How To Make Brown Eyes Pop

Happy New Year, Ladies! I hope 2009 brings a lot of happiness for you all!

So I've already revealed to you my obsession with Gossip Girl and now I'm a little embarrassed to say that I'm starting to get into The City, a spinoff of The Hills. The one good that has come out of this 1/2 hour waste of time is that I found an amazing way to make brown eyes pop, courtesy of The City star/New York socialite Olivia Palermo. Her makeup, especially eye makeup, is absolutely flawless on the show so I went hunting for some photos to replicate her look.


To make brown eyes pop:

1. Apply a mid-tone taupe (brown-gray color) like MAC Eye Shadow in Omega or MAC Eye Shadow in Patina to the eyelid. Build the intensity of the taupe shadow until your lids appear slightly darker than your normal skin tone.

2. Apply a medium brown shadow like MAC Eye Shadow in Cork lightly in the crease to contour.

3. Apply a shimmery gold shadow like MAC Eye Shadow in Ricepaper under the eyes from inner corner to outer corner.

4. Apply black liquid liner like Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner in Black Ink to the top lashline, winging the liner out just slightly at the outer edges of eyes.

5. Apply a dark brown pencil like MAC Technakohl Liner in Brownborder to the lower waterline of the eyes. To increase the drama, use black pencil.

6. Apply a lengthening and volumizing black mascara to both the top and bottom lashes, making sure to get the tiny inner and outer lashes. A trick to applying mascara to the lower lashes is to place a small piece of kleenex or toilet paper underneath the bottom lashes and apply mascara to the lashes over that.

Steal the Look: Kim Kardashian's Makeup for her 27th Birthday

One of our readers, Princess052091, requested that we do a makeup breakdown for Kim Kardashian on her 27th birthday...the look is from 2007 but in my personal opinion, its a beautiful look to ring in 2009 due to the warm, shimmery metallics on the eyes. Luckily, from her blog, we already know some the favorite products that Kim uses so its not difficult to replicate this look.

To get Kim's look:

Eyes: Even out the eyelids with a cream eyeshadow that matches the natural color of your eyelids. Kim uses MAC Paint Pot in Painterly, a nude beige color. If your skin is more tan, try MAC Paint Pot in Indianwood, a metallic bronze or MAC Paint in Bamboom, a beige brown color.

Line both top and bottom lashlines, including the bottom waterline, with a smudgy black eyeliner - Kim likes Stila Kajal Eye Liner in Onyx. Apply a shimmery gold eyeshadow like MAC Eye Shadow in Goldmine all over the lid up until the crease. Apply a champagne colored eyeshadow like MAC Eye Shadow in Nylon to the browbone. Apply a chocolate brown shadow like MAC Eye Shadow in Tempting in the crease. Drag down the brown eyeshadow to lightly shade underneath the lower lashes and to define and elongate the outer "v" of your eyes. For a little more drama, wet your brush with MAC Mixing Medium and apply a gold pigment like MAC Pigment in Old Gold to the middle of the eyelids.

Outline the eyes again with black eye pencil for definition. Finish with black mascara - Kim likes layering MAC Zoom Mascara in Zoomblack and Lancome Hypnose Mascara in Deep Black. Kim is definitely wearing false eyelashes in these photos so if you're up for it, stack some on!! I like Ardell's false lashes. I also just like using Cover Girl Lash Blast Mascara for fake looking lashes without actually using false lashes.

Cheeks: MAC Blush in Gingerly, which Kim uses, is perfect for the peachy tan look that she has in the photos. For a little more definition or for darker skin tones that need a little more color, apply a bronzer in the hollows of the cheeks and MAC Blush in Gingerly to the apples. Blend the blush and bronzer together.

Lips: For a very soft pink lip like the one in the photos, Kim uses MAC Lipliner in Stripdown, MAC Lipstick in Angel, a light frosty pink, and NARS Lip Gloss in Turkish Delight, a candy pink, on top. For darker skin tones, try MAC Lipstick in Sweetie, a rosy pink, topped with MAC Lip Glass in Pinkarat, soft-toned pink with gold.

Gorgeous Hair Goes Greek

Ancient Greece has inspired fashion looks ranging from column dresses to the one shoulder look...it has also inspired some gorgeous beauty and hair looks, including the one worn by Sanaa Lathan and Jennifer Lopez below. This stunning updo with a braided headband is perfect for those last holiday soirees! Best of all, it need not be perfect.

How to:

1. Brush your hair back and up into a high ponytail at the crown. Secure with a ponytail holder.


2. Take one to two inch pieces from the ponytail and pin the middle of the pieces to the crown, leaving the ends free. Continue until all parts of the ponytail are pinned up. If the ends of the hair that are pinned up look straggly, curl loosely with a curling iron.


