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.

Violet Eyes: Experimenting with Bare Escentuals Smoky V Eye

Having finally figured out the macro setting on my camera, I can finally take photos of some of my favorite looks...

Below is Saturday night's experimentation with the Bare Escentuals Smoky V Eye shadows (that I blogged about back in July), Pacific Heights (a shimmery lavender-gray) and 1990s Glimmer (a shimmery dark purple-gray). Here's the breakdown of my "violet eyes":


1. Dip a makeup brush in 1990s Glimmer and then mix the shadow with MAC Mixing Medium (or water). Apply the wet shadow to the lids from the lashline up until the crease. Blend the wet shadow to the inner corners and outer corners of the eyes. Drag the wet shadow from the top lid to line the bottom lashline. The wet shadow will look very dark purple on the lids.

2. Dip a dry makeup brush into Pacific Heights and blend the shadow over the 1990s Glimmer, again only up until the crease. Continue blending the lighter lavender shadow over the dark purple shadow until you have the shade of purple you like. I blended Pacific Heights over 1990s Glimmer twice before I got this shade.

3. Take a q-tip dipped in eye makeup remover to clean up the edges of the eyes as there will likely be some fall out from the loose eye shadows. Blend the edges of the shadow again to make sure there are no harsh edges.

4. Line eyes with black eyeliner on the top lashline and in the inner rims - I used MAC Eye Liner in Smolder. Finish with black mascara - I used Cover Girl LashBlast.

You don't need the specific shadows I used to create this look...try it with any varied shades of purple shadow that you have on hand. Although its a bright color, I find purple to be a great shade for tan skintones and especially complimentary for dark brown eyes!

Smoldering Makeup for Deep Set Eyes

Just like skin tones, eyes come in all shapes and sizes and knowing how to use makeup to enhance your eye shape and size is one of the basics of makeupdom. I came across this photo of Jamie Lynn Sigler of Sopranos fame and loved the artistry on her deep set brown eyes.

As deep set eyes have a tendency to appear to recede, its important to use lighter colors to bring forward those peepers instead of dark colors. As a result, if you have deep set eyes, you'll want to avoid doing an all over black smoky eye, for example, because it will make your eyes look smaller.

Instead, do what Jamie's done:

1) Apply a light, shimmery eyeshadow to the eyelids, extending slightly above the crease. Here, Jamie uses a shimmery champagne color that deepens her brown eyes. Recs for shadows are: Bobbi Brown Metallic Eye Shadow in Champagne Quartz or Gold Dust, MAC Shadows in Nylon or Seedy Pearl or Retrospeck (a personal favorite!), Revlon Grab Me Gold Diamond Lust Shadow.

2) Avoid putting dark colors in the crease, in the traditional manner of eye makeup application. Dark colors in the crease will make your eyes appear to recede more.

3) If you want to smoke out those eyes, smoke near the lashes, not the lid and not the crease. Line the upper and lower lids with eyeliner and use a sponge tip to smudge the liner around the lash line - just avoid moving the color to far into the middle of the lid!!

Thandie's Smoky Winged Eye

At the premiere of Rocknrolla, Thandie Newton sported an interesting hybrid between the smoky eye and winged eyeliner - that I am now calling the "smoky winged eye." Now traditionally, the winged eyeliner is accomplished with a swoop of black liquid liner, which is forever classic and elegant. Thandie took the winged eyeliner look a step further by extending out her charcoal smoky eye and the result is stunning.

Eyes are perfectly imperfect as displayed in the picture above. One of the great things about this eye makeup, unlike the traditional winged eyeliner, is that its okay to mess up. Look at the photo - you can see little smudges of the charcoal eyeliner but it adds to the smoldering, carefree look!

To get Thandie's eyes:

Using a silver gray shadow such as MAC Silver Ring Eyeshadow, sweep the color across the lids up into the crease. Shade the outer corners and crease of the eyes with a dark gray shadow such as MAC Print Eyeshadow. Also use the dark gray shadow to line the lower lid. Blend the silver gray shadow into the dark gray shadow. Taking a stiff flat brush, use a black shadow such as MAC Carbon Eyeshadow to line the upper lids. Extend the black shadow out into a wing as you would with liquid liner.

On a side note, are Thandie and Gerard with other people? If not, they would make such a cute couple!

