Julie Hewett Oona Noir Lipstick

Oona Noir from Julie Hewett's Noir Collection has been my secret weapon for months now. As a lover of red lipsticks, I enjoy wearing them often, not just on special occasions and nights out. The right reds can go anywhere, anytime. It's just a matter of finding the right shades and formulas. That's why I appreciate Julie Hewett's approach. The Noir Collection is a full line of reds and they come in two versions- matte and sheer. The matte lipsticks give a dramatic full coverage (my favorites are Sin Noir and Coco Noir. Haven't tried Rouge Noir yet, but it's in my future), and the sheer ones are pretty and easy to wear.

Oona Noir looks dark in the tube, but as you can see, it's a lot friendlier when swatched. The description on  Julie Hewett's site is spot on: it's a sheer cherry red, very classic and flattering. It's on the cool side, but any blue undertones are not very pronounced, so it has the potential to look good on most. Despite the sheer and comfortable formula, this lipstick is quite long-lasting and survives a quick drink or a few hours outdoors in high heat and humidity.

Julie Hewett Oona Noir Lipstick ($22.50) is available from juliehewett.net.

All photos are mine.

Le Metier de Beaute at Nordstrom and Julie Hewett Sale- Online Shopping News

Enabling ahead!

Best news of the week: Le Metier de Beaute is now available online from Nordstrom. The color swatches are better than the ones on Neiman and Bergdorf sites, so that's a real upgrade. They have everything, from the miracle that is Peau Vierge to LMdB superb makeup brushes. Especially worth noting: the Face Kaleidoscope. It has everything you need- powder, highlighter, bronzer and the gorgeous Echo blush in one palette. I have most of these items separately, but having them in one kit is even better. I actually wish I had it right now- I have some traveling coming up and this would be perfect.

Many of you emailed me lately asking what was going on with Julie Hewett. The web site is back, everything seems to be in stock and there's quite a bit to explore. Julie Hewett has great red lipsticks for just about anyone- including those who are scared of red. I love her cream cheek colors and the Hue Colour in Newsprint Bleu has been a staple in my makeup wardrobe for ages. There's also a little sale going on until the 7th: 25% off on Bijou lipstick in Jacqueline (sheer fuchsia) and Duo Blush Palette in Carmine/Coral. Use code SSA2010 at checkout.

Julie Hewett Cheekie Palette & Brush

Cream blush is everywhere. Pans, pots, sticks- they come in several formats and sheerness levels and are winning even reluctant hearts and faces including mine. Three or four years ago I had a hard time finding even one cream/gel blush I liked. Now I have several in my regular rotation and I can mix, blend and choose.

Speaking of mixing and blending, the Cheekie Palette from Julie Hewett has become a favorite (despite one big flaw. See below) exactly because of the endless customizing options it allows. The four Cheekie colors look intense in the pan but they apply sheer enough and blend well, so you don't end up with clown cheeks. You can wear them alone or blend two or more, which is what I usually do. Jami, the neutral rose-mauve is the only one I wear on its own because it looks very natural and the color is easy and as unfussy as it gets. I mix  Rosie or Peachie with Natural to bring them down a notch or two and get a color that has just the right amount of red or coral for me and adjust the levels of each shade according to mode, time of day and the other makeup I'm wearing.

The final effect is very nice natural flush. Just like Scarlett O'Hara biting her lips and pinching her cheeks in preparation for some flirting. Cheekie can also be used on the lips, but I prefer not to do that- most of the colors are too sheer to do anything for my pigmented lips.

The funny looking brush is very effective. It grabs enough color, blends it easily and isn't abrasive on skin. It covers just enough face space so you don't go overboard (blend well to avoid streaks).

The one big issue with this Julie Hewett product is longevity. The texture is pleasantly thin, but it also tends to fade and disappear within 6 hours if you don't do a meticulous job of cementing it into place between two coats of face powder. Otherwise it just melts right into your foundation. So this is certainly not a touch-and-go   blush, and it requires that you take your time doing your face and find the right combination of products that work for you and for these cheeks color (some HD powders tend to mute these blushes a little too much. I prefer a finishing powder that has a little yellow pigment).

Another thing of note: I own several other Julie Hewett products (lipsticks, balms, eye shadows and liners)- all of them are made in the US. The Cheekie palette is the only one made in China. I've noticed other brands that do the same- most of the line is manufactured in the US or Europe, but a handful of items are outsourced to China. The annoying part is that you usually don't have this info when ordering online (QVC is the only place I've seen that discloses the country of origin).

