Bet It All On Black

How is this for fabulous???
Just as the staple pieces in our closet are black - our little black dress, killer pair of pants, cashmere sweater, pencil skirt and sky high boots; here is a line that is just the simple yet essential black pieces we cannot live without.
Meet Noir Cosmetics.

Three years ago marketing expert Caroline Cohen was spurred into action after a fruitless search for the perfect black eyeliner in a high end department store.
She went back to her native Montreal, where she gathered a team of long time beauty professionals to develop this amazing line of 12 specialty products.

Noir's professional-grade selection of eyeliners, mascaras, eyeshadows and brows sidesteps the standard multi-colored palettes, instead sending a simplified message of classic black. Their longwear and waterproof formulas range from smoggy charcoals to deep, dramatic blacks, making everything from the sexy, smoky eye to the fierce and fabulous cat eye both accessible and attainable to every woman.

"Black may be the current trend in fashion, but it never goes out of style, just like your LBD" (little black dress) states the visionary Cohen. "Noir represents the Little Black Dress of the cosmetics world: something no stylish woman should ever be without."

All of the products in Noir's line are designed to work together, so that you can easily create a range of versatile eye makeup looks. There are 5 unique formulas and shades of eye pencil, 2 liquid liners and an intensely black gel liner, as well as one perfect black mascara.

The jewel box eyeshadow palette is in
Ivory Pearl, Silver Quartz and Diamond black,
designed to sweep together the entire look.
The products average in price between $14 and $16, with the eye shadow trio at $28







Noir Cosmetics are sold in select locations in the USA, more than 200 specialty boutiques across Italy, and more than 300 locations in Canada.
You can purchase Noir Cosmetic online at www.noircosmetics.com

More Vogue China Dree Hemingway

In this month's Vogue China, model Dree Hemingway wears big curls, red lips and bright fashion colors in a Taxi Driver inspired shoot lensed by Patrick Demarchelier.

Do you LOVE it??? I so love the bold lip, and adore the red lips paired with the lilac nails. Perfection!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Model Shu Pei for Vogue China January 2011

Oh I am SO completely obsessed with Vogue China!
Check out this amazing shoot with Chinese model Shu Pei and superstar photographer Regan Cameron
for Vogue China's January beauty supplement.
Styled by Katie Mossman, the story was about looks that can last from summer through winter

 fabulous and inspiring

Even her bikini tan lines look chic

New Year Skin Care - Inventory What You Already Have

On my New Year's Beauty Resolution List I talked about sorting through your skin care products.
Now that we are actually into the new year, lets break that down a bit, and get a little more specific.

At the beginning of each year you should get out all your skin care products and do a little inventory on what you have, what you forgot you had, and what you need.

 What You Already Have
Before you go spending beauty dollars on new things, look through what you already have.

Which products really are working for you and which ones really aren't? Our skin changes throughout the year as well as over the years, so chances are products that were beyond brilliant before might not be quite so great anymore.

I am a big believer in only using the products that you see discernible results with.

Which are not necessarily going to be the products with the biggest, glossiest magazine ads!

If you're not seeing the results you were expecting, it might be time to change what you're using.
Caution: buyer beware of marketing hype...

Are you using products that are ideally suited to your skin type? Your cleanser might be stripping your skin, your moisturizer could be too heavy or too light for your skin type.
If you can, go see a facialist and have her analyze your skin and tell you what types of products you should be using. Sometimes the tiniest changes can make the biggest difference, such as changing out a foaming cleanser for a cleansing milk, or an eye cream for an eye gel.

Do the products that you're using actually work together? I try to stick to one line at a time so that I'm achieving skin synergy. Within that line I make sure that I'm not using products that work against one another. Competing products can create havoc with your skin, or can cancel one another out.

Check that you're not hoarding products that have gone bad. If it looks funky, smells off, or if the product texture has changed chances are it has passed its "best by" date and needs to be thrown out.
 
 Once you've established what you already have, you can start looking at what you need.

Oh The Sheer Hawtness Of It!!!

I'm always on the look out for fabulous new lingerie.
I'm currently on the look out for some post-holiday-mania-grown-up-relief.
I'm frequently on the look out for glorious things at sale prices.
Kizmet! Looks like the planets have aligned and I'm about to hit the lovely underwear jackpot!

