Wanna Buy A Bridge Too?

There are some products in the makeup industry that I truly believe are just hocus pocus.

Clear mascara? Hair gel for your lashes.

Under eye creams that claim to get rid of dark circles? Take it from the daughter of a plastic surgeon, sure, I also know of a sugar-free fat-free ice cream that tastes as good as Ben & Jerry's.

Primers? Honestly, I've never been a big fan.

I'm sure that some people are going to cry foul. That they help makeup go on smoother, more evenly, and use less product.

But to me, it's always just been an extra layer of stuff that doesn't do a whole lot. Very Emperor's New Clothes.

So, when a Trish McEvoy sales rep sat me down on a day I was feeling particularly ornery and started regaling me with how FABULOUS their Eye Base Essentials primer was, my bullshit meter went wild.

But the thing was, it was FABULOUS. Not really because of its "priming" ability, but as a basic everyday shadow.

I tried the Sheer Gold, and by itself it is a great once over base when I am just too terribly lazy to do anything else. A little in the corner of the eyes lightens everything up and makes me look far more awake. I am working my way through the tube at what is, frankly, an alarming pace.

It does make a good base for additional shadows, but I usually just use it alone.

So...I still stick to my maxim that primers aren't worth it, but a primer that is really just a great cream shadow? I'll buy into that.

I Knew the 80's were back but really???

OMG.

American Apparel brought back Hypercolors.

Mind. Blown.

Can they do Freaky Freezies?!?! Please!!!

Nailed to the Wall

It was one of those hot summer days after work and I was store hopping in Georgetown.

Not out of any real shopping need, mostly because there was free air conditioning and the mall-like layout of M Street allows me to cool off twice or three times a block on my way home.

Of course, if browsing happens, I just go with it.

In Sephora, I skimmed over the usual array of tweens prepping for a night out and fanny packed tourists until the OPI line caught my eye.

I was smitten by two totally different collections.

First, the Digital Diva collection stunned me with the bright fuschia pinks and corals.  I was envisioning toes painted bright pink peeking out of tough open toe shooties.  It was like summer throwing one last big "eff you"to the advancing cold season.

Second, the Autumn & Eve Collection.  The main one that called my name was the dark purple.  It said, take me home!!  Wear me on the Hill!  I will make boring hearings better!  I will get health care reform passed!  Yes, friends.  This is the miracle nail polish.

The beige was pretty cool too.  

My main problem?  I hate buying nail polish.  I like getting manicures and getting a different color every time.  What's a girl to do?

After all, health care reform seems to depend on it.

They Sparkle?

In which I reveal how deeply behind the times I am...

Confession time.

I totally don't get the vampire boomlet.

When the hubub about the Twilight saga coming to an end, I had to resort to much internet googling and legal research skillz to figure out who this Edward person was and how sexy he is and why thirteen-year-olds all over were hoping someone would suck their blood.

  

Imagine how disappointed I was to learn that the whole thing was an allegory for abstinence.

But...from every perplexing teen trend can come some beauty.  

(ok, that's totally not true.  I can find no silver lining to the Hannah Montana cloud.)

Glamour Magazine put the stars of the upcoming Twilight Saga movie in a great photo spread for September.

And they mercifully leave out the sparkly faces.

Trust Me, I'm a...

I have a good friend who is going on her third year as an OB/GYN resident.  In case you haven't been watching "16 and Pregnant" or "I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant" or any other baby shows, you know that babies aren't usually born when it is convenient for the doctor.  This means lots of late nights and little sleep for the residents who deliver them.

On a rare day off for her, we sat at her pool and she revealed that she was simply desperate for something to cover the dark circles that residency hath wrought.

Now, I can't give advice on how to deliver a breech baby or how to improve bedside manner, but under-eye circles?  Come into my office and sit down!

First, I told her, you need a good concealer.  Now, I have always heard nothing but praise for the Cle de Peau product, but at $65 a tube, a little out of a GME-funded budget and there are lots of options that won't require moonlighting.  

My current favorite is MAC Select Moisturecover and I like that MAC has several coverage options and lots of colors.  Another good brand with options is Clinique, and I went through a Quick Corrector phase that lasted through law school.

The next option is a brightener, to lighten up the area under the eye and distract from the darkness.  Now, every makeup artist worth her brushes will tell you that the best product for this is the YSL Touche Eclat.  I love that it comes with a brush attached for easy application (perhaps in a call room?).  

Another, less expensive option, is Bobbi Brown's Corrector.  Functioning on the same principles of color correcting, it neutralizes the dark circles and works with concealer to make it look like you've gotten more than an hour of sleep.  (P.S. check out Bobbi's newly resigned website and Twitter feed!)

And my last tip and for faking a well rested look?  Since I'm guessing a change of profession isn't an option...a bright cheery blush and a clean application of black mascara.

But don't call me in the morning, I need my beauty sleep.

Share and Share Alike

A few weeks ago, my sister came down from New York to visit me.

And, as has become ritual, the second she comes in, she starts to tear through my closet and makeup drawer looking for things to play with and abscond with.

Thankfully, I had just gotten a delivery of L'Oreal HIP Color Presso lip gloss in two colors which my sister immediately seized upon.  

The Color Presso lipgloss reminds me a lot of Mentadent Toothpaste from the 90's.  The main problem with that product was that you always got more of one type of paste than the other.  The problem continues with the Color Presso, but it does allow you to customize the color of the lip gloss.

So, as my husband played Wii with my sister's boyfriend, we took turns trying on the two lip glosses in Trendy and Swanky.  We both agreed that we liked the candyish smell and the light texture of the glosses.  We also appreciate the relatively non-sticky-ness.

(Relatively.  The claim that any lip gloss is nonsticky is a lie on the order with "non-painful bikini wax")

Since I had already had time to try them out, I knew my favorite was the Trendy, a combo of a light pink and a rose color.  So I breathed a sigh of relief when my sister settled on the Swanky, a gold and pink duo.  

I mean, she's my sister and I'm happy to share...but not really.

NARS Sheer Matte and Sheer Glow Foundation

I have been faithful to my Kiehl's Tinted Moisturizer for a while, but have been thinking about upgrading my coverage to a full foundation.  When I go, I will definitely check out these new NARS foundations...

NARS SHEER MATTE FOUNDATION - $42

While transparent enough to allow skin’s natural hue to remain visible, it is still matte at heart, which means weightless, luster-free coverage. This velvety oil-free formula boosts brightness and radiance, improving skins texture. Packaged in a stylish frosted bottle, it distinguishes itself from its Sheer Glow counterpart.

NARS SHEER GLOW FOUNDATION - $42

An ideal solution for those looking for a foundation that is more dewy than Sheer Matte. The formula glides on easily and imparts a satin-soft, glowing finish. Skin will even-out and gleam with overall brightness; radiance and sleek texture will be restored.

Available in 20 shades, Sheer Matte and Sheer Glow, will be available at Nordstrom beginning August 1st and on www.narscosmetics.com beginning September 1st.