Sam Fine's Latest Venture & Post Holiday Finds

Did You Hear About?: Fashion Fair Cosmetics recent launching of the "Sam Fine Supreme Color Collection". This signature cosmetic collection is the latest venture from makeup artist extraordinaire Sam Fine. Along with his book "Fine Beauty" and DVD "Fine: The Basics of Beauty", this is the Fashion Fair creative makeup director's first ever cosmetics line. It consists of two eyeshadow quads ($38 ea.), eight lipstick shades ($22 ea.) and a nude golden shimmer lipgloss ($20). The "Sam Fine Supreme Color Collection" may be purchased at Macy's, Dillards, Lord & Taylor and online at Fashion Fair Cosmetics.

Below are a few images of the "Sam Fine Supreme Color Collection".  The middle image shows the "Amalfi Coast" eyeshadow quad with the colors: Sand (shimmer), Forest Green (shimmer), Copper (shimmer) and Chocolate Brown (matte).  Also in this image is "Moroccan Spice" one of the eight lipsticks from this collection. Last (but not least), is a nude golden shimmer lipgloss in "Canary Diamond". The third image is the eyeshadow quad in "Tunisian Nights" with Ice (iridescent), Cobalt Blue  (shimmer), Violet (shimmer) and Black (matte). The eyeshadow applicators are engraved with Sam Fine on one side and Fashion Fair on the other.  The applicator in the lipgloss is a synthetic brush.
    

Book: FINE Beauty

  

DVD: FINE: The Basics of Beauty

  
  


Here are two great  additions for your makeup reference library by Sam Fine.









 
Monthly Favorite(s): Brrrrr.... it's been so cold! I been piling on hand lotion and facial moisturizer. For hands, my current go to product is Vaseline's Total Moisture: Clean Feeling Lotion. This is a non-greasy lotion that absorbs quickly into the skin and contains pure oat extract.  Vaseline's Total Moisture comes in two other formulas: Aloe Fresh: Light Feeling Lotion and Cocoa Radiant: Rich Feeling Lotion. Look for Vaseline's Total Moisture products at CVS, Rite-Aid, Target and K-Mart. 

Also helping to protect my face from the cold air and biting winds is Earth Science's "Almond-Aloe Moisturizer". It's lightly scented light-weight facial moisturizer that can be used by all skin types.  Priced at $8.99, you can purchase this and other Earth Science facial products at Whole Foods. 






On The Cheap (But Oh So Chic!): I found a couple of post holiday sales in K-Mart. While there I purchased Halle Berry's "Reveal the Passion" perfume; gift sets of Faith Hill's "True" and "Soul 2 Soul".  The scent of these fragrances are quite nice (actually better than I expected). They are long lasting.  A tiny spritz on your pulse points and you're good to go!  I love the facet cut top of "Reveal the Passion". When light passes through, it reflects beautifully (this can be seen in the second image).

Halle Berry's "Reveal The Passion"

Halle Berry's "Reveal The Passion"

 

"True" Body Lotion

Faith Hill's "True" Gift Set

"True" Perfume

"Soul 2 Soul" Gift Set

"Soul 2 Soul" Perfume

"Soul 2 Soul" Body Lotion

 














I Nailed It!: I found three brown colored nail lacquers that I actually like. Revlon's "Hot for Chocolate #903" (a deep dark brown), Maybelline's "Downtown Brown #725" (a duo chrome that is the nail lacquer equivalent to "Club" eyeshadow by M.A.C.) and Revlon Colorstay's "French Toast #210" (a soft gold-flecked shimmer). 

In the pictures below (left and center) are Revlon's "Hot for Chocolate #903" and "French Toast #210". On the right is Maybelline's "Downtown Brown #725".

I hope you enjoyed my first posting of 2013. There's more to come. See you soon.


Stay beautiful!

A Change of Seasons

Hey Everyone! 

Wow....I can not believe that summer ended a few weeks ago. I hope you had an enjoyable one and applied sunscreen regularly to protect your skin from the harmful UV rays. As for me during the warmer months, my skincare routine becomes very simple: cleanse, tone and apply a moisturizer containing a SPF. Next month not only will I transition into warmer clothing, but my skincare products are going to change as well. 

