Steal the Look: Leona Lewis' Makeup at the Grammy Awards Salute to Icons Event

My favorite makeup looks from the 2009 Grammy Awards weren't at the awards event itself but from the Salute to Icons event the night before. One of my favorites was Leona Lewis, who wore an extremely wearable, and easy to duplicate, look - no crazy colors here. I duplicated her eye makeup on my own eyes below.

To get Leona's eye makeup look:

1. Start off with any type of eye primer or concealer to even out the skin on the eyes.

2. Apply a light silver eye shadow all over the lids up until the crease. Drag down the shadow to line the lower lashes. I used the light silver shade in the NARS Eye Shadow Duo in Underworld.

3. Apply a sparkly white eye shadow to the middle of the lid and to the inner corners of the eyes. I used Shiseido Hydro-Power Shadow in Whitelights.

4. Apply any black liquid liner to the upper lashline. Extend the liner just a tiny bit beyond the eyes but not too much.

5. Apply a bright navy blue liner to the bottom lashline, making sure that some of the silver shadow peeps through. I used MAC Powerpoint Pencil in Navy Stain which is brighter than most navy liners (more of a royal blue) and achieves Leona's look very well.

6. Finish with tons of black mascara.

So easy, right?! Stay tuned, I also duplicated Rihanna's look from the same event and will be posting that soon!

Yes to Carrots Pampering Carrot Juice Shampoo

Yes to Carrots is a relatively new brand of haircare and skincare products. I recently tried the Yes to Carrots Pampering Carrot Juice Shampoo, which counts carrots, sweet potato and pumpkin among its anti-oxidant ingredients. According to the website, the hair care products are paraben free, contain organic fruits and vegetables and Dead Sea minerals.

My experience with the Pampering Carrot Juice Shampoo has been excellent. After using a shampoo that made my hair extremely dry (and which shall remain unnamed), the Yes to Carrots shampoo was a relief to my hair. It cleanses all the hair styling products from my scalp and hair very well without stripping it of moisture. And the smell is amazing! I often find that the usual fragrant shampoos smell great but don't do much in terms of making my hair look good but that is not the case here.

The product retails for around $7.99.

The entire ingredient list is below:

Water (Aqua), Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Magnesium Chloride, Dead Sea Water (Maris Aqua), Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Olea Europaea (Olive) Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Oil, Dimethicone, Propylene Glycol, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Daucus Carota Seed Oil, Daucus Carota Juice, Cucurbita Pepo (Pumpkin) Juice, Ipomoera Batatas (Sweet Potato) Extract, Cucumis Melo (Melon) Extract, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Fruit Extract, Honey(Mel) Extract, Fragrance (Parfum), Algae Extracts (Rhodella, Dunaliella, Spirulina), Silt (Maris Limus), Niacinamide, Vitamin E (Tocopheryl Acetate), Ginkgo Biloba Leaf Extract, Imidazolidinyl Urea, Punica Granatum (Pomegranate) Peel Extract.

Steal the Look: Katrina Kaif's Makeup at Race Music Launch

Roop Cafe reader Anshu asked us to do a makeup breakdown of Katrina Kaif at the Race music launch. Katrina goes for a peaches n' cream glow in this photo with a hint of bronze on the cheeks.

To get the look:

Eyes: Apply a shimmery cream colored shadow such as MAC Shadow in Femme Fi all over the lids up until the crease. Apply a light colored highlighting shadow such as MAC Shadow in Vapour to the browbone. Blend the shadows together. Line upper lashline with a very thin line of black liquid liner. Dab a bit of black pencil liner in between the lower lashlines.

Cheeks: Lightly apply bronzer or bronze powder such as MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Medium Deep to the contours of cheeks. On the cheekbone above the contour, apply a shimmery peach colored blush such as MAC Blush in Springsheen. Blend the bronzer and the blush together. Apply a highlighting powder or cream such as MAC Iridescent Pressed Powder in Belightful right on the cheekbone to add a glow.

Lips: Apply a peachy-bronze cream lipstick such as MAC Lipstick in Plastique on the lips. Top with a clear lip gloss for tons of shine.

Death to the Pale Pink Lip Trend

In a perfect world, cosmetic companies would be required to stick a warning tag on Pale Pink Lipsticks that read - "only meant for the likes of extremely pale supermodels named Twiggy."

I'm into makeup trends and all and while extremely chalky pink lips can work at times (for Halloween), more often than not, give it a pass. Even gorgeous celebrities can't make it work!


