Beauty Contest: We Have a Winner

Unfortunately, I did not receive any creative photos that would qualify for the contest. I guess a contest of this type turned out to be a bit too specific and challenging. I did get a couple pictures which however appear to be just snapshots (see below). But at least there was some kind of effort beacause mostly I would receive just an address (thanks) to send the samples to.

However, I do have a winner! I have received a video clip made especially for this contest by Tanita. Even though Tanita’s work did not have strong competition in this contest, it is truly creative, high quality and deserves the prize and praise! It is a video expression of Tanita’s thoughts about Beauty… see it below and turn on the sound!

Being creative is Tanita’s passion. She writes poems and songs, makes videos, and designs her own clothes. And she has just started a blog called Tanita's creative art. Unfortunately, right now it is only in Russian. Good luck, Tanita, with your work!

Actually, I decided to leave this contest open, if anyone ever decides to send me a quality creative photo or even a clip about beauty/skin care, I will be very pleased! And I always have a nice selection of skin care samples to give away ;-)

Best Beauty: Glamour Germany Announces Best Beauty Products 2008

Glamour Germany announced best beauty products of 2008 in their winter-spring 2008 special Beauty Issue. Actually these products are nominees selected by magazines and the readers were offered to select a product of their choice! So, check it out.


Best of Luxury Skin Care (Face):
Multi Recharge, Biotherm – “Intensive energy kick for the skin”, contains ginseng and thermal plankton extracts
Idealist Pore Minimizing Skin Refinisher, Estee Lauder – serum reducing pores
Aquamilk, Lancaster – rich moisturizer with coconut-, rice-, palm-milk

The Winner as chosen by German Glamour readers is Multi Recharge, Biotherm

Best of Luxury Body Care:
Soin Complet Special Vergetures (Stretch Mark Control), Clarins – promises to help reduce appearance of stretch marks
Amour Crème Corps Tres Parfum (Pure Fragrance Body Cream), Kenzo - perfumed body moisturizer
Donna Karan Gold Cleansing Lotion, Donna Karan – perfumed douche lotion, smells of amber and lilies

The Winner as chosen by German Glamour readers is Soin Complet Special Vergetures (Stretch Mark Control), Clarins


Best of Luxury Make-up:
Best Foundation:
* Mat Lumiere, Chanel –this light fluid foundation helps to keep oily skin matte
* Teint Majeur, Yves Saint Laurent – a combination of a foundation and an anti-aging treatment
* Supermoisture Makeup, Clinique – lightweight moisturizing foundation

The Winner as chosen by German Glamour readers is Soin Mat Lumiere, Chanel

Best of Makeup for Lips:
* Eclat Minute (Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector), Clarins – gloss and lipcare in one
* Kiss Kiss Liplift, Guerlain – smoothing basis for a lipstick
* Full Potential Lips, Clinique – lips plumping gloss

The Winner as chosen by German Glamour readers is Full Potential Lips, Clinique

Best Make-up for Eyes:
* Diorshow Black Out, Dior
* Bad Gal Blue, Benefit – dark-blue mascara “makes eyes sparkle”
* Virtuose, Lancome – specially shaped brush ensures that each lash is reached

The Winner as chosen by German Glamour readers is Virtuose, Lancome

Best of Luxury Perfume
* ck IN2U, Calvin Klein
* Midnight Poison, Dior
* Infusion D’Iris, Prada

The Winner as chosen by German Glamour readers is Midnight Poison, Dior

The List of Best Beauty Buys Continued:
Best Hair-Care/Styling Products.

Beauty Trends: Lips in Pink Spring-Summer 2008

Pink lips are a classical color choice for a spring/summer season. This year it is really a popular lips color. A great selection of lip glosses and lipsticks is available in new spring 2008 makeup collections. I want one but really am torn between the options! So here is an overview of some of them.


For those who like glitter, there is Shiseido’s Spring Collection which includes various shades of pink shimmer lipstick.

Another new pink lipstick launched for spring/summer 2008 season is something special. Lancôme’s Color Fever Shine Lipstick in Pixel Pink was created by a fashion designer Thakoon and a celebrity makeup artist Gucci Westman. This lipstick in sheer raspberry shade was worn by the models at Thakoon’s Spring 2008 fashion show.

