From The Drugstore Aisles: WetnWild Mega Eyes Creme Eyeliner

My favorite type of eyeliner to use on my top lash line is of the cream/gel variety. I have grown to love those from many different higher-end brands, including MAC fluidlines, Stila Smudge Pots, and Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Gel Liners. I wanted to see, however, if it was possible to find a product of comparable quality whose price tag was considerably lower. Though I have found and used drugstore cream liners that have impressed me (e.g. L'Oreal H.I.P. liners), even those can sometimes get a bit pricy. One day, while browsing the beauty aisles in my local Rite Aid, however, I stumbled upon the WetnWild Mega Eyes Creme Eyeliner and decided to try it out. Though, I admit, my expectations for this $3.99 liner weren't particularly high, I went into testing mode with an open mind.

To my surprise, I found a really wonderful product for a steal! I was impressed with the consistency of the product, its ability to stay put all day, and its highly pigmented color. I purchased the eyeliner in black and I found that it was in these respects very comparable to one of my go-to liners, MAC Blacktrack. It applied smoothly to my upper lash line without tugging or skipping. About the only thing about the product itself that I think could be improved is the lid; it is a bit flimsy, and I am afraid that the liner will dry out quickly if I am not careful to ensure that it is secured tightly after each use.

I would highly recommend checking out the Mega Eyes Creme Eyeliner in your local drugstore. For a list of retailers see here. It's a great product that won't break your bank! The only thing that makes me sad is that it is only available in two colors right now, black, as I mentioned, and eggplant. What about brown? teal? navy? WetnWild better get on it! ;-)

Have you tried the Mega Eyes liner? Thoughts? Are there any other products from the line that you love? Let me know!

Break Out In Color: Bobbi Brown Color Strips Collection

Bobbi Brown introduces the Color Strips Collection, comprised of three palettes (including one neutral) to dress up your eyes, lips, and cheeks in an array of beautiful colors. Each palette contains five eyeshadow shades and three shades of Pot Rouge.

Bonfire

Orchid

Aquamarine

The Color Strips Collection will be available at counters in March 2010, and each palette will retail for $60.

"The Runaways" Meets Make Up For Ever...And A Sweepstakes!

I love me some Make Up For Ever, so upon hearing that their wonderful products were used on the set of the upcoming movie, "The Runaways" (starring Kristin Stewart as Joan Jett and Dakota Fanning as Cherie Currie), I felt I should share some of the behind the scenes beauty with you all. Documenting the all-woman rock band of the 1970's, the makeup was set to incorporate the rock and roll edge of the time.

Taking center stage for the look was a gorgeous smoky eye, created by Robin Mathews, head makeup artist for the film. She employed a variety of MUFE products to achieve this effect.

Here is the breakdown of the specific colors used to design each character's signature beauty look:

Kristin Stewart (Joan Jett) - Classic Smoky Eye:

1. Cover the entire lid area with Eyeshadow #127 (metallic taupe). Blend well to ensure that there are no hard edges.

2. Apply a good amount of Aqua Eyes Pencil in 0L (black) to the under eye area. Add to the upper lid as well, staying as close to the lash line as possible.

3. Use a smudger brush to smudge out the liner that was applied to both the upper and lower lash lines. Tip from the MUA: The smoky eye is all about the smudge! After, reapply a heavier dose of eyeliner.

4. Smudge Eyeshadow #139 (iridescent brown-black) over the previously applied eyeliner.

5. Curl lashes!

6. Apply Smoky Lash mascara, "scissoring up" to create volume and separation.

Dakota Fanning (Cherie Currie) - Colorful Smoky Eye:

1. Apply Star Powder #922 (copper) to the eyelid, all the way into the inner corner area, leaving the outer corner free of color.

2. Line the top and bottom lash lines with Aqua Eyes Pencil #3L (iridescent navy blue). Tip from the MUA: Apply liner as close to the lash line as possible to help create the perfect smoky eye.

3. Smudge the eyeliner with a smudger brush to blend out the color.

4. Apply Eyeshadow #81 (metallic navy blue iridescent) to the outer corner of the eye with a small flat brush and drag the color into the crease slightly.

