes by the screen name Panties on Makeupalley. She took a number of photos from the Le Metier de Beaute counter and was kind enough to e-mail me with a set to share. Check out her profile on MUA for additional photos of Le Metier products among other wonderful things (EB, MAC, Shu Uemura to name a few). These eyeshadows come in a round mirrored black compact and currently retail for $30 each.
I think she’s sparked a few more lemmings for me. I asked her what her thoughts were overall or if she had any favorites? Her response:
“Their eyeshadows are their best products aside from their lip cremes. I’m in love with Chameleon because it really is a unique shade. I actually use Canvas a lot more often than expected because it evens out my eyelids.”
I have to agree with her on Canvas. For me it’s more of a contour color but it does even out the lids. Chameleon does indeed look intriguing – it’s not one that I recall seeing while in San Francisco or Beverly Hills. It definitely looks very unique.
I am still dreaming of the day when I can get to the East Coast! But for now, I am grateful for all the NY makeup aficionados that bring a bit of the city to the rest of us 🙂
Grace London from London Makeup Girl brings you her take on Edward Bess cosmetics. Her blog is one I follow regularly because she features those unique brands – many of which I hope I can try out someday!
Tell us about yourself: London is where I work (and shop.) My beauty interests lie mostly with the smaller, independent lines (Mr London jokes that the best way to describe my taste in anything is ‘esoteric’.) My beauty style is classic with a twist. I like taupe eyes, and red or rosy lips.
For our reference, what’s your skintone and hair coloring? My skintone is a pale cool olive (I’m about MAC 20 depth, although NW is too pink and NC too yellow.) My hair is a dark chestnut, and I have brown eyes.
How did you find out about Edward Bess? I first read about the Lip Wardrobe in Allure. When the products started to be sold separately a couple of the ladies that I know on emakemeup.com bought some, and one of my makeup twins there told me I needed to try the eyeshadows (and then enabled the purchase for me across the pond.)
What do you love best about Edward Bess? The excellent quality and textures of the products. The eye products are just fabulous neutrals; they’re wearable and classic without being dull or muddy.
Top favorite products/colors? Dusk and Intimate eyeshadows, and Midnight Bloom lipstick. Dusk and Intimate are the perfect neutral shadows to wear with a red lip (a khaki taupe and a beige with very subtle green/pink shimmer respectively), and Midnight Bloom is a lovely cherry red (pictured below).
Is there anything that didn’t quite work for you? Night Orchid lipstick is hard work for me to wear. I picked it because at the time it was the only pink lipstick in the range, but it is a little bit brighter than I feel comfy in. I have one of the three new lipsticks on the way to me (Tender Love) and I’m really looking forward to trying this; I think the line has been crying out for some rosy/plum lipshades.
What are your other favorite beauty brands and or products? Other brands I love include: Julie Hewett, Beaute, Kevyn Aucoin, Rouge Bunny Rouge, RMS Beauty, Lipstick Queen.
Anything else you’d like to mention? Please come to London, Edward. Your products would be perfect in Liberty or Fenwick, and I wouldn’t have to rely on the kindness of US friends to get hold of them!
So what is an Edward Bess fan like? From what I gather, we all love those unique and more independent lines. We go for that simple minimalist but classic polished look. Leanne, another Edward Bess fan, shares her experiences and reviews on the line. She was the first one to help me with my millions of questions back in September and immediately gave me the latest scoop on the newest upcoming lipsticks (released in the fall) giving me super descriptions and details based on what she knew. Leanne definitely pointed me in the right direction starting me off with Intimate Eyeshadow & the fall lipsticks and glosses.
From Leanne:
I’m a 53 year-old visual artist, mother of two, and yoga fanatic from the Pacific Northwest. I consider myself something of a minimalist. I’m a sucker for really good design, whether it’s fashion, handbags, or furniture (I have a particular soft spot for Scandinavian style).
I have pale skin with cool undertones and blue eyes. My natural hair color is a medium ash blonde. I am in the process of letting it grow out with some gray and toning to blend it, so the overall effect is light blonde.
I would call my beauty style “simple chic with added quirkiness”, and “working what you’ve got”. I love the French concept of bien dans sa peau, or “feeling good in one’s skin”– being happy with who you are, flaws and all. I practice good skin care and work with my natural hair texture (which is curly/wavy and worn just below the shoulders). I’m the same weight I was in high school because of my yoga practice and a fairly healthy diet (I’m no saint, but I avoid fast food). My favorite makeup is a natural, neutral but polished look with a deep or striking lip color (think of the late Carolyn Bessette Kennedy). As I age, I’m spending more time on things that define my features, like eyebrows and lipstick, rather than trendy colors or complicated makeup.
