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Go bold…Experiment with hues…Practice application techniques for your eye shape! purminerals.com is your destination for eye shadow experimentation. The interactive site lets you try out an array of Pür Minerals shades from the comfort of your own home. It’s as simple as:

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WHERE TO FIND IT:  www.purminerals.com/pur-virtual-looks

Faithful ThisThatBeauty readers know that the Arise African Collective show at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week is one of my personal favorites. For the last two season, I have had the pleasure of covering both backstage and the runway.

For the Fall/Winter 2010 season of the African Collective, unfortunately due to scheduling conflicts, I was not able to attend…and boo it up with Tyson…

(Season One)

(Season Two)

I also missed out on the likes of Alek Wek, Liya Kebede, Stacey McKenzie. Boo hoo! *real tears*

Season one of the African Collective was ushered in with a sonic boom. I confess I nearly wet myself with excitement when the iconic, often imitated, but never duplicated, Grace Jones hit the runway. The normally reserved press and celebs in attendance went absolutely bananas. You could hear folks yelling – Strange’! (Those who remember “Boomerang will get my Strange’ reference)

Even though I was not  able to attend the African Collective this season, I was able to get the rundown on the makeup. Iman Cosmetics was the makeup sponsor. I simply adore Iman and the inspiration behind her brand. I respect that the line speaks to an under represented demographic AND is frugalista friendly. March on over  to your local Wal-Mart, Duane Reade, or Tar-jay of choice, and you will find Iman Cosmetics. For a while, in my humble opinion, the brand had fallen off and did a less than satisfactory job of keeping drugstore shelves stocked with product. Over the last year I’ve been sneaking up on Iman Cosmetics in random drugstores, and it makes me very happy to observe that the company is much improved in the areas of plentiful stock, swatching samples, and new products. For these reasons, I am giving Iman Cosmetics a well deserved “atta boy”…or girl, i guess. *smile*

While I love presenting the backstage makeup run down for shows that I cover, I particularly enjoy offering my readers the run down on makeup looks that are affordable. May this montage of runway looks from The African Collective inspire and encourage you to visit your local drugstore, purchase the products, and recreate the looks! Go on…channel your inner model!

BLACK COFFEE

Fashion Inspiration was organic, un-constructed, and earthy in natural tones of sand, stone, and putty popped with muted turquoise and apricot

• Makeup Concept: Soft, ethereal, sun-blushed and feminine
• Eyes: Mixed Metals Eye Shadow Duo, Wicked Eye Defining Powder, Platinum Luxury Liquid Eye Liner
• Cheeks: Afterglow Sheer Bronzing Powder
• Lips: Rapture Luxury Lip Stain

DEOLA SAGOE
Fashion Inspiration was a precise, no-nonsense, geometric, mixed-media feel in military tones of black, pewter, grey and navy.

• Makeup Concept: Emphasis on bold dramatic brows with sheer neutral contoured face, eyes, and lips
• Eyes: Blackest Brown Perfect Eyebrow Pencil, Bewitched Luxury eye Defining Powder, Perfect Mascara
• Cheeks: Sable Luxury Blushing Powder,
• Lips: Tan Perfect lip Pencil, Crystal Luxury Lip Shimmer

LOINCLOTH & ASHES
Fashion Inspiration was a fusion of soft and architectural textures in putty, charcoal and black popped with touches of lapis blue

• Makeup Concept: The emphasis is on bronzed skin and soft earth toned eyes and lips
• Eyes: Bronze Goddess Eye Shadow Duo, Jet Black Perfect Eye Pencil, Perfect Mascara
• Cheeks: Clay Sheer Bronzing Powder & Sunkissed Luxury Blushing Powder
• Lips: Exposé Luxury Lip Shine

Which look is you fav?

Lash and brow enhancers are all the rage these days. It seems like every bella and her momma seeks lush lashes and fuller brows. There are quite a few cosmetic brands that offer a non prescription alternative to Brooke Shield’s lash enhancer of choice.

RapidLash claims to offer, well, uhm, “Rapid” “Lash” growth. I stumbled upon an upcoming RapidLash event that I’d like to share with you. If you’re curious, consider dropping by Duane Reade Herald Square to meet Jeannine Morris of BeautySweetSpot.com and learn about RapidLash.

Smashbox’s spring 2010 color collection, Heartbreaker, is a fun and flirty offering that is filled with bold and vibrant spring shades. This is precisely the energizing jolt of Spring makeup you seek after a cold dreary winter of subdued tones. Heartbreaker (which makes me hum this lil ditty by everyone’s favorite Meltdown Diva) embodies trends and looks that I wholeheartedly welcome when the weather breaks. Spring time encourages makeup risk taking….have at it with a pop of bursting color, soft washes of shimmery shades, slick lips, and flushed cheeks.

Heartbreaker is tastefully youthful….pouts painted in glossy hot pink….lilac and ballet pink shadow softly frame the eyes….Pretty pink shimmer powder creates a warm glow.

