A Rosy Pout for Spring

There is something cheerful about rosy lips in the spring. Anything from a wash of color to a bold pink, paired with a flirty dress and you are all set. My favorites to achieve the look are:

Korres Lip Butter in Quince (very sheer)

This hydrating balm jut provides a wash of color, but it is makes your lips shiny and healthy. The butters are made with natural oils and extracts. Shea butter and rice wax provide hydration.

Lipstick Queen Jean Queen Lipstick  (sheer)

This just has slightly more color to it and also is super hydrating. If you don’t like pot format of the Korres, this is a great alternative. It gives a rose stain with literally zero dryness.

Cle de Peau Beaute Enriched Lip Luminizer in 213 (slightly sheer)

This is silky, slippery skin care for your lips. The color literally melts on. It is still fairly sheer but you are getting a good wash of color. I love how healthy this lush balm makes my lips feel. It is sold as a holder and refill.  The swatch is from Nordstrom.

NARS Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil (opaque)

I never knew a pencil could be so buttery and soft. This literally translates into a gloss, but packs a punch of color. This is for those who want a true, hot pink rose on their lips. It still is moisturizing with ingredients like vitamin E, hyaluronic spheres, and phytosterol esthers.

 

As a side note, check out my interview on Priscilla Francine Makeup! So excited to be featured by this artist based in my former “home city”, San Francisco. 

American Beauty Contest

I’d be remiss not to mention my new favorite book. I’m already treasuring my copy of American Beauty that highlights a diverse group of quintessentially American women such as Lily Aldridge, Solange Knowles, and Jenna Lyons. The photos by Vogue alumna Claiborne Swanson Frank are stunning. In celebration of the book, Estée Lauder and Neiman Marcus teamed up for a contest. Tell them how you exemplify modern American beauty for your chance to win.

  • One grand prize winner will receive a trip for two to New York City during Fashion Week to have your portrait taken by Claiborne Swanson Frank, attend a runway show, receive a tour of the Assouline offices and meet founders Prosper and Martine, an Estée Lauder makeover and gift package and a $1500 Neiman Marcus gift card.
  • Two second-prize winners will receive a gift bag filled with products from Estée Lauder.
  • Ten finalists will receive a gift bag filled with products from Estée Lauder.

To enter, visit Vogue.com/promotions to upload a recent photo along with a brief statement that explains why you represent modern American beauty. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. To enter and for full rules, go to www.vogue.com/promotions. Starts April 11, 2012 at 10:00 a.m. and ends May 15, 2012 at 11:59 PM ET. Open to legal residents of the 50 United States/D.C. 18 or older, except employees of Sponsor, their immediate families and those living in the same household. Void outside the 50 United States/D.C. and where prohibited. A.R.V. of prize or prizes $13,830: Sponsor: Conde Nast.

And just a note: I’ll be at the Grand Poobah Neiman Marcus Northpark store tomorrow, catching up on all the latest and greatest beauty. Make sure you are following me on Instagram (bellebellebeauty) for drool-worthy pics of makeup and skin care. Can’t wait to report back what I learned!

Belle Belle on the Web

I’m thrilled to be part of Safe Sun Stories on the Bergdorf Goodman blog today! Check out my review of  SPF 30 UV Protecting Fluid by La Mer right here. We are coming up on Melanoma awareness month and summer weather is just around the corner. Don’t forget to stock up on Sunscreen. This La Mer fluid is dreamy to use and works great under makeup!

I’m also guest blogging over at The Bolder the Better, rounding up Spring Trends. Amy is a fabulous fashionista in Austin and is making quite the splash with her new blog. She’s a master mixologist of prints and just plain lovely. For more details on bold lips, full brows, metallic lids and colorful nails, check it out here!


Tom Ford Traceless Foundation Stick

So many recent “firsts” over here at Belle Belle Beauty. First Edward Bess, then La Prairie and now (finally) Tom Ford. I love it just as much as my other luxury foundation pick, Clé de Peau Beauté Silky Cream Foundation, but they couldn’t be more different. Clé de Peau gives a silky, glowy finish with medium coverage, whereas Tom Ford Traceless Foundation Stick is nimble, oil-free and buildable in coverage.

