pretty in hot pink

Hmm, I wonder what color Lucky thinks is so hot right now?  Cover aside, the beauty section is packed with lip and cheek product recommendations in sheer hot pinks.  After glancing through the magazine a couple times, I kind of want to Tarte's Natural Swirl Cheek Stain in Full Blossom, it looks so pretty!  My current favorite hot pink product is Bobbi Brown's pale pink blush (very similar to the blush shown in this photo of the Pink Raspberry face palette) on the apples of my cheeks with the lighter two shades from Cargo Miami Beach Blush swept over the top to warm up the color.

Get the Look: "Gray's Anatomy"

Although I'm by no means an avid watcher of "Gray's Anatomy," I've been a huge fan of the makeup used on the three lead female characters- they have the epitome of that perfect "no-makeup" natural glow that I strive to recreate. Until recently I wasn't quite sure how to replicate the look, but after stumbling upon a drugstore treasure and watching the season finale (um, cliffhangers much?) I think I've got the key basics down.

LIPS- The girls lips are slightly glossed with just a hint of peachy pink color that looks fresh but utterly natural. Neutrogena MoistureShine tinted lip balm in Glow is the best thing I've found to mimic the color- it's a shiny peach with a touch of pink, beige, and golden shimmer that lets your natural lip color show through enough so that the color doesn't look fake. The formula is similar to Vincent Longo's Baby Balm line in slickness and the SPF 20 is a huge bonus for summer (the shade range is limited, but this is a really great product and worth checking out). If your lips are naturally very rosy, you can neutralize them a bit further with either a pale nude lip liner like Stila Glaze Liner in Nude or a thin layer of an opaque pale nude gloss or lipstick like NARS Lip Lacquer in Chelsea Girls. The idea here isn't really to change your lip color, but rather to mimic the nude peachy pink glow while working with your natural lip tone, so don't coat your lips too much or it will spoil the effect.

SKIN- Keep things fresh and clean- cover any spots or under eye circles with concealer and go light on foundation but cover any redness. Pat over any concealer or foundation that you put on very lightly with a damp cosmetic sponge to blend it all into your skin. The girls don't wear noticeable blush or bronzer, but dusting a little glowy highlighter on your cheeks will again help to mimic their natural glow. There are tons of great highlighters out there, but choose on that's very finely milled (read: not glittery) in the peach to pink range- whatever is most flattering on your skin. I like Bobbi Brown Shimmer Bricks in Rose and Apricot, they reflect light in an almost dewy way and don't show up as noticeable sparkle even on those of us with large pores while providing a hint of color. Sweep it on the tops of cheekbones from the apple of the cheek towards the temple. If you want a little more dewiness in the look, use a pearly liquid highlighter like Stila All Over Shimmer Liquid Luminizer.

EYES- If lids are oily prep them with a dab of Urban Decay Primer Potion, then smooth on a light coat of foundation regardless. The idea is to even out the skin of the eyelid and cover up darkness and tiny veins. If you like, sweep on a subtly pearly eyeshadow similar to your skin color (probably in the champagne to cocoa range), but don't use anything too shimmery or frosty- it's texture overkill considering lips and cheeks. Bobbi Brown, Stila, and Tarte are great brands to look at (I like Tarte's Champagne Brunch). If you feel naked without eyeliner, use a damp liner brush to push a blackened brown eyeshadow like Stila Espresso (shown center) into the lash line, which defines the eyes without making an obvious line. Follow with a brown black or soft black waterproof mascara on curled lashes.

For That Effortless Glow

Me and Bobbi Brown, we're on the same page when it comes to creating a realistic looking glow. For years I've been layering two or three shades of powder blush to get the most natural looking color and as I was flipping through a back issue of a beauty magazine Bobbi listed this as one of her top makeup tips. So hey, we can't both be wrong...

Bobbi recommends using a soft color close to the shade you naturally blush and a brighter pop of color like apricot or coral pink. I don't particularly regard this as a rule that you should absolutely follow, but I do find that using shades from two different color families works best as long as they're colors that work on you and they coordinate well. I.e. don't use something extremely warm toned or orange based with something extremely cool toned or blue based. On my pale skin I love to mix Bobbi Brown's Pale Pink blush-bright cotton candy pink, with Stila Tutu blush- softer peachy pink. This trick is also highly effective with a bronzer, I've used everything from red, plum, pink, and peach with some golden bronzer and it looks amazing.

The only downside with this trick is that it's not time effective, and often I just need something I can swipe on over a little concealer and get out the door. Two years ago my best friend bought Cargo's Beach Blush, and once I saw what it can do I've been hooked ever since. I use Miami Beach, shown at left, which shows up as an effortless healthy dusty pink golden bronze. This shade is great for pale skinned girls whose skin makes most nude beige pinks and bronzes go orangy. My olive toned best friend loves Coral Beach which is a peachier golden bronze, and it flatters her whether she's pale or fairly tan. Besides how easy they are to use, they're also nicely versatile- the two lightest shades make great eyeshadows, so when I go on vacation I usually just take my Beach Blush, mascara, concealer, and a lipgloss. While sometimes these look a little too shimmery in the sunlight, they don't emphasize pores as much as other shimmer blushes out there. Cargo has one matte shade out, and will probably release more in the future. Beach Blush retails for $26, and comes in five ultra flattering shades.