Everything's Coming Up Golden

So the holidays might be done but we are now right in the midst of Award Season which has me continuing to think about festive, beautiful makeup. On Smash, we did a musical number involving angels and we gave them a gold wash of eyeshadow with a dot of highlight on the inner corner of the eye, glowing skin and pink gloss. It was very sweet and it reminded me of all the images of golden makeup I have been seeing around. Gold eyeshadow has a lot of pop but is neutral enough that you can still glam it up further with a bold red lip like Dolce & Gabbana in Devil or MAC in Ladybug for something sheerer and more moisturizing. The look is fresh and sophisticated. Or you can let the gold be the theme and combine a deep gold eyeshadow with a nude lipgloss like D&G in Glossy that is a nudey-tude lipgloss with flecks of gold in it, and some bright blush. MAC Gorgeous Gold and Goldrush are two fun, rich colors - Gorgeous Gold has a little hint of green and Goldrush is a little warmer - and the MAC pricepoint is not too high. The limited edition Silent Night by Nars looks pretty luxe too. Wear it as a sheer wash or put on a creamy primer and do a deep bling on the eye. I like the idea of pale skin with these looks but you could add bronzer if you want to really J. Lo it up. But for some reason that doesn't feel as contemporary.
This is the look that I'm pretty inspired by right now so give it a try and let me know what other ideas you come up with!

Btw, I just bought the tinted moisturizer from the new line No. 7 in Target to give it a whirl. It is the undercover discount line from Chanel, just FYI, which probably means that the formulas are the same but without all the bells and whistles. For that reason, the packaging for the line is uninspired and they were out of the lipstick collaborations with Poppy, the Lipstick Queen. But the formula for the tinted moisturizer is quite nice and for $12, a lovely alternative the La Mer Fluid Tint that I j'adore. However, in a mega makeup mishap, I combined it with my yam cream whilst rushing to get out of the house for a movie screening and some combo of the yams and the pigment in the No. 7 moisturizer combusted and turned a nice streaky orange all over my face! What a surprise! And of course these things always happen when you are in a rush. Luckily we sat in a dark room for the next two hours so if I had missed a spot in the removal, noone could tell...

Winter Skin Woes, Dry Skin Solutions

So, with the winter weather finally arriving, my skin is taking a turn for the worse. I already have dry skin but it's a constant battle trying to keep my face from falling off once the thermometer drops. And it got me thinking that maybe my Pigment readers might struggle with similar winter scales. I have a lot of tricks up my sleeve both high end and shoestring that help keep skin fresh in the cold.

Let me start with lip balms. I have trouble getting excited about lip balm. They all seem to work. But people love the Jack Black brand because it is thick and rich but not shiny or sticky. It's very soothing and just a wee minty. But I'm a fan of cherry Chapstick too...

When it comes to face creams, obviously, Creme de La Mer is a gold standard for deep moisture. I mean, it was invented to help heal burns so our skin issues seem puny in comparison. But if the price tag has you giving me the stink eye, I found this amazingly emollient cream when I was in northern Michigan this summer made in Traverse City of all places (NY snob alert). Creation Pharm Skin Renewal Cream with Wild Yam is all natural, unprocessed ingredients with skin regenerating Evening Primrose, Borage OIl, Cherry Kernel Oil, and Wild Yam extract. When I put it on at night I come to bed and my husband says "mmmmm, yams". But in a good way. The best part is the price: $15 for a big yammy jam jar.

My newest obsession comes courtesy of Arthur's nanny, Angela who recommended NeoStrata Problem Dry Skin Cream. The website description makes it seem like it might be for knees and elbows but sometimes that's how dry my face feels. The cream isnt super pricey and it's got a 20% alpha hydroxy formula so it is not for the squeamish but it peels your skin off in the best way to reveal your baby skin underneath. But don't forget sunscreen with this puppy.

As far as cleansers go, I trust good old Pond's Cold Cream like Grandma used to use which makes my skin feel really well taken care of. And its like $4.50. But if you don't want all those parabens, which are anti-microbial preservatives that are getting called into question for their potential toxicity, you could use a cleanser like Epicuren Apricot Cream Cleanser.

And my favorite trick of all is probably the cheapest. On the days when my skin is feeling desperate, I take a scoop of my least used/cheapest moisturizer - does everyone have like 5 leftover jars of moisturizer like I do?? No? Ok, then use olive or grapeseed oil - and a fist full of sugar and scrub your face with the mixture until the sugar dissolves and your skin is smooth and glowing. You will taste and look delicious!

Stay tuned next week I will have some insight into the fabulous and overwhelming world of Awards Show Makeup!