My finding Edward Bess story is rather poignant. I became a widow last year, and decided that one way to ease myself through such a difficult time was to pare down my beauty routine but splurge on the absolute best products for the job. Researching on Makeup Alley and reading beauty blogs was a fun distraction when I needed it. The first thing I discovered about the line was that his lipsticks were great but you had to buy them all together for hundreds of dollars. My initial reaction was “pull the other one, Edward, it’s got bells on”– not exactly positive! Then I discovered that he was in fact expanding his line and selling products separately, with prices comparable to Chanel, Chantecaille, and Giorgio Armani. I was entranced by the reviews– his take on makeup sounded so in tune with what I wanted– and I contacted Leslie for her advice. She was, of course, lovely and very helpful. I started out with a few lipsticks, and I was a goner. Orders for the highlighter and concealer happened next, followed by purchases of eye shadows and more lipstick. (You see where this is going). I started getting rid of similar items from other lines that just didn’t stand up to these products. For me, having his line of cosmetics is like having a great quality wardrobe of a few simple, gorgeous, versatile pieces that all work together. The quality of these products– the texture, the scent, the lovely color palette, the simple black packaging– makes them a pleasure to use and wear. And the wear time is phenomenal.
My favorite products are Intimate eye shadow, Afterglow highlighter, Soft Beige Platinum Concealer, and several of the Ultra Slick Lipsticks (Eternal Passion, Tender Love, and Night Romance). There were a few lipstick shades I tried that didn’t work for me, but definitely have more hits than misses.
I love small, independent beauty lines and Julie Hewett’s is another that deserves more attention. Of the larger brands, Nars has been a consistent favorite of mine.
I can’t wait to see how Edward Bess expands his line. I hope he continues to do it with the same thoughtfulness and care he has put into it so far!
Guest Writer Lakshmi brings us a detailed account of her recent makeover at Bergdorf Goodman with the Paul & Joe team for their holiday event along with lovely photos of her amazing haul (credit to go to her friend Dhruv for taking these photos)! It looks like the Mesmerize Holiday Palette is a big hit this season – want to know how to use this and what products to coordinate with it? Read on for her experience . . .
L to R: Nail Polish 06, Lip Lacquer 07, Lip Lacquer 10
Intrigued by rave articles on Paul & Joe, I decided to go in for a makeover at Bergdorf Goodman and had Caroline do my make-up which was just wonderful, the whole experience was totally fun! Here’s what she used on me:
Skin Prep
Caroline started by cleansing my face with the Cleansing Milk N, followed by the Refreshing Toner. Since my skin is very dry at the moment she followed it up with a richer toner that you just press into the skin instead of applying with a cotton pad. All these skin products have an orange blossom fragrance that is very soothing. She then applied some moisture cream, which was a little too heavy, so she blotted away the excess moisturizer and followed with an application of their Protective Foundation Primer.
Foundation
After the skin-prep, Caroline then proceeded with an application of the Protective Fluid Foundation. I am Indian with deeper skintones (MAC NC43) and unfortunately they did not have a perfect match for concealer so she opted for a Shu Uemura concealer from the neighboring counter as an alternative! She set my foundation with some loose face powder.
Eyes
* Step 1) Eyes were first prepped with a layer of their eye primer
* Step 2) She then applied the lightest shade (lilac) from the Mesmerize palette all over the lid
* Step 3) The medium shade from the same palette was blended in the crease to warm up my eyes, because the lilac was a little too cool toned for my skin
* Step 4) The next thing she did which was my favorite part of the entire makeover – she took the darkest shade in the palette (the black sparkly one) and lined my eyes extending it into the outer V, while smudging this to make it look diffused and soft.
* Step 5) She then deepened this eyeliner effect with Pearl Powder in 001 (smokey black shimmer) and lined my eyes with a black pencil liner.
* Step 6) Finishing touches – just to give some sparkle she used the Pearl Powder 03 on the center of my lid, applied and blended lightly with a finger.
While seemingly complicated, this combination of products gave my eyes a soft smokey look with a wonderful gradient effect from the darkest black color at the lashline slowly blending upward and outward. She then applied their mascara in black, the brush is quite thick and the formula seems glossy and volumizing, so can’t wait to try that. Since she applied it with a disposable wand, I have yet to see the effect of application with the brush.
