Fashion Week Beauty

New York Fashion Week ended days ago. Fashion Week is is usually hectic on its own, and even more so with the tundra-like temperatures and dirty slush New York experienced last week. I know the designers, the models, the PR girls, really enjoyed a few days of relaxation after the madness, before getting right back into the cycle for next season's collections.

I had the opportunity to experience New York Fashion Week a few years back while working for Pamella Roland. The preparation and excitement that happens backstage leads up to a 10-minute show presenting a season's worth of work, gone in a flash. My favorite part was and still is the beauty looks, of course. Thank you social media gods, for giving us all access to the behind-the-scenes chaos/magic, particularly of those beauty looks coming together backstage. After diligently monitoring all my feeds this fashion week, I compiled a list of my favorite beauty looks from this seasons's shows.

Marchesa's New York Gatsby-era glamour
Makeup by Revlon

Plum lips so rich they remind me of chocolate. I love the level of glamour in this look paired with such a soft understated eye.

Revlon’s Super Lustrous Lipstick in Black Cherry, $7.99 

 

Rodarte's Swarovski crystal under-eye liner
Makeup by NARS

I loved a bright, fresh face. And if I could, I would wear Swarovski crystal eyeliner all day, every day. To work, to the grocery store, to sleep.

NARS The Multiple in Orgasm, $39



Costello Tagliapietra's Blue Tips 
Nails by Essie Polish in Aruba Blue

My heart skipped a beat when I saw that Costello Tagliapietra chose this Essie shade from 2012 for their show. I've owned this color for more than a year and I love it for winter as much as for summer. Considering how bold this shade is, it's surprisingly neutral and I find that I can pair it with pretty much anything I'm wearing.

Essie Nail Polish in Aruba Blue, $8.50

Pamella Roland's 1970s Paris Glam

Makeup by Artistry Beauty

I used to work for Pamella and the beauty looks never disappoint. Pamella is all about glamour and dressing to the nines (a woman after my own heart) and loves to play with textures in equally elegant headpieces. The sparkling fascinator, the messy pin-straight hair, the smokey eye, captured her collection perfectly. 

70s glam at Dennis Blasso
Makeup by Avon Cosmetics/Lauren Andersen

Another 70's glam inspired look by Avon for Dennis Blasso. This is the kind of smokey eye I dream about, smoldering and ethereal. The copper and gold tones paired with the berry lip

 A Kate Moss inspired smokey eye at Monique Lhuillier
Makeup by MAC

This is what I think I look like after I've been dancing in a bar in what hours before was a smokey eye. Except it's not like this at all. This is a lived-in raccoon eye at its most glamorous. It has the sultry effortlessness that only Kate Moss embodies.

MAC Retro Matte Lipstick in Ruby Woo, $16

A Biba-inspired look for Alice + Olivia
Makeup by Stila Cosmetics

A love a heart-shaped, red lip. Pair that with liquid-lined doe eyes and gerbera daisies in a slick braided chignon and you have this perfect bright-eyed starlet look.

Stila Stay-All-Day Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner in Jet Black, $20

January Beauty Favorites

I can’t believe we're already three quarters of the way into February. January flew by and to start the year off right in terms of beauty, I got a fresh haircut, drank lots of water and ginger tea, and started wearing sunscreen religiously. All things from which I already feel the benefits. And in all of this, I also found myself really loving the following items:

1. Real Techniques Blush Brush I picked this one up in December and find myself using this more often than my more expensive Sephora stipple brush. I also love the Real Techniques story - two sisters (the self-proclaimed grandmothers of YouTube beauty vlogging) started the company which makes high-quality tools at really accessible prices. The brushes are cruelty-free, made with synthetic Taklon bristles. Taklon is smoother than other synthetics and natural bristles, so this helps with bacteria production on tools. And because it's so smooth, application is wonderfully soft. The tapered end of the brush is perfect for applying blush at the highest point of my cheek - I wish I could call it a cheek bone - and distributes the perfect amount for a soft-focus finish. And it's only $9!
2. CeraVe SPF 50 Sunscreen I bought this a couple days into the new year and continue to swear by everything CeraVe. I chose this one for its oil-free formula because SPFs tend to make me break out. I put all my faith in this one because it's CeraVe and it definitely held up - no breakouts thus far. I apply daily after serum and moisturizer and before my CC cream. I realized when putting some of this on my husband that the only negative is that when applying to bare skin without any moisturizer, you'll get a sheer white film like most sunscreens tend to leave. But with a good moisturizer and generous blending, you should be fine.
3. The Balm Cosmetics Cindy LouManizer Everyone sings praises of the must-have Mary LouManizer highlighter from The Balm, but I opted for the Cindy. I loved the rosy tint and that it's a triple-duty product. I can wear this as blush, highlight and often (when I'm in a hurry) as eyeshadow. This doesn't flake when picking some up with a brush (the Real Techniques Blush Brush, of course), it applies with the right amount of pigmentation and isn't so shimmery that it's off-putting during the day. I have a thousand and one blushes but keep coming back to this one.
4. Revlon Matte Balm in Shameless I love Revlon's Matte Balms and Stains. I have several of these and come back to them from time to time. In January, I found myself using the Matte Balm in Shamless with a plum eyeliner I picked up at CVS often. The result of the two was the most intense deep purple perfect for the colder days of the month. On its own, this shade is much more vibrant, and still rich and beautiful.
   
5. Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish This is one of the more exciting samples I've received in a Birchbox. It was so beautifully packaged that I couldn't even bring myself to open and test it until months after I received it. This is a two-step cleansing system - a gel-like cleanser and a muslin cloth. While massaging the cleanser on my skin, I was surprised there were no suds. It has eucalyptus and rosemary and the scent is unbelievably soothing. The muslin cloth is dampened with warm water and wiped across the face to clean off the cleanser and what happens during this process is magical. My skin is incredibly soft and supple after using this and feels great through the following day. I'm definitely picking this up in its full size.
   

Selena Quintanilla for MAC

Bidi Bidi Bom Bom, Apartamento 512, Como La Flor. All songs by our beloved and iconic Selena. But how brilliant would these be as product names for a limited-edition Selena Quintanilla collection for MAC - featuring red lips, red lips and more red lips. Of all the ways she has been honored and memorialized, this would definitely be my favorite.

And I'm not alone. In just two days, almost 20,000 Selena fans have already signed the petition on Change.org, urging MAC Cosmetics to create the limited-edition collection inspired by the late singer. Sign it, share it. This could definitely and should definitely happen.

M•A•C Toledo

What happens when an eccentric fashion designer and her husband, a renowned artist and illustrator, come together for the sake of beauty?  The Isabel and Ruben Toledo Collection for MAC.

The Cuban-American pair collaborated with MAC to create a collection for Spring 2015 that is as classic and simultaneously quirky as the couple themselves. Isabel’s fashion designs, which are more artwork than clothing, and Ruben’s surrealistic and bold art and illustrations (which actually inspired a series of fashion illustrations I had custom-made for my bridesmaids), are represented throughout the collection which features eye shadow in shades ranging from soft blues to lush mauves and electric lime green.

And the collection would not be complete without being fully dressed in Ruben Toledo illustrations, inspired, of course, by Isabel and her iconic red lips which play a major role in the line. There are six variations of red lipstick to choose from with matching glosses meant for layering. I'll take one of each, thank you.

Shop the collection here.

REVIEW: Nexxus Elixir

Even though I don't love most of the samples I get in my subscription boxes, I refuse to cancel them, because once in a while I do come across a gem. Throwing away $20 a month for a glimmer of hope, a sense of anticipation and the thrill of discovery -- that you actually only experience every 5th month -- that's commitment, right?

Enter the Nexxus Youth Renewal Rejuvenating Elixir - a leave-in treatment that builds strength and combats the signs of aging hair. I received a tiny sample of this in one of my first Birchboxes more than two years ago and got an entire two uses out of it. The moment was brief, but boy were there compliments. I was working for a fashion designer at the time and you don't forget compliments you receive from male fashion designers. You hold onto them. For. Ever.

Two years later, with a fresh new cut and big hair goals for 2015, I came across the Rejuvenating Elixir at Target and after vividly recalling how great it made me feel, I knew I couldn't leave the store without it.

The elixir is from the Nexxus Youth Renewal line, meant to combat the eight signs of aging hair including volume loss, breakage, less shine, roughness, dryness, brittleness, unruliness and loss of color vibrancy (all things I've already seen occurring in my hair); with ingredients like omega 3, keratin, essence of pearl, argan oil and vitamin E, among others. 

It's $15.99 for .94 ounces at Target (Ulta actually carries it for two more dollars. What?!). This feels steep for a drug store product, but this stuff is really great quality and worth the drug-store splurge. The packaging is glass, feels high-end and comes with a dropper. The elixir itself feels like a serum, is really light and has a deep sweet scent. The directions suggest 3-4 drops of product, but I use 2 or 3 at most. The only con I did notice, which isn't too terrible a con, is that the dropper doesn't function exactly as it should. I never get a full drop and have to place the dropper back into the bottle or end up using the excess on the dropper itself.

This past weekend I gave myself a patient blowout after applying the product and fell in love with it all over again. It did pretty much everything it said it would. I applied mostly at the tips, but tested a little at the roots for volume and was really surprised at how well my style held its volume throughout the day. My hair was definitely shinier. softer and showed visible signs of decreased breakage and brittleness.

My absolute favorite thing about this product is that, now with shorter hair I tend to have days where I feel like this...

...but the Rejuvenating Elixirs makes my ends so light and sleek that this is never an issue. All that while simultaneously boosting volume and body elsewhere. I don't know exactly how it works, but I know it does.