Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel at Time’s 100 most influential people gala earlier this week.
Like most worker bees, my 9 AM office routine follows a fairly familiar pattern. Trudge zombie-like towards coffee, browse my inbox for 10 minutes, then head to a gossip site to catch up on some celeb happenings. (Especially here, beauty news is important!)
This morning, I found myself swooning over a photo of America’s favorite newlyweds: the Timberlakes. While we don’t all have red-carpet galas to attend, these looks are still perfect for a night out on the town or a formal summer wedding. The former Ms. Biel looked radiant with bronze smoky eyes and a Bridgette Bardot-esque ‘do, and her beau looked particularly dashing in his updated 20/20 Experience look—we love the side-swept hair and fitted tuxedo. Whether you’re heading to a sophisticated fête or just a dinner with friends, follow these grooming tips to snag this A-list couple’s style.
We fell hard for Natalie Alcala last fall, when the LA-based writer and blogger spent a week guest blogging for us. In fact, we loved her posts so much that we asked her to be a contributing editor. In addition to blogging for us once a week, she’ll also be writing for the Birchbox Magazine and keeping us up to speed on all things fashion, beauty, and fun.
Spring is finally here! Time for picnics, pastels and lots of gingham. In addition to sprucing up my lip looks this season, I’ll also be reaching for lightweight products that allow my skin to breath in heat. And with Earth Month right around the corner, clean and natural beautifiers are on my radar, too. Here are five current favorites.
1. Kiehl’s Creme de Corps Soy Milk & Honey Whipped Body Butter ($38): I seriously can’t talk about this cream without getting giddy. After showering and drying off, I immediately lather this heavenly-scented, air-whipped butter all over my body. Free of parabens glycols and silicones, this is pretty much a one-way ticket to Hydration Nation.
Winter weather is still lingering here in New York, and we’re antsy for spring to arrive so there can be an end to all this dry air and parched skin. Our favorite trick to fake blooming season? Indulging in the scents of our favorite flowers with a mini pampering. That’s why we invited our community to a shindig last month with a little help from our friends at Jouer. We gave a few lucky Birchbloggers the opportunity to try the gardenia, jasmine, and honeysuckle-scented Body Butter and Signature Rollerball Fragrance. Here’s what three bloggers had to say about these spring-scented picks:
Big Apple Beauty at Kate Spade NY: Bardot Waves, Winged Liner, and Pop Art
At Kate Spade NY yesterday, classic New York—think 1970s Studio 54 and Andy Warhol—ruled. Lead artist Neil Scibelli for Jouer Cosmetics kept the makeup dramatic but clean, with an ultra-black cat eye and red statement lip. Scibelli also used Jouer’s Matte Moisture Tint to give model’s skin a soft, velvety finish. He said he wanted to give the models the “chic confidence of the New York girls of Kate Spade.”
Deborah Lippmann gave the models almond-shaped nails and either two coats of Fade to Black or a pink combination of Amazing Grace, Between the Sheets, and I Kissed a Girl with a gold gem near the cuticle. Lippmann said she was declaring almond the nail shape of the season.
The hair, by Tommy Buckett for Garnier, was mainly about big, bouncy waves achieved with pin curls—“Ask your mom if she still has her curlers from the 70s.” Buckett said that this is definitely “not a beach wave, this is full-on hair.” Ten girls also had sleek, center-parted low chignons, since Buckett said the show was also about celebrating individuality.
Sayonara, sparkles! Birchbox staffer Deepica, scores an even, totally velvety complexion courtesy of Jouer’s MMT in Hazel. She looks runway-worthy, no? And Deepica isn’t the only one digging a shine-free visage. The matte makeup movement was originally spotted on the fall runways but shows no signs of abating.
Back in the day (circa 2002), we used a combination of primer, foundation, setting powder, and blotting papers to keep any hint of dewiness at bay. All those products also conspired to give our skin an unflatteringly flat look. Happily we’ve come a long way since then and so have our products.
We’re smitten with Jouer’s lightweight Matte Moisture Tint, which creates multidimensional finish while also hydrating thirsty complexions. (Spoiler alert: some of our subscribers will get to sample MMT this month!) Never powdery, it provides more coverage than its luminizing counterpart and stays fresh all day long. It also has SPF 15 to keep skin protected.
But we haven’t given up our Luminizing Moisture Tint altogether. We still turn to the LMT when we want to up the radiance. We don’t see anything wrong with having two valentines.
Behind-the-Scenes: Filming Drab to Fab in One City Block
Have you seen our brand new video, Drab to Fab in One City Block yet? It’s like Mission Impossible and The Matrix meets beauty tutorial—and we had sooo much fun filming it (on a freezing cold day in December). Watch the video below, tell us what you think, and THEN enter to win all the products featured in the video. Details below:
ENTER TO WIN: What are your on-the-go tips for going from #DrabToFab? Share them on Twitter with the hashtag #DrabToFab and then link to this video for a chance to win the products featured in this video! You have until Sunday 2/3 to share. We’ll choose one winner by random and notify them by Twitter Direct Message.
It’s easy to write off matte skin once the colder months start to fade away. But at the Spring/Summer 2013 runway shows, makeup artists revealed a fresh-looking, updated version of matte: velvety, shine-free complexions that were perfectly paired with airy warm weather attire. To pull off this trendy look without relying too heavily on setting powder, we asked celebrity makeup artist Dora Salgado for her top tips.
We fell hard for Natalie Alcala last fall, when the LA-based writer and blogger spent a week guest blogging for us. In fact, we loved her posts so much that we asked her to be a contributing editor. In addition to blogging for us once a week, she’ll also be writing for the Birchbox Magazine and keeping us up to speed on all things fashion, beauty, and fun.
Besides it being awards season, there’s another reason why this is my favorite time of year: It’s the release of spring ad campaigns! Although I love the bundled up looks for fall, spring collections are always fresh, fun and bursting with brilliance. Plus, I get particularly hyped for the latest ads since the beauty is more experimental as well. From the slick hair and dark lip at Kurt Reiger to the peach lid and nude pout at Max Mara, here are the looks that I’m really feeling for spring.
We fell hard for Natalie Alcala last fall, when the LA-based writer and blogger spent a week guest blogging for us. In fact, we loved her posts so much that we asked her to be a contributing editor. In addition to blogging for us once a week, she’ll also be writing for the Birchbox Magazine and keeping us up to speed on all things fashion, beauty, and fun.
Although my go-to party look is a super-smoky cat eye and a rich rouge pout, some occasions deserve more experimentation. While perusing for New Year’s Eve beauty inspiration, I stumbled upon this brilliant editorial in French magazine Madame Figaro. Although the feature is meant to promote three of the season’s fiercest headbands, it also showcases three fantastic makeup options for this year’s ultimate party.
(Photo: Madame Figaro)
1. Victorian Vixen: Channel your modern Marie Antoinette by dipping into your spring pastel palettes for this look. After filling in brows, lightly apply Make Up For Ever’s #93 Irish Green (an exact match) or Stila’s Night Sky (a charming blue alternative) around the entire eye. Complete the look with a few coats of Alicia Silverstone for Juicy Beauty’s Pure Kissable Lip Color for the perfect pink pucker and a swipe of a creamy blush, like Jouer’s Poppy. Top your messy bun with a standout bejeweled headband and you’re good to go!
For several seasons, the word “dewy” was omnipresent among makeup artists backstage at Fashion Week. But for spring 2013, there’s been a shift. From skin to eyes to lips, the matte finish is having having its moment next season—and this is matte like you’ve never seen before.
