Spring 2013: CHANEL PRINTEMPS PRÉCIEUX DE CHANEL.

January is not even over, but I cannot hold out any longer. It is time to start talking spring. I really wanted to put it off, but after seeing the beautiful Spring 2013 CHANEL Collection, I had to share.

Named for the precious beauty of Spring, the new colour collection PRINTEMPS PRÉCIEUX DE CHANEL
celebrates Gabrielle Chanel’s codes of simplicity and sophistication. Creative Director of CHANEL Makeup
Peter Philips channels the season’s splendor with a collection of contrasts. Elegant neutrals complement soft-to-sultry pinks on face and lips, while nails are adorned with vivid polish.

I love the balance of both the pastel and the vivids in the collection.

The Illuminating Powder is divine. Look really good into the powder. Yes - those are some signature CHANEL items you are seeing embossed into the powder itself. Does it get any more beautiful?

Embossed with iconic emblems of CHANEL, the powder creates a naturally luminous effect in two ways. The blend of soft peach and warm beige shades applies with a new sponge applicator for a sheer, radiant glow on cheekbones or with a powder brush for natural, allover radiance.

The Eye Shadow Quad is already a favorite and I will be creating captivating eye looks with it this spring and beyond. Look at the beautiful shades of mauve beige and browns.

An ultra-feminine palette of refined beiges and velvety browns offers subtle-to-seductive eye looks.

I love a CHANEL Lip Colour and these ROUGE ALLURE shades run the spectrum and are pretty perfect in every way. They feel so nice and cushiony on my lips. I love the true color and lasting power these have, without ever compromising the way my lips feel.

The complete CHANEL PRINTEMPS PRÉCIEUX DE CHANEL Spring 2013 collection:

Poudre Signée de CHANEL Illuminating Powder - $68.00

• Soft Beige Peach

VITALUMIÈRE Moisture Rich Radiance Fluid SPF 15 - $55.00

• Soft Bisque - Sandy Rose

JOUES CONTRASTE Powder Blush - $43.00

• Frivole - Luminous Apricot

ROUGE DOUBLE INTENSITÉ Ultra Wear Lip Colour - $34.00

• Rose Pearl - Shimmering Warm Rose

ROUGE ALLURE Pure Shine Intense Colour Long Wear Lip Gloss - $32.00

• Merveille - Lilac Rosewood
• Attirance - Coppery Beige

ROUGE ALLURE Luminous Intense Lip Colour - $34.00

• Fantasque - Soft Rose
• Precieuse - Peachy Beige
• Envoutante - Shimmering Violet Plum
• Captivante - Copper Brown

ROUGE ALLURE VELVET Luminous Matte Lip Colour - $34.00

• L’Eclatante - Vibrant Pink
• La Favorite - Coral

LE CRAYON LÈVRES Precision Lip Definer - $29.00

• Rubellite - Vibrant Pink
• Palissandre - Refined Brown

LES 4 OMBRES Quadra Eye Shadow - $59.00

• Raffinement
 - Rich Mauve, Pearly Pink Beige, Shimmering Lilac, Deep Eggplant

STYLO YEUX Waterproof Long-lasting Eyeliner - $30.00

• Or Rose - Light Rosy Beige
• Beryl - Lilac
• Santal - Brown

INIMITABLE INTENSE Mascara MultiDimensionnel Sophistique - $30.00

• Noir - Black

LE VERNIS Nail Colour - $27.00

• Emprise - Natural Rosy Beige
• Fracas - Vibrant Pink
• Accessoire - Deep Red Brown

The CHANEL Spring 2013 PRINTEMPS PRÉCIEUX DE CHANEL collection is available in CHANEL boutiques, counters and online at chanel.com.

Katie Holmes Bobbi Brown Ad Featuring the New Smokey Eye.

The first Bobbi Brown ad featuring Katie Holmes will debut in February. Look at how gorgeous Katie is wearing the new smokey eye in the ad.

When asked about Bobbi Brown, Katie said, “I’ve always been a fan of her makeup, because it’s so easy to apply. Her color palettes aren’t extreme, so when I first started wearing makeup it felt comfortable and I didn’t feel like I had too much on, which can happen. And then I met her, and she is just a lovely person – so generous. I think that it’s so exciting what she’s built with this company. She’s an incredible woman. So I’m thrilled on so many levels.”

