Top 5 Spring Beauty Must haves: #1 Multi-tasking concealer

Aw yes, the concealer. Many a morning is possible because of concealer: hiding puffy, sleep deprived eyes, covering white-heads that greet you in the morning and using it to outline your lips.

Now are a new crop of concealers that do the job and then some:

- Tarte's The Eraser concealer. Soothes skin, hides blemishes and adds skin loving ingredients: vitamin's C &E.

- Smashbox's HD concealer. Weightless, natural buildable coverage.

- Laura Mercier's Secret Coverage. Complete with a concealer and a highlighter.

photos: Sephora.com

Top 5 Spring Beauty Must haves: #2 Rosey cheeks

A perfect flush is key for spring but where to begin? Inspiration? Flora.

Take a cue from the blossoms and nature around, no nature? grab a book.

When thinking of a rosey flush, I think of a pinch of color at the apples that lasts all day- and one of the first things that came to my mind was Tarte's Cheek Stain. The cheek stain is a gel-based, cosme-cuetical wonder that keeps your cheeks looking fresh. A plus, it comes in an array of shades. Another great, rosey cheek provider is LORAC's sheer wash. Back in the day I had a great plummy color that lasted forever plus I used it as a lipstain.

These both are easy to apply and quick to use if you are running out of the house on your way to work.

photos: Sephora.com

Top 5 Spring Beauty Must haves: #3 Luminous Skin

Now that winter has phased out so far, I'm ready for a great glow! Especially highlighters, they really enhance without maximum effort and blending is a breeze. The newer formulas help to minimize the chunky "glitter" effect on the skin and give it a good sheen. In the past, the challenge has been - Can oily skin " glow" without looking oily-slick?. The answer: Yes

Powder form is be the best for my skin but now with liquid formulas like Nars' Orgasm Illuminator. The glow looks and feels perfect.

My other favorite highlighting products are:

MAC Mineral Skin Finishes- velvet smooth texture with shimmer finish casts a great finish and illuminates naturally.

Benefit Moon Beam- gold toned illuminator with a brush for quick and easy touch ups.

Top 5 Spring Beauty Must haves: Peach Lips

Peachy lips are blossoming for Spring. The pinky, orange confection is not only the clothing color of the season but also keeps the snow at bay ( ok , I kid on the last part). A pop of this color is devine, plus a hadful of collections will be celebrating the orange family this spring and summer. From MAC's To the Beach and Pret a Papier collections with peach-coral variations to Chanel's Les Pop's collection with bright coral and orange lipsticks and lipglosses.

My recent discovery in the peach game is Chanel's Glossimer in Bel Air. The gloss is like a sister to Giggle as they both are Glossimers that do not have any shimmer, glitter or irredescence whatsover. Bel Air is a creamy peachy pink goodness that I found at Bloomies Soho. Judging by the way these babies are not on the Chanel.com website but are in stores, its best to call as it seems like all stores have different stock.

My other peachy favorite is MAC's Bendel Girl Lipglass.

What's your favorite peachy lip color?

Top 5 Spring Beauty Must haves: #5 Lavender & Mint Eyeshadows

Yes, its that time again- Spring cleaning, out with old, in with new. After this winter I'm in definite need to put some spice in my beauty routine. Since life has been busy, and I am still

adjusting to the time change, glamming has been on the back burn. But fear not my friends, despite it being quite a soggy start to spring. I'm going to add some pop to my eyes.

Last week while in Duane Reade I saw a Maybelline ad with Jessica White ( ugh, should have taken a pic), in it she had mint green eye-liner ( know what I'm talking about?). The look was genius, very fresh and springy. While all thei product was sold out and I started to experiment with my own pastel eyeshadows and found that Lavender works best for my big browns.

How to wear it? I like to use it on my lower lash line. I'm privy to MAC's Purple Haze and NARS' Violetta eyeshadow duo. I love the fact that both are blendable and are heavily pigmented to last throughout the day.

During the day: a sheer wash across the lid as a base is great and for night, throw on a dark liner.

Photo: Derek Lam Spring 2010 RTW show via Style.com

both products recommended were purchased by me.

A Spring Hello

Hey Guys,

I've been a bit MIA lately, studying hard, working hard and waiting for the weather to lift me.

Well, this past weekend was 50+ degree weather and gorgeous!

