Shiseido Spring 2012 Looks by Dick Page

There are three Shiseido looks for Spring 2012 - all by the master artist Dick Page, and all gorgeous. Deep Metallic, Cool Pinks, and Electric Blue all offer something special. At least one element (or more) of each look appeals to me.

Dick Page calls the Deep Metallic look, shown above, a fun, rich, monochrome look with warm, deep metallic detail on both lips and eyes. To create the look, start with Luminizing Satin Face Color in your own shade across the cheeks. Page used Orchid (RD401) on the model, along with High Beam White (WT905) just under the cheekbone. Shimmering Cream Eye Color in Techno Gold (GD803) the new Sunshower (OR313) were blended seamlessly on the eyelid and inner corner. The upper lash line was defined with Sable (BR709) using a fine brush.

The model's warm, rich lips were created with the new Butterscotch (BR317) Shimmering Rouge. The lashes were the finishing touch in the new Perfect Mascara Full Definition in Black. I would love to recreate this look on my own face.

The Cool Pinks look is one I'd have to duplicate selectively. While it looks gorgeous on the model, those pink eyes would make me look like an albino bunny. Page described the look as "A fun, fresh, luminous makeup. Cool pinks on the eyes and lips, lit up by white highlights."

The base for the look was Luminizing Satin Face Color in Carnation (PK304). As with the Deep Metallic look, High Beam White (WT905) was used just under the cheekbone. Shimmering Cream Eye Colors were layered, starting with the new Pale Shell (PK314) on the upper eyelid and crease, with Magnolia (PK302) applied deep in the crease, and the Shimmery Mist (WT901) applied up to the brow bones and in the inner corners.

The new Sorbet (PK315) Shimmering Rouge adorns the lips. Of course, the new Perfect Mascara Full Definition in Black was used to finish the look.

The Electric Blues look is a "fun, elegant take on a classic combination of pink and blue." The "blue is light and clear, the pink is deepened to lustrous violet," according to Page.

For this look, Page used Luminizing Satin Face Color in Tea Rose (RS302) in an oval shape across the cheeks. The cheekbones were highlighted with Soft Beam Gold (BE206). The model's eyes were decorated with Shimmering Cream Eye Color in Ice (BL215) on the upper lid up to the crease and on the lower lash line. Angel (BL711) was used on the upper and lower lash lines, as well as on the corner of the eyes in a crescent shape. Her eyes were completed with Perfect Mascara Full Definition in Black.

The divine lip color is Shimmering Rouge in a new shade, Venus (RS619). A lip liner was used for additional definition.

What do you think? You can find all of the new products at Shiseido's Web site, where shipping is free with a purchase of $50 or more. You can also find the colors - new and "old" at Sephora. I've put my wish list together.

Photos courtesy of Shiseido

Fresh - Feel Good Beauty

I'll bet many of you know Fresh primarily for the Sugar Lip Treatment SPF 15 ($22.50). Often featured at Sephora, this iconic lip conditioner, along with the rest of the Sugar Collection, put Fresh on the beauty world's map in 1997. Fresh founders Lev Glazman and Alina Roytberg were inspired to use sugar as a natural ingredient in their formulas by childhood memories of their grandmothers using it as a natural antiseptic to heal cuts. As they say, the rest is history. Fresh's Sugar Collection remains a pillar of the brand today. To know Sugar is to love it, but a failure to explore the rest of Fresh is an oversight you need to correct!

Did you know that the White House has had a Fresh gift closet since Bill Clinton was president? Special visitors of the president and first lady are given Fresh presents! Presidents George Bush and Barak Obama have continued the tradition, treating their guests to the ultimate in American luxury. Now I want an invitation to the White House!

I didn't know that Fresh did the skin care and makeup for Chelsea Clinton's wedding. A team of Fresh beauty masters, including Jawn, prepared Chelsea and the whole party (groom, bridesmaids, mothers, fathers, relatives - everyone) for the big event. No wonder Chelsea glowed!

For years, I've had a habit of stopping to see what was new in Fresh land each time I visited a Sephora or the Fresh counter at Neiman Marcus. My favorite counter at Neiman Marcus is now a large display on what seems like floor-to-ceiling metal and glass shelves, making all of the testers accessible for customers to touch, feel, and smell. On Thursday, Neiman Marcus at Tysons Galleria had a Fresh event, and Alison Kauffman, the store's Product Specialist, was joined by Jawn Marques, Creative Director for the company, and Alyson O'Brien, the Fresh Account Executive for our region. By the time I arrived, they had already had a long day, but they were "fresh" and fun, making sure customers with and without appointments got a mini-facial and color application. They had a whole team with them, and everyone was warm and welcoming.

