Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Lauder Lust

I'm usually pretty conservative when it comes to nail polish colours, but the blue nail polish from Estee Lauder's 'Blue Dahlia' collection has got me drooling. This deep, glossy, midnight blue is absolutely gorgeous. It looks classy and polished, unlike some of the gaudy nail polish colours that have been popular of late. Rush to your nearest Lauder counter to pick one up, because these babies are selling out!

Death to Smokey Eye

So, it's Friday night and you're getting with ready with The Girls for a night of dancing, drinking and general debauchary. You've got that special dress on, killer heels, hair freshly washed and straightened, make-up bag in one hand, glass of white in the other and you're heading to the bathroom to fight for prime real-estate in front of the mirror. After securing your spot, you dig out your trusty black eyeliner and begin your usual going-out 'Smokey Eye' routine...

At this point I'd like you to STOP and THINK. Put that MAC Smoulder down before you hurt yourself, honey.

Smokey eye is done, dead, over, kaput. It should have faded into the fashion shadows with slogan t-shirts and velvet chokers; however it continues to rear its' ugly head at night clubs and school formals across the country.

Sipping our Cham-Chams (Champagne with a dash of Chambourd) The Girls and I groan as yet another panda-eyed girl struts past. *Note to self: must bond with her in the toilet line and pass on vital info about the death of the Smokey Eye.*


Yawn...

I know you're thinking I'm over-reacting, but hear me out. I promise this little Cherry has some valid reasons for banning such a beloved look...

1. Massive potential for it to look like your eyes met Mike Tyson's fist.

If I had a dollar for every time I read a beauty 'how-to' on Smokey Eyes saying how easy it is to achieve and 'the messier the better'. Wrong. Simply wrong. Unless you're Kate Moss and ooze an undeniable aura of bad-ass and rocker-chic, this advice does not apply to you. You will end up looking like you've gone 10 rounds with a pro-boxer...and lost. All that hard work you spent on getting ready, and then you ruin it with the bruised eye look? Disappointing.

2. Guys don't like it.

While a guys' approval is not what life and fashion is all about - chances are you didn't wear that ridiculously short dress in the middle of winter or spend those extra 10 minutes making sure your hair was sitting just right, to impress your bestie who knew you before you discovered Pro-active. The majority of guys don't like the smokey eye look and this is a proven fact. Well not really, but a brief survey of the guys I know, plus my friends comfirming their boyfriends don't like it is pretty solid evidence in my book. How many guys have you heard saying that they like it when girls don't wear make-up? This is actually b.s, no guy would be attracted to what I look like when I wake up in the morning sans make-up. What they really mean is they like a girl to look natural, and smearing black stuff all over your eyes doesn't fall under the 'natural' category. Comprendo?

3. It's so yesterday

...to quote Hilary Duff. Smokey eye and nude lip is so boring... it's so done. Everyone was raving about the perfect smokey eye/nude lip combo about 5 years ago. Do you want to look so 5 years ago? I didn't think so.

So if not the smokey eye, what? A good alternative is a sexy bold lip, fresh face and a hint of gel-liner slicked along the upper lashline.You can mix it up with a bright matte pink or a sizzling hot orange. Think retro-chic with a modern twist.



If that doesn't float your boat, gorgeous bronzed skin, a natural rosy lip and some pearlescent eye-shadow with lashings of mascara will work a treat. You'll look like you just came back from a holiday in St Tropez with this simple, fresh look.

Bobbi Brown Bronzing Powder - my fav bronzer.


So next time you're getting ready for that special event, heed my advice. Smokey eye is dead and buried, let's leave it rest in peace.