Polish Pic{k}s

My polish kick continues... I had commented on Chanel's all the rage Peridot shade a while back & how the color did nothing for my skin tone. Chanel's Graphite however, caught my eye & was a home run.

Unless you're in bright sunlight, it's hard to get the true dimensional impact this shade has. At times it's gray, but often I get glimpses of gold & khaki. I rarely splurge on Chanel polishes{$25!}, but I had to have it! They set the trend for color. My nails are still pretty brittle from Shellac- so it's hard to get an accurate feel for it's durability. It chipped a bit after 4 days when using my standard base & top coat.

I always say if I find myself staring at a polish color- it's a win. The way it catches the light is mesmerizing- but the microglitter makes it a bugger to get off. What can I say? I'm a slave to beauty.

Peace. Love. Lipgloss. M

Must Have Make-Up Monday

Every initial appointment with me for brow shaping ends with a quick tutorial in filling them in. Filling in your brows enhances your existing shape & can give the illusion of fuller brows if yours are sparse. On my vanity at the moment? Brow Guru Anastasia's Beauty Express For Brows and Eyes. Packed into one palette is a setting brow wax, 2 brow powders, 2 highlighting eyeshadows, 5 brow stencils & a brush.

Some brow clients just have light brows in every way- density, texture & color. Filling in the brows is a must in this case, otherwise the face can look very one dimensional. Your brows lift your face & highlight your gorgeous peepers, don't underestimate their importance!

I often say that good brows are a journey- if you've over tweezed, it's unrealistic to get the brows of your dreams in just one visit. Filling in their brows helps the client see the bigger picture & put down the tweezers! I tend to prefer powders over pencil, mainly due to the fact that it looks more natural. Here's a helpful hint, whenever selecting your brow shade in a product go for a universal taupe or blonde. I have jet black brows & I still use the lighter selection in most versions. The goal is to enhance your brows, not look like you've taken a magic marker to them!

Here we were trying out the stencils in the kit. I selected the petite arch brow, since it fit her existing shape the best.

I have to admit, both of us were surprised as how great the stencil turned out!

For comparison: ( left) both the wax & stencil were used with the powder (right) just the powder was used for a softer look. The wax intensifies the shade a bit, but also locks the color into place. Jodi said even after washing her face, the product stayed put!

Here are my brows with nothing in them (sorry it looks like I'm giving the evil eye!)

Ahhh much better! I actually feel naked without my brow powder, cat eye & heaps of mascara! While I have pretty good brows to begin with, filling them in takes them to the next level. You can also see how the blonde shade from this kit still works very naturally with my dark hair. If you feel brow challenged- this kit is the perfect place to start taking your brows to the next level!

Peace. Love. Brow Whisperer. M

*product gifted for review

Fabulous Finds Friday

I'm not going to lie. For as much as I adore make-up, pencil eyeliners rarely make my heart flutter. Yes there has been the occasional glitter pencil here & there- but they were brief flings. I blame it on the glide- or lack there of. On the gentle eye area, I am neurotic about pencils that pull, skip or tug. I want a flawlessly smooth line, which is why I turn to cake or cream liners both on myself & on professional jobs.

So I admit- I judged a book by its cover when I saw this eyeliner trio. However, when I read that Pixi's Endless Silky Eye Pens were more like liquid liners- I have to admit I was intrigued. So I swiped the deep lilac one on & was surprised at the punch of pigment it delivered.

What I love about these liners is how creamy they are, there are very few liners that I've worked with that deliver this much intensity when it comes to color.

The next day I played with the brown & smooth sailing. I was shocked at how impressed I was. I went for the lower lash line & perfectly smudged before it set. And set it does- don't worry about its staying power girleens, it was actually hard for me to get off! Even when I had runny eyes from allergies, these waterproof liners pretty much don't budge. I say pick up this trio at Target- Pixi's holiday goodies will available in November. It's the perfect stocking stuffer with all the color classics at a steal of a deal price- only $12!

Peace. Love. Liners. M

*Product gifted for review

Files from the Brow Whisperer

Busy moms out there I promise you- 10 minutes with moi or your favorite brow expert is worth every precious second. It pulls you together & gives you a refreshed, groomed appearance.

From cleaning up below & above the brow, I created a gentle arch. This mom's eyes are instantly lifted. This gives the illusion of looking well rested, when let's be honest- most moms aren't!

Peace. Love. Brow Whisperer. M

Make-Up Must Have Monday

Sometimes I'm captivated with a beauty product in its packaging, but often feel that it doesn't live up to all of my hopes when applied. Shimmery goodness sometimes doesn't even show up or worse it shows up by having fallout all over my cheeks, when it's supposed to be on my eyes!

This is my first purchase of h.wood beauty. I stumbled upon the line while I was in a euphoric shopper's craze in Henri Bendel's in NYC. The line is all natural & organic. I actually had another line's eyeshadow in my hand that I was getting ready to buy, that looked just as pretty in the compact & the brand was more well known.

