Fabulous Over Forty – Where Beauty Is Ageless

Fabulous Fall Shades

As summer comes to a close and fall begins to open its doors, we think of changing leaves, football season and beautiful rich fall colors in makeup too.   Being I’m from Minnesota, we have what we call “Purple Pride” for our beloved Vikings team.   Since I’m not a huge football fan, my purple pride is in the beautiful purple makeup shades that have emerged for fall.  So many rich variances of purple too, like its little sister lavender and cousin aubergine.   Fabulous!

I’ve picked out some of my favorite purple fall shades that are on the counters now.  But remember, so many companies bring out limited editions for the seasons, so once they’re gone, they’re gone!

Top Left:  Dior’s 5 palette #844 Misty Mauve is a gorgeous range of purple shades from pale pink to a taupe purple to a darker heathered purple in shimmers and matte textures.  This Dior palette struck a chord with me and I find it irresistible.  These shades very wearable from a lighter day look to a soft smoky evening look.

Top Right:  From the Lancome French Coquettes Collection there are several pieces that have the beautiful purple or its cousin shade aubergine.   This L’Absolu Rouge lipstick shade in Parisian Attraction is the epitome of Ooh la la!  If you’re afraid to wear red like the French are so acclaimed for, then try this deep plum/aubergine shade.

Middle Right:  Chanel seems to come out with a nail shade that is coveted every season and this fall is no exception.   Paradoxal is a mushroom shade with purple infusion.   If you don’t like wearing the really dark purple nail shades or the kind of off-kilter mushroom shade, this is a beautiful compromise that will keep you in trend without seeming to be too youthful.  I can almost guarantee you will be asked several times ”What is your nail polish?!”

Middle Far Right: Estee Lauder’s new Fall Collection Blue Dahlia actually has a palette that I prefer over the blues.   This one is Surreal Violet.    You can read my thoughts on this palette on Fab Over Forty.

Bottom Right:  Chanel’s Fall Collection includes this quad eyeshadow palette called Enigma.   The quad ranges from light to dark in shades and these are again a softer version of purple with some of the shades almost a greyed/brownish purple.   I find when purple is muted like these shades it makes it more wearable for those that have a difficult time wearing purple.  Lovely!

Bottom Middle:  Smashbox has come out with the Masquerade Collectionand it includes the 9 eyeshadow palette with 1/3 of the palette having various purple shades.  This wonderfully varied palette is perfect if you like more intense fall colors and with such a huge range of shades you can create countless looks!

Center: Jouer’s SPF 15 Lip Sheers are the newest addition to the cosmetic line.   This Positano shade is a deep wine color but so sheer that anyone can swipe it on with ease and get a beautiful polished look.   And don’t forget, just because the temperature goes down doesn’t mean the sun isn’t as strong, so the SPF 15 is an added bonus.

Bottom Left:  Have a little fun with your mascara and top off your lashes with Chantecaille Faux Cils mascara in Viola.  Your lashes will pop with the shade and with the volume.   What a fun way to top off the purple shadows!

Soon we’ll be enjoying leaves turning colors and cool crisp walks.  But this weekend check out what beauty bloggers around the web have to say about summer beauty, new Fall collections and so much more, including a wonderful giveaway! 

Charlestongirl from Best Things in Beauty has the scoop on Bobbi Brown’s new Black Velvet Collection for fall.  Bobbi created the Black Velvet colors to provide a strong look, but one that’s pretty too.

Fall beauty is showing up everywhere.   Gaia from The Non-Blonde shows us the newest limited edition blush from Givenchy called Le Prisme Blush Blooming Fuchsias.   The pretty packaging and beautiful colors will have you captivated too!

Thinking about your holiday shopping?  Over at The Budget Fashionista, check out an interesting way to save yourself some money for the season.

Have you become a QVC beauty junkie like many of us?  Anne from BeautyXposé interviewed QVC personality Staci Dickerson to see what she does to get that summertime glow all year round.   You might be surprised by some of the products used in her beauty routine. 

Kelly from Gouldylox Reviews had amazing lash growth results from using Marini Lash by Jan Marini.   See her shocking results and enter to win your very own tube of Marini Lash.  Good luck!

Amy at Café Makeup gave us previews and comparisons all week of Chanel’s newest high shine lip glosses Rouge Allure Extrait de Gloss.   She what she thinks of this latest addition to the Chanel lip craze.

