Orange on the Fall 2009 Runway

Orange is normally a color that I associate with fall; pumpkins, gourds, candy corn, leaves. But the hue that I saw on the Fall 2009 runways is breathtaking. I sat here thinking how I can incorporate such a bright color into my fall beauty wardrobe and BAM! it came to me. Orange lipstick is far too unflattering for the majority of mortals, orange eyeshadow can be interesting if done right (which 99.9% of the time it's not,) and orange blush is too darn tricky to pull off. Then I remembered that NARS re-released their vintage best selling nail polishes this fall, and one of them is this gorgeous shade of orange that I keep seeing popping up. NARS nail polish in Cha Cha Cha is the perfect, most flattering way to snake in orange this fall. My inspiration is coming from the Michael Kors Ready To Wear Fall 2009 show, where he brilliantly threw in bolts of orange color in with crisp black suits and buttery leather jackets. I can't wait to wear my black trench coat, some spiky black heels and a pop of Cha Cha Cha this fall...it's seasonally festive in a jet-set runway sort of way.

New in Stock Today from Bare Escentuals

Cheerful Blush

Vintage Peach Blush

Tokyomilk

I love using anything exotic, or at least something that makes me look exotic. It seems recently that niche brands have been going more and more mainstream; making them less and less niche. It's a cycle of trends that you have to be on top of if you want to be a trend setter instead of a herd follower. Although I do run the risk of spoiling my own fun by telling you my secrets and finds, I'll take my chances and smile inwardly when I see it being sold everywhere but Greenland, knowing that I sparked a trend. One of my favorite beauty boutiques, beautyhabit just picked up a fabulous new line that I can't stop admiring. Tokyomilk is best known for their perfumes, blends of vanilla bean, sugared grapefruit, honeyed rose, and plenty more exotic ingredients. I am pretty wary about buying new fragrances, especially when I can't smell them through the internet...but I did find something even more intreguing. Tokyomilk also makes a product called "Bon Bon Lip Balms," adorable little pots of deliciously packaged and even more deliciously flavored lip balms. And they are not your run-of-the-mill flavors, either. Forget harsh menthol and waxy-cherry flavors and introduce your lips to flavors such as Iced Green Tea, Petit Fours, Rose Water, Opera Mint, Sweet Cream, Candied Violette, Cherry Balm and Honey Blossom. I have my eye on another flavor called Let Them Eat Cake described as "sugar sweet red velvet cake that is deliciously elegant." As if that were't delicious enough, the box and pot are adorned with images of Victorian-era women (my favorite fashion era) and huge cakes. All of the Tokyomilk products are whimsical and like something you would find on a vintage glamorous vanity from a foreign film. Let's just hope that this stays niche long enough for me to try all of the flavors!

New in Stock from Urban Decay

Here is what we got in new this week at The Beauty Loft from Urban Decay:

Let the projects begin...

We are undergoing some secret projects at The Beauty Loft this summer and one of them includes a DIY project! Here is the before shot of a dresser that we purchased for our custom made Urban Decay displays (and yes, you are getting a sneak peek at the new collections in those displays!) We will have another display for a total of five...and although the dresser is the perfect size, it needs to be Urban Decay-ified! After some coats of paint, some new drawer pulls, and a funky mirror, you won't even recognize it! I thought I would let you in on our little project so that you can see the creativity and hard work that really does go into every single thing at The Beauty Loft....

My New Labelmaker

It has always been an issue at The Beauty Loft whether or not we price every single item. When I originally opened my first store, I priced every single item as it arrived. It was great when a customer asked how much something was, but in the long term it was time consuming and too hard to upkeep. In my current store, I tried to price everything...I really did! But out of sheer volume of product, I just decided to price only the testers (because they are permanent fixtures.) This would have been a great plan...in theory. Although I priced all of the items in hot pink gel pen which I later learned completely fades away to nothing. So here I was, stuck with absolutely nothing priced (and there is nothing worse than a busy Saturday when somebody asks "how much is this one?" and you have to stop everything and look it up in the computer.) So we finally splurged and bought a label maker this week, which has pretty much consumed my every day since I bought it. It's so addictive to make labels! Once you start you simply cannot stop (I know this probably sounds like something a high Martha Stewart would say but it's true!) Here I am today labeling Caudalie and working my way down the shelves one product at a time...

Bold Lips

To me, being able to successfully execute a dramatic lip takes serious skill. It takes research to find the exact color to compliment your skin tone, it takes time to find the right consistency, and it takes style to design the entire effect. In my opinion, it is a lot more challenging than creating a dark or dramatic "eye" look because most everyone looks good with a bit of definition on the eye to make them pop. Plus, if that wasn't hard enough, you've got to get over your mouth hang-ups. Believe me, I've heard them all; "my lips are too thin for lipstick" or "my mouth is too wide for a dark color" or even "I don't want to draw attention to my teeth." You don't ever hear somebody complaining that she doesn't want to draw attention to her eyes, now do you? Of course not.
Another problem with trying to find that exact shade of dramatic red or pink or burgundy is that there is never enough of a variety. Most brands create their darkest colors for women who have extremely dark complexions in strange colors like shimmery brown (does brown lipstick look good on anybody?) And there might be one or two shades of red, but they're so fire engine red that if you decided to wear it, people might start calling you Ronald. Another important thing about a dark colored lipstick (and this is not so important with a light color) is that the consistency is very creamy. Have you ever tried to wear a dark, dramatic colored lipstick that was old or just really bad quality? It's sort of like trying to rub a mushy chalk on your lips, and even if you have the nicest lips in the world, they are still going to resemble paper mache.
Normally I wouldn't even write an article on dark lipstick because it is too hard to find a color range that suits all or most skin tones, and it wouldn't be fair to the rest of the lipstick loving community. But alas...I have found the Holy Grail of Lipsticks from Urban Decay; and the packaging even resembles one of my favorite stories, The Sword In The Stone. The color range is stunning and broad, ranging from rich reds to dark rose, to its newest addition not for the faint of heart (Oil Slick, the infamous black shadow now becomes a lip color.) The consistency is creamy and smooth, so much so that I don't even feel the need to wear anything on top or underneath it. Plus all of the colors have an amazing caramel smell that makes me never want to go back to a glue smelling lipstick ever again. They're feminine with an edge; the kind of woman who keeps a pair or thigh high black stiletto boots in her closet that only she knows about. Even though I'm one pair of boots short, I still am enchanted by this newest collection from Urban Decay.