But when I swatched both brands on my hand- h.wood's paid off colorwise, while the other barely showed up. I've been reaching for the shade, called Beverly, pretty much on a daily basis. It has an almost foil like sheen to it, like when you mix water with loose minerals intensity wise- though it doesn't make my eyelid look crepey. It's like candlelight wherever you place it & let's face it - we could all use a little more light in our life.

Peace. Love. Lipgloss. M

Miracle Skin Transformer

So I've been doing a fair amount of crying as of late. I lost two souls in a short period of time who were very important in my life. It's hard being in the beauty business when you look & feel like a hot mess. The problem with industrial strength concealers, however is often the heavier the coverage -the cakier it is.

Thus if your nose is red & raw or eyes are dry & irritated from crying- it's not such pretty a combination. I reached for a sample of the Miracle Skin Transformer Treat & Conceal for Eyes & Face, because let's face it- I needed a miracle to pull my face together. Where normally silicone based products make me nervous, the product glided on like a dream & covered some serious circles. When I looked into it's ingredients I saw that it contains vitamin K to even help with my dark circles. I also found out it didn't break me out{a 'miracle' in & of itself}, due to anti-inflammatory ingredients & salicylic acid.

I gave my mom a sample of the medium shade since I'm so fair & received a phone call the next day demanding where to get the full size. Enough said.

Peace. Love. Lipgloss. M

Polish Pic{k}s

Though I've been quite blue as of late due to losing some great souls in my life, my green phase is still in full effect. I was captivated by this shade when I hit up Sephora in NYC last weekend.

Illamasqua's Nail Varnish in Rampage, is my first foray into the brand's polishes. The line has been a consistently positive experience for me & this was no exception.

This shade is quite chameleon like. At times it's the true emerald shade in the bottle, but at others it can look almost jet black as it does here in broad daylight. Any which way I look at it though, I like what I see!

Peace. Love. Polish. M

Fabulous Finds Friday

I travel a fair amount for work, but for some reason I've never broken down & bought a travel hair dryer. I've suffered the smell of burnt hair on numerous occasions when using the one attached to the wall at my hotel. But when I spotted this adorably chic one with a portion of the proceeds going to Breast Cancer Research, I relented & bought it.
It was perfect timing, since I could put it to use while I was in NYC last weekend. But I had my doubts. My main hair dryer is the Ferrari of hairdryers. The T3 Featherlight is a dream & shaves off at least a 1/3 of my usual drying time. Plus it even has crystals up the handle- hey a little sparkle does make things a little better! With how small this portable dryer was, I admit I had pretty low expectations.

The Babyliss definitely took me more time to blow dry my mane, of course that was to be expected. What impressed me was how smooth & frizz free it left my hair- I think the nozzle was definitely a plus in smoothing & most travel dryers don't come with one. This little ceramic gem did quite a nice job! I also saw that my mom had the same one in ruby red- she said she saw it was written up in Lucky. My mom got the beauty scoop before me- what's wrong with this picture? Regardless, I'm passing the word on to you. Scoop this baby up at participating Babyliss salons nationwide.

Peace. Love. Lipgloss. M

Files From the Brow Whisperer

A lot of first time blond waxing clients feel that since they're fair, that waxing won't make that much of a difference. That their hair is so pale, that people can't see it anyway. That's often the exact reason I stress that their brows need to be defined- to show up!
This client's brows were very rounded in shape, I streamlined them in an attempt to make them less so. Waxing above was also a must to grab all of those baby blond fuzzies! It looks like an entirely different brow! What a difference!

Peace. Love. Brow Whisperer. M

Mani Monday

I've been going through quite a bit of a green phase lately in all aspects of my style. Usually I'm quite the creature of habit- my wardrobe is pretty much all black. I also usually stick to wearing my beloved OPI Midnight In Moscow for my mani/pedi, because it makes me feel just a little bit naughty. Or dangerous. Or a little bit of both.
I credit Kyle Richards of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills for my green kick, because she wears emerald green so stunningly. So when Chanel launched their Fall 2011 collection, I was smitten with Peridot- it was almost hypnotizing the way the color seemed to move. When I tried it on however, with my skintone it looked less like jewels & more like jaundice!

Zoya's Edyta caught my eye though- the color being the best of both worlds. It is a hybrid of khaki & gunmetal with a swirl of gold throughout. I showed it with my flash on above, just so you get a feel for how it catches the light. I have been scooping up more Zoya polishes than ever before due to their color selection & how the lacquer applies. This is the first time I've used regular polish since I removed my Shellac(detailed write up of the experience is to come.) The polish has chipped just a bit earlier than usual with my OPI Ridge Filler & Seche Vite combo, but my nails might be a bit brittle. All in all , I think the color is quite hip- what do you think Beauties?

Peace. Love. Lipgloss. M