Tag: lipstick

Dior Spring Lips & Nails

I feel like I need a lip and nail color cleanse after a holiday season full of deep red and dark jewel tones. Anticipation of spring makes me want to wear something delicate, feminine and pretty. So, no better place to turn than Dior’s Spring 2012 Garden Party Collection. Inspired by a party in a Norman rose garden, the collection features soft pink, purples and pinks – plus a scented, mint-green nail polish I am dying to get my hands on.

Also by Dior, my new Spring lip color, Dior ‘Rouge Dior’ Lip Color in Versailles, is a hydrating, semi-opaque, coral. I like that it isn’t such a deep color that you can’t whip some on without a mirror. The golden shimmer has a gloss-like effect. And the finish has staying power but still has shine.

NARS Bilbao Lipstick

It is no secret that I love NARS Lipsticks, especially for a pop of color. But the new Spring collection offers a peachy-nude lipstick that is remarkably pretty – feminine and demure, delicate but polished. I like it because it just has that touch of plum that gives some definition to a nude pout.

Doesn’t hurt that it is named after one of my most favorite spots, a city on the Northern coast of Spain. How could you not love a massively exotic langage (Basque), Frank Gehry’s Guggenheim Museum Bilbao and Basque sidra, an effervescent, only slightly sweet apple adult beverage? I need a return visit, wearing my Bilbao lipstick, naturally.

NARS Lipstick All-Star Shades

Lately, it seems every time I compliment someone on their lipstick, it turns out to be NARS.  Not surprisingly because the man behind NARS cosmetics built his brand off 12 lipsticks, initially sold in Barneys.  And so I was off on the hunt for my perfect, bright NARS lipstick.  The contenders were:

  • Heat Wave: a semi-matte, orangey red
  • Jungle Red: a semi-matte, bright red with slightly more blue undertones
  • Funny Face: semi-matte, true fuchsia

The semi-matte finish has the perfect shine that wears into a more matte, stained look. But the color stays true: Nars Lipsticks are enriched with vitamin E to increase wearability and keep true color intact. I definitely get a solid four hours of wear out of an application. The creamy formula is insanely pigmented.

Honestly, I love them all. But Jungle Red looks best on me. If you try these shades out, I would love to know what looks best on you. If you love a nude lip, check this out.

Clinique Almost Lipstick in Black Honey

I am a sucker for great packaging.  And while I love Clinique, I never expected to get an uber-high end, sleek tube of lipstick from them.  But when they revived the classic color, Black Honey, they did it right.

The tone is right on trend for fall – a wine-colored slash berry wash, that doesn’t required the legwork of a liner.  But that is just the lip of the iceberg.  This isn’t the most moisturizing hybrid gloss/lipstick, but it definitely stays on.  It doesn’t even come off on glasses during dinner or drinking.  The smaller applicator makes blind application much easier.  Not to mention, the slender silver tube looks sleek and can squeeze into an clutch.

So, let’s relive our glory days – you know, when mom got your first lipstick at the Clinque counters?  And of course it was Black Honey.

Guerlain Gigolo (70) Rouge G Lipstick

You get what you pay for, and in this case it is a jewel lipstick compact with a white-gold shimmer designed by Lorenz Bäumer, a Parisian jeweler.  Channeling James Bond, a mirror pops up when the compact is opened. The case is very heavy, yet with some serious glam.

My lips have been exceptionally dry this summer, so, besides this stunner packaging, I was impressed with its skin care capabilities.  Somehow, they are able to package very long term wear while still being highly moisturizing. And according to my nose, this is essentially scent-free.

Gigolo (70) is a cooler tone that works MUCH better on me than shades containing orange. Plus, your teeth appear whiter.  While it is sold as a plum, it actually appears berry-red on me.

This is a pretty penny at $47, but, like I said, the packaging is extraordinary, lip color has great staying power and it is a lip treatment to boot.

Tom Ford Private Blend Lip Color

Bruised Plum named “Best Dark Lipstick” in Allure magazine’s “Best of Beauty”

Tom Ford’s take on twelve classic lip colors – his first foray into cosmetics – instantly earned rave reviews.  Pick up a piece of his first collection before his second, a full line of cosmetics, hits stores this fall. Available at Bergdorf Goodman and Neiman Marcus.