Fabulous Over Forty – Where Beauty Is Ageless

When recently making a stop at my local Sephora, I came across this Laura Mercier Polished Face Palette that is exclusive to Sephora, which I thought was a very pretty palette.   For $55 you get 3 eye shadows, 2 blushes and 3 lip colors.   I love palettes for their convenience, especially when traveling.   You can put a whole look together without having to really think about it or spend a lot of time trying to put color combinations together.  Voilà, it’s all done in one pretty compact.

The eye shadow shades are:

• African Violet
• Kir Royal
• Celestial

The blushes are:

• Rose
• Orange Blossom

The lip shades are:

• Rouge
• Twinkle
• Naked Beige

Bergdorf Goodman carries an exclusive line called le Metier de Beaute.  Have you heard of it before?   Many people I have spoken with have not, but let me tell you, their cosmetics are elegant.

The colors are like some that you’ve never seen before in combinations that are dazzling.   Take the Roopal Patel Collection shown above.   One look at it and I was intrigued, but thought no way could someone over the age of 24 wear some of those colors.   Well I was wrong.

Dustin and the team at Bergdorf’s in NYC convinced me to have a seat and let them try them on me – makeup washes off after all, so I was game.  The palette has some obvious strikingly strong colors – like the vibrant yellow and intense orange, but also some colors I truly love like the shades of purple and the charcoal that is to die for.   But guess what they used on me – yes the yellow and orange!   I was actually quite surprised at how wearable they actually are.   Many of the shades can be worn for cheeks and lips as well, so the palette is multi-purpose which is good for the price – which is steep.

Now granted, these are probably not colors I would wear every day, but then a wash of the grey and highlighted with the soft pink and it toned it into something beautiful and completely wearable by day.  See that’s the thing with this line that I hear from Dustin often – “Women, stop being afraid of color!”   Hmmm, I believe that was a theme I was hearing while in NYC and I’m trying to relay the message home. 

You may find this great Kaleidoscope palette more wearable and still have beautiful color on your eyes.   Their Kaleidoscope Kits are fabulous – they come in a variety of color options.

The kits also are available in a variety of lip shades as well.   I had a few compliments the other day when I wore one of these lip shades.  

Be sure to stop by and see Dustin if you’re at Bergdorfs in NYC.  He’ll be sure to show you how to apply color correctly.

Giorgio Armani has done it again with a beautifully classical look for the holidays.

The eyes have a subtle smokey look to them – not too overdone where you’d feel like you were trying too hard, but just right for a beautiful impact.

The eye palette has four eye shadows in a Swarovski Crystal encrusted case. $98  The colors are:

• Silver white – light grey metallic
• Golden white – an iridescent golden metallic
• Golden beige – a shimmering rose beige with golden pearl
• Silver black – a black with a shimmering silver
• Body shimmer- on the bottom of the palette is a soft shimmering body powder in a neutral shade

Top off the eye look with Silver Sparkling mascara top coat. $28

…

Chanel has this gorgeous shadow quad in varying degrees of grey – from white to black called Les 4 Ombres Smoky Eyes.

Here are instructions from Chanel for you to create a seductive eye with these beautiful colors.
1. Sweep the silver shade of Les 4 Ombres from lashline to crease with shadow brush. Over it, layer the white shade from lashline to crease, continuing up to the browbone.

2. Apply the grey shade of Les 4 Ombres to the inner and outer eye corner only (avoiding the center of the eyelid) blend well.

3. Using a lash liner brush, line the upper lashline and outer corner with the black shade of Les 4 Ombres. Use a fine-tipped sponge applicator to brush the white shade oat inner eye corner for an illuminating effect.

Top with mascara. Now you’re all set with your seductive eye, smokin hot.

OK we all know the economy stinks. It’s to the point where I’m tired of hearing about it, even though I know it’s very important and is affecting us all. Campaign ads – are you as sick of the negativism as I am?

So here’s a little something to cheer you up. I’ve been doing some investigating for you. What can you get for $20 in cosmetics that is going to give you a new look for fall or the upcoming holidays. $20 is doable, won’t break the bank and is definitely more manageable for most of us in spending money.

Well, I’ve found several products for you all in one! It comes in this great Sonia Kashuk palette all for only $19.99 . Palette #1 (not pictured) is a look to put together that gives you a great Natural Look. Eye shadows, blush and lip, with a travel brush.

Palette #2 (shown below) is the Bronzed Look. 3 eye shadows, 3 lip colors, a bronzer and a shimmer with a travel sized brush.

Palette #3 (shown above) is the Smokey Eye Look. 3 eye shadows, 2 lip colors, blush, an accent face shimmer and a very silvery/shimmery highlighter, along with a travel brush.

Within each palette Sonia gives you instructions on how to do the overall look and breaks it down by eyes, lips and cheeks.

Where else can you find so much product, all done to work together, for a look you’ll love? All for under $20!

We’ve all seen the Bobbi Brown custom palettes that came out earlier this year.

Select a 3, 4, or 6 pan palette and create a look you want with eye shadows and blush. Do one pan all eye shadows and another all blushes. You have a myriad of choices.

Well now, you can do it all online. I have become obsessed with this! It’s like plug and play with your makeup.

Pick the size pan you want, and select eye shadows and/or blushes in any combination you want. Seriously, you can put in and take out any color combination that you want/crave/lust for. Create combinations that are fun, subtle, sultry – the list goes on. Give it a try, I dare you not to get obsessed too!