3. Slide a metallic braided headband on. Go for colors that will complement everything in your wardrobe like, gold or silver. Try this cute gold headband on Ebay. Go for one or two or three headbands to achieve Sanaa's look and hold in place with pins. For Lopez's look, use a braided headband made from synthetic hair like this headband made by Braidies. Then, slide a simple headband in any color next to the synthetic braided headband.

Coral Makeup for Winter

Coral is typically a hue that makeup artists tout for spring and summer, but this winter, a number of celebrities have shown up at events wearing coral colored lips and cheeks. Coral looks especially beautiful on all varieties of tan skin tones. The current Miss Universe Dayana Mendoza, Deepika Padukone and Bipasha Basu all decided to go for the flattering color at recent events.

The key to wearing coral in the winter is to go for a very rich hue, mixed with brown or bronze, as shown by Dayana above and Deepika below. The brighter coral hue that Bipasha wears works as well, although its slightly more suited to spring and summer.

How to wear it:

Mix coral with golds and bronze like Dayana to make your face glow.

1. Apply a gold shadow all over the eyelids. Apply a bronze shadow in the crease. Apply a dark brown or black eyeliner to line eyes and finish with black mascara.

2. Apply either a coral blush or bronzer to the cheeks (see product recommendations below). Apply a slight bit of gold highlighter to the cheekbones.

3. Apply a neutral colored lipliner to the lips. Fill in the lips with a coral hued lipstick or lip gloss (see product recommendations below).

Product Recommendations

1. Lips - NARS Lipstick in Casablanca (bright coral), NARS Lipstick in Beautiful Liar (coral mixed with bronze shimmer), NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Sierra (burnt coral), Lancome Rouge Absolu Lipstick in Saffron Silk (spiced coral), MAC Lipstick in Vegas Volt (bright coral), MAC Lipstick in Charismatic (bronzed coral), MAC Plushglass in Big Kiss (coral with a bit of pink)

**For bronzy coral shades, look for shades that have a combination of the orange and brown that may be described as terracotta or burnt sienna, for example.

2. Cheeks - NARS Blush in Gilda (muted coral), NARS Blush in Torrid (bright coral with shimmer)

Pumpkin Pecan Facial Mask and Scrub

Pumpkins and pecans...these foods evoke images of autumn and Thanksgiving, which is when I came up with this DIY idea that acts both as a yummy face scrub AND a face mask! Pumpkin is rich in vitamins A and C, contains zinc and is extremely moisturizing. Pecans contain vitamins A, B and C and act as a natural exfoliant on the skin.

Pumpkin Pecan Facial Mask and Scrub

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon of pumpkin puree (I used canned pumpkin puree - you can puree fresh pumpkin if you want)

1/2 tablespoon of plain yogurt (I used full-fat Fage Greek Yogurt which makes the mask super creamy)

1 tablespoon of ground pecans (I started off with small pecan chips and further ground the pecans with a mortar and pestle)

How to:

Mix the pumpkin puree with the yogurt until throughly combined. Mix the ground pecans into the pumpkin puree and yogurt combination. The mixture will be somewhat thick.

Depending on whether you want the mixture to be a mask or a scrub or both, you may want to vary the amount of pecans you add. If you want just a mask, leave out the ground pecans. For a scrub, add a tablespoon (or more) of the pecans to your desired texture. Remember to grind the pecans finely if you use the mixture as a scrub to prevent scratching your face.

As I opted for both a mask and a scrub, I first spread the pumpkin, yogurt and pecan mixture on my face and neck and scrubbed my face. When I was done exfoliating, I left the mixture on my face for a couple minutes to act as a mask. After a few minutes, I rinsed off the mask.

There's no reason why this DIY treat should be meant only for your face. Use it as a body mask! I ended up making more than I planned so I spread the mixture on to my arms and legs as well. Enjoy!

Enhancing Eye Makeup for Small Eyes

Ladies with small eyes need not fret...the key to applying makeup to small eyes is understanding principles of color and depth. Remember that having small eyes isn't a negative - its likely that small eyes gives you a very sharp look! There are many gorgeous celebrities with smaller eyes that know how to use makeup to enhance them, although some make common mistakes.

Case in point, Emmanuelle Chriqui has beautiful features - however, she makes her small eyes look even smaller by applying charcoal eyeshadow all over her lids. The dark color all over her lids makes her eyes recede and appear even smaller than they are normally.

On the other hand, you'll rarely see Gisele Bundchen, another beauty with small eyes, with tons of dark shadow on her eyes. In an Elle magazine interview (month unknown), Gisele gave the following advice on eye makeup, "If you're wearing smoky eye makeup, a little beige or gold pencil on the inner eye corners will open up the area, but you only want to do it if the shadow is really dark. Otherwise, light pencil makes your eyes look too far apart, like a fish. And I put black mascara on my top and bottom lashes because I have tiny little hamster eyes. With mascara, they seem larger."