Its a toss up for Drew Barrymore, whose skintone is more suited for the color but still, she looks a little sickly. As for Salma, you can see for yourself that warm, yellow toned skin with extremely cool pink lips isn't fashionable, its a beauty faux pas!

Steal the Look: Aishwarya Rai's Makeup at the Pink Panther Premiere

Aishwarya Rai, the lead female in the Pink Panther 2, showed up with a beautiful look last night for the film's premiere in New York City. The muted bronze eyes brings out the rosy tones in her cheeks and lips. While her makeup is spot-on, I wish she would have chosen a little color for her dress rather than blah black.

To get the look:

Eyes: Apply a layer of bronze cream shadow such as NARS Cream Shadow in Savage on the eyelids just up to the crease. Over the cream shadow, apply a shimmery warm gold shadow such as the light shade such as NARS Duo Shadow in Kalahari all over the lids and up into the crease. Drag down a bit of the gold shadow and apply to the lower lashline. Blend edges of the shadow well. Apply black liquid liner the top lashline only. Apply a soft brown eye pencil to the lower lash line. Finish generously with black mascara.

Cheeks: Apply a warm rosy peach shade such as NARS Cream Blush in Lokum, by tapping directly to the apples of the cheeks and blending.

Lips: Apply a rose colored lip pencil such as NARS Lipliner Pencil in Rosebud to line and fill in the lips. Apply a rose lip gloss such as NARS Lip Gloss in Dolce Vita.

Paris Couture Spring 2009 Makeup and Hair

Spring certainly doesn't seem like its in the air here in the Midwest, but the looks at Paris Couture Spring 2009 make me hope that a little warmth is just around the corner - I can't take much more of this nasty winter weather!

At Valentino, makeup artist Pat McGrath created smoky eyes on the models in four different colors. Hair was scraped up into a glossy topknot. Above, the models show off a plum smoky eye (left) and a charcoal smoky eye. Below, a model wears a shimmery green smoky eye - gorgeous! A gray-blue smoky eyes was also worn by models.

At Jean Paul Gaultier, makeup reflected the stark black and white of the couture. Models faces were dusted with white powder. To create a contrast, eyes, creases and brows were outlined in black liner.

At Alexis Mabille, Mexican painter Diego Rivera's works were the inspiration for hair and makeup. The makeup artists used lavender and pink pastel colors in the eyes, cheeks and lips.

The hair at Mabille, braided and then joined together, was youthful and innocent...and perhaps a sign that braids are still a trend for spring?

"Ethereal" was the term to describe the makeup and hair at Christian Dior. The inspiration was John Vermeer's painting, "Girl with a Pearl Earring." Soft pinks, peaches and whites were used on the models, giving them a painterly look. Hair was curled and crimped but still maintained an angelic, as opposed to rough, quality.

I love nothing better than a strong, winged out eye makeup look, one that was showcased at Christian Lacroix. The eyes are so strong they almost overpower those gigantic earrings! The inspiration for the look was a ballerina...clearly, though, the models were ballerinas with attitude.

Geometry and graphics were reflected in the makeup and hair at Armani Prive. Besides the strong black eyeliner and shadow used to form geometric shapes on the eyes, barely any color was used on the rest of the face. A black, geometric shaped wig finished off the look.

Source

Stila Pomegranate Crush Lip & Cheek Stain

Years ago, I was in love with a product known as Benefit Benetint. It came in a little glass bottle, had a brush tipped wand, was very liquidy and if you weren't careful and splashed the liquid around while applying, could end up with splotches of pink around your bathroom sink. I used Benetint religiously for many years because I loved how it left a natural glow on my cheeks...but then, possibly out of boredom, I replaced it in favor of powder blushes.

Fast forward to this weekend when I was browsing around in Sephora and a product for spring caught my eye - Stila Pomegranate Crush Lip & Cheek Stain. The stain is the sister to Stila's Cherry Crush Lip & Cheek Stain which came out in spring/summer 2008.



The Pomegranate Stain is as amazing as Benetint without the downsides. Rather than a glass bottle, it comes in a little pen, making it infinitely easier to travel with. To let product out, one turns the dial at the end of the pen and to apply, just press the brush tip to the cheeks and lips.

The best part is the texture of the product - its a gel rather than a liquid so its easier to control and doesn't make a mess in the bathroom. Plus, whereas Benetint would sometimes streak if you didn't rub it into cheeks quickly, the gel texture is much more forgiving. The stain also has a nice pomegranate-y scent.