Lakshmi Menon in Biba Magazine

I thought I'd share some scans of Lakshmi Menon (aka, the only Indian model storming the major runways) from French magazine Biba, August 2008. I really love the colors and use of light in these photographs. And for some reason, Lakshmi reminds me of a young Frida Kahlo.

Source

Steal the Look: Twinkle Khanna

A big thanks to our reader Lolita for pointing out this effortlessly chic makeup worn by Twinkle Khanna.

Here's how you can get the look:

Eyes

Apply MAC Tete-A-Tint eyeshadow from the lashline to the crease, and MAC Vanilla on the brow bone to highlight. Then line the upper and lower lashlines (including the inner rims) with Loreal Le Grande Kohl eyeliner in Black Sable. Swipe Loreal Voluminous Mascara on the top and bottom lashes and the eyes are set.

Blush

Twinkle seems to be using a bronzer here, but you can easily substitute a blush for it. (I myself am not a big fan of bronzers, I prefer using blush). But if I've got some picks for you to try either way. If you're a bronzer gal, try Nars Bronzing Powder in Laguna. If you like blush better, try MAC Mocha blush. Swipe it on your cheeks, your temples, and your chin. Avoid dusting it on the bridge of the nose. Unless you're an expert at applying bronzer, it's too easy to overdo it and look like you have a cold instead of a naturally sunny glow.

Lips

The lips here are achieved by using MAC Taupe lipstick, MAC Subculture lipliner (line only, don't fill in the lips with this), and topping it off with MAC Plushglass in Wildly Lush. Enjoy!

UPDATE: Kohl Girl helped me find some more picture of Twinkle from that night and it seems that the lipstick and eyeshadow are most definitely not from the Bobbie Brown Cocoa Mauve collection as originally posted. I've updated the color recs and added the new pics to give a more accurate depiction of the look.

header photo via highheelconfidential.com

Full Color Buxom Big & Healthy Lip Polish

Full Color Buxom Big & Healthy Lip Polish, $18, via Ulta.com

Even though their mineral makeup didn't work for me, it wasn't enough to keep me from sampling some of Bare Escentuals other products. For what it's worth, their makeup is pretty reasonably priced and I like the array of colors they have to offer.

One product I like right now is their new Full Color Buxom Big and Healthy Lip Polishes. Like a lipstick, lipgloss, and lip plumper all rolled in one, these glosses infuse your lips with high shine opaque color while making them appear fuller. Although they are supposed to be "lip plumping" I don't really see plumping results with these polishes, just a feeling that my lips are tingling (as if I just ate a York Peppermint Patty), a feeling that's not entirely unpleasant. The plumping effect is more visual than anything else, due to the high amount of shine in these lip polishes. I also liked the staying power of the color. Even after meals, the color stayed put (although the "gloss" part faded away).

A little goes a long way when applying these glosses, so use a light hand and build up color as you go. I found out the hard way that if you put too much gloss on, the color starts to feather/bleed out of your natural lipline, ruining your pout.

My favorite colors of the bunch are Vanessa, Carmen, Chloe, and Stella. Vanessa is a berry/fuschia color, perfect for the plum trend in fashion this fall. Carmen is more of a magenta color, with more purple in it than pink. Chloe is like a light pink, perfect to pair with smokey eyes or if your skin is on the fair side. And finally, Stella, this is the perfect neutral lip color, a plummy bronze color that works well both for everyday and nighttime, and looks absolutely beautiful on light tan to dark skin. If you're a desi looking for a neutral gloss that won't wash you out, try Stella, the color works with every outfit and every woman of color.

Steal the Look: Padma Lakshmi's Makeup at the Emmy's

Forget the hair and makeup of Heidi Klum and America Ferrera at the Emmy's that have been posted all over beauty blogs...I came across these photos of Padma Lakshmi and in my opinion, she looks the most gorgeous of all the ladies! And I'm not just saying that because she is a fellow desi.

Padma really kicked up her look a notch with the shimmery gold dress, monochromatic bronze makeup and a sleek ponytail. The monochromatic makeup that she wears is super easy to copy and I have the perfect shade of lipgloss to get her bronze lips. I also love that she is wearing her hair up rather than in her trademark waves. To get the look:

Face: Create a perfect canvas for bronzer with concealer and foundation (or tinted moisturizer if you don't need that much coverage) as needed. Dust bronzer (I am currently using Lorac's Bronzer in Warm Glow)on the perimeter of the face, i.e. at the temples down to the cheekbones down to the jawline. Blend bronzer on the cheeks to create dimension on the face. Sweep a little highlighter on the tops of the cheekbones.

