How to Wear It: Matte Lipstick

Matte lips, from NARS (for Marc Jacobs Spring/Summer 2011)

Matte Lipstick has been a big beauty trend for a while now.  And for good reason: super shiny (and super sticky!) lips can look a bit too...much at times.  Too much gloss has a tendency to look juvenile at best, cheap and oddly "blow-up doll" at worst. 

Matte lipsticks provide a nice alternative.  They give color without distracting shine, but those who have been known to overdo it on the gloss may have a hard time transitioning towards this trend.  There are ton of matte lipsticks on the market at all different price points, so there's no good excuse not to try them out.  The color also lasts longer, so you won't have to touch up quite so much. 

Here are some tips to pulling off matte lips this season:

1. Prep your lips!  Matte lipstick can be "chalky" to some users and it's a bit less forgiving then glossier offerings.  Exfoliate your lips daily--just gently run your toothbrush over your lips to remove dead skin cells.  You can also use a lip scrub, but why waste the money?  A little honey and sugar also help slough off dead skin, leaving your lips softer and not cracked.
2. Apply a light coat of moisturizer (note: not lip balm!) to your lips.  Or...try for a lip primer.  I'm not typically a fan of primers, but for matte lipsticks, they just might help.
3. Take your time and apply the matte lipcolor with care.  Use a lip brush for more precision.

What do you think of matte lipstick?  Is it something you can wear or do you find it too drying? Leave me a comment and let me know!

Do or Don't: Celebrity Endorsed Products

It seems like every time you turn around (or, I should say: every time you turn the page of a fashion magazine!) a new "celebrity" perfume hits the market.  Whether it's Sarah Jessica Parker's Lovely, Prince's Get Wild,  JLo's JLo Glow, or Miss Piggy's Moi, it seems like if you're a celebrity in any form, there's going to be a scent marketed with your name and face on it.  Because they're so prevalent...and because there's probably a ton of money involved in the celebrity fragrance world...it doesn't seem like the trend of celebs hawking scents is going anywhere anytime soon.

Recently, Total Beauty ran a piece about the best and worst celebrity perfumes.  The fave?  Hilary Duff's With Love (a scent I have in my collection--one that I actually kind of like!).  The worst? M by Mariah Carey.

Here's my question for you this week: does celebrity endorsement of a fragrance help or hurt?  Or does it depend entirely on the celebrity?  My take?  I normally shy away from celeb scents. I want to smell like classic, good things...like flowers, nature, woods, etc....I don't want to smell like Britney Spears, thank you very much.  I avoid celebrity perfumes and never really give them a chance.  I'd rather have the scent speak for itself without putting me in the "OMG, I'm a huge Gwen Stefani fan so of course I wear L.A.M.B." camp.

Ultimately, fragrance selection is hugely personal and who am I to judge? If you love, love, love Electric Youth (Debbie Gibson!), then rock on with your bad self.  Me?  I'll stick with my non-celebrity endorsed scents.

Do or Don't: Big Hair

I've been flipping through what feels like (and probably is!) thousands of pages of fashion magazines lately (thanks to all the September issues).  In my reading, I've been bombarded with trends for the fall and winter.  In one of the mags, they featured big hair. 

To get big hair, the magazine (I think it was Glamour) suggested boosting hair by doing the following:

• Add volume, carefully.  Instead of making hair wider or higher, pick just one.  They suggest going with wider hair if your face is long; higher hair if your face is round.
• Add width by making spirals with a curing iron, working from the bottom layers up.  Follow this by fingercombing and letting top hair fall flat.
• Add height by teasing the crown area with a fine-toothed comb.  Smooth out the front up and over the teased section--pin the sides back and spray.

If none of these work, I suppose you could always pick up a Bumpits.

So: what do you think of the big hair trend?  Is it something you would try out?  Or do you think it looks ridiculous?  Here's my take: I prefer the high look over the wide look, but I don't think I could personally rock either look.  Big hair can look cool on the catwalk and if done right for an event, but for every day?  Meh.  It's too fussy.

What do you think?  Leave a comment!

Do or Don't: Fake Lashes

Something weird has happened: suddenly, everyone seems to be wearing fake lashes.  All the time.  You see women on TV and in movies with insanely long, thick, and amazing lashes.  Lashes that are obviously fake.  Whenever a mascara ad comes on, I have to laugh because the models lashes are so overdone.  You'd never get that look with mascara alone.

But it seems like the fake lash trend is not just for ads, tv shows or movies.  Now, when I'm at a special event (like a wedding) or out someplace fancy (the hubs and I go to the opera and theater whenever we can!), women are sporting very fake, very overdone lashes.  Even when I'm out running errands I see women with insane lashes.  Really?  Since when did going to Target require wearing false lashes?  Ugh!

Fake lashes are a trend I have a hard time with because I wear glasses.  Shocking, right?  I can't stand contacts and actually LIKE the way I look in glasses...I don't care if it's fashionable or not.  But for me, wearing fake lashes and glasses doesn't seem to work.