True to her Elle interview, Gisele often keeps her eyes totally natural or if she does have eye makeup on, she applies light metallic shadows with tons of mascara. In the photo above, for example, Gisele has on a light gold shadow, black liquid liner on the upper lids only, a bit of brown liner on the bottom lids and black mascara.

Product Recommendations:

Eyeshadows: Stick with light colored, shimmery shadows that light up your eyes and bring your eyes forward rather than causing them to recede. Cream (MAC Shadow in Shore Leave), champagne (MAC Shadestick in Shimmersand) and gold (Bobbi Brown Shimmer Wash Eyeshadow in Gold) colored shadows are great neutrals to use for work or for going out. To add some color, peach (Bobbi Brown Metallic Eye Shadow in Golden Peach), light pink (NARS Shimmer Eye Shadow in Fathom), and lilac (NARS Eye Shadow in Night Fairy) colored shadows help break out of the neutral territory.

Eye Liner: Try using dark brown, gray or navy blue liner (try Bobbi Brown's Gel Eyeliner in Chocolate Shimmer Ink, Granite Ink or Cobalt Ink, for example) instead of black, as black tends to be a harsh color and surrounding the eyes in the black liner makes them look smaller. If you must use black liner, follow Gisele's lead and apply black liner on the upper lashline only and apply a dark brown pencil liner to the lower lashline.

Mascara: Any mascara that opens up the eyes works. Go with a formula that suits your lash needs, whether its lengthening, volumizing, or curling. Make sure to comb out your lashes to keep away any clumps and to open up your eyes.

Vitamin E Oil as a Dry Skin Cure

Over Thanksgiving, the flight home and changing climates wreaked havoc on my skin. Literally as soon as I stepped off the plane, I suddenly developed two extremely dry patches of skin on either side of my chin! My regular moisturizer wasn't doing much to help the dry patches so I turned to a product that I have successfully used in the past for extremely chapped lips - Vitamin E Oil.

Vitamin E Oil is an extremely concentrated oil that can be applied directly onto skin to quickly moisturize and heal chapped skin. The oil is used in tons of moisturizers and lotions that are on the market today - just check out the ingredients lists on these products and you'll see it!

Vitamin E Oil is thick and has no offensive smell. I simply dabbed the oil on the dry patches of my skin and blended into the skin. After using the oil once, the patches looked and felt significantly better. After using the oil for about three days, the dry patches were practically gone!

For extremely dry body skin, one can mix a little bit of the oil with regular body lotion and rub on for an extra moisturizing treat!

Vitamin E Oil is quite easy to find and can be purchased at numerous places online or at health food stores.

Victoria's Secret Fashion Show 2008 Makeup

**Ladies, I've updated this blog post on the VS 2008 fashion show makeup by adding a great makeup video from Charlotte Tilbury, the head makeup artist of the show, which is at the end of the post. There are some great makeup tips in the video, especially on how she does the models' eye makeup!**

I've pretty much given up on the fact that I will ever get a body as perfect as the Victoria's Secret models now that the gym is a mere thought rather than a reality. However, that doesn't stop my fascination with the VS models' makeup. I scrutinize close-ups of the models' photos, hoping that their beauty secrets will pop out and reveal themselves...

Well, luckily, blogger friend Phyllis at Makeup For Life has the scoop on the makeup used at the Victoria's Secret fashion show for 2008 that took place a few weeks ago (the show will be aired the first week in December):

"Lead makeup artist Charlotte Tilbury created this year's super sexy glamorous look with products from Victoria's Secret Very Sexy Makeup line. The overall look is a "doe-eyed Bambi. It is a little bit dreamy; like a chic silhouette. There is an innocence to it," said Tilbury.

"The models' eyes were drenched in shimmery gold and brown eyeshadows like Silky Eyeshadow in Chills, Mystified, Behind the Sheets, and Champagne and lined with Eyeliner in Dark Chocolate." Per the video below, Starry Eyed Silky Eyeshadow was used all over the lid. "High Definition Mascara in Blackest Black was applied to both top and bottom to give the most luscious lashes."

"To play up the cheekbones, Tilbury highlighted and contoured them with Mosaic Bronzer in Goddess, Mosaic Blush in Love Life and Heidi Klum Collection Blush in Jewels." Lips were line with the Lip Liner in Ginger Spice. Then, "apply a peachy color (Perfect Lipstick in Whisper) was applied and topped with a pale pink gloss (Lip Gloss in Intimate) and a nude brown (Heidi Klum Collection Lip Gloss in Cupcake), to complete the deliciously seductive look."