Eyes: Eyes are kept simple and monochromatic as well. Dust a bronze shadow such as MAC Shadow in Bronze (or alternatively just use the bronzer as shadow) all over the lids. Finish with a little black eyeliner on the top and/or bottom eyelashes depending on how dramatic you want to go. Complete with black mascara.

Lips: Go for a shiny bronze finish (not matte) so as to prevent the monochromatic look from appearing flat. The bronze lipgloss I love for this look is Chanel's Cristalle Lip Gloss in 22 Cappucino.

Get the Look: Deepika Padukone

One of our lovely readers asked for a breakdown of Deepika Padukone's makeup at a recent event - this is a wonderful choice for a breakdown as Deepika (or more likely her makeup artist) showcases the recent trend of the bronze smokey eye that was all over the Fall 2008 runways. Deepika complements the earthy tones on her eyes with a pretty wine lip color. To get the look:


Eyes: Three different earth tones are used on Deepika's eyes to give them dimension and to prevent muddiness. First, sweep a shimmery bronze or copper shadow such as the darker shade in NARS Eyeshadow Duo in Isolde all over the lids until just past the crease. In the outer third of the lids, with lids closed, apply a dark brown shadow such as MAC Shadow in Tempting in the shape of a side triangle. Blend the bronze shadow with the dark brown shadow. Wet a liner brush and apply the dark brown shadow as eyeliner on both the upper and lower lashes. Apply a light gold or champagne shadow such as the lighter color in NARS Eyeshadow Duo in Isolde in the inner corners of the eyes. I included a picture of Deepika looking down below so you can really see where the different colored shadows go.

Finish eyes with black mascara. Also, Deepika's eyebrows are always very neat and clean. Use a brown pencil and gel such as Revlon Brow Stylist in Dark Brown to fill in and brush eyebrows.

Cheeks: Use a fan brush to very lightly apply a wine colored blush such as MAC Powder Blush Plum Foolery to the cheeks. Remember to use a very light hand - Deepika's look is one where she is glowing rather than blushing.

Lips: Deepika has a wine color on her lips but it is applied lightly so skip the liner. Apply a creamy wine lipstick such as MAC Lipstick in Plum to the lips.

Get the Look: Priyanka Chopra

Readers often ask about a makeup look they can wear to work - something sophisticated and pulled together but not too trendy or over the top. I particularly like Priyanka's Chopra's grey lined eyes and matte pink lips in the photo below for this kind of makeup. To get the look:

Eyes: Line eyes lightly with a smudgy black eye pencil such as MAC Eye Pencil in Smolder. Go over the liner with a medium matte grey eye shadow such as Bobbi Brown Eye Shadow in Grey and blend the shadow with liner with a brush. Apply mascara.

Cheeks: Lightly dust cheeks with bronzer such as Bobbi Brown Bronzer in Medium, Natural, Deep or Dark (depending on your skin tone).

Lips: Line lips with a rose colored pencil such as MAC Lip Pencil in Whirl. Fill in lips with matte rose pink lipstick such as MAC Lipstick in Kinda Sexy.

Rx for Brown Skin Worth a Try

While trying to figure out why I'm noticing so much more hyperpigmentation after breakouts, and it's taking longer for them to fade, I stumbled upon the following buzzworthy bit of science:

"As brown skin matures, skin cells become sticky and don't rejuvenate properly." (source)

Meaning, my skin's ability to exfoliate and heal itself is diminishing with age. So what's a brown-skinned lady whose getting older by the minute supposed to do to get even skin tone and get rid of those pesky dark spots left behind by zits? Rx for Brown Skin seems to have some great products that might help.

Rx for Brown Skin is a skin care line designed specifically for women with, you guessed it, brown skin, but it also addresses the needs of women with yellow and olive skin. The products are heavily based on the natural healing powers of hyaluronic acid, soy, and pomegranate, and free of irritating chemicals like hydroquinone (which is found in most OTC skin bleaching agents and makes dark skin peel unevenly). I've tried two products from this line, the Bright and Even Exfoliating Cleanser ($21) and the Naturally Flawless Advanced Botanical Brightener ($36).

