How to Find the Best Lip Color: An Interview With Bobbi Brown

Bobbi Brown is a makeup artist and the founder of Bobbi Brown Cosmetics. She is the author of four books, including Bobbi Brown Living Beauty (Springboard Press).

The ideal neutral lip color is like the perfect pair of jeans: It is a basic that you can dress up or down, and it will always look great on you.

• Put it in neutral. The most versatile lipstick you can own is a shade that's just a bit brighter than your natural lip color. It will even out and define your lips the way a subtle coat of mascara draws attention to your eyes. For some people, that color is a peachy brown or rosy pink; for an African-American woman, it might be eggplant. Keep in mind that a neutral lipstick shouldn't be the color of concealer (a look that only works on the runway) and that a matte lipstick that is lighter than your natural lip color will wash out your face.

• Try it right. Use the middle of your lower lip as a guide when looking for the right color, and try lipstick on in the daylight for the most accurate assessment. If you've tested more than three or four shades, take a break—your lips will be stained. You may also need to find a new color if you've been out in the sun a lot, since your lips might be darker.

• Know yourself. As a makeup artist, I learned quickly that the color of your lips affects the way a lipstick looks. If you see your friend wearing a great color, don't assume it will be right for you. Her shade might look ashy or muddy on your lips.

• Mix it up. Every season has its lipstick trend, and just because your perfect color is a pinky beige, that doesn't mean you can't wear deep burgundy. Apply one coat of your neutral, then add a thin coat of wine, burgundy, or any other color you want to try on top. Even the craziest lipstick shade can be adjusted to suit your coloring.

Source: allure

The 5 Best Makeup Looks from Paris Fashion Week Fall 2011

Paris has always been the city of love, but during Fashion Week it felt like there was an extra tinge of romance in the air. Our favorite makeup looks were understated, and surprisingly simple—a single color scheme, a stroke of thick liner or a bright mouth—but those small touches made a big impact that was beautiful, feminine and strong. Here are the looks we fell head over heels for:

1. Lanvin
Cats seemed to pop up everywhere on the runway this season (hats, sweaters), but this feline-inspired makeup has to be the trend's most purr-fect incarnation. Using Cover Girl's Smoky ShadowBlast in Onyx, makeup artist Pat McGrath drew a thick line starting from the center of the lash line and extending it far our past the outer corner of the eyes. Rather than bringing it to a sharp point, she squared it off so it looked imperfect, "I wanted it to look like the girls did their own makeup," she said. Less severe and graphic than your typical cat-eye, it's just as sexy—and a whole lot easier to do.

2. Chanel
Is it gray? Is it gold? Is it green? Coming down the runway, the iridescent eye shadow shifted and changed color in the light, looking as dark and mysterious as the smoke-filled runway. "Karl wanted something metallic—a silver gray," said makeup artist Peter Philips. "We chose one of the new cream shadows that will be out in the fall. It's an intense shimmer," he said of the gunmetal shade. To define the eyes, Philips traced the upper and lower lash lines with black cream liner, creating a smudgy "V" on the outer corners of the eyes. Next, the cream shadow, called Epatant, was brushed all over the lids, underneath the eyes, and smudged up into the brow bone with a Q-Tip. Next he lined the inner corners with Chanel's Eye Liner in Khaki Platine (also a fall launch), and finished off the look with two coats of mascara and a matte-velvet rosy lipstick.

3. Nina Ricci 
Pink lipstick is nothing new (trust us, we've seen and tried them all), but this sorbet shade is a nice switch from the vibrant fuchsias and magentas from the past few seasons. Creamy, but with a matte finish, the shade is somewhere between a salmon-pink and sherbet orange, which sounds strange for fall, but looks so right when paired with minimal makeup—with a statement color like this, you won't need much else. McGrath evened out the models' skin with liquid foundation, curled and coated the lashes with mascara, filled in brows, and dusted a light taupe shadow over the lids.

4. Chloé 
We love the idea of sepia-toned makeup for fall, and the monochromatic version at Chloé was just what we had in mind for a cool-weather look. Not only is the shade super-flattering (it seriously looked good on every model), but it was unexpectedly beautiful when softly diffused all over the face. On the lids, chocolate brown shadow was swept over the lids and slightly above the creases, as well as underneath the lower lash lines. Lashes were dark and thick, bronzer was dusted up the cheekbones, and M.A.C.'s Freckletone lipstick was applied to the mouth. For an added touch of sweetness, makeup artist Charlotte Tilbury drew freckles on the models.

5. Jean Paul Gaultier 
So the gray bouffants may have been totally goofy, but take a close look at the models' faces and you'll realize there was some seriously pretty makeup at this show. Every feature was covered in the same rosy-brown shade—spread in the creases and along the brown bone of the eyes, diffused all over the cheeks and dotted lightly on the lips. Porcelain skin provided a soft, perfect base, while the strong brows gave the face a focal point without looking too over-the-top. Overall the makeup was romantic, but without being girly—something you may not have noticed behind all the show's grandma-inspired accoutrements.

Which runway look is your favorite? Would you try one of these to look runway-ready?

Source: Glamour

Lip Color Obsession: Selena Gomez's Berry Red Lipgloss

Oh, this lipgloss on Selena Gomez is going to win you over. Oh, yes it is.

It's a richly pigmented berry red that is really just fabulous. Fabulous, I tell you. It's bright. It's fun. And it's kinda chic, too. I mean, how could you not love it? Not possible.