Imagine how thrilled I was to find that one of my absolute favorite purveyors of luxe lingerie is running a January sale?? 

Nothing is quite so empowering as knowing you're wearing a little something to die for next to your skin, hidden (or maybe not) from the world at large.

Nothing makes "No officer, I really wasn't speeding" sound quite as believable as when you say it while wearing truly divine undergarments under your jeans.
OK. I made that one up.

Fabulous underwear makes you feel so feminine

You have to check out the goings on at ea lingerie
ëa lingerie is a delicate and ultra feminine brand, a combination of romanticism sensuality and sophistication.
And ëa lingerie is having a sale.

Valentines Day is literally right around the corner, so you may just want to make sure that the man-beast in your life knows how to find his way to their website: ealingerieshoponline.com

 And if you don't have a significant other, go buy yourself something special. You deserve it!

New Year New You - Chemical Peels

There's no time quite like the beginning of a bright and shiny new year to take a good long look in the mirror, run a little inventory on what we've got going on, and resolve to make some changes.
Most of us immediately start thinking about diets and exercise, maybe a change to the hairdo, and some additions to (or subtractions from!) the wardrobe as we make our way into the year ahead, seeking out the fabulous creature we know is hidden under the post holiday season fall out.

image by Jason Christopher

This year why not lean in to that mirror and have a closer look at your skin. The more we take care of our complexion, the more fresh and youthful we look and the less makeup we need on top.
There are plenty of steps that a girl can take towards improving her skin, and over the next few weeks we will be delving in to some of them, but today we are starting with some souped up exfoliation.

The chemical peel. Sounds scary, doesn't it?
There are actually several kinds of chemical peels and each of them is recommended to treat different skin concerns.
A Chemical Peel is a treatment that smooths skin,  thus enhancing its appearance. This procedure consists in applying a chemical solution that contains a small amount of acid on the skin, removing the damaged outer layers and essentially improving the smoothness and texture of the skin, leaving you looking fresh faced and youthful, and your skin bright and vibrant.

Chemical peels come in a variety of strengths, from the super mild, over the counter do it yourself at home peel, to the medium strengths of the in salon peels, to the hardcore doctor performed super strong peels. (Not for the faint of heart.)

Chemical peels take the exfoliation process to a whole new level. They are designed to

• reduce fine lines and wrinkles
• treat areas of dryness
• reduce uneven pigmentation
• aid in the control of acne
• smooth rough dry skin
• improve the texture of sun-damaged skin
• make your skin look and feel more vibrant

Personally I love Glycolic peels. My facialist Roxanne, at the Skin & Makeup Institute convinced me to try one a few months ago, and I now have them on a regular basis.
A Glycolic Peel is a light chemical peel done with an acid in the family of AHAs (also called fruit acids) called Glycolic Acid. (Glycolic  is one of the milder peels.) It will give you a bigger result than a regular exfoliation, but isn't so drastic that you get all red faced and scaly.
And its a  great way to say hello to a new year!

How To Fix Chapped Lips

No, you didn't imagine it - your lips really have become more chapped over the winter! As the air's moisture levels plummet, the water in your skin is drawn out, and as a result you get tiny fissures, or cracks in your lips that can be both painful and hard to heal.

The first step on the road to recovering smooth, healed lips is via lip balm. Lip balm needs to be worn and reapplied all day everyday, and applied before bed each night.

EOS Evolution Of Smooth Lip Balm

Avoid longwear lipsticks, and drying matte formulations, instead choose extra moisturizing lip formulas, or utilize a great lip pencil paired with a quality balm such as Burts Bees.

Look for lip balms with ingredients such as petrolatum, shea butter, dimethicone, and hyaluronic acid to restore moisture.
Preferably choose a formulation that is viscous rather than waxy so that the active ingredients can penetrate the cracks in the lips. (if you're going to be out in cold weather, waxy formulations can help protect the lips from chapping.)
If you have severely chapped lips look for a formula that contains ceramides, which are proven to help restore the skin's barrier.




If your lips are sensitive or extra sore, avoid balms that contain known irritants such as lanolin, or those that are scented or flavored (especially cinnamon, which can be extra irritating).

As much as possible avoid licking your lips. It temporarily makes them feel better, but ultimately makes things worse.
Toothpaste can make things worse too. Avoid getting toothpaste on your lips (as much as you can), rinse them off after brushing your teeth, and apply lip balm.