After using the products for about 4 weeks, I've noticed that my dark spots are no longer noticeable and most definitely do not show up in photographs. Both products were gentle on my skin and gave me an overall smoother appearance. Of the two products, I prefer the Exfoliating Cleanser as it helped the Brightener do it's job better and left my skin feeling clean down to the pores. The Brightener on it's own didn't seem to work without the help of the Exfoliating Cleanser, it seems these two products need to be used in tandem to reduce the appearance of hyperpigmentation (which was my main goal).

I can still see faint remnants of the spots if I look really close, as in, with a magnifying mirror, but they're not obvious at first glance anymore. Hopefully, with continued use of the products, they'll soon vanish forever.

Therapy for your Tresses

The first time I used the Frizz-Ease by John Frieda brand was around junior high or high school when the brand's oh-so-famous Frizz-Ease hair serum came out. Remember those before and after pictures of the girls with totally frizzed out hair in the before photo and completely straight and silky hair in the after photo? I do because I remember putting all my heart into those pictures and then being sorely disappointed when the serum did not do a thing for my unruly hair.

Well fast forward about twelve years - after my last experience I was definitely suspicious when I heard about John Frieda's new Frizz Ease Creme Serum Overnight Repair Formula through the blogvine. I thought I'd give it a shot since I haven't had much luck with hair products recently and surprisingly, I like it!

The Repair Formula is meant to be used overnight in the hair - I would describe it as a cross between a hair mask (that you don't have to rinse it out until you next shampoo) and an intense leave-in conditioner. Since I'm a rebel, I don't limit its use to night and put a little of the cream in during the day to tame my hair in this crazy humidity.

I wouldn't say its a miracle worker, but it does a great job of moisturizing and softening my hair, especially after I use heat tools. Also, as a cream treatment (as opposed to a bona fide styling product) it does a pretty good job of separating my curls, most likely due to the great moisturizing ability.

Give this product a shot if your hair is feeling somewhat dry and coarse from the heat, chlorine, etc. this summer and need a shot of moisture in your hair regimen.

One Bob Does Not Suit All....

Years before Kareena, Bipasha and Priyanka invaded Bollywood, I always thought Sonali Bendre was one of the most beautiful ladies in India...with a seriously enviable head of the most shiny, straight black hair.

So, you can imagine my dismay when I saw this picture of Sonali with a bob and a bob dyed an unflattering reddish brown hue at that!! When I see this picture, I think of all the times my mom has said that its better not to mess with one's God-given features...and this time I think she's right.

Keeping it Natural....

Often times when you hear about Hollywood ladies doing "natural" makeup or hair, the look is anything but natural! So called "natural" faces are slapped with foundation, powder, eye shadow and the works and supposedly "natural" hair is ironed, curled, etc.

So it was nice to see Salma Hayek step out a few days ago at the Vicky Cristina Barcelona premiere in what really looks like a natural makeup and hair look. Her hair has the type of volume and even a bit of frizz that curly haired girls usually experience in the summer.

Basically, it looks like she did her own hair and makeup which I love!!

My Favorite DIY Mask: Brightening, Firming and Moisturizing

These days, fears of the "R" word has kept me steering clear of my favorite expensive beauty stores in hopes of saving some cash. At the same time though, I've been attempt to indulge myself with some less expensive beauty measures. So I thought I'd share one of my favorite, super cheap, DIY masks with readers.

Here's the recipe for my easy, DIY Brightening, Firming and Moisturizing Mask made with lemon juice (brightens), egg whites (firms temporarily) and honey (moisturizes):

1. Cracking one egg, separate the egg yolk from the egg whites and place the egg whites in a bowl.

2. Put anywhere from a squirt of honey to a teaspoon of honey (depending on how moisturizing you want the mask to be) into the bowl.

3. Squeeze a half of a lemon into the bowl.

4. Mix all the ingredients well. It may get a little frothy due to the egg whites but that is normal.

5. Apply the mixture to face and neck with your fingers or a brush. Leave the mask on until dry, around 10 to 12 minutes. Wash off the mask thoroughly and apply your favorite moisturizer.

I love this mask before going out at night or anytime I feel like my face just needs something to wake it up and look more alive!

The Ped Egg Works!