"The Victoria’s Secret Bare Bronze collection was also used all over to give models a radiant, bronzed glow." Thanks to Phyllis at Makeup for Life for the VS scoop!

I love the models' look, especially with the gold highlighted eyes and glowing cheeks. And, as you can see from the pics, the stunning brown models can rock the look just as well as non-brownies. Best of all, the look isn't difficult - no smoky eye with layered shadows to deal with. I can't wait to try this look out myself over the holidays!!

And now check out this video on how to get the Victoria's Secret makeup look!

Indian Models: The Next Brazilians?!

Below is an article from ABC news, wherein the article's author proclaims Indian lovelies as the new Brazilian models in the worldwide modeling industry. Not sure I agree though...besides Lakshmi Menon, I don't know of any other desi models out there that are recognizable from an international point of view (obviously, she is well-known in India).

It would be great though to see desi models besides Lakshmi, such as Monikangana Dutta, in ads and editorials over here in the U.S. Apparently, Dutta walked in Vivienne Westwood S/S 09. I can't seem to find the Harper's editorial she features in that the article mentions though.

Indian Models: Fashion's Next Love Affair?
Fashion Insiders Peg India as the New Brazil
By SHEILA MARIKAR Nov. 25, 2008

They've been around since shortly after the beginning of time. But only now is the modeling world finally taking notice of Indian women, realizing their potential and versatility in selling high fashion.

The buzz in the industry claims India is the next Brazil, the country to comb to find a budding Gisele Bundchen or Adriana Lima. Lakshmi Menon, a Ford model, recently scored campaigns with Givenchy and Hermes. Kangana Dutta, newly signed with IMG, posed for the September issue of Harper's Bazaar.

That Indian women embody style and beauty is not news. But according to Padma Lakshmi, the current "Top Chef" host whose past modeling work turned the industry's eye to the subcontinent, the so-called trend is a long time coming. "We're clearly having a moment," she said in a recent interview with ABCNews.com. "You're seeing more diversity in advertising, not just in the magazines, but also editorially. "When I started modeling, a lot of people didn't really know where I was from," she continued. "They were so unfamiliar with Indian faces that they didn't know if I was mixed, or Brazilian or Indonesian or maybe Hawaiian."

"A lot of times, when I would be booked on jobs for editorial, it would be a lot of ethnic clothing," Lakshmi added. "Or a photo shoot on an island or Morocco, or something ... many times, they would book me when they were looking for someone quote-unquote exotic. Now, we just have a broader definition of beauty."

It may not have the cache of France or Italy, but India has provided inspiration for fashion types for decades. Before emerging as a player in Indian politics in the 1960s and 70s, the princess Maharani Gayatri Devi, Rajmata of Jaipur, was named in Vogue's "Ten Most Beautiful Women" list.

So, to Barney's creative director and "Eccentric Glamour" author Simon Doonan, it seems insulting that the industry is only now embracing Indian models in a big way. "We're talking about a country where women wear pink saris and jewels just to do ordinary tasks," Doonan said. "It seems like a no-brainer to me. I can't believe people are touting it as a new thing. Style and India are inseparable. Go to an Indian wedding, hello."

And frankly, times are tough. Mainstream designers and brands have to reach out to regions like Asia and the Middle East, whether they like it or not. The rising popularity of Indian models parallels the rising status of India as a global powerhouse, with a growing middle class of consumers who want to see themselves reflected in advertising and marketing. "I think as corporations look at their bottom lines, particularly now as our economy is failing, they're going to look to other countries for models," said Marvet Britto, founder of The Britto Agency, a New York-based PR and marketing firm. "Maybe Americans don't have money, but they sure have money in the United Arab Emirates, in China, in Korea."

Britto also believes the fact that President-elect Obama is of mixed race will force designers and brands to diversify, fast. "You're going to see more and more faces of color in advertising than we've ever seen, particularly now that we have a man of color in one of the most important offices in the world," she said. "Everyone's going to want to say, 'Hi, look at me, I'm diversifying.' Any company that doesn't diversify won't be seen as a forward thinking, progressive company."

As with any models of color, there's the danger of Indian models being typecast, posing in "exotic" clothing, as Lakshmi did, or landing campaigns only to have their beauty bashed in the name of mainstream appeal. (When Loreal first signed Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai to its roster of spokeswomen, the company dubbed her voice with a less-accented lilt for select American versions of her TV ads.) But Britto sees an end to all that.

"I don't believe that exotic people and exotic models should only model exotic clothes. That's like saying Americans can't eat exotic food. It would be shallow and ignorant for anyone to think that someone of exotic origin should be relegated to modeling only things that speak to their ethnicity," she said.

