The Year In Beauty: These Are My Favorite Things, Part 3

Welcome back. And here we have part three of my and Beauty Blogging Junkie's Amber's favorite beauty products of 2010. I don't think my cat makes a cameo in this video, but you will see a lot of wine!

The products I love in this video include Topshop's big, fat Lip Crayon -- I truly thought I couldn't do a big, bright hot pink, but it works in Topshop's matte -- Urban Decay's spectacular Naked Palette, which is a celebrations of beachy browns and golds, Sulwahsoo Concentrated Ginsing Cream, which costs a small fortune but is worth every stress-inducing dollar you'd part with for insanely hydrated skin, Honore de Pres Va A New York perfume, which smells like the end of a long night out in New York, Burberry's Effortless Mascara, and Maybelline's Volum Express The Falsies mascara.

Amber's beauty BFFs are Stila Smudge Pot in Kitten, La Prairie Advanced Marine Biology Tonic, Juliette Has a Gun Fragrance Set (Lady Vengeance), Napoleon Perdis Lipstick in Calypso, La Prairie Anti Aging Eye Cream SPF 15 and Alterna Kendi Oil.

Again, my outfit ended up being an exercise in what NOT to wear on TV. But speaking of TV, I'm going to be on VH1's Top 40 Music Videos of 2010 Countdown show tonight, so hopefully I will be exonerated. And the lady who did my makeup did ELTON JOHN'S makeup for years. No, she did not make me look like Elton. Oh well. There's always next year.

($44, Urban Decay)

The Year In Beauty: These Are My Favorite Things, Part 2

Yesterday Beauty Blogging Junkie's Amber and I "unveiled" -- because OBVIOUSLY you were unable to sleep due to the overwhelming suspense -- our favorite beauty products of 2010. And now here is part two for your bemusement. Get it? Because "bemusement" sounds like "beauty" a little!

The products I was all in a tizzy about are: Stila Raspberry Crush lipstain, Clarins' new Barocco holiday eyeshadow trio, and Deborah Lippmann Bad Romance polish. (Check out Matthew Siskin's awesome Gaga graphic that ran with my Naag review of the polish!)

Meanwhile, Amber reviewed Paul and Joe's palette, Chanel nail polish in Riva, and Carmindy All Over Brightener.

(Credit: Matthew Siskin/ Designed Memory for Naag.com)

Budget Binge Beauty Buy: Tropez Sunrise to Sunset Eyeshadow Palette In Olive Oasis

Drugstore beauty. Let's discuss: People, there is NOTHING wrong with buying your beauty products from the same place you buy your toilet bowl cleaner and tampons. I'm not saying you need to buy ALL of it there, or that you shouldn't save and splurge on a few must-have top-shelf items (like Armani's Face Fabric foundation or Napoleon Perdis Madame Curl Curl mascara) but you'd be straight foolin' not to test out similar shades in less expensive versions of the stuff you might want to upgrade to at Sephora. What I'm saying is, why pay $18 for a shade of shadow that looks LE HORBS on you when you could've just spent $2.79 on something AND possibly loved it just as much.

But obviously a lot of you guys know that since a.) you're smart shoppers, and b.) Duane Reade is in the black.

So, here's another on-the-cheap, less-is-more Binge-approved beauty buy I recently discovered and lurves: Tropez's Sunrise to Sunset eyeshadow palette in Olive Oasis!

(Tropez, $3.99, Walgreens)

I tried Olive Oasis just this morning, and seriously, not even lying, I like it just as much as the MAC and Prescriptives eyeshadows I usually use. It's richly pigmented, no skimpiness, lots of pop, and per this report, it stays on all day. And, one of the things I liked best -- there was almost no all-over-the-place residue, which is almost unheard of with luminescent glittery shadows. It's sold out on Walgreens.com, but here's where you can find Tropez products (lotsa drugstores and stuff.)

Anyway, there are three other Tropez palettes, each with six shadows, and at $4 each, you could easily try them all -- and still have cash left over for Charmin. Yay!

marimekko for AVON: Art For Your Face!

Finnish fabric designers marimekko (remember when they did that line with H&M?) lent their dreamy poppies to Avon. The result? Four palettes -- two all-over palettes and two eye shadow palettes in rosy mauves, pinks, purples, and blues. They're almost too perfectly pretty to use. Best part: they're recession-friendly at just $10 each! Affordable art for your already-pretty-as-a-flower face!

FashionBinge Beauty Dupe: MAC's Manish Arora Eyeshadow Versus Pop Beauty's Lid Neon

Every piece of MAC's new truly, truly, truly outrageously, brilliantly bright new Manish Arora collection sold out in a hot siggity second. A shame, sure, but most everything looked pretty much like Fafi and Heatherette ('specially the lipsticks and glosses) anyway, which just means they'll parlay these colors into a future collection faster than you can say "Layin' Low."

($38, MAC)

BUT, if you're tippin' toxic for the sold-out eyeshadow six-some, which is quite pretty, take a looksie daisy at Pop Beauty's Lid Neon palette:

($22, Pop Beauty, Sephora)

You don't get the bejeweled packaging or the muted yellow that MAC packs, but you do save $16. Which doesn't go far these days but doesn't mean you shouldn't still save! Even if it's just for Pop Beauty's amazing nail polish, whenever the hell it finally launches in the States!

Stila's Three New Talking Eye Palettes

HEY LAYYYYDEEEEZE!

Stila just announced the launch of three brand-new talking eye palettes, which I've displayed in order of my desire. I love the Complete Night to Day Look palette because it's got lip color too, and the middle one -- The Sapphires smokey eye palette -- looks beauts, but would it looks fearful with my already blue eyes? I don't know.