I've begun to craft together an inspiration board as well as putting together trends for Spring and can't wait to share. Plus this week, I'll have a special treat!

Thanks for hanging in there and I guarantee Spring will be a blast!

xo L

Chanel Coco Rouge Review+ Swatches

This past Thursday night I attended Chanel's Coco Rouge unveiling at the Saks Fifth Avenue flagship store in NYC.

Chanel's Coco Rouge line is quite impressive, with 30 shades of lipstick plus a Saks Fifth Ave Exclusive Byzantine- a deep berry color.

Upon entering the launch, I had two goals in mind. One was to find a Giggle Glossimer equivalent and the other was to find a red-orange lipstick for the spring/summer. I began swatching as soon as I was directed to the display which hit a snag when I remembered some of the inital colors I put on my hands and forgot the other colors I added. The standouts ( and also the ones I swatched) were the reds- Rouge Noir ( the darkest swatch on the right), Russian Ballet ( the burgandy swatch to the far left) and Paris ( the red to the left of Rouge Noir).

The results of my two goals fell way too short. For the Giggle dupe, it didn't exist!

All of the lighter, nude- rose, browns, etc had a frosty finish. After trying one on and then reverting back to the advertising campaing, it looked like Vanessa Paradis was wearing a frosty color too - Mademoiselle. Next, for the orange-red lippie, I was told that since the line was new there would be more colors later on, so no orange-red.

My standout for this collection was Paris, a blue-based red which was very light and creamy. When you wear it, it felt like you weren't wearing anything at all and as an added plus, the staying power could rival a long-wear lipstick.

Overall, the smell of Coco Rouge lipsticks is much lighter than the Hydrabase lipsticks, and very faint. Unfortunately the lighter colors of Coco Rouge are subject to the frosty finish much like the Hydrabase. Though the bolder colors are definitely worth you $30. The case and enclosure of Coco Rouge, I would describe as "space aged" on the slide down to close your cap ( just the sound) with the right amount of "click" to let you know that the cap won't disappear in your makeup bag or purse.

disclaimer: Coco Rouge was purchased at Saks Fifth Ave.

Spring Scent-iments

Spring is my season to pick up a new fragrance. I think I'm the only one who does this as it seems like fragrances are marketed to be gifted for either the Holidays or Valentine's day or its whatever celeb endorsed/collab that comes out every other week. Neither of these are my style as fragrance shopping is a process. When I broke the mold and bought YSL's Parisienne last fall, I adored it but when the roller-vial broke in my luggage over Thanksgiving break- the thought of my luggage still lingers the scent of Parisienne and I ended up giving my perfume away. Le Sigh.

Last year I bought Chloe, which I love. It's soft, warm, floral and woodsy- I'm not good with notes but I tell you its a fave till this day.

Prior to Chloe, I bought Marc Jacobs' Pear Splash which I use in the summer because its so light and fruity and occasionally spritz my closet with it.

Alas its almost Spring and I'm itching for a new citrusy scent to match my make-up lemmings ( I'll be getting to that soon!). I've been sampling some that are good D&G's La Lune but I wish I could seriously get ahold of Marc Jacob' Lemon or Grapefruit Splashes.

Why is it such a challenge to go shopping for this stuff! Sometimes the descriptions at Sephora just don't do justice and I also take into account how many other people wear the exact same fragrance, ( i.e. if you don't want to smell like an ex-girlfriend, don't buy a best seller- ahem Stella McCartney). body chemistry, etc. Next project, new non-celeb fragrances. No, you will not catch me wearing something by Kim Khardashian I prefer to wear something I can envoke. Thank you.

With that, another project in the making- Scents and Scentsability!

Chanel Chance Eau Tendre- Spring 2010

I just saw a sneak preview for Chanel's new twist on the Chance fragrance, Chance Eau Tendre.

Here's a sneak preview:

-it's a combination of the Chance citrus with more floral notes.

-the fragrance is pink.

- set to launch in March in the US.