I do like the look of long, thick, healthy lashes.  I can also see why women would want to wear fake lashes at certain times.  But all the time?  It seems like a whole lot of effort to me.  I adore mascara and would be interested in some of the products to thicken (or "grow") natural lashes.

What do you think?  Are fake lashes so awesome that they should be worn all the time?  Just for special occasions?  Or not at all?  Let me know what you think!

Do or Don't: Blonde Streaks

Black hair or blonde hair?  You don't have to decide!  (Or do you?)

I'm a natural blonde but I do enhance my color.  Being a platinum blonde (at the moment) I am no stranger to the bleach and tone.  I am also no stranger to non-natural hair colors.  In the course of my life, I've had hair in many shades, including blue, purple, pink, and green.  I'm all for self-expression and shaking up the status quo.

One look I don't quite understand is when girls have dark brown or black hair on the bottom with chunky platinum streaks on top.  (NOTE: I'm not trashing the emo girls here.  I'm thinking more of the mall-girls with their crazy, fried hair, low-rise jeans, over done makeup, and orange tans). To me, the black on the bottom, ultra-blonde on top look is reminiscent of one thing:

But what do I know?  Do you think black hair with blonde streaks is a do or a don't?  Leave a comment!

Do or Don't: Matchy-Matchy

Megan Fox: Pink dress with red lips.  Should she have reconsidered this look?

I read the following in the August issue of InStyle (I think it was August!  It was the one with Courtney Cox on the cover):

MATCH YOUR LIPS TO YOUR DRESS

...being too coordinated with your clothes and makeup can smack of a faux-pas, but there's an easy side step: zero in on your pout and paint it a shade taken from your outfit.  Best to stick with timeless reds or rich, deep tones; steer clear of bubblegum pinks and frosty hues, which could push the look into costume territory.

I tend to agree with the advice InStyle is doling out here.  This is also one reason why I wear a lot of black: you don't need to worry about your lips clashing with your dress if it's black.  Now, throw on a pink or red dress and then you need to consider these things.  It might not look right if you wear a bright pink lipstick with a deep red dress.  These things really should be complimentary, if not matchy.

But how far does the matchy-matchy have to go?  I personally don't think fingernails need to be painted the same color as toenails.  I don't think that lipcolor has to match nail color, but I still give worry that my nails completely and totally clash with my lips. 

I guess the bottom line is this: You want to create a cohesive look.  You want to look like you made some effort while still appearing effortless.  Does that make sense?  Let me know...and let me know what you think about matching your makeup to your outfit!

Do or Don't: French Manis/Pedis

I go to a lovely spa to get my pedis done.  They offer great services and their nail techs are very detail oriented.  I've never had a bad pedi in all the years I've been going there.

Whenever I schedule an appointment, I am always asked if I want to have a French pedi.  I always decline.  In case you don't know, a French mani/pedi is when the base of the nail is painted pink and the tip of the nail is painted white.  See below for examples.

Here's my question for the week: are French manis/pedis hot or just a hot mess?  Leave me a comment with your thoughts.

Now, since this is my blog, here's my opinion: Yuck.  I don't understand the appeal of a French mani and the whole idea of a French pedi just creeps me out.  It looks gross to me.  French manis remind me of Miss Lee Press-on Nails, and that's not a good association.  French pedis?  Blech.  Why would you want to make your toe nails appear longer? 

I always steer clear of the French mani/pedi.  But I'm just one person!  What do you think of them?

Do or Don't: Frosted Lips

Note: Every Wednesday this month, I am featuring a do/don't entry.  I want YOUR opinion on makeup trends.  There's no right or wrong answer, but I bet you have an opinion on some of these topics.  If you all like this, I'll try to make it a regular thing. 

Do or Don't: Pearly lips as seen in an ad from Maybelline.

I was flipping through one of the many fashion mags out there, and came across an ad for a new line of lipstick from Maybelline--their Colorsensational Pearls collection.  The ad stopped me mid-flip and resulted in a groan.  Pearly lips.  Really?  Now, to be fair, Maybelline says their Pearl line is "always flattering, never frosty," but to my eye, that lip color is looking decidedly frosty.

I'm in my mid-30s and remember with a degree of horror and embarrassment how popular frosty makeup was when I was a kid.  I had a 5th grade math teacher (who I hated!) who wore frosted lipstick, covered her eyelids with frosted shadow, and had frosted hair.  It was a hot shimmery mess.  And whenever I think about the frosted makeup, my 5th grade math teacher comes flying into my mind.  Not good.

I know, I know...everything old is new again.  For some reason, 80s inspired looks are everywhere lately.  For me personally, frosted lips are not just a NO, they're a HELL NO.  I am a firm believer that if you lived through the trend the first time around, you're probably too old to jump on the bandwagon the second time around.

But that's just me.


So I ask you: What do you think of frosty lipstick like that seen in Maybelline's ad?  Is it hot or not?  Leave me a comment and let me know!