While this product is touted as a "spring" release, I'm ecstatic its out already because it adds a subtle glow to pallid, winter worn skin.

Battle of the Styling Gels: Nexxus Alluring Curls vs. Redken Crystal Curls vs. Sunsilk Captivating Curls

Much like my experiment with eye treatments that I mentioned recently, I've been playing around with a few styling gels recently and here are the ones that I loved and ones that I didn't:

Nexxus Alluring Curls

This styling gel was my favorite of the lot, with the Redken gel coming in at a close second. The reason I chose this gel above the others is because of its superb ability to add shine without too much crunchiness and without drying out my hair.

I love rubbing a little bit of this gel in my fingers and running it through my hair to separate sections after I've curled my hair. Even in rainy weather, my hair holds up very well with this gel. Above is a pic of my hair, having already used the gel for hold and shininess.

Redken Crystal Curls 06

I love this styling gel for the hold and the intense shininess it provides. Plus, one tube has lasted me quite a while as you don't need much product to style your hair. Downsides of this product were the stickiness and the fact that it made my hair slightly crunchy, perhaps due to alcohol ingredients.

Sunsilk Captivating Curls Gel and Cream Twist

This was the product that I wanted to love so badly because of the pricepoint but didn't. For some reason, the twist of gel and cream ended up being ineffective in both holding a style and calming frizz. Any positives? I really can't think of any, which is why almost a full bottle of this continues to sit in my cabinet after about four months of purchase!

Steal the Look: Freida Pinto's Makeup at the 2009 SAG Awards

Well, looks like its Freida-mania at Hollywood lately...the lady and the rest of the cast of SM have been raking in the awards this season! The best part for me is seeing the makeup and fashion looks Freida models...I can't wait for the Oscars!

I absolutely love the beauty look she went for at the SAG Awards last night. The smoky blue eyes were definitely more bold than the look she had going for the Golden Globes. The blue shadow looks absolutely stunning on tan skin and dark peepers like Freida's.

To get the look, see below...and disclaimer: this look won't make you look like Freida (sorry), but you will look fabulous!!

Eyes: Line eyes on both top and bottom waterline with a dark blue liner such as MAC Eye Pencil in Indigo. Apply a medium blue-gray shade such as the blue shade in NARS Duo in Underworld all over the lids up until the crease. Drag the blue-gray color down and shade the lower lash area. Apply a matte bronze shadow in the crease (this adds dimension and lets the blue shade pop a bit). Apply a highlighter shadow on the browbones. Finish with tons of black mascara.

(Note: For even bolder color, lay down a blue cream shadow before applying the powder shadow.)

Cheeks: With the eyes taking centerstage, apply a soft bronze color such as Chanel Blush in Enchantresse to cheeks. If you need a bit more color, go for a pinky-bronze blush such as MAC Blush in Blushbaby.

Lips: Apply a mauve-pink gloss such as MAC Lip Glass in Little VI (one of my favorite lip glosses!) to the lips.

*Update:* I found that the lip gloss that makeup artist Jeffrey Paul actually used is Dior Addict Ultra-Gloss Reflect in #457 Pink Liberty on Freida at the SAG Awards. I'll try to find out more of the products actually used on Freida and update this post.

The Only Makeup Brushes You Really Need

This post was a long time coming since we've been getting many requests to break down the essential makeup brushes needed to create flawless makeup looks. Many times when you visit a cosmetic counter, it can look rather overwhelming to see all those brushes lined up but trust us, unless you are a professional makeup artist, you don't need every single one to do your makeup and have a well-stocked brush kit.


I recently went on vacation and realized that on a daily basis, whether you need to do a day look or night look, you don't need more than about six brushes. Since MAC is a popular brand for both quality and accessibility for most of us (the MAC website offers FREE SHIPPING on all orders over $60) most of my brush recs here will be MAC. (Even though my personal stash of brushes includes some Bobbi Brown, Sephora, and even some Sonia Kashuk finds.)



So let's get right to it. What makeup brushes do you really need? It mostly depends on your personal style. If you like to do up your eyes in dramatic colors everyday, you may need a few more eye makeup brushes than your girlfriend who just likes a little blush, lipstick, and mascara for her daily look.

