Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Interview with "Here" Makeup Artist - Nico Guilis









Stills from The Luxury Collection's short-film, "Here", starring Agyness Deyn.




This past weekend I had pleasure of interviewing Makeup Artist Nico Guilis! While she was in Las Vegas for the Chanel exhibition , she shared with me how she got started in the business, how to create a natural look by applying bronzer to your eyelid ( sounds cool, who knew?) and what products she looks forward to for Spring 2012.

LTBB: How did you get your start in beauty?


NG:  I got my start in the beauty business around the age of 9 when I was exposed to the makeup world by my mother who was a makeup artist herself at the time. I was a painter in private art classes after school and I found that it was like painting on the face and I quickly became obssessed. I watched Style Chanel, Vintage Movies like Gidget-Singing in the Rain-An American in Paris - Breathless, Fashion TV and I would imagine myself  working in NY or Paris , I just knew it was what I was meant to do. 

LTBB: In the film, you used the Desert Coral Bronzer on Agyness' eye lids to create a healthy, natural look, what tools can we use to re-create this look?

NG: Anyone can re-create the look I did with the Desert Bronze coral on the eye by just sweeping a light touch of bronzer with some warm honey tones over the eye lid area with a larger brush. Stay away from Bronzers that have a lot of red in them or are too shimmery.. it can make the eye look tired instead of refreshed. 


LTBB: Lastly, What are your 3 favorite products for the upcoming Spring 2012 ?

NG: 1. I am loving the UV Essentiel daily spf 50 sunscreen by Chanel. Its light and fresh and is great to set on the skin 10 minutes before your makeup. 
2. Rouge Coco Baume is the new hydrating lip Balm by Chanel that makes your lips creamy , gorgeous with a kissable shine. 
3. Nubian Heritage is an Organic line that makes a Coconut & Papaya lotion with Vanilla Bean extract and it is divine. Its and anti aging/brightening and firming creame that smells incredible and makes your skin feel like silk.

Check out the Tilda Swinton and Waris Ahluwalia produced, Luca Guadagnino directed short original film, "Here" at TheLuxuryCollection.com/TheFilmHere  available on January 24th.

Special thanks to BPCM and Nico!

Monday, January 23, 2012

Behind the Scenes Beauty: Agyness Deyn for the Luxury Collections "Here"

Teaser Trailer for "Here" from the Luxury Collection via Style.com


Tomorrow, January 24th, The Luxury Collection will premier the Tilda Swinton and Waris Ahluwalia produced, original short film, "Here". (TheLuxuryCollection.com/TheFilmHere)
The film directed by Luca Guadgnino and starring Agyness Deyn, is about a woman who explores the beauty of travel through three fabulous Luxury Collection properties.

Nico Guilis, the Makeup Artist for "Here", shares how to get the look from the film.
The beauty look ,“is all about healthy glowing skin that feels fresh and sophisticated, a reflection of the Starwood Luxury Traveler. Her eyes are bright and big, manicured brows and healthy skin that beams. I was really inspired by the thought of a classic timeless woman with natural beauty who really exudes a sophistication that isn’t dampened by heavy overdone makeup. With all her traveling she always feels and looks fresh but always put together,” said Nico. 

This past weekend I had the pleasure of interviewing Nico ! I’ll post the interview tomorrow but until then, enjoy the beauty breakdown from “Here”, which you can watch TheLuxuryCollection.com/TheFilmHere


Makeup Credits for Agyness Deyn: All Cosmetic Products were Chanel 

-Chanel Hydramax Moisturizer
-Chanel Aqualumiere Foundation with spf 15
-Chanel Natural Finish Loose Powder in T Zones
-Chanel Soleil Tan De Chanel Sheer Illuminating Fluid: Highlight Beam on Cheek, forehead and chin
-Chanel Bronzer Desert Coral on Contour of Cheek under Highlight Beam and dusted on the eye lids
-Chanel Blush "In Love" on apple of the cheek 
-Chanel Inimitable Intense Black Mascara
-Chanel Argonite Lipgloss on lips


Saturday, January 21, 2012

Snow Day! Cosby Sweater + Rusty colored lipstick = comfort

Sweater: Forever 21; Lipstick: Photo by MAC
Its the first sign of snow all year and where am I? Oh hunkered down, freshly scrubbed (sans fards..haha) watching Clueless with my Cosby sweater on and my rusty raisin lips.

Givenchy Men's RTW Fall 2012 Look: Bold and Bullish



All Photos: WWD




Givenchy's Men's Fall 2012 Collection placed the men and women in ultimate control..could it Ticchi's display of optimism? Bright reds, Bold stripes and Bull rings?















Monday, January 16, 2012

Monday Moss: Kate Moss's Rimmel Lipstick Collection

photo: Rimmel London.com
Monday's Muse is a Moss..Kate Moss! A celebration for being the face of Rimmel London for 10+ years and for releasing some lippies of her own! 7 shades that have been sold out for a number of months in the UK have just made it stateside where Rimmel London products are doing sold.
Congrats Kate and we look forward to another 10 years of you as a Rimmel London woman!