Bottom Line: Great concept, less than perfect implementation.

Cheekie Palette ($52 with brush, $42 without) is available from juliehewett.net (in the Palette section of the site, oddly missing from the Face category. The colors can also be purchased individually ($24 in a pot, $18 as a pan in a mirrored compact).

All photos are mine.

**You might have noticed blogger is having hiccups in the comment section. Some of you are getting errors when trying to upload a comment even though it actually goes through and gets sent to my email. Also, I'm unable to approve and publish your comments. Blogger usually fixes these issues withing 24 hours and comments aren't lost in the process, but in any case I'm saving the emails and will enter them into the Aftelier giveaway regardless if they end up actually posted. I'll reply to comments when everything is fixed, but if you have a more urgent question that requires a prompt reply you may want to contact me by email or on Twitter**

Julie Hewett Takes Responsibility

Remember this?

It seemed that the consensus was that Eva should have known better than go out like this. But celebrity makeup artist Julie Hewett is actually proud of this look and sent an email newsletter/press release with information on how to recreate Eva's makeup with her products.

Now, don't get me wrong- I usually like Julie Hewett's work and makeup. The red lipsticks are beautiful and her cream shadow/eye liner in Newsprint Bleu is a staple in my makeup wardrobe. But I'll be staying far far away from Silverlake eye shadow (there's also Dovima under the brow bone, which is actually a great highlighter, but the evil Silverlake seems to have eaten it alive).

Now we know.

Red Lipstick- Julie Hewett Coco Noir

It's all about red lipstick, lately, and there are many beautiful options. Not that it's making finding the right one any easier. A line worth checking is Julie Hewett's Noir Collection which includes six reds with different undertones, so hopefully there's a red for everyone.

I bought Coco Noir, which is described as "brick red", but on my lips, which are darker than most, the warm tone of brick isn't very visible, and it's more of a true Gwen Stefani red. It's pretty and surprisingly wearable once you get over the initial "I'm wearing a red lipstick" shock. The pigment level is unbelievably high. It requires careful application, starting with a liner (I use the matching pencil Julie Hewett offers. It's good, easy to apply and, of course, a perfect match), and putting it on with a lip brush. Despite how it looks in movies and commercials, where a Marilyn-looking (or the real Marilyn) woman in fishnets and a little black dress is sensually painting her lips dark red straight from the tube, in reality, this purist approach would only result in an uneven layer of color and possibly red teeth.

When I say "highly pigmented", I mean it. Coco Noir lasts through a cocktail party and dinner. It doesn't go away until you make it, which is another reason to be careful and precise when applying. And you'll need to make sure no trace is left before going to bed. Otherwise, your pillowcase will suffer. Also, be careful with your man's collar. I'm just sayin'.

What I love best about it, is the comfortable texture. Long lasting matte colors usually scare me and they tend to be scorchers. Not this one. It's soft, creamy without being oily and you won't feel like you have a layer of deep red goop on your mouth.

I think I'll need to get Sin Noir next. A wine/eggplant red sounds excellent.

Julie Hewett makeup is available through her website, juliehewett.net.

Julie Hewett Cream Eyeliner

Confession time: I'm wary of private labels. When I buy something I want to know exactly where it comes from and who makes it. Recently there are more and more makeup lines carrying the names of makeup artists, some more famous than others, and not all lines are created equal.

Seeing that the label on the cream eyeliner from Julie Hewett is a simple sticker has worried me a bit, but it was better than expected. While not in the same league as Bobbi Brown's gel liner, Hue Colour is creamy and easy enough to apply. It goes on smoothly and looks great. I still prefer the lighter gel texture of Bobbi's, just because it's more klutz-friendly.

The biggest drawback is in terms of durability. Without an eye primer, it doesn't survive a full day. True to the promise, it didn't smudge, but it did fade and crease. A primer kept it in place for about 8 hours, but the color wasn't as vibrant. Despite the suggestion to also use it as a shadow for a dramatic smoky eye, I'd avoid it. It creases too much and the creamy texture just can't hold. But as an eyeliner, it's quite nice.

The color I bought was Newsprint Bleu. It's inkish with a bit of grey, on my eyelids it looks similar to Lancome Artliner in smoke, and despite technically being blue, it's almost a neutral, and quite flattering, so you wouldn't get the skank effect often associated with blue eye makeup. The other colors in the collections are too adventurous for me: violet, burgundy and (gasp!) white, but if any of you tries them, please let me know how they look.

Julie Hewett products are available directly from her website (where I purchased mine), as well as from Bliss (they have some exclusives) and QVC.