I admit, I am probably the only person in the universe who hasn’t read Eat Pray Love.   And yet, I am so excited for the movie and to see Julia Roberts in this part.   Last night was the red carpet movie premier, and didn’t she look lovely?!  I think Julia gets more beautiful as she ages.  She obviously is living her life right.

Makeup artist Genevieve Herr created Julia’s chic look for the red carpet last night.  Here are the products she used so you can re-create this look at home. 

For a natural complexion, Genevieve used the new Lancome Teint Miracle Foundation, an amazing radiance-boosting foundation launching next month, and Laura Mercier Secret Concealer and Secret Brightening Powder and a cream blush in plum on the apples of the cheeks. 

She wanted to give Julia soft, smoky eyes with a mix of blacks and plums.  To achieve this, she first applied Le Crayon Khôl in Black Ebony to line the eyes and then blended shadows from our new fall French Coquettes collection called the French Touch Color Design Quad.  Her lashes were topped with Définicils Precious Cells Mascara in Black for a full, natural lash. 

She finished the look with a neutral lip using Le Lipstique Lip Liner in Sheer Natural, Color Design Lipstick in Love It! and a touch of Juicy Tubes in Spring Fling for the perfect photo-ready pout.

If you’ve read the book or are planning to see the movie, I’d love to hear what you think!

I spoke earlier about Alex Sanchez and the Lancome team doing the makeup for the Macy’s Glamorama show in Minneapolis.   Today I have some backstage photos of them all hard at work.   Glamorama is a fashion show times 12 and throw in a little music by Eric Hutchinson and Macy Gray and some very talented dancers and you have an amazing show that benefits the Children’s Cancer Research Fund.   Each of the 12 designers featured is like one show in itself with stage changes for every show, hair changes and a few makeup changes too.   It is really quite the production and I’m in total awe of everyone!   The photos were taken when the Lancome team had already been hard at work for over 10 hours!

Lancome makeup from the new Fall Collection French Coquettes.

 Alex with one of the models.

Alex applying makeup to Laura Schara – the Fashion Director for Glamorama

Alex and Laura Schara

Program rundown

All the artists busy at work!

Shannon and one of the models

Look at the amazing artistry on her eyes!    For one of the dance sets, the dancers were dressed in white from head to toe.   The Lancome team had to put plastic bags over them, then apply the tape cut-outs to their faces (you can see the tape shapes hanging from some of the mirrors) and then apply makeup to their eyes.  Wow!

Alex working his magic on one of the models and her finished makeup look.

 Sue, one of the Lancome artists showing me the difference between having some false eyelashes and not having them.  Can you guess which eye has them?! 

Alex applying makeup to Emma Laehn the 2010 Ambassador for Macy’s Glamorama.  The show that evening began with a video of Emma and her family discussing the discovery, treatment and survival of Emma’s cancer.   She was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma at only 2½ years of age.   She now is an active 13 year old living cancer-free.    I don’t think there was a dry eye in the theatre listening to Emma and her family’s incredible story.   

Emma and Alex

Thanks to Lancome, Macy’s and Alex and his team for allowing me backstage! 

It’s been an very busy week in Minneapolis with Glamorama related events going on.   Especially busy for Lancome, as they do all the makeup for Glamorama.   If you aren’t familiar with Glamorama, it’s a major fashion show event put on by Macy’s, which it is also a fundraiser benefiting the Children’s Cancer Research Fund, a very wonderful cause.   Alex Sanchez, National Makeup Artist for Lancome creates the look that he and his team of artists do for the show.  

This year, his look was a nude face and lip with very dramatic smoky eyes.  Above is the image Alex drew for the event.   What an amazing look and he’s quite the artist, too! 

Alex was in Minneapolis for several days and spent time at the Macy’s in Minneapolis doing makeovers and on Wednesday evening he held a class at Macy’s, which I attended.   Below I’ll get into some new tips I learned from Alex that night, but I wanted to share with you the look that was done on me.   First Shannon, from the team of Lancome artists, did my makeup and she told me Alex would be coming by toward the end and spiff it up a bit.    Shannon did a beautiful smoky eye using the Golden Glitz eye shadow quad and lined my eyes with Kohl Eyeliner in Black Lapis which really made them pop.  For my lips she used Le Rouge Absolu Lipstick in Rose Crystal topped by a matching lip liner and then topped with La Laque Fever Gloss in Plum Savvy.   Gorgeous!   If I would have been thinking, I would have taken a photo then, before Alex took my look to the next level, so you could see how gorgeous my eyes looked.  I will just have to re-create it at home and show you a photo.  

