Metal-x Madness

Heads up beauty mavens! This THE BEST cream shadow I've ever experienced. Being an oily skinned person, I've always been very cautious about using cream shadows. As a makeup artist, I love the way that they look on other people, they photograph beautifully. This innovative new cream to powder eyeshadow from MAC is truly a dream come true for me. It has all the benefits of a cream shadow-looks like skin but delivers a luminous glowing color without the shadowed eye shadow look. The best part is that it doesn't crease on and stays put on the skin. Metal-x cream shadow is great for women of all ages! This product comes in a great variety of shades and can be applied with MAC's #242 or #252 brush. Tip-use it on your cheekbones and on the inner corners of your eyes to get stunning radiance! This product can be found at Nordstrom at $16.50.

Le Blanc de Chanel Sheer Illuminating Base

This fabulous product is from Chanel's new collection and for those of us with hyperpigmentation or sun damage, its a dream come true! Apply a thin layer of this after your moisturizer and before your foundation. It will even out texture (like acne scars and fine lines) in the skin, neutralize any discoloration (sun damage, pregnancy mask, melasma) and give the skin a youthful luminous glow! For those low key makeup days, wear this by itself with a little powder or a tinted moisturizer over the top! Pick this up at Bloomingdales for $45!

Secret Camoflauge

Hello Nicciknows,

I am in desperate search of a magical concealer. Specifically to cover the redness of my morning eyes and dark circles. I am looking for your direction and expertise to help me shuffle through all the products in the marketplace and find the best one!

Do you have any suggestions?

Thanks,

Stephanie

Hi Stephanie,

Thanks for your query....never fear, help is here! Choosing the right concealer can be tricky...there are several factors to consider. The good news is that there are some amazing new products out there. Here are the things to remember.

1) Because the area around your eyes is delicate and the thinnest skin on your face, you want to choose a concealer which both gives you the coverage that you need but also doesn't look think or heavy on your skin.

2) The other important factor to consider is the color you are trying to conceal. For instance you refer to your dark circles. Typically dark circles are a dark blue shade. So you want to choose a concealer shade which will color correct the dark circles. To do this, you will need a peach-toned concealer. On the other hand, if you were trying to cover blemishes or redness, you would want to choose a yellow-toned concealer.

There are two concelaers that I suggest trying. The first is Kevyn Aucoin's Sensual Skin Enhancer ($45 at Kevyn Aucoin.com) . This is a creamy product that is extremely concentrated, a little goes a very long way. You'll want to take a tiny bit and warm it up on your hand before using your finger to apply sparingly to the eye area and blend! It gives maximum coverage. To get matched to your perfect shade, go into youre local Neiman Marcus store. If you find this too heavy, the other concealer that I love is Laura Mercier Secret Eye Concealer ($22 at Nordstrom) with Laura Mercier Secret Brightening Powder ($22 at Nordstrom) over the top.

Hope this helps!

xo,

Nicciknows

Beauty in humility

The woman who truly takes delight in the finer things in life, and does it with a humble and appreciative attitude, is a beautiful woman indeed! Last week, that woman was me! As many of my regular readers know, I recently took a trip to see my family in South Africa. Because of all the travelling I do, I was able to upgrade my ticket to business class. Now I don't know about many of you, but this was a first for me. Growing up, I'd always sit in the economy seats at the back of the plane and wonder what the life of the upper class flyer must be like. Well let me tell you....its pretty much phenomenal!

If getting upgraded to Business Class wasn't cool enough, on the first leg of my trip, they UPGRADED ME AGAIN to FIRST CLASS because as it turns out, they had oversold Business Class! Oh my GOODNESS-it was SO fancy. First, did you know that in first class, you basically have your very own attendant? Nancy, my airline attendant, offered me a newspaper of my choice and then after giving me a glass of champagne, asked me what I'd like to drink after we take off! I was trying to act like I fly first class all the time-but inside I was giggling with glee, like a little girl in a candy store!!! After Nancy brought me my drink (in a real glass instead of plastic, by the way!), then she brought me a bowl of warm mixed nuts and a menu for the 4-course dinner that would be served. The seats literally turn into flatbeds and there is a privac screen and duvet blankets! Of course, you get your own personal entertainment system with Bose headphones and dozens of movies and TV shows! Talk about heavenly! The food was served on real plates as opposed to the foil TV trays you get in economy and it was delicious! What a trip!

If you ever get the chance to upgrade, take it....its such a treat! xo

Does It All really does it all!

Bumble and Bumble make amazing hair styling products and every woman needs a bottle of Does-It-All styling spray! It protects against heat styling damage from straightening and curling irons, it gives your hair a light flexible hold, and builds fantastic volume! Best of all, it doesn't have that crispy feel of regular hairspray! I love the smaller 4 oz. size ($17) for my gym bag but the larger one is a better value ($29 at Fred Segal Beauty). My favorite way to use it is when I curl my hair with a 1.25" curling iron. I spray my dry hair with Does-It-All spray, then I comb it through, curl my hair in .5" sections. A little glossing serum for a finishing touch and voila, red carpet hair! 

