Belle Belle Beauty

Urban Decay Revolution Lipstick in 69

Three years ago, when I started this blog, I was terrified of color on my lips. Honestly, it still isn’t my first instinct when it comes to dressing my pout for the day or evening. But after what felt like two weeks in NYC (it was five days of pure, non-stop inspiration and fun), I was looking a little haggard. And I turned to something artists always told me would “wake up my face”.

So, a little background on why I find red or bold lips hard: I have dry dry skin (as confirmed at the Mario Badescu Salon this week in NYC – more on that later). So, lipsticks can often look flaky on me. Probably why I love these nude glosses from today’s earlier post here.

But the reason I was willing to give this version from Urban Decay a whirl was their promised creamy texture that still provided a massive color payoff. Leave it to Urban Decay to get pigment right. The rich and buttery formula just slid on my lips like a balm, but I walked away with some seriously red lips with a pink undertone. Not to mention, I was able to answer with a naughty “Urban Decay 69” when so many people asked me what shade I was wearing. And I can vouch that despite the dark circles, dry skin and yawns… I didn’t hear once that I looked tired.

But the good news for those who don’t want to go quite that bold… this formula comes in a whopping 20 shades for all tastes. So how does Urban Decay work this magic? They use a proprietary “Maxi-Lip” that hydrates and plumps. While jojoba oil, avocado oil, cocoa butter and shea butter keep lips moisturized.

And in typical Urban Decay fashion, their weighty and luxe packaging comes through in a heavy gunmetal tube that is almost as sexy putting on as it is pulling it out of your clutch.

Available at Sephora and urbandecay.com.

AN EDITORIAL SAMPLE MAY HAVE BEEN PROVIDED BY THE COMPANY AND EVALUATED TO DETERMINE OUR OPINION OF THE PRODUCT IN THIS POST. PLEASE SEE THE DISCLOSURES PAGE FOR FURTHER INFORMATION REGARDING OUR POLICIES FOR USING EDITORIAL SAMPLES.

Naked Shine Luscious Lipgloss

Leave it to a brand all about sexiness to come up with a great nude gloss. This feminine collection of eight shades are what I reached for all during New York Fashion Week. First, a little about Naked Princess: a new brand that is all about subtle and sexy. The line includes lounge wear, books, bath & beauty and makeup. And they have a new flagship store opening in March 2014. Frankly, I wasn’t ready to like them. I find myself drawn towards brands devoted to beauty. But these guys did something different.

The Naked Shine Lipgloss have a certain lightweight slip that makes them a joy to wear. They aren’t tacky in the least and come with a sheer wash of color. Technically lip plumpers (which I tend to get irritated by), I don’t get any tingle in the least from these glosses. But I can definitely see an illusion of fuller lips with the mirror-shine. All the shades are sheer and either are or border on nude.

The formula also has skin care properties. Peptides can help reduce fine lines and hydrating ingredients like shea butter and sweet almond oil add shine and hydration. And I adore the scent. It is sophisticated, subtle and gourmand with a hint of vanilla.

You can find their goodies now at qualified retailers or www.nakedprincess.com. And of course at my beloved birchbox.

Ignite Your Passion – Why I Chose Beauty

This blog was set out to be purely about beauty… what works, what doesn’t. What products I love and how to use them. I frankly didn’t think it was personal. But as Belle Belle has evolved (after three years and 815 posts), particularly through my journey on Nutrisystem, I’ve discovered blogs are intensely personal. I’ve made dear friends – some of whom I count as best confidants – via blogging. And what I write about reflects me. Every day, my tone, my subject is defined by where I am in my life.

So, charged with writing about what “ignites my passion” leads me to a point of self-reflection. Someone once gave me advice that your hobbies are hobbies and work is work. I beg to differ. While I am far from an makeup artist… beauty and skin care and the science behind it lights a fire in my belly. I love working, researching and discovering in this little industry of ours – well, let’s be honest… beauty is actually a huge industry. It marries so well with wellness, health and nutrition which recently have been so important to me. My career journey has been a bit twisted with engineering, finance and law. But the real sweetness is finding that it all can come together, writing about technology in skin care, running a business and managing my very own LLC.

While blogging full time is not always a cake walk, I can say sharing trends and wonderful developments brings joy to me. And with that, I am happily celebrating my third visit to New York Fashion Week. In fact, I am on my flight this very moment to the Big Apple. I’ll be covering the latest looks for Spring 2014. But even more importantly, I’ll be in the city that defines American brands, innovation and culture. And in this information and digital age, I will relish meeting with people I work with so closely (albeit remotely) for meetings, brainstorms and dare I say a cocktail.