Alex began his work on creating “the model eye” as someone walking by called it.    Literally, there were people walking by and staring or stopping in amazement at how unbelievably smokin’ my eyes were.   I told Alex that I was probably the oldest woman around that had such smokin’ hot eyes!  Ha!  

Alex added colors right over what was already done to my eyes.   He used shadows from the Color Design Matte Collection, which I believe is exclusive to Macy’s and available at Lancome online.   The main color he added for intensity was Successorize.   It may look blue online, but it’s a deep blue plum, a beautiful shade.    He intensified the liner using the Artliner in Noir and then I watched as he swiped mascara on the back of his hand in the shade of teal that had sparkle to it (I don’t see it online).  I wondered what he was going to do with that!   Well, he tapped it onto my eyelids, is what he did.   It really gave them that magical look!   You can see the finished look on top and above with Alex, who by the way is such a nice gentleman.   I thought I needed to call up friends just to go out afterwards!

Here are some new tips from Alex that I thought would be great to share:

When using BiFacil makeup remover, leave the soaked pad on your eye makeup for a bit to activate it and make removal easier.  Then soak a Q-Tip in BiFacil, place a tissue under your eye and roll the Q-Tip along your lashes.   All the mascara comes off without smudging under your eye as it goes on the tissue and the rolling of the Q-Tip prevents eyelashes from being pulled. 

Lancome’s newest sunscreen, Bienfait UV SPF 50+ was tested on the back of everyone’s hand.   No white filmy look or feel.  It dries to a soft matte finish and virtually disappears.   It’s the most amazing sunscreen I’ve ever seen – now no one can say they don’t use sunscreen because of the heavy, filmy feel.   This is a must have!

Someone in the audience asked, why use a foundation brush when applying foundation.  Alex’s answer is because you can strategically place the foundation better (no need to apply foundation all over your face), you can build the application for more coverage and it allows for a flawless finish. 

Alex suggested applying concealer in a vertical application as it prevents less creasing.  When using liquid foundation apply concealer after foundation, if using a powder foundation use concealer first. 

If using the Oscillation Powerfoundation, warm it up in your hand first with the applicator and work from the outside in following the muscle structure in your face. 

When applying blush, use a flat-tipped brush and tap the blush in 3 places along your cheek and then blend.  This of course after tapping out the blush in your hand first. 

Apply mascara BEFORE liner.  I’ve never tried this one before.   If you apply your mascara first, you need less liner.  And of course no pulling your eye to get a straight line.   Look at a mirror placed below your eye and dab the liner between lashes. 

Think of lipstick as an accessory.   Apply lipstick first (as it stains your lips) then line with a matching pencil from the outside working in.   We tend to lose more pigment in our lips on the outer edges so start from there first.   Press a tissue to your lips and top with gloss.

If Alex is ever in your area, be sure to book an appointment for your special look.   You can check the Lancome website for scheduled appearances.

• Charlestongirl has been sharing with us her love affair of the Guerlain Champs-Élysées eye shadow palettes from the Fall 2010 Collection.  Check out Best Things in Beauty this week for her latest swatching and swooning over these palettes.
• If you’re going to spend your hard earned money on a makeup palette, you really want to make sure you get the best use out of the colors.   Gaia from The Non-Blonde contemplated between two different palettes and shares with us the one she chose – NARS Douceurs De Paris is a winner!
• Madonna was the original when wearing shapewear as outerwear.   The Budget Fashionista shows us Lady Gaga in the latest bringing back the look.
• Cindy at Prime Beauty had the opportunity to interview makeup artist Lori Taylor from Smashbox Cosmetics, see what tips & tricks she learned!
• Growing your hair out can be a daunting experience.  Kelly from Gouldylox Reviews has been sharing with us her hair-growing experience and she has a giveaway of 5 of her favorite Peter Lamas Chinese Herbs hair products that have helped her along the way.  Be sure to enter!
• And while we’re on the subject of hair, would you rather be blonde or brunette, how about highlights?  Anne from Beauty Xpose shows us a virtual site that we can test drive a new hair color without opening a box or stepping foot in a salon.   See Anne’s results!
• Karla Sugar is sharing with us her swatches of the latest Lancome Fall Collection called French Coquettes.   Take a peek at these rich, lovely shades at The Next Best Thing to Going Shopping Yourself.