The time is ripe and the time is now. If a pop culture accustomed to all-American models like Cindy Crawford and Nikki Taylor was able to make household names out of Brazil's Bundchen and Russia's Natalia Vodianova, the Duttas and Menons of the world can catch on, too, if they put in the work.

Asked if she had any advice to offer up-and-coming Indian models, Lakshmi said, "Don't consider yourself an Indian model. Just consider yourself a model. And if it's harder for a brown face to get a cover, that just means you need to work harder to get it."

Photos via IMG and U.S. Vogue, December 2008

Sameera Reddy's Makeup and Skincare Secrets

The beautiful Sameera Reddy let MSN Life & Style in on some of her makeup and skincare secrets. I concur with her DIY beauty tip on using a sandalwood and rose water pack on the face after a sunburn - I love using this face pack to soothe and cool the skin. You can pick up sandalwood powder and rose water at any Indian specialty store (or even order online now!). Her interview is below:

Tell us about your beauty regime? I wash my face with Clinic DRX. My skin is oily and this face wash suits me best.

Must-do beauty ritual before leaving home? I never leave home without applying a light base sunscreen.

Home beauty tip? A mixture of sandalwood powder and rose water works wonders. I apply this pack at least once a week. It helps cool down the skin after exposure to sunlight.

A make-up tip? Too much liner and eye make-up makes you look older. One should use a heavy mascara with gloss instead.

Earthy tones or vibrant colours? Earthy tones enhanced with a good vibrant blush and lipstick.

A strict no-no? Using heavy make-up on the eyes and lips at the same time is a bad idea.

For what you visit Parlour? Hair. I love to pamper my tresses at a hair spa.

Your beauty wish-list? To be able to sleep more – it helps the skin glow.

Your best feature? My hair.

You pamper it with? I massage it twice a week with aroma oils and even use leave-in hair products.

Beauty icon? Catherine Zeta Jones

A brand you love? There are two, Yves Saint Laurent and Chanel.

Can't stay without? Lip balm

Beauty quick fix? I rub cucumber slices and ice cubes on my face. It's a great wake me up ritual.

Bedtime ritual? I cleanse my skin with a make-up and eye make-up remover. I follow it with an overnight cream and an under eye cream.

How do you tackle a bad hair day? After shampooing, I use a serum and a leave-in conditioner. It makes the hair soft and easier to manage.

The secret to good lips? A mix of lip gloss with drops of lip plumper.

Your Beauty message? Age gracefully or I want to age gracefully.

Source

Freida Pinto's Simple but Sleek Hairstyle

Freida Pinto, the new star of Slumdog Millionaire (have you seen it yet?!), sure loves her half-up, half-down hair style...she wore the style to the majority of her press event and premieres. The half-up, half-down look is one that Freida rocks whether its a fancy soiree or more casual event. To get her variations on the style, see below:

Take a chunk of hair in the front, about the width of your eyebrows. Tease in the back for a pouf and pin in front of the crown. Curl the ends of the hair loosely - no tight Shirley Temple curls here.

Blow hair out until its sleek and shiny and while blowing out, flip hair out at the ends. Make a side part. Taking the hair above the ears, pin the hair right above the nape of the neck. If you have short pieces out in front like Freida, pull out and let them frame your face.

Freida goes for a Bridget Bardotesque half-up do. For this look, take a chunk of hair a few inches above the ears and tease on the underside. Smooth the hair on the top with a brush maintaining the volume of the teased hair on the underside. Pin hair at the crown.

Take a very small chunk of hair, within the width of the eyes. Pin hair back on the top of the head, in front of the crown.

Priyanka Chopra's Look From the Nokia Ad

Priyanka Chopra is just sizzling in her latest ad for Nokia, and we've been getting lots of how-to requests for both her "just rolled out of bed" look and her "clubbing with the girls" look.

I normally cut to the chase and just start listing the makeup colors, but I have to say, the best thing about her look in this ad is her hairstyle - a fabulous, care-free, blunt-cut bob which she can wear either with a center part, or a sultry side part. This is such a good cut for her, and very much like the one Gwyneth Paltrow has been wearing in Hollywood. Nicely threaded eyebrows to frame the face are also an absolute plus.

Next up, she's not wearing much complicated makeup in either of her looks, and I'm sure most of you already have many of the shades used to create them. Here's my take on how to get Priyanka's looks:

Just Rolled Out of Bed
Makeup here is at an absolute minimum. Concealer to hide the under eye circles, and a little tinted moisturizer (if you need it, if you already have clear skin, skip it) and the face is ready. Put a hint of a natural looking blush on the apples of the cheeks, like Bobbi Brown Blush in Slopes, dusting a little on your chin and the sides of the forehead as well. For the lips, I recommend Bobbi Brown's Heather Beige lipliner. Put some chapstick on your lips first so the lipliner can glide more easily and then line and fill in your lips. If your lips are highly pigmented and you still don't get that "natural nude" lip color from lipliner alone, try swiping a semi-matte lipstick on top, like Bobbi Brown's Heather Buff lipstick. (Darker skin tones, try MAC Mystic lipstick.)

