I simply would DIE without my....

NARS Bronzer/Blush duo in Laguna/Orgasm

Your turn!!!

A Rosy Outlook

Something on my wish-list for the summer is a fantastic pair of rosy sunnies! But how to pick??

From Top:

Oliver Peoples "Guiselle"
Coach "Tasha"
Tom Ford
Gucci
Marc Jacobs

Dear BeautyFile...

q: Why is Sephora named sephora??

a: (Wikipedia) Sephora is a combination of "sephos", which is Greek for "beauty" and the Greek form of Tzipporah צִפּוֹרָה, which means "bird" (female) in Hebrew, and was the name of the wife of Moses in the book of Exodus.

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes (but it's a good thing!)

Natalie

Anne

To celebrate the arrival of the weekend, I have decided to pay a small tribute to my favorite going out look, the SMOKY EYE. Often replicated & never perfected, I strive each time to create the perfect one. For some reason I am particularly skilled at doing this look on other people, but have a hard time mastering it on myself. I blame my eye shape & therefore, genetics.

However, I did pick up some extremely helpful hints in a recent issue of In Style magazine, & felt the need to pass it on. Kind of like "pay it forward." Here's to great weekends with sexy, sultry, smoky eyes!!

But what colors should I use??:

Four blendable shades of eye makeup such as the Chanel Quadra eye shadow in appropriately named "Smoky Eye." I love this because when you buy a palette, whether it's Chanel, Laura Mercier, Bobbi or any other brand, you are paying a professional to hand pick the right colors to create your look. I have a light complexion with blonde-ish hair & green-ish eyes so I prefer to use the palette with more browns & golds, less silver & black.

Blondes & light redheads could try a lighter smoky look ( above). Ladies with brown, black or even dark red hair can easily do palette (below). The palettes are $56 each, but are a pretty good investment & you get 4 great colors!

But how do I do it??

1. Prep lid: Important step- just need some kind of base so the makeup stays put.
2. Some people suggest tracing the upper lid with a soft black pencil first & then smudging it. I typically do this last, but either way works, just remember to do a nice line on both top & bottom & SMUDGE away!
3. You will also need a medium dome-sized, soft brush to use in the crease & for blending down. Then, a smaller, stiffer brush to apply to browline. First apply your base color (the light one) & then using the dome brush apply the 2nd to darkest color on your crease. Blending is key with this look so blend away! Blend the color down to get it all over the lid.
4. Next, using brush #2, apply the darkest color along the lashline, pressing the color in to set it. Take the lightest color (with a separate brush) & apply to inner corners of eye & directly under brows.
5. Lastly, a great mascara (preferably black) to really make the lashes POP!
6. Optional- a sheer lip shine. Warning! Do not go for a heavy lip, this will be way too dramatic!

Click HERE for a great video tutorial to accompany you on your journey toward the perfect smoldering smoky eye!

Betty & Bobbi

Meet Betty:

For those of you new to her, she's incredible. Her blog (above) has been on my radar for about a year & she provides fashion & makeup/hair inspiration to the world everyday. She not only has incredible outfits, but her makeup is just flawless.

A common factor in all of her looks is a perfect barely there lip color, a look that I adore because I tend to favor a heavy & dark eye. This lip gives you flexibility to really play up your eye with a stand out color, a smoky eye or just some big lashes & liner.

On a similar note, for spring I have been looking for a fun, yet subtle lip color. As per usual, Bobbi Brown has exceeded my expectations & produced this:



"Tangerine Lip Gloss recently featured in J.Crew's March Catalog as “the season’s perfect shade” to add the sheerest hint of pinky-peach." (from BB site)


$20 on the website or at Saks 5th Avenue...

How can you not fall in love with this??
Get it while you can, they seem to be selling out everywhere!

HAIR: It's what's on my mind (tee hee)

After my post yesterday all about curly hair, I decided to play fair & give the straight hair a turn as well. I am looking forward to wearing my wavy hair all sorts of crazy ways this spring/summer & was wondering, "How will YOU do your do?"

1. An elegant pony sprayed back
with strands of hair to tie it?

2. Will you reverse your part for the changing
seasons to add volume & dimension?

3. A romantic up do for breezy
casual evenings?

4. Would you attempt a massive bombshell
of gorgeous curls (color is optional, but encouraged!)

5. A classy & sophisticated Catherine Deneuve
tribute?
(yes, yes yes!)

6. An unmistakable throwback to
everyone's favorite cougar, Mrs. Robinson?

7. Or will you go for a tousled, tattered
sexy, I never wanted to
get out of bed-head?

For complete coverage on 2009 hairstyles check this out. Thank you to Allure for providing the beautiful images & creative ideas for all! Share your thoughts below!

CURLY HAIR: Something Old, New, Borrowed & Blue

Fekkai

Luscious Curls Cream

Fekkai

Marine 'Summer Hair' Zero Humidity Frizz Control

Living Proof
wave shaping curl defining
no frizz styling cream

TIGI
Catwalk Curls Rock

Yesterday was my eight year "dating-versary" with my husband. We had date numero uno on March 23, 2001 at La Rochetta restaurant & the Evelyn Lounge on the Upper West Side.

EIGHT IS GREAT!! To honor our gin-OR-mous milestone, here is my take on the old saying, "Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue" for curly hair lovers like myself. Summer & Spring = gorgeous curly tresses, we need to break out our best armour to shield it from the elements!

