Makeup

Laura Mercier wants you all smoked out for your black tie events, ladies, and to help us look the part she’s released the Black Tie Collection, a small offering of six eye, lip and nail products for the holidays.

You may not have known this about me … but I’m obsessed with makeup (LOL!). I go through phases, like my current obsession with blue eyeshadow.

Beyond my minor makeup infatuations, though, are my more serious addictions, i.e. the cravings that last longer than a few weeks. Smokey eyes fall into this category. I am totally obsessed with smokey eyes!

How do you feel about the Tuxedo Eye Colour Eye Colour Quad ($38) and the Gala and Soiree Lip Glace lipglosses ($22 each)?

Tuxedo Eye Colour Quad ($38)

This quad comes with four soft, finely milled eyeshadows (think Shu Uemura in terms of texture) in shades of black and white. I love the texture, but I’m not sold on the colors. The two lighter shades didn’t really sing for me (the lighter shades looked almost chalky on my skin tone), but I bet they’d work better on girls with cool-toned, lighter skin.

• Shimmery grey-black
• Matte cool black
• Shimmery silver white
• Matte white

The darker shades, on the other hand, totally worked for me. I’m going to get so much use out of both the shimmery black and matte black shadows. I can’t wait to layer them on top of a creamy black kohl pencil with different shades of blue and green shadows, oy!
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This season, Nars released a lone lipstick with their holiday collection, a shimmery reddish brown shade named Canaille ($24). Unlike the bold reds, deep plums and sparkle-heavy lip looks we’ve been seeing from MAC, Clinique, Estee Lauder, Givenchy and Dior, Canaille delivers a delicate whisper of color. While most of this year’s holiday lip shades take you to da club, Canaille takes you to the library. Shhh…

A Subtle Holiday Lip Color

In the tube, Canaille bears a strong resemblance to another reddish brown shade I’ve been wearing for years, MAC Paramount. But while MAC Paramount offers intense, full-color coverage and a matte finish, Canaille bestows a sheer layer of barely there, semi-glossy mahogany.

It’s a quiet look for the holidays, and I’m a bit surprised that NARS decided to go so low key. NARS is famous for their amazing colors, so I was hoping for a lipstick with a bit more oomph, ya know?

All the other elements of Canaille excite the lipstick lover in me: minimalist packaging, sheer coverage and a moisturizing formula free from taste or scent. But, ultimately, the color just doesn’t have enough *WOW*.
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For once Tabs wasn’t the sexiest thing in the house.

Today the honor went to Givenchy Pop Gloss Crystal in Plum By Night ($23.50), one of two limited edition glosses from the Givenchy Holiday 2008 collection.

A dark, shimmery berry shade with multi-colored glitter that’s oh-so-very fine, this cream gloss not only looks pretty, but also feels fabulous on the lips. Its thin, non-sticky and moisturizing formula is a dead ringer for Dior Creme de Gloss.

Like Dior Creme de Gloss, Pop Gloss Crystal is highly pigmented, with *hella* shine and full color-coverage. I’ve found that using less is the key to getting Plum By Night looking its best. 🙂

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