Here are some of the trends spotted on the Fall 2008 runway shows. Any thoughts?

* Strong Brows
Ladies, brows are back this fall! Models at the Prada and Fendi shows strutted their stuff in tied-back hair with thick, perfectly arched brows and nude pink lips. To copy the look, simply lay off the tweezing and start growing your brows. If you are one of those who do not have a lot to work with, fill in your eyebrows with a pencil then run a matching eyebrow powder over it and seal the look with a clear eyebrow gel.

Prada


Fendi

beauty tips for fall, beauty trends, chanel, christian dior fashion show, runway makeup

Spring is almost here so here are two of my favorite spring looks for this year.

Look #1: Glitter Galore
As seen on the Christian Dior and Anna Sui Spring 2008 fashion shows, glitter is making its way back to the runway.

The key to wearing glitter on your face is to focus on one feature. If you want to play up your eyes, either dab a bit of glitter on the inner corners, line your bottom lashes with a glitter liner or you can go all out like the picture on the left. Just remember to keep the rest of your face understated with just gloss or lipstick. Alternatively, mix your favorite gloss with glitter or pat glitter over your lipstick. Unless you are trying to look drag or do a photoshoot, do not try to do glitter on both your eyes and lips – it will be an overkill.

If you are having trouble making the glitter stick to your skin, I highly recommend MAC’s Water-based Mixing Medium. It is available only at the Pro stores but trust me this stuff works like a charm. All you have to do is wet your brush with it then dip it into the glitter and gently pat onto your eye/lip area.

Read the rest of this entry »

beauty tips for spring, beauty trends, chanel, runway makeup, spring makeup

Unlike the gold eyeshadow we see last year, the color this year is more metallic with a bit of cool undertones. Below are two different ways to wear it as requested by Shellie.

Look #1: Gold + Silver = Cool Look

As spotted at the Chanel Spring 2007 runway, gold + silver eyes are oh-so-hot right now! To recreate the look, simply apply the silver color of Chanel’s Lumiere Dartifices ($75) on your entire upper eyelid and the gold color from the same palette on your lower eye. Alternatively, you can try MAC’s Perverted Pearl eyeshadow and Jane’s Goldilocks.

As for the rest of your face, keep it as bare as possible. Use a tinted moisturizer and concealer to cover up all flaws and even out skin tone. Brush an eyebrow gel on your eyebrows. Draw a thin line along your upper lash line and apply several coats of black mascara. Finish the look with a slick of peachy pink lip color.

beauty tips for summer, beauty trends, chanel, eyeshadow, eyeshadow application, gold eyeshadow, how to, summer makeup

I always thought that Chanel foundations were good but nothing too impressive but after seeing a picture of a girl wearing this foundation and looking absolutely flawless, I knew I had to go to check it out.

My initial thought of this foundation was that it felt thicker and slightly tackier than other liquid foundations I have used. The texture, however, is highly blendable and glides on very easily. Once applied, the foundation melts into my skin and looks like my skin but better. The coverage is medium but it never feels mask-like and I barely need any concealer on top. I apply this either with my fingers or my MAC foundation brush and one pump is enough for my entire face.

Read the rest of this entry »

chanel, foundation reviews, product reviews

I was with my sister at the Chicago airport the other day and we played around with the makeup at the duty free store for a while. Here are some reviews:

Lumieres Magiques de Chanel in Rose Harmony ($50)
This limited edition trio from the spring collection was one of the first to caught my eye. It consists of 3 different shades – a hot pink with gold shimmer, a coral red with gold shimmer and a pale pink with silver shimmer. All colors are heavily pigmented and can be used together or separately. I would not recommend this to those who are very pale since the colors might show up a little too bright. On me (NC30), however, this applies beautifully and gives a healthy blushed look.

Pro Lumiere Professional Finish Makeup SPF 15 ($50)
Although this claims to be an oil-free formula that produces a semi-matte finish, I do not find this foundation to be suitable for oily skin at all. I have dry skin myself and when I tested this on the back my hand, it felt smooth and blendable. The finish was satiny and natural which was just like Chanel’s Teint Fluide Universel. As for coverage, I would say it is medium – I have thin skin and it covered up most of my veins on the back of my hand. It also comes with SPF 15 which is definitely a plus. Overall, I would say it is a good foundation for dry to normal skin.

Pro Lumiere Facettes in Gold Rush ($55)
This quad from the summer collection comes in four highly shimmery shades. There is an iridescent pink, gold, copper and iridescent apricot. They are all gorgeous and a little glittery just like MAC’s Lustre forumla. They are also pretty sheer and subtle yet in a nice kind of way. I can see this working on different skin tones.

chanel, product reviews