Guerlain’s new KISS KISS Stick Gloss Fleur de Feu is in “blazing” raspberry pink shade and is a combination of a lipstick and a lip gloss that promises “extreme shine”. For a selection of other fruity colors, check out Guerlain’s KISS KISS Stick Gloss - Extreme Shine Fruity Colours.

I discussed Dior’s floral pink look in my previous post. For lips "Bloom in Dior" use: Dior Addict Ultra-Gloss Reflect 457 (Pink Liberty) or Dior Addict Ultra-Gloss Reflect 127 (Beige Velvet)


If you are looking for lilac and purple shades, consider limited edition gloss in lilac from Clarins Spring Collection or Givenchy’s limited edition Rouge Interdit from their New DENIM GLAMOUR collection in 35 - Mauve Fetish, 36 - Stylish Purple. I was intrigued by the description at Givenchy’s site: Indigo pink, highlighted with white pearlescent particles, and sooty plum (a favorite), with pink pearlescent particles…. Notice the combined white pearlescent particles for MAUVE FETISH, that gives it a moist, sensual look and of pink pearlescent particles that light up STYLISH PURPLE...”

For more ideas about products you may use for create spring-summer 2008 makeup click here.

Beauty Trends: Makeup in Pink Spring-Summer 2008

There is quite a choice of spring 2008 makeup collections to do a look in pink.
New collections from Dior, Bobbi Brown, and Guerlain have great products for pink cheeks, pink lips and pink eyelids.

DIOR Spring-Summer 2008


Dior’s two new looks for Spring 2008 are in pastel pink/violet flower tones and are called “Bloom in Dior”.

Dior Spring 2008 Must-Have: Limited Edition Dior Flower Blossom-Floral Illuminating Powders for face. The powder contains five shades and can be used as a corrector/illuminator for complexion, blush and eye shadows.

Other products used for Dior’s Spring 2008 Look include:
Skin:
*Dior Powder Shimmer for a glowing skin
Eyes:
*5-color eye shadow palettes that are available
-with a more matte but silky finish – 5 Colors (check out Spring Bouquet 470 palette or choose for a more intense look Stylish Move)
-in a glittery “ultra-wet” texture - 5 Colors Iridescent in with a touch of violet (the palette name Pink May 909 speaks for itself)
-Diorshow Mascara
Lips:
*Dior Addict Ultra-Gloss Reflect 457 (Pink Liberty) or Dior Addict Ultra-Gloss Reflect 127 (Beige Velvet)
You can see more details and a video at Dior’s site.

GUERLAIN Spring-Summer 2008


For a more dramatic look you can use a new spring 2008 palette from Guerlain. Guerlain Spring 2008 collection includes:
*Limited Edition (see the photo):
- Ombre Eclat Fleur de Feu eyeshadow
- KISSKISS Stick Gloss Fleur de Feu (raspberry pink lipstick)

BOBBI BROWN Spring-Summer 2008



Bobbi Brown developed limited edition palettes in pink for two looks: Pink Raspberry look and Pink Satin Look for spring-summer 2008 (see photos)

*Pink Raspberry palette includes:
-Navajo and Fog Eye Shadows;
-Pink Raspberry Blush;
-Raspberry and Blue Raspberry Lip Sheers

*Pink Satin Collection includes:
- Metallic Palette with the latest velvety, shimmering shadows: Navajo Metallic Eye Shadow, Hot Stone Metallic Eye Shadow, Pink Ice Metallic Eye Shadow
- Lip Gloss Palette with three shimmer shades in pink: Spring Blossom Shimmer Lip Gloss, Posey Shimmer Lip Gloss, Pastel Ink Lip Gloss
- Mini Brush and Palette Case with three mini brushes: Blush, Eye Shadow, and Lip Brush (with protective cap).

For more ideas about products you may use for create spring-summer 2008 makeup click here.

Beauty Trends: Spring-Summer 2008 Look with New Spring Makeup Collections

There are several new and exciting makeup collections for spring-summer 2008 that you can use to get beautiful spring-summer looks.

