Remember when I was obsessed with finding Yves Klein blue nail polish? And every polish I tried wasn’t QUITE right? Leave it to Rescue Beauty Lounge and their new “Fan Collection” to make me the blue of my dreams. I just borrowed the $20 from my mom to pre-order it.
A few more items that have made their way onto my beauty wishlist.
Kerastase Elixir Ultime - When I went brunette last winter, I bit the bullet and bought a bottle of this (it’s about $50) blend of three oils to help nourish my hair. I’ve been using it steadily since going back to blonde - and I went PLATINUM blonde, which is way more harsh to your hair. I’m not sure that it’s working miracles, but my bottle is almost gone and I’m kind of afraid what my hair’s going to do without it. It smells good too; not as good as Moroccan Oil, but that dried my hair out. Santa could slip this in my stocking … or a bottle or two of the It’s a 10 leave-in.
Rescue Beauty Lounge polish - This is the best nail polish ever, bar none. It’s $18 a pop, which is kind of nuts, but I’ve been lucky enough to score them during the yearly 50% off VIP events. (I used to skip class for it, I was that dedicated.) Chinoise is my favorite red polish of all time; I wish it came in coordinating lipstick. But there wasn’t a big sale this year, so I’m forced to add a few to my Xmas list. I got my mom into RBL too - the only polish she’ll ever wear is their Coral and she’s getting two bottles from me this Christmas. This year, Santa/Mommy, I’d like Grunge, Bruised and Opaque Nude.
Arcona “Problem Skin” Five - Arcona is skincare you dream of and yearn for. Mommy bought me the five-step “problem skin” set on Black Friday, when the whole kit & caboodle went 40% off. It’s still expensive, but I’ve used it for two days and honestly, 100% honestly, I am madly in love. The Cranberry Gommage scrub alone is worth its weight in gold. I feel like a whole new girl when I use it. Detailed review to come after a few weeks.
Diptyque Tubereuse candle - Merry Christmas to me, from me! I bought the $28 mini at Nordstrom. Diptyque, Voluspa, Illume - I love me a fancy candle.
Confession: I already own most of this because, well, I’m a junkie.
MAC “MAC Me Over” lipstick in Runaway Red - ALL over the fall runways. My anticipation was such that I couldn’t wait to buy it and bothered my girl Masha about it each time I stopped by her Nordstrom counter. It looks a little different than the pictures I saw, but I like the dark raspberry red anyway. Another red obsession is Estee Lauder’s (I know!) Pure Color Matte lipstick in Red Velvet, a perfect retro red.
Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Black Cherry/Violent Frenzy - As you know, I am a red lipstick girl through and through. But for fall, I’ve been romancing the idea of toying with a darker wine shade once in awhile. I grabbed Black Cherry on a whim and though it’s a little darker than I wanted (you can’t swatch Revlons on your hand at Target, much to my chagrin) and not appropriate for work, I’m excited to play with it. Violet Frenzy isn’t out yet; it’s part of Gucci Westman’s Fall 2011 Revlon collection inspired by classical painters. I just know it’s going to be beautiful.
Chanel Le Vernis Peridot & Graphite; NARS Night Series polish - Give me glitter and shimmer for my fall nails, please. As Maritza said, Peridot is capitvating. It’s different in every light. You see, the problem with Chanel polishes is that they get so much hype that perhaps that hype makes us want to buy them … and I was a little disappointed with some I’ve given in to. But I love Graphite and Peridot and will actually wear them both more than once. NARS Night Breed is like its accompanying shadow: black with chunky, multi-sized silver glitter … I purchased Night Breed and the blue Night Flight. (I also like OPI’s I Brake for Manicures and Road House Blues and Sally Hansen’s Plum’s the Word for fall.)
