Coral Crush

The beauty magazines have been pushing coral tinged colors for months, and if you're like me you're tempted to check it out even though coral has NEVER looked natural with your complexion. We're also on the cusp of fall when punchy colors are traded in for smoky eyes or wine stained lips, is it really worth jumping onto the coral bandwagon this late in the game?

At the makeup counter today I found some items that bare a hint of the hot hue but will be workable year round.

Chanel Coral Reef Glossimer- looks neon in the tube, but glowy golden peachy nude on the lips. It adds gorgeous dimension to reds, pinks, and nudes and adds just enough coral tinge to transform colors. Available at counters for $25.

Fresh Blush Cream in Portrait of a Lady- A touch of coral warms up this dusty pink blush which doubles as a gorgeous and long-lasting lipcolor. Paired with Coral Reef and a smoky or nude eye the looks is effortless for the end of summer and fall. Available at www.fresh.com for $28, not so steep considering it's an unbeatable shade and the pot lasts forever

Chanel Fall!

Chanel knows how to make a great red gloss, as proven by the renown of Spark Glossimer. They've hit gold again with Hibiscus( shown at left), which is a little less gold than Spark and a bit more cool berry- much redder than it appears in the photo. If you, like me, get suckered into the gorgeous berry lips of fall year after year, you'll want to check this one out.

The rest of the collection? I'm not so impressed. I like a burnished bronze, brown, or gold eye for fall and to me their eye quads look a little flat and dated. The rest of the lip shades weren't anything to write home about either.

Going Red Update: Chanel Knockoff!

Friends, a little miracle occurred at work today. As some of you know I work for a plant nursery and my job is stocking plants at Home Depot. While I was moving carts of plants around I found a brand-new sealed Neutrogena MoistureShine gloss in Swizzle on the ground. As if this initial score weren't enough, when I inspected it during my break I discovered that the shade is an EXACT match to Chanel Spark glossimer- it's the same slightly cool toned raspberry red gloss with very fine gold microshimmer. I found that I even prefer the texture of the Neutrogena version to that of Chanel- Chanel feels a little sticky on the lips if you put on a thin coat, whereas the Neutrogena is delightfully not sticky in any way. It almost feels like a high shine lipstick instead of a gloss. If you were hesitant about checking out Chanel Spark because of the price (I know I was) then you have no excuses now, as the Neutrogena glosses are very affordable and regularly on sale. If you're doubtful about the color then at least go to a Chanel counter and try it on, you have nothing to lose with this drugstore look-alike available.

Going Red II: Gloss It Up!

After balm, sheer gloss and sheer shiny lipsticks are the next most low maintenance and forgiving formulas- they're more pigmented than balm, but their sheerness and glossiness make them solidly wearable.

My favorite in the sheer lipstick field is definitely Vincent Longo Baby Balm in Boccacino (pictured in the previous post), a dewy berry red that will be my must-have for fall. This line unfortunately doesn't have a true cherry red or anything on the orange side of the spectrum at this time, but fingers are crossed that Longo will expand this line soon.

My favorite gloss is the renowned Chanel Spark Glossimer, which has been touted for years as a universally flattering shade. I first stumbled upon this gem in high school while reading Seventeen; some of you may remember their article which pictured a ton of girls covering a wide spectrum of skin tones who all looked fabulous in it. I can honestly say that I tried it on a slew of girls in my sorority and it looked great on all of them. I think the secret is a slightly pinky red gloss packed with the finest gold shimmer I've ever seen; the cool and warm tones sort of neutralize each other and somehow this makes it work on everyone. Another bonus is that the nonsticky gel formula is buildable from sheer to pretty full-on red, making it highly versatile. It retails for a ridiculous $25, but a tube lasts me about two years with pretty regular use- well worth it for the perfect red.

Another winner I stumbled upon last fall is Prescriptives Rain Gloss in Cherry Storm. The formula is like a very thin watery gel and the effect is like a sheer wet liquid lipstick- it's a formula unlike anything I've ever seen. Cherry Storm is that perfect wet "I just ate a popsicle" look, which leaves the perfect stain of color after the shine is gone. The shine is disappointingly short lived; because the formula has no tackiness whatsoever you can basically lick this one right off (and you might want to, it tastes and smells just like a grape pospsicle) but with a little self control this is one of the most gorgeous lip products I've ever used. The shade range is pretty good too, and makes other bold shades like coral and deep berry equally wearable. It retails for $18.50 which is a little steep considering that re-application is a must after eating or drinking anything but then again you don't need very much product to get a stunning look.