One Size Fits All

I’m usually not a fan of products that declare themselves as right for any skin tone. From my experience it just doesn’t work this way. Just think: how many shades of lipstick or blush that look great on your friends would compliment you? A good example for this is Nars’ Orgasm blush. It gets such rave reviews and it seems that everyone is buying it. I tried it at Sephora a couple of times, with the same result: it looks wrong.

So I was skeptical about Benefit’s Dallas bronzer (or whatever you want to call it). Everyone loves it. And Everyone has a very different skin tone than mine. Still, my curiosity got the better of me and I found myself at Bloomie’s Benefit counter trying it on.

In my first try I had too much powder on the brush. It’s a thin brush with short, stiff bristles and no handle. It takes a moment to get used to, but as soon as I figured just how much product to use and how to sweep it across my face there was magic. My nose and the area around it are quite tan at this point in the season (I should really be more diligent about sunscreen, but I love being in the sun and my skin gets a pretty tan), so I just use it on my forehead and cheeks to complement my tan.

The color is, indeed, a sun-kissed rose. It makes my skin glow in a healthy looking tan. Since getting Dallas I completely abandoned my Paula Dorf bronzer and my Lancôme blush. I just sweep this and my face is done.

I have no idea how it works just as well for paler women with different undertones to their skin. All I know is that this Non-Blonde is hooked.

Moonlight Shadow

I go through cycles with eye shadows. I can avoid using them for months (like last summer, when I was all about a basic, natural look), and then go on a spree, get some new stuff and play with it to my little heart's content.

I don't like a very painted eye look, especially not for day time. Teaching fifth grade math demands many things, but not a lot of pink shimmer on my eye lids. That said, lately I do feel a need to apply something light and eye opening for day, and I'm back to experimenting with different evening looks.

I wrote about my recent Chanel purchase and will review my new daytime look soon. But this post is about two Bourjois shadows that are definitely for evening. I got the Kaki Etonnant #70 and Argent #25. The first is described as "iridescent brown with green", which is exactly how it looks, especially when applied with a damp brush.

It was one of the most beautiful shadows I've ever seen, and is very flattering to my skin tone. I used it with dark sage liner (a cheapy from L'Oreal, bought in my local target. I love the color and texture- most pencils are not soft and creamy enough for my sensitive eye area)and a nude highlighting shadow under my brows, so the Kaki Etonnant could claim the spotlight. And it did. Pretty and sexy without being overpowering. The irridisent quality makes it interesting without being in-your-face shimmer.

I'm not sure how it would look on someone who is pale. The green might look too garish. But if you have greenish eyes it might be worth looking into, as it might be good for bringing out the color.

The second night I used the #25, which is a silver sparkle. Encouraged by my earlier success, I damped my brush and applied it as a highlighter. Big mistake. This color does not need wet application, as the result could be described as campy sci-fi, or tin man or whatever you want to call Cher on a bad day. I wiped it out and started again, dry, this time. Bourjois' desription didn't lie. It is silver sparkle, but when applied dry and with a light hand it does look pretty.

I combined it with a smoke colored liner (again, L'Oreal) and Lancôme shadow in Volcano (a muted charcoal) on the crease. Again, this is an evening look, and a very pretty one. If silver looks good on you, it's worth checking out. The shadow's quality is great, no creasing or smudging. The very light sparkle looks classy and stays in place. It makes curious about their other colors. There's quite a selection of them.

Salvatore Ferragamo Pour Femme

I had a sample of Salvatore Ferragamo Pour Femme that I decided to try last night. I liked the top notes- it was interesting, decidedly unfruity and didn't remind me of anything else. All are the making of a good candidate to join my ever-growing collection and be used frequently.

Last night I was also trying on some new makeup products that were a huge success. Unlike my pal Sal.

Three words: No staying power.

The sample was of the EDP (I checked twice, just to make sure). Still, by the time I got from North Jersey to the East Village nothing remained. I felt naked. This morning I tried it again, to see if it might be better as a casual morning fragrance. Again, gone in 20 minutes. It's described on fragrancenet as a "dry scent of greens, florals and spices, with lower notes of nuts and musk". No specifics. It's almost like there's a missing ingredient, something to ground it and make it stay.