Source: Glamour

Oscars Beauty Secrets: Celebrity Makeup Tricks

With the Oscars coming this Sunday, the anticipation builds: Who will be the big winners? What will the celebrities wear—and more importantly (to us), what will their beauty looks be? With cameras flashing all night, along with a little eating, drinking, crying, and kissing, how do the stars maintain their makeup into the wee hours of the night? We asked celebrity makeup artists Matin (who works with leading ladies like Amy Adams and Claire Danes) and Mai Quynh (who was responsible for Emma Stone's sun-kissed Golden Globes look, above) for their best secrets. After all, even if you're not taking home a golden statue anytime soon, you still want makeup to stay perfect for hours on end.

Quench your skin. "The trick to making your makeup last is well-moisturized skin," explains Matin. "When it's dehydrated, it eats up the makeup. The night before an award show, I have my clients sleep with the Guerlain Midnight Secretmask on." When he gets his hands on them, he slathers on a moisturizer (his favorite: Laura Mercier Mega-Moisturizer), lets it sink in, then massages on a silicone-free primer. "Silicone ones can make your skin slippery, but a good one creates an even surface."  

Go easy on the foundation. While you might think the stars wear more makeup for red carpet events, that's not the case: "The less foundation you use, the less the skin rejects it and the longer it will last. I apply a sheer amount to even out the skin, then use concealer to cover any redness around the nose or dark circles," Matin says.  

Layer blush. "I recommend using a cream blush, like Mark Just Pinched Instant Blush Tint, first and then applying a powder blush on top," says Quynh. Her fave:Mark Good Glowing Powder Blush. "Layering products ensures that they'll last all day and into the night."  

Set your eyes. "With a brush, dust a little translucent powder on your lids before you apply your eye makeup and once you're finished, over your shadow and liner," Matin recommends.  

Keep your lips low maintenance. "The less fussy the lips are, the less you have to worry about touching them up," says Matin. "I like to go with beige, brown, or nude lips and play up the eyes instead. For a 'done' lip, use a stain first so when the cream or gloss fades, you'll still have some color."  

Stockpile your clutch. "I love Sampar's blotting sheets. They come on a roll so you can tear the sheets as long or short as you'd like. I line my clients' bags with five of them," says Matin. Quynh swears by blotting sheets as well, especially before reapplying powder: "For perfect skin, use blotting sheets before touching up your powder. This will help avoid makeup looking cakey."

Who was your favorite?

Source: allure

10 New Sexy and Speedy Makeup Looks

Sexing up your look takes more than a red lip stain and tousled hair (but that's a good place to start). It also takes restraint, grace, and the ineffable ability to make it look like you didn't fuss for hours over every last detail. In that spirit, we offer you our favorite sexy new looks that actually only take about 30 seconds to create.

1. Natural Moisturized Lips

Sex kittens the world over swear by this one: Apply a lipstick that matches your natural lip color, then make your mouth superglossy by coating it in clear balm or gloss. (We love Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment SPF 15.)

2. Glowing Skin

If you're wearing anything cut up to here or down to there, you can't neglect your arms, decolleté, and legs. A good body lube, like Kiehl's Superbly Restorative Argan Dry Oil, will make the skin look smooth, dewy, and that most tantalizing of adjectives, supple.

3. Orange-Red Lips

Every woman is a mere two lipstick swipes away from sexpot. The key is getting the shade right—too red spells harlot, too orange is plain ugs. Try mixing shades, like makeup artists did to create the perfect shade at the spring 2010 Prada show: a little bit of Make Up For Ever Lacquered Lipstick in Fluorescent Orange blended with Laura Mercier Crème Lip Colour in Truly Red. (OrM.A.C. Lipstick in Lady Danger will get you there in a single swipe.)

4. Metallic Lids

It takes a certain kind of woman—specifically, the smoking hot kind—to get away with eyelids dripping in rich gold shadow. Don't wimp out with safe bronze or pale copper—try pure gold, likeBenefit Creaseless Cream Shadow/Liner in Busy Signal, smeared on from the lashes to the crease.

5. Warm Cheeks

Nothing says corn-fed, golly-gee sweetness like naturally blushing cheeks. And since you can absolutely fake that kind of Lolita glow, there's rosy cream blush. Rub it on the apples of your cheeks and let the hair twirling begin. (Our favorite: Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge for Lips and Cheeks in Pink Truffle.)

6. Light Pink Lips

You can keep biting your lips for hours, or you can do it the easy way. Apply a light—almost peony—pink lipstick and blot it slightly so it looks more natural. L'Oréal Paris Colour Riche Lipcolour in Pink Lady is the perfect demure shade.

7. Lived-in Eyeliner

Smoky eyeliner always makes the sexy list for two reasons: 1) It makes people think of sex and 2) we forget the second one. The trick is to take a black pencil, cream liner, and powder shadow and go to town around the eyes—trace the lashes with the pencil and cream liner, smudge the lines gently with a brush or cotton swab, and then swipe black cream and powder shadows from the lids to the crease, brusquely blending as you go.

8. Warm Skin

To gives skin a warm, sunny glow, try St. Tropez Self Tan Bronzing Mousse—it doesn't streak, and thanks to its Aromaguard technology, it doesn't stink, either.

9. Dramatic Winged Liner

In the interest of full disclosure, this does take more than 30 seconds, but not much. And once you have winged eyeliner in place, no one will notice your other makeup anyway. Line the top and bottom lashes with black liquid liner, then flip the upper line out slightly at the outer corners (a credit card is good for making the wing straight). Try Shiseido The Makeup Fine Eyeliner.

10. Violet Eyes

Your neutral greige shadow will not exactly leave the opposite sex panting. Kick up the intrigue level with a shimmery purple shade applied from the lash line to the crease, then line the upper lid with deep violet liquid liner—a look inspired by one of the sexiest shows we've seen to date, Versace spring 2010. (We love Sonia Kashuk Enhance Eye Shadow in Purple Velvetand Almay Intense i-Color Liquid Liner in Purple Amethyst.)

Source: allure