Monthly Favorite: I have fallen madly in love with Revlon's Lip Butters and L'Oreal's Colour Riche Lip Balms. They became my favorite go to products this summer. The colors I'm using are Revlon's Peach Parfait (025), Pink Truffle (100) and L'Oreal's Plush Plum (219) and Nourishing Nude (818). Believe me when I say I've fallen madly in love with these products. I carry all four with me everyday! One day I'm heading into work wearing Nourishing Nude and when it's time to leave, Pink Truffle could be on my lips. Somehow I rotate wearing 3 or all four of the colors during the day. Both products go on smoothly, but must be reapplied throughout the day. Also, the L'Oreal Colour Riche Lip Balms have a slight but rather pleasant scent.

Revlon's Lip Butter - Peach Parfait (025)

 Revlon's Lip Butter - Pink Truffle (100) 

L'Oreal Lip Balm - Nourishing Nude (818)

L'Oreal's Lip Balm - Plush Plum (219)

I certainly hope that the Revlon Lip Butters and the L'Oreal Colour Riche Lip Balms will be around for a long, long time.

JulieG - Cupcakes & Castles

On The Cheap (But Oh So Chic!): Back in May, I mentioned two soft microshimmer pink nail lacquers. "Kim-Pletely In Love" (Nicole by OPI) and "Pink-A-Boo" (Essie's Resort Collection) both retailing at $8. Recently while in Rite-Aid, I found an even less expensive version of these items. The color is called "Cupcakes and Castles" and it's a part of the JulieG Nail Color line. Priced at $3.99, the JulieG Nail Color collection can be found at your local Rite-Aid and Jesse's Girl Cosmetics.

Essie -Bikini So Teeny

I Nailed It!: My favorite nail lacquer this summer was Essie's "Bikini So Teeny". This beautiful cornflower blue color was so popular, that eventually it became impossible to find a full size bottle of it. Other than being a part of their "Summer" mini color cube collection (which also includes Mojito Madness, Off The Shoulder and Fear or Desire), "Bikini So Teeny" was gone! The image you see here comes from the website of ommorphia beauty bar. Also check out other images here.

I did manage to find a couple nail lacquers that are similar in color, but slightly darker. Sinful Colors' "Morning Star" is from their "Girls In Pearls Sheer Shimmer Collection". "Morning Star" does have a soft shimmer, but it is quite lovely. Sinful Colors is priced at $1.99 . Also check Color Club's "Hydrangea Kiss" which is a bit darker and costs $2.99 . Find Sinful Colors and Color Club at your local Rite-Aid, Walgreens, CVS, Target and Wal-Mart.


Monthly Treat (Because I'm Worth It!): I just love the beautiful detail on this lipstick casing. It's from Yves Saint Laurent's Rouge Volupte Silky Sensual Radiant Lipstick and Volupte Sheer Candy Glossy Balm Crystal Colours collection. The metal casing (yes metal) comes in goldtone (Rouge Volupte) and silvertone (Volupte Sheer). The color band underneath the YSL logo will be the color of the lipstick or glossy balm.

 

 
Priced at $34.00, the YSL Rouge Volupte lipsticks come in 22 beautiful shades and have a SPF of 15. For those who prefer a soft wash of color, the Volupte Sheer Candy Glossy Balms are for you. They come in 10 gorgeous shades and are priced at $30. YSL's Rouge Volupte lipsticks and Volupte Sheer Candy Glossy Balms are definitely worth your taking a look. Check them out the next time you are in Sephora or online at Sephora.com. 

YSL's Rouge Volupte Silky Sensual Radiant Lipstick and Volupte Sheer Candy Glossy Balm Crystal Colour....To me they are statement of elegance!   


Did You Hear About?: Are you still pretty upset about a relationship that recently ended and have to face the ex in the next day or two?  Then check out this YouTube video entitled "Meeting The Ex - Chat/Make-up Therapy" from makeup artist extraordinaire Lisa Eldridge. Ms. Eldridge shares tips on how to look your absolute best when having to meet the ex. While there, check out her other films on makeup and skincare.You can also view her films, subscriber to her newsletters or get the complete list of products she uses during her makeup applications at www.lisaeldridge.com



Trick or Treat: We always have such a great time during Halloween! I'm planning to check out the parade again this year. I'll try to post as many pictures as I can while there.

Also there are some really terrific Halloween makeup films on YouTube. I will provide links to a few of my personal favorites.

Lastly, since Autumn is officially in full swing, I have found a few beautiful lip colors and nail lacquers for this season. I will share them here in a about week. 

For next month: I am going to do a bit of research on Beauty Balms. Admittedly, I was under the impression they were just tinted moisturizers, but they claim to do so much more. My question is do they really work? I plan to try out a couple (based on my skin tone, type and condition) and will post my findings next month.


Until then....Stay Beautiful!