Priyanka's Night Look
After prepping with concealer and foundation that matches your skin, rub on a golden beige cream eyeshadow onto your lids. My picks, either MAC Shadestick in Beige-ing OR Bobbi Brown Long Wear Cream Eyeshadow in Malted. Glide it on from your lashline to your crease and blend with your fingers to even the color out.

Line the upper lashline with jet black cream/gel eyeliner, like Bobbi Brown Gel Eyeliner in Black Ink, apply false lashes if you have them, (if not, skip it, I'm not that great with falsies either) and pile on the black mascara on the top lashes only. Putting mascara only on the upper lashes is a trick that gives you the illusion of false lashes without the extra effort.

For the cheeks, use MAC Mocha blush, dusting lightly just under cheekbones.

Line and fill the lips with MAC Stripdown lipliner and top with MAC Oh Baby! lipglass. (If Stripdown washes you out, try a darker nude color, like Bobbi Brown's lipliner in Cocoa).

That's pretty much it to get her lovely look in the red dress. :)

On a side note, I know I'm heavily pimping the Bobbi Brown and MAC colors all the time (peppered with shout-outs to Clinique), but these are the lines most readily available to me at my mall, and seem to cater most to women of color. I must say though, that I've become much more of a Bobbi Brown devotee as of late. I was telling Kohl Girl this morning about an old saying among us beauty junkies; that many of us start out being crazy about everything MAC and as we get older and more experienced with makeup, we start switching over to Bobbi Brown. I used to think Bobbi's colors were too "sober" when I was in my 20's, but now that I'm in my 30's, they're just perfect for me. My current foundation, concealer, favorite makeup brushes and lipsticks are all BB these days.

Speaking of Bobbi Brown (as if I haven't plugged it enough) be sure to try out the following lipsticks from the new Metallic Lip Color Collection: Beige Gold and Berry. The Beige Gold is formulated so well it looks good on every skin tone, from the fairest to the duskiest of ladies. I love this for evening looks with a nude beige lipliner. The Berry is another one-color-suits-all shade, the perfect pink berry color for the evening (or day, why not?). And don't hesitate to ask for samples of these lippies to take home and try at the Bobbi Brown counter. They usually give you samples when you buy something, but a purchase is never necessary to get a sample. Just ask, and you shall receive.

Cosmopolitan India November 2008 Beauty Loot

The November 2008 issue of Cosmopolitan India has some colorful beauty goods in its Beauty Loot section to get you through this dreary winter (click on the image to enlarge).

Cosmo India's November picks:

1. YSL Golden Gloss - YSL makes high quality makeup and I imagine these lip glosses are no exception. The glosses, all containing gold flecks, are a beach vacation in a tube!

2. Revlon Custom Creations Foundation - This is the foundation touted by Jess Alba in all those commercials. I've never tried it but hey, if its good enough for her, its good enough for me! Readers - if you've tried this foundation, let us know what you think!!

3. The Body Shop Sparkle Range - I live around the block from The Body Shop but rarely go in...these eye shadow palettes are making me seriously reconsider that. The colors are gorgeous, especially the warm range.

4. Lakme Bridal Sutra - The jewel toned shadows and lip glosses in sapphire and ruby would look gorgeous on eyes and lips. I'd rethink the gold lipstick though unless it was used on top of a dark red lip to add some dimension.

5. Manish Arora Eye Palette - Pop culture colors, just like Manish Arora's clothing, in one palette. Definitely for the daring...

Let's Do the Twist

Following closely on the heels of the popular braid trend from last season, twists in the hair seem to be popping up everywhere from Carolina Herrera's Spring '09 runway to celebrities such as Lindsay Price from Lipstick Jungle to reality tv stars like Cologne from Stylista (don't pretend like you don't watch that show!).

I love Cologne's hair twist to jazz up stick straight hair. Starting at the front of the hair and from one side of your the part, begin twisting a one inch piece of hair from the roots to the tip. Do the same with a one inch piece of hair from the other side of the part. Join both pieces of hair at the back of the head with a small rubber band. This style looks equally pretty with a side part or a middle part.

The little hair twist that Lindsay Price wears to the side is lovely but simple. Taking a small chunk of hair at the front, split it into two and twist it loosely a few times. Pin loosely to the back of the head, hiding the pin under the rest of your hair. This style looks so pretty on soft waves like Lindsay's or even super curly hair.

When Padma Got Her Groove Back...

