Meet Your Match with MAC's Matchmaster Foundation

After two years in the making, MAC Cosmetics is proud to introduce its new Fall 2011 Matchmaster Foundation for virtually all skin tones.  It contains SPF 15 and is long wearing for up to eight hours.  Matchmaster SPF 15 Foundation uses translucent pigments to create a formula that enables a fully personalized finish influenced by the subtleties of your own skin tone.  It reveals rather than conceals your skin's natural undertones with its demi matte finish.



Matchmaster SPF 15 Foundation is available in 14 light to dark shades:

You can find your perfect match at MAC counters on September 22 for $32.50.  Will you be buying?

Sephora Delivers

If you live in the NYC area (Manhattan to be exact) and you're a Sephora lover, then you can now have your favorite beauty items delivered to your doorstep.  On July 12, 2011 Sephora launched its new same day delivery service exclusively to New York residents.  All you have to do is call 1-877-Sephora  and place your order between 8 a.m. and 11 a.m. and it will be delivered between 12 p.m. and 9 p.m.  There is a $15 delivery charge with a $50 minimum order.  How cool is that?!



*model/actress Brooklyn Decker did the honors of cutting the red ribbon during the launching ceremony

Deliveries will be made in style.  A customized black Mini Cooper with white stripes on the side (reminiscent of the retailer's shopping bags) will pull up with your "must have" goodies ready to be delivered to your doorstep. 

I am so envious of NYC residents right now. I surely hope Sephora decides to expand this service to other areas.  Would you take advantage of this service if it were to ever become available in your area?

Alter Ego

Kelly Rowland of Destiny's Child is one of the many celebrities to do an "Alter Ego" photo shoot with Atlanta's famed photographer Derek Blanks.  Kelly's alter ego was "Rosie the Riveter" vs Pin-Up girl.

 

 

I LOVE it! Kelly is such a fabulous chick. This is probably one of my favorite alter ego shoots to date.  Check out more of Derek Blank's work at dblanks.com.

Here's a "behind the scenes" video from the photo shoot:

And here are some other pictures that Kelly took with Mr. Blanks:

 

Absolutely Stunning!

Ciara is L'Officiel

Atlanta singer Ciara did a photoshoot for French fashion magazine L'Officiel, and I must say the images are HOT!

I am absolutely LOVING the make-up.  Flawless! Also feeling the nail color and statement rings.

 

Very "High Fashion". LOVE it!

I need those shoes in my life, like NOW! Oh and I'll take those calves, too. LOL

Gorgeous!

HOT! Very "Grace Jones-ish"

Well alright then, CiCi! She went IN with these pictures. Great Job! You can view more of the images over at Ultimate-Ciara.com . The issue hits French magazine stands this month.

Revlon Fantasy Lengths Maximum Wear Eyelashes

Revlon has come out with a great new line of false "self-adhesive" eyelashes.  Yes, you heard right...they are self-adhesive, meaning no messy glue.  If you wear lashes like myself, then you know how frustrating the application process can be.  The glue gets everywhere and by the time you're done, you have dried-up, white glue all over your lids. I know many of you can relate to this.  So, imagine how happy I was to find out that Revlon's Fantasy Lengths line of eyelashes are self-adhesive.  These eyelashes are also available in "glue-on" form for the pro's.  I've been wearing and applying my own lashes for so long now, I consider myself somewhat of a pro.  Even though I have pretty much mastered gluing on lashes, I would still prefer not having to deal with the messy glue at all.

If I have piqued your interest in any way, you can be in the running to win yourself a free pair of these lashes over at my girl Yakini's page over at Prissy Mommy Chronicles .  She is holding a contest for 2 lucky readers to win a pair of these luxurious, long-lasting lashes.  So head on over to her page and check out the rules and regulations to enter the contest.  Also, be sure to check out her cute younger sister, Sibo's Youtube video review on the lashes.  In the video, she applies the lashes on camera for the first time and gives a live review.  Head on over there now.  Good Luck!

The Other Sister

Solange Knowles (younger sister of Beyonce Knowles) recently had a HAUTE photo shoot with Honey Mag.  This is her first photo shoot since retiring her weaved tresses for a chopped off, natural look.  Her fans (including myself) weren't very receiving of her going au natural at first.

 

These were the first pictures of the drastic cut that made her a Trending Topic on Twitter.  I have to admit that I wasn't feeling this look "on her" at all either.  Her fans on Twitter had a field day with all the negative jokes and comments about her hair.

Shortly thereafter these pictures surfaced:

She and her sister Beyonce Knowles promoting the Samantha Thavasa Disney Collection in Tokyo.

 This was a much better look for Solange.  She looks gorgeous! She looks much more polished and the cut makes her facial features stand out more. It definitely shows her natural beauty. The side part is just adorable.  I immediately took back all of the negative comments I made about her at first.

Now, on to the HAUTE photo shoot and she did for Honey Mag:

 

faux fur coat, Topshop; tank, American Apparel; necklace, Custo Barcelona; leggings, Christopher Kane for Topshop; rings, Lia Sophia; shoes, Walter Steiger

 

sweater, Topshop; boots, Cesare Paciotti

 

blouse, vintage Versace; leggings, Custo Barcelona; all jewelry, Lia Sophia; shoes, Walter Steiger

I enjoyed all of the colorful images from this shoot. She definitely has a more eclectic style (and style period) than her older sister.  She's also more outspoken, a characteristic that I love about her.  Be sure to check out her candid interview and the rest of the cute, artsy images here.