A New Look

I've decided to shake things up on my blog a bit. Instead of randomly talking about a couple of beauty products, the format will look slightly different. It will now feature the sub-topics Monthly Favorite, On The Cheap (But Oh So Chic!), I Nailed It!, Monthly Treat (Because I'm Worth It!) and Did You Hear About? Not to worry, this is still a beauty blog, I'm just giving it a bit more structure.

Monthly Favorite: The talk here will be about a product I'm using or even one that I've rediscovered.

On The Cheap (But Oh So Chic!): I love finding alternatives for high end products and I'll share them here.

I Nailed It!: Lacquer, Varnish or Polish...I love it! I will share colors I'm wearing, products that I use regularly and items I've just heard and/or read about in this section.

Monthly Treat (Because I'm Worth It!): I love the romantic comedy "How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days" starring Kate Hudson and  Matthew McConaughey. Matthew's character Benjamin (Ben) Barry says"Frost yourselves". Now while "frost" is being used as a metaphor for diamonds, nonetheless Ben is saying treat yourself because you're worth it. And that's exactly what I will be doing and sharing each month.

Did You Hear About?: Here you will find links to interesting beauty articles, blogs and videos.


I hope you will find the new format enjoyable as well as informative. In the meantime...


Stay beautiful!

Closing The (Generation) Gap

Recently while getting ready to go out with her friends, my niece Dana said "Auntie, may I have the pink lipgloss?" The lipgloss she was referring to was the new tube of NYC's Fashion Avenue Fuchsia #579. It's a very pretty fuchsia pink that I had planned to pair with CoverGirl's Lip Perfection lipstick in Spellbound #325 (from Pat McGrath's Runway Shades Collection) and NYX's lipliner pencil in Mahogany #809. Oh well, best laid plans as they say.  

Being the loving aunt that I am, of course I gave it to her. Why? Well we share a love of makeup, which I feel absolutely wonderful. Sure there is a generation gap, but ours has been narrowed by a little tube  lipgloss!

By the way, I went out the next day and purchased myself another tube. 

 

NYC Fashion Avenue Fuchsia #579

  

NYX Lip Liner in Mahogany #809

CoverGirl's Lip Perfection in Spellbound #325

Until next time...

Stay beautiful!

Finding That Great Alternative

I came across an article the other day on Total Beauty (www.totalbeauty.com) entitled "11 Bright Makeup Colors That Work On Everyone". Of course after reading it, I wanted to check out some of the suggestions the article mentioned.  Then to make things a bit more interesting, I decided to challenge myself and see if I could find less expensive duplicates of the products I liked.

One of the article's universal color suggestions was L'Oreal Paris' Lip Infallible Lipgloss in Sangria. After combing the beauty aisles in the local drugstore chain, I found Rimmel's Moisture Renew Cream Lipgloss in Berry Bliss to be a good dupe of Sangria (I also consider this my greatest find for the month). Rimmel's Moisture Renew Cream Lipgloss has a SPF of 15 and does not leave your lips feeling sticky. These lipglosses come in 14 beautiful shades and retail for under $8 at drugstore chains. Or check them out at Ulta (www.ulta.com) where they are currently priced under $6.  To me Berry Bliss is such a pretty color that I prefer to wear sans lipstick or lip liner.

Another suggestion from the article was M.A.C's Mocha satin finish lip color. It's peachy yellow brown coloring inspired me to locate its less expensive cousin. I checked out Revlon's Super Moisturizing Lipstick in Fleshtone #230 and found it to be a pretty good dupe for M.A.C.'s Mocha. When applying it, Fleshtone is so smooth it seems to glide across the lips. Buildable color without leaving your lips feeling sticky. Not only was I was happy to see that it complimented my skintone very well, the selling price of $6.99 also made my day! Check out Fleshtone #230 and other Revlon lipstick colors at your local drugstore chain or Ulta.
Right now I am pairing Fleshtone with NYX lip liner in Mahogany #890 and Wet-n-Wild's clear lipgloss in Reflection #311.

Although not part of the article, I wanted to mention it. On the nail lacquer front, Nicole by OPI has Kim-Pletely In Love. I learned about this particular shade of color on 15 Minute Beauty Fanatic's blog (www.15minutebeauty.com). Again, I found a lovely dupe. Check out Essie's Pink-A-Boo from their Resort Collection. Bear in mind, the opacity of both isn't great as they require 3 to 4 coats. However both have a beautiful soft shimmer to them. Oh well, what's one extra coat? To see Kim-Pletely In Love on 15 Minute Beauty's blog click here.  To see Essie's Pink-A-Boo, go to www.vampyvarnish.com (type pink-a-boo in the search box).