Cheeks
I had already seen so many things I wanted to buy and we couldn’t really decide on a face color that was suitable, so she just applied the darker shade of their bronzer as a blush. I think that this shade is very comparable to MAC’s Refined Golden bronzer.
Lips
She applied a lipliner (don’t remember the number but it was a brick colored one) filled in lips with a brick reddish-brown lipstick (not limited edition packaging), followed by Lip Lacquer #10. We also tried Lip Lacquer #07 which complimented the rest of the look perfectly too!
What I ended up going home with:
Pearl Powders in 001, 002 and 03
Lash Mascara in 01 (black)
Lip Lacquers in 07 and 10 – they are unlike anything I’ve tried and have an amazing finish…
Nail Enamel in 06
The gift with purchase was a beautiful Paul & Joe notebook in purple to match their holiday collection packaging!
Pearl Powders: 03 (top), 002 (front left), 001 (front right)
Paul & Joe has released some really cute items for the holiday including new pearl powders, face colors, eyeliners, eyeshadow palettes, lip lacquers and some new body items. Check out the collection details on their 2009 Smoke & Mirrors Winter Creation Collection on the Paul & Joe Beaute Website or on the Paul & Joe Facebook Fan Page.Joey was sweet enough to bring us a first look at the collection and share her makeover from the Bergdorf Goodman event she attended this weekend!
Left to right: Lip Gloss #10, Lip Lacquer #10, Lipstick #002
Top to bottom: Pearl Powder #002 and Eye Gloss #5
Left to right: Eye Gloss #5 and Pearl Powder #002
I am so thrilled to be writing a guest review for The Beauty Look Book, so I thought it’d be wonderful to feature a brand that both Lina and I have an obsession over: Paul and Joe Beaute!
I (un)luckily live and work nearby Bergdorf Goodman in NYC and today the Paul and Joe counter was having a makeover event to debut the Holiday collection. Of course, I booked myself an appointment with one of the global artists (Jocelyn from L.A.), and since I had already placed my Holiday order, all I had to do was sit and relax.
Jocelyn started by giving me a mini facial, removing my makeup with the Light Cleansing Milk and Refreshing Skin Toner (which I know Lina loves, as do I!). She then massaged my face with the Moisturizing Facial Mask, this luxurious wipe off mask. My skin was finished with a light application of the Moisture Lotion N and Moisture Gel for my undereyes. While I was being treated to that lovely mini-facial, another artist demoed the new Treatment Peel-Off Mask on my left hand. There was a significant different in the texture and feel of my left hand, but I have a sample of the mask at home to try on my face before I buy a full-size.
What I really appreciated about Jocelyn was that she incorporated products I already owned into my look, and did not pressure me to buy anything (it already helped that I had my order placed previous to my makeover). Also, she stopped after every step to show me her progress and obtain my approval before moving on.
For my face, she used the Creamy Powder Compact foundation (my HG!) in shade #40, the new Under Eye Concealer in shade #02, the Holiday Highlighting Powder (the pinker shade) under my eyes and across my cheekbones, and Face Colour #12 (which I have and love) on the apples of my cheeks.
My eyes had a simple gold-brown look. The new warm-brown toned Holiday trio was used (lightest shade allover, middle shade in crease, and darkest in outer corner). Also, Eye Gloss #4 (a pale pink) was used in the center of my lid, and Pearl Powder #002 from the Holiday collection (a reddish taupe) was placed on top of that. The purple-gray eyeliner pencil from Holiday was used to line my lids, and over that went an application of the other Holiday Pearl Powder (a sooty gray) mixed with Fluid Eye Liner (a black) for a sparkly effect. My lashes were Mascara Duo N #1 (black) mixed with that gray Pearl Powder for a sparkly effect.
My lips were Lip Liner #06 (a brick red), topped with Lipstick #063 from the Spring collection (which is what I was wearing when I went for the makeover – Jocelyn loved it and refused to remove it) and the new Lip Lacquer #10, a reddish-plum-brown shade.
To say I was pleased was an understatement! I looked dramatic but sophisticated. I ended up purchasing Pearl Powder #002 and Lip Lacquer #10 from Holiday, Lipstick L #002 from the Summer collection (a sheer vivid hot pink), Lip Gloss N #10 (a pretty sparkly rust shade that I thought would be perfect with NARS Toundra Velvet Matte Pencil), and Eye Gloss N #5, a gorgeous shimmery taupe. Also, I received a gorgeous GWP that included a notebook, a little soap dish, and four generous skincare samples! All in all, it was a wonderful experience; Paul and Joe is a makeup and skincare line to fall deeply in love with, right Lina?