I personally believe there are about six basic brushes no girl should be without: a Blush Brush, Powder Brush, Eyeshadow Base Brush, Eyeshadow Crease Brush, Angled Eyeshadow Brush for lining and touching up eyebrows, and a Precision Shading Brush to define eyes and create the "smokey eye" look. Note that this list can be cut down to the bare bones of having just two brushes: a Blush Brush and an Eyeshadow Brush (a MAC 217) if you're not into wearing face powder and doing complicated eye looks, and prefer pencil liners to shadow liners. And...if you're like my mom, you can possibly get away with needing no brushes at all if all your products are cream based, like cream blush and cream eyeshadow, because all of these products work best when applied with your fingers. I personally don't have the dexterity to deal well with cream products. I still can't figure out how to apply cream blush without looking like a clown, so for me, it's powder products and brushes for nearly everything.

Here's a more detailed breakdown of the brushes and my personal recommendations:

Blush Brush

I think if you're just starting out with makeup or don't care much for contouring cheekbones, stick with the MAC 129 for your blush needs. This brush is ideal for applying color to the apples of your cheeks, which is really the most natural place blush should be. The head is shaped in a way that it automatically diffuses and blends the color for you in the right place, so it's totally goof proof. Make sure you apply your blush in a well-lit room (bathroom mirrors are great for this) so you get the color on evenly on both sides. About two or three swipes on each cheek is usually enough to get the color on right, depending on what blush you're using. With daily use, this brush should last you about 8 years, after that it starts shedding like a squirrel and won't work well anymore. But hey, 8 years is a long time right? If you want to be able to do more dramatic blush looks, or just want a firmer blush brush, go with MAC 116 or Bobbi Brown's Blush Brush. Both of these brushes can be used not only for the apples of the cheeks but also for contouring and highlighting.

Powder Brush

Many face powders and powder foundations sometimes come with a cosmetic sponge, but I find the powder/foundation goes on too heavy with sponges. You get a more sheer look and have more control over how much powder gets applied if you use a Powder Brush. A good powder brush should not be too stiff, it has to be able to glide over your face to deposit powder evenly over your skin. I prefer Bobbi Brown's Powder brush, I've owned this for 10 years, and it's still in excellent condition. MAC also makes an excellent option, the MAC 138. I like the MAC 138, as opposed to the MAC 134 and MAC 150 because it's tapered and can be used for contouring and getting into all the hollow areas of your face, like around the nose and under eyes. In a pinch, it can also be used as a blush brush, making it very versatile.

Eyeshadow Brushes

Here's where most makeup enthusiasts pick only the brushes that suit their needs. Like I mentioned earlier, I prefer quite a few to do my eyes.

Base Brush - I use a MAC 239 if I want the color to go on opaque, or the MAC 252 if I want to put a sheer wash of color on the whole eye area from lash line to brow bone. The 252 gives you more control over the product if you want to build up the color, whereas the 239 just cuts to the chase and delivers opaque coverage, perfect if you just want color on the eyelids only.

Crease Brush - I use the MAC 224. It's simple and puts the right amount of color on every time.

Angled Lining Brush- MAC 266 is my brush of choice when I need to line the eyes with eyeshadow.

Precision/Pencil Shading Brush. - The MAC 219 is one of my favorites. I use it to apply color to the "outer V" area of my eye when I'm contouring, and apply shadow on and under the lash lines, an absolute must if you want to do the "smokey eye" look. It's also excellent for applying light shadow to the inner corners of the eyes to make you look more awake.

HOWEVER, if you just want a simple eyeshadow look and want to line your eyes with pencil, you could considerably cut down the cost and number of brushes you need to do your eye makeup to just ONE BRUSH: the MAC 217 Blending Brush. It's called a "blending brush", but it's actually a base brush, crease brush, and highlighter brush all rolled into one. You can even use it to apply cream products like cream eyeshadow and concealer. If you buy it at the counter, as the MA to show you a demo how to use it and then use it on yourself to see how easy it is to get a polished eye look with just one brush.

There are also optional brushes you can buy, like concealer brushes and lip brushes, etc...but in my experience, I don't think they are essential. The only reason I have them is because the MA selling them to me told me I needed them and I did use them for a while, but it's so much easier to pat concealer under the eyes with your ring finger as opposed to using a brush. And the lip brush, I can't even remember the last time I used this one.

Another thing to remember is no matter what brush you buy, give it a good tug and brush it along the back of your hand before purchasing it to make sure it doesn't shed easily. This is the best way to test the quality of a brush. Well-made brushes should give you at least 5-10 years of use and if it's already shedding on day one, it's a sign of cheap manufacturing and you should look elsewhere. The best manufacturers of brushes are of course, MAC and Bobbi Brown, but don't overlook Sephora, Smashbox, Stila, and even art supply stores like Michael's for quality brush finds.