The retail price of Essie nail color is $8. Find Pink-A-Boo and other Essie nail products your local drugstore chain, beauty supply store, Sephora or Ulta. 



Until next time...stay beautiful!

2012 Makeup Artist Trade Shows - East Coast

For east coast makeup artists, the months of April and May are very exciting.  In April, IMATS (International Makeup Artists Trade Show) comes to New York City. The Makeup Show also held in New York City (its home base), takes place in May.

For its second consecutive year, IMATS rolled into New York City. During the weekend of April 14th and 15th, subscribers were able to meet YouTube sensations such as JulieG, Nikkie Tutorials, JeanFrancoisCD, Tatiana Ward (aka BeatFaceHoney) and Lauren (aka Queen of Blending) to name a few. Also in attendance were keynote speakers J. Roy Helland (Iron Lady); Kabuki (Sex and the City) and Bernadette Mazur (Men In Black III).     

Although I wasn't able to go this year, I did attended IMATS NY in 2011. My favorite part (besides the shopping), was the SFX Museum. It was amazing! Even a beauty artist like myself really appreciates the work done by special effects artists.

The Makeup Show NY 2012, now in its sixth year, will be held at the Metropolitan Pavilion May 13th & 14th. While IMATS attendees are a mixed group of professionals and non professionals, The Makeup Show is a pro only event. Personally, this is one of my favorite NY events!  

For information on The Makeup Show, please visit their website www.themakeupshow.com 

More Bang For My Buck!

I've noticed this year whenever I shop at Sephora, I try to leave with what I feel is a bargain.

Recently for the mere price of $36, I purchased "LORAC's Close Up: Real Life to Red Carpet Eye Tutorial".
This collection contains four full sized  products, a double-ended brush and an eye tutorial booklet.

Although I am a makeup artist, I certainly wasn't about to let the word "tutorial" stop me from adding this to my shopping basket. :)

Take a gander at what was in the box.


 Remember, these are FULL SIZE products.


* Behind The Scenes Eye Primer

* Starry-Eyed Baked Eyeshadow Trio in Movie Star

* Front of The Line Pro Eyeliner in Black

* Special Effects Mascara in Black

* Double-Ended Eyeshadow Brush (for blending  and smudging).

* An eye tutorial booklet (for those wanting to learn how to go from Real Life (day) to Red Carpet (night)).

P.S. The eye tutorial booklet's instructions are removable and will cling to your mirror.

                       

Another great find was Sephora's "Set for Summer" collection which I picked up a few weeks ago. The "Set for Summer" collection comes in a clear, orange trimmed Sephora cosmetic bag and contains nine full and travel sized products.

Below is a list of what's inside the collection.

* Sephora Eyeshadow in Choco Express #19
* Smashbox Lip Enhancing Gloss in Pop
* Smashbox Fusion Soft Lights in Dusk
* Too Faced Mini Peach Leopard Brightening & Perfecting Bronzer
* Sephora by OPI Nail Color in I'm Wired
* Fresh Sugar Rose Tinted Lip Treatment (sheer berry rose in pink case)
* Guerlain L'Or Radiance Concentrate with Pure Gold Make-Up Base
* Tarte Lights, Camera, Splashes! Mascara in Black
* Urban Decay All Nighter Long-Lasting Make-Up Setting Spray

The eyeshadow by Sephora and the Smashbox lip gloss are full sizes, the remaining items are mini / travel sized products.

Although summer is almost over, I must say this is my favorite collection from Sephora. The price tag of $39 made it even better!

The beauty consultant at the register informed me that I was entitled to a beauty perk based on the number of beauty insider points I'd accumulated. So, as I had over 500 points, I chose the

"Josie Maran Beauty Insider 500 Point Kit".  
 
Josie Maran Cosmetics is an earth-friendly beauty line This kit is great for argan oil lovers or for those like myself, whom are curious of its benefits and versatility.



  Here's what's inside:

* Argan Cleansing Oil
*Argan Hair Oil Serum
* GOGO Instant Natural Volume Argan Mascara (GOGO: Get One, Give One)
* Argan Natural Volume Lip Gloss in Precious
* 100% Pure Argan Oil Organic Moisturizer 

N.B.: Regarding Natural Volume, to plump the lips, there is a naturally occurring tripeptide. 


Until the blog, continue to enjoy the summer and...


Stay beautiful!