5. To "smoke out" the eye, add some of the blue shadow to the lower lash line and blend it out.

6. Curl lashes and apply Smoky Lash mascara.

Robin explained why she used Make Up For Ever to create the look for the movie. She said, "I designed 'The Runaways' eyes around Make Up For Ever eyeshadows. Their highly pigmented eyeshadows and Aqua Eyes eyeliners are silky smooth, blendable, and long-lasting. The color selection is limitless, giving you endless possibilities. I finished each look with Smoky Lash mascara - which is truly smudge proof, a necessity on and off stage."

As a fun sweepstakes, Make Up For Ever has partnered with "The Runaways" to send one lucky winner and a guest to the NYC premiere of the movie on March 17th! For official rules and information on how to enter, check out www.makeupforeverusa.com/runaways.

Make Up For Ever has also created two video tutorials for the above looks along with Robin Mathews. You can also view these at www.makeupforeverusa.com/runaways.

To shop Make Up For Ever and for information on pricing, see www.sephora.com.

Have fun recreating these looks and be sure to enter the contest!

Backstage At bebe Kardashian: A Style360 Production At Mercedes-Benz New York Fashion Week

The retail chain bebe recently teamed up with the Kardashian sisters to create a line inspired by their signature styles. The offerings include classic Kardashian (or bebe, for that matter) body hugging dresses and tops, off-the-shoulder dresses, and blazers that are predominantly offered in black. The clothing is cute "clubwear," nothing extraordinary or unique, in my opinion. Nor did anything that I saw surprise me very much. In general, I'm not one to shop at bebe, as I tend to feel that the fabrics of their garments do not warrant the high price tags attached to them.

I did get to go backstage to check out the behind-the-scenes beauty for the show. The overall look I saw was very much in line with the sisters' own looks - a dark smoky eye, nude lip and long wavy locks.

Lead hair stylist, Whitney Blischke, used TIGI products to create what she described as "effortless glamour," beautiful and easy to achieve. She wanted to create the effect of having darker roots transitioning into lighter ends (to establish a varied texture and color), and to that end, she used both a dry shampoo (to mattify), as well as a shine product at the hair's ends. Hair was blown out, and Fashionista Spritz and Shine was first added to the hair for some hold. Rockaholic Dirty Secret Dry Shampoo followed, to incorporate somewhat of a matte finish into the look. Large sections of hair were then taken and rolled with a barrel curling iron. Finally, Your Highness Aerosol Dry Spray Shine was used on ends and distributed by hand through the hair to establish the final look.

Nathalie Bechard and her Sephora Pro team were behind the sexy makeup look. Bechard explained that the look was to be inspired by the type of woman who transitions effortlessly from working during the day to partying it up at night. In other words, she clarified that this look translated into a "day-friendly" smoky eye with some added "dimension and depth" in the outer corner area. Bechard used grays and greens to achieve this wearable effect. Cheeks were highlighted and adorned in a soft rosey-hued blush. Lips received a nude-pink color.

Products used to create the look:

Eyes:

Make Up For Ever Aqua Eyes Pencil in 1L, "Star Black" (a black sheen)

Make Up For Ever Aqua Black Waterproof Cream Eyeshadow

Make Up For Ever Diamond Powder

Dior Brow Gel

Sephora Collection Colorful Artist Palette

Make Up For Ever Smokey Lash Mascara in "Black"

Make Up For Ever False Lashes

Skin:

Make Up For Ever HD Elixir

Dior Diorskin Nude Natural Glow Hydrating Makeup SPF 10

YSL Touche Eclat Radiant Touch

Fresh Twilight Facefresh Glow

Lips:

Sephora Rouge Cream Lipstick in "Mmmm..."

Sephora Nano Lip Liner in "Candid Candy"

Finished look:

Love this top!

Nails were done by Kim D'Amato of Priti NYC. She used the shade "Willow" on the fingers (a transparent nude) and "Spring Song" on toes (a more opaque nude).

Sites to check out for products mentioned: www.sephora.com, www.pritinyc.com, www.tigihaircare.com, www.bebe.com.

People of note spotted backstage and at the show included Kim Kardashian herself (who sat front row and looked gorgeous), Jennifer "JWoww" Farley of MTV's "The Jersey Shore" (I have trouble calling her a celebrity, though...), and Dina and Caroline Manzo from Bravo's "The Real Housewives of New Jersey." In addition, a few of the models from the last cycle of "America's Next Top Model" were in attendance (including, finalist Laura).