Hi everyone, sorry it's been so long since my last update. I know my excuse that the kids are keeping me busy is sounding like passe yada yada yada, but it's true more than ever since school let out for the summer. Hopefully, in the fall, things will get more manageable around the house. My son is starting first grade then and will actually be out of the house for more than three hours! Yay! (Is my excitement showing a little too much?)

Anyway, on to my latest beauty find...the Ped Egg! I'm sure you must have seen the infomercial for this contraption that scrapes all the dead skin off the bottom of your feet. I'm sure you must have also thought, "Does it really work?"

Yes, my friends, it works. And it works well. I was skeptical about this product too because I've been burned quite a few times by infomercial products that claim miracles and end up to be nothing more than an expensive piece of plastic. But I found this product at Bed Bath and Beyond the other day for only $9.99, and armed with a Big Blue 20% coupon, I decided to give it a shot.

It took me about 20 minutes to file both feet, which were so dry my heels were cracking, and the results were incredible. It removes all the dry calloused skin very easily, but it's gentle enough that it won't remove the live skin hiding below. It kind of looks like a mini cheese grater (although I don't recommend you use the cheese grater already in your house to file your feet, stick with the Ped Egg specifically designed for this purpose.) After removing all the skin, I buffed it smooth with the emery board side, rinsed my feet and then applied moisturizing cream to them. The results were better than any treatment I had done at the salon. And since the entire Ped Egg can be hand washed in the sink with liquid soap, it's sanitary, and I can use it again and again until the file wears out, at which point I can either buy a new egg or order more files from PedEgg.com.

Now here's something you should know, it is MESSY! The product claims that all the dead, shaved skin is trapped inside the top cap of the product while you file so you can use it anywhere in the house or at your desk, but that's not true. I've used the product several times now, and the skin sheds all over the floor. But the results are worth the trouble, so what I do now is just spread a bunch of newspapers all over the carpet and and sit on top of the that to file my feet. You could also vacuum afterwards.

It's a minor nuisance that the skin shavings don't stay trapped inside the egg, but I can deal with it. Not only are the results fantastic, it is saving me a bundle in pedicures at the salon. I usually put such a long gap in between salon visits, that by the time I get there, I can't qualify for the regular $20 "maintenance" pedicure, I have to get the expensive $50 "Spa Pedicure" where they remove the dead skin off your feet with a razor. I don't think I'll ever have to get that one again now that I have a Ped Egg.

New Trend: A Little Pop of Color on the Eyes

A new trend in eye makeup that seems to be popping up everywhere is doing a little pop of color on the eyes but only on either the lower eyelid or upper eyelid - not both - and contrasting that pop of color with a very neutral shade on the other eyelid. Especially for ladies who are afraid of color, just using a little color can go a long way. Here are a few examples:

For the Prescriptives Fall 2008 Daring Collection, the model wears a dark brown shadow on her top lids and a dark violet liner on her lower lids. This is a great look for night. For her look, apply a dark brown shadow such as MAC Shadow in Mulch all over upper lids and line upper lashline with a dark brown liner such as MAC Powerpoint Pencil in Stubborn Brown. Line bottom lids (close to the lashline but not in the waterline) with a dark violet liner such as MAC Eye Kohl in Prunella. Finish the look by lining the lower water line with a black eye pencil.

The Sephora website showcases this beautiful teal and gold eye makeup look. To get the look, apply a bright teal or sea green shadow such as MAC Shadow in Newly Minted all over upper eye lids up to the crease. Line upper lashline with a black eye pencil. Next, dust a gold shadow such as MAC Shadow Goldmine on lower eyelids, trying to stick close of the lashline.

At a recent event, actress Shriya Saran wore a pop of blue on her lower eyelids. To get Shriya's eyes, dust a sandy tan shadow such as MAC Shadow in Soba all over upper lids. Line upper lash line with a dark brown liner such as MAC Powerpoint Pencil in Stubborn Brown. On the bottom, Shriya dusted an ocean blue shadow such MAC Shadow in Freshwater close to lash line. If you want to go even more light on the color on the lower lids, lightly apply a colored blue pencil such as MAC Eye Kohl in Hyacinth very close to the lashline.

Bare Escentuals Tutorials: Smoky V Eye

During a recent browse through my local Ulta store, I noticed a stand filled with Bare Escentuals makeup included a box for the Smoky V Eye Tutorials. The cute little box, which contained two loose eye shadow powders, one eye shadow brush and instructions, claimed to give me a simple and easy smoky eye. Interested, a picked up a box to try at home.