So cheers to those who are searching for their passion, those who have found it and those who succeed at it. I know I am doing everything I can to work within my hobby, my passion, my interests. I’m reluctant, but will say it… because it is just so true: You Only Live Once. #YOLO

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Shiseido Sheer & Perfect Foundation

Well, let me just tell you about this little gem that hit my vanity last week. Talk about a new favorite foundation! The newest from Shiseido is one of those perfectly balanced foundations that conceals but doesn’t hide. You still look like your skin but only better.

Now, first a note – after a weekend full of reading September issues, I fully understand that a matte complexion is on trend. But after a short twitter chat with my friend, Lara, we both accepted that a dewy, glowy finish just works better. I agree with her wholeheartedly that it looks healthier, more natural and more youthful. So that being said, this isn’t for you matte lovers out there.

The oil-free formula packs a dose of hydration. I’d say coverage is light to medium but solidly buildable for those who want to move towards medium coverage. I love the silky texture and the finish is dewy but not sticky. The interesting part of the foundation – gets me everytime – is while it feels and looks like it could be a tinted moisturizer, my redness and dark spots are banished.

Kudos on their wide range of 18 shades across the spectrum. I’ve been wearing a near perfect match – B20, a light natural beige. While I promise Sheer & Perfect has a dewy finish (but not overly so), the formula does use powders. The optical powder complex helps conceal uneven coloration:

green powder cancels out redness and blemishes
blue powder cancels out dark spots and circles
white powder cancels visible pores

While the bottle is fairly small, $35 for a luxury foundation isn’t bad. And it is so good, you won’t even want to look at the price tag. Available at Bergdorf Goodman, Nordstrom, Sephora, Macy’s, Barney’s and Shiseido.

Fighting Back Against Summer Sun Damage

I started off this summer with a little irresponsibility. I hit the pool with sunscreen – but definitely not enough and in such a short time, I had my dreaded sun spots and hyper-pigmentation on my forehead and cheeks. I vowed to fight back! I knew I couldn’t be too aggressive with treatments as some make you too sensitive to any sun exposure. But I did come up with a routine that has made some pretty darn wonderful strides against those dreaded dark spots.

First, I have been washing my face with my beloved Clarisonic. My cleanser of choice has been Mario Badescu Glycolic Foaming Cleanser. My skin is gently primed and exfoliated for application of serums and treatments, but not irritated in the least.

Second up, I knew I wanted to work in a retinol, but also new my beloved Rx Retin-A would be too strong for my pool-heavy summer. So I turned to mybody. This line, now available online, has wooed me with gentle and effective products and the most fun packaging and names. A-TEAM provides 0.3% Retinol that you can use in the AM and PM safely. Also in the formula, mySBP 189, Actiwhite and Chromabright can help tighten and recondition skin. So, say goodbye to rough patches and redness.

Next up, one of my skin care staples, albeit a controversial one: Hydroquinone. Banned in certain types of the world, many find it to be unsafe. But I trust my doctors here that say it is really the only effective way to reverse sun damage. While there are versions of this skin lightener in the drugstores, they are usually at 2% or below. So turn to your doctor for a 4% version. I use ZO Skin Health MELAMIX from Gabriel Horn at Dr. Joey Manduano’s office here in Tulsa (Gabe truly is the Tulsa Skin Guru if you are local). I use this both morning and night. During the day, not only does it correct dark spots, but it also works to prevent formation of new ones.

Lastly, I am all about extreme sun protection. I used to dally around with a SPF 15 or 20, but for those blazing summer days, especially when you are outdoors, make sure to up the ante. Super Nourishing Cream SPF 50 from Zensation has been a summer favorite. On the richer side for my dry skin, it is perfect for those with aging skin or craving hydration. And I love the high sun protection. It is creamy, soft and absorbs well. It also works beautifully under makeup.

Another favorite is Kiehl’s Super Fluid UV Defense SPF 50+. It is totally lightweight, non-irritating and even works as a wonderful primer.

So that is the story! If you are like me and paying for some summer sins, try these steps to get that skin looking more even.

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August Favorites

Can you believe the summer is coming to a close? I actually prefer fall fashions, so I am excited to start working some of these beauty and style gems into my routine. Check out my favorites from around the web over the last 31 days:

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