Fade to Black

On September 24th, MAC Cosmetics introduced its new MAC Style Black collection.  All of the products in this collection have black hues, thus creating alluring looks for the Fall.  MAC Cosmetics describes this new line as "....a celebration of going madly, deliriously noir."

 

The black "Goth" look is not for everybody. You have to definitely be willing to "step out of the box" to wear these colors.  However, all of the products in the Style Black collection aren't all black as shown in the first picture above.

This collection includes Mineralize Eye Shadows which can be worn on the face, eyes or body. These shadows work best on the eyes when "foiled" or worn wet:

These colors are very pretty and each has a nice reflective shimmer.  These will also last you a while because they are huge! 

Product Color Description:

Top Left:  Blue Flame - Black with Blue Pearl

Top Right: Young Punk - Black with Pink Purple Pearl

Bottom Left: Cinderfella - Black with Silver Pearl

Bottom Right: Gilt by Association - Black with Gold Bronze Pearl

Glimmerglass (shown below) is a lightweight gloss formula that gives your lips a glimmery sparkle and shine. It can be worn on top of your lipstick.

 

Product Color Description:

Top: Blackware - Creamy True Black

Middle: Bling Black - Sheer Black with Gold Pearl

Bottom: Blackfire - Sheer Black with Pink Purple Pearl

Shown above are the Mattene Lipsticks in Midnight Media (Dense Matte Black) and Night Violet (Deep Purple Grape).  These are matte lipsticks which are creamier, softer, and glides on easily.  They provide intense color and won't cake up or dry out.

Lipstick called Black Knight.  This is a Creamy True Black color.  You will probably see this color on Fall runways this year.  You definitely have to be very bold and daring to wear this as a stand alone color.

This Greasepaint Stick is an eye crayon that is used as a base for powder shadows.  It has a purple shimmer to it.  It can also be used as a liner, if you like your liner to be thick.  Perfect for creating a smokey eye.

These Cream Color Bases are to be worn as a base for powder shadow.  These are also perfect for creating smokey eye looks.  R to L: Black Bat (Blackened Burgandy w/Pink Pearl) and Black (Creamy True Black)

Nail Laquer in Nocturnelle, Seriously Hip, and Baby Goth Girl

Kim Kardashian is shown wearing products from the MAC Style Black collection.  I think she looks creepishly beautiful!  If you are daring enough to wear this look, check out this Black Lip Tutorial video on the MAC Cosmetics website.

How many of you have already purchased or plan to purchase products from this new collection?  I kinda dig it myself and I will definitely be purchasing a few items from this collection.

What's in my Make-Up Case

Since I am literally obsessed with make-up (especially eye shadows), I decided to share with you all some of my essential make-up items.

  Urban Decay Primer Potion. This is an eye shadow primer that makes your shadow stay on all day.  This is especially great if you have oily skin.  Just apply this as a base all over your lid underneath your shadow.  This is a "must have"

Maybelline Colossal Volum Express Mascara. It increases your lash volume 9 times with just one coating.  This works very well and really extends your lashes.  I love this mascara! I highly recommend it, especially if your're like me and don't have very long lashes.  This is perfect for when I don't feel like wearing false lashes.

I always keep a stash of these Ardel lashes.  They can be found at most beauty supply stores anywhere from $3 to $6. I've also seen them at Target.  They are 100% human hair and look very natural.

Smashbox Brow Tech.  I use this to color in and define my eye brows. It also comes with a wax that sort of "slicks" your brows down in a way so that they stay in place. (*I also use that same exact #12 brush from Smashbox with the brow tech)

I use this MAC Penultimate Eyeliner pencil to line my top lid and my lower lash line.  This pen-style liner makes it easy for you to draw a precise line with just one stroke.

MAC Mineralize Skin Finish.  I use this as a bronzer all over my face. This gives me a nice, bronzy glow in the summertime when the sun hits my face.

Cinema Secrets Brush Cleaner.  Ladies, it is VERY important that you keep your make-up brushes clean.  Any brush cleaner will do the trick, I just happen to use this particular brand.

Coastal Scents 88 Shimmer Palette.  This is my most recent make-up purchase.  This palette has 88 different dime-sized shadows.  As you can see, it has some really pretty colors and each one has a nice shimmer to it.  The shadows are highly-pigmented, meaning that the colors are very virbrant.  I am in love with this palette.

More Fashion Week Updates

Here are some more celebrity sitings at the NYFW festivities:

Atlanta's own, Keri Hilson looking fab.  I like how she added the leather glove to match the sleeve of the dress.  It kinda makes it look like she has a glove going all the way up her arm.

Model Chanel Iman. Cute outfit and I'm also loving the deep red lip

Solange Knowles rocking a cute frock with her adorable son Jueles in tow. The statement necklace and clutch really add pizazz to her outfit

Cute look for singer Ciara.  Loving those shoes!

Loving the Simmons' sisters look this time around, too. Angie is rocking the hell out of those red lips

Angela Simmons.  Loving EVERYTHING about this look.  I've GOT to have that blazer!  How HOT is that? Also, loving the multi-necklaces.

Vanessa's look is cute, too.  That skirt is absolutely fabulous! I like how she paired it with the lace blouse.

 Wow! A lot of great events are going on in New York this week.  Tomorrow night the VMA's will be going down.  I will be sure to show you some of the best red carpet looks for the evening.  Stay tuned!