Saturday, January 14, 2012

MAC Scarlet Ibis Review and Swatches

MAC Scarlet Ibis (no flash)
MAC Scarlet Ibis with Flash

MAC Scarlet Ibis


Fresh from the MAC for Iris Apfel's sold out collection is Scarlet Ibis lipstick, which is described as a "bright orange red" on MAC's website. I concur with the color description as if you were to use MAC's Morange as a bench mark for a orange color lipstick, Scarlet Ibis definitely brings the warm red (almost Ruby Woo-ish) to create a truly unique color. Of my collection of red-orange lipstick's, this one is definitely the brightest, because of the powdery yet moisturizing matte finish.
My only qualm is that it doesn't go on as smooth, I applied to color 2-3x before there was even coverage. 

       

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Captain Blankenship's Rosey Red Lip balm

Ahoy, rosey kisser!

A few months ago I had dinner with my friend Danielle at a really cool Italian restaurant in Soho. Amidst chatting about life, DIY projects and her boyfriends hand crafted boat  (really cool!), she whipped out a little  pretty tin of lip balm and said, "you have to get to CatBird and check this stuff out, its so cute and I know you will love it!" I remember saying that she sold at CatBird!
Fast forward the holiday season when my friend from France was visiting all that Brooklyn has to offer, including lunch on Bedford Ave. In our Brunch and Buy mode, we stopped into CatBird and I saw Captain Blankenship's Rosey Red lip balm on the counter. I tested the color, which is a highly pigmented deep red, I think you can also use it as a blush too.
I checked the Captain Blankenship website here, and saw that the Rosey Red stain was from carmine with rose geranium. Further, I was impressed by the all natural ingredients including the California organic almond oil!
If you would like to try the Rosey Red lip balm, you should definitely check out Captain Blankenship.com 

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Style.com's Beauty Icon: Beverly Johnson



Read about Beverly Johnson and her legacy here:

Happy 5th Birthday!


It's my blog's 5th Birthday today! Yay!
I hope you have enjoyed reading about my enthusiasm for color cosmetics thus far. Just to think,  I started LTBB to get out there and talk about upcoming beauty collections and events that I attended in San Diego and now I'm in NYC getting invited to cool events, meeting cool people and still talking about my passion for color cosmetics!
Cheers and Thanks for sticking around and reading my experiences, trials and tribulations and food for thought in my favorite hobby.

XOXO Lacroix

Monday, January 9, 2012

Winter Skin Protection with Sebamed Q10 Protection Cream

So far I've had some success with Sebamed products ever since being introduced to them last year. A few months ago, I tried the Sebamed Age Defense Q10 Protection Cream, which is an anti-aging creame, in an unconventional yet effective way. Seeing as I'm not a candidate for wrinkles on my face just yet, I used the cream on my winter hands and feet pre-gloves and socks. Usually I tend to shed skin and experience dryness due to the winter weather sucking out most of the moisture in the air but the Q10 cream retains the moisture and smoothes both my hands and feet.
For all of you that would like to experience Sebamed, it will be available in CVS Stores and at CVS.com and Walgreens.com starting January 13th!

Monday Muse: MAC for Iris Aphel


Cheers for MAC for embracing "All Ages", I think they kinda fell off the radar with the ages aspect after the Dame Edna collection in 2008. But to choose Iris Aphel to represent is amazing! Plus, her collaboration for MAC has sold out within hours online, as per a Soho MAC MUA, and Pink Pigeon Lipstick is sold out in all NYC and Brooklyn MAC stores.
The MUA in Soho explained the cult following behind Pink Pigeon. The popularity is attributed Pink Pigeon being similar to Candy Yum Yum-a bright fuchsia pink lipstick that was released with MAC's Quite Cute collection last year. But no need to panic, a perfect dupe is the new Embrace Me lip pencil that was just released with the Iris Aphel collection. Though it is not in a lipstick form, it doesn't mean that you can't create your own...

Sunday, January 8, 2012

Tom Ford's Bitter Bitch Nail Lacquer Review and Swatches


TF Bitter Bitch Swatch in indoor light
TF Bitter Bitch Swatch with flash


 Tom Ford's Bitter Bitch Nail Lacquer has been on the lips of ever woman and man that step foot into the Tom Ford area of Bergdorf Goodman's basement beauty department. While I was checking out the new collection in November, having missed Mr. Ford and the initial batch of Bitter Bitch sold out, I was still curious about the shade. For a hefty $30, a nail lacquer with quality, color consistency, and wear shouldn't be a question since we all know that Tom Ford's name on almost anything is prestigious. On a Saturday afternoon I found myself at the TF area chatting up a makeup artist about Bitter Bitch and the new lipsticks and about 30 minutes later I found myself at home with a bottle of Bitter Bitch and a tube of Deep Mink ready to experiment with the most expensive makeup I have purchased since leaving my comfortable job and becoming a full-time MBA student!