There's something about being single that has given Padma Lakshmi a certain glow...in the last few months, the Top Chef hostess with the mostess has turned out some incredible beauty looks. Maybe its a new man or the fact that a new season of Top Chef is on the air...Whatever it is, I just want to see more! Below are recs to get Padma Lakshmi's makeup looks:

The Goddess - Padma resembles a greek goddess with gold shadow (NARS Creme Eye Shadow in Granada), coral blush (NARS Blush in Torrid - apply lightly with a fan brush), highlighting powder (NARS Highlighting Powder in Albatross) and a creamy peachy nude lipstick (Bobbi Brown Lip Color in Creamy Nude). I love the unique side chignon as well.

The Rock and Roll Girl - Padma goes a little wild with scrunched up waves, pinkish mauve lipstick (NARS Lipstick in Tanganyka) and a slight hint of blue shadow (Bobbi Brown Metallic Eye Shadow in Indigo Nights) - a nice bit of color against the champagne dress.

The Sophisticate - Above and below, Padma is the sophisticate, pulling her hair up into a loose chignon, dabbing on a beautiful sheer berry lipstick (Giorgio Armani Sheer Lipstick in 21) and sweeping on a berry blush (Bobbi Brown Blush in Brown Berry).

The Socialite - Padma is so pretty in pink!! I love the girly pink cheeks (Lancome Blush Subtil Sheer in Amourose) and slightly frosty pink lipstick (NARS Lipstick in Venice) that Padma wears here.

The Beach Babe - Padma looks like she just got back from a vacation in St. Tropez. Use peachy bronze blush (Bobbi Brown Apricot Shimmer Brick Compact) and bronze lipstick (Lancome Color Fever Shine Lipstick in Bronze Heat) to get the same look.

Steal the Look: Aishwarya Rai's Makeup from Bride & Prejudice

Aishwarya Rai is modeling one of the latest trends in makeup by lining her eyes in green and pairing them with rose-beige glossy lips. A great look to draw attention to your eyes, no matter what your eye color (although the addition of green contacts certainly doesn't hurt!). Here's how you can get the look:

FACE

Start with concealer and matte foundation/powder as a base. I know this sounds a little 90's, but I'm saying this because Aish's face doesn't look dewy here, and with the colder weather coming up, a matte foundation creates the perfect canvas to show off the the subtle colors on the lips and cheeks. Try Clinique Almost Powder makeup SPF 15 . If your skin is like Aishwarya's your color is most probably Deep.

EYES

Keep eyeshadow at a minimum by sticking to neutral shades. Clinique's Color Surge Eyeshadow Duo in Twice the Spice is a good choice to complement this look, with the light color on the lids, and the darker shade in the crease. Finally, line your upper eyelid with MAC Technakohl Liner in Jade Way, and apply black mascara to your upper lashes ONLY.

BLUSH

Apply Clinique Soft-Pressed Powder Blusher in Pink Blush to the apples of the cheeks only. I prefer using a MAC #129 blush brush for this.

LIPS

To get full glossy lips with a hint of sparkle like Aish's, outline and fill in lips with Clinique Defining Liner for Lips in Berry Nude ($14). This is part of a new line of creamy liners from Clinique that even comes with it's own built-in sharpener in the cap. (I bought these in two colors btw, in Berry Nude and Nudey, both look fab on brown skin). Then swipe on Clinique Full Potential Lips Plump and Shine lipgloss in Rose Bloom ($17.50) on the center of your bottom lip and then press your lips together to get the color on the top. This is a better way to use this particular gloss. I learned the hard way using it like lipstick and applying it on both on the top and bottom lips is overkill and looks like...a little too much.

UPDATE: Another option to get this lip look would be to use Bobbi Brown Metallic Lip Shimmer lipstick in Twighlight Pink with Mauve lipliner.

A big thanks to our lovely reader, Geeko for sending us the picture! Enjoy.

Geeta Basra: When Bronzer Goes Bad

I hate talking smack about people, including celebrities, when it comes to their appearance...I really do. Yet there comes a time when you gotta say, "Girl, did you look in the mirror before you left the house??!"

Such a time is now and such a celebrity is the beautiful Geeta Basra (did you know that this Bollywood actress is actually born and bred in the U.K.?!). This lady really is beautiful but dang, she went nuts with the bronzer for a recent event.

Geeta loaded way too much bronzer on her cheeks and jawline to the point where her face looks slightly ruddy. The beauty of bronzer is too look "glowy" and "sunkissed," definitely not sunburnt in a George Hamilton sort of way.

So if you're having a bit of trouble of bronzer, make sure to pick the right color bronzer (stay away from those that are too reddish bronze or orange bronze) and sweep it on lightly with a fan brush which helps control the amount you deposit on the face.

