+ Boxes and Palettes Galore! (third photo, top left and middle, bottom left and middle). Twelve eyeshadows for $18? Yup, that price is about right for this amazingly shimmery and colorful Tokidoki palette ($18, Sephora locations). And you should act fast for the Make Up For Ever Wild & Chic kit, too, which includes six of the company’s bestselling products—Microfinish Powder, Aqua Cream, Travel Aqua Eyes eyeliner, Lab Shine lipgloss, Microperfecting Primer, and Smoky Lash Mascara in Extra Black—for only $55, a definite savings from the $103 value ($55, Sephora). Natural beauty company tarte unveiled a great selection of holiday kits, too, such as the Precious Gems Waterproof Cream Shadow collection, with four full-size shadows in Pink Champagne, Shimmering Moss, Shimmering Golden Beige, and Plum Smoke and a cream eye shadow brush ($44, QVC), and the Eye Candy Waterproof 6-pc Amazonian Clay Shadow Wand set, with full-size eyeshadow sticks in Charcoal, Champagne, Bronze, Moss, Taupe and Plum ($29.50, QVC). So. Affordable.
+ Play Up Those Lips (third photo, middle left and bottom right). Remember those Yankee Candle lip balms in Vanilla Cupcake and Spiced Pumpkin? Jane Iredale gets in the delicious lipgloss game with the Chocoholiks Palette: four moisturizing glosses in the flavors Blood Orange, Espresso, Very Berry and Chili Pepper. Yes, I will be licking my lips constantly after applying these ($35, Beauty.com). For a bolder red color, turn to VMV Hypoallergenics Mistle-Glow kit, which includes full-sizes of the company’s Skintelligent Beauty Lipstick and Skintelligent Beauty Lip Gloss ($35, VMV Hypoallergenics). Grab either the pictured burgundies set, with lipstick in Feel the Burn and lipgloss in Tango, or the pinks set, with lipstick in Sheer Pleasure and lip gloss in Cherry Fizz, or reds set, with lipstick in Castigada and lipgloss in Cabaret. With antioxidants and sun protection, these lip products are pretty and good-for-you, too.
+ Tap Into Your Inner Ice Skater with MAC Glitter and Ice (third photo, bottom four items right of middle). MAC Cosmetics releases a bunch of new collections each year—seriously, like 10 or more—but focused on serious shimmer with their holiday 2011 offering, Glitter and Ice, which was created with figure skater Johnny Weir. Products like Beauty Powder in pinky-white Snowglobe ($24), Mineralize Eyeshadow in plum-brown Winterized ($21), Technakohl Liner in sparkly black Smooth Manoeuvre ($16) and Lipstick in silvery Eloquent Air ($15.50) are still available online, both at MAC Cosmetics and other MAC retailers, like Macy’s, Nordstrom, Bloomingdale’s, and Dillard’s (see the whole collection at MAC Cosmetics). Search for them, and you’re bound to get lucky.
+ Continue the Holiday Mood with Smashbox (third photo, four items on top right). Gold, silver and red—chances are you went with those colors when planning your holiday outfits and makeup looks, and they can be incorporated year-round, too. Just don’t load on too much shimmer or glitter, and you should be fine. But when you want to add some shimmer, turn to Smashbox’s Holiday Flash 2011 collection, which included the Eyelights Eyeshadow Quad with shades in silver, gold, peach and gunmetal ($39, Nordstrom); Long Wear Liquid Liner in silver Chrome and gold 14K ($22, Smashbox); and Double Ended Lip Gloss in Star Siren, with one side a sheer red and the other a glittery top coat ($22, Smashbox). Put on some pizzazz any day you want.
EDITORIAL NOTE: The product/s reviewed in this post were provided to Chesapeake Family’s About Face blog by the manufacturer or their public relations company for review. Chesapeake Family’s reviews are inspired by personal experience and opinion, and are not paid for or influenced by the manufacturer, PR company, or any other organization unless mentioned.
Product photos by Adam Fried.
In middle school, Roxana Hadadi was a cosmetics-scorning tomboy; in high school, a glitter eye shadow—and black nail polish-loving trend kid; in college, obsessively committed to dying her hair unruly colors that upset her mom. Now a bit older and a bit more mature, she’s trying to figure out what hair, body, and cosmetics products will work for her, you, and your family in About Face, Chesapeake Family’s beauty blog—and she’ll leave the sparkle makeup and neon highlights in the past. Roxana also writes movie reviews for Chesapeake Family’s Popcorn Parents blog.
