coutorture --

Glow With Caitlin Goetz

coutorture — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 08:00:03 -0700

A glowing neutral face is an incredible asset for spring. As you experiment with stronger dressing in the spring and summer months, sometimes a face that shows off our natural state is the best accessory. We started Caitlin Goetz with Therapy Systems Loose Mineral Foundation in Nude. Just a few taps from the raised sifter dispenser on our biggest brush and her face was a smooth canvas for the rest of our beauty adventures. Swirl at will girls!

We bravely ventured into bronzer territory right off the fact. We know it can seem daunting this far from summer but we a few well placed swipes of Vincent Longo Sole Mio Duo Bronzer from the light Fun side of the duo shaped Caitlin's cheek bones immediately. We followed with Benefit Georgia as our blush to get a peach perfect combination of blush and bronzer. The apples of her cheeks have color and her cheekbones are just a tad bit more defined with this combination. We suggest sweeping in round circles on the cheeks with Benefit and one or two quick upstrokes on the cheek bones with the Sole Mio bronzer.

Next we moved on to Caitlin's eyes. The tried and true trick of using a wet flatbrush to apply eyeshadow as eyeliner takes a new twist with Bobbi Brown's Eye Shadows. We used Bobbi Brown Eyeshadow in Charcoal to create as slim a line as possible, so slim you can barely see it in fact. Their formulation glides on smoothly and blends far more easily than the competition making an impossible task of creating a barely there eye opening line seem easy. We used Laura Mercier's Flat Eye Liner Brush to achieve the look. For eyeshadow we went withSonia Kashuk Powder Partner Eye Shadows. Nothing is better than a set of complementary shades for eye contouring. Make it cheap and effective and you win us over forever. Which is exactly what Sonia Kashuk has done with her Powder Partners Eye Shadow duos. We used the spring shade Puff Peach on Caitlin to bring out her pink undertones. And the final eye touch was Maybelline Great Lash Mascara in Very Black $5. We aren’t sure we even need to explain why Great Lash was our mascara of choice. The perennial favorite needs no rationale. Easy to apply, long lasting and almost entirely without clumps, it is the mascara of champions.

But the real coup de grace? Caitlin's pillowy perfect pink lips! Leave it to Bobbi to create our new favorite everyday lipstick. Bobbi Brown Creamy Lipstick is just what it claims to be. With creamy, colorful, long lasting and with matte and shimmer options, chances are any girl can find a perfect daytime neutral to suit her tastes in this collection. We used Nectar on Caitlin and loved its subtle sheen so much we stole it for ourselves.

Lovely Lana

coutorture — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 14:14:57 -0700

Winter white is a lovely hue and so is a deep golden bronze, but what happens when neither is appropriate? The transition from pale winter skin to glowing summer sheens is a trick one for beauty fans in the springtime months. The lovely Lana Kasheva, the star of our Siwy Summer photo shoot, helped demonstrate some of the key makeup products necessary to exist beautifully in the transition between pale winter ice queen and tawny summer beauty without resorting to spring Easter Bunny pastels.

We started with a quick once over with Vincent Longo's Water Canvas Creme-To-Powder Foundation in Soft Amber for that perfect middle ground that is natural skin somewhere between matte and moisture. But the real trick to transitional beauty is our favorite new product Borghese's Splendore. We find most shimmer products have an unfortunate tendency towards disco ball sparkle even with the light application. Splendore actually lives up to its extraordinary claims of imparting a subtle glow while brightens any complexion. And while we are naturally skeptical of beauty copy involving light-diffusing liquid camouflages and other "miracles of marketing" we can genuinely say that Splendore is a girl's secret spring weapon for adding glow without resorting to bronzers, blush or any other extreme color solutions.

We dabbed it over Lana's cheekbones and then blended the remainder over her entire face. With the Splendore we also found we significantly reduced our unfortunate desire to over-apply blush, simply subtly applying one sweep of Benefit's plummy Dallas to each cheek did the trick.

On Lana's eyes we went with the classic MAC's Eye Kohl in Costa Riche to complement her natural brunette. We lined her lower and upper lids with the soft brown to avoid the harshness of darker hues while still giving her that subtle "eye opening" that good eye liner gives. We applied a light dusting of MAC's classic pigmented eye shadow in Daisychain.

Last but certainly not least we gave her a liberal coating of Kiehl's Lipgloss in French Rose from our own stash just because the color was so perfect. Lana was complaining of classic post winter dry lips so the moisturizing formula of the gloss with Mango and Grape Seed, Rose Hips, and Apricot Kernal was just the ticket. And miraculously one coat lasted all the way through the two hours of our Siwy summer shoot. How is that for an endorsement?

Shout Out I Heart Makeup: Ice Ice Baby

coutorture — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 08:09:50 -0700

I Heart Makeup is our source for all things Indian and beauty related in the community. Her coverage of India Fashion Week inspired us to explore it right here on Coutorture. Today she is showcasing a more unusual trend that we often think of as being reserved for very Blond women from the South. We are talking about frosty eyes! I Heart Makeup is seeing it on Bollywood stars.

This actually got us inspired because really who couldn't use a little bit of fun with some frosty looks? She suggests NARS Duo Eyeshadow Cream in Thebes but we think that Vincent Longo's Wet Diamond Eyeshadow is how we would play it. This creamy soft, full color eye powder with light reflective pearls is perfect for playing with the new frosty Bollywood starlet looks. Applied dry a sheer veil affect brightens the eyes if you want to go a little more subtle. When applied wet it turns into a shimmering cream that lasts for hours without creasing. We suggest White Sparkle or Jewel 69 for the ultimate fun and frosty looks. Its not just for Texans or Sorority girls anymore!

And just because we are feeling funky on Monday we decided to share our favorite old school Bollywood routine Jaan Pehechaan Ho. Underneath the masks we are betting these lovely ladies have frosted eyes.

Check Out More Shoutouts Here

The Emerald Isles

coutorture — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 10:52:16 -0800

The full blooms of Spring are right around the corner, so we couldn't help falling in love with Vincent Longo's Wet Diamond Eyeshadow in Verite. The Wet Diamond Eyeshadows are designed to range from a buildable sheer when applied dry to a dazzling rich hue when applied wet. Verite, a vibrant emerald, is the perfect choice for celebrating nature's return.

To use Wet Diamond Eyeshadow for maximum color payoff, simply dampen your eyeshadow brush and apply. If using another brand, be sure the shadow you're using is approved for wet use.