Brown Sugar n' Honey Face Scrub

I recently ran out of my favorite facial scrub and being too lazy to order it online, I decided to my make own DIY scrub at home. This simple brown sugar and honey scrub that I absolutely love had several permutations.

First, I just started off with just white sugar to scrub my face. I got the idea from an article I read where the famous makeup artist, Carmindy (from TLC's What Not to Wear) stated that she regularly uses a handful of white sugar as an exfoliator, a trick she picked up from her grandmother! I liked the white sugar scrub, although it kept dissolving when I mixed it with water.

Next, I decided to try using brown sugar instead of white sugar, an ingredient in many cult beauty classics like Fresh Brown Sugar Body Polish and a little heftier than regular white sugar. I liked it better than the white sugar scrub (much more delicious when it runs down your face!) but still, it kept dissolving in water.

That's when I thought of adding honey to make the brown sugar "stick" and I fell in love with this combination! All you need is a little bowl, brown sugar and honey. Add between a teaspoon to a tablespoon of brown sugar and a teaspoon to a tablespoon of honey (more if you want to use on the rest of your body) in a bowl and mix.

The reason I love this scrub so much (and may never go back to buying a facial scrub again) is because the brown sugar truly exfoliates away all the crap without being too abrasive and the addition of honey really softens the skin (honey has moisturizing properties). My facial skin felt SO good after I rinsed off the scrub. However, the best part about the scrub is that while I usually experience tiny post-scrub breakouts 2-3 days after I exfoliate, I didn't breakout at all with this scrub -just really smooth, soft skin that has been wonderfully clear.

Bollywood Ladies on the Cutting Edge

Celina Jaitley scares the living daylights out of me...there is something about her icy glare (perhaps with fake contacts?), flared nostrils, nonsmiling lips, and parted in the middle Morticia Adams style hair that just freaks me out. So I was pleasantly surprised to find the below photo of Celina at a recent event with soft pink makeup and an even softer hairstyle!! I am loving her new shoulder length haircut with the ends curled under!

Even better, it looks like Mahima Chaudhary, below, decided to forego her usual pageant curls for a slightly edgier haircut with long bangs and layers.

It can be hard to say goodbye to old styling habits (especially when Bollywood remains stuck in a style rut itself), so kudos to the ladies who mix things up once in a while!

Big, Bold n Bordeaux Lips

Its no secret that women of color can pull off bold, saturated colors...but how many of us are really gutsy enough to pull off such a look? I, for one, am much more comfortable with doing a very dark smoky eye rather than bold lips.

Well, I've decided that if there is any season to pull off bold lips, tis the season! As seen on Salma Hayek, Rachel Roy and Jessica Alba, wearing a burgundy or bordeaux commands a sense of female power like no other makeup look.

Above, Salma opts for a creamy wine color that complements her all-black ensemble. Below, Rachel goes for a glossy bordeaux color.

How to wear the bordeaux on the lips:

1. Keeping the rest of the face as bare as possible gives a fresh take on the bold lip. On the eyes, keep makeup minimal with a neutral, matte shadow that matches your skin tone and black mascara. If you feel naked without eyeliner (as I do at times) do just a smidge of kohl on the eyes, like Rachel above.

I love bare cheeks as well as it really draws attention to the lips, but if you must, pair with a slight bit of bronzer or a blush that complements your lip color, like Jessica below.

2. Like the rest of your makeup, hair should be as unfussy as possible. Save the hair baubles for another day and pull hair straight back like Salma, go completely sleek like Rachel or wear a slightly retro look with Veronica Lake type waves similar to Jessica.

Here are some lip color recs for gorgeous bold lips:

1. Dior Rouge Dior Lipstick in Red Premiere 752

2. CK Calvin Klein Delicious Luxury Creme Lipstick in Sinful

3. Laura Mercier Lip Velvet in Cassis

Manicure Must Have: Essie Corrector Pen

I'll admit it, I'm absolutely terrible at applying my own nail polish. I just can't seem to keep the polish confined to the nails when painting them. The color goes all over the sides and the bottom of the cuticle, and the final result always looks like I got a manicure from a four year old.

In the past, I've relied upon dipping a Q-tip in nail polish remover to clean up the edges, but I discovered something new the other day at my local Ulta store, The Corrector Pen by Essie, ($14). Built like a fine-tip marker, this awesome tool has a firm rounded tip that delivers a steady amount of polish remover so you can get deep into the edges around your nails without removing the polish on the nail itself. It's sold at most manicure salons that sell Essie products and also at Ulta stores, but for some reason it's not available online at Ulta.com. You can, however, order it at Essieshop.com if you don't have an Ulta or a manicure salon near you that carries Essie.

And while you're at it, give Essie's new nail polish Damsel in a Dress ($8) a try. The color looks good on nearly everyone and perfectly complements fall looks.