Mimifroufrou has the campaign pic featuring model Sigrid Agren here

Counter Challange: From Giggle to Eclipse

Last month I wanted to check out the new spring collections and find some new faves while utilizing my current faves, with a few boundaries. Boundary 1. Transitioning a look from Day to Night. Things come up, after I leave the office or playing Rock Band- whatev I have to kick it into high gear last minute- what should I go to without weighing my 4x10 inch makeup bag down?
Boundary 2. Under $100. Yeah, and did you see all those MAC collections? Right. Like I can stay within this budget.
With this in mind, I set out to a one-stop shop ( Saks) on a cold morning with my faves in hand ready to stick to the challenge. My faves I current carry with me at all times are:
Day:
- Givenchy Phenom’eyes
- YSL Bronzer #2
- Chanel Giggle Glossimer
Night:
- MAC’s Smolder

I visited Diane at the Chanel counter ( told you it was a challenge) because lately I’ve been on a Chanel kick. I already bought Particuliere so I wanted to see if anything else in the Spring Collection was fitting. She suggested a highlighter (Empriente De Chanel) for the day to balance the eye and pinky-brown Giggle.
Now on to Night, Since I had Smolder, we tried something smoky but not as bold as black so she went with Marine Eyeliner that – I have to say I love!
For Lips, she pulled Eclipse Glossimer on me and told me the story about it.
Not-a-long story shortened, this HG lipgloss was backorded by Saks and they have a secret stash! The sparkles are more like Spark and Immaginaire but the color- a deep rose borderline burgundy goes on very smooth with lots of color.
She created a face chart and I was on my way! Starting off the New Year with 2 new looks under $100 and I didn’t go over budget.

How many times do you go to a counter or a store for a makeover? Do you ever build around something you already have than buying a dupe?
disclaimer: All products were purchased by me

YSL Spring 2010 Gloss Volupte #5 & #8

Just in case you missed out on YSL's Gloss Volupte Gloss in #4 for the fall, have no fear- #8 is equally stunning. When I headed uptown for my Chanel excursion, YSL had their Spring 2010 Makeup collection out. I wasn't too thrilled about the pastels however, the new Volupte Glosses drove me wild!

#5 Sugared Almond is the perfect nude with just the right touch of pink for deep pigmented lips. It won't leave you ashy- just theright amount of color

#8 Glazed Blackcurrant is a stunnying deep plum, it borders the discontinuted Black Tulip Rouge Pur and just as sheer.

These are my next obsession for Spring other than the epitimous Chanel Particulier Nail Polish.

I tested these at Saks but they are available at ysl.com.

They are definitely worth the splurge for Spring!

Update: Both Gloss Volupte's are available on Sephora.com

Jean Paul Gaultier for Target!

I cannot believe this is happening...

The next Target Go International designer will be Jean Paul Gaultier, racked.com spilled the camera phone

pics via fashin and all day I have been salivating.

You have no idea. JPG did the costumes for 2 of my favorite films, one being La Cite des Enfants Perdus

the other is the Fifth Element. Plus, I know you guys are sick of me talking about wanting one of

those flight attendent suits from the latter.

I'm in serious planning mode, the Target at Atlantic Center- I'm coming for you come March- I'll go to

Jersey City if I have to! From the leaked pics, my priority is the trench coat.

Just to think this morning, I was thinking about needing a new trench- then racked.com lifted my spirits

with these pics.

John Paul Gaultier for Target will launch in March right after Rodarte, I hope that they have a pop-up

shop in time for NY Fashion week because I.can't.wait.

and to leave you with a little something..here is Ruby Rhod!

update: Here is a lookbook provided by Refinery 29!

Chanel Spring 2010 Makeup available now

Chanel's Spring 2010- Les Impressions Collection is available NOW!

Good News: Love this easy breezy Spring Collection and the Empriente de Chanel Highlighting Powder ( pics will come soon!)

Bad news: Particulier #505 is sold out. Le Sigh

What will you be lemming..or getting?

Chanel Particuliere 505 Nail Color pics and swatches

Chanel Partculiere Le Vernis Nail Polish is very wearable and complementary to my skintone.

I think for New Year's Eve I'm going to layer some copper pigment as an overlay to go with my outfit...

Chanel Spring 2010 Les Impressions Mini Review

I just completed my first vlog!

Its been an absolute pleasure to have seen, tested and purchased some items from the Chanel Les Impressions Spring 2010 Make-up collection at Bloomingdales Soho this weekend!

Le Vernis Particuliere ( 505) is the most buzzed about nail polish since Chanel Jade , plus since its extremely wearable and a universally flattering- it's sure to be a hit.

Check out my first vlog and review of Particuliere ( I was so excited- I miss pronounced it..haha) on the Lacroixthebeautyblog youtube channel!