To get Katie's sultry smokey eye, you are going to want to know about Bobbi's latest product, the Long-Wear Cream Shadow Stick. The Long-Wear Shadow Stick is a a do-it-all shadow stick that glides over lids to shade, define, smoke up and highlight eyes. 

The formula is made up of a unique blend of oils, waxes and film formers that makes it water-resistant with a superior 8 hour wear time. The super colorful, rich emollients provide intense pigment in one simple swipe of the stick. It never flakes or creases. Of course Bobbi had to go above an beyond and make it good for you too. Antioxidant Vitamins C and E protect the delicate eye area while skin conditioners help create the super smooth and lightweight feel.

Available in eight shades, there are a few that I know will become regulars in my new smokey eye routine.

• Vanilla -  warm cream
• Golden Pink - a shimmering pink peach
• Sand Dune - a medium beige tan
• Iced Blue - a shimmering blue grey
• Forest - a cool emerald green
• Shadow - a smokey blue grey
• Bark - a rich brown
• Violet Plum - a light lavender

The Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Cream Shadow Stick sells for $28.00 each and is available at all Bobbi Brown counters and online at bobbibrowncosmetics.com now.

Prescriptives Custom Blend Foundation.

Just because the Prescriptives custom blend counters went away a few years ago doesn't mean that you still can't be custom blended. Really! You can still get custom blended for a foundation all your own at Prescriptives. Through the computer! Yes - all you need is a computer with a web cam (most come with them these days) and a few minutes. The lovely Prescriptives Beauty Geniuses do the rest.

I had an appointment with Beauty Genius Nikki who took a lot of time to talk to me about the service, learn about my skin needs and then found out what I wanted from a foundation. I wore no makeup to the chat and uploaded two pictures of me wearing makeup.

After talking a bit about my needs, Nikki started building a foundation for me. We talked about the formula. She thought that I would need a hydrating formula. She was right! You can add so many things to the foundation, and a moisturizer is just one of the many. She also felt that I would like a "candle light" finish to look "lit from within". I do not like a flat matte look, and this was the perfect solution for me. Then we talked about color. She could see my largest concern; my neck is a shade darker than my face, and a bit on the pink side. I told her I like my face to blend in with my neck as much as possible, but I am always worried about a foundation being too pink or too yellow. She asked me about my current foundation shades and what I liked or didn't like about them. For example, I told her about the foundation I was currently using, but felt it was a bit too light and yellow for me. I told her that I get the perfect shade when I lightly dust a more neutral, yet darker powder over it. She completely understood that I was sort of custom blending to get the right shade myself, and assured me that I would no longer have this problem. She was positive that she would get the shading right for me.

Taking all of this information, she formulated a "Custom Blend Foundation Recipe". The recipe was emailed to me. I then went back to Prescriptives Custom Blend web page and entered my custom blend recipe id, and placed an order. In just over a week, I received my foundation.

I could not believe it. My custom blend foundation was perfect - on the first try. Nikki told me that even using computers and cameras, the beauty geniuses get the recipe right 80% of the time, the first time. If you feel like the color or formula need tweaking in any way, you can contact Prescriptives and they will reformulate it for you until they get it right - at no extra charge.

I have been wearing my own custom blend since I received it. After playing with a few application techniques, I like to pour a little bit on the back of my hand, and dip my damped Beauty Blender sponge into it and stipple it over my face. The color is beautiful, a bit luminous, and very long lasting when applied over a primer. The coverage is like what I like to think of as medium, but it is buildable, so I can cover up redder areas of my cheeks, and still look natural.

Prescriptives Custom Blend Foundation retails for $65.00, and that includes a goood size bottle (Im guessing 1 ounce) plus a small travel size. It comes beautifully packaged in a velvet pouch. I will definitely be re-ordering.

If I could change one thing about the foundation and service at all, I would like the option of adding a pump for the foundation. I just find that trying to get the right amount of foundation out of the bottle is never accurate, clumsy, a bit messy and can be wasteful.

To get started, head on over to Prescriptives Custom Blend to set up your appointment and chat live with a beauty genius now.