New Product Alert: Make Up For Ever HD Microfinish Blush!

I just read an email that brought to my attention a new product that will be available soon from Make Up For Ever. This cream blusher will be offered in 14 different shades (light to dark, with pink and yellow undertones) and the formula promises to be highly pigmented and non-drying, with an extremely natural finish. In keeping with the HD philosophy, the blush will be invisible to high-definition cameras as well as the naked eye.

The HD Microfinish Blush, $25, is available now at www.sephora.com, and can be found at Sephora stores by March.

I can't wait to test this out! Who's with me?

Backstage At Victor de Souza For Mercedes-Benz New York Fashion Week: Glamour Hails From Another Universe

The setting was intimate for the showing of the Victor de Souza F/W 2010 collection. At Casa la Femme restaurant, 140 Charles Street in Manhattan's West Village, de Souza brought out the drama. The beauty that was created to mesh with the clothing being presented was the most out of the ordinary and intriguing display that I had seen over the course of this week.

Lead stylist, Danilo, and his team of six, worked with PHYTO products to create what was described in Danilo's own words as an "alien chic" silhouette. Hair was formed into a tight pony tail which was subsequently slicked back with PHYTO Professional Strong Sculpting Gel and wrapped into a chignon at the top of the head. The bun was placed in line with the chin to help accentuate the shape of the face. Small sections of hair at the temples were left out, and extensions wrapped within a hair net (in blond, brunette, and black shades depending on the model's hair color) were fastened to the top of the head, covering the chignon. Once set into place with pins, the hair left out at the temples was tucked into the back of the head and underneath. To finish off the look, Danilo used PHYTO Professional Workable Hold Hairspray. The overall style was reflective of the "high class couture woman," the "classic woman from another universe." Danilo commented that what he loves about PHYTO is the fact that when using the products he feels that in addition to styling, he is treating the hair.

Danilo in action

Makeup was led by Lena Koro, head artist for the NARS team (of 25!). I spoke with Ashley Robb, who works on the NARS PR team, and she enlightened me regarding the inspiration for the look. She told me that the underlying idea for the face was a photograph of Audrey Hepburn, and was intended to emulate the feeling of her elegance and class, with an "alien twist." Looking at the face, one should be able to get the sense of old, chic beauty, but it should also be apparent that something is off, a bit "out of this universe." The face was made pale with powder. Brows were muted as well, and were practically invisible. Models sported black contact lenses (through which I am not quite sure it was easy to see!) that added to the alien aesthetic.

The main products used to create the look:

Snow Loose Powder

Sheer Matte Foundation in "Siberia"

"Black Moon" Eyeliner Pencil

"XXX" Lip Gloss

Eyeliner Stylo in "Black"

Finished look:

Nails were done by CND (Creative Nail Design) manicurists. Christina Estabrooks, lead nail stylist, gave me the low-down on the look. She revealed that nails were shaped down and adhered just below the first knuckle (to further the "alien chic" concept), defined with a series of polishes, and finished off with French tips (for which the color "Studio White" was used). The other polishes that were integrated into the manicure were "Pink Lily" and " Copper Chrome," as well as the "Super Matte" top coat. The nails were to appear as if they were indestructible.

After getting the scoop backstage, I was able to stay to see the show. The garments were, in general, highly theatrical and the aesthetic was rich and reminiscent of old-school glamour. In attendance was actress Jessica Biel as well as the mastermind behind the NARS brand, Mr. Francois Nars himself (who posed for a picture with me, which admittedly, left me a bit weak in the knees...he is definitely an artist I admire immensely).

Me and Francois Nars

Bravo, Victor!

For product information, check out www.narscosmetics.com, www.cnd.com, and www.phyto-usa.com/phytoprofessional.

In The Spirit of Fashion Week: Zoya Rewards Followers And Fans

Great news everyone! From December 17-December 19, receive 2 free nail polishes (a $14 value) of your choice when you place a $10 order at www.zoya.com, www.qtica.com, or www.artofbeauty.com. Simply add the colors you would like to your cart and enter the code NYFW at checkout in the "code" field to redeem.