The Stila talking eye palettes are $40, and they really do have an actually little mini person in there who guides you through each step of creating a smoky eye. That said, despite Stila's best efforts and intentions, I STILL can't pull off this look without ending up looking like I stayed up for two weeks straight and then got punched in both eyes. Who, oh who, can show me the light?


Quasi-relevant video: The Real McCoy, "Another Night." (Get it? I "talk talk"? GET it?)

• The Real McCoy
• New Music

Beauty Wishlist: Laura Geller's Lip-Shaped "Must Haves" Pouch + My Own Private Home Shopping Network!

($35, Laura Geller, Sephora)

Inspired by my Lindsay Lohan Lips belt post (yes, I realize how OBnXs that sounds -- inspired by "my awesome self!") -- oh yeah, and THANK you to the anon commenter who clued me in to the fact that that lips belt is probably Fornarina -- I now REALLY want this Laura Geller "Must Haves" kit because it comes in a presh lips pouch. Actually, I'd really rather just have the pouch, but that ain't the way the world works, is it?

The $35 kit comes with Spackle Under Makeup Primer, Lip Spackle, and Bronze-N-Brighten baked powder, again, in the cuters red, lip-shaped pouch. But like I said, I mainly just want the lips pouch.

And speaking of Laura Geller, I tried out her Eyeshadow Duo in Caramel Latte, and I weeeeealllly want. Must say, it looked gorgeous on my pasty-ass self. But I restrained myself so I could pay for more important stuff, like rent! But it's on my beauty wishlist:

($15, Laura Geller, Dermstore.com)

You can't really tell from the photo, but this duo is full of beautiful, glimmering speckles and sparkles. But not in the candy raver way, which is good.

Okay, so just like I try to save money by going "Windows" shopping -- my version of window shopping -- I've been trying to rediscover stuff I forgot I owned. In this case, I was looking through my Etsy jewelry shop (ahem!) and realized that for some UNGODLY reason, no one had bought my awesome vintage lips necklace. Sucks for everyone else! I reclaimed it and have been happily wearing it for the low, low price of ZERO!
Hooray for "Home Shopping!" Though of course, if anyone wants to do some REAL jewelry shopping for cute repurposed vintage jewelry made BY me, well then you feel free, and I'll be buying that Laura Geller eyeshadow duo, I sure will you betcha, geegarsh, by golly, can I call ya Joe!? Winky dinky!

Cute Spring Things + Rogan For Target

Springy things you should buy... some of which I have bought!

($115, Casch Copenhagen, ActiveEndeavors.com)

Sporty but femme but not SUPER boring either. Wee!

($69, Shoes for Lovely People, Modcloth.com)

If these Shoes For Lovely People flats from my beloved Mod Cloth aren't the absolute embodiment of spring, then I certain just do not know what is.

($34, Steve Madden)

Bought these Steve Madden "Skiip" cut out flats on super sale in-store the other day. Also got them in black. Since I'm vehemently opposed to flip-flops and most sandals, these will make a great alternative and a nice change of pace to when I get temporarily sick of ballet flats.

($40, Stila, Sephora)

True, the topic is SPRING products, and this is Stila's Summer Eye Shadow Palette, but I can't help getting ahead of myself when faced with the "Sun" shade -- the peachy one at the far right. NEED!!!

($11, I'm Your Present, Etsy)

Girlie-kitsch Etsy seller I'm Your Present always has the raddest shit ever, like these vintage unicorn earrings. And if they're all sold out, it's because I just bought this pair from her the other week, and they're even better in real life. So, sorry suckahs! But do check out her other stuff too.

($44.99, Rogan for Target)

Ooh, so I went to the Rogan for Target media event at Barney's the other night. Like the collaboration itself, it was... weird. I mean... it's Target stuff... at Barney's... (more on that weirdness at WWD), and aside from the few animal graphic t-shirts that looked like H&M fare
and other animal print stuff that I didn't love, there were some good, basic safari-style pieces, and some simple yet sophisticated bits, like the plaid linen jumper above. I didn't get that, but I did get the plaid linen top:

($26, Rogan for Target)

Oh, and I saw Gregory Rogan at the event. He was cute. Fashionindie has an interview with him. And I saw Waris Ahluwalia and Simon Doonan, who could fit in the above model's pocket. And Diane Kruger, who's very goddesslike, if she's your idea of a goddess. Some other famous, skinny, and famous and skinny people who I didn't recognize were there too.

The eco-friendly collection hits almost all Target stores May 18. Go stock up on the loose, highly layerable tanks, like so:

Pop Beauty Nail Polish Coming to the States!

($13, Asos.com)

Yes, $13 is, to me at least, an absurd amount of money to pay for one bottle of nail polish, and that's what I thought too when I paid almost exactly that while at the Oxford Circus Top Shop over the holidays. But $20 is a lot to pay for nail polish too, and laydeez be plunkin' that down for Chanel nail polish like it's their Goddamn vocation!

So after spending 13 bones on UK line Pop Beauty's nail polish in turquoise, shown above, and trying it out, I did a little happy dance of superficiality and beauty products around my hotel room, because this is, (hands and nails) down, the best nail polish I've ever used. It's strong, thick (in the good way), absolutely opaque and barely chips even after days. It ends up looking more like paint than polish -- zero streaks, lumps, bubbles or squeaks.

And while you can buy Pop Beauty cosmetics at Sephora here in the States, they don't have their nail polish here - BOOO - however, I recently read that they're about to bring the polishes here too -- YAY! Step on it, Pop! I've got more superficial nail polish dances to do!


Want:

And...

Also want:

($42, Pop Beauty, Sephora)

A treasure trove of 24 eye shadows in a cute silver palette!