Be sure to also take a peek at this video I found. This makeup maven has done an amazing job of describing all the brushes she uses and has given some great tips on low cost brushes she picked up at Michael's. I love how she also raves about the MAC 217. Retailing for only $22.50, it's that one makeup brush no brush kit should be without.

Steal the Look: Deepika Padukone's Makeup at the Chandni Chowk to China Premiere

Has anyone seen the Chandni Chowk to China film yet? Its been super hyped up due to its female star, Deepika Padukone, but I have a feeling its going to be overshadowed by Slumdog.

I really like the ice princess look Deepika went for at the premiere for her new film. The pastel pink dress could have been better but I like how she switched her makeup to pastel shades rather than the usual peachy bronze look.

To get the look:

Eyes: Apply a light colored base all over the lids. Blend a shimmery white shadow such as NARS Shadow in Night Snow all over the lid (if you're skeptical of such a stark look, try using a very light silver shadow). Apply a candy pink shadow such as NARS Shadow in Baby Girl to the outer half of the upper eyelid and blend into the crease as well. Apply a touch of the shimmery white shadow on the browbone, blending well. Apply a thin line of black liner to the upper eyelids, thickening towards the outer edge. Apply black liner to the bottom waterline of the eyes.

Cheeks: Apply a creamy rose pink blush such as NARS Cream Blush in Lokum to the cheeks. Top with a shimmery highlighter like NARS Highlighting Blush Powder in Albatross.

Lips: Apply a muted mauve pink lipstick such as MAC Lipstick in Sweetie. Top with a clear gloss in the center.

Battle of the Eye Creams, Part II

Over the past 6 to 9 months, I tested a couple of eye creams, with varied textures and price points. Eye creams are probably one of the most elusive of all beauty and skincare products...women (and men!) are always searching for that holy grail eye cream that will make their puffy bags and undereye circles disappear. While I didn't find my holy grail of eye creams in this test batch, most of the eye treatments I tested were all good, basic treatments.

Skyn Iceland Icelandic Relief Eye Cream with Biospheric Complex

This product is a true cream that comes in a little jar. A slightly cool sensation results after patting it on the eyes, which I personally found really soothing, especially after hours of staring at the computer. The product claims to minimize (not eliminate) undereye circles, wrinkles and puffiness. I can't speak for wrinkles because I don't have any yet but the cream did help puffiness - I think the cooling sensation helps. As for the undereye circles, I generally believe that my dark circles are caused by lack of sleep, stress and allergies, and am not convinced that creams can do anything to reduce circles.

All in all, I thought this was a pretty good eye cream. My only gripes were the non-effect on undereye circles and the fact that I wish the cream was slightly richer in texture, which would be wonderful for the winter. The product retails at $45.

Boscia Enlivening Amino-AG Eye Treatment

The next eye treatment I tried was quite different from the Skyn Iceland product. The Boscia eye treatment is more of a thick gel, rather than a true cream, and comes in a pump dispenser. It is slightly sticky but I found it to be more moisturizing than the Skyn product - it leaves a little sheen on the eyes once applied.

Again, the product didn't do much for dark circles but it rates high for its moisturizing properties and as a result, it would be great eye treatment for winter. The product retails for $38.

Ren Active 7 Radiant Eye Maintenance Gel

This eye treatment is not a cream at all but an eye gel. The consistency is slightly thick instead of runny which is a plus. It is not sticky at all and is cool to the touch. Because the Ren treatment is a straight out gel though, it is not as moisturizing as the Skyn Iceland or Boscia products.

This treatment would be perfect for the spring/summer rather than the fall/winter due to the texture and properties. I could see it being really soothing if I stuck the tube in the fridge and then applied. The product retails for $45.

Garner Nutritioniste Skin Renew Anti-Puff Eye Roller

I had high hopes for this eye treatment because I read reviews raving about the roller ball application. However, I just wasn't sold on this product.

The product is used by rolling the roller ball under the eyes, which causes a gel product to be applied. In theory, its a great idea but I didn't like the product for two reasons. First, I found the gel treatment itself was too thin and not moisturizing enough for my undereyes. I found that it did not even depuff my undereyes well which was the main claim behind the roller ball application. Second, I found that the rollerball application did not deposit the treatment evenly under my eyes. It also felt like the rollerball application tugged too much on my skin which is not good for the sensitive skin around the eyes.

The product retails for $12.99.

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!