Bitter Bitch is an enigmatic neutral, meaning it looks different on everyone! The MUA described it as such as well. Its no Chanel Particuliere, which is a muted brown grey- I found the color of Bitter Bitch to be in the chocolate-wine category, very vamp and boudoir. The coverage is very rich- n skimping on pigment.
The applicator was great, I haven't experienced a brush that can coat as effectively after the first dip as this brush- so I only needed two coats per nail. The polish also dried within 10-15 minutes and didn't require any help to speed up the process ( i.e. a fan or a fast drying top coat).
The look lasted for a week without chipping or any other nail damage!

Overall, The polish is great and well worth the price for the quality you get. I would suggest that with this color you should see it for yourself in person to gauge how it will look on you as the pictures of swatches available on the TF and Bergdorf Sites do not do the color justice.

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Top Five Beauty Trends for 2012




As we move on from 2011, do you think that we can hold fast to the colors and trends that have dominated the past few months? Will there be a victor from the hodgepodge of trends that have cyclically surfaced every 3 to 5 years?
To date, The Lipstick Index tried and failed to predict sales and trends and judging by the past few years we now can safely say that the Nail Color Index can attribute to the influx of spending in the nail care sector, so much so that Nail Color sales were $328 million in 2010, dominating over other color cosmetics.
Will Nail Domination continue in 2012? Here are my top 5 most- unscientifically hypothesized ganders for what 2012 will bring for us color cosmetic enthusiasts.


1. Beauty for the Ages

We all can generalize and say that gloss is for the teens and tweens, lipsticks are from the young adult to professional crowd and that everyone else just doesn't exist.. just kidding. Well, it sure does seem that way- the oldest beauty ambassador on the roster is Ellen DeGeneris who is in her Mid- 50's, well done cosmetic companies! But what about 50 and over? MAC Cosmetics answered the call of " All Ages" ( coincidentally their tag line) and will release the MAC for Iris Aphel collection this month. Iris is almost a centurion and is still fashionable in every way. Another cosmetic venture, Fabulousat60.com a lifestyle website for Baby Boomers who can also get their beauty fix.


2. Natural is as Natural Does

Cosmeticeuticals are once again up for debate. Borba has tried it and new products are coming soon that will give you all the nutrients you need so that your inner health is reflected on the outside, and it will taste good! I guess it beats the one pill to cure everything but also poses a problem if you have to have a mixed cocktail to strengthen hair, reduce oiliness in skin and boost the immune system..


3. The Unpredictable Coveted Beauty Collaborations

One day next year, or if I'm lucky enough to go to Japan in the fall, I will be able to order a lipstick alongside my Cassis Macaron at Ladureé. I'm so excited that Ladureé is stepping into the world of color cosmetics! Judging by the quality of their Candles, Fragrances, Teas and Macarons, their cosmetic collection will be nothing short of amazing! Other completely left-field-but-totally-can't wait collections include: Pantone and Sephora. On another note, why doesn't MAC partner up with Sprinkles cupcakes for some lip colors or nail polishes or better yet one of my favorite NYC stores, Opening Ceremony!


4. Global Beauty Love!

Some color cosmetics companies are good at others with this one, its teaching the US consumers about what is effective and special about products that do well abroad. For example, The BB creams that were released here didn't go so well. Why? because the Makeup Artists were not really trained to tell you what they were and how do they work! 
I think that more companies need to explore the Global Embrace, educate don't imitate nor dominate. Another example, if you are inspired by Baja Mexico, do your research, make the campaign look amazing and show how to work the colors, textures and tones into the everyday or special occasion looks.


5. The end of the Glittery Nail Struggle


I've posted before on my struggle with glitter nail polish, soaking doesn't work, rubbing takes off the color, not the glitter, twisting causes scratching on my nail surface..its a useless battle that has me sitting the bench instead of participating in the glitter party. Can someone please re-develop a formula so that glitter nail polish can easily be taken off without the threat of harming yourself in the process?


That is all for 2012.


 



















Monday, January 2, 2012

Monday Muse: Jasmine Tookes in Vogue Paris Dec 2011/ Jan 2012



 Updated:

 Happy New Year! Bonne Anneé!
I hope everyone had a beautiful ring to the New Year! I wanted to spread some cheer here and share what could possibly be a new segment- Monday Muse, inspiring editorials from some of my favorite publications! This week is Jasmine Tookes in Vogue Paris' Dec/Jan magazine. Despite the lack of creativity on this month's cover ( Kate Moss as David Bowie) and the end of the best calendars to come with your end of the year magazine ( I still have December's Daria calendar on my wall..) there was a handful of great editorials to come from Vogue Paris, this includes the two shots above of Jasmine Tookes in the Cadeaux section. I love these and can't wait to see her in more shots! I only wish I knew what color cosmetics she was wearing!

A plus!