Fabulous Over Forty – Where Beauty Is Ageless

I’m a dork – I admit it.   I still love the Huey Lewis and The News song “It’s Hip to be Square”, and when I see the L’Oreal HIP logo, that song always comes into my head, and I’m sure it will be with me all day.

   OK now on to business.

The L’Oreal  HIP (High Intensity Pigment) line, well overall I think the line is too youthful for those of us over 40.   The colors are extremely vibrant and shocking.  However, that being said there are a few things in the line worth taking a look at like this Kohl Eyeliner.   I’ve been testing the shades charcoal and gold.    The charcoal is a beautiful shade, the gold however just doesn’t seem to make sense to me as an eyeliner.  It’s more of a shadow color than liner color.    The brush is built into the package and it is a very stiff brush that rather frightened me to put it near my eye, thinking clumsy me would poke an eye out!   I thought that maybe this was a liquid, but when I opened it I realized – oh no, it’s a powder, and a powder that flakes all over.    Personally, I am not loving this product.   If the brush was more soft and manageable and the powder stuck to the brush better instead of flaking all over, it’d be a great product.   I just don’t have time to deal with the mess to make it look great. $11.99

 Now this Color Presso I like!   Also part of the HIP collection, this is two little lip gloss tubes in one so you can create several lip looks.  Once I figured out how to open the package I really love this.   And, I’m not the only one who couldn’t figure out how to get this open – my sister had difficulty as well!  Pull the bottom off to reveal a slanted top with two small holes – one for each color.  You can squeeze both shades out or just one at a time to create the gloss look you like.   It’s a creamy, not shimmery, very nice textured gloss.   I even used this to top my sister’s lipstick when I did her makeup for a wedding this past week.  It comes in several duo shades and I would definitely look into buying more of these.   It surely fits the Beauty on a Budget scale too at $12.99 for 2 glosses.

Click on the product names above to see what others have to say about these L’Oreal products.

Congratulations Erica! The Max Factor winner!

Hello Fabulous Ladies!   Are you ready for the holiday weekend like I am?!   Well, lets get ready for the holiday with a Beauty on a Budget giveaway!

I have a great set of makeup for creating beautiful eyes and lips to giveaway and it includes:

• Lipfinity 3-D in 80’s Pink
• Eye Liner in Fresh Coffee
• Vivid Impact eyeshadow duo in Domino Effect
• Volume Couture mascara in Black Brown
• A black satin Max Factor makeup bag

Just enter your information below by Monday, May 25th. Contest ends that day at 5:00 PM EST. Winner will be notified.   Make sure to enter below and not in comments to qualify! 

There’s a crispness in the air of fall that I love so I’ve come up with a list of my Five Fall Favorites. These are new fall products or colors that I am loving right now and are a constant in my makeup bag. What are your favorites this fall?

Prescriptives: The Daring eyeshadow palette. My colorprint is yellow/orange and with this palette I heart the beautiful brown, purplish/plum and the taupish silver shades. With purple being a hot color this fall, this palette works on so many levels to bring out the gorgeous shades of fall and make you look fabulous.

Nars: Cordura shadow duo. These are also two more gorgeous eye shadows for fall. A golden brown and brownish grey in shimmer, but not too much shimmer for someone over 40. A nice addition to the fall collection.

Bobbi Brown: Long-wear Gel Eyeliner in Black Mauve. I swear by Bobbi’s gel eyeliners. They go on smoothly and stay put all day long without any touch ups, so your eyes look just as great at 6:00 AM as they do at 6:00 PM. This Black Mauve shade is a deep plumish brown with just a hint of shimmer.

Armani: Lipwax in #4 is my shade this fall. #4 is a deep raspberry shade that is a deeper version of my natural lip color. I typically am not a fan of lip color in pots. I don’t like to always use a lip brush and some pots are too gooey to use your finger. Apply this with either a brush or your fingertip because it is a smooth, easy color to apply. Waxy in texture, yet it looks like a stain when its applied. A great round pot with a mirror inside to make on-the-go applications a breeze.

Chanel: Nail color in Fantastic, and that it is. Fantastic is a deep plum, but not so dark that you question whether someone over 40 should be wearing it. Friendlier than the cult favorite Vamp, Fantastic is a limited edition and I highly suggest if you can still find it, pick it up.

One of my favorite all time products is this Bobbi Brown Long Wear Gel Eyeliner. It’s easy to apply (the right tools are a must for that) and it stays on ALL DAY. It does not wear off, or look dried on your eyes as the day goes on. See what others have to say about it…

TotalBeauty.com content:

Bobbi Brown Long Wear Gel Eyeliner

Guest review by TotalBeauty.com editor Kristen Oldham-Giordani

This little pot o’ liner is awesome. It goes on easier than a traditional liquid liner — especially if you use a quality fine-tip brush — and actually lasts. See review