Get the Look Inspired by Makeup at Dries Van Noten, Michael Kors, and Karl Lagerfeld Spring 2008 Shows: Spring and Exotic Colors

Clarins launched spring-summer collection 2008 called FIZZ. As I understand from the video on Clarins site (and the name), the inspiration for Clarins spring 2008 look came from soap bubbles :-) … you know, all the various colors you see reflected in a bubble… To me, however, colors of Clarins spring collection give an association with a yummy exotic fruit. Think… papayas, pine apples, melons and figs.
Clarins Spring 2008 eye shadows come in mono-packaging and include: Sunny Yellow, Sweet Melon, Gold Leaf, and Sweet Lilac. Actually only 2 colors appear to be new Sweet Lilac and Sunny Yellow. Just as Clarins promises, the shadows are ultra-smooth and blend beautifully.
Two new lip glosses that come in Clarins’ spring 2008 collection are Lilac and Toffee.
New Eyeliner: liquid eyeliner in Chocolate Brown
New Eye Pencil: Copper

With Clarins’ new makeup collection you can do looks inspired by Dries Van Noten, Michael Kors, and Karl Lagerfeld (in the latter case, colors will be completely different though, but the idea/style remains the same).
Clarins makeup seems to be a good fit to do Michael Kors look for spring 2008 (see the photo): Sweet Melon goes under an eye brow and Sweet Lilac- in the middle of an eyelid. The only thing missing is a blue eyeliner.

Tip: you can achieve tones of various intensity by layering Sunny Yellow, Sweet Melon, Gold Leaf. For example, for a more intense golden shade try layering Sunny Yellow and Golden Leaf!

Get the Look Inspired by Makeup Seen at Sonya Rykiel, YSL, Karl Lagerfeld Spring 2008 Shows: Add Some Glitter and Sparkle

The texture of Clarins eyeshadows is matte, so if you want to have a bit more metallic texture and some glitter, like makeup at Karl Lagerfeld’s and Sonya Rykiel’s shows, go for the gorgeous Shiseido’s spring-summer 2008 collection. I tried it out – it has wonderful sparkle! Not so intense as at Sonya Rykiel’s though.

Shiseido’s new collection colors are, in my opinion, beautiful. But again, just like Clarins’, Shiseido’s eye shadows come in mono-packaging.

Eye shadows have a moussey texture and come in the following colors: Languid Lagoon, Rose Tulle, Lemon Sugar, Clover Dew.

Four new Shiseido lipsticks are all in warm shades, shimmery, and not bright. Even though shimmering lips don’t seem to be extremely popular this season, colors are gorgeous and just classical: Cheerful Pink, Spring Violet, Pale Coral, Summer Sunset.

Another new Shiseido spring product is tinted powder Multi-Shade Enhancer:
*Terracota Glow for a bronzed skin look with golden shades for a golden glow.
*Sunset Glow for a warm summer pink tone.

With Shiseido collection, you can do a Karl Lagerfeld inspired look. For example,
try Languid Lagoon on the upper lid and Clover Dew or Rose Tulle on the lower. Also just a single color will look great. Single color eye is a hot trend this spring-summer.

For more about products you can use to create spring-summer 2008 looks click here.

Beauty Buzz: SPF 20 Bracelet

Nowadays it is hard to surprise a consumer with a 2-in-1 combination of an accessory and a beauty product. All the famous beauty brands regularly launch limited editions of necklaces or bracelets with eye shadows and lip glosses dangling from them or rings with glosses and lipsticks inside. The recent two-in-one ring is from Marc Jacobs – a “Daisy” ring with a solid perfume in it.

However, Piz Buin, Swiss sun care brand, did managed to surprise me with a bracelet. This time the product is not makeup and it is not hanging from a chain but is actually inside the bracelet. Piz Buin accessory is filled with sun protecting lotion SPF 20. It looks very plastic and comes in various colors to match any bikini. Despite the fact that bundles of multi-color bangles are a trend look for spring-summer 2008, I just cannot picture Pin Buiz accessory on my wrist. But I am looking forward to this product making it to the stores so that I can try it on and out.

Beauty Trend: Makeup Trends Spring-Summer 2008 - Skin

Very Natural and Matte

The trend for skin this season is a matte natural look, very often without any blush. So just stock up on blotting paper and matte powder for this season.