The collection flaunts a diverse color palette with a rich assortment of shades. Bright azure, mint, hot pink and deep violet colors balance out warm tones like chestnut, champagne and charcoal. Pinks, coral orange, berry and beige are main focus for plump kissable lips.

The full collection rundown:

• Eye Shadow Palette: Two new palettes featuring six shades: Hot Date (crème brulee, shimmering chestnut, champagne, shimmering azure, mint and taupe) and Kiss n’ Tell (ballet pink, hot pink, icy white, deep violet, charcoal and peony)
• Fusion Soft Lights: A color wheel of shimmering powders arriving in pinks and neutrals in one shade suits all, Baked Starlight
• Liquid Liner Pen: Liquid eyeliner pen in Jet Black
• Lip Shine: Two new lip formulations in Berry Hot, a berry pink and Melon-Drama, a coral orange
• Roller Gloss: A new roll-on lip gloss in Pink Sugar, a glittery pale pink

This collection screams “spring makeup investment”, so start stacking your chips. Heartbreaker is money well spent, for reals.

In honor of our current crappy snow condition, I have decided to dig in the crates and re-publish a FACE OF THE DAY piece I published during a really big snow storm in 2008. Enjoy!

[Rewind.......]

Happy Snow Day folks -

And here’s what I’m wearing:

If cool brights float your beauty boat, Spring promises to send your heart sailing. This season we’re seeing bursts of cool vivid brights. The key tones include lavender, lilac, turquoise, violet and aquamarine blues. YSL, Guerlain, Dior, and The Body Shop all deliver cool bright palettes that are sure to please. See for yourself!

Nars’ spring 2010 collection exudes elegance and style with a versatile colour palette made up of hot pinks, electric sky blue, lilac and rose gold. Created and photographed by François Nars, the Nars Spring 2010 make-up is “confident, cosmopolitan and polished.”

Featuring supermodel Amber Valletta, the look is glamorous and sophisticated with picture perfect skin and contoured cheekbones. The eyes light up in soft rose gold tones while lips are injected with a dose of pink for a sheer glossy finish.

The colours

Inspired by Catherine Deneuve’s role as Lucille in La Chamade, the colours are light, sexy and elegant. Nars said: “The shades are soft, sexy and light – like springtime. The formulas are transparent, so they allow the skin to look natural and fresh.” Light tones of nude, pink and peach are important for the lips, while hints of purple are key for eyes and nails.

The products

• Single Eyeshadow: A dusty lilac powder eye shadow with a crease-resistant matt formula in D.Gorgeous
• Duo Eyeshadow: One new powder duo eyeshadow in Kuala Lumpur comes in a gold-infused rose and boysenberry colour
• Duo Cream Eyeshadow: A new duo cream palette paired with Golden Moss and Sienna.
• Glitter Pencil: A bright sky blue and silver coloured sparkling pencil to line, accent, illuminate and highlight the eyes
• Lipstick: New shade in Cruising, a sheer pink tone
• Lip Gloss: Two lip glosses in Easy Lover, a sheer hot pink and Ophelia, a high-shine strawberry nectar
• Nail Polish: An intense gothic purple called Purple Rain

Finally a return to one of the biggest trends of my early makeup wearing years…orange! Back in the day, I swear you couldn’t tell me nothing. I boldly rocked semi matte orange lips and never once apologized. The return of this trend for Spring is ushered in in a refined and wearable fashion. Bobbi Brown, YSL, The Body Shop, Lancome, and Chantecaille are all taking me back…waay back! Who’s going down memory lane with me?What’s your take on the return of orange? Leave a comment…I want to hear from you!

For Spring the temperature outdoors will warm up but the makeup goes icy…Ice Ice Baby!

Many major beauty brands have based their Spring collections on the ice princess theme. To pull off this trend, you will need cool tones of sky blue, turquoise, lilac and icy white in your makeup rotation. The cool tones on the eye are lightly diffused to create a two tone effect. Skin is bright with light bouncing off the cheeks, bridge of the nose and forehead. Gentle illumination is the core of the ice princess theme. Lips are plump with soft sensuality in see through coral hues. Take a gander at the beauty brands embracing this look.

Lancome

Clarins (European launch)

Shu Uemura

YSL

Which look is your personal fav? Leave a comment. I’m crushing particularly hard on Clarins!

Baby its cold outside but the bitter chill that is characteristic of January never stops the makeup obsessed from looking forward to Spring makeup trends. Like clockwork, every season about this time, Spring collections are launched. This season you will see many emerging color stories and trends.

One Spring theme to catch my attention is the look of healthy, sun-kissed make-up. The skin glows with a warm radiance. Expect lots of terracotta bronzers and blushers swept over the face. The makeup is fresh and natural. Eyes are softly touched with color and lips are delicately stained with neutral shades. Feast your eyes on the upcoming collections that embrace the Spring trend of sun-kissed skin.

Clinique

Becca

Bobbi Brown

Chanel

Giorgio Armani