Once opened, the box contains the Bare Escentuals Bare Minerals Pacific Heights eye shadow (a light shimmery gray-lavender), 1990s Glimmer (a dark shimmery gray-purple) and a double-ended eye shadow brush with one end of the brush in a V-shape (as shown in the picture above) and the other end in a regular eye shadow brush shape.

The tutorial in the box initially instructs the user to use the regular shaped brush to blend the Pacific Heights shadow all over the lid. Then the dark 1990s Glimmer shadow is applied using the V-shaped brush by aligning the lower point of the brush along the lashes (i.e. as one would apply liner) and by aligning the upper point of the brush along the crease. Eventually, with a few additional steps, the user should be left with an easy smoky purple eye.

On the whole, I felt this product was a bit gimmicky. Maybe because I already know how to do a smoky eye, I thought using the V-shaped brush was in fact more difficult to use than just regular eye makeup brushes. I don't quite understand how one V-shaped brush is meant to fit all eye shapes and sizes!! If anything, I didn't use the V-shaped brush at all and used the regular shaped brush which I found quite soft and nice.

One thing I did like about the product was their choice to use eye shadow colors in the purple range rather than the same old charcoal and black shadows. Shades of purple shadow are great for smoky eyes on all skin tones and eye colors (even brown eyed girls like me!) and are not as harsh as grays and blacks. I quite like the Pacific Heights and 1990s Glimmer shadows included in the packaging so if you're interested in creating a purple smoky eye, I would consider purchasing these shadows independently of this product.

Hair Straightening Stars

My weekly hair regimen goes something like this...I leave my hair curly (i.e. wild) all week long and then tussle with my hair dryer and round brush for an hour and a half on Fridays or Saturdays to give myself a blowout for weekend events. Yes, an hour and a half because my hair is incredibly thick and down to the middle of my back. I discovered two products recently though that make my hair straightening much easier and provide excellent results.

The first is Chi Straightguard Smoothing Styling Cream. Most people know Chi for its hair styling tools instead of its hair styling products but this cream works incredibly well as a straightening cream for blow drying. I work this through my hair, concentrating especially on the ends where it is dry and blow dry. Even though this is a cream, this product does not provide any greasy residue that other styling creams leave.

The second is Kerastase Ciment Thermique Heat Activated Reconstructor Milk. The Ciment Thermique line has received a lot of hype and for good reason - it works! This particular product has a gel-like consistency that like the Chi product does not leave hair greasy at all and instead, leave my hair feeling very light and bouncy after a blow dry. The product, as its name indicates, is intended to be used for heat styling and therefore is perfect for blow drying or flat ironing. Plus, it is especially made for hair that is already weakened or damaged.

I actually often use both these products together when I'm blow drying and they STILL don't leave my hair weighed down or greasy. As an added plus, both products provide protection against heat styling to prevent hair damage.

Lakshmi Menon's Makeup Breakdowns in L'Officiel Paris and Biba Magazine

Lakshmi Menon recently appeared in two editorials in L'Officiel Paris (May 2008) and Biba Magazine (June 2008). I loved her makeup in the editorials, which were both quite similar, as it is a great look for summer - glowy skin that is not too bronze, bronzed smokey eyes and a nude lip. See below for the the makeup used on Lakshmi:

Above, from L'Officiel Paris (love Laksmi's wavy hair in this pic!):

Face: Dior Skin Forever Extreme Wear Flawless Makeup SPF 25 in Miel 040, Dior Blush in Terre de Sienne.

Eyes: Diorshow Mascara in Unlimited Noir, Crayon Kohl in Noir, Fard Paupieres I Couleur Powder Eye Shadow in Flirty Brown 555.

Lips: Dior Creme de Gloss in Prune Elixir.

Above and below, from Biba Magazine:

Face: Dior Bronze Matte Sunshine Bronzing Powder SPF 20, Dior Bronze Luminizer All Over Face Glow Enhancer Shimmering Bronze 002.

Eyes: Crayon Kohl in Noir, Eye Show Shadow in Glam & Glitz Black, Diorshow Blackout Mascara in Noir Kohl, Fard Paupieres I Couleur Powder Eye Shadow in Flirty Brown 555.

Lips: Rouge Dior Lipstick in Brun Storyboard 491.