Lip Lacquer: YSL Rouge Pur Couture Vernis À Lèvres (Glossy Stain)

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Yves Saint Laurent’s Rouge Pur Couture Vernis À Lèvres (Glossy Stain) is a unique hybrid of a lip stain and gloss without the dryness of a stain and the stickiness of a gloss.

The Glossy Stain is available in 19 beautiful shades. The pigmentation is rich and true to color. One layer provides a perfect wash of color and two, reaches full opacity. It stains the lips for a long-lasting finish that will not transfer.

The doe-foot applicator makes for easy and precise application. The soft-slanted tip is controllable and accurate. The texture is a gel-like formula that feels comfortable, cooling and hydrating on the lips. The thick consistency plumps the lips and exudes incredible shine with absolutely no glitter or sparkly bits.

This is one of the most inventive lip products I have tried. It is like nail polish for the lips, lacquered and glossy. This is the type of product that you must branch-out and try an extraordinary shade. Skip the neutrals and go directly towards the bold and vibrant shades. My current favorite is #12 Corail Fauve – a pinky-coral shade that looks like sweet watermelon on the lips. However, I have my eye on the perfect red for fall –  #20 Rouge Enamel (Sephora Exclusive) as well as a bold orange – #8 Orange de Chine, my out-of-comfort-zone shade.

Tropical Inspiration: Aqua Eyes

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Bold, turquoise green eye makeup is a perfect summer look. Tropical inspiration from ocean blues and palm frawn greens will make any eye color pop. This color family come in all sorts of textures and consistencies, choose from metallic, shimmering or pastel shades.

Aqua eyes is great look for both day or night. Start with a vibrant turquoise or shimmering green powder or cream eyeshadow and apply all over the lid. Build for more color or leave for a sheer wash. If you don’t want color on the entire lid, try a simple liner. Draw a thin or thick line on the upper or lower eyelid. For true vibrancy, first line the eye with a white pencil and go over with your favorite kohl, liquid or gel liner. This will bring the color to life.

Brighter colors tend to have more pigment and last longer on the skin – so less is more. It’s easier to build color if more is needed,  but harder to remove color if you put too much on.

Here are a few of my favorite tropical-inspired products.

Dior ~ Croisette Edition: $60.00

NARS ~ Shimmer Eyeshadow in Tropic: $24.00

Make Up For Ever ~ Aqua Eyes in 7L – Turquoise: $18.00

Urban Decay ~ 24/7 Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner in Siren: $19.00

YSL ~ Mascara Volume Effet Faux Cils Waterproof in Majorelle Blue: $30.00

MAC ~ Fluidline in Waveline: $15.00

Maybelline ~ Eye Studio Color Tattoo 24HR Cream Gel Shadow in Tenacious Teal & Edgy Emerald: $6.99 (each)

Smashbox ~ Limitless 15 Hour Wear Cream Shadow: $19.00

Spring Trend: The Coral Lip

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Store-away winter reds and reach for a bright coral. One of Spring’s hottest trends, a coral lip is fresh, vibrant and instantly brightens your complexion.

Surprisingly, coral is a neutral tone, therefore, it looks good on everyone (warm or cool-toned). When selecting a shade that is right for you, the trick is to pick a shade that matches your undertones. If your skin has gold or yellow undertones, a peachier/orange coral will be most flattering. If you have pink undertones, choose a pink or red-based coral. Lastly, to keep the look modern and fresh, try to stay away from shimmers and frosts.

Embrace a coral lip with these six options:

NARS ~ Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil in Happy Days: $24.00

YSL ~ Rouge Volupté in Extreme Coral: $34.00

Make Up For Ever ~ Aqua Cream in Coral: $23.00

BECCA ~ Beach Tint in Guava: $23.00

Tom Ford ~ Lip Color in True Coral: $48.00

MAC ~ Tinted Lipglass in Sonoran Rain: $14.50

Magic Wand: BY TERRY Touche Veloutée

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Highlighting click pens are gaining more and more popularity. A hybrid of a concealer and illuminator, these products promise to create eight hours of sleep and bring instant radiance to the skin. The #1 seller in this particular category has always been YSL Touche Eclat.

Terry De Gunzberg, former Director of Makeup Creation at YSL, has her own cosmetics line, BY TERRY. In her years at YSL, she was the mastermind behind YSL’s international best seller Touche Eclat. However, De Gunzburg’s very own take on her wonder product, Touche Veloutée, is even better than the original.

Using soft focus pigments, Touche Veloutée is a nourishing botanical affair that both plumps and lifts the under eye. It’s light reflecting particles create true radiance and an instant pick-me-up. Suitable for use on all areas of the face, the texture is luxuriously creamy, smooth when dried, and completely seamless to blend.

*** Do not buy these products for concealer purposes. The coverage is extremely sheer – if there at all. Use primarily as a highlighter.

Terry De Gunzberg

 “By focusing on the rarest pigments and the purest active ingredients, I have uncovered the quintessence of perfect light. This has allowed me to create modern, precious makeup that harmonizes with the daily rhythms of your natural radiance. Favorite Tip: When you’ve finished doing your eye makeup, use the Touche Veloutée as a highlighter. This works especially well with the smoky eye look. Put a tiny dot under your brows and blend – it will help accentuate the brow bone.”

Cyber Monday Deals & Steals: Beauty

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If you avoided the hectic Black Friday stampede, take advantage of these Cyber Monday Beauty Deals & Steals.

Beauty.com : Spend $100 at Beauty.com and get an Erickson Beaman makeup case full of samples, plus free shipping.

Bliss: 20% off Bliss, Elemis and Laboratoire Remede products.

Butter London: 30% site wide discount until November 30th – Code: CELEBRATE11

Chantecaille: Free Les Macarons palette + free shipping with $150+ purchase with Code: SHOPCHIC  (11/25 through 11/28).

Clarisonic: All Clarisonic skincare pairs purchased between 11/25 through 11/29 will be 20% off.

Giorgio Armani: 20% off + free 2nd day shipping on $75+ orders with Code: GAHOLIDAY1 (expires 11/29).  20% off + free 2nd day shipping + 6 minis ($42 value) on $125+ orders with Code: GAHOLIDAY4 (valid 11/27 through 11/29).

Inglot USA:  15% off all online orders + free shipping.

Josie Maran: 25% off with Code: GIVEBACK

Kate Somerville: 30% off with Code: HOLIDAY2011

Kiehls: $20 off $65+ orders with Code: HOLIDAY, expires 11/31. Free shipping + deluxe trio of your choice on $30+ orders with Code: BIGTREAT, 11/28 only.

L’Occitane: $10 gift card with any $50+ purchase with Code: GIFT10

Origins: $10 off + free shipping on $25+ purchases with Code: TENOFF

shu uemura: 20% off with Code: WISH2011, 11/24 – 11/29, free shipping on $50+ orders.

Smashbox: 20% off with Code: SBXFF11

Somme Institute: 40% off all skincare site wide

SpaceNK — Spend $150 and enter Code: THANKS150 to receive a complimentary gift with 10 deluxe-sized samples.

Tarte:  $10 off purchases of $50, $20 off purchases of $75, $30 off purchases of $100 or more. A free gift with purchase with every order (customers will get to choose 1 of 5 items) – Free shipping on orders of $40 & up – Code: CYBER

YSL:  20% off + free shipping; spend $100+ get a free gift, with Code: MONDAY (11/28 through 11/30)