I thought this was a cute photo of the adorable Alyson and Jawn, posing in front of the Fresh display. You can't see all the customers, but they were scattered around the Fresh area, all loving their sessions - and looking pretty.

I had been watching Jawn complete a customer's skin care and makeup, and she glowed. I didn't hesitate for a second to jump into his chair when my turn came. I had been eager to try Crème Ancienne, Fresh's couture anti-aging formula, handmade in a monastery, and I wanted to see what other products Jawn would select for me. I enjoyed every minute of my pampering session, which included a short hand massage that was too short (I think the next time my blood pressure starts to rise at work, I need to pop next door to the spa for a hand massage).

Off came my makeup with Soy Face Cleanser ($38), a unique, multifunctional formula that is ideal for all skin types. The ultra-gentle face wash contains nourishing amino acids, rich soy proteins, and soothing botanicals to hydrate, calm, and tone. It's one of Fresh's best sellers.

Jawn exfoliated my skin with Sugar Face Polish, which leaves the complexion extremely bright and radiant with just one use. The innovative formula is enriched with revitalizing brown sugar and antioxidant-rich wild strawberries, which work together to gently dissolve dead skin cells. The nourishing blend also has meadowfoam seed, plum, mango, and macadamia oils to intensely condition and moisturize the skin. It's so gentle, you can use it every day, and it has a marvelous fruity scent. What was interesting to me was that it didn't leave any gunk on my face, as one would expect from an exfoliating product applied in a department store. I couldn't hang my face over a sink and rinse thoroughly.

When it was time for the Crème Ancienne, Jawn applied the Eye Cream ($95) and the Elixer Ancien ($250). There is a video at Fresh's Web site where you can learn the magical story of the Crème Ancienne Collection. Only two drops of the Elixer, a precious, anti-aging face treatment oil, were needed to make my skin glow. I mean seriously glow. The key ingredients tell the story.

• Seabuckthorn oil - an antioxidant enriched with high amounts of omega-7 fatty acids that enhance cell regeneration
• Skin-firming amino acids - derived from palm trees to lift, tone, and firm the skin
• Comminphora extract - an age-reversing resin that plumps and visibly reduces fine lines and wrinkles

I loved the look and feel of the Elixer Ancien and decided on the spot that I had to have it. Apparently, so did a lot of customers because Alison had to "Option 7" it for me, meaning it is being sent from another Neiman Marcus. I want it now!

Skipping forward a bit, Jawn then applied my makeup. He used one of my regulars, Armani's Luminous Silk Foundation, to even out my skin tone, and then he applied Fresh color to my eyes, cheeks, and lips. I loved it all - and bought new Fresh color: an eye palette and a Sugar Lip Gloss in Sugar Desire ($18), a deep burgundy. I already have Fresh Sugar Plum Lip Tinted Treatment SPF 15 ($22.50) - love it! If you haven't tried one of the Fresh Lip Treatments, you must. The combination of the light plum treatment and the punchy lip gloss was all I needed to look natural, but polished.

I also purchased the Rice Dry Oil ($48), which I had picked out earlier in the week. I was smart enough to predict that it would sell out that day. With the scent of toning camellia and grapefruit, deepened by luscious bourgeon de cassis, ripening into a fruity, earthy essence, the dry oil will probably be addictive.

There's more to tell. I was there for over an hour, enjoying every minute of my time with Jawn and Alyson. I'll feature my Fresh goodies over the coming weeks. I love everything about Fresh: the innovative natural ingredients, the indulgence and sensory pleasures of using Fresh's products, and the purity of their formulas. Fresh offers skin care, fragrance, soaps, makeup, candles, and more. It's a one-stop shopping beauty company.

My friends always say it's hard to buy gifts for me - the gal who buys what she wants. It's really quite simple. Just buy something Fresh! If you buy Fresh gifts for your friends, you might even get a little sample for yourself too. Everyone will be happy!

Photos by Fresh and BTiB

Le Métier de Beauté Magic Lustre Creme

In my new quest for everything Le Métier de Beauté, I purchased Magic Lustre Creme ($24) at Neiman Marcus. Now I know what to do with all those mineral/loose powders and M∙A∙C Pigments! Magic Lustre Creme turns them into cream products. I am seriously impressed.