This stick has a unique quality: swiping the stick directly on my skin gives a creamy, blendable formula. The only other stick foundation I’ve used (Bobby Brown) is not near as blendable and almost cakey. As the Tom Ford Traceless Foundation Stick sets, the finish is more matte, bringing with it fantastic staying quality. I haven’t had a foundation EVER stay on as long as this does.

Shaped like a giant concealer stick, I wasn’t sure now precise I could be. But actually, the stick allows you to build coverage where needed and let a sheerness shine through where you don’t. If you are having a particularly good skin day, just use this as a concealer! And love this is airplane friendly and portable.

Tom Ford’s price point is definitely high ($78), but this stick is HUGE and excellent quality. You won’t be sorry.

St. Ives Scrub-free Exfoliating Pads and Naturally Smooth Hand Cream

What do you get when you mix the buzz-worthy beauty ingredient with affordable, drugstore cult-favorite brand?  St. Ives Scrub-free Exfoliating Pads and Naturally Smooth Hand Cream! Love it the latest and greatest appears on drugstore shelves. And what’s hot right now are AHA’s.

So what are AHAs and how do they work? The most common forms of AHAs are: glycolic acid (from sugar cane), lactic acid , malic acid (from apples), citric acid (from citrus fruits) and tartaric acid (from grape wine). Human skin has two principal components, the avascular epidermis and the underlying vascular dermis. Aging generally occurs in the underlying dermis. So that’s where AHAs come in. Due to small molecular size, these guys can penetrate the top layer of skin (glycolic is the smallest). The generate more collagen at deeper levels and generate new cells at the surface.

I’ve been incorporating these into my routine in the form of products found in the post here. But if your looking to find them at the drugstore price point, look no further!

St. Ives Scrub-Free Exfoliating Pads are gentle enough to use everyday. They are perfect to throw in a gym bag or pack for a summer trip.

  • First mass-market brand exfoliating pads with alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs)
  • Exfoliates to reveal smoother, younger-looking skin in just 7 days
  • Formulated with 100 percent natural lactic acid
  • Available at select mass retailers, drugstores and supermarkets nationwide for $4.99 (SRP)

St. Ives Naturally Smooth Hand Cream is incredibly nourishing. It is easy to forget that aging is so apparent on delicate skin on the back of your hands. AHAs will help keep the skin looking young will moisturizing like a champ.

  • Exfoliates and improves the appearance of rough, uneven skin in just 7 days
  • 100 percent natural moisturizers help it absorb quickly into skin
  • Formulated with natural alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs)
  • Available at Target stores nationwide for $2.99 (SRP)

La Prairie White Caviar Illuminating Eye Cream

When La Prairie launches a new line, they make sure their loyalists will love it. Their new White Caviar Illuminating Système specifically targets age spots, discoloration and hyper-pigmentation, meeting the needs of their current customers and making a new one out of me. My biggest concern is under eye circles and hyper-pigmentation, so I was on La Prairie bandwagon for the first time. I had no qualms about trusting my eyes to La Prairie. They have been around for more than a half of a century as pioneers in cellular, anti-aging therapy.

The White Caviar Illuminating Eye Cream works in three ways against discoloration. It prevents by limiting and minimizing the trigger enzyme, tyrosinase, which starts hyper-pigmentation deep within the skin. While you are using the cream, it actuals is decreasing and controling excess melanin. And, lastly, it also fades existing spots.

Here’s where it gets technical: Oligopeptide-68, a skin-lightening peptide, along with Swiss Garden Cress Sprout Extract, fade existing spots and prevent future excess pigment formation. Vitamin C and Licorice Root Extract help melanin. And  Golden Caviar Extracts boost the anti-oxidant level of defense in the skin while also promoting firming aspects. Lastly, La Prairie’s exclusive Cellular Complex of Glycoproteins, Horsetail, and Ginseng Extracts, help stimulate the skin’s natural renewal process.

Long story short: it works. This stuff is results oriented. My dark circles have improved and even some hyper-pigmentation around my eyes has faded. And a bonus is you can use day and night. The formula is sheer and lightweight so it works well under makeup. And because of its weight, you can apply it all the way up to the brow bone.