Enormous Lash Eyelash Enhancing Serum

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Want Enormous Lashes? Enormous Lash eyelash conditioner and volumizer can transform the appearance of short, thinning or sparse lashes into longer, drop-dead sexy-looking eyelashes in as little as 45 days. This conditioning serum creates the breathtaking look of falsies or eyelash extensions. Mile-long lashes are truly the hottest new beauty trend out there, and now anyone can have them!  This is truly revolutionary!   ($95 Nordstrom)

How to use: Apply every night along the lash line. Can also be applied to eyebrows

 

Blushing Bride

Dear NicciKnows,
I am in the midst of planning the wedding of my dreams. It will be in the summer months and outdoors and sure to be very hot. I want a glowing look of radiance on my special day, but I don't want to be covered in shimmer. What advice do you have on achieving a glowing (not oily) complexion that lasts all day? Can you also recommend a soft, but bright pink blush? I loved caprice by Chanel, but it was limited---any suggestions would be much appreciated!

Thanks,
Bride-to-be

Dear Bride-to-Be,
Congratulations on your upcoming wedding! How exciting. Yes, achieving all day radiance during a warm summer wedding can be tricky. My suggestion is to avoid glittery looking products and use something that provides a soft subtle glow. Also, avoid using the luminizing product in your T-zone and just stick to the outer planes of your face (ie your cheekbones, the outsides of your forehead and your decolletage). The product that would give you the flawless, luminous look you desire is the Giorgio Armani Fluid Sheer in Shades #2 or #10 ($55 at Giorgio Armani Cosmetics.com). Apply after foundation and concealer.For the perfect finishing touch, carry Lorac's Perfectly Lit Oil-Free Luminizing Powder($32 at Sephora), in your bridal purse along with some Shiseido Pureness Oil-Control blotting papers ($16.50 at Sephora).

In terms of a soft, but bright pink blush for your special day, try Benefit's Blush in either Thrrob or Dandelion (both $28 at Sephora).

Hope this helps!
xo,
Nicciknows

Hand-y Advice

Dear Nicci

I LOVE your website. I always feel like I am on a bit of a road trip when I read your updates. I live on the East Coast and I really do pride myself on being in the know about taking care of my skin....on my face. However the cold weather is terrorizing my hands and they really look aged. Do you have any favorite hand treatments that can help a girl out in the cold?

Dear Elizabeth,
First, thanks for your feedback. I hear you about feeling a little in the dark when it comes to caring for the skin on your hands. Since our hands are exposed to sun and environmental damage as much, if not more so then our faces, they do need lots of moisture and sun protection etc. I've seen plenty of women who have taken great care of their faces over the years but their hands have aged much more obviously because of the lack of moisture and overexposure to sun. I love a product from Deborah Lippmann, the celebrity manicurist. Its the Lippmann Collection Rich Girl Hand Cream SPF 25

It has shea butter and avocado oils for supreme hydration as well as anti-aging fade botanicals and SPF 25. It addresses damage that has already been done and protects against future damage. Enjoy!!!

Hilary Duff-Hollywood's Young Starlet

We have watched this lovely lady grow from a cherubic little girl into a sophisticated, grounded and classy lady. She's become a fashion trendsetter and a creator in her own right....so it's fitting that her makeup is always flawless as well. She has said that if she were doing anything else other then what she does (actress, singer, fashion designer, etc) she would be a makeup artist. In this photo, she looks naturally sexy and glam. Here follows the reciepe for Hilary's look. Start with a foundation primer such as Smashbox Photofinish Foundation Primer SPF 15 with Dermaxyl Complex ($42 at Sephora)  then try a natural finish foundation such as Loreal True Match Super Blendable Makeup ($9.99 at CVS), then take a golden bronzer such as Nars Bronzing Powder in Laguna or Casino ($28 at Nordstrom). For the eyes you'll want to use a combination of three eyeshadows; Grain Eyeshadow from MAC under the brow ($14 at Nordstrom), Bronze Eyeshadow from Smashbox ($16 at Nordstrom) and Sun Eyeshadow from Stila ($16 at Sephora).  A soft brown eyeliner like Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner in Sepia Ink ($19 at Bloomingdales) along with several coats of a dramatic, volumizing mascara. I love YSL Volume Effet Faux Cils Mascara ($26.50 at Bloomingdales). Then go with a soft peachy blush such as Trish McEvoy Powder Blush in Soft Peach ($20 at Nordstrom) and a nude lip using Nars Lip Pencil in Papua ($19 at Sephora )and lipstick in Barbarella ($23 at Sephora). Finish off with your favorite clear lipgloss-mine is Glaze Glossimer from Chanel ($26 at Nordstrom) As always, email me with questions! 

South African style

Hello friends! As I sit here in one of the most picturesque and beautiful places in the world, Cape Town, South Africa; it occurs to me that new surroundings foster new inspiration.

There is such diversity here-in a 75 mile radius, you might find a tribal village right outside of a  cosmopolitan city. That said, standards of beauty are vast and varying. In the cities, the women look mostly like what you see in your own towns. They, like us are influenced by fashion magazines, television and media overall.

Lots of bronzed, luminous skin, smoky eyes and nude lips...one thing they seem be big on here is white eyeliner. I love using a white pencil such as Stila's Kajal Pencil ($16 at Sephora) on the inner rim of the eye, also known as the waterline. What I don't like, however is when people use a white pencil around the outside of the eye as they would any other color of eyeliner. It looks stark and unnatural and doesn't serve much of an enhancing purpose. Instead, for a soft look, try a subtle gold liner such as MAC Kohl Pencil in Powersurge ($14 at MAC's website).

I will continue to keep you posted on the beauty I discover here in South Africa, as always.

Wish you a beauty-filled, happy and healthy New Year! xo