NARS Eyeshadow in Outremer/CoverGirl Liquiline Blast in Blue Boom - Yves Klein blue in a matte eyeshadow from NARS and a smooth-flowing, incredibly long-lasting eyeliner from CoverGirl. Thanks for taking the reins there, Pat McGrath. I use Outremer as a liner too, though perhaps I’ll get adventurous and wear it as shadow sometime soon.
BeneFit They’re Real Mascara/Lancome Hypnose Doll Lashes mascara - When Maritza was doing my makeup one day at the BeneFit counter, she exclaimed at the length of my lower lashes. I guess I’d never noticed that they are indeed super-long. As a mascara adventurer, I tried BeneFit’s new wonder with a healthy dose of skepticism and liked it so much that my mom swiped it. Lancome’s new Doll Lashes is supposed to be equally great for long, Twiggy-style lashes (just the way I like them); Kimmy K used it on her ballyhooed wedding day.
Estee Lauder Pure Color Matte lipstick in Red Velvet - Matte lipstick is my FAVORITE lipstick texture. OBSESSED over this perfect retro red and hunted high and low for it til I secured the last tube at Nordstrom. Divine.
Prada Candy or Cartier Baiser Vole - Besides lipstick and nail polish, perfume is my other vice. I expected to hate Prada’s cheeky new fragrance, Candy, and found it a little too similar to Britney Spears’ awful Fantasy at first sniff. But then, after letting it settle for an hour or two, it begins to smell kinda dirty/sweet/sexy. And I like that. Cartier’s Baiser Vole (stolen kiss) is all lily - expected to hate it and kind of did at first whiff, but then it was love. But it’s $100, so Cartier and I will have to continue our romance from afar.
Maritza and I talk makeup/skincare/beauty a lot; our phones are always cheeping with texts about Chanel and mascara. She works in the industry and I, well, I keep the industry afloat. She asked if I’d been compiling my fall beauty wishlist and I said, “Duh, I’ve already bought it all!” Here’s hers!
1). Chanel Peridot le Vernis. I first saw this nail color a few months ago and immediately fell in love. It’s such an unexpected green-gold and when the metallic hits the light, it’s truly spectacular. I never thought I could love a nail color as much as I love peridot. For this fall, it’s the new black.
2). YSL The Black Collection eyeliner pen. A perfect pen for a precise cat eye or a dramatic smoky eye.
3). Laura Mercier creme lip color in Bing Cherry: Brick red is the THE color of the Fall 2011 runway. I love this particular formula, because there is no shimmer, just shine. With flattering pink-and-brown undertones, it will look great on every woman.
For night: YSL Rouge Volupte Perle No. 106 (purple)
4). Smashbox Photo Finish Hydrating Foundation Primer. Nobody does primer like Smashbox. I’m substituting my classic Photo Finish for the new hydrating version during fall/winter months. After just one use, my face felt smooth and moisturized without feeling heavy underneath my foundation. Hands down, this is one of the best products of the season.
5). NARS Illuminator in Copacabana. Because of the deep lipsticks, shadows and nail polishes I will be sporting, I want to keep my face as illuminated and light as possible. I plan on using this highlighter as a very light and natural blush.
6). Malin + Goetz lip moisturizer. I was on a mission to find the most effective lip treatment after a recent bout of extreme dry lips! After a dozen or so failed attempts, I turned to beauty expert Kara Nesvig and she had the answer in Malin + Goetz. Voila! My lips are supple and smooth and I’m never leaving home without this!
7). Cleanser 27 by M.E. SkinLab. Cleanser 27 is an oil-rich wax with the texture of a skin butter (scary, right?!) that transforms into a foamy emulsion when it comes into contact with water. It promises to soften, moisturize and brighten the skin, without stripping it of natural and very essential oils. When I first read about this, I was skeptical it would be right for me, but after reading endorsements by colete (http://www.colette.fr/) and Woodley & Bunny (http://woodleyandbunny.com/), I am dying to try this cleanser during the harsh, dry Minnesota winter.