Much like modern alchemy, Magic Lustre Creme can create an exceptional range of possibilities using powder eye shadows and blushes. Ordinary shadow can become cream shadow, eyeliner, cheek color, or even a lip stain. All those messy pigments? Just mix with Magic Lustre Creme, and you've got a cream eye shadow or highlighter! Want a cream texture for your favorite powder blush? Mix in Magic Lustre Creme. You can even use it alone if you want; lightly tap some of the creme on your cheeks to add a dewy glow or onto your eyelids to create a glossy look - just like those models you see on the runway!

I grabbed two M∙A∙C products to show you how it transformed them: Lithe Pigment from Leopard Luxe (a loose powder) and Stereo Rose Mineralize Skin Finish (a pressed powder). I mixed them with Magic Lustre Creme on my arm. You can see the results at left. Both shades became creams, but with a huge difference. Mixed with Magic Lustre Creme, they are vibrant, lively - significantly more colorful than they are when applied as powders. Take a look back at my swatch of Lithe applied on bare skin. You could hardly see it! With a little magic, it's intensely gorgeous. Now take a look at Stereo Rose when applied as a powder. Nice, but not exceptional, right? Here it pops! Not only did these shades morph into creams, they gained an extraordinary intensity.

At right, there's a photo I took out of the direct sunlight. The shades are just as intense. That's why I am a little surprised that Magic Lustre Creme is described as turning powders into sheer stains and glosses for lips, cheeks, and eyes. I could have dialed down the intensity had I worked harder to blend them, but I was so pleased with the results of "moderate blending," that I didn't want to spoil my fun.

Magic Lustre Creme is a thick, gooey glaze that's enriched with vitamin E, so it has some "healthy skin" properties to impart while it's performing its magic. Don't be put off if a store representative tells you that Magic Lustre Creme is for makeup artists. We are all makeup artists at heart!

I just discovered that Gaia wrote it up yesterday. Hop over to The Non-Blonde to see what she thinks of the wizardry!

Don't forget the Neiman Marcus Mazza Gallerie special offer for my readers. You can call Mazza and place an order. Just mention Best Things in Beauty, and you will receive some extra goodies and be entered into a contest to win a $500 beauty shopping spree. How can you resist? Find out how it works at this link.

Photo at top courtesy of Neiman Marcus

Maybelline Face Makeover in Fit Me

I read in WWD this week that Maybelline New York aims to change the way women buy makeup for their faces, particularly how they shop for it at drugstores.

Maybelline’s most recent success, Instant Age Rewind The Eraser, has given the company a foundation (no pun intended) upon which to build on its face makeup business and lure the entry-level face makeup wearer, as well as the more established foundation consumer.

With Fit Me, a four-product face line, Maybelline plans to offer a newer take on the “shade-true” category, starting with four products: foundation, powder, concealer and blush. Three bronzers will help complete a finished look.

While Maybelline executives acknowledge Fit Me isn’t the first face regimen to include all of these items, their point of differentiation is that Fit Me links the various items together so the consumer will shop for her face as a complete regimen.

“For us, Maybelline already has a solid face business, but we needed to recognize the shade-true segment of foundation. Our research tells us that women want ‘the right shade for me,’ and it ‘needs to look natural on my skin.' That was a big finding - and the inspiration for the Fit Me launch,” Ali Goldstein, vice president of U.S. marketing for Maybelline New York told WWD. [slightly edited quote]

Items in Fit Me will use “skin merge technology,” a patented formula that aims to match skin tone and blend quickly. Fit Me foundation will have an SPF 18 and use pigments that are grounded and refined before being added to a translucent base to allow for skin shade replication. The foundation will have a number featured prominently on its packaging so a customer will know immediately which corresponding shade of powder will match her skin, simply by using the same number. The powders will use a creamy pigment technology, and both the foundation and powder will be available in 18 shades and retail for $7.99. The concealer will be available in six shades, while the blush will come in 12. The concealers will sell for $6.49, and the blush and bronzers will sell for $5.51. Does $5.51 strike you as an odd price? Could this possibly be correct?

Maybelline spokesmodel Lisalla Montenegro will be featured in Fit Me ads, along with other models filmed during various times of their days, giving the advertisements a documentary feel. Their Fit Me shade numbers will be revealed at the end of each spot.

I love my Maybelline mascara. I use Define-A-Lash, not the iconic Great Lash, which is inferior to Define-A-Lash in my humble opinion. I have purchased Maybelline foundations and blushers, but they have never "grabbed me." I'm looking forward to trying Fit Me. I love new discoveries, especially when they are inexpensive.

Photo and all credit for this news goes to WWD