Pink Blulsh

If you like to use a blush, pink color is the trend for this season as seen at Valentino, Giles and Issey Miyake. I liked a tip I read at Elle UK March 2008: “For a flush of colour, mix a cream blusher with moisturizer and blend in the middle of the cheeks” – makeup artist Charlotte Tilbury.

Glowing Skin

While matte natural looking skin is in, there still were a lot of glowing skin looks at spring-summer shows. To create a sheen highlighter is applied to temples, nose and cheekbones as seen at Zac Posen, Georgio Armani, Mathew Williamson and other shows.

Beauty Trends: Makeup Trends Spring 2008 - Lips

In terms of color, there are two definite trends for lips this spring/summer: subtle pink and bold red.

As far as the texture goes, the trend is towards matte. As I read in Elle UK March 2008, there is an opinion that matte lips “look modern”.

THINK PINK

Pink shades are mostly very subtle and range from very natural sheer glossy pink that is hardly there to a richer (but not too bright) pink shade.

There is also an interesting look of porcelain pink lips which at times, look almost white.

BOLD REDS

This spring/summer you can feel free to experiment with different shades of red.
Various reds have been favored by makeup artists for spring/summer 2008:
* Warm reds as seen at Elie Saab
* Pillar box red as seen at Daks
* Orange red as seen at Bottega Veneta
* Neon red as seen at Temperley


*Special attention shoul be given to wine reds (see above) of matte and glossy textures as seen at Dolce & Gabbana and House of Holand

BLINDING NEON

Another trend that stood out was neon red or neon orange-red lips and even neon pink as seen at Louis Vuiton.

Makeup artists recommend this spring not to do nude lips but to make a bold statement with your lip color… unless you go with the pink trend, of course.

For ideas about some products you may use to create spring-summer 2008 looks click here.

Beauty Trends: Makeup Trends Spring 2008 - Eyes

All the recent beauty magazines are reporting what makeup trends are in for spring/summer 2008. On some looks they definitely agree, and on some they don’t. So I decided to take a closer look myself. In this post, I am looking at eye makeup trends. It seems that everyone agrees on white-silver-grey trend for this spring as well as shimmer golden colors. Other spring/summer looks seem to be inspired by either by classical spring colors (pastel green, blue, pink, violet) or an exotic garden/flower (bright yellow, orange, lime green and coral) as well as colours of the sea (various shades of blue, turquoise)

GOLDEN EYE SHADOWS - a Golden Goddess

Golden shimmer eye shadows have been featured in many-many shows (Zac
Posen, Versace, Bottega Veneta, YSL etc.).
Two looks stand out:
*using just one color golden (Bottega Veneta) or
*creating a glamorous smoky eye in golden-bronze shades (Versace).
I really lke the latter which looks glamorous and is ideal for an evening out!

Dsquared took “golden look” to another level and did a dramatic glamorous golden-black eye. I find this one absolutely beautiful and sexy but would never ever try it out or even dare to pull it off (well, at least not this season). Similar but less intense and less golden is Gucci’s makeup for spring 2008. This looks doable!

WHITE-SILVER-GREY EYE SHADOWS - an Ice Queen

I have no idea why icy eyes became a trend for spring/summer 2008. I personally am tired of the cold winter and am ready for the warm sun that will melt away any trace of cold! However I do find this look nice and easy to do. Once again, there are two looks in white and silver:
*first, more natural one-color for a day
and
*second, more intense (Chanel) or a smoky eye in silver-grey (Georgio Armani) for the nigh.
I especially like the smoky variant by Georgio Armany. Am not so fond of Chanel’s grey variant…

SPRING AND EXOTIC COLORS – a Spring Fairy or an Exotic Bird


Light pinks and violets, blue and various pastels make a great classic spring look for 2008. Note, blue eyeliner is a hot trend this season as seen at Narciso Rodrigues, Blugirl and Diane von Furstenberg.

An unexpected combination of two colours like blue and yellow-green (Karl Lagerfeld) or green and bright coral (Ashley Isham) creates an association with an exotic flower or an exotic bird.

SHIMMER AND GLITTER - a Sparkling Star


Metalic eyeshadows, shimmer and glitter are also (unseasonally) popular this spring/summer 2008. Colours: silver, violet, purple, golden, pink, green.

For ideas about some products you may use to create spring-summer 2008 looks click here.