8). Philosophy the microdelivery: mini peel pads. Simply the best at-home way to exfoliate your dry skin and rid your face of dullness. I like these because they are gentle and also work well on the neck and arms.
9). Kiehl’s Rosewater Facial Freshener-Toner: No matter the season, rosewater is a must in my skincare routine. It soothes and calms the skin, while providing aroma therapeutic benefits. Kiehl’s puts actual rose petals in the bottle, which provides an aesthetic appeal. Tip: I like to chill rosewater in the fridge and spritz it on my face in the morning for instant perkiness!
Spa trip:
10). Spa getaway: I’m headed to Ruby Room in Chicago (http://www.rubyroom.com/) for an ultra-indulgent birthday present to myself. I plan on getting an Arcona facial (my first ever!), an enerssage with cupping and the pumpkin hand and foot treatment.
I’m crazy. Amy and I were driving along one Thursday morning when suddenly, I was obsessed with the notion of rose gold nail polish. Rose gold is trendy right now, y’know? Whipped out my phone, Googled … X-nay on the granny-style Sally Hansen option. Twitter had no answers. The MAC I liked was limited edition. Forever 21 and OPI had no viable contenders. Now I was mad for this polish; it was elusive, which only made me want it more.
Then, with a little bit more Googling (and a lot of swearing at my idiot insurance phone) I stumbled upon Orly’s Rage. Orly! They sell that at Sally! Called Midway Sally: no dice. The Internet said you had it! So I called Richfield’s branch. CHA CHING! I knew you had my back, Sally B.
I drove to Richfield right away. I’m glad I did. Ignore this hasty polish job, just bask in the perfection that is Rage.
Say it with me: OOPS. I had a little accident with Chanel last week, but seriously, there isn’t a better pick-me-up when you’re having a shitty day than a superluxe piece of Chanel cosmetics. They’re sleek, heavy … so chic. And so expensive. But Future Kara can deal with that. Let’s see what I got, huh? I know you’re as excited as I am.
We’ve seen Brittani’s red fixations. My turn! (Disclaimer: My actual favorite red is not pictured here. It’s Essie’s Lollipop. I wore this polish for six days in a row. This is OBSCENELY unheard of for me. Go, GO to Target NOW and get Lollipop. You’ll love it. Promise.)
My red picks after the jump!
(Brittani has way prettier nails than I do at the moment. I blame working retail and prying sensors off 24/7 for the breakage.)
Essie Too Too Hot - Anyone who follows me on Twitter knows I was obsessed with obtaining this new Essie shade from their Braziliant collection. It was sold out at downtown Target for what seemed like forever just when my obsession was reaching a fever pitch. Long story short, I found this coral-based red, so I can chill out. It was SLIGHTLY greater in my head than it is in reality, but I still like it.
OPI Got the Blues for Red - Wanna know why I bought this? Because Rumi of Fashion Toast likes it a lot. I know that’s pathetic. What can I say, the girl can sell things because she’s skinny and pretty and stylish. Dark, blue-based red that works best when my nails are short … like now. This is a staple red, especially during the colder months. Vampy!
American Apparel California Red - This was a birthday gift from Brittani. My nails are giving me issues. I’m really sorry they’re ugly at this moment in time, but the polish is awesome. American Apparel makes LEGIT polishes, and this classic red is no exception.
Inspired by the movie “Bridesmaids,” in which Kristen Wiig’s character only wears red nail polish, my BFF Brittani and I decided to to our own red nails trial run. I told her to pick three reds from her collection and wear them as long as possible for a week. We change our polish at least every other day, so the challenge was set. The girl has as much polish as I do, so it wasn’t like it was a huge problem to find a few!
Britt’s picks after the jump!
It appears I am going through my “blue period.” Standouts of this phase include, well, ALL those polishes and the bright blue MAC Zoom Lash. Props to that little Sephora eyeliner for being 100% bomb at only $5.