OLD: I have to say, Fekkai makes a DAMN good hair product & in every way. I have used all kinds of Fekkai products & have never ever been disappointed. This product, Luscious Curls, Cream got rave reviews @ my version of the Bible (Sephora.com) & I will be trying it this summer to further reinforce my long-standing relationship with Frederic Fekkai.

New: Another Fekkai product that just hit the shelves & is on my summer hair radar. It's bright orange bottle screams Malibu beachy hair & that warms my heart.

Borrowed: I first read about this new line, "Living Proof" in Allure a few months ago & was instantly drawn to its description of anti-frizz & its slate bottles. My initial reactions have thus been confirmed after reading about it at Jolie's blog. She did a video demonstration on 3/21/09 & I am now sold.

Blue: I found this gemstone of a product last year during my ritual spring hunt for summer curly hair products. TIGI Catwalk Curls Rock is the best thing that happened to curly hair as far as I'm concerned. This thick goo coats each strand wonderfully & magically turns hair into perfect wavy curls. THANK YOU TIGI! I will continue to use it this year because it is just the gift that keeps on giving.

SO, Let's raise our glasses to eight years of dating bliss & a lifetime of beautiful, curly hair!!

Dancing into Spring

The changing of the seasons ushers in a slew of new, bright colors everywhere you look. Tulips, lavender plants, summery frocks, citrus fruits & of course, makeup. I am constantly reminded by Stefanie how excited she is to go try out the new spring colors [@ Bobbi Brown], yet I am resistant! Anyone who knows me understands I am not a big embracer of change especially with eye makeup colors....

LUCKILY I just read in Allure that their "Color of the Moment" is in fact, the very same one I picked out just a few months ago....PHEWWW! SO, I bring you my choice (& Allure's) for spring eyelid coverings:

1. Chanel Soft Touch Eyeshadow in Safari for fair skin *my pick*

They also suggest a few others & I will list them below:

2. NARS Egea for darker skin

3. Laura Mercier Santinee Creme in Stone Suede for medium


To make up for the lack of bright colors to honor spring, AND to celebrate my brother's 25th birthday (woo hoo!!!) I present a very cheery music video that always makes me smile. I can only imagine how much fun they had making this:

2009: In Film, Music & More Importantly, Eyelashes

Adele

Penelope

Each year, we tune in to watch the Grammys & the Oscars to see the most talented performers receive the world's greatest accolades. This year, I fell head over heels for Adele, who snagged two Grammy Awards, Best New Artist and Best Pop Vocal Performance for the single, "Chasing Pavements." The best part is that she is only 19. I have loved Penelope for years & watching her fly off the handle like a lunatic in "Vicky Christina Barcelona" only reinforced my feelings. While they both took home major awards this year, they deserve additional applause for their tremendous EYELASHES. Only if only I could manage to accomplish such show stopping lashes.

To honor them I am sharing my secret for killer lashes. I can't guarantee you will win a Grammy or an Oscar, but at least you can feel like you theoretically could & would look fab. Shown above, DiorShow Mascara, by Dior (in Black), has all the qualities of an award winner. Its design is flawless; the wand is super thick and allows for a gorgeous, volumizing while no-clumping, 360 degree application. It's the best volumizer & lengthener I have found out there & while it's not cheap ($24), it blows other products out of the water. It doesn't hurt that it smells like a bouquet of flowers either.

Deals & Steals

First off, who can pass up 25% off on Bobbi Brown? I sure can't....only two days left, get it while it's hot!!

Also, I just read that the world famous NYC salon, Ted Gibson Salon, is having "Recessionista Tuesdays" with absolutely sweet deals...I'm the worst client a stylist can have...I haven't been known to be faithful to any one person for longer than 6 months....too much talent out there! However, I will say that I found a gem of a hair cutter at the Prada Grusel salon on 43rd & Madison & might stick around a little while : )

"Citizen Kane" Lip Balm

Rosebud Salve is a long time staple in my beauty bag of tricks. It is THE absolute authority in lip balms & brings a smile to my face each & every time I apply. Its rich scent & luxurious texture combined with its wonderfully nostalgic metallic container make it in my opinion, a wonder product. It can be worn on a minimalist makeup day with a little blush & mascara or as a lip base underneath gloss and a light liner for a night out.


Given my enthusiasm for this balm, I am over the MOON about their latest addition to the Rosebud family, baby "Mocha Rose." How beautiful and delicious does this product look? *Thank you to hard-core beauty, product enthusiast & contributing editor, Stefanie, for the info!

$5.59 for original Smiths, $7 for Mocha Rose @ drugstore.com

All Hail Kerastase

It is rare that you encounter a product that lives up to its hype. Even rarer to find a product that lives up to its reputation & changes your life. When I was considering what to write for my very first blog post, I immediately went to my own "best product" list where this dynamic duo has quickly soared to the top over the past six months. I have naturally curly hair. Curly and often "large" hair depending on the humidity. After years of blow drying my hair with a round brush & then flat ironing it, I decided we just needed a break from it all. I turned to these products after years of reading how highly regarded the brand is in the beauty world. Kerastase made an unbelievable difference in my hair. I honestly believe that they have changed the texture of my hair and brought it back to a more natural state, before it went through the ringer with all the blow drying and straightening.

I take one pump of each, combine in my hands and apply to my hair- only to the places below my ears. When I put any products on my scalp, I get that oily/greasy effect....blow dry, style as usual!

Has anyone found a life changing hair product?